Group Project - The Skeleton Key On Broadway Update

Summary of the work I've done so for Glass Key Studios production "The Skeleton Key On Broadway". With Alex Zephrin and Ryan El.

Studio blog: http://glasskeystudios.blogspot.com/

Animatic:

Environment modelling / UV mapping / Animatics:

"Old Broadway":

"New, New York":

"Theatre Scene":

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut review

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut - 1982

Director - Ridley Scott

1) Blade Runner: The Director's Cut poster

Plot Summary / review:

Ridley Scotts' seminal "Blade Runner" pays homage to 1940's film noir. Although set in the future and filmed in colour, it encompasses all of the classic elements of film noir. It's visual style uses strong directional lighting and deep shadows, setting the tone. It is set in a futuristic L.A. with huge skyscrapers plastered with neon lights, huge billboards and surrounded by smog. Janet Maslin of the New York Times comments; "The special effects are by Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer, and they are superb. So is Laurence G. Paull's production design." She goes on to say " 'Blade Runner' is a film that special effects could have easily run away with, and run away with it they have." (Maslin. 1982).

2) Pre CGI

The plot and characters also follow the film noir "code" set by films such as John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" (1942) and Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" (1941). Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard, a hard boiled, retired "Blade Runner". A highly skilled hunter, whose job it is to track and eliminate "replicants", sophisticated robots built as slaves to work on dangerous off world colonies. Five of which, (including Rutger Hauer's menacing Batty), have escaped back to Earth on a murderous spree, forcing Deckard out of retirement.

3) Harrison Ford as Deckard

Under pressure from studio executives, Scott's original cut of "Blade Runner" had a curious voice over and a flat "happy ending". What would be the first in a number of re-released versions of the film, Scott's Director's Cut thankfully amends this. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times explains "The biggest change Scott made in earlier versions was to drop the voice-over narration from the 1982 original. Spoken by Ford, channeling Philip Marlowe, it explained things on behalf of a studio nervous that we wouldn't understand the film. Since much of the interest in the film has been generated by what we weren't sure we understood, that turned out to be no problem." (Ebert. 2007). The uncertainty Ebert refers to describes the doubt surrounding who is human, and who is not. Based on Philip K. Dicks novel "Do androids dream of electric sheep's?", the Director's cut wisely abandon's the happy ending. Instead the audience is left with a tantalizing question, is Deckard human, or a replicant?

No matter what version of "Blade Runner" is viewed it "impresses with its inquiry into the nature of memory, identity, and what it means to be human. The characters, behind their damaged and defensive facades, are complex and well realised." (Cramp. 2001). Combined with a stunningly realised vision of a bleak future and layered with multiple homages to 1940's film noir, "Blade Runner" rightfully takes it place as one of the best sci-fi films ever made.

Bibliography

Cramp, Nick. BBC review. 7th February 2001.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/02/07/blade_runner_1982_review.shtml Accessed 06/01/012

Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times review 3rd November 2007

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071103/REVIEWS08/71103001 Accessed 06/01/012

Maslin, Janet. New York Times Review 25th June 1982

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A0DE4D71038F936A15755C0A964948260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes Accessed 06/01/012

Illustrations

1. Blade Runner - Directors Cut poster

http://sci-fimovieposters.co.uk/movie-posters-b/blade-runner-directors-cut-original-us-one-sheet-movie-poster.htm Accessed 06/01/012

2. Pre CGI

http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/movieextras/top10s/how-did-they-do-that.php?ssid=15 Accessed 06/01/12

3.Harrison Ford as Deckard

http://www.pictureshowman.com/articles_genhist_filmnoir.cfm Accessed 06/01/12

The Maltese Falcon - Movie Review

The Maltese Falcon - 1941
Director - John Huston

1) The Maltese Falcon Poster

Plot summary / review:

The Maltese Falcon is based on Dashiell Hammet's classic detective novel and was Warner Bros' third attempt to bring it to the silver screen. Making his directorial debut, screenwriter John Huston stayed true to Hammet's novel by making it gritty, mysterious and chilling. Combined with stylish cinematography, editing and stark lighting it is widely considered to be the first film noir, laying the foundations for the genre. Derek Adam's of Timeout confirms this in his review stating "What makes it a prototype film noir is the vein of unease missing from the two earlier versions of Hammett's novel." (Adam's. 2006)

As well as defining the rules for all subsequent noir films, it also launched the career of it's protagonist Humphrey Bogart. His portrayal of Sam Spade, an unsentimental, hard edged detective defined his career and led to his other classics roles in "Casablanca" (1942) and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948). Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times examines his character stating; "he does his job according to the rules he lives by", he goes on to say "we sense (as we always would with Bogart after this role) that the toughness conceals old wounds and broken dreams." (Ebert. 2001).

2) Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade

The movie opens in Spade's office where he is approached by "knock-out" dame Miss. Wanderley, played by Mary Astor. She offers him and his partner Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan), a substantial amount of money to follow a man called Floyd Thursby. That night Archer and Thursby are murdered and Spade is implicated as a suspect. The plot thickens as Spade discovers that Miss. Wanderley is not who she says she is. It is revealed that she is embroiled with a host of dangerous characters, including Sydney Greenstreet in his first acting role as Kasper Gutman aka the "fatman." Spade eventually discovers that they are all in pursuit of a valuable artefact, a jewel encrusted statue of a bird - "The Maltese Falcon."

3) Bogart, Lorre, Astor, Greenstreet and the Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is an excellent example of the term and technique used in films called the "MacGuffin". Made popular by Alfred Hitchcock, the Macguffin is usually an ambiguous object used to drive the plot... in this case, The Maltese Falcon. Huston recognised this and realised Hammett's novel was a character piece and not a plot driven story. At the time of release, Variety magazine describes The Maltese Falcon as "a most intriguing and entertaining murder mystery, picture displays outstanding excellence in writing, direction, acting and editing--combining in overall as a prize package of entertainment for widest audience appeal." (Variety. 1941). Huston's unique style and direction combined with Bogart's tough, mean representation of Spade cement The Maltese Falcon as a timeless classic and the prototypical film noir.

Bibliography

Adams, Derek. Timeout review 24th June 2006

http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/72631/the_maltese_falcon.html Accessed 05/01/12

Ebert, Roger. Chicaco Sun-Times review 13th May 2001

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010513/REVIEWS08/105130301/1023 Accessed 05/01/12

Variety review 29th September 1941

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117792895?refcatid=31 Accessed 05/01/12

Illustrations

1. The Maltese Falcon Poster

http://nighthawknews.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/maltese-falcon-by-content-artofmanlinessdotcomw499h371.jpg Accessed 05/01/12

2. Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade

http://www.bobbywisecriticism.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/The-Maltese-Falcon-1941-Humphrey-Bogart.jpg Accessed 05/01/12

3. Bogart, Lorre, Astor, Greenstreet and the Maltese Falcon

http://filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com/2009/05/happy-birthday-mary-astor-1906-1987.html Accessed 05/01/12

District 9 - Movie review

District 9 - 2009
Director - Neil Blomkamp

1. District 9 - poster

Plot summary /  review:

District 9 is the first feature from South African Director Neil Blomkamp and is produced by Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson. Breaking the format of traditional summer blockbusters, District 9 starts with a mockumentary style opening. A collage of news clips and hand held camera footage neatly informs the audience of the back story and sets up the rest of the film. 

In the not to distant future, a space craft has entered Earth's atmosphere and has settled above Johannesburg, South Africa. Hovering menacingly but seemingly inactive, the military eventually break into the ship. There they find an entire population of aliens huddled together in unsanitary conditions, starving to death. The aliens are relocated to the ground and governed by a private corporation called Multi-National United. The lobster / grasshopper looking aliens (nicknamed prawns) are despised by humans, who demand they are moved further away from town.  A task entrusted to the films protagonist and MNU employee Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley).

