Opening story plays

Music plays over opening credits and opening song, while we travel through several abandoned locations.

EXT BARREN FIELD

Ext infected in farm ground

EXT EMPTY WOOD

EXT WIDE ROAD LEADING INTO THE WOODS.

Our hero’s bike rolls to a stop, she is clearly frustrated. Her bike has run out of petrol. She removes her helmet revealing her face for the first time

– Merry 23-25,

– large scar through her left eye

– rides the country on her fathers beloved motorcycle

– wears a khaki jacket and boots, some jeans and some combat webbing with various tools attached

– she has a shotgun in the back and a glock on her chest

As she gets off the bike she takes her key and checks the petrol tank to find its empty. Music still playing she gets frustrated and throws her helmet as hard as she can across the field.

She removes her headphones and takes out a map. We see she’s marked where the nearest military outpost is and she folds her map to make her way there.

She packs various sundries from her bike Into her backpack and removes her glock, she checks that it is loaded and puts it back in its holster. She puts her backpack on and takes out her iPod. She puts in her headphones and selects another track. After she tucks her iPod away she grabs her bag straps and makes her way to the military checkpoint.

Ext empty wood – Day

Merry walks through the wood

EXT RIVER – DAY

Wonders through a river

EXT ABANDONED car – early evening/ Dusk

She sits on a stump next to the abandoned car, eating her dinner out of a can. She has is settling down for the evening, she looks and reminisces at a photo of her family.

EXT HELICOPTER,

As she arrives at the military checkpoint with the abandoned chopper she sees some infected. She takes off her backpack and removes her headphones.

She ducks down by her backpack and ducks behind a fallen tree as cover. She takes a glance over at the infected guarding the fuel at the chopper and counts three.

She begins to plan her attack, she removes her glock to double check its loaded. She puts the magazine back, cocks it and places it back in the holster. She removes her shotgun and places it on her lap.

She removes her iPod and puts her headphones in. She selects another track and tucks her iPod away. She takes her shotgun and loads her only shell into it.

She looks into the camera and lets off a cheeky smile, cocks the shotgun and springs into her attack.

She runs up to the first who is unaware of her presence and fires a shotgun blast into his head.

SHE TAKES A RUN AT THE SECOND INFECTED AND KNOCKS IT OVER WITH THE BUTt of the shotgun

She drops the shotgun and pulls her glock, she executes the infected lying on the floor.

The final infected runs at her and she lets off two shots into its head, it falls down.

Merry walks to the helicopter and removes her headphones. She takes a deep breath and grabs the petrol tank.

As she places her hand on the petrol tank, a screech comes out of nowhere and an infected runs at her. She doesn’t even look and Fires one shot into its head.

EXT HELICOPTER

She snaps back from her daydream and puts her headphones in. She loads her only she’ll into the shotgun.

She is super nervous, breathing really heavy and is super sweaty, she ducks out of cover and runs at the first infected. She takes him out and runs to the second. Instead of rolling over him, she stumbles and hits into him and knocks him over and lets out a scream. She stands up and gets grabbed by an infected and falls to the ground.

Infected swarm her and rip her apart.

Credits roll

Opening story plays

‘

A song can be heard during the opening scenes as we travel through several abandoned and empty locations

EXT EMPTY FIELD

ext CHURCH GROUND WITH infected IN IT

EXT EMPTY WOODS

EXT. WIDE ROAD LEADING INTO WOOD

Hero’s bike rolls to a stop, she has run out fuel. She is clearly frustrated and removed her helmet after kicking the side stand out.

This introduces our character

– Fern – 23 years old

– has a large scar through her left eye

– her eye is completely whited out

– wears walking boots and a khaki jacket, topped with webbing and a helmet on her motorcycle and fingerless gloves.

– wears a large backpack, has a shotgun on her backpack and wears her clock on her chest.

In her frustration she gets off the bike, throws her helmet and composes herself, she removes her headphones. She pulls out a map from one of the pockets and checks where the nearest waystation is.

She removes food from the back of the motorcycle and packs her bag. She tightens her straps, removes the glock and checks the magizine. She puts the gun back, selects a new song on her iPod and continues use on her way.

EXT WOODED AREA

She walks through trees,

EXT STICK PILE

She clambers on to- to get her bearings

EXT ABANDONED CAR

She’s eating her dinner and pushes a zombies hand away with her foot.

EXT WAY STATION

She arrives at the way station, she sees the storage area and removes her headphones. She ducks down behind some cover and begins to plan her attack.

She removes her back-ack and tighten her webbing. She pulls the glock to check its loaded and pops it back. She loads on she’ll into the shotgun and pulls out her iPod. She selects her final track and breaths deeply

She cocks the shotgun, smiles at the camera and steps out to attack.

