Q15. How far do the American films you have studies convey key themes in similar ways?
For both Badlands and Natural Born Killers are of the crime and road movie genre. So for Mickey, Mallory, Kit and Holly their cars provide an escape for them, to get away from their dysfunctional families. The use of the colours red, white and blue run throughout both of the films as they represent the American Dream, a good example of this is where Mickey is being interviewed by the Austrailian presenter and during the interview the lighting was tinted red, blue and white as Mickey is a good example of someone following their American Dream. Another key theme is the dysfunctional family as both Badlands and Natural Born Killers have that theme running throughout. They are similar in the way that both dysfunctional families are the fathers of the female lead role; for Holly it was her father that ordered her around and stood the way of her 'relationship' with Kit. For Mallory it was her father who had been abusing her for many years. In both films it was the male lead who killed the fathers despite the fact in Natural Born Killers Mallory helped Mickey. This shows the distinct difference between Holly and Mallory as Holly stood idly by as Kit shot her father.
This follows on to one of the main genre themes in both of the films: crime. Through the different types of crime in each film may be the cause of the amount of media influence there was in Natural Born Killers whereas in Badlands there was not nearly as much. In consideration of this, perhaps it was the intense media coverage of the things Mickey and Mallory did that allowed them to escape as they somehow won the love of the people, whereas in Badlands Kit faces the electric chair for his crimes.
Perhaps one of the most important key themes is the romance theme. In Natural Born Killers Mickey and Mallory are desperately in love with one another and cared intensely if one of them was harmed whereas in Badlands Holly never cared for Kit as much as Mallory cared for Mickey, if Holly cared for Kit at all. In Badlands the romance theme is faked as the love between Kit and Holly is not real as they think. Their lack of emotion throughout the film may have been the cause of their failure to achieve their American Dream and led Kit to his death. Where as in Natural Born Killers the love and romance between Mickey and Mallory is real and clear and in the end they both achieve their American Dream and escape with their lives and even have children.
Though both films contain violence it is clear Natural Born Killers contains a fair share more, this could have been because of the time the films were set in, Badlands is the older of the two and was set in 1953 and Natural Born Killers was set in 1973. When Badlands was made many people dismissed it and now the film is considered a work of art, perhaps American needed 20 years to come to terms with the rawness of the failed American Dream until they were able to accept the content of the film.
Overall I think the key themes throughout both Badlands and Natural Born Killers are conveyed in similar ways despite their differences, the message is the same.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Friday, 29 November 2013
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Us Blockbuster Case Study 2013
Josh Hutcherson, appears in:
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Budget (Production Cost) $130million
In the opening weekend of the film it made $158million
Stars (Audience Appeal)
Jennifer Lawrence, appears in:
- The Hunger Games
- X-Men First Class
- Sliver Linings Playbook (awarded an Oscar)
- House at the End of the Street
- Winters Bone (nominated for an Oscar)
Josh Hutcherson, appears in:
- The Hunger Games
- Journey to the Center of the Earth
- Bridge to Terabithia
- Firehouse Dog
Genre - Sci-Fi/Adventure, the majority of the audience that will be attracted by this given genre would be young adults. This is because this genre gives a lot to the film industry, many successful movies in the past have been Sci-Fi Adventures such as Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Catching Fire has been given this genre as it is based in a post apocalyptic future where the children have to fight to the death inside a manipulated arena. This plot line is also rather unique to this age, although there have been other films -Battle Royale (2000)- to feature a similar children death match theme.
Production Company - Lions Gate, they have produced many movies such as: Saw, Cabin Fever, Black Swan and many, many more. This particular production company are well known for producing horror films. They are an American production company which means they will most likely work in producing high budget Hollywood films such as The Hunger Games.
Certificate - 12a. The Hunger Games was given this certificate by BBFC for containing moderate violence and threat, and infrequent strong language. Having a 12a certificate allows a movie to make a lot more money very easily; the movie will be accessible by all age groups and therefore a wider audience range which means more people will be paying to see the movie.
