Thursday, February 12, 2009

Yes. Exactly. Yes.

Sometimes someone says something you have always known but never put into words. Ted Hope said this at Hammer to Nail:

In terms of the filmmakers who create them, some films are challenges; some are proofs. In the Challenges, the filmmaker is hoping to discover things, hoping to learn things in the process. In a Proof Film, the filmmaker is showing the audience what she or he knows. With a Challenge, the audience is aligned with the movie, trying to discern whether the filmmaker will meet the challenge; whereas with a Proof, the audience is dictated to, watching something unfold according to a recognizable formula. A Challenge is involving, whereas a Proof is a passive experience for the audience. Ambition is to go to places you have never gone before with the hope that you will discover something positive in the process—a challenge and not a proof.

Read more.

Here's to challenges.

1 comment:

Kate said...

Challenges. Always the better films, I think. But sometimes the proofs are restful.

On a different topic, you failed to mention this (That "this" was a link but then I thought maybe she doesn't want the link so I deleted it but you know what I'm talking about) you weenie.