In this week’s Friday Fundas I will be taking about a cinematography concept termed as Master Shot.
A Master shot is a visual of the entire scene in which the action is taking place. For example in the Harry Potter series the shot involving the entire dining hall is an example of a Master shot. This forms the foundation for the next set of shots that comes. Many a times this also functions as the establishing shot as well.
A master shot is usually a long shot that can cover the entire scene including all the characters, props and background. Another good example of a master shot is the scene from the movie Little Miss Sunshine where the entire family is sitting around a table for dining.
Little Miss Sunshine – Family gathered around a dining table
This covers the entire scene and forms the foundation shot for the following scenes.
In the early 20th century the master shot was predominantly used in movies. As movies and movie makers evolved from stage play, the shots in the early movies had more master shots which resembled the setup of a stage. In the later part of the 20th century this changed and film makers started to use more radical angles and subjectivity when framing the shots. This started bringing in a different level of connect for the audience to the characters on screen.
Even in today’s films master shot forms a very important part of the filming process. These shots are frame of reference for the audience to set the context and environment a particular shot is taking place. Carefully placed master shots in the movies enhances the movie experience for the audience.
Next time you watch a movie try differentiating between the master shots and other shots in the movies. Think if the master shots were not present how it would have been.
Uttama Villain Review – Uttama Villain is a Tamil comedy drama released in 2015. Manoranjan is a leading actor in the film industry and takes everything in his life for granted. When he learns he is suffering from brain tumor and will die soon he tries to set everything in his dysfunctional life.
Well many of you might have already seen the movie. And it did not get great reviews across from the box office. I liked whatever Uttama Villain had to offer. It is a very bold move by Kamal Hassan to act and produce such a movie. If you are expecting a commercial movie on the lines of Panchathanthiram, Sathi leelavathi and go in then you are in for a great disappointment. The movie is much different than many of the main stream cinemas you see today. If you are able to identify this difference then you would enjoy Uttama Villain. The most impressive part is the film within the film and the story narrated in it. It is very intelligent humor savored in the recipe of a fairy tale. If you set aside everything else in the movie this part alone is very much enjoyable. The performance of the artists in particular Kamal Hassan and Nasser is commendable. The movie draws a stark contrast of the actor’s real life and the reel life. The title is apt in this way, An idealistic hero and a role model for many on the silver screen (Uttaman) is in reality leading a dysfunctional life (hence Villain). Although Kamal for the sake of the screenplay tries to explain the Villain term as “Toxophilite” (one his good at Archery, villalan), the deep meaning is very different. Kamal’s performance is very good and he does the characters with ease and a natural flair. The presence of K. Balachandar playing the role of a director is a master stroke and a fitting tribute to the Legend himself. As the movie shifts between the reel life and real life there is a strong contrast drawn at every shift. The fact that an immortal hero on screen is dragged into mortality in the real life is shown very well at every cut in the movie shoot. The movie does not carry any moral or social message but a pure drama exploring two ends of a spectrum. The art work for the sets and the make-up is a great plus for the movie. The dance sequence in the climax is made brilliantly.
Where the movie has failed to connect with the audience is the way it had been promoted and positioned. If Kamal Hassan had prepared the audience for a drama then it would have worked better. Kamal deserves applause for not falling into the trap of any stereotypical storyline. He has tried to explore the next level in cinema. Director Ramesh Aravind deserves a special mention for directing the movie so well. Another item that would definitely catch your attention is the sound recording. It is so good and very immersive in nature. The hard work had paid off.
High Points: Kamal’s acting performance, Fairy tale storyline for the film within film, Experimental value, Sound recording and direction
Low Points: Length of the movie is tad bit long, May not appeal to everyone, People expecting a slap stick comedy would be disappointed
Overall if you are in mood for a new wave cinema which explores different dimensions then you would love Uttama Villain. If you are looking for a commercial entertainer then this one is not for you.
Worth a Watch – only for lovers of new wave cinema
Romeo Juliet Review – Romeo Juliet is a Tamil romantic comedy released in 2015. Aishwarya misunderstands Karthick to be a wealthy man and falls in love with him. When they decide to take their relationship to next level she realizes that he is not rich and breaks up with him. Will Karthick be able to win Aishwarya back is the plot of Romeo Juliet.
