Friday, September 13, 2013

Camera Movement in "Children of Men"

If you have ever gotten the chance to see the film Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuaron, then you are well aware of how few cuts there are in regards to each scene. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki has received worldly acclaim for his work with this movie. Each shot is extremely well choreographed, and rather long, but not in a negative way at all. One scene that struck me as incredible in particular is the infamous car scene. Words cannot describe it, so I have posted it above.

The first thing I wondered was how in the world did they film something like that? Regardless of the timing and special effects that were used, I was intrigued on finding out how they were able to film inside the car during the whole scene even while it is moving. It turns out that there was way more thought put into the scene than I could ever imagine. To give you an example, this is the rig that was created just for that single shot.
This not only allowed them to be tracked throughout the whole shot, but also allowed the cinematographer to capture things happening inside and outside of the car at the same time. What took me by surprise even more was that there was another rig which you can see on top of the camera which peered into the car from above. As the camera swung around to shoot different actors, the others would have to pull the seats down all of the way, which allowed the camera to swing over them without hitting them. The amount of effort that was put into this shot really spoke to me in the sense that if you have a particular vision on how you want something to look, then you shouldn't accept anything less than what you have in mind, even if it means building something like this.

What The Fox Is Ylvis?

Last night, during our frequent ritual of sharing the latest videos and music we're into, my roommate ordered me to watch "The Fox" by the Norwegian duo Ylvis, with nothing of a preface save for "YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS FOX VIDEO."



The video starts out with a scene of animal costumed party attendees, which immediately reminds me the chilling party scene in Sweeney Todd (ah, intertextuality), and I'm already thinking of ways these animal costumed folk are symbolic in what I imagine to be a beautiful song and video.  We see our protagonist, our singer, as the only one dressed as a human. Hm, what could this mean? What symbolism and thoughtful artistry are we about to see in this video? Then the lyrics begin.

I sit for a few second asking out loud if this is a serious, legitimate song. The quality of the image and production is deceiving. It looks too real to be a parody. What are you doing over there, Norway?

Then the chorus, and then I knew. As it turns out, Ylvis is a variety show group composed of two brothers who specialize in making high quality music video parodies consisting of utterly ridiculous and hilarious lyrics. Their repertoire of videos include a Josh Groban-esque ballad about the meaning of Stonehenge, a seemingly generic club song called "Work It" that proceeds to scientifically and literally describe what happens when you pick up a girl in a club, among other things, and my personal favorite, "Someone Like Me" which I can't describe because you just have to watch it.

Ylvis uploaded their viral video for "The Fox" less than two week ago, but they have been around for thirteen years, when they toured professionally as a live variety show. Their live shows are described as "challenging and surreal musical comedy." Several tours, radio shows, and television programs later, Ylvis' viral release of "The Fox" has landed them with international fame, even getting featured on websites such as Funny Or Die.



Happy laughing :)

Funny Or Die: Dave & Chris Road Trippin' Across the USA

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 8:00 AM to get a ticket to see Dave Franco and Chris Mintz-Plasse speak in the Park Auditorium. After waiting for two hours, I didn't get a ticket... But I got on the waiting list. So naturally, I think I have no chance and debate on whether or not I should show up tomorrow for the actual event.

Thinking I wouldn't be able to get in, I tried anyway. I showed up and waited for all the students with tickets to go in. Miraculously, they had space for two more students! And guess who was second on the waiting list?! (If you guessed me, you're right.)

So, today I had the wonderful pleasure of sitting in while Dave Franco, Chris Mintz-Plasse (a.k.a. Mclovin from Superbad), Brian McGinn, Hunter Cope, and some producers of Funny or Die talked to Park students about their "Epic Adventure." They are going around doing things they've always wanted to do (i.e. skydiving) and proving that "it's all possible."


The Announcement: Dave & Chris Road Trippin' Across the USA from Dave Franco

Their strange, uncomfortable, "homoerotic" (see You're So Hot) sense of humor is who they are and what they want to portray to their audiences. They want to produce what they think are funny, hoping that other people will find it funny too.

