Advanced portfolio Brief: 2. You are to produce a promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer (DVD), together with 2 of the following:

Advanced portfolio

Brief: 2. You are to produce a promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer (DVD), together with 2 of the following:

1. A website homepage for the film 2. A film magazine front cover, featuring the

film (A4) 3. A poster for the film. (NO larger then A3)

Through out this A2 course I will be researching different films genres for example (Dystopia and British crime) I will have to pick one and then research that further and get a really good understanding of how that genre works and understand how I can use ideas that have already been used through out the whole world of cinema. I also will be looking at film trailers and analysing them to help me further understand how the professionals make real trailers and how I could take ideas from them and maybe even change them to make them better. Then with this research I will then use it to make a film trailer as the main part of my media coursework.

Brief idea of what I will be doing in the course

Postmodern Theory Postmodern theory – challenging films and how they use hybrid genres.

What does postmodern mean?

Postmodernism is a term which describes the postmodernist movement in the arts, its set of cultural tendencies and associated cultural movements. It is in general the era that follows modernism. It frequently serves as an ambiguous overarching term for skeptical interpretations of culture, literature, art, philosophy, economics, architecture, fiction, and literary criticism. It is often associated with deconstruction and post-structuralism because its usage as a term gained significant popularity at the same time as twentieth-century post-structural thought.

Postmodernist film attempts to articulate postmodernism (its ideas and themes and methods) through the medium of film. Postmodernist film attempts to subvert the mainstream conventions of narrative structure, characterization and destroys the audience's suspension of disbelief. Typically, such films also break down the cultural divide between high and low art and often upend typical portrayals of gender, race, class, genre, and time with the goal of creating something different from traditional narrative expression.

Examples of Postmodern films

Pulp Fiction Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American dark comedic crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who also co-wrote the screenplay along with Roger Avary. The film is known for its eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humour and violence, nonlinear storyline, and a host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture; Tarantino and Avary won for Best Original Screenplay. Narrative structure of pulp fiction 1.Prologue—The Diner 2.Prelude to Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace's Wife3.Vincent Vega and Marcellus Wallace's Wife4.Prelude to "The Gold Watch" (a—flashback, b—present)5.The Gold Watch6.The Bonnie Situation7.Epilogue—The Diner

The Truman Show The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical social science fiction film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natasha McElhone. The film chronicles the life of a man who is initially unaware that he is living in a constructed reality television show, broadcast around the clock to billions of people across the globe. Truman becomes suspicious of his perceived reality and embarks on a quest to discover the truth about his life.

Examples of Postmodern films

Blade Runner Blade Runner is a 1982 American dystopian science fiction thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

Inglorious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth and Diane Kruger. The film tells the fictional alternate history story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany's political leadership, one planned by a young French Jewish cinema proprietor (Laurent), and the other by a team of Jewish-American soldiers led by First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt). The film's title was inspired by director Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 Macaroni Combat film, The Inglorious Bastards.

What conventions do postmodern films follow?

High art aesthetic style – for example the anime sequence in Kill Bill.

Challenging narratives – For example dystopia, hyper reality e.g. in films such as Being John Malkovich, The Matrix and the Truman show.

Pastiche – intertextual reference and parody/satire for example Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Scream.

Postmodern Film MakersQuentin Tarantino – Kill Bill, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained

Guy Ritchie – Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Revolver

Danny Boyle – Trainspotting, Trance, 28 Days Later and Sunshine.

Ridley Scott – Blade Runner, Alien and Gladiator.

Stanley Kubrick – 2001: A Space Oddysey, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket

The Coen Brothers – The Big Lebowski, Fargo and Burn After Reading.

Christopher Nolan – The Prestige, Memento and Inception.

David Fincher – The Social Network, Fight Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

TheoryTheoretical key concepts: Genre theory and research into film trailers of a specific genreNarrative theory Language Theory (semiology) and media literacy Representation theory Audience theory Film trailer conventions All planning/amendments for your trailer ideas (storyboard etc.) Film promotion research/ideas All research for you ancillary products

Narrative theory What is the narrative theory? Recap on some of the theorists from last year (Levi Straus, Propp, Todorov, Barthes)What are the narrative themes in the film?(Opposing) (Dystopia?) (Challenging?) How is the story told? Through which characters? (Proppian) What is the structure of the narrative storyline? How is the narrative disrupted? (Postmodern – Nonlinear/Anti narrative) Propp Character types – hero (protagonist) Antagonist (Nemesis) Helper (Sidekick) Damsel in distress, False hero Todorov Narrative structure – Equilibrium Disequilibrium (Disruption) Realisation New equilibrium (Resolution) Levi-Strauss Binary opposites/opposing themes (Class) Barthes Narratives codes, Enigma codes

Language Theory

What codes and conventions are used in your film trailers? Interpret some of the films’ key semiology used (iconography of the film) For example: The Matrix The Matrix = the hidden ‘Big Brother’ network controlling society The name ‘Neo’ = signifying a ‘new’ hope – revolutionary hero. Semiology/semiotics Study of signs (icons in the text) or Iconography. (Peirce) (Denotes) Signified Implied meaning (Connotes)

Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of reality such as people, places. Objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Suck representation may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures. The term refers to the processes involved as well as to its products. For instance, in relation to the key markers of identity – class, age, gender and ethnicity (the cage of identity) – representation involves not only how identities are represented within the film but also how they are constructed in the processes of production and reception by people whose identities are also differentially marked in relation to such demographic factors. The easiest way to understand the concept of representation is to remember that watching a film is not the same as watching something happen in real life. All media products in this case films represent the real world to us; they show us one version of reality, not reality itself. So, the theory of representation in media studies means thinking about how a particular person or group of people are being presented to the audience.

Representation theory

Conventions Heist, car chases, robberiesMafia (American) (crime organisation(British) underworldAnti-hero (criminal) Detectives, police (Normal hero)Drugs, violence, murderMaterialistic (makes them believable) Location (Crowded cities, dark streets)Femme fatale American crime films Bonnie and Clyde (1967)On the waterfront (1954) 1940s Noir – The third man The Godfather (1971) Reservoir dogs (1992) Goodfellas (1990) Natural born killers (1994) No country for old men (2007) British crime films Brighton Rock (1947) Get carter (1971) Michael Caine Snatch (2000) Lock stock and two smoking barrels (1998) In Bruges (2008)

Crime conventions and examples of films

British Crime Genre

•Around the 1940/50’s ‘British Noir’ came about, reflecting British Crime/everyday life around that era e.g. ‘Brighton Rock’ which was released in 1947.

•During the 1970/80’s ‘gritty’ British crime immersed itself into films where all the lead roles were taken by strong stereotypical male characters, these films also represented gang culture etc. a good film example of this era is ‘Get Carter’ released in 1971.

•As the 90’s rolled on, British gangster films converted themselves to Postmodernism where films like ‘Sexy Beast’(2000) and ‘Snatch’(2000) were produced. These films borrowed iconography from past British crime films which often featured cockney slang and ‘New Laddism’ (subculture)to add a comical edge to it.

British crime history

Crime film originates from Hollywood Gangster films from the silent era around the 1920’s, these crime films actually reflected what was going on in the current period e.g. Around the 1930’s when Al Capone was at large, ‘Public Enemy’ was released.

Gangster films were still about in the 1970/80’s but had become a lot darker and violent featuring drug dealing and mobs. This was around the time of the economic depression where films like Mean Streets (1973) and Scarface (1983) were released. Blaxploitation films also came about around this era, these films had a mainly all black cast, the films used a lot of stereotypes and dealt with racism and drug dealing etc.

The 1990’s was the era of Postmodern crime, around this time there were a lot of different ideologies going about. Some directors pushed themselves away from the flock by using ideas from the past and the present to challenge the modern era. Films like Pulp Fiction (1994) and Jackie Brown (1997) were released, both of these films were produced by Quentin Tarantino who is a famous Postmodern director.

American crime

Dystopia genre

Themes: Dystopian worlds; unpleasant or bad place. (Environmentally degraded one)Dystopian explores postmodern themes.Narratives take place in an aftermath of a disaster. (Alien invasion, weather hazard)Relates to real life themes in society.The possibility of human demise: survivors struggle for existence. These films create the sense of finality and in some instances a new beginning/ survival/ re-birth. Character types: Heroic male protagonist Postmodern cowboy – loner, pushed into action (survives against the odds) Groups/tribes (animal like) who seeks to profit from violent anarchy. Sub-genre: science fiction – a sense of ‘science gone wrong’ where the future is controlled by a big brother (Blade runner) The matrix (1999) Post-apocalyptic – end of the world scenario with limited survivorsHorror – presenting a chaotic world of mutants or zombies created from human genetic Darwinism

Dystopia

Dystopian films

28 days later (Danny Boyle 2002):Disruption – Zombie apocalypse Hero – Jim and Salina Equilibrium: Disruption: Zombies attack England Restoration: Zombies starve to death (Jet finds the hero’s) The mist (Frank Darabont 2007): Disruption – A species of bloodthirsty creaturesHero – David DraytonEquilibrium: A family man is happily at home. Disruption: The mist comes and he gets stuck in the store as creatures attack them Restoration: The army comes and starts killing all of the creatures but David has already killed his family to save them. The day after tomorrow (Roland Emmerich 2004):Disruption – Extreme weather Hero – Jack HallEquilibrium: Son happily going away to New York for college Disruption: Extreme weather hits the northern hemisphere and that’s where Jacks son has gone Restoration: Jack goes all the way to New York to save his son and he succeeds (The weather passes and the world is back to normal)

Looper (Rian Johnson 2012): Hero – JoeEquilibrium: He’s making money and getting on with his jobDisruption: His older self comes back and he doesn’t kill him.Restoration: He kills himself and everything goes back to normal