Spooks (MI5) - Danny's Death

Representaion of Ethnicity-

Stereotype of a Young British Black Man in his 20's-

-gangs
-drugs/drug dealers
-thug
-dangerous
-oversized clothing
-doo rags
-speak with their own idiolect
-gobby/loud mouthed
-don't really care, go against the law
-protective over their families
-anti authority



Spooks- [MI5] Danny's Death.

Danny's death in this clip from the TV series 'Spooks' shows a man dying with dignity. The clip shows two terrorists holding hostage two MI5 spys, one man (Danny), and one woman. The clip opens with the MI5 boss listening on the phone to the heartless and deeply moving conversation between the terrorist and Danny. The terrorist tells the boss that all he has to do is say one name, (insinuating the person he choses' life would be spared), the woman tells he boss of MI5 that she loves him, and not to choose either of the hostages and not to listen to the 'psychopath' holding a gun to her head. Danny then starts talking about how if he was born somewhere else, then maybe he would be standing there holding the gun, and if the terrorist was born somewhere else, then maybe he would be the one sat chained to a chair, he comes across as a very brave and intellectual person, as he is well spoken, shows pride and seems very selfless. Danny speaks about how the terrorist has lost all humanity and if he wasn't sat chained to the chair, then he would be up in his face, saying 'fuck you, you death worshipping facist!' moments after this, he is shot dead. When speaking to the terrorist, Danny seemed to show no fear, just anger, and pity. The image we get from this about Danny is the fact that he quite obviously hates terrorists, the words he says creates the idea that he feels sorry for them, as he calls them 'unlucky' and says thet at they have no kindness or pity left in them, he shows a high level of pride, and says that if he was born somewhere else, maybe it would be him bearing the gun, maybe this relates to skin colour and ethnicity? The main terrorist, looks like a typical, middle-class business man, well dressed and smart, we can see this as he is wearing a beige suite with french cuffs, his hair is slicked back, and he looks very presentable and professional. The other terrorist on the other hand, looks exactly how you would expect a stereotypical terrorist to look, dressed in all black, wearing a balaclava and holding a huge rifle. The mise en scene is rather basic, all we see is dark shadows and white light which creates the impression of interrogation. The music however, is very depressing and haunting, seconds after danny is shot, music which sounds like an islam prayer is played, it makes the scene very emotional and eerie and gives an arabic and religios atmosphere to the situation, there is also some whale song being played during the music, which makes you question the choice of music even more, did the producers want the audience to feel confused?. Throughout the clip, you hear drum beats, which create the feel of a heart beat and a very tense atmosphere, we see the terrorist stroking the womans face near the beginning of the clip, i think this is a very sarcastic, mocking and evil attempt to try and reassure her that everything is going to be okay, when thet both know full well, that either her, or Danny is going to die. We can see that she is clearly in great distress and the terrorist doing this clearly makes the situation more unbearable, also, we see her face after Danny has been shot, and there is a very distinct blood stain round her mouth insinuating that she has been hit quite hard. The clip has a mini narrative structure to it, which in the 3/4 minutes it is on for, i think is very clever and well planned, aswell, there are obvious binary opposites in the clip, the MI5 boss, (Adam) and the terrorist holding the gun, they are both high up in their jobs, having to make decisions and at a crucial point in their jobs/careers.

What Class Are You?

Upper Middle Class/Working Class.

Dad- Sales Development Manager
Mum- Telesales Manager

Working Class-
-shop assistant
-hairdresser
-painter/decorator
-window cleaner
-salesperson
-footballer
-sales person
-builder


Middle class-
-Lawyer
-Armed Forces
-footballers
-Lecturer/Teacher
-Police Officer
-Priest/Vicar
-Businessman/woman
-Scientist
-Manager
-Business owner
-Journalist
-Artist
-Army Officer
-Actor/Actress

Upper Class-
-Aristocracy
-Royalty
-High paying jobs for people who don't do much work

Let The Right One In-

Let The right One In

The film ‘Let The Right One In’ is a Swedish horror film, based on the relationships between Oskar, a 12 year old boy, and Eli, who looks around about the same age but happens to be a 200 year old vampire.

Applying the theories and views of Propp, Todorov and Levi-Strauss, you can definitely notice them in some, or maybe even most elements of the film.

