WEEK NINE
This week we had no film screening due to the thanksgiving break. However, we spent most of the week up until wednesday filming. On Sunday evening we went out at night and got some footage around Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden. We had to deal with the freezing temperatures and the consistent rain, but we got some interesting shots nonetheless. On Monday Kerry and I went east to Lichtenberg. The contrast here from west Berlin and even Alexanderplatz is amazing. I felt like I was in the former Soviet Union with all of the massive rectangular apartment buildings and wide, vacant streets. First we set Kerry up with the "bike cam" and got some great panning shots. Then I got behind the camera and directed a few scenes and Kerry shot some as well. I thought it was a productive filming day and I was pleased with the footage we got. On Tuesday we got footage in Friedrichshain using the bike cam again. I don't want to give the exact locations away, but I am very excited about the film we took that day. Each day we film we learn more about the process and I think that our footage has gotten much more diverse and interesting. It is one thing to come up with interesting ideas but it is also very difficult to translate those ideas into a good shot. When I am behind the camera, the first thing I do is look through the lcd screen and see where the lighting is best and from which angle the shot looks best. After that it usually takes a few tries to get the best shot, especially when you are filming an actor. By the end of this week we are planning on having most of our footage and will begin editing when we all return from our trips. At this point, I am excited about all of our footage and I know we have some great stuff but I have no clue how we are going to present it in a semi-chronological manner. We need to figure out a rough story line in order to begin editing. So begins the building process...
die zehnte Woche
WEEK TEN
This week's film screening was Kutlucan's Ich Chef, du Turnschuh. My first impression of this film was that it was very entertaining but a little too busy; I felt that I had been exposed to too many incidences in too little time and thus saw the film as a bit of an overload. Nonetheless I did enjoy the range of characters and the strange comedic factor of the movie. After reading Göktürk's article relating the film to earlier Marx brothers films and the idea of anarchic comedy, I began to understand Kutlucan's intention of the exaggerated, crazy performances and the wide range of situations that Dudie and others encounter. To me, the article reflects on role-play in films such as Ich Chef, du Turnschuh, in which actors purposely exaggerate their characters to portray a certain message. In Kutlucan's film, I think that over-exaggeration in performance is used to falsify stereotypes of other races and attempt to relieve certain racial tensions that exist in modern German society. The performance of the characters is so rediculous and "stereotypical" that it turns the joke on the stereotypes themselves and perhaps those who abide by them. Our class discussion also broadened my views on the film. One of the main points about the film that I walked away with is that the film purposely pokes fun of "everyone", meaning the several racial groups of asylum seekers as well as white Germans. The film constantly switches from one race to another so that no one race is singled out. I found the film very critical of the white Germans, mainly Hermann and the other work foremen. As somewhat figures of authority, they by no means abide by or reflect Germany's policy of offering asylum to refugees. They treat the asylum seekers like slaves and refuse to pay Dudie and his newly established roommates. Ironically, the construction site is right in front of the damaged Reichstag, which is finally the seat of a democratic government in Germany. The best example of the film portraying Germans as selfish and corrupt is when Hermann accidentally kills his ex-wife because of his jealousy and anger. These portrayals of the Germans as well as the stereotypical portrayal of the various asylum seekers creates an equal level of criticism. I feel that this film is successful in attempting to abolish false stereotypes and promote cultural acceptance mainly because it uses comedy as a way to relieve racial tensions and avoids the ever-so-difficult task of trying to be politically correct and please everyone. I feel the necessity to compare this film to the 2004 film Crash, which also blatantly addressed the issue of racism in urban America. However, this film was completely serious and I feel was too much of a documentary and could almost be seen as fostering such racism and not attempting to alleviate it. I feel that comedy can actually be a useful tool when dealing with such serious matters.
