Monday, 19 April 2010
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Monday, 22 February 2010
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Monday, 25 January 2010
Script
EXT. DMITRI'S SAFEHOUSE. DAY
GARY is running from DMITRI who is giving chase on a motorbike. DMITRI shoots GARY in the back. GARY falls to the ground, and turns over. DMITRI walks up to and stands over GARY. DMITRI points a gun at GARY and fires.
INT. WINBROOK RESIDENCE. DAY
HENRY is on the phone with DMITRI.
HENRY throws his glass at the wall.
[TITLE SEQUENCE]
INT. WINBROOK RESIDENCE. DAY
GARY gets out of bed and gets dressed. He leaves the house and an awaiting assailant throws a hood over his head. GARY pulls the hood off to find himself in the boot of a car, and someone closing the boot with him inside.
GARY is running from DMITRI who is giving chase on a motorbike. DMITRI shoots GARY in the back. GARY falls to the ground, and turns over. DMITRI walks up to and stands over GARY. DMITRI points a gun at GARY and fires.
INT. WINBROOK RESIDENCE. DAY
HENRY is on the phone with DMITRI.
DMITRI
My name is Dmitri Petrovik. You killed my son. And now. I have killed yours.
HENRY throws his glass at the wall.
[TITLE SEQUENCE]
INT. WINBROOK RESIDENCE. DAY
GARY gets out of bed and gets dressed. He leaves the house and an awaiting assailant throws a hood over his head. GARY pulls the hood off to find himself in the boot of a car, and someone closing the boot with him inside.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Production Schedule
Scene 1 (Death Of Gary Winbrook)
-Chase and Death [10th February 2010]
Location: New College Premises.
-Henry Winbrook Conversation [2nd February]
Location: Chiltern Gardens, Dawley
Scene 2 (Kidnap of Gary Winbrook)
-The Kidnap [1st February 2010]
Location: Chiltern Gardens, Dawley.
Editing
[15th February 2010 > 12th March 2010]
-Chase and Death [10th February 2010]
Location: New College Premises.
-Henry Winbrook Conversation [2nd February]
Location: Chiltern Gardens, Dawley
Scene 2 (Kidnap of Gary Winbrook)
-The Kidnap [1st February 2010]
Location: Chiltern Gardens, Dawley.
Editing
[15th February 2010 > 12th March 2010]
Location Report For Production
Settings to be used:
-A path within New College Premises, beside the Car Park.
: Easily accessible and permitted, shouldn't inconvenience anyone as long as the path is clear of pedestrians.
-A Car park outside of my home.
: Easily accessible, only a parked car will be involved in filming so no inconvenience will be caused to anyone.
-My Home.
: Totally accessible and permission not needed.
-A room of one of the cast's homes.
: Totally accessible, and permitted, as only one room will be used.
-A path within New College Premises, beside the Car Park.
: Easily accessible and permitted, shouldn't inconvenience anyone as long as the path is clear of pedestrians.
-A Car park outside of my home.
: Easily accessible, only a parked car will be involved in filming so no inconvenience will be caused to anyone.
-My Home.
: Totally accessible and permission not needed.
-A room of one of the cast's homes.
: Totally accessible, and permitted, as only one room will be used.
Who Is My Film Aimed At?
Although my film has a certificate of 15, it is aimed at an older audience, as in place of violence, the film is more of a political thriller, violence merely being the catalyst to the films plot. A young audience may find a film full of non-stop action more appealing, but my film focuses on the politics and corruption that causes such violence. With this lack of action and a more thought provoking story, my film would appeal to an older, more mature audience (Young adult+) of both genders.
Certificate of My Film
The Certificate of my Film is a 15.
I can justify this, as although my film is a crime thriller, there will only be some violence and that will be distributed scarcely throughout the film, as my film, like most kidnap films, focuses mainly on the search of the kidnaped person.
There will be strong language in my film to an extent, as considering the plot, strong language would be considered acceptable in various situations and adds to the films realism, although strong language will not be used too frequently, and none of the strongest swear words will be used.
Some drug use would be showed throughout the film, but in no way promotes or encourages the use of drugs nor are the drugs shown easily accessible substances.
I can justify this, as although my film is a crime thriller, there will only be some violence and that will be distributed scarcely throughout the film, as my film, like most kidnap films, focuses mainly on the search of the kidnaped person.
There will be strong language in my film to an extent, as considering the plot, strong language would be considered acceptable in various situations and adds to the films realism, although strong language will not be used too frequently, and none of the strongest swear words will be used.
