Production Portfolio - Outlet

Rationale: The film that I made is titled “outlet”, a film about how a young man uses basketball to escape the difficult aspects of life such as school, his family, and his girlfriend; hence, an “outlet”. I wanted to do this for two essential reasons: I myself use sports to escape hard times, and basketball contains many different sounds that can easily connect to different, common things. The intended audience for this film is for a mature audience as it is personal, and to some a little daunting.

Commentary: In this film, I was responsible for the job of the director as well as the cinematographer; I contributed to other jobs as well. As a director, I had to overlook the other jobs in pre-production, production, and post-production. I had to conduct the script to the actors, make production-schedules, confirm that everything needed was provided, and overlook the final outcome of the film. As the cinematographer, I was responsible for making a location diagram, grabbing equipment for production, and managed all of the camera angles and shots. I encountered many problems throughout the process. To begin with, finding a way to translate the script and concept into a film was quite demanding. 

Considering that the film initially required an inside basketball court as well as two full teams, I tried to arrange something that would provide the same meaning to the audience and still  be an adequate set; therefore, I was able to group together two teams of three wearing similar

apparel to distinguish the teams and provided an outside basketball court. Since their was an ample amount of extras involved, i had to arrange a time and place that was suitable for all of them and had consistent weather. The first day for the basketball scene, we went to a secluded place (Allen Elementary School) on a rainy day to emphasize the dedication of the young man. 

As the day progressed, the weather became unbearable, so the actors as well as myself agreed to call it a day and to resume our shooting on the other day. Unfortunately, the weather never returned so we were forced to re-shoot the scene, and since school was going on in Allen when i was able to assemble all of the actors again, we were forced to shoot at Capuchino High School, our last option. We managed to finish the whole scene on the windy day. Less troubling problems included going out of battery while in the process of shooting and forgetting important equipment that is crucial to a specific scene. For example, we let another group borrow a camera that we needed for the scene where the young man gets yelled at by his mother, so we showed up to our location without an adequate camera, so we returned home without any footage and  decided to do it another day.

Problems dealing with the whole group begins with the trouble of sound design. As a sound film, we had a very hard time making the “trigger sounds” very clear and distinct for the audience. Our sound designer, Waris Allie, worked very hard in finding the appropriate sounds for the film, and considering this difficulty, My other partner Luis and I, openly helped him out as he helped us out with our personal jobs. Another crucial flaw within this process was the amount of editing. Since we didn’t finish the filming until very late in the process, a lot of pressure was put on our editor, Luis Velasquez. As both the cinematographer and director, I am fully responsible for the lack of time that our editor had to prepare the film. Both Waris and Luis were able to dodge the hurdles that I created for them and did a decent job.

       Overall, I think that our film is good and amusing throughout each aspect of the film, especially the connections with the sounds. Beginning with the concept, i felt like it was solid and set us up for success. It included a various amount of scenes with interesting and diverse locations. For instance, the scenes included a basketball court, homes, as well as a college campus. These different settings appeals to the audience as they won’t get board looking at the same background or repetitive shots. The only exhausting part within this film is repetitiveness within the acting, yet it was appropriate. For instance, the young man’s mother began yelling at him as well as the teacher began yelling at him, which is very repetitive as far as the plot goes. this also forces the actor to react in the same way, which begins to get dull and boring. Yet, what redeemed this was the acting and variety of shots to emphasize the great acting. For instance, in the girlfriend scene, the girlfriend, Maria Luevano, presented her character in a spectacular way. She was easy to direct and provided the conceited, arrogant character that was expected of her.

This was enhanced by the last shot of the scene, when the camera circles around the boy and follows her out of the door all in one sequence. I would also like to acknowledge the character of the young man, who’s emotion s were consistent throughout the whole film. although he tended to smile a lot in production, he managed to stay composed  throughout most of the filming process. We managed to get a variety of different actors that we haven’t used before (with the exception of the young man John Ababseh). We managed to develop some of the characters as much as possible through the camera angles and shots. For instance, to depict the fact that basketball was the young man’s peaceful place, we rack focused a number of the shots from the trees and plants to the basketball court.

