Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays, whichever one(s) you celebrate! This was partially shot at my parents house and a house in my neighborhood.

American Hustle

Four David O. Russell veterans team up to present one of the most interesting and entertaining films of the year. American Hustle is a film about two things: deception and survival. Be prepared to sit back and immerse yourself in a tale of deceit, lies, and passion. 

Set in New Jersey, the film follows Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and his lover and partner in crime Sydney Posser (Amy Adams). Caught in a scheme by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) they are forced to work with him to pull their largest heist on Camden, NJ Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) to avoid jail time. Rosenfeld agrees as he attempts to keep his wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) under control and quiet.

In the vein of a more accessible and comprehensible David Lynch, Russell really enjoys what he does and it is apparent. While it may be easier to understand than Mulholland Drive, it's still easy to lose your footing and wind up confusing yourself, but that's what makes it fun! It's easy to see Russell's passion overflow out of the film. 

The details all the way down to the music, set pieces, and costumes take you pack to the 70's; to a world of con-artists, mafia, and the FBI. The music alone was some of the best soundtrack work in recent memory. However, the colors, patterns, and clothes worn by every character both added to the feel of the 70's and added to the depth of the characters. 

David O. Russell crafts a wonderful plot built around four incredible characters, and that's where the beauty of this film truly lies. Unfortunately the story itself brings nothing new to the genre, but the characters move the film along with ease. Every character is played with precision and skill by the Russell veterans from 2008's The Fighter, Amy Adams and Christian Bale, and those from 2012's Silver Linings Playbook, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. 

Each of the actors shines in his or her respective roles. Christian Bale plays the con-artist who believes himself atop the world with perfection. Amy Adams portrays her seductive character, the lover and conning partner of Bale's, with ease. But the other two actors outshine the other two. Providing much of the comedic relief Cooper and Lawrence continue to show their acting prowess. Cooper plays the cocky FBI agent who coaxes the two con-artists into his master plan. He plays the sometimes crazed, oft arrogant character with perfection. Jennifer Lawrence has become one of the best young actresses in the business today and she does not disappoint in American Hustle. As the wife of Bale's character she plays the older, eccentric, and inquisitive character just over-the-top enough to make it believable. She never ceases to impress. Even Jeremy Renner nails his role as the near-perfect mayor. 

Overall, this is an amazing film in terms of directing, acting, and design. Every actor is successful in bringing the characters' passion to the screen. Each of those three things combine to pull you into the world surrounding the characters and make you feel like you were transported back forty years.

9.5/10

Gone With The Lawn

Here's my group's final project: "Gone With The Lawn." If you like lawns make sure you take the necessary steps to properly take care of them. Lawns don't need to be a part of the 'American Dream' as they have become. I, and my group, hope you enjoy our final project.

There are still a few tweaks we'll be making in the coming months, but this may become more than just a final project for one class.

For those of you curious about the many drafts, changes, and work that goes into making even a short six minute video here's my group's production book. This chronicles the changes we made throughout production and shows some production stills from when we actually were filming. Sorry in advance if you have to download it, but there's a handy table of contents if you're lazy!

https://mega.co.nz/#!lllFlKJC!eOVrOkjgppXlBadqaJuowlUTi5wsNYIOhdBtEXG_8vI

1x1

One final project was our 1x1. One filmmaker and one subject. My subject was Chris O'Brien, the Director of Sustainability at American University.

Katzen Still Camera

Explore a space visually. For this assignment we had to film two different versions, one with only still shots and one with camera movements. And could do one with a combination of the two as well.

Lumiere Project

This project was based on the Lumiere Brothers first films. We were to find an area in the place we recorded our soundscape and set the camera up and film for one minute.

Soundscape +Interview

This is the soundscape with an interview.

Soundscape

This is the soundscape my group recorded in production 1.