Actors, Plot, and Scene Smoothness

There are hundreds of movies made each year and only a selective few can be considered award worthy. There are a few key elements that a movie has to have in order to be considered to be compelling or even nominated for an award. The first element is that a movie must have actors which are truly playing out the role of their character as if they lived in that person's shoes every day. This means that a person watching the movie wouldn't be able to distinguish if the actor is really acting or if he is the actual person that the part is based off of. Another key element to making a movie noteworthy, is that the plot can suck a person into the movie as if the scenes were being played out right in front of the audience member. One last key element is that the movie flows smoothly from scene to scene and at the end of the movie, the majority of the audience members were left with a satisfied look on their face instead of scratching their head while questioning their decision of buying that movie ticket. Overall what makes a movie award worthy is that the entire production from the actors, plot, and scene flow of the movie be seen as authentic as possible to the individual siting on his or her chair being entertained by the movie.

Both A Trip to the Moon and The Great Train Robbery did a great job at paving the way for the entertainment industry to make more and better movies, and I believe that these movies are noteworthy films which meet all of my requirements. In A Trip to the Moon, the actors did a great job at portraying themselves as scientists and explorers. They were believable even though there wasn't any sound. The plot truly did get the audience members engaged because it fore told of the possibilities of a futuristic word in which humans could one day find a way to go to the moon. If I was a film critic at that time, I would given the movie an award on this premise alone. It pushed the boundaries of the limitations in the minds of the individuals watching the film, which is something that I'm very fond about. The Great Train Robbery also had a realistic plot and the scenes flowed real smoothly from and must have left audience members wanting to see the film again.

In my opinion, two of the greatest movies of all time that have all three of the elements that I require a movie to be noteworthy are Seven Pounds and Forrest Gump.

Seven Pounds had the actors, plot, and overall smooth scene transitioning that makes a movie great. Will Smith is one of the greatest actors of all times and he is exceptional in Seven Pounds. Will Smith can definitely fool individuals into believing that the character and him are one (which is a good thing). This movie makes the audience members forget that they are watching a movie and instead makes them feel as if they are an active participant in the film. They created a great story line that pulled the emotional strings of the audience members, by introducing different characters with different life hardships. Even though the film had the movie goers guessing at what the main character's, Will Smith, final decision was going to be, the scenes of the movie flowed very smoothly and it wrapped up perfectly at end. Even from this trailer, an individual can tell that Seven Pounds is going to be a great movie which will be seen multiple times by that individual:



Forrest Gump is a classic movie not only in my eyes but in the eyes of many of the individuals who have seen this film. This movie has won 6 Oscars and many more great awards. It has a great story where Tom Hanks plays Forrest Gump, a character with the heart of a protective warrior who goes through life not acknowledging his disabilities but instead overcoming all of the obstacles that life can throw at a him. The characters played their roles so well that I still view Tom Hanks today as Forrest Gump and Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan. The flow of the scenes in the movie went real well. The audience saw the progression of Forrest's life through the eyes of Forrest himself as he recollects different events that occurred along his journey meeting up to the point where he is sitting on the bench waiting for a bus. Just like in Seven Pounds, Forrest Gump is a movie that people will enjoy watching over and over again. Here is a trailer of the movie:

In front of the Growth Curve of Online Video

My name is Luis Angel Echeverria. I am taking the Art of Film because I am interested in learning more about how videos are made and the thought process that goes on before, during and after filming a video. Recently I have been very fascinated with movies and online videos. The reason for my interest is because I make Youtube videos and also want to create my own video studio in the near future.

Youtube videos are becoming very popular right now and the desire for more quality video content on the internet is expected to exponentially grow within the next several years. People watch a variety of videos online and I see that the trend which will rise along with the overall popularity of online video, are those that are education based. I love watching Youtube videos especially educational ones such as science and space videos as well as success based and positive mindset videos. I also know that there are a lot of people with the same inclination towards these types of videos.

I will be one of the main contributors to the delivery of quality education based content online. That is why I want to learn more about how film is created and the thought process that goes on before, during, and after videos are being made.