I did Saving Private Ryan because I really like it’s plot and I think that it’s a classic movie. Obviously better  than Jurassic Park, Despite what Sergio says

Click here to view the trailer

What makes a good film?

A good film needs to consist of many smaller, important qualities that will ultimately create a better bigger picture. There are many different micro elements that go into making a scene, and they are all very important. One micro element is the cinematography, which needs to be well thought out in order for it to reflect the mood and setting of the scene. Also, the mise-en-scene must be specific in every detail and well constructed. For example, the colours and lighting used in a scene could be used to reflect a mood or an underlying theme throughout the film. If the wrong colours were used, it could confuse the audience and give them the wrong idea about what is happening. Another important micro element is the editing, that takes place to ensure that the film is the best that it can be. This stage in film production can help to keep the pace of the film, to make sure that it stays relevant to the audience, so they don’t lose interest. Editors can cut out scenes that aren’t necessary, to either keep it interesting or to make sure that the film will fit into its allotted time space. Editing is also important to cut out any mistakes in the film, which could ruin a scene. One more micro element that has a huge impact on the overall effect of a movie is the sound. Many famous movies all have very impressive soundtracks, as they help to create the required atmosphere. The sound can help make a suspenseful scene more tense for the audience by having soft music suddenly become loud, adding to the audience’s shock when it comes to jump scares. The soundtrack can also be very useful to fill space in a film – for example if there are no characters talking, the audience might not like the empty silence.

It is also important to consider macro elements, such as the message or value behind the film. Most films have a message behind them, and this can be explored not only by the characters and their actions, but by scenes and representation. In most films, the characters learn something by the end, and this often reflects the central message that the writers want the audience to realise. The style of the film has to also be carefully considered before and during the filming. For example, if the script has been written for a certain style, but then the director starts using a different style, the film won’t make sense. This also links to the genre of the film, which is important to consider when choosing things like lighting and props. For a horror film, the audience would expect dark scenes with little lighting, because it echoes a suspenseful atmosphere. If a horror film had lots of daylight scenes with few shadows, the intended atmosphere of the scenes would be lost. However, comedy films would generally be better lit, with more scenes set in daylight, as the film would have a more cheerful mood.

Activity 1 film

In my summer task, i looked into Guardians of the Galaxy because irs one of my favorite films.

Here’s the first trailer for the film:

My summer task was an analysis of what makes a good film by referring to macro and micro elements. Instead of analyzing a specific movie,  I decided to refer to film as a whole. I found this easier because I got to discuss all of the elements whereas with a specific movie, it can be hard to discuss all of the points as some films do not cover all topics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxrF-X1yn6Q

Awful film but at the same time its amazing.

Film Studies – Activity 3

Sort the following films into three main categories: Mainstream Film, Art Film and Historically Significant Film

A Bugs Life:  Directed by John Lasseter, released in 1998. An animation film created by Disney Pixar. I believe it is a Mainstream Film, as it followed the success of the Toy Story Franchise. I don’t believe it is an art film as in the same year Ants was released with a similar narrative therefore it devalues it’s artistic value. I dont think its as historically significant as its predecessor Toy Story.

Battleship Potemkin: Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, released in 1925. I believe this film to be a historically significant film, as it proves to be so as both in the industry and historically in general, shedding light on Soviet culture to a mass audience, and was considerably critically acclaimed. It appears to lean heavier towards historical value over artistic or mainstream.

The Breakfast Club: Directed by John Hughes, released in 1985. I believe The Breakfast Club to be an Art film, as it became a sort of cornerstone of Cult films, including iconic moments that are still referenced in the present day. I don’t believe it to be a Mainstream film as the budget for the movie was only estimated to be $1 million, yet managed to obtain $51 million in box office. I do believe it has historic significance in regards to it being noted as one of the most iconic high-school movies of all time, however i believe during that era other movies such as the Terminator and Bladerunner would be more appropriate examples of such.

The Wizard of Oz: Directed by Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, King Vidor, George Cukor, Norman Taurog, released in 1939. I believe this film to be of Historical significance as it was created in the 1930s and was the first ever movie to be released in Technicolour. I don’t believe it to have been a Mainstream film at the time, as the box office margin in comparison to the budget made for a small profit, indicating the movie was not as culturally acclaimed upon release. It can be argued as an Art film, due to the movie surfacing as the first under Technicolour, incorporated with a musical film, yet its origin of a novel devalues its originality.

