Chess Film Pre-Production: Day 2

 Chess Film: Day 2

Today was the second day of pre-production for the chess film. We got into our groups to review and finalize the script of the film. this helped us continue with the rest of our portfolio such as the storyboard, shot list, and sound statement. We then took time to review the rest of the portfolio to make sure everyone understood what it was asking for and what we needed to do. We had are ending date set as the end of the upcoming Sunday so that everyone had a clear time to finish their parts. We discussed what the general sounds of the film would be so that I could include them in the final cut, as well as what type of shots we would include for the shot.

I assisted in the creation of the casting report. I came up with some possible justifications we could include for any extra people we need and also helped gather some of the necessary contact information or availability of the people acting a part in the film. We also had demo on how to properly use the equipment and what it was capable of. I made sure to pay close attention just in case I had to fill in for the role or if the cinematographer had questions. 

I learned that organization was a crucial part for creating a film. Going over what we needed to do for our parts helped stay on track for our film's creation. It made sure everyone understood the work that was required of them so that it would all be done. Establishing a deadline helped us make sure it got done on time to not make us fall behind. Having proper organization also made it easier to finish other parts of the portfolio since some of it is connected and having one part done, such as the script, made it easier to create our shot list. It also allowed us to get started on what we would shoot on certain days and who would be the best fit to bring along as actors for the film. 

Chess Film Pre-Production: Day 1

 Chess Film: Day 1

Today was the first day of the pre-production of the chess film. We got in are groups and had to discuss what are main plan of action would be. We made sure everyone was reminded of what role they had. We began by seeing what each role was responsible for the portfolio we had to put together. I pointed out the fact that my role as editor did not have any work that was needed to be done yet so I would help out on anything if need be. We then began brainstorming concepts for the chess film. 

Initially we had an idea to create a sort of Coming-of-Age film. We had ideas to create straight cuts to show a difference in time and create a somber tone to it all. Then we did a 180. We realized that this was our first real film, and we had a strict time limit to fit, and we didn't have the bets equipment possible. We realized humor would best be captured with the limitations we had. So, we began brainstorming funny scenes we could put together like intense close ups on chess pieces or massive amount of sweat dripping down. From there we had a base for the script and potential people to fill in the roles.

I learned that you have to play to your strengths when it comes to film-making and make do with what is available to you. We had a time limit, we had no dialogue, we had a fairly decent camera, but a first time go at real cinematography.  You may have ambitions and dreams of what you want your film to be like, but if the final product will ultimately suffer due to your limitations, then it is best to find a new direction. My group did this, and we believe we can make a better product than what we could have with our initial idea. 

Chess Film Introduction

 Chess Film Introduction

My AICE Media Studies class is going to start our first ever productions in the form of chess films. We must use the game of chess in a meaningful way in a one-minute film with a beginning, middle, and end, and has no dialogue. My class was split into 6 groups of 4 students. 

We first began by assigning the roles of director, editor, sound designer, and cinematographer. We had someone who wanted to be the Director straight away and gave valid reasons as to why. I then volunteered to be the editor as I make sure to always make deadlines and I wanted to see if the role felt right for me for the final production. We had two roles left but had a missing member. The director then got into immediate contact with the missing member to get their input on what they wanted to be, and we got to properly assign the final two roles. We then quickly brainstormed possible ideas we had before the day was over.

I learned that communication is key to creating a film. My group had a missing member, but we were still able to assign everyone to a role and come up with ideas by communicating in person and through text. We were able to rationalize the role we wanted by making sure everyone knew why it would fit them the best. Also expressing ideas that came to our head helped inspire others to think a certain way or share their own ideas. It helped with building a sense of direction for the film. 

Structuralism – Claude Levi-Strauss (Blog Post 9)

Select TWO of the following clips and provide a paragraph EACH applying the Levi-Strauss theory of Structuralism to the clip. In each paragraph you must a) provide a sense of the purpose of the scene, b) provide a Structuralist interpretation of how meaning is created in the scene, and c) explain how one of the four potential functions of binary opposition (to clearly explain ideas, to create compelling narratives, to create identifiable character types, to create audience identification) specifically functions in the clip. Be sure to focus on specific elements of the clip, rather than the clip as a whole.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider verse:

a. Purpose of the scene was to show how Miles is just being introduced to what being Spider-Man is like.

