Sound Project Analysis

I did not realize how important sounds were until this project. Sounds are something that I see everyday so as a result I take them for granted. However, making this project made me realize how just sounds can tell a story. While our project was not the most profound, we had fun and tried something new. Our plot was inspired by an old meme that circulated last year. Our friend Gianna does a good Kylie Jenner impression so we decided that it was perfect. The plot of the video was Kylie Jenner waking her baby Stormi up. We knew it was something that our classmates would enjoy. 

One of the challenges was making this at school. We did not have the certain objects in our script that were needed. Because of this we had to get creative. Instead of using real sheets for the rustling sound effect, we used our senior jackets. We even had fun and made noises of our own. We all pretended to be a baby crying and had surprising baby impressions. Gianna had to pretend that she was sucking on a bottle. We eve recruited an outside class to open and close a door for us.

We filmed all of the clips a couple of times. We then hose the ones that had the most clear sound. We filmed them on Mia's phone and edited on Gianna's. I was absent the day they presented due to being sick so I am not entirely sure what the class thought. In conclusion, it was a fun project and we all had a great time. The best part was the filming process. It is definitely something I would do again, and try for more elaborate sounds.

https://youtube.com/shorts/MMHcFXFJwRM?feature=share

Mise-en-scene analysis

 

Mise-en-scene is something I have noticed in movies and TV shows for years. I just did not realize exactly what it was. I was able to recognize what the setting was in every show, film, or play I watched. For my analysis I will be watching the Netflix Original, Dash & Lily. With the quirky and vibrant characters and the show taking place in New York, I figured it was perfect for this assignment. 

For this picture, I will be analyzing the costumes. Seen in the center with a sparkly blue dress with red boots is the protagonist Lily. All her life, Lily has struggled to come out of her shell due to her "quirky" personality and teasing from classmates. However, her love interest, Dash encourages her to go to a punk show. She steps out of her comfort zone and goes. Everyone around her is wearing dark clothes such as black, brown, and gray. She is the only person wearing something with color. This emphasizes the fact that she is the center of attention for the night. It also ties in with her interesting personality. The bright color matches her bright demeanor. Everyone at the show's eyes are on Lily and with this costume the audience's are too. 

For this picture I will be analyzing the staging. This scene had very elaborate staging and seemed like it was all in one shot with no cuts. This so suspense is added to the scene. We are following Lily through the club, anxiously waiting to see what happens. The camera was also shaky at a low angle. There are two reasons for this. The first one is too emphasize Lily's nerves. The people around her do not know she is nervous, but with the shaky camera the audience does. The low angle and crowd of people creates a sense of intimidation. This is a group of people Lily has never seen before and is no comfortable with. With the low angle the party goers seem large and like they are towering over her.

Lighting plays a key role in Mise-en-scene. The lighting in this scene is primarily bright green and yellow.  The yellow represents the energy and buzz in the party. The bright warm lights make the audience alert and drawn to the scene. It also represents Lily's sunny personality and optimistic persona. However, there is a bit of green light on the walls. This represents the nervousness and second thoughts that lurk in Lily's mind. She is glad she took a chance and went out, but she is not sure it was the right thing to do. The two colors together represent the internal conflict. 

The final element I will be analyzing is setting. This setting takes place when Lily is back at her house in her room. While the club was dark and cramped, her room is bright with depth. This shows that her room is where Lily has space to express herself. She is allowed to be who she really is. It is where she feels safe, unlike the party. The bright pink walls is representative of her bubbly personality. The vintage decorations is a call back to when she said she goes thrift shopping. Her slumped posture shows she is laid back and comfortable in her room. 

Mini-Analysis

The American Sitcom has been around for generations. From I Love Lucy to Friends, they have become a staple in many homes. As of recently, some of the most popular ones have been Ted Lasso and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu have increased popularity for older shows, like The Office and Parks and Recreation. However, I believe that there is an underrated sitcom that is better than them all. A hidden gem. That show is Community. I watched it on Netflix during quarantine, and I truly think it is one of the most clever shows I have ever seen. The episode I will be analyzing is the iconic paintball episode. In this episode, the central characters are competing in a paintball fight to win first priority for picking their classes. This episode is uses many techniques that we have gone over in class.

This is one of the first shots shown in the episode. This is what is called an establishing shot. This shot shows how much destruction has been caused by the paintball fight. The entire school is in ruins. The average watcher of the show will see this and realize that the setting has changed drastically. The paintball game is something that Greendale Community takes very seriously. 

 

This next shot is a point of view shot. It is from the three of the main character's point of view. Troy, Jeff, and Abed just tricked them into getting hit.  This shot shows how severely they hit the victims. Not one, but multiple paintball marks. They had to make sure they were hit. This emphasizes how seriously the game is being taken. 

