Next Project

I think after a lot of confusion I have decided what I am going to make my opening sequence about ...
I have decided that it will be about an undercover journalist who is going to go to report on a  situation more will follow later .....

Note to self

watch opening sequence of Swordfish

Digression

Digression

As I continue in my research and try to pin down exactly what I want to do I have realised that maybe something more autobiographical would be more interesting and more the type of film that I want to make but again I am still not sure…….

Another Observation

While I was searching for different types of films that encorporate this sense of danger and crime and all others I realized that alot are also compared in the genre of psychological thrillers as well as if to make something thought provking then they have to be really shocking and disturbing......

An Observation

What I have discovered by looking at a list of Poltical Thriller film titles and basic plots is that most of these films are really old and that they are also a lot to do with war and POW and all kinds of differnet consipiracy theories.........

Some Findings

My film:

 What my research has shown me is that in order to make a good political thriller crime film it is important to focus on the shock factor and getting people to question what is happening on the screen. But it is also all about subtlety. The subtlety of what is happening and how the main character is all about the solemnity and they are not really at all affected in the moment by what is happening but it does affect them later on.

Clarity

My Findings

What I have found from my research is that the locations that the films are shot in are a real variety of places from studios to hotels but I think that the main aim of deciding to use any kind of location it is important that the image translates to screen in a very natural way. It is meant to be as realistic as possible. Again this is because of the idea that a lot of these films are biographical but also because these types of film rely on the quality of the acting almost more than anything else.

I have also really struggled with whom or what institutions make these kinds of crime films. I just cannot seem to find out who makes them. They are all really different from each other and they are all done by different people. It does seem though that the one common feature is that all of the films that I have analysed seem to have been really expensive films to make and that they often need a star studded cast to make them work.

 The opening sequences are all about the way that the story is set up. What I have learnt from this is that my opening sequence really has to show what the story is about which is why I have decided to use a flashback in my film because it shows that the story is all about the end point it gives the film direction and tells the audience where the film is going to go what makes the story interesting is how they get there. The opening sequence also has to set up the pace of the film to show whether it is going to be fast or slow and whether the film is all about the sequence of motion and what is going to happen in that moment or is it about the little moments in the film all the detail and is it about getting the audience to question things or just to accept them as they are.

Synopsis Link

http://theonano.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/what-is-a-plot-synopsis-and-how-do-i-write-one/

This is a link to a blog that I found that has some tips on how to write a synopsis now the writer is talking about a book synopsis but it could be helpful in the planning stages when a synopsis has to be written .....

Representation

 

The Genre of film that I have chosen to analyse as you know is crime and it is an interesting genre because there are all kinds of different crime films. The films though all represent different kinds of people and it often is based on the kind of film. What has to be said though is that a majority of crime films are centred on a male protagonist and the idea of a patriarchal society.  And this might be one of the reasons that this particular genre of film is not made any more it is kind of an out-dated idea. But it also seems to say that most crime and indeed the solving of crime is male lead. The most common protagonist is a quiet and untrusting character who is weary of everyone around them and often left very isolated. The films also represent woman as objects and not really what is to be focused on. Some leave woman to be shown as traitors. It is interesting though that films that are usually about men relate to a dominantly male audience. What the most common theme of these films is the representation of unhappiness there seems to be misery in fighting crime and also in trying to solve and prevent crime. The films are also used to show audiences different interpretations on different social contexts. For example in more modern times films that are made about the crime genre are usually about the threat or consequence of terrorism which is a relatively new idea and not one that has been helped with factors such as the Iraq war and several other terrorist attacks. What is interesting though is that sometimes the film is about the worry that the fear of the unknown has led to many innocent people being hurt. A lot of crime films and political thrillers can now focus on what will happen if we are too afraid and they can also shed light on real life situations by making a lot of films that are based on true stories. So crime films are mainly made to represent a patriarchal society and the idea of male superiority.