Some drug use would be showed throughout the film, but in no way promotes or encourages the use of drugs nor are the drugs shown easily accessible substances.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Costume & Prop's List.
Costume's:
-Dmitri Petrovik= Unassuming, average urban clothes.
-Gary Winbrook= Casual formal: Shirt.
-Harry Winbrook= Formal: Suit.
-Dmitri Petrovik' Henchman= Unassuming, average urban clothes.
Prop's:
-Moped= Already owned, depending on amount of takes needed, £5 for petrol should suffice.
-Car= Already Owned, will be stationary so no cost implications.
-Dmitri Petrovik= Unassuming, average urban clothes.
-Gary Winbrook= Casual formal: Shirt.
-Harry Winbrook= Formal: Suit.
-Dmitri Petrovik' Henchman= Unassuming, average urban clothes.
Prop's:
-Moped= Already owned, depending on amount of takes needed, £5 for petrol should suffice.
-Car= Already Owned, will be stationary so no cost implications.
Equipment needed for film.
The Equipment I will need:
- A standard media studies; DV Sony HandHeld Camera.
- An Apple Macintosh Computer
- Final Cut Express software
- A standard media studies; DV Sony HandHeld Camera.
- An Apple Macintosh Computer
- Final Cut Express software
Summary of My Ideas
My film, entitled: 'The 27th Day', is a crime thriller that encircles the kidnap of Gary Winbrook, the son of a powerful and influential British politician. Gary is kidnapped by the apparent villain, Dmitri Petrovik, who demands a £1 Million ransom, and an extra Million every day the ransom is not paid. But things are not as they first seem. Henry Winbrook, father of Gary Winbrook, is actually a corrupt politician, with a fair amount of illicit dealings that include bribes, unsavory political favours, arms dealing etc. And once upon a time, during the aftermath of the cold war, Winbrook had been supplying a group of ultra-nationalist Russians with firearms, who then used these weapons to gun down the son of one Dmitri Petrovik as they attempted to flee the country.
Both Henry and Dmitri know that a politician could never have that kind of money, and by paying a ransom that size, the authorities would soon raise suspicions, and would inevitably begin snooping around Winbrooks illicit transactions. So Dmitri is giving Winbrook a choice, he can either pay the ransom and save his son, but inevitably lose his position of power and be prosecuted, or to keep his power, but lose his son, like Dmitri had lost his. Unwilling to go with either option, Winbrook sets to finding and saving his son, and to bury Dmitri 6 feet under.
The opening of my film will have an irregular start, with the actual ending of the film being the beginning. This includes Gary Winbrook, attempting to escape his captor, who is giving chase on a motorcycle. Gary's POV is then shown as he runs, but is shot down. The camera remains in his POV as he falls to the ground, and weakly turns himself over to see Dmitri walking up to, and then standing over him, silhouetted by the sun. The screen goes black as the final bullet is shot, and the scene cuts to Henry Winbrook sat in a chair, facing away from the camera with a glass in one hand and a phone in the other, being told by Dmitri that his son is dead. After Dmitri hangs up interrupting Winbrooks threats, Henry places the phone down, and throws the glass at the wall, but the glass shattering is heard but not shown, as the scene cuts to the title sequence. The music from the title sequence continues as the next scene begins, the camera pans to a bedside stereo, were Gary Winbrook leans out of bed to turn off the stereo, making the stereo seem as the source of the title sequences music. Gary is then shown getting up and getting ready in a few quick shots. He is then shown exiting his front door, when an awaiting assailant grabs him and throws a black hood over his head. The camera is then a POV of Gary, his face covered by the hood, after a few seconds of struggling, he pulls the hood off, to reveal that he is in the boot of a car, and protests with a muffled mouth as he see's the assailant closing the boot. The credits then roll.
I believe my film fits into the crime thriller sub-genre, as it follows many of its conventions; A main one in my film are literary devices, such as red herrings, where Dmitri is firstly portrayed as the villain of the film, but is in fact a vigilante. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened, in the case of my film, it is the crime that has already happened that is the inspiration for Dmitri to thwart the plans of the enemy, Winbrook, so that the previous crime cannot be repeated. Another convention is that a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others, in my film, the ideal climax that fits this convention would be if Winbrook pays the ransom and is incarcerated, but by losing his son, it's likely that Winbrook would also end his corrupt ways, saving the numerous lives that otherwise would of died due to his corruption. A thriller is a villain driven plot, which mine is, that is, with the use of a red herring, the film is driven by both Dmitri and Winbrook, depending on which stage the audience are at in the film, and whom they classify as the villain.
