Catching Fire

Last year I finished all three books in the series “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. When I was reading the books I couldn’t put a single one of them down for a single second. Like most teenagers, I became completely enthralled in the 12 districts that made up the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem. So last night, when I went to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, the second movie in the series, I had extremely high expectations about how I wanted the movie to play out. In the end, I was more than satisfied.

“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”, from Lionsgate, opens with a scenic view of the heroine, Katniss Everdeen played by our favorite actress, Jennifer Lawrence. One of the reasons why this movie is so successful is because of the amazing and publically appealing cast involved. To start, Jennifer Lawrence is a successful Academy Award-winning actress who has appealed to many young adults with her witty speeches and her love for food and drinking before interviews. Most importantly, her ability to act as a cunning, selfless fighter has been spot on, to say the least.

The movie begins with Katniss crouching in a bush hunting for animals in the forbidden part of her district. This opening scene reminds us that Katniss is just as bad-ass as she was in the first movie. That is, until her best friend Gale (Lian Hemswirth), startles her into a nervous breakdown. Then, we see her for what she has become since the first Hunger Games, a complete emotional wreck. But what else would you expect from a girl who had been dropped into an arena forced to kill the surrounding 23 people in order to continue living?

The Hunger Games might be directed towards young adults due to it’s superficial, cliché romantic theme of a girl constantly flip-flopping between two boys, each from a different world. However, the plot itself is complex and thoughtful, including references to past films and literature as well as universal themes including government, oppression and justice. In the first “Hunger Games” we meet Katniss, who resides in District 12, 1 of the 12 Districts that now makes up what is left of the world after a revolution destroyed most of North America. In order to make the people understand and regret their actions of revolting the president, currently President Snow, holds an event known as “The Hunger Games”. “The Hunger Games” is a broadcasted event in which two tributes from each district are chosen to fight each other to the death until there is one lone victor who receives fame, wealth for themselves, wealth for their district and the ability to continue living. In the first movie, Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), are chosen to be tributes in order to participate in dramatic, horrifying, gladiatorial extremes.

The second movie tells the story of a new game that took place on an island set up as a clock to reveal a different lethal event with each new hour. The idea itself is intriguing, but on the screen it was completely engrossing. The poisoning fog, killer monkeys, raining blood, threatening lighting and more was exciting for any age.

Catching Fire has a different director than the first. This time around, Francis Lawrence replaced Gary Ross. When Ross directed the first movie, it was done in the hesitance and fear that usually fuels the adaption of a popular book onto the movie screen. But with the surprising popularity and success that followed the first movie, Lawrence was given more free range. Lawrence is known for previously directing the well-received films, “Constantine” and “I Am Legend”. There were also other details that made this movie so fascinating including the amazing costumes, designed by Trish Summerville, that were absolutely breathtaking. Other aspects that made the details of this film so detail oriented include the director of photography, Jo Willems, music by James Newton Howard, production design by Phillip Messina and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik.

The ending may have been disappointing, but it is hard to criticize it since it had ended exactly as the book had. In fact, most of the movie had followed the book, but not in a negative or downgrading manner. Rather, the movie did not take away from the book but only expanded on its ability to tell such a fantastic and symbolic story. The script, written by Simon Beaufot and Michael DeBruyn completed the difficult feat of adapting such a popular book. Typically, movie adaptations fail at properly adapting a popular book. However, this was not the case with this big-studio, beautifully visual adaptation. Although the ending was a chest, overdone concept of displaying the main character’s facial expression as she realized the consequences to her action, the scene did fill me with anticipation and excitement for the next two movies to come.

