Five Most Valuable Minutes:Taxi Driver

The movie we have recently watched in film class is an ingenious piece by Martin Scorsese. The movie Taxi Driver, was a piece about Travis Bickle(Robert Di Niro) who in the movie is portrayed as a Vietnam War Vet. He is a very lonely man who is discontent with his lifestyle and feels the need to work 24/7. He becomes a taxi driver and has unusual habits, that leave him with barely any social skills. The setting is in New York and Travis, feels that the only way society can progress is if it is "flushed down a toilet." I feel that the extract I am focusing on for this film is one of the most important scenes, because through this extract an accurate characterization of Travis is made, the setting of New York is touched upon, and Travis' intent to fix New York is shown.

Martin Scorsese was born in New York and is a very well known director who directed twenty-five films. Some films he directed are The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, The Departed, Aviator and Shutter Island. Taxi Driver seems to relate to the screen writer, Paul Schrader's older screenplays like American Gigolo and Bringing Out the Dead. The recurring themes of loneliness and alienation are two traits constantly used within these movies. In relation to his other more recent work Shutter Island, also a thriller seems to be a recurring type of movie style Scorsese enjoys. In Shutter Island the main character Teddy seems to face psychological struggles just as Travis does in Taxi Driver. Both films have you on the edge of your seat and Teddy of Shutter island is personally motivated to pursue a case, that ultimately has no solution to. The mysteries push him to his own insanity, as in Taxi Driver, Travis is personally motivated to clean up New York, but his motives lead him to wanting to kill himself. Both characters can not deal with the circumstances before them, for Teddy he must figure out the case and Travis he wanted to clean up New York, but neither get to see their desires accomplished. 

In Taxi Driver, (another dramatic thriller) the opening of part six, Travis is listening to a voice over of Palentine one of the people running for a political position in the film. Travis is told by a police officer to get off the side of the road, which could show how the authorities are blinded by certain corruptness and are patrolling the wrong things of New York. Following this Travis is seen writing a letter to his parents, on a childish card that highlights his isolation. Travis says "he hopes no one has died" expressing how detached his own relationship with his family is and isolation from them. Travis is quite lonely throughout the film, and is ashamed by his own loneliness. In the letter he explains how things are going well with Betsey his brief romance. He can not continue with this romance due to his own alienation. One of the first dates he took Betsey on was a movie revealing film that angered Betsey and ended their brief romantic stint. Through this sequence Travis can be depicted as a character who has little practice with human interactions and further give reason to his loneliness.

The next sequence of this extract is Travis playing with the magnum and watching a romantic film, annoyingly. His annoyed expression could reveal his frustration in society as a whole, because he does not seem to understand how real interactions work . Travis seems to live in the fairy tale world, and does not have a grasp of reality not understanding how actual interactions with girls work. Following the T.V. Sequence Travis is seen looking at injustice going on in New York with one man dragging another away. This relates to how throughout New York the society is corrupt and people are bystanders not intervening with "scum" that surrounds New York.

The last sequences of this film is Travis asking to have time with one of the younger prostitute girls, hoping to make a difference in her life. The confrontation with the pimp foreshadows the resolution of the film where Travis decides to try and end the corruptness of New York single-handedly. This confrontation also reveals how discontent Travis is with the society and his attempt in relation to the narrative to "flush out New York in a toilet."

This extract had every aspect of the main ideas Scorsese attempted to portray and this film allowed me to realize thematically that one man can make a difference. This thematic idea Scorsese uses often in his films, and especially through this particular film. Travis had many flaws as a human being, but ultimately he wanted to sacrifice himself for the better good. He attempted to fix New York and metaphorically fixed an aspect of New York, by saving the girl from a life of prostitution. This film is a classic and is a main reason why Scorsese became, so well known.

