Friday 31 December 2010
Analysis of The Third Man
Title: The Third Man
Director: Carol Reed
Date: 1949
Genre: Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Certificate: PG
Brief Synopsis:
Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) learns that his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has invited him, recently died in a 'car accident'. However, he quickly finds out that things aren't as they seem and 'Harry Lime' has a secret past and isn't who he thinks he is...
This is a trailer from the film 'The Third Man'
In the opening of this scene from 'The Third Man' the first thing that you hear and see is a musical instrument called a Zither. It is a cultural reference to the destroyed city Vienna, and the song which is playing is named after the character Harry Lime and introduces us to him. It is used to symbolise that he pulls the strings and is in control of 'Holly Martin’s' emotions. The use of the voice over sets the scene and introduces us to the city of Vienna and the ‘black market’ where they use close ups of hands to show the exchange of money and stolen goods, which emphasises the illegality of the situation.
In this clip Holly Martin walks underneath a ladder which is called dramatic irony because it suggests that something unlucky is going to happen to him. The use of his shadow when walking up the stairs implies that he has a split personality or it could relate to a theme of heaven and hell where Holly is heaven and his shadow represents Harry Lime who is hell. Holly is always trying to following Harry and the perspective of his character is being turned upside down as Harry plays 'cat and mouse' with him. Also, the use of a high angle shot of Holly looking up to the porter (Paul Horbiger) on the floor above represents his vulnerability.
Director: Carol Reed
Date: 1949
Genre: Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Certificate: PG
Brief Synopsis:
Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) learns that his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has invited him, recently died in a 'car accident'. However, he quickly finds out that things aren't as they seem and 'Harry Lime' has a secret past and isn't who he thinks he is...
This is a trailer from the film 'The Third Man'
In the opening of this scene from 'The Third Man' the first thing that you hear and see is a musical instrument called a Zither. It is a cultural reference to the destroyed city Vienna, and the song which is playing is named after the character Harry Lime and introduces us to him. It is used to symbolise that he pulls the strings and is in control of 'Holly Martin’s' emotions. The use of the voice over sets the scene and introduces us to the city of Vienna and the ‘black market’ where they use close ups of hands to show the exchange of money and stolen goods, which emphasises the illegality of the situation.
In this clip Holly Martin walks underneath a ladder which is called dramatic irony because it suggests that something unlucky is going to happen to him. The use of his shadow when walking up the stairs implies that he has a split personality or it could relate to a theme of heaven and hell where Holly is heaven and his shadow represents Harry Lime who is hell. Holly is always trying to following Harry and the perspective of his character is being turned upside down as Harry plays 'cat and mouse' with him. Also, the use of a high angle shot of Holly looking up to the porter (Paul Horbiger) on the floor above represents his vulnerability.
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This screen shot of Harry Lime in the sewers emphasises that he is being compressed by the feeling of doom and there is a visible metaphor of the 'walls closing in on him' leaving him with no escape. The sewers create a labrynth effect, empahsizing the distopian feel which is also being portrayed through the dark, chiaroscuro lighting. The setting enhances the audience's attention by using the low ceiling and narrow brick walls and impiles that he is trying to find a light at the end of the tunnel. The composition of Harry standing in the middle suggests that he is the centre of the whole mystery of his death, and now Holly has found him, the uncertainty that surrounds him has faded entriguing the audience to find out what happens to him next. |
Friday 10 December 2010
Analysis of Once Upon A Time in America
Title: Once Upon a Time in America
Director: Sergio Leone
Date: 1984
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
This is a trailer from Once Upon a Time in America
The first signifier of this introduction is the song (or anthem) ‘god bless America’, this soundtrack has a sense of irony because it is stating that America is a great country whereas this song contrasts the film because it is about gangs and violence in America. Sergio Leonie has specifically done this for that reason and maybe to criticise America because the citizens think everything is fine when they don’t know what is happening behind the scenes.
This is just a clip of the opening credits which opens the film with the anthem ‘God Bless America’. The song shows the irony and mood of the moment.
