Film Studies Induction Tasks 1 & 2

Film studies introduction task

 

The film I have chosen to analyse is Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Ben Mendelssohn. The movie is about a couple of small time thieves doing some jobs to earn lots of money and to frame a mobster in the process. Brad Pitt is called in to sort out the mobster and the overall result is a very bloody mess! One of the scenes I have chosen to analyse is a scene in which Brad Pitt sends some thugs to deliver a “message” to Ray Liotta’s character which only ends up being a brutal beating leaving Liotta near death. The filming style of this scene is beautiful and feels so incredibly realistic as each punch is landed whilst the rain is pouring down. From the moment he gets out of the car, the camera focus is altered and we as an audience feel more grounded to Liotta's level and we feel exactly what he feel a throughout this scene. The colours used in this scene are very dark however there is a clear contrast when blood begins to be shed as the crimson red clearly marks itself amongst dark background colours. This makes the scene even more memorable as it effortlessly tells the story amongst one scene and from this we know what to expect later in the film and the nature of it. Although it may be seen as way too violent and unnecessary, there is no denying that this scene is so well filmed and incredibly acted, making it a pure treat for audiences! On the one hand we feel a sense of shock and we don’t know if we should feel sorry for what is happening to this guy who has literally done nothing. However on the other hand, we are witnessing something phenomenal and it’s hard to look away despite the urge we may have to look away.

The second scene I will analyse from this movie, is another brutal scene on Ray Liotta’s character! It seems bad that this guy goes through so much brutality in one life however this next scene I am analysing is truly magnificent and one of the most amazing movie sequences I’ve ever seen in any movie.

The scene in question includes Brad Pitts character taking out Liotta for himself because if you want a job done you have to do it yourself. At a set of traffic lights Pitt pulls up to Liotta in his car, pulls a gun out and just unloads into the adjacent car. The result is mesmerising as the cinematography is gorgeous and sound editing of the gun shells and glass smashing is phenomenal. Despite it having some extremely gory and bloody moments in this scene, you can't say it isn’t eye candy for viewers. The colours used in this scene are very dark and suggest the theme of mystery surrounding Brad Pitts character as well as the idea that what he is doing may not strictly be acceptable let alone legal. As well as all of these amazing scenes of cinematography, the sounds as well incorporate diegetic and non diegetic sounds because while gunshots can be heard as well as glass smashing on the car, throughout this scene there is a song playing in the background which unless was on the radio, would not actually be heard at the time of this event, so as a movie technique it succeeds in being both beautiful, smart and creative. I was not expecting anything like this  when I first saw the movie but I was sure as hell impressed and it still lingers in the back of my mind like a great dream impossible to forget. The joys of this movie being rated an 18 is that nothing is held back, and I cannot help but think if this movie wasn’t rated the highest, this scene would not have been as special. So overall it is fantastic to see movies like this be made in a generation of Disney movies and superhero movies, while they’re very good, everyone needs to see a movie like this because it can even relieve some stress !! A definite must watch and hopefully after seeing these 2 scenes analysed, you will give it a watch and enjoy it as much as I did, because the general style of filming is so brilliant, it’s a sort of realistic art house Movie similar to that of 2011s “Drive" starring Ryan Gosling and also “Only God Forgives” another Ryan Gosling movie directed by the same director, Nicholas Winding Refn. These styles of filming are particularly encompassing for me to watch and I find them easy to describe how and what I like about them!

 

 

 

 

Film Studies Induction Task 2

 

The genre I have chosen to research is action movies and how they can portray the social issue of gender Inequality.

 

In action movies it’s very clear what roles are associated with gender. Typically, the women are portrayed as weak and delicate damsel's in distress. While the male characters are the tough hard man tasked with saving the woman. We see this in a lot of action movies, however recently it has had a turn with the likes of Charlize Theron’s role in ‘Mad Max Fury Road’ and also her solo movie ‘Atomic Blonde”. It was great to see a bold and badass female action character because although it was very similar to a James Bond/John Wick character, seeing this equality from Hollywood will surely boost the likelihood of actresses being cast as the main action stars in future movies. Atomic Blonde is also one of my favourite movies of the summer, if not the year so it just goes to show that when given opportunities, female action stars are loved by everyone and can even aspire young girls to follow that path, acting not necessarily becoming an assassin!

Another issue is the use of women as nothing more than sex objects in movies. When an actress is cast in a movie to do nothing more than look hot and act seductively, it can lower a film in my opinion because it’s stereotypically what men want to see. So this idea that for male viewing pleasure a female character has to wear short pants and a vest in an action movie is total nonsense and extremely sexist because why can’t a woman act how a male action star acts and do whatever he does. The recent Wonder Woman movie is a perfect example of this because it is the first time a female superhero has had her own solo movie. Gal Gadot expresses herself that more women need bigger roles in these action movies so hopefully with the success of that, it will inspire many more movies with female action leads in the future. Everyone loves a good action sequence, however when its the same thing repeated by men in every movie, it’s great to see a female action star shine through. Even when they aren’t the main star of the movie, female action stars can do some seriously good work such as Scarlett Johansson in The Avengers franchise, and Jennifer Lawrence in the Rebooted X men franchise.

There are some directors that consistently misuse female characters in movies that angers those seeking equality for men and women in movies, take Michael Bay for instance. In almost all of his action movies, the male takes the heroic lead and the female characters all wear revealing outfits and constantly get into trouble in which they have to be saved by male leads. If this were to change in future years, the roles don’t necessarily have to be reversed, but it would be great to see a female character fight for herself. Luc Besson is a good example of overcoming this because he is the visionary director behind ‘Lucy’s starring Scarlett Johansson as the female lead who is slowly accessing more and more parts of her brain. This could have easily been a male character taking the lead however it was a great decision to cast a female lead. Also in Besson’s latest movie ‘Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets’ the idea that men and women should be treated equally is present as the lead female, Cara Delevingne insists that she accompany the male hero because she is just as capable of completing the mission.

 

There’s no denying that there is still a way to go before men and women are treated equally on screen and off but we are changing as a society and that is great to see and hear so hopefully more change is to come.