Goodfellas - Weekly Film Analysis

Goodfellas is a 1990 crime/drama directed by Martin Scorsese, the film explores themes of family,betrayal,violence,drugs and greed as Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his friends (also fellow mobsters) work themselves up the mob hierarchy, gaining a lot of money and a negative reputation along the way. Goodfellas became one of the most iconic gangster films in history as Scorsese effectively portrays what life is like as a gangster, various micro features are used throughout the film to give us an insight into the different characters in the gang and the changes Henry Hill experiences as he pursues his dream of 'being a gangster".

I thought the editing used in the film as the shot is paused and Henry Hill gives us specific detail on the situation in the form of voiceover was extremely effective. This unique editing technique used by oscar winning editor; Thelma Schoonmaker allowed the us to learn more about the protagonist as he explained and gave his opinion on the current situation in the film. I immediately realised this editing style was also used in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' where again it is extremely effective in allowing the audience to explore the protagonists in more depth giving the audience a real insight into their personalities. As well as the film being directed by arguably one of the best directors in history, the film featuring some of the most talented actors mostly specialising in gangster films added to the realistic perspective created my Scorsese. The stand out performances in my opinion came from Robert De Niro,Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci as there individually developed characters came together to form the mob of "goodfellas or wise guys" as they called themselves, their individual performances created three characters all striving for ultimately the same goal (money and power) ,but as seen in the film their strong personalities (created with stunning acting) hindered this as constant conflict between characters in the film continued throughout.

In conclusion I thought the combination of micro features displayed in this film created a realistic insight into the life of dead and living gangsters who lived in the period of time from 1955 to 1980. This incredible film allows you to be informed about the lives of the various gangsters while using micro features in order to keep the audience intrigued by the real life story ,with elements like the unique editing style, and the stunning performances creating  realistic gangsters who are able to tell the story of the 'real' gangsters in a believable manner. 

71- Film Analysis

71 is a 2014 action/thriller directed by Yann Demange, the film follows a young British soldier who is abandoned by his unit in Belfast where he must try to escape the deadly labyrinth of streets, while trying to avoid the severe threat caused by the 'troubles' happening at the time in 1971. Director Yann Demange received the 'British Independent Film Award for Best director' after directing '71' in his film debut. We are able to gain a perspective about the chaos and anarchy that continued in Belfast for many years as the film uses the protagonist Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) to allow the audience a clear insight into the various intense situations many soldiers endured,as Hook attempts to escape the brutal war zone.Themes of violence, confusion and religion are evident in the film.  

Cinematographer Tat Radcliffe did an excellent job in using a variety of shots to portray and intensify how dangerous the deadly streets of Belfast were in 1971, in the key scene where Hook desperately attempts to escape the IRA gun man a handheld camera is used following the protagonists and antagonists through the war battered streets of Belfast. This use of the handheld camera allowed this particular scene to grip the audience as it effectively intensified the already deadly situation, it was successful in doing this as these shots along side the running and gunshots produced an extremely fast pace intense scene leaving the audience unsure about the fate of Hook. The grim reality of the war in Belfast was also made clear by the camera in this scene being purposefully shaky leaving an almost scrappy imprecise effect on the audience, mirroring the grim streets of Belfast where Hook scales walls and runs through broken buildings and debris in order to save him self from the incoming bullets. The theme of confusion is displayed cleverly throughout the film as we see many actors performances change as they are unsure of what side they have taken in this war of religion, this clearly shows us how people unwillingly took part in the brutal conflict in order to protect themselves against the opposing religion (Catholics and Protestants). 

In conclusion 71 successfully covered the topic of 'living with crime' while giving the audience a detailed insight into the chaos and despair people suffered during 'The Troubles' in Ireland. I thoroughly enjoyed this film as the use of cinematography effectively created a gripping action film, which also allowed me to gain knowledge of the 'troubles' in Ireland resulting in me being educated about the on going crime Belfast suffers over this divide caused ultimately by religion.

Age Of The Dead- Weekly Film Analysis

                                      

Age Of The Dead (originally called 'Anger of the Dead') is a 2015 post apocalyptic drama/horror directed by Francesco Picone, the film is an extended version of Francesco's short film 'Anger of the Dead' produced in 2013. The film follows a linear narrative structure as we follow 3 protagonists on their quest to reach an island not affected by the virus, themes of desperation, survival,mystery and murder were seen throughout the film as the protagonists strive to reach the Island immune to the virus. 

