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Building a strong film foundation for students is a crucial objective for the theatre and film department at Bowling Green State University.
Bowling Green State University, or BGSU, is known for their film program and offers a variety of different concentrations. Many students who are looking to increase their knowledge of movies from its roots, as well as formulaic themes in film over time utilize the film studies concentration. Other students would rather delve right into the action and take a film production approach.
Regardless of what’s chosen, the theatre and film department at BGSU works hard to prepare their students for life after college. Brett Holden, a professor, advisor and coordinator for the department says that he wants to set his students up for success.
“I’m committed to helping them select courses that fulfill General Education, College of Arts and Sciences, and Department of Theatre and Film requirements so that they can construct a powerful undergraduate experience,” said Holden. “ I want them to explore film in a variety of venues, and prepare themselves for careers in film through selecting a complimentary minor and building a strong portfolio of their work.”
Students like Scott Yoder, a senior film major at BGSU, seem to agree that the professor and advisors work hard to ensure their success.
Scott Yoder (middle in all-black outfit) filming
“Professors like Brett are great examples of how amazing our department is. I really feel like he looks at my individual situation rather than lump with the masses,” explained Yoder.
The overall film program is also meant to compliment itself in a sense of classes, whether it’s with film studies or production.
Holden also wants students to better understand the complex nature of the filmmaking process by breaking down the art form and analyzing its individual elements. In addition, he wants them to work to heighten their film-analysis and writing skills.
For more information on the film program at BGSU, visit http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/theatrefilm/
It’s no secret that Marvel Studios has been working diligently to write, shoot and release the necessary superhero films in order to create their big boy, The Avengers. Unfortunately, Samuel L Jackson‘s script was stolen, resulting in a story breakdown of the film.
The person who stole the script quickly turned around in attempts to sell it ot the highest bidder. Luckily, no one was that cold-hearted or viewership-starving to do so. that being said, the script is still now “public domain” and will most likely find its way online any day now. This meand Marvel will have to go back to the drawing board to alter the story. I don’t know about you, but its people like that who ruin part of the anticipation and effect of big name films.
Being a massive Marvel fan, I personally upset at the thief and Samuel Jackson. Mr. Jackson, how do you lose a multi-billion dollar, top-secret script that marvel has been working towards for four-plus years now? I claim it to be sloppy, but I’m sure he has a valid reason.
Other blogs, like Badass Digest are talking about how a film of ‘Avenger’-like magnitude can’t be stopped due to financial reasons. Let’s hope they’re right, because I’ve been waiting long enough as have other Marvel fans. For now, we’ll have to speculate on whether or not the film continues at its current release date or not.
But for now, fill the void with the newly released Thor, which hit theatres in the US today. I know that’s where I’ll be tonight. And let FilmWire know what you though about Thor and leave us a comment.
J. J. Abrams is known in the film industry for keeping his cards insanely close to his chest. His new film, Super 8 which hits theatres this summer is no different. But amid all the hype and praise for the director, it’s important to note that while he was at the helm for Mission: Impossible 3, he will not be directing the fourth installment named, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. The honors in fact went to Pixar veteran, Brad Bird.
Brad Bird
Brad Bird has won two Oscars during his time at Pixar and MI3 marks his first live-action debut. And rather than be weary about this, Abrams, who is a producer for the film, couldn’t be happier about it. In a recent interview with MTV, Abrams goes into details.
“He’s a filmmaker who has happened to use animation as a medium, but it’s his filmmaking and his characters and his rhythm and his comedy, the action he can do, it’s just the humanity that he’s done that comes through in movies that have happened to be animated. Seeing that kind of nuance in a movie with people is just, I’m just so thrilled to be a part of it all. I haven’t seen the whole thing, but what I have seen is sort of mind-blowing,” explains Abrams.
J. J. Abrams
“I couldn’t be more excited about [Ghost Protocol]. Not only is the movie coming along, but what I’ve seen is kind of unbelievable.”
It’s great to hear that things are coming along nicely. It’s also important to note that for a directoral debut, it doesn’t get much better. Not only is Bird working with Tom Cruise, but he’s helming one of the biggest franchises around. The only other director with this big of a debut in recent time has been Joe Kosinski for Tron Legacy.
