Maria Rojas' Film Blog: Screening Notes

Rear Window

-There is a very upbeat music in the beginning of the film as the credits roll by

-We get a clear view of setting because the camera moves around the neighborhood

-Attention to the detail of sweat, temperature.

-People are sleeping outside, walking around topless, everything is very open for an outsider to see

-The camera moves around the apartment, capturing the photographs in the man’s apartment

-As he is talking on the phone, he is observing his promiscuous neighbor dance around

-He is assuming his neighbors are fighting and the woman is nagging at the man. Maybe she isn’t?

-You can only hear bits and pieces of other peoples conversations

-She brings up the subject of peeping and hot it could bring trouble

-Why is there a broken camera on the desk?

-He sees the neighbors kissing but its almost as if he cant look away- “window shopper”

-She seems like she really does care about him

-Symmetrical composition when drinking wine. He is sitting on the left and she is sitting on the right

-Even though we cannot hear what is happening we see the woman pretending as if she had someone over for dinner. Very romantic music, almost makes us feel sorry for her.

-“how can you tell if they were in love from here”

-We see both perspectives of whats going on because we are able to see both rooms

-We hear someone scream but we don’t know where it came from

-We know time has passed because of the clock

Atonement

Set Design

-The set we first see is what appears to be a big mansion, with a lot of pastel colors on the walls

-The wall are covered in wall paper, wood, white paint..very 1935

-There is a sudden change in the set to the outside, very green

-Intricate detail on the wooden furniture

-Interesting wooden horse placed on the floor

-The rugs, the lamps, all look very authentic

-Even the frames of paintings, pictures, art are all from the time period

-There is a lot of detail on the outside texture of the building, makes it seem older, worn out-

-We see a full frame of the old mansion, garden, fountain

-There is a major contrast between the bright rooms of the house, to the parts and hallways inside. Inside they are darker, wooden

-We are obviously observing a poorer house because of the way the set is designed. Less luxurious objects

-In the second part of the movie, the set completely changes

-We go from a house to the outside wilderness and the busy cities

Sound/Music

-The first sound we hear in the movie is the typewriter typing the name of the movie and the setting

-The sound of the typewriter goes with the beat of the classical song playing in the background

-Amplified sound of the bee, then it takes backstage when she is observing the people outside

-Amplified sounds of nature along with classical music in the background

-Music gets faster, as if it were reaching a climax and the it stops

-We hear the sound of the splash when she jumps in the water, used for a transition into the tub scene

-There is opera music when he is writing the note, clashes with shots of her looking in the mirror smoking

-Big role of the typewriter sound

Breathless

· - Decided to shoot movie in black and white consciously

· -When he gets in the car, there is a fade transition to the road

· -It is mostly shot from a point of view shot

· -We really get to see the setting/country side

· -It is interesting that he is talking directly to the camera

· -Another shot is as if we were riding in the back seat

· -There is obviously jump shots

· -One shot we see him in a bedroom, next shot in a café

· -This movie violates the 180 rule. First time we see this in the cafeteria

· -Mostly hand held cameras

· -It doesn’t really feel like a movie

· -When they are on the street talking its almost as if we were spying on them

· -He was talking in the beginning about how France was so pretty and now he keeps saying how he is fed up with it

· -We don’t see anyone being hit, just the person on the floor

· -We see a couple of track shots, where the camera is focused on something and then it movies when something enters the frame

· -There is the fish eye looking transition usually seen in cartoons

· -Everyone who walks by is staring at the characters

· -We never see him talking when they are in the car, just a shot of the girls head

· -Can tell time is passing because of the jump in shots

In general, I liked the movie. Even though in my opinion the plot was pretty unoriginal and uninteresting, I thought the movie was groundbreaking because of the style in which it was shot. When I think of black and white movies, I think of studios and set settings where you can almost tell its fake. Since this movie was shot on location, around Paris, I think it gave it a more real feeling.

