Final Exam- 6 Photo’s

This was the first picture I took. It is of a bed and breakfast located oncampus. I thought this represented great production because of the quaintness and serenity of this picture. I could see this bed and breakfast used as an old country house in a movie. The porch and lighting really looks picture perfect, along with the light yellow tone of the overall house. I feel as if this house and the actual setting would be a great for a movie filmed on the country side or from the older days. This house looks as if it is from a book, and I really pictured something being filmed in it. The picture on the left is the house during the day, and the picture on the right is the house during the evening. This house fits into the lesson about psychographics. Certain people would feel that this house is extremely quaint and comfortable, while others just wouldn’t be attracted to it. I, personally, am attracted to a country themed house because it reminds me of family and memories.

This picture reminded me of the lesson regarding image design. Each individual person perceives things differently, especially colors, fonts, shapes, etc. When I saw this sign, I immediately thought this represented great production. This is because I could see this sign being in a children movie, maybe a mystery movie. I always used to read the boxcar children books when I was younger, and this sign brought me back to my childhood. The colors work really well with each other, and also the font reminds me of something younger kids would be attracted to. This is a sign for a book store in Bloomington and I could see this sign in a movie for kids who are trying to solve something and need to look for a bookstore in order to receive more information. The texture of this sign, the colors, the shape, the format all fit in together and represent a younger group of people.

 

This house represents good production in so many ways. I changed the color of the picture to sepia so it looked more spooky and isolated. I saw this and immediately thought this was the perfect set for a horror film.The texture of this house is really rigid and run down. It looks like someone mysterious and dangerous would live inside. It is a huge house which means a lot of activity could occur inside. Also, the floors look creaky, and the overall house looks smelly and old. The colors also really caught my eyes. I thought the dirty brown, with the hints of green gave it the creepy character it needed. This house looks like it is eroding day after day.

 

There was a carnival the other night in Bloomington, near the stadium, and the whole set caught my eye. This reminded of the beginning of the movie Big, and I thought that a bright carnival at night would make a perfect scene in a movie. The sky contrasts with all the colors and lights from the carnival. This kind of set could either be in a light and happy movie, or even a horror film. From this angle it looks almost empty and deserted, yet lively at the same time. You can smell different things, feel different things by just looking at this photo.

 

This is actually a picture of a side of the stadium with the moon right above it. I saw this and immediately wanted to capture it. This looks like a castle on land that is never ending. This could used on a set for a movie that has a magical and whimsical feel to it. The moon shining over the whole things looks almost like a painting instead of a real photograph. There are no cars around, no people, just the castle and the moon. I would love to see something so romantic and isolated at the same time. There is texture, material and history in this picture all at the same time. Where did it come from? How old is this? What is it used for? There are so many things this photo could be in order to represent good production.

 

 

This was the last picture I took and immediately saw this as good production. This is a painted wall in the middle of Bloomington, and adds flavor to the area. I saw this wall painting being used in a film in an area that is poorer and ethnic. During movies, in less industrialized areas, I have noticed a similarities among graffiti on the wall, and paintings like these throughout the town. I think this adds personality to a poorer part of a city, and helps the audience understand the type of people in the surrounding area and even in the movie they are watching. We talked about color in class, and I think the color red and blue really stand out on each of these paintings. They contrast each other well, yet are incorporated throughout each one.

60’s Movie- Midnight Cowboy

I watched Midnight Cowboy for my 60’s movie. I really enjoyed this movie, although it was a much older movie than I am used to. From my understanding about the year of the movie, this film and characters were really realistic. You could understand the timing and their hardships really well. The relationship between the 2 main characters was strange and unique in itself. They began their relationship when one betrays the other, but then they both realize they needed each other in order to survive in new york city. I enjoyed the character Dustin Hoffman played because at first he stole money and ran off, but then you learned more about him and his struggles and how willingly he was to help out Jon Voight. It was a sad story from the way they made their money, but during the 6-‘s, I don’t think they had much of an option. It was interesting how the main character not only characterized himself as a cowboy, but also a male hustler. I was surprised to see how much sex was incorporated and showed in this film. I thought during that time, nothing like that was shown on the screen, and I found this surprising. My favorite part of the movie had to have been his flashbacks throughout the whole thing. Their were flashbacks about Voight’s past, which helped you understand who he was as a person; this drew me into him more, and made me understand him and his hardships. I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for something new and interesting. I enjoyed watching it and everything it had to offer, and I don’t think I would have ever chosen this movie if picking a 60’s movie wasn’t an option, but I am glad it was!

