Night of The Living Dead displays a couple editing strategies. These edits are used utilized to emphasize the visual aspect aspect for the audience. Match on action happen during this when a character would sees a zombie and then procedes to run in the opposite way with a disgusted scared terrified face. Continuity editing is used in majority scenes of the film. There are also some other edited scenes throughout the film as well. This is shown multiple times throughout the film, described as when characters are schemed on by the ghouls. The reasoning for this type of editing is to create as many questionable and anticipated scenes or suspenseful scenes. Once the actual terror I visbale to the views by the look on the characters face leads the audience to wonder whats going to happen next. With the assumption of the ghouls attacking the protagonists. Sparse analytical editing was also visible when the ghouls attacked. Cameras would zoom up close of the character being mauled to bring more dramatics to the scenes. The film director chose these editing methods while shooting this film to complete the suspenseful feeling of the film. The scenery of a farm plays an important role because it emphasizes just how close the enemy may be to actual life at that time.
Film Analysis #1 – Week 4A&B: RESEARCH & DISCUSS. (2-3 hours)
Night of The Living Dead displays a couple editing strategies. These edits are used utilized to emphasize the visual aspect aspect for the audience. Match on action happen during this when a character would sees a zombie and then procedes to run in the opposite way with a disgusted scared terrified face. Continuity editing is used in majority scenes of the film. There are also some other edited scenes throughout the film as well. This is shown multiple times throughout the film, described as when characters are schemed on by the ghouls. The reasoning for this type of editing is to create as many questionable and anticipated scenes or suspenseful scenes. Once the actual terror I visbale to the views by the look on the characters face leads the audience to wonder whats going to happen next. With the assumption of the ghouls attacking the protagonists. Sparse analytical editing was also visible when the ghouls attacked. Cameras would zoom up close of the character being mauled to bring more dramatics to the scenes. The film director chose these editing methods while shooting this film to complete the suspenseful feeling of the film. The scenery of a farm plays an important role because it emphasizes just how close the enemy may be to actual life at that time.
Film analysis #1- Week 2b; Genre, drama, story and performance
The Night Of The Living Dead is a suspenseful movie, including multiple major segments. The first most important segment would be “They’re Coming to get you”. As Barbra and her Brother Johnny are at a graveyard, Johnny begins to joke around ” They’re Coming to get you” he says multiple times. As Barbra tells johnny to knock off the obnoxious jokes, she runs into an actual zombie. She then screams for johnny’s’ assistance. As he attempts to rescue his sister, he is ultimately knocked unconscious and Barbra is left to defend for herself. Another important segment is when everyone is stationed at the safe house, As Harry, Tom, Ben, and Barbra. They all are informed on the situation and have a better understanding. Two attempt to flee in a vehicle but die, due to engine flames. Everyone are ultimately bit and turned into zombies. These segments are situated this way to create the most suspense as possible , keeping the viewer waiting for scenes to come.
This Film can be seen as Horror. This is evident as the characters are being attacked by zombies creating an intense feeling of fear and shock , expression(s) shown throughout the entire entourage. The Story has a specific plot, as the base characters get a inital glimpse of the upcoming issue. The characters then come together, attempting to rid of the issue. Finally the issue gets a hold of the characters, ultimately making the characters zombies. Its told this way and not in another way, because this plot creates the most suspense, making the viewer thirsty for what comes next. It supports the horror genre as fear is displayed throughout the entire plot.
All performances are suited to give the viewer a horror or fear type feeling. The performers act on different roles as Barbra is seen as the initial main, then Ben takes immediate command of almost every decision, displaying how the story creates an emergence of any character to take leadership regardless of fear, to take down the antagonist(s) (Zombies).
The most important character is Ben, an unknown actor. Barbra was also apart of her first major film. I feel as if they chose these characters due to them being new in the movie scenery. Creating the basis and start of something special to come.
