Rating: 6/10
I can see why Casablanca is enjoyed by a large number of Film fans, the cinematography and lighting is great and definitely one of the stage out aspects of it. I personally couldn’t get into the story that much.
Stand out scene:
I think the stand out scene for me was when Ilsa asks Sam to play ‘As Time Goes By’. I think it is a good insight to her character and how she is still attached to her past with Rick.
1900-1930
1 – why did film makers and producters move to hollywood?
to avoid Thomas Edison’s film laws
2 – two actors and directors/producers from the silent era:
actors: Charlie Chaplin – known for The Kid, Modern Times and his character of The Tramp
King Baggot – known for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Ivanhoe and he was also a director for movies such as Tumbleweeds and The Home Maker.
directors:
Buster Keaton – known for The General, Seven Chances and was also an actor.
Sergei Eisenstein – known for Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky and Strike.
pictures: The general and battleship Potemkin
3 – in what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory or production lines? or football teams?
the main roles of the film making process where split up into many different roles so multiple projects could be being made at the same time. if actors where not doing well, they could have their contract cut short
4- When and what was the first ‘talking picture’?
the jazz singer – 1927
5 – why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers in the film industry?
their voices (funny or thick accent)
6 – what was happening at the time in America?
world war one 1914, wall street crash 1929, great depression 1929
The golden age of Hollywood 1930-47:
1 – what where the big 5 studios and what movies did they made
MGM – Wizard of Oz
Paramount – Shanghai Express
RKO – Bringing up Baby
20th Century FOX – How Green Was My Valley
Warner Brothers – Footlight Parade
2 – Vertical Integration: where one company would own every aspect of the film’s production (the making, advertising, distribution and exhibition)
Block booking: ensuring that seats will be filled (the act of owning the theaters as well as the movies themselves)
3- why and when did the original studio system collapse?
1948 – united states versus Paramount Pictures.
this case argued that by owning all aspects of production, it was ruining competition.
4- what was happened in america at the time
the great depression/wall street crash
5- what genres where popular at the time? and why would people go to the movies in this time period?
musicals, westerns and gangster movies. people would go as a form of escapism, because of how bad their lives where outside of the movies.
Classical Hollywood Style
Invisible Style of Storytelling- making the editing style of the movie not noticeable by the audience to keep them immersed in the movie. focused on the Plot and Character development, it is told Chronologically.
Continuity Editing- blending multiple camera shots together to create a consistent and cohesive narrative.
Definition- a genre or style of film that is typically a thriller or detective film made mainly during 1944-1954 that are in black and white. The use of black and white is usually done to visually show the divide between a good and evil force. The characters are usually pessimistic or menacing.
Classic Noir:
Strangers on a Train -1951
Neo Noir:
The Lighthouse – 2019
Cinematography:
During this sequence Shaun is talking to Combo, their conversation is boosted by the use of cutting between extreme close ups of each other. During this scene Combo is acting like a father figure to Shaun, so the closeness could be a representation of that.
Mise-en-Scene:
during this scene, you can easily tell that this house has been run down for years, but judging by the small glimpse of Shaun’s house, you can assume that even before is was abandoned, it still wouldn’t have been in the best state. This is connoting that the area they live in is run down. This is shown by the dim lighting, the chipping paint on the walls, the already broken debris on the countertop and the dust/sawdust on the floors.
Editing:
The opening to This is England is is edited with cuts to what looks like mixes of tv recordings and home videos, this helps to put the audience into the mindset of the time. It also helps ground the story and subtly show what the main plot points will be about. The stark contrast between the clips at the beginning and end help encapsulate the mindset of the time. The imagery going from videos of live performances and people dancing in clubs, to images of war and the people effected by it.
Sound:
music is a large part of This is England, as most alternative subcultures have a style of music they are associated with. Along with this, there is a large amount of popular music from the time period. this is displayed in the opening scene, where the 1968 ska song ’54-46 Was my Number’ is playing in the background. Ska along with Soul, R&B and early reggae where popular with skinheads during this time.
Young people:
while most of the People Shaun hangs out with are young adults, the youngest character is Shaun himself. At the beginning the movie he is portrayed as short tempered and naïve. This aspect of him is later taken advantage of by Combo and his group to make Shaun start to hold nationalistic ideals.
Older people:
Combo is the best example of an older person in This is England. He is shown at first to be a well meaning but badly executing man, but later he is shown as borderline psychopathic. He is almost a father figure towards Shaun, so when he starts to take him to these nationalist events/meetings, he trusts him and where he holds his views.
Class:
the main class of people represented in This is England is lower class people. The areas that they are shown to live in/hang out in are often run down or in a not great condition. This is giving the audience the impression that lower class areas are more run down. it is best shown in the scene when Shaun wakes up, because you can see his wall in the back is damaged and hasn’t been fixed.