Blog Response- The American Anti-Hero

The American-Anti hero seems to be a contradiction within itself because they "will perform acts generally deemed 'heroic', but will do so with methods, manners, or intentions that may not be heroic." This was a popular intent of film makers at the time period, which was around 1945 because World War 2 had a large influence on people and directors at the time, so they had to create films to appeal to their audience. The characters being portrayed and films seemed to rival the harsher time period that America seemed to adopt during the time. America at the time was not innocent at all and "Americans wanted their heroes to rebel against the status quo like they, the American public, were rebelling." America through different films, audiences can understand the context of what is going on at the country's time because films do not present irrelevant material. Many times films rival, the society at the time as shown during this period, and through war-films politics and soldiers minds were constantly questioned. An example of the anti-hero more recently is brad pitt in fight club, where his gritty character contradicts him aiding many people in a violent outlet of fighting.

The Anti-hero contradicts the Classic Hollywood Ideology because Anti-Heroes motives seem to be more defineable than those of Classic Ideology. Anti-Heroes are "Rebels... who fight authority figures no matter what the cost." This is true in almost all anti-hero stories where you can predict the actors motives and intentions through the time period. Also you know what to expect out of the character and their motives are more hostile than the typical "hero" portrayed in Classical films.  A film we recently saw shows how the anti-hero is far different from a classical hero, who does not have as many psychological issues as the anti-hero does. Travis constantly faces issues within his own mind allowing the audience to question his sanity.

Blog Response- Article- Intensified Continuity

David Bordell expresses in this article how there is a period of intensified continuity that surrounds the new cinema of today. In the beginning Hollywood used more wide angle shots that were a bit static to go for the more realist view, that had a standard lens of 35mm. Over time though the standard has changed and directors are incorporating different lens to give the audience a sense of depth and also having a lot more faster edits to build tension and suspense in the films.

"Fast-paced dialogue has reinforced premises of the 180-degree staging system...the axis of action must be strictly respected." Through this you could see how the intensified continuity plays a significant role when directors are composing a set of shots. For example before with the shots not as quick as they are now, the 180-degree line was not as important, but now since the shots are so fast the audience pays attention to the 180-degree line and can easily spot when this is crossed. Also with new technology it is making it easier to follow this rule, but with the constant increase of speed through each cut, this rule must be respected and acknowledged.  This also supports one of the 4 factors of intensified continuity, which more rapid editing; a way for this to further happen would be shot length varying now, to escape that sense of realism.

The second aspect of intensified continuity is different lens lengths in between shots. "Since the long lens magnifies fairly distant action, the camera can be quite far from the subject, and this proved advantageous in shooting exteriors." This was used because film makers and directors now could take advantage of their new lenses by taking shots from a lot farther and depending on their lens to get all the action. This lens also allowed the film maker to incorporate deeper focus within their shot, which now is a very popular technique.

The third aspect of intensified continuity is closer framings in dialogue sequences. In many films now you do not see the stationary sequence of two characters talking, but see, "Mouth, brow, and eyes become the principle sources of information and emotion." Now because pf the faster cutting and longer lens variety, a dialogue sequence does not need to bore the audience but can be very intimate and emotional. This forced the audience to focus more on the actor's performance instead of the make-up of each shot.

The last aspect of intensified continuity is the usage of free ranging cameras. "Camera movement becomes a mainstay of popular cinema," through these movements a clear path is set between old cinema and new. The use of motion in shots allows the director to convey feelings and moods that the actor cannot portray, or to extenuate a certain mood or feel at the time.

Blog- Advanced Editing Notes- Overview/Classical Paradigm

1. The camera work from the two short films "Arrival of a Train" and "Damsel in Distress" differs quite significantly. The Arrival of a Train short film is composed of one static, stagnant shot throughout the film, which probably portrays the time period during that time. This shot is derived from a realist stand point where the angle is at about eye level and is composed of people going off and on the train. The idea behind the director is more on the surface, since no editing technique or different angles were incorporated by the director. In the Damsel in Distress short film, there is a more clear narrative going on through the different shot sequences. This is eminent through classical films that have a more fast paced cutting that seems to build tension for its audience. The diverse shots of close ups, long shots, and tracking shots build a greater tension for its audience.