The first character that appears on the screen is the character ‘Eve’ who is a femme fatal which could be insinuated by her pearls. They could represent purity which could also be another portrayal of irony because her character is involved with gangsters or even teardrops which could be a premonition of the fact that she will shortly meet an abrupt end. The fact that you can only see her face and that the rest of her is caped in darkness might suggest that her beauty is the only thing that shines through her whereas she might be hiding something or that her personality might not reflect her looks and that looks can be deceiving. This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time (1910-1967).
Director: Sergio Leone
Date: 1984
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
This is a trailer from Once Upon a Time in America
The first signifier of this introduction is the song (or anthem) ‘god bless America’, this soundtrack has a sense of irony because it is stating that America is a great country whereas this song contrasts the film because it is about gangs and violence in America. Sergio Leonie has specifically done this for that reason and maybe to criticise America because the citizens think everything is fine when they don’t know what is happening behind the scenes.
This is just a clip of the opening credits which opens the film with the anthem ‘God Bless America’. The song shows the irony and mood of the moment.
The first character that appears on the screen is the character ‘Eve’ who is a femme fatal which could be insinuated by her pearls. They could represent purity which could also be another portrayal of irony because her character is involved with gangsters or even teardrops which could be a premonition of the fact that she will shortly meet an abrupt end. The fact that you can only see her face and that the rest of her is caped in darkness might suggest that her beauty is the only thing that shines through her whereas she might be hiding something or that her personality might not reflect her looks and that looks can be deceiving. This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time (1910-1967).
This film clip uses the rule of thirds to draw your eye to the main focus which is the corruptness of the police in the fact that they have just killed a woman for no apparent reason other than with holding evidence. The archway frames them, which shows that they are the main focus and the way that they are positioned suggests that they are a strong force who have cornered Eve and seem to have the upper hand. The way the light is positioned above Eve’s head might symbolise her beauty and her being angelic compared to the police and the measures they take to ‘enforce the law’ by taking it into their own hands.
This camera shot is called a worm’s eye view and has been used to create an effect of being over powered. It has been turned upside down to show the blurred lines of the law enforcers of this time; and the law breakers. It shows how the two sides have in this film been switched upside down to symbolise the corruptness of the police and the point of view of the gangsters.
Friday 3 December 2010
Essex Boys Analysis
Title: Essex Boys
Director: Terry Winsor
Date: 2000
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, three drug dealers well known to the police, were lured to Workhouse Lane. There they were blasted to death with a shot gun while sitting in their Range Rover and had been lured to their deaths on the pretext of a lucrative drugs deal. The three bodies were found the following morning.
This is a trailer from the film 'Essex Boys'
The wording at the very beginning introduces the premise of the film. By saying it is based on a true story gives the audience a sense of reality and by saying that it ‘left three men dead, two serving life imprisonment and another living under an assumed identity’ immediately creates suspense and intrigue as to what happened.
Director: Terry Winsor
Date: 2000
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, three drug dealers well known to the police, were lured to Workhouse Lane. There they were blasted to death with a shot gun while sitting in their Range Rover and had been lured to their deaths on the pretext of a lucrative drugs deal. The three bodies were found the following morning.
This is a trailer from the film 'Essex Boys'
The wording at the very beginning introduces the premise of the film. By saying it is based on a true story gives the audience a sense of reality and by saying that it ‘left three men dead, two serving life imprisonment and another living under an assumed identity’ immediately creates suspense and intrigue as to what happened.
In the opening credits the use of the white lines being drawn could symbolise someone scratching a car with a key which gives reference to the location and actions that take place in the film. It gives a sense of grittiness especially with the harsh, scratching sound that goes with it and the melancholy soundtrack.
