((Claire Monaghan continued from If you ain't gettin' drunk, get the fu-))
I'll admit, I felt the pilot episode really hooked me into this series. Although it was pretty long for a television pilot, I felt that it really gave me an idea about what Firefly would be like. We have a great idea on who the cast is, we can see some long running stories being built (whatever River is, what Inara's needle is about), and there's an actual idea of the tone and atmosphere. That's whattttttttttttttttttttttfsjjdeeforubcajsdnjedc
Fuck. Where'd that train of thought go? Did it run off to smash into Leo DiCaprio's car? Ugh!
Claire sighed loudly and leaned back in her chair. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She thought it was easier to write a review, but this was starting to get a bit annoying. She had written plenty of movie reviews before, but why was reviewing one episode of a television show bothering her?
Claire put her glasses back on and grabbed the coffee next to her, taking a quick sip from the mug. She was sitting in a coffee shop with her laptop in front of her, her web browser opened to Tumblr. She figured it might be nice to sit in a coffee shop and work on her next review for her Tumblr page as opposed to writing it at home. Still, she was finding the process a bit difficult, since she was having trouble remembering what she wanted to say.
I guess this is why I should make a list of points to make before I write.
Claire took another sip of her coffee.
Okay, Inspiration Train. Get your ass back to the station.
You Can't Take the Sky From Me
Open, late 2010
Gwen O'Connor was having a rough day, to say the least.
It was relatively early, but she'd already gotten into a fight with her mom. It had been stupid to start; why didn't you do the laundry like you're supposed to? it had rapidly devolved from, "chores-forgetting" into, "I do so much for you and this is how you repay me?!" Gwen took this as a cue to leave quickly.
So, as she gingerly sipped her hot cocoa, doodling absently on a napkin (she'd forgotten to take her bag of miscellaneous materials in her rush to avoid further conflict), Gwen wondered how other people dealt with this kind of thing. She wasn't up to arguments, so she tended to run from them. But not everyone did that; some people held their ground and fought back.
Gwen wondered what went through their mind when they decided, "I'm going to start yelling at this person who is yelling at me" or whatever.
Speaking of people who would stand their ground, Claire Monaghan was sitting a table over there, working on a laptop. Well, perhaps that wasn't a fair descriptor. But then, Gwen didn't exactly have a great deal of fondness of Claire. Gwen distinctly remembered that Claire's glasses were fake for the sake of fashion. As a person who had genuinely bad vision, Gwen found this tendency to be a nuisance. Her talkative nature also tended to grind Gwen's nerves when she just wanted silence.
Still, Claire wasn't a bad girl, and she did seem to know some interesting trivial facts on occasion.
Gwen was tempted to stand and speak to the girl, out of bored curiosity and a secret desire for mindless conversation. Plus, if she did so, she might make a friend from a sort-of-enemy (though more of just a person she didn't know well enough). On the negative side, she might get monologue'd at.
After a brief moment of consideration, Gwen stood, pushed her chair in, and made her way to the table.
"Hey, Claire." Gwen said, offering a grin that probably looked really stupid. "How're you doing?"
It was relatively early, but she'd already gotten into a fight with her mom. It had been stupid to start; why didn't you do the laundry like you're supposed to? it had rapidly devolved from, "chores-forgetting" into, "I do so much for you and this is how you repay me?!" Gwen took this as a cue to leave quickly.
So, as she gingerly sipped her hot cocoa, doodling absently on a napkin (she'd forgotten to take her bag of miscellaneous materials in her rush to avoid further conflict), Gwen wondered how other people dealt with this kind of thing. She wasn't up to arguments, so she tended to run from them. But not everyone did that; some people held their ground and fought back.
Gwen wondered what went through their mind when they decided, "I'm going to start yelling at this person who is yelling at me" or whatever.
