How Peter Weir Utilises generic conventions in the murder scene in 'Witness' (1985)

WITNESS (1985) (112min)

Directed by: Peter Weir

Released on: 24^th May 1985

Made in: Philadelphia, United States

Genre: Thriller/Romance

Produced by: Paramount Pictures


Awards:

•  It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won two.
•  Nominated for six Golden Globe awards
•  Earl. W. Wallace and William Kelley won the Writers Guild of America for Best Original   Screenplay
• It also won the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay presented by the mystery writers of America.

A review by a user on Imbd:

'Witness' is a remarkably intelligent movie! 29 November 2002

Won Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Editing. Nominated for five more Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Harrison Ford, and Best Director Peter Weir. Weir Directed the 'The Year of Living Dangerously', and 'The Truman Show'. After seeing it maybe 10 times, I find it is one of those infrequent stories that still draws my attention. This places it in the company of pictures like 'The Godfather', and some others which stand the test of repeat viewings over time. Kelly McGillis is the film's intelligent and talented secret weapon. Her performance makes me wonder where she is these days. She is an Amish widow from a rural Amish community. On a trip to the city her little boy witnesses a murder in the restroom of a train station. Police investigator Harrison Ford finds himself targeted along with the boy by corrupt cops in his unit that did the murder. He is hurt in a shootout and hides with the Amish. He wears Amish clothes, and labours with the men of the community as he rebuilds his strength. An attraction naturally develops between the McGillis and Ford characters. The chemistry is remarkably intelligent, and authentically portrayed. Their worlds are separated by a cultural gulf. They are drawn by each other, and respect one another. The contrasts are drawn clearly between the quaint honesty and almost dreamlike serenity of the Amish, and the horrible violence intruding upon them from the outside world. The resolution of the story should not be given away to someone who has not seen the movie. This film is a different kind of thriller in more ways than one. Its makers kept it intelligent, instead of resorting to another pyrotechnic joyride. -Robert Hartman-

I agree with this user review because I think that this thriller is ‘a different kind of thriller in more ways than one. Its makers kept it intelligent, instead of resorting to another pyrotechnic joyride’ I think that the idea was very original, but the ideology followed the thriller template and that is what makes this a very successful thriller.


A review from The Telegraph:
Few thrillers burn such indelible or contrasting images on to the retina as 1985’s Witness. It leaves you with memories of fields of grain swaying serenely in the warm New England breeze, of a barn-raising that looks drawn from the most elegant 19th-century oil — and of a knifing straight out of a nightmare.
And this is exactly as it should be, as Witness — like many of Peter Weir’s wonderful films — is about people supremely at odds with their surroundings. Here, the Australian director (most recently responsible for Master and Commander) explores the clash of cultures that develops after young Amish boy Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas) witnesses a grisly murder while on his first trip to town with his mother, the recently widowed Rachel (Kelly McGillis).
Big-city policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) takes on the case, but soon finds himself forced to hole up with mother and son in their God-fearing, pre-technological community. The love story that develops between John and Rachel is one of the most touching in cinema, all the more so for its being both so clearly hopeless and bookended by scenes of sudden, shocking violence.
Nor is it just Rachel who gets under Book’s skin. Having, crucially, been required by her to hand over his bullets — she hides them in a flour tin, from which they later emerge looking like little iced truffles — he is progressively seduced by the Amish way of life, in turn endearing himself to them through his carpentry (a skill Ford himself made use of before turning to acting).
— is Weir’s typically questioning intelligence. Like Book, we find ourselves falling for the stringent Amish existence, but when, for example, Rachel’s dignified father-in-law Eli (Jan Rubes) tells poor Samuel, “Having seen what bad men do, you become one of them”; we suddenly see the chasm between their views and ours.
Witness not only quickens the pulse but also thoroughly engages heart and mind. What more can you ask?

I agree with this review as it communicates that the film is directed wonderfully and not only does it have beautiful scenery it also ‘quickens the pulse but also thoroughly engages heart and mind’


Overall, male and female voted 8/10, however females over the age of 45 found the film more appealing by 0.2% due to the fact the thriller was intertwined with romance, and starred the actor Harrison Ford, a male star that is very popular, and that woman of this age very much admire.

Witness is a film, released in 1985 directed by Peter Weir.  The film stars Harrison Ford, Kelly Mc Gillis, Josef Sommer, and Lukas Haas.  The film follows a young Amish boy who is the sole witness to a murder in a train station, John Book; the policeman in charge of the case goes to the Amish country to hide and protect the Amish boy until the trial.

This film was produced in 1985, a time where Amish communities were not a big part of the outside world, they lived in their own communities amogst one another, they are known for their simple dress, plain living, and maily their reluctancy to adopt any new technology or conveniences of the moderm worlf. These isolated groups of Amish population may have problems within them such as generic disorders and other problems which are caused by closed communities. Their communities made the decisions regarding health, education and relationships, all of these being based on their biblical beliefs. For example; they do not educate the children in the community past the eighth grade, as they beleive that they have the sufficient knowledge in need to prepare their children for the amish lifestyle.

