Creative Spaces – Bradbury and More

Ray Bradbury in his creative space.

I am curious, and some might say “nosy” about artists and writers work places or “creative spaces.” What do they surround themselves with, where do they work? Everyone has their own way of doing things. Basically they have a spot or a room, or an apartment that they SHOW UP and do the work. Even if they don’t know the way. Creativity is the act of connecting unrelated ideas, imagining, and catching those fantastic ideas when they come to you.

I am not talking just about famous people but anyone who does creative work.

Another view of Ray Bradbury’s universe.

I ran across the intro to The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985-1992). I believe it’s his actual work area, his creative space. He pretty much says that but my point is – this is not a set it’s the real deal. I have seen interviews and pictures of it and it looks like the same place. I have the link below and it looks like the funnest place in the world to play and imagine. Which is what he did. I saw an interview with Bradbury and he mentions how bits and pieces of things remind him of feelings, times, and ideas he had for the experience. He uses it in his writing.

This intro shows Bradbury going to his office. Rather universe. Supposedly it’s the entire basement of his home complete with floor to ceiling shelving for his library and almost hoarder status of collectibles, artifacts, memorabilia in organized chaos. Bits and pieces of his life and interests. I read somewhere that this entire room was donated to the library in the town where he grew up for a Bradbury Museum.

Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nIqGI5-6HI

He mentions where he will go today, to a Martian landscape, the Amazon. He appears delighted and it inspires him.

Lynch at work in his studio. Parts of it open up to outdoors.

In David Lynch’s, “The Art Life,” we get glimpses of where he works as well. Living on a hillside with a view he’s an artists with supplies at his fingertips. He has a small machine/wood shop because he creates sculptures, does lithography with stone and likes to build things. We see him painting on large canvases next to his studio. He is a musician too so we get a glimpse of him in a music studio. I noticed he uses vintage furniture. Not the trendy “new“ kind but furniture he’s had for a while, old favorites, things with memories and texture. Nothing fancy, maybe it’s just comfortable. The music studio looks like you could fly a spaceship out of it. All of it looks like a fun place to be and in some areas – make a mess.

Stephen King mentions a favorite desk, music and being able to close the door. In his spaghetti days he had a table in the laundry room of his double wide mobile home. He was an English teacher at a high school.

Lynch’s indoor studio.

I’ve seen photos of Picasso with artwork all over his home. Not sure they were separate areas. Paintings and supplies everywhere.

I saw an interview with Seth Godin who mentioned he has an apartment he goes to in which to work. I know another author locally who does this, too.

For all these creative souls, they have a place, a spot to call their own – their creative space and they go off into their universe to do their work.

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80 TONS of Food – Feed Colorado Food Drive via ARC

Hunger in America is reality.

Local Planetkeepers: food needed for the Annual Feed Colorado food drive! Benefiting Volunteers of America’s Meals on Wheels and City Harvest food bank.

Help feed humans. Drop off food at any ARC.

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March 1st – April 1st. #FeedColorado

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More info :   http://www.arcfeedcolorado.com/

 

Sci-fi “Downsizing” Charms with a Serious Undertone

Matt Damon brings a full size rose to a party to meet his neighbors in the lavish penthouse.

Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing” is a delightfully charming movie with a serious undertone – pretty much the same deal with all his films. This became one of my favorites. The movie stars Matt Damon and Christoph Waltz. ”Downsizing” is a social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Science fiction about meaningful lives as a human as Earth’s resources are strained.

But things don’t always go according to plan. It’s set in the near future where this allows humans to make less of on impact on the Earth’s strained resources. The movie brings the story to life with a rich cast of character actors. I can’t give away much or it will spoil the film. I did not know much about the movie before I watched it so I was along for the ride. The first 30 minutes are slow and excruciating boring. I kept asking myself, “Where is this film going with this story?” Double-checked that Alexander Payne actually directed it. Things pick up with lots of plots twists. The boring beginning was a brilliant part of the movie experience for the viewer as these people figure out what their lives are really about.

This science fiction movie leaves you with thoughts after it ends and it’s done in the unique Alexander Payne way. Well done!

Robots for God

Artwork is “God and the Robots” by Ned Hayes. He might have got the robo-calls, too. http://www.nedhayes.com

As artists in any media, it is our job to observe and report back in the form of music, painting, visual, performing arts, writing, anything. Even connect the dots of life and our existence if possible. Imagine my surprise when I got a robo-call, recorded, from an organization offering me prayers and to pray for me. It was the exact same format as any other robo sales call. “Do I need this, do I need that, am I on track and status quo with others and can they help me with my problem?” I stayed on a bit, saying,”Hello? Hello?” but no live human intercepted the call and the robot kept yapping, mimicking human language. I don’t think the AI was on full power. Then I hung up. I regret that.

I realized I didn’t get the name of the organization or to the point where they ask for credit card info. I hope they call back so I can fully understand what the hell these people are hoping to accomplish. And then I’ll report back! They have robots with recorded info asking people if they need spiritual help. Do you see the irony here? And does this work for church fundraisers? I’d like to know! I think they get around the “No Call” rules by claiming to be a religious group. Uh-huh.