Marketing -
In this Catching Fire poster you see the main character Katniss Everdeen wielding a bow and arrow aiming it towards the viewer, in synergy with the catch line of the film "Remember Who the Enemy Is" it works well with the action she is taking. The poster is mainly made up of black and red colours, red is a key signal for danger and love which resembles the plot and outline of the story, black could focus on the unknown and keep the audience guessing what will happen to Katniss in the next movie. The symbol behind the main character is called the Mockingjay which is also the name to the last book in the series of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the symbol plays a key role in the movie and books as it become the key icon for the rebellion that Katniss creates in the story, Katniss is often referred to as the Mockingjay and the way they are both placed in the same part of the poster resembles this link. The title on the poster is a golden orange colour which links in with the fire theme in the poster.
Reception: The rating this movie was given on rottentomatoes.com was 90% approve of the film some positive reviews from people who had viewed the movie were; "The budget is nearly twice the original, and it shows. Great work from the A-list cast, amazing set designs and costumes." "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes the narrative and thematic liberties traditionally granted the middle chapter in a trilogy and drives the stakes up sharply." Some other negative reviews stated that "The grand climax, whose elements include a long piece of wire, a lightning bolt, and an electronic force field, is an incoherent, rapid blur that will send the audience scurrying back to the book to find out what's supposed to be going on." There were some mixed views on the movie but overall almost everyone on rottentomatoes.com was very impressed with the progression of the movie.
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Reflective Analysis
Horror - Reflective Analysis
In the limited amount of time given to us, our group had decided to make a sequence that we considered very typical of the horror genre. Considering we had only been given 10 minutes to plan and the duration of the lesson to film and the following lesson to edit, I do believe my group and I did a relatively good job. The narrative of our sequence focused upon a mystery man whose face was never seen during the entire sequence -this is something that my group and I thought was an excellent convention of the horror genre to use - that was planning to kill a female victim at a certain time, which we elaborated on by having the mystery man check his watch at regular intervals throughout the sequence. The majority of our sequence was low-key lighting and any high-key lighting that was used, was to create a false sense of security.
The editing aspect of this whole experience was by far the easiest part and my group and I added various non-diegetic sound effects to what would otherwise be an completely silent sequence. We included ticking sounds to emphasise the fact that our mystery murderer was always checking his watch, this inevitably created tension as it was counting down the seconds to the girl's murder; this along with the loud footsteps that we also added created an atmosphere that is a very typical convention of the horror genre. One member of my group even suggested that we add loud, diegetic rain as it sets the mood and then we added thunder as unexpected thunder would inevitably make audience jumpy, which is another commonly used convention of the horror genre.
In conclusion, if my group and I had been given more time to plan, film and edit, our sequence could have been a lot better, but all things considered we did relatively well and my group should be, if only a little bit, pleased with what we ended up with.
Monday, 21 October 2013
The Shining Analysis
The Shining - Redrum scene
In this particular scene, it is made very clear to me that the use of red is used throughout to alert viewers of the ever approaching danger. The mise-en-scene that is used in this clip - the red lipstick coupled with the knife and the manner than Danny is speaking - only emphasises on the fact that something is not right with Danny. The knife and the lipstick are two key elements of the mise-en-scene used in this clip. Firstly, the use of the knife which looks incredibly large in comparison to Danny, which plays on the fact that he is not only small, but a child, this made me feel very uneasy as a child should not be holding such a large and dangerous thing in their hand. A child being one of the main characters in horror films is a convention we are seeing more and more of nowadays, as it terrifies many people to see a child act in a way that destroys any innocence they may have had. The lipstick is also another key factor of mise-en-scene used in this clip as it is bright red and red in the horror genre is usually associated with blood and danger. Danny then proceeds to write the word "redrum" on the door in the red lipstick, which in the mirror reads "murder" this may be foreshadowing the murder of Hallorann later on in the film.
The word redrum is also written upon an inverted cross, which may imply that what is happening is unholy and maybe even Satanic as sometimes that is what an inverted cross is associated with, the inverted crosses are also used throughout the entire film. The way Danny is repeating redrum in a strange voice tells me that he is possessed by what could only be his "imaginary friend", that he mentions earlier on in the film, this may also be another reason there is an inverted cross as possession is also associated with Satanic concepts.