The Micro feature that stood out for me throughout the film was editing which was also done by the director Francesco Picone, I thought the fast editing editing style used was key in providing the film with suspense and really emphasising the severe danger being felt by characters as the fast pace infected cannibal zombies attacked them. Cinematographer Micro Sgarzi used multiple close ups of various zombies throughout the film in order to make the film as scary as possible, the combination of close ups and fast editing was important during the film as it made the situations much more sinister and thrilling due to us seeing a detailed close up of the blood thirsty zombies, and then a quick glimpse of them running connoting their extreme speed. Finally I thought Aaron Stielstra's performance as 'Rooker' (the antagonist) was impressive as he played a convincing psychopath, his character was well developed by writer (Francesco Picone) and his motive for his actions were later revealed. His character being introduced gave the film a sense of mystery as his motives were not at first clear, but he also allowed the story to become slightly more interesting due to his character complicating the protagonists situation due to his clear insane intentions involving a particularly important character. 
Overall I thought the micro features; cinematography and editing were effective in enhancing the horrific post apocalyptic 'zombies'.This made them seem very sinister and dangerous due to the various extremely detailed close ups used ,and the low angle shots of the zombies running clearly indicating their speed, this combined with the fast cut editing made the film thrilling for the viewing audience as the protagonist's lives were continuously at risk.  

Get Off My Land - Short Film Analysis

'Get Off My Land' is a 2007 short drama film where a supposedly lost man and women encounter a land owner who becomes more sinister than he first seems towards the end of the short film. This short film explores themes of crime,murder and class as we see the conflict between the two men intensify, resulting in a unexpected end to the film as the conflict suddenly turns very serious.

I thought cinematographer George Steel successfully created meaning in the first establishing shot of the two 'lost' characters as we immediately realise due to the medium close up on the mans white shoes that he is completely out of his comfort zone in the muddy countryside environment, this shot was key in foreshadowing the confrontation soon to come between the farmer who wasn't out of his comfort zone at all, this made clear by his costume. I thought the amount of sound used throughout the short was successful in creating suspense, during the confrontation apart from the dialogue and the faint noise of the wind there was silence in between dialogue between the two characters, this continued until a loud diegetic sound is put in place as a gun is fired. I thought this was done in order to shock the audience as the loud gun shot clearly indicates the dramatic increase in the severity of the situation as the farmers true character is revealed through his actions. I thought the time of day the short film was shot in was also effective in symbolising the death which occurred as we see the sun going down in one shot as the 'landowner' walks away from the women, I think the disappearing sun possibly reflecting her emotions as she is experiencing the loss of her undisclosed partner. Finally the long wide angle shot at the end of the short showing the birds fleeing the trees could be viewed as slightly ironic as the character who originally wanted to flee the situation (like the birds fleeing from the sound of danger) has just been killed, her death amplified by the non diegetic gun shot put in place. 

Understanding The Concept Of Audience- Film Trailers

All three of these trailers which promote three completely different films were constructed in order to inform and interest people and create an audience for the film when it is released in order for the various producers to make money as many people cannot help but go and see the film after watching the trailer. According to the uses and gratification theory many people are drawn into watch various genres of films for many different reasons,some being; entertainment,diversion,education,social interaction and personal identity. Film trailers always include their best shots in their trailers and continuously tease the audience with either important,thrilling or suspenseful moments captured during the film in order to provide the audience with enough information about the the film to decide weather it will satisfy their various needs/pleasures included in the users and gratification theory. 

From the outset the Shutter Island trailer will draw an audience due to the protagonist of the film being played by Leonardo DiCaprio, as Leonardo is a well loved actor world wide many people may be immediately drawn to watch the film in order to see his performance and converse about him or the film, either way his star power was why they originally took interest in the film, where as an unknown actor may not have the same effect. 

The Impossible quickly educates us by dating when the horrific disaster occurred immediately interesting many viewers as they want to be informed about these real life events which are developed during the full length film, including the dates of the disaster and informing the audience it is based on reality is enough to draw many people in as people naturally want to be educated about such important life changing events. The trailer also includes  ( in my opinion) the most dramatic scene in the whole film immediately shocking the audience leaving them sympathetically intrigued and desperate to find out what happened to the real-life family.

