In 2009, the highest-grossing movie ever hit big screens in the form of James Cameron’s 3D sci-fi epic 'Avatar'. Breaking box office records almost twice over at a staggering $2,782,275,172 worldwide gross - the previous record held by Cameron’s previous film 'Titanic' at a whopping $1,843,201,268 gross. There was genuine anticipation and excitement about the resurgence of an almost forgotten form of cinema, seemingly confined to the drive-ins of the 1950s. Fast-forward less than two years later and this anticipation and excitement appears to have turned to apathy and boredom.
Following the success of 'Avatar', studios couldn’t wait to find the next big 3D property, with multiplexes fitting 3D projectors en masse and big studios investing heavily in 3D technology. Initially it seemed as though 3D was here to stay. The next major 3D release, Tim Burton’s 'Alice in Wonderland' adaptation took in a huge $1,024,299,904 worldwide, this was followed subsequently by 'Clash of the Titans' (a retrofit taking in $493,214,993) then 'Shrek Forever After' ($752,600,867). The numbers looked great.
It seemed that things were just as rosy going further into 2010 and 2011, with the release of massive properties such as 'Toy Story 3' ($1,063,171,911) and 'Despicable Me' ($544,513,985) and on the face of it, you would be right in making this assumption. However, it turns out that more people went to see 'Toy Story 3' and 'Despicable Me' in 2D than they did in 3D. Variety reports that the shares of Disney, DreamWorks Animation, and RealD have all dropped thanks to disappointing 3D returns on 'Kung Fu Panda 2'. The film itself did well with a $345,630,461 worldwide gross, however only 46% of the audiences who saw it watched it in 3D.
It seems that there is a strong decline in audiences’ hunger for 3D cinema, many complaining at high ticket prices and it adding very little to the whole viewing experience. It is also important to factor in the many audience members who can’t watch it in 3D due to problems with their eyes, many complaining of getting excruciating headaches – myself being one of them – and the health warnings from medical bodies for children under seven who are not supposed to watch films in 3D for fear of future sight problems.
So, to the future. For 3D to survive, it needs some massive hits at the box office. The two major films, which could help determine its future are 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two'. 'Transformers' is the third in a series of the smash hit franchise, though there have been many reports of problems with shooting in 3D. So many in fact, that director Michael Bay took to his online forum to deny any problems in production. This is the first 'Transformers' movie in 3D and after a disappointing second installment, it appears that DreamWorks will have to work extra hard to keep their 3D audiences, especially as it will be offering the 2D alternative.
The second of these films is a retrofit – a film not shot in 3D, which has retroactively been converted to 3D – this could indicate how much faith the studios have in the 3D format. After that, there appears to be very little on offer for 3D audiences, with Christopher Nolan having already stated that 'The Dark Knight Rises' will not be shot in 3D. It appears that the real story will be told when the sequel to 'Avatar' hits screens next year, but until then it seems that 3D’s popularity is waning.
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Marxism and Semiotics in Children of Men
To carry out a study of the relevance and usefulness of semiotics and Marxist approaches to film criticism and analysis, one must outline the definition and interpretation of Marxism and semiotics and their application to criticism and analysis. Marxism is defined as “a theory in which class struggle is a central element in the analysis of social change in Western societies”(_____). Pre-occupied with the concept of cultural materialism, a social class is defined according to Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) by the relations of its members to the means of production. Under capitalism the proletariat (e.g. the working class or the people) own their capacity to work, having only the ability to sell their own labour. Much of Marxism today concerns internal economics within the socialist government and how the proletariat is 'exploited' by the upper classes for their own gain. Religion is also a major concern of Marxism. Karl Marx (1818-1883) wrote that 'Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature, the feeling of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless circumstances.' (_____) In other words, religion is a reaction to human suffering in an unfair society.
Early Marxist filmmakers such as Sergei Eisenstein (1898– 1948) used the medium of film to criticise the traditional narrative structure and ideology of Hollywood. Arguing that the prevailing ideologies of Hollywood films were used to promote the ideology of the bourgeois in America, filmmakers such as Eisenstein and later Jean-Luc Godard (1930-Present) intentionally broke away from the Hollywood narrative structure to demonstrate what they saw as almost political indoctrination of the masses.
