What Do I Do Now?

First off, I am very sorry for the lateness of this blog entry.

And now that is out of the way, I’d like to get something else off of my chest. It has become recently clear to me that while delving into my childlike state in order to write an enjoyable flick for my own personal satisfaction I have found myself loosing sense of the writing skills we had originally learned.

Let’s use an example, such as my latest development of a mix between a Western and a Paranormal Horror (I accept that some of you may want to disown me). Now this story revolves around a town called Hell’s Deep (Yes it’s a rip off but give it a chance). It is about a frequency of paranormal goings on in the town and the oblivious towns peoples helplessness to save themselves.

We have Gordon Yates the town sheriff who has been investigating the strange goings on in the farms en circling the isolated town. The farmers have either been going missing, have been found dead due to mysterious circumstances or have become enraged and have committed murder themselves.

When we have established that there is more to this than just a crazed murderer, Yates gathers a posse to protect the town, but one night all hell breaks loose and the thing that has been haunting the countryside suddenly releases its full outrage on the town.

I like this story purely because I have no idea of any previous stories that have attempted the same kind of genre. I would not only like to call it a western because it is set in the wild west, I would also like to mix in the way a western would be shot with the incidents of a horror film. No gore whatsoever though!

For example I would like to mix the suspense of a stand off with that of a gunmen waiting in the middle of the high street, hand on gun, but knowing what is about to come around the corner to face him. Is it another man? Is it a demon from hell? Who knows?

So this is all fine and dandy is you don’t know a thing about writing and your in school or something like that but not for me.

I suddenly became quickly aware that I had not followed any structure whatsoever and had just portrayed some slack jawed movie where Jean Claude Van Dam plays a gunman in the Wild West?

We need a character, that I have, our hero Gordon Yates. But he needs a past. A motive, something he needs but he doesn’t know it yet. Now after my realization I started to think about these things, and one thing I couldn’t get off my mind was that he was a soldier in the civil war, fighting for the North. While at war, his family were caught up in a different battle and were killed by the Confederates. Ever since then Yates has found a sudden urge to keep what he thinks is rightfully is by force. Now although a very violent man, he also a very intelligent man and knows not to do any wrong by his own kind. So he became a sheriff of some desolate town where there are more just like him, sufferers of war but not many soldiers. It will occur to Yates nearer the end of the film that he has the urge to keep his land, using any means necessary, even if it isn’t rightfully his.

Now the way he realizes this is; the spirits that are attacking the town are actually ghosts of the dead natives that owned the land long ago and now refuse to have anyone move in over their cold dead bodies. And so during the final battle in the centre of the town against the possessed townspeople, Yates lets himself go and lets his spirit be taken by the natives in order to pay them for the land and so that the other residents of the town who have survived may live.

And so the true colours of this story are starting to prevail, but now it seems a bit ridiculous, wouldn’t you say?

Just a tad.

Roland Emmirich and The End Of The World!

Welcome to the mind of Emmirch. The man behind, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012 and of coarse the least of the earth's worries, Stargate.

Emmirich seems to love the end of the world, so much that he's had it invaded by aliens and turned into a barren wasteland, he's introduced a massive lizard to America and he's created a global natural disaster - twice!

In Independence Day, we have the world being attacked by huge alien spaceships the size of cities, and with their unbelievably powerful death rays and impenetrable shields they seem pretty unstoppable. But with the help of the iconic duo, Bill Pullman, Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum and of coarse the less famous Randy Quaid, the human race will bring those alien bastards down, with a bit of American warfare (for those of you who haven't seen the alternate ending, your in for a treat).

I liked Independence Day. It had this certain adventure feel, which, if you've been keeping up with earlier blogs, is the kind of thing I like to enjoy. We have this epic disaster, which is sweeping across the world, yet the American characters we focus on all seem to find a funny side to the whole thing. The violent, and provocative fighting style of Will Smith as he battles the alien craft in the air ("you did not shoot that green shit at me!"), the witty bantering of Jeff Goldblum ("maybe if we screw the world up enough, they won't want it any more") and the crazy babbling of recovering drunk Randy Quaid (While in the hanger: F-18 computer "missile launch” Quaid "Oh crap!").

This crazy and unexpected style was first used in Stargate, which I won't dwell on as it ventures a little further from the point of Emmerich and the end of the world.

The next film after all of this was Godzilla, the monster movie that had the worst main character in the world.

I wouldn't say that Mathew Broderick is a bad actor, but rather this is not his type of film. The worn out style of funny vs. apocalypse starts to tear through this film like a sharpened bayonet. Broderick's lines are not funny and the character is not a gun happy hero who'll take on anything, rather is a small, computer nerd who only wants to work in a safe background. The film attempts to let him expand, so that we can see his character progression of computer nerd to hero on the streets of New York, but it doesn't work. I don't quite know what he wants out of the whole event and by the end of the film it would seem that he hasn't learned his lesson at all by going back to the girl that screwed him over twice, one of the occasions being in the last thirty minutes of the film.

The only characters in the film i particularly enjoy are Jean Reno and Hank Azaria. Jean Reno as the commercial hating, coffee loving, French secret service agent, here to secretly take out Frances biggest mistake and Hank Azaria as the New York-ian cameraman, who turns from zero to hero. These two characters eventually meet at the end of the film and immediately there is chemistry, in the sort that the mismatched pair have to deal with the main couple getting back together while they are left arguing with each other.

In spite of these two characters, which play a minor part in the whole film as an overall, the film doesn't stand the test of time. The effects are dated and the comedy is even more dated. The film seems to be a step back for Emmirich.

Godzilla was the last film he tried to mix comedy with Armageddon.

