Chungking Express

Chungking Express Notes


http://www.filmeducation.org/pdf/film/Chungking%20Express.pdf

Research

Context - film anticipates the potential handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.


















At the time that Chungking Express(1994) was being made, Hong Kong was undergoing changes and moving ever closer towards the millennium while another historical moment, its handover to China in 1997, was just round the corner. There seemed to be so many possibilities for the future; both bad things and good things could happen. Citizens of Hong Kong became increasingly anxious about the unknown future. They were worried that political changes would result in a decrease of freedom, an undesirable change in lifestyle, and a negative effect on the economy. Yet at the same time, they were happy to be part of their motherland again. Now, with the help of China’s abundant resources, Hong Kong could continue to excel in its economy and diverse culture, and even further push the country’s prosperity.

Themes
It is in the first half of the film that the notion, theme or conceit of expiry dates arises. Clearly this can be a reference to the impending end of Hong Kong as a British colony, but it is also a general theme which relates to the theme of change in the second half. It is no surprise that, together with the theme of change and dreams and travel (escape?) later on, people have perhaps over-emphasised the political reference as being absolute and central. Wong Kar Wai appears actually to be showing impermanence in everything (a concept prevalent in many philosophies), whereas some of his characters are unprepared for such change. In the ultra-transient setting of Hong Kong the effect is all the more profound, particularly when different time flows and deadlines converge and coincide. An example is when we hear Dennis Brown’s slow, soulful tones on the jukebox for the final time, and Brigitte Lin unexpectedly switches who is to be subject to an expiry date.

 
Or there is also the scene where Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin share a room for the night, and she simply falls asleep leaving him with about four hours to spare (it’s at least two hours since his birthday started, and he leaves before his birth time of 6 a.m.). All he does is eat chef salads and watch TV, yet there is a sublime thrill to the perfectly captured impermanence of this scene. Rather than invoking anticipation, the moment is held within its own confines, finite yet eternal, enhanced by Don’t Look Now-style time inter-cutting of two different shots (although, ironically, it is not a sex scene but Kaneshiro eating and brushing his teeth - incidentally, the inter-cutting is not apparent in the international release version of the film, which features many minor differences). Wong Kar Wai invites us to share this ethereal scene, yet he also asks us to acknowledge that for Brigitte Lin this has been a non-experience - she sleeps through it and is only aware of an act of kindness where Kaneshiro has removed and polished her shoes.

 

Cult Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai's Chungking express is a stylish combination of romance, dead-pan comedy and film noir set in and around Hong Kong's notorious Chunking Mansions, a complex of shabby hostels, bars and clubs teaming with illegal immigrants. The story centres on a small takeaway stall, the midnight express, which is frequented by two lovelorn cops.  They become involved with a mysterious drug dealer dressed in a blonde wig and sunglasses (Brigitte Lin), on the run from drug traffickers, and an impulsive young dreamer (Faye Wong) who works behind the counter of the Midnight Express. The central concerns of the film are identity and our reluctance to show, or to accept, who we truly are. The Brigitte Lin character wears a wig and sunglasses to hide her true self. Cop 223 refuses to accept the fact that his girlfriend has left him. The waitress (Faye Wong) secretly cleans the apartment for cop 633 who avoids reading a goodbye note from his ex-girlfriend and is unable to realise that his apartment is getting cleaner and cleaner. 

 

Wong uses fast-forward and pause in the film; we observe the speeded-up passing of

Clouds and Cop 633’s accelerated running. The use of voice-over obliges the audience to

Identify with the narrator. This identification is further emphasised by the frequent use of

Long takes which leave the protagonists either frozen in time, whilst other characters move

Hurriedly past in a jumble of vibrant activity, or else they are filmed (usually with a handheld

Camera) in such rapid motion that other characters and locations smear into a blur of

Colours.

 

• Both stories take place in part at the Midnight Express fast-food take-out counter. Both stories involve lovesick young cops who have just been deserted by their girlfriends, and both relate how the male protagonist strikes up a new romance. Otherwise, the two stories are entirely separate, the first taking up the first 45 minutes or so of the film and the second the remainder

• The two stories are tied together by just a single sentence at the transition point. The transition occurs when the first Cop 223, brushes past Faye, the new waitress at the midnight Express, and observes that ‘At the high point of our intimacy, we were just 0.01 centimetres from each other. I knew nothing about her. Six hours later, she fell in love with another man'. The immediately, the film shifts to the story of the waitress and the second cop 633.
  
  

• The pineapple represents May for Cop 223 and the expiration date is when his hopes for her expire. This notion, that nothing endures, that change is inevitable and unavoidable recurs throughout Wong’s films. Everything, decides Cop 223, has an expiration date.

Loneliness

• Loneliness and isolation, though, is a theme that is quite obviously and explicitly asserted in the film. The lonely feelings and isolation of the characters in Chungking Express and their distance between each other symbolize the distance between Hong Kong and China. Voiced-over monologues have been used extensively in the film to bring out important messages.

