unit 26 assignment 1 research notes

Here is some background information and research about Tim Burton for my assignment.

is an American film director, film producer, writer, poet, artist and animator. He is famous for his dark, gothic, macabre and quirky take on horror and fantasy style movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dark Shadows and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Batman, its first sequel Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.

Burton is known for using recurring collaborators on his works; among them are Johnny Depp, who has become a close friend of Burton since their first film together; musician Danny Elfman, who has composed scores for all but five of the films Burton has directed and/or produced; and actress – as well as his domestic partner — Helena Bonham Carter.

Tim Burton loves pancake white makeup, black eyes, spirals and stripes — but those are not the only things he loves to feature over and over again!

You'll see the same handful of characters, plot devices, and even facial expressions over and over again, throughout Tim Burton's films.

Style analysis of Tim Burton -

Cinematic techniques help a movie become more entertaining therefore everyone uses them. Different elements can create different moods. Directors all have unique styles of making movies. Tim Burton uses lighting and different angles to contrast fantasy with reality and show the strength of different characters.

Burton uses lighting to show fantasy and reality in his movies. In the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory high key lighting represents fantasy. The lighting is used in Willy Wonka’s factory showing that it is every kid’s dream to visit it. Although it is his fantasy, Charlie knows that a fantasy is all it ever will be. To represent this low key lighting is used in Charlie’s home to show that the reality of his life is there living in poverty. This pattern continues in the cult classic Edward Scissorhands. The town that Edward is welcomed into is in high lighting to signify that it is the life that he never had. He wants to be accepted and loved and this is the place that his wish comes true. Unfortionatly we know that his fantasy is unrealistic and there is no way he can live normally. His sad life he must live is inside an empty mansion which is shot in low lighting signifying the lonely reality of his home. Lighting gives you an idea of what is real and what is only a fantasy.

Burton uses angles to show the level of power of characters. A good example is in the movie Big Fish during the conversation between Edward and Karl different angles are used between them. A low angle is used on Edward showing that he is small and weak. The love angle makes him look as though he is pathetic and you can look down upon him. On the other hand, Karl is shot using a high angle making him look larger and more powerful then he already is. This angle shows that he is Edwards’s superior. In Edward Scissorhands during the scene where Edward is making an ice sculpture Kim is shot in a high angle. This signifies that she is truly happy and on top of the world. At the moment she feels nothing can bring her down.

The two films i have chosen to discuss within my assignment are -

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Batman Returns (1992)

Audio task evaluation

For our task we were given a range of equipment including boom pole,field recorder and a muffler. We used these to record some audio. We set up the equipment correctly connecting the field recorder and boom pole with microphone using xlr cables. We then attatched the muffler to the microphone and began to record.  we recorded a small conversation and that was it. Next time to improve we could use a script and find a less windy location.

The shining task

A review on the 'shining'

What did the critics and the audience say about it?
Here is a few sections from reviews of the films found from a number of websites.

Here is a chunk of the review from one website.

The process of making the movie took meticulousness to staggering levels — Shelley Duvall was reputedly forced to do no less than 127 takes of one scene; Nicholson was force fed endless cheese sandwiches (which he loathes) to generate a sense of inner revulsion, and the recent invention of the Steadicam (by Garret Brown) fuelled Kubrick's obsessive quest for perfection. The result is gloriously precision-made. The use of sound especially (listen to the remarkable rhythm of silence then clatter set up by Danny pedalling his trike intermittently over carpet then wooden floor.) And that's not forgetting the procession of captivating images: a lift opening to spill gallons of blood in slow motion; a beautiful girl transformed into an old hag in Jack's arms; and, as a million posters now attest, Jack's leering face through the gaping axe wound in the door.

Alive with portent and symbolism, every frame of the film brims with Kubrick's genius for implying psychological purpose in setting: the hotel's tight, sinister labyrinth of corridors; its cold, sterile bathrooms; the lavish, illusionary ballroom. This was horror of the mind transposed to place (or, indeed, vice versa). The clarity of the photography and the weird perspectives constantly alluding to Torrance's twisted state of mind. The supernatural elements are more elusive than the depiction of his madness. The "shining" itself — the title comes from the line "We all shine on" in the John Lennon song Instant Karma — is the uncanny ability to see dark visions of the truth (young Danny manifests the power through an imaginary alter-ego Tony). A power separate from yet entwined with the evil that dwells in the building (the whole family will come to experience it).

IMDB had rated the film an 8.5.

In your opinion how good were the actors performances?

I personally think that Jack Nicholson was a brilliant actor and did a great performance especially with the scene where he pokes his head through the door. Or is looking menacingly through the glass window with his evil facial expression.



I also think Danny (the kid) had a really good performance and the acting was good. Especially in the intense scene where he is shouting 'redrum'

Wendy was also good but i think her acting wasn't as good as the other two, her reactions and sobbing/crying seemed to come across as really false in some scenes and mildly dramatic. Other than that all the actors were really good.

