Everything Everywhere All at Once

 

       

           We just finished watching the film Everything Everywhere All at Once and I am not sure quite how I am feeling about the film. In terms of the story it was very complicated with all the different universes but in the end what I understood it to be was that the film was about a family learning to love and accept each other no matter the situation, no matter how difficult or easy the situation may be. What was complicated for me is that it constantly switched between universes such as one where Evelyn is a chef, one where she is a singer, one where she is a martial artist, sign flipper, etc. In one universe she may hit the accounting lady and in another that never occurred. There was a ton of chaos in this film that for my personal liking was a bit much, but this film is unlike any film I have ever seen and for that reason I can see why many people enjoyed it.

        In terms of cinematography I thought it was amazing, I thought the special effects were so good. There was uses of slow-motion, parts were sped up, explosions, etc. The lighting was very good as well, happy places were light up nicely mostly using natural lighting, and intense/scary moments took place in dark and not as well lit areas. The sets were great as well, each set had great props and backgrounds that went really well with the universe that it was trying to portray, and the costumes used for each universe were perfectly chosen as well. The camera work was so good in having a ton of different angles, as well as being able to keep up with all the chaos that was unfolding in front of them. Although I didn't really enjoy the film, the cinematography was amazing, some of the best I have ever seen.

       In terms of cultural relevance I think this is a film that is extremely unique, I am not sure if there is many films that play with the idea of multiple universes, and with the topic being somewhat more popular I believe many future films may take inspiration from this film. This film also shows filmmakers that there can never been too much chaos and special effects, you just need to find the write balance and incorporate it in a way that still goes with the theme of the movie and in a way that still makes sense. Lastly I think it was appropriate for the film to use as many special effects as it did, it is quite hard to flip back and forth between universes and include transitions as well if you aren't including a ton of special effects. 

Possible Changes to our short film

       To begin, in terms of the cinematography there are several aspects we would have liked to change. Firstly, we would’ve liked to experiment with a more variety of shots. We included the basic close up shots, over the shoulder shots, wide shots, etc. But we feel like we could’ve tried filming more shots that you don’t see as often. Also in terms of the lighting we would’ve liked a more dark and gloomy day to further relate to the theme of our film, however we only had one day to record and it was a very sunny day. In terms of the set we would’ve liked to film in different locations but it was very difficult to find time and a place where we can get together and record. Lastly, it would’ve been nice to have a camera stand and other type of equipment, for example we were never able to record a shot with the 3 of us in the frame because someone always had to record.

We think better editing software combined with professional editing would greatly improve upon our end product. We think having no experience with editing can only do so much for a short film. If we are able to introduce slick transitions, touch up our camera work, and maybe produce our own music with sound artists then it would be close to a professional film. When these things are combined it makes the film feel more alive and immersive for the audience instead of some videos playing across a white screen. 

One essential aspect of filmmaking is the soundtrack. If we had more time resources we could have created a more professional sounding score for our short film. The resources at our disposal are just the sound effects available on Imovie and whatever else we can find on google. In an ideal world, we would want to hire someone with musical ability to produce a score specifically for our film. This would make the music fit our film perfectly and give it a more cohesive feel overall. That being said, there are lots of movie soundtrack resources publicly available online, so the sound on our movie is still good, it’s just not specifically tailored towards our film the way the music in a Hollywood film is.

Thoughts on Swiss Army Man

 

         After finishing the movie Swiss Army Man I was left sort of speechless. My brain was still trying to comprehend what was going on, and I didn't quite know if I enjoyed the movie or if it was just too goofy. This movie begins with Hank on an island by himself, feeling very lonely and helpless he decides he will just end his own life. As he is about to do this Manny's body washes up on shore which catches Hank's attention. The body begins to fart, move, etc. A body that Hank thought was dead has some life to it. The movie begins to get weird when Hank rides Manny like a jet ski and get to another island. On this island Manny finally reveals that he can talk. Soon Hank and Manny become very good friends, and Manny being someone who doesn't know much about life, Hank decides to try and teach him everything about it. Hank shows Manny his "girlfriend" which motivates them to try and make it back home. They make it to the "girlfriends" home and Manny is not in the best mood because his "girlfriend" was actually just a girl that Hank liked, Manny gets sad cause he realizes he is weird and everything he did was for nothing. The movie then ends with Manny riding away in the water which confirmed to everyone he was real.

