PLAYING HARD

Again I hear a coach talk about his team’s need to “play hard”. Think about it? Really, playing hard has anything to do with winning? I can watch lots of teams play hard and lose, see it every day. Can you see a high school team playing hard and win against the Seattle Supersonics? No, there’s something more to winning than playing hard. You need talent for one thing, then you need skilled coaching, then you need well-designed plays, then you need a desire to win, then you need… ah… let me see… yes, lots of steroids. Steroids—that's the stuff that makes muscles hard and big so that a team can play “hard”. See, the athletes have been getting the message all along. No need to tell them to play hard.


THE VOW OF CHASTITY

A few European filmmakers have recently tried to create a stringent aesthetic for the creation of movies. Many films are coming out which try to practice these tough rules. I'm sure, though I don't see any credit on the DVD package, that the film I watched this week, "The Son", tried to stick to Dogme standards. I am passing on these rules so that, if you're a true movie buff you'll try identify Dogme films when you see them.

[Open quote.]
I swear to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by DOGME 95:

1. ShootIng must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).

2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene Is being shot).

3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand Is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing; shooting must take place where the film takes place).

4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).

5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.

6. The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)

7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place here and now.)

8. Genre movies are net acceptable.

9. The film format must be Academy 35 mm.

10. The director must not be credited.

Furthermore I swear as a director to refrain from personal taste! I am no longer an artist. I swear to refrain from creating a “work”, as I regard the instant as more important than the whole. My supreme goal Is to force the truth out of my characters and settings. I swear to do so by all the means available and at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations. Thus I make my VOW OF CHASTITY.”

Copenhagen, Monday 13 March 1995
On behalf of DOGME 95

Lars von Trier & Thomas Vinterberg
[Close quote.]


TEMPERAMENT SORTER TEST
Recently I took a little on line test to see what my temperament has become from what it may have once been. I don’t blame you if you ignore this exercise in narcissism. The results follow:

“February 22, 2005 Free report for: George Thomas

“Rationals, are the problem solving temperament, particularly if the problem has to do with the many complex systems that make up the world around us. Rationals might tackle problems in organic systems such as plants and animals, or in mechanical systems such as railroads and computers, or in social systems such as families and companies and governments. But whatever systems fire their curiosity, Rationals will analyze them to understand how they work, so they can figure out how to make them work better. In working with problems, Rationals try to find solutions that have application in the real world, but they are even more interested in the abstract concepts involved, the fundamental principles or natural laws that underlie the particular case. And they are completely pragmatic about their ways and means of achieving their ends. Rationals don't care about being politically correct. They are interested in the most efficient solutions possible, and will listen to anyone who has something useful to teach them, while disregarding any authority or customary procedure that wastes time and resources. Rationals have an insatiable hunger to accomplish their goals and will work tirelessly on any project they have set their mind to. They are rigorously logical and fiercely independent in their thinking--are indeed skeptical of all ideas, even their own--and they believe they can overcome any obstacle with their will power. Often they are seen as cold and distant, but this is really the absorbed concentration they give to whatever problem they're working on. Whether designing a skyscraper or an experiment, developing a theory or a prototype technology, building an aircraft, a corporation, or a strategic alliance, Rationals value intelligence, in themselves and others, and they pride themselves on the ingenuity they bring to their problem solving. Rationals are very scarce, comprising as little as 5 to 10 percent of the population. But because of their drive to unlock the secrets of nature, and to develop new technologies, they have done much to shape our world.”
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“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” —Salvador Dali