Friday, 13 December 2013
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Experimental Film Exam Response
'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]
Un Chien Andalou, the infamous 1929 surrealist short film from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, attests to this. Such examples can be found throughout the film. The introduction of the film is what first made me realise how surreal this film is. At exactly 2 minutes into the film, I am shown an extreme close up of Luis Bunuel (who stars in the first part of the film) cutting a woman's eyeball with a sharp razor blade. The idea of cutting any part of the body is itself a chilling idea, but I found being shown an eyeball sliced open a particularly shocking image. Bunuel wanted to use shock tactics with this film and in this shot he uses them well as I was taken aback. Although it carries shock with it, the shot didn't make any sense to me and it was confusing. It could imply that Bunuel wanted to obscure my vision when watching the film, and by cutting an eye of the woman he manages to almost scream the idea at me.
Another example of the surrealism in this film is at 8 minutes, when the male character picks up two ropes, with various objects attached. Along it is two priests, and two pianos, each with a rotting donkey carcass laying on it. I found this scene to be incredibly random, as it seems to have no link to anything else shown in the film. I even found it humorous, when I was shown the expressions on the priests. This scene is a good example of how the director plays with the theme of dreams. When writing this film, he would note things he saw in his dreams, and then recreated them in the film. This scene stands out to me in the film as I could not begin to question the haphazard events within it.
The film addresses the issue of cross-dressing in the 20's, by showing the male character clearly dressed, and acting like a woman. Being 'gay' was seen as a serious crime, and was punishable via jail sentence. By openly showing a man to be 'gay' the film makes a bold statement against society, and goes against all aspects of popular opinion.
I found this film quite shocking to watch, because of some of the imagery that it shows, but I did find myself to have enjoyed it.
Chris Marker became known internationally for the short film La Jetée (1962). It tells of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel by using a series of filmed photographs developed as a photomontage of varying pace, with limited narration and sound effects. I found this film interesting, and it was certainly something I have never seen before. Using this odd technique to create a short film is something I have never seen before. Marker's film could be described as a 'slideshow' but he purposely shows each picture for a different amount of time, sometimes longer, sometimes quicker. By doing this he can create the effect of time passing faster and slower, which I find to be very impressive. Throughout the film there are relations to time, the medium by which the film is shown being one. Another way it relates to time is by idealising that Marker's world is only shown through photos, or memories. The film constantly plays on the idea that memories are shown by photos, not moving images. Modern science fictions films of today have references to La Jetée, such as 'The Minority Report' that showed the covering of the eyes with a pad.
About halfway through the film, Marker shows me a piece of actual video footage, of the female character blinking. The shot only lasts about 1 second. However, because the rest of the film is comprised only of photographs, I questioned myself as to whether I'd actually seen the moment. Marker may have been trying to show that memories can become distorted and falsified.
Overall I found this film to be quite boring. The monotone, quiet and non-diegetic narration and lack of movement caused me to lose concentration during the film, and I missed parts of the story, and at the end I was very confused.
Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) is a work that maintains all of the mystery, tranquility, unpredictability, and personal attachment that is ever present within the world of dreams. Despite all this, I did not like the film. I found it to be very uncomfortable and difficult to watch. The film explores the relationship between men and women, and how neither seem to fully understand each other. Throughout the film I am frequently shown a shadow-like, caped figure with a mirror for a face. The unnatural character is used to represent women's understanding of men, and the way that they see themselves is through the eyes of men.
The sounds in the film play an important role in making it difficult to watch. They consist of a non-diegetic sound of a drum being repeatedly tapped, and what sounds like a recorder. Neither of the instruments are played simultaneously or to a tune, and they quickly become annoying and uncomfortable. They do not seem to fit in with the pace of the film either, and are very abstract.
The film explores the themes that can be found in a dream-like state: time repeating itself, point-of-view shots and abstract characters. Themes like this are present in modern films, one of the most obvious being 'Inception' with Leonardo DiCaprio.
The film mostly takes place in a house, and the only rooms that are shown within it are the rooms that would be associated with where women should be, at the time of production. The featured rooms are the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom. In these rooms, an knife is often shown, seemingly following Maya around the house. The knife is shown to represent the opinions of men on women - shown to be sharp and if meddled with, painful. The way that it follows her around the house could represent how men's opinions of women are always in the back of their minds and how they cannot escape them.
Overall I did not like the film. I appreciate it's ideas and themes and the issues it addresses, but I found watching it to be very challenging.
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Presentation Script
Presentation Script
In Ridley Scott’s films, females are often portrayed as strong, powerful characters. Does this make him an auteur?
Speaker:
To begin to answer this question, I will start with a crucial piece of information. The definition of auteur - 'a director whose creative influence on a film is so great as to be considered its author' [13]. I believe Scott fits the description.
