Oscar Nominations

The BBC website has a really interesting analysis of the different genres of films that have won Oscars since the 1930s. The diagram below shows what this chart looks like.



1930  1940   1950   1960   1970   1980   1990    2000    2010

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17074585#thriller - Here is a link to the website to view the entire picture!!

Shocking Stats...

Here are some amazing statistics I have found for my case study... courtesy of Wikipedia...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End:

Budget: $300 million

Box Office: $963,420,425

Stars: Orlando Bloom
           Johnny Depp

Another Year

Budget: $8 million

Box Office: $18,124,262

Stars: Lesley Manville
Jim Broadbent
Ruth Sheen

 
This is shocking because Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End was the highest budget film made last year.
It has been able to promote a large budget due to the last two films both being very successful, and audiences will (in general) prefer the security of going to see a sequel of the first one or two films as they know what they are expecting. It is also because of it is made by Disney, which in itself is a HUGE company. I chose Another Year because of it's far lower budget... and sadly far lower box office.

 

Rough Cut Thoughts:

I decided to make a few changes to my rough cut...The script will become more friendly and light-hearted, this will allow us to explore deeper into her character, for example using a softer tone when reading the script out. Though the words will be open for audience interpretation.

I will also need to re-record the voice-over as my actress laughed a lot! Which was inevitably VERY difficult and proved almost impossible to edit out.

I think I am thankful to say that my footage is all fine and running well.. now all is left is to polish and perfect!

The End of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I went to see this film on Saturday night. I didn't have a great deal in common with my film, being a different genre, and having a bigger budget than mine!

But one similarity was the way that it opened, it has a narrator and is told in flashbacks.
It is narrated by Dr Watson as it begins with a big explosion, and Dr Watson starts to tell his story to the audience.


This technique of telling the story is largely forgotten in the film itself, until the end, when he is seen sitting down writing this story down on paper with his wife looking over him. He finishes his tale by saying what a close friend Holmes was to him, and how he misses him, and ends with "The End". Of course this is not in fact The End, as Holmes appears in an amazing disguise in his room.

A clever ending, and should my film ever be made i might use this technique of The End just before The End.


Here is a review of the film by JeremyJahns, I found on youtube, you will either love this presenter or hate him!

Editing Day One:

I decided to use continuity editing to ensure the story gets told. I will then edit the audio over all of the film, making a continuous narrative throughout.
I am to create this using Premiere Pro for this. I find this very useful for editing as I can add in all of the effects I need and cut the audio and video accordingly.

I will also use some cross editing and montage editing in my piece. To emphasise her sense of loss.

In this day I hope to achieve the first minute of editing.

Problems: I have had many, many problems with the computer, due to problems with the colouring... this means it is VERY hard to edit the video, so whilst I wait for the technician, I can edit the audio accordingly and then edit the video to fit in when the colours have been finished.

The audio I have been editing has a fair amount of extra noise which is unwanted and I cannot edit out... some re-recording may be on the horizon.

Ted Hughes

I chose to use a poem by Ted Hughes from his book 'Birthday Letters' which was written for his wife Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide in front of their two children.
I chose the poem 'The Badlands' stanza 6 which says;

'The silence, At least, 
like a cooling incinerator
Was an afterlife. As it cooled
Every clinker inched its shadow wider
and darker
Like a little door. There we camped,
The most inimical place I was ever in.
Too late to go on. I remember.'

I used this because of it's strong sense of loss and the love he had for his wife.

Ted James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet and children's writer. He is often seen as one of the greatest British poets by many critics. 
He was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.
This is a video of Richard Armitage read Ted Hughes' letter to his wife's parents after her death.

His marriage with Sylvia Plath was difficult and his part in the relationship has become controversial to some feminists and in particular, American admirers of Plath. His last poetic work, Birthday Letters (1998), explored their complex relationship, it was very deep and moving which is why I chose it.
 The poems in this book make reference to Sylvia Plath's suicide, but none of them directly address the reason or way of her death.

Beginners: 'This is what the sun looks like...'Some of the Aspects I used.

I used the idea of saying 'This is what the sun looks like' this is shown right near the beginning of the film after he has brought the dog home with him.
I liked this as it has not been used in any of the films I have seen and I found it very unusual, and interesting, as I enjoy photography.

I also used narration, like in this. In Beginners the narration is very monotone which allows the audience to interpret the information in their own way, which I could use in my piece. Although, there is a slight undertone of unhappiness in this which is perfect for my film.

I also used a similar theme to this in mine. Which is the theme of loss of someone you love. Though who Sophia Green has lost is not directly shown, it is apparent as she lets go of a red balloon. Whereas in this film, it is his father who has died.