Ideology- "THX 1138"

THX-1138

What is ideology? How does this concept relate to the study of film?

Ideology is a myth, doctrine, or belief that guides an indivual, social group, class, or institution. It consists of an origin of ideas and how people look at things. The concept of ideology relates to film because producers and directors have their own ideas in creating their genre of films. For most directors, they use a similar taste in how they portray their films. They incorporate these ideas and beliefs into their films to create a view that they see and want others to see.

George Lucas filmed THX 1138 in 1971. He created the film by making it look like it was from the future. He wanted everyone to look and act the same way except for the main characters. He did this by showing the main characters in the film not taking medication which made them act "normal". Star Wars was his next best movie in 1977 and I think he took a lot of his ideas (ideology) from THX 1138 and incorporated it into Star Wars. George Lucas's style of film when he first became a director, was a futuristic genre. His ideology remained futuristic in both films.

I enjoyed this movie in many ways, but it is definitely a movie you have to think about and not just watch for pure entertainment.

-Km

Film/Comic-Kick Ass

The problems and possibilities in adapting literary sources to film is that each script in film is about 1 minute long. Comics are usually no longer than a couple pages in length. In changing a comic to a movie, there would need to be a lot added to make it a 2 hour movie. Most people are disappointed when they see a movie that is made from a comic because they feel that many little deatails are left out.

The possiblilities is that people who do not read comin books can experience watching the film that puts the movie into life or realism. for example, the movie Iron Man came out a few months ago. I never really heard much about Iron Man when it was in comics. When the movie came out, it was nice to see and understand exactly what the comic is about and all of the characters involved.

Kick-ass is a really great movie. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a movie to watch. The comic Kiss-Ass came out in 2008 in a Marvel Comics series. In 2010 the comic was made into a film. The comic is very blunt about everything which in other words is from a teenage point of view.

The adaptations are categorized by making a comic into a movie. This involves putting a comic into life.

The most important consideration of the screenwriter in writing an adaptation is to make sure that movie stays loyal to the story line of the comic it originated from.

Acting- Crash

Discuss the most significant differences between stage and screen acting.

The most significant differences between stage and screen acting are volume, size, and movement of the scenes.

The vocal level on stage is louder because what you usually talk into is a mike either attached to you or around you either hanging up or on a mike stand. On a screen, you talk normal and the camera or sound recorder can adjust the volume of your voice to the scene.

The volume of the vocal levels for the characters in Crash depended on the mood of the scene. When Sandra Bullocks character became angry (which seemed that way for most of the movie), her voice volume increased.

The size of proportions on stage is normal and usually not close-up. On screen, the camera can zoom in on any part of your body or object. The acting on screen needs to be more specific and perfect than on stage acting. For example, if you scratch your head not thinking about it on screen, the viewers will be able to catch that error easier than if someone scratched their head on stage. The size of the scenes and characters are one size on stage. On screen, size can be converted into smaller or bigger proportions.

In the movie Crash, there are a lot of scenes where the camera zooms in to a "face shot". These scenes are usually the sad and emotional moments. At the end of the movie where Elizabeth is trapped in a car accident and the cop that malested her earlier in the movie is there to help her she refuses until he apologizes. The camera shoots in slow motion and the music is very emotional. Acting for her was very critical in this scene to finish the movie how the director aspired it to be.

Movement is very important in both stage and screen acting. Scenes are marked by borders that the actors and actresses memorize. If a marked area is not on target then the view of the actors and actresses on camera might not be centered. On stage, the characters might block another character or become out of the scene.

The movement in stage and screen acting is I feel the most important factor. If the movement is not precise, the scene the director is trying to portray will not be as desired.

Sound- District 9

Discuss the various dramatic uses of music in film.

Music in film makes it more dramatic depending on what the genre is. In the movie District 9, Neil Blomkamp incorporated a really great soundtrack. In the scenes where the action became stronger, the music increased in volume and intensity. In sad scenes, the music was soft and soothing.

