Footloose!!

Footloose. (2011)

Key Cast: Julianne Hough, Kenny Wormald, Miles Teller.

Director: Craig Brewer

Writer: Dean Pitchford

Genre: Music Drama

Themes: Family, Dance, Friendships, Relationships and Confrontation

Release: October 2011

Budget. $24,000,000

Key Scene:
A key scene is when Ren is pulled over by the police because his music is playing to loudly in his car. This is important because this is where the audience are introduced to the rule that they have in this small town. It also shows how strict the rules are and why they take things so seriously. This gives a reason as to why the teenagers are so desperate to dance because they have been told they are not allowed to. The audience being told the strict rules on things that we would think are normal also show why the characters in the film take it so seriously and why they do the things they do.

Another key scene in the film is when Ariel ad Ren are at the train tracks. Ariel decides to stands on the track in the path of an oncoming train. Ren tries to persuade Ariel to get off the tracks but she is ignores him and remains on the track as the train gets closer and closer. In the end Ren has to save Ariel by pushing her out of the way of the oncoming train. This is an important scene because if Ren wasn't there, the audience could assume that Ariel would have let the train hit her. This shows that Ariel is not happy with everything that is going on. This event also links with other events in the film where she becomes reckless and irresponsible, but this event in particular shows to the audience that although she puts on a tough face she is still suffering and grieving from the accident that took place three years ago.

Microfeatures:
An important micro-feature in Footloose is editing. The film starts by showing the car accident and the town changing the laws because of it. The Law basically states that no one is allowed to dance because they believed that the party the people went to was the main cause of the accident. The audience is first introduced to the character Ariel and she is shown to be innocent as she is wearing a floral dress which the audience would associate a younger child wearing. The editing is important in this film because it shows a 3 year time jump between when we see first see Ariel and then when we see her for the second time. However, she has changed dramatically as she is no longer shown as the innocent little child but she is now shown as more independent and rebellious. She is wearing small shorts and tight tops which is the complete opposite as to what the audience have already seen of her. The editing, in particular the time jump, shows how the accident and the law has changed Ariel. Although we don't actually see what has happened in those three years, we know that she has gone through something difficult. The editing helps highlight why Ariel does the things she later does in the film and why people see her in a different way. The editing shows that even though it has been three years since the accident, no one has forgotten about or moved on from it. It is having a long lasting affect.

Safe Haven!!

Safe Haven

Key Cast: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Colbie Smulders.

Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Writer: Nicholas Sparks (Novel)

Genre: Romance Thriller

Themes: Love, Abuse, friendship, Family and Secrecy.

Release: February 2013

Budget: $28,000,000

Key Scene:

A key scene in the film is the opening scene. The film opens with a girl running out of a house covered in blood. This straight away shows the audience that the genre of the film is thriller. The audience are left in the dark and they are not quite sure as to what is going on. The audience start to make ideas based on what could be happening or what happened to her. The following scene then shows the girl to be running away from the police. This backs up the idea that something is wrong. The opening scene is used to show the audience that even though the film is predominantly a romance film, it still has thriller elements to it. Because the audience doesn't find out till later what the opening scene has to do with the mani protagonist, they are left trying to connect the dots and figure out why the main character is relevant.
Another key scene is when Katie has to face her past in order to save the family she loves. In this scene, she shows to the audience that she is willing to sacrifice herself if it means that she can protect Alex, Lexi and Josh. This scene is significant because it reveals more of her personality. Even though the audience may not be able to relate to her story they can still relate to the fact that she has unconditional love for her new family. Another reason why this scene is important is because when the audience see why she left her home to move to Southport, she is shown to be weak and powerless. However, when she comes to face her past she makes sure she does something about it and she becomes more powerful and independent. The scene shows that she has evolved because of her new experiences.

Key Micro-Features:

A key micro-feature in the film Safe Haven is Editing. At points through out the film we see flashbacks of Katie's past life. They usually are shown when Katie reacts negatively to a certain present day action (e.g when she talks to a police officer). The editing is important because the quick flashbacks that the audiences does see adds to the thriller aspect of the film, because we are constantly reminded that there is an underlying story within the romance. The flashbacks also reveal more of the story each time until eventually all is revealed. This is significant because it makes the audience think more rather than give them all the answers which is why the editing is so important.
Another important micro-feature is performance. In the majority of the film, Katie is living a double life. Whilst having a new life and identity she cant escape her past as there are constant reminders and she still lives in fear. She is trying to move on but she is finding it difficult. The performance is important because she has new life in which she is happy but every so often her old life breaks through the cracks. The performance still has to be convincing in order for the relationship between Alex and Katie to be real but also show her old self in order to show the audience that there is still something wrong.

The Thinning

The Thinning

Key cast: Peyton List, Logan Paul and Lia marie Johnson.

