RED- North by Northwest: Alfred Hitchcock: "Prelude": Bernard Herrmann
In this clip, the credits are being played at the beginning of the movie. Meanwhile in the background, people are walking through town in a hurry and frantically. As this scene is being played, the suspenseful music allows for the viewer to feel a sense of urgency and chaos which correlates to the chaos that Mr. Thornhill goes through because he was accused of being someone he wasn't. For me, the music sounded like something that would be in Indiana Jones, which is a very action packed film. The use of this music set the tone for what the rest of the movie was going to be like, fast pace and chaotic.
YELLOW- Punch-Drunk Love: Paul Thomas Anderson: "Tabla": Jon Brion
Adam Sandler's character, Barry Egan, is seen shopping in the grocery store in this clip. He begins to move fast pace and start dancing. As this is happening, the music in the background is a pattering drum sound and electronic beeps that are very choppy and abrupt. I believe this music is very effective because it correlates to the jitters that Edgar has.
BLUE- The Godfather: Francis Ford Coppola: "Waltz (Sicilian)": Nino Rota
The clip starts with Mr. Woltz house and then the camera moves into the house and is fixed on the bed. As he wakes up and begins to realize what is in his bed with him, the music begins to intensify. Right when Woltz finds the dead horse head in his bed, the music abruptly stops, which makes the viewer feel a sense of anxiety and mystery. The music was very effective in making the viewer feel engaged in that moment of the movie.
Forrest Gump: Robert Zemeckis: "Run Forrest Run": Alan Silvestri
In the clip of Forrest Gump as a young boy being bullied, Jenny tells Forrest to run. As he begins to take slow steps while wearing his leg braces, the music starts off slow and calm. But as his braces fall apart and he begins to run, the music then builds up to a strong upbeat arrangement of string instruments. The music gives a sense of overcoming something and being victorious, which is very effective for the scene.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Over Look: There is a distinct washed out look throughout this film. There are not many vibrant colors or bright lighting in the scenes. This corresponds to the way Jean-Do views his life now after his dramatic stroke. When Jean-Do was in the hospital, the scenes were very dark and gloomy but when he was with the mother of his children there was more light, which made it seem like there was hope for him. Both the washed out look and the dim lighting gives the overall look of sadness.
Images: One scene that creates a vivid image was when the surgeon began to sew Jean-Do's eyelid shut. Jean-Do had no way of expressing to the surgeon that he was scared and didn't want him to sew anything shut. The camera filming from "behind" Jean-Do's eye let the audience see and almost feel what he was going through. Throughout the movie there are many flash backs and moments of Jean's imagination that help develop the movie's meaning. For example, while Jean-Do's voice is speaking about his life and how it has become a failure, there are images of falling glaciers that reflect his life "falling apart".
Shot Lengths: The shot lengths in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" are somewhat long, but not too long to where the audience loses interest. The long shots help to capture the patience of the speech therapist and the difficulty of the communication between him and the therapist. But if the director made the shots too long, the audience just gets frustrated and bored. If he had too long of shots then the audience would lose interest, and if he had too short of shots then Jean-Do's process to recovery would seem short and sweet. I believe that Julian Schnable had just the right length of shots throughout the film to show the hardship and troubles Jean-Do had to go through.
Shot Types: When Jean-Do first realizes he is paralyzed and has no control over anything in his life anymore, the shots are very up close and personal and from his point of view. But when Jean-Do is healthy or dreaming, the shots are normal which can reflect the control he has in his own life. The close ups when he is sick show that he is insignificant to those who are around him. The extreme long shots also exaggerate the lengthy path that Jean must endure in order to become healthy again.
Camera Angles: The constant low angle shots reflect the character's point of view rather than the character's lack of power. The doctors and friends would lean into the camera and even stoop low to make eye level with Jean-Do whenever they would speak to him. This made it seem as if Jean still had control of the situation and the others were there to help him along.
Composition: In the dream sequences, there is an obvious use of rule of thirds. In the scenes where Jean-Do is progressing into his recovery, the framing is traditional which explains that his life is gradually becoming normal once again. One example of the rule of thirds being broken is when he meets the mother of his children. The woman is neither center or in the thirds in the shot because Jean Do lacks control of his body therefor his head is aimed slightly off to the side. His vision is only in the line of where his head lays so that is why the woman isn't centered during that scene.
