tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51851738212567165592024-02-06T21:39:44.354-08:00Review.Report.Reveal.Robin Booker FilmsNew film reviews are all spoiler free!
Oldies are a little more in depth!
Enjoy, and if you want to suggest a film for me to review tweet me or message me on facebook!Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-26390641538060714572017-07-27T16:45:00.001-07:002017-07-27T16:45:15.530-07:00Syns of a Film maker.My new short Syn has recently been released. It has taken an insane amount of time from inception to release and I wanted to address why and what it has meant which will basically describe my last 3 years of film making.<br />
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If you haven't seen it here it is:<br />
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We begin maybe five years ago with my first foray into long form script writing Return to Earth<br />
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A pilot for a science fiction show I have had in my head since college which mixes tonnes of my favourite sci fi from Firefly to Cable comics with bits of The Matrix, Terminator and Alien thrown in for good measure. I literally have 90 odd pages but I always knew I didn't want to attempt to make this, I can't. It is beyond me. Whilst I knew that from the start I spent months with a large amount of my imagination in that world so I decided to make a short. It was coming to the end of university, projects were basically all done and I wanted to take advantage of the equipment.<br />
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The idea came about as I sat just thinking at night about images I want to shoot. Before long I had a fairly vivid idea of a scene which I drew like a comic. Its rough and nasty but small panels would be short shots and longer panels more important, it translates fairly well. I knew I had to shoot that scene.<br />
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I wrote a quick fairly poor and generic script about a lonely wanderer in the post apocalyptic setting of my R2E universe. I basically wanted to shoot a camera exercise. Whilst at university I barely got a chance to actually direct. I barely got to make 'my' film. I spent the majority of my time as a part of other peoples films and so when this chance came about I wanted a lot of control. So I made props<br />
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I cast the film and I prepared to shoot. With just one partner who covered sound. This was a mistake. Whilst I wanted the simplicity of a small shoot I simply had to do too much. Produce, direct, dress sets and actors and operate.<br />
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The result was fairly unclear at the time as I drove off to shoot a music video all over Europe with my brothers band.<br />
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I came back and began editing. I wasn't super happy. footage was shakier and darker than I wanted, there were a few shots I missed etc. My first edit was with some nice images and half a tensionless fight scene with an unconvincing villain. Havi pretty bad. It stuck fairly well to script and idea but it was sort of stuck in between. Half an artsy ideang been the main creative force and being a bit lost I stepped back. I edited the video above as well as some other live videos from the tour with the idea of a full hour long tour doc. But it didn't work. There was some nice footage but the fact that I was sort of a last minute add on meant there was no concept for why I was filming at the start of the tour. There was no obligation from me or the band to make a reasonable documentary so the footage basically wasn't there.<br />
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So I swam in gigabytes of gig footage for about a month or so to make what was released and make some stuff that still hasn't and I doubt will see the light of day.<br />
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At this point my quick pet project is probably six months into production four of which are post. The time away was helpful. I cleaned everything up and had a fine cut of a poor film. I knew I wasn't happy and started to get busy with the idea of making a film company.<br />
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Over the next few month I shot some bands and tackled bits of film work here and there. Working at a school and with a theatre company. All of which again gave me time away from Syn. I think with labours of love you go through periods of confidence and doubt. At a time where financially I wasn't in the best place it was difficult to be positive about a film that was taking so long but couldn't really be changed. Without another creative lead to challenge my ideas I had to distance myself and then come back with a scalpel and cut the film to pieces and rebuild it. Which finally happened.<br />
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I did a minor reshoot for a potential different ending and then over the next month or so hammered out a final cut. For an eight minute short that was still a crazy long editing time but I spent a lot of that time on changing shot selection and clipping single frames to get what I was happiest with.<br />
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Here comes the first of the delays which were less of my control. Probably about a year into the film now I really wanted a friend to do the colour correction. It's his thing, he is hands down the best person I know at it. But after about a month of trying to get the file to him in different ways, in different formats and over different file sharing sites I had to give up. By this time the pressure to release however was gone. Despite my insistence nobody really knew much about the project and even those in it had pretty much passed it off.<br />
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Anyway I got a fine cut and colour corrected myself. My initial sound engineer no longer worked in sound so I looked for someone else to do the sound for me. I gave no deadlines and heard a few drafts over basically a year of back and fourth. That is ridiculous but it was a year in which I started a company, got a business loan, tried to book work, made three ish music videos, shot three or four gigs and worked with a theatre company again. Unfortunately all to fairly low financial gain.<br />
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That motivated my more recent decision maybe four months ago to dive full time into my job and put film making on the back burner. So last month when I finally got the master audio back I had the film. I even uploaded it privately to YouTube but I didn't really know what to do with it. Do I hype it up a bit or just release it? I was delaying the release because at this point it doesn't matter when it is released, what's another month?<br />
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'A week later (George A Romero) was dead.'<br />
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That motivated me. Romero wasn't the greatest film maker ever but damn did he make a few gems. Not only did his films spawn the zombie genre but it was done as a loose adaptation of my favourite book I am Legend. Whilst the films of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg inspired me to make films I think Romero was one of the first directors who showed me that films were political. His political critiques helped shape how I read not only films, not only media but the wider world. On the nose political perhaps but it was eye opening. Since I saw his films I have written essays, made zombie shorts and rewatched his films countless times.<br />
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I nearly snap released the film that night. But I decided I wanted to write this. For catharsis and for explanation.<br />
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Thank you to anyone who helped make this film. So many people have indirectly helped. Even if I just talked your ear off about it or about something else entirely. This film became almost a cloud hanging over me. It could never live up to the film it should be considering how damn long it took to make. It took a lot for me not to give up on it and ultimately not to give up on film.<br />
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I cannot apologise enough to those who have waited and ultimately forgotten about Syn. It took too long, I am sorry.<br />
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I'm not sure what I am making next. I have some ideas. It wont be for profit. I'm going to enjoy it. You might be a part of it. Keep your eyes out, now the pressure is off I'm gonna have some fun with it.<br />
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Like Romero and his Zombies I won't stay dead.Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-72758105213040315102016-01-30T16:42:00.002-08:002016-01-30T16:42:14.998-08:00The Outsiders Episode 1 (WMC #2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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New show season is bringing lots of new shows to watch and its hard to decide which to go with, however Outsiders caught my eye by description as <i>Sons of Anarchy </i>crossed with <i>Justified</i>. Whilst I have seen neither, <i>Sons of Anarchy</i> fans still tell me to watch the show so I thought I would try out Outsiders.<br />
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The show is based around a family or tribe who live in the mountains near a small town and have done for years. They live off their land and occasionally raid the shops if needed. Their strength and history with the town protects their mystical nature but as a new leader waits to be appointed and eviction notices are served to the tribe trouble spills into both the town and the tribe.<br />
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I quite enjoyed it, I found it easy to relate for a very unusual reason that I will touch on in a moment but first a little context. I am a young, working class brit who has very little knowledge of anything any where near this kind of subject matter so it was very alien and unusual and I have to imagine highly fantastical. Which I actually really like. I think the show has the potential to step up where mythological tribe style shows fall down. Look at shows that have a similar plot at their inception like the wave of vampire shows that recently graced the silver screen. I would be sorely disappointed an surprised if Outsiders fell into the same romantic teen drama tropes.<br />
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There are a fair few compelling characters, all of which sit in a morally grey area, the history of the world seems deep and enticing and even some of the plain normal characters seem worth following. It's shot and acted as well as most high quality television you expect to see from HBO, FX, Amazon, AMC or Netflix, and David Morse puts in a fantastic performance, even if it is strange seeing him with all that hair...<br />
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For now at least Outsiders has caught my attention, it has the potential to be a great show and its refreshingly different enough despite being a little <i>Sons of Anarchy, True Detective </i>and maybe (hopefully not) a little <i>True Blood</i>...<br />
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Now to why I feel a little identification with it despite being a keyboard surfing nerd... I currently play a Half Orc in D&D with a group of friends and Outsiders are almost exactly how I would imagine a group of Ocs... but thats just my obsession...<br />
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Check out Outsiders!Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-6129927290451800822016-01-27T13:45:00.002-08:002016-01-27T13:48:27.277-08:00X Files Season 10 Ep1&2 (Weapon of Mass Consumption #1)Welcome to my new series! Weapon of Mass Consumption. Featuring all the television, movies, streams and general media that I consume in a week, its quite a bit...<br />
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The Truth Is Out There<br />
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Whilst many reviewers have looked to the return of the X Files as a rehash or missed opportunity so far I have to admit I am in strong fanboy mode. Admittedly the return to the X Files has had its clunky moments but in such a convoluted show, and the following movie, there would never be an easy clean way to re introduce the X Files.<br />
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And so we get some strong mythology (if not a little rushed) and what is setting up to be a kind of best hits from each type of episode; Mad scientist, monster of the week, comedy etc.<br />
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The first two episodes were great, the second shined as it wasn't bogged down with exposition and story set up. Mulder and Scully are back with all the conspiracy tied baggage in the world, every episode seems to hide a gut punch (generally about William), a great scifi centre and the badge/ torch wielding, paranoid madness of the original series.<br />
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So why are people complaining so far?<br />
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Well it seems to be mainly that in discussion, Chris Carter has discussed how now is the perfect time for X Files' return due to the distrust of government and the prevalence of surveillance, hacking and tracking. It sounded as though Mulder would be in his element theorising about a government that actually exists in the real world. Critics are confused by the immediate jump back to the same kind of paranoias as the original series when so many new things are out there for the show to closely critique.<br />
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The only defence I can give the show is that it has never been a specific critique of politics, for sure it has poked a little, and thematically its distrust of government is undeniable but it has shied away from 'real life' government, instead creating myth like bad guys of its men in black and the cigarette smoking man.<br />
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Either way I have loved the series so far and its ratings are making a strong case for another series to be made, perhaps when back story and set-up has passed the creative team may be a little morefree to engage in socio political tales. Would you want a more politics focused X Files? Or are you happy with mythology and monsters?Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-81454965371685612382015-09-16T07:49:00.000-07:002015-09-16T07:49:16.948-07:00The Long Tomorrow (Leigh Brackett)"I want to learn"<br />
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How do you get to a place when simply uttering its name gets you stoned to death? That is the question that challenges Len Colter, a boy who quickly grows tired with the religious repression and barbaric mob mentality of the post apocalyptic world he lives in, where technology is something to be feared and no city may be built for fear of another nuclear war. However there is a myth of a city that still exists in hiding, is Barterstown real? And if it is, can Len and his cousin Esau make it there?<br />
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The Long Tomorrow isn't a new book dipping into the post apocalypse trend of the 2010's, published in 1955 it is an early book to tackle so bravely the constraints of religion and mob mentality. Whilst many critics call it "almost great" I see it as a brave masterpiece that is as relevant and thought provoking today as it was sixty years ago.<br />
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The biggest success of The Long Tomorrow is its ability to have you as a reader relate so strongly to characters in a surreal world. It mixes who you relate to and ultimately this gives the reader a wider perspective that Len despite a restrictive first person narration. If you are looking for post apocalypse and critique The Long Tomorrow is one of the trendsetters in the genre and a must read!<br />
