(2014) is an American futuristic science fiction film based on the novel by Veroninca Roth. |
Beatrice Prior discovered she is divergent and unlike the rest, she is especial and different. She was supposed to stay at the abnegation faction but she wasn’t sure of her decision. Unlike the others, Beatrice Chose not to stay at her original faction, she instead selected Dauntless, because she wants to grow and improve her abilities. From the beginning, Beatrice was proved and many times forces to leave the dauntless faction. It drastically different from her origin home. From the beginning, Betrice was supported by two individuals, veteran divergents that also chose the dauntless faction. They were her personal trainers along her evolution. At the end, Beatrice defeats the bad guys thanks to her evolution and physical and mental training.
0 Comments
SYMBOL Signifier VS. Signified
Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing. Symbolism can give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper. |
In cinema the word “Toi” is the base of the different interpretations. “Toi”, a French word which means “you”, refers to the person or spectator that analyzes a piece of art, in this case, cinema. Whatever your personal opinion about a piece of art is, that’s what’s better for you. You have the last conclusion. |
"There was theatre, poetry, painting, dance, music. Henceforth there is cinema. And the cinema is Nicholas Ray."
- Wrote Jean- Luc Godard in a review of Bitter Victory.
Nicholas Ray was an American film director better known as “The Glorious Failure of an American Director” . Nicholas was revered in Europe more than in his native America for his auteur tendencies. Ray was nevertheless a major force in Hollywood in the Fifties. Godard's films abound in multiple references to Nicholas Ray's films.
Classic films are the best way to describe history of cinema. Just like any other art movement in history, Cinematography has born, develop, change, evolve and transform. A single film doesn’t narrate all the history of film. To decode all history it’s necessary to take a look in all the movements that came out from cinematography, and not only the American film , also the European Asian , etc.. Is necessary to consider the first films in history, because today’s movies are never going to be capable to project the past 100 years in an honest way. |
Good cinema tends to replace or substitute many things, such as experiences, ideas, emotions by implementing and showing “false” scenarios and histories that will remain in the audience memories. In my opinion Films are like shared experiences that everyone chose to live. Motion pictures and sound in the film are captured and processed, this process goes thanks to our senses of sight and hearing. Film can create the illusion of traveling to other place, other time or other life. In films you are able to “live inside the protagonist body”. Histories in film may replace your own life for a moment and substitute it with the characters life.
Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer. He known as "The Boy Wonder" for his extraordinary ability of selecting the right scripts, choosing the right actors, and achieving the best production staff. |
"Hollywood is a balance of art and commerce, it just depends on what side of the scale you rest on. - MICHAEL DOUGLAS
“The media has always been powerful … The Hollywood community consists of individuals bound together by intense competition.” - KATHLEEN KENNEDY
Nowadays, the Hollywood industry is one of the most powerful and influential enterprises in the world. Focusing on the film industry, Hollywood controls the standards that mostly all other film companies try to follow. From the beginning of the film era, Hollywood had grown and evolve, always encouraged business. Hollywood has had always a great influence on other countries. It is a strong and big organization that has a lot of profit.
In my personal opinion, nowadays, most of the Hollywood Films consist on just a “girl” and a “gun”. Most of this films, show girls like a sexual object. Sex scenes abound in entertain films. I don’t totally disagree with this point. But sadly, making a girl appear in a movie just for lustfulness, is something historically “normal”. This is a topic I would really like to deepen. I think that cinema is the guilty of this sexual ideology. Historically there have been a lot of movements that deal with women as a sexual object for men. In my opinion, cinema, from its origins has implement it. Pretty women were used to catch the male audience, then, women roles were even more seductive and secondary, making the men roles look always as a hero. Definitely for the hero to exist, there has to be and antagonist, and with this, violence and fights. Male heroes doesn’t have only a “helpless “girl to save, they also use violence to achieve this. The word “gun” best represent violence in films. So therefore, the typical “heroic” movie is best represented by a gun and a girl. “Humiliated and offended” are the best words that describe women history around the fil industry. Fortunately there exist some “feminist” films in which the girls honor and integrity is defended, and others in which women are the protagonist. |
“You shouldn't dream your film, you should make it!" - Steven Spilberg |
“Aquel que ha pasado por el cine y ha conservado la marca no puede entrar en otro lugar” -Godard
Once you stop watching film just for entertainment, and start analyzing it for intellectual knowledge, then you would be at the other side, and after this, incomplete films are going to be non-sense. Ones you start appreciating Films as art, then, you can no turn back to the non art films.
How can anyone know the level of madness inside an individual? What can make you a crazy person? Is it possible to lose your own personality and become another person?
Norman Bates, antagonist of the black and white film “Psycho”, is a young man who seems to have more than one personality. Obsessed with an older woman, his own mother, Norman bates becomes completely dominated by the super- ego of his unconscious.
He looks like a normal, innocent and friendly man, but inside him, still lives the essence of his mother.
Is his madness fault of his controller voice?
