A cinematic journey
Grab your popcorn
Lights, Camera, Action! It’s time to explore the art of movies and storytelling. Whether or not we can now go to cinemas, we all have spent a good portion of our time watching movies. Emotions run high, silence fills the room, tears slowly streaming down your face…
Movies are designed to explore ourselves, different narratives and perspectives across time and space. In a way it is a collective human experience and building and designing it is no small feat either… So grab a bag of popcorn and join us for this month’s edition of movies, we promise this won’t make you cry (that much). And if you want to go enjoy a movie after, we wouldn’t blame you.
Don Levy: A cinematic story through visual effects
Saying that current technologies enable motion pictures to look like magic is, in our times, a valid statement. As developments have continued over the years, we’ve come to the point where we tend to drift in the illusion—owing to its increased quality. But what constitutes a successful illusion and how have they changed over the years?
“Even today’s sophisticated moviegoers still lose themselves to the screen, and filmmakers leverage this separation from reality to great effect.”
– Don Levy
According to Don Levy, a former film executive at Sony Pictures, visual effects are fundamentally based on the principles of classic illusions. Even though the pillars range from assumptions to obsessions, the mortar is constant—never betray the illusion. Therefore, one should unquestionably revise the journey we took, pause, and fully appreciate the peak we’ve reached.
Beeban Kidron: The shared wonder of film
We all know the feeling, we watch one apocalypse movie and it brings out the hero in us, we watch one horror movie and we think that we would NOT open that door… Movies are arguably one of the most influential art forms of the 20th century and they have the power to shape and influence us.
“Humans in all ages and from all cultures create their identity in some kind of narrative form.”
– Beeban Kidron
As storytellers, we have been sharing our stories with each other since what seems like the beginning of our existence. Stories now play a different role, we want to be represented and see our identity, values and our story being shared on the screen. Movies have become a way of learning and understanding our cultural identity, but where does that leave our individual narrative?
Rob Legato: The art of creating awe
The visual effects, background scores and audio effects have an integral part of any movie experience. The feeling of being on the edge of your seat as the music builds up, time seems to slow down but ironically your heart beats faster… Watching a movie is completely different to experiencing a movie. Movies are an immersive experience through space, time and emotions and Rob Legato is no stranger to building and designing the experience.
“So I was kind of proud of it.”
– Rob Legato
Rob Legato has worked on numerous films across Hollywood. Join him as he explains the behind the scenes journey that created the magic of some iconic films Apollo 13 Titanic etc. Sit back as he explains the intricacies of sound and visuals that seemingly translate into emotions and memories.