Harsh Goodbyes

Yearn deprived and sluggish
I gaze into the darkness
To where silence has reign
A sovereign state it claims
Beyond the walls of its dominion
Into the hollows where I slumber
A turned back on old embraces
A burnt look on my soiled face.

Bitter words that hurt erupted
Have grown hard and more corrupted
Every rivulet and subtle nuance
Long eroded by tides want
Void of lips on which to tremble
An equine perch without its luster
A nub that once a lance had thrusted
A brace to once a throng had clustered.

I read in books the tired calling
From where the voices last were falling
Lyrics thought o’ granite strong
Now remains of nothing gone
Memories cast in seas dilution
Settled deep beyond absolution
In darkness where the silence sighs
Lamenting on its harsh goodbyes.

Sacrifice

Lead me with your hidden blade
Into the depths of sacred stone
To where our ancestors bones are laid
Beside the weeping walls.
Do not tell me of the plans you’ve made
To offer up my bleeding heart
Tell me we’ve come to bow our heads
And give thanks to timeless souls.

As I kneel before the battered skulls
Remove your blade in silence
Let me not hear the sharp intake of breath
Or the beating of your quickened heart.
As your foot falls beside my bare calves
Let me think you’ve come to kneel
Beside me as a friend, in unison as kin
Let expectation linger of your voice raised with mine

Let your hand not tremble and the blade be swift
Give my eyes no time to see
The look of hunger that coats you flesh
Or the twisted sneer that burns your lips.
And as my body falters and the blood runs free
May knowledge come with winged rejoice
Of glories and of rich rewards
And of evil that from hearth now flees.

My first Baseball Game: Bears Vs Twins

I've never been one to enthuse over baseball. Never had the urge to buy season tickets even after my several season stint at playing softball. But here i was sitting in the relatively empty stands screaming my guts out in support of the Bears on a cool Saturday afternoon. It turned out to be a pretty exciting game with the Bears taking a five nil lead until the top of the sixth when the Twins came back and scored 6 runs. It was down to the bottom of the nineth and a slide into home that could have saved the game when my voice started to give out. I was chuffed with my free ticket and my time well spent.

Theo van Gogh

After recently watching the film Interview, Directed by Steve Buscemi and becoming enraptured with its simple structure and enthralling character study I wanted to find out more about its origins. It’s origins being a Dutch film made a few years earlier by Theo van Gogh. I haven’t seen the film as yet so will be eagerly tracking down a copy.

Rather than warble on and get the facts wrong surrounding the life and death of Theo van Gogh I’ve set up a Feature section in the Links for those who wish it, to go on a little journey into van Gogh’s life.

Finally Lubitel

These are the first images taken on my Lubitel 166 Universal. I went for a wander up behind my place and found some nice neglected streets and narrow alleyways.

Lomography Store in Hongdae, Seoul

With my first look inside the store i was happy to discover a few of my images adorning the walls.

This is Wolfgang Stranzinger sitting in the newly opened Lomography store in Hongdae. The store was officialy opened two days prior, on the 5th of March, 2008.

Maroon 5 Live in Seoul

Wow has it been a week already. A week from a most enjoyable evening that still trembles beneath my skin. And before you get out of control speeding along a path i have no intention of going down, i will explain.

I was given, by an oh so generous student, two tickets to Maroon 5 live in Seoul. They played on the evening of Friday the 7th at Olympic Park Stadium. Normally I'd be kicking a lost opportunity right at this minute because i work evenings so seldom get to attend such events. But as for this one, i was able to convince my boss to swap my shift with a morning one freeing me up for a gig.

As with most gigs here, the crowd comes in late. Despite saying on the ticket that the doors would be closed at 8.30pm and late comers would not be allowed admittance, folk were still filing in 30 minutes later as the band were due to be kicking off. My companion urged me to stowed it however and get into the sounds. And that i did. Waving my little glow stick until it broke, i boogied until the end.

After the initial set and the standard wave goodbye, i was a little unimpressed with the crowd when they couldn't even muster a solid encore chant but after a while the band none the less returned to the stage for three more songs. It was here things got tasty. The band got together up front and bowed a last good bye and left the stage but the audience refused to budge and in fact started stamping their feet and cheering like no tomorrow. The band gave in and returned for one last song. After a brief discussion they played Prince's Purple Rain, which without hesitation i say with utter conviction, WENT OFF!!

The Lomo Adventure Continues

The agony and joy of a Lomographer in Korea continues. It's taken some training but i finally have a developing studio near my house able to process films how i want them. When i first went in i was refused as they had never cross processed films before and thought they would be unable to do it. I was even called after the negative was developed to inform me the colour wasn't normal and to apologise for any mistake. But now all i get is a quick, "Are you sure?" before the roll is handed over and the job begun.

Lomo is a Way of Life 2

Lomo is a Way of Life 1

More Snow From My Neighbourhood

These first two photos are from a little park in Yeoido. Here the snow actually managed to stick around longer than puff or air.

These next two are the view from near my apartment. It had snowed the day before and the houses in the distance are still dressed in their virginal best.

