Animal Kingdom (2010)

For independent research into thrillers, I watched the movie 'Animal Kingdom'.

'Animal Kingdom' is an Australian crime thriller directed by David Michôd. It was released in 2010  and follows the story of 17 year old Josh Cody (J) whose mother dies of a heroin overdose right at the start of the film. We see J watching TV looking very bored with his mother sitting next to him when she overdoses and the audience learns that J may be used to death to close family members due to him being very emotionless of his mothers death. He then has to move in with his Grandmother Janine Cody (Smurf)
who is the matriarch of the notorious Melbourne Cody family who are associated with armed robbery's and drug dealing. They are under close surveillance by the police.

The films tone is set by the opening title sequence as we see a selection of CCTV camera stills of armed men in banks, possibly being carried out by the Cody's. The blurry stills of the armed robbers sees them wear masks which look like sea creatures or insects which suggests that they might be in some sort of evolutionary disaster which could wipe them out. When the title 'Animal Kingdom' appears on top of a picture with 3 lions engraved, the lion in the center is standing much taller than the other 2 suggesting that this lion has much more significance (which connotes the Cody family, with the character Andrew 'Pope' Cody being a dangerous sociopath, the most notorious of the family). Just from the opening sequence we can expect this film to be about crime and a 'pack of lions' - the pack of lions being the Cody family because of the family being so fierce, wild and unpredictable.

The Cody family are a generic convention of what is seen in the thriller genre. Including J, the Cody family have dark pasts which include immoral acts. Also another generic convention which is seen in the thriller genre is the family doing various black-market activities, such as arms and drug taking and dealing. We also have Janine Cody being a very deviant women. Other generic conventions include: characters being on the run from the police, the police themselves, the death of innocent victims and romantic triangles leading to murder.

The generic locations the director uses within the film are mainly claustrophobic areas to establish the genre. For example we have the Cody's home being claustrophobic, also the home is dirty suggesting that the people who live there are dirty and don't care about what they do. Another part within the film where the director uses a small area is when J has to go into witness protection and the motel. Next another generic location within the film is the use of open locations, for example when Craig Cody (the middle brother) is on the run from the police he goes to a very dry, dead open location connoting that he is very vulnerable to danger.  We also have the props which are generic to thrillers e.g. Guns.

Following the generic locations, we have the generic aspects of lighting. In the photo of the claustrophobic space of the home, the lighting is very dim, connoting dark people live within it. Also the sequence when J's girlfriend is murdered has very dark lighting; we focus much more on the characters and their actions rather than the environment around them. We also notice that the colors worn by the characters are plain and dark. This scene is very emotional and has power to it due to it being shot in slow motion.










Camera angles/shots

Throughout 'Animal Kingdom' many close up shots are used on the main characters so that the audience can keep in touch with their emotions. An example of a close up would be the sequence when Craig is on the run  and spots the police coming. By this close up we can see that Craig is feeling deep fear. Another scene is when J encounters Pope, by this close up of J we can see that J is in worry as well as fear. The audience also notices that J is in an open and vulnerable location.


A generic camera shot to establish the genre used in the film are vanishing points. The image below is from the sequence when the two police men go to inspect a suspected stolen car. The policemen are driving into grave danger. Another vanishing point shot would be when J gets away from Pope, the camera goes out of focus and becomes blurry.

The film also has many point of view shots. The majority of these point of view shots are done from view of the main character who is J. These are used to put the audience in the eyes of the character. An example of a point of view shot is one of the last sequences of the film.

Point of view shot

Close up of J 

Over the shoulder shot 

Close up of Craig after noticing
the police

Vanishing point

Vanishing point of J running from Pope

Intertextuality in Pulp Fiction (unfinished)

Intertextuality is the relationship between texts, cross referencing them. This is done a lot in film. Quentin Tarantino makes countless references in the movie Pulp Fiction (1994) the film creates a world of cross references from films so that the audience can recognize them and keep entertained.

