Self-Assessment:
I would award myself a 20 because i feel that i did an excellent job in evaluating and analyzing my extract in a social cultural context. Also i did quite well in analyzing the financial institutions effect on the film's production. The inclusion of Walt Disney's nature to produce children's film and its phase in producing musicals such as The Beauty and the Beast was insightful and shows careful research. The history of the genre relating to the film also was very insightful. The history of course included the themes of the spirit of Christmas and themes of love. I also discussed the sound design and analyzed its role in the film. The connection between the actors and the non-diagetic sounds was a good point and it was relative to both the extract and the film as a whole. On a narrative level i did well at analyzing how the extract created conflict and why it's so important to the film as a whole. The tone that i spoke in sounded convincing and confident which added to the credibility of my points. However, the reason that i do not deserve the highest marking is because i failed to focus more on the extract. I tended to stray away and talk about the film as a whole and that is not what the presentation is about. Still, when i did focus solely on the extract is was insightful and coherent which is why i gave myself a 20.
Critique for Plenny's Presentation on I Am Legend
Plenny exceeded the extract time limit of 5 minutes and instead picked an extract of 6 minutes. The socio-cultural context is present, but it isn't relevant to the film or the extract itself so more research is needed for that part. The inclusion of the director's thoughts and reasons for creating this film is great because it supports her theme that Will Smith's character feels isolated, and that was the director's intention. The Butterfly Effect was an interesting idea, very original but i think that some expansion on it could be made. The presentation is a bit repetitive because she talks about isolation various times throughout the presentation, but it should be talked about once and during that one time all of the ideas should be presented. The lighting was adequately talked about. Still, there was some more time left in the presentation which i believe could have been utilized to explain why she chose that specific extract and why it is so important to her. I would award her a 15 because the analysis was adequate and the director's intention was clearly explained. However, she received this mark because she didn't go in depth of film techniques create meaning.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Oral Presentation - Narritive
Part 2
IV. Narrative
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a film that discusses the theme of emptiness in one's self and one's longing to fill that empty void with things never experienced before, while still maintaining their original character. Burton's characters Jack and Sally exemplify people who long to fill their empty void, and they fill this void through the love that they develop for each other.
V. Film Language and Representation
1. How are characters and issues represented?
The characters are represented through their dialogue and through the actions that they perform. Jack, the main character, is especially characterized by his own musical monologue and by the musical score itself. In the extract chosen he sings that "there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year does nothing for these empty tears." Jack feels that those around him don't understand him because they don't see anything to Jack other than that he's the king of Halloween. However, there is much more to Jack and Jack knows this. That's why there's something in him that "calls out for something unknown." The "unknown" is the central problem that Jack has to face in order to become happy once more. In the film Jack first believes that the "unknown" is Christmas which is why he goes out and explores Christmas land. However, it turns out that what's missing in his bones is love. Sally is the one that grows to love him as seen by the extract. She follows him to make sure he's safe, and at the end of Jack's monologue detailing his longing for something new Sally says that she "knows how [he] feels." From this critical scene the story follows Jack's journey to fill his emptiness, while Sally follows Jack to get him to realize her love for him.
2. What is the style and effect of acting and performance?
The style of the movie is a claymation animation meaning that the actors are dolls, and because they are dolls the movie had to be filmed with stop motion technology. Because of this every single frame had to be individual manipulated to create fluidity. In order to add realism to the dolls the art crew created about 400 individual "Jack" heads. Every Jack head had a different facial expression which varyied on whatever word Jack was iterating, or depending on his emotion in any given shot. Of course every other character had a bountiful number of heads as well for the same purpose as Jack's heads. The purpose for this is to make it seem like the dolls are really saying what the audience is hearing. This of course adds realism to the film, and to the performance of the "actors" because they are able to change facial expressions fluidly. Also, the art designers gave each doll a special body with movable and fixed joints. So whenever a character had to walk or raise an arm or tilt their head the film crew was able to move the doll accordingly. This also adds realism to the film. Lastly, the dolls were voiced by phenomenal voice actors who were able to bring the characters to life with purposeful and articulate language. Jack, for example, was voiced by Chris Sarandon whose voice brought the characterization of life out. He was able to sound gloom when needed, or excited when needed. However, the most noteworthy voice in "Nightmare" was the voice of Danny Elfman. Danny Elfman was both the score writer and the lyricist. Because of this he was able to sing every note to the music as it was intended to be sang by its creator, since he was the creator. His voice in the scene showed how glum Jack was and how misunderstood he felt. It greatly brought forth the emotion within the character. Whether Jack was praising himself as being the menacing Pumpkin King or if Jack was in dismay due to his realization that there's something missing in his life, if you will, Elfman was able to bring forth these emotions through the sound.
forms?