With blog and news sites regarding film and movies being vast and cumbersome, a select few surpass the clutter and outperform the rest.
In present day media, the world revolves around the Internet and all of its ties. Almost anything and everything can be handled online whether it be maintaining a bank account, applying for jobs, evolving social networking or reading commentary via blog sites. The latest news and opinion on film and movies are no different.
Readers can delve deep within the subject and find exactly what they’re looking for. Some surf for the latest developments in upcoming films while others read the gossip on their favorite actors and actresses. But each of these is part of niche markets and viewership. Most sites maintain one specific topic, which allows them to cater to their audience. An issue arises due to the fact that this creates hundreds of blogs, which not only clutter search engines, but also frustrate people attempting to find news on movies. The process of sifting through blogs can be tiresome to Matt Petrella, a senior at Bowling Green State University.
“It ticks me off that I literally spend more time searching for the right film blog versus reading actual articles,” said Petrella. “You would think there would be sites that can fix this and cover a lot of general news in movies.”
Luckily, there are two sites that specifically aim to not be specific.
/Film, pronounced ‘slash film’, and Cinema Blend are two blog sites that cater to approaching film
Image from Cinema Blend
and movie news on all fronts. With a diverse writing staff focusing on different aspects of the subject, both sites do a wonderful job of not only creating quality content and timely news, but organize it in an appropriate way for easy navigation. Both sites also keep a fresh and modern template, which gives them a more “current” feel in today’s ever-changing world.
Image from /Film
/Film is also very skilled in their comments section of each post and article. With the average number of comments reaching 50 per post, it’s apparent that the writers, designers and staff of /Film take their blog site very seriously.
Through the mess that is film blogging, it’s good to know that at least two sites produce quality work while still maintaining a wide and diverse audience. /Film and Cinema blend have worked hard to surface to the top and it shows.
Awhile back, I took the time to make a video review on ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’. The trouble was, I never got to post or publish it anywhere. So, for your viewing pleasure, I figured I would post the video. I provide footage from the film, my two cents and a final score.
In my early to mid-twenties, I grew up with ‘The Fast and the Furious’ franchise. While it’s no surprise that Universal Studios is continuing the movies for financial success reasons, it is surprising that the main characters and original actors and actresses are coming back for a second-err…third time. It’s even more shocking because the original cast will be back for a fifth installment.
The story for the fifth film in the series looks pretty standard, per usual. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and company are on the hunt for riches and need to do so stylishly and without catching the eye of the law. You know, since they’re always subtle with loud muscle cars, crazy highway chases and massive explosions. Yeah, subtle is the perfect word to describe the anti-heroes.
An official poster for 'Fast Five'
Anyway, I digress. While the crew is hatching a plan to steal millions, one badass cop will stop at nothing to foil their plan. This cop? Yup, you guessed it. Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, plays Agent Hobbs. He specializes in big muscles and an angry looking goatee. The two forces collide and the result should be a series of insane (and impossible) car chases and stunts, along with some epic fight scenes and of course, an explosion or two…or three. Maybe four? Who am I kidding; we’ll probably have one explosion every ten minutes.
All joking aside, ‘Fast Five’ does look fun. And let’s be honest, you never see these movies for Oscar winning plots or story. The acting has always been decent with the original cast, and most importantly, they’re familiar. Since we’ve been around these characters for ten years now, it’s easy to feel a sense of attachment. I also like the idea of Dwayne Johnson jumping in, being a fan of his action work.
So bottom line, the film looks good for a Friday night out. Grab a bucket of popcorn, get comfy and enjoy the excess filmmaking that Hollywood offers.
What do you think? Will it fly or flop? Leave a comment below.
Fast Five hits theaters Friday, April 29th.
I had the chance to sit down with Scott Major last week and talk about his time and experience as a film major at Bowling Green State University. Click the link below to here the interview.
Although Bowling Green is a smaller community in comparison to other larger cities in Ohio, it still offers a variety of different film and theatre options. There are several places in BG that provide entertainment and education regarding film, movies and theatrical performances and this map will allow you to see where all of these locations are, based off of the central and familiar Bowen-Thompson Student Union at BGSU.
