Movies

In 1861, the Union launched a massive offensive designed to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond. The South mobilized about 50, 000 troops as a response to the invasion. At the First Battle of Bull Run, the Confederates defeated the Potomac Army  the 90, 000 strong conscript force. In successive battles, the Confederates won several major victories, threatening to envelop Union forces in the Mississippi region. Brilliant Confederate generals like Robert Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Braxton Bragg were the major military minds in the first 3 years of the war. In the movie, both Jackson and Lee were epitomized as figures of inspiration  classic representations of military heroes.

    Indeed, the movie rests on the principle of classicism. Poetic themes are epitomized (such as Jacksons stand in the Battle of Bull Run) to the point of near idealization. When Jackson stood like a wall despite contimuous Union bombardment, he represented the ideals of courage and fearlessness  qualities which inspired the common soldiers. Movement, camera shots, and lighting techniques are focused on the luminaries of the movie because as the title implies these characters represent everything the war stood for. Lee, for example, is always shown riding on a horse  this is symbolic of leadership. General Grant is shown as a field commander  a reference to historicity.

    Editing is used to cover glitches in the movie. For example, the rugged terrain of Bull Run is transformed into a hilly, plain battlefield. This is done to emphasize the essence of a glorious war (war between contending ideologies). Indeed, throughout the film, there is formal emphasis on stance rather than on division. The idea is to show the audience that both groups only strive for the best  for the good of their country. Dialogue and sound effects tend to be patriotic  again to emphasize the theme of the war  brothers quarrel.

The sense of touch is not so common in most of racists countries in the world.  The combination of several stories in one compatible set of movie has not been so easy in the past but the production of the crash is very appreciable because it takes into consideration the selection of a good setting that is the city environment where there are so many people from different races of the world.  This is a movie whose setting is in Los Angeles.  Los Angeles is generally a multinational city. Los Angeles is known to have a variety of nationals from all over the world. The movie is designed to criticize racial prejudice and biasness in the society. 

The main objective of the movie is to criticize the crude behavior of the white and black discriminating against each other on racial ground. There also some cases of Latinos, Iranians, and various categories of criminals leaders and the lead.

The plot, for instance, of the movie is introduced by an accident crash that involved many cars.  This is followed by a replay of each characters previous days activities.  Matt Dillon, playing the role of an LAPD cop who tries to get his fathers medical assistance but faces objection when a black clerk at the reception arguing that it was impossible for another doctor to be allowed in to see the father.  Matt leaves the scene but frustrated as he took his anger on another black couple at traffic jam (Harris, Jo, n.d).

     Further, it discusses a gunpoint carjacking exposure to Sandra Bullock, who was a famous and fashionable lady at the time, and Brandon Fraser, a District legal representative.  The attack was carried out by two black youngsters.  When Sandra meets locksmith of Mexicans origin, she takes her anger upon him while he was changing their home door locks.  The locksmith more so meets a store owner of the Persian origin who robs him of his dignity later the same day.  Eventually, most of these characters change for the better.

It is unavoidable for us to avoid crashing into each other though, but extremities are not the best.  The mood is set on uncontrolabe levels of false accusations, poor attitudes on self and others, unfair treatment and humiliation to the lowly.  It is observed that people in this set are violent and can hurt one another just to keep in their own distance and peace.  The theme critically circulates between conflict among races, cultural differences and ethnicity.  The director of the movies seams to have an insight on how inseparable people are regardless of their tribes, races, cultural stratification and stereotypes (Harris, Jo, n.d.). 

The emphasis here is that we should be united, affectionate, and peaceful as well as proclaim harmonious motive in all our environments, be it in school, homes, and hotels or even at the traffic demarcations. He, the director of the movie crash, wishes that we could accept to leave in tolerance and patience with each other.

For sure, some people are stigmatized by the stereotypical way of their lives.  Some of us believe that they are being discriminated against and yet it is not the case and in this state, they perceive others with anger and eagerness to re-attack others who come their way. This habit should be shade off completely.

I want to paint the film as one paints the canvas I want to invent the colour relationships, and not limit myself to photographing only natural colours. - Michelangelo Antonioni

    Red Desert ( Il deserto rosso in Italian ) is an Italian film written by Michelangelo Antonioni, directed by Antonioni and Tonino Guerra on 1964. The film was Antonionis first color film. Its working title was Celeste e verde (Sky blue and green).

    The film is placed in an commercial area of 1960 Ravenna with a lounging new post World War two factories, manufacturing machinery and much contaminated river valley. Antonioni said that he wanted to film and photograph like a depiction on a canvas. So the cinematography of the film was highlighted by pale, subtle colors with flacciding white smoke and mist. The sound design blends and combines a foley of  manufacturing, industrial and townified sounds with ghostlike ship horns and an electronic music score. Antonioni went to considerable  extent in attaining his goal ( like he has to colour trees and grass painted in white and grey just to suit his shoot on urban landscape). The red coloured pipes and railings was called the architecture of anxiety the reds and blues exclaim as much as they explain by Andrew Sarris.

    Inspite of the fact that on one level, Red Desert might be taken as a narrative concerning a raspy, harsh and strident contemporary industrial civilization and tradition to which only the mentally ill (neurotic) Giuliana (one of the major characters in the story) has into being and awakened, Antonioni  subsequently said that he  desired to show that manufacturing technology has beauty and pleasingness of its own that he had featured a narrative regarding human adaptability and versatility, in that, Giuliana..

...must confront her social environment. Its too simplistic to say - as many people have done - that I am condemning the inhuman industrial world which oppresses the individuals and leads them to neurosis. My intention... was to translate the poetry of the world, in which even factories can be beautiful. The line and curves of factories and their chimneys can be more beautiful than the outline of trees, which we are already too accustomed to seeing. It is a rich world, alive and serviceable... The neurosis I sought to describe in Red Desert is above all a matter of adjusting. There are people who do adapt, and others who cant manage, perhaps because they are too tied to ways of life that are by now out-of-date.

    Michelangelo Antonioni claimed (in his film) to be influenced by Giorgio de Chirico, a pre-Surrealist and then Surrealist Greek-Italian painter. Some juxtaposition and differentiation can be made to the long captures in Antionis  feature film from 1960s. In which, the camera persist to stay put on  barren, desert cityscape populated by a small amount of distant figures. Or none at all, in the  non- appearance and truancy of the movies protagonist.

    Comapare to Antonionis work, De Chirico is well known for his dark,shadowy and gloomy quality, presenting a sterile and desolate landscapes through the use of  overstated angles and unusual figures. Hes actually one of the  originator of Metaphysical art movement.

    Concerning about the film cinematography, in my personal perspective, Antioni made a stronger cinematic statements (when he is borrowing from De Chiricos Abstract Art) since Antioni gave emphasize to his own style and goal in the effects. In the first part of the paper, the film was describe, like how and what Antioni wanted to present in the feature. He mixed up his idea and the style influenced by De Chirico having a very good quality of art film. His intension, was to translate the poetry of the world, in which even factories can be beautiful,was successfully achived.

This paper answers the main research question  How does color correction affect the original movie and the audience In addition, it also answers analytical questions that arose from studying these articles. The discussion section also includes the reflection on how these articles affected my project on color correction. Color correction cannot be seen as detached from its context, but as a process and the outcome that engages in a dialectical process with the environment and its actors. The articles reviewed also gave me a clearer insight into diverse color correction software and approaches as well as provided certain information concerning rich technical knowhow.

    Color correction refers to the various techniques used to clean badly-damaged films (Carroll, 2005, p.18) or colorize black-and-white films or both (Salgia, 2005, p.132). In the age of digital cinema, color correction has also been embedded in the process of DVD restoration or digital restoration in general (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006). Digital restoration, however, is not yet a widespread practice because of the costs and marketing involved (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006).

Turci (2006) complained, however, that there is a lack of comparative information about the practical experiments and ethical standards in Europe regarding DVD restoration and this makes it difficult to understand the process of DVD restoration and managing the intended effects (p.111). Carroll (2005), on the other hand, examined the conceptual function of digital restoration, and argued that artificialization is its ultimate impact on the original film, while also affecting the cultural memory of the audience with the renewed film (p.19). Salgia (2005), unlike Carroll (2005), held a more positive outlook on color correction, even aligning the results to the needs of the audience and film production crew. This paper answers the main research question  How does color correction affect the original movie and the audience In addition, it also answers analytical questions that arose from analyzing these articles. The discussion section also includes reflection on how these articles affected my project on color correction.

    Summary of findings
    This section discusses the summary of findings that directly answer the main research question. The references used for this paper identified positive and negative effects of color correction on the original film and the audience. They are chosen because they come from scholarly databases, such as EBSCOhost and Project Muse. They are all case studies on color-corrected films, coming from different countries. The authors of the chosen articles are considered as scholars of their fields because of their technical knowhow revealed in color correction practices and technology, and related technology, which increases the usefulness and validity of the results and conclusions of their studies.
Turci (2006) considered the European film restoration from the perspective of eight companies that perform digital restoration. Salgia (2005) examined an Indian film, the all-time Indian classic and famous blockbuster film Mughal-e-Azam. Carroll (2005) investigated the impact of digital restoration on American films, particularly The Eternal Frame, La Dolce Vita, and The Passion of Joan of Arc. It must be noted that none of these articles specifically focused on color correction, although they all discussed the impact of color correction on the original film, while Salgia (2005) and Carroll (2005) also examined the impact of color correction on the audience.