In many of his films, Ridley Scott portrays female characters as strong, independent characters. He is one of the few directors to do this. This particular trait is rare in films, especially those being churned out of Hollywood. Not often do we see a female character calling the shots, killing bad guys and ultimately surviving. A prime example would be Ellen Ripley, from ALIEN.
Projector:
(Item 2) Show clip of Ellen Ripley alone in the Alien hive in ALIEN.
Speaker:
In this presentation I am going to explore how Ridley Scott creates some of the most powerful, both physically and mentally, female characters in movie history. I will also discuss whether this makes him an auteur or not.
Projector:
(Item 1,2,3) Show pictures of each film's poster.
Speaker:
I will be referring to three of Scott's films; Prometheus, his most recent, ALIEN, his most famous, and Thelma & Louise. I feel that in all 3 of these films there is a powerful female character.
I'll start with ALIEN, the film that could be argued is one of the best sci-fi films ever. The protagonist in the film is female, which instantly sets it apart from other films in the genre, such as Predator and even Star Wars. Scott deliberately chooses female protagonists because...
Projector:
(Item 10) Show quote - 'I find it quite engaging to be working with a female when I'm directing.'
Projector:
(Item 1) Show clip of Meredith Vickers in Prometheus pushing David to the wall.
Speaker:
Not only does Prometheus contain 1 strong female, instead it features 2. Meredith Vickers is the mission's supervisor, and Scott portrays her to also be an extremely powerful character. There is a difference between Shaw and Vickers, though. Vickers has power, whereas Shaw has strength. Vickers' power comes from her role in the film, and her status among the crew. The director shows this by using many low angled shots to show her dominance, and more obviously in the previous scene, she is shown violently throwing her male counterpart around the ship. The unnatural, low key, blue light that surrounds both characters gives the scene an abnormal and very tense feel, much like when we are first introduced to the fully grown Alien.
Projector:
(Item 2) Show clip of the alien attacking Brett in ALIEN.
Speaker:
This scene also features very low key, almost noir lighting with a cold, unusual feel. This shows that Scott's creative ideas as a director are apparent in two of his best sci-fi films that have over 30 years between them.
Shaw on the other hand, has strength and courage. Scott shows her to be a natural leader, as often she would suggest the crew's next move. However she is portrayed as an innocent and much weaker character than Vickers, by using high angled shots and placing Shaw's character alone in many situations.
Projector:
(Item 1) Show clip from Prometheus. Scene with Shaw and Ford examining the Engineer head in the lab.
Speaker:
As you can see from this scene, Shaw is the one taking charge, similarly to Ripley in ALIEN. However, Shaw is much more timid, and polite to the other characters. In an interview Scott compares Rapace with Weaver 'As a protagonist, she’s a very physical woman who’s almost as agile as an acrobat. She’s also got a real brain in her head. No one’s going to be disappointed. It’s odd because Sigourney is about six feet and Noomi is about 5 feet 5, but you don’t notice the difference onscreen. And she sure does kick some ass in this movie. Her character evolves in a very clever way.' [10]
His statement clearly shows why he wanted to use a female to lead in Prometheus. Rapace is extremely similar to that of what Sigourney Weaver was when he was casting for ALIEN. I would go as far as to say he was looking for the same qualities in the protagonist for Prometheus as he was in ALIEN. Item 16 shows that Scott's personal depiction of how women should behave in films has not changed since his first big film. He has a clear style with women and I believe this makes him an auteur.
In many of his films, Ridley Scott portrays female characters as strong, independent characters. He is one of the few directors to do this. This particular trait is rare in films, especially those being churned out of Hollywood. Not often do we see a female character calling the shots, killing bad guys and ultimately surviving. A prime example would be Ellen Ripley, from ALIEN.
Projector:
(Item 2) Show clip of Ellen Ripley alone in the Alien hive in ALIEN.
Speaker:
In this presentation I am going to explore how Ridley Scott creates some of the most powerful, both physically and mentally, female characters in movie history. I will also discuss whether this makes him an auteur or not.
Projector:
(Item 1,2,3) Show pictures of each film's poster.
Speaker:
I will be referring to three of Scott's films; Prometheus, his most recent, ALIEN, his most famous, and Thelma & Louise. I feel that in all 3 of these films there is a powerful female character.
I'll start with ALIEN, the film that could be argued is one of the best sci-fi films ever. The protagonist in the film is female, which instantly sets it apart from other films in the genre, such as Predator and even Star Wars. Scott deliberately chooses female protagonists because...
Projector:
(Item 10) Show quote - 'I find it quite engaging to be working with a female when I'm directing.'