Semiotics is a simpler concept to get to grips with. Founded by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, Semiotics (derived from the ancient Greek 'semeion') 'studies the role of signs as part of social life', investigating 'signs and the laws governing them.' (Chandler, Daniel) This can include verbal language, body language, paintings, music, photographs and sounds. For example, swearing is something done usually at times of anger or great stress. If a character in a novel or film is wearing a crucifix then the audience can reasonably assume that they are Christian. However, if the audience sees him/her doing unchristian things then the audience has more than one interpretation to follow. Is the character suffering a crisis of faith or is he/she using piety as a facade for their own personal gain? This would be indicated by how the character behaves in situations. Through this the audience can derive a reaction to the story and the nature of the character and his/her environment.
The film I shall discuss to demonstrate the relevance and usefulness of Marxist and semiotic analyses will be Children of Men (2006) directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Rich in symbolism, it depicts a world in which the world's women have become infertile and all societies but the United Kingdom have descended into total chaos. Because of the chaos, immigration has increased to an unsustainable level and so the British government has taken extreme measures to curb immigration, illegal or otherwise. This film is concerned with the oppression and abuse of the masses by a centralised government obsessed with control. This film takes a pre-dominantly culturalist examination of society, demonstrating that societies are made up of a diverse group of cultures. Aiming to indicate that certain sections of society receive a disproportionate representation in the media and in the process shaping and defining consensus to obscure the roots of genuine conflict.
In the world presented by Children of Men (2006), the bourgeois have more power in Britain than since the 19th century, with unprecedented powers to invade the privacy of the proletariat. Immigrants are rounded up and put in cages ready for transporting to 'Bexhill' - a prison camp for immigrants, avoiding fertility tests is illegal and basic human rights such as privacy and transport are restricted in the hunt for illegal immigrants. In the opening scene we see the main character witness a supposed terrorist bombing by a fringe group called 'The Fishes'. Later in the film, we find out that it was in fact the government staging a terrorist attack to spread fear about a group representing a section of the proletariat holding a differing ideology.
Children of Men (2006) is also rich in religious imagery and language. Caught up in a plot to escort the unborn baby, who would bring hope back to a hopeless world, to a safe haven (known as The Human Project) that may or may not exist is Theo Faron. Theo's very name means 'God's gift' (_____). Theo finds out that Kee (the pregnant girl) is with child in a barn surrounded by farm animals. When Sid, the corrupt prison guard, finds out about the baby he shouts 'Jesus Christ!' (a) repeatedly out of shock. More subtly perhaps, during several scenes we see characters washing their feet, which is often seen as a religious exercise in certain sects of Christianity and Islam. Through this code of religious signs the audience reflects an extra dimension of importance on the existence of this unborn child.
The film takes a structuralist view of the media. Structuralism examines ideology embodied in a media text. The fictional TV channel 'BCC' (suspiciously similar in presentation to the BBC of today) reports the character Julian as a terrorist when in fact she is a well-meaning freedom fighter, suggesting that media outlets such as the BBC would become the propaganda wing of the government in times of great crisis. These signifiers demonstrate Herbert Marcuse's (1898 - 1979) idea that “the irresistible output of the entertainment and information industry carry with them prescribed attitudes and habits” (Chandler, Daniel) and defining the way in which the people in this alternate reality would see the world. Because of such intense media hype immigrants are seen as social pariahs, as one prison guard says to Theo posing as a Fuji, 'you f*cking people disgust me.' (a)
The struggle of the immigrants is compared visually to that of the racist and xenophobic attitudes sometimes present in political life today. For instance, in the background of the entrance to Bexhill we see a hooded man, draped in a torn up gown standing in a Christ-like pose on a pedestal. This image is identical to that of a photograph (Fig. 1) released during the Abu Ghraib scandal of 2004 where military prison guards had been found guilty of torturing and abusing inmates on religious, cultural and racial grounds.
Fig. 1 – Prisoner held in Abu Ghraib
Through one simple image, Cuaron is delicately but explicitly informing the viewer that this is a world where institutionalised torture and abuse is acceptable as long as it maintains public order and aids the search and continued suppression of illegal immigrants. When Theo gets off a train and sees a cage full of Fuji's ready for transportation to Bexhill, the song 'Arbeit Macht Frei' by The Libertines can be heard in the background. 'Arbeit Macht Frei' translated from German means 'Work will set you free' and was forged on the signs of concentration camps at Auschwitz and Belsen. Using an aural icon, the filmmaker signifies the nature of the reality the people inhabit while also immersing the audience.
