Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Friday, 16 April 2010
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Evaluation activity 2
The actor Josh Tomlinson is very similar to the actor Matt Damon. They both have similar roles in the films they do, similar appearance and similar style.
Both actors have a similar appearance, strong tough looking, and not afraid to get hurt. they wear the same type of clothes as there roles in their films, tight T-shirts and rugged clothes. these characters in films are made so the audience is almost scared of them, but at the same time looks up to them and likes them as a characters. In action thriller movies, these characters are usually the main characters in the film, these characters are very popular to the audience.
These characters also have similar roles in the films they both do. The action tough guy. These films and these characters are very popular and have a very wide and broad target audience from teenagers to retired people.
But also the characters have their differences, like with their age, Matt damon is obviously alot older and that gives the film that hes in for example the 'Bourne Indentity' more realism, which is different for Josh Tomlinson as he is a teenager. Another thing that is different is that his background his different, Matt damon hes been brought up in America so his upbringing will be not the same as josh Tomlinson.
Pysical build is another where they are different, Matt Damon is alot taller than Joshua Tomlinson , and has a stereotypical action mans build.
In conclusion, Matt Damon and Josh Tomlinson are similar in some ways but different in others. I think josh Tomlinson made a convincing action man just like at likes of Matt Damon.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Feedback
My teacher said our draft needed a few improvements, these are such things as lighting, titles, music, and our actors.
The lighting was poor in our draft because we filmed late on in the day where it was starting to get dark, this cause our film to look really dark. Therefore the background of our film was to dark and towards the end of the film it was hard to see the characters.
From this point we have learnt that we need to film earlier on in the day, and the cameras make the scene look darker anyway.
Our titles in our draft had a few problems with them, for example we were told that they were plain and boring, we were told that we needed to make them stand out to play with some fonts to see what one had made the film look better and a font that would suit the genre.
With this feed back we looked a different fonts we had avalible to us and we picked a more unique and appealing font for our titles.
In our draft we didnt include any music so in our film you could hear the background noise of cars, people walking by, etc. So we were told that we would need something to cover it, but also to make sure the peice of music was perfect for our film.
We used the information we were given and we desided to look at some copyright free websites where we could get music pre-made for our film that didnt have a copyright on them. We also used the 'Garage Band' program on the mac computers so we made our own music for the film.
The actors we used in our draft film were the same age as us, this was easier to arrange and to get everyone together but in our film it didnt look right because sixteen year old lads wouldnt be handling valuable packages for someone. So our teacher advised us to try and get older actors to add realism to our film.
Using this advice we asked Will's dad if he would feature in our film along with some other adults.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Film Logo's.
This is good because, its bright and it draws attention from the audience. Its modern and it will appeal to the young target audience. This logo is bad because it doesnt fit in the genre of the film, its bright and colourful, action films are not related to these colours.
This is not good because, its boring, black, dull and not appealing. this would not appeal to the target audience. This is good because it fits in with the genre of the film, it looks like writing off a computer, this links with the film.
This logo is good because again, it fits in with style of the film. It looks modern, unique and effective, This logo is bad because it is a bit boring and doesnt appeal to the audience.
Synopsis
The film is based on a traditional action film where to rival companies, both desire the same thing in our case they want 'the package'. The package contains some confidential information about Simon Hilton that will get him sent to prison for life, he wants the package so that he can destroy the information and get away with his crime. But the MI6 are on the chase and have had a tip of Simon Hiltons plan, so they arrange a transportation on the information to a safe location while the package is being transported in is intercepted by a hitman sent by Simon Hiton in an attempt to keep his freedom and to keep his illegal business running.
Thursday, 4 March 2010
1. Interception, does that grab your attention?
Yes this title does grab my attention, it makes me think of
2.Does that title make you think of action?
Not really.
3.Do you enjoy chase scens?
I do, definatly.
4. What music do you think would fit?
Fast paced, jumpy music.
5. Who do you think would be the best Hitman in the opening of our film?
Alec, the first candidate.
6.Do you think the motorbike/car will add realism to the film?
