Monthly Archives: November 2012

Stephanie Solanki, 11/21/12

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In Wednesday’s seminar class, I watched my first Woody Allen film. I had heard of the name Woody Allen, but I never had had the opportunity of watching any of his work. I had no idea about his type of style or humor. When Dr. Kahan said that the film “Manhattan” was a Woody Allen movie, I was excited to experience a part of pop culture that was new to me. Dr. Kahan had told us to keep the questions we had answered prior to class in mind while watching the film.

1. How does the camera function? The camera has many different functions in this film. One scene in which the camera angle stood out to me is when Isaac and Mary were driving on the Brooklyn Bridge. The camera followed the car and did not show the inside of the car at all. The dialogue was heard, but the characters were unseen. Secondly, the camera zoomed in very close to the Isaac and Mary’s faces when they were in the planetarium. This shows that they were getting closer and bonding. In this film, the camera angles are used to make a point about the scene. It is not just a viewing mechanism for the audience. Its angles are specifically chosen to subtly deliver a message about the film.

2. What is the director’s approach towards framing scenes with people? The people in the scenes are very important, and are often the centerpieces of the scenes. However, the director very cleverly changes the focus by switching the camera angles and having the audience focus on the dialogue at times rather than the actors. The people are sometimes the focus, and sometimes the message in the dialogue is given more importance.

3. What impact does the b&w v. color have? The black and white adds a class and timelessness flare to the film. However, the film is very modern and deals primarily with contemporary issues. I think that the decision to use black and white was Woody Allen’s attempt to show that this was the new society in Manhattan, and this was the new normal.

4. Generally, how long do the clips (edits) last? The edits were fast; however I thought that the transitions between scenes were done very well. It was not abrupt, but it was not choppy like the edits in “All About Eve” were.

5. The dialogue in this movie was very contemporary. It was realistic. The lines did not seem scripted at all. It was natural and modern according to the time period.

6. What is the role of costume in each scene? The costumes were not a big part of this movie. I noticed that each character in this movie had a very particular way of dressing that set him or her apart from the other characters. This personal style lasted throughout the entire movie. This was to set the characters apart and show their individual personalities.

7. What is the role of music in each scene? The role of music in this movie was very minimal. I don’t remember much music in it at all. This is very ironic to me because music, I think, is a a huge part of the allure of Manhattan. I think that maybe the music would have detracted focus from the main characters or the message of the movie.

8. What is the role of the set in the movie? The sets in the movie did not look like sets at all. Everything looked like it was filmed in actual buildings or on the streets of Manhattan. This just adds to the realism of the movie and how it Manhattan not romanticized in any way. Everything is kept very real to show what Manhattan is really like.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. The last line, which is spoken by Tracey, sums up Manhattan very nicely. “You should have faith in people.” In the big city, it is easy to become jaded and feel a sense of hopelessness. But at the end of the day, it is important to keep the faith, and have faith in people. I look forward to watching more films in this class in the future to broaden my movie horizons even further.

11/19

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On Monday evening, we finally finished the poetry presentations with Stephanie’s poem, The New Colossus.  This poem was the perfect ending to the New York poetry unit, because it represents American freedom and pride.  The statue on which this poem is inscribed is the symbol of America and its open gates.  America is a country of immigrants, and everyone has a story about why they came and how it felt to finally be free.  My grandfather was a survivor of the Holocaust and after losing his whole family in the war, he set out to America in order to start a new life.  After being on a boat for fourteen days, he finally reached New York.  In the poem, the statue is personified and tells the other countries to “give [her their] tired, [their] poor, [their] huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.  My grandfather was one of those “homeless, tempest-tost” people, and was welcomed by the statue with open arms.  As the poem suggests, all refugees are invited to America, and are welcomed sincerely by the ‘Mother of Exiles’.

While poetry reading was fun, I am excited to begin watching, and comparing, New York movies in class.  I do not watch a lot of movies at home, and so it is refreshing and interesting to be doing this in class.

Corinna 11-19-12

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Monday was the last day of poetry presentations, and more specifically, the day that I presented.  After hearing almost every one of my fellow classmates present, I was a bit worried considering how high they had set the bar.  Reciting and dissecting poetry is something I’d consider to be one of the least suitable things for me. This is due to the fact that I was never really into anything involving depth or emotion.  I actually was very surprised and impressed with how Professor Kahan picked up on this.  In fact, when I first read the poem that I was assigned, I was trying to figure out why I was given this specific piece. I probably would have never figured it out on my own, but now that I know, I realize Professor Kahan did a good job with assigning me a poem.  I thought for sure that I would have to repeat my poem over and over due to lack of emotion, but to my surprise, I had improved enough in just an addition read.  I really appreciated Professor Kahan’s tip of just emphasizing the word in each line that I thought was most important, and without this tip I probably would have never succeeded in making this poem as dramatic as it needed to be.  Overall, I feel as though the experience I received from this presentation will benefit me in the future, and I’m therefore glad to have been forced to do it.

