Movie Rating Blogpost

In today's class, we got to choose a film of our choice, no matter good or bad, and "judge" or write a review on it using a given rubric. The short film of my choice was LAST MAN (2022), and here is my opinion on it:

LAST MAN (2022)/ Short Film

Tells a story which holds the audience's attention: 10

Demonstrates camera work and editing which enhances the story:10

Contains dialogue narration and/or background music which enhances the story: 5

Has compelling and interesting actors: 10 

 Total: 35/80

Using the Short Movie Judging Rubric, I judged the following short film, "LAST MAN," and gave it a score of 35/80. Starting with the first category, "Tells a story which holds the audience's attention", in my opinion, the short film has a rather inconclusive ending; the overall storytelling was ominous, but not in a mystery-like way, but instead gave the audience a sense of disconnection with the plot and the characters. In this particular film, the ending left the viewer with more questions than it gave answers, which normally would be captivating, but in this particular film, it took away from the main focus of the film.

Moving on to the second category, "Demonstrates camera work and editing which enhances the story", I believe that the camera work wasn't totally horrible, but definitely didn't add to any elements of the film. The quality of the camera was quite distracting. The camera quality often shifted between sometimes detailed, to having a shot that blends together with the color scheme so much that the image loses a clear outline, making it a wash of color. Another major factor that deteriorated the quality of the film was the random focus on an object that was seemingly unimportant to the film. While it explained where sounds were coming from, it made the film feel incoherent. 

In the third category is where I found the film most lacked, "Contains dialogue narration and/or background music which enhances the story". For starters, there was what seemed like random music and sounds that didn't really add anything more than a dramatic effect; it didn't explain what was going on or give any details on the background of the film. It more so distracted the audience and made them question why certain sounds were added and what meaning they were supposed to add to the film, which I would argue is something short films shouldn't normally do. Moreover, the dialogue was really the icing on the cake, as one would say, it explained nothing about the film, and mostly made the audience make inferences. There was actually not much dialogue in the film, which made the film more confusing than it already was. Most of the dialogue, as well as the music, added dramatic effect and sometimes explained small parts of the film, but left most of it to interpretation. 

The last category, "Has compelling and interesting actors",  in my opinion, was nothing more than mediocre. The characters were, as I would describe them, odd.  The facial expressions weren't quite right with the sound of the character's tone. One of the characters didn't show their face, which, of course, didn't aid in their interpretation of emotion. Most of the time, their bodily expressions were overly exaggerated while the tone of their voice sounded more moderate. The characters added to the disjointed feel of the overall film, and I believe that was one of the main reasons the film felt odd and confusing. Not being able to identify who the characters are and what relations they have to each other misleads the audience and results in a poorly made film. 

CASE STUDY- MISE EN SCENE

Hello! today in class we practiced a little more of the writing about what we see in clips and describing how the audience should feel when looking at particular scenes. I picked a particularly gory clip (on accident) so I cut out most of the action and wrote about what I could.

The Platform - Trimagasi's death Scene (HD 1080p)

 

The blurry, high-key (0:01) lighting at the beginning of the clip sends almost an eerie vibe to the whole scene, soon after the character who was in shallow focus is then shifted to a clip of that same character with a prop (a knife) and then another character tied up (0:10), with a facial expression that looks almost disoriented or dazed. The camera then shifts back with a mid-shot of the character (0:15) caressing the prop (the knife) and making what sounds like a non-diegetic sound added for the special effect of enhancing the terror or anticipation the viewer should feel when seeing this scene. Then a clip with a low angle of the character slowly walking up to the tied up character is shown and zooming in slowly towards his poker face, making him look relentless and unmerciful (0:19). In a conversation between the two characters as the knife approaches the character who is tied up, it is revealed that the person holding the knife wants to take meat off the other character's body so he can eat. The makeup of the two characters, which makes them look dirty and the character who is tied up looking bruised, combined with the background sound of what seems like a low hum, adds to the tension of this scene. By this point (1:09), there seems to be low-key dim lighting around both characters, and a tear rolls down the face of the character who looks to be tied up with white bedsheets up to his neck. This, combined with the contrast of the dark background (symbolizing perhaps death or doom) and the bright white bedsheets wrapped around the character, comes to create a sense of defeat from the tied-up character as well as pain. As the old character holding the knife smiles (1:11) with a complacent look towards the defeated character, the audience questions what will happen next and feels disturbed by his next moves. The old man then proceeds to use the torn-up white bed sheet (prop) to cover the mouth of the injured tied-up character (1:17).

