FX6017- Film and Screen Media Industries and Cultures Portfolio: Cork Film Festival Experience.

For the 61^st Cork Film Festival, I had the opportunity to undertake a placement at the Festival. At the start of the semester we were informed of this opportunity for placement. A spreadsheet was created, in which those participating in the festival would add their names to whichever internship they would like for the festival. These positions included Market researcher, Pre-Festival marketing assistant, guest registration assistant, and technical assistant. The position which I chose to intern at was guest registration assistant. While my over all experience at the festival was enjoyable there were some difficulties though out my internship. While I was supposed to be a guest registration assistant, I did not end up working in that regard for the festival. I was however tasked with helping out with the Audience awards for the festival. During my first day of placement, I had count out all the voting slips for the films that had been nominated for the audience award that had been screened up to that day. I also was charged with going to the final audience award screening and handing out these voting slips to the audience, collecting them afterwards, and adding this data to the previous films voting tallies. This was a particularly interesting experience as while I had tallied the votes for the other films; I had not seen them myself. I did however get a chance to a screen that was a part of the illuminate band of films. This particular film however, Fragility by Ahang Bashi, I did get to watch. After the film was over there was a discussion panel on the films and its expression of mental health. After these two events I again collected the voting slips, but now I had a new perspective, I was no longer a passive worker just adding up anonymous data, I had experienced the film and been in the audience of voters. Another job I was tasked with during my time at the festival was to ask attendees of the festival a series of survey questions. I was told by the woman with whom I was working with, Kate, that these surveys were how the festival gathered data and was able to apply for funding. Overall my experience at the Festival was positive. I do have previous experience with the festival form my time studying the BA in Film and Screen media however this was not as behind the scene as this placement was. I felt like I have learned about what really going on at a festival and how everything comes together to form the finished event.

Works Cited.

1. 1. Fragility. Dir. Ahang Bashi , Momento Film,2016.

FX6017- Film and Screen Media Cultures and Industries Portfolio: Aidan Power’s lecture Genre in European Cinema: Science Fiction.

For this part of the portfolio I will be reflecting on Aidan Power’s lecture Genre in European Cinema: Science Fiction. While the lecture was an extra lecture and therefore not a part of the regular series of lectures, it still fit with the European cinema topics of the first half of this module. The lecture was an interesting look at the science fiction genre and its relation to European cinema. The lecture was very well planned and discussed the topic in detail while bearing in mind that this was not a genre those who attended the lecture had a lot of experience with. The lecture also had an overview of the genre and it followed a chronological order in which the film was discussed. A range of topics were discussed from the Hollywood science fiction of the 1950’s which I found to be particularly interesting, to films such as La Jetée (1962) by Chris Marker and the idea that the genre can be used to discuss contemporary events and social issues with little repercussion. One film that was mentioned was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Siegel,1956) and its use of the latter theory with the ‘Body Snatchers’ being an allegory for the communists.  This can be extrapolated further into being used as way of defining ‘the other’. Science Fiction has long being a genre which consists of an ‘us’ and a ‘them’. “In other words, it is involved in praising the same and demonising the other” (Roberts, pg50). This theory of the other and its relation to Science Fiction is quite relevant as the same theories applied to the Science Fiction genre on the other can also be applied to European cinema. Science Fiction as genre shares a lot of similarities with European cinema, from involving theories of the other, to mass movement and migration and explore  social issues. Science Fiction films, including those made in Europe often evoke whatever the social or political issues of the time, because of previous turmoil’s within Europe and the European Union it would make sense that this is a genre well suited to European cinema. I found this lecture to be extremely informative in this regard as I would have previously believed that Science Fiction is better suited to American cinema and would never have thought to explore the genre in the context of European cinema. Over the entire lecture was informative and (eye-opening.

Works Cited.

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dir. Don Siegel, Allied Artists Pictures, 1956.
2. Jetée.Dir. Chris Marker, Argos Films, 1962.
3. Power, Aidan. “Genre in European Cinema: Science Fiction.”10 October 2016, Kane Building, University College Cork, Lecture.
4. Roberts, Adam. Science Fiction.Routledge, 2006.

FX6017- Film and Screen Media Cultures and Industries Portfolio: Documentary Master class with Trina Rae.

