II. Historical and Institutional Factors-
1. What are the institutional factors that may be important?
1. as a production of a specific producer (i.e. Walt Disney), institution (Disney Studios), specific economic factors (Studio Film), or a political background? distributed by Walt Disney Studios, an animation studio. Sony Pictures
Imageworks designed the visual effects for the film in order to create the envisioned environment of Underland/Wonderland. Producer Zanuck thought 3D cameras would be too expensive and because of the economic conditions of 2010, they had to shoot in 2D and then convert the film into 3D.
Works Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_%282010_film%29
2. What is the film’s historical significance?
1. as a document of its time?
The film is set in The Victorian Era (1837 - 1901, in Alice's real world. This time period is a time of social and political movements and many scientific advancements occurred as well. The strictures and laws of 19th century society in England was extremely strict, which explains why Alice's society expects so much of her as a young woman. This era is the precursor to the modern era. Alice's growth as a female who finds inner strength depicts modern women of the present day who have already stepped out of society's restricting boundaries.
Works Cited: http://www.victoriaspast.com/FrontPorch/victorianera.htm
2. as a part of history of film?
This film relates to every movie whose main character faces social issues that either hinders them or helps them. This conflict is often portrayed in different ways in many films throughout the ages.
Works Cited: my memory/ film experience
III. Socio-cultural context
1. What is the film’s socio-cultural context?
1. as a work from a specific country?
This film was made in the United States.
2. As a work from a specific culture? 3. As a work representing a specific part of its society?
This film is influenced by British culture. Women were expected to fulfill traditional gender roles and to respect their husbands. Society during the Victorian Era followed a strict code of conduct. The elite was in control over society and set many restrictions to ensure that their values would be respected. Such values and customs makes Alice feel like an outsider in her society because she views the world differently than her family and friends. She acts timid and obedient in the beginning, but in the resolution she breaks out of her shell and refuses to follow the social norms: arranged marriage at a young age.
Works Cited: http://www.fashion-era.com/victorians.htm
4. As a work made for a specific audience?
This work is made especially for young adults, who are questioning their self-identity. This film definitely reaches out to females, showing them their inner strength that resides inside of them, which in turn, encourages them to understand their role in society.
5. As a work made for a specific reason?
Alice in Wonderland was made because director Tim Burton did not enjoy the Alice in Wonderland novels because "it was always a girl wandering around from one crazy character to another, and I never really felt any real emotional connection". Because of this, he wanted to create a remake of the story, where Alice is 13 years older and returning to Wonderland, so she calls it. Burton: "the goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of Alice."
Works Cited: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Wonderland_(2010_film)#External_links
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Sound Design Film
Logline: A girl in desperation, steals the answers to a test, and finds out that her shortcut to success may be too irresistible.
Treatment:
The doorway of a math classroom is established. A teenage girl is zoning out and awaiting a text message from her friend. Her eyes reflect boredom as her math teacher lectures. She is snapped out of her trance as she receives a text message. As she is about to answer, the bell rings and the teacher's stern voice reminds the class of the test the following day that is worth 1/3 of their grade. (sound effect that demonstrates the girl's surprised feeling).
The girl's eyes pop out of her sockets as she stammers "A-a test? When did you say we would have a test? I'm not ready for it at all!"
The teacher replies " Well, I told the class last week. We've gone over everything in class, there's no reason why you shouldn't know these concepts. I wish you a lot of luck tomorrow". The teacher smiles casually, and then walks out of the classroom hastily to the bathroom. The girl sighs heavily and her eyes wander around the room. Her eyes suddenly stop at a piece of paper slipping out of a folder on the teachers desk. (mysterious music plays).She quickly scans the room and the window for any witnesses. She slyly creeps towards the desk and pulls out the paper. She quickly picks it up and reads it, her eyes move from side to side and a malicious smile slowly forms (complimented by evil musical score). In her hand, the words "Test #3 Answer Key" is printed on the very top.
