Dammy and Ahmed

Evaluation Question 4) How did you use technologies in the construction stage, and in the research, planning and evaluation stages?

2010-02-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Camera – we used it to reflect our genre. 90% of the film was shot using handheld cinematography. This helped to give our film a realistic, documentary style feel, creating a high sense of verisimilitude which is key for our film. We also shot the film in HD to give it a cinematic look and feel despite its documentary like, realistic roots.
Boom – We used it to record ambient sound and to ensure the best quality possible.
Voice – we used the sound recorder to record interior monologues for certain scenes within our film.
Final Cut – this was the key tool in our entire production, arguably. This allowed us to edit and control how we wanted the scenes to be handled, to alter audio levels, to add special effects (i.e., “Earthquake,” for the ending), filters (Colour correction for the day for night scenes and the flashback) and to add music.
Indesign – It was used to create both the poster and the article. We used this to effective present a coherent brand identity with our media products. We used text boxes and “swatches,” (colour tools) to create both an article and a poster that looked very professional and convincing.
Photoshop was used in order to edit the photos used. We encountered a problem with one of our photos because the date from the camera used to take it was imprinted on it, so we used the ‘stamp tool,’ to correct it. We also altered the colours within the photograph to make it much more suited to the look and feel we wanted for our media products (i.e., foreboding, mysterious and scary).
Blogger was used during the research and planning stages in order to upload analysis of media products, such as short films and magazine articles. Blogger allowed us to keep a detailed, cogent, chronological account of our entire production process, from preproduction to evaluation, and in so doing, it heightened the professionalism and our expertise.
Powerpoint was used to collate all of our information in our evaluation and to provide specific details about every facet of our production on an interactive level.

Evaluation Question 3) What have you learnt from your audience feedback (Final Cut and Ancillary Tasks)

2010-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

The audience feedback which we received for not only the final cut of our film but also the ancillary tasks (the poster and the magazine article) were very positive and highlighted aspects of our products which we thought were key and which we wanted to engage with the audience. For example, one audience member praised us on our use of camera shot and soundtrack, specifically during the opening scene, which she called “Engaging...” Another audience member, for instance, applauded us on our adhering to the conventions of thriller films, with this comment: “I like the way you’ve used the music and the really heavy use of blood...It’s really scary and gruesome!” A comment such as this, we feel, indicates that we successfully achieved our intentions to make the film very frightening, visceral and, at times, disturbing. Finally, in terms of our ancillary tasks, one audience member commented very highly on them, stating that “You clearly have a very coherent style, through the use of your main image, your use of language, the lighting of the images used, the use of fonts and your style, which, in particular, is very similar to many posters and magazine articles that I have seen and read.” This comment, we feel, is the epitome of all the hopes that we had venturing into this project and what we wanted to achieve with our production in general.

Evaluation Question 2) How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary tasks?

2010-02-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

We feel that the combination is very successful in staying in keeping with the same themes seen within our film, such as the use of colour (black, red and light blue) and use of images (the bloody red hands being taken directly from our film and a promotional still inspired by a scene within the film).
The text and language used in our magazine article is reflective of our genre (“a bunch of manically scary, giggling children...”). This use of language helps to stay in touch with the chilling nature of our film.
The font used in both the poster, the title card of the film and in parts of the magazine article (Charlemagne Std) is very jagged, edgy and raw, and is very much in keeping with the nature of our film. Also, the use of the tagline, “Always look back,” is very reflective of not only the content of the film, but also it complements the foreboding nature of the photograph.
The layout and colour scheme used within the photograph seen in our poster is very interesting, with Dammy in the foreground and Steven in the background and it helps to connote a sense of foreboding and implies a constant underlying threat that is prevelant throughout the entire film. The dual use of black and white and colour suggests a sense of isolation, and Dammy’s staring down at the wallet while Steven stares at him menacingly suggests a sense of deadly oblivion.
The use of the poster in accordance to the release of our film would inform our audience of when the film would be released and would reflect our genre, with the use of colour, image and tagline. The use of the website would allow our audience to interact with the film on a technological level and would allow us to reach an even wider audience.
The article would give our perspective audience a written look into the film, analysing and criticising both the positives and the negatives our of film, and with its use of images, key facts and trivia and quotes, it would entire our target audience and filmgoers in general.

Evaluation Question 1) In what ways do your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

2010-02-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Film:
Camera shots – conventional, for the most part. Repeated use of over the shoulder shots, low and high angles, tracking shots and extreme close ups. However, we also used a lot of handheld shots (particularly with the tracking shots) to give the film a very realistic, documentary style feel, which to reinforce the idea of verisimilitude that we tried to portray within our film. Also, the use of canted angles and, especially, the low angle shots, were used to convey a sense of surrealism and bizarreness, themes which are, once again, prevalent within our film (specifically the final scene).
Costumes – used to connote naivety (in Dammy’s case, with the light colours, very childlike and innocent, but at the same time, urban and in keeping with current fashion trends). The killer – very masculine coat, conveying his strength and threatening presence. Also, use of colours, such as red, black and grey, help to convey a sense of uneasiness and danger.
Locations – bedroom, very warm, comforting, very much Dammy’s environment (i.e., the shots of the items in and around his room). The exterior locations, such as the streets and the flat block, help to connote a sense of exposure, in that he has nowhere to run, he is trapped in a maze-like situation, evident in that we are always seeing him walking towards a place (his friend’s house) that he will never reach.
Lighting – since most of the film took place outdoors, we could only shoot at certain times of the ay in order to maintain a sense of continuity, and that the light levels would not seem out of place in certain shots. Also, in a metaphorical sense, we used light as a means of pathetic fallacy by, as the film progresses and our main character falls further and further into danger, the light slowly darkness to reflect the severity of his situation.
Props: The bloody wallet is used as one of the two biggest indicators of the violence which takes place prior to the events in the film taking place. The second is the bloody coat. These props are used to connote fear, death, and the threat that the killer brings. More specifically, the blood helps to give a very gruesome but, at the same time, a realistic edge to the film. The use of the keys helps to lure the audience, through Dammy, into a false sense of security, so that when the Killer is shown as pulling out the baseball bat, we finally realize what is about to take place.
Dialogue: Very minimal use of dialogue, but the dialogue that is used is crucial to the overall impact of the film. The killer’s forceful delivery of the dialogue, as opposed to Dammy’s stuttering and nervous delivery clearly represents where the power lies, and also, just how threatening and violent the killer is. Also, the use of interior monologue, seen throughout the film, helps to offer the audience an insight into Dammy’s shift in thought from happy-go-lucky to scared and frantic.
Soundtrack – we utilised a downbeat score during our crucial confrontation scene between our two characters, which is suggestive of the underlying threat which is always present between them. In contrast, we hear an upbeat piece of music at the beginning of the film to suggest a lighthearted and happy feel. Throughout the film, we hear a repetitive ambient, surreal and eerie score, which helps to represent the state of mind that Dammy’s character is in, and the extent of his nervousness and fear. Also, when the wallet falls from the Killer’s pocket, and in the scene in which Dammy and the Killer walk towards each other, we utilised highly dramatic orchestral scores, to heighten the tension and to fully convey the seriousness of the situation which is unfolding on screen.
Characters – two characters in our film, arguably the complete antithesis of each other. Whereas Dammy is presented as being weak, naive and childlike, the Killer is presented as violently threatening and menacing. Also, whereas Dammy has much to say and is seen contemplating his situation (both, largely, through the use of interior monologue), there is a definite sense of mystery about the killer’s presence.
Narrative: We followed a linear structure, which has an appropriate beginning, middle and end. The violence which occurs at the end of the film complements the events which preceded it perfectly, and is the only logical conclusion.

Compare:
1) Blood and Chips – Firm narrative, addressing issues of racism and current social issues (i.e. youth violence in the inner-city), urban locations and stereotypically urban characters, sound and camera angles (blood and chips utilises ambient sounds and canted angles to reflect the tension present in the scene [shots of the frying pan, customers, etc], and this is comparable to our film when he is faced with a deadly situation, as we use canted angles and synthetic ambient sounds (such as animals) to portray this situation], dialogue with heavy use of slang which presents a stereotypically urbanised portrayal of innercity life, also signifies threat and character thought/mindset.
2) Black Hole – use of ominous/strange props as plot devices which enter the main character into a situation that they cannot easily get out of (i.e., the black hole, or the bloodied wallet], use of sound which helps to create a very heavy and intense atmosphere. Use of narrative very strange and minimal, unconventional in terms of the story that it tells, the characters – both male characters generally going about their day, ordinary people put into strange circumstances. The ending – both very shocking, but also the only logical conclusion. Very much story based, rather than situational – both films, though they may seem minimal, tell a story and comment on aspects of human nature and society. (i.e., greed, violence).
3) Pound – Location, very urbanised surroundings (similar to our film), use of costume (i.e., tracksuits), suggestive of youth culture, stereotypically ethnic, mannerisms and dialogue (i.e., ‘That’s my wallet you got there, fam,’ greetings, etc all very urban, all very typical portrayal of urban life).
Contrast:
1) Occupied – completely different from our film in terms of costume, character, location, story, etc. Whilst Occupied is arguably about a woman on a mission, our film follows a young boy just generally going about his day. Whilst Occupied seems very active and extraordinary, our film seems very subdued at first, and then very surreal and strange. Also, the use of locations – our film takes place in several different locations all over inner city London, whilst Occupied takes place in a single bathroom. Whilst Occupied tells its story within a fairly brief space of time, our film takes its time to tell the story, building tension and trying to lure the audience into a state of shock. Whilst Occupied does try to build tension by luring the audience into a false sense of what is happening (i.e., the sabotage of an airplane), it takes a different and comical turn by actually presenting us with a woman who wants a cigarette, whilst with our film, what does appear to be happening (i.e., impending violence) does happen.
2) Pound – though both films are set in an urban area, Pound is more comical whilst our film takes itself much more seriously. Also, whilst Pound ends where it begins, suggesting an unending cycle, our film ends on a more expectedly shocking note, considering the events which takes place before it. Also, where our film has a beginning, middle and an end, Pound seems to be much more interested in depicting a situation rather than a conventional story.

Poster – we feel our poster is very conventional. This is due to our use of poster and film advertising conventions, such as the prominent featuring of star names, the title of the film, and the tagline, all of which are presented using harsh, edgy looking fonts and colours (such as black and red) help to create the sense of danger and threat which is present within our film. The featuring of the film's website allows our audience to engage with the film on an interactive level and allow us to branch out into an even wider audience. The use of the film's production company helps to give the poster and the film alike a professional feel, and the implication that this is part of a wider spectrum of films. Also, the use and proximity of the main image and the way it has been presented (i.e., with a combination or juxtaposition of black and white/muted and harsh, bright colours, and the killer being presented in the foreground, symbolising his constant underlying threat and the naivety of Dammy's character, absent-mindedly staring at the wallet) Also, compared to the way in which pre-existing film posters (such as the poster for the History Boyss), our poster gives to the viewer an indication of the events which are depicted within the film, , and thus creates a a coherent and clear brand identity and link between film and advertising technique.

Magazine - our magazine article is inspired by articles featured in magazines such as Empire (an example has been presented). The use of images shown within the article are either directly from or inspired by certain scenes present within our film (such as the bloody red hands), which help to imply not only a threatening, thrilling atmosphere about our film, very much suggestive of our genre, but also creates a coherent brand identity, as well. The use of key facts and trivia offers the audience a unique behind the scenes insight into the film, allowing them (like the website featured in the poster) to interact with the film on a more personalised level. The written review itself is, we feel, very much in keeping with and typical of reviews seen in film magazines, as it is balanced and non-biased, and this helps to give our magazine article a sense of professionalism, integrity and honesty that is seen when critical opinions of films are analysed and looked at closely.

PowerPoint slides for Media Evaluation

2010-02-14T12:21:00.000-08:00

HELL IS ROUND THE CORNER

2010-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Below is our finished film:

Completed Magazine Article

2010-01-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here is our completed magazine article, which is intended to accompany our finished film poster:

This is our finished film poster. We feel that this poster effectively communicated our intentions for our short film (that is, to create a film that is very surreal, suspenseful and mysterious) and also contributes heavily to a cohesive brand identity across all three of our products. We sought inspiration from classic thriller films and film posters such as ‘Halloween,’ and ‘Friday the 13th,’ where the Killer is constantly depicted as looming in the background and is a constant underlying threatening presence in the main character’s lives. The use of the font, which is very gothic and jagged, and the accompanying colours (red, black) once again connote a heavily violent atmosphere, which we wanted to create with our filmed piece. We also used ‘directors’ quotes’ which are sentiments that we had towards the film, in order to give the readers of the magazine a ‘behind the scenes’ insight into our motivations behind the film. Also, the use of cast and crew credits, production company and official website have all been used to create a poster which seems very expert and convincing, and to give our production a push from amateur to professional.

