Trip to MoMi

The first time I went to the Museum of Moving Images was last year. At the time I was still learning about the nature of film so the experience was phenominally educational. Alot of the exhibits showcased differenct cameras and film stock as well as their purpose and usage during the time they came out. It was a great experience to see the timeline of the film industry's developement prior to digital media. I think my favortite exhibit were the clips of feature films from the early era of film. Many of the clips highlighted much of the same topics discussed in class ie. film noir, lighting, mood, etc. All in all the experience was that I believe any aspiring film maker should recieve first hand themselves.

run lola run scene analysis

The scene that I’m choosing to analyze is the beginning scene from “Run Lola Run”, one of my favorites. Lola, a young German woman, finds out that her boyfriend Manni is in serious trouble and needs a large sum of money ASAP (I’m skipping over a lot of details but this is the basic plot background information needed to understand the scene analysis). The movie goes through different timelines, I suppose, or versions (?) of what could possibly happen as an outcome of Lola’s different choices during her pursuit to help her boyfriend. Anyway, the scene I’ve chosen begins as soon as Manni and Lola hang up the phone and Lola begins to run. Here’s a clip:

The scene begins with a shot of Manni’s concerned face and then it cuts away to a clock, giving us a sense of how little time Lola has. We hear beeping indicating that Manni’s pay phone time has run out, also reminding us his actual time is running out. It cuts to a shot of Manny from above in the small phone booth as he puts his head down in frustration. The edits are smooth so far and the imagery – the clock, Manni in a confined phone booth – gives of the feel of time closing in.

We then see a television screen in Lola’s where huge set up of dominoes is being knocked over. It cuts to Lola looking at the clock. The clock is being zoomed in on, at some times smoothly and at some times there are jump cuts purposefully giving us little jolts forward in time. The intellectual edit sets up the theme in which the decisions that Lola makes in the little time she has a domino effect resulting in the final outcome of that particular timeline. We hear the sound of dominoes falling even when the screen is not showing it. We can also hear a quickening ticking of the clock.

There are then multiple front shots of Lola starting from a mid shot the moving in to a close up (It zooms out at time as well, but just small bits, the ending result is to get closer to her face). The cuts are choppy, breaking continuity, taking us into the stress of Lola trying to come up with a plan. Her hands are on her temples her eyes are closed, it jumps, her hands are pulling at her hair her eyes are wide open, it jumps, her face looks worried, it jumps again, her face looks concentrated. The background music is getting faster and louder. The camera starts to spin around Lola as she tries to think of people who can help her. Shots of the faces of the people she is considering flash on screen for split seconds as the camera continues to spin around her. We hear her whispers of their name, but her lips are not moving. We are in her mind. It finally lands on her papa and she says “papa” out loud. Lola quickly turns and runs out, but the camera does not follow.  Shot of her dad pops back on screen and he looks to the side and gives a small head shake, foreshadowing what his reaction to her pleas for help would be.

The camera then follows her out her room door and someone who lives with her shouts something out as she is running. There are still no cuts since she started running. The camera circles the random lady and lands on the t.v. she sits in front of zooming in to the picture itself which is an animation of Lola running down what seems to be an endless spiral staircase. The music is becoming more intense and we start to hear lyrics now – up until now it was lyric-less.

The Lola animation opens the door to go outside and it fades to white and then back to color, of the outside of her building. Lola is running towards the camera, we see her red hair far away getting closer. She gets closer and closer until it looks as if the camera is going to bump into her stomach. At that moment it immediately cuts to the other side, we are seeing her run from behind. The music is matching the pace of her panic-y run. We see Lola run down the street from behind, the shot is smooth at points and then for other moments there are jumps in Lola’s running.

The whole bit really effectively gives the audience the feel for the pace of the movie. The rhythm of Lola’s running matches the music and the jump cuts gives makes it feel like little time lurches. The intellectual edits match the themes of the film.

Momi !

     I participated in the interactive sound effect exhibit. Movie clips were shown in which particular sound effects were taken out.  Then we were given a few different audio replacement options which we could pick to fill the various muted moments. It was fun to change the roars from the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to different, less threatening noises. The exercise really demonstrated how vital sound effects can be to the movie. Although it is often thought of as secondary by the audience, or at least not explicitly given consideration, a sound effect can really change the mood of the movie. A switch between a dinosaur’s roar to a kitten’s meow suddenly turns a scary and dramatic scene to a humorous one. There was also a part where we could dub the voices in the clips of some movies. I dubbed over some Marilyn Monroe lines.

