Friday 26 June 2009
Saturday 20 June 2009
Mike Leigh: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5410197415090549238&postID=6046922960727281363
And it all informs what happens. So it begins to do what it seems to me the job is. Which is, putting it at its crudest, to reproduce the real world with some kind of semblance of reality.
And not only that, but in looking at it and deciding how to shoot it and what it is I'm trying to say, I actually understand that world. I actually have taken the time and the patience and gone through the pain of the research to know what it is that we're dealing with. I suspect that it boils to no more than that in the end. If you look at any of the great films from around the world -- whether you look at Bunuel's "Los Olvidados," showing those kids on the streets, or at one of Ozu's family dramas. . . There's no question whether these guys know what they're filming. They know the world, they know the culture, they know who the people are. This other style you're talking about is people making films in a culturally and professionally, infantile, naive and ultimately presumptious way.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tLW3PWiAnhIC&dq=mike+leigh+style&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=Vgs9SsqqGIOUjAeyjbkN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=14
quote - my films aspire to the condition of documentary. If you are a newsreel cameraman and you go and shoot a real event you know that the world exists whether in film or not.
this could suggest that Mike is saying that the hollywood films hide away from real life
And not only that, but in looking at it and deciding how to shoot it and what it is I'm trying to say, I actually understand that world. I actually have taken the time and the patience and gone through the pain of the research to know what it is that we're dealing with. I suspect that it boils to no more than that in the end. If you look at any of the great films from around the world -- whether you look at Bunuel's "Los Olvidados," showing those kids on the streets, or at one of Ozu's family dramas. . . There's no question whether these guys know what they're filming. They know the world, they know the culture, they know who the people are. This other style you're talking about is people making films in a culturally and professionally, infantile, naive and ultimately presumptious way.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=tLW3PWiAnhIC&dq=mike+leigh+style&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=Vgs9SsqqGIOUjAeyjbkN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=14
quote - my films aspire to the condition of documentary. If you are a newsreel cameraman and you go and shoot a real event you know that the world exists whether in film or not.
this could suggest that Mike is saying that the hollywood films hide away from real life
Ken Loach style: http://allal-cinemagoer.blogspot.com/2008/02/ken-loach-film-director-of-realism-and.html
Ken Loach has remarkable techniques to direct his actors by not showing them the script until the last minute and that the technology of film shooting like lighting , sound and camera should not be felt consciously by these interpreters until something comes out of them, because authencity of reality as Ken Loach states, is hidden somewhere and that actors must reveal it to the audience through their skill and talent .
Ken Loach Critics: http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1200/
Critics here regularly accuse Loach of being preachy, banging the political drum or, maybe worst of all, lacking subtlety. It's often said that while the man is to be respected, his films are rarely to be enjoyed. (The vitality and unexpected breadth of life in Loach's film are perhaps overlooked, from Robert Carlyle's romance with a Nicaraguan exile in 'Carla's Song' to the experience of Hispanic janitors in 'Bread and Roses'. His films can be funny too – Ricky Tomlinson is vintage in 'Riff-Raff'.) For his part, Loach is a vocal critic of the critics, and dismisses most of his detractors as right wing and preoccupied with style and technique over content, 'they're all Thatcherites at heart'.
Thursday 18 June 2009
All or Nothing - Mike Leigh
All or Nothing is a 2002 drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. Typical of Leigh's work, the film is set in present-day London, and revolves around three working-class families and the depiction of their everyday lives.
Ken Loach's style in sweet sixteen
Ken Loach has a very particular style which is characterised by the extreme realism of his films. He mostly works with non-professional actors who can speak the home dialect (here it's a pure Scottish accent). He often shows a hopeless society in which the main characters, after trying to escape, somehow get into a worse situation. Parallels can be thrown between his films, for example My Name Is Joe, in which the main character also accepts to deal in drugs in order to help friends. It's A Free World also shows the difficult situation of Angie, whose dream is to make more money at her job and therefore creates a working agency with day-workers.
