Brooke Duncan's Blog

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke, I would first like to start off by thanking each of my viewers, you made this blogging experience one to remember. I was so happy to see the interactions with my blog posts and the nice comments that made me want to keep posting. However, I am saddened to say that this will be my last blog post. My film class has come to an end, therefore, The Blogging Brooke must come to an end as well.  In this blog post, I will be talking about my experience taking my very first ever film class, and naming the different movies and short stories we watched as a class throughout the semester. This class taught me to recognize the little details that go into the making of a film, from the cinematography to the placement of the actors, and the makeup used to gain a feeling from the audience. I never realized before taking this class the entirety of what it takes to be an actor, director, videographer, editor etc. However, after taking this class, I am able to se...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke,  Today I would like to talk about the Netflix film called The Social Dilemma. I had already watched this documentary prior to this film class earlier on in the semester for my social media class.  In this blog post, I will define my key takeaways from the film. First I will start off with how many dilemmas I was able to count in the film.  At minute 6:40, Tristan Harris, a former Google design enthusiast and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, names 7 dilemmas. These seven include a cacophony of grievances and scandals, data stealing, tech addiction, fake news, political polarization, elections getting hacked. Cynthia Wong named a few more offline harm dilemmas including hate speech, manipulating public opinion, and inciting violence. There is also populism, mass chaos, and lack of trust.   In total, I counted thirteen dilemmas. One in detail would be fake news. Fake news is always harmful to society. It causes p...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke, We had the opportunity to watch the cinematic masterpiece; Jaws . Jaws is a horror film that was released in the year 1975 and was directed by Steven Spielberg. I watched this movie for the first time when I was about twelve years old, and getting the chance to watch it at age twenty-one, I understood and appreciated the film and all that took place from a cinema graphic standpoint.  I would just like to vent and appreciate the camera angles, greenscreen use, CGI, and the actors. Throughout the film I felt as if I was living on Amity Island with everybody else. This film is different from other Horror films I watch. I am used to watching films like; Annabelle, The Conjuring, The Black Phone, IT, and The Visit , where the intensity of the movie does not start right at the beginning of the film. However, in Jaws, the film opens with an intensity grabbing scene because we see a woman run into the ocean away from her boyfriend, and gets eaten by a ...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke,      Today I would like to discuss the process in which my classmates and I went through to create our short film;   Merner Mystery . To recap, Merner Mystery is a crime/murder mystery film that takes place on the campus of North Central College. The volleyball coach had been found dead at the end of the stairway. An investigator is called to the scene and begins questioning the last people to see her alive. If you have not watched this short film, I recommend you give it a try. It is linked below a previous blog named; Blog Post 10: Merner Mystery Short Film.      Let me introduce my crew:  Brooke Duncan (me) : Director, Editor, Videographer Anna Gawron: Co-Director, Videographer Grace Toole: Videographer Ola Zugaj: Videographer      These three made filming such a blast and I could not have asked for a better group of actors. During filming, I was able to capture most of the shots in...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke, This week in class we watched the 2005 Drama/Romance film, You, Me, and Everyone We Know. I enjoyed watching this film. The biggest takeaway I got from this was the importance that human connection has in people's lives. It focuses on how separation has a bad impact on human connection. In this blog I talk about how humans' thirst for some sort of connection in their lives, both human and electronic.  In the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Richard Swersey. He has just gone through a breakup with the mother of his two children, Peter and Robby. He is now a single father who struggles in his job as a shoe-salesman to support and provide for his kids. He finds himself alone, stressed, and tired. However, he is doing everything he can to rebuild a connection with both Peter and Robby.  Then one day while Richard was working, a young lady walked into his shop in search of shoes. This young lady is introduced as Christine. She is a l...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke,      This week in class we were able to be creative and use our skills to create a short film. It was interesting to be able to experience beginner film making at its finest. My group was able to use our knowledge of cinematography, lighting, and sound to create our short film called Merner Mystery .       Merner Mystery is a short film created by Brooke Duncan starring Ola Zugaj, Anna Gawron, and Grace Toole. This film is about a volleyball coach who was mysteriously murdered in Merner Field House.  Athletes Grace Toole and Anna Gawron were the last ones to see Coach Ola alive, so they become the prime suspects.     Investigator Brooke Duncan is called to the crime scene. She begins asking questions to both Anna and Grace and taking down notes to try and figure out what happened. She did her research and came to a conclusion after taking the statements from both suspects. Investigator Duncan came t...

