Elliott Soraff film studies A level

1980s saw Hollywood convert back to the studio system of the 30s and 40s. This time the owners controlled the film business rather than the studio bosses. An alternative to the Hollywood film system for the independent filmmakers was created to give them creative control which was heavily compromised in conventional ways. This alternative was to become knows as Indiewood Big budget Hollywood films are given a deadline and are subject to focus group viewings. Independent films gain success and acclaim through film festivals. Hollywood vs Indies       -Movies - Films -Fantasy - Realism -Safe -Controversial -Expensive - Low Budget -Genre Raiders - Personal Vision -Studio gets the final cut - Director gets the final cut -Large Scale - Intimate -Sequels - Unique -Special FX - Script Made on low budgets some of the independent films made profit at the box office It's important to understand the context surrounding the production of the film. Pulp

-Left school at sixteen to become an actor. -Had been passionate about film since he was young. -He worked in a video store and used his wages to finance shooting at first a short film then transformed it into a feature. It was a failure. -Tarantino's extremely unique way of writing is inspired through the fact that he is a viewer. He has 'translated novelistic techniques and translated them into cinema.' -European filmmaking centralises its story about a character. In Hollywood it is about the situation. -Tarantino's storyline does not follow the linear structure but is a lot more distorted- 'It jumps backwards and forwards.' -75% of novels and films work best in a linear way. However, the remaining 25% is less sophisticated but more effective. -Through his iconic cinematic techniques, Tarantino keeps the audience engaged with the action and prevents the audience from being perplexed. This link back to his way of writing as seeing it as a v

Editing -The editing within the film is used to allow the audience to capitulate with the action on screen and empathise with characters. This was fundamentally influenced by the 'New Hollywood' wave of filmmaking which exemplified the notion that editing can be manipulated to have a more realistic effect. Example of this in the film include: The first therapy scene- As the arguments break out between Harding and the other patients, the editing which started as slow pace and minimal cuts in between transitions transforms into a more rapid pace. The audience is able to equally empathise and sympathise with the characters as the quick cuts exemplifies the boiling point of the tension between Harding and the other patients Sound: -The sound in the film is mainly diegetic which has the effect of allowing the audience to emphasise with the characters. They can be indulged into the vulnerability and captivity the patients are feeling.  -Open and closes with same unn

How do the films present power and authority in their texts? One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest McMurphy -McMurphy is a distruption to the status quo. -He doesn't respect authority e.g when he speaks to Doctor Spivey his language is informal. -His relationship with Nurse Ratched as he's always the first one to question her power e.g his demand to watch the World Series foils her attempt to exert her control and symbolises the rise of the individual against the system. -Another example of his lack of respect for authority when he enters the Nurse's office without permission. Nurse Ratched -The Nurses complicit to her control over the patients e.g not letting the inmates watch the World Series demonstrates her power. -America has long made heroes of figures who assert their individuality. Novelists have written about characters whose individualism conflicts with the societies around them. -McMurphy's character doesn't fit in with the inst

Vertigo 1958-Cold War, communist fear in USA Studio System- Big, mega actors, big Hollywood studio putting up the money. World famous director- Hitchcock Safe- Audience pleaser  None of the actors freedom as Hitchcock was so precise. Structured: -Controlled One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Started out as a play product Kirk Douglas. Studio's didn't want to finance the film. Producers took the risk of making budget, independent film. Difficult to find Indians as still were discriminated. Finding the right location was essential to try and emphasise the idea of isolation. The actors had to be exposed to life in a mental institution in order to underhand characters + environment. Took inspiration from  institution patients. Milos determined to

Are there any similarities? -Both influenced by the  'New Hollywood' era. -However, Hitchcock was also influenced by 'French New Wave' and 'Old Hollywood' . -Another way they differ was that Hitchcock only filmed a minority of scenes on location and manipulated the studios in order to complete his masterpiece. Forman on the other hand, relied on location filming in order to get his point across. -As location shooting became cheaper then studios, this in turn created a more naturalistic approach to filmmaking which is seen in both Vertigo and One Flew. -The use of editing was another factor brought into life through the 'New Hollywood' era. It became more unique and artistic and had more connotations behind it. In 'Vertigo', when tying scenes together, 'fade in, fade out'  and 'blackouts' , are used frequently. They don't have any real background and only simply continue the flow of the film. Only a minority of shots