Everything Wrong With...

Almost all movies strive to have perfect continuity throughout, but in theory some continuity errors are bound to happen. Some may happen because the scene was shot on two different days or some can just happen because we are humans and we aren't always perfect. There are just hundreds of reasons why. Youtuber CinemaSins states "No movie is without sin. We exist mostly just to remind you of that." CinemaSins is popular on Youtube with 1,585,174 subscribers and 188,989,171 views on all his videos combined. CinemaSins has combed through multiple movies looking for these continuity errors which people may or may not pick up when they are just watching the movie for for themselves. After he calculates how many errors are in the movies he creates a video showing all the errors and explain why they are continuity errors. I found it truly fascinating how he is able pick up all of these errors. One of my favorite videos he has posted was Everything Wrong With Back to the Future in 8 Minutes or Less.

There are 55 errors, or sins as CinemaSins calls them, in this movie, which is pretty high compared to other movies he has gone through. I have seen this movie at least thirty times throughout my life time and have not picked up a single one of these errors. There were sins from the appearance of Doc in his Delorean to the nerd level  of George McFly.  Ater watching this video I have to watch the movie over again to see for mine own eyes these errors. I have watched many more of CinemaSins videos and I will definitely not see those movies like I used to. I definitely recommend watching other videos that have been posted by CinemaSins you never know what you will find.

Malcolm in the Middle: More than a Comedy

If you ask me, Malcolm in the Middle is a prime example of pure intelligence in comedic television writing that goes beyond the realm of humor. It is a show that is not only relatable to a vast population, but also uses different techniques to illustrate an initiative I have rarely seen. One episode that I think portrays this idea extremely well is season 2, episode 20, Bowling. 

If you are familiar with the show, you know that it portrays a working class family consisting of husband and wife Hal and Lois, and their four sons, Francis, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewy. Each character has their own specific traits that create the ideal dysfunctional family with all the mishaps and schemes you would expect and also the ones you never would have thought of. Ultimately, it is the chronicles of a family that is in a constant state of battle on the surface, but deep down has a strong and unique love for one another.

I could go on and on about each character and his or her development through the series, but instead I’m going to focus on this one episode in particular and why I think it is so brilliant. It starts with the entire family in the kitchen getting ready for the day. Malcolm and Reese set the scene by asking which of their parents is going to drive them to the bowling alley, and with that, the screen splits in two. The entire episode is an explanation of two different scenarios and the events that transpire because of the decision of each parent driving while the other stays home to take care of Dewy.

It begins with Lois driving the kids, lecturing the boys in the car about their behavior. Then there is a cut to Hal in the car with the boys telling them how the bowling alley is a great place to meet the ladies. The next scene has Lois entering the bowling alley with the boys behind her looking extremely miserable and embarrassed. This shot is interesting because as they exit the shot, without a cut, Hal and the boys reenter, with an entirely different demeanor about them. Now I won’t go overboard by explaining every interesting shot in the episode, because then you would be here all night, but included were multiple shots similar to the style of this one and various split screen moments.

As far as the plot goes, it is interesting to see things unfold. For example, in the storyline where Lois takes Reese and Malcolm bowling, Reese starts out flirting with a girl at the alley, but Malcolm ends up with her. This is unlike the scenario where Hal takes them because Malcolm begins with the girl, but neither of the boys ends up with her. There are many similarities and differences between the two shorelines that seem to bring the intelligence level of the show up in a way that is beyond what you would assume. What I find most fascinating about the episode though is that in the end, there is one final split screen with each parent on the couch and the other entering the house. On the couch they ask how the trip went, and the parent that took them replies simultaneously with the other, “Next time, you take them.” And that is the end of the episode. I love the way that even by the end of the episode, the viewer still has no idea which series of events actually took place.

Malcolm in the Middle is a show that I would strongly recommend. It is a witty and relatable comedy that I think everyone should watch at least once. 

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Disgusting and Depraved or Ingenious and Hilarious?

     I'll save you some time, this show is one of the best modern comedies. I hesitate to say this, but it is almost like "Seinfeld" in the sense that it is a show about nothing. The series follows "The Gang" four friends (five once season two starts). The Members are Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie  (Charlie Day), Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Frank (Danny DeVito). Almost every episode can be watches as a standalone without ever seeing the episodes before it. The characters in the show, like "Seinfeld" solve the problems of that episode and move on in the next episode. However unlike "Seinfeld" where the problem is simply not wanting to wear a "puffy shirt" "It's Always Sunny" crosses the line and makes their issues a much more controversial. For example the episode entitled "Mac Fights Gay Marriage" is all about one of the main Characters, Mac (Rob McElhenney), discovers that his one time transgender girlfriend has gotten a sex change operation and is now married to a man. This results in Mac trying to win her back by trying to ruin their marriage because he claims it is a same sex marriage. 