Signs don't only signify a political agenda or a feeling. They can foreshadow events or even the conclusion of a story. For instance, oranges appear to signify a descent into chaos because of the class struggle. Early in the film, Miriam (a Fish) starts to peel an orange in the car just before the car is attacked by Omegas. In Bexhill the baby is fed orange slices by an old lady just before the British military descends on the camp to destroy it and all of its inhabitants. This is not the first time oranges have been used as a signifier to foreshadow danger. In 'The Godfather' (1972) characters are shot or die around or near oranges. Using small icons the filmmaker establishes 'visual sub-codes within the universe of signs' (b) such as this warning the audience of dreadful things to come.
Icons can be used to further immerse the audience in the reality of the story. For example, London is presented as a decaying city covered in graffiti and litter and choked by pollution and the fear of terrorism through video screens on every street displaying government propaganda. London today is a vibrant and exciting cultural hub. The dismaying depiction of the capital city instantly signifies to the audience that this is a world gone terribly wrong. When a character is shot at Bexhill his blood lands on the lens and does not disappear. This makes the film feel more like a documentary and the prominent red on the screen signifies the level of danger the characters are in.
The film is pre-occupied with a class struggle, which is also at the heart of the Marxist theory. The Fishes won't make the pregnancy public because they believe that the government would never admit that the first baby born in 18 years belonged to an illegal immigrant, preferring to present the immigrant's child as that of a 'rich black lady' (a). It is revealed halfway through the film that Julian's death is down to The Fishes so they could keep the baby to use as a political pawn for the upcoming uprising. Marxist theory analyses society in the context of its progression towards Communism. In this context the Fishes are now ' aware of (sic) their loss, of their alienation, as a universal non-human situation' and now 'it will be possible for them to proceed to a radical transformation of their situation by a revolution.' (Mark, K. 1818-1883)
While the class struggle in this film is towards democracy, a comparison can be made between this struggle and the hypothetical one towards Communism. Only once this specific section of society's situation becomes so desperate do they attempt a revolution. It appears as though this revolution fails as in the final scenes we see fighter jets swoop overhead and into the background to apparently carpet bomb the camp. However, Theo and the pregnant woman escape signifying that there is hope. That the boat, which will take Theo and Kee to The Human Project, is called 'The Tomorrow' presents the audience with a vein of hope that all is not lost.
Through the use of codes of behaviour the audience can learn about the disposition of a character. For instance, animals are fond of the film's hero, Theo. While not explicitly saying anything about the nature of the character, it indicates to the audience through association that there is a level of good within the character, which emanates from him. Theo also never uses a gun in any adversarial or combat situation and only uses weapons for protection. This affirms the audience's belief in the character's good nature. However this man is not the ideal hero. Theo is often seen taking swigs from a bottle of whiskey he keeps hidden in his coat pocket. This man is an alcoholic. He is troubled and this is reflected by the fact that he comes to terms with it by drinking. He makes bad choices because as with the rest of the world, he has lost hope, however by the end of the film his transformation from apathetic anti-hero to activated saviour with the belief in a prevailing good is indicated by the smile he gives Kee just before he passes away.
In conclusion, the practice of Marxist and semiotic analyses of film can certainly be relevant and practical to gain a deeper understanding of the text. However, the film I used to discuss analysis and criticism in this way presented political agendas such as class struggle and the mass media as its central focus. I would have reservations about applying a Marxist approach to analysing and criticising films, however a semiotic approach is far more practical and relevant to most films as it can be applied to any type of story or mode of storytelling in film.
Sources:
Bibliography
· ___________, (2009) What is Marxism? Web page available from: http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-is-marxism-faq.htm
· _____________, (2009), Class Struggle, Web page available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/367344/Marxism/35147/Class-struggle
· CHANDLER, DANIEL (2009) Semiotics for Beginners Web page available at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html
· CHANDLER, DANIEL (2009), Marxist Media Theory, Web page available at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism08.html
· HAM, ETHAN (2008) New Yorker Abu Ghraib Article, Web Page available at:
· MARX, K. Towards a Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right (1844) Cambridge University Press. 4th edition.
