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  Multiclip Editing in Final Cut Pro

Posted by Douglas Herman in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on
LOOK TO VIDEO TUTORIAL BELOW FOR MULTICLIP EDIT IN FINAL CUT PRO. 

FOLLOW THESE STEPS FOR SAME RESULTS OF MULTICLIP EDIT IN FINAL CUT EXPRESS

1. Load all video.

2. In the canvas, resize each video track to 1/4 screen. Cam 1 - upper right. Cam 2 - upper left. Cam 3 - lower left. Cam 1 is the "base video track, i.e., video track 1... usually the wide angle, but whatever makes sense to your project.

3. Sync, or position, the three video tracks. I usually do this via audio tracks, but video works as well. Just remember that the process is tedious, and accuracy is limited to the frame rate of the video. That is not necessarily the same timerframe of the audio, but close enough, ... most of the time.

4. You can now see all of your video in the canvas. Mute the audio you do not want to listen to while editing, but do not delete yet! With the razor tool you can cut and trim, from the top clip down, to your heart's desire.

5. When editing the sequence is done you should revisit and do two things. First, resize each camera angle to full screen. A tedious process. Second, begin to trim any video on lower numbered tracks that will not be part of the full screen display. I believe this will reduce the file size of your final export.

6. Review video. If you are satisfied with the look, it is time to address audio.

7. Eliminate the audio you do not need.

8. Save your project frequently throughout the entire process.

9. Review, review, review, until you are either satisfied or sick of the whole project. Refine, refine, refine, until you are sick of the project.

10. Once you are satisfied, follow the guidelines on Moodle for MAKING VIDEO INTERNET READY

Drive Review

Posted by Brenda Chhin in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

To first start off my review, I was force to see Drive, a movie directed by Nicolas Windng Refn of a stuntman whom has a very mysterious, private persona. When I first watched this film, I thought of how much it compares to The Transporter. A film directed by Louis Leterrier and Corey Yuen and one of my favorite actors to watch, Jason Statham playing this killer bad driver. Watching a movie like Drive made me dislike it because it was nothing to what I was use to like in The Transporter. After watching this film again, I've taken interest in the close up shots of Ryan Gosling’s entrance in the first 10 minutes of the film and throughout the whole movie I was noticing many close-up shots. I felt like the director, wanting a majority of the shots to be close-ups so that we can get a better feel of the characters and what they go through. Just like The Transporter, there's a robbery scene and a get away scene from the police officers. Ryan was just so non-chalant, driving away from the police officers. You've seen no fear in his eyes. He was just so concentrated and what he did and how he did it. It was different and I liked how suave and chilled it was compared to the transporter. Both actions packed with rules to follow but both drivers persona was very different. I really like the scene where it introduces the drivers "everyday life" and how his skills gave him another life to "cherish".  

 

I did not have any interest in this movie at first because of the lack of dialogue throughout this movie. I felt like it was a silent movie with just noise. I wanted more dialogue, more of a story to this movie. That's why at first I didn't like it. But after watching it a second time, I was more focused on the individual characters and shots. They were good but if the movie were as good as the characters and the shots themselves, I would have enjoyed it the first time I've watched it. My favorite scene in this movie was the elevator scene where Ryan devoured the face of the man that was seconds away from killing him. You've heard this very tranquil song; "A Real Hero" by College Ft. Electric Youth while Ryan was crushing the guy face. You can hear the crushing of the skull and you can see the fear in Irene's eyes. After the job was done, Ryan turned his face in accomplishment and fear because of the look on Irene's face horror in her eyes. That one scene was just so powerful and spoke so much about Irene and Ryan’s character. The shot was amazing the lighting focusing on the characters expressions made you feel like you've just taken their place. It felt like I was in the film right there beside them because I was so drawn in.


The props in the film created the characters. Ryan and his scorpion jacket he wore throughout the film. I felt that the jacket was very symbolic. I felt the jacket was his way of hiding his true self to the public; he was a killer badass within. He didn't have as much objects with him early in the movie until close to the end where he smashed the living hell out of Cook's hands played by James Biberi with a hammer. I felt the pain and was just afraid at how much power Ryan had. The bird's eye view of Ryan made you feel like yeah, I was the badass but now this bird has power of me now, I'm helpless. 