Propp’s views were that all characters had a role, in ‘Let the right one in’ many roles are played. Oskar, can be seen in some respect as the hero of the film, throughout the film, he gains confidence and learns a lot about himself and others around him. The villain role would be represented by Conny, the boy who bullies Oskar, throughout the film, Oskar seeks revenge on Conny, by hitting him in the face, but the real revenge is when he gets violently killed in the end scenes of the film along with his older brother and two ‘followers by Eli, Eli would be seen as the donor, as she helps Oskar tremendously throughout the film, and also the princess, but in this film, the fact she is a vampire shows that she has a very dark side. The false hero is represented by Oskar’s so called ‘friends’ who trick him into going to a swimming club, so that he gets trapped and possibly even murdered.

Todorov’s view is that every story begins with an equilibrium, this is then disrupted and then restored. The equilibrium at the beginning of the film is that the Oskar is just a quiet school boy, who gets quite badly bullied. The equilibrium is then disrupted as the relationship between Oskar and Eli quickly starts to develop, and he then starts to gain confidence and ends up hitting Conny in the face/ear with a pole, which makes him bleed. The equilibrium is then restored to a degree, but Oskar is bullied again, and his bullies are brutally murdered by Eli. The last we see of Oskar is when he is on the train, so we don’t know what exactly happens to him, so therefore the equilibrium is not fully restored.

In ‘Let the right one in’ there are many binary opposites, Levi-Strauss’ theory was that narrative structures contain these. Binary opposites are for example; good vs evil, rich vs poor and black vs white. In this film the most apparent binary opposite is good vs evil. This is noticeable in both Oskar and Eli’s personalities throughout the film, Oskar is seen as being a kind, quiet and hard working school boy, and enjoys spending time with his dad, but we also see some very dark aspects of his personality, we see him pretend and act out what he would do when he stabs Conny, he talks to him self and shouts ‘squeal! squeal like a pig!’ this also refers to Oskar’s nickname ‘Piggy’, so we see his potential revenge scheme. As for Eli, to look at, she seems a harmless, innocent, kind and caring 12 year old, and we see her opening up to Oskar and protecting him by all means, especially when she murders the bullies, she is also a vicious immortal creature, who survives on the blood of innocent humans. Both of their personalities reflect off one another in some respects, the fact that they bring out the raw kindness in one another, and the pure evil, the binary opposite in the film between Oksar and Eli is good vs bad, and boy vs girl.

The mise en scene in ‘Let the right one in’ is quite basic, the film starts with a blizzard, we see this rather a lot throughout the film, aswell as the block of flats, and Oskar’s school. The block of flats look quite retro which suggests the setting is neither modern nor recent, as does the costume, and the fact the public congregate in café’s. The soundtrack is also very basic and repetitive, the music used creates a very awkward and peculiar atmosphere and makes you feel uncomfortable and think that something is always going to happen, which in a way is good as it prepares you for some of the gorier and ‘jumpy’ parts of the film. The soundtrack also reflects the moods of the characters and situations, for example when Oskar is with his dad, the music is happy and uplifting but when Eli is about to commit one of her murders, the music turns eerie and builds up the suspence, I think the contrast is very important as it helps with the atmosphere and the different emotions within the film, music can have a tremendous impact  on the audience.

The camera work I think is very clever, it varies between a series of long shots, mid shots, close ups and pan shots, I remember in one part of the film, the camera is slowly zooming in, which creates the feeling that we are sneaking around Eli’s apartment, and seeing what the intruder is seeing. I think the fact the camera work isn’t too complicated, and it lets you focus a lot more on what’s going on and the surroundings of the film, as there is a lot happening and to take in.  The representation of both characters and place is quite stereotypical, Oskar, who lives with his mum, lives in a nice presentable apartment, is clean, smartly dressed and does well in school, Eli, doesn’t even wear shoes, looks dirty, (blood round her mouth) lives in a very basic, not much too it apartment, with not much furniture. It relates to the binary opposites of rich vs poor, a lot people would be able to this as many are in the same situation.

I really liked this film, I found it a bit strange, but it made me want to watch it again, I liked the twists and the story line which made it seem quite a unique film. The film is portrayed in quite a traditional way, as it follows the theories of Propp, Todorov and Levi-strauss, but veers off into a different direction and creates a feel of supernatural reality if that makes sense. 

Ethnicity-

Ethnicity is easiest to talk about when referring to colour- white/black/brown/yellow.