As of this week we are mostly done with gather footage for our film. We spent most of last week getting footage and now we have begun the editing process. We have decided to devote two or more hours a night to editing. So far it has been going well. We have created two small sequences from various shots and are becoming more accustomed to the software. Christopher has been the manual operator at the computer and Kerry and I have been following him and collaborating ideas. I feel that my role in the entire film process as well as editing is a sort main support; I always add my input to a certain scene or idea and occassionaly come up with my own idea for a scene. I like to listen to other members' ideas and build on them. Last week I filmed quite a bit and it felt nice to be sort of in charge of the camera and take more initiative than I had before. I have some ideas as far as editing goes, and I know everyone else does, so these next couple of weeks will consist of constantly throwing ideas at each other and seeing what reults we get!
This week's film screening was Kutlucan's Ich Chef, du Turnschuh. My first impression of this film was that it was very entertaining but a little too busy; I felt that I had been exposed to too many incidences in too little time and thus saw the film as a bit of an overload. Nonetheless I did enjoy the range of characters and the strange comedic factor of the movie. After reading Göktürk's article relating the film to earlier Marx brothers films and the idea of anarchic comedy, I began to understand Kutlucan's intention of the exaggerated, crazy performances and the wide range of situations that Dudie and others encounter. To me, the article reflects on role-play in films such as Ich Chef, du Turnschuh, in which actors purposely exaggerate their characters to portray a certain message. In Kutlucan's film, I think that over-exaggeration in performance is used to falsify stereotypes of other races and attempt to relieve certain racial tensions that exist in modern German society. The performance of the characters is so rediculous and "stereotypical" that it turns the joke on the stereotypes themselves and perhaps those who abide by them. Our class discussion also broadened my views on the film. One of the main points about the film that I walked away with is that the film purposely pokes fun of "everyone", meaning the several racial groups of asylum seekers as well as white Germans. The film constantly switches from one race to another so that no one race is singled out. I found the film very critical of the white Germans, mainly Hermann and the other work foremen. As somewhat figures of authority, they by no means abide by or reflect Germany's policy of offering asylum to refugees. They treat the asylum seekers like slaves and refuse to pay Dudie and his newly established roommates. Ironically, the construction site is right in front of the damaged Reichstag, which is finally the seat of a democratic government in Germany. The best example of the film portraying Germans as selfish and corrupt is when Hermann accidentally kills his ex-wife because of his jealousy and anger. These portrayals of the Germans as well as the stereotypical portrayal of the various asylum seekers creates an equal level of criticism. I feel that this film is successful in attempting to abolish false stereotypes and promote cultural acceptance mainly because it uses comedy as a way to relieve racial tensions and avoids the ever-so-difficult task of trying to be politically correct and please everyone. I feel the necessity to compare this film to the 2004 film Crash, which also blatantly addressed the issue of racism in urban America. However, this film was completely serious and I feel was too much of a documentary and could almost be seen as fostering such racism and not attempting to alleviate it. I feel that comedy can actually be a useful tool when dealing with such serious matters.
As of this week we are mostly done with gather footage for our film. We spent most of last week getting footage and now we have begun the editing process. We have decided to devote two or more hours a night to editing. So far it has been going well. We have created two small sequences from various shots and are becoming more accustomed to the software. Christopher has been the manual operator at the computer and Kerry and I have been following him and collaborating ideas. I feel that my role in the entire film process as well as editing is a sort main support; I always add my input to a certain scene or idea and occassionaly come up with my own idea for a scene. I like to listen to other members' ideas and build on them. Last week I filmed quite a bit and it felt nice to be sort of in charge of the camera and take more initiative than I had before. I have some ideas as far as editing goes, and I know everyone else does, so these next couple of weeks will consist of constantly throwing ideas at each other and seeing what reults we get!
