The Two Movies

Into the Wild

This movie is a movie that is based of a true story and it follows the life of a man who is sick of society therefore leaves to find Alaska. The narrative in this movie is different from most blockbuster movies. The reasons are because it is a true story therefore it doesn't follow the narrative part for part, but it still contains the introduction, problem and climax. The narrative follows as he leave's society with no money and no connections to his destination. He is faced with several problems along the journey and even at Alaska and there are several climaxes e.g when he has a decision to stay at a hippie community and when he is about to face death. The reason why this movie kept people from watching was because it was so unreal that it couldn't have been a true story and also how I could relate to the character and feel inspired by his actions.

American History X

This has been a movie that has been on my to watch list for a very long time, and it was definitely worth the wait. This movie was amazing, the plot was so intense and deep therefore kept me attached. The narrative was the cliché 3 part narrative, acts, problem and the climax. The narrative isn't the binder to the movie but the plot it self because it is about a white supremacist. This movie is so different because the character is so intense and is so brutal, and also how well the actor (Edward Norton) makes the character so believable. The character development in this movie is very exciting and there are several characters that impacted the film ( Such as the White Supremacist group and how hell bent they are on destroying every other race) Also the events that occur in the movie are so intense that you can't help but look. Also the topic was a very good topic to make a movie on, which was racism and they focused on the extremist of all racists portrayed a beautiful movie on it which is American History X.

Law Abiding Citizen

Act 1. All you see is just a normal average family then all of a sudden the family is raped and killed. Act 1 is about setting the scene, it is about Gerad Butler (Antagonist) and Jamie Foxx (Protagonist) having a battle about justice. Gerad Butler's family killer is set free therefore he kills the killer and everyone involved in the case showing that he's willing to take justice with his own hands.

Act 2. Is the climax where they are faced with a problem where everyone who is involved in the justice department are getting killed and they are trying to stop his biggest heist.

Act 3. They stop him from killing everyone including the mayor and all the people involved in the government. The Protagonist ends up turning the plans onto the antagonist without him knowing. That shows the closure from the climax.

The plot is about a man who is able to plan out a mass murder while been imprisoned. The justice system members are getting picked off one by one and no one else is able to stop him. The reason the movie was so impacting to me was because the antagonist in the story were so amazing and cool, he was a very smart character which made all the twists and turns in the story very exciting. The way the antagonist planned everything was really sly and epic.

Simpsons

The Simpsons are an animated television program that was created by Matt Groening. It is broadcasted by Fox Network. In New Zealand it is on 5:00pm Weekdays, 7:00pm Saturday and 7:00-8:00pm Sundays. On Sundays at 7:30pm there is a new episode of The Simpsons from the new seasons that have just been created. 5:00 pm is the perfect time slot for children and teenagers because it is the time when they are all back at home from a hard day therefore they watch television to relax. Not only does this mean they see The Simpsons are been watched but also the adverts that are on during The Simpsons. This means that it is a huge potential market time slot for adverts because a majority of people are watching it and also because it is before dinner time which is the perfect time to advertise food adverts such as Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Food in a minute, etc. I personally believe that The Simpsons are enjoyable to everyone no matter what age you are, because for younger children it attracts them with animation and the funny actions of the character. Even if the children don’t understand the humor there are funny lines such as “D’oh” which the children laugh at. The older people such as teenagers (13-21) will simply enjoy the humor and the characters because the characters are made to relate to everyone and so that people can like them.

TAGS (Target Audience Grouping System), the group that are outlined in the show are the next generation, young hopefuls, comfortable full nesters, affluent acquire and struggling young families. The young hopefuls aged 15-24 and the next generation aged 10-14 are outlined because they are two young groups who are huge media consumers, therefore they would watch The Simpsons and love it because it will be entertaining and humorous for them. It is a PG (Parental Guidance) rated television program because it only contains low level of animated violence, low offensive language and sexual references. The relation between all five groups is that the humor can be enjoyed and loved by everyone because there is a character or drama that everyone can relate to.

There are many characters in The Simpson that everyone can relate to even through the difference of race, religion, personality and class. There is the friendly neighbor Ned Flanders and his family who are devoted Christians, Comic Book Guy for the nerds, Mr. Burns for the rich, Krusty the Clown who’s Jewish, etc. The Simpsons has a wide variety of characters match the multi cultural world that is today. The wider variety means wider audience that watches the program therefore proving to be very vital for television as it attracts huge amounts of audience.

