lunes, 21 de marzo de 2011

Why is Pixar successful?



The history of animation has new chapter with PIXAR just like Disney at his time; PIXAR has reinvented the art of animation. PIXAR is now one of the most important animation studios in the entire world, it has done hit after hit, something that was unimaginable for anyone but PIXAR did it; PIXAR is different, indeed, but what is the PIXAR’s secret to be successful?

The secret of PIXAR is have a good story, the people from PIXAR doesn’t care if the movie will be a blockbuster the most important thing for them is to do a good movie, a movie that they would love to see. The movies from PIXAR are not just sequence of events that doesn’t express anything; their movies have feelings, advices and lessons for the live.

Another secret is their creative process at PIXAR. All the stories they have done into a movie came from PIXAR’s people, they don’t buy or get the stories or the scripts from outside, all the stories, worlds, characters are create by the PIXAR’s artists. PIXAR’s people are very open to advices and critics from themselves; for every sequence the animator have done the producers and directors make a projection of the animation and the animator has to listen the good and bad things about it in order to do a better job with it.

And the last secret and for me the most important is the people they work with. The people from PIXAR are like a real family, the support, help and critic each other, they are like a unit, anyone needs help and anyone helps. The people are respectful with anyone’s work and anyone knows that the people who work there are people they can trust. And no matter who you are or what you do at PIXAR, you’re part of the project and you are important like anyone else, at PIXAR the egos are not allowed.

PIXAR is not just an animation studio, PIXAR is a family of creative people, people who love movies and made movies for people. The movies from PIXAR are art. And the movies are blockbuster not because their creators made them to be, they are blockbusters because of the stories, characters with human characteristics, the animation, the message, the music, etc. The movies from PIXAR are complete they have everything a movie has to have; they are not just a bunch of effects and dialogue without meaning, the movies from PIXAR always have a lesson or an idea behind.


Image from: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=pixar#/d2d663t

Info from: Jochen's course and the Pixar story

sábado, 5 de marzo de 2011

Run Lola Run


"Man... probably the most mysterious species on our planet. A mystery of unanswered questions. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? How do we know what we think we know? Why do we believe anything at all? Countless questions in search of an answer... an answer that will give rise to a new question... and the next answer will give rise to the next question and so on. But, in the end, isn't it always the same question? And always the same answer? "

A redhead and runner girl that’s the premise of Run Lola Run, a German film about a girl who try to help her boyfriend the story is simple, the boyfriend lost a bag with the money he has to give to the mafia and Lola has to run to his father to get the money. But the film doesn’t have a unique version; this film has 3 possible endings because of the little events that surround Lola’s race. In this essay I’m going to talk about the events and how they connect the story and make it change.

The beginning of the film is in the 3 versions the same Lola answering the phone, talk to her boyfriend, Manni, and she drops the phone and leave the apartment while her mom is talking on the phone and asks to her for shampoo. She goes down to the spiral stairs and suddenly she meets a boy and his dog and depend of Lola’s reaction the beginning of the race change. First version Lola gets scared because of the dog growl and she leave the building faster. The second version the boy makes Lola tripping and she falls down stairs and her leg gets hurt so she goes slower. In the third version Lola keeps her velocity because she doesn’t got scared.

Later Lola hit a woman and her baby and the woman and we can see her future because of a sequence of photos we can see she get drunk, lost her baby and stole one or she win the lottery or she get very religious. Later Lola meet a boy who try to sell to her a bike, Lola in the 2 first version reject his offer and we can see his future in one he get married and the other one he dies; in the third version he sell the bike to a homeless guy, who have the bag with the money. Lola hit her father friend’s car and makes him lost his concentration and he crush to another car or he avoid the car and picks up Lola’s dad. That events make Lola lost or increase her velocity and depend of that she arrive to the bank a different moment of the conversation of her father and his mistress and that determinate her father’s mood.

In the first version Lola knows that her father is not her real dad and he is going to leaver her and her mom so she didn’t get the money. In the second she became really angry because her father hit her and she stole the money. And in the third her father leaves the bank before she arrives and she doesn’t get the money. The endings are really different, in the first version Manni stole a store with the help of Lola but the police arrive and one of them kill Lola. In the second Lola get the money but an ambulance crashes Manni. In the third one Manni get the money back because he found the homeless guy while Lola won at the casino and get the money so everything goes well they have a happy open ending.

Run Lola Run is a film where we can see the different endings but the characters live the 3 story and learn about them for example Lola know how to unlock the gun in the second version because in the first one Manni teaches her how to. The 3 stories begin because Lola or Manni say “STOP” like if they could change the story because the conversation they have, the decide their future, and maybe we can change our future because every action we do have a reaction and not only in ours lives in everyone lives because even we don’t like we are connect to another person. The most interesting thong about the money is the narrative because the story has repetitive elements but depends of the way they develop or act after the crush with Lola like the ambulance they can change the entire ending.

sábado, 19 de febrero de 2011

Character Map Night on Earth


My explanation about the characters:

Yoyo: I think he is a good person because his family are together, but because the place he live he has to became hard and look like a bad ass in order to protect himself and be respected by others. The people of USA believe in stereotypes and they pay attention in the place you live, how you're dressed, how you talk and that's why the taxi drivers don't want to get Yoyo to home. Yoyo knows that the only way he can be accepted by other is because he has money or because of his clothes and maybe that's why he want to be different and unique because for everyone is a bad person from Brooklyn because bad person are form Brooklyn.