Post 9-11, The Day After Tomorrow, was brought to our screens. This was the dawn of a new type of apocalyptic film from Emmirich, and also one of his most successful. Somehow the genre was turned in a warning of global warming. The warming of the ice caps on our earth suddenly brought a sense or realism and seriousness to the genre that would prove successful to a more serious and sensible audience. Any of these types of films, created a crazy and eccentric way of ending the world, a horde of alien warships, an oversized reptile or intergalactic Egyptians. Now we had something that is actually a genuine, or so I think, threat to our world and the way we live our lives.

The film itself was also good, without the point of global warming, but the point did make the film have a perfect structure for the life and times we live in post 9-11.

2012 is the new feature that Emmirich has brought to our screens this winter, and it is nothing short of both spectacular and absolutely ridiculous. Whatever on Earth inspired him to make another global warming disaster to end the world is nothing short of ludicrous. The film stands up to the general interest of finding a new way to destroy cities and landscapes, in sinking Los Angeles, blowing up Yellowstone and of coarse lets not forget, submerging Washington DC.

But the film isn't on the same level as it's predecessor, and doesn't capture the interest and involvement as much it did in the past.

It could possibly be that the idea has worn off and it's taken too long to bring itself on to the screen, rather than wait a little while until the genre becomes a global hit again. 2012 hasn't really managed to stir any emotion in myself, while the film is very enjoyable in the fashion that it manages to create a world where anything goes, including cities, it doesn't have a good enough ideal that it would attract me to it.

Bird in the 80's

Bird On A Wire. Not much i can say about it. It truly is the best definition of an eighties film i can think of. Try and bring this film out nowadays, post 9-11, it would never happen. Films like this, died along with the style of the time. That tongue and cheek action film that only ever arrived in the eighties, has been lost, but their is potential for the franchise again.

Meanwhile, lets focus on this particular film.

Mel Gibson (When he was good) and Goldie Hawn star in this, romantic, action, adventure, crime, thriller, comedy. Oh yes, it is indeed all of these things. It may be cheesy but it's my kind of film, and this exactly the kind of film that's able to put a smile on any face, unless you really hate mel gibson.

The film is about mel gibsons character who has been under witness protection for fifteen years and is now outed by his enemies and is hunted down by both the police and the criminals due him being framed. That's not all, Goldie Hawn, plays the love interest, whom after fifteen years of thinking he is dead, is reunited with her past fiance.

The two go on the run in a mismatched adventure.

In this one film alone, there is two car chases, a bike chase through narrow ally ways and the likes, a plane chase and a climax in a zoo exhibit including, live tigers, lions and alligators.

The film jumps around, in slow motion sequences of everything exploding, to fast cut shots of a car narrowly missing a bus, with incredible stunts that would never happen in real life, (unless your 80's mel gibson, for him that shit happened every day).

Under all of this is a classic soundtrack, by Hanz Zimmer, in his fantastic, phase of electric drums, and sythesized guitars.

This truly is the film of the 80's and if i could think of a better one i wouldn't be writing this blog now would I?

Searching

The Searchers, is a fantastic story of a man seeking revenge. John Wayne plays, Ethan a man hellbent on killing the Native tribe that killed his entire family.

That's the jist of this fantastic drama adventure film, obviously born a western but the outcome produces so much more.

I don't think i'll speculate on the first opening minutes of the film, in fear of a mental breakdown, but after the inciting incident of Ethan's family being murdered, we have the beginnings of a long, hard journey, with our two characters Ethan and his nephew.

In my personal opinion, i think this film started off the mismatched adventure, with two contrast and clashing personalities on the same mission but with different goals, one to kill the tribe (Ethan), the other to find the tribe and save his cousin.

In an overall watch of the film it's easy to get a sense of a long and hard journey, after all is said and done it's hard to look back on what we originally had until the closing scene which almost mimics the opening. I think this scene is so familiar to the start of the film, to show just how long the journey has been and how much the two characters have been through. As an audience member i feel that i have participated in this adventure around south, living each season, in the cold, the heat and the dark night.

When watching films like these, I have a personal view, and the way i make my personal view is, while the film is wrapping up, i look back on the opening scenes and try to remember what the film was like, so long ago in before our incident. When doing this I get great sense that i have been taken on this long journey and i have been transported with the main characters all along the way and even so much that i lost point A for a while and was only concerned in getting to point B.

Films, like the searchers are able to drag you in and completely emerge in the world, the story and the needs of the characters. From my point of view, any good adventure film should be able to do that.

DEFYING TELEVISION

It's hard to watch this show that has started on BBC 2. Defying Gravity, is about a group of astronauts who are on a 6 year voyage around the planets. But all is not as it seems as the characters are all either sleeping with each other, having suicidal thoughts, or are hallucinating in the first hours of the voyage. The production design is very good, it looks like a lot of money has been put into this project, and it is made in Canada (which i'm not sure means if it is a good thing or a bad thing). So far i have learned that they are trying to put Ross, Chandler, Joey, Monica, Rachel and Pheoby into space, and after watching at least three episodes, its almost clear thats what the writers intended on doing in the first place. The effects and design seem to keep up with unbelievable gadgets which have no scientific fact behind them and to be completely honest probably don't have much thought put behind them either, but they don't look half bad. The main character's voice over seems to want to be deeper than it actually appears to the audience, there is too much of a character that shows and because it exposes him so much, i am neither rooting for him, or want him to be the good guy.

The music choice is nothing short of one tree hill, and i'm not exactly sure that's appropriate for such a program. Yet I am still drawn back to the program, it's a concept i like and have always wanted to try out myself if i ever got the chance, but i think i would have serious doubts about ever trying to do it the way Defying gravity has.

