Mise en Scene

    Hello fellow bloggers! Today I'm excited to dive into an analysis of one of my favorite films by exploring its mise en scene elements. You might be asking yourself, "What exactly is mise-en-scene?" I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first as well. This French term translates to "put in the scene," basically saying everything viewers see on the screen, from the setting to the actor's performances. So for today's blog post, I'm thrilled to focus on a great film that perfectly shows these concepts known as La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle. 

Lighting & Props:

    

    First and foremost, the lighting that's utilized in this film is essential for creating the musical masterpiece that is well known today! In these specific screenshots, the lighting here evokes a general mood of romance and focus as we see the character Sebastian in the spotlight of playing piano in the mind of all the love surrounding him when he himself is lonely. In the second screenshot, we can also see that Mia is in a moment of deep heartbreak as she looks at Sebastian, who plays the piano in the softly lit restaurant as seen in the first screenshot!

 Additionally, the piano symbolizes Sebastian’s love for jazz and his dedication to preserving its traditions. It serves as an important idea for his creativity and passion to pursue music, mainly opening his dream jazz club. The piano here also reflects his struggle to balance his arts and how successful he will be in the near future. For instance, in this scene shown above Mia first notices Sebastian when he plays the piano at a restaurant, even after being fired mid performance. This moment shows her curiosity about him that represents the piano literally with this special moment. 

Now that you have learned about the use of lighting in La La Land, the use of location is highly important to take in!

Location & Setting:

 

    Equally important to lighting, the locations and settings used in La La Land are genuinely an important aspect of making this film, as the broad area used in the background can help establish moods and emotions towards the characters. In these specific screenshots, the location and setting in this circumstance helps to evoke a romantic and sweet tone with the help of the vibrant purple sky in the background. In addition to the two following screenshots, we see how jaw dropping the beautiful landscape of Los Angeles is as seen by the characters Mia and Sebastian as they learn more about each other. These purple type backgrounds also help evoke a sense of love and attachment from one individual to another, which helps imply that the characters Mia and Sebastian are not alone and are experiencing true love. 

Thank you bloggers for reading my post about one of the greatest films in the entertainment industry!

Mood Board (Dune: Part Two)

 

    Greetings Bloggers! Today I've had the chance to create a mood board based off my movie analysis post I published a few weeks ago on the cinematic masterpiece Dune: Part Two! It was insanely fun to make a blog post on this, as I had the choice to search up all of the pictures that corresponds one of my favorite science fiction movies ever created! It gave me another open perspective to fully immerse myself in this world by learning more about its atmosphere and environment! And I might say the lore behind this world is  insane. Now without further ado, let's take a look at the mood board, shall we?

MOOD BOARD:

 As seen from the mood board, the Water of Life is an important aspect of the story of Dune.  It is derived from young sandworms and is pursued by the Fremen for its fortune telling properties, though it is important to note that it can be harmful to the untrained. This showcases the Fremen's connection to the natural world of Arrakis.

 Equally important to the Water of Life, the crysknife, crafted from sandworm teeth, is an important tool that illustrates the Fremen's deep respect for these majestic creatures and their reliance on them for survival. Where similarly in this scenario, the giant sandworms in the movie play an important role in the movie that shows this thing as a formidable challenge and a valuable resource at the same time because of the spice they produce.

In contrast to the Fremen’s environment, the Harkonnen atmosphere is also a place of what you could think of as exploitation where it has constant shadows and a sense of dread if you think about it.  Their surroundings are dark and filled with a sense of dread where this contrast shows the difference between the natural beauty of Arrakis and the Harkonnen's control. 

As seen on the mood board, the Harkonnen's build tall grey like metallic structures at the center of their territory. They aim to extract or produce resources from everything and everyone. For example, one of the antagonists known as Feyd-Rautha represents this with his frightening face and deadly weapons because of how well he fights people, showing how far the family will go to be aggressive. 

Thank you for reading my blog guys! See you on the flip side!

