Digital Storyboard Timeframe

1. by now rough sketches with instructions e.g amera, sound, edit etc. should be completed
2. by the end of next week 21st of december, half of the photos match the sketches, must be taken and checked
3. by the 8th of january, all photos to be presented in class to gleghorn
4. by the 15th of january, photos to be acompanied with director instrutions.
5. presentation format: storyboard photographs with directorial instructions are on blog by 20th of january
6. micro analysis of own storyoard is to be copleted by february the 12th.

Iphone Zombie Case Study

iPhone Film-making: Zombie Case Study

IPhone Film-making: Zombie Case Study:

Our friend Sam O'Sullivan drew our attention to his new short film, Zombie Case Study, shot entirely on an iPhone.

The source of this text is from the website “fruitless pursuit”. It is a website where case studies of new films can be found. The key points of this text is that the film is shot entirely on an iPhone, also, that the film expresses the ways that you can explore the object of film making from the simplest of things. I think that the one quote that stands out to me is “Sam’s film illustrates really innovative ways of working with the phones advantages and exploiting its limits”. My opinion of this is that I was very surprised and impressed that the whole film was shot on an iPhone. I think that it really shows what can be done on something so simple. 

Plus Sam's film has crowd pleasing/consuming zombies, so if you want to see two young Australian men dealing with a zombie situation in a way that only young Australian men can then check this out:

The New App For The Hobbit

Riddles In The Dark

This recently launched app let’s you try your hand at the infamous riddle challenge between Bilbo and Gollum. Head here…

The Hobbit Game Release Date

Guardians of Middle Earth release dates

Release dates for the upcoming video game Guardians of Middle-earth (@GuardiansMe on Twitter) have been announced, and the box art has been revealed.  The game will be available December 4, 2012 on PlayStation Network and later this fall on Xbox LIVE Arcade. It will also be available for purchase at select retailers beginning in early December.
In Guardians of Middle-earth, gamers team up as the most powerful heroes from the greatest fantasy epic of all time, bringing up to 10 players together in a competitive multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game.  Featuring tie-ins to the upcoming film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the game allows players to develop and master more than 20 iconic characters. Play as Gandalf, Gollum, Legolas, Sauron and more, forming memorable and unlikely alliances with and against friends. Gamers will have the ability to connect with other players via an in-game voice communication system, as well as access to a comprehensive online stat and leader board system where they can track friends’ victories and defeats, and more.
For more information on pricing and downloadable content, check out the game website news here.



Read More

The Hobbit, Gollum in the airport

Gollum Dives Into Wellington Airport

A 13 metre long Gollum dove into Wellington Airport on Thursday night to catch fish swimming in the main terminal building.
The Gollum creation was designed and facilitated by Richard Taylor and Weta’s workshop supervisor Rob Gillies to create an unforgettable entry into the airport, the gateway of the Wellington region. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/WetaWorkshop

The Hobbit, on a plane?

An Unexpected Briefing

 http://youtu.be/cBlRbrB_Gnc

This link is a short airline video that has been created by peter jackson to encourage what people are calling The Hype of The Hobbit

THE HOBBIT LATEST NEWS

Tickets for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey now on sale

Tickets go on sale soon in canada and the U.S!!!

The Matrix The Micro Analysis Of The Pill Scene

How does Mise-en-scene and cinematography construct meaning and provoke reason in a sequence from the matrix? (The Wachowski Brothers 1999)

I have decided to focus on the particular analysis of Mise-en-scene, cinematography and performance within the film “the Matrix”.  In this scene, Morpheus offers Neo the chance to see what he calls “the real world”. Morpheus indicates that the world as Neo knows it is a lie and he should know the truth, in which he offers Neo one of two pills, this, in the audience’s eyes will let Neo see what Morpheus is talking about the matrix. The matrix is a science fiction, action film, written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, which has many references, particularly in this scene to Alice in wonderland. The film depicts a future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality or cyberspace created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Upon learning this, computer programmer "Neo" is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, involving other people who have been freed from the "dream world" and into reality.

