SCRATCH production role

As for this project, I am in charge of costumes, hair/make-up, and production manager. I've been looking through some clothing websites such as GAP, Old Navy, Pac Sun, American Outfitters, H&M, Express, A&F, Hollister, American Eagle, Eddie Bauer, JCrew, etc. Then, I realized that all these clothing stores were hip and fashionable. For the character, Geoffry I need something that is out of style, but still hip. The style I was thinking of was Michael Cera in Juno and Superbad. I imagine Geoff wearing a zip up hoodie with jeans. No accessories, maybe a watch. I also think he would be wearing Converse shoes or perhaps flip flops. I think this would give the image that he is someone who is intelligent but somewhat dorky. As for Jack, I can see him wearing brand name jeans, a buttoned down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and casual shoes, perhaps Sketchers. His hair would have to be done, or naturally curlely. Jack would just have to look like he at least made some conscious decision on what he wears. As for Niki, I am still not too sure what she would be wearing, and since I don't really know what and why girls wear certain things, so I will need some help on that. I also have no idea on how to apply make up or which ones to use, so that will be fun to learn haha.

Director's Comments

I watched the modern version Ocean's Eleven with the director's commentary. I thought it was very interesting to hear their thoughts on every single scene. I think if there is one thing I learned, things never go the way they planned it the first time. Things are always changing from, the soundtrack, props, lines, costume, location, etc. I also felt that Steven Soderbergh was having a good time doing the commentary. I felt as though he having a great time, reflecting back on all the problems went through, and all the memories he made while making this movie; a nice troll down memory lane if you will. He also complemented more than criticized, which I thought was a good thing. I was willing to bet that he had a good understanding between the actors. The cast was very big and diverse in this movie, and I think that give Steve a lot of ideas to work with.

Avoid that Puddle!

There were some very good advice in this article that related to all the production duties. I think the ones that were most relevant to me as the production manager was communication and bad scheduling. I read about how in this example, the students were out of time and scrambled at the last day to finish their movie. As I read this, I thought this sounds exactly like what happens college students and their homework sometimes. This is the very thing that I would like to avoid. Granted, three weeks is not a lot of time, but I think with proper scheduling, and hard work, the short film could be done in time. I also thought the communication part was very informative. I thought the script we got was too specific, but as I thought about it after I read the article, it made sense that the script was very descriptive. Being descriptive will either give us a better idea on how to shoot the scene, or give us a chance to change it. I also took note of the attitude towards the actors/actresses. I hope this does not become a issue for us since we are at the mercy of our actors. The last thing I want is for our actors/actresses to bail on us on the middle of production with a bitter taste.

Tim Burton Master Class

I thought this was a very interesting article. Reading different perspectives other than George Lucas is very interesting. I thought Tim was a very down to earth person. He was much more lenient than George in the way he thinks. He believes that arguing, and trying to do things his own way will just create meaningless arguments and waste precious time. I thought it was interesting how he said 90% of the director's job is done when he is done casting. He also believes that actors can act, and that he just needs to choose them for the right part. I found this very interesting. His approach was to cast actors/actresses that fit the part, not actors that can ACT the part. This way, the actors would be much more free, and be able to play their part naturally. I also thought it was interesting how he didn't rely on storyboards, and realizes that nothing goes to plan on the set. I think this is a good lesson for us to take. When we are on the set, it's good to let ideas flow, and let the chips lay where they may fall. It was also interesting to see that Tim usually didn't write as a director because the story would become too personal, and he would have a different vision that nobody would understand. I also thought this was a good point as well. The group as a whole needs to be on the same page in order for progress.

William Baer SCRATCH

I really good idea I noticed from the article was how George Lucas used note cards for each scene. The note cards would contain the music, the characters, and the plot for each scene. As for our group, I don't think we need a note for our screenplay, but it would not be a bad idea to split our script into small parts with information for each scene. I also liked how George, Gloria, and Willard were not afraid to voice opinions, cutting out dialogue for example, and made appropriate changes. The group was willing to compromise and trust in others decisions. I hope that our group would be willing to compromise as well. Another thing I learned was that we should never be afraid to do wild, or unorthodox. The ideas, characters, and the themes in American Graffiti were weird and wild. We should also strive to be fresh, fun and wild as well; you never know if people will like it or not. I also liked how each people brought their abilities to the table. George was a master at music and montages. Willard and Gloria was exceptional at dialogue. They brought all their abilities to the table and collaborated. The more important point was that each of them knew what they were good at and what they weren't. This allowed them to put aside their pride because they knew how good each of them were.