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8/10Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-33119496171042297322015-04-28T07:01:00.003-07:002015-04-28T07:01:51.430-07:00Avengers Age of Ultron (2015 Joss Whedon)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395427/<br />
Here we all are, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world! So stand and fight!<br />
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The Avengers are back, this time fighting Ultron, a corrupt AI made in part at the hands of Tony Stark. Age of Ultron is a massive spectacle, big action, strong acting and witty comedy to boot. If Avengers Assemble got you going expect more of the same from the second installment of the collaborative Marvel Cinematic Universe's team up.<br />
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I'm going to stay well away from spoilers as i expect most people to see the film themselves, all I will say is that all of the changes from comic elements make sense and I have no issue with any of them. My only issue with the film is that Ultron isn't scary, I never feared him and I didn't really feel like the Avengers did either. I think this is because of classic middle movie syndrome, we know Thanos is coming so we are waiting for that madness to ensue, this film just stops us from starving whilst we wait for Infinity War. Not only that but the surprise and awe is gone, it doesn't do more than Avengers Assemble and whilst it is just as impressive it falls a little more flat because it is what you expect.<br />
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That being said I did really enjoy the film, I'm just being harsh, the character development that Joss manages to squeeze in is incredible and I cannot wait for more as always. Age of Ultron sticks to the formula of tension relieving comedy amid colossal action whilst bringing about interesting changes in the MCU. Go see Age of Ultron, you cannot be disappointed.<br />
8/10</div>
Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-373953433267669272015-04-20T09:18:00.000-07:002015-04-21T13:19:50.296-07:00Juxtaposition of ideas and aesthetics an essay on the questions Chappie asks us and how it fits in the context of AI in Hollywood cinema.WARNING HEAVY SLPOILERS<br />
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In this essay I will analyze the plot of <i>Chappie</i> (Neill Blomkamp) with focus on what Blomkamp refers to as creation via instinct, mixing big ideas with comedy and violence throughout the scenes of the film which simply separates its deep moments from its more superficial but equally enjoyable action. This separation forces audiences to be active and then passive and is uncommon in Hollywood and may be where a large amount of reviewers discomfort comes from however it allows a different kind of consumption and reaction. Thematically <i>Chappie</i> asks its audience to actively consider questions of nature and nurture, violence and innocence, immortality, conscience and aspects of the american dream and atomic family. By interrupting these heavy topics with moments of passive entertainment it keeps the film interesting and fun. Blomkamp chooses not to dwell on topics or tell its audience what to think and rather leaves them with something to think about whilst the violence and comedy washes over them. This juxtaposition of ideas and entertainment will be my main point of discussion although I will also comment on how <i>Chappie</i>'s stance on artificial intelligence reflects social issues today.<br />
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The third in what has been dubbed a "stylistic trilogy" <i>Chappie</i> opens with a typically Blomkamp world, Johannesburg, the near future, the police struggling to fight the gangs and crime in the city, all conveyed through news footage in a similar way to both <i>District 9 </i>(2009 Blomkamp)<i> </i>and <i>Elysium</i> (2013 Blomkamp)<i>. </i>This repeated use of news footage, even using real news readers, is a subtler version of the media saturation satirically presented in science fiction classics <i>Robocop</i> (Paul Verhoeven 1987) and Sta<i>rship Troopers</i> (<span class="itemprop" itemprop="name" style="font-size: inherit;">Paul Verhoeven 1997). The media is always a tool, it generally misrepresents the heroes, supports the villains and harasses our main characters. Whilst nothing forces you to draw direct parallels with any specific events in recent history, a forceful and negative news force is something that resonates with audiences. The inelegant exposition is clunky but the sheer amount of plot development throughout the film excuses such an information dump and is conventional in science fiction stories in which such back story needs to be laid out before plot development can begin. </span><br />
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Right out of the gate we meet Scout 22 soon to be Chappie (Sharlto Copley), he is immediately personified as the dinged up underdog. We are also introduced to our villains, the over the top gangster Hippo (Brandon Auret) and comical "Gaston" (Beauty and the Beast) stlye Vincent (Hugh Jackman). Our unlikely protagonists are playing themselves Yo-landi and Ninja of Die Antwoord after their rap career fades. Architect of the world and of the scouts, robots that assist police and are battling back the crime waves in Johannesburg, is the techno boy genius Dion. After the early exposition the audience need a moment to reflect and let the information sink in, so we cut to a scene of pure video game violence. From the comedy of Ninja with his brightly coloured matching weapons to him trying to speak whilst Hippo's gun's stuck in his mouth in an obvious show of male dominance we know we don't have to take these characters too seriously. As the scouts are dropped in the police break up the deal using the scouts as bullet shield's, efficient tools. This is a moment of pure aesthetic brilliance and passive enjoyment for the audience, it continues to set the scene and once again beat up on Chappie, who takes an RPG to the chest from Hippo.<br />
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The bust is a clear victory for weapons company Tetra Vaal, employer of both Vincent and Dion however Vincent's version of robotic crime fighting isn't the same as Dion's it is big cumbersome, expensive and controlled by humans. This brings about one of the biggest issues in <i>Chappie</i> whether robots should be programmed and carry out orders or if they should always be under direct control by humans. The issue doesn't overpower the story this early on, at this point Vincent is just given a "sympathy" call from his boss as his funding continues to dip and his career slips away. Scout 22 is also written off by Dion, at this point the audience recognize him as Chappie and are significantly attached to the beaten up droid and want him saving but to Dion he is just a shell like all the other scouts, he sees them in the same way the rest of the world does. We dig a little closer into the lives of our heroes too, Die Antwoord receive threats from Hippo as we see their lair for the first time, all concrete and graffiti, dicks in bright colours. It is a lived in hideout of a abandoned building and instantly adds character to the group who come up with a Loony Toon scheme to get a "remote" from Dion to turn off the scouts so they can commit "one big job" in a parody of every con/gangster film ever. Clearly an awful idea as no remote exists however this simple minded scheme fits their characters and sets up a wonderful plot, it also once again shows scouts as an appliance like a microwave or television, a thing, an object.<br />
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Back at Dion's flat he is greeted by his cute little cleaning bot, who gathers red bull and "activates" the kettle whilst the typical nerd makes his break through. The score by Hans Zimmer is first most evident here, it sounds a little out of place as Dion writes code and almost battle style music plays however this view of technological progress as a battle continues throughout the film and Zimmer's score helps to tie such subtle statements together. Once Dion wins this battle he is essentially won over by AI, he almost immediately becomes its advocate, despite telling the technicians "Don't destroy <u style="font-weight: bold;">it</u>" he fights with Tetra Vaal CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver) to permit him to give his AI a body and is excited at the idea that he could have created real life capable of independent opinions and thought, the ability to see, create and judge "art" and write "poetry" the irony of pitching poetry to a weapons company isn't lost on Michelle who laughs off and dismisses the idea due to "red tape" and "insurance". Her character throughout isn't villainous as such however her opinions are on the opposite side of Dion's and of technological advancement, she sees and always will see robots as objects for profit. Again we have been introduced to some heavy themes and the plot has thickened considerably, whilst most characters would internally struggle with whether to defy their boss or not for days we have already seen Dion's battle, we know which side of that technological argument he is on and after a quick glance at the comical and emotive "craft life" cat poster, he goes to rescue Chappie. The poster itself is too comical for some however it almost literally tells you what kind of audience Blomkamp is targeting, a young audience who spends most of their time on the internet and saturate their lives with technology and the social tropes of meme's and social networking that goes along with it. Not just cat people. All this technological marvel and excitement is abruptly interrupted by Ninja' knocking Dion and the audience out with a short sharp "This is you getting hijacked my friend. Welcome to Joville" It's not just Dion and Chappie that are kidnapped but the whole plot, the whole concept of the film is this hijacking, a potentially typical "AI learns how to do things" plot literally picked up and dropped in a gangsters world of crime and violence. We are hijacked and welcomed to Blomkamp's Joville inspired by his own childhood in Johannesburg in the 80's-90's during a time of apartheid when gang crime was high.<br />
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Aside from this Vincent is meeting with the police to pitch the "Moose" one last time, the officers are over indulgent, comical, offensive and disinterested. It is a mockery of what Vincent has made, they tell him "things are going to have to get a hell of a lot worse for us to even consider" the Moose. Gun holster showing, Vincent stares into a mirror, the prophetic words ring in the ears of the audience and of Vincent and we know he will force things to get worse if he can. Whilst he is yet to become the comical maniacal villain of the film this is clearly his step to villainy, and at this point his opinions on robotics are clear and to some of the audience they are right, whilst his character steps into comical parody his fall to madness casts doubt on his beliefs however the film never outright says that he is wrong, the outcome of the battle between controllable and uncontrollable technology is left for the audience to decide.<br />
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As Chappie awakens in the lair of the gangsters his child like demeanor immediately turns the group of gangsters into a bastardization of the atomic family. Despite Dion being Chappie's creator his "right" to fatherhood is overtaken by Yo-Landi's maternal instinct and places Ninja in the fatherhood role, Dion being a creator and Ninja the more present and paternal (through relation with Yo-Landi), this strongly mimics the now broken family that America is more familiar with. Ninja becomes the step-dad who learns to love his child as opposed to Dion who Chappie has a natural link to but less of a nurturing link. In the background of the scene lit in an almost sickly green is the American flag, representing the opinion that this family dynamic is the symptom and the norm in a "sick" America. The maternal instinct overcomes the situation and Dion loses control of Chappie, his attempt to amuse Chappie is with a rubber chicken, a dogs toy, shows that Dion still doesn't understand what he has created and potentially that he isn't the right person to raise Chappie. The family drama on steroids in fast forward is a great examination of familial relationships today, it is a simple challenge to the atomic family that dominated Hollywood and the vision of the American Dream until recently. Some issues with the film have come with this inclusion of unnecessary conflict between Dion and the gangsters, we know Chappie is our eponymous hero and neither side of the conflict really wants to hurt him however the mixture of these two extreme cultures would clearly create conflict. The fact that Ninja only wants to use Chappie is also clearly a reason for conflict and mimics the kind of recruitment that would happen at a later age in normal gangs and introductory members.<br />
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The next scene is the epitome of the battle between innocence and violence, it begins with Chappie wondering around the lair, that in daylight is covered with bright graffiti, the mise en scene is littered with nick nacks to fiddle and play with. The graffiti itself varies between colourful and bright characters to penises and writing like "Fuck da world" this highlights the differences between Ninja and Yo-Landi, their parenting techniques and the battle between innocence and violence or corruption. There is however only so much of Chappie learning we can see, he mimics and copies up to this point and on television emulates He-Man which shows his immature state of mind whilst identifying him again as our hero. Ninja interrupts this session of discovery and starts to choose what Chappie should learn, specifically how to be a gangster. Whilst this is clearly one of the moments of passive consumption, and the comedy of how to shoot a gun properly is fantastic, that passivity hides issues that on reflection or a second viewing are central to the film, how to raise a child and that of innocence being corrupted. Whether being a gangster in this world amounts to corruption however is another point of contention for later in the film.<br />
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Whilst researching how to help a baby learn, Dion is threatened by Vincent, who wants the key that lets you update software on the Scouts which was left in Chappie's head. On refusing and mocking Victor with the question "Engineer? Weren't you a soldier?" Vincent breaks a little, pinning Dion to the table with a gun to his head and threatening him further, Dion wont back down however and Vincent retreats calling the overt threat a prank. This scene is a little unusual, why does nobody else react? It gives the impression that they are used to Vincent's insane antics and expect it to be a joke making Vincent's character even more tragic. If you consider this as his peak display of dominance so far in the film and nobody takes notice and even the little nerdy kid doesn't bow down to his threats it shows the audience how desperate Vincent really is and how close he is to losing it completely.<br />