Based on these articles, color correction affects the original film by 1) improving the color and quality of the film, in ways that traditional approaches cannot, 2) aligning with stakeholder interests, and 3) protecting the films from further decay and possible complete loss (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006 Sagia, 2005). On the other hand, color correction can also threaten the integrity of the film and compromise the cultural values it represents through subjective changes in the correction decisions (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006).

Color correction affects the audience by inserting new modes of interpretation that can either be seen in a positive note or as a commercialist endeavor (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006 Sagia, 2005).  This paper will discuss each point one by one.

Color correction affects the original film by improving the color and quality of the film, in ways that traditional approaches cannot. Turci (2006) examined the digital restoration practices of eight European film archives, in order to compare and understand these practices. He asked them about the advantages and disadvantages of digital restoration. Many of them agreed that they used digital restoration because numerous problems in preserving films cannot be solved by traditional photochemical restoration (Turci, 2006, p.121). Digital restoration can help them correct color, which can improve even the films original color properties, such as hues and pixels.

The effects of color correction on the film, according to Salgia, were to restore hue colors, to remain true to the wishes of diverse stakeholders, and to improve the historical accuracy of the colors in each scene. Salgia (2005) aimed to use color correction to filter out wrong colors (p.130). The software used only those colors that have similar gray tones as the original shot. This made the film more true to the exact colors of the original shooting. Salgia (2005) called this process as Natural Colorization (p.130).

Color correction is also done by following the wishes of actors and production crew, particularly in the case of Salgia (2005). The director of Mughal-e-Azam K. Asif wanted to reshoot the entire film in color, after discovering that having some scenes in color made an attractive impact (Salgia, 2005, p.129). Still, the distributors of the film could no longer extend the deadline of the film after spending millions and they wanted the film to be released as it is 15 percent in color, 85 percent in black and white (Salgia, 2005, p.129). When the film was proposed to be made in color, the actors also approved it (Salgia, 2005, p.129). It can be seen here that diverse stakeholders made it also possible to correct the colors of the original film through providing their consent and support.

The color correction also served to reinforce the historical value of the film and capture the true meaning of the Mughal era, in the case study of Salgia (2005). Salgia (2005) consulted Mughal-era books and Kangra paintings from Geet Govind, written by Jaidev, one of the best depictions of Krishna and Radha, to determine the right color for Radhas clothing. He also consulted scholars on the authenticity of the colors during the time and the historical time presented on the film. For instance, some of the scenes were invented by the director, such as the birth of the Hindu God, Lord Krishna, in Akbars court (Salgia, 2005, p.130). Akbar was a sovereign celebrated for his secularism, but history books do not mention this (Salgia, 2005, p.130). In this scene, the heroine acts as Radha and the Mughal-era books did not hint on the proper colors for Radha (Salgia, 2005, p.130). The production in charge of coloring then used the Kangra paintings from Geet Govind, in order to identify the closest colors that can represent Radhas clothing (Salgia, 2005, p.130). One more example is the scene wherein Salim holds a rose in his hand. The art director recommended a red color, but the problem was that the software did not acknowledge this color (Salgia, 2005, p.130).  The historians also commented that the rose could not have been red, because during those times, roses were pink, and red roses were hybrid plants (Salgia, 2005, p.130).  These examples showed that color correction served an instrumental purpose of also correcting the historical accuracy of the original film.

Color correction can also prevent the film from being further destroyed by natural decay. Carroll (2005) and Turci (2006) appreciated the effort of color correction to protect the original films from further damage. Carroll (2005) understood the need to preserve the past through color correction. Turci (2006) also reported that archive companies wanted to protect the original version through digital technology.

On the contrary, color correction can also threaten the integrity of the film and compromise the cultural values it represents through subjective changes in the correction decisions (Carroll, 2005 Turci, 2006). Carroll (2005) reminded the promoters of digital restoration about the significant impact of restoration on the significance of the cultural memories that are entrenched in original films We are no longer content with removing superficial damage. By editing into the image itself, we employ the means and motivation to resurface the intended content of the history, changing the nature and, hence, the meaning of cultural memories (p.20). In addition, he also commented on the commercialist nature of color correction, which can violate the integrity of original films. He cited Derrida who was also concerned of what is lost during the archiving process of restoration (Carroll, 2005, p.21). Derrida argued that restoration is a series of decision-making processes, official language, aesthetic qualities, and the cultural heritage of film preservation, which all affect how the new film will be presented (Carroll, 2005, p.21). This process and the choice of films to be archived remark the appeal to the new and modern audience (Carroll, 2005, p.21). Thus, the commercialist view can inevitably compromise the novel values and meaning of original films.

Turci (2006) also viewed from the archive companies that they have difficulty also in identifying the boundaries of color correction. They are not sure if they are doing too much or too less, because there is no accepted professional ethics guidelines on digital restoration.  These sources reveal that color correction can also be a power process, wherein the editor gains the power of changing the cultural memory of the original film

Color correction affects the audience by inserting new modes of interpretation that can either be seen in a positive note or as a commercialist endeavor. Salgia (2005) focused more on the positive effect of color correction in a way that the audience loved the colorized film more. He stated that when the film was released, it became the talk of the town and that the film had been so popular that companies like McDonalds, Pepsi Foods, Tata Tetley, and so on used the theme of Mughal-e-Azam to promote their products. The film had a hundred-day run in fourteen cinema halls in India (Salgia, 2005, p.134). 

Carroll (2005) analyzed the commercialist effect of color correction of modern viewers. For him, practices of restoration such as color correction cannot always be merely seen as a process of correcting weaknesses, but a process of business marketing. He argued Thus, restoration demonstrations suggest that digital restoration practices are less concerned with archival conservation than actively shaping the market for cultural memory (Carroll, 2005, p.21). The cultural memory is now transformed as means for capitalist ends.

    Analysis
    Color correction can be a part of the larger practice of digital restoration because of the digital machines and software used for this process. In itself, it is a technical activity that aims to serve technical functions of improvement or restoration. The sources disclosed color correction practices and software that depicted the efforts in restoring the original hues of the film, especially if the plan is to make it in full color.

These sources reveal, nonetheless, that color correction can be a powerful aesthetical, social, political, cultural, and economic process. Carroll (2005) asked readers to question the value of what is lost in this process. The society of the original film represents meaning that can be lost in the color correction process. There are also politics playing when decisions are made on the exact color changes to be made that no longer follow original colors. Culture is also infused by the editors, by using their own culture to interpret original films. Color correction is also highly economic, because the digital process is not always done for the sake of art, but for the sake of commercial gain.
These articles enlighten people about the diverse discourse on restoration of original films. At some point, they do raise valid concerns and objections. Or, they may be just too paranoid. A closer look of their issues reveals that they have substantial theories and experiences backing them up. In the real world, the choice of archiving alone is both a question of politics and economics. Color correction, in relation, is not a technical process by itself but a representation of these evolving beliefs and premises. However, it is possible to use the commercial drive of color correction positively, through editors that engage in thoughtful discourse with financiers. The cultural memory of the new film can be bargained and negotiated, so that the integrity of the original films will not be compromised.

    These articles also brought the following questions about the issues of ownership and authenticity to arise. The questions are Who should decide what should be changed or deleted in color correction Is there truly such as process as restoring the original when the act of color correction itself invades already on the original film If the color correction impacts the original film and the audience, then these are also questions worth exploring.

    In addition, these articles also mostly focus on the impact of color restoration on the original film. There is no actual empirical analysis done to evaluate the impact of color correction to the audience. Carroll (2005) presented a mostly theoretical underpinning for the impact of color correction and related digital restoration practices to the modern audience. Salgia (2005) based his findings on this topic mostly on his views and observation. Future studies need to be conducted on the effects of color restoration on the audience.

    Discussion
    These articles have made a considerable influence on my project concerning color correction, because I used only to see it as a technical process with an instrumental function of restoring or preserving the originality of the film. These articles, especially Carroll (2005) made me realize that color correction renders an ideological movement, and for whom and from whom are good points of inquiries. There are positive outcomes of color correction on the preservation and improvement of original films. There are also negative outcomes, when it results to undermining the integrity of the film. However, whose interests should prevail When restoration decisions are made by the market, then the market should decide. The audience has the power to identify color correction practices that will affect the cultural memory they wish to elicit from films. Reality shows, however, that the audience is not yet that activist on this regard. In the future, it is possible that the audience would soon actively affect the archiving and restoration process. Furthermore, these articles also influenced my knowledge on color correction. They exposed to me on the different software and approaches used by the United States, Europe, and India, and they greatly enriched my knowledge on color correction.

    Color correction involves aesthetical, social, political, cultural, and economic dimensions. It is in the middle of a myriad of beliefs and premises about the power of restoration in affecting the original film and the audience. As a result, it cannot be seen as detached from its context but as a process and outcome that engages in a dialectical process with the environment and its actors. The articles reviewed also opened my eyes to diverse color correction software and approaches. They are practical and conceptually enriching for my own project purposes.

If you were asked to make a choice between a first love and a knight in shining armor, who would you choose Making this choice would not be simple especially when complicated by the fact that the first love is a vampire and the knight in shining armor is a werewolf. This was a choice faced by Bella in the movie New Moon shown last November 2009.