Ryan was just a very interesting man to the viewers, his neighbors, and friends. He put himself in a situation where I felt was a waste a time to get involved with but maybe that was the point of the story to have some dramatic twist. Ryan may have wanted to get involved just because of Irene, the girl he fell for who is taken by a man who came out of prison for a crime that dealt with money. Standard, Irene’s husband just got out prison to yet put him self into a situation again dealing with money. He had to pay off cook and Ryan made himself available in order to help out Standard. Standard gets murdered and Ryan wants to finish the job for the safety of Irene and her son. His love for them is strong and he wants to make sure the people who done this to Standard will receive serious pain. He is stopping at nothing, he has his mind set on determination and driving.

There were many scenes where I felt grabbed my attention thoroughly. Where Ryan had the moment in the elevator with Irene and the lighting dimmed only on them two. The scene was very powerful showing so much emotion within the characters at that one moment. How Irene went from not wanting to get involved with Ryan but in the elevator cracked. Another scene that showed so much power, it held my attention the whole time was when Ryan drove away at then end of the film. Although it was the ending scene I felt like this was his life something he couldn’t let go of. A connection a relationship with driving that no one could bare to take away. At first, the thought of Irene and Ryan together made me think that would be the relationship in the film but its exactly all about the people you let in your life there’s more.


The scenes that were well connected to the overall storyline were Ryan’s driving. His driving skills throughout the film created his character created who he was. Nothing and no one got in his way of what I believed he loved to do. I can honestly say that his connection with driving is like my connection to Channing Tatum. He is a character in the film that made the scenes more interesting and dramatic in a way although the film was kind of quiet in my view. The overall film has a sense and achievement in getting you at the edge of your seat when you least expect it.

Drive (2011) Film Review - Blase Biello

Posted by Blase Biello in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

Blase Biello
Drive Review

Drive is nothing short of visually spectacular. Drive goes further than to just show itself off as a story, it exemplifies itself as a piece of art. The lighting, cinematography, coloring, and wide array of shots/angles were just some of the nails hit right on the head by the entire crew behind the making of Drive. Drive, in my opinion, was a movie that was immensely overlooked by many; that’s why I am able to consider this movie a hidden gem to anyone has yet to see it.          

Along with the beautiful visuals by cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, director Nicolas Winding Refn does an amazing job of visualizing and recreating Hossein Amini’s script. Refn takes this movie, and with his filmmaking skills, winds a dark web that spirals and intersects with multiple characters and plot points all putting them onto the giant web of Drive.  Although the story can seem drawn out at some points, there’s beautiful montages to take the space and get the audience through it. In my opinion, I really liked the pacing of the film and the aesthetics it came wrapped with. I didn’t mind watching Gosling cruise the streets in his muscle cars because it was visually pleasing. However, one thing that I would’ve modified in the script would definitely have to be more car chases. For the car chases that did happen had me on the edge of my seat, I would’ve enjoyed a couple more, but that’s just my action-hunger getting riled up. 

Drive is chock full of thematic elements to say the least. On the surface you can easily find; loyalty, mysteriousness, loneliness, love, connection, misfortune, miscommunication and lack of, vulnerability, and bad timing. Throughout the movie the main character, Ryan Gosling, only known as The Driver remains pretty quite, a loner for the most part speaking only when he has too, and keeping it brief when he does. Drive has a layer of loyalty, loneliness, and mysteriousness that he carries throughout the film along with a bunch of other qualities, but they seem to be the ones that shine the brightest. You can find loyalty in the pride Driver takes in his work, taking multiple getaway driver jobs from his friend/boss Shannon played by Bryan Cranston. Driver is loyal to his word giving his clients only 5 minutes to take care of their business before the job is officially, not his problem. You can see this in the opening sequence of the film when Driver is on his job, following each requirement to the fullest and completing the job; successfully transporting the robbers. Driver’s loneliness is anything but unnoticeable as he spends little time in his house, and driving the streets at night alone; not to be bothered by anybody. 

