Creativity and Originality in Film

I've been thinking a lot recently about what it means to be creative. Pre-production does that to you, apparently. Am I creative? Should I be more creative? Are there even levels to how creative somebody can get, or is it just like this big, overarching bubble of creativity that once you're in it, you're in it? Is creativity the same thing as originality? Does any of it even matter?

Those aren't rhetorical questions either. If someone has an answer, feel free to let me know.

You can find tons of articles online about how different writers and directors go about their personal creative processes (here's one that talks about how it took Chris Nolan 10 years to finish writing Inception, while Steven Soderbergh knocked out a script for Sex Lies and Videotape in 8 days - neither of which makes me feel particularly good about myself) but I've found very little about how to inspire creativity in yourself. There'll always be clickbait-esque pieces like this, suggesting different activities that might open your mind to new ways of thinking - thus bringing about creativity - but there's no tried and true formula. 

Because in the scheme of things, it's almost impossible to have a truly, never-before-thought-of idea. And that's kind of a bummer. It's an issue I've run into time and time again when working on scripts. Last year, I co-wrote a script about a washed-up TV star and had to listen to people go "oh, so you're making Bojack Horseman?" 

No. Dick.

But that's understandable. With so much media constantly getting thrown in our faces, it's impossible not to regurgitate some of that back out into our own work. It even happens to people who have already made it big, like the whole confrontation between Dane Cook and Louis CK - reenacted and dramatized in this clip from Louie - about how Dane might have, possibly, maybe, stolen a teensy bit of a joke from Louis. We all strive to make something that people think is "new" and "refreshing," but how do you do that when literally everything has already been done, one way or another?

The more time I spend writing, the less time I spend thinking about being original. After all, every story you tell - no matter who you are or where you're from - is going to have the same basic structure when you get down to the bones of it. There's no breaking away from that. And I don't know if that's awesome or horrible. Instead, I just focus on making something to the best of my ability, with characters that I find interesting and a plot that ties things all together, with the hope that it will all culminate in some tiny spec of originality. 

I guess I'm not really sure how to end this blog post, apart from giving what I - rightly or wrongly - assume to be the definition of being creative with a film. Creativity can't be quantitatively measured, despite what Cinemetrics seems to think. Films should make you feel something: whether it's happiness, love, fear, or anything in between. Shot lengths and camera settings and color palettes and every other "technical" aspect can be a part of this as well, as long as you play them to the overall effect that you're going for. You don't need to do anything groundbreaking. You don't need a 10 minute tracking shot (but oh man they're so cool). Emulate good films, take the techniques that you think will best help tell your story and use them.  In the end, as I've slowly learned, all you need is a camera, a story, and people willing to work their asses off to make something good. The rest will come. 

Interstellar

I finally got around to watching Interstellar and I have to say I was blown away.

The storyline was phenomenal and very original. While I found the story somewhat hard to follow after a little bit of hard thinking I was able to wrap my head around the concepts the movie was built around and i was blown away.

The ideas presented in the film around blackholes was fairly accurate in contrast to ideas I learned from my astronomy class. Blackholes are created after a very large star goes supernova and implodes. After an object reaches a certain level of mass then the gravity from that object gets to the point where its mass increases and size decreases because of the force of gravity is so strong.

This causes a blackhole and it is thought to cause a flex in out dimensional plane which then opens many more doors to different theories of how space time works, making the plot of interstellar somewhat believable which, in my opinion, is why it was such a great film.

Whiplash and Writing What You Know

This weekend down at Cinemapolis is the release of the highly anticipated film Whiplash. The film starring the upcoming star Miles Teller is about a young drummer who with the help/pressure of his instructor hopes to be a legend. The star of the film crazy enough is only two years younger than the writer/director, Damien Chazelle is only 29 and Whiplash is his first feature length film. A year ago Chazelle created a short under the same name in hopes to pitch the feature length film. Little did he know is that the short would make it into Sundance and the feature adaption would be there a year later.

