Initial Ideas February 26th 2019 - these are my initial ideas, I established what sub-genre of crime film I wanted, I was wondering between: cartel, western and mafia. In the end I chose mafia, and I chose the plot of the film (a gang war)
Script 8th January 2019 - this is my script for my movie, this is what the actors will be physically saying in the film.
Storyboard December 13th 2018 (old, ignore this) - this is a storyboard, which is a summarized comic style presentation on what my script is about!
Film proposal December 18th 2018 - this is what my film will be about, including the characters, logline and overall plot.
Resource List December 18th 2018 - this is a list of everything I need to make my film, this includes props, costumes and everything else. I have included explanations as to why I've used each piece of equipment
Personnel List December 18th 2018 - this is a list of everyone involved in my production, this includes all the cast members and everyone who will help with the technical aspect of creating this film, I need this to establish the roles clearly of everyone else.
Budget planning, health and safety/risk assessment, location scouting, filming permission January 8th 2019 - first is my budget planning, this is where I plan how much I intend to spend on my production. Health and safety assessment assess how much danger I and other crew members could be on a certain set. A location scout is scouting what a certain location contains, whether it be props and scenery. Filming permission is the form which I need to get signed to allow me to film at a certain location.
Copyright Clearance - Paramount, Copyright Clearance - Apple February 14th 2019 - I also have copyright clearance forms which I need to show that I have asked the copyright holders of the music I have used for their permission to use in my film (however it takes a long time to get a response so I might be without a signature)
Storyboard 8th January 2019 - this is my storyboard, this details what my film will be about and the types of shots that will be used to shoot the movie, I've explained why I used each type of shot.
Shooting Schedule 22nd January 2019 - this is my shooting schedule, this is what I use to write down when I want to shoot certain shots and the dates, it also includes the cast members.
Budget Planning 22nd January 2019 - this is my budget planning, I have wrote how much every piece of equipment is and why it costs the amount it does.
Location Scout - my house, Location Scout - College 15th January 2019 - these are my location scouts, I have wrote about each location that I will use.
Risk assessment p1, Risk assessment p2 15th January 2019 - these are the risk assessments, as it says it's about the potential risk that will come about from each location.
Location Release Form - my house, Location Release Form - college, Photos of my locations 17th January 2019 - these are my location release forms, it shows I have permission to film at my desired locations
Contributor Release Form 26th February 2019 - I have been given permission by everyone in my film to use them in it, I needed this to tackle any legal issues that could occur.
Music Reference 12th February 2019 - this is a list on all the music that I used and the timestamp when it was used. It includes the exact source (YouTube video link) that I used for that song.
Minute Meeting 1 10th January 2019 - this is a rundown on our meeting we had not too long before I started filming, we established some new ideas and changed a few as we went along.
Production Diary 5th March 2019 - this is the completed production diary, in this I went over the key dates in my production, from when I shot certain scenes and the equipment that I used.
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Completed: Producing magazine layouts - Emma - Learning Aim C
Magazine: front cover
I would like to do a print magazine.
12/12/18 - in the past few weeks I have been working on my magazine cover before I was doing drafts but now I am confident in what I want to make and I have a good idea of what I want to do. Below is what I originally started with:
12/12/18 (continued) - right now I'm working on my cover and intend to have it finished soon, this is what I have after changing my original idea, as you can see I have put a background behind my dominant image. This works because it's a prison lineup and my dominant image is of a gangster/criminal so he'll have gone through this process at least once which gives it historical accuracy.
13/12/18 (above) - today I added the much-needed features that every magazine requires. After I was done with the images I added in the barcode, the month the magazine was made and what issue it was, I also added in the price as that's needed for anything you buy as the consumer will want to know the price so they can make a decision on if they want to buy it.
13/12/18 (below) - below is the final piece of work I did today, I've said this in my past few logs but I am confident I shall have this finished by next week at the most. Because after I have a tough task with making the double page spread, I have double the work and it would be ideal to have as much time as is humanly possible to do it.
How did I manipulate images?
In my front cover I have used two photos: one of Charles 'Lucky' Luciano (who is the dominant image) and a photo of the flag of the USA.
In the photo of Lucky Luciano I used the posterize tool which made the image black and white compared to the original which didn't look that good despite having color. I set the posterize levels to 4, giving it the effect you can see in the image. On the right is the original image, I cropped the left side of the image (where he's looking on his side)
In the photo of the USA flag I didn't use any effects, I just resized the image so it was small enough to fit in-between the black lines I have in the front cover. This image signifies that the magazine is about the American Mob because of the two images I chose
Magazine: double page spread
19/12/18 - today I started my double page spread. I managed to finish it in an hour, however I will admit that it isn't the best or as good as it could've been, I just wanted it to be something that I envisioned, even if it wasn't 100% what I wanted. Below is the draft of what I started with:
(cont) - it was quite bleak as you can see, so I decided to add some photos to make it look more appealing to the audience, I chose photos of various criminals both old and new. These photos are ideal because this is a magazine about crime and criminals are the first thing you think of when you hear that word. Here is the magazine with added photos on:
Finally, I decided that I needed to add some colour onto the background, the white background looked bland and bleak and that is not what I want my magazine to be. Colours can influence someone to keep on reading which to me is a shock as I've always thought that it should be the content inside it that should matter, not a choice of colour, but people have their preferences. Below is my completed double page spread, with added colour and added writing:
How did I manipulate these images?
The only manipulation I did to these is resizing them and moving them to certain parts of the DPS so they overlap on already existing images, I could've cropped the white background of my primary images (the ones of myself) but each time I'd use the quick selection tool it'd always come up saying 'this can't be done because the smart object is inedible. Below isn't my photo but the same thing popped up for me and I'm not sure why it didn't allow me to crop the photo (to the right)
Sources for double page spread photos:
Roy DeMeo photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_DeMeo
Pablo Escobar photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Escobar
Joey Merlino photo - https://deskgram.net/explore/tags/josephmerlino
DPS Plan
I would like to do a print magazine.
12/12/18 - in the past few weeks I have been working on my magazine cover before I was doing drafts but now I am confident in what I want to make and I have a good idea of what I want to do. Below is what I originally started with:
 |
| Original cover |
12/12/18 (continued) - right now I'm working on my cover and intend to have it finished soon, this is what I have after changing my original idea, as you can see I have put a background behind my dominant image. This works because it's a prison lineup and my dominant image is of a gangster/criminal so he'll have gone through this process at least once which gives it historical accuracy.
13/12/18 (below) - below is the final piece of work I did today, I've said this in my past few logs but I am confident I shall have this finished by next week at the most. Because after I have a tough task with making the double page spread, I have double the work and it would be ideal to have as much time as is humanly possible to do it.
In my front cover I have used two photos: one of Charles 'Lucky' Luciano (who is the dominant image) and a photo of the flag of the USA.
