PANIC ROOM - WEEKLY FILM

'Panic Room' is a 2002 crime thriller directed by David Fincher, possessing themes of humanity, violence and greed the film follows two protagonists who swiftly become part of an ever increasingly dangerous situation in the comfort of their own new found home. Tension throughout the thriller is increased due to our most innocent character featured in the film suffering from diabetes are therefore accessible medication being essential to her health, this very simple addition to the young girls character creates more of a tense atmosphere as we the audience know she needs the medication in order to live, also producing a thriller with a more realistic plot line that may be much more realistic/relatable to families. Cleverly Fincher allows us to become familiar with the layout of the house through the beginning of the film , leaving the audience with an active response as the invasion of the house begins and the audience are aware of each characters movements. I personally think the most effective element of the thriller is how intelligent CGI allows it to look like the camera travels through walls,keyholes and walls revealing the close proximity between various characters, this particular style of CGI being displayed in many of Finchers films and contributing to his style as an auteur.  

WEEKLY FILM - TANGLED

'Tangled' is a 2011 animated adventure comedy directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard. The film explores themes of truth, family, perception , love and the exploration of an individuals character, we follow our protagonist Rapunzel as she discovers the outside world after being trapped and exploited for her magical power since she was a young child. Her journey made possible due the unexpected arrival of thief Flynn Rider who is currently on the run from various characters due to his illegal antics. The misunderstanding of many characters due to judging them from appearance was a consistent theme emphasised throughout the film, the 'mothers' vanity being the reason in which she had originally taken Rapunzel. The appearance of many of the characters met at the ugly duckling automatically allowing us to construct negative opinions on them due to the stereotypical brute/villan displayed in many films, Tangled cleverly flips this opinion leaving the audience shocked when we realise the only real antagonist is the 'mother'. 

WEEKLY FILM - AMERICAN BEAUTY

'American Beauty' is a 1999 romantic drama directed by Sam Mendes, the film includes themes of love,family,freedom,identity and most importantly gives a very different perspective on American culture as appose to many over films which may portray the 'American dream' in an unrealistic light. The film revolves around our protagonist Lester Burnham, a sexually frustrated character who becomes involved in many not so perfect circumstances in his perfect stereotypical A merican neighbourhood. Many circumstances which are not usually dealt with in American films due to the truth within the illegal activities displayed through out the film shedding a negative representation upon American people. However the film was nevertheless very successful gaining 5 academy awards including best picture. 

The film follows a linear narrative structure with the occasional flashback in order to allow exposition for the audience, many topics such as drugs,child abuse,adultery and the sexualisation of teenagers in the modern day is dealt with in a subtle manner, only emphasising the normality of many of these very relevant issues within American society. I personally think the combination of sound and performance is to credit for the particularly eery atmosphere provided for the audience while viewing the film, this experience constructed in this way using the obvious stereotypes alongside the controversial topics that are often not considered when attempting to portray American culture. Much of the film also centred around the insecurities of each individual characters within the Burnham family, I thought this was clear evidence that despite the large house and social class the family had achieved happiness was not evident in any of the characters, again supporting that materialism and 'stuff' is not as important as the bond between family , the lack of their family bond perfectly illustrated by the dinner table scene where they are all purposely quite clearly disconnected from each other emotionally.

FILM DEVELOPMENT - INITIAL SHOOT

After writing a shot list and developing the progression of my film in terms of narrative I decided to travel to one of many locations I will use in my film and attempt to capture my desired footage, I personally think the initial shoot was successful as many clips captured where effective and possessed my desired look aesthetically, the 'trailer' produced above also displaying many of the techniques I intend to use in the actual film itself. Montage editing being an element I would like to perfect progressing towards the final outcome, this style to be accompanied with music in order to attempt to provide suspense of the viewing audience. The cinematography displayed above being something I intend to improve on by reshooting many of the clips, although I think the range of shots included is effective in providing my desired effect.

La Jetée

'La Jetée' is a 1962 short film directed by Chris Marker, the piece is a hybrid of romance and drama and also contains elements of documentary filmmaking. The short film holds themes of war,love and humanity, even though much of the film seems as if it is left to an individuals interpretation. 'La Jetée' tells the story through a combination of still images and a voiceover, providing an experience completely different to any other film I have seen before. The film also following a unique narrative set in the aftermath of WWII, in which a man becomes an experiment surrounding the science of time travel, two key memories becoming the focus of the film as he travels from various stages of his life including the future. I personally think this is a beautiful film telling a story I suspect was very experimental at the time it was made, the visual aspects of the film also taking my keen interest as I find it intriguing how such a complex narrative can be told effectively using still photographs and a narrator. 

COMPLEX - developing ideas

In development and proceeding towards the production of my A2 film I decided to shoot on location at alexandra and ainsworth estate , choosing this location due to its impressive urban architecture and vibrant community which I intend to capture for my A2 film surrounding the major themes of 'wealth and power'. I didn't particularly capture much of my desired footage in the short clips displayed in the video above due to restricted time and the ever daunting problem of light, both elements of production I intend to improve on moving forward towards my A2 film. Although I didn't personally think my short film surrounding the estate was successful I was able to recognise and learn from the practice of shooting the footage and editing , allowing me to have a much more clear picture of the range of shots I will have to capture in shooting my A2 film for the final product to be effective and successfully project the themes I originally intended. I will be returning to the estate in the near distant future in order to gather more footage that I will intertwine into my A2 film in the stages of editing, possibly improving on the footage already captured above as well as enhancing this by including elements of the unique community found in the 'complex' structure of the estate. 

Weekly Documentary - VOYAGEURS 8K

Voyageurs 8K is a short documentary which displays various shots of Voyageurs national park in the region of Minnesota, focussing on landscapes and in particular the pristine lakes and kaleidoscopic colours of the autumn season. I personally thought this short film would be useful in developing my own personal project as I focussed on how colour in particular can be appealing and immersive for the watching audience, even though no narrative was evident the film was still able to captivate an audience due to the enhanced visuals visible in the short doc. This has lead me to believe that with a intelligent use of mis en scene, colour palette and the application of colour grading in post production I will be able to produce a visually exciting experience for the audience through the use of vibrant colours ,combined with innovative cinematography and a provocative theme.