Mock Exam Case Study

InterStellar Case Study - USA

Production budget: $165 million

Production Team:

Christopher Nolan – director, producer, writer

Jonathan Nolan – writer

Emma Thomas – producer

Production Company (studio):

Paramount (presents)

Warner Bros. (presents) (as Warner Bros. Pictures)

Legendary Pictures(in association with)

Lynda Obst Productions

Syncopy

Stars: Mathew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Michael Caine, Matt Damon, John Lithgow.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure. The mix of both genres enticed a larger audience.

Box Office: Domestic Total Gross: $188,020,017. The film got 26% of it’s total gross from imax showings, Nolan doesn’t like 3D films so didn’t make Interstellar one. This would’ve impacted the overall profit for its loss of 3D viewings.

Certificate: PG. By having the age rate quite low this enabled larger audiences to watch the film, creating more money for the film. Even though the film was only PG, the film still gathered an older audience rather then a younger one.

Marketing: $100 million

Release Date: UK- November 7^th, 2014

                          USA- October 26^th, 2014

Reviews: The film got a four star rating from the guardian, ‘largely enthralled, often amazed and occasionally aghast.’ – The guardian.

The Theory of Everything

Production budget: $15,000,000

Production Team:  Director - James Marsh

Production Company(studio): Working Title Films

Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones

Genre: Drama

Box Office:  Domestic gross - $35,893,537 Worldwide - $122,147,772

Certificate: 12a

Marketing: Adverts, trailers, posters

Release Date: 1st January 2015

Reviews: 4/5 stars


A Thousand Times Goodnight:

Production budget: $8.5 million

Production company: Paradox Production, most of the film was shot in Ireland and Morocco. Funding was provided by the Irish Film Board and the Norsk Filminstitutt

Producer and Director: Finn Gerjdrum and Steve Kvae

Stars: Juliette Binoche, Larry Mullen

West Side Story 'Quintet' Scene Essay

how does the mise-en-scene used within this scene to support themes of racism, sexism and poverty?

The start of the scene begins with an establishing shot of the backstreets of America; where most of the film is set. The scene is taking place early evening because the colour red has been used for the sky; this has been done to emphasis the context of war and violence. Red symbolizes war, blood, death and violence, which links to the themes within the upcoming scenes and the lyrics in the song. The camera descends very fast from a high vantage point down to the ground, this could show how the gang members are stuck at the bottom of the economy and there’s no way for them to get out of poverty or the back streets of America because the Puerto Ricans are taking over. The camera begins to track backward as the 'Jets' gang walk, creating an intimidating effect on me. The mise-en-scene of the back street looks like a war zone due to the stray rubble and bricks. Red lights are coloring the background wall, constantly creating a violent atmosphere.

The mise-en-scene of the costumes for the American 'Jets' consist a lot of blue and dark yellow. Blue symbolizes loyalty and stability but also depression and sadness; it is a preferred colour for corporate America. It is more accepted among males, making it more masculine; linking to the sexist theme that is also represented throughout the scene. Dark yellow represents caution, decay, sickness and jealousy. These colours were used to show the emotions felt by the 'Jets' towards the Puerto Rican gang the 'Sharks' and how they’re stealing there jobs and ‘turf’ it could also represent the economy in the 1950's. During this time, higher up class areas achieved a level of prosperity while the slums still struggled to rebuild from the devastation of World War II, like the poverty-stricken areas where this film is set.  The race and hair colours of the Americans have been stereotypically chosen as well; blond/brown hair and pale skin. This has been done to emphasis the racial divide between the Americans and Puerto Ricans.

The next part of the scene then moves to the 'Sharks' who are a group of males from Puerto Rico. Their clothes consist of darker colours like red's purples and browns. Dark red is associated with willpower, rage, anger, leadership, courage, longing, malice and wraith. During the time period of when the film was set, Puerto Rican citizens fled from their homeland to America in hope of a better lives for themselves; because most of them were very poor and had no houses, jobs or future. During the time frame in which the Sharks are singing, I can see that they’re on a rooftop in front of what looks like a broken down sign for a brewery. It creates the effect of bars so could possibly suggest that maybe these rebellious teenagers are going to end up getting into trouble with the police. The way in which the rooftop looks abandoned links back to the theme of poverty and life in the Ghetto. All of the teenagers in this gang have also been stereotypically portrayed as well with black hair and very tanned skin. Once again creating a very noticeable divide.

The way in which the Puerto Ricans have been filmed on a rooftop and the Americans have been shot down in the slums could possibly create the argument that the ‘Sharks’ are going to take over and dominate the Americans.