2. As I noted from above the Arrival of a Train short film has a more realist feel to it because the distanced shot is held for quite awhile without moving. This is also probably due to the lack of technology at the time and is what appealed to the audience at the time, realist films and shots that are straight forward. The other short film had the classical approach where the cutting was fairly fast from one sequence to another to build a dramatic tension for the audience. The different shots like wide shots, long shots, close ups add to the story and make the story feel a lot more fast paced, even though this short film was a lot longer than the first.


3. In the first short film there is no clear cut narrative, I believe the director did this on purpose because he wanted the audience to make their own interpretations. The angle the director chose is a stagnant spot that seems pretty wide, so people can be show going in and out of the train, which supports the realist view. The other film with the damsel focuses on her and seems to have a dramatic narrative that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. This narrative is a lot more clear cut because there is a plot, an antagonist, protagonist, a climax and a resolution.

Documentary Project Pre-pro

Short Film Critique

A. Rationale
My group members and I set out to create a drama film called "Bridge." My working plan consisted of creating a film that was extraordinary, that had meaning behind each and every shot. I wanted locations that drew in the audience, so during the edit I have many different shots to cut to, creating more suspense. The audience varied for anyone who can experience the same circumstances as our main character and those who have overcome adversity. I knew this film had potential because the idea was original, our skills have developed, and each time our effort increased.

Word Count 98

B.Commentary
For this film I was the lead actor-editor during post production.

Some problems that arose for this film was the very beginning of the film with our original script. The script that our director originally produced, had a suicide in it, which our teacher and I disapproved of. After our teacher tore up our script we went to the drawing board and the director shared the script idea and I started adding some input in what I saw we should change. After much collaboration our director implemented some of my ideas, but constantly edited the script until a final copy was agreed on.

Another problem was the location of the bridge even though we had our hearts set on this location we were not supposed to film here because the officer that approached us said it was for non-commercial purposes. I started talking to the officer and made him understand it was a student based project that we were already almost done with and he consented. If we had been kicked off the bridge our story line would not have made sense and our main location for the film would have been scrapped.

Yet another problem I encountered was acting, I have acted in films before, but I still do not have the experience to portray emotions on the spot. My acting abilities at times I was even frusturated about because I did not want to let my group members down and wanted this film to be the best yet. The scene I was especially frustrated about was after Sasha, the female actress, was coughing it was hard to show genuine concern for her. That particular scene I had to do over constantly until I and the director were satisfied with my reaction to her coughing fit.

Another acting struggle was down below the bridge when Sasha said I should join her on the run and I agree. After she runs away I was trying to look genuinely intrigued and satisfied at this unexpected acquaintance, but instead stared creepily at her. I realized after this first day of shooting and acting I needed to step my acting up tremendously, because although I was not originally planning on acting my group members trusted me to step in their and fill in the role.

The next days of filming and acting I was a lot more proud of because I read the script and my lines over and over again until I could internalize my role and evoke the right emotions through the words given to me. I also did not follow exactly what the script said, so it would seem more natural, which I thought served the film better. For example the scene when I am looking really down I was remembering my grandma's death to portray the emotion a lot better than the first day. Also in the scene where I was visiting Sasha at her house my emotions were a lot more concerned than the first day of filming and my director applauded my performance and ability to bounce back from the first day of acting.

Besides acting problems I had a difficult task editing because many times what I portrayed or saw as a good edit my director would want me to do a little more and ask me to re-cut and re-edit things constantly. Editing in this case took many hours because I and the director wanted a perfect cut and we had, so many takes of the same shot it was difficult to find the best one. I had to play through about four hours of footage and cut and rename folders, so my editing would be a lot easier. Even though editing took, so long and the color corrector I thought was a bit too drastic in some shots I still thought the meaning of the film was maintained.

Another overall problem we had as a group was time managing everything. We all had to skip some practices to make our production work and we still were rushed with our production, so everything did not turn out the way we wanted it to. Since we did not have too much time for our production every day we had to shoot and our shooting times took about five hours per day.

