On this post I wanted to look at Clint Eastwoods 2008 film Gran Torino.
The reason why I wanted to look at this is because I've been reviewing my idea. Reviewing it in the sense that I'm exploring different ways in which I can have my characters for my film. I was thinking instead of having a prim and proper scientist, I could have the older man portray a disgruntled old man that lives in a neighbour where no one likes him and the younger character can play a bit of a renegade who tries to befriend. As he gets closer to him he then finds out his dark secret.
Again it isn't set in stone but I think it's important not to pigeon hole myself and to explores different options and choices of how to tell my story.
This post is probably the one that will be the core of my film. The post is about Genie. Born in 1957, she was a victim of abuse, neglect, and social isolation. Just 20 months old she was locked away by her father because he decided that she was mentally retarded.
She was found by social workers in 1970, 13 years after her father locked her away in isolation. Her father made sure her mother or her brother never talked to her or acknowledged she existed. After being arrested by police, Clark Wiley shot himself.
She was then analysed by scientists, as brain study had only started around that period. They wanted to see if the theory of human development and the human mind was correct. According to the theory, young people could only learn certain things at certain times, called critical periods. Language was one of these critical periods and according to the theory, Genie who at the time was a teenager, missed her chance forever.
This case was so important for science that the government gave money to back the project At the age of 13 she was the size of a 6 year old, and was as much a feral child, as if she was brought up my wolves. This is should a heavy thing to review and research but it is something I need to do as my film will carry this same weight. There are a few documentaries made about Genie and I will watch them during the week.
This will be a shorter blog post but it is something I remember that happened in the TV show "The Walking Dead"
During the series we are introduced to a character known as "The Governor" who was head of Woodbury, a small town safe from zombies. In season 3 we see him as a Mr.Nice Guy who is willing to help anyone. As the episodes continue we see he isn't as nice as we first thought and he is actually very sadistic.
We also see he is very fond of his daughter, who is actually a zombie and has her locked away so know one else finds out his secret.
He tortures her while caring for her, or what he thinks is caring, which is an interesting dynamic for a character. He has so much depth and has so much going on in his head that he doesn't no what is right in the world.
The next thing I wanted to talk about is the Oscar winning feature film "The Silence of The Lambs".
"A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims."
The reason why I think this is a big film for me to look at is it is the complete package. The direction given by Jonathan Demme is absolutely on the ball and the project he delivered was flawless. The performance given by Foster and Hopkins steal the show and they throughly deserved their Oscar.
Looking at the chemistry between the two leading actors shows me again that getting the actors in together and working together early is so important to have a natural flow between characters. The pacing of the film to is great and it goes down as one of the best movie performances of all time by Anthony Hopkins. The kidnapping in the film to is something I looked at in terms of set design and how Buffalo Bill treats his captive psychologically.
The cinematography is something I looked at to and it's quite stylistic although it's a "Hollywood" type film. Different angles were used to show Lecters dominance as well as Buffalo Bills dominance and this is basic film grammar, but is used really well to make them imposing.
The next film I wanted to look at is the 2013 Denis Villeneuve film "Prisoners".
"When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?"
I really liked this film and I feel the vibe around is could be quite similar to mine. The use of colour and tempo is quite on the money to what I want, as well as the fact the film is about kidnapping.
This film is so nicely structured and shows how important good acting is to deliver a story line with a weight of "Prisoners". After looking at it made realise how important logistics are for my film in terms of set, costume and makeup because if it isn't done properly it'l look poor and I want a high production standard.
One case that interested me more so the others is the case of Genie in 1970. She wasn't raised by children, she was tied to a chair when she was 20 months where she remained until she was 13. Nobody talked to her thus she was unable to develop speech. The case was looked at bypsychologists, linguists and other such scientists have learnt valuable information from her case. Various documentaries were also made.
Robert Rodriguez is one of my favourite directors but many people don't seem to know who he is. His method of film making is so refreshing and is the prefect scope for amateur film makers:
"Creativity, not money, is used to solve problems."
He also came up with a concept for script writing. Don't write something you can't make, write the screenplay based on that list of things you can use like cool cars, apartments, horses, samurai swords and so on.
He also earned the nickname "The One Man Film Crew" for the work he does on his films, which is everything. Rodríguez not only has the credits of producing, directing and writing his films, he also frequently serves as editor, director of photography, camera operator, steadicam operator, composer, production designer, visual effects supervisor, and sound editor on his films. This is a huge inspiration for me because his work ethic is infectious and the way he goes about things is something I love about him.
The next thing I wanted to talk about is the Robert Rodriguez television adaptation of his cult classic "From Dusk Till Dawn". It tells the story of the Gecko brothers trying to get to Mexico while being chased by cops. The reason why I wanted to talk about it is because of it's use of colour grading.
