3D's influence on cinema: Revision

Blockbusters Revision

Video Nasties Revision

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/education-resources/student-guide/legislation/video-recordings-act

Props:

• 1950s dress
• Baseball jackets 
• Lab coat 
• News report 
• Red lipstick 
• Curly hair 
• Quiff hair for boys
• Moustache
• Glasses
• Guns
• Army uniform
• Army tanks 
• Spagetti 
• Toy soliders 

Setting:

• Woods
• Office 
• Lab

Revision: MACRO: V for Vendetta & Children of Men

How are different groups in society represented in the films you have studied?

• Masculine - hyper masculinity in both films - lack of infertility - phallic imagery
• Feminine - yonic imagery - rose in V for Vendetta - themes of birthing/rebirthing - nature - lack of nature in both films 
• Ethnicity 
• Sexuality - Valerie, Diestrich, Evie being over sexualised 
• Nation/UK - immigrants - link to ethnicity - UK represented as totalitarian, racist state = a warning/realism of what is going to happen if we do not put a change to our current values - Nazi, fascist values 

V for Vendetta written as if Germany won WWII 

Narrative: 

• Stock characters: V - Hero/villain = hybrid = subverting the typical conventions of narrative - people are not set character types = realism - the messages of the film become more relatable to the audience, can link to their own situations - is V actually a hero - one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. - Questions the simplicity of film narrative = messages = questioning what you are told (by your government or film industry) 
• Resolution : Both clouded resolutions - allows the audience to decide / interpret the ending themselves 

To what extent are these films sci fi ? = realism factor - relatable to the audience, messages and values become more coherent in the film 

Genre: 

• Conventions - sci fi - aliens / lazers / technology 
• Stock characters - typical characters picked from a shelf - stereotypical - hero, villain, etc 

Style:

• Realism ( in terms of filming) : Children of Men - long takes = documentary style 
• Comic book style :  V for Vendetta - taken originally from comic book 
• Film Noir : Dark, shading filming linked with narrative / mysterious angles - "Chiaosuro" = low key lighting and shadows. V for Vendetta uses film noir in a chiaosuro style. 
• V tries to make you think through the stereotypical Hollywood film - broadens the audience, etc. 
• Both films are presenting a warning to the audience, however Children of Men conveys the warning clearly through a realistic style, whereas V for Vendetta incorporates a warning through the typical Hollywood film = giving meaning to typical empty blockbusters. 

Themes:

• Dystopia 
• Oppression - homosexuals / immigrants / women / curfews / cctv / government control, etc link to religion = government control 
• Revolution/terrorism - one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist 
• Religion 
• War 
• Infertility - link to oedipal complex - lack of parental roles - brought this upon ourselves - pollutions etc, or spirtual punishment
• Oedipal Complex - Lack of parental roles - Evie and Diestrich / Theo and Jasper - both father figures die after the protagonists have fulfilled motivation / parental figure role has been fulfilled = death 
• Survival 
• Totalitarian government / fascism - Nazi Germany state / fascist / Sutler being saluted / death camp style / lined up and killed, in Children of Men. 
• Birthing - rebirth - God is in the Rain scene - V for Vendetta / Children of Men - Kee gives birth scene - new generation = installs a new hope and survival / motivation 

V for Vendetta is simplistic, whilst Children of Men leaves you with questions. Requires us not to think. 

Exam structure

3 questions
1. section 1: 40 marks - comparison V for Vendetta and Children of Men= messages/why is this?/what is it trying to say?: 50 minutes
2/3. section 2: one question from rise of the blockbuster and another from developments in 21st century cinema : 35 minutes for q2/3 -> because this happened, this happened

http://leighmediaasfilmessays12.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/piracy-essay-b1.html

What is a video nasty? (D) 

A low budget horror film that was produced on home video. Considered to be violent and/or pornographic, used as a political scapegoat to explain the ongoings in society such as crime rates and riots. A video nasty is a set of 72 films that were considered to be inappropriate and were completely banned. 

However these films were banned on their reputation and word of mouth, the conservative government banned these films however not seeing these films in the first place. 

Many video nasties featured imitable behaviour. = realistic looking films = low budget. 

Video nasties were popular with a teenage audience. This created a status as these videos were banned and seen as bad. 

What is a moral panic? 

The moral panic was emphasised by the media (newspapers; conservative such as the daily mail. ) 

The moral panic was a political scapegoat that blamed the ongoings such as riots and crime rates in society. 

Who is Kim dot com?
-internet entrepreneur

What was his company and how would this effect the film industry?
- Megacar / less people buying films legitimately

What was the response?
-His house was raided

Because Kim dot com did this, this resulted in more films becoming formulaic; style over substance.