Initially in our script we had a hospital sequence, but had to compromise this since our production was taking already too much time. We called three different hospitals and visited two hospitals and two elderly homes, but did not meet success. We tried sweet talking our way and a couple time got close to a hospital location, but the process of them agreeing took too much time, so we finally decided to use a junior girl's house instead. I thought the room we used fit the scene well, but did not completely win us over because we had our hearts set on a hospital. The exact day we wanted to film we called the girl and she allowed us to use her house even though it was really last minute. In this case we were able to compromise many locations because we had a lot of acquaintances.

In scene two I think a last problem that arose was the time that we chose to film. This scene we were supposed to film in the day, but did not have any time early on because of our rivaling schedules, so had to settle for a night time shoot. This one shot took three hours because it was a sweeping shot, that we wanted in one take, so had to be as flawless as possible. After many takes we finally got the shot we wanted and after staying until midnight at another friend's house. Luckily she was really intrigued about our film and wanted to see our filming in action, so allowed us to stay really late instead of kick us out. With the night issue we set up the lighting kit, which created an illusion of the morning fairly well. The lights were really powerful, so we made the night seem fairly close to the day and no one questioned it.

Overall I thought this film was a great success the way the director, cinematographer, and I came together in times of worry was a feat in itself. I thought the cinematographer handled his role extremely well. His camera movements and angle changes added a heightened sense of drama to the film. Also I recall an instant where I was just taking to Sasha the lead actress and enjoying a laugh on the bench and our cinematographer immediately jumped on the opportunity and started filming. This shot was my favorite because it was completely natural and unexpected and varied from the constant running in this movie. I thought the running was getting a bit over-used, so a nice bench shot allowed a vary that made the audience more intrigued in the next events of the film. Overall the cinematography was applauded for and I thought it was a huge aspect in the success of our film.

The directing and acting of this film was equally as challenging and successful as the cinematography. The director in this film was everywhere; in pre-production, production, and post-production. He wanted everything perfect, so when one thing looked a bit awkward he immediately recognized it. I recall editing and him constantly checking over to make sure the edit made sense and the shots I chose to use were the best possible ones. Even during filming when there was a shot he was not satisfied with he would take over and do it himself to get it perfect, for example the shot of Sasha's point of view when she collapses. This shot was another of my favorites because it was an unorthodox shot that you rarely see and is never really used in films. In terms of acting I thought it went a lot more smoother because my acting experience had grown and we had auditions for the girls role. We did not want to choose people randomly like our last film because knew there would be the same acting struggles. Also this time each actor and actress had a script to read over, so we could know our lines and make it seem as natural as possible. The director in scenes where the acting was a bit tougher, would show an example of what he wanted, which was good because then we had a visual representation of what was being asked of us. Without the direction of our director the acting and film as a whole would have fell apart, but each aspect of our film complemented each other well.

The last parts of our film was during post-production, which was my own main role as editor. The director also was critical in this area because he helped design the sound track and decided on where to place each track. Our approach to this film was a classical film because we had constant cutting and did not want to hold one shot for too long. Also we incorporated deep focus and had a lot of shot variety, that supplements classical films. We incorporated many angles like over the shoulder, low angles and higher ones, so the same shots would not be used over and over again. We felt that if the same shots were to be used the running would bore the audience to death, so hoped the variety kept each person on the edge of their seats. I believe the sound track we used tied all aspects of the film together and gave the film the overall mood we were looking for. The music was not copyrighted also which we were especially proud of, since usually good films use high end tracks. Our tracks even though were pretty basic set the stage well and gave the shots more meaning overall to them.

I am proud of this film and am proud of my production team; with out constant encouragement and trust in one another's abilities I believe our production would not have been executed as well as it turned out.

Word Count: 1690

Advanced Editing Notes: 3. Soviet Montage and 4. Realism

Soviet Montage and Realism are two forms of editing that Pudovkin began in what he called "constructive editing." This technique is stressed by the fact that each shot has a new point and through the juxtaposition of shots, meaning is created. His usage of close ups were put together to make a unified meaning, and thought long shots were to close to reality, so other details, more intimate ones should be focused upon. Pudovkin's concept of constructive editing included montages that were most effective in conveying the idea underlying the complex jumble of real life.

