Journeys Below the Line

In the last cinema production classes we had, we took a look at Journeys Below the Line. After seeing this my eyes were opened to the whole other world behind the camera. Growing up I always liked to watch the special features for every movie I watched because it helped give me insight on what it took to make that film. Although I knew the positions that work behind the camera, I never really understood what it really took to make it all work. Sure I knew the positions and their general jobs, but what did it take to accomplish all of that? What fine little details helped make the movie come alive? 

When we watched the Journeys Below the Line my eyes were wide open. We saw two episodes that focused on camera men, their assistants, director of photography, as well as prop master, and their assistants. With the camera men, I originally never thought you needed more than one or two. And not that I was writing that job off as easy, I just never saw myself doing something like that. I wanted to do the more big title jobs such as direct, or produce. And when we focused on the props master, I did not realize how much detail goes into it. When watching a film or television series, all the little objects in the background, the objects we see everyday, they were put there for a reason. And I did not pay attention to it as much as I should have. I just thought well yeah if that's what a hospital looks like, all the equipment is there, they probably shoot in a real hospital. But after seeing how the props master had professional medical help on set to help teach everyone about diseases, and all the machines that are actually used in real life, I was amazed. The amount of precision that went into building a set based merely off of props alone was very impressive. 

Many times people associate all the hard work that goes into making a successful movie with the director or producer, and of course the actors. And not that these jobs do not help at all, because they do help a lot, but all the small jobs that you see at the credits at the end of the movie, they really help impact the movie as well. And not everyone, but most people including myself are very quick to write off these jobs. After seeing these episodes I have definitely thought about working one of these behind the scenes jobs. They are so fascinating because they are what bring the movie to life, they give a home to the characters and give personality traits to each character. And now when I go to look for jobs, I'm going to be more open to fufilling any position needed. Even if the position is not my top choice.

Living Down Lost

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LOST PLEASE GO WATCH IT NOW INSTEAD OF READING THIS BLOG. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

In 2004 JJ Abrams and Damon Lindelof created a phenomenon. Lost took over, it was the show everyone watched. An epic of 6 seasons, the show tells the story of Jack Sheperd, Kate Austen, Hurley, Sawyer, John Locke, Sayid Jarrah, Clair Littleton, and the other 70 survivors of Oceanic flight 815. They wake up amid the wreckage of their plane on a remote (possibly nonexistent) island inhabited by very old, very dark supernatural forces.

Along with the supernatural forces that have been on the island for basically eternity, there were also other obstacles the island used as pawns. Such as Benjamin Linus, and other castaways washed up on shore. The Darma Initiative was an experiment that was able to find the island and harness some of its unexplainable power. Leftovers from the extinct 1970's Initiative litter the island in the form of Polar bears, unopenable hatches, and many Darma Stations.

With twists, turns, and huge reveals, Lost was a true drama, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats up until the very end. Which led to a controversial finale Lindelof has been apologizing and beating himself up over for 4 years now. When Breaking Bad  ended, Lindelof used the opportunity to ruminate on his own epic finale and make peace with his fans in an interview:

“I’m sick of myself for continuing to beat this particular drum, so I can’t imagine how sick of it you are. If it’s unpleasant and exhausting for me to keep defending the Lost finale, aren’t you getting tired of hating it? And so … I, like Walter White, want out. To be free. And to grant you the same.“I’d like to make a pact, you and me. And here’s your part: You acknowledge that I know how you feel about the ending of ‘Lost.’ I got it. I heard you. I will think about your dissatisfaction always and forever. It will stay with me until I lie there on my back dying, camera pulling slowly upward whether it be a solitary dog or an entire SWAT team that comes to my side as I breathe my last breath.“And here’s my part: I will finally stop talking about it. I’m not doing this because I feel entitled or above it — I’m doing it because I accept that I will not change hearts nor minds. I will not convince you they weren’t dead the whole time, nor resent you for believing they were despite my infinite declarations otherwise.”

When all is said and done we have to look at Lost as a piece of art. It doesn't belong to the fans, it belongs to the person who made it, who labored to create it, stayed up late at night trying to find the best story. So I think we should leave poor David Lindelof alone.

Four years later, the world still isn't over Lost, however. JJ Abrams and David Lindelof's new show is still fighting backlash from the Lost finale. Headlines like "Damon Lindelof Promises You His New Show Won't End Like 'Lost'," are still being written for articles about their new show The Leftovers.