        This movie was very goofy with all the farting, Hank dressing up as a girl, etc.  It was funny to see how Manny was sort of an adult child who was very innocent, didn't know anything, and just said whatever came to his mind. They talked about a lot of topics that most people in the real world don't like to talk about because it makes them uncomfortable.

         Lastly, in terms of the cinematography, I really enjoyed how the sets revolved so much around nature. How the characters were on a beach, then a forest, having to find food, get tools, look through trash, etc. The lighting was very good as well, with some scenes having the sun beam them with light, the cave scene where everything is very dark, and how some scenes used fire as the main source of light in the shot was cool as well. The camerawork also did a good job in keeping up with all the movement, I enjoyed seeing the close ups, the over the shoulder, wide shots, etc. I also really enjoyed the wardrobe and the make up choice, for example for Manny although he would talk and seem alive, his constant dead look and monotone sort of voice would remind us that he is dead. Overall I am not sure if I liked the movie, but it was still interesting, and was a unique experience.

Thoughts after recording short film

 

    

        Before recording our film some concerns that I have was that - were we going to be able to get this film long enough? Will our film come out boring? When will we record our film and where? Our film is supposed to be suspenseful and somewhat scary, will it have that effect? I wanted to create a film that was actually somewhat good, something that the class will enjoy, and something that I can actually be proud of. After recording the film, although the special effects such as the sound effects have not quite been added yet, I can tell that this short film has exceeded my initial concerns.

        We decided to record our film on campus, it was the easiest place where we can all meet, and recorded it on the day off of class which was perfect for all of us. Our film was basically about a schizophrenic person who went to class but then suddenly started feeling like he was being watched and followed. My role was the person who was following the main character. This was a fun role, I wore all black, with black gloves and a mask as well, and I just tried to seem as scary as possible on film. I did sort of the Michael Myers type of movement where he menacingly just walks everywhere and makes no sudden movements.

        Our filmed turned out to be 5 minutes long which was perfect, we included some amazing over the should shots, wide shots, close ups, etc. Without the sound effects the film on its own has that effect of horror and suspense, so if done right the effects will only further improve it. I had a ton of fun recording this film, I enjoy doing these type of projects. I can't wait until the class sees ours, and I can't wait until we see our classmates films as well. 

Ideas for short film

 

    

          With my group none of us had a direction in mind of what sort of film we wanted to produce. We were all open to any genre, we just wanted to create a film  that will turn out good, that we'll have fun making it, and one that we can be proud of. We started going through every genre, horror - we can do a classic serial killer type of film, haunted house, but then we kind of turned away from it. Scary movies are quite hard to make, it takes a lot of special effects, and what if you make a scary movie that isn't even scary? I would feel very awkward if that happened to me. Then we starting thinking about sports films, we're all into sports, maybe a classic underdog story, or a heroic championship win. It is a topic we're familiar with but we wanted to keep brainstorming. Lastly we considered a simple film, for example we watched a film about someone getting stopped by a police officer, there wasn't a huge plot or anything, but it still contained great emotional pulls like suspense. With a simple film I feel like you are able to be more creative with the camera because the dialogue and the actions of the character don't take control of the film. Overall we have not yet decided on the direction we wanted to take, and we are still just brainstorming.

            In terms of cinematography, I want to be more creative with this film. Whenever I record a video I just record like a direct angle of whoever I am recording. After learning about over the shoulder shots, close ups, wide-shots, etc., I want to try and include them in the film. Although these are all shots that I have seen countless times, before this class it is not something I processed or quite paid attention to. Transitions done right are beautiful to watch as well, how the camera work can show you a sort of illusion that is able to connect one image to another is really cool to see. I don't often watch movies but when I see cool camerawork I often get pleasantly surprised by it and even still tend to think about it even minutes after it happened.

        Lastly I want to try consider the symbolism in the film as well, how different colors represent different emotions. Such as blue being sadness or royalty, red is anger, white is pure, etc. Also how different angles conveys different emotions, an angle above the character makes the character seem tiny and weak. An angle below the character makes the character seem strong and powerful. I am looking forward to making this film, we have to start heading towards more concrete ideas for the film, but overall I just hope it comes out good.

