Flowchart of Production
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Sunday, 31 October 2010
Thursday, 28 October 2010
The Gaze (Katy Perry music video)
Marjorie Ferguson -
Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera.
Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown.Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.
Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera.
Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown.Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.
Trevor Millum -
Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.
Music Video -
Our chosen music video is Katy Perry – Teenage Dream, we chose this because it shows a good example of all forms of the gaze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE&ob=av2e (embedding was disabled by request on YouTube)
Our chosen music video is Katy Perry – Teenage Dream, we chose this because it shows a good example of all forms of the gaze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE&ob=av2e (embedding was disabled by request on YouTube)
This video shows the voyeuristic gaze as the audience like looking at the video, because of the fetishistic aspect. Laura Mulvey says ‘women as image’ and ‘men as bearers of the look’ this is shown through the video as the artist Katy Perry strips, and the men all look at her longingly. However Mulvey’s theory fails to account for the female audience as she focuses on the average heterosexual male. Another criticism of her theory is that since the 1980s the public have become more accepting of sexualisation within the media of male bodies; this is shown in the video as there are a variety of shots showing the main man topless. This is also shown when all actors strip in the sea and play fight.
Marjorie Fergusons theories also apply in Katy Perry’s video, for example the chocolate box is shown throughout, with many full and half smiles. During many clips of the video there are romantic and sexual gazes, this accentuates the fact that she’s definitely ‘available’.
This video also uses the care free gaze by Trevor Millum, this is shown at the very start when the two main characters are in the car, the girls hair is flowing in the wind this gives the impression she is an ‘outdoor girl’. The seductive gaze is also applied during a particular slow part of the song involving a sexual scene; the darkness of the room links to why their eyes are half open, the mood of the scene is also shown through their body language.
Marjorie Fergusons theories also apply in Katy Perry’s video, for example the chocolate box is shown throughout, with many full and half smiles. During many clips of the video there are romantic and sexual gazes, this accentuates the fact that she’s definitely ‘available’.
This video also uses the care free gaze by Trevor Millum, this is shown at the very start when the two main characters are in the car, the girls hair is flowing in the wind this gives the impression she is an ‘outdoor girl’. The seductive gaze is also applied during a particular slow part of the song involving a sexual scene; the darkness of the room links to why their eyes are half open, the mood of the scene is also shown through their body language.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Representations
The Gaze:
The gaze was described in the 1970's as the way viewers look at images of people in any visual medium. The 'male gaze' is the feminists usual response to the voyeuristic way in which men look at women, as though they're there to look at and not to contribute. In 1998 Jonathan Schroeder said, "the gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze." He is literally saying that there are always meanings behind a gaze whether it's at another person or aimlessly into the distance, there is always a power within it.
Forms of the gaze -
Spectator: the viewer
Intra-diegetic: longingly
Direct address: from within
Camera: usually in place of the other character
Bystander: glance of a passer by
Audience within a text: advert (audience gaze)
The camera gaze means that there is use of the fourth wall (the audience), the actor literally looking or talking to the camera engages a personal audience response.
Direction of gaze -
Towards... others
oneself
object(s)
reader/camera
middle distance (not direct/beyond the audience)
Laura Mulvey talks about the 'male gaze' and the "visual pleasure and narrative cinema" this means the active male or the passive female. 'Woman as image' and 'man as "bearer of the look."' She also brings the idea of voyeuristic, which means to enjoy looking at the gaze and fetishistic which is the idea that 'sex sells' and if the picture is sexy or appealing then it will receive more responses.
Criticisms of Mulvey are that she has failed to account for the female spectator within her research, she typically looks at the spectator being only a hetrosexual male which in itself ignores all ideas of diversity. Lastly, since the 1980's there have been an increasing display and sexualisation of the male body in mainstream cinema, television and adverts. This is because the modern generation have learnt to accept the theory that 'sex sells' and they know this is the main source of advertisement.
As a class we looked at underwear adverts by Calvin Klein, firstly a menswear one, of Freddie Ljungberg, who is a well known Arsenal player from Sweden.
