Tag: tv

Subtle Camera Work In The Handmaid’s Tale

Posted on by Jane Good

The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 5 Episode 2 “Ballet” SPOILERS!

An intense start to season 5 of the Handmaid’s Tale, Fred is dead, June is back home in Canada with her family, and Serena is trying to take a stand after her husbands death. What will happen next now that June’s villain is gone?

I was recently watching this season and was moved by how brilliant Elisabeth Moss is as an actress and a director. One specific moment that caught my attention is Fred’s funeral in episode 2 “Ballet” and not just because he is now officially gone. During this scene, the crew added some very subtle details that develop the characters into who they will be in this season but also shocking camera work that had me thinking about it for days.

The costumes were a minor identifier to Serena and Junes characters in this episode. Serena, with her all black attire, representing the bad or evil. June, with her stunning white dress, representing the good. This choice was to establish the roles these women will play, and the conflicts of good vs evil, angel vs devil. This leads into who Serena will become this season.

Another topic I wanted to cover is the end of the funeral scene. Now the funeral was originally supposed to be small and quiet, but Serena demanded the best for her husband, so she suggested a lavish, globally broadcasted affair, for those to witness what Gilead is like to the whole world. Remorseful, merciful, human. Serena walks behind the casket, looking regal and sorrowful. This whole event choreographed for her to look like she has control. Serena does care about her husband, but it is important to note that she had her own motives for this funeral. Mostly for it to pose as a form of revenge.

While the funeral continues, June and Luke are enjoying a day of normalcy. A chance to breathe before their world comes crashing down.

By the end of this episode, we see June and Luke staring up at the broadcast at Yonge-Dundas Square, watching as Serena kisses a young girls forehead. That girl being Hannah, June’s daughter.

This moment had me reeling. I could practically feel Junes anger and desperation through the screen. Now the moment that I want to highlight is at the very end where we see Serena subtly looking down with a smirk, while June is looking up with pure rage on her face. Almost as if they are looking directly at each other.

 

The camera work was brilliant for this scene, it creates mood and displays the shift in power and control between Serena and June. These angles are a psychological manipulator that manipulates our perception. So this camera technique is a low-angle shot, from Serena’s perspective, with a high-angle shot, from June’s perspective. These methods are commonly used in a scene when you want to portray a specific power dynamic between the characters. The person looking down, using a low-angle shot, would seem strong or powerful while the person looking up, using a high-angle shot, would seem vulnerable or powerless. So this angle gives Serena strength, it shows the audience that Serena is something to fear. June, in this moment, is powerless against Serena. She has no control.

Executive producer Warren Littlefield said when talking about this scene, “Serena Joy’s stepping in and getting on the throne, and she’s masterful. She’s powerful. She’s a great chess player.” Further proving that the villain of this season is Serena. Slowly making her way to power by sharing the benefits of Gilead with the rest of this world.

I have not watched the rest of the season, but I am excited to see what other masterful scenes Elisabeth Moss made. Also what the rest of season will bring.

LG’s New Rollable TV

Posted on by George Mikhaiel

 

Last year LG had introduced a rollable TV as a prototype, but now it’s a reality. Consumers will be able to order their very own rollable 4K signature OLED TV sometime this spring. But it doesn’t retail for cheap, this is a premium TV which means it’s going be pretty expensive. The company’s “wallpaper” OLED TV started at $8,000. This is a lot more impressive, which means it will be significantly pricier than that.

 

This TV is here when you need it, and could disappear in seconds if you don’t want it. Not everyone wants a black screen to be the centre of attention in the living room. Manufactures are starting to realize that. Samsung came out with “The Frame” which becomes a piece of art hanging on your wall when not in use.

There’s a mode on the TV where the display will roll down to about one-fourth of the panel. this mode would reveal on-screen music controls and the option to control your smart home gadget.

 

 

 

 

Owning a rollable TV doesn’t mean you sacrifice performance. There is no difference in terms of picture quality between this and a rigid, standard OLED. LG is putting this up along side its other premium products, in terms of contrast, brightness and features. All of the OLED bells and whistles, like perfect blacks, great viewing angles, and a wide variety of vivid HDR colour.