6. How is meaning created by lighting, shade and color?
The use of dark colors simply reinforces Jack's location which is a cemetery. Also it adds to the dark feel that the holiday of Halloween gives, and of course Jack is in Halloween Land. There are several cast shadows on the grave stones which adds darkness to the scene, but they also edge out the grave stones themselves and make them clearer. For example, there are several grave stones in the shape of the Christian "cross." Perhaps this is to show a connection between Halloween and Christmas. Halloween usually is depicted as being a dark holiday because it celebrates the spirits of the dead, as represented by the grave stones. However, the grave stones are in the shape of a Holy Cross which may be Burton's way of showing that Halloween isn't a pagan holiday as some Christians view it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#Christianity). Rather, Christians should view Halloween as a holiday of mystery meant to fascinate kids with spooky yet visually enticing images. Like the trademark pumpkin of Halloween. They are interesting because kids can carve them and place lanterns in them, but in the film they are spooky as well as shown by the pumpkin patch whose pumpkins are releasing the spirits of souls. These souls are the typical white color because "people have always used white to dress up as ghosts(http://www.knowswhy.com/why-are-ghosts-white/)." So the white color keeps in line with the Halloween tradition.
7. How is meaning created by sound and music?
As previously stated, Danny Elfman wrote the score for the film. He spent 3 years working alongside Selick and Burton when ever he was present. These 3 years allowed Elfman to score music that pleased the director and producer. The score pleased them because it added meaning to the scene. When Jack is trying to escape the townspeople, he enters an ally which has musicians playing a sorrowful tune. From here a new more hopeful tone starts to play when the audience sees Sally. The score shows that Sally may be Jack's salvation. In this sense the score foreshadows the end of the film which allows the audience to become more alert of Sally and her characterization. After Sally Jack is all alone. The music becomes louder and more exciting and somewhat scary. This adds to Jack's characterization because he is currently quite mysterious and scary. The music also adds a sense of malevolence to Jack's characterization. This of course is supported by Jack's singing in which he proclaims scarily that "He is the Pumpkin King!" But then the music shifts to a more dismayed tone when Jack starts to explain that "somewhere deep inside of these bones an emptiness began to grow." This makes Jack uneasy because he doesn't know what this mysterious thing is. The music then picks up and goes to a more malevolent tone again as Jack praises himself as being a well known person because he's so scary. Yet again, almost instantly Jack starts singing in a melancholic tone and the score shifts accordingly. Jack explains again that "there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year does nothing for these empty tears." The music follows every note that Jack says. If Jack elongates a word then the score follows, this creates a very intense relationship between the score and the actor's voice. In a way, it feels like Jack himself must have written his own score because the score very accurately and precisely depicts Jack's every emotion. The fact that the score kept changing from spooky and exciting to melancholy almost instantaneously shows how confused Jack is in this scene. He has no clue of what's missing in his life, but he knows that something does exist that he must experience in order for him to be happy again. As Jack leaves the cemetary, his music slowly fades out. Then the music changes when Sally is revealed and it becomes hopeful once again. This again reminds the audience that she will have an important part in Jack's journey for him to become happy again.
IV. Narrative
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a film that discusses the theme of emptiness in one's self and one's longing to fill that empty void with things never experienced before, while still maintaining their original character. Burton's characters Jack and Sally exemplify people who long to fill their empty void, and they fill this void through the love that they develop for each other.
V. Film Language and Representation
1. How are characters and issues represented?
The characters are represented through their dialogue and through the actions that they perform. Jack, the main character, is especially characterized by his own musical monologue and by the musical score itself. In the extract chosen he sings that "there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year does nothing for these empty tears." Jack feels that those around him don't understand him because they don't see anything to Jack other than that he's the king of Halloween. However, there is much more to Jack and Jack knows this. That's why there's something in him that "calls out for something unknown." The "unknown" is the central problem that Jack has to face in order to become happy once more. In the film Jack first believes that the "unknown" is Christmas which is why he goes out and explores Christmas land. However, it turns out that what's missing in his bones is love. Sally is the one that grows to love him as seen by the extract. She follows him to make sure he's safe, and at the end of Jack's monologue detailing his longing for something new Sally says that she "knows how [he] feels." From this critical scene the story follows Jack's journey to fill his emptiness, while Sally follows Jack to get him to realize her love for him.
2. What is the style and effect of acting and performance?
The style of the movie is a claymation animation meaning that the actors are dolls, and because they are dolls the movie had to be filmed with stop motion technology. Because of this every single frame had to be individual manipulated to create fluidity. In order to add realism to the dolls the art crew created about 400 individual "Jack" heads. Every Jack head had a different facial expression which varyied on whatever word Jack was iterating, or depending on his emotion in any given shot. Of course every other character had a bountiful number of heads as well for the same purpose as Jack's heads. The purpose for this is to make it seem like the dolls are really saying what the audience is hearing. This of course adds realism to the film, and to the performance of the "actors" because they are able to change facial expressions fluidly. Also, the art designers gave each doll a special body with movable and fixed joints. So whenever a character had to walk or raise an arm or tilt their head the film crew was able to move the doll accordingly. This also adds realism to the film. Lastly, the dolls were voiced by phenomenal voice actors who were able to bring the characters to life with purposeful and articulate language. Jack, for example, was voiced by Chris Sarandon whose voice brought the characterization of life out. He was able to sound gloom when needed, or excited when needed. However, the most noteworthy voice in "Nightmare" was the voice of Danny Elfman. Danny Elfman was both the score writer and the lyricist. Because of this he was able to sing every note to the music as it was intended to be sang by its creator, since he was the creator. His voice in the scene showed how glum Jack was and how misunderstood he felt. It greatly brought forth the emotion within the character. Whether Jack was praising himself as being the menacing Pumpkin King or if Jack was in dismay due to his realization that there's something missing in his life, if you will, Elfman was able to bring forth these emotions through the sound.
forms?