She runs the first infected and executes him hitman style, drops the shotgun and runs at the second. She rolls over his back and pistol whips him, he is knocked back.

She fire two into the third infected and then shots the last one in the head. All three have been taken out.

She grabs the petrol can and pulls her headphones out. The music stops. One last infected runs at her and she takes it out without even looking.

EXT WAY STATION

She’s breathing really heavy and is super sweaty, she ducks out of cover and runs at the first infected. She takes him out and runs to the second. Instead of rolling over him, she stumbles and hits into him and knocks him over and lets out a scream. She stands up and gets grabbed by an infected and falls to the ground.

Infected swarm her and rip her apart

Credits roll

My chosen film to review is Snatch, 2000, written and directed by my chosen auteur, Guy Ritchie.

Snatch, one of Ritchies first outings into the world of feature film after his 1998 hit Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels really sets his style of taking major Hollywood stars and plonking them into the underbelly of British life, highlighting something contrary to the usual characteristics that most think of; tea, crumpets,  bad teeth and flying nannies. Resurrecting his relationship with British powerhouses Vinnie Jones as Bullet tooth Tony and Jason Statham as Turkish he couples them with Brad Pitt, who is sporting an incomprehensible Irish accent as the “pikey” head honcho Mickey and Benecio Del Toro as Frankie Four Fingers.

The picture is laden with dutch angles, split screens and close up static shots give the audience a sense of familiarity as these techniques are heavily referenced throughout all of Ritchies work. They also offer a viewer some variety from the usual conventions of film and make snatch an ever changing and ever exciting watch.

The plot is an intricate web of several plots following several groups of gangsters, gypsies and pawn shop owners turned criminals that all come to a head in the final act of the film in accordance with Ritchies style amongst his other films, Rocknrolla, The Gentlemen and Revolver. Each of the characters seems to have it out for each other and battle it out from the first scene to the last with the drunken and down on his luck underdog coming out on top, despite the previous narrative stating otherwise. A very career defining trope synonymous with Ritchies work.

Ritchie’s use of colour throughout his films generally give off a cold and unforgiving tone, Snatch is no exception.
This infographic shows the use of colour throughout the scene with Bullet tooth (Jones) and Cousin Avi (Dennis Farina). Heavy use of blues, greens and greys really highlight the crime and debauchery that Ritchie so eloquently tries to put across to the viewer.

The use of excessive foul language is something I associate with the British crime genre and Snatch does not disappoint. The script for this film must look like the scribbled notes on a Tarantino screenplay. Another characteristic of the genre that Snatch holds up its end of the bargain on is gratuitous use of violence with scenes of Vinnie Jones smashing heads in car doors, vicious dog attacks and bloody murder, this film is not for the faint of heart.

All of these points aside I really feel that snatch is one of the greatest British movies ever made and deserves the critical acclaim that it has received since its release. Snatch sets guy Ritchie up for a long and fruitful career of producing movies that really stand the test of time. 9/10

Bibliography

moviesincolor. 2014. Moviesincolor. [online] Available at: <https://moviesincolor.com/post/92596940898/guy-ritchie-week-snatch-2000-cinematography-tim> [Accessed 28 March 2020].

For our task this week we were asked to create a short 1 minute film, the subject being film itself.

I took inspiration from experimental films using techniques such as layering different scenes as in Jean Epsteins “La Chute de la Maison Usher, 1928”. Quiet, no dialogue close ups to give a feeling of being unsettled as in David Lynch’s “Inland Empire, 2006” and the use of both repetitive sound using footage from other media as in Martin Arnolds “Piece Touchee, 1989”

I based the film around my current state of mind, being in isolation during the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the film reflects my feelings of loneliness, emptiness and boredom along with the frustration of fellow humans not adhering to governmental advice, panic buying items and generally deceiving and ignoring governmental advice.

Bibliography

La chute de la maison Usher, 1928, online video, Jean Epstein, France,Story by Edgar Allen Poe, Screenplay by Jean Epstein and Luis Bunuel, Directed by Jean Epstein, Starring Marguerite Gance, Viewed on March 25 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-U6N-3lW8

Inland Empire, 2006, online video, StudioCanal, France, Poland, USA, written and directed by David Lynch, starring Laura Dern and Jeremy Irons, Viewed on March 25 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7Efj70qa3U

Piece Touchee, 1989, online video, SixPack Film, Austria, Produced and Directed by Martin Arnold, viewed on March 25 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnDagpv4kUk

This first post is a glossary for terms throughout my blog that you or I may not be familiar with. Use this page to help yourself gain a better understanding of the terminology used throughout the blog. I’ll be regularly updating the page with new terms as we go on.