2) Wikus Van Der Merwe - Mockumentary

A camera crew joins Wikus as he cheerfully (annoyingly cheerful) rounds up the aliens and begins relocating them from District 9 to District 10. It's in these scenes that the films political message is most effective, paralleling the racial segregation enforced in South Africa from the early 50's to mid 90's. The posters that can be seen throughout the film (and skilfully used to market it), are a hard hitting reference to this. David Bradshaw of the Guardian Newspaper comments "This overt satire effectively encourages the audience to ask questions the movie is uninterested in answering. Do the aliens unite white and black earthlings in an ironic common front of caste-paranoia?" (Bradshaw.2009) Blomkamp doesn't answer this question, it can be argued his motive is simply to get the audience to ask the question.

3. Racial parallels

As Wikus blunders his way through District 9, he accidentally comes into contact with some form of alien slime that alters his DNA. His body mutates, enabling him to use the aliens machines and weaponry which until now, could only be operated by the aliens. Coveted by the MNU and Nigerian gangs operating within District 9, Wikus teams up with an alien called Christopher Johnson and his son CJ. Together they seek a way of returning the refugee aliens to their planet and reversing Wikus' mutation. 

The computer generated aliens are extremely well designed and realised, interacting with the live surroundings seamlessly. With their grotesque appearance and strange eating habits (cat food), it's hard to root for, let alone emphasise for them. However Blomkamp achieves this as Roger Ebert explains, "what Neill Blomkamp somehow does is make Christopher Johnson and his son, Little CJ, sympathetic despite appearances. This is achieved by giving them, but no other aliens, human body language, and little CJ even gets big wet eyes, like E.T." (Ebert. 2009).

4. Prawns

District 9 sets itself apart from traditional summer blockbusters by incorporating political messages on racism and xenophobia into an enjoyable, slick sci-fi / action film. Blomkamp interestingly made it on a low budget in conjunction with Peter Jackson after their "Halo" video game adaptation fell through. He shows remarkable talent behind camera with scenes reminiscent of David Cronenbergs many body horror flicks and Ridley Scott's Alien. As a review in the Dailytelegraph confirms "it reboots motifs from classic extra-terrestrial and urban catastrophe movies such as Silent Running and Planet of the Apes, and transposes them to the contemporary ghetto context that in recent years has given urgency and kinetic charge to the likes of Slumdog Millionaire and City of God." (Dailytelegraph. 2009) The gritty realism of the documentary style approach adds to it's believability. This combined with fantastic visual effects and an intelligent viral / marketing campaign make Blomkamp one to watch.

Bibliography

Bradshaw, David. Guadian Review 3rd September 2009

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep/03/district-9-review Accessed 02/12/11

Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times Review. 13th August 2009

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090812/REVIEWS/908129987

Unknown author Dailytelegraph Review. 3rd September 2009

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/6133078/District-9-review.html

Illustrations

1) District 9 poster http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/c40f7fd1 accessed 02/12/11

2) Wikus Van Der Merwe - Mockumentary style http://reviewsinthenude.comlu.com/movies/district9.php

3) Racial parallels http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_15467.html

4) Prawns http://www.darksidecostumes.org/district_9.html

Mars Attacks! - Review

Mars Attacks! - 1996

Director - Tim Burton

1) Mars Attacks! - Poster

Plot Summary / review:

Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! is a mix of genres combining action / adventure with sci-fi and fantasy with comic references to classic alien B-movies. In order to fully understand what genre the film belongs to, it is necessary to look at the differences between pastiche, parody and spoof.

Pastiche - used when the work or piece imitates that of another, paying homage to the material it is referencing in a respectful manner.

Parody - also imitates the work or piece of other material but in a satiric or ironic manner to mock, comment on or trivialise the material it is referencing.

Spoof - again is used when the work or piece is imitating that of another but with exaggerated characteristics for comedic effect.

