Product Research - Do you Scare Easily?

Ghost stories have existed for generations but to be able to tell and good story, one that has the audience of the edge and genuinely scared takes skill. All elements of language and representation need to be just right, but get this aspects correct then expensive special effects and dramatic, windswept locations are not necessary. The clip below is a perfect example of this.

Case Study - Wes Anderson

Wesley Wales Anderson was born in Houston, Texas. His mother, Texas Ann (Burroughs), is an archaeologist turned real estate agent, and his father, Melver Leonard Anderson, worked in advertising and PR. He has two brothers, Eric and Mel. Anderson's parents divorced when he was a young child, an event that he described as the most crucial event of his brothers and his growing up. During childhood, Anderson also began writing plays and making super-8 movies. He was educated at Westchester High School and then St. John's, a private prep school in Houston, Texas, which was later to prove an inspiration for the film Rushmore (1998).

Anderson attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he majored in philosophy. It was there that he met Owen Wilson. They became friends and began making short films, some of which aired on a local cable-access station. One of their shorts wasBottle Rocket (1994), which starred Owen and his brother Luke Wilson. The short was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was successfully received, so much so that they received funding to make a feature-length version. Bottle Rocket (1996) was not a commercial hit, but it gained a cult audience and high-profile fans, which includedMartin Scorsese.

Success followed with films such as Rushmore (1998), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and an animated feature, Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). The latter two films earned Anderson Oscar nominations.

IMBD Biography of Wes Anderson

The Soul of the Plot - Wes Anderson

'I have a way of filming things and staging them and designing sets. There were times when I thought I should change my approach, but in fact, this is what I like to do. It's sort of like my handwriting as a movie director. And somewhere along the way, I think I've made the decision: I'm going to write in my own handwriting.'

Wes Anderson 2015

Cinematography

What is cinematography?

Well, the name comes from combining two Greek words: kinema, which means movement, and graphein, which means to record. In film, cinematography refers to the photographing of the movie itself. The person in charge of this is the cinematographer, also known as the director or photography or the DP. 

Understanding Cinematography

In the hierarchy of a film set, the director's two key creative people in the crew are the art director and the cinematographer. The art director is in charge of the art department and the cinematographer is in charge of the camera, electric and grip departments. The camera department maintains the camera and has it ready for the shot while the grips and electrics handle the lighting. Electrics set the lights and run power to them and grips shape the light by using flags and diffusion. Grips also provide support to camera department when there is camera movement for the scene. An example of this is a dolly shot.

BFI Player - Best Films of 2015

If you seek lazy reboots and prequels, go elsewhere. These films dabble in the distinctive, be it real-life stories, potent dramas or history with a twist. They show the wild diversity of films and their creators, and they indicate a medium in rude health.

The most popular features on BFI Player in 2015

http://player.bfi.org.uk/collections/best-films-2015/

Pre, Pro & Post

Script to Scream is an eight part series following the UK creative team behind Bloody Cuts as they produce their upcoming film, The Outer Darkness. Four of these episodes can be watched below. Producers and Directors Ben Franklin and Anthony Melton along with screenwriter Joel Morgan and Director of Photography Jonny Franklin provide incredibly detailed access to the team's inner workings and approach to film-making as each episode focuses on a different aspect of pre-production, production and post-production.

Episode 1
In this episode, the team begins pre-production; including location scouting, the writing process and setting the timeline of work ahead of them to create The Outer Darkness.

Episode 2

As the team prepares for principal photography, meticulous planning becomes an essential part of coordinating all of the moving parts and 3rd parties contributing to the short film. Also, The Outer Darkness characters are starting to move from concept to reality as the team gets its first look at some of the evil creations from Special FX designer, James Greenwood.

Episode 3

The Outer Darkness team finally realizes the results of their meticulous planning and principal shooting begins. We also get our first look at the cast and learn how the team motivates them to give the best performances possible.

Episode 4

In episode 4 of Script to Scream the team discovers that unique locations prove to be challenging but worth the effort as the team finishes principal photography and the cast and crew work extremely hard to ensure that before editing begins everything that will be needed for the film is accomplished.

The Outer Darkness

The Outer Darkness is Part 1 of a terrifying new web series from the creators of popular horror show Bloody Cuts.

“On Friday evenings in Lynnsmouth Community Centre, meets a group led by Father Jonathan Crowe. Together they share their stories – tales of strange occurrences, horrific events and bizarre encounters that have scarred their lives. Tonight, a young tormented woman called Jenny will share a story of her experience with a game of chance that sealed the fate of her family…”

Also from Bloody Cuts

Set on one fateful night, six friends gather for their monthly 'games night'... and accidentally unleash a demonic force that might tear them - and their friendships - to pieces. 

'Don't Move' is the 8th slice in Bloody Cuts' anthology of short horror films, made by a young team of UK film-makers on low budgets. Directed by Anthony Melton and written by David Scullion it stars Rachel Bright and Jake Hendriks alongside Kate Braithwaite, Beth Cooper, Ian Whyte, Calvin Dean and Martin Skipper.