With the little time left after presentations, we watched a clip from the movie All About Eve.  I was really excited when I found out that we were going to start watching films in class.  However, I never would have guessed how different the experience would be when having to focus on things such as how the camera functions, the framing of the scenes, and the role that the music plays.

Seminar Class 11/19/12

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Monday’s class was the last day in which my classmates presented their poem recitations. Since I already presented my poem, I knew how nervous they were. Even if people seem to be able to speak well publicly, they will still feel somewhat nervous. However, I felt that the poems presented on monday were a great finale for this topic of study.

One poem that I particulary liked was Stephanie’s poem. She read The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. This poem was about how great of a country America is. It discusses the joy of immigrants as they come to America and see the Statue of Liberty for the first time and how lucky they feel to be in such a beautiful country. I love the fact that this poem is on display at the State of Liberty because it represents the feeling of all immigrants coming to America. Many of us can relate to this poem because we may have relatives who were immigrants coming to live a better life in this country. My grandparents were immigrants from Italy and when Stephanie read this poem it greatly reminded me of them and how proud they are to be Americans.

After the poems, we discussed topics of cinema and how the rest of our classes are going to be based off of different films. To give the class a taste of the cinema world, Professor Kahan showed us a clip from the movie All About Eve. We discussed how the camera plays an important role in the film and how long the different clips of the scene lasted. This was the first time I watched a movie and actually analyzed the movie. It was definitely a different experience from just watching the movie.

I look forward to watching more movies in class and discovering how they are thought of and put together to make a great form of entertainment.

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11.19.12

Today we finished the poetry presentations. Our final presentation was Stephanie’s performance of “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus. Although I’ve heard the poem before, I only remember the last six stanzas from elementary school. I was wondering why Professor Kahan wanted Stephanie to go last and during the beginning of the poem, I was asking myself, “What is so important about this poem?” however once Stephanie said, “Give me your tired…” I completely realized why this poem was so important. It is the epitome of New York(ers) and on a larger scale, America(ns).

I think it’s important to mention that this poem is an Italian sonnet. Most of the sonnets I’ve read have been about the feelings of the poet, mostly about love. Sonnets aren’t restricted to only be about love but I think the style of the poem is something that is important. Perhaps the poet loved New York and America and felt using a sonnet would do a better job than any other poetic form. This poem makes me feel proud to be a New Yorker.

I’m pretty excited to start learning about movies. I know so many people who love movies and I haven’t watched many in my lifetime so, watching classic films that take place in New York excites me. I’m also pretty interested in learning about the different things that go into a movie and how they all get put together. I think learning about the things that go into making a film will help me appreciate films more.

-Amber G.

11/22/12 – Manhattan, Woody Allen

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Yesterday’s seminar class was probably the most enjoyable one out of them all. I was excited to watch A Bronx Tale for the millionth time in a row, but to my surprise, Professor Kahan decided to change the movie we were about to see to, Manhattan, directed by Woody Allen.

To be honest, I was very disappointed because I love watching old “gangster” movies such as: The Godfather, Scarface, and A Bronx Tale. Normally, I am not a big fan of black and white movies because I have grown up in an age where everything is in color, so a lack of color seems boring and prosaic to me. However, I do make a couple classic exceptions for black and white films.

Aside from my interest in old movies, yesterday we watched Manhattan, and at first glance it looked really familiar, but I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where or when I had heard of this movie before. Not until someone shouted out that Woody Allen directed it, did I realize, that in my old AP English class we discussed him briefly. All I can remember about him is that he was a complete weirdo and there was definitely something wrong with him, not only in the movie, but in real life as well, for he married his adopted stepdaughter. Personally, I find that very strange and he was a very odd man, to say the least.

As I was watching the movie the questions we had to answer for A Bronx Tale and All About Eve, began to quickly formulate in my mind.  The function of the camera in a particular movie is the key for the overall feeling and mood of the movie. In Manhattan, the camera wasn’t really quick moving as it was in A Bronx Tale. There are some times when it zooms into particular characters to emphasis the point he/she is trying to convey. But, overall, the camera shadows over the main characters and pinpoints where the audience should be putting their attention.