MōVI STARTS MOVING

Earlier in the year a couple students, including myself, posted about the new MŌVI... a hybrid type of steadicam that can provide very smooth shots in versatile situations. The device is already being used in a couple productions, but one production team has actually worked with MŌVI technicians to mount a RED Epic camera onto this flagship device. Their creation is pretty cool looking... a mechanical dance routine on an artistically lit backstreet, all with the MŌVI flowing around the scene:

When interviewing GAREN, the producer of the music video, he stated:

Did using the MōVI make my job as a producer easier? No. Did we come across difficulties because of its learning curve? Yes. Did it cause us to lose some time? Yes. But these things are all to be expected when embracing new technologies.

His answer seems very logical and brings forth the point that the MŌVI is not yet meant for anyone to pick up and start making their very own backyard video. It's a technical piece of equipment and it will take the industry a little bit of time to discover its full potential. 

Of course what would any of this be without a handy behind the scenes video?

Read more about this on nofilmschool.com

Wayne's World

Last night I came home trying to do some work but when I came home all my roommate's were watching Wayne's World so I naturally sat down and put off my work further more. I was never passionate about Wayne's World but I remember appreciating it when I saw it a good 6 or 7 years ago so I was curious what I'd think of it now. I don't know if I just haven't changed my humor since middle school or was just enjoying the nostalgia of watching it, but I found myself and my roommates laughing hard at the a lot of the jokes. One of my favorite scenes in that movie is Garth's day dream about approaching the hot girl in the dinner with Jimmy Hendrix's Foxy Lady underneath it.

After that I started thinking about how this movie was different because of how frequently they broke that fourth wall. It was cheesy at times but I still enjoyed it. My favorite time they break the fourth wall is when Wayne, Garth, and Cassandra are in Ben Kane's apartment. Garth Steps back and starts talking about how bad of an idea it was for Wayne to bring Cassandra there. Although he's supposed to be the idiot of the film I realize he pushes the plot forward. In that scene he's going around the apartment showing books of "how to pick up women" and then finds is to do note book that says, "buy television program - Exploit it." I can't tell if it was a cheap or clever way of pushing the story forward.

I think overall, I really liked how they had the characters aware that a movie was being made on them. I think since Wayne and Garth were making a TV show in the movie, it fits to have them aware of the makings of the film. I also really enjoyed how it made fun of Hollywood cliches. Wayne has a scene when he's professing his love to Cassandra where we openly splashes water in his face while "Oscar winning scene" flashes at the bottom of the screen. They do a nice job of transitioning between the realization of the Hollywood cliche back into the storyline with out you even noticing.

Best Interactive Video I've Ever Seen

I've seen many interactive videos, some are good, some are bad, and some are really bad. Today I watched the best interactive video I've ever seen. Unlike most interactive videos out there, it is actually practical, without a huge network of links to different scenarios on YouTube. It is the most entertaining, and lends itself to be re-playable over and over again. It is an interactive music video to Bob Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. I absolutely love Bob Dylan, but even if you aren't a fan you will still enjoy the interactive video. The video has a sidebar, which resembles a TV set menu with channel buttons, volume, play, pause, and stop. You are able to change the channels, and no matter what channel you change it to the talent is always in sync with the song! Basically there are a bunch of different music videos on each channel and when you change to one of them, it syncs up to the part of the song you are at. It features channels such as the news, the history channel, the shopping channel, etc. It parodies shows such as The Bachelorette, and Pawn Stars. You should check it out, you will not regret it!

Check it out here:

http://video.bobdylan.com/desktop.html

The Movie Friday Night Lights

In honor of Ithaca College’s last regular season game of 2013 I have decided to post about a football movie. I chose the movie Friday Night Lights because I love the stories told with each character. It is very authentic and real.  The movie takes place in West Texas in a town called Odessa. 

High school football is above all in the town. It is more important than money, church, or sex. It is everything. It holds the social order together and gives people a sense of meaning and belonging. The football players of Permian High are told to protect the town, which is a very important job for a bunch of male teenagers.

I like the storylines because each character has a different personal story that is brought together by the game of football. Boobie Miles is the star running back who puts all his hopes and dreams into football stardom which is eventually broken by an injury. Don Billingsley isn’t the best football player. He has an abusive father who once played for the team and won the state championship. Mike Winchell is driven by desire to leave the small town of Odessa.

