The Warner Bros Studios

5 facts about the Warner Bros studios:

1. The historic 110-acre facility is home to 30 sound stages plus a 20-acre backlot that can double as almost anywhere, from a bustling city, to a jungle in the rainforest.
2. The studio was originally built on a plot of farmland in 1926.
3. With the new facility, the Warner Bros were soon turning out movies at a feverish pace. They had 86 features in 1929 alone.
4. By the late 1930's business was booming and Warner Bros had constructed 9 new soundstages, all of which are still in use today.
5. Today, Warner Bros continues to embody the traditions and lore of the classic films and television shows of the past while setting the standard for excellence in production facilities.

The Dark Knight

In class we have been studying Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'.

The homepage of this film supplies the viewer with a trailer that it plays instantly, immediatley attracting the viewers attention. The colour theme of the website is very dark and gloomy, evoking a depressing feel, similar to the film.

The website also provides a synopsis of the film, a list of the cast members and images available for download.

There was lots of hype surrounding this specific film as it was the last film starring Heath Ledger before he died of an overdose. On the website there are many pictures of his character, who is the baddie. This could be seen as a tribute to him.

Here is a link to the homepage for 'The Dark Knight' :

http://www.warnerbros.com/?page=movies&pid=f-ce83422e/THE%20DARK%20KNIGHT#/page=movies&pid=f-ce83422e/THE_DARK_KNIGHT&asset=071963/Dark_Knight_The_Blu-Ray&type=video/

Comparing Thriller conventions in 'Memento' and 'Insomnia'

Thriller conventions:
- Fast jump cutsand cross cuts
- Fast pace music and sound effects
- Weapons
- Fight scenes and violence
- Exotic locations and cities
- Heroes and villains


The opening sequence of 'Memento' includes blue titles on a black background and has fast pace names until MEMENTO slows it down. There is a man shaking a polaroid photograph, however, instead of the image getting clearer, it is getting weaker suggesting that the sequence is actually in rewind.

In the opening sequence many of the typical thriller conventions are used, such as violence, weapons and fast pace sounds.



The title sequence of 'Insomnia' reveals themes and mood through the use of music and typography. The blurred lettering suggests obscured vision. The sound used is mainly a string orchestra fading in and out, as sound does when you are tired and at the point of exhaustion. The music also moves to a crescendo as the editing cuts between shots. Within the title sequence, every other shot is of red blood seeping into fabric. This blood could be a clue to the genre of the film.

Along with 'Memento' fast paced music is used, however, unlike "Memento', blood is used in order to portray the genre of the film instead of violence.




Here is the first part of an interview with the director of both films, Christopher Nolan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIFxNq_oMGY

Hello

This is the beginning of my blog that I have created for my Media Studies AS Level. Along with Media I am also studying English Language, Philosophy and Ethics and History at St Peters School in Guildford.

In this blog I will hopefully upload videos of recent films that I have studied and also videos that I have filmed and directed.

Enjoy!