Thursday 7 May 2015




Lost River

Directed and written by: Ryan Gosling

Starring: Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Eva Mendes 

Distributed by: Warner Bros.

Release date: April 10th 2015

Budget: $2 million

Box office: $33,050 

Fantasy neo-noir film





IMDb- 5.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes- 30%

Metacritic- 42%

Thursday 23 April 2015

Paddington


Opening weekend: $18,966,676


Domestic so far: $75,499,281


Worldwide: $258,454,824



Based on Paddington's bear which is a fictional character.

Starring: Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville,

Directed By: Paul King

Produced by: David Heyman

Distributed by: StudioCanal

Release date: 28th November 2014

Budget: $50-55 million

PG Rating



Rotten Tomatoes:  98%



IMDb: 7.3/10



Roger Elbert: 3/4

Thursday 4 December 2014

US BLOCKBUSTER

US Blockbuster- Hunger Games: Mockingjay- part 1




Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay: Peter Craig & Danny Strong
Cinematography: Jo Willems
Produced by: Nina Jacobson and John Kilik
Production company: Lionsgate & Color Face
Based on: Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1
Genre: science fiction, thriller
Release date: 21st November (US)
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hensworth
Budget: $250 million (shared with part 2)
Box office (so far): $275 million

 Reviews:


Rotten Tomatoes-              66%


IMDb-                                 7.3/10


Metacritic-                          64%

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1is the last of 'The Hunger Games' that were written by Suzanne Collins and later on were turned into films; this is the latest one that was released on the 21st of November of this year.











Thursday 16 October 2014

The Shining Essay


The Shining Essay.

13-16 minutes long scene.

The scene starts off with the boy playing with red darts.   The red darts could represent danger and death which are both regular conventions of horror.  Darts symbolise violence which could foreshadow suffering in later scenes.  As he goes up to collect the darts the non-diegetic music starts and it sounds like chalk is being dragged or scrapped down a chalk board, which is shown when Danny goes to collect the darts.  Also in the background of this shot you can see a collection of photographs which are all arranged in a way that shows religious symbolism (a cross).  This could then suggest that the film has religious content and could also link back to the fact the hotel was built on an Indian graveyard.  The shot then cuts to two girls dressed exactly the same.  The colour they are wearing (green) could suggest sickness and how it is creeping up on the boy so it is foreshadowing that sickness or psychological issues may come to live later on in the film.  This is part of the mise-en-scene as the performance of both of the girls leads to quite a mysterious atmosphere which causes suspense.  There is also an eye line match between both of the girls and Danny.  This part of the scene makes me feel confused because I don’t know why two girls have spontaneously appeared out of nowhere so it makes me feel uneasy and unable to predict what might happen later on.  As the shot cuts to the next scene the camera tracks backwards following Wendy, Jack and the manager.  In the background there is an ‘EXIT’ sign.  This is part of the mise-en-scene because it could show that they need to get out of the hotel because it will cause many problems for them later on whilst they live there.  It could also imply that they are trapped because now that they are at the hotel they can’t get out and so they are stuck in the hotel with no way of getting out after all of the staff leave.  It could mean that they are in an isolated location and it will not be easy to escape if they are in danger: this is another regular convention of horror.  This relates to a film called ‘A Stranger Calls’ in which Jill finds herself in an isolated setting with no means of getting out or escaping.  The camera also tracks all the way up to their room and when they enter the room there is an establishing shot where you can see the bedrooms and the lounge as they walk in.  The colours of the room are neutral along with the clothes that Wendy and Jack are wearing which could suggest that they blend in to their hotel as if nobody will know they are there once everyone leaves.  The main colour that is present in this scene is green and brown which both suggest sickness and illness, this could foreshadow for later on in the film and is also part of the mise-en-scene.  There is then a straight cut to where you see the characters outside which the camera tracks until they reach the snowplough which is coloured red.  This colour could suggest danger, pain and it is also pointed out by the manager that they may need to use it later on, which is again foreshadowing.  The shot then cuts to Danny and his mother being shown around- mainly the kitchen.  The colours that Danny is wearing are red, white and blue; all colours of the American flag, whereas Wendy is wearing more native American-Indian clothing which could contrast with Danny’s attire.  The native American-Indian clothing that Wendy is wearing could link to the hotel as it was built on an Indian graveyard and so could suggest religious content.  There is high key lighting in this scene which contrasts with what the chef is wearing as he is wearing dark colours so this could suggest he may be of importance later on in the scene as what he is wearing matches Danny’s clothing as well, suggesting they are similar in some way.  Tracking backwards happens as they walk throughout the kitchen.

