Task 1.1- Pre-lims
Prelim 1 -Meeting
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Prelim 2 -Western
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Prelim 3 -180 rule
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Task 1.2 - Vlog #1
Vlog 1 - Meeting
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Task 1.3 - Genre Research
Opening sequence analysis:
Sucker Punch (2011) - Action/Adventure/Fantasy
In the beginning of this sequence the screen fades from black to an image of a stage seen from the view of the audience, this immediately involves the viewer.
There is then a non-diagetic voice over and soundtrack playing over the scene as the camera slowly moves towards the stage. This for dramatic effect and to introduce the viewer to the world it is set in. The way that the scene is manipulated from a viewing of a stage to reality as the camera is rotated to show that there is no audience or stage behind the girl on the bed shows the fantasy element of the Sucker Punch as it makes it seem like it's all a "play" and not reality so it's possibly all in the characters mind. Linking to that, the choice of song fits with this as well as it is a cover of the song 'Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This' sung by the actress of the main character. This creates a more personal connection to the character and hinting at her confusion with reality. The audience is immediately drawn to the figure of the girl due to her bright pink clothing and light hair which contrasts against the darkness of the bedroom. This highlights her as being the main character.
The scene uses dark lighting to create a moody atmosphere. This is used commonly in action films to make a scene seem more dramatic. Pathetic fallacy is also used by having dreary weather set at night time to highlight the dark mood of the scene. |
Slow motion is used throughout the opening sequence as slow-mo is commonly used in films of the action genre to build suspense. Also there's a lot of movement, such as people running, which is another convention of the action genre as there is a lot going on in the scene but by filming this in slow motion it makes it more noticeable.
The sequence is also shot without any dialogue so the scene is purely conveyed through the emotions and facial expressions of the characters. A male character is then introduced as the "Evil Step-Father" archetype. This can be seen by his looks and his actions. For instance he is seen smiling at the sight of the children crying about their mother's death and his looks are very stereotypical for this archetype as he is a slightly obese adult male who appears to have a high temper. There is a quick cut to a gun and a paper knife in a drawer which foreshadows to later scenes of violence but also the "Evil Step-Father" archetype as it shows his violent side that he keeps hidden, literally and figuratively.
Shots of fire exploding and shouting/screaming is another common convention of action as it's very lively and sudden as well as violent and showing the dangerous nature of someone. |
Se7en (1995) - Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Task 1.4 - Genre Mapping
1) Horror
- Visual Style
Blair Witch Project (1999) - Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez
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The Shining (1980) - Stanley Kubrick
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The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - Jonathan Demme
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Carrie (1976) - Brian De Palma
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The Exorcist (1973) - William Friedkin
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- Typical Narrative
Rituals:
-The killer wears something to hide their identity
-The victim runs upstairs to escape the killer
-The victim runs into the woods to escape the killer
-When someone is possessed they call a priest
Archetypes:
-The Jock (attractive, sporty, womanizer, narcissistic, dies trying to be a hero)
-The Cheerleader (female version of The Jock, not very intelligent, usually one of the first to die)
-The Stoner/Nerd (intelligent, outcast of the group, usually less attractive than the others, usually there for comic appeal)
-The Token Minority (used to try and add diversity, usually not a very important character, almost always the first to die)
-The Nice Guy (love interest/brother/friend of the main female, voice of reason, nice to everyone, sometimes dies to create tragedy for the love interest)
-The Virgin/The Last Girl (last to die/survive, smart, sweet, pretty, more pure than the other female characters, becomes the strongest member of the group when all her friends are killed off, usually manages to kill the killer)
Themes:
-Revenge
-Death/killing
-Mental problems
-The supernatural (ghosts, demons, possession)
-Isolation/entrapment
Top 5 best selling horror films worldwide:
1.) The Exorcist (1973)
2.) Jaws (1975)
