Poetry is red...

This is my second time watching this movie. When I watched it for the first time I was fascinated with general themes of this art: the whole concept of poetry, truth, empathy... etc...

Having watched the second time, my thoughts have changed.

If someone asks me, what this movie is about. My answer is "This movie is about Pain"

First of all, I have to admit that Korean movie or audience in general appreciate lyricism. I do think that this movie portrays well the sentimental nature of Koreans.

Mija, the protagonist in this movie, says, "Red symbolizes pain" Throughout the movie, color red shows up very often. Especially, when it shows a girl, who committed suicide, after being repeated raped by her six classmates. However, this movie is not about six boys, who should be punished, but about two women in pain: Mija and the girl.

As you can see in the poster, there are red flowers besides the old lady. Also, in the picture of the girl who had committed suicide, the girl poses beside the red flowers.

I am not trying to tell you just the use of color red in the movie, but the role that pain takes place in the realm of art and especially poetry.

Without pain, I do not think that Mija was able to write a poem. She was searching for the poetic inspiration throughout the movie, and people around her always told her that the inspiration can usually be found somewhere close or in the moment of things. I guess the inspiration for her was a lot more closer than what people told her. She found it in her. The pain that came from the tragic story of a girl and her beloved grandson, and her inner struggle of morality: whether to take care of her grandson's future or to value the soul of a dead girl.

I think the most beautiful moment of the movie is when the lady is staring at a red apple.

Many of classmates used this photo for their blogs, but I would like to post it again to get across my point.

What does this mean? Why did the director wanted her to observe the red apple? Why not green? Why not banana? She even takes the bite out of it!

Red...apple

"Red symbolizes pain"

Yes, poetry is the observation of pain. Art itself is the observation of pain. That is not the ultimate goal, but without comprehending the pain, the beauty remains hidden.

The poetry teacher in the movie tells his students:

"How many times have you seen an apple? A thousand? Ten thousand? A million? Wrong! You’ve never seen an apple before. Not even once. Up till now, you haven’t seen an apple for real. To really know what an apple is.. to be interested in it, to understand it, to converse with it is really seeing it, Gazing at it for a while and observing its shadow… feeling its every curve, turning it around, taking a bite out of it, imagining the sunlight absorbed in it… That is really seeing it."

Let me reword that. Do we know pain? Have we seen pain? No, not until we observe it and taste it.

In short, art is... the way we digest pain, hardship, and suffering.

Speaking Through Art

Poetry was a pretty awesome movie. The more time I put between me and seeing the movie, the more I appreciate it. There was a lot happening in this movie; it's almost like it's an extremely subtle and extremely less violent Inception--you had to think a lot to keep up with the multiple elements introduced and put the pieces together.

My favorite element to the movie was the introduction of poetry to Mija, the main character. Mija was a very empty character. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, so her spacey-ness should be excusable, but I don't think that is the whole reason for why she was constantly absent from reality throughout a lot of the movie.

What struck me right away was that Mija had figuratively had no voice, and neither did Agnes, the girl who killed herself. Both are silent--not by their own means, and while Agnes found a way to finally scream, Mija didn't know how to, she'd seemingly accepted being hushed. As the movie progresses, viewers are able to see Mija start to unearth this type of strength that allows her to start putting her foot down and trying to speak.

But in the end, her attempts at words weren't enough.

Wook, her grandson, disrespects her still even after she tells him she knows what he did and demands to know why. Her most powerful word towards Wook: putting Agnes' picture on the table at breakfast one morning.

When Mija turns down her boss at his -ahem- demand for physical attention, she later comes back to give him what he wants because though she's said no, her word won't ring.

Mija can't assert herself in the situation with the father's of the boys. I think she couldn't speak because she related so much to Agnes, she saw no use in saving the boys, she didn't want to help serve their purpose. Later she would help to repay Agnes' family and --I suspect-- turn in the boys to the police. So everybody wins, right?

In the beginning of the movie, Mija is struck by the suicide of Agnes. She questions Wook about it and he won't give her any answers. When she hears more, she's eager to learn more about what Agnes' life was like. From the beginning, one could tell that Mija wanted more than anything to get out of her life. She was seeking a beauty, a purpose in the meaninglessness of her life that she'd started to give up hope trying to find.

Her face was always sad. Even when she smiled she was sad. The only time she looked truly happy was when she was absorbed in the intensive process of writing one poem--the artwork that finally allowed her to speak volumes, the hymn of an individual who couldn't speak and couldn't be heard and found a way to speak and be heard, through simple, beautiful words on a paper.

Artists for centuries have figured out how to use a voice by means of art. Sometimes, it's the only way an artist is actually ever heard. This concept is nothing new, but watching this unfold in the way the director/writer Chang-Dong Lee creates it in Poetry is beautiful and hopeful at the same time.

Lesson: If no one's listening, go jump off a bridge.

