Andrew RobinsonAndrew Robinson

ADVANCED ADVANCED PORTFOLIOPORTFOLIO

I will produce a promotional package for a new film I have created. This will include a teaser trailer, a film magazine front cover and a poster

for the film.

POST MODERN FILMPOST MODERN FILM

Post modern film challenges the social norms of cinema. They

tend to have a high art aesthetic style, with

accentuated cinematography, mise en scene, editing and

sound. The narratives of post modern films challenge

mainstream conventions by creating a dystopia, hyper

reality or having a unconventional structure. Post

modern filmmakers pay homage to films by using intertextual references or parodying other

films.

POST MODERN FILMAKERSPOST MODERN FILMAKERS• Guy Ritchie - Snatch, Lock Stock and Two

Smoking Barrels, Sherlock Holmes.• Quentin Tarantino - Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction,

Django Unchained.• Christopher Nolan – Memento, Inception,

The Prestige.• Stanley Kubrick – 2001: A Space Odyssey,

The Shining, A Clockwork Orange.• Coen Brothers – The Big Lebowski, Fargo,

O’ Brother Where Art Thou.• Danny Boyle – Trainspotting, Trance, 28

Days Later.• Baz Luhrmann – Moulin Rouge, Romeo and

Juliet, The Great Gatsby.• David Fincher – Fight Club, Social Network,

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.• Duncan Jones – Moon, Source Code.• Charlie Kaufman – Eternal Sunshine of the

Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich.• Ridley Scott – Blade Runner, Alien, Aliens.

Tarantino is the king of pastiche and always uses intertextuality to pay homage to older films. For example, the yellow jump suit Uma Thurman wears in Kill Bill is the same as the one Bruce Lee wears in Game of Death.

Tarantino also payed homage to Django by writing and directing Django Unchained, a film loosely based on the original but with added controversial themes such as slavery.

Pulp Fiction’s narrative is extremely unconventional as it isn’t linear. It has a multi strand narrative as it presents the story unravelling from different characters perspectives.

• Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000)

• Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (Guy Ritchie, 1998)

• The Italian Job (Peter Collinson, 1969)

• Get Carter (Mike Hodges, 1971)

• The Long Good Friday (John Mackenzie, 1980)

BRITISH CRIME DRAMA ICONOGRAPHYThemes•Ascension Killing, Rival Killing, The Heist

Characters•Alienated Hero, Hitmen, Henchmen, Corrupt Cops, Femme Fatales

Mise en Scene•Suits, Dark Lighting, Expensive Cars, Drugs

Sound•Wise Guy Language, Moody Scores

BRITISH CRIME DRAMA FILM TIMELINE1940’S/50’S

•Updated crime genre to reflect more sinister side of life and post war anxieties.

1960’s•Crime Caper = mixed crime genre with comedic elements.•Reflected economic and social optimism of the swinging 60’s.

1970’s/80’s•Gritty gangster influence.•Reflected economic depression with mafias and drug lords.•Emerged from harsh downturn, reflecting notoriety of gangland figures.

1990’s Onwards•Post modern crime/Neo noir.•Borrow ideas from the past but update themes and narratives.

• Guy Ritchie uses his first feature length film to showcase his postmodern filmmaking abilities. He plays around with time remapping in multiple different scenes, an example of a postmodern technique.

• In the poker scene, he stylises gambling and makes it seem like a fun game which is very controversial due to its potential influence on the viewer.

• Lock Stock is an example of a Crime Caper due to the side storyline that follows the two scousers trying to ply their trade in London.

• The soundtrack is composed of soul/jazz as this is a very stylistic genre of music originating in the 40’s. The juxtaposition of the uplifting funk music and the organized crime makes the violence seem fun. Tarantino uses the same technique in Django Unchained.

• Some of the characters are actually criminals themselves. For example, Lenny McLean was convicted of murder and a known bareknuckle boxer. Casting real criminals to play criminals is a very controversial, postmodern idea.

• Snatch was Guy Ritchie’s second feature film following the success of his directorial debut, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

• He uses the same creative filmmaking he used in his previous film, incorporating many post modern editing techniques such as his iconic use of time remapping.

• The two films also share similar character roles with Jason Statham and Jason Flemying again playing stereotypical British gangsters.

• The narrative glorifies crime and gambling which pushes the boundaries of the consumer.

• It is a British Crime Drama however it contains comedic elements as well. This is an idea taken from the 1960’s when the ‘Crime Caper’ genre was particularly popular, for example, The Italian Job.

• The locations in this film are very typically British. For example, Kings Cross station, Heathrow Airport and a stereotypical English pub.

• There is a lot of cockney rhyming slang present in the film’s dialogue. It is so apparent that there is a DVD extra that explains it all for the film to be fully understand.

