Film Ideas

In our film class this semester, we have broken up into four teams to create short films. It should prove to be quite an exciting project that I am really looking forward to get the ball rolling on. Each team was assigned a certain genre and several components that must be included in the film. Every movie must include a mime or clown, a guitar, a cheese grater, and a skull. It must also include the lines "Why is this happening to me today of all days?" and "It would be better for us not to talk about that." There are four people to a team, as well as four specific jobs that must be done. There is the director, the camera operator, the editor, and the sound operator. The job in my group that I chose was the sound operator. The genre our group was assigned was action. We were all really excited to get this genre and were all bursting with ideas for elaborate chase scenes and intricate fight sequences.

One idea we had entailed using the huge stair cases in the new College of Business building for a scene in which the "bad guy" is being chased by the protagonist. We envision a wide shot from outside with the two tiny figures racing up either side of the stair case, then a cut to a shot of a fight sequence at the top of the stairs with a lot of quick cuts and fast camera motion. We could play with different interesting angles are on the stairs as well as from the top looking down. I think this could easily serve as the lead up to a very climactic fight scene for the film.

Another idea we bounced around was a chase scene through campus. I think another fight scene around the fountain could be really visually interesting especially with the added effect of the motion of the water and the circular structure of the perimeter of the fountain. One almost humorous idea that someone had was to have a "scooby doo-like" moment and have the antagonist disguised as a construction worker, waiting on the hero to run by then jumping out and chasing him. It could add not only an element of suspense, but also a humorous, light-hearted moment.

We have yet to come up with a definite plot, or even theme really, however we did decide that we thought we wanted a female action hero, maybe an undercover cop or secret agent type character. We thought that a female protagonist would be a refreshing change in a very traditionally male-dominated genre of film. As for the bad guy or many of the other details of the film, we have yet to come to a collective decision, however our team has a lot of energy and enthusiasm for this project, and I know that once we come up with an idea we will run full force with it. I am very excited to be working with my team and know the finished product will turn out well.

Gene Kelly, Please!

Ahhh! I have waited all semester to watch my favorite movie, Singing in the Rain and it was just as glorious as I had remembered! I was so excited to get to share the experience with my friends and fellow classmates and to see them discover and enjoy it as well. The energy and passion that radiates from every second of every scene of this movie is pure exuberance. I have often wondered what it is that sets this film and some of the other old classic movies apart from modern movies. Is it the use of three strip Technicolor? Or the angles at which the shots are filmed? Or the quality or style of acting? Or could it be the way the music and sound are done? Or is it the way the film is edited? What is it that makes these movies masterpieces? I wonder how the audience of today would perceive a film like Singing in the Rain. Musicals today, such as Chicago, have a very different style, not necessarily better or worse, only different.

One of the most visually interesting scenes that we did not have a chance to discuss in class was the musical number Beautiful Girls. The scene is a beautiful dance number full of light, airy choreography and charming lyrics. There is one shot in which the camera shoots straight down on the group of dancers surrounding the man singing. The are all looking up at the camera smiling and singing. This overheard style shot is rarely seen these days. If it is, I feel as though it is only in bar or club scenes or to scan over a traffic jam on a road, etc. This is the only time I have ever seen it used where the subjects in the scene are actually looking up and acknowledging the camera above them and are arranged in such a deliberate fashion.

Another scene in the movie that I have always been partial to, maybe simply because of my ballerina background, is the scene where Gene Kelly sees the elusive lady in green and imagines running up to her and dancing a beautiful pas de deux with her. It is interesting that this is actually a day dream within a dream, as the entire sequence is actually simply Don Lockwood explaining an idea for a number to R.F. It is not only beautifully choreographed (always the first thing to catch my eye) but also has impressive sweeping camera angles that dolly in and out seamlessly with the routine and the music. The use of the wind machine that was probably on a few feet off camera added a lot to the number, and it is interesting to think back to some foreshadowing that occurred earlier with the empty stage scene between Don and Kathy.

This movie is one that I could watch over and over again and never tire of it. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to share the experience with my classmates and hope to not only be able to appreciate it more, but also to be able to use some of what I have observed and learned in the projects later.

Inspirational Techniques

When I start to think ahead to our film project due later on in the semester, I am going to be completely honest, I feel quite overwhelmed. I feel as though my knowledge of the world of film making and my level of creativity are quite inadequate to take on such a project. Even with this short film editing assignment due Thursday, I still am not totally pleased with my finished product (and probably never will be.) I don't know whether I am simply doomed as a film maker or just need to learn more and become more confident and not be so afraid of messing up. Well, whatever the reason, I am still looking forward to working with my team in trying to create an interesting short film using a variety of techniques with inspirations from many places.

I, personally, was very impressed with the movie Sunset Boulevard and the way in which they used lighting to add to the mood and drama of scenes. I feel as though, depending on which genre of film, my group decides to make, lighting will play a large part in the feel of the film and the individual shots and scenes. Also, in watching Citizen Kane, I remember the shots of the person with his face half-lit and half in the shadow, fading into a flashback sequence. I think the use of flashback sequences can be very effective in drawing the viewer in and creating a more complex and interesting storyline. One movie that I think epitomizes the use of flashback sequences to tell a story, is the movie Memento.

ONe thing that I think will pose a challenge to our team, is knowing when it is better to zoom in versus "dolly" in (I realize we will not actually have a dolly, but move in essentially.) When Eric was showing us the documentary on film making, there was one scene that was particularly fascinating. The shot started out on kids playing outside, then it zoomed out until you could see that it was the view from out of the window, then it continued to move out until you could see both the scene outside of the children playing, but also the scene inside of the people in the house. I think that this technique, although it could prove to be quite difficult to master for us amateurs could be quite a dynamic and effective transition if utilized properly.

I am very excited about the team I am to be working with because I believe we all have different strengths and ideas to contribute to the project, and I think we will collaborate well. I know we will be able to learn a lot not only from the workshops and films in class, but also from each other, and I look forward to diving right into this project ahead.

I can remember in the past taking note of certain movies that just seemed to be rather dark to me, not necessarily so much just the content of the film, but rather the setting, lighting, mood etc were all also dark with lots of shadows. I can remember this kind of bothering me. Several mysteries or cop movies come to mind when I think of films that have that element of shadowy, dark lighting throughout them. Now, come to find out, this is film noir. While at first it was the noticeably dim lighting that first struck me about this genre, such as in the movie Sunset Boulevard, after learning more about the genre, this is far from its most interesting characteristic.

Voice over narration, dramatic camera angles, and a focus on flawed characters are also elements that distinguish this genre from other period films. The narration and the dramatic camera angles were the most obvious elements, however the focus on flawed characters was most interesting to me. There were never heroes in these films. While they may have been a character that you could identify with or a main character to follow, there was never a hero. Everyone was flawed. I think this partially has to do with the time in which these films were made and the things that were happening in the world at the time. Most of these films were made during or around WWII, when there was a definite distrust for human nature and society as a whole. Often the world of film imitates, if not exaggerates, what is happening in the real world at the time. The world was a dark place filled with flawed people in need of healing, and that is what is reflected in this genre of film very well. I also think this particular movie probably portrays the attitude of Hollywood at the time well. In the movie it is portrayed as very fickle and fake (not unlike Hollywood today) but as also a drastic contrast from the real world. A forced happiness. An exaggerated joy, that was not very present in the world at this time.