Quentin Tarantino Auteurist Documentary

Concepts of Continuity Infographic

Location As A Character Critique

          
I chose the beach as my location, primarily because I felt that the non-stop motion and sights would be a great place to get really interesting shots. My first shot just reveals the setting to the audience as I’m driving by. It uses a constantly changing perspective to  I then move onto a few shots of birds and a few surfers, I got really lucky that a load of birds decided to fly and swarm around the area I was shooting at, providing some really good quality shots. This shot had something like the opposite of rhythm. Rhythm is organized movement, but the birds flying looks unorganized.  I also got some good shots of some funny birds who were running away from the waves trying to catch sand crabs. This shot has rhythm, because it makes the viewer’s eye follow either the bird, or the waves coming in. The waves were exceptionally calm, so the water retracting from the rocks and the sand added some really nice texture. I also had a cool shot of me following some footprints I found on the beach.  These shots have a good focal point and shape, as the footprints are shadowed to bring them out much more.  My shots of the beach would have been very unbalanced without the rocks in the background to balance it out. Since the rocks provided balance, the shots turned out really well to capture the whole beach. I also had to add in what I could get of the surfers, and it provided some perspective because it showed how small the surfers were compared to huge ocean. I also got a really nice shot of two birds who were sitting on the water take off and barely clear an oncoming wave, which provided good visual movement and action. I ended it with a nice shot that started with a close up on a sailboat on the water, then slowly zoomed out all the way to show the whole beach, but I still kept the sailboat in the middle of shot as the focal point.

Classicalism, Formalism, Realism, Oh My

Broadcast Segment Critique

Pre-production:

We came up with this idea because Cross-Country was in season, and the Mustang News needed a segment on it. I also had a few friends on the team, and they were able to help me find out when the best time to film was, and made the interviewing more fun and loose. I asked 5 interview questions, so I could have some footage to play with, and not be confined to using bad shots because of not having anything to substitute them for. I envisioned the interviews having the background like they did, with the runners running behind them on the track. The interview shots and b-roll turned out just how I had hoped them to.

Production: Quality: 

I shot the interview shots on the edge of the track, overlooking the runners and the field. The B-Roll was shot all around the track, using many different angles and distances, which kept the shots interesting. The camera while shooting the B-Roll never moved, and was very stable. The B-Roll was shot hand-held, so there was a little shaking, but it was minimal and still looked good. One of the best shots was holding the camera at the runners' feet while they run by. It was filmed close up to the runners' feet, and excluding everything but their lower leg and shin. It turned out to be an amazing shot. I tried to use the rule of thirds on the interviews, but a few people shifted their weight a lot, so it was hard to keep them aligned. The lighting was the best it could be, as the sun was overhead and not behind the interviewees, so they were properly lighted, and the focus was great too. The audio came out way better than expected, considering there was tons of wind that day. The wind is pretty much inaudible.

Script:

I wasn't able to do a voice-over, as time ran out and it needed to be broadcasted. I think the segment was informative and entertaining, and kept people's attention well.

Editing:

The B-Roll turned out really well, and complimented the piece great. I transitioned the video and audio through each question, but not between each shot, as it didn't need it. The only titling I had on my piece was to introduce each question. No animation was needed, but I did use a montage of the B-Roll to open the piece, which turned out nicely. Whenever I needed to cut dialogue, I put a piece of B-Roll over it to hide the jump-cut.

Overall:

The part that I like best about my piece is the opening. The music and the quick cuts of B-Roll went together nicely, and proved to be a great opening. If I had more time, I would made the edit a little cleaner, and made the opener have rhythmic matches with the bass drum beats in the song, which would've made an awesome effect. The most important lesson I learned was to manage my time religiously, and get the shots in as soon as possible so that the edit looks the best it can be.

Top 5 Movies

First off, these movies aren't in any particular order. Just my Top 5.

Reservoir Dogs

This movie had the most interesting storytelling, best plot, and best acting I have seen. The way that this story was told backwards, unfolding evidence that slowly lets us understand what's going on. This movie requires your absolute full attention, and to collaborate with whoever you were watching it with after, to understand who did what, and the question of "why?" could be interpreted any way you want.