In the photo of Lucky Luciano I used the posterize tool which made the image black and white compared to the original which didn't look that good despite having color. I set the posterize levels to 4, giving it the effect you can see in the image. On the right is the original image, I cropped the left side of the image (where he's looking on his side)
In the photo of the USA flag I didn't use any effects, I just resized the image so it was small enough to fit in-between the black lines I have in the front cover. This image signifies that the magazine is about the American Mob because of the two images I chose
Magazine: double page spread
19/12/18 - today I started my double page spread. I managed to finish it in an hour, however I will admit that it isn't the best or as good as it could've been, I just wanted it to be something that I envisioned, even if it wasn't 100% what I wanted. Below is the draft of what I started with:
(cont) - it was quite bleak as you can see, so I decided to add some photos to make it look more appealing to the audience, I chose photos of various criminals both old and new. These photos are ideal because this is a magazine about crime and criminals are the first thing you think of when you hear that word. Here is the magazine with added photos on:
Finally, I decided that I needed to add some colour onto the background, the white background looked bland and bleak and that is not what I want my magazine to be. Colours can influence someone to keep on reading which to me is a shock as I've always thought that it should be the content inside it that should matter, not a choice of colour, but people have their preferences. Below is my completed double page spread, with added colour and added writing:
How did I manipulate these images?
The only manipulation I did to these is resizing them and moving them to certain parts of the DPS so they overlap on already existing images, I could've cropped the white background of my primary images (the ones of myself) but each time I'd use the quick selection tool it'd always come up saying 'this can't be done because the smart object is inedible. Below isn't my photo but the same thing popped up for me and I'm not sure why it didn't allow me to crop the photo (to the right)
Sources for double page spread photos:
Roy DeMeo photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_DeMeo
Pablo Escobar photo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Escobar
Joey Merlino photo - https://deskgram.net/explore/tags/josephmerlino
DPS Plan
Wednesday, 28 November 2018
Neil: Pre-Production Script - complete.
[6 months after Johnny Galiano and Eddie Falcone were arrested they decided that they have had enough of being mafioso]
Galiano: Hey Eddie.
Falcone: What's up Johnny?
Galiano: This being a mafioso, you like it?
Falcone: It's alright. Doing whatever we want, it's amazin, that's power, that's respect.
Galiano: Yeah with that, there comes prison, and the bosses don't care unless we co-operate, we do the dirty work yet we get treat like fuckin dirt.
Falcone: Johnny! Fuck ya saying? You ain't gonna rat are ya?
Galiano: Of course not, but I'm gonna do somethin even better, I'm gonna show that being a gangster ain't what it all cut out to be. You know YouTube?
Falcone: Yeah, my kids love it.
Galiano: We'll make our own video, how to be a gangster.
Falcone: Don't think Carmine will appreciate this.
Galiano: I don't care about Carmine, he's done nothin for us.
Falcone: Whatever you say Johnny
[1. extorting]
Galiano: Hey YouTube how you doin it's Johnny Galiano from Sunderland and I'm joined by Eddie Falcone from South Shields, we're here to teach you how to be a gangster.
Falcone: Step 1 to being a gangster, is being able to extort businesses. For generations mafia families have made a lot of money from protection rackets, threatening to put a brick through a shop owners window if he don't pay em. Here's an example
Galiano: How ya doin sir, personally, me and my son love comin to the shop, always have. To protect ya from any accidents, pay me, and i'll make sure nothin happens to the shop.
Falcone: [as shop owner]: How you doin sir, why don't ya go fuck yourself?
Galiano: [Narration] If the owner is giving you a hard time, show him you mean business. Marone! If you don't pay I'll make sure they find ya kneecaps in every dumpster in town.
Falcone: Take it easy... I thought you were some Guido thug. [hands money over].
Galiano: Next time you see my face, show some respect.
Falcone: I...I will.. Sorry Johnny.
[2: how to kill]
Galiano: Heh heh, another good quality for a gangster is being good at doing hits. What we mean by hits is uh, killin people. John Gotti's on Paul Castellano was that well done and public, it was named the hit of the century.
Falcone: To be a good hitman, you gotta be quick and precise, can't be stuttering in front of your target or he'll get the upper hand on ya.
Galiano: So how do you do it? How do you kill people, well I'll tell you. You gotta get up close, and bada bing you shoot em 3 times in the head, dead and done.
Falcone: Ain't you gonna show us Johnny?
Galiano: Hold your horses Eddie, I gotta call Vito to leave me a gun to do this. [On the phone] Hey Vito, I need a piece, can you sort me out? I'll give you 10% of what my pizza joints make this month. Sorted. Now, to the demonstration.
Falcone: Johnny's gonna shoot me 3 times in the head, the Moe Greene special is what we call it. That's how I killed Anthony Lombardo, heh.
Galiano: Say hello to your mother!
Falcone: My what?
Galiano: [Imitating Tony Montana] MY LITTLE FRIEND.
[Fake gunshots ring out, Falcone falls to the ground]
Galiano: And that my friends, is how ya whack somebody.
[3: what to say to police]
Falcone: [Hand gestures] When ya get arrested, like me and Johnny have, you gotta keep your mouth shut to the police, they're the losers who wanna get us put in jail for life when we're just trying to make money.
Galiano: Agreed, and funnily enough the police don't focus on the Pietro crime family but us the DiFalco's, we're public enemy number 1.
Falcone: Anyways, the police, just say nothin. They have nothing on you and they want to fake a confession so they get some brownie points
Galiano: [Getting handcuffs ready] Now we're going to show ya how to react while getting arrested. This is what happened when I was just a soldier working under Eddie 'AK' Angelina
Falcone: [Pretending to be a police officer] Come on Johnny, back to the can you go.
Galiano: I ain't telling you nothing, scum, all cops are scum.
[2 hours later]
Falcone: Now Johnny, let me tell you what I want.
Galiano: What do you want? Frankie Valli tickets? Sinatra CD's?
Falcone: Funny, we want you to inform against your boss, Eddie Angelina.
Galiano: Well I want to know what happened to JFK, guess we're both out of luck.
Falcone: [Looking agitated] Now this isn't 1984, I can't make you disappear, as much as I'd like too. So will you budge or not? If you don't tell me anything you'll go to prison for 2 years.
Galiano: Fine, just tell my girlfriend I'll be late for our dinner, thanks, moron.
Falcone: See you later Johnny, one day you won't be so lucky, one day you'll be dead in a ditch betrayed by your so called friends.
Galiano: Yeah yeah yeah, maybe you'll build a case against one us one day too, all swings and roundabouts.
Falcone: See ya.
[Skit over]
Galiano: That's what you say to the cops, nothing. Cosa Nostra is our thing, nobody else's.
[4: end]
Galiano: That's a few steps on how to be a gangster, we hope that we've shown that being a mafioso ain't all Godfather and Goodfellas, it's nothing but violence, murder and always having a target on ya back.
Falcone: But we took an oath
Galiano: We did, Cosa Nostra till I die.
Falcone: See ya.
[Skit over]
Galiano: That's what you say to the cops, nothing. Cosa Nostra is our thing, nobody else's.
[4: end]
Galiano: That's a few steps on how to be a gangster, we hope that we've shown that being a mafioso ain't all Godfather and Goodfellas, it's nothing but violence, murder and always having a target on ya back.
Falcone: But we took an oath
Galiano: We did, Cosa Nostra till I die.
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Completed: Isle of Dogs review - Due in 21/11/18
Isle of Dogs - review.
Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs is a film that tells a story with an important message. It features a star-studded cast who live up to their reputation and their voice acting had a lot of effort put in which gives their character's personality.
