Interesting Use of Camera Movement Video from Dances with Wolves (1990)

                                       

        An interesting use of camera movement I found within a movie scene was from the movie titled Dances with Wolves (1990).  I chose the scene where First Lieutenant John J. Dunbar is riding his horse with some of Sioux tribe members  as they try to capture buffalo on the Great Plains.

       This scene begins with an extreme wide shot to establish the scene environment of the Great Plains. The camera then changes its shot to a very wide shot. This very wide shot shows the distant figure of First Lieutenant John J. Dunbar surround by the buffalo he is trying to hunt along with several of the Sioux on horseback.

        The camera shot abruptly changes and focuses in only on Lieutenant Dunbar with a medium close up shot of him riding  but then the camera shot briefly changes to a cutaway shot showing the buffalo. The camera shot transitions again now focusing in on both Lieutenant Dunbar and the buffalo before it goes back to an extreme wide shot of the Great Plains and the buffalo running away.
  
       While the buffalo run away the camera shot becomes a very wide shot but instead of focusing on only Lieutenant Dunbar the camera alternates between a Sioux man on horseback and Dunbar. After this happens the camera shots tend to go back and forth between very wide shots of the buffalo and mid shots of the Lieutenant Dunbar and Sioux buffalo hunters.
  
     Overall, I enjoyed watching this movie scene from Dances with Wolves (1990) because it had a variety of camera shots in such a short amount of time. In addition from watching the video clip multiple times I am more aware of the different camera shots used within a movie scene.


Further Reading:
http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/

The 400 Blows (1959): Visual Style

          While watching the French movie called The 400 Blows (1959) I saw several great scenes that focused on visual style. However, two scenes stood out to me the most while watching this movie.

Interesting Camera Shot or Angle from Fly Away Home (1996)

Image: www.listal.com

      A screenshot of an interesting camera shot or angle I chose to comment on is from the movie Fly Away Home (1996).  I chose this specific scene because it is the final scene before the end of the movie and it depicts an aerial view. I find this to be interesting because by doing an aerial view the camera angle is giving the audience a bird's eye angle of the plane. This is an angle that looks directly down upon a scene and it is an angle that is often used as an establishing angle. In addition this image also uses an extreme long shot, to establish the setting of the landscape against that of the plane and flying geese.

All About Me Introduction

 

       Hello my name is Morgan Raddatz and I am a senior studying Communication at Alverno College.  I am also doing supports in Creative Writing, Spanish Language and Cultures and in English. Communication is my third major change I have made while studying at Alverno. My first two majors were Business Management and Early Childhood Elementary Education. I have always called the Southside of Milwaukee home. I graduate Alverno College in December of 2017. I am involved with several student organizations on campus as well as doing several campus jobs.
         My goal is to one day travel to several countries since I enjoy learning about the various cultures of the world. I cannot wait to begin this class on world films so I can learn more about cultures through film.  My favorite movie would have to be Step Brothers although I enjoy watching pretty much any genre of movie. However, one thing is crucial, my favorite types of movies have to have interesting plot lines to keep me engaged otherwise I will tend to zone out.
    As of now I really do not have a specific favorite foreign film, but I remember watching a foreign film  in my high school Spanish class called <<Diario de Motocicleta>> or "The Motorcycle Diaries" (2004).  This was a biographical-action film that depicted the motorcycle trips Che Guevara and Alberto Granado took in South America during 1952.
        In addition, I  have watched a film in a college Spanish class called <<Los Olvidados>> or "The Young and The Damned" which is a 1950 Mexican film that depicts the poverty and crime of a group of juvenile delinquents in Mexico City.  Overall, watching these two movies showed me different perspectives besides those shown in American films. Hopefully with this class I can explore even more foreign films with varying perspectives.