Advice From Joseph Gordon-Levitt

I recently started watching interviews on makingof.com, a website I didn't know about until Arturo mentioned it in class. In an interview with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he is asked about his company hitrecord.com and gives advice that I believe is the main focus and goal for Park students and should be my mindset. JGL says his advice starting at the 2:50 mark. He basically says that in order to be known, you don't have to move to LA, get an agent, and know people. He believes that you need to create an idea, go out and make something, and try to get it out to people. He uses the example of someone who had no agents, created a film, and was able to show it at Sundance. I think this interview with JGL is extremely valuable in terms of advice and insight into the movie industry. I've been saving up for a camera, possibly the Canon T2i, and I've been writing short skits and stories that I plan to create. Honestly, I've been slacking and like Arturo said, there's no reason why we shouldn't be creating something new every week or so. I'm also working on a script for a mockumentary that I want to film over Thanksgiving or Winter break. I used to make movies every week when I was younger with my friend Jason, a BU communications student, and we're collaborating again and hope to create the mockumentary.

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH JGL'S MAKINGOF.COM INTERVIEW


Also, check out www.hitrecord.org; JGL's website that features work from artists, filmmakers, and beyond. Maybe you can sign up and share your work there.
(P.S: Go out and see Looper. It's one of the better movies I've seen in years.)

Looper

I went to the movies the other night with a friend. My friend was like "Hey, lets go see Looper!" and I responded with "I've never heard of that before, is it any good?" to which he responded "I hope so."

Don't worry, folks. It was a really good movie. In the beginning not only do they acknowledge and make fun of "blockbuster" movies with a comment about how there's no original stories anymore, they also comment on modern society. I strongly suggest you all go see it, because it was really good.

What I really want to talk about is how media, like movies and television, can criticize our current state and they won't necessarily be punished for it. Most people probably wont even know that they are criticizing our society. I have a few opinions formed on why this is so, but I'm curious- why do you all think that film and television can comment on society and 'get away with it'?