• In the cockney rhyming slang there are racial insults/jokes used by white people towards black people. This is a post modern idea as it is controversial to show racism in film.

• The plot is about the rise of Britain as a European power through the development of the London gangster scene under notorious mob boss Harold Shand.

• It was produced by HandMade Films and distributed by British Lion Film Corporation, two British independent film companies.

• The Long Good Friday gave Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan starring roles at the beginning of their acting careers. They have now gone on to be two of Britain's biggest stars and have well established acting careers.

• Dystopia is the opposite of utopia (the perfect world). • It is often

depicted in film to be post apocalyptic due to a man made disaster.• The disaster is

formed on societal fears at the time of the films release.• The narrative is

based on survivors, often small agrarian societies, who have to fight for survival.

• Twelve Monkeys (1995)• Planet of the Apes (1968)• Blade Runner (1982)• Brazil (1985)• The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012)• District 9 (2009)• The Matrix (1999)• Metropolis (1927)• Sin City (2005)• V For Vendetta (2005)• Alien/Aliens (1979/1986)• The Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgement Day

(1984/1991)• WALL-E (2008)• A Clockwork Orange (1971)

PRE WAR•Fear of totalitarianism, Fear of mass production, Fear of the Big Brother ideology.•For example, Metropolis.

POST WAR•Cold War fears, Fear of invasion, Fear of nuclear Armageddon.•For example, Planet of the Apes.

70’s/80’s•Fear of technological advancement, Fear of genetic modification, Fear of becoming a authoritarian state.•For example, Blade Runner and The Terminator.

90’s and Now•Fear of cloning, Fear of genetics, Fear of environmental disaster.•For example, 28 Days Later and District 9.

DYSTOPIAN DYSTOPIAN CHARACTER CHARACTER ARCHETYPESARCHETYPES

• A heroic male protagonist who leads the small group of survivors to safety. For Example, Jim in 28 Days Later. This character can be seen as a post modern cowboy and is often a anti hero.

• There is usually a group of criminals who seek to profit from violent anarchy. For example, the drug gang from Dredd.

• A small human survivor group forms to take on the disaster and fight for survival. For example the main group we follow in Cloverfield.

• The helper gives the main protagonist guidance or an item which will help them on their journey for survival. For example, Commissioner Gordon from the Dark Knight Trilogy.

• The Dark Knight Trilogy contains the three Christopher Nolan Batman films: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

• They are an example of dystopian films due to the dark criminal underworld they are set in, Gotham City. This is an example of societal dystopia. The city is ridden with poverty and organised crime that the hero Batman has to conquer. Batman fits into the dystopia archetype of the hero as he is seen as a modern day cowboy and also a anti hero because he is not liked by the cops because he is a vigilante.

• In The Dark Knight Rises, there is a 5 month period when Bane runs Gotham City and overrules the government. This part of the film is an example of governmental dystopia where the fictional world is run by corrupt, villainous characters.

• District 9 is a very post modern dystopia film due to its political tone. It has a very unique take on apartheid in South Africa by using aliens as a metaphor for black people and the segregation they endured during the era. Neil Blogkamp, a South African director, decided to use the alien allegory to show that black people were treated like aliens and not like humans under the National Party regime.

• South Africa has become economically drained due to the expenses the government are paying to keep the aliens under control and separated from the humans in the country. This presents South Africa as a barren wasteland with poor living conditions and rationing of food and drink.

• The population of South Africa have been alienated by the government into wanting the eviction of the aliens. This hatred is a metaphor for the white supremacy ideology that was forced upon the South African citizens whether they supported it or not.

• The world of The Matrix is an attempt to create the perfect world (utopia) by the human race through technological advancement. Earth is actually a post apocalyptic wasteland but The Matrix hides the public from seeing this. Nothing is real in the Matrix.

• The artificial world of the Matrix has the colour blue removed to show how grim this “false utopia” actually is.

• The film was made in 1999, when technology was developing at an alarming rate. This dystopia is based on society's fears about technological advancement and the cons that comes with it. One of these downsides is prominent in the film as Neo is genetically engineered and it is explained that people are no longer born naturally, making the viewer fear for the future of eath.

• As well as the post modern themes of technology due to it being set in the 22nd century, the effects used in this film were ground breaking, especially the iconic bullet dodging scene.

Trailer

• The opening shot introduces us to the character Marv. It does this unconventionally by making the shot overly stylized. This is an intertextual reference to Frank Miller’s Sin City graphic novel. The serif, capitalised font adds power and authority to the character. The contrast of the black text on the white background makes the text sharp and easily readable while also resembling the black/white colour gradient of the film.