    In the prequel to this movie, Bella fell in love with Edward who is a vampire. Their attraction was so intense they forgot that one was mortal and the other immortal. In this sequel, their love was put to a test when Edward left Bella thinking that it was the right thing to do for her. By leaving, Edward left Bella alone, sad, hopeless  half-dead. Edward made her promise not to become reckless but this became the key by which Bella was able to see him again. In her desire to see him again, she went to her friend Jason, to ask him to fix two bikes which she intends to use hoping that Edward will show himself again when she uses it. What she did not intend, however, was to fall in love the second time this time with Jason. Despite her heart ache over Edward, she became happy. Jason became her protector, her knight in shining armor. He protected her from enemies which she gained because of Edward. Just like Edward, Jason loved her with all intensity.

What is tragic in this movie is that she had to make a choice between two great loves who in their world belong to opposite ends of the chain. Werewolves are vampires are enemies. The ultimate objective of werewolves is to eliminate vampires.  In the end, she chose Edward but making the choice was heart wrenching because not only was she losing a love, she was also losing a friend.
Bella died twice in this movie, though not physically. She died first when Edward left her. She died again when she chose Edward over Jason.  But just like Juliet with Romeo, dying is small price to pay for so great a love.

The  film  exceeded  all  expectations, grossing  5,358,000  in North  America (the highest for any MGM film at the time) and 3,520,000 abroad. In Britain, it was named the top box office attraction of 1942. Of the 592 film critics polled by American magazine Film Daily, 555 named it the best film of 1942.

The Times columns were short reflections on everyday life, based in part on Struthers own family and experiences. While the columns started out as lighthearted domestic scenes where the outside world barely intruded, the approach of  World War II slowly brought darker global concerns into Mrs. Minivers world.  There  were  strong  influences  of  the  war  on  the  content  of  this  column  and  shortly  after  the  world  war  II  began  Struther  stopped  his  column. In  1942  the  film  adaptation  of  Mrs. Miniver  was  produced. The film  was  a  huge  success  and  was  nominated  for  twelve  Academy awards  that  year.

This  story  of  an  average  English  middle-class  family  begins  with  the  summer  of  1939 when  the  sun  shone  down  on  a  happy, careless  people, who  worked  and  played, reared  their  children  and  tended  their  gardens  in  that  happy, easy-going  England  that was  so  soon  to  be  fighting  desperately  for  her  way  of life  and  for  life  itself.

Prologue to MRS. MINIVER
The  trials  and  difficulties  faced  by  a  simple  middle  class  family  are  wonderfully  depicted  in  this  movie. One  always  focuses  on  the  war  in war  movies, but  its  refreshing  to  se  a  movie  that  deals  with  the  situations  that  fall upon  a  family  during  war. This  appeals  to  the  standard  audience  who  gave  this  film  their  full  appreciation. One  can  connect  to  the  story  at  a  more  personal  level. The  arrival  of  the  inured  Nazi  soldier, the death  of  the  daughter-in-law  and  such  strong  twists  in  the  storyline  tend  to  take  the  viewer  on  a  rather  thrilling  and  emotional  journey.

All  three  movies  are  made  in  different  years  and  deal  with  the  trial  and  tribulations  faced  by  a  varied  group  of  persons. Each  plot  is  so  different  from  the  other  yet  similar  in  a  way  that  it  is  set  in  the  same  background  of  the  world  war  II, and  what  effects  it  had  on  the  personal  tribulations  of  a  person  affected  by  it.

This 1943  war  movie  deals  with  the  story   group of nurses returning from the war in the Philippines recall their experiences in combat and in love.

Proudly  We  Hail brings  you  the  authentic  voices  of  heroes   heralded  and  unsung   who  made  and  are  making  Americas  great  history. Series  host  William  Sackett  roams coast  to  coast, going  past  what  textbooks  tell  us, to  chat  with  and  interview  people who  were  there  the  moment  events  were  recorded. This  is  history  told  raw, firsthand, unfiltered. Its  all  real, from  uncensored  emotion  to  no-punches  pulled, first-person descriptions  of  what  really  happened  then. This  riveting  program  rides  on  an  exciting web  of  news, music  and  events  of  special  interest  to  a  vast  and  very  special  audience  The  U.S. armed  forces.

Proudly  we  Hail is  continuously  staged  on  Americas  military  bases, historical  sites, naval  ships  and  a  host  of  interesting  field  locations, and  recorded  in  front  of  live, reactive  audiences. Content  is  far  ranging, and  includes  everything  from  tales  of individual  heroism  to  great  music  and  vital  bulletins  on  veterans  health, support  and organization  news.

The  film  follows  a  group  of  military nurses  sent  to  the Philippines  during  the  early days  of  
World  War  II. The  movie  was  based  on  a  book  written  by  nurse  Juanita Hipps. The  story  covers  many  normal  and  day  to  day  events, and  contrasts  the  brutality  of  war  against  the  sometimes  futile  efforts  of  the  nurses  to  provide  medical  aid  and  comfort. There  are  several  striking  moments in the movie  that  have  the  ability  of  holding  the  audience  spellbound, this  also  including  a  shocking self-sacrifice by  a  female  character  to  save  her  fellow  nurses. The  flashback  narration gives  a  sense  of  historical  importance  to  the  film.

Director  Mark  Sandrich  has  made  a  wonderful  effort  of  tugging  at  the  heart  strings  of  the  audience. The  film  is  a  tribute  to  the  Red  Cross  nurses  trapped  behind  enemy lines  in  the  early  days  of  the  Pacific  war. The  whole  experience  of  this  film  may  take  most  to  a  new  level  of  thinking  wherein  one  would  stop  a  minute  and  think  of  the  selfless  sacrifices  made  by  these  unsung  heroes  of  war. It  surely  is  a  moving  and a  powerful  film  that  has  a  fairly  unusual  plot.  Indeed, the  battle  sequences  are  among the  finest  put  on  the  screen  during  the  time, with  special  effects  work  that  is exemplary  and  an  experience  not  to  be  missed.

This  is  a  1998  war  film. The  story  is  a  work  of  fiction  yet  it  deals  with  the  personal  problems  faced  by  fighting  soldiers  in  a  war  like  situation  very  well. It  is  based  on  a  novel  by  James  Jones. It  is  a  story  that  deals  with  a  group  of  solders  from  the  C  company  which  fought  during Battle of Guadalcanal in World War II.  The  personal  struggles  experienced  by  the  soldiers  during  the  war, with  equal  focus  on  their  lives  on  the  battlefields  is  quite  moving. Most notable  and  strong  focus  is  on   Private Witt  played  by  Jim  Caviezel  and  his  conflicted feelings  about  fighting  in  the  war, Colonel  Tall  played  by Nick  Nolte  and  his  desire to  win  the  battle  at  any  cost  in  order  to  get  a  promotion, and  Private  Bell  played  by   Chaplin Ben  Chaplin  and  the  dissolution  of  his  marriage  back  home  while  he  fights  in  the  war.

This  film  signifies  the  return  of  Terrence Malick  to filmmaking  after  a  twenty  year absence  from  the  movie  scene. The  important  aspect  about  this  film  is  the  vast  star  cast, being  a  war  movie  the  director  and  producer  took  significant  efforts  to  research  about  the  actual  site  of  the  battle  and  hence  were  able  to  create  a  visual  delight  to  a  good  degree.In  1988  Malick  suggested  his  idea  of  adapting  James  Jones novel  to producers  Robert  Michael  Geisler  and  John  Roberdeau, whereupon  they  approached  the authors  widow, Gloria  Jones, and  acquired  the  rights. Geisler  and  Roberdeau  then  went to  Malicks  friend  and  former  agent, Phoenix  Pictures  chairman  Mike  Medavoy, to  help develop, produce  and  bring  the  financing  to  the  picture. Malick  had  originally  intended only  to  write  the  screenplay. Comments  George  Stevens, Jr.  and  Mike  Medavoy Terry was  not  initially  planning  to  direct, but  as  time  passed, he  decided  that  THE  THIN RED LINE  would  be  his  next.

The  film  presents  a  juxtaposition  or  a  mixture   of  a vicious  mechanized  battle taking place  in  a  pristine  wilderness, where  the  forces  of  destruction  collide  with  a  people living  in  quiet  harmony  with  their  natural  surroundings these  were  the  Melanesians  of the  Solomon  Islands, whose  way  of  life  centers  on  family  and  tranquility.

The  flash  backs  that  occur  after  every  few  minutes  interval  are  rather  confusing  and  force  the  viewer  to  concentrate  rather  than  enjoy  the  movie. The  acting  is  fairly  realistic  and  is  worth  a  watch, the  plot  of  the  movie  which  surrounds  around  the  personal  ordeal  of  the  soldiers, their  feeling, and  the  fact  that  how  they  lose  all  these  and  involve  themselves  in  the  war  is  fascinating  to  watch. The  movie  has  found  relatively  new  talent  and  managed  to  extract  some  great  performances. The  theme  that  is  reflected  in  the  film  is  mostly  focused  upon  the  personal  ordeals  of  the  soldiers  in  midst  of  war.

The  music  is  touching  and  adept  to  the  situations  in  the  film. Hence  along  with  the  film  the  background  score  holds  the  audience  spell bound  in  the  cyclone  of  the  past.