Kuleshov's was Pudoovkin's mentor and also heavily influenced Soviet film makers and the theories of Pavlov. He believed that ideas are created by smaller details to produce one unified action and details can be unrelated to life. His effect allows the viewer to create the emotional meaning, once the film maker or producer puts the right objects in the film. An example of this would be the actor's expression not changing or varying, but the objects within the shots vary to give the viewer a different effect without the actor actually changing their expression. Some comedic shows and films have this circumstance of cutting to convey the light-hearted mood even though the actor's facial expressions stay stagnant.

The Eisensteinian montage was about constant change and the contrasting of opposites. The conflicts of opposites is the root of motion and change. He believed each shot should be linked; needing the conflict of two and a new idea. His montage works with the Odessa Steps sequence because he strives for sharply contrasting images which essentially was like a collision montage. A bunch of changing shots and action leading to a new idea that supports the Odessa Step sequence.

Andre Bazin was an editor that helped establish the theory and language of film analysis. He was responsible for creating an approach to analyzing a the body of a Director's work in order to discern patterns in style and themes. He believed that editing could destroy the effectiveness of a scene. Distortions in using formalist techniques, especially thematic ediing, can violate the complexities of reality. Formalists were egocentric and manipulative.Bazin followed more of a realistic approach and applauded realism, saying it can only be achieved by varying shots instead of cutting to individual shots.

Realist film makers strive for shot variety and change the depth and angles of shots, so what we are seeing is not stagnant because shots that hold on the same individual shot or depth is unrealistic. Shot variety portrays what we as human beings see in real life close objects, far objects not everything in the same range or perspective, as unrealistic shots and films convey.

Techniques realists use are for example cutting back on editing as much as they can, use deep focus, work on sound realism, focus on shot variety; and all these techniques are being implemented and are easier to accomplish since technology is advancing.

Trailer Review

 The Avengers

http://www.moviestrailer.org/the-avengers-movie-trailer.html

The trailer I reviewed was The Avengers trailer, where an agency called S.H.I.E.L.D puts together a team of superhumans to save the Earth from being destroyed by extraterrestrial villains. This movie is a highly anticipated movie that is supposed to be released May of next year and has reviewers on the edge of their seats, directed by Joss Whedon. This movie is widely acclaimed because of its plethora of famous actors and actresses involved in this screening. Also this movie was foreshadowed by movies that past already like Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. I wanted to choose this trailer to review because I enjoy watching action movies and this movie by seeing this trailer has only built up my anticipation of its release in theaters on May of 2012.

This trailer began with slow establishing shots, setting the stage of the movie and creating a drag in for its viewers. The setting of New York is established through above the air shots that seems to pan over the city and quickly cut to an explosion that opens up the viewers eyes. The trailer seems to allude to the fact that Earth is in a bad state ahead of time to create a sense of conflict before the protagonists are introduced because we get glimpses of the antagonist ahead of even the production company. A voice over is also used to further dramatize the trailer saying, "you were made to be ruled" slowing into the trailer, but as the protagonists start to be revealed (Samuel L. Jackson) then the trailer seems to pick up drastically and become a lot more fast paced. I enjoy these trailers that drag in the beginning and drastically pick up pace because they maintain your focus and build your suspense further until you actually go see the movie. I also liked how this trailer did not reveal its production company paramount and marvel until a third into the actual trailer. This trailer like all good trailers do give insight into the characters of the movie without revealing too much of the storyline.

The cinematography adds to the suspense of the trailer because it brings intimate closeup shots varied with wide movement shots that portray an interesting scenery that foreshadows how the movie will turn out. Also the fast paced cutting to each super hero gives the audience a better sense of who the main characters in the film will be, so they can know what to expect and not go into the movie blindly, not knowing anything. Other action sequences that have a lot of depth to them are also included, so the audience does not get bored with only close up and know what type of genre this movie is. A lot of movement shots are incorporated since this film is an action one that provides good usage of tracking shots and over head shots that seem to be shot on a plane or high above ground following the action.

