Update 3

I have finished my bus advertisement design sheet on this design sheet I have included the design for the bus and included the colours that will be used for it.  I have started working on the magazine advertisement design sheet and have got the initial advertisement drawn out.

Unit 54 Update #2

I have now started working on my design sheet for the bus advertisement. This design sheet will show a rough idea of what the advertisement will look like. It will have a colour palette of the colours that go well together and the colours I will be using on the advertisement. The design will also go in detail of what  different parts of the bus will look like.

I have also started to complete the proposal for my idea.

Unit 54: Update #1

So far during this project I have come up with a few initial ideas for what I will do for my design and one definite idea. The ideas that I came up with that one was a sic-fi alien themed one were beams of lights were printed on the bus over the windows to look like it was over the people sitting on the bus and the door would of been a door to a spaceship. The second idea I had was horror themed and that  the bus was designed like side view of a street with zombies on it and the zombies were eating the people in the the seats. The final idea that I am going to be working on is a 50's B-movie style design using styles of 50's b-movie posters used, the reason I chose this idea to use for my final design is that it gives me opportunity to put more than one genre in the design. To get an idea of the styles I want to use I created a mood board of different posters from that era.

The problems I have come across is going through different idea to find the right one as this was time consuming another problem I had was that my drawing skills are not good so getting the idea designed on paper was quite difficult to get right.

The success's I have had during this if finally finding an idea to go with and now just need to get a rough idea of my design.

Unit 54

The brief says that I will be designing advertisements for a magazine and a side of a bus,  also have document and blog about the process I went through to do the designs. The advertisement will be for a new TV channel launching called BBC Cult so the design will have to have themes that suit the channel and its demographic.

 Film Remakes

Red Dawn (1984) Vs. Red Dawn (2012)

I will be analysing both versions of Red Dawn, and comparing them both of the with different factors such as the technological differences, budget and success, the stars of the film, the political and regulatory issues with each film and the main similarities and differences.

Finance

The two films have very different budgets the 1984 version had a budget of 4.2 million dollars and the 2012 version had a budget of 65 million. The reason behind this is that the 2012 version was using more big special effects and with technological advances things become more expensive. The 1984 version of this film made a profit of 34 million, whereas the 2012 version lost money, so there could be an argument toward the original version being superior to the remake. The 2012 version of the film had a delayed release for two years due to financial reasons; this could be because they had to re-shoot a lot of the scenes as the film was intended to be about China invading America but then decided to change the invading army to North Korea as it would not benefit the film and the film wanted to maintain access to the Chinese box office.

Technologies

The technology in the 2012 version is far superior to the original and this can work against the remake as they can rely more on special effects than the acting, character development and the narrative whereas the original version has better acting and a better narrative even thought the both share similar narratives. With the advances in special effects the 2012 version has bigger explosions and more action because it is easier to pull of in post production whereas in the 1984 version they would of had to get pyrotechnic teams in to do the effects on the filming day.    

Genre

Both films share the genre of American war film, this genre was popular back in the 60’s and started slowly declining in the amount that were a made, the reason behind this is that WWII had ended and so the film industry started dramatising famous battles in WWII, so a lot of war films dramatised actual events and that still happens now with films such as Hurt Locker, Green Zone and Zero Dark Thirty. All these films are based on events that are happening in the Middle East. War films are also biased in a way that no one would pay to see the Nazis win a film based on WWII or if the film is an American war movie no one will want to see too many American casualties even though (if it is based off a certain battle) there may have been more. These films can also be used as propaganda as a lot of films about the cold war appeared where the Russians invaded and then the American people stood up against the Russians, which could also promote the ideology of the standing up against the communist regime. In the 2012 version it doesn’t really show too much politics and the North Korean aren’t really considered a major threat like the Russians were during the cold war period where people were paranoid about the Russians invading. North Korea does have some relevance as it was at a time when North Korea started appearing in the news more often. The most recent version has a few more battle scenes and they are more realistic in the most recent film because of technological advances whereas the fight scenes in the original didn't have use of the same effects.

