JAWS & High concept films

JAWS is a high concept film. These are very similar films with recurring plot, character types etc. This means that:
-Recurring good vs Evil theme
-Death and Honour are themes
-One line pitch
-Easy iconography
-Easy marketability/appeal
-Culture neutral

By utilising promotional tools such as merchandising, advertising and hype building through magazines, headlines etc., film companies can gain an audience and fill seats in cinemas.

For example: Film posters uses one liners as their tagline, "why so serious?", in a way to make it memorable and give little away from the movie, intriguing audience to see the film. They often depict the conflict between two characters, whether it be actually showing the actors as their characters or through symbol such as the Batman logo, which is easily recognizable even when red (the colour of blood showing potential death) and we know he is the good guy, placed on the opposite end of the poster to the jokers eyes, which are a black colour, meaning there is conflict through the conflict and opposition. Easy to sell as superhero films have been sculpted to be the norm in blockbusters as people want to see these films for their fantasy appeal and stunning visuals.

3.1.1&2 - Film flop and Blockbusters

Flop - A film that fails to meet twice the production and marketing budget (Flop formula - Large budgets, A list star, cannot be a comedy, large amount spent on Special FX)

Franchise movies - A film with large spending to be a fan followed film, made to be big

Multiplex - Chains of cinemas with multiple screens, main releases will overlap

Film budget - Averages to $150-$200 million in blockbusters spent on production ONLY : The spending on the making of the film, if you spend money, you'll make money

Blockbuster - A film with a large box office taking, after large spending and budget

Event film - big film, appeals to people as a group for the experience, mass appeal
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Resources:
Box office mojo
IMDB
Mark Kemode

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Do audiences really want visually effects driven films? Or do they go see it because it's all that's shown to them in cinemas?

Social value - audience. Go to see blockbusters, go there for the special effects as they are mass advertised through merchandising (McDonald's toys etc), and the only films played by cinemas are blockbusters.

Visual effects make people want to go to cinema over watching it at home as well as it stops piracy, as visual effects aren't as good when viewed illegally

The more a movie spends on marketing, the more people are gonna go and see it as it's presented as "in cinemas" and thus, is readily available.

2.3.2 Notes - Layout

Thesis, Macro
Indie or Hollywood?
Representation - Gender, Race, Phallic, Psychoanalysis
Director's interview - Messages/Purpose & Previous films
Critical response - Specific to messages/meaning
Casting - Roles associated
MICRO - Detail of scenes (sim & diff)
Symbolism -through MES, what significance do they have

Prepare for representation of CoM

CoM Vs V brief comparison

Children of Men compared to V for Vendetta

Gender roles in V for Vendetta will be stereotypical as it is Hollywood. However, it subverts this in some way, despite having very hollywood characters. Children of men has your everyman character (alcoholism,  human flaws). Britain is represented to be dystopian which helps enforce the messages of a warning. England is not presented as the stereotypical in CoM.

V is HyperMasculine, whereas Theo is realistic.

1) Fast and furious - Hypermasculinity - Reinforces (bravery, pain tolerance), Phallic imagery which also reinforces masculinity (gear stick)

2) We need to talk about Kevin - Maternal figure (caring until annoyed, where she turns uncaring) - challenging stereotype

3) Captain American week - Challenges masculinity (you don't have to be muscly to be masculine)

No Male gaze throughout
As well as representation of nationality

Micro and Macro discussion and why, then compare to next clip

PARENTS
V has more symbolic parents than actual parents, CoM has absence of children showing lack of maternal/paternal characters
Mothers = peace and hope, without them, the men turn to war

PHALLIC YONIC
Knives (penetrate) - masculine
Phallic = Power
Men = power
Roses = yonic "giving a vagina" OR birth into afterlife, freedom
Train = birth of freedom
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CoM has wound (freedom) and tunnel (freedom) both yonic. Phallic objects are destructive, men = destructive. Women are important challenging stereotype

Representation of Nationalism

HYPERMASCULINITY
NATIONALITY
GENDER ROLES
PHALLIC/YONIC
MATERNAL/PATERNAL ROLES

Refer to MICRO (MES,Cam,Editing) as you can't take clips in

Fatherland, Fuhrer, Fascism = V's government

1) England are "heroes" but we a re close to being fascist like Nazi Germany due to hate for immigrants
2) Terrorist/Fear = Power, released a disease to get voted. CoM have fishes, extremist bomb and shoot. We associate all terrorists to be immigrants, but really we are. Religion plays a big part in terrorism, V has hate for muslims and gays as they don't agree with Christianity. Switching sides. Britain in future = own enemy

Representation exam notes

1hr - representation
Question is at top of most recent post
5 things to compare
MES is from scenes, E. Micro is evidence, also E.
HOW REPRESENTATION CREATES MESSAGES
PEA structure, write in margin

HyperMasc:
V is leader, is. theo avoids conflict, is not.
V subverts hypermasculinity by displaying female traits. Has a lot of influence
Theo does not and has little influence

Phallic
CoM Phallic is destructive, hypermasculinity is a detriment. Women are hope for manking, sacrifice
V Women are not shown with phallic objects, have little power, men are dominant.

Male Gaze
Voyeuristic to Evey in opening
CoM noone is being objectified, gender neutral in opening
V conforms to Male Gaze, pope scene, evey is objectified, vulnerable, only saved by v, a man.
Kee is not sexual when naked, not shot in sexual manner. CoM does not conform.

Nationality
V and CoM are both future Londons. Opening shows polluted London.
V has London as clean city
both have corrupt governments, different policies and views
CoM Hopelessness in future (conc camp), againdt immigrants, compare to hitler.
V has government made disease, voted in to cure, genocide dor power. We became what we fought. The opening (TV) talks about immigrants

Mother father roles
V motherly, follows stereotypes (cooking, apron, long hair etc)
Kee is stereotypical,  literal mother (gives birth) Theo is father
Sutler, father to creedy (controlling, bigger)
Jasper is father to theo, self s acrifice (pov, shock)
Evey, feminine, vulnerable (long hair, dress) Evey reborn as masculine (short hair, loose clothes)
Kee is feminie, there to birth, barn = nativity stable

Phallic and Yonic Imagery in V for Vendetta and Children of Men