• The fact that the characters listen to their often self-indulgent internal monologues so frequently tells in itself how lonely people in Hong Kong can be, not to mention the contents of the monologues such as those in this one by the young cop Wu which appears in the very beginning of the film: "Everyday we brush past a lot of people. People who may become our best friends, or people we may never meet." In here, he is complaining about how hard it is to find a true friend in the hustle and bustle of city life(Schaeffer S07).

• Both stories deal with the subjects of loneliness and just wanting some companionship in the world, all with very realistic characters and settings -it carries an important theme of being emotionally isolated in Hong Kong, one of the most bustling, busiest cities in the world.

• 'California Dreaming' - The Mamas and Papas ( first play of the song that will become a motif for Faye's desire to escape Hong Kong.

City of God

City od God Short analysis

City of God is narrated by Rocket, a boy growing up in one of Rio's favelas, slum towns that exist outside the laws and popular image of Rio. Through a disjointed, redoubling and multi-layered narrative, Rocket tells his constructed version of the city of God, built around the stories of its gang leaders. Through constant acts of violence, of which Rocket is an observe and eventual participant, the youth of the favela are connected. While the plot is driven by acts of individual violence, the film evokes a range of violent forces, not confined to the corporeal violence of murder and gang assassination.


Modernism was created as a way to break from traditional fiction and create something new and original, some of the ideas which make up modernism can be transferred over to City of God...

• The main character and the story teller of the film, Rocket, gives us an unbiased and also a subjective view of the events in the film.
• The film follows a non linear narrative - ' end - beginning - middle - end sequence ' ( this is often found in gangster films) - however not commonly found in films which wish to raise an issue.

Cinematography

• Director - Fernando Mierelles was heavily influenced by fellow film make, Martin Scorsese. The use of sweeping shots and freeze and zoom shots are also typical in Scorsese's films such as Goodfellas.
• In the first scene of COG the camera is used as the main point of telling the story rather than using dialogue.

An interesting part of the cinematography is the use of the different shots used in the three different eras that the film takes place in...

• Beginning of film - when the favela was a mere housing development, we feel relaxed and there is an open atmosphere due to the camera ability to move freely.
• Favela - a Brazilian shack or shanty town ( slum)
• Middle era of film -There is a drastic change when Lil Ze's rise to power. The camera is more static and up close to the characters most of the time which creates a claustrophobic feel to the cramped favelas and when Lil Ze is in shot he mostly shot in a low angle making him look powerful.
• Final scenes of the film -Many angles are from the point of view of the narrator, Rocket, as well as his own camera, which makes the final segments of the film look very documentary like and raw in its footage.

Editing


Editing has been used carefully in this film and much like the cinematography, aspects used are typical of Scorsese films.

• Mierelles uses fast cut editing, this technique is not typically found in films showing 'issues' and also avoids making the film feel long in length. ( Which La Haine follows as it is over 24hours)
• It is also representative of the chaotic lives of the favelas.

Mise-en-scene: Lighting

• Lighting and colours is used differently in the two eras of the film
• The earliest era sees a gold tint and almost a harsh light to it. The colour not only represents the hot climate of the country, it also represents the golden age of the favelas and finally it can show the hope and innocence of the children who live there and who dream of escaping poverty and finding fame and fortune.
• The second era is very different to the first, the golden colour and bright lighting is discarded for a grimy brown and grey colour and dark lighting, which is representative of the children realising their fate, their destiny of being stuck in the favelas as well as the war of the drug users.

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic so far depened on distinctive uses of film techniques?

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic so far depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

La Haine is a French film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz in 1995. This urban film includes many different technical codes. One of which is the camera and character positioning. This is significant as it shows conflict between our protagonists, a main recurring theme throughout. Said is almost always placed in the middle of Hubert and Vinz. This may represent Said as the 'peacemaker' as he is the main influence on why they are all still together. The impact of this, portrays Said as being the less aggressive character in the film; which could be for many reasons. For example he is the only one out of the friendship group with a 'father like figure' present, due to his big brother who is part of the roof top crew. This suggests he has responsible, male guidance which is what Hubert and Vinz lack. The idea of Said being the character that brings the youths together can be seen in the first scene, with the use of each characters being introduced in separate shots, Said goes to find Vinz and then Hubert. The use of handheld camera shots helps give a sense of reality as the audience can easily relate  to the characters as they also feel like they are following Siad around. The use of the mid shot helps the audience to feel comfortable however highlights the significance of the mise-en-scene in the urban areas of France. Such as; the graffiti on the wall, run down council blocks and other teenagers just like our protagonists in the same situation, 'trapped' in their own area.





