The Battle of Kerzhenets

       I never blogged on this one either, although it was probably one of the films in class that most impressed me, just based on the animation method alone: "This film was made using Russian icons and Fresco art from the XIV-XVI centuries". Wow. For those of you who don't remember this one, shame on you. It's amazing; and it's one that Yuri Norstein worked on.
      The story was a little bit difficult to understand, but basically I think it was a city went to war and were beaten in battle. All their men who were of fighting age were slaughtered, and the remaining families were devastated. But in the end, probably several years after the battle, the city was restored by a new generation. Personally, I really like this story; maybe I shouldn't like war stories so much, but I do, especially the old ones like "The Battle of Kerzhenets" which seem full of honor and sacrifice. It's especially nice that this particular story ends with hope; many war stories do not, especially the modern fiction war novels, which tend to leave the reader with an afterward about characters who spend two decades after the war fighting a battle with depression and/or drugs and often end up committing suicide. While I believe that that really happens to veterans, do we really need every modern war novel to carry this moral about war? I mean, just stop writing war novels if they're all gonna be the same. I'm off topic.
       I was thinking that this film was based on an old story, and this is what Wikipedia told me: "The story is based on the legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh (made into a 4-act opera by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1907), which disappears under the waters of a lake to escape an attack by the Mongols."
       By the way, I loved the music in this film, too. Can you say, Epic?

      

Poetry: What Did I Just Watch?

 

She thinks apples are for eating.

 

Poetry is probably the greatest smack in the face to my expectations I’ve ever encountered in a movie since I realized that almost the entirety of Robin Williams’ Patch Adams was a filthy lie. I expected a film about an innocent old woman just dealing with growing old in Korea when I walked into the auditorium last night. After an image of a dead girl’s boy in a river simple grandmother named Mija is raising her irresponsible and lazy grandson Wook, who obsesses with computers, television, and music, and is having some minor health problems; the dead girl was a bit off, but my expectations were pretty sound up to that point. Then, completely out of the blue, some guy we’ve never met before calls Mija up and takes her to a meeting with the fathers of Wook’s friends to tell her that Wook and their sons all raped that girl in the river for years before she committed suicide. They then nonchalantly discuss how horrible this incident will be for their sons’ careers and that they’re just going to throw some money at the poor girl’s family to keep them quiet.

Wow.

When I first saw Wook, I thought the film was becoming an anti-media message about how today’s youth was obsessed with technology. Instead, he’s losing all empathy after joining his friends in sexually abusing a girl at school. Talk about not judging a book (or in this case, a film) by its cover. I came to loathe the kid, not only through the fact that he and his friends raped that poor girl, but through his sheer lack of empathy for his actions and even his disregard for his sole caretaker. He is a monster, and we quickly come to hate him for it. Every scene with him completely blowing off his grandmother to watch TV or just sulk into his bedroom was painful to watch, especially since we know how much Mija is torn over her love for him and her desire to despise him.

Some people in Signs and Wonders said they never saw the end coming. The moment I realized that Mija was dealing with Alzheimer’s and her grandson’s horrific actions, I knew what the outcome was going to be, and when she collected Agnes’ picture from the church that verified it for me. That being said, while I understood the plot of the movie easily, I feel like I didn’t get all of its messages. I actually didn’t pay all that much attention to Agnes’ Song, which I should have, but I had seen the ending coming from so far away that I just zoned out over the final minute or so of the movie to admire the cinematography. I will definitely need to see this film again, if only to look for the meanings that were lost on me so I stop feeling like a horrible person for missing them.

In closing, I made the mistake of judging a film by its cover and I was too engrossed in just how well the film was shot and how well the actors pulled off their roles that I missed all the messages that went with it all. Even the poem, which was the focus of the whole movie.

The Sand Castle

       I was just flipping through all of Kayla's comics and thinking, if this blog stays online for several years, we'll be able to look back and relive wonderful memories of Leeper. Ha ha.
       Anyways, I realized I have not yet blogged on "The Sand Castle". Well, I loved this film. It just made me smile; I don't know why. Maybe because the Sandman seemed so much like God: he was just having fun creating his creatures, but was thoughtful about it, and after his creations were formed, he loved them and helped them create things, too.
       I also admired the movement of the creatures, and how they had their own ways of moving around and their own ways of creating. That's how we are. And each creature played their own part in helping to build the sand castle; they did what they were equipped to do.
      The process by which this film was made is amazing. How could they get all those amazing actions and transformations using stop-motion? If it were drawn animation, it would make sense; I mean, you can just draw it, but stop-motion, you have to actually build everything. Crazy.By the way, I wish we could have watched "Matrioska" in class. I would like to see that one.

Soul Eater

Leah Zink told me to write a blog post about Soul Eater, so I'm going to do that. ^^;
Soul Eater is a really impressive anime, actually. I'm not usually super into anime, depending on what it is. I'm a much bigger fan of manga over all, just because when it's translated into anime much of the nuances of the art style get lost, which doesn't happen as much with manga.
Soul Eater is impressive to me primarily because of it's animation style. The way it's drawn is really quite something, and the animators truly do seem to have a masterful understanding of human and animal movement. Also, in terms of character design and silhouette the show is teeming with a host of very memorable and well rounded character.

