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Showing posts from December, 2022

Short film research: Les chaussures de Louis ( Louis's shoes ) ( Drama/coming of age/family )

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The translation is Louis's shoes. It follows an autistic schoolboy named Louis, no older than maybe 12. He describes his experience at school and how he differs from those around him, particularly in his shoes and his routine regarding them. It is animated, unlike the other films I studied, and is the only one that I've seen that could be considered family friendly, it's themes of distress being sympathetic rather than uncomfortable for a young audience. It relies heavily on narration all throughout, because Louis himself doesn't speak at all. Music has notable instruments and is twinkly for lack of better description of it's sound. It is a bit like Lucia, but its used more, sounding more whimsical and almost ethereal. It utilizes the most creative angles and shots I've seen, some following normal conventions in film, like close ups on important things or Louis's face to show emotion, but there are also fantastical elements as visual representations of Louis

Short film research: Forever Tonight ( drama/coming of age )

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Forever Tonight is a film about a young girl sneaking out to attend prom, hoping for excitement and finding it, but ultimately is let down. It has themes of racial bias and struggle of those of certain races. The protagonist is one of the only people of color in the film as a whole, surrounded by mostly white individuals. A plot point in this film is an intimate scene between the protagonist and a boy in the film, something I took note of. This film takes a more colorful approach, not nearly as grey as my previous study. I wouldn't call it too colorful though, it feels the most like real life, not too grey but not too saturated. Like it could have been recorded on a phone camera. In fact, the camera shakes ever so slightly, but not to a distracting degree,  Its music is party music for a bit, as they are at a party. Each moment tells an important part of the story, which the last film did, but this one feels more fast paced. I found myself not liking the protagonist as much here. I

Short film research: Lucia ( drama/coming of age)

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  Lucia is a film about a girl in a foster home in which the children, a small group of them, run around unsupervised. It is a bit grey, but not colorless. Almost as if everything is clouded in grey brown fog. There is not always music. When it is present, it is quiet and twinkly around moments of the children being innocent, and during the climax there is more of a sinister tone reminiscent of a flatline than music score. The film includes lots of close ups and the camera moves around following and peering around almost as if it were one of the children, and often it IS with point of view shots. The film a sweet ending that makes up for the majority of the run time, in which the protagonist shares a moment with the other foster children. I took note of the tone. It was bittersweet but relatively gloomy for the most part. The actors are good, they really sell the emotions of the complicated situation. Their clothes and the children themselves are a bit filthy, the protagonist has unkep

Research: How to make a short film

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My takeaway from the video was that t here are lots of things to think of before and after you begin writing a script, communication with others is key, as is looking at the project as a whole rather than in parts. I took note of several important tips, things i would not have considered if not for this video: - Before writing, be aware of how much you can actually pull off. - When you want to make a writing or directing choice, consider doing the opposite of your first idea, as the audience may be expecting that - Prepare more than you think you should - Understand tone - Do not neglect the sound - Step away for a bit before heading straight into post, - Have someone review it and take into account the post-post product as well as pacing

Comparing Le Jetee, the short, and 12 Monkeys, the full-length movie

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  Video What is your takeaway from the video? In making 12 Monkeys, it is only loosely based on La Jette, taking elements and adding or avoiding things he liked or did not like, and that both were a product of their time as well as their creators in a way. Either follow exact conventions. I believe this will help me in coming to terms with how I want to execute my film, as well as taking inspirations from other films i enjoy.   Article   What is your takeaway from the article? One film is based off the other, but they are two different films entirely. While one was inspired by the other, the first is more focused on character memory, and the second incorparates that element less, with doomsday elements sprinkled throughout. The more modern one has more modern elements to stay with its audience. That is something I will keep in mind, that my case studies reflect the time the movies were made, so staying with my audience with both dialouge and visual is important

