In Thursday’s class (2/18/10) we went over the screen writing program. There are many different things that go with the program that make it work really well.
In our class, we are broken up into groups of four and five and we have to make a film. The film will be shown at the end of the semester in a film festival. Each group has a specific genre on which they need to do their film accordingly. The genres are horror, drama, comedy, romance, action, and experimental. Within each group, there are roles that we have to play. Someone has to be the director; someone has to be the editor, and sound effects person. My group is doing a horror film. There are other things that we have to have in are film such as a Mime/clown, must have the line “Why is this happening to me today of all days?” and "It would be better for us not to talk about that." And we must have a guitar, a cheese grater, and skull. I don’t think it would too difficult to have any of these items in our horror film.
In my group, I am responsible for the sound effects. When we watched the movie/documentary on sound in films, I saw that there were a lot of elements to it. I can’t just think of a sound and make it happen; I have to get resources that are or close to the sound that I am looking for. Without the sound in the movie, it would be hard to determine the mood and give it an actual effect.
Since I have been in the class, I look at movies in a different way. I view movies with more appreciation also. When I see a movie, I look for the setting of the lighting that sets the tone and how it goes with the movie. I also listen for the sound of music if there is any, and when it plays in the movie and why. But I also look for the shot. I try to figure out what’s the reason a dolly shot is being use or a wide shot. I think about the essence behind the picture.
Ending question: Has there been any movies that contain more than three genres?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
SINGING IN THE RAIN
In Thursday’s class (2/11/10) we watched the wonderful movie SINGING IN THE RAIN. I have never seen that movie before and it was so good. I learned the singing in the rain song in elementary elementary school but never seen the movie.
The movie’s images and color gave of a darkish yellow tone at times then during certain times in the movie, it gave off a bright color tone. During the movie scene when there was Broadway, the colors were very extravagant, loud, bright, and radiant. The color makes the scene showy and exciting like you just have to be at that place at that particular time. It was like a fantasy and where everyone wants to be. The theme of the movie was the introducing of “talkies”. The movie focused on film and that before in film, all of the movies were silent films. In silent movies, actors and actresses work more on expression and their looks. It’s very true that sound can set the tone of an audience of how the movie is perceived. For instance, when the two actors were in the movie when it was silent, everyone loved the movie because the music and the words on the screen gave the audience a particular feeling. However, when they converted the movie to a “talky”, the audience laughed at Lena because of her voice. Her voice was really high pitched and she didn’t have a lick of sense. The tone of her voice didn’t go with the one of the movie. It was hard for the transitions of silent films to “talkies”.
The fantasy aspect of the movie was within the movie scene. It had to be the right setting, the right music, the right color, just the right everything just to say how you really felt. Everyone wanted to live in this fantasy world because it was so perfect. It illustrated the tone can set anything. The characters in the movie were very funny, and lively. The movie overall was exciting. At the beginning of the movie, there was a red carpet, the paparazzi and the fans watching as the actors and actresses came to the movie premiere. Even though time has passed from then to now, the same thing happens today with our stars and how they are treated. They have their red carpets, paparazzi, and their screaming fans to cheer them on.
Ending questions: If Lena did the first “talky” film setting the example, would the audience have reacted the same way?
The movie’s images and color gave of a darkish yellow tone at times then during certain times in the movie, it gave off a bright color tone. During the movie scene when there was Broadway, the colors were very extravagant, loud, bright, and radiant. The color makes the scene showy and exciting like you just have to be at that place at that particular time. It was like a fantasy and where everyone wants to be. The theme of the movie was the introducing of “talkies”. The movie focused on film and that before in film, all of the movies were silent films. In silent movies, actors and actresses work more on expression and their looks. It’s very true that sound can set the tone of an audience of how the movie is perceived. For instance, when the two actors were in the movie when it was silent, everyone loved the movie because the music and the words on the screen gave the audience a particular feeling. However, when they converted the movie to a “talky”, the audience laughed at Lena because of her voice. Her voice was really high pitched and she didn’t have a lick of sense. The tone of her voice didn’t go with the one of the movie. It was hard for the transitions of silent films to “talkies”.
The fantasy aspect of the movie was within the movie scene. It had to be the right setting, the right music, the right color, just the right everything just to say how you really felt. Everyone wanted to live in this fantasy world because it was so perfect. It illustrated the tone can set anything. The characters in the movie were very funny, and lively. The movie overall was exciting. At the beginning of the movie, there was a red carpet, the paparazzi and the fans watching as the actors and actresses came to the movie premiere. Even though time has passed from then to now, the same thing happens today with our stars and how they are treated. They have their red carpets, paparazzi, and their screaming fans to cheer them on.
