END OF THE YEAR REFLECTION P.3

I felt like the silent film was the least useful unit. It was least useful because I didn't learn anything useful.

END OF THE YEAR REFLECTION P.2

 The unit I enjoyed most was the sound effects project because it made me more knowledgable on a weak area for me.  The project was also the most fun I had because it was fun trying to complete a vision I had. I would still like to learn more about audio as much as I can because its still very difficult for me. I feel like theres nothing needed to be improved on this unit.

END OF THE YEAR REFLECTION P.1

I'm not proud of any of my videos because it seems like theres always potential and I never quite fulfill it because of something. I can't tell 3 things that I can do to prevent it but I do learn something new everytime I do a project.

INOCENTE - 2014 OSCAR WINNER BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

This documentary is so impactful due to the gritty realness of the setting. She's talking into a camera and just speaking. One of the ways that the film makers communicated the struggle was the way she was talking to the camera. She is talking directly to the viewers. They also have her go on her everyday life. Its really real and heartbreaking to view that. They used great lighting, audio and b-roll but it never was too showy. It always stayed genuine throughout the whole documentary.

IF I DIE ON MARS

The techniques they used for this is odd. You can hear the person asking questions. These weren't in the keynote. The three techniques that we learned during the keynote that they used was lots of b-roll. The positioning of the camera and lots of voice over. They made this effective because they had a topic that was very interesting.

THEO JANSEN'S STRANDBEESTS

Is documentary is different because it has a narrator talking most of the time. Its also different because there isn't really a theme or driving questions. Its basically just really interesting information. The used a lot of interesting camera work. We light him perfectly and used plenty of B-roll.  This documentary uses them effectively by applying these techniques carefully.

REINVENTION OF NORMAL MINI DOC

This documentary is different because because its a very corky subject. Its not as serious as most documentary that we have seen The three techniques were a lot of were a lot of b roll, the lighting and the movements of the camera. They achieve this by being very careful because it looked great. They used a lot if animation.

THE OFF SEASON MINI DOC

This documentary seems more technical and thought out. This made me very annoyed because it felt like a cheap commercial. I didn't really believe anything this guy was saying. It seemed like just a bunch of corny things he came up with. We learned about the amount of b-roll they used was crazy.

ENJOY YOUR TRANSMISSION

They used very slow pan and slow music to create the tone. They used slow motion to also make a compelling story. They created a very mellow mood.

ALMOST EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT B-ROLL

B-roll is footage you use when you are cutting from something. It is important because it makes something to look at. When you shoot B-roll don't be afraid to move the camera. Also shoot as much as you can.

THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW

The three tips of interview is warming up, setting the parameters, and directing a subject. Warming up is important for getting the interviewer calm and relaxed and directing a subject help shapes the film.

INTRO TO 3-POINT LIGHTING

The presenter introduces us with 3 point-lighting. Key, fill, and back light are the 3 points. The key light is the main one. The fill light is to fill the shadow. The backlight is to bring the edges of the back. They are all important for each film you are making.

YOUR B ROLL IS YOUR A ROLL

Anthony take on B-roll is that it is more important than a roll. He feels like B-roll shouldn't be called B-roll because it is more important that A-roll. Calling it B-roll makes it seem secondary.

DOCUMENTARY PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

The three key things that you must keep in mind is tell a good story, have a least one major character development and a resolution. They are important because they bring a dynamic to the project.

WHAT IS B-ROLL?

B-Roll is basically like coverage. It helps you pull things out and edit into dull places. Its essential for this project because a documentary needs it. If there is no B-Roll there is nothing special about it. It would just be talking and nothing pleasing to look at. Don't be afraid to move, get a variety, and get as much as possible when shooting B-Roll.

WRITING A DOCUMENTARY TREATMENT

The purpose of a treatment is to get a huge safety leap step forward rather than just taking a huge leap of faith. He says that the narrative and the character is the two big things that matter in the treatment. These are the most important aspects because it is something to draw in the audience.

5 SIMPLE MISTAKES

Not asking a question or choosing a theme, using bad music and using poor technique is the worst sins to be committed while making a documentary. Not choosing a theme for the documentary shows nothing in the project. It basically is pointless. Also bad music is a result of not capturing a feeling.

COMIC BOOK HEAVEN SHORT DOC

The filmmakers make the mood very light and funny. It was really easy to watch and quite entertaining. The achieved this by the music. The color of the movie and the interviews was quite funny. They pulled the best of him out of the interviews.