The surface elements at the very start of the scene immediately identify to us that the audience does not know who Morpheus is because he has his back to us. Furthermore the audience do not understand why he has been waiting a long time to meet Neo, which is shown by the mannerisms of the way he is greeted, and the performance and facial expression shown by the actor Lawrence Fishburn. At this point we can also see that Morpheus holds himself upright, he doesn’t slouch at all, which gives the idea that he might be some kind of soldier, or at least a figure of command. The audience realise that Neo is out of his place, as he is wearing everyday clothes, but Morpheus and Trinity are wearing long black coats. Even though this may look strange at a first glance, these clothes are essential, and one of the key signifiers in the matrix. The audience are being revealed essential information on the characterisation and how they slot into the narrative. We then see that Morpheus is wearing extraordinary glasses, they appear to be mirrored, which depicts the idea of mystery within the film and also begs the question of who is this person and what are they thinking, as in what’s behind those glasses? They also represent a state of the future, maybe the post-modern world where we are dressed with significant meaning and overlook the deeper sense of place. They are also circular, a common connotation towards wisdom, which helps us to get to know the character of Morpheus more, as he is shown to us as a wise, high status, superior being within the scene. This superiority is defined through the performance of Fishburn, the pace in which he speaks and the range of vocabulary he uses as well as the sophisticated content, also it gives a rise to the idea that he is intellectual or academic with wisdom needed to enrich the narrative. Morpheus then offers Neo the chair behind him, as Neo sits we see a glass of water on a small side table in the middle of the two chairs. This is a significant prop as it points towards purity and cleansing, which is what Morpheus is trying to do to Neo, as he clearly states later in the narrative that he wants to “free his mind”.

There is then a low angle shot of Morpheus as he closes the door, the shot is low but Morpheus stands tall, this helps the viewer understand that he is superior and a higher being. Morpheus then asks Neo if he feels a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole, this to the audience is clearly an intertexual reference of the classic story, Alice in wonderland, this reference raises numerous pictures in the viewer’s mind if they are familiar with Alice in wonderland, such as magic, a distorted world in which anything can happen. We then see, as he walks around the room, that the place has a green aura about it. This is significant as the colour green is an essential reference point of the film, as it links to computer binary code which is used commonly throughout the film to decode the matrix, in addition it contextualises where the audience are at in time that is a technological future. The lighting in the room is dim, which has been enhanced by the green aura to add drama to the scene and also to help indicate that the real world is a very dark and dingy place once you have been as Morpheus puts it “freed”. At this point Lawrence Fishburn’s performance is seen as beguiling yet calm, but also tense, when he mentions the matrix, this is to portray the complexity of the matrix but also to convince Neo that he is as Morpheus puts it “a slave”. Whilst Keanu Reeves’ portrayal of Neo’s speech is quiet and nervous, and he only seems to speak when he deems it necessary, this shows us that he is intrigued in what Morpheus is telling him but also is a bit worried in what it can lead to. We also see, as Morpheus walks towards the chair, that the walls are dirty and cracked, with shabby wallpaper and moth-eaten curtains. This signifies to us that these are not the nicest of people, as it looks like, from the audiences point of view that they have broken into this building because of the state of the room; it looks like the building has been abandoned for a long time and the characters are some kind of techno-squatters.

