Climax and Turning point...... for fight club.

The 1st act turning point for fight club was when Jacks and Tyler start fighting people outside of the bar. This sets up the main idea of Fight Club which the rest of the story will be revolving around.

The climax of this movie is probably located around the time that tyler dissapears and jack goes on a which hunt to find him.

Peter Pan

Peter Pans turing point is when Wendy and her brothers discover Peter Pan and hear all the great things about him and Neverland. The climax is when they leave to Neverland and parents dont know where their kids are, and they get held captive me Captain Hook.

Grind kayleen

The main conflict in Grinds first scene is when Eric Rivers Decideds he wants to be a pro skateboarder and he wants to follow his idol's and get sponsored. so in the beginging he announces his idea to the group. They don't take it to well but then they all decided to go for it so they have to figure out whos going, what money their going to use, and transportation.

Twilight

In the movie Twilight at the end of Act I, the turning point is when Bella discovers that Edward is a vampire. The main climax of the movie starts in the scene where they are playing baseball, and they meet James and Victoria. At the end of this scene they are trying to leave as soon as they can to get away from James. The climax peaks when Bella ends up meeting up with James trying to save her mother. <3> -Steph

Check this out

Apple has a Insomnia Film Festival contest for students to enter. They have some really great prizes. It's worth looking into and seems like it would be a lot of fun. You've got 24 hours to make a film with a group of up to 5. Only requirement is that to enter you must be a student, no entry fees either.

http://www.apple.com/education/insomnia/?sr=hotnews

Special Effects Supervisor

Joss Williams was the special-effects supervisor for the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The director Tim Burton gave him one task ,which was to make the shots look 'edible' or 'yummy'. And completed his task. Joss Williams has worked on about 39 fils including The Bourne Ultinatum, Sweeney Todd, Troy, Sleepy Hollow, and Black Beauty.

Geoff Hubbard

Geoff Hubbard has been an Art director for a lot of movies, and he has also worked in the art department for many more. He was the art director in Transformers, National Treasure, Inspector Gadget, and many others. Also in, Raising Helen, Live Free or Die Hard, Pearl Harbor, and many more he worked in the Art department. If you have ever seen any of these movies you would know that especially some of these take a lot of creativity and work. Especially movies that aren't all set in modern day life take a great deal of creativity and hard work and I believe that Geoff Hubbard has done a very good job with these. Peace <3 -Steph

Sally Menke is a amazing editor i love her work especially in the kill bill volumes because of how the transitions of the clips just flow together, and how she does very creative things in the films like when it tells the story of Oren - ishii.  It starts out as normal people then it goes to the start of her life in Anime,  very elaborate Anime.  I also like how she made all the fighting scenes very realistic, for instance when Kiddo snatches out Elle's eye.  Also before that when they are in their fighting stances getting ready to fight,  when Kiddo moves her blade the light reflection on the blade moves down the whole blade.   Another movie she is good in is pulp fiction, witch i didn't even know she did this movie, but the same with the kill bills.  In pulp fiction she the clips flow together beautifully and the scene where Bruce Willis is going through all those weapons to find the samurai sword, after that when he cuts through all those people it was gory and very bloody.  She made the blood more noticeable and made the cutting abstract of the people.  Also when Vinge Rhames was getting but rapped she made it when people watched that very sick and in a ewe mode.

Film Editor

One of my favorite assistant movie editors is Tom Elkins. He has worked on numerous films such as Red Eye, White Noise 2, Wanted, and The Da Vin chi Code. Last February I had the opportunity to meet him at a script writing conference. He said he had started his career by making a spoof of a Pizza Hut commercial while he was employed there. One of my favorite scenes he had talked about was in White Noise 2 how in one shot the main charachter is wearing a pair of clothes. And in the next shot he is wearing a different pair and no one ever noticed. Also in Red Eye I enjoyed the fast paced camera work at parts and how it was edited and put together in a good understandable sequence.

This is for sparta!!!!!! Nick.

Art Designer: Frédéric Amblard
Sound Designer: Sarah Bourgeois
Cinematographer: Larry Fong
Editor: William Hoy

The name of the film is 300. The movie begins in Sparta and ends with King Leonidas and an army of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae. The men are fairly triumphant for the most part even though they all are killed in the end.

