responses

essays and feedback

grades

essay 2

To what extent does internet piracy pose a threat to the film industry?

Internet piracy can be seen to be a strong threat to Hollywood film industry, but could be seen as a positive for independents film companies and prosumers by the audiences expanding their viewing choices. Internet piracy has impacted on the films industry as people are now watching films illegally online meaning the big film companies are losing box office takings and DVD sales. Sites such as megashare allows a wider audience to watch films in the comfort of their own homes. This wouldn't cost the person anything they can choose when it is convenient for them and they can pick and choose from a wide range of films. This also gives the audience the power to turn the film off if or when they get bored. Piracy is one of the reasons why 3D films have become more prominent in the cinemas again as they are not easy to copy and if people watch them at home don't get the same experience you would within the cinema.

With the internet now being so popular and with the majority of families now owning a computer it is easy and accessible to use pirate sites. The response to piracy by man film producing companies has been to start using 3D in their films. This is the case with Pacific Rim, Warner Brothers forced director Del Toro to use 3D in the film, to bring in maximum profit from the audience. Del Toro wants to release the film in 2D as well as 3D to give the audience the choice of what one they would prefer to watch. Other directors are more pro 3D in their films such as Avatars director James Cameron,this is because he believes 3D involved the audience more taking them in to the film adding space and depth.

Audiences using pirated sites have a wider choice of films to choose from such as big Hollywood films, independents, foreign films, prosumer films and wide range of genres. This widens the audience viewing literature, allowing them to sample films which are out of their comfort zones which they may not of watched in the cinema because if they didn't enjoy it they wouldn't of wasted any money.

With the increase of 3D films in cinema prices for these films increase as you have to pay for the glasses as well. 3D films are harder to pirate but cost more to make this is why there are a lot more remakes of old 80's films appearing on the big screens. Meaning there is less money to put in to writers, actors, directors for new releases. Anther economic change within the industry has come within the distribution, where films are now sent to companies VA hard drives with a digital key instead of on reels.

The impact of piracy in the film industry has meant a cut down of films. With the films that are being released are becoming cheaper by the technique the companies are using such as hand held cinematography done but the actors themselves we have seen this happen in films such as Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield and 127 days later. The industry has reacted to piracy with 3D films which lots of people don't even like but to keep the cinemas alive the audience needs to appreciate it for what it does and stop watching new release illegally online rather then in the cinema.

essay 1

“Film censorship is motivated by fears about audiences and technologies” Discuss the statement in reference to the concern expressed about uncensored and unregulated video content in Britain in the early 1980's (30 marks)

Film censorship are put in to the place to protect the audience. As VHS and betamax was around it allowed people to pirate and buy pirated films to watch at home the now fashionable thing which meant anyone of any age could watch films of any certificate.

Home video allowed the audiences to buy videos to watch on their televisions at home which saw a d decline in cinema attendance in the 1960's. With the development of VHS which played longer and beatmax which had clearer images and better picture quality which could be played int eh privacy of their own homes which was the now fashionable thing to do. Home video allowed age restricted films or censored films to be available to purchase to watch at home.

Video nasties where films of the horror genre, at the time these films were released the genre of horror had not been done before and was not socially accepted. These films were generally low budget films containing gore, deaths and repeatable story lines.

The conservative government have a right winged outlook on society supporting hierarchy and social inequality. The British board of film classification (BBFC) became restricted by the conservative government party and were told to create restrictions for film,s which contained sex and violence. The regulations n the 80's became stricter due to political demand which caused the rating system to change. Politicians considered that video nasties were affecting how the population was acting and therefore wanted to put a stop to horror films by creating a censored list which films were banned within the UK. The national viewers and listeners association was set up in 1965 by Mary Whitehouse who founded the campaign against the broadcasting of media that contained sex, violence and blasphemy with the 'clean up TV campaign'.

I think that the films when first released where too graphic for the times and as this was the first of there time they shocked the viewers creating disturbance and opened peoples eyes to more graphic killings. Nowadays horror films are more accepted as we are forced upon us within the media and society. But without these films being released we would not have the horror films we have today as they are the basis of the genre. History seems to be repeating itself with the piracy as nowadays due to the internet we can easily find any film censored or not to watch online, leading to a decline in cinema attendance once again.

