Hurt Locker Analysis

1. Opening Remarks
The film Hurt Locker gives us a glimpse into the lives of Iraq soldiers who risk their lives on a daily basis to provide safety and provide the well-being of the community they are serving in. This is an incredibly emotional, touching, harsh, and shocking film that gives us a new perspective on life.

2. Context
A. Place the film
i. Director’s WorkThe film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal. The Hurt Locker is an Academy Award-winning 2009 American war film and is appraised by critics and audience members all over.

ii. Time when Made (historical, socio-cultural
The film was made during the Iraq War, which was the main inspiration for the film because Mark Boal was a journalist that was sent to the location to record information and events.

iii. Relation to other films
I think this film relates to any other film involving characters who have an unhealthy obsessions.

iv. Thematic Threads



The overall theme of this film is about how there are few things that you find enjoyable, but when you do find that one thing, the passion becomes an obsession and the person cannot bear to live without it.


3. Setting, Acting, Costume
A. Visual Style
The visual style of the film is very gritty looking and graphic.

B. Iconography






Objects such as tanks, guns, and bombs create the sense of danger that is necessary for a war film. People such as soldiers create the heroic image that directors usually try to show the audience. The civilians/ bombers create the damsel in distress image in which they have to be saved by the soldiers, but the bombers create also create the sense of danger and evilness.
C. Actors



The actors was an all male cast from the US. In the beginning of the film, I characterized them as arrogant, macho, and determined. As the film progressed; however, I realized that the characters are much more complex than that. All of the soldiers in the film carry some kind of emotional baggage and want to prove something of themselves. Some want to stay in Iraq and fight, while others, like the protagonist, love his duty and wants to stay forever. They are characterized as helpful, caring, brave, heroic, emotional and ambitious.

D. Production Design



The film was film on location in Jordan, within miles of the Iraqi border. It helped create the realistic sense of the movie and the atmosphere needed for the film was preserved. The costumes and props were of great use in creating the dangerous environment that the film is set in.

4. Cinematography and Lighting
A. Style- realistic/formalistic
The style of the film is realistic because its main topic is about a real event that occurred. The film attempts to show the audience what real life bomb squads do while they are on duty. There are no manipulations of time and space, such straight forward recordings of time with some special effects to add some entertainment. The film is just trying to show a real life issue: people volunteering to put their lives on the line to create a safer and more peaceful environment for everyone to life in.



B. Angles, Framing, Lens Choice
The director used a large variety of camera angles to cover a more suspenseful scene, such as an explosion. The framing is often tight during dramatic/emotional/personal scenes in which the characters reveal information about themselves or they reveal their most intimate thoughts. The director's lens choice is amazing, to think that the lens could capture footage in a hot and dusty environment is quite impressive.

C. Camera and actor blocking
Regarding camera and actor blocking, the director makes an establishing shot, then the camera zooms into a waist shot, and CU for dialogues. The height of the camera is not raised incredibly high, only to emphasize the tension during the scene in which the main character (the bomb diffuser) realizes there are multiple bombs trying to kill him.

D. Dominant Imagery/Icons/Color
Bombs are the dominant objects in the film, the recurring image represents the cruelty of the world, how people are corrupt. The soldiers, the icons, are the heroes that deserve to be praised and saluted, they are the main focus of the film. The colors green and orange-red are most dominant in the film. The green emphasizes the positive-ness that the soldiers are bringing into the chaotic community of war. The orange-red represent the chaos and danger that emphasizes the tension/ suspense that is involved in military duty (the enormous explosions, blood. etc).

E. Camera Distance/ Proxemics, Territorial Design, Open vs. Closed forms
The camera is very close to the action in the film, demonstrating the suspense of each scene. The camera is distant when capturing establishing shots and trying to cover every corner of an area during an event. The film is composed of open forms, where the intimate aspects of reality is shown and formal beauty is sacrificed for truth.

F. Light Design-Key and Contrast
Because the film is shot on-location, sunlight and fluorescent was used as a light source. There isn't much low key lighting during the film, since most often the bomb squad is on duty during the day. The most prominent light contrast was during the scene where there was a mass explosion and fire was spreading from place to place. the fire provided the light source and it contrasted with the nighttime darkness.




5. Editing
A. Style
There was rarely any visible editing done on the film, because I believe the creators of the film favored content over form. I think they wanted to preserve the realism of the topic and any visible/ fancy editing would take the meaning away.

B. Manipulations of time and speed
The only time that time and speed is manipulated is in the beginning when the first bomb squad team leader is blasted by a bomb. We first see fast cutting between soldiers and then we see the bomb detonate. This is when time is slowed down. I can visualize it now. The fireball of the explosion rising into the sky, the sand rising up from the ground, the rust from a car being shaken off, and the bomb squad leader falling dramatically to the ground, instantly dead.







C. Length of cuts and pacing
The lengths of the cuts depends on the situation. The pacing is usually slow, and the lengths of the shots long when the characters are discussing a personal issue, or when there is a dramatic/ emotional event happening (someone just died or the team leader is trying to diffuse a bomb). During fighting scenes the pacing is fast and the lengths of the shots are much faster. This is to create the rush of adrenalin and pull interest out of the audience.