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Just a day into his life and Chappie is roughly equal to a 7-10 year old, he has been copying the things the gang have taught him, his mannerisms are that of Ninja and America (the character), he has begun to learn. It is at this point Dion sees him again, and he sees the gang's actions as irresponsible and lays down rules for Chappie. Before getting into debates of morality Dion tells Chappie "you must have respect for me, I am your maker", this statement relinquishes Dion's right fatherhood completely he is his "Maker" and he demands respect not love, his language and the majority of his emotions are still closed, his character is emotionally awkward, he still sees Chappie to an extent as an experiment. Dion lays down rules like "don't break the law", that need to be told to children, for a large amount of the plot this rule represents Chappie's ignorance. Only at a young age do you need to be told not to break the law, at an older age you decide whether or not to break the law, when Chappie can make that choice he has grown emotionally past the point of being naive and controllable. Hypocritically Dion also tells Chappie that "people will tell you what to do, you mustn't let them" and in anger at Ninja, Dion shouts "He's mine", whilst now a "he" rather than an "it" Chappie, Scout 22, is still a possession. Art and expression is also under scrutiny, Chappie gets "stories" and paints, the poetic vision that Dion pitched to Michelle Bradley is coming true, however Ninja's view of life is more pro active and simplistic. The fantasy that Dion wanted for Chappie was hijacked earlier in the plot, what Chappie's "potential" is, is one of choice, Dion's struggle is that this choice has been taken out of his hands and given to the "barbaric" "philistines" if Die Antwoord. Unlike Dion who wants a perfect atmosphere for Chappie to grow and be nurtured, out of either anger or wisdom Ninja believes Chappie needs to see the "real world". At this point it seems relevant to bring up a subtle piece of mise en scene, a "reject" sticker on Chappie, pushed away by Ninja and attacked by gang members who fear the police droid "skin" that Chappie wears, he is an unlikely poster boy for racial oppression. Chappie can only repeat "why do you do this?" as he is beaten.<br />
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After such an intense injection of themes of art, culture, morality and family we literally get a quiet moment to think, as Chappie sits looking at the City and stroking a dog, this is almost a magical moment of reflection, the audience along with Chappie get to think about what has happened in his short life connecting Chappie to the audience. However whilst Chappie tries to reflect, to passively sit back and digest, Vincent is ready to grab the religious abomination (Chappie) and literally "hold him down and teach him a lesson." Again at this point a kidnapping or hijacking aggressively pulls us, the audience, onto a different plot line, it is jarring and doesn't give us time to fully digest the previous action but this exact thing lets us empathize with Chappie as we share the discomfort of being dragged into Vincent's van. At this point we are Chappie, and Vincent's insistence that Chappie only thinks he is real is wrong, "Chappie is real". Even the use of third person as Chappie makes that statement of defiance makes it feel like it is something that we the audience are saying, are willing onto him like Pinocchio, Chappie is real.<br />
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On his return to the lair, battered and broken, Ninja empathizes with Chappie's pain as we have learned to, Ninja becomes willing to be the father of Chappie. When asked what happened Chappie says it was the "Man in the van", this references the common pedophile story of men in vans with sweets, again Chappie's age is subtly told to us as we see him grow through his childhood into adolescence, the whole beating is a kin to bully's at school or predators attacking children.<br />
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Lit by a pink glow Yo-Landi teaches Chappie about the soul, about consciousnesses and love. This is in short the simple stance on the "black sheep" on prejudiced and differences between cultures. In the end it is what is inside that matters, it's an old but common morale tale that turns the story in to a fable or fairy tale. Chappie replicates this conversation but not in the way he used to copy things, he has progressed, using a doll shows him as still childlike but perceptive, he understands the concept of the self and others. What follows is another indulgence of passive viewing, as Ninja promises "I'm going to be your Daddy for real" and teaches Chappie how to be "Robot gangster number 1". Despite his growth he can still not break his makers rules, he is still naive and can be controlled, as such he believes that stabbing people will not kill them, only put them to sleep. Chappie get's his "blings" and the wonderfuly comic figure is ready to go out and help his father "get (steal) his cars back". Again the American flag is clear, pasted on Yo-Landi's clothes, she becomes this mothering figure who has lost control of Chappie to the more aggressive and negative force of Ninja, like a stay at home mother who is powerless to change Chappie's fate whilst being content to nurture him when she can. The car stealing is insane, and it's clear that Chappie is loving it, you assume he is happy to be helping his father and wants to make him proud however how absurd the whole idea makes me question if Chappie understands a little more than he is letting on. At this point he is almost ready to do the heist, we are only a few short scenes from his full emotional growth, the question is does it really come in a eureka moment? Or does he already understand some of what he is doing and just continues to impress his father/ gang leader.<br />
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The empty shell of the "Vodacom" building serves as the hideout for the king of fences and one of Ninja's bosses. The place clears out when seeing a police droid, Chappie wants to follow but unlike Yo-Landi, Ninja doesn't allow Chappie to follow because of his differences, Chappie has been metaphorically lured in and trainedm like the dogs in the fighting ring of this scene, but is still being used by Ninja. This scene is that scene of Chappie's awakening, and it is his mortality via a faulty battery that puts his life into perspective. Ninja falsely promises a new body via the heist they plan to pull off. Ninja uses Chappie's mortality to turn Dion into the bad guy and to cover his own lies. Now Chappie knows and believes fully that "if he wants to survive, he must fight".<br />
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Now an awakened and resentful teenager, Chappie's next meeting with Dion is sour. Dion himself says he is "here to collect (his) creation", again the lack of emotion is clear and upsetting, Chappie now knows that the chicken is a toy, he has grown past the age of toys and past the age of manipulation or control. In a wonderful composition, Chappie on a wall, Dion opposite and Yo'Landi framed in between, Dion tries to take Chappie out of the gangster life he has fallen into, astutely Yo-Landi asks "Why are you trying to control him like this?" it wonderfully brings about the morality behind the gangsters actions and with the word "control", likens Dion's wish to control Chappie with that of Vincent's to control his own robots, only Chappie is alive. Chappie wonderfully asks, "why did you make me so I could die", thank god Blomkamp refrains from the cliche "I made you so you could live" but rather lets Dion realize that he has been making a mistake by trying to control Chappie, he realizes that Chappie has a character, a conscience and essentially a soul, he replies "How was I supposed to know you would become, you?"<br />
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Again we are yanked away from a beautiful moment by plot development, not allowed to sit back and think about parenthood or consciousnesses we move onto Vincent's insane plans that are now in action. He shuts down all the droids and as we see the violence it immediately causes Vincent's haunting smiles, he is now as much a villain as Hippo, who shouts "I want everything" and weilding his comically impractical gold AK-47.<br />
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The virus Vincent uploaded knocks Chappie out, and Dion takes him back to the workshop at Tetra Vaal to wake him back up. As he does Chappie fully enacts his teenage rebellion, he tells Dion that he will get into the new body that is hanging in the workshop. However Dion doesn't think it will work, he doesn't understand the way consciousnesses works and he isn't brave enough to take a leap of faith. Chappie shouts that "Daddy can get me a new body, Daddy loves me, I hate you". He has grown emotionally and throw off the rules of his creator, he takes the neural helmet for Vincent's Moose, the first crime he commits willingly.<br />
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The plot development races forwards from this point, the heist is prepared. Chappie quietly plays with capturing consciousnesses in a scene which mimics the earlier scene in which Dion creates him, this now foreshadows Chappie rescuing Dion as he was rescued and transported into a new body at the start of the film. As the heist is acted out Chappie throws knives at police officers, television footage is brought back in to ground the film and give an outside perspective, as we are reminded that Chappie is actually killing people, he realizes that he is killing people and says a heart wrenching sorry to a bleeding police officer. Vincent uses this to justify the use of the Moose, he calls Chappie a "godless monster" however it is the statement to Michelle that "You don't want this to be your legacy" that finally convinces her to allow the Moose to be used, she tells him almost biblically to "burn it to ash.". Chappie having realized Ninja's betrayal is understandable angry, he is also told there is no body waiting for him, he throws Ninja around the van. Ninja's only defense is that "at the time you were different", but it isn't enough, as they arrive back at their lair Chappie says "I'm gone Mommy". He accepts his mortality as Dion comes to tell the whole crew that the Moose is coming.<br />
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For the final climactic action event all the films villains come to play their part in the showdown, Hippo and his group of gangsters and Vincent via the Moose. It is Hippo that shoots Dion and Ninja but the most horrific death is America's, he is ripped in two by the Moose. The whole scene is intercut with Vincent's control of the Moose, his laughter his enjoyment, he is maniacal, the joystick he clutches between his legs is a kin to masturbation and the Moose the ultimate symbol of power.<br />
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It isn't enough however, as Chappie see's his family die he realizes its not just his own mortality he has to fight for and he batters the Moose to near death whilst getting the neural helmet equipment in an attempt to save Dion who is fatally wounded. Ninja prepares to sacrifice himself for them to escape. Vincent almost narrates the scene, saying "look at you, you think your the hero"which beautifully punctuates the action whilst laughing at the classic Hollywood conventions, Ninja fails to be the hero, and Yo-Landi is killed. Throughout this scene she is wearing a Chappie T-shirt, this serves both the narrative, they have worn T-shirts of themselves throughout and Chappie is now part of them, as well as reminding the audience of the weird line between reality and fantasy that the film sits.<br />
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Chappie takes Dion back to the workshop to save him via the neural helmet, whilst there he confronts Vincent. The beating that follows is probably the most brutal in the film, Chappie shouts "I'm gonna teach you a lesson" as the whole office screams at Chappie throwing Vincent through walls and desks into roofs and beats him within an inch of his life. As a viewer the sadistic pleasure in this vengeance quickly turns to horror, the fact that Chappie doesn't just quickly kill Vincent and rather bloodily beats him makes you question for a moment again what Chappie has become and the morality of his short upbringing as a gangster. On the other hand Yo's death was only a few minutes ago and Chappie ends the beating by saying "Now I forgive you bad man". As though he himself as a biblical eye for an eye understanding of justice.<br />
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Chappie goes back to the workshop to save Dion, to put his consciousness into a robotic body, we get to see how he is the product of Dion, Ninja and Yo. Dion tells him "For christs sake Chappie save yourself" but Dion tells him "you gotta be tough". With the technological side of Dion, the belief and faith of Yo-Landi and the toughness of Ninja, Chappie saves Dion's mind whilst his body dies. Dion says "I'm alive, I don't know what this means", Chappie replies "it means you will live forever" which opens a whole other side of philosophical questioning about immortality which is simply too big to question within <i>Chappie. </i>Dion returns the favor an puts Chappie into a new body as well. It is interesting to see two perfectly animated robots managing to deliver emotion so well and hold a scene despite not having the majority of human facial features.<br />
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The film ends with Yo-Landi's funeral and a little USB stick which holds her consciousness, Chappie tells her "It's just a temporary body, you don't have to go to the next place". Mixed with news footage and set to a Die Antwoord track we see the creation of a new robot in the Tetra Vaal factory, it is more advanced than the scouts and has a human like face resembling Yo-Landi's. Chappie says "Now we're both black sheep Mommy". Credits. This final scene, whilst being a little sickly and convenient opens <i>Chappie</i> up to potential sequels and brings about a few more interesting questions of robots creating robots and after death experiences. Again this scene splits audiences, in some cases it is the last straw in believably but others left such mundane ideas of reality at the door and fully embrace the insane possibility of the future for the characters. The news footage labels Chappie as a criminal and all of a sudden you have the ultimate robot badass gangster number one there on the screen for you. But you understand his journey towards becoming the person he is.<br />
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As far as the discussion on artificial intelligence in Hollywood cinema and how AI is represented is concerned, <i>Chappie</i> has mixed messages, the struggle comes down to the technological battle between Vincent and Dion, should robots be controlled? And can AI, true AI even be controlled? Even more so through it's ending it asks what is consciousness? Is Dion now an AI, a person or a robot? All of these questions enrich the conversation about Artificial Intelligence but if you look at the film as a whole, nobody would hesitate to call Chappie a protagonist and a morale one at that. His hero status and his likening to that of a child growing, urges the audience to accept AI and <i>Chappie's </i>overall outlook on AI is positive.<br />
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At times <i>Chappie</i> resembles a fun music video, computer game violence and comic insanity but under all of that playful aesthetic hides an incredibly deep film with fable like properties. Unlike the majority of films it doesn't lead you by the nose into the correct answer, many times throughout the film it brings up a massive issue and before it has a chance to tell you what to think, before you can decide for yourself, your attention and the plot is ingeniously hijacked. Blomkamp brings you into his visceral world of Joberg and if you allow him he pushes the boundaries of Hollywood entertainment in an unashamed mix of an "art film" and a block buster. Unlike a lot of experimental or art cinema it doesn't forget plot, it is cleverly structured and its jumps from plot point to plot point serve both story and meaning as the audience's passive viewership is questioned but not removed. <i>Chappie</i> can be enjoyed by all, it is the mixture of instinctual art and processed thought provoking ideas that allows both active and passive consumption. Those viewers (like myself) that sit somewhere in between active and passive may be a little confused at first but that gives the film immense replay value and on a second viewing there is clearly a lot to dig into. Whilst quite heavily criticized for its unique style <i>Chappie </i>has done fairly well overseas and has so far earned 83million compared to Blomkamp's previous films <i>Elysium</i> 93million and <i>District 9</i> 115million. I believe as the audience it is targeted at grows and the film ages a little receiving second viewings like my own <i>Chappie</i> is bound to become a cult classic and should be revered for its brave step into a new kind of blockbuster, high concept, beautiful, fast paced and questioning.<br />