My main inspiration (and what proves time and time again as a posible copyright issue) is the BBC docudrama, "Space Odyssey : Voyage To The Planets" which was a much better show with unbelievably stunning effects and production design, a perfect mix of drama and science fact and flawless attitude toward the psychological nature of humans in space for that period of time. Do yourself a favour, take two hours out of your day and watch this fantastic docudrama which never fails to impress.

Blu ray, bright or shite?

It has come to my attention, in the last couple of months, that blu-ray is really starting to step up to the money that it costs nowadays. While on a late night tesco romp with my friends i found a very cheap blu-ray player, from Technika (don't judge me), costing only 70 pounds, due to the very outdated technology it was running on (hey, it still works). Now the first film i bought on blu-ray was one that would be quite obvious to the eye if anything had improved. What else but Danny Boyle's sci-fi, Sunshine (don't judge me). Now i must say, i was unbelievably impressed at first glance at the screen when the spaceship Icarus 2 flies by the camera, with the sun beaming off of it's heat shield. The clarity of the picture was fantastic, i was completely immersed in the picture, almost as if i was there myself. The sound was also incredible, pumping out a full surround sound clearer than any dvd to date, the sound of the sun's rays striking the shield and the low boom as the ship blew its way past.

But here's my question for this round. Does Blu-ray take you away from the story and place you in a position where pretty pictures are more important.

Now I'm writing this after just watching one of my favourite horror movies 30 Days Of Night (don't judge me) on blu-ray. It was brilliant, the motion was perfect the effects pumped up, the deadly soundtrack slithers through the speakers in the clearest form possible, i was completely immersed in the events, the suspense and the movement. Now you may be questioning why I am so impressed by these pretty colours and pictures, and i must say i do have a soft spot for a beautiful looking film (don't judge me) but there is always a need to be immersed in the story as well as the pictures, behind the beauty and the shots there has to be depth and substance. Now Blu-ray seems to take that edge off, some people say. They say, it is so detailed that you spend so much time trying to follow everything with your eyes that you have no time to process the story.

I disagree. That first paragraph? forget it! It isn't worth the money. You buy a blu ray player expecting something new and fresh, and for about the first five seconds of the film, of coarse you'll look at your friends and say "fucking hell thats awsome!" but after that, it's the same film you love, the same film you saw in the cinema the first time, the same story, the same characters.

That detail, that immaculate sound, it's all out the window when you loose yourself in that film, in the characters, in the story, in the emotion, compare those feelings that you feel everytime you watch your favourite movie to a detailed picture and just guess what's gonna win. Not saying its not totally worth it, it is pretty cool, but don't judge me!

a bit on sound design

This part of the coarse is a particular favorite to me, pretty much because when i leave the academy i hope to progress into a career of sound design and other sound related jobs. Andy picked one of the most influential sound designers/editors out there to give us an example of what sound can do to make a film what it is. Using the film The Conversation, edited by Walter Murch, we were shown how one conversation played throughout an entire story can affect our understanding of the characters feelings and fears.

The Conversation may not have been my cup of tea, still not a bad film, just no the kind of story that i'm generally interested in. But not one person can deny that the films sound scape and design is utterly fantastic and is almost as if not more important than the visuals, in creating Gene Hackman's fear and obsession with one of his clients whom he has been putting under surveillance. Throughout the film, whenever we are on Gene Hackman, we are constantly plagued by snips of the conversation he originally recorded right at the start of the film. This is used to show the guilt that he is feeling that one of his recordings may have gotten someone killed, and so he is plagued by his own work and obsession. What happens when the only things you really care about in the world turns against you, I'm guessing is the question that Gene Hackman must face.

Sound design is something which i find particularly amazing.

Swiftly moving on from Walter Murch, i would like to go straight to the crazy stuff, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Sunshine, and the sci-fi lot. How does one create a sound that no one has ever heard or knows what it would sound like?

Imagination, is a key point in all of these films. From what effects you see on the screen we are to create a sound which matches it in every way, shape and form. If it is an explosion it should be analyzed and each and every element of the explosion should be recorded individually to be put together at a later stage and the finished output, no matter if it has a hundred tracks with it, should resemble the sound that an audience would expect from their understanding of previous films.

The most amazing and wonderful part of sound design has to be the sheer imagination put into each sound, to create that sense of fast pace, or real depth, or even just silence in order to impact an audience, either to give them what they really desire while watching a particular scene, or to withhold what they expect, in order to strike them, catching them off guard and putting in the awkward position of having to agree that the images must go with the sound, even in a clash situation.

If i had to give an example of one of the most fantastic uses of sound design, surprisingly, I'd have to go for Steven Speilberg's remake of War Of The World's, in which Richard King designed the sound. The one sound out of that film which is one of the most terrifying things i have ever experienced in cinema has to be the Tripod alarm, just before they proceed to kill humanity. That alarm is able to send a shiver down my spine every time i listen to it. It has just right amount of bass to shift the floorboards, but still enough to leave a shrill bell in your ears. Once hearing the alarm, you know their is trouble to ensue, and that even as an audience member you don't want to be there. Just like in Jaws, with John Williams score signifying the shark is near, that alarm signifies the same danger and acts as an signal to the audience, be afraid, be very very afraid.

PANDORUM

Another sci-fi. Belter. It must appear by now that I myself am quite a science fiction freak. So let me set it straight. My friends I am indeed the biggest geek alive, I love sci-fi films, the design, the far out concept of being as far away from home as physically possible, the idea of no help, no sound, no boundaries. Just love it! So here comes a brilliant sci-fi which has looked at all these things and thought, its time for another horror set on a massive space ship, e.g.. Alien, Event Horizon. Essentially my first thought of Pandorum was that it was going to be exactly the same as these classics, (still likable but over used) but it wasn't. In some ways of course it can be matched up but altogether, the performance of one of my upcoming favorite actors (Ben Foster) and the concept and overall design of the film is fantastic, not to mention the unbelievable lighting which had been involved.

