eden’s film blog

 - the hollywood studio system was at its most powerful around the 1930s  - the big five major studios were MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros, RKO and Fox. 'The Big Five' had controlling stakes in their own theatre chains, which were exempt from block booking (-studios selling films in packages on an all-or-nothing basis). In some cases, one of the studios would even control all the theatres in a city so that all their films would be distributed, no matter the quality.  - the studio system greatly benefited any notorious studios involved, essentially making the rich richer. Most of this was due to the studio system having direct control and influence over many aspects of film production and entire process of making movies: laboratories, creating prints and owning film processing in general. The studios had numerous actors, directors and writers under contract even granting them notoriety for what’s been branded ‘the star system’. In 1945 the studio system either partially or ou...

Cinematography and lighting  - matching eye-lines -180 degree rule (in which an imaginary 180 degree axis is created between the viewer and the shot, allowing viewers to clearly orient themselves within the position and direction of action in a scene)  - should have framing and shot types for a clear narrative   Editing   - should have continuity editing - the 30 degree rule (where cuts in the angle that the scene is viewed from must be signifiant enough or the viewer to understand a purpose of a change in perspective) - no jump cuts as they interrupt the illusion of temporal continuity between each shot - narrative resolution should be clear - an establishing shot (which shows the entire location being used when a new scene is started in order to avoid the audience being disorientated when different shots are cut to - shot reverse shot - where two separate shots o two subjects in a conversation are facing each other and the editor cuts back and forth betwe...

The first plot twist has an element of surprise to it, as we are not expecting it, but it is quite logical. at the beginning, both of the characters say and do things in quite a mechanical way. Particularly the man who looks pale and emotionless, although he eats, drinks and smokes , all of which are red herrings , as these activities would not be expected from a robot. Initially, we make the assumption that the film is in the drama genre - the wedding ring is a misdirection as we think the drama is a conversation between a wife who is unsatisfied with her marriage. But we soon discover   that it is a sci-fi film about robots. It is a flip of the characters and story's situation because up until the point where the woman turns off the man by the switch at his neck, we are unaware that he is not human.  The second plot twist is arguably the best one and is unpredictable regardless of the foreshadowing . The line, 'mechanical sex' between the original pair foreshadows that...

At the beginning of the scene, we are shown the entrance to rick's cafe which is more lively and lit up which shows the contrast between day and night. There is a spotlight over the doors to the cafe which suggests to the audience that it is where the main action takes place and that it is allude to the potential of clandestine activity. We are then introduced to the rest of the cafe as the doors open and there's a tracking shot, cutting to different guests to convey its busyness.  The jazzy love song coupled with the nonchalant appearance of those who are dining lulls the audience into a false sense of security. Two characters are in the forefront of the shot, in a a more low-key area, suggesting that they are engaging in surreptitious undertakings. The well-lit room and the glee of the jazz band do much to set in place the at ease ambience of the room and its hedonistic tone. The focus is on the jazz band which pulls us through the room, drawing attention to the singer, seate...

The short film begins in media res, encouraging dramatisation as soon as it starts. This creates tension and suspense. With the lack of knowledge that the audience is presented with, we have to engage with the action that grounds the story's setting and situation. There is also no dialogue throughout the film so the audience has to embrace the visuals. At first, we assume she is in a prison but then we are given clues (the gun and the barcode on the back of the main characters neck) that give implications of an alternate reality, adding to the suspense as we are unaware of what is happening or what is going to happen.  The sparsity of the room (in terms of its greys whites and blacks, little to no furniture etc) matches the sparsity of the music when we are introduced to the protagonist. The minimalistic music and setting create a feeling of ambiguity, which makes us empathise with the protagonist’s visible confusion.  The behaviours of the main character also add to the sense...

Call me by your name is a romance/drama film set in Italy in the summer of 1983. From the beginning of the movie we are shown elements of the warm, vibrant and lush setting. Italian countryside and architecture fills almost every scene, emphasising the beauty of the surroundings and the story. Romantic drama is a genre that explores the complex side of love. Usually, the plot centres on obstacle preventing on love between two people such as family disapproval or a forbidden love, however these issues are not prevalent in Call me by your name as throughout the movie there are instances where we are shown that Elio(the main character) is encouraged by his parents to spend time with Oliver(his love interest) so their love is not entirely forbidden, the obstacle is instead psychological restraint within both characters.  The film doesn’t define love and sexuality in the stringent  western definitions that we’re used to, it focuses on the raw emotional connection between characters...

In Pitch Black Heist, there is a scene where the heist is explained - we are shown how the alarm is triggered and introduced to the team (the father and son). We are shown a likeable criminal - the father, and a comedic relief character - the son. New difficulties were introduced in the scene where the heist fails. There is then a plot twist where the film implies elements of the drama genre - we realise that it's about a father and son's relationship and the son's sense of revenge. They therefore are unable to get away with any money. Also, we are not even shown the heist - its pitch black and we are only able to hear it - which is unusual for a heist so it conforms to the heist genre to some extent. The plot twist means it applies Steve Neal's theory 'genres are instances of repetition and difference' - where the repetition is the beginning of the movie and the difference is the plot twist at the end.