Fortunately, Driver finds love and with that love comes communication; something that he has been lacking and in need of, for what appears to be some time. His love comes from his neighbor, Irene, played by Carey Mulligan. The two become closer and closer as the film goes on; regardless of Irene’s husband who comes back from jail but is killed. Some of the only smiles that Driver sheds in the movie are ones towards Irene and her son, Benicio. One of the first signs of love comes with the montage of Driver driving Irene and Benicio down the dry Los Angeles River and spending some time at the crick nearby. Another theme found throughout the movie is misfortune. There is misfortune in almost every character’s live and it all seems to be in result of each other. Driver is brought misfortune by Shannon’s tragic mafia deal, Irene and Benicio is brought misfortune by her husband’s crime involvement and death, Standard (Benicio’s father) is brought misfortunate by still being stuck in the mafia’s hands as he once was before jail, amongst many other misfortunes. Drive is a very dark look into the life of crime and intersecting everyday-life and it is severely darkened and twisted by director, Refn. The one example, I’d have to say that stuck to me as one of the most misfortunate events in the movie, is the scene where Driver, Blanche, and Standard go to rob the pawn-shop. Just as you think Standard is safe and out of the life of crime, he is killed by the shop owner right in front of Driver and Blanche. This really stood out to me because Standard was really just trying to do this last thing and leave that type of life, but it was just one job to many. 

There were many important scenes throughout the movie. One of the most important and impacting sequences would probably have to be the opening sequence. There was definitely a layer of mysteriousness and tranquility as Driver manipulated multiple systems to escape from the cops and create a nice diversion for his hasty escape by using the busy parking lot. This scene really established the intensity that Gosling was going to hold as the main character, Driver, throughout the movie. Another important scene would have to be the scene where Driver, Irene, and Benicio spend some time together driving down the Los Angeles River and hanging out. This established a connection between all three of them, that cannot be found between any other characters in the movie. I thought that this sequence was a good support and nice building block for Irene and Driver’s relationship as well. Another scene that I found not only important, but more entertaining was the night of Standard’s return and party. As Irene and Driver talked in the hallway, Standard and Benicio came out to take out the trash. Standard had already heard much about Driver and it was hard to say what was about to happen between the two men, Driver and Standard. At some points in the conversation it felt as though they were going to fight or even become friends. However, the meeting went fairly smoothly and there was no fight; which personally I thought was going to happen by the tone in Standard’s voice at the beginning of the conversation. 

Another scene that I found very important to the movie was the pawn-shop heist/chase scene. As Standard is gunned down; Blanche and Driver drive away pursued by a mysteriously fast Chrysler 300. Fortunately, Driver escapes the pursuers. However, this shows that they were not only being monitored but set-up. This adds an element of suspicion, wonder, and angst as Driver later tries to find out who was chasing them through whatever Blanche knows. This was a very entertaining scene and the car chase shots were on point throughout. Another scene that is very important to the overall movie is towards the end when Bernie Rose pays a visit to Shannon. During this scene, Bernie slits Shannon’s entire forearm open and leaves him to die. At this point it was clear that everything was going to spiral downward from there, ending in nothing but bloodshed. Driver later finds Shannon dead in the shop, a very powerful piece of the scene. Driver definitely appears upset over the loss of his friend Shannon and hungry for revenge. That is why I found this scene to be very important and powerful. 

Drive’s multiple story lines develop well into each other and flow nicely. On one side you have the story of Driver and Irene’s developing love and on the other side you have the bad mafia deal drama unfolding. As much development that there was between Irene and Driver, I’d have to say the story line of the mafia deal was definitely more compelling because of the immense amount of characters/heists involved. With the love story there is no fear of losing any of the likable characters, but with the mafia side there is constant fear that one of the main characters will be taken out, which they eventually are. I’d have to say the scene where Shannon is killed in cold-blood is definitely more compelling than Irene playing with broken-off crab claws at the crick. Maybe it’s just because I’m a guy that I found the crime-side story more compelling and interesting. However, I can say that the most important relationship developed on the love side, goes to Driver and Irene. It seems that Irene is the only one in the film that can bring Driver out of the one dimensional silent mood he is usually in. She brings out qualities in him that you cannot see brought out by any of the other characters. When he’s with her you see communication, happiness, and desire. Much of Driver’s character development comes through Irene’s love. You see a brighter side to Driver’s character when he’s around Irene, and that keeps the audience from getting bored of him, I think. Much of the connection between these two characters come through visual elements, such as brighter lighting and close angles. The music that goes along with their montages together also brings them together as a powerful relationship in the film. 

I 100% recommend anyone to see Drive if they haven’t and if they have watch it again and again. There are so many different things to see and notice that can easily be missed after watching only one time. I thought this was a really solid film and definitely deserved a nomination in a category other than sound mixing, I think this movie should’ve definitely been nominated for Best Achievement in Cinematography due to its fresh, clean look. Enjoy Drive as a piece of art and as a darkly-spirally-webbed story. 

