New Moon- OMG!!!

Well here it is: Izzy's New Moon review!! I shall try my best to keep away from the idea of how Edward is the best and due to the film I Izzy Doyle became a little bit Team Jacob (I would like to say I said a little but Im still 100% Edward!!) They translated the book onto film really well. There was a couple of scenes they missed out and a few that they did wrong, like the end for example that was crap and made me really angry!!!! I won't say what happend for it might runin the film but let me say it did NOT happen like that in the book!!!

The film is actually really good!!! The camera angles are amazing and I really felt like how she felt. In the scene where Bella is left by Edward and the camera zooms out but turns 390 degrees really slowely. I liked this and gave you the sense of her being by herself and the dizzeness the situation is giving her. Another angle I liked was at the cinema that just showed show much of the situation!! I don't want to say to much more about some camera angles for I son't want to ruin it for some of you!!!

The SCORE in the film is amazing, they had a diffrent composer from Twilight and I liked this one more. The SOUNDTRACK in my opnion was awful!!!!!!! I mean I know I can't like everysong but this was SOMETHING ELSE!!!!

Okay New Moon rant over!!! Everyone who hasn't seen it GO SEE IT!!! Im seeing it for a 2nd time on sunday for my friends want to and I don't think I could pass up a oppitunity like that!!!!

What was you thoughts on New Moon???? Hate It?? Like It???

Coursework- Shawshank Redmption

For my coursework, I am going to choose the film the Shawshank Redmption. I am trying to choose between a few scenes at the moment and I am going to write down all the scenes I think would be good for the coursework.



Scene 1: The work on the Roof
In this scene the prisoners are having there first snese of freendome and are allowed to go outside and do some work to a roof that needs fixing. Natuarlly everyone wants to go and Andy and Red are two who are allowed to go. On the roof two prison guards are talking about some money they are getting and Andy steps out of line and gives them some advice. This is the start of what becomes Andy (the prisoner) helping the guards with there money.

This clip has got everything. Music is fantastic the shots are all amazing, there is a brilliant narration from Morgan Freeman that makes you want to cry for it is so amazing. Also the lighting in this scene is wonderful, set on a roof at the begining of the day it is shady and at miday it is right over heard and then its evening light.

Scene 2: Tossing Andy's Cell
From here we see the regular "checking" of the cells. The camera needs to move around a prison cell so there is not much moving to do, but the camera still follows the action around. I don't think I will do this scene but the music and lighting are really good.

Scene 3: Writing the Letters
Andy starts writing letters to the goverment asking for money to help fund a project to make the libary better. And in this scene he is writing the letters in a montage, also you see him becoming more friendly with the guards. Also we see time passing in this monatage. Its shows him doing the guards taxing and each year does more and more.
Music for this scene is excellent and the camera angles are fab!! And I don't know about you but I love nothing more than a montage.

Scene 4: The Song Scene
This is like the best part of the moive, Andy has got his books and some music so when he is left alone he puts the song on the record and plays it to the whole prison and for just one moment everyone is still and no one is moving.
Camera angle are excellent as always trying to fit in all the guards means alot of long shots.

Scene 5: Brook's Memorial Libary

The prisoners are setting up the new libary, building a new one. I like this scene for it is another narration and this one makes you feel in the film. he says "You might've read it in the paper" I like this for you feel as you've lived through it all to and I just liked how it was played out. Also camera angles are very good in this scene are there is a diversty. Also I like how the music goes from digetic to non-digetic.

Looking for coursework Movie with Jess :)

Father Of The Bride
Director: Charle Shyer
Released: 1995

The scene we watched was when both woman go into labor, the camera angles are moving everywhere for George wants to be in two places at once. As an audience member you can find the situation funny and happy and strange all at the same time. The music is happy and makes the audiences emotions chagne with the scene.


Of Mice and Men
Directed by: Gary Sinse
Released: 2004

Music helps reflect the mood for the scence. When the dog gets shot there is complete silence apart from Candy turning over in his bed. Then it cuts to the next morning and then men are going to work. The lighting is grey and it is raining and helps the audience get in the mood of the scene.

The Lost Boys
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Released: 1984

Lighting in one scene is bright and happy, the music is digetic and Sam is singing along. Then it cuts to Mike and it is dark and you can't see anything. The camera cuts between the two scene and then when it gets to the scene combining the camera quickly goes from one end of the corrider and zooms straghit to Mike. The DOG then goes Raaaawwwww and scares him away. The music is exciting and helps the auidence picks up on the build and then the music follows on.

Mean Girls
Directed By: Mark Waters
Released: 2004

Costumes fits chacter and helps the audience know which chachter is poular and which charcter isn't. This means the audience doens't have to think to much about who is who. Music in the film fits together and all have a theme. It is set in a american high school so lighting is natural and bright for it is summer.

City Of God- Mise-en-scene

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Katia Lund (co-director)

Release Date: 3 January 2003

The City of God is based in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, and is the story about the gangs in the City of God and it tells the story of two rival drug dealing gnags trying to win out the other. Throught out the film we follow a chrater named Rocket who is the younger brother of one of the memebers of The Tender Trio. The story follows the drama around the two gangs and it always comes back to Rocket and the story is always around him. I thought the stroy line for the film was reallly good. I liked how it always came back to rocket and how he always was involved with the story, also I liked the flashbacks when something needed to be explained.

Mise-en-scene

The films music is truley amazing. I really enjoyed it and thought it fit the film really well. My favorite piece of music is at the begining when they are trying to catch the chicken and the music fits really well to chasing this chicken. Also in this scene is a good example of good editing and camera angles. The angles are really low in this scene due to having a chicken chase. Sometimes it can be a POV shot and other times is just a shot following the chicken around. This adds efefct for you can alwmost feel both sides. As the chicken you can feel the need to get away and as the gang members you can feel the need to chase after the chicken and make sure it doens't escape. Jump Cuts were used in this scene to add to the quick fast moving pace and the speed of the chase. This add a sense of excitment to the movie and makes it seem more real. Also the fast pace of the editing makes the viewer uneasy and makes them feel the need to concentrate and to keep up.

The rest of the film follows in the same action, fast camera movments, wonky angles, up-beat and heavy music. The film is in spanish with subtitles and to some people this might be off putting and ghard to view but I got into reading the subititles and after a while you get used to it and it goes with the flow of the film.

Overall I realy enjoyed City Of God and I thought it would be a brilliant film for a good example of editing and Sound work.

Edward Scissorhands

Director: Tim Buton
Released: 1990

(Sorry this blog won't be as long as some of my other blogs!!)

Okay, after Emily did her presentation in Film about Edward Scissorhands and Jess and everybody said it was "Really Good!!!" and I "Had to watch it!!" I thought I would get my mum to take it out for me!! (She works at a libary!!!) It was really good and had quite a strange story line, but I think overall it was a good story.

The best part of the film for me was when all the woman met in the street together to talk about gossip, I really like how over the top it was and how when the husbands came home everyone went back in there houses. As well that parts with the old woman telling the story was a good twist!

I thought the camera angles in the film were very good, and I also like the editing!!! I thought the cinematography was very good as well and you got a whole sense of what this reallity was like.

Overall I really enjoyed this film and thought it was very good. Im sorry for the shortness of the blog but I didn't really feel this film..........

Music In Film

One of my best friends Hannah is the most musical person I know, (When I say musical I mean as in music instuments not Singing musicals) and her dream job would be to write music from films or in other words and film score. So when I had the homework of doing a small clip about film music you want to guess who went to for advice on what music to do??? You guessed it, the moment "Homework and Film Music" came out of my mouth she pounced on me and told me what she thought would be best,and that she was so excited she is lending me the DVD and soundtrack!! So here is me talking about as she puts it "On of the best music scences EVER"

Now I know I have already reviewed Prince Caspian, but this is The lion The Witch and The Wardrobe and they are both different films. Anyway the film score composer is Harry Gregson-Williams A.K.A (Accourding to Hannah) THE BEST FILM COMPOSER OF ALL TIME. And even though Im not obsessed with him as she is, his music is really good. I think the films everyone will know he has sone has been the Shrek films, and the music from there is brilliant. His most recent film would have to be X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and in that film the music is WICKED!!! And aswell as all of these amazing films, he has also done this music for the Narnia films.

