Avatar (2009)

The main stars found in Avatar are Sam Worthington- who has stared is other films such as Terminator Salvation and The Clash of the Titans, Zoe Saldana who has been in Pirates of the Carribean, Michelle Rodriguez; she played a part in TV series Lost and film Resident Evil, Giovanni Ribisib- who was in hit TV comedy Friends and played a part in Saving Private Ryan and Sigourney Weaver who's famous for her Alien films. As well as these, other less well known actors in the film include Stephen Lang, Joel Moore and CCH Pounder.

The genres Avatar is classed under is action, adventure and fantasy.

The films estimated production budget was a stagering $310,000,000. Avatars gross budget was roughly $2,778,527,559. $760,505,847 of the money being from the USA and $4,007,750 from just it's opening week in the USA when it was showed in 812 screens.

The production companies of the film were Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (who have been behind the production of many major films such as The Simpsons Movie, The Last King Of Scotland and Fantastic four), Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners and Lightstorm Entertainment.

The film had various distribution companies, some of these being Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Home Box Office (HBO), and FX Network.

Examples of above the line advertsing were promotional posters, interviews with the actors on television, in magazine, and on websites, as well as film premieres. There were also examples of below the line advertising, these included: Avatar dolls being created, merchandise such as t-shirts, bags and hats and a game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and PC.

An Example of Ethnicity- Gavin and Stacey

The ethnic group represented by Uncle Bryn in this Gavin and Stacey clip is Welsh. Peoples typical view on Welsh people is that they live in 'the valley', speak with quite a dim accent, and are huge fans of agriculture. Quite a few aspects of this clip from Gavin and Stacey reinforce these ideas.

When watching the clip you immediately become aware of the mise en scene. The clip is set in Uncle Bryns house, who is a Welsh man in his early 50's and stays very true to his roots. Being in the 21st Century we have quite high tech technology, and from looking at his computer you can tell he's defiantely not 'up to date'. The furnature in the room is also very old looking, and you'd imagine it to be in a much older persons house. This is very similar when it comes to looking at the wallpaper too. All of these features in the room help to back up the idea of the Welsh living in 'the valley' and being quite seperated from the rest of us.

There are only a few various camera angles used. One being a close up of their faces when mid conversation- it was a good choice to use one on Gavins face because it shows you his expressions clearly when being 'taught' how to use the Internet. The other one is a basic mid shot capturing Bryn, Gavin and the computer in the center. This could imply that the computer is the center of Bryns life or the main focus point at this moment in time. This also showing that the Welsh have only just been introduced to the Internet; which could infact be the reason because they've only just been able to gain a connection because of living so far away from civilisation.

The sound you can hear is only their conversation, so it's quite a quiet scene. However, this helps you to listen to his accent and hear the itelligence in his voice. When Bryn is describing to Gavin how to use the Internet he speaks his words quite slowly, and what he's describing is a very simple task to us. Speaking in a Welsh accent and being quite slow with his words also reinforces the fact that people have the idea of some Welsh people being quite dim and not very bright- this is also backed up by the topic of conversation.

Film Preliminary

The following film is of our final preliminary film. Please excuse the poor acting on my behalf!

Ethnicity

Ethnicity refers to ethnic traits, background, allegiance, or association of cultures. People who belong to ethnic groups are indentified by characteristics. The words 'ethnicity' and 'ethnic group' originates from the Greek wod 'ethnos' which means 'nation'. The term 'ethnic' in the UK often means 'race', whereas in North America 'race' tends to mean colour.

Examples of ethnic groups include: Mexicans, Spanish, Scottish, Catholic, coloured people, Muslims and Hutus. A stereotypical example of describing an ethnic group is Spanish people eat tapas or paella, they're Catholic and enjoy bull fighting.

Kick Ass

The production of the film took 14 weeks and the people behind the film were working 14 hour days. It included drafting the script, the costumes, the sets and the filming. It was prouced by Mark Miller who had previously been the executive director of 'Wanted' and directed by Matthew Vaughan.
Kick Ass is based on an American Marvel Comic written by Mark Miller called Kick Ass. However, the ending in the film is different to the ending in the comic because lead gets the girl, whereas in the film he's 'blown off'.

They encountered a couple of problems when making the film- the script being one of them. Miller was used to being in control of films so when he was told he must make accomodations he was shocked. As previously stated about the ending to the film being changed, Miller wasn't very for this idea. He was quoted to say "I don't really do happy endings" so for him having to change the ending to a happy one was quite a difficult choice.

