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Lobok posted:Can anybody recommend books or even videos online that I could watch to understand better the language of film? I'm not interested in making movies, I just want to be able to better understand the thought process behind shots. I do my own armchair analysis but I'd like to speed up my education instead of simply absorbing more movies and winging it. If you haven't already, check out the Plinkett reviews at Red Letter Media are great for this, particularly the Star Wars ones. The guy who wrote them (whose name I can't recall offhand) really gets film as a medium and has a solid understanding of... cinematic grammar.
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Mar 1, 2011 04:05
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NGL posted:If you haven't already, check out the Plinkett reviews at Red Letter Media are great for this, particularly the Star Wars ones. The guy who wrote them (whose name I can't recall offhand) really gets film as a medium and has a solid understanding of... cinematic grammar. I've done the first two actually and haven't yet found the time for RotS.
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Mar 1, 2011 04:12
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Lobok posted:Can anybody recommend books or even videos online that I could watch to understand better the language of film? I'm not interested in making movies, I just want to be able to better understand the thought process behind shots. I do my own armchair analysis but I'd like to speed up my education instead of simply absorbing more movies and winging it. Bordwell and Thompson's Film Art: An Introduction is almost universally used for intro film classes, and if you are starting out you could do a lot, lot worse than this book. Plus, because it is so common you can buy it dirt cheap online used, as thousands of students try to get rid of it each semester. Edit: Also, Hitchcock by Truffaut is always informative and worthwhile, and would allow you to hear two masters discuss all of the choices and thought processes behind just about every Hitchcock film. Like Bordwell and Thompson, it is assigned in so many film classes that there are plenty of cheap used copies floating around online. Edit2: Looks like The audio for the Truffaut interviews are available for free. I'm going to hop on these tomorrow. Voodoofly fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 04:25
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Charles Laughton Directs The Night of the Hunter is the best "how to" for direction. It's the entire film reconstructed from outtakes, but you can see how performances were fine tuned between takes and even hear Laughton directing.
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Mar 1, 2011 04:54
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Film as Film by VF Perkins is one of my favorites. It's short and well organized. Film Directing Shot by Shot by Steve Katz is a terrific, visually-orienting overview of film structure.
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Mar 1, 2011 05:00
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What is the reason for the disclaimer usually found at the beginning of director/actor commentaries on DVD's that are usually along the lines of "The views expressed in these commentary tracks do not reflect the views of the publishing company and are to be considered personal views only"? Was there a specific incident where something was said that prompted the disclaimer for all future commentaries?
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Mar 1, 2011 06:49
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InfiniteZero posted:What is your reasoning for only buying movies made after 2009 on BluRay? Is it just arbitrary? New format for new films?
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Mar 1, 2011 07:18
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What would be a good resource for someone who knows very little about film to start learning about cameras, film, and cinematography? Basically I want to know why different movies look the way they do.
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Mar 1, 2011 08:35
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Alris posted:What is the reason for the disclaimer usually found at the beginning of director/actor commentaries on DVD's that are usually along the lines of "The views expressed in these commentary tracks do not reflect the views of the publishing company and are to be considered personal views only"? Was there a specific incident where something was said that prompted the disclaimer for all future commentaries? I'm guessing it's just a standard cover your rear end thing, but if it's not I'd like to hear the story too.
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Mar 1, 2011 16:53
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While watching E.T., I just noticed that when Elliot's mom drags him away from E.T., he's screaming "You don't know him! You don't know him!" Ray Winstone shouts this exact same thing about Indy in Crystal Skull. Does this happen in any other Spielberg movies, or is it just a coincidence/pointless callback?
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Mar 1, 2011 16:58
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Jay Dub posted:While watching E.T., I just noticed that when Elliot's mom drags him away from E.T., he's screaming "You don't know him! You don't know him!" Ray Winstone shouts this exact same thing about Indy in Crystal Skull. Does this happen in any other Spielberg movies, or is it just a coincidence/pointless callback? Maybe Spielberg is a big fan of trashy daytime talk shows like Springer, Montel, etc. That phrase comes up a lot.
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Mar 1, 2011 17:05
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Lobok posted:Can anybody recommend books or even videos online that I could watch to understand better the language of film? I'm not interested in making movies, I just want to be able to better understand the thought process behind shots. I do my own armchair analysis but I'd like to speed up my education instead of simply absorbing more movies and winging it. Bobfromsales posted:What would be a good resource for someone who knows very little about film to start learning about cameras, film, and cinematography? A good book for both of you is Sidney Lumet's Making Movies.