     Both of these demos illustrated just how vital sound is to the overall outcome and effect of a movie. Often when I watch a movie my awareness of the sound work done on the film is minimal. I usually only consciously think about the musical score of the film and how that effects the mood and feel of whatever it is I am watching. I never really gave much thought to how the actors and actresses have to rerecord their lines and how the editors have to work to make it fit smoothly into the piece. I guess the fact that I never gave it much though before is a testament to how well the editors, foley artists, and actors/actresses do their jobs. It was really interesting to see work that goes behind something that, despite perhaps not being noticed as much as the visual sometimes, is very vital to the outcome of a movie.

scene analysis King of New York

Duncan Glaser

King of New York

Scene Analysis

The scene begins with a close up shot of Christopher Walken kissing his a woman on the train and then cuts to a shot of the womans chest revealing that her shirt is open. These two shots work specifically to show how Walken's character has a bit of pent up sexual tension after being in jail for so long and also how he is brazen enough to act upon those urges even in a public place. The camera moves further out in the next shot and we can now see straight down the train car to Walken and the woman who are positioned in the middle of the shot.

The camera goes back to a close up of the characters kissing until they are interupted by a sound from the other end of the car. As they look over the camera cuts to their point of view straight to the other end of the car where three men emerge walking towards the camera. This creates an ominous feeling as “danger” is approaching Walken and the woman who are in a seemingly venerable position. The camera switches angles to face back towards Walken and the men walk into the shot cornering Walken.

As the men confront Walken he stays cool and shows them the gun tucked in his waist. The camera switches to a close up of the mens faces to show their reaction as they are taken completely off guard by Walkens seemingly harmless appearance. We then see a close up shot of Walkens gun and money as he takes it out. The gun and the money are part of where Walken's character derives his power and this is shown through the close up shot. The scene ends with a nice match on action as we see a shot facing walken as he tosses a money roll towards the camera and then we see a shot of the men as they catch the money coming towards them and then leave the train.

The lighting is very cool tone and reflects on Walken's character's cool calm nature. The compositions of the long train car shots emphasize the coming and leaving of the men and how the dynamic has changed from before to after they confront Walken.

Blog #4 scene analysis

Fando y Lis (original title) 

Fando and Lis

Chapter 5: Cemetery Romp, 15:40-19:10 min

Director, Alejandro Jodorowsky

I chose this film and that scene because Jodorowsky’s films are amazing, They are my favorites and every time I see them I can find something new, a new thought that I haven’t had before.

This movie is about Fando and Lis a couple that are experiment the different phases of a love relationship and the end of this journey is the dead. At the same time they are looking for the meaning of life. They are looking for “Tar” a place they are looking for, but they have to go through obscene temptations, and the director takes this too serious and explicit.

I picked chapter 5, in this chapter Fando and Lis are taking some rest in a cemetery, Lis is singing “I will die, and no one will remember me” but Fando says that he will remember her and he will visit her grave with a flower and a dog and at her funeral he will sing in a low voice “how beautiful is a funeral” then a guitar starts playing and someone singing “how beautiful is a funeral, I’ll visit your grave with a flower and a dog” Then trumps, drums and a saxophone keep playing, no lyrics, just music. The melody is faster and more “fun” while the cuts in the movie show us to Fando and Lis lying down on the graves, behind them making so many different faces and acting like statutes. Some shots are hand recorded so it looks like a documentary and it is black and white, so the music contrasts with this lighting. They are like making fun of the dead but after a few minutes the music slows down and a flute takes over. Same melody but more sentimental, you can notice the change of mood, from happiness to sadness. Fando and Lis are on their knees looking at a grave. The interesting here is that in the grave is Lis’s doll, this part is going backwards so instead of burying in the grave they are digging up until they can take the doll out of the grave.

 I recommend this director and his work. It is something complete different but you are sensitive about some topics like religion and sex don’t watch them. But they make you think a lot if you do watch them.

Interview Duncan Glaser

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9PMYEuiGKc

Sound Walk

Duncan Glaser

Sound Walk

It's mostly quiet at night but the silence is regularly interrupted by the sounds of car tires against the wet street. Walking through Madison Park the tree branches blowing in the wind serve as keynotes. The white noise creates a peaceful ambience to someone passing. The wind also causes a rope to rhythmically clang against its metal flagpole creating a subtle yet resonating beat.

The roar of a garbage truck disrupts the tranquility as it pulls up. The garbage men shout loudly to each other over the noise as they toss bags into the machine. The mechanical noise increases as the trucks compactor crushes the trash. The noise reaches a crescendo and then the truck pulls away. The roar fades into the distance with the truck.

The silence doesnt last long as the bass from a passing car thumps loudly joining in a harmony with the flagpole's noise. It vaguely reminds me of a song I've heard somewhere but the car drives off before I can remember it.

 Outside of a nightclub a group of women loudly laugh with each other as they try to find a cab. The high pitch laughter carries all the way across the street.