die achte Woche
WEEK EIGHT
This week's film screening was Tykwer's Lola Rennt. I had seen this film about 3 years ago and can remember really enjoying it, but I was very excited to watch it again, especially after having lived in Berlin for a couple of months. Seeing it this second time meant so much more to me, especially the implications of the film that are so unique to Berlin. We discussed in class how Berlin as a touristic site is not portrayed in the film and that the film could possibly have taken place in any city. However, I feel a strong connection and portrayal of Berlin in this film, but perhaps that is just because I know that it takes place in Berlin and that I have become so familiar with the city. I think that this is such a powerful movie for Berlin because it represents this new generation of Berliners, a generation of possibilities and chance. The way that Lola runs throughout the city never could have been done in the three decades before the film was made, and I think her mobility throughout the city is a representation of the new united Berlin and of the new connections that are made possible by the fall of the wall. Also, we talked about the issue of media convergence in the film. In this film, I see converging media when the animated version of Lola running down the stairs appears on the television screen and then becomes the predominant medium of the film. I also see converging media in the different devices used to film the real-life parts of the film, mainly the mixture of photographs as well as the two types of video cameras. I feel that the convergence of the animation and film further expresses feelings of power and persona freedom. The animated segments make the viewer feel as if Lola could do anything, almost like in a video game. By converging these two media, through the television screen and then through the apartment door, this feeling of freedom then translates into the real-time film and gives Lola this fantastic sense about her. I felt that the use of the photo snapshot sequences in the film were reflective of the modern explosion of the camera as a way of documenting our lives. Just as the snapshots told a story of what happened to various characters that Lola encountered, we ourselves tell stories about experiences that we have with pictures and photo albums. Also, the lack of movement with such a medium accentuates Lola's movement and the juxtaposition of the two media gives her a sense of control.
Another reason why this film was more powerful for me this time was that it inspired me in the film-making process. After the movie, our group thought of some more ideas as far as the style and overall theme of our film. Our most exciting new developments involve the soundtrack and some other post-production work. This week we have done some extensive filming and converted all of our new footage onto the software editing program. We havent edited any footage yet, but we are still eagerly gathering film whenever we have time. An exciting new development is the usage of the "Kerry cam", which involves Kerry riding her bike with the camera, on the tripod, in her backpack. This creates the same kind of function as a dolly, and with it we have gotten some great footage. We continue to follow our film schedule and hopefully we will be done with filming by deccember, giving us a month or so to edit.
This week's film screening was Tykwer's Lola Rennt. I had seen this film about 3 years ago and can remember really enjoying it, but I was very excited to watch it again, especially after having lived in Berlin for a couple of months. Seeing it this second time meant so much more to me, especially the implications of the film that are so unique to Berlin. We discussed in class how Berlin as a touristic site is not portrayed in the film and that the film could possibly have taken place in any city. However, I feel a strong connection and portrayal of Berlin in this film, but perhaps that is just because I know that it takes place in Berlin and that I have become so familiar with the city. I think that this is such a powerful movie for Berlin because it represents this new generation of Berliners, a generation of possibilities and chance. The way that Lola runs throughout the city never could have been done in the three decades before the film was made, and I think her mobility throughout the city is a representation of the new united Berlin and of the new connections that are made possible by the fall of the wall. Also, we talked about the issue of media convergence in the film. In this film, I see converging media when the animated version of Lola running down the stairs appears on the television screen and then becomes the predominant medium of the film. I also see converging media in the different devices used to film the real-life parts of the film, mainly the mixture of photographs as well as the two types of video cameras. I feel that the convergence of the animation and film further expresses feelings of power and persona freedom. The animated segments make the viewer feel as if Lola could do anything, almost like in a video game. By converging these two media, through the television screen and then through the apartment door, this feeling of freedom then translates into the real-time film and gives Lola this fantastic sense about her. I felt that the use of the photo snapshot sequences in the film were reflective of the modern explosion of the camera as a way of documenting our lives. Just as the snapshots told a story of what happened to various characters that Lola encountered, we ourselves tell stories about experiences that we have with pictures and photo albums. Also, the lack of movement with such a medium accentuates Lola's movement and the juxtaposition of the two media gives her a sense of control.