 

I just figured it was worth blogging about, since I'm pretty sure watching this show has actually helped me some to understand how to animate things like advanced motion slightly better. Over all I feel like it's 

a good show to watch, if you're looking for some of the better class of Anime out there. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEQUpewirFM

Of Gods and Men

Lambert Wilson plays Christian, the lead monk in Of Gods and Men...

Of Gods and Men was a movie that portrayed to me the beauty in humble strength. Overall, I give the movie a thumbs down; it didn't hold out well in my opinion. What it did do though, was portrayed the life of eight monks who have become the core to a Muslim community.

In the movie, viewers get to see the tangled lives of these monks as well as the stormy life of the community. I honestly have never taken the time to dwell much on monks and their lifestyle. I never knew how honorable their simplicity is, and how much the communities the serve can depend on them. The movie dwells a while on the interaction between the monks and their community and how both are beneficial to one another. 

However, as terrorists start pressing in on the community, viewers get to see the cracks in the surface of the monks. The doctor monk starts to explain how he's worn, another monk questions his faith, Christian, the leader of the group, is ultimately faced with the hardest question: should he give the okay to leave in order to protect himself and the other monks. 

...And then he plays a prisoner possessed by inner demons in another. What a turn around. *disclaimer: I've never seen this movie, but RottenTomatoes don't recommend it.

All the while the monks trusted God, and searched frantically for the answers to their problems in God's Word and through what God answered their prayers with. 

The monks were able to come to the conclusion that they would stay with the community, no matter the risk, and that's where the beauty lies. They were noble enough to acknowledge that they were in great danger and that they could very well die in order to stay and continue their work in the frantic and dying community they'd aided for so many years. 

I guess I didn't glean what I should have from this movie. Reviews on line talk about the many profound questions and challenges this movie evokes, but I was only repeatedly faced with the question of: would I stay? 

I think that when God calls us to a purpose like that of those monks, we have to stay with it. Jesus talks about taking up our cross and following Him and that he who loses his life for Him will find it (mentioned in the movie by the way--this is crucial because this helped to sway the decision of the monks), so in this case I think it's clear God would have wanted the monks to stay because He'd put them there and blessed their work there.

Overall, I do have a lot of respect for this movie and feel that there was definitely a lot there for a viewer to walk away with, however, it's not one of the better one's I've seen at Signs this semester--but that's just from my viewpoint. 

This sir does not approve.

Pfffirate

  Here is a late Quiz 2 blog. "Pfffirate" was obviously relevant to the weekly reading about making short films. The reading was about how lone animators would be fools to try to make a short film as awesome as one of Pixar's. The "Pffirate" short film showed how two students made a nice-looking film without being as fancy as Pixar, by making a balloon world. The thing I think is the most significant about the film is just that it's such a cool idea; making everything out of balloons, especially the water. I also like how the pirate used the mice as rubberbands to shoot at the bird.
 

Poetry

This movie has a lot of really good stuff in it. I think the main theme that permeated the whole film was how Mija, the main character, experienced all of life like a poem. Her grandson and his five other friends were guilty of repeatedly raping a fellow schoolgirl, who ended up committing suicide because of it. Mija and the parents of the other boys had to pay the mother of the girl the eqivalent of $5,000 each to settle the case out of court, but Mija didn't have the money. The fathers of the other boys seemed to only care about their sons' future, and pressured Mija to pay up. This heavy situation deeply affected her, eventually causing her to kill herself as well. The moments before her death, however, were filled with this desire for poetry.

Mija longed to be able to write poetry; she took notes on things that she periodically observed and experienced over time, giving herself ideas for what to write. However, she was never able to really write poetry like she wanted to, until the ending when her poem is read, and it is written from the perspective of the schoolgirl who committed suicide. Mija used her own life's experiences to give a voice to the girl, and simultaneously to herself.

This connection between Mija and the girl I believe speaks of a common bond that humans all have with each other, or at least there is the potential to have it. Like one of the character in the movie said, poetry comes from your feelings and your heart. There is no formula to write poetry; it's always there in you, waiting to come out - you just need to let it flow. Mija found her voice through the eyes of one who died without one; someone who went through so much, yet the world had no clue of the pain she had inside of her. The poem expressed that pain and loss beautifully, and I think it could only have done so because Mija knew what it was to experience something terrible. She didn't necessarily go through the same form of torture, but her pain was no less substantial.

All of us have our stories that we probably will never fully share. Every single one of these stories has enough power in it to create the most beautiful poem in the world, and even then the poem will not be able to accurately portray what we feel. I think that this film reminds us of our value as individuals, and how this value is hardly ever seen or understood - even by ourselves. But it is still there, and it should be given a voice, because our lives are priceless.

Poetry

In general, I've tried to stay away from foreign films, but it's mostly because I feel too lazy to read subtitles. I know this is a stupid excuse, especially because I've enjoyed every foreign film that I've seen, and last night was no exception.

