City of God

how far can it be argued that films you have studied represent a realistic representation of people and places they focus on?

To a certain extent city of god is quiet realistic in the way that it represents the people living in the favelas. this is because it is based in a real favela in rio where gang warfare is a huge problem. We can see evidence of this at the end of the film with the documentary footage that shows real interview with Knock Out Ned.

 Rio De Janeiro is host to a huge amount of youth crime. We can see an example of this youth involvement in the scene where the young boy, Steak n Fries, is forced by Lil Ze to shoot an innocent child. This act of violent dominant pier pressure is watch fuels the crime in the real Favelas.

 However it is this new blood which becomes lil ze's downfall in the scene towards the end wear the infant soldiers surround and shoot him. This is a perfect of example of a dog eat dog world

The mise en scene of City of God is very realistic...

Reflective Analysis

Aims and context

'No Redemption Without Blood'

• Opening scene from a Gritty, British, Crime film 
• Intended for mainstream Cine-literate audiences  
• Influences - Harry Brown (2009), London to Brighton (2006) and Casino Royale (2006) 
• Target audience 18+  Gritty Crime fans Mainly male audience. This is due to explicit violence and language from the beginning. The film could possibly be released as a 15 rating.  
• Apply Cinematography techniques commonly found in other gritty, British, crime film
• Explore key codes and conventions commonly found in British crime films, using genre specific mise en scene and lighting techniques.
• As Cameraman/Cinematographer, try to mimic the style of famous cinematographers such as Martin Ruhe 

Reflective analysis No Redemption Without Blood

 The film sequence that my group has produced is the opening scene to a British Crime thriller, called ‘No Redemption Without Blood’ which has taken influence from a number of films modern, british, crime films Such as ‘London To Brighton’ and ‘Harry Brown’. My groups original intention was to create a genre film which stuck rigidly to common conventions, however while creating an extract from the film we decided to change the style to be more challenging for our audience causing them to be more active. This means that the demographic changed and decrease so instead of our film being mainstream it now is more niche for independent cinemas and high brow film festivals

Our group’s original primary influence was ‘London to Brighton’ in terms of lighting, mood and cinematography this was because of how well ‘London To Brighton’ creates tension in certain scenes. We mainly focused on the cinematography and lighting in the main climactic scene, which is lit only with car headlights, we adopted this for the grand entrance of the character of The Chief in our production. Furthermore much of that scene is shot with handheld cameras, which led us to use this technique along with some extreme close ups to show characters emotions, another common aspect employed in the grave digging scene in ‘London To Brighton’.

Personally I felt that the work of Martin Ruhe in both ‘Harry Brown’ and ‘Control’ is what influenced me the most for the cinematography. After analysing ‘Harry Brown’ my group decided to film in a similar modern noir style. Focusing on his work inspired us to put the film in black and white, like in the film ‘Control’. Furthermore it meant that when we broke the 4th wall it was more obvious to our audience with the change to colour which helps make the film seem self-aware, also it is very jarring which furthers how it challenges the audience. Ruhe's cinematography style also inspired us to light the shots using a very small light source to create a tension through low key lighting, causing high contrast and shadows. Low-key lighting is a major part to the most dramatic and gripping scenes across Ruhe's work, which is why as cinematographer I found it to be very important to create the correct lighting effect for the scene, I also had to consider how it would look in black and white and whether it would have the correct impact on the audience. Moreover the interrogation scene in ‘Harry Brown’ is what inspired our opening interview, which helps to kick off the narrative with instant enigma codes of the missing mystery girl. I found that the close ups in and camera angles in this scene in Harry Brown really helped to emphasis the characters in the scene and how they react making it a very striking scene. This inspired my group to replicate this in the way that we shot it and edited it. 

Our group also decided to use experimental techniques to help challenge our audience. By using split screen like in ‘Requiem For A Dream’ we were able to break standard conventions of crime films to make a film better suited for a more active audience. The split screen effect is used to show the difference in what is happening in two different locations. Furthermore we took inspiration from David Fincher's work in the way that we chopped in single frames of figures that people would not notice fully, like the subliminal shots of Tyler Durden in Fight Club. We then decided to take this idea further by introducing screen tests of the actors in the film in homage to the work of Andy Warhol. This helped to distinguish the film from reality making the audience reflect on what they are seeing. Personally I feel that using Warhol inspired Screen Tests in our production really helps to show the difference between the actor and character, but also could show that in real life we all have to play a character. Hopefully a more active audience will be able to decode this and appreciate the meaning behind our experimental techniques. In my opinion No Redemption Without Blood would be a cult movie because it seems to target a very exclusive demographic and has taken influence from many different sources which cult movie fans would be able to identify, which would gratify them as film lovers.

Another influence is ‘Casino Royale’ there is a scene where James Bond is tied up to a chair and tortured, which is filmed in a neo noir style. This helped to inspire our scene in the way that we chose to light the hostages tied up to the chairs. Also in ‘Casino Royale’ you can see sweat shining on Daniel Craig we also recreated this in our own scene by spraying our actors with water. Light reflecting off water is a common noir convention, often sweaty faces or wet streets. It is typical to classic noir films such as ‘The Maltese Falcon’. Furthermore it is noir films like ‘The Maltese Falcon’, which inspired the slapping of the henchman in No Redemption Without Blood.

