Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
When I was 16, I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (1) for the first time. To my creative mind: there is my life before I saw that movie. And there is what my life became BECAUSE I saw that movie. It was like a glaring sun that set fire to an iron and burnt an image on my brain: the bed on the beach. I watched it over and over and over again. I showed it to all my friends. I waited patiently, slogging through the pains of rural dial up internet to get online and find out two things: one, where is Montauk? And two, who wrote this impossibly sensical and relatable, yet completely nonsensically beautiful movie?
Charlie Kaufman.
One could say that after that, I became a disciple of the filmmaking school of Kaufman. I read all his scripts. I saw all his movies. I read every newspaper article I could find that ever mentioned his name. I devoured every interview. I even looked at pictures of him and tried to figure out what about his face made him… him.
It wasn’t a crush. It wasn’t love. It was complete and total professional admiration.
Today, I truly believe I have the bed on the beach to thank for my entire career. I knew how screenplays were written because of the bed on the beach. I knew I wanted to make beautiful imagery because of the bed on the beach. I fell in love with movies because of the bed on the beach.
In the summer of 2013, I even convinced my friends to steal a mattress with me from a local furniture retailer and we hauled it to a field in northern Minnesota in the dark of night. Humid and cold at the same time, we laid on the mattress and stared at the stars. My friends thought it was just a fun adventure. It was my reenactment of the bed on the beach. (2)
In my career, I’ve been to many a film festival, but never one of the premiere elites where all the big name stars and makers go to connect and watch and revel. So when my trip to Italia coincided with the Venice Film Festival, I knew I had to do everything in my power to acquire a pass. La Biennale de Venezia, as they call it, is the oldest film festival in the world dating back to the birth of cinema. It happens on the tiny island of Lido just off of Venice and it’s less glamorous and more real and honest in ways you wouldn’t even expect. Sure there are red carpets. But there are mostly just people who love cinema from all parts of the world trying to create an ounce of excitement about the work that they do. Truth was so resonant for me that it quickly overshadowed any sense of fame-grabbing. Just two weeks before I left for my trip, I finished production on my first narrative film. Suddenly, the reality of the WHY I put myself through that process was so obvious. This is where I’ve always wanted to be.
I have always wanted my own bed on the beach.
And because everything needs to come full circle when you’re telling a story like this, you must know that at this particular moment in time, Charlie Kaufman’s new film, Anomalisa, was having its world premiere at the Venice Festival. This was profound because Kaufman hasn’t put out a new film in 7 years. It felt as if I was meant to be there, even though it had been public knowledge for months. A girl can believe what she needs to believe to be happy. My entire mission at the Fest became finding a way to see the premiere. And indeed, I got my ass in.
Anomalisa is not my favorite Charlie Kaufman movie. But it is most certainly a Charlie Kaufman movie in every way a story could be owned by one mind. It’s about a motivational speaker sort who longs for some kind of connection in a world full of people who aim for very little other than the status quo. It’s done with a strange and jarring stop motion technique that is smooth and yet breathing, ugly and yet has all kinds of dark charm to it. You can almost smell it. Truly. In my mind, the film smells like burning felt. I may forget the details of that movie, but here is what I’ll never forget:
I’ll never forget sitting at the Venice Film Festival in the Grande Theater, watching the world premiere of a Charlie Kaufman film with him sitting only 8 rows behind me.
I’ll never forget how every single person in that theater sat there until the very last credit rolled, because they wanted to pay respects to the people that made the experience they just took in. I will never forget it because it’s what I do every time I see a movie. And I’ll never forget it because I loved being around people who I could just tell are doing that every time they see a film, even if that usually means they are doing it all by themselves as the theater staff sweeps up popcorn around their feet.
I’ll never forget giving Charlie Kaufman a standing ovation. Not just for Anomalisa. But for giving me the bed on the beach.
—–
*1* Fun fact about that movie, Ellen Kuras was the cinematographer. She did a beautiful job and is one of very few female cinematographers in Hollywood.
*2* I really hope the statute of limitations is up on that behavior. Either way, it was worth it.
PuppyCat, aka, the most badass character in Bee and PuppyCat is my spirit animal. I never understood the human need to select an animal as the ideal match for one’s soul. Then PuppyCat came along and it was all so clear.
I know what you’re thinking: PuppyCat is amazing, but huh? Well, friends, I really can’t control my love for the cat that smells like a dog. Why? Because to me, this genderless creature of love and charm and hilarity is a better representation of what more women and girls need to focus on then basically every character ever created for the purpose of animated entertainment. Better than Eve. Better than the Powerpuff Girls. Better than Mulan. Yup. PuppyCat is the Queen. Or King. Doesn’t matter. ROYALTY.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I sleep with my stuffed PuppyCat every night, but before you start to think this is just all about me replacing the cat I lost in my latest breakup with a plush creature, let me insist that PuppyCat stands for something much more important:
PuppyCat doesn’t want to be cute. Because being cute is useless.
PuppyCat doesn’t want to be donned in pink and purple and yellow. Because being adorable isn’t a high priority. In fact, it’s nearly a negative.
PuppyCat feels tough on the inside. Being tough is the key to surviving anything in life. Especially when you’re off to a planet of creepy cannibal cats.
I could go on. Or I could just insist you watch more Bee and PuppyCat. We all know that this is what i’m going to do right now.
The Academy Awards tends to have a representation problem. Meaning, it doesn’t really represent women and people of color very well. This year it became incredibly obvious when the incredible Ava Duvernay wasn’t even nominated for best director category for Selma.
But there’s ONE category in the Academy Awards that should make us all feel a little better. The Animated Shorts category features 3 female directors out of the 5 nominees.
Meet these incredible projects helmed by some seriously talented women.
Me and My Moulton: Director Torill Kove
The Bigger Picture: Director Daisy Jacobs
A Single Life: Director Marieke Blaauw
I wish good vibes to all these incredible women. And even though they can’t all win - It gives me hope to see so many awesome female directors getting recognized by the Academy.
New film projects make their way to Kickstarter and Indiegogo every day and while I love supporting independent film, not every project is worth getting all giddy about. These projects, though, they are definitely things I want to watch and support and I thought you might agree:
The Bigger Picture: A Life Size Animated Film Needs Production Help
There are so many things I love about this project, it’s kind of silly. I feel like I have an animation crush on this team. They create life size sets with every element of the shot: people are even made life size! They need some money to get to work on their production and their rewards are freaking fantastic. I mean, who wouldn’t love one of their production props? I definitely do.
Fight for Space: A Documentary in Post-Production
This documentary successfully raised $100K to shoot the all. the. things. But now, they need your help getting it done and ready for the world. It’s great timing too, because the world needs to know just how bad the state of our space programs really are.
What We Do in the Shadows: A Campaign for an American Theatrical Release
I just love this movie. And while I wish it was available now for you to all go watch it, I do empathize with the filmmakers’ desire to get a proper US release of the movie. Even if you don’t want to support the film, you should watch their Kickstarter video. It’s charming and hilarious and I kind of loved it.
It’s no surprise around here that I love movies. But another thing I love to dive into and obsess over is movie books. Or books about movies. Or books inspired by movies. Or books that were adapted into great movies. And while there are few I dislike, there are a collection that I hold dearly.
These books are just, win and whether you want to read them for pleasure to or hone your craft, these books will just make your life better:
