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How do we effectively analyze film, and why is it important to do so? What is the impact and relevance of film throughout history, especially in regards to techniques, themes, and the way film has been used over time? Film has a very powerful influence over society, both in the past and present. However, studying and examining film can be inaccessible to the common audience. Oftentimes, people are not equipped with the tools to dissect movies and visual media, which can then mold their ways of considering major issues, people, the world, and reality as a whole.

For my capstone project, I designed and printed a film journal. Developing this capstone involved thorough research, designing and writing. I also fundraised to print it, so as to ensure the publication would be free and accessible to a wider audience. Through the publication, I want to introduce people, especially high school students, to film analysis, theory, and history, with an emphasis on foreign and independent cinema. I want to illustrate the power of movies, and how to think critically about the media we consume. The article subjects vary widely, focusing on elements like the use of color in film to auteur theory to negative representation. Ultimately, I want to teach and encourage both media literacy and a passion for cinema.

It was critical for me that my magazines were free, so as to increase accessibility and exposure. This, in turn, meant I could not fund the prints by selling my work. In order to finance my capstone, I explored several different avenues. I reached out to a number of different sponsors, using market research I had conducted to justify a partnership. Results from a couple of the polls I held are pictured above.

I also held several bake sales with Sasha Mannino, another senior, as a dual effort to fund the printing of our magazines. Pictured above is one of the posters used to advertise the bake sale. For each bake sale, I baked upwards of 90 cookies and 20 brownies. Thanks to the supportive SLA community, we managed to raise enough to print our work.

The images above provide a few examples of the spreads and material within my publication. They illustrate the diversity of my work, and demonstrate elements like film theory, history, and foreign cinema. The full digitized version of The Parenthetical can be found here. I learned a lot through my capstone project. Not only did I gain experience with film review, writing, printing, and networking, but I also learned to have the courage to put myself out there. I discovered new sides to film and my love of it. I discovered new movies and favorites, like Touki Bouki. Ultimately, in my efforts to educate and introduce others to the magic of cinema, I learned a lot about it myself.

Annotated Bibliography

Akerman, Chantal. Chantal Akerman. Edited by Jaap Guldemond and Marente Bloemheuvel, Eye Filmmuseum, 2020.

This book provides a detailed examination of Chantal Akerman, a director I intend to include in my publication. It gives an overview of her work, her life, and related essays. It not only allows me to once again develop a more comprehensive idea of writing about film, but also to develop a deeper understanding of her as a person and a director. This would enable me to write a better, fuller piece of her work. In addition, this book, by analyzing her work, teaches me to apply such skills across different films, genres, and directors. It gives me the tools necessary to truly dissect cinema and analyze it.

Barsam, Richard. Looking at Movies : An Introduction to Film. Second ed., W. W. Nortion, 2006.

This book not only provides information and teaches readers about film analysis, but it also provides guidance as to how to teach film to others. From the textbook, I am able to explore how to teach and inform my own readers about cinematic elements and techniques. I can see which examples to use to illustrate my points, and how to incorporate them into my work. It also serves as inspiration for topics and films I might address in my own magazine. The textbook also examines the theoretical and cultural aspects of film, which are points I would like to emphasize throughout my magazine.

“Color.” Movie Jawn, vol. 4, no. 1, 2021.

This magazine does a clear and effective job of capturing the fun and engagement in reviewing film, while still recognizing the limits, mistakes, and other issues movies might have. The publication includes a diverse selection of analyses and pieces based on cinema, demonstrating the scope and potential my own magazine can have. All the reviews are interesting and immersive, yet still honest. The magazine does not refrain from criticizing movies, nor does it hide any problematic issues within the films or work. These negative reviews are still critical to the magazine, and just as fascinating and enjoyable to read. They allow the reader to get a full grasp of the consequences of film. As a result, I selected this magazine as it demonstrates how to write negative reviews, the importance of doing so, and the different formats writing about movies can take. The magazine also features a theme, color, which can be inspiring for me in devising my own themes.

Cook, David A., et al. “History of Film | Summary, Industry, History, & Facts.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture. Accessed 26 January 2022.

I chose this source because it gives a detailed description of the history of film. In order to design a full film magazine, complete with analyses and an examination of the influence of cinema across time, I need to have a comprehensive understanding of cinema history. In this way, I can properly and comprehensively approach film and provide more thorough and intentional reviews, as well as represent the full scope of their context and impact. This source not only gives me the information to do this, but also features a diverse range of history. Not only does it speak to major periods, like American film and the French New Wave, but it also contextualizes Taiwanese, Tunisian, and Mexican film. Therefore, using this source, I can really delve into the history and influence of movies.

“Film Analysis – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.” UNC Writing Center, https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/film-analysis/. Accessed 26 January 2022.

This article showcases a thorough explanation of how to approach, study, and analyze film. I need this, not only to learn how to more professionally review movies myself, so that I may write about them, but also to teach my readers how to analyze film themselves. The goal of the magazine is to review movies in addition to educating and equipping the audience with the tools to do so themselves, in order to apply this knowledge throughout their lives. Therefore, this guide is critical because it clearly explains the intellectual and professional process behind examining cinema, which I intend to apply to the publication.

Keung, Laura. “Magazine Cover Design in InDesign | FREE COURSE.” YouTube, 9 June 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZmtlvKnhMc. Accessed 26 January 2022.

This source is a video that teaches how to professionally design magazine-specific elements on Adobe InDesign. This video is especially useful to me as it not only covers the basics of InDesign, but also speaks to particulars of it that are relevant to my own project, unlike other sources. Furthermore, the video was crafted by an actual graphic designer, with a very in-depth, experienced resume. The advice listed in the source are not simply technical, but important to design and aesthetic as well. As such, I will heavily rely on this source as a foundation for my skills and techniques in using Adobe InDesign.

Monaco, James, and David Lindroth. How to Read a Film: The World of Movies, Media, and Multimedia : Language, History, Theory. Third ed., Oxford University Press, 2000.

This textbook provides an in-depth analysis of the history of cinema as a whole. It speaks to politics in film, and the ways in which movies were used politically, as well as film movements, eras, and innovations. In order to approach my magazine, in which I hope to write about the history of film and the evolution of the purposes of cinema. As such, I require a thorough understanding, which I can obtain through the textbook. The book provides me with the tools necessary to dissect film, film theory, and film history, so that I can, in turn, inform readers about these same topics.

Perhiniak, Shumi. Anatomy of a Magazine Layout. 2020. Yes I’m a Designer, https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hhs7rBg278bSfNhtZ-7_wCHX0zFwN66e.

As an amateur in magazine design, there is much I do not know about the creation of such publications. This source features a variety of educational components, which I can use in conjunction with one another. There is a video, which I can use simultaneously as I design my magazine. There is also a written explanation, in addition to a diagram. These give me a clear understanding of the material. The visuals also help to contextualize words or concepts I do not understand. This source covers the foundation of magazine design, which I require to put together my final product, as well as certain magazine elements and rules I did not even know existed, or I did not properly understand.

“Resources.” Fireball Printing, https://fireballprinting.com/resources/. Accessed 25 January 2022.

The Fireball Printing website, especially the resources page, is incredibly informative in regards to the process of publishing the magazines. It provides insight as to the papers utilized, and the meaning behind the different styles and types. It also describes the printing process, the layout process, and the binding process. In addition, the website details prices and options. From this resource, I am able to learn more about the actual act of designing the magazine and getting it printed. I am also able to begin to piece together my overall plans, particularly in terms of pricing, fundraising, and page count.

Sharman, Russell. Moving Pictures. University of Arkansas, 2020. University of Arkansas, https://uark.pressbooks.pub/movingpictures/. Accessed 25 January 2022.

This textbook describes the history of film and film review. The author also speaks to techniques and cinematic elements that developed over time. Therefore, the book will enable me to properly and intellectually approach film. It will ensure my reviews and analyses are professional and coherent. Additionally, the history and context shown throughout the text allows me consider the film as a whole, rather than regard it from a single, unnuanced perspective. Using it, my final product can be truly relied on as being unbiased and informative. It will also give me the means to fully comprehend how to teach such a skillset, so that I can impart it on my audience through my magazine.

“Silence Is Golden.” Whalebone, vol. 7, no. 6, 2021.

This source represents a successful film magazine, complete with detailed articles, reviews, advertisements, and other innovative pieces. I selected it as a way of studying magazine design, especially as a publication on a similar topic to mine. In this way, I can examine the features I find effective, those I do not, as well as the ways in which I can transform the material to be more engaging, informative, and varied rather than just a compilation of film reviews. The source also has a very particular style to it, which in turn, enables me to beign developing ideas of my own style, and how to thoroughly communicate it through my work.

Stewart, Al. “How to Sell Magazine Advertising.” Azcentral, https://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/sell-magazine-advertising-9838.html. Accessed 25 January 2022.

This article provides a detailed description of how to approach selling advertisement space within magazines, especially small, low-traffic magazines. It lists out steps, including how to manage the financial aspect, how to craft a proposal, and how to make your pitch attractive. It also describes how to select companies that might be willing to buy advertising space from you. This is very helpful as it gives me the tools I need to start planning how I will finance this magazine. It gives me an oversight of the process of selling ad space, which thus helps to inform my decision of whether or not I think it will be feasible for me to do. It also teaches me how to sell ad space.

My Senior Capstone project is based on building furniture if you live in a low-income household. I wanted to figure out how viable it would be to build furniture if you couldn’t buy it. I made two different types of chairs as well as a coffee table with minimal materials. The most advanced tool used was an impact driver. To start, I made a chair based on what I thought I knew about making furniture. The chair was not sturdy, but it worked. It was very cheap to manufacture at around 15$ worth of wood. The coffee table I made is a very nice piece that is all handcrafted and very sturdy. It cost around 20$ to manufacture not including tools. The final chair I made was much more sturdy and it looks more appealing than the first chair. It supports a lot of weight and is relatively comfortable. I am currently sitting on it to write this paragraph. By doing this project, I learned that making furniture can be fun and rewarding. However, it is not very realistic for someone in a low-income household because of the cost for tools and materials. Tools make the project much more expensive.

I chose to base my capstone off of a new interest of mine, real estate. My interest is in flipping houses, and the process, from beginning to end. My dad is a self employed real estate developer who buys buildings and fixes them. Sometimes he will sell the buildings and other times he will rent them to other people. For 2 months we visited a house he was renovating, I asked him many questions relating to real estate and the process of buying, fixing, and selling a building. I chose this topic specifically because I am interested in pursuing a career in real estate. I hope you like it.

My Capstone: https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/the-gist-of-flipping-buildings/home

What inspires me as a dancer? When coming up with an idea for this project, I wanted to dive into my passions. One passion of mine is dance. This film showcases my emotional journey through dance, while I also incorporate the history of dance to what we do now. I wanted to film my performances along with a summary of styles and techniques. I believe this will be important when watching my film because it will give a deeper understanding of why I choose to do this. This is a compelling project because it is something that I have dedicated so much of my life to. I have taken so much time out of my teenage years to perform and learn and I want to express that with other people. It is more than a sport, it is an evolution that has developed for years to come and is still changing as I type. I want to not only showcase my ability, but also the dedication and hard work that goes into something this difficult but beautiful.

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBbsQsv7OHs

My Senior Capstone project is based on building furniture if you live in a low-income household. I wanted to figure out how viable it would be to build furniture if you couldn’t buy it. I made two different types of chairs as well as a coffee table with minimal materials. The most advanced tool used was an impact driver. To start, I made a chair based on what I thought I knew about making furniture. The chair was not sturdy, but it worked. It was very cheap to manufacture at around 15$ worth of wood. The coffee table I made is a very nice piece that is all handcrafted and very sturdy. It cost around 20$ to manufacture not including tools. The final chair I made was much more sturdy and it looks more appealing than the first chair. It supports a lot of weight and is relatively comfortable. I am currently sitting on it to write this paragraph. By doing this project, I learned that making furniture can be fun and rewarding. However, it is not very realistic for someone in a low-income household because of the cost for tools and materials. Tools make the project much more expensive.

Get Technical // Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by George Roy Hill, is a love letter to traditional western films. That’s the first thing we were told about this film. The western genre, in general, surrounds an American western landscape, a battle between two groups, and characters that are based on real people. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a beautiful nod to the genre, including all of these elements. It follows the two bandits, Butch Cassidy and Sundance, as they find their way robbing banks and running away from the law. The film uses both black and white scenes and scenes in color to captivate the audience. Some of the most effective and overall best aspects of the film are the numerous cinematic elements. The mix of extreme close-ups and zoom-ins and outs is a big part of why the film works.

In a typical western film, one of the iconic cinematic elements within a film is extreme close-ups. Usually, close-ups in western films are used to focus on characters’ faces, eyes, and hands. I’m no expert on western film, but even I know that a classic standoff has dramatic extreme close-ups of the character’s eyes. It shows the tension surrounding the altercation and the drama around who will draw their gun first. In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the opening scene uses dramatic close-ups of the character’s faces as they have an odd 3 person standoff. The shot is set up so that Butch and Sundance are facing the cameras and the third man has his back to them. The camera stays still for a moment as there is some movement, but a quick cut zooms into the pistol being drawn and then used to shoot the other pistol out of the third man’s hands and across the floor. While this standoff differs from traditional ones in western films - mainly by the lack of extreme close-ups - it uses other key components to still identify itself as a western movie. The quick draw after a long tension-filled standoff scene plays perfectly into the genre.

One of my favorite things accomplished in this film is the use of zoom in and outs. From the opening to the ending, the zoom-in and-out shots add so much chaos to an otherwise slow film. Following the story of Butch and Sundance as they banter and run from the law is exciting on its own. There are moments of comedy thrown in to make it all feel light-hearted, almost like it’s all a big game. To add comedy, and most often drama, the film uses a zoom in and outs. As mentioned earlier, there is a dramatic close-up in the opening scene that helps to show off Sundance’s shooting skills. While it is technically not a zoom-in, it still works as one as the scene cuts to it very quickly, giving audience members little time to process what has just happened. In later moments of the film, specifically, when Butch and Sundance go on a long journey to escape the police that are hot on their tail, viewers can observe the use of extreme long shots. The slowest parts of this film lay there in those shots. From a great distance, Butch and Sundance have to squint to see if they are still being chased. A few dust clouds confirm that they are and they are forced to keep moving forward. These scenes do the same with cuts to make it feel like the camera is being zoomed out to display a sunny desert landscape.

The final aspect of the film that works is the switch between black and white and color. Within the film, there are three key moments where the director chose to exclusively shoot in black and white instead of in color. Throughout the majority of the film, the director uses color, so these scenes always stand out. These scenes include the opening, the photomontage, and the final freeze-frame in the end. Each one of these scenes is perfectly executed and works so well for the overall genre and movie. The opening scene helps establish who everyone is without giving any formal introductions. There are some close-ups of the character’s face, as well as some medium shots of everyone standing around a table. As discussed before, this scene sets the tone for the film as a western and does so by being entirely shot in black and white. The black and white shots help viewers focus exclusively on the tension between the characters and the small dialogue exchanged. The next scene, or rather a sequence of photos, is a cheerful journey between Butch, Sundance, and Etta as they make their way to Bolivia. The scene includes upbeat music and lots of black and white photos of the trio on their travels. The scene then has a wonderful transition back into color as the trios’ trip ends and they arrive in Bolivia. I think the transition was exactly what the film needed to cross over the next half of the film. The final scene, the very last shot, is both a freeze-frame and the use of black and white. While the duo faces their final battle, they bravely go out, guns at the ready, facing their fate. In the last second, the scene freezes and captures a photolike shot of Butch and Sundance running out onto the battlefield. Audience members can hear gunshots being fired, but the frame doesn’t change. Instead, the director chose to capture their final moment in time, freezing it to preserve the story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

For my Capstone project, I wanted to have an Autism acceptance fundraiser. I decided to sell custom sports shirts that have an Autism acceptance spin, along with an SLA shirt, and held an in-school fundraising event one-day selling handmade chocolate taffys, bracelets, pens, and shirts. I made quite a bit of money selling shirts inside and outside of school. The money will be going to CHOP’s Center for Autism Research and other charities that benefit Autism Research and help people affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism affects me personally as I have Autism and I have relatives with Autism, so this fundraiser was more than a project for me, it was very personal. Here is my Annotated Bibliography

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pe0VohbsQzY-HPzMvpKp-yB2aRV14EC0GUqkKqe2pVE/edit?usp=sharing

For my Capstone, I decided to do a Website on The History of Nuclear Disasters and what people in the Nuclear Energy Industry should do to help prevent those disasters. When I first started the project, I was very obsessed with the Chernobyl Power Plants as well as the neighboring city Pripyat which became inhabitable because of the radioactive material being released from the Meltdown of Reactor 4. Then I decided to use Fukushima and 3 Mile Island Disasters as well as the History of Nuclear Energy.

https://sites.google.com/scienceleadership.org/thehistoryofnucleardisasters/home

For my second lit log I chose to write about Blade runner and the films connections to society, technology and the environment.