The best aspect of the film that I keep coming back to is the simple yet powerful pacing throughout the story, despite all the technological hiccups. There were never any voice overs for us to see the characters' thoughts, but rather we were shown her actions and emotions when she visited the science lab for example. And through her exploration of poetry, despite the developing Alzheimer's disease, we can clearly see her emotions. Still, the ending is so subtle that it's hard to catch exactly what happens. I know there were some in the room who clearly stated how they hated the ending, but I appreciate a story that keeps me intrigued right until the very last frame.

Leeper also drew connections with two characters in the movie—the girl and the grandma. The relationships and similarities between the characters is also so subtle, but it's extremely important to the story because it's the only way you can understand what happens.

I struggled with the concept of what the group of fathers were doing. We are only shown the grandma's relationship with her grandson, but it's very obvious that she doesn't know how to handle him. The fathers are so concerned about covering up what their sons did, rather than make them feel the punishment for their crime. We aren't shown any signs of guilt from any of them. This also makes me wonder though—did the grandma turn in her grandson? When the detective character was introduced at the poetry reading, I thought there might be a connection later, but it still doesn't make sense. Why would she turn him in after already paying the money, only to turn around and leave the picture completely? When had she made that decision in relationship to when she called the mother?

One note about spoilers: I tried to keep them out of this post, but don't complain if you haven't seen this one before and it was just ruined. This film is worth watching even if you know the ending, so if you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix.

Urinetown, The Musical

(This is gonna contain spoilers, probably. xD Just so ya know.)
Well, watching Urinetown was how I spent my evening tonight, so I thought it might be worth blogging about. It is related to story, as well as the theater arts, so...yeah.
Anyway, it was actually sort of really interesting to watch.
I mean, obviously it was honestly rather crude, but it had some very interesting thoughts about things like authority, and government, hid under a crude and somewhat silly exterior.
It started out by breaking the fourth wall right in the very beginning of the play, automatically letting the audience be more a part of the play than what is the standard. Afterwards it began setting up the concept of "urinetown."
This concept is the thinking that any place where people are forced to live in fear or oppression is a "urinetown." For the people in the play, they were threatened that if they did not obey the laws they would be taken to "urinetown" which actually was just a euphemism for being killed.
The people did not realize this until later on in the play, but it was actually highlighted by the narrator in the second act. He said, in reference to being asked what "urinetown" was, that, "There is no Urinetown, we just kill people." In that sort of thinking, "urinetown" is not only the concept of living in fear, but also the concept that if you live constantly in fear, you might as well be dead.
It's a rather interesting concept over all. I would defiantly agree that living your life in constant fear is akin the death, and that we should fight against this, when we see it.
 However, the play also highlighted how when authority crumbles even for the right reasons, (such as a tyranny ending, wanting to improve justice, etc) if there is not a stable system to replace it people will not be able to support the new way of life. It's almost paradoxical in that regard, because it says that you should try to break out of the system, but it also shows what can happen if you do so and are unprepared.
Basically everyone dies in the end, because they get rid of a dictator in the name of justice, and then they do not know how to continue to support themselves without the harsh rules of life. A highly realistic ending. (Not a usual ending for a musical)
I appreciated the realistic approach that they used to highlight some of the major concepts that most musicals usually have, (such a liberty, love, ect) it was a rather refreshing look at some of the fluff that is popular among mass media.
The play also was defiantly a product of the post-modern era, loving to highlight obvious character flaws/concepts, it made it rather interesting to watch though.
Over all I liked the play, I feel like although it's a little crude and almost too macabre,  it is worth seeing.

Documentaries

I think documentaries can be incredibly fascinating or make you suicidal from boredom. That's my experience. They're such a specific kind of filmmaking and sometimes the best stories are told through this technique. This will be an interesting section, since I am in the documentary class with Dr. Clark. I've had to make a series of short docs under two minutes, and it's pretty enjoyable editing it together. You get to pick out the highlights and create a concise story. At least you try to.

One of my all time favorite movies is "Waiting for Guffman." It's a mockumentary from the creators of Spinal Tap, and one of the funniest films I've ever seen. I just watched "Thin Blue Line" yesterday, and that was featured today in class. I usually like Morgan Spulock's work as well. I think he has pushed docs into being entertaining and still educational. He is really honing in his storytelling techniques.

Docs are also great because you can learn something without reading an entire book. Personally I think they can sometimes be even more educational than some non-fiction books.


Here's a short documentary I did for a show called alt.news at my old school. It's a magazine style show that lets you know about off-the-wall stories you wouldn't normally get on the news. I produced, edited  etc, all of it. The original interview was about 18 minutes long. I had nothing to do with the bookmark segments with the puppet. This aired on PBS to three states and about 1 million people.