 At the end of the verse, the camera zooms in to a mid-close up on the Americans, creating an intense and intimidating effect. The camera then shoots the ‘Sharks’ with an eye line, mid-close up which is also intimidating.

A common convention in the Musical genre is quintet songs; meaning a large group of characters singing one song in harmony or in different sections.

A parallel edit shows a low-key lighting shot of Anita; a Puerto Rican’s girlfriend. Straight away I noticed the sensual theme of the shot from the use of red light that is most likely coming from the window. Though red has symbolized war and violence in the rest of the scene, it creates a lustrous, sexual and passionate effect in this shot, which links to the sultry pose of her pulling up her stockings. This long shot portrays the girl as a pin up girl which symbolizes society’s view of women in the 1950’s; sexual objects without much respect from men. The way in which the gangs (men only) are off fighting and roaming the streets whilst their girlfriends are waiting at home preparing for sex shows the gender inequality and how women were portrayed. Puerto Rican women especially had even less respect then American women due to their countries lack of education and poverty stricken neighborhoods in that era. Most travelled to America in search for more rights and equality.

Another parallel edit then shows us Tony; the ‘Jets’ old leader and lover of a Puerto Rican girl, Maria. The long shot shows him in a shop, the mise-en-scene is very bland and neutral which contrasts to the piercing red sunset, which is cast on the windows reflections. The mise-en-scene of Tony’s clothes is also bland and neutral, not yellow and blue like the rest of the jets. This has been done to suggest that Tony isn’t on either gang’s side and that he is the peacemaker in this war. This is the first time in the scene where a second song comes into the ‘quintet’ He sings a song that is previously sung when he first falls in love with a Puerto Rican girl called Maria. This happy song is heavily contrasted to the surrounding theme of death, war and violence which shows how naïve his character is and how he is so besotted by his love that he has blocked out the reality of the up coming war between the two rival gangs.

The next parallel edit cuts to a framed shot of Maria; a Puerto Rican girl. The way in which the shot shows Maria framed in a window metaphorically suggests she is trapped and how things aren’t going to change for her because sexual inequality will always affect her. Instead of the consistent theme of red lighting being used, in this shot the colour orange is used instead. Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics (Puerto Rico). It represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, attraction and stimulation which links to what she’s singing about – love.

This naïve point of view shot is then contrasted by an establishing shot of the ‘Jets’ walking through their territory. The low key, back lighting creates silhouettes on the characters as they walked through the alley way, this could symbolize how these teenagers are lost in the world around them and how they don’t have their own identities because they solely rely on the rest of the gang to decide their fates for them. The camera is cleverly angled round a wall of the set, making the coffee shop sign spell “War” this links to the overriding theme of violence in the scene.

Another convention of the musical genre is that the sets looking theatrical and that the lights tell emotions and feelings, which is shown in the next parallel edit. The different shades of purple lights shone on the wall behind her create different patterns which would be similar to how the lighting would be done on a stage production of the musical. The colour used for Maria has changed from orange to purple to represent the amount of time passed between the different edits. Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The colour purple is often associated with power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of devotion and peace. This links to her naïve mindset towards her dead end future with her American ‘Jets’ boyfriend. In the 50’s, an interracial couple would be strictly forbidden because it was seen as morally wrong. Creating a Romeo and Juliet based storyline. The way in which she’s facing away from the camera could also link to her naïve and youthful attitude.

The ‘Sharks’ are then shown walking through the underground of a highway. Compared to the height of the highway next to them, they look insignificant which could symbolize their role in society in the way Americans were racist towards foreigners, making it hard for them to get jobs and make a living for themselves. The ‘Jets’ are then seen walking round the other side of the highway in the oncoming direction of the ‘Shark’s, this is a theatrical way of showing upcoming confrontation and anger. The shots get closer each time making the distance between them shorter; creating a tense atmosphere.

The increase of pace in the parallel edits had a dramatic and en-nerving impact on me in the way the scene contains so many different characters and viewpoints all leading up to the same climax. It created a very tense atmosphere to watch.

'The Shining' Essay

'The Shining' Essay


At the start of the sequence, Kubrick uses a one point perspective shot to show Jack walking down the hallway. The shot looks symmetrical which isn't  natural. It made the hallway look disturbing to me, yet I found it hard to detect what the issue was. The forced symmetry was used to  create a dreaded sense of the unknown which is a common convention of the horror genre. The converging lines also added to this effect.
The use of yellow/gold Mise - en - scene for the shot also adds to the disturbing atmosphere. The colour yellow can symbolise  dishonesty,  betrayal, jealousy, deceit and illness which are all linked to what happens in the film. The wallpaper, also yellow/gold, is very busy and made me feel uneasy and claustrophobic even though it's made clear from the extreme - long shot that the hallway is very large and empty.
I saw crosses in the window panes in the door that leads to 'The Gold Room'. that could symbolise religion since the hotel was built on an old burial ground with potential unhappy spirits. The theme of religion is a common convention of the horror genre and is used frequently throughout the film.