Though I didn’t enjoy the film much, due to its oddity It definitely has some very prominent connections to society and the real world. Many things in the media are evolving and gaining a more futuristic perspective. Blade runner is set in 2019 which is what people in 1982 thought the world would be like then but we know from living through 2019 that it was nothing like that. The concept of what’s real and what’s not is a big theme in the film and plays a big role in how the characters interact with each other along with their characterization. A key distinction which separates the humans from the replicants is a test along with glowing eyes. The concept of what’s real and what isn’t is seen a lot nowadays with the production of artificial intelligence. Technology will keep evolving and at some point these forms of artificial intelligence may even have more power than us which is scary to think about.

There are many examples of things that are easy to tell if they’re real or not such as a real apple and a toy apple. However when these forms of artificial intelligence start to resemble the real thing to the point that they are almost identical we may not be able to tell them apart so easily. Though people find the virtual reality experience to be interesting, it’s actually pretty scary that we could put on a pair of goggles and see a totally different reality which would seem and feel real. Even though Artificial intelligence can be scary it can also be used for good such as in the medical field and more similarly how the replicants could also be used for good as well.

Blade Runner is important as a cultural artifact because it shows society’s perspective on what is real and what isn’t and also shows how society has these big grand ideas for what the future will look like however it most likely won’t be anything like that for centuries to come. People in the 90’s and early 2000’ thought we’d have flying cars by now but we don’t. A question the film starts to raise is “ What defines humanity?” Which is a pretty prominent question in the world today and the answer varies depending on the person. Having the ability to love, express emotions, and have a consciousness are some of the building blocks of humanity which the replicants didn’t have. The one exception was Rachel who had feelings but they had to be developed and taught over time.

Thinking back to the setting, the way that the film portrays Los Angeles in 2019 is very odd to say the least. Los Angeles is a very sunny place and in the film it’s the total opposite. It’s gloomy and rainy. Not only that but it has a sci-fi star wars like aura to it and it makes me wonder why they chose this instead of still portraying it as a sunny place. Out of curiosity I read an article on the portrayal of Los Angeles in the film and the decision behind it. The reason that Los Angeles looked that way in the film was because the goal was to portray a city in the midst of environmental and social collapse, which it most definitely did. Thinking about the society we live in now and the issues with global warming the movie almost gives us an insight to what life would be like with no trees or really anything real, and it’s scary. Would living in an artificial world really be living at all? Overall there are many societal connections that can be drawn from the film that really make us think about the world we live in and what it would be like to live in an “ artificial” world where the sky is gray, robots walk around, and there aren’t any trees in sight.

Flim: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Song #1: Ennio Morricone - The Good the Bad and the Ugly
I included this song because it fits so well in this movie. This song is legendary. You could probably hear this song in every cowboy theme movie ever. This song connects to events in the film because it is a classic western song that you would usually hear when two cowboys are having a staredown before a duel. I would have put this song right before the scene where Harvey said “Guns or Knives” challenging Butch to either a knife or gun fight for his leadership in the Hole-in-the-Wall gang and ended after Butch said “Well, thank you, Flatnose. That’s what sustained me in my time of trouble.”​​​​ after kicking Harvey in the groin and punching him in the face winning the duel. Overall this song could easily be put into anywhere in this movie at any given part without it feeling out of place.

Song #2: Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around I include this song because it is a great song. This song would have fit perfectly to open the movie where they show the credits and scenes from the movie. I get western vibes from listening to this song with the guitar and lyrics. When I hear this song it makes me think of a rebel, a guy who runs the place, a guy who doesn’t care and it’s certain someone who is like that in the movie and that someone is Butch. This song connects to the event in the flim because in my opinion this song fits Butch character and personalliy really well. Butch is the guy. Everyone knows Butch. When he comes around just know it’s about to go down. He is a natural born leader. Women love him and it’s men that want to be him. He is an outlaw. He robs trains and runs from posses. He enjoys the fame and excitement.

Song #3: Johnny Cash - Hurt This chose this song because it would end the movie perfectly. Every great movie needs a good song to finish it and this song would do. It’s a nice catchy song. I would have put this song at the ending when Butch and Sundance Kid run out the building with guns in they hands getting ready to fight the posses and then have it transition over into the end credits. This song connects to events of the film because the song is called “Hurt.’’ Sundance Kid and Butch are clearly hurt. They are drawing blood, they have scars across their faces and they are tired but they are going to keep fighting until they can’t do it any more which means they are dead. Overall playing this song at the end of the movie would really show us how powerful Butch and Sundance Kid are.