The movie is truly a magnificent piece of Film making. The film was shot in order from beginning to end.

"Post-production was handled by Montreal's Meteor Studios and Hybride Technologies filled in the bluescreen footage with more than 1500 visual effects shots. Visual effects supervisor Chris Watts and production designer Jim Bissell created a process dubbed "The Crush,"^[12] which allowed the Meteor artists to manipulate the colors by increasing the contrast of light and dark. Certain sequences were desaturated and tinted to establish different moods. Ghislain St-Pierre, who led the team of artists, described the effect: "Everything looks realistic, but it has a kind of a gritty illustrative feel."^[12][19] Various computer programs, including Maya, RenderMan and RealFlow, were used to create the "spraying blood."^[20] The post-production lasted for a year and was handled by a total of ten special effects companies.^[21]"

The film truly captures the viewers attention with its visual effects and the intense action feel.

Film Streams Film Club: Extra Credit Opportunity!

Film Streams High School Film Club

What is it?
Film Streams' High School Film Club is a way for high school students in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area to (1) enjoy the best new American independent films, foreign films, and documentaries made throughout the world, (2) experience repertory selections from throughout the history of cinema, and (3) critically engage the medium through guided discussions about art, subjectivity, and culture.

How it works
FREE admission to all high school students with valid ID.
Teachers: Bring five or more students and receive free admission plus a complimentary movie pass.

Upcoming events…

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 4pm
Trouble the Water 2008
RSVP by Oct. 10 to rachel@filmstreams.org.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 4pm
Dr. Strangelove 1964
Part of the Great Directors: Kubrick series (Nov 1 – Dec 11)
RSVP by Nov. 1 to rachel@filmstreams.org.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
At the Ruth Sokolof Theater, 14th & Webster Streets, Omaha
www.filmstreams.org | 402.933.0259

Remember!

Bring your mini-DV tapes on Thursday for importing. We will be in the lab.

Also projects are due: October 15.

Documentary papers are due: October 9.

Free music for your films

The artist Moby has created music that he is offering as free, unlicensed, un-copyrighted music for filmmakers to use for their films. You might want to check it out and see if anything works for your project. Here's the link: http://www.mobygratis.com/film-music.html

this is a really cool picture it just pops out at you because of Marc's shirt it stands out from the background and it is cool how he is in the center and how the background is out of focus, its wired how his shirt has a pattern the draws your eyes to the background and to the colors of the background. The background moves your eyes around his head but when you reach his hat it stops you to look at it then it brings you to his face which is the clearest part of the picture, it almost distorts your eyes when you look at it because of the focusing

The amazingness

1) dont stare at it too intensely because your eyes will strain and it wont work
just look at the middle of the screen and do what it says
2) Dont do drugs you can see crazy weird shit without them
3) okay, you can do drugs.. but only if they're really really good ones.
4) jk just watch and enjoy

Take a Hike video

Since you all seemed interested, here's a music video I directed a little while ago for the local band Thunder Power :


"Take a Hike" Thunder Power from Lindsay Trapnell on Vimeo.

The sweetest video

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=31850352

picture

I'm not really sure how to explain this picture or if the picture showed up so I did this to the best of my ability. I'm not good with sites I'm not use to. Sorry.

hmm...

So this is interesting... Its a pic of myself... and yes. Its not very saturated but it has a low contrast and a color tone that i found quite nice.

Picture assignment...//

Okay so this is just a picture that my friend took last year and I edited. So this picture has low saturation and a higher contrast. And that's about it. I'm really excited to get working on the video project tomorrow. Peace. -Steph

I took this class cause i know I' am either going to do this or something with art or skating because i have been skating for 7 years and in-lining maybe 5 to six years and I' m very creative with things so im going to be really good with this class

this one is color saturation because of all the colors are bright bold and noticeable

This picture is from the movie fught club its at the very end as the buildings aroudn them are blowing up. They are seperated by a horizontal line placing them both in seperate pains of glass. One of my favorite things about this movie is how dark and gritty looking it is.

hello

woot.. from nick afro

okay ladies. and christian. joe. and ryan.

i made this video a few years ago..
i didn't film it all but i did put it all together.

