Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Points of reference

You never really want to say where you stole from, but because so many people have this wrong I think it's fair to at least direct them towards true, original sources.

I studied filmmaking in the UK. There's a wonderful director from there named Lindsay Anderson. In particular, he made films such as This Sporting Life (which nearly a year and a half ago I assumed upon first listen at Great American Music Hall to be an influence on Colin's song) If.. and O Lucky Man.

I wish more people could see these films but they are very difficult to find in the US for the most part. They are more earnestly political and critical than my nose thumbing video could ever be.

I must graciously tip my hat towards Rushmore for the idea of compact, filmic storytelling with captions. But what you primarily see is the result of a short schedule, a need for one location, a knowledge of what theatrics the band is capable of and a low budget combined with half dreamed remembrances of days spent in the cold NFT on South Bank in London. I do believe that Rushmore became a sort of touchstone for the crew, the common grammar in their heads as we all visualized this to completion. But it was not intended as such, and if it does appear to be that way it is, I accept, a failing on my part.

Also there's like one person who noticed the Brazil homage. They were right.