This is a close up shot of the character Abed's face. Abed adds a lot of comedic relief to the show. While his face is serious in the shot. the fact that it is serious is adding comedy to the show. The paint marks in the back and the goggles on his head add to his character. All of the small details add up and develop the idea that Abed puts his entire heart into everything he does. He tries hard so he makes it to the end. 

This is a low angle shot of the character Chang. He is an antagonist in this season. In the context of the shot, he is attempting to end the game. The dean decides that it is gone too far and it must come to an end. Chang tries to save the day by bringing in huge paintball guns and shooting the final competitors. The low angle adds to his intimidation. 

This is an extreme close up of Jeff's gun. This is taken in a moment of desperation. Jeff quickly grabs the gun. This shot creates an image larger than the audience would usually see. This emphasizes how much he needs to gun in the moment. It is very important that he wins, he is one of the only people left. It is all resting on his shoulders.

 

5 Master Editing Techniques

   

https://youtu.be/1BEFw4qBYws

  While watching movies and TV shows, I always notice the aspects of editing and transitions, however, I never had a name for them. After doing this project, I understand what these different editing techniques are called and how they are used. Without these technique, films would be dull and one-dimensional. While acting is important, the way the movie or show is put together is as well. In this project Barbara, Mia, and I tried to convey the techniques in the best ways possible. We all contributed equally with our ideas and ended up with a project to be proud of. 

    The First technique seen is parallelism. We came up with this idea while standing by the lockers. We saw the lock and realized that the circular shape is similar to an eye. We decided that this would be the perfect transition. In the video you can see that the camera zooms into the lock, fades to my eye, and slowly zooms out, Personally, as the subject in the shot, it was hard for me not the blink.

The next technique used was contrast. This was my personal favorite. We had such a fun time coming up with the crazy things that Mia could do for the shot. In the beginning, you see me sleeping peacefully with classical music playing. Then, all of a sudden it cuts to Mia hitting someone. It then continues like that for the rest of the segment. The quick cuts add to the hilarity. Even watching it back, we all couldn't help ourselves from laughing.

Next was symbolism. This was specifically inspired from the drain scene from the movie "Psycho." Except, instead of life going down the drain, it was my grades. The close up of the F makes it easier for the audience to understand the disappointment I portray. The drain is also a similar shape to the circle with the F inside. 

The fourth technique was simultaneity. With Mia running away and it looking like I was chasing her, the audience would be tricked into believing that Mia was running away from me. However, at the end it is revealed I was running to Barbara instead. The happy music played at the end adds to the "plot twist."

The final technique shown was Leit Motif. We went back and forth with many sounds and discussed which would make the viewer the most anxious. While I was acting anxious at the table, the music would only add to the suspense. My favorite part of this technique is the close up to my face. With a water fountain available, we put drops of water on my face to be portrayed as sweat. This emphasizes how nervous my character is. The quick cut of at the end adds a sense of fear and mystery. 

In conclusion, I am grateful to have been assigned this project. Editing in films and TV is often overlooked. In reality, all the great shows have great editing. In fact, the best editing happens without you even realizing it. 

One Word Film

My Film

Watching and critiquing films is an activity I partake in often. I enjoy analyzing movie’s acting and cinematic features. That is why I was very excited for this project. I have never made a film of my own before and I got the opportunity to work with two of my closest friends. At first, we struggled to find a word. However, when we saw the word obsessed, we knew we had to use it. Right away we began brainstorming the plot and angles we could use.

This is one of the first few shots in the film. This Over the Shoulder shot emphasizes that she is following the protagonist. You are able to see the protagonist unknowingly walking forward, while the subject creepily walks behind. It also creates a look that makes the subject large and intimidating and the protagonist small and clueless. 

This next shot was taken from a low angle. This was a way of adding to the fear factor in the film. The audience must be able to see that the subject truly is obsessed. This angle makes her look powerful and allows the audience believe she is something to be worried about. 

Finally, this shot is an extreme close up. We chose to use this shot to emphasize the character’s obsession. No dialogue is allowed in this film, and you are able to express many emotions with just your eyes. With this close up of the eyes, you can see the subject staring at the protagonist. You are able to see how obsessed she truly is. She does not blink or move her focus once. 

The music we chose to use was very off-putting and helped to build the suspense. While the word obsessed doesn't have to lean in a scary direction, that is the direction my group chose to go in. We decided that type of music was the best way to convey the word to the viewers. Obsessed already has a negative connotation, so why not go all in?

In conclusion, this project was a new experience for me and I am very proud of how it turned out. Next time I watch a movie, I will definitely appreciate all of the hard work that goes into deciding angles and shots more.