The Movie has portrayed the Amish boy in a way that it is easy to recognise that he is not a 'city boy' and is not from the area, the modern technology is completely new to him, and small things amaze him.

Peter Weir has used a high angle shot over 30^th Street Station in Philadelphia. This shot has been utilised to signify that the cluster of people are small and unimportant.  Muted colours and low light have been chosen for this scene to create a sense of a corrupt and tainted station.

At the beginning of this scene; the statue of the ‘Angel of resurrection’ is shown from a low establishing shot, this makes it intimidating and powerful.  It shows that the statue is beyond the Childs’ cultural identity.  It then cuts to show a low angle close up of the boy’s face, this enables the audience to see the boys reaction to this statue that is beyond himself.  From this shot the audience have established that the boy is Amish due to his very obvious and traditional black suit, and hat. The costume reveals to us his identity, and therefore enables the audience to relate his identity to the ways of Amish life.The costume of both Samuel and his mother establish the difference between the Amish country and the corrupt society within America.

The still shows the high angle shot of the boy from the shoulder of the statue.  It Is almost as if the angel is watching Samuel, and keeping an eye on him.  The boy from this height looks small, this could relate to the fact that he is just one person in a big city. Weir has also used this shot as it connotes vulnerability. The shot connotes a sense of loneliness which contrasts with the previous shot of the crowd of people in the train station. From this we can establish it is a thriller, as the boy, alone in the centre of the screen establishes that he is lonely, this could foreshadow that Samuel will be lonely in the sense that he is the sole witness in the case.

A medium establishing shot is then shown; this establishes location and shows the Amish mother sitting on a bench with Samuel.  This shot indicates isolation as there are no people around.  Samuels’s mother then allows him to go to the toilet; this shows naivety; as representation of American culture is portrayed as dangerous, negative and that the innocent are in danger. The Amish boy then heads into the vanishing point of the toilet; this could indicate that he is entering another dimension and if he comes back there will be a warp, or something that has dramatically changed his life. It is a convention used in thrillers to indicate that something is about to happen.

Here Peter Weir has kept the mute lighting and dull, murky colours because this creates tension.  When Samuel has entered the toilet the camera cuts to a medium close up of a 25 year old man wearing a leather jacket, leant over a sink. This indicates loneliness; the leather jacket is also a generic signifier. The toilet is a generic location of the thriller genre; it is claustrophobic, isolated and inelegant..  Peter Weir has used this  generic location for the murder to take place because due to the enclosed claustrophobic spacing, the tension is built up in the audience because the child is trapped within this nightmare and they are eager for him evacuate before he becomes involved with the corrupt characters and society within America this is reflected upon the dirt and filth within the toilets. When Samuel enters the cubical the camera cuts to a close up of the door closing. Diegetic sound is used here when closing the door- this shows it’s important within the film. A low angle of the people entering the toilet, their faces are not shown, and this is how Peter Weir has used enigma within the film. The audience then become aware that Samuel is trapped in the toilet and cannot escape.

Weir uses generic thriller aspects such as  noir lighting, and muted colour. and then cuts to a close up of Samuel watching the violence through the gap in the door, and then cuts to a close up of the knife held in the mans’ hand, a close up has made it more effective, and adds tension and adds intimidation to the shot.  This has been used to foreshadow the events that are yet to happen; it also creates suspense and anticipation within the audience. Peter Weir has usedenigma here- the audience can not see the face of the killer but can identify his race- this is using a stereotype. This also reinforces the negative portrayal of American culture; it has made a negative representation of the dark skinned man. It has also used stereotypes by making the murderer recognisable by his ethnicity. This also contrasts with the representation of the Amish community being lovely and peaceful. They are portrayed as being all as one; safe, everyone knows one another and they are a community of trust.

This still shows an extreme close up of the young Amish boy looking out the gap in the toilet door. We can see from this shot that Samuel is distressed and terrified but he has never seen such things, he is being exposed to a new environment and it is this that he is curious about.

Essex Boys (2000) How Terry Winsor utilises thriller conventions

Essex Boys (2000) (102min)
Directed by : Terry Winsor
Released on:  14^th July 2000
Made in: UK
Genre: Gangster Thriller
Produced by: Miramax Home Video and Pathe-UK

Essex Boys is a film released in 2000, directed by Terry Winsor. The film stars actors, Sean Bean, Alex Kingston and Charlie Creed-Miles.  The film is based in Essex, around the events that occurred in 1995 which escalated to the murders of three drug Dealers.

Review from a user on imbd:

Brutal and disturbing,from start to finish.,2,July 2002

Author: from Devon, England
Sean Bean plays a gangster in this movie which is based on the real life range rover murders. Charlie Creed Miles stars as Billy, the gangsters driver who becomes involved with all of it.