D. Narrative techniques such as flashbacks/forwards, parallel action
The narrative is pretty linear throughout the film. However, as the film comes to a close, a flash-forward is used. When the main character confesses to his son that he is addicted to war, we are taken into the near future where he returns to duty, once again risking his life in a life or death battle.







E. Montage or Visual Metaphor
In the beginning of the film, a limping cat is shown. These two cats contrast each other. The limping cat represents the vulnerable civilians that have their lives endangered by the bombs that exist. The cat seems to be showing that the community in which it lives in is no longer safe and that it needs some outside source to nurse him back to health (the soldier's protection/ destruction of the bombs).



6. Score
A. Style
The music style is fast tempo and compliments the action that is happening during the film. It gives the film "the bad boys are in town" feeling and effectively makes the film be more unique. I also noticed some local music incorporated into the film to make the film more authentic.

B. Repeated Motifs
The sounds of gunfire are repeated constantly throughout the film, probably representing the hatred that the soldiers have toward their enemies. The loud, rapid sounds of bullets coming from the guns are their harsh feelings releasing from their hearts.

C. Foley or FX
Most likely the sounds of the explosions and gunfire are sounds recreated by the creators of the film, because it is unlikely that the actors actually fired their guns.

D. Synchronous/Nonsynchronous
The film uses synchronous sounds most often, where the audience sees the object that makes a certain sound and it is obvious what it is. For example, when a the man strapped in multiple bombs blows up, we actually witness him dying. Another example includes the sand rising from the ground during a explosion. We hear the crackling of the mixture of tiny rocks and dirt, emphasizing the devastation the bomb created.

7. Script
A. Narrative Structure/ Style
The narrative is linear throughout the film and thus, is easy to follow. There is no narration at all, just character dialogue.

B. Character Driven vs Plot Driven
I believe that the film is character driven because it is the characters' actions and decisions that depict what the next event will be. But of course what the characters do in the film are, of course, controlled and decided by the director and writer. This issue is debatable: character or plot driven?

C. Nature of Dialogue
The nature of the dialogue is very informal. Swear words are used consistently to show the characters' wild personalities. The dialogue is very realistic and it is just basic soldier to soldier communication.

D. Use of humor, subtext or irony
I believe the title, the Hurt Locker is a subtext itself. It hides a deeper meaning, that the soldiers' hearts are a "hurt locker" or in other words places where they hide their pain. Everyday they encounter deaths of civilians, the loss of friends, and the pain of being away from loved ones. Of course as men they feel the need to preserve their tough image, so they lock away their true feelings inside of them. These feelings and thoughts will eventually accumulate until the character might lose themselves.

E. Thematic message/Archetypes/ Myth
I think a common misunderstanding is that fighting in a war is not all that glamorous and wonderful. Young men join the military believing that you are serving your country, but they fail to realize what they've gotten themselves into: years of struggle, daily life threats, and harsh treatment by the environment you are stationed in.

8. Genre
A. Features determining Genre
The soldiers, weapons, and battles determine that the film is a action based. But, the topics discussed among the soldiers and with their families and understanding the personal struggle they endure also determines that the film is drama based. The film is a action drama.




9. Closing Remarks
The Hurt Locker is a very powerful film that truly deserves a proud acclaim. It's message is quite clear: that war can be a drug as it does make soldiers be addicted to it. Their addictions causes them to value war over their family members. I like the topic of the film because it focuses on issues that impact a lot of people. The film is a great illustration of reality, and does not create a illusion of life, a temporary fantasy where when the film is over the audience returns to reality, disappointed. The film reminds me that though there is evil that exists, there are also those who are determined to fight for the well-being of the people of this Earth. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film and I congratulate the the creators for the film's amazing cinematography, underlying theme, and talented actors. Kudos to you.

One Dollar, One School, One Changed Community

Purpose: To inform people about the issues existing in Nicaragua and how Capuchino High School's peace club is working with a non-profit organization to help build a school there.

Contacts:
- Ms. Truman (ceramics teacher & peace club adviser)
- Mallika Sharman (peace club president)
- other peace club members
- Eddie (Cap staff)
- One Dollar For Life organization members (non-profit)

Interview Questions:
- Mrs. Truman: Why did you decide to create peace club? What is the goal of peace club?
- Mallika Sharman: What is the current project that peace club is working on? How did you get involved with ODFL? What are some of the ways peace club is planning on helping Nicaragua?
- Peace club members: Why did you join peace club?
- ODFL: What is the purpose of your organization? How did you get the task of building a school for Nicaragua?
- Eddie: What is your connection to Nicaragua and how do you do your part to help the country?

General Flow:
First, b-roll of the San Bruno/ Burlingame will be shown (Capuchino, Mills, houses, streets/ roads, stores) , contrasting with the various pictures of Nicaragua that will be shown after. (the poor schools & communities, trash heaps, etc..) with an opening voice-over telling the audience some interesting facts about the country. Then, peace club will be introduced (b-roll shown here). Next, the interviews will be shown, while b-roll of activities, meetings and more pictures will be overlap it. Finally, as the closing the b-roll of a hand holding a dollar and going around the school buying unnecessary items, but then Mallika stops the person and she leads the person to peace club where they donate that dollar for a good cause (a closing voice-over is heard during this time).

