Thursday, March 3, 2016

SAM: A COSMIC DEFENDER Logline/Treatment

Logline:  A young boy in Dallas, TX opens his imagination and finds his solitude in drawing cartoons.

Treatment:  Told in an observational poetic style, the documentary will feature interviews of Sam, voiceovers, interviews of his friends, images of his drawings, shots of him in action, and behind-the-scenes footage of him making films.  The mood will be lighthearted, wacky, and fun mostly.  It will show the beauty of imagination and show the importance of childlike love for the strange and unique.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Wolfpack

       Imagine never going outside.  Imagine if you never went out of your house when you were a childhood.  What would you do with your time?  Would you want to go outside?  Would you care?  That's exactly the scenario of The Wolfpack.  The Angulo family lived in a worn down apartment in New York City.  The parents homeschooled their kids and never let them go outside, and their only glimpses of the outside world were through their window and the things they saw in movies.  They claimed to own thousands of movies, and they spent their time watching and recreating them with their homemade props.
       In its fly-on-the-wall style, the documentary offers a glimpse into their lives every day and delves into their flaws, their struggles, their yearnings, and their development as a family and as individuals. In the second half of the film, the filmmakers follow the older boys of the family outside, and the film chronicles their adventures in the outside world.  At its core, the film is not just an interesting story about a family who is different, it's a people study, a study of individuals and how they cope with situations thrown at them, or in this case, a situation that they were born with.
       The film is unusual because the people and the situation are both unusual as well.  One still cares for the characters and wants to see them succeed with their wishes, whether those wishes include being free, making a movie, or stopping their dad's alcoholism.  The cinematography isn't anything to feast your eyes with, but thats not the point.  It's supposed to look in-the-moment and real, which one can assume it is.  They managed to capture some pivotal moments in these boys' lives, and it shows on the screen.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

French New Wave Film Background

     I had the idea for this film earlier this year.  The french new wave has been influential to my style for a long time, and I love the thematic elements of the plot lines.  Growing up in a private school community, I relate to the main character when he skips school, preferring death to conforming to society.  The story is classic; boy makes bully jealous, picks a fight, wins at the last minute.  It seemed like it would work perfectly with the situation I had.  The situation is similar to The 400 Blows.  He skips school to do something he shouldn't be doing: playing hooky.  His motivation is to prove himself, and the fact that he probably gets a kick out of ditching his teachers.
Bob would see his shiner as a token instead of a blemish.

Monday, September 14, 2015

The Prestige

     This film really effected me because of its story, the way it told its story, and its visual mood.  It's told in nonlinear fashion, which can confuse the viewer, but it also makes the ending a complete surprise.  The subject matter, science being magic of the modern age, is intriguing and original.  The turn of the century is the perfect time period to fit the theme, and it sets the perfect dark and mysterious mood.  All of the elements are well done and they fit well in the film.