Speaker:
…he says he finds it
easier to work with female characters. Not many directors will agree with
this, which I know because in an interview Scott describes how his idea for Thelma and Louise
was declined many times because of the two main female characters - Scott said 'There are a lot of men who feel they're being emasculated by having the women in charge; I've never had that problem. The stronger the woman, the better for me.' [10] I think this is reflected in ALIEN, as Sigourney Weaver's performance is astounding. Scott's ability to create powerful female characters in unusual genres really pushes the boundaries of film. For example, in this deleted scene from ALIEN:
Projector:
(Item 2) Show scene from ALIEN when Ripley gives orders to the crew about how to deal with the alien in the ship.
Speaker:
This scene is a particularly good example of how strong Ripley is. There are 2 males, and two females in the scene. Any other director would have one of the males take charge, unlike Scott. A low angled, close up shot of Ripley's face depicts her going against all the stereotypes for women, and shows her dominance over there rest of the crew. The shallow focus on her face puts Ash (behind her) out of focus, and metaphorically puts him out of the equation and unable to contribute to her decisions.
Meredith Lepore states in her article on Scott that 'the concept of a woman who fought her own battles without the help of a magic lasso (sorry Wonder Woman) or a costume (Catwoman), or who was fighting while sporting perfectly feathered hair and in a bikini (Charlie’s Angels) or a very strong man standing next to her (every woman in every action movie ever), was downright foreign to audiences.' [11]
Scott addresses this issue in ALIEN, and creates one of the first female characters that is able to care for herself and even defend others. I believe this scene addresses what could be the beginning of Scott's auteuristic career. After ALIEN he keeps on going with films like Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner and Prometheus.
Projector:
(Item 2) Show scene from ALIEN when Ripley gives orders to the crew about how to deal with the alien in the ship.
Speaker:
This scene is a particularly good example of how strong Ripley is. There are 2 males, and two females in the scene. Any other director would have one of the males take charge, unlike Scott. A low angled, close up shot of Ripley's face depicts her going against all the stereotypes for women, and shows her dominance over there rest of the crew. The shallow focus on her face puts Ash (behind her) out of focus, and metaphorically puts him out of the equation and unable to contribute to her decisions.
Scott addresses this issue in ALIEN, and creates one of the first female characters that is able to care for herself and even defend others. I believe this scene addresses what could be the beginning of Scott's auteuristic career. After ALIEN he keeps on going with films like Thelma and Louise, Blade Runner and Prometheus.
Projector:
(Item 1) Show clip of Meredith Vickers in Prometheus pushing David to the wall.
Speaker:
Not only does Prometheus contain 1 strong female, instead it features 2. Meredith Vickers is the mission's supervisor, and Scott portrays her to also be an extremely powerful character. There is a difference between Shaw and Vickers, though. Vickers has power, whereas Shaw has strength. Vickers' power comes from her role in the film, and her status among the crew. The director shows this by using many low angled shots to show her dominance, and more obviously in the previous scene, she is shown violently throwing her male counterpart around the ship. The unnatural, low key, blue light that surrounds both characters gives the scene an abnormal and very tense feel, much like when we are first introduced to the fully grown Alien.
Projector:
(Item 2) Show clip of the alien attacking Brett in ALIEN.
Speaker:
This scene also features very low key, almost noir lighting with a cold, unusual feel. This shows that Scott's creative ideas as a director are apparent in two of his best sci-fi films that have over 30 years between them.
Shaw on the other hand, has strength and courage. Scott shows her to be a natural leader, as often she would suggest the crew's next move. However she is portrayed as an innocent and much weaker character than Vickers, by using high angled shots and placing Shaw's character alone in many situations.
Projector:
(Item 1) Show clip from Prometheus. Scene with Shaw and Ford examining the Engineer head in the lab.
Speaker:
As you can see from this scene, Shaw is the one taking charge, similarly to Ripley in ALIEN. However, Shaw is much more timid, and polite to the other characters. In an interview Scott compares Rapace with Weaver 'As a protagonist, she’s a very physical woman who’s almost as agile as an acrobat. She’s also got a real brain in her head. No one’s going to be disappointed. It’s odd because Sigourney is about six feet and Noomi is about 5 feet 5, but you don’t notice the difference onscreen. And she sure does kick some ass in this movie. Her character evolves in a very clever way.' [10]
His statement clearly shows why he wanted to use a female to lead in Prometheus. Rapace is extremely similar to that of what Sigourney Weaver was when he was casting for ALIEN. I would go as far as to say he was looking for the same qualities in the protagonist for Prometheus as he was in ALIEN. Item 16 shows that Scott's personal depiction of how women should behave in films has not changed since his first big film. He has a clear style with women and I believe this makes him an auteur.
Projector:
(Item 16) Show clip from interview with Noomi Rapace.
Speaker:
This interview also supports Item 16, because in the interview Rapace says 'the way he thinks and they way his brain works… and he's very very funny as well. I adore him.' It upholds item 16 as she shows how well she got on with Scott. This helps to make Scott an auteur because it shows that not only can he create great female characters on screen, but he can also get on with them off-screen.