Each actor matched their role; Ben being the leader and the rest being back seat drivers, ultimately assisting the leader to the destruction of the enemy. The plot can be deemed as unrealistic due to the viewer never being exposed to real torture or gore or death (camera doesn’t catch actual moment of impact). This isn’t a bad thing because at the time of production of this film, this was acceptable and doesn’t take away from the overall plot: Zombies ( Horror) .
Great film 5 Forrest gump
Forrest Gump traces the trials and successes of an unlikely proponent of the American dream and the vision of a more accepting and co-operative community. As a boy, the young Forrest, developmentally-challenged, must suffer the injustice of discrimination. He is different from his peers and thus excluded and snubbed; only Jenny offers him a seat next to her on the bus. A critical conversation spoken about the film would be the relativity between the actual film and MLK Jr. Just as all of Forrest’s achievements are not to be underestimated, so too Martin Luther King Jr in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. The subtlety of what these men achieved through their action or non-action; especially King’s genuine, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, response to his critics and, of course, bearing in mind that Forrest Gump’s achievements are representative of potential as he is merely a fictional character; makes their success even more effective. An element that stood out with the view of the critical conversation is that Both men are consistent and their actions are for the good of others, never themselves. Both the movie and King himself reveal how we have complicated basic elements of human decency and turned them into social and political “problems.” Forrest Gump is a seemingly unremarkable person who is able to rise above his challenges and therefore motivate and inspire others, presenting viewers with a remarkable message; he reinforces what King always said about being “patient and reasonable.” There is no pretentiousness about the film’, there is no pontificating and, even though Forrest is often in the right time at the right moment, opportunity is what it is. The film is, like King’s Letter, something to keep returning to and, from which, a person can learn some new aspect of himself every time. The irony of Forrest Gump must not be ignored as he went from being the object of scorn to someone to emulate. Just as Forrest does not allow his challenges to stop him from aspiring to something great so too King who did not allow imprisonment to stop his call for justice and the fight against “unjust” laws. People often claim that they cannot make a difference, that their contribution is so small as to render it insignificant. It is fortunate that Martin Luther King Jr did not think the same way. My rating of this film would be a 10/10. I enjoy how forest is portrayed as a social outsider, this is comparable to me due to the fact that my sociality isn’t the best. He wants the same thing we want while struggling with the same things we struggle with. By showing us his unique struggles we gain empathy for this film , the true reason on why this is a considered a great film. The simplicity of the plot, overall theme, attention to details and the good ending are all character tics of this film being great. This movie has won multiple awards, six academy awards to be exact.
Sources
https://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/forrest-gamp-1994-448/reviews/
Great film 4 The godfather
The Godfather is considered one of the greatest movies our time. It was the top grossing movie of 1972, won multiple Academy Awards and catapulted the organized crime genre into the popular culture limelight. The movie, following the story of the powerful Italian-American crime family, the Corleone’s, is a perfectly paced, character-driven drama crammed with fantastic dialogue, edge-of-your-seat scenes and an unforgettable storyline all told from the point of view of the criminals. It is a beautifully shot cinematic masterpiece featuring impeccable acting, music choices and overall look, making it truly compelling, powerful and memorable. Don Corleone is a man known for his ability to make decisions very quickly. He is a highly respected man who knows exactly what he wants and is able to execute his thoughts decisively, thus commanding respect through steadfast leadership. In his famous words, “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” he makes it clear that he doesn’t mess around during negotiations. An element that stood out was how he handled his business. Im not recommending that you go about threatening or killing each another to demand respect, but by knowing what you want from your business and being unwavering in your decisions, you stand a far better chance of succeeding in the cutthroat world of business. He got straight to the point during business decisions and made compelling offers that were attractive to the opposite party. Also, he worked closely with his team to ensure they were making the right choices, but at the same time choose his team wisely so that he could trust that they will make the right decisions. He wasnt hesitant; hesitation can all too easily lead to missed opportunities. Business