Documentary, My Dear Watson

I've never watched a lot of documentaries before, unless you count special features on a DVD or 'The Pixar Story'. I never really thought too much about documentaries as an art form- in fact, the word itself is sort of synonymous with 'boring' in my mind. However, I've always tried to have an open mind in this class, and watched the videos today in that way. Most of them were okay, better than I thought they were, but they just weren't my cup of tea. It reminds me more of a news report than a story - which, I am quite aware that news reports tell stories, I don't know, that's just the first analogy that came to mind. A lot of the shots they used reminded me of shots you would see in b-roll for a news report.

But then we saw 'When Life Departs'.

And I cried. I will freely admit it, I cried. Not a lot, because I'm pretty good at keeping my composure, but my eyes definitely got wet and threatened to overflow and I had to wipe them off when the lights were turned back on. The animation, while simple in design, was so clean and fluid, especially when the children were talking. The boy talking about his dead baby brother was heartbreaking. I think that's when I officially lost it, when the boy talked about his prayer that God would let him see his brother just one more time, and that his brother might be able to come down so that he could hold him again.

Gah.

It was sad.



Pixar - Story is Everything

My thoughts on Pixar. Personally I feel that Pixar has its highs and its lows. I mean, the animations are great and I love almost every Disney Pixar film. Its just the story line... there's so many things that add to the good story and then some aspects that add to the bad storyline of it... Let's take UP for example, I love the movie a lot and it tells of a great love story and life's adventure especially the beginning with Carl and Ellie's love story but just certain parts were a downer to the storyline, pretty much about 3/4 through is where I think the story line could change a tad bit, but I still love the film. I do love Toy Story more than any other Disney Pixar film. The concept and storyline is just tremendous along with great animation. With this being said, I agree that storyboard and story concept is one of the most or the most important thing about a film. We've discussed this many times and I am all for a good story. Without a good story there is no good film. Why do we like certain movies more than other ones? Most likely the story. It is what brings the audience's attention and what makes them "feel" the story. Feel as in be apart, along with emotion. Anyways, to end this... Story is everything

Gay Boyfriend

As opposed to the title the video is not as offensive as you would think.  It is quite humorous and at times complementary.  The video has some great aspects.  It includes the women who don't sing very well and if they did I doubt that the video would work as well as it does.  I like the use of lips and that the girls use lip phones.  The classic phone call where some is calling someone in the nearest box is a great testament to the old music videos.  The cheesy running through the meadows is another great homage.   Then there is the great sailor on a boat part.  Great little campy part.  Walking down a street with many marquees is terrific.  It's nice to have a cocktail party.  The superhero thing to end it is a nice touch.  It's low budget but a lot was accomplished with that budget. 

The video doesn't totally make fun of homosexuals.  It actually partially compliments them by saying how they do like to cuddle, go shopping with girls and also are sensitive to girls problems.  Not all guys are like that.  In a way the video actually makes heroes out of gays.  Whatever my feelings are on homosexuals, I find that video very funny.

How it pertains to class and the reading is that it deals with a subject that can seem uncomfortable to some but humorous to others.

Last Weeks Animations

After watching the animations last week I'd have to say I'm pretty impressed. Even with so simple animations they can tell a great story and look amazing. When we went over the comparison to Pixar, I think they are still at the same level animation wise. They both look great. Just that the people behind the film is a big difference. As we said, there was only a very few people that worked on the non Pixar films, and a handful on the Pixar ones. This marks a impression to all animators out there because it makes them feel like they don't have to go to Pixar just to make great animations. Even with a small group you can make something amazing. With Pfffirate, it looked like a very professional animation. The idea to use balloons was brilliant, it's easy molding and not too much complexity. Same with Clik Clak. You totally wouldnt notice the easy white background and to use a robot with easy shapes is another brilliant idea. Just the kid would be the tough part. Also I thought the idea behind this film was just awesome. The use of sound was amazing as well. To totally sum this up, the small animation shorts were brilliant even with a small work load of people.

Quiz 2

 

Out of all the animated films we have watched in class, I would have to say my favorite was Tin Toy. I understand that the baby was super creepy, and probably didn't do well for Disney Pixar because of that reason, but for me it made me more appreciative of Pixar's short films. It shows me that what they make seem so easy comes from lots of hard work, and in that film they hadn't mastered creating people with CG and it just proved to me that they have come a long way since then constantly working harder to make their software better in creating characters that are people in CG.

I have also come to the realization that if I try to create a short film like that, I will ultimately fail, because the technology that Disney has is not available nor the time, and amount of people that it takes to work on a short 5 minute film. I am better off coming up with an idea that will work well with the software that is available and do what I can with that. You can still create great films from CG and not have all the "fancy technology" that Disney has.

Geri's Game

I loved the film Geri's game. Since I first saw it I thought it was the funniest thing. I remember acting out that scene when I was about 7 years old and just loving it. The film is so fun and enjoyable.

I don't feel like there is some great experiential truth to learn in this film. Maybe that the elderly people are still young at heart. But honestly I don't think there was any truth that was meant to be conveyed in this film. I think the animators simply set out wanting to make a beautiful film that people could enjoy, and they wanted to stretch their creative abilities.

