They are looking for Knowledge and understanding; then a personal response as the consumer of the film. Also they require you to have a high ability working with source material.
Hollywood:
1. Pre-Production/Production
2. Distribution
3. Exhibition
6 out of 10 Hollywood films loose money. You have to make three times the amount that it costs to make, just to break even. On production, money can be spent over half a million dollars every day and that runs for 12 weeks. The studios run on Pay or Play. This means that the top talent involved in the film will get their money whether it flops or not. This happened in Gladiator, even though the scrip wasnt ready, they had to shoot because they were wasting money.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THIS IS ALL IN CAPS NOT TO PISS YOU OFF BUT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS FILM IS WORTH CUTTING YOUR TOES OFF TO SEE!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB95KLmpLR4
Editing techniques
An establishing shot
This is to get a sense of setting usually at the beginning of a film. However with a complex story with time gaps or travelling then there would be more establishing shots. For example in a western they might get an extreme long shot of the desert before there are any characters in the shot.
Eye-line match
This is where you would have a long shot of a room, a close up shot of a face and then a shot then a shot of what he is looking at. This makes sense of everything that's going on and gives you insight into what he is looking at. This would be used to create tension with different shots and the fact that you cant see everything at the same time.
Match on action
This is bringing a number of shots together. The key here is action, lots of action. Lets take someone firing a gun in a western. You would create match on action by having medium shot of him moving his hand towards a gun, then a close up of his hand grabbing the gun and an extreme close up of him flicking the safety off. Also you could disperse close up shots of his eyes while he is doing this. All of this is the same action yet still with many shots to create action.
Cross cutting
This can create tension and excitement according to the genre of the film. Here you would have two or more scenes that are cutting between each other to create suspense. A great example of this is in Inception where the editor is cutting between all of the different dream worlds that all rely on each other to fall into place. The cutting between each of them creates suspense in that you're not sure is everything is going to fall into place.
Elliptical editing
This is where you cut out all of the uninteresting parts and condensing the parts down. For example if the character was going on a trans-atlantic flight then he would show shots of the character getting on the plain; then a shot of something happening on the plain; maybe a long shot of the plain flying and landing; then him getting of the plain. This is because we do not need to see the whole journey. That would be ridiculous.
Montage editing
An example of montage editing in Hollywood is shown in the film Rocky when you see the montage of him training. This is a clever way of showing progression in a character. In this case you see improvements in Stalone's character through training and his strength increasing. This is shown effectively without taking too long. Another type of montage editing, which is more seen in foreign films, takes a lot of scenes that individually would not have so much meaning and power. However when put together as a montage they very powerfully tell a story.
Shot reverse Shot
You would have an established shot to set the scene and then two shots that would be repeated. For example with a conversation between two characters you have the camera on one character and then on the other camera to see his reaction and then reply. However this could be more effective just to see the facial expression response of the characters. This would happen in very much dialogue based films.
Straight cut
This is most common, just simply one shot to another; a character walks in the door (medium shot); then a straight cut to a character sat on the table.
Jump cut
This is where you interrupt an action in the middle of a shot. This can be used to show deep meaning with a character in that they could be unsettled and unease.
Dissolve
Going from one shot to another you can dissolve into the next scene which can be used to show a passing of time or place.
Graphic Match cut
This is where you have two scenes merged together that both have similar shapes involved. For example in psycho where you see the blood going down the plug hole then the woman's eye. This creates a significance between films.
This is to get a sense of setting usually at the beginning of a film. However with a complex story with time gaps or travelling then there would be more establishing shots. For example in a western they might get an extreme long shot of the desert before there are any characters in the shot.
Eye-line match
This is where you would have a long shot of a room, a close up shot of a face and then a shot then a shot of what he is looking at. This makes sense of everything that's going on and gives you insight into what he is looking at. This would be used to create tension with different shots and the fact that you cant see everything at the same time.
Match on action
This is bringing a number of shots together. The key here is action, lots of action. Lets take someone firing a gun in a western. You would create match on action by having medium shot of him moving his hand towards a gun, then a close up of his hand grabbing the gun and an extreme close up of him flicking the safety off. Also you could disperse close up shots of his eyes while he is doing this. All of this is the same action yet still with many shots to create action.