The first thing to notice is of coarse the expensive production design. Where do you get the idea to design a fantastic (small) country size ship, then make the inside one of the most claustrophobic spaces in the universe. Physics. Look at the designs of the space shuttle and the international space station, they are themselves big structures but inside, due to the amount of space needed for the necessities of the crafts there is almost no room for personnel. These new designs are no different, in fact in a couple of thousand years these ships may even be just like this, hopefully without the horror, aliens and mutated people thing. Although we don't actually see a lot of the ship, we get a sense that the whole thing is just one big maze, and with the power kicking on and off, its a maze immersed in darkness. The idea of making the ship a sleeping city was also quite a creepy thought, thinking what could happen while your asleep and what happens if no one wakes you up, and thats exactly what this film plays on. The massive sleeping bay is a personal fav of mine, because after we have been brought into this world of claustrophobia we are brought out into this wide open space, where the characters are at their most vulnerable which means they have to use the small tight spaces to hide and fight. Perfect.

The next thing is lighting. The first scenes open into darkness while the power struggles to come back on, flaring the lights on when it surges through the ship, trying to restart. The most claustraphobic scenes such as the air duct scenes are shot in darkness, this gives some of the most fearful moments in the films, showing that the characters are indeed alone and have no sense or idea of what is going on around them.

Apart from being a sci-fi, this film is also a very smart thriller which promises twists and brilliant performances, but also, one hell of a ride, so get yer geek hats on and take a look at the stars (or just go to the cinema).

Back on top!

And so it comes to my realization that after all this time, to come up with a theme all you need to do is come up with the main characters Unconsciousness Need and Conscious goal, put the two together to come up with the characters final realization, that either makes or breaks him, ending your story in either heartbreak or warmth. Richard has certainly put things into perspective in our first class back, i now find it much easier to get idea's down on to paper now that i have a full understanding of what exactly i'm writing about.

So here we go, back again for the next year, the tough times begin. Quite nervous bout the whole thing, don't really know what to expect or how different its really going to be, but i'm sure it'll hit me in time, cough cough first assessment.

We're back to our theory classes studying the history and development of both cinema and television. Gotta say i there's one thing i missed, it has to be our weekly screenings as a class. with no free time and work constantly over the summer i hardly got the chance to watch any of my favourite films over the summer so it's good to come back to a bunch of freshly picked films for study.

Andy already has us started on the classic greats, with his enthusiastic involvement and constant attention to show us just how much film has changed over the years. Metropolis, although long and over acted in my opinion, proved to be a real treat. Something in which i had never seen before yet was so expressive and ahead of its time. You can really see where a lot of film makers today get their influences. The production design was to be the main point we took from the film, the absolutely unbelievable designs for the future, such as the workers city underground working hard, killing the lower classes so that the upper classes could live in bliss, video phones, roads and paths in the sky and even mega cities.

We also have this new directing class with Zam, and this is proving quite exiting as i've never really been involved in directing, having never really had experience with it. But even so, it's very interesting to get tips from an experienced director such as Zam. The classes are mainly only in introductory stages so far but still hold a great deal of information from the beginning as well as keeping the class a live with interaction and open opinion, such as bringing in our own favourite films to show, obviously mine wasn't the most glamorous but i still stand by my decision down to emotional involvement.

Technical studies : and so it begins. Back with the ever so active Ray, who is cheery as usual. No slowing down, straight into action, and now in our first day back with Ray we've been introduced to our new tripods and heads, which we'll be using through the year, and so far they seem very cool, much more sophisticated than the original Vinten's and Vision's we were using before. And we also now know how to change the bulbs in every lamp that's in the kit room.

What can be better to finish off with what i posted earlier on in the week. We've been asked by Adam to come up with two new idea's for a new channel four Drama (ya beauty!). This is pretty much the best thing ever with the exception of a lot of things, but just to give my point some emphasis, it is. Seriously though, the comedy drama's that channel four produce are among my favourite television shows and constantly grab my attention making me laugh, cry and even vomit some time (not literally). But just thinking that one of us may be able to be a part of that kind of industry gets me all exited.

Gna be a good year lads!

The Comedy Of Channel 4

I have recently realized with the help of one of Television Development classes that I absolutely love these comedy drama's that channel four are pumping out. Shows such as The Inbetweeners, Shameless, The It Crowd and the now extinct Teachers seem to be really enjoyable and i think it's all down to this style of youth. Not to make myself seem shallow or anything but the shows main appeal seems to come from their relation to the youth of Britain and the popular cultures that seem to be followed by almost every young adult, myself included. For me a lot of revolves around the music. The chart topping songs seem to appear and with every new episode update themselves to the most recent chart while in production so as to keep in style with the fast paced times.

Speaking of these fast paced times, it would seem every new album i buy seems to be out of date by the end of the month. I recently bought an album by Friendly Fires, and already it has left the charts completely and even I'm getting a little bored of it. So what do i do? I move on to the next big thing.

It's amazing that channel four have been able to keep up, but i'd say they've done pretty well.

The other thing that i notice about these shows is that they seem to be able to easily relate to relevant workings of the mind of the youth today. It's all about sex, violence, drugs, family, friends, nights on the town; stuff that you would find in your own life. Just watching the shows comedy even reminds me of me and my mates all having a laugh.