For the music in our film sequence we took influence from Tarantino films because he often uses music that doesn't necessarily fit the mood but still works well in the scene, this is what inspired the choice in music for our film. One example of how Tarantino does this is in Django Unchained with Who Did That To You by John Legend in the scene where Django rides away from the slaves in the cage. The Style of the song is not typical of the western film genre however in this scene it fits well and helps to add to the mood of the scene. This is something I feel that was achieved in the music selection for No redemption Without Blood.

 Also my group liked the non-diegetic sound used in Drive. Drive features dissonant drones to create a build in tension in the atmosphere of many scenes, for example when The Driver puts a bullet in Cook's mouth and threatens him with a hammer. We used tense drones in our film to add drama to the scene and we used them when the screen tests were introduced.

In my opinion what my group created worked well as an opening scene despite the way that the aims and contexts evolved. Its moved away from clichés by changing how we approached out audience. However I also agree that our film is massively postmodern and draws influence from a wide variety of sources. I felt that the film worked better than our original intentions as it evolved and I am happy with the final result. I feel that as Cinematographer I got some creative shots but I also wish that some could have had a better cinematic mood. More time at our original film location could have resulted in a more high quality production but this helped to inspire my group to think more creatively and develop a more challenging engaging film.

Experimental Film question

Discuss some of the ways in which the film or video work you have studied for this topic requires  different kind of spectatorship from which which spectators to their mainstream film going.

In the experimental films I have studied use many different film techniques and vivid imagery which attracts a different kind of spectatorship and audience. Experimental cinema often pushes the boundaries of conventional film and appeal to a niche high brow demographic.

In the Andy Worhol Film Eat, Worhol Challenges the common conventions of narrative and also becomes very personal and voyeuristic by focussing on a subject with steady cam while the subject carries out everyday tasks. This theme of scopophilia runs throughout wormholes films because of his own personal interest with focussing on the norm. This use of focussing on people causes people to feel uncomfortable  

Fight Club Question

How useful has a particular approach been in gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

The film Fight Club by David Fincher was released in 1999, a time where men were becoming more feminine and lacked many strong male role models. I feel that understanding the crisis of masculinity has helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the time that this film was made and how men were considered to be less manly. 

One example of how Fight Club represents the risks of masculinity is in the secs where The narrator visits the testicular cancer support group. This is good for highlighting the crisis of masculinity because the men at this group have had there testicles (their manliness) removed. Furthermore they are gathered in a basketball court where men often play sport, however these men are sat round in low-key lighting looking defeated and emotional. Also you can tell from the mens body language that the sat femininely. In Addition the fact that they are not playing sport could be a subtle nod by the director to them not having any balls. Moreover in this scene we can see an American flag hanging in the background, this helps to establish that this problem is rooted in the west. 

Another example of how the crisis of masculinity is shown is where Marla tells The Narrator that she has more right to be at a testicular cancer group than him. This highlights his own personal lack of manliness. This has helped me to develop a deeper understanding of Fight Club.

Another scene which conveys the loss of masculinity within The Narrator is where we see Jack on the   toilet flicking through an Ikea catalogue when he states that he used to look at porn but now its furniture mags. this shows that he has lost his male sexual desire and replaced it with an addiction to buying furniture.

Furthermore Later in the film we can see Jack look (in slow motion) at Tyler showing affection towards Angel Face and when the shot reverses to show his jealous face. This brings into question his own sexuality when he later beats Angel Face to a pulp.

response

'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]

Experimental films are full of strange mixtures of images, situations, words and expressions that may not tell a cohesive story but, in the end, don't have to in order to achieve an emotional goal. This type of film therefore requires the spectator to shift their conventional cinematic expectations to accommodate more radical narrative techniques, themes and meaning construction. 

Un Chien Andalou, the infamous 1929 surrealist short film from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, attests to this. Now add your personal response and discussion of spectatorship issues
When I watched Un Chien Andalou I was first confused be the odd imagery of the film and was challenged by the lack of narrative and continuity but after the initial impact of the film I found that I could watch the film without the same feeling of confusion. I felt that I was starting to question the metaphors represented in the film. Although the film was serious I found myself laughing at certain parts that I felt looked weird, such as the woman getting ran over and the dribbling man as he gropes a woman. 



Chris Marker became known internationally for the short film La Jetée (1962). It tells of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel by using a series of filmed photographs developed as a photomontage of varying pace, with limited narration and sound effects. Now add your personal response and discussion of spectatorship issues

For me, watching La Jatee was easier than watching the other experimental films because it was the most conventional as far as narrative goes. the series of pictures were so well taken it was like watching a normal film. However i did find it a bit slow paced. although I did like the paradox ending and the ideas behind the story which I thought was very thought provoking. I thought that the idea of the narrative where people get inserted into a dream world/ fake reality reminds me of the matrix and the story behind the game assassins creed.

Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) is a work that maintains all of the mystery, tranquility, unpredictability, and personal attachment that is ever present within the world of dreams. Now add your personal response and discussion of spectatorship issues
 I felt that I could not connect with this film and I was bored by the repetitive cycles in the narrative and felt that the soundtrack was unnerving. However I did like the camera work on the stairs which was both disorientating and unique.