Filmography
a) Children of Men (2006) Film. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. UK: Universal.
b) The Godfather (1972) Film. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Appendix
Fig. 1) HAM, ETHAN (2008) New Yorker Abu Ghraib Article, Web Page available at:
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
The Social Network
The Social Network is about a young man who possesses an almost psychotic ability to look into a network of limitless possibilities and see a winning move. Mark Zuckerberg invented Facebook and if you disagree with him you would have invented Facebook.
Zuckerberg is a genius, a billionaire and a social revolutionary and yet none of these extraordinary aspects of his life alter the fact that he is tone-deaf when it comes to social situations: for example, you may as well throw a drink over a girl if your tools for impressing her are flaunting how much smarter than you are of her.
David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac, Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has done a brilliant job of making The Social Network as smart and brilliant as its hero and it plays in just the same Aspergic way. It is impatient, cold and arrogant. It doesn't care if you keep up with it. If you lose track then that is your loss.
What's incredible about this film is that it runs at 1hr 55mins and yet at the end it feels as though you've been sat there for an hour. The film deals with classic themes of betrayal, greed, rise to power and revolution This is in no small way to do with the excellent work in editing and sound design in the film. Fincher and his team used up-to-the-minute technology to alter the speed and tone of dialogue to the syllable. This makes for an uncompromising pace, which moves Aaron Sorkin's already zippy script that little bit of extra ignition.
The performances in this film are stellar. Jesse Eisenberg is beautifully precise as Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake is seductively slimey as Sean Parker. However Andrew Garfield steals the show as Eduardo Saverin - the emotional heart of the piece. He is technically aware like Zuckerberg, emotionally aware like Parker and yet his only flaw is that he is an honest businessman. Parker uses his emotional awareness to screw Saverin, Zuckerberg uses his technical awareness to intimidate Saverin and yet we do not pity Eduardo. This is where Andrew Garfield steps in. With a lesser actor, Saverin could have come across like Butters always falling prey and appearing weak and yet perservering. Instead, he remains powerful because of his perserverence and honesty. Every open-mouthed glance, the way he bites his top lips after every statement, blinking faster and faster his eyes widening as he gets trapped deeper and deeper into a bad situation caused by his own good intentions.
Sorkin's screenplay is impeccable. It's aggressive and zippy and in an age when dialogue has been dumbed down to compensate for slower, lazier audiences, the action and dialogue move forward at a brisk pace. It deals with complicated and unfamiliar ideas such as web strategy, computer programming and big finance and yet Sorkin makes it all clear. Interestingly, I don't believe the story is intended to be followed, yet the audience is there to be dragged along with the story of these three characters just the like the rest of us in real life.
I read recently that facebook is simply "500 million people trapped in the imagination of one nerd"; I happen to think that the "nerd" in question is this generation's Charles Foster Kane. A rich and deeply flawed character that became the figurehead for a social revolution.
Zuckerberg is a genius, a billionaire and a social revolutionary and yet none of these extraordinary aspects of his life alter the fact that he is tone-deaf when it comes to social situations: for example, you may as well throw a drink over a girl if your tools for impressing her are flaunting how much smarter than you are of her.
David Fincher (Se7en, Zodiac, Fight Club, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has done a brilliant job of making The Social Network as smart and brilliant as its hero and it plays in just the same Aspergic way. It is impatient, cold and arrogant. It doesn't care if you keep up with it. If you lose track then that is your loss.
What's incredible about this film is that it runs at 1hr 55mins and yet at the end it feels as though you've been sat there for an hour. The film deals with classic themes of betrayal, greed, rise to power and revolution This is in no small way to do with the excellent work in editing and sound design in the film. Fincher and his team used up-to-the-minute technology to alter the speed and tone of dialogue to the syllable. This makes for an uncompromising pace, which moves Aaron Sorkin's already zippy script that little bit of extra ignition.
