Sep 19, 2012
Film Reflection 17th September 2012
Today in film, we began making final preparations before beginning to shoot. Not final final preparations of course, just final preparations. We spent some time observing scenes from Double Indemnity, Heat (1995) and Internal Affairs (2002) and speculating on what film noir traits they used. This helped cement many of the techniques we had learned of last class, as well as giving us an idea of how they could be employed. I feel prepared to begin shooting, though several planning lessons remain ahead of us.
Sep 17, 2012
Review:Dogma
Before I begin this review, can you promise not to tell my mother. I have been sworn to secrecy by my father concerning Jay and Silent Bob, due to her disapproval of the pair in general. We good? Ok.
Dogma's an interesting movie. It comes of as distinctly childish, despite its subject matter, and carries a somewhat hopeful tone with it, even in the face of the destruction of humanity and representatives of Mooby (basically Disney) being slaughtered by a vengeful Matt Damon. It also conveys an attitude to Catholicism and religion in general that will probably offend many (ironically true to some of the metaphors it gives).
The film opens with an abortionist (legal), who is a Christian despite her profession, and goes slightly into how she lost her faith (couldn't get pregnant, husband left her). Soon after this she is educated by Metatron (played by none other than Alan Rickman/Snape) of two banished angels attempting to reenter heaven. Though seemingly innocent, by doing so they will reverse a decree of god and thus end existence. Joined by two stoners (Jay and Silent Bob), she sets out to stop this from happening.
I won't spoil the ending. Its a good movie, if awkward at parts. And despite being predominantly a comedy and a work of fiction, parts of it seem to make sense within Christian doctrine. But again no spoilers. I give it a 7-8/10.
Dogma's an interesting movie. It comes of as distinctly childish, despite its subject matter, and carries a somewhat hopeful tone with it, even in the face of the destruction of humanity and representatives of Mooby (basically Disney) being slaughtered by a vengeful Matt Damon. It also conveys an attitude to Catholicism and religion in general that will probably offend many (ironically true to some of the metaphors it gives).
The film opens with an abortionist (legal), who is a Christian despite her profession, and goes slightly into how she lost her faith (couldn't get pregnant, husband left her). Soon after this she is educated by Metatron (played by none other than Alan Rickman/Snape) of two banished angels attempting to reenter heaven. Though seemingly innocent, by doing so they will reverse a decree of god and thus end existence. Joined by two stoners (Jay and Silent Bob), she sets out to stop this from happening.
I won't spoil the ending. Its a good movie, if awkward at parts. And despite being predominantly a comedy and a work of fiction, parts of it seem to make sense within Christian doctrine. But again no spoilers. I give it a 7-8/10.
Sep 16, 2012
Film Reflection 13th September 2012
Today in film we spent some time going over some scenes from Double Indemnity we had attempted to redo. Though mine ended up looking little like the original scene, it gave me concepts of what kind of angles and dynamics would be necessary in our film. We also spent time going over the core concepts of the genre, such as the characteristics of a protagonist, antagonist, love interest, and various other plot points. I have discussed with my potential group, and we have come up with various ideas to go with the concept: Murder in the Glasgow Police Force. I feel I now have a greater understanding of the genre, and can now utilise those skills to my group's advantage.
Sep 12, 2012
Review:They Live
Saw a reference to They Live (in Futurama I believe), and curious as to what kind of storyline could involve grotesque skull-faced aliens and a lens of some variety. And the experience was...well interesting I guess.
First off, I just want to point out that the film wasn't designed totally as a horror/sci-fi, though there are elements of these involved much of the movie has comedic elements, such as the main character repeatedly and untactfully insulting the aliens appearances, despite having no back-up plan.
The movie opens with a homeless drifter walking around, looking for a job. He is able to secure a temporary job at a construction site, and later travels to a nearby shantytown with his co-worker Frank. Due to a turn of events, the shantytown is attacked with bulldozers and destroyed for unknown reasons.
The drifter enters a nearby empty church, where he discovers a box full of mysterious sunglasses. Thinking them to be normal, he puts a pair on and leaves the building, only to discover that these glasses allow him to see subliminal messages on every form of media, encouraging shallow and meaningless behavior. He also discovers the existence of the aforementioned skull-faced aliens, disguised as human beings. After proceeding to kill two alien police officers and take their weapons, he proceeds to attack a bank full of the aliens (at the same time coining the popular phrase:"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum).
