Category: Filmmakers

Posted on in Critical Response & Reception, Cultural Contexts, Filmmakers, Genre, Motifs, Narrative

Textual Analysis Research

Links to the Films

Your Initial Response

Complete one of these documents in preparation

Context / Film Research.

You’ve got one week to conduct the research necessary to help you understand your chosen film:

  • Character Representation
  • Narrative
  • Genre
  • Visual Style
  • Historical Context
  • Critical Reception (Reviews)

By the end of the week you will submit a proposed sequence from your film as well as an essay question which will help you focus on the sequence as well as link your ideas to the whole film. You should take a copy of this document to record the research that you undertake this week.

Some Sources to Get you Started

Days of Heaven

Lighting in Days of Heaven

Days of Heaven Close Analysis

Reference: Zucker, C. (2001) ‘ “God Don’t Even Hear You,” or Paradise Lost: Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven.”’, Literature Film Quarterly, 29(1), p. 2.

Akira

Nerdwriter (Animating Light)

20 Years of Japanese Cinema – Media Magazine Article

Reference: Ramey, M, 2009. Cinema of Japan. Media Magazine, 27, 7-12.

La Haine

Structure, culture and cinematography.

Ghetto Culture – Media Magazine Article

Reference:  Turner, P, 2011. Ghetto Culture. Media Magazine, 35, 19-22.

Posted on in Director, Filmmakers, Production Roles

Directing 101

The director is best though of as the conductor of the film orchestra.

He or she will direct all the heads of department in order to realise her or his vision, which is inspired by the screenplay.

The director must develop creative collaborations with key personnel. The…

  • Production Designer (Costume, Props, Set, Hair & Make-Up)
  • Cinematographer
  • Editor
  • Sound effects and Foley
  • Music composers
  • Actors

In this (Stolen) task the director will be responsible for:

Pre-Production
  • Annotating the Screenplay
  • Agreeing Shot list & Storyboard
  • Collaborating on character design
Production (Filming)
  • Discussing the shot set up with the cinematographer
  • Blocking the action
  • Giving actors direction on body language and delivery of their lines.
    • Remember to think of their motivation (wants and needs)
      • Where these are in conflict we have drama!
Post Production
  • Agreeing a sound spotting list with sound designer, feeding back on drafts & signing off final draft.
  • Agreeing an instrumentation and tone with music designer (Temp Score), feeding back a& signing off final score.
  • Collaborating with editor on final cut and agreeing completion.
Independent Study P1

Watch this video from 02.45 to the end….so basically all of it!

How does blocking change a scene? If you were director how would you block the movement of the actors / camera?

Here is a Masterclass in Blocking

Giving notes to actors

Posted on in Critical Response & Reception, Cultural Contexts, Film Macro Elements, Filmmakers

The Batman – Dark Ideologies

TASK

Read, discuss, understand this key note article on Batman by Pete Turner.

  1. Some important terminology to define before we read:
    • Ideology
    • Socio-Political Context
    • Vigilante
    • Dominant Hegemony
    • Authoritarianism
    • Dichotomy
  2. Read the article aloud around the class.
  3. Stop/start discussion on the article and specific sections of it:
    1. Vigilantism, justice and vengeance
    2. By any means necessary – the tactics of Batman
    3. Inequality in Gotham
    4. The masses
  4. Complete notes on the article during the discussion
  5. Highlight key quotes from the article to use in next week’s essay
  6. Generate a Harvard reference for the article to use in the bibliography of the essay
Reflective Journal
  1. Embed article
  2. Summarise in 3-5 Bullet Points
  3. Reflect on the importance of reading articles / reviews on films we are studying (50 words)