The Krays

What words would you use to describe the atmosphere (environment and setting) in the opening scenes?
Within the opening scenes of The Krays there is a  idea of a very closely bound community as everyone seems to know everyone and knowing what everyone is doing. Also, within the opening scenes of The Krays it shows how the Ronnie and Reggie Kray (Gary and Martain Kemp)  have been brought up being 'mollycoddled'  by the most prominent female characters in their lives, the most prominent female character is their mother, Violet Kray (Billie Whitelaw) this is because during the film there is a scene where the entire community is in a tube station during a air raid, during this scene a bomb is dropped and the twins run to Violet for protection, she tells the boys that no one is going to hurt them, they wouldn't dare whilst she is around. Another way the main female  character the 'mollycoddles' the boys is their Aunt Rose (Susan Fleetwood) , this is because she cares for the boys as if they were her own, she does this so much that she and her sister Violet is leading the boys onto the path of invulnerability and believing that they were untouchable so no could hurt them, this leads into the ideology that this was one of  reasons the boys turned to crime as they thought no one would touch cross them, so they were able to get away with anything.

How is a sense of community represented in the East End of London?
The sense of community shown in The Krays is represented in the  East End of London the very first opening scene where Violet Kray is in labour and all her family and friends are around her during this time. Also, the community in the East End is shown when the woman from across the street is cleaning her front door step, everybody seems shocked and makes a comment about it. The sense of community is also shown when everybody is down in the tube station during an air raid, it is shown when a large group of people are sat crowded around Cannonball Lee (Jimmy Jewel) whilst listening to him tell stories of Jack the Ripper. Also, the sense of community within The Krays  is represented in East London when  the twins and their friends are at the fair, this is because during the boxing match the entire community is their to watch and show suppourt towards the contestants.

How have the Kray twins personalities been shaped by events/ circumstances. Consider:

• Their closeness to each other.
• Their attitude towards weak and vulnerable people. 
• Their feelings of strength and invulnerability.

The Kray twins personalities have been shaped by the events and circumstances that  happen in the opening scenes of the film. The twins ever since they were young boys have always been very close to each other, this helped shape their personalities because within the film it is shown that they are like two halves of a whole and need each other to be able to function, this is shown within the film during the hospital scene when Ronnie Kray is in hospital and Violet comes to take him home,  she states that it isn't the hospitals medicine Ronnie needs to get better, it's Reggie. As the twins get older it is shown that they believe they are strong together and  have invulnerability, this is because the women in  their lives, mainly their mum and aunts, have  protected them and made them feel as if no one can touch them, this is shown in two scenes, the scene within the tube where Violet tells the twins  that no one would dare touch them, not whilst she's around and also in the scene after the boxing match where she tells the boys that the family don't fight each other, they fight the people outside. Also, the twins have a very protective attitude towards their mum, this is shown in the scene when Violet is fighting with their father Charlie Kray (Alfred Lynch), the boys stand up to protect Violet when Charlie goes the hit her.  

Micro analysis

Micro-analysis Of A Film Sequence Essay

The film I am analysing is Inception. The film is the directed by Christopher Nolan; it was released July 8^th 2010. The film is about the main male character Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. The clip I am using is the dream collapsing scene. The clip I am using is 3:48 minutes long, this occurs near the beginning of the film. The micro-elements I will be analysing are sound and mise-en-scene.

Mise-en-scene

The first micro-element I will be analysing is mise-en-scene. The props that are involved within this scene are: envelopes, guns, statues, bath, suites, dresses, rubble and the chair. Within the scene the settings within the scene are also unusual, the first scene that lasts most of the way through the scene is an interpretation of a Chinese Temple, the second scene that is shown within the film is a hotel room and bathroom within the city of Mombasa.

Within the scene, one of the props that is used are the envelopes, within this scene there are two envelopes both are a gold-copper colour, one contains blank paper and the other contains the confidential documents. The significance of the first envelope is to act as a decoy to stop Mal (Marion Cotillard) and Saito (Ken Watanabe) receiving the information that in enclosed within the real envelope, the first envelope contains blank paper. This shows that it acting as a decoy and also Saito’s reaction from finding the blank paper also shows that he has been deceived by Cobb, and feels he needs to get the other envelope containing the real information as a matter of urgency. the significance of the envelope within the film is to show the audience that Cobb is unable to find the most important information in the second envelope, however Saito knows what Cobb is planning to find but he allows him to continue his work as he is auditioning Cobb’s team for hi inception, also the envelope contains the expansion plans for Saito’s company, however Saito left out key information because of the audition.

Dances with Wolves Film Task

Why is Dancers with Wolves a western film?

Dancers with Wolves is a western film because it contains a wide range of signifiers with imply that it is a western. One signifier that implies that this film is a western is the themes that run throughout the film, one theme would be good vs bad which is seen within the film as the Sioux Tribe vs the American Army or Sioux vs Pawnee,  and also Stereotype vs Reality, this is seen in the film as the main male character stereotypes the Sioux as being violent but in reality they are friendly, after going onto the frontier alone and then meeting the tribe and becoming one of them, another theme that is presented within the film is betrayal because the American soldier felt as if he had been betrayed by the American army as he was left alone at the fort, also another theme presented within the theme  is the fear of the un-known as the soldier was afraid of the Sioux Tribe. Another signifier that the film is a western is the setting of the film, the film is set in the southern states of America within very baron landscape, these landscapes would now be maybe a town in Texas etc. Also, a signifier which shows that this film is a western are the characters that are in the film, the characters within the film are the Sioux Tribe, the cowboy who took the main male soldier to the frontier but was murdered by another tribe called the Pawnee, and also the outcomes of the American civil War between the northern and southern states of America.

