Steven Soderbergh has a bigger status and demand in the film industry than I had known.  Sex, Lies and Videotape was the first film he wrote and directed in 1989.  He received the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for his hard work both writing and directing Sex, Lies and Videotape.  He is credited with launching the independent film boom of the 1990s(infoplease).  Soderbergh never attended college and had a number of random jobs that gave him zero sense of success.  Filming Sex, Lies and Videotape “catapulted him to fame and renewed hopes for the future of independent films in Hollywood”(infoplease).  Soderbergh knows the thrill of success and the agony of defeat.  After his Grammy Award, he found himself in a slump of great disappointment.  Getting back on track, Soderbergh directed Out of Sight with George Clooney and wrote a few screen plays such as Nightwatch with Ewan McGregor.  Soderbergh then produced Pleasantville starring Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire he received two Oscar nominations for his involvement in Erin Brockovich and Traffic.  Without much surprise, Soderbergh won the Oscar for Traffic, which then lead him to direct the triology Ocean’s Eleven.  One fact I learned about Steven Soderbergh is that he works as his own cinematographer, instead of listing his name in the credits, he uses the code name Peter Andrews.     

 
Steven Soderbergh. http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0775258.html. 8 April 2006.

“In its twenty-year history, Sundance Film Festival has helped usher a new and unconventional group of writers and directorys to the forefront of film making, and has acted as a catalyst for expanding the public’s appetite for films that are challenging both in format and subject matter”(De Silva).  Little did I know, Robert Redford is the sole man   behind the Sundance Film Festival.  I had no clue that he started this widely known and well-respected event held annually in Park City Utah.  The festival has been in existence since 1978 and moved to Park City in 1981.  Thousands of people descend upon Park City each year to learn, grow and view countless films by the future Hollywood stars.  Countless number of film actors, directors and producers catapult onto the Hollywood scene at the annual festival.  Steven Soderburgh for example premeired his first film Sex, Lies and Videotape at the festival.  Now days the film festival has grown from retrospective films and seminars to include a wide variety of films such as international, contemporary and independent.  The festival currently hosts 125 films each year that are shown in their entirety, approximately 90 minutes in length.  Many of the films shown are documentary in style and have included films such as Jennifer Aniston’s The Good Girl.  “In its twenty-year history, Sundance Film Festival has helped usher a new and unconventional group of writers and directors to the forefront of film making, and has acted as a catalyst for expanding the public’s appetite for films that are challenging both in format and subject matter”(De Silva)
 
De Silva, Johan. “2004 Sundance Film Festival: The Premier Showcase of U.S. AND

INTERNATIONAL Independent Film.”  http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/filmmaking.asp?ID=64.  8 April 2006. 

Module 6 Film Elements
 
I chose to research voice over and narration for this section of the module.  I furled two web pages both designed to be dictionary like resources.  From the web page I learned that narration is the “process through which the plot conveys or withholds story information.”(geocites)   Meaning that narration is the story being told throughout the course of the film.  Details of the film might not be easily accessed in the plot until the right time for revelation.  Narration is often used to when the character’s knowledge is restricted.  Other times narration is used to present the actors inner thoughts and perceptions.  “Voice over refers to the recorded dialogue, usually narration, that comes form an unseen, off screen voice, character or narrator.” (filmsite)  Voiceovers are commonly used to give insight to what the actor is thinking or feeling without them physically saying. 
 
http://www.filmsite.org/filmterms7.html. 8 April 2006
http://www.geocities.com/the7thart/film-terms.html#u 8 April 2006. 

I was suprised to see how many people read my section on Sex and the Cinema along with my thoughts on viewing the Patriot.  I had a wide variety of comments in each section of the module.  Each of the comments were postitive and it seemed as though people enjoyed reading what I had discovered. 

Report on Resource for Reading and Viewing

Module 5

I researched The Patriot on the furl page and found a very interesting web page featuring trivia facts from the film.  The page is found at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187393/trivia.   I learned a variety of fun filled facts in regards to The Patriot.  For instance, the screenwriter wrote 17 drafts before the winner was chosen and filmed.  Heath Ledger beat out Jake Gyllenhall for the role of Gabriel and he performs his own stunts.  Mel Gibson was the second choice to Harrison Ford whom turned down the role of Benjamin Martin.  The original screen play included only six children, but when Mel Gibson signed on to the film, he added another child because he actually has seven children.  The director of the film, Roland Emmerich appears in one scene in the film, leaving what is called a director trademark.  “When teaching Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger how to shoot a muzzle-loading rifle, technical advisor Mark Baker gave them the advice to “aim small, miss small”, meaning that if you aim at a man and miss, you miss the man, while if you aim at a button (for instance) and miss, you still hit the man. Gibson liked this bit advice so much he incorporated it into the movie, just prior to the ambush scene.”  Another fun fact is that the house that Aunt Charlotte lives in, is the same house used in the film Forrest Gump.  A few changes were made to disguise the house from its previous work.  The interior was changed and bushes were added to the set to hide the brick pillars. 