The plot of the film is a 'unique' one which I didn't think would work, to summarize: all dogs have been banished to 'Trash Island' where they have to survive on rotting garbage (in this world cats are seen as superior to dogs). Then a 12-year old Atari Kobayashi (who is later revealed to be the ward of the corrupt mayor) flies to the island in search of his banished dog, Spots. Atari is joined on his journey by the dogs already on the island: Chief, Rex, King, Boss and Duke. Over this movie, we see Chief as the tough guy (well dog) of the group, a dog with no emotion and a disdain for everyone else, but over the course of the film we realise he isn't a bad dog because that's who he is, we learn he was a stray without a stable home so we feel sympathy towards him as he's had it a lot harder than the other dogs. We see Chief develop through a character arc, from tough dog to still tough but likeable dog who's had a rough life and has had to be 'tough' to survive his surroundings. At the end we see that life has changed for the dogs, they are no longer persona-non-grata and are now equal.
The stop-motion is breathtaking. Visually IoD is a pleasing movie. Reading that in total 1,000 puppets were made for this movie makes us appreciate the film even more. The attention to detail is clear, with animations being made for the dogs including 'things' that dogs would do, and if a character changed their expression then their face visually would change too. This movie had a lot of effort put in it and it is clear in the final product.
The plot of the film is a 'unique' one which I didn't think would work, to summarize: all dogs have been banished to 'Trash Island' where they have to survive on rotting garbage (in this world cats are seen as superior to dogs). Then a 12-year old Atari Kobayashi (who is later revealed to be the ward of the corrupt mayor) flies to the island in search of his banished dog, Spots. Atari is joined on his journey by the dogs already on the island: Chief, Rex, King, Boss and Duke. Over this movie, we see Chief as the tough guy (well dog) of the group, a dog with no emotion and a disdain for everyone else, but over the course of the film we realise he isn't a bad dog because that's who he is, we learn he was a stray without a stable home so we feel sympathy towards him as he's had it a lot harder than the other dogs. We see Chief develop through a character arc, from tough dog to still tough but likeable dog who's had a rough life and has had to be 'tough' to survive his surroundings. At the end we see that life has changed for the dogs, they are no longer persona-non-grata and are now equal.
The stop-motion is breathtaking. Visually IoD is a pleasing movie. Reading that in total 1,000 puppets were made for this movie makes us appreciate the film even more. The attention to detail is clear, with animations being made for the dogs including 'things' that dogs would do, and if a character changed their expression then their face visually would change too. This movie had a lot of effort put in it and it is clear in the final product.
Tuesday, 6 November 2018
Completed Unit 4: Pre-Production Portfolio essay. Due in: 23/11/18
Why and what is pre-production and why is it key for a film?
The official definition - work is done on a product, especially a film or broadcast programme before full-scale production begins. The work before the literal work. I'm going to explain what goes into pre-production and why they're all important.
Finance - financing is important as film-making is quite expensive, even the highest grossing film cost 237 million dollars to make. The more money available to you the better the film will end up being. I believe that finance is the most important aspect of filmmaking, as it's obvious to say but without finance, you wouldn't get past writing the script for a film, it wouldn't be able to be made at all. Without money, you couldn't get actors, a crew, equipment, places to film, anything.
How does a film get financed? One method that is commonly used in the director meets with potential investors and pitches the idea to them to see if they're interested in financing the film, the pitch will need to be convincing as some films solely rely on people investing in it to get the project made. For potential investors to be interested the film idea needs to be interesting and unique as they won't want to invest in a film idea that has been done hundreds of times before, and a film that is similar to others won't stick out which will heavily impact the money the film could make, because, with investment, people want to see a return (plus a bit more) on their investment, with the aforementioned Avatar, it cost 237 million dollars to make and it made 2.788 billion, which is a sizeable profit on the investment that was made.
Another common method is that filmmakers get loans/grants (the difference between loans and grants is that grants don't need to be paid back) from the government or other institutions. As someone from the UK, the British Film Institute is the organisation I would request funding from. They were founded in 1933 and as well as funding films, they have the worlds largest film archive, they fund many film festivals and they have their own film academy in which young filmmakers go to learn how to make the future masterpieces. The way the BFI gets their funding is that they use funds from the National Lottery to fund films for UK filmmakers. More recently they funded Yardie, which was Idris Elba's directorial debut. This would be a good method of getting money to make the film as being a filmmaker who is looking to make their first film is difficult, it's almost impossible to gain any funding as first-time filmmakers won't be offered a Hollywood budget as there's no guarantee that the studio will make their money back and with first time filmmakers their first film might not even be good, and if it's not good it won't be profitable. This means that they aren't used to the massive resources that many film studios are used to.
The final way that films get financed is with something called sponsorships. Sponsorships are financial support. Usually, sponsors pay money to have their product in the film (another term is product placement) in some way or another, for example, Heineken paid 45 million dollars to have their product in the film Skyfall, this is used by companies to get their brand out there, Heineken knew that Skyfall would be widely viewed by audiences and saw it as a perfect chance to get their product out there (although audiences questioned whether 007 would drink Heineken, but that's irrelevant). This is what big studios do to try and low the amount that comes out of their pocket for the film, as they'd rather spend less but make more. As a filmmaker sponsors benefit everyone, they benefit you as the director as that's less money that you (or the studio) had to put for a film and it'd benefit them as it'd increase their audience which will make it more likely that they'll invest in your future projects.
Location Scout and recce - a location scout is where a certain location is scouted to gather information about a certain location. Scouts are used to determining which is the most ideal location for your shoot. To be a successful location scout you have to identify a variety of factors: is the location safe to film in? Because there was a tragic incident in which a location scout for Narcos: Mexico named Carlos Munoz Portal was shot dead in Tesmascalpa, Mexico. The town was drug cartel territory and Portal wasn't aware of this, this tragically showed the show's creators that this area was a no go to film. Linking in with the previous point you have to identify all the safety risks to a potential area, for example, there could be an area which is prone to flooding and as a location scout you need to identify all the risks that come with a location to provide the safest working environment for everyone involved with your production. Location scouting can take a long time, as it's not easy finding the right location, everything has to be right and perfect. It takes Game of Thrones months to film so there's a need to find the right location that is suitable, and available because in some cases you need permits to film somewhere and nobody wants to go through the stress of asking permission over and over again, also with location scouting you can determine if lighting/sound will be an issue, to conclude location scouting is more than just if the location looks ideal. Regarding asking about permits, location scouts don't just scout locations, they also handle the legal side of booking locations, normally a contract is drawn up by the filmmaker, the owner of the land you want to film on and any other party involved. Then you settle on the price the owner will want for you to film, and a location scout basically deals with all the potential issues that could arise, so it's a burden off the directors back, it is one less thing for he/she to think about, and any director will want as little responsibility than they already need. A location recce is similar to scouting a location. But a recce solely focuses on highlighting the potential hazards a location has, for example, a location with wires makes people prone to tripping over said wires, a recce is also used not to just highlight problems, but solving them too. For example, a potential hazard in a room with lots of computers is that there's a risk of spilling water. Here are the five questions that you should really be asking while doing a recce. A recce is important as it highlights all the potential issues that you may face as a crew, and knowing these hazards will give you the safest shoot possible: Is there a power source for charging up equipment? Health and safety considerations?
The official definition - work is done on a product, especially a film or broadcast programme before full-scale production begins. The work before the literal work. I'm going to explain what goes into pre-production and why they're all important.