The unique element of this movie, which is one of main reasons I love it so much, is that the story begins kind of throwing you into a situation that you have almost no idea what's going. It begins with a man driving a mortally wounded friend/colleague, attempting to find a safe place. Then other people mystery people show up, but you find out who they are, and how they were affiliated with the robbery through flashbacks. Overall the whole presentation was awesome, and is definitely an A+ movie in my book.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump probably takes the cake for the saddest movie I've seen. It showed how much war could hurt people, both mentally and physically. Tom Hanks was superb playing the role of Forrest, probably one of the best acting jobs I have seen. The movie also had its some comical lines, like Forrest telling everyone he was shot in the buttocks, kept the movie somewhat lighthearted.

But ultimately, this was one of my favorite movies of all time. Run Forrest, run!

Star Wars: The Original Trilogy

The original Star Wars Trilogy was kind of a revolutionary for sci-fi adventure movies. The movies had it all: amazing plot, amazing characters, amazing acting, and (for its time) amazing special effects. And to top it off, Han Solo is one of the most badass characters ever.

Even people who haven't seen the movies know of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and most of all, Darth Vader. These movies have some of the most epic fighting scenes and weapons, and are able to be watched countless times. If there's a small possibility that you haven't seen them, you're probably shunned by your friends and family.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight was the best Batman movie created. It showcases the iconic battle between Batman and the Joker. This never ending fight could've ended many times, if not for Batman's self made rule that prohibits him from killing anyone. This movie had plenty of action and a great, complicated plot. It even featured the Joker blowing up a hospital dressed as a nurse.

This movie even introduced another villain that was molded from a hero, Two-Face. That part of the movie was very powerful emotionally, showing that the best of people could be molded into horrible people. So overall, amazing and very entertaining movie.

The Avengers

I know this is a new movie that isn't widely regarded as a great, but it really impressed me. The special effects are some of the best, if not the best I've ever seen. Every explosion and fall looked like it was actually happening.

The plot was really good as well, and the part that dazzled me the most was that they were able to take tiny little details and side-stories from the other Marvel superhero movies (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man) and connect them to this movie. The Avengers was like a big mash-up of the other movies, leaving me going like "Hey I remember that!" the whole movie. Myself and everyone else who I've heard from was entertained from start to finish.

What Makes a Great Film?

1. Special Effects
Any action movie that doesn't have good special effects these days usually isn't worth watching. Good special effects stimulate all of our inner desires for explosions and destruction. Having great fake explosions makes action movies extremely watchable. Sadly, in order to have special effects, you need lots of money. Companies like Marvel have the money to make great special effects, and they always come through. Movies like The Avengers, Iron Man, and Captain America all have two things in common: they have stellar special effects and were created by Marvel. They've taken on huge projects like making The Hulk out of a bunch of foam, and making this:

out of this:

So basically, good special effects = good action movie. Or better yet, money = good action movie.

2. Acting

Having good actors could take a movie a long way towards being great.. not all the way, but a long way.

The way your actors act basically dictates how a movie is going to be portrayed. Having good, well-known actors like Johnny Depp or Morgan Freeman could dictate whether someone wants to see the movie, just because Johnny Depp or Morgan Freeman are in it. Take the Lone Ranger for example:

I had an strong urge to see that movie, but (as the reviews say) thankfully I didn't.

Having a cast full of no-name actors could make the movie less attractive. But in my book, as long as they're doing their job, it's all good.

Besides having a well-known name, how someone acts in a movie is extremely important. The actor dictates the whole mood of the story. If the director wants it to be a sad tone, but the actor doesn't look like it, it completely ruins the integrity of the scene.

So casting crews, do us all a favor and find good actors.

3. Plot Twists

The plot of the movie decides what goes on, who does what, and how things unfold. Basic movies usually have three parts: a rising action, a climax, and a falling action. Most great movies play around with that three part structure, possibly adding a twist, more rising actions, or even showing the end before the beginning, leaving the rest of the movie to unraveling the story, trying to figure out what happens.

Now You See Me had more plot twists than every other movie I've seen before.. combined.

Movies like that leave people at the edge of their seat, wondering what's going to twist next. It gives the movie an excitement factor, something that the audience will constantly look forward to. It also continues to baffle their brain afterwards, leaving them thinking about "why did that happen?" and going over all of the twists just to straighten it out in their head.

Making a movie's plot twist into a knot is definitely a good thing.