Third Post for Student Response

As you are deciding what to film and how to edit your films, please consider the idea of Montage. A montage is simply, "the assembly of shots or clips to form a whole." A movie is made up of sections or bites of clips formed into a whole. Each of these compilations of clips contains meaning. There are some that argue that each montage, and hence the movie, is made up of clips built, "link by link" or "brick by brick." Others argue that each clip is a "collision" with the one next to it and not simply a compilation of clips. Because every good story is made of some sort of conflict, the second argument seems to support the idea that conflict is necessary even on the smaller level.

Please think before answering this question. Make sure that you think of the movies you have seen. You might even want to play a couple of scenes of a favorite movie or two and pay attention to Conflict and how each clip fits with others to form a Montage. How does the editors theory of fitting clips together influence a film? How do different theories of editing, particularly the "line by line" building, and the "collision" theories influence the final look of the film? How could this apply to your writing of a short story or poem? How important is conflict in all of our lives? Please be sure to answer all of the questions for full credit and include detailed examples from movies. Due Monday the 23rd.

Second Post for Response

Please remember to put your name in each post. You need to respond to my main post and then to two other students' posts.

For this posting, please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_techniques and choose one or two topics or techniques that interest you and discuss them fully. Remember that 200 words per response is minimum, but that more fully developed ideas will receive higher grades. You may or may not be able to discuss a topic fully in that small amount of words. I look forward to seeing what topics you will choose to discuss.

First Post for Response

In movies, like literature, characters are an essential element to a good story. Many books and movies portray characters that do not change, that are static. Other movies develop their characters in ways that are real and meaningful. Most people change, to some degree or another, in life; dynamic characters. This is what stories, narratives, are made of, people experiencing life. When we care about characters, we tend to "buy into" the movie, we want to keep watching, or reading, to see what happens to them. We tend not to care as much about characters who do not seem real, or who do not have real problems. To have a good movie, or any piece of fiction we are creating, we need to put our characters in conflict with something, thus putting them in a situation wherein they will grow and change. Some of the most memorable movies are ones with interesting characters.

Think about some of the most memorable movies you have seen. What role do the characters play in the movie? Are they static or dynamic? What conflicts do they come up against? How does the scriptwriter develop his characters? How can you apply this to your own writing?

You should provide specific examples from different movies. Responses should be well developed thoughts and 200 words minimum.

This is the place that we can talk movies!

Ladies and Gents of the greatest English class ever devised, or not, welcome. It is here that we will list our favorite movies, respond to each other's ideas, and learn something. Again, Welcome.