As Morpheus sits down we suddenly are aware of Morpheus’ decrease in superiority as he comes down to Neo’s level, they now share the same status. In addition to this we are then given the repeated cross cutting shot, which creates a path for dialogue, but also depicts what is being said, and is used in this case for the audience to see Neo’s reactions to Morpheus’ speech. We are then given a close up shot of Morpheus leaning in closer, which shows us that what Morpheus is about to say will change Neo’s perception on real life for ever and therefore creates the beginning of tension in the scene, building drama which audiences need to enhance their engagement with the movie.  Neo’s blank expression then shows us that he can’t believe what he is hearing but also wants to hear more. Our eyes, as the audience, have also noticed a small box that Morpheus appears to be turning in his hand, as if Neo must earn what is inside it before he is given it. This is a common example of a teacher and a student, a situation which is globally recognised. Morpheus then tells Neo what the matrix is, he indicates that it is everywhere, all around us, even there in the room with them, this is significant as it portrays the vision of god; all knowing, superior. The audience need this clarification of role for the narrative to work; they need to feel that Neo is the underdog in this ‘new world’ in order for the narrative to progress, in order for us to keep on viewing with trepidation.

 After Morpheus says that the matrix is “In this very room”, we are given a wide shot of Morpheus on one side of the screen, relaxed, and superior, Neo on the other side, poised on the edge of his chair, intently listening to Morpheus and the glass of water in the middle, symbolising the difference between them, this is also one of the key moments in the film as it questions reality, for the first time, and more of this happens throughout the film. Morpheus then leans back, and says that no one can be told what the matrix is that “you have to see it for yourself”. This is important, as we as the audience are finally going to find what is in this box. However, we are still stuck, at this point with the question of “how can Neo be shown the matrix?” we are then given this perfect symmetrical shot of the two of them with the glass of water in between, Neo is leant in closer as if he is beginning to understand why he was brought here. As Morpheus opens the box and puts it on the table he leans forward, in doing this Neo leans back, and as Morpheus starts to speak we have a short shot between his dialogue, of Neo gulping, this indicates that he is very nervous because Morpheus says that it is Neo’s last chance, this makes the audience feel awkward with the growing tension between the two characters, like a classic Kubrick scene, that clarifies order, yet turmoil is close. Finally, we are given a close up of Morpheus offering the blue pill, in doing this, the shot changes to a close up of his glasses with the reflection of Neo in the lenses with a hand, with a blue pill in the right hand lense, reflecting to the viewer that Neo is at the heart of Morpheus’ plans. Secondly, we are given a duplicate shot of Morpheus’ hand with the red pill with a second intertexual reference to Alice in wonderland, as his dialogue states “you stay in wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit whole goes”, this then gives the audience a flashback to the mystery of a world where everything is possible, and therefore helps the audience to realise the parallel words of the matrix and Alice in wonderland, as they both involve the main character’s journey into the unknown. This then adds mystery and drama to the scene as only Neo can make the choice. However, as viewers we have already presumed, from what we know about the genre’s conventions, what Neo is going to do, so it is seen as rhetoric in the eyes of Neo and the audience. We are then given an extreme close up shot of Neo in both of the lenses with his hand outstretched to the red pill in one lense and just his body and the blue pill in the other, the effect of this shot is to further ingage the audience. Finally as Neo drinks the water, there is a clap of thunder outside the room. This indicates to us that after tonight, Neo’s life will change forever and as an audience we will accompany him through his revelations of the journey into the matrix.

Overall I think that the micro-elements of the Mise-en-scene and cinematography work well and there doesn’t need to be the elements of film, such as the use of fast panning shots, dolly shots, it’s just a simple conversation with simple cinematography, and nothing needed to make it look amazing, as the Mise-en-scene generates the feeling of dark, gloomy and unknown which helps to captivate the audience in a way. Lawrence Fishburn’s performance captures the character of Morpheus perfectly, as he stands and talks like someone in control, which then fascinates the audience and therefore make them want to see more of him. However, in my opinion, Keanu reeves’ performance as Neo in this scene is rather distant and condescending, as he hardly talks and when he does, it seems as if he is just filling the gaps. Which, I suppose therefore generates the truth that the character of Neo is meant to be a man who has learned a great truth and will never forget it, this helps the audience to understand why his performance is so turbulent.

