Summary Post

The experience of blogging was fun. I liked how I was able to talk about a subject of my choosing for many people to view. Me blogging about Quentin Tarantino films promoted my thoughts and ideas in a creative way that involved many different social media tools. These tools include Twitter, YouTube, and Google. I don’t believe any tool was ineffective if used the right way. Some things I would improve on would be posting regularly on a broader subject instead of rushing a post because of deadlines. A way this experience could benefit me in the future would be when I have an assignment that enables me to use social media. Overall the experience is one that can benefit me in future digital media assignments.

Photo Slideshow

My photo slideshow is about the process of how a film is made. Since my blog is about films I decided to tell  about nine things needed to make a movie. It starts with an idea, followed by a screenplay, equipment including a camera and microphone, a cast of actor, costumes for the actors, a location to film scenes, the filming process, and last editing which finishes everything before the movie is released.

A single idea can spark the want to write a screenplay, script and ultimately film a movie

A screenplay gives the foundation for the film. The screenplay is the script for the movie giving acting instructions and scene directions

A camera is THE most essential equipment needed to make a film

A microphone is is also well needed to capture the voice of the actors dialogue

Depending on what kind of wardrobe an actor wears determines what kind of a person they are

A cast is needed to act out the script

The location tells where the actors are being filmed and is determined by the screenplay

The filming process is done when a location is chosen and the script with the actors are ready to be filmed

The editing process comes after filming and is done to create a finished movie

Video Post

My video was about me showing all telling about some of the different movies I have a school. Yes people still to keep DVDs and don’t rely on Netflix for every movie they watch. Since my wordpress blog is about Quentin Tarantino I desided to talk about movies I have and consider my favorite. Some of which are by Tarantino. The quality is not the best but it’s “good enough”. Also I stumbled over some words, but overall it’s the idea that counts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfP4EAfPsFU&feature=youtu.be

Storify post

For my storify post, I posted about three Judd Apatow films. These three films are Superbad, Knocked up and Anchorman. Even though my wordpress blog is about Quentin Tarantino, I decided to publicize about another favorite director of mine and my three favorite films by him.

http://storify.com/TheGabrielJames/the-best-of-judd-apatow

Slumdog Millionaire

In the spirit of Quentin Tarantino films, my blog posts will now consist of non-linear narrative films. The first of these will be Slumdog Millionaire. This story follows an orphaned boy named Jamal who is on an Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. While on the show Jamal answers all of the question correct which raises suspicion of cheating and is taken and investigated. As he is questioned on how he knew the answers to each question, Jamal reflects on his life as a orphan on the streets of India. The first couple of questions on the show could be answered from Jamal’s memory of his childhood, and the farther into the show the farther down the road in Jamal’s life the story goes to find how he knows the answers. Jamal ends up winning the million dollars which coins the term slumdog millionaire. Some awards won by this film are seven Academy Awards ranging from Best director and picture to Best original song and sound editing. Also the film won 5 Golden Globes. In all Slumdog Millionaire racked up an impressive 119 awards out of 169 nominations. Even with all its positive recognition the film still underwent heavy criticism, but I’m not here to talk about that.

Here is a link to the trailer

http://youtu.be/kuSTr48P9mc

Related articles

• Slumdog Millionaire (ugobensoussan.wordpress.com)

Mobile App

My mobile app would find the top rated movies in every different category. The films will be chosen by reviews by top critics and the success of the film. If you click on a film you can add it to a favorite spot, and based on that film others will be recommended. The categories will consist of comedies, action, thriller, horror and animated movies. You will be able to type in a film or director to search. The film placed on the apps list will show their summary, length, actors, and other movies related in directors or plot. When a director is typed in the app will find all movies directed by them and a link to youtube so you will be able to view the trailers. The actual film would not be on the app.