Similar to this, to express the character of the young man’s mother, we included a statue of a tyrant within the frame of the shot, suggesting that she is very abusive and demanding of him.

     Another important aspect of the film is the special effects within the film. To film the basketball scene, we used the 7D camera in order to shoot 60 frames per second in order to fluidly slow down our film. With the film greatly slowed down, audience can identify the scene as the center piece of the film as it the most time consuming and each movement is very dramatic. Also, we pounded on many different filters and effects to pronounce the different “trigger sounds”.

We incorporated to different camera movements to show this; When the sound of the basketball dribble is the sound that reminds the boy of school, we used many different techniques. For instance, to present the dribbling, we put the dolly track on a large slope and pedistalled/dollyed down to the ball in a close up to show the ball. To support this even more we did many color correction to showed, this, as well as used many earie sounds to show this uncomfortable transition, as it is also uncomfortable for the  young man himself. Despite these neat effects, I feel like we lacked some close-up shots that would support the basketball scene that would distinguish certain things a bit better.

       I also thought the lighting was significant within each scene. Generally, in the basketball scene, is very bright, reflecting happiness within the young man. On the other hand, the other scenes where the young man is having a bad time, the lighting is generally darker than usual, showing a certain cynicism behing the scenes.

     Although my personal vision didn’t quite meet up with the final outcome of the film, I was happy with what did come out of it. It may be confusing to the audience in some instances, yet I would like to think that they would appreciate the quirkiness and elusiveness of the film. The characters are well portrayed and although their may be some wholes within the plot, it is sufficient enough to understand the central meaning and ideas behind the film as a whole.

Gladiator- Narrative

        The movie I will be focusing on is Gladiator, during the beginning of the film after the Roman battle in Germania. I will focus on the character of Commodus and how his cynical and deceitful character promotes the plot and enhances the characters around him.     
          In the beginning of the film Gladiator, the emperor, Marcus Aralias, has ruled for quite a long time and is getting too old to rule and is getting ready to make his decision to pass his powers on to someone else, which ideally would be his son. But, he ends up deciding to pass his powers on to Maximus Decimus Maradus, and not his own son Commidus. He chooses Maximus, a strong, brilliant general of he Roman Army, because he contains the four virtues that call for successful ruler as claimed by Marcus Aralias: resourcefulness, temperance, justice, and fortitude; which Commodus doesn't have. 

           In the beginning as Marcus Aralias appears behind his son Commodus, he begins with "Are you ready to do your duty for Rome?",  leading Commodus to believe that he will be emperor. Directly after, he says, "You will not be emperor . . . i am giving my powers over to Maximus". This quickly strikes Commodus, bringing tears within his eyes. This makes him start expressing the cynicism within his character. He then avoids his father as he tries to caressing his cheeks. Commodus then states, " I realize that I have none of [those virtues, but has] ambition, . . . courage . . . and devotion", thus, showing his desire to be emperor. Commodus' reaction to this is somewhat childish as prior to this, he is shown as a light-hearted person, especially after the battle. After this though, he becomes stubborn and petty to get what he wants, even if it means going to the extremity of killing his own father. Considering that Maximus loved and admired Marcus Aralias, this sparks the rivalry between him and Commodus, thus helping the plot grow and intensify. Along with that, by commiting this act of patricide, he strips Maximus of his powers and takes them for himself.  During their conversation, the camera is positioned to stalk Commodus as it is positioned right behind him. This shows a certain resemblance between the two, foreshadowing  a certain comparison between the two.

