This is a clip from Gilda. It features Gilda, the femme fatale, dancing for an audience of men at a casino. This wouldn't have been socially acceptable, and so her husband is seen angry and possesive of her. He treats her badly; like a child, like she needs to be controlled and tamed. It is this image of the femme fatale from 1946 that shows how women were viewed then, and in comparison to the femme fatale figure in Kill Bill, it shows how the attitude towards women has progressed.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Saturday, 9 October 2010
Femme Fatale
The femme fatale is the main character in a film. She is a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive, in the way that she leads men into compromising or dangerous situations. She has an irresistible seductive charm and often leads those who love her into danger or despair. She has an alluring, mysterious character.
She is deviant, inscrutible, focused and manipulative.
She is very attractive and seductive, seen in a vulnerable pose against a wall. She has perfect hair and make-up. The shadows and lighting in this shot are important as they create connotations of enigma and suspicion.
She is deviant, inscrutible, focused and manipulative.
This is an image of a typical Femme Fatale character.
She is very attractive and seductive, seen in a vulnerable pose against a wall. She has perfect hair and make-up. The shadows and lighting in this shot are important as they create connotations of enigma and suspicion.
Film Noir
The term Film Noir refers to the stylish Hollywood crime dramas, which often emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The classic film noir period is generally regarded as from the early 1940s to the late 1950s, which is commonly associated with a low-key black-and-white style, and dramatic shadows (chiaroscuro).
Film noir literally means "black film". This can be interpreted not only as the colour and visual style of the film, but the storyline too. The plots of Film Noir are very dark, mysterious and disturbing, and are often based upon crime.
The generic conventions of the film noir are presented in this shot: the extreme light on the heavy shadows. This use of chiaroscuro increases mystery and connotes confusion. Also, the use of the silhouetted character holding the gun intensifies the shot further to give a strong sense of danger and nightmare. The femme fatale is centered in the shot, and shown clutching onto the man. This shows how he is her protector. The facial expression of the two characters expresses their feelings of terror.
Film noir literally means "black film". This can be interpreted not only as the colour and visual style of the film, but the storyline too. The plots of Film Noir are very dark, mysterious and disturbing, and are often based upon crime.
This is a typical shot from a film noir.
The generic conventions of the film noir are presented in this shot: the extreme light on the heavy shadows. This use of chiaroscuro increases mystery and connotes confusion. Also, the use of the silhouetted character holding the gun intensifies the shot further to give a strong sense of danger and nightmare. The femme fatale is centered in the shot, and shown clutching onto the man. This shows how he is her protector. The facial expression of the two characters expresses their feelings of terror.
From Script to Screen: the differences between mainstream and independent films.
The elements packaged early in production of mainstream films differ from those of independent films. The job of the producer of a mainstream film is to find well-known actors in order to automatically advertise the film to the fans of the actors, drawing an audience to the film. This is different to the actors of independent film as the producer can’t pay for popular actors. As well as this, the mainstream producers might produce the film that is based on bestselling novels or stories. This way, it is recognised by the public and those who have read the book, creating an audience who would like to watch the film as they enjoyed reading the novel. A producer of an independent film may use a known novel, but not one that is as bestselling as that of a mainstream film. The producer may also hire an award-winning director to direct the film. An audience may be attracted to a favourite director, known for working on other famous films. This differs from the director of a mainstream film; the director may have won awards but it won’t be as famous as the director of a mainstream film. The opportunity to produce a sequel for the film is another attraction for a producer, as this is another attraction for an audience and therefore more profits. This is more often a mainstream element. The special effects of a mainstream film is an element not found in independent film due to costs and budgets; independent films cannot rely on special effects because they can’t afford to use them. It is the same for the location. A well known location may be used for the mainstream films, whereas cheaper locations would be used for an independent film. Both mainstream and independent films may use a popular genre in order to attract a greater audience.