Studios and Locations

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0343737/locations

This is a link that shows the different locations of where the film the Good Shepherd was filmed.

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0430105/locations

This is a link which lists where the film Four Brothers was filmed

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0425210/locations

This is a link for where the film Lucky Number Slevin was filmed.

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/locations

This is a link for where the film Rendtion was filmed

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1616195/

This is a link to the IMDB page of the film J. Edgar because I couldn't find the film locations but the page does have links to other locations...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battleship_Potemkin

Again there is no list for where the film Battleship Potemkin was filmed so here is a link to the wikipeidia page about this film...

Studios

http://www.thegodfathertrilogy.com/gf1/gf1scene.html

Here is a link which is a source which is about where the Godfather was filmed and it outlies the locations with the scenes that where filmed there.

Institiution and Credits

I decided as a way to show who the producers where in the films that I analysed that I would post links to the credits lists of the films....

Institiutions and Credits

Credit Links

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/fullcredits

This is a link for the credits for the Godfather

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1616195/fullcredits

This is a link for the J. Edgar credits

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0430105/fullcredits

This is a link for the Four Brothers credits

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0425210/fullcredits

This is a link for Lucky Number Slevin credits

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0343737/fullcredits

This is a link for The Good Shepherd credits

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/fullcredits

This is a link for the film Rendition

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015648/fullcredits#cast

This is a link for the Battleship Potemkin credits   

The Good Shepherd Shots

This is a shot of when the criminal tells the protagonist that he is scared of him and this is a profile close up shot.

J. Edgar Shots

This is a close up of J.Edgar which is show when there is a high angle shot reverse shot sequence at the beginning of the film.

J. Edgar Shots

This is a shot which is kind of an establishing shot for the opening of J.Edgar it is when the bomb has gone off and Edgar goes to investigate.

Godfather Shots

This is a low angle two shot that shows the superiority of the Don.

This is a two shot over the shoulder which shows that the Godfather relies on others to help him more exchange of dialogue.

This is a high angle shot to show that the man is asking the Don for help it is also a form of two shot and over the shoulder.

Godfather Shots

This is a shot to show an over the shoulder shot that is used it is really the audiences first look at the Don or the Godfather.



This is a two shot with the profile of the second character to show that the Godfather is the man in charge everyone answers to him.



This is almost an establishing shot of the room but instead of being shown at the beginning of the film it is shown half way through..

Research Overview

A Research Overview

What I have learnt from my research is firstly that I have chosen to work in a genre that is really quite difficult and also a little out-dated. Because the title genre of crime film is an umbrella term it has a lot of aspects of things like film noir and the idea of old fashioned crime families that operate on a system of honour. As I continued to research I realized that a more modern form of crime film one that would appeal to a more modern audience is the idea of the undercover detective who would go into the world of terrorism.

My favourite opening scene that I researched was the Godfather as it is a sequence could capture the audience with just the first words and the first shot of the man. The scene is not only brilliant at the beginning but the way it develops it also incredible it has an air of theatricality about it. You find yourself holding your breath and trying to guess what is going to happen. It is also a film that is about the fear that you build up yourself it is about how the audience appreciates the action that is taking place.

I also realized that the kind of crime I lean towards more is the kind of aspect of political thrillers which are meant to evoke a reaction in the audience. A lot of political thrillers also seem to want to prove to the audience that the protagonist is also the antagonist. They are not often people that the normal person can relate to. They live in such a far removed world from that of the real person. It is the idea of much removed verisimilitude.

Another aspect of most crime films especially the more political thriller kind is that they are very dark. The image can often seem like a movement of shadows and when it is the secret service this is what they would want to show the audience that they are not a shining light they have to take on the role of evil to allow good to prevail.

