You should be well past the initial stages of pre-production for your Culminating Blockbuster.  I expect to have been presented with everyone's elevator pitch by the end of tomorrow's class (why wait, let's get them done today!).

Here is the second part of your Culminating Blockbuster that covers all the expectations and rubrics for production and post-production.  

Please stay focused and on task.  The time will slip by faster than  you think.

Only two and half weeks of school left before the break.  We need to get moving ;)
Today, we are going to take a look at the role tone plays in movie making (you will need this handout to help guide your learning).

We will be starting our day by listening to this brief audio clip, and discussing the role music has in helping set the tone for a movie.

Your last assignment (before you complete your culminating) for this year, is to take one of the movies that you are provided with (take a look at my USB stick) and using your knowledge of editing, trailers, and tone, change the movie's genre.

This is a Level 4+ example using Disney's Frozen:

We have learned that scripting, story-boarding and editing all go hand in hand to tell a visual story (with a beginning, a middle and an end).

For the next few classes we are going to explore how to edit our footage to show not tell.

We will further our understanding of this concept by looking in depth at Steven Spielberg's editing masterpiece, Empire of the Sun.  You will need this handout to help guide your learning (and help prepare yourself for the assignment).

Today, we will begin the awesome journey that is your Course Culminating Movie Assignment.  While we are only 50% finished this course, you have enough experience and a large enough skill base to get started with your pre-production.  The final film will be due in the middle of January, but as you know from your first few assignments, planning, shooting and editing take a lot longer than you think.

This is the first package of handouts that you will need to Build Your Blockbuster.

Three excellent resources for you to expand your learning (and to go beyond what you have been taught in class):
IndyMogul
​Vimeo FIlm School
Film Riot

You can also find downloadable assets at Detonation Films

As you work on your masterpiece, take the time to reflect on a few of these quotes from famous directors.

Auteur theory argues that a film’s creative vision and complexity can be credited to the director. Since such a theory implies that actors and other crew members working on the film are of little consequence, the theory remains hotly debated and criticized.

This website should help you as you explore your director's "style"...remembering that you should be well on  your way in writing your overview and producing your homage.

This is an interesting homage to Quentin Tarantino's style involving spaghetti and meatballs :)

As you are engaging your brains, and shifting your creativity into over drive, here is something to inspire you (especially if you were ever considering doing a frame by frame remake of your favourite scene/video).

Surely, you remember Carly Rae Jepsen's "other hit", "I Really Like You" from 2015...
​

Toronto band Little Junior liked the song so much that they painstaking remade the ENTIRE video frame for frame.  To top it off, this was all done in one marathon 20 hour session.

This is what it looks like side by side:

It's finally here :)  Aside from your Culminating Assignment (which you should be thinking about...), this should be your favourite project this semester.  Your task over the next week is to choose any appropriate video from the 1980s and re-imagine and recreate it in your own vision.  Just like the 1980s, the video is as important (if not more) than the music that is is representing.  

A few sources to check out:
The Best 80s Music Videos (according to Billboard Magazine)
A Comprehensive List of 80s Videos
​Searchable Lyrics Database

​Assignment Sheet w/ Checklist

What does this have to do with film studies?  A lot of very famous directors got their start making music videos.  Who knows, maybe one day we'll all look back at your project and reminisce about where it all started! 

This is what a little bit of creativity, and the skills you've learned so far this  year, can make :)

How is your Paddington bad lip reading coming along (due  Friday)?  Need some inspiration?  This is probably THE best example I have ever seen ;)