Write a short paragraph (150 words) that describes a favourite scene (five minutes or fewer of screen time). Name two techniques the filmmaker has used (how the scene is framed, for example. Are actors shown in closeup or far away?) Why did he or she use the technique in your opinion? It may be to make us laugh (as in the "spinning sign" in
Romeo and Juliet) or to create a mood (the empty, ice-bound train we see in
The Ice Storm).
If you have a copy of the film, bring it to class next week. If not and you know the URL for YouTube, put it in your answer. We will watch and discuss as many scenes as we can next Wednesday.
18 comments:
This time I am trying to follow Brad’s instruction to analysis the technique skill in the movie “White Fang”. I found the director used many different techniques in this film. He used the “close-up” shot on wolves’ eyes to show the different emotions. When they hunted the rabbit, the eyes were cool and sharp; however, when the mother took the fish to feed her cub, the eyes were warm and full of love. Meanwhile, the film makers uses the “diegetic sound” to express the motion of the wolves tracing a rabbit. It also sent a message to us that the wolves were eager to get the rabbit because food was scarce in the winter time. Therefore, we could hear the hard and quickly breathing sound when the wolves hunted the rabbit. In addition to the breathing sound, the background music also emphasis the speed was very important in this survival game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WRAubes2nA
Jessie's done a good job here. Also, there is tracking (camera swings from left to right) to follow the running wolves. The composition of the wolves arriving at the rabbit (we see the wolves coming towards the rabbit) emphasizes the danger. Sound is very important as Jessie noted.
Film Technique in Michael Radford's film, 1984
The composition of a scene in 1984 where Winston Smith is accused of being a "thought criminal" by his neighbour's son is a personal favourite because it, although only seconds long, communicates a great deal of important information to the viewer. In the shot, the dominant (where our eye goes first) is on Parson’s son, staring at Winston suspiciously. The subsidiary contrasts are Parson’s daughter, who is intently watching the telescreen, which displays a shot of people’s bodies rotating after being hung on multiple gallows. The shot feels claustrophobic and helps show how propaganda techniques influence the young. In this dystopia, even the children are corrupted.—106 words
To see this short clip go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rBDUJTnNU#t=0m30s (note that the scene is only a second or two. Click "pause" to see what I'm talking about.
If you’d like to link us to YouTube scene (exactly the scene by the minute and second), go to and follow the simple instructions at http://www.youtubetime.com
In the “Shaolin soccer” film, the directors created different movements, but the movements were puzzled to follow or perhaps they made them just to hook up people, and to make the film more interesting. In the film during the soccer game, the camera men captured a player by a player to show how a passion and strong they were. Behind each player though, they showed an explosion fire before he moves toward to the ball; it was kind of an anger indication that’s what I thought. In the film however, a player kicked the ball very hardly. While the ball was heading to the goalkeeper, it changed to a fire. Few seconds later, it roared and changed to a tiger shape. I said to myself “Wait a minute, what exactly the directors or actors tried to show us here!” as I tried to take a picture of a ball very closely, I realized they wanted to tell us that the ball was kicked very strongly that the goalkeeper could not be able to stop it. 172 words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUvK5XHlHuM
Raiya: A very funny scene, that's for sure! I think Shaolin is a kind of style of film making (wire work, for example, so actors can seem to float in the air). The fire sequences are well explained Raiya.
A few days ago, we have watched the beginning part of the movie “The Ice Storm” in English 11 class. There are two scenes that impress me most. At the beginning of the movie, with the background flute overture, the first semi close-up exterior is the ice on the train’s wheel. As the wheels revolve, the ice, follows the rhyme, turns round and round through the follow scene. Those movements sense me with the strong feeling that the thrilling, stringing, and disastrous Ice Storm is coming right away. The other scene of the waiting families on the platform through fade in full screen gives me the cue that they don’t act as an ordinary tightly-coupled family to welcome their family reunion. Instead, each one has his/her own eye contact, goal, and even value. The director narrows down the range of the ice storm to one single family. The new message comes as “The cold, chilly, and uncomfortable Ice Storm is coming to my family!”
In this segment of the movie “sex and city”, four mine characters were sitting in the restaurant, and they were talking about the colors while a child was drawing. In this scene, the directors created a peaceful movement for the audients. In that Mise-en-scene, the film makers used high lighting, tight framing, and color values these technical to attract the audiences.
The director used the edge light so that the characters looked very sprit and health, and used the tight framing to focus on the character when who’s speaking because they all had rich countenance. Also, the color was the key point in that scene; the mine background color is like milk white, so it made the atmosphere gently, and also it served as a foil to the four characters colorful dressing that felt it fitly.