Drive Review - Emma Hersh

Posted by Emma Hersh in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

It is clear that Drive will be one of the best movies ever by just watching the first 10 minutes of the film. Immediately the audience is greated by a dark Los Angeles skyline as the camera soars over the city, a shot that frequently appears, and by a man in a scorpion jacket. As more about his character is revealed it becomes clearer that the scorpion represents how he will never really let anyone through his hard shell and is always defensive and protective of his true identity. He also never carries a gun on him and only uses what is readily available to him (much like a scorpion because they only use their tail sting). He turned out to be a very compelling and intense character to follow and watch as he moved with such swagger and hardly talked, as he met the girl (Irene) he became even more interesting because there was now a romance to be invested in. One of the cutest scenes was where her son came in with a mask on, Driver just said very flatly, "Scary. Want a toothpick?" This opened him up in a new way and as a result made him more involved in that family which lead to different choices that character happened to make. 

It may be because I have a soft spot for romances, but the best story happening was the one with Irene and Driver because she caused him to move out of his comfort zone in a few ways, but also gave him someone to protect. That said, the most important relationship in the movie was that between Driver and the little kid because all of a sudden everything that Driver was doing was for the safety of the kid. A scene where there was obviously a lot of character growth was where Driver and the kid where sitting on the couch together right after the incident with Standard in the parking garage. The kid was traumatized about what he had seen and was also given a small gold bullet, at that moment Driver knew that the kid's safety was one of the most important things to him because it would protect the family. It was where Drive really shifted gears to more of a gangster movie than a love story because Driver had a new purpose and decided to interject into the family's issues and help Standard out. 

This scene also brought a new theme to the table: the lengths someone would go to to protect what they love. This was incredibly apparent in the elevator scene (without a doubt the best scene in the entire film) where Driver knew what he had to do to protect Irene and the kid. He first went in for what seemed like a two-minute-long good-bye kiss with holy music playing in the background followed by a brutal head smashing of the bad guy with a piece. It was completely nuts, and after that, Irene definitely didn't talk to him anymore, so their entire relationship was down the drain, yet there was a full sense of closure. After that, Driver was probably a bit freer to do all of his work because he could still use his passion for completing the deed of finding where the money went to, but I honestly was a little confused about the mafia the whole time and didn't really understand the whole role they played because it seemed like all they really wanted was for Standard to bring them their million bucks and to kill some people. That was definitely they only aspect of the movie that I was entirely detached from. 

The kill scenes were all super epic because each time Driver had to kill someone we saw him from an extremely low angle which made him look so empowered over these people who would usually have the power over him. For example in the elevator scene, in the scene with the hammer in the strip club and where he kills the final gangster who stabs him. He also managed to stay somewhat anonymous in his work by never giving away his real name which meant that people looking for him could only find him through where he worked or where he lived, which he also kept very private. Every shot he was in was planned so that something new was revealed about his character even though he hardly talked, there was something that brought to life in his actions and the few words he did say. Another aspect of the film that brought his character to life was the bizarrely fitting 80's female vocal pop songs as a soundtrack to his actions. The words were so reflective of what he was doing, thinking and saying that it was almost difficult to consentrate on what he was really doing at times. It was definitely not the soundtrack I would have picked for the film, yet it seemed to work so beautifully as a contrast that it didn't really matter that it didn't fit the crazy murderous theme that was so prevalent. 

I have not stopped talking about this film since we first started watching it and I don't think I'll be able to stop for a while either. Everything about this film was just about perfect, from the soundtrack and the score, to the romance and his personal relationships, from the intense kill scenes to the car chases. The title Drive acts not only as a motif where Driver is actually driving, but also as a theme of what drives certain people to do certain things. 

Drive

Posted by Gilberto Gonzalez in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

Drive is a movie i've never heard of until it was brought up in my Digital Video Class. When I saw the trailer I thought to myself, "Oh it's gonna be like fast and the furious mixed with the god father." that was my initial assumption based on the trailer for the movie; which is why most of you I assume came to read this article. The movie is spectacular in almost every aspect. The film included things I feel could relate to all of the viewers, it was a very fast paced movie that kept me at the edge of my seat.

Within the movie Goslings' character, tended to keep to himself. As the movie progresses he begins to develop emotions for a woman, who is currently married due to her husband being in Jail. Despite that she continues to develop the relationship between he and Golsing they're relationship is what drives the film forward without Irene the movie would be completely different. The director of this movie has a very unique way in making the relationship between characters stand out; whenever two characters within the movie in general the author takes into account the type of views each character has of each other he uses, angles, lighting, and the music to his advantage.   

