Monday 17 November 2014
Friday 17 October 2014
Wednesday 8 October 2014
Film Idea Based on Representation
Action Adventure Film Idea
Film Name
Bullet
Plot
Bullet is a trained assassin who is known for his gun skills, got caught up in the wrong crowd at a casino, owing around £10 million he is set off on a quest to retrieve their money and save his girlfriend from a Russian roulette game they conducted on her.
Characters
Bullet- Hero
Sarah Harlot- Princess
Nikoli Chekhov- Villain
Setting/Location
Casino
Busy city
Themes
Love
assassination
Iconography
Guns
Fast Cars
Weapons
Stars/ Actors
Brad Pitt
Jenifer Laurence
Marton Csokas
Tuesday 30 September 2014
Cinematography
Medium shot
Ariel/ birds eye shot
Zoom
Shows some part of the
subject in more detail while still giving an impression of the whole subject.
Long shot
The subject takes up the
full frame, or at least as much as comfortably possible.
Extreme long shot/ establishing shot
The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.
The view is so far from the subject that he isn't even visible. Often used as an establishing shot.
Medium long shot
The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.
The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing him in his environment.
Canted/ Dutch Tilt Shot
The camera angle is deliberately slanted to one side. This can be used
for dramatic effect and helps portray unease, disorientation, frantic or
desperate action, intoxication, madness, etc.
Tilt
A tilt is a
vertical camera movement in which the camera points up or down from a
stationary location.
Tracking Shot
Shot in which the camera is mounted on a cart which travels along
tracks.
Dolly Shot
A dolly is a cart which travels along tracks. The camera is
mounted on the dolly and records the shot as it moves. Dolly shots can provide
very dramatic footage.
Crane shot
A
shot taken by a camera on a crane or jib. The most obvious uses
are to view the actors from above or to move up and away from them, a common
way of ending a movie.
Handheld
A
camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a
tripod or other base. Saturday 20 September 2014
Vogler's Story Structure
Act 1
In which the scene is set and the hero sets out.
1. Ordinary World
The story starts in the ordinary world where the hero is
going about everyday existence, oblivious of the adventures to come. This
anchors the hero as a human, just like you and me, and hence we can associate
ourselves with the hero.
2. Call to Adventure
The hero is next presented with a wrong done, a problem or
challenge which they feel they must resolve. Thus the king calls for someone to
save the realm from a marauding enemy, a private detective has a client bring a
difficult case to them or an attractive other person is spotted in a bar. Thus
the challenge is set, to defeat the enemy, solve the murder or win the heart of
the other person.
3. Refusal of the Call
The hero may well balk at the thought of the task ahead,
perhaps refusing the challenge or having second thoughts. The problem seems too
much to handle and the comfort of home seems more attractive than the rough
wilderness or dangerous streets.
This would be our own response and we thus bond further with
the reluctant hero.
4. Meeting the Mentor
The mentor appears to help the hero prepare for the road
ahead. Thus Gandalf, Obi-wan Kenobi and a host of other wise and experienced
people teach the hero the skills they need and give them critical knowledge to
help them survive.
5. Crossing the Threshold
Eventually the hero is ready to act and crosses the
threshold, often literally as they leave the family homestead on their journey
into the unknown.
Act 2
In which the main action happens as the hero survives the
road and achieves their goal.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
Once out in the big wide world, the hero is confronted with
an ever more difficult series of challenges that they may face, ranging from
minor skirmishes and struggles against weather and terrain to riddles and
various setbacks that would defeat a lesser person.
In this way the hero's character is both highlighted and
developed. Now bonded to the hero, we feel a vicarious sense of pleasure as
these challenges are met.
7. Approaching the Inmost Cave
At last the final destination lays ahead and the hero,
battered but wiser from their trials along the way must prepare for the
ultimate test. In ancient legend, a typical 'innermost cave' is the land of the
dead or a labyrinth. It is the lair of the dread enemy where no help may be found
and only deep courage will win through. Another threshold must be crossed here
to enter the dragons' den of the innermost cave.
We swallow hard, as does the hero, at the thought of what
might go wrong. To approach the innermost cave is to face death and still go
on. This pause helps show the hero as still human and helps build the story
tension before the high point of the story.
8. The Crisis / Supreme Ordeal
At last the hero must face their deepest fears, typically in
battle with the dark villain. This is the ultimate test that the hero takes,
where the real story perhaps is the inner battle whereby the hero overcomes
their own demons in facing up to the enemy outside.
As observers, we feel scared for the hero and may be
terrified that they might fail or die. In so doing we also face and, with the
hero, overcomes our own inner fears.
9. Seizing the Reward
In defeating the enemy, the hero is transformed into a new
state where fears are vanquished and the new fearless person is born. The
reward in the story may be gaining new knowledge, a treasure or rescuing a
princess, but the inner reward is in the personal growth that is achieved.
Act 3
10. The Road Back
After the story has reached its main peak, the transformed
hero sets out home again. Having gained the treasure they are have no need for
more adventure and nothing left to prove and so set out back home again.
Setting out home is reverse echo of crossing the threshold
in setting out on the adventure. In contrast to the earlier anticipation of
danger, the anticipation now is of acclaim and rest.
11. The Climax / Resurrection
The story has one last trick up its sleeve now, having
lulled its audience into a false sense of security, as one last challenge faces
the hero. Perhaps the villain was not completely vanquished or perhaps there
are other people in need on the way back -- whichever way, we are again plunged
into another climactic event, just when we thought it was safe to breathe easy
again.