How are Native Americans and White Americans represented?

The Sioux Native American Tribe were represented within the film as being friendly and not as savage as many people originally thought as Native Americans were stereotyped as savage, violent people. The Pawnee Native American Tribe are shown as the stereotypical view of Native Americans as within the film they are shown as a violent, savage tribe who show no mercy to White Americans or anyone who is not a Pawnee Tribe member. The main male character within the film is a White American soldier and is represented as being alone and lost. Throughout the film the way he is represented changes as he becomes more open with the Sioux Tribe members, and by the end of the film he becomes a member of the Sioux Tribe. The other White Americans within the film are the American Army, they are represented within the film on two accounts as being reckless and wanting to take over Native American land whatever the consequences of this, nearing the end of the film the American soldiers capture the main male White American and show him no mercy as he is now part of the Sioux Tribe, they are represented within this part of the film as being merciless and violent towards anyone they believe to be a Native American, however at the very end of the film the American Army join up with the Pawnee to try and find the Sioux Tribe and the main male character.

Do the representations of different cultures and conflict hold any messages for us today in modern life?

Within today's society there are many different conflicts, within the film the representations of the conflict are that instead of fighting or having a war, the Sioux Tribe and the main male character sit down and talk, they have discussions over each others way of life and how they could live peacefully side by side, this could give today's society the message that sitting down and talking about things is usually better than beginning a war. Another message that can be taken from the film is the spirit of adventure or exploration, this is shown within the film because the main male character has a adventurous spirit and wants to explore the a new area of his country he has never been to The Frontier, this gives us the message that today we should be exploring and not being afraid to see new things. Also, a message that can also be taken from the film is helping the environment, this because within the film the Sioux Tribe live of the land, they only kill as much buffalo as they need and only when they need it, they also use every part of the animal, the message that this would give today's society is that we should only use the resources (eg; trees or coal) when we need them and only take as much as we need, also we should always reuse things as much as we can as this will help the environment replenish and will not cause us as many problems.  Another message we could get from this film is the stopping of prejudice, this is shown in the film because the main male character sets out the film with the prejudice that all Native Americans are savages, however throughout the film his prejudice changes as he begins to get to know the Sioux Tribe and comes to learn that they are friendly, the message that this gives to our society is that you should get know people before you make prejudice re-marks or views.

How does the film represent the three constitutive contradictions that Rick Altman discusses in the passages?

Within the beginning of the film its represents the first contradiction of individual freedom and community action, it does this because in the beginning of the film John Dumbar is a loner, on his own at the fort on the frontier waiting for the American Army, however throughout the film he becomes a part of the Sioux Tribe and is no longer a loner. Also, within the film there are two Native American tribes the Pawnee and the Sioux, the Pawnee are a savage, unforgiving tribe of people, whereas the Sioux are a friendly un-violent tribe of people.
Within the film it also represents the second contradiction of respect for the environment and industrial growth, it does this because during the film it shows the Sioux tribe travelling on horseback - so there are no cars polluting the environment, living in wigwams and using very basic weapons, also the film shows the Sioux tribe hunting buffalo - they only kill the buffalo that they need and they use every single part of the animal so that nothing is wasted. Also, within the film it shows the industrial growth of America during this time, it shows the building of towns at the beginning of the film and it also shows the new weapons that are created such as rifles and pistols, also the Sioux tribe hunted the buffalo for their hides and pelts so they were able to sell them. 
Within the film it also represents the third contradiction of reverence for the past and desire to build a new future, it does this within the film as the Sioux tribe remember their forefathers and continue to do the traditional hunting and farming methods and also the Sioux tribe follow the traditional way of life as they still continue within the film to live in wigwams. Also, within the film there is a desire to build a new future as the American Army are pushing westwards through the frontier, also its shows the building of American cities and the industrialisation of America. 

Genre Research Task

Genre Research Task 

The genre I have chosen to research is horror. 

One of the many generic elements within horror films is dark lighting that is used. Dark lighting is used within horror films to create the fear factor and to give the audience a sense of anticipation and a slight sense of mystery, a film that defies this element of horror films  is The Shining, which uses light, open areas and uses the element tension through nothing to create the 'scare' factor and a fear of the unknown. Another generic element that is used within horror films is shadowing of rooms, faces and objects. Shadowing is used within horror films to create mystery and to make the audience wonder what it is, shadowing is also used to shadow the face of the antagonist to give them a demeaning exterior. Also, another generic element shown within horror films is that the females present in these films always are the victims. The usual themes within horror films are good vs bad, killers and victims etc. 

Horror films, are created to get a reaction out of an audience through the use off fear, shock, graphic scenes and 'jumpy' scenes. Also, fear of the unknown gains a reaction from the audience as usually the masked killers within horror films are shown as a true life representation that death will come to us  at any time.

Some horror films cross over with other genres of films, such as musical (Phantom of the Opera), sci-fi (Alien)  and love (Dracula). Horror links into sci-fi well because it helps create and extend the fear of the unknown for the audience 

Examples of Horror Films;

• The Conjuring.
• The Babadook.
• The Shining.
• A Nightmare on Elm Street.
• The Exorcist.
• The Mist.
• The Woman in Black.
• Scream