The camera work of the film is that there needs to be a lot of close ups on the characters faces so that the audience can see their reaction to show the audience is that there is some kind of humanity that surrounds the characters. The camera does not try to show a lot of establishing shots because usually there is not that much to show what is going on in the scene is not about where they are it is a lot about what is happening. Another feature of the films is that there is a lot of over the shoulder shots or people shown in profile or half-light again to reflect the nature of their character.

Music used in these kinds of films is also often very subtle and leans towards a classical style of music rather than using electric instruments. There is usually some kind of solo piano type of piece and this is because the film relies heavily on a good script and good acting. The film is all about the character and their perceptions and not so much about everything else. For example the film the “J. Edgar” is all about his key line which is “My side of the story” but as the film continues the audience is shown that Edgar’s side of the story is wrong it is all exaggeration and made up. Therefore the films use a lot of voice over especially in the opening scene. Or the film might show the audience the scene and let them be a part of a conversation that the audience can’t see happening straight away but they can hear what is happening. I think this is to give the audience an idea of what the topic of the film is.

These kinds of films have a very large focus on the idea of character the film centres on the character but they are often characters who the audience don’t know a lot about they are hard to relate to and they are often very introverted characters. Also there is the idea that the film is about the story so or the uniform and they are trying to define the people by their job which is the idea of an erased sense of individuality but it is ironic in the end because their collective ideals are what make them all so different because these people are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get what they want.

The “Good Shepherd” is a good example of this idea that the protagonists are actually the antagonist when the main character goes to visit a criminal and has a conversation with him and this man tells him the protagonist “you’re the guys that scare me.”

Another common aspect of these films is that they often start with a flashback and have a juxtapostion of time throughout the film.

So I have decided that as a result of my research I am going to make my opening sequence about a man who is preparing to go undercover in a terrorist organization….. (more to follow)

The Godfather Shots

This is a shot of the Godfather and it is one of the first things that the audience sees. This is the man who is trying to appeal to the Godfather for vengeance. This is the man who the audeince hears talking about "I belive in America".

Battleship Potemkin

This is a shot of the man who murders in cold blood the baby that has rolled down the hill.

Battleship Potemkin

This is a picture that is from the scene in Battleship Potemkin where the peasants are all rejoicing as the battleship comes in before the Cossacks arrive.



This is a picture that shows when the peasants are shot down on the steps by the Cossacks which happens almost immediately  after the first picture. The beginning of rebellion.....

 

Film Covers

This is a cover of the film J. Edgar



This is a cover of the film BattleShip Potemkin

Film Covers

This is a cover of the Good Sheperd

Film Covers

This is a cover for the film Four Brothers


This is a cover for the film Lucky Number Slevin


This is the cover for the film The Godfather

Continuity Task

How I am getting on....

What I have left to do now is to analyse one more film and then make sure I get some screen grabs and also some credits and then do my general overview of the results of my research......

Lucky Number Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin 

This film is one that is  supposed to be about the conflict of two crime families run by The Rabbi and The Boss but the opening sequence or at least the first five minutes doesn’t really let on to that fact. Like the common features of an action film the credits are right at the beginning of the film and they are done in a way that makes them seem like they are a theme of credits. They are also interwoven with a lot of different sequences that show the different murders of the different characters and they are done in a very kind of rudimental way. The camera work is very angled to show that there is not a clear picture like the story line everything is crooked. 

The music is very subtle and doesn’t draw a lot of attention to itself but merely tries to accompany the action that is following.

There is then a shot of a very bright room and it has very garish blue chairs and someone sleeping on one when a man in black walks into the bright room to again show the contrast of the character and the set. The man sits down and the camera stays where it was to show an over the shoulder shot of the man. 

Once the camera is showing the character’s face another character is introduced who exchanges a dialogue with the original character and then this second character is one who begins the voice over and a montage sequence follows. 

Rendition

Rendition:

I seem to catch myself watching a lot of political thrillers and they are not really about the form of crime that I want to portray but this film is an interesting one to compare to The Good Shepard because even though it is more modern it is still has a lot of the same kind of plot as The Good Shepard. As I am trying to focus on the idea and the importance of time and so what this shows is that there is no change in the methods of the CIA. It helps with the historical context…..