Rodriguez's work is very stylistic and that is partially due to his colour use. It as a nice finish to the video and really makes the screen vibrant and is something I would like to experiment with this for my project.
Here is a piece from an article where Rodriguez talks about colour:
“Since I shot in color, we’d take the color out and make it a stark black-and-white, but at any time in post I could bring a color back in,” says Rodriguez. “You could then use color as a weapon; a really strong storytelling tool.
The reason again why I wanted to check this out is because it's the best. It won the big one so these are the films I should be watching. It tells a nice little story with a nice narrative with nice camera work, but nothing out of the ordinary. It shows what you can do with a good story and good planning and that is something I hope to achieve.
The next movie I wanted to review was Martin McDonaghs 2008 film "In Bruges". I adore this film because of its simplicity in terms of story. It tells the story of Ray, who travels to Bruges after a job gone wrong.
What I love about this film and McDonagh's films are his ability to strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy. His jokes are hilarious and his sad parts are devastating and that is so tricky to do. The reason why I watched it is for that reason. Picking up methods and tips on how he writes and how his films are shot.
Also having important chemistry with your actors are so important. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are real life close friends and it comes across that way in the film. Also it's so important to maintain a positive and happy spirit on set because it'll make for a better film making process.
The next thing I wanted to talk about is the show "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime ". I went to the theatre last Tuesday and was absolutely blown away with this production. "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime" tells the story of Christopher, a 15 child with aspergers who goes on a detective mission to find out who killed his neighbours dog.
The story telling in this play was mesmerising. The performance of Joshua Jenkins as Christopher was superb and it was really refreshing to check out another medium to tell a story other then film. The visuals during the show to were breathtaking and it was an absolute spectacle.
It gave me a new look on how to tell a story and showed me how important character and actor chemistry is. The story flowed so smoothed and the actors connection was real and made me really want to ensure good story telling.
The next thing I wanted to review was the short 2008 Cannes selected short entitled "Soft". The story is about a young gang who terrorise a father and son as well as provoking them.
The reason I checked it out was because it did well at Cannes and these are the type of shorts I should be looking at as they are the standard of film I should be aiming to make.
The film itself was hard to watch at times and that is one reason why I didn't like it. However again it shows what you can do with simple camera work and a good story. It also used interesting elements to it like using poor camera quality which was recorded on a 'phone'.
The next film I looked at was David Finchers 1999 cult classic "Fight Club". "Fight Club" tells the story of an insomniac office worker who looks for a new way to make his life more exciting.
I love David Finchers movies. His style is something I really admire and it goes quite against the grain in ways. His editing style changes for each film he does and reflects on either the story or the protagonist.
I thought this film was interesting to review as the whole psychological element is important to the film and is somewhat relatable to my project. A good guy gone bad could play a part in my story and learning from the best is the right way to go for me and my story telling.
I decided to look at some film basics this time and look at film grammar. Although I am aware of standards and techniques used, I decided to delve deeper in the subject by readingCinematic Storytelling The 100 Most PowerfulFilm Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know by Jennifer Van Sijill.
The book looks at film grammar and techniques used in film and how these techniques are used and what they mean to the story. It attaches part of a script, with screen shots from the film and a description on what the shots mean and what is happening.
It was a huge benefit to remind myself of these techniques as it refreshed my memory of shots and got my brain working in terms of thinking of shots.
The next thing I looked at was the 2014 horror game "Never Ending Nightmare" created by Matt Gilgenbach. The drawings inspiration were a representation of Matt's personal struggles with depression and obsessive compulsive disorder.
The story follows our protagonist Thomas, who wakes from one nightmare into another. As the story progresses the nightmares get worse and worse, including to trips to graveyards, to asylums.
The use of sound in the game is brilliant and the use of 'Pleasantville' really adds to the drama. Again it is simple story telling but really impactful and dramatic.
In this post I wanted to talk about a film I watched recently called Maniac starring Elijah Wood. It is a psychological slasher film and is also a remake of the 1980 film with the same the same title.
The reason why I wanted to review this film was for a number of reasons. The first being the cinematography. The film is filmed mostly from a first person perspective. I love finding unique and artsy style of camera work and for me this really works, particularly with the films subject matter.
I really like the visual style and colour as well and is something I wanted to look at. It is also very doable and shows what you can do with a bit of simple camera work.
The first film I would like to review is a film called "An American Crime". It tells the true story of suburban housewife Gertrude Baniszewski, who kept a teenage girl locked in the basement of her Indiana home during the 1960s.
The reason why I chose to watch it is because when it comes to true stories, they generally made for more compelling films and the subject matter in this film drives it home. The idea of being captured and locked away against your will to me is an interesting point for a film. It creates empathy with the viewer straight away so they are engaged. You also fear for the character thus not knowing what will happen and I enjoy that type of story telling.