Urban Story

For our urban story we took inspiration from the french urban story La Haine. We did this through the use of many different cinematography and editing techniques. Furthermore we also adopted some of the themes used throughout La Haine, such as the feeling of boredom and lethargic behaviour, We conveyed this by by showing how time passed by slowly with the use of long shots and the use of showing the time which is also a motif in urban stories. La Haine uses black and white footage which we have mimicked in our urban story. Also the characters in La Haine also loiter throughout the film so we got Ellis to loiter. Also in La Haine the main character are also influenced by American Gangsta Rap so we used none diegetic Gangsta Rap.

Good points

1. Good Cinematography 
2. Good Framing 
3. 
   

Bad points

1. Needs more reference to place 

City of god

Discuss some of the techniques used in your chosen films to provoke audiences into taking a particular point of view towards characters and key events.

Within the Urban Stories that I have studied there a number of techniques used to to help provoke audiences into responding in various ways and take a particular point of view towards individual characters and certain key events in the narrative. 

The first shot that the audience can see in city of god is a knife being sharpened and then a cut to black. This shows how immediately that the film is set in violent place. The knife is shown in a close up and the only noise is the diegetic sound of the knife as it is sharpened. then as the shot cuts to black we hear diegetic music of a Brazilian band playing this highlights the setting of film making the audience make a link between Brazil and violence. Also the shot constantly changes with a fast pace of editing which causes the audience to feel confused and disorientated. In amongst the series of shot we can chickens being slaughtered this represents what happens to people who live there, which is another way that the film causes the audience to take a certain view of Rio De Janeiro in the opening scene.
La haine - gun 

After one of the chickens escapes from the roof of the building where the chickens are being killed it is chased by a group of armed kids through the narrow alleyways of the slums. The use of fast editing and handheld tracking shots give the audience the interpretation that Rio is a barbaric, hostile place. This use of camera work makes the kids look like a pack of animals rather than a groups of children. However it is shown that the children learn their behavior from other the older "hoods" in the film by how Lil' Ze orders them to chase the chicken. This is also shown in the scene in City of God where Lil' Ze forces Steak n' Fries to shoot a child of a similar age to himself. Also in the film La Haine we see a child intimating Vinz smoking and shooting in the cinema scene. 

One of the themes of the urban stories that I have studied is that the characters are trapped by there environment and can not escape to start a new life. This is shown in City of God where .... tries to escape with his girlfriend but is instead gunned down by the police. This also an example of how characters in urban stories cannot sustain a romantic relationship. Both these themes are also present in La Haine, In the character Hubert. He talks to his mother about leaving but in the end he ends up shooting a police man, and he tries to chat up a girl but instead his friends ruin his chances with her entirely. 

Useful notes for my script

I have chosen these Films to focus on because they are all from different Genres and they all show an idea of a controlling higher power and characters struggling to cope. My main focus film is Full Metal Jacket, this is because of the extensive highlighting of corrupt authority figures and the theme of hierarchy.

Kubrick chooses to make films films where there is a higher power

The complete Kubrick by David Hughes
comments on "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia"
- mad with power / relates to full metal jacket and a clockwork orange

Auteur Theory Book
this helps explain 'the auteur theory' which can help me to explain how Kubrick is an auteur helps me show my evidence for how he is one.

Websites
http://auteurcast.com/2012/06/04/episode-104-stanley-kubricks-full-metal-jacket/ < this helps express the loss of identity in FMJ and how it contrasts with apocalypse now and how the names of the characters are forced on them by the gunnery sergeant

http://www.film4.com/special-features/5-min-guides/stanley-kubrick 
This website states how kubricks work is philosophically based hinting that he may convey his personal ideological and political views and messages in his films.
'Whilst his films were philosophically based, they also presented moviegoers with some of cinema's most abiding images'
this pages also touches on Clockwork orange as being 'Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will' this re-enforces the idea that the characters are controlled by higher powers.
also highlights a possible motif across his films 'His movies almost all contain scenes set in a bathroom.'

Useful paragraph -
In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.
This site also says that his films are viewed as being 'Cold'


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/237-facts-about-stanley-kubricks-the-shining-20130326

this video explains the room 237 scene

in this video it states how Danny does not/ can not speak of what happens in the room which relates to how kubrick is forced to keep quiet about his opinions of the moon landing hoax which is an example of how higher power/the Government is controlling freedom of speech and the film industry (Stanley Kubrick

http://staticmass.net/deconstructing-cinema/2001-a-space-odyssey/
this resource may not be so good because it is about my rejected film and does not talk about higher power.

http://staticmass.net/the-directors-chair/stanley-kubrick/
this source is not so good but does however state that 'Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.' This could be a possible/characteristic of kubrick films  motif

http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/kubrick//
This site is useful because it shows how Kubricks work shows authority.
Useful quote about Dr. Strangelove - 'The film, which depicted mad murderous war generals, was not looked upon fondly by the Pentagon as it made fun of them, their generals and their various war plans.
It’s from here Weidner goes on to claim the Pentagon contacted Kubrick with an offers the filmmaker simply couldn’t refuse, making him a deal with an occult society that ruled the world that would give him the freedom to make the films he wanted.
It’s at this point many of us watching would ask ourselves “How could such a thing be covered up?” and “How could Kubrick go along with such a plan?” Weidner explains that filmmaker would go on to use his future films to tell us how he faked the footage and photographs and also what effect this deal with The Powers That Be would have on his life. For this, he points to The Shining as the film where Kubrick lays bare his entire story with an elaborate set of clues, having altered King’s original story to enable this.