The editing in this trailer creates this fast paced mood that seems to reflect how the action will turn out in the film also. The fast paced cutting and fades to black seem to further build suspense throughout the trailer and try to maintain suspense, so it will stick in the viewers mind. The face paced cutting seems to parallel the intensity of the music and song being played that drops just as the action ends in the end. Also we see some further editing techniques when the villain shoots out blue beams through his hands, to create a false sense of danger in the movie. I believe this technique of gradual build up is used in mostly all great trailers that want its viewers to be hooked into their film so they can go watch it.

The sound is just as crucial as any part in a trailer because without it the suspense would not be complete. Great shots grab peoples visual admiration to the movie but sounds create another sensory tie to the movie and trailer. Without the music build up or the explosions I would not have been as interested in the trailer and would not have been able to categorize it as a action film, but the music complements the action. The sound seems to set the movie into context and complement what goes on in the movie, by giving it a back story just as seen in this trailer through the voiceovers.

Run Lola Run Critique

Mis En Scene

I. The aspect of Run Lola Run that my group focused on was the Mis en Scene which is what is inside the scene and for what purposes. My group and I approached this section in a manner that started off correct, but started getting a bit off tangent. We broke down the Mis en Scene within each narrative story and tried to figure out commonalities of each shot within the different narratives. I believe our interpretation was a bit skewed because we also did not have a full grasp of our term that we had to analyze. Mis en scene we focused more on the effect each shot brought instead of what literal objects were in each shot and why Twyker decided to incorporate in that particular manner. I thought we covered the language fairly well, within our section, but limited the language use to specific aspects of this film instead of viewing the language in a general sense. This technique of grouping each term within each storyline also made us forget key aspects of mis en scene such as Lola's room where a strong characterization of her is given to the audience. Prior to splitting up the information into storylines we had this particular scene written down to discuss, but limited ourselves with how we broke down the terms within mis en scene. I specifically analyzed the angle's Twyker used within this film which I thought was a key part in this gilm and also the framing of each shot. The angles were key in this film because it further characterized Lola as the dominant image with constant running shots that were looking up on her, giving her an air of superiority. I think I could have addressed my topics a little bit more thoroughly and focused more on mis en scene instead of the storyline. 


II. Some strengths of our presentation was that we broke down many shots throughout each plot line. Also we tried to incorporate all the language that is used to create the mis en scene portion of our section. Another strength that I saw was that I got better familiar with my topics and ideas, so I wasn't just reading off my paper making our presentation more of a discussion format. I think the facts that I covered within the movie were accurate too and my own interpretations seemed accurate enough of the techniques that I saw Twyker utilize. 


III. To improve our presentation I thought we'd first need a full grasp of the task we were assigned which was to break down the mis en scene. I felt our understanding of it differed a bit from what it actually asked, so our presentation wasn't completely relevant to mis en scene. Furthermore in my own presentation I feel like why the shot was placed a certain way wasn't always conveyed well because with the nuns picture I didn't retierate that the nuns signify purity in the midst of Lola's distress which was a key component of that scene. Also I constantly looked down when I talked which took away from the power of my voice and made it a bit harder for people to follow what I was saying.

Film Treatment: Time is my Life

Logline: Everything in this boy's life is scheduled or already set up; he has no time for anyone or anything but what is already planned, until his schedule is finally broken.  

It's night time and the boy sets up all his stuff for the next day his gym bag, backpack, SAT prep book and planner. This boy has no phone just a watch which runs his life as well as his planner, his sense of time is always on point and nothing distracts whats in front of him. He has no time for leisurely activities and merely waves at friends and girls.