In the end, "Geri's Game" is a nice film that makes me smile and I can enjoy it as just that. Nothing more and nothing less.

World of Glory

 This is a short that sticks with you for a long time.  I feel like this movie is a series of images because that’s how I remember it.  Even though there were short scenes not pictures each scene left a jarring imprint on my mind.  The Bus driving around, the man standing next to the grave, then in a room, then in his bedroom , then next to his car, and at work when he tries to introduce his brother,then trying to drink the communion glass more than they would let him.  These all leave impressions on me.  The music also, though subtle, was very jarring and moody. 

Just the whole movie seemed so hopeless, and the black and white like footage made it even more morbid.  His voice is so solemn that you can definitely that he himself is lost.  This morbid world just goes to show the ugly nature of some secretly hidden which although kept secret, makes itself known through actions and facial expressions and how people act. And there is no exception in this film

The Man Who Planted Trees

There is just something about the man who planted trees that intrigues so very much.  That even now on my quiz essay, that film is the one that comes to mind first.  I would think that looking back at the film it would be the least memorable film just because it’s very quiet and truthfully not much happens for a video that spans 30 minutes long.  I feel like at the same time however, that that peace is what makes to movie and really contributes to the story as a whole which is an alone man who spends most of his life planting trees which isn’t really all that impressive by itself.  But through that peacefulness there is so much beauty to be had. 

First of all the art style is catchy and could alone hold my attention for 30 minutes.  But beyond the aesthetic is a story that is truly inspiring.  Of how one man can change so much by just planting trees! I find this really encouraging that a man doing what he loves changes the world without him really even knowing it.  Plus he is carefree of the world around him, even when wars and such are going on around him, he doesn’t notice and keeps on working.  A also find the narrator’s voice very soothing and I feel like they couldn’t of picked a better narrator, his voice is soft and he talks at just the right speed. 

Anyways, The man who planted trees is a beautiful film which inspires me along with intriguing me. 

ED's Story

https://vimeo.com/20249114

I found this story about a year ago and really was drawn to it, it's actually a beautiful story about Ed Dobson. The video pretty much tells the story and gives a good picture of what "Ed's Story is about" Whenever I have a crappy day or think that I cannot get past a struggle in my own life, I think about Ed. It would be great to get to meet this guy in person and hear from him in a more personal way. The following passage I got from Ed's Blog back in 2011 in November. So the next words are not my own and I give all the credit to Ed. Please watch this video, I think it can give all of us hope in this life, and yes he is still alive to this present day.

I was diagnosed with ALS in November, shortly before Thanksgiving. About a week later I was sitting on the porch of my house watching the first snowfall of the season. As I sat there I was beginning to sink into that darkness. I was thinking that this would be my last winter. I was thinking that this would be my last Christmas. I was hoping to make it to spring! As I sat there depressed, I noticed a bird on the bush outside the window. As I sat there watching, it flew away, and I thought, “I wish I could be that bird.” And I thought that the birds have no cares, no issues, and no ALS. Then immediately I was drawn to the words of the writer of the Hebrew Scriptures:

My heart is in anguish within me:
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling have beset me
Horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, “oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest—
I would flee far away
And stay in the desert.”
–Psalms 55:4-7

Quiz #2: Rockfish

Throughout our series on animation, the film I enjoyed the most was Rockfish. The film had great CGI animation done by Blur Animation Studios, and I thought it had a very well thought out and creative story. I liked the relationship between the fisherman, and what I believe to be his pet. His pet always wanted to be with him, while the fisherman wanted to protect him. I remember the scene when the “fish” is pulling them around, and the man hangs off of his machine to pickup his pet. Sometimes through out this film, I was reminded of a boy and his dog type story. I also thought the story was a cool concept about how this man goes out and uses his machinery and technology to go fishing.

            I also thought the animation on this film was done incredibly well. I thought they did a very good job of animating the fisherman and his pet. The background and machinery was also done beautifully. When the laser was shot into the ground it looked amazing. I loved how the dust blew around afterwards, and appreciated the work it took to make it. I thought this was the best, and most beautiful film that we have watched over the past few weeks, and it also contained a great story.

Quiz 2: KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid. Apparently Michael Bay does not understand this concept. Seriously. Look at them polygons.

After You is a perfect example of what Keith Lango was discussing in his blog. It shows that through dedication and with even the most basic of programs at an artist’s disposal, they can create an excellent short without trying to copy the polish and style of large animation companies. After You is such a simple film, but the animator completely sells the characters’ expressions and nails the humor of the piece. He didn’t have a whole studio behind him or a budget big enough to build a new Titanic; he just had a vision and worked with what he knew.

 The Tin Soldier's reaction when he learned that Michael Bay's Optimus Prime had over 1000 moving parts.