In this scene, the first thing I notice as a member of the audience is the lighting and how blue it is. Blue lighting is usually associated with being cold and left alone, away from everyone else. The blue lighting in The Shining creates a very cold atmosphere and as the lighting reflects off the snow, it makes that cold feeling increase tenfold. The blue lighting in this particular scene also plays on the fact that Danny and his mother, Wendy, are very alone and in an extremely isolated area with no one to turn to for help. This is a very typical convention of the horror genre as a lot of horror films are set in isolated, confined areas so that the characters are trapped with no one to go to for help. For me, the low-key lighting enhances the isolated feeling that seems to be a pattern throughout this scene as Danny is even more alone, as Wendy is unable to get through the window to protect him, which is horrifying for me as Danny is only a child and should not have to fend for himself in this particular circumstance. I think that the blue low-key lighting is foreshadowing the events to come in the maze as there Danny is even more isolated and alone and his father, Jack, is hot on his heels with a hatchet. The blue low-key lighting is a very important factor in this entire scene as not only does it foreshadow the events further on in the film - such as Jack dying in the cold snow, isolated and alone in the maze as he cannot find his way out - it creates a certain atmosphere for audience.
Although this film did not scare me, I did find the psychological side of this particular horror very interesting and I found that the makers of this film did a very, very good job and thought about each aspect of this film carefully and it paid off incredibly well as each part of this film came together perfectly and played with my mind and forced me to think about why each part of the film was the way that it was.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
AS Film Studies - The Lone Ranger
After the long awaited new Johnny Depp film, "The Lone Ranger" has been considered to be a box-office failure. After extensive research I have discovered why people think this film has not lived up to the expectations that it was set.
With a reported budget of $225 million, people are calling The Lone Ranger the biggest flop of 2013, as after five days in the theaters over the 4th of July weekend the remake of the 1950's TV Western had only pulled in an estimated $48.9 million. In Comparison to Despicable Me 2, which, over its first two days of release, made roughly $58 million; over five days Despicable Me 2 made a huge $151 million. Many are saying that The Lone Ranger would be lucky to pull that much in over its entire box-office run.
People also have to take into consideration that Johnny Depp is not a guaranteed moneymaker, The Lone Ranger is one of Johnny Depp's many films that have become complete box-office disasters. These films include: The Rum Diary, The Tourist and Dark Shadows. It seems that the days of Johnny Depp's guaranteed film success is over. This is a common problem, the film's audience loses their attachment to the actor/actress. For example, people will no longer go to the cinema to see a film just because Arnold Schwarzenegger is featured in it; a good example of this is Schwarzenegger's film "The Last Stand", which flopped miserably.
Alternatively, another reason The Lome Ranger may not have not made as much money as it could have is because the colours of the film are extremely dull which can cause the audience to lose interest. Disney are known for making bright and colourful films as colour is used to create a sense of wonder. Other films created by Disney such as: Alice In Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar are all box-office hits that used colour to make the film more beautiful. They used a variety of colours to capture the audience's attention and keep them interested. Whereas, The Lone Ranger's trailer gives off a very black and white feel to it, the lack of colour is sure to create at least some disinterest in the film.
Another reason that I believe The Lone Ranger may have flopped is due to the fact that the audience still have extremely high expectations of Johnny Depp's films and as this film didn't meet their incredibly high expectations, it was judged harshly. Johnny Depp himself says in an interview that "the critics had expectations that it would be a blockbuster" which, of course, was not the case as Disney is set to lose $124 million.
Of course, Disney should have considered when they were going to put this film into cinemas as the weeks prior to The Lone Ranger were absolutely packed with incredibly popular films. Man of Steel, Monsters University, White House Down and Despicable Me 2 were all set to be box-office hits. By the time The Lone Ranger was due to arrive in cinemas, film watchers will have become work out from paying the expensive cinema prices. As there was such a variety of long awaited films due before The Lone Ranger is it very likely that your average film watcher will not have felt any desperate need to go and watch The Lone Ranger. The film would have needed something very unique and never seen before to have been the box-office hit that Disney wanted it to be.
With a reported budget of $225 million, people are calling The Lone Ranger the biggest flop of 2013, as after five days in the theaters over the 4th of July weekend the remake of the 1950's TV Western had only pulled in an estimated $48.9 million. In Comparison to Despicable Me 2, which, over its first two days of release, made roughly $58 million; over five days Despicable Me 2 made a huge $151 million. Many are saying that The Lone Ranger would be lucky to pull that much in over its entire box-office run.
People also have to take into consideration that Johnny Depp is not a guaranteed moneymaker, The Lone Ranger is one of Johnny Depp's many films that have become complete box-office disasters. These films include: The Rum Diary, The Tourist and Dark Shadows. It seems that the days of Johnny Depp's guaranteed film success is over. This is a common problem, the film's audience loses their attachment to the actor/actress. For example, people will no longer go to the cinema to see a film just because Arnold Schwarzenegger is featured in it; a good example of this is Schwarzenegger's film "The Last Stand", which flopped miserably.