6. How is meaning created by lighting, shade and color?
The use of dark colors simply reinforces Jack's location which is a cemetery. Also it adds to the dark feel that the holiday of Halloween gives, and of course Jack is in Halloween Land. There are several cast shadows on the grave stones which adds darkness to the scene, but they also edge out the grave stones themselves and make them clearer. For example, there are several grave stones in the shape of the Christian "cross." Perhaps this is to show a connection between Halloween and Christmas. Halloween usually is depicted as being a dark holiday because it celebrates the spirits of the dead, as represented by the grave stones. However, the grave stones are in the shape of a Holy Cross which may be Burton's way of showing that Halloween isn't a pagan holiday as some Christians view it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween#Christianity). Rather, Christians should view Halloween as a holiday of mystery meant to fascinate kids with spooky yet visually enticing images. Like the trademark pumpkin of Halloween. They are interesting because kids can carve them and place lanterns in them, but in the film they are spooky as well as shown by the pumpkin patch whose pumpkins are releasing the spirits of souls. These souls are the typical white color because "people have always used white to dress up as ghosts(http://www.knowswhy.com/why-are-ghosts-white/)." So the white color keeps in line with the Halloween tradition.
7. How is meaning created by sound and music?
As previously stated, Danny Elfman wrote the score for the film. He spent 3 years working alongside Selick and Burton when ever he was present. These 3 years allowed Elfman to score music that pleased the director and producer. The score pleased them because it added meaning to the scene. When Jack is trying to escape the townspeople, he enters an ally which has musicians playing a sorrowful tune. From here a new more hopeful tone starts to play when the audience sees Sally. The score shows that Sally may be Jack's salvation. In this sense the score foreshadows the end of the film which allows the audience to become more alert of Sally and her characterization. After Sally Jack is all alone. The music becomes louder and more exciting and somewhat scary. This adds to Jack's characterization because he is currently quite mysterious and scary. The music also adds a sense of malevolence to Jack's characterization. This of course is supported by Jack's singing in which he proclaims scarily that "He is the Pumpkin King!" But then the music shifts to a more dismayed tone when Jack starts to explain that "somewhere deep inside of these bones an emptiness began to grow." This makes Jack uneasy because he doesn't know what this mysterious thing is. The music then picks up and goes to a more malevolent tone again as Jack praises himself as being a well known person because he's so scary. Yet again, almost instantly Jack starts singing in a melancholic tone and the score shifts accordingly. Jack explains again that "there's an empty place in my bones that calls out for something unknown. The fame and praise come year after year does nothing for these empty tears." The music follows every note that Jack says. If Jack elongates a word then the score follows, this creates a very intense relationship between the score and the actor's voice. In a way, it feels like Jack himself must have written his own score because the score very accurately and precisely depicts Jack's every emotion. The fact that the score kept changing from spooky and exciting to melancholy almost instantaneously shows how confused Jack is in this scene. He has no clue of what's missing in his life, but he knows that something does exist that he must experience in order for him to be happy again. As Jack leaves the cemetary, his music slowly fades out. Then the music changes when Sally is revealed and it becomes hopeful once again. This again reminds the audience that she will have an important part in Jack's journey for him to become happy again.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Oral Presentation- Part 2 - Historical and Socio-culutural
II. Historical and Institutional Factors-
1. What are the institutional factors that may be important?
1. "Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1994) released through Disney’s Touchstone division due to concerns over potential controversy due to its dark themes, but later wholeheartedly embraced by Disney as evidenced by its merchandising and the annual change of the Haunted Mansion into a “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme." Walt Disney funded the Nightmare $18 million dollars. That's an average of $6 million dollars every year that Nightmare was in production. This budget is actually relatively little when compared to other Disney blockbusters but it grossed $50 million dollars in its first theatrical run in the United States.
2. What is the film’s historical significance?
1. as a document of its time? None?
2. as a part of history of film?
This film wasn't the first stop motion film, but it was the most advanced stop motion film during its time. The film ran at 24fps so there were 24 movements per second. The movie is 76 minutes long which means that the film crew had to move the characters a total of 109,440 times which was unheard of. The team was made up of over 100 animators and technicians and it took them 3 years to finish the creation of the film. No stop motion film ever needed that much dedication for it to be produced.
III. Socio-cultural context
In the making of this movie and i learned that Jack Skellington is somewhat of a parallel to the Grinch. But instead of hating Christmas Jack finds and becomes infatuated with Christmas. From here i can see a theme relating to the true "spirit of Christmas" which basically revolves around love. In the Grinch the Grinch lacks a heart, figuratively, but gains one at the end of the movie when he sees that the world is a kind place. Jack on the other hand literally has no heart and says that theres a longing he's never known, something that he's never experienced. He at first believes that the longing is for Christmas, but it turns out to be for love - the same thing that the Grinch was longing for. Jack of course finds love with Sally, and Christmas is then experienced by those in Christmas Town, and those in Halloween Town -- those in Halloween Town experience snow. In the end the spirit of Christmas brings joy to all who take part in it -- those in Christmas Town, Halloween Town, and the Grinch too.
