Rufus turned a year old this month. He can stand on his own now and is piecing together the motions of walking unsupported. He can be wild at times, especially right before bed, but can also play quietly by himself. He’s adventurous – and cautious too. In other words, he’s becoming a full little human, contradictions and all.
This past week we went Up North (that’s Michigander for the northern tip of the lower peninsula) to spend time with Julia’s family. I’d intended to use the time to read, reflect, and plan out the rest of the summer but I didn’t set good boundaries going in around phone use (or physical diet) so I ended up consuming too much snack media (and fried foods).
It’s taken me a year to even start to recalibrate my expectations around my own free time as a parent. Specifically the amount of time I need to dedicate to maintenance and admin, to cleaning up toys, answering emails, unclogging drains, sending invoices, sweeping and dusting. Also keeping in shape and stretching more.
Feels like a cliche to say I wish I’d started sooner but: I wish I’d started sooner.
The one book I managed to finish while up north was Paul M. Sammon’s comprehensive, multi-editioned history on the making of Blade Runner, Future Noir. It’s the first time I’ve come across Ridley Scott’s concept of layering, of “building up a dense, kaleidoscopic accretion of detail within every frame and set of a film”. The book cites examples like made-up magazines on the newsstands, or fine print on domed parking meters that read, “WARNING—DANGER! You Can Be Killed By Internal Electrical System If This Meter Is Tampered With”.
To me, the combination of density of detail and also what those details evoke – and is not already explained by the film’s premise. Not just elaboration but expansion. Expansion through compression. It’s possible in a serial medium like the written word, but there’s a different magnitude of expansive density than in a more-parallel medium like film.
There’s quite a bit of layering in the first episodes of Man in the High Castle (another adapted Philip K. Dick story with Ridley Scott’s involvement). And one movie I’ve seen this year that layers decently is Gareth Edwards’ The Creator, maybe because it’s – increasingly rare for our current century – original IP.
Jack