Camera Movement: During the scene when Jean-Do is gaining consciousness back, the camera movement is very abrupt and frantic which makes the audience feel the same fear and anxiety that he is going through. On the other hand, when Jean-Do is dreaming, the camera movement is much more smooth which creates a more peaceful scene.
Cinematography Style: The way that the camera is used to capture and create the story of Jean-Do's life changing experience shows the emotional and mental state and point of view of Jean. I believe that the cinematography doesn't call attention to itself but rather accommodates the film in a very effective way. The cinematography helps tell the story of Jean-Do with the assistance of narration and the performances of the actors.
Images: One scene that creates a vivid image was when the surgeon began to sew Jean-Do's eyelid shut. Jean-Do had no way of expressing to the surgeon that he was scared and didn't want him to sew anything shut. The camera filming from "behind" Jean-Do's eye let the audience see and almost feel what he was going through. Throughout the movie there are many flash backs and moments of Jean's imagination that help develop the movie's meaning. For example, while Jean-Do's voice is speaking about his life and how it has become a failure, there are images of falling glaciers that reflect his life "falling apart".
Shot Lengths: The shot lengths in "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" are somewhat long, but not too long to where the audience loses interest. The long shots help to capture the patience of the speech therapist and the difficulty of the communication between him and the therapist. But if the director made the shots too long, the audience just gets frustrated and bored. If he had too long of shots then the audience would lose interest, and if he had too short of shots then Jean-Do's process to recovery would seem short and sweet. I believe that Julian Schnable had just the right length of shots throughout the film to show the hardship and troubles Jean-Do had to go through.
Shot Types: When Jean-Do first realizes he is paralyzed and has no control over anything in his life anymore, the shots are very up close and personal and from his point of view. But when Jean-Do is healthy or dreaming, the shots are normal which can reflect the control he has in his own life. The close ups when he is sick show that he is insignificant to those who are around him. The extreme long shots also exaggerate the lengthy path that Jean must endure in order to become healthy again.
Camera Angles: The constant low angle shots reflect the character's point of view rather than the character's lack of power. The doctors and friends would lean into the camera and even stoop low to make eye level with Jean-Do whenever they would speak to him. This made it seem as if Jean still had control of the situation and the others were there to help him along.
Composition: In the dream sequences, there is an obvious use of rule of thirds. In the scenes where Jean-Do is progressing into his recovery, the framing is traditional which explains that his life is gradually becoming normal once again. One example of the rule of thirds being broken is when he meets the mother of his children. The woman is neither center or in the thirds in the shot because Jean Do lacks control of his body therefor his head is aimed slightly off to the side. His vision is only in the line of where his head lays so that is why the woman isn't centered during that scene.
Camera Movement: During the scene when Jean-Do is gaining consciousness back, the camera movement is very abrupt and frantic which makes the audience feel the same fear and anxiety that he is going through. On the other hand, when Jean-Do is dreaming, the camera movement is much more smooth which creates a more peaceful scene.
Cinematography Style: The way that the camera is used to capture and create the story of Jean-Do's life changing experience shows the emotional and mental state and point of view of Jean. I believe that the cinematography doesn't call attention to itself but rather accommodates the film in a very effective way. The cinematography helps tell the story of Jean-Do with the assistance of narration and the performances of the actors.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Film Noir
In the documentary Film Noir, many directors and writers were interviewed. Abraham Polonsky, who was both a director and writer, stated that if the actors and film should "reflect [a] general sense of jeopardy in life, which is what exists in all film noir, then it's a correct representation of the anxiety caused by the system." He also said that what makes a film noir a film noir is when "circumstances become more and more unendurable and yet you must endure." These quotes relate to the film Double Indemnity because Fred MacMurray's character, Walter, has to face situations that he must follow through with in order to help the character Phyllis.
Film Noirs were famously known for the woman's presence as a femme fatale.
In the documentary, a femme fatale was described as a women who gets a man into trouble. Jeney Place explained how a femme fatale was "a smart, powerful, and extremely sexual" female. Phyllis was the perfect example for the typical femme fatale. She used her sexuality and brains to put a spell over Walter and got him to do whatever she wanted. She used him to write the insurance policy, kill the husband, help dispose the body, and take all the blame.