Uijeongbu Station at Night

Jozua's Farewell

Estelle and James show another use for a fork.

The most interesting cake that was purchased to feed the teeming masses, moments after the candle was blown out and the speaches made.

Diane looking relaxed in front of the camera.

Jozua with glass of wine in hand wondering how long it would be before he could make a run for the exit.

Grace and Lindsay scrunching up to get into frame.

Snow in Seoul In Feb

Diary of a Would-be Filmmaker Part 2

PC-Bangs are glorious places when the smell of smoke isn’t getting to you and the noise from the million little clicks on keyboards aren’t pounding in to your hangover or even the constant pow-pow, bang-bang from what ever computer game is currently fashionable is quickly driving you insane. None the less, PC-Bangs are glorious places when you want to get out of your tiny apartment and there’s no place better to go.

So here is it I find myself on a dwindling Sunday afternoon, feeling sufficiently rested and a tad restless. I have that slightly chuffed feeling. I’m chuffed with myself because I finally finished the first draft of my short film. Now, in the book is when they tell you to step back from it, let it marinate then return to it in a few months and see what you really think. Stuff that, I can’t wait that long.

At the moment my script stands at 18 pages. You might not think that sounds like much, especially when you look at it and see the well spaced dialogue that chews up the pages. When you are sitting on the other side of it however, looking at the task ahead, it seems like Everest.

When I started I was going great guns. I worked through all the development stages and reined myself back from attacking the guts of the script before I had a better understanding of what I wanted to say. When I figured I was ready, I started working through it scene by scene and before I knew it there were twelve pages I was pretty happy with. That was when I hit a wall. There was one scene I was afraid of doing, one scene that seemed too hard to shape. The notebook remained closed and the fear of not finishing grew.

Days past and little progress was made. I’d pick up the pen and read through what I’d written, make a change here or there but still not have it in me to attempt the climatic scene. I’d almost resigned my idea to the large scrap heap of ideas littering other notebooks and cobwebbed corners.

On Monday of this week I changed tack. I told myself I didn’t need to do it all in one hit, I could hack away at it a little at a time. I started typing in into the computer, cleaning it up as I went, trimming scenes and dialogue until I got to that final scene. On Tuesday I wrote a few lines, on Wednesday I wrote a few more. On Thursday I scribbled out a few and trimmed the fat. On Friday I panicked and left it alone. On Saturday I worked on it during the course of the day, my excitement grew and the final line came closer. Then there it was, 18 pages of a short film. From a simple idea I worked it through until I had produced my first draft. On Sunday I gloated.

Diary of a Would-be Filmmaker Part 1

As I sit here eating Dok-pukki from a street-side vendor and doodling away in one of my many notebooks, I thought I'd share with you the journey I have recently undertaken. Not the one where I moved countries and came to live in South Korea and teach English but the one where I hope to find that long sort after dream, to become a filmmaker.

I had an idea and as ideas go this one seemed to to have more legs than others. They come in all shapes and sizes and sometimes it is so hard to tell which ones I should latch on to. The fact that I'm still currently a would-be filmmaker and not an actualized filmmaker should tell me pretty clearly I’ve been latching on to the wrong ideas or going about developing the idea in the wrong way.

So anyway, I had this idea and jumped ahead and wrote five or so pages of dialogue. I called it dialogue back then, (several days ago) back when I thought a screenplay centered around the stuff. Now I'm of a different mind. You see, for the past few years my creative endeavors have revolved around theatre where dialogue sings and is the stuff you hang everything on. Not so in film. After learning this fact from a handy dandy little book, you'd think film school might have gotten the idea across, I took a few steps back and started to flesh out my idea.

I wrote a step outline, I got in touch with my main characters, identifying the protagonist is not as easy as it sounds, nor is formulating an antagonist. In the past I've told myself that I don't need to comply to age old structure, that is as readable as dirt, you play in dirt you get dirty, but there is something to be said for using that structure to take an idea, a faint half notion of a glimmer of an image, and turn it into something more.

Right now I have a much clearer idea of what I want to say, of how I'm going to say it and who is going to do the talking for me. The character interviews have been conducted, the step outline has been followed by a scene outline and several pages of new dialogue have been written, not in order, but because I have a clear structure I can now work my way through the scenes as I see fit. First draft, here I come!

Strange Fruit Falls From the Orange Tree

On Tuesday the second of October I took a chance and headed down to Orange Tree to partake of a little comedy from a few of Korea’s transient residents. Orange Tree is doing wonders for us Expats with performances coming at you from all angles and in all guises.

This evening it was a recently formed Improv troupe called ‘Seoul City Improv.‘ that swamped the small, red stage with their numbers, when to begin the night each participant was introduced to an attentive crowd. That alone gave a warm impression of the enthusiasm of the team to not only entertain us but also to ensure their time spent was just as enjoyable.

The chance I took turned into an opportunity when after the slow start, the games and the wit became genuinely entertaining. I’m pretty familiar with the rules of Improv so switched off during A.J.’s explanations but as my companion commented, who is herself well versed in many aspects of theatre, he could have afforded to go into a little more detail or perhaps it was clarity that was called for.

