The Eye in the Head of a Poet: Jim Morrison in New Hollywood

So, here it is my very first tl. Here is a simple introduction that points out the POD. A bit of foreshadowing. Please give me some critique.

The Eye in the Head of a Poet

"A film is never really good unless the camera is the eye in the head of a poet." - Orson Welles

UCLA campus late 1964
Captain Morrison had a reason to be pissed. He was paying for his son to go to a film school in L.A., a film school can you believe that. The Captain knew it was so his son's ass didn’t get drafted to Nam’. The Captain had been involved in the titular Gulf of Tonkin incident not too long ago. He was on leave in the area and had heard that his son didn’t feel interested any more in his pursuit in film. The Captain thought this was ridiculous and he was about to give his son, James, the scolding of his life. He walked briskly with his head up high across the campus. Bursting into Jim’s dorm room he found it bristled with music and movie posters. Drug paraphernalia decorated the floors, tables, bookshelves, and desks. And there he was his son the hippie film-maker, passed out half-dressed, and most likely hung-over clinging to his pillow. Jim's room-mate heard him and had got the idea; he threw on his clothes and was out the door. Jim wasn’t so lucky; the Captain poked him at first that wasn’t enough though. So, he grabbed the bottom of the mattress and flipped Jim through the air into the wall. Jim was awake now, his head was aching and with his eyes barely open he saw his father. Well he saw the fury that his father was displaying.

“What the fuck do you mean you are thinking of dropping out?” The Captain spit and pointed.
Before Jim could even finish, “Well”.
“I don’t care I knew it was a stupid idea sending you here,” The Captain interrupted. “You don’t stick to anything why would this be different,” he yelled some more, “fine quit this too. You do and I promise it’s the military for you. Don’t doubt me I can pull strings.”
With this the Captain made his exit, with his point made very clear.
Behind him Jim stepped out of his dorm, “you just wait I will be the greatest fucking film-maker, you just wait, you old fuckr’. Fuck you!”
The Captain now smiled widely he knew how to control his son.

Jim Morrison’s life would change drastically. He would focus all his talent and determination into becoming a successful film-maker. Jim would eventually be a founding member of the New Hollywood movement.
After this incident Jim would study harder and harder to hone his craft. He watched film after film and being an already avid book reader, he read a multitude of books on film. Already a writer of song lyrics, poetry, and short stories he found it quite easy to transition to writing screenplays. He spent his remaining tenure at UCLA experimenting with the film techniques and effects he read about. He would also meet a number of people who would become a part of a studio collective he would found a year after graduating. They would go on to contribute to the New Hollywood movement by the end of the decade and so forth....
 
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Kick-ass!

A really sweet POD that interests me, but at the same time I feel sad for this ATL that has to live without one of the greatest bands.

Consider me very subscribed.
 
Thank you and thank you. Made a couple of grammar revisions. The next update will be a detailed idea of what Jim studied, his influences, short films, his partners, and the start of the collective. Don't be so pesimistic Uff lol, music particularly rock music will be a heavy part of the Morrison film experience. Morrison and Manzarek will produce spectacular film scores.
 
There will most likely be another update today. Just doing some revisions. And I also thought of the Oliver Stone thing. Also a meeting with a young Val Kilmer.
 
Well, first off, I like the title. And it's based off a quote by Orson Welles! Even better. Morrison will probably fancy himself the next Welles, and if he's lucky he'll get a lot further than Peter Bogdanovich did.

Your POD (late 1964) is the earliest of any in the recent wave of pop culture timelines. Your interpretation of the Swinging Sixties should be interesting. A lot of people say that you had to live through it to understand it; obviously, not having lived through it myself, I disagree. (A lot of other people say that if you can remember it, you're lying; I disagree with them, too.)

Are you planning on keeping this timeline focused tightly on Morrison's film career? You mention the crop of "New Hollywood" directors with whom he will form a tight cohort, and some of the names are obvious: Coppola, Lucas, Scorsese... that should be a lot of fun. Who knows what ideas he might have about George's little space epic?

Not too much else to say about the initial post. You might want to work a little more on your syntax and punctuation; make the posts flow better, give them a nicer presentation. But I'm looking forward to seeing where you're planning on taking this next.
 
