Rough Theater

I really liked the reading about Rough Theater and its authentic character. It pretty much just validated my thoughts on all art in general and the way I have created movies for the past few years. I completely agree that in both theater and film, at the end, it doesn't really matter how clean and polished the work is, if it isn't a story that grasps people or that people can relate to in a personal way, the work will not succeed. Sometimes the cleanness of a film or a theater production can actually hurt its overall effect. In a way, people really do crave the sweat and the humanness of a work of art. I have always tried to implement this in my filmmaking, often calling attention to the film itself, or sacrificing clean sound or camera movements because one of my subjects said something really raw or interesting that I didn't want to leave out. Because I am most interested in documentary and experimental film, I feel grateful that I have more freedom to work with "rough theater" elements like not caring so much about color correcting or clean edits, but really trying to focus on the essence or the feeling or the thought of the film. Film really is such a powerful way to tell stories and share experiences and ideas. As I continue to find my voice within the filmmaking world, I will try to refer back to this article for inspiration.