                                                              My chosen edited clip:

Mood Board

 

Hello! <3, today's assignment required me to come up with four places of my choice and make a "mood boards" of each place identifying elements such as location, props, actors, costume lighting and color. I chose these four places: Carnival, playground, rehabilitation, zoo and explained how each mood board portrayed different emotions for the audience.

For this carnival-themed mood board I chose to incorporate low-key, dark lighting, images of scary clowns wearing whimsical attire, as well as the location which seems to be disheveled at face value but has tall and bright working attractions. I made the choice to incorporate a dark and evil atmosphere by using shades such as black and red, as well as including scary clown faces in contrast with the dark background. I wanted the audience to assume that it is not the typical happy circus but instead a scary circus where murder and gore might occur. I wanted the audience to assume that the character (the clown) is going to be mischievous and hurt other characters. This particular scene could make the audience feel uneasy, frightened, and create suspense for what is to come.  

In this playground-themed mood board, I incorporated pictures of parents with children, children doing fun activities in a playground dressed in summer attire, as well as the color yellow to further contribute to the happy vibe in this image. The natural sunlight also conveys a joyful morning for children at the playground. I wanted the audience to assume that two parents are taking their child to the playground early in the morning to enjoy a carefree day. I wanted the audience to feel a comfortable atmosphere as well as lighthearted due to the idea of a playground with smaller children. 

In this medical-themed mood board, I made the choices to incorporate bright, almost eerie, high-key lighting, as well as images of what appear to be some psychoactive substances (drugs/alcohol), a doctor, and a person, perhaps in recovery. I made these choices to give the viewer a mental image of a scene where a medical patient who is addicted to substances is being aided in their recovery by medical professionals, this is suggested by the attire of  the doctor who is smiling and the attire of the child looking afraid into the camera. I wanted the audience to respond to this location with deep unsettling strangeness. Overall a feeling of disorientation due to the effects of the substances on the main character. 

For this particular mood board, I chose the scene to be staged at a zoo. I made the choice to incorporate natural lighting from a bright sunny day, actors such as the children who are dressed in light airy clothing and the zoo keeper who is dressed in protective uniform. In addition, I added a gift shop  and some pictures of the animals resting at the zoo. I wanted the audience to assume that the character, which is in this case is a group of children, are enjoying a field trip to the zoo, feeding animals, watching them in their daily habitats, and visiting the zoo gift shop to bring memories from their trip home. I wanted the audience to feel gleeful, cheered up at the idea of children at the zoo.

Sound Art Project

Hii <3, today in class we learned about foley sounds and I was asked to do an assignment having the teachings in mind. I chose to do a scene about enjoying a day at the beach because I love the beach. Me and my classmate Niliem Valdes worked on this together and came up with some cool ideas:  

Scene: Enjoying a beach day  

1. 1. Arriving to the Beach:  

• 
  

• Footsteps 

• 
  

• beach sounds

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• Heavy Wind 

                  

                 stepping on leaves 

bird call

 

2. 2. Relaxing at the Beach : 

• 
  

• Opening book 
  

• 
  

• Flipping through pages  

• 
  

• Having a drink 

breathing out

• 
  

• Eating chips  

• 
  

Case Study

        Today in class I studied a movie clip of my choice and talked about some movements, angles, and focuses that we see in the film. I chose the movie opener of white chicks since it is an old classic from my childhood. Here are my findings from the clip: 

The opening begins with deep focus (0:01) which ensures every element, prop, and background as well as foreground is clearly visible to the audience. This allows the audience to take note of where the characters are situated. Then a tracking shot (0:02) is used to draw attention to one of the characters that are a part of this clip. As the camera follows the character who appears to be dancing around connoting to the audience a cheerful and playful mood, an establishing shot (0:04) is used to present the other characters which allows the audience to reflect on the background of the scene. It displays how the scene is set in a grocery store which then adds to the context of the conversation between the characters. A close up (0:07) is then used to focus on the face of the protagonist who proceeds to turn and talk to the other side characters. The close-up is mainly used to draw focus on to the main character’s eyes who shift focus to the people coming into the store. Following this a mid-shot (0:10) which is held all throughout the scene maintaining the audience focused on the one-on-one conversation between characters who are then revealed later into the scene. A wide shot (0:14) is then used to adequately display all the characters in one scene. It focuses on how many people are now in the store and adds context to the background, the mood of each character, and the conversation that is being had. The conversation between the characters seems to be serious but the focus on the dancing and the Hispanic music, as well as the maracas create a lively and active environment. Subsequently the close-up is used again to focus on a new character who contributes to the plot of the story. (likely the deuteragonist).   