It was really inspiring hearing their stories and the projects they have worked on/are working on. Their biggest advice for aspiring filmmakers was to help out and work with your friends. When you help out other people, they will return the favor. Produce what you think is good and what you enjoy. Have fun and always make projects. It's very important to continuously work and improve yourself; it's the only way you'll make it.



Duality

29 year old producer, Steven Ellison, also known as Flying Lotus, and Captain Murphy, has always had a very alternative approach music, and art itself. One of his early albums, entitled "Cosmogramma," touched on how experimental Flying Lotus's career is, and hinted at what direction he could potentially be going. His other alias, Captain Murphy, first was presented last year with a anonymous Youtube account during the summer of 2012. Fans began speculating the identity of the unknown artist based on the musical stylings, content, and other collaborative musicians. Upon the arrival of the date of his first mixtape release, he posted via Twitter a link to a website: http://captainmurphy.xxx/. It is a link to a rather empty website, containing a single thirty-six minute video. There is a huge lack of context with the clips chosen, it contains everything from cartoons, to pornography, to 1980 films. The general theme of the video is that Captain Murphy is a cult leader and he is attempting to recruit you into his cult, telling you to "join our elite mission to save the world," and that "it doesn't sound like your friends and family love you if they can't support your new decision. Maybe you should stay away from them. It is unhealthy for you to be around unenlightened people anyway." The video is broken into seven "lessons," that all promote similar things to the quotes listed above. It is still unclear the context and the motives of this video. Steven Ellison claims that he never wanted credit as the identity behind Captain Murphy which further illustrates his alternative approach to art and his desire to say and do what others will not.

Here is Duality:

CGI or no?

It seems nowadays its extremely hard to trust what you see on the television screen is reality. I don't mean reality television but the actual visuals. Computer generated images seem to dominate movie screens. Movies such as Transformers, The Great Gatsby, and even the hobbit rely heavily on post production imaging. Knowing this is what makes the band Travis' music video for the song Moving so captivating. For the video the band projected images onto their breath in sub freezing temperatures. To this day it is one of my favorite music videos. 

How to film a skate video: Red Bull Perspective


       This skating video presented by Red Bull House Media 2013 is simply a work of art. Directed by Nicholas Schrunk, "Red Bull Perspective" is an impressive collection of footage that can literally teach  you certain cinematic elements that could be used on a film of your own. A behind the scenes look at the making of the this video offers insight to all kinds of out of the box shots which with time, patience and the right equipment can improve the entire end product of any film. The use of anamorphic lenses gives the audience a wider perspective of view which adds to the cinematic quality of the film. Additionally the use of a phantom camera shooting up to 4,000 frames per second creates a realtime shot with slow motion action. The team also used cable cams to provide an up close and personal view of the skater as the are hitting their set therefore giving the audience a point of view which brings them along for the ride. Lastly I would like to mention how throughout the video the production team talks about the many variables that make up just one shot, rarely do action sport videos breakdown cinematic elements in such detail. Overall it is refreshing to see such unique genres of work accompanied with knowledgable production teams to capture the essence of cinema.


                       

Never Say Goodbye



I don't know how many times I've been able to say that I was captivated by a YouTube video but this has to be one of them. The Hardwell Miami 2013 Aftermovie entitled "Never Say Goodbye" is a tribute to one of the biggest Electronic Music Festivals in the world, Ultra. This festival is a total 2 weekend, 6 day amalgamation of the best DJs and Producers from around the world. Now, this video may only feature one of the members from this festivals incredible roster but it sure does do his performance justice.

This video, as the title suggests, highlights Robbert van de Corput who is better known by his stage name, Hardwell. This Dutch mastermind is one of the driving forces in electronic music today, having played some of the most prestigious venues around the globe as well as releasing numerous chart-topping hits. On to the video itself.