The marketing for mainstream films differ greatly to those of independent films due to the difference in budget. A mainstream film may rely on TV trailers, cinema advertising, merchandising, and internet campaigns. These are high budget ways of advertising the films to reach out to a greater audience. Independent films would rely on word of mouth and free publicity, in order to save money. They may use cinema advertising and internet, but not as much as a mainstream film might use these methods. For both types of film, posters will be used for the marketing campaign of the film. They are cheap and can be presented to audiences almost anywhere, therefore gaining a greater audience. Film festivals are a great way for the producers of independent films to present their work to other producers and film enthusiasts, collecting a quite specific type of audience that are interested in mainly their genre.
The distribution of mainstream films is very great; many mainstream films would be distributed globally, released in cinemas all over the world, particularly in the USA and UK. This is because the distributers of these films are world-wide companies and have huge budgets to spend on distributing. The distributers of these films are companies such as 20th Century Fox, Universal and Walt Disney. The distribution of independent films is very different from this; the film would be released in maybe a few countries as the budget is very small. The distributing companies of these films include Verve Pictures, UK Film Council, and Pathé.
Films shown at mainstream cinemas include “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Toy Story 3”, whereas films shows at an independent cinema include “The illusionist” and “Cyrus”. These films are much less well known than the films of the mainstream cinema. The cinematic exhibition of mainstream films is mostly accounted for by big-name cinema companies such as Odeon. They can be released in both 2D and, more frequently, 3D. The films are repeatedly shown at the cinemas several times a day for a long time, thus generating massive takings. The DVD release in relation to the cinema release date is only a short period of time after; a few months between the release of the film and the release of the DVD. The exhibition of independent films is vastly different from that on mainstream films. These films are shown at independent cinemas in a few countries rather than worldwide. They are shown once at these cinemas, and not repeated like a mainstream film would be. Independent films are rarely released in 3D and many independent cinemas don’t have the technology to account for 3D films.
The mainstream film “Avatar” by James Cameron was released on DVD 4 months after its release at the cinemas. The profits made by this film are $2,770,445,498 for the theatrical release, and a further $146,683,188 by the DVD release. This, in comparison to the takings for the independent film “Tell No One” standing at $6,177,192, is huge.
The marketing for mainstream films differ greatly to those of independent films due to the difference in budget. A mainstream film may rely on TV trailers, cinema advertising, merchandising, and internet campaigns. These are high budget ways of advertising the films to reach out to a greater audience. Independent films would rely on word of mouth and free publicity, in order to save money. They may use cinema advertising and internet, but not as much as a mainstream film might use these methods. For both types of film, posters will be used for the marketing campaign of the film. They are cheap and can be presented to audiences almost anywhere, therefore gaining a greater audience. Film festivals are a great way for the producers of independent films to present their work to other producers and film enthusiasts, collecting a quite specific type of audience that are interested in mainly their genre.
The distribution of mainstream films is very great; many mainstream films would be distributed globally, released in cinemas all over the world, particularly in the USA and UK. This is because the distributers of these films are world-wide companies and have huge budgets to spend on distributing. The distributers of these films are companies such as 20th Century Fox, Universal and Walt Disney. The distribution of independent films is very different from this; the film would be released in maybe a few countries as the budget is very small. The distributing companies of these films include Verve Pictures, UK Film Council, and Pathé.
Films shown at mainstream cinemas include “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and “Toy Story 3”, whereas films shows at an independent cinema include “The illusionist” and “Cyrus”. These films are much less well known than the films of the mainstream cinema. The cinematic exhibition of mainstream films is mostly accounted for by big-name cinema companies such as Odeon. They can be released in both 2D and, more frequently, 3D. The films are repeatedly shown at the cinemas several times a day for a long time, thus generating massive takings. The DVD release in relation to the cinema release date is only a short period of time after; a few months between the release of the film and the release of the DVD. The exhibition of independent films is vastly different from that on mainstream films. These films are shown at independent cinemas in a few countries rather than worldwide. They are shown once at these cinemas, and not repeated like a mainstream film would be. Independent films are rarely released in 3D and many independent cinemas don’t have the technology to account for 3D films.