Both Henry and Dmitri know that a politician could never have that kind of money, and by paying a ransom that size, the authorities would soon raise suspicions, and would inevitably begin snooping around Winbrooks illicit transactions. So Dmitri is giving Winbrook a choice, he can either pay the ransom and save his son, but inevitably lose his position of power and be prosecuted, or to keep his power, but lose his son, like Dmitri had lost his. Unwilling to go with either option, Winbrook sets to finding and saving his son, and to bury Dmitri 6 feet under.
The opening of my film will have an irregular start, with the actual ending of the film being the beginning. This includes Gary Winbrook, attempting to escape his captor, who is giving chase on a motorcycle. Gary's POV is then shown as he runs, but is shot down. The camera remains in his POV as he falls to the ground, and weakly turns himself over to see Dmitri walking up to, and then standing over him, silhouetted by the sun. The screen goes black as the final bullet is shot, and the scene cuts to Henry Winbrook sat in a chair, facing away from the camera with a glass in one hand and a phone in the other, being told by Dmitri that his son is dead. After Dmitri hangs up interrupting Winbrooks threats, Henry places the phone down, and throws the glass at the wall, but the glass shattering is heard but not shown, as the scene cuts to the title sequence. The music from the title sequence continues as the next scene begins, the camera pans to a bedside stereo, were Gary Winbrook leans out of bed to turn off the stereo, making the stereo seem as the source of the title sequences music. Gary is then shown getting up and getting ready in a few quick shots. He is then shown exiting his front door, when an awaiting assailant grabs him and throws a black hood over his head. The camera is then a POV of Gary, his face covered by the hood, after a few seconds of struggling, he pulls the hood off, to reveal that he is in the boot of a car, and protests with a muffled mouth as he see's the assailant closing the boot. The credits then roll.
I believe my film fits into the crime thriller sub-genre, as it follows many of its conventions; A main one in my film are literary devices, such as red herrings, where Dmitri is firstly portrayed as the villain of the film, but is in fact a vigilante. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened, in the case of my film, it is the crime that has already happened that is the inspiration for Dmitri to thwart the plans of the enemy, Winbrook, so that the previous crime cannot be repeated. Another convention is that a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others, in my film, the ideal climax that fits this convention would be if Winbrook pays the ransom and is incarcerated, but by losing his son, it's likely that Winbrook would also end his corrupt ways, saving the numerous lives that otherwise would of died due to his corruption. A thriller is a villain driven plot, which mine is, that is, with the use of a red herring, the film is driven by both Dmitri and Winbrook, depending on which stage the audience are at in the film, and whom they classify as the villain.
Production Cast
Alex Williams -As- Dmitri Petrovik
Liam Clyne -As- Gary Winbrook & Henry Winbrook
Liam Clyne -As- Gary Winbrook & Henry Winbrook
Chris Clyne -As- Dmitri Petrovik's Henchman
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Target Audience of Horror Genre
The horror genre in modern times has a wide range of how horror is portrayed. It could be portrayed through a serial killer, a maniac, a cannibal etc. or it could be portrayed through more supernatural mediums, such as the array of monsters used, maybe a vampire, a zombie, a flesh eating alien or a vengeful ghost, the list goes on. Horror films tend to either horrify us with excessive gore, or to shock us and make us jump out of our seats with things that jump out at us.
Along with action films, males stereotypically love horror films, with far less women enjoying gory movies, preffering the sort that make you jump out of your seat, although they are more likely to view it with a group of friends rather than on their own.
Horror movies like to find an angle and work on it, such as films that make you scared of the dark, scared of basements, scared of the woods etc. as it makes the viewer recall the movie every time they feel scared of that one thing the movie focused on. This is typically succesful with a younger audience.
Horror movies are particularly popular amongst males and under 25's. With over a third of a typical horror movie audience aged 18-24, they are a highly effective means of reaching an audience not afraid to go out at night!
Along with action films, males stereotypically love horror films, with far less women enjoying gory movies, preffering the sort that make you jump out of your seat, although they are more likely to view it with a group of friends rather than on their own.
Horror movies like to find an angle and work on it, such as films that make you scared of the dark, scared of basements, scared of the woods etc. as it makes the viewer recall the movie every time they feel scared of that one thing the movie focused on. This is typically succesful with a younger audience.
Horror movies are particularly popular amongst males and under 25's. With over a third of a typical horror movie audience aged 18-24, they are a highly effective means of reaching an audience not afraid to go out at night!
