Why I got last place on the final project...

Dear Mr. Daley,
I know exactly why I received 11th out of 11 places on the final project. I will outline the MANY reasons for you in this blog.

First of all, I spent $20 million on Emma Stone. She only made me back about $9 million for sure. I should have gone with a different actress. Also, I payed $19 million for Tobey Maguire, who brought in NO votes whatsoever. I should have done more research on actors and actresses and cast them more frugally and intelligently. Lastly, I should have spent more time on my poster to make it more appealing. I realize that the poster is a big factor in the voting process, and I should have made it look more professional. I think that for these reasons, I was not more successful. If my movie had cost less and had a more well thought out cast, and if my poster had been better, I would have brought in more votes and not lost you $37 million. I'm sorry.

Your friend,
Shane Vaughan


















All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and n play makes jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull bog
all work and no play make s Jack a dull bay
All work and no play m**kes Jack a dull boy.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull  oy
All work and no lay makes /jack and dull bouy
All work and nolay make s jack an dull by
All work and no polay makes JAcka a dull boy
all aork and noplay makes JAck a tul boy
All work and hno play makes Jack a Dull boy
All work and /no play ,aleks jack a dull boy
All work and no play maeks jack a dull boy
All work an no olay makes cjak a dull boyyu
REDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUMREDRUM

Comedy through the ages- a review of The General, Some Like It Hot, Airplane!, and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa

Comedy! Slapstick, Character, Blue, Black, and my personal favorite Mockumentary, all sub-genres of a main genre that has literally been around for ages, and the four films that I watched this week are a testament to said longevity. Starting with Buster Keaton's silent classic The General, released in 1926, then Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe in 1959's Some Like It Hot, to the 1980 mega-hit Airplane!, and the modern British comedy, 2013's Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. These movies illustrate perfectly the evolution of comedy in a century, so we'll dive right in!

 The General (1926)
The General is a classic silent film from the Jazz age starring comedic genius Buster Keaton (who some say was even better than the great Charlie Chaplin). The movie follows the story of a young locomotive engineer in the era of the American Civil War. Denied after enlisting in the Confederate army and disowned by his lover (the daughter of a General) he retreats to his real love, his engine (also called General). When the General (train) and his lover are stolen by some Union spies at a stop, Buster's character chases them down on foot, eventually catching up and unwittingly thwarting a Union plot that would have been the Confederate army's undoing. Through many a slapstick snare, Buster emerges victorious and becomes himself a General for his service.

This movie makes great use of silent slapstick comedy material in an era where "talkies" were the dominant picture show. Behind the hilarious antics lies a concept that was old even for the Golden Twenties, with a new flare that is trademark for an artist like Keaton. A running gag in the film is the old-time spirit of quite literally "creating your own doors", and numerous times an ax meets a wall and makes a joke. My personal favorite was toward the end when the newly-promoted General meets his lover (who had promised not to speak to him until he wore a uniform) and tries to enjoy a moment of intimacy with her, but soldiers march by in a line and continually interrupt him with a respectful salute. After a while, he sits with her on the axle of the General (train again) and the two lock lips, with Buster still saluting his passing men over and over.

I laughed so hard that I cried more than once during this fantastic comedic film, and I think that you will too. Buster Keaton recognized the artistry of silent film and elevated his performance to a higher (and more hilarious) level. This reviewer gives it 5/5 man-made doors, for embracing the old-time american spirit, and making my sides split in the process.

Some Like It Hot (1959)
A classic black-and-white film in an era where color films were the standard, Some Like It Hot again tested the boundaries of filmmaking and broke through them. This highly enjoyable and very funny character comedy stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon playing Joe and Jerry, a tenor sax and bass duo desperate for a gig. After a run-in with Spats Colombo and his Chicago-style mafia, they decide that they need to get far away, and find refuge in a band looking for them exactly: a tenor sax and bass player. The only problem is... the band is all-female. They don some dresses, wigs, and makeup, and hop on a train to Florida for a gig with the ladies, including Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) whom "Josephine" and "Geraldine" soon become smitten with.