View The Film Scene in Bowling Green in a larger map
To view this map on a seperate tab or window click here.
If you’re a huge pocket nerd like me, then learning that a sequel to Tron was in development a few years ago was anything but expected. Now that the film has come and and gone out of theaters, fans have anxiously awaited the release of the Blu-Ray. On April 5th, this Tuesday, the wait is over.
But one thing that every major studio does is release different editions of their films, ranging from your basic film-only copy to editions with every bell and whistle imaginable. So before you set off to purchase Tron Legacy, here’s a list of what each edition holds and their estimated prices.
Tron Legacy Digital Download $9.99-$19.99
Tron Legacy 1-Disc DVD Edition $15.99
Tron Legacy 2-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack $24.99
Tron Legacy 4-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack $29.99
Tron Legacy 5-Disc Blu-Ray Combo Pack $49.99
Tron Legacy 5-Disc Blu-Ray Collectible Edition $64.99
Information regarding edition differences can be found here. Prices can be found here and on iTunes.
With the cost of movies going up, it’s getting harder and harder to justify oneself to go to the movie theatre. With a national average ticket price of $7.50 for a movie (according to the National Association of Theatre Owners) people seem to be looking for others means of entertainment. Luckily for the students and citizens of Bowling Green, we have a theatre that alleviates this problem.
The Cinemark Theatre at the Woodland Mall here in Bowling Green offers its patrons a chance to enjoy the film viewing experience at a much cheaper rate, without sacrificing any of the other comforts of more ‘premium’ theaters. Rather than paying the standard $7.50 for a movie, people who visit Cinemark can see a movie for $4.75! That’s $2.75 less than the average viewing experience, which you can in turn use to buy yourself a bucket of popcorn or a beverage. I don’t know about you, but this seems like too good of a deal to pass up.
Now, shameless plugs aside, I can speak honestly and openly towards Cinemark. Their theatre may not be as nice as the theatre in Levis Commons just 15 minutes north of Bowling Green, but with the prices the way they are, it’s hard to say no. The slideshow above does a great job of giving you something to actually look at, which will or will not give you incentive to take advantage of the cheaper prices.
So, let’s go over the basics. What does Cinemark offer? Well, they have recently added a few new projectors that allow for select films to be viewed in 3D and have the new screens to match. Although the screen isn’t as big as other theatres, the quality is the same. Cinemark has also put in new seats that add some comfort to your viewing experience. And hopefully the slideshow above does help you see exactly what I’m talking about.
Here’s the real kicker. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students get a discount and only have to pay $2.75. That’s right, people. You can see 2 brand new movies for the price of one if you see it at Cinemark. What’s not to love?
Let me know what you think! Love it? Hate it? Don’t really care? Leave a comment below!
Courtesy of http://www.oscars.org
Tonight marks the 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, and it looks to be a great show this year based on the nominations. Now, I know there are underdog nominations, expected nominations, boring nominations and surprising nominations every year but table talk aside, this year truly seems like it’ll be a fair fight. Whether you’re looking at best actor or actress, best director, best visual effects or the coveted best film, we can hope that each Oscar brings us some measure of satisfaction.
In the spirit of the Academy Awards, I’ve decided to break down one of the more important categories that doesn’t seem to get the credit it deserves; the visual effects category. Films revolve around visual stimulation and whether those visuals prove to be sets, digital effects, CGI (computer generated images) or anything else of the lot, it’s crucial to the film as a whole. This year’s nominations for best visual effects strike me in mixed way and two or three films in the category seem to fit perfectly, if not very well. The other two seem almost expected, as if they were in a popularity contest or something. What frustrates me most about the nominations this year is a film that recieved only one Oscar nod; Tron Legacy. Tron arguably had an awful story (which I agree with to a point, although people were still WAY to harsh on it) but made up for plot hiccups with jaw-dropping visuals. The snub director Joseph Kosinski and Disney recieved was awful. I think they should’ve just switched Tron with Alice in Wonderland. God knows that movie was awful. Regardless, below are the nominations for the Oscar, as well as my prediction for the winner.
After reading my pick, let me know if you agree or disagree. Leave a comment below!
