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Hollywood

The Birth of Hollywood

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Why did filmmakers and producers move to Hollywood?

They moves to Hollywood due to the easy access to a variety of different terrain that can be films, it’s reliable sunny clear weather that can be used year round for shooting.

Name some of the big stars, directors and pictures from the silent era

Stars: Clara Bow (New York, USA), Mary Pickford (Toronto, Canada)

Directors: Charlie Chaplin(London, England), D.W Griffith (Kentucky, USA)

Pictures: The Gold Rush, The general

In what ways were the early Hollywood studio system like a factory, production line or the premier league?

Actos may be working for one company but if they are not performing their contract could be cut no matter their star status, actors had little control over their career as they could be loaned similarly to football players now.

When and what was the first “talking picture”

The jazz singer, it came out on October 6th 1927

Why did the end of the silent era cause problems for some performers working in the film industry?

Some voices may have been unsuitable and their acting abilities decreasing as they had been performing silently and do not have the talent when using their voice, as well as not understanding the technology of recording sound.

What was happening in America and the world during this time?

WW1 had just ended (in 1918) so many countries were recovering, The American economy crashed after the wall-street crash leading to the great depression in 1929.

The Hollywood studio system, the golden age of Hollywood

1930-1947

What were the big 5 studios and what were they known for?

MGM: Made high budget musicals, comedies and melodramas as well as book to screen adaptations, using big stars. For example, “the Wizard of Oz”

Warner Bros: Branded themselves as the “studio of the working class” and made low budget melodramas, movies set during the Great Depression and gangster movies such as The Public Enemy

Paramount: Known as the most European studio as many filmmakers came from Germany or the UK. They gave more freedom to filmmakers and made “The sign of the cross”

Fox: Had a director named John Ford who won back to back oscars for best director and film, for “How green is my valley” and “The grapes of wrath”

RKO: Created many musicals and films spanning many genres including comedy or action. RKO was also responsible for one of the most influential films of all time “Citizen Kane”

Censorship: HAYs Code

The HAYs code was implemented and written up in 1930, this was seen as a set of rules for what could and couldn’t be included in the films such as forbidding the use of racial slurs, profanity, obscenity and the showing of sexual assault. In addition, the code also limited the use of nudity, criminality and graphic violence. For example, a kiss on screen could not last longer than 7 metres of film, and one actor had to have a foot on the floor in order to prevent showings of a sexual nature.

Classical Hollywood style

What is meant by the invisible style of storytelling?

Refers to conceal artistic choices to give films a natural story to give audiences, this can be done through lighting and camera work to make films more immersive.

What does continuity mean?

When the sequence of shots are edited together to be fluid and unified most commonly, in chronological order.

Casablanca

Casablanca first response

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Michal Curtiz (1942)

Critical score 9/10

The film was set during WW2 and portrayed the struggles of people on the hunt for a better and safer life, it was refreshing to see a wartime piece that wasn’t centred around the view of the Germans or British. The movie also had a strong element of romance which was executed very well.

Stand out scene:

The stand out scene for me is when Ilsa and Rick see each other again, it is a key moment in the film and highlights the feelings of love and longing returning between Rick and Ilsa, the audience can tell they know each other without them saying it.

Hollywood

Film Noir

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Classic Noir is a style of filmmaking of crime/detective thriller films shot in black and white with a clear use of shadowing, these types of films often create a mood of menace, fatality and suspense backed with a powerful soundtrack. These films were most common between the 1940s to the 1950s.

The Maltese falcon (1941) John Huston

Neo Noirs is, like film noir a style of filmmaking but also included a wider variety of subgenres such as westerns, and science fiction elements to create tech-noirs. These were made after the 1970s. They adapt the visual style and themes of classic noirs but for a more contemporary audience.

Drive (2011) Nicholas Winding Refn

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Aesthetics

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Aesthetics are the overall appearance, style and perception of a film. For example, the makeup or costumes worn, set design and props.

Aesthetics term 1: realism

Verisimilitude- The appearance of being true, believable or real

In This is England (Meadows 2007) the set design and use of location shooting creates an accurate and detailed image of 1983 England.