I think a car would be more realistic for the opening of the film, it makes it look more professioanl.
7.Should the person taking the package have his face covered or not?
Yes, i think this would make an enigma about who this man is, what is he doing and why cant we see his face.
Yes this title does grab my attention, it makes me think of
2.Does that title make you think of action?
Not really.
3.Do you enjoy chase scens?
I do, definatly.
4. What music do you think would fit?
Fast paced, jumpy music.
5. Who do you think would be the best Hitman in the opening of our film?
Alec, the first candidate.
6.Do you think the motorbike/car will add realism to the film?
I think a car would be more realistic for the opening of the film, it makes it look more professioanl.
7.Should the person taking the package have his face covered or not?
Yes, i think this would make an enigma about who this man is, what is he doing and why cant we see his face.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Nike Advert analysis
This advert uses the same hand held camera shot throughout the advert.This gives the audience a feel like you are that football player in the advert. I think this will appeal to the male audience.
The advert only uses one camera shot, but in that camera shot object, different football players and the Nike brand come into the shot. For example, when the player in the advert picks up the ball, it is a Nike football. This relates to the brand of the advert.
This advert was edited so its in chronological order.
The advert uses a lot of jump cuts to switch mainly from game to game, or the bits in between e.g. dressing room. This makes the editing a bit more unique. The editing is also very fast paced, this refers to the pace of the football match.
At the end of the advert, it is almost identical as the beginning. This connotes that with Nike's help and their equipment and their products, like in the advert you can become a premiership player from being a lower league.
The advert only uses one camera shot, but in that camera shot object, different football players and the Nike brand come into the shot. For example, when the player in the advert picks up the ball, it is a Nike football. This relates to the brand of the advert.
This advert was edited so its in chronological order.
The advert uses a lot of jump cuts to switch mainly from game to game, or the bits in between e.g. dressing room. This makes the editing a bit more unique. The editing is also very fast paced, this refers to the pace of the football match.
At the end of the advert, it is almost identical as the beginning. This connotes that with Nike's help and their equipment and their products, like in the advert you can become a premiership player from being a lower league.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
This Is England
This Is England
This Is England had a very small, limited and low budget as it is run by an independent film company.
This Is England was based on the problems in England in the 1980’s. This film concentrates only on the skinhead culture, which created these issues and had a name for causing trouble. This means that this film was made for a specific target audience, mainly middle aged and working class British citizens. This audience could have been part of the skinhead culture in the 80’s, this film would appeal to them most because it will make them relive their experience of being part and involved in the skinhead culture.
This film was set Nottingham, this was just one of the places that was involved in a lot of the problems in Britain in the 1980’s. This gives it a sense of realism to towards the film.
As the film ‘This Is England’ has been assigned to a independent film company, the main aim of the film was to give an experience to the viewer which is realistic and believable to take them back and relive their roots of that period of time(80’s).
The ‘Mise En Scene’ of the film was determined by the budget, this was because the budget was so small. This meant Shane Meadows was forced to use cheaper and easier methods to get props and other things for each scene. This meant he used many locations which were untouched by the public and by the film crew. The locations had parts of rust on them and they have been weathered since the 1980’s when most of the locations were built. This gives it a more realistic feel and look.
At the start of the film, Shane Meadows used real clips of fight and other things that was going on in Britain in the 1980’s mainly by the skinhead culture. This gives the audience the right frame of mind, give them an example of what is issues were trying to be solved in that time period. This will appeal to the middle aged, working class target audience.
The camera shots used in the film are mainly handheld, this gives the film another sense of realism and refers to the clips shown at the start of the film. These camera shot used make the audience fell like they are in the film, this will add to the experience of the film and the reliving of their roots. The lighting is all natural light, this is a cheaper way of getting light added to the scene plus this also gives the film more realism.
As the budget played an important part of the making of the film, the actors were not recognized by the general public as they had not been involved with many mainstream films. This ads to the realism of the film.
This Is England had a very small, limited and low budget as it is run by an independent film company.
