unit 10 -Fictional film-making

Learning aims - 

A - Understand codes and conventions of fictional film production 
B-  Produce material for a fictional film of a specified genre 
C - Apply post-production techniques to a fictional film utilising codes and conventions of a specified genre. 


Narrative structures -

Linear narrative structures is a narrative that runs from start to finnish in chronological order. They do not include any flashbacks or flash forwards, they are not broken up in anyway. Popular examples of non - linear narratives include soap operas such as corronation street or Eastenders. 


Non - linear narrative structures depict events in a random order, often using flashbacks or flash forwards as a narrative development tool. This gives the director more freedom about how they want the viewer to view the narrative. This also allows the director to incatate how characters are percieved. Examples of non-linear narrative structures can be found in Tarentino films such as pulp fiction and resivoiur dogs. Other Tv examples of non-linear narratives include '13 reasons why', 'Forest Gump' and 'riverdale'

'13 Reasons Why' is an American teen drama television series developed by Netflix, based on the 2007 novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. The series depicts the life of  seventeen year old high school student Clay Jensen, and his late friend Hannah Baker. Hannah has taken her  own life after having to face a culture of gossip, bullying and sexual assaults at her high school, the lack of support from her friends, family and school lead her to her death. She left behind a box of  tapes she recorded in the weeks prior to her death, the tapes give 13 reasons why she chose to end her life - she often describes it as the 'snowball effect'. 

The story is developed in multiple timelines, the present feels harsher and colder with a blue, grey tinted filter, this implies the impact Hannah's death has had on family and friends to the audience. Colour is often used to reflect the emotions of the scenes - there's a warm romantic feeling to Hannah and Clay's life when she was alive and a colder sense to life after her death. Early in the present timeline. Clay gets into an accident on his bike and cuts his forehead going forward, this was a way to indicate to the audience which timeline we're in. Furthermore, Hannah's look evolves a few times as the narrative is beginning to develop - the most obvious being when she cuts her hair to her shoulders when things have got really bad. In reality, drastic changes in appearance can be taken as a warning sign of depression. When Clay thinks back of happy times with Hannah, he often envisions her when she had longer hair, hannah also does the same thing in a fantasy of them being happy together. 

Flashbacks are points in a story were the action goes back in time to depict something that has  already happened, there are a variety of ways a director can interpret a flashback, these include - a bright flash, defocusing and zooming in/out of eyes. Although flashbacks usually start and Finnish in the same way, this is not an imperative rule . The beginning of Forest Gump utilizes non-continuity techniques in the form of a flashback to his childhood to introduce the character and narrative to the audience. In comparison, the TV show 'Thirteen reasons why' utilizes flashback techniques to indicate what time-frame the viewer is watching so they do not become confused, as the show follows a non-linear format. These techniques are also similar as they reveal personal thoughts and emotions felt by the speaker, which helps to develop that character further for the viewer.

Realism narratives are stories that are thought to be believable to the audience because they feel real. This is a technique used in horror films as something seems scarier when it could happen or has happened before. The 'Blair which project' is a good example of a realist narrative because it is filmed using a handheld camera, which could be done by anyone. This makes the film feel scarier as it seems real, and directly impact the viewer as they feel they are in the same position as the actor. 








Anti - Realism is a narrative that is presented as a fantasy. Many special effects and CGI will be used, successful films from different genres have been made in this way. Examples of this in film could include, Star wars, Stardust, avatar, other examples in TV could be - Happy, 




'Happy!' is a violent dark comedy drama series, adapted from a Grant Morrison comic miniseries with the same name. The show combines the franchise’s over the top violence with the Buddy Cop Show formula, which creates a surrealist world where criminals battle it out on the streets of New York and a unicorn is the guardian angel of a child.The show depicts the life of Nick Sax, a alcoholic ex cop turnt hit man forced too team up with his daughter's imaginary friend, a tiny winged unicorn named Happy to take down nefarious holiday-themed conspiracies and perversion of the most deranged type. Season 1 sees the duo tracking down a Bad Santa who has kidnapped his daughter during the festive period. Season 2 fast-forwards to Easter where Nick fights against a plot to wake the Antichrist on Easter Sunday. 

Formats and Purposes - 

The Cannes Film Festival is an incredibly well known international competition that is held in France annually. The festival offers a range of awards,  their short film category accepts works of 15 minutes or less and has no submission fee. Some of the best film makers are nominated for this contest, the films should be in the most polished form, however with no submission fee there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from sending out your film to this prestigious festival.  The main purpose of the festival is to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, and boosting the film industry worldwide by celebrating cinema at an international level. 

During the 1950's the festival attracted the attention of tourists and journalists, this was as a result of showbiz scandals and high profile personality love affairs. At the same time, the artistic aspect of the festival was starting to develop further because there was some controversy over the selection of films. Furthermore, the Critics' Prize was created to recognize original films and new filmmakers. Additionally, in 1954 the Special Jury Prize was awarded for the first time.This was an award chosen by the jury from the 'official' selection of films at the festival. Furthermore in 1959 the film industry was really taking off as technology began to develop. This meant the festival developed a more commercial character and encourage exchanges between sellers and buyers of the film industry; today it has become the first international platform for film commerce. There were  some incredible films, these included 'Night and Fog'  and 'Hiroshima', 'My Love' but they had been excluded from the competition previously due to diplomatic concerns. Jean Cocteau, the president of the jury said "The Cannes Festival should be a no man's land in which politics has no place. It should be a simple meeting between friends.". Furthermore, In 1962 the International Critics' Week was introduced, it was created by the French Union of Film Critics, intending to showcase first and second works by directors from all over the world and helping to make their name known. 