25-27 minutes long scene.

Scene starts off by tracking both Wendy and Danny as they enter the maze and there is a static shot that shows a picture of the maze and what it is called. The camera tracks Danny and Wendy backwards as they follow the route around the maze and then tracks them forwards. There is a cross dissolve that then shows Jack and tracks him until he reaches the table where a version of the ‘overlook maze’ is.  As the camera tracks, you can see the colour red on the wall posts, suggesting that evil and death is creeping up on him.  There is then a long shot in which you can see the maze in full.  This could imply that the maze could cause Wendy and Danny to get lost and feel trapped, just like the hotel makes them feel.  He is looking over the maze which shows that he is keeping a close eye on Wendy and Jack; almost as if he is a bird looking for it’s prey.  It could also suggest that Wendy and Danny are in a vulnerable position, foreshadowing what might happen later on in the film.  There is a close up of Jack’s face emphasising his expression; like he is thinking of something that could be harmful towards the others.  There is non diegetic music throughout this scene.  It starts off with a slow tempo causing suspense making me feel uneasy to what may happen next.  As the camera zooms in on the maze from a high angle, the non diegetic music changes to a fast tempo and also seems to get louder, causing even more suspense and I don’t know what will happen next.  The shot then cuts to Wendy and Danny walking in this maze as the camera tracks backwards.  The colour green that surrounds them could indicate that they are both getting sick or ill and this is also a regular convention of horror.  


Rebecca Larkman

Thursday 2 October 2014

Group analysis - Haywire

Group analysis - Haywire

The scene begins with an establishing shot with a blue filter in which two characters are at eye
line match.  The blue filter could set the scene as blue is quite a cold colour and could show sadness and lack of warmth and love in the shot I know this because of the mise-en-scene presented.  There is a eye line match in this reaction shot to show communication between them both.  Also the angle of the camera as it cuts from one to another changes, this could imply that there are barriers between them and they are both very different in personality.



On the next shot the colour of the shot changed to a sepia filter, to show a much more warmer feel to the film which contrasts with the dead body being dragged and the focus being on the ground and not on the body, therefore showing the body is unimportant and could show that a dead body is not unusual in that situation.  And much the same with next shot where the focus is quite odd and is only focusing on a dead body's shoe, emphasising the above point that the body is not as important as the surroundings.  It could also imply that the most important thing is out of focus in the scene, like the bodies do have significance but the director is purposely trying to make us think they are not relevant to the storyline but instead it makes the audience more aware of he bodies and the control of focus.




The scene then jumps to an establishing close up shot of leather gloves; giving impressions of theft, crime and fingerprints, trousers and a shirt; negotiating the question of where the wearer is, the contents of the clothing are black, this gives connotations of mystery, a relevant theme towards the nature of the clip, this made me personally feel intrigued to the story as well as focus on the shot itself.  Connecting from the last shot there is a low angle shot of the woman suggesting that she is the dominant one of the scene and she is quite an important character.  She also occupies most of the shot so could show that she is the main one to focus on in this scene.  This then cuts to a shot of her on the phone in which there is a mid shot and the camera tracks the phone which shows emphasis and it connects both characters together.  The scene in which the woman is talking to the man over the phone has low key lighting in both clips as there is a parallel edit which could imply that the clip is quite dark and mysterious and it could relate to how the characters are feeling; worried, cold, evil, etc.  There is a contrast with characters and this is represented in their homes.  Mise-en-scene shows the man has a very posh and glamorous warm home whereas she has a flat with hardly any decoration which could imply she is quite a private person and does not like broadcasting her life to others as she has not settled down.