Alternatively, another reason The Lome Ranger may not have not made as much money as it could have is because the colours of the film are extremely dull which can cause the audience to lose interest. Disney are known for making bright and colourful films as colour is used to create a sense of wonder. Other films created by Disney such as: Alice In Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean and Avatar are all box-office hits that used colour to make the film more beautiful. They used a variety of colours to capture the audience's attention and keep them interested. Whereas, The Lone Ranger's trailer gives off a very black and white feel to it, the lack of colour is sure to create at least some disinterest in the film.
Another reason that I believe The Lone Ranger may have flopped is due to the fact that the audience still have extremely high expectations of Johnny Depp's films and as this film didn't meet their incredibly high expectations, it was judged harshly. Johnny Depp himself says in an interview that "the critics had expectations that it would be a blockbuster" which, of course, was not the case as Disney is set to lose $124 million.
Of course, Disney should have considered when they were going to put this film into cinemas as the weeks prior to The Lone Ranger were absolutely packed with incredibly popular films. Man of Steel, Monsters University, White House Down and Despicable Me 2 were all set to be box-office hits. By the time The Lone Ranger was due to arrive in cinemas, film watchers will have become work out from paying the expensive cinema prices. As there was such a variety of long awaited films due before The Lone Ranger is it very likely that your average film watcher will not have felt any desperate need to go and watch The Lone Ranger. The film would have needed something very unique and never seen before to have been the box-office hit that Disney wanted it to be.
AS Film Studies - Iron Man 3 "Personal Statement"
One of my favourite films that I have watched over the summer most certainly has to be Iron Man 3. I waited ad waited for Iron Man 3's release and yes, it absolutely was worth the wait. Robert Downey Jr has once again claimed his crown, or rather, his mask of being Iron Man. Although, Iron Man 3 was not as good as Iron Man, it was much better than Iron Man 2. All things considered, I do believe it is worth seeing. It is virtually non-stop action from start to finish; it is the most action packed out of all the Iron Man films, this kelp me interested as there was always something new going on. Iron Man 3 is smart, funny and just overall spectacular. They had great character build up, in particular for new characters, the Mandarin and Aldrich Killian; there is also great character depth and screen time for Pepper Potts in this film as well.
I personally love when a movie takes its time introducing new characters and foreshadows the rest of the film, which Iron Man 3 did incredibly well. I, unlike others, found the plot twist about the Mandarin highly entertaining and gave me the biggest laughs of the film; it was definitely one of the top films made this year. There was a lot of expectation to finish off the series in a good way. I think Iron Man 3 did that. Robert Downey Jr is so much fun to watch (and easy on the eyes, right ladies and gents?).
The emotions and stress that Stark is dealing with is interesting and not something one would usually see featured, and all the subtle references to The Avengers keeps you on your toes. The director shows us Tony Stark in ways we've not yet seen him before, and Robert Downey Jr is absolutely brilliant in the role. This is the fourth movie to feature Iron Man and each time Marvel makes the suits better than the film before. Yes, the hardcore comic book fans will have a hard time accepting that the film is not exactly like the comic, but for the rest of us, this movie has set the bar very high for other summer 2013 releases. In the end, Iron Man 3 is one of my favourite Marvel Universe films and is a great end to the Iron Man trilogy.
I personally love when a movie takes its time introducing new characters and foreshadows the rest of the film, which Iron Man 3 did incredibly well. I, unlike others, found the plot twist about the Mandarin highly entertaining and gave me the biggest laughs of the film; it was definitely one of the top films made this year. There was a lot of expectation to finish off the series in a good way. I think Iron Man 3 did that. Robert Downey Jr is so much fun to watch (and easy on the eyes, right ladies and gents?).