Completed Film Poster

2010-01-02T12:04:00.001-08:00

Here is our completed poster for our film:

This is our finished film poster. We feel that this poster effectively communicated our intentions for our short film (that is, to create a film that is very surreal, suspenseful and mysterious) and also contributes heavily to a cohesive brand identity across all three of our products. We sought inspiration from classic thriller films and film posters such as ‘Halloween,’ and ‘Friday the 13th,’ where the Killer is constantly depicted as looming in the background and is a constant underlying threatening presence in the main character’s lives. The use of the font, which is very gothic and jagged, and the accompanying colours (red, black) once again connote a heavily violent atmosphere, which we wanted to create with our filmed piece. Also, the use of cast and crew credits, production company and official website have all been used to create a poster which seems very expert and convincing, and to give our production a push from amateur to professional.

Original Images (Poster and Magazine)

2010-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

This is the original image used in our poster. This was the perfect image to use in our advertising materials because it clearly represented several aspects of our film in one concise image. Firstly, it signified the oblivious nature of our main character (who is shown staring down at the wallet whilst the unnamed Killer stalks in the background) and the sense of mystery and ambiguity that we were trying to create about the situation that he finds himself in. Secondly, it symbolises the constant, underlying threat that the Killer poses to our main character, that he forever in the background, watching and waiting for a chance to strike. Thirdly and finally, the use of this image in the poster, along with the actual finished film and the magazine article, create a cohesive brand identity which helps to connote a sense of violence, suspense, and surreal ambiguity, all of which are intended to persuade our target audience to view the film. This image was edited in Photoshop; we increased the lighting on Dammy, to connote the idea that he is our main character, that the film is following him, and that he is generally oblivious to his deadly situation. Likewise, we decreased the lighting on the Killer, to once again connote the sense that he is constantly looming in the background, watching and waiting for a chance to strike, and also to highlight the general uncertainty and doubt that we wanted, through Dammy, to create.

This is the original image used in our magazine article. Aside from the obvious editing of the date and time (done using the ‘Stamp tool’ on Photoshop), this image was completely unedited. Our intentions using this image were clear. We wanted to, on one hand, strengthen our brand identity by giving the readers of the magazine a look at the main character (in that he is of an urban background) and also, through the use of props seen in the image (the wallet) and the expression on the character’s face (shocked and confused), give the reader/potential audience member a clue as to what unfolds within the film.

Audience Feedback (Rough Cut)

2009-11-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

In terms of the rough cut of our film, we were required to gain audience feedback in order to guide us through additions and changes which were necessary for our final cut, and which would ultimately enhance the viewing experience for our target audience. This was, we feel, a very insightful part of our research in planning because we were given specific examples of scenes and aspects of our film which did not appeal to our audience. For example, one audience member said "There are too
many long shots, and it becomes boring because of it!" whilst another audience member said "There isn't enough dialogue." The only way in which we could go about addressing this issue was was by adding scenes which would prove to be far more visually engaging than what we already had. One such scene was the dog barking scene, which we intended to shock and jolt our audience, and to send them into an even deeper level of fear than the previous scene with Dammy's encounter with the Killer had already done. We also decided to alter the ending to make the Killer even more menacing and Dammy's outcome all the more tragic, frightening and shocking. We decided that we would do this through the use of the bat, along with the underlying soundtrack, to create a high element of dread and impending doom. After filming these scenes and assembling them together to form a second rough cut, we showed our audience the film once again, and the addition of these scenes had the exact effect we were after. A large proportion of our feedback was positive, with comments such as "Really good use of voice-over!" which helped to highlight our character's naivety, and "Loving the soundtracks! Wicked!!" which we felt was a really strong point of the overall film, since it helped to accentuate the sense threat and panic that is always in our film.

Brand identity

2009-11-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

What we feel our brand identity is is a sense of the mundane and the ordinary realities of inner-city life crossing paths with the surreal, bizarre and dangerous. We tried to convey this message through the use of not only our short film, but also through our magazine article and our poster. We did this in a number of different ways; such as the strong use of the colours black and red, to connote a sense of menace and dread; the strong, almost gothic presentation of the title, which is, once again, presented with overtones of black and red and is very much in keeping with the tone of our film (the title ‘Hell is Round the Corner,’ suggests the idea of a doomed journey, in a way, and that the Dammy character is going to run in to the face of Death, the Grim Reaper, which the Killer’s character arguably embodies); the use of the main images across both print tasks (both of which highlight the main character’s naivety and the sense of impending violence and the claustrophobic atmosphere and the predatory position of the Killer as he stalks his victim), the review in our magazine article, which makes mention of “a bunch of maniacally scary, giggling children and a rabid, snarling, screaming dog,” which is, arguably, in stark contrast with the documentary style look and feel that we were looking to achieve. When combined, all of these elements (we feel) successfully communicate to our target audience a sense of brand identity which, considering their backgrounds, lifestyles and tastes (i.e., youthful, urban, an interest in horror and thriller films, etc) will appeal to them, and which will persuade them to seek out and watch this film.

Film review (FINAL DRAFT)

2009-11-14T01:49:00.000-08:00

Below is the final draft of our film review. We altered this review from the original draft in order to make the review appear to be more humble and balanced and less biased. We also included quotes from us as the directors of the film in order to offer a deeper, behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the film, which we feel added a richer layer to the final film review and gave our audience an insight into our intentions and motivations behind making the film. As always, we attempted to make the review as convincing and authentic as possible, maintaining impeccable standards of vocabulary and journalistic devices and disciplines.

*

Horror thrillers, there’s loads of ‘em. Some, like ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’ and ‘Halloween,’ are classics, fantastically frightening and still hold their own after so many years, never failing to deliver in the scare department. Others, such as the recent ‘Prom Night,’ remake and the ‘Hostel,’ series are downright dreadful, made for an audience that considers blood, guts, gore and babes to be the essential ingredients for a horror film. In a day and age where good thriller films are excruciatingly hard to come by, it’s refreshing to see that new talent can match their Hollywood competition and create a film which is surreal, shocking, and at times, scary. This new talent comes in the shape of Ahmed Honeini (‘Time Out of Mind,’) and Dammy Laoye (‘Beyond Reflection,’) and their new film ‘Hell is Round the Corner,’ due for general release this week. With ‘Hell is Round the Corner,’ Honeini and Laoye have, with their excellent symbosis of script, cinematography, score editing and, of course, the brilliant performances by both Laoye (who, in his acting debut, gives an award-worthy performance as a naive, doomed youth) and Steven Williams (who gives a chilling performance as an unnamed, Grim Reaper type character, who delivers a blow-to-the-head to the naive way in which Laoye’s character lives his life) have made a good effort in attempting to, as the directors themselves have gone on record as saying, “create a film that combined surrealism with the everyday, the bizaree and the fantastic with the mundane and boring. With the opening shot, we tried to establish an orgy of blood, a heightened sense of reality that the audience has never been subject to before.”
The film begins with a pair of bloody black hands pointed directly at camera, a shot which has classic connotations of death and danger, and also sucks the audience in and mystifies them. We are then given our formal introduction to our main character, Dammy, who is seen rising out of one last slumber to answer a phone-call from one of which will, ultimately, lead to his demise. Honeini’s flowing cinematography and almost-exclusive use of natural lighting, Laoye’s happy-go-lucky yet profoundly paranoid performance and the use of locations (a single bedroom, all very warm and comfy and cosy, as opposed to long, seemingly unending streets which twist and turn into one another and lead Dammy to be confronted by a bunch of maniacally scary, giggling children and a rabid, snarling, screaming dog which scared the living hell out of this reviewer!) and the script’s use of interior monologue (which offers us an insight into Dammy’s thought process and a distressing look into his terrifled and perversly paranoid state of mind as the film unfolds) creates a very realistic and grounded atmopshere. is here where the key’s key strengths lie. At times, the film is very realistic, almost as if we are watching documentary footage of a random youth going about his day. It is only when the bizarreness of the film’s subject matter kicks in (through the use of blooded wallets, coats and a murderer with a cold, hard stare that would make the meanest of souls crap in their pants!) that we begin to realize that, on an aesthetic level, Honeini and Laoye have used every shot and cut, every facet of their leading performances to create a film which successfully shifts from the real to the bizaree so that, when the leading character’s fate finally occurs, we are shocked into believing the unbelieveable. The film, at times, seems very film literate, with references to such classics as ‘The Seventh Seal,’ and ‘The Godfather,’ which, as the directors themselves have said, were used so that “we could create a film which has a very classic, clever feel to it, using influential examples of death in cinema (both figuratively and literally) to make our own depiction of life and death colliding on a random day in West London all the more compelling, credible and watchable.” Not only that, but the film’s soundtrack, which shifts from songs which firmly root the film’s urban roots to pierecing strings reminiscint of the theme from Hitchcock’s
‘Psycho,’ give the film a bounce, a life and make it all the more effective. It’s definitely a film worth watching, demonstrating a sign of good things to come from new British talent.

Film review (ORIGINAL DRAFT)

2009-11-14T01:48:00.000-08:00

Below is the original draft of our film review. We wrote this review based on our interpretations of the way in which film reviews had been written in film magazines such as Empire. We tried our best to make this review as authentic and convincing as possible, trying to maintain a high standard of vocabulary and always attempting to adhere to journalistic devices and disciplines.

*

Horror films. There’s millions of ‘em! Some (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween) are bloody brilliant. Others (Prom Night, the Saw franchise) are downright dreadful! In a day and age when good horror films are excruciatingly hard to come by, it’s refreshing to see that new talent can blow away all of the Hollywood competition, and create a film which is disturbing, shocking, and most importantly of all, scary. This ‘new talent,’ comes in the shape of Ahmed Honeini (‘Time Out of Mind,’) and Dammy Laoye (‘Beyond Reflection,’) and their new movie ‘Hell is Around the Corner,’ due for theatrical release next week. With ‘Hell is Round the Corner,’ Honeini and Laoye have, with their wonderful script, their excellent cinematography and score, and their brilliant performances by both Laoye (who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a naive, inexperienced and doomed youth) and Steven Williams (who, second only to Javier Bardem in ‘No Country for Old Men,’ gives one of the most frighteningly fantastic performances that this reviewer has ever had the opportunity to see), have mastered reality horror, a genre of horror which many have tried their hand at in the past, and in turn, have failed to deliver the goods in terms of scares. The film begins with a pair of bloody black hands pointed directly at camera, a shot which not only sucks the audience in and intrigues and mystifies them, but is also a shot that, in years to come, will be considered iconographic for its bizarrely brutal edge. Following this is our formal introduction to our main character, Dammy, who is seen rising up out of one last sleep to answer a phone-call which will, ultimately, lead to his demise. Honeini’s cinematography and extremely low-level lighting, Laoye’s happy-go-lucky performance, and the use of locations (a single bedroom, very warm and homely, as opposed long, seemingly unending streets with maniacally scary, giggling children and gates which look like they have been dragged up from the very depths of hell [both strokes of absolute genius on the part of the filmmakers]) and interior monologues (which offer us a rewarding insight into Dammy’s thought process and a distressing look into his terrified and perversely paranoid state of mind as the film unfolds) creates a very realistic and grounded atmosphere. It is here where the beauty of the film lies – the film is, at times, so utterly realistic, that it feels as if we are watching a documentary of today’s youth. It is only when the weirdness of the film’s subject matter takes over (through the use of bloodied wallets and coats and murderers with cold, hard stares that’d make even the meanest of souls crap in their pants!) that we begin to realize the level of ingenuity, creativity, time and effort that has gone into making this film. Every shot, every edit, every facet of both of the leading performances feels so impeccably placed, so considered, that when the leading character’s fate finally occurs, we not only cannot believe it, it almost feels as if it is happening to us. The film’s references to such classic films as ‘The Godfather,’ and ‘The Seventh Seal,’ and the clear musical references to such hits as The Jackson’s ‘Blame It On the Boogie,’ and Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Fix Up, Look Sharp,’ give the film not only a very classy and literate feel, but also a life and a bounce which makes ‘Hell is Round the Corner,’ a film most definitely worth seeing, and a film which not only demonstrates the talent that both filmmakers have within them, but also a sign of the good things to come.