NANOOK OF THE NORTH 1922

The filmmaker did two things that was controversial. He connected with these people by teaming up with these unfamiliar people. At the team it was risky considering how racism was very much alive.  It also showed them killing animals which might be sensitive to some people but it showed it honestly. I think it was still authentic because he was still there. It was very in the moment even though it was staged.

WHAT ARE DOCUMENTARY FILMS?

A documentary film is a movie that captures real life things. It has a question at the end. A narrative film tends to block of the environment and bring in the movie world. A documentary is bringing in the most out of the environment. They are interesting because they could capture real life things and make stuff very relevant and have us ask questions.

SOUND SUMMARY

I learned a lot about sound. I learned the difference between analog and digital recording. I also learned the benefits of dual and single system. I learned a bit what to do and not to do. I want to learn more about just recording. I want to apply myself to more audio. I think more experience would help me learn more.

SFX FILM UPDATE

I recently finished my sound effect and I learned a couple of interesting things. I found that this project was interesting because it was something that I had idea doing and it was the first project that what I learned in class I applied to. I learned a couple things about this project. One is that you should never say its good enough. There is always a new layer or color you can add that will enhance the project. I also learn to listen as closely as you can and never add for the sake of adding. The vision you had for the project should be consistent. I would like to learn more of audition because I didn't have a chance to use it.

EXTERNAL AUDIO SETTING

There are three separate things you should do when doing audio settings. You should always use phantom power when using mics. You should always make sure you use line level if your not recording and a mic. And don't use internal audio for the most part. I always say this about audio but i want to learn everything more because audio is very difficult for me.

CAMERA AUDIO MENUES

The lowcut audio, number of channels and mic sensitivity is the three important things you should set up with audio. They are important for audio because it takes many aspects to make a good audio. I would like to learn about everything because I'm not well known about that aspect of filming.

AUSTRALIA LOCATION SOUND TEAM

I learned that they had to work with the environment. They also did a lot of foley. The 5 important element for sound is dialogue, foley, sound effects, score, and backgrounds. I would like to learn about all of these things because I need more knowledge.

IRON MAN WITHOUT MUSIC

Without music the scene is missing a lot. Its not intense enough. Its hard for us to emote any type of feeling when there is no music.

THE SOUND OF GRAVITY

The three important things that they used was the distance of the characters, the claustrophobic nature and the silence since it is in space. These three aspects make the movie a great experience. These three things are important for making it way more immersive.

WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM THE BOOM MIC LECTURE/DEMO

I learned how to properly hold it to make it comfortable. Also how to hold it without making any sound. These are interesting because we learned how to record actors right and there is a technique to it. I had trouble with how fast you have to move the mic but the problem will be fixed by simply more practicing.

MICROPHONE TYPES

Shotgun microphones are great for getting quality sounds for many areas. The handheld microphone is quick and efficient but very limited. The lavalier can be great for attaching your mic close to the talent. I would use the shot gun mic or the handheld mic. The handheld mic especially because I don't need to hide it.

THE SOUND OF INTERSTELLAR

These filmmakers wanted to emphasize three things. They wanted to show emotion, physical presence and an overall experience. They did this by taking small steps and try to achieve each task on by one. They found this important because each scene conveys a element that add to a fantastic movie. Interstellar is a great ambitious movie that couldn't been down without the sound effects and mixing.

FOLEY PROJECT UPDATE

It's not going yet. I haven't started on it because I've been working on my music video.

MICROPHONES

 Yes I did recently. It was a crappy rhode that I forgot to put the battery in it. It is funny because I actually got zero audio. The three things that is important for audio is dialogue, environment, and sound effect.

IT'S FOLEY TIME

The three essential things you must keep in mind is that you must be very good at improvisation and have well equipped microphones and headphones.

POST MUSIC VIDEO WRAPUP

I am almost done with the music video. All I need to do is edit. The thing I learned most from this project was that you should always be careful when importing footage. I literally finished a project that was competent and lost everything. The three challenges that I faced was the schedule of the band. Another big one was the location. We worked really hard on pre-production just to find of that we couldn't film at a place we really wanted to. We asked permission and they said no. By solving that problem we just filmed at a school. Another problem was the sunlight. We would shoot and the sunlight would get darker as time goes by. Something that I could do next time to avoid these problems is to shoot a little faster. That would fix the lighting. Another thing we could do is to ask permission to multiply people ahead of time just to make sure for the location. I am missing a couple things from the final assignment. I didn't turn in the shot list or script but I did do all of them. I also didn't shoot in three locations. I'm turning my music video with only one location. I am going to shoot on Wednesday to film the story aspect of the music video. I just feel bad that I didn't turn in the music video on time so I'm going to edit a rough draft that I'm proud of doing even if its not the best video ever and just turn it in. Even though I had a lot of problems with this process, it was a great learning experience for me and I'm not going to make the same mistake next time.

