Landed

So I've arrived in Denmark, I am at the European Film College (EFC) in quaint little Ebeltoft. It's fuckin' beautiful. I'll make sure to upload the photos I took from my room so you all can be jealous of my beautiful view. It's quaint. I love it.

There's not really too much to say. It's orientation week (frosh week), so we've just been getting a lot of information about what to expect, seeing our way around the college and the local town. I was delayed in communicating with the outside world, however, because upon arriving at the school, we found out the internet was down. Not just in the school, but in the entire town, which I suppose gives you an idea of just how quaint (and remote) this area is.

I had my first lecture today - "On The Performing Arts" by this Danish producer who does some guest lectures at the school. It was really cool. It also opened my eyes to just how different the European (and Danish in particular) approach to film is. At the Canadian film schools I had considered, they had a much more commercial approach to film, talking more about films that simply "addressed the human condition". But when they talk about "the genius of Lars von Trier" or the beauty in various abstract "expressionist" European films, it's... I dunno. It's not like in North America.

We got to have a sneak preview screening of Taking Woodstock (it hasn't come out in Denmark yet) and Soren Høy, our school president, was talking about how it is nice, fine film. But he also talked about how most films are "what you see is what you get" (like Taking Woodstock). And he's right. There might be some metaphors to analyse and so on, but few movies do what Lars von Trier or some other European filmmakers do (like the guy who did Run Lola Run), where they make movies that have many deeper layers to be examined and discussed. I have only seen one von Trier film, although I will be seeing another tonight (Breaking The Waves), and so it will be interesting to see how this movie can be deeply examined.

In the meantime, everything is cool and hunky dorey and I will start actual film projects next week, where we will make several short films a day in an exercise called Shooting Games, and I will (without instruction) get to try writing, directing, producing, editing, camera filming, lighting, and everything else.

Anywho, I am feeling anti-social huddled in the corner of the dining hall on the public computer. I'll write more later. I arrived. I'm alive. And I'm lovin' this shit right here.

Peace!