Here are some videos that we have used as inspiration for our foundation portfolio film...
As well as films we also drew some ideas from the videogame 'Siren Blood Curse':
Monday 24 November 2008
Wednesday 12 November 2008
The trials of filming and editing..
Recently in Media Studies we were assigned our 'preliminary task.' This involved making a 30 second simple piece of film of a person walking into a room, having a short conversation and walking out of the room. Whilst having problems with technical accuracies, tapes and conquering Finalcut Express, this proved harder than we all first expected. However, I am really pleased with what i've done and can't wait to start planning the coursework - a thriller!
Monday 6 October 2008
Sony
Sony owns 44 companies in Japan and 85 worldwide, specializing in electronics, games, music, films and financial services.
Sony was originally started as a radio repair shop in 1945 by Masura Ibuka, later becoming Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation and built Japans first tape recorder. In 1979, Sony's diversification reached its peak. In August of that year, Sony announced that an affiliate company of CBS/Sony, Sony Creative Products Inc., would begin production and marketing of cosmetics. In the same month, Sony established a joint venture agreement with U.S. life insurance giant The Prudential Insurance Co. and called the new company Sony Prudential Life Insurance Co., Ltd. The following month, Sony began importing and selling sports goods in Japan under the name Sony Wilson Inc. It eventually has become the Sony we know today as it has expanded so greatly.
Last week Sony became the whole owners of the recording company Sony BMG. Sony BMG owns record labels such as, Columbia Records and Epic Records. In the UK their artists include Leona Lewis, W
ill Young and Kasabian.
Sony also produces TV shows and films, such as ‘Quantum of Solace’ the new James Bond film. Sony can cross-promote their products, for example, in ‘Quantum of Solace’ Daniel Craig may use a mobile phone by Sony Ericsson, and the film may feature a soundtrack by various Sony BMG artists.
Sony was originally started as a radio repair shop in 1945 by Masura Ibuka, later becoming Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation and built Japans first tape recorder. In 1979, Sony's diversification reached its peak. In August of that year, Sony announced that an affiliate company of CBS/Sony, Sony Creative Products Inc., would begin production and marketing of cosmetics. In the same month, Sony established a joint venture agreement with U.S. life insurance giant The Prudential Insurance Co. and called the new company Sony Prudential Life Insurance Co., Ltd. The following month, Sony began importing and selling sports goods in Japan under the name Sony Wilson Inc. It eventually has become the Sony we know today as it has expanded so greatly.
Last week Sony became the whole owners of the recording company Sony BMG. Sony BMG owns record labels such as, Columbia Records and Epic Records. In the UK their artists include Leona Lewis, W
ill Young and Kasabian.Sony also produces TV shows and films, such as ‘Quantum of Solace’ the new James Bond film. Sony can cross-promote their products, for example, in ‘Quantum of Solace’ Daniel Craig may use a mobile phone by Sony Ericsson, and the film may feature a soundtrack by various Sony BMG artists.
Media Diary
Monday
8.00-8.20 Listened to Radio 1 on the way to school.
12.30-12.35 Browsed Facebook briefly during lunch.
7.30-7.45 Flicked through today’s Daily Mail
8.15-8.30 Browsed iTunes on my PC – Bought a song, ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A
9.00-10.00 Watched a programmed called ‘Place of Execution’ on ITV
Tuesday
8.00-8.20 Listened to Chris Moyles on Radio 1
4.15-4.45 Listened to Scott Mills on Radio 1
5.00-5.45 Read Grazia magazine from cover to cover (A weekly ritual)
8.00-9.00 Browsed Facebook
9.00-10.30ish Watched ‘Sex and the City’ DVD
Wednesday
8.00-8.20 Listened to Radio 1 – Chris Moyle. Scott Mills on the way home.
7.30- 8.30 Spent time on Facebook and Myspace
9.00-10.00 Watched Channel 4 Documentary programme, ‘The Family’
Thursday
8.00-8.25 Flicked between Radio 1 and XFM
4.15-4.30 Browsed the internet
4.30-5.00 Listened to Radio 1 on the way home
7.00-8.00 Browsed Facebook and listened to songs on iTunes whilst doing work.
Friday
8.00–8.25 Listened to Radio 1 on the way to school
5.00-7.30 Listened to music whilst getting ready to go out at a friends house
12.30-1.30 Watched some of ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ and some music programmes on channel 4.
8.00-8.20 Listened to Radio 1 on the way to school.
12.30-12.35 Browsed Facebook briefly during lunch.
7.30-7.45 Flicked through today’s Daily Mail
8.15-8.30 Browsed iTunes on my PC – Bought a song, ‘Paper Planes’ by M.I.A
9.00-10.00 Watched a programmed called ‘Place of Execution’ on ITV
Tuesday
8.00-8.20 Listened to Chris Moyles on Radio 1
4.15-4.45 Listened to Scott Mills on Radio 1
5.00-5.45 Read Grazia magazine from cover to cover (A weekly ritual)
8.00-9.00 Browsed Facebook
9.00-10.30ish Watched ‘Sex and the City’ DVD
Wednesday
8.00-8.20 Listened to Radio 1 – Chris Moyle. Scott Mills on the way home.
