Red Clip #1

North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock

"Prelude" by Bernard Herrman

                The musical piece goes quite well with the opening credits of this movie. The characters always seem to be getting into some kind of trouble and are always trying to escape it which is what I believe this music piece expresses. The music did not affect so much emotionally as it did intellectually. It made me stay attentive and it grabbed my attention right away. It made me understand that this movie was going to have a lot of action.

Yellow Clip #2

Punk Drunk Love by Paul Thomas Anderson

"He Needs Me (Remix)" by Jon Brion Johnathan Karp

                The music piece I listened too goes well with the story film's story and characters simply because it is a romantic movie. The characters are in love and this song really captures the love between the two characters hence the phrase "He needs me" which is a way of saying the characters cannot be without each other. This music piece emotionally affected me because it made feel the love the characters share. It also made me happy because love is a beautiful feeling.  It also brought an amount of happiness and I believe without the song, the scene would not express the same feelings.

Blue Clip #1

The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola

"Waltz" by Nino Rota

                This piece of music really captures the ethnicity of the story and its characters. The music piece has a strong Italian vibe to it but it also expresses the wrong-doing that is demonstrated in the whole movie. For majority of the music piece, it has a relaxed and apathetic tone to it but still hold that feeling of madness just like the film itself. In this scene it starts off relaxed. As time passes the music starts to speed up and gives off a feeling that something big is on its way. This song prepared the audience for the scene where the character that is found awakening on his bed and soon discovers that there is a bloody horse head in his bed. That is when the music reaches it’s apex and the excitement level is high.

Forrest Gump by Robert Zemeckis

"People are Strange" "Break on Through" "Love Her Madly" by The Doors .

Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movie when it comes to the music. In my opinion this movie has the best songs, they are songs that really capture the audience throughout the entire film. During the scenes where all the soldiers are wandering around in the Vietnam, they play songs by The Doors in a row. This particular scene demonstrates that music is one of the only things the soldiers looked forward too. It makes me realize that our troops use music to release their stress and kind of escape reality for a while. Another, the songs that were played in this film were also popular during that time.

Jack Black Interviewed on The Treatment

There are many interviews by “The Treatment” but the one that called my attention the most was the one with Jack Black. This interview was posted October 12, 2012 and even though I’m watching a year later I was still able to find it interesting. Jack Black is usually comedic actor in movies for all ages. Some of the famous movies were he has come out are King-Kong, School of Rock, Year one, Shallow Hal, and my all-time favorite Nacho Libre. Besides being an actor Jack Black also appears on Television shows and is a lead vocalist of the comedic rock group Tenacious D, which was formed in 1944.

In this interview they mainly focused on the movie Bernie, which came out in 2011. The interview is based in what the movie is about and what it was like working with it. In this particular film jack black plays a more serious role than he usually does in all his other films. This interview showed me the other side of Jack Black because I’m used to his funny roles. Something that surprised me is that he said to get emotional during his movies. This was a surprised to me because of the personalities that he has in majority of his films and just the way he is in his normal life.

One of the quotes that Jack black said was "When I go on stage and play my part, I feel like I can express myself more then anywhere else". For jack black to feel like this is crazy to me because I would never think a person with a personality like in his movies would be shy and quiet in public. I mean he is such a good comedian that is hard to think that in real life real life situations he is not like in his films. However, when on stage he feels as if his true colors are naturally expressed. This quotes shows how although people can be quiet and shy there will always be something that can make them feel comfortable and bring the best out of them.

Another thing that stood out to me was when he said, "Anyone can be the Green Lantern. Any Shape or size as long as you hold the ring and that is where I come in".  In his case it shows that his desire to be an actor has always been there even though he is not the nest looking guy in the film industry, that has not stopped from becoming one of the best. The quote also shows that as long as there is desire things will always be possible, you just got to have the passion for it.

The last quote that caught my attention is , "If you dont believe that you are the best band in the world then you shouldnt be a band". This quote is actually by a member of the famous band “The Beatles”. In my opinion it means that if you don’t believe in yourself and that you can be good in whatever you’re doing then you’re doing things wrong because first you must believe in yourself. Anyway Jack Black explain his mind set on his two man band Tenacious D with Kyle Gass his best friend. It also explains the main theme in a number of his works, which is his dream of becoming famous. This quote mean a lot to me because it shows the desire he has even if his band was not one of the best, he still kept going and eventually you will get somewhere.

