UWE - Filmmaking and Creative Media (BA)

Ridley Scott Auteur Profile

• Stunning visuals - He personally sketches most of his own storyboards
• Strong female characters
• Being the actors' director that he is, Scott favors extensive use of the two-camera 'V' set-up, thus enabling his actors to play more fluidly off one another without being constantly interrupted by calls to "Cut!".
• Frequently uses music by Hans Zimmer
• Begins most films with an info card sequence/montage
• Frequently casts Russell Crowe
• Usually incorporates snapshot photography into edited sequences
• Usually casts / works with actors who have a strong theatre background and are graduates of drama school. He likes to be personally involved with the casting of his movies as well
• Is the father of "director's cut"
• Owns the visual effects company Mill Film, based in London. They did the majority of the effects work on Gladiator
• Owns Shepperton Studios in the UK with his brother Tony Scott
• He cast his partner in life, Giannina Facio, in all of his films since Gladiator
• Coming from an army and fine arts background, he is an inveterate stickler for detail...... Sigourney Weaver to complain that he cared more about his props and sets than he did about his cast.

Francis Ford Coppola Auteur Profile

·         Frequently casts Robert Duvall, the late John Cazale, Nicolas Cage, Diane Keaton, Matt Dillon, Harrison Ford, Laurence Fishburne and Marlon Brando.

·         Often works with cinematographer Gordon Willis and producers Fred Roos and Gray Frederickson.

·         Includes the original author's name in the title of his adaptations (i.e., Mario Puzo's The Godfather (1972), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)).

·         Often casts his own real-life extended family members in his films. In the case of the Godfather films, their characters' relationships to "Michael Corleone" often paralleled their real-life relationship to Coppola.

·         He is among an elite group of seven directors who have won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay

·         He, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg presented Martin Scorsese with his first ever Oscar for Best Director for The Departed (2006). All four directors were part of the "New Hollywood" movement in the 60s and 70s.

·         He and George Lucas founded the studio ‘American Zoetrope’

Gender Representation - Film 18/03

·         Gender

o   Male/Masculinity

o   Female/Femininity

·         Propp’s character archetypes – do they apply?

·         Strauss – Binary opposites – (Masculinity against femininity, Females exhibiting male traits, Vice versa)

·         Uses and Gratifications model:

o   To affirm cultural and moral values

o   To witness beauty

o   Sexual experience

o   Identifying with others and gaining a sense of belonging – there’s always a character that the audience can identify with

·         Mulvey

o   ‘Women have learnt to see themselves as being looked at’

o   ‘Men act, woman appear’

o   Men see film through the male gaze and so do women’

·         Todorov’s theory is generally gender neutral

·         Mise-en-scene – costume, lighting, composition of shot, location/setting

·         Language used – interaction between characters

·         Stereotypes – applications – conform or go against stereotype

·         Genre conventions applied (i.e females as victim in horror)

·         Audience positioning

o   Do they manoeuvre the audience for a preferred/dominated reading – so audiences enjoy

§  Can also apply negotiated or oppositional reading

o   What is the film makers intended message? How do the audience read it

·         Ideology – in terms of both themes and characters

Film industry Regulation 15/03

• BBFC (British Board of Film Classification)
• MPAA (Motion Picture Asscoiation of America)
• Censorship - shared ideologies on what should be regulated for certain ages
• Self-regulation - to target audience/wider audience
• Copyright -  a set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work
• FACT (Federation Against Copyright Theft) - a trade organisation in the UK established to represent the interests of the its members in the film and broadcasting business on copyright and trademark issues

Auteur Theory

• French word for Author
• Relates to the Director
• The theory that a  Director is able to leave their own impression on the film
• Director leaves traits which are recognisable
• Genre (s)
• Studio vs Independent - are they affiliated with certain Studios
• Talent - actors, crew, writers, producers, editors, Director of Photography (DOP), production designers (costume, props, sets), casting agencies
• Style - Narrative/Storytelling, visual style/aesthetics, music/soundtrack

Convenience and Neccessity - Text: 'Road Hog, Morrisons'

Students to apply knowledge and understaning of gender representation in supermarket advertising.

