Extra Blog December

It's almost New Years and you know what that means! Yup, a blog post! Alright this time I'll being three quick reviews of movies. These post with purely be critique unlike my others which were rather long because of the technical reviews that I did. Hopefully these are more straight to the point and enjoyable.

1) Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dog is one of the most well known Independent Films and critically acclaimed. After re-watching the film over break I thought that i would give a shot at a review. Reservoir Dogs is a movie stands alone and can hold it's own against practically any other crime film. The first thing that pops out about this movie is the style that this film is laid out. The film is not put into chronological order and it strangely adds something to the film for two reasons. The first being it's different. In an industry that can be filled with the same thing over and over this film breaks the mold and offers something entirely new. The second reason the absence of order in time is, it challenges the audience to both be patient and really think about what is going to happen or what has already happen with the information given. The separation of time really does add to the feeling of a crime film and gives you everything you could ask for from the genre. A crime, a team, a run in with the cops, and strong characters. I have to give Tarantino props for his casting because each of the main characters delivers their lines with purpose and energy. There's also this overwhelming likability about the film. At first I couldn't figure out what it was but then I realized what it was. It's the simplicity of the film. The film doesn't try to impress you with Michael Bay like effects, it just tries to tell a story and comes through as movie  set to impress. I give it a 8.5/10

2) Losers Take All

Losers Take All probably isn't a film you've heard off but is worth a watch. The film is about a couple of guys who start a band only to find that they suck, it isn't until they team up with another band that they find that they're not half bad. The film is set in the 1980's punk rock movement and does a very good job of not overdoing the 80's like many films do.As you'd expect from a movie about rockers there's foul language, drugs, some dirty jokes and great music which already has the makings for a great film. The one thing that you don't end up getting is a major change of the protagonist toward the middle or end of the film so when the movie does end you feel like the movie left out something. This film is definitely geared for a young audience despite the time period that it is in for the fact that film is all about how to spend your youth. I was a fan of the fact that this film was ballsy enough to use super 8 film and then convert it to digital to use for transitions in the touring scenes. The film also goes for the punk rock feel so it does it's best to have muted colors and low lighting for most of the film. The characters are all very human and somebody can see themselves in at least one member of the band. The music in the film is probably the biggest thing to marvel at considering that every song that the band played was original. In the movie about rock the music should be and was very impressive. My rating for the film was an 7.2/10 because of the lack of story and expansion in some parts of the movie but it was very well shot, the actors gave great performances and the music was awesome.

Extra Blog November

For this months extra blog I will be writing a review for the independent film, "Ping Pong Playa". The film isn't well known and I've been trying to find indie films that people often haven't heard of.  Ping Pong Playa is directed by Jessica Yu and co-written by Jimmy Tsai (the main character) and Jessica Yu. The film is a comedy about sports, specifically, you guessed it, ping pong. Ping pong Playa like most films is geared toward a specific audience mainly consisting of Chinese, people who play ping pong and people who don't think ping pong is a sport. Ping Pong Playa can be found on Netflix for easy access.

Read until the end for my rating of the film.

Plot: The film follows Christopher "C Dub" Wang a slacker, in his early twenties, who has an unrealistic dream of playing pro basketball. When his mother and brother get into a car accident passing on the family tradition teaching ping pong and playing in the ping pong championship he has to fight for his family name and come to a reality of what is important.

Setting: The film takes place in what seems to be a predominately asian community at various locations   including the community center, the Wang household, the Wang family business and the basketball court.

Technical Aspects

Camera Work: The film has two different styles within the movie. The camera style tries to match the personality of the main character. When "C-Dub" is balling up at the basketball court the camera shots are from a low angle to make him look heroic and athletic. When C-Dub is being lazy at home the shots have little to no movement and the shots are long and smooth the mimic the lazy effect. When Christopher steps up and gains responsibily the camera mainly keeps at eye level. The other style of the film is an interview style, although it's used less. Within the movie there are short clips of a reporter interviewing Christopher. So the camera is set in a specific angle of the faces and characters are aware that the cameras are there.

Lighting: The film was surprisingly well light in each location that it was shot. The lighting really did depend on when C-Dub was. In the family ping pong shop, the business was purposely lit a little dim to show that it was a small business that wasn't exactly rich. In the community center it was brighter to show that it was well maintained. In C-Dub's room it's lit dimly to show how cluttered and unkept it is.

