Sounds Like This Blog

La Bamba-director is Luis Valdez, 

Sleepwalk- Richie Valens

Composer- Santo & Johnny 

The context of this musical piece within the film really relates to the films story, main character Richie Valens, and the setting. The song sleepweek is a famous song from Richie Valens and one of the saddest songs so to have it playing while they announce Richie's death really set the mood for the scene.

The music combined with the imagery used in the scene affected me in a tremendous way as I'm sure as it did to many viewers to just cry their hearts out. The whole mood in the scene made me feel as one of my family members had died since throughout the movie the audience got to know Richie Valens and feel a personal relationship with him. It did trugger a specific memory when the real Richie Valens passed away.

In my opinion I feel the musical piece was really effective in setting the mood for this scene. It did succeed in evoking the intended response since I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone I know who didn't get emotional while watching this extremely sad scene especially when his mom breaks down and endlessly cries. 

CLIFF MARTINEZ

 

 

• American Film Score Composer & former drummer.
• Born on Feb. 5, 1954, in Bronx, NY.
• Drummer for the Red Hot Chile Peppers for their first 2 albums.
• Entered the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chile Peppers in 2012.
• His first breakthrough was to score a episode on the 80's TV hit, Pee-Wee's Playhouse.
• Sound collage was heard by director Steven Soderbergh and since received compositional credit for many of his films including:
• Gray's Anatomy
• Schizopolis and Traffic 
• Also composed in other movies such as:
• Allan Moyle's, Pump Up the Volume (1990)
• Paul McGuigan's, Wicker Park (2004)
• James Cox's, Wonderland (2003)
• Awards
• 4 Oscar's won and earned a Grammy nomination for its music in Schizopolis and Traffic.
• Trademark
• Ability to balance themes both idiosyncratic and heartrending
• "Works marvelously during crime scenes, especially those featuring huge plumes of blood on the walls."



 



 

"Jude Apatow Interviewed on The Treatment"

The person I chose from "The treatment" is Judd Apatow. He's a filmmaker, writer, director, and producer. A few films he has worked on were The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Funny People, Bridemaids, Knocked Up, and the one he kept talking about as his upcoming and latest one at that time, This is 40. Most of the films he made were drama/comedy.
I did learn a few new things listening to the interview with Judd Apatow. He gives off a very down to earth impression that makes him a kind-hearted individual. He really tries to make his films realistic and natural as possible. They portray what life is really bout with the drama an humor he displays on film. He enjoys and finds uncomfortable moments the funniest and is known for using quiet in comedy instead of how others try to fill up to much with laughs and activities. The timing sense he uses is more like it seem more s documentary without the idea of performance and feel like directors aren't there.
The first quote that I found interesting and gave the audience a sense of what character he is, is when he talks about his idea of comedy and how he feels as it should be realistic as possible. When he says and I quote, "I look at everything as a drama with humor. I think life is funny. I didn't have to look at the comedy part at all because, naturally, I find life absurd." He is giving us a sense of his work. He really tries to connect his film to real life and he fees he can naturally do that without having to psychology think about it. He works in a way that sort of goes behind the scenes of characters like how the mood of a room can change when someone walks in.
The second quote I came across was when he mentioned his first speck of writing was an episode for The Simpsons. The episode he wrote was when Homer got stuck with a mind of  12 year old and became best friends with Bart and liked having no responsibilities so he didn't want to get changed back. He was afraid to look back into the future and grow older since changes occurred with different phases of life. This is when Apatow became really interested in doing his work about life and I quote, " I feel like I've been writing that Simpsons episode for my entire career." That episode he wrote really gave him that inspiration that is in his films today.
The third quote, "I can write scenes and I like people arguing and people having dramatic issues with each other and that seems to be a better way for my ideas to communicate with people instead of just saying it," shows his true dedication and love he has for comedy films. As a child he talks about how his dream career was to be a stand up comedian. As he was going to USC he realized there weren't many classes for stand-up and he felt he wasn't as good as the older comedians. Apatow felt things needed to happen to you in order to be a good comedian and to have more things to talk about so a good age would be someones 30's. Apatow then chose filmmaking which he liked this form of communication to the audience.
After listening to the interview with Judd Apatow, not knowing who he first was gave me a better understanding of what a genuine person he is. it also showed me how sometimes a film more simple and realistic can have more humor than a film that tries too hard. He really captures life's amusement and makes it more relatable to the audience. Even though during most of his interview he was mainly talking about his latest film, This is 40, I believe all his films are hilarious and are very much like events in real life.