The reason I love the movie as a whole is because of the ending. The ending is uplifting but also sad. It is one of the most honest high school sports movies I have ever seen. The team ends up losing the state championship by a few feet. It is not a happy ending, it is a real ending and I love that. Since it based off real-life members of the 1988 team, we are told where each player ended up. The players, heroes and superstars in high school, grew up to be construction salesmen, and land surveyors.

I just love movies that don’t always have happy endings or fairytale stories. I love sincerity.

Everything Wrong With...

We all know that most movies are not perfect. There may be some continuity errors or there could be parts of the story that are not resolved at the end. Actors could give off the wrong mood of the story, or there could just be a few bad lines. Most movie-goers often overlook these flaws, but some people decide that it is their mission to point these flaws out to the rest of us. The YouTuber "Cinema Sins" is happy to point out every flaw in a movie. And no movie is safe (unless it is absolute perfection). 

In honor of the movie premiere of the new Hunger Games movie, I give you "Everything Wrong With The Hunger Games In 3 Minutes or Less".

The guy who makes these puts a comical twist on the movies. He is critical, yet he still makes you laugh at the mistakes that you saw in the movie and even the mistakes that you completely missed. Here is one he did on "Avatar". 

And I leave you with this gem. If you've seen the movie "The Room", you will appreciate this. 

Editing film with a deadline

As of now, I have been awake for almost twenty-four straight hours, about ten of which have been spent editing my group's short film, "Cracked". After having been up editing until about 3 or 4AM for the past four days, I've decided tonight was the night when sleep was simply not an option. Tonight's cutoff time was about 5AM. This wasn't due to being kicked out of the library or to my roommate yelling at me to turn off the light. It was due to the fact that most of us working on the film's picture-locked draft tonight reached the point where no good could come out of continuing our work. The last 4 days have been some of the most taxing and fulfilling days of my life, and since I'm running on little to no sleep due to the deadline I've been given to have this film finished by, I figured now is the best time to give you my honest opinion of editing with a deadline.

It's difficult.
Editing is difficult. There's no question about it. It takes a lot of time, patience, and skill. Sometimes, none of these are available. Having approximately four days to edit a seemingly twenty-minute, picture-locked copy so that our sound designer can have ample time to make our project sound as professional as possible, time is simply not of the essence. It's unfortunate, but it's the hand I've been dealt, nonetheless.

Patience is not one of my virtues. That's a fact. If something isn't working the way I want it to, I've been known to begin cursing out my laptop at a reasonable volume right in the middle of the library. The problem with this is the fact that, in order to edit something just right, an editor needs patience so that he doesn't accidentally scare everyone sitting within a fifty-foot radius of him. Very few things ever fit together perfectly with ease in the editing process. It's important to remember that.

Clearly, one needs to have some level of skill in order to be good at his job. Now, I'm not saying that I'm a bad editor. I like to think that I have some level of talent. The fact is, though, I'm still learning new things everyday. Just tonight, actually, I must have learned at least three new editing techniques from my fellow group members that I had no idea were available to me. These three or so new techniques I learned are certainly going to come in handy sometime soon down the road, but I really wish I knew them a few months ago. It just goes to show that an editor is never done learning.

It's stressful.
Four days. Really? Four days to edit an entire twenty-minute short film. That's all I was given. The deadline I was given was set for a very good reason. We need to have the film's audio mastered by someone who truly knows what they're doing, but seriously? In order for a person to provide you with his best work, you better give him the necessary time to do so. The more rushed an editor is, and the less sleep he has, the more difficulty he's going to have in turning in a quality project.

