Outside viewing report 1
Wednesday you turn(ed) in your first outside viewing report. Use this blog as a forum for discussing that assignment. Possible questions to write about include: Is there something that you would change about the assignment? How did the assingment change your movie viewing experience? Do you have any advice for other members of the class about the assignment? How was this assignment different from our Friday film discussion classes?
posted by cmartin at 2/07/2006 11:35:00 PM
30 Comments:
Two weekends ago, I went out to see Chronicles of Narnia. I always enjoy films with the fantasy genre and so I truly enjoyed this one. While analyzing for the assignment, my viewing experience about the film change my perspective. I catch myself looking for the camera movements that may effect the scene or just looking out for color or sound to get the feeling of the movie. I've mentioned in my report that the color and sound for Chronicles of Narnia makes the scenes frightening or exciting, that very much stands out the film. I really enjoyed the power of the sounds coming from the orchestra as Aslan, the lion, enters the scene in the film. I would definitely say my experiences of watching the film, really changed during the analysis. At the end, the film becomes more valuable than you think.
I did my first film review on Tristan and Isolde. Since it's kinda hard to take notes in a movie theater...i went in the expectation that i was going to have to pay attention to more detail. I did like the assignment because it made me more aware of all the less obvious things that directors do to heighten the movie. Things like camera angles and shots and especially in this moive, the scenery. I discover i really am drawn to movies that have great cinematography and lots of wide sweeping landscape shots. Tristan and Isolde isn't really a movie with alot of hidden meanings and metaphors, so i didn't lose to much of the entertainment value while analyzing it.
I've yet to see Narnia...but after reading alot of the reviews written about it, i didn't realize it had so much significance in relation to christianity. I probably wouldn't get that out of the movie unless i had been told ahead of time. After reading your post though debbie, i think i will see it because i love good cinematography.
The Outside Viewing Report is a perfect assignment for this class. When I normally go see a film I am there only for entertainment. I usually limit my attention to the story/plot of the movie and the characters in it. After reading the textbook and learning certain techniques used in cinematography, I began to notice how the director uses these tools to enhance the audience’s viewing experience. The assignment changed my viewing experience completely because I was now looking for these aspects of the film while watching it, and also examining how and why they were used. I now realize just how important the role of director is in the film making process and how they bring their own style and expression out of a film.
I agree with Alana that it was difficult to write while watching the film and I definetly wanted to pause and rewind the film a few times.
I enjoyed doing the outside viewing report assignment. I normally don't go to the movies as often as I would like to, but this assignment forced me to make some time for it. Knowing that I would have to write a paper about the movie made me view it a lot more critically and pay closer attention to details so I could retain as much as possible. I didn't think that this took away from the entertainment aspect of the movie at all. It helped me to not take things like camera angles and music for granted and consider how they contributed to the overall meaning of the film.
I would say that overall, I enjoyed this assignment. It really made me appreciate other aspects of the film besides just the story. I did my paper on Glory Road, which wasn’t anything extraordinary, but I did find good things about the movie because of how I watched the film. Although I wasn’t impressed with the acting, the music and sound editing grabbed my attention. I also noticed some great camerawork in regards to particular angles and shots. This assignment wasn’t very difficult because I based on our Friday discussions. These discussions point out elements of a film which the normal viewer might miss, the things the director intended to happen.
jason, I agree with you. Director's roles and how they bring their own style, like Tim Burton
John G.,
I also like to analyze the characters more than the camera angles and shots. I feel that I can get alot more out of characters just by what makes them do what they do, along with the assistance of light effects and set. I haven't seen Brokeback Mountain, but I'll take your advice if I just got out of a relationship...
I enjoyed the assignment, but who doesn't like to go see movies. Although I was more conscious of details such as camera work and lighting and what not, the assignment did not change my normal viewing experience. Usually when I watch movies, I critically think of themes and cinematography, so it wasn't a drastic change writing a paper on one. A far as advice for other upcoming viewing reports, I would suggest seeing a movie after it has been out for a couple weeks and see a later showing. That's what I did, and I was one of five people there. If you don't like getting bad seats and listening to five conversations during the movie, try it out. This assignment was different from Friday discussions, because there was no group input, just what I thought.
Alana brings up a good point that it wouldn't be horrible if we were allowed to rent a movie to write on. Sure, it defeats the purpose of the "theatre experience", but there would be many benefits.
1. We could write a better paper by either watching it multiple times or rewinding parts we missed while we were taking notes.
2. It would bring a much higher quality paper becuase we could watch whatever movie we want and not just new hollywood trash movies.
3. We would be able to relate to the text more by picking one of the films discussed, bringing closure to our readings. (Personally, I'd like to view one of the experimental abstract films to write on)
How about we view one in the theatre, one in an alternative theatre, and then the last one of our choice, video rentals allowed. What do you guys think?
For the first viewing report, I wrote about Brokeback Mountain. As far as the assignment goes, there isn’t anything I’d change about it. It’s pretty straightforward. Concerning my viewing experience, I think the only drawback was taking notes. I had to look down every so often to make sure my writing was legible, distracting me from the screen. I did notice, like many of you, that I was much more focused on the technical aspects of the film. I usually focus my attention on characters and thematic developments for the most part. I usually approach films as I would a work of literature, but with films there is the added dimension of visual imagery that needs to be addressed. Brokeback Mountain was interesting in the way the technical elements related to the film’s content. Watching close for details allowed me to appreciate its subtlety.
Alana and Jason, I agree with you guys... Being able to pause the movies would make for easier note-taking.