Roar I'm a Mof'n gangsta (=

I joined this class to see whether a job in film making was really what i wanted to do. I've been skating for nearly 4 years now and I love it. I have made a lot of small skate videos, but they lack a lot of editing structure and actual creative vision. So basically i really want to improve on my editing and adding structure to it.....

BUT WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE BLOGGING!


nIcK AfRo

Hmmm...

Okay, So my reason for taking this class is to learn about the art of cinematography, Because right now I'm trying to decide whether I would like to spend the rest of my life doing photography or making videos. Also of course I'm here for the free college credits... pretty nice incintive. So I hope the class goes well. Goodnight. PEACE <3 -Steph

oooh first to post i see!!

Well I just want everyone to know that i want to be a skate photographer and travel and this class will deff teach me a whole lot about pretty much everything, so i am ready to give it my all and get started and start learning!!

Paper topics

Remember to have a paper topic ready to bring to class on Monday. It would be great if you could actually write it down on a piece of paper or type it out, that way you can hand it to me. Remember to try and be as specific as you can and if you don't know how to narrow it down, write some things that you're interested in that are related to the film(s), genre, or topic that you are thinking of writing about on that same piece of paper.

Also, if you know of any sources you might use for the paper, write those down too.

The Auteur Theory

I believe in the autuer theory in some instances. I think that the closest to auteur's are the Coen Brothers and maybe that's because I've seen a lot of theirs lately, but when looking at the credits no team does more. The two work together as producers, writers, editors, and directors. I can't see that so with director's like Hitchcock or even Tarantino who I highly respect. My main reason for seeing them as higher up on the auteur food chain is the fact that they edit their films. I think when one writes, directs and finally edits total control is given. Lets face it a film can change a lot when it goes into the editing room and I've heard of a lot of directors not liking the final cuts. Now thats not the case for the Coen's, you'll never see a Director's Cut of Fargo, because they were able to stick to their vision. However, with all the power directors like Coen's have with out a tour de force of hard working individuals on set within all areas of film, a truly dramatic film can not be created. I believe in the theory, but at the same time see some things contradicting themselves. All I know is if ever I write a script and Hollywood wants to make it into a feature, I'm gonna need a lot of strength to let go and let a studio destroy my original vision. So, yes there are people on the side working in a lot of areas, but overall if the director has stuck to his original vision in writing and story than I believe the theory works.

Ben's Auteur Post

The Auteur Theory makes sense to me in that the director’s personal feelings as well as artistic style shows through the films that he/she creates, but I don’t think that I would say that they are the true authors. They don’t make up every part in the production nor do they create the characters, this is done by the production crew, and the actors. On the other hand, I would say that each director does add their own personal touch to every film that they make, and some directors touch more than others do, such as Guillermo Del Toro or Quentin Tarantino.

Notes on the Auteur Theory

I'm not sure I can believe that a director can be the only author of a film. I do believe that directors usually have stylistic ways of making their films, and I also believe that a film can reflect what the director thinks and feels. But what about the production crew or the screenwriter or even the actors? Don't they contribute their own interpretations and style to the film? For example, Tim Burton has a very strange, distinct flare to all of his films; he is constantly using Johnny Depp to act in his films because he also possesses a very distinct style of acting. Also, the director could not be the main author of a film if he/she doesn't even understand the technical aspect of film. They would rely heavily on others to make and interpret the film.
I find many similarities between making a film and owning a small business. My parents could be called the "directors" of the pumpkin patch. It is what they have put into the business that makes it what it is today; however, they are not the sole contributors to the pumpkin patch. They gather ideas all over the place: from family, employees, and other pumpkin patch-owning people. Then they put there ideas into production. In this way, a business can be a lot like a film. Just because a film has a certain style or theme that the director is tied to, it does not make that director the sole author of the film.

Carissa's Post on the Auteur Theory

I find the auteur theory to be very interesting. In the esssay by Andrew Sarris it had a paragraph that I think describes the auteur theory. This paragraph talked about how the director gives characteristics of style, which serves as his/her signature. This in return reflects how the film looks and moves which is related to how the director thinks and feels.
Another interesting concept mentioned in the essay was how directors in today's time don't need to know much about the technical side of filming. As long as they have a great production crew that can cover up their lack of knowledge/experience. This struck me because it shows that the more experience you have in your area of field, the better equipted you will be to handle anything that comes your way!
The auteur theory emphasizes the director's overall work...on set, behind the scenes, and his/her impact on the movie. What directors put into their projects and how they use their own personal style to create their movies determine who the author really is.

