Thursday 13 December 2012
Questionnaire
How old are you?
Do you like horror films?
If you don't, why?
What kinds of horror films do you like and why? (Gory or supernatural)
What do you expect to see in a horror film?
Do you fear the film more if it is based on a true story?
What time of day do you prefer watching horrors and why?
Have you ever had to stop watching a horror because it’s too scary?
Have you ever had sleepless nights from a horror, if so what was the horror?
Do you find horrors scarier when there is a child involved?
Narrative
Narrative
Jamie is reflecting on her childhood to her therapist. She talks about the times her grandfather would tell her stories about how he was a medic in the war, and the story of how he was attending to a man who was bleeding to death, but had to leave him and deal with a group of men dying on the field – so the man bled to death. Before she was institutionalised, she researched and discovered that the man’s body was never found. These are what led to the night terrors that made her hallucinate and drove her insane.
The night terrors then change from being figments of her imagination, to real life when a killer fitting the description of the man in her dreams goes on a killing spree to find her.
Locations:
• House (living room area)
• Alley, long path possibly at night
D.I.S.T.I.N.C.T
D.I.S.T.I.N.C.T
Don’t
Ignore
Setting
Technical code - The codes and conventions in media can be separated into 3 distinct groups -
Technical (camera techniques & shots), Symbolic (i.e. clothing, colours), Written and audio (music etc.). These give the text meaning and determine the response of the viewer. They can be used as a basis for simple text analysis. So in order to compose any work related to media you should con
Iconography - Discussing imagery as iconography in this way implies a critical "reading" of imagery that often attempts to explore social and cultural values. Iconography is also used within film studies to describe the visual language of cinema, particularly within the field of genre criticism)
Narrative
Characterization
Themes
Conventions
Using weird angles and canted cameras are common in horror movies. As well as this horror films often use extreme close ups and Point of view shots in order to express fear or to make the audience feel more involved or to add tension.
Often dark colors like red and black (links to evil, blood and danger etc.).Lighting is expressive and non-naturalistic. Low-key lighting can help to crate dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness. Lighting can be motivated in the world of the film (like bonfires, fireplaces and torches).Props can help us to further identify horror genre.
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Poster Analysis
Camera Angles
Using weird angles and canted cameras are common in horror movies. As well as this horror films often use extreme close ups and Point of view shots in order to express fear or to make the audience feel more involved or to add tension.
Often dark colors like red and black (links to evil, blood and danger etc.).Lighting is expressive and non-naturalistic. Low-key lighting can help to crate dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes in the blackness. Lighting can be motivated in the world of the film (like bonfires, fireplaces and torches).Props can help us to further identify horror genre.
D.I.S.T.I.N.C.T
Don’t
Ignore
Setting
Technical code - The codes and conventions in media can be separated into 3 distinct groups -
Technical (camera techniques & shots), Symbolic (i.e. clothing, colours), Written and audio (music etc.). These give the text meaning and determine the response of the viewer. They can be used as a basis for simple text analysis. So in order to compose any work related to media you should con
Iconography - Discussing imagery as iconography in this way implies a critical "reading" of imagery that often attempts to explore social and cultural values. Iconography is also used within film studies to describe the visual language of cinema, particularly within the field of genre criticism)
Narrative
Characterization
Themes
Codes and Conventions
Codes & Conventions of Horror (Camera Angles)
Extreme close ups (emphasis the subject)
Tilt (to create disorientation)
Establishing shots (showing location, stereotypically isolated buildings e.g. mansions or forests)
Handheld (looks realistic, making it feel more believable,)
Long shots (help show the danger or what the lead character is surrounded by, usually isolated)
Tracking (where the camera moves at the side, following a character)
Dollying (where the camera follows the character from in front or behind, to make it feel as if the character is being followed/stalked)
Point of view shot (so the audience can see what the character sees, to feel as if we are looking through their eyes)
Brief
Which brief are you pursuing?
A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options:
• A website homepage for the film;
• A film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
• A poster for the film
Identify if this is an individual or group project.
Group project
List roles and responsibilities if you are working in a group?
Ryan Willis – Actor/Editor
Reece Beveridge - Cameraman
Sarah Watson – Actress/Director
Write a brief summary of your concept for the main task (Narrative)
Jamie is reflecting on her childhood to her therapist. She talks about the times her grandfather would tell her stories about how he was a medic in the war, and the story of how he was attending to a man who was bleeding to death, but had to leave him and deal with a group of men dying on the field – so the man bled to death. Before she was institutionalised, she researched and discovered that the man’s body was never found. These are what led to the night terrors that made her hallucinate and drove her insane.
Now she still has to be tied to the bed because these dreams of the man coming back for her are causing her to have violent fits in her sleep. She eventually begins to believe that the man is coming back for her because she is finding it difficult to differentiate between her dreams and reality.
