Unit 2 Blog

Having the background knowledge I now have from taking Art of Film makes some movies take on a new twist. While I might dislike them as a common viewer, I have to give the creators credit for doing some of the "behind the scenes" elements. This predicament came true two weeks ago when I saw Max Payne. Although I almost hated it as a "common" viewer, I couldn't help but notice the elements of film used.
The movie starts off in the future, then plays like an explanation flashback. It follows the life of Max Payne, a police detective. He gets caught up in a drug war of sorts, then finally wraps up the main conflict (I won't go into more detail because I don't want to spoil the film for anyone crazy enough to pay money to see it). The plot and characters are build up in a way that is unappealing and leaves the viewer questioning motives. Also, many scenes of the plot don't make sense at the time (or ever!). This creates a film that is not enjoyable to watch.
Although the film does have a sub-par plot, it does do well in other fields such as special effects and camera movement. The special effects, especially scenes with the "Valkyries" are epic in comparison to the rest of the film. Also, the camera movement "saves" many scenes in the movie from being complete disasters. One prominent example of this is when Max confronts a drug user who is seemingly being pulled out of a window, even though no one is behind him. The camera tracks to his left, going out another window and shows a Valkyrie tugging him out the window. Although the actual content of the scene is sketchy at best, I have no complaints as to the way it's presented.
Overall, I believe that taking Art of Film has boosted my movie-going in that I gain a deeper appreciation for the subtle aspects of the film, but it has also ruined it in a way. It has taken the naive part of me that can simply agree with my friends that say a movie sucked and replaced it with a part that wants to look beyond simply the normal parts of a film and analyze the deeper meaning.

Unit 1 Blog

Since learning about the many techniques used in film from the PowerPoint, I have seen movies in a different light. I see past the obvious and dive into the subtleties of the film. This past weekend I watched "The Professional", a French movie that is dubbed English. I got more out of the movie because I though about the different techniques being used.
The main character (Leon) is a hit man that lives by himself in an apartment. Usually, he is shot with a low-angle shot, creating an aura of power about him. One striking example from the movie was when his neighbor, a little girl (Matilda), is knocking on his door to let her in (her family was murdered and the murderers were still outside her house). The camera cut back and forth from the girl to the hit man, always showing the hit man from a low-angle and the girl from a high-angle. Although I didn't notice it at first, these angle changes made me feel the roles the two characters took even stronger than a normal viewer would (anybody could tell the balance of power). The music of the movie plays to the mood. In the beginning, it is serious (just as our main character is). Later, it becomes softer and more mellow (as he "adopts" the girl and teaches her to be a hit man).
The end of the movie (I won't reveal it) came as somewhat of a surprise. The director worked hard to make the cuts unclear and confusing. This editing work creates a feeling of suspense because you feel like something is going to happen, but you don't know for sure. Overall, my new knowledge of film techniques made viewing "The Professional" much more enjoyable and satisfying. Just knowing that the director did what he did on purpose gives a whole new light to this movie and many others