To learn more about The Outer Darkness visit http://www.theouterdarkness.co.uk/

To view previous work from the team visit http://www.bloodycuts.co.uk/

Powerful Scenes - Capturing Emotion

Every film; sorry let me correct myself, every good film has a memorable scene or is filled with memorable scenes. The power of the scene and the narrative it gives almost becomes a story in itself. These are the scenes we return too again and again, or will watch the entire film just to capture that moment and be reminded of something within, something that stirs a powerful emotion.

To list all of the scenes I feel capture this would take more than the capacity this blog allows. Below I have included just two I feel evoke the strongest emotional reaction. If they stir emotion in you then I highly recommend you watch the entire film, it will be well worth it.

Later also think about what the director has done and how they have managed to draw out the emotion in the scene and from the actors.

Mystic River 2003

http://www.imdb.com/mysticriver

In America 2002

http://www.imdb.com/inamerica

The influence and distortion of media adverts

Still Lovin' it?

Persuasive Elements

We have been discussing in class the use of 'persuasive elements' used by film-makers to emphasis a point or to illustrate an opinion. Film-makers employ a range of creative and technical techniques to communicate a range of ideas, messages or situations.

A recent text we have been focusing on is the 2004 documentary 'Fahrenheit 911' by Michael Moore. The text is about Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11; and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In this documentary we see Mr Moore use a range of persuasive elements to make his point and influence other. Below I discuss a range of these elements and how Moore used them within his film and what the purpose of this was.

For example.

• Selective Editing - where a cut away will be used to either strengthen a point being made or to act as a juxtaposition to what it being said.

Ones to watch in 2014

2014 is set to be another great year for film on a global scale. Below are three films coming out this year that deal with a wide and varied range of human emotion, interaction, morality, faith and tragedy.

KIDS FOR CASH is a riveting look behind the notorious judicial scandal that rocked the nation. Beyond the millions paid and high stakes corruption, KIDS FOR CASH exposes a shocking American secret.

In the wake of the shootings at Columbine, a small town celebrates a charismatic judge who is hell-bent on keeping kids in line... until one parent dares to question the motives behind his brand of justice.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/kidsforcash/

Would you choose your natural son, or the son you believed was yours after spending 6 years together? Kore-eda Hirokazu, the globally acclaimed director of "Nobody Knows", "Still Walking" and "I Wish", returns to the big screen with another family - a family thrown into torment after a phone call from the hospital where the son was born.

Ryota has earned everything he has by his hard work, and believes nothing can stop him from pursuing his perfect life as a winner. Then one day, he and his wife, Midori, get an unexpected phone call from the hospital. Their 6-year-old son, Keita, is not 'their' son - the hospital gave them the wrong baby.

Ryota is forced to make a life-changing decision, to choose between 'nature' and 'nurture.' Seeing Midori's devotion to Keita even after learning his origin, and communicating with the rough yet caring family that has raised his natural son for the last six years, Ryota also starts to question himself: has he really been a 'father' all these years.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/ifcfilms/likefatherlikeson/

Based on the #1 New York Times best-selling book of the same name, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL brings to the screen the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world.

The film stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy award winning actor Greg Kinnear as Todd Burpo and co-stars Kelly Reilly as Sonja Burpo, the real-life couple whose son Colton (newcomer Connor Corum) claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth, things he couldn't possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this remarkable event.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/heavenisforreal/

Scenes to Inspire

Above is the pivotal scene in Christopher Nolan's film 'The Dark Knight' starring Christian Bale as The Batman and Heath Ledger as The Joker.

As an avid Batman fan this scene brings these two legendary characters together and begins the telling of the Batman/Joker saga. These two opposing forces which act has each others driving force and nemesis creates a relationship unique in popular culture and film. One can not exist without the other which makes comment on the philosophy that good can not exist without evil.

Brilliantly acted by both Bale and Ledger this scene has a solid place in the 'great movie scenes of all time'.

Media Studies Production Planning

In the Media Studies folder on the shared drive you will find an Excel file called 'Media Studies Production Calendar 2013-14'. This calendar sets out the key parts of the production process and is a guide to when and how long you should be spending on the four areas of film production.

1. Production Research
2. Pre-Production
3. Production
4. Post-Production



Please open and save this file to your on document area and use it to track the progress of your own productions.

How to Plan a Film

Film Riot : How to Plan a Movie Shoot! - Script Breakdowns, Schedules and Budgets

Ryan talks about his way of doing pre-pro, and how to get a no-budget casting call together.

Film Riot : How to Storyboard & Schedule Your Film

Ryan finishes discussing his way of doing pre-production, with Storyboarding, lining the script and scheduling.

Tell 2012 - Ryan Connelly



Orphanage Opening Scene Analysis

The Orpahage

Storyline

Laura, a former orphan, raises her adopted son Simón together with her husband Carlos in an old house and former orphanage where she was raised. While at the orphanage Simón tells Laura that he has five invisible friends which she believes are a product of his active imagination. Laura decides to reopen the orphanage to cater for disabled children and throws a party. During the party Simón tries to persuade Laura to go and take a look at his friends cabin but she's too busy. Later on she sees a mysterious masked boy and realizes that Simón has also disappeared. Laura feels the presence of other people in the house and months later Laura invites a team of parapsychologists to try to unravel the mystery. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Regression Scene - Looking at sound

A2 Recommended Film List

Throughout the course I will be adding to this list of recommended films. Films that have influenced and effected the way I view film and have been landmarks in their own right within the industry.