Through a convoluted turn of events he is able to recruit Frank (his former co-worker), and together they join up with a resistance cell. However, no sooner have they done this than the organization is attacked by the police, resulting in many casualties. However, the drifter and Frank are able to steal an alien teleportation wristwatch, teleporting to a banquet saluting the aliens and their knowing supporters.
After proceeding to make their way through the banquet, again massacring security, they end up on the roof. Frank is promptly killed by a double agent, who had developed a relationship with the drifter. Though she attempts to convince the drifter to give up, he uses a hidden pistol to kill her and destroy the beacon broadcasting the signal hiding the subliminal messages, allowing everyone to see the world for what it truly is.
The film concludes with a montage of shocked people discovering aliens in their midst, including a horrified woman who discovers her current lover is in fact an alien.
Though not groundbreaking in anyway, the film greatly embodies the paranoia at the lack of information concerning the many issues affecting the world during the time it is set (the 80s I think), as well as putting a somewhat dark comedic tone to already dark subject matter. In short: it's no Star Wars, but pretty good. Go see it anyway.
First off, I just want to point out that the film wasn't designed totally as a horror/sci-fi, though there are elements of these involved much of the movie has comedic elements, such as the main character repeatedly and untactfully insulting the aliens appearances, despite having no back-up plan.
The movie opens with a homeless drifter walking around, looking for a job. He is able to secure a temporary job at a construction site, and later travels to a nearby shantytown with his co-worker Frank. Due to a turn of events, the shantytown is attacked with bulldozers and destroyed for unknown reasons.
The drifter enters a nearby empty church, where he discovers a box full of mysterious sunglasses. Thinking them to be normal, he puts a pair on and leaves the building, only to discover that these glasses allow him to see subliminal messages on every form of media, encouraging shallow and meaningless behavior. He also discovers the existence of the aforementioned skull-faced aliens, disguised as human beings. After proceeding to kill two alien police officers and take their weapons, he proceeds to attack a bank full of the aliens (at the same time coining the popular phrase:"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum).
Through a convoluted turn of events he is able to recruit Frank (his former co-worker), and together they join up with a resistance cell. However, no sooner have they done this than the organization is attacked by the police, resulting in many casualties. However, the drifter and Frank are able to steal an alien teleportation wristwatch, teleporting to a banquet saluting the aliens and their knowing supporters.
After proceeding to make their way through the banquet, again massacring security, they end up on the roof. Frank is promptly killed by a double agent, who had developed a relationship with the drifter. Though she attempts to convince the drifter to give up, he uses a hidden pistol to kill her and destroy the beacon broadcasting the signal hiding the subliminal messages, allowing everyone to see the world for what it truly is.
The film concludes with a montage of shocked people discovering aliens in their midst, including a horrified woman who discovers her current lover is in fact an alien.
Though not groundbreaking in anyway, the film greatly embodies the paranoia at the lack of information concerning the many issues affecting the world during the time it is set (the 80s I think), as well as putting a somewhat dark comedic tone to already dark subject matter. In short: it's no Star Wars, but pretty good. Go see it anyway.
Film Reflection 7th September 2012
Today in film, we spent the entire lesson examining specific editing techniques that could be employed to various ends. Because I have just published another post illustrating each technique and examples, I will not go into detail concerning the techniques. However, it is needless to say that many of these will be useful not only in our upcoming film noir assignment, as well as whatever films we may need to make in the future. I do feel that this lesson was not entirely well spent however, as this took a disproportionate amount of time to complete, as much of it could have been better completed as homework.
Notes on Continuity Editing
Notes on Continuity Editing
Cuts
A quick transition between two scenes, advanced examples of which are shown below.
Cheat Cut: A cut that actually rearranges the set to make parts of the set seem disproportionate. Often used cuts impossible given the constructed set (i.e. cutting to film from behind a where a wall supposedly was)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7H83f9uxYc&feature=player_embedded
Crosscutting/Parallel Editing: Cutting between two or more separate lines of action usually occurring at the same time. Gives a sense that the two occurrences are connected in some way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wbjylCEJLw
Cut In/Cut Away: Cuts that zoom in nor zoom out into a portion of the same space instantaneously.