This Is England was based on the problems in England in the 1980’s. This film concentrates only on the skinhead culture, which created these issues and had a name for causing trouble. This means that this film was made for a specific target audience, mainly middle aged and working class British citizens. This audience could have been part of the skinhead culture in the 80’s, this film would appeal to them most because it will make them relive their experience of being part and involved in the skinhead culture.
This film was set Nottingham, this was just one of the places that was involved in a lot of the problems in Britain in the 1980’s. This gives it a sense of realism to towards the film.
As the film ‘This Is England’ has been assigned to a independent film company, the main aim of the film was to give an experience to the viewer which is realistic and believable to take them back and relive their roots of that period of time(80’s).
The ‘Mise En Scene’ of the film was determined by the budget, this was because the budget was so small. This meant Shane Meadows was forced to use cheaper and easier methods to get props and other things for each scene. This meant he used many locations which were untouched by the public and by the film crew. The locations had parts of rust on them and they have been weathered since the 1980’s when most of the locations were built. This gives it a more realistic feel and look.
At the start of the film, Shane Meadows used real clips of fight and other things that was going on in Britain in the 1980’s mainly by the skinhead culture. This gives the audience the right frame of mind, give them an example of what is issues were trying to be solved in that time period. This will appeal to the middle aged, working class target audience.
The camera shots used in the film are mainly handheld, this gives the film another sense of realism and refers to the clips shown at the start of the film. These camera shot used make the audience fell like they are in the film, this will add to the experience of the film and the reliving of their roots. The lighting is all natural light, this is a cheaper way of getting light added to the scene plus this also gives the film more realism.
As the budget played an important part of the making of the film, the actors were not recognized by the general public as they had not been involved with many mainstream films. This ads to the realism of the film.
Monday, 1 March 2010
The Soloist
The Soloist
Talented and troubled: the true story of the homeless classical musician who was given a second chance
When Steve Lopez, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, stumbled across a homeless man who claimed to have studied music at a New York conservatory he thought there might be a column in it. He did some research and, sure enough, Nathaniel Ayers had attended the Juilliard School. Lopez’s collection of columns about Ayers formed the basis of a book published last year that has now been adapted for the screen.
The Soloist arrives in British cinemas after a troubled history in America, where it was originally scheduled for release last November. Paramount Pictures, the studio with the US distribution rights, decided to put its end-of-year marketing muscle behind Revolutionary Road and Benjamin Button instead, clearly regarding them as more promising Oscar bait. The Soloist’s American release was pushed back to April of this year and it was pronounced dead on arrival at the box office, failing to hold its own against more commercial offerings.
This must have infuriated Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, who co-produced the film with DreamWorks, as well as Joe Wright, who was probably hoping for a Best Director nomination.
Wright’s ambition is on full display in The Soloist, at times threatening to upstage the performances of Robert Downey Jr as Lopez and Jamie Foxx as Ayers. There’s a cringeworthy sequence in which Wright attempts to convey just how noble and unbroken the homeless man’s spirit is by intercutting his violin playing with shots of pigeons flying over LA.
Wright’s self-advertising style is at odds with the downbeat message of the film, which urges us to show some humility in the face of intractable social problems such as homelessness. Lopez struggles to get Ayers back on his feet, finding him an apartment and landing him a gig at Disney Hall, the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
But Ayers is in two minds about whether he wants to be helped, not least because he’s schizophrenic. Lopez imagines that Ayers is just down on his luck and all he needs is a big break to achieve his dream. In fact, he has a history of mental illness and has already squandered several opportunities.
The Soloist was adapted for the cinema by Susannah Grant, who was Oscar- nominated for her screenplay of Erin Brockovitch, and she tries to make a virtue out of the story’s unconventional shape. “Life is more complicated than it appears to be in the movies,” she seems to be saying, and it’s difficult to escape the feeling that she and her collaborators regard themselves as superior to the purveyors of similar, more simple-minded fare, such as A Beautiful Mind. The problem is that audiences are so accustomed to a big emotional payoff at the end of stories such as this that the lack of one feels wrong, as though we’ve been cheated of our rightful reward after sitting through all the depressing stuff about homelessness and schizophrenia.
