Evaluation

Evaluation; Reflective analysis

In this evaluation, I will be sharing my difficult but enjoyable journey through the adventure of film. I will also be discussing the knowledge I have gained and what I have learnt during the time of this course.

In my micro analysis, I studied the popular film Kill Bill Vol.1. In my exploration of the film, I did not just learn a large amount of information about the film, but also about how to research information on films. I learned what the cast crew had to do to produce and promote the film, and was surprised at the hard work which they had to input to make it a success, however I did know some information but I gained a more valuable insight to film making. It was difficult to research, however it was worth it because I gained information, I previously didn't know. In my textual micro analysis, I got the opportunity to put my knowledge and skill to the test. I wrote about the sound and special effects of Kill Bill Vol.1. Although I knew about theses topics it was fun to learn about different types of sound like diegetic and non-diegetic. This also took some researching, but it was more about observing the sequence, and noticing with your own eyes what is happening in font of the camera instead of behind it, in contrast to the exploration. Either way I leaned loads studying this and I now have a better understanding of how films are made.

For the next part of my coursework the pre-production I did a pitch and wrote a script. Firstly I had to come up with some ideas for a film and eventually decided on a solid idea for a film. For this I drew spider diagrams and made bullet pointed lists of ideas for films and explored different types of genres. I considered horror but however chose to do an action/drama film. Once the genre was decided I have to come up with a narrative which became about the upbringing of a prostitute and how she became who she is today, and then when my decision was final I had to create a pitch. Although when I did my pitch I was mostly unaware of what a pitch was like and what sort of information it contained, I researched pitches and easily had a great understanding of the task I had to do, including learning how to write a log line which became very useful. I wrote the pitch as if it was going to be presented to a producer; the most difficult part of this task was trying to fit all the details into few words. However it gave me a chance to describe my film in detail and gave me a greater experience in transferring my ideas from my mind onto paper. I also held real auditions and cast real people for the roles. When I had to perform the pitch I was nervous but I had so much passion that I could confidently give my ideas in the way the producers would like to hear. Overall it was a great experience because I learned a sizable amount about how to begin a film idea and how to present it to people and learned how to match ideas to the target audience, also to have practise in confidence having to stand up and verbally explain my film as well as show it on paper, and I feel I succeeded in this task.

I found doing my script partially hard, because trying to do a scene in the film, with a minimum of 500 words was difficult, however I enjoyed writing it because it gave me a chance to express what the film is really about and I felt like the film began to become real, finally starting to come together. Before writing the script I was unaware that the script font had to be a specific type which was most likely the most important and useful thing I learned. Also the arrangement of the writing was interesting to learn for example; the description on the left and dialogue in the middle and much more. Whilst writing I was unaware that the description had to be so specific and detailed, which was also very useful to know. I feel that the script definitely showed the genre of the film through words, because the film is a drama/action and that is a very dramatic scene and the dialogue showed that. Also I think it defined the personalities of each character, and the audience would be able to tell who the villain of the story is and who we feel sympathetic for.

When I did the production, I Made Three Posters. When I began I never even heard of Photoshop so it was very important to learn how to use it straight away, when I did the rest came less about knowing what to do and more about using your imagination more. I did a teaser, character and a final poster. I had to research a lot of what my films genre posters had on it, so I could get it right. I also used Dafont text to make the writing more interesting. Also it was very useful to know how to delete the background of pictures, so I could use the pictures the way I want. Also I leant how to change the contrast of pictures which became very useful. I also learnt to do a billing block so I could write the details of the whole cast and crew, which a poster needs, I used it for my character and final posters. For my teaser I took pictures from the internet but for the others I took my own original characters which I took of the people I cast’s characters. For character I used only pictures of the main character and only wrote name starring in the film. To show the posters genre I used the main colour as red to represent sex, and to show its Russian I used the three stripes of the three colours on the Russian flag. Overall even though it was a challenge an required a lot of research, I was very impressed with my posters, and looked at them as if they were real posters, I feel did very well and it was a success and I am very proud of them.