There are many methods which can be used to record the amount of people watching The Simpsons, such as people meter, online polls, on demand, competition and merchandise. People meter will determine what age, gender and age the person in the household that is watching The Simpsons. The online polls can relate to The Simpsons with questions such as “Who is your favourite character” this shows the amount of audience and the characters that audience likes which can help with merchandise. Merchandise can show which characters are loved most and how famous the program is determined on the amount of merchandise that is purchased.

The Simpsons have been on for longer than 20 years now but also the ratings are dropping on the program. The reason of the decrease in views is because of all the other programs that are on these days that are funnier and more entertaining such as Family Guy and South Park. There was even a Cartoon Wars and South Park came first overall. Although this been said The Simpsons is still a very popular program that is and still will be loved in the years to come.

How I met your mother

The program that I saw tonight was “How I met Your Mother”. I think that this program is aimed for the age level of 14-19 and 20-28. I believe that this is the age group the program is aimed at because all the jokes and comic moments that are in this program are all sex related. Also all the jokes are modern which is to fit the humour of teenagers and young adults. In my opinion this program is a very funny program but then parents would think that it’s not funny because of the different mature levels.

Slumdog millionaire I will never forget you

Low Angle Shot: In this scene the low angle shot is used when Salim is on the ground looking up at Jamal. This shot is able to emphasize the hatred and anger on his face. This shot is a very invigorating shot because the whole movie, since they have been young (Jamal and Salim) Salim has been the one looking down at Jamal with all the power. His quote while looking down at Jamal is "I'm the older brother and you have to do what I say" but in this particular scene it is Salim who is powerless and is cowering and looking at Jamal.

Sound Effects: The sound effect that was used in this scene was when he was angry. You could hear Jamal's breathing very loud and clearly indicating that he was angry and trying to control is anger. Also you could hear the sound of people working in the background, which shows that they are high and are overseeing everyone. This also shows that they are isolated from everyone.

Costume: The costume in this shows a lot about the character. Jamal is in a casual dressing while Salim has very expensive clothes on with well groomed hair. He also has a phone showing that he is doing something with business and is succeeding in it. Also the costume that Salim is wearing is a little weird because they are at a construction site and he is wearing good clothes.

Camera shots in Slumdog Millionaire

Close up: This shot is used on Jamal when he is about to answer the final question on the game show "Who wants to be a millionaire" This shot shows viewer the pressure that Jamal is under. We are able to see that he is worried and doesn't know if he right or wrong.

Pan shot: This shot is used towards the end of the movie when it is building up the climax and tension for the movie. This shot is able to show all the people gathering to watch the t.v to see Jamal answer the final question. This shot just emphasizes how many people are waiting for Jamal to answer, this shows that they want him to win therefore puts a lot more strain on Jamal.

Long shot: This shot is used when Jamal and Salim fall off the train and look at the taj ma hal. This shot emphasizes how big the taj ma hal and almost makes it look even more sacred than it already is. This also gives the viewer the impression that this is the next place that this is the place where the boys are gonna stay and cause mishap.

High Angle: This shot is used when Salim is in the bathroom and the mob and mob boss is trying to get in. This shows how narrow the hallway to the bathroom and how many people are in that hallway. This emphasizes how many people are about to come inside the bathroom to finish him off.

Low Angle shot: This shot is used when Salim is drunk and just comes back to the hotel. Jamal is looking up to Salim who looks a lot more mightier and stronger when seen from a low angle shot. This emphasizes that Salim is in control and that he is taking power over everything.

Slumdog Millionaire Technique Review

Slumdog Millionaire is a bollywood movie. It is a very exciting movie that is about a serious matter that happens around the world. This movie opened up people's eye to the real world. I liked the way they did the shooting. I liked the way they shot the movie because when the movie first started you didn't know what was going on. One of the first scenes in the movie is a shot of the present which is Salim (Main Character) answering the question for the game show "Who wants to be a millionaire" then when he is about to answer it goes to a scene of a flashback. The flashbacks at first seem random but then I soon realised that the flashbacks show how Salim got the answers. Also towards the end of the movie there is several pan shots of different parts of India that are watching the show. This is a great shot because it shows all the different environments in India and how many people watch the show. This also builds up the climax even more showing that these people are rooting for Salim to win the show. This shot is able to build up all this climax which I think is very clever. I think that this was an effective way to shoot the movie because the director was able to build up climax and tension but in such a simple way.

My expectations for Media Studies in 2010

What I want to achieve this year is to be able to know more about how a movie is made and go in depth into film making. That way I will be able to film my own movies and be able to figure independent words better. Also I want to be able to write better essays for English and media studies is something that cant help me with English because it is relatively close to English.

