Katerina Angelides HNC Creative Media

 For my contextual study I will be conducting research into the effect the culture of the 1960s-1970s had on cinema at the time. In my research I will be focusing on social, economic and environmental change which all had an impact on cinema. I will also look into what caused the demise of the New Hollywood new wave. I will be looking at work produced by some of the most influential directors of the time in order to show what truly started and developed the film movement. I will be looking at work produced by Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese and Arthur Penn, I will be looking at some of their most know and contextual work including Bonnie and Clyde, Taxi Driver and of course The Graduate. The audience in the US had changed, "it was an audience politicised by war, who's consciousness was changed by the use of drugs and it was an open audience" (A Decade Under The Influence, 2003), studios were collapsing as they couldn't understand what films people wanted to watch after ...

What is My Contextual Film Production Idea? In my film I want to reflect how Covid19 has affected the younger generation of the UK. I will use the Prime Ministers speech audio throughout the video, I will cut the audio and only use the most important influential parts in order to create a tense atmosphere. The use of a non-diegetic soundtrack will be used on the video, this will make the film seem more like a montage showing the events of the lockdown. The soundtrack will be slow paced and quite sad in order to show the respect for the severity of the situation. Mainly my footage will be shot inside to reflect lockdown and the idea of isolation from everyone. Later I will introduce footage shot in my friends house to reflect the mixing of households which was allowed in the summer season. I have shot a lot of footage in rural locations to show that in the lockdown many people were exercising and going outside more as it was one of the only things you was allowed to do at the start. I w...

Taxi Driver focuses on a racist, sociopathic, and violent protagonist and features a twelve year old prostitute (Spark Notes), although it was very risky and had some strong messages in it, it was critically acclaimed in the United States and received four Oscar nominations. The film exaggerates the filth of New York city in order to represent Bickle's skewed perspective (Spark Notes). The word "filth" is used a lot in the movie to describe both the city and the people within it, this is both literal and figurative, in the summer of 1975 rubbish collectors went of strike therefore the streets of New York filled with trash with no solution to the problem. Taxi Driver portrays exactly what New York was at the time, it reflects all the bad messages that weren't reflected in films in the 60s and 70s (Nelson). At the time the film was made, the war in Vietnam had just failed, a new presidential debate was in process and the nation was filled with uncertainty. The movie ref...

 What is Health and Safety and Why is it Important? Health and safety is a very important aspect to consider before filming. It is a requirement to understand the proper conduct in a studio in order to make sure that risks are minimised. It is always a good idea to conduct a risk assessment before shooting especially in an unknown environment with many variables. A risk assessment would assess the level of risk for many different areas in the studio, it offers precautions to put in place to help minimise or completely clear a risk. There are many small risks to look out for in a studio therefore, it is best to do your research before entering a room and it is also important to understand your role in the studio. Without health and safety in place someone could get seriously injured therefore, before shooting a detailed risk assessment is very important. I have produced my risk assessment table prior to entering the studio and I have also evaluated how effective my risk assessment w...

 The film Bonnie and Clyde was unmistakably a product and mirror of the 60s, it reflected the themes of anti establishment and resonated with youths. The film was commercially successful and it was very influential at the time as it was the final film to help abolish the Hayes code by showing violence and creating connotations linked to sex and romance (Kael). When the audience saw the death scene of Bonnie and Clyde it surprised and excited them, you would never see such violence in a film before it, it was interesting and new. The film is set in the 30s however, the outlaw romance is a great representation of 60s youths that didn't want to conform with the culture that their parents set for them. The narrative of the movie is very counter cultural, instead of having a happy ending we have a gruesome killing instead which ends the lives of the protagonists, this is very important as it reflects the chaotic nature of the time, it isn't a happy fairy tale it is a symbolistic ref...

How was "The Graduate" Constructed to Reflect Messages from New Hollywood Wave? The graduate is a film that has a message which is engrained into the American culture. The film is a comedy about a college graduate, he has just moved back into his rich parents house and he is faced with the sad reality that he must make something of himself. He begins to have an affair with the much older Mrs Robinson who is a bored housewife that is trapped in an empty relationship. Ben begins to fall for Mrs Robinsons daughter, they form a real bond, and this is perhaps the only loving, caring relationship we see throughout the movie, however, it is frowned upon. Eventually, the forbidden lovers run away together, this leads to an astonishing realisation at the end of the movie where the lovers look lost on the bus as they run away towards their happy ever after. This realisation is that young love doesn't always last however, now they are in too deep therefore, if they start to resent e...

High Key Lighting  This is where there is a strong key light in the scene and the fill light is very intense causing softer shadows and less contrast. High Key lighting is used to create a very well lit scene usually with multiple light sources. This form of lighting is created when there are soft shadows and very little contrast therefore, the use of soft boxes and diffusers can help create a well lit scene which doesn't contain too many shadows. If the light source you used is very small this will create more contrast and shadows therefore, it is best to use large lights which will cover you entire scene. As well as being able to physically alter your lighting you can also change your brightness and contrast levels in post-production in order to make the shot exactly how you want it. High key lighting is used most commonly in commercials and interviews where you don't need shadows and contrast for dramatic effect (Adobe). It can also be used other situations for example in fi...