Ancillary Task Drafts

2009-11-14T01:47:00.000-08:00

POSTER:

Pictured above is our ancillary task draft of the poster for our film. We intend for our poster to adhere to the conventions of mainstream posters. We will do this by using colours (such as red and black), font (which will, hopefully, appear to be very raw and edgy, but at the same time unique and eye-catching), an image very similar to one seen in our film (Dammy staring down at the wallet, with the Killer looming behind him, very predatory like), and a tagline/slogan (“Always look back...”) which will help to create a sense of surrealism, threat, mystery and intrigue, themes which are prevalent in our film and key to our overall brand identity. Also, we will attempt to adhere to the conventions of posters by using credit lists, presenting a release date, and supplying a poster, all of which are commonplace on posters and which will help to make our poster seem all the more authentic and credible.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE:

Pictured above is our ancillary task draft of the magazine for our film. We intend for our magazine article to adhere to the conventions of mainstream posters, through the use of language featured in the article (light-hearted yet on-point and pertinent), use of main images (such as the opening image of the bloody red hands and Dammy staring in shock at the bloody wallet, which are very relevant to the content of the film, and do not appear to be arbitrary or meaningless, but instead are there to illustrate the points presented within the article and, of course, to attract the readers towards seeing the film), use of key quotes from the article (such as director's quotes which illustrate a key/significant point from the article about the film and offer our audience a insight into our own thoughts and feelings behind this film), use of ratings (which help to illustrate in shorthand how the film has been received by the magazine/reviewer, and a rating system which has been used for decades and is a firmly established reviewer discipline) and use of captions (to either sum up the image presented or to, through the use of humour, either condemn or condone the film and persuade the reader to either see it or avoid it).

Logo

2009-11-14T01:39:00.000-08:00

Pictured above is the draft of our production company logo. The use of solid black and bloody hands helps to firmly establish a sense of brand identity between our logo and our film, with the use of bloody hands being a direct reference to the opening shot of our film. This direct reference helps to, along with the poster and the article, helps to firmly establish a sense of cohesion and brand identity with our product, and reinforces the idea that the logo, film, poster and magazine article are all one collective entity.

Editing diary

2009-11-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

DAYS 1 and 2: Shortly after we completed filming, we captured our footage onto Final Cut and began to watch the footage that we had in order to construct our film in a coherent way. Since we had shot the film out of sequence, and since we had shot several takes of all of the scenes for the purposes of security and insurance, we watched all of the footage we shot in order to get a feel of what we had and what we could use.

DAYS 3 and 4: We put the film in running order, with the very first cut running 7 minutes with the uninterrupted takes. After cutting the footage down and editing it much more tightly and in a controlled fashion, we had the film down to 5 minutes and 55 seconds.

DAY 5: In the middle of editing, we sought out music tracks using the website Newgrounds, a website featuring non-copyrighted music. The music which we sought out was mainly hip-hop and r’n’b tracks and orchestral and ambient scores.

DAY 6: Once we found the tracks that we felt were necessary and fitting for our film, we added them to the film, and the music used helped to give the film an extra sense of bounce and life which it did not have without it.

DAY 7 and 8: During the end of editing, we recorded our interior monologues. Our first day of recording the monologues had to be discarded due to poor sound quality, but the takes recorded on our second day were much more up to our standards, and when we added them to Final Cut, our film was nearing completion.

DAY 9: All that was now needed was to correct the colours (especially during the last scene, which had footage reshot during lighter weather conditions and so had to be corrected in order to ensure continuity was sustained), add a special effect to the very last shot of our film (an effect entitled ‘Earthquake,’ available on Final Cut, which gave a very disorientating and violent end to our film, creating the illusion that Dammy had been killed) and to ensure that not only was the film broadcast safe, but also that the audio levels and gaps were lowered and closed respectively.

DAY 10: The final cut of our film, with corrected colours, sound levels and special effects ran 5 minutes, 10 seconds, and was very much the film we intended to make.

Production Diary

2009-11-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

We shot our film ‘Hell is Around the Corner,’ over the course of a week, beginning on the 24th of October and concluding on the 30th, with an additional two days prior to this to film test footage and essential shots which could not be filmed at a later date (i.e., the utilization of friend’s houses, etc).

DAY ONE: We began filming the conversation that Dammy has with his friend, which is shown directly after the opening credits. We filmed this making full use of the tripod and the indoor mic. We also shot this with a single lamp, to give an early morning effect, and to create verisimilitude to give our a realistic feel which our target audience could identify with. We filmed eight takes of this scene, and this was done for a number of reasons. The first was that, during the editing process, we would have a plethora of footage to choose from, and we would not have to settle for a take which did not satisfy us – we would be spoilt for choice for takes, essentially. The second was that, as Dammy improvised the dialogue in the opening scene, there would be facets of his performance which could not be replicated take after take, certain elements would be lost, and so we could the best dialogue from one take and edit this together with another. Following this, we filmed the opening shot of our film – a pair of bloody black hands. We used a bottle of vampire blood (acquired by Dammy from a joke shop), and we shot this on the doorstep of Dammy’s flat. Steven was used during this scene, because as this was a key image to our film in order to set the feel and mood, we both felt that Dammy and I needed to witness it being filmed, in order to ensure that it was perfect, and that it was not hastily shot. We filmed three takes of the opening shot, all with different poses (for example, the first take was shot with Steven’s hands positioned flat out, the second was shot with his hands in a claw, etc). As light was running thin by this time, we decided to conclude filming for the day, and we would resume filming Monday. Before we did, however, we applied the vampire blood to Dammy’s coat, as this would be the coat that Steven (the killer) would wear, so that it would be ready for filming a.s.a.p.

DAY TWO: We filmed the over the shoulder tracking shot of Dammy, who then bumps into Steven. We filmed this at least five times, again in order to allow us a wider variety of takes whilst editing, but also because, due to laughter, some of the takes were unusable. Following this, we shot the bloody wallet falling out of Steven’s pocket. This, again, was shot at least three times, in order for us to perfect it, and also because this proved rather difficult to film, with the wallet slipping out of the pocket at wrong moments, or the camera not capturing the action at the right moment. Finally, we shot a single, continuous take of Dammy picking up the wallet, calling after Steven, opening it, and seeing the bloody inside (this take was shot twice). This single take, which was shot in a fluid, free style, with continous movement and an extreme close up of Dammy’s face, really helped to establish the danger that the character was in, or was about to find himself in, and this was also shot using Mr. Hull’s advice to use odd, bizarre, strange angles and camera movements, which disorientate the viewer, and add a disturbing layer to our film. Finally, as light was once again was wearing thin, we hastily shot a brief insert of the bloody wallet, and two medium shot takes of Dammy walking towards camera, with Steven on his trail. (NOTE: Prior to the filming of any of Monday’s scenes, we had to acquire an outdoor mic from Selvin, the technician, as the indoor mic would not be efficient or practical to use, and would effectively destroy our sound, which was not a risk we were willing to take).

DAYS THREE and FOUR: On Tuesday and Wednesday, we shot the initial confrontation scene with Dammy and Steven. We made use of the tripod and of the outdoor mic during the filming of this scene. Filming was relatively straightforward during the filming of this scene, save for some incidents of laughing and flubbed lines, which we felt was natural and would not hinder our filming in any major way. We decided, for the most part, to shot the conversation adhering to forms and conventions of real media texts (i.e., over the shoulder shots, 180 degree rule, etc). However, in order to put across the disconcerting, disorientating feel that we wanted for our film, we did include some handheld, canted point of view shots, such as the extreme close ups of both Dammy and Steven and the handheld pan down to the patch of blood on the Killer’s jacket. Filming was nearing completion, and we decided that, instead of using our originally intended location for the last scene, to instead use Dammy’s flat-block, out of not only respect for the residents living near our original location, but also that we could now have unlimited time to shoot scenes, with stress being relatively low.

DAY FIVE: Friday saw the shooting of the final scene. Initially, we decided to shoot the tracking shot of Dammy entering his friend’s flatblock. It was by a stroke of massive luck that we encountered some children on the estate who agreed to be in our film. It was decided that these children could function as a symbol of Dammy’s impending doom, and we decided to communicate this through showing them laughing and pointing at him. We shot this take twice, and we were extremely impressed with the second take and decided that it would be definitely be included in our film. Considering that we wanted the last scene of the film to be shot in near darkness, we waited around an hour (filming had begun at 1, and picked up again at 3) and we spent the next two hours hastily trying to get the scenes shot, whilst always trying to maintain professionalism and communicate our message effectively. Though we did manage to get the last scene shot, there were aspects of it that did not appeal to us (i.e., we originally envisioned the film ending with Dammy being struck with a hammer, and though we tried our hardest to locate one, we could not – time and light was running out, and so we settled for the less than adequate alternative to reshoot parts of the last scene at a later date).

DAY SIX (ADDITIONAL DAY OF SHOOTING): During this day, we organised the use of a dog which was owned by a friend of ours. If we could successfully capture the dog’s barking in a frenzied, crazed fashion, we felt that we could heighten the scary, chilling atmosphere which we were trying to create. We shot the ‘dog,’ scene three times, with the final take being the one we ended up using. This was because the other two takes were rendered unusable either because the filming was botched or because the dog did not react sufficiently. We shot this with the camera being handheld, in order to maintain the fluid, documentary style feel which we had established in our film up until this point.

DAY SEVEN (ADDITIONAL DAY OF SHOOTING #2): During this day, we reshot parts of the last scene. Unlike before, we had much more sufficient light and time in order to get the shots we needed filmed properly. Also, unlike before, we had access to a baseball bat, which we felt was exactly what was needed in order to put forward to the audience the Killer’s threat and violent attitude, and to ensure the message that Dammy’s life was coming to a grisly end was hammered home. Despite a minor problem (the actor that played the Killer had gotten a haircut), we decided to combat this using low angles and to film it in such a way that the audience would never notice the mistakes. What was newly shot was a reshoot of the line “For a second there, I thought you were going to hurt me,” which was done not only because the angle of the original take was undesirable, but also the sound was poor, and also a new, low angle point of view shot of the Killer bringing down the baseball bat towards Dammy/the audience’s face, in order to make the ending shocking and brutal and, arguably, personal.

Location/Characters

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Locations

We choose this location for our film because is perfectly captured the personality and construction of the character that we were trying to convey, placing a lot of youthful and trendy/urban props such as a laptop, a PSP and a Harry Potter book, and also a copy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and a copy of the Bible with a cross leafed over it. This was all used to successfully put forward not only this character's naivety, but also his lifestyle (i.e., he is a student and he is religious, the theme of religion being subtly suitable for the overtones of death, murder and destruction seen throughout our film). In addition, it was a location that was most appopriate because it suited us because of the distance and the time.

Similarly, these two locations (located right next to our school) were utilised because of their short distance and it gave us the opportunity to get the best shot of our character coming out of his house.

This location, which was exactly the way we pictured the scene in the script, had to be abandoned out of consideration for the resident's thoughts and feelings. However, we feel that the location that we did use eventually was perfect for our needs and got the point across just as well as this location would have.

Characters

This is an image of our main character, Dammy. We decided to present him wearing a light blue tracksuit, in order to not only connote that he is from an urban background and is very much our representation of urban youth today, but also to connote a sense of naivety about him, that the situation he has been thrown into a situation which is outside his element as a human being.

The picture image of our villain out of costume. We choose the actor due to his height and physicality. We asked him to integrate the alarming and threatening presence that our villain exudes.

Props list

2009-10-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

Wallet – the bloody wallet with the fingerprints.

A pair of keys – possibly stained with blood.

Coat – stained with blood.
Plants - dead, preferably.
Lillies - a bunch.
Willy Wonka DVD.
Comic books.
School books.

Target audience profile

2009-10-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

Our target audience is 16 to 24 year olds.

The three main reasons are as follows:

1) We are of this age range and thus, we can create a film which offers us a realistic and insightful look into current youth culture. We can offer this through our use of story (i.e., very suspensful, violent mysterious), our construction of characters (i.e., a protagonist [Dammy] that represents our own thoughts and feelings on the issues of youth violence which are occuring today, that represents normality and inner-city reality) and our use of music (which is similar to the types of music that people of this age range listen to [i.e., hip-hop, r'n'b]).