The performances in this film are stellar. Jesse Eisenberg is beautifully precise as Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake is seductively slimey as Sean Parker. However Andrew Garfield steals the show as Eduardo Saverin - the emotional heart of the piece. He is technically aware like Zuckerberg, emotionally aware like Parker and yet his only flaw is that he is an honest businessman. Parker uses his emotional awareness to screw Saverin, Zuckerberg uses his technical awareness to intimidate Saverin and yet we do not pity Eduardo. This is where Andrew Garfield steps in. With a lesser actor, Saverin could have come across like Butters always falling prey and appearing weak and yet perservering. Instead, he remains powerful because of his perserverence and honesty. Every open-mouthed glance, the way he bites his top lips after every statement, blinking faster and faster his eyes widening as he gets trapped deeper and deeper into a bad situation caused by his own good intentions.
Sorkin's screenplay is impeccable. It's aggressive and zippy and in an age when dialogue has been dumbed down to compensate for slower, lazier audiences, the action and dialogue move forward at a brisk pace. It deals with complicated and unfamiliar ideas such as web strategy, computer programming and big finance and yet Sorkin makes it all clear. Interestingly, I don't believe the story is intended to be followed, yet the audience is there to be dragged along with the story of these three characters just the like the rest of us in real life.
I read recently that facebook is simply "500 million people trapped in the imagination of one nerd"; I happen to think that the "nerd" in question is this generation's Charles Foster Kane. A rich and deeply flawed character that became the figurehead for a social revolution.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Precious
"Don't nobody want you, don't nobody need you. Now get your ass down to the welfare." This line of dialogue, is the most prevalent theme at the outset of "Precious". There is nothing for this girl, so much so that her mother drums it into her every day of her life. Claireece Precious Jones has shut down. She hardly speaks, she never looks at people and she's almost totally illiterate. Her life at school is endless mockery and frustration and at home it is worse. Her mother, defeated by life, tortures Precious physically and emotionally. When Precious was raped as a child by her father, her mother was angry, not at her man but at her child for stealing him away from her. This is the desperate life that Precious leads, however there is one element of this film that redeems her environment - hope.
This film, at its core is about the power of hope. This film is a classic American story of redemption at the most painful and frustrating of odds and leads to an inspiring ending. The character is all to familiar to anybody who has suffered abuse and loneliness. Precious wants the good things - a real home, a boyfriend, a proper job.
The casting in this film is superb. Using relatively unkown actresses for the main characters and superstars as their supporters. But this is not a piece of cynical casting by director Lee Daniels. He requires them to act and in fact removes everything about Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz that even suggests star quality. He has not cast them for their names, he has cast them because of the role they beautifully fit - Mariah Carey, especially is excellent.
This film is a very traditional American story in that it is a redemption tale, however, the techniques Lee Daniels employs to make us relate to Precious feel more at home in a music video, and for this Daniels is brave. The piece deftly demonstrates the contrast of celebrity culture with the reality of poverty by using music video techniques and MTV-style editing (flash transitions, crash zooms) to show the difference between Precious' imagination of what she could be and what she is actually living in.
Daniels delicately explores the issues of prejudice and being poor and black in contemporary society. Of course, as with any issue, there are grey areas, but this piece is beautiful in the way it explains the way to escape is hard work and believing in yourself. In this respect, "Precious" is a wonderful film.
There are very few flaws with this film, however there are obvious semiotic elements, which made me feel as though the director didn't have enough faith in his own material to let the actions and dialogue speak. For instance, the apartment Precious lives in with her mother is dark with the windows closed off - just like Precious is trapped in a dark situation with no obvious way out. This felt patronising as when the curtains are opened the situation still feels as tense (if not moreso) than it does when there is no light. The director has employed a deeply cliched lighting technique usually reserved for schlock horror films to demonstrate a point, which would have been made just as effectively regardless of the lighting. The director went for an instant gut reaction rather than demonstrating the situation through character.
None of the elements I have described above stopped me from weeping with a mix of joy and sorrow at the end of this film. It is almost a masterpiece. It is very much a compelling and delightful piece and it was refreshing to see such a traditional story of redemption told in the way it was.
This film, at its core is about the power of hope. This film is a classic American story of redemption at the most painful and frustrating of odds and leads to an inspiring ending. The character is all to familiar to anybody who has suffered abuse and loneliness. Precious wants the good things - a real home, a boyfriend, a proper job.