In this image the way the mud has been smudged across the windscreen gives Jason a gritty and harsh persona which also reflects the location. His posture is full of arrogance and the way he is looking straight at Billy without expression is quite aggressive. The framing of the car windscreen gives the effect that darkness is closing in on him and that something bad is going to happen to him which is dramatic irony. The chiaroscuro lighting gives this image an eerie effect and by using Billy's perspective to show the uncertainty that he has of Jason and the opinion that he has of him is unclear.
The use of the vertical lights connotes the feeling of imprisonment or that the character Billy is trapped in this dangerous situation. This could insinuate that Jason has just got out of jail and that maybe Billy is heading in that direction. Billy is in focus to show his emotion whereas the character Jason is blurred to create a sense of unknowing about him and that Billy maybe has an unsure perception of him.
This image of the car in the tunnel could be interpreted as looking down a barrel of a gun suggesting that something bad is going to happen to these characters. It could also be perceived as there is light at the end of the tunnel, however, the car is blocking the light and therefore they are stuck in a never-ending bad situation.
Thursday 2 December 2010
Definition of a Film Noir
A Film Noir is French for ‘black film’ and it was first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946.
Generic conventions of a thriller film:
Lighting – Dark, noir lighting is used a lot in thriller films. It is used to place the audience in the same positions as the characters. It creates uncertainty, confusion, mystery, enigma, suspense and aspects of evil. Chiaroscuro lighting reinforces the sense of the nightmare illusion. It is also aesthetically pleasing and adds to the visual pleasure of the audience. It sometimes uses ambient (natural lighting) and non ambient (artificial lighting). There are many common lighting features to the thriller film such as dimly lit places and car headlights. Also the effect of the ambient lighting used to create big shadows making the character seem very eerie and maybe have two sides to their personality.
Sound – Diegetic (natural sounds in the film) and non diegetic sounds (un-natural sounds such as the film’s soundtrack). These sounds are used to create suspense and sometimes portray the characters emotions. Common diegetic sounds are normally the sound of the character’s footsteps, a car pulling up and braking and the character’s breathing.
Location – Isolated areas or claustrophobic space such as dark alleways, coffins (such as the scene in 'Kill Bill 2' where the bride is trapped in a coffin) and sewers like in 'The Third Man', where Harry Lime is trapped down in the sewers, making it seem like everything in his life is closing in on him.
Generic conventions of a thriller film:
Lighting – Dark, noir lighting is used a lot in thriller films. It is used to place the audience in the same positions as the characters. It creates uncertainty, confusion, mystery, enigma, suspense and aspects of evil. Chiaroscuro lighting reinforces the sense of the nightmare illusion. It is also aesthetically pleasing and adds to the visual pleasure of the audience. It sometimes uses ambient (natural lighting) and non ambient (artificial lighting). There are many common lighting features to the thriller film such as dimly lit places and car headlights. Also the effect of the ambient lighting used to create big shadows making the character seem very eerie and maybe have two sides to their personality.
Sound – Diegetic (natural sounds in the film) and non diegetic sounds (un-natural sounds such as the film’s soundtrack). These sounds are used to create suspense and sometimes portray the characters emotions. Common diegetic sounds are normally the sound of the character’s footsteps, a car pulling up and braking and the character’s breathing.
Location – Isolated areas or claustrophobic space such as dark alleways, coffins (such as the scene in 'Kill Bill 2' where the bride is trapped in a coffin) and sewers like in 'The Third Man', where Harry Lime is trapped down in the sewers, making it seem like everything in his life is closing in on him.