List any ideas for locations. (Mise en scene)
Woods, car, bedroom, empty street
List any ideas for costume and props (mise en scene)
White mask with zip for a mouth
Gas mask
Sounds
Non diegetic to build up tension; tracks selected from a number of different horror films that could link well to our trailer. This is yet to be researched.
Silence to keep the audience in anticipation.
Drum beats during the build-up of the title sequence.
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Evaluation of moving image project
Evaluation of moving image project
Acting: The acting was done by Adam Bennett, Jan Labro and Ryan Willis. On the whole, I thought that the acting was done well. For this mini project, we only had 3 weeks to get it completed which meant we all had to work together and complete the whole shebang. Overall, all the acting was done well and we faced no issues; the only criticism of the acting was that during the last scene, the rebel who was being chased by the teacher laughed when he was grabbed against the fence. We could improve this in the future by waiting until a dry day and re-film the scene as the weather needs to be the same for continuity’s sake. Although we faced a major time constraint, the actors were professional and did not mess around during filming. For the time we had, I believe the actors done a great job.
Editing and Sound: Scott was in charge of the editing as he had Sony Vegas 11 on his computer at home. For the start of the film up until the outside scene there is an eclipse effect added to the film to make everything seem darker and to set the mood of the film. He mainly used cuts to switch from scene to scene, but at some points you can see he used a fade to black effect to shop a time change, for example at the point outside to back inside running through the corridor. The other time Scott used that effect was right at the very end for less than a second from the teacher grabbing the rebel to the rebel being against the fence. If he was to do this again in the future he would spend more time in the editing trying to make the scenes look perfect. Scott also was in charge of the sound. He found all of the sound clips himself. These song clips were copyright free. The speech in the film could have been acted out better as it seemed to be forced and it didn’t seem genuine. At the part where the teacher is first introduced into the scene, it would have been better if the teacher shouted at the rebel to try and make him stop, instead of staying silent the whole time. Again at the end of the clip where the teacher and rebel were at the fence, it would have made more sense for something to have been said. If he was to do this again, he would create some sort of script beforehand that the actors would need to follow, instead of thinking of things on the spot like we did this time.
Filming: Scott Barrass and I filmed the chase scene. We both chose to film because we had past experience from our creative and media diploma course. We both used a variety of shots throughout the chase as it was vital to make it look more professional. Again, we faced time constraints filming our piece as we only had three weeks to film, edit and add sound to the clip.
These are some shots we used whilst filming our project. One disadvantage we faced was we were unable to get our hands on a steady cam, so our POV shot was really jumpy. If we filmed this again, we would make sure we had all of the equipment for the project.
Overall Product: Overall, I believe for the amount of time we had, we made a really good job of it. We managed to film everything in less than three hours, and it only took Scott an hour and a half to add sound and edit all of the shots, also including a bloopers video. Our video has been shown to other people in the group and we received positive feedback of all of the viewers.
Thursday 10 May 2012
Friday 4 May 2012
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When I look back at my preliminary task, I can see a clear difference between that and my final product. I have drastically improved my skills from doing the preliminary. When I started my preliminary, I was unsure what I was doing on photoshop as I had never used it before, also I did not do as much preparation as I did for my final product. One thing I didn't do on my preliminary was to use style models to help improve my work and take features from it. The images I used on my preliminary work were not specific shots, they were just taking from any angle/shot. When it came to editing the photo, I was uncertain what I was doing. Overall, I believe the preliminary task helped me hugely overall as it made me realise the mistakes which I could encounter whilst using Photoshop, so I could easily correct them on my final product. One thing I think I could have improved on was using more than one model throughout my magazine.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have learnt many things whilst creating my music magazine.
The first thing I learnt was how to set up and use a professional camera using specific shots and angles to get the best quality photos possible. Another factor I have improved upon is the use of Adobe Photoshop. Before this AS course, I had never been in contact with Photoshop before so I was taught the basics to start off. To improve upon my skills, I watched YouTbe tutorials to help me use specific features.I developed my skills massively during this task. I am now able to use most features on Photoshop, which I would not have been able to do before this Media unit.
• The colour scheme on the front of Kerrang is noticeably more dynamic colours than other music magazine such as Q.
• The colours on this cover are used as their main audience are teenagers who like these colours.
• The colour yellow has been used on the magazine cover to make the most important things on the cover to stand out to the reader. These are the band names and the competition at the bottom of the page. It draws the audience in as it would stand out on a shop shelf to a passing eye.
• On this cover, there are more images to text. This is because the target audience of this magazine usually prefer pictures than reading large quantities of text.
• The main picture beneath the title, of Hayley Williams is not a conventional portrait picture but a ‘fun’ picture where her head is on an angle, further supporting the aim to appeal to the younger people.