Producer turned director Lakshman has tried his hands with some tried and tested formula of romance. However the plot uniquely differentiates itself from the lead pairs being the ideal lovers to more self-centered people. When this was a welcome change in the plot, it quickly falls back into the trap of making them those ideal pair. The screenplay is very superfluous and does have a lot of flaws. What keeps the movie ticking is the music and those moments where few of the comedy sequences had worked and brings a laugh. Jayam Ravi has done a decent job in his role while Hansika’s acting chart varies like an ECG graph. The scenes are bit lengthy compared to how precise the modern day scene constructions have become.
When making romantic dramas one of the key things that the writers should pay attention to is the point of view from both male and the female characters. Many screenplay falls into the trap of skewing towards the point of view of just one character. Romeo Juliet is one such screenplay.
High Points: Uniqueness in the plot with self-centered people falling in love, music is a big positive for the movie.
Low Points: Very predictable screenplay, cheesy romantic sequences that had been done and dusted in many movies. It is high time for Tamil script writers to move away from naming their lead character in the romantic drama as “Karthik”.
Overall Romeo Juliet is an average affair that delivers only half of what it had promised to. It would entice people looking for a cheesy romantic drama. You might enjoy it watching this one when played on TV.
Haiku Nee Short film Review – Haiku Nee is a Tamil short film released in 2015. Arjun and Ramya once connected with deep love have broken up few years ago. But still Arjun carries the love for Ramya in his heart and visits India from US with a hope of reuniting with Ramya again.
Thanks to Surrya for letting me watch this movie as I missed it when it was premiered.
The movie is from the team that made Unakkae Uyiranen. It is love based theme yet again and director Surrya Narayanan has a nice grip on portraying love on the screen. The visuals are very fresh, crisp and colorful. Like the previous outing they have managed with very minimal characters. As an audience you wish and hope they get together but things start going more awry and whatever you hoped for not to happen starts happening. This kind of keeps you engaged with the plot. As you see the film the brilliant visuals are sure to make a very good impact on you. In particular the love portion of the lead pairs has been taken very well and is aesthetically very appealing. The only point I was disconnected is the feedback scene between the coffee shop waiter and Arjun. Seemed bit out of place, a different context in the conversation could have helped much better.
High Points: Fresh visuals, Background score suited well for the narration, Screenplay is very crisp and bringing the entire story plot into a coffee shop is very good.
Low Points: I couldn’t stop comparing their last outing with seasoned actors versus new faces this time. They have given their best and I am sure with experience it would get better.
Overall Haiku Nee is yet another promising product from Surrya Narayanan and his team. Kudos and all the best to the team for a nice short film. I am expecting more genres to be explored by them in the future.
Have you heard of the phrase when someone says “he has lost his voice”. It is used to imply a situation in which a person’s views are neglected or he is not convincing anymore. One of the most common reasons you would hear is people saying “he doesn’t sound real”. People disconnect with the person and his opinions at this stage. Now map this to movies. Your characters are already unreal and are a mere fictitious depiction on the screen. How can you have your audience connected? You could only do this by effective construction of the contents in movies. Out of the many contents, dialogues play a very significant part. In this week’s Friday Fundas I will explore the element of voice within a dialogue.
You would remember watching a movie and you were totally confused when a certain character speaks a dialogue that doesn’t fit well and it totally disconnects you from the movie and brings back to the reality. This is where the movie fails to engage with you. If you are an aspiring screen writer then you should be very careful in choosing the words your characters speak. Sometimes the sentence or the dialogue itself might be very powerful but the background and the personal nature the character would dictate if the dialogue would connect with the audience or not. For instance let us look at the movie The Matrix released in 1999. What if the dialogues of Morpheus were spoken to Trinity? You would feel it is totally absurd right? Most of the budding screenwriters struggle with this aspect. If you have written a scene involving two characters then interchange the names of the characters and read the script again if you don’t feel the abrupt change in way the characters are speaking then it is time to bring about the variation in the voice and distinguish the characters. If you don’t draw this distinction then all your dialogues will have the same voice even though it is spoken by different characters. One of the techniques many screenwriters use is to observe and draw inspiration from the desired surrounding. For instance, if your scene involves a restaurant sequence then you could go to a restaurant sit down on a table and observe the conversations happening around. You would start picking up various people talking in different style. Now pick up a style for one of your character and develop the dialogues. This would create the desired distinction you need. When the audience watches this on the screen they would subconsciously get involved in the movie and forget that they are witnessing fiction. In the Hindi movie Lagaan there are numerous of characters playing significant role in the movie. If you observe carefully each of the character has its own voice and is very distinct from the other. This makes the scenes very convincing. Hence voice of the dialogue is a very important aspect every screenwriter needs to pay attention to. Many of the movies employ a different person to write the dialogues for the movie while a different person is responsible for the screenplay. Next time when you watch a movie pay attention to the way the dialogues are constructed, you would appreciate the amount of hard work a dialogue writer and screen writer has put in.
