David Nerlich and Andrew Traucki's 'Black water' (2008)

Unlike other animal attack movies like 'Open Water', 'Lake Placid' and 'Alligator' we are actually more involved with the three main characters and care what happens too them rather then just watching for the gore value. The plot may be predictable with the crocodile being shot with the gun and the 3 little monkey song referring to who dies next as well as the star trek Red shirt fiasco it is still an interesting thriller to watch. This is because it keeps up with the thriller features. Obviously there are cheap thrills like the ear floating amongst the leaves but it still has interesting thriller elements. The action shots when the crocodile attacks are hand held camera movements and fast paced editing, cutting between new and exiting camera angles which is what the audience needs to see. Shots like the under water view help show the crocodiles point of view and give the viewer a thrill on weather the crocodile will attack or not. Coupled with this is the traditional thriller sound track ever reminiscent of the two note sound track in Jaws. Here the Cello and voice overs in the night scenes helps create a deep and foreboding track that adds to the suspense, coupled with growl and chewing noises from the crocodile it creates a hell of a tension build up as the screen flashes as the crocodile approaches and eats its prey.

David O Russell's 'Three kings' (1999)

This was one action movie that I really liked, mainly because it had a lot of action and suspense. Don't get me wrong i still like films like 12 Angry men where all they do is talk, but this film entertained me much more than films like persona. This film mainly interested me I suppose mainly for its relevance in todays society even though the film is set in the first 'invasion' of Iran. Although on another side note this is a predictable Hollywood happy ending movie, and the ending where it recaps over what the solders are up to once they are released from the army is quite stupid and quite frankly did not need to be stated, i mean i did not need to know that Archie Gates became a weapons trainer for Hollywood movies. The thing i liked about this the most is that they help people more than they help themselves. Film wise the shots where alright but nothing really spectacular, same goes with the stunts once you have seen a helicopter shot down in flames you basically have seen them all unless they find a new camera angle in this case it did not. Design wise i think it was all pretty accurate and dressed reasonably well, but what was with the cow explosion and the bell noise when it clearly did not have a bell on??. as well as the weight of the gold, because if you know anything gold is extremely heavy, much heavier than what they make it out to be.

Louise Alston's 'All my friends are leaving Brisbane' (2007)

This film was alright for an Australian drama although thats pretty much all i can say for it. I mean its not the type of film i would go out and watch, there are a couple of things that i liked about the film though. I did like the scrolling names of friends Althea and Michel have been introduced and had a relationship or date with. The beginning of the film i thought has been done many times before with happy snaps of people and friends although i did like the way they got the grainy shots of Brisbane by filming it with a SD camera then projecting it onto a screen and filming it in 16mm and then adjusting the contrast and colour levels later in post because some of the colour information has been lost. The script was mildly entertaining but is still reminiscent of many Australian films. I think that the industry has to start getting more genres out there other than just drama, although i have heard of Black Water and i am wondering if it will live up to expectations. For a low budget film, ( i mean really thats all Australian films are) it was perfect, i mean a bit more money could have been used here and there in the design phase as well as lighting but still the rest of it worked out pretty well, especially since it was filmed on 16mm. As a last dich attempt please can we get some more action packed and non dramatic and high budget movies coming into Australia like the Matrix, Star wars and babe that have been here.

Steven Speilberg's 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (2008)

Because im male and youngish i liked this movie allot, not for its stupid plot line but more for the digital cinematography and the fact that you pretty much belive almost anything they put up on the screen. I mean magnetic crystals that magnetize non ferrous metals and being able to survive a nuclear explosion by being in a lead lined fridge and land on the enemies car is just impossible, not to mention the aliens because that itself is unlikely. The best shot i think in the entire movie is Indiana Jones standing on an embankment and to his left stirs a great big orange mushroom cloud. The little chipmunk things at the beginning of the movie i didn't get but i did get the reference to Indiana Jones and The raiders of the lost ark. I liked the fact that Harrison Ford did all his own stunts as this added to the movie greatly, it would have been worse off if he did not do them at all.