In recent years, a number of gender and sexual controversies has engulfed the Film Festival. These include - "Heelgate", a number of female attendees on a red carpet premiere were stopped from entering in 2015 because they were wearing flat soled shoes instead of high heels. The incident caused numerous female celebrities to wear flat soled shoes or no shoes at all to other red carpet events to show solidarity and protest. Additionally, a number of high profile directors and producers have been accused of sexual harassment and abuse at past festivals. The #metoo movement was created as a result of the number of sexual harassment cases reported against Harvey weinstien. Cannes introduced the helpline where victims could report anything making them feel unsafe. 

'Once upon a time in hollywood' is a feature length western comedy film directed by Quentin Tarrentino .TV star Rick Dalton and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore in 1969. Tarantino manages to recreate 1969 Hollywood in great detail. It seems he has utilized ingenuity over CGI, he also shut down Hollywood streets and highways — so he could capture the spirit of the era in a meaningful way.This film directly links to popular culture, 1969 was a major turning point internationally. The moon landing had changed peoples perceptions of what’s possible, and it helped to influence a range of art forms including film. It was as a result of the moon landing the sci-fi genre was born, the unimaginable was possible and this was reflected in art and popular culture at the time. However, at the same time a sense of fear had be installed into Americans as a result of the Manson murders in the Hollywood hills two weeks after the landing, the film offers an alternative viewpoint for this. This film was shown at Cannes because the festival is designed for professional film makers, but also helps to bring new artists into the mainstream. It is for this reason that any film nominated for an award here would really need to use stylistic codes and conventions to enhance the production. Tarantino's 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' use of camera angles and movements for comical effect by emphasizing an object or action. This film could not be entered into the Slamdance film festival as it would be considered too professional and would be unfair as this festival is designed to bring upcoming filmmakers with lower budget. 

The Crucified Lovers  is a 1954 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi. Ishun is a wealthy master printer with an extremely unsympathetic character.  He has wrongly accused his wife and best employee of being lovers. To escape punishment, they run away together, Ishun is certain to be ruined if word gets out. The film was Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, the film was one of the artists later works however the nomination helped bring Mizoguchi to the attention of non-Japanese audiences.This reflects one of the main ideas for canne, to bring forward film makers and make their name known. This film is also an example of how the festival can be used as an international platform, some artists may not have the budget to push there production over seas. The film explores Japanese culture intending to educate audiences by using powerful photography and compositions, including aesthetic sequence shots. These shots include references to life in japan with Japanese woodcuts and scroll paintings. Although this film may not have won, Cannes gave the director a platform to be noticed on. His later films include - 

The New York film festival was started by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, it takes place in the heart of NYC and offers a competition for both Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short aswell as many other awards for a range of achievements. The submission must be 40 minutes or under to be eligible for the competition and there is a $60 fee when entering. The festival is intended for both emerging and established artists, this makes it a viable option for newer film makers who want their work to be noticed. 

This short fantasy film was created by 'The animation school', in South Africa. The film was nominated for best student film for the New York Film and Tv awards in 2019. This film is particularly impressive artistically, the use of CGI to create a fantasy world and captivating characters that the audience are able to form a bond with. Fantasy films should present a different reality to our own, this could be a fantasy world separated from ours or a hidden fantasy side of our own world. An important factor in the development of the fantasy genre was the production of magazines that were devoted to fantasy fiction. The first publication of this type was the German magazine 'Der Orchideengarten' which was running from 1919-1921. Additionally,  In 1923 the first English fantasy fiction magazine was published,It was titled 'Weird Tales'.This film directly links to the rise of art, without art this film would never have been made as art would have played a fundamental part of the pre-production process.

This factual short film explores the struggles  was nominated for the 'best public affairs programme', it has been produced by Aljazeera news. In comparison to student made public affairs films, this should have a larger budget to create a more influential and meaningful production. Far away from the capital of venuesuala, there is a small town that is struggling to feed itself. The town survives on fishing, and almost everything else is smuggled to its shores from neighboring Trinidad.The documentary follows a  28-year-old fisherman and his family who are  expecting the government would continue to send food and other necessities to his town, but nothing has arrived in months and Jhan is begging to loose faith in his country. Public affairs films should be used to educate and inform in a meaningful way. This short film uses different camera angles and movements to effectively reflect what life is like for Jhan and his family in Venesuala. The film links to political and social issues that are being generally ignored nationally, and giving this short film some deeper exposure should help to bring these issues to light. 

These films really couldn't be more different, they are made for different audiences with very different intentions. However, they have both been nominated for awards at the New York TV and Film festival, this is a great example of the wide variety of films and Tv shows that can be viewed in this environment. My first example is a fantasy animation that explores the realms of impossible, it has been created by students and therefore we can imply it would have a lower budget than a film with a more professional production team. Comparatively the short documentary released by AlJazeera will have a larger budget and ideally they would have done more in depth research, therefore they  might have a more professional and in depth production. The documentary is a realist film, exploring real lives and real people; it is for this reason that the audience may be able to build stronger relationships with the characters as they are more realistic and relatable.