Anyone who wants to listen to the song here is a spotify link: Harry Gregson-Williams – The Battle

And to those who are like "WTH is spotify?!?!" Here is a you tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idiEsYmQWa0

The scene I am chosing is called the battle, and basically the main characters are getting ready to fight the white witch and the music here is MIND BLOWING!! In this scene Aslan has just left so Peter and Edmund are deciding whether or not to go to battle. It starts of really quiet and dark and mysterious like you not to sure what its going to be like, then you get this up lift of horns and then it flows into violins and all smooth but still with the horns but there is not precussion. I think is really fits the scene for there is this build up ready to go to battle and no one wants to go but the courage there is amazing, and you can feel it through the music.

Then the next part of the song is really cool, Peter has made the decsion to fight and insted of going straghit to the battle the music picks up with the horns and then you go through the map they have been studying and into the battle itself, the editing is brilliant for you get a real sense of what is going on and the way the transition between deciding whether to go and going to FANTASTIC.

Here is the screen shots!!!! From left to right, make sure to go on the you tube link to watch it, it is unmissable.

The next scene is amazing with the camera, it travels over the coming army and the music is so uplifiting and there is so much hope in it, and then when the camera changes and goes over to the bad guys there is a change and the music goes all dark and earey......

Anyway, over all this part of the film is AMAZING and even though my friend might be a bit obssesed with score music she chose a really good scene to do, and I haven't seen the Narnia films in a while so it was nice to see it again.

Elephant- Cin

Okay, I want to first say that I had NO idea this film was going to be about a school massacre, someone could of told me before hand!!! You should of seen me in my free next lesson in the library on my iPod touch doing a wiki search about the whole story!! All week every time I see someone in army gear or something I get the heeby jebbys and think that at any moment they might try and kill me.......any way, fear aside I thought this film was SUPER DUPER COOL (apart from the part where they killed everyone) I loved how it was made and how the director basically took everything normal from a film and turned it upside down.
The film starts with a long shot of the sky showing time passing. At the end of the film this scene really made sense, the film is set over a day and this is the sky that day. And what I think the director is trying to show is that the clouds and the sky never change, they always stay the same and that every night and day they just do the same thing, and the director was showing how everyday is the same and different at the same time........if that makes any sense. Basically he is showing that the day was normal and that something that would never happen.....happened.
Then next part of the film I really like, I’m not to sure which shot it is for it is a tracking shot and a long shot rolled into one. It is the camera looking down on a car but not in a Birdseye view angle but slightly lower. The camera moves slowly from side to side obviously in time with the car. The car is moving from side to side so the audience get a direct feel that the person driving is not in a normal state.
The next shot I really like it when John got into the car and started it, the camera moved like it was actually on the hood of the car. As a viewer, you find this quite strange for you know how smooth the camera is moving around the film and when you get this jerky movement it throws you off a bit.
Then the you get a tracking shot of everywhere John goes, from around the car then to the school and everywhere he walks. At first I thought this wasn't going to be very good and the film wouldn't make much sense but after a while you understand what the director is trying to show through camera tracking and that is what it was like to be in the hall ways on that day. Putting the viewer in the shoes of a student, and actually and almost be IN the film. I thought this was really effective for instead of just Point of view shot and camera panning, you got a real sense of knowing the characters.
There was a part of the film where there was a tracking shot for nearly 4 minutes, I thought this was good but also a little off putting. As a viewer your not really to sure what is going on by following someone around a school, and your not to sure what is coming next. But again you also get the feeling of going around the school just like any regular student.
The next aspect of the film I really enjoyed was the time sequencing by all the different time sequences put together to show that it was one day, there was small aspects to show how it was all knitting together. At one point there was some people saying congratulations in a scene and then you heard it in another scene. I thought this was a really good way in the film for instead of just moving around one day and only getting the view point from certin characters at certin points in the day you get the WHOLE day from most of the charcters percpective. Also I like how when every chacter is introduced there name comes up on the screen. This helps you know there name so again you can feel as if you know them personally and as if you went to school with them. There was this shot I really liked during the killing where the camera is not really foucsed and just sitting there when in the background you can see one of the killers walking towards the camera and at first he is blury and then as he gets closer he becomes more clear. I like this shot for you get a real sense of not knowing if that is the killer or not or just a random student.

