At first, the style of this film bored me. Getting into the film a bit more, it intrigued me. The style really complemented the ideas of the film. I thought this short film's high point was not anything in particular, but the way all the aspects of it lined up.
The shots were very simple yet aesthetically interesting. The entire point of the film was about simplicity. The droning tone of the narrator was simple. The fact that it was black and white was simple.
I enjoyed this short and its meaning. It was simple and it got its point across. I agree with some interpretations I read that DE (doing easy) also applies to filmmaking. I think the idea of this film is really what brought it together. No other aspect of it really stood out and I think there's a reason for that; for the meaning to be the most prominent aspect. I thought this was a very well-put together film.
Bonnie Gross: At first “The Discipline of D.E.” bored me. It was not until about 2 minutes in that I realized why the tone was very basic. This was because the message itself was about simplicity. The film’s black and white nature, monotone voice over and simple images, all emphasize the overall theme of “do easy.” I loved the message of the entire short and how it connected to filmmaking. If you mess up a sequence, just re-do it, as simple and easy as possible. Although it connected to filmmaking, I believe the message holds true to many things in life. As I kept watching I felt the need to look back on stupid trip ups I made in my day and re-do them. Also, I thought that the composition of each shot was interesting in itself. The compositions were very basic, but done very well in regards to being aesthetically pleasing. Even though the entire short was simple, I thought that this made the message even better. Do easy!
"The Discipline of D.E." was a nice short piece. At the beginning, I had no clue what D.E meant or what I was about to see, but as the short continued the narrator clearly explain what D.E. means (do easy) and how he explain D.E. was a perfect example of doing easy, paying attention to the details. I liked this short because it had a message in it. It inferred that people should not be lazy when doing simple things because being lazy and not performing different duties with precission and details can cause chaos. Having the many examples of how D.E. can help us with everyday life helped move the short along. It had different examples and different way D.E. can positively affect our everyday lives. I also like the monotone nature of the narrators voice because it added on the the D.E. nature. He was no speaking to fast, slow, loud, of soft. The way he narrated the piece was just right. Finally, I liked how the short was ended using and example of an old western two person shoot out example. We all know that in order to win, the person has to successfully shoot the other person before he shoots you. So someone has to pay attention to the detail and D.E. rather than being lazy or rushing it. The is was great way to end the short, it was nice, simple, and easy.
As a psychological piece, this film is quite interesting. It plays upon the illusion of all circumstances being under our direct control, all our 'mistakes' as somehow being the result of a failed decision. It proposes what seems to be a logical set of steps and solutions to getting better at doing just about anything, but the principle at work is actually simply that of practice. It toys with the concept of being a truly profound work, applying a sort of tongue in cheek wisdom.
On the other hand, as a film, I'm not sure I really liked it that much. Almost everything critical to the storytelling information was contained within the narration; I doubt that removing the visuals entirely would have impeded the message. While there were a couple interesting visual effects, like the chair sliding into the way of the student, overall it was basically something to look at while I paid attention to the narration. The final scene utilized the visuals as a narrative element, but by that point I was far less interested in the outcome than how D.E. would be applied, to which the film offered a rather unsatisfying conclusion.
Overall, an interesting piece, well paced, well shot, but in my opinion quite redundant.
The short film “The discipline of D.E.” is pretty interesting. In fact, the entire premise behind the narrative was also placed sarcastically into the style of filming. The cinematography, lighting, and style is about as simple and bare-bones as could possibly be imagined.
Also, the dreary style of the film reminds us about something else. A simple chair sliding or a tracking shot may seem interesting while we are filming it, but it is the overall result that matters the most.
After the basics are perfect, more needs to be added on. Believable special effects, a lively narrator, color, good actors, a way to tell the story visually, high definition graphics, etc. could all have been added to the short film with ease. So in the end, to me, the message that this short film gives is “break things down to their most basic, perfect them, and then build up from there.”
This short made me think about all the small things in life, and the little mistakes that can easily be adjusted. I thoroughly enjoyed the short.
At first, it was not catching my attention with the first two minutes. Then when the silverware and plates landed perfectly in the drawer and cabinet, I understood the title of the film.
I feel that I can supplement D.E. into my life and do everything perfectly. The message is to learn and become a master of an action, repetition is key.
Steven Hiott The discipline of D.E. was intriguing to me, because although I felt bored while I was watching it, the films 9 minute run time seemed to end just as soon as it had started. As another black and white film, I thought the director did a good job using close ups of individual objects to distinguish them. The vivid descriptions of each object also helped this. The narrator did seem a little dry, but his monotonous tone seemed to convey many peoples' outlooks on life that The D.E. Discipline seems to be trying to escape from.
