FMP

This week the class will start doing their final major projects.
I will be doing a scene from harold pinter- The homecoming(Ruth), I will also part-take in the all girls scene of Mafia's. Name is Ice T. The last one is still to be chosen.

Film & Tv- Taster Session Day INTRO

This image was taken by Sean Lennon

MODERNISING SHAKESPEARE FOR FILM & TV
The classical Shakespeare unit required a lot more and so now the film and TV aspect requires less. In this unit we will be addressing key basics of Film and TV production from camera shots, sound and editing processes, then, eventually acting in front of a camera. The scene I will perform with Esther Asabi will be the Shakespearean scene I used in the Classical Theatre Unit. In contrast to this, my main goal is to, modernise the scene by keeping the same script as well as the storyline.  Yet, modernising the setting and other elements for instance the way in which Baz Luhrmann modernised William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. One of his most recognised modernisations was the way in which he substituted an actual sword to a gun yet branded the name of the manufacturing company of the gun as 'Sword' or dagger 9mm.
In the beginning of the Film & TV unit, Yusuf (teacher), gave us a briefing of what happens on a set and he explained what certain devices are used for. Some of got the chance to actually try the filming aspect from the actors side out. Maurica Lewis and her partner were given the opportunity to do so (shown through the projector)

LONG SHOT

Wide Shot

A wide shot can work as an establishing shot. This shows where the scene is taking place. It can be called a long shot or a master shot. The wide shot also allows the actor enough room for move around within a shot, without having the camera follow them.
An establishing shot is like an opening image.

MEDIUM SHOT
A medium shot in film making is a standard shot that shows any character from the waist to above the head. Unlike a close up the medium shot gives more breathing space to the actor.


Two- shot capture of two actors
A two shot can either be a form of a medium shot that has two actors standing or sitting next to each other or an over-the-shoulder shot where one actor's back or profile is closer to the camera than the other actor facing the camera. A two shot can save money when you have a dialogue scene between two actors by having them both in the frame as they continue the conversation. The audiences attention swiftly moves to each actor as they speak, instead of having the camera cut to the individual shots of each actor speaking.

CLOSE UP
A close up shot is usually above a person's chest or the back of his/her neck to just slightly above the top of his/her their head. The more the camera goes closer that is a tight-close up.  When you go in even tighter, to a person's eyes or mouth that's an extreme close-up. The directors put in a close up to emphasize the intensity of a scene.
HIGH & LOW CAMERA ANGLES IN THE FILM SHOTS
A high angle is usually a shot that is of someone standing on a hill, or looking out a window of a high-rise to get an angle looking down. Low angle  is from the bottom of the actors height.

THE GOD SHOT
AKA
BIRDS EYES VIEW
In a God shot, the camera looks straight down on a scene showing the audience the bigger picture. This can be an interior shot or a very effective exterior shot from the sky. It is often used in films to remind us that a central character is human and sometimes insignificant. To actually accomplish a God shot, you'll need a camera crane or if you want to save money just do a shot looking down from a tall structure.
LONGSHOT

 Production
The Director- Alex Beattie
The Cinematographer- Jack
The Production Manager- Alex Beattie
The Assistant Director- Yusuf 
The Composer- Alex Beattie
The Boom Operator- Manny
The Sound Recorder- Manny

The Sound Editor- Jack
The Sound Mixer- Manny
The Picture Editor- Jack
The Art Director- Alex Beattie  
The Special Effects Designer
The Makeup Artist- MEDIA TEAM
The Costume Designer- Cast

Character Analysis
My character was a nurse that came back from holiday and returned to the hospital just about to sign in. My character was feeling relaxed, stress-free, care-free, happy. She bumped into her colleagues and as a result she  ended up talking to her fellow colleagues  about her holidays. My interpretation of the character's emotions will be shown through my body language and facial reactions and expressions. I move quite secretive and discrete.  Yes I believe my actions as the actor reflected the characters current state of emotions. With the long shot we had done I understood the patience and focus that is required of an actor while on set

Film & TV - film reviews

The Shining Review

My perception of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining- Instead of the normal cramped darkness and panicky quick editing of the standard-issue scary movie, Kubrick gave us the audience spooky, huge, brilliantly lit spaces of the Overlook Hotel which was initially created in Elstree Studios, Hertfordshire. It actually looks like an abandoned city or you could say the state rooms of the Titanic; amazingly undamaged at the bottom of the ocean. There's inspiration simply in the scene in which the young Danny (Danny Lloyd) rides his tricycle around the boundless corridors; the wheels thundering on the wooden floor, at that moment suddenly the sound of the thundering gets quiet over the carpet which then alerts us the audience that something bad is going to happen and this is just before he sees the strange little girls covered in blood. Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall play Danny's parents, Jack and Wendy, who have the live-in job of care-taking an enormous resort hotel while it is closed for the winter. But the place is soaked in the memory of a violent past, and the horror and trauma rise unavoidably. The easy-going pace, lengthy dialogue scenes and those sudden threatening inter-titles ("One Month Later", "4pm" etc) contribute to the awkwardness. Nicholson's performance as the abusive father who is tipped over the edge is a rousingly rough, black-comic turn, and I found out that the final shot of his face in daylight is a masterstroke.