The casting in this film is superb. Using relatively unkown actresses for the main characters and superstars as their supporters. But this is not a piece of cynical casting by director Lee Daniels. He requires them to act and in fact removes everything about Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz that even suggests star quality. He has not cast them for their names, he has cast them because of the role they beautifully fit - Mariah Carey, especially is excellent.
This film is a very traditional American story in that it is a redemption tale, however, the techniques Lee Daniels employs to make us relate to Precious feel more at home in a music video, and for this Daniels is brave. The piece deftly demonstrates the contrast of celebrity culture with the reality of poverty by using music video techniques and MTV-style editing (flash transitions, crash zooms) to show the difference between Precious' imagination of what she could be and what she is actually living in.
Daniels delicately explores the issues of prejudice and being poor and black in contemporary society. Of course, as with any issue, there are grey areas, but this piece is beautiful in the way it explains the way to escape is hard work and believing in yourself. In this respect, "Precious" is a wonderful film.
There are very few flaws with this film, however there are obvious semiotic elements, which made me feel as though the director didn't have enough faith in his own material to let the actions and dialogue speak. For instance, the apartment Precious lives in with her mother is dark with the windows closed off - just like Precious is trapped in a dark situation with no obvious way out. This felt patronising as when the curtains are opened the situation still feels as tense (if not moreso) than it does when there is no light. The director has employed a deeply cliched lighting technique usually reserved for schlock horror films to demonstrate a point, which would have been made just as effectively regardless of the lighting. The director went for an instant gut reaction rather than demonstrating the situation through character.
None of the elements I have described above stopped me from weeping with a mix of joy and sorrow at the end of this film. It is almost a masterpiece. It is very much a compelling and delightful piece and it was refreshing to see such a traditional story of redemption told in the way it was.
Monday, 28 March 2011
Paul
A couple of nights ago I went to see Simon Pegg & Nick Frost's first feature departure from the Blood and Ice Cream Saga with Edgar Wright. This time penned by Frogg (I love a good portmanteau) and directed by Greg Mottola (Superbad, Adventureland) the film is a story about two comic book nerds, Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) on a road trip across the United States, visiting famous UFO sites along the way. On this child-like journey of the imagination they accidentally make first contact with a familiar face.
Or do they? It turns out that the affable alien Paul has been trapped on the earth by the U.S. government for around 60 years and has acquired a lot of our customs (including smoking, swearing and drinking heavily). The reason he looks so cliche is that his face has been drip-fed to us so that we wouldn't get scared if his race ever came to Earth. THIS is what makes Paul's character so ridiculously believable and sympathetic.
Paul is sympathetic because he is a laid-back guy trying to do the right thing who happens to be an alien on the run. This shows that Pegg has form for writing extremely sympathetic characters who have major character flaws. In Shaun of the Dead, Shaun is actually a bit of an arsehole but his redeeming qualities make him sympathetic. This is the case with Paul. Paul is arrogant, he is rude and he is deceptive but he has a heart of gold. (The scene where he meets up with the girl who found him 60 years previously is as heartbreaking as it is life-affirming).
This is another Frogg film that I could wax lyrical on as it was extremely entertaining, with fully rounded characters, some hilarious moments, tonnes of references (some obvious, some not-so-obvious) and a compelling but standard plot of the big evil government trying to destroy the little guy. There is also a fantastic little twist involving Jason Bateman's character Zoyle (another hilarious reference is here once you find out his first name) who is pure comedic evil throughout the film.
I loved this film and for anybody of a geeky disposition you will feel right at home.
Paul is sympathetic because he is a laid-back guy trying to do the right thing who happens to be an alien on the run. This shows that Pegg has form for writing extremely sympathetic characters who have major character flaws. In Shaun of the Dead, Shaun is actually a bit of an arsehole but his redeeming qualities make him sympathetic. This is the case with Paul. Paul is arrogant, he is rude and he is deceptive but he has a heart of gold. (The scene where he meets up with the girl who found him 60 years previously is as heartbreaking as it is life-affirming).
This is another Frogg film that I could wax lyrical on as it was extremely entertaining, with fully rounded characters, some hilarious moments, tonnes of references (some obvious, some not-so-obvious) and a compelling but standard plot of the big evil government trying to destroy the little guy. There is also a fantastic little twist involving Jason Bateman's character Zoyle (another hilarious reference is here once you find out his first name) who is pure comedic evil throughout the film.