     Although the show is morally inappropriate the jokes that are made and the events of each episode are mostly satirical and hides actual political issues and gives the points for the proponents and the opposition of these issues. For example the second episode of the series "Charlie Wants an Abortion". The members of "The Gang" flip flop their stance on abortion to better suit their needs, but deep down the actual issue is there and discussed.

     If you find your self watching this show just remember to check your moral compass at the door sit back and try not to be offended and you should have an excellent time.

Film Challenge

The Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge is a competition in search for people who demonstrate “an optimistic story about individuals and communities who are overcoming poverty and, hunger, combating diseases, or improving health.” It’s an organization in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in hopes to start a conversation about the affects of poverty and hunger around the globe. This article particularly peaked my interest, as it should yours (I’m talking to all you film and T.V. people out there) because it combines filmmaking and world issues.

As you advance through what ever you wish to pursue in life, you should never be closed off to what is going on outside of your personal bubble. What this competition is to me is a way to use my passion for the bettering of the world.
There will be five chosen films which will premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and each of which will receive a $10,000 grand prize, as well as a trip the film festival as a guest of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

As an Ithaca college student, it is very easy to be cut off, or not care, about the harsh realities outside of our “bubble”, or the subjugated communities in which so many reside.

This challenge is one that every filmmaker should take part in at one point or another, whether you are a freshman film student or an accomplished director like Scorsese.

You have till July 1^st, 2014 to submit a short of your interested!

It is our obligation as human beings to utilize the opportunities you have been given, achieve your most optimal version of success, and share you prosperity with those who are not as fortunate as you.

The Sound of Gravity

The movie Gravity, written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron elevated the standard for how things should sound in outer space entirely. Although their have been so many brilliant films located in space, such as Star Wars, and Alien, Gravity set a more realistic version of space's ambient tone. Because in space sound cannot be transmitted throughout the atmosphere, essentially nothing can be heard. But because of brilliant audio engineers, and Cuaron's artistry the sound comes from the perspective of the actors interaction with elements. If the actor grabs or touches something the vibration will travel into their ears. For people who haven't worked on sound, or know very little about it, this means all of the sounds you hear in the movie DOES NOT come from recordings on set, it is entirely recorded separately.

If you haven't seen the movie, which I recommend you do the film is about shuttle explorer STS-157, on which Dr. Ryan Stone (played by Saundra Bullock) who is on her first mission. She is accompanied by Matt Kowalski (played by George Clooney) who is on his last expedition. During a spacewalk mission control channels the Explorer (the name of the shuttle) that there has been a Russian missile strike and the debris is headed their way. Minutes later a cloud of debris hits the shuttle and detaches Stone leaving her drifting alone throughout space.

What I find so fascinating about the movie, is because it comes from the actors perspective, who is flying around in space, the music and the sound are constantly traveling around you. Cuaron and the engineers composed the sound to surround you and pan into different speakers. What this did was it built up the emotion and fear into being lost in a completely different world, and made you feel like you were there. For sound nerds like me, the plug-in the engineers used to pan the sound and the score is called "Atmos" which is located in Pro- Tool 7. Whats so cool about this plug-in is most of the panning is automatically tuned by the program itself. According to the re-recording mixer Skip Lievsay who worked on No Country for Old Men, Fargo, and No Country For Old Men, most of the scenes were autopanned with Atmos.

The love and the passion that Cuaron puts into the cinematic experience of the movie encourages me  as I enter the beginning stages of my career. It proves that with countless hours of work, very little sleep, and a lot of drive you can create anything. I sincerely hope this movie lives up to its potential at the Oscars. For 90 minutes I was convinced I was lost along side Saundra Bullock traveling with nobody in outer space. And the music and sound had me on the edge of my seat during this terrifying situation.

6 Word Story

Broken foot. He falls. World ends.

End of the Year Reflection

Today was the last day of my Fall 2013 semester classes. It flew by in the blink of an eye but I sure did learn a lot especially in this class, Fiction Field 1. Despite the fact that this class caused the most stress and probably took a year off of my life (slightly exaggerating) I learned so much.

After this semester I have a much greater appreciation for films.  I now realize just how difficult it is to make an amazing film. I loved this class because we were given one main project and were assigned one main role. I was able to focus on one job as well as offer assistance to my teammates when they needed something.

