Mood:
celebratoryThat Great Saturday afternoon
by Mick Cusimano
Recently we shot several short movies during the last 6 weekends with a crew of 7-8 friends. When I tell people that I’m making movies some people ask “Do you make any money doing that?” No I don’t make any money. My movies have been in 33 film festivals in such places as Cannes, Toronto, and an archaeological film festival in Italy. My movie have brought in $75 in the last 3 years far less than it costs to send them to festivals. If you want to make money go into corporate law or brain surgery.
Why do I make movies instead of searching for titles and deeds for corporate real estate? Because its more fun! Growing up in a big city has its ups and downs. There’s bullies, snowstorms, tyrannical nuns, and no shortage of bonehead idiots. But there are two Saturdays I remember as a 7-8 year old kid that were as perfect as you can ever get in life.
One Saturday we went to the movies and watched two hours of cartoons on the giant screen: Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner, Pepe le Pew, etc. It was magical being submerged into these cartoon worlds for two whole hours.
On the other Saturday the neighborhood kids got together in this guy’s backyard. We ran around the yard and climbed trees all day perhaps regressing to our monkey ancestors.
When I make an animated movie I’m trying to recapture the feeling of that world of cartoons. When I’m shooting video with my friends I’m trying to recreate that feeling of running free and climbing trees like the primates that we are.
Late one night while watching the History Channel there was movie footage about the end of World War II in Dresden. It showed American soldiers carrying paintings and altarpieces out of bunkers where they were stored during the war. All around them where the ruins of Dresden bombed into blocks and blocks of ruble. That is when the thought hit me. Looking back at history and the 20th Century in particular the contrasting images of artwork and war was the perfect metaphor for history.
History has always been a record of people of great passion, drive, and accomplishment. But what do they accomplish? They are either destroyers or creators. Hitler, Stalin, bin Laden, Miloševi�#8225; were destroyers. Picasso, Dali, The Beatles, Stephen Spielberg were creators. As artists, poets, filmmakers, or Musicians it is for us to create works of art that counter balance the destroyers in the world. What do you want to do with your life… be a destroyer or a creator?
Annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island