7.30- 8.30 Spent time on Facebook and Myspace
9.00-10.00 Watched Channel 4 Documentary programme, ‘The Family’
Thursday
8.00-8.25 Flicked between Radio 1 and XFM
4.15-4.30 Browsed the internet
4.30-5.00 Listened to Radio 1 on the way home
7.00-8.00 Browsed Facebook and listened to songs on iTunes whilst doing work.
Friday
8.00–8.25 Listened to Radio 1 on the way to school
5.00-7.30 Listened to music whilst getting ready to go out at a friends house
12.30-1.30 Watched some of ‘Later…with Jools Holland’ and some music programmes on channel 4.
Thursday 2 October 2008
Thirteen
Our task was to discuss narritive and representation in a film. I did Thirteen.
‘Thirteen’ tells the story of a naïve thirteen year old girl in America, Tracy, as she starts to grow up into a woman. To become known, she meets befriends the most popular and beautiful girl in school, Evie. Tracy’s world is turned upside down when Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs and shoplifting. They at first have fun with this but eventually, as the lead character’s new attitude becomes dangerous, she descends into a dark, emotional world which causes tension between her family, teachers and old friends.
The character is at first represented very innocently, before she meets her influential friend, Evie. For example, through the clothing she wears. She is shown to be young as she is wearing basic t-shirts and jeans with trainers. She also wears her hair in pigtails showing the audience that she is still fairly immature and just a child. However, this changes radically later in the film where her appearance becomes a lot more gothic and dark. This helps to give the message to the audience that she has become independent and is also going through adolescent rebellion, but her appearance also gives the impression of destruction as her tops are slashed and her jeans are ripped. The idea of darkness is shown as all her clothes are black. She also wears a lot of make-up here – her face is very pale, showing the effects of the drugs she is taking but also Tracy wears a lot of dark eye make-up, giving the impression that she is trying to ‘find herself’ and intentionally wanting to look like a grown woman. Throughout the film, there is a very prominent advertisement in ‘The Valley’ which shows a woman's white face, and underneath it are the words ‘Truth Is Beauty’. Throughout the movie, as Tracy falls deeper into trouble, the face becomes more distorted and dirty, reflecting Tracy’s behaviour and its effects in the story.
The narrative in ‘Thirteen’ tells a cautionary story. Tracy is shown to be an A-grade student. In one of the first scenes she is reciting a poem she has written for a homework assignment to her mother, ‘She covers her eyes, denying to herself, what she thought happened.’ The lyrics of this poem tell us what might happen later in the film, as Tracy is in denial about the mess she is getting herself into. There is also a scene where she is sitting around with her friends and they are all doing their homework. This highly contrasts the scenes with Evie, which show Tracy’s lethal self-destructive behavior. For example, the opening scene shows Evie and Tracy sniffing a drug, and then, as their faces are so numb, hitting each other and making themselves bleed. It then flashes forward to 4 months before where Tracy was seemingly normal.
‘Thirteen’ tells the story of a naïve thirteen year old girl in America, Tracy, as she starts to grow up into a woman. To become known, she meets befriends the most popular and beautiful girl in school, Evie. Tracy’s world is turned upside down when Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs and shoplifting. They at first have fun with this but eventually, as the lead character’s new attitude becomes dangerous, she descends into a dark, emotional world which causes tension between her family, teachers and old friends.
The character is at first represented very innocently, before she meets her influential friend, Evie. For example, through the clothing she wears. She is shown to be young as she is wearing basic t-shirts and jeans with trainers. She also wears her hair in pigtails showing the audience that she is still fairly immature and just a child. However, this changes radically later in the film where her appearance becomes a lot more gothic and dark. This helps to give the message to the audience that she has become independent and is also going through adolescent rebellion, but her appearance also gives the impression of destruction as her tops are slashed and her jeans are ripped. The idea of darkness is shown as all her clothes are black. She also wears a lot of make-up here – her face is very pale, showing the effects of the drugs she is taking but also Tracy wears a lot of dark eye make-up, giving the impression that she is trying to ‘find herself’ and intentionally wanting to look like a grown woman. Throughout the film, there is a very prominent advertisement in ‘The Valley’ which shows a woman's white face, and underneath it are the words ‘Truth Is Beauty’. Throughout the movie, as Tracy falls deeper into trouble, the face becomes more distorted and dirty, reflecting Tracy’s behaviour and its effects in the story.