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| This screen shot from the noir-film 'The Third Man' portrays the aspects of the Thriller genre because it is shot in black and white and has dark, chiaroscuro lighting. The gothic railings also gives reference to the genre, by putting a twist on a seemingly respectable house, portraying that there may be something strange going on or something is about to happen, which puts an edge on normality. The large shadow gives reference to the character 'Harry Lime' and the question that 'Holly Martins' is dealing with, whether he is good or evil. Also it shows that 'Holly' could have a spilt personality and that maybe he has a dark side as well. |
Thursday 18 November 2010
Definition of a Femme Fatale
A femme fatale is French for ‘deadly woman’. It is a powerful female character used in many Thriller films that gives a sense of class and intrigue by them having irresistible charm that hypnotises men into dangerous situations by using their sexuality. These characters have been used in Thriller films throughout the ages. In the 1940s they were portrayed as beautiful, seductive temptresses who lure men with their charm and sex appeal. For example in ‘Gilda’ (1946, directed by Charles Vidor), the femme fatale was seen as a sex object who was trapped by the males in her life. However in more modern Thriller films such as ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2009, directed by Niels Arden Oplev) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004, directed by Quentin Tarantino) the femme fatale has a different perspective, therefore can stand up for themselves and fight for what they believe in. This development has been because of the change in women's roles in everyday modern life. Women now have careers and so are not reliant on men for anything and would prefer to see a stronger femme fatale rather than one that solely relies on appearance.
When films use a femme fatal there are usually two different outcomes, she either turns into a good housewife or she gets killed for her wrong doings.
There are many femme fatales in Thriller films such as Rita Hayworth in this trailer of the 1946 Noir thriller ‘Gilda’. She is the main character who seduces men and makes them fall in love with her, much to the dismay of Johnny Farrell.
This is an image of the character Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) from Basic Instinct (1992, directed by Paul Verhoeven), she is a femme fatale who uses her sexuality to her advantage to get what she wants. She seduces the Detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) to mislead him and distract him from his muder enquiry and from the fact that she murdered her husband. She wears sexy outfits that show a lot of flesh to entice her victims and in the end kill them.
Angelina Jolie plays the part of Fox from the film 'Wanted' (2008, directed by Timur Bekmambetov), she is a modern femme fatale who has tattos and piercings making her look edgy. She's a trained assasin who acts like she's not afraid of anyone or anything. This contrasts Gilda, who is a traditional femme fatale because she is glamorous and portrays the image of a feminine women.
When films use a femme fatal there are usually two different outcomes, she either turns into a good housewife or she gets killed for her wrong doings.
There are many femme fatales in Thriller films such as Rita Hayworth in this trailer of the 1946 Noir thriller ‘Gilda’. She is the main character who seduces men and makes them fall in love with her, much to the dismay of Johnny Farrell.
Angelina Jolie plays the part of Fox from the film 'Wanted' (2008, directed by Timur Bekmambetov), she is a modern femme fatale who has tattos and piercings making her look edgy. She's a trained assasin who acts like she's not afraid of anyone or anything. This contrasts Gilda, who is a traditional femme fatale because she is glamorous and portrays the image of a feminine women.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
Sunday 10 October 2010
Student Questionaire
Emily King
I.C.T 1 (A), I.C.T 2 (A), English literature (B), English language (B), Maths (B), French (B), Spanish (B), Photography (B), Physics (B), Biology (C), Chemistry (C), R.S (C).
My hobbies are listening to music, playing the piano, reading and socialising with friends.
Media Interests:
I must admit that I don’t really read newspapers because they are not designed for teenagers or young adults and especially not women! This is because it is full of politics, business, sports and the ‘inspirational’ page 3 girls, which don’t really interest me and a lot of other females. However, papers like the sun try to put in articles that are meant to interest woman such as celebrity gossip and horoscopes which is only a token gesture and isn’t particularly appealing. Also, I find that some of the news is extremely depressing because there is a lot of crime, murders and sexual assaults reported that I don’t really want to read or worry about. I prefer to read local newspaper like the * because it’s relevant to what’s happening in my own community.
I prefer to access news on the internet like the bbc website because I find the news easier to process and because my dad doesn’t really read newspapers apart from the sun. I always check cinema listings on websites such as ‘Odeon’ and ‘Vue’ because it is much easier to retrieve which is why
I rarely read magazines because most of the articles don’t really interest me, I prefer to read books. However, I sometimes read ‘look’ magazine because it has high street fashion that is designed more for teenagers and is based in affordable but stylish shops, like Topshop and River Island. It appeals to me because I am interested in the types of clothes and make up that they promote. Sometimes I read gossip magazines when I’m bored and I want to laugh at what lengths people will go to for fame.