Director: Michael J Gallagher 

Writer: Michael J Gallagher

Genre: Thriller

Themes: Post apocalyptic, Friendship, Deceit

Release: October 2016

Key Scene:

A key scene in The Thinning is when Laina manages to find the real test results. The test results decide which students live or die as the test is used to bring down the American population The audience already knows that something strange is going on as Laina is shown to be one of the smartest, but he failed the test. When Laina finds the real results it shows that she got the highest score but was still 'sentenced to death'. This scene is important because it shows that there is more to what is happening and that there is a deeper problem. This makes the audience question the system and also question what they already know about what is happening in the film.

This leads on to the next important scene, which is the end scene. In this scene we see a large group of children, unconscious, getting sent under ground. This is significant because again it makes the audience question everything. The children being sent underground are the children that we saw from the high school who failed the test. The scene that follows shows a factory setting and shows people working, making different product. Then the audience sees a recognisable character. This is important because it contradicts everything the audience knows. These two scenes together are important because the story completely flips and the audience are left confused as to why the things happened in the film happened.

Key Micro-features:

A key micro-feature in the film is Cinematography, specifically lighting. Throughout the majority of the film the lighting flickers on and off. This is important because when the lights go off, the audience cant see anything. This builds the tension and is a common techniques used in thriller films. The lights flickering on and off builds the suspense as the audience cant see everything that is going on, so whilst the lights are off anything could happen. The lighting is significant because it is integrated into the actual story/plot of the film. This is significant because it puts the audience in the same position as the characters in the film because when the audience don't see anything, the characters don't see anything. This means that there is more suspense in the film because anything can happen to the characters in the dark.

Another important micro- feature is mise-en-scene (location). The film is mainly set in a high school where they go into lockdown when the test is being taken. The school is surrounded by wired fences and locked gates. This adds to the tension in the film because the audience realise that they is something obviously wrong and that the fences and locked gates must be there for a reason.

Film Mood Board!!

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

Beyond the Lights!!

Beyond the Lights.

Key Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Writer: Gine Prince-Bythewood

Genre: Romance Drama

Themes: Relationships, Mental Health, Suicide, Fame

Release: November 2014

Budget: $7,000,000

Key Scenes:

A key scene within the film is when Noni is in her apartment and has destroyed the photos of her hanging on the wall. This is a key scene because when Kaz comes in to help her she says, ' I feel like i'm suffocating in the middle of the street and no one can see me dying". This links with what she said at the beginning of the film ("No one can see me") and suggest to the audience that in the music industry everyone ignores the problems as they can only see the person that has been made by the media. The audience before, think that being famous is the best thing in the world and that it comes with so many perks, yet this films shows the flip side to fame. This scene in particular shows to the audience that even thought there are so many eyes on Noni, no one can actually see the real her and the pain she is facing. This scene is significant because after this everything starts to change. She goes away with Kaz to get the break she needs and she starts to realise that the person she is was is not the person she wants to be and she starts to become more confident in herself.

Another important scene in this film is when Noni is performing with Kid Culprit and rather than taking off her jacket mid performance to reveal the little clothing she is wearing she keeps it on to keep herself covered. This shows to the audience that she is visibly uncomfortable with the things she has to do in order to impress everyone else. Whilst Kid Culprit is fully clothed, Noni is forced to wear only under wear on stage whilst Kid Culprit gets to use her as an (over-sexualised) object. Up until this point in the film, Noni is shown to be a sexual object by the way that she dresses and the way she acts in her music videos. Now, when she tries to go against this she gets hated on by Kid Culprit and the audience, which shows that women are made to act and look a certain way and if they don't, they are seen as not good enough. She is clearly uncomfortable with the things she has to do and shows to the audience that she doesn't want to act like the girl they see on tv, but to be just Noni.

Key Micro-features:
A key micro-feature in this film is mise-en-scene. This is significant because it juxtaposes with Noni's character. She is shown to have the perfect house, fancy cars and a private jet she can use on demand. This is important as, like i have mentioned before, the audience think that being famous and having everything makes someone happy when in fact we can see that that is not the case. By showing Noni to be unhappy and also putting an emphasis on mise-en-scene shows to the audience that although everything seems okay doesn't mean it necessarily is.
Another important micro-feature is cinematography. There is a scene towards the end of the film when she sings Blackbird and the camera focuses on Noni. This is signifiant because all the other times we have seen Noni perform it is all about the performance and the way she looks. However by the camera simply just focusing on one side of Noni shows that it is not about the way she looks or the character that she has played but it is about her and her talent. By the cinematography just showing the actual Noni makes the audience see and listen to her more. She is not hiding behind anything and she becomes like the little girl we saw at the beginning of the film.

Comparable:
This film is very similar to Bodyguard (1992) as it has the same concept of the man being the one to save and help the girl. They have similar themes in which they both address the negative issues of being famous and how it is not what it is sometimes made out to be.  You could argue that Beyond the Lights is a modern day Bodyguard but I think that Beyond the Lights looks at more real life issues and it isn't about being saved from someone else, it is about being saved from yourself.