Second Cut Dexter

This is the second cut of my version of Dexter.  I have added sound effects and made some adjustments.

Second cut:
https://vimeo.com/90377324
Again the password is DVP.

This is the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhGMGjs3DSs

~Jackie

Divergent

I recently went to see Divergent for the second time in theaters and there were some scenes that really stood out to me.

When Tris (Shailene Woodley) is in the Dauntless compound I realized the lighting for the scenes were darker. In the novel Divergent by Veronica Roth, the Dauntless compound is underground so it made sense for the lighting to be darker since they are in a cave like setting.

In this clip I am showing , (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1N4nVb3Qew) you will notice, Tris Prior(Shailene Woodley) talks to Tori Wu (Maggie Q) about being Divergent.  The main color scheme of the Tattoo Parlor is red and black.  You can see the red is prominent but it doesn’t take over the whole shot.  The colors for the faction are Red and black, it seems necessary to use those colors.

I also noticed there was a light fixture to the left of Tori. That was used to give lighting to Tris’s face. I think it was a good decision to put the light there because if not Shailene’s face would not have been seen. We could not see her facial expressions.  I also see a backlight to help frame Shailene’s features a bit more.

I also noticed the camera zooms into Shailene’s face when Tori says, “Then you are already dead.”  It helped portrayed and show the emotion for the audience.

The second clip I enjoyed watching was when Tris jumped off the building into the Dauntless compound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQLd_etD5RY). I noticed there were different camera angles used. When she is about the jump, there is a close up of her face determined to jump but still showing some fear.  When she jumps there is wide shots used to show her body falling. Then there is a bird’s eye view shot of her falling.  I saw some behind the scenes photos and there was a guy hanging with a harness on equipped with a camera and he filmed the bird’s eye scene which I thought was the best way to get the shot. When she had finished falling into the huge net, the camera shot changes to a worms eye view and she just looks at the sky. The shot i think was put there to show the audience what Tris felt after she did the most daring task of jumping off the building. 

How I Met Alex Hopeless

This is my rough cut of my How I Met Your Mother skit.  For some reason theres no sound, so throw on some cool music or something.  Let me know if you find something that fits for filler music

Original Scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT-VNgbdz60

How I Met Alex Hopeless

Clerks re-creation

Hi guys this is the original scene from clerks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a3zXJ7biqI


Here is the re-creation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqdAOx6FAIs&feature=youtu.be

Christina

Original Scene

Christina:

If you add the Dream and Combat filters (final cut X) this is what it looks like.  I would play around with them a little, your footage looks great!  

~Jackie

Rough Cut The Conjuring

I still need to put music on and ADR the sound but this is it:

Rough Cut



This is the original scene:

Original Scene

Re-creation of Dexter

Hi all,

This is my first cut of my version of the title sequence of Dexter.  I found the original footage fascinating because of the creepy juxtaposition of ordinary things.

This is the link for the original version: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8-Rqo-VT4 

This is the link to my Vimeo page:

https://vimeo.com/90377324 

The password is: DVP.

The video is password protected because of the copyright infringements (I ripped the DEXTER title, the spreading blood, and the theme song is by The Dark Passengers). 

~Jackie

If anyone would like help editing or with the editing programs, I would be happy to help.

Recreation Rough Cut

PLL Scene    Start to watch from 1:22 on

Recreation Rough

PLL Recreation

FSBlog 3: The Importance of a Laugh Track

Here's a scene from the hit television show Friends in which Ross wants to know how to properly attack his two friends Rachel and Phoebe in an effort to prove to them that they need to be hyper-aware all of the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtp9gQ3m-FE

Funny...Now here's the same scene (roughly), but without the laugh track...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgKgXehYnnw

Creepy, creepy stuff...haha.