Social Realism- the aim to draw attention and recreate, social/political issues and critique those to blame. For example, showing poor conditions in the working class and critiquing capitalist views.

Of mice and men (Sinise 1992) include many political elements and give viewers an insight of America during the great depression following the Wall street crash in addition to the prominent social issues such as racism and sexism.

Magic Realism- Presenting a realistic detailed view incorporating magic or fantasy elements, often blurring the line between speculation and reality.

The Harry Potter franchise perfectly encapsulates the essence of magic in the real world while questioning if its fantasy fiction and reality.

Hyperreality- The lines between fantasy and reality are blurred and fantasy is well blended to the reality so there is no obvious distinction between them.

In Barbie (Gerwig 2023) fiction is morphed into reality as Barbie leaves her fantasy land and brings it to the real world.

Aesthetics term 2: Visual style

Iconography- The use of reoccurring visual symbols/images that convey specific themes or ideas, add to the plot and add emotion.

Intertextual referencing- Occurs when a movie overlaps with another art piece, such as a book, another film or a piece of music.

Visual/sound motifs- A reoccurring sound or visual symbol in a film that highlights the films plot or message its trying to portray. These visual symbols could be reoccurring objects, colours or shapes.

Colour grading- When raw film is edited and manipulated to create consistent colour tones throughout, like a filter to create a distinct colour pallet.

In Fantastic Mr Fox there is a prominent use of browns and oranges to create a clear, specific colour pallet to reflect the film

Auteur trademarks- When the film is clearly directed by a specific person based on a distinctive sign telling their work apart from other peoples.

Wes Anderson is an auteur as his style is unique and his work can be told apart from other films. He uses a specific narrative and visual style to make his work distinguishable.

Aesthetics term 3: Tone

Pathos- Appealing to audiences emotion

Bathos- Refers to the rhetorical anti-climax, transition from one topic to a vastly different one.

Suspense- Creation of a feeling of anticipation from the audience, this can be heightened by a stressful violent or emotive scene. Gives an effect similar to a cliff-hanger.

Comedy- Humorous, designed to make audiences smile and laugh.

Dramatic irony- When the audience know information the characters don’t, creating humour or suspense.

Distancing effect- Achieved when the audience cannot have the illusion of being an unseen spectator.

Exam

Exam Feedback

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Level 5 terminology/phrases

“occurring within the context of the story and able to be heard by the characters.”

“encouraged to sympathise”

“diegetic world”

Stylised: giving a distinct style or appearance.

Diegetic: occurring within the context of the storyline and able to be heard by the characters.

Cathartic effect: Spectators emotional response to an event in the film, strong realised emotions.

Reframing: change in mindset, appearance, how they’re perceived. Can be positive or negative.

Connote: implying or suggesting, sometimes linking to another thing, drives from the word connotation.

Depicted: how a character is portrayed and seen by spectators.

Paragraphs are written in the PEEL structure (Point, evidence, explain, link back to question.) Paragraphs start by expressing the overall point and then providing evidence that the point is true, following this the evidence is then explained and given context to how it relates with the overall point. Finally, the paragraph ends by referring back to the original essay question and how everything written links to it.

Representation, This is England

This is England representation

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Young people:

Throughout the film, young people are portrayed as easy going without being too concerned about rules and the law. This is particularly shown when Woody’s gang invite Shaun to hang out with them, dress up and go to an abandoned place. They are represented as having their own belief system without just following what the older generations say, such as when Woody didn’t agree with Combo’s racist and nationalist beliefs so he left.

Older people:

Older people in the film are presented to have strong beliefs, many of them are nationalists and hold discriminatory views towards ethnic minorities in order to create what they believe to be a better England, seen in this scene where a speech is being given about trying to make England better, and what the audience (majority being white, poorly educated older men) can do to achieve this.

Class:

Many of the characters in the film are lower class, and poverty is prominent throughout the film. The characters are often wearing out-dated and ill fitting clothing. In this scene Lol followed by many other women are walking to work in a large factory, the setting is quite dingy and rundown highlighting the lack of money in the area, and it’s drawbacks are prominently shown in the different settings, and costumes.