• The colours around this image are bright and lively.
• All the images on the front of this magazine cover are looking towards the camera which would encourage the person to buy the magazine
• The colours are kept simple on this cover. Only two main colours are used which are red and white.
• Unlike Kerrang, the cover is kept simple and only has one main image to make the focus on Anthony Kiedis.
• Only one main block of text which is associated with the image
• Uses more than one font on the front cover
Similarities
• Both have a colour scheme
• Both have main image over title
• Both use more than one font on the front cover
• Both have a barcode and price
Differences
• Kerrang uses more than one picture on their front cover
• Both use different colours
• Both use different fonts
• Kerrang has more writing on their cover
• Kerrang promote a competition on their front cover
Top of the Tops is different to Q and Kerrang as it is aimed towards a younger audience. It has images of 2 different boy bands which are loved by teenagers. On the cover it says “Can you handle One Direction’s shocking secrets” this appeals to the target audience and will attract them to buying it. The colour scheme of this magazine is bright and lively which appeals to a passing eye.
This is my style model for my article page. I am going to use a full size image and keep the background to give it a good effect. I am going to write the article around the photo and use two different images on each side of the article spread.
The image’s background will be of a street to make it look more realistic and not using Photoshop to make it look more genuine.
Media
Representation of my media product
Took photos of Ryan Willis in classroom. He was wearing white shirt, black jumper, grey trousers and black tie. I also took a selection of photo’s standing against a brick wall wearing a white graphic t-shirt but cut out the background. Another selection was taken in the school hall. The majority of my shots were medium shots and some we
re close-up’s.
What is being represented?
My magazine is for both male and females. I have used a simple colour scheme of black, red and white to keep it simple and for both genders. I have used pictures of males throughout my magazine but I feel that this does not matter as it will attract both genders to the magazine. By including boys in the magazine, girls could be physically attracted and males could take grooming tips. Another reason for having a male on my front cover is it attracts girls to the magazine. I feel that my magazine is aimed towards the ages of 18 and younger as the music genres discussed appeal to this target audience. My magazine is intended to the working/middle class type as it isn’t too sophisticated. I have used high quality images so they stand out to the passing eye and I believe it would catch the eye.
How is it represented? Using what codes? Within what genre?
It is represented as being a more male dominant magazine, although it is aimed towards both genres. The main genre used within my magazine is rock/rap. Using the colour black also represents a more male dominant magazine, so including the colours red and white evens it out and makes it more equal. I have concentrated on the rock/rap genre as it is the type of music that I am interested in. I have tried to make my magazine look as realistic as possible and I have included the same features that magazine use.
Whose representation is it? Whose interests does it reflect? How do you know?
My magazine interests people who are attracted to rock/rap music.
HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
The target audience for my magazine is teenagers and young adults between the ages of 17-25 who enjoy a wide range of music but most specifically rock/rap. As most of my questionnaire results showed, rock was the most popular genre choice. Knowing this, this was the main reason for breaking conventions and targeting my magazine to rock/rap. Another reason was this was my favourite type of music therefore it made it more enjoyable to make.
Gender -Although the majority of the males in my questionnaires read magazines, I still thought it would be best to aim it towards both boys and girls to not make it sexist.As it was mostly males who read music magazines I felt putting a boy on my cover might attract more girls to looking at the magazine if it was on a shop shelf.I made my model stand in a neutral stance and not make it look as if he was posing too much. I did this because I didn't want any of the audience being put off by a specific pose.
Sexuality - My magazine is not specific to any sexuality; it can be attracted to both males and females.
Class - My magazine is aimed at working class mostly, but this does not affect other social classes from reading the magazine.The language used is mostly informal which would suggest it was aimed towards a working/middle class person.
IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OR REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?
My completed magazine contains conventions and features of different magazines which are already on the market; one of these magazines is Rolling Stone. The magazine usually keeps a neutral background colour of black or white which keeps it simple and professional looking, this is why I followed this colour scheme in my magazine. My magazine also uses similar features such as reviews and interviews, although I had to change some conventions to make my magazine different. To do this, I aimed my target audience specifically as people who are into the rock/rap genre of music. I chose this because most people preferred this genre of music from the results I received from my questionnaires. I could not find a specific magazine which focus' on this genre generally which meant there was a gap in the market for this type of magazine.
Thursday 9 February 2012
Questionnaire
Music Magazine Questionnaire
1) Are you...
Male or Female
2) How old are you?
................
3) What attracts you to a particular magazine cover?
......................................................................................................
4) Do you buy music magazines?
Yes OR No
5) What genre of music do you like?
................................................................................
6) Are there any music magazines which you buy regularly?
................................................................................
7) Who is your favourite music artist/band?
................................................................................................................
8) How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?