I'm not sure exactly what I'd like to say in this post, but I think it's something along the lines of how different it is to write for a sitcom rather than, say, a short film. Watching the first clip is very natural to us, but when watching the second, we see the writing for what it truly is: Short, shallow lines that are engineered to allow laugh time and move quickly from one to the next. I just think it's very interesting that sitcom writers have to factor in the presence of laughing, whether it's live or not, into their writing process when other writers do not. Perhaps it's something we can all think about when writing our short films considering how much television our classmates seem to watch every night...

The Horror of Film Making

Horror is frequently celebrated as the movie genre that young, inexperienced filmmakers can start out with but horror is much more complicated than that, and scaring an audience that's becoming more and more desensitized to gore and violence means we as filmmakers have to do our homework. The right atmosphere is an incredibly important part of any horror film. Bad actors, bad audio, or a story full of holes can potentially be made up for with a solid mood. 
Filmmaker Magazine says:

"A good horror film has an underlying atmosphere, a moody visual undertone that creates a sense of dread, wonder and mystique and leaves us with snapshots of unforgettable imagery. This is well exemplified by foreign-language films like The Devil’s Backbone, The Orphanage, and Tale of Two Sisters (the original Korean version). These films rely more on isolation — both literally (through creative use of location) and figuratively (in the mind of the characters) — coupled with evocative cinematography and production design."

Another way to make your horror story amazing is mastering the art of suspense. Through the use of POV, camera angles, and the "MacGuffin" an audience can be forced to look through the eyes of the victim, or even the killer. Good foley work, ominous lighting, suspenseful music, or the concept of a "jump scare" (a loud or sudden bang or a flash of light) allow for maximum scare factor in any production. 

Rough cut project 1

The Importance of Framing

The Importance of Being Earnest  

2002  93 minutes

After finding Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, hilarious, I had to watch a movie adaptation.  I was aware a modern movie version was made, so I watched the 2002 version, staring Rupert Everett and Reese Witherspoon.

I am going to critique the writing even though it comes from a British play from the Victorian era.  The adaptation is basically one long, dry, sarcastic parody.  It’s not a parody of the play, but as I interpreted the book, a parody on Victorian society. 

Oliver Parker created the screenplay, and I believe he may have changed the order of the script, but did keep to the majority of the original writing.  I like how the characters were played, senseless and dimwitted, which is how I envisioned the characters from the play.

The production part of this film, that stuck out to me most was framing.  The huge decorative hats changed the amount of headroom that is normally used in many of the scenes.  Usually headroom is very tight on the top of the head, (toward the top third of the screen if you divide it into thirds).  To account for the intricate tall hats, faces were nearly centered (vertically) in medium shots.  Additionally, this issue was actually beneficial to master and long shots.  It created a horizontal line between the taller male actors and shorter female actors’ tall hats that I found interesting.

~Jackie

Blog Entry #3 - Rudy - "You Were Born To Wear That Jacket"

“You Were Born To Wear That Jacket” – Rudy – Blog #3

 

Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport

Written by: David Anspaugh

Directed by: Angelo Pizzo

Starring:

Sean Astin as Daniel E. 'Rudy' Ruettiger  

Jon Favreau as D-Bob

Ned Beatty as Daniel Ruettiger

Charles S. Dutton as Fortune

            Success is a relative term, and what it means to one may not be the same to another. Furthermore, success is a sustained effort – a constantly uphill struggle against the forces acting against it, as well as the people. “Rudy” is the epitome of the story of perseverance, the underdog, and the anomaly. The film helps display the miracle of a man that shouldn’t have made it to his personal goal, yet still managed to do it – and via his heart inspired so many along the way.

            The film begins with Rudy as a child, playing football with his brothers and friends from the neighborhood. Despite his size, he’s adamant about playing any position other than center – even as his brother’s discourage him. He carries a dream – a dream of one day playing for Notre Dame, and this vision is one that stays with him all his life. In the face of blatant discouragement, the loss of his best friend, the loss of his wife-to-be, we are shown the laborious journey of Rudy, a little man with a gigantic heart, who is carried off the field as the beacon of pride of Notre Dame. All of this aside, I was particularly enthralled not only by the story, but by the technique used to tell it.