We were asked to comment on everything within the photographic advert. I said that his hair looked masculine as it's a short, practical cut; his abs and general body shape also looked masculine and toned causing the audience to jump to the conclusion that his sexuality is straight. The 'look' in his eyes and faces shows determined, intense thoughts and his eyes look very inviting as though he's looking directly at the viewer; Ljungberg's jawline is also very chiselled which makes him look like a 'pretty boy' but all of his other features seem masculine. His lips look slightly pouted and posed for the photograph, this suggests a seductive image; the stubble on his face also looks manly and rugged. The background of the photo is a firey red colour, therefore this comes across as dangerous, sexual, romantic and hot, we also discussed that it reflects his football team colour, Arsenal. The bar his right hand is holding onto above him looks like a pull-up bar which highlights that he could have been working out, his arm is also tensed making him look manly and toned. The tattoo on the right side of his body is of a wild black cat, this could come across to the audience as daring and that he can take pain 'like a man', it is also in a sexual place on his body which is appealing to some women. The underwear he's modelling for the advert is plain black with the Calvin Klein logo on the waistband of them, they are a tight fit which is also appealing to women. From what you can see of the pubic area where his fist pulls his underwear down a little, we can see his tan line and that he's shaven, which suggests cleanliness. The hand in a fist position holding his underwear has a lot of inflamed veins which could also mean he was working out beforehand. He is wearing a necklace which could be a religious thing, or a personal and sensitive necklace with a meaning behind it. His necklace rests on his chest, which looks sweaty and shiny, this could suggest a post coital image, again using the idea that 'sex sells'. The general look in his eyes engages the reader and attracts attention to him, the focal point of the advert is him as a whole, there is nothing that particularly stands out.
We then went on to look at a girl version of the advert, featuring Eva Mendes, a famous actress known for being in 'Hitch'.
The 'look' in her face and eyes, I believe, shows that she knows she looks good, it also suggests that she's distracted and disinterested in anyone else's thoughts. Her fair is long which shows femininity, it's wet and messy which could mean she'd been in the shower or swimming pool beforehand. He legs are long, tanned, toned and slim which attracts a man's eyes from a voyeuristic point of view and attracts women's attention from a jealous point of view. Her stance is confident in both images, in the first one, one of her legs is turned outwards revealing more of her body and showing off the underwear, the second he has her hands on her hips and has a wide stance with her feet - standing her ground. Her arms look too thin from some angles but again show confidence within her stance, her body could be described as 'the perfect body' by some people but by others she looks 'too skinny'. The lingerie she's modelling isn't particularly attractive or sexy so Calvin Klein have tried to make it more appealing by the way they've captured the photographs. She's wearing high-heeled shoes with lingerie which makes no sense in the real world, but this also adds to confidence and causes her legs to look longer and slimmer, the shoes aren't the main focus so they are plain. The confidence that Mendes has in these images suggests that she's trying to make other women feel confident in their underwear, her legs are dominant in the picture so the viewer would look at her long legs and the way she's standing and immediately think that she's a confident and dominant woman. In contrast to this, her stance could simply mean that she knows she looks amazing and her body is slim and perfect.
The three images as a whole show good examples of fetishistic aspects and how 'sex sells' is definitely true as more and more adverts are becoming sex oriented.
The gaze was described in the 1970's as the way viewers look at images of people in any visual medium. The 'male gaze' is the feminists usual response to the voyeuristic way in which men look at women, as though they're there to look at and not to contribute. In 1998 Jonathan Schroeder said, "the gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze." He is literally saying that there are always meanings behind a gaze whether it's at another person or aimlessly into the distance, there is always a power within it.
Forms of the gaze -
Spectator: the viewer
Intra-diegetic: longingly
Direct address: from within
Camera: usually in place of the other character
Bystander: glance of a passer by
Audience within a text: advert (audience gaze)
The camera gaze means that there is use of the fourth wall (the audience), the actor literally looking or talking to the camera engages a personal audience response.
Direction of gaze -
Towards... others
oneself
object(s)
reader/camera
middle distance (not direct/beyond the audience)
Laura Mulvey talks about the 'male gaze' and the "visual pleasure and narrative cinema" this means the active male or the passive female. 'Woman as image' and 'man as "bearer of the look."' She also brings the idea of voyeuristic, which means to enjoy looking at the gaze and fetishistic which is the idea that 'sex sells' and if the picture is sexy or appealing then it will receive more responses.
Criticisms of Mulvey are that she has failed to account for the female spectator within her research, she typically looks at the spectator being only a hetrosexual male which in itself ignores all ideas of diversity. Lastly, since the 1980's there have been an increasing display and sexualisation of the male body in mainstream cinema, television and adverts. This is because the modern generation have learnt to accept the theory that 'sex sells' and they know this is the main source of advertisement.