(All information was found at http://oscar.go.com/)
Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland – Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicholas Althadi
Hereafter – Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephen Trojansky and Joe Farrell
Inception – Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2 – Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick
After seeing all of these films, except Hereafter, which looked absolutely awful, I think it’ll be a close race. Alice in Wonderland is the obvious Disney film that featured 3D visuals as well as breathtaking art direction, makeup and costume design (but utterly flopped and failed in terms of story and plot) could be an easy and predictable win. But honestly, I don’t see it going anywhere. Disney usually gets snubbed at the Oscars and this year should be no different (although Tron Legacy was snubbed from even a nomination! Ludicrous. Shame shame Academy). Harry Potter didn’t bring anything new to the table since the previous six films, so don’t expect anything there either. Hereafter? Give me a break. Moving on. I think it’ll be a race between Inception and Iron Man 2. Both films flexed their digital and visual muscles in different but impressive ways. Iron Man 2 had an amazing attention to detail with the suits and weapon effects. Every piece of Tony Stark’s suit moves, works and shines. Well done guys. But Inception proved that you take your mind to the limits with the famous hallway scene, by the talented Gordon-Joesph Levitt, as well as moving cities like a puzzle. The visuals were original and very well done. Although both bring their own worthy aspects to the table, in the end, I think I’ll put my money on Chris Nolan’s mental thriller.
Prediction: Inception
Courtesy of screenrant.com
Screenshots for the new full app films
You read right. Warner Bros. has released full versions of their films as apps for the iPod, iPhone and iPad platforms. Apple users rejoice! They’re currently offering two films via the app store; The Dark Knight and Inception. Although these two have been available now for some time on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats, this may foreshadow some of the studios future distribution options.
If you’re already a current iPod or iPhone user, you know that you can buy or rent films via the iTunes store, but most of the purchasing options available are for just the movie itself. With the two new apps on the market, you not only get the movie, you also receive a slew of extras.
Everything from concept art and featurettes can be found within the app, as well as content that’s exclusive to the app itself. So if you love Inception, it may be worth looking into, since you do get the private content.
The price tag isn’t too bad either. At a cool $9.99, you can pick up The Dark Knight in the app store. Inception will run you a bit more at $11.99, due to the fact that it’s a more recent movie. It’s also nice to note that Warner Bros. has also released ‘lite’ versions of the apps, that include a few of the extra features and the first five minutes of the film. This is a great option if you’re unsure if you want to buy, or re-buy for that matter, either movie.
Overall, I can honestly say that I’m excited for this type of distribution. Being an iPhone owner myself, it’s a new and original way to distribute film. This may start to pave the way for other movies to hit the app store as well as other studios following suite. In a world that’s internet and mobile heavy, it’s awesome to see companies finally starting to find proper business models to cater to their customers (even if they just want our money).
For more images and screenshots, check out /Film.
What do you think? Good, bad, who cares? Leave a comment below!
X-Men: First Class has been called a lot of things. Pure blockbuster, easy money, rushed, questionable, and for the truly brutal, crap. And with initial shooting beginning last September-2010 and a rushed release date of this June-2011, who wouldn’t? And although Matthew Vaughn, the film’s director, has been forced to work at a grueling pace, he seems to be confident in the film.
Courtesy of /Film and Jam!, we have proof of Vaughn’s work, thanks to actress January Jones.
“Poor (director) Matthew Vaughn is going to have to edit it in three days… That’s been a blast. We’ve all had so much fun making that movie… I think it was unrealistic for them to think they were going to make such a huge movie in whatever we had — two months or something. So of course we went over (schedule). I think I have a couple more days to shoot… We’re almost done. The fact we’ve had to push the wrap date but they haven’t moved the release date is really interesting to me. I guess they must know what they’re doing. I have a lot of faith in Matthew as a director and an editor; I think his movies are great. And I think they’ve been cutting as we’ve been going. We should be fine.”
Jones plays Emma Frost in the upcoming film.
Yes, I agree that this film seems like it’s being made way too fast, which leads fans and casual viewers alike to brace for the worst. But based on Jones’ testimony and Vaughn’s talent, we may want to wait and give this movie a fighting chance. Still aren’t convinced? Check out the first teaser trailer below for a more solid sense of safety. There may be hope for this film yet.