Finally, the guest had a lot of good things to say about the things he is working on. After this interview I value him more as an actor and serves as an inspiration to me. Jack Black is such a good comedic actor and the things he brings to the screen are what make him my favorite actor ever. He is what makes the film Nacho Libre one of the best movies ever and also my favorite. 

Overall Look

In the film, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" the use of lighting, movement, and camera angles are what made this film what it was. In my opinion I think the director was trying to achieve this in this movie by making the audience understand and feel what Jean Bauby’s feeling. I think there is a great work of the film’s elements when Bauby is learning to communicate by blinking his eye because we see his blinks on the screen images. I think scenes like this are what add feelings to this movie.

Images

The state of the impotence of the main character is the reason why Bauby’s feelings are expressed though his imagination. These images help viewers see the world as he sees it, to feel his desperation and impotence as his vision adjusts and focuses. It is through this that the title makes total sense forthe movie.

Shot lengths

There were shots that were long in this movie the reason for this is because a big portion of the film was shot in point of view and that is why the camera shot does not capture the complete image and instead only sees what the character seeing.

Shot types

This film demonstrates a variety of shot types that use a lot of close ups and medium shots. The camera shot help bring out the feelings and moods of the characters more effectively. One scne

Camera Angles

The angles go hand and hand with the point of view shots because they reveal that during the shot, the protagonist's head is slightly tilted or just not looking straight. The camera angles really make the audience feel like they are in the movie itself.

Composition

The composition of the film changes a lot during the movie or at least has a lot of different events occurring. There are scenes where too much is happening but we can say this is good because it makes it feel more natural. Although, most of the scenes did contribute to the rule of thirds but sometimes it did not.

Camera Movement

I don’t think there is not a lot of camera movement in the movie. Majority of the scenes were filmed without the camera moving. However, there is this scene with a lot of movement which is when Bauby is put in the wheelchair for the first time because he is continuously being pushed around the room. This is one scene that uses a lot of movement.

Cinematography Style

The cinematography style of the film is intentional. The reason for that is because at the beginning when Bauby first awakens from his coma there are close ups of the doctors and they are in and out of focus quickly. This is not a mistake on the cinematographer’s part, but functions for the audience to see the confusing state Bauby was in. This is what helps the audience to understand and feel what he is feeling.

Film Noir Movies

 

The quote that I chose from the first ten minutes of the documentary Film Noir that also describes a main idea in "Double Indemnity" is said by Abraham Polonsky. He is the writer and director of Force of Evil and he said, “This is what this picture is all about. How circumstances become more and more endurable, and yet you must endure.” By this quote we all know that he is referring to the movies of Film Noir. If you’ve watched Film Noir I’m sure we can agree that the film is the bad, but also the good. In Film Noir part of the film and entertainment industry takes place in the first half of the 20^th century. This film went past the confront zone of most audiences because of the time they were living on, but this is what made the film so interesting. Anyway, these kinds of movies have been known as exposing the dark side of humans. Movies like this are about drugs, crime, and sex. The kind of stuff exposed in these kind of movies was something people were not used to seeing but still managed to relate to it. For this reason is why Film Noir was successful due to the fact that it had highly sensitive subjects that connected with the viewer’s emotions. In my opinion the film Double Indemnity falls into this category because it shows all the traits that keep people entertained and leave them with questions. I picked this quote because I think it demonstrates how people who watched these films felt. 

In the film  ‘’Double Indemnity,” the character Phyllis is the typical femme fatale. She fits in the characteristics of femme fatale because everything a man desires; beautiful, smart and uses that as power. A femme fatale characteristic that is portrayed in the character Phyllis is how she can be manipulative using her beauty. For example, a femme fatale can use sex to gain power and get what she wants which at the end only gets the men in trouble. I think the character Phyllis plays a typical role of this type of character. She only lives up to all the traits that the Film Noir documentaries use to describe a femme fatale.

The tools that Film Noir uses help create a mood that has never been done in cinematic presentation. One of the elements that helped this type of movies look interesting is the lighting. It is that what creates a dark atmosphere feel to the movie. This is what made it look mysterious to the audience, also the fact that is was in black and white. It also helped made the movies show some kind of creativity. For example, the lighting was supposed to create a mood of isolation in the rooms or buildings. The sounds in these movies also created certain moods and added more suspense to Film Noir movies. However, in my opinion “Double Indemnity” did not really have good music and lighting in some parts. Although it did have some sounds that created suspense and went well with the scenes. 

