Nebraska draft 2

AS film Robyn Matthews First draft

Nebraska (2013) directed by Alexander Payne is a black and white comedic drama with themes of insanity, love, nurture, jealousy and greed. An old Married man, Woody Grant, played by Bruce Dern is indefatigable in seeking his million dollar reward from a unofficial Pamphlet. 

At the beginning of my chosen scene there is a mid-shot of Woody’s son looking up at him. This initially implies to the viewer that he is above Woody physically and metaphorically. This technique is significant in defying the hierarchy of the film as it highlights the directors emotions on how the characters see each other and how they want to be portrayed. The next shot is of Woody, evidently the son is looking down on him while he is in the hospital bed giving the opposite effect from the previous shot. As these shots are consecutive it creates a larger contrast and creates a more vivid interpretation from the directors mind set and how the characters insecurities and displayed.

In these few shots the camera is steady showing that it is on a tripod. The shots alter between a mid-shot of the son, a mid shot of Woody and an over the shoulder shot of the son displaying the back off Woody’s head and the hospital bed. This last shot gives a sense of involvement with in the conversation and gives the viewer a sense of engagement.

This scene is in black and white. It isn't so common that modern day films will use this type of cinematography as modern film has developed the stereotype that the best films are the ones with the most CGI and biggest explosives and colour. However, for the film Nebraska, I agree that the monochrome affect seconded the message presented in the narrative.

Here is a mid shot of Woody Grant. I feel this shot particularly is very well thought out as Woody's facial expressions and emotions are clearly presented as he is looking straight past the cameraman. You can see the frustration in his face presumably caused by the lingering thought of his unclaimed prize. Behind him you can see the train tracks and at first sight you would assume he was in some sort of danger. This was purposely done by the director as he wanted to display how Woody's health and endless determination is putting him at risk. Furthermore the image blurs the further it goes into the distance insinuating that there is no way Woody can return from the state he is in as his past is no longer intact. His mental state is so fix stated on the present the past is only a blur to him. In addition the sky appears quite bright making Woody appear darker; this is unusual as this suggests Woody is also in a dark place and the light, possibly heaven, is creeping top behind him and he is unaware of his situation because he never looks behind.

This scene particularly has a comedic essence about it. David is searching for Woody’s teeth that he claims top have lost at the railway track.

David: Here they are!

Oh, wait, these aren’t yours.

Just kidding, here.

Woody: These are not mine.

David: Of course, if they are.

Who’s who else will be?

See if they fit.

Woody: These are not my teeth.

I know my own teeth

Of course they are my teeth!

Do not be an idiot.

David performs a humorous joke in saying they aren’t his fathers teeth which is comedic itself as who would lose their teeth in this particular area. However Woody begins to agree with David’s point even after David admits he was joking around. When I watched this it made me feel that Woody truly was crazy as his performance was so believable caused by his determination to stay with his original idea. However, the audience are fooled when he turns around and states “Of coarse they are my teeth! Do not be an idiot.” This was surprising as from the previous scenes you are assuming Woody’s mental state is incompatible of having a joke so when he quotes this we are all fooled. This made us all feel belittled and nonsensical which then makes us emphasize for Woody as this is how he is constantly feeling due to nobody listening to him. I feel this particular part of the script was well planned. It gives a comedic value to the film, which lifts the vibe of the current situation, but also it gives you a more personal understanding fro Woody and why he is like this.

My second Proposal

Documentary about the personal life and experiences of my cat. My documentary is going to be about the attitudinal problems of my cat and how he is affected everyday about his habitat and surroundings and how dependant his life is on others around him. He will be followed over a series of days and this will give us an inside into what he gets up to.

I am going to film this at home and i will use a variety of shot sizes. The most common one that i will be using is the over the shoulder shot as this will give a perspective from his point of view and allow the viewer to emphasise his situation.