Radio Media:
I don’t really listen to the radio, only when I’m getting ready for school in the morning. I listen to ‘Kiss’ because it usually has the most recent, upbeat songs that put me in a good mood but most of the songs aren’t really the type that I would normally listen to. I sometimes listen to radio one because they talk a lot about different types of bands/new bands that I would listen to and have some humorous conversations that interest me. Apart from that, radio stations don’t concern me because sometimes they play good songs but they are usually followed by ones that I don’t find appealing.
Music Industry:
I listen to a variety of different music but my least favourite genre is probably ‘pop’. I’m not in a band but I enjoy playing the piano. I listen to music mostly on the computer because it is easier to find the specific songs that I want to play. For example, I don’t have many CDs, I go on either spotify or YouTube to find the music that I want to listen to. I’ve never downloaded music illegally, because I only need it for my iPod, but I also believe that it is wrong to illegally download songs because you’re basically stealing from the artists that have produced such a good song. I think that the music industry could definitely influence the way people behave, some people take music as a lifestyle choice and dress accordingly to the genre of the music. For example some people who listen to indie music might wear skinny jeans and have longer hairstyles and a fringe. Whereas people who listen to rap/hiphop/R’n’B music might wear baggy jeans and ‘gangster’ hats. These people are easily influenced.
Video Games:
I don’t really play video games much but I have my brother has a PS3 that he is ALWAYS on and I have a PS2 that I used to play a lot when I was younger. My favourite game was called ‘crash bandicoot’ it was about getting through different levels (warp rooms) which, at the time, I thought was really cool. I understand that some video games can have a very negative effect on people, especially young boys and teens, but as I said my fourteen year old brother plays on COD which is a violent war game and he’s not a violent person at all. Not all teenagers are influenced or easily lead by games, just because they play them doesn’t necessarily mean that they don’t know the difference between right and wrong/reality and fantasy.
New Technology:
Technology has definitely increased my understanding of the world because I can communicate much more easily with friends that live a long way away via social networking sites and my mobile phone. Also, I like learning about the new technology such as upgrades of iPhones, iPads, laptops and the developments of 3D T.V. It is so much easier to communicate nowadays because of emails and new phone applications because the broadband has been made faster and more efficient, it amazes me that there are so many different gadgets and apps that are being released every day. There is much more access to films and television programs on the internet because of websites like ‘bcc iplayer’ and illegal websites where you can watch films. There is a lot of opportunity to create your own piece of media text on the internet because there are lots of websites that let you create your own website and create your own blog just like this one, it gives you an opportunity to share your views and get people to listen to you.
Television:
My favourite T.V channels are probably ‘E4’ and various music channels such as ‘4music’ and ‘VIVA’. I like to watch the programs on ‘E4’ because they are often comedies like my favourite programs ‘Friends’ and ‘Scrubs’. I like to watch the music channels because I enjoy watching the types of videos that they create to go with the songs. My favourite television genre is probably comedy dramas like ‘Ugly Betty’ and ‘Waterloo Road’ because even though they are based on serious topics they portray them in humorous ways. The television programs that I find most memorable have to be ‘Friends’, ‘Waterloo Road’, and ‘Ugly Betty’ because every episode is different and amusing.
Feature Film:
My favourite film genre is romantic comedies because they’re funny, uplifting and take you away from real life. The three films that I find outstanding are ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Love Actually’. The actors in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are amazing (especially Leonardo DiCaprio) and the way that the director has set it in modern times, yet still using the Shakespearian language works really well. The cinematography in ‘Moulin Rouge’ was incredible especially in the scene where they sing ‘your song’ where the camera uses an ‘aerial shot’ and revolves itself around the theatrical action. Finally, my third favourite film ‘Love Actually’ has a great storyline and soundtrack and is extremely amusing. I prefer to watch films at the cinema because I love the atmosphere and the largeness of the screen, my friends and I have seen many films at the cinema and it makes a fun day out. My favourite cinema is probably ‘Odeon’ because the seats are so comfortable. It is a bit more expensive than ‘Vue’ and takes a little bit longer to get to, but the size of the rooms and quality is worth it. I prefer to watch films in a group so after we can discuss them and sharing the experience with friends is much more fun.