In my opinion, the key moment of the movie is when we first see that the police killer has been identified. This triggers Michel to begin hiding and the story to further progress. We begin to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

The Hurt Locker

· -Commotion

· -The movie starts with a quote, then all but the last part “war is a drug” fades

· -We see a robot scanning the floor

· -We get close ups on people running, intense music, a lot of rapid zooming, a lot of different camera angles

· -Baghdad 2004

· -As it gets quieter there is the focus on the bag

· -All we hear is the people and the sounds of the robot

· -A lot of attention on detail

· -We get a lot of sense on the detail because of all the different camera angles

· -We see the details on the suite, point of view shot, setting surroundings

· -We hear both sides, the hurt locker and the other soldiers

· -There is intensity, there is some comic relief but we remain tense

· -Cool slow motion when the bomb explodes, the dirt flies up, we see the explosion

· -Hand held cameras

· -Swish pans on the streets for chaos

· -Immature zoom mimics the persons eye movement

· -We see the point of view of civilians, meat market, soldier

· -Brings up the fight in media

· -Whole world is watching

· -Countdown of days until the end of rotation

· -Interesting close up on the hurt cat, even animals cant escape the war

· -Music plays a role in suspense

· -Complete contrast from the other technician, much more relaxed

· -You can really hear the sound of the rocks and breathing, adds intensity

· -The sounds of the windshield wipers intensifies the scene

· -Slow motion of the bullet on the sand, you can hear when it hits the rocks

· -We finally see another setting when he calls his girlfriend

· -He opens his eyes after the bomb, first thing he sees is the kite

· -There is the scene of the supermarket, calm, quiet

· -Cleaning out the leafs in the gutter

· -Pro soldier movie

Capturing the Friedmans

-Very ironic beginning, we see the family being really happy and normal, then we get a hint that everything is not perfect

· -Introduction with all of the character and images of their recorded lifes, seem to be your traditional family

· -Music makes the setting be in the past

· -David kind of stutters

· -Brings attention to the zooming in and out

· -The documentary starts off in an interesting way, they talk about Davids dad and his life in general, nothing bad

· - No one seems to want to talk about Arnold at first

· - As the guy is describing what happened in that basement, there are pictures shown of what happened

· -Interviews are a major way of telling the story

· -Interviews seem to be in casual places, for example the sex crime unit woman is interviewed at her dining table

· -The news clip right before thanksgiving really gives him a bad name

· -The documentary is not really told through a narrator, its mostly told through news clips and interviews

· -See the other perspective, when his friend and other people stand up for them

· - We see a lot of camera shots that consist of taking pictures in the same place over a period of time

· -After we see this quick movement, there is an interesting image of a slower moving train

· -We see an extreme close up of a picture, it doesn’t really show anything but the camera does move down it as if it were examing it

· -We see the happy times…how could they fall apart?

· -We see the abuse they go through in jail…can we be compassionate?

· -We see both sides of Arnold

· -The background music seems to contrast the sad mood of the documentary

· -Emphasis on the neighborhood, as if wealthy people are not capable of committing a crime

· -We hear from a couple of people who had bad experiences

· -We also hear however, from people who are defending. They seem to be more put together; what they are wearing, how they are sitting

· -People who looked at the case critically

· -There was no physical evidence

· -“problem in this culture of hysteria”

· -The recordings, video and audio, are key

· -Twist-he had sex with his brother

· -Another twist-Arnold abused Jesse

· -….one more- his brothers gay

A Single Man

interesting musical selection in the opening scene
they tell you the exact date of the setting
is it a flashback or a dream?
we hear the background story by him telling it as a narrator
pretty dull colors in the opening scenes, everything is white, brown, black
everytime there is a flashback to when his boyfriend used to be alive, the colors are vibrant, colorful, yellow
we see some moral, ethical issues, he cant go to the funeral because it is only for family. They had been together 16 years
rain overpowering all the other sounds, the crying, the banging on the door
there are certain sounds that seem to bring back memories
the scene with the gun seems pretty "hard" and precise
the cars, clothes, mannerism make the setting more real
the scene in the car when he is in slow motion, we see the girl jumping, we get to see everything that is happening in front of his neighbors house
interesting shot of everyone walking forward and him walking against the current of people
close up on the eyes, her mouth goes from dull to bright red
the movie is shot with a duller light, makes it seem older
when he is watching the guys play tennis, their bodies lit up, seem brighter
we always know what time it is, clock always seem important
repeat of what seems to be the opening scene
what does the swimming body have to do with everything?
rapid shots to the eyes and back to the scenes
there is some comedy relief
the younger boy is always bright, his face is lit up
this calls attention to him, we can really observe his features
attention called to people's face features
black and white when remembering the time that they were laying on the rocks
vibrant colors on their clothes
water in general plays a big role, ocean, swimming, rain

