You Know It's Wes Anderson If...

Here are some Wes Anderson videos:

A good one breaking down the visual elements of TGBH:



For fun! Does this make him seem more or less postmodern?



 And this one also provides a good overview of his style in a fun and humorous way:



 And this one? Well, I couldn't help myself. Have you seen Isle of Dogs yet?!

Steven Spielberg: Opening Shots 1971-1991

Interesting video collection of Steven Spielberg's opening shots from 1971-1991.

Useful for A2 Short Film and Trailer students and AS Opening students.

Wes Anderson - #Pomo or not #Pomo?

As we are going to be looking at the concepts of 'quirky sensibility' and 'new sincerity' through the work of Wes Anderson, this video (once again shared via 'FilmSchoolRejects') was very timely:

You can see more videos about Wes Anderson's films here, here and here.

We will be asking the question: Is Wes Anderson's work postmodern or does his work represent something that might be considered post-postmodernism, metamodernism or is it not postmodern at all?

Under the Influence: Barry Jenkins on Wong Kar-Wai

It is always interesting to see how one director influences another...

In this video, Barry Jenkins discusses the influence that Wong Kar-Wai had on his work.

Here is a side by side comparison of shots from 'Moonlight' and various Wong Kar-Wai films.

Wong Kar-Wai is one of my favourite directors. Every film student must watch 'In the Mood for Love'. It is a masterpiece of cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound and editing working in unison to make a true work of art.

Both videos were found via: FilmSchoolRejects, which is a fantastic site that regularly shares interesting articles and videos about film. Consider following them on Twitter or Facebook.

Editing: The 'Match Cut'

A fantastic compilation of match cuts from various films... useful for editing revision and inspiration for your practical work. :)

Kubrick

A look at the cinematic experience of Stanley Kubrick. His work is a tour-de-force of symbolism, narrative exposition and cinematography. His attention to detail may only be matched by Wes Anderson and his editing is without a doubt meticulous.

Much can be learned here, both in terms of your own production work but also in terms of Postmodern Media. Enjoy!

Learn Cinematography and Composition by following @comp_cam

To learn more about cinematography and composition, follow Composition Cam on Twitter (@comp_cam) and Instagram.

You don't want to go down this hallway. #TheShining #StanleyKubrick pic.twitter.com/EXltbkP9gx

— Composition Cam (@comp_cam) June 1, 2016

A2: 'Star Wars Is A Postmodern Masterpiece'

Detailed article by Forrest Wickman, exploring the postmodern make-up of Star Wars.

It will further your understanding of pastiche and bricolage. If you know the original trilogy well it could also serve as an additional case study.

'May the force be with you, always.' ;-)

Genre: Film Noir

Useful article looking at the use of low-key lighting and black and white in the Film Noir genre.

http://petapixel.com/2015/07/04/a-look-at-the-striking-low-key-black-and-white-style-of-film-noir-cinema/

'From 'Clueless' To 'Fancy' - Pop Music Videos Inspired By TV & Film'

The relationship between film and music videos has a long history, not least due to the fact that many film directors started their careers making music videos.

The influence works both ways though and ex-media student Jess Mockler shared the following link to a post about music videos that have been inspired by films: http://www.capitalfm.com/photos/music-videos-inspired-by-film/

Click through and take a look. This is a good intro into one of the many facets of postmodern media - remember 'everything is a remix'!

Martin Scorsese - The Art of Silence

The 30 Best Movie Posters of 2013

Flavorwire has published their list of thirty great movie posters from 2013. The selection demonstrates a diverse range of styles and genres. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you are working on the 'Short Film' brief.

BFI Player

The British Film Institute (BFI) has just released the BFI player. An online service that allows users to watch films that have influenced generations. Most of their films will be offered for free (approximately 60%) and the rest of the films will be able to be rented (approximately 40%).

The BFI Player will launch with seven different collections:

• London Film Festival Presents; exclusive red carpet action, talent interviews and special behind the scenes access to the UK’s most important film festival
• Backed by the BFI; the best of British cinema – a showcase of some of the finest films, many funded by the BFI Film Fund
• Edwardian Britain;  for the first time ever all 28 hours of the extraordinary films of pioneering filmmakers Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon, c.1900 – 1912
• GOTHIC: The Dark Heart of Film; The BFI’s blockbuster project featuring four compelling themes Monstrous, The Dark Arts, Haunted and Love is a Devil
• Cult Cinema; a passport to an exciting and surprising world of cult British cinema from the BFI’s Flipside DVD label
• Inside Film; films about filmmaking for filmmakers and all those who love cinema
• Sight and Sound Selects (from their Greatest Film poll); a growing selection of the best films of all time

If you are looking for something to do during the holidays or those rainy days and what to develop your film knowledge while watching some of the most entertaining and groundbreaking films of their day - then go and explore the BFI Player.

Everything is a Remix (Catch up & Case Study)

Kirby Ferguson the creator of the series "Everything is a Remix" is back with a one off special on the iPhone and where the influence of both the first iPhone and OS 7 came from.



If your not up-to-date with the series then here are the videos.

The Artifice

If you are interested in developing a wider knowledge of the media then The Artifice, an online magazine is the place; from Films to Comics, Literature to Anime and Games to Manga. Furthermore if you are interested in writing about something The Artifice is a place where you can publish work on almost any topic. Go an take a look, you never know what you might find.

Wes Anderson (Follow Up)

Following on from my previous post, Matt Zoeller Seitz has completed the set of videos based on his book 'The Wes Anderson Collection'. Anderson's films make a fantastic case study in postmodern film-making and Seitz's videos do a great job of illustrating this.

Quote!

"Editing is manipulative; it forces us to see what the filmmaker wants us to see."  

Hill, J., & Church Gibson, P. (1998) The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(via Joshua Gray)

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is a fantastic film maker. Without a doubt postmodern, his visual aesthetic and referential style are worth careful study.

This essay by Matt Zoller Seitz is a great place to start. He has been following and writing about Anderson's work since he made the short film 'Bottle Rocket' with regular co-writer Owen Wilson. He recently published a book about Anderson titled: 'The Wes Anderson Collection', and is now publishing each chapter as a short video. The first three are available now on Vimeo.

*If you have never seen a Wes Anderson film, I suggest that you begin with 'The Royal Tenenbaums'.

[AS] Useful Stuff!

We've been adding 'useful stuff' to this blog since 2006. I thought it might be pertinent to highlight some older posts that you might find useful as you add the finishing touches to your coursework, and begin your revision.

Semiotics - The Bad Colour

The use of colour in film

Anatomy of a Scene

Key Concepts and the Language of the Moving Image

Editing and Representation

TV Drama - Example Responses

A History of the Title Sequence

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Title Sequences

Long Road Media

Media Studies Ringwood

AS/A2 Snow Day Work!

School is closed on Monday 21st January.

Please work on the following tasks...

Year 12

1. Continue working on your research/prep for your Magazine Industry presentations.

2. Take the opportunity to update your coursework blog.

Year 13

1. Read this article about the Coen Brothers: Coughlin, P., 2003, Joel and Ethan Coen, Senses of Cinema, Issue 26: http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/coens/

2. Take the opportunity to update your coursework blog.