You've been waiting for it, so here it is.
Our( Jamie Gaudette, Myself, and Kira Trebish) Documentary on origami.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Doc. Review - Self.
The documentary I chose to review on my own is of Mexican border crossing.
Poorly shot, I won't lie. In the beginning, the music overpowers what the people are saying. They have a good idea, but they didn't follow it through properly, and that's clear, even to a person such as I. The shots are shakey, poor quality, and hardly thought out.
B-roll is well used. Talking about how they can't stay were they are, show a shot of a crappy little hut of a house. talk about how kids can die border crossing, showing crosses nailed to a barrier, representing people who died doing this.
The topic itself is controversial enough. After I watched this, I scrolled through the comments, and there were everything from hate comments and death threats, to comments of hope and encouragement. This film shows both sides. The men gathered outside of a bus being questioned, are so happy and hopeful about a crappy chance at a new lease on life, and even though they fail in the end, some still laugh it off.
The use of the music is...somewhat effective. keeping the sound of the helicopter during the sad guitar strumming is a huge problem. You can't feel the emotion of the music, at all. They should have taken the clips audio out when adding the music.
Ending in the sound of the siren whizzing by adds some effect...like a warning to anyone who might even foolishly consider illegally crossing the border.
In my opinion, a poorly done documentry, that had some potential. It comes down the the editing of the shots, and the shooting of it all together.
Poorly shot, I won't lie. In the beginning, the music overpowers what the people are saying. They have a good idea, but they didn't follow it through properly, and that's clear, even to a person such as I. The shots are shakey, poor quality, and hardly thought out.
B-roll is well used. Talking about how they can't stay were they are, show a shot of a crappy little hut of a house. talk about how kids can die border crossing, showing crosses nailed to a barrier, representing people who died doing this.
The topic itself is controversial enough. After I watched this, I scrolled through the comments, and there were everything from hate comments and death threats, to comments of hope and encouragement. This film shows both sides. The men gathered outside of a bus being questioned, are so happy and hopeful about a crappy chance at a new lease on life, and even though they fail in the end, some still laugh it off.
The use of the music is...somewhat effective. keeping the sound of the helicopter during the sad guitar strumming is a huge problem. You can't feel the emotion of the music, at all. They should have taken the clips audio out when adding the music.
Ending in the sound of the siren whizzing by adds some effect...like a warning to anyone who might even foolishly consider illegally crossing the border.
In my opinion, a poorly done documentry, that had some potential. It comes down the the editing of the shots, and the shooting of it all together.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Documentary Reviews - January
My reviews are pretty scattered, and in a messy format. When I wrote it on the good ol' slice of paper with a writing stick, it's in small paragraphs all over the place. So, I'll try to type this up to make some sense. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The opening is chaotic, loud, mechanical. It transitions from the machine aspect of war, to the people of war. Shots are organized. Emotional transition is crazy.Switching from the adrenaline-fueled war,where men are cheering, chanting and yelling in fear and excitement, to the despair and aftermath of war, showing an elderly war veteran, gazing sadly out a window. Brilliant transition.
War footage is amazing, the colour and sounds. ( i wrote this before you told the class that the audio was all made and added later) Once again with the transitions, it shows the shots fireing to the death of a man. Says "this is what you just saw in the intro, but you saw the other side of it." The organization of the clips is amazingly done. I don't think I could stress that enough.
The pictures of the men of war with their names, place of birth, and birth date add depth and meaning behind the pictures, clips, and narration. The information they chose to give makes the doc. a lot more personal.
The old-time radio voice narration of the action clips adds a more historic feel, adds to depth, so on.
Contrasting of shots very well done. It helps get BOTH sides of the story, not just the action side, or the death side.
The choice to put no sound playing when the shots of the men being hung in a line, like sorrowful socks on an old clothesline adds to the solomness of the calmness and comfort of the men about to be hung. You can see that they are ready, calm. The silence makes you pay more attention.