I found the descriptions of actions, especially the grabbing the objects lightly and the zipping up of the zipper, pretty funny and was not expecting to laugh as much as I did during the short.
The definition of D.E., "doing everything you do in the most relaxed and easiest way possible" seems to sum up the short well. One should not make the same mistake twice, because he should learn from every mistake made, and in this way learn the little miracles of life.
Film reel style flick (shot in the 80s), which is fine, yet the voice of the narrator is quite arduous. Already tired (literally) of his monotone voice. The voicing is apparently purposeful since it is called “Do Easy”. Enjoy the scene where the cinematography showcases his “zen master skills”. This philosophy “be relaxed in everything you do” certainly starts to validate the angle the director has taken. It is also very poetic but still does not fully get this short out of trouble by my definition. While what is visually works with the audio, it fails to garner the same attention and interest that the audio has. At least in its advice giving the writing incorporates humor that amplifies the simplicity of the visuals. Of all of the shots the one that is the most creative is along the “repeat the sequence” train of thought. When the man is acting clumsily the shot literally has the chair jump in front of him. The Gunslinger references translate the message of “do easy” practically to “don’t do wrong”, then literally to “how fast can you take your time” which is the entire point of the flick.
The Discipline of D.E. was interesting-ish. Boring shots and the storyline wasn't all that interesting. I did find some of it comical. For example the meaning of D.E.: "Doing Easy", how to set things down, and to repeat an action over if you do it to roughly. Oh and who in the world thinks it's is a good idea to put a tape recorder under the sink!! Terrible place to put an electronic that could be possibly ruined by any type of liquid! Obviously, that student needs to rethink whether thats really D.E.
The storyline or the instructions on D.E. let the viewer think back on their own actions. When I was watching it, I was thinking about how I set things down or whether I move a certain way around my apartment. But it didn't give me any motivation on changing what I do already.
Honestly, it just seemed to show a silly way of doing things or a very OCD way of doing things?
I wasn't blown away by this short. It was kind of print. The cinematography wasn't amazing. I liked the message of the short and I think that it can be applied to anything in life. It's cool to see such a big name in Hollywood (Van Sant) starting out making simple short films like this one.
Rebecca Bynum: "The Discipline of DE" started out very boring and in all honestly it stayed boring. The narrative story of "Do Easy" is a concept that everyone should think about in their everyday life because as the film states, it can change the outcome of simple chores. I liked out the simple phrase "Do Easy" was related back to film. For an example the narrator tells the audience to go back and redo the action like you would re shot a scene in a film. The cinematography of the short was plain, black and white and explaining everything while the audience is watching it unfold in front of them. I typically like black and white films but this short did not stick out to me. I felt bored watching the whole nine minutes the film played out because it did a poor job of grabbing my attention in the beginning.
The Discipline of D.E was not my favorite short, but I understood it more than others. At first I was a bit bored because of the choice of how the scenes were shot and how the narrative was being told. After I got over that and focused more on the details, I was fine. It is not a mystery that this was shot a long time ago, but the lighting was pretty good to me. I liked how even then, details were important to the overall image and the story being told. Then when I began to truly listen to the message being told. I realized that many of those simple things that we seem to look over on a day to day basis are as real as they could be. Although some of the examples were a bit annoying, I did think that it was a pretty good short none the less.
Joel Jarvis The monotoneness of the narrator almost put me to sleep.. But I feel like it occumpanied the idea that this man had spent so much time doing the same thing over and over that he discovered the best and most efficient way to do anything. and now that person is making an instructional how to video. Except if you have OCD you dont need to watch this because you technically already do these things. I am curious to know how the scene with the cutlery was accomplished.
Kaitlin Smith: The beginning of, “The Discipline of D.E.,” by Gus Van Sant, was pretty boring. I didn’t understand what was happening until 2-3 minutes into the film. The cinematography was good, and the reason I just say that is because there wasn’t anything special behind the shots, they were just “simple.” And no visual striking camera angles. I did like how this film was black and white it gave the lighting and cinematography something extra. I am not sure if I liked this film that much, because I don’t really know what exactly was going on or happening during the entire short film. I definitely believe it was psychological and had to do with our minds. Overall I think D.E. – Doing Easy, is something I definitely need to put back into my life, so I believe this short taught me a lesson and probably others as well.
Lauren Musgrove:
ReplyDeleteAt first, the style of this film bored me. Getting into the film a bit more, it intrigued me. The style really complemented the ideas of the film. I thought this short film's high point was not anything in particular, but the way all the aspects of it lined up.
The shots were very simple yet aesthetically interesting. The entire point of the film was about simplicity. The droning tone of the narrator was simple. The fact that it was black and white was simple.
