Movies "Kreated for Kids"...What a Joke

A movie created that specifically target children as their ONLY audience is a joke. 99.9% of the time, these "movies" are produced with one goal in mind. Make money. Kids are the easiest group to influence when it comes to commercials and the movie's hype. The studios that make these movies know that, just the same as toy companies. Unfortuanently, both also knows that when it comes to kids, they can lack in quality and it wont make a difference.

If you havent noticed yet, I haven't used the word "Film" to describe these movies because they can't be called such. These products are put into a formula with new character names, a slightly new setting, and children think its a new movie. It's not the kid's fault that they like these movies, they are young, niave, and uneducated. However, that does not grant the studio the ability to cut corners and ignore it as if it never happened, then sell the movie to retail stores and movie theaters (Tickets) for the same price.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Film is art, not entertainment alone. Film makers are artists, not entertainers alone. Therefore, a film without art, is no film at all. It is a movie.

There are some fantastic films that truly changed the industry for childrens films that were both artistsic, and entertaining. Think Toy Story, Iron Giant, A Bug's Life. These were entertaining for both children, teens, adults, and everyone in between. The difference between these movies and the generic children's movies are the fact that these movies ARE art. They defined a good childrens film, they broke the norm, and they experimented with new ideas and techniques.

As a production comapny, studio, or film maker, the main goal of a film should be to fill the longing for creativity, art, experimenting. If nothing else, the goal should at least be to entertain and impress the audience with creativity, uniqueness, and more. The goal should never be to make the cheapest movie for the greatest cash reward. Thats absurd, and it isn't film.

Unfortuanently, the industry is moving away from genuine creativity and more toward the quick buck. Unless something changes, the industry will decline toward these cheap movies and it will end in a disasterous conclusion. Hopefully something will change. Something has to change.

Form 17

 I know I should be blogging amount today's class, but I watched a short film today that I wanted to share. I think the idea is fantastic and the production level seems much higher than what it likley was. It's called Form 17.

It's about a father who brings his daughter with him to work for "Bring your Daughter to Work Day." The catch is that the father is actually a bomb defuser. It's comical, well done, and even a bit suspensful, and it's entertaining. I've always believed that the story is the most important part of a live action piece, and this is a great example of why. We've all seen the traditonal Hurt Locker type scene where a bomb is being defused and lives are all the line, but the scene here has such a different feel because of the story. The acting was decent, and the diolouge was well written. Overall, the film is worth a watch and I'd love to hear what you guys think about it. 

Once and Done

I can't watch that, I've already seen it! 

Random Movies from the Internet

For a long time, I fell under the category of "Once and Done" when it came to watching movies, films, and shorts. However, over the last year or so, I've been slowly attempting to find enjoyment out of watching something a second, third, or even fourth time. During my "Once and Done" motto, I never gave a second showing a chance. I said to myself: How could I get any more out of this than I have already?  How foolish.

Throughout the year, as I began to watch films more than once, I realized how much I enjoyed it and how much I got out of it as a film maker. If the movie is really good; the first time I watch it I will be focused on the plot, the conflict, and just the movie as simply a form of entertainment.( A Zombie) The second time, I'll focus more on the technical aspect of the film. After that, it depends on the movie, however I know I will get something out of it. Good or bad. Sometimes I find things that I don't like, some things I love, some things I didn't notice the first few times or I realize something I didn't understand at first.

Watching movies more than once is important as a film maker. It's a way to study whats already been done, a way to see what works, and a way to see what doesn't work. There is almost always something to get out of watching a film more than once, and to think you got everything out of it the first time is just...foolish.

A Hatred for Film

What is it about films, movies, and television that is so entertaining? Why do people pay close to 10 dollars to sit in a movie theater for a couple hours? Has anyone ever declared: "I don't like movies".


A Hatred for Movies

I hate watching movies, short films, tv shows and anything having to do with film!

Has anyone ever said that and truly meant it? Ignoring the posibility that one considers films to represent witchcraft or demonic practices, I don't see a way where some human could regard every motion picture as boring, non-entertaining, a waste of time, or useless. I'll explain why.

Not liking a movie is understandable. Even hating many movies is reasonable and very understandable, however there has to be specific movies that are relatable for specific people. Films can not target every person on the planet as their audience. That's just not reasonable. However different films target different people, and with all films combined, every group of people is targeted. But what makes movies so entertaining? Why is it that the targeted audience feels inclined to go to a movie, pay to get in, buy drinks and snacks and sit in the theater for hours?

The Artist

For some, its the art. I would expect many of us have fallen under this category every once in a while. Observing a film from the point of view of another film maker, or artist. Film making is very much an art. Its relatable to the music industry, books, paintings, and any other form of art. For the same reasons we can stare at a painted canvas for a very long time and still get elements out we never would expect before, we can watch a movie as an observer of art. Even in the classic Hollywood movie, there is more to get out of it than what the baseline elements would suggest. The Artist looks for the most they can get out of a movie, often watching it many times, looking for more. They assess it as a work of art, not a form of entertainment. For some, that is all they want to get out of the movie, but for others, they want more. The best part is that film can offer that, and can often please both groups.