Perfect Proposal Trailer – Perfect Proposal is a Korean Crime Thriller to be released on 12-Jun-2015 in CGV Cinemas, Los Angeles. The movie is produced by CJ Entertainment who had produced some of the blockbuster Korean movies like the Joint Security Area.
If you are fan of crime thriller movies and living in and around Los Angeles then you have the opportunity of watching this movie this weekend! The movie is in Korean language with English subtitles.
Synopsis:
While running a travel agency in Macau, Ji-yeon is ripped off by her business partner. One day, the attractive and benevolent Sung-yeol gives her an irresistible offer: $5,000 monthly
salary to live on a luxurious yacht and assist the chairman of Cenado, a prominent shipping and casino operator company. Without another option to fall back on, she complies and nurses the ailing chairman, who is impossible to deal with. Ji-yeon slowly gains the attention of both Sung-yeol and the chairman, and wavers between an opportunity that will secure her future and love. As tension rises among these figures on the yacht, no one can predict its outcome.
Watch the trailer of the movie here.
The movie is releasing in CGV Cinemas in Los Angels this weekend (12-Jun-2015). Go ahead and book your tickets and share your views in the comments section.
About the guest author: The author of this post is a movie lover and represents Cashkaro.com, a website that offers a way for all buyers to shop things they need at the cheapest price. All the views represented in this post are by the guest author.
Tanu weds Manu returns movie needs no introduction! And there are high chances that you have already watched this spectacular movie. It is a sequel to film ‘Tanu weds Manu’. The film shows how their wedding has fallen apart after 4 years when they can’t find any reason to love each other. Their expectations have been crushed and life seems still when a twist catches up. Here are 7 reasons as to why this movie is a super duper hit:
1) Kangana Ranaut
This one is not even a guess! The queen stepped down which made even the little flaws of this movie invisible. She gave an impeccable performance in her previous movie “Queen” which floored every viewer of that movie. She even won a national award for it. In this film, she has done double roles and has wooed everyone with her outstanding acting skills. It will be hard for you to even believe that both the pole-apart roles have been performed by a single lady. It’s still not late if you haven’t seen this movie. Book your tickets via CashKaro.com and get awesome deals using bookmyshow coupons present on it.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut
2) Brilliant star cast
Apart from Kangana Ranaut, this movie has power packed performances from R.Madhavan, Jimmy Shergill, Deepak Dobriyal, Eijaz Khan and Swara Bhaskar. R.Madhavan has a big fan following in Bollywood and it will be a delight to watch him as due to his other films commitment in Tollywood, he rarely signs for Bollywood films.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill
3) Unusual Chemistry
The Jodi of Kangana Ranaut and R.Madhavan is unusual yet a charming one. Kangana Ranaut performs this vivacious character while Madhavan plays a subdued role. Opposites attract and this is what makes this pairing a hit.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut, Madhavan
4) Hottest ethnic trends
Ditch those long length kurtis and sport short ones. Kangana Ranaut has sported the newest traditional as well as fusion of Indian and cultural wear in this movie. And she looks like a dream in every outfit.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut
5) Attention gripping music
The sound tracks of ‘Tanu weds Manu returns’ have already climbed the chartbusters and viewed like a million times. “Ghani Bawri” is a super hit. It has been sung by Jyoti Naroon and the lyrics have been written by Raj Shekhar. Most of its songs are foot-tapping.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut
6) Endearing plot
The storyline of the movie is pretty simple and something you can relate with your everyday life if you are married. This catches the attention of audience more as they find the dialogues as well as locations similar to their life. There’s nothing hard to digest here which lends it a touch of simplicity.
Tanu Weds Manu Returns Kangana Ranaut, Madhavan
7) Anand L Rai
The movie has been directed by “Anand L Rai” who delivered other hits like ‘Raanjhana’ and ‘Tanu weds Manu’. Both of the movies were enjoyed by audiences and it will be an under-statement to say that same expectations are riding from this romance comedy movie.
Anand L Rai
What are you waiting for? If you still haven’t watched this movie, rush!!
Masss or Massu engira Masilamani Review – Masss is a Tamil supernatural thriller released in 2015. Masss alias Masilamani is a con man. While performing a con operation he and his friend meet with an accident and he starts seeing dead people from then on. He uses this to his benefit to perform more con operations.