I was extremely impressed with the overall production value of this video. From the music choice to the obvious finesse in the editing and placement of the voiceovers, this video is visually stunning. On top of its quality, it is able to display all of the energy and emotion and just general happiness that this festival seems to breed. I feel the combination of those two aspects make this video one hell of a production.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

DevinSuperTramp

I'm back again with even more YouTube videos. I've always loved all the cool stuff that there is on YouTube, and now that I have some experience with film making and editing, I love seeing what other people make and try to figure out just how they went about doing so. Recently I have been stumbling upon these awesome videos by the username Devinsupertramp. I know all of you have most likely have seen some of his work on YouTube due to the fact that almost every two weeks he makes YouTube's front page.

Devin makes these beautiful videos of all the adventures he goes on. There some are videos of cliff jumping in Hawaii and walking on a tightrope across canyons, while others are just a lot of footage of nature with a very nice music score. The equipment he uses consists of go pros, DSLRs, glidecams, and even remote control helicopters with video cameras. One piece of equipment I really am a fan of is the glidecam that he uses. Glidecams are a type of steadycam which makes a shot where the camera person is moving look as smooth as can be. The effect from the glidecam has a really cool end result. All of the variety and versatility of his equipment really pays of in the end.

World's Most Insane Rope Swing


Behind The Scenes


This video is just flawless and very enjoyable to watch. One of the things I enjoy the most about Devin's videos is that he edits very nicely to the music. When the bass drops in the song he usually makes a cut and it really gives the video some emotion. Also he makes use of the go pro action cam very well whether it is mounted on a pole to see the person's face while they are jumping off the cliff or facing outward to get the point of view shot. Another cool perspective in the videos are the use of aerial shots. The aerial shots that he gets using the remote control helicopter is used very tastefully and shows how intense the activity really is. In the behind the scenes video he really shows you every bit of the magic which is really cool to take pointers from. One point he made was that by shooting during "Golden Hour" his shots really come out looking beautiful. It is very cool to hear back on a creative level from a you-tuber. I hope you enjoyed these videos and I recommend subscribing to his videos because awesomeness is definitely ensured.

Miley Cyrus' New Outrageously Risky Music Video

If you thought her last video was a bit raunchy, then you will be blown away with this next one. This song is her newest hit single called "Wrecking Ball". The video was released on Youtube on Monday, September 9th. When I viewed it Monday evening, Miley already had over 19 million views in 24 hours, which is not very surprising. Her provocativeness was cranked up to a whole different level. The performer appeared completely naked in most shots of the video, and when she was clothed it was see through and barely covered any skin. Now some do see nudity as an art form, other may see it as the young girl just trying to flee far away from her innocent and young Disney Channel, image. When Miley heard about how the public tore apart her video the second it came out, she decided to make a bold statement on her Instagram. Below her statement is visible. She goes into depth about why she was nude and why she was kissing a sledge hammer passionately. Miley explains the thought and meaning behind every choice that was made when producing the video.

Taking everything Miley Cyrus says into consideration, makes me understand more of what she was trying to do. The director of this video was Terry Richardson. In my opinion, I think Terry and Miley didn't succeed as portraying the story that they had in mind. It was hard to think about the true meaning of  the video while Miley is kissing and liking a sledgehammer. The viewer is too distracted by nudity and sexual actions to even think about what the song actually means. Watch the video and tell me if you think her 19 million views was because of artistic talent or because of pure nudity.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

JOHN AND KYLE DO EVERYTHING! Including a movie!



                                                 






                                               John and Kyle Do Everything



John and Kyle Do Everything is a web series created by John Horan and Kyle Vorbach and directed by Erich Westfield. Both are Ithaca students and I have worked with them directly. They are creative, professional, and both are hilarious. For John's thesis project he is making this web series into a movie and I am excited to see how it turns out.


If you have not seen the show, you should. It is about two guys, John and Kyle, who have a bucket list and plan to complete all the ridiculous things before they die. The show has great lighting, picture quality, and sound. They use Premiere to edit their shows, along with Adobe after effects. In my opinion, these episodes look so professional and really entertaining to watch.