There are a lot of good things that can be said about the 2009 movie Whip It. Aside from the oozing girl power projected in the movie and the interest stimulated by the unique Roller Derby girl team, the Hurl Scouts, the story also has real substance and is heartwarming in a fun way. The protagonist of the story, Bliss Cavendar, is played by the award-winning actress Ellen Page. Bliss character offers an inspiring tale of a teenager who wants to find her real self amidst the dictates of her surroundings and the not-so-good experiences of her high school life. Yet, it is really the pressure from her mothers dream to win beauty pageants that pushes Bliss to find the world of womens roller derby. Brooke, Bliss mother who is played by Marcia Gay Harden, is a former beauty queen who wants her daughters to succeed in that field as well and learn from her mistakes as she only ended up to be a mail carrier. Hence, the movie is essentially a story of how Bliss would find what really makes her happy through her determination, drive, and a pinch of rebellion.  Whip It is an engaging story   and it offers a healthy dose of hope, not only for the youthful heroine, but also for its director  (Le).

    One of the first things people would be curious about this film is how Drew Barrymores directorial debut would turn out. Famous for her own successful films, Barrymore has established her name as one of the most loved actresses in the industry. In Whip It, Barrymore proves that her talent and passion for films can indeed go beyond acting. While the movie could be described as  predictable not only in the contours of its plot, but also in nearly every scene and situation,  it is not badly directed (Scott). In fact, Barrymore is really effective in directing and making the scenes of the movie progress. Whip It has complete elements of a feel-good film from beginning up to the end. With its coming-of-age, self-discovery storyline, lovable array of characters, and the inspiring, humor-infused direction of the movie, Whip It is a sure hit for Barrymores directorial career.

    Based on Shauna Cross own writing Derby Girl, the story features how Bliss discovers the sport Roller Derby and how she eventually joins the all-girls team Hurl Scouts. Here, she finds friends in her teammates, a group of different empowered women united by their love for the sport. Page is able to live up to the demands of her character and to the expectations of movie critics.  Part of whats charming about the star is the furtiveness of her character  (Sragow). Bliss has to keep her life as member of Hurl Scouts hidden from her family so she trains in secret. Bliss is feisty, determined, and passionate all at the same time and the audience can expect to see this character bloom as she struggles to improve her relationship with her parents and win the battle against their rival team.  Shauna Cross writes from her own experience with roller-skating it is no coincidence that Whip It proceeds in a series of small movements, not big changes or eye-opening surprises  (Le).

    The film effectively shows that  Bliss succeeds at Roller Derby not just because she loves it, but also because it answers her needs to toughen up,  enabling her to find her real self (Sragow). All through this, Bliss would be supported by her loyal best friend, Pash, played by Alia Shawkat. The character of Pash adds the most excitement to the film, and her personality is easy to like. Also, the love story of Bliss and Oliver, a rocker musician played by Landon Pigg, is creatively infused into the storyline, and the chemistry they share lives up to the flow of the movie. Pashs  cynicism sets the tone for how we feel about the romance, and Barrymores sweetly cheesy direction of two love scenes between Oliver and Bliss, one set in what looks like a wheat field and the other in a swimming pool, does not dissuade us from this  (Pols).

    One of the most notable characters in the film is Maggie Mayhem, played by Kristen Wiig, who exemplifies girl power and real compassion in a very realistic and not in an overly dramatic way. Barrymore also joins the cast by playing the character of Smashly Simpson, the amusing and idiotic member of the Hurl Scouts. The combination of all these characters and the light action in the arena of Roller Derby offer great entertainment to the audience.  Whip It has an easy going spirit, a lightness of touch in spite of the occasional excursions into melodrama, that makes it hard to mock and easy to like  (Scott).

    The movie may seem to have a particular niche of audience based on its theme, but it is in fact a movie that can be watched by all ages and sexes. The realities that Whip It features are very familiar that one would find him- or herself pointing to scenes he or she could relate to real life. Also,   Barrymore delivers it with such a giddy good sense of fun that its easy enough to go along with it  (Pols). There is a very interesting plot to follow, surprising twists that makes the viewers smile, and little complication that would make it too ambitious.

     If you go to see Whip It, dont forget to stay until the last production note for the wonderful music  (Le). The editing and post-production of the film are also significant in making the film really good. The music highlights the momentum at the right instances and makes the audience feel more attached to the scenes and events in the film.

    Whip It concludes with a lot of changes and insights that are rewarding and enjoyable to digest. The story is light, the characters are intense and full, and the whole movie is amusing.  There should be no high expectations from the film in order to fully appreciate it because for sure, one will find a reason to love it.

1. Filming must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. If a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found.
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. Music must not be used unless it occurs within the scene being filmed.
3. The camera must be a hand-held camera. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. The film must not take place where the camera is standing filming must take place where the action takes place.
4. The film must be in color. Special lighting is not acceptable (if there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action (murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden (that is to say that the film takes place here and now).
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The final picture must be transferred to the Academy 35mm film, with an aspect ratio of 43, that is, not widescreen. Originally, the requirement was that the film had to be filmed on Academy 35mm film, but the rule was relaxed to allow low-budget productions.
10. The director must not be credited.

With the Dogma 95 movement the concept of film design is rather limited. While shooting on location does bring an interesting aspect to a film being unable to bring in any props and being limited to whats available on the location itself is rather constricting and unheard of in todays era of big budget films. It does however force actors and the director to be more creative with whats available to them and would result in a film that focuses more on good acting rather than flashy effects.

In terms of sound since no background noise is allowed aside from whats present already in the shooting itself (passing cars, a radio or television). The average movie viewer who has gotten used to fast paced music during actions scenes and slow, haunting music during tragedies would find themselves in a world devoid of the sounds they are used to. The reasoning behind this I believe is for the watcher to focus all their attention on the actors every word. The tone of the actors voice, the strength of the delivery, or the soft whisper of intimacy. Forcing the audience to focus on every bated breath of the actor due to the lack of other forms of outside interference in a dark theater is the goal of the director. The reasoning behind this is to pull the audiences attention towards the actors themselves. To make them remember not the settings, the music or the props but the plot of the film, the superb acting of the actors and the quality of the dialogue.

Since Dogma 95 advocates the usage of a handheld camera every single movement, action and even every mistake is caught on the camera. With the camera following the action instead of the actions happening right where the camera is it makes a person feel as if he is right there in the thick of it. Imagine being in a dark theater, with no background music, all your attention focused on the actors voices and motions however you notice a slight swaying of the camera, a movement here and there as if you yourself were right there moving your head, with all your attention focused on the screen it feels as if you are right there in that particular scene. That you are looking right at the actors as if you were sitting down or standing up near them. That what you are looking at isnt a movie screen rather its the lens of your mind.

With little to next to no editing allowed aside from the average cutting of scenes or transferring of film to another medium would seem to most that the end result would be rather plain however the reasoning behind this is to make the scenes seem raw and vivid. To make people believe that they themselves are a part of the film and not merely viewer. Thats one of the reasons why temporal or geographical alienations are not allowed. It is to ensure the continued illusion for the viewer that everything is happening right in front of them as if they were right there.

As for music, none of it is allowed unless it is through a prop already in the scene, a radio, a television etc. Since random scores of music dont usually play in real life whenever something tragic or exciting happens so to does the movement try to stay true to this as well.

For me being able to focus your attention entirely on a few things instead of lots of external stimuli is what Dogma 95 is about. No flashy graphics or epic songs, no special effects just plain good acting and directing.

British social realism
The design of British Social Realism is to use ordinary people with the problems that every average person can relate with and put them on the big screen.
For British Social Realism the life of the average person, with all its quirks, problems, little peices of happiness and moments of joy is what is important.

Real life, the way in which people live, not the flashy life of a secret agent, not the ife of a space hero but that of the ordinary individual. With all the flaws that comes with it. It through this use of the ordinary that majority can relate and watch in fascination as they watch another person deal with the problems they deal with, live a life similar to theirs and solve problems through ways that they themselves underwent. To watch it is to watch how life really is and that in itself is more provocative and inspiring than any fiction of adventure or of outer space that has been made.

For the sound of the film it relies mainly on what is happening then and there. It relies on the emotions of the person involved, their truthful reactions, the way that they show their emotions through their acting of their portrayal of the normal life of an individual. The frustrations, the joys all the normal reactions that a person whose lived an average life would have when confronted with adversary or joy.

The scenes are shot mainly in the real world when I say real world I mean in a real life environment wherein the extras are people who arent even aware of the film itself. The casually walk by and see the camera man shooting the movie but have no idea what is going on. Anything can happen, it shows the real lide situations most people have when walking on the streets where people act the way they usually do. With no planned actions of extras, no choreographed scenes of walking. The camera captures life as it happens and it is through this that people can relate with what happens in the film itself.

Editing is allowed however only to the extent that bad scenes are taken out. As much as possible the director wants to keep the real life aspect of the film with problems during shooting (people staring) appearing on camera as well. It adds a touch of realism to the way the scenes are shot.
Music can be added during certain scenes to add emphasis to a situation. A sad mournful song for heartbreaking scenes. A happy go lucky song for scenes depicting happiness, It is all for finding a way for the audience to relate with what they are seeing on the screen.

British Social Realism focuses on how a person can relate to whats being portrayed wherein they would be able to say that happened to me as well, I went through that or my life is exactly like that. The movement focuses on how people relate with what they see with their own lives and thus be captured in the world of the movie.