The most stressful part about the whole thing is that, despite the little time film editors are often given, the entire project still comes down to you. It's basically like the last five seconds of a basketball game. Your team as retrieved the ball. They've gotten it down the court. They've set you up with a perfect shot. It's now up to you. You can either score the game-winning point, or you can miss the shot and your team's effort was all for nothing. An editor can either be the hero or the complete screw-up on a film crew.

It's bullshit.
No matter how well the preproduction and production of a film go, the editors always seem to get screwed over. You'd think the editor would be given as much time as they needed to make the final product their best possible work, but no. Editors always seem to have the shortest deadline out of anyone on the entire production crew.

Sure, being the editor has its perks. The most evident one is the fact that I had to do little to no work up to this point in the project process. What could I do? There was nothing for me to edit. Another major advantage would have been--if we hadn't needed someone to work audio for our first two shoots--that I wouldn't have been required to go to the actual shoots. That could have easily been more time to relax or to edit what we had already shot (which I was luckily given for our group's final shoot on Sunday).

Despite how fair it really is that I have to run off little to no sleep for a mere four days, instead of having work the entire semester, I still attempt to put the idea in my head that the whole thing is bullshit. Don't ask me why. I'm just tired.

It's totally worth it.
At the end of the day, and at the end of the whole process, editing is truly one of the most rewarding positions in the entire crew, especially with such a short deadline. To be able to look back and say, "Wow. I did all that in four days?", is all the reward I need. To have the privilege to be able to see the entire progress from a script, to a shoot, to a cluster of files, to a beautiful film is an absolutely indescribable feeling. The editor is the final puzzle piece to a film, and it's an honor to be that final piece.

Paperman - A Beautiful Short Film

Disney released the animated short, "Paperman" back in November 2012.  It went on to receive the Academy Award for best animated short.  This came as absolutely no surprise to anyone.  This short is beyond amazing.  What makes it amazing?  Right off the bat, the story is just so strong.  Set in 1940's Manhattan, this short follows the story of George, a young man (perhaps late 20's) who is having an average commute to work, when he finds himself standing on the train platform next to Meg.  Before he can notice her, one of his papers is taken by the wind and hits her in the face.  He pulls it down and sees her beauty, but before he can say anything, she boards her train, leaving him with nothing but a lipstick kiss on his piece of paper.  He then proceeds to work, visibly disappointed that he didn't get to speak to the beautiful woman.  This disappointment immediately fades when he sees her through his window, across the street.  He proceeds to fold over a dozen paper planes, attempting to send them all from his skyscraper to hers.  I won't give any more of the story away, but it really is absolutely charming and romantic.  It shows how disappointing a missed connection can be, and how great it is when we manage to reconnect.

The fact that this film is in black and white really helps establish the setting in a big way (1940's Manhattan).  The one thing about color that I absolutely love about this piece is that her lipstick is the only thing in color.  Her lips are kept a beautiful deep maroon, and the lip stain on the paper is a beautiful pink.

There is absolutely no dialogue in this short.  This beautiful and romantic story is told with absolutely no words.  We have foley and a beautiful score (composed by Christophe Beck).  It is worth opening the film in a tab and just listening to it.  The score is that well done.

The visuals are what really help sell Paperman more than anything.  In Paperman we see a 3D film, which looks like it has been hand drawn.  According to director John Kahrs, "We brought together as best we could the expressiveness of 2D drawing immersed with the stability and dimensionality of CG".  A video of John Kahrs describing/showing this process can be found below:

The top link is the actual video.  I would highly recommend just watching it 2D but in the highest form of HD your connection will accommodate.  The visuals are just stunning.  All elements combined make the short truly deserving of its Oscar win last year.  

Baman Piderman

"I'm Baman.

I'm Piderman. 

I come over da house. 

We're best friends!"

It's absurdist meets animation, in a strangely realistic series called Baman Piderman. No, that was not a typo. Animated and written by Lindsay Small and Alex Butera, the cartoon is hosted via Mondo Media's Youtube account. And to be fair, it's hard to get past the bizarre nature of this series at first glance but, as with any series, you have to give it the five episode rule (five episodes to get past the symptoms of pilot-itis). And trust me, as with many of Mondo's shows, you're gonna have to give yourself a few chances with this.

