Thursday 13 October 2016

Writing an essay: Doc Martin


Regional identity is constructed within the extract to highlight the stereotypical binary opposite between those who live in the city (intelligent, stressed, impatient) and people who live in the countryside (ignorant, calm, unconcerned) positioning the audience to find humour, rather than challenge traditional representations, in the differences between Doc Martin and the local residence.

The establishing shot is of a doctors surgery that is outdated, lacking in modern features that one would expect to see - this positions the audience to believe that the countryside is 'behind' when regarding technological advancement, especially in contrast to the city. This is a common stereotype of the countryside that is often presented in television drama. With the use of a wide angle shot, the audience can see a dramatic contrast between Doc Martin who represents the city (dressed in a suit and tie) and the two men dressed in boiler suits (representing the countryside). In this frame, Doc Martin is positioned higher than the two men, which could connate authority, whereas one of the two men appears lackadaisical; he is sitting down, eating and overweight. The room appears to be uncared for though the use of mise en scene: there are boxes stacked in the background and the two men are repairing the broken tap.

Holding the wide angle shot for a prolonged amount of time, as well as the lack of editing, connotes to the common stereotype that the countryside is passive and sleepy - linking to the overweight character who is depicted being lazy on the job. It also compares to the fast lifestyle of the city (Doc Martin) because the action is forced to slow down. The amount of hard editing begins to increase, however, once the water pipe is broken and stress levels begin to rise: the audience is positioned to feel Dr Martin's current stress, as the other characters are being somewhat useless and are refusing to aid in the situation - this could refer to the common stereotype that those in the countryside are unconcerned and relaxed. A high angled camera shot is used when focusing on the dog, to position the audience to think that Dr Martin is going to hurt it and we are left with a sense of pity and fear - we infer that people from the city are angry, and pose a threat. Non-diegetic sound is used when Doc Martin is threatening the dog, to create a greater foreboding atmosphere.

A medium long shot, with a wide angle, is used to depict Dr Martin walking to the police station: this suggests that, unlike the city, the countryside is much quieter. There is a significant lack of cars on his journey which suggests that the countryside is clean and free from pollution. More non-diegetic sound is used on his journey, to create a light hearted atmosphere that positions the audience to think that the countryside "plods along" slowly - highly contrasted to the erratic nature of city life. Once Dr Martin has reached the police station, the mise en scene is similar to that of the doctors surgery; this could be referencing to the lack of crime in the countryside, as there is little need for technological advancement: the computer in the background of the frame appears antiquated. The policeman's dialect is different to Dr Martin's, and we as the reader assume that he is quiescent and "dim" - especially when compared to Martin's loud voice.

The "oner" used to present the engagement between the older woman and Dr Martin is used to reinforce that there is little action in the countryside. With the use of mine en scene, the audience is positioned to think that the older woman is rich, as she is the only character in the extract to own a car. This suggests that, in the countryside, only those who are richer can afford to drive a car and thus links with the stereotype that the countryside is "backwards". 

When Dr Martin notices the younger woman in the school, a close up reaction shot is used between the two characters to suggest that both of them will interact with each other eventually - a POV shot also highlights Dr Martin's interest in the woman. This engagement between two characters is ended quickly through a cut to a wider shot that depicts an old woman with freshly grown cabbages - this mise en scene positions the audience to believe that most people in rural areas are farmers, even those who are old.


Tuesday 4 October 2016

Questions on Star Wars: The Force Awakens





Who owns Lucasfilm?

Lucasflm is owned by Disney, possibly the largest film company in the world. Disney paid $4.05 billion on October 30, 2012.

Who formed Lucasfilm and when was it formed?

George Lucas formed Lucasfilm in 1971.


Who is the president of Lucasfilm?

Kathleen Kennedy is the president of Lucasfilm. She became president after George Lucas offered her the position.


What films has Kathleen Kennedy worked on?

She is well known for Schindler's list and Back to the Future, and she also worked on the Disney/Studio Ghibli film Ponyo.


Who wrote Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

Star Wars: The force Awakens was written by JJ Abrams (who also directed the film), Laurence Kasdan and Michael Arndt.


Who directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

The film was directed by JJ Abrams, who has previously directed other sic-fi films like Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness.

How many Star Wars films have there been?

Star Wars (1977)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)





What is the total amount of money that they have all made globally?

The franchise has made a total of $6,553,571,883.


What does ILM stand for?

Industrial Light and Magic.


