Author: jonahso

13. 13 of these vlogs before I realized that I did not have to be in every single video portion. The fact that it took me that long to piece that together is a little discouraging, but we move onward!

I don’t think I’ve really talked about the visual aspects of these yet, and that’s mainly because I’m more comfortable elaborating on my creative choices when they have to do with writing. However I’ll take a crack at it! You know, sense it is my job and intended career path and whatever…

So, whenever I walk into a room, one of the first things I look at is the walls. There’s a method to it, a sweeping around the room to assess which ones catch my eyes the best and which ones deserve a deeper look. I tried to replicate this as best I can with the nearly 360 degree pan to catch all of my posters in one go. I believe this is the only video of mine with a cut in it as well. I’m extremely conservative when it comes to editing usually, the less cuts the better for me. Which is why my other videos never cut.

I promise it’s not just my laziness. All of the concepts that those cover are so, situational, that it just feels weird trying to cut them in any way. The difference of this piece is that it was attempting to replicate a real action, and that called for some extra film techniques. The fade was used as opposed to a hard cut mainly because it was smoother. Anything more extreme would just distract from the simplicity of the message, the action I was aiming to capture.

This was fun! I need to describe my shots more often; it feels very productive. But yeah, pretty simple stuff this time around.

Hope you all have a good week! Stay strong and stay healthy.

Jonah J. Sobczak

-jonahso

I think the poem does a good job of summarizing it, but I’ll just reiterate it here to make sure I cover all the beats. So, up until about 8th grade, I really enjoyed reading books. So much so that I would often carry 3 or 4 free reading books with me while I was at school (I don’t know why, I hardly ever had time to read them). I don’t think my attachment to virtual media was the sole reason for my break from casual reading, but it was certainly one of the biggest. It was just a lot more convenient, and a lot more attention-grabbing, to hop on Instagram or Snapchat instead of getting invested in another book.

The triplet in the poem describes my feelings towards this period when I hardly read anything at all. Of course, I’m a saddened by it. I’m sure it would have been much more valuable for me to have read American classics instead of scrolling through the explore page. However, it was just how I was. I didn’t enjoy reading nearly as much as before. If I had purposefully stopped reading so I could be cool, then I’d be upset. But it wasn’t that, it was natural and I feel I should respect that.

Especially since I knew I’d always come back around to reading. I recently deleted my Instagram and Youtube accounts, which means that I had virtually three more hours everyday to get things done. I filled in this time with music and podcasts (technically from my phone), playing the ukuleles, writing, watching valuable media, and mostly playing lots and lots of sudoku and chess (also still from my phone.) Most recently, I’ve decided that I’m going to finish this book I started over the summer, Revolutionary Road (wow it’s depressing!!)

After such a long break, the refreshingness of just reading page after page is astonishing. It gives my eyes a much needed rest, and it’s an escape. It’s cliche, but the thing about books taking you to another world. You take shape as an observer to this reality, hidden underneath the words you read. Plus some of them are damn enjoyable to read, whether from their artistry or from humor, they really do bring me back.

Was there something you did as a kid that you wished you never dropped? Something to think about. Maybe soon you can try it out and, who knows, your younger self may have been onto something. Until next time.

Jonah J. Sobczak

-jonahso

This week I had an interview, (believe it or not), and it served as an odd moment of self reflection for me.

There’s quite a few anxieties I’m usually prone to having before one. It’s essentially you selling yourself, a pitch for you by you. I’m not super comfortable when I have to do something like that. Talking myself up has always been a rough spot for me. Not because I’m modest, but because I value the appeal of seeming modest when I’m not. (And I’m only half joking.)

But nonetheless our insecurities can really surface in those moments before. Ones concerning appearance, attitude, intelligence. The problem is it’s me as a whole that I have to maintain, not just one or a couple facets of myself. Usually in essays I just have to worry about my language, in sports I just need to worry if I’m achieving good results with physical movement. So I’m not used to everything needing to have purpose, to have weight. My posture, my responses, how I deliver my responses, how I handle stress. Covering all these bases while simultaneously having to work it all out on the fly is challenging.

That being said, it’s not like I haven’t overcome these to some degree. I’m not the perfect interviewee, don’t get me wrong. But I maintain a level of clarity during interviews, despite the constant need to freak out. I think it comes from a place of necessity. At some level I understand that the calm and relaxed version of me is more likely to get hired than a tense, on-edge version. Since my end desire is wanting to get hired, I can manually turn the volume down on the things that would slow me down.

Or at least, that’s what I do. What do you do to prepare for an interview? I honestly could use more tips and tricks to get me through it.

In any case, please stay safe and have fun! Until next time…

jonahso

-Jonah J. Sobczak

Me and football… we kind of had a falling out in 6th grade… It was rough. Jokes aside, I had a very bad experience through the football program at my school. Without getting into specifics, it kind of fostered an unhealthy distaste in all things related to the sport that lasted for quite a long time. After a while it became indifference though, mainly because I got bored of hating it.

Dislike became indifference and so it remained until last week, when my friend asked me to watch it with him and some others. I always am actively trying to become a better person, or just like grow when I can. So I saw this as an opportunity. I’ve never been to a Super Bowl watch party, but I wasn’t about to turn one down in this time period. So, this non-football fan went to a (covid conscious) Super Bowl watch party. And it was fun!!

