The Darkness

The Darkness

INT. DETECTIVE'S OFFICE - DAY
Medium shot
The detective smokes, and works with some papers.
The noise of a beautiful woman (Viveka) knocking the door catches the attention of the detective Charles, who reacts looking at the door, and shouting
DETECTIVE Come in!
Long shot
The woman, looking desperate, enters the room, and says
WOMAN I need you, detective.
DETECTIVE How can I help you?
He turns off the cigarette, and starts filling two glasses with whiskey.
WOMAN There's a man following me all the time. When I'm in my house, when I go to the shop, when I go the cinema. It's very awkward. I don't know what he wants from me. He scares me.
DETECTIVE Since when?
WOMAN Last week... Thursday, I think.
The detective gives one of the glasses to the woman, who replies saying
WOMAN Oh, no! Thank you!
He leaves it in the desk, starts to drink from the other glass, and grabs a paper, and a pen, and starts to write in it.
DETECTIVE How is he?
WOMAN Young, tall, black hair… I don’t know.
DETECTIVE Do you see a familiar face?
WOMAN I don’t think so.
DETECTIVE And who do you think he can be?
WOMAN Really, I don’t have any idea.
DETECTIVE I’m gonna get him, and I will know all about what he’s doing, my lady.
WOMAN Oh! Thank you, Detective!
Silence.
Oh!
She gets some cash from his briefcase. Is this okay?
DETECTIVE He grabs the money.
Perfect.
He accompanies her to the door, and they say goodbye.

Production Journal

Just a few minutes ago I finished editing (correcting subtitles, adding a "Special thanks" to the credits, cutting the first b-roll footage, and putting music into it). The documental is finally ready for the 17th showcase!

Representation of characters: 'Detective Mills'/Brad Pitt

The modern masculinity of Brad Pitt differ from the traditional/old one of the 'Marlboro Man', who looks like a hard-working man, while Pitt is much more attractive because, apart from being good looking, he has a new fashion style: he's a cool man that, for example, in the 1990 advertisement that made him famous, he takes photos and taunts of a kind of 'Marlboro Man' while he hangs out with a beautiful woman.

This is also seen in the 'Seven' scene, with 'Somerset' (Morgan Freeman) visiting Pitt's house, and playing the roll of the 'Marlboro Man', due to that he has a gun, he's alone when talking, etc..

Seven - Working towards the textual analysis

The film has various factors that create the specific genre. For example, is kind of a mix of taut suspense thriller with mystery and horror. Also, a cop drama.
I can say this because of the elements/conventions found on particular scenes, as for example on monday's one, when the policemen found the crime of the fat man being murdered after being forced to eat until his stomach bursts.

Noir Conventions in Seven

Elements

- colorless (dark ambient/atmosphere because of the city decay) lighting, which suggests the technological environment, but also the cold and unfeeling reality.
- part of police office (building) Dutch angle, long (establishing) and low shot.
- crime in urban place: world full of evil.
- non-diagetic sounds.
- library stands out by green lamps.
- also, the violin music produces these effects mentioned before.
- jump cuts from the two detectives to show what they were doing.
- the rain is heard but not seen.

Production Journal

We are facing towards various choices of our post-production and organizing the film footage, choosing what should go in and out of our film. I was in charge of watching the interview I did to my known cop and deciding what were some important phrases to use.
Actually, I think we are in a correct way, although perhaps we have to administrate more quickly and effectively the work we have done (when I say this I mean that for example I should download and start to learn how to use an editing program in my computer).

PRODUCTION JOURNALS - becoming more analytical

Q.
Strengths
- use of sound
Weaknesses
- bizarre dialogue
- colorless
- not funny: a comedy that isn't funny it's not a comedy.
- bad effects and poor editing of the transitions of the shots sequence.

