11.21.12

1. How does the camera function?: The camera functioned very differently depending on the scene. Sometimes it looked over people’s shoulders and in many scenes that had a bunch of people walking, it would follow from the front, moving along with them. Sometimes the camera would be in one place throughout the scene. Sometimes, it would go back and forth.

2. What is the director’s approach towards framing scenes with people?: This is one thing I made many notes about because this varied so often. Some of the things I realized was that many times the people were not in the central focus point of the scene. For instance, when Isaac and Tracy were in the apartment, toward the beginning of the film, they were off in the left hand side of the frame.

3. What impact does b.w v. color have?: As many of my fellow classmates, I was confused to why the movie was in black and white. I thought about it all weekend and there is a quote that is about black and white photography but I think it applies to this film as well. Ted Grant once said, “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But, when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.” Sometimes color can be distracting while watching a film and perhaps Woody Allen just wanted you to understand the movie for itself rather than focusing on colors.

4. Generally, how long do the clips (edits) last?: I don’t really remember the exact lengths for different scenes but between three and eight minutes would be my best guess.

5. Briefly describe the dialogue?: This is another thing I focused on quite a lot while watching this movie. The dialogue was relaxed, how people talk everyday. There were “mistakes” like stuttering and rewording in lines to make it feel more realistic and it didn’t sound forced either.

6. What is the role of costume in each scene?: Just like the previous question, the clothes were made to give a more realistic, normal, everyday feel to the movie.

7. What is the role of music in each scene?: Here is another thing I focused on. I think the minimal role music played in this movie helped to add of an everyday feel because, you don’t have a soundtrack playing in your life. The scene when Isaac was going to talk to Yale about Mary and Yale getting back together, the music played gave the audience the same sense of determination Isaac felt and I think that feeling would’ve been lost if the music wasn’t there.

8. What is the role of the set in each scene?: The set exuded the title of the movie. When Isaac and Mary ran for cover from the thunderstorm in Central Park, they ran into the Museum of Natural History, both landmarks in Manhattan.

-Amber G.