Deadpool 2: Directed by David Leitch, released in 2018. I believe this to be a Mainstream Film, as primarily it follows an onslaught of Superhero movies that have been released in the last decade, without mentioning the movie being a sequel. The box office can further strengthen this opinion, as the profits made were considerable. This isn’t historically significant nor artistic, as it derives from an already created form of media and was a follow up of a movie.

Toy Story: Directed by John Lasseter, released in 1995. I believe this to be a Historically Significant film, as the film was critically acclaimed upon release, and was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first feature film produced by Pixar. It can be argued as a Mainstream film as it has cemented its status into pop culture, even being highly known by the population to this day, and resulted in the iconic Pixar movie franchise. It can be argued as an Art film due to its change in retrospect to the process of animation features, and modernising the process intertwining computer technology.

The Seventh Samurai: Directed by Akira Kurosawa, released in 1954. I believe this is a historically significant film, as it is ranked highly with critics as one of the greatest films of all time, and has been highly influential in the industry, being one of the most adapted and remade movies ever.

The Shape of Water: Directed by Guillermo del Toro, released in 2017.  I believe this to be an Art film, as it doesn’t fully follow the regular blueprint of movies in the modern day. It’s plot is original in retrospect to other recent releases and is in the genre of fantasy.

Submarine: Directed by Richard Ayoade, released in 2010. I believe this to be an art film, due to the budget only being £1.2m, as the box office was not extremely successful, yet it was critically acclaimed.

Manhattan: Directed by Woody Allen, released in 1979. I believe this to be an art film, as the visuals exemplified with the intended use of black and white. Also, Woody Allen Directed, wrote and starred in the movie, which can argue that the movie managed to remain true to its artistic quality.

Once Upon a Time in the West: Directed by Sergio Leone, released in 1968. I believe this spaghetti-Western to be historically significant, as Sergio Leone is an iconic director in relation to Westerns, directing The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and the Man with no Name. Also, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

Pre-ALevel Task

Movies have been a cornerstone of entertainment for the public for generations, evolving as each generation has gone through time. It has been the most visual form of narrative since the dawn of storytelling, therefore film creators have been able to use their craft to portray representations as subjective or as direct as willingly, or in some cases unwillingly, intended.

Mise-en-scene is the colour on the canvas. It is vital for the Mise-en-scene to mirror the intent the narrative describes, as it visualises for the viewer instances and detail that a book would be able to portray with a few sentences, whereas a movie is a frame by frame visual narration. Therefore, in perspective of a worker behind the camera, the mise-en-scene is what will bring out the descriptive adjectives and linguistics the script, or novel, possesses.

Cinematography also plays an important role when making a film. When reading prose, we rarely think of the angle we are involving ourselves in the story from. However, when directing a movie, it could make or break the scene, especially when making decisions like zoom, quality,stability etc. However, in some cases there can be decisions whether not to include cinematography to further signify a moment in a film. For an example, if in a scene a murder was to occur, and the camera panned to the shadows of the characters when it occurs, it leaves more to the imagination to the audience, which may be more appropriate for a drama genre movie, whereas you may want to signify this scene in full detail if the film is meant to be particularly violent.

Genre is a key element in the production of a movie. It immediately gives you a narrative template, a specific target audience and how reliant as a film maker you are in your themes and messages, factoring the seriousness of the film. However, I believe intertwining genres in movies will grant a better chance of a good film. Intertwining genres will widen the audience for your movie, gives it more opportunities for marketing strategy and a higher chance of pleasing possible investors or producers. Examples of good intertwining genres are:  Marvel (Action-Comedy) It Remastered (Horror-Drama-Comedy) and Titanic (Drama-Romance-Tragedy).

In conclusion, I believe all these elements are key in producing a good film. However, for there to be a great film to be produced anytime soon, the formula has to be changed. The cinema industry is bleeding in our era of online access and streaming, therefore producers and investors are less and less interested in originality and more interested in revenue regardless of content, which is ultimately a struggle to oppose in instance of convenience.