Blog Assignment 4

Our original idea was to make a video Halloween themed since when we were originally assigned the project it was close to Halloween. The video would had been the "Do's and Don'ts" of Halloween where I would play a Trick 'r Treater presenting what should and shouldn't be done in a "Goofus and Gallant" style scenario. Unfortunately only 3 of the 5 people in our group seemed to agree on a certain time to meet up and film and even then it was difficult to get a hold of everyone. After we spent a day of shooting for the video and the assignment being due in less than 2 days, the video idea was scrapped and the focus was now changed to a podcast where 2 of our teammates discussed their favorite horror films.

What worked was the chemistry between the two spokes people. If the audio was a bit tidier, I'd say this would be a pretty good team for an actual podcast show.

What didn't work was our original video idea which sadly is now gathering virtual dust in someone's ipad. If I were to change anything about the final product of this project I'd say it would be continuing focus on the video because we were sharing some really funny ideas and I think it would've been fun to finish it all the way.

Click here to watch the video:


https://youtu.be/yddXJV1h0S4

Another Stop Motion Test

 

Here's another test in stop motion I did. As you can probably tell, endings are a nightmare for me to come up with so I just end with whatever random nonsense that comes to mind. Nevertheless, ENJOY!

One Picture, One Word

For the "One Picture, One Word" project I looked among pictures I took of my Halloween Costume, "Homeless Spiderman" as a subject. Pictures I took included the following:

Of all the pictures I liked the one best so I took it, brightened the colors, and added the text "Halloween" to emphasize to viewers that this was my Halloween costume. The result was this:

 

 

Stop Motion Test

This is an animation test in stop motion that I wanted to share. Take warning that it is really crude (as in cheap and not flowing) animation and in all honesty isn't something I'd send to Hollywood or anything. Enjoy!

Ed Wood (1994) Critique

               Tim Burton’s 1994 film “Ed Wood” is one of those films that received a following from lovers of films and those who love making films, and that’s no surprise. “Ed Wood” has a ton of heart, charming humor, brilliant casting, and is over all a pretty dang good movie to boot. The film details the true story of Edward D. Wood Junior (played by Johnny Depp), a man who dreams of becoming one of the great film directors like that of Orson Wells. Unfortunately Ed’s enthusiasm and childlike excitement for film making doesn’t make him quality “grade-A” director material and he receives the title of “World’s Worst Director”.The film details how he received his first job as director of the infamous box office flop “Glen or Glenda” in which he also performs as the main character, Glen, who is a cross dresser and by the end of the film changes his sex. He continues by self producing and directing his next film “Bride of the Monster”, another critically panned film with a hilariously fake looking squid. Finally, the film ends with Ed and his friends attending the premier of his most infamous film: the cult classic “Plan 9 From Outer Space”. During his misadventures he befriends Bella Lugosi (played by Martin Landau) whom at this point in his life was an unemployed morphine addict. The two share a friendship and Ed casts Bella in all his movies until Bella’s death. Other people Ed befriends in the movie include Vampira a failed television horror hostess, Chriswell a phony television and radio psychic, Tor Johnson the unintelligible Swedish wrestler, a group of Baptist priests who are shocked by Ed Wood’s antics, and so many more. While the plot of the film may be slightly embellished when compared to the real story of Ed Wood’s life, the spirit of what kind of a person he is lives on in the movie and shines through.

               One of the greatest aspects of the movie is the casting of both Ed Wood and Bella Lugosi, played by Johnny Depp and Martin Landau respectively. Before it became a laughable cliché to have Johnny Depp star in every Tim Burton film, he shines as the always optimistic Ed Wood. It’s said that the wife of the real life Ed Wood visited the film set while the movie was still filming and as soon as Johnny Depp walked on set and started to go over his lines, she said to Tim Burton “That’s my Eddie!”. Ed Wood is the underdog of this story. You want to see him achieve his dreams and you sympathize with him. He has such an honest love for film making to the point where his excitement to make a film gets in the way of making the movie good, which is tragically hilarious. Now as for Martin Landau as Bella Lugosi; If one did not know that Martin Landau was under all that makeup, one would honestly think the real Bella Lugosi had risen from the grave to perform in front of a camera again. Everything from the look, voice, and mannerisms all seem 100% like the real authentic Bella Lugosi. Both characters are what really make the movie work.

