Blue Notes: what makes cinema so immersive?

Blue Notes is a raw and intimate look inside writing and directing my first feature film while mothering full time. sharing (in real time) the behind-the-scenes and making of this film from scratch.

Before a story becomes a screenplay, or a film, it first becomes a feeling.

a feeling I can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.

i’ve been thinking about why certain films resonate with us, why we keep thinking about them for months after watching it for the first time.

I think it’s because the best films don’t just tell a story— they immerse us in one.

they draw us into the story experiencing it with our entire body, evoking all of our senses.

we feel through our senses— sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

a personal example that comes to mind is the ocean.

I taste the salt on my tongue. I swim in the warmth it wraps around me. I hear the sound of it’s waves forming and crashing. I gaze into it’s deep blues and greens. I smell it’s salty crisp air.

if you have spent time near, in, on or under the ocean, you know what i’m talking about. its so much easier to be present when we’re by the ocean, and I believe it’s because we become fully immersed.

that’s how I want people to feel watching this film.

before I begin writing, I start collecting. collecting inspiration through images, sounds, textures, colors.

if I can’t feel the scene i’m writing, then the audience won’t either.

there are so many good movies that do a great job of this but one that comes to mind as I write this is from Ratatouille. (this is a comfort watch for me)

there’s the scene where Remy starts throwing butter, onions, herbs and vegetables into the pot and every time I watch that scene, I swear I can smell it.

and then there’s the ending scene where the food critic takes his first bite of ratatouille and without explaining a thing, we’re transported back to him as a little child standing in the doorway of his childhood home while his mom serves him his favorite meal.

I can feel the tenderness of his mother and the warmth of that room.

we don’t just see what he is feeling, we feel it too.

this is the power of visual language. this is why I love film so much. how the use of images, colors, sounds, lighting, movement, and framing can communicate the emotions of a character before a word is even spoken.

my film professors used to say: “Show. Don’t Tell.”

which, to put simply, means let your characters or the plot speak through actions and visuals, instead of the character literally telling us out loud.

this is something i’m always thinking about when writing and creating a film.

how can I let someone feel this without explaining it?

Films are primarily sight and sound, but I believe film has the power to evoke all of our senses.

when we’re watching a film and snow is falling or a cigarette is being lit, we fill in the missing sensory details.

this ability to evoke invisible senses is one of the beautiful reasons why cinema is so powerful and so immersive.

when I think about this film…

I smell a crowded bar scene, cigarettes burning, pine trees, and a newborn baby.

I taste the burn at the back of my throat after downing a shot, the remnants of hairspray, black coffee and cheap diner fries.

I hear muffled screams, ocean waves, little girls giggling, and records spinning.

I feel a hangover, a warm embrace, leather, and the peace found after a good cry.

I see…

Next Blue Notes I will be diving into the writing exercises I use as I begin writing the first draft.

I thought it would be fun to start ending these Blue Notes with what i’ve been currently reading, watching, and listening to.

reading— finished Lost Lambs (was too dark for me) and now reading Deep Cuts. (reaally loving it so far, and it is being made into an A24 film!)

watching— since becoming a mother I really do not watch tv at all. we actually don’t even own a tv in our apartment. we own a projector and when we want to watch something we project it onto our wall from my computer, this has allowed me to watch films with intention and purpose which I have been thoroughly enjoying. I’ve been dying to go watch The Odyssey in theater; but last week my husband and I watched Project Hail Mary and I really enjoyed it. I am not normally a sci-fi type of movie-goer but this was very well done and i’m still thinking about it.

listening— Noah Kahan (The Great Divide: The Last of The Bugs), Gracie Abrams (Daughter From Hell), and Florence Road. also this playlist on Spotify called summer jazz.