Casting

The starring roles in the 1984 version of the film Patrick Swayze was the most well known actor (At the time of release) in the movie so most of the cast were not well known and the advantage of this is that it would financially benefit the film because they wouldn’t be spending money on bigger actors and also the director will have more creative control over the film as actors who are first starting out will be willing to listen more to the director than a big named actor. This film was the start of some famous actors careers such as Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey. Jennifer Grey became much more famous after being in Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze who she also worked with in Red Dawn.  The 2012 version used bigger and more well known actors such as Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers), Josh Peck (Drake & Josh) and Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) these actors will help sell the film because when the movie was released in cinemas The Hunger Games and The Avengers were already released and where massive hits within the film industry so people who are fans of Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson will go see the film because of this it had built an audience.

Political And Regulatory issues

The 2013 version of this film is only a 12 whereas the 1984 version is a 15. The 1984 version was the first film in the US to receive the age rating of PG-13. In the UK the films have different age ratings but in the U.S they have the same, this could be because each classification company goes by different rules as they have to think about the demographics in there country. The 1984 version could be a 15 in the UK also because it implies rape toward women and girls and in the opening sequence the Russian’s shoot and kill some students in a school. In the 2012 version of this film some of the main casts who are teenagers do die but not as many consequences happen for their actions whereas in the 1984 version a group of adults (including some of the characters parents) get killed because of their actions. The political aspects of this film show the time each film was made because in the 1984 it was a threat and running through peoples minds that the Russians could invade at anytime and so this movie explores this fact and the fil is also very patriotic towards America and the film would of also been used as propaganda by portraying the Russians as evil because of the actions shown in this film. In the 2012 version it isn’t the Russians invading but instead North Korea as North Korea have been in the news a lot recently with launching of missiles and making empty threats towards America. The original film would of been set in the cold ware to draw on its audiences fears.

Synergies between films

The similarities between the two are that an invading army comes into North America but there are some key differences in the narrative such as the character Daryl has a tracking device put in him in both films yet in the 1984 version he is tortured and forced to swallow the tracking device and in the 2012 version he gets in to a close combat fight and the Korean secretly injects one in him without him knowing. In the 1984 version Daryl is later killed in cold blood by The Wolverines for being a traitor. In the 2012 version Daryl volunteers to stay behind so the Koreans cannot track down the rest of the group so he would be dying a hero. At the en of the original version only two of the members of The Wolverines survive and escape to liberated territory but the consequences of this is that Matt  & Jed both distract the Russians and it is implied they die at the end.  In the newer version only some wolverines die and the Wolverines continue to recruit and fight against North Korea.

I personally prefer the original as it haas much more of a realistic feel to it as it was the fear of people back when the film was released whereas the 2012 version used North Korea  felt as a gimmick as it isn't really an issue. I also thought the original had to rely more on a storyline rather than fight scenes with special effects.

Red Dawn Trailer (2012)

Red Dawn Trailer (1984)

Trailer Deconstruction: Oz

The trailer I am going to deconstruct is Oz: The Great and Powerful. This movie is a fantasy adventure movie directed by Sam Raimi and starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. All these actors have starred in well known films, James Franco was Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man Trilogy, Mila Kunis played the lead role in Black Swan and voices Meg in Family Guy, Rachel Weisz was in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns and Michelle Williams played a Role in Shutter Island.

In the opening sequence of the trailer it’s in black and white and has an aspect ratio of 4:3 this is used as a story telling device and to link it to the original 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’ because in both films when the main character arrives in Oz the film becomes colour.  The film may also use black and white to pay homage to the original film and use it for older audiences to be nostalgic about the original film.

The different sequences used in the trailer introduce the main characters to the audience and give the audience an idea of the storylines and some of the important events to grab the viewer’s attention. 

The music used in this trailer creates tension and mystery which links in with the Land of Oz being a mysterious land full of mysterious creatures. The trailer also suggests that this film will be in 3D. 3D is a new technology and this may attract audiences who enjoy 3D films.

This trailer is aimed and film is aimed at people who watched and enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, the film has a darker feel to it though so it may be aimed at older children and teenagers but could still be enjoyed by younger children as well. There are also famous actors that act as a unique selling point and may persuade people to go see this movie like James Franco, who was in the Spider-Man Trilogy and 127 hours and it may also bring in fans of the TV show scrubs because the actor Zach Braff plays a role in this movie.