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<br />Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-45417394208709123062015-03-12T12:09:00.000-07:002015-03-12T12:09:05.206-07:00Chappie (2015 Neill Blomkamp)"I'm consciousness. I'm alive. I'm Chappie."<br />
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823672/</div>
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This week Neill Blomkamp's <i>Chappie </i>has split the opinion of cinema goers, some see underdeveloped ideas and over the top violence mixed with character stereotypes and confused ideas. I think, they are wrong! I will be doing a longer more academic spoilery review but I will keep this one light on the spoilers.<br />
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Chappie is straight up the cutest robot ever, so human so innocent and gullible, his growth from child to teen is beautiful and funny to watch whilst Blomkamp throws incredible big ideas at the audience but doesn't fall into slow boring overintellectual hipsterage. Instead <i>Chappie </i>reminds you exactly what you are watching, a hilarious coming of age story about a ninja gangsta robot.<br />
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The art style is simply stunning, described by Blomkamp as "the third in a stylistic trilogy" with District 9 and Elysium, the world feels similarly dirty and pessimistic with only one beacon of light, technology, growth and Chappie.<br />
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It may have a lot of audiences a little confused but that is because the film asks you to be an active audience, questioning among others, the big issues of consciousnesses and morality however it doesn't proceed to tell you all of the answers, it doesn't force you through the narrative to explore these issues, it lets you sit with them whilst you watch the most meta of casts fight it out with brightly coloured guns and Chappie T-shirts.<br />
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In my eyes <i>Chappie</i> is a clear success and a unique on at that, I am only worried that with this and <i>Jupiter Ascending</i> getting bad reviews I am going to spend a lot of the next few years arguing about what I consider to be great science fiction. Go see it and judge for yourself if you think <i>Chappie</i> deserves the snub its getting from critics.<br />
8.5/10<br />
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A more thorough academic spoilericous review is on the way as part of <b><i><u>AI SEASON!</u></i></b></div>
Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-71903415975686850452015-02-22T11:23:00.001-08:002015-02-22T11:23:15.076-08:00Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Flowers For Algernon is an award winning novel by Daniel Keyes about Charlie, mentally retarded and approached by a group of scientists, Charlie goes through the remarkable experiment to become a genius. Written in a collection of progress reports Keyes brilliantly reflects the growing intelligence of Charlie in the writing, he not only goes from miss spelling to a walking thesaurus but the growth in philosophical thinking and reflective thinking drags you into Charlie's life as he begins to remember his life and re evaluate those around him.<br />
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Of course that is not the story of the whole novel, whilst his development connects you to Charlie in an unusual coming of age story whilst Charlie struggles with his misaligned growth of intelligence compared to his emotional development the science begins to fall apart. Algernon, the mouse doppelganger and success story of the experiment falls ill and Charlie's fate is in his own hands, only he is smart enough to fix his own damning prognosis.<br />
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Whilst I was originally dragged to the story by the idea of a damned scientist searching for an answer I was completely wrong about how much the book would balance on that idea. Keyes focuses for a long time on the growth of Charlie and the discovery of his past and his family who he had all but forgotten. As you begin to identify with Charlie the level of empathy is incredible. The balance in the scales between the happy retard and the intelligent but bitter professor switching is compelling, you feel from page to page how the knowledge is power but not happiness, and ultimately he cannot become "powerful" enough.<br />
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So when the fall finally happens and Charlie begins to slip back and his IQ begins to drop it is legitimately hard to keep reading, I expected to really enjoy the downfall but it written in such a brutal way that whilst I enjoyed it, it was depressing. Keyes' final few pages remind you that Charlie is back to being happy despite his loss of intelligence. Another interesting transition to watch through Charlie's growth is that of naivety and innocence whilst he battles away with all manner of Freudian psychosis.<br />
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Flowers for Algernon is a must read for science fiction fans and for everyone else, it does what all good sci fi does and uses a scientific plot device to inspect the human condition. Under the telescope of Keyes' novel is the well known coming of age story, however Charlie's mismatched intelligence and emotional control offer a unique perspective of self reflection. The decline of Charlie's intelligence adds a brutally tragic sense of urgency as well as showing both the beauty and sadness in child like naivety. A masterpiece for many reasons, and a deep one at that, I not only recommend Flowers for Algernon to you but I think I may have to take my own advice and read it again.<br />
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8.5/10Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-63652778359640877682015-02-10T07:52:00.002-08:002015-02-10T07:52:21.153-08:00Jupiter Ascending (Andy and Lana Wachowski 2015)"Life is consumption"<br />
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1617661/<br />
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The Wachowski's return to big budget science fiction in the fantastical space opera Jupiter Ascending. High on action and filled to the brim with science fiction tropes, the film does fall into typical Hollywood tentpole territory but that doesn't stop it being a great feast for the eyes and a lot of fun. The film (3 days after release) has been slammed by most critics and has been labeled a flop, however I encourage you to watch Jupiter Ascending, its bound to be a half guilty pleasure for science fiction fans for years to come!<br />
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I will admit I feel a little defensive about liking this film considering the critical feedback so I will try not to sound like I'm fighting whilst writing this article...<br />
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The film centers around Jupiter (Mila Kunis(Meg Griffin)) and her rise to power from a toilet scrubbing Russian immigrant to princess of the universe and owner of Earth. Defending her and ultimately falling in love with her is space splice lycan ex winged cop Caine (Channing Tatum(21 Jump Street)), yes... All of those things... The sheer detail in this universe and world building is insane, its a science fiction dream. Whilst many have likened it to, well everything from Mass Effect to Fifth Element, the real inspiration, according to Lana, is the artwork of Meobius, the inspiration for countless science fiction franchises. This shared inspiration makes things seem familiar however almost all of Jupiter Ascending's crazy concepts fit together beautifully creating a vast universe that if anything we needed to see more of. Whilst it now seems unlikely we will ever see any more of the universe of Jupiter Ascending it is one worth more exploration, at times in the film things happen and don't get thoroughly explained, the amount of exposition in the film is still high so the choice to withhold information is a smart one that leaves audiences wanting to know more about the worlds the characters inhabit. The story moves at a startling pace and unfortunately the heavy exposition doesn't give time for emotional connection or give the potentially beautiful scenery space to breathe.<br />
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Whilst the CG feast in space works stunningly it is less effective on ground, the few fight scenes early in the film overuse the hardlight shield and overpowered hoverboots. These fights are weak when compared to the plain fist fight between Tatum and Sean Bean (that guy that died in that thing you watched) who plays a fairly typical ex military struggling single father.<br />
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Contrasting the complex world building is the indulgently simple rags to riches fairy tale (in space) which is littered with cliches and happily ever afters. In a time where The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones constantly punch you in the face through your favorite characters deaths, a nice story was kind of refreshing. On the other hand you never fear for the characters, they always arrive in the nick of time, you never feel as though anybody is in any real danger which leaves the film lacking emotional gravitas.<br />
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Performances from the whole cast are strong but do get fairly swallowed up again by an overcrowded story, no characters really get a time to shine. Whilst Mila and Channing get most of the screen time both Sean Bean and Nikki Amuka-Bird (Luther) shine through the clutter in interesting supporting roles.<br />
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The film suffers in the shadow of the Wachowski's Matrix Trilogy, and I will agree I was expecting more. I am hesitant to throw away any meaning or subtext because knowing the Wachowki's it is there in spades, just buried under those awe inspiring visuals. I have heard their original cut was eight minutes longer, its not a lot of time, but I can imagine that short eight minutes giving the film the lingering space it really needed.<br />
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If you can't tell I want more! I am sticking images from the film all over my wallpapers, it was beautiful, but at the pace it raced across the screens I never felt as though I got the time to really appreciate the beauty of the cinematography. Jupiter Ascending is <b>at least</b> a beautiful and fun space opera that is worth a watch, however it had and has a chance to be a great franchise and universe, it may even be a subtextual delight already, once my eyes clear from the dazzling space ships I will look further into the subtext and potentially bump it up to and 8 or 9. Either way I have to thank the Wachowski's for creating the latest film to make me argue passionately with haters.<br />
7.5/10Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-6858676139774279852015-01-18T11:10:00.004-08:002015-01-18T11:10:26.094-08:00Ascension (Syfy MiniSeries 2014)'No Future"<br />
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3696720/<br />
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<i>Ascension </i>is part of Syfy's return to dramatic science fiction, the three part miniseries promised to be a spiritual successor to shows like Battlestar Galactica finally bringing the channel back to space. It doesn't quite achieve such heights in its limited time but it does entertain and intrigue the audience with a mixture of character drama, action and a twisted story line.<br />
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In the 1960's Americas best scientists were collected and entered a ship to travel into space for a one hundred year journey to ensure the survival of the human race. 51 years later on the ship a woman is murdered and it is down to the ships XO to find out what has happened. However the things he learns lead him down a rabbit hole to suggest that something else is wrong with the ship.<br />
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The first thing to be commended is the world building within Ascension (the ship) which is stuck in the 1960's whilst reaping the benefits of having genius creators aboard. The melding of future and past is seamless and a link to present day Earth is woven in and becomes an integral part of the story. The cultural differences and devices in place to ensure the ship and the human race stays functioning separate the crew from us and give them unique lives that are wonderfully concocted if not a little unexplored.<br />
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Whilst not quite giving what it offers <i>Ascension</i> does deliver in returning Syfy to its BSG glory days, Tricia Helfer definitely helps, but the acting on the whole is strong. Brian Van Holt performs greatly as the ships captain and the relationship between him and Helfer is one of the series' highlights. Occasionally the acting and storylines of the younger characters dips into soap category but the plot moves so quickly that its difficult to dwell on.<br />
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If anything <i>Ascension</i> should have been given more time to explore its plot points before launching off to the next, the characters are introduced at lightening speed and you feel almost as though your being led around. This could be an incredibly intelligent choice or could just be poor pacing.<br />
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Over all <i>Ascension</i> is worth a watch, I think its even worth a second season, with a little more room to breath the threads it has begun could turn out to be a great story, as it is 99% of it is good fun dramatic science fiction and if nothing else it makes me hopeful for the future of Syfy as a channel.<br />
7.5/10Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-51654525942902647362015-01-12T13:06:00.001-08:002015-01-12T13:38:55.430-08:00Thundergun Express by Eat Defeat AND RobinBookerFilmsHey guys, still getting through last years footage but from the depths of my edit here is a video I shot on tour in Europe!<br />
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So a little talk about my process and a small deconstruction of the video if your interested...<br />
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Last time for Eat Defeat I just used the show footage however this time we wanted to show some of the antics of the trip itself. So I spent around 3 days watching 450gb of footage and cutting out a few seconds per clip of funny stuff. There was a lot more good content however a lot of it lost its kick when you cant couple it with audio.<br />
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I ended up with about 5 minutes of footage to make a 3 minute song. I looked through all the performances and cherry picked my favorite moments to add into the shenanigans from the rest of the trip. Music videos are quite fun to edit because you have not only a beat to work to but specific sections. I added a little more performance footage to give the choruses more kick.<br />
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I used the large amount of dancing for the other parts of the choruses and then the wrestling for the middle eight. The rest of the footage was just the best of the highlights and the best time fitting shots. Finally I tweaked all the shots in length and a few in speed so that they matched the beats a little better.Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-26836335072511362032014-12-19T09:54:00.001-08:002014-12-19T09:54:16.923-08:00The Babadook (Jennifer Kent 2014)<div>
