Distraction Feedback

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Summary

  • My summary of this film is a person getting distracted while looking at the work that they have to do.

Logline

  • Me fighting doing schoolwork by getting distracted by a movie.

Intent / Goals

  • My Technical Goal was to learn how to use the editing software.
  • My Creative goal was to use the different techniques that I had to try to depict my scenes in a way that made sense.
  • My goal was to have people relate to my film!

Research

  • I have been watching the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe recently so I have been paying extra attention to editing styles of each film to prepare!

Questions

  • Was the film relatable?
  • Did the edits make sense and help emphasize the feeling?

Peer Feedback

Short Film

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Evidence of Editing

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
  • What about editing language understanding did you notice? I’m going to focus on the rhythm of this clip, as that’s what I focused on in class. The rhythm of the cuts all went together really well, when the music swelled the cuts went along with the emotions. There was also a reverse timelapse shot which was awesome.
  • What did you like about the film clip?
  • I liked how it was filmed and really just everything. I think that as a whole the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies are really cool and some of my favorites because there’s a lot of fun emotion, editing, and I have always loved the plots since the books.
  • What did you learn?
  • I learned that there are a lot of cool ways that you can cut scenes and edit clips together to make a really cool film! Off the editing topic, I also learned about how different uses of camera angles can make a super cool look & impact on your viewer & the film as a whole.
  • What question do you have from what you saw?
  • *this question was off the revised edition assignment but I’m keeping it in because it’s my actual question*
  • I want to know how they made the cheese scene. Was it a time-lapse or a stop motion?

Link to Edited Short Video

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I learned SO MUCH from just playing with the software and finding out what different features did! It was super cool seeing how I could layer different effects and what happened when I clicked on different buttons. My final video is a bike edit made with stock footage that came with my software! As you can see in the video I had a lot of fun with sound design and sound effects and I scattered them throughout the whole video. I also found that the filters and the add-on effects were super cool to add as well!

Film Analysis: Terminator 2: Judgement Day

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Summary

  • The film I will be analyzing is Terminator: Judgement Day. I picked this film because my dad and I are watching classic Action Films and this was the most recent we have watched. It also made me very sad and I now have a connection to the film.
  • ALSO, THIS HAS A LOT OF SPOILERS!!!

Film Analysis

Film TitleTerminator 2: Judgement Day
Year1991
DirectorJames Cameron
CountryUSA
GenreAction
If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why?I honestly feel like this film was extremely well made. The budget difference from the first to the second was huge and I feel like every shot and character made a big impact. If anything I would take out the truck driver character from when they are on the bridge who has to jump off particularly because the did him bad and it made me sad because he seemed like a good guy.

Film information can be found at imdb.com

As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.

Ask yourself the following questions:

TOPICYOUR NOTES
1. Who is the protagonist?Shockingly, The original Terminator turned into the protagonist as well as John and Sarah Connor.
2. Who is the antagonist?The antagonist is the next gen Terminator.
3. What is the conflict?The conflict is that The terminator has to protect John, a future war hero. A next gen terminator comes back in time to come terminate John before he can become the war hero in the future.
4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words)People who are bad can become good.
5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals)It’s kind of weird. Its a linear style with a lot of future references.
6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)?John Connor, a kid, is destined to become a war hero after a nuclear explosion basically demolishes everything. A terminator comes back in time to protect him from the next-generation version of a terminator who comes to destroy him. A terminator has one mission that they are programmed to do. One’s is to protect John, the other is to destroy him.
7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing,
characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such
reactions?		The film gets you so involved because of the characterization and truly every aspect of the film. You see massive character growth during the film and it gets you super emotionally connected to each character. The effects are absolutely extraordinary for the time that it was filmed and it overall gets you super invested.
8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions?It’s realistic, based on the early ’90s in L.A., however, there are aspects that are non-realistic. Flashforwards to postapocalyptic Los Angeles and robotic people coming back makes it a mix of the two.
9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character?Two of the main characters, Sarah and Terminator are dressed up kind of in a post-apocalyptic style. John is dressed like your average 90’s rebellious kid. The costuming helps reflect when the film was made and how the future of the characters will turn out.
10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood?The lighting changes a lot throughout the film. Scenes in the hospital, outdoors, and houses all change the moods. Outdoors during the night is very dark and mysterious, inside the hospital is eerie and kind of suspicious.
11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically?The camera angles change our perception of the film from action shots, to just still shots. It makes the emotion of the scene really visible and overall reflects it well.
12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music?The music reflects the time of the film as well as the mood of the moment. The action shots are accompanied by background music to elevate the rush of adrenaline that the scene is trying to show.
13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture?The technological/industrial factors made a HUGE impact on the film, primarily with the Terminator. The film uses the growth of the potential future of technology and shows how there can be a negative side to what we may initially think as a positive discovery.
14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015.“Terminator 2” has one, along with an intriguing hero and fierce heroine, and a young boy who is played by Furlong with guts and energy. The movie responds to criticisms of excessive movie violence by tempering the Terminator’s blood lust, but nobody, I think, will complain that it doesn’t have enough action.”
“Terminator 2: Judgement Day Review (1991) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web.
15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene.Before I wrote this, my Amazon rental ran out so I don’t have the time stamp but it is one of the last scenes in the last 25 minutes. It is a big fight scene where the effects are extraordinary as well as phenomenal screenwriting and character growth.
16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film:
a. Screenwriting:Phenomenal, the characters you have grown connected to in the first film as well as seen character growth in come together to fight the bad guy. It made me cry a lot in this scene.
b. Sound Design:Great fight sound effects and sounds of a factory.
c. Camera Movements/Angles:Classic action shots, movement and dramatic shots.
d. Light Setup:There’s a big element of the light (orangeish) coming from melted steel in the factory.
e. Soundtrack/Score:I honestly don’t recall much of a soundtrack during this scene, so either there wasn’t any of I may have missed it.
18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film?I don’t think that there is much of a socio-cultural context as ut doesn’t necessarily carry a strong message other than whats bad can become good.

This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, thus should remain in the Creative Commons

Mr. Le Duc’s Film Analysis Resources

60 Second Film- I Can’t Cook

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Summary

My short film is about me trying to make cookies. I am not very talented at cooking or baking and never try to make things from scratch. I’m trying to learn how to cook better so I made this film showing my journey. My logline was ‘me trying to make cookies when I’m bad at cooking.” My goal for this film was to hopefully show that baking is fun and even if you think things fail it might still be good!

Feedback

  • What things should I work on?
  • Were the words in the film distracting or were they good for context?

Dylan: I would say the main thing to work on is other camera angles, since they were pretty much the same throughout. Lighting was good, I think the words were fine though there could have been less of them throughout. Great job!

Justin: I guess font choice was good invoking an informal look

Aidan: I think a dramatic change in music hen the cookies turnout bad would be funny. It would also be funny if you gave one of your cookies to someone and we saw there reaction. I like the idea of texts on the screen because it reminds me of a video for cooks on how not to cook.

Film Analysis: Across The Universe

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Summary

  • I analyzed Across the Universe, a film based on the songs from The Beatles. I picked this because I thought that the scene in the trailer where there were people in blue outfits and a cool wizard looking man. It made me think of a Tim Burton-esque scene and I thought it was cool!

Film Analysis

Film TitleAcross The Universe
Year2007
DirectorJulie Taymor
CountryUSA
GenreRock Musical
If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why?I would try to solidify the plot more so that people unfamiliar with The Beatles Discography would be able to understand the characters and sympathize with them more. I would also take out or change the level of involved-ness that the character Sadie has. She was in a lot of scenes and I am not sure where she came from.

Film information can be found at imdb.com

As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.

Ask yourself the following questions:

TOPICYOUR NOTES
1. Who is the protagonist?Jude
2. Who is the antagonist?Vietnam war and America as well as counter-protestors.
3. What is the conflict?The conflict is mainly personal dealing with the story of Jude and Lucy’s love story but it also deals with the Vietnam War and soldiers heading in it to fight.
4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words)Anti War
5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals)The story is told fairly linearly.
6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)?The story starts with Jude in Liverpool and then he goes to New Jersey, starting his journey in America. He meets Max and then Lucy. They then go to New York and move into an apartment. After that Max gets drafted into the war and there are more protests that occur. Jude is caught in one and is deported back to England.
7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing,
characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such
reactions?		The movie is super cool with the effects of editing and camerawork. It is hard to describe the details and effects that the scenes go through. It has a psychedelic feel to many of them and out of reality was of filming. While watching there was so much effect in the scenes where it was almost dream-like and it left me confused, but also wanting to watch more.
8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions?The settings switch around. Scenes primarily talking filled were set in a more realistic apartment, street, etc. However, on the polar opposite, scenes, where there was music being performed was out of reality styled and extremely alien. One symbolic object that kind of marked the start of the majority psychedelic effects was a bus that they went on with a large group of people and someone who was played by Bono, I am blanking on his name.
9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character?Similar to the settings, there is switching around occurring. Some scenes where the high content effects were in had much more extreme outfits for side characters but still remained in regular clothes for the main characters. During normal scenes everyone had on fairly normal clothes that were popular in the sixties, the time when this is set.
10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood?The lighting was very colorful and stuck with the psychedelic themes in many parts. It left me really intrigued.
11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically?This film was cinematically very impeccably done. It was similar to many music videos and what you would expect to happen if they were around during the sixties patched together and edited to flow in a movie musical.
12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music?The music carried the film very well. It was filled with Beatles music and the entire plotline was based on those very songs. It shapes our attention and interpretation because you are able to understand more why they edit and do the things that they did with this film.
13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture?The social factors that had to do with this film were the anti-war movement of the sixties. This connects to ‘hippies’, lifestyle, and our countries history.
14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015.Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 53% rating on Tomatometer and an 82% Audience Rating. The main criticism was hard to follow the plot and a lack of building sympathetically with the characters, which I agree with. Many Beatles fans loved the film in the reviews though.
15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene.I don’t have the direct time stamp but it was the scene titled I Want You.
16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film:
a. Screenwriting:The screenwriting for script followed the song, but the plot of this scene was well written and followed the act of Max getting screened and drafted into the war.
b. Sound Design:The Sound design was primarily song-based but also with some effects.
c. Camera Movements/Angles:The camera movements were hypnotizing and very cool to watch.
d. Light Setup:Lights changed around, but has a darker vignette-like appearance and were centralized on the middle.
e. Soundtrack/Score:I Want You by The Beatles
18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film?The cultural context was getting drafted into the war.

This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, thus should remain in the Creative Commons

Mr. Le Duc’s Film Analysis Resources

Week 14-Analysis

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“Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner” by classic film scans is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Analysis gave me great freedom of emotions and fantastic confidence. I felt I had served my time as a puppet.”

Hedy Lamarr – Read about 1930s actress Hedy Lamarr-inventor of cellphones, Wi-Fi and GPS

SUMMARY

  • This week I watched Just Mercy and read a Covid Mental Health Chart!

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Image from bananatreelog.com
  • In this weird time, I think that the idea of this guide is so helpful. Especially the Attention diet idea. The overflow of politics, corona numbers, and excessive drama simply created to keep us busy is so toxic to our mindsets. Especially that it is so easy to get unstoppable information now. We need time to step away and focus on positive things, whether that be watching a movie, reading a book, or exercise. Having a specific amount of time you commit to reading the news would be so beneficial to us and clearing your mind afterward lets us move on with positivity. I also think that the holiday season is extra stressful because of the usual busy-ness that we are used to. This year could be a chance to slow down and not commit yourself to do a million things. We are used to spending time with many people during the season and now we can’t, so finding time to find the positives this season instead of focusing on negatives is nice.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • This week I learned while watching a movie so much information about racial injustices and the death penalty.
  • A problem I solved was that I couldn’t go on a walk to reflect on the Covid chart because I am sick, so instead, I found a quiet place and wrote my ideas down.

Film Analysis: JUST MERCY

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Summary

  • My film for my analysis is Just Mercy, a legal drama based on the true story of Harvard lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, and convicted murderer, Walter ‘Johnny D’ Macmillan and the death penalty.
  • I chose this film because of the current event situation with the death penalty.

Film Analysis

Film TitleJust Mercy
Year2019
DirectorDestin Daniel Cretton
CountryUSA
GenreDrama/Legal Drama

As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.

