Film Review #28

Today I watched a short film called Chef's Special. The film is about a guy that has a strange disease that allows him to "excrete" food the same way it enters his body, so he can essentially poop out a perfect plate of pasta. I'm not sure if this is the most disgusting or the coolest set of circumstances for a character, but it was pretty interesting. The film had good number of smooth continuous shots which made the film feel very fluid as well as a lot of look at's which symbolized/contributed to the nervousness of the protagonist. Surprisingly, the film only gets stranger as it continues however, the quirky character and the unusual plot make for a pretty unique and fun film. I totally recommend this weird chunk of footage.

Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0VfU5StDRU

Protest Art

It's not so much a social justice issue as it is an internal/mental problem, however I've chosen to write about artists that protest Anorexia and pro-ana tendencies. This is an important topic to me for a number of reasons, the first being the everlasting effect it can have on someone's body. Anorexia is a eating disorder and mental illness that affects many people around the world, especially young and young adult females. When these girls starve themselves they destroy their bodies both externally and internally. Externally, their skin begins to thin and become discolored, they age at an execrated rate, and they grow wrinkles, dark eye bags, and dry, rough patches. Internally, their organs deteriorate, their heart beats begin to slow dramatically, and their immunes systems are weakened. It is really heartbreaking to know that these girls are literally killing themselves to try and conform to societies standards of beauty, another reason why this topic is important to me. These girls are starving themselves to "become" beautiful because they don't know that they already are. I have a personal issue with how many people walk this earth not knowing how valuable and beautiful they are, so when people go to extreme measures to fix something that isn't broken I'm extremely bothered.

This is an anti Anorexia (and Bulimia) photograph taken by Lottie Lou. The photo features Barbie, an iconic symbol for beauty and perfection to young girls, forcing herself to purge. The photo portrays the attainability of  society's image of beauty and forces girls to step back and take a look at what they're doing to themselves.

This is an anti Anorexia photo taken by Israel Cohen as a part of the "Set Them Free" campaign. The photo is of a female holding a knife and fork in the same fashion that a prisoner holds the bars of a prison cell. This photo is symbolic of the obsessive behaviors Anorexics have with food and how those food obsessions overtake their lives and "trap" them. The idea behind the "Set Them Free" campaign in this instance is to set girls with Anorexia free from the illness.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/isabelle-caro-anorexia-sufferer-who-appeared-in-a-global-campaign-against-the-disorder-2185196.html

Film Review #27

Today I watched a short film called He Said. She Said. The film is about two female friends that tell each other about their dates on the previous night. The guys that ladies went out with are also friends and are doing the same. The film is comedic, as each member of the "couple" had completely opposite opinions on the success of the date. One of the ladies had high remarks about her date, but the guy she went on the date with thought lowly of it and vice versa for the other couple. The story is one that has been told lots of times, however it was still entertaining. The film was aesthetically pleasing, but the opening shot was a little nauseating. The shot was a tracking shot of the two female friends jogging, however the camera appeared to be hand held because the shot was really bouncy and shaky (luckily it did not last that long). The film featured a few nice pans that made up for it "eh" opening. Overall it was a pretty entertaining piece.

Film Review #26

Today I watched a short film called Plastic. In the film, a lady is getting ready for a date with a guy she really likes. In the beginning she struggles to fit into some of her clothes and after a phone call from her date confirming the details of the night, she notices a pimple on her nose. The lady is pretty self conscious of her appearance and tries to remove the pimple from her face but ends up leaving fingerprints in her skin. After removing those, she discovers that she can alter the appearance of herself by literally sculpting her body with her hands. She sees a magazine with a model on the cover and molds herself to fit the stereotypical confinements of what society considers beauty. After she is done, her date arrives at her home and rings the door bell. She stares at her appearance for a moment before going to answer the door. When she does, the camera focuses on her dates expression and he looks very pleased. It is then revealed that the lady changed her appearance back to the way it originally was. Her date tells her that she looks really nice, without knowing that she initially planned to alter her appearance for the date. I really like the message of this film and it seems to tie into the conversation we had in class on Monday about altering certain things/features in editing programs. I'm glad that the lady was able to come around and feel comfortable in her own skin. Especially because she looked awful after she morphed herself. This film was a wonderful example of the way people should feel about themselves; the end anyway. I thought this was a really awesome film for both entertainment and "educational" purposes so I recommend it to every living vessel.

Watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpJFE8UcFcU

Film Planning

Character:
The protagonist of the film is a teenage girl named Aisa Presley. She is 16 years old, however there is a short clip of her at age 7 in the beginning of the film. Aisa is a troubled teen. She grew up in a happy home with both of her parents on her side, however after a few ill-behaved decisions she and her parents have not had the most pleasant interactions. Aisa is remorseful of her actions and is trying to turn her life around however, she does not understand the process of doing so. Instead of reconciling her past she literally runs away from it. She believes that escaping the ghosts of her past will not only "fix" herself, but mend the relationship between her and her parents.

Location and Timeline:
The events depicted in the film take place over the course of an hour or two, however there is a shot of a flashback. The flashback is of an event that took place 9 years ago. The flashback and the beginning of the film take place inside of Aisa's home. There are scenes inside Aisa's bedroom, her parents' bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen. The second half of the film takes place outside, in the neighborhood in which Aisa lives and a nearby forest trail.

The indoor scenes will be shot in Redwood Parkway of Vallejo, Ca at my grandma's home using artificial lighting. The outdoor scenes will be shot in that area as well, but further into the abyss of trees using streetlights and natural moonlight (if possible).

Story Arc:
The film is inspired by and is intended to be paired with Czelena's song The New Life. The story arc is as follows:
~Exposition: Aisa has a dream remembering her 7th birthday where she and her family are gathered at the kitchen table. Aisa is opening presents, one of which is a small music box. Those were happy times.

~Rising Action: Aisa wakes from the dream and feels pretty emotional. She goes to the bathroom, showers, and throws on dark clothing. She grabs her school bag, empties it replaces her school items with an extra hoodie and her music box. She goes down to the kitchen and grabs a few granola bars and water bottles to put in her bag.

~Climax: Aisa sneaks out of her home - her parents asleep - and begins to literally run away from her home. She runs for hours, periodically taking breaks to catch her breath and drink water. After a few hours she falls while running and stays on the ground, thinking of her past.

~Falling Action: Aisa reaches in her bag to get another bottle of water but instead grab her music box. She takes it out of her bag and plays a song. She has a flashback/thoughts of her 7th birthday when she received the music box. The music box is reminiscent of the happy memories Aisa had with her family.

~Resolution: Aisa decides to face her past head on and goes back home. Its early morning when she returns home and her parents sit at the kitchen table in a panic. Aisa sits and talks to them about how to "properly" deal with her demons.

The New Life Project

As cliché as it sounds, for The New Life Project I'm thinking of making a short film about a girl stepping into her "new life." The film will feature a girl with a sketchy path that physically tries to run away from her intangible problems. In the beginning of the film the character will awaken late night and take a shower. The shower will symbolize her attempt at cleansing herself. Following that, the character will dress in dark clothing and leave her home. She is a teenager so she sneaks out of her home. The majority of the film depicts her physically running away and battling the ghosts of her past. She runs through cities, forests, and other various locations. In the end of the film, she runs into a large body of water and is able to meditate and escape the ghosts of her past.


Video References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xLpaQFjSio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJyaAP8Psno

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYX6XlX14B0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdsPLbtQETk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIDcyI11Ux8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep5uWoJeet

Film Review #25

Today I watched a short film called Elefante. The film, in essence, seems to be about love and the boundaries in penetrates. In Elefante, a man is diagnosed with a rare disease in which he turns into an elephant. As his transformation becomes more apparent, he begins to be rejected by society and his family. However the youngest of his two children, his (maybe 5ish year old) son continuously loves him and sees him as his father rather than an elephant. I do not want to spoil the film, but the relationship between the protagonist and his son was very sentimental, especially towards the end of the film. Their relationship seems to represent the purity of true love. Technically speaking, the creation of the elephant was generally well done. It looked as if the head piece of the elephant costume was made from latex and it was very convincing. The body of the elephant costume, on the other hand, appeared rushed and unrealistic. It did not compare to the precise detail work put incorporated into the headpiece. Overall, Elephante was a really touching film and I recommend it to every living vessel.

Watch it Here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRxf9HmSo4k