In Pulp Fiction there are clear references and some which are not so obvious.

To begin with we have the character Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman). Her haircut is styled in that of the same way of Louis Brookes, in Pandora's Box (1929 G.W. Pabst).

Another intertextual reference in Pulp Fiction would be that of when Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) goes back into the basement to save Marsellus. He picks up several weapons and considers which weapon to use. Butch picks up a hammer, then a baseball bat, then a chainsaw, and finally a samurai sword. This is a reference to horror cinema and the most obvious film being 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (Tobe Hooper, 1974). The samurai sword is also a reference to Japenese samurai cinema. The other weapons being a bit too vague to reference.

'The Lady in the Lake' - Novel (Unfinished)

'The Lady in the Lake' - Novel

'The Lady in the Lake' is a fictional novel written by Raymond Chandler. It is set in the 1940's and is about a private investigator, Phillip Marlowe. The novel has been made into a film noir adaptation directed by Robert Montgomery. The novel is about a wealthy businessman named Derace Kingsley, who hires Marlow (LA private detective) to find his wife who has mysteriously gone missing called Crystal Kingsley. 

One of the main characters in the book named Mildred Haviland is a perfect example of a devious femme fatale. She is a murderer and takes the role of having three different identities in the novel (identity being a key theme). She is very manipulative (she marries a man named Bill Chess under the identity of being called Muriel and fakes her love and care to him), she is also cold hearted and charms her way through the story. What make Mildred Haviland such a devious and numb character is that she adopts having three personas and also is not scared to betray the ones 'close' to her, in a way betraying an individual is much worst than betraying a group because it causes much more personal harm. 

Notes on ‘Heavenly Creatures’

Notes on ‘Heavenly Creatures’

‘Heavenly Creatures’ is a film based on a true story directed by Peter Jackson. It is about the notorious 1954 Parker-Hulme murder case in Christchurch, New Zealand which was murder case in which Honora Rieper was murdered by her teenage daughter, Pauline Parker, and her best friend, Juliet Hulme and this is what Peter Jacked based the film on. The film was released in 1994 and in a review from Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times) he said ‘What makes Jackson's film enthralling and frightening is the way it shows these two unhappy girls, creating an alternative world so safe and attractive they thought it was worth killing for’. The demographic that found the film most appealing were females aged 30-44 however can see why teenage girls would like this movie as well, due to the very close friendship the girls have.

The film has a circular narrative (it ends where it starts) and is told in a flashback.

The soundtrack being played is the ‘Humming Chorus’ which is an inter-textual reference Madama Butterfly, a grand opera.  The two girls (the main characters) are planned to be separated because of their unhealthy relationship, giving up their friendship. This links to Madama Butterfly because Butterfly has to give up her son; they are both tragedies between mother and child.  The soundtrack also contradicts the action creating a huge climax and upsetting.

Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly and Madama Butterfly final scene (second clip)

When the girls and the mother are in the cafe there is the use of shot reverse shot which is used to show two people in a conversation or looking at each other. Next there is the use of point of view shots to position the audience with the characters; this engages the audience with the characters emotions. The final scenes are also slowed down to create a suspense atmosphere. This also emphasizes the final times of the mother’s life which allows the audience to predict a horrific act.

The location the final scene is in is very isolated suggesting that there are very few ways out. Peter Jackson challenges the generic conventions in the film by having the film based on two middle class well bred 15 and 16 year old girls.

 The clocks in the movie also play a role by telling us where certain characters are at certain times 

When the three walk down the enclosed rural path, the audience notice that the mother is in-between the two girls. This connotes that the mother is the center of their problems and also implies that the mother is intercepting their future plans. 

Preliminary Task - Final Cut

Femme Fatale

What is a femme fatale?