In this specific episode, I am featured in it! The objective of the episode is for John and Kyle to go to a "rager". The party scene of this episode is fantastic, they used gels to have different spectrums of lighting and created a visually stimulating montage. I think there work is fantastic and I would gladly work with them again. In this episode I am a "sexy terrorist" and it is a little risqué(my dad didn't like it that much)

For a student production, John and Kyle Do Everything is very well made and enjoyable to watch.


Watch episode three, along with the other four episodes!


Monday, September 9, 2013

Miley Cyrus' Music Video Called a "Joke" and Grabs Attention of Public

         Im sure you have all seen Miley Cyrus' awfully provocative music video, for her hit song, "We Can't Stop", from her Wrecking Ball album. Now this song was immediately popular once it was produced. It took the number one spot on the charts in Britain for weeks. It is a very catchy song indeed, yet when the music video was produced and put on the web for public viewing, people, including myself were astonished. In my opinion the video was just too over the top and vulgar, but from a business standpoint, within a week her video had gotten over millions of views.
          Miley's video set the Vevo record with how many hits it got. So either way if people were viewing it to see what everyone was talking about, or because they actually enjoyed it, it still got the views. So was putting herself out there, wearing barely anything throughout the whole video a good move or a bad one for the young performer? It is very hard to say why the video got so famous, but in my opinion it primarily became popular because the lack of clothing and sexual acts that took place. Like everyone says "sex sells", and Miley Cyrus certainly is a perfect example.
        There are tons of other ways to make a tasteful, successful music video, but she chose to be a crazy, provocative party girl and it did indeed gain her some success. Her performances following the release of her video clearly showed her level of expertise has fallen greatly. After Miley Cyrus performed on the VMA's it became pretty apparent that her talents had disappeared, and all she cared about was her sex appeal and standing out.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Fear Super Gear

In todays industry it seems as if theres a new camera coming out every week. Ultra HD, 4k, 6k, and now were even reaching resolution up to 8k. What makes it so special? Does having a bigger and better camera make you a better film maker? No. Sometimes its the simplest tools that can make the best films or even shorts. Just because you're working with a baseline dslr doesn't mean you can't get a phenomenal image. Your shots and your story is what you make of it and the only way to get better at what you do is to go out there and practice. Film maker David Kong teaches you how to turn your baseline DSLR into a beautiful film making machine.

Portrait of Macerata from David Kong on Vimeo.

Filmmaking Tutorial: Working With Less, Part 1 from David Kong on Vimeo.

Filmmaking Tutorial: Get the most out of your DSLR from David Kong on Vimeo.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Frances Ha/Riddick/Man Of Steel

Well this has been a week of movies for me.  In the last two days I say Frances Ha, Riddick, and Man of Steel. I thought I would provide a short review of each film.

Frances Ha is Squid and The Whale director Noah Baumbach's newest film. Greta Gerwig plays the titular Frances, a woman adrift in her twenties, who find herself moving from place to place after her best friend moves out of there place leaving her no longer able to afford the rent. The film was shot in black and white and on a very low budget. Shot on a Canon 5D the cinematography was beautiful, well lit and well shot. A fantastic low budget mumblecore with great female characters.

Riddick was shit. Yet I enjoyed parts of it. The film had the worst pacing ever. We spend the first 30 minutes watching Vin Diesel raise an dingo like alien dog. It then turned into a slasher film and finally a corney redemption story. Under developed characters were rampant throughout the story. The most enjoyable part of the film is the dialogue which is so ridiculous that you can't believe the director was not self aware of the massive amounts of cheese.

Man of Steel, like Riddick, dealt with poor pacing problems. Action packed flashbacks were crammed together then massive amounts of uninteresting exposition separated those from the final fight scene. the film felt overly cheesy at times even for a comic book movie. I couldn't help  but laugh at some scenes. But at least it wasn't the Green Lantern.