Working in a team is definitely not my favorite thing to do but with this project I had to let go and have confidence in my teammates. I learned a lot from it and am now more comfortable relying on other people to do their own jobs.

This project really showed me how much effort is put into every aspect of a film. It also made me realize what I wouldn't want to do and what I would like to pursue in the future.

Thank you so much Arturo for all of the guidance and help along this learning experience.

End-of-semester Reflection

As the semester comes to a close, I have a lot to think about and a lot to reflect upon; mainly, the new-found appreciation I have for the field of film production. Before this class, I can confidently say that I already knew much more about the industry than the vast majority of my friends. I've always had an appreciation for the film industry and for those who work in it, but not to this level.

Last year, I took an intro to field production course, and I certainly learned a lot from it, but my overall opinion of film production was not at all affected through the experience. Fiction Field Production 1--through the semester-long project we had to complete--taught me a whole lot more about the industry than I ever would have thought possible.

What was so different about this class was the fact that, for the first time since I've gotten to this school, we were assigned a legitimate project that really put everyone's skills to the test. The project was simple (or so I thought): make a film that's based off a news story. The story can cover any topic and can be from any time period. Everyone in the class brought in a story, we voted on the two we liked best, and then we split ourselves into two groups.

With two groups of seven students, everyone was able to have their own crew position, instead of having everyone split the work evenly like in the intro class. The most exciting part was that we, for the most part, chose the group and position we would stick with for the entirety of the semester. As one who has never been particularly fond of preproduction work, I was ecstatic to be able to step aside and let someone else take care of it.

Now, while this was an especially exciting part of the project for me, it was also one of the more nerve-wracking aspects of the process. While it was no longer my responsibility to write, schedule, direct, or shoot the film (I was given the position of editor), it also meant that a whole lot of things were out of my control. Sure, I could give my input on whatever I wanted--and it was often well-regarded--but for the most part, the final decision on most things was not mine.

My point is that while it's nice to not have to bother myself with certain aspects of the project, it also meant that I had to have faith in my fellow group members. As one who tends to take control in a group setting, this was something I had to quickly learn to get over. From the very start, I had to constantly remind myself not to intervene in others' work and to trust them more than I usually would have in the past.

With everyone working on their own portion of the film, a whole lot more effort could be put into each aspect of the project, as opposed to when everyone had to split their efforts amongst everything. With every student putting forth a whole new level of effort into their work than I've ever seen before, I was able to really watch and admire everyone's talent while also taking the time to appreciate the amount of work they were each completing.

Yes, my job as editor had a lot of work that came with it as well, but to truly be able to see the amount of work that goes into the entire process of a film's production and the high level of skill that's required to make a quality product is unbelievable. I used to think we simply weren't using the proper equipment to make a good film, but it turns out that what it really takes is a group of talented students who are willing to put forth the effort. Duh.

Thank you, Arturo Sinclair, for a brand-new experience and for passing your knowledge onto all of us.

Here's the Facebook event for the screening this upcoming Saturday!

I Love Lucy "The Christmas Episode" Is Back

On December 20th, CBS will re-air "The Christmas Episode" of the old program "I Love Lucy." Airing the Christmas Episode is a big deal, since the star Lucille Ball had mixed feelings about it and eventually the episode was taken out of syndication. Now it is back! However, not only is it back, but it is back and this time it's in color! The episode has been colorized and will be broadcast never before seen, in full color. Since last class we talked about color correction I thought this would be an appropriate post. There is some debate about whether or not this is a good idea, some people think it is a good idea for the episode to be colorized, and some say different: they would rather the show to be forever in black & white. I might have to check out the full episode on the 20th to see how it turns out. You can decide for yourself with the preview link below:

http://tv.yahoo.com/video/holiday-special-love-lucy-190745510-cbs.html

Rare photograph of the I Love Lucy set from above

Disney's New Short "Get A Horse!"

Having seen Disney's Frozen three times in the week and a half that it has been out in theaters, I am very clearly obsessed. But instead of raving over how many boundaries it broke in the Disney sphere, I'm focusing this post on the short that proceeds: Get a Horse! As I mentioned in my last post, although Frozen is the first Disney film directed by a women, Jennifer Lee is one of two directors. The second director is a man. However, Lauren MacMullan of Get a Horse! is the first woman to single handedly direct a Disney production. Now let's be honest, Disney short films have a strong reputation of being wonderful. And in my opinion, MacMullan held her own.

My favorite part of Get a Horse! is that it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite movies, The Purple Rose of Cairo. In the Woody Allen romantic comedy set in the 30s, Jeff Daniels plays a movie character that walks out of the screen and into the real world. Similar to this concept, Micky Mouse breaks through the movie screen in Get a Horse! and plays between the two worlds.