Speaking of people who would stand their ground, Claire Monaghan was sitting a table over there, working on a laptop. Well, perhaps that wasn't a fair descriptor. But then, Gwen didn't exactly have a great deal of fondness of Claire. Gwen distinctly remembered that Claire's glasses were fake for the sake of fashion. As a person who had genuinely bad vision, Gwen found this tendency to be a nuisance. Her talkative nature also tended to grind Gwen's nerves when she just wanted silence.
Still, Claire wasn't a bad girl, and she did seem to know some interesting trivial facts on occasion.
Gwen was tempted to stand and speak to the girl, out of bored curiosity and a secret desire for mindless conversation. Plus, if she did so, she might make a friend from a sort-of-enemy (though more of just a person she didn't know well enough). On the negative side, she might get monologue'd at.
After a brief moment of consideration, Gwen stood, pushed her chair in, and made her way to the table.
"Hey, Claire." Gwen said, offering a grin that probably looked really stupid. "How're you doing?"
Well, guess I'll do what I usually do when I stall when writing a review: go to another website. Maybe there's something interesting on Twitter.
Claire began to type on her computer and soon found herself on Twitter. She began to absentmindedly scroll down the page, hitting the spacebar to quickly move past each tweet. Most of the people Claire followed on Twitter were entertainment sources and critics, such as Roger Ebert and Entertainment Weekly. It didn't look like there was anything that interesting though, so she continued to hit the spacebar in hopes of finding something worthy of her attention.
Man, Twitter is full of shit today. Seriously, is there anything that might be remotely interesting.
Just then, Claire heard a voice call out to her. She turned and saw a purple-haired girl standing near her. Claire knew this girl was Gwen O'Connor. They'd shared a class at some point, but Gwen had a unique look to her, so it wasn't likely she'd forget who this girl was.
"I'm fine. Just trying to start a review series, but I'm losing focus and having issues getting my thoughts on the page. Have you ever watched Firefly? I'm trying to review each episode of the series."
Claire began to type on her computer and soon found herself on Twitter. She began to absentmindedly scroll down the page, hitting the spacebar to quickly move past each tweet. Most of the people Claire followed on Twitter were entertainment sources and critics, such as Roger Ebert and Entertainment Weekly. It didn't look like there was anything that interesting though, so she continued to hit the spacebar in hopes of finding something worthy of her attention.
Man, Twitter is full of shit today. Seriously, is there anything that might be remotely interesting.
Just then, Claire heard a voice call out to her. She turned and saw a purple-haired girl standing near her. Claire knew this girl was Gwen O'Connor. They'd shared a class at some point, but Gwen had a unique look to her, so it wasn't likely she'd forget who this girl was.
"I'm fine. Just trying to start a review series, but I'm losing focus and having issues getting my thoughts on the page. Have you ever watched Firefly? I'm trying to review each episode of the series."
"No, I haven't, actually, but maybe I oughta check it out. Is it actually about fireflies?" Gwen was still expecting a rant, but at least it might be about something interesting. Gwen liked fireflies.
Something Claire said struck her again. "Oh, yeah, writer's block? That sucks. I hate it when I can't express myself; it's just annoying." She paused for a moment, trying to remember what she always did when she had writer's block. She bounced slowly on the balls of her feet, luckily avoiding losing her balance.
"You know," she started, "sometimes it helps to read what you've got so far, to try and sort of build up momentum again. But if that doesn't work, maybe you could look up some other reviews and see what you agree or disagree with, and go from there?"
Gwen didn't read a whole lot of movie reviews; she preferred to form her own opinion. So she wasn't sure what kind of things people did in reviews, but hopefully her advice was valid.
Something Claire said struck her again. "Oh, yeah, writer's block? That sucks. I hate it when I can't express myself; it's just annoying." She paused for a moment, trying to remember what she always did when she had writer's block. She bounced slowly on the balls of her feet, luckily avoiding losing her balance.
"You know," she started, "sometimes it helps to read what you've got so far, to try and sort of build up momentum again. But if that doesn't work, maybe you could look up some other reviews and see what you agree or disagree with, and go from there?"