In almost if not every movie, music is a great factor. It is very important to match up the mood of the scene to the music. If the mood of the scene is more suptle and gentle, the music is more emotional and soft spoken. For example, in the last scene of District 9 where Sharlto Copley realizes that he cannot go with the alien who promised to fix his arm and turn him back into a human, he is happy to see them fly back to their galaxy in the shuttle. During this time, the music speaks with great passion and emotion of happiness but sorrow. Most of the movie though speaks with great action and blustering music accompanied with loud sound effects. This genre of music and action in return has you sitting at the edge of your seat.

I think in any movie it is very important to incorporate the dramatic uses of music in the type of acting that is being filmed. Neil Blomkamp and his sound and tech workers did a fantastic job at creating these scenes in such great enthusiasm and character with the backround music and noise.

The different types of music that is played in films consist of orchestra, classical, pop, rock, western, and r&b/rap.

Drama- Pan's Labyrinth

What elements classify set design as generally realistic or formalistic?

The elements that classify set design as generally realistic or formalistic are arrangements of space or setting. These things can be cars, furniture, tableware, and curtains. People also are a part of mise en scene. They wear costumes, make-up, and jewelry. Miniature things are also a large part of design and these usually involve visual effects.

Settings can be made to look realistic. In the movie Pan's Labyrinth, the setting is somewhat dark and mysterious. The setting takes place in a forest. The Captain has a very large house and there is always soldiers walking around. When Ofelia and her mother move into the house because her mother is carrying the Captains baby, she ventures off into the woods. She sees a grasshopper that looks real but turns into a fairy. She walks down what looks like an old well. A Fuano comes out from the dark and sees that she is the princess they have been waiting for. The scenes in this movie do look very realistic except for the fairies and the fuans.

Formalistic design focuses on elements of the film like lighting, set design, and use of color. Auteur is a term used for the type of style the director usually makes his movies. Guillermo Del Toro uses a dark style for this movie with the combination of realism and make-believe. A movie similar to Alice in Wonderland. Pan's Labyrinth is a movie I would definitely recommend!

Movement-"Run Lola Run"

Discuss the central differences between animation and live-action movies.

Animation and live-action movies have a few central differences. Animation is a display of 2-D or 3-D sequenced images that create a moving illusion of the characters and settings. The most common way to present these 2-D or 3-D images is by motion picture or video programming. In the movie Run Lola Run, animation and live-action film was created. In the beginning of the movie it showed Lola running out of her apartment in real life then the film changes to an animation of her running down steps. I like how this director incorporated animation into this film because it caused the scene to become faster and more thrilling.



Live-action refers to cinematography but not animation. The main characters stay real life but there may be a few animated objects in the scene. You see this happen in the movie sometimes when she is running.

Some people mistaken animation and live-action movies to be the same but it is not. Animation movies are all animation 3-D images. Live-action movies have some animation but a lot of real life people. I like these kind of movies because it shows real imagination and creativity that attracts viewers.

Color tends to be a subconscious element in film. In what ways is color effective and symbolic in motion pictures?

Color tends to be a subconscious element in film. In what ways is color effective and symbolic in motion pictures? In movies like the Sixth Sense and Donnie Darko, color is a big element. As you watch the Sixth Sense you begin to notice the symbolic bright red little objects in many of the scenes. You do not realize until the end of the movie that the red objects symbolize death. In the movie Donnie Darko, Donnie begins seeing a human size bunny after he takes his medication. The color of the scene grows darker with just a small spotlight on the bunny. The bunny tries to make Donnie do bad things because it insists that the world is going to end within months. Color is a major factor in film. Color can create the whole mood of the scene or movie. When a director films a horror or sad movie, a lot of the color presented is dark and mysterious. When a director films a funny or romantic movie, the color of the scenes tend to be bright and happy. If the color in a movie is not set right, it could throw the whole movie off and make it an unsuccessful motion picture.