is Business, Know your competition and remain one step ahead of the game in order to grab opportunities as they surface and beat the competition. In the words of Michael Corleone, “it’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business.” Sonny Corleone was a character known for his short temper and when he reacted impulsively and emotionally towards a photographer, this nearly killed his brother-in-law, which led to his demise. In business, there are winners and there are losers but at the end of the day, business is business and there is no point in reacting emotionally when it comes to making decisions. When people base their business decisions on emotion, mistakes happen, so eliminate emotion and ego from the equation. It shows the incidents which are wrong according to the law but as an audience we feel connected towards characters. It spell bounds the audience in a manner that everything looks right and appropriate. Nothing seems to be inappropriate which we can disapprove. A critical conversation read about the film was about the details of organised crime in the film and how much overall power the godfather had but No scene in movie shows any harm to civilians. It also does not show any women trapped into illegal and antisocial activities like prostitution. This movie does not show any wrecked life due to gambling. The movie shows mafia life from inside. There is a scene in which a person comes to Don. Don says ” Why did you go to police? You should have come to me. Your daughter is suffering on a daily basis. If you would have come to me then your enemy would have become mine, And then they would fear you”.This clearly shows the influence of Godfather. This movie would be considered a great film because It shows the text of morality and humanity with a brushing of fear. It is a story of power with controlled manner. It a story of influence but with texture of humanity. It is a story of destruction but with clear depiction of family values. It is a masterpiece in real sense.
Sources
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/godfather-review-1972-original-movie-986404
Great film 3 Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, usually known as a child’s tale, might well have been inspired by the story of William Jennings Bryan. A scholarly article by Hugh Rockoff, reviewed and cited in detail by Nobel Prize Milton Friedman, studies in details the political landscape of the period when the book was written by Frank Baum. Baum was very close to populist circles and read a lot about current political issues. So we are pretty sure that he knew in details about the Crime of 1873 and the career of William Jennings Bryan. Many similarities are difficult to overlook (I’m not exactly the kind of guy who measures pyramids to find out if they represent the moon-sun distance). I’ll give here some of the main arguments, but you’ll like to read the article itself, fully accessible to the layman even if it was published in very highbrow economic journal. Dorothy the main character around whom the story revolves is supposed to represent an individualized ideal of the American people. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry are supposed to represent the farmers who were severely suffering due to droughts and severe winters. A interesting scene or element(s) in the film is how certain characters and scenes match those of real life. The Cyclone that lifts Dorothy’s house was compared to the Populist cyclone that swept across Kansas in the early 1890s.The wicked witch of East was compared to the eastern financial-industrial interests and their gold-standard political allies. The scarecrow in the movie was used to represent the midwestern farmers, The next character Tin Man represented the nation’s workers. These were the main characters which were used to refer the Popular American movement and the people of that time. A critical conversion that people had to say about the film would be how The characters wanted democracy and a peaceful life, Relating to the populist movements that were taking place at that time. There was no unity among the east, west, south and the north regions. They were not united in their thoughts, instead was a combination of the nation’s wealthiest and the poorest. The characters were used to explain the pathetic condition of people of US. They wanted it because the populist movement wanted liberalist activities in place. They wanted the sufferings to come to an end. They wanted the political and the populist movements to reach all the people across the country. They wanted this as they wished a good future for their country. The directors of the movie wanted it to be presented in such a way that it had the greatest impact on the people of US. They further wanted to bring to light about Baum’s political background, trickster personality, and subsequent work. To sum it up The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a deliberate work which was picturized to replicate the political symbolism of US. According the library of congress the wizard of oz is the most watched film. The Greatness of this film portrays human nature, and how people are depicted as generally good. This is the reason why the greatness of this film is different from other great films.