The costumes, music, and setting all played a vital role in driving the plot and series of events along. For example, the clothing portrayed a wealthy and superior nature. Whereas, the music shifts from jazz all the way to classical. By having such a wide rang of sounds, it adds to the high society persona. The setting had its roots in New York, a place all of us can relate to quite significantly. By doing so, we were all able to get a better feeling as well as understand some of the famous New York hotspots such as: Central Park.

The black and white nature of the film represents the “old Manhattan” feeling, and I was able to relate to the emotions evoked by the main characters. Woody Allen’s approach towards framing each scene was for the most part pretty similar throughout the entire movie.  From what I can see, he made sure all of the characters were placed in the center and by zooming in and out produced a contrast of framing.

I’d be remised if I didn’t discuss the dialogue and its importance in the movie. It varies from time to time because it can range from resentful humor, to calm and peaceful tones. The move in itself is a quick and eventful one, which is because of the characters diverse and noteworthy dialogues.

Overall, I thought this movie was a little abstract and creepy, but that definitely represents Woody Allen in a nutshell.  I am looking forward to hearing more about this movie in depth next week.

11/19

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Today was the finale of our poetry presentations, which had a great ending. Everyone did a great job on the last day, and we finished with a summary of what we had to do during this project. We talked about how all of us had to take a step out of our comfort zones, for five minutes, and do our best to become somebody else. It is a true challenge to stand up in front of a crowd and convey the meaning of a poem in the way that the poet wanted.

Stephanie ended our presentations on a great note with her poem The New Colossus. I really enjoyed this poem because of its strong sense of patriotism. It was a poem that truly showed what it means to be an American, and it remind me of how proud I to be an American. Stephanie did a great job in performing the poem. She was very emotional, and I really got a great sense of patriotism in the way that she presented it.

Before class was over, we briefly discussed our next segment of the course, movies. I am really excited and relieved about this; because poetry has never been my strong suit and I would much rather analyze movies than poetry. There are a lot of different aspects that go into a movie besides the storyline and the actors or actresses. For me, it is going to be very interesting to see a lot of great movies, and look into them deeply, and especially some older ones, because I have not seen a lot of them.

Manhattan: 11/21/12

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Yesterday’s seminar class introduced the film portion of the semester with the viewing of Manhattan, directed by Woody Allen.  It starred Woody Allen himself, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy and Mariel Hemingway.  Normally, I am not a fan of black and white movies, but I am currently taking a cinema class, and that has introduced me to all types of movies, leading me to see that black and white films aren’t so bad.  This particular movie, even though it was in black and white, was very enjoyable and I think, if anything, the black and white film stock added to the effect of the movie instead of taking away from it.  It gives the film that “old time-y” feel and helps the viewer appreciate the time period of the movie and usually helps to characterize at least one of the characters.  For example, in black and white films, shadows are often used to emphasize a character’s personality.  In the scene in the film where Isaac and Tracy are in Isaac’s basement and Tracy is getting ready to go home, the entire room is cast in shadows.  That could maybe help to emphasize the point that what they are doing is wrong and their relationship they have to keep hidden from the rest of the world.

I’d like to discuss some of the other technical aspects of the film.  The camera movement in a film is always very important, because the camera is the method of telling the story.  The camera is the “eyes and ears” of the film.  In this movie, the camera did not have any particularly special shots, except for the few times when the camera became somebody’s point of view.  There were certain shots throughout the film where the camera went from filming the people as a 3rd person to showing the viewer whatever the character was looking at, shooting from a 1st person perspective.  One time in particular that I recall this was when they were driving in a car, early in the film, and it is as if the camera is looking out of the windshield.  When the camera takes on a 1st person point of view, it adds emphasis to the way the story is being told.  Most of the frames are shot including all of the characters who are partaking in a conversation of particular activity.  The camera follows the central characters with whatever they are doing.

The roles of costume, music, and set in this film help to contribute to the storyline and the time period.  The costumes of the characters mainly help us to understand that they are high society and they are intellectuals.  Yale is a college professor; both he and Isaac are writers; Mary is supposedly brilliant.  They are always dressed in suits and dresses, and the viewer always sees them attending events such as book publishings, gallery openings, museum exhibits, etc.  These backdrops to the storyline help the viewer understand the kind of status the characters hold in NYC.  The music also adds to this effect.  Throughout the movie, the music is a mix of jazzy and classical.  To me, this music seems like the type of music that high society people would be accustomed to, when they attend parties and gallery openings and such.  In a way, it reminds me of All About Eve.  The music just provides a background to the storyline. (or in the case of All About Eve, the conversation)  The music never has lyrics, it is just playing in the background.

