The Island!!

The Island

Key Cast: Scarlett Johansson  and Ewan McGregor.

Director: Michael Bay

Writer: Caspian Tredwell-Owen 

Genre: Action Adventure

Themes: Relationships, betrayal, deception

Release: July 2005

Budget: $126,000,000

The survivors of a catastrophic world wide event now live in a controlled facility where everything is done for them. All they have to hope for is to win the lottery where the prize is to live on an uncontaminated island. Lincoln six-echo (Ewan McGregor) and Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) on the other hand are a bit more curious about the catastrophe and investigates. They then later finds out that there is no island or a world wide catastrophe.

Key Scenes: A Key scene within the film is when Lincolns doppelganger explains why he payed so much for Lincoln (clone) to be made. He says that it is all worth it to have a little more time. This shows to the audience that people will do anything to live longer. They will go against their conscience and what they think is right just so they have more time to live. Time is the most valuable thing in the world. This shows to the audience that people become selfish when it comes to money and their own lives and they will not do anything to jeopardise it.
Another important scene is when the mastermind behind all the clones explains why he does it. He explains that he wants to save peoples lives when in fact we find out that he has a God complex. He wants to control other peoples lives. This is important as it tells the audience why they lied about everything including the world catastrophe. This shows to the audience that some people don't care about others but they care about the money they make.

Micro-features:
An important micro-feature in this film is editing. During the film, the main character Lincoln (Ewan McGreggor) has recurring nightmares. When we see these nightmares they are a sequence of quick flashes of images. This is used to show that he is scared because everything is moving really fast which suggests to the audience that he is panicking. This is important as right from the beginning we see what Lincoln is afraid which explains his actions further on in the film.
Performance is also important through as the main protagonists are oblivious to the outside world. They have no experience beyond the facility which makes the situation they are in so much harder. This puts the audience on edge through out the whole film as no one is sure on who they can trust. By adding suspense into the film, it engages the audience further as they become worried and concerned for the main characters as they want them to achieve their goal and get the happy ending they deserve.

71.

71.

Key Cast: Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris
Director: Yann Demange
Writer: Gregory Burke
Genre: Action Drama
Themes: Crime, violence, war
Release: October 2014
Budget: 8.1 million.

71 is based on a British soldier who is left behind by his team on the Streets of Belfast where he has to survive the night as it takes a turn for the worst becoming more dangerous and deadly. It is a social realism film based on the riots in Belfast in 1971.

Key Scenes: An important scene within the film is when the bar he is in is blown up. In this scene we see Jack O'Connell's character Gary Hook go back into the fire to save the young boy who helped him. This is important as it shows to the audience that even though he is hurt and in danger he still wants to do the right thing which is helping people in need. The fact that he puts his life at risk to save someone shows that the soldiers went over to Belfast to help the situation.
Another reason why this scene is important is because it was the first sign in which the audience saw some of the crimes that happened in Belfast. Just before the bomb exploded it shows how some of the police that where supposed to be helping took matters into their own hands. This show police brutality during the Belfast Riots as the police wanted to try and bring the riots to the end by targeting Catholic people. This is important as it shows that although British soldiers and police where sent over to help people in Belfast, some people just wanted to find the easiest way to end it not caring about the consequences. Because this film is based on a true event it showed that all the different sides that where fighting each other had both good and bad intentions. Some people wanted to do the right thing and some other didn't.

Micro-features:
Cinematography is important in this film as in some scenes and hand held camera was used. An example of this is shown when the pub is blown up. When Hook is thrown backwards onto the floor, the camera is not stable and there is allot of movement. This could be used to make the audience feel as if they are next to all the chaos. This engages the audience into the film as they feel as if they are apart of the event. The movement with the camera could also be used to show Hook to be disoriented and confused. Everything becomes more unstable within the film. Because Hook is disoriented, the audience becomes disoriented as the film has gone from calm to chaotic. Both the audience and Hook are surprised by the events that have happened.
Sound is also important within this scene as it mimics the effects of a real bomb going off. All the sounds become fuzzy and washed out and you can hear a high pitched ring. This is used also to engage the audience as they feel as if they have just been next to a bomb that has exploded. This also adds to the idea that Hook is disoriented in all the chaos.

This relates to living with crime as it shows the lives of people living in Belfast during the time of the riots in 1971. It shows how some of the police wanted to make things worse in certain areas so that the war could end. This was negative as they wanted to kill innocent people in order for their plan to work. Another way in which this film follows living with crime is when the hook and another soldier gets separated from their team and shortly after the soldier with hook is shot. This is important as it shows that people where being violent against each other and killing people just because they have different views.

