In my speech class, I have an informative speech coming up and today I finally decided on a topic. I'll be presenting info on various filmmaking techniques that I learned about in a film class a few years ago. Along with techniques, the class covered genres and acting styles. The professor showed clips of various films, some of which I had never heard of. He also showed clips of other films that I had heard of but never watched. Since then, I have been inspired to watch many films for the first time.
Regarding my presentation, I am looking for particular scenes from various films so that I can use them as examples of techniques. Once I get all the information together, I'll be putting it into a PowerPoint slideshow. I'm going to use a mix of films from various genres and decades for a good variety. These should be a good pre-cursor to my Spring semester, when I'll be taking a film history class focusing on the last 60 years of films. I'm looking forward to finding out what films will be discussed.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Show People (1928)
I was up between the hours of 4 and 6 a.m. yesterday, watching a silent film on TCM about a girl who wanted to be famous. There was a scene in which the girl was being directed to cry after receiving some sad news.
Without giving too much away, the scene goes into an actor's ability to cry on cue when a scene calls for it. The film's story also involves the newly famous girl's celebrity life and its impact on her pre-fame life. To me, this silent film is timeless in those respects. I always wonder how an actor or actress can cry when needed for a scene. I love the emotion that some actors and actresses can show in their roles. Also, there are plenty of examples of how fame and someone's personal life don't always mesh well.
There were a lot of funny moments in this film, along with funny quotes shown between certain scenes. So I'd recommend it to others because of the laughs it gave me throughout the film.
Without giving too much away, the scene goes into an actor's ability to cry on cue when a scene calls for it. The film's story also involves the newly famous girl's celebrity life and its impact on her pre-fame life. To me, this silent film is timeless in those respects. I always wonder how an actor or actress can cry when needed for a scene. I love the emotion that some actors and actresses can show in their roles. Also, there are plenty of examples of how fame and someone's personal life don't always mesh well.
There were a lot of funny moments in this film, along with funny quotes shown between certain scenes. So I'd recommend it to others because of the laughs it gave me throughout the film.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
People's Choice Awards 2011
For this post, I am sharing my favorites to win the movie-related People's Choice Awards this year.
- Favorite Movie - "Inception"
- Favorite Movie Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio
- Favorite Movie Actress - Julia Roberts
- Favorite Action Movie - "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
- Favorite Action Star - Jake Gyllenhaal
- Favorite Drama Movie - "Inception"
- Favorite Family Movie - "The Karate Kid"
- Favorite Comedy Movie - "Valentine's Day"
- Favorite Comedic Star - Drew Barrymore
- Favorite On-Screen Team - "Inception" (DiCaprio, Gordon-Levitt, Page, Hardy, Rao)
- Favorite Movie Star Under 26 - Emma Watson
- Favorite Horror Movie - ?
I wasn't really sure with that last one's nominees since I hadn't seen any of them. After all, these are the types of horror movies that I am never able to stomach. However, since I voted online, I decided to go with "Let Me In."
The Blob (1958)
Many of my favorite classic films from the 1950s are the ones about invaders from space. Although I didn't see it featured for an October scare, "The Blob" was shown yesterday on Turner Classic Movies.
This is one of my favorites out of the invaders-from-space set of films over the years, and was filmed not too far away from where I live. So I have always wanted to see the film locations made famous by "The Blob." Of course, there is also the annual Blobfest, which I have never been too. However, I'll have to make a road trip out of it next time it is held and I'll go check out the Colonial Theatre, where movie-goers ran screaming from the gooey monster.
"The Blob" is also the film that I first saw actor Steve McQueen star in. He is one of those classic actor favorites and I think that new generations will easily like him when first watching his films. As any teen can relate to, McQueen's character is not being listened to by most of the authority figures. The cool cars of the 1950s driven by McQueen's character and his friends are another timeless aspect of the film. They add to that always-cool look of a decade that continues to inspire a love of cool cars.
A few moments of humor are included here and there throughout "The Blob," so it has a little bit of something for many people. It uses suspense to scare and has human emotion when main characters find themselves in a jam...no pun intended.
Overall, I recommend this classic to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
This is one of my favorites out of the invaders-from-space set of films over the years, and was filmed not too far away from where I live. So I have always wanted to see the film locations made famous by "The Blob." Of course, there is also the annual Blobfest, which I have never been too. However, I'll have to make a road trip out of it next time it is held and I'll go check out the Colonial Theatre, where movie-goers ran screaming from the gooey monster.
"The Blob" is also the film that I first saw actor Steve McQueen star in. He is one of those classic actor favorites and I think that new generations will easily like him when first watching his films. As any teen can relate to, McQueen's character is not being listened to by most of the authority figures. The cool cars of the 1950s driven by McQueen's character and his friends are another timeless aspect of the film. They add to that always-cool look of a decade that continues to inspire a love of cool cars.
A few moments of humor are included here and there throughout "The Blob," so it has a little bit of something for many people. It uses suspense to scare and has human emotion when main characters find themselves in a jam...no pun intended.
Overall, I recommend this classic to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Gorgon (1964)
This creepy classic stars two of legends from the horror genre, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It centers around a creature similar to Medusa of Greek mythology, with the power to turn victims into stone.
Among horror films filled with vampires, mummies, werewolfs and other monsters, the Medusa-like creature seemed an unusual element to encounter. It was interesting to see outside of watching the original "The Clash of the Titans."
What I like the most about "The Gorgon" included the effects adding to the film's overall eerie atmosphere. There are the scenes with a creepy, dark castle off in the distance with a wooded area that seems to warn, "do not enter." The winds howl, sounding ghostly as they whip around the castle and nearby village homes. Inside the castle, the rooms are shadowy and filled with gothic-detailed furnishings.
The setting builds up a feeling that something is going to happen, or that someone or something is watching from the shadows. This is why I love the old horror films the most, because they are creepy without all the "in-your-face" scenes of today's horror films.
Among horror films filled with vampires, mummies, werewolfs and other monsters, the Medusa-like creature seemed an unusual element to encounter. It was interesting to see outside of watching the original "The Clash of the Titans."
What I like the most about "The Gorgon" included the effects adding to the film's overall eerie atmosphere. There are the scenes with a creepy, dark castle off in the distance with a wooded area that seems to warn, "do not enter." The winds howl, sounding ghostly as they whip around the castle and nearby village homes. Inside the castle, the rooms are shadowy and filled with gothic-detailed furnishings.
The setting builds up a feeling that something is going to happen, or that someone or something is watching from the shadows. This is why I love the old horror films the most, because they are creepy without all the "in-your-face" scenes of today's horror films.
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