As a class we looked at underwear adverts by Calvin Klein, firstly a menswear one, of Freddie Ljungberg, who is a well known Arsenal player from Sweden.
We were asked to comment on everything within the photographic advert. I said that his hair looked masculine as it's a short, practical cut; his abs and general body shape also looked masculine and toned causing the audience to jump to the conclusion that his sexuality is straight. The 'look' in his eyes and faces shows determined, intense thoughts and his eyes look very inviting as though he's looking directly at the viewer; Ljungberg's jawline is also very chiselled which makes him look like a 'pretty boy' but all of his other features seem masculine. His lips look slightly pouted and posed for the photograph, this suggests a seductive image; the stubble on his face also looks manly and rugged. The background of the photo is a firey red colour, therefore this comes across as dangerous, sexual, romantic and hot, we also discussed that it reflects his football team colour, Arsenal. The bar his right hand is holding onto above him looks like a pull-up bar which highlights that he could have been working out, his arm is also tensed making him look manly and toned. The tattoo on the right side of his body is of a wild black cat, this could come across to the audience as daring and that he can take pain 'like a man', it is also in a sexual place on his body which is appealing to some women. The underwear he's modelling for the advert is plain black with the Calvin Klein logo on the waistband of them, they are a tight fit which is also appealing to women. From what you can see of the pubic area where his fist pulls his underwear down a little, we can see his tan line and that he's shaven, which suggests cleanliness. The hand in a fist position holding his underwear has a lot of inflamed veins which could also mean he was working out beforehand. He is wearing a necklace which could be a religious thing, or a personal and sensitive necklace with a meaning behind it. His necklace rests on his chest, which looks sweaty and shiny, this could suggest a post coital image, again using the idea that 'sex sells'. The general look in his eyes engages the reader and attracts attention to him, the focal point of the advert is him as a whole, there is nothing that particularly stands out.
We then went on to look at a girl version of the advert, featuring Eva Mendes, a famous actress known for being in 'Hitch'.
The 'look' in her face and eyes, I believe, shows that she knows she looks good, it also suggests that she's distracted and disinterested in anyone else's thoughts. Her fair is long which shows femininity, it's wet and messy which could mean she'd been in the shower or swimming pool beforehand. He legs are long, tanned, toned and slim which attracts a man's eyes from a voyeuristic point of view and attracts women's attention from a jealous point of view. Her stance is confident in both images, in the first one, one of her legs is turned outwards revealing more of her body and showing off the underwear, the second he has her hands on her hips and has a wide stance with her feet - standing her ground. Her arms look too thin from some angles but again show confidence within her stance, her body could be described as 'the perfect body' by some people but by others she looks 'too skinny'. The lingerie she's modelling isn't particularly attractive or sexy so Calvin Klein have tried to make it more appealing by the way they've captured the photographs. She's wearing high-heeled shoes with lingerie which makes no sense in the real world, but this also adds to confidence and causes her legs to look longer and slimmer, the shoes aren't the main focus so they are plain. The confidence that Mendes has in these images suggests that she's trying to make other women feel confident in their underwear, her legs are dominant in the picture so the viewer would look at her long legs and the way she's standing and immediately think that she's a confident and dominant woman. In contrast to this, her stance could simply mean that she knows she looks amazing and her body is slim and perfect.
The three images as a whole show good examples of fetishistic aspects and how 'sex sells' is definitely true as more and more adverts are becoming sex oriented.
Monday, 25 October 2010
Sunday, 24 October 2010
Warp Films: Fact Sheet
Every time I upload this it's wonky, I wanted to upload it to show that I've done it for now anyway... I'll sort it out
Warp Films Fact Sheet
Warp Films Fact Sheet
Shameless Representation -
Stereotypical sexuality:
Gay man - camp, limp wristed, mincing walk, muscular, gay couple (one butch, one camp), loud, flamboyant, loves themselves
Straight man - insensitive, loves boobs, reads lad magazines, drinks beer, unhealthy, metrosexual (takes care of ones appearance, but is straight) - metrosexuality is becoming more and more popular among youths.
Stereotypical regional identity:
North - poorer, pubs and clubs, smaller houses (except for Cheshire etc), working class, accent - shortened words, tracksuits, uneducated, heavy drinkers, 1980's style, funny, naturally witty
South - richer, country clubs, golf clubs, big country estates/houses, upper class, proper English, suits, flat caps, sweater vests, gay, yachts, coastal lifestyles, extra money, cultured (museums, galleries)
After listing the characteristics of sexuality and regional identities we watched Shameless series 1, episode 1 as a class, this was an excellent example of a northern society living in a typical council estate area in Manchester in the present day, this episode was first aired in 2004. Sexuality runs throughout the episode showing the difference between straight and gay from the very first scene.