Review on Slumdog Millionaire

I think the movie was really unique and exciting to watch. It kept me on the edge of my seat because it was a movie that was shot very well. The story itself wasn’t a very strong story but the way the shots were shot was very good. I think the film was really good because it wasn’t a big blockbuster movie instead it was an independent film. It was a movie that shook the world. It shook the world because it was a movie that wasn’t out for money, a movie which had a clever story and a movie that was just cleverly made. The way the movie was shot was what also got a lot of the audience. It attracted a large audience because it started with the present scene in the film then it went to flashbacks. I liked this movie a lot because it was an independent film which is the movies that I like more than blockbusters. I like independent films because it isn’t about making money therefore it shows more in-depth information and the stories are a lot more authentic. Also when the movies are independent it is way more artistic which makes the movie so unique. In independent films there are usually no famous actors and it is very cheap to make but a lot of movies are able to reel in lots of money. For example Hot Rod was an independent film but it was huge and reeled in lots of money and gave the actors in that movie a start to Hollywood. Many people did not think that it was funny but that’s because they have different views and humour. I found Hot Rod to be one of the best movies created even though it was really cheap to make and the humour is unclassy.

Media Definitions

Give a full definition of each technique

1) Extreme Close-up: Emphasises a portion of the face, a small detail.

2) Pace: To increase the pace, you decrease the length of the shot. To decrease the pace, you increace the length of the shot.

3) Low angle shot: Camera positioned low, looking up. Emphasises the size of the object in frame.

4) High angle shot: Camera positioned high, looking down. Emphasises the vulnerability of the object or person in focus.

5) Music: This usually ties in with the action. It can be used to let the audience know what is about to happen or to affect their emotions. The music heard at the start of a film sets the tone for the whole film and is sometimes repeated at important times throughout. There are many different types of music used in films:

6) Sound Effects: Sound effects - noises other than the spoken voice.

7) Pan: Camera swivels slowly, giving a sweeping view of a wide area.

8) Zoom: A smooth change in focal length to make the objects in the frame appear to come closer or recede. The camera does not move.

9) Tracking shot: Camera moves along a track on a dolly, keeping pace with a moving object which is being filmed.

10) Performance (of actor/s): How an actor performs the part of the film that is needed. Includes how well they act, remember and fit into the character.

11) Special effects (usually digital): Illusions created for films, usually done by computer graphics. Eg, spaceship flying through space in warp speed.

12) Backlighting: A light high up behind the scene. A stronger, lower backlight gives a silhouette effect ad the subject creates a halo effect and gives depth to the

13) Dialogue/script: A conversation between two or more people.

14) Mise en scene: The composition, the placement of objects within the frame, the setting, the lighting, what is happening.

15) Cross-cutting: Cutting back and forth between two scenes to create the impression that they are happening at the same time. Again, this is often used to point to a contrast

Film: A bunch of still photographs been played 24 photo per time creating an illusion of the photos moving.

The Film was so badly damaged that it became stuck in the projector

Cinema: Discussing and analysing all aspects of film and film making

Cinemas is no longer about just watching the movie, it is also about buying the soundtrack, reading the book etc.

Shot: It is a continuous piece of film without getting interuppted from the time the cameras on till it’s off

When filming a conversation you film speaker a then speaker b then speaker and back and forth over and over again.

Edit: A edit is when one shot ends and the next starts.

When a scene finished it is edited to the next scene

Scene: It is a collection of shots arranged through editing into specific order.

There was a scene where a man was talking to the lady at the cafe.

Frame: a single image on the camera.

In horror movies you can see the reactions of the people within the frame but you are never able to see the monster outside the frame.

Diegesis: Where the things in that world occurred. Some narrative parts that are not shown on the screen but happened in that world

In Star Wars Luke Skywalker was getting trained while the death star was been fully completed.

What is a Narrative? List three films in which Narrative is extremely important.

1. Rock N Rolla
2. American Beauty
3. Fight Club

What is Genre? List six different styles of Genre and list two films for each different style of Genre.

Horror: Frankenstein and Night of the living dead

Comedy: Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back, Pineapple Express

Science Fiction: Star Wars, Star Trek

Action: Die Hard, Lethal Weapon

Drama: The Green Mile, Forrest Gump

Musicals: Sweeny Todd, Grease

What is Intertextuality? How would you best explain this to someone who had never heard of it? Give three examples.

It is when someone inside the movie talks about another film or text to pass out messages.

Example: Jay And Silent Bob talk about a chasing Amy which is a movie which they are in.

Example: Someone will have a flashback showing what has happened.