Modern Family - Editing

Modern Family- Flash Mob  

Cross cutting is cutting back and forth between two or more events or actions that are taking place at the same time but in different places. Cross-cutting is used to build suspense or to show how different pieces of the action are related. Modern Family uses this technique often when the illustrating a story being told by the character that is being ‘interviewed’. This gives the audience a visual on the tale that's being backed up by dialogue.

 Close up is a shot showing a detail, like only the face or hands. Whereas a cutaway is a cut away from the primary subject to something the filmmaker has decided is equally or more relevant at that time. Often cutaways consist of shots showing the reaction of one character to another. This is often used to compress time in what appears to be a seamless manner. This again is another technique which is usually created to emphasis the emotion from the character that helps to build up a documentary experience.

Camera shots are part of the subject matter that is viewed and filmed by the camera. In this particular clip, there is a juxtaposition if different camera shots. This is show when footage is shown through a mobile phone and then flickers between the staged camera shots that look as if they’ve been shot from a distance. This looks as if the director has collected different footage to construct the scene.    

A transition is an easy way for one shot changes to the next. Usually created through layering of images. To add to the effect of a documentary, Modern Family don’t actually use such editing skills as it would detract from the raw camera shots and angles that assist to the production of modern family.      

Modern Family is an American television comedy series, which follows a family and records their antics. Although a scripted show, is made to look like a documentary. This is a style called ‘mocumentary’ where the fictional characters talk directly into the camera during many situations that arise throughout the series. This is created through Editing that is the process of rearranging, adding and/ or removing sections of video clips. This is all part of the post production.   

A Clockwork Orange

In a community where gang raping, robberies and murders happened nightly, lies a charismatic delinquent and anti hero, Alex DeLarge. A sociopath, teenager who’s sees the society to please his sexual, cynical, and frightening desires. The name ‘DeLarge’ allows the character to adapt himself as ‘Alexander the large’. This references ‘Alexander the Great’, which feeds his egotistical mind as well as creating a witty sexual pun.

To help create the concept of the film and the character of Alex, is his 136 minutes of narration. Within this Alex takes us on his world of the near future, of consistent orgies and attacks performed by him, and his friends. Otherwise known as, “a bit of the Ultra-violence” with the ‘Droogs’.  The film beings with the droogs sitting in their beloved social hangout, drinking milk-druged cocktails, named ‘milk-plus’. This is to hype themselves up for the commencing night.

The name ‘Clockwork Orange’ is completely appropriate for the deeper metaphorical meaning of the story. It touches on Pavlovian laws on conditioning. This is displayed in one particular famous scene in which, Alex is a victim of government criminal conditioning. He is drugged and shown disturbing images of his past lifestyle. As result, Alex becomes the ‘perfect’ citizen’ but at the cost of his free will. This raises many questions like, how should society control the ‘evil’ in us, with typical confinement or techniques like positive conditioning? The title allows us to understand that although Alex is completely organic being, on the outside, he is an otherwise known inside as a mechanical structure. 

Alex is a horrific and complicated character. Nerveless, intelligent and quick witted with sophisticated taste in music. He is particularly fond of Beethoven or “Lovely Ludwig Van”. Alex never justifies his actions and although as unlikable he may be, manages to create pity from the audience. This is because we hear from first hand experience his unending suffering and through his realization that his life is a vicious cycle that can not be altered.

LINKS
Trailer...

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3502113049/
Article...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/may/11/a-clockwork-orange-cannes

The Social Network

The Social Network is a film about the founding of social networking and internet sensation, Facebook. Growing up when Facebook started and having it escalate so dramatically in the past 4 years, it’s only natural theirs a demand for Hollywood feature film. Or was David Fincher leaching on the franchise that is Facebook. There are clear themes throughout the film, girls, power and money. Whether this is factual or not, is another issue, resulted from the 2010 film ‘The Social Network’ The film starts with high pace scene in which Mark Zuckerberg creates a website called ‘facematch’ due his bitter breakup. This involves intense hacking skills, code breaking and algorithms. This scene sets the speed, intelligence and concept of networking for the whole film.  

Through out the film there is a juxtaposition of time with the current lawsuits and the creation of Facebook. As the audience, we are drawn more into the plot and characters. The lawsuit scenes become less frequent. This is because we become more interested with the friendship between Mark and Eduardo as it’s the only relationship we truly crave and support. It is only till the timeline catches up with it’s self that we find out the result of the lawsuit.

