View Other Student Work

Good morning everyone! Today in class, our assignment was to watch other student's work and write what we observed! We needed to write the strengths and weaknesses of the film and our takeaway of the film.

Dare to Thrill Film Opening by Daniel Garzon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=nYpjHCwRO6Q(Links to an external site.)

The camera shots and movements were very well done, adding a lot of excitement and tension to the scene. The editing was also clever and gave the film a mischievous feel. One moment that stood out was when the car lights turned red, and it cut to the girl’s smiling face, which was a nice, creative touch. However, the music was sometimes too loud, making dialogue hard to hear. The volume also changed unexpectedly, which was distracting. My main takeaway from this film is how important it is to balance music and dialogue in our own movie opening. Even though the music matched the vibe perfectly, it often overpowered the characters' dialogue.

The Blue Boar by Amanda Ribnick (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvMH-1XdR9c(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.)

The audio was very good. The close-up shots of the mother’s mouth as she spoke showed her authority over her daughter. The cutaway from the mother telling her not to do it to the daughter trying to resist was intriguing and added tension. There could have been more use of shallow focus when the girl was getting flowers to create the boar on the ground, as this would have helped emphasize the flowers more clearly. I also felt that the story was not very clear. I wish there were more explanation of how the “blue boar” relates to the story, or what caused the mother to yell at her daughter. My main takeaway is that the transitions and cutaways were very well planned, and I would like to include this in my own film. I also want my message to come across clearly in the short amount of time we have for our movie opening.

White Coat by Klaus Vaillant (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=dvAsmo32uo0(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.)

Strengths throughout the movie was that the lighting was very effective throughout the scene. Even though it was dark, the blue light on the “patient” made him stand out, while the experimenter, being shown half in light and half in shadow, added tension. The music also worked well, with background music layered under the diegetic sound of the experimenter explaining the process, which made the scene feel more realistic. However, the editing felt very mundane in comparison to the film as a whole. The cuts at the beginning were very abrupt, while toward the end they became slower and more drawn out. A more consistent pace would have helped maintain the tension. Overall, my main takeaway is how important lighting is in conveying the message. Without these lighting choices, the scene would not have felt as mysterious or thriller-like, and the mood would not have been as strong.

Stalker by Kiley Gosselin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxIZJKdc-Sw&feature=youtu.be(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.)

A strength is that the rule of thirds was used effectively, and the close-up of the character’s face conveyed emotion after certain sounds were heard. The lighting also worked well. When she started running outside of her school, the dark yellow lighting helped set the mood. Some weaknesses is that the audio was too low, and it was difficult to hear anything except for the sound effects, which felt very abrupt. Placing the title in the middle of the film made it feel as though the movie had already ended but to our surprise it kept going. My main takeaway is that sound effects should blend more smoothly with the overall audio, and the movie title should be placed at the beginning or the end rather than in the middle.

Rise by Jamie Levene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9AKdUT8nyg&feature=youtu.be(Links to an external site. Links to an external site.)

The music was effective, starting off low and becoming louder when the character put on the headphones. The shots and editing were well done, especially as he tied his shoes and dropped his things, which aligned nicely with the music. The over-the-shoulder shot was also effective because it conveyed admiration for the soccer player. But, some shots were blurry, and the cameraman's footsteps and breathing were audible. There were many straight cuts, and using different transitions could have added more to the story. The close-up shots did not convey much emotion, as the characters’ faces remained blank. Overall, my main takeaway is that adding cohesiveness within the film really helps keep the audience engaged and intrigued.

Dear Lover by Ana Araiza (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_bKQDg6fiI&feature=youtu.be(Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.)

One strength of this film is the use of flashbacks, which were particularly effective when edited in greyscale with a cloudy effect. The non-linear structure, moving between past, present, and future, added an interesting element to the film, and the sentimental music gave the audience a warm feeling. While the flashback was a good shot, the character was wearing the same thing as before and receiving a letter, so it isn't a flashback but, instead, what's happening in a different scene. Some weaknesses included shaky camera work in places where it was unnecessary, and certain shots, such as high-angle shots, did not capture the characters’ whole body language. My overall takeaway is that a film does not have to follow a linear structure to be successful and that to really pay attention to how the characters are dressed in scenes because the audience picks up little things.

Thank you so much for reading my analysis! Until next time and happy holidays!