Cinematography: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

OVERALL LOOK:
The qualities of the film stock, lighting, lenses, framing, angles, camera movement, and use of long takes did add up to the overall look of the movie. The film stock did make it look like an older film and did set that mood for the time period they seemed to be in. The lighting, framing, angles, and camera movement did make it seem as if us the audience were in his body and had us more connected to the character. The use of long takes added more drama and emotion to certain scenes especially when he was talking to loved ones and he was a vegetable and couldn't react with any sort of emotion.  
 

IMAGES:
There are some images in the film which convey information that is not reflected in the characters' actions or dialogue. One very image that I thought were strong when the doctor was stitching up his eye and the character wasn't able to show or give off any sort of pain. It proved to show the strength of the character himself. Another emotional scene was when his father had called him and without being able to talk or move we noticed a tear slowly run down his cheek. His father nor the nurse knew what was truly going on inside his head.

 




SHOT LENGTHS: 
There are some recognizable patterns of the length of shots in the film. There are some long takes to really show how he can't move so therefore has to focus on whatever spot he is placed to look at for awhile. It gives the audience of feeling what he really might be like to be trapped inside a paralyzed body without even a head turn.
 



SHOT TYPES:
Of course like many films this one had many different types of angles, but the one that was mostly used were close-ups. These extreme close-ups played a huge role in the film to have the film in his point of view. It made the audience seem as if we were in his body thinking, hearing, and seeing everything from his point of view. It captured the audience attention and drew a connection to the character. Many of the close-ups were with the doctors, nurses, and family members.



CAMERA ANGLES:
In the film there are a variety of angles including both high and low and POV shots. The low shot in the film when he is driving represents power or superiority to show how important his role is in the movie. There are many low angles shots which are from his point of view since majority of the movie he is in the hospital bed paralyzed so it really makes the audience feel as we are watching the film from his body.








COMPOSITION: 
The composition of the shots within the film are quite different since they are not balanced in a way that conforms to the rule of thirds most of the time. The elements within the frame are arranged in a less "painterly" composition since they are really trying to film it in the main character's point of view. The composition contributes to the overall look of the scenes, because it's giving the audience his story from his own eyes and experiences.

 
 CAMERA MOVEMENT:
In this film the camera movement did play an important functional role in the film's narrative. One example in the film was his movement of the wheelchair he had to be placed in to get around and do anything. It had that dolly effect to move through the hospital rooms or outside at the beach with his family.


CINEMATOGRAPHY STYLE: 
The cinematography style for the film seemed to be strictly from his point of view to give the audience a closer connection and understanding. It was intentional on the filmmakers' part to tell us the story right from the main source. The purpose in making the cinematography so noticeable is to make it seem as we are watching the film from his eyes hearing his thoughts and emotions and seeing everything from his point of view.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Film Noir

A quote that I found in the first ten minutes of the film documentary that is also related to the movie Double Indemnity is a quote from director Errol Morris. He stated that film noirs have a noir idea that "characters don't know what is going on but something bad is going to happen." He defined these characters as fall guys who find themselves caught in a net sinker into deeper problems. In Double Indemnity Walter got fell into a situation where it lead to more problems and before we all knew it there was really no turning back for him.

In the documentary it clearly stated on how to spot a femme fatale. Actress Marie Windsor stated a femme fatale is a woman "that is getting the man into bed and then into trouble." These female actors usually have long hair, tight clothes, long nails that are considered to look like claws, and smoke symbolizes loose morals. Femme fatales use their sexuality to get what they want and use a male as their tool for their own advantage. Phyllis most definitely uses her charming personality to get what she wants from Walter. She is a typical femme fatale since she has the look and gives off that longing obsession that makes her more irrepressible to Walter. She portrays a very powerful, smart, and wealthy character which makes a perfect femme fatale.