The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd:

I also watched the film the Good Shepherd and this was not because I thought it would be  particularly useful but  that it would help me with my research as again it was all about the idea of discretion and the other side of criminality which is solving crime. What is interesting in this film is that most detective films like to show that the goodness of the plot does not result in happiness for the protagonist. But, it also showed that there is a lot of secrecy in counter intelligence and this could help hint at the fact that there has to be secrecy in crime.

Another useful aspect of the film is that even though the idea of organized crime by different crime families is a little out dated but it does give insight that terrorism and the threat of it are what seem to be more popular forms of crime in the present day.  

Battleship Potemkin

Battleship Potemkin:

Over the weekend I decided to watch a short clip of the film Battleship Potemkin it was the scene where the Cossacks are coming down the stairs and it contrasts the different reactions of the people. Form the opening of the sequence showing lots of close ups and the peasants faces and then the change in the scene to have the Cossacks coming and shooting everyone down. The scene is not really anything at all to do with the genre that I am researching although the murder of all these people could be considered a crime but it is really useful in displaying the technical aspects. Again there is a problem with the scene is that it is a film from the 1920’s which means that some of the techniques used would not be relevant to modern day filming. What I mean by this is that in the sequence the 180 degree rule is broken.

What is good about the film is the simplicity of it. Well what is shown might not be considered simple but it was a way that the director seemed to want to translate a kind of stage theatre performance which has emphasis on certain characters features while also maintaining an idea of uniformity. The peasants are all shown in a close up or two shot with expressions of joy on their face and then there are a lot of abrupt cuts between all the different images almost like someone strung a bunch of pictures together rather than have a fluid film. There is then the change in the atmosphere of the film which was one of joy to one of horror and worry as all the Cossacks come down the Odessa Steps. The camera shows the faces of the peasants again using a close up or again a two shot. There is then a long shot of the young boy when he is shot and slowly trampled with emphasis on urgency as more and more people walk over the boy. The film is very light which is strange because a film that has such dark content would usually have dim lighting and would be really dark. There is then a contrast between the evil that is occurring and also the light of the film.

The film is quite fast paced and made to shock the audience because there is so much cold hearted murder and it is just cruel such as the build in tension when the pram is rolling down the steps and no one is stopping it until it is stopped by an evil Cossack who is shown from a low angle and shows him slashing his sword across where the audience is presuming the baby would be. Another shocking factor which is shown in a kind of tracking shot is when the mother lets go of her sons hand and continues walking down the steps. Then the long shots the son with his arms outstretched and the mother with her arms outstretched and then when she picks up her son and walks toward the Cossacks almost using her son as a human shield.  

Eisenstein’s film is so famous because it is the father film of a lot of more modern editing it was one of the first films that were edited in this particular way. The way it was edited is montage, it was one of the first films to use a montage sequence. 

I did decide to look at this clip because it was really useful to get an insight into the really thought provoking style of film. It is the idea that evil is allowed to prevail and no one does anything to stop the cruelty that is occurring. But it is also a film that shows that even though the film was trying to show the peasants as uniform heroes because of their belief in communism but they the antagonists are to individual to all be seen as uniform but the antagonists who are the Cossacks are all very uniform. It is almost the idea that all evil is the same but all good is different.

I used this film to give me an idea into the way that I can make my own film thought provoking. (Not that I assume I can equal Eisenstein)

Audience Why and Who ??

http://www.slideshare.net/latymermedia/3-who-watchescrimedramas

This is a link to a website that helps to describe who watches movies and more importantly why they watch them and then it means that people who have a certain interest in the reason why they watch the film then there is a link to who watches what type of film. For example someone who interested in a thought provoking film would watch a crime film as they attempt to understand that kind of life.