Something else that the film explores is some aspects of Christmas, and additionally the film contains several children themes. In the Christian Christmas, the exchange of gifts has become a core aspect in modern day. In Christmas town the residents receive presents from a Santa Claus. Santa Claus is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24. As Jack travels to Christmas Town he sees only benevolent kids of all races. This was probably done so that Tim Burton wouldn't receive any criticism for being an advocate for racism, and he's not as shown by the children in Christmas Town. Anyways, these sweet children were excited to receive gifts from Santa Claus, but when Jack delivered them "gifts" all of Christmas Town became hectic because they were given gifts of horror. The military tried to shoot down Jack because he was an impostor of the real Santa Claus. Perhaps this shows another underlying theme. The theme that people shouldn't strive to be what they're not but should instead be happy being what they are because they're good at. At the conclusion of the movie Jack realizes this and says to himself that he is the Pumpkin King, not Santa Claus. Of course the children in Christmas Town receive their gifts, and Jack is able to find love. Jack is able to of course because he realized that what he did was wrong and asked Santa Claus for forgiveness. This theme relates especially to children who must learn between what is right and wrong and always stick with whats right. Of course these themes are present because this movie was released during the Christmas holidays and was meant to be a kids movie. Or rather kids of ages 8 and up. Also the movie revolves around the Christian and Halloween holidays because the film was released mainly in America. This makes sense since Americans practice these holidays yearly and like watching Christmas movies.
The last and more obvious similarity between "Nightmare" and other Christmas films is that they are musicals. Musicals tend to catch kids' attention because children like catchy tunes and like the magical feels that musicals have. Also musicals are happy and exciting for the kids. This explains why Burton recruited Danny Elfman to create the songs -- he is an extremely good song writer and lyricist who's easy to work with and who is dedicated to his work. Also, the musicals are very dreamy for the kids because Walt Disney is the company that the movie was being produced under. Typically Walt Disney creates kids' films which explains Burton's move towards a musical approach.
1. What are the institutional factors that may be important?
1. "Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1994) released through Disney’s Touchstone division due to concerns over potential controversy due to its dark themes, but later wholeheartedly embraced by Disney as evidenced by its merchandising and the annual change of the Haunted Mansion into a “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme." Walt Disney funded the Nightmare $18 million dollars. That's an average of $6 million dollars every year that Nightmare was in production. This budget is actually relatively little when compared to other Disney blockbusters but it grossed $50 million dollars in its first theatrical run in the United States.
2. What is the film’s historical significance?
1. as a document of its time? None?
2. as a part of history of film?
This film wasn't the first stop motion film, but it was the most advanced stop motion film during its time. The film ran at 24fps so there were 24 movements per second. The movie is 76 minutes long which means that the film crew had to move the characters a total of 109,440 times which was unheard of. The team was made up of over 100 animators and technicians and it took them 3 years to finish the creation of the film. No stop motion film ever needed that much dedication for it to be produced.
III. Socio-cultural context
In the making of this movie and i learned that Jack Skellington is somewhat of a parallel to the Grinch. But instead of hating Christmas Jack finds and becomes infatuated with Christmas. From here i can see a theme relating to the true "spirit of Christmas" which basically revolves around love. In the Grinch the Grinch lacks a heart, figuratively, but gains one at the end of the movie when he sees that the world is a kind place. Jack on the other hand literally has no heart and says that theres a longing he's never known, something that he's never experienced. He at first believes that the longing is for Christmas, but it turns out to be for love - the same thing that the Grinch was longing for. Jack of course finds love with Sally, and Christmas is then experienced by those in Christmas Town, and those in Halloween Town -- those in Halloween Town experience snow. In the end the spirit of Christmas brings joy to all who take part in it -- those in Christmas Town, Halloween Town, and the Grinch too.
Something else that the film explores is some aspects of Christmas, and additionally the film contains several children themes. In the Christian Christmas, the exchange of gifts has become a core aspect in modern day. In Christmas town the residents receive presents from a Santa Claus. Santa Claus is said to bring gifts to the homes of the good children during the late evening and overnight hours of Christmas Eve, December 24. As Jack travels to Christmas Town he sees only benevolent kids of all races. This was probably done so that Tim Burton wouldn't receive any criticism for being an advocate for racism, and he's not as shown by the children in Christmas Town. Anyways, these sweet children were excited to receive gifts from Santa Claus, but when Jack delivered them "gifts" all of Christmas Town became hectic because they were given gifts of horror. The military tried to shoot down Jack because he was an impostor of the real Santa Claus. Perhaps this shows another underlying theme. The theme that people shouldn't strive to be what they're not but should instead be happy being what they are because they're good at. At the conclusion of the movie Jack realizes this and says to himself that he is the Pumpkin King, not Santa Claus. Of course the children in Christmas Town receive their gifts, and Jack is able to find love. Jack is able to of course because he realized that what he did was wrong and asked Santa Claus for forgiveness. This theme relates especially to children who must learn between what is right and wrong and always stick with whats right. Of course these themes are present because this movie was released during the Christmas holidays and was meant to be a kids movie. Or rather kids of ages 8 and up. Also the movie revolves around the Christian and Halloween holidays because the film was released mainly in America. This makes sense since Americans practice these holidays yearly and like watching Christmas movies.
