Thaumatrope
Movie Journal: Entry #1
Over the weekend I chose to watch Spirited away by Studio Ghibli and it was one of the greatest movies i’ve ever watched in a long time. It had a happy feeling to it with its art style and story. It sent you to a place beyond your imagination and it really interested me. The creativity that went behind it must be huge and the time it took to produce it must have been painstaking.
The painted art style made the movie look really interesting like when they were in the hot baths or when they were in the coal room it made it look interesting. It felt like a combination between what you would see in an anime/manga and a cartoon and it just created it’s own look. The character designs were creative with important characters looking more different while the generic background crowd appeared as faded silhouettes.
As for the visual effects they used n the spirits made them look like actual spirits because you can see through them but each one still looked different in their own way. For example, No Face, the spirit with the white mask had the opaque look but it was differentiated with its white mask. When Haku used magic to hold off the spirits on the bridge it was a simple effect with cherry blossom leaves blowing but it was aesthetically pleasing in a way. It didn't steal the spotlight but it did its job effectively.
The story started off as something that looked normal. A girl named Chihiro moving to a new home with her family wanders into a seemingly abandoned theme park. As night fell her parents were turned into pigs and shadowed spirits began forming slowly. The story goes from normal to something entirely surreal abnormal. Some of the spirits were shadowed figures, some were great dragons and other were frogs. One of them, the antagonist, was a witch with a very large head. What made it better was the comedic relief they added into film. Like when Chihiro tripped down the wooden steps and ran down them with a hilarious expression on her face and arms held up.
The sound design was very pleasing and had happy feel but at the same time it felt sad in ways. The way some of the songs were choreographed fitted well with what was happening in the movie like when Chihiro was trying to get down the wooden steps it played note on every footstep and when she fell it played certain note for that too. The music was well chosen and it fit the name of the movie very well being Spirited Away.
Overall this movie was quite the masterpiece and I could see why so many love it. The art style was pleasing, the story was an amazing journey broken up with comedy and seriouse moments. As for the visual effects, they did not overwhelm the movie too much but were more simple but satisfying and I loved that. The music and sounds fit very well with what was happening in the movie and it just created an entire world that made you feel like you were actually there and that you were experiencing all of that. I would definitely watch this movie again or even a fifth or sixth time.
Stop Motion Magic
Camera Angles
Rule of Thirds
Invsible lines going vertically and horizontally split the image into thirds. Aligning an object or a person along these lines creates for a more satisfying shot.
Close Up
Close up shot that focuses on an object or persons face often showing the importance of something.
Extreme Close Up
Often used to highlight expressions and facial features.
Medium Close Up
Waist up shot that allows for more hand gestures but presents more of the background that can be distracting.
Mid Shot
Full Shot
Wide Shot
Extreme Long Shot/ Establishing Shot
A shot meant to establish the location and set the scene.
Point Of View
A shot from the perspective of the character.
Over the Shoulder
Low Angle
A shot that makes the subjct look more empowering or greater than the audiance.
Eye Level
High Angle
A shot that makes the subject look weaker or lesser.
Two-Shot
Undershot
Overhead
Dutch Tilt
This angle shot is meant to create an uneasyness in the viewer.
Basic Camera Shots/Movements
A Day In The Life of A Pencil
The story we all know of, the story of a forgotten pencil. In this short we tell the story of so many pencils that have been forgotten and easily replaced by another.
Movie Journal: Entry #2
Over the spring break I manage to find some time (finally) to watch a movie and I decided to watch a movie thats been on my list for some time now. I decided to watch Wolf Children, an animated film about a woman named Hana. Hana is your average college student but one day she falls in love with a man who's part wolf and they have children. Their first child was named Ame, a girl, and their second child was named, Yuki, a boy. One day tragedy strikes and the father dies while he was hunting in his wolf form and Hana is left with carring for the children. The children share the same powers as their father and are able to change into wolfs but being in the city there were a lot of prying eyes. Due to their current position they were forced to move out into the country side and live a new life. There Hana raises the children and we watch as their life unfols as they grow older and older and as they take their own paths to be human or wolf.
Throughout the entire movie I noticed that there was a huge array of music and sounds that really drives and defines the movie. In nearly every scene you'll hear some sort of song playing and driving the mood but in some scenes there was just silence. The silence in some of the scenes usually cued for something bad that was too happen like when the father died.
The art was really beautiful and it really fit with the movie being playful and cheery. The landscape and background were detailed nicely and often it was more brightly coloured during happy scenes. The art really reminded me of spirited away a bit especially with the slight puffyness in the cheeks of certain characters(coincientally being the main character).
The general story was simple but effective following the hero's journey theme. A boring wold when the main characters discovers something new and follows it but due to some sort of tragedy was forced to move or change in some sort of way. Over the course of raising the children she lets them travel their own paths and when the time came she realzed she had to let them go.
Movie Journal: Enrty #3
Ok, so this time I decided to watch Deadpool during my break and I have to say it's a really well made movie but, it did feel a little bit rushed. Basic rundown, it's a movie about how Wade Wilson became Deadpool and how he got his powers. The way the mocie starts of is pretty interesting, it actually starts ous of somewhere in the middle of the story where we have Deadpool hunting down a group of people in black trucks and motorcycles. With a bit of comedy a bit before the fight and even during he fight it really broke up the intense way to serious moments.
One of the biggest problems I had with the movie was the lack of characters even background characters. For example when they were in the X-Men mansion it was completely empty except for, well, the other two main characters, Warhead and Colossus. We didn't even get to see a hint of Wolverine or Doctor X.
The CGI effects were really on point and I think if it weren't for the many car crashes and bullet holes put into Deadpool you'd think he was a real actor doing all of those stunts. The slow motion effects were made the mood putting us in the feel of "badass", guy in red spandex weilding dual pistals and swords. In terms of details, they went all the way with brain splatters, the fine details on the bullets fired in slow motion and Deadpool himself. You can see the dirt and grime on his suit as he fights and the details they did with the gunpowder he sniffed in were very detailed too.
I really loved this movie especially with its well timed comdedic factor (not very approperiate for his situations) and his ability to be just overpowered but not have a lame story line. The anti-hero protagonist is a real nice fit for Deadpool and it's a breather from all the good guy hero storylie cliches.