Clip:https://youtu.be/z8svCzoKIjY?si=kxGL52EiApog-EdOLinks to an external site.
SURI NGUYEN REVIEWED MY WORK 

Camera Movements

In today's class we studied various ways that camera movements are used in film and how they can express emotions depending on which is used. The use of different camera movements are helpful for enhancing the dramatic effect of each scene. 

Here are some of the videos I took referencing this movements:

A dolly shot can be used to create a very raw scene. It makes the audience feel as if they were right there in the scene. By first focusing on the message that says "I'm watching you" then panning to reveal that a mysterious person is watching the subject, then panning back to the subject running away while the camera runs after them, this camera movement urges the panic of the scene and creates the disorder by the speed factor of the clip.

A handheld shot can be used to emphasize the naturalness of the scene. In this scene, the camera follows a girl running through a library. As you can see in the shot, the camera is shaking. This can further highlight on the emotion felt during this scene, maybe a feeling of being rushed or maybe running in excitement. 

 A Steadicam shot contributes to making a scene look polished and professional. In this scene, where a character reads a book in a library with a chatter filled atmosphere, the camera work helps stay connected with the character as well as dragging attention to the background. It allows the viewer to be "in the scene" and draws attention to minor details like the type of book she is reading or what conversation could be had in the background.

 A Pan is more commonly used to reveal information in a film as well as to add suspense to a scene. As seen in this particular clip, the character text's a friend (suri) "Where are you?" and then looks up, confused, the camera then pans to the right to reveal that Suri is hiding in a corner of the library behind her. This scene provides the viewer with a sense of curiosity by focusing on the character's phone and then building a dramatic scene by providing the viewer with the knowledge that Suri is behind the character.

A Tilt can be used to assert dominance depending on whether is it a Tilt up which can be used to make a character look powerful or intimidating, or  a Tilt down which can make a character seem vulnerable and weak. In this case the Tilt up is used to compare the size of the book on the floor to the size of the character who is about to step on the book. This camera moment can not only reveal something by focusing on the action then its magnitude but also displays a power dynamic between what is small and what is big. (vulnerable and powerful) 

A slow Zoom-In can be used to emphasize a character or an action a character is doing. In this case, the zoom is focused on when the character picks up a book and begins to walk away with it. The zoom shifts the focus from the library background to the action of the character picking up a book and walking away with it. By shifting the viewers focus from a wider to a more up-close and personal view, it can add to the drama or suspense of the scene as well as create intimacy between the subject and the audience. 

A Reverse-Zoom can be used to focus on an object or subject and then zoom out to reveal the situation. In this particular clip, the camera is focused on the hands of the subject, and then the camera begins to zoom out to reveal that the subject is actually being choked by a cord. The use of the reverse-zoom can help add suspense to the scenario by shifting the audience's focus to the bigger picture.  

Classmates Commentary

 

             Classmates Blog Commentary

 Suri Nguyen blog: https://souwou.blogspot.com

                                              

                                  Suri's Blog post 

In today's class we were asked to share our blog post about camera angles with a friend or classmate. I choose to take a look at my friends Suri and Kamryn's blog post and comment on some pictures I liked. 

The Aerial View of this picture  shows the entirety of the table and everyone's workspace. Something I liked about this picture was the way it was capturing an organized mess, it's the table I sit at, so it’s cool to see it from so high above. It looks very professional. This picture evokes a feeling of disorder, where students work on camera angles. 

In this picture the description says “Mid-Shot” but I believe it doesn't exactly fit the text book definition of a mid-shot since it is not "from the waist up" but never the less the framing of the photo is similar to a midshot because it focuses on the woman's upper body. The picture itself has sentiments of strength, heritage, and resilience since the angle of the photo demonstrates the personal detail while still maintaning interest in the American flag background. 

This High-Angle shot shows a girl on the ground, hugging her knees. The picture evokes a feeling of sadness or distress. What particularly intrigued me about this picture is how though the high angle made a  suggestion towards the feeling of powerlessness and maybe vulnerability by making the girl look small.

Kamryn Phonseuksam Blog: https://kamrynmay.blogspot.com

Kamryn's Blog Post

This Close-up shot highlights the characters (myself) face, which shows a focused or determine looked. The shot helps draw attention to my determined expression and shows the emotions I was feeling when this shot was taken. 
 

This Two shot highlights the interaction between what seems like two friends who could be sharing a video on the other girl's phone. The face of the girl holding the phone could be an expression of amusement and the other girl pointing could be 

This Point of View shot depicts a girl typing on her laptop. The immersive shot depicts she everyday life of a high school student. It conveys concentration and dedication by concentration on the student's screen. The shot is taken as if it were the audience doing the work which makes the audience further focuses on the words being written and the background of the shot which looks to be a classroom.