No Cut Short Film

Last week in Professor Scoggins, he asked for four volunteers to film this week. I volunteered. This week's assignment was to create a short film without using any cuts, meaning it all had to be done in one take. This ended up being a lot harder than I originally thought. My story idea was to show different stages of how a relationship should look. I took the audience through a boyfriend/girlfriend, engaged couple, early stages of a married couple, and older stage of a married couple. However, we ended up not using the older couple and sticking with the younger married couple. At the end of the short, the girlfriend and boyfriend share a moment that the married coupled had experienced back when they were dating.  Although pre-production went extremely well, when we started filming, I found myself saying "If I could only cut right here and get this shot, that would be PERFECT!" But, I did it! It only took about one and a half hours for the entire shoot! The final product is approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds. I am very excited with the way it turned out!

Where in the world is Casablanca?

BRIEF OVERVIEW: This essay was written in response to watching one of the films on the list of top 100 movies according to American Film Institute that we had not seen before.

                One of the one hundred top movies according to the American Film Institute is Casablanca. This movie was directed by Michael Curtiz. Although this movie was very well done, it was not a movie that I would care to see more than one more time. The reason that I would want to watch it again is that I might be able to pick up on some of the innuendos or identify foreshadowing scenes. However, after that, this movie would not be one that I would watch often.

                This movie did not strike me as having a strong romantic theme in the beginning. Initially, I thought that this movie was going to be mostly involving a war or some other military involvement. Although many stories involving different war based themes have romantic interests, this movie’s resolution was closely related to the romantic theme involved. However, the romantic interest twists in the plot of the movie definitely increased my interest. I thought it was very interesting how Rick and Ilsa’s relationship took place in Paris. The idea that they had no idea about each other, yet, Rick wanted to runaway and get married soon after. Then, when she does not show up until he is in Casablanca, he is upset with her. This part seemed unfair because he did not know anything about her, therefore very possibly having prior obligations that she could not leave.

                Another part about the relationship that I found to be interesting was at the end when Rick decides not to have her stay with him but for her to go with her husband instead. This showed a great character arc for Rick because he was able to look past his own wants and the anger and hurt he felt because of Ilsa, and make sure that her moral integrity as a wife was, at least, being pushed in the right direction.

                Casablanca is a movie that I knew through quotes, but did not realize that Casablanca was the movie that they came from. For example, “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid” is a quote that they used for a theme at my high school’s senior dinner when I was a senior.  Before I had seen Casablanca, I liked the quote much more. In the way that I had been interpreting it, I had seen it in a much lighter mood. However, after watching the movie, I did not particularly like the phrase as much, and by the third time the line came up, I felt it was overused. I think that this quote is much more mysterious related after watching the movie.

                Another quote that I had heard before was “Out of all the gin joints in all the world, you had to walk into mine.” This quote, unlike the last one, I enjoy just as much after watching the movie as I did before. This quote maintains its own idea that everything happens for a reason. Not only does this quote enable a deep theological and thought provoking question, but it also stays true for the storyline. This story would have been completely different if it was not for this crucial aspect of the story. The theological idea behind this line was another reason that I found the movie interesting and well done.

                One major reason that I found that I did not enjoy this movie as much as I was expecting to definitely relates to the theme of the movie. Although there are many movies involving wars that I would definitely consider to be amazing movies and could watch many times, such as Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List, I did not find that this movie was as moving as the other two movies were. Because this movie mostly served the ‘behind the scenes’ politics involving the war, I did not feel the emotional connection as strongly as I might have if it related more directly to the war affecting those in concentration camps or innocent civilians.

                From a director’s aspect, this was definitely quite a movie. Each scene definitely grew on the previous scenes and, for the most part, kept an interest from the audience. The story was portrayed very well through the visuals and definitely showed a clear direction from the director. The shots and camera angles used, as well as the light and dark contrasts, definitely helps the audience to understand the mood that the director was hoping the audience to experience.

                Also, the script was very well written. The director was definitely making a smart decision when he decided to work on this movie once he read the script. The fact that there are two specific lines that are very well known that I was able to mention and give examples involving the lines in the script, as well as many other lines that others were able to compile from this movie, proves that the script was absolutely spectacular. I do not think that this movie would be able to have been such a memorable movie if it was not for some of the lines provided by the script.

                In conclusion, although I did not particularly enjoy the movie as much as I had hoped, I completely understand how and why this movie was able to make it to the top one hundred movies and why it was able to resonate with so many people. 

Back to School

So, after a nice break from schoool, it starts back up on Monday. I am really excited for this quarter! It will definitely be challenging, but hopefully the excitement of doing so many hands on projects will confuse me into thinking all the time being put into it is not that big of a deal. Anyway, if this quarter even ends up being 1/4 of the fun that it sounds like it will be, it will definitely be an amazing quarter!

Oh, Technology!

While I was on my trip in Europe, I received and email saying that my hard drive had crashed. With the wedding plans well underway, I got very nervous, but did not let this news ruin my trip. When I got back to the states the worry began though. After getting my computer back from Best Buy with a new hard drive, I brainstormed with my dad what I should do next. Luckily, I went into Best Buy with my old hard drive and they told me that they would be able to get my files back because it wasn't a software problem, it was a mechanical problem. Therefore, it only cost me $99.99 instead of potentially thousands of dollars to get all my files back! So, once again God stepped in and fixed my problem for me because I left it in his hands!

PRAISE GOD!

What a Wonderful World

Like the title says, God has definitely made a wonderful world. 