English people:

The majority of characters in the film are English and it creates a large proportion of the plot, however their nationalities are represented very differently. For example Combo uses the meaning of being English to manipulate and convince others to join his discriminatory gang. Whereas characters like Woody and Lol are comfortable in their nationality and are less focused on it, which makes them appear more content compared to Combo. In this sceneCombo is giving Shaun an English flag to show their proudness of their ethnicity, however they’re proudness can be perceived as almost too much leading them to appear almost insecure about it.

Asian/Black people:

People of other ethnicities and minorities are commonly discriminated against in the film by Combo and his gang. There is a very small amount of non-english representation yet it its crucial to the plot. Such as this scene where foreign shopkeeper is being robbed, verbally abused and threatened by Combo and his gang. This representation highlights the social divisions in England at the time and again draws back on the political conflict in the film.

Men/Masculinity:

Masculinity is very important in the film as many of the male characters want to appear strong and have high masculinity, which could explain Combo’s violent outbursts. The role of a father is critical in the film as it explains Shauns behaviour without the film, after loosing his father in the war he spends the rest of the film trying to make his dad proud which eventually leads him to join Combo’s gang, as well as him becoming a father figure for Shaun after Woody.

Women:

There is little feminism in the film as the female character’s are only really shown in reference to their partner, and when they are on screen. In this scene Lol is walking away after Combo has confessed his love for her and she rejects him as she is with Woody. Shaun’s mother is presented as strong after being widowed and raising Shaun alone, but other than that the other female characters provide nothing else to the storyline aside from being a wife or girlfriend.

Place

The mise en scene is well used in the film to create a strong image of a run-down lower-class northern town in England. Montages of real clips of England are used that show drugs, abandoned places, fights, social housing and graffiti add a sense of desolation and a town that is far from its best. The setting explains why gangs form as there is little to do and highlights the boredom felt by many young people at the time.

Representation, Trainspotting

Trainspotting representation

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Addicts:

In Trainspotting, addicts are portrayed desperate for drugs and they are all very strong addictions, they are very clear and a prominent addition to their characters, seen in the graphic scenes of heroin use and overdose. In this scene Renton has lost his drugs down the toilet and so he has dived in afterwards. This highlights Renton’s dependence on drugs and his willingness to do anything to have them. The tranquil music in this scene adds to the representation of addicts and how the drugs bring a relaxation to them to create a clearer, more hyper realistic view to the audience of addiction.

Scottish people:

In the film, many of the Scottish people are presented to often dislike being Scottish, they are rarely proud of their culture. In this scene Tommy drags the rest of the friend group on a walk in the Scottish highlands, a common stereotype of the county and known for its beautiful scenery. However, Renton and the friends are unimpressed and say it’s “shite being Scottish” before leaving to return to the city and go back on heroin. In addition, this scene also highlights the characters priority of drugs and how they come above everything else, even their culture and country.

Women:

There is little female representation in transporting, they are only on screen when it is related to their partner, or having a one night stand. Women are presented to be empowered and sexually active such as when Renton and Dianne meet at a club and their one night stand becomes a casual, on/off relationship. Dianne’s representation can be quite shocking for the audience as she is portrayed to be almost promiscuous despite being a schoolgirl.

Young people:

Age is prominently represented as many of the characters are young adults, but the most clear representation of age is Allison’s and Sick boy’s baby that passes away due to the neglect caused by drugs leading to Sick boy’s addiction swiftly increasing. Age and authority do not co ordinate in the film often as the younger characters are mostly free-willed apart from when Renton is locked in his room by his parents after his overdose.

This is England

This is England micro elements

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Sound:

The film opens with a montage to a popular song in England at the time the film was set this creates racial inclusivity which juxtaposes many of the films events and ideas of characters.. This adds to the verisimilitude as the audience are submerged into England in 1983 in addition to news clips from the time being played over the music. In addition the beat of the song drops in sync to the change of clip or a big event happening such as an explosive blowing up or a fight breaking out.

