Sunday 18 September 2016

Ethnicity On Television


Ethnicity in: Hotel Babylon



Identifying ethnicities

It's fairly easy to identify what ethnicity a person is on television, because of the extreme stereotypes that feature in dramas. In this extract from Hotel Babylon, many of the characters are portrayed as their stereotypes that, when analysed, are actually extremely racist - despite the fact that it's a BBC production!
This female character is dressed in white clothes, with blonde hair and, most likely, has blue eyes - fitting with the common stereotype. She also has the line of: "brain like a sieve" when referring to the black character, which fits with the television drama "rule" that white characters are sometimes racist. Not only this, but the woman is strong-willed and is dominant over those who are of ethnic minorities and is portrayed as a good person.
This Asian character is shown to be in a low-budget bat cave setup surrounded by technology. According to the rules of TV drama, all Asian people are "nerdy' and love computers and other geeky items; remember, if it's on TV it must be true! The fact that this character is using a computer, the audience may link her ethnicity with Asian even before hearing her speak. Asian characters are often "submissive" (yes, really) and this can be seen within the extract: she is the first person out of all the characters to say "thank you", despite being considered in a higher position than them in the hotel. 

Despite the fact that the character's are from different ethnic backgrounds, they still aid one another in this extract. Adam (a black character) saves the life of an Eastern European character, by feeding her jam (who knew jam was so useful?). This sense of unity suggests that the ethnic minority groups treat each other with respect and are like a large community.  

Four Key Themes in Racial Representations

There are four key themes that need to be acknowledged when analysing racial representations;
  1. Exotic - yes, this is as incredibly racist as it sounds. I guess it's like comparing a character to a piece of fruit??
  2. Dangerous - does the character pose any danger because of their ethnicity?
  3. Humorous - is any humour evoked because of the character's ethnicity?
  4. Pitied - are we supposed to pity a character because of their ethnicity?
In the extract from Hotel Babylon, there is a black character (Ibrahim) that is presented as "exotic" (or tribal) and we feel pity for him. In the image below, taken from the extract, the audience can presumably see Ibrahim's family; they are dressed in what looks like traditional dress and it seems to fit with the tribal stereotype.


By picturing this tribal family, suddenly Ibrahim's character becomes more exotic. As an audience, this doesn't appear to be racist of any sort: it helps us to identify his ethnicity/origin and merely enhances our pity for him. It is only with clear analysis that we realise this is stereotypical - just because a person is black, it doesn't mean they have a tribal family back home!

Ibrahim is also presented as a weaker character, compared to other characters in the extract. There is a particular scene in which Ibrahim is apprehended by three white characters - suggesting that, because he is black, he is weaker.

Message of the clip

The audience can infer that white characters in the television drama have more power over ethnic minorities. There certainly appears to be a mix of conflict and unity between ethnicities: the conflict between the white Immigration Officers and the staff of the hotel is large. But then there is a unity of many different ethnicities within the hotel, for example - the asian woman takes responsibility when helping to hide the hotel staff, despite them being a completely different ethnic minority to her.

Since the BBC is considered to be a fairly liberal broadcasting station, it is likely that Hotel Babylon (in this clip particularly) is supposed to be highlighting the differences in ethnicity and create pity for ethnic minorities. As a little extra, I began to think about the name of the television program itself: Babylon is said to be the most important cities in the Ancient Middle East and is often referenced in the Bible. Christianity is a religion that is widespread among different ethnicities - perhaps Babylon was chosen to suggest that the large variety of characters, with different ethnicities, are all working together?

Relating Perkins' assumptions to Hotel Babylon

Tessa Perkins used her academic roots in sociology to create ideas about stereotypes in film. She decided that stereotypes can be challenged, and identified five assumptions that can be objected:
  1. Stereotypes aren't always negative - not all stereotypes are negative, for example: British people are typically linked with the Queen and are considered to drink lots of tea.
  2. Stereotypes aren't always about minority/less powerful groups of people - we often stereotype politicians or upper class people.
  3. Stereotypes can be about your own 'group'.
  4. They aren't rigid or unchanging.
  5. Stereotypes aren't always false.

Stereotypes aren't always negative:

It is a common stereotype that migrant workers are hard-working and committed. In this screenshot we can see Ibrahim, a migrant worker, cleaning the carpet and staying focused. This links with the stereotype that migrants are hard-working but also challenges the stereotype that Black people are lazy.