Song #4: The Handsome Family- Far From Any Road I chose this song because it’s a very calming song that you can use for a lot of scenes in a lot of different movies. I would have use this song with the scene of Butch and Sundacnce Kid are being chased by the posses after they robbed the train. The chasing scene was great but my one problem was it didn’t have any music. This song connects the events to the film because this song is called “Far From Any Road” and Butch and the Sundace Kid were being chased by the posses for a long time. This total scene was 27 minutes long. I pretty sure Butch and Sundance Kid didn’t even know where they was going. They were just going straight trying to avoid themselves from getting caught by the posse.

Song #5: Short Change Hero - The Heavy I chose this song because it would go great with an action scene. I would have used this song for scene with the shootout with the Sundace Kid shooting back at the posses trying to save Butch. Playing this song with this scene would just mesh together so well. Just watching the Sundance kid using his phenomenal gun skills to take out the posse one by one was just very amusing to watch. This song connects to the events of the film even though it might not feel like it, the Sundace Kid is a hero. Out of everyone in the “Hole in the Wall Gang” he’s the most valuable. He has to do the dirty work in the gang. His challenge is to keep him and Butch from getting killed.

The Grand Budapest Hotel and Wes Anderson as an auteur revolve around the beauty, wonder, and imaginative potential contained with art.

The plot and structure of The Grand Budapest Hotel are defined by fast pace, adventure, and mystery stories. From the fast plot changes, shifts in perspective, and dramatic escalation of the film, the plot forms a winding maze. Within the first five minutes, we transition from the women paying respects at a graveyard to the deceased author to his self, story and finally to the story told within that by Mr. Mustapha. These elements don’t have a specific meaning or commentary, instead of cementing the surface-level structure of the movie by disorienting the reader. As the movie progresses, this theme is only amplified. The highly choreographed movement of the waiters, symmetrical perfection present in each set, and frequent shifts in time maintain the illusion of a storybook illusion.

As well as having a structure that supports a feeling of unreality, the characters are equally artificial. Mr. Gustave, for example, is full of extremes. He is a hyper-competent concierge who takes great pride in his work, charming and surrounded by admirers, extravagant yet profoundly lonely. Such a polarized character makes his flaws of overconfidence and surface interaction obvious and allows the story to flow more efficiently than if there were more neutral characters. Even more, Mr. Gustave is used as a commentary on Wes Anderson himself. By having an extravagant and obsessive character that mirrors Anderson’s attitude, he is poking fun at the frivolity of his movies but also embracing that fact and demonstrating its intentionality.

In The Grand Budapest Hotel, color and ornate sets give the movie a whimsical, storybook style highlighting the incredible but distinct from the reality of the visuals. In nearly every scene, there is a highly intricate set that makes use of ornate details and highlights symmetrical framing. There are frequent time skips throughout the movie. These are supported with different coloration and a changing of aspect ratio, with scenes further in the past becoming progressively narrow and scenes in the present winding. This creates a semi-conscious metal separation between the many threads of the story. Finally, we see the whimsicality peak through a stop motion chase scene, truly hammering in the imaginative nature of the film by completely switching styles without regard for inconsistencies. 

Another separation from reality occurs with the war happening in the background of the story. Instead of using the obvious connection to World War Two, Anderson creates a fake and much less terrible version of the war with an almost comical presentation. When Zero and Mr. Gustave train is stopped by soldiers instead of a bloody take over, there is a comical fight between Mr. Gustave and the soldiers before Henkel saves them. By limiting the severity and violence of the war within the world of The Grand Budapest Hotel, the attention is taken away from it and allowed to focus on the central narrative of Zero. Having the focus remain on the fanciful plot allows The Grand Budapest to stay story without the sharp edges ever-present in reality. 

Ironically the lack of a greater message is a commentary in itself. Anderson seeks to show that the need for deeper meaning is frequently over-exaggerated, causing us to lose the ability for short-term, surface-level enjoyment of a marvelous story. The Grand Budapest Hotel is an art not to promote a narrative but is for the sake of art. It is the beauty inherent within the intricacy of the ridges and folds of a maple leaf or the motion of a fire blazing. Simply wonderful because of enjoyment derived from seeing something wonderful and amazing. A primary reason for human success is this ability to continuously search for meaning, a group who seeks to understand will naturally obtain greater understanding than one that stagnates, but this evolutionary urge can lead to circular over analyzation detracting from the joy present in the world at large. On the largest scale, happiness is not made happy because it comments on sadness, but for the simple fact that happiness is inherent; happy.

