'Children of Men' Essay

Children of Men, released in 2006 and directed by Alfonso Cuarón shows our world very differently to how we know it. In the opening sequence, it is evidential that it is a futuristic film set in ‘2027’ by the use of repeated hints such as the voice over of the current news, the visual footage of the news and in case we miss that, text on the bottom of the screen displaying the date! This information is clearly vital to the understanding of the film.

The genre of the film being mystery and drama again is immediately portrayed, this time through the use of dark colours in the general setting, and other aspects of MES such as what we as an audience learn through the voiceover but mainly through the actual content of the opening sequence; for example the selection of what are meant to be ‘normal’ people are all dressed very similarly in dull and gloomy clothing, and the way in which they react to the situation being presented by the news, (shown through the sea of shocked facial expressions, crying and devastated body language), encourages the audience to question what is going on and in fact make us want to watch more which after all is the primary purpose of an opening sequence – to keep the viewer intrigued.

It is obvious who the main character is as he straight away stands out from the crowd of faces, this is because a well known actor has been used to play him (Clive Owen) and also due to him being less stunned by the news than everyone else in the scene and appears to be ‘different’ in comparison to the sheep-like, sad people surrounding him which connects with the audience for two main reasons. One, it almost creates a sense of comforting and familiarity as we no longer feel like an outsider looking in on these strange circumstances but also because we feel we can follow this character through his chaotic journey that will answer the questions we originally conceived.

As he carries out a task we presume is part of his everyday routine of getting coffee, the camera follows him exiting in a hand held manor. During this we see many things that represent what the time period and the location of the film is like, such as the use of motorised passenger bikes on the street, moving images as advertisements on the sides on buses, both suggesting big changes in terms of technology, the business of the location which is central London, almost relating to the audience as a current Japan or China ambience, but also the dirtiness of the streets and not a wink of sunlight as if the equilibrium of the world had been broken. The camera moves in a way to allow us to see these factors as again they are significant. The camera is then positioned for a few seconds facing Owen from the side so it is in full view of the explosion that shortly takes place, still remaining hand held and then directly after the explosion quickly goes towards the action to capture the not at all disturbing image of a woman waddling out the cafe Owen were just in missing an arm.

Use of sound in this extract is essential for the effect of the loud explosion and following screaming enabling it to seem more realistic and hectic, as well as the voiceover being off scene for a while and then on screen diagetic sound when the television is displayed. The narrative functions are quite simple the film starts at the present day of the story and proceeds onwards from there revealing more horrid truths about how the director perceives the future!

To conclude I believe the opening sequence Children of Men effectively used the forms and conventions of a film opening as I have demonstrated in my essay. Personally, I as a viewer enjoyed the extract as it was different and interesting, and definitely made me want to watch on. So much so that I am investing in a copy of my own so I can watch the rest of the film and find out how it ends!

Film Promotion Activity - Harry Potter Merchandising

Our class teacher set us the task of going on a 'Harry Potter Scavenger Hunt'. Our assignment is to search for marketing strategies that the HP corporation has used to promote the new film installment. Here's what I found;

Harry Potter 7 game, compatible with the Nintendo DS. Another means of promoting the new film as it is evident that a mass amount of children have a nintendo, and are therefore likely to see this game and then want to see the film.

Harry Potter 7 advertisement, targeting HP fans and probably more so men because they have consciously included an attractive woman in this photo with the intention of making a man druel at the premier of this film. '100 days to go' this count down innately makes us want to go and see the film because it gives us that buzz of waiting for something desirable then being able to have a grasp of it, along with the excitement of counting down (like advent calenders) :).

Harry Potter 7 game for the XBOX 360 console, targeting the fan community of both HP and fans of fear and competition by personally involving them, interactively, in the wonderful world of HP.

Harry Potter 7 movie poster found in cinemas, targeting movie/ HP lovers. Clearly this particular example is a contribute to the main star. Majority of people would only have to see Daniel Radcliffe's face to know it's about HP because they have made an association between the actor and the film. The dark colours used in the poster signify the genre of the film, (the name of the film does this also) and the glows of light in the background represent the magic.

Harry Potter 7 book, targeting people of all ages who are HP and reading fans. It creates enigma, in the sense that we immediately we want to pick up the book as the locket is pleasing to the eye in terms of we seek to open it (perhaps representing the goals of the book).

My last example a print screen by very own trusty laptop, showing some facebook pages supporting, promoting and distributing the new film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', targeting people who are familiar with socialising websites such as facebook, twitter ect.

Low Angle Shot

This is an example of a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis. This consists of anywhere below the eyeline, looking up. Like Worm's Eye View, this shot is popular in being used for the 'big, strong and superior' effect.

Worm's Eye View

This is a shot from below the subject, usually used to make a character or object seem superior, powerful or strong, and anyone else small and not important, clearly thats not the case in this example... However the young girl in this clip appears to have control over the situation and is almost the decision maker of what happens next.

Aerial Shot

Aerial shots are easily recognised as they are the only type of camera movement that is taken from a plane or helicopter for extreme height and establishment of a landscape making any characters seem insignificant. However it is a variation of a crane shot.

Reverse Tracking Shot

Also known as Dolly Zoom, this shot is a special effect that is used to unsettle its audience. The camera moves away from the object but zooms in at the same time, making the background appear to be changing size while the object remains the same.

Whip Pan

A Whip Pan is a type of Panning Shot in which the camera moves from side to side however is done to fast it blurs. This type of shot is commonly used as a transition between shots or even scenes.

Tracking Shot

The camera itself moves forwards or backwards, in or away from the subject. The shot is called a Tracking Shot because the camera is often run along a small track. In this particular example, the effect the use of camera movement has on the audience is to feel connected to the woman being watched and followed.

Wide Panning Shot

This example of a Panning Shot shows the horizontal pivoting or rotation of the Camera from one side to the other to show a larger area of the subject, in this case, the beach. The camera does not move apart from left to right, and often remains very still as the camera is on a tripod, however hand held panning shots are also used. The panning technique is used to suggest fast motion, and bring out the subject from other elements in the frame, as well as showing the surroundings or background.

Sherlock Holmes Film Review

Director: Guy Ritchie, previous director of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch, which was released in 2000.

Release date: 25th December 2009 (US). Avatar (Box Office), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was also released in this year.

Writers: Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham

Studio:  Filmed in numerous places including; Freemasons’ Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral, Manchester’s Northern Quarter and Leavesden Studios.

                Just from looking at the DVD case of Sherlock Holmes, I almost immediately decided I wasn’t to like it. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thoroughly enjoying it even after just the first couple of minutes. Although neither Action, Crime or Suspense, being the genres of the film, are of any particular interest to me; alongside the fascinating character Robert Downey Jr helps us, as an audience, to connect with so well; the mise-en-scene and general story line, together created a different, addictive mystery film which I am sure would appeal to a wide range of age groups.

                I specifically concentrated on the camera work and editing as asked, and noticed many examples of suspense and tension being created through this. For instance, all things associated with evil, death and all things negative, were used to enhance the audiences reaction and fear, such as dark, dim lighting accompanied by chilling music for the effect of eeriness. I also noticed how a black crow would appear, in close up, whenever the villain (Blackwood) was near or being spoken about, this relates to the idea of symbolism. I thought the way the main characters were introduced, established and developed was quite intelligent for illustration; the disorder and clutter of Holmes’ studio almost represented his thoughts.           

                The ending of the film half lead the audience to believe there would be a Sherlock Holmes 2, but not stating this, just leaving it open for personal interpretation.