£1.50 - £1.99 or £2.00 - £2.49 or £2.50 - £2.99 or £3.00 or above
9) How often do you prefer magazines to be released?
Weekly or Monthly
10) What do you prefer reading in a magazine?
Article or Interview Festival/ Tour line-ups Album Reviews
11) If other, please state?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
12) What usually catches your eye the most on the front cover?
………………………………………………………………………...........
13) What colour scheme would attract you to a magazine?
………………………………………………………………………………
14) Would you like to be able to scan the barcodes from a magazine to get exclusive downloads?
Yes OR No
15) Do you think advertisements should be allowed in music magazine?
Yes OR No
16) If yes, why?
………………………………………………………………………………
1) Are you...
Male or Female
2) How old are you?
................
3) What attracts you to a particular magazine cover?
......................................................................................................
4) Do you buy music magazines?
Yes OR No
5) What genre of music do you like?
................................................................................
6) Are there any music magazines which you buy regularly?
................................................................................
7) Who is your favourite music artist/band?
................................................................................................................
8) How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?
£1.50 - £1.99 or £2.00 - £2.49 or £2.50 - £2.99 or £3.00 or above
9) How often do you prefer magazines to be released?
Weekly or Monthly
10) What do you prefer reading in a magazine?
Article or Interview Festival/ Tour line-ups Album Reviews
11) If other, please state?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
12) What usually catches your eye the most on the front cover?
………………………………………………………………………...........
13) What colour scheme would attract you to a magazine?
………………………………………………………………………………
14) Would you like to be able to scan the barcodes from a magazine to get exclusive downloads?
Yes OR No
15) Do you think advertisements should be allowed in music magazine?
Yes OR No
16) If yes, why?
………………………………………………………………………………
State of Play Essay
How are representations of ethnicity established through the following technical codes: mise en scene, camera shot, angle, movement and position (cinematography), sound and editing?
In exploring the technical codes we can see that mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing is used exhaustively throughout the sequence to immediately establish genre and attract immediate interest. In particular the use of costume, props, setting, and lighting reinforces the contrast of the three separate narratives (stories) that appear to be connected. As a result the opening sequence deliberately does not make sense so the audience is pulled into watching more. The representation of race in 'State of Play' is that London is a more white dominated city.
In the first narrative we see through mise-en-scene of lighting and setting that the location for each narrative is daytime, inner-city London. The opening shot features a tracking shot, possibly using steadycam, as the audience are positioned in the middle of a frantic chase between two unknown characters. Throughout this scene, the mise-en-scene creates danger by using different aspects. The aspects used are setting the scene in a back alley, which immediately suggests that something is going to happen, another aspect are the dulls colours used The deliberate cinematography focusing only on their feet and legs immediately creates intrigue. The cinematography of the camera chasing after the youth also makes the audience seem as if they were the chaser.
Through a series of mid shots and close ups the main character is revealed to be a black youth who is dressed in a hoodie, jeans and he wears an earring; this is arguably a stereotypical representation of a black youth, particularly as he seems to be in trouble. The black youth is portray as being a thug as he is wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie. Another connotation is the hooded youth is running away from another male; this could suggest that as the boy is wearing stereotypical thug clothing, that the chaser could actually be a police officer trying to catch him but actually he is being chased by an assassin. The assassin who is dressed in dark, formal clothing, (arguably anti-hero characters are often dressed using a dark palette), however this assassin is also smartly dressed which connotates he is a professional. Another factor of 'State of Play' that is important, is the scene on the train.
Most of the males on the train are white, which shows that there is a more dominant race of white people. In the background of the train, is a black male dressed formally which suggests that he does not follow the convention of a stereotypical black male, which is presented in this drama. Another perspective that shows the youth to be thug-like is the scene where he is running underground. As he is running, he pushes through people without giving any notice, which shows that he has no respect for other people
The use of handheld camera and tracking shots places the audience in the centre of the action and a series of short cuts increases the pace of the editing to create excitement. At the point when the black youth is hiding from his assassin the pace of the editing slows dramatically as the audience waits on tenterhooks until the climax of the murder conveyed through a dramatic point of view shot. State of Play contains many different edits to show fear of the black character and the use of cut scenes, shows fear and creates tension in that scene. At one point in the scene, a reverse shot is used to show the perspective of the black man hiding from the assassin. A combination of diegetic sound, for example heavy breathing from the youth to connotate a lengthy chase, and non-diegetic sound through ambient music- (arguably tribal music is played during the chase sequence to further represent his black identity)- ensures the opening sequence makes full use of the technical codes to excite the audience.