From a personal perspective it would seem that channel four have hit the nail on the head and hopefully will continue to do so with their cutting edge comedy and drama.

DFTV 2, lets jump straight to it!

MOON

Unbelievable would be a good word to use for this particular film. Got to say the guys done well, created a fantastic film on a low budget with the feel of a low down sci-fi. Lets mention a little something about the production design. The first thing i notice that i adore about this film is the use of live action models rather than using computer generated crap. Its back to the original sci-fi films, and in such a fantastic way. It is quite obvious that these lunar vehicles and structures are not created from nothing, they have been assembled and delicately built by hand to create the ultimate reality of the moon. The story is twisty, but not in a bad Shymalan way, in a good interesting curve of events way. So we have the story and the effects, all we need is Sam Rockwell's stunning performance with himself throughout the film. Its hard to believe that Rockwell is actually performing without a clone of himself there to reply and fight with. It's very exciting to see an actor completely immerse himself in his role, and he dragged me in with him, I completely believed his character, and wanted him succeed in his quest of getting home and seeing his daughter again. What adds to the role is the role reversal between him and his clone, the second clone being scared and confusion then straight away accepting what is going on, then the original clone, while in a dying state refuses to believe that this is happening. There is also some sort of emotional bond that the two go through while they struggle to comprehend what is going on and the complexity of their situation, and as they stare death in the face they show this compassion, as the first clone sacrifices himself to save himself, so that the second clone can see his daughter.

This film has shown true stature as an outstanding sci-fi picture which doesn't only give a good story and good effects but also reveals the humans identity by mirroring it.

09/10

DFTV THE STORY SO FAR!

It's hard to sum up all the stuff thats happened in the last year but i'll try and do the best i can.  

Before i came to the RSAMD i had previous experience in film or any aspect of film.  All i had was my trusty JVC cam corder which i went around playing funny pranks on people and attempting to build a good story from improvisation.  Epic fail by the way!  Now a year into the course i know more than i ever thought possible in one year.  I'm almost surprised that my head doesn't hurt.  But that's the point, it hasn't actually hit me yet how much i have learnt and i don't even think about until I'm asked a question on a certain subject, like, what is a tungston, or what is light measured in.  Degree's Kelvin obviously, (i can bet anyone that i'm wrong with that one).  Not to be cocky but i feel very impressed with the work we've done and why not.  For me what we're doing in the academy is a dream for me, two years ago i would have never dreamed that i'd be able to be part of a production in my life.  

Our classes on Television and Cinema studies, explore the audiences, markets, money matters and of course the history of where is all began.  I've thoroughly enjoyed each class in this section, for we get to explore our own view on any film, and are encouraged to hear our views out with the rest of the class, just to see if anyone objects.  I've learned a great deal about why we make films the way we do today and also I've learned a lot about myself and why i like the films i like, such as why i prefer long drawn out films, more for their escapism factor, same goes for sci-fi's and fantasy adventures.  It's been very fun often in Andy's class with his occasional implication of a big celebrity in each of his stories and wise cracks about everybody's fav films.

We have been learning to write in the best way possible with Richard.  He always digs deep, trying to get the most emotional part of our lives to evoke a good inspiration for writing a good story.  So far, i'm not entirely sure i've gotten there yet but, with his help i'm constantly trying.  It's always intense every time we see Richard, but his methods prove useful time and time again when ever i'm writing.  

Our storylining classes with Kim always prove to be useful, because we are learning how the pro's at corrie do it.  Kim keeps us on our toes with work in our groups to keep up our knowledge with the class whenever she's not around, which proves useful because it does eventually get stuck in your head so as not to forget.  We learn about the ABCD story line idea's and the way they decide which story goes into which category.  Kim always tries to keep a good atmosphere in the class, adding in the occasional fun task to keep our spirits high while doing some good hard work at the same time.  I think we would all agree that our stories for Corrie's future, although absolutely nuts and off the wall, would work!

Abigail is our producer on the course and so far we know almost everything there is to know about producing now, especially the people who produced Little Clown not long ago, as they were given extra classes to put them through their paces.  So far Abigail has time and time again shown us new things that I would never expect to be in the process of a producer.  Such as the idea for a film being produced from a producer then given to a writer to elaborate on.  The classes prove extremely useful as I would never know how to set about getting a production on to its feet from the ground.  Also the info we get is very up to date as Abigail is a producer in working at the moment.  We even saw her latest film, Running in Traffic, and managed to slightly embarrass her at the premier.  Always fun in production.

For our mobile content classes we have the infamous for being busy Adam.  Adam has kept us going by placing us into groups and asking us to come up with a full internet based show from scratch.  So far it's been going really well i would say.  Adam always has an open mind to any idea's that we have, and if the idea is good he is all for it and will back any student, as long as they know what their doing.

Last but never least is the technical fundamentals.  What better way to introduce us to film than to get us familiarized with the equipment.  Ray, Gavin and Simon, always keep us working hard, making sure we do everything correctly, easing us into using the equipment so we are comfortable with absolutely everything before we go out into production.  For camera or lighting, Ray's the guy to see, for editing Gavin's the man and for any queries about sound, it would be Simon.  I think it's safe to say we all know how to use everything to a good standard, which is unbelievable considering having absolutely no training before coming to the RSAMD.  Coming back to the same point, it is a huge amount we have learned in only our first year, and it's easy to see that we are already acting as a production team, as a unit.  

This year has been a fantastic adventure into the world of film, and i couldn't think of a better introduction to the course.  I've experienced an equal value of all sides of film, from rising from the ashes of a script, to the final edit, I now have a very good outlook of how to go about preparing, shooting and editing a film, to the standard that i couldn't have imagined before coming here.  