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO

This is one of my favorite music video because it captured the whole group. This group is very experimental and their song is very ugly. The music video captured how ugly and disturbing it looks. It matches perfectly. The mood is very glitchy and violent. They used the weird effect as a technique and they also did slow motion when he yells.

SOUNDGARDEN - BLACK HOLE SUN

The mood I'm getting from the video is a very acid trip type of feel. They achieved this by making it very colorful. The edits in the beginning with the fade outs set the tone of what's coming. The slow/non-existing camera movement was also another element that made this video weird in a good way.

MUSE - KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA

They made the mood feel like a b movie. It was very corny and fitted very well with the song. The techniques they used was fast editing, fast zoom, and fast camera movemet.

EVERCLEAR - EVERLONG

The mood was kind of a fantasy type. This was achieved by lighting, special effects, and camera movement.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - HELENA

The mood that was in this music video was very nightmarish. The techniques they used was the costume, location, and the way it was edited. I feel like I always mention editing when It comes to music video and that just explains how important it is.

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - CAN I KICK IT?

They created kind of a feel-good mood. The techniques they used was making it no serious. They kicked the "it" prop. They also did these weird angles to lighten the mood. It was very colorful and made sense.

SHOOTING YOUR MUSIC VIDEO

The 5 tips is that you should make a shot list, do a schedule, set up additional audio, working with your talent and teach them techniques. These are important because all of this has to do with communication. By collaborating and building a better relationship with the workers. These tips are very useful because some people get too worked up about the technical side of film making.

COLDPLAY THE SCIENTIST

I think the theme of the story is past and nostalgia. The technique they used was just playing stuff backwards and it fit very well with the slow kind of song.

RADIOHEAD THERE THERE...

It felt like a nightmare kind of mood. The technique they used was editing it like a stop motion movie. They also used the lighting very experimentally. Another technique they used was the camera movement was done very well. Very little movement with the cuts fit very well with the music.

BEASTIE BOYS SABOTAGE

This felt like a very parody kind of music video. The technique they used was editing the music to match the cuts. They also did a lot of zooms to achieve to feel of the music video. They also shook the camera quite a bit to get the quick and fast feeling.

THE HISTORY OF SOUND

I learned that The Jazz Singer was the first movie to include speaking in movies. It was only in two scenes. I also learned that Warner Brothers made a statement that they are going to start making movies in sound only.

FROM EDISON TO T-PAIN

I think these technology advances affected filmmaking in a great way. Looking back at some of my favorite movies in the later decades sound much different than new movies. The three important advances that affected video and film is in the 70s when it went digital. The beginning when thomas edison made the machine and When the 40s when sound became more versitile with audio manipulation.

YOUR MUSIC VIDEO PITCH

My music idea is going to be a nightmare. The song feels very dark and nightmarish so I decided to use that for the visuals. I choose this song because my friend has a band that I've been listening to. I'm going to be shooting the band performing on a hill. I'm also doing a side story in a number of locations. I'm shooting at a park, house, and outside of a house.

THE HISTORY OF SOUND QUESTIONS

The two things I want to know about sound history is when did they start using condense microphones for voice overs. Another question that I have is when was the first movie that was revolutionary for sound.

SEEING SOUND

I don't find anything interesting about this video. Seeing the visuals help me a little but it didn't help my significantly.

HISTORY OF SOUND QUESTIONS

I would like to know how the sound engineering process goes. I would also like to know how to use the foley and have fun with it. Sound is the other part of the movie that you can't see and I feel like its very important to do so.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SOUND AT THE MOVIES

I notice most crappy blockbusters have lazy sound effects. The explosions that go off is very weak and nauseating. I also notice that it can be effected if it is done right. When an explosion in interstellar happened it was amazing. It had a great presence. The first movie that I watched that I noticed is The Dark Knight. The score is amazing and epic but when they had a car chase scene they had no score and it was so effected.

The importance of sound in film and tv

Sound can build tension. We need dramatic tension in movies or else it would not be good. It also sets the atmosphere. This is important for the setting. It is also important for the context of the story. It moves the story forward.

COOL HAND LUKE

Luke is a very chill guy that has lost everything. He hates authority in this film because all he want to do is to be free. He is relatable because we all want to be free.  I think we find him so relatable because people just want freedom and that is all what Luke wants.

