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Thursday, November 2, 2023
Monday, December 5, 2022
Saturday, October 22, 2022
Monday, September 12, 2022
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Saturday, August 1, 2020
Semi-finalist for "The Clown." Yay!
Thursday, July 30, 2020
The Art of Storytelling
I've been studying storytelling since childhood. Amazingly, after friends gave me feedback questions on my latest stop motion film, I felt momentarily lost. As if I never had told a story in my life. I consider this a good thing. To stay in the "beginner's mind" allows me to keep learning. The "art" of storytelling means that the learning never ends.
One friend asked me about adding some "darker" elements during a happy segment. This started me thinking about choosing a "tone" for a piece and how delicate it is to switch tones within a piece.
Another friend asked about resolving stories or leaving them ambiguous. Another deep subject that I've been exploing. I'm getting ready to film, "The Three Languages," which has a very happy ending, like many fairy tales. I've been wondering if that is necessary or if a modern sensibility asks for something different? Do we need the happy ending psychologically?
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved
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Wednesday, July 29, 2020
New 4 minute stop motion film!
Just finished a new short piece. (They seem to be getting shorter.) I hope that is a good thing!
This had new green screen challenges and lots of deep thinking about how to end a story. (Resolve or leave ambigious).
What does the ending mean to you?
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read on this post. Even though Blogger says Read more!
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
An adaptation of "The King and the Chessboard"
I first heard a version of this story on the fabulous
podcast, The Living Myth by Michael Meade. I thought I might try to make a stop
motion of the story but I’m not sure… The tone and message aren’t yet clear to
me. It feels too partisan also. But after I spent some time working on a
possible voiceover script for the film, I thought I could at least share it
here.
There was a king who never liked to think too hard. From a
young age he learned to leave the thinking to all of his servants. Soon his
brain grew even lazier. The king never left his neighborhood, never read a
book, and never talked to people who didn’t agree with him.
The king didn’t know how weak his brain was because his
servants always let him win at cards and other games. Their actions made the
king so proud that he stopped listening to all his advisors and experts in his
land.
One day, a talented artist brought a creation to the king.
It was a giant chessboard.
The king was overjoyed. “How much?” He said.
“I only want a few grains of rice,” said the artist.
That’s all? What a fantastic deal! This artist must not be
that bright. Well, the king wasn’t going to enlighten her. He knew the art of
the deal. He could resell this beautiful creation for so much more!
“How many grains did you want?” said the king, trying not to
laugh.
“If you would indulge me, I’d like to be paid for 64 days --
that is my favorite number. On Monday you will put two grains of rice on this
first square. On Tuesday you will put four grains on this square. And on
Wednesday, eight grains, you understand?”
The king looked at her without understanding.
“Your accountants will double the rice each day. Does that
seem fair to you?”
The king looked at the board. 4, 8, 16, 32 and whatever came
next. Still. Not that much rice.
They signed a contract and the King felt very very proud of
himself.
But 3 weeks later, the king’s accountant came to him.
“What’s wrong?” said the king. “Why are you disturbing my
game?”
“Your majesty, please come to the room with the giant
chessboard.”
They led him to the room which was overflowing with rice.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Your majesty, I’ve done my calculations. By the 21st square
you will owe the artist over a million grains of rice. When we get to the 41st
square, you will owe over a trillion grains!”
The king stared at the squares. How could this be?
“That’s how math works, your highness.”
©Lewis-Barr 2020
***** There are various endings to this story.
In one, the artist lets the king off the hook, maybe hoping
he learns a lesson about the complexity of the world.
In another, the king gets out of the deal by cutting off the
artist’s head, showing the power of …. power?
In another the king requires the artist to count each grain
in order to get her payment. What does it mean for the king to outwit the
clever artist?
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read
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Monday, June 29, 2020
New short stop motion, just finished!
My public speaking work is on hold during this pandemic so I've been working more on my short films. If you're interested in stop motion that focues on mythic, psychological themes (sometimes comic, sometimes not), subscribe to my new youtube channel. Likes and comments are helpful too.
Just posted a new 5 minute short today.
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Friday, June 26, 2020
The Gardener: A Cautionary Comedy
Here's our 13 minute stop motion fairy tale.
Our second attempt. Not perfect but full of heart.
Read more!
Thursday, June 25, 2020
The Power of Story
I saw a video today of 3 women lashing out at the legislature
in Arizona who were passing an ordinance requiring masks. These women hurled insults at the panel and in their rage
I could also hear their shared story. Their story was – you can’t trust the government and
the population is being brainwashed. To
wear a mask was to be a sheep.