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Mar 1, 2011 17:11
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scary ghost dog posted:A good book for both of you is Sidney Lumet's Making Movies. Thanks. Gonna recommend this to my friend too as he wants to learn how a movie comes to be. And thanks Voodoofly for the textbook recommendation. I've got a friend who went to film school so maybe he has it or something like it still lying around. (And if you're wondering why I simply didn't ask him in the first place it's because he's halfway around the world.) penismightier posted:Film Directing Shot by Shot by Steve Katz is a terrific, visually-orienting overview of film structure. Saw this one in the book store actually. Not completely sold on it because it looked like a lot of sketches rather than real examples, but I'll check it out again. Lobok fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 17:15
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My BR upgrade plan is pretty much this; except my very favorite stuff, i'm not allowed to buy a BR of something I have on DVD until i get rid of the DVD. I've already sold off about 25% of my DVD collection. Stuff I don't own on DVD i have free reign on. My very favorite stuff I can buy freely, but much of it is either not available on BR yet or I have a special edition that you can't get on BR. I was really annoyed to discover JJtrek's SE isn't available on BR anymore.
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Mar 1, 2011 17:45
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penismightier posted:Can we officially declare Ed Wood the best Tim Burton movie? Not while Pee Wee's Big Adventure exists! I actually still need to see Ed Wood
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Mar 1, 2011 18:16
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Lobok posted:Thanks. Gonna recommend this to my friend too as he wants to learn how a movie comes to be. I thought about it again. Hitchcock by Truffaut is still the single best book I can think of to understand film (from many different angles). But if you can grab a book from your friend, do it. It sounds like you are already learning on your own, so any book will help strengthen your own appreciation. If you disagree with the book, just go to the next chapter. quote:Saw this one in the book store actually. Not completely sold on it because it looked like a lot of sketches rather than real examples, but I'll check it out again. Katz is a great writer. I'm not sure I've read this particular book, but I've read a few excerpts from books of his before, and all were worthwhile (gotta love those old xeroxed college book readers stealing from everywhere). scary ghost dog posted:A good book for both of you is Sidney Lumet's Making Movies. This is a great book for anyone who wants to understand the process of making movies, or who wants to read a great book. I definitely second. Only reason I left it off was it looked like the first person wanted more of a theory book. Again, though, I'm sticking with Hitchcock by Truffaut as the best book to read. I still think of passages from that book all of the time when I think about movies. Plus, they are both funny guys.
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Mar 1, 2011 18:22
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In response to all the Blu-Ray stuff on the past few pages: If a movie (new or re-release) comes out that you want on Blu-Ray, check half.com for it. In the store they're always stupidly expensive (25-30 dollars), but usually you can find sealed copies on there for 12-15 bucks (the price of a normal DVD).
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Mar 1, 2011 19:09
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Power of Pecota posted:Not while Pee Wee's Big Adventure exists! I actually still need to see Ed Wood I have seen Ed Wood, and while I liked it, it pales in comparison to Pee Wee. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E88HEuwInno
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Mar 1, 2011 19:15
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Twin Cinema posted:I have seen Ed Wood, and while I liked it, it pales in comparison to Pee Wee. You are wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZbLFXqhbQM
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Mar 1, 2011 20:32
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Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is great, but Ed Wood and Big Fish are Tim Burton's best films.
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Mar 2, 2011 01:08
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I refuse to believe that any of this is true.
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Mar 2, 2011 01:36
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Twin Cinema posted:I have seen Ed Wood, and while I liked it, it pales in comparison to Pee Wee. My favorite too. Probably because I saw it at such a young age. Of course there are still some of his I need to see. It could be a movie I'd find dumb if I saw it for the first time as an adult. I have a lot of those. Twisted Sister: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbrk3yhNpo The Dream: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7kw0WiUB5c I saw this movie as a four year old. I still haven't fully recovered. Francis is the real devil. Zogo fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Mar 2, 2011 |
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Mar 2, 2011 06:15
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m0therfux0r posted:In response to all the Blu-Ray stuff on the past few pages: Is there any sort of promotion or deal to get free shipping? Otherwise, the added price of shipping really only makes it even to Deep Discount, Amazon or Wal-Mart.
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Mar 2, 2011 06:42
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Definitely Ed Wood for me. I've never got the love for Pee Wee, largely because I'm from the UK and have no real affinity for that character so it's somewhat lost on me. 'Ed Wood' feels like the only time Burton made something that wasn't 'Tim Burton'. Seeing as he's gone back to the well so many times I wonder how he feels about that film. Thematically it fits perfectly with the rest of his films, but stylistically is massive removed from anything else he's done. I genuinely don't think we'll see anything like that from him again - sadly that College Humour video hit his whole shtick on the head. http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1929453 Can we agree that 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is his worst film? And probably Depp's worst performance.
