MS4 Film Revision Jurassic World, Silver Linings Playbook and Pride (2014)

Production Budget: $150 million

Companies:

- Universal Studios

- Amblin Entertainment

- Legendary Entertainment

- The Kennedy/Marshall Company

Background and Context

- Director: Colin Trevorrow (previous film: Home Base)

- Producers: Patrick Crowley (previous film: Bourne Trilogy); Frank Marshall (pf: Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Distribution and Marketing:

release UK 11th June

release USA 12th June

box office: $1.670 billion

Marketing: brand value- part of the Jurassic World Franchise; appeal to chinese audiences- 7 film elements appeal to them; making the first trailer as best as it could be

Hollywood High Concept: 

- simple plot (dinosaur escapes)

- formulaic- predictable: good beats evil, happy ending, simple goal, conflict

Act 1 

- begining: hatching dinosaur and the boys (Zach and Gray) go to the park - Incident: dinosaurs escaping; boy falling into raptor enclosure; hinting at Indominus Rex - 2nd Thoughts: meeting Owen- evaluate the IRex enclosure; - Climax: Indominus Rex escaping

Act 2 

- obstacle 1: team with non-lethal weapons= dead - obstacle 2: what is the Indominus Rex? - Plot- Twist: aerial dinosuars escape - disaster: there is new staff members- want to use the raptors. - Crisis and Climax: IRex has rapter blood

Act 3

- Climax: raptors join with the IRex; raptors get back with Owen; Claire gets the TRex and the water dinosaur all fight the IRex "more teeth". - wrap-up "leaving" the island with everyone else- reuniting with parents. - end: Owen and Claire kindle relationship=> the dinosaurs are free

1. Eqilibrium "normal world"- Claire disinterested with her family/romance

2. Disequilbrium: escape of the IRex and the other dinosaurs

3. New- Equilibrium: IRex dead= threat destroyed; family reunited; Owen and Claire back in love

Happy ending: convention of Hollywood High Concept

- reasurring

- promotes messages- team work, love and family

The hero: Owen; seeks the relationships with raptors; Claire: wants to get a better job position 

The Villain: Hoskins, director of park, humans and dinosaurs

The helper: the raptors, T Rex and Larry

changing character roles: Claire

- the doner: getting the T Rex

- princess: reward for Owen

- helper: shoots a flying dinosaur

 - hero: get a better job position

good vs evil

dinosaur vs human

science vs nature

survival vs death

worker vs boss

man vs beast

free will vs containment 

monet vs nature

family vs buisness

greed vs care

- Blue, the TRex and the water dinosaur work together to take down the IRex- Claire has the idea to open up the TRex paddock and lead it to the fight; Owen shoots at the IRex whilst the raptors attack it

- Typical Ending of a Hollywood blockbuster: happy ending Claire and Owen rekindle relationship; boys reunited with family and the dinosaurs are free = reasurring

- the message of the ending: Teamwork; importance of family and respect for nature "animals not assets" are reasurring messages

- character changes: Claire from buisness focued to family focused

- Themes of the film: family; survival; money is bad; weaponry/war is bad; nature can't always be messed with-- should be treated with respect

- Universal Studios

- 4th installment of franchise

- Produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment

- Stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard

- Released in over 60 countries; $1.6 billion at box office; 3rd highest grossing film of all time

- Sequel scheduled for 2018

- $34.9 million on TV adverts

- Budget $150 million

- sub genre of Science Fiction

Narrative: unexpected appearence of a hostile creature(s); nature of creature is revealed gradually and its attacks increase in severity

1. peaceful begining 2. hints at something being wrong 3. half seen glimpes of monster 4. disbelief over reports 5. increasingly visious attacks- monster revealled 6. people fight back 7. hints at more monsters= sequel

Themes: What if scenario; feasible technological development; contempory relevance

Message: a reflection on man kind and civilisation/ punishment

Iconography: weapons, blood, remote settings and monsters. Characters: scientist (did something wrong) and society as a whole rather than the 'monstrous figure'

Style: similar to horror; high production values; CGI and special affects, immersive soundtrack/explosive sound affects; excess

- Peaceful beginning: babies hatching; Zach and Grey going to the the park/park being open; everyone is excited- classic theme by John Williams- all is well

- Hints at something wrong: dinosaurs escaping when they should not- conversation in the control room

- People fight back: the team with non lethal weapons; the 2nd team tasked to kill the IRex with Owen and the raptors

-Big reveal: escape of the Indominus Rex

- Family: Claire searching for her nephews (asking Owen for help)

- Teamwork: Owen and Claire; Raptors and Owen; Raptors and TRex

- Monsters as punishment: genetic engineering born of greed- quote: everytime we open a new attraction, attendence and hype levels have soared

- What If?- Doctor saying the TRex is ready quote: When will she be ready? She already is

doesn't follow genre fully

Target Audience- Hollywood

- mainstreamer

- male

- young

Response

- Fear: Indominus Rex and the other dinosaurs

- Wonder: seeing the park for the first time

- Alignment: with Zach and Gray-> reaction shots

- Weapons: guns- shooting the dinosaurs

- Remote Settings: an island (same as the rest of the franchise)

