Days of Heaven

Cinematography

• How mobile is the camera? Does it move toward the characters within a scene, or does it remain relatively static, allowing the actors to move instead within a steady frame?
  The camera isn't often mobile and usually stay in one place without too much rotation per shot allowing the actors to do the movement. 
  
• How does the camera treat the different characters? Does the camera view the character from below (low-angle shot) or from above (high-angle shot)?
  The camera uses different views in order to show class in the movie. To show someone of a high class the camera will have a high angle shot to make them appear bigger on film while lower class (workers) were shot with a low angle shot to make them seem smaller in comparison. 
  
• What purpose does the camera angle serve? For example, what cue might a camera angle offer you about how the director wants you to view a particular character?
  The point a camera angle serves is to show emotion within a scene or usually a character. The emotion that is shown is determined by the view the camera angle gives you for example, if the camera is doing a high angle shot it might show some sort of heroism from that character. 
  
• What do the camera angles tell you about the relationships between characters?
  The camera angle can tell you a relationship between characters by 
  
• Do the angles from which characters are shot change over the course of a scene, or a sequence, or the film as a whole? How does such a change influence your view of a character?
  The angles from which character are shot change over the film as a whole, this influences us to see the character in a different light if they are a growing character experiencing a change in values. 
  
• How frequently are close-ups used? Why? What is the effect of the close-up?
  Close ups were used frequently in the film to show an emotion or thought behind a character. The effect of a close up is to help show deeper emotions like pain, happiness, and anger. The close up also helps you focus in more on the importance of a line a character is saying or a conversation taking place. 

Mise en Scène

• What kinds of lighting does the director employ? What kind of mood does the lighting style create?
  The director only shot at magic hour (4-6) for a majority in the film. The mood this lightening creates is peaceful, blissful, and congenial. When the director shot at other times like night or morning, it was to symbolize a loss of peace or that something bad was to happen. 
  
• What does that lighting convey about the character and her/his potential actions within the film?
  The potential actions of a character are conveyed by that lightening in the film because you were able to tell, that when the glow faded and was replaced with a duller light or darkness that things were starting to get complicated and problems were starting to arise.

Music & Sound

• How does the degree of familiarity with the music influence your understanding of the plot or the characters?
  The degree of familiarity with the music influences the understanding of the plot and the characters because when a certain style of song would play you knew something good was going to happen, but if the music intensified, you were able to predict something bad was coming.  
  
• What cues does the music give you about what to expect?
  The cues the music gives about what to expect are based on the tone and the emotion behind the music. As we hear the music get sadder, we know sorrow is coming, As we hear the music pick up in intensity and tempo, we know some sort of intensity is in store for us. 
  

Editing

• How does the director choose to tell her/his story? Does s/he cut quickly from shot to shot, or let shots run longer and compose them into more leisurely sequences?
  The director choose to tell their story by letting shots run longer and compose them into more leisurely sequences rather then cutting from shot to shot. This way, the film is more visually appealing and congenial for the viewer. 
  
• What purpose do point-of-view shots serve? How do point-of-view shots affect our experience as spectators?
  The purpose that point-of-view shots serve to us as a way of seeing into the character's life so we see why they act a certain way and gives us a more well rounded opinion about whats happening. Point-of-view shots affect sectors because it shows you more information on a person and a situation causing the viewer to have a better stand on how they feel about the situation. 
  

Identification
(to identify: suggests a psychological empathy with the feelings or experiences of another person; to associate or affiliate (oneself) closely with a person or group)

• With whom do we identify when we watch a film?
  We identify with the protagonist in a film because they are usually the "good guy/average Joe". In the movie "Days of Heaven" we identify with the little girl who is also the narration. She is not necessarily the main character but the innocence and thoughts of a child are recognizable to all. 
  
• What techniques does the director deploy to guarantee that identification?
  The director uses the girl as a narration for the story to show us her ideas and opinions on whats going on around her in order to guarantee identification because a child is a universal symbol that we can all relate with and trust to be innocent.  

Closure

• Does the film reach a satisfying end?
  The movie does reach a satisfying end in which there are no untold secrets and all issues within the movie are solved for the better. 
  
• Does the film reach an ending you have anticipated/wanted?
  The film reached an ending i wanted to happen in which at the end the situation was mostly resolved which gave the movie a crisp clean ending that all could be satisfied with. 
  
  
  
  

The Meaning of the Truman Show

1. Write a personal response to having watched the film, your reflections, what it made you think about.


After watching the Truman Show some concepts and ideas that came to mind were the life of an ant and how you can live your whole life without knowing there is a whole other world around you. For Truman's whole life he is unaware of all the cameras and the dome that surround his home and town because he can not see it much like the ant who doesn't understand their are people and buildings all around it even if it may be crawling on someones foot. This lead to thoughts of maybe their being a larger dimension around us and we may not even be aware of it. 