Norman appeared to turned mad right before he lost his mother. His madness begun at his childhood, and grow as he does. Isolated from any social interaction, Norman Bates fall in love with his own mother. Everything used to appear normal from Bates until he felt jealous of his mother and decide to kill, both; his mother lover and his own mother. It was fault of this abnormal isolated and controlled childhood that Normal Bates develop this madness.
What I personally love of this character, is his wonderful double personality. He doesn’t needs anyone, he have two opposite personalities, He can be serious and cold, like he did when he was questioned by the detective , romantic, as he interact with Miss. Crane, and cruel as he did when he killed his victims. |
What actions advices us about Normal Bates madness? In the film the first detectable scene are the shots taken at his office. When Norman talks about how difficult it is to take care of his mother, and right after that he defends her as if Miss. Crane was verbally attacking him.
“We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes, Haven't you?" – Norman Bates
Later in the film Norman’s madness is detectable easier and deeper. | |
Then another scene that expose madness, right after the murder he goes into the house and change personality again.
Besides being scared by finding Marion dead, he starts to clean evidence in a normal way, as if he have do it before.
The last scene and the most obvious is when at the end his double personality decides to reveal his own secrets. He, as his mother, tell the true to the detectives.
Compared to a Dadaist film; “Un chien andalou”, “Psycho”’ emphasizes elements such as death and women. Death is represented with many subliminal messages, for example the black color in Marion’s underwear, the smile of Norman Bates at the end of the movie and the corpse of Norman’s mother. In “Un chien andalou” we also find a lot of elements that advise death; dead bodies, skull shapes and dead animals. |
MacGuffin in a film, is an element which is responsible for the story to advance and perform. This element is what unifies most of the characters, and thanks to it, story develops easily. MacGuffin element can be either tangible or intangible, common or strange. In the film “Psycho” MacGuffin element would be something as simple and common as money. The money which Marion Crane stole was the cause for Norman Bates was being investigated and later discovered. Without that huge amount of money, the detective David Barajas, wouldn't have been contracted and the story for Norman Bates would have been kept in secret.
This classic film broke the guidelines of what films used to be. Not only because of the sexual content, or the nasty madness presented by Norman Bates. Something highly innovative was the change in protagonist. At the midpoint the protagonist, Marion Crane, was murdered and doesn’t appeared in the movie again. This films, as no other, give the spectator the opportunity to change their mind who is considered to be the main character. Director presented many characters, each one different from each other. In my personal opinion, as the movie goes, Marion Crane is no longer the protagonist and Norman is neither the antagonist. For me, Norman Bates become the protagonist, the antagonist then was the police, and detectives that try to arrest him. As I had mention, I really enjoy the Norman Bates character, I considered him to be the main character from the murder to the end.
I had learn a lot of interesting and useful art and cinematographic concepts. I had learned new words that I can definitely use in my professional life. What I like the most is that this is not the conventional and normal class of English, instead, this is different, innovative and practical.
I definitely learn to interpret and appreciate old and classic films.
Before beginning this class, I didn’t pretend to watch a classical movie by my own, but now, just after one single partial, I change my mind.
What I enjoy the most is to see things as people in our past saw them. And we are talking about more than 100 years.
Honestly I prefer watching movies and analyzing them with the group and the professor, than watching them at home and interpreting them by my own.
I thing is really important to so we can undestand better, is better to work with time, and with professor’s support, than doing it quickly and independently.
“Modern Times” is a silent black and white film, performed and directed by Charles Chaplin in 1936.
Movie Trailer:
Movie shows especial effects as speed up in some shots, explosions, and reverse reproduction.
Film use deep backgrounds with moving objects, locations as streets and yards, and other places as restaurants, jail, offices and houses. Mise en scène is impressive when it comes to represent the fabric, you can appreciate tiny details in background like gear, levers and lines of production.
This silent movie show mostly non diegetic sound, background music that coincides with action and movement of the film. It also has a few scenes of Diegetic sound, for example when Chaplin is performing at the café. Here we can clearly hear diners talking, murmuring, laughing and cheering. We hear the music they are actually playing and the voice of Chaplin, who is actually singing.
Comedy and philosophy genders are an unusual combination in a same film. Chaplin’s philosophy is peaceful, he looks for fairness and avoid problems. He doesn’t support the new capitalist ideas, and modern stereotype. As a film director, he shows those qualities in the film “Modern Times”, a realist critic to the capitalism. Personally, I think Chaplin was wise when merging this genres; comedy and political discontent. Audience was captured by the comedy, by the “Charles Chaplin” character. Thanks to comedy, Chaplin gave the message to the audience he wanted. The main message of the film “Modern Time” is an anti-capitalist movement where modernity is shown as the chaos; the worker loses everything while government controls it. We can clearly observe the inequality, the abuse and the impositions established by the rich class in the film, first the business boss, then the police and finally the government. |
| At the Beginning of the film, Charlie Chaplin implements one important Metaphor; the comparison between modern human with the domestic animals. |
First we see a shot of stacking sheep been guided by something and then next we see a shot of modern human leaving some public transport station. Just like the sheep, humans are now part of a system. Domestic animals obey their masters, while modern human have to obey "The new system". The idea that Chaplin give us of this “modern” human is the loss of freedom, modern human accepts been part of a system in which the majority is abused and controlled by the minority.