Sources:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24044541.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fdefault-2%252Fcontrol&refreqid=excelsior%3A317a9a633ab885ef4a41e816b469e4b0
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/09/dissecting-the-real-wizard-of-oz.html
Great film 2 Apocalypse now
One of the most effective techniques used in the movie is the usage of very long dissolves. Many scenes are dissolved on each other until they become a montage of their own in one shot itself and say something completely distinct from their individual meaning. This was used in the beginning of the movie, in the middle when the journey enters the final realm and in the end again giving the seemingly untying themes a thematic unity It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, ‘does not exist – nor will it ever exist’. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard’s job is to eliminate him! Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz’s outpost, beyond the Do Lung Bridge. Some elements I noticed that stood out were the lightening, color, and camera movement. Lighting is the key element in the film. Along with fogs and shadows. The general look of the film is dark and shadowy in keeping with the theme of war and the dark journey that the soldiers undertake therein. As the journey begins, the lights are still high, Willard begins his boat ride in dusk (Journey Begins) but as the journey gets deeper and deeper, the film gets darker, the shadows get pronounced and light is dimmed (Journey Deepens). The lighting of the film is highly representative of the perils of the war in the jungle as well as metaphorical journey that the soldiers undertake in the spiritual realm. The boat, aptly named “Erebus” is not lit at all, yet is the only sanctuary in the deep jungle around (Ship Of Death). The lights are garish and painful to the eyes (Hells Fire) where as the blacks are so demanding that they are equally tiresome (Journey To Hell). Some of the day light scenes are very high in contrast where the light is coming from the background and we need to squint our eyes to see the details in the foreground. It creates a realistic effect as if we are present during the scene. Colors in Apocalypse Now mirror the emotions and the journey itself. The movie begins with deeply saturated colors, putting us in a different realm of our imagination. The hues are very deep, almost reminding us that we are still on earth, still connected, and although in a war zone, we are possibly still alive as we can see these bright colors (This Is The End, Saturated Colors). As soon as we begin our journey, one of the first colors we encounter is the color of fog, it stays with us throughout the journey and by the end it is so thick that neither Willard nor we can see anything clearly any more (Multi Colored Fog, Fog And Haze). As we go further and deeper in the journey, the colors start getting muted. Some of the scenes are in sepia tone and give a representation of an altered reality (Sepia Tones And Unearthly Colors). This is the other world; the colors of this world are different. Even the fog is devoid of those rich colors that we are used to in the beginning (Fog Gets Deeper). When they finally reach Kurtz’s post, the colors are completely altered and the palette is in various shades of orange imitating the fires of hell. (Underworld Fire And Orange). The journey in the film is marked by slow camera movement. Most of the times the camera is stationed right on the boat, and we see what the soldiers, mostly Willard sees. Film has slow tracks, slow pans and generally slow movements. There is not much that is exciting about a slow journey through the jungle. An interesting tracking shot happens in the beginning of the movie when Willard gets the assignment of killing Kurtz. As the General is giving Willard his orders, camera slowly tracks over the food, and through this movement we explicitly see that no one is able to eat the food except for the man from CIA. He is not confused, nor tormented as the other men who are part of the same unclear war and are divided by the same conflicts of morality. He then utters his one and only sentence to Willard “Terminate with extreme prejudice…!” Most of the times, camera is positioned at a close up to Willard and we watch him breathing, sweating, looking at his dossier. Since camera position does not change often, we start living and breathing in the same environment as the other characters. They have no respite out of the situation they are in and we don’t either. There are few pronounced camera movements such as the one on Kilgore as he starts talking about Napalm. We always see him in full company of his soldiers but the camera marks a strong change when Kilgore starts talking about Napalm and the war, we start with seeing his whole team and the camera keeps tracking towards Kilgore, leaving out everyone else and ends on his one and only medium close up. This is pretty much how close we can get to this man (Kilgore Selection In Frame, One Close Up Kilgore). Another highly effective tracking shot is when Willard is in Kurtz compound and is hearing how divided Kurtz soul has become. Till this point, we have seen Willard on