Most of Loach’s films start with the very difficult social context of unemployment, or low-paid employment. His films seem to be the denunciation of the society which leaves a number of people behind and is unable to help them. Sweet Sixteen is one perfect example for Loach’s style, because the situation is shown through the eyes of a child, the central character.
Most of Loach’s films start with the very difficult social context of unemployment, or low-paid employment. His films seem to be the denunciation of the society which leaves a number of people behind and is unable to help them. Sweet Sixteen is one perfect example for Loach’s style, because the situation is shown through the eyes of a child, the central character.
Media looking at the palette of british films
I will look at two films "All Or nothing by Mike Leigh" and "Sweet sixteen by ken loach"
And also looking in to the different styles of both directors.
this will then be used to improve our own film for our production part.
And also looking in to the different styles of both directors.
this will then be used to improve our own film for our production part.
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Media Ken Loach British Director
style of film
Loach's film work is characterised by a particular view of realism; he strives in every area of filmmaking to emphasise genuine interplay between actors, to the point where some scenes in his films are unscripted. Rather than employing method actors, he prefers unknown talent who have had some of the actual life experience of the characters they portray - so much so that many professional actors aspiring to work with Loach will often pretend to be actual construction labourers or other working class types called for in his script.
He is known to not giving the actors the script until a few minutes before the filming. Frequently only some of the actors will know what is going to happen in a scene - the others will often, therefore, be able to express genuine surprise or sadness because they really are affected by the events of the scene.
Ken Loach is a strong opponent of censorship within cinema and was outraged at the 18 certificate given to Sweet Sixteen. Loach himself said,
"I think it was a very silly decision, such a patronising attitude as well. People are rarely hurt by swear words, yet you see scenes of violence depicted in films often with a 12 certificate. Some of these films have violence for the sake of it, try and push the certification boundaries. I think in my films that the violence is necessary to portray realism, it’s important to the narrative. And yes, it does put a smokescreen on society because it uses violence as a source of entertainment rather than its actual meaning".
Loach's film work is characterised by a particular view of realism; he strives in every area of filmmaking to emphasise genuine interplay between actors, to the point where some scenes in his films are unscripted. Rather than employing method actors, he prefers unknown talent who have had some of the actual life experience of the characters they portray - so much so that many professional actors aspiring to work with Loach will often pretend to be actual construction labourers or other working class types called for in his script.
He is known to not giving the actors the script until a few minutes before the filming. Frequently only some of the actors will know what is going to happen in a scene - the others will often, therefore, be able to express genuine surprise or sadness because they really are affected by the events of the scene.
Ken Loach is a strong opponent of censorship within cinema and was outraged at the 18 certificate given to Sweet Sixteen. Loach himself said,
"I think it was a very silly decision, such a patronising attitude as well. People are rarely hurt by swear words, yet you see scenes of violence depicted in films often with a 12 certificate. Some of these films have violence for the sake of it, try and push the certification boundaries. I think in my films that the violence is necessary to portray realism, it’s important to the narrative. And yes, it does put a smokescreen on society because it uses violence as a source of entertainment rather than its actual meaning".
Media Mike Leigh British Director
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Style of filming
Leigh uses lengthy improvisations developed over a period of weeks to build characters and storylines for his films. He starts with some sketch ideas of how he thinks things might develop, but does not reveal all his intentions with the cast who discover their fate and act out their responses as their destinies are gradually revealed.
Initial preparation is in private with the director and then the actors are introduced to each other in the order that their characters would have met in their lives. Intimate moments are explored that will not even be referred to in the final film to build insight and understanding of history, character and inner motivation.
The critical scenes in the eventual story are performed and recorded in full-costumed, real-time improvisations where the actors encounter for the first time new characters, events or information which may dramatically affect their characters' lives. Final filming is more traditional as definite sense of story, action and dialogue is then in place. The director reminds the cast of material from the improvisations that he hopes to capture on film.
The critical scenes in the eventual story are performed and recorded in full-costumed, real-time improvisations where the actors encounter for the first time new characters, events or information which may dramatically affect their characters' lives. Final filming is more traditional as definite sense of story, action and dialogue is then in place. The director reminds the cast of material from the improvisations that he hopes to capture on film.
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