She-Robot Blog

Mythology of Star wars

2011-12-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

George Lucas' Advice

2011-12-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

UNDERSTANDING HITCHCOCK'S THE BIRDS Part 1

2011-06-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Birds is a fascinating film about sexuality, guilt, and pleasure all told through the metaphorical lens of Alfred Hitchcock’s cinema.

TENSION IN POINT OF VIEW:

Point of view is an important ingredient to understanding Hitchcock’s films. He uses the camera to set up a point of view. For example if there is a medium close-up of a character who is looking off camera, then following that shot, there will be a cut to what that character is looking at. This establishes who has control of the camera and is usually considered the hero of the film because he controls the camera’s gaze. This is generally speaking of course. Hitchcock loves to play with this devise. Sometimes he does not give that power to the main character, who is typically the “hero” of the film, but to another character that controls the main character. He will also give the main character his point of view but then manipulate that view by having the character enter his own point of view shot. This puts into question the use of this cinematic devise to the audience. What is Hitchcock trying to tell us? The purpose of the devise is to establish the main character and create identification with the audience. For Hitchcock this devise is a powerful one that creates suspense. What the character sees and what the audience see can create tension if the point of views is in conflict. If Hitchcock establishes identification with a character, he can withhold their point of view but show the dangers on the screen to the audience.
In The Birds, the point of view is given to Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren). She is a wealthy upper class girl from San Francisco who is bursting with sexual energy and flirtation. In the film we often have close-ups of Melanie looking at something. There will be a cut and we the audience sees what she is looking at. This is “controlling the gaze” of the audience. At the same time we are also intensely looking at Melanie through the frame of the cinema. This conflict of the audience looking and seeing something that Melanie does not see creates tension and is used to perfection by Hitchcock.
There is the famous scene in which Melanie is waiting outside the school grounds, sitting and smoking a cigarette. Hitchcock withholds her point of view this time. We do not get any shots of what she is looking at. Our gaze becomes important here. We see a bird land on children’s monkey bars behind Melanie. Then Hitchcock averts our gaze by cutting to a shot of Melanie alone without the monkey bars behind her. The audience becomes a bit tense, as our attention is peaked. We know something that Melanie does not knows; yet Hitchcock withholds our gaze also so that there are information we are not getting. We hold on the shot of Melanie getting her cigarette ready. Then Hitchcock cuts to the monkey bars, which now shows that there are now four birds on the bars. The tension has increased. Then there are cuts between the bars of birds and Melanie smoking. Another bird has landed. Another cut to Melanie ensues and then another shot of more birds landing. Hitchcock is building the tension slowly and rattling the nerves of the viewers. Then there is a medium close-up of Melanie for twenty-seven seconds.
This increases the tension because the audience is aware of the danger and we as spectators want to warn Melanie who Hitchcock has made us identify with through point of view. That shot ends with Melanie finally looking into the sky as Hitchcock finally gives her a point of view shot. It is a shot of a bird flying through the sky. The camera follows the birds, which finally comes to rest on the monkey bars. Our point of view and Melanie’s point of view are now back inline. At this point we the audience get a shock when we realize along with Melanie at the same time that there are probably over one hundred birds on the bars and roof of the school. Hitchcock has indeed withheld information from Melanie and the audience. Hitchcock is aware of both Melanie and the audience’s gaze. By manipulating shots and point of view he has created tension and suspense.

Montreal In Transition (continued)

2011-06-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

This cafe in the Plateau Montreal is equipped with old furniture that would otherwise be considered trash by it's former owners. What is considered obsolete by one person's standard can become and has become "retro-chic". But what is the significance of this?
First let us look at what Wikipedia has to say about the word RETRO:

The word "retro" derives from the Latin prefix retro, meaning "backwards" or "in past times" – particularly as seen in the words retrograde, implying a movement toward the past instead of a progress toward the future, and retrospective, referring to a nostalgic (or critical) eye toward the past.

Jean Baudrillard
The french sociologist, philosopher and cultural theorist describes four ways an object obtains value in a society.

1. Functional value: It's main function. A pen's functional value would be to write.
2. Exchange value: What is its economic value? How much does the pen cost? Is its value 10 cents or 10 dollars.
3. Symbolic value: What value do people assign to the pen? For example is the pen a graduation gift or a retirement gift?
4. Sign value: Does the pen signify prestige, taste or class among other pen according to people. Does a Louis Vuitton bag
have more prestige and class than other given bags?

So according to Baudrillard, the old furnitures in this cafe for example are not just chairs, tables or lamps as in the first functional value but that the other values create a web of various meanings. People are not able to see the object for example, but are seduced by that object. To understand the functional value of the chair alone is impossible according to Baudrillard, because the chair or in this case a "retro chair" denotes other significations.

