A2 Advanced Portfolio

1. A2 Advanced Portfolio Research

2. The Brief • To produce a Promotion Package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer (DVD), together with 2 of the following: • A website homepage for the film • A film magazine front cover, featuring the film • A poster for the film • The Research • I am going to be using a theoretical approach when researching our chosen film genres of Dystopia and British Crime, focusing on uses of Postmodernism and Genre Theory (including hybrid genres). I am also going to look at other theories, including those of Narrative, Language, Audience and Representation. Historical context is going to be included in order to establish a background for the chosen genres, giving a wider insight into Dystopia and British Crime films.

3. Genre Theory Genre allows categorisation of films according to the conventions and iconography included. It was originally used by Aristotle in Ancient Greek theatre to establish set ideals and key ingredients for types of plays to discourage deviation. Postmodernism challenges genre by creating hybrids: where two or more genres are combined to make the narrative more unique and exciting. British Crime Dystopia A Dystopia is a society that is undesirable or frightening, with films of this genre often having included some form of conflict or uprising. They tend to be set in the future and are affected by a totalitarian government or natural disaster (such as the apocalypse), including topics such as overpopulation, blood sports, vigilantism, religion and the deterioration of the natural world. The genre frequently revolves around a protagonist who has begun to question society and is looking or a way to improve their way of life by bringing the political system down. British crime dramas are often characterised by grittier, less dramatic narratives in comparison to Hollywood action movies, using iconography to portray life in a realistic manner. The narrative tends to revolve around the characters and the plotting of the heist rather than the crime itself. Or, alternatively, it shows how the characters are affected prior to the crime, and how they live whilst on the run from the police. The main characters in British crime films are usually anti-heroes. Despite being criminals, you still want them to ‘win’.

4. Dystopia Narrative: centres around some form of loss of freedom, often due to oppressive governments such as in The Hunger Games, or an alien/monster/kaiju attack such as in Cloverfield and Pacific Rim. The former narrative idea often shows people living under constant surveillance until a group of rebels decide to stand up and fight, whereas the latter follows characters post-invasion and revolves around how the survivors are coping with living now. In films such as The Day After Tomorrow, the disaster – a key element to dystopia narratives - is in the form of a natural disaster. This relates to a real world issue, using the idea of global warming to mirror current topics. Characters: a single person (usually male) who chooses solitude or is left alone and is having to navigate their way to a destination of safety, coming across other people or a group on the way there. Sometimes a group of survivors having to work together to find food and/or fight their way to freedom and/or kill antagonists such as zombies. They can be tribe-like or regimental and militarised. Another typical dystopian character is an anti-hero who works for the antagonists (a corrupt totalitarian government or alien invaders) but realises that something radical needs to happen and change to save humanity. Locations: post-apocalyptic world, possibly agrarian having returning to farming or, in contrast, even more industrialised. An environmental issue or some form of radioactive leak could lead to people living underground in safety bunkers. Low-key lighting and desaturation adds to the locations to make them seem bleak and hopeless.

5. Dystopian films to note: • Pre-war films focusing on totalitarian governments and mass production due to the industrial revolution: Metropolis (1927) and Nineteen Eight-Four (1984) • Post-war with narratives focusing on real life past events such as invasion and post apocalyptic ideas such as a nuclear Armageddon: Planet of the Apes (1968) • 1970’s-80’s Fear surrounding robots and technological advancement due to the use of computers and the internet: Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984) • 1990’s-2014 Use of postmodernist techniques and pastiche with narratives focusing on environmental disasters due to the increasing threat of global warming and biological issues such as the spread of disease: 28 Days Later (2002),The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 2012 (2009)

6. British Crime Narrative: heists, car chases, arrests, etc. Tends to be a lot less high budget than typical American crime films and instead revolves around the characters rather than the crime itself. Gives a seemingly typical insight into British life. Elements to the narrative also include violence/murder/alcohol/drugs but they are glamourized far less than in Hollywood films. Characters: the main protagonist is often an anti-hero and a criminal, with the detective and/or police seen as the antagonists. (Unless the film is centred around the life of the detective and therefore it is more likely that they will be seen as the protagonist) The film is shown from the POV of the character they want the audience to empathise with. Femme fatales also feature in this genre as dangerous love interests who may be working for both sides. The characters of this genre tend to be very materialistic, with negative traits to both the antagonists and protagonists making them seem more realistic and believable. Locations: wholly British, the places used are typically crowded cities where crime is likely, using dark night clubs and alleyways. The crime tends to happen during the night time when it is darker, meaning shadows can be used to amplify any hint of thriller sub genres. Low key lighting is used to make scenes look grittier.