"Ba-ba-ba... dook! Dook! DOOOOOKH!"</div>
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321549/</div>
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The concept of The Babadook is fairly classic, a creepy stalker/ monster film in which a mother fights to protect her son. The majority of traditional horror tropes follow however The Babadook manages to poke its hat above other recent horror flicks. </div>
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The film centers around the psychological struggle of sleep deprived widow Amelia and her eccentric and slightly annoying to watch (for good reason) son Samuel. Still grieving her husbands death after six years, (on the day her son was born) when Samuel finds a pop up book with one of the creepiest and most un unassumingly original monsters in modern cinema, he begins to believe he will be captured by the Babadook.</div>
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So what sets the Babadook apart from other horror films of the type ie. Mama (Andrés Muschietti 2013), Insidious (James Wan 2010). Well first off, without delving too far into spoilers, the psychological questions it raises throughout the film are excellent, you actively question if the Babadook is real or if Amelia is actually breaking. That in itself is horrifying, you don't have to believe in a monster to fear for Samuel when the lights go out and you hear "Baba ba dook dook dook.". Secondly is just how creepy and believable the babadook is, he is always changing, never really seen or known, and the question of sanity really throws into questions what the Babadook actually looks like. </div>
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Stylistically the films strays away from any kind of extreme gore or jump scares and relies solely on creating tension which is achieved brilliantly through the chilling score. Now I'm gonna get a little horror nerdy and a little spoilery and talk about theory and genre and stuff so if you havn't seen the film skip this paragraph. So I really like that Amelia isn't your typical female horror victim, she is struggling but she is independent, she is not the final female we are used to from slasher flicks. Not only that but she doesn't survive because she is a virgin, she clearly has a child, and if you wanted to get technical and say that she has not been sexual since her sons birth, a masturbation scene should put that to rest. The idea of the power of the Babadook being the personification of bottled up grief and anxiety over Amelia's husband is a great idea and the supernatural horror represents the power over the families lives the accident still holds. The domestication of the Babadook, in the basement where the husbands memory lived, shows the acceptance of grief and the moving on of not just Amelia but of Samuel too. Anyway I end my spoiler section by saying I think The Babadook is really interesting and may do a little genre study on it sometime.<br />
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The spoilers are over guys, you can read again.<br />
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The Babadook is simply put one of the tensest brave and thematically interesting horror films to come out of the last few years. Not only is it a suspenseful psychological horror, it is a beautiful drama about a single mother.<br />
8.5/10</div>
Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-86771062777992980372014-12-15T12:51:00.000-08:002014-12-15T12:51:11.415-08:00Hercules (2014 Brett Ratner)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Fucking Centaurs"</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1267297/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1267297/</a></div>
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I expected an incredibly cheesy action packed laugh of awfulness. I'm not sure if that's because of Dwayne Johnson or the trailer or Brett Ratner who hurt me with X Men The Last Stand... What you get with Hercules is like an omelet, basic action from a Thracian, Roman period (the egg), fun twists on the Hercules myth (some surprise peppers), comic dialogue (mushrooms), and just a brilliant sprinkling of cheesy goodness on top. Don't get me wrong its a guilty pleasure but this film is incredibly entertaining and a lot of fun.<br />
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One of the greatest things about the film is the twisting of the myth, it turns Hercules into a team of fighters (Herc at the front) who perpetuate a myth to strike fear into opponents. Not only that but his mythological opponents are likewise faked, either through people in suits or pure exaggeration.<br />
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Whilst angrier or stuffier reviewers may get stuck in the generic nature of the film and action comedy is what it is, this doesn't get caught up in pretension or recreating the wheel, it relies on fairly strong acting and tongue in cheek. If you don't want to watch Hercules you probably wont enjoy it. If your tempted you're going to have a good time.<br />
7/10<br />
<br />Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-26457115979747691982014-12-12T09:53:00.001-08:002014-12-12T09:53:48.386-08:00The Hobbit, The Battle of Five Armies. (Peter Jackson 2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The defining chapter indeed. After 13 years and 6 films we finally say goodbye to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien through the eyes of director Peter Jackson. I am going to assume I am as surrounded on the internet by fanboys as I was at the midnight screening last night. For those of you yet to see it, wow, your in for a treat. The final chapter of The Hobbit is packed full of action, fun and heartfelt tragedy.<br />
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As always Jackson is fair with the source material and keeps the story moving with a quick pace, the sheer amount of combat in the film is insane, and its all intelligently and beautifully choreographed. A specific little note on that front, the elves slice their victims neatly as appose to the brutish dwarves who decapitate orc after orc with a different kind of grace, just one subtle touch that gives Jackson's version of Tolkien's world the same richness as the source material itself. Don't be misleads though, despite the combat the story is strong as ever and the dialogue is perfect.<br />
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I can't say much more than it felt like a great and respectful, if not a little sad, end to the tale of the ring of power. I walked away thinking that we know that from the end of this film Bilbo gets no more adventure, he just sits and withers, in mind if not in image. Anyhow lets not dwell on that, more good things! The cgi is expectedly fantastic and somehow doesn't worsen the CG in the LOTR trilogy when you look back, which is nice. If I had any nitpicks to... pick, it would be that it ends pretty suddenly, we don't really get a glimpse of everyone settling back down. I assume that is because we see through Bilbo's eyes and because of the criticisms of Return of the king's 45 minute end after end after end. (Not to mention you know, the lord of the rings comes next)<br />
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As a saga its brilliant, I almost cracked on the Fellowship when I got home to ride that feeling out. The marathon must be done but god help me when that day comes, no not god, but a hobbit, they seem like happy chaps.<br />
9/10<br />
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Just a side note on high frame rate, its weird, I cant make my mind up. Everything looks more real, is that right for a fantasy film or does it need that movie gloss? I can't decide, it takes a while to get used to which is of course a set back but I think if it is continued to be used in the right way it could work really well. Maybe for documentary or more realistic films, the Hobbit seems like a strange choice to crack it out on. Colour me intrigued.Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-43460092233562313682014-12-12T09:13:00.000-08:002014-12-12T09:13:26.403-08:00Slow on the restartHey guys real sorry, been slow on the blogging lately, I really wanted to pick it back up but I have been filming or editing almost non stop for the last three months or so. Finally got some down time where its just gentle editing to do so I'm hoping to get back on the blogwaggon. What do you want to see me write about? Think im gonna do some news, american tv reviews/ recaps and maybe some behind the scenes stuff with me. Sorry nothing I have done has really been released all that well but check out the Eat Defeat live video I did, most of the rest of my stuff is either still in post or not mine to reveal to you lovely poeple, you will see it as soon as I can let you. Anyway, what do you think I should cover? Let me know!<br />
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<br />Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-25708593323798244422014-10-21T05:30:00.003-07:002014-10-21T05:30:31.504-07:00Production!: 2 Projects in post, 2 Projects in PreI have spent the last month or two shooting almost a 1tb of footage! All documentary type stuff. Firstly I worked with Kismet (a local drama company) and the RSPB to film their Marsh Songs dramatic production. I am in the middle stages of editing a short promo of it for the RSPB, a full performance dvd and a short documentary about the drama production. Hopefully to be completed within the next fortnight! Lots to do.<br />
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As if that wasn't enough I decided it would be fun to go around Europe with my brothers band Eat Defeat and film all of their shows and a lot of their journey. Lots of fun but very tiring work, I haven't even begun to edit yet, but theres no deadline so at least theres no hurry.<br />
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I am finally working towards directing my first short in years, since outbreak file2! Sin (working title) is a sneak peak into the universe of my science fiction pilot Return to Earth. Set on a post apocolyptic world inhabited by rebels, scientific experiments and "utopian" cities I cant wait to actually start filming next month. Its going to be a tricky job to set the scene right but I'm up for the challenge.<br />
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And the fourth and final project is so early in pre production that at the moment its just a few brain storms on paper. So I'm not going to tell you what it is just yet other than hopefully it will be a web series co written with Ari Carr!<br />
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So thats what I have been up to, I would go more in depth but I have to get back to it...Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-12886837637374685022014-09-20T05:19:00.001-07:002014-09-20T05:19:51.394-07:00Marsh Songs PerformanceThe first showing of Marsh Songs was on last night and it was a great performance!<br />
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">get tickets here: Telephone 07756 500292. Five pounds full, three pounds concession</b><br />
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Check out some images of the dress rehearsal below:<br />
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<br />Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-88054981228490003272014-09-14T12:49:00.001-07:002014-09-15T09:05:22.405-07:00MarshSongs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Marshsongs is a community led RSPB funded project including the prestigious Kismet drama group and countless creative members of the community. The aim of the production, as well as to entertain of course, is to raise interest in the recently renewed Beckingham Marshes Nature Reserve. What does this have to do with me? Well roughly a month ago I was contacted by the group to do some film work for them, principally to edit some wildlife footage for projection throughout the play. This grew into a short doc type film as well, chronicling the practice and progression of the project.<br />
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It has been great fun and practice so far, with just one week left before the performance everything seems to be falling into place. The script, written by Michael Hatfield, is being wonderfully performed in rehearsals and the music written by Russell Booker is being played by a select for students from The Gainsborough Academy fits the performance perfectly. The play, based around the Beckingham Marshes themselves, jumps through time to describe how humanity treats such land, its comical, dramatic and, through the personification of the Marshes, surprisingly dark. KISMET's physical style and the live music really bring the play to life, I am looking forward to seeing the live performances with the added energy from the audience.</div>
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<b><br /><br />The show is on next weekend in Beckingham and the following weekend at the old hall get tickets here: Telephone 07756 500292. Five pounds full, three pounds concession<br /><br /></b><div>
Really do it, it should be a great show. </div>
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I am hoping to have enough footage and story to do a slightly longer documentary, maybe around 10mins so keep your eyes out for that too!<br />
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Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-6372383220277004322014-08-09T13:53:00.004-07:002014-08-09T13:53:53.718-07:00Inbetweeners 2 (Damon Beesley, Iain Morris 2014)The boys are back!<br />
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The Inbetweeners once again road trip out of the uk and off the telly onto the big screen once again breaking bex office records for UK comedy. There is a really easy way to review Inbetweeners 2, if you like the show, you like the film it is more of the same. Different enough to keep it interesting but expect all the same "bants" (banter... that wont catch on like "friend") as usual, poop jokes, failure to attract women and quite a lot of cock.<br />
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Supposedly the boys last outing, according to the stars anyhow, it is a fairly fitting end, dont worry though, no spoilers here. I think the film really works, I think I was the only person in the cinema over 20 apart from my dad but it was a great laugh and a pretty good cinema experience. I am curious about the cut scenes and cut actor, Daisy Ridley of recent Star Wars casting fame, but hope that the crew come back to do more. With the writers of the show and films now directing I think they have done a great job of letting the characters grow up in age without growing up too much as people... As someone who is roughly the same age of the characters I could identify with a lot of the less ludicrous scenes and it would be interesting to see that continue. Not to mention the somewhat lackluster careers that have spawned for the group, channel four comedies with them spawn left right and center but none are particularly well received, why not keep going?<br />
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Anywhoo to reiterate if you have laughed at the immature kind of humour and scarily accurate language for teens today then you will love the film just as you have the show.<br />
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7/10Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-26424730923595464072014-08-04T06:02:00.001-07:002014-08-04T06:22:49.093-07:00Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn 2014)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Opening last weekend with an eye watering box office high (for august and 3rd highest for the year so far) Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel's latest hit. Mixing the superhero genre up again, this time with space opera, achieving a Firefly/ Star Wars kind of feel Guardians is great fun, it feels like the high concept fun classics of the 70's, 80's and 90's like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, big budgets, big laughs and a great cinema experience.<br />