Representations of masculinity:

• '100 % British Beef' - Richard Hammond as sex symbol
• Domestication of British men - are there more stay at home men/father during the credit crunch
• Hammond is very particular about standard of service - highlighting supermarket quality
• Female shopper is irritated by Hammond's 'driving'
• Reference to Top Gear
• Does this suggest a switch in roles
• Patriotic - British band, Union Jack, repeats word 'British' - implies that buying this 100% British Beef is going back into the economy
• Repetition and difference (male protagonist) - reflects modern society; lots of men made redundant because of the recession
• Still can target same audience (Mum's, middle aged women) 
• Take That
• Hammond - appeals to wider audience as they can relate to a normal/average person (not aspirational like Chanel). Typical family man (wedding shot clearly in shot at start) - 'catch' for middle aged women. Still masculine becuase of activities he's doing while telling us (farming, plane driving, bull-run) and also his profession - presents Top Gear
• Targets men
• Interaction with other masculine men and every other is a female - place to pick up women
• Man of the house - decisive, in charge of budgeting

How films target their audience

• Genre conventions
• Repetition and difference
• Choice of actors/film makers
• Content - Narrative, Represeantation
• Promotional material - trailer, poster, previews, TV spots, music

Dracula - Horror

• Dark mise-en-scene
• Heroes/Villains
• Gothic/Cult theme
• Rural/Isolated setting
• Religion, superstition symbolism
• Scary
• Score/music/foley work
• Gore/blood
• Suspense
• Lack of authority
• Anarchism

Sunshine - Sci-fi

• Space, astronauts
• Technology
• Blue
• Masculine
• Sustained threat
• ET life
• Propp archatypes
• Unity
• Sacrifice
• Close shave/last shot
• Race against time

American Gangster - Gangster

• Drugs, weapons, money, cars, sex, politics
• Gang culture
• Violence
• Crime boss
• Corruption, temptation, greed
• Masculine
• Power - who's got, who wants it  - "What do all men with power want? More power"
• Rival gangs
• Family values
• Costume
• Status
• Music/Soundtrack

Hollywood

• Not just a place, but an industry
• Genre - creates mainstream films
• Started in 1910s
• Up until 1960s a certain crew and cast would be hired for 5 years in which to create 5 films
• French new wave (40s - 60s) - developed lighter technology (handheld) - entered into mainstream
• 'Major' studios
• Universal
• Paramount
• 20th Century Fox
• MGM
• Warner Bros
• Disney - Pixar
• Independent studios
• Similar to Premier League top 4 - the other teams have a chance at glory, but generally it's the same studios
• Problems with British Film Industry - Can't afford to promote movie; so sell rights to American studios - who make all the money 

Key Chanel Revision Points

• Mulvey's Theory
• How time has changed the theory
• How the male gaze has been twisted to sell prieviously feminine products to men
• Television advertising and sex role stereotypes suggests women are living in a patriarchial society
• How womens aims and perceptions of them have changed over time and how this is relevant adverising
• Branding associated certain meaning with products which seeks to establish the products USP
• Branding involves trying to persuade customers of a products quality prior to purchase - reputation and percieved quality is crucial 
• Perfume branding relies alot on intertextual references
• Similar rules apply for male products - what men want to be like and what women want 

Represntation: Femininity

Paul Messaris:
Visual persuasion - The role of images in advertising (1997)
"Treat the lens as a substitute for an eye of an ordinary male onlooker"

What does Messaris mean?

• Implying that ads portray what men like and what women want to be like
• How women want men to see them (desire)
• Ads intend to make women watch through male POV
• What men see as desirable, influences the female consumer
• Male preferences condition the way we look at eachother and themselves

9 out of 10 women are unhappy with their image
The idealistic woman is demonstrated as normal through the media (particularly advertising)

Chanel and representations of gender

• Representation of sexual nature - male audience would want their girlfriends to look like this
• Classy sophisticated and pale skinned; have Chanel ever used a black poster girl? 
• Not too made up (Not Jordan) - more naturalistic
• Powerful image - dominant over men, yet men still get a kick out of it
• Successful, money and wealth - desirable, target audience
• Main themes: Elegent, Powerful, Feminine, Wealth

Celebrity endorsement and Star power - choice of Keira Knightley

• Her film roles - strongly linked to atonement - elegence, wealth and sophistication
• Appeal to men, but not so explicit that woman can't identify with her
• Soft lighting creates an air of sexuality/lust
• Costume suggest she's just had sex and also Britishness (Bowler hat and white shirt)
• Eye line match - where Keira looks directly into the camera suggest she knows you watching, but she likes that.
• Audience
• Male - Keira is desirable - would buy product for a girlfriend - with intention that they will look/act like her
• Female-  - Can identify with her and aspire to be like her 

01/03 - MS4: Film

Texts:

·         Sunshine

·         American Gangster

·         Dracula

Analysing

·         Text

·         Industry

·         Audience

Genre

·         Codes and conventions

o   Macro analysis – Overview/holistic

§  Genre

§  Narrative

§  Representation  

o   Micro analysis – Text specific

§  Video

§  Sound

§  Mise-en-scene

§  Editing

Intro to ‘Scream’

·         Makes fun of typical horror movie conventions – highlights all typical genre and narrative codes, yet same outcome

·         Typical setting – big house, miles from anywhere, girl on her own, night, cold, eerie score

·         Scream title turns red – symbolises violence, blood, fear

·         Tilted angle second time she answers phone has cantered camera angle – signifies something’s not quite right

·         Constantly teases audience – ‘if only her parents had came earlier’

