Interior:
My house - 34 Pridham Road
Exterior:
Dark Alley leading from Elm Road to Bensham Manor Road
Thornton Heath High Street
Thursday 15 December 2016
Sunday 11 December 2016
Weekly news 11
CHECK-IN...THEN
CHECKED OUT
Pervy hotel boss spied on naked saleswoman,
27, as she undressed in room… then she was offered an extra night’s stay to say
sorry
Source: The Sun.
The real reason I choose this story was because of the images that the Sun decided to include in the article. For example, this image was included with the tagline "Clare Day was sickened when she saw the man staring at her."
It's quite a sexualized picture that Clare herself seem to have taken and probably posted to her personal and private social media accounts or may have just been keeping for herself. Regardless of what Clare did with this picture, the Sun thought that it would be an appropriate picture to include with this story. One where Clare was sexually offended. A story about sexual offense that includes sexualized pictures of the victim. Considering that it's The Sun, who up until recently had naked women in every paper, I'm not really surprised but it goes to show that The Sun's representation of gender and issues is skewed to the point where morals seem to be non existent.
Enough about the paper, the actual story is about Clare Day who checked into a hotel and while undressing later in her room, noticed the man who had checked her in was at the window, peering in at her undressing. As it was a first-time offense, he was let off with caution for voyeurism. The real unbelievable part is that the hotel tried to compensate by offering her a free nights stay. A free nights stay at a hotel that she couldn't possibly sleep at after the ordeal to make up for an incident that required her husband to take 2 weeks off of work just to make sure she wasn't alone. The hotel needs to be shut down immediately.
If we compare The Sun's presentation of this story to The Mirror's, we can see that The Mirror's included much less sexualized photos and a lot more fact based, unbiased information. They included the date of the incident, the location of the hotel, more quotes from Clare herself, more information about her husband who took 2 weeks off of work and was just in general, a lot more sensitive about the subject.
Friday 2 December 2016
Weekly news 10
Primary school grades PARENTS from A to D on how well they're supporting their children, with the worst performers called into the head's office
Source: Daily Mail.
Considering that the Daily Mail is a conservative paper and is not often for the people, this article was remarkably pro-parents who seemed to be outraged by the thought of a primary school judging them based on their parenting. And I agree. The grades are decided on how involved the parents are with their student's learning. Failing to attend extra-curricular activities will result in lower grading. Which is pure stupidity. There are single parents who have to have multiple jobs just to put food on the table but this school thinks they have the right to judge and criticize parents, telling them they're not doing well enough as parents. Get the hell off your pedestal. I mean compare this to even worse off areas where parents find it even harder to sustain their children and be a big part of their lives. True, some parents aren't very active in their children's educations where they could be but it's what the teacher's are paid to do. If this school tried doing this in a worse off area, the school wouldn't last one month. The amount of angry parents who'd be coming down to give the school a piece of their mind would be comedic. This is a presentation of age and issues.
Source: Daily Mail.
Considering that the Daily Mail is a conservative paper and is not often for the people, this article was remarkably pro-parents who seemed to be outraged by the thought of a primary school judging them based on their parenting. And I agree. The grades are decided on how involved the parents are with their student's learning. Failing to attend extra-curricular activities will result in lower grading. Which is pure stupidity. There are single parents who have to have multiple jobs just to put food on the table but this school thinks they have the right to judge and criticize parents, telling them they're not doing well enough as parents. Get the hell off your pedestal. I mean compare this to even worse off areas where parents find it even harder to sustain their children and be a big part of their lives. True, some parents aren't very active in their children's educations where they could be but it's what the teacher's are paid to do. If this school tried doing this in a worse off area, the school wouldn't last one month. The amount of angry parents who'd be coming down to give the school a piece of their mind would be comedic. This is a presentation of age and issues.
Monday 28 November 2016
Sunday 27 November 2016
Print-based analysis
This is the poster to the film Fight Club:
We can see that it has some kind of action in it from the cuts and bruises on the character closest to the audience' face. Since he is the closest to the audience, he is most likely the protagonist. We can also see he is very well lit, even his clothing is a bright white, which suggests that he is a morally good character. Meanwhile next to him is another character shrouded in darkness. This shows he's most likely the antagonist and the darkness to the protagonist's light. He's also looming over the antagonist, possibly hinting at a difference in power and how the protagonist isn't as powerful. They both share the pose of having a cigarette hanging out of their mouth though which shows that they're not entirely different and have some similarities. For anybody that's seen the movie and knows it's ending, all of this is done incredibly purposefully.
We can see that it has some kind of action in it from the cuts and bruises on the character closest to the audience' face. Since he is the closest to the audience, he is most likely the protagonist. We can also see he is very well lit, even his clothing is a bright white, which suggests that he is a morally good character. Meanwhile next to him is another character shrouded in darkness. This shows he's most likely the antagonist and the darkness to the protagonist's light. He's also looming over the antagonist, possibly hinting at a difference in power and how the protagonist isn't as powerful. They both share the pose of having a cigarette hanging out of their mouth though which shows that they're not entirely different and have some similarities. For anybody that's seen the movie and knows it's ending, all of this is done incredibly purposefully.