Resonance

So, here is what I think he is saying for screenwriters. You want to make sure the audience is engaged in the movies in the first 15 seconds. First impressions are very important. Many aspects go into making a great introduction for a movie. The music, the setting, the character, the tone, acting, and etc. Also, throughout the movie, the audience should have a good grasp on what is going on. They should feel comfortable. I think it is a little unfair that we as screenwriters only get 15 seconds to pull in an audience, but I think if it succeeds, then the audience will be engaged throughout the whole movie. In order to make sure the audience knows whats going on to a certain extent, we should make sure as screenwriters to fix any loopholes in the story. Any missing information or confusing plots will undoubtedly confuse the audience as well.

Screenwriting Scratch

So, the basic idea of the articles were to give us an idea on how to go about writing a good screen play. I think the advice from Trbic's article was a good one. He gave a good guideline on how to organize a screen play. I noticed how the character's names were capitalized and how before every scene, the setting and time of day were written out. I also enjoyed reading Mechner's article as well. I have played the original Prince of Persia, and it is incredible how far it has come. The part about how to balance interpretations from game to movie, movie to novel, etc, was really interesting as well. From reading the articles, I think I could apply some of these ideas to our screen writing as well. The organization of a scipt is an obvious one. I think making an outline or a synopsis for our screenplay is probably our first priority.

Ocean's Eleven Script Reaction

I thought the script was very much dialogue based. The characters are witty, smart, and funny. However, it is hard to tell what kind of emotion they are putting in their dialogues. Overall, I thought it was very interesting how detailed the script is about the setting and their surroundings. This is important to set the mood for the dialogue. Although there were little action described in the script, if the movie were to be an action film, the script would have to be very detailed in describing how, where, and when the person moves. I think organizational skills are very important script writing as well. The script must be well formatted so that the reader knows exactly who is talking, what the scene is, and when the dialogue ends. I also thought how it was very cool to see that the script is very very close to how the movie is portrayed. You could also see where the actors and actresses were improvising with their lines when it is not included in the script. Overall, it was a good experience getting to look at a script from a major movie.

Script Doctor

If there was one movie I was disappointed with, it was Spiderman 3. I am a huge fan of Spiderman, and think the movie could have been much better. I think there were too many villians in the plot, which did not allow for character development. They should have taken Sandman out and focus on just the Green Goblin and Venom. I believe Venom could have been such a developed character, but the movie came up short. I think the underlying concept of Venom is the battle within the inner self, the struggle to fufill your desires, and such. The character Eddie Brock could also have been developed further, being in competition with Peter Parker. Yes, the movie does cover all the things I've mentioned, but I felt there was no depth to it. The audience could not attach to the characters. I think they should've kept the Green Goblin alive until the end of the movie series, where the final battle occurs between best friends. Also, I was just dumbfounded to the scene where Peter Parker becomes "emo" and becomes dark and aggressive. The scene where he comes out of the clothing store and starts to dance, will forever be engraved in my mind, in a bad way. There could have been so much potential showing the inner turmoil Peter Parker went through and how he overcame his addiction so to speak. As for the ending, I think they should've introduced Carnage, or a crossover with the X-Men, which has been done in the cartoon.

Rinzler Response

At first glance, the article seemed very similar to the Empire of Dreams documentary we viewed in class. The article talked a lot about George Lucas' visions and how he despised the corporate movie companies. He even went as far as to admit that he was very close minded when it came to compromising. He realized that movie production is a collaborative process, but he avoided collaboration whenever he could. He knew what he wanted and stuck with it. Perhaps he did this because the underlying message to his movies was being free from corporate or empirical oppression. It was however, very interesting to see how there were many untold parts to the story that we never knew about. The original character names, locations, and even plot was different in the original script. The thing that I took from this article was that its good to have options in your screenwriting. I'm sure George Lucas has many versions of the story and different ways he wanted to tell it. I think it's also good to know that you need to be firm with your decisions. One must have a good vision for what he wants to do. A project without a direction will never go anywhere.

Storylines That Inspire Me

1. I love storylines that involve the distortion of time. Pulp Fiction, Meet the Robinsons, and The Girl Who Leap Through Time to name a few. I love movies that start at the end and progress to the beginning, time travel, flashbacks, stuff like that.
2. I love the idea of the internal struggle, the man vs. man if you will. I think its incredible how some writers can depict exactly what people are thinking with such precision. I also enjoy observing how character make choices and how they go about making the right one.
3. I love epic battles. Massive battles over thousands of participants inspire me. It is just such an awesome sight to see (of course people dying is not). Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, and 300 to name a few.
4. I love twist endings. Its awesome that the writer can keep you guessing until the end, and just when you think you've figured it out, BAM!!! You've been played haha.
   
5. I love psychological horror movies. The Ring was such a perfect example for me. The ghost itself wasn't that scary, it was the fact you too have watched the video is what makes it scary!!!
   