Four Brothers

Four Brothers: 

The next film that I chose to look at was Four Brothers and this is a film that again quite different. This film is about more organized crime but more about it in a rough neighborhood then an actual crime family. 

This film starts with there being snow on the production logo and then the snow carrying on the the actual opening of the film. There is loud rock music playing and we see a car driving through the snow looking out of the windscreen and see the dice in the mirror which kind of reflect the type of film that this film focuses in. The film then shows an older woman getting out of her car and going into the shop that her car pulled up outside of. The scene then jumps to show the woman from a high angle shot to show that she is in power and dominating as she tells off a little boy for stealing. 

There is then a conversation where the woman threatens to call the police and the shop keeper picks up the phone to do so but the boy asks for redemption. The boy then leaves and the woman and shop keeper talk about the boy when the woman says that all the boy needed was “an older brother” which is again a way to set up the plot line of the film. 

The camera then shows to masked men outside the shop who look threatening and are carrying guns to warn the audience that there is about to be trouble. The gun men then enter the shop and they shoot the shop keeper then the older woman is hiding and the camera switches to the outside of the shop and a flash goes off for what the audience assumes is the gun men shooting the older woman. The gun men then run off.

After the gun men have left the audience is shown another kind of car again one that is traveling through the snow and a different song is played a more jazzy kind of song perhaps to show a laid back attitude. The setting has also changed from night to day. 

At this point the titles have begun to role and they are in the same script as the title of the film. There is shots of the location or setting of the film and there is again a lot of snow around and more broken down and derelict buildings. 

The camera then changes to show that the man driving in to the town is going to a funeral where he is met by two other mysterious characters and there is a view of the woman who was killed and also all the different characters who went to the funeral.

The five minutes in ends with a view of a house and everyone who is still dressed in their funeral clothes. 

What I have noticed is that in the crime genre there tends usually not to be a title sequence within the first five minutes but because this film is a mix of crime and action it differs to the rest of the genre. 

Hopefully screen shots and credits to follow.....  

J Edgar

Research J Edgar : 

It might seem to be a strange idea to research the biographical film “J Edgar” for my project which is to do with crime but I think that in order to make a good film about crime it is important to see the other side of it in order to have more thorough research. The idea behind looking into this film is that it is a film about detection which is the opposite side of criminality. 

The film starts with a voice over the voice of J Edgar and then it shows an establishing shot of the film which is the FBI office and it is made to look like it is significant to the audience but perhaps more ambiguous to everyone within the world of the film who see the street and building as just any other. The camera then zooms up on to the flag that is hanging off the building to show that there is dedication and patriotism to the country of the narrators origin which is America. The idea of having started with a low level camera using a high angled shot is to set the scene of the film and to show the audience what time period is being talked about because of course a biographical film has to have historical elements and the most obvious one is usually time. 

The camera then jump cuts into the time where the voice is almost as if it were following the sound and again we see the people who are in the office and the way they are dressed which again establishes the period of the film. There is then a single man who the camera focuses on in a close up for the audience to grasp that the man in the shot is the narrator and therefore the centre of the story. 

The man in the shot is sitting down and he is talking to someone else who is stood up. The man who is stood up is shown in a low angle shot to show that he has power over the narrator J Edgar and from the speech he makes the audience realizes that the character who has had this inter change is an antagonistic character. 

The phone then rings and J Edgar says to the woman on the phone that he wants the man who is coming to write about him to write about it so that a new generation can hear J Edgar’s “Side of the story” which sets up the premise for the film.

There is then a flashback to a point that J Edgar wishes to talk about and the sequence unfolds to the events of that time which still being narrated by Edgar are a show of a man who Edgar idolizes and that this man was attacked in his house by a bomb. The man we are then told was a communist and that that was not the only attack. This is added to the film so that the audience can understand that there is a reason for Edgar’s hatred towards the communists so there is the idea of the root of the problem. The scene then continues to show how Edgar help to change the face of the way detectives worked.