Saturday 26 November 2016
Weekly news 9
'It's Not Over Yet, Donald Trump election win dealt blow as Wisconsin announces it will recount vote after Jill Stein alleges Russian tampering'
Source: The Sun
First of all, I'm happy. Because even though I don't particularly like Clinton either, Donald Trump has very strict policies on immigration and considering how much I want to go to the US for University and then work, it was scary to see he'd been elected. Most of our generation don't particularly care about the election but I don't really have a choice but to care. After all, it affects my future. So fingers crossed the recount changes the result to something less difficult for me.
Anyway, if we compare the reaction to Donald Trump's original victory and this story, it's not nearly as excited as you would have thought. I was prepared for a massive online reaction with everyone cheering and hoping once again to put someone else in the White House after all the complaining and previous resentment towards the first result but it's been surprisingly lackluster. In fact, if I hadn't had gone searching for this story for my weekly news, I doubt I would've even heard of this.
Source: The Sun
First of all, I'm happy. Because even though I don't particularly like Clinton either, Donald Trump has very strict policies on immigration and considering how much I want to go to the US for University and then work, it was scary to see he'd been elected. Most of our generation don't particularly care about the election but I don't really have a choice but to care. After all, it affects my future. So fingers crossed the recount changes the result to something less difficult for me.
Anyway, if we compare the reaction to Donald Trump's original victory and this story, it's not nearly as excited as you would have thought. I was prepared for a massive online reaction with everyone cheering and hoping once again to put someone else in the White House after all the complaining and previous resentment towards the first result but it's been surprisingly lackluster. In fact, if I hadn't had gone searching for this story for my weekly news, I doubt I would've even heard of this.
Sunday 20 November 2016
Weekly news 8
Jessica Whelan Cancer Death: Four-year-old Who Touched Hearts Dies
This Sunday, a child named Jessica Whelan passed away from Cancer. She had stage four neuroblastoma. This is a type of Cancer that leads to several symptoms depending on where the tumor is located. Sadly, because it had spread to stage four, the tumor affected her whole body. She suffered from every symptom, including tiredness, struggled breathing, muscle pain and jerks, constipation, urination problems, struggled walking and back problems, the list just goes on. The chemotherapy she endured in the hopes of survival was constant pain for her. Her father posted on a facebook page he opened in her name informing everyone of her passing with the words "I feel both sadness and relief in informing you all that Jessica has finally found peace at seven o'clock this morning.".
There's not much to say about this opinion wise. Just that it's a horribly unlucky thing to happen to anyone, let alone children, however it affects them the most, being present in around 100 children a year in the UK alone. I'm happy that she was able to get treatment though. If she were to be born in the US, she may have still had to pay for her treatment, costing her and her family. And especially now that Trump is thinking of abolishing Obamacare, or at least minimizing it, it would've been even worse. It just makes me increasingly glad that our government happens to be one of the beneficial in the world, at least to most.
This Sunday, a child named Jessica Whelan passed away from Cancer. She had stage four neuroblastoma. This is a type of Cancer that leads to several symptoms depending on where the tumor is located. Sadly, because it had spread to stage four, the tumor affected her whole body. She suffered from every symptom, including tiredness, struggled breathing, muscle pain and jerks, constipation, urination problems, struggled walking and back problems, the list just goes on. The chemotherapy she endured in the hopes of survival was constant pain for her. Her father posted on a facebook page he opened in her name informing everyone of her passing with the words "I feel both sadness and relief in informing you all that Jessica has finally found peace at seven o'clock this morning.".
There's not much to say about this opinion wise. Just that it's a horribly unlucky thing to happen to anyone, let alone children, however it affects them the most, being present in around 100 children a year in the UK alone. I'm happy that she was able to get treatment though. If she were to be born in the US, she may have still had to pay for her treatment, costing her and her family. And especially now that Trump is thinking of abolishing Obamacare, or at least minimizing it, it would've been even worse. It just makes me increasingly glad that our government happens to be one of the beneficial in the world, at least to most.
Sunday 13 November 2016
Weekly news 7
Paedophile sent naked shower selfie to '14-year-old girl' nabbed by vigilante group
Source: The Sun
First and foremost, this is one of the most sensible articles I've seen written by the Sun. It's seemingly unbiased but the fact that it wasn't rated as a significant story slightly irritates me. Moving on though, the story is about an online group called the Online Predator Investigation Team who posed as a 14-year-old girl called Ellie. The defendant and alleged Paedophile, James Hanson, started inappropriately talking to Ellie and asking her for such things as pictures and asking her to touch herself in her 'privates' meanwhile sending sexual pictures of himself.
From the sounds of it, the defendants points were absolutely atrocious, saying it was 'out of character'. Well no shit, it's not exactly something people go around advertising as a feature of their personality on Tinder. The real disgusting part of this story is the fact that Hanson was let off with only 120 hours of unpaid work and 60 days rehabilitation. The Judge justified his decision by mentioning that there was no real girl and thus, no victim. In my opinion, this changes nearly nothing. He genuinely believed that he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl and thanks to this vigilante group, he was caught before anyone was hurt. But if they didn't catch him, he could have just as easily found a real girl who may have been even younger and some real damage would have occurred. He was let off easy for a minor technicality that shouldn't have been taken into account. He was let off especially easy considering that if he lived in the US, it was still entirely possible he could have received the death penalty.
Source: The Sun
First and foremost, this is one of the most sensible articles I've seen written by the Sun. It's seemingly unbiased but the fact that it wasn't rated as a significant story slightly irritates me. Moving on though, the story is about an online group called the Online Predator Investigation Team who posed as a 14-year-old girl called Ellie. The defendant and alleged Paedophile, James Hanson, started inappropriately talking to Ellie and asking her for such things as pictures and asking her to touch herself in her 'privates' meanwhile sending sexual pictures of himself.