John G., despite its being depressing, I liked Brokeback Mountain. I'd say it's more of an art-house film, so it's not meant to entertain on the same level as the typical blockbuster. I think the fact that it doesn't have a "happy ending," makes it more real.
I wrote about Munich for the viewing report, and I found it kind of hard to limit myself to only talking about one or two different elements. There were so many things in the movie that I was intrigued by, but I didn’t have nearly enough space to write about it all. I’ve always been interested in the different technical aspects of movies, so it really didn’t cause me to view the movie any differently than I normally do. However, it was interesting to attempt to translate what I was thinking in my head about the movie into writing. It forced me to really organize my thoughts.
Yeah, John, it would be nice to be able to write one on a movie we could rent. That would really open the door to a lot of other kinds of films. It would be interesting to take a really close look at more of an abstract film, rather than simply focusing on films generally made for large audiences.
I think the Outside Viewing Report was a good assignment because it gave us the opportunity to use the material we learned in class to dicuss and evaluate a film of our choice. It also gives us the chance to look at a film more indepth and in a different light than we ever would have before. I dont think i would change the assingment, but maybe have a sample essay or something because i know myself as well as a few others were unsure or unclear on exactly what kind of writing style you wanted and i think a sample essay would have cleared up any misunderstandings.
laura...
i agree that i wasnt expecting to have to take notes and what not when i go to see a movie in the theaters
I saw Munich for my outside viewing report. I must say though that knowing I was going to have to write a paper on the movie did not actually have much of an effect on my movie watching experience. Munich was the type of movie where you could analyze it over and over again and still find new things to talk about that you had never even considered before. This assignment was a lot different though than our in class discussions because the only person you could talk to about the movie was yourself. There was no one to help you develop your ideas or perhaps contradict you and make you explain your feelings further. I think the best advice for anyone would be to see a movie that truly intrigues you, it is easier to write about something that you actually have a frame of reference for before hand.
The movie I went and saw for my outside viewing report was Hostel. It was by far the most shocking movie I have ever seen. With the things we've learned in class so far and having to keep close attention to detail, I really picked up on a lot of things I wouldn't normally have noticed. I even picked up on an interesting use of children in the movie. A gang of children was shown as the biggest criminals in this small Slovakian town. All in all, having to write the report and analyze the film in depth really added to the viewing experience in a positive way.
John G- I always feel that characters are generally more intriguing than the actual plot line. There is no interesting story without interesting characters.
Jackelyn - I'm in the same boat as you. I never go to the movies as much as I'd like. This way I was forced to go and couldn't have been happier.
For my outside viewing report, I saw the movie End of the Spear. One thing I wasnt sure about for the outside viewing report is if I was suppose to put in my opinion on the movie. I felt like since I didnt enjoy the movie at all, it was harder for me to analyze the film. The poor acting alomst distracted me from seeing some of the good parts of the film. I feel like since it was just a very poorly directed movie and it made it very hard for me to write two pages on. Next time before i choose a movie, I'll be sure its something I will be more interested in.
When I went to see this movie, I did seem to be more aware different elements of the movie that I normally wouldnt pay attention to. It made my film viewing process very different
The movie I watched for the outside viewing report was The Family Stone. I had wanted to see the movie for a while, but like some of you guys have said already, I don’t always find time to go out and see movies. I liked the assignment because it made me go see a movie! I thought it was really interesting to sit there and analyze how camera shots and music can contribute to a movie. I also noticed deeper symbols that the director put in the film that I might not have noticed if I was just passively watching the movie for entertainment only.
Jason and Alana,
I agree with you guys that it would be easier to pause, rewind and take notes while watching a movie at home. It did feel a little weird taking a notebook to the theater, but I'm sure we will all be used to it by the end of the semester.
John G,
I also saw Brokeback Mountain. It agree that the the movie was pretty depressing, but I still really liked it. Right after I saw the movie in the theater, I wasn't sure how I felt about it because I had heard so many great things and I thought maybe it didn't live up to all the hype. When I was writing my paper though and had to really think about all the different aspects of it, I realized that I liked it a lot more than I initially thought I did.
This past week I saw the film Capote for my outside viewing report. The assignment changed the way i viewed the movie because firstly, i took notes throughout the movie, i was looking for parallels of the theme of the movie, and i wast trying to connect the theme with elements of scenery, lighting, and cinematography. I mentioned in my report that the lines between two opposites whether it be dark and light lighting, ground and sky in the scenery, and the different lifestyles of the protagonist and antagonist, clearly show the movies theme of a struggle and conflict. My advice to someone writing an outside viewing report would be to definitely take notes, write down the first things that come to mind when a shot pops up on screen, and to relate that to what the director or screenplay writer was trying to convey.
i agree with a lot of the other students (jason, alana, betsy) that being able to rewind and pause would help tremendously but at the same time, writing down your initial feelings at that first instant that you are exposed to a scene, shot, or character, adds a certain style to your report and how you view the movie. it is a completely different experience altogether.
I went to see Capote. I wanted to see it because of my background in journalism. I really enjoyed the film, but everything we have done so far in this class definately changed the way I viewed the film. I was constanly looking out for visual or thematic cues to themes in the movie. It was a little frustrating at times to be watching a movie from this standpoint because I was taking notes the entire time and really didn't get a sufficient chance to just enjoy the film. Writing htis assignment was much different from our Friday discussions because when writing something like this you don't get to discuss things we notice or think before writing them down. I found that because of this I was second-guessing myself quite often.
Laura, I agree completely with your comment about taking notes in the theater. I was worried I'd be bothering people, so I sat in the back and used my cell phone for light. I saw the film on a Monday night, and there were fewer people than on a weekend. Either way, I'm pretty sure my girlfriend was annoyed
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