MONTREAL IN TRANSITION

2011-06-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to begin a new piece of investigation about Montreal. It will be part photo essay and part journal study. My attempt will be to search and uncover how a city, in this case Montreal is shifting from a older image of itself to a more modern one. Is the old image considered nostalgic by its population.

The Merriam-Webster definition of nostalgic is as following: the state of being homesick : homesickness.
A wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.

Throughout the next few months I will photograph, interview and discuss this topic. Stay tune for more.

Composer ZACK HEMSEY

2011-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Tales of Mere Existence

2011-04-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Changing Education Paradigms

2011-04-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

J.K. ROWLING

2010-05-20T20:00:00.001-07:00

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt9

2010-05-20T19:34:00.001-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 9 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt8

2010-05-20T19:33:00.002-07:00

2009 Director's Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing With Ben Burtt (Part 8 of 8) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt7

2010-05-20T19:33:00.001-07:00

2009 Director's Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 7 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt6

2010-05-20T19:32:00.001-07:00

2009 Director's Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 6 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt5

2010-05-20T19:31:00.001-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 5 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt4

2010-05-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 4 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt3

2010-05-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 3 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

Ben Burtt pt2

2010-05-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing with Ben Burtt (Part 2 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

The GreatSound Designer BEN BURTT

2010-05-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

2009 Directors Close-Up Highlights: Sound Editing and Mixing With Ben Burtt (Part 1 of 9) from Film Independent on Vimeo.

LE CAFÉ

2010-04-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

PIGEON:IMPOSSIBLE

2010-04-20T08:46:00.001-07:00

FRENCH ROAST

2010-04-20T08:41:00.001-07:00

THE LADY AND THE REAPER

2010-04-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

On Making OKTAPODI

2010-04-20T08:35:00.001-07:00

STRANGERS

2010-04-20T07:44:00.000-07:00

OKTAPODI

2010-04-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

DANS LA TETE

2010-04-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

KUBRICK's NAPOLEON Screenplay

2010-04-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

If you have ever wanted to read Stanley Kubrick's script for Napoleon or are a Kubrick fan then here is a great find.

Stanley Kubrick's screenplay of his unfinished film NAPOLEON:http://web.archive.org/web/20010625040837/www.interlink.es/cookies/guion/Napoleon.txt

MARK MILLAR = RACIST?

2010-04-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Lets take a closer look at the work of comic scribe Mark Millar, shall we. Let me first of all say that J. Caleb Mozzocco over at http://everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html does an amazing job of etching out reasons for Mr. Millar being a racist in his comic books. Take a look at it. I won't reiterate what J. Caleb Mozzocco has aleady written about , but i will focus on Kick-Ass. I was disgusted at the obvious racism. When i stared to read Kick-Ass it was a s a comic lover. I had no idea that Mark Millar was even accused of racism, but as I continued to read the comic and got to the scenes where Dave Lizewski travels from his white neighborhood to a stereotypical black ghetto area of town to beat up black kids, i was shocked. I thought that maybe I'm just reading into it. So i read on. But at the end of reading Kick-Ass, you clearly see the racist overtone. There is no hiding it. It does not matter if the American President is black, because according to Mark Millar,Blacks and all minorities are to be dealt with. This reminded me of the way Nazi Germany painted Jewish people as rats and diseased people that they moved to the ghettos to be "gotten-rid of."

Yes i know the film is coming out and fans, who by the way are not necessarily racist but love comics and superheros as I do, are excited. The film looks fun and zany and perhaps the studios have removed the racist overtone (not sure about this yet) as they did with another Mark Millar comic turned into film: Wanted. Lets hope so. But to the fans who defend Mark Millar and describe his a s a god of comics and think that he is doing satire and is not a racist, let me say this. WAKE UP. Its not Satire. Its RACISM.

2010-03-30T22:00:00.001-07:00

2010-03-30T21:59:00.001-07:00

2010-03-30T21:58:00.001-07:00

2010-03-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

Alex Litvak on screenwriting part5

2010-03-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Alex Litvak on screenwriting

2010-03-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Creativity by Malika Sarabhai

2009-11-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

FilmFellas Webisode4

2009-09-22T18:59:00.001-07:00

FilmFellas - webisode 4 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

FilmFellas Webisode3

2009-09-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

FilmFellas - webisode 3 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

FilmFellas Webisode2

2009-09-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

FilmFellas - webisode 2 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

FilmFellas Webisode 1

2009-09-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

FilmFellas - webisode 1 from Steve Weiss, Zacuto USA on Vimeo.