Q. It doesn't meet them so much because of the lots of the aspects (weaknesses) mentioned above in the first question.

Production Journal

Last week we start with filming. We met on the Monday 22nd and the Tuesday 23rd August in Ramiro's house and we really work.
We went to the street and filmed specific shots, various interviews, etc.. The filming continued irregularly till Saturday 27th, when I film my known cop.
Although the problems that usually happen, occur (like for example a video was magically deleted), we are progressing.

Production Journal

Basically, in the week during the Monday 8/8 and the Friday 12/7, our organized work consisted on that Santos with Ramiro's and mine help (we both did the location list, which is all clear for visiting those places in the future, for making shots or interviews), finished the shot list. However, both lists can be affected and changed due to whatever it happens when filming.

Other information:
- Because of the weather, I couldn’t meet the cop I know. However, I’m going to contact him via-cell phone for interviewing him.
- Ramiro's camera will be ready.
- Also, we have done some researches for robberies videos in www.youtube.com.

Production Journal

- Confronting a problem: Ramiro Villegas's cop's possible disappearance.
- Further solutions: the cop I know? I will try to contact him immediately (on saturday, where I play football soccer with him).
- More points to cover: more through research (still shots, newspaper articles, statistics, etc).

Decision (final one/s) over the locations of shooting

Narrator: should there be a voice-over or talent pushing the documentary forwards? Or just visual artifacts?
Final decision: at least a voice-over, to give a more dynamic and interactive documentary flow.

Other objective: start of shooting (during weekend or day of the week. Especially artistic scenes.

Quentin Tarantino

1) Two distinctive features of his films are that, for example, he makes really very sudden violent scenes, with lots of murders and blood. And also, his movies are humorous, clever, and with the presence of quick dialogues.
2) He learned by being a video clerk (therefore not as a film-school student).
3) Because they claimed that he produced many unnecessary aggressive images, and due to that they only focus on criticize him for a supposed plagiarism.
4) Crime Thriller
5) POV: makes the audience feel as a character. Pulp Fiction image of when Marsellus wakes up after being hit by Butch's car.
Low-angle shot: shows Jules and Vincent (in Pulp Fiction) opening the trunk of the car searching for weapons. The viewer gets curious about what's inside the trunk.
Extreme close-up: focuses the viewer to concentrate in the mouth and what it says. Mia's lips in Pulp Fiction.

6) The 'mirror shot' represents the other face/side, the "double" of the character, by the reflection in the mirror.
Here, an example: Vincent in Pulp Fiction.

7) a) The name given to a shot showing a situation where more than two characters point each other with guns.
b) It was invented by an italian-american film director called Sergio Leone in the movie 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', a classic from 1966 and one of Tarantino's favorites.
Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.

8) c)

Capturing The Friedmans

1) The pre-production activities consist on images like videos or photos/pictures; the research of the people (witnesses), such as the family, the lawyer Peter Pannaro, or the police, and the necessary materials/elements.

2) The reality is showed by the movie footage; the main characters were filmed at their houses or during important moments (example: Jesse in the jury).

3) While, basically, the post-production ones were about interviews which only focused on them.
- Jump cuts and non-diagetic sounds are present
- Court room with sounds over

4) All the lots opinions and points of views in the movie produce a message and ideas to the audience which mean the doubts about what happen, and that still we don't know if they were guilty or not.

Production Journal

New and final pitch by Santos Espina Mairal, Honorio Felipe Oleksuk and Ramiro Villegas

What are we doing?

Our documentary is going to be about the middle class paranoia which has been created due to the crime in the streets of Capital/Quimes (to de decided upon further discussion): is it a real fear? Is it mere fiction? We are going to explore the concerns of the public involved in this situation and try to expose what this dilemma is about for real.

Why are we doing it?

We strongly feel this problematic situation is one which is talked about thoroughly, but from which no one knows much. Also, we think that it is a good idea to inform a wider public about the present situation of insecurity and the panic it creates, although this remains in the silence or in inconclusive claims.

How are we going to do it?

We are going to transmit the atmosphere of fear which is present in this section of society nowadays, in the most realistic-crude way as possible, gathering accessible evidence and concise facts to support our ideas and showing by filming techniques the actual situation we are trying to express.