            One recurring instance (and one of the most effective) used in the film is the application of a wide shot, giving the impressions of almost “David and Goliath-esque” scenarios. As Rudy walks along a field in front of Holy Cross, his avenue into Notre Dame, it is shown so far away from him - brilliant, masterful, almost majestic in appearance – as if he is walking up to a palace. This happens again as Rudy wanders across the Notre Dame campus to the football field, works his way past the gate, and makes his way inside. Again, we see a perspective used to show just how small he is in stature compared to the immense obstacles he has to overcome. Although the stadium is empty, it’s massive, and he is much like an insect in comparison to the room it resides in. The beauty in this execution is in just how simple, yet how effective it is at honing the scope of vision on Rudy as our hero – how physically small he is in comparison to his goals.

            The vibrancy of color and the lack of it, depending on the scene, aided in bringing much of the story to life. For the majority of the more jovial and inspiring occasions in the film, color is lush, triumphant music blares and we see slow motion shots of tackles and brief montages of Rudy’s training. For the more grave and uncomfortable scenes, such as his former love interest now together with his brother, colors are darker, the feeling is grim, and the discomfort reaches beyond the screen - and pulls you right in. You feel for Rudy. You want him to see beyond the harsh words, and discouragement. You want him to reach the summit.

            In summary, the technique within this work effectively bolsters the impact of the tale. Having come out in 1993 makes no difference. The film is timeless, and it is still one brought up easily among discussions of inspiration and triumph. The reason is simple – everyone appreciates an underdog - especially one who earns their way to the goal against the seemingly unmanageable.

The end of a series. (HIMYM)

     This upcoming monday (March 31st), audiences everywhere will say goodbye to the beloved comedy series, "How I Met Your Mother."

      For nine wonderful seasons this television series has brought its fans joy, sadness, heartbreak and comedy giving scenarios that are relatable to perhaps every college student. For those of you who don't know about the show, Ted Mosby is an aspiring architect, who is looking for love of his life in the heart of New York, with the help of his best friends.

     After picking up the series at season 7, I almost immediately fell in the love with the characters. From a film students stand point I thought the series was brilliant. A common problem that television writers have to staying on track with the original plot. For the exception of season 6, the writers have brought up our hopes, only to destroy them, until now.

       The technical aspects of this show are also brilliant. The setting is primarily in two locations; Ted's apartment and the bar right below. Whenever Ted and his gang gathers at their usual booth in the bar, the lighting is superb. The gaffers are able to take a dark setting and light the main characters, while keeping figures in the background. Most of the time the group of friends meets at night which makes the lighting set up a little bit easier.

       Another technical aspect of the series is the costuming. Neil Patrick Harris plays the infamous "Barney Stinson" whos famous line is "suit up," suggesting that he always wears a suit and tie. The two actresses of Robin and Lily play characters that are in their young twenties, when in reality they are much older. By giving them loose, relaxed clothing the female audience is able to make a connection.

     In my opinion, How I met Your Mother is one of the most hilarious comedies on television. The diverse characters with different personalities blended together to create a family. This monday will wrap up a heart-warming series that will hopefully leave everyone pleased.

 

Round 3 Blogs

Thank you to those who have posted your 3rd blogs early. However, and I've said this before, please avoid gossipy rhetoric. The blogs still feel like imdb forums, not a place for insightful academic commentary. Think of these blogs as informal english papers, not generic comments one might post on an imdb forum. You all have production knowledge. You should have so much more to say regarding filmmaking technique, story structure, recurring motifs, etc.

Remember, I do grade these!

Saving Private Snape

Here's a fun fact that not many people may know: In the movie 'Saving Private Ryan', the director had the American actors go through a boot camp to prepare them for the action, and so that they would really appear to have been "battle worn"; everybody that is, except for Tom Hanks.  Mr. Hanks wasn't told that everybody else went to Boot Camp, but everybody knew that Tom Hanks didn't go to Boot Camp.  This was done purposely so that when Private Ryan had to be in scenes, the soldiers hatred towards him would be real.