When creating the film and the characters Chazelle started from what he knew best, his own life and his own experiences. Chazelle grew up playing the drums and over time he found out that he was quite good, he knew he could never make it all the way but he did the next best thing, he wrote about it. In an interview he talks about being stuck on another script and decided to start on something else that would help clear his block. He became so invested that he left the original script behind and started his journey with Whiplash. Chazelle says that the main instructor, played by J.K Simmons was inspired by many different instructors he's had over the years but morphed into one. What I really take from this is that writing from what you know is a great start and will help you tell a story that no one else can.

This can be seen in other films as well. My hero Kevin Smith started by making a film in a convenience store about convenience store clerks in the same convenience store he worked in. Now what I'm saying is to not make a film about your life story cause honestly who can relate to that but to play off of that. Take experiences, feelings and lessons you have learned and mold that into any film, and that film can be about anything! If you look at Smith's last film Tusk, about a man being turned into a walrus but whats under the blubbery flesh of the film is way deeper. The film through the sharp writing is about storytelling and what it means to be a storyteller and if there's really a unique story out there. Or even Christopher Nolan's new film Interstellar is about a family man on a mission to save Earth by exploring other galaxies. But under the spectacular visuals is a film about leaving a legacy behind and how as a parent you can't help but look at the world through the eyes of your children.

No it lies in your heart!

So go out there guys! Write about what you know and love. We all have an interesting story to tell.

Scientific accuracy of Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar"

Christopher Nolan's film, "Interstellar" to premier today 11/7/14, has been highly anticipated. After Matthew McConaughey's performances in True Detective and Dallas Buyers Club, many are waiting to see where he goes next. Interstellar is a science fiction adventure film, where space travelers travel through a wormhole. To ensure the depictions of wormholes and relativity were as accurate as possible, the production hired the theoretical physicist Kip Thorne. It was stated that because the film will be the first time significant finances will be available for the rendering of the black hole, it is one of the most realistic and accurate renderings of a black hole we ever had. The VXF department took Kip's mathematical data and formatted it into a visual representation of what a black hole would look like. Dr. Thorne worked with about 30 computer effects artists in order to simulate many of the sourced theoretical equations. "Some individual frames took up to 100 hours to render, and ultimately resulted in 800 terabytes of data."(wikipedia). Through this filmmaking process has gathered an opportunity for the physics community and the special effects community to learn new things about the nature of black holes. 

Interstellar and the Fear of Non-Digital Projection

As of right now, we are just three weeks away from getting the chance to see Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated space adventure, Interstellar. Already drawing 2001 comparisons from the few that have seen the film, it appears to possibly be marrying the technical wizardry and ambition of Kubrick with the sentimentality of Spielberg (who was originally attached to the project). A series of cryptic, but visually stunning trailers have stirred the hype and major Oscar buzz is flying.  

However, what I want to talk about here has nothing to do with story specifics or awards prognostication. Not too long ago, it was announced that Interstellar would open two days early with 35mm and 70mm screenings in select theaters. It's an exciting proposal and a rare one for a big studio like Warner Bros. to make. Nolan is known to be a strong advocate for film preservation and with the kind of clout he has in Hollywood these days, the fact that he is using the podium to draw attention to film quality should not be surprising. The special screenings are sure to be popular with fans, but it is proving to be a point of concern for some theater owners.

In a recent article by Kevin Jagernauth of The Playlist, it was found that a sizable number of theater owners view the early release as "devaluing the digital push," with one CEO making the claim that "It makes no sense to step back in time."

The reactions are a sad indication of the film business we live with today. While the artistic community celebrates and treasures film showcases such as this one, the suits and moneymen look askance. Now, to be fair, much of the derision is coming from those who did away with old projectors and recently went full digital at the not-so-subtle suggestion of the studios, so the prospect of missing out on a major pre-release must be frustrating. However, to say that this move "devalues" the digital push seems a bit hyperbolic and misguided. No matter how big the early numbers for Interstellar are, there's no way it's going to turn the tide back to traditional projection. It's about the expression of the artist and I feel like some of these folks need to see past the dollar signs and recognize that.

Digital is here to stay, period. Of course, that is until the unfortunate day when theater viewing becomes obsolete and everything (including physical media) instantly goes to streaming and VOD, but for now, digital is firmly set in place and as film lovers, we need to champion the few directors (Tarantino, PT Anderson and Scorsese to an extent) that still flash the extra cash for the privilege of working with film. It may just be ladling water out of a rapidly sinking ocean liner, but I'm glad that some big names are standing up for the format.