          The Room is lightly dimmed on one side of the room. As Commodus speaks, he has fast falloff on his face with the camera looking up at him. This gives him a dominance over his father who is kneeling down. Since the camera is looking down at Marcus Arelias, the falloff is practically unnoticable, giving him innocence and a sense of security in the eyes of the audience. But with the camera working to show Commodus as dominant, it hints that in this situation Commodus has more power than his father despite his position as the emperor of Rome. In addition, since the location is secluded and concealed from the outside eye and ear, it enhances the instability and the uncomfortable position of Marcus Aralias.

      In the beginning of the scene as Commodus enters the room, we hear wind blowing from the curtains. This ghastly sound creates a disturbance in the easiness of the room. In this scene, the non-digetic music is very subtle and pretty calm, but as the scene progresses, so does the music. in the end, the music ends very loud and glaring, dominating the scene, making it a little uncomfortable for the audience. The high volume enhances the importance of the film, establishing it as a turning point. The music seems to match the emotions of Commodus: as he gets more angry, so does the music. This scene is where the music is the loudest. Here, he is in the process of strangling his father, slowly sucking the life out of him.

              In the beginning of the scene, the opening shot is panning as Commodus is walking towards the sculpture, and then he touches its face. The sculpture is of his father's (the emperor) head. In the beginning, it seems like an admirable figure, but in the end of the scene, the sculpture transforms from an emperor, to a tyrant as the death of Marcus Aralias put Commodus as the new emperor.  the harsh, pounding music foreshadows the problems and brutality that will come with his rule. the sculpture also has a fast falloff, symbolizing a certain maniacal charcteristic in it. the camera here pedistals down, matching the position of Commodus' dominance.
             This scene ultimately establishes the characteristics of Commodus. Commodus' goal and desire to please his father appeals to the audience, as it is both innocent and understanding. This innocence is also shown throughout to be liked by everyone around him and to respect him. Right after this scene, he asks fo Maximus' hand once, and is turned down, cementing the bad blood between them.  He constantly appeals to the fans at the arena later on in the film, claiming to be "merciful", despite the fact that he always sets up what would be expected for Maximus' downfall. On the other hand, his own jealousy torments him, bringing him to become a murder of not only Marcus Aralias, but also Maximus' son and wife, influencing Maximus to feel the same hatred for Commodus as Commodus does Maximus. Commodus continuously tries to kill Maximus as he becomes a slave of Rome, and throws him in the arena constantly at a disadvantage.
            Commodus' character also works to bring out the role of his sister, Lucilla. Despite the fact that she is a strong women, because she is a women during this time period, she is unable to escape or stand up to her brother, and bystands his harsh decisions and acts. Commodus' character drags her onto the side of Maximus', leaving him with nobody to support him.
          Commodus' conflicting character creates the perfect villain for this movie. He deceives the ones that he "loves", but still strives to do "good" for the people of Rome.

Gladiator-socio-culture & history

 

                                             Gladiator- Institution and history; Socio-culture

Historical and Institutional Factors:

       The film Gladiator was a film directed by Ridley Scott in the DreamWorks studio as well as Shepperton Studios for specific reasons dealing with actors. This film was released in 200, yet it was influenced by 1960 films. Their isn’t any political background during this film to help influence it. Scott Ridley thought that since a new millennium was embarking, that he would reflect on the past through this film.

       This film did extremely well for its time. This film was made in time for the 73^rd Academy Awards and blew its opponents away. It one five awards: Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Visual effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound. It also won many awards in the Golden Globe Awards as well as the BAFTA Awards. This film led to the “Gladiator Effect” as named by New York Times that led to the upbringing in interest in Roman and classical history. This film ended up making among the top of the year 2,000. In the U.S., it made a total of over 187 million, and 457,640,427 throughout the world.

