As production students, we all attempt the best method to either raising or avoiding costs for our films. Last year, my fiction 2 film was a complete disaster in terms of money.
This film was called "The Pee-Wee" which is a story about fathers who gamble on their kids hockey games. It was a good story, and over $4,000 was spent on the project, but I simply had the wrong team. It just goes to show that although money is a quick problem solver, it can really bite you in the ass in the long run.
As I begin my journey into creating my final Ithaca College video, I am devoting hours upon hours trying to save dat money. And I think it is only fitting that because I am doing a music video for my thesis, I talk about Lil Dicky's "SAVE DAT MONEY"
This video is a huge inspiration to me because Lil Dicky did it without spending a cent. At the end of the video the even do a behind the scenes on how they got away with it. And lastly, I think as television/film students we all have a lot to learn fro Lil Dicky.
MTV's TV show Eye Candy followed the life of Lindy Sampson, a 21 year-old hacker who's persuaded by her roommate to start an online dating profile. Lindy, portrayed by Victoria Justice, is hesitant, but does, and quickly starts suspecting that one of her many suitors might be a cyber stalker who is aiming for the kill. As a hacker who has been searching for her sister who was kidnapped 3 years earlier, she decides that she needs to team up with her friends to catch the cyber stalker before he can hurt anyone else. The show was based on a book by R.L. Stine and was picked up by MTV for season one in February 2014. Unfortunately, though, it's been confirmed that it will not return for a season two. With an open-ended finale, and a lot of potential for the future of Lindy Sampson's story, fans are not impressed and not happy. We don't know if she'll find her sister or what the future holds for her and Tommy. The one thing they do know is that the killer is Jake. I don't know if the discovering of the killer was the selling point on canceling the series or what, but it doesn't make anyone feel anymore comforted with the series coming to an untimely end. I do think that MTV is at a loss with this one. It was a young adult / teenage version of a Criminal Minds or crime show, and it was much better than the usual reality teen mom bull shit that they have on that channel. You can't tell me that Pretty Little Liars can go on for multiple seasons without revealing anything, yet a show that was progressing the story line thoroughly was canceled after the reveal in a season one finale and tell me that's fair. I think this show had a lot of potential, and the fans did too. There could have been a sidekick to the killer, Lindy could have finally found her sister, relationships could have progressed, and the show could have gone on. Except it hasn't, which is definitely a loss in my eyes.
In another communications class of mine, we watched the pilot of MTV's reality series Jersey Shore. I am not the biggest fan of reality shows in general; the characters are always very outlandish, unreal (despite it being a reality show) and overall seemingly obnoxious people.While I felt that watching the show was a waste of my time because it is so terrible, it sparked me into doing some digging about "behind-the-scenes" of reality shows. I noticed while watching Jersey Shore that there were a lot of fast cuts, repeated shots, and many voiceovers, which indicates that from piecing together various footage make a particular story, even if its not the story that was told originally.
According to the Writer's Guild of America West, reality TV producers create formats, cast people based on character traits, and then edit scenes to create a story arc. Teams will shoot several days of footage and then hand it off to the editor to create a story based on the guidelines that producers gave them. Because no one's life is constantly that dramatic, crews must film for days at a time before piecing together an episode. That's why there's so much voiceover and b-roll; it is up to the editor to create the story that the producer wants, as opposed to how events actually occurred.
David Rupel states that one of the secrets to creating the arc to a reality show is to "find a scene that has many of the same emotional beats as another, and use interview bites to shape it to be about the other topic" because if you remove all references to some other subject, it still makes sense. That way if some major even occurs off-camera, it can still be shown somehow. This method is used a lot in Jersey Shore, especially utilizing the "interviews" as making sense of the dramatic situations that occur by getting each person's reaction.
Snooki: "i'm too pretty for jail"
MTV networks President Van Toffler said that in the Jersey Shore casting process they looked for "candor, honesty, boldness, and a very combustible, chaotic mess. You could honestly say none of these people were traditionally beautiful."...combustible, chaotic mess is a very good way to put it indeed. And while all the characters are just generally unpleasant human beings, the show is wildly entertaining because they are all so outlandish. The casting directors choose them because they know that viewers will want to watch them do ridiculous things (that they are paid to do).
