The Hurt Locker Response

I would like to start by saying that this movie was really appealing to me. This was one of the best films I have seen hands down. As soon as it began, I had my eyes open through the rest of the film. It was really interesting to me and I really enjoyed watching it.

I thought that the director made a really good film. It made me feel like a better person in the end. And the director really got their point across well. The film made a point to me, where it made me feel like I had to respect life more and enjoy what it has to offer. Make what i can of my friends because they might not always be guaranteed to always be there later on. I felt this way once Beckems body was found on that table in the rundown building.

It thought that the setting was great. if the film took place in another war, i dont think i would have got the same message. the film was strong because of the modern time setting. and it made me feel more related to those that i personally know that serve in the military, and it made me realize that this film is an everyday reality for those people. I also thought that the actors did a great job portraying the real life aspects in the film.

The lighting in the film was great! It really came out well where it was needed. Especially when it went pitch black for a couple of minutes while the soldiers were fighting to protect the people when the tanks exploded. the angles in the film were also interesting to me. the shots chosen by the directors were eye opening. especially during the scene when the Americans were on the ridge all day trying to snipe the terrorists on the opposite side.

it almost didnt even seem as if the film was edited. the cutting was very smooth and it almost didnt even seem real. the movie almost seemed like one continuous shot. So i guess the style can be called more real then expected. most war action movies cut when you dont really want them too. but in this film, it cut as soon as i wanted to see what it was going to show in the next shot. the parallel action was really nerve racking when they were showing the suspisious people with the camera during the scene when the bomb was being disarmed in the parked car.

I thought that the script was realistic. Its the same stuff that you usually hear in your typical war action movies. But this movie didnt actually have side against side action, and it was more like suspenseful waiting while they tried to disarm bombs. So i thought the script was well written for the suspense that the movie had to offer. When the soliders would yell at each other to leave or abandon the current objective

im not sure what i would set this movie under as far as genres go. I would have to say i would put it under action/suspense. Instead of a regular war based movie, this one reminded more of a film like Inception, where theres more suspense inside then there is action.

Short Documentary Response

Fuel.TV

This documentary was about a hearing impaired female motocross rider who competes in games against others. This documentary really caught my attention and I thought it gave a good message to people who wish to do something challenging. I saw it as a way to influence anyone into doing something. Later in the film, we see another motocross rider who competes in TORC series. You really get the real life feeling about being on that motorcycle, especially from the shots used.

I thought that the camera work in this film was really creative, but it's the usual camera work that you see in any documentary that has the kind of action that this one has. But it really helps you get a piece of the action if you have never experienced that first hand.

I thought the editing was really sharp in this piece. It noticed that once there was action in the shot, the speed of the editing was faster to make the film more anticipating to see what would happen next, whether or not he would land his trick on the bike.

Documentary Pre-Pro

Documentary Pre-Pro

Student Musicians

In my documentary, I want to go into the stories of students that are musicians that attend Capuchino high school. The purpose of my documentary would be to motivate young teenagers, mostly high school students to find something that they are interested in at a young age. Instead of just sitting back and watching time pass thinking that an idea would come to you.

The beginning of my segment would consist of introducing students from Cap that play a musical instrument outside of school and instructional classes. interviews of student talking about got them to do what they do, their influences and what keeps them going every day.

i will include shots such as interviews from, to emphasize the two words STUDENT musician, and interviews from the garage to show the dedication outside of school. Sit down in the garage and ask question regarding musical history that took a toll in their lives. More personal interviews will have closer shots, while the “just for fun” interview questions will be more set back to reveal the background a bit more.

Voice overs will include reflections on what the intervieweees say, and reflections on my own thoughts on questions.

Baracka Film Response

1. I think that this film was called Baraka or "Breath" because the film was pretty simple since it really had no dialogue, but it did have the sounds of the shots incorporated loud and clear. The sounds of the nature in the film was more relaxing than anything. Most films are made to push a point across with dialogue, but this one made its point with nothing but breathing.


2. The can be any vision represented in this film. I think anybody can have different interpretations of this film. But the same points are still pulled across with certain scenes, such as the one with the sky reflecting off of the ocean.


3. The message I got from this film was that life is civilized, and then once it gets to the end, it is something far from civilized. During the beginning of this film, the feeling is really mellow, and then once the film progresses the feeling goes away.. Like during the shot with all of the baby chicks, there's not too many people that would enjoy that shot.


4. I personally enjoyed the movie without voice better than I thought I would with voice. It made the point go across, and it made the movie seem more serious. I thought that it was a lot better than a movie with voice.

5.  The images in this film really stuck out to me. I thought that they were really creative and that was the part of the film that I really enjoyed.


6.

7. I think that the social point trying to be made in this film was to take action on those who are poor, and maybe help them out in some way. But there's also some scene where the people are performing their rituals which make the world seem more real, because it shows that we are all different people.