The definition of a femme fatale is an attractive and seductive woman, esp. one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her. Femme fatale is a French word and means a dangerous woman. They are glamorous and use their attractiveness to their advantage, they're also devious characters who are usually the brains behind the 'bad guy' however femme fatale can also mean that a woman is the victim and are vulnerable in a world they can't escape from due maybe to a relationship with a villainous character. For example the character Eve in 'Once Upon a Time in America' is in a relationship with a gangster named Noodles and ends up dead within the first scene due to being caught up in a dangerous world. Pearls are often asscociated with a femme fatale such as a pearl neck-less or another piece of jewellery becuase pearls symbolize tears also supporting the point that they are stuck in a dangerous world which they are unable to escape from.

Although femme fatale's are devious and portray to be confident characters, they are almost always seen to be luring women who are very seductive, and by using their attractive looks they can get men and lead them into hazardous situations.

This is the 'hardcore' femme fatale Lisbeth Salander from 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

Lisbeth Salander is a social misfit who is an expert in computer hacking. She is a very independent woman who is deeply troubled however is intelligent and uses her intelligence and violence to get her self out of crisis. Her appearance (being tattoos, spiky hair and a lot of piercings) gives those who encounter her to misjudge and stereotype her. She uses her skill and intelligence with technology to solve crimes and can in ways be related to Sherlock Holmes who has inspired fictional detectives who came after him.

What is the thriller genre and how is it different to the action-adventure genre?

What is the thriller genre and how is it different to the action-adventure genre?

The thriller genre aims to keep aims to keep audiences on the edge of theirs eats in film or television. It uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers tend to be adrenaline rushing and gritty and have a sense of realism in them. They also don’t tend to be set in the future but there is the exception of films like ‘Blade Runner’ which is. The genre can be split into many sub genres, which all contain the same elements but rely on a different theme or setting. For example, psychological thriller's focus on the battle between the main characters mental and emotional state as opposed to the conflict between a real antagonistic entities such as a stalker or gang member. Thrillers also usually have a character lead and complex narrative. Like mentioned before, thrillers have a sense of realism as opposed to the action adventure genre which has less realism and has an action lead. The audiences for thrillers would be an adult aged 18 plus males. The lead roles in thrillers have a trend of being males however some directors have female leading roles for example Tarantino has a female lead role in ‘Jackie Brown’ and both of the ‘Kill Bill’ films by doing this Tarantino has challenged the generic representations of females and their roles. By challenging the generic convention this also develops the thriller genre to have more female leading roles rather than males.

The action-adventure genre has a sense of no realism, for example characters usually defy gravity and survive huge falls or get themselves out of very unlikely situations.  They have an action lead and focuses mainly on action such as fighting scenes or car chases. The narrative of a lot of action-adventure films is also linear and they have an action hero. Films such as ‘Quantum of Solace’ and ‘Casino Royale’ are hard to distinguish weather they are thrillers or action-adventure, however one could say they are more towards the action-adventure genre because of the action lead and James Bond being an action hero. Following this the action-adventure genre target audience is about 12-18 boys because of the action and that age group being related to action and video games. Thrillers rely more on dialogue than the action genre.

An example of a thriller would be ‘Shallow Grave’ in which three flatmates discover their new flatmate dead but has a suitcase full of money. The three decide to keep the money and not report their new flatmates death, so dispose of his corpse. 

A clip from 'Casino Royale' which shows how it is nearer to the action-adventure genre than a thriller

Once Upon a Time in America opening scene analysis

Once Upon a Time in America opening scene analysis 

Once Upon a Time in America is a film set in the 1930s during the end of the alcohol prohibition (1920-1933) directed by Sergio Leone in 1984. The film pays tribute to classic 1940s films such as 'The Deer Hunter'. 

At the beginning of the film, the use of non-diegetic sound of 'God Bless America' being played over the opening titles and the first few shots suggests that Leone is being ironic and critical of the position of America. The femme fatale is murdered with 'God Bless America' in the background. This is ironic because of the film being about corruption and gang life in the time. Also Leone being an Italian and the femme fatale being shot at over ‘God Bless America’ conveys irony.  