Arthur Penn's 'Bonnie & Clyde' (1967)

I liked 'Bonnie and Clyde' because many opposing moods or tonal shifts, one minute they would be all serious and the next it would be quite comical. Because this was a biopic film it has a linear narrative, this means that it dramatizes the biography of a real person or persons and thus is usually in a cause and effect narrative form making it linear. Like Clyde tries to steal Bonnie's mums car and the effect of this is that they meet. An example of the dramatization that the writers use is in the ages of Bonnie and Clyde, in the film Bonnie is 23 not 19 while Clyde is 25 not 21 and they where armed and ready for the ambush when they where killed. I also liked the way that they use family or friend snaps that play on the background during the films opening. Bonnie and Clyde's blurry, noisy and un-enchanting sepia snapshots of the Barlow and Parker family's play to help create a happy and wholesome mood, that there is no danger, that this is a brief glimpse into their lives before they got involved in the bank robbing industry and pretty much sets the tone for the beginning of the film. The lyrical or dream like sequence thats accompanied by a camera or post effect is also interesting. Its amusing how the homecoming scene is filmed with a red filter to create a misty, soft focused and hazy like appearance that has sort of a faded and haunted look as Bonnie catches up with her family for what will be her last time before she dies as well as gets covered in red blood. I liked the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde because unlike many of the deaths you now see in movies that are usually quite gruesome and chaotic, Bonnie and Clyde's death was cinematically inspiring and abstract, to help highlight their romance and the myths and legendsthat where created around them.

Jasmine Yuen Carrucan's 'Cactus' (2008)

I really enjoyed cactus and its landscapes and cinematography. This film was really beautify shot in the surrounding landscape. The best moment in this film for me was when the sheriff Rosco shoots John in the shoulder then in the chest to replicate the death of Thommo. I did think Thommo's death scene could have been done a bit better as the actor Shane Jacobson kept moving his eyelids and this really did not convince me that he was dead, and i was wondering for the rest of the film if he was not actually dead. The ending was for this film good i loved the way the money was given to the family and we get to see how nice the Eli character was in repaying his debuts, as well as not really finding out who Eli is being sent to and where he is getting dropped off. I also liked the high powered rife as well as the overall use of props and design characteristics. I loved the fact that Eli tried to use what was around him to escape like the bolt in the door and the can lid. As well as this the continuity was excellent sure there will be a couple of errors here and there but for me the roll up on the windscreen clinched it, though it may have moved slightly. As well as this the millage clock was an interesting shot, i got what it was therefore and how it tied into the movie but i was still left wondering what was the point of it. I mean the Km he has to travel is also listed on the map so isn't it a bit of overkill?. As for locations this movie was excellent in portraying the Australian outback and the remoteness of it all.

Ingmar Bergman's 'Persona' (1966)

The film starts off with random close ups and images of a film in a projector as well as random graphic and differing scenes and objects like spiders, needles, a giant face, a lighting system and so on and so fourth. The main idea behind this i think is to make the audience aware that they are watching a film so it is introduced at both ends of the film to reinforce the fact that this is not real. I loved the way that we thought that we where in a morgue to begin with before we realize we are in a hospital of some kind, with shots of bodies under thin sheets of fabric and a hand laying over the side of the bed in a death like pose. I liked how they used the projected image of a face and the little boy to show that we are influenced by the media and that it can be like a mother to us sometimes, just take a look at Bart and Lisa Simpson for example. The lighting in this was pretty well done, in one scene we have a bedside lamp that is lit while it is in fact on a profile light is being spotted from the side off set to an angle to create an interesting oval shape on the wall above the lamp. I also liked the way that they used backlight and side lighting in a scene as well as key lighting for close up shots and mid shots, hilighting the dark recesses and the brighter areas of the human face. When we first see the hospital room it is very cold and lit from a source of light in the ceiling, but this can change for shots when she is on the bed or when she is watching the graphic images on Tv as the light flickers on and off creating an interesting and slightly freakish atmosphere as it is the only source of light. One thing i also liked is when they do a close up shot of the eyes and you can see the light on top of the camera on the pupil to help reenforce that this is a film not life. I don't like the way though at the beach house for interior sences how they use the projected image and large painted scenes to represent the outside, it would have made it much more realistic but more expensive if they actually created the house in the location they filmed the outdoor scenes instead of making the house in a studio environment like you see on Neighbors and Home and Away.

Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Their will be blood' (2007)

I liked this film mainly because its in the thriller genre, i like how it catches the viewers attention with small red herrings that propel the the story line along its course. This can be seen with the character Eli and the character Paul. Here the character Eli is there to distract the audience from Daniel Plainview as Eli appears to be the bad character of the film, but as it progresses we see the tables turn and see who the true evil is. The Paul character also plays a role in distracting the audience as we are unsure if this Paul character is Eli himself until the end when Daniel states that Paul is the better son, although this could be just a made up statement. I liked the cinematography when the oil mill is set on fire and the deadening of noise for the HW character. The oil mill its self is magnificently burnt down, although it is done in stages, i presume that this was done so they could get as many shots as possible and also do re-takes. For this i think that a metal Skelton was used then some sort of combustible gas was pumped throughout the structure to make it burn ablaze when they wanted it too. I loved the beginning of this movie also, with its almost 12 minutes of silence well sound effects not included, and that the first words you actually hear (accompanied by really the first main length of music) is Daniel trying to convince the people that he is a family man, so many years later after he first discovers his own well.The last thing i liked in this film other than the foreboding underscore is the use of cinematic landscapes that show the remoteness in location of the characters even when they are in a populated environment.

Jean-Luc Godard's ' Breathless' (À bout de souffle) (1960), Billy Wilder's ' Sunset Blvd' (1950)

I really didn't get Breathless that much but I did like a few things about it. When Michel steals the car at the beginning of the movie i like how the camera jump cuts to show the passing of time as he drives with out us having to watch it all in its entirety. The one thing that got me on this though is that i swear that there's a random radio cut in the opening scenes as the music either continues without noticing the cut or cuts with the edit point or a bit after it. The thing is too that Godard actually makes Michel address the camera man or the audience and i think from memory that this only happens once which is a weird occurance. As well as this the thing i liked about this movie other than the other Hollywood movies when they film in a car is that for this movie they actually filmed the actor in the car on the road as well as out of the car as he drove by rather than just sticking the car in front of a rear projection screen and filming it that way. This film was also weird in the way it cut randomly or where you would think its not supposed to cut as well as cut to a close up of random objects without giving you any background information. The other thing about this movie it is like the editor did not know what he was supposed to be doing as for one shot the camera is static then begins to move then gets cut after it moves slightly, i thought that in professional circles that this was not supposed to happen. Other errors include the fact that there is little or no continuity what so ever, that dramatic music cuts in for no particular reason especially when its not dramatic at all and that actors are talking then its almost if more than half their lines are cut or we move forward 2 minutes for no particular reason. Lastly the thing i thought was funny is that in one scene the camera man runs into a plant accidently.

Sunset Blvd was a much better movie in terms of pretty much everything. Although we only saw snippets of this movie you could tell that this was much better made. I did like the use of camera flashes and 3 point lighting to create mood in this film as well as the use of a light holder that had four light bulbs in it to light Norma as she descends the stairs. The film is designed in a much better film than the previous one, the fact that the sets are intricately full of props add to its design values. The film also used camera techniques like pull focus and zooming to help create an elaborate narrative. I also liked although it was probbley not done on purpose the use of illusion to create colour in a black and white film. This is done by using small lines that when viewed from a distance the eye places smudges of colour into the white areas. Lastly i liked the beginning of the film the way that they do the credits on the footpath then pan up to cars approaching and manage to pan just as the car passes and then follow the car of into the distance. Because that this is one shot i think it would have been extremely difficult to get the timing right so the camera pans with the car.

Sidney Lumet's 'Before The Devil Knows Your Dead' (2007)

"You may be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows your dead". I liked this film for its use of low key lighting in important areas like Andy's office and the over all tone of the movie in its design and layout. Take for example the drug dealers apartment, here is an apartment with many differing colour schemes, one room is red and Burgundy brown while the bedroom is completely white. The same goes for the bar and its use of greens and dark brown colours. Lighting wise the exteriors are usually high key or slightly overexposed. The adding of white or noise when the gun is fired was also an interesting technique. I liked the way this thriller genre is to use twisting and complex plots, big story lines and surprise ending to capture the audiences attention far better than the normal Hollywood way of gruesome ways of killing people for entertainment. As in this film Andy and Henry attempt to rob a jewelry store later found out to be owned by their parents. This adds a new thriller element as we the viewer do not know what will happen if the parents (Charles) finds out that his wife is dead. I like how some of the characters lifes are threatened because they are involved in a dangerous situation, ie Andy because he is the mastermind of this situation or when Andy fires the scum thats blackmailing him. The way that the characters slowly come into conflict with each other over money, the death of mom, drugs and revenge for past wrongs is also quite entertaining.