Assignment 4: Screen Shots

This is one of my screen shots from the show Dexter. This is one of my favorite shows and I thought this scene would be great to re-do. This was extremely easy to do, much easier than I had anticipated. I wanted to make sure there was a dark background because the actual scene is so dark and scar. It was important to have the exact props as well. I needed to put something in his mouth. I needed to make sure he had wrap around his head. Also, i drew a faint red line on his neck to make it look like he was strangled. The knife was a main part in the scene, and I wanted to make sure there was a fake blood coming out of his cheek, which didn’t show up as dark as I would have liked. The type of shot in this scene is a close shot because the person is taking up most of the screen and the focus is just on him.

There weren’t that many challenges with this scene. The lighting was the hardest part. I didn’t want to use a flash because everything would have been too bright, but since the blue background was used in front of a window, you can see the shades faintly behind, but I also thought that added to making the scene look like it was in a familiar place, yet not somewhere recognizable. The easiest part was getting the props. They were just things I had laying around my house. It was nice because this scene didn’t necessarily need a lot, and the simple amount of objects in the scene work really well with the real thing.

This shot was from the movie The Last Song. This was one of my favorite movies and I wanted to re-do a scene from the movie. This was a very easy scene to do because this lot was in the back of my house here with a dumpster. I pulled my car up in front of the dumpster and matched the two characters in the scene. It was very easy to make it look like the movie because the two main props in this scene that are visibly there are the car and the dumpster. This would be a medium shot because the two people in this shot are taking up most of the space but not all of it. You can very easily see them yet there are other things in the shot that take up as much, and more, space as the two people. I enjoyed doing this scene the most. I tried to dress the two characters like the ones in the movie. Although the car in the re-done shot isn’t as old and run down as the one in the movie, they both resemble each other. The hardest part had to have been the facial expressions. It was hard to tell what the who characters in the movie were thinking during this shot. They look serious, yet happy to be where they are and that is what I tried to reenact in the new scene. I was surprised this scene looked so similar to the movie one. Even the alley in the background fit up well with the actual movie. The overall shot really matched up well and it was very fun to reenact.

This scene is from Step Brothers. This is one of my favorite movies and this was definitely my favorite scene to shoot. Since there were no props for this scene, I wanted to make sure the outfits matched the ones in the movie, and they really did. The two guys who were in this scene had these outfits just laying around and it really matched up perfectly. Also, I had to think about where I was filming this shot. This background worked perfectly because there are trees and grass in the front yard, and through it all, you can see a similar looking house in the background. The hardest part of shooting this scene was the positioning of both guys. It was hard to make them look exact to the movie scene because their bodies are in such an awkward position, but I think it turned out pretty well. They both look like they were wrestling before and someone got them in the middle of everything. The body positioning is almost exact to the one from the movie. The facial expressions are almost exact, except my friend in the red made more of a serious than angry face. But I feel like anyone looking at this would instantly know what movie its from because of this dysfunctional picture. I also think this fits under a medium shot range. The people in the picture take up a lot of the shot, but there is a lot in the background as well. I had to get at an even level in order to shoot this picture. I couldn’t take it while standing up because then it would look like i was looking down on them, so I needed to get at an equal level so it all evened out.