Script runthrough

analyse 

moves the plot along - the character in the resolution scene dies and prepares for the next film

relationship between characters - between the ghost and people in the next movie but in this scene it shows the relationship between the detective and psychic (haunted house)

macro - the scenes of the detective dying will be shown via the monitor which the detective set up earlier in the scene

believable - he acts believable to the situations they put in front of them

evaluation
to improve this i need to create more of a suspense and a sense of a horror film within and keep the style/genre points to link to my macro, and the build up to the ending of the scene

Location

This is my chosen location for the prequel to Paranormal Activity in the previous films it is always set in a large house this is the reason for me choosing this location. As well as the house having many rooms to chosen from to capture the scene I am creating, it also has a ery look to it which fits in perfectly with my idea.

pitch for script

Prequel to paranormal activity, exploring how the paranormal entity died, this will happen in an isolated location whether there death is an accident that the torture went to far or whether it was arranged by the cult.

Children of Men Characters and Roles

trys to keep kee safe by putting her in to the camp where the immergrants were so no guards would find her

??

they looked after kee but only wanted.protecter her because of the baby

illegal immigrants
not welcome in the country, seen to be the cause of the infertility as races mixed

kee
the first pregnant women in 18 years
vulnerable, fragile lots of people want her for the baby as they would have the power in society
the baby is shown as a 'jesus' and his mother kee as 'mary' a new start to socitey as they walk down the stairs it is like they are decending from heavon creating a silence and break from all the violence

Jasper
hippy, lives in a hide out in the woods with his wife
protects theo and kee when the bad guys come after them
showing his life is less important then ones younger then him

Theo
Protangenis
keeps kee safe putting her and her babies lives before his own

V for Vendetta characters and Roles



Evie
vunerable, terrified
loss of identity, as she loses her hair she also loses her fear
to her V represents freedom and she is the one to free the rest of the population by blowing up parliment (revenge for her family)
V is more important to her then her life, social responsibility  



V
freedom fighter or terrorist
protector of Evie, protangenis, hero
he was the only surviver from the larkhill experiments, his plans to overthrow parliment by blowing it up, he kills members of parliment that did him wrong, by him wearing a maks he could be anyone
freedom is an idea and V embodes freedom (if one persons stand up the rest will soon follow)

 

 

the population
follow the trend, from no power to power through UNITY as they embode freedom through V's mask and start a revolution, the mask hides their fear
power in numbers bringing individuals together

 

Chancellor Sutler
reason behind it all, backs the water pollution idea and leader of the corrupt government has a sense of Nazism in the way he rules



Prothero - Voice of London
voice of Propaganda
he was head of security at the larkhill concentration camp, illusion of choice for the public to agree with him and his views, this makes you question the media it could be corrupt



creedy
mass murder, evil, powerful, dangerous, corrupt, secret police
he is responsible for the water popultion, he furthers his political position as he works with V and kills sulter



Dietrich
fatherly figure to Evie, tv presenter, contrast to the voice of london. population listens to him
'when youve worn a mask for so long you forget whoses really underneath'

He is hiding his true identity in fear of what the governent/police would do to him as inhis house he has a Quran, as well as other banded items



presentation

draft presentation

the stylistic differences between horrors film genres and the horror sub genre of thriller/horrors.

paranormal actvity a horror which looks at the unseen hauntings of katie and micah. this film fits the horror genre as it includes a supernatural being, and keeps the audience in suspense of what the supernatural being will do next.
micah is seen as the hero as he is the one trying to protecting vunerable katie from this unseen present. by the end of the film though micah becomes the vunerable one as the demon had possessed katie and she is the villian.

scream 4 is a horror/thriller film which creates tension in the audience. the film adapts into a slasher/mystery were the group of main characters are the ones who are trying to work out who ghostface is. with the group trying to work out who the killer is suspense increases with who the next victim will be. with the opening scenes using voyeurism to show the films within the film using girls as the characters being the vunerable ones. at the end of the film we find out the real identity of ghostface (jill) this challenges the idea of the steroetypical women.

