Acting and Acting Styles

You can classify an actor’s type using only one film as reference, but these categories are subject to change. Each new role helps to clarify or shift an actor’s designation. Using specific examples from your chosen film, in your blog:

1. Identify three actors from your film and classify each according to the types of actors listed in your text.
2. Explain your reasons for classifying the actors as you do. Use specific references to the film and pay special attention to how these decisions impacted characterization. Also, consider the impact of any realistic or stylized portrayals within the film.
3. Focus on one of the actors you’ve discussed. Based on other films the actor has been in, would this actor always be placed in the same category? If so, what does this say about the category or actor? If not, what can you infer about the flexibility of these categories? Provide evidence (references from other films, including film clips and stills) to support your argument.

I chose to talk again about the movie Scarface the three actors I am going to talk about is Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Here is a clip to this movie that was provided by IMDB http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt0086250/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_vi#lb-vi3154549785 (Scarface, 2014).” If I had to classify these actors according to their style of acting I would say that Al Pacino is considered to be classified as an interpreter because an interpreter is considered “actors who take material and put their own stamp on it (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011).” The reason I feel this way about him is because I feel that if anyone else were to have played this part it wouldn’t have came off as well as it did. There was something about him and his personality as well as his facial expressions during this movie that made him really fit the part. The next actor I am going to discuss is Steven Bauer I would discuss him as a wildcard because a wildcard is considered “an actor who is difficult to classify as one certain type, often because he or she can play a wide variety of characters equally well without becoming typecast (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011).” The reason I feel this way about him is because after doing Scarface he did a few other shows and movies that were a variety of different roles. The final actor I am going to talk about is Michelle Pfeiffer and I would also consider her a wildcard because she is the type of actress that can do anything from comedies, dramas, gangsters, and suspense.

For the final part I chose to talk about Al Pacino and I do feel that he still fits the same category as stated above which is interpreter after doing some research on him and looking back at some of the movies that he has been which include some more gangster movies. What this says about the actor is that no matter what is asked to play of him he can still put his stamp on it and make it his. Below is a comparison of the two characters. On the top is Scarface while the one on the bottom is the Godfather.

 

 

 (Constant, 2012)

 (Al Pacino, The Godfather, 2008)

 

 

 

Al Pacino, The Godfather. (2008, April 18). Retrieved from Entertainment Weekly: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20192586_20440975,00.html

Constant, P. (2012, April 10). Scarface Shoot-Along . Retrieved from The Stranger: http://www.thestranger.com/suggests/13139921/scarface-shoot-along

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego: Bridgepoint.

1. Scarface. (2014). Retrieved from IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086250/?ref_=nv_sr_1

 

 

Death Race- The sounds that make the movie

There are many types of sound in a film. Some are diegetic (sounds that are represented as coming from within the world of the film); others are non-diegetic (sounds that come from outside the world of the film). Using specific examples from your chosen film, construct a blog post in which you:

1. Describe each of the three basic categories of sound (dialogue, sound effects, and music).
2. Explain how the different categories of sound are being used in your chosen film.
3. Assess the impact of sound in establishing the theme.
   • How does the use of sound inform the mood of the scene, or the film overall?
   • Can you identify specific sounds in your film that allow you to infer a particular genre?
   • Since each category of sound may produce a range of effects, how might you characterize the effects in your film? For example, realistic and expected sound effects may have a different effect on a viewer than exaggerated or unexpected ones.
4. Assess how the scene or sequence would play differently if you changed or removed a key category of sound.

 

When it comes to a movie there are three basic categories of sound: dialogue, sound effects, and music. Dialogue is when two of the characters are conversing with each other, where sound effects “any sound, other than music or speech, artificially, reproduced to create an effect in a dramatic presentation, as the sound of a storm or a creaking door (Sound Effect, 2014).” And music is of course the music that is used to add some flair to the scene is to make it eerie. In the 2008 movie Death the sounds that you hear are the characters talking back and forth amongst themselves in their car, as well the sounds of guns, cars exploding, weapons being fired, and people screaming in agony. You also hear a little bit of music which is almost metal sounding to give you that little nudge that you need to make you wonder what is really going to happen here. The sound informs the mood by adding that little bit of extras that make it the movie it truly is. Some sounds that make it certain genre is the sounds of the cars and the sounds of the weapons two iconic symbols for drama and crime drama. The sounds in this film are very realistic and unexpected, you almost feel as if you are there watching this clip or actually in one of the cars. I think that if you removed any of these key categories the movie wouldn’t have the same effect on people because you need all these aspects to help add to the intensity of this film. These movies are a collection of three different movies and if you haven’t seen any of them you need to watch them to see where I am coming from. Here is a link to a clip from the first one http://www.imdb.com/rg/s/4/title/tt0452608/?ref_=ext_shr_eml_vi#lb-vi3844603929

 

 

 

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego: Bridgepoint.