I loved this film and for anybody of a geeky disposition you will feel right at home.
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
You've got Red on You...
A couple of nights ago, I sat my girlfriend down to watch possibly my favourite feature film 'Shaun of the Dead" Dir: Edgar Wright. As one of the most popular British films of the past ten years (and having been shown ad nauseum on ITV2) I was surprised that she hadn't seen it and I felt she was missing out. I consider "Shaun of the Dead" to be a seminal work, not only in horror, comedy nor British film but in cinema itself.
Now, I know a film marketed as the first Zom-Rom-Com is probably not going to be seen as high art and I would agree with those who said that. It is a very archetypal story. Shaun, 29, has lost the love of his life, Liz, at the same time as a zombie apocalypse. He and his waster best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), must now rescue Liz and her friends and stick out the invasion. This is not high cinematic art, however it details the principles of filmmaking so very well.
The opening scene establishes every single confict and character-trait within three minutes with extremely sharp dialogue and useful camera work and it maintains its hilarity.
The establishing shot above tells you everything you need to know about Shaun and his relationships. He is unaware, he is thoughtless, he isn't taking care of himself or his friends. The first line of dialogue is his name as his girlfriend says "Shaun?" He has to bring himself back to a reality which is not satisfactory. From that point to 3:30 minutes into the film we establish every character's name, every single conflict between them and the tone of the piece.
The concision continues throughout. With sequences, which more indulgent filmmakers would have extended, Edgar Wright keeps the pace going to end the film at one hour and thirty minutes, for instance the scene where Ed and Shaun discuss what their plan is. The first time they run through it, everything is much more full in the visuals by the final time they run through it Shaun is now giving glib in the scenes saying "Sorry" rather than "I'm so sorry, Philip" when planning to dispatch his soon-to-be-dead step-dad. Wright's creative use of camera and sound with Simon Pegg's excellent writing is exactly what got them known for Spaced.
The film is also hilarious. The relationship between Shaun (Pegg) and Ed (Frost) is a classic use of the archetype of the young man with potential held back by the whims of his ignorant slacker friend. Throughout, Shaun's efforts are hampered by Ed's thoughtlessness. Answering the phone in front of hundreds of zombies; crashing a perfectly good car so he can drive Shaun's step-dad's Jaguar; playing the fruit machine when they are trying to stay quiet. (SPOILER ALER!) Ultimately, Ed has to die for Shaun to grow up and by the end of the film we are not just crying for the loss of a best friend but also for our own youth.
I could wax lyrical about every single sequence and scene in this film, but the main thing I have taken from this film is that concision in storytelling is the essence of fimmaking. How to say as many things as possible in the smallest amount of time possible. This is something I always consider when making my own films and I recommend (as I have) that anybody who wants to learn storytelling 101 watch "Shaun of the Dead" over and over (my current count is 67 times).
Now, I know a film marketed as the first Zom-Rom-Com is probably not going to be seen as high art and I would agree with those who said that. It is a very archetypal story. Shaun, 29, has lost the love of his life, Liz, at the same time as a zombie apocalypse. He and his waster best friend, Ed (Nick Frost), must now rescue Liz and her friends and stick out the invasion. This is not high cinematic art, however it details the principles of filmmaking so very well.
The opening scene establishes every single confict and character-trait within three minutes with extremely sharp dialogue and useful camera work and it maintains its hilarity.
The concision continues throughout. With sequences, which more indulgent filmmakers would have extended, Edgar Wright keeps the pace going to end the film at one hour and thirty minutes, for instance the scene where Ed and Shaun discuss what their plan is. The first time they run through it, everything is much more full in the visuals by the final time they run through it Shaun is now giving glib in the scenes saying "Sorry" rather than "I'm so sorry, Philip" when planning to dispatch his soon-to-be-dead step-dad. Wright's creative use of camera and sound with Simon Pegg's excellent writing is exactly what got them known for Spaced.