Ghost world is a movie based on a comic novel by Daniel Clowes who did the screen play for the movie as well. The movie was released back in 2001 with the expertise of director Terry Zwigoff. (Terry Zwigoff, 2001) Ghost world is a story circling around the life of two teenage girls, Enid played by Thora Birch and Rebecca played by Scarlett Johnson. The motion picture is based in Los Angeles. (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)  Even though the movie did not win a big name in the box office, it has still made its mark in the eyes of the critics with a devoted cult following.

The tale rotates around the life and lies of Rebecca and Enid, both best friends and both societal outcasts in the summer following their high school graduation. Enid even though an outstanding artist, still has to attend remedial classes for arts in order to secure her degree. While Rebecca, is shown to be progressing well not only with guys but also in her job. The third major character in the movie is Seymor played by Steve Buscemi who is not only Enids companion but more or less her male Xerox in terms of aptitude and adjusting with the environment around. Seymor collects old records and like Enid, is an enthusiastic artist who is also a social outcast as he also has trouble adjusting to the society around him. Norman, the static character in the movie also constitutes an important and metaphorical image in the movie.

The movie travels around how the life of Enid changes with time, due to various reasons. These include her remedial arts class teacher who dismisses Enids work as childish imagery. Another reason is Enids attachment with Seymor and her growing affection for him, which stays veiled in her attempts to find him a girlfriend. Another reason for Enids changeover is her fight with Rebecca, loss of her best friend along with loss of her job coupled with loss of her scholarship which is awarded to her by her Arts teacher after showing her Seymors controversial piece of art. The following pages outline the flow of Enids thoughts and her character from the moment she passes Norman on the street to the point where she encounters Seymor.

During this small portion of the movie, Enid and Rebecca are still best friends and so far not any explicit sign of any conflict arising between the two. This segment of the movie commences from the point where Enid and Rebecca are walking down the street and on their way they encounter Norman. Norman at this point and throughout the course of the movie is seen to be sitting on the bench by the side of the road where he is anxiously waiting for the bus. This section of the movie shows Enid as being the carefree, cynical social outcast.

Of particular importance in this portion of the movie is Enids hair color. Being a rebel and a punk rock enthusiast she has dyed her hair green. Dressed up in casuals, Enid roams around with Rebecca, who is quite her opposite in terms of the attire. Enids carefree attitude is also reflected when she screams in Normans ear that the bus that passed from here stopped functioning two years ago. There is an explicit contrast between Norman and Enid here, and this particular incident serves as an echo back for Enid by the end of the movie. Norman here is portrayed as the emotional nostalgic soul as opposed to Enid.

After meeting Norman, Enid and Rebecca progress towards Joshs home. Josh in essence, serves as Enids punch bag. Again, we see how Enid reacts when Josh does not open the door. Her language and her dialect also reflect how carefree she is, as demonstrated by her use of language that includes offensive language as well. She is outspoken and also bold. As opposed to her Rebecca is again the quiet introvert sort in the scene. The setting and mood of the scene is also upbeat and hip hop and the weather is cool and the sun is on bright and the day is full.

The movie then progresses in to another direction where Enid takes Rebecca to a record shop. This is the first place in this portion of the movie where Enid faces explicit opposition with crude remarks being thrown at her by the people in the shop. Not only is she made fun of by terming her style of sense as outdated but also she is rudely asked to pay back the remaining cash that was due. Enids anger for once takes over her carefree and outspoken nature in this scene.

From there Enid is shown to return home and dye her hair black while at the same time listening to the record that she bought off from Seymors garage sale. She is shown to be listening to the song that Seymor suggested that she will love, again and again as she finds solace in it. It must be pointed out here that Enid plays this record in a state of a fine frenzy and anger after returning from the record shop.

Enid then returns back to Seymor in a somewhat sober outlook and talks to him about the record that he gave her the other day. Seymor excited then shows her other records of his as well. As mentioned earlier as well, Seymor is basically a record collector and he has a huge collection of old records which he also shows to Enid in the later part of the movie. This is the point in the movie where Seymor and Enid have a real conversation the end result being that they become close friends and this friendship develops in to love in the near end of the movie.

The importance of these scenes is that it helps to enforce the significance of Enids and Seymors characters. It shows the similarities that are in between them and how both of them can relate to each other. It also shows how Enid finds solace in Seymors Company and his choice of songs. Both of them are battling against the world for the fact that they are unconventional in their outlook and manner and both are not accepted by the society. The scene also portrays the importance of emotional attachment and hope that Norman so perfectly symbolizes. The movie has a wide amount of symbolism in it, which is reflected in the characters portrayal and this is perhaps one of the reasons why it has been so famous amongst the critics.

There are so many remarkable similarities in Baz Luhrmanns 2001 film Moulin Rouge and Vincente Minnellis An American in Paris with regard to their musical format and usage of Paris as the stories setting. However, there are also several differences found in the films when it comes to how they depicted the iconic artworks and life in Paris at the time both films are set. Luhrmanns production presented the 1889 Montmartre, Paris through the underworld life in the infamous club known as the Moulin Rouge. Minnelli, on the other hand, emphasized the city as a place crowded with various types of artists such as painters, ballerina, pianists and other of sorts.

    Though Moulin Rouge also depicted Paris with different types of artists such as writers, ballerinas, poets, dancers and singers, the film was more particular in the darkness of the underworld life in Paris while An American in Paris showed a rather positive Paris without the prostitutes and lowlifes. A narration in the opening of the film already revealed the type of Paris that Minnelli was about to show in the film. This is Paris. And Im an American who lives here. My name Jerry Mulligan. And Im an ex-GI. In 1945, when the Army told me to find my own job, I stayed on and Ill tell you why. Im a painter. All my life, thats all Ive ever wanted to do. (Minnelli). It was then followed by a description of Paris as a world for artists such as painters. The lead character named Jerry Mulligan who was played by Gene Kelly claimed that it was the perfect place for artists.

And for a painter, the Mecca of the world for study, for inspiration, and for living is here on this star called Paris. Just look at it. No wonder so many artists have come here and called it home. Brother, if you cant paint in Paris, youd better give up and marry the bosss daughter (Minnelli).
Moulin Rouge, on the other hand, was introduced with darkly lit images of 1889 Montmartre, Paris. It showed prostitutes roaming around the streets and other lowlife creatures of the underworld. As the main character, Christian, played by Ewan McGregor, described the Moulin Rouge as
A night club, a dance hall and a bordello. Ruled over by Harold Zidler. A kingdom of night time pleasures. Where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. The most beautiful of these was the one I loved. Satine. A courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her the Sparkling Diamond, and she was the star... of the Moulin rouge. The woman I loved is... dead.

    The tragic story of the film was already given in this concise introduction by the narrator and main character of the story. Apparently, the difference between the two films revolves around the idea of how they portrayed Paris in a musical format and the ambience of the two films.

    However, in response to which film is more successful as an organic art, I believe An American in Paris achieved this one. This is because Moulin Rouge  used digital enhancers to achieve a better scenery in their background which is, of course, conflicts with the idea of organic art as organic art refers to natural art. Since the former film used more natural backdrops and they really did shoot some scenes in the city of Paris, it is more reasonable to be appreciated by organic artists.

The French influence on the language and presentation of modern cinema is enormous. Several key aspects of cinema politiques and camera techniques have been introduced by the French schools of film studies. Camera-stylo or camera-pen refers to an innovative camera positioning technique that enables the audience to view the cinema from the perspective of an author involved in writing with a pen. This paper is going to illustrate two scenes from the 2001 film Moulin Rouge in the light of this particular theory.

    In camera-stylo, the narrative becomes subordinate to the suggestiveness implied by the language of the film. In essence, the director holds the position of the writer who invests motion into the plot by documenting subjective points of cinematic vision (Harris and Ezra 147). It engages the audience from the viewpoint of not just as external observers, but also as critiques of the ornamental aspects of production. The Spectacular Spectacular show that features in Moulin Rogue is a perfect manifestation of this technique because the scene itself is richly designed, much in keeping with the ambience of the cabaret concept. Director Baz Luhrmann introduces this particular scene with precise cuts and camera angles so that the following shot (of mistaken identity) gives a striking effect of being out of place for the audience.

    The second scene based on camera-stylo in Moulin Rogue occurs when Christian sings Your Song before Satine. This scene is presented from a long shot approaching closer with occasional sparks of fantastical lighting and a glimpse of night sky. Moreover, a light wheel revolves in the background, which is framed in blurred shots.

Marchand states, The ideology of advertising is an ideology of efficacious answers.  No problem lacks an adequate solution (227).  As a means to sell, advertising does initially highlight the problem and then presents a solution in the form of the product that is being sold.  For several decades, advertisements have to make sure of two things that they have communicated effectively the message of the product, and that the means of communicating the message of the product is impressive enough that will create a lasting impression to the viewers.

    Connecting the message of the product based on the perception of the customers depend on how the advertising creatives are able to embody the message through a medium that is easily understood or comprehended by the audience.  One of the common approaches in advertising which have been used probably since the beginning of the industry was by means of the parable.  According to Marchand (207), The parable invited the use of vivid, radical comparisons that would arrest attention mainly because of its folkloric nature and the fact that parables are tales that most people have heard of because of its moral and spiritual lessons.  Using this as a prevailing force in the advertising narrative, it can then be observed that advertisements make use of these parables in order to model the story after a universal foundation which also allows the advertisers substantial creative license.