Word count- 1,969

The Matrix The Pill notes

green- links to computer code the whole theme of the matrix

neo's clothes against trinity's and morpheus'- odd one out

morpheus sunglasses- mystery, who is he, audience doesn't fully know him, whats behind the glasses, mirrored, adds to mystery.

state of room, run down peeled wallpaper, dirty walls, dim lighting, suggests they aren't the nicest of people, question is what do they want with neo, he hasn't done anything wrong, due to the mannerisms of the way he was greeted.

shot of morpheus closing the door, camera is low but he stands tall, this creates the idea of the higher status, 

shot of neo looking up at him whilst sitting down we can deduce from this that he is the lower status, the student, if you will, and mopheus, in the terms I've just given, the teacher. 

furniture, tatty but agreeable, shows that this is most likely not their home, and going by the state of the room, its not being used.

glass of water inn the middle of the two chairs, separates good and bad

neo, leaning forward, intrigued, shows he is primed, ready, but no in the sense of realism, doesn't believe what he is hearing but wants to know more, shown by the way he is sitting.

morpheus, relaxed leaning back, in control, the higher status. 

American Beauty Review

American Beauty

American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan all. Award Winning actor Kevin Spacey stars as office worker Lester Burnham, who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela. The film is calibrated by Spacey’s character engaged in a poor sexless relationship with his wife Carolyn, spacey dictates in one of the scenes that his marriage is "just for show, like an advertisement". This therefore leads to his wife Carolyn having an affair with the rival real-estate salesman.

The script itself is a true masterpiece, with the combine intervention of symbolism and drama, Mendes was astonished by it saying himself that “the script seemed to be about something different each time he read it". Further critics engage this idea, as many have said that the film was: full of American miseries and misdeeds, it was funny, angry, sad, and conclusive to this the literary critic and author Wayne .C. Booth concludes that the film resists any one interpretation.

However, the film was also a massive success and a masterpiece in my eyes, but one of the main things that I loved about it was that there was many interpretations of the movie, and that it is in some ways unique to different people; given that some people think that it was a tragic love story, others think that it’s a comedy, others think that it is one of the saddest movies of the 90s.

Personally in my view i think that it was a very funny film, with sadistic angry features and a touch of sadness in places, but another one of the films features that I loved was the casting, as Kevin spacey is one of my favourite actors from the 90s period and he played the role fantastically, due to the fact that he can be angry, an yet funny at the same moment, and turn sad things funny with a single line of phrase.

American Beauty Notes

Main Points:
-Teenager
-Parenting
-Family
-Society issues

Teenager hatesfather- young pople hate patients links to rebel without a cause

"Jane is a typical teenager, angry, insecure, confused"- links to rebel without a cause.

Rebel Without A Cause- Analysis

rebel without a cause is set in the 1950s, it is one of the most iconic movies of all time as it started the phase of the classic "teenager". this is because before this film came along kids would obey their parents and do what they say all the time. now however, kids are more likely to not do what their parents say in modern society

The Hype Of The Hobbit

toys
re-release of lord of the rings- 3d
directors cut- 3d
video game
film trailers- cinema
teaser trailer
theatrical trailer- more footage
articles
twitter
faceook pages

My Top Ten Films

1-Pulp Fiction
2-Gladiator
3-The Shawshank Redemption
4-Spirited Away
5-The Big Lebowski
6-Lord Of The Rings Fellowship Of The Ring
7-Star Wars Empire Strikes Back
8-Jaws
9-Bak To The Future
10-Toy Story

casino royale madagascar chase scene

EDITING

The editing of this video attracts the audience to the situation of the character portrayed by the actor “Daniel Craig”. This is most likely because of the genre of the film, which is action. The audience is therefore attracted to the scene, as it evolves the camera taking a lot of different, exciting shots of the two characters involved. In addition to this, the audience is attracted to all of the stunts, supposedly performed by Daniel Craig. However, a stunt double has obviously been hired to perform a lot of those stunts that Daniel Craig could never do. This, therefore engages the audience in the film by fooling the audience that it is Daniel Craig doing the stunts. To add to this, the shots and frames used in the scene help to fool the audience, as they are very fast, some at close or wide angles depending on the stunt being performed and the stage of the chase.