In sharp contrast the second narrative introduces a dramatically different character: a white, male middle aged and of high social status. His clothing immediately symbolises his superior status as he wears a shirt, tie and expensive suit. With reference to props he is reading a Financial Times which is indicative that he has a professional occupation. Through the mise en scene of gesture he has a serious disposition and the dimmed lighting and surroundings indicate that he is on the tube, possibly on his way to work in the city. Most of the cinematography focussing on this character features a series of mid and long shots so that the audience can pick up clues through clothing and gestures.
The third narrative introduces another contrast; a young girl aged approximately twelve who is waiting in a café with an essential prop central to the narrative: a black plastic bag disguising a silver brief case. A mid shot pans down to a close up of the bag to reinforce the significance of this prop to the narrative. The director uses mise en scene to reflect the passage of time as we see within the frame that the girl has had time to consume three cans of coke. Through gesture and a series of returning mid shots and close ups, the girl is directed to appear nervous and anxious through body language and facial expression.
All three narratives combine to embed conventions of the thriller/ conspiracy genre present the audience with a series of questions: why are these three disparate (different) characters connected? Why was the black youth assassinated? What is in the bag?
The representation of race in ‘State of Play’ is presented as being dominant throughout the first scene. The black youth is represented as being a youth who is dressed stereotypically like a thug. The factor of him wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top implies that he is a miscreant.
In exploring the technical codes we can see that mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing is used exhaustively throughout the sequence to immediately establish genre and attract immediate interest. In particular the use of costume, props, setting, and lighting reinforces the contrast of the three separate narratives (stories) that appear to be connected. As a result the opening sequence deliberately does not make sense so the audience is pulled into watching more. The representation of race in 'State of Play' is that London is a more white dominated city.
In the first narrative we see through mise-en-scene of lighting and setting that the location for each narrative is daytime, inner-city London. The opening shot features a tracking shot, possibly using steadycam, as the audience are positioned in the middle of a frantic chase between two unknown characters. Throughout this scene, the mise-en-scene creates danger by using different aspects. The aspects used are setting the scene in a back alley, which immediately suggests that something is going to happen, another aspect are the dulls colours used The deliberate cinematography focusing only on their feet and legs immediately creates intrigue. The cinematography of the camera chasing after the youth also makes the audience seem as if they were the chaser.
Through a series of mid shots and close ups the main character is revealed to be a black youth who is dressed in a hoodie, jeans and he wears an earring; this is arguably a stereotypical representation of a black youth, particularly as he seems to be in trouble. The black youth is portray as being a thug as he is wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hoodie. Another connotation is the hooded youth is running away from another male; this could suggest that as the boy is wearing stereotypical thug clothing, that the chaser could actually be a police officer trying to catch him but actually he is being chased by an assassin. The assassin who is dressed in dark, formal clothing, (arguably anti-hero characters are often dressed using a dark palette), however this assassin is also smartly dressed which connotates he is a professional. Another factor of 'State of Play' that is important, is the scene on the train.
Most of the males on the train are white, which shows that there is a more dominant race of white people. In the background of the train, is a black male dressed formally which suggests that he does not follow the convention of a stereotypical black male, which is presented in this drama. Another perspective that shows the youth to be thug-like is the scene where he is running underground. As he is running, he pushes through people without giving any notice, which shows that he has no respect for other people
The use of handheld camera and tracking shots places the audience in the centre of the action and a series of short cuts increases the pace of the editing to create excitement. At the point when the black youth is hiding from his assassin the pace of the editing slows dramatically as the audience waits on tenterhooks until the climax of the murder conveyed through a dramatic point of view shot. State of Play contains many different edits to show fear of the black character and the use of cut scenes, shows fear and creates tension in that scene. At one point in the scene, a reverse shot is used to show the perspective of the black man hiding from the assassin. A combination of diegetic sound, for example heavy breathing from the youth to connotate a lengthy chase, and non-diegetic sound through ambient music- (arguably tribal music is played during the chase sequence to further represent his black identity)- ensures the opening sequence makes full use of the technical codes to excite the audience.
In sharp contrast the second narrative introduces a dramatically different character: a white, male middle aged and of high social status. His clothing immediately symbolises his superior status as he wears a shirt, tie and expensive suit. With reference to props he is reading a Financial Times which is indicative that he has a professional occupation. Through the mise en scene of gesture he has a serious disposition and the dimmed lighting and surroundings indicate that he is on the tube, possibly on his way to work in the city. Most of the cinematography focussing on this character features a series of mid and long shots so that the audience can pick up clues through clothing and gestures.
The third narrative introduces another contrast; a young girl aged approximately twelve who is waiting in a café with an essential prop central to the narrative: a black plastic bag disguising a silver brief case. A mid shot pans down to a close up of the bag to reinforce the significance of this prop to the narrative. The director uses mise en scene to reflect the passage of time as we see within the frame that the girl has had time to consume three cans of coke. Through gesture and a series of returning mid shots and close ups, the girl is directed to appear nervous and anxious through body language and facial expression.