We then re visit the initial sub plot of Erica Albright which suggests that girls and women where a key issue involving the making of Facebook. Especially as the preliminary site was to ‘rate’ girls after his hurtful spilt with girlfriend. Another inspiration for the site was the idea of relationship status. In his words “Relationship status, interested in. This is what drives life at collage. Are you having sex or aren’t you, it’s why people take certain classes and sit where they sit, and do what they do, and add some centre. You know, that’s what’s Facebooks going to be about, people are going to log on because after all the cake and watermelon theirs a chance their actually gonna meet a girl.” The real, Mark Zuckerberg resents the female motive and quotes, “I started Facebook to improve the world , and make it a more transparent place…this movie portrays me as someone who built Facebook so I could meet girl”  Others say the creation of Facebook was a lot more boring and quotidian than that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xwDcLKbt8g

How does Hotel Babylon represent Ethnicity?

How does Hotel Babylon represent Ethnicity?

Hotel Babylon is known for a drama series set in the sexy world of the luxury five star hotel, on a journey beyond the facade of the smiling faces and glittering chandeliers and into the frenetic, non-stop world of the hotel staff. It discovers who the staff are and the background of the ethnic workers within the hotle.

The main two ways in which creating any sought of image is through mise-en-scene and sound. Mise-en-scene is everything going on ‘with in the scene’, this may be costume, set, lighting, casting, etc. Sound is the noise you are able to hear. This could be music, language, effects, or voices etc.

One of the many ways to create ethnicity is through casting of actors. We are presented with multiple ethnicities to create a group of minim wage employees working as the hotel staff such as cleaners and cooks. They range from Latina, African, to Chinese. Having many different actors of different races in a busy environment makes a scene of cultural hustle. Thus giving the allusion all the staff is multi cultural. This is shown when all of the staff is rushing to the room in which they are hiding from the immigration team. We see different skin tones and features allowing us understand the variety of races.             

The costumes are a dividing technique between the front and back of house. With the receptionist and barmen and others from the front of house, are usually clothed in smart suits as they are representing the hotel and what they stand for. On the other side the uniform changes dramatically when it concerns cleaner and cooks etc. With them there is a standard uniform showing the audience a clear divide between the two different staff units.

Sound is a key way to show ethnicity. We hear in the staff canteen and room when everyone is sat eating and on their break that there are many different people talking multiple languages and accents. This gives the audience the ability to hear the representation on ethnicity.                                                                            

The sound of typical jobs happening is another sound technique. Immigrants are famous for doing the jobs British people aren’t applying for. This could be shown through the sound of someone hoovering or sweeping.

Rocky Horror or Complete Horror

The 1975 film Rocky Horror Picture Show was followed with outrage, anger and constrversity. It features a homosexual drag queen scientist, who muders people and feeds them to others, aswell as creating his own ‘perfect’ man. The allusion of the rocky horror is created through offensive songs and ourages dancing. In other words it’s genered as a musical but a confliced one at that. It highlights issues of open sexulaity and cheating patners and idavidualism.

Although the sixties brought us such famous classic movies like breakfast at tiffanies and sound of music. The seventies brought us the rocky horror picture show which changed peoples views on cinematography for ever. The aim was to challenge people’s perceptions on what’s normal. Having the characters Brad and Janet, find themselves encountered with a different sought of group of people to their normal society. Is giving the audience the relaisation that there are various types of individuals out in the world. And the acceptance that is followed. We see this when Brad says, “their probably foreigners with ways different form our own”

What makes rocky horror, rocky horror, is the provocative, costumes, set, language and music that’s is couched in dark and twisted humor. This was no issue for Tim Curry, who plays Dr Frank-N-Furter. It launched his very successful career as it showed future casting directors that 6 inch heels and face full of make-up wouldn’t stop him. Although the character of Frank-N-Futer’s morals are not one to be idolized. He does come with a certain life lesson that he expresses through the musical number, Sweet Transvestite. “Don't get strung out by the way that I look, don't judge a book by its cover”

The rocky horror picture show is a shocking cult
that allows you to express your true individuality,
corrupt your innocence and feel accepted.

This link will take you to the rocky horror picture show soundtrack...
http://www.allmusic.com/album/r84835
This link will take you to the fan site...
http://www.rockyhorror.com/

Back to the Seventies

The 1970’s were full of sex drugs and rock and roll. It was the era of disco tech, platforms, and star wars. It was also the era in which ‘Life on Mars’ was set. In the modern day television series, the main character, Sam Tyler travels back in time to the 70’s. He is quickly forced to adapt to the culture, especially in the working environment. There are many ways to highlight all of what creates that time period. This is shown through such technical direction like costume, props, setting, music, transport and even something even more thoughtful, colours or shades.  

In episode 1 of the second series, setting the scene was Sam’s bedroom. Instantly we get the impression of the seventies with various prop and colours and prints. The next main technical design was the impeccable costumes. For Sam we are presented with flared black jeans, black shirt and a leather black jacket. The flares and leather is way for Sam to fit into the 70’s fashion and culture. But the all black colour choice, suggests he doesn’t want to get lost in the era and remember the 2000’s as his home. Another minor detail gone into making up the allusion of 1973, were the posters, leaflets and magazines hanging around in the background. In the first couple of scenes of Episode 1 of the second series, there is a big Morecambe and Wise poster promoting a cleaner Britain. This is followed by a Lulu 1973 tour poster.