Grouping of clips, such as clips of kids playing, contrasting to groups of clips of men marching, adds more depth, I suppose. Well done. Clips aren't randomly scattered throughout the film.
Layering the happy, family, kiddy, cheerful clips, with the sounds of radio broadcasts of war, and warnings, is CRAZY. It signals the risk those happy families were really going through. It makes you happy to have grown up after the fact.
The shots of the old man talking, switching to clips of what he's actually talking about. And the switching of the narration, of the old mans withered and abused voice, to a younger fresher voice, is like it's his past self, telling us about the clips, as they happen, right NOW. Proves that that old man experienced that.
(here you tell us that the audio of the war footage is all added, and made seperatly)
so, SO, so , so , so well done...I didn't know untill you told me. This changes everything. Crazy well done. The sounds are exactly on queue with the images. Every single possible sound was thought of, and added, at just the right volume. SOOOO PERFECT.
Doc 2 - Straight outta L.A
I'm so mad you switched halfway, just so you know.
Rule of thirds in the shooting is very prominent. Everything is set to this law. Clips, images, pictures, text, so on.
Music in the beginning is older, jazzy. Sets the genre...setting...I'm blanking on the right word...the set of years that something happened in...you know? you know.
"then and now" shots. Start by showing something from years ago, then show it now. Demonstrates time passing. I like it.
Appropriate backround music. The mans talking about rap, play a heavy rap beat in the background.
Contrasting between football and rap. Two american things. Both cause controversy and excitement. Bringing two things together.
Celebrity interviews, no average joes. It's the real deal.
War footage is amazing, the colour and sounds. ( i wrote this before you told the class that the audio was all made and added later) Once again with the transitions, it shows the shots fireing to the death of a man. Says "this is what you just saw in the intro, but you saw the other side of it." The organization of the clips is amazingly done. I don't think I could stress that enough.
The pictures of the men of war with their names, place of birth, and birth date add depth and meaning behind the pictures, clips, and narration. The information they chose to give makes the doc. a lot more personal.
The old-time radio voice narration of the action clips adds a more historic feel, adds to depth, so on.
Contrasting of shots very well done. It helps get BOTH sides of the story, not just the action side, or the death side.
The choice to put no sound playing when the shots of the men being hung in a line, like sorrowful socks on an old clothesline adds to the solomness of the calmness and comfort of the men about to be hung. You can see that they are ready, calm. The silence makes you pay more attention.
Grouping of clips, such as clips of kids playing, contrasting to groups of clips of men marching, adds more depth, I suppose. Well done. Clips aren't randomly scattered throughout the film.
Layering the happy, family, kiddy, cheerful clips, with the sounds of radio broadcasts of war, and warnings, is CRAZY. It signals the risk those happy families were really going through. It makes you happy to have grown up after the fact.
The shots of the old man talking, switching to clips of what he's actually talking about. And the switching of the narration, of the old mans withered and abused voice, to a younger fresher voice, is like it's his past self, telling us about the clips, as they happen, right NOW. Proves that that old man experienced that.
(here you tell us that the audio of the war footage is all added, and made seperatly)
so, SO, so , so , so well done...I didn't know untill you told me. This changes everything. Crazy well done. The sounds are exactly on queue with the images. Every single possible sound was thought of, and added, at just the right volume. SOOOO PERFECT.
Doc 2 - Straight outta L.A
I'm so mad you switched halfway, just so you know.
Rule of thirds in the shooting is very prominent. Everything is set to this law. Clips, images, pictures, text, so on.
Music in the beginning is older, jazzy. Sets the genre...setting...I'm blanking on the right word...the set of years that something happened in...you know? you know.
"then and now" shots. Start by showing something from years ago, then show it now. Demonstrates time passing. I like it.
Appropriate backround music. The mans talking about rap, play a heavy rap beat in the background.
Contrasting between football and rap. Two american things. Both cause controversy and excitement. Bringing two things together.
Celebrity interviews, no average joes. It's the real deal.
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