Stereotypes aren't always false:

It is a stereotype that Asian people are often smart and more intelligent than other ethnicities. Even their school systems are based on working hard and that's why many are successful. 

Stereotypes aren't rigid or unchanging:

If this television program was made 40/50 years ago, the manager of a hotel wouldn't be a female character. Now that out society has evolved, so ha our stereotype of women: it is now completely acceptable for a woman to be in a high up position with power in her hands. This proves that stereotypes can evolve and change, especially when society changes as well.

Camera Shots in Hotel Babylon

This clip lacks a substantial establishing shot because the audience doesn't really learn anything from it; the only thing we can see in the establishing shot is a close up shot of a man in a suit. 
However, this close up shot soon becomes a medium long shot, suggesting that this man now has a larger perspective on what is going on - thus increasing our perspective as well.
During the scene in which Ibrahim is tackled by the Immigration Officers, a close up reaction shot is used, to present the character's fear more clearly to the audience. This particular shot is also a zoom shot, increasing drama and excitement - it also appears to be a handheld shot, as there is a slight shakiness to it. The use of a handheld shot brings realism to the scene, and we get a sense that the Immigration officers are now running at the character. 
Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly) there aren't many "exciting" shots that evoke feelings towards ethnicity; there is a significant lack in low/high angled to portray a shift in power, which is clearly an easy way to represent the imbalance in ethnicity.

Friday 16 September 2016

Researching Star Wars: The Force Awakens



A German movie poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (notice the lack of Stormtroopers)


Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a Hollywood blockbuster film, directed and produced by JJ Abrams. Abrams' production company Bad Robot teamed up with Lucasfilm to produce the movie, including his team of producers: Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burk. Abrams has previously worked on other large films - mainly of the sci-fi genre - and so is no stranger to large productions. He is probably most famous for the latest Star Trek films, however he also directed 10 Cloverfield Lane and Super 8. Due to his experience with larger sci-fi films, he is certainly suited to the role of director for this latest film in the Star Wars franchise. Abrams was also involved in the screenplay of the film, as well as Laurence Kasdan and Michael Arndt.


Cast

Harrison Ford - Han Solo


Ford is a Hollywood hero and has previously starred in the Indiana Jones films.

Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia

Fisher has been a face for the Star Wars franchise and makes her return in this latest installment.

Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker

Famous not only for being Luke Skywalker, but also the voice of the Joker in cartoons and video games.

Daisy Ridley - Rey

Ridley was a relatively unkown actress prior to this new role as protagonist. 

John Boyega - Finn

To me, Boyega is one of those people who looks like they shoud star (no pun intended) in a Star Wars film; his passion for the role is superb, as well as his charisma.

Adam Driver - Kylo Ren

Driver makes his star wars debut in style as the new bad guy - Kylo Ren

Budget and Box Office

According to The Numbers, Star Wars: The Force Awakens had the largest budget for a Star Wars film to date: $306 million! On this website, it is classed with the second highest budget for any film (with Avatar being highest) and made $247 million on its domestic opening weekend - clearly this is a HUGE film.

Currently the film's total world wide box office is at a monumental $2,058,662,225, and is close to the total box office of Avatar. It's total domestic (US) box office is another massive number: $936,662,225 - almost $1 billion from just one area. The film's total gross from the Chinese box office was $124,159,138, which is understandably smaller than the gross from Western countries, since Star Wars was only introduced in China recently, and has therefore not become part of their popular culture - unlike places like Europe and the US, where Star Wars has been incredibly popular since the late 70s.  


Greenlight Date and Screening Numbers

The greenlight date for the film was 30th of October, 2012 - after Lucasfilm was bought by Disney. It was screened on an approximate total of 5,500 screens (worldwide) on its opening weekend - its peak for the first four weeks of it being shown. The film was shown in cinemas for about 22 weeks worldwide.


Critical reaction

The film was generally well received by critics and the public, especially since it is part of perhaps the most famous film franchise of all time. It was unsurprising that people would fall in love with the film and it gained a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.2 on IMDB and 81% on Metacritic.


Music

The soundtrack for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was composed by John Williams - who previously composed the Indiana Jones franchise soundtrack.