2. Summarize what the article, "The Meaning of the Truman Show" is saying.


The article, "The Meaning of the Truman Show" is saying that Truman's life is a metaphor in a way of our relationship with media today. Much like Truman's landscape, our landscape is also full of news, advertising, and theatrical illusions, they are realistic and believable until a flaw happens to give away the illusion. Also Truman's reluctance to leave his town represents our unwillingness to break up with the media. All in all, the author is saying in his article that "like Truman, we are manipulated and entertained by its lifelike simulations and story line.". 

3. Do you agree with the writer's opinion? Justify your answer with valid reasons.


I do agree with the author's opinion in the article "The Meaning of the Truman Show". After i finished reading this article I was purseuded by the ideas of our relationship with the media and  also showed me how the media can control your thoughts towards something by being biased. In the article it only talks about the power and dominance media has over our lives to get you to believe his point instead of talking about good things in the media to keep you fully informed on the whole situation instead of just knowing one side. By showing a biased side of the story in your article you are setting up an illusion for the public to believe in until like Truman, they see a flaw and the illusion begins to break. 

4. How long has Truman been led to believe that he has been living a "Real Life"?


Truman has been led to lead a normal life until he is a student and dating his future wife Merill. This is when he and another actor named Lauren sneak away from the cameras to be together because Lauren has been told not to talk to Truman by the people running the show. When one of the crew comes claiming to be Lauren's farther and pulls her away she begins to tell him about his world. He's skeptical but doesn't believe her until things start to fall apart on set and Truman's forced to see through the illusion.  

5. What film genre is The Truman Show?


The Truman Show would fall under the genre Fantasy Drama because the idea if living a life in a dome and not realizing it is unrealistic but at the same time the movie shows the dramatic side of Truman trying to escape. 

6. Does this movie act as a metaphor for our own lives. Justify your answer with valid reasons.


I believe the movie does represent our own lives because we too are trapped behind the metaphorical dome that is todays media. And, just like the director in the Truman show, the media knows how to manipulate your mind into seeing what it wants you to see and controlling your emotions towards something. 

What is Media Art/New Media?

Media Art/New Media is a type of art that are created with new media technologies. This includes digital art, computer graphics, virtual art, internet art, and interactive art.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpYPc7u0jpI

Scott Snibbe's Transit. Completed in 2010. 

Critique Questions:
Description (What do you see?)

·         What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?

The artists name is Scott Snibbe.

·         What kind of a artwork is it?

Interactive art installations.

·         What is the subject matter of the art?

People at a airport breaking out into dance.

·         What images do you see in the artwork?

You see people of all different ages at the airport all walking individually suddenly break out into different types of dance and come together.

Analysis(Why and How?)

·         How are the Elements of Art (color, shape, line, texture, space, form, value) and the Principles of Design (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, rhythm, unity, pattern/repetition) used in this artwork?

This piece of artwork uses the elements space in reference to emphasis, colour in reference to contrast, and unity. There is emphasis by space because some of the people on the train station are in clumps and some way by themselves, this draws your eye to the people who are by themselves and creates emphasis. There is contrast by colour because black and white are opposites, and when together they create contrast. And last but not least theres a sense of unity because its people of all different ages and all going to different places united in one place.

·         What grabs your attention in the artwork?

What grabbed my attention in the artwork was when they first broke out into song and dance. This caught my eye because it’s unusual and is not something you really see happen in airport. Because it looks odd it captures your attention and you remember it more.

·         What mood or feeling do you have when you look at this artwork?

I feel happy when i look at this piece because the unified dancing brang together the individual people and gave a neighbourly feeling to it.

Interpretation(What does it mean? What feelings do you get?)

·         What is the theme or subject of the artwork?

The theme of the artwork was normal people at an airport and dance breaks the individual groups causing all the people to come together and dance.

·         What is the artwork about; what do you think it means?

I believe the art was about unity and being neighbourly to those you meet.

·         Why do you think the artist created this artwork?

I think the artist created this artwork because he wanted to show the different types of people and stories that are at a public place like a airport and have them all dance together to represent unity throughout the place.

Judgment(Does it have meaning to you?)

·         Do you like or dislike this artwork?

I like this artwork because you can tell so much about each silhouette just form movement rather then appearance but at the same time the different silhouettes play up a bit of mystery too.

·         Do you think this is good art?

I think this is good art because it relates to a general audience with all the different stories behind each person and the different styles of dance, this quality are crucial for the location.

·         Do think it is important art?

No i do not think it is important art because it does not have a deeper meaning behind it, it’s just a fun piece.