 

               The movie also has a brilliant and unique look. The first thing one will notice is that the entire film is in black and white, obviously to recreate the look of most films released during Ed Wood’s time. Also during the scenes where we see Ed Wood directing one of his infamous films, the sets, costumes, and props are lovingly recreated to almost match the real Ed Wood films one on one. There is a video on Youtube which puts scenes from the movie Ed Wood and scenes from one of Ed Wood’s films side by side to compare them. Even the first scene you see is a loving reference to Ed Wood’s films. It begins in an old haunted house where Chriswell rises out of a coffin and gives a cryptic warning to the audience asking if they are brave enough to witness the story of Edward D. Wood Junior. This references both “Plan 9 From Outer Space” where Chriswell gives the audience a cryptic warning about how “shocking” this film is, as well as well as Wood’s later films like “Orgy of the Dead, a snuff film where Chriswell narrates the events of the film.

                Another great touch is the use of music in the film. The score by Howard Shore, also famous for his excellent work on composing the music for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, is wonderfully quirky and perfectly emulates the film genre’s Ed Wood tried to make. However, there are two particular tracks that add a whole new level of heart to the film. During scenes where something tragic happens to Bella Lugosi, you’ll hear “Swan Lake” playing. This is important because “Swan Lake” also plays during the main titles of “Dracula” starring Bella Lugosi! The other track is the main theme of Ed Wood’s film “Glen Or Glenda?”. This tune is heard whenever something romantic or triumphant happens with Ed Wood and becomes his own theme in the movie. The main instrument that plays from beginning to end that also leaves the biggest impression is the Theremin. It’s inclusion in “Ed Wood” is genius since no better instrument exists that better emulates the cheap B sci-fi films from the 50’s than the Theremin.

               There could not possibly be a better pick for director for this film than Tim Burton. Tim Burton always has a theme a social outcast in his films, like “Batman”, “Edward Scissorhands”, or even his short film “Vincent”. He is such an eccentric film maker and his style seems to fit “Ed Wood”. The best part Burton’s directing is that it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to shove his signature style in your face. Only in one scene where Ed goes on a date with his future wife do you get see something that looks like what you’d expect to see in a typical Tim Burton film. The scene takes place during a carnival where Ed and Kathy go into a “spook house” where the roller coaster vehicle they ride in and some of the “spooks” they see look like something out of “Nightmare Before Christmas” rather than anything from the rest of the movie. Other than that scene, there’s not much else that make “Ed Wood” feel like the typical movie that put the signature “Tim Burton Style” first before plot.

               In the end, “Ed Wood” is a triumphant film that praises following you’re dreams and enjoying what you do. Even if Ed Wood’s films never were the critical or box office hits that he may have wanted, his passion and love of film making rings true in this film and calls out to other aspiring artists who fight to have their visions fully realized for everyone to witness. As Orson Welles tells Ed Wood in the movie, “Ed, visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?”

What if "Pan" sucks?

I don't know about you but I had some excitement for the 2015 reimagining of Peter Pan. This probably is because I loved the story and lore of Peter Pan since I was a child, and the idea of seeing another reinterpretation of Peter Pan excited me. I admit I had some concerns when I first saw the trailers. For example: Why the hell is Rooney Mara playing Tiger Lily?! It's been legendary on how with each interpretation of Peter Pan, there was always some racial controversy over how each iteration uses the Native American based tribe that appears in each film. Some adaptations, like Hook, ignored them and didn't even show them at all. From what I hear, rather than being Native Americans in this adaptation, they are a tribe that is native to Neverland and that they incorporate different races instead. Well that's fine and all, but I still ask WHY IS ROONEY MARA AS TIGER LILLY THEN?!? It's great that you want to have a more racially diverse cast, but why take the one racially diverse character and make her white? That logic fails in my opinion. Other than that though from what I saw in the trailers it looks like Hugh Jackman is having a ton of fun as the villainous Blackbeard, and the effects seem colorfully magical and whimsical (except for those "Neverbirds". They look like something out of Pixar), and the trailers were really cool.

HOWEVER, there are a few concerns I have before going into the movie when I see it this weekend other than the aforementioned casting of Rooney Mara: why is the character of James Hook a cowboy-like charmer who befriends Peter? Why does Rooney Mara look so god damn silly under all that make up? Why is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Blitzkrieg Bop" listed in the official soundtrack? All these questions give me pause, as well as some of the reviews I've seen from those who watched early screenings such as IGN.com and Schmoes Know.

Now that I've listed some concerns, what if "Pan" gets panned (pun intended) by critics and fails to fly in the box office? Well I doubt it will kill any adaptations of Peter Pan since the book is public domain and carries a recognizable brand name character that in my opinion kind of needs to be retold every so many years. I do believe if it does fail critically and financially, it will certainly slow down any retellings of fairy tale retellings for a while. It's not likely it will kill the fantasy genre either. It'll take a small break while Super Hero films keep on raking in money and then find a resurgence when the time is right and audiences are ready.

