Six groups. Six themes. One goal: to make a movie. Each person in our class was separated into one of the six groups and assigned a theme (horror, action, comedy, romance, experimental, and drama). My group was assigned experimental… when I first heard this I was confused… I had no clue what that meant. Basically I think it is anything outside of the box that challenges the viewer’s perception of what a movie “should be.” Each person in the groups is assigned a specific job—director, editor, camera operator, and sound editor. I’m the editor, which I’m pretty excited about. I feel that I can manipulate the footage we capture to make a very compelling film. Mariam is the director, so I’ll be working closely with her. Matt is the cameraman and Jo Beth is the sound editor. We all seem to be clicking very well since our first meeting during the last class, and I’m excited about the ideas we have come up with already.
Before we knew that our genre was experimental we brainstormed several unique ideas for our short film. Our first intent was to keep our story light, meaning that we did not want anything too complicated or draining. Also the film is only nine minutes long so we wanted to leave the audience with a positive impression, and that would be difficult to do with a serious subject with the allotted amount of time. I think a general consensus was that we wanted to focus our film from the perspective of a main character, probably a girl, who was having a unique day. We aren’t sure if the world will be ending or if she’ll be going on an intriguing date, but we want the audience to see life from her eyes. The audience will be welcomed into all of her actions and possibly even her thoughts. This could be slightly disturbing, because no one really knows what is going on inside another person’s head—that’s the “experimental” aspect of it. I think these ambitions will take a serious amount of planning and strategy as to how we want to portray her point of view. One thought we had was to make the camera be in front of the character, so that we never actually see her… we just see what she sees. It may even be unsteady at times. I’m really excited to make this movie! Next step, plan plan plan.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Siiinnngggiinnn' in the Raaaiiiinnnnn!
Another movie week, another Hollywood masterpiece! Singin’ in the Rain was released in 1952 and is described by its tagline as a “Singin’ Swingin’ Glorious Feelin’ Technicolor Musical”… and they weren’t kidding. For such an upbeat and cheery musical, there are a lot of serious issues and manipulation in the plot of this movie—from the transition of silent to talking motion pictures to the cut-throat politics of movie production.
The revealing of the first “talkie” motion picture was interesting. When it was first introduced to the various movie stars and other high society film makers they all blew it off as a hoax. I know that innovation is often ignored or simply cast aside as a waste of time and energy, but I don’t understand how they didn’t see the appeal! I know it’s because silent films were all they had known, but it was probably their own fears of the future and having to adjust to this new revolution—people don’t like change! (Especially when the past has made you rich and famous)
When I hear the phrase “they don’t make ‘em like they used to,” I generally roll my eyes. But in the case of Singin’ in the Rain it is entirely true. What I loved so much about it was its musical interludes and upbeat tone even through adversity. This movie had a truly magical feel about it. What impressed me most was the amazing talent of the actors. They all possessed what is known as the “triple threat” in the entertainment business, or the ability to sing, dance, and act. Gene Kelley was badass. Not only was he ridiculously attractive, he could tap dance, sing and act brilliantly, and he was the co-director! I think that when the main star of a movie is also the director he is able to convey his vision much more effectively; however, I think sometimes it would be difficult to step back and observe flaws that could be seen from different perspectives.
I loved the fact that the movie was in Technicolor. Everything was so vivid and dreamlike. The entire movie felt like a fantasy. Even in a downpour of rain the audience is taken on a fanciful journey of song and dance! One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to MGM Studios in Walt Disney World and standing underneath an umbrella that was attached to a light pole with gallons of water pouring over the top—my mom still has the picture. I’m very glad we watched this movie.