SCRATH

I just did what came naturally to me as I first read this. First, I took a good look around my room, the color of the walls, the structure of our room setup, my roommate on his computer, the rug on the floor, and etc. Then I proceeded to listen to some music. I listened to some of my favorites, turned it on shuffle and listened to what came out, and even watched some music videos to these songs. I also played some video games and looked at the story of the game, how you play it, observed your role and freedom as the player, the game's artwork, graphic design, and what not. I also began playing the guitar for a bit. Played whatever came to my mind. Jammed to a backing track, and see what came out. I also visited some of my old videos that I took of myself playing and tried to think how I came to those riffs and melodies. Through doing all this, I think I would have to say that a lot of things that I think of always comes from things I have previously seen or experienced. This leads me to believe that even the greatest creators borrowed something from their influences in life. Can there really be something that is truly original? However from doing this exercise, I think I did learn that thinking about things in an orderly fashion does help with creating some ideas, whether it is original or not.

Concept Melting Pot

1. A law student's fraternity house mystery that leads to an inconvenient truth.
2. A day in the life of a squirrel, with a chipmunk, on an epic journey to find nuts.
3. High school nerds devise a plan to take over the school cafeteria.
   
4. Villains turn good, heroes turn evil, one is unaffected. He/she must make a choice to keep it the way it is or turn things back.
   
5. Stranded on an island with amnesia. Never gets his/her memory back, keeps finding new mysteries.
   

Significance of Foregin Films in the US

I think it's safe to say that foreign films do not have much appearance in movie theaters. I think it would be good for us to be exposed to non American films. By doing this, I believe the public can get a better perspective on how other parts of the world view certain issues and even how they view us Americans. I haven't watched many foreign films myself, but being from a different country, I have been exposed to some. Watching foreign films, for me anyway, motivates me to watch other foreign films as well. I think I will say this about American films; it is very visually stunning. With the technology we have, it's just amazing what we can do with special effects and editing. I was just thinking that other countries frequently show our movies, why don't we watch theirs? Who knows, maybe we might like it, or even learn something.

5 Interesting Headlines

1. "You Follow One Kid Home, Rip Out His Eyes And All of a Sudden You're a 'Killer' Squirrel" http://www.theonion.com/content/opinion/you_follow_one_kid_home_rip_out
2. "Deformed Man Toilet" http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,884870,00.jpg
3. "Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs" http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/top10/article/0,30583,1855948_1863993,00.html
4. "FML" http://www.fmylife.com/love/185544
5. "Pingpong lovers: China allows champ a girlfriend" http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2009-09-02-china-pingpong-champ_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
   

My bliss is...

My bliss is being able to get people to take action. Here is one of goals in my life that I would like to fulfill before I die. I really hope that what I do in life, would lead others to take action. I have seen many movies that make me think and sit in awe. This is great, but it would be better if it lead me to change and actually do something about it. I remember when I first started playing guitar. I saw a music video of Sum41 and I took off from there. The strange thing is that I have seen many other guitarists play, but something about Sum41 made me want to take action and play, and that's what my bliss is. I think it's safe to say that this goes for any artists out there; that their creation would lead people to think and then perhaps take action. I would like to someday create or do something that would make other people think, that would be awesome. What would even be better, would be for them to actually take action by themselves. I think it is this principle that makes heroes. You could look back at all the heroes throughout history and what do they have in common? They lead other people to take similar action to their beliefs. Now I would like to say that my actions would lead people in the right direction. As we all know, there have been historical figures that lead people to do terrible, horrendous things and that would be a nightmare for me.

Anzaldua vs. Tharp

I thought the readings were going to be a pain, when I saw how long they were, but it turned out to be a good read. I really enjoyed reading what goes on in a mind of a story writer, a choreographer, and other artists. If there's one thing I'd like to say, it is that these people really know themselves and are able to coherently express their thoughts. The subject of the matter is pretty hard to explain as it is, and both authors did an excellent job describing, explaining and visualizing their thoughts. Both articles had similarities in the fact that they both described how they went about creating and their thoughts on creativity. Both authors had to create something out of nothing. Both authors felts some sort of anxiety or fear. Both authors were also on a time schedule or under pressure of finishing their work. I would also say that both authors did have their habits. Their motives for having habits may have been different, but they both did it consciously or not. Anzaldua often walked along the beach and observed the waves and the weather. Tharp gets up early in the morning to exercise. Now, Tharp was the one that was big on rituals and habits. This was a very interesting concept and idea that she brought up. I am still uneasy to accept her proposition that creativity comes from daily rituals and habits. Now, I'm not too sure if that was what she was exactly proposing but I'd like to believe it's along those lines. I think I agree with her to an extent. I do believe that people can be excellent with something with hard work, habits, rituals, etc. However a person can only go so far with just doing daily rituals. It's hard for me to believe that a person will create something awesome from abiding by daily rituals and habits, and suddenly they create something. No, I would like to believe that true talent or creativity comes from a person's ability to make something incredible without thinking about it much; it must come natrually. In that repect, I can side more easily with Anzaldua's story when she finally decideds to forget her troubles, anxiety and pressures. Only when she threw everything out, that's when she truely began to write. Tharp's way of thinking isn't bad at all; I think habitual practice is a good tool that can get you where you want to be. I like to look at guitar playing this way; you want to practice as much as you can, habitually, and ritually, so that there is nothing technically or physically inhibiting you when you begin creating. You may have all these great ideas in your mind, but it is useless if you can't bridge your ideas from your head, to your hands. Practicing, habits and rituals are the bridges that connect your mind to reality. However, the principal creativity comes naturally from the mind and soul, not your habitual excercises.

