Review of Dredd (2012)

Review of Dredd (2012)

The film Dredd was produced by DNA Films and IM Global and the director was Pete Travis. The main stars of the film were Karl Urban (Who plays ‘Judge Dredd’ in the film) Olivia Thirlby (Who plays ‘Anderson’ in the film) and Lena Headley (Who plays ‘Ma-Ma’ in the film). These are all actors who have played characters in a similar role during other films. The film was released in UK cinemas on the 7^th September 2012. It was then released on DVD later on after being in the cinemas. I watched this film on DVD on the 28^th September 2013.

The film Dredd is an Action/Sci-Fi, the story line is as follows: The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lays Mega City One - a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge - a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed. During a routine day on the job, Dredd is assigned to train and evaluate Cassandra Anderson, a rookie with powerful psychic abilities thanks to a genetic mutation. A heinous crime calls them to a neighborhood where fellow Judges rarely dare to venture - a 200 storey vertical slum controlled by prostitute turned drug lord Ma-Ma and her ruthless clan. The Storyline is taken from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343727/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 .

How I felt about the film? Sci-Fi movies are not usually in my favor, meaning I don’t really like them. But action films; action films are my biggest interest when it comes to relaxing and watching a good movie. Dredd is a sci-fi and action genre film which means I could love it or hate it. As if happens I loved Dredd, the idea of the slow-mo drug in the film really gives the chance for the producer and directors to show slow, detailed scenes which you don’t get to see in some other films. These scenes are the parts such as gun shots and the detail when it hits the bad guys and you see everything that happens like the skin exploding and blood flying around. This brought a realistic feeling to the film not like in most films where it generally looks like fake killing and blood. The violence also brought a quick solution to what type of person and world Judge Dredd was living in, such as the skinning of people by the villains then throwing these skinned people from massive heights. Currently I don’t feel like I have any negative feelings towards the movie Dredd but can see from other peoples prospective of not liking it due to the violence, but the film was rated an 18, so this automatically means there is disturbing scenes so they shouldn’t watch it.

I would recommend any Sci-Fi fans to watch this movie because it gives an impression of what our future world could look like and I would recommend Action fans to pretend they didn’t notice it was a Sci-Fi and watch it because the Action overpowers what Sci-Fi you’re seeing in the film. I would also advise people who have a fear of blood to watch a different film, not Dredd!

By Jack Green 

Mr Ford Representation of Skins

Mr Ford - Representation of Skins (Season 1, Episode 1)

Tony:
Tony isn't the average teenage boy (16/17), the average teenage lad you expect to be very messy and not organised at all. Tony is the opposite in his bedroom everything was tidy: his clothing drawers were very neat and tidy this could have been a link to him possibly having OCD or his mum tidies them. Tony looks out for his sister, we notice this when Tony see's her out of the window then turns up his music to allow her to get into her bedroom without being heard by her dad. I think this is the opposite to real life, because most teenage lads wind up their sister and would most likely get them in trouble at this point.Tony has a bit of an attitude that follows with cheekiness. I've noticed his attitude in his voice when his dad runs into his bedroom and the cheekiness/naughty when he purposely locks the door and climbs out of the window to annoy his dad. The conflict between Tony and his father gives me the impression he defiantly enjoys irritating his father. Tony could have an interest in a mix of sexuality, this is because he sleeps directly in between the male and female figures on his bed covers. Tony has two posters on his walls of films including: 8 & a half and Blow Up. These posters are films from the 60's and Italian this tells us his interest which is older films. Tony also has a reasonable sized bedroom and a very new looking stereo, this gives us the impression his parents are wealthy.

Tony's Dad: 
Tony s Dad character is played by Harry Enfield. Tonys dad is made out to be a bit of a mug/stupid in the program, this is due to the amount of things the teenagers are getting away with, such as: Tony s sister arriving home from a night out and Tony climbing out of bathroom window. This will interest the audience because they will find the parents being made a fool of quite entertaining. We get to know his dad as quite short tempered in the first five minutes because we see him shouting and getting angry about the music being to loud quickly and him getting angry when he notices Tony downstairs later in the scene. Tony's dad mostly swears which the teenage audience would enjoy and find entertaining, he also uses acts of slang wording such as 'James Blunt'. The stereo type of Tony's dad is that he is a bit of a pub drinker, he looks like the typical man you see drinking down a pub, watching the football.