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The performances are all great, the CG tree (Groot), and raccoon (Rocket) are both completely convincing and maybe the best characters in the film. A special mention needs to be given for Peter Serafinowicz and John C Rielly (and the writing of course) for turning their bit parts into sincere characters. Written and Directed by James Gunn, known for cult spoof body horror Slither, the quirky humor is perfect, you suspend all disbelief and laugh along with the film, it might not be as dark or serious as say Captain America The Winter Soldier, but it might be the most fun I have had in the cinema in years, I want to go back!</div>
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Like many Marvel fans, when Guardians was announced I wondered exactly who they were and why Marvel would bother making a film about them. Many people think the same about the upcoming Ant Man film and if Guardians is anything to go by we should just let Mr Feige (exec producer) do whatever he likes because the Marvel Studio's movie machine continues to pump out high concept, fun engaging blockbusters, and I dare say this one almost tops the lot.</div>
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Needless to say it is quite simply a pleasure to watch, if you haven't seen it you are missing out! Go... Now... Go on...</div>
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9/10</div>
Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-69070022954297953102014-07-31T07:04:00.000-07:002014-07-31T07:04:00.580-07:00I'm back!I know it has been a long time since posts graced this blog, Uni life kinda took over, but thats all done now so expect to see my news, reviews and behind the scenes information on a weekly basis once again. I have really missed this, its good to be back. Guardians of the Galaxy review coming this saturday!Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-26250813343769890592013-08-16T08:59:00.000-07:002013-08-16T08:59:00.707-07:00Sires, Narrative and Time SlideshowThere is an accompanying slide show to the madness that is Sires, here are the notes for the slideshow and a few images.<br />
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SLIDE 1<br />
<br />
Sires<br />
<br />
By<br />
Robin Booker<br />
<br />
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SLIDE 2<br />
<i>Sires </i>will show that the real in from is not always the most meaningful. Using 48fps long realistic shots I will tell the story of an army leader who squashes rebellion. Using 24fps close up poetic shots I will haunt Sires with the past present and future showing the emotive repercussions of war, inseparability of death and perpetual nature of life.<br />
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SLIDE2.5<br />
THEORETICALLY<br />
I wish to explore two oppositional views of cinema including Bazin's realism and Eisenstien’s montage within my visual style whilst using recent technological advances to push them further than before and explore which view offers more emotional response and how combining them and separating them can give different views of similar events. Using theories on perpetual death and repetition I will twist narrative in a new and interesting way to explore Stambaugh’s ideas of significant actions within repeating cycles of death such as in the Greek tale of Prometheus.<br />
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SLIDE 3<br />
Inspired by Zeno's paradox (<i>The direction of Time</i> Reichenbach 1991) and Sacks' <i>River of Consciousness</i> (Sacks 2004) I decided to play with the format of film to create two forms of image with differing qualities of reality. Also inspired by the Wachowski's use of time manipulation to create "panels and gutters" in <i>The Matrix</i> (L. Wachowski, A. Wachowski 1999) I developed the two styles further into extreme close montages reminiscent of Eisenstein with visuals inspired by <i>Pan's Labyrith</i> (del Toro 2003) and long real takes reminiscent of Bazin.<br />
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SLIDE 4<br />
BLUE<br />
Realist<br />
extreme longs<br />
48fps<br />
slow cuts<br />
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SLIDE 5<br />
ORANGE<br />
fairytale<br />
close up<br />
fast cuts<br />
24fps<br />
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SLIDE 6<br />
ORANGE<br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The opening of the film an exclusive close up section will show the death of innocent women and children at Sires' own hand and the premonition of his death, a bullet to the chest and a bullet to the head. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">SLIDE 7</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">BLUE</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Yanked from one visual style to another as Sires is from dream to reality, Sires discuss' the previous nights attack before preparing a strike force to kill rebel fighters in their homes. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">SLIDE 8</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">BLUE<br />The massacre is viewed exclusively in the long shot style removing much of the emotion and action to the confined and hidden tents of the rebels. On the return journey to camp, the midpoint of the film, Sires is attacked, the whole scene is shot from outside of the truck. A gunshot is heard.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">SLIDE 9</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">ORANGE</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The scene is replayed this time inside the truck, claustrophobic and messy Sires is shot. Another troubled dream to wake from, but this time to the sound of gunfire. This is the point at which the majority visual style switches to the close ups to reflect the idea of an "infinity narrative" talked about in my research. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Guns are loaded and fired, blood platters faces and mud flies up to the knees as grenades devastate the defences of Sires encampment. Gunpowder fills the air and after a hectic battle Sires men stand tired but victorious. As they drag the dead bodies onto a bonfire Sires decides he has had enough, killing the rebel fighters obviously want enough, this time he would attack their homes and their families.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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SLIDE 10<br />
ORANGE<br />
In the penultimate and revelatory scene Sires and his men gun down the village, bullets fly into homes, children cry in fear before their parents are overpowered and their lives ripped from them. Close up the brutal murders should look more horrific than last time to both us and Sires who sees the woman and child he recognizes from his dreams. He shoots them both. He stands still in regret.<br />
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SLIDE 11<br />
BLUE<br />
A long shot shows the mayhem around him as he stands statue like in horror and a rebel shoots him.<br />
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SLIDE 12<br />
The first dream Sires had has come to life, it repeats, will he wake up this time?<br />
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SLIDE 13<br />
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There is a problem with this narrative structure, other than its complexity. Although the dreams line up in reverse the close ups in the second half of the film do not, they are forward in the narrative. The infinity image is not a perfect match to the narrative but is the source of inspiration for the structure and crossover of the dreams and visual styles.</div>
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SLIDE 14</div>
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STAMBAUGH</div>
"“the question of how something significant can occur” when “caught in the cycles of birth and death”."<br />
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DREAM 1> CHOICE 1 = kill fighters = soldiers get attacked + sires death = DREAM 2 > CHOICE 2 = kill women and children =sires death + DREAM1</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Assignment 2: <b><i>Dramatising Time</i></b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">1. Short Film Treatment</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span gill="" mso-fareast-language:en-gb="" sans="" serif="" style="font-family: ";">NAME:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Robin Booker </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">WORKING TITLE: </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Sires</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">TAGLINE: </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Death or dream?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">BRIEF SYNOPSIS (50 WORDS):</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Gill Sans","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Military General Sires faces rebellion, they attack his military encampment no matter how hard he fights back they always return. However with the perpetual repetition, bloodshed and danger can one man's conscience bear the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Gill Sans","serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">weight</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Gill Sans","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">? Troubled by dreams of past, present, future and death Sires is tired of fighting it’s time to stamp out the rebellion once and for all.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">BRIEF OUTLINE (Circa. 500 WORDS):</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A film of two extremes Sires fights back rebellion on the battlefield and in his dreams. The visual style of the film is extremely important almost more so than the narrative and is comprised of two opposing styles, firstly close ups at 24fps with a quick cut rate and a vivid saturated chroma. This visual style is largely influenced by Guillermo del Toro's <i>Pans Labyrinth </i>(2002 del Toro) I wish to achieve the same kind of dark fairytale aesthetic. The other visual style is almost the opposite, long takes, long shots and a realistic colour pallet will be complimented by the use of 48fps to make the shots look as real as possible. These two visual styles will mix at times and a range of mids will be used at the less essential points of the plot however some sections will use these styles exclusively.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br />The opening of the film an exclusive close up section will show the death of innocent women and children at Sires' own hand and the premonition of his death, a bullet to the chest and a bullet to the head. Yanked from one visual style to another as Sires is from dream to reality Sires discuss' the previous nights attack before preparing a strike force to kill rebel fighters in their homes. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br />The massacre is viewed again exclusively in the long shot style removing much of the emotion and action to the confined and hidden tents of the rebels. On the return journey to camp, the midpoint of the film, Sires is attacked, the whole scene is shot from outside of the truck. A gunshot is heard. The scene is replayed this time inside the truck, claustrophobic and messy Sires is shot. Another troubled dream to wake from, but this time to the sound of gunfire. This is the point at which the majority visual style switches to the close ups to reflect the idea of an "infinity narrative" talked about in my research. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br />Guns are loaded and fired, blood platters faces and mud flies up to the knees as grenades devastate the defences of Sires encampment. Gunpowder fills the air and after a hectic battle Sires men stand tired but victorious. As they drag the dead bodies onto a bonfire Sires decides he has had enough, killing the rebel fighters obviously want enough, this time he would attack their homes and their families.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br />In the penultimate and revelatory scene Sires and his men gun down the village, bullets fly into homes, children cry in fear before their parents are overpowered and their lives ripped from them. Close up the brutal murders should look more horrific than last time to both us and Sires who sees the woman and child he recognizes from his dreams. He shoots them both. He stands still in regret. A long shot shows the mayhem around him as he stands statue like in horror and a rebel shoots him in the chest, then head. The close ups from the first scene play again, will he wake up this time?</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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This film is to be as much an experiment as a film made to entertain, the mixing of frame rates and styles will hopefully draw academic minds towards the project as it is something rarely attempted. I also believe the vast theories of time woven into the plot will attract academic minds and those of fans of "puzzle narratives". Surely a film for an older and more mature audience I hope to create an accessible film with enough depth to warrant study<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US">2. Outline of the theoretical focus (the main concept or issue)</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I wish to explore two oppositional views of cinema including Bazin's realism and Eisenstien’s montage within my visual style whilst using recent technological advances to push them further than before and explore which view offers more emotional response and how combining them and separating them can give different views of similar events. Using theories on perpetual death and repetition I will twist narrative in a new and interesting way to explore Stambaugh’s ideas of significant actions within repeating cycles of death such as in the Greek tale of Prometheus.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span en-gb="" gill="" lang="EN-US" mso-ansi-language:en-us="" mso-fareast-language:="" sans="" serif="" style="font-family: ";">____________________________________________________________________________</span></b><span style="color: red; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span en-gb="" gill="" lang="EN-US" mso-ansi-language:en-us="" mso-fareast-language:="" sans="" serif="" style="font-family: ";">3. An explanation of your aims, and of how you developed your creative treatment from the initial concept or issue, as well as how you have incorporated further research</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">My whole project hinges on my two contrasting styles which came originally from my fascination with Aristotle's Arrow and how it links to frames per second, a relevant discussion in cinema today as Hollywood begins to experiment with using both 24 and 48 frames per second. The idea of still moments creating movement displayed in Zeno’s Paradox (</span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">The direction of time</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Reichenbach 1991</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">)directly links to arguments over frames per second and many viewers have said that in 48fps things seem fast and more real. The idea that the number of frames per second changing could alter how real the image seems is somewhat supported by Sacks' <i>In The River Of Consciousness</i> (Sacks 2004) in which he observes the opposite, people stuck in one image and frozen in that moment in time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">The idea that the speed varies reminded me of a comment about time made by Andy and Lana Wachowski, directors of the Matrix trilogy, (<i>The Matrix</i> (1999) <i>Matrix Reloaded </i>(2003) <i>Matrix Revolutions </i>(2003)). In the special features on <i>The Matrix </i> they discuss how they sped up time and slowed down time to reflect panels and the gutters in comic books, the slow motion being the panels and the sped up being the gutter. This began the two separate visual styles in my mind, the sped up became 48fps and the slowed down 24fps a normal frame rate. Panels and gutters (the space between the panels) also reflect cuts themselves and the space between the cuts are something often discussed within film theory, this gave me the idea of using montage like sequences with extreme close ups and fast paced editing. Oppositionally for the 48fps sections I will use concepts defined by Bazin (<i>What is cinema?