Ending questions: If Lena did the first “talky” film setting the example, would the audience have reacted the same way?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
class 2/4/10
In Thursday’s class (2/4/10) Eric shoes us this cool video on youtube of graphics. it shows the different tricks and what it takes to do the graphics.
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choice when recording photographic images for the cinema. Lighting is very important because like sound, it helps set the mood and the tone of the film. There are three main lights typically used in film which is key light, fill light, and back light. The key light is the main light used; it is the brightest light, which brings attention to a particular actor, or object in a scene. After the key light is the fill light the fill light’s job is to fill in spots with lighting that are in darkness. It’s not as bright as the key light. The final lighting is the back light; it sets apart the background from the forefront. After we went through the different lighting, we saw many zoom features using eDietz’s camera, it was really fun. The Camera’s features included zoom in, focus and unfocused shots, and lighting. We went over depth of field, which focuses in on one spot and blurs out either the background, or forefront depending on where the focus point is. Focal length is the zoom and the distance between the aperture and the lens.
We watched a clip from Citizen’s Kane which also included a new step in filming during that time which was deep focus. As there where characters in the front, in the middle of the scene, and in the background, everyone and everything was in focused. How could they do something like that? Well let me tell you, they usually used projection and did overlays with the film, and other times, depending on the placement of the characters, one camera was used and was focused on all areas.
The documentary we watched on visions of light was very interesting. A statement that one of the directors of editors said was let the movie tell its story without sound, then add the dialogue as if it was music. I found that very interesting because what really makes up the story? I think that having a film that tells its own story without sound will make a good movie for a specific genre like romance. But with a suspense or horror film, not using the analogy will help keep the audience guessing. Also in the documentary, they were focusing on lighting and different lighting portrays different meanings.
Ending question: During the documentary, a director said, the lighting is dark around his eyes which make the character scary and creepy. My question is do they every make things up about the lighting and say it was done on purpose when really the had no idea or they just messed up?
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choice when recording photographic images for the cinema. Lighting is very important because like sound, it helps set the mood and the tone of the film. There are three main lights typically used in film which is key light, fill light, and back light. The key light is the main light used; it is the brightest light, which brings attention to a particular actor, or object in a scene. After the key light is the fill light the fill light’s job is to fill in spots with lighting that are in darkness. It’s not as bright as the key light. The final lighting is the back light; it sets apart the background from the forefront. After we went through the different lighting, we saw many zoom features using eDietz’s camera, it was really fun. The Camera’s features included zoom in, focus and unfocused shots, and lighting. We went over depth of field, which focuses in on one spot and blurs out either the background, or forefront depending on where the focus point is. Focal length is the zoom and the distance between the aperture and the lens.
We watched a clip from Citizen’s Kane which also included a new step in filming during that time which was deep focus. As there where characters in the front, in the middle of the scene, and in the background, everyone and everything was in focused. How could they do something like that? Well let me tell you, they usually used projection and did overlays with the film, and other times, depending on the placement of the characters, one camera was used and was focused on all areas.
The documentary we watched on visions of light was very interesting. A statement that one of the directors of editors said was let the movie tell its story without sound, then add the dialogue as if it was music. I found that very interesting because what really makes up the story? I think that having a film that tells its own story without sound will make a good movie for a specific genre like romance. But with a suspense or horror film, not using the analogy will help keep the audience guessing. Also in the documentary, they were focusing on lighting and different lighting portrays different meanings.
Ending question: During the documentary, a director said, the lighting is dark around his eyes which make the character scary and creepy. My question is do they every make things up about the lighting and say it was done on purpose when really the had no idea or they just messed up?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Oh Norma!!!
In Thursday’s class (1/28/2010) we watched this crazy dramatic movie called Sunset Boulevard. There were many elements to this movie that I wasn’t even aware of. The genre of the film is suspense and filmoir. Filmoir movies tend to not have a happy ending. Also there is a lot of sleazy sex going on and violence.
The movie was in black and white so it gave it a more intense feeling and focused on the theme of the movie rather than the color. The transitions in the movie are faded while music is playing in the background. The movie has a wide shots but many close up shots as well. The main character Norma Desmond is also framed many times throughout the movie. The irony of the movie is awesome. Norma lives in this huge mansion it’s ugly, old, and weathered on the outside, but full of life on the inside. It describes the life of Norma, how she’s old but still feels young. There is also a lot of foreshadowing, similes, metaphors, and double-entendres. The movie has a narrator that tells the story. When the narrator is speaking, there is music playing in the background that makes it a continuing story. The music also sets the tone of the narration.