Visual Storytelling - 

Semiotics - 

'Spider' is a 2007 Australian comedy short film, directed by Nash Edgerton and written by David Michôd and Nash Edgerton. The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival on 17 June 2007. The short film competed at a number of film festivals and later released a theatre adaption. The film depicts a couple are driving in a car. Jill is angry at Jack, so he goes into a gas station and buys a card, flowers, chocolate, and a toy spider, whilst Jill is re-filling the gas tank, Jack hides the spider in the sun visor above her seat. Jill ignores the flowers and card but she is won over by the chocolate, She pulls down the sun visor, causing the spider to fall out and the car to nearly crash. When the car stops, Jack is laughing, he tosses the spider towards Jill, who jolts backwards into the road and is hit by a passing vehicle. Paramedics arrive almost instantly, as someone is about to insert a syringe into the unconscious Jill's arm, he is startled by the spider toy and accidentally throws the syringe into Jack's eye. The film is balanced and utilizes binary opposition as the main protagonists are a male and female couple of roughly the same age. 

'Bear' is a 2011 Australian short comedy drama film directed by Nash Edgerton and written by David Michod and Nash Edgerton. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2011.Emelie is becoming greatly annoyed by her boyfriend Jack. She leaves to ride her bicycle along a trail, Jack gets into his car with a box and drives to the trail. As Emelie is riding her bike, she is startled by a bear, and falls off a cliff. Behind the bear, there are colorful birthday decorations. The bear is revealed to be Jack in a costume, he rushes down the cliff to Emelie's side. After reconciling with injured Emelie, he jokingly puts the bear mask back on, and is shot by a bear Hunterr.  The protagonist resembles a cartoon character — he’s always getting himself and his loved ones into the dangerous situations. Although the audience feel sympathetic, the film uses appeals to a darker sens of humour as the audience cant help but laugh. 

These films are of the same genre and directed by the same person however they have technical differences that make them different. Firstly the second clip would have had a larger budget than the first, this means that better equipment could be bought. The updated equipment improved the image quality, 'spider' appears grainy which may distract the viewer from the action whereas 'bear' utilizes updated cameras which makes the image picture clearer.  Furthermore, the increased budget also improved the lighting techniques the director has decided to use. The first example uses low-key lighting, this means that there is lots of darkness and shadow where there should be light. The second film utilizes high-key lighting which helps to ensure the whole frame is well lit. Moreover, the roles have switched slightly. In the first film, His girlfriends driving, and he is as passenger wheres in the second film, he is driving whilst she is riding a bike. 

Lighting - 

Lighting keys describe the choices cinematographers have when illuminating a film set. There are two kinds of lighting keys: high key and low key. High key utilizes bright lights to give the film a more natural and realistic look. This tone can lead the audience to better identify with the characters. Low key lighting makes use of shadows and pools of light to introduce feelings of suspense or horror. shadows were an important stylistic code during the film nor period of cinema. The physical presence of shadows were meant to underline the psychological uncertainly of characters who combine good and evil to become shadowy figures. 

In horror films, low-key lighting is used to express darkness and cause confusion to the audience.   In the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' films, Wes Craven utilizes low key lighting processes to depict his vision of serial killer Freddie Kruger. The film follows a group of teenagers who have been murdered in their dreams by Freddie Krueger, a serial killer with self-made gloves made of knives which he uses to kill his victims.  The opening scene begins with the audience being introduced to Freddie. The background music introduces the character using  a creepy of key piano. The use of non digetic sound is effective because it sets the tone of the movie and creates tension, making the audience feel uneasy. The sequence cuts between close up close-up of his boots and a close-up of his hands as he grabs things. He is shown creating his gloves, hammering and crafting the knives before putting the gloves on. This is a really good use of camera movement as the rapid cuts builds pace and anticipation as the audience can't see the full image.  Whilst the use of close ups and low key lighting help to shield the characters identity and presents him as a figure of evil. The close ups of his hands also show the audience how dirty his hands are, which conforms to the horror film stereotype that killers are lonely people who don't take much pride in their own appearance or care how others perceive them as they are phycologically unstable.

High key lighting is used in this scene taken from 'Harry potter and the deathly hallows'. The all white setting could have connotations that these two characters are pure and innocent, reflecting their personalities to the audience. The beaming white light behind both of the characters also suggests the idea of Good vs Evil,therefore that the light is being used to portray these characters as the heroes of the plot. 

High contrast lighting utilizes harsh streaks of light in combined with bold, black streaks to convey feelings of tension and anxiety. This technique creates multiple shadows, which will provide an eerie and haunting look, high contrast lighting techniques will heighten the film’s sense of drama and leave viewers on the edge of their seats and wanting more.

Three point lighting is a standard lighting technique used in Tv and Film, made up from - key lights, fill light and back light. The main purpose of three point lighting is to add three dimensional qualities  to two dimensional subjects using light and shadows. This is an effective technique because it will help to add an element of realism to your piece. 

A key light is the primary light source of  scene, it should be the most intense and direct light source of the entire scene. It will always be the first light to set up, and it should be used to light the form of the subject or actor. If a key light is placed to the side or back of an actor, it will create a mysterious or dramatic mood which is perfect for a scene with an interview or interrogation. You should avoid placing your light source too close to the camera because it will make your lighting appear flat and featureless, which is boring for the audience.