So where does Mars Attacks! sit? It is a funny film, with extremely well designed, exaggerated aliens based on old trading cards from which the film gets it's name. This would suggest that it is a spoof. However, it can also be argued that it is a pastiche of classic 1950's alien invasion B-movies. An example of Burton paying homage to these films is evident from the start of the film when the UFO's descend to earth from their home planet. The design of these flying saucers are strikingly similar to Klaatu's saucer from 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still. Roger Ebert comments "The art direction is first-rate in creating the kinds of saucers and aliens that graced the covers of my precious old issues of Imagination Science Fiction magazine". (Ebert. 1996).

2) Aliens mobilise

The aliens arrive on earth and are greeted by a crowd of people and the US army. In a scene again reminiscent of The Day Earth Stood Still, the crowd await to see if the visitors are hostile or friendly. Unfortunately it is the former and the alien attacks with iconic ray guns and blasters which vaporize humans and tanks alike. Further evidence of Burton paying homage to the 1950's can be seen here. Although set in a contemporary world, the army vehicles and clothes are all from the 1950's.

3)1950's attire

  

Mars Attacks! clearly had a big budget and attracted a host of stars, both established and up-coming. Jack Nicholson stars as the President, Glen Close the First Lady and a young Natalie Portman as their daughter. Pierce Brosnan shows acting range from his established Bond playing a scientific advisor to the President. His strange love triangle with TV personalities Michael J. Fox and Sarah-Jessica Parker add good comic timing to the films bizarre nature. It's the Hollywood A listers that let it down as Tom Coates from the BBC explains 'Nicholson, (Annette) Benning, and Close - camp up their screen time until they are neither funny nor interesting.' (Coates. 2001). The stars of the show are undoubtedly the aliens. Originally intended to be physical puppets, Burton was convinced by ILM (Idustrial Light Magic) when they showed him early test footage of them in CGI. Although they have not aged well, they were cutting edge at the time.

4) CG Aliens

Mars Attacks! is artistically inventive, goofy and fun in some places, however it does suffer from some pacing issues. It often feels disjointed, over-long and in some cases boring and is let down by some established Hollywood actors. Burton is clearly knowledgeable and affectionate about the material he is referencing. However,Todd McCarthy of Variety explains it "will appeal to specialized student-age audiences and older sci-fi fans but will fly over, under and around the general public". (McCarthy. 1996). The movie makes up for this with fantastic artistic direction and zany alien designs. The funniest parts of the movie come when the aliens are attacking and take great sport in doing so.

Bibliography

Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sunt-times review. 13th December 1996.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19961213/REVIEWS/612130302

Coates, Tom. BBC review. 21st June 2001

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/06/21/mars_attacks_1996_review.shtml

McCarthy, Todd. Variety review. 1st December 1996

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117436916?refcatid=31

Illustrations

1) Mars Attacks Poster

http://www.impawards.com/1996/posters/mars_attacks_ver1.jpg Accessed 10/11/11

2) Aliens mobilise

http://top50sf.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/mars-attacks-opener.jpg

3) 1950's attire

http://www.alicia-logic.com/capspages/caps_viewall.asp?titleid=28&start=16

4)  CG Aliens

http://www.bloodygoodhorror.com/bgh/features/03/24/2011/9-alien-invasion-movies

Post Modern Essay Introduction@PHIL

Hi Phil. 

Below is a rough draft of my introduction for my essay. I have also sent you an email with a basic structure and what I have so far. Can you have cast an eye over it and tell me if I'm heading in the right direction? 

Thanks.

This essay will briefly examine the movement of modernism, or modern thought and the resulting emergence of postmodernism theory. It will critically study the postmodern concept of hyperreality and determine if its ideology is evident in modern day cinema. Specifically, it will investigate director Christopher Nolan’s 2010 release Inception as an example of hyperreality in contemporary film. To support this evidence, this essay will discuss the works of; Jean Baudrillard and his essays Simulacra and Simulation and The Ecstasy of Communication. Followed by, Jurgen Habermas and his essay An Incomplete Project found in Robert C. Holub’s book Critic in the public sphere ; Hal Foster and his book Postmodern Culture and Anne Friedberg’s Window Shopping; Cinema and the Postmodern.

Character Design Presentation Final

Character Design Final Presentation