This is going to be a collection of various shots and sizes exploring his daily activities whether it's eating, sleep or lying around. I am going to add some audio into the background as an accompliment. I aim to find a piece of classical music on my laptop as I feel this will create a comedic value for the silent movie. Further more to add plot to my short film I intend to start with a shot of a dvd being posted through the letter box and then this will be played on my television. Essential you will be watching an inception of films.

I also plan to create a climax to my plot to give the film debth and substance. As this is a silent movie I am going to have to be very particular with my shots and where I order them to convey the situation. I plan to display Biscuits death at the end of the film and this will be caused by an obect falling onto him.

The Selfish Ginat Analysis

Robyn Matthews the Selfish Giant analysis The Selfish Giant (2013) directed by Clio Barnard, written by Clio Barnard and Oscar Wilde. From the opening scenes I established that the narrative of this film is about two working class thirteen year old friends currently living with crime. In the opening scene the mis en scene is clearly thought out. The lighting is dimly lit to represent the emotions portrayed in the scene: anger and frustration. Furthermore this signifies that Conner Chapman, Arbor, is currently in a dark place justified by his aggressive actions as he bangs on the runs of the bed. His friend Swifty, played by Shaun Thomas, forcefully tries to calm Arbor down and contain his violent outburst. This appeared hard to do which shows that Arbor has a determined personality as he will not give up, however eventually Swifty tightly holds his hand and the director purposefully got a close up of this particular shot. This shot is very significant as we are alerted of the love and unity between the two boys and the power a simple hold of the hand has over some beings. This is a display of comfort as universally holding hands in a symbol of you not being alone…you are safe. The next scene is the two young boy riding on a hoarse by the train tracks over a bridge. Immediately this gives us some back ground information on where they come from and how they are brought up. The fact they are on top of this horse shows where their mindset is and perhaps they are a bit ahead of their time. In the past horses were ridden by nights defending the castle so suggestively they feel a need to present their authority. I have come to the conclusion that this is because they are in a dangerous place as not many 13 year old boys will be allowed out in the dead of night by themselves, so to accumulate a protective illusion they have sat on this hoarse to reassure themselves that this is an okay thing to do. The light is dimly lit in the scene also showing that the danger is not over. We have a clear view of two working middle aged men cutting a large piece of cable. The lighting tells us a lot about the danger. As it is dark we don’t have a clear view on the cast, therefore, their safety is blurred and what happens next cannot be foreshadowed. Arbor is then edged by Swifty to check out what is happening as this abnormal occurrence intrigued the boys. This resulted in Arbor stealing the cable and riding away with Swifty to his aid. This scene is very significant as we are exposed to what the boys feel is acceptable to do. The theme living with crime is clearly demonstrated to the audience. Next the boys bring the cables to a scrap yard where we discover they got the hoarse from. Immediately they are approached by a man with an axe and threatened but they barter with him showing the cables and later receive money for the merchandise. Here we see that people priorities money over safety and people are willing to risk their lives for a little bit of cash. In the next scene the boys return to Arbors home where we understand his living situation deeper. We see a basic kitchen which alerts us that this family is not very wealthy. The reduced in price cereal boxes and lack of equipment on the counter tell us this. We are made aware that Arbors mum is single and his brother and he are quite clearly the male dominants in the family. Their mother feels its acceptable to be spoken down to by her son as she is incapable of controlling him this may be because she hasn’t sorted her own life out. We are then made aware that Arbors anger issues are clearly because of a mental disorder called ADHD. This is made clear by the reference to his pills which justifies this assumption. We then as viewers, feel quite sympathetic for |Arbor and our once outraged emotions caused by his actions are softened as there is a logical reason to why this young man is so angry and disrespectful towards his family.

Robyn Matthews AS Film Barrington My Brother The Devil Review 11/26/2014

My Brother the Devil(2012) is directed and written by  Sally El Hosaini. This is a drama that explores the social realism of drug dealing and crime in Hackney, London. The themes expressed throughout the film are family, unity. Friendship, betrayal,  greed, love and sexuality. There is a great cast, not a single complaint about it. The young actors are convincing through expressing their emotions and reactions to the effects of gangland. What the producer wanted to show is the under layer of society where kidsa as young as 16 feel they are ahead of their time and maturity levels has excelled; so they  get involved in the lowest of the hierarchy of drug dealers and their rivalry in an effort to make it big or make it out.