the left side of the screen in his every interaction with Kurtz (including his dossier). In this scene, we see one shot of Willard on the left, then as he contemplates his actions we see him in the center and in the next shot, as Willard makes up his mind about killing Kurtz, we see him at the right of the frame. Not only that, this is the first place when the camera tracks back and out of Willard’s close up and we see him looking at his hand preparing to kill Kurtz with his bare hand. It is a very powerful camera movement since for the first time, as Willard decides to kill without judgment a.k.a. Kurtz fashion, we are taken out from his frame of mind, from his memories, from his heart and given a chance to have a perspective of our own, apart from him. This film would be considered a great film due to its choice of cinema and storytelling. The cinematography is beautiful , and every character is given scenes where they in action. Not every great film has these characteristics , the reason why this movie is a different ‘great movie’
Sources
https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/apocalypse-now-2-1200424565/
Great film 1 Space odyssey
Several philosophers until now have held the idea that our life on earth is nothing but a stage in the vastness of existence. Whether this means that there is another stage, after life on earth or that our life is merely a stage in the context of all existence, might vary. Nevertheless, our life is merely a stage.The film “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a film by Stanley Kubrick and explores the space mission of Bowman and the involvement of a space monolith that has been there since the time of the “ape-man.” This monolith is a part of a story that spans across millions of years and hence serves as a point of reference.The relativity is used to show the journey of man from primitive stages to extreme advancement and yet, the entire journey is merely a stepping stone in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, the film doesn’t view humanity as a final goal but more like a stage that is bound to transcend into something more.This film is fairly artistic and therefore open to interpretation. Different viewers have expressed their critique and understanding of the film differently. The journey of the story from the “ape-man” beginning to the moon exploration, up until the journey to Jupiter are different phases that seem to connect the story. The director Kubrick and the writer, Arthur Clarke purposefully left the film open for philosophical and allegorical interpretation. Like any good science fiction novel, 2001 provides a detailed look at the scientific world it chronicles. Great care is taken to ensure that the reader gets a sense of the experience of the technology described in the book. Dr. Floyd’s journey to Space Shuttle One is described with attention to details such as the experience of a high-acceleration liftoff, the adhesive sauces used to keep chops firmly in place on one’s plate, and even the rotating bathroom that allows for the effect of gravity on the spaceship. A Space Odyssey has the distinction of being one of only a few classic books to be based on a movie, rather than the other way around. Its author, Arthur C. Clarke, based the novel on a screenplay he wrote in conjunction with Stanley Kubrick in 1964. The book, which was released a few months after the movie, fills in many details left unsettled in the movie. 2001 was written at the very beginning of the space age, before man first set foot on the moon in 1969. It was clearly inspired by much of the fascination with space, which gripped a nation exploring an uncharted terrain in the 1960s. The 1960s were also a time of confrontation with the communist U.S.S.R. and tension over the potential for use of nuclear weapons. The Cuban Missile Crisis was recent history at the time 2001 was in the process of being conceived. The instability of foreign relations as well as the proliferation of nuclear weapons led many at the time to wonder whether a nuclear holocaust might be around the corner. A Space Odyssey explores technological innovation, its possibilities and its perils. Two particular dangers of technology are explored in great detail. First, Hal presents the problems that can arise when man creates machines, whose inner workings he does not fully understand. Second, the book explores the dangers associated with the nuclear age. The novel issues a warning against the destructive power associated with that technological innovation in the military arena.2001 takes a long-term view of development, human and otherwise. The story traces the development of man from man-ape. Uniquely, 2001 considers not only the evolution that has led to the development of man, but also the evolution that man might undergo in the future. Thus, we follow Bowman as he is turned into a star-child by the advanced civilization of extra- terrestrial intelligence. The novel recognizes that evolutionary theory implies that humanity is not the final goal of some process, but only a stopping point on an indirect process. One way this process might continue, the book imagines, is that humans will learn to rid themselves of their biological trappings.