Influences vs My Three Words

I was surprised to find that my three words do describe many of my influences. Many of my influences are epic in the sense that they appear to be much larger than life. Many artists influence so many people in their lives. Even from a third person's view, watching someone perform in front of thousands of people behind the performer's back is pretty amazing to watch. Even when we receive applause from a good speech or a good joke, we feel good and large in a sense. Also many of the movies that influence me are epic in the sense that the protagonist is put in a situation that is way more grand and larger than anything that could happen in real life. Overcoming huge obstacles, large scale battles, and big monsters are just some of the things that describe such a situation. I also really appreciate it when people are innovative and try to do something outside the box. Movies like Pulp Fiction and Citizen Kane were really awesome for me because I have never seen anything like that in my life. Changing how the story is told, abstract ideas, and different points of view are fun to analyze and watch. As for fun, I think I was going more towards something that is memorable. I believe if you are having fun, you'll remember it, and want to do it again. Many of the action films are fun to watch for me, as well as comedy movies. "Anchorman" is a good example for me. I could watch this film over and over again because it reminds me of all the fun times I had watching it with my friends and imitating lines and gestures from the movie. Consciously or not, my three words ended up describing my influences and I hope our projects will do the same.

Campbell's Monomyth

This article was very confusing for me. The style of writing seemed very old fashioned, and hard to understand. The way I understood it, was that the article was divided into two parts. The first part talked about tragedy, fear, terror, and how death was an enevitable part of everyone's life. I believe it also talked about how comedy, which brings out joy, is somewhat fake and should not be taken seriously. Basically the first part was very depressing and hard to understand. The second part I understood a little bit more. I believe the article was describing how a typical heroic myth has a typical storyline. I found this very interesting. I think many of the action films today has similar storyline as well. The protagonist sets out from his world, goes through some sort of initiation or training, then defeats the antagonsist at the end. It was also interesting to see that the protagonist continued to pass on his "boon" or his attained power to those around him. I think this is probably the part that gives some closure to readers/viewers. The reader feels that he/she too can abtain the powers the main character has achieved since he decides to teach ordinary people. I think this idea fits the storyline of Star Wars perfectly. I would like to say however, that many modern movies are very abstract and does not follow this storyline. Many movies do not leave you feeling happy or motivated. Sometimes movies these days appears to have no storyline at all. Perhaps the essential moral of this storyline is there in modern movies: whatever happens to the main character could happen to us ordinary people.

Intertextuality, not surprising to me

I was aware that writers deliberately chose the kind of grammar they used and vocabulary they use in their writing. It was good to read an article that specifically explains all this. I was really intrigued by the techniques of intertextual representation. I believe what I learned from this was that the more vagueness of quotations and outside texts are directly proportional to the freedom the writer has to express his own feelings on the matter. It was also cool to see that the writer can manipulate even direct quotes to their liking. This article made me appreciate more about how much work goes into even a short article in a magazine or a newspaper. Every paragraph, sentence, grammar, dialect, vernacular, etc, is specifically chosen to entice the reader. It's a given that not all writer want to express their own opinions in articles, but it is cool to see how they can do it subtly through use of words and positioning of paragraphs and such. I think this process can be used for the screen writing portion of our project. Having a good story to tell is great, but how to tell a story is also a crucial part of a good movie I believe. Overall, a good informative article about how we should according to what our audience's interests.

Project Lead Preference

I would personally like to be the lead for "The Making Of..." portion of our project. I love learning how things work, and all the unseen work that goes into a finished product. I always like to watch the featurettes on DVD's, and this would be a great chance for me to make one of my own! Outtake reels are always hilarious and I probably would enjoy this part the most. Interviewing people is not my forte but it is always interesting to see what their thoughts were during the filming and such. My hope is that the featurette would really help people to appreciate our work and even be able to connect with us on a deeper level than just the viewer. I also would not mind being the lead for screenwriter. There's not much stories I have mind, but I think it would be a good experience for me.