300: 7-Step Outline
March 23, 2009
Step 1: The set-up
Set in Greece and Persia 480 B.C. king Leonidas (protagonist) is the leader of the Spartan army. As the Persians threaten Greece of taking over their land and slavery to their people, Leonidas and 300 Spartans is force to wage war against Persia. Their main goal is to protect the essence of their culture, people and freedom.
Step 2: The inciting incident
Leonidas is challenge by Xerxes, leader of the Persians and Leonidas has to act soon or his people will become slaves and the history of Greece will be erased.
Step 3: Act one turning point
King Leonidas and his 300 strong Spartans go and march to war against his own Gods, priest’s, the law and the oracles blessing as the love of his life asked him “What should a free man do?.”
Step 4: Mid-point
Hitting Leonidas lowest point when he knows he is outnumbered by the Persian Army. Knowing this before he sets into battle, he and the 300 Spartans will use their superior fighting skills and act as a single impenetrable unit (source of strength). Joined and helped by the Arcadians, they built the great Phocian wall that will trap enemies and funnel them to the hot gates as their numbers will count for nothing.
Step 5: Act two turning point
Due to the fear of Xerxes and his army, the Arcadians decided to back off and retreat to safety. Most importantly Ephialtes a half man creature of a Spartan descent which Leonidas denies him in any part of his army strongly betrayed him by crossing to Xerxes side and exposing an old route to the western which is an old goat path to outflank the Leonidas and his vulnerable Spartans.
Step 6: The climax – act three turning point
When all the key elements of the problem come into conflict at once, Leonidas and his brave army did not retreat and kept fighting on. As the Spartan law says they are not to surrender but to fight and die at all cost no matter how many elements of conflicts are there. Leeonidas also sends one of his troops (Dilios) to go back to Sparta and tell their people the story of their battle and the victory they will fullfil in this war.
Step 7: The resolution
Leonidas & the 300 Spartans dies at the hand of the facially wounded Xerxes, as the protagonist stated in the start that a God or a King can also bleed. With the tall tale from Dilios mouth , Leonidas wife (Queen Gorgo) also convinces the chamber of philosophers and councilman to send the rest of the Spartan army (10,000) to battle the Persians.
acmi: Exhibition
March 9, 2009
Setting the scene is a exhibition which consisted of over 300 pre and post constructural designs of many great classic films including Metropolis, Mon Ocle, A clockwork Orange, Cabaret, Alien and the Matrix.
The recent local film “Australia” was the main feature of the exhibition as it showcase many different designs that is relevant to the film. Director Baz Lurmhan and the Melbourne exhibition really wanted to open the eyes of the public by re-building a set from the movie (Room) so it can show the realness or the magic of movie making, like it was coming alive from the movie itself.
Story and setting models was showcase as well to prove there was a lot of hard work and time in designing the sets of the movie including piece by piece of houses, gates, trees etc. As each and every movie, there is recreation of a world of their own; this part of the presentation clearly gave us a preview of what it would be like to be in the designer’s chair.
These film production strategies can really determine the mood and feeling of the film which is really important in the production and film making business of today.
Also displaying the history of the Australian and international film cinemas where production designers, art directors and film architects played a vital role in the development of creative film making.
Life Can Be Peachy : MONTAGE
March 1, 2009A Simple Montage : Life Can Be Peachy
To view, follow the link and save image to desktop.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5012/lifecanbeapeach.jpg
Storyboard explanations :
Block 1:
Music/Mood: Blue and depressing
Set in an abandoned street corner, a homeless man sits near a rubbish bin drinking alcohol.
Just the sound of the wind blowing across the concrete floor.
Block 2:
Music/Mood: Joyful and Happy (Changes)
From the left side a happy cleanup/councilman walks whistling to his favourite tune of harmony picking up rubbish.
Walking to towards the garbage bin and the homeless man.
Block 3:
Music/Mood: Silence
A closeup shot of the the councilman biting the delicious peach, as the homeless guy also in the shot can hear every bite of the peach and can smell the flavour running way into his digestive system.
As he looked shock as if he never seen anything like it before.
Block 4:
Music/Mood: Silence
The councilman finishes the peach and throws away the rest to the bin in front of the homeless man.
Wide starting view of the councilman man turning around whistling away and continues his job.
Block 5:
Music/Mood: happy
From the same angle, out of nowhere a single paper from the rubbish laying around flies out to the screen stating:
” LIFE CAN BE PEACHY “
Block 6:
Ending and credits roll out
THE SPIRIT: REVIEW
March 1, 2009
Based on a Frank Miller comic book story, “The Spirit” is about Danny Colt whose main mission is to fight against the odds from the subjects and wrongs from the central city.
After watching the movie you can realize that there is a lot of pride in this film, as it was showed in the beginning. “The Spirit” or Danny talks about the city like it’s a part of him like it’s his own skin and bones suggesting when he puts on his superhero costume, he is somebody he wants to be.
Rules and protocols also do not exist in his mind, rebelling against society’s reality of the perfect world he used to live in due to past events. But we didn’t see a bad guy who wants to rule the world, we saw somebody in the other end of the line who wants to be different, a questionable hero with a past he will not guard down.
The plot of the story is well written as the design of the story shows back flashes of what happened in the past that definitely shows how some of the main characters are the way they are in their own character roles.
But I also realize that there is no character growth in Danny, as the main character I sure would hope there is a change in him but there was not. Maybe he does not change or grow as Frank Miller likes showing his rawness of him from the start to the end.
The movie is very dark, strong and vulnerable and I thought Danny created the Spirit because the city needed somebody emotionless who can uphold a whole gritty city he truly cares about, so leaving the city behind him is not an option.
Some may say the movie itself is a reflection of the current world we live in today or it could possibly be the future of tomorrow that Frank Miller predicts.
So as a world, are waiting for a clear change or possibly a real enough lifelike superhero we only see in the movies.
The movie may not be a breath of fresh but it does ask of us a lot of questions we have yet to answer.
Ivor Gaces welcomes you !!!
March 1, 2009WELCOME TO MY STUDENT
BLOG NETWORK
Student : Ivor Gaces
ID Number : g200807267
Email : ivorgaces@hotmail.com