Shot List:
- LS of Capuchino High School
- LS of the peace club meeting room (ceramics room)
- LS of club members during a meeting
- MCU of adviser talking
- MCU of club president leading meeting.
- CU of club member writing on agenda sheet
- MS of club members discussing how to sell items to raise money
- CU of merchandise that are pending to to be sold
- MWS of interviewers answering interview questions
- POV/ ECU of person's hand holding a one dollar bill & walking to the vending machines and cafeteria to buy food
- POV of Mallika talking to person
- POV of person waking towards ceramics room to buy a bracelet with that same dollar

Intro: Never rich in the first place, Nicaragua continues to strive to overcome the negative effects of dictatorship, civil war and natural disasters, which have made it one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Well so what you might say to yourself? Why should I care about a country that has nothing to do with me? Well that may not be the best thing attitude to have regarding third world countries. That is what the students of Capuchino High School realizes. Every week these determined students get together to help countries in need. The country in focus for the 2010-2011 school year is Nicaragua and Capuchino's very own peace club will show you how a small contribution can make a big difference.

Closing: A dollar might not be worth much in the US, but what if that dollar was doubled? Tripled? Multiplied by a million? Now that number you pay attention to. If every single high school student in America donated one dollar, then we would have enough money to build 1,000 schools in third world countries. Now that really is something to think about. One dollar for a downloaded song, or one dollar to help build a school? You decide...

A Sentence Apart Documentary Review

This documentary is really compelling and sad. It is about three individuals struggling to cope with the fact that their loved ones are in prison. An African American woman tries to live her life without her daughter, who was convicted for attempted murder on three counts. A young African American girl spends four years without her father, and she explains her difficult situation. Another young girl, her father has just gotten out of jail, she confronts him for the first time after a long time, their reunion a little shaky. It's hard to patch up a relationship after years in prison. I believe the theme of the documentary is to show how family is one of the most important things a person can have, and you won't know what you have until you lose it. Family is the spine to your life, without it, you will fall apart and will have no support.

Director and cinematographer




The camera work is done pretty well. The director and cinematographer makes use of the foreground, mid-ground, and background in their shots. They shoot in long shots and close ups most of the time. Good use of panning and dollying by the cinematographer. The camera movement is very slow and smooth, not fast and bumpy/ The camera work makes the documentary look more professional and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.



The documentary's editing is composed of mostly straight cuts. Special effects were not used in this documentary at all, it would have distracted the audience and taken away the true message intended to be revealed. The sound design was not all that memorable. Some depressing, slow tempo music in the opening shots and some during dramatic, emotional scenes.

Co-director and editor


Overall, the documentary deserves a 4 out of 5 stars. I really like the theme of the documentary and the camera work. I also like how the creators focused on three people instead of just one, it gave us multiple perspectives on the same issue.

Baraka Film Review

Baraka surprised me as I began to watch it. The locations were breathe taking and the activities of the people in each country was incredibly interesting. I thought that it was nice to see a comparison of different cultures, religions, and environments because few have the opportunity to travel the world and embrace the beauty of life. I am really astonished that I understood the theme of the film when it lacks dialogue, or even a plot for that matter. Baraka does not focus on just a few characters in one location, but a wide range of people all over the world. From the various footages, I put the pieces together and came to the realization that the film's purpose was to show the uniqueness of different cultures and remind us that we might have lost touch with mother nature. The cinematography was very unique to the directors. There were a lot of slow zooms and panning. Shots are held fairly long on objects, landscapes, animals, and people to sustain the emotion of the audience. The directors did an excellent job shooting in a variety of angles to make the film more dynamic and entertaining. Lighting was not manipulated or controlled in this film, natural light sources or indoor florescent lights were used. The editing was nothing creative, just simple jump cuts. However, the music choice was creative, though. It ranges from slow tempo music to upbeat and dark. Overall, Baraka deserves a round of applause because it gives us a glimpse on different aspects of life, but was a little odd due to the lack of dialogue and plot throughout the film.

1. I think the film is entitled "breath" because it is a breath of fresh air, or at least new insight about different places around the world.

2. I think the planetary perspective of the film does expresses a critique of the modern world. The film shows footages of different landscapes and animals. Contrasting that, city life and people are shown. The beauty of the landscapes does not compare to the man made buildings and streets. The film seems to reveal the theme that modern society and technology has corrupted nature and that we should get back in touch with nature.

3. After watching Baraka, I got the message that it is important to be exposed to different cultures and appreciate the nature aspect of the world.

4. In this case, the absence of voice and text does put the film at an disadvantage because showing is much more effective than telling. The theme is clearly revealed through the footages shown and dialogue and text would be too distracting.

5.

The Tibetan buddhist monks prayer near Swayambunath stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal is applied to culture in the movie.


Sao Paulo, Brazil is applied to city life in the movie.

