4 Majors, 7 Finals

I recalled at an earlier point in my academic career, circa 4 years, talking to my coworker.

He told me how he was taking 4 majors at both our school and a small community college. His majors were in Electrical Engineering, Math, Mechanical, and Civil. To me, I felt he deserved to be written in the Guiness Book of World Records for having taken 7 finals in one day while working a 4 hour shift in graphic design. Never had combining two and two together seemed so daunting in relation to the way he could handle his academic studies and do some decent graphic designs, and pass all his classes. He even told me that by my young age he was able to complete all courses within Physics and proceed into the core requirements of his majors. I was completely baffled by his efforts.

It wasn't until one day in early spring where I had asked my other coworkers how this Renaissance man was able to pull it off. One of them told it was just because all the core foundations were all similar. That's when I had realized it that he couldn't have done all these majors if they were all completely different. Imagine taking Pyschology and Electrical Engineering. Though both may share some similar foundational courses, both diverge tremendously when the further they become specialized.

It was this sort of thinking that I had taken and had made an effort to strengthen my understanding within the arts. The field itself is composed of several specialized facets, Photography, 3D Modelling, Animation, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Transportation, etc. They all share common foundations that with the right amount of effort could be translated throughout. It is a form of language with several different accents and grammatical structures after all.

An End towards One's Means

It was always best for me keep this in mind, "There must always be an end towards one's means, without an end all means would be meaningless."

Over the course of a year my ends have been going through rapid changes. I found myself wanting to become highly skilled and technically crafted within the arts through line drawing. My strive had taken me many places throughout, and the means had led me from one end into another. From then on I realized that maybe my strive for becoming greater in drawing may actually serve as a means towards another end. The question then was, "What was it all for?"

Where was the purpose behind the investment fiscally, mentally, spiritually in achieving a high quality in drawing? What was I directing myself into, a job, a prestigious school, another form of consciousness? Where was this passion going to fit within the sphere of the social community? No matter how far I would drag myself away from the influence of the world, there would always be some stake I would have in participating within in it. What better way to participate than to form my own visual dialogue. In the end it would serve to form a cohesive bond of understanding between me and other individuals. After all we do have a vision and seek a means to convey that vision through any form of communication.

ATLOS Completed

Finally it is here, or not so much. In the coming days there are things to discuss amongst me and my peers about the release of my short film ATLOS Neon. I would like to open up about the project by first stating the synopsis as well as gracing some of the underlying themes. Through the past collection of brainstormed words I will try as best as I can to explain the piece.

First and foremost, ATLOS is the exploration of self in a time which society is ruled by a cold monotony. Although we are take through the perspective of the main character, Tho.TH3, much of the film acts as first person experience. This was done through the long traversal scenes from the time when you're initially brought into the ghost city. It's more direct however, with some of the first person shots I utilized in the film.

Tho.TH3 a machine, once thought everlasting has now ran near the end of his lifespan. He realizes that he must find a way to make meaning out of his mechanically routine life before his time runs out. But will he find a way to? More importantly what is the world that he lives in, and who exactly is Tho.TH3 as a character?

So is it a reality or some dream? Is it a commentary to the current situation or an escapist's paradise?

For the most part it's a fantasy world built within the conventions of modern industrial technology and urban architecture. The thing to always consider in the early phases of production are the questions what if? and why?

What leads to the events of ATLOS were the preceding wars and human cataclysms that nearly rendered the world uninhabitable. Of course this sort of theme is overly recurrent in major novels and films, however I committed to a personalized take on this theme. It was basically a mystery that eventually unravels itself the more time we spent living Tho.TH3's experiences. It becomes more deliberate during an important sequence in the film. My take however, upon this revelation was not to show how it affects Tho.TH3, for he already had known this, but to make it have an affect towards you. I would expect the reactions to vary, but this is what further emphasizes the first person experience of travel through the ATLOS both visually and within the perspectives of a character.

When the film is released, I plan on explaining more of the themes and symbolism. For now I've decided to leave it to this.