In Double Indemnity, there were many factors to this film that made it a film noir. The dim lighting and different camera angles and gloomy music gave certain scenes a sense of darkness and danger. When Walter first enters Phyllis' house, he describes how the blinds were closed but there was little light coming through which allowed him to see the dust in the air. This description and visual of the home made it seem suspicious and not at all a warm and cozy home. Another scene that has music that gives a sense of danger and suspense is when Walter is done listening to the radio and makes a phone call. The music that is played before he reaches the phone leads up to the actual phone call and made the scene seem dark and mysterious.
Neo-noir films are filmed using color, but this doesn't mean that they cannot have that film noir feel. Even though color is shown, in neo-noir films the colors can be dark and cold which gives the film a sense of mystery and danger and darkness that originates in film noir. In the film Memento, there were actual scenes where when Leonard flashed back, the scene was in black and white. Another dark place was his room. There wasn't much light and bright colors, which gave the feeling of coldness and a sense of uneasiness. Even in modern films today, you can find elements of film noir.
Film Noirs were famously known for the woman's presence as a femme fatale.
In the documentary, a femme fatale was described as a women who gets a man into trouble. Jeney Place explained how a femme fatale was "a smart, powerful, and extremely sexual" female. Phyllis was the perfect example for the typical femme fatale. She used her sexuality and brains to put a spell over Walter and got him to do whatever she wanted. She used him to write the insurance policy, kill the husband, help dispose the body, and take all the blame.
In Double Indemnity, there were many factors to this film that made it a film noir. The dim lighting and different camera angles and gloomy music gave certain scenes a sense of darkness and danger. When Walter first enters Phyllis' house, he describes how the blinds were closed but there was little light coming through which allowed him to see the dust in the air. This description and visual of the home made it seem suspicious and not at all a warm and cozy home. Another scene that has music that gives a sense of danger and suspense is when Walter is done listening to the radio and makes a phone call. The music that is played before he reaches the phone leads up to the actual phone call and made the scene seem dark and mysterious.
Neo-noir films are filmed using color, but this doesn't mean that they cannot have that film noir feel. Even though color is shown, in neo-noir films the colors can be dark and cold which gives the film a sense of mystery and danger and darkness that originates in film noir. In the film Memento, there were actual scenes where when Leonard flashed back, the scene was in black and white. Another dark place was his room. There wasn't much light and bright colors, which gave the feeling of coldness and a sense of uneasiness. Even in modern films today, you can find elements of film noir.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Best Film Goes To...
In order for a film to be deserving of an award in my eyes, it needs to have all of these four things: music that stirs emotion and completes the film, interesting point of views of narration, a type of love story, and lastly acting that makes the movie that much more believable. The music of a film is that extra boost that can make it much more of an attention grabber. In the case of Disney movies, the music is really its selling point. The movie Cars had the song "Sh-Boom Sh-Boom" play while Lightning McQueen was strolling down along route 66. By adding this song, it allowed the audience to step into that time era and experience how it was back in the day. I like when a film incorporates a different use of narration. First and third person narration and direct-address narration are types of story telling that I find very amusing to watch. A cute and cheesy love story, done the right way, always puts a movie on the top of my "must watch" list. But in order to have a believable love story, the acting needs to be spot on and realistic. Those are the factors that I believe make an award winning film.
In both silent films, Le Voyage Dans La Lune and The Great Train Robbery, some of the criteria for an award winning movie were met and some were not. Because both were silent films, the music criteria does not apply for these films. In Le Voyage Dans La Lune, the narration was done through the acting of the characters. So the acting was the focal point for the story telling. When the Aliens were introduced, it took a good actor to make oneself seem to be from another world. In The Great Train Robbery, the narration was also done through the acting. The men shooting at each other in the scene made it a very exciting action movie. Silent films have more obstacles to get passed in order to appeal to an audience. These two movies had good acting and narration but lacked a good love story!
If I had to award two movies for meeting my criteria, I would give the award to Flipped and Funny Face. In Flipped, the first thing that stood out to me was the first person narration not only from the point of view of the little girl but also from the little boy's point of view. This gave the film a way of looking at the events through both of their shoes. The music in Flipped also creates happiness and warmth when the story needs it. In Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn does an amazing job of dancing, acting, and signing which gave the film a believable character. The choice of songs that were performed fit each scene like a puzzle piece. The one thing that both of these movies have, but both of the silent films missed, is a love story! The girl in Flipped falls in love with her childhood crush and Audrey Hepburn's character falls in love with the handsome photographer. These two movies win my award of best films.