Jaws Review

In my view, Jaws was absolutely amazing.  I was instantly terrified by the drowning girls scream as it was so real! Steven Spielberg had made himself the most successful director of all time. The cinematography is outstanding in its cruel attempt to bring the audience to the depths of a powerful ocean and to the eyes of the dark. The story of the killer shark attacking only the unfortunate island in the world is more than scary. It could have been any place in the world, and it had to be Amity Island. The shark could have easily lost its way in the currents of the ocean, but as the opposite inhabitants of the beach got angry, this shark was there to stay! The technique is wild, absolutely wild, and John Williams sure earned that Oscar for it! The creepy piano notes impact the films titles, and the blue depths of the unknown territory beneath the sea let us all know that no sense, however small, was to be spared. The first victim, alone will haunt those who view it for the rest of their days, and the rest of the story is more like a battle. This strange battle is often more focused on understanding the other side. The common theme in this terrific classic is survival. Survival is a natural instinct to all animal alike. The shark must survive, as it makes so clear by catching unsuspecting swimmers, but also the people, they too have to survive, but the island is not big enough for both man and fish together.

Romeo & Juliet Review

I believe  Baz Luhrmann chose the right Shakespearean play to make into a film. The film was based on the play and it only modernised in 1996; a story about two star crossed lovers. I loved this film adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, I thought Luhrmann cleverly directed it. Especially, the fight scene, a gun is aimed and at the side of the gun it says sword which then relates it back to the Shakespeare play. 

The historical influence in the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, aka the Rodney King Riots. The early 1990s was in a difficult time, specially for South Central. South Central was rapidly changing. During the 1980s, 1991 and 1992 were the worst on record for crime rates. 1992, the year of the riots, the murder rate was the highest in LA in history. At 1077 murders, it was close to three times the rate today. Many of these deaths came from gang violence in South Central. However, in Watts in the projects, gang violence came to a complete end. Right before the riots, there was a massive gang armistice between the Bloods and the Crips throughout the three Watts’ projects. This came as a result of unity against the police. 

Rodney King was severely beaten by the police on the third of March, 1991. The police attempted to pull him over in the Lake View Terrace in the San Fernando Valley after he was caught speeding at 110 mph. He led the police on a short pursuit as I believe he knew being pulled over would violate his parole for a prior robbery. The police claimed that he was resisting arrest once he was pulled over. They claimed he was on drugs, I had done further research and actually realised he was not. The police in fact continued to beat Rodney King brutally knowing their mistake.

This play was  used was for the attractive personalities in the play so the audience could: easily get the storyline, hopefully realise it's actual intentions. The modernised version of Romeo and Juliet came out parents started to question their children just to make sure they were not apart of gangs.

This film is a modernisation of Shakespeare's play  containing the original Shakespearean dialogue. The Montague's and the Capulet's are represented as warring business empires and swords are replaced by guns with brand names of the guns known as Dagger, Sword.
In the adapted version the Prince, Prince Escalus is a police general and other things such as horses were replaced with cars and in the traditional Shakespeare the sword fight is replaced as a gun fight. The play is set In the fictional modern-day location "Verona Beach" which isn't actually in Verona. It was modernised after the original publication. it was mainly intended to educate a particular audience of the ages sixteen to twenty-five. The reason this play was mainly used was because of the attractive personalities in the play the audience could: easily get the storyline, hopefully realising it's intentions. After the modernised version of Romeo and Juliet came out parents started to question their children just to make sure they were not involved in gangs.

Numbers of Gangs and Gang Members 1996-2000

NYGC researchers estimate that more than 24,500 gangs were

active in the United States in 2000, a decline of 5 percent from

1999. However, cities with a population of more than 25,000 experienced

a slight increase (up 1 percent from 1999) in the number of

gangs. The estimated 12,850 gangs in these cities equals the 1996

estimate, the largest number reported during the survey years.

This quote was taken from the following website

 https://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles1/ojjdp/fs200203.txt