Blog 1a

I am the kind of creative person who wants to create works that both move and inspire people. The kind of thing that sticks with people, and unconscious becomes a part of there style. That is the way to last with someone forever. Many creative people have influenced me as a creative person. There are three that come to the forefront of mind however that have especially influenced me. They are the Coen brothers, Stanley Kubrick and Stephen Spielberg. 

The Coen brothers have been writing there own scripts for their films since the start of their career. This has given their movies a unique style, not the usual Hollywood formula. Not every plot line is resolved in a Coen film, and many times we don’t the certain fate of some characters. If too much is wrapped up though then the film can start have that formula feel. The trademark of almost all of the Coen’s films though is the dark comedy which they employ. I take this scene from the Coens breakthrough film Fargo as a perfect example of how Coen’s perfectly mix darkness with humor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qWFhDvURLg. Many people are killed in Fargo. The humor however is a great release to the tension of all the killing. The wood chipper scene also shows how the Coens used tension and release. As Marge is slowly coming around the corner we kinda see someone doing something, but we are not sure yet. Then Marge, the police officer tries to scream at him but he can’t here him. This ads to the tension and it is released once he starts to run away, because it is then we know Marge will triumph. This is just one example of how tension and release is used in Fargo and in the Coens film. The main thing that watching Coen brothers films have taught me is to always and try have your own style to thing. That is something I have admired about their films. They have their own unique feel about them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhXJcfczNIc . This scene is a great example of Subjectivity and Objectivity.  For the entire film we have seen Anton (the customer) killing people meaninglessly and for no reason.  When one just looks at the scene objectively we see a gas clerk and Anton talking, and Anton telling him to flip a coin, and when he says what he has to gain from the coin flip he says everything. What does he mean when he says everything? Objectively it could be money, his business or some secret. When one looks at this scene subjectively one can see that it is fate that rules this scene. Anton says You know what date is on this coin? 1958. It's been traveling 22 yrs to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails, and you have to say. CALL IT"". Fate is the subjective thing that can be drawn from this scene, and is one of the scenes of the film. Anton is saying how it is fate that the coin is here that it was meant to be here. Themes are the greatest aspect of Coen brother movies. 

When I get out of school my main ambition is to become a director of photography. When it come to cinematography one director come to mind as a great source of inspiration. Stanley Kubrick, often considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. His films are marked by the great craft each shot has and by the stark reality on which Kubrick presents. I take this scene from one of Kubricks most well known films http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFVyAjj3Bs0&feature=related. The tracking scenes with Danny on the his bike were considered groundbreaking at the time of the films release, and visually the entire scene is expertly crafted. The scene is also is a great example of contrast and affinity. When Danny first comes around the corner we see the girls saying come to come and play. This image is disturbing all in its own and very weird. To fill on the context there is not supposed to be anyone in the lodge besides Danny his mother and father. As they say come play with us we suddenly see an image of the two girls bloody bodies on the ground, with an axe by it. Then flash back to a less intense image of the two girls saying come play with us. Then flashing back to the girls saying come play with us Danny it then flashes back to the bodies two more times before it ends. This is standard work by Kubrick, who is a master at these things.