What on Earth is wrong with me? This remote learning thing is really frustrating, especially since my laptop literally went up in smoke (the laptop overheated which made the battery explode). At least I finally managed to set my desk up.

This week, we took another look at focal length, albeit looking at it from a coverage perspective. We contrasted . Upon watching the examples of Elio Petri’s work, especially To Each His Own (1967), his use of a long, zoomed-in lens as the mourners had an aesthetic that reminds me more of television coverage of a live event. However, for shots with dialogue, the characteristics of a long focal length – especially the shallow depth of field – had a more intimate aesthetic, especially compared to the cold, wide shots in A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971).

We also discussed the work of Jean Renoir. It was interesting to see how that some students dislike Renoir’s work due to its use in film classes; similar to how high school English classes ruin the experience of Shakespeare for many. While I can’t speak for everyone, I feel like it is somewhat different, because we are viewing Renoir’s films in the way that they’re supposed to be – rather than just simply reciting the screenplay. I also feel like as university students, we are also more mature, and can therefore study a piece while still being able to enjoy it in its original form.

With that being said, I really haven’t watched enough classic cinema to have an opinion at the moment – something that I know I need to change, though finding where to start is just a bit intimidating, and this is before taking into account what the definition of classic is, because one man’s Jean Renoir is another’s Tommy Wiseau. I’m looking forward to watching more once classes calm down.