The use of  “neo-noir” in movies don’t have as much black and white as the original films. However they still have some of the same features. In the movie “memento” you can see a lot of the similarities of the of Film Noir movies. For example it has the subjects of murder and controversial subjects such as having a mental person as the main character. This movie was also created differently because everything happens backwards and makes the movie a puzzle itself. In my opinion I think Christopher Nolan would agree that both films are quite similar in some way and meet at some point with the topic of Film Noir. Finally, the structure of this movie is what makes it more interesting for the audience and keeps them tentative. 

Blog Post #1 Movies

             What it is that makes a movie compelling, noteworthy, or deserving of an award?

What makes movie compelling is something that relates to the human qualities. Movies that have any  emotional, cultural, or ethical values is something that will connect individuals to what’s being portrayed in the screen. In my opinion in order for a movie to be deserving of an award the movie needs to be interesting, and easy to understand because sometimes movies can be confusing. It also needs to have a good cast that will make the movie feel like it is real and not being acted. A movie also needs action and creativity to be deserving of an award of course this should not be too exaggerated. Films should also have good sound effects and music in order to keep the audience entertained. Finally, if a movie has all these criteria it is deserving of an award to me.

In the movie “Le voyage dans la lune a trip to the moon” by Georges Méliès some of the criteria that I mentioned in the previous essay is used. The reason for this is that even though the film did not have any sound when it first came out in 1902, I still was able to find it kind of interesting when I decided to turn off the volume that had been added. For example the film had a lot of movement that kept me entertained while watching it.  In addition the fact that they have great scenes that make you want to figure out what they are doing is entertaining, since during that time there was no sound in these films. Indeed Its innovative animation and special effects are what would make this movie deserving of an award.

On the other hand, the short film “The Great Train Robbery” was not as creative as the first film. In my opinion this film is not award deserving to me because of the fact that it does not meet most of the criteria I mentioned. One of the reasons is that the actors in the movie exaggerated most of the scenes making it not feel real. The actors make it so obvious that they are acting everything out. For example, there are many scenes where a character gets hurt and it is more than obvious that nothing happened to them. Another, even though the film had a lot of movement I found it boring because of the plot that it had. Everything was too obvious. This film was not very creative and well put together. Therefore it is not deserving of an award in my opinion.

One of the movies that meets my criteria to be deserving of an award is Monsters University. The reason for this is that this movie is very creative and involves so many colors that keeps the audience entertained throughout the movie. Another, besides the fact that it’s creative the movie itself is a good story that can be enjoyed by anyone. This movie is also easy to relate to because it has real life situations even if it’s an animation movie. In my case I was able to relate to the character Mike Wasowski when he gets his dreams crushed because that has happened to me. Another thing I was able to relate too is that the mom in the movie who treats one of the characters as baby even though he’s old enough. The reason for this is that my mom still sees me as a little girl still and treats me just like the character is treated in the movie. This movie also met the criteria of having action, music, and good sound effects. The great creativity of the movie is what makes it deserving of an award.

As the second movie I picked Insidious because I enjoy watching scary movies even if I get scared. Anyway this movie could be deserving of an award because it is not exaggerated like many of the other horror movies I’ve watched before. This movie also meets all of my criteria for why a movie should deserve an award. Starting with the fact that the story is not too exaggerated but still manages to create fear and suspension in individuals. The movie also has great sound effects and music that create even more fear other than the scenes themselves. Another reason is the actors and how they do not seem to be over acting anything and just keep the movie entertaining. This movie also has good creativity when it comes to the scary scenes because everything is set at the right time. For example, the clip below shows the good sound effects, acting, and creativity that the movie has which resemble why the movie should be deserving of an award. 

Hi my name is Stefani Garcia.I am nineteen years old and this is my second year at Rio Hondo College.

 My goal is to complete all my general education courses and transfer to a Uc or CalState. I am also an athlete here at Rio Hondo College, Women's Soccer Team.

The reason why I decided to take this course is because I needed an art class and art of film seemed interesting to me. Film is interesting to me because I enjoy watching movies, especially horror movies. In the past year I've watched almost every single horror movie that has been released. For example the most recent scary movie I've watched is the conjuring. In my opinion this movie was not what I expected because it was not that scary as they were making it seem. Anyway, even though I like watching scary movies my favorite movie is the opposite of that. My all-time favorite movie is Monsters Inc, ever since I first watched it in 2001 and until this this it continues to be. In fact when the new movie, (Monsters University), I went to watch it the day it was released and it was more than I was expecting. Finally, I am very excited to take this class and learn more about film.