Dissolve: A transition where the first shot gradually disappears and the second shot gradually appears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJq1auJq_gc&feature=relmfu 1:26-1:28
Iris: A transition effect that can begin/end a scene, or be used to cancel out the rest of a shot and focus on one detail. Gradually blacks out the rest of the scene except for one circle of focus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYIq-J5l9I 0:08-0:11
Jump Cut: A cut where either the characters change against a constant background instantaneously or the background changes instantaneously against characters still in the same position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tDRBb0apDg&list=UUSAUGyc_xA8uYzaIVG6MESQ&index=2&feature=plcp 1:25-1:26
Establishing Shot/Reestablishing shot: Quick cuts between shots to either establish the set of a scene or to reestablish and emphasize details not shown prior in the scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I16_8l0yS-g
Shot-Reverse Shot: A type of cutting that quickly cuts between two characters at more or less the same distance, often when they are having a conversation or doing some act together (i.e. playing ping pong).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKdcYnlkhx8
Superimposition: Exposure of more than one shot at the same time, causing them both to appear simultaneously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-1uU_QSIWw
Wipe: Transition that causes one scene to be quickly "wiped" (fade along a line), with the other scene appearing at the same time over that line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usXca7W_jvM
Matches
Techniques that join two shots by making a connection between them in some way.
Eye-line Match: Quick cuts between a shot of a person looking in some direction, and the object they are looking at, gradually zooming in on both the object of focus and the person's eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VPMEKCITvs
Graphic Match: Take advantage of the similarity between two objects by making quick cuts to show a connection between them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rHeGqaDBk
Match on Action: A quick cut between two views of the same scene, making it appear uninterrupted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHh12_JHjTg
Duration
The decision to or not to edit has become important with not editing becoming an impossibility.
Long Take: Taking an abnormally long time to cut. Since these are difficult to set up to be exactly the same set for an extended period of time, they are often shot from the same angle for the whole scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8
Overlapping Editing:Cuts that repeat the action, expanding on it each time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8 0:48-0:55
Rhythm: Hard to encompass entirely, altering aspects of the music, lighting and various other aspects of the film can dramatically alter the mood.
Cuts
A quick transition between two scenes, advanced examples of which are shown below.
Cheat Cut: A cut that actually rearranges the set to make parts of the set seem disproportionate. Often used cuts impossible given the constructed set (i.e. cutting to film from behind a where a wall supposedly was)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7H83f9uxYc&feature=player_embedded
Crosscutting/Parallel Editing: Cutting between two or more separate lines of action usually occurring at the same time. Gives a sense that the two occurrences are connected in some way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wbjylCEJLw
Cut In/Cut Away: Cuts that zoom in nor zoom out into a portion of the same space instantaneously.
Dissolve: A transition where the first shot gradually disappears and the second shot gradually appears.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJq1auJq_gc&feature=relmfu 1:26-1:28
Iris: A transition effect that can begin/end a scene, or be used to cancel out the rest of a shot and focus on one detail. Gradually blacks out the rest of the scene except for one circle of focus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYIq-J5l9I 0:08-0:11
Jump Cut: A cut where either the characters change against a constant background instantaneously or the background changes instantaneously against characters still in the same position.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tDRBb0apDg&list=UUSAUGyc_xA8uYzaIVG6MESQ&index=2&feature=plcp 1:25-1:26
Establishing Shot/Reestablishing shot: Quick cuts between shots to either establish the set of a scene or to reestablish and emphasize details not shown prior in the scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I16_8l0yS-g
Shot-Reverse Shot: A type of cutting that quickly cuts between two characters at more or less the same distance, often when they are having a conversation or doing some act together (i.e. playing ping pong).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKdcYnlkhx8
Superimposition: Exposure of more than one shot at the same time, causing them both to appear simultaneously.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-1uU_QSIWw
Wipe: Transition that causes one scene to be quickly "wiped" (fade along a line), with the other scene appearing at the same time over that line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usXca7W_jvM
Matches
Techniques that join two shots by making a connection between them in some way.
Eye-line Match: Quick cuts between a shot of a person looking in some direction, and the object they are looking at, gradually zooming in on both the object of focus and the person's eyes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VPMEKCITvs
Graphic Match: Take advantage of the similarity between two objects by making quick cuts to show a connection between them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4rHeGqaDBk
Match on Action: A quick cut between two views of the same scene, making it appear uninterrupted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHh12_JHjTg
Duration
The decision to or not to edit has become important with not editing becoming an impossibility.
Long Take: Taking an abnormally long time to cut. Since these are difficult to set up to be exactly the same set for an extended period of time, they are often shot from the same angle for the whole scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8
Overlapping Editing:Cuts that repeat the action, expanding on it each time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXdK8 0:48-0:55
Rhythm: Hard to encompass entirely, altering aspects of the music, lighting and various other aspects of the film can dramatically alter the mood.
Sep 11, 2012
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