The film is entitled 'Raze'; meaning to destroy, flatten and wipe out and depicts the everyday struggles faced by Erin, a young timid teenage girl who is out casted by her peers at school in a crowded inner city area of London and who faces a change of character and self within the course of the film as the frustration gets a hold on her. As loneliness and silence becomes too much for her to bare, with her mothers alcoholism on a steep incline along with the physical abuse as a result of this and the constant taunting at school due to Erins inability to communicate with those around her, Erin goes about her day with a sense of emptiness and its clear her lust for life is diminished, much like it is also non existent in the bleak grey of the inner city council estate that she calls home, or is some what trapped in. When Erin witnesses some boys from her school beat up a boy from her class due to sheer boredom, Erin sits by watching and does nothing to help, envious of the power and fear that the young boys exert onto others. She lurches over the bruised boy, simply staring as if to show she has had enough of life in this area and had enough of being on the weak side.
We then see Erins character spiral out of control, into a girl who makes people see her and uses violence and aggression as a way of communicating and gaining what she wants. This creates a vast opposite to the Erin that we see as an audience a the beginning of the story. She goes home and confronts her mother, smashing her alcohol bottles and finally having a voice, sending her mother into shock and realisation about her behaviour. She then cuts off all of her hair, indicating both an emotional and physical change in her character as she takes control of her life, through turning to violence and crime as a way of gaining power, security and control within the estate, going into school and making herself heard with the use of violence to other school kids. After holding a knife to her own teacher who had previously offered support and guidance to her, Erin sees the fear in the womans eyes which only pushes her to seek more power. She flees the premise and is forced to sleep on the streets with no way of returning to her home, due to fear of arrest. As Erin spends each night alone on the streets in the darkness she begins to realise that she is once again alone and empty and as a viewer we see the realisation of what she has done on her face as she tries to come to terms with the changes she made to herself as well as returning to a stable way of thinking.
This film shows how a young girl is forced into a life of violence, crime and abuse as a way of surviving the harsh realities of inner city gang culture and the poverty ridden life of those with nothing but the clothes they have on their back. This social realist film hopes to give explanation, not reason, as to why these youths may become the way that they are, and hopes to show in many cases that it is not through choice.
Monday 18 October 2010
Pre-production Power Points
Below are the scanned versions of our group Powerpoint presentation which we wrote to demonstrate our product and show our research into the selected genre. The presentation also demonstrates our understanding of the genre and shows how we came to decide upon a plot/narrative, audience for the trailer aswell as the representation of characters and stereotypes that we wanted to include within our film, taking into account the way these factors and key titles would affected by the codes and conventions of the particular genre of thriller.
Presentation Part 1
Presentation Part 2
SWOT Analysis
Feedback on Pre-Production Power Points from Group
From the other members of our A2 media group we have found that our key strengths within our ideas planning and research for our own thriller/action trailer is that our trailers that we have selected for research are good examples of the codes and conventions of the the chosen genre. The films such as 'Harry Brown' and 'Adulthood' are also examples of social realism and also look at subject matter of a similar content of the narrative that we have created, looking at the representation of youth and gang culture a long with the urban inner city lives of these youths and the problems they struggle with. This therefore gives us examples that we can look at and directly base our own trailer and film upon.
The group have also identified that, the fact we have chosen to challenge the common idea within the genre of action thriller, that the male is the lead character, is a good way of making the representation of females more equal and also creates a product that is new and challenging while also sticking to the codes and conventions and still appealing to a similar audience. The fact that the targeted audience are also of a similar age to both us and the characters used within the film and trailer also means that characters are relatable and the situations will also be realistic and believeable for people of this culutural age, making the the film more successful on a whole. The group also liked the idea of developing the main lead female character throughout the trailer, so the audience are also able to see both a physical and emotional change of character and personality and therefore giving some degree of connection and understanding of the issues that the character faces and why she acts and changes in the way that she does.
The group identified our main limitation as whether or not we would be professionally and realistically able to portray violence in our trailer scenes in a believable way, as we do not have access to professional actors and have limited filming equipment and editing programs to create these shots. This could be a problem as we dont want the fight scene to detract from the idea of social realism, as this may make the storyline appear less life like and therefore break the connection between audience and character. In attemtping to solve this probelm we will use fast paced cuts and edits along with blurred movement of the characters during the fast paced fight to create a realistic and believable sequence of violence that will keep in tune with the rest of the social realist action thriller. This will hopefully not spoil the mood of the film and will prevent the trailer from looking cheap and cheesy. Someone in the group also raised the fact that it might be risky going against the common idea that male lead characters are dominant within this genre as this goes against the codes and conventions, however i think that we are filling a gap in the market where representations of females has been needed to make men and women more equal within the media as well as our British society.
The representations of gender, social class and issues such as violence and alcoholism will be fairly easy to portray through the use of setting, dress codes, speech codes and props and therefore i think that the audience will be able to gather understanding of Erin (the main characters) social background and place within society as her house will be shown, her mothers alcoholism and abusive behaviour towards her, as well as the use of props such as alcoohl bottles and for the other characters as well as Erin's clothes, the use of 'Hoodies' and dress codes associated with youth culutures such as 'chavs' and gangs will also give a clear indication of not only the urbanised setting of the film but also the area and people that Erin will be involved and associating with.