It's been a hell of a year, and i'm gonna miss it over the summer!

VINYAN

VINYAN

The last film of the day was to be the thriller, Vinyan, at a late showing and Edinburgh's Cameo.  The film again focuses on a couple who are starting to fall apart after the recent loss of their son.  The way the son went missing is a mystery until very late in the film so I'll leave that one blank.  Hopefully you should understand the relation to the opening of the film.  Long story short, the couple think that they see their son in a video about child slaves in Burma and therefore set about illegally breaching the border to try and find their son.  But what they find is far from what they expected.  The title "Lord of the Flies" comes to mind, but in a totally unexpected and unique way.  The film is fantastic.  A brilliant atmospheric film which keeps its realism throughout even when the story begins to fold in on itself to create the idea of unstableness.  The long drawn out scene when the two are looking for someone to take them to Burma in the darkly lit and very loud clubs around Vietnam.  You can hardly hear the two main characters speak as they begin their search.  It is already obvious that the wife is quite unstable already as she frantically does anything to keep searching for her son, even the video that she sees her son in is not exactly what you would call obvious.  The son is a blur in the background wearing a soccer top, with a wild hair do.  As the story progresses we are taken from the loud suburban area to the quiet seas of Vietnam and then suddenly into the demented world of unpopulated Burma, where the wilderness is dangerous and the only inhabitants of the area are deadly.  The atmosphere is built amazingly in the Burma sequences, with mist covering the wilderness, even at night to try and bering about a sense of mystery and horror.  The couple don't know where they are, what's in front of them, or what is waiting for them.  Well something is definitely waiting.  Something that would seem harmless in the world you and I live in, but has been left alone, to live, to feed and to support its self.  I think it's safe to say that if a quote the original statements of the film you will understand that this film is a family struggle revolving around a sort of Apocalypse Now feel and i have no problems agreeing with that one.  9/10

The Edinburgh Film Festival Part 1

The EIFF

This is the first time i've ever actually went to anything such like this.  I had never been to a festival with films that ranged from Horror Thrillers to Sci-fi dramas.  Every hour, a different kind of film began and we tried to catch as much as we could in the three days we had.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Edinburgh, and was happiest when viewing these new and experimental films.  Hopefully, i will get the chance to go back.

My independent thoughts of each film i saw are about to be revealed.  I'll go through it all in order.  

To specify, the British film i saw was Running In Traffic, the Foreign language film i saw was Gavana (which also doubled as a documentary) and the documentary i saw was Outrage.

ADVENTURELAND

The first film i saw was Adventureland.  A fantastic film about relationships and friendships in a strange new place.  Young James is planning a trip around Europe after graduating form high school but his parents have other plans for him, after his fathers recent demotion.  He is to get a Summer job back at his home town.  As it goes the only job that he can get is one in a rubbish theme park named Adventureland, along side other people who agree the work they are doing is the work of useless morons.  The story progresses with a love interest of James, a very naturally beautiful girl who is secretly having a relationship with a married man.  

I'm not going to ruin the ending, but it is very predictable already.  

Although the film is predictable and has been used a countless number of times before, this film holds some amazing charm to it which i found mesmerizing.  The fact that the film was set in 1987 helped a lot as well, with the new kind of fashion that is circulating at the moment, the 80's are back in style.  This film will be a big hit to the young audiences of today.  The soundtrack is alive with iconic hits that not just adults can relate to.  

I love the style of the film, from the opening shots of the out of focus carnival lights fully zoomed while credits fade in and out, to the sound of the eighties, to james' POV while being driven across a bridge.  He stares upwards at the metal structure above his head while again the eighties comes alive on the car stereo.

I can hardly recognize Greg Mottola (cough cough Bill Hader couch) who directed Superbad in this fantastic flick about culture and the reason behind every relationship.  I absolutely loved this film, both down to its original style which, in my eyes, will soon proved to be the new young style of filming.  This is the young generation, reinvented.  A very good feel good start to our adventure at the festival.  9/10  

LONG WEEKEND

The second film i saw, was one that i ventured to out with the DFTV students, to get a singular view of a film without any chance of bias or group analogy (not to say thats a bad thing).  This was the late showing of The Long Weekend.  This film is set around the dying relationship of Peter and Carla.  They go on a trip to the beach for a long weekend to try and recapture their love for each other, little do they know that they are walking into a nightmare.  Set in Australia this film is set in the remote wilderness of a beautiful beach, in which the location is still a mystery to me.  The film focuses on the destruction of nature by the average couple, who rely on technology to get them through their daily process, and natures way of fighting back.  Already you can smell the strange goings on, in the fantastical sense that nature can come alive.  I know what your thinking - tree vines grabbing Peter by the legs while while Carla is trapped in sinking sand - but your wrong.  This film does justice to nature in a new thrilling way.  If you can't see it, it doesn't mean its not there.  Starting the film off with the couple traveling to the beach on a long dark stretch of road, we have the first incident - the running over of a small rabbit, then a little later the dropping of a plastic bag in the wilderness, and so on.  The bag makes a return when we find a strangled baby sea elephant on the beach, later to bring the mother calling.  The film has a dark and ominous feel throughout, revolving around mysterious, black shadows in the water, the coming alive of dead creatures seemingly during the night while all is asleep and the ever growing tension between Peter and Carla becomes a great backdrop for the finishing scene.  The film all in all is pretty good, with the occasional cheese factor rising with the zombie animals, but it is done in such a style that did prove quiet terrifying at times, but all in all i think it was the performance of both Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan that brought this film out of B movie and into its full potential.  7/10.