"Pan" flies to theaters on October 9th, 2015


Oh yeah, you're probably wondering about "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in Pan, right? Here's a link. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/BImwyyCm6j8

Helen Mirren Says Arms Around Girls = "Ownership"??

So a few days ago, British actress Helen Mirren stirred a bit of controversy with her thoughts on when she sees a male and female couple together and the male has his arm around the female. She went on to say “It annoys me when I see men with an arm slung round their girlfriend’s shoulders. It’s like ownership. Of course, when you’re young, you want the guy to take your hand and look after you.

"But when I see girls being leaned on, I want to say, 'Tell him to get his damned arm off your shoulder'."
This caused many people, including females, to speak out against Mirren's comments and I'm compelled to give my own two cents as well seeing as how I am one of those males who when I'm in a relationship with a girl tend to put my arm around her shoulder too.

First off, I strongly disagree with Helen's comments, though in a way I see where she's possibly coming from. In high school I've known some girls who just wanted a male companion to whisk them away, hold them close, etc. And unfortunately there are still males out there who will just see females as something to have rather than something to know. In college I've witnessed to a couple of these types of people. However, Mirren isn't targeting these specific people since in her comments she's made clear that she means ALL couples, as if all the different types of couples are all being generalized into one stereotype: The young daydreaming girl with the dumb male who sees her as something he owns.

Here's the thing, Helen Mirren...Not all couples are the same. Trust me, I've known many different girls in my young life and I still haven't seen any that were remotely alike. Also, I think Helen is confusing what she's seeing as "ownership" and "affection". Physical contact is common among couples because they want to get closer together both in the emotional, mental, and physical sense. It's what differentiates romantic relationships with friendships. I also find it odd that Helen targets men putting their arms around women's shoulders. I once dated a girl who put HER arm around MY shoulder. Did that mean she saw me as her property? Maybe. But all poor attempts at humor aside, I must ask what about Helen Mirren's husband?

This is a picture of Helen Mirren with her husband, Taylor Hackford. Notice his arm is around her back. True, that's not her shoulder but I couldn't find the picture where she had rested her hand on his chest. Is this not what Helen Mirren considers "ownership" also? What is so different from when Helen Mirren is ok with her husband showing her affection by holding her close and yet THIS picture "annoys" her?

This double standard nonsense confuses and annoys me at the same time. I sometimes fear of what will next be considered "ownership" by biased people who feel the need to complain about something that doesn't affect them at all. Perhaps hugging will now be considered "ownership? Or how about kissing? Holding hands? There's a difference from empowering women and telling them "leave room for Jesus" in a way that doesn't help anyone at all.

Thanks for Putting Up With My Oddness

I honestly dont think I'll ever understand how some people will ever look back at their high school years and see them as a positive, non-scarring, and all around pleasant experience. Of course I understand not everyone's high school years are going to be the same story, but I think we can agree we've all experienced being a social outcast at some point, and the hell of coming to grips that you may never truly be that super popular, well liked, and always involved student that all schools claim you'll be. If you are or were one of those students, congratulations. I envy you. Seriously. I wish I was one of those people. Even now I still kind of do. I always like to imagine myself as this David Tennant Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes (pick any version) mix, when in reality I'm probably more like Peter Parker. The Tobey Maguire version. Yeah, that level of derpiness. What I enjoy about college is that college praises diversity. You can be yourself and people don't give you any nonsense about it. High school, from my perspective, seemed like you had to be what everyone expected of you. When I'd try to be what people wanted me to be, I became the target of ridicule and teasing. When I gave up on trying to conform with everyone else and be myself, the situation still didn't change. I sometimes wonder if the reason college appreciates you being more diverse is because people grew up and realized being the same was boring and did more damage than it did good. Whenever I look back or am reminded of the less than stellar parts of my high school career I can't help but feel anxious and uncomfortable. I still clench up at the mere thought. I had an experience yesterday when I was with a group of students and I felt almost invisible, unable to speak or move out of anxiety. Thankfully back then I knew people who helped me make it through those years and I am extremely grateful to them. I'm getting better at letting go of those memories and trying to focus on the present, as well as being more open about things. Thank you for putting up with my oddness.