The Greatest Music Video I've Ever Seen

Anyone who has seen The Tree of Life by Terrence Malik knows how breathtaking the long tracking shots are and how much they contribute to the overall beauty of the film. Today I viewed a music video to the song "Open Eye Signal"by the producer Jon Hopkins, that was shot in a very similar way; steady cam tracking shots during what is known as "magic hour"- either dusk or dawn when the sun casts dramatic shadows and gives everything it touches a certain aura. The video followed a young rough looking teenager who skateboarded his way from southern california all of the way to the north. He traverses several deserted places, each oddly eerie and awesome. Each shot is skillfully executed and mapped out, and the scenery is simply breathtaking. An example of this is when the camera goes over a small bridge. At first there are dynamic lines in the framing which slowly straighten themselves out like a grid you'd see on a preview screen.  Here is my favorite shot in the music video:

If you like directors such as Malik, I highly recommend you view this! Jon Hopkins "Open Eye Signal" (Official Music Video)

It Might Be Rational to Be Irrational: "Un Chien Andalou"

When Professor Sinclair wrote the name "Luis Bunuel" on the board the very first day of class, I assumed this fellow could be someone worth knowing about. So, tapping into that "beginning of the school year ambition," I dutifully researched the filmmaker. This is what I found:

"Un Chien Andalou", Bunuel's first film, proved unable to be ignored by the world. It's shocking. It's disturbing. And it makes absolutely no sense. But then again, that was the point. Working closely with famous surrealist Salvador Dali, the filmmakers vowed that the script could contain: "No idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind..." Even more, Bunuel explicated that, "Nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. The only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis."

Now, one must note, I was not yet aware of the lack of rational concepts when I initially hit the play button on the sixteen minute film. You can image then, how hard my brain was working to find symbolism in the madness. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of watching this particular piece of artistry, I urge you to click the video and watch it now. If you haven't watched "Un Chien Andalou" and don't intend to, allow me to give you a quick rundown.

A woman's eyeball is cut open. A man wearing nun's habit falls off his bicycle on the side of the road. Insects come out of a man's hand. A woman gets run over. Rape almost happens. The rapist drags two pianos covered in rotting donkey corpses across the room. A woman's armpit hair grows on a man's face where his mouth used to be. AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

Even if weird isn't necessarily your thing, one has to give credit to Bunuel for his boldness. Once I understood that the film couldn't be, well, understood, I actually found myself really enjoying the piece. There's no doubt that "Un Chien Andalou" is shocking. But imagine the reactions the short must have evoked when it first came out in 1929. In conclusion, there's a reason we should research the people Professor Sinclair asks us to. If I hadn't, I would have missed out on this particular gem.

Disney Animation Studios & Frozen

This summer, I got the wonderful opportunity to privately tour Disney Animation Studios. My sister's friend's brother (kind of confusing) is one of the animators. He showed us his office, which was awesome, and took us to some other cool places. We saw a new Disney movie in the works through the program he uses for animation. The new Disney movie, Frozen, is coming to theaters November 27th. It's Disney's first computer animated fully-fledged musical. It's about a Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) teaming up with a mountain man, Kristoff (voiced by Jonathan Groff) to find her sister, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel). Elsa's icy powers have trapped the entire kingdom in an eternal winter. It's a comedy/adventure/musical, so naturally, I'm looking forward to it. I am slightly skeptical, however.

Looking at the promotional artwork, you see Anna looks very similar to Rapunzel in Tangled. Her face dimensions look exactly the same; the only difference is her hair is strawberry blonde instead of golden blonde (whoa), and her eyes are blue, not green. Take a look for yourself:


Disney could be a little more creative. I loved Tangled but would like to see something different.

We also saw some pre-production of the movie coming out November 2014, Big Hero 6, which looks very different than Tangled or Frozen. So maybe that'll be a little more exciting.

All this being said, Disney Animation Studios has an amazing, creative atmosphere. They have different sections of the building devoted to different projects. With the projects that are in full swing, they decorate that area with the theme of the movie or project. I would really love to work for Disney when I'm older.