The second film I would like to review is a movie adaptation of Stephen Kings 'Misery' which has the same title. After watching 'An American Crime' I thought what a better thing to watch then one of the best kidnap movies ever. Few days after being rescued and sheltered from a car crash caused by a blizzard by a nurse who claims to be his number one fan, a well-known author begins suspecting the mental health of his saviour.
The film itself uses the perfect angles to portray dominance and fear. The interaction between characters is compelling and we grow to like Anne at the start of the film. Her arc changes dramatically and shows brilliant writing. Again this ties into someone held against their will which I think might be an interesting film to make.
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The third thing I would like to review is an interactive website called the universal within. The site lets you pick and chose answers after having you certain questions. These answer you give then show a corresponding video related to your answer.
After messing around on the site, I came across a very interesting video. The question was how
would you monitor you? The answer I picked was mother. It the brought me into a video about a woman who has Skype set up in her elderly mothers house to keep an eye on her. A really clever idea of surveillance but what she said was interesting. She felt is was somewhat morally wrong having the ability to watch her mother without her knowing. I found this a very interesting situation as it is a way to care for the mother, but is it wrong?
The next piece of media I looked into was the 2010 video game 'Heavy Rain'.
As a child goes missing, his father tirelessly works to rescue him, while a journalist, an FBI agent, and a private detective try to identify his kidnapper known only as the "Origami Killer". The reason why I chose this is because of its style. The film noir styles gives the game a grittiness and adds to the story.
During the game also, the father of the missing child, Ethan Mars, goes through some harrowing ordeals to try find his son. Opting to save himself over another to progress and find clues of his sons whereabouts. This is what I love about this game. It gives you the choice of play how you want, but immerses you with its character. If I could do something anywhere close to that for my project I would be happy.
The next film I'd like to talk about is the 2010 Oscar winning short called 'The Crush'. One reason why I wanted to watch it is because it was an Irish film. We have a way of creating great film with humour, tension and dark elements all wrapped up in one and this does it very well.
One thing I disliked like about it however is the dialogue. Although it won the Oscar that year for Best Short, I would still review it more then others considering it is Irish. I felt the dialogue at times felt unnatural and some of the acting was just above par. However the climax and the tension building was done very well and it did well to get the nerves going.
The next thing I wanted to look at was a different medium altogether, music, music videos and album covers. We see them all the time and they have to stand out. Why? So they catch our eye and make us interested. I think that concept is interesting especially for video making.
The following are some album covers that really stood out and have a vibe I'd like to deliver for my film.
I find some of those pictures I chose to have quite a wow factor to them. And I think that is something I want to have in my shots for the film. Something someone could look at and think wow that's beautiful or wow that's compelling.
The next film I would like to discuss is one that not many have heard of and it's called 'Stonehearst Asylum'. A recent medical school grad who takes a position at a mental institution soon finds himself taken with one of his colleagues -- though he has no initial idea of a recent, horrifying staffing change.
A big reason why I wanted to talk about this is this idea of experiments that went on at that time in these asylum. These awful things people did for science may have helped develop modern medicine, but was it wrong? I really like that idea of doing these things that may be wrong but better for the greater good and I think is something I can look at for my film.
The next film I'd like to discuss isn't an award winner or anything like that. It's a short film called inSANE that I came across on Youtube that has a very strong message at the end.
The film is about a young girl in an insane asylum going through her day to day story. At the end we discover that was wasn't always insane, 'They Made Her Insane'. Personally that is such a strong message to deliver and I find it fascinating. This happened years ago in asylums where scientists performed experiments on the sick for medical research and a lot of the times caused the patient to become insane. Again morally wrong but was it worth it? It's a fascinating subject and is an area I might touch on for my film.
The next short film I should like to talk about is called 'Black Coffee' which was selected for the "Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner'. It tells the story of a girl who's routine remains the same everyday as she watches people in the local coffee shop. She compares her life to a bland cup of coffee and talking about peoples own story.
I'll be honest I didn't really get it at the start. But after staying with I'm glad I finished it. It was different. I found out that the V/O is actually a poem and it's amazing what you can do with visuals once the narrative is strong. It was really nicely put together and shows that you can do what a lot with a story with nice monologues and composition.
The next thing I would like to bring up is the television show "American Horror Story Asylum' which is the second season of the show. Again it brings up the topic of insanity as it shows the nuns and doctors performing medicine that may have gone under the radar in terms of its legality or ethics.
Another reason why I wanted to talk about it and 'American Horror Story' in general is because it's very stylistic. It goes against the grain in subject matter and with its story telling, particularly its camera angles. It uses unusual shots which are interesting to look at and again something I will look into for my project.