</i> 2005) that make up realistic films such as long takes and long shots. Although this separates the visual style from the gutter the distinction between the two forms in terms of film making and the experimentation with which conveys more emotion is a more interesting area to explore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">Now with the idea of using Eisentein esque montage (Eisenstein, (1977)) mixed with long takes emphasising realism I had to construct a narrative. I wanted the visuals to reflect my ideas on the two styles and therefore planned desaturated realistic visuals mixed with more poetic and fairytale visuals strongly inspired by Guillermo del Toro's <i>Pans Labyrinth </i>(2003 del Toro). As for story I wanted to weave time theories into the narrative and needed some way to use both contrasting narratives to make a point. Inspired by the geographical modelling of the Mobius strip narrative I created a narrative around the shape of infinity, an eight on its side. The start, end and middle are the sections where the visual styles mix, in the first half, along with mids, the realistic long shots prevail until the middle crossover, a turning point in the narrative in which the poetic shots become the most prevalent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">The narrative itself is thematically based on the inescapability of death and its haunting of the main character. Inspired by the tale of Prometheus and his punishment I worked the idea of repeated death into the narrative. Although this is often done in films and television I didn’t want exact and definitive repeats, to reflect the perpetual nature and danger of war I decided rather than him dying and repeating there would be an ambiguity surrounding his death hence the dreams. This gave me space to repeat war events but with a change in Sires’ character and actions, in <i>Time Finitude and Finality </i>(Stambaugh 74) Stambaugh talks about causality and how “the question of how something significant can occur” when “caught in the cycles of birth and death”. This in essence is what the film represents, Sires’ first decision to kill only the rebel fighters is informed by gruesome visions of dead women and children and the guilt from his previous life. His second choice is however informed by the dream of the attack on the soldiers and his own death in the trucks from the day/life before. The film ends with us seeing the life/dream that informs the first choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 36px;">The article <i>The Fate of Prometheus </i>(123HelpMe.com 2011) talks about how for Prometheus “Each successive instance of suffering perpetuates the desire within him to succumb to his suffering, and die without repetition, but, instead, the cessation of desire and death elude him more and more.” This offers some insight and inspiration for the characteristics of Sires in my story. Originally I imagined him as a hardened veteran trying to stomp our rebellion however making him more suicidal, wanting to die to end things once and for all is a more interesting character trait. The inspiration and theory gained through both Prometheus’ tale and through the philosophical debates of Stambaugh add a lot to the understanding of the narrative however I was keen to create a film that could be read into but didn’t have to be read into. This is inspired in a backwards way by <i>Lost Highway</i> (Lynch 1997) a film I personally didn’t enjoy because of the need to analyse for pleasure. My aim as a film maker is to make films which can be explored but don’t have to be read into, therefore I ensured that <i>Sires</i> can be viewed as a straightforward narrative about repetitive war and guilt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
Bibliography<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Reichenbach, Hans, and Maria Reichenbach.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The direction of time</i>. Vol. 65. Univ of California Press, 1991.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Sacks, Oliver. "In the river of consciousness."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>New York Review of Books</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>51.1 (2004): 41-45.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Stambaugh, Joan. "Time, finitude, and finality."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Philosophy East and West</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>24.2 (1974): 129-135.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Eisenstein, Sergei. "A dialectic approach to film form."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Film Form: Essays in Film Theory</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(1977): 45-63.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Bazin, André.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>What is cinema?</i>. Vol. 2. Univ of California Press, 2005.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
Websites<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>"<i>The Fate of Prometheus</i>." 123HelpMe.com. 02 May 2011 <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=22394>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 32px;">
Filmography<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">The Matrix</span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">, (1999) Wachowski A., Wachowski L.,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>USA, </i>Warner Brothers Pictures</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">The Matrix Reloaded </span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">(2003) Wachowski A., Wachowski L.,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>USA, </i>Warner Brothers Pictures</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">The Matrix Revolutions </span></i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">(2003) Wachowski A., Wachowski L.,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>USA, </i>Warner Brothers Pictures</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;">Pans Labyrinth</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 26px;"> (2006) Del Toro G., Spain Mexico USA, Estudios Picasso<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<i>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;"> </span></i><i>Lost Highway</i> (1997) Lynch D., France, USA, October Films, CiBy 2000, Asymmetrical Productions</div>
Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-4785140528951279162013-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:002013-08-15T12:00:01.640-07:00Narrative and TimeI did a module on narrative and time last year, it was pretty heavy going and the end product was a film proposal (I also did an analysis of time in film in general which I will release when I find). The proposal is pretty confusing to be honest and takes into account some in depth theories but I'm sure you will all get along fine, so here it is, be prepared!<br />
NAME:<br />
<br />
Robin Booker<br />
<br />
WORKING TITLE:<br />
<br />
Sires<br />
<br />
TAGLINE:<br />
<br />
Death or dream?<br />
<br />
BRIEF SYNOPSIS (50 WORDS):<br />
<br />
Military General Sires faces rebellion, they attack his military encampment no matter how<br />
<br />
hard he fights back they always return. However with the perpetual repetition, bloodshed<br />
<br />
and danger can one man's conscience bear the weight? Troubled by dreams of past, present,<br />
<br />
future and death Sires is tired of fighting it’s time to stamp out the rebellion once and for all.<br />
<br />
BRIEF OUTLINE (Circa. 500 WORDS):<br />
<br />
A film of two extremes Sires fights back rebellion on the battlefield and in his dreams.<br />
<br />
The visual style of the film is extremely important almost more so than the narrative and<br />
<br />
is comprised of two opposing styles, firstly close ups at 24fps with a quick cut rate and a<br />
<br />
vivid saturated chroma. This visual style is largely influenced by Guillermo del Toro's Pans<br />
<br />
Labyrinth (2002 del Toro) I wish to achieve the same kind of dark fairytale aesthetic. The<br />
<br />
other visual style is almost the opposite, long takes, long shots and a realistic colour pallet<br />
<br />
will be complimented by the use of 48fps to make the shots look as real as possible. These<br />
<br />
two visual styles will mix at times and a range of mids will be used at the less essential points<br />
<br />
of the plot however some sections will use these styles exclusively.<br />
<br />
The opening of the film an exclusive close up section will show the death of innocent women<br />
<br />
and children at Sires' own hand and the premonition of his death, a bullet to the chest and a<br />
<br />
bullet to the head. Yanked from one visual style to another as Sires is from dream to reality<br />
<br />
Sires discuss' the previous nights attack before preparing a strike force to kill rebel fighters in<br />
<br />
their homes.<br />
<br />
The massacre is viewed again exclusively in the long shot style removing much of the<br />
<br />
emotion and action to the confined and hidden tents of the rebels. On the return journey to<br />
<br />
camp, the midpoint of the film, Sires is attacked, the whole scene is shot from outside of the<br />
<br />
truck. A gunshot is heard. The scene is replayed this time inside the truck, claustrophobic<br />
<br />
and messy Sires is shot. Another troubled dream to wake from, but this time to the sound of<br />
<br />
gunfire. This is the point at which the majority visual style switches to the close ups to reflect<br />
<br />
the idea of an "infinity narrative" talked about in my research.<br />
<br />
Guns are loaded and fired, blood platters faces and mud flies up to the knees as grenades<br />
<br />
devastate the defences of Sires encampment. Gunpowder fills the air and after a hectic<br />
<br />
battle Sires men stand tired but victorious. As they drag the dead bodies onto a bonfire Sires<br />
<br />
decides he has had enough, killing the rebel fighters obviously want enough, this time he<br />
<br />
would attack their homes and their families.<br />
<br />
In the penultimate and revelatory scene Sires and his men gun down the village, bullets fly<br />
<br />
into homes, children cry in fear before their parents are overpowered and their lives ripped<br />
<br />
from them. Close up the brutal murders should look more horrific than last time to both us<br />
<br />
and Sires who sees the woman and child he recognizes from his dreams. He shoots them<br />
<br />
both. He stands still in regret. A long shot shows the mayhem around him as he stands statue<br />
<br />
like in horror and a rebel shoots him in the chest, then head. The close ups from the first<br />
<br />
scene play again, will he wake up this time?<br />
<br />
This film is to be as much an experiment as a film made to entertain, the mixing of frame<br />
<br />
rates and styles will hopefully draw academic minds towards the project as it is something<br />
<br />
rarely attempted. I also believe the vast theories of time woven into the plot will attract<br />
<br />
academic minds and those of fans of "puzzle narratives". Surely a film for an older and more<br />
<br />
mature audience I hope to create an accessible film with enough depth to warrant study<br />
<br />
2. Outline of the theoretical focus (the main concept or issue)<br />
<br />
I wish to explore two oppositional views of cinema including Bazin's realism and<br />
<br />
Eisenstien’s montage within my visual style whilst using recent technological advances to<br />
<br />
push them further than before and explore which view offers more emotional response and<br />
<br />
how combining them and separating them can give different views of similar events. Using<br />
<br />
theories on perpetual death and repetition I will twist narrative in a new and interesting way<br />
<br />
to explore Stambaugh’s ideas of significant actions within repeating cycles of death such as<br />
<br />
in the Greek tale of Prometheus.<br />
<br />
___________________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
_<br />
<br />
3. An explanation of your aims, and of how you developed your creative treatment from<br />
<br />
the initial concept or issue, as well as how you have incorporated further research<br />
<br />
My whole project hinges on my two contrasting styles which came originally from<br />
<br />
my fascination with Aristotle's Arrow and how it links to frames per second, a<br />
<br />
relevant discussion in cinema today as Hollywood begins to experiment with using<br />
<br />
both 24 and 48 frames per second. The idea of still moments creating movement<br />
<br />
displayed in Zeno’s Paradox (The direction of timeReichenbach 1991)directly links to<br />
<br />
arguments over frames per second and many viewers have said that in 48fps things<br />
<br />
seem fast and more real. The idea that the number of frames per second changing<br />
<br />
could alter how real the image seems is somewhat supported by Sacks' In The<br />
<br />
River Of Consciousness (Sacks 2004) in which he observes the opposite, people<br />
<br />
stuck in one image and frozen in that moment in time.<br />
<br />
The idea that the speed varies reminded me of a comment about time made by<br />
<br />
Andy and Lana Wachowski, directors of the Matrix trilogy, (The Matrix (1999)<br />
<br />
Matrix Reloaded (2003) Matrix Revolutions (2003)). In the special features on The<br />
<br />
Matrix they discuss how they sped up time and slowed down time to reflect panels<br />
<br />
and the gutters in comic books, the slow motion being the panels and the sped up<br />
<br />
being the gutter. This began the two separate visual styles in my mind, the sped up<br />
<br />
became 48fps and the slowed down 24fps a normal frame rate. Panels and gutters<br />
<br />
(the space between the panels) also reflect cuts themselves and the space between<br />
<br />
the cuts are something often discussed within film theory, this gave me the idea<br />
<br />
of using montage like sequences with extreme close ups and fast paced editing.<br />
<br />
Oppositionally for the 48fps sections I will use concepts defined by Bazin (What<br />
<br />
is cinema? 2005) that make up realistic films such as long takes and long shots.<br />
<br />
Although this separates the visual style from the gutter the distinction between the<br />
<br />
two forms in terms of film making and the experimentation with which conveys<br />
<br />
more emotion is a more interesting area to explore.<br />
<br />
Now with the idea of using Eisentein esque montage (Eisenstein, (1977)) mixed<br />
<br />
with long takes emphasising realism I had to construct a narrative. I wanted the<br />
<br />
visuals to reflect my ideas on the two styles and therefore planned desaturated<br />
<br />
realistic visuals mixed with more poetic and fairytale visuals strongly inspired<br />
<br />
by Guillermo del Toro's Pans Labyrinth (2003 del Toro). As for story I wanted<br />
<br />
to weave time theories into the narrative and needed some way to use both<br />
<br />
contrasting narratives to make a point. Inspired by the geographical modelling of<br />
<br />
the Mobius strip narrative I created a narrative around the shape of infinity, an<br />
<br />
eight on its side. The start, end and middle are the sections where the visual styles<br />