Ramiro talked to a local cop, he agreed to be interviewed.
There was an advance on the discussion of shots. Probable shooting of people in the street, asking if they feel insecure.
Fade in of a long tracking shot of the fences, shot from a moving car. Momentary superimpositions of still shots of security cameras.

Jump cuts in ‘A Bout de Souffle’ (Godard, 1960) and ‘Eden Lake’ (2008)

By watching the first clip, the use of this specific type of editing can be seen. In this movie, at the opening, approximately 3 of these between the shots at the car are shown.

By looking the second clip, the use of this specific kind of editing can be seen. In this film, at the opening, approximately 4 of these between the ‘tracking’ shot of the car at the motor/high way (from another car, middle POV) are shown.

Mise-en-scene school's essence

The concept which we tried to capture was the standardisation to which the students are subject to: the uniformity in which everyone is turned (tried to turn) into certain model student (through imposal of uniform, haircut, behaviour, etc.). This school conformity is the essence we tried to evoke in this shot, by aligning the characters in two symmetrical rows and dressing everybody equally, conveying a sense of discipline and order which. Being a fairly long-shot with straight angle, there was space for the spacial deepness to be noticed and the sun to hit in only one of the sides of the character's faces, in order to enforce/maximise this equality, this constant conformist view of creating repeated stereotypes.

The essence of St. Georges that we want to convey was the standarization of the school, the authority that St. Georges can demostrate to us and try to give an example to the surroundings and to others. The uniformity that students have, the conformity  with the school that student show to us through the image. The picture is a long shot, straight-angle-shot, direct lighting and grey-white colors.

Explain in one paragraph the mood and feelings the shot evokes by considering ALL the elements...

...talked in class.

This shot from ‘The Last Emperor’ movie manages  to convey a sense of majesty and power, of an exotic culture, but also hints at an end to this way of life. It does this by, for example, the costumes of the people (the characters; followers or soldiers), which are placed in perfect lines, provocating to the photo the feelings and emotions of a really very organized spatial relation where a special/ancient time atmosphere creates more sense of order. Symmetry takes presence. Also, about the colours at the image, it’s showned that they’re all dark due to the dull lightning. Yellowish, reddish and blackish are the ones used. The fact that the showing of the set (or setting; the grey sky background, stairs, floor, temple) is demonstrated by a far away type of angle (this kind of thing is defined as a simply “long shot”) from the place with its objects, makes the photograph ambient more cold, respectful, grand, dominated, royal, causing the audience to get a weak mood. All these visual effects mentioned before, produce the mis-en-scene (what’s put inside the film).

(Film review) The Black Hole

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5_Msrdg3Hk

Pick your favourite of the three and write a review of 350/400 words (electronic copy).

-         Bonus marks available for use of critical film language.

-         Quotes from and use of secondary sources.

-         Use of still images from the film as evidence.

In terms of the film content The Black Hole is a short movie, where only one actor is present, the main character. The film takes setting at stationary scenery. As it seems, it’s supposed, or it’s deduced that this actor is an ordinary office worker who stays extra hours at his job (apparently, till all other workers went away and night comes). He’s alone taking photocopies without talking at all. The photocopier starts to work badly, so he hits it, and suddenly a page with a black circle covering great part of it gets out of the machine. The man looks at it, surprised and leaves it for a moment, and the photocopier begins to function well.

After a while, he realizes that objects can pass through the page, like into another dimension or for entering wherever you wish to. He proves it trying with his own hand. The protagonist goes to a candy-bar machine and takes sweets... Later he seriously stares at the door of the room where the strongbox is located.

He puts the sheet over the box, and he starts to take out one wad of dollars, two, three, ten... He wants to get more and more, but what happens? He gets inside to see how much money is left, but he slips and falls into the box, with all the money outside and no exit at all.

About the sound, every time the man enters something into the black hole, sound effect of a deep noise is made. The background, natural ambient sound it’s the noise of the photocopier that takes presence all the way through. Non-diagetic sound is also present. However, music is absent.

