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Come and See (1985) Film Review

At this point, I believe it is incorrect to talk about great war films without mentioning Elem Klimov and his film Come and See (1985). It has to be one of the most realistic depictions of war ever made, and the incredible thing is that it is essentially an anti-war film. It's unusual to feel so involved in a film, and the film draws you in by delving into most aspects that war films don't communicate, and this is what distinguishes it from the others and makes it a must-see, as Roger Deacons stated.

Flyora, a 13-year-old girl, joins the Russian Soviet Forces to combat the German Nazis in the film Come and See. The voyage wasn't easy because we see him attempt to survive from the beginning, when their base is bombarded, and where he meets Glasha, who returns home with him and discovers practically everyone from his village is dead or hiding. Florya then goes insane as a result of the trauma and ends up fleeing with the other soldiers to battle, where he is imprisoned and sees a mass massacre of his people before being spared by a window opportunity.

The film's cinematographer, Aleksei Rodionov, should be commended for achieving immaculate compositions that are in deep focus and dwell on the characters for intensity of effect, the films compositions make you feel as if you have your own POV, as if you are in the film with Floyra and are also trying to make it out alive, especially in the Burning of the Church, where the camera moved in different places and was directed by the blocking of the actors.This showed everything that was happening from the arrival of the German Nazis with Florya running out of the cabin to when he was inside the Church and escapes through the window. The scene works incredibly well because a lot is happening, men are being shot, women are being harassed, kids are literally being thrown and to think that it was all intended helps us feel like it is organized chaos.

The film's performance is also a key factor in this feature film. We are represented by a young man named Aleksei Kravchenko, a Soviet and Russian actor who, by the way, was only 13 years old when he starred in the film as Florya Gaishun.Elem Klimov was willing to put his actors through a lot to achieve this, from putting them in mud to providing detailed explosions go off to having people climb on top of each other in confined areas just to get a compelling performance out of actors, This may seem like a lot of bother to go through, but based on the film's results, it was well worth it.Overall, the film is as authentic as they come, and the emotional plot combined with exquisite cinematography, engaging acting, and risk-driven emotions makes Come and See a picture that every filmmaker should see.

i Give This Film a 4.9/5.0

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Yeleen(1987) Film Review

Souleymane Cisse is an African film director, who is recognized as part of the first era of African filmmakers who made films about being African and took the time to delve profoundly into traditions and cultures, seeking to make them central themes in their films. This type of inventiveness can be seen in Cisse's 1987 film Yeleen. which should serve as inspiration to the rest of us Africans as to how our histories should or can be told.

Yeelen tells the story of a young African man named NIanankoro, who is essentially a wizard with mystical powers inherited from his ancestors. He sets out into the world to flee his villainous Father Souma, who uses his magical abilities to do evil. On his journey, he saves a village from invasion, betrays a king and thus acquires a wife, and later obtains a powerful magical fetish from his uncle, which he uses to defeat his father but sacrificing himself in the process. The plot of the film itself sounds strange, but it also manages to integrate other genres. While Action is the dominant genre, it also features a few additional subgenres. such is science fiction, romance, and unexpected comedic reliefs.

There is precise blocking and editing for the magical effects in the film, such as when Nianankoro Froze or paralyzed the Kings warrior before they could attack him. This is indeed a good and comprehensive use of Mise-en-Scène because the audience understands this same person wasn't frozen due to editing or post effects, but it was simply based on the performance of being frozen. African Magic is typically a divine and indescribable entity that several people within cultural identities know not to mess with or explain as shown in this film, I believe the in-camera effects worked well in showing an original view of how magic has been portrayed in films which shows the film’s originality.

Subjective Symbolism is prominent in the film, particularly in the usage of animals. This is a type of intensity of effects that serves as a universal cultural link. This is particularly evident in Niankoro's journey, in which he begins with the Hyenas and finishes up as a mighty lion fighting his father, the ancient and wise elephant. The picture has a level of complexity that evokes nostalgia in Africans who have shared similar folk tales or legends, as well as a sense of patriotism among Africans because it is a highly valued film that must be viewed.

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Tokyo Story (1953)Film Review

Yashujiro Ozu, the world renowned filmmaker, is known for making beautiful films. He is the first director seen personally who demonstrates mastery in creating cinematic beauty from ordinary day-to-day living, which is why I believe his 1953 film Tokyo Story, which was considered a classic, is a timeless piece of art that must be seen.

The story is set in Japan and revolves around an elderly couple who travel to Tokyo to see their surviving children, all of whom are adults at this point and can barely spend time with their parents, and who end up being shuttled around the family before returning to Onomichi when the mother falls ill, gets worse, and dies.The film is two hours long, and this is essentially what happens within it. This may not sound particularly interesting, but the way the film's elements work well together is what transforms such a simple story into a beautiful and sacred piece of cinema.

