Is David Gordon Green moving into mainstream Hollywood Film making?
Annotated Bibliography:
Pinkerton , Nick “David Gordon Green Moves to the Mainstream? And is that a bad thing? “ The Village Voice Tuesday, July 15th 2008
http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-07-16/film/david-gordon-green-moves-to-the-mainstream
The article examines David Gordon Green’s motives for making Pineapple Express and ask the question, “Has David Gordon Green gone pop?”
JONES, KIMBERLEY “Fighting Words“ The Austin Chronicle FEBRUARY 23, 2001: SCREENS David Gordon Green Slams Indie Filmmakers and Snubs Cannes. Who Is This Kid, Anyway?
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A80645
This article discusses David Gordon Green’s influences, Terrence Malick and Robert Altman.
Wood, Jennifer M. MovieMaker | Published February 3, 2007
Cinematography, Analyzing the Human Condition
All the Real Girls DP Tim Orr seeks emotional connection in his work
http://www.moviemaker.com/cinematography/article/analyzing_the_human_condition_2698/
This article has Jennifer Wood from MovieMaker interviewing Tim Orr.
Thompson, David “David Gordon Green “ The Guardian Sept. 5, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/sep/05/comedy1
David Gordon Green made stylish, searching films in defiance of Hollywood methods. Then he teamed up with Seth Rogen - and had a hit
David Thompson talks about David Gordon Green and why he may have made Pineapple Express, the opposite kind of movie from George Washington.
ROONEY , DAVID “Green's 'Undertow' catches pact with UA” Variety, May 15, 2003
Thriller stars Mulroney, Lucas, Bell
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117886302.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1&query=David+Gordon+Green
This article covers how United Artists teamed with ContentFilm for distribution rights in North America for "The Undertow." helmed by David Gordon Green.
Fernandez , Jay A. Hollywood Reporter, David Gordon Green to helm 'Freaks'
Oct 21, 2008, 12:00 AM ET
Overture nabbed rights to the Dark Horse graphic novel
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9e2284979c0b8c782f723c65d816185e The article talks about how Overture Films has tapped David Gordon Green to direct the horror thriller "Freaks of the Heartland,"
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Week 11
Bordwell, TWHTI
“Why do filmmakers bother with classical construction if ardent viewers consider it dispensable, even distracting?”
Actually the plot can sink to a level of minimal awareness and leads them to concentrate on other things. The audience isn’t homogeneous. The best way to reach a wide audience is thru an interesting story, which blends stars and physical action. Also, films are made for personal satisfaction and other filmmakers. Making smart pictures pays off in better jobs and the next film. One thing that Bordwell might not have mentioned is the fact that the crew on a set needs to have faith in the director’s vision. Not many top-flight crew people want to work on a set that doesn’t tell a good story.
What does Bordwell mean when he says, “Ironically, the genre considered most
Scattershot turns out to have the most widely recognized formulas of organization.”?
He refers to the action film which is far from being a noisy free for all but instead is as formally strict as a minuet. According to Martell’s manual many principals of unity have been laid out with great precision. Such as the villain having a master plan, which is well motivated or the hero being reactive in the first half and then takes charge in the second half of the film.
What does Bordwell mean by “genre ecology,” and how does he characterize the current range of genres in Hollywood.
I think he’s talking about the filmic environment of Hollywood and the relationship of directors to their audience that exist in that space and time for a particular film genre. Their attitudes and taste for one genre might have been /pushed developed due to the fact that there was very little left for them to explore/add so they went for the sparsely populated niches that have been ignored.
What does Bordwell mean by “worldmaking,” and how does it affect the narrative design of individual films?
Films can offer a rich fully furnished ambience for the action. The filmmaker creates the film world that is the backdrop and interactional space that the characters live in. 2001: A Space Odyssey was one such film where the trappings are as overwhelming as is the Star Gate optics. This is a world that is layered with props/textures no had ever seen before and is completely the filmmaker’s invention for this particular film. This enviroment was an element/character that enabled the audience to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the movie even more.
