Carrick – Blog Post 1 (Run Lola Run)

The style of Run Lola Run certainly loves to attach itself to the ideas of speed and chaos. Its constant jumping around from character to character and its high-tempo music that plays nearly the whole film sets a momentum that never dies—except for key moments that stick out due to the uniqueness of its direction. Despite its fragmented storytelling and unconventional visuals, the film manages to stay cohesive through its editing, repetition, and clear sense of urgency.

One of the main reasons the movie never loses steam is its fast-paced editing. I personally love the way the movie throws you in and just starts running, jolting the audience into a thrilling experience with no hand-holding. There was a clear sense of direction with it too, tying the speed of the story to the mind of Lola. As her mind races to find a solution, the cuts, music, and feel of the film keep up the pace, only stopping during the brief moments where Lola’s mind is preoccupied with something else. A key example is when she stands in front of the bank, just after learning the truth about her father and the lie of his real identity in her life. In that moment, as she processes this information, the urgency of the 20 minutes leaves her mind—along with the fast cuts and the intense music—leaving a longer shot sitting in silence.

The way the film manipulates time also adds to its sense of momentum. Slow-motion is used sparingly but with purpose, stretching key emotional beats to make them feel heavier. When Lola screams, for example, everything slows down, making her desperation almost tangible. On the other hand, the quick montages showing the futures of minor characters compress time, delivering entire life stories in just a few seconds. This contrast between stretched and compressed time keeps the audience engaged, making every moment feel unpredictable yet purposeful.

 

Even when time resets, the familiarity of the previous run keeps the viewer invested, eager to see what will change this time around. The high-energy techno soundtrack also plays a crucial role, acting almost like a heartbeat that drives the film forward. Lola’s constant movement—running through the streets, dodging obstacles—reinforces the sense that time is slipping away.

Ultimately, Run Lola Run is held together not by strict continuity, but by the sheer force of its pacing and storytelling. Even as it rewinds and reshapes time, it never loses sight of its central conflict, keeping the audience engaged from start to finish. The film isn’t just about Lola trying to save Manni—it’s about the endless possibilities that split-second choices create. And that’s what makes it so exciting to watch.

On a personal non-dissecting note, I felt the final third loop of the movie was a little much. The intense fast pace of everything that highlights the tiny changes in each loop is a ton of fun, but this can get boring too and I feel like it does just that in the third loop. Anyway, I leave you all with my letterbox review of the movie as these are what I consider my definitive feeling about the movie. Enjoy.

– Carrick
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Run Lola Run
⭐⭐⭐½ 🧡
So in the third loop she became God?
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Rylan Eisenhauer DTC491 One Day in 30 Seconds

This was shot on Friday my day off from school. I hung out with my best friend Landon at his place and later met up with some other friends at Round One. We got back and played some Fortnite, went home to watch a movie before going to bed.

As sporadic as the video may be, it almost perfectly encapsulated the type of day I have with Landon. I enjoy having many segments show I just like to goof around and do random funny stuff and just like many people just relax and wind down after a long day. I made effort to try and have some connections to feed on video into another such as in the background of the skeleton video you can hear my friend playing the piano in the background and it cuts to the cat playing the piano. Another example is the shot of us doing a shocked face at Miku on his computer leading into both of us playing Fortnite in the same room. Even at the end of the video winding down, the shots within the recording room (the curtain, the movie stack, and watching the movie) are pretty close together in time to represent things slowing down at the end of the day.

Carrick – Test Blog Post

I have been into film since my earliest memories. I remember watching Curious George in theaters and, of course, being entranced with the funny monkey but also having a thought so constant in my mind, a thought that has never left the imprint of that movie, a thought as simple as “pretty.”

Growing up in a film-focused family, my dad used to be a film journalist, so he would spend countless nights drowning my brothers and me in ‘real’ film or its trivia. While my brothers took most of this and ran with it, I always felt left out—almost as if everything they discussed, though interesting, was missing what I felt connected to the most. Years would go by, and this feeling of being an outcast would continue. It was only when I saw a specific movie that the pieces started to fall into place. I quickly started to become more aware of my passions and soon realized that the medium of film is not the only method to explore my interests in creative storytelling.

I was always drawn to video games and how they could be used to tell stories. I’m sure this comes from growing up with my main three games being Halo 2, MW2, and KOTOR—all three being renowned for their spectacular campaigns and stories. Even to this day, that has stuck—I find myself drawn more toward games with great stories and interesting mechanics rather than pure gameplay. Games like Oxenfree or Furi, for instance, though Furi is primarily gameplay-focused, depict their stories in such compelling ways that they deserve to be mentioned as inspiration. Now, I’m trying to get into the game industry as a stepping stone into writing, directing, and storytelling.

I chose this video quickly because I couldn’t think of a favorite video made in a style I want to emulate in class, but I do find this one beautiful. I still love music videos, and I think this one is great—not only because it was the first one I saw in my liked playlist, but also because its use of visual storytelling to communicate deep emotions is top-notch. I’m also a huge fan of slowing down the camera and letting the viewers and shots breathe, something I think this video also does well.

This slower-paced approach to filming is most likely what I will try to work with in this class—except for my first video, since I don’t have time due to being sick. So that one . . . well, it’ll be something, idk.

– Carrick

Rylan Eisenhauer Test Post Assignment 1/7/2025

My name is Rylan Eisenhauer. For most of my life, I have had a strong interest in both video production and consumption.

I was drawn to video media through shows and cartoons I watched as a child. I consumed various formats, including live-action, 2D animation, 3D animation, stop-motion, and more. I never had a strong preference for one type over another, and I believe that open-mindedness helped me enjoy many forms of content.

The big leap into my passion for video came when I learned from my childhood best friend about running a YouTube channel. I was inspired to start uploading a series of gaming videos by simply recording TV and computer monitors that we used to play games on. For a couple of years, it stayed in this “simple” format until around 2019, when I rebranded myself as “Bunkatron” (my current YouTube channel).

The style of my videos leans more toward quick-cut comedy, working to keep audiences entertained throughout while also including important early setups for future bits. Below is a favorite scripted video of mine, which I hope to pursue further in this class. It’s called “Meet Team Bunkatron,” where my YouTube team and I created a mock interview comedy segment, as if my co-host and I were interviewing them, asking funny questions with random responses.

I picked this video because it was fun to poke fun at those clichéd introductory videos you often see at starter jobs. It was enjoyable to combine multiple comedic styles by having each member play a “character” version of themselves while also giving glimpses into who they are and what they enjoy. This video is also listed as my “channel trailer,” as I believe it is a great way to be introduced to who we are, what to expect, and to have a good laugh.

-Rylan Eisenhauer