Working on the Tic Tac project was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed coming up with an idea from scratch with my group and watching as it became a commercial. As far as directing goes, I enjoyed the process. Although I was not the official director, I was still able to work with our actors and help block out scenes for them. My role within the group served as cinematographer. I tried a different, more casual approach regarding what I filmed and I am happy with the results.
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a well thought-out film with continuous plot twists that keep the viewer engaged. Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled and delusional teenager who knows that he must stop the world from coming to an end.
The plot is what truly drives the story towards success. It is however, quite complex and requires strict attention from the viewers. Donnie’s surreal delusions of a large rabbit named Frank, add a level of fear and mystery that is pleasing to the story.
Director Richard Kelly does an outstanding job of getting the best out of his actors. Along with Jake Gyllenhaal, notable actors such as Drew Barrymore, Noah Wyle, Patrick Swayze, and Mary McDonnell all deliver memorable performances.
Perhaps one of the best aspects of the film is the character’s relationship with themselves and each other. My favorite of which is Donnie’s struggle within himself. Through his delusions of grandeur and apocalypse, Donnie completely isolates himself from his family and friends, while growing ever closer with his girlfriend and literature professor.
Despite the grittiness of the plot, the cinematography was surprisingly fluid. Tripods, slow moving dolly shots, and smooth pans were the focus of Steven Poster, the director of photography. One scene in particular, embodies the aforementioned remarks. The film opens with a slow moving, dolly style shot that pans across a mountain landscape. Without cutting, the camera slowly pans to the left, revealing Donnie lying asleep on the street. By using this as the initial establishing shot of the film, Steven Poster identified the movie’s film style.
If afforded the option to give my review of Donnie Darko to a friend, I would jump on the opportunity to recommend this classic thriller. Never before have I paid such close attention to the smallest of details within a story in order to understand the big picture. That is what truly makes Donnie Darko a highly appealing film.
Inglourious Basterds
Inglourious Basterds ranks amongst one of the best films of the year. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film tells the story of how a band of Jewish, Nazi-killing assassins, infiltrate the Nazi forces in their attempt to remove Hitler from power.
The incorporation of action and humor is what sets Inglourious Basterds apart from others this year. The film is excellently written. The actions of the actors mimic their emotions while their dialogue is very witty. Tarantino should be commended for his simple, yet direct plotline.
Brad Pitt leads the charge as Lieutenant Aldo Raine in a cast of actors that mold well with their characters. As a slow speaking Lt., Pitt successfully commands his “Basterds” with charismatic leadership. The “Basterds” make gruesome examples of the Nazis they catch. The ones they decide to release have swastikas engraved into their foreheads with Lt. Aldo Raine’s field knife. As gross as the violence may sound, Tarantino uses it to add to the plot of the film. There is a sense of comic relief during the violent scenes.
The cinematography is excellent, particularly in one of the final scenes when the camera beautifully captures an explosion of fire, bullets, and blood. The coloring is quite stylized and many of the characters have a soft, glowing skin. This is no surprise, as Tarantino traditionally prefers to work with this type of coloring.
Along with Pitt, the acting of French film star, Melanie Laurent, should be commended. She had a swagger about her character that added to the depth of the film. Her quick wit and sarcastic personality made her an appealing hero.
Tarantino should give himself a pat on the back for his most recent masterpiece. Inglourious Basterds remains popular in theaters and it is no surprise. The film will be known as one of Tarantino’s best.
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
GI Joe was a movie just entertaining enough for an 8 year old to complain to their mothers that they were bored. GI Joe provided a lot explosions and action sequences that could have been better drawn by amateur cartoonists that have been laid off due to the recession.
Directed by Stephen Sommers who has done the Mummy and Scorpion King sagas it, is very clear that this is another sub par action film that portrays an idea that appeals to the masses. However with a mismatch cast of Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans, Rachel Nichols, and Step Up star Channing Tattum, the final product that is featured on the big screen (and will quickly move to the small one) would be a masterpiece if it were presented as a YouTube comedy spoof.
A plot that goes nowhere is made far worse when combined with terrible acting. Channing Tattum and Dennis Quaid struggled to make an unbelievable film even somewhat believable as they failed time after time to convince their audience that they are, in fact, professional actors. While the casting agency is at fault, so is Stephen Sommers who was incapable of inspiring his star actors to connect with each other. Rather than be the cool-headed leader of GI Joe, Quaid looked like a confused father figure who doesn’t know how to talk to his step kids.
If a slab of decency can be derived from this film, it was the special effects. It is clear that the majority of time and money was put towards making the audience’s face light up as building after building seemed to explode in a flurry of fire.
Congratulations to the cast of GI Joe, you successfully created the most unsuccessful film of not just the summer, but of the year itself. It may be a good idea to forget this film was ever made and definitely don’t spend any money to watch it.
Big Fish
Director Time Burton strikes again with another successful film. Big Fish is not only a treat for the eyes, but is also a treat for the mind. Brilliant storytelling and cinematography drive this film forward towards being one of the best films I have seen in recent years.
Burton is able to transform a detailed script into a magical feature film without any flaws. A star studded acting cast of Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Jessica Lange, Danny DeVito, and Albert Finney, deliver absolutely memorable performances. Each one is able to completely live within their character’s personality and actively portray the creative vision of Tim Burton.
Big Fish is easily one of the most visually appealing films in recent years. Philippe Rousselot does a fantastic job creating memorable scenes one after another. Perhaps the most beautiful scene within the film’s entirety is the Daisy Scene. The camera reveals Ewan McGregor standing in a field of Daisies in his final attempt to win over the love of his life. The dazzling yellows from the daisies reflect upon the actors, casting them in an innocent yellow glow.
