Troops Signature

What Makes Pixar So Special?

“If you take a great idea and give it to a mediocre group of people, they will return a bad product. If you give a mediocre idea to a great group of people, they will deliver something amazing.” Pixar’s idea of a project worth fighting for could be summed up in one simple word: story. If you have a good story in which you believe in, the rest is up to how much hard work and time you are willing to put into it. Pixar’s philosophy works like a charm always, for they are not trying to make a movie that will give them a lot of profit, they try to make a movie the audience will fall in love with. For this, I believe Pixar’s magic relies in their idea of greatness and the philosophy they follow to achieve it.

Pixar is all about story telling. A great story comes from the heart and not from the wallet. They hope that if they have a unique and exciting plot, people will just enjoy it without sacrificing their ideals for some extra cash. Taking chances is a major aspect in the development process inside the company. Who would think that a love between two machines could be a heart-moving story? Or, that a rat could be called the best chef in France? Not being afraid to create something different is what takes Pixar’s movies to the next level. The first and most important part of a movie is the part where they sit to think what they want to create and how they want to set free that particular idea. If they do not convey on which feelings are about to be imprinted in their tale, no other action can take place.

Another important aspect of Pixar (and probably the most) is the community they have created. It is not the building nor the company name that made the people, the people inside is what has made Pixar such an amazing place. Trust is the base for any relationship; it is just like that in any corporation. If you cannot trust the guy who is working right next to you (you have the same goal!), why should you trust in anything you are making together? Getting along with your co-workers and superiors leads to a better environment, therefore to a better job. Pixar wants their employees to feel safe. Lets face it, no one likes to work under pressure, add that to a lousy work schedule and a horrendous atmosphere and you have a recipe for disaster. If you feel safe, you work better and you can make the creative process (which is the bottom of this whole deal) a swifter and healthier one.

Remember that time when you wanted to ask your boss something but could not get past your superior, then discovered your superior took your idea and gave it to your boss, and now you are back to cleaning tables and your superior has a better office now? No? Never been there? Anyway, point is, stuff like this cannot happen in Pixar. Going back to relationships, now we will mention communication. It is free, and anyone can have it with anyone in the company. Keeping an open mind to fresh ideas will assure that fantastic stories just keep coming, in quantity and quality (“Not everyone can cook, but a great cook can come from anywhere!”). Another column of this institution, and way of living, is the group of experts they have to watch over every story they are producing. Lead by Steve Jobs, John Lasseter and Ed Catmull, the creative team makes sure to watch over any job they have. Taking care of every single detail and making sure the new project stays true to their principles is what they do best. It is only when this guys give the thumbs up that the real work begins.

Keeping faithful to their set of rules is what has made Pixar one of the greatest companies in the filmmaking business. Any studio can only dream with the success that can be found in every Pixar movie. Animating is basically “to give life” and giving life to this creative power has not always been an easy task, yet awesomeness can be found in every corner of the building. Pixar’s attitude has become a way of life for all this men and women, and now is a force to be reckoned with in the industry. For this, (and also a non-mentioned cereal bar inside the offices) I believe Pixar’s magic relies in their idea of greatness and the philosophy they follow to achieve it.

That one special thing

Action and reaction. Love and hate. Life and death. Each one of these seem to be miles apart from what (by definition) is its complete opposite, and yet none of them is able to exist without the other. Run Lola Run is the perfect example of how important it is to live every second as if it was the most important thing in the world and about the importance of love. While watching this movie it is impossible to avoid thinking what would have happened if only one thing had happened differently. We are who we are, not by the way we look, nor the people we hang out with; we are who we are because of the choices we make.


Firstly I will say, sustain and against all my instincts assure, that love can overcome anything. "Can love get me 100,000 marks in twenty minutes?" this is how Mani attacks my argument, and in the end, the answer to this question is yes. Lola fights the system, not caring about anyone, or anything but the life of the man she is in love with, which in this case is the very man who (apparently) questions her in the first place. Lola is literally running for her life, for in her beloved she finds more than just somebody to love, she finds a reason to live. She risks everything to save what she cherishes the most, and in a couple of cases paying a very high price for it. Death is a powerful enemy of Lola, for when she fails to complete what she proposes herself to, this dark angel appears. Maybe the story is not exactly about love, and yet every action, every jump, and every decision made by Lola are taken in order to avoid losing her boyfriend. 


Secondly, how many times have we not insulted someone who has done us, or someone else harm? Do we ever stop to think that simple act maybe our death sentence? Is it fair we die because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Not even good deeds assure we are going to have a happy life, so, what have we left? The only answer to all these questions is that life is unpredictable and there is nothing we can do about it. In the movie all three stories depend on timing. In the first one Lola is too early, in the second one, she is late, and in the third one we say she is right on time although this can only be said because she gets what she wants. All the actions taken are determined by the attitude Lola assumes when dealing with other people (or animals). Although in every case she wants desperately to save Mani, the outcome is affected by what she does when she is confronted with adversity.