    Marchand also discussed three other parables as used in advertising.  The Parable of the Democracy of Goods conveys that the product is accessible thus it is used by the rich and the poor, and across the socio-economic strata.  The main point of this parable is that the product is being sold as something that has enough value in terms of quality, yet everyone can afford it.  The other parable is called the Parable of Civilization Redeemed.  In this parable, the narrative of the ad is based on the concept that a product is able to contest nature.  For example, by nature, bacteria can grow, but by using a certain product, this growth can be eliminated.  The idea behind the Parable of Civilization Redeemed is that the product being sold can bring about a sense of victory over the threats of nature such as ageing, disease, other forms of calamities or sources of chaos, and others.  Last but not the least, the Parable of the Captivated Child is based on the idea that products are depicted as means to captivate a child in terms of proper child guidance, development, and psychology.  For instance, a product may convey the message of the importance of vitamins for a growing kid, hence, this becomes an introduction to a vitamin product.  Hence, this parable is not just about captivating the childs interest but also the interests of the parents, especially those who want to find the best means to ensure the best sources of development, growth and satisfaction of their children.
Old Spice Swagger and the Parable of First Impression

    The parable of first impression is what it is the importance and emphasis on the first impression.  In this parable, tales show how the success or the failure of a relationship, a business deal, reputation, and others are based on how others initially perceive a person.  What comes to mind is the common adage that first impressions last.  These first impressions, as typically embodied in the parable, works at the surface because they are supposed to embody the manifestation of the substance of a person.  Hence, for instance, if a woman is represented as neat, put together, courteous and generally admirable, this representation may connote many things such as the woman being a potential good wife. 

    In Old Spice Swagger commercial, the use of the parable of first impression shows how a geek probably did not make a good impression to the girl because he lacked the confidence.  True to its form, this is the problem of the narrative.  The parable is then used as a means to come up with a solution, and that is through the importance of first impressions.  Old Spice Swagger is then presented as the solution, establishing the contrast between the LL Cool J back in high school and the LL Cool J of the present who is now considered one of the most attractive men in the music industry.  The star difference between the two is emphasized by LL Cool Js line, That was me, LL Cool J, before I started using Swagger from Old Spice.  Now look at me --- nice

    What makes this commercial contrastive with respect to the LL Cool J of the past and the present is the overall ambience.  Other than the element of having the younger LL Cool J in a high school background, the younger LL Cool J swaggers in that old 70s or 60s tune.  Every element in this high school scene is anything but sophisticated interestingly, there is no sign of any cool dude in the background.  Along with the music, the rest of the geeks display their swagger as they seem to try their best to sway as cool as they can with the music.  Going to the LL Cool J of the present, his present swagger is supported by the typical cool, sexy music. 

    In terms of the cinematography, the contrast is not as drastic as one would expect for a commercial that compares two worlds in a sense, this is a good treatment because this shows  a realistic transition of the LL Cool J of the past to the LL Cool J of today who is basically just any other guy.   The overall color is also reminiscent of the 1970s vintage look the coloring is cool and muted however, the coloring used in the present LL Cool J is interestingly not sleek nor modern.  The overall simplicity of the lighting and the lack of effects in the post-high school scene indicates a sense of accessibility. 

    The same can be also said about the production design.  Upon closer look the high school dance seems like it only took place inside a room, or that the venue of the dance is a simple party thrown by the geeks to attract the girls.  Even in LL Cool Js scene the room where he watches the video is not as sophisticated, something that can be regarded as an interesting decision for a big celebrity and artist.  Again, similar to the concept of the cinematography, the simple production design minimizes the spectacle of the commercial hence making the story more accessible and realistic for more people.  This also highlights the story which is funny and sentimental at the same time.

    The casting of the commercial is impressive. The actor playing LL Cool J as his high school version is good selection other than projecting the typical geek, he can pass as LL Cool J 15 to 20 years ago because of the resemblance.  His screech is also a classic a lot of males, from those in high school to the older ones can identify with this very moment in which approaching probably the most attractive girl in school was a horrifying experience.  This is why as a casting challenge, the ad managed to get someone who looked like LL Cool J and someone who could act the part.  As for LL Cool J, he just maintained his cool yet accessible vibe and did not project at all that other than being an attractive and confident man he is also a successful artist and celebrity.

    The social tableau used in the commercial also appeals to the audience, particularly the target market of the product the use of the school stereotypes of the geek and the populars are also part of the social parables of the entire high school experience.  Although there is the implied social shame when it comes to the reputation of the geeks, the fact that a geek tries to connect to a popular girl is already a form of social suicide a geek may need more than courage to make a good impression on the girl.  In this case, the element that is instrumental to change and confidence becomes the essential message of the advertisement.

    The use of parables in advertisements serve as a medium to formulate a narrative according to a universal understanding of the audience according to certain values and pop culture references.  In the Old Spice Swagger ad, the commercial effectively used the parable of the stereotype and used the narrative how a product can create a significant change.  The reformulation of old ideas, according to Marchand (233), serves as social clichs which can be a personal means of self-validation for advertisers.  As far as social clichs go, the reformulation thereby further poses the challenge of originality in form and content thus making the ad memorable should it succeed in taking advantage of the dramatic parables.

21 tells the story of six genius MIT students apply their excellent grasping of probability to beat all odds in the world of gambling. Directed by Robert Luketic, it is an adaptation of author Ben Mezrichs best seller novel Bringing Down the House The Inside Story of Six MIT students Who Took Vegas for Millions.

    Jim Sturgess stars as Ben Campbell, a brilliant student facing the threat of being kicked out of MIT because he cannot afford to raise money for his tuition fees. The solutions to his tribulations seem to lie in playing cards. Ben is recruited into a team of very gifted students who are sharpening their mastery of probability and numbers in an attempt of tilting the odds against the black jack game. Hesitant at first, he soon secures a fake identity card and teams up with the scammers led by eccentric math professor Micky Rosa. The team then engages in highly lucrative gambling excursions in Las Vegas every weekend where they employ a complex code of signals to cheat the system before their devious scheme is uncovered.

    This film has an inconsistent pace, starting leisurely before exploding with adrenaline pumping casino action in the heart of Las Vegas. Even though the film can be credited for having excellent production design, a credible script and good acting, the thumps-down is that there is a lot of unnecessary background noise. The dialogue is sometimes inaudible due to background music especially in the club and casino scenes.

    21 is generally a good film. Its themes of greed and materialism are very relevant in the world we are living in and are especially bolstered by the fact that the events in the movie really happened. For those who love card games and the math enthusiasts, it makes an excellent watch.

Goodfellas is a movie that defies the typical production of films, especially the part where scripts are already complete and final once they are given to the actors prior to actual filming. The most interesting part of the films production is the part where the three main actors were given the freedom to improvise on several parts of the script. During the rehearsals, director Martin Scorsese gave Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci the privilege of shaping the flow of the dialogues. Eventually, the results of the rehearsals were infused into the length of the actual script during filming. This is perhaps the most significant focus of an artistic criticism that can be done on Goodfellas.

    It is prudent to begin with the creation process of the film. In other words, the rehearsals provide a revealing view of the films final output. Giving the actors a freehand in injecting their own lines into the script is not only unconventional but also a risky decision. It is akin to an artist putting too much trust on the paint that he will use on his canvass without having to let the masters hand do the entire work, so to speak. Yet Scorsese did so. Apparently, a large chunk of his trust on the actors relies on their credentials as respected artists in the film industry. It could have givenas indeed it might truly have givenScorsese the confidence to allow the actors to exercise their free spirited minds to shape a crucial aspect of the film.

    More importantly, giving these actors the freedom to rehearse and infuse their own ideas and words into the script gives the film a very distinct characteristic. Here we see not only the mind of the director manipulating the flow of the story. Here we see three minds adding more insights into the script. It is not difficult to see that each of the actors will essentially give his own unique approach to the dialogues. As a necessary consequence, the film will show a storyline that departs from what was originally intended. Like a canvass of colors painted by four painters or perhaps even more, Goodfellas is a tapestry of talent.

    A close viewing of the film will indicate how the different talents converge to form the storyline of the movie. The subtle nuances and the departures of the characters from the general flow of the story give the viewers a closer look into the lives of the people whom the actors try to portraygangster members during the middle to later parts of the 20th century. In effect, the personal understanding of the actors about the life of gangsters gives rise to the overall impression that the viewers will get from watching the movie. This should be given prior consideration since the artistic quality of the film will have to depend, to a certain extent, to the faithfulness or the authenticity of the acting insofar as replicating the gangster life is concerned. Since an artwork is basically an imitation of somethingbe it a physical and sensory object or an idea in the mindit has to be as close as it can be to what it is imitating. But that is not to say that it should suppress the freedom of the artist to create the artwork. What it does is simply to achieve one of the purposes of the film, which is to recreate the lives of gangsters at a time when they thrived.

    One can evaluate the film from the standpoint of how it achieves to replicate gangster life during the 20th century. The ordinary viewer who has limited background information on the theme of Goodfellas will find it difficult to assess whether the film truly shows the defining characteristics of gangsters. This is also perhaps true to those who sought to watch the film in order to know exactly how gangsters live. How does one arrive at an artistic criticism of the film if one has very little knowledge of gangsters in the first place Indeed, how is one supposed to have an artistic criticism of the film if one is yet to juxtapose the film with what is written in the annals of history The least that can be done is to take cues from the characters in the film. That is, the most that can be done is to have a careful viewing of the performance of the actors. In a way, their acts provide viewers a rough sketch of gangsters. This we see in the film where Robert De Niro plays the character of a gangster associate, where Ray Liotta plays the role of a person obsessed with the gangster life, and where Joe Pesci plays the role of an aggressive psychopath with a very short temperament. In general, the roles portrayed can provide a glimpse of gangster life insofar as they make sense. The violence in the film is essentially justified by the need to protect the inner circle of gangsters from external intrusions. The attitudes of the gangsters fit the plot of perpetuating themselves in power and in control of the mob scene.