Lighting techniques - 

A back light hits an actor or object from behind, usually it is placed higher than the object it is lighting. A back light is used to separate an object or an actor from a dark background, which helps to give the subject more shape and depth. Back lighting is important because it can make an object look three dimensional, this is effective because it adds an element of realism. Furthermore, you can create bold silhouettes by removing key and fill lights. A great and affordable back light is the ARRI 150,

This shot has been taken from 'Citize Kane', a 1941 American drama film by Orson Welles. The film was Welles's first feature film, it was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories, it won an Academy Award for Best Writing. The film is considered to be a homage technical innovation and storytelling in silent film. In this shot taken from the projection room scene,backlighting has been used to make the character in the foreground a silhouette, which hides their identity from the viewer which creates a sense of mystery. Furthermore, the smoke that is filling the room helps to show light beams as light travels through the window and deflects of the lamp. Finally, the use of high contrast lighting creates a kind of forboding atmosphere, helping to add atmosphere and pace to the scene.  

A sidelight is created by placing a light source positioned on the side running parallel to the actor or object. Side lighting is a good technique when trying to create a dramatic mood, chiaroscuro lighting has a similar effect. Chiaroscuro lighting is created by using low key and high contrast lights, this was a stylistic code of the film noir period of cinema. 

Silhouette lighting is usually used to create a dramatic effect. This is a stylistic code is a staple of movies and television. The technique is most commonly seen in mysteries and the detective genre. Silhouette lighting darkens the main figure whilst allowing the area behind the subject to remain visible. Investigative news programs might also use silhouette lighting to cover the identities of interview subjects such as criminal witnesses and whistle blowers. It is a simple lighting technique to execute, however it may require practise to achieve the right amount of darkness. 

The most common use of silhouettes came from the film noir era of cinema in the 40s and 50s. The Hollywood noir films were heavily influenced by the German Expressionism during 1910s - 1930s. Hitchcock frequently used the technique to focus the audiences attention on a threat. In the 1941 film 'Suspicion', Hitchcock uses a silhouette of Cary Grant carrying a glass of milk up the stairs.This eerie image is effective because it makes the audience wonder if the glass is poisoned. The sequences cuts to a scene of Grant pressuring someone else to drink the milk. Without the silhouette this scene wouldn’t be as ominous.This particular scene is paying homage to the 1922 German film 'Nosferatu', which features the vampire Count Orlock creeping up a staircase to create an element of suspense and fear within the audience. 

This scene from 'Indiana Jones and the raiders of the lost ark' utilezes colour temperatures to depict the setting vividly to the audience. The use of back lighting to create a silhouette is effective because it helps to portray Indiana as a hero amongst his community. The use of a warm golden orange sky depicts the extreme temperatures and creates a bold silhouette.

These examples use silhouetting to create different effects within there respective piece, Hitchcock has chosen to use mise en scene to create an element of fear within his audience as they anticipate whats going to happen. He utilizes low-key silhouette techniques to hide the identity of the murderer and present them as untrustworthy. Alternatively, 'Indiana Jones' is using warm orange motivated lighting created by the sun. The use of warm colors gives the impression that they are in the middle of the desert, typical of the western genre. The artistic choice of using a silhouette depicts the protagonist as a noble and trustworthy man. This confirms the idea that silhouettes are not always used to present a figure as a force of evil, as seen in Hitchcock 'Psyco', 'suspicion' and iconic 'Et'. They can also be used as an artististic effect, which can also portray a figure of strength. 

Motivated lighting is a controlled lighting technique motivated by the objects in the background of a scene. Motivated lighting is meant to appear as a natural light source in the scene - like the sun or the moon. This technique can be used to add tone or atmosphere to a scene, helping to make it seem more realistic. 

Practical lighting is a light source that is visible in the scene like - lamps, light fixtures, candles, and television sets etc. They’re not strong enough to light a subject properly, if you were to use this as the only light source it will make your scene look really amerture, however they can be used too add to the cinematic ambiance of the scene.

Sound -

Audio plays an important role in developing a narrative, sound can be used to create suspense or have an emotional impact on the viewer. Sound will differentiate between genre's - for example, a thriller movie may use sound differently to a drama film. Examples of this comparison could be, 'Jurassic Park' and 'One Week;. These films are examples of how you can experiment with  sounds too produce a more diverse and interesting plot. 

Firstly there are many examples of diegetic sounds in 'Jurassic Park', these could include - rustling of bushes, chirping birds, or the vibrations of the T-Rex it approaches. The use of digetic sounds here are used to help emphasize the environment to the audience, this connotes the idea that they are in danger and makes the audience feel empathy for them as they would hate to be put in this position. 

Comparatively, in 'One Week' the diegetic sounds of the snapping of the lens as Ben takes pictures throughout his travels implies that his trip is worth the length of one lifetime , done in just one week. This type of audio also allows the audience to interpret that Ben  can hear this sound as well as them. The sound captures each  site that has contributed to his journey, which has a positive effect on the viewer. Additionally, the music used in 'One Week' on the radio of the motorbike when he is traveling to the west,  which is also a type of digetic sound. The music that is being played creates a feelings of happiness for both the viewer as well as the character on set.

