Concepts of Continuity

Location As Character

Director's Commentary: 

Advanced Editing Concepts

Realism/Classical/Formalism Oh my

Realism/Classical/Formalism-

1. How would describe the characteristics of the camera camera work: composition, angle, movement

2. How would describe the difference in the edit?

3. How would describe the quality of the story being told/narrative?

Realist films are just that, films that largely incorporate a sense of realism within them. They often have sequence shots which are lengthy shots combined with sequence edits which do not have many cuts or edits. One of the most apparent of these realist films is called The Arrival of a Train which was one of the first documentary films. It was created by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895 and was only about a minute long. The duration of the clip consists of one continuous recording and the camera does not move at all but rather remains still in order to capture everything happening in the shot at that moment in time. The entire clip consists of a train arriving at a station and people boarding and departing from the train. The angle of the shot is diagonal and faces the train and creates an interesting use of lines along the platform of the train station. Since there is no editing involved, it creates no difference and that audience sees the integrity and realistic nature of the sequence. The use of camerawork and lack of editing techniques creates a story of the coming and going of a train. However, there is no real narrative being told. There are many people in the shot as the train arrives and it the only real action other than the train.

Classical films are different from realist films in that they use shots that are used to make the action as believable as possible. Realist films aim to show how things really look in the real world while classical films aim to show how things feel. They use cuts that add a dramatic feel and emotion to the shots to create a feeling through the film. They show cause and effect relationships between things and characters and put an emphasis on the emotional feeling rather than just physical communication through the shots presented. Also, they also incorporate cutting to continuity which shows an event taking place in a fluid nature and condenses them without taking any essential moments out of them. One famous film in this category is The Great Train Robbery. It fits perfectly because it really highlights how stories should be told through film. The film, directed by Edwin Porter, is about a real train robbery that took place in 1903. In this clip, the gang of robbers kidnaps a man working on the train and ties him up when the train arrives. Porter wanted to tell this story of a robbery and he is successful because his film gets the audience caught up in the characters and their problems and motivates them to feel what they feel. The shots resemble reality because they reenact true events and the exact way they happened while getting the realistic aspect of it spot on. The editing is crucial because it portrays the characters motivations and the way in which they rob the train. This is shown when they tie up the man and proceed to wait for the next train as well. The quality of the story being told is very high although this was one of the first film to ever be created.

The last type of film is formalist films that incorporate shots that are not usually used in a narrative style. They have very detailed and exaggerated sets and costumes along with complicated and camerawork that sometimes, in my opinion, random and confusing to understand. This style draws attention to itself without having any stories and characters altogether. Instead, they attempt to convey a particular mood or emotion by showing abstract images. A prominent film that incorporates formalism is Battleship Potemkin and more specifically the Odessa Step sequence scene which was created by Eisenstein in 1925. This film has a lot of abstract shots that don’t really have any relationship to one another. There are many angles and camera movements. In the clip you see shots of children and families and there is a calm and peaceful atmosphere and then suddenly you see armed soldiers who are chasing civilians who are  running down a bunch of steps. The musical soundtrack as well as the quick jump cuts add to the weirdness of the clip. The narrative itself has some sort of continuity although it is to a lesser degree than other forms of film.

Contemporary Media Analysis

1. What does the media say about the world we live in?

Media says a lot of things about the world we live in. It highlights many common stereotypes that society revolves around while also ridiculing our society. It tells us about our own world and also reflects on it. An example is the issue of racial prejudice and racism throughout media although the issue has been less and less common in the recent decades. Many comedic cartoons and television shows often poke fun at different stereotypes and this is a reflection on the growing issue of racial conflicts. It does, however, make people laugh and entertain them and there is no intention of harming anyone at all. This image below is a good way to add humor to the cartoon show Family Guy and the jokes, even the racist ones, are pretty funny in general.

2. Do you notice any one trend that keeps resurfacing through multiple media forms?

One trend that keeps resurfacing in multiple forms of media is homosexuality. This has become a largely controversial topic in our society and media had definitely been a large part of it. A good show to talk about here is Glee. Glee is a show with a positive vibe that portrays the lives of homosexual kids and it depicts the problems they face whether it is at home or at school. There are many messages conveyed through the television series such as never giving up or letting others control who you really are on the inside. The show speaks a lot about love and how love is really blind and that anyone can love anyone else. The characters are not used for an entirely comedic purpose but instead they are there to help other people who are dealing with the same issues with their own problems.

3. What do you see as the best and worst of what media portrays?

The best parts of media, in my opinion, is the access to information and important news events around the world. We can learn about daily issues in our world such as political issues and natural disasters that have a large impact on the people. Also, another significant aspect of media is the entertainment part through movies and television shows. Being a Netflix user, I watch multiple series at a time and its a large part of where I spend my leisure time. However, there are many negative aspects of what media portrays. The worst of what media portrays are tabloids and celebrity drama because it is not relevant to most of our lives. It does not usually affect us directly and really has no significance instead of creating more drama and pulling attention to these celebrities that is not needed.