Locations and SFX


The first scenes of the film (Jakku) were filmed in the Rub’al Khali desert, close to Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates. 


This is the planet Takodana, filmed and located in the Lake District - England. 



The final scene, involving the mysterious Luke Skywalker, takes place in the Skellig Michael island in Ireland.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens uses a variety of practical effects and CGI. The film aimed to use less CGI and more practical effects, because Abrams felt that the practical effects would give the film the authenticity of the original Star Wars. CGI was used for objects such as space ships and some characters (like Maz) but Abrams aimed to use scale models over computer generated locations - once again adding to the levels of authenticity.

  
Simon Pegg appears in the film as the character of Unkar Plutt - a character who is certainly... interesting in terms of visual appearance. The fact that Pegg wasn't simply voice acting but actually playing the role really adds to the realism of the film.


Marketing and Tie-in products

As with every Star Wars film, there's always a huge craze that comes with it - this one was no different! Probably the most popular Star Wars: The Force Awakens product was Lego: there seemed to be an endless amount of Lego sets and collectable figures.

Not only was there Lego action figures, but also a Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens video game!


BB8 was an extremely popular character from the film and there have been many renditions of him within tie-in products - such as this remote control toy.


The film was marketed using trailers, teasers, posters etc. The first teaser trailer was released on 28th November 2014 - over a year before the film was actually released in cinemas! This obviously generated excitement and increased interest in the film:




Issues

Almost all films have issues when filming and unfortunately many of them are difficult to prevent. In the filming of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there were four main issues, with two of which involved Harrison Ford: the actor broke his leg after a door from a Millennium Falcon set landed on him, and he also managed to crash his plane during filming. Daisy Ridley had apparently considered quitting, after she faced pressure from Abrams who thought her acting was stale - he was trying to get her to "open up". Not only was there issues regarding the cast, but also concerning the rights of the film, due to the fact that they were transferred from Lucasfilm to Disney.


Tuesday 13 September 2016

Film Production

Behind the scenes of the making of The Shining

There are several stages to the production of a film:


Development 


Development is simply the process of 'finding' a story. Ideas for films come from a variety of sources, they can range from novels, real life events to computer game adaptations. Once there's an idea, someone will write a pitch which is then taken to a film producer in an attempt to get some funding to make the film. At this very early stage, a very clear idea of who the film is aimed at is needed - so elements that will appeal to them can be included.


Pre-production 


Once funding is achieved, the budget of the film is established and a film crew can be organised. The script can also be made in a storyboard format and then broken down into individual scenes and identify all the locations, props, cast members, costumes, special effects and visual effects needed.



Production 


Production is the process of 'making' the film.' Film' is very expensive and difficult to store, so an increasing number of film makers are using digital cameras to save money.


Post-production


During this stage, all the 'film' that has been shot is given to a film editor - who will then begin putting it together. Special effects will be added, a soundtrack will be added, any missing dialogue will be re-recorded and added resulting in a 'rough cut'. This will be shown to the director and a test audience who will offer feedback. Often this causes scenes to be filmed and added or removed.



Darth Vader looks slightly less menacing in this behind-the-scenes pic

Roles in film production


Writer


A screenwriter (screenplay writer) is a person who writes scripts for films, as well as other mass media like television programs or video games. Most screenwriters are freelance and are integral for a film to be successful: they provide imagination and creativity to the planning of a film - coming up with ideas that some would be incapable of creating.


Producer


Producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, including: selecting the script, coordinating writing, directing and editing, and arranging financing. They are considered important in the film production, as they hold so many responsibilities.


Director


Directors are given the task to creatively translate he film's written script into actual images and sounds on the screen. Essentially, they are responsible for a film's artistic and commercial success or failure. Not only this, but they also manage the technical aspects of filming including the camera, sound, lighting, design and special effects departments; its a heavy role to play (they deserve their name on the front of the DVD box).


Casting Director


Casting directors organise the casting (selecting) of actors for all roles in a film. They arrange and conduct interviews and auditions with artists, as well as negotiating fees and contracts for the actors who get the part. Casting directors also work with the director and producer to understand their requirements.


Film Finance


The role of a financial controller is challenging. They are responsible for controlling the accounting, taxation and financial analysis for all of the work a company does, including development, production and distribution. The finance of a film is spent in a variety of different ways and needs to be managed sensibly, in order to ensure that the budget of a film isn't broken.


