Sex, Lies, and Videotape

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class this week we viewed the film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. A 1989 independent drama film that was directed by Steven Soderbergh. It was a launching pad of films that were not big budget but doing very well in the box office. It launched the independent film movement. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Soderbergh was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for the film. A screenplay which took 8 days on a road trip and was a look back on his life. The budget for the film was 1.2 million, and took in 25 million which at the time, independent films were not able to do but Sex, Lies, and Videotape was able to do. This film was able to the film company Miramax on the market which went to make household names for Bob and Harvey Weinstein which would go on to make and produced huge films like the Scream franchise, Pulp Fiction, and The Artist. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.    

The articule that I read for this section was on director Steven Soderbergh. It talk about his 5 must see films and facts on his past and present ventures. He began his life in film about 22 years ago as a editor then move to writing. He plans on stopping from directing when he was 51 which means the 50 year old latest film, Side Effects will be his last. He talks about his breakthrough hit that was Sex, Lies, and Videotape. He mentions that the movie fulled the era for independent cinema in America which have gone on to give light to making of films like Juno, Pulp Fiction, and Crash. He has also had a mix in some big budget movies like the Ocean's Trilogy and some big award winning movies like Traffic. Also some fun fact about Soderergh is that when he retires officially from the world of film he will spend more time on hobbies like painting which on his down time on set of Videotape he enjoyed doing to clear his mind. He also likes to shoot his own films because he has the ideas in his head of what he wants and doesn't want something else getting in the way of that. Lastly, his father enrolled him in an animation class when he was 13 but he skipped it to go to a Super-8 course instead where he made his first short film and was the only education that ever received on film making. 

http://junkee.com/soderbergh-101-from-sex-lies-and-videotape-to-uh-more-videotape/334

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

Its so surprising that someone with no education of film making can turn out such a historical film like Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It was something that the film public had never seen before. It was something that you wouldn't normally see at the box office at the time. It was touching topics like sex, sexual identity and changing the norms of normal american family relationships. The actors were all not well know but this low budget film really change their lives. The actors must have never thought that this film would have done as well as it do while shooting it. Even with non known actors, not a lot to work with and a director that kind of knew what he was doing, that were able to go against the normal Hollywood life to make a a movie title, unforgettable. This film is such much more then a a film about sex, lies, and videotape. It was a film that gave film goers something to actually look forward to watching. Something weird, and something different.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

After seeing the After seeing the film Sex, Lies, and Videotape it really gave me a positive look into independent films. I'm not going to lie, I really have a dislike for independent films. I have never been a fame of them because of the low quality of them but then after watching a film like this and really all there had was a plot and some houses and some characters, it really gave a sense of story. It had a creative touch even though the film plot and topic was so vulgar. I film like this one was not look in a positive light by Hollywood because it was not the norm but the fans of the films didn't see it that way. Fans really enjoyed the film because it was something new. People love new things. The one thing I really enjoyed about the movie was the way he incorporated the sex into to it because it wasn't too much where i felt uncomfortable. Also the performance by Laura San Giacomo who played Cynthia was really fun to watch. Even though she was villain in the film, I found myself rooting for her because of how well of actress she was. I felt she was the hidden key for the film and the reason why Sex, Lies, and Videotape did so well before and now and forever. 

http://junkee.com/soderbergh-101-from-sex-lies-and-videotape-to-uh-more-videotape/334

 CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
 3) (x ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
 5) (x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
 8) (x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
 Name: _Antonio Amorim______ Date: ________2/25/2015 _________