Video Assignment 101

I assume whomever is reading this is from my FICM course and thus have already a general brief onto what my group and I will be doing for our video project.

     We hope to show a little bit more of KL and incorporate natural light into the video in a creative way. Although length of the shot, video angles and scenes are still in the drawing board as of the time that I am writing this, I will contribute some ideas that we may perhaps be able to use for the video assignment.

Extreme Wide Shot

As an example, we would be able to use an extreme wide angle shot of the city of Kuala Lumpur to establish the setting that it is. It would be very interesting to show KL perhaps during the evening or morning light when the light is warm and not harsh with the twin towers seen in the shot. It would give a feel to the audience of the type of city and setting that the characters in the video would be in.

Medium Shot

A very common shot to use, the medium shot would be used to show Thomas hand gestures and his action when he speaks. It would also be able to show the background of where the character.

Two Shots

A two shot scene from the movie, Ted.

A two shot, as seen in the picture above from a scene in the movie Ted, is an essential scene that will definitely be used in the video assignment to establish a relationship between characters. Although nothing is confirmed as of yet, but this will definitely be seen at least more than once to ensure that the chemistry between characters of our video are properly shown.

    The types of shots mentioned are just possible examples of how we would incorporate some of the different kinds of shot lengths into our video and a taste of what is to come.

Scene locations

     Possible scene locations in my opinion would be as mentioned beforehand, the streets of KL and maybe even a scene at the KLCC park especially since it provides a very good setting with the greenery and high powered fountains there. Aside from that, I think it would be good to have a bedroom scene as well to show Thomas, studying as an introduction to the kind of person Thomas scene. We hope to mix in Taylor's University in it as well along with other locations. But as of now, there is only so much that I can reveal without spoiling the surprise of what is to come. However, we hope that once the video is ready to roll, you guys will enjoy it!

Speedy Process

     I always love a little challenge. Nothing in my opinion beats the concentration power mixed with entertainment needed to play Taboo. The experience is a test to my mind and thought processing to come up with the word fast enough. I've always personally prided myself with at least a pretty good thought processing speed, not great but at least slightly above average. From my personal experience of playing the game, I found that the best way to be good at it is to approach it with a creative, critical mind. Once I see the word that I'm to explain, I immediately attack it from all angles as to how I can describe it as simple and quickly as possible. The game is immensely satisfying if done well.

     While watching everyone play the game, I found out that it was a good way to observe the amount of teamwork everyone has. There are those who under pressure to win forget to have fun with the friends is that they're playing with. Competitiveness is always a good thing but at times it reveals how much an individual values winning over overall team achievement.

     Aside from Taboo, I also enjoy a good board game that tests your vocabulary bank. It is of course Scrabbles. Always a very interesting game, I find that it is a very good opportunity to practice how fluent I can make my words and diversify my vocabulary range while at the same time thinking up the best strategy as to which letters I should keep in hopes of making a really big point winning word.

     Games, although often thought of as a PS3 or Xbox 360 when first mentioned take many forms. Board games in particular are perhaps one of the most productive form of games there are today. Unfortunately, the majority of youths these days are more interested in electronic gaming consoles than a good ol' board game. It is my hope that board game however will always have a role in our society and it's entertainment.

Paperboys

'Paper, paper, get your paper!'

     Paperboys, newsboys, normally thought of as a shabby dressed 10-16 year old youth standing by the corner of a street exclaiming at the top of their lungs that a fresh batch of papers were just off the press and ready to be sold at a penny each. A popular job during its era because it was the first paying job available to young teenagers, sightings of paperboys now are becoming rarer and rarer. While the typical paper boy is almost non-existent in Malaysia, labor laws have now prevented many youngsters from taking up the romanticized role of a young boy standing in the morning cold with his vapor breath following every word he speaks.

     In the modern distribution of newspapers today, paperboys have now evolved into mostly vehicle equipped young adults. In reality the image is much more different. One does not need to brave stray dogs, or the bitter cold with only a sweater and a scarf.

     While the paperboys of today has changed with times and are no more as we imagine them to be, the image of a boy braving the cold by the corner of a street or on a bicycle will always have a place in popular culture.

Delicatessen

     A mind boggling attempt at understanding it. While at first sight it would seem as if this movie is a hysterical and abstract piece of work that I will never grasp, I was proven wrong by the time the credits played. The movie is revolves around a group of tenants living in an apartment together in a post apocalyptic France. Led by a butcher named Clapet, it is made to seem that the movie is about a group of tenants with a butcher as a leader trying desperately in a bid to survive the harsh world of a torn and worn France. The time line is never mentioned but the vehicles and architecture of the buildings implied an apocalyptic world set in the 1960's.

     Louison, an out of job circus clown discovers an ad for a job opportunity on the Hard Times newspaper that was posted by Clapet, the butcher. Enthusiastically, he sets out to the address shown on the ad in hopes of finding a new and stable job. Louison, however, eventually realizes that all is not what it seems.

     Throughout the playing of the movie I was straining my eyes and sending my brain into overdrive mode trying to decipher a hidden meaning behind the scenes. Was it all a metaphor or analogy for something? I did my utter best to try to garner the ultimate meaning behind it all, the absurdity of a butcher who butchers unknowing hopeful job applicants in the aim of selling cheap meat to his tenants. Perhaps the movie never really was a complicated one. In terms of what it's about at least. As far as I could tell, the idiosyncrasies and odd doings of the tenants like the suicidal schizophrenic lady and the spring creaking scene all served as a jolt to our senses. No doubt the elements in the movie were complex but the story in my opinion was no Inception. Either the plot of the movie really is that simple, or I have some serious revising on my critical thinking skills. This is not to say that simple is bad. Nay, in fact it was simplistically a splendid and enjoyable experience for a change as compared to regular traditional Hollywood made movies.

     The diverse characters in the movie along with the interesting post-apocalyptic setting in France made it quite a watch. To put it simply, I found it to be a bizarre, nonsensical yet intriguing piece of work. Certainly not the movie for a vegetarian however.