2) Films such as Kidulthood, Adulthood (basically, urban social realist dramas) have proved to be popular and profitable. What links these two films with our film is the concept of youth violence, and such as these films are comments on youth culture and crime, we intend our film to function as a comment on these aspects as well, and thus creating a film that our target audience would like and appreciate and respond well to. However, instead of trying to tell a conventional urban social realitist drama, we will also attempt to combine reality with a sense of mystery and surrealism, in order to give our audience a film which differs from the types they are used to, which will, in turn, heighten the viewing experience/

3) We want tooffer our audience an insight into a lot of different types of classic films (such as 'The Seventh Seal,' and 'Taxi Driver,').In making reference to these films, if our film proves popular, we may have persuaded our target audience tos eek out these films to expand their knowledge of classic cinema.

Music influences

2009-10-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

Aftermath - Tricky

This song helps to establish an atmosphere. It is ideal for opening credit music, especially for a film such as ours, in that it is very mysterious, intriguing and captivating. Also, considering that it is a hip-hop/r’n’b song, it helps to combine the eerie and the strange with the modern and the current, which are themes which flow through our film.

Blame It on the Boogie - The Jacksons

Fix Up, Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascall

These songs help to stay in keeping with a sense of naivety and innocence which is prevalent within the character. They could be played during the dressing up scene, and are more about setting a tone/establishing a character than anything else. These songs are also in keeping with current trends of music that youths listen to today.

Music for Strings, Percussion and Celestia - Bela Bartok

This piece of music is a key influence on the music which we should use during the scene in which we are introduced to the killer. This music is very mysterious, strange and ominious. It is also revealing as it implies something extremely odd and bad about this character. It is almost as if we are being warned about this character by hearing this music. Also, as there are no lyrics, and this is a classical piece, it is fitting as the silent killer is a classic of the thriller genre. It is almost as if this piece of music is his theme, in a way.

Hell is Round the Corner - Tricky

Teardrop - Massive Attack

Teardrop - Newton Faulkner

These two pieces of music are very downbeat, grungy and dirty, and are capable of evoking a strong response within our audience. The music ends the film on a down note – there is no doubt that this boy is dead.

Ideas for Film

2009-10-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

Settings

Set on a cold over cast day.
The scenery is 'dead' via the depiction of dead plants, dead leaves and maybe even dead animals.
Possibly shoot in black and white to get the point across properly.

Costume

The young boy should be dressed in a shirt, jeans and trainers, all of which are bright in color. This adds a sense of naivety to him/his situation. Also, this creates a sense of versimilitude. It is not unlikely that a boy in this day and age would wear something like this.
The killer should wear a long black coat, and possibly a pair of black leather gloves to add to his suspicious persona (i.e., in that he is a Grim Reaper type figure).

Visual motifs/aesthetics

The colors used should deep and stinging (for example, the reds should be really, really red, and the blacks should be really, really black, etc).

Iconography

The secluded road - this may almost act as a metaphor for death. This setting should be lit with bright white light, as this serves to almost symbolize the passing into death.

Poster

We are considering using a still image from our finished film, which we feel will perfectly encompass the tone of our film.

This image consists of our protagonist and our antagonist within the same frame as one another. Our protagonist (a young, naive boy) is pictured picking up a bloody wallet in the foreground and staring at it in bewilderment. In the foreground is our antagonist, watching the young boy looking at the wallet with murder on his mind.

Film Influences

2009-10-05T01:50:00.000-07:00

The Seventh Seal:

There are several reasons as to why we have chosen Ingmar Bergman’s ‘The Seventh Seal,’ as one of our influences for our short film.
The first, and probably the most obvious/blatant, is that ‘The Seventh Seal’ features one of the most famous images in cinema history, that of Death, played by Benget Ekerot, appearing suddenly on a beach in the opening scene, armed with a scythe, ready to take Antonious Block, played by Max Von Sydow, away into death. Given the nature of our film (i.e., dealing wholly with the theme and nature of death, and using lots of death imagery), it felt appropriate to sit ‘The Seventh Seal,’ as an influence because A) it is, as we have said, one of the most famous examples/depictions of Death in film, and B) because there are themes within ‘The Seventh Seal,’ which are clearly echoed within our film (i.e., that of Death coming to take an person unexpectedly, etc, etc), and so it felt fitting to use this film as an influence.
The second is the heightened use of ambient and natural sounds. In our film, we are planning to present all aspects of the ‘world,’ within our film, in particular the sounds and scenery, in such a way that it proves to be very disarming and disorientating towards the viewer. We feel that ‘The Seventh Seal,’ is a perfect springboard in order to allow us an insight into how to do this effectively.
The third and final reason is the use of Gunner Fischer’s black and white cinematography. Since it is arguable that the use of black and white cinematography within ‘The Seventh Seal,’ was used by Bergman in order to act as a metaphor for death itself and the bleak situations the characters find themselves in, we feel that it would be a worthwhile consideration to shoot our film in black and white, as this would be, like ‘The Seventh Seal,’ the perfect way to get our point across.

The Godfather:

There are several reasons as to why we have chosen Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' as one of our influences for our short film.
The first is Coppola’s heightened use of sound. In the earlier part of the scene, before Don Corleone is shot, there is the very loud and distracting use of a trumpet. It may be implied that this trumpet sound, whilst maybe just being there in order to add an extra layer of “street realism,” to the piece, and to be very much in keeping with the time and place in which it was set (i.e., 1940s Italian America, etc), it may also have been used to add emphasis to or foreshadow a particular event (i.e., Don Corleone’s shooting).
The second is the way in which Don Corleone’s murder has been staged/framed. Coppola makes heavy use of medium close ups of both the Don and his assassins in order to possibly add emphasis, drama and tension to what is going to happen/is happening, and trying to draw the audience closer to the action. The use of the medium close up of the weapons may be to, again, emphasise danger, and that this man is going to be killed. Also, the guns possibly connote phallic imagery, which may add to the feeling that this killing is very much to do with honour and respect, themes which are stereotypically linked to the male psyche. Finally, the use of a single, unbroken take of the Don as he slips from the car in agony is not only effective in hammering home the point that this man is close to death, but is also (as was the case with ‘The Seventh Seal,’) one of the most famous and iconic moments in film history, and this again gives us a springboard for our own ideas and the desire to, with our film, create images which are just as visually powerful as the ones we have sited.
The third and final reason is Coppola’s use of costume. For instance, the Don is presented as wearing a long, brown coat and a pinched Fedora hat. This is effective as this is indicative of who this character is (i.e., that he is a smart, sophisticated man with a wonderful dress sense). Also, not only is this choice of dress indicative of the sort of character we are watching, but it is also indicative of the period in which the film is set (i.e., late ‘40s, etc). This helps to create a sense of realism and verisimilitude and has given us ideas in to how we can dress our characters in our film to create the same type of feeling.

American Psycho:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXlkq9vHuAE

NOTES: Bateman's interior monologue, the use of music, fitting with the motifs of the film and the character's construction.

Taxi Driver:

Again, the music is very brooding, the scene itself is very internalized, giving us the events going on in New York from his point of view. What he talks about fits in with what we see on screen. His interior monologue is very judgemental of the society which is being portrayed. We are using this because it is, again, a classic example of proper use of interior monologue which we wish to integrate into our film. There are constant use of extreme close ups in addition to slow motion shots, which helps to further internalize the events seen on screen, and to imply that we are seeing a biased, twisted view of society. Also wished to use slow motion in our film which again is seen in this extract.

Peep Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOe5n8M0ldw

NOTES: Very realistic, full of versimilitude. Also, comedic in style, which is expressed through in interior monologue. Also, again, what is heard in the monologue complements what is seen on screen.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre:

We have also selected Tobe Hooper's 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' as an influence in our film because of the way in which Hooper chose to introduce the killer, Leatherface, and the way in which he kills his victim, is almost identical to our film. To explain - we want our film to end very much with a "surprise," that the audience never sees coming (i.e., the young boy being killed by being hit with the hammer). Since a possible way of presenting this can be through a point of view shot, and since the way in which the shot in 'Texas Chainsaw' is presented is very similar to a p.o.v. shot, it felt appropriate to site this as an influence. Also, the overall atmosphere of the piece, and the way in way Hooper gauges tension (such as the animal noises, the constant cutting back and forth between Kirk and the empty, ominious doorway [which is, arguably, similar to our film, metaphorical of death and a transition into the unknown]) is undoubtly a major influence on us, and that is why we have selected 'Texas Chainsaw' as one of our influences for our film.

Questionnaire analysis and findings

2009-10-03T13:54:00.001-07:00

1) Do you watch a lot of short films?

A majority of the people said no. This gives us the indication that it is going to be very hard for us to make a film that will appeal to our target audience. We are also oing to need to make something which will hook them and arrest them and send them raving. We feel that this will be a challenge, but a worthy one.

2) Do you prefer the film to focus more on character or story?

A majority of the people responded story. Again, in order to make our film as good and as successful as it can be, we are going to need to create an idea which will not only be pleasing to the audience, but also pleasing to us as artists.

3) What types of genre do you particularly enjoy?
4) Do you prefer your films to be more realistic or more fantasy?

Amongst the most popular choices were drama, comedy and horror. Since comedy is very hard to get a handle on, and is very difficult to make convincing, it might be worth trying to create a short film which has elements of horror but is mostly a drama, possibly trying to deal with events which take place in a day to day, realistic setting (this is evident in that, in our findings, a majority of the subjects preferred to have their films much more realistic than fantastical, possibly implying that realistic stories are much easier to identify with and much more accessible/easy to digest).

5) What is a particular type of setting you like to see in films?

A majority of the subjects chose cities, possibly implying that, because of the rise in popularity of films such as Kidulthood, that people in our target audience like to see a film set in an urban environment because it is easier for them to connect/identify with, and is much more in keeping with their sensibilities, personalities and lifestyles.

6) What kind of narrative do you enjoy?

This is the most difficult section to properly analyse, as there were varying opinions here, opinions which were much more scattered than the previous sections. Among the most popular selections were love and relationships, true crimes and murders, drug and gang issues, and poverty and realism. Here, we can either create a short film which incorporates all of these selections or, as it would be rather difficult to do that (because we would end up giving up more time to one theme than another), we could choose the one theme which appeals to us most of all and make the best film we can based on that.

7) Would you consider watching a short film that we have made sometime in the future?

A majority of the people said yes, thus giving us the indication that our film will be seen by, at the very least, a small audience, and that we have some support. However, some subjects also chose “If I’m Bothered,” thus implying that it is, as has been mentioned, going to be a very hard task to make a film which will appeal to and please everybody.

Storyboard animatic

2009-09-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

Below is the storyboard animatic for our film:

Notes for script

2009-09-29T10:33:00.000-07:00

1) Ahmed could play the naive boy and Dammy could play the killer. Dammy is capable of pulling off being very intimidating and cold and detached, and Ahmed can pull off being naive and stupid and oblivious to what is going on.
2) If Ahmed were to play the boy, we would have to sort of tone down the opening dialogue and replace it with something a little less “street.”
3) When he sees the blood on the killer’s coat, there should be a ZOOM IN, so that it A) takes on a raw, bloody meaning and B) almost engulfs the screen in red, almost as if it is a flashing light or an alarm bell of this boy’s guilt/crime.
4) When he hands back the wallet, there should be a shot of the hands, which connotes a passing away, and also that his life is now in the killer’s hands.
5) There are so many different ways in which we can show/signify the killer killing the boy. We do not see blood, but we see the actual hit, possibly from the young boy’s point of view, putting us right in his shoes. Also, both the slamming of the hand on the shoulder and the killing should both be presented with a similar sound, such as a crashing sound or a distorted scream; something violent sounding, basically.
6) There should also be a shot of the clouds up above when he says “I hope it doesn’t rain...” Grey clouds connote a sense of foreboding, and the feeling that there is not something quiet right going on here.
7) Places/things would could connote death include a bordered up pub (which is near my house, but I do not know if we need permission), a boarded up house, and lilies. The lilies could be one or a dozen, a wrecked bouquet that the boy sees on the ground with the petals blowing in the wind, for instance.

'Hell Is Around the Corner,' - Final draft script

2009-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

FADE IN ON

EXTREME CLOSE UP of a pair of BLOODY BLACK HANDS.

(NOTE: The atmosphere here should most likely be surreal and dreamlike).

CUT TO

A PAIR OF FEET IN SHINING BLACK LEATHER BOOTS walks away and OUT of FRAME.