    Lest we forget, an artwork does not necessarily have to imitate an object or an idea completely. Otherwise, there will be no room left for the artist to use his creativity and freedom to interpret as he sees fit. This is perhaps why the actors were given the freedom to interpret the dialogues in their own personal ways, making the script a very dynamic basis for the film. It is where true artistry in the movie can be seen. De Niro, Liotta and Pesci could have decided to simply follow what is already written in the script, but they did not. Instead, they preferred to take the story to a different level and to give it a new perspective. The only difficulty that can be encountered is whether the film gives its viewers a just illustration of gangster life at the end of the efforts in making the movie. It is difficult to say if the movie does, but what is more important is that it enjoins its viewers to appreciate the efforts of the artists. While it can be said that the artist and his artwork are two separate entities bridged only by the thrust of and for art, the film itself remains a veritable evidence of how the two seamlessly merged together in order to portray the films theme. Goodfellas is on its own an artistic material where critics will find ample room to share their insights and criticisms, all for the benefit of uncovering the artistic mark that the film is sure to leave behind.

For many decades, Andy Warhol is considered as one of the most influencial avant-garde artists of the past century.  Warhols Screen Tests of which he made over five hundred between 1964 and 1966, constitute his most ambitious cinema artistic project (Elsaesser and Barker, 1989). For these artistic experiments, the subject was placed in front of the camera for the duration of three minutes. They were never given a script, or told to undertake any kind of specific action.  Warhol had begun Outer and Inner Space, a subject of this artistic criticism paper, as another screen-test of his rising star Edie Sedgwick. Yet he expanded his formal means through the use of both a novel technology, the videotape recorder, and a novel technique, the split-screen projection. By so doing, he was able to maintain the austerity and reduction of his portrait films while incorporating an unprecedented degree of formal complexity.  From the critical perspective, in his cinema artworks Warhol was not interesting in conveying visual information so much as translating the experience of posing in front of the camera, and the eerie emptiness that that experience could be said to entail (LeGrice, 1977).  This is the main reason why his audience gets some sense of that emptiness through the amount of affective projection that the portraits seem to require from it. However, in Outer and Inner Space we have no time to daydream about Edie. Instead, the formal structure of Warhols  cinema artwork causes our perceptual situation to unfold, in a sense, like Edies own split experience.

Andy Warhol used the video tape-recorder to make two thirty-minute tapes of his rising superstar Edith Sedgwick (Angel, 1988). For the duration of both tapes, she appears in close-up and in profile, the bright, high-contrast image of her face almost completely filling up the frame.  The edited film, a result of split merge of two original tapes, begins in a flurry of activity, - at least for the spectator.  Spectators eyes immediately turn to the left screen, as that is where the visual action is taking place.  The two large images of Edies face - film and video - dominate the screen, and the real Edie is animated and expressive.  But just as audience is trying to make sense of it, spectators hear the first distinct sound from the right reel, and their eye unconsciously follows. Here the scene is the same, but different. Still two Edies, a live and a video image, but they are smaller, further from the camera. They are now at a distance, certainly spatial, but just as certainly temporal. Accustomed to reading from left to right, audience might intuit that the progression is from present to future, but even if not, spectators are given many immediate clues.  The video image is already present in the later, but only just appears - to an excited and obviously initial response - in the former. Furthermore, in one of the first phrases one can distinctly make out - on the right screen - Edie tells, I cant remember what I did say... her voice trailing off in an insubstantial attempt at recollection. These temporal signifiers mark what has, by now, already become apparent - that we are dealing with a before and after, with a portrait not of a frozen instant, snatched out of all time, but rather a portrait of an experience, a temporal ordeal which has clearly taken a psychological toll.

Andy Warhol, Outer and Inner Space (1965)
Edies experience is not something which is merely given to view, but also and more importantly something which is instantiated in the spectatorial encounter with the screen, with spectators experiencing of viewing.  In Outer and Inner Space, Andy Warhol combines the two facets of photographic estrangement Barthes described in Camera Lucida - the process of being captured by the photographic apparatus, as well as viewing the results of that appropriation at a subsequent moment - into a single operation (Gledhill and Linda, 2000). Edies posing for a camera in the present while seeing, and attempting not to see, herself as a photographic object, already constituted before her from the past.

Despite the animated theatrics of the live Edie on the left screen, the spectator is inevitably drawn back towards the Edie of the right screen, where a subtle but perceptible change has already occurred. And if the distance we sensed on the right screen was originally understood in spatial and then in chronological terms, we are finally given to understand it in terms of a psychological distance. Here, after an extended period of confrontation with that other image, that other voice, her defenses have been lowered, her animated performance slowed to a crawl.  From outright dismissal or anger, a complex psychological interplay has developed between the two Edies, between the Edie of the past and the Edie of the present. Her speech, like that of the video image, has come to assume the character of a monologue. Described by Callie Angel as pinned by the camera against a wall of time, Edie begins to free associate, as if submitting to the psychoanalytic scenario (Angel, 1988, p.41).  In so doing, she seems to lose her grip on the present moment and enter the time of the video image.   As she does so, the theme of exchange, of crossing over, begins to emerge by means of the formal structure. A third of the way into the film, a slow zoom transforms the distanced image on the right screen into an uneasy mirror of the left. Similar, but not exact in this, the formal register mirrors that of the temporal and psychological. The two images - that of the left and right screens - take on a formal similarity, but only now that we have fully understood them in their temporal and psychological disjunction. And after a few brief minutes, the image on the left screen pulls back to reveal the tableau which began the film on the right, completing the chiasmatic movement (Angel, 1988).

Andy Warhol, Outer and Inner Space (1965)
For the spectator, dynamics of Outer and Inner Space gives rise to a schizoid experience of time (Angel, 1988). If we were to dissect the film formally, analytically, the structure appears quite simple a close-up pulls back to an establishing shot, then zooms to a close-up. Yet our perceptual experience of the film is much more complex. Because the second reel was begun half-way through the establishing shot, and both reels are running simultaneously, we view the same shot later in the past of the left reel that we have already seen earlier in the future of the right reel. As the left screen zooms out towards the establishing shot which will begin the second reel (which we have already seen), we feel that we are catching up to the future, though it is a future which has, on the right reel, already past. And when we look at the right screen, we see the close-up of Edie that seems so similar to that shot on the left with which we begin - but this formal similarity only underscores our perception that the two are nothing alike.

A symphony of temporal exchange, this perpetual chiasmus is itself as exhausting as it is exhilarating. As her future unfolds before us in the present, we can return to the past only from our knowledge of the future. Edies own fracturing across the inner experience of self and its presentation outside of her, across the past and present of her own experience, becomes structurally replicated in the spectators experience of the two screens. The inner space of the film and the outer space of the theater thus seem to converge in a phenomenal present split between projection and recollection.
From the critical perspective, Andy Warhols Outer and Inner Space should not be lauded for employing the latest technology of videotape, much less for discovering the supposed essence of the medium (Angel, 1988).  Rather, it is what Warhol did with the technology that remains significant, long after the novelty of the invention has worn off.  For Andy Warhol Outer and Inner Space was not a matter of using televisual technologies to replicate the conventions of classic portraiture, but rethinking the nature and possibilities of portraiture within the age defined by television.  Andy Warhols reinvention of the split-screen functions neither as a paean to the latest and greatest technologies of cinematic immersion, nor as an outright refusal of new media technologies, but rather as a critical interrogation of cinema as a social technology (Angel, 1988).  Warhols avant-garde cinema was an ambitious attempt to reinvent the classic tradition of portraiture for a televisual age, and his Outer and Inner Space was the first masterpiece within this nascent hybrid genre.

By examining the mise-en-scene, editing  sound in Jean-Pierre Jeunets Amelie or Le Fabuleux destin d Amlie Poulain, we can show Amelies (played by Audrey Tautou) displacement from the people around her and from her environment, given that she spends most of her time within her own world  her imagination  a world of imaginative romance, red  green overtones  outsourced happiness which she uses as a compensation for her lack of happiness. The dream like state created helps us recognize the films Monmartre as Amelies unique worldview  Jeunets ingenious use of seamless editing, a contemporary setting  realistic characters help todays viewer identify more closely with the issues of loneliness  disconnectedness.

William Harris, in a response to Amelie, wrote Amelies unity is created through a classic linear continuity editing style, while using some flash-forwards and flashbacks. The editors responsibilities in controlling these conventions of editing become essential for creating the films meaning during post-production and ultimately leading to the films final print and overall success.

Jeunet spends a good twenty minutes of the film on an elaborate and carefully crafted introduction which succeeds in introducing Amelies character as a lonely, misunderstood child deprived of playmates who is constantly looking for imaginary compensations to fill the void in her own life. She is too shy to find love and yet she is satisfied bringing joy into the lives of others in order to forget about her own shortcomings. Every character has a quirk which makes them fit under a type like the jealous ex-boyfriend or the mysterious lover. Because of this type of characterization, use of bright colors, diagetic  exaggerated sound  elaborate sets, the film seems almost like a contemporary fairytale.