The last and more obvious similarity between "Nightmare" and other Christmas films is that they are musicals. Musicals tend to catch kids' attention because children like catchy tunes and like the magical feels that musicals have. Also musicals are happy and exciting for the kids. This explains why Burton recruited Danny Elfman to create the songs -- he is an extremely good song writer and lyricist who's easy to work with and who is dedicated to his work. Also, the musicals are very dreamy for the kids because Walt Disney is the company that the movie was being produced under. Typically Walt Disney creates kids' films which explains Burton's move towards a musical approach.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oral Presentations- Director's Influence-
I. Genre and Audience-
1. Fantasy
2. The movie is purely fictional, and takes place in a cartoon world. The movie targets kids and kids usually like fantasy which is why this movie is a fantasy.
3. Vincent, The Grinch, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Tim Burton. He grew up watching films like the Grinch which inspired him to want to create animated films. 10 years prior to the movies creation, Burton was writing plays in which the character of Jack manifested itself. He presented the idea to Disney but was shot down. 10 Years later Disney reexamined the play and bought the rights. They only bought the rights then because of Burton's success with "Vincent." In his eyes "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is the opposite of the Grinch because Jack Skellington finds and falls in love with Christmas. Also, Disney knew that this film would be entirely made via stop motion. So Disney wanted to test the limits of stop motion and wanted to advance it with "Nightmare."
5. The producer and writer Tim Burton is famous for dark and quirky films. That explains why he used several silhouettes and shadows in the film more specifically in "Halloween town." He's worked as Disney's animator for several years which is why he decided to make this kids film. The director, Henry Selick enjoys to make scary films for young kids.
6. How does it fit within the director’s other work?
1. Not necessarily, because it is a kids film the main theme is basically good triumphing over evil.
2. Yes, stop motion animation is the director's trademark. The Corpse Bride shares the same use of stop motion. This film has been credited as being dazzling and unprecedented because of its incredible visuals and usage of stop motion that had never been seen before. About 400 "Jack" heads were created to emulate every sound and facial expression that he would make when he speaks. The dark imagery, heavy use of shadows, and silhouettes is present in Burton's "Vincent."
7. Good triumphs over evil.
8. Kids. By creating a surreal and magical world that both scares the kids, but brings out several other emotions such as laughter and wonder in kids.
1. Fantasy
2. The movie is purely fictional, and takes place in a cartoon world. The movie targets kids and kids usually like fantasy which is why this movie is a fantasy.
3. Vincent, The Grinch, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Tim Burton. He grew up watching films like the Grinch which inspired him to want to create animated films. 10 years prior to the movies creation, Burton was writing plays in which the character of Jack manifested itself. He presented the idea to Disney but was shot down. 10 Years later Disney reexamined the play and bought the rights. They only bought the rights then because of Burton's success with "Vincent." In his eyes "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is the opposite of the Grinch because Jack Skellington finds and falls in love with Christmas. Also, Disney knew that this film would be entirely made via stop motion. So Disney wanted to test the limits of stop motion and wanted to advance it with "Nightmare."
5. The producer and writer Tim Burton is famous for dark and quirky films. That explains why he used several silhouettes and shadows in the film more specifically in "Halloween town." He's worked as Disney's animator for several years which is why he decided to make this kids film. The director, Henry Selick enjoys to make scary films for young kids.
6. How does it fit within the director’s other work?
1. Not necessarily, because it is a kids film the main theme is basically good triumphing over evil.
2. Yes, stop motion animation is the director's trademark. The Corpse Bride shares the same use of stop motion. This film has been credited as being dazzling and unprecedented because of its incredible visuals and usage of stop motion that had never been seen before. About 400 "Jack" heads were created to emulate every sound and facial expression that he would make when he speaks. The dark imagery, heavy use of shadows, and silhouettes is present in Burton's "Vincent."
7. Good triumphs over evil.
8. Kids. By creating a surreal and magical world that both scares the kids, but brings out several other emotions such as laughter and wonder in kids.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Hurt Locker Analysis
Hurt Locker is an eloquently crafted film that proves how powerful images are. The camera techniques and the cinematography overall is what makes the Hurt Locker shine, in my opinion. To add to the visuals the story itself is engaging and very interesting.
The film centers around 3 soldiers in modern day Iraq. These soldiers are part of the elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and they are serving for the United States for the duration of a year. The film uses time as the guiding influence for the soldiers. In the beginning the typical soldier is excited and ready for war. For example Sergeant J. T. Sanborn is cautious, yet ready to continue living his life in Iraq. He wants no children because he doesn't want to be tied down. However, after he witnesses the daily struggles in Iraq along with the constant murders and deaths his character changes, and he develops an entire new outlook on life. Now he hates war and fears death. His eyes can speak for him:
The film shows how traumatizing war is and how it definitely isn't reserved for people with weakness. However, in contrast to this character, Sergeant First Class William James shows no true development as the film progresses, rather, bit by bit his true character is revealed. In the beginning of the film i pictured him as an arrogant man who only enjoys the excitement of war and cares about nothing else. As it turned out my view was true. The opening quote:
"The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug"
- Chris Hedges
fulling describes both characters. For Sergeant J. T. Sanborn war is lethal which is why he wants to escape and have a son. For Sergeant First Class William James war is an addiction, an addiction that he can't escape, nor wants to. This quote is the overarching theme of the entire film, but one can't become aware of it until the full movie is watched and understood.