I usually don’t watch movies in black and white because it seems so boring, but this movie was totally opposite. Norma made the movie very interesting. Her lifestyle was one of the rich and famous at first, but that’s when movies “didn’t need dialogue, just faces”. Still rich and has all of the money in the world, she still has nothing. Her life is empty and she needs a companion. She fines that companionship in Joe. Joe brings her life. He helps her with her script which at the end is not successful. Her life is a script, a dramatic show that she lives, and Joe helps her with her life, which at the end is not successful as well, but she does get her time to shine. When ever Norma spoke, she spoke as if she was in front of an audience; she always gave a great performance. Joe was a character whose life was sort of like Norma’s. He was in a financial struggle but had the social life, which Norma lacked the social life but not the financial part. So they fit together like a puzzle, they were each other’s pieces. But like any other puzzle, there are more than just two pieces, which then comes in Betty. She is connected to Joe because he has the “eye” for a good story but needs Joe to help her write it.
This movie focuses on how film has changed throughout time but has still remained the same in that women have to be perfect.
Ending question: If everyone acted everyday of their life like Norma, would the world be more interesting or annoying?
P.S. When someone is dramatic I’m going to say Oh Norma!!!
The movie was in black and white so it gave it a more intense feeling and focused on the theme of the movie rather than the color. The transitions in the movie are faded while music is playing in the background. The movie has a wide shots but many close up shots as well. The main character Norma Desmond is also framed many times throughout the movie. The irony of the movie is awesome. Norma lives in this huge mansion it’s ugly, old, and weathered on the outside, but full of life on the inside. It describes the life of Norma, how she’s old but still feels young. There is also a lot of foreshadowing, similes, metaphors, and double-entendres. The movie has a narrator that tells the story. When the narrator is speaking, there is music playing in the background that makes it a continuing story. The music also sets the tone of the narration.
I usually don’t watch movies in black and white because it seems so boring, but this movie was totally opposite. Norma made the movie very interesting. Her lifestyle was one of the rich and famous at first, but that’s when movies “didn’t need dialogue, just faces”. Still rich and has all of the money in the world, she still has nothing. Her life is empty and she needs a companion. She fines that companionship in Joe. Joe brings her life. He helps her with her script which at the end is not successful. Her life is a script, a dramatic show that she lives, and Joe helps her with her life, which at the end is not successful as well, but she does get her time to shine. When ever Norma spoke, she spoke as if she was in front of an audience; she always gave a great performance. Joe was a character whose life was sort of like Norma’s. He was in a financial struggle but had the social life, which Norma lacked the social life but not the financial part. So they fit together like a puzzle, they were each other’s pieces. But like any other puzzle, there are more than just two pieces, which then comes in Betty. She is connected to Joe because he has the “eye” for a good story but needs Joe to help her write it.
This movie focuses on how film has changed throughout time but has still remained the same in that women have to be perfect.
Ending question: If everyone acted everyday of their life like Norma, would the world be more interesting or annoying?
P.S. When someone is dramatic I’m going to say Oh Norma!!!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
1/22/09 (class)
In Thursday class (1/22/2010) Griffith was the opening topic. He made the first featured film. Within his film he managed to use wide shot, close up, medium long shot, and medium shot. It might not seem like a big deal, but compared to last week’s blog, it’s another huge step in film making. The different angles used during this film, helped make the medium long shot effective. Also introduced was cross play, which screened one event while another event was going on as well.
In the Griffith movie I didn’t expect explosives to be part of the movie yet, but you could tell how far along special effects have come. In the movie “Citizen Kane” dolly shots, the establishing shot, and fade in transitions were common. It was an amazing new step in filming when the dolly shot happened and transitioned into another scene. Also there was another type of transition which occurred in a spinning motion which gave off a time machine sense that did fast forward time. How cool!
I knew that making movies was a long process but don’t you feel bad for the movies that suck and are not worth it at the end? : (
Anyway GREEN, BLUE, GREEN, BLUE, how can actors spend all of there time in a green and blue room all day, I would get a headache. But, I guess they love what they do. When watching “behind the scenes” of “Star Wars”, it took them forever to get one scene right, but there were good tips to help them out. For instance, having two cameras shooting one scene makes it a whole lot easier to choose a shot and having variations within a shorter amount of time. It’s a lot of work and there are so many people who work on different parts.
What amazed me the most was the sound use in “Lord of the Rings”. Coming up with the ideas of the sound is hard but creative as well. The sound people go through so much for one section of sound in a movie. I give them their props STANDING OVATION! Sound is really powered because it gives off a different vibe or atmosphere than what is actually seen. I think it would be really fun being a sound person. You get to travel and see animals, and try different things. There were so many sounds that were put together to make one sound. I enjoy movies with good sound effects and little did I know the hard work put behind that sound!!!
Ending Question: When they get sound from zoos or people’s animals, do they pay them, or tell them thanks your sound will be in the movie?