Hero or Villain?

The Batman movie franchise has had a long tenure and been interpreted by many actors, directors and writers. While the characters and stories follow the general plot lines of original DC comics, their portrayals have varied from each iteration to the next. The Christopher Nolan era of Batman could be argued as one of the most masterfully depicted stories of Bruce Wayne.

Over the span of 3 films he incorporates numerous villains and delves more deeply into the darker side of Bruce Wayne's psyche. The character development seen in the films strikes me as odd, however. The villains of this trilogy seem to be more dynamic characters.While watching, I find myself enjoying the "bad guys" more often than the hero. They have more personality and pizzazz which in turn causes me to almost root for them. One of my favorite of the villains is The Joker, portrayed by Heath Ledger. Yes, he's maniacal. Yes, he's murderous. But most of all he's exciting, unpredictable and so irresistibly captivating to watch. There are so many wrinkles that begin to unfold from the moment the movie begins and for the span of the film he steals the show.
 

Our hero however seems to take the back seat to these master villains. Bruce Wayne as portrayed by Christian Bale is more and more as the trilogy progresses a self-righteous, self-loathing billionaire with a perceived obligation to his city. He seems to be the only character that tries to escape their true self. He does this by becoming Batman. At first a noble pursuit, Batman soon becomes an escape for Bruce. He uses it to avoid the constant pressure of being a celebrity, the pain of lost loved ones and a possible means to a final end, his death. Throughout the series this character is pretty static, filled mostly with anger and grief with occasional hopeful moments which are usually snuffed out. While he's not as exciting to watch as say The Joker or Bane, his role is the backbone on which the story is built. His unwavering and steadfast behavior is what allows him to survive again and again no matter what he faces. While he may not be as likable, he is still the hero.


Next time you find yourself watching The Dark Knight trilogy, ask yourself, "Who's better?" The Hero? Or the Villain?

Commissioner James Gordon series on Fox?

Between the three most recent Batman movies with Christian Bale and now this new Batman movie with Ben Affleck, there's been a lot of talk about Batman and it's clearly become a popular topic. But recently I came across an article talking about a new TV series about Commissioner James Gordon called Gotham. The series will be about James Gordon in the early days before he met Batman. It's very much playing with the Smallville idea they did with Superman but just applying it to Batman.... except Commissioner Gordon, not Batman. Fox finally landed the show from Warner Brothers for next fall after a bidding war and the DC vs Marvel battle continues. Bruno Heller, creator of the Mentalist, was also picked up as the dominant writer for the show, telling the origins of Gotham City and how it got to where it is. They are talks of playing around with a lot of old villains from the comic books and I can only imagine how they will play with Wayne Industries.

I think this is an incredible idea. In fact I think it's a better idea than the new Batman movie they're making. After the trilogy of amazing Batman movies Christopher Nolan did, I think it's still too soon to make anything that will even compete with those. The James Gordon spin off is a great way to leave that legacy untouched but also develop it more. James Gordon was a major player in the trilogy but not big enough where he could go untouched. It's also a nice bit of fresh air in the midst of the dozens of cookie cut out detective shows.  It combines the whole super villain aspect which is just so interesting to me. Plus there is such a huge amount of villains and characters to pull from all of the different Batman and DC universes so this show in my mind has a lot of potential. Next Fall with fox gives me hope for good TV again.

A breathtaking reboot of the Superman trilogy

The original Superman film--besides "Superman and the Mole Men" (1951)--debuted in 1978. The film told the story of an alien orphan sent down from the planet Krypton who becomes the world's first superhero. As is the case with most trilogies, the first of the series was most certainly the best. After a couple failures at making a better Superman movie, the hero was dropped from theaters. That is until recently.

In June of this year, Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" crashed into theaters. The film received very mixed reviews from viewers. For the most part, I feel that Man of Steel matched, if not slightly surpassed, the original Superman film's plot. What the reboot did that the original--or any Superman film for that part--did not do, was show viewers what exactly happened on Krypton before Clark Kent landed on Earth. Sure, we were told countless times what happened, but despite the fact that older versions of the film could not pleasingly pull off such a scene due to the lack of cinematic technology, Man of Steel was truly the only Superman movie that even tried.