As the boys alarm goes off he quickly and mechanically gets up brushes his teeth and goes through his daily morning routine with no distractions. He goes to school and is once again mechanical going from class to class with no distractions then to the gym and finally to a SAT prep class. He already has a pre-set life with the only goal, is to getting to a good college and not enjoying anything as of now. Every ounce of his life is being contolled by the watch on his hand (possibly a gold watch to signify restriction). This boy is a popular boy too who enjoys the attention and is praised by his work ethic by all, his looks are pretty well rounded as he constantly attends the gym. Girls even try to make an effort to say hi and talk to him, but he treats every girl the same with small talk, but nothing further fearing a distraction. Everything to this boy is a distraction or a waste of time, he even scoffs at using the bathroom, viewing it also as a distraction. Eating for this boy is also mechanical with him taking his meals at exactly the same time and finishing his food at the exact same time every day.

(flashbacks)
This boy's life was not always this mechanical before getting into high school he ran what was considered a "normal" life with leisurely activities and attending parties and being as sociable as ever, but just as he ended middles school his life drastically changed. Before this change the boy and his best friend Bree were inseperable, they were like brothers. They always competed against each other and pushed each other hanging out everyday sharing everything with one another. Not a secret could be between them, but going in to high school Brock the main character had an epiphany and without explanation became a lot more withdrawn and mechanical. Bree confused and rejected felt offended that his friend changed so suddenly and drastically with no explanation but as his "brother" respected his change and decieded he'd wait until Brock approached him about his new lifestlye. 

3 years have passed though and it is already senior year Brock hasn't said anything. As Brock continues on with his mechanical lifestlye for the first time he starts to realize this girl who all but seems too perfect. She is everything and has everything plays sports, does well in school, and simply can make a room light up with her smile. Brock notices her and only her and spends a little more time putting a slight effort with her but just as he is about to get off schedule he looks at his watch and leaves in mid sentence rushing to his next activity in his life. This girl is also honored Brock is talking to her but confused at the same time.

Finally Bree is fed up with Brock ignoring him and just saying whats up for the past three years so deciedes to confront him as well as the girl Ariel. It was friday and Bree determined goes straight up to Brock after school just as hes about to leave and grabs him. Brock says "hey" and is about to continue on leaving when Bree says "thats all you can say after we spent our childhood together?" Brock pauses and Bree goes on ranting how he never stopped him before and waited but couldn't anymore. Bree said "if you still didnt want to be friends why didnt you say so?" "Isnt that what you want" Brock in a confused state is speechless and Bree says angirly "fine go on with your merry life but dont still expect me to be there for you still "brother" (in a sarcastic tone). (He storms off) Brock standing there is speechless his mind is spinning the floor under him doesnt seem as solid anymore. He can't think not only because his best friend just confronted but for the first time in 3 years his time is off HE IS OFF SCHEDULE. He sits down to brace himself, but just as he sits Ariel comes storming straight for him. She sits beside him and says Brock "do you like me?" because "I like you" Whoa whoa whoa did Brock hear right "SHE likes him SHE" repeating in his mind. "Brock" she says whats going through your mind "I want us to hang out" "I want to get to know you better"-Whoa whoa whoa time out again everything freezes even time "she wants to hang out" hang out but I cant do that no no hanging out is simply impossible (speaks to himself on mind) "What do you think Brock" Ariel says. Brock stammers "umm uhh ahh umm" partly because he likes her (see his hands clammy) and partly because he knows his schedule cant be compromised he keeps looking at his watch with no direct response to her. Ariel takes his response back as shyness and smiles saying "well tell me what you think tomorrow" and walks off. Brock who lost track of time feels insecure and vulnerable for the first time in his life he gets home extremely late forgetting which is his house due to the recent interactions and geting off-schedule.

When Brock his parents look to question him but he simply goes to his room shuting the door, he deciedes to weigh his options. Option one (flashforwards) he responds back to Bree saying he is sorry they make up go back to old childhood days as inseperable brothers and all is well with him, and tells Ariel he just wants to be friends for now but will put in a bigger effort to maintain conversations, seeing everyone as an equal besides his brother Bree. Option two he says he likes Ariel too and they start hanging out more and more him new to this guy and girl thing sets up nothing and Ariel plans there day out everyday before long he falls in love with her perfection and has a new driving force in his life her, making all aspects of his life her and Bree is further neglected breaking their friendship. Option three he continues on with his time consumed life he lets no other thing distract him again ever. Bree is forgotten and they both go their seperate ways and Ariel is heartbroken, but rebounds and is seen with another guy.

