Blew My Mind!

Cover of Blow Out

Last week was another movie day! And we watched Blow Out by Brian de Palma. The film itself was great, the story showed aspects of film making and a glimpse of how this world is always trying to cover things up and showed this connection with how films are made today.

After the transition from silent to talkes movies happened, it didn't take long for film-makers to start utilizing sound as an advantage in their films, and manipulating all sorts of sounds and noises that aren't even the real sounds. The entire film had a background story going on, where Jack Terry is the sound editor for a film he's working on with a director who he often works with. he's looking for a particular scream for a scene, in the end he uses the scream of Sally when she is dying. The basic message was to show how America covers things up to present to the world, and how films actually do that also.

I've never been able to see the exact process of how films actually come together when it comes to the technicality, so this movie was almost an eye-opener. I was amazed on how he was able to use simple pictures from a magazine, put them together and make a little flip-book, and then turn that into something that is a motion picture. And plus, be able to obtain the sound and actually do a really good job in synchronizing with motion pictures.

Throughout the movie, I noticed that the sound of the movie was very detailed and sharp. Its something I've noticed in movies, where the director and sound editor can make you hear only what they want you to hear. In this film, I felt like Brian de Palma made us hear all of the little detail sounds that were occurring in the background. I know, after watching this movie, it made my senses of hearing much sharper for a while, because I was listening for little detail sounds which I probably never notice before because I never direct my attention towards them.

Another thing that was superb in this film was the cinematography. I could tell that a lot of thought went into each shot and how to actually present each detail needed. I think through the different kind of shots like the split-screen, Palma almost made us, the audience, realize that this is only a movie, and yet he made the story seem so real. As real as the story was, there were some shots and scenes that I didn't like much, and at a point reminded me of some Bollywood movie that was made off of cheap budget. The scene when Jack is in the ambulance, and he hears Sally's voice on the radio thing that was hooked up to her, he dramatically gets up (although he was just in an accident) and is able to run so fast through a large crowd and starts to search for Sally. This made no sense, and what made it worse was the slow motion scene when Jack realizes where Sally is, so he starts to run to her. It just didn't seem fair to have this in the movie, when before we were able to watch a story that has been told, but in a completely different way. But I really did like how the movie went in a circle and showed how Jack had grown/matured and how the movie ends when the scream is obtained! (which was the problem in the very first scene, where the scream was not working out for the film, so Jack was instructed to find a better scream sound)

I actually liked how diverse the characters were, and how some had importance but necessarily weren't shown that much. I also enjoyed some of the shots that in my perspective looked quite experimental. In fact, the movie as a whole seemed a little experimental, which made me happy, for that is the genre we have for our short film that we have to make. I think the idea of how a camera should just sit there and the actors do everything is what I use to think is a good shot and is a good movie, but after watching this movie I realized that some of the best shots are those that are trying to make the viewer more limited in what they can see, and more involved into the characters of the film by simply doing some camera tricks. I definitely would love to use some of his techniques of shots in our short film.

Over all, it was a great film! And I'm really glad we watched it, and surely was much different from Sunset Boulevard and Singin' in the Rain.

EXPERIMENTAL! YAY!!!

We are not only going to learn about the different elements in film-making, but actually get the chance to make our own short film. This film should be about 2-5 minutes. Our class has been divided into groups and each group has a specific genre, but every film has to have a common prop, that was assigned, and a one line dialog. Overall, this is really exciting, even more exciting because the genre of movie for my group is experimental.

So far, there is a director, editor, sound editor, and a cinematographer! With four people, we will also soon have to decide on the break-up for who will do screen-writing, dialog writing, and so on. This should not be a big deal, especially because we already have ideas for what our story will be.

When we heard that Eric, one of our instructors, is going to assign a genre to each group, my group made sure that when we get our assignment we have an idea for each genre. So we thought of ideas that would fit for comedy, horror, drama, romance, etc. All members agree (those who were brainstorming) that the running theme with any movie will definitely have a love story of some sort. And along with a love story, we want to have a crazy plot twist in the ending, so that our film will be memorable to everyone.

In the end though, we got the best possible genre! Along with being assigned genres for our films, each group is required to have some of the same props and one line dialogs. Each film must have a mime or a clown. In any part of the movie there must be a cheese grater, guitar, and skull. The dialog which should be in every movie are: "Why is this happening to me today of all days?” and "It would be better for us not to talk about that." For each element needed, we have an idea for how it can incorporate into our film.

Along with the story, the camera and how every scene will be recorded is also very important. For one story idea, we thought we would make the entire movie in the point of view of a person, and just have an over-voice for when that character needs to speak. Also we anticipate to have really cool effects, most likely this will be added on during the editing process.

