Amelie

Amelie is a film with a good amount of editing used throughout the film.  From close-ups, to interesting perspective angles, to even animation.  It helped to define the film and distinguish it as not just a love story, but a story told from the point-of-view of the main character, Amelie.  It focuses on her more 'childish' way of seeing the world.  It was essentially made to appear cartoonish to complement Amelie's character.

An article on the World Socialist Web Site talks about how director Jean-Pierre Jeunet is able to take the ordinary, "everyday events" and turn them into "compelling images."  Jeunet is able to incorporate his skills as a filmmaker in cartoons and film animation seamlessly in this film.  The "figures and characters in his films remain schematic and unconvincing, while the moral of Amelie is simply banal.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2001/08/amel-a28.html

The article pretty much sums up what I saw within the film, a thorough use of editing and animation to turn "everyday events into compelling images," especially with the use of close-ups to emphasize Amelie's quirky and seemingly childish nature.

When we started watching this film in class, I thought I wouldn't enjoy it, because I started out with the mindset that I would not enjoy the story.  I knew of this film beforehand, since my parents watched it years ago.  I honestly thought it would be one of those movies with a very sluggish romance story, with the development and conflict between lovers.  But I was wrong.  The fast pace of events, the exaggerated scenes to emphasize Amelie's quirky nature, and the comedic scenes that lead up to the eventual romance kept me entertained throughout the film.  I honestly had no idea that the French could make romance stories as comical and entertaining as Amelie's story was.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (X) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (X) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (X) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (X) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (X) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (X) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (X) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: ___Filip Lesiczka____________________  Date: _________5/12/14___________________

 

Living in Oblivion

(1995)

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

          Living in Oblivion is an interesting take on an independent film about the process and what goes into making an independent film.  Not only that, but the film also brought onto the screen some actors who are professional in their own ways but not quite famous that they are well known.  The one thing that was very interesting was the method of storytelling that was used in the film.  Despite not being classical cinema because of the chosen method of storytelling, it does bring an interesting take on the processes of making an independent film.  While there are three main sequences to the film, two dreams and then reality, the viewer learns more about the main characters of the film in the dream sequences, rather than during the reality sequence.  On a side note to that, there is more character development and personality shown by the characters during the dream sequences than in the reality sequence.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.  (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.)

http://qwipster.net/livinginoblivion.htm

          What the article mostly focuses on is the content of the film, as well as how the characters interactions with one another play out over the course of the film and effect their personalities.  There is mention of how the main characters' fantasies are played out throughout the dream sequences.  But the content of the film was about a film maker's struggle with trying to find the perfect take for each scene he shot.  All the while this is happening, there is tension between each of the actors on stage and behind-the-scenes as the film maker retakes scenes multiple times.  The article goes on to talk about how the film plays with the idea of reality vs. fantasy, where events from dream sequences seem to mingle in with the real events during the shooting of the film.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

          While I'm not entirely a fan of the film, as I was left confused by it by the end, the article did clear some things up for me after I read it.  The article did show me that there were two dream sequences and one reality sequence, rather than one dream sequence altogether.  Since I noticed that there were certain aspects of the dreams reoccurring in reality, I thought the whole film was about a film maker's dream of the hardships he faced with his experiences in film making.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this)  than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

          Living in Oblivion is a prime example of what every film maker must go through when shooting scenes for a film.  The hardships, the anxiety, the stress, the actors and tensions between the actors.  It speaks volumes about the fantasies that film makers can create through the lens of their cameras because it is what every film maker in the history of film has experienced and will experience.  Granted, film makers today might have much more to worry about in terms of their struggles with creating their films these days than they did back then, but the message put forth by Living in Oblivion still carries weight even today.

I will be honest, I was not exactly a fan of this film because it was very difficult for me to stay interested in the events that unfolded within the film.  Why?  The main issue I had with the film was the fact that it was confusing to follow.  I was left by the end of the film thinking that it was a film about a film maker reliving his stressful experiences as a film maker in a dream.  I got the whole message about what a film maker must go through in order to make a film and shoot scenes for a film, but I thought the whole movie was set in a dream, rather than in two separate dreams and then in reality.  Nonetheless, I could still appreciate that message the film put forth, because I recognize the fact that every film maker throughout the history of film making went through and goes through these same experiences shown in the film.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (X) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (X) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (X) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (X) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (X) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (X) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (X) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: ________Filip Lesiczka_______________________  Date: ______5/12/14________________

 

Through Theatre to Cinema



 Through Theatre to Cinema from sheesh1991

An Impact on my Life?

I can't say I can name a film or movie I've seen that has had an impact on my life.  But I can say that when I do see a movie whose story I really enjoyed, it does give me ideas for what I can think of as a writer.  One example would be the recent Ender's Game movie.  I loved the message behind the whole movie; that one must accept, tolerate and even love their enemy no matter the circumstances.  But that wasn't the other message I thought I picked up from the movie.  I'm not entirely sure that it was an intended to be a message, but I found that the movie presents what the consequences are on the moral mind for playing 'god' and deciding who should live and who should die in a survival situation.
In case of this movie, unbeknownst to him, Ender was unwillingly playing 'god' and ultimately brought about the extinction of a race of aliens he'd been taught to hate, but had never encountered himself before.  The end result of being forced to kill off an entire race that was only fighting for survival had a very big impact on Ender, and made him question himself as a human being and the decisions he'd made in the past.  Likewise, because he'd been receiving messages from his enemies throughout the whole movie, Ender had learned to accept, tolerate and even love his enemy after he'd destroyed their planet.  Why?  Because as a human being, he felt he had no right in playing 'god' and deciding the fate of a species humans in general barely understood.
That was what I picked up from the movie.  I'm not sure if that was the intended message, but I picked it up and it helped to open my mind to an entirely different realm of character development for story ideas.  Not only that, but it helped to present new ideas to me in terms of stories.  I'm not saying I intend to write another Ender's Game, but I am saying that it has given me thoughts on how I can take what I got from the overall message of the movies story, and adapt it into new and original ideas of for my own stories.

 

 

The scene before the final fight that ended in the extinction of the Formic aliens.



Scribd Test Filip Lesiczka

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