b. The scene uses character opposition to develop meaning. Characters are shown to be very different from each others like Doc Ock attacking the surrounding characters while Miles and Peter are mostly trying to escape and not really fighting back. One group is trying to escape peacefully while the other is being aggressive. It establishes who is a villain and who are the heroes. Their is also a difference is character traits as Doc Ock and Peter seem to be more calm about the situation as they are experienced in conflict. Miles however seems freaked out and nervous as he is not used to the situation and is evident through how different he acts from those around him. 

c. The function of binary opposition that specifically functions in the clip is to create identifiable character types. We can clearly see who Peter B. Parker, Miles, and Doc Ock are due to their contrast with each other. peter and Miles are trying to escape from Doc Ock in a mostly tame way. Doc Ock is using violent methods in order to stop Miles and Peter who are our protagonist so she is easily put into a villain role which means Miles and Peter are put into the hero role. Miles is the further established as this is his first real confrontation with evil which contrasts Peter's years of experience. Miles is running away from the danger and has stiff movements. He seems nervous and out of his element. Peter seems relaxed even when captured as he has experience. His movement is a lot more fluid as he gets away and is in control even when it seems like he is not. Peter is established as a mentor while Miles is a newbie.

Shaolin Soccer:

a. Purpose of the scene was to show that the Shaolin team aren't what you would expect them to be from a surface level and are instead very skilled and should be rooted for. 

b. The scene uses character and narrative opposition to develop meaning. The scene builds the narrative that the shaolin team is not very good by having a professional team talk badly about them. They seem like they shouldn't even be there and don't fit the typical mold of a soccer player that the pro team has. Once the game starts the shaolin team actually scores instantly which you wouldn't expect due to what the pro team had to say. They aren't what they seem to be. We also know the shaolin team is highly skilled as they easily take down the pro team. The pro team doesn't stand a chance against the shaolin team which is satisfying as they were talking bad about them earlier. The viewer has sympathy for them and seeing them beat a high skilled team goes to show that the team is insanely good and makes you want to see them win more.

c. The function of binary opposition that specifically functions un the clip is to clearly explain an idea. The scene establishes a match between the a top ranked team and the Shaolin team. The top ranked team is used to point out the fact that the Shaolin team looks unfit for the game and must not be that good. However, once the game starts, the shaolin team instantly score which opposes what the viewer would've thought. They are then shown to demolish the top ranked team and have such powerful kicks that it blows the opposing players away. The viewer now understands that most see the team as a joke and nothing to be worried about but the truth is that their looks are deceiving and they are indeed very skilled. 

Genre Theory – Steve Neale (Blog Post 8)

 - Identify what you believe to be the film's genre

 - Explain which of the five conventions (verisimilitude, narrative considerations, character conventions, iconography, audience appeal and representation) would be best used to determine the genre, and why.

 - Which elements of text genre subversion (cultural effects, social context, historical effects, economic context, audience saturation effects) seemingly apply to the film, and how?

 - Apply at least one aspect of genre hybridity to the film and explain how it's relevant.

1. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once:

-Science Fiction

-The best convention to determine the genre was verisimilitude. Science fiction at some points ties to iconography such as space outfits and alien make-up, or also character conventions like scientists or aliens. It is typically made for males so it has male leads to better relate to its typical audience. However, the trailer doesn't have any of these things but it does have very limited verisimilitude. The world looks initially like ours but explores the idea of multiverses and alternate timelines which is tied heavily with Science Fiction. 

-The genre subversion of social context seems to apply in the film as the traditional male lead of science fiction movies that was used to appeal to what used to be its main audience is swapped out for a female lead to appeal to a larger and more modern audience. Film also has cultural effects as its main characters are Asian in an American setting to maybe represent specific struggles form other perspectives. 

-The film uses genre hybridity between the science fiction, comedy, and action genres in order to expand it's potential audience. It seems as if the movie had a message to say so it appealed to other audiences of other genres by including action sequences and comedy sequences. It also shifts the tone of the story to evoke specific emotions for the watcher.

2. Phantom of the Paradise:

- Musical

-The best convention to determine the genre was iconography. The characters wore extravagant outfits in order to clearly display their personalities which is common in the musical genre as a large focus is put on the music aspect to get to know characters and less on direct exposition. The sound usage is also crucial in this type of genre and from the trailer we see a large focus is put on music as multiple characters sing and you can hear instruments that they are playing. The sound is diegetic like the singing in musicals although instruments are not always so. 

-The genre subversion of audience saturation effects seems to apply to the film as a happier light-hearted tone that one may expect from a musical is instead replaced with a darker tone. The sounds in the film are more melancholic and harsh than a typical upbeat and cheery song that is common throughout the genre. The film also uses darker and washed out colors besides performance scenes which is in contrast to the typical brighter colors to help performances stand out in most musicals. It stands out against most musicals by going against what the audience would expect to find while keeping the fundamentals of the genre the same. 

