French Filmmakers on Notebooks

“I like to have my notebooks with all the crossings out.”

This quote was from an article about the French writer-actors Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. I’ve seen a couple of their films, and recommend them: The Taste of Others and Look at Me. Here’s how they work:

Though Jaoui directs their films, the process is still collaborative. “I deal with technical stuff, but I don’t make artistic decisions unless Jean-Pierre is in agreement.” As for the writing, they still do it longhand, side by side on a sofa, going through their scripts line by line. “We’re not really computer people,” says Jaoui. “I like to have my notebooks with all the crossings out.”

I have to agree– I’ve used and continue to use electronic organizers in addition to notebooks, and each have their benefits, but there is something to be said about seeing all those old crossed-out things: tasks accomplished, former homes, events in the past– they all form a sort of history of our lives, and when you record things on paper, you can go back and remember everywhere you’ve been, everything you’ve done. On an electronic screen, it’s just not the same.

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