"We Didn't Need Dialogue. We Had Faces!"

Sunset Blvd. It is a slightly depressing story of a delusional silent movie star who has fallen from the top.  The “talkies” had taken over Hollywood and Hollywood left her behind. But to Norma Desmond she was still big “it’s the pictures that got small”.  

She refuses to recognize the state of her career.  In class we were discussing the themes the movie represented.  There was a lot of talk about the film showing how tough the movie business is, but to me the main theme was about disregarding reality and living in the past.  Norma was so lost in her own world that she had no sense of what was real.  She was the star of her own private show.  This film revealed the dangers of denying reality.  If you do, you’ll be crazy like Norma. 

In addition, the people who supported Norma’s delusions were living in a false reality themselves.  They went to great lengths to protect a woman from the truth when the truth is exactly what she needed.  For example, Joe and Max played along with her charade and, in turn, became a part of it.  In a house with no locks, they were trapped, feeding her sickness. Norma made sure of this because “no-one leaves a star.” There leaving would be proof of how far she had fallen.  As Joe puts it, she was a sleepwalker, and you can’t wake a sleepwalker because they may hurt themselves.  The people in her life walked on eggshells so that she wouldn’t have to face reality.  The few times she was forced to see reality, Norma tried to kill herself. The saddest part of this is that if she were to commit suicide she would have few mourners. Her fans had left her. 

In the end, Norma truly lost it.  She was trapped just as Joe and Max were. But she finally got her moment in front of the camera, even if it was for the news and she was heading to the psych-ward.  Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It was the first film noir movie I had seen. I am not one to like older films, but this one surprised me. I think it was the eccentric characters (Norma especially).  This film had opened my mind to older films.  I see the quality in these movies and am now inspired to watch some other older, classic films. 

Behind the Scenes

The featurettes on Star Wars and The Lord of the Ring exhibited some captivating aspects of film.  The Pre-Viz part of production was something I knew nothing about.  It was strange to see the movie portrayed in that manner.  I was amazed at the graphic designer’s ability to turn a storyboard into something so complex.  Many of the scenes from the pre-viz were actually copied for the film. Though learning about the pre-viz process was fascinating, the thing that was truly impressive was how those who worked with the films sounds found the accurate sounds for the movie.  If I were to work on a set this is the job I would want.  It seems to be the most enjoyable job in the process.  It was amazing some of the things they came up with to make the sounds they needed.  I had no idea it was necessary to hand make the sounds in movies; in all honesty, I never gave much thought to the sounds at all. I guess I took it for granted. And while I’m commenting on sound, who knew that a horse could sound so ferocious? That was perhaps one of the most surprising sounds they collected.  All in all, I enjoyed seeing the ins and outs of film production and value film even more. Now the credits rolling across the screen aren’t just random titles and names; I actually understand what they mean.

I’m just now realizing how much goes into producing a film. From writing the screenplays, creating storyboards, and filming to hours of editing, and making soundscapes.  I must say that I appreciate filmmakers much more now; it’s impressive.  But learning all the technicalities regarding producing a film has made me more apprehensive about generating my own short film. It will surely prove to be a feat. One of the most time-intensive elements of filmmaking appears to be editing. At least, I know this will be the part that will prove to be a challenge for me.  I seldom open the edition software on my computer, much less try to operate it.  It’s will be interesting to see how quickly I can learn to use it. Hopefully the upcoming project will force me to study my program inside and out.  I’m looking forward to learning a new skill that is sure to challenge me, which is something I was expecting from the class.

The First Day

In class on Thursday we talked about the history of film. Film has evolved so much since it’s beginnings and has become an art of innovation. I’ve never thought about film from this perspective; actually, I’ve never given much thought to film at all. Sure, I like going to the movies every once in a while, but I know nothing about the art of filmmaking. I can’t even remember the actors’ names the moment I step out of the theater, much less recognize the use of lighting. Due to my ignorance with regards to the film world, I keep wondering what it would be like to watch a motion picture for the first time. Would I have been the one who screamed and ran out of the theater when a moving train appeared on the screen? I’d like to think not, but I probably would have gotten motion sickness.

I found it interesting to think about what film was “like” when it first came to be. I’ve never thought to compare it to anything because film is just film to me. But when film got its start about a hundred or so years ago people needed something to compare it to. To them it was a moving photo, it was theater, and it was real life. Now I feel that movies are nothing like any of these things. It has changed so much over the years. Now film is not like a photo at all. The things we see in movies are not things we can take pictures of in our everyday lives. In fact, the movie plots we see almost never happen in our day-to-day life. If film was a depiction of real life then I doubt anyone would care to see it. Why pay to see something you can live for free everyday? And film is definitely not theater. We are no longer the distant audience; instead, we are a part of the action. The fact that film has changed this much since it first began is quite astonishing.

I hope through this class I can expand my knowledge of film. The activity we did at the end of class forced me to realize how difficult it can be to pick a subject worth filming while taking into account framing, lighting, and the other endless aspects of filmmaking. By the end of the course maybe I’ll be able to understand these aspects and put them into action. I feel that this course will challenge me in ways that I have not been challenged before, as well as, force me out of my comfort zone.