“All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.”

Sunset Blvd., directed by Billy Wilder in 1950, is one of history’s most spectacular Film noir classics. This film is packed full of cynicism, sexuality, and mystery: the essence of the French genre. From the opening scene of a dead man floating in a pool, the audience knows they are in for a treat. The main character, Joe Gillis, is doomed to death from the start by his actions and the actions of those around him. Working as a struggling film writer in Hollywood doesn’t exactly make life easy. By happenstance, he stumbles across a rich former silent-film actress who needs a new companion. His decision to stay with the actress past her prime, Norma Desmond, turns out to be the worst decision he could possibly make. This is definitely a film to watch.

I truly enjoyed this classic Old Hollywood film. I never thought I would take pleasure in watching an older movie in black and white, but Sunset Blvd. took me by surprise. Not only was the plot interesting, but it was full of suspense and drama. While Norma Desmond is stuck in her dead acting career, Joe Gillis is just entering his career slump. The characters are extreme opposites but make a great dynamic pair. The difference in their career successes was something that struck me as interesting. Joe feels sorry for Norma because she is too old and still stuck in the lifestyle she wants to have. He treats her as if she’s a sad sight that will never make it in Hollywood again. However, Joe also is starting his spiral downwards. He feels sorry for Norma but at the same time his career is in the dumps. He can’t find work and none of his scripts are good enough anymore. They really are on the same playing field; Norma is just 20 years ahead (and CRAZY!).

This movie portrays the real character of Hollywood. Filmmaking is a cutthroat business and people are willing to deceive others to benefit themselves. There are only a few people you can really trust, and sometimes even these people let you down. One day you’re in, and the next day you’re out. Norma has been out for quite some time, but still lives in her bizarre dream-like life. She believes she is a true star and people around her don’t tell her any different. Although her character is dramatic and pompous, her psychological makeup is by far the most interesting part of the movie. Thus, I will end in one of my favorite Norma Desmond quotes:

“There once was a time in this business when I had the eyes of the whole world! But that wasn't good enough for them, oh no! They had to have the ears of the whole world too. So they opened their big mouths and out came talk. Talk! TALK!”

Rosebud

I thought I learned a lot from the first day of film class, but this last class was packed full of audio and visual filmmaking lessons. There are so many different things that must be thought out before you can just pick up a camera and start filming. There are settings, camera angles, actors/actresses, audio, transitions, and more that must be carefully orchestrated to make a film a success. Honestly, the past class was very overwhelming for me. The thought of having to put so much energy into something that lasts such a small amount of time is crazy. If I wanted, I could go out and film a few scenes with an interesting plot all on one tape. Then I could play it for an audience and feel successful. But without all of the cinematographic elements included, my movie would be a complete failure. The way a movie is filmed and edited really makes the movie. Close-ups and wide shots portray a different and more interesting story throughout a movie. The colorings of different scenes enhance important images and make others turn into background noise. A transition from one scene to the next can be really rough if not planned out carefully. Even though I am still a bit overwhelmed, I am definitely looking forward to learning more about how to turn raw footage into a high-quality film.

I am also looking forward to our next assignment: putting together a short 2 minute film with random clips centered around certain mood words. This task is also pretty nerve-racking for me, but I am ready to face the challenge. This will be the first time that I have created my own “film.” In high school, I participated in history day competitions and actually made two documentaries about historical events. The process for making those documentaries was a bit scary, but I overcame it with time. With this background from history day, I feel a little more confident about the 2 minute film assignment, or at least working with the computer to create it. Putting together raw footage and attempting to create a certain mood will be pretty tough. I will definitely be getting started soon!

My favorite part of this particular class, however, was the clip from Citizen Kane. I have heard a multitude of wonderful things about this movie, but have never been truly inspired to actually sit down and watch it. The clips shown in class made me want to go out and immediately find this movie. I assure you all I will be sitting down in the very near future, enjoying this classic film with popcorn and friends. And I will discover the true meaning of Rosebud.

Image Revolution

I’ve always enjoyed a good movie here and there. Comedies tend to be a favorite of mine, along with action movies and chick flicks every once and a while. Watching movies takes up time when there isn’t anything else to do or when you just want to relax with friends. It’s a chance to escape from reality and live another person’s life.

The first day of film class was definitely an eye opener. I’ve always viewed film as a common form of entertainment; something that people put their time into for fun. But there are so many people who have put thousands of hours and all their energy into enhancing the capabilities of film throughout the past 100 plus years. Seeing some of the first films in class last week revealed an entirely new side of film to me. It started as something so revolutionary and ingenious and has turned into a form of entertainment that many of us take for granted.

Movies used to be shot from the angle of an audience in a theatre so that the viewers would feel like they were truly watching a show in a theatre. The idea of a close-up was unheard-of during the early stages of film. The audience had never been that close to the action of a production before nor had the audience traveled away from the setting of a stage.

Some films were even just recordings of scenes from everyday life. When I first watched one of the Lumiere Brothers’ films, I honestly was bored. How could people seriously be entertained by something witnessed everyday in normal actions of life? Why were people exiting a train or the traffic on a busy street so cool to watch? But then I put the entire concept in perspective. The thought of filming people without them knowing was unthought-of. It was ground-breaking. Just the act of watching a film was new to people.

I still can’t even soak in how incredibly innovative and different film was when it first developed. It is something that I have become so accustomed to; something that I don’t even think of as ingenious like I do the Amazon Kindle or touch screen computers. Film is an extraordinary progression of technology; an image revolution. I believe this class is going to be quite a fun ride and I can’t wait to see how my understanding of film enhances throughout the semester.