 Welcome to The Blogging Brooke What is Mise-en-scene? Why is it important? I am here to answer those questions.  Today I would like to talk about what separates good films or shows from great ones. One tactic that elevates these films or shows is the use of mise-en-scene. This tactic helps get the viewers' attention by making the viewer feel as if they are actually part of the movie. One show that I watch regularly that is great at using mise-en-scene is Shameless .  The importance of detail in this show makes the audience feel as if they are in the set..if that makes sense. For example, Shameless is set in the Southside of Chicago and is about lower-class family doing everything they can to survive.  This video shows the behind the scenes of the making of one of the most used film sets, The Gallagher home. The details from the home decorations in the living room and kitchen to the bedroom decorations makes me feel like I have complete understanding o...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke      This week in class, we that the pleasure of watching a film by one of the world's best directors, Wes Anderson. We watched the 2004 film, The Life Aquatic featuring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Willem Defoe, I am a huge fan of Willem Defoe, and when I first watched this movie, I remember screaming with happiness when I saw him on the screen.  Here is a link below that will take you to the Trailor:      One of the main things that Wes Anderson incorporates in his films the importance of family and friends. This is what I would like to talk about in my blog today. In this film we are introduced to Ned (Owen Wilson), who is an airplane pilot. Ned tells Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) that he is his illegitimate son and that is when their father-son bond started to form, but like every family, they had their fights. Through all of the fights, Ned and Steve still found their way back to each other. One of my favorite fi...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke,      Today I will be talking about a 2006 film directed by Guillermo del Toro called Pan's Labyrinth. I enjoyed watching this film, however, the only critique I have is that we watched the Spanish Version with English subtitles, and I feel like the subtitles are a little distracting to the film. Pan's Labyrinth reminded me and my roommate both of the film Spirited Away.      It reminded me of Spirited Away because in this film, Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi), leaves her hometown and ends up in a world totally unfamiliar with the one she has known. This ties into the film Pans' Labyrinth because Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), ends up in the Labyrinth world. In this world, she is a completely different person who faces obstacles and lives a different life.  Side note: thing that is interesting to me is the movie covers. They look very similar, and they have a similar story line. It makes me wonder if Guillermo h...

 Welcome to the  Blogging Brooke      I have a special place in my hearts for Blum House Productions films, and Get Out is one of the best.  When we were told to watch this film for class I got excited. I have not seen this film for a couple of years, so I was able to refresh my memory.      I wanted to start off by talking about some suspenseful scenes that occurred at the beginning of the film. For example, t he opening scene starts off with an African-American male on the phone with his girlfriend in search of her house. Suspense builds when a car slowly and suspiciously drives by playing the "run rabbit' song. The car suddenly stopped and the African-American man gets attacked.      Emotion is a key point in this particular film. The emotion aspect of the film is what I will be focusing on during this blog. The movie builds emotion when  Chris and Rose are talking and getting ready to go visits Rose's family. She keep...

 The Blogging Brooke      Last week in class we watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. I enjoyed this film. I had high expectations prior to watching it because my roommate has always talked so highly about it. She says that it is one of her favorite films of all time, and I can see why. I loved the entire movie from the start. It had lots of suspenseful scenes, that kept me intrigued.       I think that this film was extremally advanced for its time. The entirety of the film is based in the apartment of L.B Jeffries. L.B stares and watches bis neighbors live their life. He understands their joyous moments, but also moments of sadness or anger. As he studies them, he becomes obsessed.       My favorite scenes from the film were when L.B knew something was wrong when Mr. Thorwald was sneaking out at night and he has not seen Mrs. Thorwald. You, the viewer could feel the intensity of the scene. The music was a key compo...

 Welcome to the Blogging Brooke      Today I would like to share with you how my interest in film came to be. My first experiences with film began at a young age. I was always sitting by the television mesmerized by all of the colors on the screen. As I got older and learned to understand the storylines, my interest in film sky-rocketed.       The first film that I can recall watching and understanding is The Little Mermaid. I remember this because I had an obsession with mermaids and the ocean. I loved going to the beach with my family and pretending that I was a mermaid, so this is the movie that really stuck out to me. Additionally, my favorite show at the time was H2O, and to no surprise, it is a show about girls who grow mermaid tails when they touch water.     The Little Mermaid is making a live-action film, the trailer for it was just released a couple of days ago. I was ecstatic after I watched it and cannot wait for the fil...

The Blogging Brooke The two forms of narrative film that interest me most are quest and bildungsroman (coming of age). A narrative film can be either fiction or nonfiction that focuses on an individual. The plot is built around their conflicts internally or in the environment around them.  Examples for coming of age would be Call Me By Your Name and Little Women. In Call Me By Your Name, the story revolves around a teenage boy named Elio (Timotee Chalomet)  who questions his sexuality when a professor named Oliver (Armie Hammer) visits their home for the summer to work for Elio's father (Michael Stuhlbarg). In Little Women, you follow the lives of four sisters named Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Amy (Florence Pugh), Meg (Emma Watson), and Beth (Eliza Scanlen) over a span of fifteen years. In this time, you see how each sister becomes independent and follows their dreams in life. You watch as they overcome love and loss and the changes each sister individually faces.   Quest fo...

Welcome to The Blogging Brooke       I believe that the 1920's horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a cinematic masterpiece for its time. Although, there was not many cinematography aspects that stood out to me, one thing that caught my attention throughout the film was its use of music to enhance its story telling.     In the beginning of the film, when the two men were seeing Jane walk by them, the music was subtle and soft. However, during Alan's murder scene, the music was higher pitched and had a quicker tempo to build suspense and draw the viewers attention towards the screen.      When Francis, Alan's friend, found out that he was murdered, he leaves the vicinity and walks down a flight of stairs. As he is walking, his footsteps match the non-diegetic (sound in films that the character can not hear) and whilst in his somber state, the music turns quiet, representing his grieving.      Whe...

Hello,  My name is Brooke Duncan. I am a Junior at North Central College. I am majoring in Computer Programming, Interactive Media Studies- Technology with a minor in Marketing.  I am also a part of the North Central College Women's Volleyball Team.  My interest in the arts developed at a young age. I was always seen holding colored pencils, markers, paintbrushes, etc. I would describe myself as a creative person. My specialty lies in sketching, painting, and ceramics; however, more recently, I have expanded my talent in digital art and design. At NCC, I have taken classes that require using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.  Additionally, I am also interested in editing. The only editing I have done thus far is for student made magazines and various social media posts for friends and family. I believe that my creative talent with the addition of my editorial skills could potentially be useful in the field of film, particularly in the realm of special effec...