Report on Resource for Reading and Viewing
Module 5
The Body the Beautiful . . . or should it be said the more body the more liability.  Although some film directors consider the body to be art, many production and distribution companies disagree.  I furled an article on the web titled “Sex and the Cinema.”  The article represented the increased concern with showing more skin in films.  As previously mentioned, many directors find the body as an art form and nudity is often “needed” to sell the point in the film.  Over the course of evolution, movies have gone from showing men’s biceps, abdomen to backsides.  The text mentioned that nudity in certain context is considered perverse but has a “powerful” effect because of how intimate the scene.  The article I read has a slightly different view than that of the text.  Epstein feels that “the absence of sex-at least graphic sex- is key to the success of Hollywood’s moneymaking movies.”  Epstein also mentions that directors might feel the need for nudity in their films in order for the film to be a success.  Even if a director puts a sex scene in their film, the studio holds the final say in whether or not the scene will be in the film.     

“Since graphic sex in movies is a triple liability, the studios can be expected to increasingly find that the artistic gain that comes from including it does not compensate for the financial pain and to therefore greenlight fewer and fewer movies that present this problem. We may live in an anything-goes age, but if a studio wants to make money, it has to limit how much of “anything”—at least anything sexually explicit—it shows on the big screen.”

Epstein, Edward Jay. “Sex and the Cinema: In the New Hollywood, It’s a Liability.” 15 August 2005. http://www.slate.com/id/2124498/fr/rss/#ContinueArticle. 24 March 2006.

Report on Resources Describing Film Elements

Module 5

 
I researched and furled two web pages that I am sure I will use again in the future.  Both sites were geared towards a glossary like style.  Important film terms and their definitions were listed and explained in easy to understand terms.  I chose to look up matched cut and cutaway.  Ironically each editing technique are similar.  They both include action sequences and how to move on to the next scene elegantly. 
 
“In a ‘matched cut’ a familiar relationship between the shots may make the change seem smooth.”  This film technique is important and must be mastered to provide continuity from scene to scene.  This cut is most commonly used during a change of angle or spot size.  “The cut is usually made on an action (for example, a person begins to turn towards a door in one shot; the next shot, taken from the doorway, catches him completing the turn). Because the viewer’s eye is absorbed by the action he is unlikely to notice the movement of the cut itself.” (Aber, 1)
 
The cutaway technique is when skipping to a busy scene such as landscaping breaks up an action sequence.  This technique is considered to be a good transition into the next scene.  It is considered a break up because the cutaway does not usually apply to the previous scene.  “A cutaway, as the name implies, is a shot that does not focus on some detail of the shot before or after it but cuts away from the action at hand.” (Schlemowitz, 1) 
 
“Editing Techniques.” www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html. 24 March 2005. 

 
Schlemowitz, Joel. “A Glossary of Film Terms.” http://homepage.newschool.edu/~schlemoj/film_courses/glossary_of_film_terms/glossary.html#c. 24 March 2005. 

Report on Reading and Viewing

Module 5

 
I viewed The Patriot featuring Mel Gibson for this assignment.  The film was made in 2000 and features the American Revolution.  Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin a retired war hero, simple man, widow and father of seven children.  The film was highly emotional and active engaged the viewer throughout the entire length of the film.  Gibson as well as Heath Ledger were the perfect actors for the film.  Their ability to fuse together as a unit made the on screen relationship as father and son realistic.  Both of the actors were passionate and made it easy for the viewer to relate to each character.  The costumes, set and makeup appeared to be appropriate to the time in which the movie took place.  The way in which the director captured each frame was unique.  I like how he would focus on the face of the actor, specifically during an intense scene.  He made the viewer feel like they were on the battlefield.  Some of the shots were incredibly up close, so close that beads of sweat were seen on the face of the actor.  Overall I enjoyed the film, all of the important elements from directing, casting, and set were well planned and executed.  My favorite part of the film was the feel for family; it was obvious that family and freedom are two elements of life worth fighting for.

 
 I found this chapter in the text the best of all that I have read.  I was able to read and not become bored or lost.  I liked how so many different names of actors were mentioned.  The chapter was wide spread and held a ton of information.  I found the fact that many actors are able to command their pay and profit from their staring roles interesting.  I chose Mel Gibson as the actor whom I wanted to watch on of his films.  I have seen What Women Want, but I had no idea that he was the director and producer.  I had no idea that so many actors were profiting past their salary for films.  For instance Michelle Pfiffer buying the rights to The Deep End of the Ocean.  Another example I learned was Tom Hanks and his involvement in That Thing You Do; I did not know that he was the writer, director and producer of this film.  The portion of the chapter I found most enjoyable was the From Small to Big Screen.  I found George Clooney the perfect example to demonstrate the rise to stardom.  I remember watching him on ER and all of a sudden he was tearing up the big screen.  Once again I am amazed at the ins and outs of the film industry.  As I continue on in the class I learn new facts and see movies in a different light. 