Socio-culture:

       Gladiator is a film that attempts to portray the life of Ancient Rome. in this movie, Ridley Scott portrays this era as a very gruesome and bloody time. Not many films before this one has attempted to dive into this almost ancient life. Their were films though such as Sparticus that resembled this movie but included "annoying anachronisms of psychology" according to David Neelin. The main character, Maximus Decimus Meridus, was formally a commander of the Roman Army, but after the emperor Marcus Arelias tells his son Commodus that he is going to hand over his powers to Maximus, he goes frantic. To start his frenzy, he kills his father in order to hold the power to himself. with this power, he tries to create his own Rome with the initiative of trying to make people like him, which is uncommon for a successful ruler which is apparent as the film progresses. With the character of Commodus in charge of the empire, he allows us to be exposed to the brutal life of Rome. but with his came some faulty history. For instance, during this time, the emperor would never be addressed as "sire" or "my lord". Along with that, at this time their wasn't an emperor, yet their were two consuls who had equal power. with this being said, Rome was formed as a republic rather than a dictatorship. Also, this film depicted 3 years of Rome, but Commodus ruled for 12 years according to contentmaster. In addition, an aspect that wasnt shown was Commodus execution of his sister for trying to assassinate him, thus, showing more brutality of Rome. Gladiator did an exquisite job picking certain aspects of Rome to depict the life of Rome despite some minor changes in the history.

sound film treatment

oral presenrtation; gladiator

the film i have chsen to d for my oral presenation is Glagiator. this film is an action, adventure, and drama focusing on the disasters and contraversies that are handled by the protagonist known as "the spaniard", "the gladiator", or more formally known, Maximus Decimus Meridius. this film was directected by Ridley Scott, who focused on some aspcts that made this film what it is. some things that helped determine its genre is the development of the early primary conflict and the quick exposure of Maximus' character. To drag in the audience rapidly, Ridley decided to put much action in the beginning; a war scene. in this opening, Marcus Aurelias is the emporer which Maximus serves under as he top general. This scene is shown with some greusome images and sword-fighting, but in turn shows the impressive skills of Maximus.After establishing this action portion of it, a drama is enabled due tovthe early main conflict of the death of the emporer, by his son, a young man who strives to pleasehis father but can never do so. the son, Commodus, strangles his father to death in order tovplace the crown on himself befrore it was relinquished to Maximus.Along with that, Commodus sends him to exile and kills his family, ths beginning the dramatic development of the film. Maximus' goal is to free his men and to be reunited with his family, which can only be achieved through his death. The image of his death is recurred throughout the move as he passes through the fields, and is carressing the plants as he approaches his family further on the path. this film's ability to intertwie these different genres proveswhy it won 5 awards, including Best Picture.
   thi film was immensely influenced by "the sword and sandal" genre such as The Fall of the Roman Empire and Sparticus. in these movies, each protagonist has a position in relation to the thrown. both dealing with a father of another and have devious plans to sabotage the loyal persom that deserves it. Overall, in these films, they all contain a protagonist that main goal is to better Rome and servethe wants of the people.`
  what we can infer about its creator, Ridley Scott, is that he is big on action and adventure movies. Some of his other films include Alien and Black Hawk Down which are very filled with action. This idea very well suits his life as he was raised  in an army family nd joined as a navy merchant when he was young. Also, he was boen to a royal family in England which is why he may be so fimiliar with the high staus in places such as Rome where Gladiator had taken place. this film shares a lot of similarites to his other films bacause i have oticed that he always manages to find a very very good antagonist. they come in different forms but they all dominate the films and are the main cause of problems to the protagonist and challenges their character the most. Many similar approaches that Ridley Scot has in all of his films is that he usually gets close up in all of the action. ll of hisfighting scenes are emotional and intense because they are pulled in so tight. Another approach that Ridley Scott uses for his films that is widely known in his pieces is his comfortability with his actors. He allows them a lot of freedom and takes theirnsuggestions into consideration. he is also vry focused on atmospheric lighting, which is closely demonstrated in Gladiator when commodus looks through his window and sees the beautiful verizon. Ridley Scott is an amazing director who has made some brilliant films.