<br />
mix, in the first half, along with mids, the realistic long shots prevail until the<br />
<br />
middle crossover, a turning point in the narrative in which the poetic shots become<br />
<br />
the most prevalent.<br />
<br />
The narrative itself is thematically based on the inescapability of death and<br />
<br />
its haunting of the main character. Inspired by the tale of Prometheus and his<br />
<br />
punishment I worked the idea of repeated death into the narrative. Although this<br />
<br />
is often done in films and television I didn’t want exact and definitive repeats, to<br />
<br />
reflect the perpetual nature and danger of war I decided rather than him dying and<br />
<br />
repeating there would be an ambiguity surrounding his death hence the dreams.<br />
<br />
This gave me space to repeat war events but with a change in Sires’ character<br />
<br />
and actions, in Time Finitude and Finality (Stambaugh 74) Stambaugh talks<br />
<br />
about causality and how “the question of how something significant can occur”<br />
<br />
when “caught in the cycles of birth and death”. This in essence is what the film<br />
<br />
represents, Sires’ first decision to kill only the rebel fighters is informed by<br />
<br />
gruesome visions of dead women and children and the guilt from his previous life.<br />
<br />
His second choice is however informed by the dream of the attack on the soldiers<br />
<br />
and his own death in the trucks from the day/life before. The film ends with us<br />
<br />
seeing the life/dream that informs the first choice.<br />
<br />
The article The Fate of Prometheus (123HelpMe.com 2011) talks about how for<br />
<br />
Prometheus “Each successive instance of suffering perpetuates the desire within<br />
<br />
him to succumb to his suffering, and die without repetition, but, instead, the<br />
<br />
cessation of desire and death elude him more and more.” This offers some insight<br />
<br />
and inspiration for the characteristics of Sires in my story. Originally I imagined<br />
<br />
him as a hardened veteran trying to stomp our rebellion however making him<br />
<br />
more suicidal, wanting to die to end things once and for all is a more interesting<br />
<br />
character trait. The inspiration and theory gained through both Prometheus’ tale<br />
<br />
and through the philosophical debates of Stambaugh add a lot to the understanding<br />
<br />
of the narrative however I was keen to create a film that could be read into but<br />
<br />
didn’t have to be read into. This is inspired in a backwards way by Lost Highway<br />
<br />
(Lynch 1997) a film I personally didn’t enjoy because of the need to analyse<br />
<br />
for pleasure. My aim as a film maker is to make films which can be explored<br />
<br />
but don’t have to be read into therefore I ensured that Sires can be viewed as a<br />
<br />
straightforward narrative about repetitive war and guilt.<br />
<br />
Bibliography<br />
<br />
1. Reichenbach, Hans, and Maria Reichenbach. The direction of time. Vol. 65. Univ of California<br />
<br />
Press, 1991.<br />
<br />
2. Sacks, Oliver. "In the river of consciousness." New York Review of Books 51.1 (2004): 41-45.<br />
<br />
3. Stambaugh, Joan. "Time, finitude, and finality." Philosophy East and West 24.2 (1974): 129-135.<br />
<br />
4. Eisenstein, Sergei. "A dialectic approach to film form." Film Form: Essays in Film Theory (1977):<br />
<br />
45-63.<br />
<br />
5. Bazin, André. What is cinema?. Vol. 2. Univ of California Press, 2005.<br />
<br />
Websites<br />
<br />
1. "The Fate of Prometheus." 123HelpMe.com. 02 May 2011< http://<br />
<br />
www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=22394>.<br />
<br />
Filmography<br />
<br />
1. The Matrix, (1999) Wachowski A., Wachowski L., USA, Warner Brothers Pictures<br />
<br />
2. The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Wachowski A., Wachowski L., USA, Warner Brothers Pictures<br />
<br />
3. The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Wachowski A., Wachowski L., USA, Warner Brothers Pictures<br />
<br />
4. Pans Labyrinth (2006) Del Toro G., Spain Mexico USA, Estudios Picasso<br />
<br />
5. Lost Highway (1997) Lynch D., France, USA, October Films, CiBy 2000,<br />
<br />
Asymmetrical ProductionsRobin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-30409760939073101192013-08-13T12:00:00.000-07:002013-08-13T12:00:03.799-07:00Academic Evaluation of WitnessFrom the start of this project to the end I have been very confident in what we were planning to produce, what we were producing and our final product. Our biggest drawback is that none of us are sound engineers and struggled both in the recording and in the sound edit. However we have all kept an eye on the visuals throughout the project and the turnover itself on set has been excellent I think as a crew on the whole we worked really well together.<br />
<br />
In the project I specifically worked on the interview scene, I storyboarded the first half of it up to the evidence bag being produced. Unfortunately on that dat we had some scheduling problems largely caused by sound, again it was one of our biggest downfalls. However I think that although I didn't get exactly what I storyboarded and we worked more for coverage we got some really nice images. I learned a lot about studio shooting, especially in the masking of the background. I am really happy with the way we got the background to complete blackness, it let us get grainless images and play with the space. It is something I will definitely consider in the future for scenes that are set in non de script dark locations. I also got to use DSLR fixed lenses, something I haven't played with before. They look really nice however I cant say that I noticed a massive difference between them and zoom lenses that are set appropriately. The fish eye was nice to experiment with however I was surprised with exactly how wide the lens was, we accidently got a few things in the shot we had to scale out.<br />
<br />
I think our preproduction had some positives and some negatives, being a project in which we all wanted significant input it was tricky to divide up the scenes but we did a decent job of it on paper. I wanted to use a creeping track in on each of the characters for my part of the interview. Whilst simple I think that the increasing tension it would convey would have been perfect. However the project being written by Connor was really his, if anyone was the director it was him and Mark the producer. This meant that on Connor and Mark's shoots schedules were stuck to and whilst everyone had camera input they were there shoots. On our day, mine and George's I felt that we had a little of our creative control taken away because of time problems. It wasn't exactly the time shortage that caused the problems but the fact that with the time issues Mark and Connor wanted to get basic shot reverse shots before even touching the tracks and so in place of my tracking shots are a wide and a close up of each character. In post we realised that we had shotlisted way too much on the crime scene and on the interview scene, neither me or George had really considered that reconstructions would be added ontop of our scene.<br />
<br />
Another big practical learning curve that I think comes out of the whole project is that roles must be assigned, even if they change per shoot so that everyone gets an equal input the fact that we didn't have a specific producer to do things like check equipment beforehand or a specific sound guy to test things or do foley meant we had lots of trouble. It also would have been great, and we would have had enough people, if we had split into an assistant director, a director and a camera man, I think they are the roles we got closest to but as none of use were specifically in control it made the work difficult. I think these are the reasons we had some exposure and continuity issues with some of the footage.<br />
<br />
We got good reactions from the group about our piece, the visuals really seemed to come across strongly which was our main intention with the film. Having the visuals marked overall and being a cinematography piece we were extremely conscious of the shot composition and make up. Whilst this led to some of the aforementioned issues with the film that level of care over the visuals is something I would carry onto other projects as they look beautiful. I learned a lot about lighting on the course through subtle things such as the use of shadow and backlighting which I feel we took advantage of. This was the first time I have used the studio setting and been in such a controlled environment and the chance to really play with light was great. My personal favourite shot that I set up are the light change and the wide on Brad. I think the lighting change is effective and complies well with the brief and on the wide of Brad in the interview there is a nice side to back light which highlights him when sat back but when he leans forward they fall off as the top and other spots light the front of him. This lighting specifically I will use again, I think it looked nice on screen and was relatively easy to achieve. The only downfall of this scene is that it may be too dark, we quite like it but I'm not sure if it is too much for the general audience we are going for, it is extreme but we have used the takes that were a little brighter. I feel we may have been able to achieve a better effect by utilising more blue gels and using blue light as falloff for the dark areas therefore keeping them dark and lit rather than letting it drop off as much as we did.<br />
<br />
We had a mixed experience with actors and props, two of our actors were fantastic, our detective and our dead body but Brad was a little over the top. I think it comes from using theatre actors but on a whole his delivery was manageable. The other issue with Brad's character is that he didn't quite act as he was intended when written, this may have been because we knew the reference material and the actor didn't, a simple thing but something so simple it slipped our minds. In future I will be sure to have a full discussion with the actors about their characters inspirations and motivations to ensure the correct performance. The props we got for the crime scene worked really well on the whole, although only cheap I feel they added an authenticity to the scene. Unfortunately we didn't have enough crime scene tape to do it properly but a lack of wides helps hide the fact. The problem we had with props was more with costume, as we didn't buy the dead body costume because it was such a small part and detail we could not ruin it with blood. This meant the blood effects on the body were a little poor, whilst the blood looked good we could only paint it on the floor up to the jacket with a centimetre space between the jacket and blood. We also couldnt put blood ontop of the jacket so there were no gunshots or blood patches representing wounds. In the edit when we looked back on shots that had the body in we realised we could not use any of them that showed the chest or head, it was just too fake. So a simple costume error really restricted the edit. Along with the continuity and sun changing issues on that scene it was extremely difficult to get a full scene together.<br />
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I think one of our downfalls was the edit, when we showed the film, we improved it afterwards a little but I think a lot of the little things on set that we didn't notice ie. continuity issues, made the edit difficult. We also had the repeated issue of too many people with different input, Steve did the majority of the edit but didn't want to have a monopoly over other peoples camera work. Whilst I am glad it was collaborative I actually think it weakens the piece and lengthened the editing process. We all had similar strong visions for the camera work that came from discussions within the group but most of us had different ideas of the edit that conflict a little. Specifically me and Steve had different views of the edit, on reflection I should have stayed out of the edit suit and let him get on with it but he asked for some help so I wanted to be there.<br />
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Due to strong pre production the project didn't change much, the script was really strong and we all immediately knew exactly what we wanted to do with it so throughout the production and post we used the script much as possible and I think our original proposal is almost exactly what we created. Again this is because of strong post production and confidence in the planned material, whilst its hard to have this confidence on all projects its something I will aim for in the future as it makes for smoother production and post production.<br />
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Our time management was a little off, we left shooting very late so that we could get the actors we wanted, this meant the edit and sound edit were really stressful. We also had a lot of problems with corrupted hard drives and sd cards, we tried to back things up as much as possible but some of the corruptions happened too early. Apart from the rushed edit I am really happy with the whole production I think we set out what we planned to, worked well as a team and are all confident we produced high quality images. I think the film is quite clearly made with an emphasis on cinematography but the simplicity of the story gives the visuals time to work. A more complex narrative or a theme or subject behind the narrative would have improved the film, as it is it is almost an exorcise in cinematography rather than a flashed out film but such is the nature of short films. I think that we have produced some good work that will definitely end up in our personal showreels but as an entertaining short it has its limits and lack of originality that we are well aware of, in the end the wish to create something visually considered outweighed the need for complexity and originality. That being said I am extremely proud of the film and would love to see it on a larger screen again when re edited and with a more professional sound quality that I am sure we will add even after the deadline to improve the film for our own purposes.Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185173821256716559.post-80216564205436503992013-08-12T12:00:00.000-07:002013-08-12T12:00:00.514-07:00Lighting Changes in Film and WitnessWhilst it was very difficult to find theoretical texts about lighting changes some of the basics are obvious. Although often driven by narrative events lighting changes signify a move into a more internal diegetic state, a point of view, a subjective shot. We took this meaning and applied it to the lighting change in our own film.<br />
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At pivotal point in the interrogation scene the detective slams an evidence bag on the table containing Brad's wallet. We go into brads mind, we see the pressure build on him represented by the harsh blue toplight on both him and the evidence bag. This was my shot to set up and I achieved the effect by lighting Brad with the top lights and then naturally washing out those specific effects with more naturalistic lighting around the scene.<br />
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I think the effect works really well, it really emphasises the pressure on Brad and emphasise that he knows its his wallet and that he is in trouble. We tried the scene without the lighting on Brad changing, just with a spot tightening on the wallet but the change wasn't drastic enough.<br />
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I think we have achieved an effective lighting change, although it isnt narratively explainable I think it is justifiable as a subjective insight into Brad's mind. We will have to cut to a reverse shot to take the audience back out of the internal diegetic shot but it should work nicely.<br />
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Robin Russell Bookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994652030063154892noreply@blogger.com0