Kassovitz also uses mise-en-scene in the opening sequence to help the audience encode different characteristics and interests of the group. When Said is first introduced, he graffiti's on  police van 'Said fucks the police', which is wrote in Arabic. This is accompanied by the use of a point of view shot as it is displaying his personal identity because of the language he has wrote his own name in. This technique is also used when Vinz is first shown in his bedroom through the use of a 360 degrees camera rotation. This slowly reveals different things he has in his room. The use of this shot is to establish some background knowledge of Vinz's character. This type of shot is significant to one of the films key moral that they are forever stuck in a never ending cycle, which foreshadows the end of the narrative due to he fact they are not able to pull themselves away from their poor, miserable lives. For example, the first thing we see is Vinz's trainer collection. They are all American branded, which highlights the western culture which is present throughout the film. Also, there are posters in his room, such as Marilyn Monroe who is a big part of American culture. From the use of the mise-en-scene in Vinz's bedroom it is evident he may be highly influenced by American culture, which once again portrays his own personal identity and the contrast between the characters culture and where they are living in France. The final protagonist introduced is Hubert, he is first shown though a long shot in a burnt down gym. This may suggest he is not as certain of his personal identity or as 'cocky' about who he is and where he lives, than the other members of the group. This shot is then followed by a close up shot of a match poster containing his name and a picture of him. The impact of each character having their names clearly shown on screen for the audience suggests how desperate each one of them is to develop their own identity as opposed to being another

Draft for Annotated Catalogue on Tim Burton

Alienation appears to be dominant theme in Tim Burton films, does this make him an auteur?

Annotated Catalogue

Films

Item 1 – Edward Scissorhands (1990)  I chose this as my main focus film to display Tim Burtons auteur presence as he deals with the theme of character isolation. Edward here has been alienated by his neighbours ( e.g. Esmeralda) who refer to him as a " pervert of nature". He is isolated from society due to his appearance; his hands are considered weird and abnormal. I also find this film very interesting to how Edwards appearance in the mise-en-scene is very similar to some of Tim Burtons characteristics himself and the reasoning behind this in his own life. This is critical in my research as this film displays the theme of isolation and alienation throughout the film using technical and audio codes.

Item 2 – Alice in Wonderland (2010)  A more recent Burton film shows his recurring theme of alienation/ isolation in numerous of characters; such as Alice and the mad hatter. The mad hatter is very similar to Edward Scissor hands due to the fact the physical appearance of both characters highlight they are an outcast in the societies they live in. This is a re-make of a classic Disney film and novel and shows a darker more meaningful take on the original, animated Disney film. Burtons quirky personality comes through in this film once again which is extremely useful to my research to use as evidence of the framework of Burtons auteur work.

Item 3 – Beetlejuice (1988)

This film again focuses on isolation or alienation in the main character of Lydia - she is a goth, which is represented as an outcast and not being able to relate to her parents creates a dysfunction in the family. This once again refers to my focus film Edward Scissor hands as the physical representation is key, as both characters show a gothic lifestyle, through the use of mise-en-scene. However Lydia being an outsider makes her special and the fact is that everything that happens in Beetlejuice revolves around her from here on out, even if Barbara and Adam Maitland seem to be the more obvious protagonists. This film is useful and supports my two other significant films to help highlight the main theme of my research investigation and see recurring conventions through out the three films.

Magazines

Item 4 – From The Toronto Star, 10.02.1988, Sunday

' Guest star Catherine O'Hara on the set of Beetlejuice'

This magazine article was produced in 1988 the year Beetlejuice was released. This magazine article is an extract from Toronto star interviewing an actress from the film, Catherine O'Hara. She goes into detail how some audiences have viewed the film and their favourite scene from Beetlejuice. She also states why specific characters had the personality they did, this is useful for my research investigation as Catherine O'Hara states the significance of being insecure, which foreshadows the narrative theme throughout my chosen Tim Burton films, Alienation. As an interview the opinions can be taken as truthful and honest due to this primary source interviewing an actress from the film who has full understanding of the narrative.

Item 5 – A Cut above the rest by Peter Travers. From Rolling Stone 01.10.1991

This magazine article is from an audience point of view on Tim Burtons style and themes he uses throughout his films, mainly Edward Scissor hands. This is quite useful for my research investigation due to the fact it helps make my presentation script by including opinions from different audiences as well as just my own and Tim Burton. Although this may help me make a stronger argument, I may not be able to rely on this without having further information from a reliable source which foreshadows the same reasoning's.



Item 6 - 'Scissorhands' cuts to Tim Burtons core by Susan Spilman from U.S.A today 12.10.1990
I have included this article is my research investigation because although it backs up most of my other references it also shows some differences into how Burton described himself, in some cases it may seem not as dramatic. However, I feel this is a good argument to use in my research as it helps me question Burtons recurring themes and if they do make hint an auteur. This questions if Tim Burton purposely uses the same techniques and themes to make him an auteur or if it is just coincidental to the genre of the films he produces.