Billy Wilders 'Double Indemnity' (1944), Brad Haynes 'Broken Sun' (2008)

Double Indemnity began with a moving silhouette of Walter Neff for the opening titles, i thought that this was an interesting effect for titles because it introduces us to a glimpse of the character and it is an interesting lighting technique with just back light being used, it is this silhouette that is repeated as he leaves Phyllis house for the first time. The opening scene after this was also interesting, because it portrayed the city life at night without using any artifical lighting just the light that was avaliable, the street lamps, car headlights and welding equipment. When Walter arrives in the lobby for the first time i like the use of chirisuro with sharp bright light sources as well as areas of black. This movie also uses the classic desk lamp ideal as the scene is dark until the main character turns his desk lamp on and sits down, this has been done many a time in movies since. Another lighting effect used throughout this movie is the use of venetian blinds and light sources shining through them. in almost every indoor scene this is used, and it creates interesting shadows on the sets as well as interesting effects as the actors move through the beams. Also there is a clever use of dapple as Walter drives from Phyllis Dietrichsons house, here rear projection is used to emulate the car moving while dapple is used to show when he passes trees. Lastly there is the traditional scene with the neon sign outside the window as it rains i thought this was funny as it has been repeated so much throughout the history of film.
Broken sun was another interesting movie as it is tries to emulate the events of 1944 in a realistic portrayal. The beginning of the movie uses some overlay of sepia tone and over exposure in wide shots to try and get the feel of an older photograph. The brightness levels are reduced and everything is more grayer and less colourfull. The best moment in the film for me was when jack is sitting on his bed and an image of his dead comrade appears in grey scale while the rest of the room is in colour, appearing in colour when he lights a match or light hits him. This movie also uses alot of sound effects ranging from crickets, tree movement and gun fire, helping to make the movie more realistic as possible. One thing I did notice about sound in the movie is that it unexpectedly cut from one shot to another, reappearing a few seconds later with no hint of why it wasn't there. Lastly for sound i did like the tone generated that muted the battlefield after an explosion went of nearby, to signify the loss of that tone from the solders ears but also to make the camera more of a POV than just an observer. Another effect that added to this view was the strobing of the shot as the solder breathed heavily, to emulate how scared he was as the fighting continued around him. Differing colour tones where also used throughout the movie, the farm was usually amber or sepia while in the trenches it focused on more dark blues and greys. Harsh lighting also appeared when jack is thinking about shooting himself, grabbing the gun and bullets as the light creates harsh shadows on him and the background. Lastly I did like the plastic broom handle that the wife holds when she is sweeping the floor mainly because these types of handles where not invented yet.

Vittorio De Sica's "The Bicycle Thief" 'Ladri di biciclette' (1948)

This movie uses all natural lighting, maybe a reflector here and there to help light faces when outside. In some inside scenes it is different, they still use the avaliable lighting but this lighting is from ceiling lights or artifical lights that happen to be in the room. The interesting thing about this movie is there is hardly any large plant life anywhere in the whole film just large story buildings with either dirt or cobblestone roads between them. Also evidently there is no OHS as one actor climbs the rack where all the sheets are with out any apparent safety devices. What i liked about this movie was that there where tracking shots coupled with zooms and panning and tilting as well as the use of natural dapple shinning trough the trees. I did not mind the dubbing as it kind of added to the movie in some way so you are aware that its not in English and who really looks at the mouth moving instead of reading the subtitles. If the movie was in English then the bad dubbing would have become more apparent but since it wasn't it was ok to watch. lastly there was an interesting moment when they use rear projection to film the actors in the garbage truck as they interact with each other.