This shows how Kubrick was personally effected by higher power.

http://everything2.com/title/Stanley+Kubrick
not useful because it is not relevant to my question.

Useful paragraph -
In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.

http://www.shmoop.com/clockwork-orange/pr-deltoid.html 

Catalogue

Focus films 

1 Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick 1987)
this film focuses on the US soldiers of the Vietnam war.
This is my focus film and is great for my question because of the key relevance to my question.
This film highlights the corruption of the hierarchy in the US army during the War in Vietnam, and how higher power forces the protagonists to kill. The film is set in 1960s America and Vietnam and shows the slow, hard struggle of training with the Gunnery Sergeant and the gradual decline of humanity during conflict spurred by the American army. Also the film is split into 3 chapters which are indicated by 3 separate fades to black the first chapter is the training, the second chapter is Joker's time as a field photographer and the third chapter is the fight to kill the girl sniper.

2 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
This film is good for showing how Kubrick conveys his ideology and opinions on authority and is a very useful source because it shares many of the themes that are shown in Full Metal Jacket. The film follows the life of a young thug called Alex. However A Clockwork Orange is set in an alternate time in an obscure British society where the authority is brutal and stern. Much like Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange is also split into three chapters Alex's gang life, his prison life/treatment and after his treatment. 

3 The Shining (1980)
The shining is a useful source because the themes of higher power that it contains are not as obvious as in my other focus films but they are still there and instead are paranormal. The shining is a horror film and focuses of the lives of the Torrance family who are left to look after a hotel during the winter and are tormented by possessive spirits. The owner of the hotel however is very similar to the way the government is shown at the end of A Clockwork Orange by how kind he is when he is getting what he wants. Furthermore I can write about how Danny is Controlled by Tony These are all examples of higher power, making this a useful source.

Texts

4 The complete Kubrick by David Hughes
This book is useful for highlighting key themes and characteristics of his films.
comments on "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia" this shows how Kubrick represents authority across his other films.
- mad with power / relates to Full Metal Jacket and A Clockwork Orange


5 Auteur Theory Book
This helps explain 'the auteur theory' which can help me to explain how Kubrick is an auteur and helps me show my evidence for how he is one. This could be very useful for my question because it gives a precise clear definition of what an auteur is and I can use this to so if Stanley Kubrick meets the criteria.


6 Media Magazine Issue 13 2005 Article title - a shining odyssey the work of auteur Stanley Kubrick.
This magazine contains a useful article on Stanley Kubricks The shining and other films such as Eyes Wide Shut and 2001 A Space Odyssey. The article touches on how Kubrick is an auteur and various techniques and themes that are contained in three of his films which all convey that he has his own style and ideologies that he puts into his films

7 Adventures in the screen trade
This article argues that auteurs don't exists because of the fact that it takes many people to create a film so therefore the idea that one person controls the style of the film is flawed. This article is useful for creating a discussion in my script because although it is true that many people make a film, with Stanley Kubrick he often took charge and supervised everyone working on the film so that he was fully satisfied with the end result.


Websites

8 The Auteur cast Episode 104: Stanley Kubrick
http://auteurcast.com/2012/06/04/episode-104-stanley-kubricks-full-metal-jacket/
This source is very useful for my research as it helps express the loss of identity in Full Metal Jacket and how it contrasts with apocalypse now which is another Vietnam war film and how the names of the characters are forced on them by the gunnery sergeant during the first part of the film. This helps convey how the protagonists are controlled by higher power just by how they are stripped of there names, it also conveys their worthlessness in the film.


9 Film 4 - Stanley Kubrick

http://www.film4.com/special-features/5-min-guides/stanley-kubrick 

This website states how Kubrick's work is philosophically based, hinting that he may convey his personal ideological and political views and messages in his films. This is very relevant to my investigation and helps enforce my argument.
This page also touches on Clockwork Orange as being 'Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will' this re-enforces the idea that the characters are controlled by higher powers.
Also highlights a possible motif across his films 'His movies almost all contain scenes set in a bathroom.' and this site also says that his films are viewed as being 'Cold'



10  Senses Of Cinema - Stanley Kubrick
http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/kubrick/
This source is great for my investigation and gives a detailed overview of the three focus films and my rejected item. It gives a breakdown of his other films and a brief overview of his life. This webpage also comments on how Kubrick is more than willing to change parts of other people work, For example The Shining by Stephen King, to convey his own views and ideas through his films.
Furthermore it Highlights how the soldiers in Full Metal jacket are faceless silhouettes at the end of the film as the walk of singing.


11  Static Mass - The Directors chair - Stanley Kubrick
http://staticmass.net/the-directors-chair/stanley-kubrick/
This source is not so good but does however state that 'Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.' This could be a possible/characteristic of kubrick films motif. This helps give evidence to the idea that he is an auteur.

12 Static Mass - Kubrick's Odyssey
http://staticmass.net/documentary/kubricks-odyssey-documentary-2011-review/
This site is useful because it shows how Kubricks work shows authority.
Useful quote about Dr. Strangelove - 'The film, which depicted mad murderous war generals, was not looked upon fondly by the Pentagon as it made fun of them, their generals and their various war plans.
It’s from here Weidner goes on to claim the Pentagon contacted Kubrick with an offers the filmmaker simply couldn’t refuse, making him a deal with an occult society that ruled the world that would give him the freedom to make the films he wanted.
It’s at this point many of us watching would ask ourselves “How could such a thing be covered up?” and “How could Kubrick go along with such a plan?” Weidner explains that filmmaker would go on to use his future films to tell us how he faked the footage and photographs and also what effect this deal with The Powers That Be would have on his life. For this, he points to The Shining as the film where Kubrick lays bare his entire story with an elaborate set of clues, having altered King’s original story to enable this.
This shows how Kubrick was personally effected by higher power.