Gosford Park

scene is shot through the branches of a tree. There is an object in the way
as the camera moves to shoot the scene, there is always objects in the way. They are usually blurred
because we are able to focus on it, we see the car coming in the background
the cars, the house, the buildings, it all gives the movie a feel for the time period
the movie is shot with a type of yellowish lighting
we see an older woman talking, but we also see the maids working in the background. It looks a bit chaotic
we see the details of the paintings on the wall even if they are far away
shot through the railing
there is attention brought to the character because there is a blurred plant on the right of the screen
follow the character as he brings us to new rooms that we didnt know existed
we see two separate shots of the two women talking, then we see one shot and we are able to see where they are located with respect to each other
i think clothes are particularly important in this movie
it gives personalities to the characters. Even they bring attention to what they are wearing; what looks good and what doesnt
we see what other characters are doing even if someone else is talking
gold pins, furred clothing, there is attention brought to the hat because of the flour
attention brought to the way the table is set up, asking questions about what forks to use and why
attention to jewelry, we see her putting it on
attention to the placement of characters at the table
asks what shirt she is wearing
everyone is talking in the grand room, more people enter the scene
the contrast of the wealthy upstairs, fancy table, to the servants downstairs in a more humble setting
this contrast is accomplished through the details of the setting
shots usually start zoomed on something and then it expands to the setting
close up on the tag of the pants
interesting how it so strict about where you are allowed to go even though it is just one big house
same close up to the "poison" bottle
some saturated and some unsaturated scenes

Shark in the Head

we see the introduction of a character through the amplification of the outside speaker as the camera goes through it
strange that he is outside in his boxers-speed up time
see characters come and go
yellow ducks in a trash...where did he get them?
bring attention to them because of the color difference
he always gets ready, makes sure he looks fine right before he opens the window
takes a pill, interesting use of the camera as it goes around
he is helping the workers as if he knew what he was doing, makes friends with them
we see there is a change in time because of the lighting
uses the phone book as a lottery thing
when people are in line to get water, he is smiling. They are sliding down the line without picking up their feet. They seem to me almost like an assembly line
all umbrellas are black, then comes this woman with her red dress. It drags attention to her
the woman on the television appears to be in the room with him
when he is looking at the newspaper, it comes to "life"
there are these red marble which begin making outlines of drawings, there is loud music, it looks confusing
he looks at the old people riding on the bicycle and then he begins to daydream about helping the old woman
he keeps returning the trash that people purposely threw out
the television is the center of his imagination
"I made beer from rice"
cuts up a plastic cup...what does it do?
there is the close up on the cigarette and his breathing
everyone stares at the camera and then they keep walking
there is a red light moving around, he catches it and when he opens it its the red little marble that was in the previous scene
dancing scene outside, where he sees everyone having a great time but when you look at it from the girls perspective its quiet
he uses and decorates the tree after the season is over
the drawings are magically appearing on the ground

Memento

Narrative structure
independently produced
the movie starts with a point of view shot. Its fixated on the picture
interesting that the picture starts disappearing when usually its the opposite way
the seen goes in reverse
image is in black and white
he touches the bullets in the car as if he knew them
we go back to what seems to be the previous scene and then it jumps back to the black and white
we see that he writes messages on his pictures
last thing he remembers is his wife
we get constant close ups on his face
we are basically going in chronological reverse
he has everything tattoed on his body
each time we learn what happened the moment before
the black and white story is moving forward
there are flashbacks to the memories of his wife and what he lasts remembers, at first we cant see her face but then we clearly see who it is.
we start learning about who Sammy Jenkins
there is an interesting concept of memories vs facts; interesting connection to his condition
we dont know who is on the phone with him
he is trying to change his memory, but he cant because he has none, he bases everything on facts
ironic about Sammy's story is what is happening to him now
we find out that Natalie if helping him because he helped her.
he doesnt know how long he has been alone
"How am i supposed to heal if I cant feel time?"
quick shots of what happened at the murder
in a way we are like the character, we dont know what happened right before that led to the effect
we hear what he is thinking
comedy relief when he goes into the wrong bedroom
he burns his wife possessions-we know this because there are flashbacks to when she used them
more scenes of the "murder"
he keeps trying to change his perseption of what happened
trusting your hand writing is key here
there is another twist, it was actually him who hit Natalie and not Dodd
Maybe he did kill his wife, and it is all a psychological thing
there is now a connection between the black and white story and the current story
she survived the assault, his wife was the one with the diabetes
he makes up a whole new story, burns the picture, pretends like its his car
he needs mirrors to remind himself of who he is