Living in a minimalistic sort of world, Baman and Piderman are best-friends who adopt a similar visage to their mainstream, comic-book counterparts but lack the stereotypical physicality of said namesakes. Joined by their friend Tuba (who unsurprisingly is an actual tuba), an anthropomorphic pumpkin, and a hissing mass of tentacles, the duo sets out to deal with the life they live.

It's quirky, it's weird, it's ridiculous, and it doesn't make any sense. Yet, as it continues you could argue that it has one of the most entertaining and well-written plot lines out there. The characters grow and take on personalities of their own: even those that you wouldn't even believe could have one. You come to realize that while their speech is different and their actions are silly, they represent a whimsical sort of reality of ourselves. 

It's odd, watching the series progress because who you might've scoffed at turns into someone you can root for and sympathize with. It's actually hard to explain how complex this series can be. As I mentioned, at first glance, the episodes don't seem to make too much sense. But as you keep watching it and as you fall deeper and deeper into their world, you realize that a linear plot line exist while not existing. It's kind of symbolic on the nature of life itself: that it's a bunch of episodic events strung together, connected by the common factor of every individual. 

It's cool to see that play out here. That, at its essence, the series is about two best friends living life. And while their adventures might not be grand or logical, at least they did it together. It's a bit cliche, but it's an aspect of the show that has kept me watching. And as it continues, we have the honor of seeing the characters hone in on who they are as people and what they wish to do or become.

The animation has definitely developed from where it started off as, as I'm sure you'll note throughout "da marathon." And I can honestly say I'm a fan of early-Baman Piderman and present-Baman Piderman. I think they're hand-drawn style brings stilted sort of authenticity that connects the viewers than deters them. The more "sloppy" it is, the easier it is to watch because it only adds to the overall irregularity of the look: something that steps beyond the standard in-line drawings of present day animators. It's creative and unorthodox, and it only succeeds in pulling me in farther. 

It makes me want to know what exactly I'm watching and what will happen next. 

Baman Piderman has grown into a little cult classic: garnering a loyal fanbase of followers for both its 

vision and its artistic license. It's a show that I can sit down and not have to worry about it being overly complicated, action-oriented, gruesome, etc. It holds a sort of realist charm, in that sense, by forgoing tragedy in place of set-back and adversity.

Despite it's non-sensical plot, it's a story that will keep you entertained and wanting more: from its characters and onwards. So give it a try, and then another, and one more time after that.

Netflix Takes on Movies

There’s no doubt that over the past decade, conventional television and film has felt a squeeze from online media providers like Netflix.  With the advent of full television series produced for the internet being ushered in by The House of Cards, the future of media consumption his definitely quickly evolving. 

For the most part, film has stayed the same, at least the initial release of each film, as it has been for many years. Now, however, Netflix is once again trying to change the game.  They’ve just announced that they’d like to start producing full scale, high budget films, for both the Internet and the theater. They’d ideally be released at the same time, over both venues. The caveat is, many movie theaters will not show a Netflix film, for fear that it would take away from ticket sales. It seems that Hollywood wants to stick to the archaic version of movie distribution. Regardless, I guess we’ll have to see how this pans out, as Netflix’s title as a game changer should never be underestimated.

Lily Allen's "Hard Out Here"

This Tuesday, Lily Allen released her new single “Hard Out Here.” It’s her first release in three years, so it’s been long awaited. The music video is a satire on pop culture, and more specifically, on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” If you are not familiar with his song or music video, I’d recommend watching that first.

When "Blurred Lines" first came out, there was a lot of talk about whether or not the song was sexist and degrading to women. In response, Thicke said it wasn't since he acted respected women and that instead, it was just ironic. Lily Allen is known for singing songs that make a statement about society by telling it how it is. So it only seemed fitting that her first new song in years is a clear satire on the pop culture of today. Her music video directly mocks "Blurred Lines." Please note that the video contains explicit content.