Videos

13 Stanley Kubrick a life in picture
this is very useful for my question because it gives an overview of Kubrick and helps explain the reason behind many of his film making decisions.

This documentary touches on how Kubrick was threatened by the FBI that they would begin an investigation into the set designs of Dr Strangelove which relates to how Kubrick's personal interactions with the government. This relates to how he may use protagonists to show the oppression of higher power in his films.

14 Faked Moon Landing Hidden Subliminal Messages in Stanley Kubrick's Movie "The Shining"

This video explains the room 237 scene.

In this video it states how Danny does not/ can not speak of what happens in the room which relates to how kubrick is forced to keep quiet about his opinions of the moon landing hoax which is an example of how higher power/the Government is controlling freedom of speech and the film industry.

Rejected items

Rejected Texts
Static Mass - 2001 A Space Odyssey

http://staticmass.net/deconstructing-cinema/2001-a-space-odyssey/

This resource may not be so good because it is about my rejected film and does not talk about higher power which my other films focus on. Therefore this article lacks relevance.

Everything 2 - Stanley Kubrick
http://everything2.com/title/Stanley+Kubrick
Not useful because it is not relevant to my question. This article gives an overview of his life and career instead on conveying his key ideologies and views of higher power or how it controls society.

23.7 facts about Stanley Kubrick
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/237-facts-about-stanley-kubricks-the-shining-20130326
This webpage does not show Kubricks views or opinions on authority or higher power or reference how he is an auteur. It only gives interesting facts about the making of the shining and who it influenced after its release. This does not make this a very valuable source for my research.

2001 A Space Odyssey
This is my rejected film because I find that it is too similar to full metal jacket and a clockwork orange with the way the higher power is represented, so I decided to use the shining instead because the element of higher power is the force that possesses jack and torments the family in the hotel rather than hierarchy like in my other focus films

La Haine Film Clip Analysis

La Haine Film Clip Analysis 

How far does the impact of the films you have studied

 depend on distinctive uses of film techniques? 

In the film La Haine the use of key cinematic techniques is important in representing the key ideas and beliefs of the characters in the film. 

The film is shot in black and white, this shows the definite message of racial oppression throughout the narrative, and re-enforces the idea that the live in a place with old fashioned views on how ethnic minorities are oppressed in modern day france. also through out the film there is a constant use of slow paced editing this is shown especially in the scene where Vinz and Hubert go to the police station to collect Said, this helps to show their facial expressions as they witness the the damage and distraction in the station. Personally i feel that this scene helps to show the reality of the damage caused by the riots and how it has made a clear divide between the police force and the youth. This is also re-inforced by the use of shallow focus to state the obvious divide between the teenagers and authority. 

Also in this shot we see Hubert in the foreground and the police in the background in a long shot. This highlights a clear conflict emphasising the conflict. 

Furthermore in the Police Station as Said is walking towards the stairs the camera tacks his movements and he is in the centre of the frame showing that he is the main focus, but when he reaches the stairs the Police officer pushes him aside (out of the centre of the frame) this shows his dominance and how the Police are in control. I feel that this is a powerful shot and completely summarises how the ethnic minorities are oppressed and pushed aside throughout the film. 

After the police station scene the camera tracks the three lads as they walk away. the camera is hand held and follows them with one singular shot the slow paced editing, i feel, shows how in the rough French urban estates time goes by very slowly. Furthermore I believe it shows how the characters are united. However as Hubert finds out that Vinz had a gun on him the camera instantly cuts to show him and Vinz as being opposed. This is done through the 180 degree rule, Hubert and Vinz are now not shown in the same shot again in this sequence. However Said is often shown in shots with both characters. This help re-enforce the theme of him being the idea of fraternity as he attempts to keep Vinz and Hubert together. Fraternity is one of the three words in the french motto. This conflict between the characters shows how without proper role models and guidance the characters will resort to what they have learnt from western culture (violent films). This is a key motif to Vinzs character as he is often shown throughout the film quoting violent films and pointing his fingers in a gun shape. This behavior is also show to transfer from him own to a small boy who watches and mimics Vinz in the cinema in Paris.

Clip 5

in car fixed shot 

shallow focus close ups Vinz 

long sustained shots 

slow pace of editing 

tracking shots highlights facial expressions 

shallow focus shows opposition and separation between youth and authority 

continuous shots 

vengeance graffiti  

Siad is in cetre of the shot but is then shoved aside by the police officer highlighting a definite conflict (put in his place) possible racism 

hand held tracking shots as character walk continuous 

Hubert in centre Said is in the centre which enforces the idea that he represents Fraternity 

Division 

180 rule separation two shots 

dysfunctional family 

Film Question

Does the way Stanley Kubrick presents power figures in his films make him an auteur?

