Jack Oberli's Blog

 While there were many avenues, we could have pursued in how we implemented acting in our Fascination Project, we ended up deciding to go with a classical approach. Or at least that was the theory at first.  We started by having a set script and wanted that to be the dialog in the final cut. However, we quickly realized how difficult that could be with the time constraints we had. In order to go the Classical acting route, we would have to know the script in and out. The reality was that we just weren't going to be able to pull it off with the time we had. That's besides the fact that not only do you have to remember the script, but we would also have to time all the lines together. This is when we made a pivot to a more Method acting framework. We had specific lines that we felt were funny and were must haves. We had each character's personalities worked out, so as long as it stayed on theme, we began to go a more structured improv route. We just used the heart of our writ...

 Our Fascination Project revolved around being a goofy sports comedy. We also wanted to incorporate some elements of the films we have watched in class. We found that Wes Anderson's style would mesh well with our Will Farell inspired plot. When writing our film, we wanted to include dialog that seemed as if it would come out of a Farell film. Naturally this led to a lot of screaming and belittlement. A common dialog theme Farell encompasses is very rash comments that lead to overreactions. We took a lot of inspiration from "Kicking and Screaming" and "Semi-Pro". As far as our cinematography goes, we tried our best to show off some of Anderson's iconic shots. Some of the highlights being a symmetrical walk-off, a top-down shots and over the shoulder views. Since the majority of our film takes place with the characters sitting down at a table, these shots allowed us to maintain some movement to prevent any stale moments. 

 I can say confidently that creating our Fascination Project was one of my favorite college projects I've done. It was a blast to write and film. On top of that it was really cool to take different film strategies into account in order to express ourselves. At first, I thought this may be a difficult project to get done. However, it was actually pretty smooth sailing. Our group glued together really well, and we all had similar visons for what we wanted to incorporate into the film. The only hard parts were finding the time to meet and then actually limiting the amount of content we put in the film so that we could finish on schedule.   

 Miranda July's "Me, You and Everyone We Know" is an intriguing indie film. It embraces the awkwardness of life in particularly in human interaction. While its sometimes very cringy to the point when it can be hard to watch, it's important to view this film with a comedic lens . I found that this July's piece much easier to take in and its value became clearer. One of the major strong points this film hold is it's acting. The film had a low budget, and you won't find any big names but that works in its favor. Not recognizing the actors adds to the realism July worked to make. The actors overall were very believable and made their actions seem rational to their character. They encompass the dry humor this film is built upon. As stated before, it's important to think of this film as a form of comedy. There are some serious awkward moments and relationships throughout. You can't take the film seriously in these situations. You just have to embrace it ...

 Sofia Coppola's rom com "Lost in Translation" takes on a melancholy theme to the genre. It uses changes of tempo and character contrast to build a large part of this theme. While not overly hilarious it does have its charming moments both in mix ups fitting in with Harris attempting to fit into Japanese culture and interactions with Charolotte.      As alluded to before, Lost in Translation is designed to be slower film. I believe that this largely plays to the pieces advantage. Harris is supposed to be going through a midlife crisis and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. While this may lead some to completely blow up in panic, Harris goes the other route and lulls out of caring. Meaning the slowness of the plot adds to the dullness Harris is feeling in his life. Of course, this begins to change when he meets Charlotte, but all the same their love is more romantic friendliness than overly passionate which ties easi...

 When thinking about Jordan Peele, his work in the skit comedy series "Key & Peele" often comes to mind. However, Peele's work "Get Out" could not be further from a slap stick comedy. Instead, "Get Out" is filled with thrills, horror, anger and complex social dilemmas.     Peele's use of emotion is near perfect in this film. You see a great contrast in this emotion between Get Out's protagonist, Chris, and the Antagonist, the Armitage's. Chris commonly swears and shows his stress through smoking and his quips. While the Armitage's seem eerily kind and accommodating. Of course, this closely comes to an end. During the turning point of the movie, Peele signifies the twist by implementing conflicting emotions in the characters. You see this is in Georgina as she has a gleaming grin yet begins to shed a tear. Then Walter snaps from being joyous with the Armitage's guests to hysterically crying and screaming at Chris to run. Lastly, ...

 Pan's Labyrinth is a film that leaves you thinking for hours after it's conclusion. There is so much to mentally unpack you may not fully grasp what Del Toro portrays in the film until you really reflect on it. This is in no means a knock on the film. Leaving the viewer with something to think about just expands the impact of the film.     Another one of Del Toro's signatures that really shows in "Pan's Labyrinth" is his monster creation. This is both through their physical cosmetics and background. In a time dominated by CGI, it's refreshing to see how this lightly older work used a majority of animatronic and costume design. This creates more of a connection between our protagonist, Ophelia, and the creatures because they are actually next to each other. Pan's Labyrinth seemed to borrow a creature design theme from Del Toro's "Hell Boy". In both, the monsters are created to be ugly and uncomfortable to look at, even the monsters on the...