Hurt Locker- response

        Hurt Locker is an absolutely brilliant film that effectively depicts the life of the average soldier on a task force performing numerous operations. This film provides the ultimate amount of emotion, controversy, and action through its use of point of view shots (such as this one which is in the point of view of mechanical toy car that helps diffuse bomb plants), close-ups, coverage, development of characters, and in general its fascinating environment. The camera includes itself in the action, pulling the audience in it as well.

      The context of the film enhances its beauty as the intriguing environment of a war provides to form various themes and ties with other works. The setting of the film is in the middle of Iraq (although they began their filming in Kuwait and Jordan), during its war with the United States which is still present today. It examines the difficulties of an Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit in their work and the dangers they face in Iraq. The Director, Kathryn Bigelow, became the first women to win the Academy Award for Best Director for this intense film, with the help of the writer, Mark Boal. This film is closely related to the film United 93 as this film’s cinematography was impressive when showing the 11 bomb attacks that America had suffered. One thematic thread that comes in turn with this setting and historical time period is that War exposes certain fragility within each person.

The setting, acting, and costume in this film play a critical role in the intent of this film. The visual style of this film is the normal day-for-night approach. This film focuses on specific days of the film that have great significance, and these specific days are shown from the morning until the night. This day-for-night style is shown the color temperature of the sun, getting colder when the days go by through a red tinting. In this particular image, the diffuser, Sergeant William James, throws a smoke grenade behind him. The bright lighting shows that this is happening during the early afternoon, and is enforced by the smoke of the grenade because the smoke is white, if the smoke was greyer, it would show that it is later in the day for the smoke reflects from the sun. One iconographic image that recurs throughout the whole film is the suit. This, which Sergeant James is wearing, is seen to be an honor and a privilege throughout the film. It solely characterizes the person within it. This suit becomes so meaningful because those who put it on realize that they are risking their life and there is a lot at stake that is resting on their shoulders. The film begins with a man in the suit, but when the suit was put on him, it revealed certain cowardice within him as he trembled and shook as he took steps closer to the dangerous explosives; and the fact that he ends up dying shows that this suit is only made for the brave and the bold. This suit becomes an intimidating character itself. On the other hand, Sergeant James is able to put on the suit, but with much more confidence. In this clip, he throws the smoke grenade, suggesting that he doesn’t need any help to perform the task, and knows that this suit means life or death. This shows bravery and wit within his character as he realizes and understands that any day he puts on that suit he can die in a split second. Also, Sergeant Sanborn also expresses a bit of characterization when dealing with the suit. After a while, he and Sergeant James develop a closer relationship so he asks Sergeant James, “Do you think I’m ready to wear the suit?” Sanborn’s eagerness and anxiety implicates loyalty and trustworthiness within his character for he is willing to put on the suit despite its meaning. I thought the acting was absolutely phenomenal concerning the three main soldiers. The three soldiers expressed three different characters in the act of war but also showing one familiar thing, being scared to lose everything the have. The characters constantly dwell and think of their families back home as they run their missions, and cry for them in fear that they may not see them again. I think for this reason is why Sergeant James shares such a fascination for the young boy Bekham, who tries selling movies to him. Bekham most likely reminds Sergeant James of his own kids, so he has a mutual, caring relationship for him. On the other hand, the three all have quite strikingly diverse characteristics. For instance, Owen Eldridge shows excessive fear for his job as a special forces soldier, especially when the group is getting sniped from across the little desert hills. Sergeant James and Sanborn but have qualities of bravery, but express it in two very different ways. Sanborn’s bravery is very loyal and noble which is seen when he constantly changes plans to protect Sergeant James. Sergeant James has a much more reckless bravery as he puts his own men in danger to diffuse the bombs. The Production design of this film revolves around these characters as it strictly follows these three and the environment around them; their dangers, loves, relationships with one another, etc.

