research

Hi Georgia i have found this clip from the film Tropic Tunder. I like the way it pauses on the action to say the characters name. I think that it looks good with the background having lots of different colours and paterns. the negatives of this though is that you don't realy notice the names that come up with the clips.
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/28417


This is the snatch clip from the trailer which has a simler way of introducting the actor. This clip changes the character to balck and white. the background is just one colour so the big bold white words stand out well.
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/28419
width="425" height="344">

research

Hi georgia i have looked at the interigation scene for this short film and i think we could use some of the settings and acmer use to give of the same feeling. ours would have to be a lot shorter because we won't want this to take up the hole trailer.
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/28812


Hey Stuart yeah really liked the interigation Scene, liked how you couldn' reallyharatcers faces,, the lighting and camra angles used were very effectingt, i think adapting this to our trailor will add an air of mystery to the some of the charatcters and make the audience want to come see the filma nd find out who the charatcers are, also what happens in teh interigtaion scene dose he survive? Well done Stu! xx

male gaze

Today we looked at the male gaze. In 1975 Laura Murlvey stated that male gaze is how the audience views the people presented. Feminists can be thought of in 3 ways

1. how men look at women
2. how women look at themselves
3. how women look at other women

Generally speaking most film producers are male so you generally see the men's representation of women. So the women will watch the film through men's eyes.

The criticism of mulvey and gaze theory are that the gaze can also be directed towards members of the same gender for several reasons, not all of which are sexual, such as in comparison of body image or in clothing.

Jonathan Schroeder said 'to gaze implies more than to look at it significance a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.

I think that we will use the male gaze on a women who could be the gang leaders wife to show that that there is a reason why gangsters don't mind fighting and killing because they get the money and the women. Georgia and I don't feel it is the most important scene though because snatch didn't show women like that because it would have slowed the pace of the film down. We could also use what's know as fitishisation. This is where objects are viewed as though they were women (e.g. the ways cars are filmed on Top Gear). If we didn't want to film women than we could incorporate this into our trailer

We have thought that we could use Jonathan Schroeder's theory to show that the gangster is more powerful than the person they are interrogating in the first scene.

post modernist's claims

In Mr Fords lesson today we looked at post modernist's claims.

steriotypes

In Mr Smiths lesson we looked at the way people where represented through steriotypes and why steriotypes can be useful.
In the comic Tin tin black people are represented to have big lips and lazy because Tin tin says 'my dog could work faster than you'.
Steriotypes are useful because

1. they help the audience to make make a judgment on people to relate to e.g. in there are people dressed up in suits and ties and have guns you would assume that they are gangster's.
2. Steriotypes can help the audience relate to the characters.
3. Steriotyping is a shortcut to knowledge.

The problems with steriotyping is that

1. you overlook the individual
2. place people in groups
3. qualities often exaggerated which leads to a curative

In 1979 Tessa Perkins found out that steriotypes were

• not always negative e.g. french were good cooks.
• not always minorities or less powerful e.g. upper class twits
• they can be held about ones own group e.g. teenagers are always on computer games
• not rigid or unchangeable e.g. cloth cap workers of the 1950's because the 1980's consumerist home-owner who holidays in Spain'.
• not always false e.g. media studies teachers tend to be liberal/ left wing in their politics

Leon Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance argues that we resist adjusting our attitudes unless faced with overwhelming evidence against it. Leon Festinger believed that we seek out conformation of our thoughts/ beliefs. This links with pluralism audience theory which suggests that you reject things you don't believe in.

The steriotypes that we will use in our film will be gangster suit and ties and violent. They will also be deeling drugs and have guns. This fits the steriotype of gangsters because this is what you expect to see when you are watching a gangster film.

pitch for our trailer

Georgia and I did our pitch this week and it went well. Even though we did have a few problems with the videos working i thought that we explained what our ideas well. I think the best thing we did in our pitch was to show the people examples of what we wanted our trailer to be like. The best example we used was with the names coming up in the snatch trailer.

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Gangster Film Trailer

View more presentations from stuartwright.

Georgia Money

Unfortunatly Brent has left the school and I, Georgia Money decided to take his place and join Stuart in the making ofthe Teaser Trailor, a film magazine frount cover and a poster for a Gangster Film.

cultural codes

Today I looked at the cultural codes and semantic codes for one character in The Royal Tenenbaums. The semantic code is where any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connatation. The cultural codes are elements in the text that refers 'to a science or a body of knowledge'. the character that i have decided to analyse was Richie. Richie is one of the main characters in the film.