The scene that defines Amelies problem is the scene where shes watching television in her apartment after Raymond Dufayel (played by Serge Merlin), her only friend and guardian makes a comment about Amelie being a lonely child and that she cant relate to other people. Jeunet cleverly projects Amelies interior monologue onto a parody of a French television show about the lives of celebrities, which in turn serves as a flash front. He even got the host, Frederick Mitero, to do the voiceover for the scene.

The digitally saturated colors red, yellow, blue and green, juxtaposed against the black  white television feature about Amelies life along with the low-key lighting increases the comic effect of the scene. At the beginning of the scene, the intricate, red wallpaper with an animated-looking painting on it is in focus and as the camera tilts down, Amelie in her red shirt on a red couch come into focus while the background is blurred. Details like the painting re-enforce Amelies fairytale like qualities. The old-school dramatic soundtrack exaggerates the emotion, thus adding an element of comedy to the scene. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is known for his flawless image compositions and he has taken great care to ensure that every shot looks like a colorful canvas. The first shot itself observes the rule of thirds where the frame is divided between the painting by artist Michael Sowa and the wall, while the camera tilts down to reveal the subject (Audrey) slightly off-centre. The lines of the frame in the background, the back of the couch and the corner of the wall all run parallel adding symmetry to the shot. The next shot of the television is a good example of perfect mise-en-scene. The green TV with its small red light is in focus where as in the background, red and green decorative pieces have been placed around the television and you can even see two red objects out of focus through the glass. There is tremendous depth in the shot, even though shallow focus has been used  the hard shadows on the right and the extension of the wall add another dimension to the frame and the wall is in soft focus where as the objects beyond the window are completely out of focus. Its shots like these make you respect the director for his precision and attention to detail. The wide shot of Amelie on the couch has a lot of clashing textures  colors that contribute to the tacky yet perfectly placed sets used by Jeunet throughout the film. In the DVD commentary, he admits his love for such tacky sets and the pleasure he gets in creating them. Audrey has been given minimum make up to render her character more realistic and approachable. The film in the film has been intentionally given the bad-picture look to make it seem like an old documentary and to further remove it from the films reality. The documentary uses speeded time and discontinuity editing along with many soft focus shots  Chiarascuro. The director has once again played on Amelies quirk of skipping stones, making it an important part of her personality throughout the film  by showing it as lifes simple pleasures, stresses that fact that small things like these help her get through the day. (Amelie, 2001) The feature shows Amelie as a celebrity first and then as a saint and finally as a nurse. She is first shown as a happy celebrity, pretending to skip stones and heavily made up in a pretty dress, interspersed with shots of people dancing and fireworks.

The comic element comes in when Amelie is shown amongst homeless people  then as Mother Theresa, washing the feet of the blind man  as a nurse, taking care of Dufayel who is in a wheel chair. The garden where her mother releases the fish is shown again in the black and white film except this time, it is with the grown-up Amelie. . This shot in the garden is particularly interesting because the point of view gives the camera a spy-like quality. This effect is created by taking shits of Amelie through the branches and leaves, making the foreground out of focus and intrusive. There is symmetry in most of the shots of the black and white film like the shot with the cameras in a line  the crowd of people wailing to her funeral.  Even the TV is centralized and the background and the vertical and horizontally symmetrical shadows forms a frame-within-a-frame for the television. The dialogue, which declares Amelie as the Godmother of outcasts, summarizes what she feels about herself  she feels that she will die of loneliness and exhaustion because she is shy which is an undeserved death for someone who has dedicated her life to helping others. She also feels guilty that she has helped so many strangers but has never been able to give her own father a breath of air. Although the feature is meant to be comic, the artificiality of the entire scene serves to heighten Amelies misery even more. The bright colors, the contemporary art  interior dcor along with the references to Lady Di in throughout the film locate the film in modern times where as the film has an odd, retro-futuristic which brings out influences of animation and Popular Culture and yet, because Jeunet was so involved in the entire process of making the film, he is more of an auteur than merely a director (Vanderschelden 10).  The soundtrack by French composer Yann Tiersen is a masterpiece and sets the mood for the film  by using a postproduction technique known as warping, Jeunet strikes a perfect balance between dream-like Surrealism  real-world reference points (Lanzoni 371)
The other fabulous scene that proves as an example of how Amelies imagination compensates for her shy personality is the scene where she calls Nino Quincampoix (played by Matthieu Kassovitz), her mystery lover, to the park to return his photo album. Once again, she fails to reveal herself to the man she loves but plays a game to keep him intrigued and to hold on to the mystery because to approach him would be a reality check and being a dreamer, she prefers to remain hidden.  The scene opens with pigeons flying across the screen and the diagetic sound of their wings flapping along with the sounds of people in the background  music from the carousel sets the mood for a bright, happy day.

At the same time, a woman walks across the frame wearing green and a man walks in the background wearing red.  Jeunet was so particular about effects  timing that when Nino blinks, they fired a gun to make the pigeons fly in the background simultaneously. Once again, green, blue, red  yellow are the dominant colors  even the people in the far background in red clothes. The woman who answers the phone is also wearing a maroon that matches the carousel and a light green. Because the scene was shot on location and in a tourist-dominated area, there are a lot of people in the background and the frames had to be prepared to avoid having the extras too close to the camera. The shot of Amelie talking on the phone is a very well composed shot. She is facing the camera slightly off centre to the right in the foreground and in the background is Nino at the phone booth. On the right, in the background, taking up the rest of the frame is the carousel  even though Nino is out o focus, you know its him  you can see what hes doing. This increases the tension  excitement in the shot and stresses the fact that even though she is so close to him, she would rather spy on him and make him run a mile away before she reveals herself from a distance rather than just walk up to him, introduce herself and hand him the album. Later, you can see Nino approaching the phone booth and walking straight past, once again out of focus and the camera cuts the frame to place Amelie in focus, once again following the rule of thirds. The small child running in a circle is wearing pants the same color as the arrows and while running he encircles the arrow, highlighting its importance. In the shot where Nino is climbing up the stairs, the camera movement and the close up of the stairs show up Ninos point of view. When the shot changes and the camera begins to follow him up the stairs, you can see clearly how the colors have been pushed in post-production because the clouds are literally green in color. In the DVD commentary, Jeunet says that it was a difficult day to shoot on because at certain periods, there was bright sunlight  at other times it was gray and so they had to do heavy color correction after the scene was shot. When the shot changes to a frontal shot of Nino climbing the stairs, we can see that even the gazebo in the background is green in color. The shot of the pigeons picking the seeds which later reveal an arrow and Ninos smile when he sees it is conveys so much emotion  it shows the trouble Amelie went through to amuse herself and Nino  it shows Ninos excitement  disbelief at whats happening to him right now  what to expect, which is why he starts to run up the stairs after seeing the arrow. The heavy shadows on the ground throughout the scene indicate that the scene was shot at noon with the sun overhead.

Unique camera work is displayed in the shot of the statue where the camera circles it from a semi-low angle, tilts own and then rests all in one swift, seamless motion. The sound of the clock in the background is a strong indicator of time since curiosity has been built up so far. Jeunet plays with all kinds of effects and the sound effect he uses for when the statue winks at Nino adds a comical charm to the scene. The soundtrack begins to play once Nino see Amelie put the album into his bike from the telescope and this increases the feeling of excitement when hes running back down the stairs. Jeunet loves to shoot close to the ground and to the feet, which, he admits, is an influence of Orson Welles. Little details make the film more believable and realistic like the shot where Nino has to dodge the two girls playing with a rope before he can get to his bike and the fact that he goes through his book before answering the phone thats jarring in the background. The scene concludes in a beautiful manner with an aerial shot panning across location, which rests to show Nino getting onto his bike and riding off and the soundtrack of the carousel paying in the background. You can even see a blue arrow pointing towards some off-screen space near the photo booth. The camera then tilts down for a close up on Audreys face who looks straight into the lens and gives a beautiful smile just as the soundtrack reaches its climax and the scene is cut. 

Consciously breaking away from the French New Wave tradition, Jeunet has used continuity editing along with many special effects to merge the purely visual with Realism. Rene Perdal believes that young French Cinema is turned more towards realism  introspection than the visual, and it does not rely on technological prowess or visual effects, but rather on elaborate mise-en-scene (Vanderschelden 14). The film falls under the category of Cinema du Look, which refers to high-tech pop cinema influenced by Hollywood  appealing to younger audiences. It shows the French illustration of the post-modern influence exerted on cinema during the 1980s (Vanderschelden 16).
In the film, Jeunet creates an image of Paris far more beautiful and Romantic than it actually is. Shooting on location, he presents to the viewer a fairy-tale version of Montmartre based on collections of his own memories of childhood and personal experience. Each character is identified with a subconscious personality trait  even though Amelie is shown to be distant from them all, she understands them perfectly and from her point of view, we break each character down to their primal traits and quirks.

In conclusion, Jeunets bold step has taken French cinema out of the shadow of its New Wave heritage and placed it in the league of mainstream cinema. By doing so, he has developed a new auteur system within the American popular culture trend which reduces the gap between and brings together artistic  commercial films which are aimed, not only at the intelligencia but at all cinema-lovers. The familiar setting  the use of realistic characters facing real problems extend the appeal of the film mainly to a younger generation, amongst others.