Say Yes
MUSIC Information:
- The Wonders of Music
- C Major
- 48 Measures
- Cello and Piano
- 3:22 min
- 4 Pages
“My life is like a movie, except without Kate Blanchett"
PRETENDING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE
For more than a century, moving pictures_ or what we simply called movies_ have captivated audiences and inspired artists from around the world, making film one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Yet, movies represent more than mere recreation; film-making is a complete art form, often considered the seventh art, This classification places film in line with architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, and the performing arts.
Growing up in the 1980s_ a time of bold creativity_ I remember fantasizing about becoming a movie director, or a cinematographer. The idea of being part of the behind- the- scenes process of creating motion pictures was so exciting that, even though I knew nothing about how movies were made, it transformed my entire world. It taught me how to dream. And who hasn't _ at one point or another_ felt a little happier pretending to be someone else?
SCARY
I never became involved in movies, but I kept dreaming. The excitement of going to a movie theater stayed with me, and to this day, I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I see a film. Over the years, my taste in movies has changed noticeably. Once upon a time, I even enjoyed being scared. My local cinema held "scary night" every Thursday, and now and then I'd show up eagerly to those horror movie screenings.
Who can forget The Exorcist, a movie that used surprising special effects to create one of the scariest movies of all time, or Rosemary's Baby, a world -acclaimed, disturbing, yet unforgettable psychological thriller. And Jaws, a movie so scary that it made me think, by the time I saw it, anybody could be a victim in the vast open water space.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
We all know that movies not only entertain_ they can also educate and inspire in a variety of subtle ways. They can make us think and potentially change our lives. Because they target our full range of emotions using all kinds of audiovisual techniques that are impossible to ignore, we find ourselves affected by the final product.
I've made a list of movies that stirred profound emotions in me that, for so many different reasons, they occupied a special place in my heart. As a consequence, they've moved a portion of my existence. It's not a complete list_ forgive me!_, but creating one is simply impossible.
The Piano
Dangerous Liaisons
Amadeus
Gorillas in the Mist
Pretty Woman
August: Osage County
In and Out
To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar
STRANGE EXCITEMENT
The following quotes trigger a nerve in my system_whether is an utterly agreeable feeling of joy and wonder, or a repugnant ideology spoken by the character that challenges my opinions and worldview. Nonetheless, these quotes will give you a faint but fair idea of the strange excitement that takes hold of me.
The Piano: “I am thinking of the piano. She does not play the piano like we do, Nessie. She's a strange creature. And her playing is strange, like a mood that passes into you. Your playing is plain and true, and that is what I like. To have a sound creep inside you is not at all pleasant.” KERRY WALKER - Aunt Morag
Dangerous Liaisons: “When I came out into society, I was fifteen. I already knew that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe. Not to what people told me, which naturally was of no interest, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide. I practiced detachment. I learned how to look cheerful while, under the table, I stuck a fork into the back of my hand. I became a virtuoso of deceit.” GLENN CLOSE - Marquise de Merteuil
Amadeus: “Sire, only opera can do this. In a play if more than one person speaks at the same time, it's just noise, no one can understand a word. But with opera, with music... with music you can have twenty individuals all talking at the same time, and it's not noise, it's a perfect harmony!” TOM HULCE - Mozart
Gorillas in The Mist: “If I see or hear or smell you anywhere near my gorillas, you'll be writing with your other hand and I'll have a new ashtray.” SIGUORNEY WEAVER - Dian Fossey
Pretty Woman: "Fifty bucks, Grandpa. For seventy-five, the wife can watch." LAURA SAN GIACOMO - Kit
August Osage County: "Thank God we can't tell the future, we'd never get out of bed". JULIA ROBERTS - Barbara Weston
In and Out: "Was there, oh, ANY OTHER TIME YOU MIGHT HAVE TOLD ME THIS? I'm wearing a wedding dress, which you picked out! I highlighted my hair because you said I needed shimmer, I loved you and I believed you and pretended not to notice the Streisand thing. I thought you were just creative, I thought you were just smarter than me and more sensitive and more interesting. I thought you were the most wonderful man who ever lived. I... I thought you could just change my life and... and show me the whole world, and teach me about art and life and magic. I thought you could make me feel like a beautiful woman... instead of the girl nobody wanted." JOAN CUSACK - Emily
To Wong Foo, Thanks for everything! Julie Newmar: "I didn’t ask to come on this trip, did I? No, I don't think so! Did I ask for you to be making me over, jump through all kinds of hoops like some kind of circus poodle? No, I don't think so! And do I want to go to jail because of some cop killer? No, I don't think so! So as soon as we get to the next town, I'm jumping on the first man and I'm riding him all the way to New York City and away from you two puckered up stuck up PUTAS because this trip sucks! It sucks!" JOHN LEGUIZAMO - Chi Chi Rodriguez
BIG SCREEN
Think of the last time you went out to see a movie at the theater. Didn't you feel the excitement in the air as you walked through the doors?. There's nothing quiet like venturing out to see a movie on a big screen, with speakers that deliver uncompromising sound, making the whole building tremble_ whether from Meryl Streep delivering her lines with such conviction or from an action sequence that fills every corner of the theater.
I've written a piece of music for piano and cello in the key of C Major, a signature that instantly captures peoples attention, as some composer might reason that C Major represents the child in all of us. The same sense of wonder is what pulls us back to the movie theater. Just as C Major strips away complexity to reveal direct emotion, the theater cuts through our everyday filters and lets us react instinctively—to laugh freely, to feel tension in our chest, to forget we're watching actors on a screen.
DON'T HOLD BACK
This composition is an invitation to live fully in the present moment, gently demanding our full attention and hopefully makes us feel something we might not have felt otherwise. This piece is an invitation to live a little, laugh out loud, be a kid again.
When I play this piece I will embrace wonder and emotion and connection now, before the inevitable fade. It's a celebration, yes, but one tinged with the bittersweet knowledge that makes every laugh more genuine, every shared experience more meaningful. Do not hold back, the childlike wonder we chase isn't about innocence or feeling foolish—it's about the courage to feel deeply, to be present, to say yes to the present before the screen goes dark for good.