Books

Item 7 - Teach yourself film studies - Warren Buckland

This book is extremely useful to my research as it is an informative book which is very easy to understand and apply to my research. It is aimed at beginners who are learning about all aspects of films studies and is useful to me as it dedicates two chapters to the auteur theory and the framework behind this and how it can be applied to my director. I can then use this throughout my presentation to refer to what auteur theory is to help evaluate if I think the resources I have gathered help me prove that he is.

Item 8 -  Burton on Burton - Tim Burton ( 1995) pg 87




This book is extremely useful as the chapters are divided by each of his films and are from the directors point of view. It covers two of my focus films and allows me to see Tim Burtons view of his own films and also helps me to understand them, and gives reasoning behind key scenes and the mise-en-scene chosen and why this helped establish the key themes throughout, including my theme ( Alienation). Contextual information is provided on my focus films around the time they were released, which helps make this source more reliable. This is a very useful source because Burton on Burton also covers Burtons childhood in depth, explaining how it impacted his films and also goes over his own inspirations and directors he looked up to  help make him the unique auteur he is claimed to be.

Item 9 -  Fifty Contemporary Film makers  - Yvonne Tasker ( pg. 79 )



This book is quite useful to my presentation as it includes a chapter on Tim Burton as a film maker. This is useful because it talks about different technical codes and techniques he uses in his films, which create the specific theme of alienation through my focus films. I will be able to use this as examples of how he portrays these themes in his films, which is needed to make a valid statement on Burton being an auteur.



Item 10 -  How to analyse the films of Tim Burton

This book gives a summary of what Tim Burtons life was like before becoming a film maker. This is useful to my research as I can use quotes at the beginning of my presentation script to help give a brief description of Tim Burton to the audience, so they can get a better understanding of the director. I will be very significant to what parts of this book I include as I will use quotes which will portray why his childhood and interests are significance to his director work later on in the presentation.

Internet

Item 11 – Senses of Cinema 

This website is quite useful as it has parts of Tim Burtons biography. It includes detailed descriptions of many films he has made and the personal reason for them. This is relevant to my research as it includes why Edward scissor hands physically looks the way he does and the importance of the miss-en-scene and visual aspect to his films and why this relates to his lonely teenage years.

Item 12 – Tim Burton image 

This is an image of Tim Burton, I will use this on the cover of my presentation to help create a visual representation of the director, this will help the audience make their own judgement on if they see any recurring visual feature of the main characters in my chosen films to Tim Burton himself. This is particularly useful when going into depth of Edward Scissor Hands as there is a clear comparison between Edward and the director himself.

Item 13 -  'So the theory goes'

This book features a counter-argument to the Auteur Theory , which I am going to use to argue against my answer as it is something that I have not yet considered to talk about in my presentation. However this also includes a very detailed description of what auteur theory is and what Tim Burton applies to this which could make him an auteur by what the theory suggests. I feel this is very useful to my presentation script due to the fact it makes my argument a lot stronger and more to suggest and talk about.

Item 14- SBBC film review

This film review includes ideas and opinions on occurring themes throughout Tim Burtons themes from his films such as Edward Scissor Hands and Alice in Wonderland. It includes detailed scene analysis of specific scenes in Edward Scissor Hands, which I can use to help argue why specific scenes show the alienation theme and how strong this determines my argument of Burton being an auteur. However, although this being a reliable blog, with references to the information used, I will be wary on how much of this information I will use because the opinions may not help me make a valid enough argument on its own.

Interviews

Item 15– interview with king of quirk Tim Burton

This interview talks about Burton's childhood and how he grew up being quite a dark and isolated person, which he clearly used in his films such as Edward Scissor Hands and Alice in Wonderland. This is very useful to my research due to the fact Tim Burton is very personal in the interview to explain why the isolation of characters was so important to him, as he easily related to this in his own childhood.

Item 16 - Tim Burton interviewed by Scott Feinberg

In this interview Scott Feinberg chats with Tim burton about his life and his career as a director. I found this interview extremely useful because Tim Burton talks about his personal life at school and how he felt like the 'odd one out in class' due to him liking monster movies.  This source one again highlights how significant Tim Burtons childhood was to his own narrative in his films as I feel this interview helps strengthen my point with my other reference to this in my previous interview.



Item 17 - A life in Pictures with Tim Burton

In this interview, Tim Burton once again is questioned on his childhood and how this may have related to this film. I feel in this interview Burton gave a good response to the questions and included detailed description into what his child hood was like, and maybe what is speculation about his childhood and what actually gave him the vision to create the films he did with the specific characters. I feel this interview is very useful because by comparing this with my other two interviews I can use various primary evidence to link his answers to emphasising the importance of my key theme for my question.

Documentaries

Item 18 - The films of  Tim Burton

I'm going to use this show reel at the start of my presentation script to use a unique way to try and engage the audience to my topic and displaying some of the most popular films Tim Burton has created, including my focus films.  This show reel was made by a massive Tim Burton fan on youtube which I feel is an interesting way to engaging the audience straight away. so they have a better understanding of some of the films Tim Burton has directed and his work as well as getting a minor insight into the themes he shows in his film.