A factor that scares me, is the availability of equipment to show quality in our work because of cost issues. But I think with a good story, and a good way to relay the message money will not be a major issue. But another major issue might be on trying to understand the different subliminal messages that are sent during the movie, and if we will be able to have that element in our movie. For example, if they are talking about something sad then there is a shadow on the actor's face, versus if the character is having a happy moment, then the face has complete brightness shining on it. Other subtle messages that are put in the film and never directly talked about is one of the greatest features of a film, I believe, and I hope that our group will be able to accomplish that!

Overall, I'm excited to see what our story will end up to, how we will work as a team and get through the technical parts of making a film. And really nervous for what the finish product will look like!

I can't make love to a BUSH!

Singing in the Rain, is probably my new obsession, is a movie that I would like to rent right now and show all of my friends if they haven't seen it. The entire cast was wonderful, especially Gene Kelley, who I had never even heard of until this movie. And the movie in general had so many different stories that was very entertaining throughout the entire thing.

I thoroughly enjoy watching movies and especially with those which have some singing and dancing. The color and lighting of this movie was extremely bright and detailed. In this video, , it shows a remake of the song by Usher alongside the actual scene from the movie. From this, you can just compare how significant the color was to the director and cinematographer. Even in the other song, when Gene and Donald were giving a suggestion for a song in the movie, the color had so much detail, it was almost as if they were trying to show and signify that this is not a black and white movie, but the time period was set when only black and white films were being released.

The film's story itself, showed the transformation that occurred from silent films to the films when sound came into use, talkies. I thought it was really cool to actually see their point of view, and how such a phenomenon was doubted, while we are so use to the fact that people talk in movies. Also, not only did they show the transformation of silent movies to talkies, but also the transformation of how the sound was recorded, from having the microphone hidden in the bushes to the art of dubbing a sound. I thought it was very ironic, when Donna told us that in the songs that were sung in the movie, which were being dubbed by Cathy Seldon, were actually also dubbed by someone else. I always was aware of dubbing, but this movie gave us the chance to see the actual process on how dubbing is done. I know an Indian actress who has a rough, scratchy voice, and in her first film her voice is dubbed. I never had watched that movie until I knew her as her established self, so when I sat down to watch her first movie, I couldn't finish watching it because it bothered me so much that whenever she spoke, it wasn't her real voice.

I think I enjoyed watching all of the songs in the movie, and especially watching the actors do their intricate tap dancing. My favorite song was Make them laugh, the choreography was just amazing, and the song really did make me laugh! Another song that I loved was Good morning. I also found the lyrics to that song very relative to my nights/mornings. I think it was hilarious how well I could relate to that song. Moses supposes, I thought was the most random song, but yet enjoyable to watch.

The editing and the way the story was put was also really different and amazing to me. The opening scene, where we are introduced to the characters and their world in Hollywood as an audience gave just enough distance for myself as an audience. But when Gene started going into flashback and telling his story, I thought it was really cool that we were unraveling a layer at a time, and getting closer to the characters for who they are and not what they show themselves to be. I also felt a little sorry for his friend, played by Donald, for both of them started their struggle together, but he got left behind in all of the fame, which could be seen on how the reporter treated him. But I thought that Gene was a sincere and good friend, and that both together made a wonderful duo. When Donna told us that Lena's voice was part of the acting, that was a little believable, but more than that it was relieving to know that because I almost felt guilty for laughing every moment she even spoke a word. If noticed, she was really silent the first many minutes of the movie, she didn't speak until later, and that was because she had no other choice. Cathy Seldon was my favorite character after Donald's character. I kind of have that negative point of view on some actors who seem to act the same in every movie, so if you've seen one of his movies, you've definitely seen them all. I also liked how her character grew throughout the film.

On a side note. I was watching an award function the other day, and I found myself more interested on which film won awards in things like editing, directing, cinematography, sounds, and many other categories more than finding out who would be the best actor for the year. This class has already started to change my outlook on film, and I'm glad.

And I thought it would be cool to look at a trailer from the 1950's. So here it is, enjoy!

I Want Everything in My Movie!

Image by chunter01 via Flickr

Before I didn't realize the different techniques and effects used in movies, and now I'm so overwhelmed with the question of how I can make such an effect or technique in a movie which I will make.

I never realized that there are so much detail into each shot of a scene from lighting of the area to the angle of the camera recording the scene. It fascinates me how the effects are so subtle that for a person who doesn't know much about film, but they will still receive the effect trying to be relayed by the director.