Although these two movies create different feelings toward the movie, they use similar diegetic sounds that can be found in real life situations. These diegetic sounds are sources that have the ability to be heard by all of the characters on-screen. 

Jurassic Park utilizes non diegetic audio to emphasize the importance of action within the narrative as well as building  atmosphere, pace and tension which keeps viewers invested in the story. The use of music and sound is one of the most effective ways that a movie can project underlying messages, as well as to creating an atmosphere or sense of mood within the narrative. The majority of the story uses non-diegetic sounds, this is shown chase scenes involving the T-Rex, the music becomes more intense to create the negative mood and to boost tension. Moreover, there are many parts in the movie where a suspense is created as the melody transforms into a triumphant harmony , the audience can infer the conflict has been resolved . The grand orchestral theme of music is loud and it creates an epic, it helps to create positive imagery and build an atmosphere.

 'One Week' uses non - digetic audio in the form  a narrator to depict the story of Ben Tyler’s life living with cancer; it is meant to create a sad atmosphere towards the viewers to feel emotional. Whereas, Jurassic Park utilizes different types of themes and music to create an action packed plot.  Both of these movies apply the concepts of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in many different ways to express various feelings throughout the movie.

Mise-en-scene - 

The first shot in 'Forest Gump' is focused on the production titles, with  the sky as a background. The image of the cloudy sky might suggest that there is a bad day ahead through the use of pathetic fallacy. The sky is cloudy, the white feather stands out against the grey sky. The feather could have connotations of innocence and purity, the feather floats gracefully into shot with the camera panning alongside it to track its journey. As the feather travels further, more scenic views are presented, this helps to establish the setting as a small American town. Throughout the exposition, the non diegetic sound is long, high key of a strings instrument which causes a sense of uncertainty for the viewer as the narrative is not clear. Once the feather is travelling closer to the ground the sky becomes brighter which might hint at a brighter day. This idea is reinforced by heavy piano keys overlapping the strings with more bass. The music helps to develop the narrative which stereo typically sets the light heated genre of romance and drama films. This has a positive effect on the audience as gives the audience a sense of enjoyment and hope that things will get better. 

The title sequence is used to establish the shot through different views of the small town. The titles are a pure white which look luminous  against the dark scenic backgrounds. Additionally, the transitions between titles have been edited together using a fade so they are gentle and smooth reflecting the way the feather moves.

As the sequence is coming to an end, the camera pans down towards Forest Gump, who can be seen in the distance, whilst the camera is still focused on the feather. Furthermore, the cars have been staged to cross the shot at certain times, which applies the rule of thirds,allowing the focus to remain on the feather as well as introducing the character and adding depth to the shot.

There are many times in which the feather could have stopped, for example - on the business mans shoulder, then he rushes off contrasting the calm connotations of the feather. The feather still lands on Forest’s tshoe, it has settled for the calm which introduces the narrative and  the idea of fate. The  use of an close up shows the feather has landed and contrasts against the dirty shoes. This could connote the idea that backs up the saying of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” which reinforces the ideas Forest’s mother is always in his head to give him inspiration and words of encouragement.

Forest picks up the feather carefully, showing the audience  he is aware of his surroundings and as he takes it all in slowly. The camera slowly pans up to show his movement as the feather is in his hand sitting back, this helps to tell the audience about the characters appearance for the first time.  They see an expression of confusion in his face. He is wearing an off cream suit, which could be use to show he is intelligent. However, the use of the muddy trainers contrasts with the stereotypical American business man which might suggest they look after themselves and their opinion. The mud could imply that he has been on a lot of adventures and has had ,already, a fun filled life with a lot of stories even though he does not appear very mature, which intrigues the viewer further

The director has vhosen to use a high angled shot whilst panning down to his breifcase, the audience can see the character put the feather into his neatly organized suitcase. Forest takes out a copy of  ‘Curious George’, the viewer may have built the impression that he lacks an adult mind which means he is not like the others within this time the film has been set film, the audience can infer this because at this time learning difficulties would not have been identified as a disability . The colors within this scene are monotone and dull, the use of pale greys and browns are brought to life through the effect of the blue coloured sky from the book and checked blue shirt which could hint at feelings of happiness.

Structural Theory -

Structuralism looks at a film patterns, relationships or structures. The theory suggests that we see and understand films through the recognition of these structures. The meaning of a film does not come from inherent meanings of individual elements but instead how the individual elements interact in the films structure. The theory can be used to emphasize narrative theories and other recurring patterns or content, which helps the viewer to understand what is happening. Using recognizable structures can help the audience understand the meaning of a film. for example, Alfred Hitchcocks' 'Blonde' brings together different ages, race, gender or sexuality, which are used to reflect cultural beliefs in that area at the time. 

'About a boy' is a comedy-drama following an unlikely friendship - Will, a rich and irresponsible Londoner in his thirties with no children. He is in search of single women, he even invents an imaginary son and starts going too single parent meetings. As a result of one of his liaisons, he meets Marcus, an odd 12 year old boy who is being bullied at school. Gradually, Will and Marcus become good friends, Will teaches Marcus how to be a cool kid, Marcus helps Will to finally grow up. 