In the opening of the episode, the audience are introduced to the Gallaghers, first of all with Frank, the father of the family, however his appearance and attitude towards life aren't typically fatherly. His voice then narrates about the children, firstly Fiona, the eldest, she is described as a 'massive help', secondly Lip, he is described as 'gobby' which explains why no one calls him Phillip, and he goes by the nickname, 'Lip'. Then there's Ian, who we're told is 'a lot like his Mam', followed by Carl who comes across as a crazy child, likes to do what he wants all of the time, then Debbie, who Frank describes as being 'sent from God' which insinuates that she's a goody two shoes and likes to help everybody all of the time, and finally, Liam the youngest, who looks adorably cute, but seems as though he could be a lot of trouble for a small child. The clip then goes on to show the community around a fire, which turns out to be a car that one of them has set alight, the police then stop their fun and they all run away, very suspiciously and guiltily.
There are two brothers in the family, Lip and Ian, they are very different, Lip is straight - the normal stereotypical boy, keeps photos of naked women by his bed; Ian is gay, and Lip finds his stash of gay porn in their shared bedroom. Obviously at first Ian is embarrassed and doesn't know what to do with himself when Lip confronts him about it, for a poor family on a council estate to have a gay son wasn't the most common occurrence.
There were many hints that Ian was gay before Lip found his folder of gay porn photos, he had a Kylie Minogue poster about his bed, he's not ashamed of crying (which most straight guys are) however he's not visually stereotypical at all, but then he wouldn't be able to afford designer clothes (typical of gay men) as they live in a council house in Manchester. Lip however gives off the stereotype of being straight immediately, he has sexual encounters more often than Ian does, he makes humour out of them and tells all his friends - he also boasts about it and exaggerates to make it sound more incredible than it was.
The other couple featured in the clip of the episode that we watched are Steve and Fiona, Fiona meets Steve at a club one night, they both expect it to be a 'one night stand' it seems, Steve goes out of his way to bump into her outside and then offers to get Fiona and her friend a drink. Instead, he goes back to Fiona's house with her and they end up having a literal, 'one night stand'.
The viewer immediately knows that these two characters are both straight, firstly as they're both attracted to each other, and you can see this through body language and speech. Steve has a low level of speech when he speaks to Fiona when they're alone, there is romantic music playing while he speaks to her; Fiona makes 'random noises' during their sexual encounter, the script writer has used intertexuality from Monty Python, as this originally happened in this previous film.
The viewer immediately knows that these two characters are both straight, firstly as they're both attracted to each other, and you can see this through body language and speech. Steve has a low level of speech when he speaks to Fiona when they're alone, there is romantic music playing while he speaks to her; Fiona makes 'random noises' during their sexual encounter, the script writer has used intertexuality from Monty Python, as this originally happened in this previous film.
The regional identity is mainly shown within their accents, they all have northern Manchester accents to show where their from, and they live on the 'Chatsworth Estate' which at the start we see in detail. It doesn't look like the type of place that a rich person would live in, or even visit for a start; their clothing also looks like hand-me-downs or maybe jumpers Frank's had for ten or more years. Plus Frank's a single father as the mother ran off years ago, this then causes Fiona to become like a mother figure, particularly to Carl, Debbie and Liam as they're not old enough to care for themselves fully. This could be another stereotypical factor of the north, that there are more single parent families than in the south, also in the north there are more children than the south.
The mise en scène within the episode shows simply the area where they're from, giving the advantages and disadvantages purely visually. The lighting is bright making it look like a happy atmosphere during the opening, however the sun isn't out which reflects on the weather stereotypically being more sunny and warmer in the south than the north. The houses and blocks of flats seem small and cheap as the area is catering for the poorer majority of Manchester, this shows typical council houses all over the country. The camera angles at the very beginning when Frank falls to the floor show the audience what his children can see when they're looking down on him as they all gather above him, this then switches quickly to what Frank would be seeing if he looked up at them. This is vital as it shows continuity and makes the cinematography look clean and sleek.
TV Drama-Generic Conventions
You will find that TV dramas all have the following ingredients:
Characters – even particular kinds of characters: eg, at its most simple, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters.