Posters

Item (19 - 21)   Film posters of my focus films ( Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland and Beetlejuice)

I am going to provide hand outs of these film posters in my presentation to give the audience a visual piece of work to look at regarding me research project. By showing the audience the three film posters of my chosen films, they can get a better understanding of what the film is about, if they have not already watched it, which will accompany my brief explanation of the films, so i can then chose scenes to go into depth to answer my question of if Tim Burton is classed as an auteur.

Rejected items

Film – Sweeney Todd


 Although this film does show some themes of alienation regarding the main character Sweeney, I feel that it is not as clearly show as the other films. I am also less familiar with this film, so I don't have as much of an in depth idea what themes the film consists of in comparison to Burtons other films. Before researching, I did have it as a possible choice for my three films however I found less useful information on this film than my other choices so I decided not to use it as a focus film. I feel i have a stronger knowledge and understanding of my other chosen films and I have a lot more reliable sources to shape a well written script which I found I just couldn't do with this film.

Film - Planet of the Apes

I've also rejected this film because it does not directly focus on my question, although it does display some similarities and themes like other Tim Burton films, I have found it harder to find in depth research about this film and I feel this would have been harder to argue the auteur theory with this film rather than my three focus films.

Interview - Johnny Depp and Tim Burton interviews Face to Face

This interview goes into depth about the close relationship Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have. Although this interview is based around the films I have focused on, it does not mention on why the characters have been chosen or why they have been represented in a specific way, so this interview is irrelevant to my research.

Books - The works of Tim Burton

This book goes into depth about the gothic fairy-tale theme Tim Burton portrays in his films. Although this is a key theme used which can be suggested to make Tim Burton an auteur, it does not mention enough detail on the theme i am focusing on, to use this as a useful reference for my presentation script.

 Article - BBC NEWS - Tim Burton ' I've never made a scary movie'

This article on the BBC news website, is the BBC interviewing Tim Burton. Unfortunately, Tim Burton did not talk about any of my focus films in this article due to the fact he is talking about a different theme, which also questions him being an auteur, the Gothic Fairy-tale. This focuses on the film 'Frankeweenie' and discusses how he does not think these films were scary for Disney. Overall, I have rejected this item in my presentation script due to the fact is does not have any relevance  to my question.

Auteur theory

Auteur Theory

Auteur is when a Director, reflects their own style, vision, techniques, innovation, personality, creativity into all the films they direct. The themes within each film will be similar. This allows the audience to recognise which film is produced by which director.

There are many different Auteurs that will be recognised..

Alfred Hitchcock

• Psycho
• Vertigo
• The Birds
• North by Northwest
• Rear Window

Steven Spielberg

• Schindelers list
• Saving Private Ryan
• Jaws
• Jurassic Park
• E.T
• Indiana Jones
• Casper

Tim Burton

• The nightmare before Christmas
• Edward Scissor hands
• Corpse Bride
• Alice in Wonderland
• Beetle juice
• Charlie and the chocolate factory
• Sweeney todd
• sleepy hollow
• big fish
• planet of the apes

David Lynch

• Wild at heart
• Blue velvet
• Dune
• Lost highway
• My son my son what have ye done

Woody Allen

• Annie Hall
• Midnight in Paris
• Manhattan
• Match point
• Hannah and her sisters
• To Rome with love

Martin Scorsese

• The wolf of wall street
• Goodfellas
• Taxi driver
• Gangs of new York
• The Aviator
• Shutter island
• Hugo

The Star System

The star system

How do you decide what films to watch?

• There are many reasons as to why the audience would go see a film. Normally its because who makes the film ( Director), sometimes its because of the story itself and how it is sold to the audience ( trailers, posters).

• Another reason would be because of who the film has starring in it and Star theory considers this issue.

Christine Gledhill

Fundamental in developing 'Star Theory'

Four key points.....

• Stars as capital value
• Stars as Construct
• Stars as Deviant
• Stars as Cultural value

1) Stars as Capital Value

• i.e they make money for the film companies
• Films with stars will make more money than films without stars ( even if they're the same film)
• How much are they worth? How much can they make for the studio?
• They add monetary value to the film and reduce the risk of loss

2) Stars as Construct

• They are very much involved in there mythification. How might they be involved?
• Christine Gledhill wrote that stars reach us 'through their bodies'
• We want to know the 'real' and 'reel'. If we go to the film we will learn who they really are ( real person, reel person - persona i.e a combination of both)

3) Stars as Deviant

• They live their lives to excess, outside the normal rules of behaviour
• This adds to our interest ( identification, wish fulfilment)

4) Stars as Cultural Value

• 'Stars signify moral, social and ideological values'.
• i.e they tell us what they think, what is right and wrong, how to behave and even how we should look and what our culture should be like

Appeal of Hollywood stars

• Certain stars can be an indicator as to the type of film you're about to see ( i.e Hugh grant - typical romcom)
• Typecasting - Johnny Depp, Stranger roles such as Willy Wonka, the mad hatter ect.
• Sam Worthington - archetype hero, blockbuster film, good v evil
• Some stars are an indicator of a films quality - some will only appear in the best
• Some stars help to increase publicity of a films release by doing interviews and press junkets; raise awareness and excitement surrounding the film. Constantly in the media promoting.