This movie shot is from Dumb and Dumber, one of my favorite movies out there. I thought this would have been the funniest scene to shoot, and it was. The only issue with this shoot was the background. I lightened the overall shot on my computer so it could look more like winter, but I obviously couldn’t get mountains in the background. It was difficult for my the girl to shoot because it was about 90 degrees outside and we needed to put a big fleece sweatshirt on her and re-do the picture a bunch of times. There were no props needed for this film, just a pole. From this angle, it really looks like his tongue is touching the pole and his face is just in disgust. And, it looks like the girl is just freaked out and trying to pull it off. Overall, it turned out well for what it was. It was a funny shoot to use. I would say this was a close film shot because the camera is close up on the two faces, with a little of the background visible. I was surprised I could get it at an angle so close to the movies shot because I needed his tongue to look like it was stuck on the poles without him having to actually touch it, and it really did. I wanted to make sure the outfits looked similar as well. Since we didn’t have winter jackets, I thought the thick black fleece would look as similar to a coat as I could find. Also, my guy friend found a bright orange top, but most of it got caught off. I feel if there were mountains and skiers in the background, it would match up pretty well.

80’s Movie- Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Fast times at ridgemont high was the 80’s movie I chose. I truly enjoyed this movie. Since the 80’s were just a fun and care-free decade, I wanted to pick a movie that really represented the time well. This movie was hilarious and just easy going. The characters and the story line was just funny. Nothing in the movie was really taken seriously which I loved. I absolutely love the 80’s and wish I could be living in that time period, everything seemed so easy going and simple. I really enjoyed how the main scenes in the movie took place at the mall. This was where everyone hung out with each other. It seemed like a fun place to be after class. I also enjoyed how the “cool thing” back then was having a job at a place where everyone went. The nerdy guy worked at the movie theater where less people went, while the popular girls ans guys worked at a burger or pizza joint. Besides the movie taking place at the mall, another main setting was at the high school. The teachers in the school were pretty funny as well. The history teacher was pretty harsh on his students, but what was funny was that even though they all failed everything, he didn’t punish them at all. Everything is so different from the 80’s to now. I really recommend this movie for anyone who wants to laugh and just relax. It was a short and great movie that I would definitely see again.

Concept Art

The movie I chose was National Treasure:

In 2 of the National Treasure movies, the white house is incorporated within the setting. I chose to do my sketch-up on the white house because the whole movie deals with sneaking by and breaking laws, and somehow the white house ALWAYS gets involved. I incorporated the color that I could and had a lot of fun making this concept art come to life!

Daily Drawings (21 total)

Walking Dead Comic Response

I felt that this comic was pretty well scripted and easy to follow. I don’t think it would’ve been too difficult to turn this to screen because it is very close to what the movie is. The only thing that may the production team could have come across I that the comic tends to jump around from scene to scene quite frequently. A lot happens in a short period of time, so the movie would’ve had to add much more material in order to make it an adequate length. The mood of this story is depressing and scary at the same time. The zombies are supposed to make the movie a horror film, while the whole comic is how the world population is ending and there are only a few survivors left. The production design team needs to set the mood dark and mysterious. The setting needs to be old and run down and have a darker feel. I am going to assume the hardest scene to film would be the hospital scene. This is because he realizes he is completely alone, and then once he opens one door, all of his questions and concerns become a reality with all the zombies.

American Psycho- 2000’s

For my movie from the 2000’s, I chose to watch American Psycho. I have mixed feelings on this movie and was a little disappointed. The whole thing was extremely disturbing and just strange. I have always been into movie’s that fit under the horror genre and have always loved gory, scary movies. I enjoy the thrill they give its viewers and thought that was what I was getting out of American Psycho. Christian Bale, who I usually love, played the main character. I think he fit the main character, Patrick Bateman, very well because of his serious, mysterious and disturbing personality. The whole movie, he acted very controlling, not personable and used his money to his advantage. The whole thing was a little confusing because he never explained why he felt the need to kill, he just did. He killed people throughout the whole movie who rubbed him the wrong way. Anyone he felt was a bother or more successful than he was, he killed. He killed pretty much everyone he came in contact with and it was just disturbing, plain and simple. There was no plot to the movie. Christian Bale played a character that was extremely successful, yet miserably unhappy in the life he was living and the only sense of fulfillment he got was by killing, and I don’t know where in the movie it explained his intentions for killing. Towards the end of the movie he went on a complete killing spree and then came forward to his lawyer who never believed him. I got confused towards the end because it seemed like he was being set up the whole time, yet even though he killed so many people and came clean about it, no one ever believed him, which I didn’t quite understand. Overall, I didn’t love this movie and would not recommend it to anyone.