Stories – they all tell stories, whether those stories involve adventure, crime or romance and they often, but not always, end happily.
The stories are told against familiar backdrops: – eg, homes, police stations and offices (for crime dramas), hospitals (for medical dramas) – most of which are created in studios. However, most dramas also use outside locations to create particular effects.
Camerawork – particular kinds of shots are used: eg, sequences involving establishing shots followed by mid-shots of characters, shot/reverse shots to show character interaction and, in particular,close-ups to show the characters’ emotions.
Stories use dialogue to tell the stories. Occasionally, monologues are built in (as voiceovers, a character telling a story).
Music is used to punctuate the action, create effects (suspense, tension) and underline emotional moments.
Particular subgenres tend to have items which make them immediately identifiable – police cars, blue lights, operating theatres and scalpels, triage/reception areas in hospitals. Icons of the genre, they symbolise the (sub)genre.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
Rushmore
'Rushmore' (1998) is directed by Wes Anderson, he is well known for his work and has been described as an auteur, meaning his work is very recognisable and he has a good visual style.
As a class we watched the opening of Rushmore and focused on the main character, Max Fischer, we had to discuss our thoughts on whether he is a stereotypical teenager, we all agreed on the answer 'no'. This was because as we watched the opening it showed him taking part in every single club at Rushmore College. He tries everything possible in life to find something he excels in, this isn't the behaviour of the average stereotypical teenager, they're usually described as lazy. Max also dresses formally in his suit and tie every day with evenly combed hair and glasses, the stereotypical teenager would wear comfortable clothes and try and fit in with the latest fashion trends.
There is a montage sequence within Rushmore, this means that a short section of the film shows time passing quickly and the events within this time, the montage is usually accompanied by a suitable song. From watching the montage, we find out that Max may well participate in every club and more, but he is no good at anything he does. For example, he's the leader and founder of every team and club, however he's only on a yellow belt in karate, he's only flown for 4.5 hours in the flying club, he's the second conductor in the choir.
At the start of the montage it shows the Rushmore school journal cover, there are decorative bees flying upwards on one side of the journal cover, this could represent that he 'flies' from one activity to another leaving a trace of him behind in each group, just like a bee with pollen from flowers. Equally it could suggest that he's 'as busy as a bee' or that he is 'the bee's knees' which also stands out as not being the stereotypical teenager. My last thought on the meaning of the bees is that they could portray his hopeful attitude as they're flying upwards to the sky, insinuating Max's dreams as he looks up and imagines what life would be like if he excelled in something.
The music playing through the montage is 'The Creation - Making Time' the style of song is happy and hopeful, but also there is a lot going on instrument-wise within this piece of music, this could link to the fact a lot is going on in Max's life. The reason his life has so much going on in it is because he's part of 18 school clubs and teams:
Yankee review Publisher - he leads the others, and is dressed smarter than the other members of the school newspaper team.
French Club President - he is wearing his school suit with a red beret and sash to symbolise his role.
Model United Nations - he's representing Russia, which is a country with power - he has power over Mexico and India on each side of him in the meeting.
Stamp and Coin club Vice President - this is unusual for typical teenagers, is he the only member?
Debate Team Captain - Max is an outsider, wearing his school suit - no one else is... money?
Lacrosse Team Management - in his school uniform on the side of the pitch, sat next to the jocks of the school, organising some equipment.
Calligraphy club - president, perfectionist work, alone in the club?
Astronomy society - founder, wearing the red beret, holding the books whilst everyone looks through telescopes.
Fencing Team Captain - school chinos and fencing gear, looks content with the team (it's a rich boy's sport)
Track and Field JV. Decathlon - no one else runs with him, you would expect to see the whole team behind him, alone.
2nd Chorale Choirmaster - wearing the school suit, feels like a leader.
Bombardment Society Founder - posh name for dodge ball, still wearing his suit uniform whilst playing.
Kung Fu Club - yellow belt, which is one of the first stages within Kung Fu, he's the eldest member with the lowest position.
Trap and Skeet club founder - (clay pigeon shooting in England) wearing his suit, has correct headphones and a wingman though.
Rushmore beekeeping - president of the club, there are two members including himself.
Go-karting - wearing the beret from the French club, three people are going around the circuit, he has a rubbish go-kart compared to the rest... money?
Max Fischer Players - a drama club, he named it after himself - leaving his trace.