The following day, the girl is eating lunch with her friends. (fun, medium tempo music plays) She is laughing and talking with her friends in content. Someone taps her shoulder and she turns around, surprised at seeing the face of her worried friend. "Hey, did you study for the test for math? I feel like I'm going to fail, and I really need that A to pass the class or else my parents are going to kill me", the friend exclaims miserably. "I pretty confident that I'll ace that test. I'm not worried, and you shouldn't either", the girl replies (emphasis on the word worried).
The final lunch bell rings and students clamor to get to class. (music transitions to dramatic music) The girl intentionally takes her time packing up her things, ensuring that she is the last one to arrive in class. She quickly unzips a compartment of her backpack and pulls out the answer key. "Yup, I'm not worried at all. haha...", she whispers to herself. (a closeup on her mad eyes). Sounds of her chuckle is muffled.
A sound bridge is heard (malicious/ eerie music) as the girl begins to walk towards class. (transition from spirit court to classroom) During the test, the girl calmly peeks at the paper hiding under her test paper. She unintentionally crumples the paper loudly, and lifts her head up, returning into her normal position. She resumes her writing. But, as she is writing, her hand begins to shake violently. Her foot begins to tap and she stares at the clock on the wall. Tick tock, tick tock... She looks around the room. A boy is scratching his head in confusion. She turns her head to the other side of the room. Another student is erasing her pencil marks frantically. The student near that student is tapping her pencil rhythmically. The girl returns her focus to her test. As she stares at the answer key she begins to hear an unknown voice. "Do it. Cheat, there's nothing wrong with it. Come on, you know you want to." Then another voice begins to talk on top of the first voice. "No, don't listen to her. This is wrong, and you know it. Do the right thing." The two voices continue to talk, talking faster and faster, overlapping one another. The girl begins to breathe heavily and grips her hair in confusion. But, with one final breath of determination, her thoughts scream, "I am in control now, nothing will get in my way". As she finishes the last question, she carefully folds the paper and slips it into her backpack. She walks up to her teacher (sounds of her discreet footsteps are heard) and hands the test in, smiling angelically. She turns around and instantly a cunning grin is formed on her face. The bell rings again to signal the end of the period, and as she walks out she runs into her friend, who still retains the same worried look. The girl says to her friend "There's no need to be stressing about this test. It's a no brainer. You want to know what my secret is?"
"What?", her friend asks. "Well, you see I kind of have the answers. I can give them to you if you want. You want to pass, right? So, what do you say?", the girl asks. (the same evil musical score begins again) She hands her friend the piece of paper and the friend stares at her intently, with a hint of evil in her smile. It is spreading...
***I used sound play in this story by complimenting evil/ eerie music with the immoral actions the antagonist performs. Subtext is incorporated through the antagonist's dialogue with her friend, she is concealing from the other girl the fact that she has the test answers and that she has the motives of helping her friend cheat as well. Foley sounds such as the copy machine and student chatter will be used realistically in the edit. Rhythmic match will be shown during the test, the purpose is to show the girl's anxiety. Sound bridge is used for the transition between the lunch scene and the test taking scene. Lietmotif will be the shrilling musical score that compliments the girl's cunning thoughts.
Treatment:
The doorway of a math classroom is established. A teenage girl is zoning out and awaiting a text message from her friend. Her eyes reflect boredom as her math teacher lectures. She is snapped out of her trance as she receives a text message. As she is about to answer, the bell rings and the teacher's stern voice reminds the class of the test the following day that is worth 1/3 of their grade. (sound effect that demonstrates the girl's surprised feeling).
The girl's eyes pop out of her sockets as she stammers "A-a test? When did you say we would have a test? I'm not ready for it at all!"
The teacher replies " Well, I told the class last week. We've gone over everything in class, there's no reason why you shouldn't know these concepts. I wish you a lot of luck tomorrow". The teacher smiles casually, and then walks out of the classroom hastily to the bathroom. The girl sighs heavily and her eyes wander around the room. Her eyes suddenly stop at a piece of paper slipping out of a folder on the teachers desk. (mysterious music plays).She quickly scans the room and the window for any witnesses. She slyly creeps towards the desk and pulls out the paper. She quickly picks it up and reads it, her eyes move from side to side and a malicious smile slowly forms (complimented by evil musical score). In her hand, the words "Test #3 Answer Key" is printed on the very top.