Lord Of The Rings provides the audience with a believably fantastical story due to the reality of the fantasy world being so well constructed through characters and various technical codes through out the long developed sequel. As this is the second trailer and already has a large audience due to the previously released books and film I thought it focused on making the trailer dramatic as possible, including many key moments that can be seen in the full film leaving the audience dying to see how the fantasy world changes in comparison to the first film. Made obvious by the trailer this film will allow much of the audience to become completely absorbed by the fantasy world as the sequel continues allowing many people to escape reality for a short amount of time, and completely forgot about their possibly boring day to day lives. 

Otherwise Engaged- Short Film Analysis

Otherwise Engaged is a short film which offers a comedic view on our modern societies  obsession with social media and documenting anything and everything on you're mobile phone. The short film is directed by Alicia MacDonald in her debut film and covers themes of  romance and obsession to deliver the clear message of how many peoples lives today are completely consumed by technology and various social media sites. 

I particularly liked the use of cinematography as they took a 'selfie' together and we got to see them through the eye of Meg's mobile phone camera. This was key in conveying the theme of 'obsession' with social media as immediately after the proposal the couple were determined to share the special occasion with their Facebook 'friends' rather than enjoying the special moment in reality, maybe even suggesting how people escape reality by focusing on how people see and judge them through social media. This obsession was made even clearer at the end of the short film as we see the couple both on their individual phones telling each other who had liked their post, emphasising how important they felt people liking this post was for them. The performance of both actors also added to the realistic outcome of the short film as both characters were clearly not able to 'enjoy the moment' of the engagement, we see this when Meg hypocritically tells her fiancé to 'enjoy the moment' while looking at her mobile phone and not even making eye contact with him on this romantic occasion, this made it evident of just how consumed people are by social media as she literally can't help but be on her phone telling people about her engagement, rather than spending this special moment naturally with her fiancé. 

Layer Cake - Weekly Film Analysis

Layer Cake is a 2004 British crime thriller directed and produced by Matthew Vaughn, in his directional debut. The Film had a budget of $6.5 million and a box office of $11.9 million. This film may of also contributed to Daniel Craig getting the role of James Bond as he got the role 1 year after the release of 'Layer Cake',where he was very effective in the role of XXXX (an up and coming drug dealer). We can compare this British gangster film to 'Snatch' as I thought many methods of cinematography and editing were similar throughout both films, in further research I discovered both films were edited by Jon Harris explaining the similar editing style. 

There were various ways cinematographer Ben Davis gave the film a unique effect, as many different shots were used in order to portray how XXXX reacted to different situations but also was important in emphasising key scenes during the film. In the scene were XXXX commits an important murder in order to possibly save his own life there is a unique shot used where as he goes to fire the gun it zooms out ,and then back into the two characters, I thought this technique produced suspense in the scene as we were unsure if the protaganist would go through with the murder. Minimal sound was also used in this scene as we only could hear the trickling of water coming out of the hose pipe until the gun was fired,  the diegetic sound of the gun was also very sudden mirroring the cinematography which was used shocking the viewer. Both micro-features were very effective as they portrayed the character XXXX was indeed capable of murder and that this event was possibly insignificant to him, I thought the quietness of the silenced bullet possibly mirrored the insignificance felt by him as he knew he had to go through with it in order to save his own life. We later go on to find out this was not the case as his views on the situation changes leading to a complete contrast in cinematography and editing as instead of the slow calm feeling portrayed by the murder scene we see short fast clips as he finds out the truth resulting in complete chaos. 

In Conclusion I thought the use of micro-features was key in showing us how the protagonist XXXX reacted to certain situations and how they truly effected him, they also allowed suspense to be created through sound and cinematography making the film interesting to watch and creating important suspense, leaving the audience un-sure what could possibly happen next. Finally I thought the performance of Daniel Craig was outstanding as he created a convincing character who at first seemed like a genuine business man with an ordinary goal of becoming rich, but as the story becomes more complicated and he becomes all to involved in the 'Layer Cake' his performance adapts to this, leaving the audience with a strong insight about the dangers you may face as you become involved in 'The Layer Cake' in reality. 

