By Scott Shaw
I
forever find it curious that whenever I hear or read about what people are
saying about the Zen Films of Scott Shaw they are virtually always completely
wrong. Some have gone to extended lengths to describe and discuss the films I
have made but they are completely missing the point. Some love them, some hate
them, and, all that is fine with me — that is their opinion. But, no one ever
studies the films.
From
a personal perspective, I can tell you that from the time I was young I would
watch films very carefully. I would notice things about them that I would later
realize were completely missed by others. There are mistakes in continuity, changes
in lighting between the various takes, wardrobe differences, actors looking at
the camera, and the list goes on. But, I never saw those as filmmaking flaws, I
simply saw them as part and parcel of the filmmaking process. By observing a
film in this manner, it truly makes the watching of that movie very intriguing
to me.
Again,
from a personal perspective, I can categorically state that I have never
attempted to make a traditional film. From my experience, a traditional film,
that will play well to a traditional film going audience, costs a lot of money
as you have to play to their preconceived notions about what a film is supposed
to be. As I have never had a high budget in my filmmaking endeavors, I have
never attempted to walk down that road — though some of the people I have
worked with have attempted to guide me in a more traditional direction in my
filmmaking practices. But, that is just not who I am. And, when you make the kind of films that I make, criticism can be expected as people project their own likes, expectations, and preconceived notions onto their viewing experience. I accept that.
All
this being stated, what I can say is that within the spontaneity, freedom, and
magic of Zen Filmmaking every film that I have ever created has been done so
with a very clear focus of message, (based upon budgetary constrains, of
course). You may love what I do. You may hate what I do. You may issue praise
or cast criticism. That’s all fine with me. But, what most people never seems
to do is to actually study the films I make. They never look for the
subtleties. They simply look to the obvious. And, by viewing my Zen Films in
this manner, they are really missing the whole point.
…I
mean, come on! These are Zen Films, what do you expect to see when you sit down
to watch them?
As
the filmmaker, I could point to each element of what one should be looking for
in each scene of my films. But, what would be the fun of that? This is Zen
Filmmaking and that is all part of the process; finding the hidden meaning,
revealing to yourself what is hiding beneath the surface and what it means to
you. It is essential to know, however, that every scene in every one of my Zen
Films has a Some Thing that is there for a reason which guides the overall
vision of the film and projects an ideology to the audience whether they
consciously notice it or not. This is why they are each titled a, “Zen Film.”
So,
I want to call out all you, (oh so knowledgeable), film reviewers. I want to
tell you, “You missed the point.” Simply by looking to the storyline, the sets,
the acting, and the character development for guidance in your reviews you have
completely overlooked what is actually going on.
As
a Film Watcher and as a Film Maker I can say that to truly understand any film
you have to look beyond the obvious. This is especially the case with Zen
Films. So, the next time you want to find something to cast your judgment upon
at least have the foresight to see what you are missing by studying the
subtitles instead of simply sitting there with your mind already made up and
casting judgment.
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