GARAPA

The third film came early in the morning, and probably the worst time to have it screened.  A very slow foreign language documentary which follows the lives of three different families in Brazil that suffer form malnutrition.  Although a very interesting account of how and why families are not being able to get enough nutrition in their diets and having to resort to a substance called Garapa which is just sugar mixed in with water, the film was graded and filmed entirely in black and white.  From all of us i think we found the style of filming was very unnecessary especially in a documentary of this nature.  No arguments that the footage and idea of the film is very concerning and some times disturbing when it comes down to real life, but it didn't help with the footage being in bad condition.  I don't entirely know if documentaries should venture into the arthouse phase, not yet anyway, until there is a clear way of transforming a documentary for the better into this style.  It is possible that the early morning eyes could have limited my thoughts on the film especially with fast moving subtitles slapped onto raw footage of the three families edited together.  I can see why the film could be good, but in my personal opinion, it's not the kind of film for me.  5/10

RUNNING IN TRAFFIC

The second film we saw on the second day was Running in Traffic.  A British film produced by the one and only Abigail Howkins, and starring an actor who performed in one of our first year films.  Aside from that the film is a good story about a drug dealing family man who is struggling to keep his family afloat after the recent death of his father.  Paralleling this is the story of a poet working in a dead end waitressing job, who has recently lost a child when she had a miscarriage.  The story is strange as it doesn't seem to lead anywhere, yet i was still interested throughout as many things seemed to happen. Again out of all these things i found it hard to work out the link and the way that they would all com together to have the outcome that was produced at the end of the film.  The characters were very good, especially Joe, the film definitely made me want something better for the characters, hoping that the situation would change in their favour.  The film was shot very nicely but one things let it down in my eyes.  In some minor scenes the lighting was put off a little, casting very harsh shadows across walls, or simply just not making any sense.  Aside these flaws the film still stayed strong as i still felt like watching, at no point was i ever disengaged from the film or put off trying to see a good outcome, i definitely wanted something better for the characters.  The last thing i would like to comment on is the final scene.  Not to give anything away but it is a beautiful moment, where all the things come together and we have the two main characters seeing eye to eye in the same place at the same time in the same situation, both running, both in harmony and both alongside one another without even knowing it until they catch their glances at one another and it soon becomes clear that there is a hidden connection, they know it, and so do we.  A fantastic piece of emotional cinema.  Despite its problems i still give this film 7/10.

TO BE CONT.    (Vinyan, The Girlfriend Experience, Anti-Christ)

TO BOLDLY COME BACK TO WHAT WE HAD BEFORE!!!

(This is all personal opinion, so please don't be offended trekkies!)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the good adventure film has made its return and in a fantastic way.  It took its time and it was a hard struggle to get people to believe it would be good but it has finally arrived - and in the form of a Star Trek film.  

Not only has this film relaunched a dying franchise (into dare i say, an unbelievably loving new audience).  

I am a great fan of adventure film, and also a good fan of Star Trek, but i was a very annoying kind of fan.  I only really had appreciation for the original films, not the original series.  The films which opened my attention to the franchise were, the first motion picture, The Wrath Of Khan (especially), The Search For Spock, and so forth.  The next generation films were a blur to me apart from the film Generations which in fact showed William Shatner die, ending the era of the original adventures, and also the death of one of the best franchises ever conceived.  

Other adventure movies continued onwards.  Such as the Indiana Jones originals, which ended with the third film.  IT ENDED WITH THE THIRD FILM, OK!!!!!  Then came these far out crazy films, such as Terminator 2, in some way is an adventure film, with a strong epic feel, then there's The Abyss, and many many more. But somewhere in the 21st century, we lost it.  And so the adventure film was banished from our screens, to be replaced with documentary style actions and deeply depressing stories of lost children and aging wrestlers.  

But now, May 2009 will remain a date in my calender as a great day in adventure film history as i see a potential new founder of franchise.  Star Trek, i'll admit wasn't well known for its adventure, but for its sci-fi wonder and world that it created within itself.  but i still see every classic film as a great adventure, thriving throughout the galaxy in fantastical ships against unbeatable enemies and increasingly worrying odds, with the brilliantly camp mind of James T Kirk behind the wheel of a massive (oddly shaped) ship named the Enterprise.  

This new film has reinforced my point greatly, as everyone, I'm sure will agree that this new film is a thrill ride and roller-coaster of fun adventure just waiting to jump out of the screen at you.  It's definitely one for the books.

Didn't give anything away did i?

Paradise Now ?

Lets direct our attention to a film called "Paradise Now".  About two childhood friends Khaled and Said, both ready to give their lives for their beliefs that the should stop being treated as inferior in the world from the Israelites.  Here we have two friends beginning in their journey to their final goodbye, oblivious to the fact that they will soon be preparing to die.  they are still only young, whole lives ahead of themselves.  On the day of the mission, where they will martyr themselves, something goes wrong and the two must abandon their objective.  The two split up, Khaled being found by his fellow helpers, and Said going off on his own.  Once reunited after a full day, their roles have shifted between one another, before the mission, Khaled was the one who built his entire life around his beliefs and Said was the one who thought that this was not the way forward.  By the time they plan the next mission, Said is ready to martyr whereas Khaled is not ready to give his life away.  (spoiler alert) The conclusion is that Said martyrs himself without Khaled, as he lock him in the getaway car so that Khaled may live on.  

We eventually find out that the reason Said actually killed himself is that he cannot bear to go back to the broken down war zone that he calls home, so in essence, it was rather an act of selfishness rather than that of a martyr.  The one who manages to convince Khaled to turn is in fact the daughter of the leader of the martyrs Suha, daughter to Abu Salim.  She explains that the more people martyr themselves the more people get hurt and the worse the situation gets for the ones who are left behind, families and friends.  