Projector:
(Item 3) Show clip of Thelma & Louise. 'Tanker' scene. (2mins).
Speaker:
This scene from Thelma and Louise clearly shows how the girls dominate the entire film. Scott has used low angled, two shots of the girls as opposed to long shots of the truck driver. Doing this puts the women in power over the driver and in control during the scene.
After they shoot and blow up his truck, they quite literally 'run rings' around him in their car. This shows how women can manipulate and confuse men using their bodies.
Projector:
(Item 14) Show image of Xenomorph from H.R Giger's 'Necronomicon'.
Speaker:
I would argue that this is the image that started it all. When Scott saw this image for the first time, he 'nearly fell off the desk, said 'that's it' and why look farther?'. [15] He had clearly found the perfect antagonist for his film. When I look at this image, I try and figure out why Scott loved it so much. To me, it has a subtle female look to it, with the large eyes and almost graceful figure. Perhaps this is why Scott wanted to use it, because it resembled a female figure? Even so, this image could be what spawned Ridley Scott's fantastically unique style and autistic abilities. His methods of working with women in his films over the years upholds my idea, and he can easily create smart, beautiful and strong characters.
(Item 16) Show clip from interview with Noomi Rapace.
Speaker:
This interview also supports Item 16, because in the interview Rapace says 'the way he thinks and they way his brain works… and he's very very funny as well. I adore him.' It upholds item 16 as she shows how well she got on with Scott. This helps to make Scott an auteur because it shows that not only can he create great female characters on screen, but he can also get on with them off-screen.
Projector:
(Item 3) Show clip of Thelma & Louise. 'Tanker' scene. (2mins).
Speaker:
This scene from Thelma and Louise clearly shows how the girls dominate the entire film. Scott has used low angled, two shots of the girls as opposed to long shots of the truck driver. Doing this puts the women in power over the driver and in control during the scene.
After they shoot and blow up his truck, they quite literally 'run rings' around him in their car. This shows how women can manipulate and confuse men using their bodies.
Projector:
(Item 14) Show image of Xenomorph from H.R Giger's 'Necronomicon'.
Speaker:
I would argue that this is the image that started it all. When Scott saw this image for the first time, he 'nearly fell off the desk, said 'that's it' and why look farther?'. [15] He had clearly found the perfect antagonist for his film. When I look at this image, I try and figure out why Scott loved it so much. To me, it has a subtle female look to it, with the large eyes and almost graceful figure. Perhaps this is why Scott wanted to use it, because it resembled a female figure? Even so, this image could be what spawned Ridley Scott's fantastically unique style and autistic abilities. His methods of working with women in his films over the years upholds my idea, and he can easily create smart, beautiful and strong characters.
Monday, 18 November 2013
Short Film Task - 'Urban Stories'
Reflective Analysis:
Our task was to create a short 2-minute film sequence using cinematic techniques from one of the films we have studied. We decided to use Chungking Express as our influence. We filmed all of it in less than 2 hours and editing the film only took 1 hour.
Things I like about the film are the way we tried to replicate
some of the shots/effects from Chungking Express, such as the ‘smudge’ motion
and lengthy duration of some shots. I believe we captured Wong’s style well in
the film.
I also like the choice of music we used; it is a 90’s hip-hop song, and fits the film very well. It is also similar to some of the songs used in Chungking Express.
One thing I do not like about the film is that we did not have a lot of time to film it - I would have liked more so we could think about the shots we used more. I would also have liked a better location to film in, as I had to use lots of color-correcting effects to add color. These add certain ‘cheapness’ to the film.
I also like the choice of music we used; it is a 90’s hip-hop song, and fits the film very well. It is also similar to some of the songs used in Chungking Express.
One thing I do not like about the film is that we did not have a lot of time to film it - I would have liked more so we could think about the shots we used more. I would also have liked a better location to film in, as I had to use lots of color-correcting effects to add color. These add certain ‘cheapness’ to the film.
If I were to film this again I would make some changes. I would
have preferred to shoot with an SLR camera, instead of a handheld video camera.
That way we could get more professional looking shots, with depth-of-field. Overall
it is a very good video, considering the time we had and the parameters we had
to film within.
Friday, 11 October 2013
Exam Question - City Of God
Discuss some of the techniques used in your chosen films to provoke audiences into taking a particular point of view towards characters and key events.
In the film 'City of God' the director, Fernando Merielles, uses many technical and cinematic techniques to giving the audience a certain point of view towards the characters during different scenes. He makes very good use of editing, mise-en-scene, lighting and angles to engage the audience and make them feel like they are there with the characters.