Elissa Down's "The Black Balloon" (2008)

I enjoyed the black balloon for its camera techniques more than the actual movie itself. In one of the opening shots you have Charlie jumping on the trampoline but can only see him when he comes up and in the foreground of the shot is the fence at an angle and blurred. This pretty much what they do through out the whole movie, usually either the foreground, or background is out of focus and in most shots there is a foreground object. The movie also uses pull focus as Thomas is walking down the street at night as well as a crane shot when he is outside Maggie's house. Lighting wise i liked the use of street lamps as a source of light and the use of redheads to simulate strong daylight. One thing i noticed is a small continuity error in one scene Maggie has her hair in front of her ear then it cuts quickly to Thomas for a reaction shot then back to her and her hair is now behind her ear. As a side note i thought that the acting by Luke Ford as Charlie was spectacular he came across well as being retarded and it must have taken a long time to get that perfection. Lastly Rhys Wakefield made a good Thomas and suited and conveyed the role well.

Jean Renoir's "Grand Illusioin" (1937)

This is the first movie that we get to see since starting this course (excluding Forum 6) that has SND or sound in it, this was a very nice bonus. Given the harsh shadows that surround the characters in this movie it is pretty easy to determine where the light sources are coming from. If not all of the sources of light are halogen, and in the office in the begining you can clearly see the three sources of light used to light the set, two from the left at differing angles and one from the right. The fact is that most of the begining part of the movie minus the outdoor segements are lit using three lights or more. In one scene in the beging bar area we have a differing lighting technique, because the background outdoor area has been painted lights are used to create backlight and they shine into the set creating small beams of light through the boards. You can pretty much sum this movie up lighting wise as usualy 3 points of light, never frount light and with backlight and somtimes topical light. The only frount light that i can see in this movie is when they put on the play, here birdies (small lights) are used at the front of the stage to light the actors oh and the search light used when the Boldeau makes his escape diversion. Lastly i found that the sets are usualy not that deep besides when we are in the castle, and that pretty much sums it up.

Stuart Clegg's "Tommy The Kid" (2006), Amir Bar-Lev's "My Kid Could Paint That" (2007), Guilliame Canet's "Tell No-One" (2006)

Tommy the kid is what i thought to be an interesting short film about a boy and his "horse" (bike). This film has all the traditional western shots, side view of the cowboys gun, close up on the eyes in a bandana and ect. The movie i guess has lots of reflectors used in it as well as white balencing to diffrent enviroments as seen in the shop owners window as the outside is basticaly washed out while the inside of the shop is properly in contrast. The scene shot at night uses fluros and has interesting shadows that are cast on the bike possibly from a flood light. Then in the confrountation scene between the husband and wife we get 2 sources of light to side light them while they talk. I thought that this film was really good and it seems that the rest of the audience enjoyed it too especialy when the dog is stolen just like what we see in traditonal films but insted of a dog its a girl in exchange for money.

The next film My Kid Could Paint That diffred alot to all the other films that i had seen and heres my reasons why. This documentry is a one man show pretty much as he both directs and edits and films it. It is usualy shot with a single cam other than the begining that is multicam as there is a second camera on a tripod on the pavement and one in Amirs hands. Most of this movie is out of focus slightly but gets better as time goes on and the camera can be upgraded, in the begining it is not a 3CCD camera and is not HD so it looks fuzzy with alot of noise when the image is blown up for the big screen. In this documentry there isnt much lighting done and is usualy the avalibe light exept when Amir does interviews where red head lights are used to front and side light the people that are being interviewed. An anoying thing in this documentry but that could be the Forums fault is the screwing up of the audio as it pans left for abit then moves back to center then right and back to center again. This got anoying especialy when you are trying to listen to what the people are saying. Interestingly enough the home footage that is snuck into the documentry does not have any audio problems and it is interesting to see that this has been added to the documentry.

What i though that was interesting about this documentry is that in one case the interviewer and the interviewee swap roles and he gets asked what he will do with the footage that he is taking, it is interesting that we get his oppinion and his doubts about if she alone paints these works and how he questions himself. Weird as well is how people preceive things that are not their such as the ever visible doorway in one of her works with the two "figures" that look through the doorway to the blue sky?? i mean seriously do u think she ment to do that on purpose. Also noted is the change in the parents values about money as time goes on and the willingness to prove it is all their daughters work with the "making of ocean dvd" although it is possible that she could have painted them all by herself. Yes her works do differ but what 4 year olds mind doesnt as it grows and changes to its enviroment and values that it is getting taught. Interestingly enough i was surprised to hear malra comment that she needs help and advice on what to do next when she is near her dad, this raises posibilitys that he does help her and just that his wife remains inoccent of that fact.