As I watched the movie the Style of the movie gave you could say turned me on towards the movie. It was very retro style but it used it in all of the right ways no part of the movie was bad or unoriginal. Without a doubt as you watch may things will get you hooked but to me the thing that will have the largest effect on you is the musical note pad for each individual person. 

When it comes to the movie aside from being very retro its very dark. The colors always kept to a certain type of font along with a general lighting that was very well done. Like in the scene where the drivers boss arm gets slit. At that very moment it seems as if time slows down to the point where he could stop it but the lighting and the music end up making it unreturn able.

Overall Drive is a good move; one man, one car, one girl, and one life. This movie also consist of a very good back story to all the characters and is unraveled to the viewer as the movie progresses which allows it to make more sense.

Nathan Kamal Drive Review

Posted by Nathan Kamal in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

Drive, a 2011 film directed by Nicholas Refn starring Ryan Gosling, follows a Los Angeles stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. The film is a traditional heist-gone-wrong thriller, paying homage to numerous action films of the late 20th century.

Gosling's character, who remains unnamed for the duration of the entire movie, falls for Irene, a single mother, and when her ex boyfriend, Standard (whose thematically symbolic name is obviously not a coincidence) is forced to rob a pawn shop, the driver offers to help. The relationship between Driver and Irene was probably the most poignant in the film. The actors had very little dialogue onscreen, but still managed to establish a high level of complexity with just their body language.

Gosling keeps his hands in his pockets for a noticeably large chunk of his screen time, and maintains a constant nondescript, passive expression. I think that his control is what makes his character so fascinating. He manages to give his character a level of softness for the entire first half of the film. This creates a great deal of tension for the viewer, who knows what a dangerous man he really is. This tension is finally broken with his line "I'll kick your fuckin teeth down your throat" delivered to a former colleague at a diner. It is this line, in my opinion, that starts the second act of the film.

Refn spends a great deal of effort referencing other bodies of work. The central chase sequence, after the robbery occurs, is highly derivative of what is seen in Bullit in 1968: low angles of muscle cars, no music, and roaring engines. He also is heavily influenced by the work of Martin Scorsese, having dedicated the film to Taxi Driver. In fact, the film ends in a similar way: in trying to help a woman who he has had little contact with, he faces a near death experience, brutally killing everyone in his path. Like Taxi Driver, the climactic scene ends with him critically wounded, but still victorious, and, like Taxi Driver, there is ambiguity regarding whether he survives, or whether he dies and the final scenes are merely a dying vision of sorts.

Driver's transition from a cold, disconnected, businessman into a mythical superhero plays a very apparent role in the film. For instance, when he kills Nino, a Jewish gangster who originally blackmailed Standard, he wears his stunt-double mask. While he obviously doesn't need to hide his identity in order to kill him, there is still something inside of him that is ashamed. Perhaps this "hero" identity is not something that Driver is particularly fond of, having spent his entire criminal career emotionally detached from his crimes, and therefore the mask represents his discomfort around moral responsibility.

The soundtrack of the film, composed by Cliff Martinez, is heavily influenced by 80s pop music. The lyrics contain themes of heroism and redemption, emphasizing Driver's moral transformation throughout the film while at the same time trivializing it.

There is, however, a part of me that feels squeamish about such a heavy amount of homage. It seemed almost as if this film wasn't Refn, but more a "greatest hits" playlist of his predecessors. And while it can certainly be argued that all art is derivative, and therefore unoriginal, Dive does it in an incredibly self-conscious way. I see Drive less as a stand-alone film, and more as a comment of filmmakers of the past. I may need multiple viewings to decide how I feel about such a high amount of throwback.

But what makes Drive truly shine, is the film's iceberg approach to storytelling. By only explicitly revealing 10% of the film's identity to the viewer, the other 90% is up to us to decide. Refn is truly a master of minimalism, telling us a lot by only showing a little. Everyone has a something inside of them that drives them to do even the most radical things, and that internal drive is what makes this film so relatable, so heartbreaking, and so damn fun.

