Monday 22 October 2012
Sunday 21 October 2012
Independent Research 6
Dark Knight Rises cinematographer Wally Pfister calls The Avengers ‘appalling’
“I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling”
By Matt Maytum
The Dark Knight Rises’ Wally Pfister is one of the pre-eminent cinematographers working today, thanks in no small part to his work on Christopher Nolan’s films.
He’s currently working on his own directorial debut (details of which are very hush-hush), and he recently sat down for a chat with the Herald Tribune.
The most interesting thing that emerged from the conversation however, regarded TDKR’s superhero rival, The Avengers.
When asked, ‘What’s most important in shooting a film?’, Pfister responded, “What’s really important is storytelling. None of it matters if it doesn’t support the story.
“I thought The Avengers was an appalling film. They’d shoot from some odd angle and I’d think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.”
Not a fan then. Earlier in the interview, he even expressed hesitation at taking on Batman Begins:
“I’m not a big superhero fan. In terms of the movie-going experience for me, I love the realistic stuff because it’s just that much less formulaic. When I was first approached by Christopher [Nolan] for Batman Begins I was like, really? A guy in a rubber suit?”
The Dark Knight Rises hits DVD and Blu-ray on 3 December 2012.
He’s currently working on his own directorial debut (details of which are very hush-hush), and he recently sat down for a chat with the Herald Tribune.
The most interesting thing that emerged from the conversation however, regarded TDKR’s superhero rival, The Avengers.
When asked, ‘What’s most important in shooting a film?’, Pfister responded, “What’s really important is storytelling. None of it matters if it doesn’t support the story.
“I thought The Avengers was an appalling film. They’d shoot from some odd angle and I’d think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.”
Not a fan then. Earlier in the interview, he even expressed hesitation at taking on Batman Begins:
“I’m not a big superhero fan. In terms of the movie-going experience for me, I love the realistic stuff because it’s just that much less formulaic. When I was first approached by Christopher [Nolan] for Batman Begins I was like, really? A guy in a rubber suit?”
The Dark Knight Rises hits DVD and Blu-ray on 3 December 2012.
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Independent Research 5
Kristen Stewart talks about finishing The Twilight Saga
Exclusive: “It’s pretty easy to walk away.”
By Total Film
Kristen Stewart talks about the mixed feelings of finishing up The Twilight Saga with Breaking Dawn - Part 2 in the current issue ofTotal Film magazine.
It’s available for just £1.99 on your iPad, and also features contributions from Stewart’s co-stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, but here’s a sneak peak.
When we asked if it was sad or liberating to be finishing Twilight, Stewart responded, “Both. Fleetingly sad and maybe then once or twice after. Like when you suddenly smell something that reminds you of being on set. But it’s not sad in between those moments, because I feel like no stone was left unturned.
“Everyone thinks it’s hard to say goodbye, but it’s harder to say goodbye to crews and casts that I’ve only spent five weeks with. This was four years. I’m ready to say goodbye. I’m perfectly fine.
“Once the story has been told, you feel like you’ve done all you can do. It’s pretty easy to walk away. It’s not like it’s going anywhere. This one’s mine, forever.”
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 opens in the UK on 16 November 2012.
It’s available for just £1.99 on your iPad, and also features contributions from Stewart’s co-stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, but here’s a sneak peak.
When we asked if it was sad or liberating to be finishing Twilight, Stewart responded, “Both. Fleetingly sad and maybe then once or twice after. Like when you suddenly smell something that reminds you of being on set. But it’s not sad in between those moments, because I feel like no stone was left unturned.
“Everyone thinks it’s hard to say goodbye, but it’s harder to say goodbye to crews and casts that I’ve only spent five weeks with. This was four years. I’m ready to say goodbye. I’m perfectly fine.
“Once the story has been told, you feel like you’ve done all you can do. It’s pretty easy to walk away. It’s not like it’s going anywhere. This one’s mine, forever.”
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 opens in the UK on 16 November 2012.
Monday 15 October 2012
Wednesday 10 October 2012
Independent Research 4
Monsters University gets a brilliant website
Enrol at MU!
By Matt Maytum
Monsters University, Pixar’s eagerly-awaited prequel to Monsters, Inc., is quietly positioning itself as one of the most exciting filmic prospects of 2012.
A new tie-in website has been launched at monstersuniversity.com/edu, and rather than being a bland assortment of your usual promo material, it presents itself as an actual educational institution, with student testimonials, admissions info, alumni news and tons more.
Check it out, though be warned, you could easily end up losing your day to this incredibly detailed tie-in.
This approach is always a winner with us, favouring world-building detail over the hard sell, and increasing our anticipation without resorting to a deluge of spoilers.
We’re extremely tempted by an MU hoodie too (though it’s a shame the four-armed t-shirt is out of stock).
Monsters University takes a trip down memory lane to visit Mike and Sulley during their days in higher education, before they were Monstropolis’ top scare team.
It opens in the UK on 12 July 2013 (although those lucky US-based folk get it on 21 June).