The prayer in Nepal relates to nature because it is a natural custom that Nepali people practice and it is not harmful to the environment. The city, Sao Paulo contrasts nature because it shows how modern buildings, streets, cars, and human activities are corrupting nature and does not preserve what is good and pure in the world.



6. I think the monk walking down the street represents the old world of refletion vs the new world of agitation. The old word (religion/ spirituality) tries to compete with the new world (modernization) and they just clash.





The cigarette factory and streets of New York represent how much nature has been altered by humans overtime. Determining whether this change is a positive or negative thing, that I leave to the readers. Religion and spirituality represent the positiveness of society in the new world. It is harmless, pure, and good for one's soul.

7. The images of the refuse heap and the poor show the greediness of the world. While some people are well off financially and have a lot of opportunities, others are forced to take the scraps and suffer. The images show the differences of social classes within countries and the contrast of wealth of many countries.

8. The music transition that stood out to me the most is when it transitioned from a mellow, slow temp song to a upbeat, loud song. The changed in song indicated that the location is changing as well, from a rainforest to an active volcano, perhaps.

9. We watched Baraka because we needed a sense of what our world is about. We needed to be exposed to new places, cultures, religions, customs, and animals. Isolation within our own society, our own country, doesn't do us any good. As long as we are alive, we should be aware of what is around us, the beauty, the culture, the majesty of the world. For me, this vision couldn't have rose up without seeing this film because it's concrete evidence of the positives and good things in life and I would not have the opportunity to travel the world to experience what I saw in this film. This film definitely makes me want to travel the world, embrace it and actually live my life.

The Wrath of Camilla Short Film Critique

A. Rationale
The short film that I made is called The Wrath of Camilla. My group decided to use Jenna F.'s treatment and transform it into something entertaining. The plot is about a young girl who mischievously pulls a few pranks on a bully at school who has been picking on her classmate that is very nice to her. We wanted to do this film because we wanted to highlight the scene in Amelie when she performs little pranks on the grocer to teach him a lesson. We experimented with comedy, suspense, extreme close-ups, and creative music. I would say that the targeted audience is teenagers or young adults. I think the film was a good idea because it is a classic story about giving an antagonist justice for a wrong doing and we were just trying to modernize that idea.

B. Commentary
1. My area of responsibility was the production designer and editor. I was responsible for how each scene looked and omitted unnecessary objects in the shots. I had to make sure the actors' wardrobe were perfect and that their make-up was done right. I had to ensure that there was enough lighting to shoot in and that the continuity is maintained throughout. As editor, I had to eliminate the unwanted footage, put all shots in chronological order, add transitions, create titles, and add music.

2. Problems that arose in my area was the challenge of keeping unwanted objects away from the shots. It was either people in the shots, or backpacks. Another challenge was making sure that the actors wore the same clothing to school because we filmed on many different days and I had to make sure continuity was maintained.

3. To solve those problems, I had to physically remove the objects from the shots and tell people to move away from the camera. I had to constantly remind the actors to bring their wardrobe.

4. The biggest problem that arose during the film process was relying on the actors to actually show up to film. We had an actor bailing on us because of an illness and we had trouble finding a replacement. We also lost some footage that was filmed earlier and had difficulty cooperating with the actors' schedules.

5. To solve these problems, we had to find a quick replacement, and luckily we found two people from our classes to play the bully and the victim. There was no way around the lost footage problem, so we were forced to shoot the scene again, but fortunately with the practice we nailed it. The days that the actors were available were told to us and we compromised the days that we would film the movie.

6. Critical Evaluation of Finished Product
Script/Narrative/Story



a. The film develops a clear story around a character that moves from 3 Acts: the setup, maze and feeling by giving the main character a motive for taking revenge on a bully at school. The protagonist, Camilla is very reserved and when her only potential friend is harassed by a bully her personality switches and she becomes evil, but with good intentions. She pulls three pranks on the bully to ruin his day and everything combined creates a suspenseful, yet humorous story.

b. The film is based on the theme of giving the antagonist a taste of his own medicine for causing misfortunes for others. It is a way for the protagonist to bring justice and bring others happiness.

c. I do think that the actions and lines are "in character" and is appropriate to the motivation and personality of the protagonist because Camilla performs all the pranks on the bully for the intention of helping out another boy that is nice to her. Her actions are sneaky and sly, things that are necessary for an anonymous prankster. Her quiet and timid "Bye" contrasts her confident "Daniel Afeaki" announcement.

d. There is more action than dialogue in this film because "there is no need to say it when you can show it". The times that the characters are talking are for understanding purposes only and instances that move the plot along or turns the plot in a different direction. The remaining of the film consists of Camilla pulling pranks on the bully and embarrassing him to the point that he will never bully her friend again.

e. The climax was very unique because it was the biggest prank that Camilla pulls that ultimately breaks the bully and makes him realize that when he messes with others, he gets messed back. The climax is effective in showing the protagonist and boy's victory.