FURTHERING YOUR EDUCATION

I want to learn as much as I can with film. I plan to go to community college. I will then want to transfer to USC or any other film school except NYU because my favorite film maker dropped out of the class. I can find a way to pay for it and my parents with help me out a little. My career goal is to just make the things I want to make with an audience. I love film making and there is nothing I would rather do. I see myself in the future dead with a camera in my hand.

STORYBOARDING AND ANIMATICS

I learned a couple things during the storyboard presentation. I learned that during the storyboarding process is almost essential for film making. I also learned that during the storyboarding process its really good to rewrite your script.

SCREENPLAYS PAST DUE

I was able to finish my screenplay on time. It came out alright. I personally still find issues about the story. There is a couple ways that I am still trying to improve the story. One is that Joe's character is very one dimensional. Also the ending feels a little rush. It concludes way too fast and feels very corny. I need to do a better job writing it.

HERO'S JOURNEY SCREENPLAY

My hero's journey screenplay is going great. I'm only having problems trying to end it. Its kind of hard to conclude the screenplay. Other than that I finished it and I'm going to start my second draft soon. Two things that I learned was to keep going and not use any parenthetical that much.

CONFRONTING OBSTACLES

I am done with the first draft of the screenplay but there were a few things stopping me from finishing it. One was it wasn't really what I imagined it to be when I was brainstorming it. The overall structure of the movie is fairly similar. The two difficulties was me trying to express these themes and trying to get it across without it being forced. Also thinking too much about the screenplay is a big problem of mine. I also think about the location and actors and things I shouldn't be worrying about yet. This really distracted me and I always have that problem but I'm getting better at it.

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR SCRIPT

The two suggestions that the presenter gave us was that you should write the title first and that you should also know what the theme of the story is. He also said that each scene should play into the theme of the story. It is important to know the theme because if not what's the point. A tip that he mentioned was that you should write the logline. This will help you avoid writer's block.

WRITING VISUALLY

Three examples from my outline that I want to tell visually on the screenplay is the way the camera cuts. I want a loud hit on the mat and cut away. I also want a lot of close ups on objects. The visual world that I plan for this movie is very straight forward. The environment that I want to convey in my screenplay is the same environment as wrestling practice.

FROM OUTLINE TO TREATMENT

The two key points that they mention is always question your movie. Keep asking it questions. This is extremely important because you are checking the flaws of the movie. Another key point is that you should analyze each point in the outline. This is vital for making is more coherent.

STORY UNIT REVIEW

I learned a little bit more in depth about the three act story structure. I also learned how we shouldn't use parenthetical as much. We should give actors more trust in what they are doing. I wouldn't like to learn any else about story structure because we got enough information and rules. Its time for us to take it with us and run with it. I'm still very unsure with exhibition because maybe that's just how I write I don't ever want to force something on a audience and I want to give them things that they can interpret for themselves. I didn't really learn any new vocabulary because it was something I knew already.

THE ROSHOMON EFFECT

Roshomon was so revolutionary for its time because of the non-linear structure. It was very unconventional for having the narrative of three perspectives. It also affected the film industry by having a japanese director tell this story during a social crisis.

JOHN AUGUST ON NON LINEAR

The two things that August said you should keep in mind is that you should write the way you want to see it and be careful or it could be very corny and turn out bad. He made a great suggestion by writing one outline thats non linear and another linear. This will help because you can compare the two.

INTRO TO NON LINEAR STORIES

I like a lot of movies that is non linear.  I like Pulp Fiction, Magnolia, and other movies. The basic plot to Magnolia is that it follows through many characters story and it is very place out of order. Most film makers that use non linear structure is because it is a great tool to use for character development, plot, tension, and many other things.

ANNIE HALL

The three things that surprised me about the movie is that its very corky. I expected it to be very dramatic. It took a relatively dull topic and made it interesting. I loved the long takes that it had. It really kind of made it more of a reality. I wasn't really confused about the movie. I was but then the ending made all sense of it. I don't have any techniques that I want to know more. I only want know more about them speaking to the camera. I thought that was pretty interesting.

AND THE BEST PICTURE GOES TO...

I know Woody Allen and what kind of movies he makes. I actually never seen any of his movies but I know he is very important for cinema. I think this movie is about a special relationship that forms. I actually don't want to know anything about this movie because that build and expectation and I don't want to be disappointed.

SCRIPT TABLE READ

The three different points that the author point out about table read is that you need to have actors believe in the material. You also need to have the best draft of the script and have to rewrite if necessary. This helps because this is a vital part for pre-production. We were able to communicate very well while we were doing the table read. I could improve by listening more in depth with the narrator.