Camera Shots and Angles:
During the first clip in Tony's bedroom the camera in on an extreme close up of Tony's eyes, which then zooms out to reveal a wide shot/high angle of him in his bed. A mid shot plus close up is then used to show him working out, this then stops and changes angle/clip to a high angle watching over him while he is carrying out his press ups in bedroom. A panning shot is then used to record Tony's Sister walking up the road, this shot also includes an overall picture of what the environment they live in is like. A high angle is then used to show Tony's sister from where he is standing (bedroom window). The camera then switched to a low angle to see Tony standing in his bedroom looking from sisters view point (outside on ground level). A close up is then used to show what Tony's sister looks like after a night out partying while she's sitting down in her room. An extreme close up is then used to show the anger in Tonys Dad when he is shouting. A wide angle is then used to show what Tony's sisters room is like (messy, what you expect a typical boys room to be like). A close up is used to show Tony's sister doing up the tie (getting ready for school). A tracking shot and wide angle is used to follow Tony climbing down the wall of his house and see the scenery of his house. An over shoulder shot is also used to look at the women across the road from his point of view (making us the audience feel like we're his eyes).

Sounds: 
Non digetic music is played at the start of the first scene (looking down at Tony plus him working out) because there isn't any other sounds to be heard and the music which is playing is hip-hop/rap which will interest the audience. This music then stops playing when his sister comes to the window sight because Tony then plays his own music which is then digetic because if you were in the scene you would be able to hear it. Digetic sounds are then used by Tony's Dad which is his voice shouting at Tony in the background of the digetic music.

Understanding Film making

Film Production

Scene 1- The Idea

The sources of inspiration is where the idea for the film comes from, inspirations may include a remake. After the sources of inspiration it is taken to the producer, who is the person who makes the great idea a reality. The producer will also be the one who gives the money to support the creating of the film. The director is the one who works with the producer to direct and create it a film. The writer begins to create a script and make the idea longer and more detailed and parts to be played. The writer will then create a treatment which is a description of the main story and all of the characters. A pitch contains all the information the producer needs in order to sell the idea to financiers to commission a script.

Scene 2 - Developing Finance

This is the step which turns the first idea into a final script and ready for production, this is where it starts to cost money.  Pitching the project, this is where the producer uses the treatment and pitch, using their powers of persuasion to get money to develop a script. production companies, the producer approaches film companies for development money. Then theirs sales, distribution, broadcast, this is where the producer can offer their future sales and broadcast rights to the film in return for money to develop the script. Private finance, the producer may even consider taking their idea to private investors, in hope they will support their project.

Scene 3 - Script Development

This is when the finance has been received and they are nailing down to finish final script for producers and financiers. Synopsis, this is when the writer produces a synopsis and gives it to the producer who decides whether they are suitable key scenes and events in the film. Step outline, this is where they plan a brief outline to plan their script. Once the writer and producers are happy, the draft is sent to the financiers all of who will have their own ideas, this is called revisions. When everyone is happy the script is then locked off and becomes a final draft. Sales treatment. The final stage of the script development process is the creation of a sales treatment.

Scene 4 - Packaging

The script is now complete, the director and producer now decide on how they want to film it and who they employ to help them. The producer and director must now package the script into a full commercial proposition, ready for the financing. The cast, one common way to make the project more commercial is to attach well known stars to the script. The heads of the department (HODS) These are respected, commercially successful heads of department carry considerable clout with knowledgeable financiers. The detailed budget and production schedule, to turn the film into a proper business proposition, the producer must know how much it will actually cost to make. Finance plan and recoupment schedule, potential investors will want to know how the producer plans to raise the money and how she plans to pay them back. The complete package, the producers has packaged the film into a viable commercial proposition. Now its time to see what people think of it.

Scene 5 - Financing

The market, financiers can be anywhere in the world, to secure the investment she needs to make the film the producer must travel. The investment, private individuals, production companies and public bodies all invest in films, the producers lawyer draws up contracts to seal the deals. Pre-sales, the producer can also raise money from 'pre-sales' which are selling the rights to the film before it has even been made. Banks and cap funding, there are departments of banks that specialize in film and finance, they invest in commercial projects and also offer loans. Completion bonds, most financiers insist that a completion bond is in place they agree to invest. This is insurance for the production. GREEN LIGHT, once all the essential funding and insurance is secured the film gets the green light to produce and the producer gets drunk.

Scene 6 - Pre-Production

The kick off meeting, once all the heads of department are hired, the shooting script is circulated and pre-production begins in earnest. Casting, the casting director with the director and producer begins the long process of identifying and casting the actors. Story boarding, this is blueprinting for the film, where every shot is planned in advance by the director and the DOP. Production design, the production designer plans every aspect of how the film will look and hires people to design and build each part. Special effects planning, effects shots are planned in much more detail then normal shots and can take months to design and build. the production unit, the 1st AD, the line producer and the production manager make up the key logistic triangle of the production.