Reality TV is a form of entertainment that is constantly on the rise because the creators know how to draw people in with the fast editing and outlandish characters. Jersey Shore is just one example; other shows such as Dance Moms, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and Survivor also follow the reality-tv-editing formula. (only difference is that those characters are slightly more tolerable!)
Here's a taste of what Jersey Shore is like. Watch if you dare.
When browsing through shows to watch on TV, I came across this show called Broke A$$ Game Show and was curious as to what this show was about. This show doesn't fit the usual mold for an MTV show or gameshow! This show takes place in the streets of New York City, following two guys I had never heard of named David Magidoff and Derek Gaines, who are very entraining.
These guys go around looking to give people money, sometimes as little as $10, but not usually more than $200. The contestants have to "earn" the money, but it can be as simple as knowing what the name of the game is called.
Sometimes the contestents don't always understand how easy it is to "win", it's funny seeing the contestants facial expressions since they look confused.
One of my favorite things they made people do for money was clipping a tail on strangers without them knowing:
Here is the clip to get a feel for this show
This show is okay but I wouldn't watch it unless I was flipping through the channels and nothing else was really on. I would rate this show a 5/10: anyone who wants a quick paced show that they can watch for some entertainment would like this show.
13 Going on 30 (known as Suddenly 30 in Australia and some countries) is a 2004 American romantic comedyfantasy film (hybrid film) written by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, and directed by Gary Winick. Starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis and Kathy Baker, the film was produced by Revolution Studios for Columbia Pictures and it was released on April 23, 2004. It follows a 13-year-old girl who dreams of being popular. During her birthday party, she engages in the party game Seven Minutes in Heaven. The game turns out to be a humiliating experience for her, and she refuses to come out of the closet. She even blames it on her best friend Matt (Matty) and doesn't talk to him anymore afterwards. When she eventually does emerge, she finds herself five days shy of her 30th birthday, uncertain to how she got there.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with most praising Garner's performance and its nostalgic environment. It was also praised for its humorous plot and self-empowerment message. The movie was also a commercial success, earning $22 million in its first week, and grossing over $96 million, becoming one of the year's biggest DVD rentals and sellers. The movie's soundtrack features songs spanning the 80's to the 2000s, with a range of hits from famous recording artists such as Billy Joel, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston. Additionally, the soundtrack charted inside the top-fifty on the Billboard 200 chart. Jennifer Garner's acting earned her nominations from both MTV Movie Awards and Teen Choice Awards, and the movie was also re-released in DVD in 2006 with a special packaging titled "Fun and Flirty Edition", and on Blu-Ray in 2009.
A girl who's sick of the social strictures of junior high is transformed into a grownup overnight because of a wish she made to be thirty, flirty, and thriving. In this feel-good fairy tale, teenager Jenna (Christa B. Allen) wants a boyfriend, and when she's unable to find one, she fantasizes about being a well-adjusted adult. She has always wanted to be popular, accepted, to be and look like the other girls, and all in all just grow up already! Suddenly, her secret desire becomes a reality, and she is transformed into a 30-year-old (Jennifer Garner). But adulthood, with its own set of male-female challenges, isn't as easy as it looks. She works as a magazine head at the company, Poise, who has been getting sabotaged by the magazine, Sparkle, for a long time. She finds that she is in love with Matty, makes a new face for the magazine, and has a wonderful time. It all crashes when Lucy stabs her in the back and sells her prints to the rival magazine, Sparkle. In the end, she is transformed back to her 13 year old self, and happily marries Matty when they get older.
This is such a feel good, fun movie to watch! It could be considered a chick-flick, but I think that it's a nice movie to watch if you want a laugh. It teaches you to enjoy life and don't try to rush it!