The Amount of Thought Put into Breaking Bad is Unreal

(may contain spoilers)
    One of the few television shows I watch religiously is AMC's Breaking Bad. The show is about a high school teacher that begins cooking meth to pay for the treatment for his lung cancer. Breaking Bad is currently on the second half of its fifth and final season. 
   There are many reasons Breaking Bad is my favorite television show; not only is the plot incredibly in depth but also the camera work is next to perfect. Everything is very thought out, from the lighting, to the camera angle, and even the color of the characters clothes. 
    It is small things, like the color of the character's clothes, that I think separates this show from others. Character's clothes from most shows are picked out or designed so the character looks good, with nothing else much in mind. However, in Breaking Bad, the characters clothes are based on their mood and recent actions. For example, when the main character, Walter White, is feeling defeated, he wears a drab, khaki color. Or when he is becoming more involved in cooking blue meth, his clothes are more blue. This amount of planning is put into not only all of the characters outfits, but also other aspects of the show.  More about this theory can be read here. There is also a very helpful picture chart contained in the article. 

Red Bull Cranberry Bog Wake Skating

Hi Everyone,

As I've mentioned in class wake boarding is a hobby of mine along with a handful of other extreme sports. Here is one of my favorite wake boarding videos produced by Red Bull:

This post is unique because this is a cross between a promotional and documentary style video which incorporates shots accompanying background information as well as promoting a product through the extreme sport of wake boarding. The shots in this video are absolutely amazing as they capture the art  of cinematography and the sport. Additionally the video incorporates intriguing angles such as underwater, dolly, aerial, wide and track shots that scream high difficulty. This video is truly breathtaking cinematography that portrays vivid shots to tell a incredible visual story. Lastly the music pick is also a great choice as it adds to complement the b-roll creating a subliminal feeling. If this video doesn't capture your attention and exploit what we are capable of doing with a camera then I don't know what will... Enjoy



                  `

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Raise a Little Hell music video!








“Raise a Little Hell” Music Video


In July I was casted to play the lead role of “Kendra” in a country music video in Buffalo, New York. I was very excited about this because it gave me a chance to see a professional crew set up and film the video. Dominic Luongo directed the video and did an excellent job. He did everything in a timely matter; setting up the equipment, directing the actors, and overall being prepared. I was impressed with him and his assistant and would definitely enjoy working with them again.

We shot the music video in a bar in the city of Buffalo, as well as a few other places. I enjoyed working on a music video because it seems to be a little easier than any other kind of production. The reason being that you do not need sound due to the fact that in post you will add the song’s track into the timeline. I loved being apart of the production and the end result is fantastic.

Dominic used a Cannon EOS 5D Mark ||| camera to shoot the video. His production company is called “Struck Down Entertainment” and he does a lot of promotional work (such as commercials) and also enjoys filming music videos. The quality of our music video is beautiful! Dominic also had a separate monitor attached to the camera for better viewing and framing purposes. The band we are promoting is called “The Southtowners” so if you like country music check them out!

Here is the link to the country music video called “Raise a Little Hell”


Here is the Facebook link to the band if you are interested!



And finally this is the link to “Struck Down Entertainment”


This is me on set! 

So You Think You Can Dance Huh?



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.

Solon Quinn Productions


Solon Quinn Studio's 
in Syracuse, New York


Since I am from Syracuse, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss a local filmmaker from my area.  His name is Solon Quinn and has been recently making films promoting the Syracuse region. The one short film I will focus on is his promo for "Destiny USA", a new addition to the already existing Carousel Mall in Syracuse. The promo is only a minute and 35 seconds but within this small period of time it captivates the audience and combines many different stories into one collective whole.



The promo begins with a Canadian family on their way to shop at Destiny USA. My mother was hired as an actress for this promo and is the mother in the car! I personally think the music in this film is what makes it so haunting and uplifting at the same time. It is a piano instrumental that is compelling and beautiful. A narration of a little girl is heard throughout the promo and this aspect is something I enjoy doing in my own films as well.

The different uses of camera angels, lighting, and dollies are what makes the promo so interesting to watch. Every time I watch it I get goose bumps and it is amazing that its only a promotional film for a mall and yet makes the viewer emotional. A few of my cousins were also featured in the film and enjoyed working with Solon. Solon is an Asian filmmaker, and watching the promo again I noticed there was an apparent ethnicity diversity which added to the film as well.