The audience would also be attracted to the scale of some of the shots, for example, when the two characters are running along the edge of the crane whilst immersed in hand to hand combat.

American Film History

What Makes An American Film?
- Its all to do with the production companies that make the film, for example, Harry Potter was made in Britain but under an American company so it can be considered an American-British film.Yes, the author was British and set her books in Britain, but she didn't have that much to do with the making of the films. She simply supplied the source material.

American Film Industry
- The Origins of the American Film IndustryThe origins and development of the American film industry are the period from 1895 to 1930.During this time the emerging industry developed into an important popular medium, organised into clearly defined exhibition, production, and distribution elements

- The Studio Era is the period from 1930 to 1949. By 1930 the American film industry was dominated by five companies known as the ‘Majors’ or the ‘Big Five. The Big Five owned the production studios, the distribution companies, and most of the cinemas in the US. Furthermore, the amount of cinemas situated around america had grown tenfold overnight.

-The End of the Studio Era, In 1949 the major studios were forced to sell off the cinema chains that they owned by the US government.The American film industry declined further in the 1950s due to the rise of television.It wasn’t until the late 1980s that Hollywood studios fully recovered.


- This graph shows us how revennue of america cinema has grown. we can clearly see that from 2006 to 2010 the ox office revenue has grown by 6.3 billion dollars internationally and 1.4 illion dollars in the united states and canada.

How Hollywood Became Hollywood

The film industry started with New York playing a film, which was built in The Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, during the silent film era, it was used by the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields. After the film industry companies multiplied, the film industry company that called themselves biograph chose to expand their filmmakers across America, to such places as the west coast, where they suggested to move their filmmaking from the typical set of downtown Los Angeles north, towards where in, they found a small village named Hollywood. After making a lot of films around the village of Hollywood, they returned to New York. However, after the staggering profits that biograph had made other film companies insisted that their filmmakers take advantage of the village of Hollywood, as the village itself loved the company of the film industry, which therefore boosted Hollywood’s fame from a small unknown village in north California, to the film industry capital of the world.

Gotham City Street Chase

The source of the text appears to be from the wesite" fuel industries". the key points in this case study are to outline the: challenge, strategy, creative and execution and results of the online computer game shown as "Gotham City Street Chase", it was also to raise the expectatio of the film. A point inside this case study that sticks out to me would be "Within a few days of its release, the game had already shot past 100,000 unique visitors with an average engagement time of 10 minutes per person". This quote stands out to me personally because, its amazing how many people can play the game in such little time, it just shows how dedicated these fans are to the idea of batman. My opinion on the subject was that the game's purpose was to boost the franchise of the film, which proved successful, as over 100,000 people went online to play the game just because it was ased on batman. interaction is the main point of every media industry, because a film, game, radio, every media industry needs to have an interacting audience to therefore generate revenue.

Resevoir Dogs Opening - Analysis

the opening to resevoir dogs takes the audience to a diner in america. the performance of the actors as the camera slowly pans around the table is extraudinary this is purely because it straight awy sows us that this group of iddle class americans are emersed in a conversation involving one of the most popular songs of that time. therefore, the audience can deduce from this that the film is set some time ago. we then see a character whom is not wearing a suit, but has a deep croaky voice, this shows to the audience that he may be the leader of this gang, as everyone goes quiet when he says his line. furthermore, we then see this second man whom is also not wearing a suit, we can deduct from this that he may e part of this gang, ut cannot be bothered to wear a suit, which therefore, tell the audience that his character is lazy.

secondly, the mise en scene plays an important role in this scene, as not all of the characters are wearing the same costumes, but alot of them are, this therefore adds the feeling of safistication to the scene. in addition to this two or three of the characters are smoking cigarettes, which would inform us that these gentlemen dont take they're actions for granted. however, one of these men is smoking a cigar, which would indicate that his character is a bit more safisticated than the rest of the characters.

thirdly, the performance plays a good role in this opening, as all the actors are emersed in coversation in the middle of breakfast. they dont have to act that they are eating, they actually are eating whilst having a chat. furthermore, they are chatting aout the meening of a song at that time, which adds to the performance of the actors as they would have had to reherse this conversation, but overall, it appears that these men are having a non-plus conversation over breakfast.