Film: Get Out

 

         Get Out by Jordan Peele is a great film that I recently just watched. It was a film that I have always wanted to see since I first watched the trailer but I just never got around to it. I really enjoy movies that are quite difficult to predict what will happen next, and ones that force you to think a little, and this movie did exactly that. This movie revolves around the simple idea of a boyfriend going over to their girlfriend's house to meet their family, it seems hard to imagine how that could become a great movie, but it did. The plot thickens when Chris begins to realize that there is very few black people in the whole area, and the ones that he has seen, have been acting extremely strangely as if they are robots. Chris finds it strange but doesn't say anything, he then gets hypnotized by Rose's mom, which he first thought was dream later realizes that it actually occurred. Later he finds out that all of Rose's past partners have specifically been black people and he concludes that they have all been hypnotized, that's when he decides to try and escape. However he gets hypnotized and tied down, he was then able to escape having to kill nearly everyone in Rose's family, and then his friend Rod comes to save him and drive him away.

        I enjoyed how uncomfortable that movie made me felt, when Chris would walk around everyone would stare at him, and it felt as if I were getting stared at as well. Every conversation that Chris had was sort of subtle racism adding to the uncomfortableness of the film. The people would say things like that's a nice "black" dress, and you just felt the emphasis on the word black. Some people would try to relate to Chris by saying "I really like Tiger Woods", and it was just really weird and uncomfortable thing to hear.

      In terms of cinematography, this movie was very dark as in many of the scenes there was very little lighting. This darkness added to the eerie and spooky feeling of the film. This film also incorporated many dramatic sound effects that were usually paired up with some sort of jump scare. For example when Chris was looking at the maid through the window she suddenly just turns and catches him watching. The sound effects paired with the sudden movie added to the horror aspect of the film. This effect made me jump a few times and it constantly kept me on my toes. Sound was a massive part of this film, the music chosen fit perfectly to the film, and many sound effects made the viewing experience much more enjoyable. The sound effect of the tea cup was an extremely important aspect of the film as Chris had to covers his ears at one point to not get hypnotized. Overall this was a really good film that I enjoyed watching.

Sofia Coppola's Auteurist style

 

         After reading the article Sofia Coppola as Feminine Auteur, I quickly learned that she has been heavily criticized her whole career, being the daughter of a very successful director, Sofia had to find her own unique style. Her father is known for making many films dominated by male characters and a ton of violence, but Sofia's films are quite the opposite of that. Sofia prefers showing powerful images on the screen rather than having the dialogue be the main form of expression. 

         In the article 5 trademarks of Sofia Coppola's, the first trademark is human connection. In lost in translation Bob and Charlotte are seen hugging each other, they whisper too each other but is unable to be heard. This is done purposely as Sofia wants you to watch the moment and don't get distracted by the dialogue. Next trademark is wide shots, many filmakers just use a close up to directly show the characters facial expressions to see how they are feeling, but instead Sofia shows them from far away and tiny making them seem lonely, helpless, hopeless, etc. The next trademark is that her films are female dominated, all her characters are mostly female which represents her and it is quite the opposite of most films as they tend to be male dominated. Next trademark, fashion is massive in her films, which relates to Sofia as she went to Paris to learn more about fashion. In Marie Antoinette the dresses and the hair is a huge part of many shots, in Bling Ring the characters are stealing clothes from celebrities, and in Virgin Suicides the dresses also represent an idea of their own. The last trademark is that her films include a ton of 80's music, and this also relates to Sofia as this was the music she grew up on in her teenage years. Considering all of these trademarks its beginning to be quite easy to understand how Sofia's films include cinematography and a mise-en-scene that is like no other. She always had to go above and beyond since the pressure of her father's success have impacted her, and being a female director her films include many characters and shots that express who Sofia is and her own experiences growing up.

       In the article Sofia Coppola on Pictures, a conversation with Philip Gefter, her films does have a coherent vision and cultural awareness. In this conversation Sofia explained how she liked design, photography, and film but never thought about doing film. When she struggled learning to paint she turned to photography where learned from a great photographer, and this led to her going to Japan to learn more about photography since girly snapshots were popular. She attended a lot of art fairs with her mother growing up, she was heavily influenced by 80's fashion magazines, and have been inspired by many novels that she read was has inspired her to make some films about. Based on all of this we can see that all her films have clear intentions, her films are not just coincidently made, she incorporates many experiences and ideas that she obtained as she grew older.

Cites:

Gefter, Philip, and Sofia Coppola. “Sofia Coppola on Pictures: A Conversation with Philip Gefter.” Aperture, no. 231, 2018, pp. 20–31. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26530829. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.

Kennedy, Todd. “Off with Hollywood’s Head: Sofia Coppola as Feminine Auteur.” Film Criticism, vol. 35, no. 1, 2010, pp. 37–59. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44019394. Accessed 26 Feb. 2023.