Comparable: This film is similar to Fury (2014) where a group of five soldiers have to try and survive during the war in 1945 where they become out numbered by Nazi soldiers. This is similar to 71 as both films are about surviving against the enemies during the war. They both have themes of violence and war as they are both base on true events that happened.

Overall, I thought this film was really good as they managed to tell a story about the event from the different sides that where fighting (Protestant, Catholic and British soldiers) which made the film more realistic and interesting as the audience didn't really know who where the bad or the good side.

Film Trailers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmxLybfGNC4 The 5th Wave.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M7LIcH8C9U The Notebook.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5XICr93wU Would You Rather.

Trailers are used to inform and entertain the audience to make them more tempted to watch the film. The three different trailers I looked at are all different genres. Action, Romance, Thriller/horror. The producers/makers of the film need the audience to go and see the film so that they can make money. Without the audience, there isn't a film. The trailers are used to make the audience aware of the film and it is used to show all the best bits of the film to encourage people to go and watch it.

The Hypodermic Needle theory means that the media inject ideas into the audience head to make them believe certain things. The Hypodermic Needle theory is used in each of the three trailers as they have to convince the audience that the film is worth going to see. The Hypodermic Needle is used when the trailer includes things like "the number one new film" or "the best film this year". This forces the audience to like the film as they know that everyone else will watch the film. This means that the media are able to control what people see. They can control what messages they want to give out to the audience.
The Users and Gratification theory is also used in the trailers. The first category in the Users and gratification is Forming Friendships.
Forming Friendships: Audience's watch certain films to relate to others. By people watching the same films, people have a common interest which leads to new friendships. The audience will watch films that they know are going to be popular so that they can be involved in all the conversations with other people. The audience don't want to be left outside the inner circle, so they will convince themselves to go and watch the film and it.
The next Category is Entertainment:
People watch certain films for entertainment and also escapism. Films allow the audience to live or view someone else's life. For example in Super hero movies they are able to live along side the heroes and experience everything they go through. People tend to watch films for entertainment as they get to experience other situations. The audience generally like to see things that normally wouldn't happen to them, e.g. car chases, as it is new and exciting.
These two categories, I think, apply to the trailers I have chosen. These three movies are big films in the Genre so their purpose really is to entertain people rather than educate them. Because they are big films, the audience are able to create conversations about them and relate to others due to their interest in the film.

The makers of the film cant control how the audience react to the film, so they have to use these trailers to try and persuade the audience to watch the film. The audience are then told f they like it or not as trailers try and exaggerate the film and what is in it so that people are tempted to watch it. The purpose of films is to make money and that is all that the film makers want from it. The more people they get to watch it, the more money they make.

Would You Rather.

WOULD YOU RATHER.

Key cast: Brittany Snow and Jeffery Combs
Director: David Levy
Writer: Steffen Schlachtenhaufen.
Genre: Horror
Themes: Murder, Greed,
Release: February 2013

A young woman, who is desperate to help her dying brother, volunteers to play a game of "Would you rather" when she is promised that all her problems would go away but it takes a turn for the worst when the game becomes deadly.

Key Scenes:
An important scene within the film is shown right at the end where "Iris" (the main character) is in the final two and is faced with a dilemma. The leader of the game offers her a deal one with a positive outcome and one with a negative outcome. This is an important film as through out the film she has always wanted to do the right thing and try to save everyone but as soon as she finds out that she could not win any money, she hesitates between the two offers. This is important as it shows how all the characters got into the situation in the first place, which was because of their greed. It connotes to the audience that people will put money before someone else's life.

Micro-Features:
Performance is very important in this film as it is used to show how twisted some of the characters can be. For example the organiser of the game "Sheppered", is shown at the begging of the film to be caring. He tries to help Iris by offering the help she needs. We later see that he doesn't actually care about peoples welfare but the game itself. He uses his power and his money to attract people into the game. Sheppered is a sadistic character as he thinks he is doing something good for other people by offering them a chance for the money. he fails to tell them though that they could die. His performance is important as he is able to bring out the other characters negatives side by feeding their greed.
Throughout the film when the characters have to make a decision between the two choices given, you can hear the clock ticking in the background. Sound is an important micro-feature as it makes the atmosphere more intense as you can literally hear time running out. The characters either have 15 or 30 seconds to make their decision. The clock ticking down is diegetic sound as the characters can hear it as well. This creates suspense as both the other characters and the audience don't know what the character is going to choose. This makes the audience more nervous about the situation.

Overall, I really liked this film as I thought it shows that although people don't want to hurt or kill others, they ignore their conscience as they decide that the money is more important than the stangers lives.

Guest Speaker.