In the beginning of the film, (Mo) Fady Elsayed, is mugged of his brother Rashid’s (James Floyd) large amount of weed and his own trainers, Right from the beginning you are made aware of the violence and risks when involved in these types of movements and already in the first few minuits the danger the characters involved are made clear.

Mo clearly is influenced by Rashid’s movements, as he sees him as a role model… given that it is his older brother. You also see in the first scenes of thew film Rashid placing ten pounds into his mother’s purse. This changes our perspective on Rashid instantly as you see he only had his families wellbeing at heart. This scene is mimicked in the latter half of the film when Mo copies his brother’s previous actions and places an excessive amount also into his mother’s purse. The repetition of this scene highlights the motif behind the film and that the acts these brothers have become involved with are only to move forward in life and protect the ones they love.

The mis en scene of the film is fantastic. For example the costumes make the film believe able the dealers all have their expensive trainers which is a direct effect of the money they are earning. This makes the viewer believe that they are wealthy people and justifies why they enter the trade. Furthermore it is clear that Rashid and Mo are originally from Egypt as Rashid often wears a tartan scarf which are commonly used in that country. This provides the view with an additional background story and allows them to interpret some of their life before the film.

In todorov’s theory he believe that all films begin with an equilibrium, in this case, Mo finishing school and receiving a television from his older brother, Rashid. This was then disrupted by Rashid allowing Mo to pick up some drugs for himself, when this happened and the incident happened where Mo was mugged the equilibrium was disrupted. After this Mo got involved in dealing and it was noticed by the girl who had just moved in she stated “I don’t like it when you hang around with them”. This made us aware of the dangers involved with this business. The equilibrium was then finally restored when Rashid demanded Mo was not involved.

There was another equilibrium also happening throughout the film It started with Rash loving his girlfriend. The equilibrium was later disrupted when he got a job in photography and he couldn’t see her as much. This was noticed when Sayyid (Saïd Taghmaoui) the friend whom he was hired by kissed him one day at work. Rashid tried to restore the equilibrium by having sexual intercourse with his girlfriend however this did not restore the equilibrium. The thing that did restore it was Rashid realising that he perhaps was gay and it was finally restored when Rashid accepted his sexuality and removed himself from all the drugs and crime.

AS film Robyn Matthews First draft

Nebraska (2013) directed by Alexander Payne is a black and white comedic drama with themes of insanity, love, nurture, jealousy and greed. An old Married man, Woody Grant, played by Bruce Dern is indefatigable in seeking his million dollar reward from a unofficial Pamphlet. 

At the beginning of my chosen scene there is a mid-shot of Woody’s son looking up at him. This initially implies to the viewer that he is above Woody physically and metaphorically. This technique is significant in defying the hierarchy of the film as it highlights the directors emotions on how the characters see each other and how they want to be portrayed. The next shot is of Woody, evidently the son is looking down on him while he is in the hospital bed giving the opposite effect from the previous shot. As these shots are consecutive it creates a larger contrast and creates a more vivid interpretation from the directors mind set and how the characters insecurities and displayed.

In these few shots the camera is steady showing that it is on a tripod. The shots alter between a mid-shot of the son, a mid shot of Woody and an over the shoulder shot of the son displaying the back off Woody’s head and the hospital bed. This last shot gives a sense of involvement with in the conversation and gives the viewer a sense of engagement.

This scene is in black and white. It isn't so common that modern day films will use this type of cinematography as modern film has developed the stereotype that the best films are the ones with the most CGI and biggest explosives and colour. However, for the film Nebraska, I agree that the monochrome affect seconded the message presented in the narrative.