The film is also hilarious. The relationship between Shaun (Pegg) and Ed (Frost) is a classic use of the archetype of the young man with potential held back by the whims of his ignorant slacker friend. Throughout, Shaun's efforts are hampered by Ed's thoughtlessness. Answering the phone in front of hundreds of zombies; crashing a perfectly good car so he can drive Shaun's step-dad's Jaguar; playing the fruit machine when they are trying to stay quiet. (SPOILER ALER!) Ultimately, Ed has to die for Shaun to grow up and by the end of the film we are not just crying for the loss of a best friend but also for our own youth.
I could wax lyrical about every single sequence and scene in this film, but the main thing I have taken from this film is that concision in storytelling is the essence of fimmaking. How to say as many things as possible in the smallest amount of time possible. This is something I always consider when making my own films and I recommend (as I have) that anybody who wants to learn storytelling 101 watch "Shaun of the Dead" over and over (my current count is 67 times).
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Hello, Good Evening and Welcome...
... to This Was the Film that Was.
I'm a moving image student currently based at a small college in the Midlands hoping for bigger and better things in the future. This is a blog about films, artwork and literature that I experience over the course of my time studying and working as a video artist/filmmaker.
I recently visited the Tate Modern and saw The Fortune Theatre's production of "The Woman In Black". Due to time restrictions we could only go around the surrealism section. What struck me about both was the simplicity of the work involved to create such powerful images and sounds.
The simple beauty of Dali's "Mountain Lake" (shown above) with it's bizarre inclusion of a telephone receiver off the hook creates a sense of loneliness. This image stuck out to me for the rest of the day until we made our way to The Fortune Theatre.
Here, we were treated to two hours of sheer terror. The Brechtian use of the stage was never distracting as the play deals with the fact that it is a play. I had heard about this play before and how creepy Mrs Drablow but I had no idea how this was to be done. Her first appearance is truly terrifying. Emerging from the audience under a thick cloud of smoke to torment Mr. Kipps (Anthony Eden, above) just by mere glances. From then on, each and every audience member was paranoid that she would show up again. I was able to part my glance from the stage for a moment to see people looking around for her. The repetition of sound in "The Woman In Black" made for an incredibly suspenseful build-up to a final reveal that made us (as well as the rest of the audience) ready to throw up our guts with fear.
I am inspired to tell a classic ghost story in film and this play really helped me understand the nature of horror. The audience cannot stay tense the whole way through and will see through your attempts at making them scared if you are too bold. Introduce the fear gradually and let it build delicately, relieving the tension as you go along - the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock used to always put a joke in after something terrible happening to remove some of the tension before building it back again - until by then the paranoia has set in and the audience is helpless against what you are about to show them.
I'm a moving image student currently based at a small college in the Midlands hoping for bigger and better things in the future. This is a blog about films, artwork and literature that I experience over the course of my time studying and working as a video artist/filmmaker.
I recently visited the Tate Modern and saw The Fortune Theatre's production of "The Woman In Black". Due to time restrictions we could only go around the surrealism section. What struck me about both was the simplicity of the work involved to create such powerful images and sounds.
The simple beauty of Dali's "Mountain Lake" (shown above) with it's bizarre inclusion of a telephone receiver off the hook creates a sense of loneliness. This image stuck out to me for the rest of the day until we made our way to The Fortune Theatre.
Here, we were treated to two hours of sheer terror. The Brechtian use of the stage was never distracting as the play deals with the fact that it is a play. I had heard about this play before and how creepy Mrs Drablow but I had no idea how this was to be done. Her first appearance is truly terrifying. Emerging from the audience under a thick cloud of smoke to torment Mr. Kipps (Anthony Eden, above) just by mere glances. From then on, each and every audience member was paranoid that she would show up again. I was able to part my glance from the stage for a moment to see people looking around for her. The repetition of sound in "The Woman In Black" made for an incredibly suspenseful build-up to a final reveal that made us (as well as the rest of the audience) ready to throw up our guts with fear.
I am inspired to tell a classic ghost story in film and this play really helped me understand the nature of horror. The audience cannot stay tense the whole way through and will see through your attempts at making them scared if you are too bold. Introduce the fear gradually and let it build delicately, relieving the tension as you go along - the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock used to always put a joke in after something terrible happening to remove some of the tension before building it back again - until by then the paranoia has set in and the audience is helpless against what you are about to show them.
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