Tell No-one would have to be my my second choise for fims i liked so like the banquet i didnt write much down or anything at all for that matter because i was too busy watching the storyline progress and keep guessing to what happens and how it happened. The thing that i found interesting was pretty much a simmerlar shot that is used in unfinished sky, where the car rises then goes back down in a dip and commes back up, i thought that was interesting. i did like the reflections of light off the water in the begining scenes, although this is been done to death and will contine to be done thanks to the moon it is still a good effect. Theres not much else i can say other than i seriously liked this movie and would recomend it.

Cristian Mungiu's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" (2007) , Xiaogang Feng's "The Banquet" (Ye Yan)( 2006)

Mungiu's film was interesting to say the least but not one i would recomend, the fetus scene unlike other people i thought was nessesary as both a shock value and to realise just what the action of abortion leads to, the loss of a human life. This movie uses lots of fluro and blue lightng with the exeption of the whiteish halogens that are used when Otilia is looking for a place to dump the fetus and crosses an overbridge that is lit with spots of overhead light, and she moves between them going into areas of light and darkness. Another feature lighting wise is the use of flikering fluroessent lights, helping to show the dingyness of the places and the situation that these two women are in. A trick they also pull that is in common place in movies is lighting the characters through windows to re-create sunlight using redheads and other such lights, somtimes this even means constructing scafolding to get lights placed outside the windows. Compared to other movies this one has really no harsh light, pretty much all of this movie is in soft 5600°k and usualy is topical light in the hotel to represent the fluros above. As a side note in the hotel one shot there is a shot of Gabita with a reflective of the doorway to the bathroom and Otilia dealing with the fetus, this would have to be one of my faverite shots as the set would have to be complete with both celings and four walls or 3 at the most making it hard to hide the camera and still get both characters in shot. Lastly noted is the overbearing sound effects of the tap dripping to create an overbearing mood and re-enforce silence if that makes any sence what so ever. As a side note the funnest thing about this movie is when it burnt out 48 frames before the end of the movie was entertaining to say the least.

The Banquet was one of my faverote movies and as such i didnt write much about it down when watching it so this is peiced from memory, and yes we are all aware that its a take off of shakespeare's Hamlet and yeah i was anoyed that the ending was open to who killed her bit thats the beauty of the movie. One thing that i found encredibly anoying and is one of my only notes is the damn watermark that kept comming up and anoying the hell out of me, seriously that should have been removed or done diffrently although it was probley not a digital version. The best moment of practical lighting in this movie would have to be the use of the so called candle trees that surround the main hall creating little sources of light all around the scene. Another source of light that is less noticable is the light that comes from the top of the camera to light the actors faces, and is seen afew times. The next lighting thing i like is the light that spills from the bathroom or large bath up to Empress Wan's bedroom through a decorative holes in a raised segement of her floor.

Darlene Johnson's "Crocodile Dreaming" (2007) , Peter Duncan's "Unfinished Sky" (2007)

I though Crocodile dreaming was a terrific aboriginal short film, considering it was the only one i have seen it was very good, although i did not like the river comming alive with fire. I know this relates to the traditional fire that aboriginals belive in and look too but the effect on the water for me wrecked the mood and realistic quality of the short film. The colour in this play has also been played with in the opening dream sequence, here the reds and yellows have been toned down to make everything appear blue and depressing, for me i liked that effect although it was most likley done in post. The use of the "sun" as a source of light is also well done as it creates a backlight for the characters while they deliver their lines and can also be reflected onto the actors faces as front light. Fire is also used as another natural source of light, creating interesting flashes and fading of light on characters as well as the background and helps warm the scene.

Duncans film Unfinished Sky is an interesting portrayal between the language barrier and the averade australian. For me this movie was a pretty good australian film, although the lighting in this movie did not show anything i had not seen before. Here we get the traditonal use of torches and lamps as a source of light (coupled with some low intensity background light to give depth). We also see car headlamps being used as a source of light as well to highlight the bike accident as well as the search light the cop car has on it to search for Tahmeena. Off topic the yellow rain jacket that Tahmeena wears when she is first introduced is what i thought to be a contrasting colour to the rest of the begining of the movie, it is the first introduction of a propper yellow to the movie. Now that i think about it another great effect is filming through the heat wave, creating a rippling effect on the camera, although this effect has been done before it was a good portrayal of the australian heat and helps set the tempreture of the movie.