- The film uses genre hybridity between the musical and horror genres due to high and low culture remixing. the film seems to mostly be a revenge plot. Someone or something wrongs a specific character and that character wants to get payback for what happened to them. There is a prominent female character shown that is also typical in the horror genre. The film has the dark, sinister, strange figure that seems to be attacking performers. There is a masked attacker in the film that is typical in horror films. This is the character's form of revenge against those who wronged him as he attacks those who sung his music. It explores industry corruption as the character was tricked into giving away his music  but does so in a way that makes us sympathize with a clearly evil character so we feel the message even more strongly. The music industry exploits and uses who it can to progress which is a darker subject which is found all throughout horror. 

3. Electric Dreams:

- Science Fiction

- The best convention to determine the genre was iconography. The main character of the film was dressed in a very specific  and stereotypical way that is typically  found in science media such as tie, glasses, and suits. Technology is heavily focused on and emphasized from the very beginning which is a typical aspect of science fiction. The sound of the movie is very robotic and electric as a main character of the the film is a computer so it shows unnatural sounds as a constant in this world like a robotic voice and start up sounds. It further emphasizes the focus on technology as a key component which is usually found in science fiction.  

-The genre subversion of historical affects can apply to the film. During the time of the film, technology was nowhere near as advanced as it is now, so some ideas seem dated such as a computer giving you advice about what to say or its consumption of one's life. There are now greater expectations on what separates fantasy from reality.  However, at the time, these ideas would have seemed more fresh and other-worldly as technology was not as largely understood or explored but was becoming something very big. Science fiction largely had to do with It out of this world beings or settings like alien creatures and space stations and was not very focused on the potentials of "modern" technology. It relies largely on the era it was made in to set the right tone and express its message and ideas more clearly.

- The film uses genre hybridization between science fiction and romance in order to expand its audience as back then those separately had very dominant male and female specific audiences so mixing the two would result in a more wide-spread audience. Helps shift the tone form more sinister science fiction moments to light-hearted and charming moments. It also engages in high and low culture remixing. The film uses romance between two human characters and interference coming from a computer to show how technology can affect relationships in a digestible and easy to understand way. 

Narrative Equilibrium – Tzvetan Todorov (Blog Post 7)

Identify at least one example of each of the following in the clip: Proppian characters, equilibrium, disruption, new equilibrium, In media res, multiperspective narratives.

Proppian Characters: Victim & Seeker-Hero: Ethan, Villain- Russian Pilots, Donor-Luther, Helper-Benji, Dispatcher- William 

Equilibrium: Plane with package is grounded. Luther is working on gaining access to Russian satellite. Benji is chidden in grass. William is talking them through the mission. 

Disruption: Engines of plane start, opening wrong doors, nearly getting caught, hanging off the side of the vehicle, can't access certain parts of the plane.

New Equilibrium: Manages to get in the plane. Escapes plane with the package.

In Media Res: Story starts during the middle of a high stakes mission with little context as all we know is the plane can't take off with the package. 

Multiperspective Narratives: Perspective switches between Ethan, Luther, Benji and William as they deal with the package on the plane. 

In a three-sentence paragraph, apply Equilibrium theory to A) assert a meaning or purpose of the clip; B) provide specific evidence to support the meaning, and C) clearly connect evidence with your assertion.

The purpose of the clip is to establish a general background of the characters in the clip and build a basic understanding of what the film will largely be about. The film starts with a mission going on where we see someone who is controlling the mission and who is assisting in the mission without seeing the main character yet, the main charter then appears as conflict starts as he is put in a life or death scenario which he is then helped out of by the assisting characters. Here we see the purpose of the main characters introduced to have a general idea of what their role will be within the film through the use of the beginning mission as well as seeing that our main character seems to get in intense situations like, hanging off planes, as he goes on missions that he ultimately overcomes with help from those around him such as Benji and Luther. 

Semiotics – Roland Barthes (Blog Post 6)

1. Identify at least one example of each of the following in the clip: sign, signifier, signified, denotative meaning, connotative meaning, code.

Sign: It is up to you to take control of your life after big events happen. 

Signifier: Cab dropping off harmonium, Car Crash, Office

Signified: Harmonium represents one having to put in effort in order to create. Name being similar to harmony. Harmonium is randomly dropped off as new opportunities are random. Car crash represents an uncontrolled sudden event that has big results. Office is bare to show main character is lonely. 