70’s Movie-The Godfather

The main thing that describes The Godfather is long. This was by far the longest movie I have ever seen. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but at times it was dragged on and confusing. There were a lot of characters in this movie, which made it hard to follow at times. There accents were strong and different from what I am used to watching. I enjoyed the overall story of this movie. It was mostly easy to follow because the events happened in a sequential order. You became instantly attached to certain characters throughout the movie. My favorite character had to have been Michael. It was interesting to see how he started off against the family business and everything it had to offer, and as time progressed, he became the lead mad behind all of the operations. This was a very violent movie at times. Many people were killed and the movie did a good job explaining the story behind each individual character and their relationships with one another. It was interesting to see the difference between the relationship between men and women in the movie. The men left the women out on everything, and they were basically there to be the caretakers for the men. This didn’t surprise me, especially because of the time period in which the movie was shot. I really did enjoy this movie. It exceeded my expectations. I have only heard how amazing it was. The only major flaw of the movie was the length. It was truly hard to sit through a 3 hour movie because when the scenes weren’t energetic and lively, it got boring at times. I am happy I chose this as my 70’s movie because I’ve been meaning to watch it for a while and happy I finally did.

Screenplay-Assignment 2

Screenplay

Treatment:

Its 1:00 in the afternoon and Sydney and Brian are deciding their futures. They are exchanged students at a private school in California. They fell in love earlier this year, but they must go home. For Sydney, that’s in Australia, and for Brian, that’s in Italy. Their parents don’t understand their relationship and just want them to come home. They have officially spent enough time at the school to get the degrees in which they desired, but their jobs are waiting for them back at home.

Both of them don’t want to leave each other. They have spent a lot of time dealing with this, and think they have made a decision for themselves and not their families. What will that decision be?

Conversations:

Conversation 1: STARBUCKS; boy and girl; exchanged students

Person 1: im sorry

Person 2: Its ok when am I leaving

Person 1: Tomorrow afternoon

Person 2: When is your plane

Person 1: 7pm

Person 2: is your family here

Person 1: no they are not

Person 1: im going to cry and pack at the same time

Person 2: they were supposed to put me far, if I part from them I will feel very disconnected

Person 1: how many classes do you have

Person 2: just one

Person 1: I don’t want to leave this school

Person 2: Why

Person 1: I have to stay here

Person 2: These days are very hard, we are human, and we care about a lot of things

Person 1: Sometimes I just don’t know

Person 2: I think you wont know until you see

Person 1: you have to make the best of your time here

Conversation 2: STARBUCKS; boy and girl; studying/hanging out; American students

Person 1: you have to move the total minus this?

Person 2: yes

Person 1: wait so you use that same formula?

Person 1: I guess I was just looking for total distance

Person 1: I don’t get this at all

Person 2: yes, just do it this way

Person 1: Isn’t it caught by the receiver?

Person 2: its 13% of this number here

Person 1: did you multiply that by 2 then?

Person 2: um, I am not sure

Person 1: because you are rolling the ball here and here?

Person 2: well this is the answer here, I just don’t care anymore

Response:

I really enjoyed doing this assignment. It was interesting to eavesdrop for a purpose. I tend to eavesdrop when I am not even noticing, but when you are sitting and actually taking notes on someone elses conversation, you learn things about each person. One of my conversations was not interesting at all. 2 people were sitting at Starbucks studying. My other conversation was interesting, but extremely heard to understand parts of it. They seemed like they had just met, but were talking about emotional and private things. They seemed to confide in each other, while giving advice. I enjoyed making a screenplay out of these conversations. I focused more on the first one than the second one because it was easier to make a story with the first one. I turned it into a love story, and connected it back to the people who were in my first conversation. The program celtx, was very easy to use and helpful during this process. Overall, I would like to continue with my screenplay and add more characters and plot to it.