Artistic Responses

ARTISTIC RESPONSES

Overall (+ Sound) - 传家之宝

Here are my observations, commentary and artistic response to the Chinese film 传家之宝 by Chih-Ning, Juliette, Ocean and Trystin. I noticed there were lots of handheld shots. During the introduction, there was a nice vignette and shadows to indicate the main character's dejected mood from being fired. The shots in the auditorium were really ominous and used shadows really cleverly, especially featuring the woman's silhouette in shadow. During the opening, the music was a bit distorted and tinny, but it seemed almost intentionally imitating a German film, and the authentic sound was good and the voiceovers were smooth. I really enjoyed the use of the clock ticking during the sofa scene. During the same scene, there was also a nice use of framing with the candles in the foreground and sofa in the background. Then the tinny music transitioned to a traditional noir jazz when Linda Lee came on screen. In the office scene, the highlighter on the page stood out really nicely, even with black and white. However, the foley when the main male protagonist stepped in the foyer was a bit out of sync. There were really smooth and interesting transitions, especially with one across the screen that showed the room number and their heads moving across. The plot twist was really awesome, and the Chinese aspect of it was really admirable; I really applaud their English subtitles and having a Chinese teacher cast. The variety of shots and mise en scene was really varied and intriguing, and you can tell the amount of effort that went into the film.

Overall (+ Sound) - Twenty Sixteen

Here are my observations, commentary and artistic response to the political film Twenty Sixteen by Jamie, Karuna, David and Gio. During the opening scene, there was patriotic music, which set the ambiance for the ensuing political scene. However, he mise en scene during the introduction slightly confused me as the patriotic music didn't really match with the natural foliage shot, and the foliage shot didn't really link to the plot, but the shot was undoubtedly nicely framed. The sound levels were relatively stable all throughout. The high contrast table shot had good cinematography and depicted him in shadow while the good woman was illuminated in light. The low-key noir lighting was nice during a tight shot of this face talking for the first ten or so seconds, but the longer it went the more I thought they could have spiced up the shot, maybe with the sound or by changing the shot. I thought the inspirational music fitted the mood during his press conference. Additionally, the office shot with mirrored lights in the background was very visually interesting, but I wasn't sure how it enhanced the mood or imagery of the film. Sometimes I could tell the mic was too far away so the sound changed from scene to scene, but overall it was relatively consistent. I liked how the dark shadows and gloomy lighting in the home alluded to the mundane relationship between the politician and his wife. Cinematography going up the stairs was really nice, however, the exposure was a bit unpredictable during bits in sunlight. The sound with the wife slapping was slightly louder than necessary, there was a bit of lack of music and the static levels varied from the voiceover to sound on site. The mise en scene in the crowd scene was really good, choosing a small room with a crowd of people to make it seem more packed rather than a half-hearted auditorium scene. The editing seemed to find its way as the film progressed, especially during the montage of the protagonist and femme fatale.