Over all I really enjoyed this film and thought because it was diffrent it made it more........diffrent.......Any way I thought it was good and a nice change to a film.

Flightplan: Mise-En-Scene

First of all ZOMG!! This film was proper good!!!! I saw it a while ago but only like the middle part, but I thought this film was SUPER good!!! I really enjoyed the story line and loved the twist, and also the whole thought of a child going missing on a plane is something you don't really think about because it just doesn't happen and no one can really go missing on an aeroplane because it's such an enclosed space and so adds a bigger sense of danger.

Okay, now to the real work. Mise-en-scene was the main aspect of how we saw the main character. I noticed that most of the time when she was running up and down the plane the director used a tracking shot on the other side of the plan. I really liked this idea for you really got a sense of running on the plane with her and trying to find the child. Also it showed how fast she was running and how desperate she was. I think most of the camera angles showed the stress she was in and how she was going into having a breakdown when trying to find her daughter.

Another mise-en-scene used to help portray the main character is the lighting. In the film not many bright lights are used, for it is in a storm there should not be the sun out and happy, as well most of the film is set around night time so all the lighting is very dim. I think this adds real affect to how worried she is for her daughter. If she can't find her and a night it makes it 100% worse for anything could happen to a child at night and even though it is on a areoplane and there is not much of a chance for someone to take her it's still pretty scary on what time of day it is.

The decor in the film in the main aspect that makes it more exciting. It looks like a regular plane and this adds to the drama that is might actually happen in real life. Even though the aeroplane company may not really exists but the reality of a real life aeroplane and a real life situation adds to the affect more. Also in this film I think parents can relate to the mum as if they had a missing child they would feel the same way.

Overall, I thought this film was really good and better than I though it was going to be. I really liked the whole idea of the story line and the film was really well made.

Editing- Prince Caspian

When all the scenes from the set have been filmed, they need to be edited together to make sense. Normally, a person will have to go trough hours of film to make the final cut and edit out all the unwanted parts of footage. Editing can take along time to do, and normally films come out 6 months after they have been filmed due to editing and sound editing.

What normally makes a film really good is the way it has been edited together, it gets dull with the camera on a single person and not really moving to anyone else. For an example of some editing I thought was really good is The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
I think it has come to the time were I have to admit an obsession (other than Twilight) I have with films. My favourite part in a movie like Narnia or the Lord of the Rings is part before the battle. When I was little I liked the idea of good guys and bad guys and loved how the camera showed each aspect of the each side and the idea of so many people willing to die because of a fight made it much more exciting.
Obsession aside, I really like the editing in this scene from the film. Here we see the narnians getting read to battle the Telmarine army. The editing in this scene I think is amazing!! The way the camera moves around the scene you get a full sense on what is happening and you get a sense that you could be in the scene as someone in the army.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhQLosYnsA4&feature=related

This is the link I am using to describe the battle, its about 4:23 in so you might have to wait for it to load for a bit.

I like how this part of the battle starts with a close up of what the soliders look like, it gives you a sense of what there is to expect. Then it pulls back to a shot of the whole army. This part is good for you can see how many people there are.

Then, there is some close ups of the on coming army and there is a real sense of how big it is. The camera folllows the soliders and than it is cut to an over all shot from behind of the armny.

After seeing every angle of the oncoming army, it is than cut to a reaction shot from the other side. Then, we are cut to a tracking shot of a white horse amoung a group of black horse. The audience know that this charcter is important from the

way the camera cut from one scene to another.

Overall, editing is important in a film and gives the audience an overall feeling of what is happening in a scene and feel like they are in the film.