After we had a class/workshop about lighting, the next thing I remember watching is an episode from Lost. And in once scene, a character is describing the decisions and life of another character, when he talks about the happy things, the speaker is seen under the light, but when he talks about the sad parts, he is in the shadow. I don't think I would have noticed this before, but watching it after having class made me realize that subtle intention of the director. I think this kind of lighting, using shadows, could not be hard to manipulate and use in a scene. Even the picture to the right shows a different kind of lighting which is also used in movies. This kind of lighting is to get rid of extra detail distraction, and have your attention only on what is being shown in the light. This is also highly possible to do with limited equipment. I think in general, as a crew, we are going to have to make sure the lighting is appropriate for the scene. I think also, we can use the effects of shadows from lighting and also use lighting to show some subtle details that aren't important but is still appropriate for the scene and character.

I think the transitions and effects that the editor adds to the movie is really significant also. I was watching an episode of Carnivale, and they had a scene transition where the scene and settings change instantly, but the last said words in the previous scene is the same said word in the next scene and setting. That brought a comic relief between these scenes, and almost a sense of coincedence that both characters were using the same words but they were in different settings. I feel like this was not intended by the director, but instead a trick made by the editor. Things like this amaze me how it was thought of while making the scenes and dialogue. Also another effect and transition used in videos are the different coloring of the shot to show mood. And I think the best transition I've seen is the scene from Citizen Kane showing time progressing between the married couple. I think transitions and coloring are the most important things in trying to relay subtle messages. And as important, they are also easy to use with not highly technical equipment.

I say this now, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to change the lighting of a room to give a depressing look, or to understand that detail is so important and sometimes some detail occurs unintentional. We'll see in time to come, how easy and hard it will be to use different techniques in trying to make a good movie.

that Black and White movie....

Image via Wikipedia

Coming into class, the first day when Donna showed us clips of old movies, they were in black and white, so the concept of watching a movie with no color no longer scared me by the time we got to the third class and watched: Sunset Boulevard. Learning about the transitions, and editing, special effects, and basically everything else that goes on behind the scenes of a movie made me concentrate on that than on the color, in fact I don't think that I even realized that it was black and white until emphasized.

When surfing the channels, I distinctly remember that whenever I would see the flash of just black and white, I would wait to see if I could recognize the face, feel disinterested and change the channel. I would feel that because the movie is in black and white, there is a distance between me and the movie, for example, I wouldn't get the familiarity feeling, or the feeling to relate to the movie, only because I could not see the color of anything in the movie. But I can't lie, some of my favorite movies are actually in black and white, but they are Indian of course. But the concept is the same in both genres of films.

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Sunset Boulevard itself was a film noir. And for this genre of movie, they are always in black and white. Also these kind of movies usually do not have a happy ending, all of the characters have a flaw, the story in general is depressing. The movie is also shot in dim light and/or with shadows. This movie specifically was in flashback, where you already know the ending, but they are telling you how it all got to that ending.

The characters in this film were quite interesting and flawed of course. More than the character, this film had two dimensions of the world. One in which there was Norma and Max who lived in the giant mansion with luxury, but still everything seemed gloomy and depressing in there. The other world was more realistic for the audience and a relief at times when Joe would go to that world, for example when he went to the New Years' Eve party filled with people, compared to the party at Norma's house, where he was the only guest.

A lot of transitions were used, but what I thought was the most fascinating thing was the idea of how the credits and movie title was brought into the movie, and how beautifully the setting didn't even have to change, and the movie had started. I also found it interesting that whenever they would show a scene of a person driving the car, the background was fake. I have seen this done before, and especially in old Indian movies, and I always thought that it was a flaw in their movie, but I now realize that this was also a common way to show a car scene here also. Little things like this, makes the process of film-making so universal. The sound effects were also interesting. I noticed that there was never a moment in the film of silence, through out the whole movie, orchestral music was playing in the background. And also, this movie had a narrator, and it was Joe himself who was telling the story. I noticed that they used narration in parts of the movie where the dialogue would not have been able to do justice to the scene. And other times, simply the music in the background did the magic for the scene. The acting was also a little different from movies that I've seen; in general was very dramatic. But I think it was needed to add to the effect of each character and how they effected the other characters.

All in all, I really did enjoy the movie, although some parts I did think Norma was creepy, and that Joe should've made some better decisions when it came to love, and that Max all in all was a creepy character but he was loyal, and that made him stand out. The only thing missing I think is that there were some stories left unfinished, like wouldn't the audience want to know if Betty came back to see Joe dead, if she gets married to Artie or not, what happens with the obvious murder which occurred. But other than those questions, I really did like the movie, I know I was giggling most of the time, it was full of entertainment! This movie is definitely worth your time to watch.

The Part that makes Movies look good...

