We’re all stories in the end; just make it a good one. - The Doctor
Chick 1 says:
The fifth and my favorite in the series so far, I watched this last night with a friend who hadn’t seen it yet. We were preping for the upcoming July release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth movie and number one on my I Can’t Wait List for summer.
The Basics: Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts is a bleak one indeed but he also begins to grow into the leader he’s destined to be. Read the rest of this entry »
Chick 1 says:
Chick 2 can explain this better than I but for our loyal readers who are wondering, “What is lens flare and why should I care?” I will attempt to explain.
Flare is what happens when light reflects within the lens. This happens when a light source (other than the light that is bouncing off your image) enters the camera and refracts off the glass. That’s one reason you don’t normally shoot directly toward a light.
For those of you wondering flare looks like, here are some helpful examples:
Notice something about these pictures. Yes, they are both from Star Trek. And they’re just the tip of the iceburg.
In the last decade or so, it’s become more and more popular to use lens flare on purpose. It can be used for a variety of reasons; like making a film feel “real” or documentary-like or emphasizing how hot or bright a light source is in the story. (You often see this technique in a “lost in the desert” scene when someone looks up at the sun.) And when creating a fake environment (like a computer generated scene in space) details like flare can make that CG environment more believable.
Now I loved Star Trek. I thought it was the best summer movie of 2009. But the flare in that movie was waaay over the top. Early in the movie, I did like it. I thought that having a lot of flare did help set the mood, make the space scenes cool, and even give the film its own style. But it made it very hard to see the action. Check out those photos again. See how fuzzy it looks. During the movie, I found myself squinting to try and see what was going on. (Didn’t work.)
I get it. I get it. There are a lot of bright lights on the ship and a lot of shooting into suns & stars (yes, I realize they are the same things) so naturally there will be some flare but if I can’t actually see the film, there’s a problem.
So what is lens flare? - light refracting through a lens
And why should I care? - Lens flare can be used purposefully to either enhance a story or obscure that story.
Discuss.
PS. I still love you, JJ Abrams, and I would like to carry your briefcase and follow you around for a couple of years.
Chick 1 says:
Here’s a tidbit for Chick 2. There still may be another Lemony Snicket movie. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children’s books. In 2004 a movie of the same name was released starring Jim Carrey, directed by Brad Siberling, and based upon the first 3 books in the series. I had read several of the books and enjoyed them but didn’t know if they could be adapted. Read the rest of this entry »
Chick 1 says:
Sing it with me now, “When Cameron was in Egypt land, Let my Cameron go.”
Cameron Frye’s house, complete with car museum, is for sale in Highland Park, IL, just outside Chicago. Ferrari sold seperately. You can see pictures at the realtor’s website. If you decide to purchase, I’ll be expecting a finder’s fee.
Chick 1 says:
A couple of interesting blips popped up this week.
The Last Airbender: M. Night Shymalan is currently directing the movie version of Nickelodeon’s series of the same name. I’ve never seen it so I have no idea what it’s about but I’m glad to see Shymalan branching out. Read the rest of this entry »
Chick 1 says:
A few little points of interest from development land.
Old News: I’ve mentioned my excitement over the upcoming sequel to Emma Thompson’s Nanny McPhee here. Last month we learned that Maggie Gyllenhaal has been cast in the project. I think Maggie is delightful and I’m so glad to see her joining Emma. There aren’t any details on her part but my completely uneducated guess is that she’ll be playing the mother of the family that needs Nanny McPhee’s touch. Read the rest of this entry »
Chick 1 says:
Oh joy! The first trailer from Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes was released yesterday. We already knew that this was not going to be your usual Holmes whodunit. With Robert Downey Jr cast as Holmes, Jude Law as Watson, and Ritchie at the helm, this was going to be a grittier and probably funnier Holmes. I was expecting something dark & brooding but with an underlying humor but after the trailer debuted at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin in March, the buzz said that this was more of a buddy comedy. It is definitely very un-Holmes but I think it looks like fun. It certainly may offend Holmes purists. See for yourself. Trailer will play with Terminator Salvation this weekend. The movie opens Christmas 2009.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4K3aM5H5KM]
Chick 1 says:
I didn’t know whether to put this post under I Can’t Wait! or Casting Notes since I don’t really know a lot about this movie. It’s directed by Alejandro Amenabar who directed the Open Your Eyes, The Others, and The Sea Inside and it stars Rachel Weisz. A slave starts following new religion Christianity while falling in love with his master, a famous atheist. These are stunning. They appear to be lit so that they look like Alma-Tadema paintings.
See more photos here.
Chick 1 says:
I love to surf the net and MentalFloss.com is one of my favorites. I visit their Morning Cup O’ Links almost everyday. They write on a wide variety topics and the posts are usually witty and brief.
Yesterday they posted this article about the origin of the phrase A List in Hollywood. I have to admit even I didn’t know this. But yes, Virginia, there really is an A List. Read about it here.