The following day, the girl is eating lunch with her friends. (fun, medium tempo music plays) She is laughing and talking with her friends in content. Someone taps her shoulder and she turns around, surprised at seeing the face of her worried friend. "Hey, did you study for the test for math? I feel like I'm going to fail, and I really need that A to pass the class or else my parents are going to kill me", the friend exclaims miserably. "I pretty confident that I'll ace that test. I'm not worried, and you shouldn't either", the girl replies (emphasis on the word worried).
The final lunch bell rings and students clamor to get to class. (music transitions to dramatic music) The girl intentionally takes her time packing up her things, ensuring that she is the last one to arrive in class. She quickly unzips a compartment of her backpack and pulls out the answer key. "Yup, I'm not worried at all. haha...", she whispers to herself. (a closeup on her mad eyes). Sounds of her chuckle is muffled.
A sound bridge is heard (malicious/ eerie music) as the girl begins to walk towards class. (transition from spirit court to classroom) During the test, the girl calmly peeks at the paper hiding under her test paper. She unintentionally crumples the paper loudly, and lifts her head up, returning into her normal position. She resumes her writing. But, as she is writing, her hand begins to shake violently. Her foot begins to tap and she stares at the clock on the wall. Tick tock, tick tock... She looks around the room. A boy is scratching his head in confusion. She turns her head to the other side of the room. Another student is erasing her pencil marks frantically. The student near that student is tapping her pencil rhythmically. The girl returns her focus to her test. As she stares at the answer key she begins to hear an unknown voice. "Do it. Cheat, there's nothing wrong with it. Come on, you know you want to." Then another voice begins to talk on top of the first voice. "No, don't listen to her. This is wrong, and you know it. Do the right thing." The two voices continue to talk, talking faster and faster, overlapping one another. The girl begins to breathe heavily and grips her hair in confusion. But, with one final breath of determination, her thoughts scream, "I am in control now, nothing will get in my way". As she finishes the last question, she carefully folds the paper and slips it into her backpack. She walks up to her teacher (sounds of her discreet footsteps are heard) and hands the test in, smiling angelically. She turns around and instantly a cunning grin is formed on her face. The bell rings again to signal the end of the period, and as she walks out she runs into her friend, who still retains the same worried look. The girl says to her friend "There's no need to be stressing about this test. It's a no brainer. You want to know what my secret is?"
"What?", her friend asks. "Well, you see I kind of have the answers. I can give them to you if you want. You want to pass, right? So, what do you say?", the girl asks. (the same evil musical score begins again) She hands her friend the piece of paper and the friend stares at her intently, with a hint of evil in her smile. It is spreading...
***I used sound play in this story by complimenting evil/ eerie music with the immoral actions the antagonist performs. Subtext is incorporated through the antagonist's dialogue with her friend, she is concealing from the other girl the fact that she has the test answers and that she has the motives of helping her friend cheat as well. Foley sounds such as the copy machine and student chatter will be used realistically in the edit. Rhythmic match will be shown during the test, the purpose is to show the girl's anxiety. Sound bridge is used for the transition between the lunch scene and the test taking scene. Lietmotif will be the shrilling musical score that compliments the girl's cunning thoughts.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Oral Presentations Part I: Alice in Wonderland
I. Genre and Audience-
1. What tradition or genre is it in?
The computer-animated film's genre is fantasy adventure.
2. What are the features determining genre?
The feature(s) determining this genre is the creative and incredibly detailed mis-en-scene, such as the character's costume and the setting of the film. The magical realism incorporated in the film, such as the talking creatures and living inanimate objects, also determines the fantasy genre. The beyond-the- ordinary experiences Alice has in Wonderland creates the adventurous aspect of the film. She finds herself stuck in a alternate world in which the journey she takes benefits her in the "real world".