This film uses classic wit and whimsy to convey the comedy through its entirety. Not only do the boys (ladies) LOOK hilarious, they SOUND hilarious, modifying their voices to suit a more feminine stature (but they sometimes forget and talk in their male voices, which is always a gut-buster). The wit is sharp, and the comedy both animated and vocalized. At one point, Jerry, who is now Daphne, becomes engaged to a wealthy man named Osgood, who is under the impression that Jerry is a beautiful woman. Jerry gets back to the hotel and decides to tell Joe that he's engaged. Joe says "Congratulations. Who's the lucky girl?". Jerry says "I am!".

This film is a classic gem from a bygone era of comedy that fully appreciated the hilarity of cross-dressing, and it made me laugh very hard. My favorite part at the very end is when Jerry finally reveals to Osgood that he is a man. Osgood says "Well, nobody's perfect!". This reviewer gives it a solid 4.5/5 nonsensical words. Boop-boop-a-doop.

Airplane! (1980)
This film, starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, and a whole host of others. It follows the story of Ted Striker, a taxi driver and retired war hero, and his girlfriend Elaine, a flight attendant. Ted hasn't been on a plane since the war, and has terrible anxiety, but a potential separation from Elaine prompts him to board the plane anyway. Through a series of unfortunate events (and some REALLY bad fish) most of the passengers and all of the pilots on the plane become terribly ill, and the only one who could potentially fly the plane is Ted Striker.

This film uses a lot of vocal humor throughout. There are so many jokes that its almost hard to get them all, because they come one right after the other. They aren't always recognizable as jokes either, sometimes they are just witty sentences that you won't laugh about until a few seconds after, but they'll already be on to the next joke by then. It keeps you laughing constantly. My favorite jokes in the whole movie happen when a little boy named Joey goes up to see the cockpit. The Captain welcomes him to the pilots area, and asks him if he's ever been in a cockpit before. He says that he hasn't, and the Captain pauses... "You ever seen a grown man naked?". Throughout the film, Captain Oveur talks to Joey like this... "Joey, you like movies about Gladiators?" ... "Joey, have you ever been in a... in a Turkish prison?".

This movie appears continually on lists of all-time greatest comedy movies, and I loved it. It made me laugh over and over again, and it will never get old. This critic gives it 5/5 relapses, because it looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines.

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)

Our modern comedy example is a great British film. Set in modern day Norfolk, Alan Partridge is a radio DJ for the local station, which is being bought out by a large corporation. When they are bought out, his friend and co-DJ Pat is "sacked". Alan pays no mind, partially because he was the one who recommended the sacking, and he goes to a party with the new owners at the station. While he is there, Pat comes in with a gun and starts a hostage situation inside the station, hosting his own show where he talks about how bad the parent company is. Alan is sent in by the police as a mediator who will communicate between them.

This film makes great use of the British sense of humor, using words that just sound funny to us Americans. Alan (played by comedic genius Steve Coogan) makes the funniest jokes throughout, though they aren't always meant to be funny. Some of them are real Cringe comedy jokes, and others are just plain risque. My favorite joke in the whole movie is after Alan has played a Neil Diamond song. He says "You can keep your Jesus; as far as I'm concerned, Neil Diamond will always be king of the Jews." 

This movie is hilarious, and it appeals to my sense of humor, because I love British comedy and inappropriate jokes... maybe there's something wrong here... anyway, I loved it, and it gets 4.5/5 radio jingles, because you can't write just one, especially with a shotgun to your head.

Thanks for reading!