Film Review: "Drive"

Posted by Amaris Romero in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

"Drive" opens up with a similar view from the movie "Transporter" with a robbery and a get away car. With Ryan Gosling as the driver and techno music playing to set the scene of the "get away." Ryan Gosling's character shows no emotion in his face from the scene where he is waiting for the robbers to come out of the building no sign of impatience or anything just an emotionless character. I personally dislike his character because of how emotionless he was. I would prefer his character to be a bit more outrageous and unexpected because of the fact that he is a professional driver in films and out on the streets of Los Angeles. His character is very traditional because in the films such as "Transporter 1 2 & 3" Jason Stathman's character is emotionless just as seen in the film "Drive." I personally think the reason for this is to try to make the character as ordinary as possible. In the first several scenes of the movie there are many close-up, reflection shots. One of them being in the very beginning when Ryan Gosling is speaking on the phone with someone and hoe he was looking out the window, with the camera at a angle showing his reflection. Also another scene in the beginning where Ryan Gosling is driving in his car through Los Angeles and having the camera on the inside showing his reflection through the mirror. There are many of these shots throughout the film I believe that the director chose to do many of these reflection shots to prove and make the scene and create the character that was being shown.

The sound in this film is very natural I would say because the movie is very quiet. Most of the scenes  lacked in dialogue not exactly creating much. I disliked the lack of dialogue throughout the film but the music in the background created so much. Tense building up in the viewer, the scene in the elevator where Ryan pushes Irene to the side and the song "A Real Hero" starts to play sung by College Featuring Electric Youth. The lyrics of the song creates the scene and I believe expresses what Ryan is bound to do at that very moment getting ready to save the one he has a great interest in. Irene automatically speeds out of the elevator right after her intense, spotlight scene kiss with Ryan. As soon as she notices the dramatic fight that goes on in front of her eyes and the close-up with Ryan stomping on a mans face she speeds out in shock. The lighting of this one scene is a spotlight because it only focuses on the two characters at the moment and just when the lighting expands and allows the next character comes in, you can feel the presence of something bound to happen. I don't believe this scene was as realistic as it could have been. The way Ryan's foot drove down onto the mans face I felt not connection or relationship to realism. I felt as though the characters could have grunted a bit more and actually had an angle on the mans face as Ryan was stomping down.

The props in the film I believe created the characters and made them look more scary and intimidating. The way Ryan gripped his hands around a bat while wearing leather gloves in the scene where he was speaking on the phone with Albert Brooks who is one of the most powerful men in the movie. This scene created how intimidating the characters are meant be. The style of the characters and costumes they wore from Ryan being casual and ordinary to the big bad "Gangsters" of the film wearing professional clothing such as suits creating how powerful they can be or how to present themselves to the public. The environment in, which each of the characters are set in is very private yet very open. I wish why the director chose these setting for each Ryan and Albert individually. The way the director chose to create the film is very traditional. A typical person acting on an ordinary lifestyle but finds a great interest in one but ends up getting into trouble and having to face the consequences by having the one they care about get threatened in some way.

Ryan Gosling's character takes great interest in his neighbor and as he gets to know her a dramatic twist occurs her husband is returning home from prison. Throughout the movie the husband gets into some kind of trouble involving money and Ryan steps in to save the day but a big problem occurs and later on the husband is murdered and now Ryan is ready to step up to plate in order to protect Irene and her son no matter what the consequences and what dangers step in his way. He is ready to end this. This all ends when Ryan tells his friend to leave and never return in order to escape everything going on. His friend is then murdered in garage where Ryan works as a mechanic. Ryan goes after the men after he realizes his friend was just murdered and gets his revenge. He makes one last phone call to Irene and she answers but never speaks and Ryan feels like its to late that she will never forgive him so he hangs up and kills the "gangsters." He then drives off in the end and a back and forth shot between Irene and Ryan comes up where Irene is walking towards Ryan's apartment realizing that she will forgive him while he is driving off.

The main scenes that grabbed my attention throughout the film was the elevator scene when Ryan had stomped the guys face continuously. I felt this scene is important because it showed a sign of protecting and wanting between who he really was and what he was willing to do in oder to protect those he cared about. Another scene was when Ryan had first met Irene's husband he came off as intimidating. I felt this was important because a the saying goes "looks can be deceiving." I believe this is what his character did. When Ryan saw his close friend murdered in the garage emotion finally appeared in his eyes and the yearning for revenge came along. When Irene's car broke down at the grocery store this I feel is important because this is when their entire bond connected. In the end I don't think it was about him developing a relationship with the another human being but the fact of him continuing his relationship with driving. It all connected in the end with him driving off. I would say this all developed because of both of his careers his one career of driving for movies and another for illegal acts.