The Zombie

The Zombie represents everyone else. It can sometime include Artist's, but it doesn't always. The Zombie is the group that returns to the Hollywood Block-busters over and over and over again taking what they want out of the film (often the baseline elements) and then leaving. They only expect entertainment and if it wasn't very entertaining it automatically becomes a "bad" movie in their book. While the Artist sounds like the better option, the Zombie is fine with who they are. They are content with paying 10 dollars for some entertainment and even though they are often dissapointed, they return again and again for sheer entertainment.

Movies are an escape from reality. They provide a new perspective to life, to events, and to situations. They let you experience something you may never get the chance to experience and they let you observe things you many never or could never observe. Everyone enjoys movies at some point because of these elements. There are different ways of watching a movie, but everyone falls under either Artist, or Zombie. People don't hate movies because of the nature of the art. Thats just how it works.

Film is Art.

If I were to watch some of Co Hoedeman’s work randomly on the internet, I may dismiss it as a film created for a child, and I’d probably turn it off. The second someone tells me to watch it as an art from, I begin to notice elements that I never would have caught before. Society rarely looks at films as an art form. Because of Hollywood and all the “good” they are doing for the film industry, much of the population simply considers a movie a form of entertainment. Going to a movie is the same as going bowling; playing golf, shopping…it’s just something to do. We pay to get into the theater, expect a substantial amount of entertainment, and leave with our own opinions on whether or not it was “entertaining enough”.

                  The second you treat a film the same way you would a painting in a museum, you realize how much there is to get out of the film, how much energy it took to make the film, and how much a film truly is art. Unfortunately in today’s society, that is a very rare sight to see. Documentaries, animations, stop-motion, and anything other than the expected is looked down upon as boring, and a waste of time. What takes first place is action films with violent explosions, guns, cursing and killings. Dramas with unrealistic fantasy plots that convince the viewer that it’s reality. Comedies filled with sexual innuendos, crude humor, and overall stupid and cheesy “jokes”. People pay good money to go see these just to fill their minds with awful thoughts, ideas of humor, numbness to death, and believing in unrealistic realities. These same people wouldn’t waste a dime on some of Co’s work however because it isn’t normal and they can’t believe it could possibly be entertaining in any way.

                  Film is an art. It takes creativity, persistence, motivation, skill, and time. Co’s work, in todays world, is often dismissed as boring and useless, however there is much to take away from one of his short films. Whether the time but into the film is understood, the creativity is realized, or the story is relatable, something can be taken from the film once you sit back and think about ANY film as, simply, Art. 

Film Riot

Film Riot

I've read one or two posts that mentioned Film Riot, and I have been ever so inclined to share it with you all. Film riot is a Bi-Weekly web-series run through Revision3.com and Youtube, and I must say, if you are interested in, majoring in, or just curious about live action film making, you should check out Film Riot. Every week, there are two episodes uploaded, one on Monday and one on Thursday. It's hosted by Ryan Connolly. This is one of my biggest resources for tutorials, tips, tricks, and often plain old entertainment. Film Riot is a (mostly) clean and fun way to learn film making techniques that everyone can watch. 

Ryan Connolly

Ryan Connolly is the host of Film Riot. He attended Full Sail University Film School and he has degrees from there...I just can't remember what degrees he has. He writes the scripts for each episode, directs the shorts that appear in many episodes, helps edit, and is in charge of Film Riot. 

Josh Connolly

Josh Connolly is Ryan's brother. They do Film Riot together, and he appears in just about every episode, often as an actor or test subject in an effect test. He has helped ryan with Film Riot since the beggining, over three and a half years ago.

Bruno Vieyra

Actor, editor and assistant, Bruno helps out with Film Riot and works with Ryan and Josh on everything else they do. He often runs camera, sound, and other tech related jobs of filming each episode.

Besides Film Riot, all three of them run a web-series called Film State, where the review movies, rumors, news, and previews. As well as Variant-Comics where comic related material is discussed. Ryan also created a production company named Triune Films.

Film Riot originated in Florida, but the crew recently relocated to Texas.

Monday Episodes

Every Monday, they relase their "Monday Episode". It's a lesser episode to the main ep on Thursday's, but its often just as informative. On the monday episodes, Ryan answers questions from the audience that are posted on his facebook wall or on twitter. These are often very informative and can help with little, specific problems. The Monday Episodes is also home to the....

Monday Challenge

 The Monday Challenge is a contest much like a timed essay. You are given the prompt on the monday episode, as well as a time limit to complete the video. (Determined by a due date). Once that is announced, any video that is created within that week or two can be submitted if it falls under the prompts or guidelines. Pre-existing videos do not count. Once the videos are submitted, the put what they feel were the best on their episode on the next monday and it helps those people out with feedback, video views, and ways to improve their video. 