I haven't watched a lot of MTV shows in the past few years, but the other day I was looking through Hulu and came across the new season of The Real World. I thought I would give it a try because during my teen years I used to enjoy other seasons of The Real World and it has been a while since I watched reality TV.
Many of us are familiar with the premise of The Real World, where a group of people that don't know each other live in the same house for serval months while it is documented by an MTV crew. This show starts with seven new roommates who all seem like they just want to have a good time, even though they might not get along with each other all the time. What is new about this season is that after the first few episodes where the roommates get to somewhat know each other; MTV starts bringing a "Skeleton" from one of the cast member's past. A "Skeleton" in the show has pretty much been a person that would be one of the last people you would ever want to see again, that shows up to the house and typically, immediately starts new drama!
MTV is trying to create more drama by bringing in a house guest that they know the cast will not be happy to see. As entertaining as this show is I feel like it has to be scripted or the producers tell the cast members what to do to some extent. What I find weird about this season is that there seems to be a phone in the house that is a connect line to the producers, several times a cast member will pick up the phone and complain to the producers which feels weird while watching a reality TV show. Also it seems a little set up the way the cast members talk about something and then what they were speculating actually happens moments after, this could be just the way it is edited but I still believe the cast members know more about what is going on then they lead you to believe. I decided to keep watching the show because it is entertaining and I watched enough episodes where I want to see what happens next as well as see how the cast will survive the "Skeletons".
I'm not going to rate this show on a scale because I feel like you watch this show to be entertained and can't really take this show too seriously.
If you love drama, cat fights, raw emotions, and reality TV then this show would be the one for you!
It’s a simple music video. One shot. No camera movements,
just a steady zoom. A man plays his guitar in a kitchen. This restraint may
seem to some bland and uninteresting, but it is in fact a testament to the
power of developing a narrative and visual style to accompany the core emotions
of your project instead of building upon it.
The song Brilliant Disguise, from the Bruce Springsteen album Tunnel of Love, was released as a single 1987. The song’s about the nature of identity in marriage, it is a
contemplative piece about the doubts one feels about their significant other in
a relationship, and the fears and pains that accompany them. The narrator and
his significant other are clearly past the point of blissful love, that period
of time where you are blinded by the pure overwhelming emotions of being
attached to someone. He is still in love it seems, but now he is looking at who
she really is and who he really is. And he can’t help but doubt.
So tell me what I see
When I look
in your eyes
Is that you baby, or just a brilliant disguise?
Is the person he fell in love with
the person she really is? I mean, can you ever really know, understand a person’s
pains? Fears? Hell, can you ever really understand your own? The song never addresses
these questions, which ends up making it that much more powerful. It doesn’t
give the answers for the dark underbelly of identity in a relationship, but
simply brings them up and ponders the ramifications of them. It’s a powerful testament to one of the
many discrepancies in love, and a powerful one at that.
This is a complicated, unnerving
emotion to render into a music video. The video was released around the
beginning of the peak of MTV. Videos were starting to get really flashy; they’d
have big narrative arcs that the songs would accompany and detail instead of
having the images give flavor to the songs. That is not necessarily bad. Sometimes
fancy editing and extravagant camera movements empower the creators and help
them deliver their message. Sometimes it is simply a show of skill and prowess,
unnecessarily clogging up their visual palette and distracting from the core
emotions of their piece. So going into the music video, in that era, one would
expect some sort of narrative showcase of Bruce with a wife in a variety of
situations looking forlornly off into the distance. There’d probably be some
real nice dissolves here and there, maybe the woman even stares at the moon
from a balcony at some point, her dress waving beautifully in the night time
winds.
Instead, in the hands of director Meiert Avis, we have a black and white
video of single shot zoom in on Bruce as he plays the guitar. It’s uncomplicated.
He just plays his guitar and sings while staring into the camera. At the
beginning, we’re something like ten feet away from him visually. The kitchen he’s
sitting in looks like a set. It comes
across as surprisingly gimmicky and cheap.
