Remember the Daze!!

Remember the Daze
Writer: Jess Manafort
Director: Jess Manafort
Key Cast: Amber Heard, Leighton Meester, Lyndsy Fonseca and Khleo Thomas.
Genre: Coming of age
Themes: Romance
Release: 2007 June
Narrative:
The film is about a group of teenagers finishing their final year in school (for some). To celebrate this stage in their life, a massive party is thrown and lots of events happen including new relationships and group fights. It shows teenagers in different stories and how they spent their last day and how they all ended up in the same place. In the film it says "If you remember the party, you were not there".
Key Scenes:
Towards the end of the film, the day after the party when all the chaos has ended, it shows where the teenagers end up. For example, one girl left her house without permission but she gets back in time before her parents find out she was gone. Other scenes also show how even though the teenagers broke some rules and got into fights, they all ended up where they wanted to be. This shows to the audience that everything works out for the teenagers in the end even after all the trouble they had during the party.
Compare:
This film is similar to "He's just not that in to you" as it shows people in different situations looking for the same thing. Which in both movies is love and relationships. They are also similar as it shows how different peoples lives and stories all are connected together. "Remember the Daze" and "He's just not that in to you" are both coming of age films but "Remember the Daze" is about teens growing up and "he's just not that in to you" is about adults trying to settle into a relationship.

Get off My Land

Get Off My Land.

Director: Douglas Ray

In the film “Get off My Land” it shows what seems to be a couple walking separately through fields in the countryside. Later on the film they are confronted by a man who says that they shouldn't be walking on the private property. From the couple walking separately the audience can tell that there has been some sort of argument. This puts the whole film on edge as the audience is not quite sure what has gone on. Further on in the film the husband/boyfriend gets in an argument with the owner of the land. This results in a fatal event for the both the boyfriend and girlfriend. The last sentence that is said in the film is roughly “maybe this is a public footpath”. This is said by the owner. This suggest to the audience that the owner already had evil intentions as he didn't really think about what he was doing until after he done it. The owner was doing it for fun or entertainment for himself. This gives the film a gloomy atmosphere as the owner of the land has just killed to people just for the sake of a small argument which he was wrong about. This could suggest that the genre of the film could be a horror as their deaths was almost inevitable as the owner is shown to be sadistic.

(Mise-en-scene): The location is important in this short as it is part of the plot summary but also allows the villain of the film to carry out his plans. If it was set in a busy location he wouldn't be able to get away with his actions. The car is also an important aspect of the film as when it is first seen it shows to the audience that the couple are facing a local person, someone who knows the area well. This helps with the plot as the couple automatically believe the owner of the land when they are told they are on the wrong path. This is why the argument occurs. The film depicts the couple as outsiders as one of them is not dressed properly to be out in the country side and the other one is not to sure on where they are meant to be going. This is the reason why the film has a fatal ending.

Film assignment (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane)!!

“All the Boys Love Mandy Lane”.

I will be analysing the scene from “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” (genre: Horror) in which the main character is revealed to be evil. This is the scene when “Mandy” stabs and kills another character towards the end of the film showing that she is not as innocent as the audience once thought. The two micro-features I will be exploring are: Performance and Mise-en-scene. These micro-features will show how the film mocks the audience as the audience are expecting to see exactly what the beginning of the film gives them when in fact the ending is something completely different.

Performance:

At the beginning of this scene we see one of the characters “Chloe” running away from a car that is chasing her, towards the main character “Mandy”. Amber Heard’s (Mandy) performance in this scene is very important as this is the scene where the audience is shown her true intentions. As “Chloe” is running toward “Mandy”, “Mandy” sounds frightened and concerned for “Chloe”. She is shouting at “Chloe” to run and to come to her. This makes the main character “Mandy” appear to be trying to help her friend. At this point the audience still thinks that “Mandy” is innocent and protective. Then a bit further on in the scene “Chloe” is shown to be dying on the floor with a knife in her stomach. This reveals to the audience that “Mandy” has stabbed her friend. After this, Amber Heard’s performance changes as she is now portrayed as the villain of the film as she leaves “Chloe” on the floor and walks off like nothing has happened. This shows the audience a more cruel side to her as she almost acts as if it is what “Chloe” deserved. She doesn't seem fazed by the event. At this point the audience can tell that she as dropped her innocent act and her true personality has surfaced. She continues talking to her partner in crime, laughing at how much blood there is. This shows to the audience that she is not who they thought she was. Her personality changes between caring and protective to sadistic and heartless. By “Mandy” laughing and joking about the event suggests to the audience that she takes pleasure out of people getting hurt. This also suggests that “Mandy” has worn a mask throughout the beginning of the film, but once she has completed her task she has taken off her mask and her true identity is revealed. By showing a quick transition between the caring “Mandy” the audience thought they knew to an evil “Mandy” shows how “Mandy” has managed to deceive everyone. This scene is important as it indicates that she has used her friends trust as a way of getting what she wants. Due to “Chloe” running towards “Mandy” shows the audience that she has no reason to doubt “Mandy” and that she trusts her. In the film it is shown that all the boys want to be with “Mandy” and all the girls want to be “Mandy”. This shows that no one would expect “Mandy” to betray her friends. It surprises and shocks the audience when her personality changes when she kills “Chloe” as no one see’s it coming.  The characters in the film try and protect her from the killer when in fact they should be protecting themselves. All the characters literally die for “Mandy Lane”. Due to Amber Heard’s change in performance, as one minute she is concerned for her friend and the next she has killed her and is laughing about it, indicates to the audience that everything they knew about “Mandy” was all a lie. This makes the audience feel as if the sympathy and trust has been misplaced toward the character “Mandy”. The performance in “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” is one of the most important features as it used to deceive the audience and make them make their own assumptions of the character “Mandy”. The director forces the audience to follow the stereotype that the characters give “Mandy” in order for the reveal to be that more confusing and shocking.

Mise-en-scene:

The important prop within this scene from “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” is the knife. At the beginning of the scene it shows “Mandy” from behind holding the knife. This signifies to the audience that there is going to be a fight scene further into the film.  It also shows that although “Mandy” is seen as the innocent one, she is still ready to fight, but this also goes against what the audience think of “Mandy”. Then as “Chloe” is running towards “Mandy” away from the car, the knife is still in “Mandy’s” hand but, the audiences focus is taken away from it as they are focused on “Chloe” trying to get safety. As “Chloe” runs to “Mandy” and gives her a hug the knife is not shown. As “Mandy” and “Chloe” hug, Mandy starts to wipe blood through her hair and “Chloe” facial expression shows confusion. At this point the audience realises that something is wrong as more blood starts to appear and the chase has stopped. Then the camera angle changes, to show that “Mandy’s” hand is placed around the knife which is has been stabbed into “Chloe”. This is where the audience’s expectations are exceeded as they expected the film to end in a different way. This is the point in which the audience comes to realise that there is more to the character “Mandy” and her true intentions.

Another important feature to the film is the location. The location ultimately allows “Mandy” to get away with murder as it is a quiet location where there is no one around for miles. It also allows “Mandy” to carry out her plan without any one to stop her or her accomplice. The location of the scene is a ranch in the countryside where the teens plan to have a party. A classic horror location. This also helps indicate to the audience that the genre of the film is horror as the teenagers get targeted at the ranch and there is no chance to escape and get help. The location also allows for the scene to have the desired effect on the audience as it is supposed to make them think about what they would do in that situation.

One other important part of mise-en-scene is the way the character “Mandy” looks to the audience. The characteristics of “Mandy Lane” are that she is innocent and beautiful. Throughout the whole film, the other characters treat her in how they think she should be treated rather than how she should be treated due to her appearance and behaviour. In the scene where we find out that “Mandy” is actually the villain in the movie, the audience are shocked as they have under-estimated “Mandy” throughout the film. Because “Mandy” is a blonde, young innocent girl both the characters in the film and the audience completely miss what she is actually capable of based on the way she looks. “Mandy” play up to her role in the film and pretends to be shy and caring, when in fact in the scene we see that her true colours are revealed. “Mandy” uses her appearance for her own benefit and uses the other characters perception of her to get what she wants. In the scene where she kills “Chloe” she has managed to persuade “Chloe” into thinking she was safe with her. Due to the character “Mandy” playing up to stereotypes given to her no one had any reason to question her intentions. The way that “Mandy” looks in the film is important as it makes it harder for the audience to work out what she is actually up to.

In “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane” the director uses both performance and mise-en-scene to create evil within the character “Mandy”. These two micro-features are important as the main character uses these to trick her friends into her plan. She is able to manipulate everyone into thinking that she is someone she is not. Also these two micro-features trick the audience as they watch the film expecting to see what they believe is going to happen but instead they put their trust into the wrong character. The scene shows how quickly “Mandy” can switch off her humanity. This creates an unexpected twist in the story line.