Finance - financing is important as film-making is quite expensive, even the highest grossing film cost 237 million dollars to make. The more money available to you the better the film will end up being. I believe that finance is the most important aspect of filmmaking, as it's obvious to say but without finance, you wouldn't get past writing the script for a film, it wouldn't be able to be made at all. Without money, you couldn't get actors, a crew, equipment, places to film, anything.
How does a film get financed? One method that is commonly used in the director meets with potential investors and pitches the idea to them to see if they're interested in financing the film, the pitch will need to be convincing as some films solely rely on people investing in it to get the project made. For potential investors to be interested the film idea needs to be interesting and unique as they won't want to invest in a film idea that has been done hundreds of times before, and a film that is similar to others won't stick out which will heavily impact the money the film could make, because, with investment, people want to see a return (plus a bit more) on their investment, with the aforementioned Avatar, it cost 237 million dollars to make and it made 2.788 billion, which is a sizeable profit on the investment that was made.
Another common method is that filmmakers get loans/grants (the difference between loans and grants is that grants don't need to be paid back) from the government or other institutions. As someone from the UK, the British Film Institute is the organisation I would request funding from. They were founded in 1933 and as well as funding films, they have the worlds largest film archive, they fund many film festivals and they have their own film academy in which young filmmakers go to learn how to make the future masterpieces. The way the BFI gets their funding is that they use funds from the National Lottery to fund films for UK filmmakers. More recently they funded Yardie, which was Idris Elba's directorial debut. This would be a good method of getting money to make the film as being a filmmaker who is looking to make their first film is difficult, it's almost impossible to gain any funding as first-time filmmakers won't be offered a Hollywood budget as there's no guarantee that the studio will make their money back and with first time filmmakers their first film might not even be good, and if it's not good it won't be profitable. This means that they aren't used to the massive resources that many film studios are used to.
The final way that films get financed is with something called sponsorships. Sponsorships are financial support. Usually, sponsors pay money to have their product in the film (another term is product placement) in some way or another, for example, Heineken paid 45 million dollars to have their product in the film Skyfall, this is used by companies to get their brand out there, Heineken knew that Skyfall would be widely viewed by audiences and saw it as a perfect chance to get their product out there (although audiences questioned whether 007 would drink Heineken, but that's irrelevant). This is what big studios do to try and low the amount that comes out of their pocket for the film, as they'd rather spend less but make more. As a filmmaker sponsors benefit everyone, they benefit you as the director as that's less money that you (or the studio) had to put for a film and it'd benefit them as it'd increase their audience which will make it more likely that they'll invest in your future projects.
Location Scout and recce - a location scout is where a certain location is scouted to gather information about a certain location. Scouts are used to determining which is the most ideal location for your shoot. To be a successful location scout you have to identify a variety of factors: is the location safe to film in? Because there was a tragic incident in which a location scout for Narcos: Mexico named Carlos Munoz Portal was shot dead in Tesmascalpa, Mexico. The town was drug cartel territory and Portal wasn't aware of this, this tragically showed the show's creators that this area was a no go to film. Linking in with the previous point you have to identify all the safety risks to a potential area, for example, there could be an area which is prone to flooding and as a location scout you need to identify all the risks that come with a location to provide the safest working environment for everyone involved with your production. Location scouting can take a long time, as it's not easy finding the right location, everything has to be right and perfect. It takes Game of Thrones months to film so there's a need to find the right location that is suitable, and available because in some cases you need permits to film somewhere and nobody wants to go through the stress of asking permission over and over again, also with location scouting you can determine if lighting/sound will be an issue, to conclude location scouting is more than just if the location looks ideal. Regarding asking about permits, location scouts don't just scout locations, they also handle the legal side of booking locations, normally a contract is drawn up by the filmmaker, the owner of the land you want to film on and any other party involved. Then you settle on the price the owner will want for you to film, and a location scout basically deals with all the potential issues that could arise, so it's a burden off the directors back, it is one less thing for he/she to think about, and any director will want as little responsibility than they already need. A location recce is similar to scouting a location. But a recce solely focuses on highlighting the potential hazards a location has, for example, a location with wires makes people prone to tripping over said wires, a recce is also used not to just highlight problems, but solving them too. For example, a potential hazard in a room with lots of computers is that there's a risk of spilling water. Here are the five questions that you should really be asking while doing a recce. A recce is important as it highlights all the potential issues that you may face as a crew, and knowing these hazards will give you the safest shoot possible: Is there a power source for charging up equipment? Health and safety considerations?
Shooting schedule - a shooting schedule is a plan of each day (over a certain period of time) and what you want to film on these days. These are key to any production as it indicates that the production team are organised and with a schedule, you won't lose focus and won't be catching up and not going back to the same location another day and possibly missing out on a lot of filming time, these are usually timelines indicating what equipment will be used and what scenes will be shot. Like I referenced earlier this is important as with a schedule you won't be recording any scene, because without no schedule then you'd be panicking as you have to figure out what you want to film. The downside to these is that it could be hard to make a schedule as peoples availability may vary.
Storyboard and shot list - a storyboard is used to plan for shots in a media production., this is shown with drawings detailing what the scene will contain, the camera angle that the scene will be filmed in and what the sound is like in the scene (non-diegetic and diegetic). Why is it important? Firstly, the storyboard is used to tell the story about the film, to break down the narrative, storyboards can be used to tell the story in case someone doesn't have time to read the script. Also, they're used by the director to make it clear (implementing their vision) to the crew what they want. The producer uses a storyboard to identify the shots that will require special effects and the ones that won't, how many extras you'll need for a scene and so on. Storyboards can also be used as a pitch to potential clients who may be interested in jumping on the project and like said previously, having drawings on what the scene will look like will make it clear to the potential client what the director hopes to achieve with their film, because you could have the best script but without showing what it'll look like visually may put some people off, as people would rather see their ideas come to life. Martin Scorsese himself said 'Storyboards express what I want to communicate'
A shot list is the list of all the shots that you will have in your film and wherein the film they will be. It lists the type of shot (Eg: tracking shot) and who will be in the shot. An example of this is that while filming you'll need to list the props, actors and as much about the shot as is possible. The reasons shot lists are important is that it makes it clear to the film crew what sort of shot you want to film and it won't be unclear, also it allows the other crew members to know just in case they need to provide anything for the shot. As Dawn Cobalt writes, 'When there is no shot list there is no guideline'
Script - the script is the written of a play, film or broadcast. All of the other pre-production methods are important but scripting is the most important of them all in my opinion, because without a script you have nothing, the script is considered the blueprint of the whole production, the script is needed if you want to make your shot list, your equipment list, storyboard, shooting schedule, everything. Also the most important people (the actors) will require the script as the majority of films rely on the actors giving an amazing performance to draw attention to the film which the film studios hope will make them profit on their movie, the script allows you to get your shot list as certain scenes will require certain types of shots, shooting schedule as some scenes may be harder to film so you'll need to plan your schedule around it and so on. There are three different types of script: a standard script is a script that is pitched to potential clientele, if they're interested it'll be written with their input. A spec script which is a script that has been written in advance in the hope that someone will pick it up and turn it into a film and finally an adapted script where a script is adapted from an already existing product (books), a famous example of this is the Harry Potter book franchise, which has been made into one of the most successful film franchises of all time.
Audition - an audition is a process ('sample performance') where an actor/actress goes through an interview for a certain part in a movie whether it be a main part or bit part. This is usually done before any pre-production is done as with the actor/actress you choose, you'll have to base your schedule off of theirs, then once you have the main lead you can begin your pre-production as now you know who'll be playing the role and you can move forward with the second part of the process of making your film. Auditions are used to see who'll be the best for a certain role, not necessarily the best actor. So for example in an audition for James Bond the directors will be looking at British actors in particular as that is where the character of Bond is from.
Storyboard and shot list - a storyboard is used to plan for shots in a media production., this is shown with drawings detailing what the scene will contain, the camera angle that the scene will be filmed in and what the sound is like in the scene (non-diegetic and diegetic). Why is it important? Firstly, the storyboard is used to tell the story about the film, to break down the narrative, storyboards can be used to tell the story in case someone doesn't have time to read the script. Also, they're used by the director to make it clear (implementing their vision) to the crew what they want. The producer uses a storyboard to identify the shots that will require special effects and the ones that won't, how many extras you'll need for a scene and so on. Storyboards can also be used as a pitch to potential clients who may be interested in jumping on the project and like said previously, having drawings on what the scene will look like will make it clear to the potential client what the director hopes to achieve with their film, because you could have the best script but without showing what it'll look like visually may put some people off, as people would rather see their ideas come to life. Martin Scorsese himself said 'Storyboards express what I want to communicate'
A shot list is the list of all the shots that you will have in your film and wherein the film they will be. It lists the type of shot (Eg: tracking shot) and who will be in the shot. An example of this is that while filming you'll need to list the props, actors and as much about the shot as is possible. The reasons shot lists are important is that it makes it clear to the film crew what sort of shot you want to film and it won't be unclear, also it allows the other crew members to know just in case they need to provide anything for the shot. As Dawn Cobalt writes, 'When there is no shot list there is no guideline'
Script - the script is the written of a play, film or broadcast. All of the other pre-production methods are important but scripting is the most important of them all in my opinion, because without a script you have nothing, the script is considered the blueprint of the whole production, the script is needed if you want to make your shot list, your equipment list, storyboard, shooting schedule, everything. Also the most important people (the actors) will require the script as the majority of films rely on the actors giving an amazing performance to draw attention to the film which the film studios hope will make them profit on their movie, the script allows you to get your shot list as certain scenes will require certain types of shots, shooting schedule as some scenes may be harder to film so you'll need to plan your schedule around it and so on. There are three different types of script: a standard script is a script that is pitched to potential clientele, if they're interested it'll be written with their input. A spec script which is a script that has been written in advance in the hope that someone will pick it up and turn it into a film and finally an adapted script where a script is adapted from an already existing product (books), a famous example of this is the Harry Potter book franchise, which has been made into one of the most successful film franchises of all time.
Audition - an audition is a process ('sample performance') where an actor/actress goes through an interview for a certain part in a movie whether it be a main part or bit part. This is usually done before any pre-production is done as with the actor/actress you choose, you'll have to base your schedule off of theirs, then once you have the main lead you can begin your pre-production as now you know who'll be playing the role and you can move forward with the second part of the process of making your film. Auditions are used to see who'll be the best for a certain role, not necessarily the best actor. So for example in an audition for James Bond the directors will be looking at British actors in particular as that is where the character of Bond is from.
Thursday, 1 November 2018
Completed: Rational - Emma - Learning Aim B
Primary research - questionnaire about magazines - Emma
Secondary research - Do people still like magazines? How magazines are surviving
Contributors - right now I will be only using pictures from websites but if/when I use models I will be sure to get some form of written permission to use them in photos.
Location - currently I am only using secondary images so there's no need for me to list shooting locations however I probably will be taking photos of my own, most likely in my home or my college so I will need to get permission to shoot at either location, I chose these locations as they're fairly close and I'll get some good photos.
Equipment - I shall be using a camera (not 100% certain on the specific one), hopefully I shall have some props for my photos. Considering it's a crime magazine probably weapon props such as guns, knives etc, although I'll need to be clear that they're props or someone might get the wrong idea.
Crew - me (as the main magazine 'maker') and I may recruit some of my friends to help me with taking the photos that I will eventually use for my magazine, I will do the rest.
Magazine pitch
Proposal
Magazine diagram
Secondary research - Do people still like magazines? How magazines are surviving
Contributors - right now I will be only using pictures from websites but if/when I use models I will be sure to get some form of written permission to use them in photos.
Location - currently I am only using secondary images so there's no need for me to list shooting locations however I probably will be taking photos of my own, most likely in my home or my college so I will need to get permission to shoot at either location, I chose these locations as they're fairly close and I'll get some good photos.
Equipment - I shall be using a camera (not 100% certain on the specific one), hopefully I shall have some props for my photos. Considering it's a crime magazine probably weapon props such as guns, knives etc, although I'll need to be clear that they're props or someone might get the wrong idea.
Crew - me (as the main magazine 'maker') and I may recruit some of my friends to help me with taking the photos that I will eventually use for my magazine, I will do the rest.
Magazine pitch
Proposal
Magazine diagram
Sunday, 21 October 2018
Completed unit 10 film production essay. Due date: 5/11/18
Section 1 - genre (Crime)
Crime, the crime genre is one of the most beloved genres of film in the world today, with its countless sub genre's we have a library to choose from, we as viewers have curiosity in our heads, we wonder: how do these criminals operate? Linking in with our curious minds we have almost romanticised the idea of being a criminal, we often see it as the little man overthrowing the establishment. To some people the government are robbing us every day, so why is it a crime when the government lose a few dollars, they'll be fine, it's the normal people who often slave away and just barely scraping by. So the crime genre doesn't just offer us conversation, it offers us an 'anti-hero' to root for. By looking at the two most iconic films of this genre, the sub-genre of crime, mafia movies: The Godfather (1972) and Goodfellas (1990) we can clearly see what the crime genres characteristics are.
According to Steve Neale 'Genres are instances of repetition and difference.' We as audiences come to expect a certain theme when it comes to crime films however we don't want the exact same thing in each film, another quote from Neale 'Difference is absolutely essential to the economy of the genre', what this means is that we as the audience prefer having characters we can recognise but we also would want something different in the films. In both Godfather and Goodfellas, we see Neale's theory in action as both films have the same theme but are both still completely different in their own way through codes and conventions.
A great scene from the Godfather is the opening scene, when the undertaker, Bonasera goes to Don Corleone to seek revenge for his daughter who was taken advantage of by two men, this scene, in particular, follows the codes for a mafia movie. The beginning of the scene we see Bonasera explaining his case to the Don, but we don't actually see the Don whilst Bonasera is talking, the scene is also particularly dark which makes it hard to see the back of the Don. This shows that the Don is a mysterious figure and there's a sense of mystery as we wonder 'who actually is he?', but also he is a man who commands respect, as people instead of going to the police decide to come to him for what they consider 'real justice' where the police have failed (Bonasera himself notes he went to the police but they did nothing and his daughters attackers went free). We also see Bonasera from an over the shoulder point of view, we can see the Don but his back is turned. In reference 1 we can see how the Don is perceived, we see Bonasera giving him the kiss of respect which shows that Don Corleone is a man well liked by his community.