Life on mars is excellent show for presenting the 70’s in the correct manor. They go from detail like transport to minor (yet still important) details like colures, to create the right image of British culture in 1973.

Made in Chelsea-Made in Studio

The ongoing television show ‘Made in Chelsea’ is questionable on many issues. It follows the lives of 12 young socialites with numerous gatherings, involving McQueen dresses, budget less shopping and priceless campaign.

What I would like to discuss is not whether Caggie and Spencer’s teenage crush with develop into a functional relationship, but the style of directing. In which it’s a juxtaposing on reality with staged appearances, phone calls, sets, etc.

It’s inevitably clear that these ‘reality stars’ don’t just happen to walk into the same restaurant as their fellow ‘reality stars’- some might simply say actors.  As if it wasn’t obvious enough that Louisa and Spencer’s comically timing phone calls in episode 2 of the second series, wasn’t an order. We are warned before the opening title “the program you are about to watch have scenes in that have been created for entertainment purposes”

Yet I don’t find myself changing the channel to watch something considered more intelligent. Is this because we subconsciously won’t to believe, crave, and even invest our time, in these stereotypical sexy new rich kids.

Gender representation in 'Life on Mars'

The BBC series ‘Life on Mars’ was a roaring success airing in 2006 and 2007 with two popular series!

There are many aspects and themes to discuss. What interests me is how gender is represented. Although it’s mainly male dominated, the lack of female characters and their representation is one to be delved deeper. The fact that the storyline is based in a police workforce is the reasoning this is shortiage of women, as this would have been very rare to have women PC as it was just the beginning of the feminist movement.

There is a constant struggle for one female character in particular. Annie Cartwright, in episode 1 of series two, she’s promoted from WPC to WDC. As if the skirt and handbag wasn’t enough to tell she’s a woman, she needs a distinctive title to constantly remind her off that. Although there is no issue with being a woman, the need for a different title isolates her, suggesting to the men she’s not quite as powerful.

Annie’s Costume as a police officer, is an A lined skirt, a little handbag with a perfectly perched white hat. For a PC this is completely impractically and inappropriate. It highlights the fact the women are there as to be sexualised, rather than work with an intelligent mind. However she put's her femine props to a pratical use. This is shown when she not only spots eveidence, but pulls out eyebrow tweasers to pick it up without fingerprints.

The working environment for the women has changed greatly over the 40 years. After Annie walks into the jeering, smoke filled room, it only takes 10 seconds for her to get sexually harassed. Her first response is too grab Ray's ass. This shows her quick thinking that is applied to her working experience, that ultimately gets her the promotion.

She is a character that is changeling the male dominated working environment. Taking it with in her stride with an intelligent mind.

Downton Abbey

Downton  Abbey

After the overwhelming success of the first series, from Emmy’s like best mini-series, best supporting actress for dame Maggie smith and creative arts Emmys for the technical team like costume and cinematography. To the sheer popular TV ratings both in Britain and America, Downton Abbey is once again our Sunday night special.   

We were launched into world war one, with a heavy contrast of two worlds. This time it’s developed from just the rich to poor and employers to staff.  This time it’s war. While the rich are sipping their afternoon tea and organizing occasional ‘help our hospitals’ benefits, the men are called to fight for the kings and queens of their country.

However this doesn’t stop Lady Edith Crawley and Lady Sybil Crawley. The destruction of the war gives Edith the motivation to move on from evening trouser wear, to become a fully qualified nurse. In doing so, Downton Abbey is transformed into a fully functional hospital. To the hesitation of the Countess of Grantham. Sybil on the other hand made use of her driving skills to become a land girl. This however if followed with adultery drama. This makes the audience notice there isn’t that much difference between today’s society and the one we watching every Sunday night at 9pm.

The Collateral- Setting the scene

When watching the 2004 film the collateral, there are a lot to account for when creating the opening scene.  The choice of setting was great way to set the scene, not only for the opening but for the whole scene. The first shot we get is set in a busy airport, busy because a quite airport would be suspicious. This suggests Tom Cruise’s, character Vincent wants to as inconspicuous as he can. We also see this through his movement and costume.

There are recurring themes of travel in just the first minute of the film. From the busy airport to the taxi cab with the holiday postcard placed inside it. This can relate back to the theme of being constantly moving and busy.

I have only watched the opening scene of The Collateral; however I can’t wait to see the rest, and it better live up to my expectations. As I am already intrigued in what will happen to the smooth character Vincent and the slightly erratic, Max.