Which ethnicities do we see most in the media?
-White/Caucasian/European/American/Australian
-Black/Afro Caribbean/African American/African
-Brown/Asian/Arab
-Yellow/Chinese/Japanese

Famous Black Actors/Actresses-
-Morgan Freeman
-Samuel L Jackson
-Eddie Murphy
-Will Smith
-Denzel Washington
-Richard Roundtree
-Michael Clarke Duncan
-Pam Grier
-Queen Latifah
-Keri Washington
-Halle Berry
-Wesley Snipes
-Beyoncé Knowels
-Forest Whittaker
-Mos Def
-Whoppi Goldberg
-Jamie Foxx
-Chris Rock
-Chris Tucker
-Gary Coleman
-Jayden Smith
-Sidney Poitier
-Jennifer Hudson

Famous Asian Actors/Actresses
-Dev Patel
-Frieda Pinto
-Shilpa Shetty
-Meera Syal

Famous Chinese/Japanese Actors/Actresses-
-Jackie Chan
-Jet Li
-Bruce Lee
-Lucy Liu
-Ken Jeong

Racial Stereotypes- black/white
Black men/women-
-big bootays!
-big lips
-big noses
-doo rags
-gangsta
-attitude
-often offended by racism
-very religious
-stoned/drugs/drug dealing
-alcohol
-afros
-afro combs
-very low trousers
-high tops
-good at basketball
-well endowed (men obviously)
-rappers
-cars with hydrolics
-sporty
-singing/choirs/church choirs
-lots of swearing, e.g 'mother fucker'
-prison
-bad fathers
-single parents
-gangs
-lazy

White men/women-
-posh
-classy
-vulnerable
-prim and proper
-suave
-rugby
-cricket
-fat
-blonde
-red cheeks
-well spoken
-lazy
-white trash
-regional dialects
-'cute' accents
-beards
-smart
-casual
-chavs!
-britian
-drinking
-careless teenagers

    

Film Production Presentation-

Media Presentation (2)[1]

Attitudes to Disability-

Disability-

Song at the start of the lesson- Spasticus Autisticus
Ian Drury and The Blockheads

We were asked to share out personal opinions and our attitudes towards people with Disabilities...

Personally, i am uncomfortable around people who unfortunately have mental disabilities, the thing i find most uncomfortable is the fact that they are completely unpredictable and cannot control themselves, i also feel very sorry for them and it makes me appreciate how lucky i am to be able bodied.

Famous disabled people-
-Stephen Hawking
-Stevie Wonder
-Gary Coleman
-Verne Troyer
-Pete Bennett
-John Merrick
-Michael J Fox
-Muhammed Ali
-Matt Hampson
-Andre the Giant
-James Cracknell
-Christopher Reeves
-Ian Drury
-Tanni Grey Thompson
-David Blunkett
-Tom Cruise

Famous Characters with Disabilities-
Million Dollar Baby- Hilary Swank
Rain Man- Dustin Hoffman
My Left Foot- Daniel Day Lewis
Forrest Gump- Tom Cruise
I am Sam- Sean Penn
Born on the 4th July- Tom Cruise
Avatar- Sam Worthington
Ray- Jamie Foxx
i-Robot- Will Smith

RIHANNA RUDEBOY VIDEO- male gaze.

This video focus' on all the elements of gaze and how they are used, it's very provocative and seductive and it's very clear on the idea intended.


Trevor Millum distinguished the forms of the male gaze in his study of women in magazines and adverts..
-attention directed towards others
-attention directed towards an object
-attention directed to oneself
-attention directed to the reader/camera
-attention directed into middle distance


Laura Mulvey- The male gaze...
-Visual pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
-Active male/passive female
-Woman as image and man as the 'bearer' of the look
-Voyeuristic
-Fetishistic

REEBOK EASYTONE ADVERT- male gaze

This advert focus' on every gaze except the chocolate box and the romantic as the woman doesn't look at the camera.

Trevor Millum distinguished the forms of the male gaze in his study of women in magazines and adverts...
-attention directed towards others
-attention directed towards an object
-attention directed to oneself
-attention directed to the reader/camera
-attention directed into middle distance


Laura Mulvey- The male gaze...
-Visual pleasure and narrative cinema (1975)
-Active male/passive female
-Woman as image and man as the 'bearer' of the look
-Voyeuristic
-Fetishistic

Jason Lewis- Aero bubbles advert.

