Formspring

I jumped on the band wagon a few months back. Just wanted to share the link with you all. :)

http://www.formspring.me/macheretrange

Love & love,

Karla Von Guerra.
:)

Dote-Worthy Directors Part I: Tim Burton

Hello Lovelies.

I have an announcement!

I've been thinking lately that I really want to do a series of blogs on my favorite and most influential directors.. sooo here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the first installment of this series! If you know me at all, my first choice for my first blog upon this subject will not come as a shock to you.

TIM BURTON.

What can I possibly say of my creative muse but that he is brilliant? It seems too commonplace to even just leave it at that. I have always been a big Burton fan, even at a very early age. I can clearly remember my parents putting movies on for my sister and I as we went to sleep, and usually they tended to pick movies such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Robin Hood, and the like. I, however, would sneak out of bed and switch out the VHS for Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands instead. I cannot quite point out what stands out the most about his work to me. It's a mixture of things, really. I love his vision, I love that he's different, real, raw, and edgy. Going from being an animator with Disney to building your own production company and being known for edge cutting phantasmagoric films is quite a feat. Being a Christian, I tend to get reprimanded quite a bit for my love of all things Burton. I cannot begin to tell you how much this irritates me. Yes, Tim Burton is a darker character and much of his signature style and vision can be labeled as morbid and death obsessed, which is why, naturally, it raises some eyebrows as to why he is my favorite director. I can explain that quite simply.

I love the way he deals with such real issues-- such as death and the after life-- things that make many people uneasy and matters which individuals want to forget about-- and confronts them head on. Though, he is not a Christian, (he claims himself to be spiritual, but not religious or prescribing to any certain denomination) I find it intriguing that most of his films are centered around the idea of an after life, such as Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, etc. It may not be a utopian after-life, but it is an artistically beautiful concept of an after-life interwoven with very real and beautiful human emotions. Honestly, he's the first and only director that I think will ever be able to successfully pull together life and death and wrap them up in an intricate and beautifully creative wrapper and introduce them to audiences in a way that keeps them coming back for more. Brilliance, ladies and gentlemen, brilliance.

One of my bestest friends, Lydia Joy, who is a magnificent photographer, recently did a Burton inspired shoot featuring the both of us (we are both Burton afficionados!) and I thought it was brilliant. Here is one of my favorite photos from the shot! :)

To wrap up this blog, I will leave you with the following link. It is a photo shoot that Harper's Bazaar did inspired by Tim Burton (much like the shot Lydia and I did). He is in a few of the shots, in one dressed as a clown, and in another dressed as "Sandy Claws" :) It really is an artistically beautiful shoot and I love it.

http://wwburton-halloween-fashion-1009w.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-articles/tim-

Cheers lovely ones,

Karla Von Guerra.

:)

"One person's crazyness is another person's reality."

-Tim Burton.

Quick Little Post..

To let you guys know what I have been up to.

: )

I have been absolutely swamped with work, school work, and PRE-PRODUCTION. Ah! I really feel as though I am going mad.

...

Can I be honest, though?

Good.

*I find I quite enjoy it.* :)

I never thought I would be one to enjoy "busy-ness", but I am finding I am falling in love with it. I think it could be cos I am finally going into film (beautiful, wonderful film!) and I am in love with every step of the process of bringing this short film to life. It is exhausting, for sure, and I am learning as I go, because I haven't really even started my first semester of film.. but I am excited and I have spent much of my time doing research, research, research. I must also say, I have a new found appreciation for film makers everywhere now. I never realized that there was so much work that a film maker had to account for! I have just started (I know, should have started wayy earlier) having to give myself daily checklists, goals, and map out a personal calendar for me to get things done by (aside from the official production calendar) and I'm also currently setting up a production notebook. I get the feeling this notebook will most likely be my best friend for the next couple of months straight up until the end of post-production, which I suppose isn't a bad thing since it will help me stay organized!

I am also finding that I must learn to delegate. Naturally being a perfectionist, I want to get everything done on my own, especially when I have a project that is dear to my heart. I want to ensure everything goes as I planned and envisioned it. I am, however, learning that this maniacal perfectionism may just turn around and bite me in the rear if I don't learn to delegate soon. I mean, that's what a crew is for, right? Right.

...

Until I remember that I don't technically have a crew.

So maybe I do have to run around like a mad woman for a few months to pull this off until I find some trusted crew members. :)

I have much left to do, such as casting, scouting locations, rehearsals, rentals, props, costumes, etc.. and this is only a 12-15 minutes film! Oy vey. I can only imagine when I start doing feature length films! It's a good thing I am in love with what I do. :) A big, big thank you and I love you to Lydia Joy for helping so much with this project of mine thus far. She's a gem and a dear, dear friend! :)

Well, that is all for now, lovelies. I think I am going to hit the hay. I have a busy week ahead of me with finals close at hand as well! I love all of you muffins and will update soon! :)

Karlita

xoxo

Changing.