My 5 Word Response to Kim Davis

Bigotry cannot be tolerated, nor should the Bible be counted as law. I found this meme a much more humorous response than making a video on it. :)

The Joker (PhotoManipulation)

In one of my earlier blogs, I shared a picture of a photo-manipulation I did of POGO from the video "Wizard of Meh" where I colorized certain features to make him resemble the comic book character, The Joker. This is a remake of that picture where I added a red background to make his white skin more apparent and I also made the colors of his lips and clothes more vivid. I'm really glad how this picture turned out, and I just wanted to share it with you here. I hope you enjoy :)

Should/Could Wizard of Oz be Remade?

                     Last night in my Intro To Film class we watched Wizard of Oz so that we could write a paper on it talking about it's themes, motifs, and style of storytelling. I'm not going to talk about all that, instead I'm going to talk about something that was going through my mind while I rewatched this movie for another time in my lifetime; in this modern age of filmmaking when most movies seem to be getting remade, rebooted, reimagined, etc, could Wizard of Oz be remade, and should it? I think it's safe to say that we've probably all seen The Wizard of Oz, so I won't bother giving a summary on how the movie goes.
                   Now since the classic Julie Garland's Oz film was released, there has been many different Wizard of Oz films, but none were an actual remake of the classic film. We've seen other films sort of making a comical farce of Wizard of Oz where they make references to the film, but we never saw an actual remake. Whenever I watch a movie that's usually based on a source material like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, or Alice in Wonderland, I always imagine "What would I do differently?" to which I would imagine how I'd design costumes differently or how I'd pace this scene. I had this question going through my mind while I watched Oz and there were a few things I could've changed. I always thought the scene with Dorothy in Munchkin Land was too long. It's always when the Lullaby Guild shows up I always think to myself "Woah, this is still going?". I also would've maybe added more elements from the book, such as the scene where the Tin Man kills wild beasts. I also imagined I'd design characters like the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Lion differently.
                     So yeah there's ways The Wizard of Oz COULD be remade, but SHOULD it? To be honest, other than the points that I mentioned previous, I couldn't think of a reason the movie needs to be remade. Oz was one of those movies that is timeless even though it was made almost 80+ years ago. It's one those perfect movies. Now I have no doubt some studio will try to retell the story of Dorothy's adventures in Oz, and if that day ever comes I hope its directed by a director who knows his or her art and that the studio keeps their hands out of the way *COUGH*Fant4stic*COUGH*


But those are my thoughts.

A Quote I Live By

I was rereading the book "Tough Sh*t" which is an autobiography by Kevin Smith, and I came across a line that hits me everytime I read it and I wanted to share it.

"Remember: It costs nothing to encourage an artist, and the potential benefits are staggering. A pat on the back to an artist now could one day result in your favorite film, or the cartoon you love to get stoned watching, or the song that saves your life. Discourage an artist, you get absolutely nothing in return ever. I've spent the better part of my career getting up after movies and encouraging potential artists in the audience to give it a shot, pointing to myself as proof that anybody can make their dreams come true. I don't do this altruistically: I'm selfishly insuring that I have cool shit to watch one day by encouraging anybody to follow passions like film or storytelling. I've been sending a message to the next generations of filmmakers for the last two decades: get ready, 'cuz you're up next."
-Kevin Smith



I believe in encouraging creativity and originality and especially WIERDNESS. Some of the best movies aren't just guaranteed box office smashes. Sometimes its those movies you aren't sure would work but turns out its something more special than you'd believe. Movies like the ones Marvel releases now, Wreck it Ralph, Inside Out, hell STAR WARS was a HUGE risk back in the day.



Keep being original and creative folks.

Changing things around

If you visit this blog a couple of times and notice each time it looks slightly different, that's because I'm tinkering around with the layout and format to see what looks better. :)

Suggestions and Requests!

Since I just opened this blog a day or two ago, I am interested in expanding my audience. I plan to do this by listening to requests and suggestions from you all! Feel free to comment your ideas and requests and I will consider them. Thank you!

Hero Of Time by Joshua Kershaw

I'm a huge fan of the music composer POGO, and this Zelda themed collab by Josh Kershaw reminds me of POGO's work a lot. I am a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda and this song honest to God made me cry a bit. Nostalgia now and then is good for your mind in my oppinion

This happened while I was googleing my own name just for fun. This was recorded with my 3ds so sorry for the poor quality.

This is a photomanipulation I did today using the likeness of musical artist POGO at the request of a friend after she pointed out that he has the "ideal Joker face". Using that as inspiration I colored it to match the Clown Prince of Crime. I can't agree with her comment to be completely honest.

Hello,

           My name is Chris Westergaard. Welcome to my official blog. Here I will share stories of what's goin' on with little old me and I'll things I find interesting, as well as my thoughts on subjects that either appeal to me or I have an opinion on. Thank you for following me and I hope you'll have as much fun here as I do.