Well, first off, I like the title. And it's based off a quote by Orson Welles! Even better. Morrison will probably fancy himself the next Welles, and if he's lucky he'll get a lot further than Peter Bogdanovich did.

Your POD (late 1964) is the earliest of any in the recent wave of pop culture timelines. Your interpretation of the Swinging Sixties should be interesting. A lot of people say that you had to live through it to understand it; obviously, not having lived through it myself, I disagree. (A lot of other people say that if you can remember it, you're lying; I disagree with them, too.)

Are you planning on keeping this timeline focused tightly on Morrison's film career? You mention the crop of "New Hollywood" directors with whom he will form a tight cohort, and some of the names are obvious: Coppola, Lucas, Scorsese... that should be a lot of fun. Who knows what ideas he might have about George's little space epic?

Not too much else to say about the initial post. You might want to work a little more on your syntax and punctuation; make the posts flow better, give them a nicer presentation. But I'm looking forward to seeing where you're planning on taking this next.

Yeah I thought that quote was very fitting. Basically that's where all of this came from that quote. The first portion of this TL will focus on the end of the decade and the beginnings of the New Hollywood movement. The TL will specifically center on Morrison and his invovlement though the others will be mentioned. Morrison will be the obvious more left-wing counter culture element to New Hollywood. And thank you for the writing critiques I greatly appreciate that. I will whole heartedly consider them and hopefully make use of it.
 
Before graduating from UCLA in 1965 Jim Morrison voraciously devoured all things film. He watched the classics over and over. Jim processed Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane like the Bible. John Ford’s use of wide-screen and his narrative work. He admired Alfred Hitchcock’s style of suspense and mis en scene among other things. He greatly studied the works of Akira Kurosawa particularly his cutting effects. Fritz Lang’s great works also provided influence. He would eventually incorporate all of their styles and techniques into his own. He studied the works of the Italian realism and the French New Wave movements. Which ideas he would greatly expand and practice in his own films. Also he began experimenting with surrealism. He would explore the methods of practical effects to create dazzling spectacle. Also editing and filming techniques to affect the feel of his films. He would even study the use of animated effects all to enhance surrealism. He made several short films while at UCLA that showed this experimentation. They were mostly surrealistic shorts with no plot. These shorts were meant to mimic a LSD trip.

While attending UCLA Jim would meet several people that would found a studio collective. The two most important collaborators were cinematographers Ray Manzarek and Dennis Jakobs. They are great influences into the style of Morrison’s films. While Morrison usually wrote and directed the actors on their films Manzarek and Jakobs would co-direct cinematography. Morrison would be greatly involved in the ideas for the look of the film though. Manzarek though would take on a bigger role in producing the soundtrack for the films again with Morrison greatly involved. The soundtracks consisted of a fusion of blues, rock music, and a bit of electro. Morrison, Manzarek, and Jakobs would all act in their films. Any other actors were usually friends of the three or some unknown hippie. All of their plots involved some aspect of the counter-culture movement. So there was no great acting needed. After graduating from UCLA the three would form a studio collective. Then become successful off a series of these ‘hippie-films’.

This is just a simple outline of Morrison's early influences and style. The next update will continue this and focus on their collectives first films.
 
Well I'm glad to see someone was interested in seeing this come back. So, when you get back Red I'll have something for you. Your kick was not in vain.
 
If anyone is willing I'd really like to make this a collaborative discussion. I've set up the premise here, what do you think... what kind of films do you think they make, who else joins or works with the collective, what literary adaptations do they produce, how much and who do they influence later, etc.
 
what kind of films do you think they make

In keeping with his father being a soldier and that yesterday was Armistice/Remembrance Sunday, as well as the contemporary anti-war sentiment, how about something on the subject of war..?

Heroism, sacrifice, the futility and the righteousness...
 
In keeping with his father being a soldier and that yesterday was Armistice/Remembrance Sunday, as well as the contemporary anti-war sentiment, how about something on the subject of war..?

Heroism, sacrifice, the futility and the righteousness...
I like this maybe an earlier adaptation of Born on the Fourth of July. 1980 or 84?
 
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