Ultimately, you don’t leave the cinema with a rueful but satisfying sense of just how disappointing life can be. You just feel disappointed.
To be fair to the makers of The Soloist, this is a true story and they evidently felt it would be improper to depart too far from the facts. Nevertheless, they have given themselves some creative latitude in their characterisation of Lopez, who is portrayed as a divorced dad, estranged from his only son. The strategy here is to try to give him the redemptive character arc that Ayers lacks, presenting him as being morally transformed by his relationship with the homeless man. But the film-makers lack the courage to see this through. By the end of the story Lopez doesn’t seem like a reformed character, more a do-gooder who recognises that there’s a limit to just how much good he can do.
Ultimately, the reason that The Soloist fails is because the writer and the director have been bamboozled by the seriousness of the subject matter. They don’t want to give the impression that homelessness can be wished away by the wave of a conductor’s baton and, consequently, they eschew all the usual Hollywood fairy dust. But you can’t expect audiences to endure all this grim social realism without tossing in a bit of magic at the end — not if you want your reach to extend beyond the arthouse. The Soloist reminded me of that old Woody Allen joke: Why are New Yorkers always so depressed? Because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.
http://www.boxxet.com/AFI/On:The_Soloist
http://mixxable.com/AFI/news:paramount-yanks-soloist-from-afi-fest-jamie-foxx-robert-downey-jr-film-pulled-after-release-date-changed/
http://mixxable.com/AFI/post:doubt-to-open-afi-fest-the-oscar-bait-shuffle-replacements/
http://mixxable.com/AFI/news:soloist-loses-l-a-premiere-slot/
Talented and troubled: the true story of the homeless classical musician who was given a second chance
When Steve Lopez, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times, stumbled across a homeless man who claimed to have studied music at a New York conservatory he thought there might be a column in it. He did some research and, sure enough, Nathaniel Ayers had attended the Juilliard School. Lopez’s collection of columns about Ayers formed the basis of a book published last year that has now been adapted for the screen.
The Soloist arrives in British cinemas after a troubled history in America, where it was originally scheduled for release last November. Paramount Pictures, the studio with the US distribution rights, decided to put its end-of-year marketing muscle behind Revolutionary Road and Benjamin Button instead, clearly regarding them as more promising Oscar bait. The Soloist’s American release was pushed back to April of this year and it was pronounced dead on arrival at the box office, failing to hold its own against more commercial offerings.
This must have infuriated Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, who co-produced the film with DreamWorks, as well as Joe Wright, who was probably hoping for a Best Director nomination.
Wright’s ambition is on full display in The Soloist, at times threatening to upstage the performances of Robert Downey Jr as Lopez and Jamie Foxx as Ayers. There’s a cringeworthy sequence in which Wright attempts to convey just how noble and unbroken the homeless man’s spirit is by intercutting his violin playing with shots of pigeons flying over LA.
Wright’s self-advertising style is at odds with the downbeat message of the film, which urges us to show some humility in the face of intractable social problems such as homelessness. Lopez struggles to get Ayers back on his feet, finding him an apartment and landing him a gig at Disney Hall, the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
But Ayers is in two minds about whether he wants to be helped, not least because he’s schizophrenic. Lopez imagines that Ayers is just down on his luck and all he needs is a big break to achieve his dream. In fact, he has a history of mental illness and has already squandered several opportunities.
The Soloist was adapted for the cinema by Susannah Grant, who was Oscar- nominated for her screenplay of Erin Brockovitch, and she tries to make a virtue out of the story’s unconventional shape. “Life is more complicated than it appears to be in the movies,” she seems to be saying, and it’s difficult to escape the feeling that she and her collaborators regard themselves as superior to the purveyors of similar, more simple-minded fare, such as A Beautiful Mind. The problem is that audiences are so accustomed to a big emotional payoff at the end of stories such as this that the lack of one feels wrong, as though we’ve been cheated of our rightful reward after sitting through all the depressing stuff about homelessness and schizophrenia.
