When reading the topic of this week's blog, I immediately thought of this scene. This scene of Jean Valjean's decision to discard himself of the identity of Jean Valjean and create a better life for himself is powerful on it's own, but the choices made by Tom Hooper (director) and Danny Cohen (cinematographer) make this scene even more powerful. The scene opens with Jean Valjean on his knees in the church after just being saved by the bishop from having to return to jail. It is obvious that this scene is shot with a hand held camera (as is much of the film), which I found to help symbolize how unbalanced he feels at this point of the film. Hooper also uses various forms of the spin around technique to show how at this point in the movie Valjean feels his life is spinning out of control due to his confusion on where to go from here. The vast majority of this scene is shot as a close up to Valjean (Hugh Jackman)'s face, so that the audience can really see the emotion he is portraying. The only other time he is not using a close up, he puts Valjean at the bottom of the frame, which not only showcases the beautiful church's ceilings, but is also used to symbolize the idea that he feels trapped in his identity and the idea of leading a Christian life is weighing down on him. The scene ends with him running out of the church and throwing the shards of his yellow card into the air. At this point, Cohen uses pull back retraction to reveal that Valjean is standing on the edge of a cliff. This the furthest we get from Valjean's face in this scene, which symbolizes the fact that he has freed himself from his past and is ready to begin a new life for himself, making this important transition in the characterization of Valjean more powerful and visually compelling at the same time.
2. Daisy Visits Gatsby's Mansion for the First Time - The Great Gatsby
This scene is one of the pivotal points in Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, for it is the first time in five years that Daisy and Jay have seen each other. I thought that cinematographer Simon Duggan and Luhrmann used the cinematography in order to cleverly recreate this scene in a powerful way. Gatsby has looked forward to the day that Daisy would come see all the wealth he has attained in order to make her happy and love him again for years at this point, so the fact that she is finally there is a dream come true for him. Thus, Luhrmann and Duggan make this scene very dream-like. Some of the cinematography appears to be shot hand held, making some of the shots shaky. This symbolizes the idea of how fragile this newfound reality is and the surreality of what is happening. They also use the shaky cinematography as a POV through the lens of the handheld camera Nick Carraway (Toby McGuire) uses to capture Gatsby and Daisy in a more realistic way. They also decided to use slow motion in some scenes. The slow motion they decided to use was subtle, again alluding to the dreamlike state Gatsby is in by having Daisy finally in his house. Duggan and Luhrmann also cleverly use the discovery method to not only show the beautiful chandelier in the great hall and how lavish Gatsby's mansion is, but to build up to the entrance of Daisy and how mesmerized she is by his wealth. In these ways, along with the echo-y and almost ghostly sounding recording of Lana Del Ray's "Young and Beautiful" help make this a dream-like scene as it would be seen through the eyes of Gatsby.
3. Run Forrest, Run! - Forrest Gump
This movie is one not only a classic but it's one of my all time favorites, as is this scene where the infamous phrase "Run Forrest, Run!" is first used. I loved the use of cinematography that director Robert Zemeckis and cinematographer Don Burgess used to help make this life-changing scene for Forrest so powerful. Impaired by his leg braces and mental state, Forrest is picked on in this scene by three boys on their bicycles. While Jenny tells him to run, Forrest struggles at first to try to get away from the boys. One of the things I love about the cinematography of this scene is it's use of depth. At first, Burgess uses depth to show that the boys are quickly catching up to Forrest. Then, Zemeckis uses slow motion as Jenny yells at Forrest and as he is running, his leg braces break into pieces and miraculously can use his legs properly and run away from the boys. The dramatic use of slow motion helps make this part of the scene almost dreamlike. From this point forward, Zemeckis and Burgess continue to use depth to show Forrest outrunning the boy's bicycles and also to show just how far he is able to run. They also use an expand dolly from an upward angle to show him quickly running across the field, which symbolizes the freedom being able to use his legs now gives him. In this way, Zemeckis and Burgess make this important scene in the movie more magical in a sense, which in my opinion makes the overall scene more powerful.
I'm going to go ahead and apologize in advance for all of the musical/dance scenes... I'm a sucker for those. However, these five scenes have always stood out to me for various reasons, whether it be their storytelling or their use of cinematography.