On the 20^th of October ,we had a master class with documentary film maker Trina Rae. The topic of the master class was how to format a documentary. Trina went into great detail with step by step instructions that could be followed in order to make a successful documentary. These steps involved everything from what the hook of the documentary should be to how the conflict should be resolved. The very detailed point by point system in which each topic was discussed helped to contain all the information relevant and allowed us, the audience, to engage with the topics. While detailed, these instructions were more like guidelines than exact rules. I found the structured layout of the master class extremely approachable. One of the subjects that were raised during the class was the question of ethics in relation to a documentary. The discussion of ethics in documentary was brief so I decided to do more research in to this topic. Michael Rabiger’s book Directing the Documentary had a very detailed chapter “Ethics, Authorship, and Documentary Mission” (pg.356-364) on which many of the issues surrounding ethics in documentary film making are discussed. The chapter is more practical in its approach to ethics. The chapter is broken down into different points that each discusses a different ethical question or guideline. From Trina’s master class and the research I have undertaken on the subject, I would agree with the idea that ethics should reflect the creator and the subjects of the documentary. Overall I would say that the class was very useful and an interesting insight into the genre. As a graduate of the BA in Film and Screen Media, I have prior knowledge and experience surrounding the documentary genre; however Trina Rae’s class did bring new and valuable insights to me. The class itself was helpful for me as I am planning on using the genre of documentary in my practical thesis.

Works Cited.

1

Puttnam Reflective Journal : Conclusion

In conclusion, I found that this series of lectures was very well put together and easy to understand. The lectures were well structured and very informative. The range of topics spoken about where very interesting. This series of lectures also allowed for much anecdotes from Puttnam which gives us an insight in to the world of a producer and an inside look at the film industry to an extent. I had previously had lectures given by Lord Puttnam from last year, where he discussed different genres of film. This series of lectures however where better put together as Puttnam was discussed topics in which he had personal experience in. Last year’s lecture series was more of a general history and overview of film genres. This year’s series were much more detailed and focused on more specific topics and had a focus on Puttnam’s experiences and the films he produced.

Puttnam Reflective Journal:Session 7 – Technology and Cinema

In this session, technology and cinema was the topic that was discussed. The advancements of film technology, the changing use of this technology were some of the themes in this session. The invention of colour camera’s were discussed but it was mostly recent technological advancements that were talked about. The idea that the best filmmakers used the special and digital effects to reach our inner world was talked about and that filmmakers have a much easier time in using this technology to gain access to our feelings. I think this notion is true, however the over reliance’s on the technology such as C.G.I has led to wave on films made entirely by greenscreen, or at least a huge portion of these films relied on C.G.I. The development of technology as it is needed by filmmakers was also discussed. Specifically, the creation of three new camera systems that were created during the filming of James Cameron’s Avatar. These camera’s were a 3-D fusion , a simul-cam and a type of virtual reality camera made it easier during the filming process of this movies , which relied heavily on C.G.I.

Avatar, Dir. James Cameron , 20^th Century Fox , 2009.

Snow White, Prod.Walt Disney , R.K.O Radio Productions , 1937.

The Walt Disney Studios History. Walt Disney Studios http://www.studioservices.go.com/disneystudios/history.html

Puttnam Reflective Journal:Session 6- Animation

In this session Puttnam discusses Animation, a brief history of it, he also discusses Pixar and its films. I found this lecture particularly fascinating because throughout the undergraduate and the MA, the area of Animation was never touched upon. I had brief knowledge of the area of Animation from my own interest but this was the most in depth into the topic that a lecture on Animation, that I have attended , has gone.

Puttnam discussed the beginning of Animation and the rise of Disney studios as one of the most popular and famous of the animation studios. Disney was discussed in some detail from the first appearance of Mickey Mouse in November of 1928. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat willie was also the first cartoon to feature sound. Disney’s Snow White was the first animated feature over all and the first from Disney. Puttnam also discussed the painstaking process of making an animated feature. He showed clips that revealed the process used in making an animated feature, which I found to be a fascinating look at the behinds the scenes of Disney animation studio’s. The mixing of live action and animation was in Anchors Away and featured a dance sequence between Gene Kelly and Jerry the mouse.

This was the first successful mix of animation and live-action, which today is common with the invention of computer generated images. The advent of computer animation was also discussed in relation to Pixar and their ground-breaking work with entirely computer animated feature films. The discussion of Pixar also included the idea that these animated films where characters, identity and emotion are some of the most essential elements along with the quality of the animation. I was interested in learning the history of animation and in particular the history of Disney. I found this session to be very informative.

Anchors Aweigh. Dir. George Sidney , MGM, 1945.

Snow White . Dir. David Hand, R.K.O Radio Pictures, 1937.

Steamboat Willie. Dir. Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios , 1928.

 

 

 

Puttnam Reflective Journal:Session 5- Sound and Music

In this lecture Puttnam discussed the use of music and sound design in film. I found this lecture especially interesting as I was also doing a Music and Cinema Module. As this lecture took place later in the semester, I had already covered a number of topics related to the subject of Cinema and Music through that module. However I still found this session to both useful and interesting because it was coming from an experienced filmmaker who had practical experience of how music was used in film and he also had influence over the music used in the films he produced. In this session Puttnam discusses the early use of music and the advent of sound and how the use of music evolved through the decades. He also spoke briefly about sound design. Puttnam also discussed the use of music in the films he produced.

Puttnam began the lecture by talking of the importance of the title track of a film. The title track should tell you everything you need to know about the film. In the first few seconds of the song the audience should know the theme and setting of the film. I would agree with this statement that Music in film is used to bridge the gap between the visuals and the audience so the title track of the up most importance in connecting the audience to the film. The question of ‘What if synchronized sound had been a part of cinema from the beginning’ was asked during the session, I think it is an important question to ask in the context of film and music. Other questions like ‘what would have changed ?’ and ‘would sound be as important as it is today? ’ arise from this. From this a brief overview of the history of film and music was talked about and because of my knowledge of this subject gained from my other module this brief overview was easily understood. The next part of the lecture was spent discussing the use of music in the 1970’s and 1980’s as it had progressed from the classical Hollywood Score of the earlier part of the century with a focus on orchestral melodies to the widespread use of popular music as a part of the score. In particular films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars and The Duellists where mentioned. While I had previously discussed the first two films scores as a part of my Music and Cinema module, I had not come across The Duellists before and was fascinated in its use of the score and the timing of the music. Puttnam uses this film as an example of when to start a piece of music and when to stop the music.

Overall , I thoroughly enjoyed this session. I liked how the session was layed out in a chronological order of the history of film music. I found it easy to understand and to follow along.

2001: A Space Odyssey. Dir. Stanley Kubrick , MGM , 1968.

Star Wars. Dir. George Lucus, 20th Century Fox , 1977.

The Duellists. Dir. Ridley Scott , Paramount,1977.

Puttnam Reflection Journal : Session 2-Working in Hollywood and Returning to Europe

 

In this session Lord Puttnam discussed changes happening in Hollywood during the 1970s and 1980s. Puttnam also discusses his time as the Chairman of Columbia Pictures, and the high points and the low points of his career during the 1980’s. Puttnam also discusses the differences between film making in America and in England. I found this lecture to be particularly interesting as the inner workings of a Hollywood studio was discussed. Puttnam was the Chairman of Columbia Pictures from 1986 to 1987. The upheaval of the studios during the 1970s and 1980s due to being bought by big conglomerates were also discussed. Columbia in particular was bought in The Coca-Cola Company in 1982 and was then acquired by the Sony Corporation in 1989. Another issue from this period that was discussed was the rise of the blockbuster beginning with Jaws. The 1980’s was the decade in which the blockbuster really became popular with films like those of Spielberg and Lucas. Studios were now making films for a worldwide audience in the hopes of having a huge box office success. Although as Puttnam said 70% of the box office revenue had come from the domestic market with only 30% coming from the global market.

I found this session of interest because it was during the 70’s and 80’s that the Hollywood I know was created. It was intriguing to learn about this from someone who was so involved in Hollywood during this time. Although this was only a portion of the many things Puttnam spoke about during the session , I would have liked for this particular topic to have been expanded upon.

“Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.” The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Columbia-Pictures-Entertainment-Inc

Dirks, Tim. “The History of Film -The 1980s -Teen-Oriented Angst Films and the Dawn of the Sequel, with More Blockbusters”. AMC Film Site. http://www.filmsite.org/80sintro.html.

Jaws, Dir. Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures, 1975.