Ultimately, you don’t leave the cinema with a rueful but satisfying sense of just how disappointing life can be. You just feel disappointed.
To be fair to the makers of The Soloist, this is a true story and they evidently felt it would be improper to depart too far from the facts. Nevertheless, they have given themselves some creative latitude in their characterisation of Lopez, who is portrayed as a divorced dad, estranged from his only son. The strategy here is to try to give him the redemptive character arc that Ayers lacks, presenting him as being morally transformed by his relationship with the homeless man. But the film-makers lack the courage to see this through. By the end of the story Lopez doesn’t seem like a reformed character, more a do-gooder who recognises that there’s a limit to just how much good he can do.
Ultimately, the reason that The Soloist fails is because the writer and the director have been bamboozled by the seriousness of the subject matter. They don’t want to give the impression that homelessness can be wished away by the wave of a conductor’s baton and, consequently, they eschew all the usual Hollywood fairy dust. But you can’t expect audiences to endure all this grim social realism without tossing in a bit of magic at the end — not if you want your reach to extend beyond the arthouse. The Soloist reminded me of that old Woody Allen joke: Why are New Yorkers always so depressed? Because the light at the end of the tunnel is New Jersey.
http://www.boxxet.com/AFI/On:The_Soloist
http://mixxable.com/AFI/news:paramount-yanks-soloist-from-afi-fest-jamie-foxx-robert-downey-jr-film-pulled-after-release-date-changed/
http://mixxable.com/AFI/post:doubt-to-open-afi-fest-the-oscar-bait-shuffle-replacements/
http://mixxable.com/AFI/news:soloist-loses-l-a-premiere-slot/
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Monday, 8 February 2010
Friday, 5 February 2010
Character Analysis/Suitability (Joe Matharu).
Joe Matharu would not be a good candidate because he does not suit the genre of the film. He is not the ideal person to act in our film, this is because of his height and his look.
Character Analysis/Suitability (Alec Machin)
Alec Machin, This would be a suitable hit man for our opening of our film, because he is athletic and muscular, these assets would make him look like a hit man which would make the film realistic.
Character Analysis/Suitability (Wesley Boucher).
Wesley Boucher. He would be a bad candidate because he does suit any roles in the opening of our film, because not only is he a member of our group, also he has a lack of muscle and he looks younger than he is.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Our Film: Actors
In our film, we have chosen to do a action/thriller opening scene. The advice we got from our class feedback was to, use adult actors as it would make the scene look more realistic and professional, but we may have to use our class mates which obviously the same age as us (16). This would decrease the amount realism that we could have in our film.
Films Opening
This opening is an action/thriller genre and is from the film triple x. It uses an interesting kind of music (rock/heavy metal) which is fast moving which matches the opening chase. The same as the Saw 3 opening it uses dark colour and is lighten by lamps etc only. I think Music And Scene are the most important thing to get right in a thriller. At the start of these openings there is usually a mystery.
Films Opening
This opening is from James Bond 'Casino Royale'. It uses sound to build up tension like all the thriller openings i've seen. It also uses an enigma code at the start when bond chases the enemy. The mystery of this is why bond is chasing this bad guy and what he wants with this guy. At the end of the opening we find out he wants the guys bag, and it actually finishs bond opening his bag, this is a great way to end an opening as it encourages an audience to watch on.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Film Locations
Lutterworth Film Locations
The image above is not a good location for a film because it is to narrow, and also it will be diffecult to film on because of the lack of space around the concrete.
The positives about this picture is that it has alot of space to film different angles to get the best possible results, also this alley way has motor access for the motorbike we are planning to use. One negative of this alley way is that it is near a lot of houses so we may get complaints about the noise we are making.
The possitives about this alley is that it has the urban touch that we are trying to achieve, it also has space to achieve good camera shots. One negative is that it may be hard to ride the motorbike down this alley.
This alley way has a lot of potential because it has an urban touch, also we could do a range of different shots because of this our end product will look better. A negative of this is that it is a popular walkway so it may be hard to keep continuity because we will have to keep pausing shots.