 

The cinematography plays a very significant role in this film. This film is extremely realistic in its approach through its use of point of view shots. These shots have ranged from the view of the toy car, to the men inside the explosives suit, to the aimers of the people looking through their gun’s sites and scopes. This affect of point of view shots draws the audience in because we see what the soldiers see which, in turn, attempts to allow the audience to fear the same fears as though within the war. This, along with constant rattling and movement of the came portray a very rushed and pressured mood within the scene, which becomes a parallel to what the soldiers see. This film also contains numerous close ups. These close ups provide much emotion. Their were many close ups on the eyes of the different soldiers, and this image removes any defensive shell that those men might have been holding and replaces it with a sense of innocence, revealing the fact that those men are no different than any human being. They too have a family at home and deal with emotional dilemmas, and also share the same fears that most humans have. The lighting plays a key role in this film because it shows the time of day and gives a sense of the heat. In this image, the great contrast of light and dark show that it is very hot and is in the middle of the day.

          One very interesting aspect of this film is the manipulation of time within each scene. The shots tend to slow down on various moments. For instance, in the beginning during the first explosion, time slows down almost completely, showing a slow rise of the bullets. I believe the intention of the editor was not only to show the fact that any second something could happen and your life could flash before you, but ironically it was mainly to show a type of elegance in war. Although war is known to be bad and cynical, there are a lot of components to it that make it an art form. From bullets to snipers to explosives, they all contain something new and interesting. This picture shows a close up on a dangerous explosive

The Genre of this film is definitely a drama. Its realism allows it to grasp the most emotion out of the situation and is definitely enhanced by the characters of this film. The plot of this film, mainly dealing with just a team doing their job as a special group doesn’t correlate with the sub plots of the film. The sub plots deal with emotion of each character and who they truly are inside, and this solely makes it a drama. This is closely exemplified when Sergeant James pursues Bekham after he dies by bombs being planted inside him. Sergeant James puts himself in a lot of danger just to find out what had happened and let the family know, and although he does this, he still is treated badly by the mother who hits him and she didn’t even bother finding out what his intentions were for being inside her household.

         There is a reason why Hurt Locker is an Oscar winning film; it grips the reader through its many interesting approaches and holds its grip through the characters. This film was both insightful and enlightening to me as it showed me what true bravery is.

Pre pro- documentary

                                                   Documentary Pre-Pro                                      Luke Gray

                                                                                                                                         Film 4

1)    The intent of this piece is to examine how sports relieve stress in certain people.

2)    In order to fulfill my piece, I must speak to people on either the basketball team, the wrestling team, and/or the soccer team.

3)    –How does _____ help you get through your day?                              

- Why do you choose _____ to help you cope with your problems?

- What problems do you experience outside of sports?

- Any particular person that helps you out with your problems?

- What would you do if that sport was taken away from you?

      4)   The beginning of this piece will consist of a collage of shots of the people I interviewed playing their sport. They will all be working hard and will transition back and forth from sport to sport. After establishing this, I will introduce the first person I interviewed. Their will be a little A-roll, but generally all B-roll. Then I will repeat this process for the remaining people that I interviewed. At the End, I will reflect back to all of the people I interviewed (Same line at the end to close piece).

     5)    Beginning portion- shots of the kids on the team doing drills (mostly longer/medium shots) and scoring one way or another.  They will keep playing until the final shot where the teams ‘break’.

Middle portion-Before I thoroughly introduce the people I interviewed, I will establish them by putting a title sequence to make it clear. The middle shots will first show the interviewee by himself focusing on the interview, but this middle portion will still ultimately be on him working hard on practices. This section may also include interviews of people who simply observe him. The end portion will bring all of the people I interviewed together and showing a similarity between them by showing a shot of them saying the same thing, and then another shot of the different teams ‘breaking’.

     6) This piece will not include a script because this piece doesn’t involve a narrative. I don’t want to have a narrative because I believe a voice that is not relevant to the piece will take away from its meaning (I learned that from Baraka). The only voices will be the voices of the interviewees and the background sound as well to capture its full intent.