The style of the music video clearly mimics "Blurred Lines" through lighting and color choices and even with certain choreography. I think one of the more genius stabs at Thicke's video is her rendition of the balloons. The lyrics also point towards Thicke's song, with her line "Have you thought about your butt? Who's gonna tear it in two?" being a play off of a line from T.I.'s verse: "I'll give you something big enough to tear your *** in two." And while there are other references in the video to other current pop culture media, like Miley Cyrus' twerking, it is obvious that Robin Thicke was the focus of her parody to show how objectifying women is in our culture.

Despite her attempts at portraying the struggle of female artists in a society that constantly is demeaning towards women, Lily Allen received a lot of criticism for her video. Many complained it was racist. While she satirically sang about the objectification of women, some believe she later in the video raises herself to be a superior figure while black female dancers twerk and pop bottles of champagne around her.

After receiving the negative feedback, Lily Allen released a twitter statement to rebuttal the racist claims: "1. If anyone thinks for a second that I requested specific ethnicities for the video, they're wrong. 2. If anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition, I was going to send any of them away because of the colour of their skin, they're wrong. 3. The message is clear. Whilst I don't want to offend anyone. I do strive to provoke thought and conversation. The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all. 4. If I could dance like the ladies can, it would have been my arse on your screens; I actually rehearsed for two weeks trying to perfect my twerk, but failed miserably. If I was a little braver, I would have been wearing a bikini too, but I do not and I have chronic cellulite, which nobody wants to see. What I'm trying to say is that me being covered up has nothing to do with me wanting to disassociate myself from the girls, it has more to do with my own insecurities and I just wanted to feel as comfortable as possible on the shoot day. 5. I'm not going to apologise because I think that would imply that I'm guilty of something, but I promise you this, in no way do I feel superior to anyone, except paedophiles, rapists murderers etc., and I would not only be surprised but deeply saddened if I thought anyone came away from that video feeling taken advantage of,or compromised in any way. 6. Ask the ladies yourselves @shalaeuroasia @monique_Lawz @ceodancers @TempleArtist@SelizaShowtime @melycrisp."


As a huge Lily Allen fan, I completely stand by her video and don't think it is racist. In fact, her twitter response to those critics proves the very nature of her being. Celebrities don't tweet about their "chronic cellulite." On the contrary, if a media source wrote about a female celebrity having cellulite, that would be a big deal. Meanwhile, Lily Allen just puts it out there, because she doesn't really care.  In my opinion, it was pretty disappointing to see the media focus on the color of the dancers' skin as opposed to the message Lily Allen is trying to send. Like she said, the song should be provoking people to think and that is what the media should be writing about. Even so, I think it definitely acts as a female empowering single. Lily Allen always brings awesome satirical songs, so we should've seen this coming.

A Shot in the Dark

In keeping with the theme of continuous shots from last class on Wednesday I was watching an older film the other day called A Shot in the Dark. For those of you that don't know this is the precursor to the Pink Panther films starring Peter Sellers. Although there are a few cuts in this opening sequence the camera work in the opening scene in this film is very interesting.

This opening shot is very interesting mainly because of how much choreography and planning has to go into the shot. It is really cool because of all the different people in this mansion sneaking around the house and just missing each other. Much like the Before Dawn I found myself much more involved with scene. Films nowadays use drastic quick cuts to create frantic movements. Now obviously camerawork changes but even in dramas and other films today we don't see continuous shots like this. It is interesting because I never payed attention to this shot in the film before but I do find it really interesting how involved I got in the scene.

This opening shot really sets the pace for the entire film. Although this is a comedy about a clueless detective trying to solve a murder. You just don't see films with this kind of pacing now. I thought that this was a very refreshing change of pace from the films today.