Film Comparison

The two films I chose to watch for this assignment were the Artist and the Rink, which is a Charlie Chaplin film. These movies come from two entirely different eras, with the Artist winning several awards at the 2012 Academy Awards, and the Rink being released in 1916. First off, the era in which each film was shot is the greatest differing factor. Within this there lie many a bevy of changes, one of the most remarkable are the cameras used. The cameras used in the Charlie Chaplin movies are very much grainier and less defined, as is expected of equipment used when film was still being pioneered. The black and whites of more recent films just look so much polished and refined. Another quality issue is the fact that the audio is incredibly rough and coarse, with microphones still not being properly developed at the time.

                Another major difference between the two is the type of camera cuts and techniques used between the two.  The Artist generally employed more elegant cuts, with panning and dollying used to create better perspectives. The Rink used more staging shots, with the camera set at one angle and kept their for a length of time while the actors acted out in front of it. The Rink also used mainly jump cuts without transitions really because video editing tools and knowledge had evolved quite yet.

                There were two main similarities I noticed were the music choices and the type of acting in each. Each consisted of your typical thought for silent films, and since the Artist focused on the relationship between the main man and a young dancer. The Charlie Chaplin film was a comedy that used similar upbeat, time-period music. The acting styles were also slightly over dramatized in my opinion, which was probably necessary as it is a silent film. Facial reactions were rather drawn out and emphasized in both films.

Short Story: Memento

                I read the short story Memento Mori by Jonathan Nolan. I came up with five visual elements to emphasize if I was directing the film adaptation. First of all, I think I would make sure that color scheme was very muted for the most of the movie. Dull greys, whites, and blues would be the norm for the filming of it. Not only does that convey the overall tone of the short story I felt, but you could also have sharp contrast with things such as the cigarette lighter or alarm clock that would make them really stand out in the midst of the movie.  Secondly, I would emphasize the alarm clock. You could make quick, startling cuts to it right as its ringing to bring some excitement into the movie. Next would be the pictures that are continually mentioned in the movie. These are visuals that would be very important to emphasize as they are important in the story as well. You could do all sorts of crane techniques to bring them reveal them or bring them into frame, as well as having some interior framing shots. Another thing to spotlight during the movie would be the visuals going on while the internal dialogue is happening. It’s important to strike the right balance between having shots that engage the audience but don’t totally distract for the voiceover going and plot that’s going on. And with so much of it in this short story, it is an element that I would certainly spend a lot of time on and plan out well. Lastly, I think the signs that appear all throughout the movie would be essential to focus on. You could so really awesome framing with the signs, and also some cuts between them too. Present them in a way that impacts the audience and conveys the import of the signs.

Photo Essay Production

                To create my photo essay, I meandered around the streets of Washington, DC one Friday afternoon, as well as using a few pictures I had shot earlier in the semester.  It was great practice being able to take time to play with the manual settings on my DSLR camera. Taking a day to do these things also gave me time to set up my shots for the most part, and take a lot of photos to see what worked and what didn’t. Being able to review photos on the spot with a DSLR is a huge blessing.

                One of things I didn’t really do and wish I had was to do some simple editing. I feel like had I done a little work with the contrast, brightness, shadows, and highlights, I could’ve more accurately replicated the scene that I saw in front of me and attempted to capture with a camera lens. Not to manipulate or massively alter the picture, but to make the colors pop a bit more, and add some vibrancy to the shots.

                Another thing I also learned was how to properly catalog pictures. It seems like a  very menial thing, but is a tool that can make the entire process much more efficient. I explored the different import options to sort by date taken, date uploaded, etc. And how important organization is to keeping different takes of the same subject.

                All in all, I really felt like this was a good introduction into taking photographs with a purpose, and then being able to discern which pictures mean the most to you and picking those into a  set of ten or so.

Film Idea

Our group's idea involves following the journey and adventure of a ball simply rolling around various areas nearby campus and filming various reactions to the ball. The ball could simply be simply enjoying going around campus. The film could end with our quote, which ties back into the carefree and happy nature of the ball. I feel like this would work well with the type of music associated the silent film genre as well.