Certain scenes and sequences have been selected to show the audience what type of film it is, in this case the film is of the fantasy genre and so this will make people quickly decide if they are interested in the film and want to look further into it because if a person does not enjoy fantasy films then this movie will not appeal to them.

To back up that this film is a fantasy one it shows strange animals (like flying, talking monkeys) and is set in a bright and colourful land where witches live with munchkins. The trailer also gives the audience a general outline of the story so they will know the basics when going to see the film. Also in the different scenes it shows dramatic and action filled parts to grab the viewer’s attention.  Other scenes shown in the film are a clip where James Franco is going through the Emerald city which is a well known place in the world of Oz and so people who have seen The Wizard of Oz or Wicked and so people will know some settings from the film.

Also in the film you see Kansas this is where the character Dorothy lives in the original film and when the tornado sends James Franco to Oz you can see that they put a house in the tornado as an ‘Easter egg’ Easter eggs in media are usually hidden messages cameos or inside jokes that are used so people who have seen other films or know about them will understand the reference.

This trailer and film is aimed at two different psychographic groups and these groups are aspirers and reformers, the reason for this is that in the film the character James Franco plays says the line “I don’t want to die, I haven’t accomplished anything yet!” this shows that he aspires to accomplish something in his life and going to Oz will give him a second chance to make a difference and accomplish something significant, this could also be an  enigma because the audience don’t know what he wants to accomplish in his life or what he will accomplish as the film progress’s.   It could also appeal to reformers because James Franco’s character has to care for the Land of Oz and its people. This is shown in one scene because it shows James Franco repairing the teapot girl.

This film has also had a panel at comic con which is an event that is designed for fans of TV shows, films and comic books to meet in one place, the event is also used to premiere trailers and promote new series of certain TV shows and sell merchandise. At the convention people who are interested in the movie can ask the director and actors questions about the film to get more information; this can also get a bigger audience because comic con is a big event in media and is a good way to promote films.  Film reviewers from websites and magazines also attend to watch early previews of films to give their opinion on what the film could be like.

This film can appeal to both mass and niche audiences, the reason for this is that the niche audiences could be people who follow certain actors and will watch anything they are in, and the mass audience is people who enjoy fantasy films and/or have watched the Wizard of Oz or have seen the musical Wicked and are interested in the world of Oz.

The sound in this trailer is both a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic. Music is very important in film trailers because it sets the mood for the film and different music will tell the audience how they should feel about a certain part e.g. if the music is sad the scene usually shown is sad and maybe a tragedy has happened. The diegetic sounds will in the trailer are normally short clips of speech that will draw the audience in. In this trailer James Franco is doing a voice over the first part of the trailer, and then the trailer meets up with his speech so the clip is showing him saying it.

Directors

The Lumiere brothers

The Lumiere brothers have the title of the first film makers in history. There first film was Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon (Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory) and was a 50 second film of workers leaving the factory this filmed used one camera and one shot because editing was not around at this time. The two claimed that "the cinema is an invention without any future".

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Georges Méliès

Georges Méliès was famous for his narrative and technical developments in cinema. He was one of the first filmmakers to use time lapse, dissolves and hand painted colour Méliès was also an early pioneer of horror cinema, which can be traced back to his Le Manoir du diable (1896).

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D W Griffith

D W Griffith is famous for his movie ‘Birth of a Nation’ and ‘Intolerance’. Griffith's film ‘Birth of a Nation’ made use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its popularity made feature length films popular in the U.S.

Picture of him

Sergei Eisenstein

Sergei Eisenstein was famous for being the ‘Father of Montage’ his most famous film was ‘Battleship Potemkin’ which he was hired to do by the Russian government as a propaganda film. People in the outside world praised the movies. However, in the Soviet Union, Eisenstein's focus on structural issues such as camera angles, crowd movements and montage, was not liked by the much of the Soviet movie community.

Jean Luc Goddard

Jean Luc-Goddard directed such films like breathless or New wave. Godard did not like mainstream French cinema's "Tradition of Quality", which "emphasized craft over innovation, privileged established directors over new directors, and preferred the great works of the past to experimentation. To challenge he and other critics started to make their own films. Many of Godard's films challenge the conventions of traditional Hollywood in addition to French cinema. He is often considered the most radical French filmmaker of the 1960s and 1970s.