The creator of After You has the same train of thought as Mr. Lango, or at least after Lango learned from his failed film project. He threw out the notion that he should try to replicate Pixar’s quality and instead refocused his efforts on working with what he knew and what he was capable of. He created simple characters that he crafted to the best of his ability and limited the amount of objects within his animation. This cut down on design time and let him get to work on the animation much more quickly, as well as gave him more time to polish the story and humor.

After You is short, simple, and sweet; the perfect one-man animated film.

Manic

After an act of extreme aggression during a baseball game and a perverse, uncooperative interview with a psychiatrist (Don Cheadle), Lyle (Joseph Gordeon-Levitt) find himself placed into a psychiatric ward. While in the ward, Lyle befriends Chad, an insecure rich kid, Lauren (Zooey Deschanel), a withdrawn unsocialiable. This flim has a lot of emotion to it, I saw it last summer on Netflix and pretty much fell in-love with the story and characters. I love movies like this, as I previous wrote about the film Blue Valentine. Movies that show the world how it really is 3/4 of the time really get to me, and make feel something more than just watching a movie to be entertained. Zooey Deschanel is spot on in this film and JGL is his brilliant self once again.

Wreck-It Ralph

"Wreck it Ralph" is probably the best non-Pixar Disney movie of the last 10 years. It's the story of an arcade video game bad guy named Wreck it Ralph(John C. Reilly) who wants to be a good guy. Since he can't be a hero in his own game he hops games to try to prove he can be good. In the process he meets all kinds of crazy characters, especially one little girl, Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) in a game called Sugar Rush who he befriends and tries to help win an important race. The voice cast is perfect, especially Jack McBrayer as Fix it Felix. He is absolutely hysterical, and the highlight of the movie. This is perfect for boys, girls, and anyone who ever liked the old time arcade games(or any games in general). It's funny, heartwarming, has plenty of action, and is exactly what you would want in a Disney Animated movie. I saw this in 3D, and really the 3D wasn't that impressive, which was surprisingly considering how colorful the film is. Also, there is a short movie at the beginning called "Paperman", which is better than 90% of the romantic movies out there. It's a very well made black and white animated short that should win an Oscar. Definitely have to see this movie.

the desire to be desired.

On Thursday night, there was a forester lecture by Dr. Kim Gorman and her experience with anorexia. She spoke about her own struggle with the eating disorder as well as gave insight as to how and why so many girls suffer from this disorder. She gave some unbelievable statistics about how high of a priority being thin is to women. “Half of women would rather be hit by a car than be considered fat” and “two-thirds of women would rather be stupid than fat.” She said that many girls believe that they can be somebody…  if they are thin.

If and only if they are thin will they be of value.

This is what causes people to develop eating disorders and what motivates America to spend $40 billion on dieting each year: the desire to be of worth. In many women’s lives beauty equals value, and unfortunately media and advertisement get to decide what beauty is. Not only is there an inappropriate obsession or need to be thin and beautiful, but there is also a false perception as to what thinness and beauty are. We see all these ads and commercials with extraordinarily tall,  thin, beautiful, perfect models. Many models go through extreme, unhealthy lengths to look the way they do. In addition to that, most are photo-shopped, like we saw in class, to look absolutely perfect. These models represent the ideal look that women all across America desire to look like, and it is simply unnatural. This is not true beauty, but women believe it to be and feel inadequate in comparison.  One experiment found that exposure to thin images taken directly from fashion magazines produced significant increases in self-reported depression, stress, guilt, shame, insecurity and body dissatisfaction relative to women exposed to images of average weight women from magazines.

The Dove campaign videos that we watched in class the other week showed just how messed-the perception of beauty is in media. Adults, teenagers, and kids are exposed to this misconception constantly throughout each day. Knowing that God values people for everything other than outside appearances, it is struggling to find how many people find little value outside of looks, especially distorted, unrealistic ones.

Simplicity Is Key

     When I was considering which movie we watched in class, one idea kept coming back to me. This was the fact that so many young artists do not realize their limitations, because we are all tempted to dream up the ideal painting, feature film, 500 page book, etc. that we are going to create, and it will magically take us roughly 24 hours to get it finished, 3 days to have a buyer, and roughly a week till we are millionaires. Alas, while this is our hope, it is not our reality. That is why the reading concerning not making Pixar-quality shorts, and the film Pfffirate struck such a chord with me.

     I will readily admit that I love some good sophistication. I love detail (seriously, I am about as baroque as they came in my tastes) and texture, but I also realize that if you try too bite off more than you can chew, you will only end up frustrated and confused. That is why this little film caught my attention. While I would love to some day be making extremely visually impressive films, I can also say that films like Pffirate remind me not to lower my expectations of myself, but remind me that having boundaries just adds to the fun of the challenge. I don't believe that 2D somehow restricts and artist, and I don't believe that not being able to create Pixar-quality animation does either. It simply forces you to be more creative than you might otherwise have to be. This only adds to the fun.

