My storyboard

The storyboard talk about a cafe racer go out side to have cafe race.

Review of two film

In the week 14, we watched Ex Machina which is directed by Alex Garland in 2015. The film about a man(Caleb) who work in the internet company and he win the competition champion in the programme competition. He can go to private villa in the mountain with the CEO of company in one week. When he came to there, he notice he have to join a experiment about AI robot. The robot is the 'first AI robot' in the world. But Caleb talk with Ava, he feel Ava like a imprison girl. Caleb fall in love with Ava and decide help Ava escape the 'prison'. Finally, Ava escape the place, but leave the Caleb in the villa. Actually, Ava hope no one knows, she is robot.

The week 15, the film is Sky Captain directed by Kerry Conran in 2004. The film is first  whole green screen film. No one a real scene in the film. The low saturation pictures and color between colorful and black and white. Additionally, the picture of highlight too strong makes people in the dream. The film about sky captain battle with evil robot.  The film style give me a kind of steampunk, this style come from industry revolution times, the aesthetic design inspired by 19th century industrial steam-powered machinery.

To summarize, Sky Captain looks like many characters to act a animation film. The story line of science fiction film too popular quality. It is like american captain, one hero and one beauty to save the world. Finally, evil robot army group is defeated by hero. Compare with this two films, I prefer to Ex Machina, because it is talk about humanity and love that is forever classic theme. The film both of talk about man versus robot. However, Ex Machina is more likely talk about  emotion and relationship between robot and human. Via robot reflect to the dark side of human nature. Moreover, robot via continuous learn human behavior that become a complex AI robot.

  

 Bibliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

IMDb. (2004). Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346156/?ref_=fn_al_ch_1a. Last accessed 4th Dec 2015.

IMDb. (2015). Ex Machina. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Last accessed 4th Dec 2015.

Space

I finish reading the space part in the book. Jools let me make a video to show the four types of space. I think the deep space and flat space are easy to crate and find sample. Limited space is a specific combination of deep and flat space cues. About ambiguous space is not blur picture that is audience do not know the size and space relationship in the picture plane.

Flat space 

Flat space is opposite of deep space. To create a frontal planes in the picture is flat cues. Objects move parallel the the picture pane and keep the same size. In flat space, objects never change shape and gray scale need keep in a range within the picture. Brighter object appear closer and darker objects appear far away.

Limited space

Limited space avoid create longitudinal plane and objects movement perpendicular to the picture plane.  Limited space like a row of glass sheets, if it can separate clearly, limited space is produced.

Ambiguous space

Audience do not know the location of objects and camera. Lacking of movement and objects of unknown size or shape that is ambiguous space. Ambiguous space usually occur suspense and horror films.

This video is talk about four types of space. When I shooting the video, I feel the most hardest is to create limited space and ambiguous space.

References:

Block, B,A. (2008) The visual story : creating the visual structure of film, TV and digital media, 2nd edn., Oxford: Focal.

About Camera lesson

Today Deborah teach us how to hand held camera. Hand held camera can catch some special shot e.g. chase shot in the street. The shot very vivid but too shaky so your body as a tripod can reduce the shake and keep stable. If the cinematographer want to follow the object, cinematographer need to bend leg and put your elbow into your side to get stability. When you remove the camera, It is looks like a little bit silly but it can make the image smooth. In addition, when you want to pan shot or tilt shot, put your feet apart that can easily to control your camera. Eyes need to open both of them, one of eye to look at the camera frame, another one to look at the outside of camera. It will help you to adjust your composition. Firstly, we discuss a storyboard that some shots are too jump. Deborah give us some advice we change our plan. Then, our group go to the grave and exercise hand held camera. I think the different thing that is you attempt to stable the shot, but location or mise-en-scene have not control it very well. Otherwise, there are two shots transition problem, we need to modify it in the next exercise.

Revise storyboard

 The storyboard add some detail in every shot include sound, timing, eye light, action and dialogue. And between each shot need to add transition effects.

The Consequence of Love

The Consequence of Love is directed by Paolo Sorrentino in 2004.  Everyone has secrets, Titta also has himself secrets. Titta Di Girolamo(Toni Servillo) lives in a hotel in Switzerland approximately eight years. No one knows why he lives in a hotel. He never talk to people and uncommunicative. Everyday, sitting on a same seat and keep smoking. 

Plot

In the begin of the film, it is to introduce Titta's life. He will pay the room charge on the 1st each month and he play with poker with the couple next door. People never know his identify and he do not talk with the waitress who is work in the hotel two years. Nobody knows why he so lonely that is a good foreshadow for the following story. The suitcase become a significant clue in the whole film. In the beginning, a waiter carry on the suitcase in a channel. In the middle of film, a woman who wear black jacket and glasses and send the suitcase to the protagonist. In the end of film, Titta also die for the suitcase. 

The film has some shots that is related to my research. For example, a waiter sitting one the elevator from far to near. The camera sit in the  corner of the channel. It is a deep space in the 2D screen surface. we can feel the illusory depth. The elevator become a point far away that is a vanishing point. The waiter start move very slow because the distance is too far. When he move to the middle of the picture, his speed is faster than before. Actually, the movement of speed is constant and our eyes have illusory depth. 

The shot is very interesting. The man maybe notice the woman very beautiful, he forget to watch his own road, then he hit an electric pole. The man horizontal movement and the woman vertical movement, director could be make a flat space in the screen. Thus, we cannot find vanishing point and depth cue in the picture.

In this film, the protagonist do not want to talk with people most of the time. Therefore, mirror reflected to the other people make a indirect communication tool. The protagonist lighting on a cigarette in the elevator, the camera have not directly shoot the Titta, the photographer via the mirror to catch the action. 

                          

There is a scenes about Titta every wednesday need to heroin injecting. It is different to other films about heroin. The  scenes very peaceful, when he lie down the bed, the camera follow his body reverse to shoot it. 

Overall, Sorrentino like to use long shot in his film. He like using different angles to shot the protagonist's front, back and side, cooperate the Protagonist's  unique temperament. The pan shot using very reasonable, it is looks like random. Actually, every pan shot has itself meaning. Basically, The Consequence of Love is a significant film. I notice many impressive shots and I learn visual language from the film and Visual Story book.

References:

IMDb. (2004). The Consequences of Love. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398883/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Last accessed 4th Dec 2015.

Compelling Characters and Conflict

This week Phil teach us how to make a good characters and conflict. a good character need a conflicted character. Firstly we need to create need for character no matter how small.Because all strong dramatic characters have need of something. Phil introduce some type of conflict and let us give some example about man VS man, natural, machine,society and himself. Man vs man is Spiderman, Batman. Man VS natural is All is lost, Gravity and Cast away. Man VS machine is Terminator, i Robot, Transformers. Man VS society is God bless American. Man VS himself is TED. To create a compelling characters and conflict need to create a story about protagonist and antagonist wants something badly. Getting the protagonist have trouble. Finally, protagonist is clear his goal in his mind. Phil let us separate three group to create a story basic upon. We need to find some pictures in the magazine. Our group find a man rescue a baby gorilla. The man feed the gorilla to grow up. However, when the gorilla grow up, its find out people use others gorilla doing experiments. The gorilla union his ethic group fight with human-being. Finally, gorilla kill the people and its human parents. If a film have antagonism, it will catch the audience's eyes.In addition, the story should be specific and produce a turning point,  that make the storyline more interesting.