What specific reasons does Bordwell propose for the rise/fall of contemporary genres?
One reason is that it’s hard to improve on the past/present masters of any given genre. Sometimes a genre went thru a debunking, where as it was demeaned and parodied which took off its shine/credibility. A genre such as the Western was exposed as racist, like in the “Little Big Man.” Another big reason is that young directors just can’t find anything new to add to a genre that would be original so they look for unused genres, which are out of general use.
“Why do filmmakers bother with classical construction if ardent viewers consider it dispensable, even distracting?”
Actually the plot can sink to a level of minimal awareness and leads them to concentrate on other things. The audience isn’t homogeneous. The best way to reach a wide audience is thru an interesting story, which blends stars and physical action. Also, films are made for personal satisfaction and other filmmakers. Making smart pictures pays off in better jobs and the next film. One thing that Bordwell might not have mentioned is the fact that the crew on a set needs to have faith in the director’s vision. Not many top-flight crew people want to work on a set that doesn’t tell a good story.
What does Bordwell mean when he says, “Ironically, the genre considered most
Scattershot turns out to have the most widely recognized formulas of organization.”?
He refers to the action film which is far from being a noisy free for all but instead is as formally strict as a minuet. According to Martell’s manual many principals of unity have been laid out with great precision. Such as the villain having a master plan, which is well motivated or the hero being reactive in the first half and then takes charge in the second half of the film.
What does Bordwell mean by “genre ecology,” and how does he characterize the current range of genres in Hollywood.
I think he’s talking about the filmic environment of Hollywood and the relationship of directors to their audience that exist in that space and time for a particular film genre. Their attitudes and taste for one genre might have been /pushed developed due to the fact that there was very little left for them to explore/add so they went for the sparsely populated niches that have been ignored.
What does Bordwell mean by “worldmaking,” and how does it affect the narrative design of individual films?
Films can offer a rich fully furnished ambience for the action. The filmmaker creates the film world that is the backdrop and interactional space that the characters live in. 2001: A Space Odyssey was one such film where the trappings are as overwhelming as is the Star Gate optics. This is a world that is layered with props/textures no had ever seen before and is completely the filmmaker’s invention for this particular film. This enviroment was an element/character that enabled the audience to suspend their disbelief and enjoy the movie even more.
What specific reasons does Bordwell propose for the rise/fall of contemporary genres?
One reason is that it’s hard to improve on the past/present masters of any given genre. Sometimes a genre went thru a debunking, where as it was demeaned and parodied which took off its shine/credibility. A genre such as the Western was exposed as racist, like in the “Little Big Man.” Another big reason is that young directors just can’t find anything new to add to a genre that would be original so they look for unused genres, which are out of general use.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Week 10
Week Ten Blog
1. New Hollywood, the five conditions:
The Movie Brats
High Concept-The Blockbuster as marketing stratety.
New ownership/management styles of the major studios
New technology of image and sound
New delivery systems
#2: What does Elsaesser mean by New Hollywood being defined either as “the different as same” or “the same as different.” (p. 193)
I think he’s referring to the fact that most filmmakers are influenced by other older filmmakers and who in turn influence filmmakers from new different generations not yet born.
#4: How is the sound/image relationship in horror films fundamentally different than other classical genres?
They don’t maintain a coherent diegetic world in regards to sound or image. This genre tries to keep the monster off screen as long as possible.
#5. How do allusions in Bram Stoker’s Dracula function like a mise-en-abyme?
They function as a time bridge to the present or to a future. As when Dracula and Mina are in the Nickleloden theater. We are in an audience watching a film about characters that are at a theater where film got it’s start but this motif gives us the idea that Dracula himself is timeless and lives forever. The theme of Dracula will be invented anew and filmed by some other filmmaker in the future countless times.
#6: Elsaesser suggests that the film is a palimpsest for 100 years of film history. Why does he also conclude that the vampire film “qualifies as at once prototypical for movie history and for postmodernity.”? [Hint: see my recap of metaphors above.]
It will be made again by another filmmaker in the future in a different style and with a different audience wanting something unknown.