English people:
A huge part of This is England is the idea of nationalism. The idea that a lot of the cast are very proud about being English is most exemplified by the scene where Combo is asking Milky if he considers himself English, there is a sense of tension and suspense that is weighted on his answer.
People of colour:
A lot of the movie hinges on the idea of nationalism, which itself is grounded in racist ideology. This is best shown through the sequence that leads up to Combo robbing the corner store. You see him teaching Shaun slurs and hateful language to use against the man in the shop, who he interacted with at the beginning of the film. During this robbery, an extreme act of violence, or at least the threat of it, takes place. By showing that Combo would gladly pull out a machete and threaten this man’s life with it, it shows his hatred so much more than just him teaching Shaun how to speak. Along with this, Combo is the main portrayer of violence, both in general and towards people of colour. This is once again shown by the scene where he beats Milky almost to death, purely for speaking about his family.
Men/ the idea of masculinity:
Masculinity is a very important part of Combo’s character. this is best exemplified in the scene right after he bead Milky to near death. Shaun is crying over this because he cares for Milky and his safety, while Combo shouts at him to help him carry Milky. During his shouting, he tells Shaun that men don’t cry, which was a common term used by people at that time to teach young boys about masculinity. He is also seen in an earlier scene trying not to cry after he was rejected by Lol, he responds to this feeling of sadness with violence, which could have lead to the later outburst with Milky, because he viewed himself as less masculine so had to prove himself to himself that he is still masculine, by teaching a young boy the same ideals that he learnt.
Women:
Women take less of a main role as the male characters do in This is England, but are shown in a way that is mean to mimic real life, showing how they themselves can be confident, but also showing the struggles that come with being a woman. This is best shown in the scene where Combo pressures Lol into following him to his car while she is on her way to work. Combo is shown to be praying apon her, as he talks bout a night they had together, Lol clarifying that it was the worst of her life, while Combo saying it was the best. She puts herself forward and makes it known that she doesn’t want that, showing that she can be domineering and stern. He clearly doesn’t get the idea that Lol probably didn’t want anything to do with him after that, so still continues to try and talk her into a relationship while she declines. But women are also shown to be in that same situation, with characters like Smell, who accepts Shaun’s offer of being his girlfriend, despite the fact she herself is 18 and Shaun is 12.
1- Pick out the phrases / vocab you think is impressive.
‘the deliberate and stylised use of this slow-motion reaction shot’
2- Define ‘diegetic’
Diegetic: things that are present in the world of the movie.
3- Define ‘cathartic effect’
Cathartic effect: the emotional response an audience has after seeing a movie
4- Define ‘reframing’
Reframing: change in camera position
5- How is this paragraph structured
point is made. evidence is given. explanation. linked back to the point.
Throughout Joker, cinematography is used effectively to create a sense of chaos within the film’s diegetic world. This is particularly evident in the scene towards the end of the film where Arthur is shown in a low- angle, close-up looking out of the police car window and reacting with glee at the riots taking place around him. Here, the camera is used to position the spectator as not only connecting with Arthur, but now looking up to him. This suggests to the spectator that the tables have turned and Arthur, who was earlier depicted as pathetic and sad, is now depicted as powerful and heroic. This “reframing” of the central character” has a potentially cathartic effect on the spectator who has, up until this point, been encouraged to sympathise with Arthur’s point of view as a victim of circumstance. The deliberate and stylised use of this slow-motion reaction shot, enables the spectator to get a sense of poetic justice being served: Arthur is now on his way to prison.
Rating: 6/10
I feel that the first 40 or so minuets of ‘This is England’ are the best of the whole movie. After Shaun stops being around Woody and starts hanging around with Combo more, I feel that the movie becomes less enjoyable, as to me it just felt like watching a child being manipulated and mistreated by adults he trusted for another hour, which I was not the biggest fan of. But I understand that this is probably the reaction that was wanted from the audience, and I enjoy some aspects of how it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable and as if they’re intruding on something they shouldn’t be.
Stand out scene:
I feel that the stand out scene for me was when Combo took Shaun, Gadget and Pukey to the nationalist meeting. It stood out to me because when I watched it, it made me feel uneasy, like I was intruding on something private that I shouldn’t and don’t want to see. The view of all these men listening to the man at the front spew hateful ideology, while later belittling the one person who decides to speak out on how stupid and hateful it was, really accentuates how the path Shaun is going down is a completely wrong one.
All aspects of a film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representations.
Performance-
Stereotype- widely held but fixed oversimplified idea about a certain type of person or thing
Countertype- something that aims to go against its stereotype (i.e. black president of America)
Example: Sarah Connor
In the first terminator movie, Sarah is shown as timid and clumsy. She is a stereotypical waitress in the first movie, which being a fast pace and stressful environment, highlights these attributes by showing her in confrontations with customers.
While in the second movie, she is shown as very Countertypical compared to her first appearance. she is portrayed as an action heroine, showing her confidently handling guns. as well as this, her outfit now reflects her new role in the movie.