1. "Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge
Let me just start out by saying I love this song, especially the tango rendition that Baz Luhrmann created. This scene is an intense scene where the prostitute Satine (Nicole Kidman) is eating dinner with The Duke (Richard Roxburgh), who thinks she is in love with him. However, she is really in love with Christian (Ewan McGregor), who is struggling at the thought of Satine having to be with someone else. The beginning of the scene focuses more on the tango dance scene, setting the mood for the scene. However, there are quick flashes throughout that show Satine dining with the Duke in the tower. The scene begins to build at 4:20, where Luhrmann uses an interesting extreme wide shot that shows the outside of the tent where the tango is taking place, and Christian leaving the tent, but a light from inside makes it unable to see him at all. Luhrmann continues to cut quickly between scenes of Christian walking away from the tent and the tango dancers, until you see Satine and the Duke on the balcony overlooking the tent (4:40). Luhrmann begins using a lot of symbolism. After a medium shot of Satine looking off the balcony with the Duke behind her, it cuts to a POV wide shot of Christian below her. He then cuts to a high angle wide shot of Christian looking up and seeing her and the Duke. You will notice that the lighting in Christian's shot is red, symbolizing anger and how much he is hurting. The shots are also unsteady, just like his world feels without Satine with him. The lighting in Satine's scenes is blue, symbolizing order and sadness, because she is trying to do the right thing, but she is upset about doing it. The scene truly builds however, whem Satine tells the Duke no, and he sees Christian looking up at them. At this point, the song builds to it's highest point, and Luhrmann shows the intensity of the situation based off of the Duke's anger. Throughout the rest of the song, Luhrmann uses quick transitions between the tango dancers, the duke attacking and attempting to rape Satine, and Christian's anger. Luhrmann and John O'Connell, the choreographer of Moulin Rouge, obviously worked very closely together so that the dancing symbolized what was happening in the tower when the Duke was attacking her, all the while using quick transitions and the build up of the song to create an intense and somewhat uncomfortable scene for the audience. The quick transitions also create confusion for the audience, which is why the final part of the scene is so impactful, because one second you see the main tango dancer collapse on the ground, the next you see the Duke lying on the ground passed out, which causes the audience to question what they just saw. Thus, all of these elements make this scene really stick out to me as one of my favorites (and you have to admit, look at the incredible choreography!!!!).
2. "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago
Another musical based movie, Chicago is one of my favorite movies of all time, and not just because of the musical and because it was originally created and choreographed by the incredible Bob Fosse. As the director, Rob Marshall did a fabulous job of adapting the musical to the big screen in a way that Bob Fosse would have been proud of. "Cell Block Tango" is one of the most famous and iconic numbers of the musical, so it seems only fitting that Marshall went above and beyond in his version of the 6 Merry Murderesses' tale. Since Rob Marshall directed and choreographed the movie, it is evident how the dancing influences the cinematography, which I really appreciate as a dancer. Marshall switches from the 6 telling their stories in their jail cells to the elaborate, stage like dance number, using angles and pans that aren't typical of a dance number. As the song progresses, not only does the dancing become more dramatic, but so does the cinematography. He uses different angles and switches back and forth from the main dancers to the background silhouette dancers in order to stay true to the theater style of the song, but to bring it to the life of film. Because of this, "Cell Block Tango" is one of my favorite scenes to watch.
3. "Party Scene" from The Great Gatsby
In another brilliant collaboration between director Baz Luhrmann and John O'Connell, the crazy, over the top parties that F. Scott Fitzgerald described in his novel come to life in The Great Gatsby. In the way that I believe only Luhrmann could do, these parties are so cinematographically beautiful while conveying the message of what becomes a main aspect of the movie, Jay Gatsby's elaborate house parties. Not only are the colors bright and vibrant, but there is always a lot going on in all of the shots, symbolizing how crowded his parties always were. Also, in some of the scenes, the camera was somewhat out of focus or the camera would spin around the people to show the effects the alcohol had on everyone at the party. Another thing I loved about this scene was Luhrmann's use of modern music to engage today's audience. While I was watching this scene for the first time, I couldn't help but dance in my seat (yes, I was that person) and wish that I could be there in all of the excitement, which is how everyone in the novel actually felt about Gatsby's parties. These elaborate scenes, along with all the scenes of the movie craftily created through the eyes of Luhrmann are the reason I loved Luhrmann's take on The Great Gatsby.
4. "On My Own" from Les Miserables
I'm going to be honest upfront and say that Tom Hooper's Les Miserables was the highlight of my year when it came out. As an avid lover of the musical, I was moved to tears throughout the entire movie. Literally. I sobbed through the entire three hours (it's pathetic, I know). But back to the scene... as my favorite song in the movie, I felt that Hooper did a great job bringing the song to life through Eponine (Samantha Barks). Not only is the scene shot beautifully in the rain, the scene is mainly close-ups of her singing, which brings all the attention to her emotion. I also liked how Hooper let her float from one side of the frame to the other, instead of keeping her stationary to one side and cutting to another angle. This keeps the scene continuous, which is important since it is such an emotional song in the movie. Another reason I love this scene is the fact that Hooper allowed for the actors to actually sing in the scenes rather than use voiceovers later in post production. This allowed for the actors, including Barks, to let their singing match the emotion they were feeling at the time of the movie. For these reasons, "On My Own" is definitely a top favorite scene of mine.
5. "Catching Bin Laden Scene" from Zero Dark Thirty
I know this movie is very different from the other movie scenes I used in this blog, but it happens to be one of my favorite movies. To be honest, at the time I was dragged to this movie and I wasn't happy about it. However, after I got through the opening torture scene (which almost made me walk out of the theater... Seriously.), I was hooked. The one thing I loved about the final scene was how real it felt. I have never felt so emotionally invested in a movie until that moment. From cutting to the soldiers POV to close ups of Maya (Jessica Chastain) in the control room, I truly felt that the director of Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow, did a great job making the audience feel as if they were in the field or in the control room with them. By using close ups on the more intense scenes to convey emotion and wide shots to get a feel for what is going on within the house as the soldiers are attacking. Overall, the cinematography helped build up the biggest point of the movie, which shows how necessary finding and compiling the right shots can be in moving the plot forward and engaging the audience at the same time.
