At the start of April I was invited to join my youth’s interns on a youth camp for an under 16 group. The point of my being there was to film all the fun we had, and just help out if needed. After a few antics at the church we journeyed north and got to the real fun. Like most camps, the best thing to come out it was a strengthening of relationships with people. I was given the honour of sharing some of my testimony with the group, which is always an interesting experience, and even more fascinating is hearing what people catch on to in your story. Editing the video was no easy task, I had over three hours of random footage that I had to splice together and melt down into a few minutes. There were so many random funny moments that had to be cut because they just didn’t make sense in the flow of the video. Despite that, I still managed to squeeze in many random moments. My favourite part has to be the drama part. Editing things to make them seem more dramatic then they actually were is an art form that reality TV shows have been trying to perfect for years, and thanks to the camera constantly rolling I think I caught some fun moments. What are your favourite things about camps?
Posts Tagged ‘Drama’
Fire Starter’s Camp 2011
Friday, May 13th, 2011Slumdog Millionaire
Thursday, February 19th, 2009Review
As an aspiring film maker and a critic I sometimes forget what it is that makes me love movies, because seeing so many bad ones puts you off. Slumdog millionaire reignited that flame for me two fold. The movie is an inspiration to filmmaking, a masterpiece, a shining light in a dull room. If you watch one movie this year it has to be Slumdog Millionaire.
The story of a man who came from the slums of India to be on Who wants to be a Millionaire?. He’s just one question away from the twenty million rupee grand prize. However the authorities can’t see how a slumdog could know the answer to questions that doctors and lawyers couldn’t answer. They pull him in for questioning and an amazing life story unfolds before their eyes. Could it be that it’s this man’s destiny to win the grand prize?
From the opening minutes you can just feel that there’s something special about this movie. The cinematography is fantastic and the score awe inspiring but all of that is blown away by fantastic acting, especially from the kids, and an amazing story. I’ve said it countless times; many movies should never have left the screenplay stage. The screenplay is the most important thing. Without an amazing story you can’t get an amazing movie. What really brings this story to life is that it’s so real. It’s not trying to prove a point or change a perception, it’s telling an amazing story from start to finish.
That doesn’t mean to say the story isn’t done in style. Danny Boyle has put together an amazing movie and deserves all the recognition this film is giving him. The acting is raw, real and crisp. All the elements have come together perfectly.
Hollywood has forgotten to a large extent why movies are made. It’s not all about money; it’s about the age old art of telling great stories, where the tribe gathers around the fire to hear the best stories over and over again. This movie gets that right.
What makes this movie more real is the reality that this is a story that in actuality takes place in our own country, within our own townships. It tackles those universal questions of is it ever OK to do wrong and when will we ever get over our discrimination of all kinds?
This is a tribute to Indian film making and an honouring of the hard lives slumdogs live. It’s hard not to fall head over heals in love with Slumdog Millionaire.
The Duchess
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009Review
Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley) is a young girl married to a much older duke (Ralph Fiennes) for the sole purpose of producing an heir. Her passion and life causes her to be loved by the people of Briton, becoming a fashion icon and having a growing influence in the political arena. But at home things aren’t well. Her husband has continuous affairs and she is unable to give him a son.
The Duchess is set at the end of the eighteenth century, a time when woman had little power while men ruled uncontested. With beautiful locations, detailed costumes and forbidden love this movie will delight history-drama fans.
Keira Knightley shines in this picture as she goes through the emotional struggles of a free spirited woman imprisoned by her husband. She has grown tremendously as an actress but she is consistently playing period characters, from Pirates of the Caribbean to Pride and Prejudice. For her to grow as an actress she needs to take the risk and branch out into roles we have never seen her in.
We’ve seen so many period films that the interesting storyline and good acting seems wasted. It feels like we’ve seen it all done before. Although it may provide for an entertaining drama it is in no way a groundbreaking film which could hurt it at the box office.
Sensitive Viewer’s Points
The movie contains nudity and sex which is in the context of the film. It contains scenes of rape and unfaithfulness, again within the context of the film. It also seems to promote the idea that if one’s marital partner is having an affair it is fine for you to do the same. The rating is rightly set at sixteen.
