Thursday, November 27, 2008

Film Technology - 1920's

The first commercial screening of movies with fully synchronized sound took place in New York City in April 1923, they helped secure Hollywood's position as one of the world's most powerful cultural/commercial systems. It would still be seven years before talking pictures gained supremacy and finally replaced the silent era.










The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson was the firsr movie with sound. Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino were tremendous movie box office draws. Walt Disney would produce his first cartoon, Alice's Wonderland. in 1926, the invention of Technicolor made movies more entertaining and memorable. Consequently, the movie industry became a major part of American industry in general.



Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation (a subsidiary of Technicolor, Inc.). Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952. Technicolor became known and celebrated for its hyper-realistic, saturated levels of color, and was used commonly for filming musicals (such as The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain), costume pictures (such as The Adventures of Robin Hood and Joan of Arc), and animated films (such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Fantasia).









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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Mise-en-scene


Costume - The costume used in this poster gives us a clue as to what genre the film is about. You can identify that it is a women that is sitting in the device as she is wearing high heeled boots, this could tell us that she may be helpless or defenseless to what happening. The use of a red cloak could connote that there is danger present and it is the thing that stands out most which could mean the idea of danger is highly significant to the movie. Her face is covered by a pig mask, which could imply that the captor could regard her as pig and gives her animalistic qualities whilst it could also be used to cover up her identity and create a sense of mystery. By analysing the costume you can tell this movie could be of the horror genre.

Lighting - The lighting in this poster is very dark as low key lighting is used. Several objects are lit up such as the mask and the contraption she is sitting in. There is a contrast of light and dark lighting which empathises whats in the poster but also gives it a dark and scary atmosphere. The lighting makes the audience focus on the character and could make the audience wonder what is going on.

Actors Expressions - The character appears to be motionless as shes its on the chair, this could show us that maybe shes not panicking or worrying. Her stance is strong as her back is straight and her legs are firmly on the floor this could show that maybe she is not a victim but she could be the captor testing out the contraption, this could also represent that she is a strong independent character, this makes several narrative enigmas that the audience would want to find out by watching the film. From knowledge of the previous films the audience know that she is an accomplice.

Make-Up - There is no visible make-up used in this poster, as her face is covered by a mask we do not know where she is wearing any. The use of a pig mask could suggest that she might be being tested as make up is tested on pigs.

Props - There are not many props used in the poster, but the main prop is highly significant as the mechanism she is sitting on is a primary focus in the poster. The audience do not know what the device does or what its for, but from the tag line in the poster "Its a trap" the audience can tell its a trap used for torture. Previous Saw film viewers would know already what the device is for. The shackles round her ankles could also show that she is helpless and that she is restrained, this also has sexual connotations.

Setting - The setting does not give much away about the film as it is not a specific location, this adds to the mysterious atmosphere and poses more narrative enigmas. The setting is dull and dark would could suggest its in a isolated place, where no one else would really go. This use of the setting is typical of the genre as horror films usually use no specific setting and are usually isolated and dark with a sense of mystery of not knowing where it is.
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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Institution Case Study



Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The studio was founded in 1919 by brothers Jack and Harry Cohn. They released their first feature film in 1922. In 1982, the studio was purchased by Coca-Cola; that same year it launched Tri-Star Pictures as a joint venture with HBO and CBS. Gower Street in Hollywood was the company's home. Columbia produced many westerns and comedies. which helped maintain the company through the Great Depression.

History of owners
Independent (privately held) (1919-1926)
Independent (publicly traded) (1926-1982)
Coca-Cola Co. (1982-1987)
Columbia Pictures Entertainment (publicly traded) (1987-1989)
Sony (1989-present)

Examples of other texts
Spiderman Series









Gothika










The Da Vinci Code



Columbia Tristar is currently responsible for recent releases like Quantum of Solace and The House Bunny. Columbia Tristar are currently owned by Sony Pictures which a subsidiary of Sony. They produce films of all genres, from horror to comedy. Sony also uses facebook to promote, this an example of how Sony is using Web 2.0 to reach to more people.


Institution Study #2



Pinewood studios is a major British film studio based in Buckinghamshire. It was founded in 1934 and in 2001 meregd with Shepperton Studio. The studios have acted as the base for two long-running British film series, the James Bond films and the Carry On films, both of which also used the studio's main buildings to represent various locations. TV shows are almost produced here with programmes such as Extras, Weakest Link and The IT Crowd.


Pinewood as played a part in producing many big name films.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The Fifth Element (1997)
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Jesus Christ Superstar (2000)
Die Another Day (2002)
The Hours (2002)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005)
United 93 (2006)
Stardust (2006)
Casino Royale (2006)
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Mamma Mia! (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Quantum of Solace (2008)







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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Peer Assesment of Trailer Analysis

Ahmed
http://ahmeddahir.blogspot.com/
(www): Excellent analysis of the themes of the production
Shows good knowledge of the production and its content.
Good use of media terminology

(ebi): More detail of mis-en-scene
Explore more key concepts

Most of this production the cuts are fast and frequent showing different faces close-up, which promotes the different society Greenford High has and again emphasises the multi-culturalness of the school. However at the beginning this isnt the case as the production begins their alot of fades in slow motion to emphasise the old school and the great significance of it now that it is gone. On 1:36 in their dining hall their is a high angled shot of regular people enjoying themselves this angled shot gives an insight of what the school is really like and again emphasises its multi-cultiralism.