Another thing the film did that others did not, was that it laced humor in with all its endless drama and action. Here's just one of many examples...

What really made this film an absolutely stunning reboot to the Superman trilogy was the film's breathtaking cinematography. Whether you liked the film or not, there's no possible way that you could say the cinematography was just so-so. Even some of the computer-generated scenes of the film--particularly the drawn-out fight scenes--are possibly some of the most extraordinary demonstrations of cinematic artwork that have ever appeared on the big screen.

While not all viewers may agree that Man of Steel was a phenomenal film, it's simply unfair to say that it was not a super reboot to the Superman trilogy.

Marvel vs DC Comics

     One of the most popular super hero movies as of the last 5 years has been Iron Man.  Since Disney Corp. bought Marvel in 2009, the superhero movies have been coming out of the box office like crazy. DC Comics has been trying to compete with The Dark Knight Series and now Superman: Man of Steel.  But the truth of the matter is that Marvel is several movies ahead of DC and has been generating a lot of revenue.  Because of this DC Comics plans on using Christopher Nolan as their weapon in the competition for superhero movies.

     This clash of studios is great for the industry and for the comics themselves.  A lot of merchandise and advertisements has been and will continue to pour into the market.  The two big blockbuster movies from each of these studios for the summer is Iron Man 3 and Superman: Man of Steel.  I have high expectations for both movies and I look forward to seeing them.  If all goes according to plan Christopher Nolan will continue to produce/ direct the DC films including the Justice League.  It is exciting to see what these companies have in store for an audience who is in superhero mode.

Nolan In The Deep

As I lie in my bedroom, my eyes slowly, slowly closing, checking Facebook right before I pass out into my first full night of sleep in God knows how long... I SEE THIS:

Christopher Nolan Taking Over Justice League, Bringing Bale Back As Batman

And then I explode and die at the same time.

The idea of Christopher Nolan running the entire DC Universe is an exciting one for me, considering that Joss Whedon (another critically acclaimed writer/director) has more or less taken charge of the Marvel Universe, and these two opposing viewpoints bring a very interesting contrast in tone to the table.

The movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have very much adopted the tone of comic books, with larger-than-life characters, bright colors and snappy repartee. Conversely, Nolan's Batman universe is filled with steely grays and muted blues, telling the story of the Caped Crusader in a gritty, down-to-earth way. He has furthered this vision by producing DC's new Superman movie, Man of Steel, with one of the main questions during production being "how would the world react if Superman existed?"

Over the course of the past year, there have been abundant rumors regarding a possible DC Justice League movie to combat Marvel's immense success with the Avengers, which has scared me as a massive fan of the direction of Christopher Nolan and Zak Snyder's DC superhero movies. But more importantly, I think that DC would lose their biggest weapon: their unique voice and tone. The Dark Knight trilogy was an entirely different entity than the Marvel movies, and as Green Lantern demonstrated, DC can't beat Marvel at their own game.

If the DC universe (including the Justice League) can be united under Christopher Nolan's vision, they have a chance of continuing to combat Marvel's movie dominance. Otherwise, they will be poorly imitating, in typical Hollywood fashion, and they will lose.

Also, as a continuity junkie, the prospect of Christian Bale returning as Batman in the Justice League, alongside Henry Cavill as Superman, makes me happy all over.

The Brilliance of Nolan

Last night seemed to be a quiet evening, so what better way to spend it than enjoying a film with my closest friends.  We settled on The Dark Knight Rises, the epic third part of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.  The movie, which came out this past summer, smashed its way into the box office and immediately became a huge success in the eyes of movie goers, and super hero fans.  Christopher Nolan's brilliance was really proven with the release of the 2nd movie from the trilogy The Dark Knight.  

Personally I see such creative, and impressive filmmaking and I can't help but wonder why this movie was snubbed at the Academy Awards as well as the Golden Globes.  The race for the Oscars this year is obviously a very close one however I can't see how such visual storytelling did not emerge it's self into the race.  The Dark Knight was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning two: sound editing, and best supporting actor.  In such an impressive movie trilogy, I don't understand how this one falls so short for the critics.  Nolan has produced a series of incredible movies, only receiving 3 nominations total even if he receives praise everywhere else you look.  His 3 nominations were for original screenplay for Memento and Inception, also scoring a best picture nom for Inception.  