HOLD on vacant shot of STREET for a moment or two, then SLOWLY PAN to the RIGHT to reveal a pair of LIMP LEGS (more than likely a person's body) lying on the ground.

In MID PAN we CUT TO the film's TITLE CARD.

A FLASH OF WHITE LIGHT brings us to

THE INTERIOR OF A YOUNG BOY'S (DAMMY'S) BEDROOM.

He is in bed, on the phone, with his friend, who is not heard.

(NOTE: During his conversation of his friend, we get brief shots of items around his rooms to connote a sense of naivety and youthfulness, such as a Willy Wonka DVD, a stack of comic books, and a tall pile of school books).

DAMMY
(into phone)
Yo, man, what's up, you alright? What's the plan for today?
(beat)
I don't even know, man.
(beat)
We could hit up Westfields if you like. I think they've got sales on?
(beat)
Yeah, alright, then. I'll see you in a bit.

We are then presented with BRIEF SHOTS of Dammy getting ready and putting on ARTICLES OF CLOTHING (i.e., baseball cap, coat, shoes, etc).

CUT TO

ESTABLISHING SHOT of Dammy's HOUSE.

Dammy is seen exiting his house and beginning his walk.

CUT TO

A TRACKING CLOSE UP shot of Dammy's face as we hear his INTERIOR MONOLOGUE:

DAMMY
(voice-over)
Bloody hell, what a great day! Gonna get my Vans...oh yeah! Saw a top in H&M, need to get that, too. Only £25 pounds, I think. Absolute bargain!
(beat)
Bit grey, this weather, isn't it? I hope it doesn't rain. Days like these really bring out the worst in people.

CUT TO

OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT of Dammy.

In the distance, we see another young man (Steven), a man who is taller and a bit more stocky, wearing a long black jakcet and a pair of leather gloves. He is walking in a paranoid, frenzied shuffle.

CUT TO

TWO SHOT of both Dammy and Steven BUMPING in to one another.

(NOTE: This shot is presented to us in slow motion to add emphasis to the action).

CUT TO

EXTREME CLOSE UP of Steven's WALLET dropping out of his pocket. It FLIPS OPEN and we are given a brief, teasing look into the inside of it. We see what appears to be bloody fingerprints all over the cards and the inside leather money slip.

(NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS TO BE SHOT AS WRITTEN - Dammy is positioned to the LEFT of FRAME. He is shown PICKING UP the wallet. On the RIGHT of Dammy, in the background, is Steven, watching him looking at the wallet.

CUT TO

CLOSE UP of a Dammy's face as he sees, in horror and confusion, the bloody sight.

DAMMY
(interior monologue)

What is this? Blood? Is this blood?

Steven slowly approaches Dammy, appearing more and more in focus.

Steven extends his hand and SLAMS it down on Dammy's shoulder.

Dammy suddenly jerks around in FEAR AND PANIC:

STEVEN
(coldly)
That's my wallet you've got there.

CUT TO

TIGHT TWO SHOT as

Both look down at the wallet, then stare up at each other. Dammy looks at Steven for a moment.

CUT TO

DAMMY'S POINT OF VIEW

He sees a dab of red blood in amongst the vast sea of black leather.

Dammy and Steven stare up at each other, Dammy fearfully. Steven looks at him seriously.

DAMMY
(unsure, trying to contain his panic)
Oh, sorry, sorry! Here!
(shoving the wallet into his hand)
Take it! It's yours! I found it on the floor!

Once Dammy gives back the wallet, they trade ONE FINAL GLANCE, before Dammy turns and exits.

CAMERA STAYS POSITIONED BESIDE STEVEN. He watches Dammy walk away into the distance.

CUT TO

A CLOSE UP TRACKING SHOT of Dammy's face.

DAMMY
(interior monologue)
He was bloody strange! The way he looked at me, it was like he wanted to kill me! Argh, he gives me the creeps!
(beat)
...And that blood! That blood! What was with that blood?
(beat)
Nah, forget it. Out of sight, out of mind. Just put it out of mind.

CUT TO

"THE TRAIL OF DEATH."

On the approach to his friend's house, Dammy notices the following:

A) A DEAD PLANT.

B) THE FRONT PAGE OF A NEWSPAPER DETAILING MANY DEATHS/A VERY FAMOUS HISTORICAL DEATH.

C) A DEAD ANIMAL.

These shots are complemented with CLOSE UPS of Dammy staring at them in bewilderment.

CUT TO

Dammy turns the corner and begins to walk down a long, secluded alleyway/side street. The atmosphere here is very dark and chilling. There is hardly a sound, except for Dammy’s worried breathing and the quiet hubbub from the main street.

DAMMY
(interior monologue)
Just a couple more minutes. You’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Just calm down.

As he walks down the alley, he sees, in the distance, a man, dressed in a black coat, walking at a slow, casual pace. As Dammy gets nearer and nearer, he/we begin to consider whether it is Steven, the man from the previous scene:

Dammy’s eyes light up with panic:

DAMMY
(interior monologue)
Is that him? Is that HIM?! Oh, my God!
(beat)
No no no no no it’s not possible it’s not possibly it’s not him!

From Dammy’s P.O.V., we get closer and closer to the figure in the distance until there is absolutely no denying that it is him.

DAMMY
(interior monologue)
Oh my god oh my god what does he want what does he want???

Dammy and Steven meet in the middle of the road. Dammy, scared out of his wits, says, stuttering:

DAMMY
La-listen, I-I, uh, I don’t want any...

Steven slow pulls something from out of his pocket – a pair of keys. He holds them forward, offering them to Dammy.

STEVEN
(in a slow, deliberate fashion)
You dropped your keys, mate.
(putting them in his hand)
There you go. Always believed in being the Good Samaritan, me.

Dammy breathes an immense sigh of relief.

DAMMY
Phew! Thank God!
(beat, laughs)
You know, for a second there, you really frightened me...

STEVEN
It’s alright, mate. No harm done.
They both look at each other.

DAMMY
(putting his hand on his shoulder)
Thank you...!

From Dammy’s P.O.V., we see Steven quickly glance at his hand on his shoulder, then slowly look up at him, squarely in the face.

He smiles, very faintly, before QUICKLY BRANDISHING A HAMMER AND SMASHING DAMMY OVER THE HEAD WITH IT!

CUT TO BLACK!

THE END

Initial/possible idea for short film (#1)

2009-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

This idea for the film is, at its’ core, a five minute walk, from one friend’s house to another’s, seen in real time. The idea here is to give the film a sense of randomness, realism and spontaneity. The idea is also about trying to mix reality with the weird/bizarre, and the mundane with the extraordinary. Some things just happen – they cannot be explained or justified, they simply are.
The film begins with an arresting and intriguing extreme close up of a pair of hands, which are both dripping with blood. This immediately catches the viewer’s attention, and makes them want to continue to watch the film, possibly confusing them and alarming them, but nonetheless, grabbing their attention almost immediately.
There is then a shot of a person, presumably the very same person whose hands we have just seen, walking away, into the distance. The camera than pans back to reveal a pair of legs (presumably a person’s body) lying dead on the floor. In mid pan, we cut to the title card of the film.
We are then introduced to a young man who is seen talking to his friend on the phone. His friend has asked him to come over to his house and he has accepted. We are then given brief flashes of the young man getting dressed and ready to go. His getting ready is shown in a sort of music video type fashion, possibly to highlight the fashions and styles of today’s youth, and to create a sense of verisimilitude.
The young man is then shown leaving his flat and beginning his walk. As he does, his interior monologue begins. The idea here is to create a very internalised film, almost a “documentary of the mind,” in that we follow the character, gaining an insight into their way of thinking, and learning a thing or two about them throughout the course of the film.
The young man than passes another young man, dressed in a long black coat, who is walking very rapidly, almost in a sacred, frenzied, paranoid panic. The two young men bump into each other, and the young man in the coat drops his wallet, but continues to walk.
The young man bends down to pick it up and, as he does, it flips open and he sees that the inside of the wallet is stained with bloody finger prints. The other young man suddenly returns, snatching the wallet out of his hands, and thanking him very much for picking it up. He then walks away.
The young man continues his walk to his friend’s house. As he does, he begins to question whether the young man he just bumped into had done something wrong/committed a murder. He then brushes this off, thinking of his idea as stupid and nonsensical and not possible.
The young man than spots, from across the road, a couple having a very loud argument in the middle of the street, with the young woman’s dialogue along the lines of “I can’t believe you did that! How could you be so stupid? Do you know how much money I’ve saved up for that thing? Urgh, I hate you!”
The young man, unable to stop himself, yells “A bit of a strange place to have a domestic, don’t you think, mate?” The boyfriend from across the street yells an obscenity at him but he just laughs it off and continues walking.
The boyfriend from across the street is then seen crossing to the other side of the street, seemingly in an enraged rush. The young man then becomes more and more unnerved and fearful, possibly thinking that this boyfriend is going to hurt him for what he said, or there is going to be a confrontation of some sort. This is told through continuous close ups and quick cuts back and forth between the two men.
The boyfriend is then seen striding past him, and off into the distance, as the young man is seen turning a corner, into a secluded road, which presumably is where his friend’s house is.
We are then shown the exterior of a jeweller’s. This shot confuses us, as we do not know why we are seeing this and have no idea what use this is to the plot. We then see a static long shot of pedestrians walking outside the area of the shop. We then see a very familiar figure appearing in the distance, but we have no idea who it is exactly.
We then cut to the secluded road, where the young man is seen walking towards his friends house. Everything is very quiet, and the tension here is extreme. Out of nowhere, the young man’s phone rings. He picks it up, and has a very quick conversation with his friend, telling him that he is almost there. He then hangs up. When he does, he sees a figure, walking towards him in the distance.
FROM THIS POINT ON, WE CUT BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE STATIC SHOT OF OUTSIDE THE JEWELLER’S AND A P.O.V. SHOT OF THE YOUNG MAN, WALKING CLOSER AND CLOSER TOWARDS THE FIGURE IN THE DISTANCE, UNTIL BOTH FIGURES MERGE INTO ONE, ALMOST.
The figure that is walking towards the young man is the other young man with the bloody wallet. He is seen holding something in his hands. We cannot tell what it is at first, but it is then revealed to be a knife.
The other young man, in a frenzy, lunges for the young man, and strikes him in the stomach. A close up of the young man’s face reveals his shock and pain. His hands suddenly grip for his stomach and we see that his hands are covered in blood. These are the same hands we saw at the start of the film.
There is then a brief exchange of dialogue between both young men: “Why?” “I’m so sorry.” The young man than falls, presumably to his death.
This is interrupted by a shot of the boyfriend walking into the jeweller’s shop and choosing a ring almost at random from behind the counter.
We are then presented with the same shot of the killer walking into the distance, and the pan towards the young man, lying dead in the street.
The reveal of the blood and the walking away from the body implies that the shot of the victim falling and dying has been deliberately cut out in order to confuse and shock the audience, and to manipulate them into thinking one thing when something completely different has taken place.
The boyfriend who was just in the jeweller’s returns to his girlfriend and, slapping the ring in her hand, shouts “There’s your bloody ring!” and walks off into the distance.
The film ends with a close up of the young man’s dead, serine face, before a white out and credits.

Julie & Julia Magazine Film Review Analysis

2009-09-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

The review of the film Julie & Julia sees a main image of what looks to be the protagonist in a kitchen setting making food. The image connotes that the film may address the themes of family, cooking, friendship and the roles of mothers. The scenery consists of her wearing an apron cloth, in addition to having cooking apparatus such as plates and bowls again suggesting that the film may be largely based around the 'home' or kitchen while also creating a very realistic situation that an audience can relate with. Again in terms of the image, we see a cheer full and happy smile on our character suggesting a bit about her personality being warming and lighthearted. This is also suggestive of the tone of the film being humours and witty, also this is effective in easing the viewer in.

On the whole the review is quite humorous and complements the films story line and actors however still contains elements of seriousness, humor is self- evident in the use of such words like 'teeny kitchen' making the review very lighthearted. Again as a form of appeal to its audience the reviewer uses terms such of 'us' involving the reader and making them more inclined to view the film. In addition to praising the credentials of the actors involved in the film like Meryl Streep. Streep is to die for, so funny, touching so brilliant' this is effective because its engages the audience, which also makes them more inclined to watch the film. The review uses persuasive techniques in that they analysis the historical background and its relation to the film ' around the same time Kennedy brought culture and couture to the white house' this places the reviewer on a higher intellectual level making the reader more inclined to believe and trust them due to that fact that the reader may not know about the historical background.