This would be useful to me if I made a film from the point of view of a man who wanted to be apart of a certain organization whether it is crime or the solving of crimes. It is kind of a way to show the consequence of deep rooted bias and hero worship. 

To Do List

To do List

• Need to watch Mission impossible 3
• Watch Reservoir Dogs sequence
• Watch Goodfellas Opening Sequence

A few Crime Film Titles

Films that are in the Crime Genre:

·         The Godfather

·         Goodfellas

·         Miller’s Crossing

·         The Departed

·         Killing them Softly

·         Looper

·         Man on a Ledge

·         Brighton Rock

·         Inception

·         Public Enemies

·         American Gangster

The Godfather Analysis

The Godfather Analysis 

The genre that I have chosen for my final project is the crime drama genre and this is one that captures a wide range of different kinds of films from the more art house type of film to the film noir genre of film. The opening sequence of the film “The Godfather” which is an incredibly famous film is a very interesting way to open a film. The first thing that the audience sees is the film title and then the iconography of the hands pulling on puppet strings to show the control of the Godfather and his responsibility and also it is a strange symbol to use because the puppet strings might more typically be associated with the idea of something evil and sinister. But as is typical with the crime genre the audience is meant to see the Godfather as the Hero are at least the kind of protagonist of the film. Again this is typical of the genre because the idea of crime films is that they portray a form of a dysfunctional society and how they the film makers see things. So already the films title is something that is powerful to get the audience thinking. 

The next part of the film is the voice over of a man who is saying “I believe in America” and this is a very iconic line again. The words are very simple and if they stood alone it could evoke all kinds of reactions from the audience the irony of course of the words is that they are said in a slightly italian accent so it shows that there is an italian feel to the film and a way for audiences to associate the film to the stereotypical mafia family. Then the camera beings to zoom out very slowly as the man speaking continues his speech. 

The camera works very slowly to build up tension and suspense and leave the audience guessing about what could happen next. This was also very cleverly done because it makes us wonder who is talking who is he talking to and why is it such a sad story that he tells? This is all to set the scene of the dark and mysterious mafia world and how there is very little light and that the situations that they deal in are very bleak. 

Next a little later on about two minutes into the film the audience are introduced to a second character who is in the room and this character is of course The Godfather. And the audience first  sees him from a behind the shoulder shot which is again about the darkness and mystery. 

As the camera continues to move and there is a change in position  of the camera we see the Godfather is behind a desk stroking a cat which is very James Bond villain like a sign of expectancy. The Godfather is smartly dressed and he wears a red flower in his lapel to show that there is an occasion one that he talks about which is his daughters wedding so even in such an important occasion the Godfather is still working. 

There is a dialogue exchanged between the two characters and the camera shows other characters that are in the room. Then there is a moment when the man is asking for justice by the death of two men who wronged his daughter and then there is the Godfather who says that that is not justice because the daughter is still alive which shows that the Godfather has reached such a high status that he has his own moral code. Even in this dark and dreary world that they inhabit there are still values. 

All that is done in this opening sequence is to build up tension and create the mood of the film the tone that it will carry throughout.  

Research so far

What I have learnt from my research into the crime genre so far is that it is a much talked about issue with a lot of different people either comparing it's type of opening sequence or people debating whether or not the idea of a crime genre is realistic or whether most crime films are hybrids. 

Unfortunately though I am struggling to discover what institutions are responsible for the production of crime films. Even though there is this obstacle I have found though that there is a controversial aspect to the types of Crime film because they worry that the violence in the films encourages more violence or that there are representational issues as the crime films are mainly targeted at a male audience and so they portray a very patriarchal view of society and male dominance.

Genre - Final Project

For my final media project the Genre that I have chosen to focus on is the Crime or Drama genre this is because I want to make a kind of “Godfather” type of film a film that follows the idea of a dark and corrupt world.