More than anything, when I create my own ambient music, or play a new age cassette at home, I find myself being able to visualise a world, an experience, that is born as a result of the sounds. This is really why I’m leaning towards this project; answering the question of how can I turn my imagination into a film?

I’ve been reflecting on this idea, and decided to watch some films for inspiration.
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Philippe Garrel is one of my idols. I’ve watched a lot of his films, those from the 2000’s being my favourites (Frontier Of The Dawn, A Burning Hot Summer, Jealousy, In The Shadow Of Women), but I have never watched any of his really early stuff. I found The Inner Scar on YouTube last week and watched it.

“A collage of dreams. Garrel made a name for himself with this film as a new Jean Vigo. With Nico (Velvet Underground). A poetic and painterly film that has been described as ‘a collage of dreams’. The film was shot without a script, but Garrel had already thought up the eventual title (‘the scar inside’). This title was an obsession for him, every shot had to be an expression of ‘the scar inside’. Apart from Garrel himself and actor Pierre Clementi, Garrel’s former partner Nico, member of the legendary Velvet Underground, played a role in the film.”

The fact that Garrel made this when he was 23 is mind-boggling; it was one of the most pure cinematic experiences I have had. Like many of Garrel’s other works, the content itself is quite simple. However, it’s Garrel’s formal qualities, his inventiveness, that elevates it to something quite spectacular. I could watch this forever.

What I realised when watching this film was that I should listen to myself more. I feel like over the course of the semester I’ve been making work that feels personal, but I’m still not at a stage I’m happy with. As Paul has said, and as Garrel has shown, you don’t need a big idea to make something great.