In terms of the layout the title is presented through the use of bold and black font immediately attracting the reader to the name of the film. Also the use of black and bold font is commonly used by 'Empire' magazine as its acts as a motif for the whole magazine, this again makes them more recognisable to the reader as 'Empire' are associating themselves with this colour and font.
The caption 'The cook, the wife, the star and her blogger is used as a indication into the themes of the film, the use of such short words makes the reader want to view the film to find out the meaning of these words, which is again effective in making them more inclined to view the film.

G.I. Joe, Magazine Film Review Analysis, Empire, Oct 2009

2009-09-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Language

NOTE: The entire review is very, very funny and comedic in tone, making constant jokes at the film and filmmaker’s expense. There does not seem to be a serious tone to the review at all, and almost as if the reviewers feel that the film is not worth the time and effort it would take to conduct a fair and balanced critique of the film, it is just bad, pure and simple. This implies a bias, and possibly that the film reviewer’s job (in this case) is to make sure that films as terrible as these do not get seen, when other films, films which may not have as much hype as a film like this but are ten times better, are fairing very poorly at the box-office.
The review begins with a snub of the film: “At least three times during G.I. Joe, you will hear...‘Let’s get into the fight!!!’ (the three exclamation points are justifiable because it’s hard to imagine one or two would be enough).” This immediately sets the tone for the review, in that it will be full of disparaging remarks, and that it is a wholly negative critique and will not give the film any positive praise.
The reviewer then goes deeper into both the making of the film and the possible audience hype which is surrounding the film. Firstly, the reviewer states that: “The script...was rushed into production to beat the writer’s strike...” which possibly tries to imply that the messy pre-production was detrimental to the overall quality of the film. Secondly, he makes mention that the “Blogosphere,” (which obviously implies that this is the sort of film which will main much of its’ hype over the internet, and that the film’s success [if it does become a success] is heavily reliant upon buzz generated from the internet) have said that “Holy crap...G.I. Joe...is SHIT!” thereby eliminating the idea that even the Blogosphere will be able to save this film. Also, the use of the word “shit” implies that this is a laid back review, and that this film is so extremely bad that it warrants this use of profanity.
Then, we are given details as to how stupid and nonsensical this film actually is, by the reviewer giving us a summary of one of the film’s more “dramatic,” scenes: “Channing Tatum...riding about on a motorbike in anguish...in the rain...with sunglasses on.” This not only an example of the reviewer completely ripping into the film, giving it no justice and bombarding the reader with one critique after another after another, but it is also an example of the humorous, laid back, completely and totally honest quality of the reviewer’s writing skill.
The point is then made that this film is sort of a “so-bad-it’s-good,” kind of a film, in that, even though it “has a robot tuna...and such unashamed dumb-assedness...it still gained $100.5 mil...which is more than it deserves.” This infers that, despite all of the film’s flaws, and despite every bad thing that this film feature, it still managed to be successful at the box-office, and this in itself is possible a jibe at how even the most stupid and nonsensical films, when given the right amount of hype (even negative hype), make money.
Finally, the reviewer insinuates that the film is a complete misfire, judging by its’ “substandard special effects, the impression that the “cyber spacesuits...are being waved by a giant, invisible 9-year-old,” and that it makes references to James Bond and “wants to be Thunderball...but ends up being Die Another Die...A mess.” This is, arguably, the final nail in the coffin for this film. The reviewer concludes his article finally and completely by giving one snub after the other, giving no justice whatsoever to the film, implying that it is so bad and so full of wants and desires to be something that it is not that it just collapses under the weight of what it could be instead of what it actually is. Therefore, the review is cleverly structured by the reviewer in order to both start and end the review with negative points, possibly giving the reader/audience no hope at all that this is anyway a remotely good film, and that they should just stay well away from it.

Layout

Again, there is lots of use of black, orange and maroon, to stay in keeping with a particular motif/colour scheme which is associated with the reviews section of Empire Magazine.
The review is, like District 9, presented through the use of columns (one long, two medium sized and one short column), each which hold no more than 7 words per line. Again, conforming to a traditional journalistic discipline. The length of the review is very short (the film is only allowed one page in the magazine), almost to imply that there is nothing worthwhile to point out the film, except its extraordinarily bad points and to critique and pick fun out of it to the point of absolute ridiculousness.
Toward the bottom left hand corner, there is a quote from the main article, which reads (paraphrased): "The Mummy Returns had Zombie Pygmies...G.I. Joe has a robot tuna." This quote is, again, much bigger than the review from which it comes from, and this instantly catches our eye and makes us want to A) read the comment in context, and B) make us marvel at the absolutely stupid and downright bizarre nature of the film, and this is possibly where the main hook of the film is - that the reviewers almost want us to see this film just to make us agree with them that it is as bad as they have concluded it is.
Again, a small text box in the middle left hand corner of the still from the film, where it gives us three points of trivia about the film and its' filmmakers.
In conclusion, Empire layout each of their reviews in a very similar fashion to one another, possibly to create a sense of consistency and to not alienate/confuse their regular readers by constantly changing the way that their articles are laid out. Creating a sense of brand identity in its' own way, by strictly conforming to a set layout, they will A) draw more readers in with their thorough reviews and B) create a sense of comfort and, almost, anticipation in amongst regular, dedicated readers who wish to find out the magazine's opinion of these films.

Images

A single still from the film, which features two ninja-like characters (one in black, the other in white) in the middle of a swordfight/duel. The image takes up little more than half of the page, and the use of this image, when taken in context of the review, possibly implies that this is the key/most interest scene of the film, and the type of scene that will possibly be used to pull an audience, and that this sort of scene is shown again and again in the film, and that there is little to no more to it then that - the image sums up the film in a nutshell (i.e., duels, swords, villains in cool costumes, fire, explosions, all action and little sense, etc).
Therefore, a common theme seen throughout Empire Magazine is that the images that they use tend to either A) sum up the entire film in one singular image, possibly acting as a signifier to audiences that this is the type of thing they will see in the film and that they can make their choice on seeing the film based on this image, or B) as a complement to the first, they do it to point out the very best of the film, and a key audience attractor, and to possibly want to get audiences to see the film because of this amazing image and the effect that it had on their review.

District 9, Magazine Article Review, Empire, Oct 2009

2009-09-27T03:35:00.001-07:00

Language

1) The article begins with cynical tone, addressing the fact that aliens have been used several times in film. The reviewer than goes through a list of the different types of aliens we have encountered in film. This is presented to us not very seriously, in fact almost comedic and playful. There is use of contrasting language, "Cute ones..." "...Nasty bastards..." The use of vulgarity infers that the reviewer possibly doesn't take the review itself very seriously, almost trying to ease the reader in, taking to them at a one to one level, rather than using journalist jargon to alienate the reader.
2) The reviewer than goes onto point out the unoriginality in the film, with its' constant references to other sci-fi films that the film features. For example - "Human metamorphosing into something more than human? Why, hello there, The Fly." This is, again, very playful, funny language, as it points out the faults and unoriginality of the film first and foremost, possibly to allow room for good points of the film and its' positive attributes.
3) The tone of the review than changes from one of cynicism and scrutiny, to one of possibly genuine respect and admiration for the film: "It's a genuinely exciting and surprisingly affecting thriller..." This entices us, by implying that, if the film, whilst being unoriginal, can still have the power to affect us in this way, it is possibly so that we may A) want to continue to read the review, in order to gain the reviewer's own expert opinion into the film and B) be so convinced by the reviewer's words that we are interested in seeing the film for ourselves, to make our own judgement.
4) The reviewer seems to have respect for the filmmaker's convictions during the making of the film, which is evident in this sentence: "The astounding...special effects aren't dwelled upon...this isn't just a fantastical sci-fi pic...this is real..." Almost trying to imply that this film, because of its' non-grandiose, rough, documentary like style, is setting itself apart from the usual run of sci-fi films we are bombarded with these days, and and that, despite its constant reference to sci-fi films past, that is immaterial because of the way the filmmakers have executed the film. Also, later on in the review, the reviewer makes the point of saying that the film cost $30 mil dollars and that it still looks stunning, and goes on to poke fun at how filmmakers such as Michael Bay "have dreams that cost more than $30 mil," therefore ridiculing the current trend of plying sci-fi (or any big, mainstream film, for that matter) with ridiculous sums of cash that generate great style and visual effects but little substance, which in-turn implies that District 9 again sets itself apart from the usual run of sci-fi films in that it looks fantastic and has a wonderful, deep meaning to it as well.
5) Goes further into detail about the actual plot of the film, pointing out a weak point of the film ("The aliens...clearly operate as an allegory...[one so clear] it might as well be wrapped in cling film,"), but which is than made up for by a description of what the reviewer calls "some of the best...extra terrestrials..." The reviewer's description complements the full page close up of the alien seen on the opposing page: "...Non humanoid...Clicking monstrosities...Can rip a man's head-off in a heartbeat..." The close up seen on the opposing page clearly matches up to the reviewer's description, and so possibly they may be implying that the filmmakers, through their use of special effects and their presentation of the alien creatures in this way, have coaxed the desired effect out of audience members and that their use of special effects was very well used.
6) After giving us a very thorough deconstruction of the film's positive points (such as the film's main character "shying away the easy, traditional path of the reluctant hero," and "the action...is absolutely stunning,") the reviewer than deconstructs the film's negative points, by calling it "hugely enjoyable but flawed," that "there are gaping plotholes...which (come to you) several hours later...and just won't leave," and that "the illusion that the movie is a documentary is dropped around the 25 minute mark...only to be reintroduced arbitrarily at intervals...becomes jarring and removes us from the...action." This is key in that this gives us a two-sided review/opinion, giving us both the negatives and the positives of the film, and not drooling incessantly over the film whilst not pointing out any bad points. This implies a high sense of professionalism and non-partiality, and that the reviewer, while it is evident that he enjoyed the film, remembers that he is, first and foremost, a film critic, and that he is being paid to do this job, and that he must follow it through to the best of his abilities.

Layout

1) There is lots of use of black, orange and maroon, though this is not done to stay in keeping with motifs seen during the film being reviewed, but rather a motif seen through the magazine (i.e., all of the films reviewed in the magazine, even District 9, which is the main review article, use the same black, orange and maroon colour scheme).
2) A marker (dated from "August 28-October 1) is seen jutting out at a canted angle from a black and orange banner above it reading "In Cinemas." This implies a very cool, laidback feel, and that these reviews are as much aimed at the general movie-going everyman than they are at the film connoisseur.
3) The review itself is presented through the use of columns, three long columns on every page that the review is seen on (Page 50, 52). The columns hold no more than 7 words on every line, and are in very small font size. In keeping with a traditional magazine/newspaper/journalistic discipline. Also, its' length. This is the main film review of this particular issue, and so it is expected that this will be the longest and most thoroughly reviewed film as this is the film out at the moment with the most hype and the most draw at the box-office. Almost satisfying a need within the eager readers/audience to find out as much of the film as possible before heading off to see it.
4) On page 52, there is a key quote from the review (paraphrased): "The action is stunning...electrical blasts splatter villains all over the lens..." The quote is much bigger than the review from which it comes from, and this instantly catches our eye and makes us want to A) be more excited and tempted by the film and B) read the quote in context, to see what overall effect it has on us as readers.
5) A small text box on the bottom right hand corner of the image of the alien, giving us trivial facts about alien films past and the making of the film. In keeping with the style of humour of the review, the constant harking back to alien films past (i.e., reference to 1982, the release date of Spielberg’s E.T. as being “the year the aliens first came to Earth,”) and where inspiration for the film and its' alien creatures came from.

Images

1) A full page close up shot of one of the main alien creatures seen within the film, which is eye-catching, grotesque, oddly beautiful in its own way, and evident of the wonderful special effects seen in the film, can be used as a comparison to the reviewer's description of the alien creatures in his review. Also, the idea that this is a full page close up almost implies that this is the key
example of the special effects depicted within the film, and that this is what the budget (which, for a sci-fi film is, as the reviewer admits, very modest) was used for, and possibly, to great effect/results.
2) A shot from the film which takes up about one third of the page. It is a shot of two MNU (the army seen in the film) attempting to kill one of the alien creatures. Again, it is very eye-catching and grotesque and evidence of the special effects seen in the film. Also, the caption "Ohhhhh, okey-cokey-cokey," is very funny and amusing and, whilst being a slight jibe at the film, is in keeping with the tone of the review (playful, comedic, etc.)

