These books which have influenced and inspired me while writing "Earlids." They're also just fantastic reads overall. So once you finish your current novel, whether it's a trashy beach book (there's nothing wrong with that) or a War and Peace-sized masterpiece, pick up one of these next. Let's call it your homework before the film comes out.
Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks
Dr. Sacks is not only a brilliant psychologist, but he's also an amazing writer. Seriously, his prose can be beautiful. In this book, he relates cases that, you guessed it, are all connected to music. After reading it several years ago, one section in particular stuck with me: musical hallucinations. Most often they arise in relation to hearing loss, which means less auditory stimulation. With fewer external stimuli reaching the brain, its auditory cortex can activate itself. This is "heard" as realistic sound, though it is purely a creation of the mind.
In "Earlids," Lee (the main character) experiences auditory hallucinations, similar to what Sacks describes. Even though earlids are creations of my imagination, the problems they cause are very real, and even based in science (what do you know!).
This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel Levitin
This book trends to the more science-y, but it is still written to be incredibly approachable, no matter how long ago you took a biology class. It is fascinating to learn how all-encompassing music is in relation to the brain: playing music is one of the best brain workouts you can get. Levitin discusses how music is related to all aspects of neurology and psychology, from evolutionary benefits to how we remember songs. A fantastic read that will make you better appreciate this always pervasive sound source!
In other film news, we have made the official decision that we will be filming on the RED camera. Get pumped for some beautiful footage in the final film!
As I was composing a blog post in my mind about Earlids as images for the internal censor of thought words, the problem of how to pick and choose among the many voices competing for space in the spoken stream, and how people learn to do that to themselves, I figured I'd better find a source for the original Oliver Sacks quote where I first heard the word, and your film project came up as the fifth citation. I will link to your blogspot in my post! Good luck with the film. I was planning to read Sacks' book, and did not know of Levitin's. Thanks for the alert.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree about earlids being a physical metaphor for closing oneself off, and the challenges that creates. That's one facet I hope the film is able to explore. Both Sacks's and Levitin's books are fantastic--very interesting reads. Enjoy!
Delete