As we head toward the completion of our three films, we are coming to realize the full extent to which our project as a whole has transformed and evolved throughout development. To begin, we have had to replace one of our films (the one based on an excerpt from Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums) because the material proved to be inadaptable. However, we were able to locate material more suited for film in a piece of verse by Sam Shepard1. Since the poem seems to invoke a gritty yet hallucinatory aura, in our adaptation we will explore an interesting combination of stylistic devices appropriated from the film noir and expressionist movements.

Other than replacing one of our literary sources, we have come to a rather stirring revelation about the overall artistic function of our project. We initially believed that the project would consist of three films (each adapted from a literary piece and made using a different filmic style) that explore varying cultural views on love. Given the material we have chosen, all of which have been authored by male writers and is narrated by male characters, it seems more accurate to state that the trilogy is more perspectivally specific than we intended. Essentially, the three films more accurately embody varying cross-cultural male viewpoints on love than multiperspectivalism in general. Although we are exploring numerous film styles as we adapt the three works (a different device or set of devices for each film), we have decided to revise our original artistic statement to be more content specific.

Thusfar, we are moving closer to the completion of our first two films, and have begun development on the third. Although we have made purchases with the grant money in mind, we are holding onto our receipts and plan to submit them for re-imbursement in mid March. We plan to complete editing by late March to meet King Creativity Fund guidelines.

[1] The poem is entitled “Beggar.” It has been borrowed from Savage/Love, a performance piece by Shepard and Joseph Chaikin.