All three narratives combine to embed conventions of the thriller/ conspiracy genre present the audience with a series of questions: why are these three disparate (different) characters connected? Why was the black youth assassinated? What is in the bag?
The representation of race in ‘State of Play’ is presented as being dominant throughout the first scene. The black youth is represented as being a youth who is dressed stereotypically like a thug. The factor of him wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hooded top implies that he is a miscreant.
Monster's Essay
How has the film “Monsters” been marketed and distributed?
You should consider;
• Budget and production,
• Locations,
• Marketing methods,
• Other films released at similar times,
• Critics reviews,
• The role of vertigo,
• Box office profit.
The film was developed, storyboarded and directed by Gareth Edwards, who also worked as the visual effects artist Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo Films work as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low budget due to the use of prosumer cameras to capture digital video rather than the more expensive 35mm film, Any settings featured in the film were real locations often used without permission asked in advance, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time. “Monsters” was released in 2010 and received mixed reviews from critics. Many critics found that the film wasn’t very successful; but others found it amazing as the director had a small budget to work with. One review implies that the critic didn’t enjoy the movie, ‘“Monsters’’ is a genuine curio: a moody, low-budget road-movie romance that takes place against a background of alien invasion.” The use of the word curio, suggests that it was an awful film. Not all reviews of “Monsters” were bad as we learn from the next review which was written by Future Movies UK which said “Monsters looks and feels like a major studio film, and Edwards is clearly a talent to watch.”
“Monsters” was a low budget film which made a substantial profit at the box office, overall, the film made $4,100,000 approx. To help out with their low budget, the producers decided to buy digital cameras instead of spending a vast amount of money on high-tech cameras. One of the most successful low-budget films was 1999's The Blair Witch Project. It had a budget of around $60,000 but grossed almost $249 million worldwide. Vertigo which was the company that helped produce “Monsters”. It enlisted the help of digital agency Think Jam and cinema chains Cineworld and Vue, and came up with a social media campaign for “Monsters” across Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. As part of the campaign, which was financed through the UKFC’s fund for digital innovation in film distribution, audiences were given the chance to get involved in the story theme of the film and ‘infect’ five of each cinema operator’s major city locations. The audience was encouraged to seek out “infected zones” across the UK, such as bars or shops, in return for being able to gain access to exclusive clips and prizes as well as discounted entry to the film. This was a very clever marketing strategy. Almost all of the film was shot on location in Mexico, which is probably where most of the money went. The location presented beautiful scenery which was portraying throughout the movie.
One other movie that was released at the same time as “Mosters” was “The Tourist” starring Johnny Depp. This movie had a budget of $100,000,000 and made a gross profit of $287,000,000. Although the movie had a massive profit and made a substantial profit, critics didn’t enjoy the movie. Different countries made different reviews of the movie. In America the movie wasn’t well liked by critics and according to Wikipedia “The Tourist received mostly negative reviews, with a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 158 reviews. Its critical consensus states: "The scenery and the stars are undeniably beautiful, but they can't make up for The Tourist's slow, muddled plot, or the lack of chemistry between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie." The movie received a different response in the UK and leading newspaper Daily Mail, gave it 5 out of 5 stars, calling the film "a glossy, sophisticated, gloriously improbable romp — escapist fun for these austere times"
Allan Niblo was the producer of the film. He has produced over 15 films to date including 2010's Oscar nominated Ajami and Monsters which received a phenomenal reception at this year's Cannes, Europe's first 3D film StreetDance which was No.1 at the UK Box Office on release, and a big screen version of the hugely successful kids TV series Horrid Henry. Allan was one of the founders of Vertigo in 2002. Monsters was nominated for six British independent film awards, including best picture, best director, and best actor, and eventually won the best director, best technical achievement, and best achievement in production awards. At the 2011 BAFTAs, Monsters was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but ultimately lost to Four Lions. Overall the film was a huge success as it worked with such a low budget and made the film as good as it possibly could have been.
You should consider;
• Budget and production,
• Locations,
• Marketing methods,
• Other films released at similar times,
• Critics reviews,
• The role of vertigo,
• Box office profit.
The film was developed, storyboarded and directed by Gareth Edwards, who also worked as the visual effects artist Allan Niblo and James Richardson of Vertigo Films work as producers on the production. The filming equipment cost approximately $15,000, with the budget coming in at under $500,000. The film was able to be made on such a low budget due to the use of prosumer cameras to capture digital video rather than the more expensive 35mm film, Any settings featured in the film were real locations often used without permission asked in advance, and the extras were just people who happened to be there at the time. “Monsters” was released in 2010 and received mixed reviews from critics. Many critics found that the film wasn’t very successful; but others found it amazing as the director had a small budget to work with. One review implies that the critic didn’t enjoy the movie, ‘“Monsters’’ is a genuine curio: a moody, low-budget road-movie romance that takes place against a background of alien invasion.” The use of the word curio, suggests that it was an awful film. Not all reviews of “Monsters” were bad as we learn from the next review which was written by Future Movies UK which said “Monsters looks and feels like a major studio film, and Edwards is clearly a talent to watch.”