"SOFT" VS "WASP"

Soft vs Wasp

SOFT:

Mise-en-scene:

In the short film, “Soft”, it tells a story about a father and son who get targeted by a group of teens. The main prop within the short film is a mobile which is used to video some of the events that happen in the film. The mobile phone is used to show how young teens use it for negative purposes. In the opening scene it shows a video of one of the main characters being attacked by a group of teens. So from the start the director has produced a negative connotation for when we see a mobile phone in the film. Then at the end of the video when the father and son try to do something about it, the teens then bring out the mobile phones, again showing that something bad is going to happen. The director, throughout the whole film, uses the phone to indicate to the audience that something bad is going to happen. By also showing negative clips throughout the film foreshadows the events to come later on in the film. From the clips the audience can tell that it is going to end in some sort of fight.

Editing:

In the middle part of the film it there is a sequence of short video clips shown in flashes. Whilst the father is walking away from the altercation with the teens it shows flashes of videos. This has been used to join the two events together suggesting to the audience that the father is not done with the teenagers yet. You could also say that by joining the father, son and teenagers together suggests that the father and son just become as bad as the teenagers at the end of the film due to their actions they carry out. Also the flashes between the father and the teenagers are very fragmented. The videos are shown in quick burst. This suggests that the father is feeling some sort of anger and that something is building up to end dramatically.

WASP:

Mise-en-scene:

The location in which the film “Wasp” is set in is a rough estate in London (Dartford). The director is using the film to show poverty in London, which some of the audience may not have really noticed before. The setting is important to the film as it shows that even places in London are in poverty and it also backs up the plot of the film. The main character “Zoe” is shown to be a struggling mother in London who can’t even afford to feed her kids properly. This makes the audience aware of issues people face. One other reason why the location is important is that it is shot on a big estate, which shows that poverty does not just affect a small amount of people but large groups all over London and England.

Cinematography:

Within the short film “Wasp” the director uses different camera angles to show different emotions throughout the film. One example of this being when “Zoe” and “Dave” are in the pub talking to each other. The camera angle that is used is a “close up” on both of their faces. This shows to the audience that the two characters are fully engaged with the conversation and that the mood/atmosphere is positive. The director zooms in on their facial expression showing the two characters smiling. This shows the audience that although she is trying to manage looking after her kids she is still enjoying being with “Dave”. Although this could suggest to the audience that she has forgotten about her children which could give the audience a negative perception of the mother. Towards the end of the film when “Zoe” to her kids, it zooms in on her face to show how worried she was that her children could have been in danger. This shows to the audience that although she has made some mistakes she still cares about her children and her facial expression shows this.

In “Soft” and “Wasp” they use different micro-features to show emotions. I “Soft” they portray anger and frustration, but in “Wasp” they portray happiness but also sadness. They both are able to show the characters emotions which tell the audience about the atmosphere of the film and how the characters are reacting to a certain event.

Ralph (Short film)!!

RALPH (SHORT FILM)

Throughout the short film Ralph there is a constant theme of love. This is shown in many ways during the film. One of the most obvious ways that love is shown through the film is through the main character “Ralph” constantly being on the phone. At the beginning of the film we see that “Ralph” using a phone to try and get in contact with someone but he is unsuccessful. At this point the film is edited to make it seem that “Ralph” has been trying for a long time by jumping to him on the phone then to him sitting on the bench looking upset. This shows the theme of love because it confirms how desperate and tenacious he is to talk to a girl.

During the middle part of the film “Ralph” comes to realise that the girl he is after sees him more as a brother than a potential boyfriend. He is then shown to be falling for a girl he has just meet as he starts to forget what he came to France for. Throughout the film we see a decrease in how often he uses the phone. At the begging of the film all he does is spend his time on the phone. Towards the middle of the film it becomes less of an urgency to get in contact with the girl. This shows love between “Ralph” and the new girl as he becomes more interested in her.

Towards the end of the film we see that “Ralph” forgets about calling the girl he came to France for and decides to continue talking to the new girl. Right at the end of the film “Ralph” bumps into the girl he was meant to meet but ends up running after the girl he just met. This shows the theme of love as he has come to realise that the girl he was after was not looking for love, but then Ralph ends up falling for the new girl. Unrequited love is the main theme of the short film as he came looking for love but ended up running away with someone new.

FILM INTRODUCTION