blog.thinfilms.org

anthropology | media ecology | mythology | tinkering | visual literacy
ethnography

Independence

thinfilms will andy fireworks 300x200 Independence

Unnamed pals preparing to light up the sky at a discreet location.

“Independence” as a concept, a word, a holiday, means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Historically, this author has not thought of the concept or word, literally or metaphorically, much during this time of year. He has mostly taken it for granted.

This year it means something personal. This past year has included a great many changes for your humble narrator. Changes he is grateful for. Changes he had consciously and patiently been waiting for and working towards. These included trading a life he had reluctantly planned for the one that was waiting for him, all along. This is a lesson that has reinforced a notion to always follow his instincts and believe, especially in the face of adversity. As a result, this new-found independence has afforded him many new experiences, uncovered new talents, and new pals. Gifts like these make the gratitude a small price to pay, he’d say.

So, with that in mind, regardless of what the word, or the holiday, meant or means to you in your corner of the world this year, Happy Independence Day. Please enjoy that photo up there that your host took of two of his new pals celebrating the way they enjoy most in a place they love best. Sums it up rather nicely. Click it for a better view. Cheers.

Dr. Walter Soboleff

This piece speaks for itself:

Dropped is in

This 10-minute short film is made up of clips found on YouTube by Chris Beckman, who collected clips of people dropping their video cameras and edited them together into this artful masterpiece:

fate and the wall

A wall is accidentally knocked over leading to a discussion about the roles of choice and fate across cultures.

click here to watch on mobile device

Neil Postman: Education as a Cure for Stupidity (Part I)

Who is Neil Postman?

Wanna watch more? I sure did. Click here.

Ken Burns on filmmaking

If you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer or a feature film I could tell you the steps to take to do that, but every working documentary filmmaker I know has gotten there through their own unique path. There is no career path.