Are you a media producer?
When I was about 10, I used to borrow my dad’s camcorder and make short films with my friends who were very dramatic and really into acting. They would make up the story and sometimes I was in the films and other times I directed them. Also, last year my friends made up a funny song and wanted me to film it on my mobile, which was really fun and interested me a lot.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
The Intertextual references between Kill Bill Vol. 2 and The good the bad and the ugly
Title: Kill Bill: Volume 2
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Date: 2004
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The murderous Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his two remaining associates; his younger brother Budd, and Bill's latest flame Elle.
This is a trailer from the film 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'
In our media studies lessons we have been analysing aspects of the thriller genre, the different types of Thriller films and how the director Quentin Tarantino utilises the conventions of the genre in 'Kill Bill Volume 2'. This is a clip from 'Kill Bill 2' which is an action thriller with a female as the heroine making it more modern to show how society is changing. In this extract from 'Kill Bill 2' it shows the blonde bride (Uma Thurman) trying to get revenge on her husband by killing everyone before him, in this case Budd. Tarantino uses the waste land location to create a sense of isolation which is an import generic convention of thriller films. The location reflects the character of Budd because it is empty and dead which is how he is inside, also it is very unglamorous and suggests that he is ‘trailer trash’. The scene is lit with chiaroscuro lighting which contrasts between light and dark affecting a composition and is normally used in noir films. It uses non ambient lighting because otherwise it would have been to dark to film and you wouldn’t be able to see anything. Also, in the opening the director uses diegetic and non diegetic sounds - such as the western soundtrack - playing over the scene. The non diegetic sounds would be the car pulling up to the trailer and Budd’s footsteps when he’s in the trailer. This film has a lot of intertextual references to the film ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’. They are both based in a western location and use the same piece of music which is called ‘Ecstasy of Gold’. Tarantino has done this to demonstrate the similarities between the two films. The main character in ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’ is a man called Blondie (Clint Eastwood) whereas in 'Kill Bill 2' the main character is a blonde woman which demonstrates how times and society has changed having a female as the heroine.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Date: 2004
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The murderous Bride continues her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill, and his two remaining associates; his younger brother Budd, and Bill's latest flame Elle.
This is a trailer from the film 'Kill Bill: Volume 2'
In our media studies lessons we have been analysing aspects of the thriller genre, the different types of Thriller films and how the director Quentin Tarantino utilises the conventions of the genre in 'Kill Bill Volume 2'. This is a clip from 'Kill Bill 2' which is an action thriller with a female as the heroine making it more modern to show how society is changing. In this extract from 'Kill Bill 2' it shows the blonde bride (Uma Thurman) trying to get revenge on her husband by killing everyone before him, in this case Budd. Tarantino uses the waste land location to create a sense of isolation which is an import generic convention of thriller films. The location reflects the character of Budd because it is empty and dead which is how he is inside, also it is very unglamorous and suggests that he is ‘trailer trash’. The scene is lit with chiaroscuro lighting which contrasts between light and dark affecting a composition and is normally used in noir films. It uses non ambient lighting because otherwise it would have been to dark to film and you wouldn’t be able to see anything. Also, in the opening the director uses diegetic and non diegetic sounds - such as the western soundtrack - playing over the scene. The non diegetic sounds would be the car pulling up to the trailer and Budd’s footsteps when he’s in the trailer. This film has a lot of intertextual references to the film ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’. They are both based in a western location and use the same piece of music which is called ‘Ecstasy of Gold’. Tarantino has done this to demonstrate the similarities between the two films. The main character in ‘The Good The Bad and The Ugly’ is a man called Blondie (Clint Eastwood) whereas in 'Kill Bill 2' the main character is a blonde woman which demonstrates how times and society has changed having a female as the heroine.