3.) The Sixth Sense (1999)
4.) I Am Legend (2007)
5.) World war Z (2013)
Secondary Research
2) Sci-Fi
- Visual Style
- Typical Narrative
Rituals:
-One individual alone on a quest or against a threat (e.g aliens, dystopian government)
-An individual (usually an average person living an average life) who discovers they have a unique ability/powers
Archetypes:
-The Soldier/The Rogue (usually the main character and can be either male or female, goes against the leaders/government to do what they believe is right)
-The Nerd (sometimes has a like for comic books or is the smartest in the group but is not listened to despite their intelligent ideas for escaping a bad situation)
-The Anti-Hero (a main character who lacks conventional heroic qualities and usually does bad things to achieve good)
-Cyborgs/android (can either be a good or bad character but is sometimes in the place of The Nerd as they usually have some form of high intelligence over the other characters)
-The Mad Scientist
-Mutants
-Superhumans
Themes:
-Time travel
-The future
-Aliens
-Dystopian society
-Apocalypse
-Parallel worlds
-Space
Top 5 best selling sci-fi films worldwide:
1.) Avatar (2009)
2.) The Avengers (2012)
3.) Star Wars Episode I- The Phantom Menace (1999)
4.) Star Wars (1997)
5.) E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Secondary Research
3) Action
- Visual Style
- Typical Narrative
Rituals:
- A character rebels against a higher power in order to save a loved one (typically a male hero saving a damsel in distress )
- A character with a dark past attempts to get revenge against those that wronged them/killed someone they love.
- Diving out of the way of a large explosion
- An individual or a group of people are sent to assassinate someone
- The hero is abducted and locked up somewhere secure and they figure out how to escape using their wits and cunning
Archetypes:
- The Hero (stereotypically a muscled male who goes out of their way to save the damsel/their country)
- The Villain (stereotypically a male obsessed with power and usually a government official or a high up member of the mafia)
- The Soldier/The Rogue (usually the main character and is usually male but sometimes female, goes against the leaders/government to do what they believe is right)
- The Damsel In Distress (the lover of the protagonist who gets kidnapped by the antagonist or somehow gets connected with the protagonists fight with the antagonist)
- The Warrior (does everything in their power to do the right thing for their country/people)
- Evil Government (A corrupted government which typically has the main antagonist as their leader or as a high up official. The protagonist fights them in order to save the day)
- The Loose Cannon (a main character that's usually a cop who goes against the rules of their superiors to save the day)
Themes:
- Mafia
- Dystopian government
- Revenge
- Escape
- Assassination
- Kidnapping
- Violence
Top 5 best selling action films worldwide:
1.) Avatar (2009)
2.) The Avengers (2012)
3.) Star Wars (1977)
4.) Iron Man 3 (2013)
5.) Transformers: Dark of the moon (2011)
Secondary research
4) Superhero
- Visual Style
- Typical Narrative
Rituals:
- The hero/group of heroes work together to fight the villain
- The hero appears to fail/die but then suddenly returns and defeats the villain at the last moment
- The villain creates something to destroy the hero/the world to get revenge (usually because of the hero or a past tragedy)
- The hero "gets the girl"
- The hero/heroes have a weakness that the villain/villains use against them. This usually gets their 'loved one'/'damsell' in danger.
Archetypes:
- The Hero/Heroes (an individual hero/group of heroes who have superhuman powers or high fighting abilities who save the world/a city/ a person from the villain)
- The Villain/Villains (antagonist to the hero/heroes who try and fail to get revenge on them)
- The Sidekick (an assistant to the hero)
- The Crooked Cop (a cop who seems to be in league with the hero but is persuaded/threatened to help the villain)
- The Damsel In Distress (usually the lover of the hero in which they get in trouble because of the villain and the hero tries to save them)
- The Scientist (sometimes the helper to the hero or the cause of why they have superhuman powers)
- The Anti-hero (the main hero who does bad things in order to save the day or is convinced to help the villain against the other heroes)
Themes:
- Superhuman powers
- Science
- Revenge
- Love
- World crisis
- Teamwork
Top 5 best selling action films worldwide:
1.) The Avengers (2012)
2.) The Dark Knight (2008)
3.) The Dark Knight Rises (2013)
4.) Iron Man 3 (2013)
5.) Spider-Man (2002)
Secondary research
Task 1.5 - Alternatives to genre
Wendy and Lucy (2008)- Kelly Reichart
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'Wendy and Lucy' can be identified as as an independent film in several ways but there is one part especially that does this and that's the last 10 minutes of the film.
