TEDTalks

Yesterday my peers met in groups to share their ideas, show their blogs and to get feedback about what they're planning to do in this project. Nevertheless, this weekend I'm delegating in Florida University Model United Nations so I couldn't go to school and be part of this activity, which I profoundly regret because it could've helped with my decision process. I guess I'll have to wait to others meetings in the following weeks.

However, as soon as I got home from the model, I started researching. The first thing I found is this amazing picture that is going to become a great resource when I come up with my idea for the production.

Something that really caught my attention in the picture, it's the step 7, which is about not giving the audience all the story, but keep its mystery. This is an idea said by Edward Stanton, Pixar's writer, and it reminded me when Mrs. Stoklosa showed us a TEDTalk of him [1], which encouraged me to look for more TEDTalks about filming.

First, I watched this video titled 'The Mystery Box' by J.J. Abrams [2], which is related to the thought stated by Mr. Stanton, since Mr. Abrams expresses that the key for a good show is to use a mystery box that will attract the viewer's attention, strategy that can also be applied to movies.

After going through that video, I also watched 'The Art of Creating Awe' by Rob Legato [3]. Mr. Legato mentions particularly movies in which he has worked as a Visual Effects Supervisor, such as Apollo 13 and Hugo. What I found interesting about this video, is that he creates incredible scenes just by playing with audience's perspective and the resources that he had at the palm of his hand.

These videos are a teaching that is feasible for any genre that I choose to produce. Either romance or drama, the presence of mystery is going to be an important factor in the development of both, the 2-minute Film Opening and the story of the whole movie. The last video mentioned is going to remind me that the camera work is very important to emit a message. I'm sure that in the process of the making of the sequence, I'm going to encounter some obstacles, but I must remember that there's always another way to see things and to films scenes, as Mr. Legato gave the example of Hugo and the train scene.

Update:

Today I thought about other ideas for a story, but I still need to do my research about that specific genre. I will post it when I finish it.

I'm strongly frustrated because I see that the majority of my peers have clear ideas or, at least, their shaping them, and then there's me with so many ideas and none at the same time. I just hope that I can come up with one story really good by the end of this weekend.

Chao, Chao!

For further information about what has been presented here, visit:

[1]"The Clues to a Great Story." Andrew Stanton:. N.p., Feb. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_stanton_the_clues_to_a_great_story>.

[2]"The Mystery Box." TedTALK. J.J. Abrams:, Mar. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/j_j_abrams_mystery_box>.

[3] "Robert Legato: El Arte De Crear Asombro." Robert Legato: El Arte De Crear Asombro. N.p., June 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/rob_legato_the_art_of_creating_awe?language=es>.

Image:

• "SEVEN STEPS TO THE PERFECT STORY." Content Marketing Association RSS. N.p., 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2016. <http://www.the-cma.com/news/seven-steps-to-the-perfect-story>.

Romance

I started pitching some of my favorite ideas for a story according to the genres that I'm interested in. You can access to them through this link:

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NU480_ZP-VF361Yo7_RjX5_ou42tBJDKRlrsX7myeqI/edit?usp=sharing

After doing this, I started researching about Romance and the definition that I found is: 'a genre wherein the plot revolves around the love between two protagonists.' [1]

I also gathered some main characteristics of it. The most predominant were that the two main characters meet and fell for each other but an event happens that provokes their separation until destiny gather them again.

Being honest, I dislike these types of stories and this is the main reason why I'm hesitant about doing a Romance film. I consider that the genre has been overrated and no one takes it seriously anymore. Nowadays, almost all stories have the same plot but adding or subtracting different details.

Therefore, I was so excited when I found this opinion article that shares my argument. Basically, the article extols the classic romances for their 'intricate character developments and the carefully crafted plots'[2]. One of the examples that the article provides as a classic romantic film is Casablanca (1942), so I took the time to look into some excerpts from the movie.

The first romantic comedy was created by Thomas Edison in 1896 and only lasted 18 seconds. It's called The May Irwin Kiss.

What I found interesting in these two scenes is that the predominant sound is diegetic, which makes them more realistic. Also, the symbolism of the song played is reflected in the actors' expressions, emphasizing that the music reminds them of a past event, which is also established at the end of the second video.

I think that these factors are the ones that make the movie so especial and different from modern romantic productions that are full of sound and digital effects that take their value and authenticity. I need to admit that even though that I've heard excellent critiques of Casablanca, I've never felt curiosity for it, until now that I went over those two videos. I'm considering watching the whole movie this weekend if I have time; I'll post here if I see it.

In the process of this research, I also discover the first Romantic scene ever made. It was created by Thomas Edison in 1896. Titled The May Irwin Kiss, it lasts 18 seconds [3].