Make-Up and Costume

Make-up and costume and two of the most important things in a film, especially if you are making a film in a diffrent era or a film with specific costume e.g. you couldn't have a warlock in Lord of the Rings come into battle with converse on!! Make-up and Costume are important and a film needs to get it right, for an example of a film I thought got it right is the Shawnshank Redemption.

The film is set in the 1947, so the charcters can't be wearing moden clothes of today. The film starts in 1947 and ends in about 1972, so the costume changes quite drmatically. (Picture left)This is the first scene in the fim, it is set in a court room so the dress is smart and casual. There is not much make-up needed in this scence or most of the film.

The camera then has a tracking shot over the people in the crowed(Picture Right). We can see from this the styles of the time. The hat adds a real feeling of being in the time it was set, as the audience watching the film doesn't have to think about it. Also again in this scence we see more of the casual smart suits.

Then, as the camera first goes to the prison we can see that everyone is wearing the same clothes, denim jacket, plain blue trousers and shirts. In the time denim was a cheap item of clothing, so for the prisoners to be wearing it is rather fitting. Also, denim was seen only worn by poor people or farmers, so again fits in being shown as a lower class wear.

So far, I have mostly shown costume but here is a part I thought used effective make-up. In this scence a man had been so badly beaten up he can never walk again. The make-up in this scence shows how badly he has been hit by his head covered in red blothches. Also in the film, when someone is getting beat up, blood appears were cuts have sprung up. When a nam is taking punches they might get blood out of there mouth or in the corner.

After already talking about the prisoners clothing, I noticed the police officers also have a cod of conduct. Here, the director again has taken the costume from the time. The police officers are almost in suits with belts around the middle. This was a sign of authority that they were important.

Overall, make-up and cotume are very important in a film. As the audience you don't really have to think about to much what people are wearing. The only time the audience can notice when costume is not right is when a mistake is made. I remember me and my friend oncen watched this film where a knight came into the shot on a horse with trainers on, then when you notice this mistakes you realise how directors must have to get it right and if they don't it won't make sense.

Leon

When I see a film like this I never really understand. Im one of those really annoyoing people who need someone there to explain it for them, but I really got this film and thought it was Brilliant!!!!

Props:

• The Plant: I'm fairly sure everyone shall mention this importnat object. At first to me i thought it was some kind of friend Leon had for had no real friend and relied on lookng after something. Then at the end of the film and you see her plating the it in the ground it makes you realise that it is a sign of being free from everything, when the plant was in the pot it had pressure to move around and could never fully stop moving around. Then when, at the end and she plants it in the ground, you have a sense that the danger is over and she cn finally settle down and grow like the plant.
• Milk: I dind't know really where to put this, and I think that the milk is a prop. I found it intersting how he always had to have that milk and how he taught Matilda that she needed to drink the milk in order to keep healthy and become a hitman. Also I think it was important for that is how he let her in. She went shopping to go and get the milk for him and she get back and her family is dead and he is there to taker her in.

Setting

• New York: I thought this was a good setting for this film. I really busy and over populated meant that it was easy to hide and that people would find it hard to look for you.
• "Littile Italy": I like the part at the begining where you went into the establishing shot by going into a sign saying "Littile Italy". I set the scence on where people might be from and gave more of an idea on where it was set in New York.

Lighting

• The lighting changed depending on what mood the scene was on. For exmaple the film starts off with leon getting his next task and there he is in a gloomy lit room and having a very important converstion with someone. In this shot is the single light bulb you see when people are talking business. Then the light changes when outside and you see a nomal everyday street like nothing is wrong.
• Also, the lighting is shown outside like a typical day in New York. Even though people are getting killed, there is a sense that it can happen anywhere.

Sound

• The music in the film is rather important and changes upon the mood. Music is mostly non-digetic but there is some secnes where it is diegetic.

Shots:

• POV: There are quite a few of POV shots in the film. A favorite of mine is at the begining where Leon is about to kill that man and just before he put a knife around his neck, there is a POV shot of him towards the man. I really like the building suspense of knowing what is going to happen at the same time as now knowing what is going to happen.

Overall, I thought this fiml was very good and I think it might of made my top 20 films!! Can't wait to watch more!!

Izzy =] =] =]