From the sounds of it, the defendants points were absolutely atrocious, saying it was 'out of character'. Well no shit, it's not exactly something people go around advertising as a feature of their personality on Tinder. The real disgusting part of this story is the fact that Hanson was let off with only 120 hours of unpaid work and 60 days rehabilitation. The Judge justified his decision by mentioning that there was no real girl and thus, no victim. In my opinion, this changes nearly nothing. He genuinely believed that he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl and thanks to this vigilante group, he was caught before anyone was hurt. But if they didn't catch him, he could have just as easily found a real girl who may have been even younger and some real damage would have occurred. He was let off easy for a minor technicality that shouldn't have been taken into account. He was let off especially easy considering that if he lived in the US, it was still entirely possible he could have received the death penalty.
Thursday 10 November 2016
Proposal
I'm going to be making a trailer for my coursework and the reason for this is because I've always been interested in editing footage. Filming also seems to come more naturally to me then designing posters or magazine covers, etc. I'm going to do this by keeping it as simple as possible, not using very extravagant sets or props and keeping the budget as low as possible.
Sunday 6 November 2016
Weekly news 6
'WE'VE GOT CONTROL OF THE PRISON' Riot Police prepare to storm Bedford prison as 300 knife-wielding lags riot while sending terrifying videos of mayhem.
Source: The Sun
First of all, I just want to point out how the Sun put an advertisement on the video of this "terrifying" story. Nice one. Second of all, I can't lie, it looks kind of fun despite the rumored injuries. Of course because it's the Sun, they were trying to make the police look like the bad guys to try to sell as much as possible and shit stir. It says that a source inside said that "The guards all ran away and didn't want to do what they were paid to."
Let's compare the headline to the BBC's headline on this. "Bedford Prison 'riot' involving up to 200 inmates". Factual, informative, accurate. Fair enough. But this means that either BBC's info was slightly off or The Sun was exaggerating, and I think it's more than likely the later. The Sun also choose to use the word "lags" which for those that don't know, is an informal term that means somebody who has been repeatedly sent to prison. It's seen as a very negative term. But god forbid the Sun humanizes thugs and "knife-wielding" criminals. Seriously? All 300 of them have knives? In a prison? Where it is very difficult to obtain such weapons? There's a point where it becomes simple lying rather than twisting the truth. Putting fear into people's hearts sells papers and that's all the Sun wants to do.
As for my opinion on the story, it's a dangerous situation that I trust the police will get a hold of. At least the riot is contained inside a prison and not on the streets where more civilians are likely to get hurt. Count the blessings. And just remember that not all of the inmates are participating in the riot and not all of them are violent and inhumane. Some people have just made horrible mistakes.
Source: The Sun
First of all, I just want to point out how the Sun put an advertisement on the video of this "terrifying" story. Nice one. Second of all, I can't lie, it looks kind of fun despite the rumored injuries. Of course because it's the Sun, they were trying to make the police look like the bad guys to try to sell as much as possible and shit stir. It says that a source inside said that "The guards all ran away and didn't want to do what they were paid to."
Let's compare the headline to the BBC's headline on this. "Bedford Prison 'riot' involving up to 200 inmates". Factual, informative, accurate. Fair enough. But this means that either BBC's info was slightly off or The Sun was exaggerating, and I think it's more than likely the later. The Sun also choose to use the word "lags" which for those that don't know, is an informal term that means somebody who has been repeatedly sent to prison. It's seen as a very negative term. But god forbid the Sun humanizes thugs and "knife-wielding" criminals. Seriously? All 300 of them have knives? In a prison? Where it is very difficult to obtain such weapons? There's a point where it becomes simple lying rather than twisting the truth. Putting fear into people's hearts sells papers and that's all the Sun wants to do.
As for my opinion on the story, it's a dangerous situation that I trust the police will get a hold of. At least the riot is contained inside a prison and not on the streets where more civilians are likely to get hurt. Count the blessings. And just remember that not all of the inmates are participating in the riot and not all of them are violent and inhumane. Some people have just made horrible mistakes.
Tuesday 1 November 2016
Weekly news 5
There were 4 stabbings on Halloween. And because of how close the road was to the route I take travelling back from martial arts and the stabbings were reportedly around the same time I would've been returning, this was a very close call. Luckily my dad offered to drive me home this week or I could've been one of the victims.
Compared to the rest of the UK, Croydon has some of the most stab-common areas in the entire country and I simply hate living in an area with such a statistic. Not only is it dangerous but it means that everyone in the area, including me, is associated with the statistic. I've gone to job interviews in much nicer areas where I have seen the interviewer visibly grimace when I've mentioned where I live. Local residents are thinking that it's because of the disappearance of the police station that used to be near Norwood Junction and I can't help but agree. I think it needs to be reopened or at least have the one near Crystal Palace Stadium send a few more patrols near the area for the next few months. Maybe even half a year. Luckily only 1 of the 4 victims died and the other 3's injuries are thought to be non life threatening. Of course it's sad that any of them passed away but it's good to count the blessings.