The most compelling scene of the movie as well connected to the storyline was the relationship between Ryan and his skill of driving. Not exactly his relationship with Irene because it was obvious thats where the story was heading. The storyline I felt was more compelling with his relationship. I felt as though it wasn't obvious that he was going to drive to off. It left the audience guessing and left everyone wondering if Ryan would randomly pop up behind Irene after she knocked on his apartment after no response. But no, nothing I felt this was the mystery and the continuing of his life and wondering if he would continue the same path except in another city/town. "Human Curiosity" is what filled the air at the end of the film.

"Drive" Film Review

Posted by Tariq Smith in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

After watching “Drive”, my opinion of the film was somewhat unappreciative in a sense. Prior to viewing Drive, I was informed that this was a movie that received several different awards such as Best Picture and Best Director. This gave me in some respects what many would call great expectations that weren’t fully met. I acknowledge that this was a very creative film but I felt as if at certain points in the film, I was unable to appreciate its artistic value.

    One aspect of the film that I particularly admired was its fast-paced sequences during an overall seeming slow developing plot. There were many scenes where I felt on the edge of my seat for a long period of time. Although the feeling of being on the edge of your seat when waiting for a scene to climax is an amazing feeling, Drive in my opinion kept me feeling that often for what felt like an insurmountable period of time. One example of this, being the second of the three car chases where Driver is physically driving. I understand the wanting of the scene to have its authenticity, but a scene such as this that as fast paced as it was needed to give me more time to digress after each and every plot twist throughout the entire chase.  
    I also wasn’t a huge fan of the different auditory elements that went into the film. For example, Driver, who is supposed to be the main character/protagonist in the film, had what I felt was a very insufficient amount of dialogue to reinforce his vitality to the overall concept of the film. Yes some would argue the cliche phrase “actions speak louder than words” but as a viewer I like to see my protagonist captivate me with both actions as well as words. The background noise often times did help me keep interest in what was going on in their surrounding. But as I stated earlier, there were times where there was dead silence (such as the elevator scene after the kiss) when for a dramatic effect everything was slowed down before the climax of that particular scene which would have to be the brutal killing. As far as other auditory elements such as the soundtrack and musical score, I didn’t find anything that was particularly moving in its authenticity.
    An accolade that I would give Drive is the strategic use of lighting. I felt as if many of the vital scenes in the movie contained a warmer toned light when something important was occurring. This allowed me to focus on a specific person or subject and feel comfortable during periods where I was forced to reflect on what happened in another scene. Because I am a fan of action, my biased opinion was that I appreciated the many different angles shown during driving scenes. I thought driving scenes had to have been a strong aspect of the film one because of the obvious title, and two because the driving scenes were what Drivers character was based on. After watching the extras and finding out more about many of the characters, I saw how different actors stepped outside of their comfort zone in this movie. At first I didn’t think that the acting was anything worth mentioning but after finding out a small background of them, I was able to appreciate the actors more than I originally would have.
    My overall critique of Drive is that I wouldn’t have felt disappointed that I spent money to go view it in the theaters but this is not a movie that I would want to purchase on DVD/Blu-Ray. Yes it managed to entertain me for one hundred minutes but it was nothing that I am going to remember a year from now. Perhaps I set too high expectations for it but it didn’t move me in the way that it did many other people and I would choose not to recommend it to anyone who has the same opinions as me with this genre of film.

Film Review - Drive

Posted by William Marsh in Digital Video -4 day a week - Herman on

What's this? Another big hollywood flick about some stone cold badass being a wheelman for anyone with the capital to buy his time, holding a very strict set of rules who then becomes mixed up in some even less savory business? Yawn. What, there's more? The driver is played by pretty-boy Ryan Gosling, a man whose actions outnumber and outweigh his words? Go on. The film is a gritty take on typical driver films, featuring something referred to affectionately by it's fans as "The Elevator Stomp". If you perhaps think this is some odd 80's dance move, you are in for a very rude awakening.