1. American History X 1998

Storyline

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two thugs who tried to break into/steal his truck. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we learn that before going to prison, Derek was a skinhead and the leader of a violent white supremacist gang that committed acts of racial crime throughout L.A. and his actions greatly influenced Danny. Reformed and fresh out of prison, Derek severs contact with the gang and becomes determined to keep Danny from going down the same violent path as he did.
2. Oldboy 2003

Storyline

An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, Oh Dae-Su soon finds out that his kidnapper has a greater plan for him and is set onto a path of pain and suffering in an attempt to uncover the motive of his mysterious tormentor.
3. Little Miss Sunshine 2006

Storyline

In Albuquerque, Sheryl Hoover brings her suicidal brother Frank to the breast of her dysfunctional and bankrupted family. Frank is homosexual and expert in Proust, and tried to commit suicide when he was rejected by his boyfriend and his great competitor became renowned and recognized as number one in the field of Proust. Sheryl's husband Richard is unsuccessfully trying to sell his self-help and self-improvement technique using nine steps to reach success, but he is actually a complete loser. Her son Dwayne has taken a vow of silence as a follower of Nietzsche and aims to be a jet pilot. Dwayne's grandfather Edwin was sent away from the institution for elders Sunset Manor and is addicted in heroin. When her seven years old daughter Olive has a chance to dispute the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California, the whole family travels together in their old Volkswagen.

4. Some Like It Hot 1959



Storyline

When two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness the the St. Valentine's Day massacre, they want to get out of town and get away from the gangster responsible, Spats Colombo. They're desperate to get a gig out of town but the only job they know of is in an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as Josephine and Daphne, the replacement saxophone and bass players. They certainly enjoy being around the girls, especially Sugar Kane Kowalczyk who sings and plays the ukulele. Joe in particular sets out to woo her while Jerry/Daphne is wooed by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two men try to keep they true identities hidden and Spats Colombo and his crew show up for a meeting with several other crime lords.

5. Boyz N The Hood 1991

Storyline

John Singleton's portrayal of social problems in inner-city Los Angeles takes the form of a tale of three friends growing up together 'in the 'hood.' Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other's personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the 'All-American' athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while 'Dough' succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, 'Furious' Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions.
6. In America 2002



Storyline

Following the tragic death of their two-year-old son Frankie, Irish couple Johnny and Sarah Sullivan and their remaining two offspring, 10 year old Christy Sullivan and 5 year old Ariel Sullivan, emigrate illegally to the United States via Canada with little in their pockets. Their final destination is Manhattan where Johnny hopes to work as a stage actor. They move into a unit in a run town tenement housed primarily with drug addicts, transvestites and one tenant coined "the man who screams". They do whatever they can to eke out a supportive family environment in this difficult situation, the support which ultimately extends to those around them, most specifically "the screamer" who turns out to be an African-American artist named Mateo with AIDS. But the memory of Frankie hangs over the family in good and bad ways, especially as Sarah learns she's pregnant.

7. It's a wonderful Life 1946

Storyline

George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George.

8. E.T. The Extra-terrestrial 1982

Storyline

While visiting the Earth at Night, a group of alien botanists is discovered and disturbed by an approaching human task force. Because of the more than hasty take-off, one of the visitors is left behind. The little alien finds himself all alone on a very strange planet. Fortunately, the extra-terrestrial soon finds a friend and emotional companion in 10-year-old Elliot, who discovered him looking for food in his family's garden shed. While E.T. slowly gets acquainted with Elliot's brother Michael, his sister Gertie as well as with Earth customs, members of the task force work day and night to track down the whereabouts of Earth's first visitor from Outer Space. The wish to go home again is strong in E.T., and after being able to communicate with Elliot and the others, E.T. starts building an improvised device to send a message home for his folks to come and pick him up. But before long, E.T. gets seriously sick, and because of his special connection to Elliot, the young boy suffers, too. The situation gets critical when the task force finally intervenes. By then, all help may already be too late, and there's no alien spaceship in sight.

9. The Constant Gardener 2005



Storyline

In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle, will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.

10. Moonrise Kingdom 2012

Storyline

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, as a young boy and girl fall in love they are moved to run away together. Various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down -- which might not be such a bad thing.

Thriller Evaluation Questions Guidance

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: As sources by Chantelle Chamberlin.

Thriller Evaluation Questions Guidance

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Case Study - Donnie Darko

I - Media Studies - Case Study - Donnie Darko

Interpreting Film

As a group we watched a clip from 'American Gangster', Ridley Scott (2007). We then tried to describe the following from the short clip.

• Characters and their relationships
• Location both geographically and historically
• Context of the film
• Genre
• Storyline