Compared to the rest of the UK, Croydon has some of the most stab-common areas in the entire country and I simply hate living in an area with such a statistic. Not only is it dangerous but it means that everyone in the area, including me, is associated with the statistic. I've gone to job interviews in much nicer areas where I have seen the interviewer visibly grimace when I've mentioned where I live. Local residents are thinking that it's because of the disappearance of the police station that used to be near Norwood Junction and I can't help but agree. I think it needs to be reopened or at least have the one near Crystal Palace Stadium send a few more patrols near the area for the next few months. Maybe even half a year. Luckily only 1 of the 4 victims died and the other 3's injuries are thought to be non life threatening. Of course it's sad that any of them passed away but it's good to count the blessings.
Monday 31 October 2016
Plot
The plot to the hypothetical film I'm planning to make a trailer for is going to be called "Hidden In Plain Sight." and the tagline "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." It has some elements of horror but it does not really on fright, more suspense and an anxious feeling of the victim being so close to discovering the stalker's identity.
Step 1: One sentence summary
A London bred teenager girl is being stalked by her best friend but is unknowingly getting closer to him the more she tries to escape.
Step 2: Small paragraph (blurb)
Current day Croydon, London. Our protagonists are two long time best friends, Angela and Ezekiel. However Ezekiel has a slight crush on his friend Angela that's dangerously blown out of proportion when he starts stalking her. Angela is completely oblivious to who's stalking her but is confident in confiding in her best friend, little does she know that she's giving the stalker all the information he needs to stay hidden.
Step 3: Climax
Ends with Angela running from a different stalker who she mistakes for the original stalker to Ezekial's house for protection and discovers him changing into his mask. This leads to him confessing everything and trying to force himself on her. She ends up stabbing him in self defense.
Idea for the mask Ezekiel wears while stalking. Relevant to current day fears, simple to make or buy, creepy.
Step 1: One sentence summary
A London bred teenager girl is being stalked by her best friend but is unknowingly getting closer to him the more she tries to escape.
Step 2: Small paragraph (blurb)
Current day Croydon, London. Our protagonists are two long time best friends, Angela and Ezekiel. However Ezekiel has a slight crush on his friend Angela that's dangerously blown out of proportion when he starts stalking her. Angela is completely oblivious to who's stalking her but is confident in confiding in her best friend, little does she know that she's giving the stalker all the information he needs to stay hidden.
Step 3: Climax
Ends with Angela running from a different stalker who she mistakes for the original stalker to Ezekial's house for protection and discovers him changing into his mask. This leads to him confessing everything and trying to force himself on her. She ends up stabbing him in self defense.
Idea for the mask Ezekiel wears while stalking. Relevant to current day fears, simple to make or buy, creepy.
Tuesday 18 October 2016
Difference between scary and creepy
The difference between Scary and Creepy.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc
From what I gathered, being scared is the recognition of danger. There is something dangerous. You need to run, fight or hide from it. It's the absolute certainty that your well being is at stake, for example if you're being chased by a tiger. Creepy however is the uncertainty. The feeling that something is wrong but you're not quite sure yet if it's dangerous. It's unsettling in the worst way. For example (avert your eyes if you are not fond of horror or creepy things).
This is a creepy image. There's a very tall man that appears similar to tree branches. But we aren't sure if that's dangerous or not. We're on edge, uneasy, it may be a threat but there's no reason to logically assume so yet. But this:
Is a more certain danger. There's sharp teeth and a deathly complexion. These are both things that our survival instincts associate with danger and dying so we're less uneasy with this image, but are more likely to be scared.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEikGKDVsCc
From what I gathered, being scared is the recognition of danger. There is something dangerous. You need to run, fight or hide from it. It's the absolute certainty that your well being is at stake, for example if you're being chased by a tiger. Creepy however is the uncertainty. The feeling that something is wrong but you're not quite sure yet if it's dangerous. It's unsettling in the worst way. For example (avert your eyes if you are not fond of horror or creepy things).
This is a creepy image. There's a very tall man that appears similar to tree branches. But we aren't sure if that's dangerous or not. We're on edge, uneasy, it may be a threat but there's no reason to logically assume so yet. But this:
Is a more certain danger. There's sharp teeth and a deathly complexion. These are both things that our survival instincts associate with danger and dying so we're less uneasy with this image, but are more likely to be scared.
Monday 17 October 2016
Sunday 16 October 2016
Friday 14 October 2016
'Get Out' trailer analysis (Audio Visual)
Begins with opening of door to reveal protagonist. (metaphor for a new opening of his life?)
Fast cut to kiss. Quickly establishes relationship. Happy, bright colours. Homely vibe. They know each other well. Sets up plot. Both of their faces are shrouded mostly in darkness. Signifies the light, happy part of their lives is coming to a close. Relaxing tone, talking to his friend, casual conversation. Sets us at ease for the scare. Jump scare is the transition from calm tone to serious, ominous tone. Conversation with the policeman tells us what kind of place we're set in. Racism is the norm. First meeting with the parents establishes that the father is stereotyping. Father seems uncomfortable and wearing a forced smile. Makes us feel he's hiding something. The only other two black people besides the protagonist and his friend seem inhuman and strange. The first time attention is drawn to the mother we see the image of the spoon swirling in the cup and hypnotism is mentioned. This foreshadows the sinister visions. Reports of missing black people in the area pick the pace up. It's no longer just creepy, there's a real threat. Yet another seemingly strange black person. Close up to the camera flash on the protagonist's phone. The flash breaks the trance and his face slowly changes. Nose starts bleeding. First sign of blood more than half way into the trailer. Unusual for a horror/thriller. Relies more on suspense than scares. Protagonist seemingly knocked out and now the hypnotism comes back. The deer they hit from earlier makes a second appearance as a skeleton, screaming at the protagonist. This deer is a metaphor for the protagonist. It ran across the road, trying to escape from something but was hit by a car and was killed. This worries us as if that's the fate of the deer, what's the fate of the protagonist?
Overall brilliant trailer. Great use of lighting, brilliant performance, great use of sound, cinematography used effectively for establishment, e.g 46 seconds in, the wide shot of the house and the mise-en-scene was hard to analyse because of the fast pacing of the trailer but nothing seemed out of place. For reference, I've left the trailer below.
Fast cut to kiss. Quickly establishes relationship. Happy, bright colours. Homely vibe. They know each other well. Sets up plot. Both of their faces are shrouded mostly in darkness. Signifies the light, happy part of their lives is coming to a close. Relaxing tone, talking to his friend, casual conversation. Sets us at ease for the scare. Jump scare is the transition from calm tone to serious, ominous tone. Conversation with the policeman tells us what kind of place we're set in. Racism is the norm. First meeting with the parents establishes that the father is stereotyping. Father seems uncomfortable and wearing a forced smile. Makes us feel he's hiding something. The only other two black people besides the protagonist and his friend seem inhuman and strange. The first time attention is drawn to the mother we see the image of the spoon swirling in the cup and hypnotism is mentioned. This foreshadows the sinister visions. Reports of missing black people in the area pick the pace up. It's no longer just creepy, there's a real threat. Yet another seemingly strange black person. Close up to the camera flash on the protagonist's phone. The flash breaks the trance and his face slowly changes. Nose starts bleeding. First sign of blood more than half way into the trailer. Unusual for a horror/thriller. Relies more on suspense than scares. Protagonist seemingly knocked out and now the hypnotism comes back. The deer they hit from earlier makes a second appearance as a skeleton, screaming at the protagonist. This deer is a metaphor for the protagonist. It ran across the road, trying to escape from something but was hit by a car and was killed. This worries us as if that's the fate of the deer, what's the fate of the protagonist?
Overall brilliant trailer. Great use of lighting, brilliant performance, great use of sound, cinematography used effectively for establishment, e.g 46 seconds in, the wide shot of the house and the mise-en-scene was hard to analyse because of the fast pacing of the trailer but nothing seemed out of place. For reference, I've left the trailer below.
Thursday 13 October 2016
Inside Man
Inside Man
Character number 1: Detective Keith Frazier
This is arguably the film's protagonist (personally I think there's multiple protagonists). Played by Denzel Washington.
His main goal in the film is to marry his significant other and advance his career. Once the second character, which I'll get to in a minute, robs a bank, Detective Frazier is given his big break when he's put in charge of the negotiation. His sub goal is to now get all the hostages out alive and catch the bank robbers. His obstacles for his main goal include money and the struggle of climbing the economic ladder, while the obstacles of his sub goal are the bank robbers themselves. Towards the end of the film, the lead bank robber becomes the solution to his main obstacles by providing him with a diamond to fix the money and enough credit as the hero to advance in his career.
Character number 2: Dalton Russel
This is the film's second protagonist as he also gets what he wants and a lot of the narrative is also based around him. His goals are quite obscure throughout most of the film but by the end are revealed to be simply getting rich and exposing the bank owner for his past mistakes. Portrayed by Clive Owen.
The obstacles for his goal are simple. The police, detective Keith Frazier and the banks security. He manages to escape the bank with enough diamonds to give him all the money he needs and the documents to prove the bank owners evil deeds. At first he seems like the antagonist but as the story progresses we see he's not standing between Keith Frazier and his goal, and so he can't be the antagonist.
Character number 3: Madeleine Foster
This is the helper of both protagonists. She offers Dalton an alternate path to escaping the bank but he refuses and she also contributes to hindering the real antagonist of the film (at least for Dalton) the bank owner. Portrayed by Jodie Foster.
At first she seems to be helping him and in turn helps Keith Frazier to try and hinder Dalton but once she discovers the truth she quickly changes alliances. Her main goal is simply to do her job and make money. She managed to do her job and got paid for it. She also continues to help Frazier after her job is complete, boosting his career even more than Dalton.
Script for horror trailer (first draft)
Script for horror trailer
(opening credits)
(Black screen)
Adam: Why is it in horror movies, whenever there’s a ghost,
you see it? Kind of defeats the point…doesn’t it?
(following shot of main protagonist walking in a
semi-crowded area in the morning, then fade to black)
Adam: I mean, if some supernatural thing was trying to kill you,
it would just kill you…right?
(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a
less crowded area later in the day, fade to black again)
Adam: Why would they waste time showing themselves but only
slightly to scare you? It doesn’t make sense. That’s why I don’t believe in
ghost stories.
(Another following shot of main protagonist alone at dusk walking
through a quiet street, fade to black again)
Adam: Maybe it’s just me, but I think if I was a ghost, I’d
never let people see me. Not until it was too late anyway.
(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a
quiet street alone, nearing full darkness, fade to black)
Adam: I think the thought of that is much scarier, don’t
you? Like whenever you’re walking home alone in the dark and you involuntarily
look behind you.
(Another following shot of main protagonist walking in a
quiet street alone, full darkness. Fade to black)
Adam: Apparently it’s been scientifically proven that it’s
not just paranoia and that feeling is your nervous system alerting you of
something intensely focusing on you.
(Another following shot of main protagonist walking through
a dark alleyway with no lighting. Fade to black)
Adam: So how come people are more scared of ghosts than that
feeling. After all that feeling is real and is warning you of real danger. I
don’t know about you but the next time I get that feeling, I’m checking behind
me.
(Camera follows main protagonist until the end of the
alleyway, then the protagonist turns out of frame to reveal someone standing
behind her)
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Vladimir Propp's theory.
Vladimir Propp's theory of narrative.
According to Propp, characters serve as a narrative action. Providing structure to a play, book, film, etc.
Nearly all narrative's follow the same 8 characters.
The Hero- The protagonist that has a goal to accomplish. E.G Rocky's goal to win the match in Rocky.
The Villain- The main opposition to the hero, obstructing them from their goal as much as possible. E.G The Government in the Hunger games, opposing Katniss' goal to survive.
The Donor- A helper to the protagonist of sorts who provides them with some sort of useful item or information, vital to their goal. E.G Grace providing Jake with his Avatar.
The Dispatcher- The one who gives the hero their goal/quest. E.G Gandalf telling Frodo to destroy the One Ring.
The False Hero- This one is less common but they disrupt the hero's progress by making fake claims. E.G J. Jonah Jameson Jr., the reporter from Spider-Man constantly out to slander him.
The Helper- The number one ally of the hero who aids them in their goal. Their are usually multiple helpers but traditionally, one is more prominent in the plot than the others. E.G Baymax in Big Hero 6.
The Princess- The reward for the hero. Not always a person but usually the "damsel in distress" that the protagonist acquires when he gets the girl. E.G Elsa when Anna ventures out to get her sister back in Frozen.
The Father- The one who gives the reward to the hero for completing their quest. E.G the King in Shrek 2, Fiona's father.
According to Propp, characters serve as a narrative action. Providing structure to a play, book, film, etc.
Nearly all narrative's follow the same 8 characters.
The Hero- The protagonist that has a goal to accomplish. E.G Rocky's goal to win the match in Rocky.
The Villain- The main opposition to the hero, obstructing them from their goal as much as possible. E.G The Government in the Hunger games, opposing Katniss' goal to survive.
The Donor- A helper to the protagonist of sorts who provides them with some sort of useful item or information, vital to their goal. E.G Grace providing Jake with his Avatar.
The Dispatcher- The one who gives the hero their goal/quest. E.G Gandalf telling Frodo to destroy the One Ring.
The False Hero- This one is less common but they disrupt the hero's progress by making fake claims. E.G J. Jonah Jameson Jr., the reporter from Spider-Man constantly out to slander him.
The Helper- The number one ally of the hero who aids them in their goal. Their are usually multiple helpers but traditionally, one is more prominent in the plot than the others. E.G Baymax in Big Hero 6.
The Princess- The reward for the hero. Not always a person but usually the "damsel in distress" that the protagonist acquires when he gets the girl. E.G Elsa when Anna ventures out to get her sister back in Frozen.
The Father- The one who gives the reward to the hero for completing their quest. E.G the King in Shrek 2, Fiona's father.
Todorov's theory.
Todorov's theory of narrative is that all plots follow the same 5 key points.
1. State of Equilibrium.
This is the way of life the film usually begins with. The norm. For example in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fin's way of life is being a storm trooper.
2. Disruption of Equilibrium.
This is when the protagonist's main flow of life changes and they may find their goal. For example again in Star Wars, Fin is horrified by the battle.
3. Recognition of Disruption.
This is when the protagonist realizes that something has changed and they must adjust to it. For example Fin meets Poe and escapes with him.
4. Attempts to Repair Disruption.
This is when the protagonist tries to get rid of the disruption and either return to the previous way of life or find a new flow. For example Fin tries to fight the Sith with Rei.
5. New Equilibrium.
This is the new way of life that the protagonist finds after they reach their goal. For example Fin joins the Rebels and becomes a soldier.
1. State of Equilibrium.
This is the way of life the film usually begins with. The norm. For example in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fin's way of life is being a storm trooper.
2. Disruption of Equilibrium.
This is when the protagonist's main flow of life changes and they may find their goal. For example again in Star Wars, Fin is horrified by the battle.
3. Recognition of Disruption.
This is when the protagonist realizes that something has changed and they must adjust to it. For example Fin meets Poe and escapes with him.
4. Attempts to Repair Disruption.
This is when the protagonist tries to get rid of the disruption and either return to the previous way of life or find a new flow. For example Fin tries to fight the Sith with Rei.
5. New Equilibrium.
This is the new way of life that the protagonist finds after they reach their goal. For example Fin joins the Rebels and becomes a soldier.
Tuesday 11 October 2016
Sunday 9 October 2016
Weekly news 3
Orignal story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-37600633
WARNING: To anybody who might dislike the sight of blood/gore, I don't suggest you continue reading. There's a few pictures and descriptions that you probably would do best without.
To summarize this story, after an argument on the tram, a 36 year-old man from manchester was sliced in his neck by a knife before the attacker ran out of the Velopark stop. Luckily the man is in hospital, in a stable condition, healing well. The slice didn't damage any vital arteries and so the most that will come out of this is a scar. There's barely any information so far and there was a ton of witnesses so this is slightly worrying. Especially with the rumored clown attacks. This is a picture of the wound caused.