Both pieces of work use color to differentiate between the worlds. I remember loving the idea of a character from a black and white film emerging into the colorful real world when I first saw the movie. Get a Horse! also did a great job contrasting the black and white screen with the colorful real world as a means to tell the story. MacMullan took it even further though when Mickey breaks through the screen and into the real world. He actually breaks the screen, ripping a hole in it. And through that hole, we can see the world inside the screen in color. I thought the idea was a very clever add on to the use of color in The Purple Rose of Cairo.

August: Osage County

Based on the multiple Tony Award winning play written by Tracy Letts, this new film adaptation has been bringing in a lot of Oscar buzz even well before its debut in the Toronto Film Festival.  It is a dark film with a lot a large range of dramatic and devastating characters which have been noted to only be reserved for the best actors for they are unlike you any characters you have typically seen before. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, and Benedict Cumberbatch are just a few of the world renown actors participating in this film.

Plot

The story begins with Beverly Weston, a former poet whose wife, Violet (Meryl Streep), has grown weak with cancer. When Beverly disappears, the couple's three daughters and their extended family come to Oklahoma. The couple's eldest daughter, Barbara (Julia Roberts), is having her own marital issues. Middle sister Ivy ( Julianne Nicholson ) has a secret that would divide the family, while the youngest, Karen ( Juliette Lewis ), has a fiancé ( Dermot Mulroney ) who dies.

The film comes out on Christmas Day. 

Cant wait to see it!

THE 4 RULES OF STUDENT FILMMAKING

As our projects come to end, I thought it would be a good time to reflect upon my experience as a student filmmaker. These rules are essential for anyone starting their career as a filmmaker, but I hope they can also be helpful for those who have already established themselves in the industry. These rules, if followed perfectly, can result in a very high quality film. 

1. Know your job

        It's one of the basics but it's also one of the most important. There are many different positions on a film set and it's essential that everyone knows what their responsibility is. Filmmaking is not the combination of one or two elements but the cumulation of several people's knowledge and skill. Dialogue, performance, lighting, audio, continuity– these are just a few of the many components controlled by one or more people on a film set. If even one of these components is lacking, it can ruin a film. The given number of people on a set can range anywhere from 4 to 400, but it's essential that everyone knows how to do their job perfectly as well as where they lie in the hierarchy of decision making.

2. Prepare for everything to go wrong

        It's a natural law of filmmaking– what can go wrong will go wrong. Seriously. Some of my first times shooting in the field were a complete disaster. Camera batteries were MIA, the talent wouldn't show up, SD card's couldn't format correctly, we had no AA batteries for the Zoom mic... the number of things that can go wrong on a film set are infinite, a fact that is reinforced every time I go on to a film set. There's no way to completely cover yourself, but there are ways to prepare yourself for the future when things go array.

Double check everything. Make sure you have the most important things you need to bring to the set and then bring everything else you might not need. These things can vary depending on what your job is, but even having the most basic household items like tape, markers, and jar openers can save a film. 

Bring extras. If you're in the audio department for example, you should have extra batteries, XLR cords, headphones, and extension cords. If something goes wrong in your department it's on you and it's up to you to cover yourself. This rule can only be learned though experience so grab every opportunity you have to work on a film. 

3. Focus on the story

       Making a film look and sound awesome will not make an awesome film. When you're looking to direct a quality film you are not making it for yourself or your close filmmaking friends, but an expansive audience. An audience that doesn't care how hard it was to work with the actors or light a tiny bookstore. The audience only requires that what they're watching will compel them with a certain emotion and that they can walk away amazed by what they saw. Before creating a film, plan all of the technical things as perfectly as you can, and then step away from it all and make sure the story you are telling makes sense. Not only makes sense, but draws your audience in and keeps them there until the credits finish rolling. 

4. Have Fun

      Come on guys... we have one of the coolest jobs. We're storytellers. To create a powerful film can be thrilling, empowering, and hopefully rewarding. Things can get very stressful on set though, and it's important to remember why you're there. When you know that all your bases are covered and you're skillfully prepared, making films can be an extremely fun and engaging job. It's not an easy process by any means, but if you have good people to work with you're guaranteed to have a fun time doing it. 

A quality film is like a gourmet sandwich... Crafted by several high-quality ingredients.

