Blog 19 - Answer 3

"Every film is a puzzle really, from an editorial point of view." - Walter Murch

1.  What is your EQ?

A: How can a filmmaker maximize the affective domain of the audience’s viewing experience?

2.  What is your third answer? (In complete thesis statement format)

A: A filmmaker can maximize the affective domain of the audience's viewing experience by executing certain editing styles and applying appropriate music to heighten the emotions that are planned to be conveyed.

3.  List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

A:

Certain cuts and edits can relay proper information at the correct times in order to get a well-timed response. Pacing is everything in the story and need to be in sync with what the audience is feeling emotionally. If the pacing is off, the audience won’t buy into a film and will lose interest very quickly.

Colors and grading can elicit subtle psychological feelings regarding to warmth and coolness of a shot temperature as well as a distinguishing factor as a storytelling device. Colors play a key aspect when telling a story. One of the prime examples of this is The Wizard of Oz. When Dorthy is back in Kansas, the film is shown strictly in gray scale colors and black and white to represent the dullness of the real world. However, when she is transported to the Land of Oz through the tornado, the film turns into a colorful masterpiece in order to convey the true nature of curiosity and wonder that is the setting.

Music adds to a idea called the supra-reality, a state of psychological absorption that audience members experience when watching a film. Without music, the whole perspective is thrown off, leaving out a missing emotional aspect in a film. The opening scene to Jaws, contains one of the most iconic emotional music scores that make audiences feel on edge and linger onto the suspense that it brings.

4.  What printed source best supports your answer?

A:

Mills, Robert. "Colour and Storytelling in Films." Robert Mills. Chris Alwood, 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. < http://www.robertmills.me/colour-and-storytelling-in-films/>.

Fischoff, Stuart. "The Evolution of Music in Film and its Psychological Impact on Audiences." Calstatela. Cal State LA, 24 June. 2005. Web. 10 Sept. 2015. <http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/abloom/tvf454/5filmmusic.pdf>.

Hockrow, Ross. "Pacing for Video and Cinema Editors: Timing and Types of Cuts." PeachPit. Pearson Education, 22 Jul. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2233986>.

Rocket Jump Film School. "Editing: Creating the "OH F**K" Moment. Online Video Clip. YouTube. 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IvhlF2wobo>.

5.  Tie this together with a concluding thought.

A: Editing is one of the most essential key aspects in a film. Editors are the ones that ultimately stitch together the random clips into the sequence of the story, letting moving images evolve into an epic.

Blog 12 - Holiday Project Update

"There's got to be something you want to tell and that's the engine which spurs all of the work you have to do in order to create the story, but you have to love some sort of nugget of what you're telling to be a filmmaker." - Bradley Cooper

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

A: Over the Holiday Break, I was hard at work with my senior project. I was able to catch-up on past research checks as well as conduct some mentorship hours with my mentor Marc Estrada. We discussed some production concepts and he showed me the beginning stages of the Pre-production process of a film project. He even gave me a task to create a “fake casting call” for one of my old works in order to analyze character parts and actor qualities.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

A: I think the most important thing I learned was the major differences in how you can tell between the look of an amateur filmmaker and a professional was two concepts: proper use of aperture and proper use of spacing. I discovered this in a discussion I had with my mentor. We analyzed a couple of clips from Martin Scorsese's film, Wolf of Wall Street, regarding the subtle uses of lighting techniques and aperture use. We then looked at some grainy test shots usually shot closer to darker circumstances and told me the reason the two shots look so different. When you can effectively use aperture and determine how much light the camera receives through the camera, you can make the shot look in a higher level of aesthetics.

3.  Your third interview will be a 10 question interview related to possible answers for your EQ. Who do you plan to talk to and why?

A: I plan on talking to an independent film production crew based in the Los Angeles area. I have already sent out some interview requests via email to these groups so hopefully they respond. I do understand that it may be a bit of a stretch but if that falls out, then I can interview one of our close family friends that graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and works for Sony Pictures. I plan on talking to these people if possible because of how their experience in storytelling abilities could potentially provide insight into the effective ways to psychologically communicate through cinema.

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

It's all just a matter of following your passion and finding the joy in what you do, whatever it may be.

1. What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

• A: I believe the presentations that were most helpful for me to have viewed were the ones done by Andrew Morris, Brandon Le, and Desiree Zarate.

• Andrew Morris (Film Directing):For Andrew's presentation, not only did I thoroughly enjoy his presentation, but was very much astonished at the creativity of his presentation format. Andrew strayed away from the typical "cookie-cutter" presentation style by using the format of an awards show like the Oscars. He used "nominees" to explain his answers and provide background information to win the category of his Essential Question. Upon finally revealing to us his best fit answer to his EQ, he explained why he chose it in the form of an acceptance speech. I learned from him that Senior Presentations doesn't necessarily have to be just a presentation, but a creative experience for the audience to both learn from and enjoy.

• Brandon Le (Film Editing): For Brandon, I really liked his final activity in which the class participated in to apply the acquired knowledge that was attained over the course of the presentation. Brandon's activity was to view a video project he had made that was riddled with editing errors and purposefully set mistakes. It was then up to his audience to pay close attention to find these errors and then present them to the class. Since the videos themselves were highly entertaining and very-well executed, the audience was engaged throughout the course of the activity. With this, it shows that by having a well-prepared activity for the audience can influence the level of enthusiasm and engagement of the people carrying out the task.

• Desiree Zarate (Culinary Arts):To be honest, by signing up for Desiree's I was a bit skeptical, because Culinary Arts wasn't ever a topic I was intrigued by. However, walking into the classroom, I was completely surprised to find that the environment was set up like a restaurant. Her presentation itself was very enjoyable and was completely engaging. There was so much I had learned about all the preparation that goes into a single meal from sitting there for only an hour, and I'd have to say that I was very happy to have signed up. Desiree's spirits were so high and was very excited to share her knowledge andexperiences she had gotten from her mentorship. With her enthusiasm, the presentation itself felt more like a personally put on seminar rather than an assigned project. I found that with good tone, you can help boost the audience's interest of a subject he/she isn't even that intrigued about.

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

• A: One very valuable piece of information I received upon interviewing the seniors about the projects, were to keep persevering when searching for a mentor. Typically, I'm one to accept when "No is no" and won't really move on from there. From the advice given, I just need to learn to thank them for their time, and go on the search once more.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

• A: The topic I am considering to do for my Senior Presentation is Filmmaking. The creation and craftsmanship of a film was always interesting to me ever since I was appointed the position of "camera-recorder person" by my family at events and gatherings like Birthday parties. I also feel like with film, that there is never a shortage of information to learn. Everyday people come out with different techniques, different stories, and different experiences to share. I believe that no can ever possibly learn everything there is to know about movie making and that there's always room for more potential to grow. In addition, filmmaking is my true passion and what I want to pursue in the future as a career.

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

• A: How can a filmmaker best maximize the affective domain of the audience's viewership experience?

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

• Currently, I am searching for a summer mentor. If possible, I have a couple friends who have siblings in the film industry as well as family members that have connections that I can potentially ask for mentorship from. Additionally, I was thinking about enrolling in some summer film courses and entering a film festival in order to expand my knowledge of this topic.