Editing

2009-09-18T16:23:00.001-07:00

The Art of Storyboarding

2009-09-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Speilberg Teaches

2009-07-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

David Lynch-Lumiere Camera

2009-01-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Birds trailer

2009-01-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Family guy- The Bird is the word

2009-01-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

To Independent Filmmakers:

2009-01-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

The Hollywood model is only one form of cinematic expression. It is a major influential model that most filmmakers try to emulate.
At the same time Hollywood is looking at the independent world for a fresh eye and ideas. Hollywood is at a point now of repeating and regurgitant itself with endless remakes, adaptation of comics, novels and television shows. Some remakes are of films that are less that 20 years old. Others remakes are of foreign films, because, it seems, most Americans fear the prospect of watching a film in a foreign language and reading subtitles: "How dare they try and make us read!". With the growing generation of spoilt people that can only identify with Linsay Lohan as their main star or some other untalented "actor", great acting is reduced to the "15 minute fame" cover model of today. Another thing that irks me is the outrageous remakes of classic films such as The Birds. Why may i ask would we need a remake of such a classic? To make more money is one, another is the lack of ideas in Hollywood and another is the fact that the majority of people today refuse to watch films more that 20 years old. We are at our shortest fuse in tolerance in all aspects. Would we repaint the Mona Lisa or rewrite Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment"? It's a ridiculous idea. But Cinema classics seem to be just commercial commodities. But saying all that i must also say that the cinema of today is changing vastly. At least the independent world of cinema and not the Hollywood model. It is our greatest time to take full advantage of this changing world. The internet, Youtube, blogs and media devices such as the Iphone and Ipods are increasing our audiences. So before the established Hollywood takes control of theses tools, we must as a filmmaking community take full advantage and use them now. It is our time to reinvent the wheel.

MUSICAL TRIBUTE

2008-11-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

Corey Vidal's tribute to Star Wars and John Williams. It is just fantastic!

Welles short film The Hearts of age

2008-09-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

Chimes at Midnight

2008-09-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

Discover Orson Welles

2008-09-09T21:11:00.001-07:00

ORSON WELLES BBC4

2008-09-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

oRSON WELLES BBC3

2008-09-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

ORSON WELLES BBC2

2008-09-06T18:04:00.001-07:00

ORSON WELLES BBC

2008-09-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

ClONE WARS series preview

2008-09-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Muppet Star Wars

2008-08-11T13:09:00.001-07:00

HAL 9000

2008-07-28T18:03:00.001-07:00

Lost intro to Star Wars: A New Hope

2008-07-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

AFI George Lucas Tribute

2008-07-24T20:40:00.001-07:00

omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 6

2008-07-24T19:49:00.002-07:00

omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 5

2008-07-24T19:49:00.001-07:00

omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 4

2008-07-24T19:48:00.001-07:00

Omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 3

2008-07-24T19:47:00.001-07:00

Omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 2

2008-07-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Omnibus-Star Wars (1999) Part 1

2008-07-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Clones

2008-07-24T17:17:00.001-07:00

Star Destroyer

2008-07-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting link to a Star Wars fan's DIY Star Detroyer model.
http://stardestroyerproject.com/48incher.aspx#html

Earnie and Bert Rap!

2008-07-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Family Guy Star Wars 2

2008-07-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

Gear up for more fun with the upcoming new Family Guy special based on The Empire Strikes Back: Something, Something, Something, Darkside. It should be hysterical. There is an event i will be looking forward to.

CLONE WARS POSTERS 2

2008-07-24T12:28:00.001-07:00

CLONE WARS POSTERS

2008-07-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here are posters for the new film The Clone Wars coming out Aug. 15th. The more i see of the concept art and trailers, the more excited i am about this film.

Y: The Last Man

2008-07-23T21:48:00.001-07:00

D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) is slated to direct Y: the Last Man with Shia LaBeouf. It is based on the brilliant graphic novel of the same name by Brian K. Vaughan. This is a funny, must read comic, about the last man ( the Y chromosome) to survive the earth. I do not think that D.J. Caruso is a talented director to pull it off, but i could be wrong. Though i do think that Shia has the humor to play the main character Yorick.

THE CLONE WARS

2008-07-20T21:09:00.000-07:00

SANDMAN

2008-07-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone interested in reading a great comic book, i would highly recommend reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. It is a complex retelling of mythologies. With a poetic licence, it interweaves historical characters such as Shakespeare with the well known and not so well known mythologies of various cultures.

GEORGE LUCAS ON CHARLIE ROSE

2008-07-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

2008-07-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

Make sure to check out She-Robot.com to see our films and for more fun stuff.

http://she-robot.com/

2008-07-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sukiyaki Western Django is by far one of the most popular and best films at this year's FANTASIA 2008 Film festival in Montreal. It is directed by Takashi Miike from Japan. My hope is that this film will have a big release in North America. It is a Spaghetti westen with a Japanese cast and Quentin Tarantino who has a minor role. It is funny, stylish and full of action. I loved it!