Roland Barthes

In Mr Smiths lesson the class looked at Roland Bathes theories. Roland Barthes thought that there was two ways to interpret a text, open and closed. if it was open then the text could be unravelled in a lot of different ways. if the text i closed then there is only one way to unravel a text. Roland Barthes also had a 5 codes theory that help to unravel a text. the five codes are;

1. 
   action code- this applies to any actions that implies a further narrative action. e.g. a gunslinger draws his gun on an adversary and we wonder what the resolution of this action will be.
   
2. enigma code- refers to any element in a story that is not explained and therefore exists as an enigma for the audience, raising questions that demand explanations
   
3. the semantic code- any element in a text that suggests a particular often additional meaning by way of connotation.
   
4. the cultural code- element in text that refers 'to a science or a body of knowledge'. in other words the cultural codes tend to point to our shared knowledge about the way the world works. e.g. christian people recognise Santa clause but other religions will not know who he is.
   
5. the symbolic-one thing can only be defined in relation to something it is not e.g. a hero is only a hero if there is a cowardly option that they choose not to take. bindary opposites are to do with the symbolic code. bindary opposites are just opposites e.g. tall & small, rich & poor, old & young.

research on gangster film trailers

I have looked at different gangster film trailers to see what they all have in common and their differences. I have done this because this will allow the audience watching our trailer to know that they are watching a gangster film from the generic conventions. By picking out the differences in the trailers I will be able to make out trailer unique from the others. I will also look for ideas of things that work well in the other trailers.
The godfather trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf16Vc3iZjE

the godfather trailer has non digetic music going all the way through the trailer. The music is slow that gives a feeling of sad music as if they are trapped in the gangster way of life. In the trailer you can tell who is the main person 'godfather' because he is the first person shown on the trailer and most of the trailer is about him as if he is the most powerful and everyone else works for him. When he is wearing the suit and tie he wears a red rose on his suit and everyone else wears white to show that he is the most important. There isn't much violence in the trailer it is more talking about the 'family' and how they should respect each other. The generic conventions you get to see of the gangster genre are; suit and ties, killing, fighting and parties. I have noticed the clips fade into the next if they are not directly joined. If they clips are joined e.g. they are talking and do the shot reverse shot then it wouldn't have a fade between the shots but it goes straight into the next shot. This makes the trailer slower paced which works well with the song because the slower and more relaxed feeling for the audience. This also makes the audience feel that the 'godfather' has everything under control. This is an American film so it is more about the story of one person or gang and not much action compared to the British gangster films with lots of gangs with lots of action.
The Goodfellas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynCjlwFP-vk

The Goodfellas trailer has non digetic music running all the way through the trailer but it has three different songs on it. At the start of the trailer there is a song which is quite fast paced old song to show that they were having fun blowing cars up and robbing money. Then the song changes to a slower sad song when you start to see the killings and dead bodies to show that there is a bad side to living as a gangster. Then it changes to a slow happy song as if to say it is worth it. The music changes when the main person is holding his money and having parties to show how good the lifestyle is to be a gangster. You also get the feeling that the music is slow and relaxed so you don't have to worry about anything. The gangsters that the main person works with joke about killing a person to show that it didn't matter to them because it was normal. The generic conventions you get to see in the Goodfellas trailer are; cars, suits and ties, guns, fighting’s, parties, killings, money and women. They would wear suits almost all the way through the film like the godfather. Goodfellas has a lot more violence than the godfather. In this trailer there is no fade between shots which make it feel like it is faster paced. This works well with the songs because they are quite fast paced but not as fast paced as snatch so it makes the audience feel slightly uncomfortable because it feels like this group has the control so they could do anything. This is an American film so it is more about the story of one person or gang and not much action compared to the British gangster films with lots of gangs with lots of action.
Snatch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8jbt0wBkMI

the snatch trailer has non digetic music running all the way through the trailer again but there are two different songs. The first song is very fast paced to show how fast pace the film is and how much action there is in it. Then the music changes to a wild west type song and it starts to introduce the main characters. This gives a feeling that all the main characters will be fighting against each other. In snatch there are a lot of different characters which are mainly dressed in suits. The ones that are dressed in suits are trying to get the 86 carat diamond so it is almost a race to the diamond. Snatch has a lot of guns and fighting in the trailer and less of the gangster 'family' feel to it. It has lots of different people after the diamond including Avi and his gang, brick top and his gang, two boxing promoters and a Russian. The generic conventions you get to see in snatch are; guns, diamonds, betting on cards, fighting and suits and ties. This trailer has a clip to interlink two clips such as an effect to make it look like the camera has zoomed in very fast. This makes the clips feel faster pace than the Goodfellas clip because it isn't smooth so it keeps the audience interested and it doesn't let the audience feel comfortable. This works well with the music because they are both very fast paced. This makes the audience feel like no one has the power so anything could happen and because you see every character almost an equal amount of time then you don't know who is good or bad and who you are supposed to like and not like. This is a British gangster film so it has lots of action with lots of different gangs where as the American films are more about the story on one gang and how they made it to power.
lock stock and two smoking barrels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6hZkvrFIj0