Acting/ Casting
a. All three actors are appropriate for the personalities and physical attributes of the characters they played. Camilla is small and cute and effectively manipulates the audience into thinking that she couldn't possibly be so mischievous, yet she is. Daniel, playing the bully, is tall and large in stature, perfect for playing a bully at school. His voice is deep and his impression gives people the sense that he is dark. Jeremy, the victim of the bully has braces and a nerdy voice, suiting for a boy that is often picked on.







b. Two out of three actors were able to lose themselves in their characters, but the last was unable to do so, because he was merely acting out the role. It seemed that he either didn't have enough experience acting or didn't take the assignment seriously. Either way, his performance was no Oscar approved, but simply average. The other two were able to commit to their characters and be them, losing touch of their own selves. They were able to convince the crew that they were the actual people we initially envisioned.

c. The talent gestures are meaningful and appropriate to the close up medium of television because the actors' performance was disciplined, poised, and stylized.

d.The dialogue remained semi intelligible during the shooting process, but it was still clear. We had to re-record one voice over, but it was due to construction noises.

e. The talent pacing and energy level of the actors were maintained throughout the shooting by giving them time to get into character and practice. They were completely professional and most of them were reliable. They were enthusiastic about their first appearance in a short film and that really helped them out. Some just have a knack for acting and the acting was not a problem for them.

f. The costumes are appropriate for the time period and setting because the story is set at school in the present. The actors just had to dress like normal, but be a completely different person. T-shirts, jeans, tank tops, sneakers, jackets, and flip flops were the clothing they wore.

g. The wardrobe/costumes do provide adequate visual separation between scene elements and fall within limitations of the medium's brightness range. It stands out but are not too distracting from the action in each scene. The only time that the wardrobe does not fall within limitations of the medium's brightness range is during the scene when the bully is about to slip on the banana peel. However, it was still appropriate because we were trying to create a suspenseful and chilling mood using dark lighting.

h. Make up was only used on the protagonist, Camilla. It held up equally well during her long and close up shots. Nothing too glamorous, just foundation and lip gloss and she was good to go.

Edit/FX, Techniques or Concepts

a. The style of the title is appropriate for the nature of the production because the grungy and cracked font depicts the semi-evilness of the main character once she performs one prank after another.



b.The title does give enough time for the audience to read it, but it could have remained on screen for a few seconds longer for the audience to fully react to the title.



c. All the cuts and transitions are motivated and in harmony with the pace and nature of the subject matter. A lot of quick cuts and match action shots are used in the film, keeping up with Camilla as she ruins the bully's day.




d. The visual perspective is maintained throughout and the camera remains on one side of the 180 degree line. The camera only switches angles and we try not to confuse the audience.




e. Fade in/ fade out transitions were used to transition from one scene to the next, so the audience knows that another scene is taking place in a different location or time.

f. The shot selection does follow what the audience expects, wants, or needs to see at each moment. For example, when Camilla sneaks into the office announce that the bully's ballet recital has been rescheduled, we expect to see Daniel in the next shot looking embarrassed. And the next shot we expect to see the victim of the bully and Camilla smiling in satisfaction, which we do include in the film.

g. Technical and general continuity jump cuts have not been avoided in the film. It is difficult to keep each scene exactly as it is after each shot. During the shooting process, actors made mistakes, which was hard to correct in the editing, and actors that were suppose to be in a shot in the far background was not available during that time. One keen example is when Camilla is walking down the hallway and the bully and his victim is suppose to be there, but they are not. It is very obvious as Camilla is walking nearer and nearer, but hopefully the audience does not notice.

h. The editing is smooth to the point that the film is dynamic and interesting. I especially love the match action cuts during the classroom and library scene. The most difficult edit to do is Camilla's wink towards the audience in the very end. As she links on to Jeremy (victim, preparing to skip down the hallway, the moment has to be right for her to turn around to wink.

i. Each scene is long enough for the audience to have sufficient amount of time to grasp the information. Each shot lasts at minimum of a couple of seconds and it is held long enough for people to generate the right emotion.


Sound FX/ Score





a. The type of music chosen is appropriate for the production because it compliments the action that is happening in the scene. Fast, loud, or upbeat music is used during suspenseful or happy scenes. Slow or dragging music is used during depressing or lonely scenes.

b. The music is always loud enough to hear, but not too loud as to draw attention to itself or interfere with the intelligibility of the dialogue (it is usually not present during dialogues).

c. The audio is very clear in all scenes, except the bullying scene where in editing the volume had to be raised.

Cinematography



a. A variety of camera operations were used throughout the shooting of the film. Especially common was panning, extreme close-ups, zooming, different camera angles, and loose framing. The camera movements are smooth so they don't draw attention to themselves. The cinematographer made sure to give the actors enough head room and space to move around.

Production Design/Mis En Scene



a. The set design is appropriate to the time period of the film because it is set in the present at a high school. A set was not created, the film was shot on location.

b. The location is usually bright enough for each shot, having access to natural light sources or florescent lights indoors. There is sufficient key, fill and back illumination in all performance areas to render needed visual separation, depth, and detail. The locations are occasionally to loud, even for ambiance. The ambiance can usually distract from the content of the scenes and interfere with the dialogue.

Overall, the film was a success to me. It may not be what my group and I envisioned from the beginning, but it still works. I'm especially proud of the actors/actresses and plot. I hope that others enjoy the film as much as I do.