Presentation Part 1
Presentation Part 2
SWOT Analysis
Feedback on Pre-Production Power Points from Group
From the other members of our A2 media group we have found that our key strengths within our ideas planning and research for our own thriller/action trailer is that our trailers that we have selected for research are good examples of the codes and conventions of the the chosen genre. The films such as 'Harry Brown' and 'Adulthood' are also examples of social realism and also look at subject matter of a similar content of the narrative that we have created, looking at the representation of youth and gang culture a long with the urban inner city lives of these youths and the problems they struggle with. This therefore gives us examples that we can look at and directly base our own trailer and film upon.
The group have also identified that, the fact we have chosen to challenge the common idea within the genre of action thriller, that the male is the lead character, is a good way of making the representation of females more equal and also creates a product that is new and challenging while also sticking to the codes and conventions and still appealing to a similar audience. The fact that the targeted audience are also of a similar age to both us and the characters used within the film and trailer also means that characters are relatable and the situations will also be realistic and believeable for people of this culutural age, making the the film more successful on a whole. The group also liked the idea of developing the main lead female character throughout the trailer, so the audience are also able to see both a physical and emotional change of character and personality and therefore giving some degree of connection and understanding of the issues that the character faces and why she acts and changes in the way that she does.
The group identified our main limitation as whether or not we would be professionally and realistically able to portray violence in our trailer scenes in a believable way, as we do not have access to professional actors and have limited filming equipment and editing programs to create these shots. This could be a problem as we dont want the fight scene to detract from the idea of social realism, as this may make the storyline appear less life like and therefore break the connection between audience and character. In attemtping to solve this probelm we will use fast paced cuts and edits along with blurred movement of the characters during the fast paced fight to create a realistic and believable sequence of violence that will keep in tune with the rest of the social realist action thriller. This will hopefully not spoil the mood of the film and will prevent the trailer from looking cheap and cheesy. Someone in the group also raised the fact that it might be risky going against the common idea that male lead characters are dominant within this genre as this goes against the codes and conventions, however i think that we are filling a gap in the market where representations of females has been needed to make men and women more equal within the media as well as our British society.
The representations of gender, social class and issues such as violence and alcoholism will be fairly easy to portray through the use of setting, dress codes, speech codes and props and therefore i think that the audience will be able to gather understanding of Erin (the main characters) social background and place within society as her house will be shown, her mothers alcoholism and abusive behaviour towards her, as well as the use of props such as alcoohl bottles and for the other characters as well as Erin's clothes, the use of 'Hoodies' and dress codes associated with youth culutures such as 'chavs' and gangs will also give a clear indication of not only the urbanised setting of the film but also the area and people that Erin will be involved and associating with.
Monday 11 October 2010
Reviewing Research & Planning for our own Production
We plan to produce a current and contemporary film trailer for a film in the action thriller genre of cinema that will tackle dominant issues within our current society that effect socially and economically deprived youths from the inner areas of large cities. The film we be a social realist action thriller therefore will be focusing on real life issues from our UK society that effect people on an every day basis. The film will follow the life struggles of a young working class girl named Erin, who has enough of her negative life, caused by her alcoholic mother and negative experiences of school, and changes her attitude, approach and identity, in an attempt to fit in or even escape and better herself, in her run down inner city community.
The film will focus mainly on the representation of gender as from my research I have discovered that most action thriller's draw the main focus onto the lead male characters. This is due to the fact that most audiences interested in the thriller and action genre may be predominantly male although that is not to say that women will not like them as well, as large Holly Wood names such as DiCaprio and Bruce Willis are generally used as lead characters purely as a means of objectification of men for women, creating a movie that is desirable to both of the sexes increasing the viewing audience dramatically. As a female myself I do feel however that this genre is more so one sided towards the hegemonic masculine dominance that has been a part of our society for many years, showing a predominantly male lead in thrillers such as 'Inception', 'Shutter Island' and 'Harry Brown' and therefore I want to challenge these codes and conventions by using a Female lead character. and showing that not only males can be involved in action and thrill. This therefore will also give the female audience a new genre to be more involved in and open up the viewing audience to a wider spectrum and therefore will also give a more equal representation within the film industry of males and females, showing both their importance.
When planning the content of our film we will also need to consider the codes of practise and laws and regulations within the film and advertisement industry regarding the use of knifes, violence and the portrayal of alcoholism as we do not want to offend any viewers, therefore creating bad publicity, creating a likely result of reducing the targeted audience. We also don't want to create negatively influencing stereotypes of characters, or negatively influencing scenes of events that may lead youths to act in a similar way or endanger themselves due to a false sense of confidence.
