Final Project

This is my final project with Kaitlin Silver. We chose Narrative Option A.

Extra Credit: DOC NYC Screening of "Going Clear"

I attended a screening of Alex Gibney's documentary, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief as part of DOC NYC on Thursday, November 19. The film is about the organization of the religion of Scientology and delves into its creation and recent scandals. It interviews experts on religion and history, as well as many former members of the church. It is narrated by Gibney and employs many standard documentary techniques. There are reenactments of events, as well as "talking head" interviews. A lot of archival footage from events, interviews, and news clips are used. For most of the film, the camera is steady and set up on a tripod. The movie uses extreme close-ups for emphasis and interviewees were shot from multiple angles at once. Subjects are under low-key lighting and half of their faces are often in shadow. The editing is very linear and most shots are connected by jump cuts, rather than using transition effects. There are several uses of a helicopter shot above one of the Scientology centers in Los Angeles. The film also has sections of B-roll footage while excerpts from an interview or narration are played over the images. The music that scores the film gives it an eerie feel and underscores emotional and important moments. One motif used throughout the movie to divide it into sections is a shot of key words being typed out by a typewriter onto paper, such as “Rehabilitation Project Force.” I thought the film was interesting and informative and got its point across effectively.

Blog #4: Museum of the Moving Image

One of the most interesting exhibits I experienced at the Museum of Moving Image was about sound effects in film. On a screen, our group was shown a clip from the film, The Simpsons Movie, with all of the correct sound used in the final cut. Then we chose different sound effects to replace in the cinematic version for things like a clock ticking or a pogo stick bouncing. I didn't realize how often sound designers use unrelated noises to stand in for something happening onscreen. For example, our group experimented with different sounds like sneaker noises for an eraser being dragged across paper, which still sounded like it fit. With the vast amount of sounds that can be collected and stored digitally with modern technology, it makes being a sound designer much easier. They are able to experiment with different options before presenting them to a director who chooses what will make the final film. This is especially useful for fantasy or science fiction narratives when a lot of the sounds that would be in the movie are made up to begin with, like imaginary creature noises or spaceship sounds. The skill involved is to convince the audience that even though what they are hearing might not be exactly what they think of when a certain action happens, it is believable enough to move the story forward and not distract viewers. Sound effects are a vital part of the filmmaking process and the exhibit at the museum illustrated that very clearly to everyone there.