The revealing of the first “talkie” motion picture was interesting. When it was first introduced to the various movie stars and other high society film makers they all blew it off as a hoax. I know that innovation is often ignored or simply cast aside as a waste of time and energy, but I don’t understand how they didn’t see the appeal! I know it’s because silent films were all they had known, but it was probably their own fears of the future and having to adjust to this new revolution—people don’t like change! (Especially when the past has made you rich and famous)
When I hear the phrase “they don’t make ‘em like they used to,” I generally roll my eyes. But in the case of Singin’ in the Rain it is entirely true. What I loved so much about it was its musical interludes and upbeat tone even through adversity. This movie had a truly magical feel about it. What impressed me most was the amazing talent of the actors. They all possessed what is known as the “triple threat” in the entertainment business, or the ability to sing, dance, and act. Gene Kelley was badass. Not only was he ridiculously attractive, he could tap dance, sing and act brilliantly, and he was the co-director! I think that when the main star of a movie is also the director he is able to convey his vision much more effectively; however, I think sometimes it would be difficult to step back and observe flaws that could be seen from different perspectives.
I loved the fact that the movie was in Technicolor. Everything was so vivid and dreamlike. The entire movie felt like a fantasy. Even in a downpour of rain the audience is taken on a fanciful journey of song and dance! One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to MGM Studios in Walt Disney World and standing underneath an umbrella that was attached to a light pole with gallons of water pouring over the top—my mom still has the picture. I’m very glad we watched this movie.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Light—God’s Eldest Daughter
I’m not exactly sure which direction our film will take in the coming weeks, but it’s safe to say we have some great ideas and examples. I think perhaps the most interesting technique we learned about last week was the use of lighting in film. I had a very limited knowledge of just how much lighting affects the story; the obvious examples of darkness and lighting shining up in horror movies was about as broad of a scope as I had. It’s interesting that lighting does not merely have aesthetic purposes, but it can in fact convey many emotions. It can turn regular scenery into multilayered characters with feeling and purpose. A tree is just a tree until the light hits it in the perfect way. It can transform into a frightening image from our childhood nightmares, or instead pleasantly welcome us to climb its crooked branches.
The pure aesthetics of lighting in films is not something to be overlooked. When looking at a scene in a movie the audience does not merely see a picture of what normal life would look like. They are instead seeing a multi-dimensional painted canvas beyond what real life can provide. While making our film I will do my best to ensure that we incorporate all forms of lighting, from main light, to the fill light, and finally the background light. I imagine we’ll have to get rather “ghetto” and use flashlights, but that’s okay. We will most likely have to plan out what we intend to highlight in particular shots beforehand, that way we don’t get an ineffective and unbalanced distribution of light.
I think something as simple as light can be taken for granted. It’s interesting that we have been around and dealt with light our entire lives, but we often don’t take the time to appreciate its dimensions and benefits. In a thunderstorm light is usually one of the first things to go… and people don’t know what to do with themselves. Use inappropriate lighting in a movie and see how the audience reacts. I guarantee they won’t be happy. I hate to write about American Beauty again, but it’s a wonderful example of the effectiveness of lighting. The brilliant cinematographer, Conrad Hall, used lighting carefully and generously throughout the movie to emphasize the most beautiful and symbolic things our eyes might not have seen otherwise. That’s genius. I’ll do my best to emulate Hall’s techniques and make Donna proud!
The pure aesthetics of lighting in films is not something to be overlooked. When looking at a scene in a movie the audience does not merely see a picture of what normal life would look like. They are instead seeing a multi-dimensional painted canvas beyond what real life can provide. While making our film I will do my best to ensure that we incorporate all forms of lighting, from main light, to the fill light, and finally the background light. I imagine we’ll have to get rather “ghetto” and use flashlights, but that’s okay. We will most likely have to plan out what we intend to highlight in particular shots beforehand, that way we don’t get an ineffective and unbalanced distribution of light.