Analysis of The Business Opening
The Business (2005)
The Business, along with Lock Stock, Is a 'British Gangster' film. The main codes and conventions which you would be likely to see in a British gangster movie are things to do with drugs, crime, violence etc. All of these things are iconic to your everyday successful gangster movies. The audience’s expectations are not essentially fulfilled during the opening sequence for reasons simply because you portray stereotypical gangsters to be well groomed men, dressed in dark suits and have a mysterious look about them. In the opening minute of the film two men break into a house each armed with a gun and ordering the people inside the house to hand over illegal drugs, these two men however look as though they are lower class citizens dressed in tracksuits, not what you first expected to be gangsters. However the actions taking place by these two men match the iconic behaviour that you would expect a gangster to do, e.g. pointing guns at people and committing crime. The two characters at the beginning swear excessively to scare the people who’s home they have broken in to in order to make them hand over the drugs which makes them out to be tough men and extremely efficient at getting what they want. So already you get the impression that there is a clash between the two, the characters behaviour certainly matches those of a gangsters but their image however does not. By just looking at the opening sequence we do not know if their image is going to stay the same of inevitably change to match the description of your stereotypical image of a ‘gangster’. The director plays around with the overall characteristics and the codes and conventions which you would associate with gangsters so the audience are somewhat left to guess if the stock characters are just normal tough men or fall into the category of a ‘gangster’.
The mise-en-scene in the opening sequence adds to the characters overall image and gives the audience an insight to what the characters are like. The iconography and use of weapons (in this case guns) shows that the characters are portrayed as hard men and burst into a house showing no respect for someone’s property and they disregard the law completely and show little amount of fear to consequences if they are caught. The setting is based in a rural part of what looks to be Spain; this is not however an iconic place where you would see gangsters, you would more likely see them in the city or outside a mansion, sitting by a pool with a cigar which is your stereotypical picture you create for yourself when you think of gangsters. This connotes that the characters involved are not very well off and shows the poverty stricken land they are on. The use of weapons in the first scene shows the two men as violent and using excessive force to get what they want, this connotes that they are tough men and will cause injury to the other person if they were to resist instructions and refuse to hand over the drugs. The outfits which the men are wearing make them out to look cheap and not the iconic look of a gangster, wearing smart suits etc. During the gun scene the lighting is very dull and dingy this conveys a sense of wrong doing and the dark lighting could connote that what the two men are doing is wrong and is frowned upon.
The opening camera shots and angles are used to create different effects on the audience and emphasises what is happening to create excitement and tension and inevitably dis-equilibrium.
The Business, along with Lock Stock, Is a 'British Gangster' film. The main codes and conventions which you would be likely to see in a British gangster movie are things to do with drugs, crime, violence etc. All of these things are iconic to your everyday successful gangster movies. The audience’s expectations are not essentially fulfilled during the opening sequence for reasons simply because you portray stereotypical gangsters to be well groomed men, dressed in dark suits and have a mysterious look about them. In the opening minute of the film two men break into a house each armed with a gun and ordering the people inside the house to hand over illegal drugs, these two men however look as though they are lower class citizens dressed in tracksuits, not what you first expected to be gangsters. However the actions taking place by these two men match the iconic behaviour that you would expect a gangster to do, e.g. pointing guns at people and committing crime. The two characters at the beginning swear excessively to scare the people who’s home they have broken in to in order to make them hand over the drugs which makes them out to be tough men and extremely efficient at getting what they want. So already you get the impression that there is a clash between the two, the characters behaviour certainly matches those of a gangsters but their image however does not. By just looking at the opening sequence we do not know if their image is going to stay the same of inevitably change to match the description of your stereotypical image of a ‘gangster’. The director plays around with the overall characteristics and the codes and conventions which you would associate with gangsters so the audience are somewhat left to guess if the stock characters are just normal tough men or fall into the category of a ‘gangster’.
The mise-en-scene in the opening sequence adds to the characters overall image and gives the audience an insight to what the characters are like. The iconography and use of weapons (in this case guns) shows that the characters are portrayed as hard men and burst into a house showing no respect for someone’s property and they disregard the law completely and show little amount of fear to consequences if they are caught. The setting is based in a rural part of what looks to be Spain; this is not however an iconic place where you would see gangsters, you would more likely see them in the city or outside a mansion, sitting by a pool with a cigar which is your stereotypical picture you create for yourself when you think of gangsters. This connotes that the characters involved are not very well off and shows the poverty stricken land they are on. The use of weapons in the first scene shows the two men as violent and using excessive force to get what they want, this connotes that they are tough men and will cause injury to the other person if they were to resist instructions and refuse to hand over the drugs. The outfits which the men are wearing make them out to look cheap and not the iconic look of a gangster, wearing smart suits etc. During the gun scene the lighting is very dull and dingy this conveys a sense of wrong doing and the dark lighting could connote that what the two men are doing is wrong and is frowned upon.