Another reason why this film was more powerful for me this time was that it inspired me in the film-making process. After the movie, our group thought of some more ideas as far as the style and overall theme of our film. Our most exciting new developments involve the soundtrack and some other post-production work. This week we have done some extensive filming and converted all of our new footage onto the software editing program. We havent edited any footage yet, but we are still eagerly gathering film whenever we have time. An exciting new development is the usage of the "Kerry cam", which involves Kerry riding her bike with the camera, on the tripod, in her backpack. This creates the same kind of function as a dolly, and with it we have gotten some great footage. We continue to follow our film schedule and hopefully we will be done with filming by deccember, giving us a month or so to edit.
die siebte Woche
WEEK SEVEN
Semi-success. I have managed to meet some people, not Berliners, but cool people nonetheless. It has been really fun talking with them about Berlin and what it is they are doing here. I went with a friend to look at a WG that he was interested in and it made me wish I was in the market for a WG in Berlin. So I continue to have fun in Berlin...
This week our film screening was Die Mauer, dir. Jürgen Böttcher. Because I had never seen this film, or even heard of it, I really had no idea what to anticipate. For some reason, I was thinking that it would be some kind of dramatic film about the separation of Berlin. Obviously, I was competely surprised by the film right away, mainly because of the extreme documentary feel of the film. My impressions of the film are a little unsure. While watching the film, I really enjoyed seeing different peoples' reacted to and with the wall, especially as it was being torn down. I saw how the wall really became a comodity and a site to see, even for Berliners themselves. Probably my favorite thing about the film was seeing how excited the city became as the wall was being torn down. People climbing over the wall, through the wall, cracking at the wall with hammers, screaming, dancing, and interacting with one another. Watching these scenes made me realize how amazing of an event it must have been. Stylistically, I feel that there is not much to the film. The term "demontage" describes it perfectly; the film consists of long shots of the same scene. After seeing such a film as compared to a cinematically complex film such as Wings of Desire, I felt a little more confident in our group's filming abilities and also the power and effectiveness of such simplicity.
The selected reading on Böttcher's documentary films helped me better understand where the film stood in the documentary-film spectrum and to get an idea of what Böttcher's style as a documentarist is. The reading first elaborates on what a documentary is and what it is that a documentarist does. A documentary is described as not merely an observation of society, but a commentary on society, created by the particular subject matter portrayed and the manner in which it is presented. Thus, a documentarist takes a certain event and then presents his or her take on this event. Historically, the documentary was much more favored and supported in the GDR than in the Federal Republic. Although documentaries received support in the GDR, they had to fall within appropriate party lines, which is where Böttcher's films became problematic. Böttcher took much more artistic and interpretave freedom with his films and thus did not pass censoring often. After reading into Böttcher and about the documentary in general, I can see now that Die Mauer is a documentary, but not in the strictly cronological, historical sense. I'm not sure what Böttcher's personal take on the Mauer is, but I can see that his film is more than a documetation of the slow dismantling of the wall, but focuses on the social interactions of people with the wall and with other people during this time.
This week our film group met to solidify filming plans. As time is dwindling, we realized that we have much to do and that the only way it will get done is if we have a planned schedule. We have marked out the days we are going to film as well as days we are going to work on editing. I think with this new schedule we will be able to get all of our footage by december. I am very excited about our film...we have great ideas, and now we will see if we can translate them into film.
Semi-success. I have managed to meet some people, not Berliners, but cool people nonetheless. It has been really fun talking with them about Berlin and what it is they are doing here. I went with a friend to look at a WG that he was interested in and it made me wish I was in the market for a WG in Berlin. So I continue to have fun in Berlin...
