Midterm Page
Breakfast club
We have been working on recreating the Library scene from the breakfast club for months now, and because of various scheduling issues and ITVfest, we have only just started filming. We have all the preproduction done, and are trying to shoot during flex with only one or two people to get it done quickly. So far, we have filmed three of the scenes with Brian, the nerd, played by Stephen Mathyas. We had to cut down the audio to about a minute, which meant we had to cut out an entire guitar solo at the beginning. We have a scenes checklist and screenshots of all the different scenes in a google doc shared with everyone involved I the project.
Sims 4
We came up with the idea of using the Sims 4 in a film kind of on accident; we were looking up halloween costumes and found one of the green diamonds. Then, we started thinking of the script and category, thinking maybe a comedy or visual storytelling film. We haven't quite figured out the plot yet, but we know how it will start and we have started filming the beginning and talking to other people about acting in it. We are working on preproduction now, and we hope to have it done before Thanksgiving break!
RC Horror
(You Can't Leave)
I have been wanting to make a film about the Riley Center ghost for a long time, since last year. I want it to be my final project, the best one, the biggest one I work on all year. I have just competed the storyboard and I have contacted actors that I want in the film. I have been in the Riley center a lot, figuring out hoe to set up the shots and perfecting the plot. The Riley Center does have a lot of ghost stories associated with it (as most theaters do) and I am taking full advantage of that. I'm really excited to get started on this project!
Cinema Critique
Independence Day
Synopsis
Independence Day is a classic action film, the plot involves a global alien attack with an unlikely array of characters coming together to save the day, the say that just so happens to be the Fourth of July. This is not the most cinematic movie that has ever been created, but the acting is Gold (because everything Will Smith acts in is gold) and the story is timeless. In this particular scene, Captain Steve Hiller is being chased by an alien ship through a narrow canyon with a very low fuel tank. It is a very stereotypical chase scene in that is fast-paced and filled with explosions and shake cam shots of desperation. It differs from the norm in its resolution, however, as Hiller finds himself in a desolate desert with no supplies and no way to contact HQ . He has the insight to drag the dead(or motionless) alien with him, as it is the first specimen they will be able to study. A very interesting aspect of this scene is the dialogue; Hiller has an entirely one-sided conversation toward or at the alien, first yelling at him and then talking to him. This is likely a way to portray Hiller's inner monologue in a more understandable format than leaving interpretation up to the audience. Overall, 10/10 movie, I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't want to be emotionally damaged by an Oscar worthy movie and is more in favor of an inspirational, uplifting action movie.
Critique
This scene, much like the movie as a whole, is action-packed and fast paced. It starts off by setting up the conflict of the scene by showing a shot of a “fuel low” warning on the dashboard of Captain Steve Hiller’s (played by Will Smith) plane. The camera cuts to Hiller’s eyes looking up and then to a POV shot of the plane fitting through a canyon, giving the viewer a conflict, a character, and a setting. The camera cuts to a shaky cam shot of Hiller looking behind him, setting up the entrance of an alien ship that is shown coming through the same canyon as Hiller. The camera shows a couple different angles of the two planes darting through the canyon, with the alien plane firing at Hiller. These shots are probably mostly CGI, there are multiple explosions and the fast-paced camera cuts prevent the audience from thinking too much about the details of the scene. The next few seconds cut between the plane chase, the “fuel low” screen reaching empty, a POV shot of the plane darting through the canyon, and Hiller becoming more and more desperate. He sees the end of the canyon and he pulls his parachute. The camera cuts to a POV from the alien ship, and the parachute unfurls onto the dash, blocking their view. Hiller is launched into the air as the camera cuts to the alien ship narrowly missing crashing into the side of the canyon, showing a shot of it emerging from an explosion and crashing onto the desolate desert above. As the dust settles, the camera cuts to a shot of Hiller floating to the ground with his parachute, landing with the parachute covering his face. This was most likely done by a stunt double or dummy, because the next shot and the costuming allow for a stunt double to be switched out without using CGI. The next shot shows Hiller scrambling to get up and out of the parachute, and then cuts to a wide shot of the landscape; black smoke drifts over a desert with no civilization in sight. The camera cuts to Hiller, on the ground, figuring out where he is. He sees the alien ship and the camera cuts to a faraway shot of the ship smoking. The camera cuts back to Hiller, and then to a wider shot of him yelling at the ship, and trying to unclip himself from the parachute. The camera cuts to another wide shot of the landscape, this time with very tiny Hiller making his way toward the smoking alien ship. The next shot follows Hiller as he walks toward the alien ship, yelling at the alien (which has yet to show its face). The camera cuts to a wider shot of Hiler reaching the ship, giving the audience a perspective as to how big the ship is. The next show is placed inside the ship as Hiller opens it, and shows his reaction to the alien as tentacles writhe on the edges of the screen. The next shot shows the alien’s head coming out of the smoke, complete with jump-scare music. The camera cuts to an unfazed Hiller, who punches the alien and it falls back into the ship. The next shot is of Hiller against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, sitting down on the edge of the ship and taking out a cigar. This shot signifies the end of the chase scene, and the victory of Hiller against the alien. The next scene shows Hiller’s boots, walking across a white flat plain, dragging rope. Hiller drags the whole of the parachute past the camera, and the audience can see a motionless limb and a couple tentacles falling out of the parachute. The audience can assume that Hiller has wrapped up the dead alien and is now dragging it wherever he is going. The next scene shows Hiller in the middle of a different desert, so he has obviously dragged this alien a long way, but the scenery is possibly even more desolate and vast. Hiller, throughout the scene, talks to the alien even though he knows he will not get an answer. While dragging the alien in the parachute, he yells “and what is that smell?” and the camera cuts to him running back to the alien to kick it, close enough to show the whole scene but far enough away to catch the emptiness of the setting. The camera cute to a shot of Hiller silhouetted against a blue sky, yelling “I could have been at a barbecue!” The next shot is another shot of the vast landscape, ending the scene with the audience satisfied with Hiller’s victory over the alien, but worried about Hiller’s current situation.