Thirdly, as humans we will always have to deal with one and only question throughout our lives. A question that makes us regret or treasure our decisions unlike any other we can imagine: what if? What if Lola had not gone to her dad in the first story? or what if Mani had not lost the money in the first place? or even what if Lola and Mani never met at all? Decisions make you, but you do not always get what you decided for. Even the dog we see at the beginning of each story plays an important role, for that single encounter leads to another event, and another, and another, in a chains that keeps developing until the very resolution of each. Lola finds out the hard way that even our greatest effort is worth nothing when we are not lucky. But, can we call it luck, or just and unfortunate unravelling of our own choices? We will never know, but that is what makes life interesting in the first place.


Life is but a dream, a dream in which we only play a very small part. Sometimes it is the most fantastic experience you can have, others, it is just a wicked nightmare from which we cannot wake up. Can we really regret something we did or left undone? If we could change anything, would we? I mean, you are right were you are thanks to all those decisions you have ever made. This is why I believe (and you probably should consider this opinion as well) that we are who, and what we are thanks to the decisions we make every second of our lives.

Helmut's Character Map

Okay, so maybe choosing Helmut is not the most original pick for this homework, but for the heck of it I just have to say he is GREAT, 

(Continue reading for a detailed analysis on Helmut's character map)

(Yes I said de-tailed) (This is my blog I can say what I like) (Mashed potatoes make a bad meat compliment) (I do not like Philadelphia cheese) 

enjoy.

Strong Traits: Easy-going, humbleness, kindness, and innocence.

He convinces Yoyo to stay in the cab and gets along with Angela even though she is in a bad mood.
Maybe this were the kind of traits that kept him away from trouble while he was back in his hometown.

Trouble Traits: Lack of attention, innocence, language problems.

He cannot find his way around his own city, he does not even understand its culture.
He clearly is not aware of the fact that he is not safe anymore. Maybe back in Germany he could be the way he is and not get himself into dangerous situations. Maybe he is just a bit too good of a person to live in the world he is living.

Dark Side: Mean people or those who do not follow the rules.

He clearly does not like people who are doing something immoral, and he also tries to prevent Yoyo from driving for it is against the rules. He probably learned all this from his past life. Assuming he lived under a hard regime, breaking the rules was not an option. People who acted against the system was seen as immoral, maybe this is the reason why Helmut is against this.

Admired Traits: Outgoingness, beauty.

He enjoys Yoyo’s company and he also tells Angela she is very beautiful (in a good way) barely knowing who she was. From his actions we may think that probably he knew someone in the past with these traits...

Fears: The unknown.

Helmut is terribly afraid when he gets lost in Brooklyn. At one point, he avoids on subject of conversation, his family. Everyone has a family, or at least someone who feels like so, but Helmut even changes his mood at the very mention of it. Maybe he has other fears he does not get to show clearly but still with this action, is almost as if he is letting slip the fact that he is afraid of being alone.

Mask: A foreigner cab driver.

He clearly lacks all the abilities required to do this job, nonetheless he is trying his best. This mask is a very basic one, too basic perhaps. If we dug some more inside Helmut's character, we would notice that said mask is a huge barrier protecting all the insecurities that lie inside Helmut's mind.

Portrayal

Mercutio

  When you first think of Mercutio I severely doubt the first thing that pops into your head is the image of a black man in a white dress singing like a woman, well apparently Baz Luhrmann (the movie’s director) thinks differently. With a fantastic attitude and an over the top characterization, Mercutio may seem as nothing more than a simple comic relief to the movie. The previous statement is awfully wrong. Taking into consideration the tone of the film, Mercutio is one of the best-portrayed characters from the play.

  Firstly, in the book, readers can effortlessly identify with Mercutio. The whole play was written like 400 years ago and it can feel a bit old, this does not happen with Mercutio, which makes it easier for any person from this millennium to make him their favourite character. Mercutio’s attitude is all about having fun and living life on the edge. Mercutio acts impulsively not really thinking about the consequences of his next mischief. He enjoys causing trouble and teasing people, taking pleasure in confusing the mind and playing with everyone’s feelings, a delight that ultimately gets him killed. Mercutio is also a straightforward character. His actions are simple (dying does not count in this argument and yet if you think about it, that is pretty simple too). The cost of said actions are the trigger for all the bad things that happen, which is not something you would expect from inviting a friend to a party, for example. 