How is he objectified?
-in a towel, just got out the shower (nearly naked)
-looks sweaty, when light shines on him you can see muscle definition.
-manly, attractive to women.
-he's very handsome.
-talks to the camera, focusing on women as he says 'ladies'.
-speaks in a husky way, trying to be seductive?
-selling chocolate.
-chocolate is an aphrodisiac.
-would appeal to women.

Is it fair?
- YES! it puts more pressure on men to look good and focuses on male appearance which is what women have been put through for many years!

Specsavers Advert- parody of lynx/axe.

How are the women objectified?
-they smell something,and come running like a herd of animals.
-they're bikini clad, almost naked.
-the camera focus' on lots of ass!
-all slim and pretty, no fat women.
-they all have long hair.
-all running towards a man, typical?
-it's in slow motion, adds emphasis to boobs and bum.
-running towards to man 'ooh look at me i'm naked'.
-reinforces stereotypes; high heels/make-up/shopping bags.

reaction- 'the advert is fun & over the top, light hearted, typical, not really bothered, not ofended'

How are they objectified?
-for the male gaze, men would like to look at them.
-they're used to sell a product, just like a prop.
-typical male advert.
-it appeals to men and women (women aspire to look like the models)

Is it fair?
- No, we are made to look at an unattractive, hairy, geeky looking man, and the blokes get to look at models running through a jungle in bikinis, it's very typical.

Rachel Riley- countdown

types of gazes- female and male.

Female- Marjorie Ferguson (1980) identified four types of facial expression in the cover photos of British women’s magazines:
1. Chocolate Box: half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. Projected mood: blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.
2. Invitational: emphasis on the eyes, mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile, head to one side or looking back to camera. Projected mood: suggestive of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.
3. Super-smiler: full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown. Projected mood: aggressive, ‘look-at-me’ demanding, the hard sell, ‘big come-on’ approach.
4. Romantic or Sexual: a fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

          Male- 

1. Soft/introverted: eyes often shut or half-closed, the mouth slightly open/pouting, rarely smiling; an inward-looking trance-like reverie, removed from earthly things.
2. Cool/level: indifferent, self-sufficient, arrogant, slightly insolent, haughty, aloof, confident, reserved; wide eyes, full lips straight or slightly parted, and obtrusive hair, often blonde. The eyes usually look the reader in the eye, as perhaps the woman regards herself in the mirror.
3. Seductive: similar to the cool/level look in many respects - the eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.
4. Narcissistic: similarities to the cool/level and soft/introverted looks, rather closer to the latter: a satisfied smile, closed or half-closed eyes, self-enclosed, oblivious, content - ‘activity directed inward’.
5. Carefree: nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.
6. Kittenlike: coy, naïve (perhaps in a deliberate, studied way), a friendlier and more girlish version of the cool/level look, sometimes almost twee.
7. Maternal: motherly, matronly, mature, wise, experienced and kind, carrying a sort of authority; shorter hair, slight smile and gentle eyes - mouth may sometimes be stern, but eyes twinkle.
8. Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.
9. Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.
10. Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed.

Forms of gaze.

Forms of gaze.

-The spectators gaze

-The ultra-diegetic gaze

-The direct address (extra-diegetic) to the viewer

-The look of the camera

-The gaze of the bystander

-The gaze of an audience with a text

Laura Mulvey- The male gaze.

- 'Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema' 1975
- Active male/passive female
- 'Woman as image'/'man as the bearer of the look'
- Voyeuristic
- Fetishistic


Categorising facial expressions.


Women;                           Men;
-chocolate box                 -carefree
-inventational                    -practical
-super smiler                    -seductive
-romantic/sexual               -comic
                                        -catalogue




Calvin Klein Underwear model- FREDDIE LJUNGBERG

-Seductive pose; pouting shimmery lips, unnatural.
-Trying to seduce women even though the advert is actually for men.
-Muscles, tan lines, oiled up, sweaty?
-Tattoo; masculine.
-Looks like he's in a gym.
-Boxers slightly pulled down, revealing. showing little pubic hair, clearly he's shaved, show's a feminine side.
-Looks like he's had a manicure.
-Cheekbones; defined, thin?
-Fist on the hip pose, expressive. show's strength and control.
-Not smiling, looks serious and seductive.
-Red background suggests, lust, anger, danger, passion?
-Skin head and stubble. rough? sexy? masculine?
-Bar; prop to show off his muscles?

Calvin Klein underwear model- EVA MENDEZ

-Not looking at the camera

-Really long legs, wearing suspenders.