Here is a mid shot of Woody Grant. I feel this shot imparticularly is very well thought out as Woody's facial expressions and emotions are clearly presented as he is looking straight past the camera man. You can see the frustration in his face assumably caused by the lingering thought of his unclaimed prize. Behind him you can see the train tracks and at first sight you would assume he was in some sort of danger. This was purposely done by the director as he wanted to display how Woody's health and endless determination is putting him at risk. Furthermore the image blurs the further it goes into the distance insinuating that there is no way Woody can return from the state he is in as his past is no longer intact. His mental state is so fix stated on the present the past is only a blur to him. In addition the sky appears quite bright making Woody appear darker; this is unusual as this suggests Woody is also in a dark place and the light, possibly heaven, is creeping top behind him and he is unaware of his situation because he never looks behind.

My own Rom Com proposal

Robyn Matthews A-level film
My proposal

The idea I have for my film is a romantic comedy with a touch of social realism and drama. The main character will be a "19" year old girl who wants to explore life to its fully capacity even though she's not ready to see these parts of life just yet. She finds the only work that will take her and runs away from her foster parents to live on her own in big New York.

My film will have themes of violence, promiscuous nature, love, maturity and pyscological disorders. All seems standard in this film until you reach the end and a significant fact changes the lives of this 19 year old girl and her new boyfriend whom is also nineteen.

Film Studies Robyn Matthews 11/11/2014

My Proposal

The film I have chosen to do my essay on and analyse is Nebraska directed(2013) by Alexander Payne. I feel this is a good film as it involves a lot of context and is relevant to many real life synarios. It explores the affects of mental illness on an elderly man and how this psychological problem is his way of showing his fear of death.

The particular scene I had chosen is quite comedic. It is where they are at a railway tracks looking for the old man's teeth with his son. They both participate in a jokingly feud involving a lot of dark humour. I feel this scene is significant as it shows how these common illnesses can easily be jokes about by their hosts as they have learnt to live with them; I also feel this scene is perfect for my analysis as it is easy to recreate. This is because there isn't any CGI used or special affects that will be hard to recreate with the facilities given. The black and white film used will also give me a lot of substance to discuss and talk about in my analysis. Alexander Payne is also a popular director and allows me to have a variety of film to compare Nebraska to.

Nebraska film review

Robyn Matthews Film studies review 11/06/2014

Nebraska

Nebraska is a black and white directed by Alexander Payne, circling an old family man (Woody) and his obsession with winning the lottery after he receives a phoney “winning ticket”. His concerned son agrees to take him to Nebraska from Montana to prevent this obsession spiralling out of control and ending tragically. This is a social realism drama with comedic assets embedded in the script it explores themes of love, hate, jealousy, forgiveness and insanity.

The shooting of this film was done with digital cameras and anamorphic lenses to create the black and white affect. Personally I despise black and white films as they don’t create a vivid image in my head of the characters and setting, however, after dreading the beginning when I had noticed this, it became clear to me that this affect emphasised the man’s condition as he couldn’t see the full picture and other people’s opinions. It created a pleasant use of the imagination and allowed the viewer to fill in the missing details such as, what they were wearing, how rich they would determine by the amount of golden accessories and minor details such as them.

June Squibb the wife of Woody, Kate Grant was one of the key characters in the film for me personally. Her dark humour and cruelty towards woody lightened the mood and reassured the viewer that this was a down to earth, relatable film which expressed common problems many older people go through.

David Grant: How did she die?

Kate Grant: Saw herself in the mirror one day.

This is a key example of June’s characters witty humour as she is always expressing herself openly and cracking jokes to lighten the mood.

I deeply enjoyed this film and would definitely recommend it to people who have an open mind to feel good movies that explore common issue in families throughout the world. However I do feel that this is not every body’s cup of tea and those who don’t pay attention to the minor details directors and writer put into their movies would not enjoy this as they wouldn’t fully understand the deeper meaning.

