Lily of the Valley Productions
Short Film: Peaceful Nature!!
For my short film, I decided to go on a little hike and take some videos of nature!! I tend to be overly ambitious when it comes projects with strict time limits, so right from the start, i tried to think more simply. I had wanted to spend some time outdoors, and I used this cinema assignment as an excuse to do this. I drew my inspiration from the Sunday Morning News where, at the end of every program, they "leave you in a peaceful place" by choosing a remote location and taking simple videos of the wildlife and the nature indigenous to that place. I have always loved this segment because if almost transports you to that place. Although I may not have achieved this exactly, I used it as the main idea for my film.
I ran into multiple problems while filming and editing this piece. Firstly, I could only go film on one specific day, and it happened to be raining, cold, and gloomy that day, Although i tried to hide it in my rain jacked as best as I could., the lens of the camera still got a little bit of rain on it, which make the many of my shots slightly blurry. Most of my shots are also shaky partly because my hands are naturally shaky when trying to hold a camera, or any object, still. It was also a lot colder than i thought witch also caused me to shake. Looking back, I probably should have brought a tripod or some other kind of stabling devise that would have talked my keep my shots steady. I also believe that I could have gotten more/better shots if i had more time or if it wasn't raining. I also forgot to take behind the scenes footage once again.
Although I had some problems, I was still able to learn a lot. I had the opportunity to really practice using the color correcting tool, to keep consistency in the color of my shots. I also got to practice using the manual feature of the camera, including manual focus, which in some cases caused my shots to be blurry, but at other times made my shots look really cool.
I learned a lot from this project and look forward to starting bigger projects in the future
Behind the Scenes: Me looking wet and cold from the rain
Scene Critique #2: The West Wing
The season 2 finale of the west wing is centered around the death of president Bartlet's secretary, Mrs. Landingham. In this incredibly emotional scene, the president lingers in the cathedral after the service is over. It takes place, as the name of the episode suggests, in a giant cathedral. The lighting is kept at a pretty natural level and it is supposed to mimic the type of "airy", natural light you would see streaming in through the stained glass windows of an old, gothic style church. The fact that the location is so grand and the lighting is so minimal, only adds to the gravity of this moment, as it is arguably one of the most dramatic scenes in the entire series.
Under emence pressure already(The president needs to decide wether or not to run for re-election by the end of the day), the death of his secretary and long-time friend Mrs. Landingham, serves as a breaking point.
Two Cathedrals Rant
From the first episode of the entire series, President Josiah Bartlet is portrayed as a religious man who, while intelligent and fairly level headed, has a very strong moral compass that drives his actions above everything else. Many of these principals directly from his faith. He loses his temper occasionally but it usually takes the form of outright anger and is directed at the people he works closely with. However, this time everything is different. From the tone he speaks in to his body language, it all suggests something much bigger is happening. For the first time in the whole series, we see Josiah Bartlet lash out at none other than God himself.
We see Bartlet looking clearly distraught after the funeral service and expect him to spend a few extra minutes to mourn the loss of a loved one, but are surpised when the first words that come out of his mouth are "You're a son of a bitch, you know that?". This grabs the viewers attention and sets the stage for what is to come next.
The president than begins to outline the massive losses that his friends and administration has had to deal with, and how God seems to be nothing more than vindictive. he makes connections to the first episode of the season in asking God if "Josh Lyman was only a warning shot"(I love this line, because in the first episode of the season, Josh gets shot in a failed attempt on the president's life. This, in my opinion, shows just how AMAZING the writing in this scene)
The scene also resembles flashback scenes of Bartlet in his school years. This is the time of his life where he met Mrs. Landingham, who, in those years, taught him the very principals he holds so dearly. For example, he utters multiple lines of his speech in Latin, and in the last few moments of the scene, Bartlet lights a cigarette, throws it down and crushes it to the cathedral floor.
Apart from the story line, the cinematography of this scene is amazing. Throughout the entire scene, the character walks slowly, closer and closer to the front of the cathedral (possibly symbolizing the closeness of the character to God in that moment.) and the camera uses many different angles to give the viewers a sense of this place and this movement. There are multiple shots showing the depth of field and the perfect symmetry of the cathedral, almost as if it is symbolizing the conception of religion and of the divine, while also standing in stark contrast to what the character is thinking and saying. In some of the shots it seems as if we can even see through the characters own eyes.
While this scene is astonishingly simple, it is this simplicity that makes it so powerful. It allows the audience to connect with the character on a completely different level, and even experience the same intensity of emotion as Bartlet is feeling.
As a teenager, Jed's father tells him that people should not be smoking in the cathedral
To spite God and the memory of his father, The president smokes a cigarette in the cathedral and leaves the used butt on the floor.