-Lips; parted, sexy?

-Hair; wet, sweaty, (sex)?

-On tip toes aswell as wearing heels.

-Stance; legs open, ready? (sex) powerful stance, shows she's in control, sexual.

-Eyes closed, gritting her teeth, orgasm face?

-Feminist views...

is she in pain?

looking away- dissapointed (not good in bed etc)

looks confident in herself, doesn't care about what others think.

Representations

View more presentations from hammonda.

PAUL blogs.

PAUL Blogs- Simon Pegg & Nick Frost

-The blogs give us an insight in what the film is about without giving too much of it away (bit of a teaser!)

- Main actors are featured (SP & NF)

- Blogs contain the same kind of humour as the film, the people who would watch them are most likely people who are fans of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and Working Title films.

- They give us an incentive to watch and/or even buy the film, blogs would be featured on the DVD, as a bonus feature, makes audience feel they know the actors better.

- Gives us an idea on things that go on behind the scenes, cast and crew etc.

- The blogs document the production.

- There is audience participation, questions and answers on the film, shows the production team, cast and crew care about what the audience think and want.

http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/paul_blog.php

Shameless Task-

Shameless- 2004

Written by Paul Abbott

Episode 1; Focusing on sexuality and regional identity.

Stereotypes.
(Regional identity)


North (Poor)                                      South (Rich)
-poor                                                -essex (tarty) tv programmes etc.
-uneducated                                      -rich                             
-stupid                                              -thugs (London)
-rough                                               -intelligent
-drink/alcohol                                    -cockneys
-drugs                                               -hot
-cold                                                 -busy
-cheap                                              -terror threats (London- Capital city)
-unemployment                                 -the seaside
-working class                                  -oxford/cambridge (prestigious universities)
-miners                                             -fashion
-gravy
-pies

-farmers

-strong accents

Stereotypes.

(Sexuality)

Gay men.                                          Straight men.

-femenine                                         -manly

-clean                                              -sweaty

-make up                                         -beer
-fashion                                           -sporty
-gay 'best friends'                             -lads/laddish
-camp                                              -hairy 
-sissys                                              -stupid/simple
-high pitched voices                          -sexist
-drama queens                                 -homphobic
-fake tan                                          -football

-muscular                                         -stubborn

                                                        -rough

                                                        -emotionless

                                                        -soft side 

Compare how Hot Fuzz and This is England appeal to a British Audience.

Compare How Hot Fuzz and This is England Appeal to a British Audience

Max Fischer- Rushmore.

The Creation- 'Making Time' (montage song) 60's band, weren't famous but fits in perfectly with what we are seeing in the film.

Last lines of the long 'pulling the wool, stop acting the fool' when them lines are sung, we see Max smiling at the camera, they obviously have some relevance to Max as a character.


Is Max Fischer a stereotypical teenager?

From the impression i get from the montage of Max and his 'extra curricular activities' i would say that he is not a stereotypical teenager, when we first see him (which is in one of his dreams) he has his head burried in a newspaper, he then goes up to work out the hardest mathematical equation in the world, he manages it and loves the praise he gets.

- Either the founder/president of every club.
- Always wearing his blazer
- Lots of interests, languages (multilingual) so we think!
- Hard working
- Tries to fit in
- Doesn't try to socialise (seamingly)
- His social life is connected to his hobbies.
- Always wears his uniform, trying to stand out?
- Tries to act alot older than he is.

The Bee's-
- In a colony/stick together/leader?
- The quote 'Busy as a Bee' Max is always on his feet doing something.
- People don't tend to like bee's, they can be annoying, and have a sting.
- They have a purpose, and are very important.
- The quote 'The bee's knees', ablove everyone else, higher archy, stuck up?

Uniform-
- Always wears his tie, blazer and chinos; even when playing dodgebll and when fencing (maybe he wants to be seen as different so people notice him?)
- Others we see are wearing a blue oxford shirt, chinos- Ivy League
- Could be poor, may not be able to afford to buy other clothes, maybe that's why we always see him wearing his uniform?