Music in The Sopranos: Offering Humanity in a Show Absent of It

                If you’re looking for a show that explores the kindness and generosity of the human spirit, than The Sopranos is not your best option. David Chase's television classic focuses on the anxieties and personal struggles of middle aged mobster Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, as he goes through therapy. The show's viewpoint of people and the psychological makeup that makes them tick is deeply pessimistic. Everyone is selfish and self-serving. Conversations are not exchanges of thoughts and ideas as much as a series of thoughts spoken aloud to one another with little to no value given to what the other participant says. Characters store emotions up inside of them for years until they explode, often at the expense of people entirely uninvolved with the situation. And by the end of the show, many characters who claimed to have changed themselves and their evil ways find themselves in a far worse place than they ever started. There are moments of empathy and humanity, and these scenes are indeed powerful, but they are few and far between, more often the exception to the rule. Basically, the show seems to believe that people are often no good. This is such a deeply pessimistic viewpoint runs the danger of being far too oppressive viewpoint. But it never does, in no small part thanks to the music.

                The use of licensed music in film and television is nothing new. Ever since movies like Mean Streets, Easy Rider and American Graffiti, licensed music has become a means of accentuating and commenting upon the emotional core of any scene in a variety of films and television shows. And certain television shows, such as LOST, Twin Peaks and Breaking Bad, have used music to great effect. But The Sopranos truly stands out amongst them all with the strength of aural landscape. Songs are deftly utilized to convey any number of sentiments. Sometimes they will be an indicator of the times or a character’s interest, such as when Britney Spears plays in the background of a fast food restaurant. Often the music is used as a means of getting into a character’s head, such as at the end of the episode Blue Comet, when a sparse piano piece lays as Tony sits on a bed alone holding onto a machine gun, his friends either fatally injured or killed. Sometimes it serves as a means of juxtaposition, such as in the pilot when a Doo-Wop song plays as Tony beats a man so he can get his money. One of the most notable uses of music is the montage that begins season two, which plays to Frank Sinatra’s “It Was A Very Good Year.”

                As we watch the characters live their everyday lives, Frank sings nostalgically about his days of youth. But intertwined with this nostalgia is a sense of melancholy. As each verse passes, the character gets older and older, yet he still finds himself dwelling on the past. The song ends in the autumn, with the character reflecting on all the good times. Autumn, the season where the weather gets colder and the plants and trees start to die. The brutal winter is not here yet, but it is on its way. But these are the good times. This may be as good as it ever gets. Revel in it, enjoy it. Because it may not always be this way. And so as we watch these characters live their everyday life, there a combined sense of comfort at how things are and one of dread for what is to come. I was able to articulate this by analyzing the song, but it is understood on an emotional level as soon as one watches it. That the show could conjure such a complex emotion out of a short three minute montage is laudable. Magical moments like this are strewn all over The Sopranos seven year run, to the point where it makes the perfect mesh of song and image seem easy.

                There is such a consistency to the one of the music, with much of the selections being a heavy dose of classic rocks songs such as The Rolling Stones and The Kings mixed with a hint of deeply humanistic, sometimes spiritual songs. The music landscape almost becomes, if not another character, than an entirely different viewpoint for the show to articulate and further its overall perspective. A song does not only comment and accentuate the single scene it plays against; it works alongside the established musical palette  and deepens our understanding of the overall show. The song selections come together and form a shading of the show’s viewpoint as important and tangible as the writing, acting and cinematography. And whereas the other shadings of this perspective typically work to further the show’s pessimistic declaration of humanity, the music instead offers with a deeply emotional and sentimental tone that allows us to enjoy the characters and occasionally empathize with them. This is not the only aspect of the show to make these characters and the shows viewpoint tolerable, humor also being quite important to what makes the show work, but it may be the most affective one. 

A Lost Gem: Confidence Man

Earlier this week, my roommate started watching my favorite television show of all time, Lost. Lucky for me, her headphones broke so I've gotten the pleasure to listen along. Last night, we watched episode 8 from season 1, "Confidence Man," as I requested viewing privilege. And, while I may be biased as the episode featured my favorite character Sawyer, it settled all those silly notions in my head that shows I currently love are better.

The always sexy Josh Holloway, who is starring in a new CBS drama Intelligence that comes out in January. Everyone should watch.

The simple plot of "Confidence Man" is that Shannon has an asthma attack and is in dire need of her inhaler, which she lost during the crash. Jack and Sayid torture Sawyer, as it is assumed that he's hiding it. In the end, it's revealed that he doesn't have it. However, the episode encompasses a lot more than just that.