The image above is not a good location for a film because it is to narrow, and also it will be diffecult to film on because of the lack of space around the concrete.
The positives about this picture is that it has alot of space to film different angles to get the best possible results, also this alley way has motor access for the motorbike we are planning to use. One negative of this alley way is that it is near a lot of houses so we may get complaints about the noise we are making.
The possitives about this alley is that it has the urban touch that we are trying to achieve, it also has space to achieve good camera shots. One negative is that it may be hard to ride the motorbike down this alley.
This alley way has a lot of potential because it has an urban touch, also we could do a range of different shots because of this our end product will look better. A negative of this is that it is a popular walkway so it may be hard to keep continuity because we will have to keep pausing shots.
Class Feedback
Class Feedback
Class Feedback
Name of film ideas:
Interception, Chase, Long Run
Potental Problems:
fight scene could look tacky, May be to complicated, hard to achieve good affect, use of special affects could be a problem, hard to do quick editing, hard to make it realistic, find correct locations, mat be diffcuit to film and edit,
Positive Comments:
Mugging sounds interesting, sounds be a good intro if all goes well, cliff hanger, great idea, good pitch good idea, good ideas for story line, good idea different to other peoples good chance to get some good shots, well thought of plot, interesting story line.
Advice:
Get older actors, Don't show face of the mugger, keep affects simple, quick fast pace editing, no tacky affects, look at other texts, use affective face paced music chase, don't copy other films.
Class Feedback
Name of film ideas:
Interception, Chase, Long Run
Potental Problems:
fight scene could look tacky, May be to complicated, hard to achieve good affect, use of special affects could be a problem, hard to do quick editing, hard to make it realistic, find correct locations, mat be diffcuit to film and edit,
Positive Comments:
Mugging sounds interesting, sounds be a good intro if all goes well, cliff hanger, great idea, good pitch good idea, good ideas for story line, good idea different to other peoples good chance to get some good shots, well thought of plot, interesting story line.
Advice:
Get older actors, Don't show face of the mugger, keep affects simple, quick fast pace editing, no tacky affects, look at other texts, use affective face paced music chase, don't copy other films.
Audience Profiling
Audience Profiling
AGE: Age rating will be 15 for movie so 15+.
BACKGROUND: For males who like their action thrillers with an easily understandable story line weapons explosives and violence, chases, car chases.
OCCUPATION: Builder, Plumber, Police Man, Fireman, Bouncer, Teachers.
GENDER: Mainly males, Can appeal to all those action lovin’ females.
LIKES: Weapons, Action/Thriller movies, Xbox/PS3, Electronics (TV, Laptops, PC’s Sound Systems). Football/Rugby. Idolising Action/Thriller actors (e.g. Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarznegger, Sylvester Stallone).
DISLIKES: Barbie, Love/Romantic/Chick Flick films.
AMBITION: To Be Rich.
MUSICAL PREFERENCES: Rock/Classic Rock/Alternative/Punk.
IDOLIZES: Arnold Schwarzneigger, Nicholas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal.
MEDIA CONSUMER HABITS: 24, SG1, Prison Break
Genre’s : Action/Thriller
AGE: Age rating will be 15 for movie so 15+.
BACKGROUND: For males who like their action thrillers with an easily understandable story line weapons explosives and violence, chases, car chases.
OCCUPATION: Builder, Plumber, Police Man, Fireman, Bouncer, Teachers.
GENDER: Mainly males, Can appeal to all those action lovin’ females.
LIKES: Weapons, Action/Thriller movies, Xbox/PS3, Electronics (TV, Laptops, PC’s Sound Systems). Football/Rugby. Idolising Action/Thriller actors (e.g. Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarznegger, Sylvester Stallone).
DISLIKES: Barbie, Love/Romantic/Chick Flick films.
AMBITION: To Be Rich.
MUSICAL PREFERENCES: Rock/Classic Rock/Alternative/Punk.
IDOLIZES: Arnold Schwarzneigger, Nicholas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal.
MEDIA CONSUMER HABITS: 24, SG1, Prison Break
Genre’s : Action/Thriller
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