Amelie film review

Robyn Matthews Film Studies review

Amelie

Amelie is a French film in complete subtitles. It was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet in 2001 starring Audrey Tautou as Amelie. This is a romantic comedy that explores themes of love, dark humour, mystery and suspense. Amelie is a young frail girl who’s lack of contact with other people has forced her to devote her life to helping others while she dreams in her perfect world.

The most successful part of the movie I feel myself, is the first act: Amelie's childhood. This is when all the fantasy and naivety work best. There is a voiceover which introduces us to Amelie's parents and gives us a humorous update of their likes and dislikes. By doing this Jean-Pierre is able to show the viewer how Amelie feels about her parents in a condescending irrational way, however, it gives us the hallucination  that we grew up as a member of the family as we know all the random details only a close family member would recognise.

The soundtrack to Amélie was composed by Yann Tiersen. He remained relatively unknown outside France until the release of Amélie in 2001. French film director Jean-Pierre Jeunet had something else in mind for the film score, but one day one of his production assistants put on one of Tiersen CD’s and the director loved it he felt it did justice for the film and envisioned the certain image in his head that he had wanted to be projected into the movie. Jeunet bought all of Tiersen's albums, and then contacted him to see if the Breton composer was interested in writing the film score for Amélie

The budget for this this film was a small $10 million and it took a massive $173,921,95 at box office. This was one of the most famous films in France during this time and it was only released in France, Australia, Britain and America in cinemas, however copies of the film were very popular world wide. This was a huge success for the French film industry as they got their foot in the door and was noticed by America… where all the large Hollywood films are produced.

There is a particular scene in this film that spikes my interest. The shots the director uses make it interesting and the narrative drags the attention of the audience. “Amelie had a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It’s a perfect moment soft light…a scent in the air a quiet murmur of the city. She breaths deeply life is simple and clear. A surge of love and an urge to help mankind come over her” This is the narration that is subtitles below a mid shot of Amelie walking. We have a clear vision of the expression on her face which reinforces the subtitles and alerts us of her peace at this current moment. We follow her walking however we cannot see infront of her only behind; this suggest that she is intent on moving forward as she does not once hesitate to look behind her. A close up of a blind man is made clear as we can see the back of his head and a busy road infront of him. The camera shot then zooms into a close up if Amelies face, next an over the shoulder shot is used to show us walking behind as she approaches the disables man. She alerts him that she is going to help him cross the road and not only does she do that but she describes every little detail most people wouldn’t see as she esorts him such as the “that florists laughing he has crinkly eyes”.

This scene is beautiful to me as we can see the innocence in Amelies description she goes out of her way to make some ones day better and help them on their way. The shots are perfectly times as we are shown life how she would see. We have a close up of the blind man to grab our attention as it did to herself. Many people would look past but Jean-Pierre felt it was necessary to highlight how little gestures make peoples days better and this magnified Amelies kind heart and passion for helping others.

I loved this film. The subtitles I feel made It better as myself, as a viewer, had to think extra hard on the plot and sometimes missed key scenes as I was still reading. I feel though that this was purposely done as I would have overlooked the details Amelie saw. This film was really heart warming and the subtle dark humour made it entertaining to watch. I would definitely recommend this film to others.

Dirty Pretty Things review

Robyn Matthews Film studies

Dirty Pretty Things film review.

             This is a Stephen Frears production produced in 2002. Entwined in this film are the genre of social realism, drama and thriller, furthermore, embedded in this film are the themes of suspense, jealousy, love, violence, torture, escape, deception, survival and  determination. This film displays the affects immigration has on certain individuals, Okwe (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Senay Gelik (Audrey Tautou) are the focus point of the film as the directors focus was to help the viewer understand and emphasise their situation. I feel the narrative of this film is very powerful as it had the capability to change my viewpoint on immigration.

              The mis en scene of the Okwes character was used to create a red-eyed, lazy  character, because he works double shifts. He also is a doctor that had qualified over in Jamaica. The movie doesn't elaborate on the troubles that have sent him so far from home; all we really know is that he has left a wife and a daughter behind, and part of his pain comes from pining for them.