The narrative in ‘Thirteen’ tells a cautionary story. Tracy is shown to be an A-grade student. In one of the first scenes she is reciting a poem she has written for a homework assignment to her mother, ‘She covers her eyes, denying to herself, what she thought happened.’ The lyrics of this poem tell us what might happen later in the film, as Tracy is in denial about the mess she is getting herself into. There is also a scene where she is sitting around with her friends and they are all doing their homework. This highly contrasts the scenes with Evie, which show Tracy’s lethal self-destructive behavior. For example, the opening scene shows Evie and Tracy sniffing a drug, and then, as their faces are so numb, hitting each other and making themselves bleed. It then flashes forward to 4 months before where Tracy was seemingly normal.
True Romance
This was our first media studies task set a few weeks ago. Write a short review of our favourite film.
True Romance, directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, follows
Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), a Detroit comic book store clerk with a fondness for Elvis Presley and martial arts films, thus combining two different types of popular culture. Clarence meets Alabama (Patricia Arquette), who turns out to be a call girl hired by his boss. However, it turns out to be more than just business as the two get married the next morning. When Clarence visits Alabama's pimp (Gary Oldman) to collect her belongings, he ends up instead with a suitcase full of cocaine. Clarence and Alabama head to Hollywood to try and sell the cocaine and chaos ensues as they are chased by both police and mobsters as they attempt to follow the ‘American Dream.’
I like this film because of the hard-edged story, which contains the quintessential elements of ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.’ The script is full of sharp, witty dialogue told by a cast including Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. It is a love story without cliché and with blood and gore. One of the best scenes in True Romance is between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. Hopper plays Clarence's father, an ex-cop, who is about to die at the hands of Walken's mob. Hopper explains the history of Italian gangsters that goes as far back as the blacks in Africa, and it is a tense and slightly disturbing scene. However, I think that the relationship between Clarence and Alabama moves a little too quickly, which I found made it hard for me to empathise with the characters, as we don’t feel that we know them that well.
Even though I wrote this a while ago, I just did some research on Tony Scott on imdb. He's done some other really good films like 'Man on Fire' which is brilliant! (and...Top Gun)
His brother Ridley Scott is also pretty good. However, he's currently making a film called 'Nottingham' with Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller and it has been postponed! This has left my sister out of a job after just getting back from Thailand and now she is annoyingly hanging around the house again! Apparently, they are due to start shooting next month.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00017273.html
True Romance, directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino, follows
Clarence Worley (Christian Slater), a Detroit comic book store clerk with a fondness for Elvis Presley and martial arts films, thus combining two different types of popular culture. Clarence meets Alabama (Patricia Arquette), who turns out to be a call girl hired by his boss. However, it turns out to be more than just business as the two get married the next morning. When Clarence visits Alabama's pimp (Gary Oldman) to collect her belongings, he ends up instead with a suitcase full of cocaine. Clarence and Alabama head to Hollywood to try and sell the cocaine and chaos ensues as they are chased by both police and mobsters as they attempt to follow the ‘American Dream.’
I like this film because of the hard-edged story, which contains the quintessential elements of ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.’ The script is full of sharp, witty dialogue told by a cast including Val Kilmer, Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. It is a love story without cliché and with blood and gore. One of the best scenes in True Romance is between Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken. Hopper plays Clarence's father, an ex-cop, who is about to die at the hands of Walken's mob. Hopper explains the history of Italian gangsters that goes as far back as the blacks in Africa, and it is a tense and slightly disturbing scene. However, I think that the relationship between Clarence and Alabama moves a little too quickly, which I found made it hard for me to empathise with the characters, as we don’t feel that we know them that well.
Even though I wrote this a while ago, I just did some research on Tony Scott on imdb. He's done some other really good films like 'Man on Fire' which is brilliant! (and...Top Gun)
His brother Ridley Scott is also pretty good. However, he's currently making a film called 'Nottingham' with Russell Crowe and Sienna Miller and it has been postponed! This has left my sister out of a job after just getting back from Thailand and now she is annoyingly hanging around the house again! Apparently, they are due to start shooting next month.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00017273.html
Wednesday 24 September 2008
Monday 22nd September
Our task was to make a diary of what in the media we 'consumed' each day for a week. Here is Mondays:
On the way to school, listened to the radio in the car, from about 8o'clock until 8.20. I usually listen to Chris Moyles on the way to school and Scott Mills on the way home, on Radio 1.
During lunchtime at school briefly checked Facebook on my phone.
Got home, and whilst doing my homework browsed websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. I also went on the ASOS website and bought a pair of shoes! Also bought a song on iTunes, 'Paper Planes' by M.I.A.
Flicked through the Daily Mail before dinner, at around half 7.
Before bed watched a television programme called 'Place of Execution' on ITV.
On the way to school, listened to the radio in the car, from about 8o'clock until 8.20. I usually listen to Chris Moyles on the way to school and Scott Mills on the way home, on Radio 1.
During lunchtime at school briefly checked Facebook on my phone.
Got home, and whilst doing my homework browsed websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Youtube. I also went on the ASOS website and bought a pair of shoes! Also bought a song on iTunes, 'Paper Planes' by M.I.A.
Flicked through the Daily Mail before dinner, at around half 7.
Before bed watched a television programme called 'Place of Execution' on ITV.
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