The film explores various relationships and behaviors that allow the audience to better understand the meaning of the film. Firstly, the characters are binary opposite as there is an eighteen year gap between them. The comical use of old and young helps to emphasize how unlikely their friendship is and creates balance. 

Auteur theory -

This is the idea that a film reflects the directors personal creative vision. It is a view in film making where the director should be the creative force in a production.The directors creative voice should stand out amongst any studio interference. This means that elements such as camera movement, lighting and scene length will be used to convey the meaning of a film.

Tim Burton spent the most of his childhood as an outsider, growing up in suburban California. He wasn’t like everyone else so he was often misunderstood. His childhood experiences left him with the belief that society tries to hide anything that makes people individual. Burton also spent a lot of his time as a child watching horror films and drawing. He enjoyed watching films with monsters who were misunderstood by people around them. The films that moved him were mainly stop-motion animations and films that reflected German Expressionism - these techniques feature heavily in his work. He went to art college and before he started directing his own films, he worked as an animator for Disney. His experiences as a child helped give him a distinct point of view that now shapes his films in adult life. It’s these beliefs that give his work their own distinct style. He was very introspective, he tried looking at things in a symbolic and poetic way. Whilst he was not an avid reader, he was able too identify with authors like,  Edgar Allan Poe, Dr Seuss and Roald Dahl for their imagery and symbolism. 

Burtons director visual style is easily identifiable. Most of his films use gothic imagery - the characters, the props, houses and cities where the films take place in, are sculpted in an an exaggerated, in almost cartoonish way to emphasize their “gothic” features. One the most famous examples of this type of style is the costume and makeup for Edward Scissorhands, who looks like he belongs in a goth rock band. Not only is the character gothic, but he lives in an old gothic mansion, he uses similar imagery in Beetlejuice. The main characters presentation very punk rock, but the whole film takes place in a creepy old  victorian home. Another example of Burton's visual style is in Batman where the gloomy, almost industrial streets of Gotham City are strewn with ornate details. Not to mention Burton’s Batmobile, which mimicked the sweeping lines and elaborated details of classic 30’s custom coach designs. In his later films, Burton uses CGI to expand the impact of his visuals. For example, Alice and Wonderland features multiple characters generated by CGI, their proportions have been exaggerated which emphasize their gothic stylings.

Burtons films are quirky, they explore concepts that would never occur in reality. The incorporate characters that you would never usually find in situations that would never happen in the real world. His films are so typically ‘fantasy’, audiences will expect unusual stories when a film is associated with his name. However, even though they feature things that do not really exist, the films are centered around themes that are very human and relatable, allowing audiences to identify with his work  Many of his films feature common stereotypes, this is so the audience can easily recognize their motives. For example, 'Batman Returns', 'Sweeney Todd', 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Dark Shadows' all feature a witch character as an antagonist. Similarly, 'Beetlejuice', 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Planet of the Apes', 'The Corpse Bride', and 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' all feature ambitious female protagonists. Furthermore, Burtons heroines are kind hearted and naive in a childlike way. Victor in 'Frankenweenie' or Edward in 'Edward Scissorhands' for example. He also explores darker themes like Death in Beetlejuice or resurrection in Frankenweenie. He appreciates the fact that everyone has two sides to their personality and his films explore the contrasting balance of innocence and darkness or good and bad. In accordance with the genre and his personal experiences, his heroines are usually different from other people in some way, they usually feel  misunderstood by those around them and as a result they feel alienated from others- Edward Scissorhands was forced out of his house and into the centre of town, where he was met with hostility because he was different from everyone else. People assumed he was mean, violent or dangerous because of his hands, when he the complete opposite. Additionally in Alice in Wonderland, Alice is against society’s pressures, she doesn’t want to be told how to live her life. In her despair she tumbles into the rabbit hole once again

In addition to common main characters and interesting visual styles, Burton often repeats themes and ideas in many of his films. The most common is his use of dark and light too create powerful contrasts. The darkness matches well with his gothic imagery, he uses light to emphasize or highlight certain objects. In Beetlejuice, when the house is shown in the daylight it is a bright white and appears inviting, inside it is dark and dingy. Additionally, in Edward Scissorhands the interior of Edward’s mansion is also very dark and dingy, unlike the outside where the town is bright and colorful. Another method that Burton uses frequently is the way he portrays his characters. 

The artist has complete control over how his films look and feel, he has a say in everything present in each scene, from the actors to the symbols ever present in his films that help tell the narrative and reach audiences on a sub-conscious level.He has envisioned the way the characters were supposed to look and feel and translated this vision to those working with him, who were able to capture this vision on screen. burton uses the set and the characters movements as instruments to send a message that he personally believes in. In a scene from Edward Scissorhands, Burton depicts suburbia as being a mass of houses in varying colours, all exactly the same with green hedges and cars parked neatly in the driveway. Everything is stripped of individuality, yet the people are convinced that they are unique. This setting is significant and created to further the audience’s understanding of the narrative. Burton uses it to make a point about how conforming society is and how very little originality exists within it. These are his own beliefs coming through, and they are important when trying too appreciate the character of Edward and to understand why his unique abilities are looked down upon

Burton uses flashbacks to tell a story within a larger story, they help too add depth to characters by revealing their past.  In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this technique is used to explain why Willy Wonka wanted to become a candy maker.He remembers a time when his father had denied him the opportunity to eat Halloween sweets, and throws it all in the fireplace, which demonstrates his lack of care and sensitivity. His fathers actions meant he felt isolated from other children. Burton has chosen to depict this character like this to demonstrate his lack of relationship with his family, his fathers lack of care lead him to a life of isolation.  Additionally, in Big Fish the majority of the film is  retelling Edward Bloom’s fantastic stories, therefore they are a flashback from his perspective.Moreover,  In Sweeney Todd's flashbacks show, they depict Sweeney’s family before they were taken away, which influenced his choices deeply.