As always, the episode is filled with flashbacks from the featured character's past. We dive into Sawyer's life as a con artist. Another show that uses flashbacks is Orange is the New Black. I hated the way OITNB did their flashbacks. They kinda pulled me out of the story as opposed to bringing me further in and it's one of the main reasons I stopped watching after a couple episodes. Watching Lost reminded me how flashbacks should be done. They connect to the given storyline on the island, although the connection may not be obvious until later in the episode. In "Confidence Man," Sawyer's flashbacks explain why he takes punches from Jack and torture from Sayid instead of telling them the truth - that he doesn't have Shannon's inhaler. When he forces Kate to read the letter aloud, we think that Sawyer's con in his flashbacks is the con that killed a little boy's parents. However, we later discover that he wrote the letter when he was a little boy and it was his parents. He takes these punches and torturing as punishment he believes he deserves for becoming like the man who ruined his childhood.

My poor baby being tortured.

Keeping with flashbacks adding onto the island storyline, the transition from island to flashback is awesome. Just generally, the score in Lost is absolutely fantastic. Seriously, go listen to it if you haven't already admired the score of the entire series. Well done, Michael Giacchino. Also, they always use a close-up on the featured character for the transition, which gives the idea that it's the character who recalls these moments. We then are brought back to the island and see the character make actions based off of recalling that moment from their past.

And still, the episode does more than the main plot and flashbacks. Every second in the episode is essential to the story. They move every plot at least a tad bit further whether you realize it or not. For instance, when Michael gives Sun the plants she is looking for and Jin calls out to her from behind. That tension planted in the pilot continues to build. Another example is Claire and Charlie. A seed is planted in this episode: Charlie and Claire's relationship. In the beginning of the episode, she says she'll move to the caves if Charlie can find her peanut butter. He comes back later in the episode with an empty jar and pretends to eat peanut butter with Claire. Too cute.

"This is the best bloody peanut butter I've ever tasted."

It's only now, after I've gone through the struggles of writing "Cracked," that I can appreciate how much is in every episode of Lost. It's truly a talent to be able to fit so much into 43 minutes. Every episode is just as jam-packed as the last, but it doesn't feel that way watching it at all. Until you sit down to write a blog post and realize how well written and timed the whole thing is and find yourself marveling over how unbelievably talented Damon Lindelof is (and all the other show writers).

As a whole, I have to say that Lost knows how to handle an ensemble cast better than any other show I've seen. Each character's story is intriguing and re-watching has made me realize how many seeds they plant without the viewer realizing. Example: In a different episode, when Walt beats Hurley in backgammon, he says "Hey, you owe me $20,000!" and Hurley replies "Don't worry, you'll get your money!" And of course we think haha oh Hurley, you always crack me up. But give it maybe 5 or 6 more episodes and we discover that Hurley won majorly in the lottery in his past. It's these little seeds, that I'm only able to appreciate now that I'm seeing it all again, that make Lost so genius.

Lost holds a special place in my heart. It's the reason I'm going into the television industry and attending Ithaca College and taking this course and writing this blog post. Lost sold me on this medium of storytelling, because they incorporated everything I was looking for. And for this reason, it will always be my most influential television show.

So Many Questions

There were a lot of questions to ask this summer. For me, there was the, how will I spend my free time? How many reruns of Friends can I watch until my brain rots? And, will there be a new drama this summer that can capture my attention? The new CBS drama Under the Dome was able to answer my third question with a big whopping “yes”. After watching the very first episode, which was filled with an intriguing plot, well-developed characters and breathtaking special effects, I was hooked. Based off the novel written by Stephen King, the show follows a small Northeastern town of Chester’s Mill that is sent into a panic when an invisible dome falls from the sky and cuts the town off from the rest of the world. The first episode is full of heart-wrenching scenes including a cow being split in half by the dome, birds falling from the sky, a truck slamming into the dome, an airplane crashing from the sky and so much more.

The residents of Chester’s Mill have their own questions to ask. The characters include a former solider who has recently committed murder, a young teen looking to get away from her boyfriend, a young teen seemingly obsessed with his girlfriend, a journalist (played by an actress from Twilight), the town’s councilor (played by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad), a lesbian couple and their daughter, the town’s priest, the town’s sheriff (played by an old Lost star), his deputy and two radio DJs. Their questions are pretty obvious. Where did this dome come from? Why did the dome fall in their town? What secrets of theirs will be revealed? And, what dangerous secrets do other people in the dome have?