Finally, the dialogue is a part of the movie that intrigued and entertained me. The dialogue in this movie is very fast-paced, very witty at times.  Even when the narrator is speaking at the beginning, the dialogue is very conversational, very relaxed, unrefined.  Within the movie, the characters often use crude humor to make their point, which is kind of surprising since they are supposed to be in high society.  All of the characters seemed to be intellectuals, but they reminded me more of pseudo-intellectuals, as if they were all trying to come off as being more intelligent than they actually were.  The dialogue, for me, was the best part of the movie, because it grabbed my attention and kept me interested.

As for the actual movie itself, the storyline, it was slightly weird, and definitely eccentric.  Woody Allen came off as kind of creepy to me, but I appreciated his humor and at the same time, I kind of felt bad for him.  He seemed to have it all together and yet, he seemed so lost.  The movie also had some morals behind it.  For example, you should always have a little faith in people and nobody is perfect; everybody makes mistakes. I think the movie teaches you something about yourself, while you go through the process with Isaac of trying to discover what he wants for himself.  I’m glad I enjoyed the movie, because it made watching the film and writing this blog much easier and more enjoyable.  I look forward to seeing the rest of the films in the upcoming weeks.

11/21

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Earlier today I went to class eager for two reasons, it was my last class before Thanksgiving break and we were going to watch A Bronx Tale.  I have seen A Bronx Tale once before and loved it, so kicking back and watching this film sounded great.  To my surprise, there was a last minute change and we watched Manhattan, a movie that I took a liking to.

During the first five minutes of the film, I was a bit saddened because I dislike black and white films.  I consider most of the black and white movies I watch to be a bore so my initial impressions of the film were not too great.  As the film progressed, I started to really enjoy it.  My favorite part of the movie was Woody Allen’s character, Isaac.  I thought that he was a selfish and manipulative character but still very lovable.  His character is similar to George from Seinfeld, they are both self-centered and always try to sway other characters’ opinions for their own selfish benefit.

The camerawork in this film does not do anything all too special. The camera considers the viewer as the typical type of audience, it does not pull you in as part of the world but rather a spectator of Isaac’s life. One other noteworthy thing about the camerawork was that there were a lot of exposition shots, wherein notable Manhattan areas were shown.  Woody Allen purposefully shot scenes in which the beauty of a Manhattan landmark was emphasized, such as the Central Park scene.

Even though I usually dislike black and white films, this filter seemed like a perfect fit for this movie.  When I picture Manhattan, I see it in black and white, mostly because I derive mental imagery of Manhattan from black and white photography.  Other than that, the editing of the movie is worth talking about.  When I watch a movie, I sometimes notice that some shots drag on and others seem like they were designed for people with really short attention spans.  The shots in this movie are not too long or too short, perhaps because it came out in 1979.  A time when film was not too similar to theatre and attention spans were longer.

Aside from the camera work and editing, the characters themselves had very witty dialogue and were dressed like typical, urban middle class adults that would live in Manhattan.

The music in the film ranged from upbeat jazz to orchestral music.  The film’s soundtrack complemented the film very well, using pieces that would be found in Manhattan jazz clubs and in and off Broadway shows.

Last but not last, I want to talk about the setting, which was a character of its own.  The city and its culture seeped into every aspect of the film; the music, the camera work and especially the story.  Manhattan is dense with the flaws of modern society, such as frequent affairs between married people and constant divorces. This was basically the basis of Manhattan‘s story.

It was a joy to watch this film and if I can, I would like to recommend the movie, I Love New York.  It is a film about the different types of people who live in Manhattan.

11/19/12 – Swathi Satty

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Wednesday was the last of the poem recitations and I was the first to go. I was quite nervous but the experience was helpful because I learned something new about my poem. I was initially reading it almost like it was a song but then I learned that if I use pauses in appropriate places, I can properly portray the meaning of the poem. I enjoyed my poems because they’re such a contrast to each other and New York was integrated well into the poems. The toughest part for me was actually going up. But I realized that after you actually go up, you just recite the poem and get into character and the presentation goes back much faster.

My favorite poem recitation of Wednesday was Stephanie’s because she brought life to her poem. Her physical behavior was very patriotic which is appropriate to the poem. I learned a lot from this experience because I always used to read poems all in one way. But now I realized that different poems must be read in different ways to properly project the meaning of the poem.

I also realized just how good of an inspiration New York since so many different poems were based off of the culture in New York. It makes sense since New York is so diverse and it’s a great melting of different emotions. Overall, I enjoyed this entire experience.