He believes the UK  to be "world class leaders" when it comes to making films; however, he does not think we actually have a UK film indusrty. He uses James Bond and Harry Potter as good examples of British films but goes on to state that even though we've produced these films, we still can't manage to "get films off the ground in England". He would like the UK to build an indusrty with "the best writers, the best directors, the best crew, actors"

One of the ways they tried to keep the budget down was to film in London, even though it is set in Manhattan, New York- but Vaughan prefers to shoot there so it wasn't too much trouble. They made it look like Manhattan by building a studio, and using a huge green screen with images of Manhattan on and then using Media Composer to make it incredibly realistic. However, even though they had a low budget not all of the technology was cheap.

The film was rated 15 by the BBFC, which meant it's younger audience who are into superheros wouldn't have been able to go to the cinema to watch it. However, it was rated PG in France which was a shock to Vaughn.

The main controversy surrounding the film was the use of violence and swearing by young actress Chloë Moretz. For example, the line "Okay you cunts, let's see what you can do now" was highly compained about by family advocacy groups, claiming "the language [was] offensive".

The film was promoted in various ways, with the comic being one of them- another, newer comic was written at the same time as the fiolm was being produced. There was also a soundtrack for the film, and costumes of the characters too. As well as this there was a video game based on the movie for iPhones and iPod Touches, which later on went to be released on PlayStation.

The soundtrack was released on 29th March 2010 in the UK, and a day after in the United States. The title song is called 'Kick As'' By Mika, and was released as a single on 2nd May 2010. The rest of the songs found on the soundtrack are as follows:
1. "Stand Up" The Prodigy
2. "Kick Ass (Radio Edit)" Mika vs. RedOne
3. "Can't Go Back" Primal Scream
4. "There's a Pot a Brewin'" The Little Ones
5. "Omen" The Prodigy
6. "Make Me Wanna Die" The Pretty Reckless
7. "Banana Splits (Kick-Ass Film Version)" The Dickies 
8. "Starry Eyed" Ellie Goulding
9. "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" Sparks
10. "We're All In Love" The New York Dolls
11. "Bongo Song" Zongamin 
12. "Per Qualche Dollaro in Più (For a Few Dollars More)" Ennio Morricone
13. "Bad Reputation" The Hit Girls
14. "An American Trilogy" Elvis Presley

Kidulthood

The first camera angle we see if a medium long shot. The shot is of the pupils in the playground. This is effective because it gives you a clear shot of the pupils in their 'habitat', so you can view their mannerisms closely, but because of the long shot you can see clearly all the different variations of people that attend the school. To use this as an opening shot is a good idea because you're immediately introduced to what type of school the film is set in. This is also reinforced when they camera crew start to use panning- giving the the full effect once again. It pans across the playground quite fast which gives the impression that a lot happens in the playground- and fast!

The next shot used is a close up on the young boy and his machinery. I think this is used because it's quite effective as you can see the full concentration in his face- showing that what he's doing is of high importance to him. The close up of the drill he's using also give the full effect of the precision of it, and you see every detail.

There is a mid shot followed soon after this of a male on female couple. They are stood behind a tree, and the reason being for this is the fact that they are hiding from someone. Due to the fact that a mid shot being used instead of a long shot portays the intamacy and secrecy better, and in a sense you brought into hiding with the characters.

Another medium long shot is used again when the group of men are 'talking' to two young girls. By using this you can view clearly what the men are deliberately doing- this being intemidately the girls and almost bullying. You can see how they are taller than them and leaning over them, making them seem more superior.

Age Representation

Old
Knowledgable

Wise

Give out advice

Routine

Crosswords

False teeth

Racist

Tea

Knitting

Walking stick

Story tellers

Critical

Young
Influenced easily
Motif t-shirts
Nauty
Bored quickly
Demanding
Believe in fantasy
Lack common sense
Vunerable

Teenage
Wasters
Rebellious
Into drugs, smoking, alcohol
Fights
Sleeping
Having sex
Street corners
Argue with parents
Hoddies
Pregnancy

Adults
New car
Hobbies
Busy
Parents
Mid life crisis
'Sexy'
On the phone
'Taxi'
In the money

Moon Audience

Surprisingly, I enjoyed watching the film Moon. I had an idea of what I believed the film would be like- this idea consisted of a monotonous, sci-fi story line, however I was proved wrong. As well as the basic story line of Sam Rockwell living on the moon, there was in depth ideas which were occasionally quite difficult to understand, but once these were made sense of, watching the film became easier to watch and there was even some emotional scenes.


Without watching the film, I would have said Moon is most probably just a one quadrant film- this would be men aged 25 and over. However I was proved wrong because I believe maybe a few people, that being younger than 25 and both males and females. I think the males over 25 will appreciate the film because there was a reference to the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is when Gerty tells Sam "I can't let you do that", which occurs in 2001: A Space Odyssey when Hal says "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that". There is also similarities with the fact that both films use a robot; although Gerty is different because it doesn't try to kill Sam.