A new tie-in website has been launched at monstersuniversity.com/edu, and rather than being a bland assortment of your usual promo material, it presents itself as an actual educational institution, with student testimonials, admissions info, alumni news and tons more.
Check it out, though be warned, you could easily end up losing your day to this incredibly detailed tie-in.
This approach is always a winner with us, favouring world-building detail over the hard sell, and increasing our anticipation without resorting to a deluge of spoilers.
We’re extremely tempted by an MU hoodie too (though it’s a shame the four-armed t-shirt is out of stock).
Monsters University takes a trip down memory lane to visit Mike and Sulley during their days in higher education, before they were Monstropolis’ top scare team.
It opens in the UK on 12 July 2013 (although those lucky US-based folk get it on 21 June).
Friday 5 October 2012
Film Language – Technical Features
The angle, focus and position of the camera always have a purpose, not just which it illustrates. It’s all done to represent something or someone in a particular way. In the clip “Hotel B” once the immigration team went looking round the hotel they instantly found a suspect. Once we are aware of the situation the camera works its magic. A close-up is used to represent the suspect’s facial expression, as we are so close we begin to feel as if we were in his position and we are able to feel what he’s going through. A fast zoom is used to reinforce the shock of the suspect and yet again we are able to see his facial expression at a closer look, The zoom and close-up are as if they are working together, both of their camera shots and movement is able to cut more of the background out making the audience focus on the subject, not what’s happening in the background. The camera also gives us enough information to understand that the subject is a black male who is an immigrant who works as a cleaner in a hotel, he appears to be around 20-25 and a working social class. I am able to tell this with the help of the shallow focus which is at place. I am able to purely focus on the male instead of anything else in the background which make cause distraction.
Editing (Post production)
Editing is a major part of any film work as it also helps the representation and meaning of a shot with the transitions and cutting of scenes. For example, when the black male sees the immigration team he begins to flee, straight after the close-up zoom shot. Three to four shots are shown with straight cuts and at quick speed (action match). This gives us a feel of the scene and with the fast cuts and fast motion shots we begin to get excited with the show and instantly become more interested and concentrated as you want to see what will happen next. We are able to tell what type of people the immigration team are due to the way they grab the male suspect and how quick they did so. It represented them as a very serious team which are not there to mess around, these reinforces the serious side of the scene.
Sound
Sound holds a huge part of film/tv show even though you might not notice it, it’s a mood starter and it sets the scenes. For example, going back to the scene of the male suspect being caught by the immigration team. There is a both diegetic and non-diegetic. Once the man notice’s he gasps which is a diegetic sound, just because of this sound we are able to tell how shocked and worried he is at that moment in time, but at the same time a non-diegetic sound is playing in the background, the backing music has a serious melody to it and once the action happens and the fast motion editing gets in place the sound gradually gets louder, as if it’s getting to you in real life. This grabs the attention of the audience. The soundtrack was picked deliberately to fit the theme of the scene. This also informs us about the type of hotel it really is, serious and tense.
Mise-en-Scène
Once in the small confined room all the immigrants are worried about what’s going to happen to them. The lightning and colour then take action to make that feeling really come to life, with the low key lighting and spot light like lights it reinforces the fast there in a confined space and that there all in a very depressing state at the time as there friend is unable is missing from the pack and faces getting caught. There’s lots of shadows on all the other characters who don’t have a big part in the scene and this makes them feel less important in the scene, this is also done when the unconscious woman becomes conscious, one of the male immigrants knew about the woman’s problem and was able to help her, whereas the woman who actually was helping the immigrants didn’t. Shadows then took place when she raised her head up and thanked the man. Also the Filming of the program took place in a location where as other programs would have probably been in a studio and a studio you have more freedom with the camera as you know how much space you need/want. The immigrant who got caught was wearing a uniform which was a brown/redy colour. It was clear to the audience that it was the cleaning uniform as one of the male immigrant says a line when there all in the small room "I wasn't always a cleaner". He was wearing the same uniform as the male who got caught meaning its the cleaners uniform. Other uniforms were present such as chiefs and female cleaner uniform. This also represent there working social glass and their status e.g. Cleaner for the hotel.
Johnny Fonseca
Wednesday 3 October 2012
Independent Research 3
Adele’s Skyfall single gets an official release date
Available from 5 October 2012
By Matt Maytum
Since it was confirmed that Adele would be singing the theme song for James Bond’s latest movie outing Skyfall, we’ve been desperate to hear a snippet of it.
We won’t have to wait much longer as the official release date of the single has been announced on Adele’s Facebook page, shortly after she tweeted an image of herself in the recording studio.
In a neat move, the single will be available in the UK from 0.07hrs BST (see what they did there?) on Friday 5 October. At least we know what we’ll be listening to at 0.08.
The cover art for the single (above) basically blends Adele’s face into the first Skyfall poster, and would seem to confirm that the song is also called Skyfall.
Skyfall, the 23rd official film in the James Bond series opens in the UK on 26 October 2012.
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