Most of this production the cuts are fast and frequent showing a wide variety of different faces close-up, which connotes the different society that Greenford High has and again emphasises the multi-culturalness of the school which could also promote the school as a friendly enviroment, the use of the different close ups of people faces could also link into the song lyrics. However at the beginning this isnt the case, as the production begins there are alot of fades in slow motion to emphasise the old school and the great significance of it now that it is gone in comparison of the new school. On 1:36 in their dining hall their is a high angled shot of regular people enjoying themselves this angled shot gives an insight of what the school is really like and again emphasises its multi-cultiralism.
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Monday, November 10, 2008

Saving Faith Analysis

Saving Faith is a action thriller which deals with issues of death, guns and gang crime. After losing his girlfriend to murder the lead character is out to seek revenge on her killer and will do anything to take him down. This is a typical plot line for a action thriller film, the trailer is a linear narrative as it progresses through the story. At the beginning we are shown the lead character with is girlfriend in several scenes in which the mood is happy and joyful with the use of a non-diegetic soundtrack which is slow paced and sets a happy mood as we see what his life was like before "his world turned upside down", the lighting in this opening scenes are all natural daylight which could represent the happiness that he had. The camera shots used are mid shot and close ups which shows the characters emotions whilst also seeing their body language. As the trailer progresses his girlfriend is killed and the music soundtrack changes to a slow paced depressing song which sets the mood of anguish and despair as he grieves over his girlfriend, they have a series shots which are filmed at night with only the street lights are used as top key lighting, this use of dark lighting also makes the mood more depressing but also adds a sense of tragedy. The costumes used throughout the trailer are mostly just street wear and hoods, also worn are gloves and hats this could be to protect identity as they are committing crimes. They use a high paced soundtrack for the last section of the trailer as it contains fast paced action scenes which only last a few seconds and then cut into the next shot. The props they use are typical of this genre such as guns, knives and swords. Guns are used almost throughout the trailer, they dramatic shots such as the bridge scene and the scene where a character is hanging off a wall, these scenes will appeal to the target audience as well as the fighting and action scenes. This trailer uses many setting but it is mostly shot on the streets, in alleys, parks and general local areas, the audience can relate to this as it is similar to the surroundings they possibly could live in
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Stranger Analysis

Trailer Narrative
This trailer is based on a up coming teen drama movie based around the theme of the effects of bullying in a school environment. The victim is a new girl who doesn't fit in at the school. The trailer is non linear as the majority of the it is a flash back, the trailer doesn't follow the typical conventions of the genre as they are usually linear and the story progresses through the trailer although the theme is typically suited to the teen movie genre as it addresses issues relating to teenagers and can relate to experiences that people would in reality have to deal with. This would create genre appeal as teenagers could relate to this movie by the trailer.

Costume
The costumes in the trailer are casual wear that is typically in this genre such as jeans, t-shirts and trainers. Also the use of the bullies wearing hoods gives them an intimidating appearance. This use of costume in this trailer can give the audience even more feeling of relevance to what the subject is.

Lighting
Throughout the trailer they use natural lighting which creates a realistic atmosphere. In the scene where the character is leaning against the wall the lighting is dim as the weather is overcast which creates as lonely and depressing atmosphere. Also used is top key lighting in the umbrella hug scene which resembles a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Actors expressions/body language
Throughout the trailer there are various expressions that are portrayed. The main character has expressions of despair, loneliness, helplessness, worried and her body language empathises her loneliness and her low self esteem, she crosses her arms, sits by herself with her head in her lap also the way she walks is like someone who has no confidence, the audience can almost feel her despair with the use of these expressions and body language on the other hand the bullies express different emotions such as anger. They use violent body expressions like banging on the locker and slamming the door and using abusive language, all this makes them seem more intimidating. The bullies are also seen as more bigger than the victim as she is quite small which could be a reason the bullies target her.

Make-up
The trailer does not really use make up


Props
The props that are used in this trailer are generic of this type of film such as school bags, school lockers and school books. These props link into the theme of the setting which is school. All these elements help to emphasise the trailers realistic objective. So that the audience is able to relate to the characters and surroundings. They also use everyday objects such as mobile phones, ipod and an umbrella also creates an authentic take on student life.
Setting
The settings used in the trailer are mainly in school such as the classrooms, corridors, toilets and library. The use of the toilet cubical which shows her isolation from the school and cuts her off from fellow students. The setting is typical of a teen drama as they are usually set

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Sunday, November 2, 2008

Snatch Trailer


This movie trailer is similar to one than we want to make, a gangster genre with comedic elements. The first shot in the trailer is one that sums up the movie as it has the fast paced music with the drawing of guns but also the character is dressed up in a comedic outfit. The camera shot is sped up and zoomed in to the guns, the following scenes of the trailer show us the characters and give a background and outline of the story which also shows the conventions usually associated with this genre like gambling and guns. They use a technique which focuses onto the diamond which is the main feature of the plot line, whilst they also show the secondary plot of the fixed bare fist fighting. The trailer is appealing to the targeted audience as it features action and comedy. It is structured with comedic scenes in the trailer which contrast with the action scenes .e.g when the American talks about London "Fish, chips, cup o tea, Mary Poppins" and then the scene with the fighting is straight after. Mostly throughout the trailer they use mid range shots and close ups, with some shots sped up to emphasise the action. The music is fast paced throughout and cuts out at some moments when a character is speaking this is something that we could incorporate into our production. There is a segment of the trailer where they introduce the actors who play the characters, they freeze the shot and colour out the background and focus on the face and the actor's name, I think this is a good technique as it gives the film a light hearted cartoon like portrayal in the characters. The trailer is light hearted and hard hitting at the same time. The sound adds to the hard hitting atmosphere of a typical gangster genre film but with the editing and representations of the characters adds a large comedic element which makes the trailer two genres (comedy and gangster) which has more genre appeal.
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