I feel the target audience for this film is teenagers/ young adults, I feel this because this film needs your full concentration and a lot of dedication to each and every scene from beginning to the end and younger children may become distracted and miss a few scenes and then lose he whole story line of the plot. I feel that teenagers will be interested in Dirty Pretty Things as immigration is a headline that is constantly bombarded in the news and young children of today are constantly made aware of.

There is a scene in the film, discovering the heart, that particularly grabs my interest Owke enters the hotel room after being noted that there is a problem with the room there is a mid-shot of the bed which is messy which signifies that the room had been occupied recently, Okwe then alerted by the noise of overflowing water makes his way to the bathroom, there is a close up of an overflowing toilet which clearly displays the problem. The viewer at this point is unaware of the cause of the blocking but in unalarmed as this is a common problem that is easily caused and easily fixed. Older viewers whom have houses to themselves are sympathetic to Okwe after then seeing a close up of his face and noticing his expression of aggravation and frustration. He then uses tongs to try and remove the blockage, however, it is clear that there is not a usual blockage as the water begins to turn red as it had been diluted by blood from the cause of the blockage. The camera then shows a shot from inside the toilet looking up at Okwe. Confusion. Confusion is the main expression on Okwe’s face… what is in this toilet? He uses a plastic bag to enter his hand into the toilet and retrieve the blockage manually. As he then pulls out a “fully functioning human heart” tense music composed of violins start to play. This incorporation of music adds dramatic suspense and portrays Okwe’s thoughts through orchestra. The subject of the scene suddenly changes as the music stops and the door slams…someone’s entered the room.

I enjoyed this film a lot, I feel the plot was original as I had never seen a film of this dramatic intake before and the suspense created through music was a nice technique as all the best films in my opinion have the influence of music to add tension and suspence, for example Jaws and Psyco (Steven Steilburg and Michael Curtiz). The crudeness of the sexual exchange for work and the ghastly extents to receiving a passport made it a top quality film that had many unexpected events that kept changing. I love how the morale of the film was continually the same as Okwe and Senay’s main goal was always to escape Britain. It was made clear from the beginning that Senay wanted to travel to New York, which many people believed to be the land of freedom in these times and the government is run differently and the common law is everybody makes their own living for themselves. However, we are unaware of Okwe’s path and where he wishes to go until the latter half of the film where it is revealed that he has a daughter in Nigeria which he is evidently trying to reunite with.

FISH TANK REVIEW

Robyn Matthews Film studies Review

Fish Tank 

The film Fish Tank was created in 2009, directed by; Andrea Arnold. This was a BBC Film in collaboration with the UK film council. The genre of this film is a Drama/social realism and the themes explored throughout this film are innocence, love, lust, jealousy, revenge. This film is centered around Mia, a 15 year old girl whom lives with her mother on an estate in Essex. When the film starts we immediately judge Mia’s character by the way she talks to her friends over the phone, we can also interpret  that she is quite immature and blind sighted as she doesn't possible know when to stop this opening scene is crucial in relation to the rest of the events throughout the duration of the film and plays a huge contribution to the role of for showing up coming events based on how Mia approaches one of her assumed closest friends.

The acting within the film i thought was at a high standard. The actors made the characters situations believable and realistic is made the viewer able to experience empathy for Mia even though she is portrayed as being a rebellious teenager. It was clearly displayed to the audience that Mia was the main protagonist, however, I feel Connor played by Michael Fassbender was another protagonist as without his presence in the film there wouldn't be a plot, his fatherly role serve as a huge milestone in the progression of Mia's character.

A variety of camera angles were used this catch the viewers attention as the subject of the shot was constantly changing. The mis en scene of the film was a huge contribution to the overall  image of the film. The Essex based scene was shot in Barking London so the crew and cast did a convincing job to create the Essex like atmosphere.

Music features prominently in the film, particularly connected with Mia's dancing. The song she uses at her audition is California dreaming. Dancing is commonly used as movement therapy which suggests Mia has experienced deep psycological issue that are taunting her and she feels this  is the best way to express her self. 