Its a lie if I say that I always wondered how they were able to obtain the sounds for different 'things' and objects, even some animals that in reality do not even exist. But once I realized that there are movies with sounds that just doesn't exist in reality, I wondered how they thought of the ideas on how to do what they have done. Watching the many different genre of films, especially in the Indian Film Industry I became keen to what the director/editor wants us to hear because there can be a scene where they are showing someone washing dishes, but you only hear the dialogue, and other scenes when you are able to hear little details, which then shows the significance of that object in that scene. But of course watching to see how each sound was thought of and made for such classic movies like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars is even more fascinating.

The internet has everything. That is a statement often used and we take granted for it also. When I was watching the making of the two movies, and specifically of The Lord of the Rings, I was so surprised to see that they were so honest with any of the sounds that they obtained for the movie, and I feel like this is probably because we are so influenced with the fact that if you want some song or anything, you can simply go onto the internet and find it, and then even use it if you need to for something. The sound directors took care of each little detail for the sounds and they were also very creative. I think the fact that they were so creative with the sounds by mixing them and using animal sounds that doesn't even relate to the animal in our mind was fascinating. After watching the making for the sounds for that movie, I wished that I could see how other movies and shows are able to use their sound effects with such great ability that everything seems quite real.

Not only is sound editing important, but in general the editing of the clips is such an intricate job. There are countless of scenes where I remember that the actress had her hair to one side, and in one glance her hairstyle has changed. Well thats extreme, but little things that change once the camera just turned is exciting for me and to some extent also makes me realize that this is definitely not reality.I also can appreciate those scenes now that have a little segments of just showing the same scene but from different perspectives. The fact that the editor can think of something chronological for the audience and actually make everything look very smooth is impressive.

The scene below doesn't exactly have creative sounds, but it does seem to have some sound effects that are trying to convey the message of emphasizing what is happening in the scene. As the subway is leaving, you can hear every detail that is going on in the surrounding in fact the sounds of the bus is in a way is the dialogue for this scene.

First Thoughts

I've always liked watching movies, and recently I've been thinking of all of the hard work that goes behind making a movie. I feel like there is a lot to learn from this class about the basics and techniques of making a complete film.

I am familiar with the films that come from Hollywood and the Indian Cinema, also known as Bollywood. I think I am more familiar with the actors and directors from India more than Hollywood. Watching a movie seems to be the simplest task, and many times you sometimes even change a slight bit once you've seen a movie. I personally don't realize what makes someone a good actor or bad, for me the story is first most important and then comes the casting. I think reasonably everyone do great work, being in the film industry, except for a select few people who I believe have the acting capability but do not deserve all of the fame they tend to get. But this is all from a Bollywood watcher's perspective, of course.

This winter break, I got the chance to be a part of a little short film we made in our community to present at the annual New Year's Party. This was when I realized that the actors are merely puppet dolls, its the camera man, the director, the editor, the writer, the story-teller, the props manager, and the list can go on who do the important work. The actor merely is told about the scene, their lines and then Bam! they act it out! And that is all they do, but then again some actors do deserve credit, there are actors who really try to study their character they are playing and try to be a new person each time a new movie is being made. For this short film that we made, I found myself having to direct people and tell them what their lines are, and later I realized that someone had to do this job for some sanity to remain during the time we were recording all of the scenes, and me and this other girl helping to direct each scene helped everything to go faster. Overall, it was a great learning experience, and I didn't even connect this experience with the fact that my class this semester would have any correlation with actually making a film.

The first class in general was really fun, I wasn't bored any minute of it. Although it did get kind of uncomfortable for sitting around for so long, but the breaks were very timely. I was really fascinated by how everything really started. In hindsight, the concept seems quite simple, especially because even our phones are capable of video recording these days. Technology has grown so much, that people find life impossible without a cellular device. Perhaps the discovery of the picture in motion becomes even more significant and amazing. I was also amazed by the amusement (I don't know if that is the right word?) that people found in the segment from How I Met Your Mother about Suits, probably because the entire situation seemed normal to me being Bollywood influenced. Each movie usually has at least three or four songs, sometimes the song is how movies are recognized, and sometimes the songs are the only thing good in the movies. But the fact that Donna brought up how much work and effort goes for segments like that made me wonder how much more burden it seems the Bollywood Industry has, they have to have a good story and good songs. Another thing that amazed me was when Donna mentioned about the fact that the extra people in a scene, people casually walking in front of the camera, that was all thought and planned out before. Even the extra people make a significant difference to a scene and the overall effect of the movie on the end, before it was the natural movies that fascinated people, and I believe we have gotten to the point where we like to see movies that are looking as real as possible and those movies which have characters with whom we can relate to often.

Overall, I'm excited about what I will learn in this class, and really excited about making a short film also, and learning how to edit videos. I've always wondered how the people on youtube make such great edited videos, the best I've made is one with pictures!..