‘Freeze’ was a difficult choice first up as it requires the actor’s brains to be well in gear as they jump into and reinterpret the scene being played. A few worked overtime to compensate of other’s more sluggish starts.

Asking for volunteers in these situations is always a difficult undertaking so acquaintances were called on by name which can result in the alienating of those who popped along, not to support a friend but to have a good night out. So to have the second scene of the night demand audience participation was perhaps demanding a bit much too early.

Prior to things getting underway, little slips of paper were passed about the milling crowd asking them to contribute a random snatch of dialogue. These appeared in the first installment of ‘Pocket Scene’ with pleasing results. The actors had to work to find ways to produce slips of paper from their pocket. It was here that I felt the possibility of things to come. And when it was followed by a scene constructed under the limitations of having the first word of each line beginning with consecutive letters of the alphabet, things seemed to be gaining both momentum and laughs.

The next two scenes however put the brakes on. ‘Superheroes’ turned more into a farce than something that produced genuine giggles. Earwax and toe jam seemed a little cheap and the cringe factor shot through the roof. In ‘Countdown’ when the same minute long scene had to be replayed in increasingly less time, an in-joke took centre stage. The laughter and applause of the troupe outdid that of the audience.

The first act ended on a high however with Matt coming to the fore and showing great skills in thinking on his feet and a calm clear projection that alluded to confidence. Qualities that are appealing in any stage performance and as a result the laughter rose and the applause before intermission was enthusiastic.

After a short break, a few more volunteers and another slow start, gusto was found by a repeat of ‘ABC’s’ set in the Seoul Subway. This was followed up by another ‘Pocket Scene’ where Thomas channeled a poor soul, sacked from Scientology. He was supported well in his exploration of a legitimate character and the entire evening began to find its feet.

There were moments of extremely witty and highly engaging performances and the show ended with the entire team getting on stage to participate in ‘World’s worst things to say…’. This was another of the games that required the audience to make offers of locations or situations. Matt had clearly shown himself as one of the gems of SCI but I found myself willing him to take advantage of the following he had garnered when in this final game he was attempting too much. Three times he stepped to the front and three times he stepped back waving away the line that had fallen flat, each time the audience laughed a little more. Not at the line but at his genuine-ness and willingness to try. All he had to do was step to the front once more and without saying a word, wave his hand and turn his back and he would have treated to a fervent response from an appreciative crowd.

This was Seoul City Improv’s fifth outing and I dare say at this early stage they are in a healthy position to bring cackles and guffaws to a grateful Seoul audience. They will be performing twice each month, the first Tuesday will be at Orange Tree in Haebangchon and the third Sunday will at The Electric Cat in Itaewon. Their next performance will be on the 21st of October at 8:30pm. At this stage performances are free. SCI can be contacted at seoulimprov@gmail.com

Post 105 090507 Live Earth

check out the web site for Live Earth. A series of concerts around the globe to bring even more awareness to global warming. A look who's headlining in Sydney! A reformed Crowded House. Out-friggin-standing!!

http://www.liveearth.org/

Post 104: 070507 An Audition

On Saturday morning i made my way south of the River Han to the Express Bus Terminal Station and left via Exit 5 to walk along a busy street to find my eventual destination. The third story office off of MK Pictures. The reason for my trip, an audition for an up-coming picture.

My audition was scheduled for midday, the first of around twenty people they would be seeing. I arrived a little before 11.30am just as one of the crew was arriving to open up. The office itself is a high-ceilinged maze of smaller offices that had long since seen better days. Stacks of cannisters were piled against walls beside boxes of unknown contents. Wires ran this way and that along the floors, over stains and gound in dirt. There was little to adorn the walls save a poster in a back office proclaiming a past success. I was shown into a small space and left to learn the dialogue i had been given the day before.

I knew little about the production apart from it being a sports movie. After about 20 minutes i was ushered into a larger room where a young bloke who spoke english with a distinctive American accent greeted me.There was a single chair sitting in the center of the room and along the far wall ran a desk, behind which sat said speaker followed by the Korean who showed me in. He took up the camera and i was asked to proceed.

We began with me introducing myself, acting background as well as sports background. We then ran though a couple of short segments until it was discovered not all the dialogue was sent to the prospective actors to learn. I then moved onto a larger monologue taken from a Kurt Russell movie. I finished with monologue from The Tempest that has been sitting in my head for a couple of years. My hand was shaken, i was asked if i could be available for a weeks shooting at the beginning of July and bid farewell. Audition over. I now hungrily await their call.

Post 103: 020507 Dialogue Snippit

Violet: I do this to keep away from my husband.

Thomas: (Sniggering) I do this cause I'm just out of surgery.

Violet: Just kidding.

Jane: I've had 20 operations, I can relate.

Thomas: I can't relate.

Violet: Damn!

Jane: I've two bad accidents this season.

Thomas: I had a mole removed.

Jane: I take a lickin' but I keep on tickin'.