Gwen didn't read a whole lot of movie reviews; she preferred to form her own opinion. So she wasn't sure what kind of things people did in reviews, but hopefully her advice was valid.
"No, it's not about fireflies. It's about a bunch of outlaws on a spaceship traveling through space doing various jobs and trying to avoid getting arrested or having their ship fall apart while flying. It's basically a sci-fi western pastiche," Claire explained to Gwen.
"And yeah, writer's block sucks. I think the issue I have presently is that I'm trying to write this review in a style different from what I'm used to. If it's a movie, then it's usually a complete package that I can easily analyze. But this is only one episode of a fourteen episode series, so it's basically incomplete and I have to judge it based on aspects like how it sets the tone and characters."
Claire cleared her throat and took another sip of coffee.
"Do you do a lot of writing?"
"And yeah, writer's block sucks. I think the issue I have presently is that I'm trying to write this review in a style different from what I'm used to. If it's a movie, then it's usually a complete package that I can easily analyze. But this is only one episode of a fourteen episode series, so it's basically incomplete and I have to judge it based on aspects like how it sets the tone and characters."
Claire cleared her throat and took another sip of coffee.
"Do you do a lot of writing?"
Gwen was not interested in the show after that. She was big on neither sci-fi, space, or westerns.
"Oh, I write a bit. Not like reviews or anything, but like poems and stuff," Gwen laughed. "Not like emo shit or anything, either. I like nature and stuff, so I write about that kind of thing,"
Gwen was pretty used to assumptions about her poetry. She knew that people tended to assume things of her, but she figured that was sort of the point. She'd considered dropping the stupid fake-Goth shit, but after today, it was doubtful.
Watching Claire drink her coffee, Gwen suddenly craved her cocoa. "Hey, be right back, I'm gonna get my drink," She stepped around the tables and walked back to her seat, where her drink steamed gently.
"Oh, I write a bit. Not like reviews or anything, but like poems and stuff," Gwen laughed. "Not like emo shit or anything, either. I like nature and stuff, so I write about that kind of thing,"
Gwen was pretty used to assumptions about her poetry. She knew that people tended to assume things of her, but she figured that was sort of the point. She'd considered dropping the stupid fake-Goth shit, but after today, it was doubtful.
Watching Claire drink her coffee, Gwen suddenly craved her cocoa. "Hey, be right back, I'm gonna get my drink," She stepped around the tables and walked back to her seat, where her drink steamed gently.
"Poetry sounds neat. I've never been good at it though. I mostly prefer screenwriting or criticism. That just comes a lot more easily to me."
Gwen left to get her drink. While Gwen was gone, Claire decided to get back to her review. She closed the Twitter page and went back to her review. She quickly highlighted the part of her text where she slammed her hands on the keyboard before preparing to continue writing.
Okay, let's go point by point. Things that need to be discussed: characters, setting, story. You've already raved about how you liked all of those things, but you need to go into detail. Let's see, character. Everyone seems pretty well established, although River is still a bit of a mystery. Everyone also has at least one moment to establish who they are, like Wash playing with the dinosaur toys. That's pretty good, I'll start there.
Claire began to type away on her keyboard. The last time she checked, she could average about seventy words per minute. She hoped she could keep up to that record.
Gwen left to get her drink. While Gwen was gone, Claire decided to get back to her review. She closed the Twitter page and went back to her review. She quickly highlighted the part of her text where she slammed her hands on the keyboard before preparing to continue writing.
Okay, let's go point by point. Things that need to be discussed: characters, setting, story. You've already raved about how you liked all of those things, but you need to go into detail. Let's see, character. Everyone seems pretty well established, although River is still a bit of a mystery. Everyone also has at least one moment to establish who they are, like Wash playing with the dinosaur toys. That's pretty good, I'll start there.