I enjoyed this short and its meaning. It was simple and it got its point across. I agree with some interpretations I read that DE (doing easy) also applies to filmmaking. I think the idea of this film is really what brought it together. No other aspect of it really stood out and I think there's a reason for that; for the meaning to be the most prominent aspect. I thought this was a very well-put together film.
Bonnie Gross: At first “The Discipline of D.E.” bored me. It was not until about 2 minutes in that I realized why the tone was very basic. This was because the message itself was about simplicity. The film’s black and white nature, monotone voice over and simple images, all emphasize the overall theme of “do easy.”
ReplyDeleteI loved the message of the entire short and how it connected to filmmaking. If you mess up a sequence, just re-do it, as simple and easy as possible. Although it connected to filmmaking, I believe the message holds true to many things in life. As I kept watching I felt the need to look back on stupid trip ups I made in my day and re-do them.
Also, I thought that the composition of each shot was interesting in itself. The compositions were very basic, but done very well in regards to being aesthetically pleasing. Even though the entire short was simple, I thought that this made the message even better. Do easy!
Nia Barnes
ReplyDelete"The Discipline of D.E." was a nice short piece. At the beginning, I had no clue what D.E meant or what I was about to see, but as the short continued the narrator clearly explain what D.E. means (do easy) and how he explain D.E. was a perfect example of doing easy, paying attention to the details. I liked this short because it had a message in it. It inferred that people should not be lazy when doing simple things because being lazy and not performing different duties with precission and details can cause chaos.
Having the many examples of how D.E. can help us with everyday life helped move the short along. It had different examples and different way D.E. can positively affect our everyday lives. I also like the monotone nature of the narrators voice because it added on the the D.E. nature. He was no speaking to fast, slow, loud, of soft. The way he narrated the piece was just right.
Finally, I liked how the short was ended using and example of an old western two person shoot out example. We all know that in order to win, the person has to successfully shoot the other person before he shoots you. So someone has to pay attention to the detail and D.E. rather than being lazy or rushing it. The is was great way to end the short, it was nice, simple, and easy.
Mike McGee:
ReplyDeleteAs a psychological piece, this film is quite interesting. It plays upon the illusion of all circumstances being under our direct control, all our 'mistakes' as somehow being the result of a failed decision. It proposes what seems to be a logical set of steps and solutions to getting better at doing just about anything, but the principle at work is actually simply that of practice. It toys with the concept of being a truly profound work, applying a sort of tongue in cheek wisdom.
On the other hand, as a film, I'm not sure I really liked it that much. Almost everything critical to the storytelling information was contained within the narration; I doubt that removing the visuals entirely would have impeded the message. While there were a couple interesting visual effects, like the chair sliding into the way of the student, overall it was basically something to look at while I paid attention to the narration. The final scene utilized the visuals as a narrative element, but by that point I was far less interested in the outcome than how D.E. would be applied, to which the film offered a rather unsatisfying conclusion.
Overall, an interesting piece, well paced, well shot, but in my opinion quite redundant.
Hampton Bradshaw:
ReplyDeleteThe short film “The discipline of D.E.” is pretty interesting. In fact, the entire premise behind the narrative was also placed sarcastically into the style of filming. The cinematography, lighting, and style is about as simple and bare-bones as could possibly be imagined.
There are a few modest special effects such as a sliding chair, but is otherwise as blasé as possible. The entire film emphasizes an important and underappreciated value: perfect the basics. Sometimes, we get caught up in the special effects or the music or the lighting, and we forget things like the camera and the plot. Make sure that you have all of the simplest elements of a film well at hand before getting over-ambitious.
Also, the dreary style of the film reminds us about something else. A simple chair sliding or a tracking shot may seem interesting while we are filming it, but it is the overall result that matters the most.
After the basics are perfect, more needs to be added on. Believable special effects, a lively narrator, color, good actors, a way to tell the story visually, high definition graphics, etc. could all have been added to the short film with ease. So in the end, to me, the message that this short film gives is “break things down to their most basic, perfect them, and then build up from there.”
Calvin Ross:
ReplyDeleteThis short made me think about all the small things in life, and the little mistakes that can easily be adjusted. I thoroughly enjoyed the short.
At first, it was not catching my attention with the first two minutes. Then when the silverware and plates landed perfectly in the drawer and cabinet, I understood the title of the film.
I feel that I can supplement D.E. into my life and do everything perfectly. The message is to learn and become a master of an action, repetition is key.
DO IT RIGHT!
Steven Hiott
ReplyDeleteThe discipline of D.E. was intriguing to me, because although I felt bored while I was watching it, the films 9 minute run time seemed to end just as soon as it had started. As another black and white film, I thought the director did a good job using close ups of individual objects to distinguish them. The vivid descriptions of each object also helped this. The narrator did seem a little dry, but his monotonous tone seemed to convey many peoples' outlooks on life that The D.E. Discipline seems to be trying to escape from.