Short essay papers...

are due tomorrow!

Fort Omaha Film Conference

I have mentioned this in class, but the deadline for Metro's Fort Omaha Film Conference is approaching. Films must be submitted by April 15th.

For more details, go here, and for further details click on the link on that page that says 2008 Call For Films.

You can just hand stuff in to me too, just make sure you get it in by April 15 (which is a Tuesday, so April 14th).

Also, remember that 2 film journals are due on Monday.

Have a good weekend!

Important dates to remember

Monday, April 7: Two film journal entries are due. These are to be 1-2 typed pages, single spaced, 12 point font size. Please put your name, journal entry # and the film title at the top right or left of the page. Each journal entry is worth 25 points.

Wednesday, April 9: No class.

Monday, April 14: Short paper due. This paper should be 3-4 typed pages, single spaced, 12 point font size. This should be in the form of an essay, so I would advise having a clear thesis statement that you then back up in your well organized paragraphs, and a conclusion. The essay should be a response to one of the topics that I handed out, or one that I have received in writing and pre-approved. This paper is worth 50 points.

Wednesday, April 16: Midterm exam. I will either give out a study guide or I will give you the opportunity to review any concepts/clarify anything that you don't understand. Most of what will be on the exam will come from the book and the in-class lectures. The midterm is worth 60 points.

Please write these down and remember these dates! I will try to remind you again in class, but it is imperative (especially at the college level) that you pay attention and keep track of dates and assignments.

Pat's Paragraph

I read the first of Dede Allen's interview and found it rather fascinating. I think she is a strong woman in the film world and shows that not only the men run the industry. Her career represents that with ease from her work with editing on some of my favorite pictures such as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, and Bonnie and Clyde. Then she has experience within the heavy hitting studio system that is Warner Bros. I found the interview mainly focusing on Dede's view of how it was back in the day now and here in the present. I don't know first hand how editing was back then, but with her words it seemed like a more personal career, and less of you and a computer. She states there was more freedom and less of the studios leaning over your shoulder watching your every move. For how is one to edit and make the picture good with that kind of pressure. She seems to be a great advocate of the Golden Age and one of those who slipped through the cracks without being destroyed by to much succcess, like many were. I admire her for her work in the film industry and makes me more interested in the job that is editing, it seems very difficult, but you come across ways to make it your own which makes it so fascinating. I appreciated the quote that was bolded, that stated how the actors were getting well paid and the money was taking from the artistry that is cinema. This woman has had quite a career and now that I know what film's she has worked on, I might just have to find the others I hadn't heard of before.

More Bonnie and Clyde

The director crafted a film that would pull audiences in with humor and flirtation, then slap them back with violence. "That," Penn said, "is how the real world has always operated. It was vital to me that the film be a new American gothic. . . . The movie was released into a world where kids were burning draft cards and feeling beset by their own government. We rang a big bell with this film. A very big social bell. We had no idea how it would reverberate around the world."

Above is an excerpt from a recent L.A. Times "Remembering Bonnie and Clyde", written by Geoff Boucher, who revisited the film with director Arthur Penn and Warren Beatty, Estelle Parsons and Gene Hackman.

Kelsey's Paragraph

I read the part II of the interview with Dede Allen. At first, Dede starts to talk about editing as an art form where you tell a story with shots instead of writing it down. I thought this was interesting, because I never really thought of editing like that. I particularly liked the Michelangelo quote that Mia Goldman used: 'To make the David, I cut away everything that wasn’t the David.’ I think this really can apply to editing as they cut away pieces of the movie that don't fit. Dede then explains the drama that can be caused in the workplace involving editors. She says that editors and directors need to respect and trust each other. They both need to be open to new ideas, because the way a director might look at the film and the way an editor might look at the film can be completely different. Not only that, but editors need to work together without personal problems with each other. Dede stresses that, "Crewing a cutting room is like casting a film. You want to make sure that everyone works well together because you don’t want to burden the director with psychological problems or an unhappy work environment." She also talks about how the digital revolution has impacted the job of an editor. Editors generally get less time with assistants to help them learn along with the editing process. Also, the expectations of directors has gone up. They expect immediate fluidity to the scenes. It sounds like Dede Allen really likes her job as an editor. She understands that editing requires collaboration and a positive attitude.