Claire began to type away on her keyboard. The last time she checked, she could average about seventy words per minute. She hoped she could keep up to that record.
Gwen returned to Claire clacking away at the keyboard. Clacking was a good word; Gwen oughta use it more often.
"Glad you seem back in the rhythm," Gwen said, sitting down across from Claire with her cup. She watched Claire's hands dance along the keyboard, pondering potential conversational cues.
"Do you have any pets?" Gwen fished for a weak excuse of an icebreaker.
"Glad you seem back in the rhythm," Gwen said, sitting down across from Claire with her cup. She watched Claire's hands dance along the keyboard, pondering potential conversational cues.
"Do you have any pets?" Gwen fished for a weak excuse of an icebreaker.
Gwen soon returned, glad to see Claire typing away on her laptop and inquiring about any pets she might have.
Huh, that's a weird segue. Eh, can't hurt to respond.
"I don't really have pets. My brother had a few reptiles that he kept in his room. He's studying to be a vet, so he has a gecko and a few salamanders in a terrarium that he took with him to college. My little sister and I would have liked to have a dog, but my dad is allergic to pet hair. That's kind of why Mason went for the reptiles."
"What about you? You sound like an animal lover, so I'm guessing you have a menagerie of pets."
Huh, that's a weird segue. Eh, can't hurt to respond.
"I don't really have pets. My brother had a few reptiles that he kept in his room. He's studying to be a vet, so he has a gecko and a few salamanders in a terrarium that he took with him to college. My little sister and I would have liked to have a dog, but my dad is allergic to pet hair. That's kind of why Mason went for the reptiles."
"What about you? You sound like an animal lover, so I'm guessing you have a menagerie of pets."
Gwen's eyes lit up when Claire asked about her pets. "I have a cat, his name is Utopian, he's about 6 years old now." Gwen smiled at the memory of getting him from her father years ago.
"He's little and fluffy and white and I love him," Gwen realized she was being the monologue-er, and turned her attention back to the girl sitting across from her.
"But yeah, reptiles? Those are pretty cool," Gwen liked reptiles; they were very interesting and unusual, different from lots of other things. "Your brother is going to be a vet? Good for him! That's something I've thought about; that or like a naturalist." Gwen drank more of her cocoa; it was cooled slightly, just enough to be hot but not painfully so. That was her favorite point in temperature.
"He's little and fluffy and white and I love him," Gwen realized she was being the monologue-er, and turned her attention back to the girl sitting across from her.
"But yeah, reptiles? Those are pretty cool," Gwen liked reptiles; they were very interesting and unusual, different from lots of other things. "Your brother is going to be a vet? Good for him! That's something I've thought about; that or like a naturalist." Gwen drank more of her cocoa; it was cooled slightly, just enough to be hot but not painfully so. That was her favorite point in temperature.
A fluffy white cat. Claire was sure Jessica had wanted a cat at some point. Claire wasn't that big on cats, though. They seemed so damn arrogant to her, the way they just sit around and glare at you. Those motherfuckers were fine in the lap of Don Corleone, but Claire could pass on that.
"Yeah, he's been into animals since he was young. It sounds somewhat difficult to be a vet," Claire said. "You have to know so much about biology and medicine to go into the field. I figure you have to be really passionate about it if you want to pursue a career in it. I want to be a director, and that's why I spend a lot of time studying film and film theory."
Claire took another sip of her coffee. She was starting to run low and might have to get another.
"Are you like that as well? Do you just enjoy studying animals and plants so much you hope to make a career about it? I know we're still a ways off from college, but is that what you're aiming for with your school choices?"
"Yeah, he's been into animals since he was young. It sounds somewhat difficult to be a vet," Claire said. "You have to know so much about biology and medicine to go into the field. I figure you have to be really passionate about it if you want to pursue a career in it. I want to be a director, and that's why I spend a lot of time studying film and film theory."
Claire took another sip of her coffee. She was starting to run low and might have to get another.