The film successfully jumps back and forth between the present and the past as Albert Finney recounts his life’s story. Rather than make the past distinctly different from the present using a sepia or black and white medium, detailed attention to complimentary color patterns and soft flesh tones successfully distinguish the past from the present
The storyline of Big Fish is excellent and highly original. The film is based off the novel written by Daniel Wallace. A combination of creative characters and a ridiculously creative plotline establish Big Fish as a modern day masterpiece. It is no surprise that the film was an Academy Award nominee and received four Golden Globe nominations, including best picture.
Van Wilder: Freshman Year
If you’re looking for an entertaining, predictable plot about a romanticized college lifestyle, look no further than Van Wilder: Freshman Year. It’s the type of film you watch with your buddies from school to get a good laugh. The film does not have a stellar plot, developed dialogue, or stunning cinematography, but it is not needed. No one expects college comedies to be known as an American Classic but for what it’s worth, the film is quite entertaining.
Director Harvey Glazer, who is slightly new to the directing picture, did a good job of casting in the film. Jonathan Bennett, who plays Van Wilder, and Kristin Cavallari, playing Kaitlin Hays, have strong chemistry throughout the story. Kaitlin, who dates “d-bag” boyfriend, Dirk Arnold, played by Steve Talley, initially shrugs Van Wilder off as a self-centered and arrogant guy. As the two develop a relationship, and later begin to date, the progression of their courtship is very believable.
The use of humor makes the film enjoyable to watch. Without a doubt, the funniest character in the story is Yu Dum Fok, played by Jerry Shea. Even his name makes you laugh when you hear it. In particular, a scene in which Yu Dum Fok shows off his “stereotypical” Asian Kung Fu skills is by far my favorite in the film. Yu Dum Fok does not seem overly impressive until he successfully fells a tree with several swift punches to its trunk.
The only thing I would like to see changed would be more witty dialogue. In this style of movie, the more punch lines the better. This is not to say that they are lacking, only to suggest that an increased amount would add to the film’s success. I would recommend this film to anyone looking for an entertaining two hours with their close friends.
Lighting was extremely challenging when we tried to recreate a scene from Rear Window. While our light plot had roughly six different setups, the most common light sources were one kino flow light, two flash cameras, and one camera light. We used the camera light to add blueish highlights to the faces of the actors in order to simulate moon light. The kinos were dimmed quite a bit in order to achieve specific shadows on the actors. The flash from both of our cameras was used to temporarily blind the character in the film while filling the room with light for a brief second. Less lighting and shadows are definitely much harder to work with than more traditional light setups in which numerous lights illuminate an entire scene.
Oftentimes, we had to be very creative with our setups. When the assailant is addressing the man in the wheelchair, we had to hang a camera light over his head, shine a flashlight in his eyes from the floor, and tightly squeeze the doors on the kino light to emit only a sliver of light. When lighting the wheelchair, we used a kino in the right corner of the screen and shined a camera light onto the wheelchair itself. All in all, it was a challenging project but I learned a lot about lighting.
Paranoid Featured on Motionographer
Paranoid’s summer production of Raphael Saadiq’s new song, “Let’s Take a Walk.”
Los Angeles changed me for the better. I don’t know when I will return but I know I will. It has an appeal that cannot be explained. An inspiring amount of creativity pulses throughout the heart of the city. That is what makes Los Angeles truly special.
The reason I chose Philippe Rousselot as my favorite cinematographer is due to several reasons. Rousselot combines traditional film techniques with creative cinematography. However, he is particularly successful in doing this because he doesn’t take away from the performances of his actors. Oftentimes, an interesting shot may distract viewers from the importance of a scene. Rousselot pays close attention to lighting techniques and uses shadows to accentuate an actor’s performance. Furthermore, the three films I chose, Remember the Titans, The Great Debaters, and Big Fish, all have similar coloring techniques.
Remember the Titans is full of slow dolly shots and tracking pans. Rousselot uses different camera movement techniques to display his work in the most creative, yet least distracting way. A scene that stood out to me was the introduction of Coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington). Coach Boone is revealed in Coach Yoast’s (Will Patton) office drenched in sunlight, which hides his face, while standing in front of a window. Boone is initially viewed as a shadowy figure but emerges as the lead role in the film.
Rousselot made sure that each one of his shots had a purpose towards the development of Remember the Titans. Oftentimes, he would combine establishing shots with the master shot without cutting. An example would be during a football game in which the camera opens with the crowd, tilts down revealing Coach Boone, who then has a conversation with a player that enters the scene.
The Great Debaters carries a similar feel to Remember the Titans. Both films are set in the past and along with the storylines, the cinematography is what ties the two together. The coloring within The Great Debaters has an antique feel to it that really adds to the film. The coloring creates a certain look that makes the film feel as if it really did take place years ago. Another aspect that Rousselot uses within the film are profile shots. As the title indicates, debate is a major component of the film. Rousselot films many of the debate scenes from the profile of the actor while slowly moving on the dolly track. This gives the speakers a sense of power and importance because it allows the viewer to focus primarily on their mouths and their emitting words.
Big Fish has always been one of my favorite films because it tells two stories, the past and the present, while keeping the viewer entertained and concerned with both. While this is definitely the result of strong writing, it is also excellent cinematography by Rousselot. The present is shot using traditional coloring while the past has an antique feel similar to The Great Debaters and Remember the Titans. Rousselot emphasizes shadows as oftentimes they dance across the character’s faces. This further accentuates the role each actor plays by adding a sense of mystery to his or her character. Rousselot continues his use of slow dolly movements that reveal particular characters and artifacts within the film.
Here are my final videos I have compiled as a communications major.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtK9kN6ceGg – My Reel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFI9G3z7h4o -Elon Basketball Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKPN_CYF_I -Patron Ad