The opening camera shots and angles are used to create different effects on the audience and emphasises what is happening to create excitement and tension and inevitably dis-equilibrium.
Analysis of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Opening
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ has brought together everything the audience would expect with the British Gangster genre in the opening sequence itself. He manages to fulfil these generic expectations in a number of ways. Straight from the start we see the London cockney accents with the playful rhyming slang which gives a sense of wit as Jason Statham’s character ‘Bacon’ plays with the audience using irony and sarcasm in the way he is trying to sell his stolen goods to a crowd. In this way the characteristics of the genre are conformed to by the text, however used in a playful manner, especially as the chase comes on as it shows excitement, and at the same time lets the audience get to know the characters who comply to the genre.
The stock location is critical to the mise-en-scene in the opening sequence as it represents the gritty side of London with pub in the background as they run away from the police, and the building work to the left of them along with the warehouse they run over the gate into. All of the components in the frame of the opening sequence immediately sum up the ideology that is believed in for the gritty side of cockney London. A great example is when ‘Bacon’ and ‘Ed’ come sliding across the stairway, and the brick wall is shot, with the graffiti. An alternative part of the mise-en-scene that conveys a different kind of meaning is the way the characters are positioned. To start with in the first shot, ‘Bacon’ is positioned in the very middle of an audience who crowd around him in a circle. This focuses the attention on the main speaker. Another way in which Guy Ritchie manages to construct peoples attention to him is the garage situated behind him. This garage has bars going across which act as a leading line towards ‘Bacon’. The other example of Guy Ritchie using leading lines towards the positioning of the characters is when he places the camera at the bottom of the steps as the hand rail shoots towards both ‘Bacon’ and ‘Ed’. Along with the characters positions, their location and their cockney language, the characters costumes play a great role in conveying meaning to gain the preferred meaning from the audience. The collared coat, and scarf worn with the collar up shows a trendy sense of style to ‘Bacon‘. Gangsters are forever concerned about their image and the way the collar is worn upwards shows he wants to look fashionable and that he cares about his image. The clothes gangsters wear normally represents how much money they have. The suit coat demonstrates that he wants to look expensive. These costumes has portrayed the non-verbal language to the audience, along with the lighting. Lighting and colour play a vital part in conveying meaning through mise-en-scene. We see the dull, yellow wash used by the in the first sequence which certainly with the slightly grainy image enhances the idea of gritty London. This then changes to dark lighting when the voice over enters the sequence which is used to depict the gangster, rebellious side and also creates the enigma as the voice over introduces the story.
Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ has brought together everything the audience would expect with the British Gangster genre in the opening sequence itself. He manages to fulfil these generic expectations in a number of ways. Straight from the start we see the London cockney accents with the playful rhyming slang which gives a sense of wit as Jason Statham’s character ‘Bacon’ plays with the audience using irony and sarcasm in the way he is trying to sell his stolen goods to a crowd. In this way the characteristics of the genre are conformed to by the text, however used in a playful manner, especially as the chase comes on as it shows excitement, and at the same time lets the audience get to know the characters who comply to the genre.
The stock location is critical to the mise-en-scene in the opening sequence as it represents the gritty side of London with pub in the background as they run away from the police, and the building work to the left of them along with the warehouse they run over the gate into. All of the components in the frame of the opening sequence immediately sum up the ideology that is believed in for the gritty side of cockney London. A great example is when ‘Bacon’ and ‘Ed’ come sliding across the stairway, and the brick wall is shot, with the graffiti. An alternative part of the mise-en-scene that conveys a different kind of meaning is the way the characters are positioned. To start with in the first shot, ‘Bacon’ is positioned in the very middle of an audience who crowd around him in a circle. This focuses the attention on the main speaker. Another way in which Guy Ritchie manages to construct peoples attention to him is the garage situated behind him. This garage has bars going across which act as a leading line towards ‘Bacon’. The other example of Guy Ritchie using leading lines towards the positioning of the characters is when he places the camera at the bottom of the steps as the hand rail shoots towards both ‘Bacon’ and ‘Ed’. Along with the characters positions, their location and their cockney language, the characters costumes play a great role in conveying meaning to gain the preferred meaning from the audience. The collared coat, and scarf worn with the collar up shows a trendy sense of style to ‘Bacon‘. Gangsters are forever concerned about their image and the way the collar is worn upwards shows he wants to look fashionable and that he cares about his image. The clothes gangsters wear normally represents how much money they have. The suit coat demonstrates that he wants to look expensive. These costumes has portrayed the non-verbal language to the audience, along with the lighting. Lighting and colour play a vital part in conveying meaning through mise-en-scene. We see the dull, yellow wash used by the in the first sequence which certainly with the slightly grainy image enhances the idea of gritty London. This then changes to dark lighting when the voice over enters the sequence which is used to depict the gangster, rebellious side and also creates the enigma as the voice over introduces the story.