It was not right of either of them to attempt to carry out their mission in the first place.  Even the fact that Jamal decided their fate with the flip of a coin didn't make them reconsider.  It shows how expendable people are to Salim.  He will sacrafice everyone but himself to ensure the safety of his people, but his ignorance is that he cannot see , all these bombs are making things worse.  The more people die in Israel, the more people are killed by the military in trying to find the culprits.  

Khamed seemed to make the most sense out of things in the end.  He didn't want to kill himself for no cause but to harm more than is needed and he knew this.  In coming to this conclusion he decided that both Said and himself need to live.  Unfortunately, Said, shrouded in his own perspective, decides to go on alone and die's for his own personal matters, namely the death of his father and the hell that he goes through every day when he returns home.  

This film shows the reality to martyrs around the world, that they are doing things for a false cause, a cause which is not real, but a false hope of a paradise which does not exist.

"i'd rather have to live in the paradise in my head than go back to the refugee camp" Khaled.

Dishes up!

Another good film from one of my favourite actors, Mr Sam Neil.  It has to be the true telling of the Parkes satelite dish that actually lost the Apollo 11 mission while on its way to the Moon.  "The Dish" is a fantastic account of the five men who risked their careers, their dignity and even at one point their lives.  Why is this film good?  Its narratively sound, it has charm and wit, it has well casted actors and a very positive theme that is " taking risks is better than living with regrets".  Plus its really funny!  As well as all these technical aspects the film holds a strong feeling which i guarantee will get anyone high on life by the time Sam Neil's character takes one last look at the dish and smiles, knowing that he once almost ruined the worlds biggest achievement in mankind's history.

Stagecoach

When we were told that this film spawned the idea's for all modern westerns, i was a little doubtful.  I found it unbelievable that such late films as the 3.10 To Yuma remake and Open Range would have any relation to the John Wayne film at all.  How wrong i was!  Almost every element was there, right down to the likable, charming villain to the iconic coach chase out in the desert.  What's more is that the film was brilliant.  One of these films where you could sit back relax and feel like a little kid again while, John Wayne jumped from horse to horse.  However, what really made the film stand out to me was the fantastic suspenseful sequence at the end where john Wayne is intent on killing the three men who killed his brother.  By the time the four men meet in the empty street on the cold dark night, we are on the edge of our feet.  For me this film was astonishing and to think that every western i look at nowadays, it all bares down to Stagecoach.

Talking In The Rain

Yes its the talkies ladies and gentlemen.  The amazing introduction of sound which brought cinema to what it is today.....or did it?

Sound was a fantastic revolutionary feature back in the day.  With films like the Kid and Sunrise all being completely silent, this new type of cinema would out do them completely.  The film The Jazz Singer was the true hit with the new technology, having a full song being played in the middle of the film.  

The question we have to ask though is, if sound had not been created would films be as sophisticated as they are today, or maybe even more?  

I have a personal opinion which is not very defined, in fact can almost argue both points.  First of all i believe sound was a fantastic device which has really brought a new phase of performance into the acting, and has revolutionised the emotions that a film can emit to its audience.  Such film as Sunrise, strained under the no sound limitation.  

My other outlook, is that cinema could have done without sound and could have been much more sophistocated than it has ever been.  For example with the moving times and the invention of special effects these new kind of silent films could convey phenominal emotions that could have never been achieved with sound.

Nosferatu

a strange and terrifying film. Due to the beautifully set and lit film being completely silent, the soundtrack had to convey the horror that was missing form the speech. and the it orked. the soundtrck was terrifying and somewhat uncomforting. the character of Nosferatu itself was also terrifying with his first night encounter being in a dark hallway in the middle of the night with jut his white face being lit. All and all it is a beautiful film and i liked it, in a sort of scary way

Steve The Idiot!

Steve The Idiot.
I rarely watch these kind of shows but recently we were told to try it out. And so on Friday the 16th at approximately 12.13 am i turned on the TV and pressed play on the two episodes of Coronation Street which my mother had taped while i was at work.
The two episodes I saw seemed to revolve around Steve, while he broke up with his long term girlfriend, Michele to have it off with a girl named Becky which he had had an affair with in previous episodes. In the first of the two Steve tried to break him and Michele up by setting her up with someone from her pub band, yet this failed as she remained loyal and shoved the man away. Soon enough Michele found out that this was Steve's plan in the first place to try and break the two of them up through no fault of his own. The second episode saw the pair eventually splitting as she finds out about his affair and takes Ryan and leaves. Steve straight away runs to Becky grasping his chocolates, champagne and flowers which he had just bought and was off to win her heart. Sadly it had already been won by her ex lover. And so Steve is left with nothing.
I must say i was drawn into the story and by the end was very interested to see what would become of Steve. It is obvious to me that Steve seems to be the character the intrigued me most. His lack of faith in his initial relationship is astounding as he seems obsessed with this Becky girl in which he harasses day and night, visiting her while at work and so on. His complete disregard for his family is amazing. How he can just turn his back on all of it in an instant then suddenly run off to his next lover.
Yet he receives his deliverance when he finds that Becky is sleeping with her ex lover Danny.
The last scene shows Ryan, Steve’s son, smacking Steve in the face and telling him to stay away from Michele; truly Steve has lost his way and through his own fault has left himself with nothing.
I enjoyed the two episodes, and although Steve is making extremely wrong decisions he is still quite a funny and likeable character, he just needs a little help at making his decisions. All and all I can officially say I may be hooked on corrie, and every night will now be spent discussing the characters (with my mum) of a show I once loathed.
Cheers Andy. Haha!