I found the descriptions of actions, especially the grabbing the objects lightly and the zipping up of the zipper, pretty funny and was not expecting to laugh as much as I did during the short.
The definition of D.E., "doing everything you do in the most relaxed and easiest way possible" seems to sum up the short well. One should not make the same mistake twice, because he should learn from every mistake made, and in this way learn the little miracles of life.
Andrew Wallace
ReplyDeleteFilm reel style flick (shot in the 80s), which is fine, yet the voice of the narrator is quite arduous. Already tired (literally) of his monotone voice. The voicing is apparently purposeful since it is called “Do Easy”. Enjoy the scene where the cinematography showcases his “zen master skills”. This philosophy “be relaxed in everything you do” certainly starts to validate the angle the director has taken. It is also very poetic but still does not fully get this short out of trouble by my definition. While what is visually works with the audio, it fails to garner the same attention and interest that the audio has.
At least in its advice giving the writing incorporates humor that amplifies the simplicity of the visuals. Of all of the shots the one that is the most creative is along the “repeat the sequence” train of thought. When the man is acting clumsily the shot literally has the chair jump in front of him. The Gunslinger references translate the message of “do easy” practically to “don’t do wrong”, then literally to “how fast can you take your time” which is the entire point of the flick.
Ellen Schwartz
ReplyDeleteThe Discipline of D.E. was interesting-ish. Boring shots and the storyline wasn't all that interesting. I did find some of it comical. For example the meaning of D.E.: "Doing Easy", how to set things down, and to repeat an action over if you do it to roughly. Oh and who in the world thinks it's is a good idea to put a tape recorder under the sink!! Terrible place to put an electronic that could be possibly ruined by any type of liquid! Obviously, that student needs to rethink whether thats really D.E.
The storyline or the instructions on D.E. let the viewer think back on their own actions. When I was watching it, I was thinking about how I set things down or whether I move a certain way around my apartment. But it didn't give me any motivation on changing what I do already.
Honestly, it just seemed to show a silly way of doing things or a very OCD way of doing things?
I wasn't blown away by this short. It was kind of print. The cinematography wasn't amazing. I liked the message of the short and I think that it can be applied to anything in life. It's cool to see such a big name in Hollywood (Van Sant) starting out making simple short films like this one.
ReplyDeleteRebecca Bynum: "The Discipline of DE" started out very boring and in all honestly it stayed boring. The narrative story of "Do Easy" is a concept that everyone should think about in their everyday life because as the film states, it can change the outcome of simple chores. I liked out the simple phrase "Do Easy" was related back to film. For an example the narrator tells the audience to go back and redo the action like you would re shot a scene in a film. The cinematography of the short was plain, black and white and explaining everything while the audience is watching it unfold in front of them. I typically like black and white films but this short did not stick out to me. I felt bored watching the whole nine minutes the film played out because it did a poor job of grabbing my attention in the beginning.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Brown
ReplyDeleteThe Discipline of D.E was not my favorite short, but I understood it more than others. At first I was a bit bored because of the choice of how the scenes were shot and how the narrative was being told. After I got over that and focused more on the details, I was fine. It is not a mystery that this was shot a long time ago, but the lighting was pretty good to me. I liked how even then, details were important to the overall image and the story being told. Then when I began to truly listen to the message being told. I realized that many of those simple things that we seem to look over on a day to day basis are as real as they could be. Although some of the examples were a bit annoying, I did think that it was a pretty good short none the less.
Joel Jarvis
ReplyDeleteThe monotoneness of the narrator almost put me to sleep.. But I feel like it occumpanied the idea that this man had spent so much time doing the same thing over and over that he discovered the best and most efficient way to do anything. and now that person is making an instructional how to video. Except if you have OCD you dont need to watch this because you technically already do these things. I am curious to know how the scene with the cutlery was accomplished.
Kaitlin Smith: The beginning of, “The Discipline of D.E.,” by Gus Van Sant, was pretty boring. I didn’t understand what was happening until 2-3 minutes into the film. The cinematography was good, and the reason I just say that is because there wasn’t anything special behind the shots, they were just “simple.” And no visual striking camera angles. I did like how this film was black and white it gave the lighting and cinematography something extra. I am not sure if I liked this film that much, because I don’t really know what exactly was going on or happening during the entire short film. I definitely believe it was psychological and had to do with our minds. Overall I think D.E. – Doing Easy, is something I definitely need to put back into my life, so I believe this short taught me a lesson and probably others as well.
ReplyDelete