I found the presentation interesting as he explained how he got to where he was and what he actually had to do in his job. I liked the fact that he brought in and showed some of his work because it made it easier to understand what he was working on and how he made it.

It has been useful for my course because it has showed me how much really goes in to making a film and that it is not as easy as it seems. it has helped in my course because I now know that every small detail within my film has to be planned and thought through.

The one thing that i disliked about the presentation is that I got a bit lost because he was throwing out words I didn't know. When he was explaining different areas with in his job and what they did i got a bit confused because I didn't know what everything was so it was hard for me to understand what they actually did.

I would like if some directors would come in and talk about how they made the film and what was the experience like. I want to know more about how the director decides what they want to be in the film and what it takes to be a director.

Perfect Sisters!!

Key cast: Abigail Breslin and Georgie Henley.
Director: Stanley Brooks.
Writer: Fab Filippo and Adam Till.
Genre: Crime Drama.
Themes: Friendships, family, crime, betrayal, abuse
Release: April 2014

Perfect Sisters is based on a true event in Toronto, where two sisters created a plan to kill their mother as they became tired of her alcohol problem and her abusive boyfriend. The film shows how they created the Perfect plan to kill their mum and get away with it but they were foiled by their constant bragging to their friends.

Key scenes:
An important scene within the film is the very last scene, where the two girls are separated by police. Within this scene the girls are desperately trying to fight off the police to get to each other but are unsuccessful. This shows to the audience that the sisters have a close bond which suggests that they are important to each other. The audience feels sympathetic towards the girls as although they killed their mother, they did it so that they could improve their life and stay with each other.

Micro-features:
Performance is important within "Perfect Sisters" because when they kill their mum, they appear to be happy about it and they look as if they feel no remorse. This shows to the audience that they didn't have a good relationship with their mum as they were able to kill her with no signs of guilt. This is important as it shows why the girls did it. They felt so upset with their life that all they could think of to improve it, was to kill their mother.
Also throughout the film both of the girls fantasize about their perfect mum. This is important as it shows that when the girls are sad they create an alternate life which makes them happy. It shows to the audience that they are not happy with their mums decisions or the way they live.

Overall i thought this was a great film as it managed to make me feel sympathy for the girls even though they had committed murder. Because the audience followed the sisters story, we were able to see that even though they committed a crime, we know that they weren't murders but young girls who were fed up with their mum always ruining things for them.

CHARACTER!!

PINTEREST BOARD!!

https://uk.pinterest.com/gaudus/

Winters Bone!!

WINTERS BONE!!:

Key Cast: Jennifer Lawrence,

Genre: Drama

Writer: Debra Granik

Director: Debra Granik

Themes: Family, Friends, mystery.

Release: July 2010

Winter's Bone is a film about a young girl called Ree who has to find her Dad before the house is taken away and her family thrown out. Whilst trying to get help from friends and family they all tell her to stay out of it and leave it alone, but she refuses.

Key Scenes: An important scene in Winters Bone is when Ree's brother want to ask the neighbors for food. She replies "never ask for what oughta be offered". This scene is important as it show the audience that "Ree" is a tough character and that although she is 17 she doesn't show any signs of weakness. This is important to the story line as it explains why she ignores the advice of her friends and family in order to protect the ones she love.

Micro-features:
Mise-en-scene is important in this film as it is used to show the background/personality of Ree. Mise-en-scene is used to show where she lives and how little she owns. The house is shown to be dirty and small, but when she finds out she could lose it, she does everything she can to change that. The audience feel sympathetic towards Ree as the house is important to her. She is brought up in a poor community where people try and do anything to help one another. The film makes an effort to show how little people own to back up the story line that Ree expects people to help her out but instead they try and deter her.
Cinematography is also important as throughout the film there are several scenes where it shows long/mid shots of Ree walking through the wooded area. This is important as it shows to the audience that she is determined to find out what happened to her dad. She will not be put off by any obstacle.

Overall, i thought that this film was good as throughout the film you could tell that there was something not quite right with the whole situation. This made it grab my attention and keep me watching the film. Even though at the end the main mystery was revealed, the film still ended with a mystery about the money. This made the film more interesting as I wanted to find out what actually happened.

My Brother the Devil.

MY BROTHER THE DEVIL.

Key cast: James Floyd and Fady Elsayed.

Genre: Drama and social realism

Writer: Sally EL Hosaini

Director: Sally El Hosaini

Themes:  Crime and friend/relationship

Release: November 2012

Budget: (gross) $10,305

My Brother the Devil is a social realism drama that shows the life of Egyptian brothers growing up on an estate in London. Whilst both brothers are deep in drug dealing and gang violence, they must both must face dramatic changes which cause problems for both home life and friendships.