Live-Action and Animation

It's been a rather interesting experience these past few weeks, primarily just because we've been focused so much on the Animation side of things in a group that is primarily live-action. It's always interesting to me to compare the two different groups, just because in a group setting live action and animation students react very differently.
I think a lot of it has to do with the concepts of groups as well. Film students almost always work in groups. It's the best way for them to regulate work flow. Animation students on the other hand, not so much. Trying to get animation students to work in groups is usually more of a chore than it is an asset.
Even with older animation students, like in my story-boarding class, trying to get them to work together isn't really the best of experiences.
Still, I feel like the two groups really do have a need for each other. There's a reason why they don't like to separate the animation students from the live action in core curriculum classes, unless they can help it.
For whatever reason, there is a need there. It's funny because automatically people will complain, and whine that, "this isn't in my major" or, "I won't use this in my life" however, in the words of Kayla, I say SIU to that.
Even if it feels like the skills that we learn in animation or in live action won't help us in our major, they will help us to understand the other artists around us.
Let's try to not look at this from such a one sided view point. What is the point of going to school, except to learn? And if we are learning, shouldn't we also try to learn to understand the people who are around us?
These people are our classmates, inspirations, and rivals. They're important. We should have a level of respect for their work and their opinions, and also for what they love, whether it be animation or live-action.
It just seems to me to be all about respecting the other person's craft, which is a big part in getting ahead in the film industry.
Dunno, I don't mean to get up on a soap box or anything, I just felt like it was worth noting.

Clik Clak

I really enjoyed all the movies we have watched the last couple of weeks, but I think my absolute favorite had to be Clik Clak. Clik Clak was absolutely adorable. I admit, I have a huge love for robots (which is why I love Transformers and WALL-E), and the robots in this film were adorable. The animation was pretty spectacular, and it showed how to work with the little they had - using robots as the main characters, a simple design for the child, and a lack of definite background. This coincides with the blog we had to read that talked about not trying to make your shorts Pixar quality - Clik Clak was not overly ambitious, but they did a lot with what they could do well.

BAH THEY ARE SO ADORABLE

 What I think I loved the most about it was the imaginitive world it was in. Robots speaking through making noises, often through fantastic looking Rube Goldberg machines. The sentences were mostly nonsensical French (the little French I knew came in handy; thank you middle school!), but the noises actually sounded like the words! Who thought of that? Whoever did was amazing. In the end, though, it was super bittersweet, since the one robot died...and then the other committed suicide. The boy made another machine that expressed his apology, since he did unintentionally cause the death of the first robot. It was handled in such a way that a child audience could understand, but I still thought it was really sad. Appropriate, but sad. However, I get really emotional over things some other people would not.

When they Day Breaks

Easily one of my favorite animated films we watched in this section. I keep thinking about that Pixar quote. It's not about story, but storytelling. I think this film excels in that. And it's just so fascinating to watch. They painted on photocopies, and I cannot even imagine how long that took.

I've never seen animals like this. It's hilarious and amazing. The chicken's hat is genius. Since it's so realistic, I easily accept all of this as normal. It gets very profound. I love the shot of the egg that flashes to the ambulance. That is life. Fragile, gone in a moment. And it's shown through human like animals.

This is something that should be watched several times. I love seeing all the walks of life portrayed by different animals. They're all connected and their lives cross, they affect each other.

Tchou Tchou

I enjoyed the style behind this film—it was so inviting because it created a whole new world that resembled the playful child-like innocent environment. While watching it for the first time in class, I was so caught up in the way every little piece was moving that I didn't even think about the resemblance to the creation story. The way that the solid, square objects flowed so smoothly throughout the set was too mesmerizing for me to focus on much else. Any object that had motion was exciting to watch because it was so unique! The perception of each item from the 4 basic viewing sides (more if you count top and bottom) did take away from the realism that shows up in animated films, but not in such a way that you couldn't understand the environment.

This is the type of film that is the best kind of interesting. Funny YouTube videos may make me feel inclined to share them with my friends, but incredibly intelligent stories have so many good things packed in them that you can easily notice or appreciate something new each time you see it. This makes sharing movies so much better.

I've loved to analyze movies and then sit back to be amazed by how much detailed thought went into each little part of the story, set, dialogue, (the list is endless). Tchou Tchou is one of those examples because there are new things to appreciate each time you see it, but practically nothing you notice was an accident.

I also thought this film was significant because of the simple way it addresses a story so that children can enjoy it for its innocence, but others can enjoy it for its internal messages. As a perfectionist, I appreciate the amount of background work that is necessary to create any kind of film (except a really bad one), and I love to look for it in order to enjoy it.

When the day breaks

When the day breaks.

I enjoyed this short because this had very good animation that i liked. I think it had pretty good character choices. I think with the uncannon valley what ever  that word is hahahahahha. I think if it was with real people or close to human analogs we would just be scared and the film might be sick. With using animals its funny and creepy. My favorite character was the chicken. Cause i think most of the time alot of artists use those three or four liks of feather or what ever that is on top of a chirckens head. Like in the movie chicken little.

Chicken Little was a great movie--- side note i thought.

probably if this was made by a man it would be more bloody and less meaning full.