INTRO TO SCREENWRITING

The three things that kind of surprised was that the parenthetical was supposed to not be used that often. I also learned that using a lot of action is good for screenwriting. My thoughts on tuesday's blog were very similar.

Screenplays

I have read a couple screenplays before. Screenplays is like a blueprint for the movie. Make sure you don't use a lot of dialogue. Make sure you have lots of action.  Also make sure you have an exciting conflict. Screenplays are better than AV script because Screenplays are more thought out and AV script is basically like a shot list.

SILENT FILM HOMAGE RESULTS

We were able to finish our project on time because Joseph stayed till seven. The original vision was kind of changed just a little. The main challenge was post production. There were a couple of mistakes during editing but nothing major. They happened because we had a little idea to edit. We can improve on the communication because there was lack of it and thats it.

3-ACT STRUCTURE

The three acts are introduction, confrontation, and resolution. Each steps is important because story needs to have a rhythm. We want things to be coherent. The first act is exposition and setting up. The second act is the climax. Usually the protagonist confronts the antagonist. The third act is the resolution and aftermath. It is very important because give the story a structure and keeps it cohesive.

Story telling unit so far.

Three things that I found most interesting is the characters, conflict and setting. I found characters are the most interesting because I love characters. If you have great characters it almost doesn't matter what kind of plot you have. The two concepts that I am very unsure about is exposition and genre. Theres two things can be very scary because the movie can come off generic and I never want to be unoriginal. It doesn't matter if I make bad movies as long as its my own. Exposition in some movies can be a very negative. It comes off very cliche and forced. Genre movies is something I'm a little scared of. Sometimes I watch a romantic comedy or a action movie and it comes off very underwhelming. Something I want to know more about is dialogue. I just want to be able to write funny and interesting dialogue.

HERO'S JOURNEY SCAVENGER HUNT

3-ACT STRUCTURE

The 3 act structures is something that a lot of screenwriters borrow from. The 3 acts are introduction, confrontation and resolution. The inciting incident is the plot points in the story. It is important for the story because it has to have a rhythm and move. The conflict plays in the second act often because it takes time to have a set up. If its in the beginning than the conflict wouldn't be as riveting.

YOUR SILENT HOMAGE PLAN

Pitch: A story about a man and a women dealing with depression and life.

MOVIE PLOTS DONE TO DEATH

The Underdogs

1.  Summarize this plot type.
This plot is about a main character that who manages to overcome and beat the antagonist.

2.  Why is this plot so overused?
This plot is overused because people love to see people succeed. It's very satisfying but it can become very conventional in a bad way.

3.  How do you think could this plot type be done in a new way?
I think everything great movie has to have something that stands out. If its really funny or shot beautifully it would make a big difference. 

WHAT IS THE HERO'S JOURNEY?

I think that "hero's story structure formula" is when a character has a past that shapes who they are currently in the story. They are also the person you root for. The ideas of this formula makes me think about redemption or accomplishing something difficult. Hero stories are very important in some movies but sometimes it come but very corny. It makes this very interesting because the resolution can be very satisfying.

7 BASIC PLOTS

Rags to riches is a plot that is very interesting to me. I think it's interesting because we can see the character grow and it can be very uplifting. I feel like I would use this plot in later projects. This is way more interesting then the other plots because we don't get to see the characters grow in most of the plots.

Tragedy is also an interesting plot that i would use in the future. I also want to question the audience when I'm making my movies. I want the people to feel unsure sometimes. I think its very interesting to have a villain as a protagonist in this plot. I want the audience to be rooting for protagonist or hating the protagonist. Either way I have a feeling I'm going to use this plot in the later future.
Its also very original if you use it right. All the other plots are very generic and when executed it could be very mediocre or underwhelming.

FILM CONFLICT TRAILERS

Person vs. Nature.
Protagonist: Aron Ralston
Antagonist: The Weather
I feel that this conflict is about a man who is struggling to reach his goal. He is trying to get out and a specific place for the whole movie and the weather the main thing stopping him. The rock and the raining were the clues that this is Person vs. Nature.





Person vs. Society
Protagonist: Lou Bloom
Antagonist: The news media outlet
I feel that the conflict is about a man who is building his own business and the media is stopping him from achieving his goal. The clues were when he's just starting off and he has a lot of competition.




Person vs. Self
Protagonist: Andrew
Antagonist: himself
The conflict is Andrew trying to become the one of the best drummer of all time. Even though the constructor appears like the antagonist he is actually trying to help him achieve his goal. The clues in the trailer is when he said he wants to be one of the greatest. We seem him struggle throughout the whole film.