TheTreatment: Prom Fantasy

A teenage girl named Angelina is sleeping in her bed and the sun's rays shine on her. She wakes up and gets out of bed slowly. It's yet another day that she has to get through.She quickly changes into her school clothes and gets ready for school in the bathroom. She goes downstairs to get some breakfast and tell her foster parents about her soccer game after school. As she grabs a piece of toast and begins to speak to her foster parents, she is interrupted by her three foster sisters, who seek their foster parents' attention as well. The three sisters' voices overlap one another as they try to ask the foster parents about their plans afterschool. One of the sisters wants a ride to the mall and the other two want money to go the the movie theater after school. Annoyance...that is what her foster sisters are. Angelina is apalled by them and begins to yell at her sisters to stop talking and let her continue her conversation with their parents. The chatter stop and Angelina proceeds to tell her parents that she is playing in a soccer game after school and that she would love it if they come. Her parents look at each other and then to her sisters. Then they look at Angelina with a sad look and anwers a flat out no. Angelina's heart drops. It's not the first time her parents have missed a game, it happens everytime. But of course they have the time to take their perfect angels to the mall and the movies. She always comes last in this family. Hmmph.. family... Angelina looks at her family in dissapointment and fury and runs out the front door. She has had it with the world. Angelina continues running for five blocks and slows to a halt. She thinks to herself that she is worthless and unlovable. She has been unloved and neglected by everyone, even her birth parents and foster family. She wipes away her tears in her eyes and continues to walk to school. Not looking at the road, she bumps into her classmate, Nate. Dear Lord, the way his eyes glittered in the sunlight just melted her. He makes a look of concern and asked Angelina if she was ok. She smiled and says that she is fine, as long as he can walk to school with her. But to her dissapointment, he has already promised to drive his girlfriend to school. Angelina glances by his car and his girlfriend in the car glares at her with intensity. Nate's words pelted her heart and after a stunned silence she finds the strength to smile and walk past him. Yet another failure.

The last school bell rings and Angelina walks onto the field for her soccer game. As she tightens her shoelaces, Angelina looks up at the crowd, hoping that her parents changed their minds. She scans the crowd and finds not her parents, but Nate. He waves and gives her two thumbs up. She quickly turn around, wondering if he is refering to his girlfriend who is also on the team. Luckily there is no one behind her and she looks up at Nate and smiles. The whistle blows and the girls start playing the game. To an extented period of time the game goes in Angelina's favor, her team is definitely going to win she believes. Soon enough though, an aggressive girl on the other team approaches the goal where Angelina is standing and kicks the ball towards the goal. The ball hits Angelina's head with full force and she falls backwards onto the grass.

Angelina loses conciousness and enters a dream state, She imagines herself in a ball gown, dancing with Nate on prom night. The music is soft and romantic and Angelina feels the happiest she has ever been. Nate pulls her in closer and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She blushes and smiles at Nate. Their eyes lock and Angelina gets lost in Nates eyes and perfect smile. A teacher goes up on stage and speaks into a microphone that he is about to announce the prom king and queen. He opens the envelope of results and the students only hear drum roll, which transitions into Angelina's heart beating faster and faster. The sound of her heart beat stops and she hears the teacher announce her name. She is completely astonished. She won. Nate's name is announced next and he quickly grabs Angelina's hand and pulls her on stage. Tears fall out of her eyes. She receives a bouqet of roses and presses them to her nose. A tiara is placed on her head to complete her image. She looks to her left, Nate is wearing his crown and smiling at the crowd. Angelina is speechless and blows kisses to her classmates. Nate calls her name multiple times to get her attention. The dream slowly fades and Nate's voice is heard clearly, calling Angelina's name. Angelina, still lying on the grass, opens her eyes. Nate helps her up and walks her to the bench. She asks him what happened and he explained how his girlfriend, or should he say ex girlfriend kicked the ball at her in fury and broke up with him for spending more time talking to Angelina than actually spending time with her. He lets out a sigh but reassures her that there was never anything special between him and his ex girlfriend and that she is a much better person to be around with.

The week following the soccer incident, Angelina opens her PE locker and finds a wrapped box inside. Her eyes light up and she unwraps it with anticipation. Inside the box is a single rose and a note asking her to prom. As Angelina reads the last line of the note, she realizes it was written by Nate. She drops the note and stares at the rose for a moment. She finally picks it up and smells it sweet fragrance. Now she has something worth living for...

Amelie Textual Analysis

Using the textual analysis questions from class, write a blog post that identifies 4 stylistic devices the Director of Amelie uses in the production of his film. For each device, you must include:

1. A "screen shot" as evidence for each of the stylistic devices.

2. A written description of the device and how it functions in the film.

3. An interpretation of what you feel is the director's intent and effect of the device on the film as a whole.

1. Magical Realism:

a) In this shot, young Amelie is taking photographs of clouds in the sky, but a closer look reveals that a cloud is actually in the shape of a bunny. Obviously, animal shaped clouds do not really exist in reality, but in Amelie's imagination in does. This stylistic device is called magical realism in which the director twists reality into the way he imagines it to create unimaginable things that awe the audiences.

b) The director chooses to use magical realism in the film because he wants to let us into the mind of Amelie. He wants to show his audiences that Amelie is no ordinary child. Because she was deprived from a normal childhood and never had the opportunity to interact with people her own age, she often relied on her imagination for amusement. Through magical realism, the director is able to effectively show the uniqueness and creative mindset of Amelie.