Trainspotting representation :
Older people– After Renton’s overdose, his parents take him in and care for him. Being some of the older characters who have a semi-prominent role in the story, they are shown as caring and nurturing as they look after Renton while he recovers and becomes sober.
Scottish people– during this scene, Renton talks about how he is not proud to be Scottish. He calls them ‘the lowest of the low’, and talks about how people hate the British, while they’re colonized by them. This is showing Scottish people as angry at the British, which is a common stereotype.
Addicts– There is two sides of addicts shown in Trainspotting. Towards the beginning, addicts are shown to be carefree and in a very positive light. They talk about how heroin is ‘better than sex’ multiple times though out the film. Which is then echoed by Tommy when he’s asking Renton for heroin after his breakup, which then leads t his downwards spiral and eventual death. Which is where the other, and much more prominent viewpoint comes from. Trainspotting shows how life as a drug addict is with little to no sugar coating, showing how it can impact someone’s social life, their reputation and relationships. Overall the portrayal and representation of addicts is very negative, but that is the films point.
Men– during this bar fight scene, all of the men are shown to be very aggressive, while the women leave. the confrontation starts very quickly and kicks off and while it started with only two people, it now involves the whole floor, which implies that men are aggressive and always wanting to fight.
Women– this scene is showing the women as cunning and well planned. Gail talks about how she enjoys seeing spud suffer from waiting. In the following scene they ask the boys what they where talking about, and when they get asked themselves, they reply with ‘shopping’ which pulls humour from a common stereotype that women like shopping
definition: a set of principles that are associated with an artistic taste. (i.e. colour grading, costuming, set locations and sound)
realism–
Verisimilitude: Something that is sticking to reality, being true to life or realistic. Example: Yes God, Yes.
Social Realism: Something that aims to draw attention to a real societal or political issue. often sets out to critique these issues. Example: The Millionaire Tour
Magic Realism: A realistic narrative is combined with surreal aspects of fantasy. Example: The Shape of Water
Hyperreality: the inability to distinguish simulations of reality from reality. Example: The Matrix
Visual style–
Iconography: the use of a recurring visual images/symbols in a movie that convey themes, help the narrative or evoke an emotional reaction in the audience. Example: in ‘On a Clear Day’, the sea/pools/bodies of water are shown repeatedly throughout the film to represent the guilt Frank feels for his son’s death, and how he’s dealing with his midlife crisis.
Intertextual reference: When a movie will reference another text (movie, play, tv show, book). Example: Sawyer in lost using many references as nicknames, i.e. calling Charlie ‘Oliver Twist’. He is also often seen reading books which he will then reference.
Visual/Sound motif: A recurring story element that helps to forward the films thematic meaning. (it can be represented visually by shapes, colours, objects and settings. or audibly as distinct sounds, music or noises). Example: In Lord of the Rings, whenever the hobbits get reflective on The Shire, its theme will play in the background, the instruments in it often changing to reflect the way it is being reflected on by the characters.
Colour Grading: tools that are used to make films look better or artificially change the colour to suggest tone or mood. Example: In Pet (2016), whenever Seth is in the basement with Holly, the lighting is made cooler and darker to reflect both Seth’s and Holly’s mindset while down there.
Auteur Trademarks: A filmmakers distinct artistic approach to their film making. Example: Wes Anderson’s movies are always very bright and eccentric. for example, his movie Isle of Dogs, specifically when they’re on land with the humans rather than with the dogs.
Tone–
Pathos: objects that are incorporated into a film to create an emotional appeal in the audience, often one of pity. this can be used to connect with the audience. Example: the Episode ‘Fire + Water’ from Lost, where the audience is shown the character Charlie from a different light as he is trying to save Claire’s baby from things he is hallucinating, which appear to the audience as surreal flashbacks.
Bathos: An anti-Climactic moment. (where a serious moment is being built up to a nothing climax, it can sometimes be done by accident or done for comedic effect). Example: When Mike in Five Nights at Freddy’s is around the office, the audience is made to think that one of the Animatronics will be waiting for him but it is actually a small toy that scares him.
Suspense: When a movie creates a sense of anxiety, anticipation and unease in the audience. it is most often used in thrillers. Example, when Holly is being stalked by Seth as he finds her at her work in Pet(2016).
Comedy: when something is done to make the audience laugh. Example: the Honda odyssey scene from Deadpool and Wolverine.
Dramatic Irony: when the audience has knowledge of something that the characters in the movie/tv show do not. Example: the Pet (2016) scene where Holly talks to Seth, coaching him on how to get rid of Nate, who has no idea that Seth is behind him.
Distancing Effect (verfremdung): breaking the fourth wall. reminding the audience they’re watching a movie. Example: Ferris Bueller’s day off
Postmodern Humour: humour that goes against common ideas in relation to society, genre and humanity Example: Seed of Chucky, specifically the character Glen/Glenda.