- Element of perception.
- Level of pride.
- Opening to montage shows him wearing a beret.
- Editor, important role in society, above others.
- Chooses Russia over other countries as it is seen to be the greatest in the world and the centre of alot of the worlds eye.
- Stamp and coin collection; could he have OCD? picks them up with tweezers so they don't get harmed.
- Lacrosse manager; doesn't seem at all interested by the game, is too busy sorting out the equipment, the jocks don't notice him, like he is invisible.
- Could be poor, likes the speech 'aim at the rich guy' using calligraphy to note down what the man has said about the school he attends and to aim for the 'rich kids'
- Calligraphy club, only one in it.
- Wears a beret for Astronamy.
- Fencing; he's wearing his chinos, maybe he wants to stand out? make people look at him?
- Track and field; running by himself, on main roads, doesn't look a particularly nice area.
- HOW ON EARTH DID HE GET INTO THAT SCHOOL?!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XCqtcFMomU

Hot Fuzz & This is England.

Hot Fuzz & This is England comparison

This is England- Warp Films/Shane Meadows

This is England was produced by a small production company called Warp Films.


Warp Films-


- Warp Films were set up in 1999 with the fundings from NESTA (National endowment for science, technology and the arts)
- They are the sister company of Warp Records
- Based in Sheffield, and have a further office in London
- They have 14 staff


At present there have been 4 releases from this small production company, one of which won the best short film award at the BAFTA awards.


Shane Meadows-


Shane Meadows was born on 26th December 1972, he  is an English film director, screenwriter, occasional actor and BAFTA winner.

Meadows grew up in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, he left school shortly before reaching his GCSEs. He moved to Nottingham when he was 20, while living in the Sneinton area of Nottingham, he made roughly about 30 short films with the friends he met there. He could not show these films to anyone because there were no film festivals in his area. His friends started one in the local cinema which became popular with the town. The vast majority of his films have been set in the Midlands area, they recall the kitchen sink realism of film makers such as Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, with a post-modern twist. He has a relaxed directing style, encouraging the actors to ad lib in order to create a better sense of reality. Much of the content of his films is semi-autobiographical and based on his experiences in Uttoxeter.

Skins - Tony (Episode 1)

Tony (Episode 1)

When we are first introduced to Tony, we see him from above. He is wide awake, even before his alarm clock rings, which our class noticed and found very odd. One of the first things we can hear is the ringing of church bells, as the shot zooms out, we can see already that he has an excentric personality by his bed covers, as he gets up and starts his daily routine, we learn alot more about him as a person, he does a workout every morning - this shows that he likes to take care of himself, and takes pride in his appearance, he is also an extremely neat person, we know this as his bed covers were perfectly made even when he was in them, his polo shirts were folded perfectly in his drawer, and his room was just immaculate, which for most teeangers of this age, it would be completely the opposite. Tony seems like quite a crafty person, as he sneaks his sister in every morning by blaring out his music on purpose so his dad comes in his room, that is then a perfect oppurtunity for his sister to sneak up the stairs and into her room, as if she'd never been out, he also manages to lock his dad out of the bathroom by climbing out the window and walking back through the front door. His arrogance is made quite clear aswell, he obviously likes the woman in the house opposite and we see him watching her from his window as she gets dressed in the morning, they both swap looks and smiles, this shows that he is used to attention from girls as he is standing there with no top on, he seems very confident and takes pride in his appearence and he 'checks him self out' in the mirror and smiles, so he is clearly happy with what he looks like. We noticed aswell the book he was reading, Nausea By Jean Paul Sartre, it is a very complex book and not many people of his age would choose it as a book to read for pleasure, this suggests that he could be very intellectual, quite broad minded, so he could have alot of potential, also his room is very plain, and is covered in posters from films, but not the films you would expect, he has posters of old films which not many teenagers would know about.

FINAL PRELIM MAGAZINE COVER AND CONTENTS.

HOT FUZZ STORYBOARD.

Hot Fuzz  (2007)

Director- Edgar Wright

Writers- Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg

Cast- Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Jim Broadbent.

Location-  London Police Station
             -  Sandford, Gloucestershire

Stereotypes-  Policemen in London, serious, smart, proper, higher archy.
                  -  Policemen in Sandford, laid back, not bothered.
                  -  Youths; hoods up, causing trouble, mouthy.

Humour-  Contrast between stereotypes.

            -  Playing against existing perceptions of the police.

            -  Very realistic in some cases/scenarios.

Camera work & edition-  lots of close ups.

                                 -  fast paced editing.

                                 -  they make mundane things seem really exciting.

Iconography/signification-  Metropolitan Police

                                     -  Underground/taxis

                 

American Beauty

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSSCo3ncYag

^^ Link to opening scenes of American Beauty.
 

