Midterm

I had never really realized how much cutting on action was used in film before it was pointed out to us. It just seems so natural to the eye and the brain that you don't really process when it's happening. It seems really easy to do, but it actually requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. You've got to get a really good variety of shots in order to get just the right action shot. Charleigh, Will, and I all took two or three shots each, so there was plenty to work with on that front. The final product was really short, but any action shot in a film would be pretty short anyway. It takes a lot of attention to detail to get each shot to start at just the right time so that it seems natural and not glaringly obvious that there are many different shots pieced together. I think learning to cut on action is a really good skill that any cinematographer should know how to use, as it just makes films look more professional and smooth.

 What did you do in class and outside of class time to help the ITVFest (be specific)

 In class, I went to the ITVFest headquarters and carried boxes down to the swag bag area, then helped stuff and organize the bags. The next day, I helped Madison Heaton and Olivia Saunders find a place for ITV's fake Instagram frame for pictures at the Hampton Inn. We ended up trying to dig holes for the posts with rocks and sticks, which was going absolutely nowhere, so we had to call Muench and Sal to see if they could help. They could not. So we just left it there for someone else to take care of later. I also helped outside of school on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, I went to the Manchester Library for 3 hours and sat at their table answering questions. But Alex and I didn't really get many questions (and when we did, we couldn't answer them because we were given zero information about anything), so the majority of the time we sat there talking to each other and petting the dog that was laying under the table. Then on Saturday I spent all day (10:00-6:30) working at Village Picture Shows (I work there regularly as well) behind the concessions stand.

What have you noticed about television, commercials or motion pictures since you started this class? (Paragraph)

Since starting this class, I've noticed a lot of the little things in films, TV, and whatnot that I've learned here. Specifically, I've noticed their use of B-roll (the news, and a documentary I watched) and creative cutting. I honestly haven't had all that much time to watch movies or TV since starting school, what with sports, work, and homework taking up all of my time, but when I do, I definitely see those little things. I didn't think this class would really have any difference in my every day life, but seeing and noticing those things is kinda fun. I can say I know how to do those sorts of things and it's cool to be able to do that.  

Before you watch the film, imagine how you would approach this film using the dialogue that is written above. What would your plot be?

If I were to make a film for the dialogue, I think I would take more humorous approach to it. It would take me more time to fully develop an entire plot, but I think I would have two characters, both kids. One would be some clueless person, the other a smart aleck. They'd be walking through the forest. The clueless guy would spot something out of view of the camera, point and say "what is that?" The smart aleck would say sarcastically, "it's a unicorn." In awe, completely oblivious that character 2 had been joking, character 1 would say, "Never seen one up close before. Beautiful." The camera cuts to a view of what the thing actually is. Is definitely not a unicorn. Character 2 is kind of in shock that the clueless guy doesn't actually know what a unicorn is, or that he had been joking the whole time. After standing there for a moment, character one squints his eyes in the direction of the thing, suddenly realizes it is definitely not a unicorn and gets mad at character 2, pushes him and says, "Get away! Get away!" and runs away. Then character 2 rolls his eyes and says sarcastically, "I'm sorry" then walks in the direction the other kid ran off to. Kind of dumb, but that's what I could think of in 20 minutes.

Now watch the film. Write a thoughtful essay using the following prompts:

Tell me about the style, lighting, sound, camera angles, acting and decisions that the filmmakers made. Be explicit in your answers and relate it to things that you have learned in class this semester. Use Screen shots from the film to illustrate the scenes that you are writing about. Approx. 500 words.

I really enjoyed this film. It was a very creative plot, much more creative than I ever would have been able to come up with. From the start, they made good choices. The music they chose was mysterious and kind of melancholy, which was definitely perfect for the setting, since you have no idea what’s going on at that point. The old man is holding a nondescript brown box, walks up to a regular-looking apartment, and stands outside of it. It’s confusing and mysterious, and probably reflects something of the old man’s feelings as he walks up to meet this woman. then it cuts to a flashback, where the music goes away and is replaced by more ambient, wind-type noises and kind of creepy instrumental music, which was very fitting. When the boy crawls back into the crawl space where the girl is hiding, the music changes to a more lighthearted, heartwarming soundtrack that lightens the mood effectively.

I think it was an interesting choice that the boy says “never seen one up close before” in reference to the girl, a Jew, but she says “beautiful” (1:43) while stroking the Star of David sewn onto her shirt. Her innocence is portrayed very well in that moment, as she doesn't seem to recognize that the star is there solely to separate and isolate her from others. She sees it only as a pretty thing, maybe in a religious sense, or just as a physically pretty object. Her naïveté is very present in that scene, and it brings a lot of depth to the film.

One little detail that a few of us noticed was that at 2:19, the officer who hit the boy was wearing a hat, but at 2:20 when the shot changes perspective, his hat is missing. It's not very obvious unless you're looking for it, but it was interesting nonetheless. It's something to think about for my own films, having continuity between shots. You want things to look like they're from the same moment if the scenes are supposed to be seconds apart, so you've got to make sure everything is the same. Continuity is very important in making a professional-looking film.

Another piece that I thought was interesting was right at the beginning when the man is walking up to the building, right before it cuts to the flashback. I thought it was creative how it got to that point: the man looks at the window on the apartment, which leads to the memory of climbing through the window when he was a boy with those other kids. It was a natural transition that didn’t feel forced at all, and it was a creative approach to the flashback. Usually, when a flashback appears in a film, it’s not very well done and has cheesy effects — at least in my opinion — but this one felt smooth and creative.

The lighting and coloration on each scene was also very well done. I especially liked the creative use of a lighter as a source of light when the boy is back in the crawlspace with the girl. It creates some interest and helps to highlight certain elements. It really helps to put the focus on the characters, since there’s not enough light to truly focus on the background.

When the nazi officers broke into the building at 1:44, it felt very sudden. The timing just seemed off, and I’m not sure I would’ve chosen the same sound effect to go along with that moment — it didn’t really fit in with the rest of the soundtrack or the themes of the film. However, that might have been on purpose, since the officers are seen as the bad/foreign influence or presence in the story. I think that it might’ve been more effective if the children’s reaction to the noise was shown immediately after the scene of the officers breaking the window. It seemed delayed, and my first thought after watching it was, “wouldn’t they have heard that much sooner?” I liked that they used the lighter blowing out as a warning to the kids, but it didn’t really seem believable that they hadn’t heard them barging into the place and breaking glass until about 5 seconds later, when the lighter conveniently blows out. That was honestly my only peeve about the film. The rest of it was amazing, beautiful cinematography and I really enjoyed it.