This film has a scene that depict great differences between social classes. There's a moment of parallelism between reality and a dream. A moment in which Chaplin and his partner are happily lying on the grass, then they saw a typical modern married couple. The man leaving home and going to work, and the wife staying house. They first joke and parody the situation, but then they dream about it. They imagine them in a real house, with food, comfort and all facilities. | |
Times were hard, workers were low paid, they work in bad conditions, and were injured several times while working. In one scene Chaplin goes mentally crazy because of his work. In other scene he finds out that his ex-partners have to steal for leaving. Strikes and manifestation are common in this times. Every time a manifestation was started, policemen arrive in order to arrest the leaders. In my opinion, Chaplin represented all the innocent persons that, while expressing in a pacific way, were unfair arrested by the government.
My favorite scene occurs when, after leaving a mental hospital, Chaplin was walking and finds a flag in the street so he follows the owner with the flag in his hands. Chaplin give us the idea of being an innocent civil, but then policeman accused him for leading a manifestation of liberty and freedom. | |
During this film, a clear example of this inequality and racism classes is shown. The chief, who demanded much discipline to his employees, is only interested in growing your business. He interrupt recesses and was about to remove the “lunch time”. Interested on been better than the competitor, the boss, chose Chaplin for a new machine evaluation. Here we can compare the modern worker to a dependent domestic animal, accepting what master says, with no right of choosing or making own decisions. Finally the experiment fail, leaving Chaplin injured and confused.
This movie shows how difficult is for majority to have a “perfect” life under capitalism. Chaplin capture the despair of the lower classes, nothing but the reality that people live those days. He also capture the value of perseverance and tolerance at the end of the film. The final image is him and his couple walking in straight line. Waiting for new problems to confront and overcome, and facing all those changes that bring the modern times.
A Trip to the Moon
trip to the moon or “Le Voyage dans la Lune” is a French classic silent film directed by George Meliés in 1902. This film is considered to be the first Science fiction movie in history. The film relates a story of a group of scientists who were convinced by their president, Professor Barbenfouillis, of traveling to the moon. Despite a member opposition, the voyage keep its course. The scientists prepare themselves and board a rocket that would take them to the moon. Many people helped the rocket launch. They were sent, and when they finally arrived, they discovered a whole new world inside the moon. Scientists were surprised by some sort of aliens who were stablished in the moon. Then the plot took place; the aliens attack the group of scientist, the scientist fight against them and try to scape. The aliens who known their territory, finally catch all the scientist and took them to what appeared to be an alien tribunal. A |
Workers leaving the Lumiere Factory
“La Sortie des usines Lumière” Is the first silent Film in history, it was directed by Louis Lumière in 1895. This single-scene film shows the scenery of various workers leaving one fabric; the fabric of the film’s director, Louis Lumière. The background doesn’t change, is the constant frontal facade of the factory. People abandon the factory through 2 doors, one bigger than the other. The characters are all the workers that satisfactory leave this fabric. Workers look relaxed and glad they just finish their work and, most probably, they are returning home. Women are greater in number that men, just one woman appears leaving the place with a baby in her arms. No children are seen leaving the place, despite, there appear few dogs leaving it. Women are the first ones that leave, and at the end men . it's striking that some men leave in bicycles. | It’s remarkable that women wear long sleeve dresses and big hats, which gives the sensation of being in spring or autumn. Illumination in this film is all natural, stage is iluminated by the sun light. The fabric is real and the workers are actually workers of the Lumiere Fabric. This film shows a normal daily activity. Probably audience in those times who watch that film, felt identified. Clearly they were amazed because this was the first film ever projected, and despite being so short, this film was spectacular in 1895. |
Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
This Film was created by The Lumière Brothers in 1895. It shows the scene of a train arriving to Ciotat station in France. The scene is simple, one train is arriving the station, and then passengers got into the train. Characters were all the persons that ascend to the train. Passengers were mostly men, some women and few some children. Children that appear in the scene are accompanied of their mothers and nannies. All people in the film were well dressed. Giving the sensation of being a rich- high class. Men wear suits, fracs and big hats. Many men carry a portfolio, and look like businessmen. Women wear good looking fancy dressed. Characters reflect a little stress because they want to get the train really quickly. | The background is completely static, the only moving objects are; the train & the people. The plot, for the audience, was a moment of suspense, when the train approaches them. Audience in 1895 was surprised by this train appearance. They were scared by the train, they thought train was going to hit them. Probably, in the moment the train go away audience was confused but felt save. |
| My name is Didia Trujillo and I'm currently studying 3th semester of Industrial Design. My favorite color is black because it's simple, elegant and is able to adapt. |
| My computer hobbies are: playing video games, watching Korean fashion blogs and updating myself in terms of Asian fashion. |
| I like to build objects based on images or movies, specially weapons. I like drawing with pencil, pen, colors and digitally. I like to teamwork with my boyfriend, who also stuedies my carrer (LDI), in every project. |