"If I'd had gone to art school, or stayed in anthropology, I probably would have ended up back in film... mostly I just followed my inner feelings and passions... and kept going until it got warmer and warmer, until it finally got hot... everybody has talent, it's just a matter of moving around until you discover what it is."

-George Lucas.

So, dear readers. I have an important announcement. I have officially changed my major. It is no longer, Counseling. My major is now, Electronic Media Production. I know, crazy, eh? No doubt about it. It has taken soo long for me to actually make this decision.. let it be known, it has been in my head and in my heart for a number of years. I know it seems like nonsense to many. Lunacy. Craziness. Madness. It's okay to voice your opinion. I thought it was for many years.. until now. Tim Burton once said, "One person's craziness is another person's reality".. the truth is my craziness is my reality.. and for the first time ever, I am okay with that. : )

So why the sudden and drastic change? I will answer that by saying it isn't sudden, though it is very drastic. I have always held a keen interest in films.. in film making. The truth is, I am called to the ministry. I have known it since before I even came to know the Lord as my Savior. I really fell into counseling by default. I knew the Lord wanted to use me, so I went to Bible College.. and please don't misunderstand me.. I don't regret attending Bible College. God intended for me to be there for a reason, and I don't question it. I loved being in Bible College, and I still love the fact that I went. I don't regret it. For the past couple of years though, I've felt as though something in my heart, in my being wasn't right.. I felt so direction less. I knew that I was on this path towards graduating Bible College, but I wasn't fulfilled.. like I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing. Something inside me was restless. Fidgety.

I have always been a highly imaginative and creative individual. I love art. I love literature. I love music. I love history. I love people. I love Jesus. I love FILM. I didn't understand why, if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing, I felt such a huge void.. like I was mechanically doing something without any original thought or desire on my part. I love Jesus, I do.. and ultimately, my heart beats for people. Art moves me. Poetry, vision, textures, colors. They invoke something deep and meaningful.. something so great within my soul, that it is all I can do to keep my mind and imagination from taking flight. I am a lover of beauty.. and I have always felt a burning need to bring the beauty of life, that beauty, that overwhelming feeling that brings tears to your eyes, that beauty that the Lord created our souls to know, to people in a very real way and through a very direct avenue. I can't explain to you how I knew that I was supposed to be doing film. If I knew myself, that would be ideal. I just know that I woke up one morning and very literally looked at myself in the mirror and asked myself, "What am I doing with my life?" and I couldn't really formulate an answer.. and I knew, right then that I needed to stop living my life for others. I was in Counseling, because it was a safe place for me to be.. a major that was easy for my family to accept. I knew that if I did something crazy, like do what I really wanted to do (film), it would create waves.. waves that, quite frankly, I wasn't sure I could stand up against. But I'm 23. I can't live my life for my family, I can't live my life for my peers, and I can't live my life for my mentors.. heck.. I can't even live my life for myself.. I live my life for HIM.. and I know that the Lord planted these deep set desires in my heart for a reason.. and I know that what I want to do, what I have always wanted to do, what I feel I was created to do, is to make films. I know it's unorthodox. I know that film making is not the average Christian's idea of ministry, but I'm not your average Christian. Film making is my ministry. I want to be a light, and shed light. I want to revolutionize the film making industry for Christians. I want to break the boundaries and parameters of Christian media and bring something real, and raw, and unhibited to the screen. I want to make films that will reach through the screen and touch those who view it. I want to make people feel and think things that perhaps, they have never allowed themselves to think before. I want to bring the love, the beauty, and the passion of a risen Savior to the eyes and ears and hearts of a media driven generation.. and I want to do it in a way that will revolutionize our idea of Christian films. I know that all these things are weighty. I know that they seem impossible, but, through Him, ALL things are possible.

So, perhaps I am mad.. but I feel excited, and alive, and vibrant, and hopeful for the first time in a long time. My favorite director is Tim Burton. His latest film, Alice, is a wonderland (literally) of ingenuity, creativity, and feeling. I have seen this movie twice so far, and each time I watch it, one scene stands out to me the most, a scene I have taken as my own personal motivator:

The Mad Hatter says to Alice:

"Have I gone mad?"

Alice checks his temperature and says,

"I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret.. all the best people are."

I love you guys. Please pray for me, if you can, and I will post more at the earliest convenience. I am setting a goal to update my blog at least once a week, if not more, so there will be much more postings to come! :))

Karla.

xoxo