He's also standing tall above Bonasera (which has connotations which implies that he has more power, status and influence), which implies he has a high standing in his world. The use of respect is a convention of this genre, to these characters, without respect you are nothing. They want to be respected out of respect, not being respected out of fear (For example real life mafia-hitman Tommy Pitera was only respected by his crew because he was a murderous psycho). We as the audience know that Don Corleone has that genuine respect from his people. It also makes us as the audience appreciate these characters. We appreciate Don Corleone for his honour, even for a mafia boss, he could so easily kill the men who took advantage of Bonasera's daughter but he doesn't as he has a strict moral code and doesn't abuse the power he has. As he remarks: 'I want reliable people, people who aren’t going to be carried away. I mean, we’re not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker thinks.' The uses of overpowering shots and the mental weapon of respect show us what we can expect from the genre of crime. Another stylistic code that is used in crime films is that the main character is usually a male who has had a hard upbringing. This is evident in the Godfather as the main character, Vito Corleone did indeed have a tough life, when he was a young boy both of his parents, and brother were killed for insulting the local mafia boss which meant he had to flee his hometown of Sicily (His real second name is Andolini but immigration officials in the US renamed him by using his village for a surname) because the people who murdered his family didn't want Vito to return and extract his revenge once he was older. As an audience this makes us respect the character as we see he has made something of himself despite all the hard times he's had to endure, we admire that he doesn't pity himself, he just gets on with it and doesn't make excuses.
(VC = Vito Corleone)
Martin Scorsese's gritty gangster drama Goodfellas is another film that uses the same codes and conventions but in a completely different way. In the opening to The Godfather, VC is in the shadows and we see him as a man of honour, Goodfellas is the polar opposite. In GF's opening, we see the 3 main characters, Henry Hill (Liotta), Jimmy Conway (De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Pesci) driving and we can tell that they're key to the story as the opening scene wouldn't show us characters that aren't relevant to the film. And we can see they're in darkness but not for the same reasons as Godfather. Godfather used the darkness to create mystery, but GF uses darkness to show the type of men we're dealing with, in the opening we see that in the car was the still alive Billy Batts, who the 3 thought they killed but in fact was still somehow alive. This shows us that these men are genuine dark, sadistic psychopaths (We could consider Hill the 'sanest' out of the three) who take pleasure in murdering people, we see evidence of this as they realise Batts is still alive, DeVito stabs Batts countless times, showing the lack of empathy towards another human. This is another convention of the crime genre as there's 'grotesque' violence, something that criminals use to their advantage.
Referring to the Goodfellas opening again, we can see the use of props in full detail and how they describe the characters. With the weapons of choice being a gun and knife, this shows us the personality of the characters, this is a cliche prop used in gangster films, in the majority of gangster films there's at least one gun. We see DeVito using a knife to finish off Batts, which shows the audience DeVito is unhinged as stabbing someone to death is an inhumane way to murder someone compared to Conway's method of shooting his victim, this shows us that Conway has a little bit of emotion and puts Batts out of his misery whereas DeVito wanted to make Batts suffer as much as he possibly could.
Goodfellas uses realism to create disgust (because the film was based on real events written in the book 'Wiseguy' by Nicholas Pileggi, whereas the Godfather is a fictional story which gave the directors more creative freedom and it won't turn audiences' against the film as it's not real. Knowing Goodfellas is based on real-life events will shock the audience as they couldn't possibly believe that some of the things that happened actually did, for example: Tommy DeVito (Played by Pesci) shot and killed a bartender after the bartender said 'Why don't you go fuck yourself Tommy?', nobody likes being spoken too like that but Pesci had already shot the bartender in the foot in a previous scene and instead of just letting the bartender stand up for himself, he killed him, it shows DeVito's nature, his ego was that hurt he ended up killing a young innocent man. He has no remorse either, he remarks 'he'd probably become a rat' (in mafia terms rat means informant for the government) instead of having any sort of emotion for the young life he had ended. In this scene the use of sound shows the contrast in moods, before Spider (the bartender) is shot dead they're playing cards and laughing, but after Spider gets killed the mood changes DeVito goes silent because his ego is hurt because someone stood up to him. Then DeVito shoots Spider dead and then the mood changes, the guys are visibly shocked and angry with Tommy for losing his temper like that, Conway even remarks 'what the fuck is the matter with you?.' This use of sound shows us how easy it was for these mafia members to snap, this is evident as Tommy is only upset that he has to dig the hole to bury the person he just killed.
In crime movies, death is definitely a certainty. With the lifestyle criminals live it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when they'll die as criminal organizations constantly fight over territory, because at the end of the day these organizations want to make money, just like normal working people, the only difference? We earn money legally. In both Godfather and Goodfellas death will of course feature, in the infamous baptism scene we see the killings of the 4 New York Mafia dons and Moe Greene, all killed with guns which is the usual weapon of choice in the mafia when they want to kill someone, this is a convention of the genre as this is the generic weapon of choice used by gangsters, whether they're old school gangsters to modern day gangsters now. This scene especially is praised for its editing, cutting from Michael at his grandson's christening and cutting to another person being killed. This scene is powerful as it shows Michael Corleone's transition from innocent war hero to a ruthless mafia boss.
Both The Godfather and Goodfellas convey the codes and conventions for the crime genre (more specifically the mafia genre), it allows us the audience to recognize these two as clear constructs of this genre. But according to theorists, we as the audience prefer it if we see a similar plot to what we're used to because we recognize these films. In both films we use mise-en-scene, in both movies we see what the characters are wearing and that makes it clear that they're men of respect, because they can afford all the best suits whereas others can barely scrape enough together to live, we also use props to separate the mobsters from the normal law-abiding citizens, as the mobsters carry guns and weapons which separate them, in crime movies it's the law vs the bandits. The use of low-key lighting creates mystery, this is relevant as people in the mafia have to stay on the low as the police are trying to bring them to justice every single day. And it also represents that they're mysterious figures as there's not that much information known about them so they're almost a folk legend. Finally, speaking of cinematography, the Godfather uses darkness to emphasize that the men in this film are violent, morally bankrupt psychopaths (with the exception of Don Vito Corleone to an extent)
Section 2 - Narrative theory (Crime)
Films can be viewed also by the narrative theory. A theory which is often used is the equilibrium theory by the theorist Todorov:
1 = state of equilibrium. 2 = a disruption of the equilibrium. 3 = recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4 = attempt to repair the damage. 5 = return to new equilibrium.
Both Godfather and Goodfellas follow the equilibrium structure, as the films both have a high point of the characters which eventually turns into trouble for them and they have to fix their problem as soon as possible.
For Godfather and Goodfellas:
Godfather - 1. Vito Corleone is the boss of the Corleone mafia family, they're one of the most powerful criminal organization in the US. 2 - Vito Corleone is shot by assassins sent by Virgil 'The The Turk' Sollozzo after Corleone refuses to give Sollozzo protection for his drug operations. 3 - Michael Corleone gets involved with the family business by killing Sollozzo and becomes in charge of Corleone business. 5 - Michael Corleone has the other New York mafia bosses killed so there's no threat to the Corleone family, Michael then officially becomes the new Don of the family.