I’ve heard that to replace one story in the brain, facts don’t
work. The only thing that can replace a story is another stronger story. Stories
are powerful. They organize our
perceptions and are the filter we use to make sense of daily life. I was struck today at how different these
stories are from my own. But if they
were my story, I’d probably feel that same as these women.
Earlier this week I posted a call on Facebook to my local
garden swap group. It seemed like a long
shot but, “did anyone have any extra swiss chard?” Not only did someone reply, but she only
lived a few blocks away. I offered her a
packet of dill seed that I’d been given but had never used. Amazingly, she needed dill seed as her crop
didn’t take.
I rode my bike over and we passed our gifts to each other. My interactions with facebook strangers tell
a wonderful story – people are generous and kind. This isn’t always true, of course, but it has
been true for me.
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read on this post. Even though Blogger says Read more!
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Part 2 -- The King's Secret"
The King learned he could trust the apprentice to keep his
secret and soon the young man had his own castle, and a wife and children. it was a good life. But the apprentice felt the secret gnaw at
him. He hated keeping anything from his lovely wife but he knew he couldn’t
tell her.
One day the apprentice rode out into the country, far from any
other homes or farms. When he found the
most desolate area he got off his horse, dug a deep, deep pit, and got into the
pit. He lowered his head to the earth
and said very softly, “the King has donkey ears, the King has donkey ears, the King
has donkey ears.”
Then he got out of the pit, filled in the hole, and rode
home. He felt so much lighter! He felt so great that he took his wife out
dancing where he tripped on a piece of fruit and fell into the moat and
died.
The King was very very sad to lose his friend and to lose
the best barber he ever had. Instead of
searching for someone else, he decided he would cut his hair himself. Since he never took off his hat, who would
know the difference?
Some years later, the King heard laughter from a courtyard
and beautiful flute music. The King
listened to the tune. Underneath the
sound was another low hum that whistled, “the King has donkey ears, the King
has donkey ears, the King has donkey ears.”
“What is the meaning of this?” bellowed the King!
Soon the King learned of a magic tree, far from the Kingdom. It had lovely wood, perfect for flutes, so
some shepherds had made flutes, keeping some and selling the rest. Throughout the Kingdom these flutes announced
the King’s secret
-- housed in a tree
that grew from a hole
which heard a secret
spoken years ago.
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read on this post. Even though Blogger says Read more!
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Part 1 of "The King's Secret"
A King was born with donkey ears. Otherwise he was completely healthy and
whole.
From his birth, the kingdom wondered why the King was never
seen without his hat. Soon the people accepted the fact and stopped
wondering.
The problem was, the King needed to get haircuts. His mother cut his hair until the day she
died. Then the King faced a
dilemma. Who could he trust to keep his
secret?
He started with the royal barber. He carefully watched the barber’s face and
saw the look of shock when he took off his hat.
After the cut the King casually asked, “Did you notice anything unusual
today?”
“Why no, King, said the barber, “just the donkey ears on
your head.”
The King nodded. He put
on his hat and left the room. Moments later a guard rushed in and took the
barber away. He was never seen again.
The King’s hair grew fast and the next month he tried a
barber who didn’t speak. But the gasp
that came when he saw the King’s head sealed his fate.
Soon barbers across the land began making excuses when the King’s
guards came. To cut the King’s hair
meant to lose one’s head.
Finally, an old barber convinced his young apprentice to
try. They strategized what to do and the
young man went before the King.
At the end of the cut the King asked if the young barber had
noticed anything unusual.
“No, your Highness.
Only your handsome face and regal ears.”
The King searched the young man’s face. He looked serious and sincere.
“Nothing unusual?”
“No, your Highness.”
Part 2 -- tomorrow.
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read on this post. Even though Blogger says Read more!
Friday, June 19, 2020
How do you measure your worth?
My self worth is far beyond net worth. During this time of under/unemployment, so important to remember that.
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Thursday, June 18, 2020
Friday, June 12, 2020
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
The unconscious thinks in images -- why is this so hard for me?
I was going to just post this Tillich quote until I realized how ironic that was! I have to break my habit of always thinking through words, not images.
[Humanity's] ultimate concern must be expressed symbolically because symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate.
--Paul Tillich
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Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Meditating on daily work, prayer, and privilege
© 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved No more to read on this post. Even though Blogger says
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