Here's a fun fact number two that you may or may have not known as well:  (SPOILER ALERT!!)  When the Harry Potter movies were being filmed, J.K. Rowling and Alan Rickman were the only two people who knew of Snape's secret love for Lilly Potter, and his promise to protect Harry.  This was done so that the characters of Harry, Hermoine, and Ron were a 'true' hatred for Snape's character.

Also on an unrelated note, apparently the rugrats were all a figment of Angelica's imagination, but that's a different story for a different time.

Sometimes, as a director, you have to be mean and lie to your actors.  You might have to think out of the box and do the unexpected.  Just because someone is a professional actor doesn't mean that you will get 100% of their best acting all the time, or even the emotions that you want.  You might have to do something as weird as tell everyone something different about a scene so they act differently.  The filming of Castaway had to be halted for a year so Tom Hanks could stop working out and didn't eat healthy just so he could effectively portray the body of a man deserted on an island.  Directing will sometimes require you to do the unthinkable to get the best shots; it will require new angles, different equipment, and even using different types of light to portray a scene in a way that you didn't possible.  The sky is the limit with your imagination, why not make your own rocket ship and break that limit.

Blog 3

When Teen Wolf first aired I refused to watch it because I believe anything MTV airs these days is garbage. However, I finally gave it a try two summers ago and now it’s one of my favorite shows. Season 1 was light hearted with romance, humor, and several action packed episodes. As the seasons went on the creator Jeff Davis used unique, fresh supernatural lore for each season. Season one was about werewolves and the seasons after had supernatural creatures like a kanima, a banshee, and a few Kitsunes.  Unlike other shows and movies involving werewolves, the creator, Jeff Davis says that vampires will never be introduced at all.

                Teen Wolf is a show with strong characters that have developed in the last three seasons. There are some negative aspects with the show that I’ll admit I’ve noticed. There are plot holes in certain storylines that don’t add up. Some of the episodes are rushed together and poorly cut. Most of all a lot of the actors have left the show and a lot of new characters are taking their place. It’s extremely unfortunate when you get attached to a character that has been a part of the show for a long period of time and then they are gone; usually either killed off or said to be in a different country.

                I’ve also noticed with Teen Wolf how much darker it's gotten not only with the storylines but the actual lighting itself.  The seasons have gotten much more intense and twisted. With that there are more shadows and darker settings. Since it’s a show about werewolves there are a lot of scenes outside and in the moonlight. I think the crew has done an excellent job with just the right about of light. Do not judge Teen Wolf based off of its name and the fact that it airs on MTV. It’s based off of the 1985 classic movie “Teen Wolf.” There are parallels in both but they are extremely different from one another.  It is a great show filled with a ton of great qualities and i'm happy I started watching it. 

(My) God's Not Dead

I had the pleasure of watching, God's Not Dead, this past opening weekend and it wasn't at all that I had expected. I was surrounded by a very large group (about 100) members from a church, which made the viewing of this movie a bit.. off, a lot of "Amen! Halleluiahs!" along with dancing and singing. Overall the message of the movie was inspiring and very fitting, since we are all in college ourselves, and we are constantly surround by folks who either believe or don't.We have to remember what the target audience of this movie was and is, Christians.  The movie itself had content and rebuttals from BOTH sides of the spectrum, so don't bash it before you watch it. But, I understand and can see how it might not be someone's cup of tea.
The actual Cinematography was lackluster, now I understand they didn't have a huge budget and if it were a made for TV movie, it would've passed off fine, but it was a "blockbuster" so it didn't quite make the cut of what I, or certianly other film critics (or majors!) might think belongs. The acting was lacking in some parts, very predictable no performance was so heart wrenching and Oscar worthy. The filming wasn't great, many scenes were forced close ups, and by this I mean the scene seemed that a wide shot or medium shot would've made it more comfortable for a viewer but instead, a shot that was cut in, way too close was chosen and gave off a bit of uncomfortableness and because it was so close the picture became grainy. Among various scenes having the grainy affect, It also sounded like they had to ADR after some scenes as well, which made the audio sound like it didn't quite fit in or match/transition smoothly throughout the movie.
The best scene throughout the whole film was, when Ayisha, ***SPOILER*** gets thrown out of her house for being a Christian. It was a really great scene, cinematicaly, they were able to capture the raw emotion from both Ayisha and her father, without saying any words. and the camera followed each character seemingly as if you were watching it happen right before your eyes.