Stopmotion vs CGI -

The very first animated short film was a stop-motion by Quirino Cristiani made using cutouts, called 'The Apostle', in x . However, the technique really started to gain attention when Willis O’Brien’s pioneering special effects were integrated into live action features - The Lost World , King Kong  and Mighty Joe Young . Today, effects are created using CGI and performance capture techniques, which means that stop motion has evolved to become something that no longer trades on groundbreaking techniques. The film pioneer Ray Harryhausen was the natural successor to O’Brien, Harryhausen has worked with o'brien on 'Mighty Joe Young'. Harryhausen picked up the stop-motion mantle and created his own movie magic in live-action fantasy epics, including 'The 7th Voyage of Sinbad '(1958), 'Jason and the Argonauts'and 'Clash of the Titans'

In the early 1990s, stopmotion became a technique used for comedic effect rather than artistic style. For example, in both 'Army of Darkness' and 'Coneheads', the audience are encouraged to laugh at the crudeness of the animation technique. This was an era where audiences recently witnessed the staggering molten metal T-1000 effects seen in Terminator 2 which made stop motion look silly in comparison. Stop motion animated feature films continued to be made, one or two highlights came along but no films really stood out against the others Then Ardman animations produced the first episodes of 'Wallace and grommit', which made them known nation wide. The positive reception meant Aardman had made their first feature-length animation, 'Chicken Run', a film made in partnership with Dreamworks. It’s the highest grossing stop motion film in history, and a sequel is currently being planned.  At the same time Tim Burton was producing adult orientated stopmotion film titled 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' in and 'Corpse Bride' in and Frankenweenie ,based on his own 1984 live-action short with the same name. Simultaneously, , Laika, was established — founded in 2005 and helmed by Nike heir and Bumblebee director Travis Knight — bringing its own particular brand of stop motion to the table. The studio, worked on the 'Corpse Bride' but soon established itself with similar films like 'Coraline', 'ParaNorman', 'The Boxtrolls' and 'Kubo and the Two Strings'.

The opining of terminator 2 begins with  establishing shots of Los Angeles in the early 90's - Traffic. Crowds. Children on swings which depicts just another day in the 'City of Angel'. Furthermore, the use of non-digetic audio through ominous, low-key music plays over this. The montage  only lasts a few moments but it's vital to illustrate the devastation caused by war.  LA is presented as being  overcrowded and ugly in the shots the audience see – but it's teeming with life, home to so many people. This helps to add to the dramatic impact to the horrors the audience see next, this helps to set the fill in context which makes the time-travel & killer robots more believable.

Before it cuts to a post-apocalyptic LA, the final shot is present-day and is incredibly powerful: the audience can see kids playing on swings and hear them laughing. Then, as the footage slows, the image fades to white, which signifies a nuclear blast is coming.

The playground should be a place of innocence. Children can have fun, laugh and enjoy being silly together . However, they're society's most vulnerable and what should be a safe place has been burned to a crisp, this helps to emphasize how horrific the nuclear war is. 

After the shot centered on the swings fades to white, it cuts to a pair of burnt skeletons in a torched car. This is effective because the director is showing the audience a world they recognize before depicting what life will be like if we continue with futile wars.

The camera pans up to show dozens of destroyed cars and buildings that have been stripped to their foundations, and the remains of a freeway. A breeze stirs the ashes, which emphasis's the dark imagery and destruction caused. This graveyard is  silent, devoid of any of the life that thae audience  saw flourishing only seconds beofore. The camerapans across the remains of the playground - there are no children, no parents. No laughter. Just a broken set of swings, a twisted slide, see-saws, and dozens of skulls. While we'll see families burn later in Sarah's nightmare,  seeing the after-effects, decades after the bombs fell,  will have a powerful effect on the viewer. A monologue begins, this is an effective narrative device because it helps to capture a sense of desperation, of the overwhelming loss the world has suffered, this hits home just how far humanity has fallen. 

The first shot the audience see of the machine is a T-800 endoskeleton crushing a human skull beneath its heel, this is effective because it creates a lasting first impression of the character for the audience.  The audience are slowly taking in the machine, holding a plasma rifle,and surveying the landscape ahead, its eyes aglow in the darkness. This is a development on the previous movie as it has been done to a higher quality. The pace begins to build as the audience realise this is taking place on a battlefield. Explosions illuminate  the sky beyond the T-800. Bursts of purple plasma beams pass over the skeleton's head. The audience can infer this place was a desolate, deserted location was really  just moments away from an approaching swarm of machines hunting their prey. Then cut to the rolling treads of a HK  crushing skulls as it goes. A deep industrial droning replaces the silence, signalling the machines are coming. 