The acting in "The Hurt Locker" is phenomenal. The characters are100% believable, so believable that i actually shared the emotions that they felt. I was able to sympathize with them and i actually cared about these characters. There was nothing artificial about them. For example, in the first screen shot Sergeant J. T. Sanborn's eyes reveal sincerity in him. The costumes themselves perfectly fit each scene, and this adds to the realism of the film. For example when the soldiers are in combat they are wearing regularly issued US Army Gear. When they are in their "homes" they are wearing more casual clothes:
This helps the audience understand that these soldiers aren't always in combat. They still perform everyday routines like every other person. The only difference is that they also risk their lives every day as well.
Now the Cinematographer did a remarkable job with the film. Every shot is carefully lit to and framed for the best effect. Also, in certain scenes several vantage points are shown for one moment in time.
These shots show the utter dismay of the bombing. The close of the dust and rust of the car shows how powerful the bomb is since it made the entire ground shake including the car. Then the mix of long, medium, and close shots of the character creates a surreal feeling. One wishes to believe that he incident is impossible, but the film states otherwise. It shows how these bombings occur everyday and it shows how must courage the soldiers have for actually handling or being near these explosives. It is breathtaking and horrible at the same time. Just like the following shot:
This shot is visually gorgeous, but it is also destructive. The fire of course is destroying the life in the area, yet the image has beauty to it. This paradox parallels how war can be both a horrid and dreadful place, but also a place where the person can escape to so that they don't have to deal with regular and boring routines every day. This idea of the boring life is shown at the end of the movie as the main character is seen back at home with his wife and child. He is in the grocery story and is contemplating a very odd choice.
It appears that he can't decide which cereal to choose from. This is quite ridiculous since at war he is used to making life and death decisions daily, but now that he has left war he can't make any simple decisions. The shot is purposefully mundane because it shows the effect war has on certain people. This soldier is so used to making life and death decisions that he has become incapable of making simple daily life decisions. This is because these simple decisions have no interest for him, they bring him no rush. This is why he chooses to go back and serve another year in the army.
The audience becomes somewhat understanding of why he chooses not to stay with his son, but to stay with his true love -- war.
Lighting also helped in adding suspense to some shots.
Here there is little lighting, and this adds mystery to the film. It also adds suspense because the audience wants to know what is happening in the film instead of the characters being concealed by the shadows. Something else to be noted is the depth of field. In almost every single shot in the film there is a lot of depth of field. Perhaps this is done to show vast the setting of Iraq is. In the shot above the depth of field shows a lot of spacial distance. Maybe this was done to convey how far away help is in war. There is a large amount of distance that people must travel before they can help other soldiers. This is since Iraq is such a vast, open, and somewhat remote area. There is a lot of solitude.
Now the editing wasn't really ground breaking or anything. But that is okay because the editing remained simple and clear which allowed for a better understand of the film. It allows the audience to focus on the visuals longer since not many cuts took place. The shots were held for long periods of time, and this allows for a dramatic feel. Only the action shots were really cut fast but that is standard for action shots.
Now, the score of the film was indeed incredible. The Sound effects created an authentic feel of the setting of Iraq. The music helped communicate whatever tones the director intended in whatever shot sequence. However, ambiance was the main music. This added to the realism of the film which i enjoyed quite a lot. It makes the movie, and the situations in the movie much more believable and authentic. Of course, the authenticity is only present because the plot of the movie is so well written.
The movie isn't propelled in a typical fashion where "a" and "b" happens and the result is "c." Rather, the movie cycles through a 365 day period and within this period events are shown that correlate what would happen on a regular day in Iraq. Every day there are bombings, every day there is death. The movie is somewhat repetitive in this sense. This repetitiveness is created to communicate that there is always constant death in war. Death is part of every soldier's daily routine. They fear it, but expect it. This is quite a frightening way of life, but this is their way of life. Their lives make up the plot. And since the events are all plausible, the movie appears to be somewhat of a documentary of life in Iraq. This is supported at the end of the film. When Sergeant James takes another 365 day journey, it can be expected that his 365 period will be just like his previous 365 day period -- exciting, wonderful, and horrid. The Hurt Locker shows the beauty of war, but most importantly, the destructiveness and presence of death in war.
The film centers around 3 soldiers in modern day Iraq. These soldiers are part of the elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal team and they are serving for the United States for the duration of a year. The film uses time as the guiding influence for the soldiers. In the beginning the typical soldier is excited and ready for war. For example Sergeant J. T. Sanborn is cautious, yet ready to continue living his life in Iraq. He wants no children because he doesn't want to be tied down. However, after he witnesses the daily struggles in Iraq along with the constant murders and deaths his character changes, and he develops an entire new outlook on life. Now he hates war and fears death. His eyes can speak for him:
The film shows how traumatizing war is and how it definitely isn't reserved for people with weakness. However, in contrast to this character, Sergeant First Class William James shows no true development as the film progresses, rather, bit by bit his true character is revealed. In the beginning of the film i pictured him as an arrogant man who only enjoys the excitement of war and cares about nothing else. As it turned out my view was true. The opening quote:
"The rush of battle is often a potent and lethal addiction, for war is a drug"
- Chris Hedges
fulling describes both characters. For Sergeant J. T. Sanborn war is lethal which is why he wants to escape and have a son. For Sergeant First Class William James war is an addiction, an addiction that he can't escape, nor wants to. This quote is the overarching theme of the entire film, but one can't become aware of it until the full movie is watched and understood.