Camera Operator


Camera operators carry out the director's instructions for shot composition and development and, during shooting, are responsible for all aspects of camera operation. Camera operators are important because whatever they film will appear in the final cut - therefore they must be expertly trained in the use of cameras and need to show somewhat artistic talent.


Editor


The editor works closely with the director crafting the daily rushes into a coherent whole and ensure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end, each shot is carefully chosen and edited into a series of scenes, which are in turn assembled to create the finished film. Editors select the best takes and edit them together to create scenes. In some cases, an improvised line or an actor's interpretation of their role may create some on-screen magic that can be developed into a new scene.


Production designer


Production designers are major heads of department on film crews and are responsible for the entire art department, they help the director achieve the look and feel of a film; the look of a set or location is vital in drawing the audience into the story and making a film convincing.


Marketing


Marketing is often an area where lots of money is spent, because its role in making a film successful is huge - it essentially dictates how well the film will do and can increase box office results. It's hard to market a film well because the film is usually being marketed to the whole world; different people enjoy different things, and therefore the film will need to be marketed in different ways.


Exhibition


Exhibiting a film is the process of showing it to a wider audience and is a form of distribution. It is important that a film is exhibited well because popularity should increase.

Friday 9 September 2016

Representation

Jack Kaye from The Magic Gang

Representation refers to the construction of "reality" within the mass media. There are seven areas of representation: gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, social class, regional identity and physical ability/disability.


UK Tribes

I partook in a questionnaire by UK Tribes, in which the aim is to "Find Your Tribe". I discovered that I fit into the 'scenester' and 'maker' tribe: the 'scenester' apparently has "their finger on the pulse when it comes to culture", which I partially agree with as I like to think that I'm somewhat individual when it comes to music and style, so I guess this archetype fits with my personality. People in the 'maker' tribe are considered to be creative and enjoy hobbies like photography. I don't think that I'm an extremely creative person, however I enjoy photography and I'm interested in art/design.

Figures in the media 

There are certain figures in the media who influence my character and the way I present myself. This could be through the way I dress, or the music I listen to, and even the views/opinions I have. I seem to remember watching a music video by the band RAT BOY and immediately thinking that I wanted to be as "cool" as them: influenced by skate and street culture with ear/nose piercings and rolled up trousers. The piercings never happened but I began to roll up any trousers I wore and started to tuck my t shirts in. Now, I think, I have realised that I'll never be on the same plane of coolness - but I like to believe that I dress cool-ish. I also remember seeing a band live (The Magic Gang) and noticing that the lead singer (Jack) wore glasses like me, yet was at least 1000X cooler than myself. The entire outfit of the band featured baggy sort-sleeve shirts tucked into woollen blend trousers and I instantly wanted to look like that - I just kind of fell in love with that aesthetic. Now my choice of clothing isn't just dictated by bands I like or people I see in the media, but just things I like and enjoy. I don't worry too much about what other people might think; which is a message that I think I've learned from bands like RAT BOY and The Magic Gang, as they aren't afraid to wear what they want. I admit that I own a pair of wool blend trousers and I often roll my jeans up, but I've no longer become fixated on looking/dressing like a certain band I enjoy listening to.


Thursday 8 September 2016

Film Scene Analysis


This frame is taken from the scene in which Danny (centre frame) has a vision of two, dead girls. Kubrick has positioned the camera at a low angle, behind Danny, to provide the audience with an effective point of view: we gain a scale of distance between Danny and the girls, increasing tension. Kubrick has chosen to use a narrow corridor and, when paired with the camera angle, a feel of claustrophobia is created - as if the corridor is slowly narrowing. Suddenly, two small girls become frightening, especially since Danny is now out of focus and the girls are in focus. This scene has low key lighting - a common trait in horror films. Not only is low key lighting used, but there is also some vignetting to almost restrict our field of vision and give a sense of foreboding.

Wednesday 7 September 2016

5X5

5: Albums

American Football - American Football
Consider the godfathers of emo, American Football create a stunning self-titled album: originally released in 1999, the album was re-released in 2014 as a deluxe edition - featuring demos and early recordings. Mike Kinsella's vocals pair wonderfully with the rest of the band - plus there's a trumpet! Standout tracks on this album are: Never meant, Honestly? and Stay Home.