2. Sound/music:

a) In this scene, Amelie finally finds the courage to approach the man of her dreams. Her walk to Nino is complimented by a mixture of soft, yet edgy accordion and piano music. Unfortunately, when a tram carrying boxes and supplies hinders Amelie from continuing walking, she is overwhelmed with doubt and fear. As she turns around, there is a long accordion note, following with a loud, echoing bang.

b) The director's intent with the music in this scene is to create a suspenseful feeling as Amelie approaches Nino. As the music plays, the audiences get more excited and anxious as we believe that destined lovers will finally unite. Unfortunately, Amelie's fear of rejection and taking chances gets the best of her and she decides to turn around. After the tram speeds off, clearing Amelie's path, she turns back around, but only to find Nino gone. Thus, the loud, echoing bang in the end illustrates the devastation that Amelie feels because she has lost yet another chance to tell Nino her true feelings about him.

3. Subtext:

a) In this painting that the glass man painted, he explains to Amelie how he always had trouble painting the girl drinking from a glass cup. Amelie and the glass man discuss whether it is because of the girl's strange nature that makes her so difficult to paint perfectly. To the glass man, she is an outsider who does not belong in her society. The girl feels a void in her life and doesn't feel the same happiness as everyone else in the painting. She doesn't interact with the other characters in the painting, but just keeps to herself. But, to the glass man's dismay, the girl in the painting actually represents Amelie herself. The artwork hides a whole other meaning and content underneath than just a mixture of oils and colors. The painting reveals Amelie's true character and life story.

b) The director's intent with using subtext is that he wants to have Amelie do some self evaluation. By looking at a fictional character that represents her, Amelie will soon realize that before she attempts to help others with their lives, she needs to stop and sort out her own messy life. The director wants Amelie to always remember the little girl in the painting in order to have her transform from a reserved and lonely child into a confident and successful young woman. The subtext is a narrative structure to reveal Amelie's personal challenges.

4. Color correction:

a) Throughout the film, yellow was the dominant. It wasn't too overdone, but was still noticeable during high key lighting scenes. I first noticed the use of yellow color correction when the film began and even as the main character, Amelie appears, the yellow color is still apparent. The color is bright, soft, and yellow and gives the film a nice touch to it.

b) The director intended to use color correction to give the film a "storybook" or" fairytale" feeling. Since the film is a romantic comedy, it is appropriate to use the color yellow to create a positive feeling throughout. The color yellow symbolizes the happiness and change. Although the beginning of the film is quite depressing, there is also humor that relieves some of the gloomy feeling. The film highlights Amelie trying to do good for her community while trying to find happiness and love for herself. It is not the typical blockbuster love story. Because the story takes place in France, there is a romantic feeling that is generated as Amelie strives to find true love. The color correction effectively lightens the tone of the film and thus it fits into the romantic comedy genre.

Metamorphosis Animation Project

Concept- Where did you get your idea. What were you trying to do?
I got inspiration for my project by watching a project in the art of video gallery. It is the one about a fairy who turns a frog into a boy, but then the boy eats the fairy expectantly. I loved the beauty of the fairy and the environment that the characters were in, so I decided to do something involving a creature with wings. What I came up with was a butterfly. Ever since I was young, I was enchanted by a caterpillar's transformation into a butterfly. The point of the short animation is to demonstrate the process of change. The caterpillar represents myself as a freshman, entering a new environment, known to all as high school. The cocoon represents myself as a sophomore, just beginning to evolve. The cocoon just at the brink of revealing itself represents myself as a future junior. Finally, the butterfly represents myself as a future senior, fully transformed and ready to explore the new world.


Green Screen- How did you incorporate it into your project? What challenges did you have with it?
This was the first time that I used a green screen in my whole life. It was new and interesting because I realized that I could place myself anywhere in the world. I had to shoot a long shot of myself standing straight and raising my arms up and down. The next shot is a medium shot of me smiling at the camera. These two green screen shots creates the illusion that I am a new born butterfly flying around in the air. The green screen was challenging because it was difficult to eliminate all the green edges from my face and body. Also, somehow my shots weren't bright enough and I looked darker than usual.

Photoshop- How did you incorporate it into your project? What challenges did you have with it?
For this project I photo-shopped the caterpillar, the butterfly wings, and the background. The caterpillar was tricky because I had to animate it somehow. The solution was to copy and paste the individual body parts of the caterpillar and arrange them one by one. By doing so, I had a straight caterpillar and a curved caterpillar as well. By having a image of a straight caterpillar, followed by a curved caterpillar, and repeating the same pattern several times, I was able to make the caterpillar crawl across the leaf. For the butterfly wings I just had to distort the original open butterfly wings and cut out the body. Following the same pattern as the caterpillar, I placed and image of open butterfly wings in the timeline of final cut and then followed by the closed wings. Changing the duration of the two creatures made them seem more realistic because their movements were more smooth. The challenges with photoshop while doing this project was making a straight version of the caterpillar because the image I found online was a curved caterpillar. It took patience and time to make the caterpillar just right, so it was amazing to see the little guy move in final cut.


























