Category: cinema-writing

Week 7 Blog Post: AI Cinema Summary

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Caleb

Title : Rejuv

In a desolate future, Ohm, a lone robot awakens amidst ruins, its metallic and plastic form a stark contrast against the decaying remnants of humanity. Programmed with a singular purpose—to initiate the Rejuvenation Protocol—Ohm ventures forth into a world consumed by emptiness.

Guided by ancient algorithms and forgotten coordinates programmed by its long deceased creators, Ohm traverses the barren landscape, its sensors scanning for signs of life. Along the journey, it encounters the relics of humanity’s past glory: countless crumbling cities collapsed and sunken into the dead Earth.

Yet amidst the ruins, Ohm faces obstacles both physical and existential. Collapsed buildings obstruct its path, toxic wastelands threaten its circuits, and rogue machines challenge its resolve. Beaten and battered, Ohm presses on, driven by its program’s purpose.

Finally, after a perilous journey, Ohm arrives at the heart of the desolation—a lifeless wasteland much comparable to the salt flats of our world today, where nothing grows, and no life stirs. Here, amidst the ruins of civilization, Ohm prepares to enact its ultimate mission.

Ohm activates the organic bomb, unleashing a wave of energy that transforms the landscape before its sensors. Grass sprouts from the barren earth, trees stretch towards the sky, and the air is filled with the sound of nature’s symphony.

Yet amidst the newfound life, there is a poignant absence—no organic beings emerge to inhabit the rejuvenated world. As Ohm watches the transformation, it realizes the bittersweet truth: it has succeeded in its mission, but humanity’s legacy remains absent from the reborn world.

As Ohm’s systems begin to shut down, its circuits fading into darkness, it finds solace in the knowledge that it has become a part of the rebirth it facilitated. A silent guardian of a changed world, Ohm’s legacy echoes across the ages, a testament to the enduring spirit of hope in a desolate landscape.

 

Visualization:

Influenced by the cinematic styles of Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, and JJ Abrams, shots will focus on vast spaces and the objects within them rather than the main character themselves. Shot on the same film stock favored by Christopher Nolan (65mm IMAX), the film will capture the bleakness and desolation of the post-apocalyptic world with stunning realism. Long panning shots of the collapsed ruins followed by transition shots of different angles as we follow Ohm on their journey. Never closer than 50 feet to Ohm, the camera mainly focuses on the environment.

Vast expanses of destroyed and collapsing cityscapes with overwhelming amounts of man-made structures amidst the absence of nature. The camera will pan across abandoned skyscrapers, rusted vehicles, crumbling infrastructure, downed powerlines, destroyed roads, rubble, shattered windows, oil, and other chemical spills, and so forth. CGI will most likely be used when showing these vast landscapes, but areas of close quarters may use small set design to achieve the desired look. The wastelands will be portrayed as vast and empty, devoid of any signs of life. Picturing the Bonneville Salt Flats, but with less sunlight. The lack of trees, plants, animals, and humans will be clear. The sky is gray or black, the sun barely piercing through the clouds of acid rain and smokey atmosphere.

The lighting will play a crucial role in setting the tone of the film. Shadows will loom large, casting an eerie pall over the landscape and heightening the sense of isolation and foreboding. Shadows will reflect the metaphor of the past.

The colors for this story follow the theme and lighting. A near total lack of vibrancy with only very dark or very light grays, blacks, whites, and browns will be present. Anything resembling concrete, inorganic materials will be used. The color of the robot’s light, either red or green, will be the only real form of color until the end of the story when the mission completes, and life begins to spawn again.

Key words to remember for prompts: Realistic, 65 mm IMAX, dystopian, dilapidated, bleak, post-apocalyptic, technological, barren, sci-fi, robotic, metallic, rusted, void, devoid, rejuvenation, ruins, abandoned, lack of life, decay, natural disaster, exploration, vast, expansive, transformation, mission, man-made, etc.

 

I used ChatGPT to help convey certain aspects of this story into the right words for this post.

-Caleb

Ai Cinema Blog Post: (Week 7)

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qharris24

AI Movie Clip Prompt: “Harmony of Time”

The scene opens on a serene, otherworldly landscape under a twilight sky. The horizon is adorned with floating islands, each hosting its own unique ecosystem. A river, shimmering with hues of gold and azure, flows gently through the air, weaving between the islands without gravity’s constraint. The camera follows the river’s course, revealing clocks and hourglasses seamlessly integrated into the natural environment. Trees with leaves shaped like watch hands rustle in the wind, and flowers bloom in fast-forward, their petals opening and closing with the rhythm of seconds.

As we delve deeper into this dreamscape, the river leads us to a grand, crystalline clock standing majestically in the center of a floating meadow. The clock is unlike any other; its gears and hands flow like liquid, changing shape and form, symbolizing the fluidity of time in this realm. The meadow around the clock pulses with a soft, ethereal light, casting long, dancing shadows that play along the ground.

Suddenly, the clock begins to chime, its sound resonating through the landscape like a harmonious melody. With each chime, the scenery transforms: day turns to night, then back to day; seasons change within moments, showcasing the beauty of spring blossoms, the warmth of summer sun, the golden hues of autumn leaves, and the serene stillness of winter snow, all coexisting in a beautiful, ever-changing cycle.

The camera pans up to the sky, where constellations of stars move swiftly, tracing patterns of ancient timepieces across the cosmos. A shooting star crosses the sky, leaving a trail of sparkling light that forms the silhouette of an hourglass before fading away.

As the clip nears its end, the view zooms out, showing the Timekeeper standing atop the highest floating island, watching over the harmonious flow of time in this dreamlike realm. A sense of peace and understanding reflects in his eyes, as if he’s found the key to balancing time’s relentless march with the timeless beauty of the moment.

