Sunday, November 23, 2008

Lance Weiler "Navigating the Digital Divide"

1. PCs and "living room devices" (set-top boxes, gateways and gaming consoles) are the current platforms. Downloads and streaming is the current delivery systems, for the PC some names are Netflix's Watch Now, Amazon's Unbox, Joost, Apple, Brightcore, GreenCine, CinemaNow, Jaman, and Guba. For the Tv, VOD, XBox, Vudu, AppleTv.

2. Some advantages were that their film stood out among the hundreds of films released in theatrical release and they bypassed mass marketing and film print costs. Some disadvantages include limited marketplace penetration because most people don't download movies yet.

3. A digetal media aggregator is someone who orchestrates deals with PC and "living room device" companies, distributing films for them to broadcast. They are the distributors/sales agents.

4. They both offered their products based on a "set your own price" format, enabling their fans a choice. The range varies on what people will pay for this though, most people seem to take advantage of it. 10MPH chose a .m4v format because it allows the consumer to view their product using different outlets.

5. By saturating many digital outlets they received more attention which led to more monetary gain from merchandise and overall sales of the film.

6. A lack of compatible outlets in the living room? Laziness? I'm missing it, I'm not sure.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Week 14 Murphy 25-45

1. What Flo is saying is that the dialogue of each character acts in the same way a decision might, the what? how? where? when? of the characters delivery provide great insight into their state of mind.

2. The main connection between the two is that they both include ambiguous characters within a character-centered plot that attempts to mimic real life.

3. First, Jarmusch never had a full script he only had a 55page "treatment" that allowed for improvisational techniques when shooting. Secondly, the middle of his film is the shortest section when broken down into a three act structure which goes against typical three act structures where the middle is usually the longest.
In terms of story,he usuallly has ends/consequences/results/details and from there he tries to connect all of the pieces or ideas like a puzzle. His protagonists lack clearly defined goals and are often ambiguous in their decisions.

4. An "execution dependent" screenplay is a screenplay that works more as a treatment with the idea that improvisation will play an important role when filming, and because of this it is difficult to make a financing decision and thus producers must take a leap of faith, if and when, they decide to work on it.

5. Some similarities include characters with cynical and aggressive attitudes without any redeeming motivation and any ability to relate. Films about characters on the margins. The biggest difference is the amount or lack of, in the case of Stranger than Paradise, violence.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Week 13 CHC

1. Using what Guerrero defines as the plantation genre as a means to date the phases of the black image in Hollywood we find there are three phases; the first being pre-blaxploitation which portrayed black people as submissive, example films during this phase include "Jezebel" and "Gone With the Wind"; second there was blaxploitation which was a phase during the 60's and 70's which provided strong characters resisting "the man", example films during this phase include "Slaves" and "Mandingo"; and finally the new black cinema is the most recent phase including characters equal to all those around, films from this phase include "The Brother From Another Planet" and "The color Purple".
2. There rejection of the norms of Hollywood was a politically conscious decision, to contest Hollywood's aesthetic codes during a time of great change including: The Civil Rights Movement, Womens Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, and national liberation struggles in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
3.Bill Gunn's notion exemplified a subversive attack on the Hollywood system by subtle changing and attacking from within the walls of Hollywood.
Spike Lee avoided studios and went with a more independent approach and used independent cinema as a stepping stone to the Hollywood system.
4. Baraka views Spike Lee's filmmaking as a younger generation focusing on the economic struggle instead of the political struggle whereas Baker views Lee's economic focus as a political ideology giving hope to the re-institutionalizing of black commerce and culture.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Week 12 TWHTI

1.
1920s: 4-6 seconds per shot
1930s-1960s: 8-11 sps
Mid-1960s: 6-8 sps
1980s: 5-7 sps
2000: 3-6 sps

2. Directors have found new visual cues to cut on that effectively infuse energy into the scene.

3. Shot/reverse shot eyeline matches and body orientation reiterate character placement, thus filmmakers intensifying dialogue scenes have omitted establishing shots.

4. After 1970, wide angle lenses were used to provide looming close-ups, expansive establishing shots, views inside cramped quarters, and medium shots with strong foreground-background interplay.

5. After 1970, telephoto lenses were used for multiple camera shooting, and in essence became an all purpose tool used in all facets of filming.

6. Filmmakers started mixing long and short lenses because many movie-brat directors wanted to keep tradition of 40's deep space filming but appreciated the long lens.

7. Close framing allows the director to vary the pace during editing and to pick the best bits of each actor's performance.

8. Vary the distance of the close-ups is one answer, also cutting to the establishing shot allows a beat, and lets the scene breath.