The emotions and stress that Stark is dealing with is interesting and not something one would usually see featured, and all the subtle references to The Avengers keeps you on your toes. The director shows us Tony Stark in ways we've not yet seen him before, and Robert Downey Jr is absolutely brilliant in the role. This is the fourth movie to feature Iron Man and each time Marvel makes the suits better than the film before. Yes, the hardcore comic book fans will have a hard time accepting that the film is not exactly like the comic, but for the rest of us, this movie has set the bar very high for other summer 2013 releases. In the end, Iron Man 3 is one of my favourite Marvel Universe films and is a great end to the Iron Man trilogy.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Trainspotting Analysis
Trainspotting analysis
The clip begins with a long shot which establishes the setting as a club, the lighting also helps us understand the setting. The clothes of Renton establish his character and the time that this film is set in, his clothes are scruffy and they look old as though they're hand-me-downs. Renton appears disheveled and just generally out of place in the club. The clip then cuts from Renton to the two men sitting apart form the rest of the club having their own discussion, with a slow zoom. The lighting around the two men is blue, for me this could mirror their conversation showing they're out in the cold with their girlfriends. The writing on the wall is an intertextual reference to A Clockwork Orange with the theme of drugs.
The clip then cuts to their girlfriends in the bathroom, it features an over-the-shoulder mid-shot of them looking in the mirror and talking, the use of the mirror emphasises their facial expressions and their conversation which is also what the two guys sitting on their own are talking about. Later in the clip the camera focuses on Renton and when he finally decides to join the rest of the people on the dance floor. The camera switches from a close-up of Renton's face to a two-shot of the women dancing and the disgust on their faces as Renton approaches them, the camera then changes back to a close-up of Renton's face which shows his indifference to the rejection, this called a shot-reverse-shot.
The lighting in the club alternates between green and red this is symbolic of people's emotions within the club. The green represents Renton's jealousy of the couples on the dance floor and his recovering from sickness and addiction of heroin. Also, the red compliments his narrating as he is talking about sex and the colour red is associated with lust and love. Later on in the clip you see Diane standing alone in white light, this could represent her divorced presence from the everyone else in the club. The white light may also have angelic connotations to Renton, she could represent Renton's saviour from the rest of the drunken, drugged mess of people on the dance floor.
As Diane leaves the club she puts on a red coat, suggesting that her attitude has changed and her character is less innocent than she appears to be in the club when she is standing in the white light. Towards the end of this part of the scene the camera cuts to a two shot of both Diane and Renton facing each other while she delivers her speech to him. In the background of this shot we see the colours red and blue. These colours between them both may be representative of the feelings they have towards each other. The blue representing the icy reaction Diane seems to have towards Renton's proposition towards her, while the red represents the sexual tension between the two.
The clip begins with a long shot which establishes the setting as a club, the lighting also helps us understand the setting. The clothes of Renton establish his character and the time that this film is set in, his clothes are scruffy and they look old as though they're hand-me-downs. Renton appears disheveled and just generally out of place in the club. The clip then cuts from Renton to the two men sitting apart form the rest of the club having their own discussion, with a slow zoom. The lighting around the two men is blue, for me this could mirror their conversation showing they're out in the cold with their girlfriends. The writing on the wall is an intertextual reference to A Clockwork Orange with the theme of drugs.
The clip then cuts to their girlfriends in the bathroom, it features an over-the-shoulder mid-shot of them looking in the mirror and talking, the use of the mirror emphasises their facial expressions and their conversation which is also what the two guys sitting on their own are talking about. Later in the clip the camera focuses on Renton and when he finally decides to join the rest of the people on the dance floor. The camera switches from a close-up of Renton's face to a two-shot of the women dancing and the disgust on their faces as Renton approaches them, the camera then changes back to a close-up of Renton's face which shows his indifference to the rejection, this called a shot-reverse-shot.
The lighting in the club alternates between green and red this is symbolic of people's emotions within the club. The green represents Renton's jealousy of the couples on the dance floor and his recovering from sickness and addiction of heroin. Also, the red compliments his narrating as he is talking about sex and the colour red is associated with lust and love. Later on in the clip you see Diane standing alone in white light, this could represent her divorced presence from the everyone else in the club. The white light may also have angelic connotations to Renton, she could represent Renton's saviour from the rest of the drunken, drugged mess of people on the dance floor.
As Diane leaves the club she puts on a red coat, suggesting that her attitude has changed and her character is less innocent than she appears to be in the club when she is standing in the white light. Towards the end of this part of the scene the camera cuts to a two shot of both Diane and Renton facing each other while she delivers her speech to him. In the background of this shot we see the colours red and blue. These colours between them both may be representative of the feelings they have towards each other. The blue representing the icy reaction Diane seems to have towards Renton's proposition towards her, while the red represents the sexual tension between the two.
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