Django

Another highly successful and most recent film by Quentin Tarantino called Django was very outstanding with all its different filming techniques and violent shootout scenes compared to Pulp Fiction. Django is set in the south during slavery times with Jamie Foxx as an angry freed slave traveling across the south searching for his wife. With the help of Dr. Schultz, Django goes out as a bounty hunter and tracks his wife after much violence and bloodshed.  Some trademarks used by Tarantino consist of the spaghetti western set, long dialogue, close ups, much bloodshed, detailed violent scenes, and of course control over the musical aspect. Not only does the writing, directing, and producing job get done by Tarantino, he also picks top notch actors to bring his visions to life. Some reoccurring Tarantino actors are Samuel Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Zoe Bell. Other new actors he worked with were Leonardo Di Caprio, Jamie Foxx, and Kerry Washington. The plot of the film in not nonlinear like other Tarantino hits but the critical and commercial responses were just as positive as a Pulp Fiction. Django brought Tarantino his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay along with three other awards. The commercial success of the film was so great that it grossed over $416 million in theaters worldwide, making it the highest grossing film Tarantino has ever made. The consistency in the success and popularity of his films from the beginning of his career to present is something that most directors struggle to achieve.

Pulp Fiction

As one of Tarantino’s best independent cinematic work, Pulp Fiction serves as one of the greatest films of all time. This film immaculately combines a nonlinear story line with eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of violence and humor, cinematic allusions, and an array of pop culture references. This one of a kind film narrative is broken up into seven sequences that follow two mobsters and an aging boxer, but connects the lives of a crime boss, his wild wife and two robbers. The film starts at a restaurant with the two robbers right before they stand up the place, but in the chronological order of the film this scene would take place in the middle of the movie. The last, or the end, of the seven sequences goes back to the diner where the robbery is taking place, but in the chronological order would be in the middle of the movie. This fluctuation between scenes in the plot makes it that much more important for the audience to pay attention. Tarantino takes old forms of storytelling and adds a twist of awry for the plot and characters. Quentin’s very hands on approach to his films from the music and plot to the selection of actors establishes him as one of the most successful cult directors of all time. Some awards this cinematic masterpiece has received are the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay (Motion Picture), along with three other awards. Some actors in this film were John Travolta, Samuel Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, and Tim Roth.

Kill Bill Vol.2

In this sequel of Kill Bill vol.2, The Bride continues her killing spree of her former assassin associates. First she goes after Bill’s brother Budd but fails when he shoots her with a shotgun filled with salt rocks and buried. Once she fights her way out of the casket and regains her strength The Bride goes out to find Budd again.  Elle (Bill’s killer) gets to him first with a black mamba. Just minutes after the mamba strikes Budd, The Bride appears and begins fighting Elle very violently in Budd’s small trailer house. Elle who is missing an eye gets the other one plucked out by The Bride leaving her completely blind but alive. Now the only person left to kill is Bill. Once The Bride tracks Bill she finds thato the daughter she thought died was alive and around four years old. After talking for a while to Bill, The Bride uses a deadly heart stopping technique on Bill in which he dies from. Once again this Quentin Tarantino film has many, many violent fighting scenes with up close and uniquely placed camera angles. Also in between the regular plot of the film there were flashback scenes that related to what was going on in the regular scene. Of course Tarantino had control over the music through out the film which is a favorite characteristic of his that I appreciate also. This spectacular ending to a terrific movie series is like no other.Quentin Tarantino once again shows why he is an elite film director and writer. Some notable actors in this film are Uma Thurman, Michael Madsen, and David Carradine.

Kill Bill Vol. 1

This film is the first installment of a duo series. Kill Bill vol.1 follows a lone assassin who seeks revenge on five of her former partners because of their attempt to kill her during her wedding. As The Bride goes about killing the other assassins, the plot starts in the middle of the story and as the film goes on you learn everything else that has happened. Another typical Tarantino film element is the intense and graphic fighting scenes. Most of the time they remind me of cartoons because of how impossible and unique they are. Tarantino’s way of linking elements and creating his own genre of movies is like no other

Some other stylistic trademarks Tarantino used in this movie were close up shots on bare feet and lips, upbeat music during brutal killing scenes, and mundane and long dialogue before violent acts. Some notable actors in this film consisted of Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica Fox, Daryl Hannah and Micheal Madsen.