Carissa's Post

I enjoyed the interview with Dede. She has so much wisdom about films and film editing. She has an impressive film career. Her personal experience with the old way of editing and digital editing was interesting to me. When the interviwer asked her what inspiring editors should do. She said to watch plays. I like the thought of that. When you watch a play you see how it flows, the communication methods, and the complete three-act structure. Anyone can learn the new editing systems, but getting out there and gaining experience seemed to be her best advice.

Dede Allen blog assignment

Below I have posted some links to some interesting articles on Dede Allen, the editor of Bonnie and Clyde. The first two are links to an interview with Dede Allen. The interview is a bit long and is divided into 2 parts. You can get to Part 2 from the second link or from the bottom of part one, there is a connecting link, if you would like to read the whole interview. The third link is an overview of Allen's career, it also specifically addresses and analyzes her work in Bonnie and Clyde, and discusses the influence she has had on modern editing techniques.

I would like each of you to read at least one of these articles and then write a paragraph response to the reading. You may discuss something you found interesting from the article, something you learned about editing, you can write about Ms. Allen specifically, or you can discuss the editing of Bonnie and Clyde and your reactions to it. Please cite any quotes from the article or examples from the film when necessary. This will be worth 10 points, and must be posted by NOON on FRIDAY.

Dede Allen interview part 1.

Dede Allen interview part 2.

Analysis/info on Dede Allen and her work.

The making of The Graduate article

Here is that Vanity Fair article I mentioned in class on the making of The Graduate.

Good discussion on Wednesday, keep it up for the rest of the films!

Pat's Shot from The Graduate

In the shot I chose, Mr. Robinson and Ben are sitting down by the bar where originally Ben was "seduced" by Mrs. Robinson. The light on the two characters is very dark on Ben and shows a little light on Mr. Robinson. I think the lack of light on Ben shows the guilt that he holds right now seeing Mrs. Robinson nude and now he must sit with her husband for drinks. The pale light on Mr. Robinson is to show the symbolism of him being oblivious to the situation. While the two men talk Mrs. Robinson makes her way down the steps. This shot is perfect because she has a very strong stance and stands in the distance, but right in between the two men. This shows the connection between the two both seeing Mrs. Robinson nude, and the connection between the three as an intricate love triangle. The scene all together is very dark, because what has just happened is in fact dark itself. The only light shed is near Mrs. Robinson creating a glow on herself, who in reality thinks she has done nothing wrong. The acting adds a lot as well with Mr. Robinson who is acting very low key and then Ben who has a very stressed look on his face. Then there is the sensual Mrs. Robinson making her way down the hallway and holding utter confidence in herself. It's a great visual composition and the triangle creates a very strong literary and visual perspective.

My favorite scenes in the graduate

One of the interesting scenes in the movie, to my opinion, is the conversation between Ben and Mrs. Ronbinson. The way the camera angles on Ben's and Mrs. Ronbinson's face. The grassland between the two, as Ben looks across to her, showing a little confusion and fear. And for Mrs. Robinson's reaction to the conversation, she just smiled and continued talking calmly as need be. Taking an advantage over Ben. The lighting above helps display Ben's cold reaction as in to leave and Mrs. Robinson's brighter area seems to show that she's not afraid to show her true self.

In the shot, Ben and Elaine are seen sitting on the bus after escaping from the church. Elaine is looking at Ben and he is staring off into space. I think that it is very symbolic because although they are happy at the moment, they don't know what will happen down the road. It's almost as if Elaine made the wrong choice in picking Ben.

Carissa's Post

The scene I liked the most from "The Graduate" was when Ben was walking down the hall to the hotel room. The scene has a great depth of field with lots of dark shadows. Ben is slowly making his way down the long hallway. He is not in sharp focus and his form is a sillouette. I think the scene visually speaks for itself. Ben could turn around and run back down the hallway. He has a choice still. It seems that he is walking forever though. I also like that they have the door fairly shadowed, yet light enough so you can see the door number.