Stanley Kubrick is considered to be one of the best directors of the 20th century having made classic films for the majority of his life. He is also widely recognized as being an auteur with his own unique stylistic approach to film making. Those familiar with Kubrick’s work can probably spot how he conveys his own personal opinions and ideologies through certain characters in his movies and the way they are treated by authority. The focus films that I am studying are Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining.

I have chosen these Films to focus on because they are all from different Genres and they all show an idea of a controlling higher power and characters struggling to cope. Which help point out how Kubrick is a auteur. My main focus film is Full Metal Jacket (1987)[1], this is because of the extensive highlighting of corrupt authority figures and the theme of hierarchy.[1] Full metal Jacket shows the protagonist Joker to become more and more of a killer as the story progresses through its three stages, Training, Early Vietnam and The Girl Sniper. 

My supporting films are A Clockwork Orange and The Shining both these films, like my focus film show themes of higher power manipulating the protagonists. In A Clockwork Orange Alex is controlled by the government and in the shining it is a supernatural force controlling Jack and Danny.
In Full Metal Jacket our protagonist is the character Joker. Joker along with several others has his real name replaced with a nick name in the very first scene by the Gunnery Sergeant. This is an example of how Stanley Kubrick represents how the American Military remove the true identity of the marines in the Vietnam war.[8] In a way to control them. The way that the soldiers accept these names also brings into question their personal self worth. In addition to this in the ending scene of the film we can see a group of soldiers walking off into the sunset singing but you cannot see their faces, they are simply silhouettes. [10] This shows the lack of identity amongst the troops, making them look like shadow puppets. I feel that this suggests how the characters in full metal jacket are puppets and under control from a higher power.

In one scene in Full Metal Jacket we can see Joker in a publishers meeting for the military newspaper in Vietnam and he is forced to rewrite the end of his article to include an enemy kill so it sounds 'more heroic'[1]. This is a direct example of how the main character is controlled by a higher power, and how they bend the truth.

In Full Metal Jacket the Gunnery Sergeant is abusive towards the troops and constantly puts them down, causing Pvt Pyle to have a breakdown. This shows the audience Stanley Kubrick's view of how the hierarchy of the military/ government is twisted through how the characters are mistreated. This is a common theme which I feel features in the majority of his films, For example in his earlier work such as Dr Strangelove Kubrick shows the American government in a comedic fashion with the character of "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia"[4] This is a great example of how `Kubrick has incorporated his opinions of the American government into his films.

Also after the release of Dr Strangelove, Kubrick was threatened by the FBI that they would begin an investigation into the set designs of Dr Strangelove because of the accuracy of the war plane’s interior.
In Kubrick’s film The Shining (1980)[3] we are shown how he is told to stay quiet about his ideas of the moon landing [14].

PLAY FAKED MOON LANDING..... source 14

this is another example of how he shows higher power to control his protagonist. Also it shows how he was personally effected by higher power which helps us to understand why he often shows his protagonists to be under the control of a higher authority.

One of my articles (adventures in the screen trade)[7] suggests that there is no such thing as an auteur in the film industry. The article suggests this because it takes a whole team to create a film however I know that from watching Stanley Kubrick a life in picture [13] that Kubrick would always personally oversee everything happening with his films and would often take charge of the camera and would not put anything into his films unless he was 100% happy with it. This use of his own personal influence and ideologies throughout all his films is what makes him an auteur. ‘Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.’[11] Furthermore one of my other research sources helps to reinforce that he is an auteur. [6]

A Clockwork Orange (1971)[2] is ‘Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will’ [9]. It follows a young thug called Alex who after he is arrested is offered a treatment by the government which causes him to not cause crime however once he is released he is not able to to defend himself and is beaten and attempts suicide which causes the government to step in once the story gets to the papers, so they don’t do badly in the upcoming election. this is a perfect example of how the government have removed Alex’s free will, also it shows they only really care about Alex when it makes them look bad. This reflects how Kubrick views the government.

‘In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.’ [9]

Kubrick is more than willing to change parts of other people work, For example The Shining by Stephen King, to convey his own views and ideas through his films.

Furthermore it Highlights how the soldiers in Full Metal jacket are faceless silhouettes at the end of the film as the walk of singing. [10]

Stanley Kubrick didn't write any of his films he picked books to adapt into films but only ones he thought were interesting.[13]

case study of The Dark Knight Rises and Superbad

•By looking at The Dark Knight Rises poster we can tell that this film is an action/superhero movie by the use of fire, explosions and the iconic image of batman, who is a famous superhero. The poster also has the names of lots of famous movie stars and the release date also indicates that this film with be a big blockbuster film because it will be shown in the summer when people are off school. The film is a 12A which mean a wide audience.


 
•The trailer for this film uses many different devices to engage with a specific audience. Such as the frequent use of showing action sequences and explosions this helps to attract an action film audience.

•We can tell that this is an American blockbuster movie because of the use of showing the production company logos at the beginning of the trailer. Also the batman series is a huge franchise now and in the trailer contains the famous batman logo. Also this film contains many big stars and there names are all in the trailer. 

•This film is an independent film. We can tell this by the way that the poster uses a quote from MAXIM which is a men’s magazine. This also helps give a representation that the film is aimed at men. Also the quote helps to promote the film and indicates that the film is a comedy. The film doesn’t have any major film stars in it this shows that its an independent film. Also the poster says that the film was written by the same people as other successful films.

