what the hell?

When I wrote up my thoughts on the film Lost In Translation. I got a lot of google hits about "Lost In Translation, Boom Mic Showing" and I'd look at these and think, what the hell are these people smoking? I didn't see anything like that. So now here is the reason why that is...
From IMDB boards for The Terminal...

Actually, the microphone problem is 95% the theatre projectionists fault. I used to be a projectionist for 7 years, I know.

The aspect ratios are different from when the film is shot and when it is shown. The two most recognized ratios are 1.85 and 2.35.

I currently do extra work for a living and have seen many scenes being shot. If during a take a mic gets in they will reshoot it.

Everything I'm telling you relates to flat films or films in the 1.85 to 1 aspect ratio. I seldom ever see framing problems with 2.35 to 1 films because if it's out of frame you will either see the top or bottom part of the same frame and they can fix it easily. However, if someone isn't watching the framing when they start, it will actually look normal to the basic projectionist. The picture fills the whole screen it all looks good, start the next movie. If you watch a movie in the theatre and you notice that the studio opening logo doesn't appear to be exactly centered, you're in trouble.

If you had the opportunity to hang out in the video village where all the monitors are, you would see standard 1.33 tv monitors that have thin matte lines to represent just what the audience should be seeing when it's shown. What's in the box is what we'll see, what's out of the box we shouldn't.

When the image is transfered to film, each frame is actually the full screen image that you saw on the monitors, without the matte lines. When the film is projected through the apature plate, the plate that sets up the proper aspect ratio for the lens, you should only see what was framed in that box I previously mentioned. If you don't properly frame the image, you will begin to see stuff you normally shouldn't.

I saw Lost in Translation several times in the theatre. The last time I saw it, it was clearly not framed properly because the mic was showing up and showing up alot. I never saw the mic the other times I saw the film. I didn't feel like getting up to complain and surprisingly neither did the audience, a shame.

Now the other 5% can be the crew's fault. I saw a screening of Tron in 70mm at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood. Tron was projected in 2.20:1 ratio. When Flynn, Alan, and the girl are talking in the arcade in between them you will see a microphone pop up from the bottom of the screen and start to move around to catch each actors dialog. Now, that was the crew. If you tried to frame that out, the whole film would be out of frame.

I hope this will give you a general idea about the infamous microphone problems that plague some motion pictures and tv shows.

I had this long thing about my locker from High School except I accidently closed the window.

Let me just say, my locker was my locker. From my four years there no one else used that locker but me. So when I closed that locker for the last time my Senior year I wondered, which Freshmen is going to inherit my locker next year? Will that Freshmen think and wonder about it's previous owner? Probably not. Just like me, the thought of it never really came up until it was pointless because the locker wasn't mine to call mine anymore. So now that it's been another four years. That locker is going to get a new owner within a year and maybe the current owner will be thinking, "who had this locker before me?" But probably not.

So why am I reminiscing about a stupid locker or is this some stupid metaphor or maybe its just because its me writing at 4:30 AM in the morning now even though I started this at 4 only to have to write it again fifteen minutes later.

I guess it's just like 4 years ago all over again. I'm heading into my 4th and final year at UCI, I feel like I've accomplished nothing and I'll probably end up feeling nostalgic about some other stupid inanimate object. I just hope it starts out like my senior year of HS but doesn't end like it did.

Night.

Went to Graduation Ceremonies at UCI. Saw Ken graduate but then went to Jack's but he didn't end up walking... Afterwards I drove the other Shaun to Ken's dinner thing. Thanks to Ken's family for treating us to a huge dinner.

Here are two pics. The first one is Ken with Jen O(?) right before they went up to get called. The second one is Ken and I after the ceremonies.

When I watched GATTACA for the first time when I was a freshmen in high school I had no real idea what the movie was about. But when I came out of the theater it became one of my favorite films.

However I totally forgot about it until Ken mentioned it in his speech during Semiformal. If you haven't seen the movie go see it right now because I promise that you won't be disappointed. The actual quote from the movie goes during the swim scene goes.

Anton: How are you doing this Vincent? How have you done any of this?

Vincent: Now is your chance to find out.

Both brothers continue to swim with Anton, the genetically superior of the two brothers begins to fall behind. Anton stops swimming, looks around and starts to panic.

Anton: Where's the shore? We're too far out. We have to go back!

Vincent: Too late for that. We're closer to the other side.

Anton: What other side? How far do you want to go? Do you want to drown us both? How are we going to get back?

Vincent (smiling): You wanted to know how I did it. That's how I did it, Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back

That to me, is what made the movie and is two fold in its meaning. Even though Anton is genetically better than Vincent he can't risk drowing and pushing his limits too far. Vincent has nothing to lose so he was the one who was willing to go to his limits. Two, like Ken said, give it your all and never leave anything for the return trip.