Mise-En-Scéne (ˌmēz ˌän ˈsen)

The Mise-En-Scene Is a french term that roughly means ‘place on stage’ and is used to describe anything that will be placed in a particular shot; from actors to a couch. It can also include the framing of a shot.

Shot reverse shot 

When a scene cuts back and forth between two characters, usually over shoulder.

Pan/track/zoom

These terms refer to specific camera movements –

Pan– Moving the camera on its horizontal or vertical axis to follow a subject

Track – Follows the subject by pushing either backwards, forwards or alongside.

Zoom – Refers to the changing of focal length during a shot

Suture 

Suture refers to the the process of the audience being “sewn into” the “fabric” of a particular film.

The gaze

Used to refer to how the audience perceives other individuals, or themselves

Audience 

Audience is used to describe the viewer of a film

Representation

Refers to speaking or acting on the behalf of a particular group within a piece of media

Montage 

A series of clips detailing a passage of time or a build up to a significant event (http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/montage.html)

Characterisation 

Create a character in a work of fiction and building on qualities or characteristics that character might have.

Tropes

Defines something within a film that is widespread and universally recognised. For example, the cutting of the red wire any time theres a bomb in a scene would be considered as a trope as it is the most common solution amongst the media

Diagetic

Sound that has a source “on screen” meaning we hear that sound as well as the character in the film – This clip from John Krasinki’s “A Quiet Place” Is a wonderful example of diagetic sound, where the characters can hear the sound of the space shuttle as can the audience – GRAPHIC WARNING *Potentially upsetting scene*

Non-diagetic

The opposite of diagetic, this describes sound that does not have a source within the film. For example the score or narration

Kino-eye

Kino-eye is a film technique developed by Dziga Vertov and describes film that is ‘Inaccessible to the human eye” in that it does not attempt to replicate how to the human eye would see events.

Avant-garde

The process of introducing new and experimental ideas into common practices – https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/film/experimentation-in-film-the-avant-garde/

Non-narrative 

A genre of film that follows no story or relate to an event

Cinema pur 

Translating to “Pure Cinema” from French, it describes a movement of experimental non-narrative film during the 1920’s and 30’s

“The term was first coined by Henri Chomette to define a cinema that focused on the pure elements of film like form, motion, visual composition, and rhythm, something he accomplished in his shorts Reflets de lumiere et de vitesse (1925) and Cinq minutes de cinéma pur (1926). The movement included many Dada artists, such as Man Ray (Emak-Bakia, Return to Reason), René Clair (), Fernand Léger (Ballet Mécanique), Marc Allegret, Jean Gremillon, Dudley Murphy, and Marcel Duchamp (Anemic Cinema)” -https://expcinema.org/site/en/wiki/article/cinéma-pur

Anti narrative 

Describes a narrative that does not adhere to the usual conventions of a narrative

Genre

Genre describes the category that a particular film belongs to (Crime, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama) each film can then be split into sub-genres depending on the nature of the narrative (Romantic Comedy, Historic Thriller, Zombie Horror)

Iconography

Visual factors in a film or work of art that can be used to easily define the genre or style of film to a wide audience.

Film noir

A style of film usually characterised by cynical heroes, crime, ambitious lighting and use of flashbacks. Film noir tends to be black and white.
This flashback scene from Curtis Bernhardt’s 1947 film High Wall shows a great use of a flashback and really highlights the genre

Aesthetic 

The way the subject of a film is put across to an audience, closely related to Mis En Scene

Bibliography 

Elementsofcinema.com. 2020. What Is A Montage (Film Editing)?. [online] Available at: <http://www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/montage.html> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

A Quiet Place. 2018. [film] Directed by J. Krasinski. USA: Platinum Dunes. 2018. A Quiet Place, Beau Death Scene. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CmmKmlXD9I> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

Lords of the Rings – The return of the king. 2003. [film] Directed by P. Jackson. New Zealand: New Line Cinema. 2011. The Lord Of The Rings – Best Scene (HD). Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZ3SN65kIs> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

Moma.org. 2020. Moma | Experimentation In Film / The Avant-Garde. [online] Available at: <https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/film/experimentation-in-film-the-avant-garde/> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

Experimental Cinema. n.d. Cinéma Pur | Experimental Cinema Wiki. [online] Available at: <https://expcinema.org/site/en/wiki/article/cinéma-pur> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

High Wall. 1947. [film] Directed by C. Bernhardt. USA: Metro Goldwyn-Meyer. 2012. High Wall (1947) – Flashback Scene. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUHlhSccDbQ> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

Following this infographic, compiled of the specific tags found on IMDB for each year, undoubtedly the most popular and consistent genre of film over the last 108 years is comedy. Fortunately for the genre, comedy is subjective and in my opinion infinite meaning the genre will live on consistently as evidenced.

