Film Studies Blog

My production is the screenplay entitled "The Gunslinger's Justice", I started my coursework with an initial idea to create a screenplay set in a western environment as well as a modern day setting, the juxtaposition of environments evident in the description of mine-en-scene. I created two major characters, an older gunslinger from the West and a young boy in the modern day, who would interact with each other in both environments after a twist spawning a rivalry between the two. The main message I aimed to portray within my production is that actions have consequences, what may seem like an innocent throwaway act could actually turn your life upside down and impact you dramatically. I set out with an aim to create a narrative which developed two characters poised against each other, from very different backgrounds and a twist revolving around how the two characters came to face each other, to shed light on how a somewhat meaningless action can have catastrophic impacts o...

Jack Ross - lead Sami Brown A cowboy that lives underground in a western civilization, strikes above ground, only at night and when needed. young boy, Sami, befriends him after seeing him hurt in the street - job gone wrong for Jack, asks him to help out with a situation. Jack's job gone wrong involved another gunslinger claiming the target before Jack could, this loss meant he cannot return home until a debt is paid off. Sami's help requires his friends to be taught a lesson for being horrible to him throughout his life. cowboy agrees to help but for a price, help returning home. the boy is then pushed down a well by Jack and as he hits the floor he lands on his bedroom floor. It turns out the boy was dreaming of this mysterious figure and wakes up, gets ready then goes to a friends party. An event occurs at the party, the lights cut out randomly and the room is devoured in pitch black, screams of the boys are heard, cheering at first then they turn to horrified scream...

Experimental film – Fallen Angels: Explore how far ‘Fallen Angels’ challenges conventional approaches to narrative.  Wong Kar Wai’s 1995 film challenges conventional narrative choices in many ways including structure, camera shooting styles, and the way scenes are constructed. With also thematical and genre style differences too. One scene in particular featuring very unconventional narrative choices would be the montage sequence involving forcing a man to eat ice cream, and going into stores after they’ve closed to rob them of their goods. Nothing like this would be seen in a mainstream movie. For this reason, it is quite a shock to see the events unfold and makes us somewhat question what is actually going on? Not only this but its comedic too, the dark humour is executed well however one must consider whether an audience of long-time experimental films would find it humorous in the same way audience who are not familiar with experimental films. This whole sequence aestheticall...

Evaluation With our silent short film project, we attempted to capture the aesthetic of an authentic silent film however add a twist of the 21st century within our production. The concept of a chase sequence was a big factor in deciding our plot, we also opted for an enigma within our narrative and that’s where the notion or having a double came into play, given as during the German expressionist movement having a double in a film was common. The soundtrack we applied also gave the sense of a very exaggerated scenario, as well as facial expressions being highly exaggerated. To improve however we could have added black title cards to alert the situation and also held camera shots for a longer duration, with little cuts throughout the film.

https://youtu.be/SCcueHnZx4c

Evaluation  During production for our film, we didn’t have any major issues resulting in drastic changes to the screenplay, however minor shooting issues did cause delay to filming. As well as shooting on location in public, we knew there would be problems involving members of the public however decided to continue with our location choices. We were fortunately very lucky with weather conditions, not having a single bad day for filming which gave us more opportunities during the day to shoot any additional scenes required. We had to make some changes to the initial script idea because we believe we may have been too ambitious and had too many ideas that were difficult to represent on screen however once making these changes it was much easier to incorporate the concepts into the final piece.   While we were shooting, we kept coming up with better ways to film something or a better idea as to where the narrative will go, and so having that ability to add more ideas into t...

“Vandal” FADE IN EXT. FLOOR/WALL – DAY Reverse shot - A mask is on the floor, it is then picked up by someone and then dissolves. TITLE CARD - VANDAL EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE COLLEGE – DAY Alfie walks across the road to college, and into the building ready for his lesson. INT. BATHROOM – DAY Alfie walks into a bathroom and goes straight into the cubicle, upon leaving the mask appears in the stall and as he approaches the sink, Alfie flashes back. Alfie stands in front of mirror looking anxious, he washes his face, bending down and splashes his face by the sink. As Alfie leans back up a man in a mask is reflecting in the mirror, yet Alfie oblivious to this. Alfie finishes getting ready and walks out of the bathroom. INT. COLLEGE CLASSROOM – DAY Alfie is sitting at a computer with his headphones in, resting his head on one of his arms due to tiredness and how he feels unwell. He plays a song on his phone and begins typing on his computer when the mask appears on his screen...

Who has observed me: Caitlan Key aspects that they think I have done well: Great visual reference to recurring aesthetic qualities and overall feel of the film. Clear explanation of Nolan's choices as an auteur including cast and visuals as well as shifts in pacing. Frequent collaboration with soundtrack composer Hans Zimmer. Shot types similar throughout Nolan's work, clear to identify his work. Same use of font for titles as well as time at which they appear, at the end of most of his films. Overall very visually appealing and informative video essay Key areas for development: Incorporate others views on the auteur's work as well as views of the auteur himself and reasons for why he chose certain themes and other aesthetic features and personal touches. Refer to Nolan's views on the auteur theory, is he in agreement with it or not?