British Stars

• If it is an appeal of a star that attracts an audience, British films use British stars.
• Colin Firth, Helena Bonham - carter, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman and Christopher Lee ect
• Why don't these films appeal as much? - Not as common, cinema is dominated by Hollywood films, therefor Hollywood stars.
• Some. such as Robert Pattinson, cross over into Hollywood.

Hollywood Domination

• Most films are made by Hollywood as the main distribution companies are Hollywood based such as Universal studios, Paramount, Warner Bros and will feature American stars.
• As a result of this there is a wider choice of American films with American stars rather than British films, therefore, Hollywood films attract a wider audience.
• There is less opportunity for British films/ stars to achieve recognition.

Online film distribution

 Pro's and Con's of Online film distribution

In reality, there are two types of independent or low budget filmmakers. There's either a) the type who lurk in anonymity because they are so indie that they don't even tap into the small audience of “mainstream” independent filmmakers or b) mainstream independent filmmakers waiting for their big break. In this scenario, the common denominator is that they're both waiting for the man to make their next move.


Advantage: Money

Traditional distribution is expensive and often doesn't receive a lot of gain. If films do get picked up, they do so in a small number of theatres, receive too little attention to marketing and are generally not accessible to a majority of the general public. Taking control with digital distribution ensures some money back into the independent filmmaker's pocket. Oftentimes, the money will be vastly more than most filmmakers would make in a small theatrical release.


Disadvantage: Money

Let's think in realistic terms. Digital distribution might make you money, but it won't make you much. Filmmakers including documentarian Morgan Spurlock have spoken loudly about how unprofitable the medium is today, but have also spoken promise about its future delivery. The method (as an exclusive means of distribution) is still new and untraversed. Audiences are still having to adapt their mind set of the internet being a free service to paying for online content. For films especially, it is not popular to pay for a film online when there is so much free content. It will get there, but it's certainly not there now.


Advantage: Range

In limited releases, it's difficult to reach a wide array of audiences. There's no telling that in these small releases that your film will even find the target audience. Digital distribution eliminates this worry. By submitting your film online for viewing, you allow your audience to find you. If you've sufficiently and effectively marketed your film online, your tech savvy audience will have no trouble finding you online. Between two clicks your film will not only be viewed, but also shared among their communities.


Disadvantage: Marketing

Marketing in digital distribution is as, if not more, important than marketing for traditional distribution. The online world is extremely competitive and, as they say in the biz, noisy. There are multiple interferences between your film and its viewer related and unrelated—it's overwhelming to try and consider it all. A strong marketing strategy has to accompany any digital distribution strategy. In fact, the two should parallel. This doesn't necessarily mean shelling out the big bucks, but it does mean being creative with your resources (i.e. money and film content). Your audience will find you, but they have to know to look for you.


Advantage: Keeping up with technology

It would seem that the internet were a lurking demon in the film industry. There's a nearly obsessive fear of films leaking online or being spoiled by bloggers. Digital distribution is a way of fighting back. Online distribution takes a jab at these would-be pirates by making their services irrelevant and redundant. It recognizes the format the audience wishes to view films and how – free, in their personal space and whenever it suits them. Digital distribution is certainly miles away from eliminating piracy but it does pose a valiant threat. Your audience is certainly busy and you have plenty of competition for their attention, but you can't win if you're not in the fight.


Disadvantage: Destroying Art

Depending on how loyal you are to the idealized art form of film, digital distribution can be seen as a contribute to the slow death of theatre-style viewing. Audiences are preferring to see films on their computers, on their iPod's while they're on the go and to an extent, on their televisions. If people are willing to pay for films, they aren't willing to pay for the inconvenience of going out to the theatre to do it. Digital distribution plays right into this hand and exclusive use of it actively condones this behaviour. It's not a problem if you're not too attached to the traditional cinematic experience. If you are, then I suppose it's all down from here and you can't beat the good ol' days.

 

 

9 tech innovations

9 Tech innovations that changed the film industry ( through the ages)

One industry that has been expansively affected by technological changes is film. Both mechanical and digital innovations have influenced everything from equipment to distribution, changing how films are made and the manner in which we consume them.

With the medium being just around 120 years old, we take a look at the biggest tech innovations that, through time, changed film for the better.