the main stylistic difference between the two films are the camera techniques used in paranormal activity it is a home video/documentary feel to the film showing the audience what they are seeing through the camera, where as scream 4 sticks to the following the main charcaters sidney prescott.

i think that both films fit the genres conventions of horror and scream conforms to the horror/thriller sub genre.

the stylistic differences between the films are reinforced by the genre of the two films. Paranormal activity horror genre is reinforced by the shakey home video camera usage following an unseen supernatural being. the stylisitic choices such as the editing and lighting helps to keep the horror genre throughout the film. while scream 4 thriller/horror genre is kept as the know killer ghostface keeps the suspense alive for the audience as they don't no who the Ghostfaces next victim will be the only clues you get throughout are the ghostly phonecalls with the question whats your favourite scary movie? which helps tension to bulid as the audience has no idea who the villian is. the home video from style technique from paranormal activity has now been adapted and used in multiple films since such as 127 days later and colverfield.

essay plan

macro - style/genre
The stylistic differences between horror and thriller/horror films

Paranormal Activity and Scream 4

thesis statement
overview of films/breif outline
first impressions/responses

paragraph 1
paranormal activity
point - home video/documentary style, voyeurism is used in the film
example - when katie and micah are watching a night back on the computer screen
anyalsis - voyeurism is used in paranormal activity to lead the audience to feel sympathy for katie and micah as they are shocked as the events taking place during the night
synthesis - a connection between the audience and charcaters is formed as well as the horror genre being established

scream 4
point - following the main characters sydney prescott and jill kessler, teen mystery a who done it film, voyeurism of the films at the beginning
example - the opening sequence of the film within a film (girls sitting on a sofa watching stab)
analysis - voyeriusm in scream 4 is used to remind the audience of prequels to Scream 4 and the way ghostface works
synthesis - this helps to communicate the plans and theme of the film (slasher movie)

compare paranormal activity and screams points

paragraph 2
paranormal activity
point - documentary style, long takes
example - photo smashes, micah goes to investing the event
anaylsis - documentary style showing the audience how unexpected the events are
synthesis - as the sequence is a long take the auidence gets to see the bulid up to the events as well as the aftermath creating a sense of being vulnerable and part of it with the characters, haunting the girl as she is vulnerable

scream 4
point - shot reverse shot, location
example - opening sequence killings
anaylsis - this shot increases the tensions within the audience, as they don't no which one of the characters will be ghostfaces next victim, isolated, vulnerable girls
synthesis - this reinforces the horror/thriller slasher movie theme, purposlly chose charcaters

compare paranormal activity and screams points

paragraph 3
paranormal actvity
point - camera movement, shakey cam
example - scene 5
anyalsis - the camera, lights and sound helps to create the genre and create suspense
synthesis - these micro elements protray the horror genre creating unsuspecting events the audience does not expect

scream 4
point -fast editing and switches between angles
example - car park scene
anyalsis - when the lighting darkens and the editing speeds up the audience should be expecting a killing
synthesis - dark isolated locations, lighting, editing reinforces the genre

compare paranormal activity and screams points

conclusion
reinforing the first point that teh stylistic techniques chosen help to reinforce the genre categories
that the home video technics have now caught on and been used in other films such as cloverfield and 127 days later

Conclusion

the stylistic differences between a horror and a thriller/horror film

Conclusion
the stylistic differences between the films are reinforced by the genre of the two films. Paranormal activity horror genre is reinforced by the shakey home video camera usage following an unseen supernatural being. the stylisitic choices such as the editing and lighting helps to keep the horror genre throughout the film. while scream 4 thriller/horror genre is kept as the know killer ghostface keeps the suspense alive for the audience as they don't no who the Ghostfaces next victim will be the only clues you get throughout are the ghostly phonecalls with the question whats your favourite scary movie? which helps tension to bulid as the audience has no idea who the villian is. the home video from style technique from paranormal activity has now been adapted and used in multiple films since such as 127 days later and colverfield.