"Are you like that as well? Do you just enjoy studying animals and plants so much you hope to make a career about it? I know we're still a ways off from college, but is that what you're aiming for with your school choices?"
Gwen nodded. "The medicine part is what's got me stuck. I'm kind of squeamish about it, and I don't know if I'd be able to fix animals and stuff."
She took another swig of cocoa, trying to not drink it all at once. "But yeah, I'm super-big on animals, plants, stuff like that. Nature is just so natural,"
She smirked. "Well, I guess that's obvious, but it's just kind of free and beautiful and wild." Gwen glanced out into the snow; it was a thin blanket of fluffy ivory piled into delicate sheets.
Pretty.
"You're going into film? Neat. What kind of stuff will you do? Documentaries, movies...?"
She took another swig of cocoa, trying to not drink it all at once. "But yeah, I'm super-big on animals, plants, stuff like that. Nature is just so natural,"
She smirked. "Well, I guess that's obvious, but it's just kind of free and beautiful and wild." Gwen glanced out into the snow; it was a thin blanket of fluffy ivory piled into delicate sheets.
Pretty.
"You're going into film? Neat. What kind of stuff will you do? Documentaries, movies...?"
Gwen did it. She asked Claire about film. Claire felt her blood really start to flow.
"Oh, well I have a lot in mind with what I want to do," she said. "I've definitely gotten into a lot of films from outside of America, and there are a few things I'd love to do if I got the chance to make a movie for a large viewing audience."
Claire felt her jaw begin to shake. It usually felt like this when she was about to begin a long spiel, especially after drinking some coffee.
"I've made a few films and put them on my YouTube channel, but there are a few projects I'd like to do, some of which I've already tried to write out. I'm definitely into doing some serious dramas, but I don't want to do stuffy period pieces or political dramas. It'd be cool to win an Oscar or a Palm d'Or, but I'm not going to be the pandering sort. I really want to play around with genre and conventions. Like, if I were to make a period piece, then it would be a psychological thriller or a scathing satire."
Claire quickly grabbed her coffee and took a sip before setting it back down.
"So yeah, I want to have a real style to my films. There's a theory of film called Auteur Theory that says that each director has a signature style to how he or she makes their films, so that the viewer can watch a movie and easily identify it as a piece in that director's body of work. It's not a perfect theory nor is it commonly accepted, but I'd love to leave a style or at least be a really identifiable director."
Claire coughed into her elbow.
"Yeah, that's about it."
She let out a quick chuckle and grabbed her coffee again. There was something exhilarating about talking about her interests.
"Oh, well I have a lot in mind with what I want to do," she said. "I've definitely gotten into a lot of films from outside of America, and there are a few things I'd love to do if I got the chance to make a movie for a large viewing audience."
Claire felt her jaw begin to shake. It usually felt like this when she was about to begin a long spiel, especially after drinking some coffee.
"I've made a few films and put them on my YouTube channel, but there are a few projects I'd like to do, some of which I've already tried to write out. I'm definitely into doing some serious dramas, but I don't want to do stuffy period pieces or political dramas. It'd be cool to win an Oscar or a Palm d'Or, but I'm not going to be the pandering sort. I really want to play around with genre and conventions. Like, if I were to make a period piece, then it would be a psychological thriller or a scathing satire."
Claire quickly grabbed her coffee and took a sip before setting it back down.
"So yeah, I want to have a real style to my films. There's a theory of film called Auteur Theory that says that each director has a signature style to how he or she makes their films, so that the viewer can watch a movie and easily identify it as a piece in that director's body of work. It's not a perfect theory nor is it commonly accepted, but I'd love to leave a style or at least be a really identifiable director."
Claire coughed into her elbow.
"Yeah, that's about it."
She let out a quick chuckle and grabbed her coffee again. There was something exhilarating about talking about her interests.
Damn. Gwen really ought to have seen that coming.