Piper Cub Club - flying club, 4.5 hours (amateur) wearing traditional scarf and goggles.
The song playing in the background fades out at the end of the montage, the last line of lyrics is 'pulling the wool, acting the fool.' This suggests that the song is relevant to Max's character, he pulls the wool over peoples eyes and makes it look like he knows everything about anything, but he's acting the fool by wearing his suit all the time and generally not being good at anything he does.
As a class we watched the opening of Rushmore and focused on the main character, Max Fischer, we had to discuss our thoughts on whether he is a stereotypical teenager, we all agreed on the answer 'no'. This was because as we watched the opening it showed him taking part in every single club at Rushmore College. He tries everything possible in life to find something he excels in, this isn't the behaviour of the average stereotypical teenager, they're usually described as lazy. Max also dresses formally in his suit and tie every day with evenly combed hair and glasses, the stereotypical teenager would wear comfortable clothes and try and fit in with the latest fashion trends.
There is a montage sequence within Rushmore, this means that a short section of the film shows time passing quickly and the events within this time, the montage is usually accompanied by a suitable song. From watching the montage, we find out that Max may well participate in every club and more, but he is no good at anything he does. For example, he's the leader and founder of every team and club, however he's only on a yellow belt in karate, he's only flown for 4.5 hours in the flying club, he's the second conductor in the choir.
At the start of the montage it shows the Rushmore school journal cover, there are decorative bees flying upwards on one side of the journal cover, this could represent that he 'flies' from one activity to another leaving a trace of him behind in each group, just like a bee with pollen from flowers. Equally it could suggest that he's 'as busy as a bee' or that he is 'the bee's knees' which also stands out as not being the stereotypical teenager. My last thought on the meaning of the bees is that they could portray his hopeful attitude as they're flying upwards to the sky, insinuating Max's dreams as he looks up and imagines what life would be like if he excelled in something.
The music playing through the montage is 'The Creation - Making Time' the style of song is happy and hopeful, but also there is a lot going on instrument-wise within this piece of music, this could link to the fact a lot is going on in Max's life. The reason his life has so much going on in it is because he's part of 18 school clubs and teams:
Yankee review Publisher - he leads the others, and is dressed smarter than the other members of the school newspaper team.
French Club President - he is wearing his school suit with a red beret and sash to symbolise his role.
Model United Nations - he's representing Russia, which is a country with power - he has power over Mexico and India on each side of him in the meeting.
Stamp and Coin club Vice President - this is unusual for typical teenagers, is he the only member?
Debate Team Captain - Max is an outsider, wearing his school suit - no one else is... money?
Lacrosse Team Management - in his school uniform on the side of the pitch, sat next to the jocks of the school, organising some equipment.
Calligraphy club - president, perfectionist work, alone in the club?
Astronomy society - founder, wearing the red beret, holding the books whilst everyone looks through telescopes.
Fencing Team Captain - school chinos and fencing gear, looks content with the team (it's a rich boy's sport)
Track and Field JV. Decathlon - no one else runs with him, you would expect to see the whole team behind him, alone.
2nd Chorale Choirmaster - wearing the school suit, feels like a leader.
Bombardment Society Founder - posh name for dodge ball, still wearing his suit uniform whilst playing.
Kung Fu Club - yellow belt, which is one of the first stages within Kung Fu, he's the eldest member with the lowest position.
Trap and Skeet club founder - (clay pigeon shooting in England) wearing his suit, has correct headphones and a wingman though.
Rushmore beekeeping - president of the club, there are two members including himself.
Go-karting - wearing the beret from the French club, three people are going around the circuit, he has a rubbish go-kart compared to the rest... money?
Max Fischer Players - a drama club, he named it after himself - leaving his trace.
Piper Cub Club - flying club, 4.5 hours (amateur) wearing traditional scarf and goggles.
The song playing in the background fades out at the end of the montage, the last line of lyrics is 'pulling the wool, acting the fool.' This suggests that the song is relevant to Max's character, he pulls the wool over peoples eyes and makes it look like he knows everything about anything, but he's acting the fool by wearing his suit all the time and generally not being good at anything he does.
Production Documentary
We watched a video on the importance of Production teams as a class, we were asked to make notes on each subheading.
