The Use of Metaphors

Hello readers!

Just got back yesterday from hiking up to Half Dome in Yosemite and what an experience! But more on that later.

Updates:

I recently signed up for a class offered at the San Francisco Film Society on how to apply for grants as an independent filmmaker. I'll be taking this course with my producer, Virginia, in November and hopefully this'll help me raise funds for production. However, from what I understand the application process for grants, even when you win them, takes a long time. Therefore, if I do get awarded grant money it most likely will go toward postproduction. Again, the money I'm trying to raise and or save now is going strictly to the production costs of the shoot. Many people forget that it requires a lot of time and money to edit, sound design, and do visual effects and or graphics to finish a movie properly. So I advise other budding filmmakers to take a course like this as grant money can be the difference between a shot movie and a finished movie.

As for an update on my promise to sacrifice certain things until the production is over, that's going well for the most part. I'm getting in really good shape, I haven't lost much weight but I know for sure that I'm getting my cardio stamina where it needs to be. Also, the battle with my addiction to soda is slow and steady. I seem to have leveled off to one soda a week. Nonetheless I hoping to go further and be able to say in a few weeks that I made it a whole month with out

it!

The camera which my DP, Jon, and I agree we're going to use for the feature may soon be within grasp. I'm currently researching what it would take to lease the camera and or buy it outright by splitting the cost three ways between Virginia, Jon, and myself. All three of us have a need for a quality HD video camera but don't want the heavy burden of buying it alone. So pooling our resources together would allow us each to use the camera when we need it while saving a us money and potentially earning us money.

Half Dome as my Metaphor

As you all probably know metaphors are often used in literature, speeches, theaters and movies to connect to seemingly different things and or topics to show a resemblance to one another. Well this weekend Half Dome was a metaphor for me and the journey I'm on to make my feature a reality. Here's the story.....

At the beginning of September my brother, Mike, asked me if I'd be willing to hike up to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite for his 35th birthday on the 27th of the month. He warned me that it was a grueling 17 mile hike and the last 500' were on a cable system which if not climbed right could mean certain death. Being the acrophobic person I am I kinda laughed and said he was crazy, but I didn't say no.

He gave me time to think it over and as I did I realized it'd be a great way to motivate me to get into shape as I promised I would for the sake of the movie project. Therefore, I accepted my brother's challenge/invitation and began training for the hike by doing three weekends in a row of 5-10 mile hikes. When I finished doing my 1st hike up Mt. Diablo I thought I was stupid to think I could do Half Dome. I was sore as hell! But after the 2nd Mt. Diablo hike I regained my confidence as I did it faster and wasn't as sore when done.

So Saturday the 26th we drove to Yosemite. It was me, my bro, and his good friend Cyrus. We camped that night in the valley and woke the next morning and began our day long adventure at 6:30am.

The first two miles of the hike were miserable! I don't know if it was the nerves, or the lack of sleep, or the banana I ate, all three but when we started I was fighting back the need to puke. Plus the first two miles were the most physically demanding of the hike. You climb tall stair after tall stair and it just annihilates your energy. Not 30 mins. in and I was thinking of quitting. There was no way I could do this all day. But something in my head just told me "DON'T GIVE UP!"

It sounds cheesy I know, but that saying and the fact I didn't want to ruin my brother's birthday wish compelled me to take the next step. So finally after about an hour and a half into the trek I started feeling better. I was the slowest one in our group, as we hired a guide to take us there and back, but damn it I was doing it!

We got to "Sub-Dome" around 1:30ish and there before me were the cables to the summit. The problem was, there was a traffic jam on them and we only had a limited time to reach the top or we'd be hiking back in the dark. So we didn't waste time and got in line and began the scariest part of the adventure. Did I mention I'm scared of heights?!? Again, the only thing that got me on those cables was not wanting to let down my bro or myself and the hard work I put into getting that far. So one by one we climbed.

About halfway up my back started to spaz, my feet were burning from the pressure, and the line was still moving much too slow. Mike, who was right behind me, started complaining that his arms were getting tired too. All these things you don't want when you're about 5 yards in each direction to certain death!

So my bro and I had to ask ourselves if we should just turn back or risk climbing to the top? Either decision did not look good for either of us at that point but we had to do something. Cyrus, like the madman that he is, said "Fuck this!" and went out the cable system and climbed it up along side it risking his life to beat the lines and make the summit. Which I'm happy to say he did.

My bro and I, on the other hand, decided we couldn't be that bold and turned around. We safely returned to the entrance to the cable system and sat wallowing in our defeat. I honestly held back tears thinking I'd ruined my brother's birthday wish and dream to make the top. We sat there a while, and suddenly Mike and I realized something. The line was a lot thinner. My bro picked up his bag and said "I'm going for it!" and I told him to "Do it!" I really wanted to follow him, but I something told me to stay back, which I did.

So like a rage induced Rambo, Mike tore it up those cables and got to the point we stopped at in about one minute, when it took us about 20! Next thing I know he's almost at the top, and then I couldn't see him anymore so I knew he had to have made it! I was relieved.

The guide recommended I get a head start going back down so I left, disappointed I didn't summit but proud nonetheless I made it that far.

The hike back was even longer that the hike there and after all the energy it took just to get to Sub-Dome, it knew it was going to be just as tough getting home. But we made good time, after my brother caught up to me I got a bit of a rush hearing about what he saw up top. I lived vicariously through his success.

We made it back to the car around 7pm, 12½ hours after we started. We did 18 miles total at an elevation change of about 5,000 feet for a total height of about 8,836 feet. This was by far the most physically demanding thing I've ever done in my life and the best part about it is that I was fully expecting to be immobile and energy-less the next morning. But to my surprise I felt better than I had in years. Two days later and I still feel great!

So what the hell does this have to do with the feature? Again, this trek was my metaphor for what I am and will go through to finish my movie. As of right now I'm doing the "training" similar to the pre-hikes I did before going to Yosemite. But the production will be much like getting to Half Dome. Full of hard, sometimes self doubting, work but I now know I have the mental focus to plow through whatever problem comes my way. I may not have gotten to the top, but I know now what I need to do to ensure I do it the next time. Which is precisely how I see this first feature film.

The film may not be a blockbuster success, but I know it'll be a major accomplishment nonetheless. Just like making it 99% of the way to Half Dome is nothing to laugh at either!

So there you go folks. Go out there and find your Half Dome! Then once you do use that to inspire you to follow your dream, whatever that is. You will never regret the hard work you put into hiking the path to your life's ambition.

FORWARD!!!!

-Gustavo