Looks Like It's Raining Fantasy...

Last week in class we watched and discussed Singin' in the Rain, a film following the introduction of sound in movies and the transition that occurred. The female actor's obnoxious, high-pitched voice and strange accent made it quite funny and ironic that her voice shattered the illusion she had on screen in silent films as opposed to the ones now featuring her voice. The acting, singing, and performances were all clean and dazzling, but a little "too clean". We found out this is because of sound dubbing, for the taps during the dancing and even dubbing for Kathy's singing for Lena in the film. Additionally, the over-the-top performances of the actors seems to be due to the fact that the setting was in the 20's when everything was bigger and more exaggerated. I also enjoyed the abundance of slapstick and good, witty characters to go along with it.

A few important themes discussed in the film were celebrity culture, movies as fantasy and the fantastical preconceptions of love. The celebrity culture of the time portrayed was a bit out of control. The actors/actresses could not control their publicity or what was said about them in any magazine. This resulted in rampant "rumors" about their life that weren't true (for example, saying Don and Lena were together). Also, the fact that movies portray unrealistic ideals about life and love is something we see even today. It all goes back to whether an audience wants to watch a movie in order to escape the harsh realities of life, and the majority of them like to do so. But, when watching things repeatedly that give us these unreachable goals for our lives, it can become disappointing when our life or love life don't amount to what we see on screen.

Well, as camera operator I get to play with the camera and get my test footage soon. It will prove to be a difficult, but educational and beneficial task. I should be a camera expert by the time we're through, but we will have to see how it all turns out, I guess.