Film Crew for An American Empirical Film

Shane Vaughan- Team American Empirical

Camera Operator
"Camera Operators literally keep the production rolling and navigate how a scene is shot". They must intimately their equipment and interpret the Director of Photography's vision to compose all of the shots in a movie.
Source: http://m.academyart.edu/film-school/faq/camera-operator.html

Brooks P. Guyer
Past Work: Deja Vu, The Bucket List, The Italian Job


Production Assistant
A production assistant "is the entry-level position on a film crew... provide support and assistance to almost all areas of the production". Can be specialized to specific departments, but basically assist in every aspect of the film.
Source: http://www.mafilm.org/so-you-want-to-be-a-production-assistant/

Johnny Egan
Past Work: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Sopranos, Gangs of New York

Set/Production Designer
"The Set Designer's job is to design these physical surroundings in which the action will take place." They design the set, suggest style, create mood, and offer insight into the production.
Source: http://www.aact.org/people/setdesigner.html

David Crank
Past Work: There Will Be Blood, The Master, Lincoln, Hannibal

Film Editor
"A film editor is a mechanic who removes the unneeded and fits pieces of film together to make a finished movie." Works with the Cinematographer and Sound Designer.
Source: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/film-editor1.htm

Richard Francis-Bruce
Past Work: The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, The Green Mile

Gaffer
A Gaffer is "the head electrician, responsible for the execution (and sometimes the design) of the lighting plan for a production". They handle all equipment essential to the lighting of the film.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaffer_(filmmaking)

Frans Wetterings III
Past Work: Moonrise Kingdom, American Hustle, Captain Philips

Best Boy Grip
The Best Boy Grip is "Responsible for the day-to-day operation of the lighting or grip department". Reports to the Gaffer
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_boy

David Bodin
Past Work: Memento, Punch-Drunk Love


Costume Designer
This is the person who "designs costumes for a film... production". They are responsible for the design of costumes in a way that contributes to the film and can evoke emotion.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costume_designer

Casey Storm
Past Work: Her, Zodiac, Adaptation



Swing Gang
Also known as a stagehand, set designer/decorator, or set assistant, responsible for changing sets and arranging items in the background. IMDB's Movie Terminology Glossary defines a set decorator as "The person responsible for translating a production designer's vision of the movie's environment into a set which can be used for filming.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/S

Jason Allard, Shadya H. Ballug, Paula Bird, Johan Bjurman
Past Work: Moonrise Kingdom

Foley Artist
A Foley Artist is responsible for the "Reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film... in post-production to enhance audio quality". They use everyday objects to reproduce sounds like footsteps, doors opening, and wind.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)

John T. Cucci
Past Work: Gladiator, Magnolia, Skyfall (MANY MORE)


Special Effects Artist
A Special Effects Artist is responsible for creating the effects on screen in a movie, "produced on the set, as opposed to those created in post-production". They put in countless hours perfecting the effects in the entire film.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/S

Carlos Ortega
Past Work: Pan's Labyrinth

Stunt Man (Male and Female)
A Stunt Man (Stunt Double, Stunt Performer) is a physically fit replacement actor who "specifically takes the part of another actor for a stunt". Directors can't take the risk of injuring a high-budget actor during a stunt, so Stunt Performers are very important.
Source:  http://www.imdb.com/glossary/S

John Cade and Eliza Coleman
Past Work: The Italian Job

Music (Score Composer)
A Score Composer composes all of the original music for a film. IMDB defines a composer's responsibility to the film as "(writing) music that appears in a movie's score (the musical component of a movie's soundtrack).
Source: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/C#composer

Alan Silvestri
Past Work: Forrest Gump, The Avengers, Cast Away

Director of Photography
A DP (or Cinematographer) is responsible for "recording a scene in the manner desired by the director." They have many duties and are some of the hardest working people on a film crew.
Source: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/D

Wally Pfister
Past Work: Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises

Director
"The principal creative artist on a movie set." Directs the making of the film. THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON THE PRODUCTION CREW. Controls dramatic and artistic aspects of film (along with everything else).
Source: http://www.imdb.com/glossary/D

Christopher Nolan
Past Work: Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception