Art Department and Locations

PROPS:

• Cap Gun - $2 Shop

• Cell Phone - My own

• Banana Skin - Home

• Apple - Home

• Pocket protector with pens - 2 dollar shop

• Cigarettes

COSTUMES:

   Eugene

• High waisted jeans
• Button up shirt
• Nerd glasses - 2 dollar shop
• Waistcoat

   Big bob

• Muscle singlet
• stubbies
• work boots
• Beanie

    Esmeralda

• Black dress
• Black Heels
• Red lipstick

All costumes will be sourced from family and friends

Crew and Talent

Cast:

Zac Neill ( 0273885045 ) - Eugene

Michael Dunlop ( 0273755173 ) - Big Bob "The Bulldozer" Brown

Extras:

(town's people)

Emerald O'Neill ( 0277397885 )

Bryony Vickers ( 0272374206 )

Johnny Duncan (0278283820 )

Rebecca Dore ( 0273518914 )

Brian Dibnah ( 02102837622 )

Chris McGavinsky

Francesca Maremonti

Crew

Christian Lee

Taylor McLellan  ( 0278609444 )

Production Peer Assessment

Strengths...


The idea is behind the story is pretty good showing all the nerds they can stand up to their bullies and how it will be in Eugene's point of view will be real nice, and it might stop most bullying around school.


You are very organised making this film that you are making this, very sorted in what you want to do in your film.


Weaknesses...


Am worried about the school camera using because what if they are all booked and you can't use your friends one.




because you are doing this with a school camera and can't take the camera off school grounds am worried about the time of filming.


Questions...


How are you going to do the WESTERN theme?


Is you're character Eugene is going to portray a nerd well?

Treatment

The Present
Burnside High
Locker Bay


Eugene looks across the locker bay at his arch enemy Big Bob the Bulldozer Brown. He puffs out his chest, takes a deep breath in and gains the courage to walk past Big Bob without him noticing. "Please don't see me" he repeats in his mind. As he approaches big bob, he slumps into an unimposing heap. Big bob turns, and pushes him to the ground. Looking over him, he spits down on Eugene and if that wasn't enough,  he kicks him in the guts. Eugene looks stunned. He is sick of the daily treatment. It is time to get his own back. Eugene day dreams. He dreams that he is as big as muscly as Big Bob, so much so that he is able to beat up Big Bob. He snaps back to reality and gets up from his spot on the locker bay floor.

Task 1: Concept

I have decided to work around a genre and build my narrative upon that. I have chosen a western film, with a slight modern twist on it. The name of my film is yet to be decided but i have a few ideas, such as Eugene Out West, Small Town Hero, Eugene and a few others. I wish to explore the ideas of anti-bullying and sticking to your morals. I also want to show how being the small guy in the background and having good morals gets you far in life, and the bullies get punished. I want the viewer to have sympathy for the nerd in the opening, when we are shown his hard life. I want the viewer to fall in love with the nerd, then, when he defeats the bully I want the viewer to have a sense of pride for the nerd. As for the bully, I want to continuously portray him negatively, and the viewer develops a sense of hatred for the bully. I want them to feel happy for the nerd, and particularly i want them to realise the hurt that bullies can do. I also want to show that bullying is not OK and I hope that when they go away from the event and see a case like this on the street, they will do something about it.


The story will be set in a small town. The main character, Eugene is a bit of a nerd and socially inept. He is being bullied by the town tough guy, Big Bill "The Bulldozer" Brown. A 'fight' (or showdown) is organised for the afternoon and all the town's people are there to see. Eugene ends up 'accidentally' killing Big Bill and the towns people see him as a hero. There is where it will stop but the rest of the movie will be set up that he will go to other towns to defeat the enemy. I want to have no dialogue. I want to do this to avoid getting poor quality audio I will use a range of P.O.V and CU and Long Shots. I have friends that do drama that are happy to be actors and some friends with little acting experience to be extras a the town people. I will use the school cameras and possibly my friends camera and I have the adobe suite at home to edit it with. This will be interesting to a student audience because the idea of bullying is common at schools.

Thinking About Genre-Analyse

ANALYSE


Both Frankenstein and Nosferatu had very low budgets, and they were both very high grossing films. The low budget meant that they could not use intricate sets, but the simplicity of both films added to the fear of what might exist. Because they were both shot on location, the directors could use the natural setting and elements of their locations to both portray the foreign setting and to also add the the natural fear of both films.


The use of foreign setting in both was very affective, and in Frankenstein it developed a wider idea of the events of the time. Frankenstein was set in a war and depression stricken 1931 Germany. They had just come out of a failed war effort and their country's economy was at rock bottom. The views of Germany at the time were well and truly portrayed in Frankenstein. People saw Germans as evil, blood thirsty killing machines, after causing inappropriate terror on the world in World War 1. When Dr Frankenstein made his blood thirsty monster, this symbolised the stereotypical idea of Germans at the time. Being a USA produced film, their points of views of Germans were well and truly portrayed through the Symbolism of the monster.


 The effect on society created by the use of Foreign Setting of the film in Frankenstein was that the stereotypical view of Germany at the time of evil monsters was reinforced. There was a fear of Germans created as a consequence of people in the western world seeing this film. After Nosferatu, a impact on society was a large fear that a spooky town like Transylvania could exist. This was reinforced by the shot on location in Romania which made the viewer feel it was real. It also reinforced their current fears that the plague was contracted by and unknown source. This relates to the current events of the plague (at the time) in Europe and people were already scared  even without seeing the film. The film takes the current fear of the plague and exposes it to the viewer in a more harsh way.


In most critical reviews of the respective films, the Foreign Setting is not commented upon because it is overridden by other ideas developed in the film, but the y do comment that having a single location to film at made the budget much less, and it is still very effective in the way the setting links the the narrative and the wider ideas as a whole.


In conclusion, the Foreign Setting in both films adds an element of fear, and although it may not be the most important convention in both films, it is still use in such a way that it contributes to building the base of a lot of other conventions to make both films great.

Thinking About Genre-Explain

EXPLAIN:


The use of foreign setting in Nosferatu was used to create a fear of the unknown. Transylvania was a mystical, made up town which no one knows about. We are exposed to new and unusual castles and countryside that makes the viewer feel uncomfortable because they are not familiar with the setting. This links to the film as a whole because most of the fear is fear of the unfamiliar, unusual and unknown Vampire Nosferatu. The use of the foreign Transylvania adds to this element of fear. The use of the town of Transylvania conforms to the classic Vampire books and films. It is certainly not the first time that the viewer has heard about Transylvania but for many, it is the first time we have seen a  portrayal of Transylvania in film and for many viewers they are shocked at the isolation and how barren the town is. Also since Transylvania was shot in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the viewer also considers if the spooky town is real. The effect of reality combined with fear of unknown adds to the fear of the film.

 The use of foreign setting in Frankenstein was used to make the viewer feel that the evil monster is amongst them, especially in the scenes where the monster roams through the streets because for most viewers they can relate to the town and the fear of a monster such as Franbkenstein being amongst them. It also adds a real element to the monster, which reflects the film as a whole because the monster is made from the body and brain of a human. The setting is mostly in the countryside which gives the idea of isolation which adds more fear to the film. The castle of Dr Frankenstein adds to the fear becauuse it is very large and medieval which frightens the viewer because again, it is an unfamiliar setting which the viewer is afraid of the unknown, and all the machinery in his lab is very intimidating and never seen before.

 The castle of both Nosferatu and Frankenstein both have a similiar purpose in their respective films. To expose the viewer to an unfamiliar environment but then also in the town scenes, the fear is made through how real the places are portrayed. This is reinforced in Nosferatu, when Transylvania is shot on location in Romania, which makes the 'fake' town of Transylvania feel much more real.

Thinking About Genre-Describe

CONVENTION - Foreign Location


FILMS               - Nosferatu (1922)
                           -Frankenstein (1931)


Describe:
The use of a foreign setting in both Frankenstein by James Whale and Nosferatu by Michael Koller had their own unique qualities and effects. Frankenstein was set in a war stricken Germany and at the beginning of the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is mostly in the countryside where we see Dr. Frankenstein, a crazed professor destined for fame in his profession. When we are shown shots of the town, particularly when the man is carrying his dead daughter through the town. There are very few shots of the town, but towards the end when the monster makes its way to town, we see tracking shots of the poverty stricken areas.

 Nosferatu, on the other hand was set in an unknown and made up town of Transylvania. It was shot in the Carpathian Hills of Romania. Nosferatu's house was old and decayed and very isolated, tucked away in the hills. The use of the environment was also very significant in the film with a variety of bird's eye view and panning shots of the countryside, hills and forests. 

Shot Size/Angle

Shot 1

The close up on James' face when he first spots the dancing girl is from the girl's point of view. This shows us that the girl has instantly caught the attention of James and when he advances towards the camera turning it into extreme close up we are shown that James wants to meet the girl.

By placing the camera at James' eye level and at the girl's point of view, the facial expressions emphasise the reaction of James towards the girl. We can see his head turn rapidly and stare at the girl with a lot of interest. When Bond advances towards the camera, the shot is now an extreme close up which clearly emphasises the facial expression of Bond. This positions the viewer to also take an interest of the relationship created between the two and the viewer wants to see if it develops into more. This exposes the generic romanticism in Bond films but also suggests that there will be a significant emphasis on romance in this film.

This creates the romantic sub-genre of the film and helps us to understand the emotions that Bond is feeling. We can see by the expressions on his face that he is interested in the girl and the viewer is made to empathise for Bond because he is in a difficult situation, whether to continue with his job or to go and impress the girl

Shot 2

We are shown a long shot of Bond falling with a back drop of of the dark night sky and sand falling after him. The long shot is used to establish the strange situation that Bond is in and also because it is showing a sequence of landscapes that Bond is falling in. The long shot shows us this particular backdrop of a night sky with sand falling.

The sand falling creates the idea that Bond's world is being turned upside down and the gravity is making the sand fall with Bond. The viewer is immediately made to consider what has caused this falling. We are made to wonder if this is a dream or it is actually happening. Has Bond been pushed down a hole or has his world mentally turned upside down with the introduction of this girl.

The long shot and the falling sand makes the viewer empathise for Bond because he is going through troubles and neither he or the viewer knows what is causing him to fall.

Colour/Lighting

Lighting and Colour is used in the opening in two different instances. We are shown Bond at night and Bond during the day. We see James at a wide panning shot when he is roaming the desert at day. We can see that during the day, Bond focuses on doing his job and catching the bad guys. We are exposed to colours such as strong oranges and yellows and a deep blue for the sky. The haze of the sand is also significant because it shows us it is set in the desert but also gives the viewer an idea that both Bond and the viewer don't have much idea where they are and that they must look through the haze for guidance.

At night, we are exposed to dark blues and blacks. In the darkness is when we are shown the dancing girl. This suggests to the viewer that it is at night where Bond 'goes out to play'. In most of the scenes at night, Bond is just a silhouette which suggest that at night bond is another man. He is always in full awareness during the day and is very cautious of his actions but at night when the girls come out, he almost forgets his job and chases girls. A classic Bond ploy, work at day, play at night! 

The director's purpose in using colours and lighting in the opening was to show the viewer how Bond changes according to the time of day. It also adds to setting the tone and atmosphere because during the day the brightness of the sun and the haze of the sand exposes the viewer to an environment that they are not familiar with and makes them feel slightly uncomfortable. The element of mystery end eeriness is again introduced, particularly at night where we can't quite see Bond and the actions are hard to pick up. Again, the director is instantly capturing the full attention of the audience and making them think from an early stage of the film.


The use of colour captures an uneasy emotional response of the viewer. Yes, they have been introduced to James, who, hasn't changed from all 20 Bond films before him. He is still the same savvy guy in a tuxedo who hops from girlfriend to girlfriend, but it's the mystery of the unfamiliar setting that the viewer is exposed to in dark colours which doesn't help the viewer to familiarise themselves to the setting and when we are shown the desert in light and bright colours we are not shown a normal desert, we are shown an aminated desert. The semi naked dancing girls are back in Bond intros which we haven't seen in a long time. Although we are shown them in the darkness mostly, this tells us that the film has a bigger influence on romance than ever before in Bond films.

Music

Tracks Used


"James Bond Theme" 
Written by Monty Norman
Arranged by John Barry
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM


 The use of the James Bond Theme at the start of the opening immediately strikes the viewer with powerful brass which creates the action genre and sets the mysterious tone. By using this familiar track , the director is trying to get the viewer's attention and I think for most people hearing the James Bond Theme at the start of the new movie gets them somewhat excited and all their attention is at the screen. By setting a mysterious tone, the viewer is instantly made to think and analyse what is happening which, again, captures the full attention of the viewer.


"Another Way To Die"
Vocals by Alicia Keys and Jack White
Produced by Jack White
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM


Another Way to Die kicks in when we are introduced to James. The tone of the music is somewhat cool and savvy with powerful vocals and a smooth rhythm which introduces the viewer to James who is represented as a cool and very likable person. The use of piano introduces the reader to the romantic genre of the story. The use of the track introduces us to both genre tone and also introduces us to the character. It doesn't so much relate to the setting because i think the director tried to use visual effects to introduce the setting and general plot.


Title opening music has always been a significant part of Bond openings. This music is quit generic to most of the other films in the series, I think the only difference is this music is a bit more of a pop genre. Perhaps the director is trying to strengthen Bond as a character and the savvy tone of this song really shows us how the director is trying to immediately introduce us to Bond and the viewer is instantly positioned to make an emotional likable connection to him. People also like to see that he lives on the edge and the lyrics 'another way to die' seems like dicing with danger is standard issue for Bond.

Genre/Atmosphere Shot by Shot

The establishing shot of a silhouette of James in the centre of a sun with a black background sets an instant mood of mystery because we cannot actually see the face of James. The shot also contains some visual editing because there is also heat waves which shows us, as well as the sun, that it is set in a very hot place. The camera then zooms into james' face which is half in shadows which suggest that there are two sides to him. We are then zoomed out to a mid shot of James drawing a gun which introduces us to the action genre and he then fires a shot which with visual editing turns into a dust which introduces us to the desert setting. At this point the lighting is very dark which adds to the mysterious mood.