My Brother The Devil- Film Analysis

'My Brother the Devil' is a 2012 British social realism written and directed by Sally El Hosaini, the film shows the life of two Egyptian brothers named Mo and Rashid who live in Hackney, East London. I thought the film displayed themes of prejudice due to ethnicity,age,love,family and sexuality. The Film also covers the main theme of 'living with crime' in modern day society as the older brother Rashid (who is originally highly involved in crime) try's to escape the life of crime as one of his friends is killed bringing him realisation of how serious and dangerous his lifestyle has become. We watch him attempt to prevent his brother following in his footsteps as he undergoes major predjudice from his former gang because of his sexuality.

Mis en Scene was key in conveying the change in the relationship between the two brothers through out the film, we begin with both characters wearing vibrant colours (pink and blue t-shirts) possibly representing how their relationship is positive as they are communicating and getting a long. As Mo finds out Rashid is homosexual we see the film become darker and pathetic fallacy is used to symbolise the deterioration of their relationship. In terms of cinematography many shots are used to again show how the brothers relationship changes through out the film. At the end of the film the two are captured in a warm looking environment with the flats behind them, i think this shows how even though they may not be able to immediately escape their reality due to lack of money (shown blatantly by the high rise flats) ,their relationship has improved and they now feel able to carry on with their lives as brothers due to Mo excepting Rashid's sexuality, shown by the warm comforting environment.

In conclusion i thought the micro features used in the film were very effective in delivering the message of self acceptance as we see the brothers finally make peace at the end of the film, and that Mo completely respects Rashid for who he really is. I thought as we saw the two brothers sitting facing different directions at the end of the film , it showed how even though there might of been differences between them ,they were both willing to accept each other for who they were, the close relationship of the two was also shown in the composition of the shot as they were positioned next to each over, symbolising their close brotherly relationship.  

Short Film Plan- Classmates

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The Selfish Giant- Film Analysis

The Selfish Giant is a 2013 Drama with aspects of Crime and Social Realism, released in 2013 by  Artificial Eye, Film4 and The British Film Institute the film explores the life of two young male protagonists (Arbor and Swifty) who take up illegal work as they are excluded from school in an attempt to improve their poverty stricken lives. I thought the main themes of the film were friendship,exploitation and poverty.  Micro features are used throughout the film to give us a clear insight into what life is like for two young boys who attempt to improve their families financial situations by firstly collecting scrap metal and then cutting more valuable cables as the 'Selfish Giant' allows them to become more involved in this dangerous illegal line of work.   

We immediately see Arbors anger expressed as he repeatedly hits the bottom of his bed at the start of the film, this short scene is filmed in a close up angle allowing the audience to see the genuine rage Arbors character experiences, in juxtaposition to Arbors frantic rage we see Swifty introduced as quite a calm character as the close up also features him holding Arbors hand in attempt to calm him down. This gives us the impression that they possibly have almost a brotherly friendship as Swifty knows exactly how to control Arbors anger and obviously cares for him as he repeatedly comforts him until he eventually becomes calm. This later on becomes ironic as Swifty again trys to help Arbor but in a different situation, the close up of the two holding hands is again used possibly symbolising their friendship and how Swiftys compassion for Arbors angry personality was never going to benefit him. 

Mis en scene was also key in allowing the audience to gain a perspective on the harsh, grim reality some people have to face, for example we see that Swiftys family have to eventually sell their sofa in order to pay rent, this clearly shows that they are experiencing poverty as their living room is now bare as the sofa was their only remaining possession. Dirty old looking clothes are worn by both protagonists on a day to day basis, this connotes their families obvious lack of money, and may even show how hard the two boys are willing to work (collecting scrap metal) in order to try and improve their families situations. 

In conclusion I thought the mis en scene gave us a clear image and allowed us to gain a perspective on what live is like for many people experiencing poverty in England (Bradford), the overall performance of the two boys also made the film all the more realistic as local dialect was used. Finally I thought The Cinematography used throughout enhanced the emotion felt in the believable friendship between Swifty and Arbor as various shots were used, like the close up of Swifty comforting Arbor in his moment of rage at the beginning of the film.