Journal #3 - Behind the Scenes

"Finding Nemo" (2003)

B. Photography

There are many cinematography aspects in the animated movie "Finding Nemo". There is some cinematography, but it isn't as obvious since it is animated. The lead cinematographer is Ralph Eggleston and Sharon Calahan and Jeremy Lasky were the photographers. The three of them are all noted for their expertise of lighting and layout. They contributed greatly to help capture what director Andrew Stanton visioned the movie to be.

The animation of the movie was done exceptionally well. According to the documentary "Making Nemo", they had to get a lot of scientific input to make the characters as real and accurate as they could. The characters had to be drawn with extra skin so they could show emotion. First the characters were drawn, then they were sculpted out of clay, and then put onto the computer to become animated.

The music in "Finding Nemo" was very intriguing and it set the mood of the scene. Dori, one of the main characters, had a short term memory. When Dori was taking Marlin to find Nemo, the music was very suspenseful and antsy. When she realizes that a "stranger" was following her, the music changes to a more fluttery and soft tone. The viewer could tell that she forgot that she was guiding Marlin just by listening to the music. Everyone who was involved in the movie had to go to several semenars on how fish move and swim in the water. This enabled them to know exactly how to draw the characters when they moved.

The director, Andrew Stanton, got certified in scuba diving so he could go into the ocean and film all of the underwater life. In the begining, the colors are very bright. They eventually get darker and once Marlin and Dori find Sydney, the color is a deep green. This is a very clever use of symbolism. In Marlin's home water, the colors are very bright and beautiful. This is because this is "safe water". They get darker as he swims farther away from his home. The deep green water in Sydney shows how the water is foreign to Marlin and Dori. The vivid colors were used with pastels and the darker colors were used with more "moody" colors.

According to the documentary "Making Nemo", they took real photos of the ocean and they animated them as real as they could. They got almost TOO real, so the animations had to be taken down a level. The director wanted the movie to be in it's own world--not too real but not too fake. The skin types of the fish were variated to create more interesting characters. Some skin types were velvety, transluscent, and transparent.

In 2003, after three and a half years of production, the movie was finally released. It won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nomitated for several other awards. They include an Academy Award for Best Music, Best Sound Editing, and Best Screenplay. "Finding Nemo" is an unbelievable movie and it is animation for any age.

Sources:

-"Finding Nemo" special features - Making Nemo: A special documentary featuring footage on the creation of the film.

-http://www.mooviees.com/2253/152-production_notes

"Too Tough to Die"

I agree with the article in that there has to be "big time" actors involved in a Western movie. The new generation isn't really focused on westurn movies so for them to actually want to see a Western movie, there has to be someone reallllly good in it (Brad Pitt???). All cowboy movies seem to be the same. They are about a cowboy getting mad at an outsider or another cowboy and then the movie ends when the two fighters have a show down and one of them kills the other. I also agree when the article says how much foreigners like Western movies. To them, it is a different world because they don't have cowboys and sheriffs. It is an american thing. They are usually amazed by cowboys and everything to do with them.

I don't agree with the article when it says, "Americans don't like the past." I think some Americans enjoy the past, some don't. Some old movies are classics and everyone loves them.

Assignment #2- "It's a Wonderful Life"

“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1949) has been an American favorite for decades. Frank Capra does an exceptional job directing and producing. The main character, George Bailey (James Stewart), does an amazing job acting. When George was little, he saves his brother, Harry, from a near-death experience. He was a good kid and always listened to his father. His father owned his own financial business and wished that some day George and Harry would take over. Mary (Donna Reed) is a girl who has always had a crush on George and she tells him that she will always love him. The dialogue is very realistic in the story as well as the plot.
George and Mary re-kindle their relationship at a party after years of separation. There is uncontrollable laughter when Mary’s date does something to try to steer her away from George. The movie is in black and white so sometimes the lighting is difficult to tell.
One major conflict in the movie is when George’s dad has a stroke and dies. George had a dream to explore the world but it is crushed during this time because he has to take over his dad’s company. His brother was expected to take over, but was offered another job. George was upset and he eventually gave in and took over the company. George and Mary get happily married.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” is has a great sense of humor and believable actors and actresses. It is about a struggle between keeping up a company and finding out what is important. James Stewart and Donna Reed are a very compatible couple and they please the audience in many ways. “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a perfect family movie during the holiday season. The story continues to be a hit even in 2007.

Essay Practice

In the film clip of "Philidelphia" there are a couple sound types.

Nondiegetic Sound- There are two songs that come from ourside of the story.

Diegetic Sound- The phone rings within the story

The first song played has string instruments. It is played when the man tells Denzel Washington that he has AIDS. It sets a sad mood and makes the viewer feel bad for the AIDS man (Tom Hanks).

Assignment #1- Critique the Critic

"Superbad" was the talk of the summer. I saw it with a big group the night it came out to theaters. It was one of the best movies I've seen in a while, but there is some controversy over parts of the movie. The review i chose was done by Colin Covert in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

His review of the movie was similar to what I thought about the movie. He mentioned something about the crude humor in the movie. That was a major part of my doubts of the movie. Some of the jokes were controvercial and very rude. People need to see the movie with an open mind.

Covert's review encourages movie viewers to see the movie. He is good at persuading the audience to see it. I haven't read any other of his movie reviews, but he seems like a good critic. The movie "Superbad" isn't that difficult to write a review about, but Covert finds a way to say a lot about it. After reading this review, if I hadn't seen "Superbad", I would want to see it as soon as I could!

The critic starts out with, "I hurt my face laughing at 'Superbad', an excruciatingly funny, surprisingly endearing teen farce." If the first sentence doesn't motivate people to see the movie, I don't know what will. I shared many of the same views as Covert did.

Covert aknowledges that the movie has 'crude humor', but yet it has a lot of adult aspects to it. This movie is not only for teens, but it is for adults as well.

This movie kept the audience on the edge of their seats with laughter. When i was in the theater, I was surrounded by uncontrollable laughter. Colin Covert does an exceptionally good job at telling the reader exactly how he feels about the comedy. Many people think of movies like this to be mindless entertainment, but Covert says:

"It's so packed with irreverent lowbrow wit that you scarcely notivce how it uietly shifts from gross-out jokes to adult themes."

A Lot Like Love

A Like Lhttp://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/alotlikelove?q=A%20Lot%20Like%20Loveove stars Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher. Overall, the movie got 7 out of 10 on it's reviews. It is about two young, interesting people who meet on an airplane and reunite years later. They were opposites until their reaquaintence and they fell in love.

The Holiday

The Holiday is my favorite movie. It has Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black in it. It is a good movie when you are wrapped in a blanket! I love it becuase it always makes me happy and puts me in a good mood. It is funny and the colors are bright. Anyone who hasn't seen it should rent it!!--ALL girls will like it! Guys...well...some will like it!




There is restricted narration in this clip. The viewer doesn't know what will happen after Cameron Diaz gets into the car. We don't know if she will go back to Jude Law or if she will return home. There is a high angle camera shot, but Cameron Diaz doesn't appear to be doomed. It is a more fulfilled and exciting part of the movie so the high angle gets the reader excited. In the begining of the clip, the camera is zoomed in on Cameron Diaz's face. It shows how emotional she was because it was her first time crying since she was little. Jude Law is hot.