Weeks 6-7

The past two weeks have been hectic but fantastic.

The visit from Kohlhaase was amazing. Just being IN Berlin has been exciting enough for me, as it's so historically central. Sitting down with a man who has not only witnessed the very heart of modern historical transition, but also culturally participated in it is somewhat mind boggling for me. It reinvigorated my excitement over our film projects as well, an enthusiasm that had been slowly draining up to this point. It was encouraging to hear from a professional how difficult the process can become, and how there must be some kind of inherent trust that from all the confusion and tension and mess can come an actual film.

I think what I loved the most was just watching him talk, and wondering what it would be like to have those kinds of years behind you. It has been a long time since I've heard any kind of wisdom spoken from his generation, and I'd forgotten how much perspective can come from 70+ years. The struggle between generations, and just the acknowledgment of that tension, is something I think is so facinating.

I took lots of notes, something I only do when I get really excited. These are my favorites of what I wrote down:

"When finding out who you are, you are a groupie. You want friends on either side of you. You must kill your father, and make friends with your grandfather."

"Berlin is the right place for me. It is the only place I know so well, and there comes a point when you can only view new places as a visitor, when they can no longer change you."

"Many people are unlucky for life because they want to play a part that they cannot, that they were not meant for."


Anyway, it was great, and this program just keeps getting more interesting.

The two films we watched, Wings of Desire and Die Mauer, have been my favorite so far. I've seen the first half of Wings before, and personally I think the first half is the best half. Films like that one somehow manage to slow down life to such a simple process, where you can appreciate what taking your shoes off under the table feels like in a way you never have before. Most of my friends haven't liked that movie, but I loved it.

Interesting discussion on that film, by the way. I listened to so many people leave class heated and disgruntled because of such a "stupid" argument, so I spent the trip home arguing with everyone about how the issues of sex and race can always be a point of debate, regardless of the topic or circumstance. I figure it could have been any movie chosen as a battleground. The discussion about white, male hegemony wasn't over and done with in the 70s (a suggestion I actually heard on the way home) so I just like to pry at anyone who thinks it was.
. . . I took a lot of radicalizing courses in my last quarter on campus at the U (stratification, race radicalism, etc.)

Watching Die Mauer was also great. I'd never seen it before. I only realized half way through the film how captivated I was. I can't imagine watching that first slab lifted out of the wall, or the climbing and the dancing.

Watching a documentary was especially helpful for our own film project. It was encouraging to watch a project put together by somewhat informally gathered footage. It seems to me like the director probably filmed everything he could, then pulled out the best clips at the end. We've been attempting some kind of footage gathering, but up until this week we had remained almost completely unsuccessful. Finally, though, we've located actual places and actual people who are as into Tischtennis as we thought they'd be. Last night we thought we hit another dud at Serene Bar. Walking in to dimly lit disco balls and naked ladies on the walls didn't strike me as a table-sport environment, but as it turns out they have weekly games on Wednesdays (they pull a table right out into the dance floor) AND the bartender promised to send out an e-mail letting everyone know we'd be shotting next Wednesday.

We also returned to a different place we found earlier this week. While the bar owner was enthusiastic about our project, walking down into six or seven people having beers, playing Tischtennis was kind of intimidating. More so because we were in Friedrichshain so some of the guys with the perfectly tussled hair and overly-tight sweaters were definitely not welcoming. But we got to shoot two pretty intense players (not hipsters; these guys were total nerds.) One approached us after playing, interested in getting the footage, and said he could have us over to Spandau where they train. While I'm not entirely sure who 'they' are, I'm getting pretty excited.

As far as our acoustic movie goes, we've gathered pretty much all our material and now just need to edit. Nathan has been the most ambitious with the software up to this point. I'm hoping to learn some of it before missing out on the sound project entirely. It's a difficult program to just jump right into. I'm the type of person who likes to know as much as possible about something, so I have difficulty just barely learning enough to get by.

All in all, it has been an encouraging week. Hopefully next week pans out. We've had preliminary agreements for some interviews, so I'm extremely optimistic at this point. Wish us luck.