What do ILM do?

ILM focuses on visual effects and was once considered a leading company in the industry of computer graphics.


Who created ILM and why was it created?

ILM was founded by George Lucas himself, in 1975. He decided to create the company to aid in the production of the Star Wars films - many of them featured impressive visual effects.


What do casting directors do?

Casting directors are involved in the selection of actors for a particular film. They discuss with the director/producers to decide if the actor is right for the role and so they have a lot of responsibility.

Where were the first scenes for Star Wars: The Force Awakens filmed? 

The opening scenes were filmed in the Rub’al Khali desert, close to Abu Dhabi:




What format was Star Wars: The Force Awakens shot on?

The film was shot on a film format, which would contribute to the large budget of the movie - film is unfortunately quite expensive.


What types of camera were used to film Star Wars: The Force Awakens?


The predominant type of camera used to film the movie was a film-format IMAX camera - pretty f***ing expensive!

What is IMAX?

IMAX is a technique of widescreen cinematography which produces an image approximately ten times larger than that from standard 35 mm film.

How many IMAX screens was the film available on?

Although there were just under a thousand IMAX screens worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shown on less than 400 hundred of them.

What studio was used to film a large proportion of the film?

Pinewood studios, located in Buckinghamshire (England), was used to film a large amount of sense in the movie. The James Bond franchise was also filmed in this location, which is a coincidence as Daniel Craig (the most recent James Bond) secretly featured as a Stormtrooper.

Who was the inspiration for the character of Maz Kanata?

Abrams got the idea for Maz Kanata after being inspired by a previous school teacher Rose Gilbert.

Who played Maz Kanata and what technology was used to "create" Maz?


Lupita Nyong'o (who also starred in 12 Years a Slave) played the character of Maz and, instead of just voice acting, she actually played and acted the role thanks to motion capture and CGI technology.

Who played General Snoke?

Andy Serkis played the role of Snoke, using motion capture technology once again. As he is renowned for playing characters thatneed motion capture, he provided Lupita with tips on how to get into role when covered in tiny white dots and large headgear.

Where was the final scene filmed?

The final scene was filmed on the isle of Skellig, Ireland - pictured below:



As you can see, it's incredibly impressive and a superb location to place a lost Luke Skywalker.

Who composed the film score?

The film score was composed by John Williams, who composed all of the original music for the previous films - this is the guy who made Darth Vader so menacing. Not only that, but he has also composed music for the Indiana Jones films.

How many times did John Boyega audition for the film?

The auditioning process was an epic total of 7 months and, according to JJ Abrams, Boyega auditioned 9 times within this period.

How many people operated BB8 and what type of technology was the main version  of BB8?

To bring BB8 to life, two different forms of technology were used - both of them practical. There was a puppet format of the droid, as well as a remote control version. The remote control version was extensive and needed 3 people to control it: one for the head; one for the movement, and one for the body itself. The puppet was similar but used two people to control the movement and head.

What colour suit did the BB8 operator wear and why?

The operators wore either a green or a blue suit, so that they can be easily edited out in the final
production of the film - similar to a green/blue screen.


What types of special effects were employed on Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

This film used a mix of practical effects and computer generated images (CGI). Practical effects were used in majority to create an authentic feel to the movie and to create a slight nostalgic feeling. For me personally, I love it when films use practical effects - it feels so much more real and it's genuinely impressive. CGI is used to create specific characters, settings, light sabres etc.

How many people were behind the monitor watching the scene when Han and Chewie returned to the Millennium falcon?

Over 200 people gathered behind Abrams to look at the monitor; considering that this is a fairly prolific scene, it's understandable!

Why was Simon Pegg thanked in the credits of Sta Wars: The Force Awakens?

Simon Pegg was thanked in the credits because he played to role of Unkar Plutt.


What was the age rating of the film in the UK?

The film had an age rating of a 12 in the UK.

How much money did the UK government contribute to the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? 

The film received tax relief during production, which saved £20 million (approx. 25%) of its first budget. In total, around $170 million was saved.

How much was Harrison Ford paid to reprise his role as Han Solo?

Ford was paid a gargantuan $25 million to play his famous role and was also given 0.5% share of the profits - that's a lot of money!

How much were Daisy Ridley and John Boyega paid for their roles?

They both received $460,000 (which is still a large amount) as well as a share in the profits of the film. It's interesting to think that the actors who play the most prominent roles are paid less, because they aren't considered A-List.