Sound Effect. (2014). Retrieved from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sound+effect

 

Scarface- Lighting Techniques

The film I chose to talk about this week is Scarface starring Al Pacino and with this film I am going to discuss the lighting that was used in this movie. A clip to this film can found be here at http://www.afi.com/10top10/moviedetail.aspx?id=28&thumb=1
Some of the questions I am going to address this week is:
Identify the type of lighting used in the film (traditional three-point, high-key, or low-key).
 Assess the impact of the lighting used to establish the theme.
 What are the benefits of the style of lighting used?
 How did this technique contribute to the theme?
How was the lighting technique suited to the genre of the film? For example, documentary films tend to rely on natural light as a way of creating an overall tone of authenticity.
  Compare how the scene would play if different choices had been made.
The lighting used in this film is traditional three point lighting and the reason I feel that it has this type of lighting is because “this style of lighting is based upon careful control of shadows by using three main light sources. Two are in front of the subject, but on opposite sides of the camera aimed at roughly 45–degree angles (about 90 degrees from each other). A bright key light provides the most light from one angle. Using only a key light, however, creates harsh shadows across an actor’s face. A slightly dimmer fill light coming from the other angle fills in the shadows, but not so much that it eliminates them (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011).”
The impact of the lighting used to establish the theme helps to model Al Pacino’s face and make him really stand out in his scenes, some of the scenes however use low lighting when it comes to the scenes where he uses guns and violence because I think the use of this lighting helps to add to the drama that is being used.
The use of highlighting Pacino’s face really made you see that he was the lead character and made you see the violence and rage in his face, the use of low lighting contributed to the film because it made it seem more eerie and violent and made you feel as if you were watching these scenes from a distance as the lights dimmed.
The lighting did suite the genre of this film because with this being listed as a thriller and drama the use of using different lighting and low lighting helps to make the movie stand out, when there is too much lighting it makes the movie seem more unrealistic and more like a comedy.
I feel that is different lighting would have been used for any of these scenes there wouldn’t be the same effect to the audience as there was with the use of these two lighting techniques.

AFI’s 10 Top 10/Gangster
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego: Bridgepoint.

Homefront Summary

Trailer

Today I going to talk about a film that I just recently watched and I really enjoyed this by far has been one of my top 10 favorite movies.

Title: HomeFront

Writer: Sylvester Stallone (screenplay) and Chuck Logan (Novel)

Director: Gary Fleder

Major Actor/Actresses:

Phil Broker- Jason Statham

Morgan “Gator” Bodine- James Franco

Maddy Broker- Izabela Vidovic

Cassie Bodine Klum- Kate Bosworth

Jimmy Klum- Marcus Hester

Sherriff Keith Rodrigue- Clancy Brown

Sheryl Marie Mott- Winona Ryder

Year Released: 2013

Summary:

This movie is about Phil Broker  (Jason Statham) is a former DEA agent who has gone through a lot of turbulence he recently went undercover posing as a biker in a biker gang but this soon backfired in his face because it cost the life of his boss son. “He is recently widowed and is left with a 9-year old daughter Maddy. He decides to quit the turbulent and demanding life of thrill for Maddy’s sake and retires to a small town. He decides to quit the turbulent and demanding life of thrill for Maddy’s sake and retires to a small town. (Khattak, 2014).” After a fight at school where his daughter takes down a little boy who was bullying her, this boy being the son of a Meth drug lord, this starts a chain of bad events which only gets worse. But Broker’s only mission is to protect his daughter and he will do it all cost no matter what he has to do. Here is a link for the media clip http://video.tvguide.com/Movie+Trailers/Homefront++Trailer+2/21143848 (Homefront- Trailer 2, 2013)

This film was present in chronological order starting from working undercover in a biker gang, trying to better his life by moving to a small town where he thought drugs weren’t present, to fighting the biggest fight of his life. I think this was the best thing to do in this film because had it been presented in any other order the story line would have not been as developed as it was. Also this story used character development with Phil Broker because not only did it create the background for us, but they altered his appearance in the film and his personality. For a different presentation style being used on this movie I don’t feel it would have had the same effect on the audience because if they were to have altered anything it might have confused the audience and not present the message they set out to accomplish.

Homefront- Trailer 2. (2013). Retrieved from TV Guide: http://video.tvguide.com/Movie+Trailers/Homefront++Trailer+2/21143848

Khattak, M. (2014). Homefront. Retrieved from IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2312718/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt