Independent Research Critique

Political thriller-Carmen 1. How true are political thrillers? 2. The psychological effect that each film has on the audience, also the connection between the different perspectives in each film. 3. Primary- The film itself, talked about it shot by shot and how that particular shot reveals the major theme of political thrillers Secondary- Online sources

Power That Pops- Jason 1. The portrayal of individual and hegemonic power, in international cinema? 2. Chose to focus on the display of power through color and lighting 3. Primary- Film Tsotsi and Sin City Secondary- online sources

Sound Design Treatment

Log Line- The sound of a guy scratching his arm gets a student paranoid, to the point where he goes insane.

A guy working on his homework in the library, hears the sound of a guy scratching his arm and progressively starts to annoy him. He looks back to see that the guy is constantly scratching and its interrupting him from finishing his work. He turns away, and when he looks back at the guy again, he then sees that the guy is now scratching his arm with a brush. This annoys the student even, and he slowly starts to loose it.

The guy starts to tiwch and gets irritated by the sound, he then turns back again to see that the guy who was scratching his arm no longer has an arm, but little does the student know that he is only dreaming, he freaks out even more.

He then tires to run out of the library because he is freaked out but he turns back and sees that the guy does have his arm, the student realizes that he was only imagining things. He then sits calmly and resumes with his homework.

A he is doing his homework he turns to look at his arm, and then he begins to sacratch himself. He freaks out a little but tries to to put much attention to it. He again turns to look at his own arm and notices that he is scratching even more. He looks up to see that the same brush that the guy was using to scratch himslef is on the table. He freaks out, he looks at his arm again to find that it missing as well. He completly freaks out and runs out of the library.

On his way out he cant focus on wats in front of him and crashes against the wall. The crash wakes him up and we see that he was simply dreaming in the library.

We then see the student go into a store trying to buy an anti-itch cream.

Narrative:
1. The sound of the guy scratching will develope the character of the student
2. The subtext of the narrative will not be expressed through the dialogue but rather in the actions of the characters.

Production Elemetns:
1.Scratching noise will be foleyed by using sand paper
2.Rhythmic matching will be used in the montage of the guy interacting with the student
3.Sound bridge will be used to switch into the final scene
4. The sound montage will be used to understand the character a bit more

Hurt Locker Analysis

1. Over the last few days we watched the Hurt Locker, the movie is based on the everyday fight that American soldiers face being overseas and away from home. This movie focuses on the soldiers who disarm bombs on an every-day basis. Because this movie is based on the war that is happening now, it creates a bigger impact on the audience because on feels closer to the soldiers as they go out and risk their lives.

2. This movie is based off the Iraq war that is happening at the moment. This movie was shot at the height of the war, when the American forces had taken control over the city. This is important to know because it gives the audience an idea as to what is going on at the time of war. Also in relation to time it gives the audience a better connection to the characters of the film because we live in the same society that they do. This film relates to various war films such as Black Hawk Down because they are both based on similar topics. An underlying thematic thread is that war can only be defined by those who have experienced it firsthand.

3. The costume design helps bring reality to the movie in general, because the audience thinks that the soldiers are actually in war and that. The setting helps create or establish the life that a soldier has in war. For example the streets are very realistic to the point that one thinks that everything was shot on location. Thus all these factors put together help create an atmospherere for war that is present throughout the film. The actors do a good job in conveying the real emotions that a soldier must feel in time of war. The production design helped the movie reveal in a way that the audience slowly gets to know and feel more for the soldiers out at war as events cause them to make critical decisions that could keep them alive.

4. The style of this movie is realistic; this is because all the shooting is done in a way that emphasizes the reality of the situations that the soldiers are facing. This movie experiments with various angles of shooting, which make every shot unique and further brings emphasizes on the unique situation that the soldiers are in. There was a lot of camera blocking in this film, which was done so that one can focus on what is being presented in front of them, something that would bring further emphasis as the movie goes on. In this film there is a dominant character in every shot that involves an American soldier and an insurgent. This is done so that one can see that soldiers are dominant over the people in that town. The camera is up close on every character in this film so that one can create a connection with the character also so that we can feel what the soldier must be going through at the time. The film is mostly all shot using natural lighting; this brings the realistic view to the film as a whole.

5. This film uses a classical editing style; this is seen through the various sequence shots that are used throughout the film. The director manipulates time to show that time in war is almost none existent, because time goes by slow. This is further seen through the countdown of day that is show throughout the film. This is done so that the audience gets a feel of what can happen in a little amount of time, thus making time draw on and go slower. The length of cutting is not too long, so that it creates suspense as time goes on. Flashbacks are not used in this film, because the director wants to show how past events don’t matter when you’re at war, because in the context of the film once someone has died no one pays attention because they must focus on what’s in front of them. The reason why editing in this film is crucial so that one can connect with the emotions that the soldiers feel.

6. Time is a repeated motif throughout the film. Time is manipulated by the director through making shot durations last long on various scenes and by letting the audience knows how many days are left in the rotation. The director decides to do this so that we can see how as little as 32 days can be a lifetime for soldiers out at war.

7. The narrative helps develop the character of Will and how he is the true definition of a soldier as the film progresses. The dialogue in action sequences is short so that one can focus on what’s actually happening in front of them. This technique helps create suspense that keeps the audience riveted to the screen. The use of humor in this film is use to understate the true meaning of the situation that is at hand for the soldier. This is done so that the audience can see that the soldiers are still themselves under that uniform and that they have not changed. The message conveyed in this film is that life is not valued in times of war.

8. Features such as editingg style and cinematography classify this film to be put under the war film genre. This film meets this genre’s criteria because it’s a film that defines what a war film should be about, emphasizing on all the aspects of what it’s like to be a soldier out at war. This film does not subvert the genre because it is in this genre no matter what. Because it’s a film that has a narrative that revolves around war.

9. Overall this film is a well worked out piece of art. This is because the film really puts on at the edge of their seats, because suspense and action sequences are what make this film. Not only that but this film touches on various themes that are present throughout various film conventions. The reason for this film being such a big success.

Documentary Prepro

Purpose: to try make the audience feel what true adrenalin really is.

Contacts: We would go to Fort Funston and talk to some of the hang gliders there and possibly document one of them and have them work with us.

Interview questions: Name? Born and raised? How long have you been hang gliding? What do you feel from when you fly through the air? Does this sport have any affect on your family relationships? Injuries from hang gliding? How do you find the strength to jump of a cliff with a wing attached to your back?

General flow: the documentary will start out with some great b-roll of the person hang gliding and then it will move on to the interview as he gets deeper and deeper into the subject, by him telling us how and when he got involved with this perticular subject. The guy that we interview will have to gobeyond the surface and actually tell us the driving force that makes him do these types of dangerous stunts. As the film progresses we want to focus less on the actual hobby of hand gliding and more on how hand gliding is esential to his way of living.

Shot list: - camera mounted on top of the hang glider pointing down – shots flying overhead – landscapes of Fort Funston – focus on little details of the assembly of the hang glider.

Short Documentary

I watched a short documentary on a rising business man, who tries to run his snowboarding summer camp. Throughout the documentary he emphasizes a lot on making time for yourself, to have fun, and relive stress in order to run a successful business.

This documentary primarily focused on his business but it also focused on who he is as a person. This was done so through the camera work, the style involved helps develop the connection between the audience and the guy. This connection is strengthen through the use of significant b-roll the is relevant to the subject that the guy is talking about.

The editing style is done so that there is a voice over the b-roll, which draws the attention of the audience because it keeps them entertained as they listen to the feedback that the guy is giving, rather than just watching the guy talked to us for the entire film.

The sound design is carefully chosen to match the mood the guy creates as he reveals that running a snowboarding camp is not all just fun and games that it also involves interacting with the campers, and keeping close communications with the people that help his business run. Overall this documentary is made in a way so that the audience builds a strong connection with the guy, and follows his path for building a strong business.

Baraka Film Response

Over all Baraka was a stunning movie that gave strong vivid images about the world that one seems not to look at as much. The film has various shots that convey a feeling of astonishment, because one does not notice the real beauty of this world. The film carefully goes through every scenario with the slightest detail being significantly emphasized through the shots of the film. Baraka does not really have a set narrative, but it tells the story of the world that we humans are unaware of because we don’t take time to appreciate our surroundings. The juxtaposition of images throughout the film helped create a more stunning reaction the audience had towards what was being seen. This is because as the shots revealed more than what the audience expects, because there is no audio and or dialogue the audience is able to focus on the true meaning behind every shot, which was what the director intended to do whit this film.
1. This film is called “breath” because it shows life, and how the entire world breaths because of the life present in it. Thus Baraka is given such a name to bring the audience attention towards life present on earth.
2. The film expresses the critique that people, live their lives to fast or at a fast paste, which is highlighted in the film because most shots are slowed, to represent the opposite to what people do in modern world. The film expresses the theme of people being so caught up with what’s ahead of them that they do not take time to enjoy what’s happening around them at the time.
3. Baraka conveys the message of time no longer being preserved by one. Thus meaning that people now a day’s don’t want tomorrow to come when today has not even happened yet, which is a important message in the film because time throughout the movie is being altered either slowed down or sped up. This is significant because it supports the way one lives life, one could live their life at a fast paste or at a slow paste but never both, because we can’t find that equilibrium, which the film highlights.
4. The absence of dialogue in the film is essential because it is done so with the intent that anyone who sees this film will understand the meaning and the purpose for this film. This is because the images in this film speak for themselves, the vivid details talk to the audience, so the use of dialogue would break the connection one has with the images in the film, thus making dialogue unnecessary.
5. When comparing culture, the city to nature, one must take into consideration that nature is mostly les contrasting. Whereas the city is filled with diversity and contrasting objects. This is expressed in the shots because in the image of New York everything in the composition of the shit is contrasting itself, in comparison to the shot of the clouds reflecting of the vast body of water. This shot is less contrasting to show how nature is all one body of life.
6. Possible interpretations could be that the monk represents purity, while the cigarette factory contrasts purity. The film suggests that religion and spirituality are the vehicles to take in life.
7. The message portrayed in those two images is that not all of today’s society is equally balanced, partially due to the way we run this world. In comparison to images of nature, the opposite message is revealed because in nature everything is equally balanced to create an equal basis to which life thrives upon.
8. The transition between the monkey in the hot spring and the lunar eclipse stand out. Because it sets the mood for the entire film. It demonstrates how one must sometimes take time off to enjoy the present and its surroundings.
9. Our class watched Baraka to make us aware of the true meaning that a image can convey without the help of any audio. Giving the saying a image is worth a thousand words more credibility, because the shots in this film spoke for themselves to create a intimate bond between the image and the audience. Thus the whole intent of watching this film was to inspire us to create more meaningful images through visualizing the proper meaning we want our audience to feel from certain shots that we use.