In the Griffith movie I didn’t expect explosives to be part of the movie yet, but you could tell how far along special effects have come. In the movie “Citizen Kane” dolly shots, the establishing shot, and fade in transitions were common. It was an amazing new step in filming when the dolly shot happened and transitioned into another scene. Also there was another type of transition which occurred in a spinning motion which gave off a time machine sense that did fast forward time. How cool!
I knew that making movies was a long process but don’t you feel bad for the movies that suck and are not worth it at the end? : (
Anyway GREEN, BLUE, GREEN, BLUE, how can actors spend all of there time in a green and blue room all day, I would get a headache. But, I guess they love what they do. When watching “behind the scenes” of “Star Wars”, it took them forever to get one scene right, but there were good tips to help them out. For instance, having two cameras shooting one scene makes it a whole lot easier to choose a shot and having variations within a shorter amount of time. It’s a lot of work and there are so many people who work on different parts.
What amazed me the most was the sound use in “Lord of the Rings”. Coming up with the ideas of the sound is hard but creative as well. The sound people go through so much for one section of sound in a movie. I give them their props STANDING OVATION! Sound is really powered because it gives off a different vibe or atmosphere than what is actually seen. I think it would be really fun being a sound person. You get to travel and see animals, and try different things. There were so many sounds that were put together to make one sound. I enjoy movies with good sound effects and little did I know the hard work put behind that sound!!!
Ending Question: When they get sound from zoos or people’s animals, do they pay them, or tell them thanks your sound will be in the movie?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES!!!!
I love watching movies, especially good ones, but who doesn’t? In class, I enjoyed hearing everyone introduce themselves, I saw some people I never met, but I really enjoyed hearing people’s favorite movies. There was a wider variety in preference which is always nice to hear.
To be honest, I didn’t know how much of and impact filming was until the first day of class. I knew that film inspired many people in different ways, but failed to realize the steps in filming. For instance, when film introduces the stop and go feature which was a new step that many people during that time knew nothing about. And if I didn’t learn about that, the magician guy would have fooled me. Also the step in double taking by showing the outside and inside view of a scene was a big step in film making. It didn’t occur to me since by the time I was born, basically everything you can do in a movie has already been done, however, I have tried to visualize myself as someone who has never seen a film before and I have came to be very excited just to see the wonders of a good film. One of the many things Donna mentioned was how film has taken people to a place they have never seen before, and to experience that for the first time would be as if taking a trip and seeing one of the wonders of the world. Now when I watch a movie, I will appreciate it much more.
When Donna told us to pair up and to go film anything, I thought we were going to be able to share it with the class; I wanted to share my short film. I had many ideas in my head that I was sure our film would be the best, but oh well. However, we had to answer questions that I thought at first were pointless (sorry Donna) but now I see that they are not. There is a huge thought process put into film making that people just don’t realize. If I were to put a movie together right now, I wouldn’t know where to start. But, this class will help me with that problem.
Ending question: If you have a funny joke or idea that would go great into a movie scene or television show, do you start there and come up with the rest of the ideas for the film, or do you save it for something that’s already in progress?
I love watching movies, especially good ones, but who doesn’t? In class, I enjoyed hearing everyone introduce themselves, I saw some people I never met, but I really enjoyed hearing people’s favorite movies. There was a wider variety in preference which is always nice to hear.
To be honest, I didn’t know how much of and impact filming was until the first day of class. I knew that film inspired many people in different ways, but failed to realize the steps in filming. For instance, when film introduces the stop and go feature which was a new step that many people during that time knew nothing about. And if I didn’t learn about that, the magician guy would have fooled me. Also the step in double taking by showing the outside and inside view of a scene was a big step in film making. It didn’t occur to me since by the time I was born, basically everything you can do in a movie has already been done, however, I have tried to visualize myself as someone who has never seen a film before and I have came to be very excited just to see the wonders of a good film. One of the many things Donna mentioned was how film has taken people to a place they have never seen before, and to experience that for the first time would be as if taking a trip and seeing one of the wonders of the world. Now when I watch a movie, I will appreciate it much more.
When Donna told us to pair up and to go film anything, I thought we were going to be able to share it with the class; I wanted to share my short film. I had many ideas in my head that I was sure our film would be the best, but oh well. However, we had to answer questions that I thought at first were pointless (sorry Donna) but now I see that they are not. There is a huge thought process put into film making that people just don’t realize. If I were to put a movie together right now, I wouldn’t know where to start. But, this class will help me with that problem.
Ending question: If you have a funny joke or idea that would go great into a movie scene or television show, do you start there and come up with the rest of the ideas for the film, or do you save it for something that’s already in progress?
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