Minority Report-Slan

Minority Report is a great film. It is a political film and a futuristic film. Political film because it shows how people who are given authority will do anything to keep that power. It is a futuristic film because of the technology that has been created. Humans in Minority Report have become dependent on technology. Retinal scanners were advanced and any scanner in any place could identify you. Crime prevention techniques have improved in the 2054 future we see in Minority Report. Those techniques violate the rights of the three pre-cogs the Pre-Crime Department uses. Anything that could be used a tool for profit or could be used, as a weapon will be misused in human hands. Sometimes human have to realize that power should be used only for the good and only when it does the least harm.

People who were imprisoned due to the pre-cogs premonitions were released on pardons due to the discovered flaw in the system. It speaks to our society because the flaws we have will make us free. Our nation was born out of the flaws, the need to be different from the country of England, and those flaws are the reason we exist in democracy today. The prisoners were locked up not due to the fact they committed murder but to the fact there were going to commit. In our present, we do not have that ability to lock people up on presumed evidence. Our law enforcements only arrest people on definite evidence. The criminals were handled by having halos placed on their heads that would incapacitate them. The criminals were not given a trial and automatically found guilty. Now that I think about it, I do love the right to a fair trial even though our system is somewhat corrupt as well. Hollywood and the Rhetoric Panic article says, "Spielberg's film ends with the destruction of the Pre-Crime and the absolution of those punished for crimes that, in reality, they had never committed." "In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king" says the blind drug dealer from Minority Report.

Kehoe, Coulter, Slan: Johnny & The Priest

This is our one minute film project. I had a ton of fun working with these fellows. We all put in the little time we had and made a funny joke come to life. If I could have done anything different I would have added voices to the ants he was killing and made some crazy sound effects with each splatted ant. I would have made the closing credit a lot more slower so people can get the joke. Over all both the Chris made this film hiliarious. They were gun-ho and we made it a success. I can't say I'm the best cinematographer but I think I did a great job shooting the film on my camera phone and editing it. Hope you enjoy class and Professor McCay. This film has been Rated R due to Violence and Language!

Slan-Casablanca

The political expediency theory allows films not to alienate an audience. Casablanca is a film that allows all people to witness a love story among political turmoil. The three main characters are Rick, Ilsa, and Victor. The setting is Casablanca, which is located in Northern Africa under Nazi rule. These three are trapped in a love triangle. The audience can see the love story unfold and more dangers present themselves as the story develops. Some people of the people of Casablanca want to move America to escape the political turmoil. In my scene, you get a balance of the love story and a balance of the political turmoil. In this scene you get to see the pride of the French in Casablanca out roar German Soldiers. The scene starts off with Victor and Rick standing on the balcony watching the Germans sing their national anthem in Rick's Bar. Victor rushes down the stairs and go directly to the band in the bar and demands them to start playing the French national anthem. As the band starts to play, people in the bar start to arise and singing their hearts out. The camera does several close-ups while they sing the national anthem. It closes up on Rick when he gives the band the okay to play the anthem. You can see the seriousness in his face when he gives the answer. It closes up on Ilsa when she glares at Victor with love struck eyes, as he directs the band and sings the anthem along with the others.
You can see the passion in her eyes during this close-up. It closes up on Victor singing the anthem with pride in his eyes. In this scene, you feel the national pride being shown and you get to feel the passion Ilsa feels for Victor in the scene as well. Rather you were watching the film for the love story or seeing how you can make Nazis sit down (SING YOUR NATIONAL ANTHEM LOUD AND PROUD), the camera proximity goes from social, to personal, and intimate as it goes throughout the room in the scene.

Follow this link to view the scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt1vQ81jNWw

Slan-The Social Network

Social Network had all the goods to be a entertaining film. One, it told a story and two it possessed dramatic comedy. In order for any film to be a success it must tell a story. The story of the Social Network is the brieft history of Facebook. It gives viewers the beginning of the multibillion dollar site and the turmoil that came after its creation.

The acting in the Social Network was fitting to this film. You have the right age group of actors and each one was able to fulfill their roles well. Justin Timberlake, Sean Parker, played the role well. He made the conflicts in the film rise to another level. The rising action started when his characted was introduced. He portrayed the ass hole very well. Andrew Garfield, Eduardo Saverin, did some great acting. He applied the right emotions and gave the audience the victim feeling. The key actor that made the film real excellent was Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. I have never read much or hear much about the Facebook founder but Jesses showed me enough. If the real Zuckerberg is anything like he was portrayed, well I hope the billions he has makes him happy. Jesse's performance was stellar and no one could of pulled it off like he did. He made you love him and hate him in an all-in-one package. They make the story that a lot of people didn't know about feel like it wasn't a movie.

The way the film was set up with flashbacks and present scenes was great. The cuts were performed well and the whole film flowed smoothly. Also, the conflict was very entertaining and interesting. The story really filled in missing pieces behind Facebook.