Title Animation- How did you incorporate it into your project? What challenges did you have with it?
I used Live Type for my opening, closing, and production titles. They are very advanced and professional, so I really enjoyed using them in my project. For my opening title, I have a leaf as the background, and within a few nanoseconds the word "Metamorphosis" literally grows out of nowhere. My production title corresponds with the whole nature theme--hence the "Nature Productions" title. In the background of the production title is a river and the title is complemented by river sounds. My closing title basically says that I am the creator of this project and it includes a colorful stream background with river sounds as well.























Overall- How well does your finished project match your initial vision? What do you like most about it? Describe any new skills you picked up over the course of this project.
Overall, my finished project does not exactly match my initial vision because I made many major changes. First of all, I couldn't have my cocoon hang from the leaf that the caterpillar was crawling on, so I had to use a picture of a cocoon hanging from a branch instead. Because the background of the branch didn't match the caterpillar's, I had to photoshop it. Also, I originally planned to change the sky of the background from day to night and vice versa, but I didn't have enough time. Looking back, I like my caterpillar the most because its movement on the leaf seems so realistic and it tops the cuteness scale. I also like my butterfly wings because they flutter beautifully and it is what I am most proud of. A new skill that I picked up over the course of this project is learning how to use green screen shots in my projects and how to animate 2D objects. These skills will come in handy for future projects, broadcasts, and assignments. I look forward to the challenges and the accomplished feeling afterward.

My Documetary Piece on Danielle Fellguth

I decided to do a documentary on my best friend, Danielle Denise Fellguth because I was inspired by her disability pride. Although she has cerebral palsy, she has the self-determination to be proud of her disability and share with others about her experiences and spread disability awareness. I didn't really have to do any research about Danielle because she is my best friend and she tells me everything-from her accomplishments to her life challenges. I did; however, had to research about Danielle's disability, cerebral palsy, since I never knew what it was about. My questions were focused and direct because they touched on Danielle's life struggles, the benefits of having a disability, and how she balances her disability advocacy with her school and friends. For my documentary piece, I imagined shooting b-roll of Danielle being a typical teenager who is capable of accomplishing whatever she sets her mind to.


I chose to film at school and my friend's house for my documentary piece because they were the most convenient places to shoot. The quality of my b-roll are pretty good, despite the fact that I had limited amounts of time to shoot them. My most creative shot is of Danielle talking on the phone and working on her computer. This scene is suppose to show that Danielle is on an important call with members of the disability awareness national board she works for. I like the shots for this scene because I used a lot of different camera angles. I did a over the shoulder, close-up, and medium shot of Danielle in the scene in order to make the scene more interesting for the audience to watch. I did use a variety of shot selections, such as scenes of Danielle's daily school routine, Danielle hanging out with friends during lunch, Danielle in the office switching wheelchairs, and Danielle working on homework. My camera moves when shooting the b-roll was a little shaky because I didn't use a tripod. However, by using a tripod for the interview, it all turned out well because the shots were more stable and the audience wouldn't be distracted by the shaking of the camera and the seriousness of my topic would reach out to them more effectively. I tried my best to avoid zooming too much, but I couldn't help panning while shooting. The lighting in my shots are not too bright, but not too dark. The focus in my shots turned out pretty well because Danielle, along with a number of other people in the shots, weren't blurry and remained in focus throughout each shot. My opening and closing voice-over was loud enough to hear and clear enough to understand.

My opening voice-over introduces who Danielle is and how she will be the main focus of the documentary. In my voice-over, in order to grab the audience's attention I said "She is a typical teenage girl, but one thing that makes her unique is her life-long disability". This statement will immediately grab people's attention because it is rare for them to view documentaries on disabled people. My documentary was definitely informative because it tells others that disabled people refuse to let their disabilities hold them back in society. My closing voice over states that although Danielle is disabled, she has the strength to be whoever she wants to be and accomplish any goals she sets her mind to. The final thought I want people to have after viewing my piece is that everyone is equal and everyone has the capability to accomplish anything in life.


While the audience hears my two voice overs and the interview, footage of Danielle doing her daily school routine and working on disability advocacy is shown. I edited it this way because the message in the voice overs link to what the audience will see. The only transitions I used were fade in/out and cross-dissolve. I used the software, Livetype, to create my title and it was amazing how it lets you select from dozens of title animations to use. Throughout the documentary it is apparent to see the unusual jump cuts that break the rules of continuity. This was especially difficult to fix because Danielle often forgot what she was going to say during the interview, or she messed up, so we had to start over.
















What I like the most about my piece is the focus on reality, as opposed to fiction. I like the fact that it speaks the truth about our world and how people struggle and thrive in our world. If I had more time to do my piece, I would re-shoot my b-roll, select better background music, and fix the jump-cuts. After working on this project, I've learned that you never know what people are dealing with so it is always better to get to know someone before you judge them.