Cross cutting
This can create tension and excitement according to the genre of the film. Here you would have two or more scenes that are cutting between each other to create suspense. A great example of this is in Inception where the editor is cutting between all of the different dream worlds that all rely on each other to fall into place. The cutting between each of them creates suspense in that you're not sure is everything is going to fall into place.
Elliptical editing
This is where you cut out all of the uninteresting parts and condensing the parts down. For example if the character was going on a trans-atlantic flight then he would show shots of the character getting on the plain; then a shot of something happening on the plain; maybe a long shot of the plain flying and landing; then him getting of the plain. This is because we do not need to see the whole journey. That would be ridiculous.
Montage editing
An example of montage editing in Hollywood is shown in the film Rocky when you see the montage of him training. This is a clever way of showing progression in a character. In this case you see improvements in Stalone's character through training and his strength increasing. This is shown effectively without taking too long. Another type of montage editing, which is more seen in foreign films, takes a lot of scenes that individually would not have so much meaning and power. However when put together as a montage they very powerfully tell a story.
Shot reverse Shot
You would have an established shot to set the scene and then two shots that would be repeated. For example with a conversation between two characters you have the camera on one character and then on the other camera to see his reaction and then reply. However this could be more effective just to see the facial expression response of the characters. This would happen in very much dialogue based films.
Straight cut
This is most common, just simply one shot to another; a character walks in the door (medium shot); then a straight cut to a character sat on the table.
Jump cut
This is where you interrupt an action in the middle of a shot. This can be used to show deep meaning with a character in that they could be unsettled and unease.
Dissolve
Going from one shot to another you can dissolve into the next scene which can be used to show a passing of time or place.
Graphic Match cut
This is where you have two scenes merged together that both have similar shapes involved. For example in psycho where you see the blood going down the plug hole then the woman's eye. This creates a significance between films.
Cutting edge editing
What makes a movie a movie is the editor. Editing is driven by emotion, this emotion shows the editor when to cut and inter-cut scenes together. It can condense a lot of footage into just they key scenes. All of the boring and uninteresting bits are left out. All of the films you see that are just generally uninteresting, probably haven't been edited tightly enough and have many scenes that are just too long. An average hollywood film shoots around 200 hours of footage. The editor look at every frame (1/24 second) as either key or unnecersary, One extra frame on the end of a shot can either make or break a scene. Editors have tricks and interesting ways to tell a story, in hollywood they have developed continuity editing. This is their ways of keeping the viewer engaged, some use the tactic of showing the end at the begining. The continuity comes in where say you see a fight scene and then the relationship in the next shot where you see an injured actor.
Personal response to ronin
Hmm, this was an ok film. Now i'm sure it would have been an incredible film, however i just watched Casino the day before. I know this isn't meant to be a comparison yet still i couldn't help but feel a lack of empathy that i did formally have with mr Rothstien. Looking at the film by itself i did enjoy the film, it just didn't grab me enough, the car chases were nice and all that. However i felt that it dangled somewhere between a blockbuster and a gritty car chase film. Now i dont really have an issue with that, its just nothing jumped out at me. Of course de Niro gives a stella performance, just not his best (which i suppose he has a lot to live up to)
Cinematography
Camera shots
Creating different emotions and mood by placing the camera at different places. By moving the camera you can change the emotion of the subjects
Camera movements
This can convey a sense of identity and setting through the movement of the camera. Following the actor around can show identity and status.
Pan - movement of the camera from usual left to right [horizontal]
Tilt - movement of the camera from top to bottom [vertical]
Tracking shot - Horizontal movement of the camera usually on a "dolly" on tracks
Crane shot - Camera can be raised or lowered, in or out and camera operator can be on a platform. Today most crane camera are operated remotely
Handheld - Camera movement is much more fluid and has no fixed means of support
Camera angles
This can be used to create a sense of power or make the character weak and inferior. Also of kilter angles can show disorientation.
High - Shows venerability and weakness
Medium
Low - Make characters look powerful with a lot of authority
Camera focus
A soft focus would have been used to emphasize the beauty in early hollywood films. Other focus' will alter the atmosphere of the scene.
