Welcome to Enigma Productions. We are an as media group that is currently producing the first couple of minutes to the opening of a thriller/sci-fi genre. We have created this blog to upload all of our coursework form research to planning and final edits. The group consists of Antonia, Annie and Cat and we are regularly recording our media work onto this blog.
Enjoy! :)
Monday, 29 September 2014
Friday, 12 September 2014
Review on director Christopher Nolan has -Annabelle
Director and Film Reviews
Christopher Nolan is best known for his non-linear story telling. He directs produces and writes films. He has been working in the film industry for 15 years and started with low budget films and has now progressed to big blockbusters. In 2005 he was given the chance to create the batman films.
Influenced by Graham Swifts novel ‘Waterland’ Nolan has a pattern of employing non-linear storylines. He said he felt the novel “did incredible things with parallel timelines and told a story indifferent dimensions that was extremely coherent.
Included in his pattern of non-linear storylines is his film ‘Inception’. This is about dream-sharing technology when a thief steals corporate secrets and is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO. Nolan has certain styles that are recognised in films and Inception is no different. One of his styles he uses is men in suits. The suits are used from the beginning to the end with all characters. Cobb is found on the beach in a washed out colour suit and the people who find him are in smart ironed black and white suits. This is to show how they have authority over him as they found him, he has become their property. He needs to know whose boss from the start so that he doesn’t mess them around and smart suits are the way to do that. Another one of his styles is muted colours. This is used throughout the film such as browns, blacks, greys and whites. White and slightly brighter colours are used more to show when they are in the real world and not dreaming. The washed out colours are used so that all the dreams appear to be similar to confuse the audience as the scenes are in non-linear sequence. One other style he uses is that the dialogue scenes are filmed in close ups. This is particularly effective in this films because you can see the characters facial expression which is how they mentally respond –their initial reaction to the situation and sometimes a signal to their colleague, compared with their dialogue which is the opposite to what they are thinking. Medium shots, medium close ups and close ups are used continually for this style. He also uses specific methods in his films such as applying multi cameras for stunts and single cameras for dramatic action. When the fights take place different cameras are used to receive different angles. So when the actors are pushed towards the camera it quickly switches to another shot further away so you can see their whole bodies. Or when a chase is being filmed the camera follows the characters from behind so you see them all and where they are heading to. Another method of his used in this film is minimizing the amount of computer generated imagery for special effects. The majority of this film is filmed inside in buildings. This creates a more realistic effect as natural surroundings are used making it more relatable for people. If green screens are used they are only used for a minimal amount of time so it gives it less focus.
His styles are also shown clearly in his film ‘Batman Begins’ which he wrote and directed. It is about how batman sets out to free Gotham City from corruption and crime after training with his mentor. His style of using urban settings and modern locations is shown throughout the film. Established shots are used to show where the next scene will be taking place. They are also used in this film after a long scene so it grabs the viewers’ attention ready for the next scene. The shots are usually taken in the evening so there is a dark sky with the buildings lit up creating the atmosphere for the following scene. Urban settings are used for the majority of the film as a lot of it is filmed inside and in the city. Offices, big houses, and a court are frequently used which are found in urban locations. Another one of his known styles are men in suits. Ducard is first introduced at the beginning of the film in a suit while Bruce is wearing ripped and dirty clothes. This is to show who has the higher authority in the scene as Ducard knows who Bruce is and offers him help, and Bruce doesn’t know who he is putting Bruce in the lower position. Later on in the film we saw Bruce wearing a suit when he is in court watching the case involving the man who killed his parents. This is to show he has power over the man as he is free and does not carry a guilty conscious round with him. At the end of the film both Bruce and Ducard are in a scene together wearing suits. However Ducard is wearing an all-black suit suggesting he has a dark side and is evil compared to Bruce who is wearing a black suit with a white shirt suggesting he has good within him. Another one of his styles used in this film are the muted colours. At the very beginning of the film we see a sea of bats flying with a muted orange sky implying it will be a thriller. Bruce then wakes up on bed in a cell like room which is represented with greys and blacks’ reflecting the atmosphere as everyone is gloomy. The majority of the film is filmed in the evening/night which is why muted colours are used throughout the film. It also represents Batman’s emotions as he is mourning for the loss of his parents. Dim lighting is used to represent that he does have light in his world found amongst his dark thoughts. A lot of beige colours are used for a great part of the film as it was filmed in 2005.