I think he film maker want to impact us that the life sometimes should be relaxed like that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6DBT_ONAjE
I watched movie, Romeo & Juliet. In the night scene, where Romeo secretly went, to meet his lover, the Director of this film tried through various techniques, to make the scene romantic and scary by sound and light effects. When Romeo enters, the place the dog barks and the watchman become alert. The face impressions of Romeo are shown in close-up that he is afraid and tries to hide beside the wall. Still the urge to meet his lover compelled him to whisper near her window. The Director shows expressions and sentiments on the face of the lover and his deep breathing when he found his lover down near the door.
The director shows the close-up beauty of Juliet while she sat near the swimming pool and whispers to her self. The black and blue colour combination enhances the scene’s beauty.
Film techniques in John Cassavetes’ “Faces”, 1968
Filmmakers use many techniques to reflex characters emotion. Like John puts a full screen deep focus on the characters’ facial expression. Richard is a main character. He is a wealthy middle-aged man. His face is powerful and confidence. He smiles and talks casually. Nothing can go to his eyes. And his assistants were laughing and talking. When they saw Richard came in, they all stopped and had a fade smile to him. They were very careful and ready to serve him anytime. Their eyes were focus on Richard. Also, John uses movement to represent their emotion. Richard can get what ever he wants without order, coffee and cigarette. This introduction is a strong contrast to his empty soul, and later on end up fourteen years marriage. –132 words
Although this scene is not my favorite scene, wild waves of water made me scared. I was trying to think about my homework when these loud, crashing sounds disturbed me. My husband was watching the movie, An Evening in Paris. Then I started watching too and I found that the last part of this movie could work with my home work. In this part, the sounds of water and loud music were very noisy and scary. In the close up scene, the sound became louder and sharper. When a helicopter was flying over the waterfalls, the two lovers were standing over the cliff. Huge and fast waves of water were very amazing to watch. The camera technique was wonderful. The camera moved very fast. It also changed the colors of water to white, green and blue. Finally that helicopter rescued them and the water became calm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGnu2fW1R8
2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick. 1968 (141’) Official Trailer 3’36”
The best science-fiction movie in history (to me much more, its deep meaning is unavoidable), outstandingly shows in form and substance the essence and existence of mankind, raising big questions as such: Who are we? Where are we come from? Where are we heading? It consists of four parts --Dawn of Prehistoric Africa--Dawn of the Man, --Jupiter Mission and-- Beyond the Infinite. It is recurring that people don’t understand, accept or consider it boring and confusing.
For “2001” how is known, Kubrick created brilliant “visual effects” (Oscar Award), using “perspective” and large “distances” combining with extraordinary camera “pans” giving the space and infinite perception; moreover innumerable “zoom in-out” where fights and achievements occur. Besides, light is vital to generate powerful elements like dawns, cosmos or hallucinatory voyages. Unbelievably, 19 actors represent the apes, but they didn’t win the Best Make-Up Oscar because Academy though they were real.
Spectacular is the sound track, the perfect combination between sound and images. It goes from silence and gibber to Classical pieces; Sprach Zarathustra, Richard Strauss; or Gyorgy Ligeti symphonies. Whole music was choosing by Kubrick doing perfect match to awaken feelings. THIS FILM MUST BE SEEN!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU4TQ1NTo50
My favourite scene in the “Mother” is striving a mother to save her son‘s life. Close-up of the mother‘s worried and hurried face, and her tearing eyes is looking for her son with “objective pan” technique. Bath‘s door is opened, and sound of water‘s drops, short breathing sound are demanding. Zoom in water drops and exaggerated sound of breathing‘s boy who has asthma, and loud outlandish music cause the feeling of death’s dangerous. Directors’ camera looking down to show the body of the boy on the bathtub, and her mother pulling him up of the water and hug him. His expended chest zooms in camera, and her mom’s wet face with tearing eyes to save her son’s life. A frustrating moment is when she pushes his chest to take it back his berating, but no way for her. She is calling the name of God loudly when she is frustrated .Water comes out of his mouth and the boy is coughing. The director used much technique to create this scene, but the sound has more effective to viewer.