the lock stock and two smoking barrels trailer has non digetic music running the whole way through the trailer like the others but this time it has four different songs. At the start the music is slow while the main group of four friends are being introduced. The music is slow and relaxed as if to say they are normal and nothing to worry about. Then the music changes at a card game to faster pace to build tension and show that the card game is important. Then there is exadurated sound of the card being put down to show how important that card was. The music then changes to more high pitched sound to show that something bad has happened. Then the music changes to more happy faster song to suggest they might have a way of getting the money that they lost. the music then changes to faster paced music to suggest that the play is violent with a lot of action. Then one of the four friends says 'were on' and the music changed again to slower party music as if they have been successful with their play so they can celebrate. You then get to see generic conventions to do with the gangster genre which include; drugs, money, alcohol, suits and ties, women, guns and cars. There is no fade between clips like with Goodfellas but at the start the clips are quite long when it is introducing the four friends so it makes it feel like they have control until they lose at the cards game so and then the clips are shortened to make it faster clip changes. There are also a lot of different people that you see so it seems like they are all after the money. This is a bit like snatch apart from you know what group you following. This is a British gangster film so it has lots of action with lots of different gangs where as the American films are more about the story on one gang and how they made it to power.
Scarface: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciF2CYn36gA The Scarface trailer has non digetic music running most of the way through the trailer. It has three different songs on it. The songs start with a slower song which sound like horror film music it build tension. The music then changes to happy dance music when Scarface says 'when you have the power then you get the women'. There are then a few clips with Scarface and a girl and then you see them dancing together. This shows that it is a good lifestyle with the power and money. The music then changes back to the slow horror like music to show that it can all turn bad. There is a clip if two people trying to assassinate Scarface in a club which shows how bad it had got. There are lots of generic conventions for the gangster genre that you get to see in the trailer of Scarface such as; suits and ties, guns, money, women, parting and cars. This trailer has no fade to make the trailer fast paced. This trailer is a bit like the godfather because it is just following one person. This is an American gangster film that which has less action and more about the story of one gang.
Layer cake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaFegZ3pHOE&feature=related

the layer cake trailer has no music when the chef is telling you how to make a cake but it has non digetic music running all the way through the trailer when the scenes from the film are shown. The film makers have done this because the chef is explaining the story of the film by saying how to make a cake. The ingredients for the cake are the characters for the film e.g. 'a good egg' is the main actor of the film, 'a hand full of villains' all the bad people in the film 'one large portion' is the main women of the film and the last ingredient is 'sprinkling of mindless freedom of expirations' you then see a lot of fighting, drugs, guns, women, cars' with fast paced clip changes. The chef then says 'stir aggressively' then the clips are very fast paced and a lot of action. Then the chef says 'bring to the boil nicely' and then clips slow down and you see a kettle and someone poring tea on the flour and then the chef carries on to say 'placing in the local multiplex for a good 90 minutes'. You then get distinguishing pictures of London to show that this is the place that it is going to be taking place. The chef finishes by saying 'a Valla' and the first actor to speak says ' welcome to the layer cake son'. The music fits in well with the action because it is gets faster and louder as the trailer clips get shorter and faster paced. Most of the people are wearing suits or dressed up well but not many have ties on to show that the two who do are important and the rest are trying to get power. The layer cake is a British gangster film so it is different to the American films like godfather, Goodfellas and Scarface. The British gangster films have a few different gangs at the same time where as the American gangster films only concentrate on one or two main gangs. The British films have more action than the American films because the American films are more about the story line on one gang or person.