I find Nola's work to be incredibly deep, and ascetically imaginative with his directing.  I can never quite understand why the Academy always seems to not recognize Nolan's directing after his phenomenal work in all of his movies.  I think he reinvented the comic book character, and brought an entirely new spin on such a classic story, really bringing it into the modern day world and not a fantasy land of Gotham City.  I can't wait to see what he does with the new Superman flick Man of Steel.  I hope that Man of Steel, much like The Dark Knight Trilogy, and even this years hit Bond flick Skyfall, brings a new generation of movie goers into the stories that are simply outdated, and reinvents them in the way that keep the characters and plots updated with the times, and relevant in today's society.  

My Favorite Movie

Over my break thus far, I have sat down and watched my favorite movie Inception directed by one of the most notable directors in the industry: Christopher Nolan. I mean not only was this movie well written, but the special effects and visual effects were tremendously well done. The first time I went to watch this movie I wasn't to intrigued to see it after watching the trailers. However, when I saw the movie, I left the theater totally mind blown. LITERALLY. I was so confused about what happened, but the story kept me on my seat and each minute that passed through the last scenes was a total nail biter more me. I watched the movie again and again and began to understand more of it and the hidden messages through out. I thought the characters were well picked for these roles. Leonardo DiCaprio played Cobb, the dream extractor and played an excellent leader of the group. Learning about his life through the plot made it even better and the story entertaining. Ellen Page showed true maturation through this film. After seeing her in Juno, I didn't expect her to do as well as she did, but she pulled off the part well. What can I say about Tom Hardy? An amazing actor with a lot of talent. I found his acting to be tremendously well-done and thought he did well playing the "bad-ass" of the group. Finally what movie isn't complete today without Joseph Gordon-Levitt? I remember watching him as a kid in one of my favorite child-hood movies "Angels in the Outfield." He has also grown up to become a really mature actor with the potential to do many different parts. I've enjoyed his roles and look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

After a few awards at the Oscars in 2011 including best achievement in Cinematography, sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. I have to agree on all these awards because this movie produced excellent sound that followed the movie well. One of my favorite effects from the movie was the rotating corridor scene when Joseph Gordon-Levitt was fighting off an assassin. The scene consisted of a 120 foot long by 30 foot wide revolving corridor. The corridor was constructed of wood and was backed by steel tubing. I-beam rings with roller wheels were placed every 16 feet along the length of the corridor. The wheels were connected to two 55-hp electric motors, which were synchronized by a computer. The corridor would rotate every 10 seconds clockwise and counter-clockwise. The cameras were placed on tracks that were placed in the corridor to shoot the fighting scene. 

  

Good-Good

Last week I posted about how good movies have lost reputation because they decide to make unnecessary sequels that bring low box office profit and draw viewers away from the movie itself. Well now I want to discuss a few movie sequels I thought WERE necessary to follow the story from the previous movie.

1. The Dark Knight & The Dark Knight Rises




















A 3 set series following the story of Batman, directer and writer Christopher Nolan stole Box Office records through these three amazing movies that have captured the attention of many fans around the world. A story that couldn't be told in one movie was told through three films about Bruce Wayne and his life saving the city of Gotham from criminals. Batman Begin's debut in the theaters made the film $48 million while the following two increasing dramatically ($158 million for the Dark Knight and $161 million for the Dark Knight Rises.

2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

This amazing trilogy about a hobbit named Frodo who is on a journey with eight companions on a mission to destroy a ring on the fires of Mount Doom and the dark lord Sauron. These three movies were directed by the creative and masterminded Peter Jackson as his three movies were also able to bring in box office records and a large number of crowds to the big screen. In its debut, the Fellowship of the Ring made $47 million its opening weekend with The Two Towers earning more than 15 million more at $62 million and the Return of the King increasing eleven million to $73 million.