The dark night rises uses less of his style conventions as it is recent and Nolan is developing new styles. One style that is still recognised in the film is his use of urban settings and modern locations. There are a couple of different established shots showing the city in the evening with the buildings lit up which sets the scene and the surroundings. We then see the city the next day but from a different angle, in a different light showing the buildings in a browny colour with an amber sky signifying new beginnings. The men in suits trend still appears in the film when a meeting is held in a bar. The man wears it so he appears more superior than the women so he feels like he is in control of the situation. Whenever you see Batman’s suit the main surrounding colour is black emphasising it more. Black is used for his suit because it is a nigh time colour so he blends in with the night. It also represents his sadness for the loss of his parents which he feels guilty for which is why it is a strong colour thought the film.
Christopher Nolan is best known for his non-linear story telling. He directs produces and writes films. He has been working in the film industry for 15 years and started with low budget films and has now progressed to big blockbusters. In 2005 he was given the chance to create the batman films.
Influenced by Graham Swifts novel ‘Waterland’ Nolan has a pattern of employing non-linear storylines. He said he felt the novel “did incredible things with parallel timelines and told a story indifferent dimensions that was extremely coherent.
Included in his pattern of non-linear storylines is his film ‘Inception’. This is about dream-sharing technology when a thief steals corporate secrets and is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO. Nolan has certain styles that are recognised in films and Inception is no different. One of his styles he uses is men in suits. The suits are used from the beginning to the end with all characters. Cobb is found on the beach in a washed out colour suit and the people who find him are in smart ironed black and white suits. This is to show how they have authority over him as they found him, he has become their property. He needs to know whose boss from the start so that he doesn’t mess them around and smart suits are the way to do that. Another one of his styles is muted colours. This is used throughout the film such as browns, blacks, greys and whites. White and slightly brighter colours are used more to show when they are in the real world and not dreaming. The washed out colours are used so that all the dreams appear to be similar to confuse the audience as the scenes are in non-linear sequence. One other style he uses is that the dialogue scenes are filmed in close ups. This is particularly effective in this films because you can see the characters facial expression which is how they mentally respond –their initial reaction to the situation and sometimes a signal to their colleague, compared with their dialogue which is the opposite to what they are thinking. Medium shots, medium close ups and close ups are used continually for this style. He also uses specific methods in his films such as applying multi cameras for stunts and single cameras for dramatic action. When the fights take place different cameras are used to receive different angles. So when the actors are pushed towards the camera it quickly switches to another shot further away so you can see their whole bodies. Or when a chase is being filmed the camera follows the characters from behind so you see them all and where they are heading to. Another method of his used in this film is minimizing the amount of computer generated imagery for special effects. The majority of this film is filmed inside in buildings. This creates a more realistic effect as natural surroundings are used making it more relatable for people. If green screens are used they are only used for a minimal amount of time so it gives it less focus.