Ben's Choice from The Graduate

In the background, Benjamin is seen about to pound on the glass after seeing Elaine marry the other guy. Benjamin is in the very middle of the shot, while Mrs. Robinson is seen in the right third of the shot. He is much smaller in size comparison to Mrs. Robinson, and is also higher up in the shot compared to her. He is also wearing all white, while Mrs. Robinson is in all black... at her daughter's wedding. I believe that this in itself is telling more about the story than is seen at first glance. Because he seems so far away, it gives the feeling that their is no hope for him at all, but it doesn't seem that Mrs. Robinson is very happy either, considering she's in all black, but that's just my opinion.

The Graduate

There is a scene after Mrs. Robinson and Ben are talking in the bedroom. They had just had a fight about why Mrs. Robinson doesn't want Ben to ask out her daughter. At the end of their conversation, she makes Ben promise to not ask out Elaine. In the shot, Mrs. Robinson is on one side of the bed slowly taking off her stockings. Ben is in the corner slowly taking off his tie. There seems to be a stiffness in the way each character is acting now. I like this shot because the two are separated with the bed in between them. I believe this is important because it ends up being the last time they are together, and I think the shot shows how they are now separated.

Room change

We're in Room 131 tomorrow, and hopefully for the rest of the quarter.

We are in Room 103...

From 1-3:20. See you there!

The Last Detail

The Last Detail is a film I watched awhile back, but I wanted to post on the blog about it. I really enjoyed this movie. It isn't neccesarily on my Top 10 Movies list, but it is a good movie for it is. It's a story of two men who have to take a man who stole from a fundraising fund to a prison. The movie basically revolves around this simple story. The story really doesn't give you a lot to work with, but when a story has a few out there characters, something very different is formed. Those characters are Billy "Bad Ass" Budusky and "Mule" Mulhall. The two characters are played by Jack Nicholson and Otis Young. Then there is the young prisoner played by Randy Quaid. All of these characters have very different personalities, from Budusky's take no crap and have a good time attitude, to Mule's tough exterior, who just needs a little fun in his life. Finally Quaid's character is a very frightened individual who just simply needs to lighten up. The real story is the breaking of this young man. At first Buddusky and Mule just see this as some stupid job, and I way to get out. However, they realize that there is something truly wrong with this young kid, and he needs to be broken. So, the three of them get into all sorts of trouble, from drinking to partying. There is an especially good scene with Nicholson at a bar, when they try and get the kid a drink, and then Mule who is black wants one too, but the bartender refuses. Nicholson is especially intense and at the top of his game at such a young age in this scene. The dialogue within the film is quick witted and snappy. The visuals are nothing to die for, but they are realistic and I believe that's what the director was looking for. The direction is well done, and with the great performance from the top actors it creates quite a show of mental and physical perseverance in the game that is life. I do recommend this film and I may rethink my thoughts of not putting it in my Top 10, because it certainly is one of Nicholson's best performances. Finally it is a great film because it was part of the new beginning of no censorship and an any thing goes attitude as long as its real, it is a visionary film to rival that of Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy in the 60s-70s generation.

Omaha Film Festival

So this past week I volunteered at the Omaha Film Festival. I would recommend volunteering to everyone! You have to work a minimum of ten hours, but then you get an all-access pass and a t-shirt. An all-access pass I think is worth at least $60 or $70. I'm not sure of the prices. An all-access pass gets you into all the movies and parties for free. I was really sad because I didn't get a chance to go to a party this year, but last year the parties were a blast!

So Monday was my first day of volunteering, and it was basically an "observation" night. That meant that I just hung around for a couple hours, and then I got to watch the special screening of the movie Sleepwalking. This was an okay movie. It was a bit depressing, and the main guy was a lazy bum. I also volunteered Saturday and saw the Nebraska shorts, The Living Wake, and Strongest Ever.

For the Neb shorts some were strange, some were boring, and some were really good. You never know what you're going to get. They were all totally different.

The Strongest Ever was a good film and won best documentary, but I'm pretty sure it was rigged because everyone in the audience knew the people who made it. Oh well. This was just a movie about a woman body builder and how she took steroids and got in fights with her boyfriend. Last years documentary was better, I think.

