...Bar for Documentaries Recently I watched Man With A Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov and I must say, it changed my life. Not only that, as I’ve researched the film, I discovered that it also changed filmmaking in many different aspects as well. While many people may not personally enjoy this wild documentary, there is no denying the time and skill put into each and every aspect. In this paper, I will describe how Man With A Movie Camera set the bar for future films in how it was edited, how it was filmed, and how it has further impacted how movies are made today. To begin, while Georges Méliès invented the editing techniques of double exposures and dissolves and Edwin S. Porter improved them, Vertov and...
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...RQ#5 Considering the classic and unique role of Vertov's works, the two articles analyze those works in a similar pattern by discussing everything from the social contexts to aesthetics of movie itself. But they focus on slightly different standpoints. It seems that Feldman's essay focuses more on the aesthetic part while Petric's essay focuses more on the political influence on Vertov's works. As Feldman essay's title indicates, the major topic of his essay is to explore Vertov's formalism, which gradually leads to shape his value on film production and essence of movies. Vertov did not regard films simply as recordings, or a collection of traces (which actually contradicts to my former understanding of documentary films), and he, as...
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...2015 Extra Credit (Breathless) In the movie Breathless, there are many aspects that come with this film's editing and style/technique. These small details in a movie aren't something many viewers pay attention to and usually don't notice them making difference in the way the film is presented. Things such as the angle of the camera, the way the camera is being held during the recording, the style, the way the movie switches through its different scenes and many more. Now during the beginning of Breathless, I began to notice the camera being very shaky and was not still at all. The picture wasn't clear at times and weren't steady but it made the viewers feel like they themselves were walking in the movie and seeing the scenes as if they were walking toward them or standing there. The camera wanted to make the audience feel like they were part of the film itself. I also noticed the scenes being jumpy, by this I mean the scenes were changing very quick which made a big effect on the movie. This then caused the movie to be confusing and mysterious. This was done on purpose to fit the main character's personality as confusing but most importantly, mysterious. Another aspect that I noticed was that this film lacks a lot of details. There would be scenes where the man would be standing somewhere and then he ends up fixing his car. Another example was when a man was crossing the street and a car was coming and then all of a sudden the man was on the floor, and this was suppose...
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...Outline Title: 2001 A Space Odyssey film analysis Introduction: Begins a dawn in prehistoric Africa, about four million years ago a powerful force entered near Jupiter. The force later on somehow ended up in the prehistoric area. The monolith, was the force that was deliberately planted by an extraterrestrial but why? Body: I. What was learned about the movie before starting my complete analysis 1. Begins a dawn in prehistoric Africa 2. The dawn of man 3. Jupiter’s mission 4. Beyond the infinite II. My own personal analysis in regards to the list of questions from handout (1-14) 1. How and why is the film described as a work of art? 2. What colors are present and what are the color schemes? 3. What mood is set? 4. What is the possible symbolism?...
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...Dead man walking is a controversial film, directed by Tim Robbins, and cast include Susan Sarandon (Sister Helen Prejan) and Sean Penn (Mathew Poncelet). Dead man walking follows an epic experience of a nun, Sister Prejan, with a convicted murderer and rapist, Mathew Poncelet. The movie debates many complex political, religious and ethical issues concerning capital punishment, going through the experience and knowledge of the movie cast. Yet, it intelligently criticizes the law of capital punishment and describes it as an immoral and injustice act of murder. furthermore, Mathew Poncelet who faces death penalty is constantly seen to be facing some form of torture and denial from the society; his life becomes an instrument of the political world while he constantly tries to save himself but fails; however, Mathew’s death brilliantly questions the legitimacy of the death penalty law. The movie criticizes the injustice role of the government on the death penalty law, describing it as propaganda by the government to raise support in expense of a human being’s life. This is particularly evident in the start of the movie, when the governor is shown speaking to supporters and ordering the death of Mathew Poncelet. Although Mathew receives the news of his death, we see him fighting for his life in courts. In the pardon board scene, which is described as being appointees of the governor with enormous power, shown mostly in close up shots, seemed not interested in considering Mathew’s...
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...2013 The Green Mile The Green Mile is based on the novel by Stephen King the film was released in 1999. The setting for this movie takes place during the Great Depression in a state prison on the death row. This movie is tells the story of friendship. The key people in a movies design team are the directors, production designer, and cinematographer. Each person in the design team brings different parts to the film allowing the film to come together in end. (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011) It all starts with the director of the movie who looks over the script and then creates a vision for the film (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The director of The Green Mile is Frank Darabont. The movie is centered on the five prison guards that work the death row or Green Mile. Darabont’s vision for this movie was to bring to life the Novel that was written by Stephen King. The movie was based on capital punishment but it also shows the compassion, humanity, dignity and faith of the officers have for those who are on death row. Once the director has created the vision the film it is the production designer’s job to come up with the landscaping, scenery, and props for the film (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The production designer for The Green Mile was Terence Marsh. Marsh created an eight cell death row. There isn't a single interior in this movie, with the minor exception of the warden's office, that wasn't designed and built from scratch, every nut, bolt and frayed electrical...