Denotative Meaning: A car crash suddenly happened, and a harmonium gets unexpectedly dropped off by a cab.

Connotative Meaning: The cab that dropped the harmonium and car are both an orange color representing a connection between both. Car crash are large events that have major impact and the harmonium being dropped afterwards is what his decisions will be with what is given to him, hopefully making his life better.

Code: Confusion on what main character should do next with his life. Main character's life is full of unexpectedness, random harmonium dropped and sudden car crash. Crash is a major event. Harmonium being dropped off is confusion and what his decision will be after the events.  

2. In a three-sentence paragraph, apply Semiotic theory to A) assert a meaning or purpose of the clip; B) provide specific evidence to support the meaning, and C) clearly connect evidence with your assertion.

The purpose of the clip was to visualize and begin the main character's constant dilemma at the start to foreshadow what his struggles will be throughout the movie and how he reacts. The movie creates a setting that has no people besides the main character ties two seemingly random events of a car crash and a harmonium being dropped off to represent a large event taking place and an aftermath that may seem unrelated. The main character is put into a position where he alone watches the crash and sees the harmonium being dropped off and it is up to him to do what he wants with the harmonium, take it or leave it, to represent that after big events happen in the story it is entirely up to the main character to do something in order to move forward even if the events don't seem to make sense. 

Cinematography: Depth of Field

 Cinematography

1. Stills from Existing Media:

1a. A still showing how a deep depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The deep depth of field puts a focus the characters and their surroundings to show how climactic the fight between the two is. We feel as we are part of the scene as it is all so clear, and we see how grand the setting really is and how grand the incoming strikes are. They are in deep conflict and are trying to really incapacitate each other.  

1b. A still showing how a shallow depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development from The Batman. In this shot, the shallow depth of field helps the viewer focus on the Riddler's expression. Here is the big moment where the bad guy is caught and nothing else should matter, however he is smiling as if there is something more going on. It leaves little distractions for the viewer and shows how everyone is primarily focused on the Riddler. 

1c. A still showing how a soft depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development from Watchmen. In the shot, a soft depth of field is used to help portray and develop the environment of the movie as well as the character of Rorschach. The setting of the story is dark, gritty, and sometimes dreamy, making it harder to make things out which the softness shows. Rorschach is not someone who wants to be seen. He works outside of the law as a vigilante. He is trying to blend in with background and not stand out, so he is also not in full focus. 

2. Stills I Created:

2a. A still showing how a deep depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development. The shot is in a deep depth of field to emphasize Scarlet Spider's victory over Electro who is in the background and middle ground. We can clearly see the outcome of the fight and the state Electro was left in to show the power of Scarlet Spider. We still keep that focus on Scarlet Spider who is in the foreground and not just Electro to show he was the one responsible and should be equally noticed.

2b. A still showing how a shallow depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development. Here, a shallow depth of field is used to put emphasis on Jack-O-Lantern and take it away from the background. This is to show that the outcome of the altercation between him and Spider-Man ended with him escaping. Spider-Man is not in focus as he is no longer Jack's main focus as he managed to getaway and is not worrying about him. 

2c. A still showing how a soft depth of field is used to convey conflict, character or development. The soft depth of field emphasizes the motion of the characters. Jack is striking at Spider-Man and forcing him to quickly avoid it. Nothing is still since action is happening that shows conflict between both characters. The characters are attacking quickly meaning it would be hard to focus so the shot itself is not in focus. 

3. Reflection

During the photo experiment I faced many issues. The biggest challenge I faced was getting a soft shot. My camera would always find a way to put direct focus on something which makes the depth of field totally different. It would do something similar when trying to get a deep shot, something else would be out of focus and it would wind up as a shallow shot. I believed the best way to capture a soft shot was trying to portray motion.  I had to manipulate the lighting on my soft shot so that it would not focus on anything specific and then have to manipulate the brightness which caused lots of blur to be visible. That was its own issue as I didn't want the shot to be hard to decipher but also not completely clear. The deep shot sometimes came out in a way that could be considered soft but that type of depth of field didn't match what the shot was going for. Another issue was trying to get a flying shot as I didn't want my hand in the shot, so I used what was available to hang the character up. Finally, I felt like the depth of field I used at times didn't fully express what I was trying to go for. Overall, the experience was stressful as once you finally had your shot it would focus on something different last second and cause you to retry multiple more times. It makes me have a lot more respect for people trying to take very specific types of shot.