Project 3 QT from Joe Aquino on Vimeo.

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When I went to the museum of the moving image, my favorite section was probably the special effects.  Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been interested in how they make movies and seeing the displays and reading what they were used for was amazing.  What I really liked about the section is they didn't only have pieces from newer movies, they had puppets and other pieces from older movies when the technology wasn't as advanced.  To be honest I liked looking at the older pieces more than the newer because it really shows the kind of imagination you needed in order for the scene to work.  For example with the Freddy Krueger sweater, they made an oversized replica to fit actually people in so there heads can move out of it to create such a terrifying scene.  If that scene was done today, the makers of the film would've probably used technology instead of thinking outside of the box to get the job done.  Another section of the museum that I really found fascinating were the tiny replicas and models of the set for the film.  They had 3D models of the entire set for the movie so they can have a clear understanding on how to block the scene.  Once again in modern times people can make models on there computers, but then they would make an actual model.  What I learned was that some film makers still use those 3D models instead of having everything on their computer.  For me personally it was easier to look at them in model form than if I was to see them on a computer screen.

Soundwalk

Everyday when I go to school, I walk to my local train station without any music playing.  I live in Westchester, New York, which is a lot different compared to the city.  When I'm walking, I listen to neighbors talking to one another, I hear birds chirping, the wind blowing, it is very peaceful.  This is why I don't listen to my music on the way to the train station because as soon as I get into the city, I can't even hear myself think.  The train ride into the city is usually the time where I can actually enjoy my music.  When I get off the train, it turns into total chaos, but the sounds are so real and fast past that it is entertaining if you actually listen.  Going through the subway at Grand Central to get on the 6 train uptown, there is always someone playing live music, hearing people having their own conversations and living their own lives, cars honking at each other and screeching, they are the sounds of shear craziness, but it's what makes the city so great.  After a while you learn to tone down or even ignore the sounds, but taking one second to let everything in was really great.  There are so many layers in the city that all the sounds put together create the orchestra or the background music for New York City.

I have always been a fan of Quentin Tarantino but when I saw the movie Reservoir Dogs, my love for his movies grew so much greater.  One of my favorite scenes in the movie has always been when Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, dances to the song Stuck in the Middle with You, by Stealers Wheel.  I thought the audio during this scene is absolutely phenomenal.  What I really enjoy about the audio in this scene is the fact that the music is all diegetic.  When Mr. Blonde turns on the radio and starts listening to the background music, that music playing is in the world of the film which makes it diegetic sound.  I feel that the music was chosen perfectly because it shows how psychotic Mr. Blonde really is.  Later in this scene the camera moves away from Mr. Blonde and the cop that he is torturing so the audience can't see what is going on, but you can hear the screams and the agony the police officer is going through which gives the audience an idea of what is going on.  I think this was edited beautifully because sometimes the audience doesn't have to actually see what is going on, and sometimes it is more dramatic.  The way this scene was filmed was very simple, which is why it is so dramatic.  Tarantino didn't make this movie with the largest budget, which affected the way it was filmed.  The cinematography in Reservoir Dogs is not very complicated, which enhances the skills of the actors in the film.

My cousin got me into movies by showing me a student film that he had made for a class. When I saw this I was about seven years old and it was after seeing this film that made me realize what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to make movies. While watching the movie all I could think of was how he was making these people fly or walk in the air and I observed movies in that light ever since. I just figured everyone thought this way and the ideas that would pop into my head were normal. I never considered myself as an artist, but when I would analyze movies and tell my dad how I viewed movies he told me that not everyone thinks that way and he could see how passionate I was towards films. When I started making them I would always get excited going behind that camera whether it was a big day or a quick little scene, everything seemed amazing to me. When I would show my dad these films that I worked on, he pulled me to the side and simply said “Joe, this is what you have to do.” This was when I realized that what I had was a gift and that I couldn’t give up.

Ever since I started making my own films, not only would I get better at in, I was also getting more advanced experiences.  When I was in Nashville, Tennessee over the summer, one of the crewmen I was working with said something that struck me.  We make television.  We get to entertain people for a living, and we have the pleasure to make what people watch everyday.  This stuck with me ever since he said that, and it has been a piece of my inspiration to my work.  I want to make films where people can escape into a whole other world and make them experience many different feelings with something that I have created.

Over the years, I have created a sharper image of the style of movies I want to make.  It's kind of funny because when I'm around my friends, I am always told how funny I am and that my friends and I should create comedies.  I usually can't write whenever I want, an idea usually has to come to me and they always arrive at the most random times, but the best ideas I come up with are probably the last thing to comedies.  I usually write thrillers and dramas, and as funny I may be around my friends, I have always found comedies to be the hardest kind of movies for me to write.  While I write I have always found examples of my favorite directors in my work.  The films made by Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino, the Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson, and so on have always been the kind of films that really get to me, which is probably why I can't write comedies.