we makin a movie
My Friday music time with Mariano started as a pretty standard piano lesson. Somehow it’s changed to something much better, that does as much for me as any therapy i’ve ever been in.
the process works like this: over the course of the week, i look around Spotify for a song that i can sing, . i have two pieces of criteria when I'm song shopping: 1) is it within my vocal range to sing in key and 2) can I confidently make it through without getting too emotional to belt it out. once I pick it I send it Mariano with a piano chord chart. On Friday we learn it, and I sing it with my phone placed on coat hooks above us to video capture it.
Last week Mariano told me he wants me to be in this documentary about addiction and music that he’s making. he told me a few things that impressed him about the work we’ve been doing: I'm in key no matter what, I do all my own homework, and I have never missed a single session. I discovered a means of expressing myself, and i’m very dedicated to it. the songs i sing all mean a great deal to me, and this is something that i’ve wanted to get the opportunity to do for as long as i can remember.
He also revealed to me that he is an award winning documentary filmmaker:
So, this whole film thing isn’t bullshit. He told me i’d be telling my story, and I'd have to open up and get vulnerable, and that people are going to see it. i said yes to the idea immediately, but he urged me to have a think about it. I told him opening up and being vulnerable is the name of my game, and linked him to this blog.
The filming equipment is going to get better than my phone on a coat hook, and the songs are going to sound better with more practice. instead of once a week, it’s going to be twice a week now. I am so into it that I'm not concerned who else thinks it’s any good, because I think it’s fucking great. it feels great.
