Robert Rubio

What do you find interesting about this video?  How does seeing sound visualized help you understand what sound is? What I find interesting about this video is the technique that's shown to see the sound waves, by using S chlieren Flow Visualization. Seeing sound visualized doesn't exactly help me understand what sound is, because I already had an idea of what it is, and I didn't think it could be anything different.

Take a moment to reflect over your experience of sound at the movies.  What are 2 things things that you notice about the sound in modern hollywood movies?  What is the first film that made you think about the sound of the film?  What interested you?  The sound effects?  The sound track?  The dialog?  Why? I honestly don't remember the first film that made me think about the sound, because I've been doing that forever. But I've noticed in films that sound is an extreme part of the film, that requires much dedication. They also obviously sound a lot better than classic films, since technology has increasingly involved throughout the decades.

Stepping back a bit, we are going to screen  Hugo.  So  lets review the accomplishments of George Melies.  Write a paragraph response summarizing his accomplishments in cinema history. George Melies made a huge impact in cinema. Melies was the filmmaker who innovated in the use of special effects, something that all films use to this very day, as well as films like Get Out, which used special effects for fire. He created an iconic short film known as A Trip To The Moon. The short film is regarded as the first scripted film and is the earliest example of science fiction. He is still highly praised in the film industry, especially by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who made a film titled Hugo, in 2011, which bases its story on the history of George Melies.

Take a few moments to reflect on what you have learned in this unit.  The history of cinema is pretty vast, and we could only cover a short part of it.  After watching this video, what do you notice about the evolution of filmmaking?  How did it all begin?  How far have we come?  In your opinion, where are we headed? The evolution of filmmaking began with moving images, and it gradually advanced with the use of special effects, creative storytelling, comedy, and with an amazing crew to get the job done. We've come as far as to the point where shameful comedies are being released with no significance whatsoever. We've also come to the point where studios are building franchises, creating universes such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, films have relied too much on CGI, but many films are starting to return to practical effects. But recently, there have been films that are very original and iconic. I think we'll slowly go back...

What are the roots of silent cinema in the bay area?  How did it play an important role in early cinema history?  What famous personalities made films here? Niles, which is located in Fremont, California, was the very center of the film industry. Three blocks, with hills on one side and a creek on the other. A studio was built in Niles in 1912 by Gilbert M. Anderson, a silent-film cowboy star. The Bay Area was on the verge of becoming the film capital of the world. Also, four brothers set up a film exchange company in San Francisco to acquire films and rent them around the country to exhibitors.

How were asian actors and characters treated at the time in american films?  Which of these actors stories could you relate too?  Explain why you found their achievements so significant. Asian actors were quietly not allowed to become stars. During this time, filmmakers were using stereotypes to get people to watch films. Women such as Anna May Wong suffered from stereotyping of asian women as "china dolls" and/or "dragon ladies" and was considered a secondary role to white actresses.

What was Mabel famous for?  What were three significant events or films that she made?  What was her downfall?  What surprises you about her? Mabel Normand was famous for being one of the early silent film actresses to become a director. She also had her own studio, known as Mabel Normand Feature Film Company. In 1912, she began to prepare to direct the films that she acts in. 

If you had to summarize and explain the events that led from the film industry's transfer from New Jersey to Los Angeles,  how would you explain it?  What was Thomas Edison's role in this transition?   What role did patents and Nickleodeons play in this dispute? The events that led up to filmmakers moving west is due to fleeing at the cause of Thomas Edison, who started to force people and companies to sign with the Motion Picture Patent Company. Thomas Edison owned countless patents, he was able to persuade other patent holders to form a company around the patents.

Why was New Jersey the capital of film at the time?  Why did the industry move West? D.W. Griffith and Edisons film company first came to Fort Lee, New Jersey to shoot a short film, the towns' landscape, such as cliffs and woodlands offered dramatic backgrounds for the films. Fort Lee, New Jersey was also an easy destination to travel to. In 1908, D.W. Griffith also directed his first film in Fort Lee, New Jersey. 

What were nickelodeons like?  What was the first movie palace?  What influenced the transition to the movie palace?  Why do you think the movie places became so important? Nickelodeons had a sheet for the screen, 10-12 rows of benches, and a curtain which separated the lobby and the screening room.

What is the latham loop?  How did it change cinema? The latham loop is a way of pulling film through the threading device of the camera. It's a device that enabled film to spool over front to back, which allowed longer films. The latham loop has played a signifiant roll in film projectors and cameras since 1908, and is still used today

What effect did the film have on the US society at the time?  How did the white audience react?  How did the african american audience react?  How did Griffith respond to the publics reaction to his film?  Write about three of the innovations that Griffith pioneered with the film. When the film was first released, it became a huge controversy, mainly for being extremely racist. The film caused many riots and was banned in countless cities. White audiences, however, reacted quite positively, who were appealed by the romanticism of the film. D.W. Griffith responded with another film the following year in 1916 titled Intolerance . Three innovations include: title cards, written music, and costuming for authenticity and accuracy.

What was Porters contribution to cinema?  What was so significant about his work? Edwin S. Porter was the first to discover visual continuity in film, a cutting style that maintains time and space. His work was so significant because he used cross-cutting, which is cutting between two different characters or actions in film. During that time, those two techniques were groundbreaking and never before seen.

What were Melies' contributions to cinema?  Why is his work so significant? Melies was fascinated by the art of illusion, and was the first to create special effects in film. He also built the first movie studio in Europe. It was a building made of glass walls and ceilings. He was the first filmmaker with pre-production work such as sketches and story boards. Melies was also the first to experiment with techniques such as double exposure, split screen, superimposition and reverse shots.

What is this music video about?  Why did the band and the filmmakers choose these images?  Why are they significant?  What do you think they are paying homage to or emulating? I don't know if there's a significant meaning to the music video, such as a hidden meaning, but in the video, people launch a ship to the moon, where they land and are attacked by alien creatures. To me, the video appeared like a classic silent film. Also, it has a similarity to the silent film "A Trip to the Moon," since it featured a moon with a mean face. They're are paying homage to the silent film era by filming the music video in a similar style, and more especially, to A Trip to the Moon.