The acting in "The Hurt Locker" is phenomenal. The characters are100% believable, so believable that i actually shared the emotions that they felt. I was able to sympathize with them and i actually cared about these characters. There was nothing artificial about them. For example, in the first screen shot Sergeant J. T. Sanborn's eyes reveal sincerity in him. The costumes themselves perfectly fit each scene, and this adds to the realism of the film. For example when the soldiers are in combat they are wearing regularly issued US Army Gear. When they are in their "homes" they are wearing more casual clothes:
This helps the audience understand that these soldiers aren't always in combat. They still perform everyday routines like every other person. The only difference is that they also risk their lives every day as well.
Now the Cinematographer did a remarkable job with the film. Every shot is carefully lit to and framed for the best effect. Also, in certain scenes several vantage points are shown for one moment in time.
These shots show the utter dismay of the bombing. The close of the dust and rust of the car shows how powerful the bomb is since it made the entire ground shake including the car. Then the mix of long, medium, and close shots of the character creates a surreal feeling. One wishes to believe that he incident is impossible, but the film states otherwise. It shows how these bombings occur everyday and it shows how must courage the soldiers have for actually handling or being near these explosives. It is breathtaking and horrible at the same time. Just like the following shot:
This shot is visually gorgeous, but it is also destructive. The fire of course is destroying the life in the area, yet the image has beauty to it. This paradox parallels how war can be both a horrid and dreadful place, but also a place where the person can escape to so that they don't have to deal with regular and boring routines every day. This idea of the boring life is shown at the end of the movie as the main character is seen back at home with his wife and child. He is in the grocery story and is contemplating a very odd choice.
It appears that he can't decide which cereal to choose from. This is quite ridiculous since at war he is used to making life and death decisions daily, but now that he has left war he can't make any simple decisions. The shot is purposefully mundane because it shows the effect war has on certain people. This soldier is so used to making life and death decisions that he has become incapable of making simple daily life decisions. This is because these simple decisions have no interest for him, they bring him no rush. This is why he chooses to go back and serve another year in the army.
The audience becomes somewhat understanding of why he chooses not to stay with his son, but to stay with his true love -- war.
Lighting also helped in adding suspense to some shots.
Here there is little lighting, and this adds mystery to the film. It also adds suspense because the audience wants to know what is happening in the film instead of the characters being concealed by the shadows. Something else to be noted is the depth of field. In almost every single shot in the film there is a lot of depth of field. Perhaps this is done to show vast the setting of Iraq is. In the shot above the depth of field shows a lot of spacial distance. Maybe this was done to convey how far away help is in war. There is a large amount of distance that people must travel before they can help other soldiers. This is since Iraq is such a vast, open, and somewhat remote area. There is a lot of solitude.
Now the editing wasn't really ground breaking or anything. But that is okay because the editing remained simple and clear which allowed for a better understand of the film. It allows the audience to focus on the visuals longer since not many cuts took place. The shots were held for long periods of time, and this allows for a dramatic feel. Only the action shots were really cut fast but that is standard for action shots.
Now, the score of the film was indeed incredible. The Sound effects created an authentic feel of the setting of Iraq. The music helped communicate whatever tones the director intended in whatever shot sequence. However, ambiance was the main music. This added to the realism of the film which i enjoyed quite a lot. It makes the movie, and the situations in the movie much more believable and authentic. Of course, the authenticity is only present because the plot of the movie is so well written.
The movie isn't propelled in a typical fashion where "a" and "b" happens and the result is "c." Rather, the movie cycles through a 365 day period and within this period events are shown that correlate what would happen on a regular day in Iraq. Every day there are bombings, every day there is death. The movie is somewhat repetitive in this sense. This repetitiveness is created to communicate that there is always constant death in war. Death is part of every soldier's daily routine. They fear it, but expect it. This is quite a frightening way of life, but this is their way of life. Their lives make up the plot. And since the events are all plausible, the movie appears to be somewhat of a documentary of life in Iraq. This is supported at the end of the film. When Sergeant James takes another 365 day journey, it can be expected that his 365 period will be just like his previous 365 day period -- exciting, wonderful, and horrid. The Hurt Locker shows the beauty of war, but most importantly, the destructiveness and presence of death in war.
Friday, November 19, 2010
"Sacey/Spa" by Melody C. Miller Review
One thing that i felt the director handled well in this documentary was both sound design and their placements of the shots. They chose to show the speaker's face in the interview and it was extremely more powerful than if they decided to hide the raped victim's face. The reason that this is so is because by showing us their faces we can see that the girls truly are young women, and no older than their late teens.
The narrative is told by the victims themselves, instead of by a witness or someone who has simply heard about the crimes. This makes it much more personal. The women are telling us their life story, and they speak so fluidly that it feels like the experience wasn't necessarily "special" or rather a shocking experience. This communicates how frequently women are victimized, and how people aren't aware of these crimes even though they are occurring in neighboring cities, or even in the cities that they live in. Oakland for example is the city that was focused on and Oakland is only across the Bay from San Bruno. It is quite remarkable and appalling that this is true. Then the director decides to actually show us women who are currently out on the streets "working."