Lastly the sound creates an eniga of real life, as there are many sounds such as knives and forks clattering, glasses clinking and waitresses asking orders people chatting, eating, so its a very real-life situation. Which therefore creates drama inside a real-life situation.

Example Of Language- Terminator Opening

The opening of terminator takes the audience to a desolate los angeles of the future. The editing is fast paced to create a feeling of displacement and turmoil. in the scene where schwarzenegger faces the gang we see cuts from a switch blade, to actor, to hand, to villain, to villain falling, but what we dont see is the blade going into the antagonist. the editing creates the impression that the 'hero' is quick thinking and physically powerful. already the spectators/audience feel schwarzenegger is superior intact compared to those he will meet in the narrative.

New Threat To Film Industry?

The source of this article is from the website www.pressofatlanticcity.com. The key points of this article are to outline the devastating impacts towards film criticism via Facebook or twitter in this case, The women being interviewed specifically states that "Almost every time after I go out (to a movie), I'll tweet about it." This shows to us that this could mean either a good or bad thing for the films credibility. However, she also tweets this "If you like science or plot, this isn't a movie for you; if you like explosions for no reason, you’ll love it." This could easily put of a film that you have been looking forward to seeing as it would make you think that the film is rubbish. However, if someone like Steven Fry, who has around 4 million twitter followers, was to tweet that a film is not as good as he expected it to be, then the reaction of his 4 million followers would be to not go and see the film in question. But one quote that stood out for me would have to be that “Twitter has broadened the reach of bloggers and other aspiring opinion-makers”. This is because reminds me that twitter can effect so many people worldwide about a film that could potentially be the film of the year. In my opinion, this could persuade people that a film is rubbish when actually it could be very good. I think this is awful because it is a miss representation of the entire film and what people would think of it, and what people would say if they got asked about it.    

Section A Exam

TEXTS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION A OF THE EXAM

Context: Section A is about the application of a your overall knowledge of the film industry (particularly how it is changing) with some information/sources that are given to you within the exam paper.

It is your responsibility to bring in anything you come across that is of interest and study the articles that your teachers offer you also.

Keep a scrap book OR a blog of articles relating to the film industry

For every article you read respond to the questions below:

What is the source of the text?- empire, imd, etc

What are the key points?

Choose one quote to remember. One that sticks out to you

What are your opinions on the subject matter?

Reading MATERIAL FOR SECTION A

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/life/article_87ad43e5-bea4-5eb8-b44a-37d95baad76c.html

Twitter and the film Industry

http://theweek.com/article/index/207513/the-rise-and-fall-of-blockbuster-video

The fall of Blockbuster video

http://www.convergenceculture.org/weblog/2011/04/piracy_turning_threats_into_pr.php

Film Piracy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/13/illegal-downloads-threaten-british-film

Illegal downloading of films

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/mar/09/grand-theft-auto-bang-bang-youre-dead

The console games industry is affecting the film industry

http://www.fuelindustries.com/casestudies/darkknight

A case study on how Dark Knight used games to get the target audience interested

http://www.fruitlesspursuits.com/2012/05/iphone-film-making-zombie-case-study.html

Iphone film making – Zombie Movie

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/mar/08/older-viewers-rescuing-cinema

Audiences – the older generation are saving Cinema

http://www.sbbfc.co.uk/articles/site/WhySoSerious

Certificating Films – Dark Knight Case Study

Lesson 1

im in my very first lesson of film studies, very excited about the interesting stuff we'll be doing