Blog 3

One of my favorite shows I've recently started watching was Teen Wolf. It is based on the movie Teen Wolf starring Michael J Fox. A fun fact I recently learned about it is if you pay close attention you'll realize that some lines from the original movie was put into certain episodes. I was watching the second to last episode of this season for the second time the other day and noticed something weird. I'm not sure if the writers/producers wanted it to be this way or not, but it seemed too repetitive. Stiles is holding Lydia hostage, and she says "you know they are coming for you and they are going to kill you." Stiles says, "thats why I have you so close to me". They cut for a commercial break then the scene continues and they repeat the same lines, but the camera was a different angle. I haven't picked up anything like that from this show which is why it shocked me, so I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. If anyone watches the show and knows what I'm talking about maybe you can explain. I thought it would be interesting to blog about though because although it is just a television show series, I am sure they do put hard work into editing it. Another thing I thought that could've been fixed was when one of the main characters Allison died. I had watched the episode a day late so when I was watching it I already knew what to expect. One of these demons shot their arrow through Allison's body just after she killed one of the other demons. In my opinion, the writers could've came up with something a little more creative. I'll admit it was sad because she was such a great character and good actress, but with her talent, they should've challenged her a bit more and gave her a more dramatic ending to her character. Another thing I actually found out was that as Allison was dying in Scott's arms (her first love) she says I love you. The director didn't want her to say it because she had moved on from him. But she felt it was necessary to say because it was true to her character. I guess as an actress you learn and grow with your character and you get to know them. If she didn't say I love you to Scott, I think everyone would've been a bit disappointed so I think it was a great addition to the episode. Sometimes the actors know more than you would think! Overall I really have grown to love the show and expect more to come from it.

David Lynch's Lost Highway

Each and every scene from Lost Highway merits praise in its production value; be that as it may, the way in which Lynch introduces us (and Fred) to the Mystery Man is particularly interesting, ignoring his elusive, symbolic subjectivity to simply look at the scene itself. At around the 28-second mark (of the linked video, not the film itself), the Mystery Man begins to approach Fred; as he does, the audible background music of the party begins to fade. By the time he reaches Fred, we’re left with silence (or, rather mechanical noise similar to the sounds which inhabit the entirety of Eraserhead). If nothing else, this forces the audience to focus on the conversation in and of itself—but, there also seems to be sense that sonic manipulation has the ability to affect us spatially: the two characters are isolated due, in part, to this decision (or perhaps Fred is isolated, unconsciously—depending upon your interpretation). Also worth noting, is the extreme close-up of the Mystery Man’s face; we’re able to clearly see his grotesque facial irregularities, to subsequently feel his presence and the anxiety it produces. The overall ‘feel’ of the scene speaks for itself—the acting, the writing—not to mention, some lines are of reoccurring (if not symbolic) importance: “you invited me; it is not my custom to go where I am not wanted.” Similarly, as the Mystery Man turns to exit, the camera untightens, and the music returns to the party; with this, there’s an almost palpable release of tension. Just beyond the scope of the video, Fred walks over to the homeowner to ask about the identity of the Mystery Man; his response is accompanied by the return of this ominous, mechanical noise (for lack of better terms): “he’s a friend of Dick Laurent’s”—which reverts us back to the opening scene (for the first time, that is)—another nod to Lynch’s writing, which although brilliant, probably isn’t the focal point of the Lynchian experience.