Project Proposal

 
Director

3 films to view

why interested and invested in this particular director

 
 
After careful consideration, I have decided to research Jerry Bruckheimer.  I have learned that his career has been longer than what I had originally thought.  I did not know that many of my favorite films were directed by his creative mind.  I enjoy watching his programs on television as well as on the big screen.  I find the fact that many of his films are high budget and produce high dollar in the box office interesting.  His success is not a coincidence and I would like to find more information about his beginning and why his vision in directing is so intense.  For the assignment, I am going to view National Treasure, Black Hawk Down and Armageddon. 

I truly enjoyed this unit.  I liked the freedom to choose four films that were interesting to me.  Reading everyone’s response to the films they viewed was interesting.  Even though many people viewed the same films, each blog was different, people like the movies for their own reason. 

Report on Resource Describing Film Elements

 
In the beginning of my research, I had no idea what most of the film elements meant.  I chose to research film stock, medium shot and lighting.  “Film stock can adversely affect how your intended film looks.”  I learned thanks in part to the Wikipedia free encyclopedia the true importance of film stock.  If the quality of the film product is less than what the cinematographer expects, the film may appear grainy or the color might be more dull than envisioned.  There are many different features to consider when choosing a film stock.  Technicolor adds saturated and rich colors to the film when portrayed on the big screen.  The amount of time the film will be exposed to light and the chemicals used for development will effect the outcome of the film at the viewing.  The length of exposure is able to be manipulated in order to achieve a certain effect.  “Typically, a film is simply well exposed, but underexposure or overexposure can give cinematographers a range of creative ideas. For instance, overexposure is commonly used for mystic, otherworldly atmospheres, while underexposure can make the film feel “darker” and more oppressive.”  I learned the typical milimeter size used in feature films and IMAX releases range from  8mm to 70mm; the choice of mm size determines the quality of the film, the larger the mm the better the quality.    
 
“In film, a medium shot is a camera shot from a medium distance.”  Medium shots are typically a shot of the entire body.  I found through reading that the line between medium shot, close shot and long shot is fine.  Medium shots are important because it give the viewer the ability to see a small glimpse of what may be goin on in a shot.  Whereas the long shot allows the viewer to see exactly what is going on around the actor.  The close shot would be important in facial expressions, closing in on an actors face give the audience the ability to connect. 
 
Lighting is crucial to a film, it sets the mood and emotion for scenes.  For example a dark lighted shot could be the element of suspense, sadness or unknown.  On the other hand a bright light shot could be used to enhance a scene such as birth providing depth to the joy of the occasion.  If the lighting in the film is off, the audience could become lost and then would be unable to connect with the emotion of the film.  There are about a million different types of light sets and light bulbs available to create a certain effect.  I learned of the blue/green screens, lighting fixtures, kingflo kits and lamp testers.  I have underestimated the intensity of choosing lights in films.  I had no idea how much work goes into creating the perfect lighting. 
 
http://www.kinoflo.com/site_map/sales_cat.html. 4 March 2006. 
 
Wikipedia. “Cinematography.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_lighting. 4 March 2006.

Reflection on Reading and Viewing

 
I found this module the most fun, I liked being able to pick both the directors and two of their films for viewing.  For this assignment I chose Steven Spielberg and Penny Marshall.  I chose Steven Spielberg for this assignment based upon his widely known reputation and variety of his films.  After viewing Catch Me If You Can and War of the Worlds, I was amazed at the style of each film.  Even though directed by the same man each film carried a completely different approach.  For example War of the Worlds was shot from a far away angle to provide a greater amount of action with in the scene.  On the other hand, Catch Me If You Can was shot in an up close manner where much of the facial caricatures were captured.  Overall I enjoyed both of the films by Spielberg, I am a fan of most of his work, including films such as Jaws, Hook and Jurassic Park.

 
As for choosing Penny Marshall, I thought her work as one of the original women behind the camera and in the director’s chair was commendable.  She has an eye for detail just as her colleague.  I viewed A League of Their Own and Big.  I respect her choice in movies; each film I watched shared a common trait, humor.  I found myself laughing from beginning to the end.  Next to laughter, Big and A League of Their Own both have strong family values with in their core.  One thing I have noticed between both directors is that they often employ the same big name actors in many of their films.  For instance Tom Cruise is often offered the starring role in Spielberg films where as Tom Hanks appears in both Penny Marshall films I watched. 

 
Putting the viewpoints mentioned with in the text to practice, I see how both of these directors along with many others pioneered the “new” movement in the film industry.  I found it interesting that Hollywood had to compete with the television networks for ratings and money.  Then of course I realized Penny Marshall and her involvement in TV programs such as Laverne and Shirley.  In reality Marshall has been active on both sides of the fence.  Although she has experience in both film and television Marshall as quoted by our text was the first woman to break 100 million dollars at the box office.  Marshall and Spielberg both produce multi-million dollar films with big budgets and bigger salaries.  I do not know if the boom in film school enrollees was affected by either of the directors I have chosen.  Yet I would expect that each of them have inspired many to pursue careers in the film industry. 

 
Overall I found this assignment fun and interesting.  I continue to learn more each module and am gaining more insight towards the film industry.   

 
 
 
 
Allen, Michael. “Contemporary US Cinema.” Pearson Education Limited c 2003. pg 113.