The mainstream film “Avatar” by James Cameron was released on DVD 4 months after its release at the cinemas. The profits made by this film are $2,770,445,498 for the theatrical release, and a further $146,683,188 by the DVD release. This, in comparison to the takings for the independent film “Tell No One” standing at $6,177,192, is huge.
Monday, 4 October 2010
Intertextual reference: A reference to other films/media
The intertextual reference by Tarantino is that of the soundtrack to Kill Bill 2. Tarantino uses this reference to Sergio Leone's "The good, the bad, and the ugly" to create excitement and suspense, and to award the Bride in Kill Bill 2 the same mythical status as Blondie (Clint Eastwood) in The good, the bad and the ugly.
Other similarities are the use of a graveyard and the "bad" and "ugly" characters.
The difference between Kill Bill 2 and The good, the bad and the ugly is that it is a woman who is given the status, thus reflecting the historical changes and development to attitudes towards women in the last 40 years.
This is the escape clip from Kill Bill 2, where the bride manages to escape the coffin. We hear the soundtrack of Leone's "The good, the bad and the ugly" in this scene. It awards the scene the same fame of the graveyard scene from Leone's film.
This is the final scene to The good, the bad and the ugly. Here we hear the original soundtrack and see how the music increases the tension within the scene. The soundtrack was written and composed by Ennio Morricone. It highlights the strength of the main character, Blondie. Because it highlights this of Blondie, it is used by Tarantino to award the same for the Bride.
Also, we can see that the colour palette used in Leone's final scene was adopted by Tarantino in the escape sequence and the sequence before the escape. This is used to further refer to Leone's film.
Other similarities are the use of a graveyard and the "bad" and "ugly" characters.
The difference between Kill Bill 2 and The good, the bad and the ugly is that it is a woman who is given the status, thus reflecting the historical changes and development to attitudes towards women in the last 40 years.
This is the escape clip from Kill Bill 2, where the bride manages to escape the coffin. We hear the soundtrack of Leone's "The good, the bad and the ugly" in this scene. It awards the scene the same fame of the graveyard scene from Leone's film.
This is the final scene to The good, the bad and the ugly. Here we hear the original soundtrack and see how the music increases the tension within the scene. The soundtrack was written and composed by Ennio Morricone. It highlights the strength of the main character, Blondie. Because it highlights this of Blondie, it is used by Tarantino to award the same for the Bride.
Also, we can see that the colour palette used in Leone's final scene was adopted by Tarantino in the escape sequence and the sequence before the escape. This is used to further refer to Leone's film.
Demographic
Definition:
The age, gender, social class, ethinicity, occupation and aspirations or the user/audience/consumer.
The age, gender, social class, ethinicity, occupation and aspirations or the user/audience/consumer.
Thriller: Generic conventions
Thriller: Generic conventions
Lighting:
Dark/noir lighting:
• To place the audience in the same position as the characters
• Evil
• Uncertainty and confusion
• Mystery/enigma
• Suspense
• The idea of nightmare
Chiaroscuro lighting:
• Extreme light on dark
• Reinforces sense of nightmare
• Illusion
• Its aesthetically pleasing
Ambient and non-ambient
• Natural and artificial lighting
Sound:
Diegetic sound:
• Sound within the mise-en-scene
• The characters can hear it
• Helps to put the audience in the character’s position
Non-diegetic sound
• Sound added afterwards
• The character can’t hear it
• Can be the added soundtrack
Lighting:
Dark/noir lighting:
• To place the audience in the same position as the characters
• Evil
• Uncertainty and confusion
• Mystery/enigma
• Suspense
• The idea of nightmare
Chiaroscuro lighting:
• Extreme light on dark
• Reinforces sense of nightmare
• Illusion
• Its aesthetically pleasing
Ambient and non-ambient
• Natural and artificial lighting
Sound:
Diegetic sound:
• Sound within the mise-en-scene
• The characters can hear it
• Helps to put the audience in the character’s position
Non-diegetic sound
• Sound added afterwards
• The character can’t hear it
• Can be the added soundtrack
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