michaelsamericancinemaanalysis

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Reflection

I believe that I have grown significantly from the time of my first vlog to my production project. I approached these vlog assignments initially as a lot of summarizations and little to no analysis. I would focus on recapping the film and giving my opinion on it as well as providing facts that people may not know but would forget about looking at the technical aspects of filmmaking. As the semester went on, I tried to aim my vlogs towards everything that went into making the film such as the camera angles and the use of sound and music. This approach helped me connect more with the films and see them in a different light, even if it is a movie, I have seen a hundred times. This also provided a review for the viewer that was more interesting and did not give away the whole movie, leaving them wanting more. In my opinion my best review was the production project as it was interesting to dive into one specific scene rather than the whole film. When making these videos I aimed to focus on how the technical aspects of the filmmaking process evoked feelings in those who were watching the movie. I was fascinated by how the use of different shots and sound could give a dramatic effect to what we are watching from our living rooms. I think the main skill I learned was to find the small minute details and dive deeper into them. I noticed how many things that I missed in movies I have watched over and over again. If I were to take this class again, I would have chosen different movies. While it was fun to do vlogs and projects with some of my favorite movies, I think it would have been even more interesting and fun to do it with movies I am not familiar with. Overall, I believe this course expanded my knowledge of American cinema and it will change the way I watch and think about films from here on out. 

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production project

Write-Up: I chose to do a technical breakdown of a scene because that option interested me the most. I find it fascinating how directors implement many different aspects into making the viewer feel a certain emotion. Everything put in front of the camera has a specific purpose and meaning, just as the way the actors convey the character that they are playing can make a film much more immersive. When thinking of a scene to use, I immediately thought of using a film directed by Tarantino. The reason for this decision is because he has such a specific filmmaking style, and it is easy to recognize because no one can replicate the way he sees cinema. When looking at the movies he has directed it was a difficult choice to make because they are all so great in their own individual way. I finally landed on inglorious bastards due to the fact that the movie while having such great dialogue also has an amazing setting. There are many scenes that I could have chosen from this film, and for a long time I was between two different ones. I decided on the opening scene because I think it is a great introduction to the film and it shows Tarantinos directing at its best. When completing the assignment, I learned the art of capturing and displaying emotion. I thought it was incredible how the scene was used to evoke so many different emotions in the audience. Using all the different technical aspects of filmmaking this scene conveyed primarily suspense. I learned how everything must be working in unison for the best result. This means specific camera angles during select moments, as well as the use of music to make the viewers feel what they are watching. This goes further to what props the use, how to set the stage, and using dialogue to keep you on the edge. I have a much deeper appreciation for everyone and everything that goes into shooting a film. While this is a movie, I have watched time and time again, completing this project made me view it in a whole different way and I did not notice as many small details that subconsciously make this scene as wonderful as it is. I will now watch movies differently and look for things that I did not before, such as the technical breakdown and everything that happened behind the scenes to come up with the product I am watching. 

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Case Study - "Literally Me" Characters

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Vlog 4 - Crusoe

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vlog 3 - 10 facts about Dial M for Murder

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vlog 2

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movie chronicles

Five movies from early age:

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Jaws

Jurassic park

Shrek 2

Ratatouille

Five movies from ages 10-13

Interstellar

The dark knight

Star Wars: revenge of the Sith

A bronx tale

Catch me if you can

Five movies from ages 13-16

Inglorious bastards

la la land

Reservoir dogs

Django unchained

Once upon a time in Hollywood

Five movies up to now

Whiplash

American Beauty

The Social Network

Dog Day Afternoon

Crazy Stupid Love

Favorite Movie Overall: Good Will Hunting

This movie was released on November 13, 2009. Fantastic Mr. Fox was directed by Wes Anderson and stared George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, and more. The box office underperformed at 46 million dollar gross on a 40 million dollar budget.

I remember this movie being put on one night when I was younger with my mom, dad, and sister who is five years older. I remember being fascinated with the stop motion nature of this film as it was the first time I've seen a movie like this. I remember thinking about how beautiful the style of this film was and the unique was Wes Anderson told stories.

I watched this movie again recently as I was older. The second viewing connected with me a lot more than the first time. I was able to relate myself to the characters, such as also wanting everyone to think that I am great like Mr. Fox did. I was able to see more than just the interesting style of the movie and also catch the details which improved my feelings even more towards this picture.

This movie was released on October 26, 2014. Interstellar was directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Matthew McConaughey. The movie has a long runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes. The box office was a hit with a gross of 701.7 million on a 150 million dollar budget.

I began getting into sci fi around this age and keep seeing promotions for this movie so I watched it. I remember how incredible I thought the cinematography was for this film. I loved the way McConaughey acted and I loved watching him on screen. I remember struggling with the run time the first time I watched interstellar.

I watched this movie again as I got older and the issue with the run time vanished. I caught myself wanting this film to be even longer and noticed that nearly 3 hours flew by. I felt the emotion of the characters having to sacrifice and say goodbye to loved ones in order to chase a higher purpose.

This movie was released on august 21, 2009. The film was directed by Quinten Tarantino and stared Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The box office was successful with a gross of 321.5 million on a 70 million dollar budget.

At this time in my life Tarantino became my favorite director and because of this I wanted to watch all his films. I stumbled upon inglorious bastards and it became my favorite. My favorite part of this film and of those of Quentins in general is the use of dialogue. Good dialogue became the most important criteria for me when watching a feature.

This movie is still my favorite war time movie but my obsession with Tarantino has diminished slightly since then. Dialogue is still my favorite part of film and what really grabs me the most at the cinema.

This movie was released on January 16, 2014. The film was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. With a small budget of 3.3 million the film grossed an impressive 49 million dollars.

While not anymore, this film was my favorite of all time, and it earned that role right after seeing it. While I was aware of this films existence I forgot about it until one night I was bored and stumbled across it on a streaming service. After seeing it I can safely say it changed my life. I resonated with the main character and his constant pursuit of perfection. I remember watching this movie three times back to back and getting something new out of it every time.

This movie still hold a special place in my heart and I even did a senior year assignment on it. I used the quote from fletcher saying "there are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job". Once you get complacent with mediocrity you stop chasing perfection.

My sister and I used to watch a lot of movies together and she saw first hand my movie taste change. She used to watch a lot of Disney and animated movies with me. They are still her favorite today. In our younger years we had similar movie preference, but as we grew older we became divided in the types of cinema we liked. She told me that she remembers watching Fantastic Mr. Fox and coming to the same conclusion. The difference is that the movie grew on me and I appreciate it even more today, while she is no more fond of the movie as the first time she saw it.

She drifted off to more light comedic movies while I took a different path to more thought provoking dramas. Without a shadow of a doubt she told me my favorite movie of "Good Will Hunting". She noticed my Tarantino obsession for a long time. she witnessed my interest in Wes Anderson, and my current lunge back into Nolan with the release of Oppenheimer. She went with me on my 2nd of 4 viewings and saw my limited release 70 mm Imax film strips. She pointed out how I have become a lot more aware of how I am viewing a film. She said now I am actively trying to see movies in 70 and 35 mm and true film formats.

I am excited to see how my movie taste continues to change along with my sister so we can have good conversations and expand our cinema horizons.