The film draws you in with Ozu's original style of cinematography and mise-en-scene, which consists primarily of low shots and an immaculate form of blocking that makes almost every shot appear symmetrical. The characters in the film are usually seen sitting when they are having plot-advancing conversations, such as when the parents arrive in Japan and have to sit down before discussing the plan for their stay. This feels like a diverse culture and gives you a sense of having entered a sacred space. The dialogue in the film also appears normal, providing a sense of connection to the characters because it's like watching normal people go about their normal lives, and it's a humbling experience to be a part of that.

The film's coherence is enhanced by the combination of each element, from the lingering shots after each scene to the camera angles and dialogue. The film is not in a hurry, and as a result, it ceases to be a film and becomes more of an experience, which is why it should indeed be taken into account a classic that should be seen.

I give it a Solid 4.5/5.0

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Week 8 -exploring the creative world

Ive always believed that music was a universal language that many people love and enjoy but dont really speak or relate to it in the same way.I believe i can in a way bring the world together through music and this is how i planned on doing it.

i took my roots and combined it with what i love.i am a hip hop upcoming artist and i feel the need to introduce my zulu roots and one proud genre that is originally zulu is Gqom music and the fact that its South African and hip hop is American is ,y way of bringing the world together.

ill be using Mp3 as my medium and there are certain symbols that i would love people who listen to the song should focus on

The Instruments Gqom has a chants and thats basically a sound that makes it seem like people are cheering and this could be in light of cheering my creative hero on.

The emotion behind the song is split because gqom is a very happy and upbeat then when the hip hop section comes ill use that to get sentimental and serious talking about the trials and tribulation of my creative hero then its back to happiness.

Making this project i struggled with time management and consistency i was posting late and trying things on the last minute.This affected me a lot because i missed a lot of weekly deadlines but the upside to everything is that my work is done and i am proud of it the greatest thing i took away from all of this is that i love Art to the point where i would still do it even though no one is watching.

but enough talking it is time to listen here is the link to the song

https://audiomack.com/song/190269/creative-hero

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Week 7

Official cover page

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Week 6

Guys at this point i feel like nothing is going my way im done making the final Beat and i have tried posting the Song here on my blog but still nothing and it doesn't give me the option to load i tried to put it as a snippet in a video and when i check if it posted nothing happens

I am Facing some real technical difficulties but where there is a will there is a way i have a plan on the better news though i have finished

Making the instrumental for both now we need to find a way for you guys to hear it.

And you must know that thw lyrics are on the way....

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Week 5

This is what we did in class this week played a game that helped us create and develope stronger concepts which helped alot this week i am hoping i can post an Intrumental of the Gqom Beat before adding the hip hop elements.

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Week 4

This week in class we had to write our concepts and Ideas on an A3 different people came around to give us constructive criticism or ideas and even abit of motivation to help our projects come across as proper and conceptual

What i took away from the lesson was to

1.To be Original

2.differentiatw the two genres and make them blend

3.Create a flow that blends well together in the two Genres

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Week 3

This week i was trying to make my own beat and this music thing is really hard its my first time using Fl studios and i also learnt that most of the professional artists use their own packs and i dont have any so i will either download my own packs or ill just look for sounds that are similar to to ones i hear.

Here is My Personal list of what i think a gqom track should have

1.Kicks

2.Percussions

3.whistle

4.hihats

5.SimSynth

6.Deep Synth Bass

Most importantly 7.Chants

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Week 2

Hey Guys so this week ill be learning how to start making the Gqom Beat through youtube tutorials i searched "How to make a gqom beat from scratch" and i got a few videos that helped getting me on track

On the video they are using FL Studio which i have on my laptop and in the tutorial it basically shows you the basic bpm(beats per minute) which is at 126 and includes the types of hihats chants and kicks i need

So when it comes to where i olace them i think that is where my originality should come in and hopefully i can upload my first instrumental by next week or the week after that.

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Week 1-Road to Gqom

Hey Guys,so my Idea is really crazy its the type of thing that goes really well or extremely badly but before i tell you what i want to be up to id love you to know that i am a recording artist i go by Don.Artello and i am a Rapper and i usually rap on trap and hip hop beats and so i thought to myself since i am proudly South African and we are still in the Heritage fever i will record a strictly South African Genre type of music

The Genre i will be going with is in line with my ethnicity because i am Zulu and because i am a New Generation kid i think it will be best fitting for me to Mix,Master and produce my own Gqom Track

I will add my own lyrics on based on my creative hero and my journey with my creativity and the tools ive aquired with this it will be done in 8 weeks but you should stay tuned because Next week we are going to make the BEAT!!!