Presentation References

I want to make a music video that explores altared states of mind visually, and the results of being addicted to these states. Cocaine is the first video I looked at because I like that effects that are used to suggest inhebriation. I like the color and the effects used to display this sort of haze from being in an altered state of mind. As for Novacane I was looking more at the different ways that video can be layered to result in a sort of visual Dejavou. I also like the subtleties that complement the more direct effects and enhancments. Rella is probably my favorite music video as of now. I like the amount of subversion that occurs with the medium of rap, but Tyler the Creator does an especially good job at subverting and questioning rap culture.

The Road

I have been a fan of John Hillcoat for a while now. I think The Proposition is a wonderful modern take on the western genre. The Road, 2009, explored the idea of a stand off. There are long tense moments through out the film that rase the tension felt by the viewer. I was on the edge of my seat through out the film. I also really enjoyed the Mies-En-Scene of the movie. It was very much about the awe-inspireing scale of nature compared to the smallness of man. Another great thing that Hillcoat with the film was build investment in his characters through the use of flash back. The flash back sequences are very much slaps to the face of the viewer. Often pulling you from the grey "present" their vibrant "past." I really enjoyed this movie, it is a candid depiction of what life in a post apocalyptic waste land would be like. This is done a lot with zombie movies and I would almost say that it is a zombie movie because of the cannibalistic humans roaming the country side. They are gaunt and willing to eat most anything only difference between these "humans" and zombies is that Hillcoat's red necks use guns. The Road also looked into the realistic aspects of being a survivor, dealing with low ammunition, food, and no allies to confide in.

Act of Valor

I am sharing this trailer because this film was partially shot on the Cannon 5D mark II which is the camera that I will be working with through this class. It will be exciting to see how everything translates to the big screen from a dslr. I believe this film is a testament to the Digital Revolution and the idea of Creating at the Speed of Thought and the over all accessibility of professional techniques by indie filmmakers.


act of valor from AMFM STUDIOS LLC on Vimeo.

Drive Movie Review

Drive is a slow paced drama about a man, Ryan Gosling, who is a stunt driver for the movies during the day and a get away driver at night. The Film is very much a gangster film, but the car chases were fully invigorating making me recall the original Gone in 60 Seconds. I found my self at the edge of my seat for most of the film, the director Nicolas Winding Refn does an amazing job with pacing for the film. Before watching it I had heard a few things about the film like that it had an off pacing and that shots held for too long on certain characters. I felt in a contrary manner to this idea. I felt that the pacing helped escalate the drama of the situations to such tense points. There are also a few interesting parts that i felt modernized the car chase genre. The scene where Goslings character is about to kill one of the main bosses with his car is visually engaging and the pacing helps to give the film the extra feel of brash violence that the film has. Over all the cinematography was beautiful and the lighting design brought the acting to another level. The dirty feel and the pacing really made this film for me. This will definitively be one of the films I will be watching for consideration of my project.

Everything is a Remix

This series is really great, It discusses appropriation and the process of  making media in a canted way. Reinforcing the idea that all of the media we produce today is just a reproduction. I would a the Kill Bill video as well, but the series as a whole is great.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

This film is arguably the first horror film to include a twist ending. I find the aesthetic value of the German Expressionists is very nice. I love the painted shadows and nonsensical objects found through out the film. The story was interesting, I enjoy this sort of surreal story told through the eye of the past. If that makes any sense. I enjoy older films like this, and Nosferatu, because they are so visually effect challenged. It is interesting to watch how these "original" masters tackle the issue of depicting night or the issue of depicting emotion to the audience. Like most pre-talky films the players in this film had excellently exaggerated facial features. Dr Caligari always looks like he is about to pop with emotion. The Somnambulist Caesar has wonderfully large eyes that are highlighted with eye makeup making his scene of awakening even more dramatic. I think this film is a great study for horror. It has given me a lot to consider when going in to making my own horror piece.

Script Writing

I love writing scripts. Although this time around I was not sure about what I produced. The reason being that I don't know if I included enough shot detail. I feel like the script is an essential part to figuring out the feel of your movie. I feel like the amount of shots was sufficient for a draft I but i hope to develop more shots after todays critique.