So if this kind of thing can happen in broad daylight with several witnesses and the police haven't caught the attacker after 2 days...what trust can we have in our police? That seems like an easy catch. There's no shortage of cameras on stations and trams either so they must have identified him by now. I'm sure it's not as easy as I'm making it out to be but it doesn't make me feel very safe.
WARNING: To anybody who might dislike the sight of blood/gore, I don't suggest you continue reading. There's a few pictures and descriptions that you probably would do best without.
To summarize this story, after an argument on the tram, a 36 year-old man from manchester was sliced in his neck by a knife before the attacker ran out of the Velopark stop. Luckily the man is in hospital, in a stable condition, healing well. The slice didn't damage any vital arteries and so the most that will come out of this is a scar. There's barely any information so far and there was a ton of witnesses so this is slightly worrying. Especially with the rumored clown attacks. This is a picture of the wound caused.
So if this kind of thing can happen in broad daylight with several witnesses and the police haven't caught the attacker after 2 days...what trust can we have in our police? That seems like an easy catch. There's no shortage of cameras on stations and trams either so they must have identified him by now. I'm sure it's not as easy as I'm making it out to be but it doesn't make me feel very safe.
Monday 3 October 2016
The target audience of teenage thrillers.
Obviously the target audience of teenage thrillers is teenagers, from 13-19. Quite a specific age range. So how do the producers manage to market their film to specifically only a 6 year margin?
First, we'll get the obvious things out of the way. The protagonist is usually a teenager to allow the audience to relate more and in turn, become more thriller. Themes used are commonly recognised and relate to teenagers, for example, sex, crime (depending on the film's premise) and sometimes school. Finally, the producers pitch their advertisements specifically to teenagers. But how?
The use of advertising for any type of product is key. To reach teenagers, clothing brands will often use things like social media to pitch their clothing. Film producers are also selling a product so they also pitch it to teenagers. They do this using many different techniques that make their advertisements more applicable to catch our attention, for example putting them on social media, used predominantly by teenagers. They can also make them fast paced and short, as most teenagers lose interest quite quickly and these kinds of pitches are much better received.
First, we'll get the obvious things out of the way. The protagonist is usually a teenager to allow the audience to relate more and in turn, become more thriller. Themes used are commonly recognised and relate to teenagers, for example, sex, crime (depending on the film's premise) and sometimes school. Finally, the producers pitch their advertisements specifically to teenagers. But how?
The use of advertising for any type of product is key. To reach teenagers, clothing brands will often use things like social media to pitch their clothing. Film producers are also selling a product so they also pitch it to teenagers. They do this using many different techniques that make their advertisements more applicable to catch our attention, for example putting them on social media, used predominantly by teenagers. They can also make them fast paced and short, as most teenagers lose interest quite quickly and these kinds of pitches are much better received.
The genre of thriller and how it overlaps.
Thriller is a genre associated with the entertainment industry, used commonly in film and literature. It commonly overlaps with other genre's like horror and action because of the shared theme of "fight or flight". In an action movie, the main protagonist is usually facing a foe or some sort of obstacle that's keeping them from their goal, so they must fight through it. In a Thriller, it's more common that the main protagonist will have to run from that foe rather than fight through it (although it's not exclusive to running, sometimes they will fight). And in a horror, it's nearly always flight over fight as it isn't very scary if the antagonist is beaten by a regular person. Thriller can be separated from horror by being more realistic as horror's are often supernatural. However if this is not a difference (for example the purge) then it can also be differentiated by the characterisation. In horror movies it is usually the decisions of the protagonists that lead them to trouble, for example going into the forest at night, however in thrillers, it's usually no fault of the protagonist that these tragic events have befallen them, the antagonist has started the conflict. As for differentiating thriller and action, that's much easier. A thriller is based on the threat of impending violence and danger. If the hero doesn't complete a certain task, something grave will happen. In an action, while sometimes it also follows this plot of impending doom, the hero is usually already facing the violence and danger. The threat is already upon the protagonist and he (or she but commonly male) must overcome the danger to achieve their goal. Thriller is based much more on suspense building up to the big action scene, while an action has little to no suspense and is a roller coaster of action the entire way through.
10 Key Elements of a thriller.
10 Key Elements to a thriller:
1. A good story
First and foremost, there has to be a strong sense of “dread” in any thriller. This is usually accomplished through the quest to prevent disaster from striking. There should be a high-concept plot with a shocking climax; the reader won’t get this through a story about someone who is trying to “find themselves”, but will if it’s about saving a person/a nation/the planet. Every scene should contain conflict and tension of some kind. Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park springs to mind here.
2. An action-packed opening chapter
The introduction of a good thriller always sets the pace for the rest of the book; it should be tense and compelling, not a chance for the author to cram in a load of information about the characters’ backgrounds (this should come – subtly – later). Very early on in the book, it should be clear what the protagonist wants and what he or she fears.
3. A likeable protagonist
The reader should warm to the main character quickly and be able to identify with him or her. If they don’t feel any connection or sympathy towards the hero or heroine then, quite frankly, they won’t care what happens to them! The character should develop as the plot continues; they don’t have to be perfect – in fact, flaws in a personality are much more realistic – but the reader should become emotionally attached to them. A character who has a solid moral code and who has been hurt in the past will always help achieve this.