Mean Streets (Poster)

2009-09-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

The poster is presented to us purely by way of graphics. The poster boasts an illustrated skyline, with uses of grey and black, to possibly highlight a lowdown and grim feel about the film. Various locales all over an unnamed city (such as rooftops, apartment windows, alleyways, etc) are all depicted in solid grey. Toward the top right hand side of the poster is a gun, possibly acting as a building, with smoke floating out of the muzzle, possibly trying to act as the building’s chimney. The use of the gun being presented to us as a stand-in for a building perhaps infers that violence is integrated into the everyday lives of the people and the places in and around these “mean streets,” and that this film is a very violent and confrontational one. Also, the use of solid black for the gun helps to make it stand out and catch our eye, and it could be argued that the gun, despite all of the other graphics shown, is the primary focus of the poster. Moving further with the use of the gun, it could be argued that it has been used to connote phallic imagery, and that this is very much a male orientated film and story, and which features masculine and violent characters, “men’s men,” in a way. The red of the title is the only strong use of bright colour featured in the poster. The way the title is presented (to the far right, toward the bottom of the poster) is very stylistic and flashy, almost giving the impression that the letters are bleeding into one another, which is a very eye-catching way of presenting the film’s title. The poster is presented to us as a sort of framed photo or painting (which is indicated via frame borders on all four corners of the poster). This may imply that the film, as well as the poster, is a picturesque, and also very personal, portrayal of urban gangster life.
The poster, whilst being very ambiguous (evident in that next to nothing about the actual content is revealed through use of photographs), is also extremely intriguing. By withholding each frame of film and letting nothing certain slip from the film, this draws us in, persuading us and making us want to watch the film just to see if it is just as effective, fierce and aggressive as the poster makes it out to be.
I very much liked the poster, as it drew my attention to the film almost immediately. It is very much like several film posters scene throughout the late sixties, early seventies, which gave as much information as it withheld. It is extremely well made, thought provoking and interesting.

Poster Analysis- 'The History Boys'

2009-09-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here we see a poster made for the film 'History Boys,' which depicts a group of young teenage boys with a old fashioned looking teacher. What makes this poster effective is that it is possible for the viewer to identify the different group dynamics by looking at how the boys are placed. The boy character that is placed in the front with a old teacher can be viewed as being separated from the rest, like he is at the top of the class. In addition his uniform is correctly worn, denoting that he is again a good student and his stance is that of a confident character, suggesting that he does not feel isolated from the other boys. The group itself can be considered as a stereotype as each character in the group is given his own individual personality and this is reflected through how they wear their uniform, given some take a more relaxed approach and others look smarter.
We can see particular male character place in the centre of the boys and he gives off a cool, smart and cocky persona and gives the indication that he is a main character. His positioning gives him high status as they appears to be two other boys surrounding him almost like sidekicks giving the film a very juvenile feel.

This is contrasted with the large archetypal building in the background which is very formal and old fashioned. The building associates with such high standing schools as Oxford, so therefore the viewer may feel that the boys appearance highly differs with the schools, may be trying to break away from the stereotype view that life is boring and dull in such schools. The bold green font used connotes to the viewer that the film will be humours and the caption at the bottom again gives suggestion that the film doesn't take itself to seriously - "History is just one bloody thing after another." The poster also conforms to the conventions of poster layouts because it is very easy to determine who the main characters are (for example, the boys are all dressed in a similar fashion to one another, connoting a sense of collective identity, and they are positioned in the foreground of the school building, which is in the background, therefore connoting a sense of academia. Also, the teacher standing to the right, while he is dressed in different colours from the boys, it is obvious that they are taught by him considering that he is in close proximity towards them, almost connoting a sense of responsibility and a father-like role). In terms of sexuality it can be said that the film embraces masculinity and could be suggested that the building represents phallic symbols and due to the lack of women highlights the view that men embody/make up history. Finally due the age of the boys it is self-evident that the film has been predominately aimed at teenagers, as the ages of the boys are similar to the target audience.

Pretty Woman Poster

2009-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

The poster for the film 'Pretty Woman' sees two very contrasting characters in that their are portrayed as total opposites of the social spectrum due to their costumes. The image of the woman's costume presents her as being sexualised and provocative, her mini skirt and her long shiny black boots gives the impression that she is promiscuous or may even a prostitute. She is prsented as a fun, carefree character evident in her smile, however because she is showing a lot of skin this could be connte that she is sexual character. The poster could be also playing to sterotypes of young women being party girls and being sexuality active, however this also could suggest that she is of low social standing becouse her costume can be viewed as tacky and unsophisticated again giving the suggestion that she is of low socital positioning . Her character is very much feminised, evident becouse she is wearing pink which is often seen as a feminine colour in addition to the jewelry she wears and her high heel boots. it is evident that she is being highlighted the most of the two characters and the use of the colour pink being used in her costume and the title, reflects this connotation.
In polarized difference the male character's persona presents him in a suit and tie, immediately denoting that he is some sort of business man. His costume also tells us that he is educated highly and is well groomed and it is also implyed through costume that he is a gentleman. In terms of social positioning it is suggested that he is of high standing and stereotypically such characters would not be compatible because they come from two very different world and this is all conveyed to the viewer through the use of custom. We see the female character pulling his tie maybe to imply that she is trying to bring him out of his sensible and ordered life that is again supported as we see him leaning on her again showing that she is going to have a major impact on his life and thinking. The way the poster presents the two characters as placed back to back suggests that there may be a clash of personalities due to their varied backgrounds. In terms of the white background which has connotations of being pure and peaceful are thrown of
balance with her bright pink which again could symbolise that this imposition personifies her character. In terms of conforming to the conventions of posters, this poster is effective in utilising taglines to reinforce and dramatise the genre of the film, in addition to its storyline. Also, the use of the two leading actors/characters could have been used in order for it to act as a 'selling point' for the film, due to the fact that both Julia Roberts and Richard Gere were both very popular actors at the time, and therefore, using them on the poster can draw in a larger audience.

Nicole kidman Chanel/Brand Identity

2009-09-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

The extract opens with a male character sitting on a Chanel sign with non-diegetic sound playing in the background as he begins to narrate the story. He is framed on the right making him seem isolated and missing something. The camera switchs to a tall building which arguably is the empire state building with the iconic 'chanel' logo at the top of it. This is important in terms of brand identity as at such an early start of the film the address are already being given indirect hints to aim of the short film. In extension it could be said that placing the logo at the top of such a tall phallic building again to highlight and indirectly advertise their brand.
Brand identity aims its advertising at a particular audience as seen in our extract that they have used different ways of doing this. The extract uses very romantic non-diegetic sound to set the scene in addition to the slow motion cuts and uses a lot of out of synch camera shots to represent the confusion and isolation she feels. In order to make Chanel recogniseable they feminize the extract, using long pink customes on the female character and still having the iconic Chanel logo in the background. Dissolves and fades are ever present, and this may suggest that the relationship the male and female characters have is not solid, it is almost like they are dreaming important as they can not be together. Also Chanel uses such a recogniseable actress in order to promote their brand as fans will see her being associated with the brand and will be more inclined to buy the product.
Using Chanel as a link between the two lovers is seen thoughout the extract giving the viewer the impression that chanel equals love. The non-diegetic sound is very important in adding to the feeling of love and at the same time it sounds sad as they can not be together. The ending dialogue acts as a final selling ponit and it concludes that love can be found when using Chanel. "Her kiss, her smile, her perfume..."

Occupied

2009-09-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

The film sequence begins with a female character entering an airplane toilet. We then see a close up shot of the sign 'occupied' along with a loud locking sound, placing high emphasis on the idea that she wants privacy. With the door locked the viewer immediately hears non-diegetic sound. This conntes strategic actions and gives the impression that her next actions are premeditated. The quick cuts and fast paced sound all add to the fast pace feel to the film. We then see her remove, what initially looks like a burger out of her top only to reveal a hidden blade and card. This makes the viewer think that she has sinister plans. A high angle shot is used in showing her open a compartment in which electricals are found and cutting through a wire this shot estabishes that she has hidden motives giving the extract a 'James Bond' style feel of espionage. A close up of her undoing her top is shown, and this immediately gives us sexual connotations and is an example of her using her sexuality to fulfill her goal (this can be argued due to her withdrawing a image detailing the structure of the toilet). The film extract does not present her as comforming to the stereotypical view that women cannot carry out highly complex tasks. The extract, in fact, subverts this and makes her sexuality part of her strengths as seen when we see another close up shot of her legs and a hidden object strapped to her leg. The extract subverts every trace of femininity being a form of hindrance to the task she is doing and presents it as an advantage to her, from her bra, legs, shoes, lipstick and pants all are used to aid her goal. However her femininty is always present through her clothes and the fact that a mirror shot is often used maybe to again suggest an element of vainess, in addition to the difficulty she finds in pressing and object into shape. She seals the vents with tape then reaches for the ligher, the viewer now understands that all she wanted was to smoke as she lights the cigarette and relaxes now she can smoke.

Pound

2009-09-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

As the film begins, we see that the title of the film has been presented to us in the form of graffiti which has been spray painted on the floor. This, possibly, innovative style of displaying the title of the film helps to stay in keeping with the subject matter, style and tone of the film, and helps to give off a very laidback and ‘cool,’ feel.
The film begins with the camera tracking alongside a young man dressed in a green stripped shirt and jeans. This young man is Mike. The filmmakers decision to dress Mike in such a way maybe to connote an urban feel about him, and that he is in an urban area, and has had an upbringing very much of the City. Also, the decision to open the film with a tracking shot of him may be to infer that he is the main character of the piece, and that the events shown in the film are going to be told from his perspective.
In addition to Mike’s urban attire, the filmmakers have also added a repetitive hip-hop beat, which is playing very clearly in the background and is playing at a constant and consistent level. The use of the beat helps to further establish the urban scene, mood and character of the piece. The beat sounds very new and modern, and as such, it helps to create verisimilitude (i.e., this music is not dissimilar to the type of music most youths listen to in this day and age).
The filmmakers then show our two leading characters, Mike and Dante, meeting outside an urban coffee shop. In addition to Mike’s aforementioned urban attire, Dante is presented by the filmmakers as being dressed in a blue tracksuit and baseball cap. This, again, is a very urban way of dressing, and it is also very ‘cool,’ and stylish. Therefore, the decision to dress Dante in this way may have been utilised by the filmmakers to not only further establish the sense of urban mood and character, but also possibly to perpetuate a stereotype amongst today’s youth as wanting to be dressed in the very best of clothes.
There then follows an exchange of dialogue, with the two characters greeting each other, both addressing each other with “What’s up, man?” This is a very informal way of two friends greeting with one another, and this may have been utilised to, again, help to reinforce a sense of urban verisimilitude.
Following this is an uninterrupted take of their greeting. They are both positioned in the centre of the screen (possibly to imply that these characters and their actions which we are now seeing are central to the overall effect of the piece). The uninterrupted take lends to the endless feel of their greeting. It incorporates such moves as fist and elbow bumps, high fives, feet stomps, etc, which all come across as highly choreograph and balletic; almost a dance in and of itself. This greeting adds to the urban feel of the piece, though it is heightened and exaggerated (and perhaps intentionally so, possibly wanting to become a parody of urban life/youth). Also, the idea of both characters swapping hats during the greeting helps to add a sense of camaraderie and friendship between them.
The two characters exchange dialogue, which is presented by the filmmakers under strict adherence of the 180 degree rule; “What’s up, man?” “Nuthin’, what’s up with you, man?” “Nothin’” “A’ite...” Following the dialogue break, the two characters then descend back into their greeting (which is now a farewell), complete with the same moves as before. This adds to the humour of the piece, and is once again an interrupted, seemingly endless take.
The two characters take leave of one another, and the camera tracks alongside Mike once again, and as he turns a corner into another street (presented as a match on action), he spots another friend, called Dean, dressed in all black urban attire, leaning up against a car, reading a magazine. When Mike turns the corner, they spot each other and call out each other’s names. This establishes repetition, as the use of shots and dialogue is very similar to what we have just been shown between Mike and Dante.
The filmmakers then present Mike and Dean meeting in the centre of the screen, and as they are about to go into their routine, there is a cut to credits, though we do hear the sounds of their greeting (such as the sound of the high fives and the feet stomps) superimposed over the credits, therefore giving us no doubt that what we have just seen between Mike and Dante is happening once again.
I enjoyed this film. I thought it was very humorous and light hearted and good natured, and though it did not have a serious point to make, it was effective as a parody of urban life.