It doesn't end typically with a happy ending to keep the viewers pleased; it ends badly for the main character. Wendy's still left in search of a job in Alaska, just like in the beginning of the film, except she now doesn't have a car and she's alone as she no longer has her dog Lucy with her. Usually in mainstream cinema there is a change in the story from the start to the end but with 'Wendy and Lucy' Wendy's situation from the start is not much different by the end of the film apart from the loss of her dog and car. This may seem like a boring storyline for a film, however it creates a realistic image of life in the US at the time and how, because of the recession and the lack of jobs, people are left with travelling the country or leaving it just to be able to find a job and earn themselves money for living costs. By creating this realistic image of someone's life it makes the film a lot more relateable to viewers who have lived through this sort of situation themselves or know people who have. This is very different to mainstream cinema as usually the storyline is a lot more dramatic and unrealistic for viewing purposes in order to entertain a wider audience and keep them satisfied. |
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) - Miranda July
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The scene in 'Me and You and Everyone We Know' truly makes the film a part of independent cinema is when Robby, the youngest son of Richard, meets with the unknown woman he's been online messaging. This is a very unconventional scene that you wouldn't find in mainstream cinema as if this was done by a hollywood company there would be many questions about the appropriateness of the scene as it has high connotations of paedophilia so they probably wouldn't include it to ensure the film appeals to a wider audience.
Also the woman kisses the child which is a very uncommon thing to be included in a film as this breaks the line of the sexual maturity of Robby. However it also has a sort of childish tone to it as Robby, before the woman kisses him, brushes her hair behind her ear which is a very innocent action but still has romantic connotations. For me this scene highlights the problem of sexual maturity and how and when younger individuals should be introduced to sexual content. It also is an example of safety online as neither Robby or the woman knew who they were talking to and Robby also wasn't being monitored by his father or brother on the fact that he's having these sorts of conversations. Robby, who is a six year old, had no idea about the sexual nature of the conversations they shared and had a childish mindset about the situation. These sorts of themes aren't really explored in mainstream media and the theme of love is never usually used in a wider sense and is generally centered on the typical "boy meets girl" type of storyline or a familial love. |
Ghost World (2001) - Terry Zwigoff
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In the film 'Ghost World' there are parts that portray it as a part of independent cinema, especially by it's use of micro elements. In the scene when Enid and Rebecca follow the two "satanist's" (as they call them), the way the actors portray these characters creates a sense that these two girls are outsiders from society and are, uncommonly for protagonist, shown as rude and immature throughout the film as they adapt to "adult life" so quickly after leaving college. However this does change by the end of the film as they realise that they're not children anymore. Enid has a more childish mindset and adapts slower than Rebecca. Rebecca very quickly shows an adult mindset to her life and follows the general rules of society of getting a job, buying an apartment, and buying items and furniture for said apartment. Enid still wants to act how they used to and this clashes with her friend.
The theme of outsiders and growing up is common for independent cinema as well as having a young girl as the main character. The use of bright colour in the film contrasts with the sometimes dark tone to what the two girls do to pass the time (follow people and judge them on their looks, be openly judgmental to people's faces, set up a fake date for a lonely man who expects the women to be there to purposely make him feel like he's been stood up). This is different to mainstream cinema as lighting and colour would be used differently to portray the characters more negatively for their actions. |