In the scene where Steak n' Fries is forced to shoot
another little boy, the director makes use of miss-en-scene, and purposely
places the gun in the centre of each shot, showing that the gun dominates the
scene. This shows the power in the scene, and also the power throughout
the favela. It shows that, whoever has the gun, has the power. In this case, Lil'
Ze and his gang have the power in the favela, because they own all the weapons
and control the drugs. The director uses the over-the-shoulder shot to show
Lil' Ze pointing the gun towards the boy.
Merielles uses the same technique in other shots during the scene, making the gun clearly visible to the audience and showing that it dominates the favela. What is surprising about this scene is how disturbingly accurate it is. 'City of God is based on a book, which talks about the dangerous life people undergo within them. This scene is actually a very precise representation of how life was/is in the favelas. Gangs formed and controlled the towns independently, because they believed the Government was not doing anything to help them, so the people took matters into their own hands. What resulted was a place where you could be killed for even looking at the wrong person. Kill, or be killed - this is exactly what happens to Steak in this scene.
At the very beginning of the film, the director shows us the current world that the gangs live in, as the plot is not linear. The sequence comprises of many fast shots, with short bursts of sound. Using a mixture of close-ups and extreme close-ups during this sequence portrays that the life the people live in the favela is very enclosed, and fast-paced. The director purposely only shows snapshots of life. The mise-en-scene of the knife being sharpened reflects that life in the favelas is like living on the 'edge of a knife'. The entire sequence is accompanied by some traditional Brazilian music, that features drums, clapping, and guitars. The song is similar to the film; fast paced and lively.
After the opening scene, the director shows us a small standoff between police and Lil' Ze's gang. The main character, Rocket, ends up literally caught in the middle.
Here, the director uses a horizontal spin/pan medium shot around the character, to show on one side, Lil's Ze's gang, and on the other, police. The shot shows that Rocket is neither on the side of the gangs, nor the police - he is a neutral character, which could also be the reason why he hasn't been killed. He has made the decision to not pick up a weapon, and become a hoodlum. Throughout the movie, a recurring theme is that if a character chooses to become a hoodlum, and pick up a gun, he will die.
The director has placed a large distance between Rocket and the gang, showing that, throughout the film, Rocket will not be a part of the gang or the police. The camera is a big part of this scene, and shows that Rocket prefers to shoot pictures, not bullets. This reference is seen during the film in the scenes that Rocket appears in. The director wants to show that shooting with a gun and shooting with a camera is the difference between life and death.
To conclude, Merielles uses many cinematic techniques to involve the viewer and show them a specific point of view during the film. Using the camera he has shown an accurate picture of what living in the Rio De Janeiro favelas is like.
After the opening scene, the director shows us a small standoff between police and Lil' Ze's gang. The main character, Rocket, ends up literally caught in the middle.
Here, the director uses a horizontal spin/pan medium shot around the character, to show on one side, Lil's Ze's gang, and on the other, police. The shot shows that Rocket is neither on the side of the gangs, nor the police - he is a neutral character, which could also be the reason why he hasn't been killed. He has made the decision to not pick up a weapon, and become a hoodlum. Throughout the movie, a recurring theme is that if a character chooses to become a hoodlum, and pick up a gun, he will die. The director has placed a large distance between Rocket and the gang, showing that, throughout the film, Rocket will not be a part of the gang or the police. The camera is a big part of this scene, and shows that Rocket prefers to shoot pictures, not bullets. This reference is seen during the film in the scenes that Rocket appears in. The director wants to show that shooting with a gun and shooting with a camera is the difference between life and death.
To conclude, Merielles uses many cinematic techniques to involve the viewer and show them a specific point of view during the film. Using the camera he has shown an accurate picture of what living in the Rio De Janeiro favelas is like.
Monday, 23 September 2013
Exam Question - La Haine
How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques? [35 marks]
When we think of France, we think of romance, wine, the Eiffel tower and escargot. However, the film 'La Haine' shows the underbelly of France. Directed by Matthieu Kassovitz, it is set in the 1990's, during the regular riots between youths and police.
One of the techniques used in the film to create impact on the viewer is the way the director puts distance in between the characters. The opening scene shows this very well, as Saïd faces a line of police. By putting distance between the characters the director shows conflict between them. This technique reflects the riots at the time as this type of conflict was very common, and police often had to deal with youths causing damage. This technique is also evident on the rooftop, when the police try to evict the men from the roof. The camera is positioned as a mid-shot, with each force on either side of the shot. It is made obvious to me at the beginning of the film that the police are the 'bad guys' in La Haine.
Another distinctive technique the director uses in La Haine to impact the viewer is the inclusion of American culture in his film. In the film there are references to western culture, and it is one of the main themes throughout the film.
The gang culture is also shown further on in the film when the gang is in their 'headquarters' in a building. There are some black men breakdancing to hip-hop music, which emphasises the western culture of the film, as hip-hop music originated in America in the 90's.