Sound Story Project Experience

   Hello Bloggers! I know it's been a long time since I've posted a blog, but I'm finally back and have a surprise! I made a scene based on only sounds, and to be honest, I'm heavily surprised with it. The process was actually relatively straightforward when it came to editing the project because I knew how to edit with iMovie's editing software, the app in which I used to make the story. The software was simple to assist my editing skills, considering it was easy to grasp the concept of utilizing the different tools on the app as well as use sound layering with the various types of audio provided on YouTube that I used, like the sound of heavy panting, thunder, rain, etc. This provided more ease towards doing the project, considering how the ambiance from these audios gives a better atmosphere. Without the audio given from YouTube, I would agree that the process of making the project would be challenging. One aspect, however, wasn't technically challenging. Still, it was an obstacle when editing, which was the impact of the audio created by my partner Justin, who initially made the sounds as if they were at ease but needed to be as if they were urgent.

    To begin with, the scene starts with a student snoring on one gloomy morning as you hear the faint noise of rain dropping down outside, followed by DING! The alarm goes off as the student wakes up in shock, saying, "I'm late!" They then sprint out of bed to go downstairs as their heartbeat gradually intensifies with heavier breathing, the loud creaks of the wooden floor, and thunder in the background singing. They're now sprinting downstairs in a hurry to go to the kitchen to eat breakfast and retrieve an apple, then sprint back upstairs to retrieve their backpack, and then go back downstairs and out the door. 

Some of these sound effects, however, weren't made from YouTube but by my partner Justin Ingleton, like the sound of the door opening and closing, and the refrigerator door opening and closing. The sounds of footsteps on the wooden floor and marble, made by me, were considerably easy to make using my shoes to make a stomping/stepping effect. Additionally, the creation of backpack sounds made also by me was also simple because I just shook my backpack to make a sudden ringing noise that is common. Now that I've shared my challenges and experiences in creating this project, I'm thrilled to present it to you! I hope you enjoy my Sound Project as much as I enjoyed creating it. 

(P.S. It would enhance your experience if you read the script as you follow along. This will give you a deeper understanding of the project 🤗) 

 I've also included a foley video, which shows how my partner Justin and I created the sound effects used in the project. I'm excited for you to see the behind-the-scenes process that brought this project to life!

Sound Project:

Script:

 SCENE STARTS 

-Subject snores loudly   

-Faint rain can be heard from outside 

 -Subject wakes up abruptly (stops snoring) and gasps as he hears an alarm 

 “(gasps in shock) I’m Late!” 

 -Subject rushes out of his bed  

-Subject opens the door  

-Subject sprints to the stairs  

(Heavy heartbeats are heard)  

-Thunder can be heard rumbling as he steps down the stairs 

-Subject pants heavily as he rushes downstairs  

 (Creaking of the wooden floor can be heard)  

-Subject runs downstairs  

(Heavy footsteps are heard) 

 -Subject rushes to the refrigerator 

(Rapid footstep marbling can be heard) 

 -Subject flicks the light switch 

 -Subject opens the fridge and gets an apple 

 (Sounds from the fridge opening can be heard) 

-Subject closes the refrigerator door  

-Subject eats the apple 

 (Squishing of the apples heard) 

-Subject flicks the light switch while their heart beats heavily  

-Subject runs back upstairs 

 (Wooden floor creaking is heard rapidly) 

 -Subject rushes to his room to get his backpack  

(Ringing of the backpack can be heard) 

 -Subject rushes back downstairs  

(Wooden floor creaks are heard rapidly) 

 (Footsteps on marble can be heard on the downstairs floor) 

 -Subject rushes out the door and then locks it

SCENE ENDS

Foley Video:

Movie Analysis

Hello bloggers! Today, I had the privilege of experiencing Denis Villeneuve's groundbreaking work in science fiction filmmaking, Dune: Part Two. As I reflect on this cinematic masterpiece, I am increasingly convinced that it stands as one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. I'm very eager to talk about the unique visual elements of this film, such as the breathtaking Extreme Wide Shots, Establishing Shots, Arc Shots, Two Shots, and High Angle Shots.

Now, let's take a moment to appreciate the brilliance of these scenic Establishing Shots. The first shot serves as a visual introduction to the location of the movie (Also introducing the sandy environment) surrounding the characters, highlighting the jaw dropping perspective of the desert. It gives the viewer a sense of the world around the Harkonnens as they seek the rest of the Atreide’s family tree. Now with the arrival of informational notes, it can support this idea by building ambience to create some type of aspect in which what’s to come in the future, and also to introduce new locations in general.