How far does 'Winter's Bone' rely upon an understanding of its social context? Set in the rural Ozarks of Missouri, ‘Winter’s Bone’ stars Jennifer Lawrence as Ree, a 17-year-old girl forced with looking after her sick mother, and her two younger siblings, all while tracking down her Father who has to appear in court otherwise they’ll lose their house. The film explores many different themes and social issues such as poverty, gender and power, drug abuse, and family, both distant and close. One scene that highlights the social issue of poverty, is when Ree has an interview for army recruitment and is adamant in learning more about the money involved. The scene begins with Ree being called up for her time, and straight away it is clear that she doesn’t quite fit in. Every other person having an interview are men, and to further add to the gender divide, Ree appears beaten up slightly implying she cannot take care of herself and that she is not powerful enough to...

Evaluation for Fractured   There weren't many problems we encountered however, filming in underpass was tricky as we kept getting interrupted by people walking through, we also struggled to make it understandable, because we knew what it was about but hard for anyone else to understand so we have added a phone call at the start to add exposition. While this does give some clear reasoning for what happens in fractured, it wasn't in our first draft and so we were unable to make it the very best, however we are still pleased with it. During editing, flickering transitions weren't the easiest thing to do however it has paid off and looks very effective. We wanted to have the timings of certain things to the beat of music, such as title letters appearing in time with our chosen song, and we feel it looks very effective and is memorable. The shots we used were varying from mid shots, to close ups and out of focus shots, this way we could demonstrate our use of knowledge...

Cinematic Ideas - First shot, POV, opening eyes, looking around, heavy breathing with diegetic sounds - The POV shot can be used to show the audience the film through the eyes of one character this helps the audience become emotionally attached to the chacter and also more scared as it could seem as if they are directly in danger  - long shots could be used to establish the scene and could for example put into perspective how derelict or deserted the place is - over the shoulder shots are some of the best for building tension as they add a lot of suspense. it is usualy used around mirrors and reflections so that the audience can see what's happening as soon as the character does, this is normaly used to show a figure stood behind a victim. - Zooms could be used to add to the dramatic effect and create the element of suspense and fear as you don't know what you are going to see next. - Low angle shots could be used to show how intimidating a villain or an object could be it...

Short Film Synopsis - Fractured Simon, a 17 year old student, lacks educational ability and has found meaning in other aspects at school. Instead of being a hard worker, he mixes with students that are into drugs and violence resulting in poor attitude at home and in school, as well as disappointing his mother. A mysterious event occurs, leaving Simon injured and stumbling through an underpass when he is snatched by a group of lads. During the time he is kidnapped he experiences a wave of flashbacks from his childhood. But nothing is as its seems and the visions seem fragmented to Simon. Over the course of these visions, Simon is alone in the back of a van being taken to an unknown place, where he believes he will come face to face with the man who took him. Suddenly the anticipation is over and Simon finds himself jolted upright in bed the next day. Confused yet nervous, Simon lives out the day like he would any other day and goes on with his life, a path on which it leads him...

Trainspotting     How does the aesthetic quality of Trainspotting depict youth and drug addiction? Trainspotting was released in 1996, from director Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Johnny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle. The film focuses on the lives of heroin addicts and the struggles they face in Edinburgh being young in early 90s. The first clip I will be analysing from Trainspotting is the very opening scene which involves Renton and Spud (Ewan McGregor and Ewen Bremner) sprinting away from security guards as it would appear they have just stolen something from a shop and so run down a street to escape. The very first thing we see is a long, wide shot of a street in Edinburgh and then all of a sudden 2 legs disturb the scene and there is a low mid shot of Renton’s feet as he runs away, also Iggy Pop’s Lust for life begins to play, this is non diegetic sounds over the images of the 2 friends running away. Next we see a double shot of Re...

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 contra...

The Poll Tax, also known as the community charge, was a tax fee to replace domestic rates in Scotland in 1989. It was specifically taxing people rather than homes. The Thatcher government was unpopular in Scotland because many people believed that her government was targeting Scotland which was true because she wanted to experiment on them as they would not lose voters, this caused mass resistance to the tax. Throughout streets of Glasgow, Anti-Tax poll movements took place because the poll tax was not replacing anything but in fact a whole new tax forcing some people to pay more and more money to the government. In Trainspotting, these conditions are mentioned when they all share the one home and it isn't a fancy home so there are obvious harsh conditions money wise. Also when Renton moves to London to become a house salesman, he shows off a worn house and eventually his friends move in because its a place to stay. Social realism in British cinema is a genre that focuses on top...