3. Spiderman 2 & Spiderman 3

With the new Amazing Spiderman movie that brought in good revenue in 2012, most fans turned away from the old set of Spiderman movies that brought in a number of box office profits. Directed by Sam Raimi, these stories follow Peter Parker who looks to save his city after acquiring special spider powers. While most thought the third was "corny shit," most were interested by the story and would agree that this series was a great series. Opening up in 2002, the first Spiderman brought in $115 million with Spiderman 2 at $89 million and Spiderman 3 at $151 million.

Inception

Inception written and directed by Christopher Nolan is a story about a man name Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a thief who has mastered the technological art of stealing valuable secrets from deep with the subconscious during the dream state. He knows that when someone is unconscious the mind is most vulnerable, so it is easy to get to the secrets people are holding onto. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in a tricky new world of corporate espionage, it has also made him an international criminal. This could cost him everything that he has ever loved in the world. Then he gets a chance to get his life back, but only if he can create the most impossible-inception. Instead of stealing someone's secrets he has to commit the perfect crime, Cobb and his team of specialists Arthur and Ariadne (Joseph Gorden-Levitt and Ellen Page) have to pull off the reverse: they plan to plant an idea in the persons subconscious instead of extracting their thoughts. If they are successful this could be the perfect crime, but it is a dangerous task no amount of careful planning can prepare Cobb and his people for the vicious enemy that seems to be one step ahead of them and who seems to have the ability to calculate their every move.

The story is very fast-paced and Cobb has to deal with his own feelings and thoughts about the world of deception he has been creating. He also has to take into consideration that as his plan becomes more complex, his own dreams begin to present themselves into the dreams. Soon the question becomes what is part of a dream and what is true reality.

I watched this quick paced film once and I realized that I needed to watch it again because I missed many things that were happening along the storyline. I would recommend it, but I think that it can be confusing at times. If you like techno drama this is the film to see.

References:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Ariadne auf Naxos (1988) (TV), Following (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), Batman Begins (2005), Paprika (2006), La Vie en Rose (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), Shutter Island (2010)

Cutting Edge SFX...From 40 Years Ago

When you go to see the latest summer blockbuster, part of the excitement is being blown away by the incredible special effects. As technology has advanced, more and more of these special effects have been done on the computer rather than the camera. Computer generated imagery allows filmmakers to open their imaginations beyond the limitations of reality. However, regardless of how far technology advances, there is still something different about in camera effects.

Case and point: Inception. This incredible, interwoven movie not only had a stellar plot, but it had special effects that enhanced the story rather than distract from it. Admittedly, many effects were digitally generated. However, Director Christopher Nolan knew the value of keeping some effects staged in reality. Not only that, but he also had the vision and planning to creatively realize his world, and integrate it seamlessly with the rest of the film. Take a look the behind the scenes feature on the anti-gravity fight scenes:

What is even more incredible, however, is that effects of this level were achieved over 40 years ago! Master Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick used the exact same techniques in his 2001: A Space Odyssey. From building rotating sets to dangling actors down vertical shafts, Kubrick pioneered the path that Inception followed four decades later. And what is truly incredible is how, after all that time, the old-fashioned way of doing it is still considered the best for these filmmakers. It's amazing to consider where we are going in filmmaking, but it is equally important to know where we came from as well.

'Memento' returning to theaters for one night

Christopher Nolan's, Memento is showing one more screening in theaters one week from today February 17th in eleven cinemas in the U.S. and Canada. The film will be in new digital print followed by a never before seen Q and A with Christopher Nolan moderated by Guillermo del Toro. Also, a tenth anniversary edition of the film will be released on the 22nd. It will also carry a new featurette where Nolan discusses the legacy that his film has left. If any of you happen to be in New York City next thursday don't miss the screening at the City Cinemas Village. I randomly stumbled upon this on the internet and thought it was pretty cool that they are showing it in theaters again. But yeah. Hit it up if you get the chance!

The Dark Knight Rises + Joseph Gordon Levitt

Okay, so while doing my usual movie stalking I found out that Joseph Gordon Levitt has signed on for "The Dark Knight Rises." Honestly, who else squealed when they read that? I mean, I'm used to Christopher Nolan reusing his lead actors a lot, but this just got me really excited. Joseph Gordon Levitt went from Indie modern day film noir of "Brick" to romantic comedy "(500) Days of Summer" to "Inception" and now "The Dark Knight Rises." He's becoming a big name actor, and personally, I'm pumped.