The Burnham Family:

They are creatures Of Habit- they have the same routine, same music, it all seems very repetative. The father and daughter used to be close, what happened? We see family photos which show the Burnham's in happier times, at the dinner table, Lester is slumped over which makes his wife Carolyn, look down on him and seem bigger as she is sitting in a normal posture. The motif of the film, (the red roses) are used again in this scene, they are in the middle of the table infront of the daugher, they stand out in the dining room as it is neutral, the use of red, white and blue are also again noticable. The music being played during this scene is 'Bali Hai' from South Pacific, this could indicate that Carolyn is stuck in the past, maybe old fashioned? We hear the daughter ask why they have to listen to the music every time they have dinner, she is clearly fed up and bored of the way that they live.

- The music adds emphasis to the scenes, creates a very awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere, also indicates the dullness and repetative routine that they all have.

- The view of the dining room is a long shot/establishing shot
- The camera slowly zooms in, it makes the audience feel like they're spying on the family.
- Lester and Carolyn are on opposite ends of the table, the daughter is in the middle
- Their daughter is in the light, along with the motif, parents are in the shadows (like Lester in the beginning of the film)
- Stalker- very freaky, frustrated, angry, looks disturbed.

American Beauty Work-

Lester Burnham- 

He is trapped; Explain.

When we first see Lester, (from a birds eye view) he is in bed, in the shadows of the curtains, in the dark. From then on, it becomes apparent that he is somewhat trapped, behind bars of a sort. For example, when he is in the shower, the scene is shot from outside of the cubicle, so Lester is behind the shower screen. The fact he puts on slippers indicates that his is trapped by his wife, maybe she makes him wear them? When Lester is looking at his wife from behind the window, the shot we see, makes him look like he is behind prison bars, is Lester a prisoner in his own house? On the way to work in the car, he is made to sit in the backseat as his daughter Jane, sits in the front with her mother, this suggests that Lester is treated like a child/teenager instead of being treated like an adult. At work, we see Lester's reflection in his computer, that also looks like he is behind bars, even at work.

Colour is used in a very interesting way; why?

The colours used in the first few minutes are, red, white and blue and basic neutral colours, the neutral colours link to the atmosphere in the house, they also make the red, white and blue stand out, the motif in this film is a rose, so when the roses appear in the scene, they are very obvious as the colour stands out. The colours create a representation of a repetative routine, like the music being played throughout these scenes.

Lesters wife, Carolyn, is the dominant member of the Burnham family, being stereotypical here, she acts like the man of the family...
- Up and ready before everyone else
- Driving to work, beeping the horn impatiently to hurry eveyone up
- The look of disgust and dissaproval when made even more late for work

Lester states that his wife and daughter refer to him as some kind of 'gigantic loser', and by the looks he gets from them both, it is evidently true.

Normally in an average family, the herarchy goes...

Father
Mother
Children

But in the case of the Burnham Family, the herarchy goes...

Mother
Daughter
Father

The Man - Lexington Ave. NYC

REPRESENTATION- The Man.

My first impression of this man was admittedly not a very positive one, from what he was wearing i made the assumption he was possibly homeless, as he looked very scruffy and un-kempt and looked as though he belonged to a low class society. As we examined the picture in more detail, it became apparent to the class that the man was wearing a well made pair of shoes, they looked good enough to even be hand made. We also noticed his clean beige trousers, with neatly sewn patches and perfect roll-ups. The man was wearing a fashionable plaid shirt, accompanied by a scarf, and a well fitted cardigan. We noticed that he is also stood in a rather particular pose, one which suggests he doesn't give a damn what the public think of him, he is smoking his cigarette in a way most homeless people wouldn't and looks as though to have a quite quirky and confident personality.

This photo, was taken outside the Ralph Lauren Store, Lexington Ave. NYC.

My grades at GCSE were...

B- Drama
C- English Language
C- English Literature
C- Science
C- Science Applied
C- Maths
C- French
C- Art
C- Religious Studies
D- Graphic Products

The courses i am doing at AS are... Music, Media, English Language and University Award.

Films- The Hangover, The Holiday, Pulp Fiction, Bridget Jones, The Proposal.

TV- Gavin and Stacy, Inbetweeners, Fresh Prince.

Music- Eliza Doolittle, Train, Michael Bublé, Olly Murs, Razorlight, Katy Perry, Ellie Goulding.

Magazines- Vogue & Look

Books- I heart New York & I heart Hollywood, by Lindsey Kelk