So because I am a sucker for any movie with cool dancing in it, over fall break I watched the second installment of the every growing Step Up movie series; Step Up 2: The Streets. The final scene of the film is a super long and I will admit, super cool dance scene that takes place outside and in the rain. After the heroic team finishes their awesome rain dance, one of the characters, Moose, goes to talk to the girl he likes, Sophia. However it seems like in each cut in the scene of them talking, Moose's hat is turned a different way, even though you are never shown him actually switching his hat.
Okay so here we are in the first part, and Moose's hat is on frontways
Then as soon as we cut to a two shot of the back of him, his hat is backwards
Then we cut to a closer shot of the same exact scene where they are talking and once again, his hat has switched.
And then, as all teen movies go, Sophia kisses Moose in this closeup and yayy!! His hat is still on frontways
Okay, okay awesome, some consistency, lets see if we can cut to a wider shot of this kiss
Damn! All we did was cut to a little bit wider and once again, his stupid hat is switched again, and I think we all can agree that he did not switch his hat based on that claw grip he has on Sophia's arm.
Anyway, my point is, while you are shooting you may not think that continuity is that important and that you can remember how the actors did each of the scenes, it is an incredibly important part of making a good and consistent film so make sure you get a dope script supervisor.
I love short films. They're the Hershey's Miniatures of movies. You watch them when you just can't fit a feature length film into your diet. Not only are they convenient and compact, but they come in any flavor you could ask for. Craving animation? Try Paperman. Looking to try a silent mystery? Sherlock Jr 's the one you want. Or maybe you're a fan of the classics: A Trip to the Moon. Despite your personal taste in genres, like Hershey's Miniatures, you can't just have one. [Side-note: If you happen to be one of the rare individuals that can eat just one of these delicious chocolates I envy your self-control. Also there might be something inherently wrong with you. Sorry.]
Anyway, during one of my short film binges, I came across Pas de deux. Keeping with my chocolate analogy, Pas de deux could be compared to chocolate covered bacon. Would I eat it again? No. Do I admire the originality of the composition? Absolutely.
Directed by Canadian filmmaker, Norman McLaren, Pas de deux was embraced instantly by the filmmaking community. Not only did it receive 17 awards, (one including the 1969 BAFTA award for Best Animated Film), it was also nominated for an Academy Award. The short is an interpretation of a ballet-style dance called, get this: the Pas de deux. Content, however, is not what launched McLaren's piece into movie history. The real beauty lay in the filmmaker's extraordinary method of production.
The Canadian cinematographer used light and photography to create a stroboscopic collection of images. First, McLaren took photograph after photograph of the dancer/s; backlit and in front of a black backdrop. This lighting scheme, along with his choice of high contrast stock, contributed to the piece's radical overall look. This ain't your run of the mill Instagram filter.
Then, using the "step and repeat" process and an optical printer, McLaren overlaid the photographs to great some of the most interesting and surreal cinematography I've seen. I can not help but to deeply admire the fact that Norman McLaren manually did the job of both the videocamera, and the editing software.
Regardless of whether you're discussing movies or chocolate; one thing can be said of both. You don't need to consume a whole portion to appreciate the taste.
One of the summer's hottest competition shows has one more episode left for until the season finale. This Tuesday they will be crowning America's favorite male dancer and female dancer. This show showcases the dancer's raw talent and their ability to win over America's votes. Before they can make it to the top 20 where they compete for America's votes they have auditions. Very similar to shows like American Idol they travel across the country auditioning dancers who poses the strength and talent to win the competition. There's a panel of expert judges who are there to critique the dancers and pick the top 20. If you have wowed the judges in auditions then you go straight on to vegas week. If you have failed to do so you either go straight home or have a chance to redeem yourself in choreography. Vegas week is the most stressful and dangerous week and shows what dancers are really cut out for the competition. As a dancer you must learn choreography for hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and contemporary, as well as compete is a solo round, group number round, and explain why you deserve to be on the show.
This show celebrates dance and helps dancers and choreographers grow on the show. Many contestants that make it to the top 20 have successfully grown their careers and have become greater dancers themselves. It's a true inspiration and every week I adore the creativity and beauty that comes from the performances. It's not just the choreographers and the dancers that make this show incredible its's the Emmy nominated and winning lighting team and videographers. They make the viewers experience at home real and they add to the performance. This show is easily a favorite and it opened my eyes to a new world of dance and gave me a greater appreciation for this art.
A rock band originally from Chicago is almost better known for their viral music videos then for their music itself. OK Go is composed of Damian Kulash, Tim Nordwind, Dan Konopka, and Andy Ross. These videos have earned them considerable fame despite their often-low budget and promotion over only the Internet through sites like YouTube. Damian has said, “it has always been our position that the reason you wind up in a rock band is you want to make stuff. You want to do creative things for a living.” Believe me after you watch their videos you will see the creative and imaginative things that OK Go does.
Their most well known video is for their 2006 hit “Here it Goes Again.” It involves a complex routine atop of motorized treadmills. This routine took seventeen attempts and was choreographed by the band and Trish Sie became a viral video hit. This video has received over fifty-one million views! This video even won a Grammy Award for "Best Short-Form Music Video" in 2007.
Probably my favorite OK Go video is their video for 2010’s “This Too Shall Pass.” This video was a massive Rube Goldberg machine that lasted the entire length of the video. The machine even played parts of the song that synced together with the video perfectly! Rube Goldberg machines are named after an American inventor and cartoonist and are deliberately overly complex machines that will do a very simple task after a chain reaction. The simple task in OK Go’s video? To spray the band with paint. One of the most impressive things in the video is how it is shot in one take. Many of OK Go’s videos are shot in one take which Matt Zoller Seitz of Salon Magazine claims "restore[s] a sense of wonder to the musical number by letting the performers' humanity shine through and allowing them to do their thing with a minimum of filmmaking interference." After the Rube Goldberg machine was completed the filming took place over two days with an estimated 60 takes. The first day had 47 takes with no successful completions and by the second day they had at least 3 successful fun runs. They then chose the best take from the three and posted it online. The video has now been viewed over thirty-one million times!
Another recent video combined the creative efforts of OK Go and the dance company Pilobolus. In “All Is Not Lost” the band and dancers dance across a glass floor to create shapes and letters with the use of their bodies. Users can create and send messages to friends by inputting your message into the engine before the video starts. To see another view of the video check out their appearance on America’s Got Talent where they perform the video live! (The video experience works best with the browser Google Chrome).
It is said that “video killed the radio star” and I think OK Go may have killed (or at least injured) conventional music videos. To compete other bands have tried their luck to create unique and imaginative music videos to stand out and hit viral fame like OK Go has. Whether it be groovin' with dogs, using time-lapse compression to reduce 18 hours into four minutes, or just performing a dance routine on their back patio, OK Go has raised the bar for music videos for years to come.