Dozens of soldiers move information across the ruins of the city, they are heavily armed and cladded in uniform. Many of these are the same men and women who would have been living ordinary lives in LA once, but are now they are trained to fight, united against a common enemy. The audience see this is a tightly organised unit  they know how to move, how to use cover, how to run-and-gun. Cameron lights the action artistically, the figures are illuminated only by the flashes of their purple gunfire and the glow of nearby explosions. Then cut to the opposition - Multiple HK tanks, multiple aerial HK drones: the humans appear to be outgunned, overpowered, several of them taken down by the remorseless HK's within seconds. The cuts begin to become more rapid, deigned to reflect how chaotic, relentless, and horrific this world is becoming. Discordant music helps to reinforce the sense of panic, of uncertainty, War is portrayed as hell and s intended to make the audience reconsider things about our own world.

'The corpse bride' is Based on a 19th century Russian folktale. The film depics  Victor ), a young man who pledges his wedding vows to a mysterious Corpse Bride while his betrothed, Victoria, waits bereft in the Land of the Living. The Land of the Dead proves to be a lot more colorful than his strict grey and dull Victorian surroundings above ground, Victor learns about love, romance, sacrifice and liberation for his Corpse Bride. The team for 'the corpse bride' consisted of 23 animators  and other crew spread throughout the production Stages. Firstly the puppets are made, they used mechanical faces which enabled the production team  to portray more expressive performances than you could with replacement animation. You can also have subtle facial movements like an eyebrow being raised to shopw suprise or shock. Little paddles and gears are used to allow the production team to adjust facial expressions in tiny increments. To do this, they put an allen key inside an ear and Victor smiles; put it inside the other ear and he frowns. Originally the puppet makers wanted to do it the way it was done with 'Nightmare before christmas' with replacement faces because they had proven it could be done. This style has been developed to create a more meaningful narrative, and it heleped to emphasize burtons gothic imagery using smooth lines and low key lighting. 

Holding up a Victoria puppet thats about to be used in a scene where she gets dressed by maid Hildegarde ,  There are three paddles inside the lower jaw which each have ball joints that are locked in. They are adjusted with Allen wrenches for movement. The most difficult effect to create was getting the Corpse Brides veil to flow fluidly and realistically. For the shots that used a practical veil, the filmmakers stitched tiny wires into the lace. The veil had to be transparent, it had to animate and it has to be very fluid, like it was submerged underwater. It took four months, but the production team came up with the idea of using  tiny wires that were stitched into the lace to allow for smooth movement

'The Lego Movie' will have a  sequel,  and two spinoffs - 'Legos Batman' and 'Ninjago'. These are extremely popular, big-budget films that are proof stop motion is more in fashionable than it ever has been. Its not just  the size of audience also the scale of the budgets that are injected into them, as well as in the lengths the creative teams go to in order to replicate the look of stop-motion digitally. They have chosen to do it in this way rather than using traditional stop motion techniques  because it creates a smooth and glossy handmade look the creative team are trying to achieve. You would never be able to make a film of of that scale and ambition using traditional stopmotion techniques. There may have also been financial constraints as millions of Lego blocks would become very expensive. 

Animation and our reaction to it has  evolved, it was once viewed as a medium primarily for children. The development of television has been mostly responsible for its transition to an adult orientated medium, with series like 'South Park', 'Family Guy', 'American Dad', 'Bojack Horseman', and 'Rick and Morty'. When animation began, animated films were intended for children, so creators were making children’s movies and TV programmes. As a result, animation had became it own genre. Now, however it has broken free of that age limiting definition and instead is seen more  as a technique. Now it’s not just for children, it’s not a genre, it’s just a movie done in an artistic style.  I think modern animation movies, are rich in narrative and they also have universal appeal with a really strong storyline, and realistic world and lives. Animators have adopted more conventional film making methods in terms of character development. The Simpsons started out life on 'the tracey ullman show', which was followed by a range of adult animation series. The rise of animation for adults has meant a greater numbers of families amongst audiences, all generations want to see the latest animated features knowing that they would be presented with material that could be enjoyed by everyone. 

Moreover, the rise of technology of the 21st century bought new developments in technology, which played a significant role in gaining enthusiasm for stopmotion animations again. Whilst it could be tempting to see the handmade look of stopmotion animation in comparison to  smooth CGI.  Stopmotion filmmakers can now use CGI to enhance what they’ve got to  a greater and lesser degree. For example Aardman, rely  on CGI to animate some elements of their films. The producers want the film to look and feel real, it should be good enough for audiences to remember it. The fire, fog and mist would be hard to do in stopmotion so they are made with CGI. Comparivtivley,  Laika is embracing traditional animation, whilst also  making extensive use of the updated technology, most notably 3D printing, 90% is said to be CG, everything is planned with all the rapid prototyping stuff — they do all the facial stuff — it’s gone through a whole CG process, and it gets printed out and then it gets filmed. So the movement is like a Computer graphics lookalike.

Stop motion animation are worked with CGI to boost its appeal and help fuel its rise again. Aardman have been one of the most notable creators of stop-motion, however their have been other contributers from the latter part of the 20th century.Tim Burton gave the technique  cult appeal and Taika Waititi who looks set to inject some cool when Bubbles eventually emerges. Guillermo del Toro, meanwhile, will take it well-and-truly mainstream when Pinocchio,  2021 release.ur love affair with stop motion looks set to continue heating up into the next decade and beyond.