At the opening scene of the film we are shown objects presumably from Mia's childhood such as photographs and souvenirs, the director may have done this to present Mia's emotions on her place in life right this Minuit. It's not clear to us until after we have seen these that Mia is infact a young 15 year old.  Therefore we are given the message that she feels in herself that she is a lot more mature than she is seen to be, as older people often have childhood memories around their room to remind themselves of their youth.

The film constantly referenced the

I feel this film was called Fishtank to present Mia's restriction in society and how Mia had boundaries given by her mother and the government; being forced to go to school. This didn't allow her to have the freedom she felt she deserved which persuaded her to rebel against the high authorities. However, at the end of the film we see a balloon reaching higher into the sky this represents Mia's first taste of freedom as balloons, once let go ( as her mum did), have the ability to go wherever they take themselves. 

TIM BUK TU REVIEW

Robyn Film studies review

Tim Buk Tu

The director of this film is Adberrahmane Sissake; it is a drama exploring the lives and experiences of Islamic rebels. The themes within this film are revenge, religion, romance and a hit of love expressed by Kidana (Imbrahim Ahemed) for his daughter, Toya played by Layla Mohammed. Tim Buk Tu allows us to gradually build an understanding and appreciation of the situation and story. As its characters are exposed and the scenarios coalesce that we get a deeper understanding of the events we are seeing, the viewer sees how society differed from that in first world countries. I feel Adberrahmane created this film to give the reader an insight to the control the government had and the restriction of people’s freedom. The uses of repition highlighted the ‘no music’ policy to the audience and how we, the viewer take for granted these unseen luxuries.

        

Overall I feel the film portrayed a vivid image of how these people were treated and controlled in society. I also feel the acting was very convincing as the characterization as at an exceptionally high standard. However I do feel that the way in which different scenes were collaged together sometimes confused the viewer as the weren’t quite sure why certain scenes intervened with each other as some seemed irrelevant to me.

         Sound played a major part in the making of this film such as in the first scene when the as a id shot of a gazelle running and you could here constant harsh bullet juxtaposing against its delicate nature. This foreshadowed that the men in the van chasing the gazelle were in the latter half of the film going to scare innocent people and use their guns as a shield to hide behind. Furthermore hen the were chasing the gazelle they were shouting not to shoot at it and kill it completely this also shows how they don’t like to be in the wrong and find alternative ways to torture the people of the town without disrespecting god, as religion is a major theme within this film.

        

Expanding on the previous point it is made apparent that religion is very important to the Islamic rebel’s as in one scene they enter a place of worship with their shoes and weapons which is seen shun upon in the eyes of god. An old man praying peacefully says to the gentleman that they are praying and should leave and the gunmen peacefully back down. By doing this it is clear to the reader that all these rules being created are in respect of god and they truly believe that it is the right thing to do.

Sofiane El Fani, who really understood the power of the human face, shot Tim Buk Tu and when to simply just frame it on screen, as you will also see from her work on Blue is the Warmest Colour. By reducing the amount of special affects it really grabs the readers attention for the right reasons. Instead of being drawn to the explosives are superpowers they are purely attracted to the actor’s emotions and emphasize with their situations.

         This film won two awards in the Cannes film festival, François Chalais Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Also at the Jerusalim film festival it won the “In spirit for freedom” award. Overall I think this film depicted a new take on life outside of the UK and in second world countries imparticular and is a real heart frob to the audience who now see how much they have in comparison to people whom have so little. I would recommend this film to those who wish to have a different outlook on the way we see our lives and objects and how much we have in comparison to the people who live on purely the comfort of music.

Elf

Prezi shots and sequences

http://prezi.com/lgjdjqkb_ea_/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Wasp and Soft comparison

Soft is a short film by Simon Ellis(2006). The genre of this short film is drama/social realism; this is displayed by the themes of suspense and jealousy. This film is set at the present time of when it was filmed and I feel the director wanted to present the emotions conceived in suburb neighborhoods through the insight into a fathers life and that of the neighborhood loud mouths.