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...HAIL The movie that I watched was “Hail” which is directed by Amiel Courtin Wilson. He is one of the famous innovative director and movie makers of Australia. The movie is about an old man who just out of jail “Dan” and his relationship with his long-term girlfriend “Leanne”. Actually through the movie, we have seen that effort of Dan to be integrated into his normal life.I think the characters in the movie are very realistic because Amiel Courtin-Wilson used non – actor Daniel P. Jones as his leading man and the story also based on the real life of Daniel P. Jones, in other words, Daniel sort of plays himself in the movie. In addition to Daniel, Leanne Letch also non-actor and plays herself, indeed I think “Hail” is a love story because in the real life they are also lovers and in the movie even though there are items such as murder, drugs and revenge, characters made many things because of love that they feel against each other. The film passes through the state of Melbourne and starts with scene of get out of jail of Dan. After leaving prison, in the second scene, Dan goes to his longtime girlfriend’s house and we see that they hugging to each other and talking to each other in a romantic manner. In these scenes, their conversations it seems to me like improvisation because their gestures and forms of longing each other were very natural. In the later scenes, we see that Dan is trying to find a job in order to go back his normal life. Firstly, he makes job interview with...
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...the kung-fu movie trilogy that dramatizes the life of the legendary Chinese folk hero: Ip Man. And what a colossal letdown it is. While less disgustingly nationalistic than the second installment, Ip Man 3 lacks the Cantonese humor and the glowing humanity of the first one and is overall a lackluster conclusion to what was supposed to be a kung-fu epic. Donnie Yen returns yet again to play the role of Ip Man, the martial arts master who taught the “Wing-Chun” style to hundreds Cantonese students including the young Bruce Lee. Unsurprisingly, Ip Man is the canonical hero who embodies the Chinese values of familial love, filial piety and flipping men over walls to protect the underdogs of society. Most of the characters in Ip Man 3 are one-dimensional and extremely polarized. For example, Patrick Tam plays the zougou (what the Chinese called fellow countrymen who served their colonial masters), the one who betrayed his master for money. He is lackadaisical, an absolute evil with neither depth nor duality. Ip Man 3’s cast is predictable and even worse, boring. Perhaps the worst thing about Ip Man 3 is its weak pedestrian plot chock full of clichés. So many Chinese movies use either a corrupt Westerner or a barbaric Japanese invader as the main antagonist that it has become a cliché. Ip Man 3 subscribes to the same formula and underwhelms me with its lack of imagination. Ip Man himself is a stoic, impassive and uninteresting hero. By this installment, Ip Man has lost his...
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...INTRODUCTION The film Rain Man was released in 1988 and won the Best Picture academy award that same year. I chose the film because it represented a wonderful mix of story, filmmaking, acting and comedic timing. It is my assertion that acting was the most powerful element of this film and crucial for the emotional arc required from the lead actor Tom Cruise. STORYTELLING The story of Rain Man is presented in a way that keeps the viewer in the dark as the story develops; delivering surprises and plot twists along the way. Writers Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass provide an excellent framework for the actors to really shine in their portrayal of the two main characters: self centered, smooth street-smart Charlie Babbit and his institutionalized autistic savant older brother, Raymond Babbitt. We are introduced to Charlie at the start of the film and quickly understand that he is a successful import automobile broker and willing/able to do whatever is necessary to deliver his product- this even includes paying off EPA officials, if necessary. Charlie is unrelenting in his quest to accomplish his goal. When he finds out that his long estranged father has passed away, he is expecting to inherent a portion of his late father’s $3 million dollar estate; only to uncover that he has an autistic brother who has received all of the inheritance money from their late father, the irony is almost too much for Charlie. This is pure genius from a storytelling perspective as it helps to...
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...INTRODUCTION The film Rain Man was released in 1988 and won the Best Picture academy award that same year. I chose the film because it represented a wonderful mix of story, filmmaking, acting and comedic timing. It is my assertion that acting was the most powerful element of this film and crucial for the emotional arc required from the lead actor Tom Cruise. STORYTELLING The story of Rain Man is presented in a way that keeps the viewer in the dark as the story develops; delivering surprises and plot twists along the way. Writers Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass provide an excellent framework for the actors to really shine in their portrayal of the two main characters: self centered, smooth street-smart Charlie Babbit and his institutionalized autistic savant older brother, Raymond Babbitt. We are introduced to Charlie at the start of the film and quickly understand that he is a successful import automobile broker and willing/able to do whatever is necessary to deliver his product- this even includes paying off EPA officials, if necessary. Charlie is unrelenting in his quest to accomplish his goal. When he finds out that his long estranged father has passed away, he is expecting to inherent a portion of his late father’s $3 million dollar estate; only to uncover that he has an autistic brother who has received all of the inheritance money from their late father, the irony is almost too much for Charlie. This is pure genius from a storytelling perspective as it helps to...