The audience members have started to form their own questions. In fact, as soon as I finished watching the first episode I knew already that this show would be one full of surprising twists. The show is produced by Stephen King and Steven Spielberg and is receiving help from Brian K. Vaughan, the writer of Lost. In fact, many individuals on the crew and cast are formally from Lost. Likewise, the show has seemed to embark on a similar theme as Lost had. The show considers the possibility that the dome is more than just a random supernatural occurrence. Rather, the show suggests that every character has a purpose for being stuck under this dome. Like Lost and many other series based off of Stephen King novels, this series does not seem to have a concrete ending in the near future. When CBS had first announced Under the Dome as a summer mini series, it was exciting to know that we wouldn’t have to sit around for nine or so seasons trying to figure out who the mother was in a story about meeting the mother. However, CBS recently announced that the show is no longer a mini series, but due to high ratings, will be picked up for a second season. This shocking and bittersweet announcement has viewers question, will we really ever know how this dome got here?

CBS have a lot riding on the answers to their own questions. They were unsure if a summer series would really get any attention at all. Much to their excitement, we just couldn’t help but to get sucked into yet another Stephen King production. I’m sure now they are questioning, “how long can they keep this going before answering our many questions?”

Although Under the Dome may have given us what we needed, an entertaining summer television series, it has come at a high price. It has caused us to be addicted to yet another confusing, surprising drama, which we may really never stop asking questions about.

The Uncommon Opinion of Orange is the New Black

I've recently (recently being yesterday) begun Orange is the New Black, Netflix's new original series. I heard about it way too much this summer, so I thought I would give it a chance. To preface, I have a three episode rule for television. Before I can make any judgement, I have to watch the first three episodes of a show to give it a chance to show me what it's got. I implemented this rule, because I've been told that I am way too harsh on television shows, specifically female characters. Despite my rule, I went in with a sour taste in mouth, because the trailer showed some poorly written lines and sub-par acting bits. The good part about jumping into a show with low expectations is that it leaves a lot of room to be surprised. And that I was to find I somewhat enjoyed the first three episodes. Still, I have yet to figured out why people are so obsessed with it. Perhaps the premise is just not my cup of tea?

It does really bother me that this show is getting high praise for things that have definitely been done before. I've heard people call OITNB groundbreaking in television for having a protagonist, Piper Chapman, that doesn't run the show or monopolize the story. The show does dive deeper into the past of the secondary inmates through flashbacks, but this is not the first time we've seen this story structure or ensemble style. Lost, anyone? Remember that gem? Jack was our "protagonist," I suppose you could say. But I've never met anyone who would consider him their favorite character. And frankly, the flashbacks in Lost are done much more effectively. The score sets each flashbacks up and brings the audience back to the present afterwards so effortlessly. And in my opinion, those characters were a lot more compelling. Of course, I have only seen the first three episodes. It's possible they'll impress me as time goes on. The point is, Lost is simply an example. Ensemble shows and flashbacks have been done before. And frankly, I'm not impressed by OITNB's use of them.

I will say that one thing I love about OITNB is how much freedom the writers have since it is not a network television show. Especially given the show's premise, it would lack a lot of it's realness if the writers were restricted from talking about sexuality and abortion as opening as they do. This is prison. There is no censorship in prison. I also think the show really sheds light on issues that too much of society is ignorant towards. For instance, the struggles of being transgender and the effects your decision to be who you are has on your family and your entire life. Hopefully, this aspect of the show enlightens those who can be so quick to judge.

So there it is. My opinion after a fair three episodes to win me over. In the end, I have decided to continue watching Orange is the New Black -- not because I am addicted, but I am curious to discover what all the hype is about.

Something new

I want to talk about all of the new shows that I haven't had the time to watch while at school. I went home last week and as soon as I got home I sat down on my couch and started watching TV with my family. Here are some new shows (some are just new to me I guess) and my thoughts on them.

1. Revolution (NBC):

Revolution is five episodes into it's first season. I've only seen one episode (episode 4: The Plague Dogs) and I'm very intrigued. I'll have to find time to watch the other episodes online but it airs on NBC on Monday nights at 8 pm. The premise of the show is that all the electricity goes out in the world and what the world would be like 15 years after that. Its a really interesting concept. Think about it, almost everything we do revolves around electricity. We would be able to make films and television without it- we'd be out of luck. From that one episode I've gathered a "Lost" feel from the show already- and I loved Lost so I'm excited to see where this one goes. 

In later posts I'll talk about Go On and The Mindy Project.