Let's explore the Two Shots in this film. Take for instance Chani and Paul talking in the desert. These shots add depth to the dialogue's various settings and allow us to fully appreciate the beauty of the landscapes that frame the characters. With the help of informational notes, the Two Shots assisted in the interactions between the two characters, which helped establish their further relationship. 

In this specific scene, many angles and shots capture the environment of a battle arena scene, but the use of high angle and arc shots really stands out the most in my opinion. The scene involves the remaining individuals of the Atreides house versus Feyd-Rautha who is determined to kill them. The use of high angle shots initially introduces this setting, evoking a sense of vulnerability and fear in the audience. As Feyd makes his last kill, the  arc shot significantly increases the tension, creating a more suspenseful atmosphere for the viewers. The help of informational notes can support this scene by enhancing the aspect of making the subject seem small in its initial shot, then seeing an arc shot to show more of the surroundings of Feyd and the final Atreides member. 

I believe this last specific camera shot made Dune: Part Two one of the most memorable and breathtaking movies in the entertainment industry, the Extreme Wide Shots. In the movie, the Extreme Wide Shots were heavily emphasized throughout the film to let the viewer grasp the various locations of the many planets provided. But precisely in the scene for the first screenshot, they highlighted the main subject in this battle, the worms, evoking a sense of shock and surprise. In the second screenshot, this circumstance emphasizes the environment surrounding the small individuals, realizing the unimportance they have compared to their surroundings

Thank you bloggers for taking the time to witness my analysis post on Dune: Part Two’s camera shots and angles throughout the film!

Camera Transitions

 Hello bloggers! Today I’ve learnt the many ways to create and edit camera transitions! I hope you all enjoy these, as I’ve spent some time on these! 

 For my first transition, I created a Fade which gradually cuts to darkness to introduce another shot. The process of how I made and edited this video was to be honest pretty simple and not hard whatsoever! I first recorded my dog lying on the bed then as the fade transition appeared I zoomed in on my dog to get a closer look. I chose to use the user-friendly app iMovie to edit this transition, providing a more whimsical approach in my humble opinion.

For my second transition, I created whats known as a Wipe that is a technique where the screen smoothly wipes from one shot to another! The process began with me moving the camera around my living room and as the wipe took place, I used another video to introduce a new location my kitchen. I relied on the editing software iMovie.

For my third and final transition, I developed an Invisible Cut, a transition that seems like one shot but actually it's cut between two videos! Creating this video was especially special compared to the wipe and fade. Personally, it gave me more opportunities to film at different locations making it more enjoyable for me and the reader! I first recorded the video underneath my living room couch to make this transition that way the camera will gradually go up to my second shot which actually appears to be in a different location a bedroom! I again relied on the editing software iMovie for this transition, assisting me in cutting the two videos into one.

Thank you bloggers for taking your time to look at my transitions!

Blog Critiques

 

Hello Bloggers! Earlier this week, I critiqued my fellow classmates, Christy Jiang and Zion Wint's camera angles shots! Trust me when I say this. They were unbelievable.

From what I saw, Christy's camera angles in her videos were truly amazing. Each angle/shot had showed to the viewer (aka me) a lot of creativity that honestly I wouldn't even think of! Each angle created made the video really engaging and in my opinion it created a lot of curiosity surrounding the subjects activities in it! Notably, the high angle shot that she made was my favorite where the angle showed the subject confused that evoked a kind of questionable mood. 

Now onto the focus of my classmate Zion, I really want to take the time and say that his videos were amazing also! Since I helped him create the shots, I want to also address that Zion's over the shoulder and high angle shots were great and honestly better than mine in my opinion! Each of his shots characterized super colorful backgrounds and the camera positioning (with my help) effectively showcased the subjects (me), that honestly created a very intriguing experience for the audience I believe! 

Camera Angles

 This shot can be mainly known as the Two Shot, in which shows emotional reactions and interaction between the subjects and can help establish the changing relationship between them. 

This shot can be known as the Establishing Shot, as it introduces a new location and has to build ambience in a way that it gives an idea of what’s to come.

The Low Angle shot's presented in the video below, in which it's purpose can be to make the character on screen to look menacing or heroic. 

This shots known as the Over the Shoulder shot, since the cameras positioned to be behind one character facing another and it helps showcase the relationship between the characters giving a sense of intimacy.

This shots known to be the Medium Shot, in which it allows viewers to pick up the subjects movements and gestures showing their face and bodies.