Sources
- http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180404-why-2001-a-space-odyssey-remains-a-mystery
- https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968
Film Analysis #1 – Week 4C: Editing and Sound
To convey suspense and tension in the Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero arouses expectations and subverts those expectations with uncertainty utilizing editing and sound. Around the 22-minute mark, Barbra surveys the house after a reassuring conversation with Ben. Ben’s consolation is not only received by Barbra within the parameters of the film, but it breaks the fourth wall in consoling the audience—just enough words by Ben to put the audience at ease. As Barbra walks through a doorway, ominous music ramps up and takes away the comfort that Ben initially instills. Barbra fixates her vision towards something, using the music box as the variable for the transition. While the music box plays an innocent melody, a shot of Barbra with the music box out of focus parallels the dispatch to the audience of the focus towards Barbra.
Romero plays with the conjunction of editing and sound to convey to his audience the framework he placates. He juxtaposes the ominous theatrical music with the innocent melody of the music box. Romero constantly puts the audience in a disarray in where he simulates a roller coaster of tension subsequently subverting each other. Visually, Romero fixates on an inanimate object to impart to the audience where the focus should be. He displays Barbra focusing towards the music box and hinges conveying a tone with the object.
Another key editing technique used in this film is the eye-line matching that occurs in the scene of Barbra sitting alone in the room and the strangers crashed into the house. Around 40:14 the direction of Barbra’s eyes moving toward the door determines the direction of screen and the viewers’ perspectives. The eye-line matching shots employed here transfer the eyes of the audience to the things behind the door, enhancing a smooth and continuity from shot to shot and help push the storyline forward.
The sound and music also plays a key role in shaping the whole story and genre of horror. As we see the movie, we noticed that the soundtrack was given not continually. For example, when there involves dialogues between characters, there is not sound or music at background but the real voice of the characters. The sound and music occurs when there are some kind of signal for danger or threats. In 17:00,when Ben is fighting the ghouls around him and Barbra is facing several ghouls inside of the house, the sounds and music are incredibly creepy and thrilling that make the audience feel so nervous. The way of using sound and music helps pave the way for the whole story and create a sense of tension for the audience.
Great Film Analysis #5- The Godfather
My experience watching the Godfather was very positive. Organized crime and corruption has always interested me and that is what The Godfather is all about. The Godfather was full of action from the very start which also kept me engaged even though it was a very long film. A scene that stood out to me in particular was when Johnny Fontane and Don Vito tried to convince Jack Woltz to give Johnny a part in a movie and when Woltz refuses they cut off the head of his horse and leave it in his bed the next morning. This scene stood out to me because it didn’t seem like it would be that big of a deal for Johnny to not get the acting part, but I thought that it symbolized that the family gets what they want by any means necessary and commit extremely personal crimes, like killing pets, to send a message.
The elements of the film that stood out the most to me were the mise en scene and the sound. For the mise en scene, I thought that the setting was realistic and the costumes also helped play a role in shaping who the characters were. The sound also helped add to the film because it was kind of ling but the music let the audience know when something important was about to happen and helped me pay attention more.
Critical conversations of The Godfather were very positive, this makes sense because The Godfather has been nominated for and won several awards. The Godfather is also viewed by many as “one of the most influential films of all time” (History). I also didn’t know that the film was based on a book originally but critical conversations also said that the film did a great job of staying consistent with the storyline of the book and capturing most necessary details. One critic had an interesting take on The Godfather and wrote, “The Godfather presents the gangster’s perspective of the Mafia as a response to corrupt society. Although the Corleone family is presented as immensely rich and powerful, no scenes depict prostitution, gambling, loan sharking or other forms of racketeering,” (George De Stefano).
I would tend to agree with the critics takes on The Godfather. I was worried about how my viewing experience would differ from critics because the film was made so long ago but I was engaged the entire time and thought it was very profound and interesting.
Sources