Comparing 9, the short, and 9, the full-length movie

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Short film:   My first impression is that this short is very ominous, frightening, and a bit sad as well. Lots of dark colors, no dialogue. The plot involves sentient rag dolls labeled by number, the protagonist being 9. What seemed to be his last remaining friend was killed saving him from the antagonist, a robotic cat like beast. None of the characters develop, the plot revolves around 9 defeating the monster and avenging his fallen companions. It was animated relatively well, with the only sound being the characters interacting with their environments. If there was music it was brief and simplistic enough to go unnoticed. It follows the conventions of thriller, with feelings of suspense and a dark background, as well as that of thriller, with a post-apocalyptic setting and non-humans taking center stage.  Full-length film: My first impression of the full length film was that it was not silent. There are more characters, and also that there was a more complex plot, would even call pa

The right genre choice

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I chose the genre of coming of age. I chose it because I feel as though intricate costumes don’t fit well with that I imagined the film to be. Aliens fit more with the genre of Sci-Fi, as does the other planet aspect. However, I imagined it to be slow pace. I also imagined it to have brighter lighting, and a more upbeat if not down to earth tone all throughout. It’s not quite a sci-if parody, but something like that, if anything this would be my sub-genre. I might lean into the alien-ness of the aliens in terms of my pitch, which didn’t really describe what they were like. I didn’t pick comedy because as much as I want to incorporate many jokes, it doesn’t fall under enough categories to classify as just exclusively a comedy. Not for the vision I had anyway.

Genre research: Sci-fi

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Camera In Sci-fi films they tend to have the camera track, slow zooms are used occasionally, but more often than not the camera stays still. Close ups are used for emotion as with most films.  Angles Often high or low angles are used to show scale, often there are objects of large size like ships or rockets, and size will be exaggerated on angles. These angles will also be used to show threatening things, and to different different characters. Movement When a subject is moving, the camera tends to follow, the film has the camera run with or track the subject.  Shots Close ups and variations of the long and medium shots are used, to show character expression and reactions, as well as long shots paired with certain angles for fight scenes  Common Sound in your genre Diegetic sound tends to be grounded in reality to fit within the films setting, often different planets or a version of earth.  This includes technological noises, people talking, objects clattering, etc. Nondiegetic sound is

Genre research: Comedy

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  Camera In comedy films, the plot is only a vessel for the jokes so the camera is often close to the faces of characters to show their exaggerated expressions.  Angles Shoulder level and eye level angles are used to show the aforementioned exaggerated expressions. Often high or low angles are used to exaggerate as well.  Movement When a subject is moving, often in humorous chase scenes, the film has the camera run with or track the subject. The camera will sometimes pan towards certain objects or people in moments of certain comedic timing. Shots Close ups and variations of the long and medium shots are used, to show character expression and reactions for comedic effect, as well as long shots paired with certain angles for slapstick purposes Common Sound in your genre Diegetic sound tends to be grounded in reality to fit within the films setting, often being a work place or a town, perhaps he comedy is surrounding a certain event like a birthday or wedding. This includes car noises, p

Genre research: Coming of age

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Camera Coming of age tends to prioritize their characters, so the camera is often close to the faces of characters to show expression and invoke emotion. There will often be close ups on certain objects or other things to show their plot relevance. Angles Shoulder level and eye level, angles are used often used so that the camera remains relatively close to the subjects, due to the need to convey emotion. Often the full body or most of it needs to be shown for  clear silhouette, such as when a characters emotion is very much shown through their body language. Movement When a subject is moving, especially in moments of intense emotion, the camera tends to follow or walk with the subject. When characters are in one place not moving, the camera doesn't move around, but often angles will be utilized instead. Shots Close ups and variations of the long and medium shots are used, in order to catch clear expression Common Sound in your genre Diegetic sound tends to be grounded in reality t

Genres to research

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Sci-fi: This stands for science fiction. These films tend to go hand in hand with adventure films. They include futuristic and/or fantasy elements such as alien  lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, space travel, time travel, etc. I want to research this genre because I feel it aligns the most with the idea of aliens, something that should be prominent in my film. Coming of age: This genre usually features young people going through some literal or emotional journey. Often they have matured or changed by the end of the film.  I want to research this genre because, while sci-fi does typically have aliens, I feel as though coming of age tends to be character focused, something I want to lean into with my film. Comedy: These films often have simple upbeat plots, used the emphasize humor. Its highlights include various jokes and gags. . I want to research this genre because comedy is something I like to incorporate  in my work regardless of story.