Scene 7 - The Shoot

A large film production can involve hundreds of people and it is a constant struggle to keep it on schedule and budget. 1st day of principal photography, this is the key moment in the film production, shooting begins, funding is released and the production breathes a huge sigh of relief. Camera, the camera department is responsible for getting all the footage that the director and editor need to tell the story. Lighting and sound, one the lighting and sound are set up and hair and make up have been checked the shot can begin. Acting, in the midist of all this commotion, the actors must create emotional world and draw the audience into it. Special physical effects, every special effect is carefully constructed and must be filmed with minimum risk of injury to cast and crew. Chain of command, film productions are run with military precision. If they fall behind schedule the financiers and insurers may step in.

Scene 8 - Post Production


As the processed footage comes in the editor assembles it into scenes and creates a narrative sequence of the film called a rough cut. Once the picture is locked, the sound department works on the audio track laying, creating and editing every sound. Digital effects are added by specialist effects compositors and titles and credits are added in a compositing suite. The final stage of the picture edit is to adjust the colour and establish the fine aesthetic of the film. After picture lock, the rough sound mix goes to a dubbing theatre where the sound mixer sets the finial levels. After the finial cut the film reaches full lock, it is now finished and ready for duplication.

Scene 9 - Sales


When selling the product to distributors the producer secures the services of a sales agent, a specialist in film sales. To help sell the film, a trailer is made to show busy film buyers the most marketable aspects of the film. The producer and the sales agent collect everything they will need to sell the film such as the trailer, sales pack and sales report. The market is a saturated with films, so the producer must go to great lengths to attract attention for the film. A high profile screening at one of the top film festivals can be great for creating the heat around  the film. The producer now has a hot product and can negotiate good deals with distributors around the world.

Scene 10 - Marketing


Then the film goes to a marketing team who specialist in marketing the film to the public. Knowing the audience is essential; and the marketing team runs test screenings to see how the film is received. The potential audience for the film is targeted with posters, cinema trailers, TV spots and other marketing materials. Television, radio, newspapers and magazines can all help create positive word of mouth about the film. The internet can also help promote the film as it floods the world with information and also makes niche marketing possible. In order to get the film to audiences the distributor must negotiate a deal with the cinemas to screen it.


Scene 11 - Exhibition


A high profile, star studded premiere is used to launch the film to the public with and explosion of media coverage. The UK has more than 3,500 cinema screens and some are not British owned or show British films. Distributors supple the exhibitors with prints of the film, the more screens the film is shown on the more prints are needed. The box office performance is when the data of the film attendance is collected and then form that data they decide whether the film gets cancelled or prolonged. The exhibitors take their share of the box office receipts, after which the distributors recoup their marketing costs. Once the distributors have been paid the financiers can recover their investments as laid out in the recoupment schedule.


Scene 12 - Other Windows


Hospitality sales for hotel channels and inflight entertainment can bring millions in additional revenue. UK audiences spend more on DVDS than on cinema tickets so success on DVD can compensate for box office failure. Television is the final source of revenue, rights are sold separately for pay-tv showings and terrestrial broadcasts. Rights for computer games and other reproduces licenses can be extremely lucrative sources of additional revenue. Once the film has made a profit, the producer and key creative people can reap their rewards. The finial income from a film is never known. Distributors continue in perpetuity, and the film m

Mr Nicolle - Homework - 24th September - Clip Editing

Media Studies - Mr Nicolle - Clip Editing

In this clip of Eastenders there are two scenes including a hospital scene and a home, dining room and kitchen scene.

It has the regular program introduction which includes the Eastenders tone and the camera bird’s eye view filming of East London where the setting of the program is.

Hospital Scene:

The camera starts with filming a window which looks out into the corridor, using a mid -shot and panning shot the camera then moves to the left and zooms out to a wide angle which then focuses on the character laying on the bed. Moving out to a wide angle also allows the second actor (nurse) to be seen as she enters the room. Sounds used during this scene are the phones ringing and people walking/moving around in the background. A pan shot then moves from the left corner of the scene which allows the hospital room/scene to be fully seen. When the nurse enters the room the volume of background noises reduces as her voice over powers them when she speaks to the other actor. A close up camera shot is then used to skip between actor faces as they speak to one and other. The nurse then acts to take the bed lining of the actor (Phil) who is laying in the hospital bed, a mid shot and close up is used to show the removing of the bedding and Phil’s legs. The sounds of pain coming from the actor Phil then over powers the background noises while the nurse is interrupting saying ‘its ok, take your time’, at this point the camera is taking a tracking shot and over shoulder clip from the nurse as she helps Phil attempt to remove himself from the bed.