Short Film Critiques

Rationale: For this film, our group decided to create a romantic comedy that ties back to the genre of, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s romantic comedy Amelie. Our working plan revolved around the main concept of a guy mysteriously finding a girl that he deeply falls in love with as he gets to know more about her. Originally we came up with this concept because; we all agreed that this was the best way to represent the theme conveyed in the film Amelie. For this film our group decided to emphasize on the cinematography of our film, so that we can get artistic shots that represent the movie Amelie more. We all thought that this concept was a good idea because it touched on every aspect of the film Amelie.

For this film, I was responsible for developing the concept of the film. As writer, I had to come up with a story line that shaped our main character, to be someone who is persistent and ambitious. To do this I crated the entire narrative to revolve around the main character and his quest to find the one girl he deeply loves. The one problem that arose in my area of responsibility was a way to show how our main character falls in love with the girl beyond superficial looks. Challenging enough, I had to demonstrate that in a way that the audience will also find a connection with the girl. This was challenging because I had to come up with scenes that progressively built his love for her. I solved these problems by creating vivid scene that only involves both the guy and the girl, so that the audience can see their interactions and how that helps unravel his love for her. For example, in the last scene our main character finally gets the opportunity to talk to this mysterious girl he has been following. In this scene I decide to reveal that he had her wallet to bring a connection between the two. This connection brings the two together, because the for the guy the wallet represent s the love that he has been looking for and for the girl the wallet represents the love that she has know found.


The main and most crucial problem that arose from our film was that it completely did not have a clear and coherent narrative, for the story to move along. Our concept was good, but in the narrative that particular concept was not clearly seen. This might have been because the scenes did not have good coherent transitions to the next scene; this could have also been because in our scenes not enough details were given to fully understand our characters position. The only way to solve this problem was in the editing stage of production. This is because the footage we got did cohere to the narrative whatsoever. Thus for the edit, we had to put the scenes in a way that they make sense towards what our story actually is. For this film we had four main scenes: street scene, library scene, classroom scene, and the room/closet scene. In the edit we had to put this scene in place so that they reveal as much as possible about the characters quest to find the girl that he is falling in love with. This was very difficult because we had to basically create the story out of footage that did not make sense to the narrative. Two key scenes in the narrative were not shot; these scenes helped the audience identify how the guy is beginning to like the girl beyond looks. These scenes moved the story along, but since they were not shot in the edit, with the scenes we had, we had to work with the scenes we had so that they move the story forward. For example, the library scene was the scene that moved the story line the most. Because in this scene the audience understands that the girl lost her wallet and that the guy is out to look for her to give her back the wallet and potentially hit it off well. Editing really help our group solve the problem, because we were able to place the scene in order so that they made the most sense as a story.


Overall our finished project was not as bad as we expected. This is because the story makes sense, because of the editing, and the cinematography is of high quality. Thus in our film we have a variety of good shots that help evoke a certain emotion in our audience about the main character. For example the shot where the main character is on the floor with a lot of year books in front of him, shows his true devotion towards finding to whom the wallet belongs to. The bird’s eye view and the wide depth of field, emphasize his ambition towards accomplishing his goal of finding that girl. Not only do the shots make this film look good, but also the sound design conveys the genre of the film better. For example all music put into this film was tied back to the romantic comedy film genre. The music design helped create the romantic comedy atmosphere followed with stylistic shots, amalgamated to create a finished project that demonstrated the romantic comedy film genre in an artistic way. The composition of each shot contains important key details that help the story move along. For example in all the scenes but one, the picture of the girl is always present. This is done so that the audience can follow along in his quest to find her. The bird’s eye view of the picture allows the audience to feel his emotions. The set design also helps portray the overall theme of Amelie in our film. The use of warm colors in this scene helps convey the way the main character feel. Thus the set design helps build and create character, which the audience then sees as an essential part of the film that helps them understand why he wants to go out after her. The last shot helps create closure in the film, which we thought was essential because we were not sure that the last scene gave closure to the film. The long shot establishes their relationship growing and progressively getting stronger all because off that one picture and the wallet. Thus the film overall conveys a good narrative with a good concept, and through all the stylistic aspects in the shooting process help create a film that follows along the main concept of Jenuet’s Ameli.