Thus Far...

My project is strating to come together even more even though I've only completed the preliminary things
I plan to shoot with my Sony Handyman Camcorder which will be very convenient.
The actors will be my roomate and one of my close friends.
The scenes will be shot in my apartment living room and in my car. I chose my car because of the trunk space so it will be easier to shoot the scene.
costumes will be what the actors will have to wear, casual. The scene wear they have a costume change will be one wears brighter colors and the other more dark and pale colors. I might choose to do one where they wear business suits and the only big differences between them is the color of tie they wear.
I'm still not too sure about the sock puppets but I hope that they get used.
I plan to do all the camera work and editing.
The script is still pretty rough, which means the first draft is still being drafted. I'm finding it hard to fill out a script for as long as I want it to be and keep it ambiguous about what they are talking about.
I plan to get shooting done before thanksgiving or atleast a start so when I get back I know what can be done and how much time I will need.

Analyzing the Analyst

In the last lab we had we visually analyzed CSI to analyze how they put together a TV show.
Opening scene, where it flashes from the opening scene to places in Las Vegas.
lots of close-ups on faces faces; camera is usually eye level
always a close-up on things that are being closely examined.
the camera starts by looking at something in the scene then moves to look at the actors in the scene. the camera never stays focused on one thing for too long.
mostly focuses on the person talking
the camera was slow moving when entering the courtroom
when they look at flash backs to the scenes in the court room it is fuzzy and slightly distorted
big turns in the story always happened right before the commercial
this episode really makes the characters human by highlighting their flaws

Downfall

We watch "Downfall" more than a week ago and I am finally putting my notes up, kinda late but its the principle of the thing.

"Downfall" notes
beginning:
dull colors, little natural light is used inside most of the buildings.
all things are in order and organized on screen around Hitler.
the camera never keeps the same angle when looking at Hitler; not just looking down or up at him. It shows his hand shaking but he keeps it behind his back.
when they are outside the chaos of war is present. people running, papers flying through the air
when in the bunker camera is close giving a sense of entrapment.
middle:
shows neat and ordered building from the beginning empty or messy.
shows Hitler falling form "grace"
his hand is more unsteady, feels betrayed by his men. the camera doesn't look up at him anymore.
close to end:
he can no longer steady his hand
he more pale in the face
the scenes have less talking
most soldiers have lost their poise and formality
people are showing more emotion
the last high ranking officers are sullen
Hitler kills himself;the bodies are covered when they carry them out to burn them, officers salute
only shows casing in some blood in his room
end:
show them all dressed as soldiers clothes are dirty; so are they
camera is always eye level and is never completely steady
tell of what happened to people after the war
shows short interview with secretary, shows how it affects all life
"being young is not an excuse"

I can see how this movie had some pretty big controversy when it came out because of the humanization of Hitler but it does a great job of showing is power and the deterioration of that power. When the city is falling all around them the officers remain calm and faithful to him. I feel they did a great job for putting this movie together and it provides a completely different view of the war.

The American Dream?

Alas I could not find the article I was suppose to read, "Founding Brothers: Kane, Corleone, and the American dream," but I will try to answer the question as best I can. To much avail I can't truely think of any other tragic ends to people who persue the American dream in terms of what these characters have been surrounded in. The idea of wealth and power are things we can look for but some don't get. A pursuit of freedom and wealth I can think of Lenny from Of Mice and Men, he was trying to break free of his poor postion but he could not fit in to the world he wanted to be in because of his mental handicap.
Maybe I can refer to Fear and loathing in Las Vegas; that is Hunter S. Thompson's reason for going to Las Vegas, to find the American dream. He says he does find it at the casino that is a circus. He tells the story of the owner and how he came from being a nobody to owning a very busy casino in Las Vegas; gaining all this power and money, every one comes to Las Vegas for that quick trip to fame and fortune but it rarely happens. The American dream isn't freedom anymore its wealth and power and when you pursue that to hard the end results can only be tragic.

The Thousand Words

Well, we say a picture is worth a thousand words but I'm not sure if I can give you that many about this one. I woke up and took the picture at noon on Sunday, today, and it was of me looking out my bedroom window. As you can tell my Landcruiser is in the photo, I have a tree as well. There are other buildings in the back ground giving it a good sense of distance there are also the bars that section of the window adding to that effect. Th only thing truly in the center of the picture is the lock on the window , its the first things you really focus in on. Its not a bad picture but too bad the screen makes it look really blurry.

Progress 2

I've figured I'm gonna do the scene where we go somewhere else in my car, it will be something different and hopefully prove to be worth it.
I plan on only using two people in the film, easier for dialouge and scheduling filming will be easier with that fewer people.
I plan to work on the dialouge and maybe have a rough draft up next week but tests might not allow it. lets hope for the best and go with it.

Title Characters

So a film title is suppose to be a glimpse into what the show or movie is about. The font and other elements give ideas as to what is going on. I recently started watching a show I hadn't seen in a while and decided I would write about its title. The is The Invisible Man, a short lived series on the sci-fi channel and it was good for what is the a-typical sci-fi channel show. Now the title may look like any other show title but I feel it does do a little to give its. A short synopsis is given by the main character then the opening credits start. The actors name appears with clips of the character but the fonts used is interesting. Its looks like sans serif or miscellaneous letter but I'm not too sure. What is interesting about it, its whole but then a line starts to go out around it like and invisible layer or showing character development. Then The title appears like the Invisible man would with a layer of quicksilver forming around him, then it disappears to a black background and the show starts.