With nachos in hand I watched what I understand to be a pretty average game of football. I went into it thinking to myself, “okay, watch the screen and try to see what others see. Try to see what all the fuss is about.” And to my delight I could! Will I be catching the next game I can? No.

But as I was watching I became aware of some of the nuances that always went over my head. First of all, the sheer physical abilities of these men is insane. Like it’s just nuts the amount of physical exertion that happens in one play. And then they always get up and do it again. These people are athletes of the highest caliber, and just thinking about how much time and effort and talent they put into everything that’s taking place on that field is humbling really.

Next is the coordination, or I suppose just the intricacies of the interaction between both teams. 11 people on both sides, pinned against each other in a battle that plays out every few seconds. The way the lines wrap around each other, the players in the back moving and trying to get open. It’s very interesting to watch when you look at the big picture. Like a war simulation in real time.

And then just the competition is exciting. It’s two parties trying very hard to get what they want with only each other in a way, (it’s really quite close to drama).

Anyways, it was really refreshing seeing how embracing something I’ve been avoiding all my life was rewarding. Let this be your friendly reminder to try things you definitely don’t want to, things you hate. Not because it’s guaranteed that you’ll like them, but because the subversion of your expectations is a powerful tool.

Jesus, I’m so goddam preachy.

Take care everyone!

-Jonah J. Sobczak

jonahso

In art, I think you should approach the virus and quarantine very hastily. At least as it currently rests. Nobody, including myself, wants to hear about this BS anymore. Exposure fatigue set in roughly a month into it, and it’s only gotten worse almost a year later.

However, when my friend showed me the cracking, disturbing state that his hands were in, I saw an image. The raw, red palms being a product of his strict adherence to the regulations that were in place to protect him. That was something I could work with, and having that vulgarity to backdrop it all would lend at least a little bit of nuance into a long-dead, beaten horse.

(Unfortunately, my friend was not in town for a shooting session, so my moderately healthy hands had to do for the video.)

But, to the point, yes. We’re all tired of it. Personally, I hate it!

It destroyed a lot of awesome opportunities that I had going, and took away one of the few summers I have left as a young person. Not to mention the masks, constantly worrying about my grandma, and [INSERT ANOTHER OBNOXIOUS COVID FACT]. Worst of all is not being able to label areas in my head, but let me explain. Back when things were normal, my math class was where I did math, my screenwriting class was where I did screenwriting, and the rooms we assembled in for student orgs each had their own feel. I would have something to go to, and I would walk a specific route to get there. These routes and these different rooms created a distance, between themselves and home. It’s hard to explain, but I guess one way to put it is that going to a classroom has a whole dimension to it. My days were three dimensional, as opposed to two dimensional, which is what it feels like now. I sit in the same chair at the same desk, and click on the same links to get to the same app. It’s dull.

Dull to a point of vulgarity. Which I think is why the hands spoke to me so much. Again, this is what I’m supposed to be doing, for my sake and for others. But when the benefit is intangible and the effects are constantly in my face, these self-preserving thoughts surface. Obviously I still wear a mask and do all the things I’m supposed to, but I feel the need to recognize all of my emotions, regardless of how they effect my daily life.

Bit of a bummer this one, but hopefully you got something out of it. I appreciate you, and stay safe and as happy as you can be.

-Jonah J. Sobczak

jonahso

Hi all!

Music is amazing. For me it can function as white noise or a source for existential breakdowns, and also every point in between. As I state in this, the main reason I like to listen listen to music is because of the lyrics. The emotions and stories behind the words is what usually brings me to call an artist a favorite of mine. Some examples of excellent lyric writing would have to be Nana Grizol, Bright Eyes, and the Mountain Goats to name only a few (Ursa Minor by Nana Grizol is in fact one of my favorite albums of all time).

The idea for this poem came from a conversation I had with a friend who’s really into music. I asked him about a band and he said he enjoyed their music. When we tried thinking of the same song, I thought to just remind him of the single phrase that’s repeated constantly in the song. Like half the song is just that repeated phrase. And he couldn’t recall any lyrics like that. Then he asked me what the melody of the song was, and I gave him the same blank stare he gave me.

I think the beauty of art is you can enjoy it anyway you want. I could go my whole life thinking of songs as poems with some noise in the background, and if that’s how I see it then that’s how I see it. However, I feel like my unfamiliarity with music theory and the like gets brought up more and more nowadays, and every time I’m getting more tired of it.

But getting into music is scary. It’s so floaty and where would it take me even? Obviously I’m not looking to become the next ukulele star, nor do I expect that’s even a possibility. But it’s a daunting task, and without a clear outcome I’m very hesitant to learn how to write music and songs. I’m trying to focus all of my energy on film and some writing, learning mastering those arts because of their connections to me. But music is so amazing! It’s calming and just learning other people’s songs on my ukes is fulfilling.

Nonetheless, the poem comes from this place of tension. Of wanting to know more and go further without having the energy to. It’s honestly an exhausting spot to be in, but I’m still figuring stuff out and that’s alright.

So long and hang in there, just most of the semester left…

-Jonah J. Sobczak

jonahso

P.S. In the video, I am playing Death with Dignity by Sufjan Stevens, (also an amazing lyricist if you were wondering)