My favorite shot is when the blonde haired woman is in the elevator and they shot a low angle and moved with the elevator as it was going upwards. I enjoy watching films that are creative and unique with angles and shots. I appreciate Solon because he takes the extra step and makes a beautiful and visually captivating story.


Here is the link to the Destiny USA promo:




Here is the link for his website if you are interested in seeing anymore of his productions:

http://solonquinnstudios.com


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

For as long as I can remember I have been listening to National Public Radio, whether it is news stories Prairie Home Companion, or the occasional Car Talk. Now four or five years ago NPR started up a Youtube series called Tiny Desk Concerts. The title of the series really sums it up but I will go into a little more detail. NPR invites in various bands, ranging from folk singers all the way to rappers, to perform an acoustic session of sorts behind a "Tiny Desk". Sometimes there is only one person performing other times there are twenty people, and these performers play their music in front of the office members. These performances are then recorded and put on to Youtube for everyone to watch and enjoy.

I have just recently started watching these videos and they are so well done and enjoyable to watch, especially from a film students perspective. Now from what I can tell, is there are either two or three videographers recording the show, one getting a wide shot on a tripod of the artists playing, and the two others focus on getting close ups of the performers faces, guitar fret boards etc. The videos are always edited together in a very clean yet creative way. The really impressive part is the audio piece. Keep in mind they are recording in a standard office. The last time I went into an office I don't remember there being acoustics like the ones in Ford Hall. Recording one person performances is one thing but to get crisp beautiful sound when there are horns, a string quartet, vocals and guitars going is a completely different task. The specific band I am referring to is Mother Falcon. 

Mother Falcon is a 20 person chamber pop band, yes this sounds weird but in fact they are one of my favorite bands. The members play many different instruments and tend to be a loud band. Yet when they were invited into NPR the only recording device I could see was a single shot gun mic placed a few feet in front of them. The sound for this performance was impeccable. Granted they are a very professional radio station but still an impressive feat nonetheless. The link below is to Mother Falcons performance and though it may not seem very interesting I strongly suggest you watch it purely for the example of pristine audio recording. I will also post a link to the Macklemore Tiny Desk Concert if that seems more appealing. 

I hope you enjoyed my little rant along with the awesome web series that NPR produces.




Tuesday, September 3, 2013

The Room. How can something so bad, be so good?

For every good film there is a bad film, and there are plenty of those. It is rare however, that a film can be so bad it transcends said badness and becomes an incredibly enjoyable film. This is the case with Tommy Wiseau's 2003 Romantic/Drama The Room. The Room tells the story of Johnny, a banker who is played by Mr. Wiseau who finds himself caught in a love triangle with his best friend and fiance. The jack of all trades that he is,Tommy Wiseau wrote, directed, produced and stars in this masterpiece of crap. What makes the film so enjoyable is that Mr. Wiseau tried with every ounce of his being to make The Room a good film, of course he failed on every level. Throughout The Room's 90 minutes multiple storylines are brought up and then dismissed never to be mentioned again. In one instance Claudette, Tommy's mother in law to be tells her daughter Lisa (Johnny's fiancee) that "I got the results of the test back, I definitely have breast cancer." As with any good film, this plot line is dropped immediately and never once mentioned again. Along with a cast wide case of terrible acting many other aspects of the film are equally awful. Much of the dialogue seems broken and disconnected. Characters will quickly change topics mid sentence almost on a whim. The camera work also seems to vary vastly in quality throughout the film. This can be explained by the fact that not knowing the difference between a 35mm film and HD video, Mr. Wiseau shot the film with both cameras simultaneously.  Despite this being bad in every conceivable measure the film is incredibly watchable and highly enjoyable. Perhaps this could be car wreck "so bad you can't look away" quality the film has. You can't help but laugh and cheer while you squirm at the awkward chemistry between the actors, nonsensical script and any of the films 5 sex scenes many of which reuse footage from earlier sex scenes. The Room is a trainwreck to watch again and again.