•In the trailer for Superbad we can can tell that it is an independent film by the use of associated market by saying that the production company has made other famous films. Also it shows the logo for the production company. The trailer confirms that the film is a comedy. But doesn’t reveal much of the plot but does however convey that this film is a teen movie. 

Alien Scene Analysis

Alien scene analysis 1:

Chestburster

This scene of Alien is the most iconic scene about this classic Science Fiction Horror because of a great number of film techniques. Even today thirty three years after its release it still seems to haunt many viewers and is often to most discussed scene when people talk about Alien.
This scene is set in the crews eating quarters where the crew are all eating dinner in celebration of Kane’s release from the infirmary. they are all wearing casual clothes and some are in the company uniform which shows they live on the ship and have worked there too. The lighting of the setting is very high key which helps convey the feeling of safety and happiness, However the mood soon changes when Kane unexpectedly starts violently choking and gasping in pain. This sends the crew and the audience into concerned state where they have no idea what is happening. As the crew being to panic and struggle to hold Kane down the audience also begins to panic. This is due to the eyelevel mid shots which contain many different characters, resulting In a sense of claustrophobia , a common fear many viewers may share. The use of recreating phobias is a common convention of the horror genre which was not normally scene within science fiction films. Also one thing that helps contribute to the feeling of panic is the fact that the crew are in deep space meaning that there is no escape and no way of getting help.
This concept of horror and bloody deaths was not often seen in science fiction films in the era Alien was released in, most people had seen Star Wars and probably expected Alien to be quite similar but in fact they are entirely different, Star wars has only one scene containing blood throughout all six episodes.
the chestburster scene is filmed in shallow focus and everyone in each shot is tightly framed forcing people to watch the gruesomeness of Kane’s pain and the graphic emerging of the alien itself. To get an understanding of the crew’s emotions and feelings there is a number of midshots showing their body language and their facial features, also it cuts from person to person In a shot reverse shot pattern and each cut Is a straight cut. These straight cuts are frequent and happen quickly, making the viewer feel like a bystander and actually part of the scene.
Throughout Kane’s death and the Alien’s birth there is the non diegetic sound of a heart beating over and over. This gets louder and louder throughout the scene and gives the viewer a feeling of panic and really has a shocking impact when the Alien finally brakes through Kane’s chest and the crew fall silent. this is where we get a close up of the Alien and in shallow focus we se Kane’s arms shaking as his dieing body spasms on the table.
The theme to this brutal scene is birth which is often seen as a clash to what birth Is like, because birth Is often seen as painful but also beautiful because of the new life created however in this scene the alien is born but in a terrifying way which kills a crew member and leaves the crew and the audience in total shock and fear.

Alien scene analysis:

Here kitty

Within this scene the crew has been sent to search the entire ship in order to locate and capture the small Alien, that has recently burst out of, the now deceased, Kane.
Engineer Brett splits off from his search party after running into Jones, the ship’s cat.
Brett follows the cat into what seems to be some sort of dark engine room where water is dripping down from above this simulates rain and is a form of pathetic fallacy. The rain may reflect Brett’s mood and his thoughts on what had recently happened to Kane in the eating quarters. After Brett has entered the engine room he then lifts his head and allows the water to drip onto his face this may show that he wishes to be cleansed after seeing The Alien’s birth.
When Brett enters the engine room it is calm and the only sounds we can hear are the diegetic sounds of hanging chains jiggling above and the hum of the engine this gives the viewer the feeling of safety and danger like it’s the calm before the storm and something very important is about to happen. This is accompanied by the non diegetic sound of a heart beating. This sound was also to be heard when the Alien first emerged signalling the viewer that it may be near. Furthermore as Brett walks his footsteps echo loudly in the engine room giving the viewer an idea of how big the empty the room is and the thoughts that there could be something big lurking in the shadows.
This scene is shot in a setting where the lighting is very low key and most of the light comes from above. This is often seen to be a sign of purity and a religious reference however in this scene it is the alien that descends from the light above showing it as an evil angel of death.
The way that this scene is shot is very similar to the style of film noir. Film noir is very dark (low key) and often uses pathetic fallacy, for example rain which creates a shiny surface which the little amount of light that there is can reflect on to outline objects and people. This has been done here in ‘the here kitty’ scene with the dripping water. Also in film noir there is a lack of colour because film noirs where films before the age of the colour camera. This lack of colour has be replicated in this scene by the dark metallic setting of the engine room. This use of the film noir effects was not seen before mixed with the Sci Fi genre, normally the settings are bright and warm whereas in this scene we get the feeling that the room is damp and cold.
The first time see the light from above is through a point of view shot. This makes the audience feel as though they are in the scene. And that they are experiencing what Brett is. Later there is a high angle shot which looks over Brett as he wonders around the room. This shows his vulnerability and that he is small and powerless, it also reveals the bigger Alien to the audience for the first time this time the shot is a high angle which shows how in this situation the Alien has dominance and it a possible threat.
When Brett locates Jones he crouches down and the camera shows a close up of his face in shallow focus where the viewer then sees the aliens tale uncurl behind him, the tale is out of focus. As Brett attempts to lure Jones out of his hiding spot the camera straight cuts from Brett to Jones in a shot reverse shot style every time showing the cat’s anxiety and the Alien creeping down behind the clueless Brett.
When Brett finally turns to face the Alien we are shown a close up shot of the of the Aliens mouth and jaw, this draws the audiences attention to its razor sharp teeth and how its mouth waters as it lingers behind him. This causes the audience to be scared for Brett and fear the Alien. This is when the non diegetic sound of the heartbeat returns to signify that the alien is about to strike, raising the audiences anticipation.
The camera then cuts to a close up of Brett’s stunned expression as he gazing in fear at the Alien towering over him. The camera then cuts back to an extreme close up of the Aliens mouth again which is opening to show its second mouth which was hidden.
The camera quickly changes as the Alien strikes Brett and then instantly changes to a close up shot of the cats face as he watches Brett screaming in pain as he is attacked by the Alien.