Home, dining room and kitchen Scene:

A flick to another scene on the cameras allows a family of three in a wide angle shows what they're all doing such as drinking a coffee, walking around the kitchen and eating toast all in one shot. The sounds which are in this scene is the TV in the background which is then over powered when the actors begin to speak. An over shoulder shot is used during the older man speaking to the younger man, the camera is on the mans shoulder watching the other man speak. When the person who is talking changes the positioning of the camera changes to the opposite person watching them speak. A tracking shot is also used to film the women speaking while she is doing actions such as walking around in the kitchen. 

Fast Five

Blockbuster task - Fast Five

Blockbuster Task

Fast Five

The film Fast Five was released in April 2011, it is an action film which has the main story line of Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers plan a massive heist to buy their freedom while in the sights of a powerful Brazilian drug lord and a dangerous federal agent.

Pre-Production:

Is the film an original idea, a remake, a sequel or an adaptation?

The successful franchise of The Fast and Furious originally started in 2001. This franchise then carried on creating more of the fast and furious movies.

Who is the director?

The director of Fast Five was Justin Lin, he was previously known for the other franchise films such as: Fast and Furious (2009) and Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift (2006).

Which studio(s) made the film?

There were a few different studios that created the film. The first studio was Universal Pictures, another studio was Original Film and the final studio was One Race Productions.

What size budget did it have?

The Fast Five producer/director had a budget of $125,000,000 to work with.

Which 'stars' signed up to be in the film?

The main stars in the film were Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs) he has also been well known as the Rock from WWE series, Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto) he has also appeared in the film Saving Private Ryan, Paul Walker (Brian O'Connor) he has also been seen in the film Pawn Shop Chronicles and Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce) he has also been in the Transformer trilogy’s. These actors have also played the same role in some previous Fast and Furious Films.

How long did it take from 'green light' to filming commencing?

On the February 3, 2010, the producing company confirmed that there was going to be a fifth film. The shooting of the film finally started filming on the 14th July, 2010,

Production:

Where was it 'filmed'?

The whole of the movie was filmed in many different locations such as:

Rice, California, USA (Train scene)

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

California, USA

Parker, Arizona, USA

Puerto Rico

Rice, California, USA

Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Vidal, California, USA

How was it filmed (3D, 2D, CGI)?

Fast five was only released in 2D; this is due to it failing the 3D conversion test.

Post Production:

Does it rely on special effects? What sort of special effects were used?

Lin recognizes the disappointment in his tendency to favour CGI over practical stunts. The director plans to put those concerns to bed with a more practical Fast Five. While some stunts are still over-the-top and require CGI enhancement, Lin argues that he has focused on limiting its use. You can get greedy and what I’ve learned is that [CGI] never replaces the real thing. There is something very special and unique when you crash a car. That is something that I can’t speak for the franchise before me but I think since I’ve been on I have also learned a lot tonally about what we are trying to achieve.

There was many special effect and stunt men used, such as for scene where there is racing through the city and cars were hitting trees and other vehicles, this was highly trained stunt men. A scene which used special effects is cars crashing into the vault, they used special effects by picturing the scene separately, such as the cars in a crashing shot then a separate vault rolling then merged the scenes together to make it look realistic.

Any problems they had during filming?

During the creating of the film they never had any serious injuries but had a lot of sore stunt people and some bumps and bruises – plus one stuntman’s shoulder dislocated when the police motorcycle wrecked into the car windshield. Did it require any re shots?

Marketing:

How the film was marketed?

One promotional tool which they used to market is A Regal Entertainment Group, virtual drive-in theatre in Car Town, showed trailer for Fast Five during their games.  Another promotional tool which they used is advertisement on social networking sites such as Facebook they had an official Facebook page where they released a trailer and people shared the film. Another way fast five was promoted was through the TV, the producers will have paid different TV channels a price which then allows them to place their trailer for the film on a TV channel during the break between programs. Another promotional tool used was the film being on the IMDB web page, this is because the company would have sent out film judges and would have judged and rated the new film then posted this on their website which gave reviews and comments about the film which may have led to people seeing it in the cinemas.

Where was the films premier?

The premier of the Fast Five Film was in Brazil on the 15th April 2011

AS Media Studies Summer Work - Monsters University & Rosie Webster

As Media Induction by jackg165