·         Long, continuous shots – makes audience feel part of the situation – feels like we should be expecting something to happen

·         Foley work – creaking tree, picking up the knife

Intro to Dracula

·         Opening with religious symbol of a cross – see it covered in smoke and then broking, suggesting that a faith is going to be broken

·         Gothic

·         Setting – castle – mystery, old, fictional, night time

·         Narrative – romantic theme element – catalyst for protagonists change

·         Opening different to that of a book – ‘you win an audience in the first 10 minutes and win your Oscar in the last 10 minutes’

Intro to American Gangster

·         Binary opposites (Strauss) – complete opposite characters

o   Gangster – Bad, methodical, clean cut (appearance, costume), dark setting, black culture, good intentions for his job – not vengeful – gives turkey’s away

o   Police officer – Good, unorganised, scruffy, lighter setting, white culture, get the feeling is not completely honest - blackmail

Fact sheet on IPC connect

·         IPC Media prodices over 60 iconic media brands

·         Focus on three core audiences

o   Men’s portfolio (IPC Inspire)

·        Leisure brands

o   Country Life

o   Horse & Hound

o   Rugby World

o   Decanter

·        Lifestyle brands

o   Nuts

o   Mousebreaker

o   NME

o   Mass market women’s division (IPC Connect)

·        Famous women’s weeklies

o   Look

o   NOW

o   Chat

o   Woman

·        TV entertainment brands

o   What’s on TV

o   TVTimes

o   TV and satellite week

o   goodtoknow network (online)

o   Upmarket women’s division (IPC Southbank)

·        Luxury fashion brands

o   Marie Claire

o   InStyle

·        Lifestyle brands

o   Women & Home

o   Essentials

·        Home interest brands

o   Ideal Home

o   Livingetc

o   Housetohome

Magazines: Summary

Genre in magazines:

·         Types of magazine (categorisation)

o   Current affairs

o   TV listings

o   Games/gaming

o   Gossip

o   Fashion

o   Motoring

o   Lifestyle

Narrative in magazine:

·         Most magazines have a narrative structure

o   Dictated by contents page

o   Audience get comfort from the familiar

o   Tactics to attract/target the audience

·         Do they  have a beginning, middle and end

·         RadioTimes

o   Beginning – Articles and features

o   Middle – TV/Radio listings

o   End – Classifieds

·         Narrative is dictated by:

o   Genre

o   Content

o   Ethos/ideology

o   Readership

Representation in magazines:

·         Audience

o   Target audience

o   Readership – those who incidentally consume the product

·         Content – ethos of the magazine(articles and adverts)

o   Gender

o   Race

o   Social class/employment

o   Disability

o   Age

o   Sexuality

o   Religion

o   Ethnicity

o   Ideologies

Comparison of a RadioTimes article to a Big Issue article 03/02/11

‘What selling The Big Issue means to vendors’ and ‘Being human article’

·         People in the article are vendors, whereas anything in the RadioTimes tends to have some kind of celebrity endorsement.

§  This links to each magazines intended consumer

·         RadioTimes – for those with an interest with particularly mainstream TV news

·         Big Issue – for people who are interested in helping those less fortunate

·         Basic photography techniques are used to make images seem more naturalistic, as oppose to the RadioTimes looks to have been edited and so making the images seem more dark and dramatic – linking to the genre of the programme

·         Description about people in the article:

o   Big Issue

§  Names of the vendors and stated – to make it appear more personal

§  Short quote by vendor about work

o   RadioTimes

§  Names of both character and actor/actress

§  Similar opening quote about themselves and work

§  The RadioTimes however goes onto develop on who the actor/actress and what they have previously achieved

·         Text

o   The Big Issue is very plain – white background, basic black font, basic layout

o   RadioTimes – background  with image for the programme, gritty title font, text laid out around main image, dark mise-en-scene

·         Being human is across 4 pages, vendor article is only on one. Being human article is obviously one of the main articles of the magazine and vendors articles seems to just be a general article

RadioTimes content analysis

RadioTimes – Radio section (page 122 – 141)

122 – 123

·         Article – Advertising and interviewing Radio 4 documentary host, niche taste, wouldn’t expect to see it in any other section of the magazine.

124

·         Advertisement – Cotton traders

o   Special offer

o   Contact details – number, email, website, payment methods 

125

·         Article – another radio related article

·         Makes fun of ‘news’ relating to the media ‘here are a few false stories to spread.’ Suggests a higher class of reader.

126 – 139

·         National Radio Times

o   Standard page layout – Same stations in same place

o    Standard genre conventions

o   Today’s choices

o   All national radio stations and programme titles

o   Different colours  pages  for different pages  

140 – 141

·         Local Radio

o   Divided into  different regions

o   Not so in detail as national radio – not as mainstream

o   Short biographical section about a local radio presenter – promoting him and radio station