These scenes reflect the social issues in France at the time by implying that the police have no power over the youths, and that they struggled to control them.
The film actually ends with Hubert and a police officer at gunpoint and we see Saïd close his eyes as a gunshot sounds.
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Annotated Catalogue
Title/Question:
In
Ridley Scott’s films, females are often portrayed as strong, powerful
characters. Does this make him an auteur?
Catalogue:
3x Films
3x Films
2x Books
1x Magazine
7x Websites
1x Image
2x Interviews
4x Rejected Items
FILMS:
Item 1: Prometheus (2012)
I chose Prometheus because the film clearly displays the theme I
am looking at. The female character in this film is also the main character,
and she is incredibly driven to achieve her goal of finding the ‘Engineers’.
Her male counterparts in the film are not portrayed as dominant characters, and
some show signs of fear. She goes against the usual ‘female’ stereotype by giving orders and being the 'leader' of the exploration team. Given
that Prometheus is of the sci-fi genre, Scott also explores themes such as life,
death, creation and destruction.
Item 2:
ALIEN (1979)
I chose ALIEN as my second film because it also clearly shows a
strong female character throughout the film. Scott explores a completely new style of sci-fi, and the choice to have a female character as the protagonist was a bold yet successful decision. So successful, in fact, that James Cameron decided to continue the Alien series with Aliens and Alien3. This also spawned the film 'Alien VS Predator' in 2004.
Item 3:
Thelma & Louise (1991)
I chose this film because 2 strong female characters feature in it. Scott's idea for this film was turned down by other directors because of the two females, so he decided to direct it himself. I think it is a crucial film to include in my catalogue.
BOOKS:
Item 4: Virgin Films, RIDLEY SCOTT, by James Clarke (2002)
This is an excellent book and also a great piece of evidence. Although it is old and does not cover his most recent films, it still gives me a lot of information through in-depth 'written documentaries' about each of Scott's films, including detailed plots.
Item 5: Pocket Essentials, Ridley Scott, by Brian J Robb (2001)
This little book is from a series, this particular one being focused on Scott. This book is a biography about Ridley Scott in general, and alike Item 4, focuses on each of Scott's films. It also goes into great detail about Blade Runner, including quotes from the designer of the futuristic city scape. It gives me a sense of the difficulties faced by directors of sci-fi films when it comes to sets and props. The sheer amount of detail described gives me a sense how much work Scott puts into each of his films, and how he examines each second to make sure it is right.
MAGAZINES:
Item 6: Empire Magazine 'Ridley Scott On Prometheus' (Issue 275)
This interview with Scott poses a lot of questions to him. I think fans of Ridley would find this interview very useful. Definitely worth including in my catalogue.
WEBSITES:
Item 7: http://crowsfeatmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/great-scott-films-of-ridley-scott.html
This blog is written by a fan of Ridley Scott, and offers a range of articles on some of his best/worst films and even quotes from interviews. I found it to be useful as it details Scott's bad moments, such as the screening of 'Legend'.
Item 8: http://laceysfilms.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/ridley-scott-as-an-auteur/
This website is very sophisticated as it is written by Nick Lacey, a film critic. He answers very accurately the question that I have asked. He even links the score of Thelma and Louise, which is a western road movie (in which the main characters are very strong females), to the score of Blade Runner - a techno score. In my opinion this makes Scott an auteur - the way he can make his films visually/audibly stunning and continue his style throughout his films.
Item 9: http://ayjw.org/articles.php?id=748281
This article is written by Colleen McCollough, and explains clearly how Ridley Scott can be an auteur. McCollough describes how Scott portrays female characters in his films, very often being mentally strong, intelligent characters. In the Alien Quadrilogy, the main protagonist, Ripley, is a woman. She is the only survivor in the first film. McCollough has also listed the sources from which she cited quotes, sites that could be very useful to me. This is a very helpful article.
Item 10: http://mag.newsweek.com/2012/05/13/ridley-scott-s-history-of-directing-strong-women.html
This article does not have any clear title, and is quite obscure. All I can tell is that it is from a online journalism website and features, so it says, a quote from Ridley Scott. I almost rejected this item, but considering how useful it is, showing Scott's opinions on female protagonists, I have decided to keep it. It is so useful because Scott has clearly stated why he likes working with female actors so much, and he even compares Noomi Rapace (Prometheus protagonist) with Sigourney Weaver (Alien protagonist) - which I find to be a valuable piece of information.
Item 11: http://www.thegrindstone.com/2012/05/17/work-life-balance/thank-you-ridley-scott-for-putting-strong-kick-ass-women-in-movies-your-whole-career-270/
Written by a woman called Meredith Lepore, this article seems to be a tribute/thank you to Ridley Scott, thanking him for creating 'kick ass women'. Meredith mentioned how before Ellen Ripley, women in other films were only powerful if they had superpowers, or had a strong man beside them. Ellen Ripley was the first, and pivotal, normal female protagonist. A useful article.