Hanna

Analysis of Hanna clip 4

At the beginning of this clip we see Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) and Erik Heller (Eric Bana) running through some sheet on washing lines in a country that looks like a western European country so straight away the setting has been established.Also the white sheets could represent how Hanna is lost along with her innocence in all this madness. Then there is a close up shot of Bana looking desperately at Ronan trying to stop Hanna we then see that he is bleeding, sweaty and dressed in a suit which is dirty meaning that he has been running or fighting. Ronan is also shown to be tired and very pale or white which also shows Hanna’s purity and innocence.
As they converse the camera switches in a shot to reverse shot fashion to show the close up expressions of both characters, but then a dirty white land rover screeches to a holt and the camera straight cuts to a long shot of the car showing that both characters will soon be in trouble as two antagonists have arrive and are waiting at a distance.
The camera continues crossing from Bana to Ronan in a shot reverse shot but this time as they run in different directions this time with tracking shots of each character this provides the viewer with a feeling of intensity and pace hinting that much more is going to happen yet. Furthermore as Bana runs there is a close up of his feet this also helps to create the pace and urgency.
The camera then cuts to close ups of the two men in the car and their expressions and straight back to the fast approaching Bana who violently kicks the car door shut and initiates the chase sequence.
The dirty white land rover then races after him while a mysterious woman drives an expensive clean car another way this shows that she is their superior as she is smartly dressed and clean where as they are her henchmen who she sends to do her dirty work. This can be shown but the dirtiness of their car when it is compared to hers.
Later in the chase scene there is a point of view shot from within the land rover which makes the viewer feel as if they are in the car with the henchmen and part of the action. There is also another close up of Bana’s feet as he runs away from the car. This also helps to intensify the pace of the scene.
After the land rover crashes one of the men inside the car jumps out and climbs over the bonnet of another car stomping down as he does there is a close up of his foot this represents that he wishes to stomp on Bana and that soon there will soon be a fight scene. There is then an over the shoulder tracking shot of Bana as he runs and a long shot of the henchmen straight after a he pursues him. Both of these shots are in deep focus whish helps to establish the setting and sets the scene as being quite entrapping and dull.
Later when the henchman has caught up with Bana and they engage in combat the sequence goes from real time to slow motion forcing the viewer to watch in anticipation as they both battle it out.
The setting for this fight is in an abandoned childrens play area which has been riddled with graffiti and complete trashed. This may represent that because of these villains Hanna was robbed of her childhood and is now dangerous just like the park.

Pulp fiction

Pulp fiction film review for a blog

On the 21^st of October 1994 the legendary all time Tarantino classic pulp fiction was release in cinemas across the united kingdom. It grossed $213,928,762 worldwide. It left film critics in awe and entire audiences thinking, pondering. To this day no other film that has been done in this style has come close to besting it. Even the great man himself has struggled to create a film of equal or greater success. 1994 What a year to be alive.I wasn’t alive that year.
In fact It was 15 long years after 1994 before I would ever see Pulp Fiction. But when I did eventually experience the cinematic genius Tarantino’s film making, at first it just simply confused and frustrated me. I’d never seen any film done in this way or in this style before. No other film had left me so confused and full of so many questions. In the end I just thought pulp fiction was weird and instantly dismissed it.
However, later, I was left pondering too, like so many before me. I eventually decided to watch it again because I felt I had missed something. I had just let the film wash over me like a confusing tidal wave of nonsense. As I watched pulp fiction for the second time I started to break it down in my head and notice that everything was done for a reason. That Tarantino only wants us to see certain things and shows certain camera shots to make us see things differently, to remove the omniscience of the audience by restricting their view of the films events. He dictates what we see rather than us being all knowing and all seeing, turning the viewer into a questioning bystander. One way he does this is by revealing the film in a non chronological order, I personally feel he does this to keep the audience guessing and increase the films unpredictability factor. Another reason that Tarantino does this is to interlink the several almost separate scenarios into one mixed up storyline containing the same set of characters.
However the films major worldwide success wasn’t all down to Tarantino, the film was also made great by the peculiar and dramatic dialogue exchanged within the film by Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel and obviously Quentin Tarantino as well, among various other big names. Pulp Fiction has so many famous quotes and is renowned for its crazy, violent and unpredictable situations. For example the scene where Vincent (played by John Travolta) accidentally shoots the character Marvin (played by Phil LaMarr) while driving in Jules’ (Samuel L Jackson‘s) car in broad day light at around nine in the morning in a quiet suburb.
It is for these reasons, and many more, that pulp fiction was nominated for such a mountain of movie awards including seven Oscars winning the award for best original screen play.
John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman all received an Academy Award nomination that year, and on the films release at the Cannes film festival Pulp Fiction was also awarded the Palme d'Or. And no wonder the film in my opinion the film is and will always be an epic.