4. Where do you see yourself contributing to the conversation?

I think we can all contribute towards using media for better purposes than it already is. There are many negative aspects to media and we can help make it more positive. Media criticizes society and almost ridicules it like in the comedies mentioned but we also have to take into consideration the underlying meaning behind everything that is portrayed. Sometimes this can help us in resolving our problems and making better decisions about the future.

Top 5 Films of All Time!

One of my favorite films of all time has to be Django Unchained. I loved everything about Quentin Tarantino's film from the realism of the times of slavery in the United States all the way to the amazing soundtrack and sound effects. Not only that, the casting was amazing in my opinion. The choice of Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio were the perfect combination. I was captivated throughout the entire movie, which was probably due to the storytelling and action-filled and bloody scenes.

Another film I love is Saving Private Ryan. How can anyone not like this movie? It has one of the most powerful films I’ve seen. On top of that, it incorporates genre conventions that are included in dramas, action films, and adventure stories. I also loved the realism in this film and with every gun shot was a true portrayal of combat scenes during World War II’s D-Day invasion. A fun fact is that some shots within the film are based on real camera roll that was filmed the day of the actual invasion, many years before the film was made. It is truly the best war-movie I had ever seen.

The Rush Hour Series will always be one of the classics in my book. I love comedies in general and this series literally made me laugh every other minute. The picture of the film was so amazing and there were many interesting shots during the chase scenes etc. that I liked. The cast of Chris Rock and Jackie Chan as partners in crime was perfect. The fast-paced storyline and action scenes appealed to me as well. I really think it is a blockbuster series.  

Another series I loved are the 6 Fast & Furious films. My favorites out of them, however, have to be 2 Fast 2 Furious and and Fast 5. Being a car guy, I was appalled at both the racing scenes as well as the cars used in the film. Also the compelling storyline and adrenaline-pumping chases helped when I was deciding which films to pick. Some of the scenes are actually impossible to recreate in reality. They defy physics and this is another factor that sold the film for me.

Limitless is a more recent film about a failing writer who takes a miraculous drug that enhances his entire life. The drug allows people to fully access 100% of their brains, which leads to both benefits and negative consequences. The protagonist, played by Bradley Cooper, must fight off gangsters and corrupt businessmen who will do anything to get their hands on the drug. I liked everything about this film. The best part about it was that it was a truly original story that I had never seen before. Yes, we’ve seen films about wars and bloodshed, cars, and the partner in crime duo, but nothing as original as this film. I liked the sci-fi aspect of it and how it explores what it would be like if people could have this much power. I also loved some of the camera angles used when the main character is at the top peak of his career and believes his life can not get any better.

What makes a great film?

    There are many things that make a great film. Since I like certain types of movies the conventions used in them truly make them great for me. I like a film that has well-trained and experienced actors, a wide variety of action or comedy scenes within them, and a unique plot line and twist that will make the film different than any other you have seen before.

   Actors are vital to a production. If your actors are not well trained, it can potentially ruin the entire film. They also have a lot of responsibilities such as knowing their lines, adding a sense of realism to what the director is trying to portray by being more believable, and also selling their role. This is the most important because the actor must know who the person they are re-creating really is. They must have the ability to act out all the emotions and actions in a way that will lure the audience into becoming interested in the film.  If you have good actors that know what they are doing, you're film will probably be successful. A film that I want to reference is one that my team made last year called What Had Happened Was. Our protagonist was played by a really good actor (guy on the bottom right) and he was the person that saved our film from really being a disaster.

   Also, since I like comedies and action films, I like it when films incorporate them into the plot. An example of this was in my favorite film of the year, White House Down. The movie had some humorous elements but was mostly an action packed thriller. I loved it because it was a very story: a new secret service agent must protect the president of 'Merica and the White House from terrorists while his daughter is somewhere inside and in danger as well. The scene below shows and ending scene in the film when the president is safe from danger with the newly-destroyed White House in the background. It was a wide shot which helped to show all of the chaos and destruction in the shot. 

   Another thing that makes a good film is the twist and the uniqueness of the film. Our class watched a film called Psycho last year. The basic plot was about a woman who had just stolen a large sum of money and was fleeing because she was trying to get to her husband in another state. She stops at a motel for the night because weather was getting bad and she soon realizes how weird the manager of the hotel is. The film revolves around the consequences for stealing the money and running away. Hitchcock introduced many original ideas such as this one and the twist at the end is what really sold the film because everything in the rest of the story led up to the moment of the twist. The shot below occurs right after the twist. Norman Bates, the hotel manager, is sitting in a room in the police department. Since it is an older film, we do not see the colors but I actually liked this factor because it added a sense of suspense and darkness to the plot. The shot here zooms in from a medium close up to an extreme close up and this is where we see how evil and controlling Norman's mom is because he has a devilish stare on his face.