In the first scene we get a close up shot of Eve's face, this shot is effective because it allows the audience to identify a characters emotions. The audience can immediately see that Eve is a femme fatale because of her pearl neck-less (symbolizing tears), he glamorous face and hair.

Next Eve then proceeds to turn a lamp on. Non-ambient lighting is used and this shows that the character is vulnerable when used in dark places or night time. As we can see the camera is still as a close up shot of Eve's face and due to the light we get a different tone on Eve's skin implying further that she is a femme fatale because of the shade of light en-lighting her elegance.





Afterwards Eve then lifts up the bed covers and there is an outline of a body done using bullet holes, this refers to when a body outline is drawn using chalk after a death usually done by the police. This may also suggest that police are involved in this. This also is an indication to Eve that there is danger and possible death to someone close or even herself. Then there is a high-angle shot which implies that Eve is very vulnerable at this point.

This shot contains three men wearing trilby hats and long trench coats and holding guns. The audience ask the question to who are these men, are they gangsters or policemen? We later on discover that they are policemen and that these officers are corrupt, they don't take Eve for question but put her on the spot whilst armed with guns threatening her life. This also focuses on how ironic America is, as it shows police who are supposed to enforce law and help protect society int he best possible way are using unlawful methods making them no better than criminals. Sergio Leone establishes the thriller genre through the costumes the policemen (or detectives) are wearing. The costume of the corrupt detectives reflects the roots of film noir with the trilby hats and overcoats which were the dress code fore men in the 1940's. Garments like trench coats and trilby hats are associated with classic noir thrillers, for example in 'The Big Combo' 

Furthermore in this shot it shows the detectives trapping Eve in a claustrophobic area of the room, which also makes the audience see how corrupt they are. The detectives enclosing Eve tells us that she will not be able to escape. As well as like before with her face, Eve's clothes blend with the lamp and can be seen as  a character in despair due to her having a bright image. The detectives have a more shady image due to the light which suggests how notorious they are.



Finally in this shot we have Eve shot dead by the detectives. All of the detectives are in the frame of the shot which shows they are all responsible for her murder. Leone also represents the traditional femme fatale by Eve being a devious character, shes in a relationship with a gang member, which has lead her to her death. 

Preliminary Task Evaluation

What planning did you do? How was this useful, and how did you change from your plans?

When we were put into our groups and given what our task was to do, we discussed possible ideas for a storyline; we also discussed which camera angles to use and where about we would set our preliminary task. After deciding on which camera angles to use, and where we would set it, we each individually did a storyboard for the planning of the task. Doing a story board individually was useful because it made it easier to understand the camera angles. However when designing our storyboards time wasn't taken into consideration. So we didn't have a time for how long each shot was going to be but to have our footage last roughly around two minutes, we knew if each shot was a bit too long then we could cut it, when editing.

The storyboard helped me most understand what camera angles to use and the location for each shot because it is clear and easy to understand. We had no continuity errors when filming, as we shot it in the double lesson, the reason why it didn't take so long was because of the storyboards, they gave us a good clear idea.

For the conversation me and Dean had the topic of what to say and then improvised what to say, it took a few times to get but wasn't much of a problem. 

What camera skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the cameras and has this confidence changed during the project?

The camera skills I have developed are more confidence in filming. I had never used a video camera before only stills cameras so was something new. I also learnt camera angles and how to hold the camera steady when filming as well as an improvement in shooting and confidence in using the cameras. My confidence in using the cameras during the project has changed a lot although i have had experience using still cameras before.

What editing skills have you developed? How confident are you with using the editing program?

I had no experience in using movie editing software (only software’s such as Photoshop) before the project. So I didn't have much of an idea of how to use it however now I have much more better understanding of how to use it. Although my confidence and ability will get better the more I use it, I am much more confident in using it than I was to start off with. Overall I am pleased with the outcome of our film.

Other comments.

Overall I think our group worked well together and I did not have any major problems, such as continuity. We worked well at sharing ideas and organisation in which roles we did for example who was to be filmed walking, or who was filming which scene. The 180 degree rule was managed  with no trouble. However if I were to repeat the task again then I would include a more of a variety of camera angles.