A History Of the Crime Genre
Most popular genres have a history. The crime film has none—or rather, it has so many that it is impossible to give a straightforward account of the genre's evolution without getting lost in innumerable byways as different crime formulas arise, evolve, compete, mutate, and cross-pollinate. Crime films arise from a radical ambivalence toward the romance of crime. That romance gave heroic detectives like Sherlock Holmes—burlesqued onscreen as early as 1900 or 1903 (the exact date is uncertain), in the thirty-second Sherlock Holmes Baffled —a matchless opportunity to make the life of the mind melodramatic and glamorous, and it made silent criminals like Fantômas ( Fantômas and four sequels, France, 1913–1914) and Bull Weed ( Underworld , 1927) both villain and hero. The arrival of synchronized sound in 1927 and the Great Depression in 1929 created an enormous appetite for escapist entertainment and a form of mass entertainment, the talkies, capable of reaching even the most unsophisticated audiences, including the millions of lower-class immigrants who had flocked to America. The great gangster films of the 1930s and the long series of detective films that flourished alongside them, their detectives now increasingly ethnic ( Charlie Chan Carries On , 1931, and forty-one sequels; Think Fast, Mr. Moto , 1937, and seven sequels; Mr. Wong, Detective , 1938, and four sequels), were nominally based on novels. But crime films did not seek anything like the literary cachet of establishment culture until the rise of film noir —atmospheric tales of heroes most often doomed by passion—named and analyzed by French journalists but produced in America throughout the decade beginning in 1944.
Postwar crime films, whatever formula they adopted, were shaped in America by cultural anxiety about the nuclear bomb ( Kiss Me Deadly , 1955) and the nuclear family ( The Desperate Hours , 1955). The decline of film noir after Touch of Evil (1958) was offset by a notable series of crime comedies at England's Ealing Studios (such as The Lavender Hill Mob , 1951) and a masterly series of psychological thrillers directed by Alfred Hitchcock ( Strangers on a Train , 1951; Rear Window , 1954; Vertigo , 1958; North by Northwest , 1959; Psycho , 1960). The 1960s was the decade of the international spy hero James Bond, who headlined history's most lucrative movie franchise in a long series beginning with Dr. No (1962). But it was left to a quartet of ironic valentines to retro genres, Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Chinatown (1974), to reinvent the crime film for a hip young audience. The replacement of the 1930 Production Code by the 1969 ratings system allowed niche films to be successfully marketed even if they were as graphically violent as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990) or as bleak in their view of American politics as The Parallax View (1974) or JFK (1991). The closing years of the century, marked by a heightened public fear of crime, a fascination with the public-justice system, and a deep ambivalence toward lawyers, allowed a thousand poisoned flowers to bloom around the globe, from the sociological sweep of the British television miniseries Traffik (1989), remade and softened for American audiences as Traffic (2000), to the ritualistic Hong Kong crime films of John Woo ( Die xue shuang xiong [The Killer], 1989) and Johnny To ( Dung fong saam hap [The Heroic Trio], 1993) and their American progeny ( Pulp Fiction , 1994), to the steamy eroticism of the all-American Basic Instinct (1992) and its direct-to-video cousins. Perhaps the most distinctive new strain in the genre has been the deadpan crime comedy of Joel (b. 1954) and Ethan (b. 1957) Coen, whose films, from Blood Simple (1985) to The Ladykillers (2004), left some viewers laughing and others bewildered or disgusted.