This week our film screening was Die Mauer, dir. Jürgen Böttcher. Because I had never seen this film, or even heard of it, I really had no idea what to anticipate. For some reason, I was thinking that it would be some kind of dramatic film about the separation of Berlin. Obviously, I was competely surprised by the film right away, mainly because of the extreme documentary feel of the film. My impressions of the film are a little unsure. While watching the film, I really enjoyed seeing different peoples' reacted to and with the wall, especially as it was being torn down. I saw how the wall really became a comodity and a site to see, even for Berliners themselves. Probably my favorite thing about the film was seeing how excited the city became as the wall was being torn down. People climbing over the wall, through the wall, cracking at the wall with hammers, screaming, dancing, and interacting with one another. Watching these scenes made me realize how amazing of an event it must have been. Stylistically, I feel that there is not much to the film. The term "demontage" describes it perfectly; the film consists of long shots of the same scene. After seeing such a film as compared to a cinematically complex film such as Wings of Desire, I felt a little more confident in our group's filming abilities and also the power and effectiveness of such simplicity.
The selected reading on Böttcher's documentary films helped me better understand where the film stood in the documentary-film spectrum and to get an idea of what Böttcher's style as a documentarist is. The reading first elaborates on what a documentary is and what it is that a documentarist does. A documentary is described as not merely an observation of society, but a commentary on society, created by the particular subject matter portrayed and the manner in which it is presented. Thus, a documentarist takes a certain event and then presents his or her take on this event. Historically, the documentary was much more favored and supported in the GDR than in the Federal Republic. Although documentaries received support in the GDR, they had to fall within appropriate party lines, which is where Böttcher's films became problematic. Böttcher took much more artistic and interpretave freedom with his films and thus did not pass censoring often. After reading into Böttcher and about the documentary in general, I can see now that Die Mauer is a documentary, but not in the strictly cronological, historical sense. I'm not sure what Böttcher's personal take on the Mauer is, but I can see that his film is more than a documetation of the slow dismantling of the wall, but focuses on the social interactions of people with the wall and with other people during this time.
This week our film group met to solidify filming plans. As time is dwindling, we realized that we have much to do and that the only way it will get done is if we have a planned schedule. We have marked out the days we are going to film as well as days we are going to work on editing. I think with this new schedule we will be able to get all of our footage by december. I am very excited about our film...we have great ideas, and now we will see if we can translate them into film.
die sechste Woche
WEEK SIX
This weeks film screening was Wim Wenders' Der Himmel Ueber Berlin, or Wings of Desire. I had seen this film a few times before, and this time was not much different. However, our discussions after the film made me consider things about it that I had not thought about before. Topics such as the angels as political "filters", gender and racial issues, and Berlin as filmplace were of particular interest. However, in response to the Hooks reading, we had a lengthy discussion about gender/racial issues in the film. I can see both sides of the argument that Hooks presents, but I side more strongly with the opposition to her argument. I feel that the film may present a white male dominance, but you have to take into consideration the cultural context in which the film was created as well as the deeper message being conveyed in the film. Addressing the first issue, cultural context, this film was created by and intended mostly for a caucasian audience. Thus, the film portrays angels as white males, a common western representation of angels. Also, I feel that the singular gender/race of the angels simplifies their role in the film and thus turns the focus more on the people of Berlin. Perhaps, then, Hook's criticism should be directed toward western film as a whole than just Wenders' film. On the second issue, I feel that if one dwells too much on the lack of representation of other races and the seeming male dominance in the film, the overall message of the film is lost. To me, this is a film about the human condition and struggling with fears, desires, and other aspects of life. It is these issues of human reality, good and bad, that draw the angel, I forget his name, to want to experience human life for himself. Dwelling on the gender issue specifically, I can see how some may see the French woman, I forget her name also, as being portrayed as a weak character who needs a man to keep herself together. However, I see her as a strong, independent woman who needs something in her life, but not necessarily a man. Although she is constantly pensive and unsure of herself, she thinks about her situation and works out her insecurities in the end. If the film attempted to address the issues of gender and racial equality, I feel that it would have to strongly focus on these issues and thus detract from the main message. Thus, in order to get the full intended message of the film, I feel that we have to view the film keeping the cultural context in mind and trying to see the larger issues at hand.