The dramatic comedy in the film was evident in the films humor. Facebook has evolutionized the world and to learn its genesis was entertaining. This film had the right amount of seriousness and comedy to make it a great story.

Now, one of the most distinctive points of the movie was the lighting. All of the flasback scenes lighting were dark. The flashbacks probaly were dark to give the film a ominous feeling. All the flashbacks were revealing the story of Facebook and were part of the lawsuit litagations he was facing. When you shifted to the present the light became bright. The lawsuit litagations were all bright. I guess they appeared this way to signify importance and do be distinctive from the dark flashbacks. The lighting illustrated the distinction between the present and the flashbacks. Only one flashback that was bright was the Facebook headquarters when they hit one million memebers. The lighting was bright in this scene because it was a important day in Facebook history.

Overall, the film was entertaining and it was informational as well.

Slan- Avatar

My avatars are three different characters. They are Ice Cube (rapper), Baloo from the jungle book, and the Incredible Hulk. These three Avatars each represent different aspects of my personality.

Ice Cube is one of the founders of the gangster rap group NWA. He is one of the founders of gangster rap, an actor, and a mogul. Ice Cube is the part of me that is cool, real, and laid back. In his films, he either plays a hardcore badass or a family man. I feel like sometimes you have to be a badass and others times the family man. When I was young, I wanted to be a rapper and make people fall in love with my music. Ice Cube has put out many hits and films that people have fell in love with them. He is my first choice of Avatar because by looking at him I know what hard work and success can give you.

Baloo is the most memorable character in the Jungle Book. The Bare Necessities is the funniest song in the film. Baloo is the type of character who gives great advice but is also laid back about life. Sometimes we forget about how bare and naked we used to be and get wrapped up in the glamour of today. I would love to be Baloo to get back to the bare necessities and let go. It would be a privilege to get away from Facebook, E-Mails, and cell phones to be in the jungle enjoying myself. Baloo is the definition of Hakuna Mata (No Worried for the Rest of Your Days). In this digital age we need to remember to be free and let go of worries.

My third Avatar is the Incredible Hulk. The Incredible Hulk is the manifestation of rage that arises out of Bruce Banner. Sometimes we all are passive people and suppress our emotions. Then there are those times when we just want to let it all out. We want smash and break things. But the only thing we want the most is to live in peace and harmony. The Incredible Hulk to be is the result of when we cannot have that peace and harmony. I feel like the struggle of Bruce Banner to control the Hulk is a representation of man trying to control himself from doing wrong. The Hulk would be a fun Avatar because of his abilities. I could leap miles, possess amazing strength, and have a healing factor. Only downside would be having no actual control of my rage.

Slan- Beowulf Wants to Die Scene

The scene where Beowulf is basically trying to commit public suicide is the scene I believe had the most emotions. I heard a lot of people say their faces did not move, but in the close-up when Beowulf is repeatedly saying "Kill Me" you can see real emotions from the digital creation. As I look at it, I feel like I am watching a real actor. Ray Winstone must have watched that scene over and over to give the powerful voice he puts into that scene. No doubt he fits Beowulf perfect. This film might be all digital but with the combination of great voiceover, you may be able to feel like you watching a film real people. The fact that this film is digital creation of an old tale gives it that once upon a time feel. When you watch movies that make 3D images with real people it sucks. I've seen very few movies where the dragon looked real. You could tell it was computer generated. I've even seen another version Beowulf different from the one staring Gerald Butler and the digital one we had to watch in class. In that film, Grendel was a digitally created beast with claws and 100% fake. Our technology has gotten to the point where we can make it look like a real person or monster is in the film but some just dont have the budget. This version of Beowulf was perfect in my eyes. Their use of digital creations kept the film feeling realistic.

Mis-En-Scene Analysis:

Lighting: The scene starts off with Beowulf on a cliff watching the battle between his army and the Frisians. It is the first scene we see of him after becoming king. As he is on the cliff the lighting is bright but no comparison to sunshine. Then he moves down towards the beach where his men have captured a Frisian Raider who wants to fight Beowulf. As he rides up to the raider the light is bright. Beowulf tells his men to kill the raider then he starts to trot off. The raider tells Beowulf to come kill him himself. As Beowulf dismounts, you notice in the background this dark cloud of smoke or dust cloud. The lighting gets real gloomy. As Beowulf and the raider speak the camera goes back in forth. Behind Beowulf is the dust cloud and behind the raider is the sea. The sea is brighter than the dust cloud even though the sky is dark and gloomy. As Beowulf gives his kill me speech, the camera closes up on his face and it gets brighter. This type of lighting makes this scene appears to be a battle of good and darkness. With the lighting shifting it gives that feel of a struggle. As it closes up on Beowulf, behind his head is the half bright and half dark. It kind of says he is torn between the two.

