Stand by me: A Contextualist Film Review

I'm wrapping up my 3rd and final unit of Ollywood. So far, I've studied pre production, production, and now I have a decent amount of knowledge of post production. In this unit, we studied the different components of post production. Sound is an important part of film production, I think in this unit, it was my favorite thing to learn about because it was so interesting. We also learned about editing the video, CGI, and the film score (which is basically the film's soundtrack). To put our skills to the test, my teacher assigned us a group test. This is when we got to make nano-films (15-30 sec. films) and  we had to include all of the components of production, especially editing. We had to do that earlier in the course also, both times a really enjoyed doing it. For our last field experience, we got the opportunity to go to Morning Star, an investment company. The way that fit into our curriculum is that they have a video production studio. I got to meet and discuss with a a video producer and a motion graphics specialist. It was a really informing and inspiring field experience. Another cool thing that we learned about was film criticism theory and the different types of approaches you can take to reviewing a film.

Stand by Me, Rob Reiner, 1986

For each Action project of this class, I had to make a film review, so for my final Action project in Ollywood, we had to choose a movie on a list that my teacher gave us and analyze it. I chose Stand by me, directed by Rob Reiner. I had the option to review this film through many different lenses, such as feminist, auturist, or dualist. I'll be reviewing this film through a contextualist lens. That means that I will be looking at the bigger picture and symbolism within the film. How does this film mimic us and society as a whole? I believe that if you look closely enough, everyone has this experience. It can be the exact same one, almost getting hit by a train and finding a dead body or it can be something as simple as looking for your lucky quarter in the girls locker room but finding out something more meaningful in the process.

This was a very fun project. I think so far, this has got to be my favorite course that I have taken. I really admire directors, screenplay writers, actors  and everyone else who helps the production of a film. I got the opportunity to learn so much about something that I already really liked. I think out of all 3 units, pre production was my favorite because I love the costume design and set design process. I’m also glad that i finally got the chance to watch Stand by me so I can finally understand all of the references.