Another horror film convention is echoing which is also used in this scene when the use of the non-diegetic music is played through the hotel which made me feel unsafe and scared because echoes are referred to something ghosts do. Kubrick created an unsettling effect  by  pairing the scene with Al Bowlly and Ray Noble & His Orchestra’s “Midnight, The Stars and You” playing as mood music which has a certain creepy connotation despite its romantic lyrics. The emphasis on the line “I surrender all my love to you” feels eerie in the context of Torrance being seduced by the ghoul in Room 237 and submitting to his dark urges at the bar to Lloyd later in the scene. The song also appeared in Bong Joon-ho’s survival horror film, 'Snowpiercer'; a film that also revolves around isolation and surviving in harsh winter conditions which prevent the heroin and child from escaping.

The lighting in the hallway is quite high key, but somehow there is still a sense of darkness and are lots of shadows because the light has been angled so that it points upwards. This means that when the light hits of the ceiling, the brightness at the bottom of the shot will be decreased and look dull because the light doesn't travel as far. Linking back to the idea of the sub - genre religion, this could metaphorically symbolise how Jack has a bad soul and is kept in the darkness (hell) because of it. Once Jack enters the Gold Room with all the 1920's people, none of the chandeliers are on. Referring back to the idea of reality vs fantasy because it's just in his head.

When Jack enters the room, the camera begins to track right but he is not kept directly in the middle of the shot, he is just off centre which created an  effect for me that something was odd. Even though the camera is revealing the rest of the hallway and room to me I found it very peculiar that the camera tracked through the wall. It made me think that the camera shot was a perspective shot of a ghost following him into the room.


Once Jack reaches the bar, the camera zooms in and Lloyd enters the scene. There is an eerie resemblance between Jack and Lloyd which is spotted clearer at the end of the film when it shows the photo of Jack in the 20's. The way that Jack is wearing the same colour jacket as him could symbolise that maybe they worked together at the hotel in their former lives
 Even though they're both in the same shot, I could detect straight away that their relationship was not close by the use of light separating them at the bar. This could again  indicate  fantasy vs reality as it is bold and bright.

The context of the speech has a lot of meaning and importance to the scene. Jack says "...I've been away, but now I'm back." This indicated to me that Jack has been here for a long time but his attempts to escape have failed. Another quotes from the dialogue that could support this idea is when Lloyd says, "Drinks from the house." I found this an odd sentence because it's a hotel not a house. The made me think that it could be a clue towards the idea of the house being haunted; a typical convention of setting for horror films.
Later on in the dialogue when Lloyd asks what drink he wants, Jack replies with "The hair of the dog who bite me." This means any alcoholic beverage, the consumption of which is supposed to clear up one's hangover from previous drinking; but will tend to have the opposite effect in reality.  The phrase dates back to medieval times, when hairs from a biting dog were put in the bite wound in the belief that this promoted healing. This gave me more suspicion to believe that Jack was from another era. On the other hand, I already knew from the start of the film that Jack was an alcoholic so maybe he's only seeing all of these strange things because he's drunk.

The film uses mirrors as a symbol of reality versus fantasy.  Mirrors are more frequently used as the film progresses, however, they are introduced early on. In all of the shots that Lloyd is in, he is always in front of the bar mirrors and lights; the same styled ones as the one on the bar table top. This Mise - en - scene represents how he is just a figment of his imagination because he's just staring into his reflection in the mirror opposite him.


This mirror and light combination occurs whenever Jack is in contact with what I see as a ghoul. Later on in the film Jack interacts with the old caretaker 'Grady' who murdered his wife and twin daughters. This repeated mis-en-scene gives a ghostly, fantasy effect and creates an eerie mood with such harsh lighting; contrasting the tone to the conversations taking place.
 It is then featured again when  Jack enters room 237 and the importance of mirrors becomes clear.  The mirror reflects reality or, at least, something closer to reality than what Jack sees; in the mirror, the woman’s body is decaying and repulsive.





 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmcnnRv58Z4

(0:00 - 2:20)

Period/Historical Genre Conventions

Period/Historical Genre Themes/Conventions

Themes:

• Some are based on novels such as 'Pride and Prejudice', others are based on historical figures such as 'The Duchess'
• The plotline usually centres around love, family and relationships.
• The main character is usually the hero or heroine as the protagonist or antagonist.
• Plotlines are usually complicated that have a complex story involving emotions and relationships between characters.
• Period dramas will usually include or criticize the dominant ideology of time such as 'The Duchess' criticises the treatment in the 18th century.

