On August 23rd our Bonn Film 2014 group, still strangers to one another, heaved ourselves into a bus rubbing sleep our eyes at 7:45 am, and returned late afternoon on August 25th no longer strangers. Through the course of the weekend we were brought together through a series of interesting activities. We sagged against the bus seats and dozed off as we started our 45 minute voyage to the Eifel. Our first stop was a monastery which was a beautiful church surrounded by remote stretches of grass dotted with various farm animals. Some of us sought entertainment in the monastery in dubbing voices for the rooster and his fifty hen mistresses that were in a pen near our bus, while the majority of the group attended a Catholic service at the monastery lead by the monks who reside there. It was very formal and the entire service was carried out in Latin. Most of us were extremely fascinated by the level of devotion to their faith these men had. We learned that they are rarely allowed to leave the monastery once they agree to be a monk for life, and that during meal times they are not allowed to speak to one another. Judging by the animated conversation going on at all our meals on this trip, I don’t think any of us would make successful monks. Our class loaded back up into our bus, and some of us were engaged in deep conversations about the idea of religion and where we were personally in our levels of faith.
At our next location we shuffled out of the bus and looked up in awe at the rustic castle looming over us. The castle looked so magical I half expected a dragon to come soaring over our heads. Rainer, who served as our own personal tour guide, led the group up to the castle while we all eagerly snapped “artsy” pictures. Rainer proceeded to take us through the castle and gave as an extremely interesting and informative tour. I am not sure if our group was more horrified to learn about the deadly battles that occurred in the castle hundreds of years before, or the fact that people used to have to sleep sitting up right because their hair styles were too complex to lay flat on. We all came to the conclusion that we are thankful not to have been born in the 1500s because of several reasons, including the brutal torture techniques that were used as forms of punishment, the fact that people used to climb through the toilet hole to attack the castle, but mostly because none of us would have wanted to date any of the creepy people gazing back at us from the portraits on the walls.
We loaded back into the bus and continued on our journey. We enjoyed a delicious lunch, and most of us ordered authentic German Schnitzel. After lunch we arrived in Monreal, a quaint little town with a population close to fifty people. The town is a cluster of little houses that appear frozen in medieval times. Glistening rivers flow under little canals and vibrant flower boxes hang in front of every window sill. It’s a quiet little town with only one hotel, and the entire distance can be walked in a matter of minutes. Rolling hills loom over Monreal and the majestic ruins of some castles sit on top of the hills. Rumors told me the Germans are active people and they weren’t lying. Our group endured three vigorous hikes over the course of our next two days at the Eiffel, and one began right when we arrived. Our youth proved little assistance to our hiking abilities, in contrast to Rainer who whizzed straight up to the top of the mountain. On the way up there was lots of stopping to “take pictures”, which really meant stopping to “catch our breath before passing out while keeping up the facade that we are actually, in fact, in good in shape.” However, when we reached the top our trek proved to be completely worth it. The view of the town was incredible and we must have brought some California sunshine with us because the weather was perfect. Some of us were not satisfied with just being on top of the hill, and we climbed up a winding stair case in one of the castle towers so we could be as high up as possible; proving we do have the mentality it takes to be film makers in Hollywood.
Later that night we hiked up another mountain. During our night hike we carried lighted torches. It proved for a very entertaining experience accompanied by lots of off key singing and myself nearly lighting my friend Kiana’s hair on fire. The hike following that one was not as carefree. It was a sunrise hike at six am the next morning, and despite the fact that we had to be up before the sun, the hike was extremely worth it. Rainer led us through a mystical forest and past fields of corn and little farm houses. We saw lots of sheep lounging in little pens, and sampled lots of sweet raspberries growing on the bushes. When we returned and had our morning eggs and coffee they tasted extra tasty after our morning workout.
We spent our days at a quaint little wine house that also doubled as a hotel for the duration of the weekend. The girls slept there, while the boys had houses to themselves. We ate most our meals at this wine house and all of the meals were delectable. We enjoyed a variety of delicious German foods including roasted pig with a delicious sauce, fresh eggs, fresh ham, some of the best bread I have ever tasted, Crčme Brulé with berries, homemade soup and more. All of our directing classes were also held in this place, and by the end of the weekend it felt like home.
We had several classes and exercises which included pitching the top eight narrative script choices and selecting the four the class wanted to make into movies. We also learned a lot about how to tell a story and convey emotions through visual images. One exercise we had to do was all about conveying an emotion just through pictures. In groups of two we had to draw a slip of paper from a pile of others and on these pieces of paper were written two separate emotions most of which were opposites of each other. Some examples of these emotions included bored to excited, naive to mature, and indifferent to excited. We then had to go out into the town with our partner and photograph images that captured these emotions and then juxtapose them next to one another to create a story. After lunch we presented the images on a projector in front of the class. People came up with all kinds of creative and clever ways to tell their stories utilizing nature, animals, buildings and inanimate objects. Our conversations over everyone’s projects became very philosophical and carried out for quite some time.
This project was also a great experience because it seemed to bring together partners who initially had not known each other very well and overall proved to be a great activity for our group.
After classes, and mandatory activities each night included sharing meals with our professors and having heart to hearts with one another about politics, our personal lives, our futures and what constitutes a good Tinder profile picture.
Overall the Eiffel was a success: the views were spectacular, the castles were pretty, the food was appetizing, we learned a lot, experienced a lot and most of all formed bonds with one another and our teachers.
By Kendall Milton
