Wow! There is no way I would ever have the patience or creativity to be a director of a movie. This past week in class we discussed all of the people that worked behind the scenes of film. Whether it was in the preproduction planning stage or the post-production stage, hundreds of people are involved in making a motion picture come to life. What impressed me the most about the extensive preproduction process was how much work went into the storyboarding process and the planning of each individual shot. I had no idea how much thought went into all of these scenes before the movie even went into production. The script was turned into storyboards, then to rough animations, then models, then digital animations, and finally into reality on set. I can't image planning that meticulously that far in advance for something I can not even see. I am such a "let's just try it and see how it goes" kind of a planner. I suppose this approach doesn't make me much of a planner does it? I would be so impatience in this situation. I admire the dedication of Peter Jackson to his films very much. The fact that he went to such great lengths to plan for his movies and poured so much time and effort into these projects is evident in the masterpieces of film he created.

I was also fascinated by the post-production stage of sound editing. Sound is one of those things in film that goes unnoticed unless it is done badly. Because it happens so effortlessly in real life it never occurred to me just how much engineering must go into the audio part of movies. It seems like such a fun process with a lot of experimentation and serendipitous discovery (a process that I would very much enjoy.) I am probably more suited for more post-production jobs because I like to take things that are already in existence and work with them to enhance and improve them, such as in sound engineering, editing, etc. One of my favorite things that we touched on briefly in class was how sound engineers used a variety of different recorded sounds overlaying each other to create the desired effect. For example, elephant footsteps in reality are very quiet, however in the movie they wanted a much bigger effect so they took a variety of different recordings such as boulders falling and concrete crashing to make a new sound track for the elephants' footsteps. This last class further opened my eyes and gave me a new appreciation for some of the specific behind the scenes work that goes into the creation a motion picture. I am anxious to see what next class will hold in store.

The Early Days

When I was a little girl, my favorite movie was Disney's Beauty and the Beast, closely followed by the heart-touching tale, Milo and Otis. I loved movies as a child (so did my mother because movie time for me meant nap time for her.) I possessed a vivid imagination and always managed to transport myself into the shoes of Belle, Cinderella, or Ariel. I think I was always drawn to Disney movies because of the bright colors, touching story lines, humor, and most importantly, the lively musical acts. I love, love, love, love musical. I always have, and I always will. Looking back through the time line of my favorite movies from different phases in my life, they have always been musicals. From Beauty and the Beast as a little girl to the current pick, Singing in the Rain, I am a sucker for a well choreographed song and dance. When I was in elementary school, my very first "grown-up" movie was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which is of course yet another musical, and quickly replaced the Disney classic as my new favorite. Chicago, Holiday Inn, and My Fair Lady are all musicals that have been on the top of my favorite movies list for years now, and I predict that the next great musical I discover will join the ranks as well.

So why is it that I am so drawn to musicals? Is it just the dancer and performer in me, or I am subconsciously appreciating all of the work and impressive cinematography that goes into a good musical scene. Probably up until this point it was the former, however I hope that through this course it will be more of the latter. The more you know and understand about something, the more you appreciate it-- whether it be the science behind the human body, the story behind the lyrics to a song, or the work that goes into making a movie. I am ready to dive deep into the world of film making to discover new wonders in a world. As of now, I have only been able to appreciate and experience the surface level of this artful, however soon I will be able to appreciate it in a much deeper and more respectful way. Already, in only a few short hours, I have been exposed to so much new information about film and its making, from frames, camera angles, all of the people it takes to make a movie happen, to the roots and evolution of movies and film. It is so much to take in at once, however, I can't wait to pop a bag of popcorn and sit back and enjoy the show. (I suspect there won't be much "sitting back" in the class, but I am eager nonetheless.)