Thursday Episodes

The Thursday Episode has been around since the beginning. Its the main episode filled with a skecth, a tutorial, and often random bits of humor and quick tips. Its very entertaining and you can learn quite a bit at the same time. An example of one of the most basic episodes would be this one here:

This episode is very simple and even kind of short, yet it clearly shows how simply you can learn from this web-series.

There is so much to say about Film Riot, yet the best way to learn more about the webseries, would be to expereinence it for yourself. To check out film riot, click here. Have fun, and enjoy!

Devotion

Devotion Starring Tony Hale

The film Devotion is something that most everyone can ejoy and many can relate to. With all the elements of the film broken down, iy turns out to be an all-around great short. Teh acting is not great, but its not bad by any means. Tony Hale had to play the role of a dog/human which isn't even noticeably apparent until the end of the film. It's an interesting tole to say the least and would be challenging to pull off without giving away, however Hale DID pull it off and he did it well.
The plot or "story line" itself is what makes this film so uniqe. Because of the story, the audience works on trying to figue out why Hank is acting the way he is the whole time until the twist at the end, when Hank is actually a dog. Throughout the film, starting at the very first scene, there were small clies that suggested the ending twist, however many aren't noticable until the twist is realized. I like films that are able to pull the audience in the wrong direction on purpose, just to hit them with a twist at the end. Attempting it can be risky, however the reward is worth it. If not done correctly, the surprise ending would be obvious, the "wow factor" would disappear, and the rest of the film often become less enjoyable to watch. Devotion did an excelent job at keeping the audiences attention throughout the whole film and still was able to deliever that "wow factor" with the twist at the end.

La Culpa - A Short Film

It’s a very common theme. Guilt. It drives events, other emotions, and entire plot lines. Guilt is an emotion. Guilt is one of the most powerful emotion that we can feel, the reason being that it sticks with us. It’s been said that fear is the strongest emotion, however fear is temporary, and is often fairly easy to overcome. It can be as simple as removing one’s self from a fearful situation. Guilt, however, can last a lifetime and if there is anything you could do to rid guilt, it is extremely tough.

    What makes this guilt so powerful in both characters is the fact that its guilt from an action that was committed out of character. The first is committed by the thief. It is obvious, even in the begging, that the thief is not a murderer. It all happened so fast that the murder had to be an accident. Of course, when the victims spouse attempts to shoot the murderer, that is purely driven by revenge. Nothing more. Yet the second it is done, he doesn't feel any better, instead he instantly feels...guilty. That guilt grows the more he thinks about it, and when he sees the child, the guilt he feels doubles in size. 

   As he attempts to escape through the optical illusion like staircase created in his mind as a result of the guilt he was feeling. I believe the boy following him was a symbol. After he saw the boy, he realized he just took that child's father from him for good and that was the heaviest thought on his mind. The boy represents that guilt, stabbing him in the back. 

    As far as the technical side of this short goes, its very unique. The cinematography was excellent with some very memorable and artistic shots, as well as some optical illusions. The script was, I thought, well written; providing a very nice character build up in the first minute of the film. The story by itself is nothing special, but the twist of the fifth floor makes it that much more unique. Overall, it was a great short film. Nothing seemed overlooked and even the title adds enough to the story that it is important.

    

Jetemadi

Hello! My Name is Joe Etemadi!

 I am currently enrolled in Huntington University as a "freshman", but what makes me unique is that I am still going to high school. I am a Senior at Homestead High School  in Fort Wayne Indiana, and every Tuesday and Thursday, I drive up to Huntington to take classes here at the school. 

Now that I've got that out of the way, let me tell you a little bit about my interest in film. I'm not sure how or when it started, but it must have been early because as far back as I can remember, I have been interested in the art of film making. I was always making short little videos with my friends and as time went on, I realized how complex film making really was. Shortly after, I then realized how film making could become a career. I never really got into animation, and at first, I almost considered it a different type of art as Live Action. Clearly they are both methods of film making, however since I was not exposed to animation very much, I proceeded to obtain as much knowledge as I could pertaining to live action.  

The route I chose to gain this knowledge is a small little site know as YouTube. Obviously everyone has heard of it, used it, and I'm sure many of you have accounts on the site. Over the years, I've learned that it is a tool I could not work without; at least not without drastically changing my work flow. Tips, tricks, tutorials, and more can be found for just about anything on YouTube; including Film making. I could go on for a long time about the importance of YouTube in any no budget film makers work flow, but I will save that for another posting. (The title "Jetemadi" will come into play in a later posting as well) 

I will probably share much of my work in later postings, but I've done a variety of different kinds of film making, and my two favorite kinds are narrative and music videos. I've tried documentary, interview, talk show, web show, commercials, demos, and more, but my two favorite would have to be narrative and music videos. 

I am looking forward to sharing more about myself, as well as learning more about all of you in the near future. While I recognize that I will not be going through the same "college experience" as all of you, I hope that me being a high school student does not make anyone hesitant about approaching me, or talking to me. If anything, I should be afraid of you! Thanks for taking the time to read this. See you in class!