Goodfellas - 1. Henry Hill becomes an associate of the Vario Crew who are apart of the Lucchese crime family. 2 - Henry is busted dealing drugs. 3 - Henry realizes that now that he's been caught dealing drugs the Vario crew will want to get rid of him because of the knowledge Hill has of their criminal operations (including a heist they did at an airport). 4 = Henry becomes the one thing the people in his life hate, a rat (a derogatory word for an informant). 5 = Hill goes into witness protection, leaving his old mafia life behind.
Both films have what we call a 'closed ending', this means that loose ends are taken care of. In The Godfather Michael kills the people who are a threat to him, and in Goodfellas Henry turns on his former friends who'll take the first chance they can to kill him. These both fit in with the story as now Michael has no enemies, he can rule the underworld with an iron fist if you will, as there's nobody that will try to/can overthrow him. In Goodfellas Henry escapes death by turning on 'the family', Hill leaves New York for a new, less violent and happier life, although Hill will still be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life in case one of his old mafia associates catches up to him, but for now Henry can sigh a breath of relief. And in both cases, the characters are free from any danger.
However, Godfather still takes a different turn, as they don't 'kill off' the main character but they do have him out of the story for a while (Vito Corleone is the character I am referring too). This is strange as we were introduced to him in the very first scene as a man of power and respect so naturally, we would think he is the main protagonist of the film but it's not meant to be, with his son Michael becoming the protagonist which we thought Vito would be.
Referring to the characters themselves we as the audience have to decide if they're the heroes, anti-heroes or antagonist. We use the theory of Vladimir Propp to decide what we think of the characters by separating them into 7 'types' of characters:
The villain: locked in a constant struggle with the hero, often trying to harm the princess.
The donor gives the hero an object or a piece of information that helps them prepare for what is to come.
The helper: assists the hero with their quest, often referred to as their 'sidekick'.
The princess: Needs assistance from the hero, usually because they are in some form of danger, typically the princess is the victim within the narrative.
The dispatcher: Is the character who sends that hero on their mission or quest.
Hero: Reacts to the donor and saves the princess, often resulting in them falling in love with the princess.
False hero: May appear good but has an ulterior motive, or attempts to take credit for the hero's actions.
Godfather
In the Godfather the two main characters Vito and Michael Corleone are most definitely 'false heroes' (or as I call them: anti-heroes) as they're men of respect in their respective business but despite this 'respect', they're still murders and extortionists, committing all sorts of crimes. Although the other characters in the Godfather are exactly the same, what makes the Corleone's different is that they have a moral code, they don't hurt innocents whereas other mob figures probably wouldn't care who got hurt unless it hurt their business interests. Although you can consider the other members of the Corleone family helpers, for example in the final scene of the Godfather, the 'helpers' go to work for Michael. The infamous baptism scene:
Peter Clemenza kills Victor Stracci
Moe Greene is shot through the eye
Willie Cicci kills Carmine Cuneo
Rocco Lampone kills Phillip Tattaglia
Al Neri kills Emilio Barzini
Goodfellas
Like the Godfather, the majority of the characters in Goodfellas are false heroes, although I would say that the characters in Goodfellas are a lot worse than the Godfather. So I consider the characters in Goodfellas more as villains because in comparison to the Godfather the characters in GF are a lot more sadistic and violent in comparison to the Godfather where violence is only used as a last resort, for Goodfellas, it's often used as a first resort.
To conclude: both films follow Todorov's equilibrium theorem. Both movies have all the features of it, both films have low and high points but in both, the problems are fixed. And Propp's character types are prevalent in this genre of movies. In crime films there are only really false heroes as criminals obviously aren't saints but in some cases criminals are seen as a Robin Hood type figure (For real-life context: the mafia was 'founded' in Sicily to protect the people of Sicily from foreign invaders) as many people see the governments as the real criminals, although it's each to their own.
Section 1 - genre (action)
The action genre has evolved over the years, from the 20's-30's action movies were usually adventure films, but as the years progressed action involved into war and cowboy movies and in modern times there are quite a lot of sub-genres within the main genre itself. There are now: action-comedy, action-drama the list goes on. The two action films I will be analysing are John Wick (2014) and 21 Jump Street (2012).
A scene from John Wick is a perfect representation of the stereotypical action movie. The main character, John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) stops at a gas station to fill up his 69 Mustang (this is important later) with gas. Also at the gas station, the car comes to the attention of a Russian gangster (who just so happens to be the son of the Russian mafia boss in New York) who takes a liking to the car and asks Wick how much he wants for the car. Wick declines his offer and says the car isn't for sale, now a normal person who wanted the car would've ended it at that, he doesn't want to sell the car and that's the end of it. But not the gangster, he then proceeds to comment on Wick's dog and slyly implies that if he doesn't sell him the car he'll kidnap/kill the dog. The gangster then says (in Russian) 'Everything's got a price, bitch' and to his surprise, Wick can understand and speak Russian and then replies 'Not this bitch', the gangster then is restrained by the other two men with him. This scene conveys the codes and conventions of an action film, it establishes who the eventful main villain of the film will be, in this case, it's a criminal, this is one of the most used types of an antagonist. This creates the 'good v bad' trope that hundreds of films have used in the past, this will later come in the film when Wick takes on the Russian mob. We see that this criminal is unhinged and is most probably violent judging by his over-the-top reaction when told the car wasn't for sale. Also, it establishes the protagonist being: Wick. He was a former hitman but before being a hitman he had a career in the US marines, this is another code and convention as usually the hero of an action film has a past either in the military, or some other organization such as the CIA etc (The character of Bryan Mills from the Taken trilogy is ex-CIA).
Referring to costumes, the clothes the characters are wearing saying a lot about their 'profession'. The Russian gangster (Whos name is Iosef) is wearing a hoodie underneath a leather jacket, this is key as hoodies are often used by criminals whilst committing crimes to conceal their faces so they won't appear on security cameras (even though a hoodie won't fully conceal your face it still makes it harder to identify), the look makes Iosef look like a shady figure. Referring back to the aforementioned leather jacket, the real-life Russian mafia are known for wearing leather jackets as a fashion symbol, so for viewers who know their culture, this immediately says to them Iosef is apart of the mob. Referring to Iosef, the other two men he was with were dressed more like the stereotypical gangsters, they were dressed in suits which have almost become a symbol for mobsters all around the world, the Italian, Russian and Japanese mafia wear suits as they consider themselves businessmen, they just make their money illegally, this also ties in with the 'criminals like to show off their wealth' stereotype.
The buddy cop action film 21 Jump Street is another film (I will also be referring to 22 Jump Street, the sequel) that uses the same codes and conventions of the action genre but they use it in a completely different way, as it and John Wick are two completely different action films. 21 Jump Street is like the stereotypical buddy action film, as the two main characters are complete opposites, Jenko (played by Channing Tatum) is a jock like character, he is physically fit, has the looks but is one the dumb witted side, whereas his partner Schmidt (played by Jonah Hill) is the out of shape, socially awkward but smarter of the two. This is one of the tropes of a buddy cop, as these two men who are opposites have to get over their differences and work together to achieve a common goal. And we as the audience enjoy when the two characters' relationship gets closer and they build up a close bond. Another famous example of this trope is Hot Fuzz, where Angel the strong, good cop builds a relationship with the incompetent Danny and by the end of the film, they're good friends.