The first place that I was able to experience was Ireland. Ireland is definitely a beautiful country. It did rain a lot, constantly reminding me that I was not in sunny San Diego or Orange County, but it was still beautiful and I was able to take home with me some beautiful pictures and exciting memories. The little town that we stayed in Ireland was called Rosscarberry. It is a beautiful peaceful town, very different from the crazy city that I come from. On the trip in Ireland we were able to hike to many castles, which often meant many exciting adventures. On one of the adventures, we saw (and then hiked to) a huge cross that was on the top of a hill that overlooked the ocean. All of the Catholic Churches in Ireland were defintely beautiful. We also visited  some of the neighboring towns, which gave us a small impression of what the cities in Ireland are like. 

After spending an amazing week in Ireland, we flew to Rome, Italy. Clearly, it was a wonderful and spiritual experience that has definitely stengthened my faith. It is one thing to hear and learn about all the old churches and the significance that each one has in class, however, being able to look and touch all the different churches was surreal. For example, walking into the Catacombs and knowing that it was there that many of the first martyrs prayed and celebrated Mass was truly moving. We were very fortunate that we were able to be in the general audience on Wednesday and see Pope Benedict XVI. At one point, luckily in English, one of the Cardinals presented us by name as one of the Universities that had come to see him. To hear him speak directly to the English speaking pilgrims in English was thrilling. Luckily, Joey was able to video the English speaking part of the morning. However, when the Cardinal mentioned our school, I am not sure how well the video camera will be able to pick up that because of how loud everyone started screaming and waving towards the Pope, so for those few seconds of our "Catholic fame," all you can hear on the video is excited screaming.

I am so blessed to have been able to experience all of the wonderful things on this trip. 

All the time, God is good. 

Trip to the Past

February 21, 2009

This week’s video took us back to a very exciting time for Dublin that took place forty-six years ago. This amazing experience, that many people claim to be the highlight of their teenage years, is the trip that the Beatles took to sing in Dublin. In 1963, the wonderful Beatles came to town and performed two concerts, one in Dublin and the other in Adelphi. Very many people remember this day very well. They could tell you who was standing next to them, what song the Beatles opened with, and the excitement in the air that night. Considering that the Beatles were so popular here in the United States as well, it doesn’t surprise me that this is the highlight for many women of their teenage years.

Some people described the Beatles as media savvy. This stood out to me very clearly. Since I have come to John Paul the Great Catholic University for media, it is very important that I can graduate from the school and have people look at me and say that I am a media savvy person. I think this is very important because technology in the media world right now is continuously changing. People have to think outside the box that they created when television first started to be broadcast. Hopefully, like the Beatles, in the world students from John Paul the Great Catholic University will be known as media savvy and hard workers.

Another thing that I noticed from watching the first part of the clip was the fun that the Beatles portrayed. They seem to have a great sense of humor and are enjoyable to watch. The Beatles gave people the inspiration to be a little different. Clearly, they succeeded in that because they now have a book about them called The Beatles Irish Concerts.

Ireland definitely cares about those around them. The Principal of Scoil Fhursa in Kilmore West is a boys school that educates around 270 young boys. This school had been very run down because the last time anyone painted the school was about ten years prior. However, after this school becoming to run down, parents, faculty, staff, and local communities came together to give the school a complete paint makeover. In the chapter that we read this week, Tom Inglis, in the book Global Ireland, describes how “villages are a bit like families.” This painting makeover definitely hits that point directly. Although everyone thought it was the craziest idea, they got the job done through the donations of places around them. Everything from the paint to the catering was donated in order to help these boys be able to focus better during their studies at this school. Not only did businesses and parents help out, but parish groups also donated their time. The boys at The Principal of Scoil Fhursa in Kilmore West are very lucky to have had this experience.

Finally, the last part of the video that we watched was about a taxi driver who was able to experience seeing people from all age groups come together and learn how to become chefs. Whether the reason behind was to go professional or just to entertain house guests, everyone who attended worked well with each other and helped the experience be an awesome learning experience. Similar to the way John Paul the Great Catholic University works, Lynda Booth, the founder, brings in professional chefs that the students are able to learn from and work with. 

How will I apply my knowledge from my producer class in the future?

In class Professor Christopher Riley asked us what we want to do with the information we learned during our production class this quarter. He gave us 15 minutes in class to write something, this is what I wrote:

What I want to do with this knowledge is probably the most obvious, I am now intrigued by producing and might do producing in some projects in the future. This class really helped my knowledge of what producer does and made me realize that I have a lot of the skills that a producer needs to be successful. And with more practice here at JP Catholic, I might go on to be a producer outside of the school. Because of the other class that I am taking, I am understanding what exactly a producer is doing and I am witnessing examples of producers and learning what works and what doesn't work. Also, as being an assistant to the two producers on my team and taking this class at the same time, I am able to try and help them successfully do their job and I am able to explain different things to other team members. By these different experiences, I can be a better producer in the future when I actually become one. Producers need to dream pretty big and follow that dream in order to be successful, and through different conversations with people, I have found that I have a lot more confidence in people than they have and that I would be able to help them with their projects by encouraging them in getting their story told. The other reason why I think I would enjoy being a producer is because I am really good at knowing a little about a lot of things and I know how and what to do, even if I am not the best at any job in particular. As a producer you need to know when a job is done correctly and well, and the basics of how to do it, but you do not need to be the best at any particular case. Because I like being involved in all aspects of production I think that this job is very suitable for me.