As I mentioned above, comedy is subjective and as such a lot of successful box office hits follow a similar pattern of recasting actors such as Melissa McCarthy, Adam Sandler and Steve Carell, a familiar face will ease audiences and draw them to your film.
I think trying to give comedy a particular iconography is a difficult task but there are a few that stand out across the genre. The first being slapstick; a really basic form of comedy and potentially the most popular, slapstick is the use of over exaggerated physical movements which often result in accidental injury to the victim. Examples of slapstick comedy films are Mr. Bean (1997) starring Rowan Atkinson, The Three Amigos (1986) Starring Martin Short and Hot Shots: Part Duex (1993) Starring Charlie Sheen and Ryan Stiles as evidenced in this clip where Ryan Stiles takes out some enemy soldiers with a ridiculous but effective (apparently) boxing glove bazooka.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y8EGMBcfh8

Coupled with slapstick is the use of props that you might associate with comedy, given varying themes that are popular within the genre (Violence, Sex, Drugs, Crime) some props you might associate with comedies could be guns, drug paraphernalia including pipes and bongs, large sums of cash can often lead to problematic situations and hidden articles of provocative clothing can lead to character being caught doing something they shouldn’t be.

Character tropes are generally the same throughout the broad net that is comedy, usually following an ordinary everyday working Joe ending up in adverse situations with adverse consequences like Shaun of the dead (2004) Starring Simon Pegg which follows the story of electronics salesman Shaun (Simon Pegg) at his rock bottom. The country is overrun by zombies and he must overcome this to save his family, his best friend and the girl he loves. There are plenty more examples of this across all sub-genres of comedy.

One very specific trope of the comedy genre is that it has always been seditious to real life, taking real life issues and parodying them for example; (War, Jojo Rabbit, 2019) (Terrorism, Four lions, 2010) and (Racism, Do the right thing, 1989) to make audiences feel at ease about that particular issue and at the very least better about themselves.
However this general rule is broken by the Hollywood execs who churn out movies whose only purpose on the screen is to either make money (some failing horribly) or just to give the producer and director something to do, some recent examples include works by Michael Tiddes and Marlon Wayans (Fifty Shades of Black, 2016 & A haunted house, 2013) and the Will Ferrell flop (Holmes and Watson, 2018)

Bibliography

Bo McCready (2019), Film Genre Popularity – 1910-2018,  Accessed on 26th march 2020, https://public.tableau.com/views/FilmGenrePopularity-1910-2018/GenreRelativePopularity?:embed=y&:display_count=yes&publish=yes&:showVizHome=no

Hot Shots: Part Duex, 1993, Online Video, Abrahams and Zucker, San Joaquin County, Distributed by, 20th Century Fox, Written by Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft, Directed by Jim Abrahams, Starring Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Bridges and Valeria Golino, Viewed on 26th March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y8EGMBcfh8

Our task this week was to introduce a character into a short story using the “Five finger pitch” Which includes five different elements of determining a character – Genre, Main Protagonist, A goal, Obstacle and finally Whats Important.

I’ve decided to use the very first draft of the script for “Project Corona” A short, no dialogue film written by myself.

EXT. BARON FIELD – DAY
All that can be heard during the opening scene is music (Music tbd) as we pan through several abandoned and empty locations
– upper field
– empty field in church ground
– empty wood
Cut to a wide of our hero riding her motorcycle Through some mud.
Cut to head on wide shot of hero riding along a road – location: road leading into dog tag

This is the first time we see our hero
– merry, 30 something years old
– has a large scar through her eye and her scarred eye is completely white
– wearing combat boots, khaki jacket and a hat, a beaten up helmet covers her face
– wears a large backpack and has a shotgun on her back/ on the side of the motorcycle, wears a glock on her leg

Head on shot of hero getting closer to camera, the bike has run out of petrol and splutters to a stop in frame in a closeup, she is clearly disappointed and visually frustrated. She takes her helmet off and reveals her large scar. she gets off and kicks the side stand out. Song still playing

Pick up shot of hero kicking the side stand out.
Shoulder mount shot – She gets off the bike and take her earphones out – music is replaced by the sound of birds, no cars or planes can be heard.

Close up of merry removing her map from her backpack and finding where the nearest military checkpoint is. She  marks the nearest checkpoint and prepares to travel to acquire the petrol she so desperately needs to get the bike started again.

Wide shot – she packs her bag and takes her shotgun from the side of the bike and places it on her back.
Medium shot – she takes the glock from her leg holster, pulls the magazine out to check its loaded and puts it back, she pops in her headphones and selects track 2, the sound of birds is replaced by another song (Music TBD), She then grabs her bag straps and walks off camera.