Comments of Citizen Kane

Yesterday I saw a film, which named Citizen Kane, is a documentary film that recorded a man's public life and private life. Kane had set up a newspaper office which was controlled the whole news industries in America. From the beginning, he just had the old building to work, after his hard working, he set up many branches of his company. He had married for twice but both were broken up. The film uses many flash-backs that introducing his life. At the beginning, the lens were given to the death of Kane, then the story was developed from the memories of Kane's colleagues and friends. When they talked about some glories of Kane, the lens were switched to what Kane were doing at that time or how he achieve his achievement.

At the beginning of the film, the lens is a big signpost that writing No Trespassing. And the end of film it also appeared. It shows that everything was happened inside the signpost and we went out of the wire at last.

Detailed shot analysis of Citizen Kane in first 10 mins

At the beginning of film, it stopped in a big sign of no passing for seconds and pan up to barbed wire in a very slow speed. Then dissolved into another barbed wire, after that, it dissolved again into a cage with two monkeys.

Dissolved into water which is the mirror of the castles. It may giving the background to audiences.

Dissolved again into a scene that the lamp of the room closed suddenly, it may showing us the horror atmosphere.

Then cut to a scene which is looked like snowing outside the window, then a man appeared, the glass ball fell to the ground from his hand and broken. Then he said a word.

A lady come into the room and walked out of the camera, then changed to a close shot that the lady moving the man’s hand together and cover his face by the white duvet. The camera was panning to the direction that followed the duvet. The picture remained some space from the lady’s head to the right side. Then dip to black.

News on the March appeared, the film used words in white to introduce the basic info first, then dissolved many castles and buildings together so as to introducing the background of the year. And many establishing shots used in introducing the legends.

Using full shot to introduce the people were relaxing themselves on the loungers. Long shot to the desert and full shot to the worker’s working area and the what they were doing.

Using the medium shot to introduce the people were working on the street, factories, boats, etc.

Using the full shot to shoot the animals inside the wire, using the medium shot to shoot the elephant which was lifting up.

Giving a full shot to the big ground with pools, trees and people.

Changing the shots directly in introducing the pharaoh after a lot of dissolves then ended at a pond which was used as a mirror to shoot the inverted image of the buildings.

Using the full shot to shoot the castle that the people raising the cart out of the door. It seems like the giant funeral. Then changed directly to a close-up shot of the man’s portrait.

Then zoom out to the newspaper and stopped for seconds. And exchanged a lot of foreign newspaper with the same context, it may show that the news was widely spreaded to the world.

Introducing the beginning of setting up the company by shooting the old building in medium shot. Then changed to an animation that the signal was sending from points that means the newspaper was widely spreaded and controlled the whole America.

Changing the shots quickly that introducing the stages and process of Kane setting up the company.

Then gave a shot to the castle in full shot and changed into an indoor scene that many people having meeting together in medium shot then full shot.

Then changed to a man who is surrounded by others is reading a letter with nervous on his face in medium shot.

Shots changed to a long shot which is shooting the square with a lot of people attending the giant funeral.

The shot was panning from people to the man who was announcing. Than gave the close-up shot on the man.

Then inserted some shots about Kane was announcing about his words from full shot to mid shot.

The shots of cemetery, burning Karn’s name, etc. so as to introducing the background of the Karn’s era.

When talking about the newspaper, the shot was given to the factory was producing the amount of newspaper with moving shot.

From the black, the words told us it is the time to introduce the private life of Karn. Then changed directly to his wedding, he was walking with a bride, shooted in medium shot.

I was interviewed by classmates in Deborah's class

I was interviewed by one of my classmates, a beautiful girl from British. And one of them was holding the microphone for me, others were controlling the digital camera which was manufactured by Panasonic and adjusting the picture that where they can put me into the picture. After a short interview, we found some problems in it, the interviewer could ask more detailed questions from what the interviewee answered and might paraphrase the questions when the interviewee misunderstand. As for the camera, we should put the interviewee into a diagonal side from direction the interviewee looking that giving more spaces to another side that the interviewee looking to.

Comment of the Butler

Last Friday I have seen this film (the Butler) in Broadway Cinema, the film has talked about a black man, whose name is Eugene Allen, had served for the White House for about 34 years. His son fought for the right of black race in America, he hoped that the right of black race is the same as the white. Experienced many failures such as sending into prison for many times, drove from his family, he finally succeed and won the right for black races. The timeline of the film has been well designed, it shows us that the son of butler had endured for a long time and he resisted then he succeed.

Story 2 on Nov 10, 2013

A girl, who is in her twenties, walked out of her flat slowly, with a bag and a large portfolio. She is not very tall but with a slim body, and she wore red glasses on her big-round face. After locking the door, she began to go downstairs quickly. Meanwhile, she wrapped up all her things into her bag and tried to make them into order. Then she walked over a lawn in a hurry, but she stopped her pace suddenly because she found that there were two squirrels chasing each other. She seemed like wanting to get close to them but afraid of disturbing them. Suddenly the squirrels climbed up to the tree so she took out her mobile phone and opened the camera quickly then shot videos for them. It seems that she likes squirrels very much. However, a few seconds passed, the squirrels hid themselves into leaves and branches. She couldn’t find them any more and felt worried and exhausted, then she walked round the tree and tried to find them out. She had found them for about one minute or two but failed, It seemed there was no way to find them that she began to carry on her way again. But she looked back to the tree many times when walking because she still want to see the squirrels clearly again. After that she crossed to the main road and walked quickly again and looked around the road which is safe or not. Then she went upstairs and entered the library.

 

Story 1 on Nov 7, 2013

An old man, who was found near the Old Market Square, was selling newspapers around the fountain; he seemed very tired because he called loudly to others to buy his newspapers. But just a few people buy his newspapers, so he walked around the whole square from here to there. It was useful that he walked farther and more people bought his newspapers, so just about 10 or 15 minutes he sold all his newspapers out. After that he was looked so relax and leisure, then he walked around slowly and entered into a shop. He went through the shop but bought nothing, just taking everything and having a look leisurely. Later, he went into a cafe bar and sat down tiredly.

Comments of Escape Plan

Today I saw the Escape Plan by laptop computer. Although I couldn't feel the threatening sound in cinema, but I learned something like the effects of cutting lens to the films, how post-production makers using lens to describe the emotion of characters and so on.

In 48min 37sec, Stallone saw around and felt alert because he found that the guard was paying attention on him. So the post-production maker used the lens in close shot which described Stallone was seeking around (Picture 1), and then connected by the lens in full shot which showed us that the guard with gun was paying attention on Stallone (Picture 2).

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In 54min 30sec, these lens was shot by video-photographer from close-shot to full-shot to big long-shot. Stallone climbed the ladder then went out of the prison area, but he found that he was on the boat, the lens showed that he felt helpless and he didn't know what he can do (Video 3).

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In 68min 37sec, when Arnold Schwarzenegger talking with Stallone, the shot was focused on Schwarzenegger's face clearly. But when he was seeing the man who was mentioned by Stallone, the shot was focused on the man and made Schwarzenegger's face blurred (Picture 4 and 5). This was connected to the class which was given by Deborah, she told us to shoot a short interviewing video with blurring.

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