“Monsters” was a low budget film which made a substantial profit at the box office, overall, the film made $4,100,000 approx. To help out with their low budget, the producers decided to buy digital cameras instead of spending a vast amount of money on high-tech cameras. One of the most successful low-budget films was 1999's The Blair Witch Project. It had a budget of around $60,000 but grossed almost $249 million worldwide. Vertigo which was the company that helped produce “Monsters”. It enlisted the help of digital agency Think Jam and cinema chains Cineworld and Vue, and came up with a social media campaign for “Monsters” across Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. As part of the campaign, which was financed through the UKFC’s fund for digital innovation in film distribution, audiences were given the chance to get involved in the story theme of the film and ‘infect’ five of each cinema operator’s major city locations. The audience was encouraged to seek out “infected zones” across the UK, such as bars or shops, in return for being able to gain access to exclusive clips and prizes as well as discounted entry to the film. This was a very clever marketing strategy. Almost all of the film was shot on location in Mexico, which is probably where most of the money went. The location presented beautiful scenery which was portraying throughout the movie.
One other movie that was released at the same time as “Mosters” was “The Tourist” starring Johnny Depp. This movie had a budget of $100,000,000 and made a gross profit of $287,000,000. Although the movie had a massive profit and made a substantial profit, critics didn’t enjoy the movie. Different countries made different reviews of the movie. In America the movie wasn’t well liked by critics and according to Wikipedia “The Tourist received mostly negative reviews, with a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 158 reviews. Its critical consensus states: "The scenery and the stars are undeniably beautiful, but they can't make up for The Tourist's slow, muddled plot, or the lack of chemistry between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie." The movie received a different response in the UK and leading newspaper Daily Mail, gave it 5 out of 5 stars, calling the film "a glossy, sophisticated, gloriously improbable romp — escapist fun for these austere times"
Allan Niblo was the producer of the film. He has produced over 15 films to date including 2010's Oscar nominated Ajami and Monsters which received a phenomenal reception at this year's Cannes, Europe's first 3D film StreetDance which was No.1 at the UK Box Office on release, and a big screen version of the hugely successful kids TV series Horrid Henry. Allan was one of the founders of Vertigo in 2002. Monsters was nominated for six British independent film awards, including best picture, best director, and best actor, and eventually won the best director, best technical achievement, and best achievement in production awards. At the 2011 BAFTAs, Monsters was nominated for Outstanding Debut by a British Director, but ultimately lost to Four Lions. Overall the film was a huge success as it worked with such a low budget and made the film as good as it possibly could have been.
American History X Essay
In the extract of American History X that we watched, it is clear that there is tension between each race. The white race in this extract is shown to be violent and aggressive whereas the black race is shown to be innocent. The white male has a swastika tattooed over his heart which suggests the is patriotic towards his political group.
At the start of the extract, the brother of the violent male is sitting in a bedroom which is surrounded in swastika signs and poster that are severely racist towards the black race. One poster has on it “Nigger’s Beware” The word “Nigger” is a derogatory term which is vastly racist towards black males and females. Also in his bedroom was a large swastika sign which was hung up on the wall. Having a sign that large on the bedroom wall suggests that his brother and he are really devoted to their belief. Another factor is that the scene was in colour – this is important as it shows the audience that it was the present time, as the black and white parts of the film were flashbacks showing what had previously happened.
The next part of the extract is a flashback to the dramatic scene which got his brother arrested. This part is shot in black and white to let the audience know that it was a flashback. It starts off by showing a stocky man, shooting at a driving car. This suggests that he was a violent person as he was shooting the gun accurately, which shows that he has handled a gun in the past. As the car gets away, the man is shown as having a swastika tattooed on his chest, this shows his patriotism. This group had beliefs that there was the best way. In addition to this, the Nazi party are an extremely racist group. As the man walks back towards the house, there is an injured, black man on the grass. The patriotic man, man handles the black man and starts verbally questioning the man to why he tried to steal his father’s truck. During this, the younger brothers voice over is played saying “If only I didn’t tell him” which suggests that he beliefs it was his fault for what happened that night. Soon after his, his brother put’s the victim’s mouth on the curb and stomped on the man’s head; this shows how intense and loyal to belief he was.
Sound plays a big part in this extract. The sound in the extract is differentiated through each part. At the part where Derek is going over towards the injured black man, the music forms a crescendo which builds up to show the drama of events that have happened. Other sounds that are heard are rather religious sounding music as Derek is getting arrested which suggest that it is rather heavenly for him to get arrested.