Sound: The sound was nothing spectacular but it did work. Something I found interesting was that instead of making this film PG-13 or even a possible R they kept it PG by censoring the curse words with the sound of basketball. That made the film a little more cartoonish or childish. The music really did add to the character because of his personality (it was basically rap or hype music), but I think it failed to add to the build up of the characters heroism. It was pretty much the same throughout. The folly was actually pretty good. The crew did a great job with getting the sound for each ball hitting the table, the floor or the paddle.

Critiques: The film is a bit contradicting in my view. I find it odd that it tries to balance childish and serious at the same time. It just makes for a film that doesn't flow. Also the clips of Christopher being interviewed were very unnecessary and didn't add much to the film. C-Dub's character was fun and relatable but I don't think that there were any characters that helped support him and carry the character along. It was more the event that took place that helped him change. I do thing that film did a great job to gearing toward a specific audience and that there are defiantly people who can relate to the character or the family or even the situation that the character is in. That's pretty much the only praise I have for the film. It was funny but it was mainly bland. If I were to recommend this film to someone it would just be for kicks and for the laughs that the film has to offer. Not really a strong recommendation.

My rating for the film 6/10

Blog 10

1. I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ.

2. Examples B&D meet the three criteria. A isn't acceptable because it isn't specific enough and could be interpreted in to many different ways. C  would be too hard to argue one way or the other.

3. How can one best maximize the potential for a low budget, independent film, during production?

Blog 9 Lesson 1 Reflection

Positive Statement

I like how I did the intro suction and I think I gave a good background on Indie film and how it differs from studio film. I also liked how I engaged the class toward the end, because it made me feel more cofertable presenting.

Questions to Consider

a. What assesment would you give yourself on your lesson 1 presentation.

I would give myself a P-.

b. Explain why you deserve this grade using evidence from the lesson 1 componant contract.

 Though the presentation wasn't as strong as I wish it would've been I did touch on the all the 5 points that I originally set out tell. I also made roughly 9 minutes, had a strong into and memorable conclusion.

What Worked For You For Lesson 1?

I personally though using examples of how my points could be used in  real filmmaking helped and the fact that toward the end I explained what the ultimate goal of an indie filmmaker is.

What didn't work, if you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your lesson 1?

I would have told myself don't worry about time, you have enough content. I think I was just so worried about reaching 8 minutes that I got nervous and started rambling. I then would've brought my mentorship and the experience I had last week and what I learned from it.

Extra Blog October

Last weekend my mentor had me help him out on his film shoot. The project was for a Doritos commercials that he plans to submit for the Super Bowl. My job for the shoot was to work as his an intern/ assistant director/ continuity. The shoot was two days long and 11 and a half hours in total. The plot of the commercial is a kung-fu style story set in the forest so we diced to shoot on location at San Bernardino National Forest. I'd say the most exciting part of working on the Doritos shoot was working continuity because the job requires you to look at every detail and visualize the finished product in your head. I didn't just stand around I did catch multiple things that were inconstant, some big and others small. The commercial should be edited in two weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Here are some photos I took from the shoot.

PS: Ian Kam and Joseph Garcia were part of the cast.

Blog 8

Working EQ

What is your working EQ?

How do you maximize the potential of a low budget independent film?

What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.
A film must be able to have a balance between production value with limited money through planning and still work with the actors to get a good performance.

What is the most important source that helped you come up with the answer to your working EQ?
The most important source I found for my working EQ is Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez which contains his journal and his journey in making and releasing his first film, El Mariachi. He gives a lot a of tips of what was useful and what you shouldn't do when making a low budget film.

Who is your mentor, or where are you doing you doing your mentorship, and how does what your doing relate to your EQ?
My mentor is Tom Kam. He runs a small independent film editing company and often works on his own projects. When he is working on his own films he will take me out to the set and have me help out and it helps me learn how to both direct and organize a production.

Blog 7

Independent Component 

For my independent component I am planning to work on two films. The first film that I plan to work on is with Andrew Morris and Brandon Le. They approached me to help co-write, co-direct, edit and play the lead in the film. I'm almost positive that that the work put in on this film alone will get me at least 30 hours.

I also plan to work on my own film that I had planned to make a novel but decided would make an excellent movie. I plan to work on preproduction like script writing, storyboarding, location scouting and possibly even casting. If the first film doesn't get me the 30 hours the addition of the second project most definitely will.