Panucci's Pizza - All The Toppings
With a total of 48 songs, All The Toppings is a compilation album featuring tracks from previous albums. Fantastic guitar riffs intertwine with raw vocals to weave an emotionally powerful album. My favourite songs on this album are Dibs on the bubble slice and Aesthetic? (more like ass pathetic)

Crywank - Don't Piss On Me I'm Already Dead
Don't Piss On Me I'm Already Dead is the newest album from mancunian duo Crywank. The album is refreshingly more upbeat than previous albums, but retains its high quality. In fact, my standout track on this album is Forlorn Leghorn, a song that is mellow and discusses James' (vocals/guitars) addictions to drugs and tobacco.

The Enemy - We'll Live and Die in These Towns
To coin BBC Radio 6Music, We'll Live and Die in These Towns is an "all killer, no filler" album. Every song reflects the city in which the band originate: Coventry. Topics such as poverty, teen pregnancy and drug problems are explored throughout the album - expressed via catchy tunes and a prominent hometown accent. The songs are filled with energy, such as Aggro - my standout track.

Marisa Anderson - Into the Light
I have only recently discovered this instrumental guitar album from Marisa Anderson, and I have already fallen in love with it. Marisa's skill on guitar paints an image of a balmy and hazy American town and the entire album is so beautifully relaxing: it melts my heart. One of my favourite songs on this album is In Waves.


5: Album/EP covers

Death Grips - Bottomless Pit
Image result for death grips bottomless pit
This album cover is so bizarre that it's good - plus the album itself is great as well!


My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Image result for mbv loveless
The cool, distorted and ethereal image of the guitar is what makes this album cover so famous, not forgetting the use of Comic Sans for the album title.


C Duncan - Architect
Image result for c duncan for
C Duncan designs and makes his own album covers, making each album even more of a work of art. His style is clean cut and simple; it reminds me of an architects drawing (no pun intended).


Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.
Image result for untitled unmastered
Okay, okay, so this isn't actually album art, but I thought I'd include it purely because of how flipping simple it is.


The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Harmlessness
Image result for harmlessness the world is a beautiful place
With a name that includes almost as many words as members in the band, I'm hardly surprised at this weirdly cool album cover. The photograph looks as if it has been taken from student's film project and is something I would love to own on vinyl.

5: Songs

1. RAT BOY - GET OVER IT: This song is what I would describe as a feel-good song. Simple as that (plus the music video is pretty cool)
2. Panucci's Pizza - Dibs on the bubble slice: That guitar is just amazing.
3. Slaves - Where's your car Debbie?: I first heard this song on Radio 1 and instantly I was hooked - crazy to think how successful two guys from Kent have become.
4. My Bloody Valentine - I Only Said: So. F***ing. Good.
5. Mac Demarco - Without Me: A classic Mac love song featuring dreamy, out of tune guitar and nice vocals.

5: Book quotes

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.'

Brighton Rock - Graham Greene
'It's like those sticks of rock: once you bite all the way down, you'll still read Brighton. That's human nature.'

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
'That's a fair gloopy title. Who ever heard of a clockwork orange?'

1984 - George Orwell
'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'

To Kill a mockingbird - Harper Lee
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird'

5: Films

The Shining - Stanley Kubrick
Possibly my favourite film; a psychological horror masterpiece.

Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky
 I'm a big fan of psychological films and Requiem for a Dream is a classic. The film portrays the downfall of a number of character's lives in 101 minutes - plus let's not forget the classically intense song that features throughout.

Gummo - Harmony Korine
Gummo is a slightly disturbing (but mostly cool) art film that portrays the ways in which people of a small, poor, American town fulfil their boring and nihilistic lives.

Sing Street - John Carney
Sing Street is an indie film that is based in Ireland that tells the story of Conor who, to escape family life, creates a band to impress a girl he likes. The film features tracks from the likes of The Clash, The Jam and Duran Duran - all of which fit with the time of the film (1980s).

Donnie Darko - Richard Kelly
Donnie Darko is one of those films that you need to watch - it's a cult classic for a reason. The reason I like this film so much is because it discusses theories on time travel, whilst retaining an entertaining and dramatic plot, as well as having an edge of creepiness. 'Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?'