100th Post: Linkin Park & The Cinematic Art of Video Games

 
So, it's been a little over two years, I think, since I started this blog and I'm proud to say that this will be post number 100!

Way back when I started I never thought that I would make it this far, but I continued to blog about all kinds of stuff that interested me or caught my attention. I ranted on just about anything that mattered to me, spoke words of encouragement or sadness to push myself forward. And, even though I say "me", in honesty I also include you, the internet surfers and readers that have either followed me here to this point or stumbled upon it.

Thank you for being the anonymous readers that you are.

Creativity is nourished by what we are exposed to. For me, it comes from my hobbies, talents and emotions. And believe me, that creativity comes from somewhere. It has a voice that speaks and it claws its way from the depths of my inner most mind to become a reality through my genre fiction writing or onto this blog.

Alright, enough of my preaching or rambling! Let's get on with this 100th post!

I thought I'd do something unique by sharing what gets my vibes pumping and my blood flowing with the excitement and thrills that spark my creativity. Most of you know that I'm a gamer. Have been for years. I love playing Dead Space, Resident Evil, Super Street Fighter 4, Gran Turismo 5, etc. I love being immersed into the story of a good game, just like a book, and fighting my way through to the end.

But more importantly, I love the cinematic art that these games have presented over the years. They're majestic, gritty, brutal and beautiful, and sometimes, they capture the tone and climax of storytelling better than actual films. I get so caught up in them that they leave an impression on me which later sparks an idea that morphs into something uniquely my own.

However, that impression is never left alone. Music also adds an extra flare or ingredient which allows it to further take shape into the thing I want most out of that idea. I've been a fan of Linkin Park since their first album Hybrid Theory and many of their songs have hit me on a personal level. Their songs know me so well, and understand my thoughts and feelings.

I appreciate Linkin Park and their music for that.

Okay, before I go on forever. I present my Top 5 Linkin Park & The Cinematic Art of Video Games countdown. I searched through Youtube and went through many GMV's to find these and I most say that I give total applause and credit to the creative visionaries that put these together.

You Guys or Gals ROCK!

[5]. Linkin Park - By Myself, featuring: various games
Well, I needed to start with something that grabs immediate attention, and what's better then cars and hot nuns with guns ready to shoot the shit out of you.



[4]. Linkin Park - Numb, featuring: more various games
Soaring eagles, Assassins influencing the American Revolution, Final Fantasy, and Robocop? Yeah, enough said.



[3]. Linkin Park - New Divide, featuring: Prototype
I love this song. A nice blend of emotion and destruction which compliments the song's lyrics and the narrative story behind Alex Mercer. Check out the second verse and at 2:45. When Mercer tears those soldiers apart, it grips me with intensity. Sometimes I like to pretend I'm Mercer, ha!



[2]. Linkin Park - Lost in the Echo, featuring: Resident Evil 6
What can I say about this? It's Resident Evil 6, man!!! Linkin Park's song almost provides a narration for the action sequences and makes it that much more effective to watch. With Ada Wong lurking behind the scenes the story may finally come full circle. I can't wait for this game!



[1]. Linkin Park - Burn It Down, featuring: A Majestic Ensemble of Games
Another great song! This was a tough one. It came down to two videos with the same song, but this video proved a more glorious effort by the creator to match visuals with lyrics. It's simply beautiful. I won't even try to describe it, just watch.


Well, that's my Top 5 Linkin Park & The Cinematic Art of Video Games countdown. I hope you all enjoyed looking into a small piece of what makes my mind tick.

Again, I want to give credit to the creators of these videos because they have put together unique gaming visuals that capture lyrical emotion. Each, in its own way, is an inspiration to me, and I hope to you all as well.

Until the next countdown or something, ha!

Stranger Than Fiction: A Thought About The Film

 
I think it's a beautiful thing to engage in something, anything, with such passion that you lose yourself as you hone your skills to reach a goal, perfection or an ending.

This is the same in any media chosen to express whatever your passion is. I love reading books or stories that introduce characters so likable that you feel the pain of their loses or the enjoy of their accomplishments. The same goes for movies and the film Stranger Than Fiction is no exception to that rule.

I loved Will Ferrell's portrayal of the lonely, fated protagonist Harold Crick. Here is a character who is plain and hapless in his monotonous life that we see a reason to follow his story. The fact that Emma Thompson's character Karen Eiffel narratives his daily activities further provides a more in-depth understanding of Harold's narrative archetype that we, as the audience, find more compassion. Even Thompson's role as the eccentric writer and narrator are so rational, for writer's at the very least, and I personally find a weird connection with her character. Being a fiction writer has allowed me to really comprehend and also sympathize with the plight of creation and responsibility of fulfillment.

What do I mean by responsibility of fulfillment? It is the act of creating and the art of skillfully providing a reason for existence. Even if your character is to die, such is the case with Harold Crick, the writer still has to provide meaning and justification for the characters death. Writing endings are not easy by no means, let me tell you. So many aspects of narration, character development and story must be taken into account when you slowly reach those final pages and bring your written masterpiece to a close. I always find it difficult to end a story after I have provided such a fond and in-depth look at something that I poured my heart and soul into.

I feel such a great deal of responsibility in capturing and expressing a story with profound visualization and emotion that not only speaks to me but also hits a definite chord with readers of all kinds. The film Stranger Than Fiction does this on many levels. Mind you that what you're watching is a literary tale told visually and every aspect of plot, narration and arch are presented. At times I felt as though this could have actually been a graphic novel, a manga maybe, because it is literally a developing story that is in motion.

I liked the contrasts that progressively appear and further change and enhance the characters lives. Harold and Karen's lives are some what identical in the sense that they work in systematic fashion to approach situations. Harold operates in a corporate and mathematical/computational environment while Karen provides us with the common, at times unorthodox, method of story creation. When Maggie Gyllenhall's character Ana Pascal enters Harold's life it implements a vast contradiction to the life and organization that has ruled Harold's life. She is his opposite and Ana compliments, or in this case unbalances, his perspectives very nicely.

Another aspect of interest is the character of Prof. Jules Hilbert, played by Dustin Hoffman. I always look at this Hilbert as the mage or all knowing guide that helps Harold through his dilemma. He is instrumental in grounding the protagonist in a reasonable reality where Harold can attempt to find answers to his plight. Hoffman is just a lot fun as Hilbert; the kind of literary specialist I wish I had in school, ha! 

I think the one moment that has stuck with me about this film is Harold and Karen's meeting. It is the moment where Karen as an author not only realizes that one of her fictionalized creations turned out to be real, but also her responsibility of giving him a meaningful and justified existence appears. On top of that, she also went further to provide a rational excuse to change. It is something that all us writers go through when we create. We always change where it is necessary while keeping in mind how it will effect the choices that we have made up to that point.

Even in writing, it is all about making choices and decisions and being responsible in making sure we fulfill those intentions.