This week our film group didn't get any filming done, especially because of the weekend trip to Hamburg. However, we met to discuss further film plans and have recently come up with the idea of making a story board. This will come in handy when we actually go out to film, so that we know which scenes we want to do and a rough idea of what they are going to look like. Up until this point, we have done a little filming, but mostly discussing and writing down our ideas. With each week our ideas change slightly and the film becomes more and more specific. It has been fun seeing the transformation from our first meeting and our initial ideas to our most recent ideas. Now, with the story boarding process, we have become more serious in translating these ideas into actual scenes. I, personally, have been thinking about places around the city that I would like to film around and music that would be good in the film. We have all been getting excited about filming and turning our ideas into something tangible. After watching Der Himmel Über Berlin again, I realized that I really want Berlin to be the subject of our film. For me, the goal of the film is going to be able to give people some sort of sense of what it is like to be in Berlin; when I show this film to friends and family I would love for them to get an idea of what I experienced in Berlin and why I love the city.
This weeks film screening was Wim Wenders' Der Himmel Ueber Berlin, or Wings of Desire. I had seen this film a few times before, and this time was not much different. However, our discussions after the film made me consider things about it that I had not thought about before. Topics such as the angels as political "filters", gender and racial issues, and Berlin as filmplace were of particular interest. However, in response to the Hooks reading, we had a lengthy discussion about gender/racial issues in the film. I can see both sides of the argument that Hooks presents, but I side more strongly with the opposition to her argument. I feel that the film may present a white male dominance, but you have to take into consideration the cultural context in which the film was created as well as the deeper message being conveyed in the film. Addressing the first issue, cultural context, this film was created by and intended mostly for a caucasian audience. Thus, the film portrays angels as white males, a common western representation of angels. Also, I feel that the singular gender/race of the angels simplifies their role in the film and thus turns the focus more on the people of Berlin. Perhaps, then, Hook's criticism should be directed toward western film as a whole than just Wenders' film. On the second issue, I feel that if one dwells too much on the lack of representation of other races and the seeming male dominance in the film, the overall message of the film is lost. To me, this is a film about the human condition and struggling with fears, desires, and other aspects of life. It is these issues of human reality, good and bad, that draw the angel, I forget his name, to want to experience human life for himself. Dwelling on the gender issue specifically, I can see how some may see the French woman, I forget her name also, as being portrayed as a weak character who needs a man to keep herself together. However, I see her as a strong, independent woman who needs something in her life, but not necessarily a man. Although she is constantly pensive and unsure of herself, she thinks about her situation and works out her insecurities in the end. If the film attempted to address the issues of gender and racial equality, I feel that it would have to strongly focus on these issues and thus detract from the main message. Thus, in order to get the full intended message of the film, I feel that we have to view the film keeping the cultural context in mind and trying to see the larger issues at hand.
This week our film group didn't get any filming done, especially because of the weekend trip to Hamburg. However, we met to discuss further film plans and have recently come up with the idea of making a story board. This will come in handy when we actually go out to film, so that we know which scenes we want to do and a rough idea of what they are going to look like. Up until this point, we have done a little filming, but mostly discussing and writing down our ideas. With each week our ideas change slightly and the film becomes more and more specific. It has been fun seeing the transformation from our first meeting and our initial ideas to our most recent ideas. Now, with the story boarding process, we have become more serious in translating these ideas into actual scenes. I, personally, have been thinking about places around the city that I would like to film around and music that would be good in the film. We have all been getting excited about filming and turning our ideas into something tangible. After watching Der Himmel Über Berlin again, I realized that I really want Berlin to be the subject of our film. For me, the goal of the film is going to be able to give people some sort of sense of what it is like to be in Berlin; when I show this film to friends and family I would love for them to get an idea of what I experienced in Berlin and why I love the city.
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