  Secondly, in the movie, we see the same Mercutio from the book with minor changes per say. The film is generally weird to say the least about it. With a strange use of the language lots of actions seem incoherent but are superbly assembled to fit into the original play. The mood of the film is almost satiric and cannot be taken seriously the whole time. The first time you see Mercutio dressed as a woman (prostitute I think) your reaction is to laugh, a lot. From the tattooed “Fray” (a priest from this times) to the fact that every single gun in the movie has the name of a type of sword or archaic weapon, you feel there is a punch line coming right at you from the very beginning of the movie. All this elements make Mercutio’s portrayal sublime. The reason for this is that with such an extravagant and energetic film nothing less than what is delivered could be expected from the most vigorous character from the book.

  Lastly, Mercutio has many of the virtues (and flaws) people like to observe or read about. He has wit, creativity, and a tremendous lack of common sense, traits that make him irresistible to the usual reader. In the movie, we see Mercutio as crazy as he can get, keeping his attitude from the play only represented in a world a thousand times wilder. Mercutio’s lifestyle is a passionate rollercoaster of emotions that when represented on a screen, sets free a fantastic and unique character. In the short time he manages to survive he shows a world of feelings like no other character in the movie or play. Mercutio is a gleeful man and through its depiction he proves that to the audience, for as he dies his attitude remains the same. Mercutio leaves with a smile on his face, something untold in the book and nevertheless portrayed the way everyone (at least me) imagined.

  It is not an easy task to reveal a character from a book or play the way people want it to be in the film, but Mercutio exceeds everyone’s expectations with the movie. The over the top attitude, sarcastic smirk, and even the dress, add to create a character like no other was ever exposed before. For this reasons (stated in this perfect simple-five-paragraph essay, thank you) I think Mercutio is one of the best-portrayed characters from the play.

Freytag Pyramid Analysis

The Godfather

External Conflict:

Corleone family vs. Rest of the mob’s families in New York

Internal Conflict:

Michael’s beliefs vs. His family’s beliefs

Exposition:

Don Vito Corleone, the godfather, is a very powerful man. He loves his family, he is also very virtuous, and he is a feared leader of the mafia. Michael, Vito’s youngest son, is a war hero who does not want to be involved in the family business. Santino is Michael’s brother, and he is being trained to be the new Don of the Corleone family when don Vito is gone.

Inciting Incident:

A vicious drug dealer known as “The Turk” offers Don Corleone an entry into the narcotics business, but he refuses for he says drugs are too dangerous. Santino shows interest in this kind of dealings, against his father’s advice.

Rising Action:

Don Vito is shot and almost killed. Luca Brasi (a loyal friend to the Corleone family) is murdered. Sonny (Santino) becomes the Don while his father fights for his life in the hospital. Michael decides that there is nothing more important than his own family, so he enters the conflict.

Climax:

Michael kills Sollozzo (The Turk) and the corrupt police chief of the city. This event starts a violent bloodshed between all of the five most important mob’s families in New York. Michael is forced to flee from the city immediately.

Falling Action:

Michael marries a sweet girl named Apollonia while living on exile in Sicily. Sonny is betrayed by his own brother-in-law and is massacred to death in a trap. Don Vito recovers from his wounds to retake the power and put an end to the war, a war that just turned out to be a lot more expensive than what anyone could have imagined.

Turning Point:

Apollonia gets killed in a car accident and Michael returns to New York to become the new Don of the Corleone family. He marries Kay, his long lost girlfriend and tells her he will stop making a living out of illegal activities. Don Corleone dies from a heart attack while playing with his grandson.

Final Moment Of Suspense:

Barzini (leader from another family, whom everyone suspects was behind Sonny’s murder) arranges a meeting with Michael. Nonetheless, before his death, Vito warned Michael that is how he will be betrayed and killed. Tessio (one of his father’s lifelong and most loyal assistants) is the one who organizes this so-called “meeting”, and thus points himself as a traitor.

Resolution:

Michael gets rid of all the heads of the other families and all those who ever conspired against him. He becomes the most powerful “Don” the Corleone family has ever had.

Conflicts get solved when:

The external conflict is solved, for there is no other family to oppose the Corleone family.

The internal conflict can be observed with the transformation Michael suffers along the course of the movie. He ends up following his father’s steps and becoming a mob leader.

= James Dean =

  

“Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today”

I have heard that phrase a thousand times and not once wondered where did it come from. Well, James Dean is the author, and he certainly lived according to it. Icon of revelry, he existed in his very own world with his very own set of rules, and did not care for anything else. The style, the attitude, the looks, even the hair, he had it all. Being a famous actor might have been enough for a lot of people, he just did not give a tiny rat’s bottom. He was the live image of what every man wants to be and what every woman wants to have. He lived in the fast lane and left this world the same way, in a Porsche. James Dean needed not to be around a lot of time to stay in our memories forever. He dreamed big, he achieved even bigger.