The Comparison of Marketing of Anna Karenina And

Student Questionnaire

GCSE results:
Science - b
Additional science - c
Astronomy - b
English literature -b
English Language - c
Maths - d
History - c
Geography - c
Philosophy & ethics - b

Hobbies
In my spare time I like to

Media Interests:

Print media:
The newspaper that I normally read is The Guardian, the reason why is because my dad reads it and is just left on my table. I usually just read the sport and other stories which i think look interesting. I also read the TV schedules as well.

Radio Media :
I don't tend to listen to the radio much however I do sometimes listen to the news in the morning due to the radio being left on in the mornings, so I listen to it for information. Another time when I listen to the radio is when in the car and that is usually both entertainment such as live sport, and information.

Music Industry
The genre of music I mostly listen to are genres of electronic music such as drum & bass, electro house, jungle and ragga.

I access my music off the internet because I find it the easiest way to.

My opinion on illegal downloading of music off internet sites is that it is stealing and that the musicians and producers don't get the money they deserve, however I don't see how illegal downloading effects musicians in chart music by a great amount because that is the most popular music around and will still get a lot of money. 

The music industry may influence ones dress, attitudes and aspirations by depending on the genre of music they listen to and their favourite band or singer. They may aspire to be like them and do so by maybe dressing how they dress. The music industry can also influence by how a person dress's by for instance they may wear a t-shirt with a bands name they like on it. 

Video Games: 
My favourite video game is probably Red Dead Redemption. The game is an open world action adventure game set in the American west during the early 1900s.  When playing the game you can interact with the environment and engage in combat with your enemies using a variety of weapons. Horses are the main way of transportation. It's my favourite video game because there isn't a game set during this time period making it different and something new to play. 

Video games may have a negative effect because certain games contain a lot of violence which may  promote it in reality.

New Technology  

Technology has increased my understanding of the world because it's every and you're able to get information whenever you need it, weather through a mobile to a computer. 

The way technology allows me to communicate with others is very quick and easy, also there are several ways to be able to communicate with others such as through texts, or email or through social networking sites like Facebook. Also people are able to communicate through games consoles.

New technology can allow us to access films, the music industry and television programs. The internet is full of websites which allows us to access these. For example we are able catch up on what we've missed on TV through websites like iplayer and 4od. Not only on the internet are we able to catch up on TV programs but you can also record programs and watch them later. The Internet also also allows us to access the music industry through itunes, youtube and also illegal downloading of music. Another way new technology able's us to access the music industry are by MP3 players, people are able to listen to their music wherever. The internet again allows us to view movies both illegally and legally through sites such as Netflix. But also technology allows us to have access to film through portable devices such as ipods. 
Television:
My favourite TV channels are probably BBC3 and e4, I like these channels best because they both have some of my favourite TV series's to watch. 

My favourite television genre is probably either drama or comedy. 

The television programs I find memorable are Misfits, The Inbetweeners, Skins and although its not a TV program i found the 2012 Olympic games very memorable to watch.

Feature Film:
My favourite film genre is either comedy or thriller this is because it depends in the mood I'm in, comedy lightens my mood because they're funny whilst thrillers have action and can be very tense to watch. 

3 films I find outstanding are:
Clockwork Orange 
Pulp Fiction 
Goodfellas 

The way I prefer to consume films is either on the television or the internet.

My favourite cinema is probably Vue because of its position in the city, and me living close to the city it requires little time getting there.

I prefer to watch films by myself unless I'm going to the cinema where I always go with at least one other person. 

Conclusion:

Types of camera shots

Medium Close up 

Close Up

Extreme Close up

Low Angle 

Tilt Shot

Over the Shoulder 

Worms Eye 

Long shot

Birds Eye

High Angle 

Add image from other websites

Embedding a video from YouTube

Introduction

Hi, I'm Sol Goss and this is my AS media blog.