In conclusion I was impressed not only at my coursework but how much I pushed my self to do it. It involved loads of hard work, research and effort, which is what you need in the film industry to make it, as well as passion, which I know I have. I am impressed with all the work I have done and feel as id I tried my best and I learnt an astonishingly amount of information that I will keep with me forever, and I can also honestly say my knowledge of the wonderful world of film has grown, and learning it has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

By Jack Coribel

Film Exploration

Kill Bill Vol 1

Production Details

Kill Bill was a high budget film with a budget of 30 million dollars released in 2003. It was inspired by films such as "Lady Snowblood". The two films (Kill Bill Vol 2, being the other) were intended to be released as one, which took 6 years to write the script for, however the film was too long so they were released separately. Kill Bill was directed and written by Quentin Tarentino, who also famously directed films such as "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction".The production of the film was delayed because lead actress Uma Thurman was pregnant. The main producer for the film was Lawrence Bender, it was edited by Sally Menke, the music was by RZA and cinematography was done by Robert Richardson. The Studios were "A Band Apart" and "Supercool ManChu". It was distributed by Miramax Films and the running length of the film is 111 minutes. The nationality of the film is U.S.A, the main language is American, however it does contain scenes with other languages used for example; Japanese. It was filmed in several country's which were; America, China, Mexico and Japan. The main two principal cast members of the film are "Una Thurman" (The Bride) , "David Carradine" (Bill), but also features other celebrities as main characters such as "Lucy Liu", "Vivica A Fox", "Daryl Hannah" And "Micheal Madsen".

Distribution Details

The films theatrical release date was October 10th December 2003, it was released on D.V.D in the united states on 13th of April 2004. It was released first in theatres then on V.H.S, D.V.D and later Blu-ray. The theatrical distribution company for the U.S.A was "Miramax Films" and for the U.K was "Buenos Vista International". The film did not have a marketing budget. There was a test screening for the film at the "Land Mark Theatre" in Kendall Square for men and woman between the ages of 18 and 39, Tarentino made an appearance for the event. For promotion they used tag lines to get people interested in the film like "her comes the bride" and "will she kill Bill". Also many various posters were made and it was promoted by having trailers for the film.

Exhibition Details

Kill Bill Vol 1 was released in both multiplex and independent cinemas, it has also been shown at various festivals. The film was highly anticipated by many Tarentino fans, and he gained many viewers due to popularity of his previous films. The films budget was $55,000,000 (estimated), on its opening weekend , in the U.S.A to 3,102 screens, it earned $22,089,322. Also the film earned £162,857 to just 1 screen when it premiered in the U.K. Overall the film internationally grossed $180,949,045 more than double it's budget. The film in the U.S.A is rated "R" for strong bloody violence, language and some sexual content, in the U.K it was given an age certificate of 18. The films target audience was for both men and women between the ages of 18 and 39. The films gross revenue was very successful as well selling millions of copies. Overall the film was not just critically successful but also commercially successful, Although it did not get to number 1 in the box office charts,in the U.K, it did in the U.S.A, on October the 12th 2003.

Film Studies Assessment - Kill Bill Vol 1

In this assessment I have chosen to write about a two part action/ thriller film called Kill Bill. The narrative of the film is about a woman who is seeking revenge of an ex lover and old friends who caused her much pain. The film is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, and stars many familiar celebrities including; Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A Fox, Micheal Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Micheal Parks, Samuel L Jackson And David Carradine As Bill. Both films overall gross revenue was around 300 million dollars. The scene I have chosen is from Kill Bill Vol 1, it is the scene where the main character "Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride/Black Mamba" (played by Thurman), is fighting the Japanese gang " The Crazy 88".

For sound, at the beginning of the scene it starts with very modern day music which is called non-diegetic because we can hear it but the characters can't, but it has a element of an action type sound to it, contributing to the films genre, it also gets the listener anticipating what happens next. The first non-musical sound we hear in the film is of a gang members chain this is diegetic because the character can also hear the sound, this is done to make the listener feel not just scared, but anxious to see what he is going to do, with the weapon and how the problem will be resolved. The next sound we here is by another gang member screaming, even though he is screaming it is not from anger or pain, but from excitement, which tells us he is looking forward to his battle, also it suggests to the viewer that he has confidence, which makes us think he is good, which gets the viewer even more excited.