Film in a feather
- Forrest Gump
A feather was flying in the air like a fairy, which was followed by a crane shot. A hushed and soothing music rose from the silence. The feather flew over the buildings, roads and trees. Finally, it fallen casually and gracefully to right foot of a man who was waiting for the bus. A close-up shot was taken to the feather. It was picked up by the man and was put into a book. The man was Forrest Gump–a weak wisdom person. Whereafter, Forrest Gump delivered his great speech: Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. The colourful life of Forrest Gump ran to audience from the feather. At the ending, opposite to the beginning, the feather flew to the sky from his feet. The feather seemed to be an eyewitness of growth to Forrest Gump, at the same time, to be an eyewitness of a great era to America.
Beginning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpM8G44xRsg
Ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXb9jeZOVRw&feature=related
Forrest Gump in One Minute, in One Take:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOvgJ0TxdfI&feature=PlayList&p=AAB67D07B16EB2C6&index=0&playnext=1
Serendipity “A Matchless Romantic Comedy!” directed by Peter Chelsom, released in the year of 2001.
The composition of the scene in “Serendipity” where the two characters in the last part of the movie shows a great reunion of two lost lovers. The first shot of the ending part of the movie that the camera has been used by crane following the gloves back down toward Jonathan’s hands,” the actor”. The filmmaker had used the snow, as a facial expression to show the emotional reunion, and create a warm atmosphere .The snow was a memorable item from the beginning of the movie. The second shot that the camera used by close up shot, to show the emotional expression in Jonathan’s eyes, and there was a second camera in the other side facing Sara. When they came closer to each other, the camera started to spin around, to show the happiness and the love between the characters. In addition, the music had an important role to increase the feelings of love and happiness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwnSmqr-9Wg
"2012 Doomsday"
A piece of movie that offers for the viewers a scary prediction for the year 2012.In another way,the end of the world,when everything will disappears in just catastrophic moments.In fact,the director used many sentimental images such as:the united families during these facts,how they hugged themselves for the final breath.I was really attracted by this scene.No matter what happens united people stay together in the same dangerous circle,in all situations.
Moreover,the immense pictures of Makka al mokarama and the big church,so director try to convince the audience,that even religious places will live the trut,All world's power will joined this day.Everything happend in the movie was just the begining.At the end,I can't say more than this kind of movie stills a future prediction, but in fact nobody knows the last day of the human been ,"God knows".Please stay optimist!.
To watch the movie please go to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyCCd8MCcZY
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XODYzNzQzMzY=.html
After we talked about “favourite scene” in the class of English 11 last Friday, a visual memory has been stick to my mind. It is at the very beginning of the movie “The Sound of Music”, aerial photographed from the building of a convent in the centre of a lake to the surrounding forest, like a bird soaring in the sky with twittering, finally landing on a lawn in front of hills. Then, the camera moves towards the character, Marria, who is walking into the frame from far away,. This composition “compels the viewer’s most immediate attention”, and also shows the freedom and relaxation of Marria. Accompanying the closeup of the camera to Marria, the music turns stronger gradually. The camera focuses on her as she swirls a circle, then tracks her when she sings “The sound of music”.
Film, the terminator, was directed by James Cameron in 1984.
It is a composite of actor and computer animation. The film technique never appeared before 1984. At first, both leading men appeared after the lightning came. The special effects were magical, and I still like to watch the scene after more than ten years. The robot, the terminator, was damaged during trying to kill the heroine. I felt terrible and curious when the robot arm and eyes were repaired by itself. I knew it just a imagination and entertainment movie, but the feeling happened to me. Selecting special words from the computer, watching anything through the camera, and attacking human by the robot were creative ideas. In addtion to these new film techniques, I got a new term, artifical intelligent. Originally, I thought it was just created by the writer to make the audience feel fresh. I found it was real technology in computer after being a university student. I am not sure that artificial intelligent whether is powerful as the movie’s decription, but creative and excellent film techniques are very impressive for me.
My movie's title is La Ley de Herodes (Herod's Law). This is a Mexican movie directed by Luis Estrada in 1999. The storyline is a reflect on the mirror of the way politicians were or still are in Mexico in 1940's. The scene that I picked is the beginning of the movie. It starts with a close up the mayor of San Pedro de los Saguaros shooting a fire gun. After he gathers all his savings (money stolen from the taxpayers) from all his possible hiding places, he begins the run to freedom. Until the furious residents of San Pedro gave him a pleasant good bye. In my opinion, I would say that the director is using lighting and composition as techniques. Lighting, because the background of the scene is not fully lighted. I think this is principally used to create show the audience the lack of services that they have in San Pedro, as well the scene takes place during night time. Composition, because while the mayor is taking the money it fallows him zooming in and out at all the time. I find this scene some how very funny due to I can get the picture of real politicians stolen our money and running away as they always do; with the only difference that in that scene the mayor got that he deserved for petty thief.
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