Soft focus - Can show conciseness or lack of it, someone just waking up
Hard focus - Everything is very clearly defined, emphasizing certain emotions
Creating different emotions and mood by placing the camera at different places. By moving the camera you can change the emotion of the subjects
Extreme long shot [ELS]
Long shot [LS]
Medium shot [MS]
Close-up [CU]
Extreme close=up [ECU]
Camera movements
This can convey a sense of identity and setting through the movement of the camera. Following the actor around can show identity and status.
Pan - movement of the camera from usual left to right [horizontal]
Tilt - movement of the camera from top to bottom [vertical]
Tracking shot - Horizontal movement of the camera usually on a "dolly" on tracks
Crane shot - Camera can be raised or lowered, in or out and camera operator can be on a platform. Today most crane camera are operated remotely
Handheld - Camera movement is much more fluid and has no fixed means of support
Camera angles
This can be used to create a sense of power or make the character weak and inferior. Also of kilter angles can show disorientation.
High - Shows venerability and weakness
Medium
Low - Make characters look powerful with a lot of authority
Camera focus
A soft focus would have been used to emphasize the beauty in early hollywood films. Other focus' will alter the atmosphere of the scene.
Soft focus - Can show conciseness or lack of it, someone just waking up
Hard focus - Everything is very clearly defined, emphasizing certain emotions
Napoleon Dynamite!
Yeah i know, this film has some widespread opinions on it. I have met numorous people that just dont get this film. To tell you the truth, i just dont get those people. This film is hilarious! Staring Jon Heder in his first major film and first time director Jared Hess (Also writer of the film). This is the account of a teenager living in Idaho with his gran and his older brother Kip. The whole complex of this film is that its a story of a nobady becoming a nobady. Its entirely anti hollywood in that there is no point to it, no one wins, there is no real conclusion and no one wins. That is the beauty of it, its jsut the account of one teenagers progression from teenagehood into teenagehood. I think the reason so many young adults, along with me, love this film is because there is so much of the character that we can see in ourselves (just same characteristics, different setting). The interaction between him and his brother is also hilarious, not to mention the many random scenes that are dotted around the place (including REXKWANDO). Overall this is definitely one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and a perfect representation of teenage life just in a foreign language.
Lighting
High key - Bright and clear lighting
Low Key - Dark and more dim
Hard Lighting - Well defined shadows
Soft Lighting - Softer shadows
Frontal lighting - No shadows on face , very flat
Side lighting - Half of the face is hidden, character could be hiding something
Back lighting - Silhouetted for dramatic effect
Under lighting - Makes facial features bigger and more menacing
Top lighting - Casts shadow in face
The letter - Lighting
During the murder scene there is low key,hard lighting which makes you feel more fearful of the scene. With it being nighttime and the light above the woman makes her seem more menacing. With it being black and white, the lighting is made more significant. After the shooting when the camera is on her face there is a lot of light behind her which adds mystery because you cant see her face. Also after the shooting the moon disappears behind the clouds to add darkness and then emerges again after a few seconds, the camera shows this to bring attention to the darkness of what just happened.
Low Key - Dark and more dim
Hard Lighting - Well defined shadows
Soft Lighting - Softer shadows
Frontal lighting - No shadows on face , very flat
Side lighting - Half of the face is hidden, character could be hiding something
Back lighting - Silhouetted for dramatic effect
Under lighting - Makes facial features bigger and more menacing
Top lighting - Casts shadow in face
The letter - Lighting
During the murder scene there is low key,hard lighting which makes you feel more fearful of the scene. With it being nighttime and the light above the woman makes her seem more menacing. With it being black and white, the lighting is made more significant. After the shooting when the camera is on her face there is a lot of light behind her which adds mystery because you cant see her face. Also after the shooting the moon disappears behind the clouds to add darkness and then emerges again after a few seconds, the camera shows this to bring attention to the darkness of what just happened.
Casino - Figure expression
Looking at Robert De Nero's character.
The way that he walks shows a confidence in his character. He knows who he is and embraces that, the good and the bad. He has a contentment with his life and a real professionalism about ho he walks. You can see from this walk that he has got to where he is through work. Also when he is sat down he is relaxed but not slouching, this shows that he is always ready to do business. He is pretty much always smoking which goes with the casino lifestyle. He is unfazed by his friends kicking someone's head in in a bar, which shows that he has been through stuff before and he could well have had a violent past.