4. Multiple points-of-view
This isn’t the case with all thrillers – Steve Martini’s books are exceptions to this rule – but the majority of thrillers are written in the third person, with shifting points-of-view. This adds interest and complexity to the novel and allows the reader to see the story from different angles. It also increases the feeling of the aforementioned “dread”, as they have a better sense of the overall picture.
5. Cliffhangers
Each chapter should end with the ultimate cliffhanger, leaving the reader crying out: “Just one more!”. There’s nothing like a stunning shock, confession or unforeseen twist to encourage the reader to keep turning the pages. When the hero lands in deep trouble before the end of a section or chapter – stretching their determination, bravery and physical abilities to the max – the reader will want to see if they come out on top.
6. Ticking clock
Thrillers often have a race-against-time aspect to them – something that adds to the suspense and fuels the reader’s adrenaline rush. Whether it is a (literal) ticking time bomb or a criminal who will be sentenced to death in 48 hours if not proven innocent, this really adds to the pace of the book.
7. A world-class nasty villain
The antagonist needs to be as determined and clever as the protagonist, but also utterly immoral, terrifying and nasty at the same time. It helps if the reader can watch the villain in action and can see the crimes taking place; this makes us despise the antagonist even more and adds to the excitement.
8. Character growth
A thriller is always made better if the main character becomes mentally stronger as the story unfolds, showing some sort of victory against his or her personal demons. For example, in Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs, Clarice becomes stronger and tougher at the end, and is finally seen as a professional FBI agent in what was a male-dominated profession.
9. Teach us something
While we’re not looking for an information overload with this kind of book, a good thriller should always teach the reader something so they can go away feeling more informed on a subject – whether that subject is a social issue or a medical treatment. Sometimes, a story peppered with facts and accurate details can make the plot more believable.
10. An epic ending
A good thriller always has an epic ending that will blow your mind; an ending that will stay with you for days, if not weeks, after reading the final page. Sometimes, the ending will come as a surprise, even changing the entire meaning of the story and forcing you to rethink everything you thought was “real”. In fact, you may find you’ll have to read the book again to actually understand it. Without revealing any spoilers, Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl are examples of thrillers with truly spectacular endings. Unhappy or unresolved endings should be saved for literary fiction; in a thriller, the protagonist should overcome the antagonist – but only by an inch.
Sunday 2 October 2016
Tuesday 27 September 2016
Saturday 24 September 2016
Weekly news September 19th
Weekly news for week starting 19th of September
by Adam Picton.
Now my first weekly news, isn’t really a news story. There
are many news stories about it, but I’d prefer to just go the source of it all.
This video stirred up a lot of controversy when it first hit
light sometime around last year. And while I know it’s satire, I wished it was
real. It’d be magical to have people this stupid on earth. The woman in the
video’s stage name is Cassidy Boon, and she is a journalist. She writes most of
her articles as the character Cassidy Boon and stirs up controversy for
attention. This is the most famous occurrence of this but it is certainly not
the only one. After some further research on her, I also found out she’s
written about Vegemite being racist, men can’t be raped and how Harley Quinn is
too sexy in Suicide Squad. But back to the topic at hand.
Thursday 15 September 2016
This Girl Can VS Victoria's Secret
Starting
with the “This Girl Can” advert, we’ll go through 3 basic things. What we see,
who it’s for and why we see it. We open to a woman in a swimsuit walking from
some locker rooms towards a swimming pool. This opening shot establishes that
she just got changed to go swimming. This shot may not be for anybody in
particular but it lets us know immediately she’s about to do some physical
activity. We see this to establish the rest of the video which will include
females doing similar physical activity.
The next
shot I want to analyse is about 8 seconds in when a girl is putting a gum
shield in, presumably in a boxing ring but she also has pink, feminine nails on
and fake eye lashes and earrings. This is for girls who are worried that being
sporty and physical might make them come across as less sexy, which is mainly
14-30 year old woman. We see this because when we think of boxing, we don’t
usually associate it with make-up and cosmetics. The shot shows that just
because a woman does boxing, doesn’t mean she can’t still be girly or feminine
and doesn’t have to be manly. It’s encouraging to the target audience.
The final
shot I want to analyse is the shot that says “sweating like a pig” at about 34
seconds in. We see loads of women dancing and doing exercise but as it says,
they’re sweating profusely. However there’s a shot following this a couple of
seconds later saying “feeling like a fox”. This is for women 14-30 who are
again quite scared to seem like a “pig” because of how sweaty and unattractive
they’ll be while exercising. The following shot reassures them that they’ll
still be sexy and foxy despite sweating so much. We see this again, just to
encourage us to exercise and do sport.
Onto the “Victoria’s
Secret” advertisement. Rather than analysing a particular shot, I want to just
wrap it up in one, because many of the shots are just the same. They’re pretty
girls, all following the same body type, hair styles, features and expressions.
They’re all being very passive, posing for photos, not really doing much. This
is also for women 14-30 but not to encourage them to get active, just to buy
their products. We see all these shots to tell us, you aren’t beautiful unless
you look like these girls. They’re all beautiful and you don’t look like them
so you can’t be. But if you buy our products, you will look like them. That’s
pretty much the entire point of the advert so as you can see, despite being for
the same audience, there’s nearly no correlations between their messages, being
nearly completely opposite.
In
conclusion, the This Girl Can video shows all women as powerful, sexy and
independent, going out and being active. Meanwhile the Victoria’s Secret advert
shows all beautiful women as sexy, dependent and passive and implies any other
kind of women is not a woman at all and not beautiful.
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