 

 

 

 

Toronto’s Rising Film Industry

Posted on by Big City

Toronto has always been considered as a potential film location for many years in the industry. Recently big hits such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Shape of Water and many other productions are taking place in Toronto. No wonder why Ontario has drawn over 2.9 billion dollars from the film industry.

Shape Of Water - Toronto
(Pre-Edit Scene from The Shape of Water)

The film industry’s rapid growth started in the late 90s and slowly started building up into the 21st century. It has been continuously growing and has recently started speeding up. Award winning productions such as The Shape of Water are all to thank for. This rapid growth has been noticed as many new productions are starting in Toronto. Shows such as Star Trek, Suits, The Expanse and many more are continuing production in the city.

 

So why is Toronto growing in popularity in the industry?

Toronto has a wide range of areas both inside and outside of the city. From dense urban environments to quiet and forested areas up north. This allows filmmakers to have a variety of environments around them without travelling around too much. For example, the popular horror movie IT was filmed in Northern Ontario which featured small town vibes.

Another reason why filmmakers are taking an interest in Toronto is because of it’s cheaper prices and similarities to other cities. For example, a scene in Suicide Squad was set to take place in New York City at night. Instead filmmakers took the streets of Toronto as it had similarities and would cost less than closing down a street in New York City. Many productions use Toronto as an alternative to other cities such as New York City, Chicago, Atlanta etc.  If you want a large city landscape mixed in with a water front, a dense isolated forest or even a mountainous wilderness – Toronto and Ontario has it all.

One of the many local Toronto forests

 

How much has Toronto prospered from the industry?

Ontario has generated almost 3 billion dollars from the film industry as of March 2017. That number has grown since then to approximately almost 4 billion dollars. British Columbia is also experiencing the same surge as major films such as Deadpool 2 and War for the Planet of the Apes is also increasing the B.C popularity. The Canadian growth in the film industry is a large benefit to the country and the cities involved. Toronto has been constantly been progressing in the industry, new additions to the film sector allowed new areas to be built and renovated.

 

Cinespace Film Studios – A new Marine Terminal Studio project will add 165,000 square feet of studio and support space to Toronto’s film industry infrastructure right on Toronto’s waterfront and on the edge of the City’s Port Lands in the heart of the City’s studio district. (CNW Group/Cinespace Film Studios Inc.)

The renovations and new additions to the industry in Toronto have already been seen in the past years. Cinespace is a good example as they are a large force in the film industry involving Canada. Cinespace opened a production studio this year at the Marine Terminal 51 which is a 165,000 square feet studio space. The large space is used for various productions and has been used by many producers in the past. The studio expanded the film sector and allows better transportation and co-ordination in the productions. The new space is a sign of growing industry, Toronto will continuously prosper from the industry and hopefully it keeps rising.

Whats next for Toronto?

CBS is now opening a large 260,000 square feet facility outside of Toronto. It will act as a centre for film and tv production. This move is costing millions of dollars and will help CBS and Toronto prosper as CBS already has many things in production. Some hope that other major networks will make the move in a growing location.

CBS Producers, Frank Siracusa and John Weber

 

A good effect from the large amounts of productions is what the city benefits from. Many shoots do take place in locations such as the port lands and other largely used locations. The city and the film board bring ideas for reconstruction or renovation for those areas. In time, that means we can see the locations being cleaned up and “big screen” ready. As the film industry grows in Toronto, we should see a large influx of remodelling and construction of new areas.

Conclusion

Toronto has been growing a multi billion dollar film industry and that number will keep rising. The number of current and future productions will increase with companies such as CBS and Cinespace growing facilities in the GTA. Hopefully Toronto maintains their ground and advancements on the film industry as it is a strong economic power for Toronto. Maybe the next time you are in the cinema, you might see a Toronto landmark – with the amount of productions happening right now, there is a high chance you will.

– Benson Lam