The lightening and locations made a huge impact on making Double Indemnity a film noir. The camera angles create that film noir it can make things seem more dramatic. Examples are close-ups or low angle shots such as when they filmed the scene of Walter at Phyllis' house. Phyllis is upstairs while Walter is by the front door creating a low angle shot and then cut to a shot of a man showing visual dominance. The dramatic use of lightening makes things terrifying and mysterious so a person's imagination is forced to take over. The choice of music and sound create the mood of the scene and can draw more attention or passion into the film.

The use of color in neo-noir movies is slightly different than black and white cinematography in the original film noir since it doesn't add as much dark shadows or unusual and interesting lightening patterns. The aspects from Chinatown that are based upon film noir style is the whole concept of the movie. There is a male who gets caught in a love affair which leads to many more problems that he didn't expect to get himself into. The storyline is was makes it a film noir but also the sound/music and the femme fatale. The dramatic music and sounds create more action and keeps the audience interested during the whole film. The femme fatale created that love triangle to make the male character determined and fight until the very end.

Thoughts on movies

In my own opinion a movie does not have to have a long criteria list for it to be considered a good movie to me. My criteria is actually simple, as long as there is a storyline, action, and humor I will be satisfied. I have seen some movies in the past with no plot and to me I see no point in a movie if there isn't anything to solve or give the movie some purpose. As much as I love comedies and horror films I am also a fan of love movies such as The Notebook. A movie that can touch my heart and make me feel their love and can bring tears to my eyes is a well played movie. Great actors can make a huge difference in how the movie can grab my attention the whole time. The two movies in week two viewing were interesting since I had never watched a silent film in the past. Le Voyage Dans La Lune was the one of the two that I enjoyed more. It didn't need any words to be able to understand what the storyline of the movie was. I liked the action part and how they had an obstacle thrown at them that they had to overcome. A trip safe home made the ending not only relieving that they were able to get out of the moon safe but that it gave the movie a good ending. The second movie, The Great Train Robbery didn't really grab my attention. There was action but not much of a plot since it was hard to tell what was going on in the movie. Two of my favorite films would fit both of my movie must haves of humor, action, and love. The Notebook would have to be my all time favorite movie since the actors, clothing, and setting really took us back to the time period their love started to blossom. The movie was able to give the audience an emotional connection to be able to feel as we were there with them. Their love for one another made it seem very realistic and natural. At the end when they had died together made me feel sad and happy for them since the audience was about to watch their love grow throughout their stages in life. I know films don't always have to be real life situations but this movie proved how love like theirs can exist and last like that. Another film I consider to be another of my favorite would have to be End of Watch. This movies is hilarious and has tons of action that they make look very realistic since its based off of one of the cops "video camera" and shows us the point of view from the cops . It gives the audience an inside view of the life of a cop and all the drama they face on a daily basis. It also throws it humor between the two partners and their own family so it gave me that connection and felt as I was getting to know the two partners. The ending resulted in a death that made me feel as if it was someone I knew who had just past away with that connection the movie made me feel for the actors. These two movies are very different but they fit perfectly into my criteria list and turned out to become my favorites.

I am a typical Cali girl who loves music, art, and outdoor activities. I wouldn't consider myself to be a film buff, but I do love the whole entertainment world. I enjoy watching comedy and horror films even though school and work make it more difficult to have time to watch television with family or even go to the movies with a few friends. During the summer break when I did have plenty of relaxation time I was outdoors most of the time enjoying all the beaches and amazing cities Cali has to offer. I am a person who rather be outdoors with friends going hiking, swimming, or just plain shopping than indoors on the computer or watching television. In order for me to go sit and watch a movie for two whole hours is if it is a very interesting movie or a sequel. Some movies just don't fascinate me so that's why most of the time when I do have spare time and don't feel like being outdoors I rather watch television instead. I already have my favorite channels that I have programed into my television, which are the food network and the HGTV(a home networking channel). I find these two areas very interesting so that's why I can watch these channels for hours in the comfort of my own home instead of a watching a movie in a theater. However with that said I have an open mind to always try something new and who knows I may be a film buff in the making.