1. New Hollywood, the five conditions:
The Movie Brats
High Concept-The Blockbuster as marketing stratety.
New ownership/management styles of the major studios
New technology of image and sound
New delivery systems
#2: What does Elsaesser mean by New Hollywood being defined either as “the different as same” or “the same as different.” (p. 193)
I think he’s referring to the fact that most filmmakers are influenced by other older filmmakers and who in turn influence filmmakers from new different generations not yet born.
#4: How is the sound/image relationship in horror films fundamentally different than other classical genres?
They don’t maintain a coherent diegetic world in regards to sound or image. This genre tries to keep the monster off screen as long as possible.
#5. How do allusions in Bram Stoker’s Dracula function like a mise-en-abyme?
They function as a time bridge to the present or to a future. As when Dracula and Mina are in the Nickleloden theater. We are in an audience watching a film about characters that are at a theater where film got it’s start but this motif gives us the idea that Dracula himself is timeless and lives forever. The theme of Dracula will be invented anew and filmed by some other filmmaker in the future countless times.
#6: Elsaesser suggests that the film is a palimpsest for 100 years of film history. Why does he also conclude that the vampire film “qualifies as at once prototypical for movie history and for postmodernity.”? [Hint: see my recap of metaphors above.]
It will be made again by another filmmaker in the future in a different style and with a different audience wanting something unknown.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
week 8
How do films with multiple protagonist work?
Their progress toward a goal follows the same 4 part template. In some cases the protagonist have the exact same goal while in others the plot lines don't influence each other. The multiple plot lines may fit the 4 part mold but there is usually one or 2 main characters that are prominent in the film.
Tightening the Plot:
Thompson derives plot from the "ups and downs of character goals."
Fields uses, "spin the action in a new direction" or turning points.
The "dangling cause" leaves a scene with unresolved issues.
The "dialog hook", a line that connects to the next scene in an action heard or seen.
Appointments and deadlines like the ticking clock makes things seem urgent or impossible and helps the plot line.
A repeated object or line of dialog foreshadowing the plot in a film adds to the overall cohesiveness of a film.
Motifs are woven into the plot at different times to add tightness of texture to the film or they can become a signal for something to happen.
Classical narration can address the viewer in a very self conscious manner. It can be used to sharpen the suspence. The overtness can be obvious such as when someone winks at you in the film to share a secret. Or less self conscious as when the credits roll. Credits can be overt also appealing in their own right.
Their progress toward a goal follows the same 4 part template. In some cases the protagonist have the exact same goal while in others the plot lines don't influence each other. The multiple plot lines may fit the 4 part mold but there is usually one or 2 main characters that are prominent in the film.
Tightening the Plot:
Thompson derives plot from the "ups and downs of character goals."
Fields uses, "spin the action in a new direction" or turning points.
The "dangling cause" leaves a scene with unresolved issues.
The "dialog hook", a line that connects to the next scene in an action heard or seen.
Appointments and deadlines like the ticking clock makes things seem urgent or impossible and helps the plot line.
A repeated object or line of dialog foreshadowing the plot in a film adds to the overall cohesiveness of a film.
Motifs are woven into the plot at different times to add tightness of texture to the film or they can become a signal for something to happen.
Classical narration can address the viewer in a very self conscious manner. It can be used to sharpen the suspence. The overtness can be obvious such as when someone winks at you in the film to share a secret. Or less self conscious as when the credits roll. Credits can be overt also appealing in their own right.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Week 8
What are the Hall marks for Fordism in the Movie Industry?
1. More movies for the buck.
The FCC’s resistance to pay TV caused what to happen?
1. The movie industry became more integrated with TV production.
The independent exhibitors wanted the Justice Dept. to prevent what?
1.The majors from broadcasting as an alternative to exhibition.
1. More movies for the buck.
The FCC’s resistance to pay TV caused what to happen?
1. The movie industry became more integrated with TV production.
The independent exhibitors wanted the Justice Dept. to prevent what?
1.The majors from broadcasting as an alternative to exhibition.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
