"The Blair Witch Project" - review.
The words on screen which open "The Blair Witch Project" are somewhat manipulative, since this documentary of filmmakers disappearing in the woods is moreover mocked and staged. Haxan films, the responsible minds behind this Sundance Film Festival hit, have pulled out all the stops to convince the world that what they shall see is indeed fact, filmed in a style which dialogue is easily improvised, and situations are lifelike. There's a Sci-Fi channel exclusive telling of the "Curse of the Blair Witch," TV spots focusing in on vivid cries of terror, and even an official website with journals documenting these filmmakers' frightful journey (up to a point). All of these efforts may seem somewhat ridiculous in convincing audiences that the movie is completely factual, but nevertheless they are needed, and appropriate, to help set up the movie itself. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, the directors, know for a fact that they have to convince us these things are genuine in order for them to scare us. And with everything they have done in the months leading up to the nationwide release, people will walk into the theater convinced that they are watching something authentic. That factor alone might scare them more than what they actually see on screen. Oh, but that doesn't mean what happens on screen isn't horrifying. Most of the events chronicled in this "lost footage" are
Film And TV studies Assessment - Write an analysis of the clip: having identified the clip's main themes, show how the textual strategies convey the meaning of the clip.
Film And TV studies Assessment-Write an analysis of the clip: having identified the clip's main themes, show how the textual strategies convey the meaning of the clip. In terms of genre, my intertextuality has enabled me to classify this film as having a hybrid of both the thriller genre and the horror genre. Within the Mis en Scene, editing and sound, there are generic convections of the horror that make us classify it as a horror film. The iconography is discussed one by one. Firstly, the nature of the monster is significant in defining the film as a horror. There is a violation of our normal sense of what is possible as soon as the 'normal' men transform into monsters. The 'claw-like' furry gloved hand almost like a zombie's hand, the beastly barbaric teeth that transform the tramps and the commentative sound effect that enables the tramps to make a growling sound emphasise the 'horror-like' nature of the monster and horrifies us as the audience. The body language of the monsters is violent and disgusting with unprecedentness explicitness-another feature of a horror movie. Therefore, it follows horror convections as it emotionally affects us. The 'normal' people becoming invisible also add to this 'supernatural' horror like theme as it violates the boundary between the dead and the living. The crossing over the bridge also reflects the boundaries have become violated.
Film criticism - Mystic River.
C.T.I.F.S FILM CRITICISM - 9TH FEB. 2004 MYSTIC RIVER By STEPHEN DE VILLIERS Set to clean up at the Oscars this year, Mystic River is a dark, social-realist drama/whodunit set in contemporary Boston. This book, turned movie, directed masterfully by Clint Eastwood, omits very little in so far as the story goes, and leaves the audience, blindly guessing, right up to the end of the intense and brilliantly constructed final climax. Perhaps one of the elements within Mystic River that make it such a successful and engaging story is the fact that, ironically, the major elements of the story are so subtle and creatively constructed that they appear almost non-existent. I.e. the story is constructed with much originality and vision, giving it sufficient depth to make the classic stereotypes of story structure and story elements, refreshingly difficult to spot. As an audience we are left trying to work out exactly whose story we are witnessing and within that, who the goodies and who the baddies are. The strength of a story like this is it's a more accurate depiction of reality; that, as within all life, within each character exists elements of both good and bad, black and white. Much of the time the characters experience themselves, and thus depict themselves in the grey, as can happen in reality. Having said that, let's explore in more detail the elementas of story. Firstly,
Film Genre and the Genre Film.
Mohamed Younis 900020481 September 29, 2003 Dr. S. Al Kassim Film Genre and the Genre Film During the classical Hollywood period genre films were soundly established as the norm. In defining the genre films one must make the distinct separation between film genre and the genre film. Thomas Schatz in his article, Film Genre and Genre Films, maintains a clear distinction between the genre film and the film genre; "Whereas the genre exists as a sort of tacit contract between filmmakers and audience, the genre film is an actual event that honors such a contract." In discussing the Western genre in light of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, by Sergio Leone, and The Great Train Robbery, By Edwin Porter one needs to address the set of conventions which govern and distinguish the western film as such. The first western, The Great Train Robbery, By Edwin Porter combined and included three elements: crime, chase scenes, and retribution for wrongdoing, which would eventually constitute and find their way into a great many of the westerns to follow. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is one of those movies that appears to characterize the western genre. It includes all the characteristic elements of a western. A vast empty and barren Western landscape, the camera pans across it. In the opening scenes the setting is apparent; Sergio Leone portrays the rugged western landscape which is
Film Genres
Film There is a big assortment of variations of film genres that are available such as film noir, action, horror, thriller and comedy etc. film noir is a normally a b+w film and has a sort of gangster theme. An action is like gone in 60 seconds lots of action sometimes shooting and car chases. A horror film is like scream. A thriller is like a cross between horror and action bits of both and. A comedy is like big momma's house with jokes and amusing scenes. Some directors blend film types together, which will make the film enjoyable to a larger audience. A horror film is like scream with killing and blood and sometimes a 'quest' to discover the killer which it can be enjoyable if watching in a group to take guess's to who the killer is or it could be a Halloween type film where u know the killer and u just see how the victim attempts to escape. An action is like gone in 60 seconds lots of action and with nearly always some shooting on it and lots of car chases which will cause suspense. A sequel is used if the first film generated a massive profit and was highly popular they are also used if the film finished on a cliffhanger the sequel may or may not finish the trilogy but the more sequels you use the popularity of each new sequel went down because people expect much more of a sequel than they did of the first one. They generate money because the fans of the first film
Choose three techniques used by Gary Sinise, the director of the film 'Of Mice And Men' and explain how he uses them to create the opening of the film.