• The shot then blends to Marv smoking a cigarette. This is in black and white, introducing the noir style of the film. The smoke presents the theme of mystery which is typical in noir films. Cigarettes are also an example of the iconography of crime, introducing the character Marv to be bad.

• The shot of the police cars contains the colour red from the sirens. This is the only colour that is visible as it connotes love and violence, the two main themes of film noir. The street looks dark and derelict introducing the idea of a criminal underworld.

• Newly introduced character Hartigan enters a bar, a typical noir setting where criminal activity is discussed or takes place. This suggests that Hartigan also has a connection with crime.

• The heavy rain makes the world look grim and horrible. This helps to create the idea of Sin City being a dystopic criminal underworld.

• The final shot of the Sin City trailer is an aerial shot of Sin City itself. There are many prominent skyscrapers and the city looks bleak and industrial. This re enforces the idea of Sin City being a dystopia.

• The music is extremely dark and menacing, suggesting the world is dark and contains many villainous, menacing criminals.

Trailer

• We are introduced to the world in the very first shot. It is easy to tell that it’s a post apocalyptic wasteland and earth’s natural form has been destroyed. The smoke lingering across the screen adds an element of mystery as the audience wonders where they are. The shot has been colour corrected with a blue tone to make the world seem cold and deserted. Its also very dark, with all the colours looking dull.

• The next few shots introduce the theme of technology as we see lots of heavy machinery. A shot of a cyborg appears to show what this technology has created. This links to the idea of dystopia films relating to societal fears at the time as in the 1980’s technological advancements were rapidly increasing. The narrator then describes how this new technology is extremely powerful and indestructible, increasing the audiences fears.

• The POV shot of the cyborg walking towards its victim is filtered to only show the colour red as this represents blood loss and violence.

• We see futuristic tanks and spaceships patrolling the dystopic wasteland. This links society's fears about technological advancement to the destruction off the planet, making them even more scared. The futuristic gun shot sound effects back up the laser beam guns, signifying to the audience that we’re in the future.

• The police sirens indicate there is criminal activity. The alleyway the police chase proceeds down appears to be filled with rubbish and looks very run down. This suggests the area is poor.

• The use of shadows is very important in this shot. It doesn’t reveal who is shooting as in the film, the viewer is made to make their mind up about which cyborg is the true villain. By covering the man with a shadow, it doesn’t reveal his identity to the audience as that would spoil the film. The shadow also resembles the Terminator’s dark side.

• The laser on Sarah Conner's head represents the Terminator’s assignment to assassinate her. It shows how she is his target and he will not stop until he kills her.

• The music builds tension exceptionally well. It begins with slow beats which sound like heartbeats. As Sarah’s friend says to her “You’re dead honey”, it changes to a futuristic sound which gradually increases in tempo., building suspense. The line the friend says carries a lot of significance as it hints at her future possible death, even though her friend is making a joke about someone else called Sarah Conner being killed.

The only title that appears in The Terminator trailer is the film title. This makes the title more memorable as it is more apparent to the audience. The font is very bold and commanding due to it being serif. The fact that each letter is capitalised adds power to the film title, making the audience fear ‘The Terminator’. The colour of the text is a shiny metallic blue. This appears to be very sci fi and has the connotations of metal which can be viewed as resembling The Terminators robotic features and the theme of industrialisation within the film.

Trailer

• The first shot introduces the location and indicates that is set in the future. The fact that it is set in Los Angeles is important as it is an iconic, well known state so it is easy to compare the differences between the present and the future.

• This aerial shot then introduces modern Los Angeles. It looks very industrial and dark, with all lighting coming from artificial sources. The hover car in the middle of the shot shows how tar technology has developed in the future.

• The rain on the car window helps to re enforce the idea of the world being a dystopia as the weather is bad.

• This establishing shot reveals how run down the world is as everything is so dark. Buildings are barely visible due to all the industrial smoke polluting the air due to technological advancement. Many huge chimneys can be seen with flames coming out of them, pumping smoke into the dystopia.

• The briefing scene is very neo noir. The cigarette smoke creates element of mystery alongside the low key lighting. The blue tone adds an element of coldness to this. The music is very synthetic, sounding similar to sci fi sound effects.

• The theme of over population is introduced through this shot of a busy market stall. There is barely any room to move and the shot feels claustrophobic as Harrison Ford is ushered away from significance. This is then backed up by the narrator saying there are 106 million people in the city.

Blade Runner also uses a similar title technique to The Terminator. No titles are present until the end when the spectator is shown ‘Harrison Ford’ (the main star of the film) and ‘Blade Runner’ (the name of the film). This technique makes these two key features of the film more memorable. The text is red as Blade Runner fits into the neo noir subgenre. Red is a prominent colour in noir films due to its connotations of love and violence, typical themes of the noir genre. The text fills the screen with a large font size and serif style font.