Final IB Film Reflection

     Now that I have edited the film and had it critiqued by both Mr. Bomboy and my peers, I now recognize what could have been done to improve the sound within the film. At the time, I thought my logic regarding utilizing the boom mic & shotgun mic combination in the bowling alley had been sound. The intent was to capture desired sound (lines) while also recording background noise such as the dropping of bowling balls and the bumping of balls on bumpers. Even so, I did not seem to factor in the background music that would be playing within the bowling alley. While we could have at least asked to see if it would be possible to have the music shut off for a bit, we did not particularly feel comfortable doing so. In the editing stage, I did my best to be rid of background noise and humming (i.e. in the classroom scene in which the air conditioning can be heard buzzing in the back, so much so that it detracts from the lines being delivered).

      While working on this project, I discovered that a lot of background editing may be necessary in order to clean up the sound...I was grateful that I was able to do this, because it ended up saving audio clips that I originally thought could not be used. However, next time, for lines in which heavy dialogue is the focus, lavalier mics will be used to record so as to have sole recordings of primarily just dialogue. If sound effects are needed (or simply desired to get a feel of the location in which a scene takes place), I will go back and use a boom mic at the same time to only capture the effects. The strongest portion of good sound in this film is the car scene. The car sound effects, music, and voice overs made a wonderful combination. I couldn't be happier with the outcome of this scene. I would like to learn ducking though, so as to be able to drop out the music when the voice overs come on so as to highlight their importance to both the plot and how heavily these thoughts weigh on the character of June.

Slumdog Millionaire Reflection

         This film addresses globalization primarily through it's depiction of India. By having the lead characters (Salim, Jamal, & Latika) begin their lives in the slums, viewers get ample amounts of exposure to this environment. We see these children have hopes of coming into fame or earning lots of riches in their future, so much so they are naive to the danger that may come to them. The most prominent example is when Jamal tells Latika that he will sing the best for their caretaker & become rich. To later see that the men blind the best singers so as to bring in money for themselves, it is clear that their money does not come from an honest place. Later in life, Jamal and Salim get money by pretending to be tour guides and feeding off of Western ignorance. This conveys that they will truly do whatever is necessary to earn funds. There are various other examples of this throughout the film, emphasizing the issue of poverty. However, when the two boys grow up, (Salim specifically) is shown to be drowning in riches. Jamal, on the other hand, still struggles but his situation out of the three main characters most shows Western problems. To be on a game show that is shown to many and gives them hope, just as the film star Jamal used to look up to (that he meets earlier in the film as a young boy) brings joy to the Indian people, Jamal does so for his community. He is able to gather families around televisions to watch him succeed. This shows that the bit of westernization included within this film is to be perceived as positive.

Slumdog Millionaire