The way that he walks shows a confidence in his character. He knows who he is and embraces that, the good and the bad. He has a contentment with his life and a real professionalism about ho he walks. You can see from this walk that he has got to where he is through work. Also when he is sat down he is relaxed but not slouching, this shows that he is always ready to do business. He is pretty much always smoking which goes with the casino lifestyle. He is unfazed by his friends kicking someone's head in in a bar, which shows that he has been through stuff before and he could well have had a violent past.
The Shining - Figure expression
Looking at jack torrences character
He doesn't change expression when his wife tells him his son has been strangled. He seems empty, emotionless and as if there isn't anything going on in his head. The way he walks around shows and lethargic nature and physically and emotionally drained. Then he switches when his wife says if they should get their son out of here. He gets angry and overpowering. Also he starts to look at things with angry eyes. Both of these personalities show his mental breakdown at different stages.
He doesn't change expression when his wife tells him his son has been strangled. He seems empty, emotionless and as if there isn't anything going on in his head. The way he walks around shows and lethargic nature and physically and emotionally drained. Then he switches when his wife says if they should get their son out of here. He gets angry and overpowering. Also he starts to look at things with angry eyes. Both of these personalities show his mental breakdown at different stages.
The avengers - Props
The umbrella and pocket-watch in the first scene with john steed show his professionalism and classy. He has a very english upper class feel to him. And the pocket-watch shows the traditionalism in him. The car that he drives is again a very old english traditionalist car. It is a Bentley which adds to the wealthiness of his character. This is showing a typical view of an englishman, and a stereotypical view of an english spy (english gentleman/James Bond type). The umbrella shows that he is professional in that he is prepared, this also goes with the traditional/stereotypical Englishman. Then add on top of them the bowler hat, this just reinforces the stereotypes. Here the props reinforce the character of John Steed.
Emma Peel is the next character and you can see that she is very sofisticated/indepentent. She comes across as more of a modern girl. Her sunglasses give her an air of mystery, which obviously comes with being a spy, yet with all of the mystery over the story involving her, the sunglasses just reinstating that. In her house there is a grand piano which shows she is highly educated. Also the flowers you see are very expensive and in an expensive vase with show her sophisticated nature, aswell as adding a touch of femininity.
Emma Peel is the next character and you can see that she is very sofisticated/indepentent. She comes across as more of a modern girl. Her sunglasses give her an air of mystery, which obviously comes with being a spy, yet with all of the mystery over the story involving her, the sunglasses just reinstating that. In her house there is a grand piano which shows she is highly educated. Also the flowers you see are very expensive and in an expensive vase with show her sophisticated nature, aswell as adding a touch of femininity.
Yale Film Studies - http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/
As far as information goes it is perfect, however its layout is not very pleasing to the eye and looks like they haven't made the effort with presentation. This is made up with easy to understand yet technologically sound explanations,
Screenonline - http://www.screenonline.org.uk/
Really good resource looking at films that i havent really heard of, really well set out and a look at films using more intensive language
Sight & Sound - http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/
A really good magazine followed up by its website, not including everything in the mag however it still runs through the basics
Empire - http://www.empireonline.com/
Great place to find reviews of any major film and some minor ones. Really well set out and you can find back dated films as well as present ones
The Film Program (Radio 4) - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r5jt
This is a great place to find real reviews with no opinion of the broadcasting company underlinging anything. It is purely a film reviewers opinions and thoughts.
Misery - Mise En Scene - Costume
All of her clothes cover her body completely, dressing in simple cloths with dull colors. Sort of amish-like. And she waers and cross which shows her morality and that stands out in her character. She is conservitive in her dress in that she ist wearing anything sexually prevocative. She is made to look like she is not wearing any make up. Her hair is again very simple and traditionsal, she doesnt care so much about how she looks which shows that she isnt vain. The taditional clothes matches with the fact of her religious background. She is a practical woman and does a lot of stuff for her self. Her low self asteem is show with the way she doesnt want to stand out. Also she is never dressing for anyone but herself which shows the lack of social interaction.
Mise en scene
This is originally applied to stage. This is anything that you can see on the scene (lighting props set...) This is broken down into:
Setting
Costume/Make up
Props
Lighting
Figure expression
First we look at setting in the film 9 to 5 which is set in the 1980s and touches on gender roles in those times. Concentrating on what the setting tells us about the characters...