At the beginning of the film the emphasis put on the sons cricket kit is clearly displayed by the father tripping over it, this foreshadows it being used for pain as the dad clearly shows his frustration towards it being in the way of his path.

Wasp is a short film by Andrea Arnold(2003). This likewise to Soft is a drama/social realism latticed film this is created by the themes of suspense, greed, poverty and betrayal. I feel the director wanted to present the struggles of single mums in modern society and how the benefit system isn't sufficient enough to support a family this is displayed by the kids repetitive scavenging for food and how they're willing to est the leftover of someone else that had just been dropped on the floor.

Furthermore throughout the duration of the film a close up shots of a single wasps are incorporated into the films, this was done to foreshadow how wasps create danger for the youngest baby. Wasp are feared in modern society and to other prey; their yellow and black stripes are there to warn of predators of their alkaline sting which causes a burning pain for s short period of time, this itself foreshadows that a dangerous occurrence will happen to the baby, i interpreted this as the baby often gazed at the wasp in amazement as his pre-maturity shows his incompetence to differentiate danger from safety.

I disliked the ending to both Soft and Wasp as what happens after the dramatic events in the last seconds is not unraveled this leaves me wondering on how the families are not, did she get the boy? Did he die? Did he get arrested? I have so many questions unanswered! However the suspense did keep me interested in the film as my attention was focused on the screen from start to finish which is a sign of  a good short film.

-By Robyn Matthews

My 60 second about me video

About me 60 second video review

I feel my 60 second video was a decent first attempt to film making. However, there are several things i could do to improve and develop my skills as a director and actress. First of all I need to develop editing skills that allow me to piece different clips together so i am not forced to do a continuous take. On the other hand this is down to the device I was using (Iphone 4s) and the video option doesn't allow you to make pauses.

The discussion through out my video was about my pets which i feel demonstrate my personality clearly however, more vocal could have been used with information as the purpose of the video was to inform my class mates of my life and background. The lighting in my video also was not a very good quality so my choice of video location in future will be changed based on the results from this first attempt.

At Worlds End film review

The film ‘The Worlds End’ is directed by Edgar Wright; it was also starred Simon Pegg as the main character, In addition Simon was co-writer of the film. A quick synopsis of the film is summarised by saying that five childhood friends reunite when their day life is stopped to relive the biggest bar crawl they ever endured together… and didn’t quite finish. However it becomes apparent that their childhood home of Newhaven isn’t quite the same and the 5 men become intwined with surviving and saving the world. The worlds end portays the themes of envy, regret, friendship,greed and jealousy. 

                One of the major themes of this film is: trauma, displayed by main character Gary (Simon Pegg). In the latter half of the film it becomes apparent that Gary is obsessed with finishing the crawl even if he dies trying. He expressed this night 20 years ago as the best night of his life and since he had finished school feels his life has gone nowhere. Gary had associated this night with his happiness and well being, therefore, is adamant on succeeding in his fight for a better life. I feel this film is insightful into the mind of persons who suffer mental disorders as it shows the capabilities of a persons will power. This film also demonstrates the difference between reality and a persons utopia built on distorted memories of the past.

                I feel ‘The Worlds End’ is very similar to the film ‘Sean of the Dead’ which was also directed by Edgar wright and features Simon Pegg. I have come to this conclusion as ‘Sean of the Dead’ as shows signs of Shaun(Simon Pegg) trying to relive his past with his ex partner, Liz. He feels she was the answer to all his problems and is the only one who can restor his happiness like the pub crawl for Gary. Furthermore both films feature the attack of zombies this creates a thrilling aspect to the films and creates suspense and tension. Both films are categories under comedy/horror’s which also creates similarities.

                In conclusion I feel ‘The Worlds End’ is a brilliant film that entertains me, however, I feel more conflict could have occurred between the group of friends to elongate the film and create additional drama and tension.