Postwar crime films, whatever formula they adopted, were shaped in America by cultural anxiety about the nuclear bomb ( Kiss Me Deadly , 1955) and the nuclear family ( The Desperate Hours , 1955). The decline of film noir after Touch of Evil (1958) was offset by a notable series of crime comedies at England's Ealing Studios (such as The Lavender Hill Mob , 1951) and a masterly series of psychological thrillers directed by Alfred Hitchcock ( Strangers on a Train , 1951; Rear Window , 1954; Vertigo , 1958; North by Northwest , 1959; Psycho , 1960). The 1960s was the decade of the international spy hero James Bond, who headlined history's most lucrative movie franchise in a long series beginning with Dr. No (1962). But it was left to a quartet of ironic valentines to retro genres, Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Chinatown (1974), to reinvent the crime film for a hip young audience. The replacement of the 1930 Production Code by the 1969 ratings system allowed niche films to be successfully marketed even if they were as graphically violent as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990) or as bleak in their view of American politics as The Parallax View (1974) or JFK (1991). The closing years of the century, marked by a heightened public fear of crime, a fascination with the public-justice system, and a deep ambivalence toward lawyers, allowed a thousand poisoned flowers to bloom around the globe, from the sociological sweep of the British television miniseries Traffik (1989), remade and softened for American audiences as Traffic (2000), to the ritualistic Hong Kong crime films of John Woo ( Die xue shuang xiong [The Killer], 1989) and Johnny To ( Dung fong saam hap [The Heroic Trio], 1993) and their American progeny ( Pulp Fiction , 1994), to the steamy eroticism of the all-American Basic Instinct (1992) and its direct-to-video cousins. Perhaps the most distinctive new strain in the genre has been the deadpan crime comedy of Joel (b. 1954) and Ethan (b. 1957) Coen, whose films, from Blood Simple (1985) to The Ladykillers (2004), left some viewers laughing and others bewildered or disgusted.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
My Crime Film's Plot
Title: The 27th Day
Crime sub genre: Crime Thriller (Kidnap)
Plot:
The supposed villain of the film is Dmitri Petrovik, a Russian immigrant whom immigrated to Britain near the end of the cold war. This seemingly unhostile man kidnaps the son of a member of parliament, and demands £1 million, along with another million every day the ransom is not paid. Now the father, a very rich politician, has made himself a fortune by using his position in the government to do certain favours for certain individuals and groups, with each favour coming with a very handsome pay off. This corrupt politician, could in no way have the amount of money Dmitri is asking for legally, and that is why Dmitri, who knows of his illicit dealings, demands that he pay the ransom with his unlaundered money, directly through the bank into an off shore account. The politician and Dmitri both know that if he does that, the police will have suspicions of the ransom moneys origin, and would soon result in him losing his political power and being incarcerated. With this Dmitri is giving him a choice; to save his son, but in the process lose his position in the government and his power or to keep his position and power, but lose his son. Unwilling to choose one or the other, the politician sets about tracking down Dmitri and taking his son by force. It isnt long before Dmitri’s location is revealed, and on the 27th day the politician sends privately hired mercenaries to secure his son and to take down Dmitri. After hearing this, his son, afraid of being executed before the mercenaries arrive, attempts to escape, but is gun downed by Dmitri in the process. The politician is sat awaiting news of the raid on Dmitri’s safe house, when he is called, by whom he is expecting to be the mercenaries with his son safe and Dmitri dead, is surprised that it is a very much alive Dmitri calling him. Dmitri tells the politician how one of the groups that he had supplied, were Russian ultra-nationalists, who had killed Dmitri’s son when they were both trying to flee Russia. He tells how after hearing who had armed the group, he had come to Britain to exact revenge on him, to see if he could take away the corrupt power that had killed his own son, and if not, to make that man suffer the pain of losing a son. At this point, realising his son may be dead, the politician tries to interupt and threaten Dmitri, but is ignored as Dmitri goes on to say, “My name is Dmitri Petrovik, you killed my son. And now. I have killed yours.” Dmitri then hangs up the phone. With the phone in one hand and a glass of vodka in another, he puts the phone down and begins to tremble, gripping his glass tightly and throwing it at the wall.
