Comments for Blank Slate http://blankslate.net/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:02:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 1707945http://www.feedburner.com Comment on Project Cymru update by Ben http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-101 Ben Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:46:53 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-101 The parallel edition is being put together by a team led by Tom Taylor of BYU, and it'll be available in the very near future. I'll let you know when it's ready. :) The parallel edition is being put together by a team led by Tom Taylor of BYU, and it’ll be available in the very near future. I’ll let you know when it’s ready. :)

]]> Comment on Project Cymru update by Cara http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-100 Cara Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:24:35 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-100 I am a student of Welsh and would like to see a side by side translation. Haven't been able to find anything similar on google yet. I am a student of Welsh and would like to see a side by side translation. Haven’t been able to find anything similar on google yet.

]]> Comment on Starting the unbinding by Ben http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/05/29/starting-the-unbinding/#comment-77 Ben Sat, 07 Jun 2008 23:19:02 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/05/29/starting-the-unbinding/#comment-77 Thanks. :) I've been a bit busy since then and haven't done anything more on Unbindery, but I'm planning to get around to it before long... Thanks. :) I’ve been a bit busy since then and haven’t done anything more on Unbindery, but I’m planning to get around to it before long…

]]> Comment on Starting the unbinding by rikker http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/05/29/starting-the-unbinding/#comment-76 rikker Sat, 31 May 2008 17:13:10 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/05/29/starting-the-unbinding/#comment-76 Lookin' good. :) Lookin’ good. :)

]]> Comment on Project Cymru update by Ben http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-74 Ben Tue, 27 May 2008 18:41:04 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-74 Where at? A link would be nice. :) Where at? A link would be nice. :)

]]> Comment on Project Cymru update by Gorf http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-67 Gorf Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:15:39 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/03/02/project-cymru-update/#comment-67 This has been done already. This has been done already.

]]> Comment on Let the frenzied scripting begin by Blank Slate » Divide and conquer http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/01/let-the-frenzied-scripting-begin/#comment-66 Blank Slate » Divide and conquer Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:45:08 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/01/let-the-frenzied-scripting-begin/#comment-66 [...] Long play. I started writing a play tentatively called The Color of Love for Script Frenzy at the beginning of the month, but it pretty much went nowhere. (I have two or three pages of [...] […] Long play. I started writing a play tentatively called The Color of Love for Script Frenzy at the beginning of the month, but it pretty much went nowhere. (I have two or three pages of […]

]]> Comment on Honest and true by Ben http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/12/honest-and-true/#comment-56 Ben Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:38:31 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/12/honest-and-true/#comment-56 I agree but I'm not entirely sure that official films from the Church <i>shouldn't</i> be sanitized. (Then again, I'm not sure that they <i>should</i> either. :)) I wonder what it'd be like if the Church <i>did</i> produce art that deals with the complexity of life in the way you mentioned. Hmm... Yes, <i>Return with Honor</i> (at least that's the title it had when I saw it :)) wasn't brilliant or anything, but it was a step in the right direction. I think our art is indeed beginning to reflect our complexities more, in a way that's true to who we are as a people without sacrificing our values <i>or</i> our intelligence. I agree but I’m not entirely sure that official films from the Church shouldn’t be sanitized. (Then again, I’m not sure that they should either. :)) I wonder what it’d be like if the Church did produce art that deals with the complexity of life in the way you mentioned. Hmm…

Yes, Return with Honor (at least that’s the title it had when I saw it :)) wasn’t brilliant or anything, but it was a step in the right direction. I think our art is indeed beginning to reflect our complexities more, in a way that’s true to who we are as a people without sacrificing our values or our intelligence.

]]> Comment on Honest and true by rikker http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/12/honest-and-true/#comment-55 rikker Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:58:14 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/12/honest-and-true/#comment-55 This is why I like <i>Wrestling With God</i>, and for that matter, so much non-Mormon art. I respect, and usually like, art that thoughtfully deals with the complexity of life, and doesn't present a sanitized, one-sided view of things. That is why I dislike the films produced by the Church, because that is content produced with a specific reaction in mind, not to promote thought on the issues. It's not honest. It's manipulative. The people involved are well-meaning, and many of them are talented, but art-by-committee is never art. And if you argue that it's not <i>trying</i> to be art, well, that's my point, too. It's propaganda masquerading as art. That sounds harsh, but that's what I think. I recently saw the movie <i>Missionary Homecoming</i> aka <i>The Return</i>, on your recommendation. It's not a particularly great movie, and the ending was sappy, but I did like it. It had a head-shaven, scalp-tattooed, body-pierced character in a sympathetic role! Much more likable than the protagonist, even. That's a calculated choice, I'm sure, but at least it's more like reality than the sugarcoated black-and-white world I seem to see elsewhere in Mormondom--most especially in the image of ourselves so many feel compelled to present to other Mormons. We're a complex bunch, and I hope our art will begin to reflect that more. This is why I like Wrestling With God, and for that matter, so much non-Mormon art. I respect, and usually like, art that thoughtfully deals with the complexity of life, and doesn’t present a sanitized, one-sided view of things. That is why I dislike the films produced by the Church, because that is content produced with a specific reaction in mind, not to promote thought on the issues. It’s not honest. It’s manipulative. The people involved are well-meaning, and many of them are talented, but art-by-committee is never art. And if you argue that it’s not trying to be art, well, that’s my point, too. It’s propaganda masquerading as art. That sounds harsh, but that’s what I think.

I recently saw the movie Missionary Homecoming aka The Return, on your recommendation. It’s not a particularly great movie, and the ending was sappy, but I did like it. It had a head-shaven, scalp-tattooed, body-pierced character in a sympathetic role! Much more likable than the protagonist, even. That’s a calculated choice, I’m sure, but at least it’s more like reality than the sugarcoated black-and-white world I seem to see elsewhere in Mormondom–most especially in the image of ourselves so many feel compelled to present to other Mormons. We’re a complex bunch, and I hope our art will begin to reflect that more.

]]> Comment on Playwriting and stuff by Ben http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/10/playwriting-and-stuff/#comment-49 Ben Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:25:07 +0000 http://blankslate.net/blog/2008/04/10/playwriting-and-stuff/#comment-49 Haha. :) There's certainly no formula, but it's kind of hard to write about death convincingly when I haven't really lost anyone. You can do it, yes, but it's harder -- you have to really pay attention to how other people deal with it, you have to talk to them and see what they're going through (and even then you have to translate what they say because they probably don't know themselves what they're feeling), you have to reconstruct everything based solely on observation and your imagination. Which <i>is</i> possible. It's just a heck of a lot easier to get it wrong that way. :P Haha. :) There’s certainly no formula, but it’s kind of hard to write about death convincingly when I haven’t really lost anyone. You can do it, yes, but it’s harder — you have to really pay attention to how other people deal with it, you have to talk to them and see what they’re going through (and even then you have to translate what they say because they probably don’t know themselves what they’re feeling), you have to reconstruct everything based solely on observation and your imagination. Which is possible. It’s just a heck of a lot easier to get it wrong that way. :P

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