Referring to 21 Jump Street again, it still has similarities to John Wick. like John Wick they have a goal, it's another good v evil story but in a more comedic manner. Whereas Wick has a serious plot, 21 Jump Street's plot is absurd, they need to take down a drug dealer whos drug makes people 'trip' and imagine themselves in wacky situations. When the two characters take it they're in a weird situation, Jenko is in a world where he's surrounded by a rainbow and football with googly eyes, an example of the wacky situations that this drug causes. Finally, 21 Jump Street uses 'culture' to make its plot more accurate, as apart of their mission is to infiltrate a high school so they can stop the drug, to do so they need to blend in, this is where the stereotypes come in, the use the American stereotypes of jocks and nerds to get a laugh from the audience as the majority of the audience will relate and will have had real-life experiences with so-called jocks and nerds.
Section 2 - narrative theory (action)
I've looked at both of these films through codes and conventions, now we can look at them through the narrative theory, more specifically the equilibrium theory and Vladimir Propp's character theory.
The equilibrium for John Wick: state of equilibrium - after finishing his final job for Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov, John Wick is free to live a peaceful life. Disruption of equilibrium - after a confrontation at a gas station over Wick's car, Russian mobsters follow Wick home, knock him out, steal the car and kill his dog. Recognition - John seeks refuge in the Continental, a hotel that caters to the criminal underworld, people cannot be killed in the hotel, those who ignore this rule are killed. Attempt to repair - Wick kills Iosef and Viggo. Return - after killing those who pose a threat to him, Wick takes a dog who was about to be euthanized and returns back to his peaceful life, he takes the dog to the place where he had his last date with his late wife.
For 21 Jump Street: state of equilibrium - Schmidt and Jenko are two police officers who came out of the academy. Disruption - after arresting a drug dealer named Domingo, they have to let him go after they forget to read him his Miranda rights. Recognition - after the failed arrest, Schmidt and Jenko are assigned to an undercover police operation in which cops go undercover in schools after a new drug sweeps the school, this undercover programme is called: Jump Street. Attempt - after gaining the trust of the dealer, Eric, the two cops develop relationships with their new found school friends, they overhear Eric is having a meeting with his supplier, they follow him and they have a shootout, killing the biker gang and drug suppliers. Return - after the success of the high-school operation, both cops are given a new task, infiltrating a college.
Both films use a lot of Propp's character theory, both films fitting into it.
John Wick: considering the film's characters are criminals, you would be right in thinking that there are no heroes, but I would say Wick is the hero, as despite him being a villain before (because of his past as a hitman) he left that life but now has an enemy that he needs to defeat so he can avenge all the damage that the Russian's did to Wick both physically and mentally, and after seeing Wick suffer we feel for him and now we can consider him a hero. The main villains are the Russian mafia, with Wick killing the boss and the bosses son after they killed his dog, they're quite clearly the villains as they're killers and have no remorse for any damage that they cause to people. Although John Wick has a lot of 'helpers', he has the people at the hotel who help him and keeps him alive (Winston, Aurelio), the villains have their helpers too, with their lawyer Avi, and their countless henchmen.
21 Jump Street: although the character types in John Wick are unclear, some still consider Wick the villain, 21 JS character roles are clear. We have the two heroes, Schmidt and Jenko who's main goal is to stop the outbreak of a drug which caused the death of a student. But also we can consider Schmidt and Jenko 'helpers' because they're helping the police stop the drug epidemic. The main villain is the character of Eric, who is the main dealer on the school campus, although as part of their work, the character of Schmidt had to get close to Eric to build his trust. Also the 'geeky' characters that Jenko meets are helpers as they helped Schmidt and Jenko tap Eric's phone which allowed them to get information on where Eric was meeting his dealer.
Referring to 21 Jump Street again, it still has similarities to John Wick. like John Wick they have a goal, it's another good v evil story but in a more comedic manner. Whereas Wick has a serious plot, 21 Jump Street's plot is absurd, they need to take down a drug dealer whos drug makes people 'trip' and imagine themselves in wacky situations. When the two characters take it they're in a weird situation, Jenko is in a world where he's surrounded by a rainbow and football with googly eyes, an example of the wacky situations that this drug causes. Finally, 21 Jump Street uses 'culture' to make its plot more accurate, as apart of their mission is to infiltrate a high school so they can stop the drug, to do so they need to blend in, this is where the stereotypes come in, the use the American stereotypes of jocks and nerds to get a laugh from the audience as the majority of the audience will relate and will have had real-life experiences with so-called jocks and nerds.
Section 2 - narrative theory (action)
I've looked at both of these films through codes and conventions, now we can look at them through the narrative theory, more specifically the equilibrium theory and Vladimir Propp's character theory.
The equilibrium for John Wick: state of equilibrium - after finishing his final job for Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov, John Wick is free to live a peaceful life. Disruption of equilibrium - after a confrontation at a gas station over Wick's car, Russian mobsters follow Wick home, knock him out, steal the car and kill his dog. Recognition - John seeks refuge in the Continental, a hotel that caters to the criminal underworld, people cannot be killed in the hotel, those who ignore this rule are killed. Attempt to repair - Wick kills Iosef and Viggo. Return - after killing those who pose a threat to him, Wick takes a dog who was about to be euthanized and returns back to his peaceful life, he takes the dog to the place where he had his last date with his late wife.
For 21 Jump Street: state of equilibrium - Schmidt and Jenko are two police officers who came out of the academy. Disruption - after arresting a drug dealer named Domingo, they have to let him go after they forget to read him his Miranda rights. Recognition - after the failed arrest, Schmidt and Jenko are assigned to an undercover police operation in which cops go undercover in schools after a new drug sweeps the school, this undercover programme is called: Jump Street. Attempt - after gaining the trust of the dealer, Eric, the two cops develop relationships with their new found school friends, they overhear Eric is having a meeting with his supplier, they follow him and they have a shootout, killing the biker gang and drug suppliers. Return - after the success of the high-school operation, both cops are given a new task, infiltrating a college.
Both films use a lot of Propp's character theory, both films fitting into it.
John Wick: considering the film's characters are criminals, you would be right in thinking that there are no heroes, but I would say Wick is the hero, as despite him being a villain before (because of his past as a hitman) he left that life but now has an enemy that he needs to defeat so he can avenge all the damage that the Russian's did to Wick both physically and mentally, and after seeing Wick suffer we feel for him and now we can consider him a hero. The main villains are the Russian mafia, with Wick killing the boss and the bosses son after they killed his dog, they're quite clearly the villains as they're killers and have no remorse for any damage that they cause to people. Although John Wick has a lot of 'helpers', he has the people at the hotel who help him and keeps him alive (Winston, Aurelio), the villains have their helpers too, with their lawyer Avi, and their countless henchmen.
21 Jump Street: although the character types in John Wick are unclear, some still consider Wick the villain, 21 JS character roles are clear. We have the two heroes, Schmidt and Jenko who's main goal is to stop the outbreak of a drug which caused the death of a student. But also we can consider Schmidt and Jenko 'helpers' because they're helping the police stop the drug epidemic. The main villain is the character of Eric, who is the main dealer on the school campus, although as part of their work, the character of Schmidt had to get close to Eric to build his trust. Also the 'geeky' characters that Jenko meets are helpers as they helped Schmidt and Jenko tap Eric's phone which allowed them to get information on where Eric was meeting his dealer.
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