Well I've tried to hard baby
But I just can't see
What a woman like you
Is doing with me
But the song delves into the deeper
and more emotionally stirring parts of the song. The camera keeps steadily
zooming in on Bruce. His face is browbeaten and weary. Bruce’s singing, which
was recorded live on set that day, which is an unusual practice, strains in
parts. The polish is gone. Instead, these words are pouring straight from his
soul. The kitchen keeps looking like a set, but it takes one a whole other
sense of identity. This is where the romantic, idealized marriage should
happen. Loved ones gather at the dinner table to bond. These meals should serve
as an affirmation of love. It should be perfect. It should be the moment you
look forward to at the end of the day. But sometimes our lives don’t live up to
the ideals we hope to be true. And so the kitchen becomes foreboding. It is a
dead hope; an ideal ransacked by the true nature of life, and this man can’t
help but live with it. Love was never going to be this simple, but he can’t
help but hope for it.
The
song ends on a final lyrical coda before an instrumental outro:
Tonight our bed is cold
I'm lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of
The video, in turn ends on a tight shot of Bruce’s face. His very
human, soulful stare is almost pleading to the camera as the song and video fade out. The
moment haunt, and it fills the viewer with an impression of dread and fear. For
the man, for themselves, who knows.
This is
not the convoluted narrative conclusion or a special effects laden spectacle of
visual noise and aural bombast. No, this is just a man and his doubts.
Next year, I plan to create an online sketch comedy show. I think that many sketch shows are truly hilarious (to me) but unfortunately, most of them get cancelled. For example, one of my favorite shows on MTV was Human Giant. This show was on from 2007 to 2008 and was written by comedians Aziz Ansari, Paul Scheer, and Rob Huebel. In a standup special, Aziz Ansari said that MTV let them have the creative control but then said,"Some shows on MTV are not my cup of tea. Mainly because I don't like huge pieces of shit in my tea." Human Giant was comprised of short skits that I found hilarious and compared to SNL, Human Giant was by far, higher up in the humor department.
Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, another sketch show, premiered on Comedy Central but was then cancelled after only two years on the air. Nick Swardson's standup is hilarious and he changed his jokes into skits. The skits were quite immature but humorous nonetheless. Nick Swardson is still well-known in the stand-up community but he's yet to star in another Grandma's Boy type movie.
Chapelle's Show was one of the greatest shows ever made in my opinion. It was only on for three years prior to Dave Chapelle's strange hiatus. The show was filled with hilarious skits and characters and Dave Chapelle would do stand-up bits during each episode. He poked fun at racial tension and his skits pushed boundaries and some would claim they went too far. The show made fun of real problems in the world and forced people to look at them differently.
Now, my new favorite sketch show is Comedy Central's Key And Peele. The shows stars comedians Keagan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. This show is similar to Chapelle's Show because it pokes fun at racial problems and stereotypes. Once again, it is boundary pushing comedy that causes people to think and pokes fun at problems to show the ridiculousness of their real life nature. The Nick KrollShow, a Comedy Central sketch show, airs sometime next year and looks promising. The only downfall of sketch shows are that sketches can either be hit or miss. I would say that 1/3 of sketches during a sketch show are well written and humorous.
My new favorite show on TV right now is MTV's Awkward. It has some kinks that it needs to work out but I just can't stop watching. It's about a high school sophomore, Jenna, who is (you guessed it) a little awkward. I'm not a fan of how the series starts out... when she reads a nasty letter instructing her on how she needs to improve herself, she has an accident that makes it look like she committed suicide... a little far fetched but whatever.
Besides that and a few other little things, this is easily the best high school scripted show I've seen in years. You knew all of the characters in high school, and you want Jenna as your best friend. Her problems are real, and you cringe right along with her during all the awkward moments that happen to every teenager in high school.
One of the best characters in the series is Sadie, the mean popular girl. She's a little over the top but she seriously combines every mean girl I ever knew in high school into one hilarious character and coined the series's catch phrase... 'you're welcome'.
So if you decide to try Awkward out... I promise she's out of the stupid brace by the second episode! But you'll probably be hooked right away just like I was!