To overcome this we will try and make the film as socially realistic and correct to the modern UK society as possible, so that the film becomes relatable and gives explanation to things that happen to deprived youths on an everyday basis. As the film will need some twist and action sequences to fit in with the codes and conventions of the genre and to ensure that the viewer does not become bored and the narrative pointless, we will have to include a part of the film that is more dramatised. For example this could be a minor fight scene or a heated argument that goes slightly too far, but we will need to ensure, as producers, that we don't make it appear to the audience that this type of behaviour is condoned, the norm or acceptable in society, but merely offers an explanation as to what leads people to go off the rails and act in such a negative and abusive way to others, in a worst case scenario.
We have chosen to entitle the film 'Raze' as the word itself con notates the idea of a razor which is sharp and dangerous and this reflects the inner city life that Erin experiences on an everyday basis. The word also means to destroy, flatten and wipe out, which represents the change in character, personality and attitude that Erin goes through, through the course of the film, changing from a shy, vulnerable girl to a violent and aggressive youth that seeks control and power in her life, destroying everything around her that she has built, and worked for so far in her life due to a strong sense of frustration that she feels.
Film Trailer Research: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life
Objective:
To identify the codes and conventions commonly used in teaser trailers which promote films within the genres of thriller and action.
Case Study:
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Trailer (2003) Directed by Jan De Bont
We decided to look at this film trailer although it is seven years older than the rest as we wanted to look at the representations of female lead characters in opposition to male leads, in action thrillers and thought that this was a perfect example where a female lead character has to take on masculine traits to be considered excepted as a strong and individual characer. Firstly the dress codes used create a strong and determined character as well as creating a very masculine appearance. Croft's hair is slicked back and her outfits almost military like with utility and gadget belts to store her weapons.
However she maintains a very curvascious and femine look in terms of her body's physical attributes, wearing low cut strappy tops which connotate the images of pin up girls from magazines, indicating that her only real femine traits that are left is her female body and its objectification for men. The props themselves are also very masculine, with her interests being portrayed as shooting, guns, martial arts and various other vigorous sports that require commitment and strength. The actor Angelina Jolie is also a very well known Hollywood actress, again with actor association drawing in the audience to the film. She is seen in society as a head strong woman which adds to the traits of the character Lara Croft even more.
In many films it is the male characters that have to save or in some way rescue the female characters, like the stereotypical 'damsal in distress'; depicting females as the weaker sex, making them both physically and emotionally unable to cope with the fast moving action. This film however contradicts this giving Croft the power and control in situations and making it evident to the audience that she can look after herself. However the fact that they have had to portray her with masculine traits shows that the ideology that women are weak is still very dominant in our society as if it were thought that females could look after themselves then Croft could be shown femininely without the need to take on a masculine role.
Much like the other three trailers that we have looked at, the codes and convetions on the porduciton and creation of the film trailer itself are similar if not the same. The trailer allows the story line to build up then goes into fast moving shots of action packed sequences where enigma and excitement is built up to a climax just before the trailer ends, leaving the audience wanting more, hence the name teaser trailer. The music is also fast paced with heavy drums and guitars to mirror the fast moving shot sequences of action and add to the overall mood of the film.
To identify the codes and conventions commonly used in teaser trailers which promote films within the genres of thriller and action.
Case Study:
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life Trailer (2003) Directed by Jan De Bont
We decided to look at this film trailer although it is seven years older than the rest as we wanted to look at the representations of female lead characters in opposition to male leads, in action thrillers and thought that this was a perfect example where a female lead character has to take on masculine traits to be considered excepted as a strong and individual characer. Firstly the dress codes used create a strong and determined character as well as creating a very masculine appearance. Croft's hair is slicked back and her outfits almost military like with utility and gadget belts to store her weapons.
However she maintains a very curvascious and femine look in terms of her body's physical attributes, wearing low cut strappy tops which connotate the images of pin up girls from magazines, indicating that her only real femine traits that are left is her female body and its objectification for men. The props themselves are also very masculine, with her interests being portrayed as shooting, guns, martial arts and various other vigorous sports that require commitment and strength. The actor Angelina Jolie is also a very well known Hollywood actress, again with actor association drawing in the audience to the film. She is seen in society as a head strong woman which adds to the traits of the character Lara Croft even more.
In many films it is the male characters that have to save or in some way rescue the female characters, like the stereotypical 'damsal in distress'; depicting females as the weaker sex, making them both physically and emotionally unable to cope with the fast moving action. This film however contradicts this giving Croft the power and control in situations and making it evident to the audience that she can look after herself. However the fact that they have had to portray her with masculine traits shows that the ideology that women are weak is still very dominant in our society as if it were thought that females could look after themselves then Croft could be shown femininely without the need to take on a masculine role.
Much like the other three trailers that we have looked at, the codes and convetions on the porduciton and creation of the film trailer itself are similar if not the same. The trailer allows the story line to build up then goes into fast moving shots of action packed sequences where enigma and excitement is built up to a climax just before the trailer ends, leaving the audience wanting more, hence the name teaser trailer. The music is also fast paced with heavy drums and guitars to mirror the fast moving shot sequences of action and add to the overall mood of the film.
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