Later in the film other sounds we hear are from blood spraying out, this is done to make the viewer think that the situation is more realistic and it also helps show that it disgusting and although the director most likely wanted us to feel that it is horrible, because overall murder is horrible, it also entertains because when people want to see a horror film they want, the full experience and with the sound of blood being sprayed and squirted out of an human being gives us the full experience. Also later in the film we hear more background music but in contrast to the previous piece, it is very old school kung fu style music, which is done to create an atmosphere which would appeal to people who are fans of that film genre, it also contributes to this film genre because we can see them kung fu fighting but with the music in the background we can also hear it. Afterwards there is a really short piece of dialog, which was done to break the silence and make it more interesting.

Overall the two most frequent sounds are the noises of swords being clashed together and the gang of crazy 88's screaming in pain. The noise of the swords is done to make sure you can hear that they are using that particular weapon, also the effect to the listener is that they cant hear how hard the swords are hitting each other, and also the effect it has on the victim for example; if we can hear the sword is being hit several times we know they are not hit, and if not we know they have been stabbed. Also when we hear people screaming, it suggests that they are in pain, indicating that they have been hurt and was hit with the sword, the director chose to do this so that the viewer can more easily understand the amount of pain the victim is in, and he also done it to make the sequence less boring because there is not much dialog.

In the scene there are many uses of special effects (SFX). The first use of special effects is right at the beginning of the scene, the special effect used is when she looks into her sword and sees the reflection of her enemies standing behind her, we know this is a special effect and was done after filming because a reflection would not come out that good on camera, this was done to give the viewer a more clearer sight of what she can see, so we can know her tactics. Also the colours are made brighter so that the viewer can be more involved, because it would look as if they were there and not watching it on camera, because the colours wouldn't come out that realistic. Another use is in the scene where the lights go on and they fight in the dark, because they can't fight in the dark so it would have had to be done afterwards as a special effect.

Also the use of green screen as a special effect was done in this movie, for example; the scene were they are fighting up on a high level of a banister, this would have been done because it would be too dangerous to fight that high, even with wires, but it is done cleverly, so that it looks realistic, and the viewers can see how good it is and enjoy it as if it was done without the special effects. Also there are some uses of special effects where the actors are put on wire to do advanced martial arts, which would include gymnastics, and involved somersaults and other moves most of the actor can not do, and also for jumping to inhuman heights that would be humanly impossible to do in reality. This is done to entertain the viewers and to make it look as real as possible, which gives the viewer a thrill from seeing them perform impossible tasks, however I think the director should not have used wire because even though the SFX make it look good its still too unrealistic.

Also a different special effect used is a few times there were moments of slow motion, this is done to make the viewer see things slowly, so that they can see them in more detail, not just what they are doing, but the expression on their faces, whether its anger or pain. Overall the most constant and frequent special effects would be the blood spraying, which is done by special effects, which is obvious because the actor are not actual being slaughtered, which is a reason why special effects was used there, another is so that the viewer can grasp how bad the victims were affected by the painful wounds. This also includes cuts which would have been put on with make up, but then re-done on computer to make realistic.

In conclusion the film in general is very entertaining due ti not just its great narrative but what contributes to it from the excellent actors and the amazing sound and special affects. The sound was done well, so that the viewers can hear what is going on as well as just see it and also the background music creates a great atmosphere, contributing to the films genre, and makes it more appealing for the audience. Also the special effects is done to look as real as possible, and it also at times gets the viewers involved and the SFX keeps the audience entertained. So overall the sequence is very effective and contributes to the meaning and narrative of the film, and the impact on the audience is done to leave them entertained.

Essay On Funny Games

We watched a 2 minute sequence of the film "funny games". Funny games is an American remake of an Austrian horror film. The narrative of the film is about two teenage boys who physically and mentally torture a family in their own home in the middle of nowhere. In this scene it shows the two boys