It is an out and out Director Venkat Prabhu movie. I say this because post Saroja, Venkat Prabhu has been caught up with very stereotypical predictable, out and out masala movies that bank on the lead protagonist’s star value than any creativity in the story line. I still miss the engaging script, fresh creativity, comical timing he had created in Chennai 600028. Somewhere he has got into the mold of riding on the success of the jokes that had worked then. Excessive usage of same lines and comedy makes it just ordinary sequences. Also he would need to concentrate more on the dialogues. But for a few, most of the dialogues in the movie are very cliched. The only point in time I was very engaged with the script was during the interval block which had been executed well. Post that a lot of loop holes in the plot and continuity becomes a major distraction. A ghost is able to touch and move rods, wood but not able to touch money seems very odd. Many sequences in the movie would remind you of movies like Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Apoorva Sagodharargal. The main theme of the movie where the protagonist is able to see ghosts is very different and interesting but soon it becomes a 80’s revenge saga script spoiling all the uniqueness it tend to exhibit.
High Points – Difference in the theme for Tamil Cinema, Suriya’s presence, Interval block
Low Points – Repetitive sequences, illogical continuity, below average special effects
If you do not worry about logic and just want to pass time then Masss would not bore you. It is a movie that you could watch on TV when you don’t have anything else to do. On a lighter note, believing in ghosts might be far more realistic than believing in Venkat Prabhu’s movies 🙂
Premam Review – Premam is a Malayalam romantic comedy movie released in 2015. The plot revolves around the life of George living in Aluva, his love interests, his happiness, failure and transformation through various phases of life.
The movie is from the Neram team. Director Alphonse Putharen has delivered yet another interesting tale that would keep you engaged throughout. Premam does not follow the usual three act structure rather the entire screenplay is organized like a bouquet of pages from the diary of a person. You get to peek into the life of this person in 3 periods of time. The core theme of the movie is love and the factor that would connect the audience throughout the movie are those nostalgic moments that one could associate with. The director has used some extreme close up shots of the surroundings to give the feel for it. The director has also banked heavily on the star value of Nivin Pauly which he has gained since Neram. This has worked very well. Nivin Pauly has grown into a versatile actor. He could transform himself from a soft spoken, shy chocolate boy to a fearsome angry young man in jiffy. This is a major strength for the movie. Rajesh Murugesan has delivered yet again in the music department for the director. The editing is also done well in particular for the songs.
High Points: Nostalgic moments, Nivin Pauly’s performance, Editing and Cinematography, Comedy in the script and Of course love.
Low Points: The screenplay is tad bit longer for the content of the script. The second half gets a bit dragging before it gets back on track.
Overall you will fall in love with love (Premam) once again and watch it when it is in the theaters. Kudos to Alphonse Putharen and team for giving a light-hearted and breezy movie
Piku Review – Piku is a Hindi comedy drama film released in 2015. Piku is a 30 year old woman living in Delhi taking care of her father whose major complaint in life is about his constipation. Just like his constipation he doesn’t want to leave any of his legacies including not letting Piku getting married, while on the other hand Piku wants to let go of them. The only thing that glues them together is the love and affection they have towards each other despite their differences. The plot revolves around the road trip they decide to take to visit their old house in Kolkata.
Director Shoojit Sircar after his successful outings with Vicky Donor and Madras Café has taken a very light hearted comedy drama. The movie is simple and sweet. The movie solely banks on the performance of the lead actors. Amitabh has performed with a natural flair that you see Bhaskor and not Amitabh in every frame he appears. This would be one of the top notch performances of Deepika Padukone as well and would be a highlight in her acting career. Irrfan Khan is a nice addition to the cast that he adds more strength to the performances of the cast. The screenplay itself is very light hearted and subtle. What could be an elaborate melodrama in any other movie has been handled with ease and keeps the lighthearted tone throughout.
High Points: Performance of Amitabh and Deepika, Light hearted screenplay, comedy sequences
Low Points: As a screenplay there is no strong establishment of conflict in the plot
Overall the movie is scripted like a view through window into the slice of time in Piku’s life. It is scripted well to keep you engaged and happy throughout the movie. Go and watch Piku for the performances of the lead cast.
Enakkul Oruvan Review – Enakkul Oruvan is a Tamil psychological thriller released in 2015. Vicky is an insomniac, working as an Usher in a movie hall. Vicky comes across a drug dealer who sells him a new drug Lucia that would enable him to sleep with a caution that he would start living a double life in his dream. Vicky takes the drug and starts living the life of a celebrity in his dreams but soon things take unexpected turns.