I think something as simple as light can be taken for granted. It’s interesting that we have been around and dealt with light our entire lives, but we often don’t take the time to appreciate its dimensions and benefits. In a thunderstorm light is usually one of the first things to go… and people don’t know what to do with themselves. Use inappropriate lighting in a movie and see how the audience reacts. I guarantee they won’t be happy. I hate to write about American Beauty again, but it’s a wonderful example of the effectiveness of lighting. The brilliant cinematographer, Conrad Hall, used lighting carefully and generously throughout the movie to emphasize the most beautiful and symbolic things our eyes might not have seen otherwise. That’s genius. I’ll do my best to emulate Hall’s techniques and make Donna proud!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day Three: Drama!
I’m relatively ashamed to admit that I had never seen Sunset Boulevard before class last week. It’s one of Hollywood’s greatest treasures. It racked up numerous Academy Awards (even though it was in competition with one of my favorites, All About Eve) and proved to be telling of what life in the film-making business was like “back in the day.”
Gloria Swanson is fierce. Just plain fierce. She stars as an aging silent film actress in the early 1950’s who can’t seem to come to terms with reality. Her character seems completely over-the-top and outrageous, but she fits an eerie archetype that makes her relatable to a particular audience one might not immediately think of — the gay community. Gloria’s character, Norma Desmond, can be described with two seemingly contradictory terms synonymous with the gay community: glamorous and tragic. All of life is a stage everywhere Norma goes, and she demands the attention of any room she enters. The sad truth is that she is living a life formulated by her own absurd fantasies. Her glamour suggests that she is a big deal, and in all fairness… she was. Her internal struggles occasionally get the better of her, such as when she slits her wrists. Her most obvious gay qualities are her mannerisms. She tilts her head upwards almost all of the time, partly to hide her wrinkles and also to seem “above” everyone else. Her extravagance nearly qualifies her to drag queen status!
I think the reason that gays gravitate toward characters like Norma Desmond is because they are relatable, not necessarily in a realistic sense (obviously not everyone is an ex-film star). It is in the nature of a majority of gay men to be flamboyant and fabulous, just like Norma. It’s funny. The entire movie I could hear my fellow classmates muttering under their breaths that Norma was crazy and even disturbing, but all the while I idolized her. Unfortunately many lives of people in the gay community are cursed with tragedy, usually involving rejection from friends, family, and society which can lead to anger, isolation, and in the worst cases suicide.
Sunset Boulevard left me with chills. It leaves the audience with a tremendous insight into Hollywood’s bizarre design and operation. Most interestingly though… it left me wanting more. Maybe that’s the magic of Hollywood.
Gloria Swanson is fierce. Just plain fierce. She stars as an aging silent film actress in the early 1950’s who can’t seem to come to terms with reality. Her character seems completely over-the-top and outrageous, but she fits an eerie archetype that makes her relatable to a particular audience one might not immediately think of — the gay community. Gloria’s character, Norma Desmond, can be described with two seemingly contradictory terms synonymous with the gay community: glamorous and tragic. All of life is a stage everywhere Norma goes, and she demands the attention of any room she enters. The sad truth is that she is living a life formulated by her own absurd fantasies. Her glamour suggests that she is a big deal, and in all fairness… she was. Her internal struggles occasionally get the better of her, such as when she slits her wrists. Her most obvious gay qualities are her mannerisms. She tilts her head upwards almost all of the time, partly to hide her wrinkles and also to seem “above” everyone else. Her extravagance nearly qualifies her to drag queen status!
I think the reason that gays gravitate toward characters like Norma Desmond is because they are relatable, not necessarily in a realistic sense (obviously not everyone is an ex-film star). It is in the nature of a majority of gay men to be flamboyant and fabulous, just like Norma. It’s funny. The entire movie I could hear my fellow classmates muttering under their breaths that Norma was crazy and even disturbing, but all the while I idolized her. Unfortunately many lives of people in the gay community are cursed with tragedy, usually involving rejection from friends, family, and society which can lead to anger, isolation, and in the worst cases suicide.
Sunset Boulevard left me with chills. It leaves the audience with a tremendous insight into Hollywood’s bizarre design and operation. Most interestingly though… it left me wanting more. Maybe that’s the magic of Hollywood.
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