This is a clip of the heroine breaking out of the coffin, which again illustrates the intertextual references between the two films as 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly' was also shot in a graveyard. The lightung is ambient, as the torch is the only light source that is lighting her face which creates tention by showing how scared she is and how claustrophobic it is. It is used to create excitement and suspense and is to award The Bride the same status as the hero Blondie in the Leonie film. Also there is the good (The Bride) the bad (Budd) and the ugly in this scene is Budd's friend who helps to bury the bride. This is the last volume of the 'Kill Bill' series and to finalise it Tarantino has used this reference to a graveyard therefore reinforcing the intertextuality and keeping the western theme.
This is a clip from the film 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly' which is set in the graveyard and shows you the typical role of the hero that is usualy played by a male in this case Clint Eastwood. It was directed by Sergio Leonie and uses a lot of extreme close ups of the characters faces and eyes to show the emotions that the characters have. Blondies's eyes are more focussed whereas Angel Eyes's eyes are more slanted which implies how crafty he is and how he's always up to no good, and Tuco's eyes are wide to show fear. This scene shows how Blondie has his revenge on Angel Eyes, tricks Tuco and leaves with the loot.
Thursday 23 September 2010
Research Proposal
What I want to find out:
- Audience expectations
- What music/sounds are most effective
- What thriller genres 18-24 year olds prefer
- The characters
- The location
- Questionnaire
- Interviews with media students
- Sound investigations
- Less music than sound effects
- Action/crime/British gangster genres
- No special effects
- Modern characters and locations
Tuesday 21 September 2010
Thriller ideas
The first idea that we had for our thriller film
Characters:
Femme fatal: Scarlet
Gangsters: Nameless men x 3
Plotline:
The victim’s car is driving down the road to the car park multi-storey whilst the femme fatale watches; she’s smoking and gets a call (over the shoulder shot of her on the phone watching the car pulling into the multi-storey) and replies with ‘he has just arrived’. Car is in the car park driving into a space, he gets out and opens the car boot (shot of him from the boot of the car leaning in to get the briefcase) and takes it out and looks inside. Femme fatale walks over to the man holding a gun and asks for the briefcase. Man starts to run, two guys start chasing him (high angle shot of him running down the stairs) and they catch him and the femme fatale hits him and the men drag him into the lift giving the femme fatale the suitcase. The femme fatale goes into the toilets and washes the blood of her hands (shot of her in the mirror, another of the blood pouring down the plughole). She then changes and walks out with the briefcase.
We figured that the plotline would be far too complicated and that we would need the characters to be older than us to make it more realistic. However, we liked the common generics of a thriller film such as the use of the briefcase, femme fatale and the hand gun.
Characters:
Femme fatal: Scarlet
Gangsters: Nameless men x 3
Plotline:
The victim’s car is driving down the road to the car park multi-storey whilst the femme fatale watches; she’s smoking and gets a call (over the shoulder shot of her on the phone watching the car pulling into the multi-storey) and replies with ‘he has just arrived’. Car is in the car park driving into a space, he gets out and opens the car boot (shot of him from the boot of the car leaning in to get the briefcase) and takes it out and looks inside. Femme fatale walks over to the man holding a gun and asks for the briefcase. Man starts to run, two guys start chasing him (high angle shot of him running down the stairs) and they catch him and the femme fatale hits him and the men drag him into the lift giving the femme fatale the suitcase. The femme fatale goes into the toilets and washes the blood of her hands (shot of her in the mirror, another of the blood pouring down the plughole). She then changes and walks out with the briefcase.
We figured that the plotline would be far too complicated and that we would need the characters to be older than us to make it more realistic. However, we liked the common generics of a thriller film such as the use of the briefcase, femme fatale and the hand gun.
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