Conventions:

• Range from any date in history.
• Relies heavily on misen-en-scene, costumes and props to look convincing of the era that the film is set in.
• Appropriate setting e.g- stately home, castle, historical cities to look convincing to the certain era.
• Characters speak posh and 'proper'
• Secrets, affairs, families, relationships, love, betrayal.

Romantic Genre Conventions

Romantic Genre Themes/Conventions

Themes:

• Often a voiceover is used to introduce the love theme.
• Usually the characters go their separate ways after an argument or disagreement but re-unite later on in the film.
• Events that occur in modern day to day life.
• 'Boy meets girl' this is very typical in romance films and most viewers watch to see the happy ending.
• Emotional feelings - death, heartbreak.

Conventions:

• High Key Lighting
• Dramatic events
• Love
• Soft melodic soundtracks
• Props that symbolise love e.g flowers, weddings, hearts
• Sexuality, gender, relationships

The Bourne Legacy Essay

At the beginning of the sequence, the establishing shot shows a smart, business orientated street. We know that it’s set in the winter time due to the snow and the background characters wearing coats and hats, the camera sequence was filmed on a crane and used to introduce the setting of the scene. The camera then pans right and starts a slow, descending zoom onto Bourne and starts to track him.

For me, the mise-en-scene is very suggestive towards the theme of crime and action; I think this because in the background the barred windows behind Bourne look similar to jail cell doors and windows. This could suggest that later in the scene he will end up getting caught for breaking the law. Another reason for why I made this assumption was because of the mise-en-scene used for the rucksack; which is a bloody, red colour. Red, symbolising danger, was used because it contrasted against the white snow; making me automatically think that it is an important part of the scene and the characters motif.

There is then a continuity edit to a mid-shot of Bourne on a pay phone, the red bag still in the middle section of the shot; following the ‘Rule of Thirds’ technique. This continues to represent the importance of the bag. The pay phone is also red; continuing the theme of red. This shows me that the news he hears on the end of the phone is dangerous and won't bring him any safety or peace.

The shot cuts to a point of view shot of a ticket warden on the other side of the street - the background showing the same jail styled windows. The shot was filmed on a hand held camera because it was unstable; showing his nervous emotions, which creates tension. It focus' on the ticket warden because her job is government funded, she retrieves a radio out of her pocket which shows that he is getting paranoid of getting caught.

As the camera begins to track him down the road, a similar sequence occurs where a point of view shot shows him coming across two communal police officers. There is another continuity cut leading to a reaction shot of Bourne who looks scared and starts to walk slower, showing that he is getting more and more nervous. Parallel sound is used as very high pitch string instruments accompany the movement of Bourne walking past the officers, suggesting it could've been a close call.

There is non-diegetic music playing as he walks. It began to make me feel tense due to the powerful drums in the music; sounding like gunshots which links with the theme of crime.

There are then two, very fast pans of an oncoming ambulance. There is a close up pan going from right to left. Followed by Bourne’s reaction to the sirens in a wider shot. Leading into a fast left to right pan of the ambulance driving down the road. This links to the fact that he is paranoid of getting caught; thinking the sirens were for him, creating tension.

Bourne continues to walk across the streets, and encounters more police officers in faster cuts; building more tension.

Bourne doesn't hesitate to pace into the road where there is an oncoming tram, yet he doesn't notice it. This could symbolise his oncoming doom closing in on him, as he gets closer to completing his task. The way he doesn't even notice the tram shows how deep in thought he is and that he's desperate to get distance between the police officers. After the tram passes by, the long shot shows the policemen walking through the snowy mist, symbolising how Bourne will always be one step ahead of them and how they'll be left in the dark. But to keep the tension high, they are kept in the background of the mid-shot when the camera tracks Bourne walking down the street. They are not forgotten about though, for when it begins to track backwards on Bourne walking down the street.

Bourne enters the bank showing a few perspective shots of the surroundings in the bank. The camera reveals certain parts of the bank but conceals others so the whole room isn't visible. Which creates a tense atmosphere because it makes you unaware of where the police officers are and if Bourne will be able to get away with it. The use of the hand held camera also adds to the tense atmosphere because it made me feel more apart of the film and put me in the characters shoes.

There are multiple perspective, mid-shots and close ups; which were filmed on a hand held camera, showing a stressed woman shouting at one of the bank workers. Though this has no relevance to the rest of the scene it once again adds to the build up off tension and his growing nerves because it sounds and feels stressful to watch.