His styles are also shown clearly in his film ‘Batman Begins’ which he wrote and directed. It is about how batman sets out to free Gotham City from corruption and crime after training with his mentor. His style of using urban settings and modern locations is shown throughout the film. Established shots are used to show where the next scene will be taking place. They are also used in this film after a long scene so it grabs the viewers’ attention ready for the next scene. The shots are usually taken in the evening so there is a dark sky with the buildings lit up creating the atmosphere for the following scene. Urban settings are used for the majority of the film as a lot of it is filmed inside and in the city. Offices, big houses, and a court are frequently used which are found in urban locations. Another one of his known styles are men in suits. Ducard is first introduced at the beginning of the film in a suit while Bruce is wearing ripped and dirty clothes. This is to show who has the higher authority in the scene as Ducard knows who Bruce is and offers him help, and Bruce doesn’t know who he is putting Bruce in the lower position. Later on in the film we saw Bruce wearing a suit when he is in court watching the case involving the man who killed his parents. This is to show he has power over the man as he is free and does not carry a guilty conscious round with him. At the end of the film both Bruce and Ducard are in a scene together wearing suits. However Ducard is wearing an all-black suit suggesting he has a dark side and is evil compared to Bruce who is wearing a black suit with a white shirt suggesting he has good within him. Another one of his styles used in this film are the muted colours. At the very beginning of the film we see a sea of bats flying with a muted orange sky implying it will be a thriller. Bruce then wakes up on bed in a cell like room which is represented with greys and blacks’ reflecting the atmosphere as everyone is gloomy. The majority of the film is filmed in the evening/night which is why muted colours are used throughout the film. It also represents Batman’s emotions as he is mourning for the loss of his parents. Dim lighting is used to represent that he does have light in his world found amongst his dark thoughts. A lot of beige colours are used for a great part of the film as it was filmed in 2005.
The dark night rises uses less of his style conventions as it is recent and Nolan is developing new styles. One style that is still recognised in the film is his use of urban settings and modern locations. There are a couple of different established shots showing the city in the evening with the buildings lit up which sets the scene and the surroundings. We then see the city the next day but from a different angle, in a different light showing the buildings in a browny colour with an amber sky signifying new beginnings. The men in suits trend still appears in the film when a meeting is held in a bar. The man wears it so he appears more superior than the women so he feels like he is in control of the situation. Whenever you see Batman’s suit the main surrounding colour is black emphasising it more. Black is used for his suit because it is a nigh time colour so he blends in with the night. It also represents his sadness for the loss of his parents which he feels guilty for which is why it is a strong colour thought the film.
summer assignment - Antonia
Summer assignment:
I decided to research the director martin Scorsese as he is a very well known director and a enjoy a lot of his work. The three films I chose to reference are the wolf of wall street, Hugo and Shutter island, which is in the thriller genre.
I fist watched the film Hugo. It is about a young boy who is fixing a metal robot. As he is finding the parts to fix it he makes friends with a young girl and together they travel across Paris on many adventures until he comes across the girls uncle , who used to be a film maker. After meeting the uncle he realises that he has all the secrets to the robots design/make. The film Hugo is a family film, but is also an adventure/mystery. Martin Scorsese had a lot of success with this film as it won many awards of which 5 were Oscars. The budget for this film was $170,000,000 but in less than a year of its release it made $73,820,094. I liked this film as even though it was a family film it used jump cuts to create suspense within the mystery of the film. In the opening of the film Scorsese has used an establishing shot to show the audience where the film is set. This shot slowly zooms out to show a view of Paris. Scorsese has also used a low angled shot. This is when the main character Hugo is hanging form the clock tower. This shows how small he is, compared to the building and how high up he is. This shot suddenly jumps to a close up of the clock arm moving. This leaves the audience in suspense as we are left on edge to see if the actor falls.
The second film I watched was the wolf of wall street. It is set in the 1990's and follows the life of a mans rise to a wealthy stockbroker. This film stars Leonardo DiCaprio which is a frequent recurrence
within Martin Scorsese films. This film uses many quick changing shots, not for suspense, but to add to the excitement and fun that's happening on screen. Scorsese has used bright, colourful lighting to contrast with the dull, boring you would associate with stock brokers. Scorsese uses very long shots so you see the chaos behind the main actors.
The final film I watched was in the thriller genre and was called shutter island. This film was set in 1954 and is about a marshal investigating the disappearance of a murderess, who has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. This film is again starred by Leonardo DiCaprio. I liked this film because it used a lot of jump cuts to create suspense and left the audience on the edge of their seats. It uses close up shots to show the madness of each character and the lighting to add to the dark, tense mood. This won 5 awards since its release in 2010.
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