Ask yourself the following questions:

TOPICYOUR NOTES
1. Who is the protagonist?Bryan Stevenson
2. Who is the antagonist?The state of Alabama’s Death Penalty
3. What is the conflict?Walter McMillan is convicted of the Death Penalty for a crime that he did not commit.
4. What is the theme? (summarize in one or two words)Innocence and Justice
5. How is the story told (linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals)The storyline is linear and occasionally jumps to future dates and continues from there.
6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)?Bryan Stevenson, a young lawyer, moves to Alabama in search of bringing justice to victims of people unjustly convicted of the death penalty. He finds many cases that he could help with, one of which being the case of Walter ‘Johnny D’ Macmillan.
7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing,
characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such
reactions?		It is filmed in such a way that makes the viewer get a sense of suspense in a way and feel really connected to the characters. The lighting in the film and the colorization really intrigued me too. I loved how there was a yellow-orange effect to it, this is reflected in the main poster image.
8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do
particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions?		The setting of the film was realistic, it was based in the ’80s and early ’90s and it was well-reflected throughout. The setting of the interview room where Bryan was able to talk to his clients one on one was super important because a lot of important scenes that helped their cases occurred here.
9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup
reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do
costume and makeup convey character?		The makeup and costuming of Just Mercy were exceptionally well done. It showed the aspect of social standing and the time period impeccably. You could see the differences in both of the socio-economic standings caused by the systemic racism in Alabama.
10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood?You can see the difference in moods of the film wherein the outside world is brighter which reflects a happier and more hopeful feeling. Inside the cells, the electric chair room, and the entire prison as a whole there is a darker light and feeling. This makes the setting feel more doomed and much less hopeful.
11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or
spaces? What do you see cinematically?		The camera angles and movements helped shape our views of the characters and spaces because close up angles of the characters helped us create an emotional bond with the character. For instance, there was a person named Herb who was convicted on the penalty without the jury and judge knowing the extent of PTSD and hurt that he went through after losing his entire group during the war. The angles and shots of Herb and his emotions in the jail cell created such a bond with his character and it really affected me.
12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the
image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about
the music?		I can’t remember all too much use of music in the film that stood out completely to me. There was the use of music however to elevate a certain mood or feeling that just a scene couldn’t create the impact that they were going for.
13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe
how this film influences or connects to a culture?		This film was extremely impacted by social factors. The racism in Alabama created a lack of justice and an unfair disadvantage for black people in the justice system. One person’s only ‘evidence’ was that they ‘looked like the type of person who would do that.’ Still, to this day 1 in 9 people who are convicted of the death penalty are innocent but are still called guilty because of a lack of evidence, representation, or numerous other reasons. The justice system would be a fair, true, and honest system created and enforced to be unbiased and truly find and get the people that are doing unlawful things rehabilitated and punished for the crimes. But, the lack of this especially with the fatal punishment of a death penalty needs to be reformed.
14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this filmUse credible sources and cite sourcesExample: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All
Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015.		According to the films Wikipedia page, Rotten Tomatoes rated this film an average of 84% positive reviews and a 7.95/10 rating.
15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and
shows relevant cinematic elements. Explain why.		The scene I chose was the scene of the final hearing for Johhny D. This was such a monumental scene that the entire form had been building up to. SPOILERS AHEAD! The scene is so important because the emotions in the film go from suspense to joyous in an instant when he gets complete innocence and freedom.
16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below:
a. Screenwriting:The screenwriting is very impactful and it starts from the true story f how it went down.
b. Sound Design:The sound design is simple and it is just the sounds from the people.
c. Camera Movements:The camera is set up on the faces of Johnny D and Bryan and switched to them from the GA making his final statement.
d. Light Setup:The lights are dramatic and hopeful.
e. Soundtrack:No soundtrack.
18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film?The socio-cultural context of this film is racism and the death penalty.

Mr. Le Duc’s Film Analysis Resources

Film-Week 13-Changes

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“The most honest form of filmmaking is to make a film for yourself.”

― Peter Jackson,  Link

SUMMARY

  • This week we did a Sneak On The Lot, Watched an Episode of History of film, and reflected on a problem solving technique!

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

  • Set a timer
  • Spend 30 minutes in this ‘room’
Worksheet from bananatreelog.com
  • I think that this method could be super beneficial for problems solving and negativity. I also think that I have kind of utilized this method in my life. I’m quite an optimistic person and consistently work on separating negative areas of my life and filtering out negative energy that I can and if I can’t filter it out I try to flip it by creating a positive scenario and goal I work towards. The method is super effective and i think that if more people would know about it so many people would be happier. I also believe that distraction is a great problem solver but that can be very controversial because some people believe you have to go at everything but if you can’t or it might cause harm you may need to distract and work on forgetting.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

  • I learned about the history of film, stages in production, and problem solving!
  • Yet again, the problem I solved was a wifi issue with trying to play the movie, but I did it! I’m working on solving the issue of me being sick. I have yet to improve on that.