Camera Proximics: In this scene, it starts off social then moves to intimate. As Beowulf approaches the raider, who has an axe and is ready to take his life, the camera begins to get close up on Beowulf's face. While Beowulf gives his speech the camera proximity changes with each point of his speech. The closer he gets to the raider the closer the camera gets to Beowulf. It gives you that near death and desperate feeling. Each step is a closer walk towards death.

Dominant: The dominant in this scene is Beowulf. He has this bright red shirt on under his armor. It draws and keeps you focusing on him. Despite the cloud of dust behind him the red shirt appeals to the eyesight.

Slan- Closer

"Closer" is a remarkable film. The acting in this film is real. The acting makes this film blossom. When their emotions changed my emotions changed. I could feel the heartache and pain in each scene. I could feel the love and passion. Over all it was a never-ending circle of love, happiness, and sadness. At the end, everything was not as it seemed to be.

I believe the strongest actor in this film was Clive Owen (Larry). He was the bastard you loved to hate. Larry emotions were raw and real. Owen did not hold anything back. He was manipulative, not as much as Alice, but he's second in line for manipulation category. Own really brought Larry to life. He knew how to get under everyone's skin and hit the right nerves. Larry was the one who was blunt and honest.

I think you can see his manipulation skills in effect in the Dan confronts Larry scene in Larry's office. The scene goes back in forth with the two like an argument for the first few minutes of the scene. The lighting in the room is dim and unnatural. There is a bright light that can be seen as the camera goes back in forth between their arguing. One is above Larry's head and the other one to the side of Dan's head. I feel like it's the lightbulb that pops up when you have a great idea. Larry is above his head speaks that his ideas about the situation are better.

The framing in the film is loose. You can tell each character has some bit of room for moving during the arguing. You can see both sides of the room when the camera jumps to each character as they make a point in their arguing. It gives them the freedom to move around to scream and shout if they need to.

The proximity of the characters is social. You can tell by how far they are from each other. The distance is kept social because even though it is about women it is business. At this distance it doesn't seem like a personal conflict between two people but it is. Dan basically makes an appointment with Larry to plead for Anna and Larry treats it like a social meeting by staying at his desk throughout the arguing.

Slan-Wolfman Transformation

The 1941 Wolfman and the 2010 Wolfman weren't the best films I've seen but they weren't the worst.

The '41 version was very simple but it was interesting to watch. It was interesting because of the plot and the transformation of the Wolfman. The transformation in the '41 version was more mysterious and less gruesome. The transformation was more of fangs, more hair, and a larger forehead. The slow transformation techniques build up suspense and fear. Larry goes from feeling hair growth on his arms, to taking off his socks, and next thing you know a full blown werewolf. They made this werewolf more of a man beast by making him walk upright in the '41 version.





The '10 version does more of a gruesome transformation. The computer generated transformation is interesting to look at but hard to take in. Lawrence's transformation appears to be more painful. Bones are breaking and changing. His teeth are getting sharper and his muscles are growing. The '10 werewolf looks like a body builder who got a hold of some bad steroids. This werewolf has more beastly characteristics. It runs on all fours and possesses amazing strength. The computer generated werewolf is hands down a better looking werewolf.

The techniques used in both films were great. They made both look realistic. You could tell that both were not in homemade Halloween costumes. The technology in 2010 was not available in '41 but the werewolf was believable. The '41 version gave filmmakers a foundation and it has evolved ever since then. If you see the werewolves in "Underworld" or "American Werewolf" films you'll notice that they are each have their distinctive characteristics. No two werewolves are the same.

Slan- Mis En Scene The Expendables

This is a scene from Sly Stallone's "The Expendables". Included in the scene are Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis (not shown in picture). The scene is a discussion about a job offer by Willis to Stallone and Schwarzenegger characters . Stallone and Schwarzenegger characters were once on the same team. Reason for their split is not noted in the film. The scene takes place in a church on fair day.

The message of the scene is action movies stars are still around. Schwarzenegger and Stallone were the go to guys for action in the 80's and 2000's. Willis is the face of the "Die Hard" films franchise. These three guys were the faces you would love to see in anything dealing with shooting, explosions, and testosterone filled films. The true message of the scene is that they still are around.

The dominant of the scene is Arnold Schwarzenegger. The camera is focused on him more than any other part of the room.

The lighting is very high. The setting for this scene is a church. You can tell the lighting is high because it bounces off of Schwarzenegger's forehead. There is a small amount of natural light resonating from the doors behind him. At certain parts, the lighting is very low key as well. As you look at Schwarzenegger's jacket the lighting on it looks dull.

Camera proximity between the two characters is social. Social proximity because of the distance from Stallone and Schwarzenegger. The direction of Stallone's head shows that he's keep his distance away from Schwarzenegger instead of being more personal.

Character placement in this still shows Schwarzenegger to the upper right. Stallone takes up the majority left side of the scene. Stallone would be the subsidiary contrast in this still picture.