In ancient stories, the hero has to be purified before
return. After the toil of the journey and the ordeal, they are formally reborn
into a new and beautiful form.
12. Return with the Elixir
Finally, the hero returns to the hero's welcome, gives the
treasure to the proper recipient and receives their just reward, whether it is
the hand of the princess, the acclaim of the people or simply a well-deserved
rest.
In this final part, all tensions are resolved and all
unanswered questions answered, leaving the reader of the story satisfied and
replete.
Coda
Vogler's work has been both criticized and acclaimed. Whilst
some say there is nothing new in his writings and recommend the earlier
Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' or Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale, others
praise Vogler for his clarification, simplification and placing of classic
patterns into the modern genre.
Friday 19 September 2014
Film clip showing: mise en scene- Vacancy (2007) HW
21:38- 24:00
(minutes)
The scene starts off pitch black with back lighting coming from
a small slit in the window. The door then opens to reveal even more light as
the couple walks in to the room. This could connote that the room is a dark and
dangerous place to be in. the man then turns on the lights to reveal an old
fashioned motel room. You can tell this due to the furniture in it the use of
the beige colours. This would tell the audience that it hasn’t been used in a
while as the room should have been updated. There is one main light coming from
the lamp. the man the puts the bolt5 on the door, this tells the audience that he feels unsafe staying in the hotel and is also cautious.
The woman goes into the bathroom and there is a close up of
her face her expression is one of annoyance which is probably due to the
condition of the room. She walks into the bath room and turns on the light. Behind
her is an old, brown box TV which gives the room a nostalgic atmosphere. On the
light switch there is close up of a cockroach which hasn’t come to her
attention. This tells the audience that the room is in an unsanitary condition
and shouldn’t be slept in. the cockroach the craw under the rug which could
represent a silent danger as she does not see it and could foreshadows the rest
of the film; as what she doesn’t know is that there is a trap door under it. She
then examines the bathroom disapprovingly and takes some medication. The pill could
connote her mental health and suggest she is mentally unstable. From the taps
comes muddy water which adds to the horrid state of the room.
They are both in the bedroom now and each to off their
jackets to get comfortable. Both of their jackets are black which could
represent death as later in the film, some people try to kill them. The woman
the takes off the duvet from the bed to see dirty bed sheets whilst the3 man
examines the rest of the room. They both then sit on the bed fully clothes
which could connote that they feel uncomfortable in the room and tells the
audience they are on edge.
There is a close up of the man which a sad face which could connote
the regret he has and the sadness he feels that his marriage is over. The camera
then goes to the woman who has the same expression. Both of the character have
close ups of their faces to tell the audience how they feel about their
marriage.
Tuesday 9 September 2014
Introduction to Film
Today was lesson one of film studies where I was given an introduction of the course; found out what it was about and what I have to do throughout the year. I learnt about the purpose of films and how it fulfills i'ts purpose. Also I learnt about the features of film and how to analyse them. I also did two examples of movie clips in class as well.
Amelie Case Study
Background information on the Director
Jean-Pierre Jeunet was born in Roanne, Loire, France. He bought his first camera at the age of 17 and made short films while studying animation at Cinémation Studios. He befriended Marc Caro, a designer and comic book artist who became his long-time collaborator and co-director.
Together, Jeunet and Caro directed award-winning animations. Their first live action film was The Bunker of the Last Gunshots (1981), a short film about soldiers in a bleak futuristic world. Jeunet also directed numerous advertisements and music videos, such as Jean Michel Jarre's Zoolook (together with Caro).
Jeunet and Caro's first feature film was Delicatessen (1991), a melancholy comedy set in a famine-plagued post-apocalyptic world, in which an apartment building above a delicatessen is ruled by a butcher who kills people in order to feed his tenants.
Jeunet directed Amélie, starring Audrey Tautou. Amélie continued the surrealist vibe of his earlier films, but was happier in tone and added romantic and comedic elements. This story is about a woman who takes pleasure in doing good deeds but has trouble finding love herself, was a huge critical and commercial success worldwide and was nominated for several Academy Awards. For this film, Jeunet also gained a European Film Award for Best Director.
Jeunet has also directed numerous commercials including a 2'25" film for Chanel N° 5 featuring his frequent collaborator Audrey Tautou.
In 2013, Jeunet released The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet an adaptation of Reif Larsen's book: The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet that starred Kyle Catlett. The film was shot in English at various locations in Canada and in Washington, DC. It was released in 3D.
Contextual information on the film (historical/social/political)
Amélie (French: Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain) is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurent, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre. It tells the story of a shy waitress, played by Audrey Tautou, who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better, while struggling with her own isolation. The film was an international co-production between companies in France and Germany. Grossing over $33 million in limited theatrical release, it is still the highest-grossing French-language film released in the United States.
Critical reception (what the critics said and any awards)
The film met with critical acclaim and was a major box-office success. Amélie won Best Film at the European Film Awards; it won four César Awards (including Best Film and Best Director), two BAFTA Awards (including Best Original Screenplay), and was nominated for five Academy Awards.
The reasons for choosing to study this particular film over the other one(s) I have watched
The reasons for choosing to study this particular film over the others was because my mum recommended it to me and was the first one I watched from both lists as it was the first one I found on Netflix. I also found the film very interesting too.
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