Movie cameras - Late 1800's

The movie camera – a camera that could capture a sequence of photographs onto filmstrip in quick succession – was a late invention of the 1800s, and without it we wouldn’t have the visual medium that we all love to enjoy while in dark rooms chomping on popcorn and answering our cell phones.

Synchronous sound – 1920s

Before sound could be captured simultaneously to picture, there was the golden age of silent films.
This era was famous for over the top (slapstick) acting, the use of intertitles (titles between shots), and live-music accompaniment to films in theatres. Even early projectionists are credited to have done live sound effects for films too (surely one of the most fun jobs in the last century).
But it all meant there were narrative limitations.

The process of synching sound had been achieved in 1914 with The Photo-Drama of Creation, in which slides and phonograph records were synched up. But it was Warner Brothers’ “Vitaphone” that took the system to feature films.


Colour -1939
There’s nothing wrong with a good black and white film, regardless, colour changed film for the better. Not only because it gave the medium the ability to mimic life more realistically than ever before, but it also led to more narrative possibilities, with the prime example being The Wizard of Oz (1939) which famously depicted Dorothy’s Kansas in black and white, but then brought Oz to magical life in Technicolour.

Film was never the same again… until The Artist of course

Green Screen - 1940

Early digital compositing started in the 1940s with the ‘traveling matte’ – a process that was used to superimpose backdrops with actors performing against a blank, coloured wall. These screens’ colours have changed throughout the decades, but the process and effect have remained the same.

It is a time-consuming technique in which a scene is filmed against the coloured (green) screen, then re-filmed with a filter on the lens that removes all the coloured (green) areas of the film.

Lastly, the layers are composited together in a final recording by laying them over each other one frame at a time. You can’t help but respect the technique.
It allowed for actors to be ‘anywhere in the world’ and also create optical illusions, all the while saving on production costs. Lightweight/portable equipment - 1950's - 60's
Hollywood was famous for building huge studios and sets in its early days. Film always had a larger than life mystique about it. However once lightweight cameras and smaller sound recording devices became available, there was a shift in the style and themes explored in film.

The most famous movement to make use of this tech change was the French New Wave starting in 1950. The revolutionary movement made use of the new equipment that could capture images on location, and a new grittier, documentary visual-style emerged that allowed filmmakers to explore social issues where they happened… on the streets

Camera rigs the dolly (1907) the steadicam ( 1976)

The dolly and steadicam are inventions that signify benchmark camera techniques. You’ll be hard pressed to find a major motion picture that doesn’t make use of either or both of these inventions.
The dolly, to put it simply, is the placing of the camera on wheels that move along tracks.


The steadicam was the solution to many a cameraman’s problem – getting the smoothness of a dolly system, but with the freedom of hand-held shooting.
Effectively a rig that places the camera on more than one point on the human body,  the steadicam utilises the cameraman’s back, shoulders and chest/stomach to support the camera as well as his hands.
The result is famous shots such as the boy riding his scooter in The Shining(1980),
  
Digital single lens reflex cameras

The move from film and celluloid to digital cameras was a big one in cinema history, especially for amateur and budget filmmakers.
The ability to record onto memory cards and internal storage, and not use chemicals, saved on production costs and time. The compact nature of these cameras was also a plus for aspiring filmmakers, because setup times were reduced.

Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) - 1973

It’s hard to believe that there were once films with absolutely no CGI, but you have to go back 40 years to 1973, and the sci-fi Westworld, to find the first use of computer-generated imagery in film. Aptly it was a 2-D digital rendition of a robotic-cowboy’s vision… we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Pixar created the first feature-length computer-animated movie in Toy Story (1995) and nowadays it’s more and more uncommon for films not to make use of CGI in one way or another, as it often saves on production costs



The internet - 1990's

The internet has to make this list because it has changed, and is changing the manner in which films are consumed and distributed, not to mention the types of films we watch and who is making them.
Instant access, worldwide distribution and everyone with a cell phone are now all players in the video-creation game. What was once a medium of the few – those who could afford the equipment – is now the most democratised (and sought-out) medium available. We all want video, and we want it now.

New formats (web shows, podcasts) and new ways of accessing video (streaming, downloading) means that the power has shifted from the industry to the consumers. It’s all very Romantic, and it pisses off the powers that be to no end


The future....


The industry has to realise that the medium is moving into an age of digitally made, and digitally distributed movies.
Not only must the industry adapt to find new ways of monetising digital consumption so that the legal ways of accessing films becomes more appealing than piracy, so must filmmakers, old and new, otherwise they run the risk of being left behind.
Technology is arguably having its most profound and pronounced effect on film in this day and age. It’s an exciting age in film history — the digital era.