As Claire effectively ranted on film and film industry, Gwen tried to absorb as much as she could, but it was too much to absorb.
She basically got the idea that A: Claire liked foreign films, B: Claire was into genre twisting (which Gwen could get behind), C: Claire wanted to have a distinct style or something.
That was about it, though.
Gwen nodded. "I see, interesting," Gwen tried to think of a good way to continue. "So are there any directors that you really envy the style of?" She knew she was walking into another rant, but she tried to appear interested, with a casual smile.
Gwen didn't drink coffee, but now she kind of wanted some.
As Claire effectively ranted on film and film industry, Gwen tried to absorb as much as she could, but it was too much to absorb.
She basically got the idea that A: Claire liked foreign films, B: Claire was into genre twisting (which Gwen could get behind), C: Claire wanted to have a distinct style or something.
That was about it, though.
Gwen nodded. "I see, interesting," Gwen tried to think of a good way to continue. "So are there any directors that you really envy the style of?" She knew she was walking into another rant, but she tried to appear interested, with a casual smile.
Gwen didn't drink coffee, but now she kind of wanted some.
"Oh, yeah, directors. There are plenty I really, really enjoy," Claire said, quickly brushing her hair behind her ears.
"Okay, there's a few directors who I'd say are some of my all time faves who I definitely can find some influence from. Some more commonly known examples would probably be Orson Welles and David Lynch. Welles was someone who really pushed the limits of what you could do with a camera and how the mise en scene comes together to produce the image the viewer sees. That's why a film he made in his early twenties, Citizen Kane, is considered one of the greatest films to ever exist."
"Lynch, on the other hand, is great for playing with genre. A lot of his films, such as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive take genres like film noir and make them surreal and dark. There's a lot of criticism of various agencies and attitudes in his films, but he does it in ways without directly calling out to them, and these creates films with unique stories and haunting images."
Claire cleared her throat again.
"But aside from those guys, one of my favorite art film directors is Krzysztof Kieslowski, a Polish director. He made all these movies that were pretty grounded in reality and based on actual human issues such as a lack of faith or dealing with loss, but he presented them in such fantastic ways, often bringing magical realism into his work. There are a ton of quiet scenes in his films where the actor is simply doing an action but the music and the composition of the shot creates a fabulous mood. He's probably how I want to emulate stories about people."
"So yeah, those are just a few of the guys I like," Claire said. "But enough about me, are there any filmmakers or movies you really like."
Okay, let's see what Gwen can bring up. I doubt she'll drop names like Nagisa Oshima or Maya Deren, but I'll be interested to hear what she says.
"Okay, there's a few directors who I'd say are some of my all time faves who I definitely can find some influence from. Some more commonly known examples would probably be Orson Welles and David Lynch. Welles was someone who really pushed the limits of what you could do with a camera and how the mise en scene comes together to produce the image the viewer sees. That's why a film he made in his early twenties, Citizen Kane, is considered one of the greatest films to ever exist."
"Lynch, on the other hand, is great for playing with genre. A lot of his films, such as Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive take genres like film noir and make them surreal and dark. There's a lot of criticism of various agencies and attitudes in his films, but he does it in ways without directly calling out to them, and these creates films with unique stories and haunting images."
Claire cleared her throat again.
"But aside from those guys, one of my favorite art film directors is Krzysztof Kieslowski, a Polish director. He made all these movies that were pretty grounded in reality and based on actual human issues such as a lack of faith or dealing with loss, but he presented them in such fantastic ways, often bringing magical realism into his work. There are a ton of quiet scenes in his films where the actor is simply doing an action but the music and the composition of the shot creates a fabulous mood. He's probably how I want to emulate stories about people."
"So yeah, those are just a few of the guys I like," Claire said. "But enough about me, are there any filmmakers or movies you really like."
Okay, let's see what Gwen can bring up. I doubt she'll drop names like Nagisa Oshima or Maya Deren, but I'll be interested to hear what she says.