It's distressing that the police do nothing about these women who unfortunately were forced to lose their dignity at a young age. The women speaking also explain how "this is our fight" and that in order for justice to come that all people must cooperate with the law instead of living in fear and hiding the truth from officials. Still, i feel that the police officials should do more about these rape victims because 1 in 5 women being raped and 1 in 10 boys being raped is just such a high percentage that it makes one questioned when they too shall be victimized. However, it is warming to know that their are organizations such as "Missy" who are aiding these women. Indeed this documentary thoroughly informs its audience and definitely myself about the corruption on the streets in this world.
The sound design really creates a sorrowful tone for the piece. In the opening shots
the women's eyes and bloody faces already convey the painful experience that the young women endured. But the choice to focus the camera on only the eyes adds more sympathy and emotion to the shot. This of course is intensified with the musical score that continuously brings the viewer into a sorrowful mood. A mood that makes the audience feel the pain or try to emulate the pain that these women faced. A pain that won't stop until the message of stopping rape and child abuse is heard. This documentary does a great job of sending this message, but it is up to the viewer to choose to listen to it or to ignore it.
The narrative is told by the victims themselves, instead of by a witness or someone who has simply heard about the crimes. This makes it much more personal. The women are telling us their life story, and they speak so fluidly that it feels like the experience wasn't necessarily "special" or rather a shocking experience. This communicates how frequently women are victimized, and how people aren't aware of these crimes even though they are occurring in neighboring cities, or even in the cities that they live in. Oakland for example is the city that was focused on and Oakland is only across the Bay from San Bruno. It is quite remarkable and appalling that this is true. Then the director decides to actually show us women who are currently out on the streets "working."
It's distressing that the police do nothing about these women who unfortunately were forced to lose their dignity at a young age. The women speaking also explain how "this is our fight" and that in order for justice to come that all people must cooperate with the law instead of living in fear and hiding the truth from officials. Still, i feel that the police officials should do more about these rape victims because 1 in 5 women being raped and 1 in 10 boys being raped is just such a high percentage that it makes one questioned when they too shall be victimized. However, it is warming to know that their are organizations such as "Missy" who are aiding these women. Indeed this documentary thoroughly informs its audience and definitely myself about the corruption on the streets in this world.
The sound design really creates a sorrowful tone for the piece. In the opening shots
the women's eyes and bloody faces already convey the painful experience that the young women endured. But the choice to focus the camera on only the eyes adds more sympathy and emotion to the shot. This of course is intensified with the musical score that continuously brings the viewer into a sorrowful mood. A mood that makes the audience feel the pain or try to emulate the pain that these women faced. A pain that won't stop until the message of stopping rape and child abuse is heard. This documentary does a great job of sending this message, but it is up to the viewer to choose to listen to it or to ignore it.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Short Documentary
Purpose: To inform people, specifically students, of the hardships that teachers face on a daily basis so that people may become more appreciative of the underpaid teachers. Contacts: Teachers, students, parents. Interview Questions: To Teacher: Why do you believe that teachers are so underappreciated? Do you donate extra time to your students outside of class? If so about how much time do you think that the average teacher works outside of class? To Parents: If your child were to get a bad grade would you blame the child, or the teacher? Do you feel that teachers should receive more gratitude? To Student: How do you feel about your teachers?
General Flow: The beginning will be parents and students answering the questions about teachers. Afterwards the teachers will get to rant about how they feel. Clips of teachers staying after school to tutor students will be shown. Then statistics of teacher wages will be shown. Finally the film will conclude with the teachers challenging students and parents to become more appreciative of the teachers because of the hard work and long hours that they spend to teach the young minds.
Shot List- Images of statistics. Close ups of teachers somewhat enraged with unappreciative students and parents. Long shots and medium shots of teachers spending time with their students after school. Close ups of the parents and students will be shown. Finally a list of the average teacher to student ratio and lastly the average amount of time teachers spend at school.
Scripts: Will rely on teacher’s answers to questions and their take on the piece.
Intro: Teachers, the men and women who have taught us all what we know to this day. Teachers, the most underappreciated workers in America today. Teachers, some of the hardest workers in America.
Closing: Hopefully budget cuts will no longer affect teachers because they indeed deserve so much more money and gratitude than what they currently receive. Perhaps a simple thank you from a student or parent to their teacher will suffice for the teacher, but they certainly deserve much more.
General Flow: The beginning will be parents and students answering the questions about teachers. Afterwards the teachers will get to rant about how they feel. Clips of teachers staying after school to tutor students will be shown. Then statistics of teacher wages will be shown. Finally the film will conclude with the teachers challenging students and parents to become more appreciative of the teachers because of the hard work and long hours that they spend to teach the young minds.
Shot List- Images of statistics. Close ups of teachers somewhat enraged with unappreciative students and parents. Long shots and medium shots of teachers spending time with their students after school. Close ups of the parents and students will be shown. Finally a list of the average teacher to student ratio and lastly the average amount of time teachers spend at school.
Scripts: Will rely on teacher’s answers to questions and their take on the piece.
Intro: Teachers, the men and women who have taught us all what we know to this day. Teachers, the most underappreciated workers in America today. Teachers, some of the hardest workers in America.
Closing: Hopefully budget cuts will no longer affect teachers because they indeed deserve so much more money and gratitude than what they currently receive. Perhaps a simple thank you from a student or parent to their teacher will suffice for the teacher, but they certainly deserve much more.
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