Crime sub genre: Crime Thriller (Kidnap)
Plot:
The supposed villain of the film is Dmitri Petrovik, a Russian immigrant whom immigrated to Britain near the end of the cold war. This seemingly unhostile man kidnaps the son of a member of parliament, and demands £1 million, along with another million every day the ransom is not paid. Now the father, a very rich politician, has made himself a fortune by using his position in the government to do certain favours for certain individuals and groups, with each favour coming with a very handsome pay off. This corrupt politician, could in no way have the amount of money Dmitri is asking for legally, and that is why Dmitri, who knows of his illicit dealings, demands that he pay the ransom with his unlaundered money, directly through the bank into an off shore account. The politician and Dmitri both know that if he does that, the police will have suspicions of the ransom moneys origin, and would soon result in him losing his political power and being incarcerated. With this Dmitri is giving him a choice; to save his son, but in the process lose his position in the government and his power or to keep his position and power, but lose his son. Unwilling to choose one or the other, the politician sets about tracking down Dmitri and taking his son by force. It isnt long before Dmitri’s location is revealed, and on the 27th day the politician sends privately hired mercenaries to secure his son and to take down Dmitri. After hearing this, his son, afraid of being executed before the mercenaries arrive, attempts to escape, but is gun downed by Dmitri in the process. The politician is sat awaiting news of the raid on Dmitri’s safe house, when he is called, by whom he is expecting to be the mercenaries with his son safe and Dmitri dead, is surprised that it is a very much alive Dmitri calling him. Dmitri tells the politician how one of the groups that he had supplied, were Russian ultra-nationalists, who had killed Dmitri’s son when they were both trying to flee Russia. He tells how after hearing who had armed the group, he had come to Britain to exact revenge on him, to see if he could take away the corrupt power that had killed his own son, and if not, to make that man suffer the pain of losing a son. At this point, realising his son may be dead, the politician tries to interupt and threaten Dmitri, but is ignored as Dmitri goes on to say, “My name is Dmitri Petrovik, you killed my son. And now. I have killed yours.” Dmitri then hangs up the phone. With the phone in one hand and a glass of vodka in another, he puts the phone down and begins to tremble, gripping his glass tightly and throwing it at the wall.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Mind Map - Conventions of Crime Genre
Crime:
-Thriller Sub-genre
- Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains.
- A thriller is a villain driven plot.
- Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively
- The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger, however, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident with such heroes being traditionally men, although women lead characters have become increasingly common.
- In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain is typically known all along.
- While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others
-Gangster Sub-genre
- The hero is an immigrant who dislikes his low status in life and wants more.
- Unlike the Western, this story takes place in the big city. The wide open plains have been traded in for the seedy alleyways and wharves of the urban jungle.
- The gangster can only gain power by taking it. It is survival of the fittest, and the only law is the law of the jungle.
- The only loyalty the gangster feels is for his own immigrant roots.
- Success is measured in material goods - flashy cars, expensive clothes, and mansions. Women are measures of success as well.
- The hero's antagonist is society, and the enforcers of the law. The police, the FBI, the CIA represent the enforcers of societal status quo.
- The end justifies the means.
-Prison Sub-genre
- The Bad Guard: According to movies, every prison has at least one Bad Guard; a guard who is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of cruelty and violence.
- The Disappearing Guard: In many prison movies, just as the hero is about to be assaulted by a villainous group of prisoners, a guard will often been seen deliberately turning away to avoid having to interfere.
- The Gauntlet: Whenever prisoners are first introduced to the general population of the prison, they usually have to walk a gauntlet between the inmates who call out to them with threats and catcalls.
- The Warden's Intro: Prison movies often feature a scene early on where the prison warden makes a speech to new inmates laying out the prison's rules.
-Thriller Sub-genre
- Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains.
- A thriller is a villain driven plot.
- Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively
- The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard men" accustomed to danger, however, they may also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident with such heroes being traditionally men, although women lead characters have become increasingly common.
- In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened; while a murder mystery would be spoiled by a premature disclosure of the murderer's identity, in a thriller the identity of a murderer or other villain is typically known all along.
- While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others
-Gangster Sub-genre
- The hero is an immigrant who dislikes his low status in life and wants more.
- Unlike the Western, this story takes place in the big city. The wide open plains have been traded in for the seedy alleyways and wharves of the urban jungle.
- The gangster can only gain power by taking it. It is survival of the fittest, and the only law is the law of the jungle.
- The only loyalty the gangster feels is for his own immigrant roots.
- Success is measured in material goods - flashy cars, expensive clothes, and mansions. Women are measures of success as well.
- The hero's antagonist is society, and the enforcers of the law. The police, the FBI, the CIA represent the enforcers of societal status quo.
- The end justifies the means.
-Prison Sub-genre
- The Bad Guard: According to movies, every prison has at least one Bad Guard; a guard who is head and shoulders above the rest in terms of cruelty and violence.
- The Disappearing Guard: In many prison movies, just as the hero is about to be assaulted by a villainous group of prisoners, a guard will often been seen deliberately turning away to avoid having to interfere.
- The Gauntlet: Whenever prisoners are first introduced to the general population of the prison, they usually have to walk a gauntlet between the inmates who call out to them with threats and catcalls.
- The Warden's Intro: Prison movies often feature a scene early on where the prison warden makes a speech to new inmates laying out the prison's rules.
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