In both silent films, Le Voyage Dans La Lune and The Great Train Robbery, some of the criteria for an award winning movie were met and some were not. Because both were silent films, the music criteria does not apply for these films. In Le Voyage Dans La Lune, the narration was done through the acting of the characters. So the acting was the focal point for the story telling. When the Aliens were introduced, it took a good actor to make oneself seem to be from another world. In The Great Train Robbery, the narration was also done through the acting. The men shooting at each other in the scene made it a very exciting action movie. Silent films have more obstacles to get passed in order to appeal to an audience. These two movies had good acting and narration but lacked a good love story!
If I had to award two movies for meeting my criteria, I would give the award to Flipped and Funny Face. In Flipped, the first thing that stood out to me was the first person narration not only from the point of view of the little girl but also from the little boy's point of view. This gave the film a way of looking at the events through both of their shoes. The music in Flipped also creates happiness and warmth when the story needs it. In Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn does an amazing job of dancing, acting, and signing which gave the film a believable character. The choice of songs that were performed fit each scene like a puzzle piece. The one thing that both of these movies have, but both of the silent films missed, is a love story! The girl in Flipped falls in love with her childhood crush and Audrey Hepburn's character falls in love with the handsome photographer. These two movies win my award of best films.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Disney Fanatic
Movies have been a huge part of my life since I was young. As a child, I pretty much watched every Disney movie there was. And now I own almost every Disney movie whether it be the Blu-ray version or the old school VHS. The best movie was of course Lilo and Stitch. Not only was this movie very colorful and amusing to my child imagination but it also related to me because I am Hawaiian, just like Lilo. People even told me that I looked like Lilo and because of this, my hula group and I performed at the premier of Lilo and Stitch at the El Capitan. This experience made Disney movies an important part of my life. Without Disney movies, I most definitely wouldn't be the same person I am today!
For someone to get me to go to the movie theater and pay an outrageous price to watch a film is a difficult challenge. Because I am a college student, I know throwing away money on a movie is not worth it. I WILL go to the theaters to see any Disney, romantic comedy, or action movie. So you already know I had to go see Frozen in theaters. (It is a really good movie with lots of laughs and twists you would never expect from a Disney film) I love to watch movies that make me laugh and leave me feeling happy. You will NEVER see me in the theater to see a scary movie. I refuse to watch scary movies; you can even ask any of my friends.
The best thing about movies for me is that it can take you into another world for that 2 hours you sit in front of a screen. I know that when I'm watching a movie I want to understand everything that is happening. Because of this, my friends and family hate watching movies with me because 1. I talk about what's happening and what I think will happen and 2. I ask the most questions. The worst movie I experienced was the Matrix. I watched it with my dad and asked many questions because I was trying to wrap my mind around the futuristic concept. I even saw the whole trilogy and to this day, I still have many more questions to ask. So as for me, I like to stick to those adolescent mind Disney movies. Movies have always been in my life and always will be. I can't wait till I have children of my own so that I can share all my childhood favorites with them!
For someone to get me to go to the movie theater and pay an outrageous price to watch a film is a difficult challenge. Because I am a college student, I know throwing away money on a movie is not worth it. I WILL go to the theaters to see any Disney, romantic comedy, or action movie. So you already know I had to go see Frozen in theaters. (It is a really good movie with lots of laughs and twists you would never expect from a Disney film) I love to watch movies that make me laugh and leave me feeling happy. You will NEVER see me in the theater to see a scary movie. I refuse to watch scary movies; you can even ask any of my friends.
The best thing about movies for me is that it can take you into another world for that 2 hours you sit in front of a screen. I know that when I'm watching a movie I want to understand everything that is happening. Because of this, my friends and family hate watching movies with me because 1. I talk about what's happening and what I think will happen and 2. I ask the most questions. The worst movie I experienced was the Matrix. I watched it with my dad and asked many questions because I was trying to wrap my mind around the futuristic concept. I even saw the whole trilogy and to this day, I still have many more questions to ask. So as for me, I like to stick to those adolescent mind Disney movies. Movies have always been in my life and always will be. I can't wait till I have children of my own so that I can share all my childhood favorites with them!
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