Choose three techniques used by Gary Sinise, the director of the film 'Of Mice And Men' and explain how he uses them to create the opening of the film. In the film 'Of mice and men', the director, Gary Sinise, uses several methods to construct the opening part of the film. He uses lighting, camera angles, soundtrack, background and dialogue. The three most important techniques used are camera angles, soundtrack, and background. The purpose of the opening is to introduce the main characters and the storyline and also to invoke tension, mystery, and confusion so that the audience will become curious and get hooked. The start of the film is a flashback but the viewer doesn't know this and doesn't know that they need to know the first vital stages of the film. The different camera angles used are: short, snappy shots, panning, close-ups and zooming. When the film begins, the camera is in a set position, on the slats of the train. Then it slowly moves away and gradually focuses upon an unknown man, whose eyes are glinting in the light. The director doesn't want to reveal who anyone is before the film gets going because it creates mystery when the viewer doesn't know who anyone is and it gets them thinking what will happen next? This man's expression looks as if he's remembering something and as we can't see who it is just by his outline the camera then zooms so the
Film history in four pages or less.
James Keller Survey of 20th Century Culture Prof. P. Davis Film History in Four Pages or Less Film has become a major part of Western culture. The process in which it has evolved is just as important. Film is one of the widest used forms of communication of the twentieth century. Its origins actually began in the early nineteenth century in 1824 with the invention of the 'thaumatrope'. The thaumatrope was a toy that used the idea of 'persistence of vision'. 'Persistence of vision' can be best described as an optical illusion. The concept dictates that if one sees a series of pictures of an object in the stages of its movement, by viewing those pictures consecutively at a speed of 16fps (frames per second) the object will appear to move. The 'thaumatrope' was a two-sided disk with a picture on each side. There are strings on either side of the disk and one would essentially spin the display a new image. For instance, a picture of a bird would be on one side and a birdcage on the other. One would hold taught the strings and spin the disk and one would see a bird in a cage. Then, in 1831, electromagnetic induction, which is used for powering various mechanisms such as film-projector motors, was discovered. The following year, the fantascope was created. It is a shallow, hollowed object with a series of sketches of a horse galloping, a juggler, dancer, etc.
Film language How M Night Shyamalan create suspense and tension in Signs and The Village?Films are made by directors and stars actors and actress
Film language How M Night Shyamalan create suspense and tension in Signs and The Village? Films are made by directors and stars actors and actress, we watch films because it makes us laugh or scared it is enjoying watching different types of film. In films they are a lot of different genres. For example comedy makes us laugh or smile and action has a lot if fighting, violence, guns and generic conventions. M. Night Shyamalan was born in India he had very early passion for filmmaking when given a Super-8 camera by age 8, modelling his career, even at that young age, to hero Steven Spielberg. His first film, 'Praying with Anger' was based somewhat on his own trip back to visit the India of his birth. This critical success was achieved as Shyamalan raised all the necessary funds in this project which he starred in, directed, produced. "Wide Awake." And he was the director of the film Signs and the village Director of films creates the genre by picking specific film language. For example, a director might use close-up to zoom in something funny in a comedy, while a director might use sound effect of gun to add to his action genre. This is called film language and consists of use of camera, Lightning, Colour, Sound, Mise- en-scene and Scene editing. The film Signs is about family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields, which suggests something
Film Narrtive and Film Form Analysis on Gridiron Gang
This essay was critically analyzed on the aspect of narrative and couple aspect of form based on the film, "Gridiron Gang". A narrative is a form of message that tells in particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events and presented in writing form, drama, cinema, radio programs and television programs. A narrative are often build together in a linear fashion way, giving the audience better understanding on the reason why it happens, the cost and effects and also the behaviour of the characters in the story. This particular film that I would be analyzing is based on a true story, "Gridiron Gang" and was directed by Phil Joanou and was written by Jeff Maguire based on the documentary film which also known as Gridiron Gang (Levy 2008). This particular film was released at the following year of 2006. The first original documentary film of Gridiron Gang was made by a filmmaker, Lee Stanley (Levy 2008). The plot of this film has given a standard cinematic iconography which portrait a message how a world would prefer that a young offender would not darken their pristine public school doorways and facilities. The entire film is mostly based on only one perspective view of the story which is through the eyes of Sean Porter, the main character of the film, this format is also known as Film Noir. The director tries to tell the whole film in a different point of view, which is
Film representations of the Vietnam War have been marked by distortion and evasion. Discuss with close reference to at least two movies.
Film representations of the Vietnam War have been marked by distortion and evasion. Discuss with close reference to at least two movies. - Louis Gandolfo There was an explosion of Vietnam movies in Hollywood from 1978 to 1989 depicting the Vietnam experience. All these movies shared a common trait in that they all tried to give the viewer a taste of Vietnam. However the film industry and history as a social order are two separate and oppositional forces. Hollywood especially, with its need to present a pleasurable experience to a large audience, finds itself in a difficult position. Filmmakers who want to recreate an historical experience are bound by the need to ensure mass appeal, so the need for distortion and evasion of the truth is maybe a necessity. A lot of the Hollywood movies concerning Vietnam do not portray the Vietnam War in sense of the truth, so how does the viewer know they are receiving the facts? With a number directors and producers coming from many angles, each director has a different angle and opinion of what happened. Many of the directors have tried to go for ratings and revenue by exaggerating the more dramatic points of Vietnam for the film while others have tried to stick to the truth. By exaggerating the film it becomes distorted and evasive and has provided biased information to the viewer. Many Vietnam films dealt with different aspects of
