Blockbuster Film - Thursday 18th December 2014

• What made the film a blockbuster and how it changes
• A blockbuster is also known as a high concept movie; meaning that you can name the movie by a strap line. 
• Easy-to-sell marketability; soundtracks and tie in pop music, toys and franchises, consumer good and inspired themes
• Global appeal = bigger market 

          - accessible to all
          - weather
          - global warming
          - love story

What is it that made Jaws a blockbuster film?

Monday 15th December

5 things that Star Wars, Star Trek and Terminator have in common:

• Dystopian
• Sci-fi
• violence
• control/taking over of technology
• All franchise films. A franchise film is the original and the sequels after 

Iconic Soundtracks -> identifiable/familiar/major franchise 

Dystopian -> sci-fi/action

Same Director -> J.J Abrams - specialises/style ->lens flares 

Sequels -> continue narrative -> characters - consequences and cause and effect

All reboots -> remade -> new storyline and character cast -> reimagined the original 

All directed towards a male audience -> old and new fans 

Hollywood/franchise (products) -> recycling old ideas -> running out of original ideas 

A pre-existing loyal fan based = money 

Conclusion

Hollywood has no new ideas, but instead recycles existing films and ideas. They know this way that they will make money and a profit, they will attract the old audience and the new generation. Ideas and films have to be rebooted due to internet piracy. 

Creative artefact 9 key frames; actors, costume, lighting shot on a stills camera. Write a script for a disruption or resolution scene, a sequel, prequel or reboot as the films you have studied. Must explore your MACRO conclusion based on your comparison of your two films. 

Video Essay- Representation

Representation in V for Vendetta and Children of Men

Male Gaze: 

• V for Vendetta conforms to the male gaze more so than Children of men. We see this in the first opening scene of V, watching Evie as the voyeur which is an aspect of the male gaze, she also is nearly raped. This portrays her as weak and vulnerable. In the opening scene of Children of Men it is not clear who is male or female due to matter of costume. None of the women are sexualised due to the costume. 

• Once again, V for Vendetta conforms to the male gaze with the scene with the Pope. We see Evie over sexualised, dressed as a young girl. The pope also expects to sleep with her which shows her as sex object. Evie is also viewed as a sex object as the pope almost rapes her. We see that she has no say here and this is only prevented due to v (a man) saving her. This portrays Evie through the male gaze, as a stereotypical vulnerable and sexualised woman 

• Where as in Children of Men, Kee is not sexualised. She stands in the barn naked. This is where Theo finds out that she is pregnant.  Stereotypically, a woman in this position would be shot in a sexualised manner, however, here Kee is not. Therefore in this scene, children of men does not conform to the male gaze. Although Kee says that she is scared and wants help, making her more vulnerable, she still is not portrayed in a sexualised way, but more a sacred way.  

Father & Mother Figures:

• Symbolic use of father and mother figures. V could take on the father / mother figure etc >        symbolic birth
• Whereas Children of Men takes on actual father and mother figures > natural birth
• Oedipal Complex 
• Absence of father and mother figures 
• Women naturally becoming the nuturer; CoM > Kee, Jullian and the hippy all becoming a natural nuturer. This is not enforced as strongly in V for Vendetta. This is because there is an absence of mother and fathers in CoM due to infertility
• Mothers represent peace and love. An absence of this results in a masculine, violent dominated society

Yonic and Phallic: 

• Phallic imagery; the knives that V uses in V for Vendetta = penetrates / CoM; army/military = masculine
• Yonic imagery; V for Vendetta; roses / train / underground tube / bullet wound / fireworks / explosions CoM; tunnels

Rebirthing =  V for Vendetta = must act passively = is a female trait 

Hyper-masculinity:

V for Vendetta:

•  easily identified
• Supernatural 
• Male dominated Hollywood 
• Hero = enhanced masculinity to become believable 
• Subverts stereotypical Hollywood aspects of hyper masculinity > not to trust the government but to fend for yourself 

Children of Men:

• Hyper-masculinity > army etc 
• The one with the most power = a child 
• Men have become hyper-masculine as women have become redundant of power, cannot reproduce a population = no passivity = hyper-masculinity = shows that women do actually have power, which is to give life which is stronger than hyper-masculinity, however this is lost therefore hyper-masculinity overrides this. 

The films are very focused on gender, however V for Vendetta focuses on symbolic representation of gender, subverting the stereotypical representations of gender in typical Hollywood films. Whereas Children of Men focuses on literal representation 

Representation in Children of Men

An independent film is more likely to subvert typical character types like the role of women etc. Whereas in a Hollywood film the representation aspect is more likely to adapt to character types and the typical representations of genders for example. 

Reinforce or challenge? 

Male gaze 

Hyper masculinity: fast and furious: reinforcing 

Captain America: challenge 

Phallic imagery / yonic imagery: fast and furious; reinforcing phallic imagery

Women as mothers (naturally nurturing):we need to talk about Kevin; challenge

Point > example > analysis > example > comparison 

Micro to explain macro 

Discussion of the macro

Why? > purpose and meaning 

Comparison