To begin, my name is Maci Arms. I am 20 years old and I am a Senior TCF minor at the University of Alabama. I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee. Now that we have gotten all of the generic stuff out of the way, let's get to the fun part... Ten things you should know about me, starting now:
1. Dance is my passion. I have been dancing since I was three years old and it has grown to become not just a hobby, but my passion. As a dance major here at Alabama, I have not only had the opportunity to perform as a member of Alabama Repertory Dance Theater, I have also been able to showcase my own choreography in Dance Alabama!, the fully student-run dance production here at UA. I recently choreographed my first official piece, "Big Hit", in the fall which was an amazing experience. Check it out...
2. My heart belongs in New York City.
But really... it does. I don't know what it is about the bright lights of the city that never sleeps or the constant purr of Taxis driving around town but I have always loved it and wanted to be a part of it. I spent this past summer dancing in New York City and needless to say two months wasn't enough for me. As soon as I graduate in May I am making the city my home again, and needless to say I can't wait!
My first day living in NYC!
3. I have a soft spot for Disney movies.
Call me crazy, but I don't think there is anything better than a good Disney movie. I grew up watching all the classics: Dumbo, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast (just to name a few...) and I have never gotten tired of them. Maybe it's because I secretly want to be a Disney Princess and live in a world full of singing and dancing, but Disney has made some of my favorite movies of all time. However, if you ask me right now what my favorite Disney movies are, I would most definitely tell you Tangled and Frozen (if you haven't seen Frozen yet, you're missing out).
4. Revenge is one of my guilty pleasures.
Not seeking revenge obviously... I mean the TV Show on ABC. To be honest, I don't watch a lot of television at the moment because I am always so busy with rehearsals during the day, but you can bet I will not miss a single episode of Mike Kelley's Revenge if I can help it. I am always a sucker for suspenseful shows, and this provides it in just the right dosage along with the cunning and powerful female heroine, Emily. If I am not dancing on Sunday nights at 8PM, expect to find me on my couch watching it.
5. My other guilty pleasures... Game Show Network and Food Network.
Well, I love games and I love food, so obviously these are my two favorite and go-to channels if Revenge isn't on. Initially, when I came to UA, I was a double major in dance and TCF with the goals of one day becoming the host of one either a game show or a cooking show (although I'm a terrible cook so I'm not sure how that was going to cook out... pun intended). Although my plans have changed since then, I will never stop watching these channels, particularlybecause of Baggage on GSN and Cupcake Wars on Food Network.
6. My favorite food is sushi, or anything Asian really.
Although it's not your average person's favorite food, sushi is something that I could eat anytime of the day. I guess this is because I am a quarter japanese, so I grew up eating it. My grandma is the best cook I know, whether it's her homemade sushi, curry rice, or her famous pepper steak. It's because of her that I have such a love of Asian cuisine, so I definitely have her to thank for that.
Because my grandparents are way cuter than a picture of a roll of sushi would be....
7. You will rarely see me without my Beats.
While I do like to believe I have a pep in my step when I walk, I actually mean this in terms of my headphones, aka Beats by Dre. As a dancer, I am constantly listening to music, so they not only provide me with great sound, but I like to think that they making listening to music obnoxiously loud across the quad look better (if not a little cooler).
8. If I could live in any other decade, it would be the 1920s.
Flappers, Vaudeville, The Lost Generation of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, big band music, and speakeasys. The 1920s is fascinating to me as an era and I know if there were such a thing as past lives, that's where I would have lived. Whether I'm reading about it or watching a movie set in that era, I can't help but to completely immerse myself in it and imagine what it would be like, especially living in New York at that time...
9. My dream career involving dance is to be a Rockette.
I'm almost positive this dream came about because I was named after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and every year as a little girl I would watch the Rockettes open the parade. It has been my dream to become one ever since I was a little girl. With their precision dancing and eye high kicks, they spread christmas spirit every year with their Radio City Christmas Spectacular. One day, I hope on kicking my way to the Radio City Stage myself along with these beautiful and talented women.
10. My dream career involving TCF is continue to bring dance back into film.
Although they seem like two majors in totally opposite directions, the two actually go hand in hand. If you think about classic movies in the past, a lot of them were movie musicals or had at least one musical number in them. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelley, Judy Garland, and more graced the screens showing not only their ability to act, but also their singing and dancing abilities as well. Since then, dancing isn't as prominent in the film industry until here recently. Today, dancing is become more prevalent in movies, a trend that I hope to see continue. With the advancements in the dance world along with the film technology we have today, dance scenes in movies have the potential to be extremely elaborate, powerful, and I hope much more prominent in the film and television industry today.