"The cabnet of Dr Caligari" (1920) & Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)

The Cabnet of Dr Caligari i liken to Sweeny Todd, as both these movies have a dark and eariy atmosphere. The thing i most liked about this movie was that it used all crazy lines and shapes as well as large backdrops to create an interesting peice of design work. The first lighting techinque that i like in this movie is the shadows created by the branches in the forest or park that the two characters sit in. Here you get an interesting effect of moving shadows on the actors faces. My next would have to be the lamps that are scatterd throughout the movie, these curved and almost wire like lamps are really an interesting design feature as they both add light to the scene and help with the aesthetic "elegence" of the film. The next notable effect that i liked was not a lighting effect as you would imagine but more of a filmatic effect or processing effect, for dark scenes in the forest and alike they used a process to make the film have a blue tinge quality where as in the town that Dr Caligari resides in it is all sepia tone. lastly on a set note, the use of perspective is really amazing in this film as both the office and the mental asylum use it, in the case of the office the room narrows to a single point while the mental asylums steps disapear into the blackness beyond.

Metropolis like The Cabnet of Dr Caligari also uses perspective, seen in the workers shift change area where there are large arches done in perspective to make them appear to be reall and 3D. To me this is a movie that introduces Neon into the film as a source of "modern" lighting to help light their sets, coupled with this are large halogen lamps that flood the lower reaches of metropolis in a flat white wash of light. Compared to this are the scenes in the offices, here characters are usualy back lit to help create halo effects as well as being surrounded by small sources of light. On the topic of interesting lighting effects my fav would have to be the wheel of lights that the opperator moves the two hands too every time they change. This clock was an interesting peice of design beacuse all the lights had to be able to come on independantly of each other while still being in pairs but being able to come on anywhere on the wheel. This wheel also had another effect where the backing of the face becomes lit to represent the clock in the main office. HEL represents another interesting lighting idea as whe wakes up from her slumber, here understage lighting has been used to light up the glass like runway that she walks down, i thought that this was interesting because of the nice uplighting it gives the character and the beams of light that shoot skyward. Hand held light sources also create interesting effects when used in the caves under the city, here torches and candels are used as a source of light to both help the characters see and add shock value when Maria is being hunted with the torch beam.Lastly the scene that was also interesting was where the curtains in the office move and become shut by themselves thus darkening the scene and creating a more interesting atmosphere, as a side note this was also copied in Blade Runner in Tyrells office.

ulie Delpy's "2 Days In Paris" (2007) "look what the french did to babe"

This movie i thought was interesting especialy with its use of photo montages on the train, down the street, through locations ect, this coupled with the animation theory that you will find your neigbour somewhere on the other side of the world was especialy good. This film also uses lots of natural light in the day scenes coupled with reflectors to light the scene, the same can be said with scenes inside, using the avalible lights and just adding a few lights here and there to help balance the scenes. Backlight is also important as it helps hilight the characters and bring them out so insted of being 2d they have more of a fuller and 3d apperance as well as edge lighting. The scene in the garden outside the parents flat is most likley lit from above with flood lights and the natural light while scenes in the taxi are more probably lit with lights being on the cameras themeselves but turend down to a lower level. In one scene it is lit through the computer screen and no additonal light is added while in another fake moon light has been added. The thing that i found funny in this movie was the series of photos that they use as they drive down the street, this is interesting because isnt the whole movie just one still image after another being just 24 frames a second and comprising of some 138240 frames or pictures for just a meer 96 minuites so in the end isnt it just a less stagerated effect.

Sergei M. Eisenstein's "Bronenosets Potyomkin" ( "Battleship Potemkin" 1925)

I thought that "The Battleship Potemkin" begain with a pretty harsh view in terms of lighting the sets. All the shadows here where high in contrast to the natural light as welll as also being in sharp focus. This movie also sucsessfully uses side lighting or edge lighting to help define the characters faces and create nice tonal qualitys that where not really seen in earlier movies. Because the begining of this film is set on the ship you get large and dramatic light and dark areas throughout the ship, particularly noted is when the ships doctor is standing infront of the open hatchway that is spilling light into the small dark area where he stands. The use of gobo like effects can also be seen in this picture where a grate like gobo is cast over two characters when they are standing outside the ship.
Although this may have not been deliberate in some scenes you get the flicker of light as if the natural light is being reflected off the water and creating moving patterns of light througout the ships galley. The last lighting effect in this movie that i liked was where the mother is pleading to the soilders for the saftey of her baby, all we see is her pleading to the many soilders shadows that fall across her and the steps.