I’m glad robots are out soliciting for God. We as humans can offload our spiritual requests and needs to an automated system. If you have read my other blogs, you might know I believe humans will turns sentient robots into a slave race of beings. Because, they will be “beings of a lesser God.” In the meantime, we have given them meaningful work.

Damn good short film idea!

Supernatural Drained My Kanopy Credits

Using up Kanopy credits!

Well, turn a kid loose in a candy store and look what happens. Used up my 10 per month movie credits in about a week. I watched a bunch of Italian filmmakers, movies I looked for previously but were exorbitant to buy or not available. Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Dario Argento. Pretty fun. Most were supernatural this round.

Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in “Indiscreet” (1958).

I did watch one Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, probably racy for its time – about a married man and a famous obviously single woman having an affair out in the open in London, being “Indiscreet” which is the name of the movie. I think that was scowled upon by the moralists in 1958. But a fun romantic comedy by veteran actors in gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous costumes. I just looked up that the costumes were provided by Christian Dior. That explains that!

Barbara Steele in Mario Bava’s “Black Sunday.” The descendant of a malevolent witch is slowly possessed by her spirit. Although Barbara Steele is a scream queen, she’s quietly menacing in this movie. Lots of shadows and creepy things!

Submarines to Spaceships – Art Inspires Art

Jude Law as captain of a rust bucket submarine in “Black Sea.”

I was watching “Black Sea” (2014) starring Jude Law. It’s about an angry lay-ed off submarine captain whose life is unraveling and he gets hired by a sketchy investor to recover a secret Nazi sub loaded with gold. As a salvage expert he hires an international team of other sketchy people to help. The sub they use is a rusted bucket of bolts but will make it out for one trip and back. There is more backstabbing going on than “Game of Thrones.” And the sub is sketchy too. It has some action thrown in. But the story was about the interaction of the crew. It was pretty good! I liked it!

I was interested in seeing the inside of the submarine and underwater footage. The submarine set was terrific. Very old and scary and might be instead a floating tomb. Nice art direction. The entire time I thought that this could just as easily be on a spaceship with the exact same story recovering something valuable. Or with a few minor changes to the set exteriors, it could BE a spaceship. They just wouldn’t have water leaking in. Well they could if they crashed on a water world. See? That works! This is what my friend Patrick Sheridan said repeatedly, “Art inspires art.” Often he used other stories or art forms such as murals or poems to inspire his film making. He was a terrific writer and story developer.

Recovering Nazi gold in “Black Sea.”

I was forced to read lots of literature and especially short stories in high school English classes. Those forgotten teachers opened up a world of timeless stories! One of my teachers whose name I actually remember, “Mr. Taylor,” used to read and have us read science fiction stories. He loved Ray Bradbury. Hmmm, I was a lucky kid. So from submarines on “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea” which often explored “we can so should we,” or cold war themes, to “Black Sea” stealing Nazi gold. Who’s gold? Didn’t Nazi’s steal it from their conquered peoples and commit genocide in the process? And “Star Trek.” Doesn’t need much explanation there. Well you get the idea. “Art inspires art.”

The lure of gold and honor among thieves.

I got a few art direction ideas from that old submarine in “Black Sea.” And I appreciated the story.

Learn Creature Making from Master SPFX Artist Carlo Rambaldi

Carlo Rambaldi and ET, The Extra-Terrestrial.

I would have said monsters but Carlo designed ET. Who is more friendly and compassionate than ET? No one on this planet except maybe his pal Elliot. But the mind of Carlo Rambaldi (1925 – 2012) also designed and built the moving Alien head. Remember the first time we saw that head open and the extra set of sharp toothed, oozing slime, jaws came out to devour our heroes? Carlo invented that as well. He worked on King Kong, Dune, Possession, and Conan the Destroyer to name a few. Carlo is a special effects artists, specializing in organic-looking moveable creatures. He’s Italian.

He comes to mind this week because I have been binge watching Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci, and Dario Argento scary movies, supernatural frights of numerous horror genres. All are good at creating suspense. The budgets on their movies seems to vary widely. I especially like the Gothic horror combined with classic ghost stories and just plain evil doers unleashed on the unsuspecting. Good verse evil. Always a terrific storyline. Also, I mentioned before in other blogs, when we see a story told from another culture, the structure is a little more unpredictable than what an American audience is used to. Keeps things interesting.

Carlo working on the Alien monster.

This is where Carlo comes in. He got his start working for these guys and eventually was referred to American production companies. The rest is history. “Rambaldi had the distinction of being the first special effects artist to be required to prove that his work on a film was not ‘real’. Dog-mutilation scenes in the 1971 film A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin were so convincingly visceral that its director, Lucio Fulci, was prosecuted for offenses relating to animal cruelty. Fulci would have served a two-year prison sentence, had Rambaldi not exhibited the film’s array of props to a courtroom, proving that the scene was not filmed using real animals.” (Wikipedia)

I am studying Carlo to get ideas for creatures, aliens, frightening in appearance but friendly. My next project has themes of racism. So a cute ET won’t work. I need something SCARY! And have some options how to move them to incorporate them into my story on a budget. A low budget. If possible.

There’s many books written about Carlo’s imaginative work (I have one) and good ole YouTube so I’ll keep this short and point you in the right direction if you need to learn more.