Drive thrusts us the audience into the world of Driver, played by Ryan Gosling, set in Los Angeles. He isn't given a name in the film, which in my opinion neither adds or detracts significantly from the film. The first ten minutes may as well take you hostage as you practically cannot leave your seat; and neither would you want to. Driver is introduced to us driving two crooks with their ill-gotten goods, out-driving and out-thinking the finest LAPD has to offer. Everything about it is meticulously thought out. And that doesn't just apply to Driver's thoughts. The cinematography and sound are beautifully engineered. The director chose to stay away from typical car chases with lots of shaking and aggressive camera usage to accentuate the speed. Instead, the camera stays inside the vehicle at all times, and is by-in-large static. Very much like Driver's expression. Even as he drifts across two lanes of traffic with police in hot pursuit, Driver is calm, cool and collected; no wonder he never gets invited to poker night. Driver and the thieves he is driving for escape smooth and clean, and Driver leaves without a word to his associates.

The sound of this film really makes it, in particular how quiet it is, and how much of the sound is natural sound, and not dialogue. One of my favorite examples of great sound in this film is in the scene previously described is Driver's watch ticking. It's such a small sound, yet at almost every lull in the action it can be heard, whether it's by itself or under the mixture of sounds coming from the car itself. This film did an incredible job of mixing audio that is muffled or drowned out. This can also be seen later in the film when Driver's love interest, Irene throws a party for her husband's return from prison, and the party can be heard through the apartment walls, becoming louder when the apartment door opens and vice-versa.

But it's not always about subtle nuances in sound and film, sometimes the best sequences are when the film diverts your attention one hundred percent to a single action. Oh yes, it's The Elevator Stomp. Where to start with this scene, it's hard to say. Driver has just been involved in a bad heist that, through no fault of his own got Irene's husband Standard killed. Driver realizes that he and Irene are both in danger. He explains what happened, and that she can have the money he made from the heist, only to be cut off with a sharp smack across the face that speaks volumes more than anything she could have said. Just as you're not sure where the interaction is going, the elevator door opens to a man who apologetically says "wrong floor". Irene steps into the elevator, almost in an attempt to get away from Driver who no doubt makes her sick at the moment. Driver follows her into the elevator and notices the man had in fact had exactly the floor he wanted, as he notices a handgun is stashed in the mans inner suit pocket. Driver understands very well what this means, and here's where the scene really picks-up. Driver gentle guides Irene into the corner with his arm before turning around and taking his only shot he has with her. They draw close in a way that makes you wonder if they'll ever even touch, or just share this moment for what seems like forever. Driver kisses Irene and she kisses back in a way that says that she wants more but realizes she shouldn't. Driver pulls away and savors his final moment before he will most definitely push Irene away in a manner more graphic than he ever could have imagined. He slams the gunman's head into the elevator wall to knock him down and proceeds to stomp his face until the job is irrefutably finished; that is to say the gunman's head is no more. We see only the initial stomp and the aftermath, but the sound alone paints a vivid, graphic picture enough. The heavy tones of boot to bone, give way to gruesome, wet slaps, in monument to Driver's commitment. The elevator reaches the garage level just as Driver finishes, only to look up at Irene wistfully as she stands outside the elevator, horrified by his actions. And without a word from either of them, the elevator doors slide across, blocking Driver from Irene in a manner that seems quite definitive, concluded by a hearty thud of the elevator doors closing.

The elevator stomp ties together two very different, yet equally important worlds in the life of Driver. The first being his love interest in Irene, and protecting that, and the second being his misfortune in being wrapped up with the wrong people. They are both tragedies in a sense, but in different ways. The story of Irene and Driver is a tragedy because complications drove them apart, despite obvious attraction and compatibility. Driver defends Irene and Benecio at all costs, yet when he pleads to speak with her she shuts him down coldly, no doubt still traumatized by her time in the elevator. When she realizes that his actions in her defense do not define him, it is too late and he is gone and out of contact. Driver's misfortune is a tragedy in the sense that he got swept up in other people's dreams, because he doesn't seem to have any. He spends a significant amount of the movie trying to dig someone out of a hole, which only digs it deeper and when it finally seems there is no one else left, it's apparent that he himself is the deepest of them all.

Of these two stories it's difficult to pick a favorite. His story with Irene is riveting as we watch this man who is almost inhuman in character grow in leaps and bounds, only to be rejected. But his story of mopping up other people's problems is incredibly entertaining because it shows more of the Driver that we were introduced to in the beginning of the movie who is wildly entertaining to watch.

But saying that one side of Driver is wildly entertaining is redundant, because frankly it's all entertaining. The entire film is a mesmerizing experience. Like I said, this film takes you hostage; you're just along for the ride.

DVSR-002

Term
2011-12

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