Impressive how an 18-second film lacking sound and filmed in Black and White can be more expressive that some modern films that are packed with dialogue.

Conclusion

After gather all this information, I'm still not convinced with the Romantic genre because of its overuse in the current cinematographic industry. Although, I believe that if I come up with an original and appealing story, I would focus my film on it.

What I'm clear now, it's that sometimes, there's no requirement of abundant dialogue or editing effects, if the  other factors of the production, as sound and mise-en-scene, do a nice job and build a strong and authentic story.

I will continue my research about the other genres.

Chao, Chao!

For further exploration of what have exposed in this post, check out:

• [1] "Romance." Genre:. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2016  <http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/romance>.
• [2] "Romance Genre Films Decline in Integrity." Technique. N.p., 24 June 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <http://nique.net/opinions/2011/06/24/romance-genre-films-decline-in-integrity/>
• [3]"History of Romance Films." History of Romance Films. N.p., 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <http://es.slideshare.net/StephWebb/history-of-romance-films>.

Images:

• Sarantinos, J. Gideon. "Key Elements Of A Romantic Comedy." Gideons Screenwriting Tips So Now You're a Screenwriter. N.p., 09 July 2010. Web. 10 Mar. 2016 <https://gideonsway.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/key-elements-of-the-romantic-comedy/>
• "History of Romance Films." History of Romance Films. N.p., 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <http://es.slideshare.net/StephWebb/history-of-romance-films>.

Videos:

• "Casablanca Best Scene-Play It Sam! For Old Time's Sake..." YouTube. YouTube, 3 June 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_a57ZNlU6o>.
• "Casablanca (one of the Best Scenes)." YouTube. YouTube, 13 July 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7IWLZcVU64&ebc=ANyPxKo_uDtXERjUX-qBw98dg6UpXxJdvhjrcyoo3VmJNbTIWKgFjjYDXXDdIQKVpJgvn2vitkLh3pOy5tFVgeuG8fFSd8gx4A>.
• "The May-Irwin Kiss (Edison, 1896)." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Aug. 2007. Web. 10 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zURTEs8C1lo>.

Scenes and Genres

I went over some blogs from last year to explore through their process and to use them as examples of what I should and should not do. On their blogs, I looked the 'Resources' section and I found some interesting links.

The first one Anatomy of a Scene is a fascinating website that provides numerous videos of director commentaries of some scene of a well-known film they've done. One of my favorites is the video from The Revenant, by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu because most of the scene is a long take that was really hard to be made due to the environmental conditions. This represents that sometimes the whole team is willing to do some sacrifices in order to produce a remarkable movie; something that I need to keep in mind while I film my own production. He also states that for the filming they had to change to change the rivers in where they filmed since the stream of the first river  was too cold and dangerous. This reminds me that for my film, whatever the genre will be, it will not always be necessary to shot in the exact place if the camera work transmits the same perspective that the other place would do.

I also found this website  that provides a super useful chart with the Genre and Sub-Genre of Films. It helped me establish specifics types of tones that I'd like to give to my film through the 2 minutes opening. The ones that caught my attention are Love-Drama, Disease-Drama, Romance (which I didn't know is a Hybrid Sub-Genre) and Social Problem-Drama. Nevertheless, I would need to investigate a little bit more about each of these genres in order to choose one for my production.

Until the next one,

Chao, Chao!

For further reading into my research, check out my resources:

• Murphy, Mekado. "Anatomy of a Scene | ‘The Revenant’." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
• "The Complete List of Film Sub-Genres." The Complete List of Film Sub-Genres. N.p., 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 Mar. 2016. <http://visual.ly/complete-list-film-sub-genres>..
• "Anatomy of a Scene." Anatomy of a Scene. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/video/anatomy-of-a-scene>.

The Beginning of Something Big

Dear reader:

I once had a teacher that used to pop out every year saying that “time is ephemeral” and so we should take advantage of every second we have.

My name is Celeste Velazco and I’m Venezuelan, and I’m going to try to benefit from all the time that I’ve been supplied with. What you’re about to read is what will become one of my biggest challenges so far. I’ve never done such an important task; I guess this is a symbol that I’m growing up and therefore I have bigger responsibilities.  Through each of my posts you will join me in this difficult but exciting journey.

For this project I chose to do the film opening because I consider that through this, one can express numerous thoughts that may not be that easy to express through other media. 

To be honest, I have many ideas in mind so I haven’t decided which story I want to produce. I need to pick between romantic comedy, horror or drama. I strongly hope that during this week, if not earlier, I come by with my true passion.

What I’m certain is that this is not going to be an easygoing process, but I have a notion that I’m going to love the result.

I trust you’ll enjoy this as much as I will do.

Chao, Chao!