Avant Garde Critique Reflection

Design: Many principles of design were utilized within the film. For example, vertical lines, horizontal lines, unity, formal balance and leading lines. The use of a walkthrough made the ending scene seem more important in terms of the meaning of the film. Rack focus on the feet during the funeral scene also made the departure of the other guests more pleasing to the eye. Perhaps more movement of the camera on a tripod could have been used.

Technical: White balance does not seem to be an issue in this film and is thorough during the duration of the film. The overexposure at the end changes the lighting in a way that fits the film creating numerous conclusions for the viewer to draw. The use of the gray filter over the scenes that are memories allow them to be easily distinguished from other clips. If anything, the transitions could have been white to further support the idea of heaven and the afterlife present in the film. I am not sure at this point how I would do this exactly, but the overlay of Landon exiting his body could have been lined up better. I did so to the best of my ability, but this misaligned scene could suggest he was floating above his body. Even so, I would have prefer to at least have a preview of said editing.

Performance: The performance in this film made the overall theme more prevalent and perhaps unforgettable. Landon's acting in particular allows the movie to have a comedic element which is realistic considering my character was focusing on the happy memories. Even so, this makes the film more serious because it allows the viewer to come to understand why her friend had meant so much to her. For the crying scenes, more of a closeup could have been used so as to be more personal. Furthermore, a scene could have been included that hints or suggests how Landon could have died.

Avant Garde Film

With this film, there were many things that went well. Firstly, while our outline got changed a few times here and there, each of the things we decided to tweak turned out better than our original ideas. As a result of this, this film's camera movements and style in general appears much smoother and even perhaps professional than previous films. Each of the assigned shot types were utilized and incorporated to the best of our abilities. In terms of acting, the different range of emotions the actors had to portray went over successfully and, at times (namely during the memories), appear genuine. Even so, there were a few things that could have been improved. To name one of a few: I think more than one bokeh shot could have been used, preferably in color. In terms of editing, some of the transitions could have been smoother and the scene in which Landon has an out of body experience could have had better layering. Along with this, aspect ratio ( the proportional relationship between its width and its height ) was used so as to make sure that the recording used fit properly upon the screen. Fortunately, I did not experience any issues with this throughout the filming or editing process.

Film Analysis Reading Summary

         In the chapter assigned the ability to interpret meaning through film analysis is discussed. Firstly, film analysis is the act of breaking a film down into component parts to see how it is put together. There are three different types of statements regarding the varying types of meaning that can be discovered when analyzing a film. Descriptive claims are the first type and are the easiest to find. This type of statement entails detailing plot events in order - by doing this, a summary of a film can be formed. They can also include how the audio contributes to the meaning of the film and identify allusions and references to other works. Interpretive claims are more complex than the first type, for they allow the analyzer to form an argument regarding why and how the film hows the meaning discovered. Even so, evidence and details within the film must be provided for a claim of this sort to be deemed suitable. Any claims of this type must also analyze all aspects of the film such as: abstract ideas, themes, and motifs. To put it simply, interpretive claims are arguments that include all elements in order to solidify the statement. Evaluative claims seek to determine the author's feelings regarding a film. As with the latter claim, evidence within the film must be provided to support this but must be much more careful since opinion is to be included.