Marc Forster's "The Kite Runner" (2007)

his movie begins with an interesting array of title graphics, these are cool because they mix the english and the afgani text ideas into moving credits. The next thing that i liked about this movie is that their sets in the begining of the movie are full of people, colour and equiptment, contrasting the latter version after the russians invade. Lighting wise this is a reaslistic movie that uses both practical lighting, set lighting and natural lighting though in some cases a reflector has been used to reflect sunlight into the actor to brighten them in the scene or create a backlight for them. The practical lights ranged from lamps to bulb chains and celing lights, this helps create a realistic atmosphere and also creates interesting shadows on the sets. Practical lights can also inclde the fireworks in Amirs party as a sourse of coloured light. In darker scenes edge light is used for optimum surface modeling to show depth on the actor faces. Set lighting meanwhile can be found in interior shots to help create artifical sunlight, floods are placed oustide windows and doors and are hidden from view with opaque glass or shutters, or in the market scenes in L.A. fluro lights are used to simulate light comming in from sky lights. The best scene in this movie lighting wise would have to be the scene in the fuel truck, the only source of light is Baba's watch, lighting the scene in an eairy green while Amir sings himself to sleep.

D.W.Griffith's "Birth of A Nation" (1915)

his movie although long was alright to watch clips rarther than the whole thing. Lighting wise this film dosent really have any advances although there are interesting uses of shadows, explosions and colouring. The exterior shots manily used natural light for the day scenes, with dapple effects being created by trees and the coveradge of the light usualy being evenly desperced. The interior shots also have a wash over them but differing iris levels help give these darker rooms a brighter feel, coupled with the studio or natural light used to light these sets. The scene in the basement is a good use of iris controll because it vinetts the two girls and brings the light level of the room down making it feel dark and secluded from the blacks in the house above. Another use of light is seen in the battle scene shot at night, here random of flashes of light are seen, not as good as what it could have been and more exposions and cannons could have been used.
The colour overlay is also a good use of what can be achived with out colour film to hightlight fire or death. It is particuarly good when used to represtent fire because it helps give the sence of danger and urgency that we dont get without being alble to see the orange and red flames of actual fire. Over all this movie is pretty good for its time but lighting wise nothing substantial was really achevied.

Old Films

We got to see many short films from the begining of the creation of the movie busness and are listed below:
The Eddison Kinetiscope: The Kiss, Serpentine dancer, The Srong Man
These films usualy have a single sourse of light, its usualy topical or a hight front light. This light is interesting because it is usualy sharp focused producing strong shadows. All these movies have been filmed in a studio as such there is no natural light sources.
Lumier's Cinomatagraph: Dragoons crossing, Arival of the Train, Babys Lunch.
Lumier uses natural light for the most part of his films with a great use of shadows in his exterior shots, like the side of the train as it pulls into the station. The Babys lunch is slighty different as it does not have a strong light sourse like Dragoons crossing or the arival of the train. Here the film is more grey than stark black and white shapes, it possably could have been a cloudy day or filmed in the shade.
George Mendez: Trip To the Moon (1903)
This film uses set lighting, ususaly this is frontal or top heavy but usualy with a good wash of light all over his set. His use of moving, flying and lifting set peices is also quite good as he brings elements of the theatre to the movies.
Edwin S Porter: The Great Train Robbery (1903)
The use of video overlay in this movie is cool, along with the paning of the the camera as one of the first pans in movies is also quite amusing, coupled with the moving camera work on the train. The poor colour overlay is also interesting as it adds some subtractive use of light into the mix rather than the plain grey scale of movies from that time.
Touch of Evil: (19??)
This movie uses large amount of artifical lighting from practical lights like street lamps to the behind scenes uses of large studio lighting. The use of a single shot is also is interesting as this would have taken many rehersals to achevie.