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...INTRODUCTION The film Rain Man was released in 1988 and won the Best Picture academy award that same year. I chose the film because it represented a wonderful mix of story, filmmaking, acting and comedic timing. It is my assertion that acting was the most powerful element of this film and crucial for the emotional arc required from the lead actor Tom Cruise. STORYTELLING The story of Rain Man is presented in a way that keeps the viewer in the dark as the story develops; delivering surprises and plot twists along the way. Writers Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass provide an excellent framework for the actors to really shine in their portrayal of the two main characters: self centered, smooth street-smart Charlie Babbit and his institutionalized autistic savant older brother, Raymond Babbitt. We are introduced to Charlie at the start of the film and quickly understand that he is a successful import automobile broker and willing/able to do whatever is necessary to deliver his product- this even includes paying off EPA officials, if necessary. Charlie is unrelenting in his quest to accomplish his goal. When he finds out that his long estranged father has passed away, he is expecting to inherent a portion of his late father’s $3 million dollar estate; only to uncover that he has an autistic brother who has received all of the inheritance money from their late father, the irony is almost too much for Charlie. This is pure genius from a storytelling perspective as it helps to...
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...Gladiator: The Movie Essay | Gladiator: The Movie Ridley Scott This student essay consists of approximately 3 pages of analysis of Gladiator. Print Word PDF This section contains 804 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) Gladiator: The Movie Summary: "What we do in life echoes in eternity." A famous tag line of the movie that Maximus (Russell Crowe) said to his men before they merge in the battlefield. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). A very highly intense action sequence directed by Ridley Scott. A film that won multiple awards including, best costume design, visual, pictures and sound effects. The "Gladiator." "What we do in life echoes in eternity." A famous tag line of the movie that Maximus (Russell Crowe) said to his men before they merge in the battlefield. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his inheritor over his own son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the savage games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge. A very highly intense action...
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...Fiction and Non-Fiction Documentary Films Name Institutional Affiliation Introduction Non-fiction documentaries often face tight budgets that force them to rely on actors to produce the plot that was intended. Fiction and nonfiction documentaries are anything but just academic and sensational arguments of the differences, for instance filming of a pack of lion over a year is obviously non-fictional as the main characters are unable to act. However, there are events such as for the movie mentioned below that involves that actually took place, but must be reacted to given a storyline of the actual events that took place. Nonetheless, it is always important to know that the fiction and nonfiction documentaries can be understood in relative terms, and that both the two categories of documentaries always aspire to tell a truth about the real world, but fiction is not constrained by the real world. Fiction develops a world for its story to take, and yet a documentary finds its story in the world we live in, and yet a fictional documentary becomes a marriage of these two concepts in films. The Naook of the North is the typical documentary that was built around the nonfictional story line with acting set in into the film. The story is a documentary about Eskimos, and it was the first documentary in the period, a first feature-length documentary and it was preserved by U.S. Library of Congress as a culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” movies in a National Film...
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...Black Hawk is a helicopter with four blades, twin engine, medium-lift utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. This aircraft is design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) and its competition was in 1972(Sikorsky Aircraft). This movie is based on a true story and it is a representation of Battle of Mogadishu which took place in 1993. This movie is for viewers to understand how the civil war in Somalia in the movie you see the US Delta Force showing how they rappelled down from a Black Hawk, and would run through the streets of Somalia while bullets were whistling over their heads, bombs exploding all around, detritus flying in all directions, and those very elite...
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...10/14/2012 Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo While researching film made in the Nineteenth Century I found that the use of technology brought new idea and cause a revelation that effected movie goer worldwide. The following time line shows how each innovation had an effect on the technology that was introduce in that time period. The expectation of movie goers was high as a result the film makers came up with new way of composing motion picture on the big screen. The thought process was open to new possibility. The use of movie projection called magic lantern was introduce in the Seventeenth Century. The use of different filming technique was on the rise. The thought process of movie composer consists of what they were exposed to and to shoot at different perspective. It was well thought out. A movie that was directly influenced by a technological advancement was Alfred Hitchcock, “Vertigo”. To achieve my point, I have organized my paper into four main sections, two of which have sub-sections. In the first section, there is a record of three important events in twentieth century motion picture history: technological changes, the information revolution, a film by Alfred Hitchcock. The techniques he used and how it paved the way for movie director that came after him. It discuss articles a about how the movie Vertigo played an important role and how it impacted the twentieth century film making producer and filming in connecting with his audience. The paper ends with a third section...
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