Helmut: I think is an emigrant who can't support the pressure he has in his country and that's why is doesn't have family at USA and because he had to follow the rules in Germany is has fear of his boss because he could loss his job or lost the taxi or have problems. For him USA was a new opportunity, a different country where everything was perfect that's why he was horrified when he saw Brooklyn. Maybe his family didn't attention to him that's why we was amazed with the passion Yoyo take care of his family and he said they were a beautiful family.

lunes, 31 de enero de 2011

Let's have fun at Universum



Universum is one of the most entertaining museums at Mexico city because every child and
adult can have some fun even if you're not interested in science. Now I'm going to talk about two expositions:



BODY WORLDS & Un Viaje por el Corazón:
This exposition showplasticized bodies and you can see all the organs, muscles and bones. It's a travel across the human body, a unique opportunity to see the human body of course sensitive people shouldn't go because more than an amazing experience can turn it into an unpleasant experience.




R3 reduce, reutiliza, recicla:
This exposition is dedicated to criticize our consumerism and promote the practice of the 3 r's: reduce, reuse and recycle. Also
the exposition show practical ways to conserve the environment and realize that the solution is a shared responsibility between individuals, institutions, businesses and governments.


For more information:

http://www.universum.unam.mx/bodyworlds/

http://www.universum.unam.mx/temp/r3.php



sábado, 29 de enero de 2011

Mercutio is my favorite character.


If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down.-Mercutio


Romeo and Juliet always has been the favorite tragic love for decades and all the attention goes to Romeo or Juliet but what happens with the others characters? In my opinion Mercutio is one of the most important character in all the play and movie and he's my favorite character because if he wouldn’t invite Romeo to the party Romero and Juliet would never felt in love or he wouldn’t fight with Tybalt and die the tragic love story would never exist.

The first reason I like Mercutio is because he was as a common person because even he was Romeo’s friend and relative of the Prince he didn’t hate the Capulet family or the Montegue family so he was “neutral” in the conflict obviously he didn’t like very much Tybald that’s why he fight against him and in my opinion the only fault he had was his passion because he didn’t controlled himself.

The second reason is because he was the only funny and nice character that’s why he took everything as a joke but when he arrived to the scene he took away the tension and in some boring scenes he captured the attention and made the play funny. In my opinion he was the only natural and a good friend character that’s why he captured my attention and he wasn’t bad or good he just was a human being.

The third reasion I like him is because he was the reason the story occurred. First because Mercutio invited and made Romeo go to the party and that’s why Romeo met Juliet and felt in love with each other and that’s made Romeo forget Rosaline.Second because he supported Romeo when he needed and he fight with Tybald for him and when he died Romeo had to kill Tybald and that’s why Romes has to run away and the tragic love story began. He was an important character and almost anyone notices.

Although In the movie the personality of Mercutio was exaggerated, unrealistic and he was turned into a “Gay Queen” but in the fight scene he was very brave and had Mercutio play’s spirit. The character of Mercutio should be more notice by the people who read the play because he is the reason of the play and not just Romeo and Juliet and that’s why Mercutio is my favorite character.



domingo, 23 de enero de 2011

Drama Pyramid: Cinema Paradiso

Cinema Paradiso is a 1988 Italian film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The movie tells the story of Salvatore, Toto, and the story includes his childhood, his first love and the friendship with Alfredo the worker of the Cinema Paradiso, the town cinema.
  • Exposition: Salvatore's mom call to Rome in order to find Salvatore.
  • Inciting Action: Salvatore's couple say to Salvatore that his mom and said Alfredo has died and Salvatore begin to remember who was Alfredo.
  • Rising Action: Salvatore loves the cinema specially the cabin where Alfredo works and we know how much they appreciate each other. Specially after the cinema fire where Alfredo went blind and Salvatore had to take Alfredo's job.
  • Complication: Salvatore fall in love with Elena, a new girl in town, but she isn't interested in Salvatore.
  • Climax: Salvatore said to Elena that he'll wait until she fall in love with him. Months later he lost all hope but Elena go to the cinema and they begin their relationship.
  • Reversal: Elena had to leave the town but the still love each other but when Salvatore has to begin his military service they lost contact.
  • Falling action: Salvatore returns to his town and he has lost Elena. Alfredo said to him that he has to leave the town in order to be a greatest person because he deserves better thing. Salvatore leaves the town he never come back.
  • Turning point: Salvatore returns to his town and goes to Alfredo's funeral.
  • Resolution: Salvatore talks to his mom and he ask forgiveness for abandoning her and she says she doesn't have to forgive him for anything, he did what he had to do.
  • Last suspense: We finally know that Salvatore is a great director and Salvatore see that Alfredo's gift is the kiss montage he asked to Alfredo when he was a kid.

  • Internal conflict: Salvatore has the conflict of keep the promise he did with Alfredo of not to come back to his town or go to town and face the consequences of his decisions.
  • External conflict: follow the rule of not to go to the cinema or follow his passion for the cinema, including the movies and all the technology of it.