5x5

 

Clip 1: Picked up my chemistry textbook.
Clip 2: Flipped to a (random) page.
Clip 3: Started doodling in the textbook.
Clip 4: Used the sky and moved the phone in a circle to represent my eyes drifting all over the place.
Clip 5: Threw my textbook on the ground.

I started my 5x5 by planning out my five shots. Using an iPhone, I first filmed my four shots in the same location. I then went outside to film the last one (Clip 4). Clip 1 was the most difficult to shoot, as I knew that I had to walk over to my textbook, pick it up, and place it on a table within five seconds without seeming rushed. The other four shots were not so difficult, as I only had one task. For the other four clips, I filmed for a minimum of 10 seconds, just in the event that I had a second or two at the beginning where nothing occurred. Out of those four, Clip 4 was the only abnormal one, as there was no particular beginning or end to the clip. So, I just spun in circles until I got dizzy. I then edited the 5x5 on iMovie '06 in just a few minutes. The issue I had was coming up with an idea because everything I that I thought of involved me being in it. I eventually resorted to searching for random objects until I found one that I thought would be a good centerpiece for a film.

I'm pleased with my 5x5, as just 6 hours ago I was sitting around with no inspiration. And by this point I was a little worried, as I had been brainstorming ideas throughout the week. The silent background made me pleased, though a little sound might have been better.

An idea for the next video challenge would be a similar assignment to the 5x5, except that each shot must be in a different location, while still keeping the plot intact. Finding a set is a difficult task in production, and this could help us improve at this aspect.

1984 Trailer

1984, Michael Radford, R, 1984

1984 is about a man who lives in a totalitarian society, where he, and the rest of the residents, are under constant surveillance by Big Brother. Many do not appreciate his control, leading to an imminent rebellion.

While brainstorming movies with potentially intriguing trailers, I immediately thought of the novel we are reading in class, 1984. Though I had not seen a glimpse of the film until watching the trailer, I expected it to be dramatic, just like the novel and like I'm hoping our trailer will be.

The trailer is an exemplar of what I want to produce, as it focuses mostly on the dystopian setting, with a brief insight into the plot. Little dialogue amongst characters is used to illustrate the setting, and instead the trailer is narrated through characters' lines that serve as voice-overs. Also, we see Big Brother's face countless times. The repetition really helps the viewer understand how controlling this individual is. The viewer sees the main character writing in a journal, clearly against the laws of Big Brother. The most impressive cinematic technique used in the trailer, however, is the music. This dramatic tune runs throughout and it adds to imposing force of Big Brother. For my trailer, I plan on also having a dramatic tune throughout the trailer. I want it also to focus almost entirely on the setting and little on the plot and character development: what makes the society a dystopia. Finally, I don't think dialogue is necessary for a trailer, and a narration from voice-overs seems more appropriate. All of these plans could change while creating our script, but I'm definitely planning on using the 1984 trailer as a model.

World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others

I read the article "World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others" written by Will Richardson on Edutopia. You can see my annotated page but for some reason there is also stuff highlighted... don't worry about that.

Anyway, onto the actual content. Richardson is attempting to persuade the reader that schools must embrace the advancement in technology. While he states that "face-to-face classrooms... are equally important in a connected world," he also makes it clear that the Internet can come of great use.

I do believe that a teacher is necessary, because, at least for me, learning from a teacher in-person is much easier than trying to search the Web for answers, as there is nothing like the reassurance of having a professional right by my side. My opinion could easily change someday.

He goes on to describe how a middle school class in California connects with one in Canada daily to work on projects together. He downplays some of the negative aspects of working on the Internet, such as the false information.

I'd love to learn script-writing techniques from experts. The creativity is loads of fun, because at this point in the production, there is little guidance. One thing I would need to learn is how to estimate the length of film through the script. Connected learning seems possible, as there are many Blogs out there, and some might pertain exactly to what we are learning. Ideas for films, whether it's the cinematography, the script, the costumes etc. can all be accessed on the Internet. I expect this to prove to be a great resource.

Movie Reviews

Marshall Fine of huffingtonpost.com created a movie review of the film "The Avengers," titled 

"Movie Review: The Avengers." Based on the opening line, "Here's the best thing I can say about The Avengers," I thought this review would be negative. I was completely wrong. Throughout this review, he generally describes the plot and the humor. For the humor, he compares it to other films. He describes the slapstick as "worthy of Chuck Jones in his Looney Tunes heyday." He does not touch on cinematic techniques, which most likely indicates that the purpose of this review was to mostly describe the plot. Judging by the praise Fine gives to the plot and humor, I'm sure he recommends the film.

For the quarterly movie review, I feel as though we should have certain requirements, but be able to focus in-depth on what stoop out to us most during the film. I don't think there should be a basic structure. If people want to write it all in the third-person that should be fine, and if people want to write it from their perspective in the first-person, that should be no problem either. 

My First Post $$$

This is a chicken.

My name is Ross and I'm in the second period film class at Blair High School. I spend a lot of my life outdoors, often playing soccer or biking. I used to own three hens, which resembled the chicken above. They're all dead now. In middle school and half of the first year of high school, I took film class. My favorite role was director and script writer. There are a couple of projects that stand out as my favorites.

The first one is a stop-motion project using props. One aspect I greatly enjoyed about the assignment is that there are many jobs needed to produce a interesting animation. In our group of four, we needed artistic people to create a scene; somebody experienced in stop-motion to direct the film; a script writer; an editor; an actor to do voice-overs; somebody to command the camera; and somebody to pick out sounds and music. Obviously, each group-member had to assume multiple jobs.

At Blair, the class did a news project in the TV studio. This project required group dynamics and each individual to do his or her job. Groups ranged from four to eight. Everyone had to write their own parts of the script, and one slacker could do serious harm to the entire production.

This Blog could come in handy when writing reflections, whether it's on an essay, movie project, or the change project. This way, we can see if other CAP students felt similarly about a project. For people in CAP we don't know so well, it would be interesting to see if we share similar views.