Role
The role of the producer is to come up with the original idea, write the main storyline and organise/hire all the other workers such as, editor, director etc. The producer is the centre of everything about the film, they have the job of looking at the bigger picture of everything, they have to be able to let the director visualise the final ideas. Their role is also to protect the director, allow their ideas to be adapted if the director visualises it differently. The order or producing is, developing the film > raising money to cover costings > making the film > marketing the film. The producer must inspire the director with their ideas and script, this is so that the director simply puts the ideas into a practical performance including a beginning, middle and end.
Package
The package consists of 'who' 'how' and 'what'. 'Who' is the cast, who will play each role, casting is extremely important as the actor must fit the specification of the character and the dialogue that the character says. 'How' is how will the film be made, where will it be filmed and how will each scene be linked or staged. 'What' refers to the production team, which areas of production will be covered by which employee etc.
Invest
The production team have to look into costings and what's affordable, such as locations. The UK is cheapest for UK film production teams, but different countries have different rules. There are usually 3 - 10 financiers interested in each film, this means there is more than just one person to pitch your idea to. Having just one funder is easier at the start of production, as you can decide on most things, however once the film is marketed they control what happens from then on.
Plan
The film is broken down scene-by-scene, the crew always film the most difficult scenes first to get them out of the way, they could be difficult because of location, actors or particular props. When casting they have to find actors who understand the idea of the film and match the script and storyline to ensure correct casting. The cinematographer is very important as they are the right hand man within production, they have to film your ideas perfectly as they have the hard job of taking the producer and directors ideas and making them visually connect and link together on camera.
Budget
This means investment, as the film is given a budget by the financiers/investors and the producer has to manage the costs evenly considering location, cast and director and editors wages etc. There are above the line costs, and below the line.
Above the line - The more expensive costs e.g. script writing, cast, screenplay, director, producer, cinematographer
Below the line - The extra small costs e.g. sales people, extras, shooting workers, set-up, set designing, costume, photos
Audience
The production team have to think about:
Which cinemas will the film be showing at? Main cities in England? Smaller cinemas? Global cinemas?
Who is the target audience? Does the genre fit the audience?
These two questions are important to think about whilst marketing the final product of the film. The audience also has to bring in at least the same amount of money as it costed to make the film, this way the investor and all workers gain from being involved in the film.
Marketing
There are additional costs of marketing, such as:
Global marketplace
Cinemas
DVD
TV
Soundtrack
The most important part of marketing, is trying to advertise the film as a 'need-to-see' so that people who watch advertisements on television, or see posters will immediately want to see the film. The difference between the British Film industry and Hollywood produced films is that British production teams start filming as soon as possible, and use instinct ideas, whereas Hollywood production teams plan really far ahead in terms of release dates and where the film will be shown around the world.
Role
The role of the producer is to come up with the original idea, write the main storyline and organise/hire all the other workers such as, editor, director etc. The producer is the centre of everything about the film, they have the job of looking at the bigger picture of everything, they have to be able to let the director visualise the final ideas. Their role is also to protect the director, allow their ideas to be adapted if the director visualises it differently. The order or producing is, developing the film > raising money to cover costings > making the film > marketing the film. The producer must inspire the director with their ideas and script, this is so that the director simply puts the ideas into a practical performance including a beginning, middle and end.
Package
The package consists of 'who' 'how' and 'what'. 'Who' is the cast, who will play each role, casting is extremely important as the actor must fit the specification of the character and the dialogue that the character says. 'How' is how will the film be made, where will it be filmed and how will each scene be linked or staged. 'What' refers to the production team, which areas of production will be covered by which employee etc.
Invest
The production team have to look into costings and what's affordable, such as locations. The UK is cheapest for UK film production teams, but different countries have different rules. There are usually 3 - 10 financiers interested in each film, this means there is more than just one person to pitch your idea to. Having just one funder is easier at the start of production, as you can decide on most things, however once the film is marketed they control what happens from then on.
Plan
The film is broken down scene-by-scene, the crew always film the most difficult scenes first to get them out of the way, they could be difficult because of location, actors or particular props. When casting they have to find actors who understand the idea of the film and match the script and storyline to ensure correct casting. The cinematographer is very important as they are the right hand man within production, they have to film your ideas perfectly as they have the hard job of taking the producer and directors ideas and making them visually connect and link together on camera.
Budget
This means investment, as the film is given a budget by the financiers/investors and the producer has to manage the costs evenly considering location, cast and director and editors wages etc. There are above the line costs, and below the line.