Editing:

Throughout the film, there are edited clips of archive footage from the 1980s such as the war in the Falklands. They add political and social context throughout the film as they give the audience a wider representation of England in the time period as they were shot at that time and then edited into the film shot later on. These clips are edited in the film to break up the different events such as after Combo attacks Milky in his outburst. They also draw parallels to Shaun’s life as his father died in that war and the audience can link the footage to the events in the film

Mise en Scene:

Mise en scene is prominent throughout the film due to the gangs recognisable appearances. In this scene Lol is shaving off Shaun’s hair so he can be part of the gang, as well as this he also gets new clothes which show the audience he has joined as it is scene as the gangs “uniform”, this highlights the closeness of the members of the gang and Milky’s proudness of his culture as his clothes differ from the rest of the gang. The girls in the scene also have very bold hair, makeup and outfit choices which could cause audience members who would’ve been their age at the time the film was set to feel nostalgic. The mise en scene make the time period the film was set in more clear.

Cinematography:

‘The film had amazing cinematography throughout. In this scene POV shots are used from Milky’s perspective as he is beaten up and attacked by Combo. This aligns the audience with Milky and helps to portray Combo as crazy and violent as he switched from being seemingly kind towards him to aggressive. This adds sympathy for Milky from the audience in addition to giving the scene more horror and higher emotional impact. It also makes the scene feel more graphic as the audience are fully put in Milky’s position.

This is England

This is England first response

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Shane Meadows (2007)

Critical score: 7.5/10

The film was engaging and funny, while still focusing on more heavy topics such as racism and bullying. The film was unique compared to other films I’ve watched. It used scenes of violence and strong language without seeming unnecessary as it fit both the plot and characters well, the film had high verisimilitude at it was quite autobiographic to the directors upbringing so the audience saw a clear and accurate representation of England and young people in 1983 due to the use of real news clippings.

Stand out scene:

The closing scene of the film stands out to me as it shows Shaun throwing his England flag that Combo had given him into the sea, this is significant as it shows Shaun’s exit of his gang and how his beliefs have changed.

Representation, Trainspotting

Representation

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All aspects of film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representations.

Ideology: a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Films create meaning and creates response though mise en scene, cinematography, sound, editing and performance.

Performance

  • Age
  • Ethicity
  • Costume
  • Facial expressions
  • Body language/ gestures

Stereotype: A widely held, fixed and oversimplifies image of belief of a particular type of person or thing. For example, all black people are criminals.

Countertype: An attempt to create an opposite, or different idea or view compared to their stereotype that is already in place, for example a black or female president instead of a white man.

Sarah Connor Representation

Sarah Connor was a stereotypical American, girl next door waitress at the start of the film (terminator 1). She is presented as weak, frantic and slightly unbothered as she is bad at her waitress job, seen when she spills drinks and gets orders mixed up.

In the follow up movie (Terminator 2) Sarah becomes a countertype and her new character almost juxtaposes her previous role as she is now shown as a fearless heroine, she has gained a lot of strength and confidence and is no longer the innocent waitress viewers have previously seen.

Trainspotting Representation

WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION?

Danny Boyle, the director

WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)

Drug addicts (specifically heroin addicts), Scottish white males, younger generation

WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?

Characters of colour, upper class, non-addicts, diverse women

WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?

That drug addicts are negative and irresponsible (seen when the baby dies of neglect as everyone was too high). The little amount of women are presented as promiscuous.

WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?

In the film the male characters predominantly have more control over the female characters as they are only shown in relation to the men. Overall, there is little control between the different generations of the characters as they are rarely shown. However, when Renton overdoses his parents do take control and lock him in his room but this is one of the few signs of control.

DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?

They adhere to stereotypes as the characters all present addiction accurately, as well as the women in the film conforming to the gender stereotypes of the time period.

ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?

The genre of the film is dark comedy and because of the many young male characters I think they do fit the genre as their humour and stories are quite similar

WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?

That there was a lot of drug use between that stereotype of person when the film was set. For example, many drug addicts such as Renton, his friends and in Scotland.

HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS?

Film form is cleverly used during Renton’s withdrawal from heroin after his overdose. He experiences vivid hallucinations which have been well edited and the matching sound used to put them into Renton’s head as they experience the sights and sounds he does. This creates sympathy for Renton as the use of film form creates a clear representation of heroin withdrawal.