opening paragraph- thesis statement

Style differences between a thriller/horror film and a horror film
paranormal activity
scream 4

the two films i am looking at have multiple stylistic similarities and differences, which help to portray the film genre. The first film i will be looking at is paranormal activity a horror released in 2009 an independent film from blumhouse productions. Paranormal activity follows the events of an unseen presences in katie and micah house. the second film i will be looking at is scream 4 a thriller/horror film released in 2011 by outerbanks entertainment, Hollywood. Scream 4 follows the killer ghostface murders and a group of friends who try to out smart and defend themselves against him. both films re aimed at the same audience age ranging from late teens to early 20's. The typical horror genre includes a supernatural beings such as ghosts and demons as well as moments to scare the viewer. The subgenre of thriller/horror films creates suspense an tension for the audience.  The most identifiable stylistic difference is the camera styles, followed by the editing of the two films.

Essay Proposal

the style differences between thriller/horror films and horror films

films chosen
Paranormal activity
Scream 4

Paranormal activity
2009 released
shown as a film at screamfest film festival in 2007
independetly filmed, blumhouse productions Unites States

paranormal activity is following katie and micah who are seen to be haunted by an unseen presence in their house

scream 4
2011 released
slasher film
outerbanks products Hollywood
all star cast (some from previous films)

scream 4 follows the killer Ghostfaces murders and a group of friends who try and out smart and defend themselves against Ghostface

V for vendetta PEAS card

propaganda sign

I choose the statement 'Corruption In Power' because there are multiple ways in the film this occurs. We first find out that the Government is corrupted when we find out that the water virus they had the cure for that got them to power was created by them in the first place. Another example of corruption in power is when V goes to visit Sutler and tells him if he wants to help leave a cross on his door his mission if he chooses to accept is to kill Creedy, it dosent take him long to agree and he kills Creedy this then puts him in the highest position to control. The Larkhill Detention Faclity where people who were seen as outcasts got tested on such as lesbians and gays once sent there recieved multiple tests before ending up dead. Larkhill blows up killing everyone but one this person is V and his mission is now to kill the people who were involved in the Larkhill testing.

Children of men themes

war, poverty, oppression, authority, power, distraction, terrorism are all themes that I picked out after watching the film.

clip analysis

V for Vendetta the domino sequence

the sequence starts with a close up of a domiono followed by an establishing shot of the local which situates the audience with the environment. throughout the clip their is lots of shot reverse shots of converstaions between characters as well as in situations such as the robbery where the camera changes from the robber in the mask and the employee behind the counter. jump cuts are used in the clip to represent flashbacks of the past story which continues into fade out from the dominos line up in the shape of v's logo to the v's logo on a door. the clip also incuded parellel editing of people recieveing the parcel of v's mask and cape.

clip 2 v for vendetta continuity clip
at the beggining of this clip it introduces the audience to the character such as Evie and V and the surrounding areas. Throughout this opening there is parrell editing of evie and V getting ready to go out they are both watching the same programme with the voice of london. As Evie leaves and walks the streets after curfue she is stopped by the 'police' this has put Evie into a vulnerable position and their is no way to escape until we see a close up of feet which are infact V's he has come to the rescue of Evie.

v for vendetta the voice of london is silenced

the clip starts with a pan from the tv programme presented by the voice of london to the voice of londin in the shower, this is clip shows voyerisum and a take on the female gaze, this is because we see the close up of the voice of londons back, feet and hands within this clip, the audience gets to see a long shot of his body in only a towel before a zoom in to his face while he is enjoying a private moment in the shower. as V enters the room the voice of london slips and lands on the floor which gives V the power in the siuation making the voice of london the vulnerable character. we then see falsh backs of when the voice of london was part of the larkhill instiution and some of the awful things he did showing the audience the relationship between him and V

the psycho shower scene

the psycho shower scene is another example of voyerism as well as the male gaze this is as we see the man go in to a personal moment in the shower where the women is stripping and enjoying a wash. we see a close up of the womans face, stomach, hand, and arms throughout the scene. as the man attacks the woman is helpless and vulnerable as the man in the scene ultimately has the power.