As well as sound, cinematography plays a large part in this extract. The cinematography expresses the emotion shown in this extract. The main turning point of this extract is the point that handcuffs is placed on Derek as it shows that he is not in control anymore. The camera shows it from his brother’s point of view to add effect. The moment he is arrested, his facial expressions change as it somewhat shows he understands what he has done, and seeing his brother this upset, is making him emotional.
At the point Derek is arrested, he stands in the way Jesus did. This is shows dramatic irony as his Nazi party were against Jews, and Jesus was actually a Jew. Standing like Jesus suggests that he believes he is better than everyone else, but at the moment he was arrested, everything changes. Suring this angelic quire sounds are playing to make it biblical At this point his brother looks distraught, which suggests that Derek was maybe his protector and he has now been taking away from him. It also could make the audience to relate to this.
Race is shown in this extract to be a more white male dominant extract, as Derek brutally kills two black males. The white male, Derek, is shown to be a violent male. The black males in this extract follow the usual conventions of a movie as the black males are more likely to be the criminals. The movie somewhat breaks conventions as the criminal normally hurt the victim, but in fact, the tables turn in this extract as the victim turns into the criminal as he kills the males. Killing the black male by curb stomping his head, shows how discourteous he is to the other race.
Race is shown to be really important in this extract, the white race is the most dominant, and the black race is shown to be vulnerable and defenceless. This is shown as the Derek who is white, kills two black males, and the black males don’t fight back, and follow Derek’s instructions.
At the start of the extract, the brother of the violent male is sitting in a bedroom which is surrounded in swastika signs and poster that are severely racist towards the black race. One poster has on it “Nigger’s Beware” The word “Nigger” is a derogatory term which is vastly racist towards black males and females. Also in his bedroom was a large swastika sign which was hung up on the wall. Having a sign that large on the bedroom wall suggests that his brother and he are really devoted to their belief. Another factor is that the scene was in colour – this is important as it shows the audience that it was the present time, as the black and white parts of the film were flashbacks showing what had previously happened.
The next part of the extract is a flashback to the dramatic scene which got his brother arrested. This part is shot in black and white to let the audience know that it was a flashback. It starts off by showing a stocky man, shooting at a driving car. This suggests that he was a violent person as he was shooting the gun accurately, which shows that he has handled a gun in the past. As the car gets away, the man is shown as having a swastika tattooed on his chest, this shows his patriotism. This group had beliefs that there was the best way. In addition to this, the Nazi party are an extremely racist group. As the man walks back towards the house, there is an injured, black man on the grass. The patriotic man, man handles the black man and starts verbally questioning the man to why he tried to steal his father’s truck. During this, the younger brothers voice over is played saying “If only I didn’t tell him” which suggests that he beliefs it was his fault for what happened that night. Soon after his, his brother put’s the victim’s mouth on the curb and stomped on the man’s head; this shows how intense and loyal to belief he was.
Sound plays a big part in this extract. The sound in the extract is differentiated through each part. At the part where Derek is going over towards the injured black man, the music forms a crescendo which builds up to show the drama of events that have happened. Other sounds that are heard are rather religious sounding music as Derek is getting arrested which suggest that it is rather heavenly for him to get arrested.
As well as sound, cinematography plays a large part in this extract. The cinematography expresses the emotion shown in this extract. The main turning point of this extract is the point that handcuffs is placed on Derek as it shows that he is not in control anymore. The camera shows it from his brother’s point of view to add effect. The moment he is arrested, his facial expressions change as it somewhat shows he understands what he has done, and seeing his brother this upset, is making him emotional.
At the point Derek is arrested, he stands in the way Jesus did. This is shows dramatic irony as his Nazi party were against Jews, and Jesus was actually a Jew. Standing like Jesus suggests that he believes he is better than everyone else, but at the moment he was arrested, everything changes. Suring this angelic quire sounds are playing to make it biblical At this point his brother looks distraught, which suggests that Derek was maybe his protector and he has now been taking away from him. It also could make the audience to relate to this.
Race is shown in this extract to be a more white male dominant extract, as Derek brutally kills two black males. The white male, Derek, is shown to be a violent male. The black males in this extract follow the usual conventions of a movie as the black males are more likely to be the criminals. The movie somewhat breaks conventions as the criminal normally hurt the victim, but in fact, the tables turn in this extract as the victim turns into the criminal as he kills the males. Killing the black male by curb stomping his head, shows how discourteous he is to the other race.
Race is shown to be really important in this extract, the white race is the most dominant, and the black race is shown to be vulnerable and defenceless. This is shown as the Derek who is white, kills two black males, and the black males don’t fight back, and follow Derek’s instructions.
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