- Blood: Injuries and death

- Laboratory: genetic engineering, hollograms and other sciency stuff

- Owen and Claire: working together to find nephews and survive

- Zach and Gray: survival; working together to get back to the park proper

- Humans at fault

- CGI: the dinosaurs

- Immersive soundtrack: original score by John Williams (franchise motiff); the fight sequence- ochestral

- High Production: exotic island, large theme park; high angle shots; cross cutting (creates suspense during access sequence)=> boys get hunted by IRex chased into old visitor centre

sub-genre: Love is the catalyst for action Predictable Narrative: meet cute; conflict and happy ending- romantic fulfillment

-> Settings: urban, glamorous, intimate/domestic: bedroom, meeting places: resturant

-> Characters: wrong vs right man or woman; best friend; the couple

Technical Codes:

- establishing shots

- close ups: reaction shots (comic and empathetic effects)

- shot reverse shot: quick fire dialogue; - montage sequence- getting ready

- high key lighting: glamour and effect

- music

- Camerwork: acccents glamour/beauty

- sentimantal education

- better people- romantic fulfillment

- Journey to adulthood

SLP- resolution for Pat and Tiffany's relationship

- love (family and relationships)

- Mental illnes- Pat; Tiffany and Pat's Dad

positive message: family support and love overcomes mental illness (mental illness =widespread)

Conventional: awkward meet cute between Tiffany and Pat; close-ups of faces (reactions); growing up/getting better with mental illness; joining together for dance competition and getting back with his ex-wife; bonding over dance; bonding with father and friends

Un-Conventional: released from mental hospital on conditions (talks to pyscharitrist); body issues; police visits and restraining order; bipolar- mood swings; visious words for many people (calling Tiffany a ****); Pat trying to murder the man his ex-wife was having an affair with- he wants to get back with her; starts with disequilibrium; central male character.

Theme: romantic = dysfunctional; importance of family

- Main Plot: Pat wanting to get back with Nicky

- Sub-Plot: the gambling on football and the dance competition

- Storyline: Pat struggling with Mental illness (insidents & obstacles); audience is alighned with Pat (we feel sympathy- rooting for him)

- Climax: football game; dance competition; resolution of P&T's relationship

Key Themes: love, family and relationships

Begining: Pat get's out of hospital; wanting to get back with ex-wife

Inciting Thoughts: restraining order and anger

2nd thoughts: guilt

obstacle: family vs love

disaster: family at game

crisis: Nicky turning up at the dance

climax: dance comp/ football bet

climax & Act 3: Pat's side winning the bet & declaration of love= the chase typical of a rom-com (reverses relationship dynamic)

Wrap Up & End: Narration, Pat & Tiffany= happy ending

- Smaller budget

- Alternative to classic Hollywood

- Lesser known cast (However in SLP we have Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Julia Stiles)

- Challenging subjet matter- Mental Illness

- Limited Distribution

- Camerawork creates an unstable and 'manic' mood= sudden close ups of protagonists; unsteady handheld camera e.g. arguements; Tiffany and Pat running

- Realistic digetic sound: Arguements and shouting

Realism

- Departure from glamour of rom-com

- Somber colours

- Blue collar neighbourhood (suberbs)

- Pat= bin bag and work-out clothes

Todorov: starts with disequilibrium (Pat in a mental hospital)

Propp: the villain: mental illness (typical of an Indie); the hero: Pat; the doner: Tiffany (the letter and the bet); the helper: Danny; the princess: Nancy (Pat initialy believes in his love for her, fulls for Tiffany)

Barhes: Enigma Code: mystery/questions that engages the audience:

- who will Pat end up with?

- will the Eagles win?

- how will the dance competition turn out?

- will they win the bet?

audience pleasure in enigma resolution

- low budget

- no global stars

- niche audience

Social Realism: structure around realistic events and characters (locations, narratives, characters and dialogue= Realistic); in the film: Gay Pride; Miners strikes 1980's- period details like fashion and music

Production Company: BBC

-reflects British values, traditions, past events~ national themes and stories

- Premiere: 2014 Cannes Film Festival

- USA: New York; LA; San Francisco

- $16.7 million at box office

- Miners strike 1984

- Lesbians and Gays supports the miners (LGSM)

- Margaret Thatcher- Prime Minister

- Welsh Village: Dulais

- London

based on a true story

Joe: coming to terms with his sexuality 

LGSM: main story- help the miners; help later rejected via vote against them

Gethin: reconciliing with mum; caring for his husband; getting beaten up

Mark: self isolation; threat of AIDS (accepetence)- being unapogetic about who he is

the Strike and the Pride march

Narrative is complex because it is based on real events/actual people (except from Joe- representive of closeted gay children)

time frame: takes place within a year- starts and ends with Joe's b-day and the Gay Pride March

no clear resoloution at the end

engimas:

- will the miners win the strike

- will Joe's parents find out? how will they react?

- is Mark HIV+?

diasters and crisies:

- Gethin getting beaten up

- miners vote against LGSM's help

- Miners losing the strike

- The Hero: government; Thatcher

- The Princess: the mining village in Wales

- The Hero: LGSM

- the Helper: Sian and the council (with the exception of Maureen)