Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

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All in all, the actors and actresses were compelling and completely in character. The project their voices and deliver their dialogues well.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

According to what I know about cinematography, the angling and positioning of the camera is appropriate and following the 180°-degree rule. The characters in each scene are seen in the frame and the subject is focused accordingly. The camera is not shaky, and in terms of zooming in and out of the subject, it is not completely noticeable maybe because the viewers may be distracted if the editors focused on the zooming in and out in the frame. The method used on the transition between the scenes is the usual. The film's color is like an airy blue because the setting is winter and I would like to give the film extra point for that. Lastly, the shots were able to contribute to the overall mood of the theme.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

The film only showed few special effects such as the seasonal changes on the growth of the tree. This special effect is emphasized for the viewers to notice that the years have passed and it symbolizes the years that Hachiko waited on that same spot. Usually, special effects are only added to some genres such as Sci-Fi’s. But since Hachiko's theme is drama, special effects are not needed and included.

MUSICAL SCORE

The film used sounds to add to the emotion portrayed on important scenes. There were scenes where the sounds used was fun due to the cheerfulness of the dog and sad sounds to the scenes wherein the dog waits and misses his owner and the scene where his owner died. The musics used contributes to the whole beauty of the scene. The music added to the ambiance of the environment where a certain scene is played. At the end of the story, the main theme song was played.

Specifically, the soundtrack used is listed below:

- Japan

- New Home

- To Train Again

- Storm and the Rescue

- Under the Fence

- Treats from Cate

- Hachi: Waiting for Parker Again

SCRIPT

Some lines are cliché due to the cliché scenes which can also be seen on other movies such as the scene where the kids started laughing because of Ronnie's story. Bullying scenes are always used in movies but the actor’s delivery helped to enhance those cliché dialogues. The lines are uttered in a way that is related to the context and that is not questionable. On the brighter side, a lot of lines are really catchy and connects to the emotion of viewers. As an owner of a dog, I can say that Professor Parkers way of saying "Hachi" is effective. It seemed so natural.

EDITING

The scenes were logically arranged according to the given storyline. The transition effects of each scene doesn’t cause a distraction for the audiences. As seen from the movie, the editor consider all the visual and audio materials collected. The cutting of the scenes are not noticeable and it is a great characteristic an editing of a film should possess.

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