This is the remake of the Kannada movie Lucia directed by Pawan Kumar. The Tamil version is directed by debutante Prasad Ramar. I haven’t seen the original which had a more of a new age film treatment while the Tamil version is bit more charismatic with actor Siddharth’s presence. The movie kept me engaged right from the first scene. The screenplay is the king of the movie. Having most of the sequences of the movie in black and white is a huge risk but still it has worked beautifully here. As an audience you would be confused as the promos for those portions have been in color. The intertwining of the dream life and the real life is treated very well in the narration. Having character overlaps in the two worlds have also been brilliantly placed. Siddharth has performed his role very well. His performance as an Usher is commendable. He has exhibited a great deal of difference in his body language to differentiate between the two characters.
High Points: Novelty of the plot, the screenplay, Siddarth’s performance, black and white treatment
Low Points: Challenge to stay upto the expectation of the original, audience had watched the original may not like this so much as it always happens with remakes.
Overall despite being a remake Enakkul Oruvan is still a brilliant movie that would stand out from the crowd. If you love movies then watch this one for sure.
In this week’s Friday Fundas I would like to talk about the Climax or ending of the movie – Birdman. If you have come here looking for review of Birdman then click here to read the review on Birdman movie.
It has been a while since Birdman has been released and many of us have seen the movie. If you still haven’t seen the movie do not read this article yet as it contains spoilers. But if you have seen the movie then go on to read this and share your views on this one.
SPOILER ALERT: Here is a recollection of what happened in the climax. In the last few sequences you see the character Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton) shoot himself on his nose while doing the final act of the play he had produced, directed and acted in. He is in the hospital bed, speaking to his daughter. When his daughter steps out he walks into the bathroom looks at his new nose in the mirror while the birdman’s voice starts speaking to him. Then he steps out of the window and jumps off. When his daughter enters the room she is shocked to see her dad missing. She looks out of the window, sees up in the sky and smiles.
There has been many interpretation of this climax. There are theories that Riggan Thomson dies at the end and there are theories that he is still alive. Director Alejandro hadn’t revealed the ending he had perceived but left it open for interpretation. In an interview he had mentioned that leaving it open for interpretation was the only powerful ending the movie could have and hence he decided to leave it that way. Well since he hasn’t talked about the ending we could take the creative liberty of coming up with our own versions of the ending. Here is my interpretation of the ending.
My interpretation of the whole movie is more metaphorical in nature. Hope this is interesting to you. The major conflict in the movie is a dual between the Birdman’s voice in Riggan’s head and his actual self. This keeps growing more as the movie progresses. In a way the Birdman’s voice is persuading Riggan to live in his past glory while he wants to move away from it. There are sequences like the one in the bar which assures him that still he has fans for the Birdman character he played in the movies. The character of Riggan’s daughter is a very pivotal one to the movie. It is the manifestation of the alter ego of Riggan which pushes him to do something different in life and eventually move away from being Birdman. That is one of the reasons she is upset with him when she says that he hasn’t spent time with her in her early days. There is also a sequence where she is openly talking to him stating that no one ever cares about Birdman as he thinks. This also emphasizes the fact that Riggan has always hid inside the mask of a Birdman without believing in his skills. She eventually starts flirting and making love to Mike Shiner who is the new found artist in Riggan’s place and who also practices Method Acting. This emphasizes the fact that Riggan’s conscience is in love with natural acting skills as opposed to being hid under a popular mask. Through the movie he moves closer to his daughter indicates what he truly loves. But still the fear of failing is hurting him and this fear is capitalized well by the Birdman’s voice. When he performs well on the finale show he shoots his nose. Post this the entire sequence is a hallucination. Metaphorically his broken nose indicates he has successfully hurt the Birdman’s voice in him. During the start of the movie Birdman’s voice tells him “You are in a shit hole..” but in the final scene we see the Birdman sitting on the toilet seat when Riggan is examining his new nose, indicating that Birdman is the one sitting on the shit hole. Riggan walking out of the window and jumping indicates that he has successfully got rid of the Birdman for good. This is what is revealed when his daughter comes to the window looks up in the sky and smiles. She or in turn the true self of Riggan is happy to see Birdman go off and his true-self is now flying high in the reality where his true acting and directing skills are applauded by many.
This is the ending that I would like to think of as the ending for the Birdman movie. If you have any interesting interpretations share it in the comments section.