The Living Wake was such a great movie! It was unlike any independent film I've ever seen. That's probably why I liked it so much. And the main character reminded me of Conan O'Brien. It's a really funny and bizarre movie about a man who finds out exactly when he is going to die, and so he makes a list of things to do (which kind of blow up in his face) and invites everyone to his wake. I hope that maybe I will be able to find it on dvd someday. One of the producers was there. He said that they were trying to make the film so that no one could really tell what time period it was in.

So I recommend that everyone volunteers for the festival next year (if you are around) or submit a film of your own.

Write! Final writing reminders.

Just a reminder that your final, complete step outlines for the entire feature and your completed first act of your screenplay are due on THURSDAY.

I have gone over all of this in class, but to remind you, these are my expectations and some suggestions:

1. Both your outline and your first act should be typed and in proper screenplay format. I also suggest that you read through it for typos and grammatical errors. You WILL be graded on format and grammar. Remember to include scene headings in your outline and format them just as they are in your screenplay.

2. I expect both to be in completed, final draft form. Your outline should have approximately 60 scenes. As we have talked about in class, generally first and third acts have about 15 and second acts about 30. You do not need to have exactly this number, of course, but know that you should be around these numbers. As for the first act, it should be around 20-30 pages, give or take a few.

3. Keep your screenplay in PRESENT tense.

4. Only write what you can SEE or HEAR. Be visual. You're telling a story through images and sounds.

5. Remember to capitalize characters when they are introduced and sounds.

None of this should come as a surprise. This is all stuff I have gone over in class, but your final outline and first act are a large portion of your grade, and I want you to be fully aware of all of the above. If you have any questions on any of this, please ask, otherwise I will assume you understand.

So keep writing and working!

Juno

first of all sorry for the procrastination Ms. T. The turning point of the first act in the film Juno would be when Juno decides to give her baby up for adoption. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I suggest you do, its different in the fact that they give you some blatantly obvious clues about a certain affair, but they never come out and say in black and white that it was actually happening. This is something that i've never really seen or noticed in a movie, to that extent at least.

Mrs. Doubtfire

well finally got onine and as i sad in class i watched mrs. doubtfire
I figured the turning point was when robin williams character "becomes" a woman when his brother makes him up
oh another easy turning point i just realized in cloverfield is when there is an unknown explosion in new york

Legally Blonde

I watched Legally Blonde. I think that the first act turning point for this movie is when the main character, a leader of a sorority, is accepted into Harvard and then actually goes in order to win back the man of her dreams. She was basically the stereotypical dumb blond girl that was into fashion and boys, but then her boyfriend dumps her because she isn't smart enough for him. He then goes to Harvard, so she decides that the only way to get him back is to go there too. She gets accepted, and then is thrown into this world of people that aren't like her at all and it is her story in this entirely different and new place.

my pick

for my movie, I picked American History X. I think that the first act turning point is when Derek is sent to jail for killing the black guys who tried to take his truck. I think it really sets off all of the events in the movie from this point.

Carissa's Post

I watched Knight's Tale last night! The first major conflict begins when a peasant William Thatcher finds out his master died of his wounds during a jousting tournament. In a last minute decision he decides to finish his dead master's tournament. William wins the tourney and he is trying to convince his other squire friends to let him continue jousting. If he continues winning they will become rich and famous. Willaim and his friends combine their tourney winnings and decide to keep competing. There is a montage when he trains in the woods to get ready for the next major jousting tournament. The first act ends after this funny montage. The second act offically begins in a scene where the trio starts their journey to their first offical tourney. The climax really picks up then. Will he win any more tournaments? Will people find out that he isn't royalty? This is such a good movie!!!

Okay. I am going to pick Titanic. I love that movie.
I would say that the end of the first act would be when Jack saves Rose from jumping off the back of the ship. This is the moment when they first meet. After this, Rose and Jack start to grow closer, and Rose seems to be more free-spirited around him.

Omaha Film Festival

The Omaha Film Festival is coming up, it runs February 16-24. You can go on the site and click on the Films tab to check out the films in the festival. My short film, Hump, will be in it. It's screening as part of the Nebraska Shorts block.

This year, they are having a Filmmaking/Screenwriting Conference that will be at Creighton University Hixson-Lied Science Building on February 16 & 17. They will be screening "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" on February 17, at 7:30pm which will be held at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Writer/Director Shane Black (other screenwriting credits include Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout) will be in attendance and will do a Q&A after the screening.