The Difficulty of a Pilot Episode

As of late I have started writing the pilot episode for a web series that I created. The show is nothing special. Just two friends from high school who go to college together. But as this is my first time writing a legit show where there is development and characters and a full on story, there were some really interesting things I learned about writing a pilot episode that usually makes it the weakest of any of the episodes in a series. If I think back to some of my favorite shows, Psych, How I met your Mother, Family Guy, I find that the pilot episode is usually one of the least memorable episodes. Now that I am writing my own show I think I have figured out why it is so difficult, especially when writing a comedy.

1. Developing the Characters
In the pilot episode the author has a very limited time to portray a character and who he/she might be. You need to develop them in a way that lets the audience know who they are right out of the gate. There can't be any dillydally, you have to get right to the point. It needs to be established early on the type of person each character is.

2. The Plot
The plot is the key in any pilot episode, it has to run really smoothly, mostly because without a good plot people lose interest in your story really fast. (Apparently bad stories don't make good television).

3. It has to be funny
The biggest difficulty in writing a comedy pilot is the fact that along with having to introduce the characters, you have to make the story funny at the same time. Now that I have finished the pilot episode I cannot tell you how much easier it was to write the second episode. In the pilot the audience needs to have the characters mapped out for them. In the second episode, people already know who is who and know what each character is going to be like. This allows for a lot less build up and you can go right into the story.

4. Not everyone is going to think it is funny.
It is a very humbling experience to read your script to a room full of your friends and have some laugh their heads off, and others sit there without once smiling. This was something I had to deal with early on as I realized that in the world we live in you can never write or shoot something that is for everyone. By trying to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one. The best chance you have is to hope you are really as funny as you think you are.

Well... there you go, here is a little bit of a reflection on my experience in writing a pilot episode. It was a really difficult but great learning experience because it differed so much from writing a sketch, where you can just take one funny idea and run with it.

Music Video Creates Feelings Without Dialogue

Music videos have a unique way of telling stories. I have found that not all music videos are of women dressed in skimpy outfits and dancing or of singers showing off what they have. There are some videos that actually have artistic merit to them. I was lucky to come across a music video that not only reflects the mood of the songs, but also tells a story of it's own. The video that I found just came out today and it is for the song "Instant Crush" by Daft Punk featuring the voice of Julien Casablancas, the lead singer of The Strokes.  Here's the video directed by Warren Fu:

This music video involves Julien Casablancas singing on a small stage and two wax figures in a museum. One wax figure is dressed up as an 18th century soldier and he has a strong resemblance to Casablancas. The other figure is a beautiful milk maid who catches the attention of the soldier. The video tells the story of the two inanimate objects growing affection for each other. They do not speak throughout the video but they still have a strong connection. They are eventually separated, but in the end they are reunited during a fire in a warehouse. The fire subsequently melts their wax bodies, but they are together.

This video is very touching even though the story is about a love between two inanimate objects. The way the shots are frames gives the appearance of longing between the characters. There are many close-up shots of their faces and you can tell that they have the same feelings for each other, even though their faces don't actually move. Overall I really thought this video was well done.

Modern Family

When I was home over my break I found my self sucked into a marathon of Modern Family created by Christopher Lloyd and Steve Levitan. Before break I didn't really watch much of the show because I didn't have cable but I knew my own family loved it and that within the Park School and my group of friends it is a strongly liked show.

Getting more into the analysis of the show, I absolutely love all of the characters. There is literally a strong character that  every person can relate too and the crazy dynamic it creates is that of a real family. Not only is the writing for the characters good but it is casted so well. My favorite character is Phil Dunphy played by Ty Burrel. I love his witty awkward but yet smooth humor. It's so easy to match personalities of my own family to characters in the show and I think that's what makes it so funny. Also the writing in general is great, the jokes have so many levels are delivered so smoothly into the normal dialogue. I was actually fortunate enough to meet Christopher Lloyd when he came to Ithaca College last year. He was such a funny and energetic guy that it makes a lot of sense that someone like him helped create a show of such caliber. He also talked to us about the writing for the show and that they're inspired from real events they all experience in their own houses but they need to modify them so they fit into the story line and match the specific characters of the show better.

Along side of the fantastic writing and casting of the show, it also gives off several great messages and seems to be setting the new norms. The first and most obvious social norm it is setting is the stance on homosexual marriage. They have put loving faces and characters to the movement that people can stand behind and think about when addressing this situation in reality. They also address relationships like Jay's and Gloria's. That age isn't a problem when it comes to love and the obstacles of remarrying someone. Finally they also show that the family at a whole is perfect because it is flawed. I think this is such a positive message because it's taking away expectations from society that shows like The Brady Bunch set. Overall I think all of these messages can be summed up by the fact that love is love no matter of race, sexual orientation, or age.