3. What other work might it be connected to?
This film seems to be connected to the film Jumanji because they both have fantasy aspects that gives reality a twist and adds to the film's uniqueness. Jumanji is the story of a man and two children trying to beat a corrupt board game that terrorizes not only them, but their entire town. Upon each player's move, wild animals and hazards from the actual game appear in the real world. The film is appraised for its amazing special effects through computer animation.
4. Who made this? Why?
The film is inspired by the novel written by Lewis Carroll. The film is directed by Tim Burton and written by Linda Woolverton. I think Burton helped create this film to modernize the original Alice in Wonderland so that people today can relate to the characters. I think Burton took on this film because the genre certainly matched his usual types of work, dark-quirky, and different.
5. What can we tell about its’ creators?
Tim Burton loved to draw as a young boy and when he grew into adulthood, attended the CA Institute of the Arts, studying animation. He then worked with Disney as an animator for a period of time and was allowed to work on personal projects, a mile stone to the start of his career.
6. How does it fit within the director’s other work?
1. Does it share significant narrative or thematic concerns?
This film relates to Burton's many other works because they all contain main characters who are misunderstood by others or just outcasts in society. For example, in Edward Scissor-hands, the main character struggles to fit in and find the missing piece in his life. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice also faces difficulties with the expectations of society and wonders what her true purpose in life is.
2. Does it share particular visual or technical elements?
7. What is the film’s theme?
The film's theme is that it is most often more beneficial for females to break from the traditional gender roles they are expected to fulfill by society. This way females can be able to make their own choices concerning their lives and not be dependent on others.
8. What is the target audience? How does it address its audience?
The target audience is young adults. The film addresses its audience by incorporating fun characters and colorful settings to appeal to young children, while the original and intriguing narrative appeals the older generations.
1. What tradition or genre is it in?
The computer-animated film's genre is fantasy adventure.
2. What are the features determining genre?
The feature(s) determining this genre is the creative and incredibly detailed mis-en-scene, such as the character's costume and the setting of the film. The magical realism incorporated in the film, such as the talking creatures and living inanimate objects, also determines the fantasy genre. The beyond-the- ordinary experiences Alice has in Wonderland creates the adventurous aspect of the film. She finds herself stuck in a alternate world in which the journey she takes benefits her in the "real world".
3. What other work might it be connected to?
This film seems to be connected to the film Jumanji because they both have fantasy aspects that gives reality a twist and adds to the film's uniqueness. Jumanji is the story of a man and two children trying to beat a corrupt board game that terrorizes not only them, but their entire town. Upon each player's move, wild animals and hazards from the actual game appear in the real world. The film is appraised for its amazing special effects through computer animation.
4. Who made this? Why?
The film is inspired by the novel written by Lewis Carroll. The film is directed by Tim Burton and written by Linda Woolverton. I think Burton helped create this film to modernize the original Alice in Wonderland so that people today can relate to the characters. I think Burton took on this film because the genre certainly matched his usual types of work, dark-quirky, and different.
5. What can we tell about its’ creators?
Tim Burton loved to draw as a young boy and when he grew into adulthood, attended the CA Institute of the Arts, studying animation. He then worked with Disney as an animator for a period of time and was allowed to work on personal projects, a mile stone to the start of his career.
6. How does it fit within the director’s other work?
1. Does it share significant narrative or thematic concerns?
This film relates to Burton's many other works because they all contain main characters who are misunderstood by others or just outcasts in society. For example, in Edward Scissor-hands, the main character struggles to fit in and find the missing piece in his life. In Alice in Wonderland, Alice also faces difficulties with the expectations of society and wonders what her true purpose in life is.
2. Does it share particular visual or technical elements?
7. What is the film’s theme?
The film's theme is that it is most often more beneficial for females to break from the traditional gender roles they are expected to fulfill by society. This way females can be able to make their own choices concerning their lives and not be dependent on others.
8. What is the target audience? How does it address its audience?
The target audience is young adults. The film addresses its audience by incorporating fun characters and colorful settings to appeal to young children, while the original and intriguing narrative appeals the older generations.
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