The Outcome- Brock after constant thinking at 4am the next morning takes off his watch and goes to sleep.

Broadcast Critique: SUMMA

My partner and I came up with the segment for summer because we thought summer would be an interesting topic that would be easy to compress into a video. Also we thought about a sport segment, but didn't think there would be a sufficient amount of b-roll yet for those segments since games hadn't started yet. We found the people in our interviews primarily from our class and the upper class of students because we figured this is the seniors last summer to cherish. Also before gathering the interviewees we ensured they had an interesting summer or something interesting to share with the student body. I felt our focus questions made our interviewees converse more openly about their summer instead of create choppy cuts that don't relate to one another. Originally we envisioned actually going out and gathering some simple b-roll like some beach shots or athletes at play, but was compromised due to time constraints and for the fact that summer had already passed.

The location and audio for our interviews was satisfactory mainly because the construction background noise was going on as we were executing our interviews. Also we hoped for a sunnier day to carry out our interviews, but were subject to a sort of cloudy day due to accessibility to the equipment. Our b-roll were a bunch of clips from youtube, so we didn't have the power to alter or change the quality of the shots we had and were forced to work with whatever was there. Since summer had already passed we didn't have the power to take any b-roll of our own, which brought the quality of the b-roll down, but we found some interesting clips that did enhance our video as a whole. There was a wide variety of the shots we found, but some were much clearer than others because the cameras that were used were different.

I thought the voice-over in the beginning did a great job to avert the audiences attention and captivate their minds to what was being shown on screen. To grab the students attention we opened with a short welcoming and some background knowledge of the recent events of summer. Our segment varied and was quite informative, but didn't have too wide of a selection of students from different classes secluding to seniors only. The voice overs blended well with the interviews and gave a slight synopsis to what was going to be explored much more thoroughly in the interviews. The final interview wanted to wrap up the summer events that has passed and wanted students to avert their attention to what's ahead of them, school, until next summer.



Our editing was once again limited due to our b-roll being made of short composite videos from youtube, but we made the best of it. We tried to make our b-roll that we found flow systematically with the interviews and piece together in an understanding way, which we thought we did well. With audio some of our audio levels were off, but it took only a little minor changes to tweak. Also the opening sequence was made with a summer title that changed colors which was to grasp how varied people's summers were. Lastly the pictures we used were to enhance what the interviewer's were saying, to match their adventures with a visual. Many cross dissolves were added to the interviews and pictures, so they would flow from one item and idea and person to the next smoothly.

I think I like best about our piece is the comedic aspect to some of the interviews that made summer seem like it had its share of memories and laughs.If I had more time and my partner I'm sure we would try to find videos people shot of their summer and incorporated it into our video or actually go out and get some live footage that wouldn't look so unprofessional as the youtube videos. The most important lesson to take from our video is that Summer pieces although seem easy are actually tough to make creative unless you plan to get b-roll during summer, instead of after school is already in session, because then your stuck with youtube clips instead of actual footage your proud of getting.

Character in TIME

 

In this photo a boy seems to be having an inner struggle within his mind that has occurred due to a current hardship in his life. This boy has a defeated expression covering his head in the middle of the road, obviously disgruntled. The boy fears moving on from a tragic event that has just occurred and can’t fathom life continuing on. The boy has he sits is contemplating and having flashbacks of his horrible past as he can’t move from the middle of the street. For this boy time is completely slowed and seems to be an obstacle for the boy who wants time to be at a complete standstill. The foreground is focused in this photo as the background is blurred giving an ominous feel to the photo and its viewers. This boy depicts how hard life is and how when one thing affects your life significantly enough you don’t want to move on. The message this boy gives is that even though life may knock you down and have its share of hardships you must fight for the things you truly believe in.