A conversation

Brief Reflection:

We were given a task to make a short film on a conversation. For this, i worked with Lilo. We both worked together well, and both worked on it the same amount. I was the script writer, and came up with the plot, while Lilo was the film editor. We both planned the shots and angles together. 

There were things that i was pleased with, and things which could be imrproved on. I thought the over the shoulder shot worked and was filmed well. As Lilo and I were starring in the film, We had to use a tripod which was helpful as the clips were steady and not shaky. we also used a variety of shots e.g. Long angle/ Low angle. 

The main problem we had was with the background noise. When filming, there was a construction going on as well, and is clearly audible throughout some clips of the film. At one point of a long shot, the tripod was not set up right, therefore it was tilted a little bit. And lastly, It would've been better if we set up mics for long shots and not the mic on the camera, so we could hear the conversation clearly. 

Overall, I am please with the film Lilo and I made, as it was our first.

Up review

Pixar animation films are the films I always enjoy watching, and I particularly enjoyed watching the movie Up. I love the animations and the realistic effect it has even though it’s not real, along with the shadow effect and the lively colours used. The movie was cute, humorous and touching. The two main characters of the movie (a grumpy widower and a scout boy) were thought well, and fitted the movie perfectly, and I especially liked how the relationship between them builds up towards the end.

Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson are the directors of Up. The film is about an old grumpy widower named Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Assner),Who was an ex balloon salesman, hoping to fulfill his and his wife’s dream of visiting paradise falls. Carl attaches several thousand balloons to his house and sets off to his adventure to paradise falls. Unknowingly, he took off with a nine-year old scout boy named Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai) who was onboard. With no other choice, Carl accepts Russell to go on the adventure, and throughout the movie their relationship builds up and Carl discovers him as a son he never had. Throughout their adventure, dragging the house to their destination, they encounter a talking dog and an exotic bird of paradise falls.

However, like all plots, they eventually face a man named Charles Muntz who was a well known celebrity explorer who has been living in a airship in the middle of the jungle near paradise falls, using dogs as slaves with gadgets for them to be able to talk. His obsession with the bird of paradise, is only to bring him back to fame, and uses his talking dogs to hunt it down. In a scene filled with action; Carl, Russel, the dog, and the bird is then chased by Muntz’s dog on land and air.

Although Carl attempts to stay out of the mess he is in, he eventually realize what life is all about.

Up is a film that is suitable for all ages, and anyone would enjoy it.  

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Top Ten Favourite Movies

1. Shindlers list - shindlers list is one of my favorite movie.it's a movie I can watch over without getting bored. I also like this time in history during the ww2 with the holocaust

2. Memento - I like how it plays with your mind and it is not like any other movies I've seen before

3. Harry potter and the deathly hallows -I love all the Harry potter books j.k Rowling published. However I didn't really like the movies except the last and final one that came out this summer. It was filled with action and suspense.

4. Some Like it Hot - this is one of my favourite old movie ever. It is funny and entertaining the whole way through till the very end.

5.Toy Story 3- I love disney and pixar animation films. This is my favourite toy story out of all three that came out. I like how all age group can watch and enjoy this movie

6. Johnny English 2- I just recently watch Johnny English, and enjoyed it a lot. It is one of the funniest movie i have seeen, that I couldnt stop laughing the whole way through. I loved how the director also added a bit of suspense to it.

7. Avatar - I really liked the effects in this movie, and how creative the plot is.

8. Thirteen Ghosts - I like scary movies, and how it always makes you jump. Its exciting and i enjoy the suspense.

9. Click - I felt like this has most of the type of genres i like put into this film. Such as comedy, romance, and its very touching.

10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - i liked the idea of the story and i felt like the story was creative.

Notes on German Expressionism

German expressionism

Expressionism – non-realistic/ more about expressing the inner view

-Style of filmmaking developed during Weimar years in Germany

-WW1- could only import movies from Scandinavia

-More emphasis on cinematography than plot and narrative

-mainly focused on lighting, scenic design and camera placement as well as to focus on criminal underworld -> deliver thriller)

-Experimented with light and shadow – Chiaroscuro style of lighting

            -Low key lighting- emphasize light and dark

            -Key feature of film noir – horror and crime genre film

-Stick to shadowy aesthetic – theme is dark (tradition in German literature)

-Crime and soullessness – darker side of human nature emphasized

- Nazi took control – many directors and cinematographers (mostly Jews) fled to America -> Hollywood

Seven Deadly Sins - Sloth

Memento Review

I watched memento during my first TOK class, and found it very interesting. Unlike other movies, this does not start off with the beginning of the plot but starts from the end of the movie making its way to the beginning where everything started.   

Memento is a psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, which was released in 2000.  The film is presented in to two different series; black and white, and colour. The black and white sequence shows the things happening chronologically whilst the colour sequence is shown in the reverse order. Until they meet in the middle of the story in the end where it combines to produce one mutual story.
The story is about a man named Leonard Shelby, played by Guy Pearce, who is suffering from a short-term memory loss. He uses picture with notes and tattoos to help him find the man (John G) who he thinks killed his wife by rape. We see him talking on a phone, telling a story about a man named Sammy Jenkins with a short-term memory loss, who without knowingly killed his diabetic wife by over injecting her with insulin, after she tried to be sure that he was not faking the illness. However, towards the end we find out that this ‘Sammy Jenkins’ was actually Leonard Shelby himself, and he was the person to accidentally kill his wife. However, he does not want to believe in the truth therefore he makes his own truth up to keep him happy, thus carries out his mission to look for a ‘John G’.

In my opinion this movie has a strong connection between the main character and the people watching. When Lenny (Leonard) realizes something it s when we start to add the movie together, as if like we are in the story with him. The main character is alone most of the time or always with one other character. We also get to hear the things he says when he talks to himself. This makes us feel closer to him and makes it seem more realistic.

There were a few times where I would go off track as it could be a bit confusing, however by the end of the movie the whole story comes together. I love the idea of using black and white and colour cinematography in a sequence to show the different time period and how it merges together in the middle.