Sci-fi and Fantasy Escapes

Movies. That is all I was interested in when I was younger. It wasn't until I reached about ninth grade that I suddenly became fascinated by TV shows. It all started with my father introducing me to a great show called Stargate SG1. This is a show about a military operation that has found a way to travel through the glaxay via wormhole. The wormholes are established through the use of a stargate. Each stargate on different planets have their own "addresses." SG1 is the first team sent through the wormhole to discover new worlds. So, this mix-matched team begins their adventures where they fight the Goa'uld (parasites that take over their host's mind and ruled over early human civilizations as gods, like the Egyptian gods), and many other enemies over the course of 10 seasons. This show was absolutely brilliant and was my obsession for a very long time.

After Stargate SG1 ended, I really didn't watch any other shows for two reasons. Number one, my knowledge of TV shows was limited and I didn't really want to spend the energy to find a new one. Number two, what could match up to my Goa'uld fighting heroes of the universe? It was only when I was a freshman in college and I discovered the wonderful Netflix, that the world of TV shows opened up to me again. I can't even begin to remember how many shows I have watched to date now, but I can list some of my favorites.

First of all, I should mention that my heart lies in the science fiction and fantasy realms. My theory behind this is that I personally love the feeling of being able to escape my own life for a time and delve into a completely new dimension and "experience" adventures with unforgettable characters. Anyway, I remember one of the new series that I fell in love with was a TV show called Robin Hood that was on BBC starting in 2006. There is not much to explain in the way of plot since almost everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, and it was a great show plot-wise, at least up until the very end. I won't give it away for those who decide to watch it, but it made me very upset. I guess it was a good thing that I was so upset because that is a sign of a good show. The acting was fabulous, and the presentation was altogether well edited.


I believe the next show I watched was Battlestar Galactica, which was on Syfy from 2004-2009. The concept behind this series was very interesting and the story was great... for about the first two or three seasons. Then something happened where nothing made sense. I don't know if that was because on Netflix the seasons were split up by half seasons (such as season 4 and season 4.5, why would someone do that???) and I missed a seasons worth of episodes or if the plot just went crazy. I never ended up finishing this series, but I did enjoy most of what I was able to see.


During the summer between freshman and sophomore year in college, my parents and I became huge fans of another BBC series called Merlin. Merlin is a show depicting the story of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table all from the perspective of a young boy named Merlin. Of course, the events of this series do not necessarily follow what is depicted in the novel The Once and Future King written by T. H. White. In this show, Merlin is a young boy who is sent to Camelot by his mother to live with an old friend, Gaius. Except there is something special about Merlin that no one else can know about; Merlin can use magic, a offense punishable by death. It isn't until Merlin learns from a dragon trapped below the castle that it is his destiny to protect the cocky and rude Arthur that all the adventures for Camelot begin. This show is still playing, and I believe is on season 5. Some of the graphics and CG aren't the best, but the plot is so engrossing that you can get over it pretty easily.

Soon after that, came another one of my absolute favorite shows, Falling Skies. If you have not seen this show, I highly suggest you watch it. Yes, it is another end of the world show, but it is so much more than that. Once you think you have the story figured out, they throw another twist at you. The filming and CG is very good, and I can't wait for the next season to begin.

Some other series I have watched include, Downton Abbey, Lost, Terra Nova, part of Grey's Anatomy and Once Upon A Time. Downton Abbey is a show put out by Masterpiece Classics and has a great plot, and is filmed in such a way that you feel you are truly a part of the story. The characters are so unique that you end up falling in love with them. It is a story about a well-to-do English family living on the cusp of the twentieth century and their servants. The dynamics between these two groups flow together and apart at different parts in the story. I have only seen up to season 2, so if anyone knows whether or not this show is on again please let me know.


Terra Nova only has one or two seasons, I believe, because someone told me they it was cancelled. I don't know why. I absolutely loved the storyline. It is about a family living in a future where the Earth is on it's last leg thanks to pollution and lack of resources. People can't even breathe the air with out a device that filters it. In order to get a chance for a second life, the family accepts the offer to become a part of project Terra Nova. By going through a rip in the time continuum, they find themselves on Earth but millions of years in the past, with dinosaurs for neighbors. The family and the whole colony of Terra Nova must learn to survive or die in their new world.

What I think is the most amazing thing about all of these is that the CG doesn't have to be the best. The acting, the sound, the cinematography, and really great story lines all come together to make these shows successful in drawing in the audience to different times or even different worlds. I'm always up for suggestions for new shows to watch. Recently, someone suggested that I watch the new show Revolution, which is about a futuristic world where all electricity doesn't work. Cars don't work. iPods don't work. Nothing. The government falls and militia take over. Amidst all the chaos is one girl who is fighting to get her younger brother back from the militia men who took him. It looks like a very promising show indeed.

~Amber Capogrossi