February 18-24 are the film screenings at the Westwood Cinema. I will probably write another blog post reminder, but mark your calendars now.

Also, if you're interested, they are accepting volunteers.

Multiple named characters

Pat and Matthew (and anyone else who may have multiple names for characters), you should read this.

Standing offer

10 points of extra credit for anyone who goes to see a movie at Film Streams. Just bring in your movie stub.

They have an upcoming Hitchcock series, starting February 8th and playing a variety of Hitchcock films through March 27th. Playing now is The Savages, which I thought was great. It's tragically and depressingly realistic and features great performances by Laura Linney and Philip Seymour-Hoffman as well as a great score by Stephen Trask. Tamara Jenkins was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Linney was nominated as well for her role.

Other upcoming award nominated films include The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (opening January 25th) and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (opening March 14th). They are also showing the 2007 Academy Award nominated short films from February 15-21. Those films are pretty hard to see unless you live in L.A. or N.Y., so take advantage.

Also, in case you haven't heard yet, the Oscar nominations were announced. Look forward to a class Oscar pool. The ceremony is broadcast February 24th.

Writing Workshop tomorrow

Just a reminder to bring in any work that you want to read in class, get feedback from, turn in, etc. Also bring in anything you need to work on your scripts tomorrow.

You guys are doing a great job of moving forward with your stories and changing and evolving ideas into more concrete plots and characters. Keep working at it, and remember: the more feedback and constructive criticism you can give to your fellow classmates, the better their scripts will be.

Finally...

I am just here to say I have finally (after 2 hours of pure brainstorming) created my ultimate story involving my title character's Nolan Cument (Bubble Gum Chewer), Marvin Tod (The Classic), and Detective Michael Regan. With these chracters I have created, what I believe to be a compelling mystery story with new twists without becoming cliche. I just thought I'd let everyone know that it is possible to escape writers block, and maybe that thing is just thinking more into the conflicts rather than the characters, much like Lindsay has been saying. I hope tomorrow everyone is as impressed as my friend (co-story creator) and I were with our compelling story.

Thanks for the time and sorry I just had to write that, I'm so happy to know exactly where I'm going.

Untitled

First of all, I would just like to say that I just found out that Heath Ledger died in case you didn't know. Some of my friends were really upset about that.

Also, I wanted to recommend the movie P.S. I Love You to Carissa. I already told her that this movie reminded me of her script a bit. Basically, there is a short scene with the husband in the beginning and within the first 10 minutes he dies. Then the wife has to cope with his death for the rest of the movie. I actually think I like Carissa's plot better though. In P.S. I Love You the audience doesn't really like the husband by the time he dies. I also didn't like the ending very much.

Software

I'm just curious: who has downloaded the free demo for either Final Draft or Scrivener?

What do you think?

Reminders

1) No school on Monday!

2) Write!

3) Get your work in on time!

4) Have a good weekend!

(That last one is optional).

Suggestions

These are the ones that we have talked about so far in class. If anyone thinks of more, please add to this list. And if you see one of your recommendations (which I recommend), please post a blog entry about it (possibilities to write about include: what you thought about the film, if it helped you in anyway, what it made clear to you, how it related, what you didn't like, etc.)

Ben: Bottle Rocket
Justin: Lucky You
Pat: Shadow of a Doubt
Kelsey: Elephant
Carissa: When Harry Met Sally

Let's think of some coming of age movies for Jordan (maybe My Life As a Dog by Lasse Hallstrom?) and some for Matthew that aren't necessarily comic or superhero based. For Matthew let's think of movies where a main character has a crisis of confidence and lack of pride...this could also work for Justin's film too. Think not just about films that relate in plot, but also with themes and character conflicts or objectives.

Carissa's Idea

I don't have any movie ideas for anybody, but I have a suggestion for a book Kelsey could read. It's called "She Said Yes." It's the story of one of the girls that was shot at Columbine. The girl's mother wrote it for her acouple years ago. It's a very touching story. I know you would like it!

Video Competition

Go here to check out a video competition for Skills USA, an organization that I will talk a bit about in class. Maybe this is something we can plan to do as a group in the video class. Entries are due February 15.

Please read the contest rules and forms to get a better idea of the contest.