audience

I have done some research on the different types of posters there are for the gangster genre. Most of the posters have only the main character in the poster which are dressed in suit and ties. It is normally a mid shot of the character with a black background. A few of the posters have scenery in the background such as American gangster or Goodfellas. This gives the feeling that they are the most important people in the place they show. In the American gangster poster frank Lucas (main character) is the only person shown with New York beneath him. This shows that he runs New York and no one can stop him.
Snatch has the opposite feeling because there are a lot of people in the poster. The feeling you get from the snatch poster is that everyone is fighting against each other. The two people at the back of the poster look like they are working together but they are the least important because they are the smallest. The first person on the left looks powerful because he is wearing gold rings, a gold chain and a gold bracelet or the second person on the right looks important because he is dressed in a suit and tie.
Goodfellas looks like the three people are all working together. It seems like they are very powerful people but the middle person is the most powerful. It looks like the two at the sides are a bit crazier than the middle person because the middle person looks like he makes the decisions but the two on the side have to do whatever he says.
I think the most powerful poster is the Goodfellas poster because it looks better with three people than one and it doesn't look too crowded unlike the snatch poster. The only thing that stands out from the black and white is the middle persons red tie so you feel he is the most important. I think I will try and base the poster on the Goodfellas poster because I feel it looks the best.

audience

have done some research on the different types of posters there are for the gangster genre. Most of the posters have only the main character in the poster which are dressed in suit and ties. It is normally a mid shot of the character with a black background. A few of the posters have scenery in the background such as American gangster or Goodfellas. This gives the feeling that they are the most important people in the place they show. In the American gangster poster frank Lucas (main character) is the only person shown with New York beneath him. This shows that he runs New York and no one can stop him.
Snatch has the opposite feeling because there are a lot of people in the poster. The feeling you get from the snatch poster is that everyone is fighting against each other. The two people at the back of the poster look like they are working together but they are the least important because they are the smallest. The first person on the left looks powerful because he is wearing gold rings, a gold chain and a gold bracelet or the second person on the right looks important because he is dressed in a suit and tie.
Goodfellas looks like the three people are all working together. It seems like they are very powerful people but the middle person is the most powerful. It looks like the two at the sides are a bit crazier than the middle person because the middle person looks like he makes the decisions but the two on the side have to do whatever he says.
I think the most powerful poster is the Goodfellas poster because it looks better with three people than one and it doesn't look too crowded unlike the snatch poster. The only thing that stands out from the black and white is the middle persons red tie so you feel he is the most important. I think I will try and base the poster on the Goodfellas poster because I feel it looks the best.

audience

We looked different theories and different social class brackets.
From this we found out that gangster films appealed to all social class brackets. This is because gangster films are shown in cinemas and all social class boundaries go to the cinema to watch films.
Aspirates would go to watch the gangster film because they would like to have the lifestyle with the power and the money.
We also looked at theories of narrative structure. We looked at Todarov's theory and what the story lines go like. He suggests that the story start with equilibrium then disequilibrium happens the main person has a new equilibrium. We also looked at Propps theory that there are 8 different spheres of characters. Looking at these theories helps me to build to know what things a good film should have. With use doing a teaser trailer we don't have to stick to all the theories because we are only showing small clips and wouldn't want to give away the whole story.

insperation

In today’s lesson we watched different videos to get inspiration for our practical projects.
We watched the royal tenenbaums, Rushmore, battle royal, jay z 99 problems by mark remanek. We also looked at work from Chris Cunningham such as the video to come to daddy and the video to Madonna’s song frozen. I think that watching battle royal was the most helpful for me because we are doing a trailer with action genre and battle royal is fast paced and builds tension very well.

research of other films

Brent and I have looked different genres to decide what film types we could have for our teaser trailer, magazine front cover and poster for the film.
The main genres that we looked at was horror, comedy and action.
We looked at a new comedy film called the hangover.

We also looked at the horror film Halloween http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LydgEmQWOp0

We both decided that we would prefer to make a action film because we are both interested in action films and we thought it would be the best to make due to other film trailers we have looked at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZh33gGK3Y8 lock stock and two smoking barrels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8jbt0wBkMI

snatch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ecW-d-CBPc

Gran Torino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McrmLirX-qw

heat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOohAwZOSGo

no country for old men
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cib8oEhbxc4

fast and furious 4 trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbh3CDBNIQA

transporter 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5WHj0bZ2Q

James bond
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDPMv36tv4A

troy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg9ooaozu-8

terminator salvation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI71uw5smiw

Goodfellas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf16Vc3iZjE&feature=related

the godfather
Action films can be split into different genres such as;
Disaster action films like terminator,
Gangster action films like Goodfellas,
Historical action films like troy and gladiator,
Spy action films like James bond,
Car action films like the fast and the furious films.

year 13

Brent and I have been thinking of possible different projects that we could do for year 13.
The main possibilities that we are considering at the moment are;
A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with a film magazine front cover, featuring the film and a poster for the film
Or a short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animated or a combination of both, together with a poster for the film and a film magazine review page featuring the film