Key Scenes:

One of the most important scenes within the film is the scene in which the youngest brother (Mo) tells everyone that his brother (Rashid) is a terrorist rather than saying that his brother is gay. This shows to the audience that Mo would rather his brother be a terrorist than being gay. This also implies that being gay and living in a rough London estate is hard and dangerous as people won’t accept them. This scene is also important as it shows how the relationship between the brothers has fallen apart as they both want to lead different lives.

Micro-features:

Mise-en-scene: Location is important in the film as it back up the idea of living with crime. The protagonists live on a rough estate in London. This shows to the audience why they are a part of the drug and gang culture as both the boys especially Rashid want to escape from living on the estate with hardly any money. They want a new life. By focusing on the boys lives on the estate shows that allot of crime goes on in places like that, but no one can really control it.

Performance: Performance is very important in the film as it shows to the audience that the boys aren’t all that they seem. Rashid is involved with gangs and drugs. The audience assumes that Rashid is not a very nice person and that he is not going to achieve anything. But the audience’s perception of the Rashid changes when he puts money in his mum’s purse to help out with the bills. This shows to the audience that although he is involved with crime, he still has good intentions.

Comparable: This film is similar to AnuvaHood as it also focuses on teenagers/young adults growing up on estates. They both show how crime is common on rough estates and how young people get involved with drugs and other crime. This relates to living with crime as it shows how teenagers are being dragged into crime and violence by gangs. Both films show how teenagers become peer pressured into doing things that are against the law.

Thriller Film Idea!!

THRILLER FILM IDEA!!:

TITLE: Blonde.

LOCATION: Woods/Forest.

                         (Shot during the day).

CHARACTERS: Female protagonist,

                        Male Antagonist,

                        Female Victim.

GENRE: Psychological Thriller.

THEMES: Betrayal, Crime.

SPEECH: There will be no speech.

 SUMMARY:

A young teenage girl is being chased through the woods where she will have to escape from a mysterious hooded male in order to get back to her missing friend.

STORY LINE:

A young teenager is put into a dangerous situation when she becomes the target of a hooded man deep in the woods. When she comes face to face with him in an intense battle for survival, she realises his true intentions. Everything becomes more complicated as she runs back into the woods to find her missing friend. When the friends are reunited, things take a massive turn for the worst when the young teenager's real personality is shown.

FILM INSPIRATION:

The inspiration for the film comes from films like "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" and "The Ward" as they both include major plot twists at the end that the audience does not expect.

ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE: 

IMPORTANT SCENES:

The opening scene will be a sequence of long shots showing the setting that the film will take place (which is the woods).  This is important as it helps the audience know what genre the film is and what could happen.

The fight scene will consist of extreme/close up shots to engage the audience as the fight scene will appear more intense.

The ending scene will show both the protagonist and the victim. A combination of mid-shots and close ups will be used to show the emotions of the two characters.

SPECTRE!!

SPECTRE.
Key Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and Lea Seydoux.
Genre: Action/Thriller.
Writer: John Logan
Director: Sam Mendes
Themes: Crime, Romance, Family
Release: October 2015

The main character (James Bond) uncovers new information about an evil organisation called Spectre. James Bond has to bring down the organisation whilst also trying to save the ones he cares about. In order to do this, Bond must get information from an old nemesis and learns that he has more connections with Spectre than he thought.

Key Scenes: The most important scene within the film is when Bond has the upper hand on the villain. James Bond is standing above the villain (who is laying on the floor) with a gun to his head. Bond has to decide whether to kill him or not. James decides to walk away from the villain to the girl he loves. This is an important as 007 is has a licence to kill, but he decides to walk away. This contradicts what we know about James Bond as he should be able to finish the villains but in this case he changes that. This shows to the audience that he is done being an assassin.

One micro-feature that is important throughout the film is sound. During every fight scene the sound of the punches and the kick are always exaggerated. This is used to engage the audience as the fight scenes seem more brutal which is more entertaining. By making the sounds of the punches louder also adds emphasis to the skills of James Bond, making the film more exciting.
Mise-en-scene is also important (Especially costumes) as it used to portray Bond's personality. Throughout the majority of the film, Bond is wearing a suit. This is supposed to show the audience that Bond is smooth and sophisticated. This is important as it is used to make the character more desirable. Men want to be him and women want to be with him. This makes the film more engaging for the audience as he is shown to be perfect man (through his outfits)as he is always shown to be looking good.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film as it grabbed my attention from beginning to end and there was always something going on. There was never a dull moment. Although it was an amazing film, at parts i became a bit confused due to there being so much going on.