This is the updated poster and name I chose for Blade Runner (1982). I retitled the movie More than Human. This title takes direct inspiration from a famous quote in the movie, the motto for the Tyrell Corporation: “More Human Than Human”. I chose this quote to base the title off of because I feel that the replicants need more representation in the marketing of the movie. The original title of the film, Blade Runner, focuses on Rick Deckard, the protagonist of the story, and his role as a blade runner. Given that this is the primary focus of the movie, the original title fits well. However, in my opinion, the position of blade runner and that overall story arc was not what I found most captivating about the movie. I was much more fascinated by the replicants themselves. How were they created? Why do they act in the way that they do? What really makes them stand out from a genuine human being? This movie was not one of my favorites that we have watched so far this year. I think that if through the marketing of the film, the viewers were guided into examining the complexities of the replicants, it would appeal more broadly to viewers such as myself who aren’t as into violent action movies like this one.

To build off of my theme for this poster, focusing on the replicants instead of the blade runners, I decided to only include images of the replicants. In the pictures, the replicants look very still and robotic. However, there is something a little bit different about Rachel. For starters, she stands out within the poster. The color theme is white and blue with both Paris and Roy having bright white hair, blue clothing, and standing in a harsh blue light. Rachel has brown hair, brown clothing, and standing in an orange light. In addition, if you zoom in on Rachel’s face, you can see a teardrop streaming down from her right eye. The teardrop symbolizes human emotion, something that is discussed in the movie. Coupled with the title, the reader of this poster should begin to question whether these “people” are really people and what makes them more than human.

By leaving out images with guns, the reader does not immediately assume the type of movie that it is. This should help draw in a broader audience. The addition of a unicorn also adds a fantastical element to the film. This slightly changes the perceived tone of the film while also paying homage to the director’s symbolism about Deckard being a possible replicant as well.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is undeniably one of the greatest horror films of all time. Hitchcock, the cast, the cinematographers, and everyone else involved in the making of this movie nailed their job. However, whoever created the cover for this movie did not produce the same level of work as their colleagues. I have created a cover that the feel and story of the movie far more than the completely unrepresentative original cover.

Firstly, my cover is suitable for a brooding psychological thriller a movie like Hitchcock’s Psycho is deserving of, and suitable renames the film. My cover displays the 2 primary characters in their most decisive moments in order to show the movie’s intensity. Marion during her murder, and Norman during his Hitchcock stare, which is the point in which he reaches peak insanity. Secondly, the new title Lunatic captures Norman’s character much better than Psycho ever could. Norman is absolutely insane, and the term Lunatic captures that. Norman has no grasp on reality, the term psychopath implies that he is merely unhinged, which is a huge understatement. Overall, my cover advertises the vehemence of Psycho and renames the film to encapsulate Norman’s character much better.

Additionally, Psycho’s cover looks more like one of an action movie than a great horror film. The cover is filled with color, and fonts resembling James Bond and Jason Bourne movies. The designer should have chosen a darker color palette to reflect the atmosphere of the movie. The cover should have also used either a more serious font or a more horror-themed font. These two details would let viewers know that the movie they are about to watch is a dark psychological thriller, with little to no cheer or happiness. Because of these poor decisions, new viewers are likely to go in thinking that the movie is beloved for the wrong reasons. If the designer made decisions in tune with mine viewers would go in knowing what to expect.

To conclude, my cover and name for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho are far superior to the original, as it reflects the dark nature of the film and lets viewers know what they should expect going into the film far better than the original cover. The choice of imagery in my cover displays the dark intense spirit of the film through the climactic images of the characters. The color palette and fonts found in my coverlet viewers know what type of movie Psycho is, whereas the original cover may lead viewers to believe it is a less serious movie. Overall, my cover is a much greater representation of Psycho than the original.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nbpI7tYcm4MUXWrM6fFxD1tgycuMptKq/view?usp=sharing

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2667733451

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2587949846

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SPDdNlpOGQI-eVRbCMOQZyAW0dz5MwpE/view?usp=sharing

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2666762959

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2667733451

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2587949846

https://www.wevideo.com/view/2665427166

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uq3M9UEzsUy3qWvfwrGk01JNOIoxv3BM/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iJmgHiQOgRmGdoZZfpzpFWqtE3rdExCc/view?usp=sharing