The defining moment of the scratchframe blog is finally here! Elliot is posting his first entry (and apparently typing in the third person).
I (that didn't last long) held off this glorious occasion until I had an appropriate reason to comment on my particular area of expertise: “misadventures on the dating scene.” Unfortunately, my writing as of late has mostly consisted of updating my status on facebook, and as clever and witty as those statements are, my once fierce command of the English language has greatly diminished. Please forgive me if the following passage isn’t up to the exceptional standards generally expected from my work.
I recently completed a short movie called Get In Get Out (check out the trailer). In many ways, it’s the best work I’ve ever done. It took me over a year to write, about a month to prepare, a day to shoot and a week to edit and finish. The movie isn’t groundbreaking. It doesn’t explore any new themes or deserve any visual storytelling medals. It simply tells a concise story and manages to be fairly entertaining. At this point, that is enough to make me happy, and proud.
The real thrill of the movie for me lies in the fact that it is the first project I’ve ever done based directly on my own life experiences. The movie is about a guy who sweet-talks his way up to a girl’s apartment and has second thoughts about his sexual ambitions. I don’t know if anyone else has ever gone through this experience, but I have many times and for me it rings true. And that made my job as director much easier and more enjoyable.
Two strangers face off amongst a sea of narrow dinner tables, white linen, busy waiters and fellow Chicagoans. Implacable instrumental music plays softly behind quiet chatter. Small candles light the short dark room. The menu is the main topic of conversation. “What are you looking at?” The guy says as cleverly as such a mundane statement can possibly sound. “I don’t know. How about you?” She replies, a little too quickly. These people are clearly not meant for each other. At least that’s clear to everyone else in this trendy Italian ristorante, but these two have more important thoughts on their mind: sex for the first time in months, ex-lovers to spite, insecurities to squash, friends to compete with, and the list goes on.
By the third or maybe the fourth date an unspoken understanding is reached: “I get to fuck you whenever we hang out and you get to feel better about yourself.” The mismatched duo carries on this way for several weeks until the sex gets old or the self-image returns to normal. The break-up is as banal as the relationship itself. The only thing more pitiful is the excuse used by the unhappy party, “I’m just not ready for another relationship yet.” These easy words never penetrate the thick layer of pride protecting the heart. Days, weeks and years go by as the cycle continues until both are lucky enough to find true love or dumb enough to marry someone for one of the shitty reasons mentioned above.
No wonder the divorce rate in this country is currently over 50%.
Do yourself a favor, get in and get out!
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