7. Crime films to note: • 1930’s gangster films reflecting the 1920’s prohibition era: The Public Enemy (1931) • 1940’s-1950’s the arrival of film noir which portrayed a darker, more sinister side of life, using femme fatales to challenge gender stereotypes: Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Boulevard (1950) British examples of film noir took post war anxieties into account: Brighton Rock (1947) • 1960’s British Crime began to become more announced, separating itself from the American Crime genre by including comical elements : The Italian Job (1969) • 1970’s-1980’s saw much grittier films with stars such as Michael Caine depicting upper class gang leaders: Get Carter (1971) • 1990’s-2014 using postmodernist techniques such as pastiche, often forming hybrids between crime and other genres such as horror and thriller: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), Layer Cake (2004)

8. Postmodernism Techniques A late 20th-century style and concept in the arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general distrust of theories. Deconstruction The use of deconstruction in modern media takes typical concepts and theories and plays around with them. In films, this can mean challenging the genre and making the audience question what is happening. An example of this is Cloverfield, which uses shaky hand-held camera movements that are a complete contrast to the usual smooth, well cut shots we’re used to seeing. The narrative itself is a deconstruction of alien/monster attack films, following the plight of the survivors left in the city to fend for themselves rather than the army fighting the monster, and the ending is left unresolved – unlike your typical Hollywood blockbuster movie where the aliens are usually all killed.

9. Satire Satire films pay homage to similar films from the past whilst also adding an element of humour to them. An example of this is Shaun Of The Dead which imitates typical zombie films but adds in a sense of comedy in order to make it different. It could also be considered as a pastiche: a tongue-in-cheek imitation of other zombie movies. Other examples of postmodern techniques include playing with the typical structure of films and changing it in order to disrupt chronology. The narrative can also be disrupted by using freeze frame stills, time remapping (e.g. Matrix’s Bullet Time when the action is slowed down) or meta-referencing: when a character directly addresses the audience, making them aware that they’re watching a film in oppose to it being seen as realistic escapism. Narratives can also be challenged with unconventional themes such as violence and the use of anti-heroes, as can be seen in many Tarantino films.

10. Trailer Analysis Cloverfield(2008) • Characters: A group of survivors • Disruption: Alien invasion • Narrative hints: shows equilibrium at the start in the form of a party where everything looks normal and day-to-day. The trailer then focuses mostly on the disequilibrium, with the alien attacking the city and the character’s plight as they try to find safety. • Sound: mostly diegetic – in the form of a video recording. Non-diegetic sounds are those that accompany the titles, using eerie sci-fi music. • On screen text: first title sets the scene, informs the audience on the background facts. Following text promotes prominent people involved (such a J.J. Abrams) • Camerawork: hand-held camera , shaky shots to amplify the drama and chaos. Low angle shots and tilts whilst running. • Editing: fast paced editing with cut to black, highlights the use of video cameras with static. Inverted colour momentarily as soon as the threat begins, accompanied by a low drum sound to signify the importance.

11. Oblivion (2013) • Characters: leading male protagonist, female dispatcher, a group of false-villain survivors (antagonists who turn out to be protagonists), alien antagonists. • Disruption: Pre-narrative, humans evacuated from Earth. During the narrative, conflict between protagonists and antagonists. • Narrative hints: begins with equilibrium, shows them doing their jobs, disequilibrium comes in the form of an attack and kidnapping of the protagonist. • Sound: voice-over from the main character explains the background, anchoring key points of the narrative. Dramatic non-diegetic music, diegetic sounds of explosions to suggest that this is a dystopian-action hybrid. • On screen text: helps to advertise by noting previous films by the same producers, shows Universal’s logo and announces prominent stars, also used at the end to stick key phrases into the audience’s memory. • Camerawork: close ups of characters to show emotions, wide shots of landscapes that give a sense of desolation and sparseness, time remapping used when falling. • Editing: Black and white used to clearly define flashbacks from the past. Fade to black used between some cuts.

12. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) • Characters: A group of survivors with antagonists in the form of the government who choose to make decisions that some don’t agree with. • Disruption: Catastrophic worldwide natural disasters due to the effects of climate change and global warming. • Narrative hints: Begins immediately with hints of disequilibrium, suggesting something unordinary is happening. • Sound: voice over from character hints at plot key points. • On screen text: From the producers of used to attract fans, as well as the use of phrases such as Where will you be? to draw people in and encourage them to see it. • Camerawork: High angles to make the characters seem small and wide shots of landscapes to depict what is happening in terms of the weather. • Editing: Fade to black is used between shots – it often denotes an impending doom in this genre, hinting at the oncoming disruption. As with the Cloverfield trailer, inverted colour gives it an unnatural look, possibly linking with the fact that their world is going to turn upside down (using the idea of contrast, e.g. safety and danger, black and white, etc.)

13. The Matrix (1999) • Characters: A male protagonist who becomes caught up in • Disruption: the protagonist’s eyes are opened to a world within their own. • Narrative hints: Starts off with equilibrium, even stating that everything is ordinary, before questions are asked and the dis-equilibrium is revealed. • Sound: Non-diegetic electronic sounds amplify the dystopian/sci-fi hybrid genre as well as hint at narrative elements. The music starts off slow and crescendos into something much more upbeat. A diegetic voice over is used for explanation to both the audience and the characters. • On screen text: The titles address the audience as you to make them feel more involved. • Camerawork: Bullet time and time remapping, two very postmodern filming techniques, are used. • Editing: A greenish/blue tint gives it a futuristic, technology-based feel, with fast-paced editing reflecting the action.