Blood and Chips

2009-09-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

The film extract opens with establishing shots of a cafe setting along with light hearted non-diegetic sound creating verisimilitude and a realistic atmosphere. The next shot shows a close up of some pies and an out of focus shot of a weary worker expressing the feeling of fatigue. The next shot of chips being thrown into the deep fryer highlights the heat intensity and may act as representation of the atmosphere as being hot and intense. This may also be used as a form of foreshadowing events to come. Again shots of other characters in the cafe suffering from what seems to be humidity, particularly a black man who we get a close up of and as he exits the feeling that something underlining is going to happen is comfirmed when he accidently bumps into a white character and receives hostility, again foreshadowing that something bad may happen. When we first see the white male character he is a rude and disrespectful character as he addresses the cafe worker without any form of politeness. The second indication that the white character brings negativity to the atmosphere is the manner in which the paid for the chips by rudely throwing the money on the table showing a disregard of manners or respect for the worker. His costume conntes that he is a cock sure type of character and doesn't associate himself with the rest of the characters seen in the type of hat he wears despite it being humid in the cafe. The camera switches to two young children shouting and arguing and typically intense situations over lapping conversations add to the build up in a tense atmosphere. The Children go quiet after being told to 'shut the fuck up' by another character who seems to be of low social economic class due to the vest he is wearing, his quite rugged facial features and his reading 'The Sun' newspaper which is often often aimed and associated with working class people. The white character takes this as an opportunity to vent the anger he'd been feeling, with shots of him scrunching cigarette express this feeling. The camera gives us extreme close up shots of his eyes surveying the cafe's Chinese clocks and figures and again the camera switches back to chips being thrown in the fryer, all of which connote and indicate the emotion and feeling the white character is having. The shots of him surverying the Chinese figures starts to show that racial tensions are coming to a head, and this is again confirmed when he believes that he can share his racist views with the other white male character, due to the fact that he described the two childern as 'animals'. 'This should be a britsh business' is again reflective of his racial discrimination, even dispite of the fact the Chinese worker spoken in a britsh accent ("opened or wrapped mate"), he disregards this. The film makers focuses on using close up shots to present the bad feeling between the white character and the two childern, close up shots of his eye looking at their dark features shows his dislike. Then again a close up of him cleaning the sweat off his throat, throughout the extract the film makers concentrate on build-up using small connotations in order to give a complete picture at the end. The camera then uses a shallow depth of focus on the childern fighting and a close up of his venting his anger of black people and presenting him as being powerful in the extract. References to blacks being 'monkeys' gives a stereotypical view of racist beliefs, the face of the other white character smiles however sarcastically. Then the view sees a shift in power as the two childern talk to the white man and call him 'dad'. Again a close up of the racist character is seen to highlight his stupidity as he comes to the realisation that he had been talking to their father the whole time. Shot reverse shots of the two white men looking at each other shows the fear that the racist man feel and the shows the disgust that the other man feels. The racist character is now protrayed as weak as the childern say good bye to the Chinese worker 'Albert,' a predominately English name and all speak in cockney maybe used to highlight how English they are and shows their togetherness. The racist character just looks at the white man and the Chinese woker helplessly, then attempts to run out of the chip shop however ironically he bumps into the same black character again, however again to show the shift in power he apologizes then runs out as quick as he can. The film maker cleverly use the location of a chip shop which again has Britsh connotations to create irony and to create a place which a able to be stereotypically subverted and is also a neutral public place so the issues being raised can be highlighted to great effect.

The Black Hole

2009-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

The film begins with an iris out revealing a desolate office, presumably sometime at night. The camera travels past a cluttered desk over to a medium close up of a man, standing by a photocopier, looking dejected and tired. The colour scheme of the film features heavy use of grey and black. This could possibly be to convey a sense of how the man is feeling – he is extremely bored, exhausted, wants to be anywhere but at work, etc.
The beeping of the copy button is the only sound heard, and it is heard at a very loud volume. It may have been presented to us in this way so that it may add to the irritation of the man not being able to work it properly and to make us feel sympathetic to his plight.
A piece of paper with a large black hole printed on it is shown sliding out on to the printing cradle from a high angle. As the paper with the black hole on it slides out on to the cradle, the shot slows down somewhat, possibly to add emphasis on and draw the audience’s attention to the piece of paper – this is the black hole of the title, and something odd and eerie may be about to happen.
There is a close up of the man’s face, which is filled with confusion and alarm. The filmmakers may be trying to convey, through the character of the man, what they possibly want the audience to be feeling, and that they are following the events with the man and seeing them unfold with him.
The use of camera shots and sound become more bizarre and elaborate after the man is shown dropping a coffee cup through the black hole. The man is shown peering over the black hole, looking down at us from the black hole’s point of view. This possibly presents a shift in power – the black hole, in some way, is in charge here, and it is slowly drawing the man in, possibly leading him to meet a dire end. There is also a low, ominous drone which accompanies the black hole. This adds emphasis to the idea that there is something not quiet right about the black hole’s existence.
The drone of the black hole becomes heightened and more apparent as the man puts his arm through it to retrieve the cup. The drone may have been utilisied by the filmmakers in order for it to act as a form of dialogue, saying more about the weird and abnormal nature of the black hole better than any other sound could or would.
The man is then presented as taking the black hole over to a vending machine and using it to steal a bar of chocolate. This is a key character change in that the filmmakers now establish the man’s greed and glutinous nature and sets up the events which are about to ensue. The decision by the filmmakers to show the man in this light is possibly to pose the question to us, as viewers, if we would do the same if we had an object of power such as this, and if we would, would we do more?
There is a tight close up of the man as he stares greedily and covetously at a door reading “Keep Out.” This further makes his greedy nature apparent, and also perhaps infers the idea that a terrible and awful occurrence is about to take place.
A medium close up follows of the man shown entering the room, turning the lights on (which flicker, ominously, giving out an eerie, strange, and truly bad feeling to the audience) and sticking the black hole over the door of a safe which is locked inside the room. The man is then portrayed as looking about him suspiciously, possibly paranoid that he is being watched. This, again, indicates his greedy nature, and also the idea that there is some guilt in him over what he is about to do.
The man is then shown to take out bundles of cash from out of the safe, via the black hole. These actions are shown in a repetitive pattern, with a shot of the money followed by a medium close up of the man's face, brimming with guilty delight. This repetitive pattern possibly heightens the character's sense of greed and his hunger for this money building with each successive shot. Also, throughout this scene, the drone of the black hole becomes increasingly creepy and apparent in the scene, which helps to add to the disturbing atmosphere of the piece.
The man is then shown, through a single tight shot, crawling through the black hole, in to the safe, wanting the last of the money. The filmmakers show his crawling in an uninterrupted take, presenting to us the full extent of his greed and where his endeavours are about to take him.
The paper with the black hole printed on it then falls, keeping the man seemingly trapped in the safe for good. The camera begins to pull back away from the safe, until it is at a fair distance from it. The sound of the man tapping on the door from the inside, along with the beeping of the copy machine, fuse together to create one final burst of sound before cutting to black, cutting to an unending black hole, in a way. The camera pulling back could possibly be so that the audience finally understand the full weight of what has happened to the man and that we can no longer be a part of it.
The film, which has a very surreal feel to it, comes full circle with the ending. It ends in the only way it could, that is with the destruction of man as a result of his curiosity. The film left me feeling very impressed, as it managed to convey a very serious message about the greedy nature of man in only a couple of minutes and still managed to be extremely effective at the same time.

The Big Shave, Martin Scorsese, 1967

2009-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

Fading in from white, Scorsese begins his film by presenting us with several shots of various appliances and objects situated in and around a common family bathroom, such as water faucets, a sink, a shower head, etc. These shots are edited together in time with Bunny Berigan’s seminal jazz hit “I Can’t Get Started (With You).” This song, which is grand, booming and grandiose in its’ nature, serves almost as a stark contrast to the boring, bland and banal images which we are seeing. The music and the visuals simply do not match. There is a strangeness and an oddness here. Scorsese, through the use of the visuals and the music, could be inferring that something bizarre is about to unfold.
The music then builds in tempo as we see a young man, dressed in a white vest, enter the bathroom. He is shown to be yawning and scratching his hair. Scorsese, through establishing this unnamed character, along with the images of the bathroom, may be trying to establish verisimilitude, and to give the events depicted as realistic and random a sense as possible.
The young man is then shown taking off his vest. This action is repeated three times, each time from a different angle. This use of repetition may be Scorsese attempting to draw our attention, and trying to imply that the taking off of the vest is key, and that something is going to happen as a result of this (perhaps the big shave of the title?)
The young man is then shown applying shaving foam. This action is presented through use of regular cuts and shots, with no emphasis being given by Scorsese. It could be interpreted as Scorsese wanting to maintain the sense of verisimilitude he has so far established, and that this is just a random, boring occurrence which happens every morning.
Scorsese then presents us with close ups of the specific parts of the young man’s face which he is shaving, for instance his cheeks or his chin. There are also cutaways to the young man putting the razor underneath the tap to clean it off. This is done with emphasis, as it is also edited in time with Berigan’s music. Scorsese, possibly, is attempting to draw us into what he is doing, and possibly give us a clue as to the consequence of his actions.
We then cut to an extreme close up of the young man looking into a mirror. Only the top half of his face is seen. We can see that he is moving about and possibly touching his face, but we do not know why. We then see he is applying more shaving cream. The desired effect here may be to create confusion – we cannot comprehend why anyone would want to shave straight after they just have done. This starts becoming more and more confusing and surreal and the music itself, by just being included in the film becomes more and more unnerving.
We are then presented with more close ups of the specific parts of his face that he is shaving. When he reaches his moustache, the camera pulls back and we see a very thick and long line of blood on the right side of his face, underneath his ear. By Scorsese employing this “big reveal,” he may be trying to set the wheels in motion and imply that the big shave of the title is about to be seen.
We are then presented with a close up of the young man's face in profile followed by a pull back which reveals more bloody nicks and cuts. His face appears almost to be overcome with these cuts, and that the red of the blood is slowly replacing the white of the shaving foam (perhaps Scorsese trying to convey the idea of purity verses violence, a theme prevalent throughout his entire body of work?)
The idea of purity versus violence is emphasised by continuous cutaways to the sink over which the young man stands. The pristine white of the sink is slowly beset with a flood of scarlet red blood. This unnerves us. The viewers cannot understand why he is doing this to himself. The violence, the infliction of pain upon himself is mindless and senseless. We cannot, as viewers, possibly comprehend why he is doing this to himself, but maybe it is in the meaninglessness and the pointlessness of the violence where the meaning and the point of what Scorsese is presenting to us can be located.
With the onslaught of violence and self-harm seen throughout the course of the film, it could be argued that Scorsese, by building verisimilitude, through the bland, boring, pristine white bathroom and the young man going about his (seemingly) daily routine is, as the film goes on, and as more blood is spilt, he seeks to destroy it. Perhaps Scorsese wished to blindside us - we could not expect this to happen, and so when it does, it is all the more shocking.
The film ends with the young man running the blade of the razor against the neck, essentially slitting his throat. This happens at a point where both the music and the violence on screen reaches its' crescendo. Scorsese could have used the music for a number of reasons. A) as a framing device - the film starts and ends exactly when the song does, and so the events seen in the film, the way they are edited, and the way they are presented, are almost constructed using the song as a guideline. B) as a way of establishing black humour. The nature of the song, verses the nature of what is seen on screen, compliment each other in such a way that it, rather than making us enjoy the piece, it makes us recoil in disgust, and the song could have been used by Scorsese to make the impact of the piece all the more shocking.
The film, which has no plot to speak of, is surreal in its' narrative, due to the events seen on screen, but not surreal in the sense where the events seen are over exaggerated. Scorsese employs camera shots and editing techniques which, while being to the point and matter of fact, also give us humour, humour in the darkness of what it seen on screen.
The film left me feeling raw, bitter, confused and shocked. It felt almost as if the violence was shown just because Scorsese wanted to experiment and create “the bloodbath to end all bloodbaths.” However, the more I read into the making of the film, and the circumstances and context which surrounded it (i.e., the Vietnam War), the more it seemed that, when taken as an anti-war film, “The Big Shave,” is very well constructed and extremely effective, and, perhaps, a perfect example of how we as humans are capable of complete destruction (to ourselves, most of all) for no other reason other than we have the power to do so.