Strike a Pose! Films.com

This will be the first in a series of film essays posted to the site. Check the essays section for more.

This essay, entitled “Making Them Laugh through Mise-en-Scene”, is my first essay from Intro to Film at Salisbury University, a class I took after getting an A in Film Theory (the most challenging Film Studies course at SU) last semester. It describes how one character in a certain situation and setting can set the tone and them through destroying the very set he plays in!

Point is, if you’re interested in film analysis, check it out. This is not a critique or a review, but a close analysis of a very funny scene from a very great film, Singin’ in the Rain.

Here’s the first paragraph, to continue reading, click the link here, to check out it’s page in the Essays section.

“Well what’s the first thing an actor learns?” is the question posed to a disheartened Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) in the 1952 musical sensation, Singin’ in the Rain. The answer, stated with much theatrical exuberance by his industry partner, Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), is simply “The show must go on!” The film, which focuses on the fall of the silent era and the rise of “talkies”, is a constant demonstration of the survival of actors during that transition, an effort in which “dance and physical flexibility become metaphors for generic flexibility, the ability to move among different forms of entertainment” (Chumo 39). Utilizing wild moves, his comedic madness, and some of the film’s most simple yet practical mis-en-scene, Cosmo attempts to bring some humorous inspiration to Don’s downtrodden condition. Through this mis-en-scene, Cosmo shows both Don and the audience a view of his own character, and the development of the film’s theme of how entertainment is selfless, as  “The overall design of a setting can shape how we understand story action” (Bordwell and Thompson 181). This is all done through a seemingly improvised moment following the immortal line “make em’ laugh!” that contains sparse set work, cleverly integrated props, and one incredibly flexible human body.

Works Cited

Bordwell, David and Thompson, Kristen. Film Art: Seventh Edition. New York: Mcgraw-
Hill. 2004.

Chumo, Peter N. “Dance, Flexibility and Renewal of Genre in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’”. Cinema
Journal, Volume 36, n. 1. 1996.

So the site is finally getting a much needed overhaul in the most necessary places: content and update frequencies. To do this, Strike a Pose!!! films will be uploading new videos, essays, reviews, and posting links and commentaries on a weekly basis, starting with 3 new essays on the Essays Page, a new short video, and the oncoming release of The Peregrine Saga: Line of Sight short to the viewing public.

In order to do this though we need our current readership to step up and start promoting the site to garner some new fans! We already have nearly 3,000 unique views a month, and now we need to build up the community.

How can you do this? Well, it’s simple. See a post you like? Put it on Facebook! It only takes a second. Know a fan of sci fi movies? Show them our latest release, System Shock 2: The First Encounter, available on many sites, and have them comment! COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! Get a user avatar image so you can be more familiar on the threads. Check out the Forums and post your thoughts on the latest movies, games and books! Read some essays, quote them for papers if you’re a film or English student! Just be sure to lemme know, ok?

Strike a Pose!!! Films is where it’s at in the realm of amateur digital film making. If you make a YouTube video and want it to get some extra views, have us syndicate it! We’ll be glad to show off your work on a site dedicated to the amateur film community!

And finally, if you have any comments or suggestions on how we can finally bolster this site to greatness, log in, comment and let us know right here! We look forward to utilizing your bold, creative, and wonderful ideas!

Trevor Hintz, my younger brother, and actor in the early years of Strike a Pose!!! Films, turns 15 today. Its truly a day worth celebrating, and in doing so we’re gonna post a couple of old flicks, just to remind us of how awesome his acting was! And could still be! Just look at these chops!

Trevor Hintz was one of the first actors to play a “bringer of death”, thankfully coming in and ending a movie that we had no idea how to conclude! And how?

THE THIRD PATH

By killing BOTH MAIN CHARACTERS!

But was that enough for Trevor’s character, Hunter? No it wasn’t! He came back, WITH AVENGENCE in…

Ascension

Trevor, as Hunter, would face off against Orion’s unnamed Sith Lord character. What a trooper!

The third film is still yet to be filmed, but may be done soon! Who knows? Depends on what the tyke asks for for his birthday!

But as for today, we salute Trevor’s efforts in Strike a Pose!!! Films, he’s been a big help and a big supporter, and we hope to have him in more movies! Happy Birthday bro!

Strike A Pose Films has entered the Gametrailers Halloween BOOO-VIE Contest with System Shock 2: The First Encounter. My crew and I spent all week on this, utlizing practical lighting, green screen effects, lots of props, and CGI– A first for STRIKE A POSE!!! Films.

Based on the cult classic PC game SYSTEM SHOCK 2 by Looking Glass Studios, THE FIRST ENCOUNTER follows an unnamed man, awakened from Cryo-Sleep aboard the Von Braun, an intergalactic starship that has recently approached Tau Ceti V.

Something has gone horribly wrong, as he soon learns. Hauntings, monsters, an insane AI, and a ship that is falling apart at the seams all endanger his life. Each step he takes could be his last!

Capturing the classic horror moments of video games that we all know and love, FIRST ENCOUNTER takes us through long hallways, tight corridors, pits the hero against hideous HYBRID monsters, serves as an unknowing pawn to an overlord presence that only wishes to manipulate the character into his own destruction, and audiologs that let the player in on what terrifying things have happened before. And might happen again.

The film can be watched on the film’s page.

Today is the birthday of a very prominent member of our little film troupe, improvisational acting genius James Patrick Howe. Today he turns…23?

James has worked with Strike a Pose!!! Films almost since the beginning. He served as a huge player in the formation of the original STRIKE A POSE! FILM CLUB at Salisbury University, that went on to become Future Film Makers, serving as the first Vice President to one of the best clubs on campus.

He will rule the world...by killing one spy at a time!

His outrageous, over the top, internet brand of comedy led to the creation of one of our staple characters, the ever-familiar FOREIGN GUY, a secret agent from…well whatever country we needed at the time. He was in a never ending war with the notorious Agent Q, who went on to become Robo-Q (both played by Philip Krocheski). They clashed in the original SPY WARS films, (Spy Boxing, The Intersection) as well as hosted epic battles in GULLMAN: Defender of Salisbury and JASPER CONROY: Salisbury Bounty Hunter.

GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULL MAAAAAAAAAAN

James’s went on to be in three films in the 2008-2009 school year. CONFLICT RESOLUTION, aka BE A DUDE MAN, the improvised school-yard tussle about conflict resolution classes, wherein he played Professor Foreign, and kept the whole classes bawling in laughter. He took a more straight-edge turn alongside Matt Solomon in the gag-reel comedy “Guide to What You Shouldn’t Not Do”. He won a Film Festival Award for his performance and participation in the project.

James Howe getting direction alongside Thomas England in JASPER CONROY: SALISBURY BOUNTY HUNTER!

James’s final performance with us was the short feature, BRIDE, directed by Mike Woodard Junior, and starring myself, Christine Demino, Steve Young, Thomas England and Carole Hachem. He really took he opportunity to stretch his acting muscles and play the sympathetic Brad Groomwell, one of the main characters of the film.

Along with much of the Future Film Makers Club that grew to love him over his four years at Salisbury University, I always had fun with James, whether it was in the club rooms or at the parties he helped throw at his amazingly scary off-campus house, which must have been used in films almost as many times as he was.

James has always been a great friend, even when I’ve been a dick to him both in front of and behind the camera, but it’s always been a pleasure working with him as he evolved his craft and brought plenty of laughs to some of my stalest movie ideas. Happy Birthday, James. You really made an impact on something great at Salisbury University, as well as this website!