SECTION A CASE STUDY - US BLOCKBUSTER

Wolf of Wall Street

2013 American Black Comedy


pre production


This is the story of New York stockbroker, Jordan Belfort. From the American dream to corporate greed, Belfort goes from penny stocks and righteousness to IPOs and a life of corruption in the late 80s. Excess success and affluence in his early twenties as founder of the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmo… Morent warranted Belfort the title "The Wolf of Wall Street." Money. Power. Women. Drugs. Temptations were for the taking and the threat of authority was irrelevant. For Jordan and his wolf pack, modesty was quickly deemed overrated and more was never enough.

 
 



Budget: $100 million                    Box office: $389,600,694

 Directed By: Martin Scorsese ( Oscar winner)
 Produced By:Martin Scorsese
                        Leonardo DiCaprio
                        Riza Aziz
                        Joey McFarland
                        Emma Tillinger KosKoff

Screen play By:Terence Winter
Based on: The wolf of wall street by Jordan Belfort
Rating: 18
Running time: 179 minutes

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
                         Universal Pictures
                         Roadshow entertainment ( Australia and New Zealand )

Starring

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is an  American actor and film producer. He has been nominated for five Academy Awards and ten Golden Globe Awards. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama for The Aviator (2004) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). He has also been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild, Satellite Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Films DiCaprio starred in: 

• The Wolf of Wall Street            
• Titanic                                      - The Great Gatsby
• The departed                            - Inception
• The Aviator                              - Romeo and Juliet
• What's Eating Gilbert Grape     - Orphan
• Gangs Of New York

 

 Jonah Hill

Jonah Hill is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, comedian, and voice actor.  He is a two-time Academy Award nominee, for his performances in the films Moneyball(2011) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).
Years Active - 2004 - present .

Films Hill Starred in:

• Superbad
• Get him to the Greek
• Moneyball
• 21 Jump Street
• The Wolf of Wall Street

                              

 Margot Robbie

 Margot Robbie is an Australian actress. She is known for her role as Donna Freedman on the soap opera Neighbours, which earned her two Logie Award nominations. In 2011, Robbie began starring as Laura Cameron in the ABC drama series Pan Am. Following Pan Am's cancellation, Robbie has appeared in the feature films About Time and The Wolf of Wall Street.
 Years Active: 2007 - present

Films Robbie has starred in:

•   The Wolf of Wall Street
• About time
• Pan Am
• I. C. U
• Neighbours
• Vigilante

Why did Martine Scorsese (director) take on the project of The Wolf of Wall Street?

'I WANTED TO MAKE A FEROCIOUS FILM' - Martin Scorsese


Martin Scorsese says the 2008 collapse of the financial industry  drove him to make “The Wolf of Wall Street.” “The film came out of frustration over the unregulated financial world,” the director said at Saturday’s “Meet the Nominees” panel at the DGA theatre. “I kept saying that I wanted to make a ferocious film".

Production

What happened during the production phase?

where was the film shot?
It was a movie we feel didn't belong in the studio because of the way we hoped Marty and Leo would push the envelope. Little did we know how far they would push it. And so he took a chance on us, we took over the underlying rights and then circled back to Warner Bros, and got into the negotiations of the actual screenplay because it was living in the shelf on there, and as everyone knows, its not easy to extract a script from a studio. ( The film was shot in mainly New York and some scenes in the Bahamas.)

Distribution

The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and Universal pictures. It is historically significant as the first major film to be distributed entirely digitally, three hour 18 certificate comedy might be considered a distribution challenge.But Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street stormed  past any such concerns, posting a sensational UK opening of £4.66 million. That's the third biggest debut for an 18 certificate film.

What happened during the marketing and distributing phase?

Martin Scorcese’s big Christmas film “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a three-hour plunge into a cinematic cesspool of excess that has generated ten times more pub and debate than any other holiday release — including far better offerings.

There are several reasons for the buzz, contrived hype and effective selling among them. Others include...

• A-lister Leondardo DiCaprio stars and is featured prominently in nearly every scene.
• The film sets a world record for “f-bombs” (544 or so), which appeals to younger ticket buyers.
• The film has been (and is still) hyped on digital media everywhere we turn.
• It is loud and pushes the boundaries of good taste — which young men also pay to see. Dozens of naked girls.
• Scorcese’s reputation . To casual film goers, “If Scorcese made it, it must be good.

Important Factors in the success of the film

• Marketing Campaign
• Viral Marketing
• Wall street- the history and connection with the audience
• Casting
• Directors portfolio
• Distribution - most cinemas to date
• Online ticket sales

Marketing. No one loves the film but some say they like it and try to defend it. Viewers overall rate it a “C,” which makes it one of the worst holiday releases. Paramount’s marketing strategy ignores the film’s bad word of mouth, advertising it prominently on every conceivable medium to its target audience — Leo fans and young people with money to burn. Despite its advertising saturation, Paramount is faced with more work to do. The film cost $100 million to make and probably at least that to market. Domestically its take to this point (worldwide) is less than half that.  To add to that the film was also marketed in a way where there was an issue for debate which kept the uses and gratifications for the film going because people were constantly talking about the film.