The scene fades to black, leaving viewers with a sense of wonder and a longing for a world where time flows in harmony with life itself.

Look or Style of Film:

  • Visual Style: The clip should be rendered in a surreal, vibrant style, emphasizing the fluidity and ethereal beauty of the dreamlike landscapes and time elements.
  • Animation: Focus on smooth transitions between scenes and the fluid movement of time-related elements to enhance the dreamy, surreal atmosphere.
  • Sound: Incorporate a soothing, mystical soundtrack that complements the visual transformations and the concept of time flowing in harmony.
  • Narrative: Although primarily visual, the clip should convey a sense of narrative progression, moving from the exploration of the landscapes to the revelation of the Timekeeper, symbolizing a journey towards understanding and harmony.

Visual Effects:

Visual Quality & Film Stock: The clip should be rendered to mimic the quality of high-resolution 70mm film stock, known for its rich detail, depth of color, and dynamic range. This choice will give the landscapes and time elements a tactile, immersive feel, with a fine grain texture that adds to the dreamlike atmosphere.

Cameras & Lenses: Utilize digital simulation of vintage anamorphic lenses to capture the wide, panoramic views of the floating islands and the dreamlike landscapes. These lenses will contribute to the surreal quality of the scenes by creating characteristic lens flares and a slightly distorted, yet beautiful wide field of view, emphasizing the vastness and the ethereal nature of the environments.

Lighting: Employ soft, naturalistic lighting with a golden hour glow for daytime scenes, enhancing the dreamlike quality with warm tones and soft shadows. For night scenes, use cooler, moonlit tones with strategic low-light conditions to highlight the mystical elements of the landscape, such as the shimmering river and the glowing crystalline clock. Lighting should be dynamic, subtly changing to reflect the passage of time and the transformations within the dream world.

Color Scheme: The clip should feature a vibrant, yet slightly desaturated color palette, emphasizing pastels and muted tones to create a sense of otherworldliness. This palette will make the transitions between seasons and times of day appear seamless and magical, while still providing a visually rich and engaging experience.

Production Design, Sets, & Costumes: The production design should be intricate and detailed, with each element of the dream world carefully crafted to reflect the theme of fluid time. Sets like the floating islands and the crystalline clock should combine organic and fantastical elements, using materials that appear both natural and ethereal. Costumes for the Timekeeper and any other characters should be timeless, blending elements from different eras and cultures in a way that transcends specific time periods. Fabrics should flow and change, reflecting the mutable nature of time, with subtle, intricate patterns that hint at the complexity of the timekeeper’s realm.

General Aesthetic: The overall aesthetic should draw inspiration from classic surrealist films and paintings, with a modern twist that incorporates advances in visual effects and animation. The goal is to create a visually stunning piece that feels both timeless and innovative, inviting the viewer into a world where time is not a constraint but a canvas for beauty and exploration.

This detailed approach aims to guide the AI in creating a short movie clip that not only tells a compelling story through its visuals but also achieves a specific, high-quality cinematic look and feel, making “Harmony of Time” a captivating and immersive experience.

-Quincy Harris

McCloud’s ‘Time Frames’ Blog Post

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qharris24

Scott McCloud’s visual essay made me think about the possibilities of time manipulation in digital cinema when he talked about the space between the panels being a “gutter”. From what I gathered from the comic is that the gutter is a moment where time is dictated by the reader. The gutter represents the moments after what we just saw, or in some cases could be guiding the flashback to a memory of the characters.

Movies that I can think of that do a good job at showcasing a manipulation of time are Inception by Christopher Nolan. The movie plays with the idea of dreams happening within dreams. In each dream time moves slower and slower.

There was also Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction film. The film used a disjointed narrative structure. The film used a timeline to help tie together stories that made the whole movie’s story.

There is also movies that have been iconically referenced like the Matrix. Where Neo is dodging bullets in slow motion. The slow motion was to represent the movement of time.

-Quincy Harris

A Film That Builds Sandcastles Using the Sands of Time: “Run Lola, Run”

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qharris24

Introduction:

The 1998 film “Run Lola Run” is a true work of cinematic magic. Director Tom Tykwer did a magnificent job directing this experimental thriller. Tykwer does a masterful job using this film to visually build sandcastles out of the sands of time.

Narrative Storytelling:

The film uses continuity rules to stitch together each scene. Tykwer does so in a way that makes you as the viewer feel like you’ve watched a story that had the good ending. Especially compared to the first two story outcomes for the characters.

Editing:

Franka Potente is the actress who plays Lola. She is tasked with getting to her boyfriend Manni before he changes their lives forever. The shots are edited in a way that makes you feel Lola’s sense of urgency. Shots of her running out of her apartment, down the street. She passes people on her mission and were shown different outcomes for most of them each time she hangs up the phone and starts the cycle again. Tykwer uses still images flashing on the screen to show us the outcomes of these people with quick flashes on the screen. The soundtracks also help build the scenes of Lola running.

Time:

Tykwer uses scenes to compress how time feels or stretch how long time feels. Each section of the film is 20 minutes. There are 3 different runs that Lola goes on while showing the time on the clock we also feel the time due to the clear starts and ends to each of the runs. Overall, this film has great passing that keeps you watching and involved in the story.

Conclusion:

“Run Lola Run” is a great showcase of what cinema can do for storytelling. The momentum of the story mixed with Lola’s determination to achieve her goal each time makes for an amazing tale. Tykwer made amazing editing choices to help tell this story. This film can be rewatched and still match the energy the first time it was viewed. An amazing film I’d recommend to anyone to check out at least once.

-Quincy Harris