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.

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.

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.

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.