Using Sam Rockwell will also appeal to the sci-fi males because his most famous role was Zaphod Beeblebrox in The Hitch Hickers Guide To The Galaxy.Men who are into their sci-fi films will then instantly recognise him and feel comfortable with what they are watching.

I think what attracts the younger audience is the idea of cloning. This is because cloning is quite a unique idea, asd well as the idea of death followed after it. Young people tend to be more open minded than elders, so I think they can believe the idea that the cloning idea that is happening could one day may be possible- so it intrigues them.

Bulimia

The character Harry Fisher in Waterloo road has the mental disability of bulimia. The reason for this is mainly because of pressure he's put under and his current living conditions- in a broken home. He's represented as quite a strong character in the sense that he's going through it by himself. Alternatively, this could also mean he's quite vunerable and lonely because he believes he can't share his problem with anyone0 that being friends or family.

Moon, Pre-Production and Production

Moon was director, Duncan James' first feature length film. The film was produced by Trudie Snyder who has also produced films like Snatch, Lock Stock and Liberty Films (Duncan Jones' own production company). At first, Jones offered a script to Sam Rockwell, but after a long discussion and lots of rewriting they finally came up with Moon. Before filming they had one week to reherse. Jones wanted to get Kevin Spacey involved in the film; however, he only did so after the film was finished and he was only used for half a day because that's how long he could be afforded for.

Stage 6 Films were one of the studios behind the film. These are known for producing films that go straight to DVD, and making the cost less then $10 million. After the film has been made, Sony then decodes whether the film should been shown in thr cinema or go straight onto DVD. In moons case, in went into the cinema.
Moon had a budget of $5 million. Jones did quite a few ideas to try and get the cost of production down, these included: having a small cast and filming in a studio. It was produced and filmed in Shepperton Studios in England in 33 days. He preferred to use models instead of digital animation. For example, he worked with Bill Pearson to create a full 360-degree set of the moon. The visual effects were provided by Cinesite which are known for their cheaper costs for independant films. To add some of the other special effects they used CGI. This was used during the ping pong scene; after they recorded Rockwell miming the sound of the ping pong so he could play against himself, they added the ball after.

The budget was so tight on the film that Sony refused to send copies to the Oscar panel judges as they thought it might cost too much.

Overall, the film took $1,813,302 in the UK for a total of $9,747,108 at the box office ($5,010,163 US + $4,736,945 worldwide). Jones has since stated "The crazy thing is the business side of things. Moon is out in Germany now, Switzerland, and has maybe a couple of other smaller territories to be released in. It has earned nearly $9.5M so far, worldwide… it cost just under $5M to make… and yet we are STILL trying to pay back our initial investors. That was always one of the biggest priorities for me and it has been the most frustrating part about our apparent success. The lesson of the film business they don’t tell you in film school is this; if you make back everything you spent on making your movie, you’re still barely half-way to going into profit. That certainly educated the hell out of me!"

Tourettes

Tourettes is a physical disability. The people with the disability in this documentary are portrayed as quite happy characters- even though they have a physical disability, it doesn't seem to get them down. However, towards the end you see an insight as to how they are feeling and even though the disability gets them down, they realise they're quite lucky as life could be worse.

(500) Days Of Summer

The Damned United

Casualty, 'No Place Like Home'

After watching episode 1 of series 25, 'No Place Like Home', I saw a clear scene in which you can use Roland Bartes theory. In his theory he believed that you can look at one scene and gain various different meanings from it. A clear example of this was during the scene of the widows brother reading his speech for her husbands funeral. During the speech the man gets quite emotional and describes him in many ways, some of them being: "husband, lover". The fact that he adds on lover to the list after husband could imply two meanings. He could either mean not only was her partner a husband to her but he was also her lover, or he could have been trying to imply that the two men had an affair together, and he was his "lover". However, to understand this I think you have to pay attention to the scene and watch the character carefully.

During the opening 5 minutes of the episode, you are introduced to the character of Kirsty. When she begins to get changed there is a large visible bruise on her back. This instantly makes you question what type of relationship she's in- whether it's an abusive and controlling one. Which then makes you question if she's quite a weak character because she lets her partner treat her in this way. She may have the intelligence to be a doctor, but struggles when it comes to solving problems in her personal life.


Later on in the hospital we see the Senior Consultant, Nick. He's seen wearing a suit a tie, which immediately puts him aove the rest of the staff on the ward because they're all wearing uniforms. His authority is also reinforced when he's speaking to Tess. The camera angle used is a close up of him talking down to her- this implies that he is higher than her in the hierachy of staff.


Tess, who is head of nurses, is soon seen after this giving the rest of the staff a briefing. During the briefing she is put in the center of the circle, and the camera angle used for this is a medium long shot. I think this is a good angle to use, because instead of using a long shot where you can clearly see she's in the center, you get this from a medium as well as being able to see her face and the expressions that she's pulling to show her authority.