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Mar 2, 2011 12:45
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DrVenkman posted:Can we agree that 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is his worst film? And probably Depp's worst performance.
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Mar 2, 2011 13:30
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Cerv posted:I'd be surprised if Planet of the Apes didn't top that poll. The worst crime that film commits is that it's staggeringly mediocre. It's bland and soulless yes. But it isn't an affront to Cinema like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I mean really, how do you gently caress that up?
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Mar 2, 2011 13:58
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Red posted:Is there any sort of promotion or deal to get free shipping? Otherwise, the added price of shipping really only makes it even to Deep Discount, Amazon or Wal-Mart. I've never really tried it. You definitely can save money if the movie is brand new- I specifically remember gigantic displays when Despicable Me first came out on Blu-Ray costing like 28-35 dollars depending on the package, and I just checked Amazon, which has it for 28 with free shipping. Half.com has it for around 15 with 3 or so dollar shipping, so that's still a substantial amount of money to save.
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Mar 2, 2011 15:02
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DrVenkman posted:Can we agree that 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is his worst film? And probably Depp's worst performance. So you haven't seen Alice in Wonderland I take it? Ed Wood is great, and the scene when Ed meets Orson Welles in a bar is just brilliant.
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Mar 2, 2011 15:15
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It may not be his best, but my favorite Tim Burton film will always be Mars Attacks!.
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Mar 2, 2011 16:50
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DrVenkman posted:Can we agree that 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is his worst film? And probably Depp's worst performance.
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Mar 2, 2011 17:06
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cheerfullydrab posted:It's more honest to the book than the earlier chocolate factory movie, both in specifics and spirit. It's still a really lovely film though.
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Mar 2, 2011 17:11
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scary ghost dog posted:It may not be his best, but my favorite Tim Burton film will always be Mars Attacks!. Oh! I forgot about that. I do love that film, actually.
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Mar 2, 2011 17:46
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cheerfullydrab posted:It's more honest to the book than the earlier chocolate factory movie, both in specifics and spirit. Oh I agree it is. I'm not even a big fan of the original, but Gene Wilder was loving brilliant. He taps into the idea that to do what Wonka does you have to be just a little insane. There's something dangerous about his performance. It's a shame Dahl supposedly didn't like Wilder in the role, because I thought it would've suited his sensibilities. For his part Depp just...gently caress I don't even know what he was thinking. He basically went in completely the opposite direction. While the Burton version is entirely more faithful, in that it contains moments and scenes from the original book, it's still a mess of gaudy set design, staggeringly bad performances and lacklustre staging. It's nowhere near as 'fun' as Burton seems to think it is. As to the other poster. I'd completely forgotten that Alice In Wonderland even existed. Now I'm just conflicted...
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Mar 2, 2011 18:32
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If Tim Burton produced movies count, then his best movie is definitely Cabin Boy. No one ever seems to agree with me on that one, though.
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Mar 2, 2011 18:45
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cheerfullydrab posted:It's more honest to the book than the earlier chocolate factory movie, both in specifics and spirit. I don't recall the book turning Willy Wonka into Michael Jackson.
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Mar 2, 2011 19:12
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Binowru posted:I don't recall the book turning Willy Wonka into Michael Jackson. He didn't go round quoting Wilde and Shakespeare either.
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Mar 2, 2011 19:28
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What are some first films by well-known filmmakers that are admittedly bad or even disowned? For instance Tarantino's My Best Friend's Birthday, James Cameron's Piranha II, and Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger Lily?.
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Mar 2, 2011 22:19
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codyclarke posted:What are some first films by well-known filmmakers that are admittedly bad or even disowned? For instance Tarantino's My Best Friend's Birthday, James Cameron's Piranha II, and Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger Lily?. David Fincher was upset with studio interference on Alien 3. Stanley Kubrick also wrote off Fear and Desire, his first narrative feature.
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Mar 2, 2011 22:23
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I had no idea What's Up, Tiger Lily was disowned, although it makes sense after watching it with some friends a few months ago. Jesus, that was painful to sit through. If you want to go with a classic, Bill Cosby starred/produced/co-wrote Leonard Part 6 and told audiences not to waste their money on it.
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Mar 2, 2011 22:36
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codyclarke posted:What are some first films by well-known filmmakers that are admittedly bad or even disowned? For instance Tarantino's My Best Friend's Birthday, James Cameron's Piranha II, and Woody Allen's What's Up Tiger Lily?.
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Mar 2, 2011 22:42
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