8. The music from rituals performed in the film stood out to me the most. They are the most original in the film, let alone the film being an original idea that I have never seen before.


9. I thought we watched Baracka to get a sense of some originality for our documentaries and to show us the world from a view where we wouldn't have to listen to the film in terms of dialogue, so that we can think about what we are seeing instead of trying to understand the point of the dialogue.

Romantic Comedy Critique

Our Romantic Comedy was difficult for us to film. Only because it took us awhile to come up with an idea for us to do, and then it took us some time to get all of our footage together to finish. But once we had it all done, it paid off well and we were able to put together a Romantic Comedy that we could take.

The film takes on a clear story that anyone could see. Its easy to comprehend what goes on in the film. Even without dialogue, the audience can see what is going on within the film, and what the main characters motive is.


The film shows an idea that every high school student thinks of. Which is the typical nerd that is trying to get with a girl that seems to be way out of his league. As he notices this himself, he proceeds to ask her out, when he is denied in 2 seconds flat, leaving him left behind to cry himself into comfort.


We thought the actors in our film really fit the characters that they played. To me it seemed as if the characters didn't really have to act, they all seemed to fit their role very well.

All of the gestures the actors put into the film were pretty meaning. They didnt seem to do them just because we wanted them. they fit into the characters and they sure didnt seem like they were completely acting out their roles.

Since there was no dialogue in our film, we didn't get to see how these actors would have been while playing their roles as far as dialogue goes, but in my opinion I think they would be pretty good considering how well you are able to their emotions without dialogue

All talents energy levels remain constant throughout the film. We filmed over the course of a few days and it still seems even to me that the film was all done in the same day, because on the constant emotions carried out by the actors. It never seemed that the day was changed.

Costumes did not apply too much in our film besides the glasses that the main character wore in the first act of the film.

The sound effect used in this film were applied to all the correct areas in the film, and the were incorporated in a way to show the audience how the characters were feeling at that time, or to emphasize a certain issue or event that the character was involved in.

Background music all fits in where its supposed to. In the parts of the film where its very mellow or setting the scene, the music stays quiet in the background. And as the scene changes, to make the character feel stronger or more confident, the music changes to something that makes you see the character differently than you might have in the beginning of the film.

All of the staging in our film was not modified in any way. We took advantage of our surroundings to try and turn them into a natural setting. Since we did most of the filming during class, the students helped keep the setting real so that the audience can really feel the presence of the classroom.

The setting helps keep the actors blended in. Since the characters in the film were students, the setting did not pull anything away from the realism. The setting treated the actors to a normal scene, without competing with them for any attention.

The lighting in the film was all by natural light. We did nothing to modify the lighting structure. We use the natural sunlight, and the lighting from inside the classroom. It didnt do too much to the film as far as bad lighting goes. The lighting stayed constant throughout the film because we did the film around the same time of day everyday we filmed

Camera operation in this film was not too advanced. Since we were able to use bigger cameras, there was a lot more handheld shots incorporated. I've never tried doing too many handheld shots before, but after seeing that they were pretty successful in this film, I will most likely try in use handheld shots in my next film.

When we went into editing with this piece, we made sure that we kept the continuity constant to make it feel more real. We have made mistakes with this in the past and we know it takes away from the realism in the film. The scene where the main character runs down the hallway with much excitement, we made sure we shot it very well so that when we went into editing, we knew where to cut the clips so there would not be any continuity errors

Romantic Comedy

By Carlos Cruz & Daniel Afeaki

Short Film Treatment

Theres a new kid that comes to school. Everyone knows that the new kid is always intimidated by everyone else at the school. He gets his schedule and he's off to his first class.

As he walks in, he grabs a seat and sits down as a student comes up to him asks him who he is, where he's from and what he thinks of the new school. The student then begins explaining  to the new kid who everyone is and where everything is at the school.

As he walks around during lunch time, he realizes where the cliques are and who hangs out where. Then he sees himself suddenly pop into a group of friends, without any introduction, as if everyone already knows who he is.

But then its all in imagination as he proceeds to sit down by himself. As he sits there, random people begin walking past him saying "Hi" as if they already knew him for years.

He then gets up and is introduced to a group of people and is now within a new group of friends.

Amelie

One thing that I noticed that came up a lot in the film was that Amelie was looking at the camera and talking. It was a way of Amelie letting the audience know what her thought were about something in the film.

Another thing that was used in the editing of the film was the use of black and white for flashbacks. Even though it is a French film, they still use some of the same aspects as films in America, like using black and white for flashbacks.

One thing in editing that I've never seen in other films was the way the director was expressing the characters feelings. Usually to show the feeling of adrenaline or paranoia, the director will have sound effects of a heart beating rapidly. But in Amelie, the director shows Amelie's feeling with visual effects instead of sound effects.

The use of extreme close ups on the object that just seem to be everyday objects, but they actually play an important role in the scene, or even the entire film. This scene, the glasses were used in extreme close up to show how much things were shaking inside of the restaurant.