Psycho

came out in 1960
chose to do it in black and white
post the production code has ended, controversial in a way
Jannet Lee was the main character
adapted from a novel
used a television set, cameras, to shoot the movie
the introduction of the movie is pretty long; there are no actual images but just music and credits
tell you the setting right off the bat, this includes the city and the exact time
pretty candid opening scene, kissing on the bed
there is the soft background music; non diegetic
there is a focus of the camera on the person when they are talking, emphasis
the transitions from scenes seem pretty different from now; they dim out
there is some eerie music when she is in the bedroom packing her bags
there are a couple of point of view shots; when she is looking at her purse, driving, in the car
there is a jump in scenes from day and night, and we do not really know what happened
really intense music when the cop begins to follow her; seems like this music always comes on when she seems to be anxious or in trouble
they show an image of her even though who we hear talking is not even in the shot; the way through which they depict conversations that are occurring at the same time
actually said in the movie "it must be some kind of mystery" enigma?
never really do 360 degree shots; you can tell its a set
the guy from the hotel seems really nervous and awkward
"a boys best friend is his mother" ironic
as there is a shot of him talking, the dissected owl is in the background. It makes him seem kind of evil
he is talking about the institution and mad house as if he had been there
"we all go a little mad sometimes"
there is eerie music when he peeps through the hole
there is the constant use of music to intensify a scene; this includes when she is stabbed
focus on the drain, the blood and her eyes
when she is being stabbed you dont clearly see her actually getting stabbed. Probably didnt have the technology at the time for special effects
there is a sudden change in focus of the story to her sister and lover
the investigator at this time becomes the main character
screeching music right before he is stabbed
the investigator dies..another twist!
then we hear that the mother who is supposed to be the killer has been dead for 10 years
enigma-who is the woman buried in the cementary?
the main character is now the sister and boyfriend
when talking about what happened to the investigator we realize that they have the whole story wrong; in a way a delay and the truth
another twist...they mother has been dead. it was actually the awkward guy doing the killing this whole time
Norman murdered his mother
two personalities = reason for the murder.
the end, we dont know if he is talking, thinking it, memories, or why he is hearing those voices...probably the mother's side of him.

Full Metal Jacket

The beginning of the movie depicts training of the marines. It depicts the humiliation encountered by the soldiers and how they are treated.

This depiction of the first half the movie is chronological and we are able to see how the soldiers are slowly becoming killing machines

There is a very interesting and abrupt transition to the future. The soldiers are now in Vietnam and at first there appears to be no real connection between the first half of the movie and the second half.

Completely different settings, music, and style

There is the voice of a narrator which turns out to be the main character. He happens to speak every now and then in the movie.

One diegetic element is when the soldiers are marching around the base and they are singing. Then it becomes a blurred line between the diegetic and the non diegetic because this same song is used in the next scene where they are not singing

One non-diegetic element is the background music during most of the training. The audience hears marching music
There was also a non-diegetic element that appeared when something bad was about to happen. A small sound that sounded like metal clicking. It first appeared in the scene where Lawrence commits suicide and then in the tense moments when they are looking for the sniper.
Some other diegetic elements include the sounds of shooting, helicopters, planes, bombs, and tanks
The structure of the movie was interesting.
It was separated into two halves; both obviously very different
They were so different that sometimes it seemed like they were produced by two completely different directors.
Even the background music changed from one to the other. The first half had more marching and classical music, while the second half had upbeat more popular songs.
We also see a shift in the personality of the main character. He is very quiet and seemingly obedient at the beginning…while towards the end he seems to be more in control and a jokester.
There were several visual and auditory effects
I noticed that at times small sounds (such as the sound of the mudpit) were amplified.
I also noticed that they emphasized the troubled mind of Lawrence by doing camera close ups on his face. You could see the evil in his eyes.
I also noticed the background drums during tense scenes. In my opinion this created some type of “drumroll” to see what the outcome was going to be.
All the special effects and the props were also incredible

Pages

Screening Notes