            Speaking about genre, as the movie has a mixture of more than one, it can be said that it must be called “generic hybrids”.

Referring to the camera, although a close up one takes quick shots continuously, its position doesn’t differs so much creating diverses angles in relation to the main subject. The lighting is black, grey, white, and dull all the time.

It’s a really very short but funny and interesting comic story that catches the audience attention (it must be reminded that it is not aimed to any particular or target people) by a mix of suspense, but a humour touch at the end.

Finally, concluding, with a few scenes, it also transmits a message against ambition and robbing.

Word count: 400.

State and Main spidergram- Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - PRODUCTION ROLES

Spiderdiagram

Director

-         Co-ordinates the other crew members

-         tells actors how to play their roles

-         in charge of taking control of the different and diverses situations

-         organizes scenes, shots and take important decisions

Assistant D.

-         voice of director in shots

-         recieves orders

Editor

Sound Designer

- responsibility for the appropiate and specific noises and sounds (music) at the particular moments

Cinematographer

-         needs shot idea accuracy

-         leads the shootings after the director (lights, etc.)

Scriptwriter

- provides the initial story

- is usually overruled by actors/director when filming begins

-         creates the structure of movie

-         needs to re-write in case the picture is not possible to be act

-         “You can’t portray with the picture what you’re saying with the words”; difficulty transferring script, conveying scene escence, emotions

Actors

-         must know their lines

-         personal conflicts envolved

Producer

-         sustains finances and economy

-         deals with businesses and contracts with conflicts which might arise (his products)

French Impressionist Cinema research (1918-1929) Friday, March 11, 2011

1) Find two images for French impressionist paintings.

Give brief caption with name, artist, date. Explain briefly the important characteristics of French Impressionism.

Characteristics of Impressionist paintings include visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, the inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles.

- Van Gogh’s A Starry Night (1889, near the mental asylum at St. Remy, France.

- Van Gogh Still Life Vase with Zinnias 1888.

2) Three outside factors that influenced the rise of French Impressionist cinema?

Explain in your own words.

After WW1 there was an economic decrease in France (and all the rest of the world) which led cinema went down, so French Impressionist movies had to come up with new ideas to make this theme popular worldwide.

3) Describe three or more important technical aspects of French Impressionist Cinema (i.e. use of camera, editing, sets, lighting, narrative, etc.)

Camera use: different angles were used such as a close ups. High and low angles and movement.

Mise-en-scene: low lighting, use of shadow shots. Also arrangement of movement in a specific subject.

Optical Devices: such as the use of magic, mirrors. Enfficise significant details that gave the film key meanings and details to think about.

4) Find information on two important film directors in French Impressionist Cinema from 1918-1929: name, photo, major films, interests or concerns shown in films.

Name: Abel Gance.

Major Films: Victoire de Samothrace, La Digue (ou Pour sauver la Hollande).

Interest in sound films when came out, interested in telling stories, for example filming Vénus aveugle  after the invasion on France in 1940, to give hope to the French.

Name: Jean Renoir.

Major films: On purge bébé (Baby's Laxative, Le Crime de Monsieur Lange).

Grand Illusion (La Grande Illusion) one of his best known films. It was about series of escape attempts by French POWS. It was very successful, but became more successful because it was banned from Germany. He was very opened and filmed all over the world.

The following websites may help:

• http://paintings.name/french-impressionism-technique-innovations.php

• Webster's Dictionary

• Essay on Joan of Arc (1928)

• Art and Culture

http://www.artandculture.com/categories/213-french-impressionism

PowerPoint Presentation (12-shot film with explanatory captions)

In this shot, it's showned a happy couple and by this, the camera is only focused on them.

Here, a medium close up shot is present, to the far angle shot (of the bench) which is pointed by the girl, demonstrating a sign of interest.

A low shot. They are really in a happy love. It's strong.

Only her face explains her interest.

High angle shot.

Dutch angle shot.