Above the line - The more expensive costs e.g. script writing, cast, screenplay, director, producer, cinematographer
Below the line - The extra small costs e.g. sales people, extras, shooting workers, set-up, set designing, costume, photos
Audience
The production team have to think about:
Which cinemas will the film be showing at? Main cities in England? Smaller cinemas? Global cinemas?
Who is the target audience? Does the genre fit the audience?
These two questions are important to think about whilst marketing the final product of the film. The audience also has to bring in at least the same amount of money as it costed to make the film, this way the investor and all workers gain from being involved in the film.
Marketing
There are additional costs of marketing, such as:
Global marketplace
Cinemas
DVD
TV
Soundtrack
The most important part of marketing, is trying to advertise the film as a 'need-to-see' so that people who watch advertisements on television, or see posters will immediately want to see the film. The difference between the British Film industry and Hollywood produced films is that British production teams start filming as soon as possible, and use instinct ideas, whereas Hollywood production teams plan really far ahead in terms of release dates and where the film will be shown around the world.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
Lester Burnham - American Beauty
We watched the ten minute opening of 'American Beauty' as a class and were told to analyse the body language, voice and clothing of the character Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey. At the same time we were asked to consider the mise en scene which includes the set, colours, backgrounds and lighting used within the opening.
I wrote down bullet pointed notes about the character:
- 42 years old, American accent, confident and bold
- average body shape of a 40 year old man
- unhappy with his plain life
- gardening obsessed wife, one teenage child - Jane (plain name) - plain life, average
- combed hair, normal businessman suit, nothing special
- mid-life crisis
- defeatist attitude, negativity surrounds him, pessimist, cynical
- looks well off: decent car, big house, big shower, materialistic family, computer etc.
- doesn't love his wife any more, she doesn't either, fading marriage
- Lester himself is fading as a person, his life is complete and he's waiting for it to end
- everything that could possibly go wrong in his life has or will
- monotone American voice, unenthusiastic, same with his body language
- he seems the character who would sigh a lot, bored of his own life
- stereotyping: she drove the car, he was late; she has power and is dominant, he sat in the back of the car asleep like a child
Considering all my notes together sums up the fact that he has had his life and now he's slowly deteriorating until he fades away, he seems the type of person that, after he dies, people will say 'he was a nice man, never said much' about him. The words 'plain' and 'average' were a continuous chain throughout my bullet-points as I wanted to stress how much I thought he has/had an average and boring life.
The colours on set showed a theme of red, white and blue, this shows the continuity of the American flag colours throughout the opening. The backgrounds were very dull, monotone colours and textures, nothing stood out, this could have been to focus the audiences attention on Lester Burnham himself, and to suit his mood and life. Lester is trapped in his own life, there is no way out until he expires, he watches the world go by from his plain bubble in life where nothing happens.
Ultimately, there is no way around his average 'plain Jane' life, so he will have to put up with it until the day he dies.
I wrote down bullet pointed notes about the character:
- 42 years old, American accent, confident and bold
- average body shape of a 40 year old man
- unhappy with his plain life
- gardening obsessed wife, one teenage child - Jane (plain name) - plain life, average
- combed hair, normal businessman suit, nothing special
- mid-life crisis
- defeatist attitude, negativity surrounds him, pessimist, cynical
- looks well off: decent car, big house, big shower, materialistic family, computer etc.
- doesn't love his wife any more, she doesn't either, fading marriage
- Lester himself is fading as a person, his life is complete and he's waiting for it to end
- everything that could possibly go wrong in his life has or will
- monotone American voice, unenthusiastic, same with his body language
- he seems the character who would sigh a lot, bored of his own life
- stereotyping: she drove the car, he was late; she has power and is dominant, he sat in the back of the car asleep like a child
Considering all my notes together sums up the fact that he has had his life and now he's slowly deteriorating until he fades away, he seems the type of person that, after he dies, people will say 'he was a nice man, never said much' about him. The words 'plain' and 'average' were a continuous chain throughout my bullet-points as I wanted to stress how much I thought he has/had an average and boring life.
The colours on set showed a theme of red, white and blue, this shows the continuity of the American flag colours throughout the opening. The backgrounds were very dull, monotone colours and textures, nothing stood out, this could have been to focus the audiences attention on Lester Burnham himself, and to suit his mood and life. Lester is trapped in his own life, there is no way out until he expires, he watches the world go by from his plain bubble in life where nothing happens.
Ultimately, there is no way around his average 'plain Jane' life, so he will have to put up with it until the day he dies.
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