The 007 music also sets the mood because the trumpets and common melody, automatically make people relate to James Bond, The International Man of Mystery. We then see a tracking shot of james' bullet which travels through the desert and we are shown hazes of dust in a barren desert. The use of colours such as blue and black create a mood of suspense, darkness and also suspicion with James all alone in a dark desert firing bullets. We are made to wonder what to expect and are instantly made to think.

The scene then turns to daylight where we are still shown birds eye view shots and strange camera angles and transitions, still of James with a drawn gun on his own roaming the desert. The colours now are all orange and bright which shows us the heat of the desert and also makes us feel uncomfortable with a setting that we are not used to. We feel like we should know what is happening but we don't, so we watch on. Immediately the director is capturing our attention, building to the climax of a small but tense opening. A close up of james' face shows him spotting something. We wonder what it could be.

The scene turns to night again with blue and dark colours. We are shown a huge, larger than life female figure. The genre now turns to romance, which is a big part of Bond films. He solves the crimes with the help of a girl then dumps the girl. Bond takes a liking to the girl who appears to have minimal clothing on and is trying to attract him. The girl seems to sneak up on Bond and then we are shown bond falling. We wonder why he is falling and the mysterious mood is continued to be built.

We are then shown a montage with mysterious camera angles and shots of about 30 of the girls and then it cuts to about the same number of bonds falling. Again, this is very mysterious and the viewer is still made to think very hard. James is still falling and then he, and his gun falls through a giant eye. This suggests to us that whoever made him fall is watching all the actions he is doing alone in the desert. Perhaps this person has relations with the girl? It is a mystery. We are then shown Bond land in sand  and stand up and fires a shot which explodes, resembling an atomic bomb mushroom cloud. Looking at this explosion at the whole of the film, the film has a lot to do with the use of nuclear power and weapons and through this explosion the viewer is introduced to the idea of nuclear materials. The shot then fades out and the opening has finished.

The music "Another Way To Die" adds to the mystery and also the strong Alicia Keys Vocals and fast paced tempo shows us the action genre and the use of piano resembles the slight touch of romance used.

This opening, compared to other Bond openings has a great emphasis on setting. I think the director has tried to emphasise the setting because this is a very different setting to most other Bond films which are generally set in cities. In other Bond openings, such as Casino Royale, there is an emphasis on introducing the viewer to plot but here we are exposed to the setting and a slight part of introducing the character

Genre/Atmosphere

The tone of the opening is setting the viewer up for a lot of action. It is quite fast paced and there are is a lot of quick short shots flashing out at the viewer. The music adds to the tone because the song (another way to die by Alicia Keys and Jack White) includes a lot of brass which adds the the classic 007 tune and also adds to the likability of James and how the viewer is positioned to see him as a cool character.


The mood of the opening is cool and sophisticated. The mood of the opening adds to the introduction of James, who, to any movie buff, needs no introduction. We are also shown the haze of a desert which hints the viewer to assume that the film is going to be set in the desert and we are also shown the desert at night and normally at night is when we are shown the girls which shows the viewer the mood at night where James goes "out to play" so to speak.


The tone and mood is created with the music which, again, has a lot of brass music which is kind of laid back cool and sophisticated and the classic 0007 tune which highlights the secrecy of Bond. The dust haze effects and the lighting shows us both the mood of night time and hints us to the setting.

The Final Decision!

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2011/01/24/quantum-of-solace/
I have decided to use Quantum of Solace for my close reading assessment on the basis of it being a movie on a series so I can comment against other openings in the series. The use of colour in the opening is also quite significant to set both the tone and the setting of the film.

The opening shows Daniel Craig as James Bond in a desert like setting. He is roaming the desert surrounded with intricate effects . We are also introduced to a female figure who Bond seems to take a liking to (surprise, surprise!). Throughghout the opening Bond fires many shots and the sand of the desert does some very interesting things such as sinking and exploding.

This opening fits into the film as a whole because it is in the desert and the rest of the movie is basically set in the desert and it shows us the girl who Bond attracts and is attracted to. It also shows a bit of action with bond firing shots which he does in the film.

The film as a whole appeals to me because I love a good James Bond movie and action movies. I also enjoyed the use of editing and visual effects in the opening.

Openings...hmmm

I have been searching Art of the Title for some appropriate openings to use for the close reading assessment. I am trying to find something that sets the atmosphere of the film and at the same time introduces us to some characters. I want it to be a movie that I am passionate about and one that I would recommend to my friends because I want to say how the opening relates to later parts in the movie. I was thinking that possibly a movie in a series could be effective because I could relate to other films in the series. The film openings that have interested me the most so far have been Dirty Hasrry with Clint Eastwood and the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. These are both action movies with interesting music.