The shot cuts to the woman outside.  Mise-en-scene is presented here as there is a van in the background that says 'think' which could imply to the audience that she needs to think about what she is doing because she may regret it later on.  The impression I get from the scene in where the woman is walking through the street is of an isolation from the rest of the clip, I get this from the mise-en-scene of the scene such as the bland colours of the shot, which all blend together, showing quite a dull and cold piece of scenery, this could be perhaps of the reason that the character may want to be seen as dull, as if she is trying to blend in with everything else around her.   There is a heart beat motif alarming noise that could imply the sound of a heartbeat monitor.  This noise is quite slow and calm showing that her heartbeat is calm and she is not worried about what is going to happen later on.  It could also show that she is comfortable in her surroundings but it could contrast with how she is acting as she keeps looking around, showing signs of aggravation and anxiety.






Rebecca, Fraser and Amy.



Monday 29 September 2014

Reflective analysis on short film

My intention was to produce and capture a short film of around 20 seconds long.  My film is both dramatical and tense due to the non diegetic music and the black and white feature used in part of the clip.  My aim was to make the film seem mysterious and quite an abstract piece of work to the audience and make them feel quite tense and unaware of what may happen next. 
My target audience is for teenagers and adults ranging from 16 to 14 years of age.  I decided to have this sort of audience as I feel younger adults will find the film more interesting and understandable and would feel keen to watch it.  I set the barrier at 24 years of age as it may not appeal much to an older audience due to the content of the short film. 
We added tension within this short film.  When the heartbeat sound is playing in the background it could through the audience off guard to what might happen next as the film is quite unpredictable.  There are two characters in which shot reverse shot is used a lot throughout the clip to emphasise them meeting for the first time after a long period.  Dialogue gives us an insight into their past "I haven't seen you in a while' could insinuate the pair have not been on good terms and therefore have not seen each other and are surprised to find each other.  The black and white filter is used to emphasise the mood and theme of this film which is dramatical and slightly tense throughout.  We used many shots such as an over the shoulder angle, a mid shot, a long shot, a close and an extreme close up to show emotions and mise-en-scene.  

This is our short film, hope you enjoy!

Rebecca Larkman

Thursday 25 September 2014

Insidious Part 2

Insidious part 2 - Parker Cranes house.


At the very start of the scene tracking is introduced as you see the camera following the footsteps of Josh as he walks into Parker Cranes bedroom with Elise and Carl.  As they walk into the room there is high key lighting which contrasts with the characters as they are very violent and quite dark people.  The mother is dressed in grey and has dark make up on like black lips and black eyebrows which were cinematic choices made to show she is dangerous and is the one that could be violent.  Non-diegetic music is played in the background and it gets louder every time the mother is violent towards Parker, relating them both together.  Mise en scene in this shot as the background contrasts with the characters: background of the shot is a little girls room with toys and doll houses, but characters are fighting which is unusual to find in that sort of place and Parker crane and the mother do not belong there so we do not normally associate a little girls innocent bedroom with evil.  In the middle of the scene the angle of the camera changes to worms eye where Parker is looking up at his mother showing he lives in fear of her and is afraid of what she might do to him or any sudden movements.  A dutch angle is introduced when there is a close up to the mother, showing she is unbalanced and a dangerous character.  It could also suggest that Parker is in a dangerous situation.  Room goes dark instantly due to the low key lighting, this is because the mother has now noticed Josh and the others, she is in control in this scene and this scares Josh as she is evil.  There is a supernatural occurrence when she closes the door after the room turning dark.  This could also show she has the power and is in a state of superiority against Josh because he is very vulnerable at this point because he does not have Elise or Carl with him.  tracking then happens again as Josh tries to escape the room, showing that the way he got in to the room is the only way he will get out and he will not be able to as the room has been closed by the mother.  The mood in this scene is quite tense as the audience may not be able to predict what will happen next.  We see the mother and Parker from the point of view of Josh, as we are watching the scene like we are there with him and experience what he experiences which is fear of the mother and pity for the son.  We also see the mother from Parkers point of view as he is afraid of her as well and fears her actions.  The mother could symbolise death as she controls darkness and can cause harm to others like Parker and can cause fright to Josh when he is alone after she talkes the others out of the room.  

Rebecca Larkman