Item 12: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136462014/looking-back-on-thelma-louise-20-years-later
Although this article does not seem to have a writer, whoever wrote it was clearly a fan of Thelma and Louise. The writer describes them as 'fighting mad' and 'liberated'. This article is very useful as it is opinionated and shows how Scott created these two female characters, and made them icons for women, as well as men.
Item 13: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/auteur
A very simple piece of research, but it is still important. I think that the definition of the word 'auteur' is crucial to my investigation.
IMAGES:
Item 14: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fextraterrestrials.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FXenomorph&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=u-gbu1Z-Y3iUVM&tbnh=184&tbnw=274&zoom=1&docid=EMKJHnZVZQ2LhM&hl=en&ei=5Q9lUvD_HOeO7QaEyoHYDw&ved=0CAEQsCU
This painting is of the infamous Xenomorph from the Alien Quadrilogy. The painting is by art surrealist H R Giger. After watching the interview with Scott in item 10, the significance of this Alien species really shows. This alien was unlike anyone had ever seen before, as it was completely 'unconventional' of previous aliens, and it was beautifully horrific. Some people even said that the Alien had subtle female attributes to it, and in this picture it certainly has an unsettling 'feminine' look to it. Perhaps this is why Scott worked with the Alien creature so well. It could be argued that this picture is what made Ridley Scott an auteur. I find this very valuable.
INTERVIEWS:
Item 15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q33hW8oHVE
In this interview with Scott from 1979 he discusses his reaction to the Alien creature, which is shown in Item 12, when he first saw it . His exact words are 'I nearly fell off the desk, said 'that's it' and why look farther?'. I think this could be argued that this makes Scott more of an auteur because he did not plan this moment, it was spontaneous and he turned it into something that made him renowned worldwide. This point is not directly relevant to my question, but I feel that it does show Ridley Scott to be an auteur, so I have included it anyway.
Item 16: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfELI4G0Fro
This is an interview with Noomi Rapace about her role in Prometheus. I find the interview very useful as it backs up my question about strong females, as shown in item 10. Noomi describes how she first met Scott, and how they got on so well straight away. This also solidifies the fact that Scott gets on so well with female actors and loves to work with them (he prefers them to male actors), as he states in item 10.
Rejected Items:
Item 17: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridley_Scott
One of the first websites I went to while researching Ridley Scott. Although Wikipedia contains endless data about Scott, his films, and even the characters in his films, it is pure information. It has no opinion or anything I can use relating to my question.
Item 18: http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/20-crazy-facts-about-thelma-and-louise-20-years-later-2453038.html
Similar to Wikipedia. This site contains 20 facts about Thelma and Louise. Although I do find it interesting, the site has no value to my question and does not help me prove that Scott is an auteur.
Item 19: Gladiator (2000)
Although it is a very good film by Scott, it does not feature strong female characters as much as some of his other films. It is very male-orientated.
Item 20: Robin Hood (2010)
This film was originally my 3rd Item, but I switched it with Thelma & Louise as the film is much better suited to answering my question.
BOOKS:
Item 4: Virgin Films, RIDLEY SCOTT, by James Clarke (2002)
This is an excellent book and also a great piece of evidence. Although it is old and does not cover his most recent films, it still gives me a lot of information through in-depth 'written documentaries' about each of Scott's films, including detailed plots.
Item 5: Pocket Essentials, Ridley Scott, by Brian J Robb (2001)
This little book is from a series, this particular one being focused on Scott. This book is a biography about Ridley Scott in general, and alike Item 4, focuses on each of Scott's films. It also goes into great detail about Blade Runner, including quotes from the designer of the futuristic city scape. It gives me a sense of the difficulties faced by directors of sci-fi films when it comes to sets and props. The sheer amount of detail described gives me a sense how much work Scott puts into each of his films, and how he examines each second to make sure it is right.
MAGAZINES:
Item 6: Empire Magazine 'Ridley Scott On Prometheus' (Issue 275)
This interview with Scott poses a lot of questions to him. I think fans of Ridley would find this interview very useful. Definitely worth including in my catalogue.
WEBSITES:
Item 7: http://crowsfeatmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/great-scott-films-of-ridley-scott.html
This blog is written by a fan of Ridley Scott, and offers a range of articles on some of his best/worst films and even quotes from interviews. I found it to be useful as it details Scott's bad moments, such as the screening of 'Legend'.
Item 8: http://laceysfilms.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/ridley-scott-as-an-auteur/
This website is very sophisticated as it is written by Nick Lacey, a film critic. He answers very accurately the question that I have asked. He even links the score of Thelma and Louise, which is a western road movie (in which the main characters are very strong females), to the score of Blade Runner - a techno score. In my opinion this makes Scott an auteur - the way he can make his films visually/audibly stunning and continue his style throughout his films.
Item 9: http://ayjw.org/articles.php?id=748281
This article is written by Colleen McCollough, and explains clearly how Ridley Scott can be an auteur. McCollough describes how Scott portrays female characters in his films, very often being mentally strong, intelligent characters. In the Alien Quadrilogy, the main protagonist, Ripley, is a woman. She is the only survivor in the first film. McCollough has also listed the sources from which she cited quotes, sites that could be very useful to me. This is a very helpful article.
Item 10: http://mag.newsweek.com/2012/05/13/ridley-scott-s-history-of-directing-strong-women.html
This article does not have any clear title, and is quite obscure. All I can tell is that it is from a online journalism website and features, so it says, a quote from Ridley Scott. I almost rejected this item, but considering how useful it is, showing Scott's opinions on female protagonists, I have decided to keep it. It is so useful because Scott has clearly stated why he likes working with female actors so much, and he even compares Noomi Rapace (Prometheus protagonist) with Sigourney Weaver (Alien protagonist) - which I find to be a valuable piece of information.
Item 11: http://www.thegrindstone.com/2012/05/17/work-life-balance/thank-you-ridley-scott-for-putting-strong-kick-ass-women-in-movies-your-whole-career-270/
Written by a woman called Meredith Lepore, this article seems to be a tribute/thank you to Ridley Scott, thanking him for creating 'kick ass women'. Meredith mentioned how before Ellen Ripley, women in other films were only powerful if they had superpowers, or had a strong man beside them. Ellen Ripley was the first, and pivotal, normal female protagonist. A useful article.
Item 12: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/20/136462014/looking-back-on-thelma-louise-20-years-later
Although this article does not seem to have a writer, whoever wrote it was clearly a fan of Thelma and Louise. The writer describes them as 'fighting mad' and 'liberated'. This article is very useful as it is opinionated and shows how Scott created these two female characters, and made them icons for women, as well as men.
Item 13: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/auteur
A very simple piece of research, but it is still important. I think that the definition of the word 'auteur' is crucial to my investigation.
IMAGES:
Item 14: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fextraterrestrials.wikia.com%2Fwiki%2FXenomorph&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=u-gbu1Z-Y3iUVM&tbnh=184&tbnw=274&zoom=1&docid=EMKJHnZVZQ2LhM&hl=en&ei=5Q9lUvD_HOeO7QaEyoHYDw&ved=0CAEQsCU
This painting is of the infamous Xenomorph from the Alien Quadrilogy. The painting is by art surrealist H R Giger. After watching the interview with Scott in item 10, the significance of this Alien species really shows. This alien was unlike anyone had ever seen before, as it was completely 'unconventional' of previous aliens, and it was beautifully horrific. Some people even said that the Alien had subtle female attributes to it, and in this picture it certainly has an unsettling 'feminine' look to it. Perhaps this is why Scott worked with the Alien creature so well. It could be argued that this picture is what made Ridley Scott an auteur. I find this very valuable.
INTERVIEWS:
Item 15: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q33hW8oHVE
In this interview with Scott from 1979 he discusses his reaction to the Alien creature, which is shown in Item 12, when he first saw it . His exact words are 'I nearly fell off the desk, said 'that's it' and why look farther?'. I think this could be argued that this makes Scott more of an auteur because he did not plan this moment, it was spontaneous and he turned it into something that made him renowned worldwide. This point is not directly relevant to my question, but I feel that it does show Ridley Scott to be an auteur, so I have included it anyway.
Item 16: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfELI4G0Fro
This is an interview with Noomi Rapace about her role in Prometheus. I find the interview very useful as it backs up my question about strong females, as shown in item 10. Noomi describes how she first met Scott, and how they got on so well straight away. This also solidifies the fact that Scott gets on so well with female actors and loves to work with them (he prefers them to male actors), as he states in item 10.
Rejected Items:
Item 17: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridley_Scott
One of the first websites I went to while researching Ridley Scott. Although Wikipedia contains endless data about Scott, his films, and even the characters in his films, it is pure information. It has no opinion or anything I can use relating to my question.
Item 18: http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/20-crazy-facts-about-thelma-and-louise-20-years-later-2453038.html
Similar to Wikipedia. This site contains 20 facts about Thelma and Louise. Although I do find it interesting, the site has no value to my question and does not help me prove that Scott is an auteur.
Item 19: Gladiator (2000)
Although it is a very good film by Scott, it does not feature strong female characters as much as some of his other films. It is very male-orientated.
Item 20: Robin Hood (2010)
This film was originally my 3rd Item, but I switched it with Thelma & Louise as the film is much better suited to answering my question.
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