First you can see that it is in a big city (possibly New York) and from the clothes in the opening scene that you see it is set in 1980s. Then you enter the office and there is the simple setting indication when the men that your attention is brought to all have offices that are made out wood paneling and have comfy chairs. While the women are all in the bull pen of desks. The first question the boss asks one of the women with some sort of power is if she could pick out a scarf for his wife and the second is if she could make coffee. The men have personal offices. This all showing the gap between men and women. Also the color change in rooms from a plastic white to a wood brown when you enter where the men work. The office of the boss is a manly man and you can tell this from the personalised decor in the office. Such as the deers on the wall and the football trophy. Also he is a vain man which you can see from the large mirror he has on his wall and he reinforces his power with his large chair that he sits on. All of this shows insecurity in that he needs these things to feel like he has power,
Setting
Costume/Make up
Props
Lighting
Figure expression
First we look at setting in the film 9 to 5 which is set in the 1980s and touches on gender roles in those times. Concentrating on what the setting tells us about the characters...
First you can see that it is in a big city (possibly New York) and from the clothes in the opening scene that you see it is set in 1980s. Then you enter the office and there is the simple setting indication when the men that your attention is brought to all have offices that are made out wood paneling and have comfy chairs. While the women are all in the bull pen of desks. The first question the boss asks one of the women with some sort of power is if she could pick out a scarf for his wife and the second is if she could make coffee. The men have personal offices. This all showing the gap between men and women. Also the color change in rooms from a plastic white to a wood brown when you enter where the men work. The office of the boss is a manly man and you can tell this from the personalised decor in the office. Such as the deers on the wall and the football trophy. Also he is a vain man which you can see from the large mirror he has on his wall and he reinforces his power with his large chair that he sits on. All of this shows insecurity in that he needs these things to feel like he has power,
Notes on Flight Plan main character Kyle
The camera giving a birds eye shot with everyone walking past her showing her isolation. She is usually closed with her body language and doesn’t want anything interrupting with her daughter. Plus her focus is usually on her daughter, she trys to keep one eye on her at all times. From the way that she spaces out you could tell that the loss of her loved one is hard to deal with. The more she realises her daughter is missing, the more she makes up excuses to the light attendants, then as she paces more and faster walking then turns into twitchy. She gets emotional and varies her tone when speaking to the captain showing her passion for her daughter. You cn tell that before her husband died that it was just her family and job and she was closed off from the rest of the world. When she approaches cabin staff about her daughter she is quite hostile. Also there are many camera shots of her in focus and the rest blurred, this just emphasising the lonlyness and isolation through cinematography. Her costume is always very dark and she reflects that with the dark mood that she is in. Her professionalism comes through her costume as well, the way that she wants respect and is mostly serious in that she is not revealing in her clothes. She takes anxiety tablets which also shows her on edge of a breakdown, this comes with her tone and twitch when something goes wrong.
Film Profile
1. Which is your favourite film?
Well i would really like to put some sort of sarcastic answer, like the first 40 minutes of die hard 3. However realistically the film that affected me personally the most when i saw it was definitely Where The Wild Things Are. This was definitely more on a personal level than looking at it from a film studies point of view. The child that plays Max in this film pulls an absolute blinder and even at such a young age involved me from the off and he really played a character that you emphasised with.
2. Which is your favourite British Film?
I would go with the controversial choice of Four lions. Directed by Chris morris know for (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NesjvRihbEg). I can see why people would find a film about 4 extremist Muslims in Sheffield could be offensive however it is just hilarious! He really does pull it out the bag with everyone in the cast is hilarious. here is the trailer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_sBuPCO31Q
3. Which is your favourite film genre?
I love to laugh, so i would say its comedy, yet still im bored of most comedy films around at the moment. I love a funny film with a gripping plot and clever comedy. Something you HAVE to watch twice.
4. Who is your favourite film actor?
Kevin Spacey, but im not too picky, just anyone but Willem Dafoe
5. Who is your favourite film director?
My favourite film director is Spike Jonze, he doesn't really have any prestigious reckoning however i just love his methods with directing as its very much a hands on deal with him.
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