Some specific examples of unusual or innovative cinematography and mise en scene were -
The scene where the camera is tracking Danny across the corridors
as this made the audience on the same level as Danny and have the same power over the situation instead of making the audience feel higher. This is a great technique. Another one is where jack is sat in the golden room on his own and it shows the vast area of the room and hotel. He is seeing people within his imagination (I think) which adds an eerie feeling and intensity for the audience. G

Narrative notes & task

Media homework notes

Narrative
- equilibrium (how the film starts,normal)
- disequilibrium (a problem within the narrative characters try to resolve)
- new equilibrium (after the climax, when characters can return back to normal)
- structure of the storyline (linear and non linear, linear means in a straight line. Beginning middle end. Where as non linear is not in a straight line.
- enigma codes (enigma means puzzle, enigma codes are clues and puzzles found within the film to entail how the narrative will end)
- character types
(Hero - saves the day, 'knight in shining armor' anti hero - damsel in distress, someone who needs to be saved, Villian - the cause of problems, aggressor)

Task - I watched the film the cabin in the woods.

Equilibrium - the film starts in normal life, the young people are at home planning a holiday at a 'cabin In the woods' everything seems okay.
Disequilibrium - they find out the cabin is eerie, creepy and odd things are taking place. They become suspicious and explore the basement looking for clues. A couple leave the cabin which creates more of a problem and worry for the people back at the cabin. And of course the two who left. Who find zombies and have to escape.
New equilibrium - the survivors find a solution to escaping but need to risk their life doing so. The last few final intense scenes are set here. Where they plan and execute an escape route through a science lab.
Enigma codes - the main one I spotted is when the characters go into the basement to find  a diary from the past detailing murders that happened in the past within that cabin. It foreshadowed something bad will happen within the film.

Silent Hill Analysis

The film we watched was Silent Hill from 37 minutes to 42.

The film is set in an abandoned/derelict school. This scene creates tension and fear for the audience.
Throughout the scene, a torch is used within the school. This prop creates tension again as the audience doesn't know whats going to appear. This prop goes with the colour wash as the setting was dark/dull.
The costume of the gas mask wearing characters creates confusion/fear for the audience because they dont know who is under the mask. The woman's facial expression throughout the scene shows fear and panic. This can be seen in the locker room. Off screen space is used when the woman opens the toilet door to reveal a dead body. The lighting is very low key as it is a horror. The darkness adds to the tension and fear.
A specific camera movement is used when the woman is opening each toilet door and the camera tracks her. This once again adds tension because after she opens each door, nothing is there. This is causing a build up for the audience.
A close up is used when the woman opens the door to find a body. The camera is a close up on her to show her facial expression of fear.
A low angle camera shot is used when the woman is running from the classroom, she comes from the background into the foreground.
Depth of focus is shown when the woman is looking at the body. The body is faded and the camera makes the woman become sharper. This can also be used for the frame as the corpse is in the foreground and the woman is in the background.

Tech Sound Continued...

Lets discuss...

Where you record is important, its called your 'enviroment'.

How do we control what we record?

Shutting out sound.

- Choose the correct microphone
- Lavier (clip mic)
- Shotgun mic
- Omni - directional (records sound from all directions)
- Directional/Cardiod (records sound in one direction)
- Choose the correct mic position
- Use a muffler (muffles out any far/background sounds)

In the studio

You have full control over any sound recordings.
- Foley sound recordings
- Additional sound recordings
- Sound control
- Perfect acoustics
- ADR (Additional dialogue recording)

Mixers,recording and monitoring

- XLR cable (Connects to microphone and mixer and then into recorder/camera)
- Mixers (Do not record, they mix levels of sound) (studio mixer/field mixer)
- Field recorder (Small recorder to be used outside)
- Headphones (To monitor the sounds)
- Monitor speakers (To monitor the sounds)

Tech Sound Unit 38

Sound - Unit 38

Who does what?
- Sound recordist (during production,seen on location, usually holding a boom pole. It is there job to record sound)

- Sound mixer (mixes,balances sound during post production. Makes sure everything is correct)

- Foley artist (Creating sounds that mimick real sounds on the screen)

- Composer/score writer (Composes music for onscreen images)

- Sound Designer (Designs and plans the sounds before anything is recorded. In charge of all recordings)

What do we record?
- Dialogue (Individuals, groups)

- Real world action (e.g placing of chair)

- Background/atmosphere (animate,inanimate,ambient)

- SFX Sound effects (Foley,real world sounds)

- Sync (when the audio is in time with the video. MUST be in time with video so people can understand it) Non - sync (Dont need to be in sync to make sense) Out of sync (When the sound doesnt match the action and doesnt make sense)

- Sound mixing (Balancing all sounds, making everything level)

- Wildtrack (A recording of background/ambient sound. If there is unwanted sound in the audio you can cut it and replace with the wildtrack)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjpkKoPvDOc&feature=youtu.be

First post!

Welcome to my blog this is my first post, heres the new grand theft auto trailer.