It doesn't sound like a good movie,but when watching,the violence and the rape is so brutal that it will make you look away from the screen. Some people have never seen such violent men that if they watch this,they will turn it off half way through. The most disturbing thing is that these events did take place a few years ago.I won't spoil anymore of the film but all I can say is,this is what goes on behind closed doors in Essex.
The film is a british gangster thriller which is loosely based on the tale of what happened.You see Billy get drawn in and by the end of it we have sympathy for this character.The film is grim but worth a rent,it goes on for about two hours but is enjoyable and disturbing.I rate 3/5.

 I agree with this review as the film entails muchviolence, but it did draw me in, i enjoyed the film and agree that 'by the end we have sympathy for this character'  - Mandy Edmondson

Review by The Telegraph

This stylish British gangster film, set in and around Southend, stars Sean Bean and Tom Wilkinson as a couple of rival hoods, and is a good deal better written than you might expect. At least the people say things that people might say, and the plot, though it goes a bit awry, is full of details that lend credibility. In the second half, some of the characters begin to lose their power, mainly because the film's violence is endlessly trying to top itself. The young British actor Charlie Creed-Miles (who was brilliant in Nil by Mouth), plays a hapless taxi-driver caught up in a world he doesn't understand. This film shows him coming into his own in a big way. AOH

I agree that the actor Charlie Creed- Miles played his role well, even when he was completely silent. I disagree that the plot goes a bit awry; i found it well written and a very, compelling film.. - Mandy Edmondson

Overall Male and Female voted 6/10. Although males under 18 found the film more appealing by 0.2% because violent and gangster films are more appealing to males around that age as they are more interested in violence and films associated with it.

 

The film opens with a dark, black background; this instantly establishes that the film is within the thriller genre. It then uses non-diegetic sounds of scratches whilst showing us white lines on the screen. The black and white theme is using carascura lighting- light on dark.  It is a noir opening; it is creating a visually appealing effect. The lines resemble that of chalk or paint running down a black board, although when the non-diegetic sound is added to the picture, we are led to believe it is scratches being made on a car.  This automatically creates tension and creates an enthralling opening scene, as it leads the audience to believe the movie entails crime and violence.

The black background then fades and reveals to us the generic location that the opening scene is set in; a garage. Here the director has created a typical thriller scene by using a claustrophobic space which connotes isolation. Winsor has used a medium establishing shot along with chiaroscuro and noir lighting to influence the audience to feel the tension and surrealism. The fact that Billy is entrapped and isolated may be foreshadowing his emotions that he may later feel later on in the film due to the strain he is put under and the fear he experiences due to Jason.  These aspects indicate the film is noir, and uses the theme of corruption and violence.  Billy then switches the light on , to add non ambient lighting to the scene. Diegetic sounds have also been kept to add realism and make it believable.  This scene uses a fist person voiceover from Billy; that is used to explain the events that occur in the film from the characters point of view, but to also as an obvious cultural signifier; due to the recognisable Essex accent that Billy obtains. It is not something that is specific to this particular genre but is used in films none the less; for example ‘The Third Man’ in which voiceover is used effectively during the title sequence and is used to make the audience feel more engaged and closer to the action.

The camera cuts to Billy entering the car.  It then cuts to a still showing the windscreen whilst the window wipers wipe off filth and dirt from the screen. The shot then reveals to us a man standing to the left of the screen. In this shot we are first introduced to the character: Jason Locke. The way we are introduced to the character through the murky, dirty car windscreen, and that half of his body is immerged into the shadow; implies that Jason has ominous qualities and his moral corruption, can be considered as ‘dirt’. His costume tells the audience that he is a generic villain; his flamboyant orange shirt reveals that this character is confident and important in the film; his leather jacket is a generic signifier of the thriller genre. The voiceover also enables us to learn that Jason Locke is a character involves with crime and has recently been released from prison. The glass could also represent the barrier between the two characters, and the dirt being washes away suggests that Billy is making himself exposed to Jason.

Billy has offered to be Jason’s chauffeur for a couple of days. This shot shows Billy’s car entering the Dartford tunnel, this shot can link in with several aspects of the thriller genre, as the tunnel is again a generic convention of the thriller due to it’s claustrophobic, and enclosed space. This tunnel can be resembled to the barrel of a gun; this could mean that they are heading into corruption, danger and violence.  It is also used as a vanishing point, this could mean that Billy will eventually disappear, and become nothing.

 In this still it shows the lighting from the roof, reflecting on the windscreen of the car. These lights resemble prison bars; this could be foreshadowing Billy and Jason’s fate, a life of crime or prison. Terry Winsor has used this to make the audience wait in suspense to watch the rest of the film and to see what happens to both of the characters. There is also the non-diagetic sound of sirens are also occuring during this shot; which also reffers back to the bars and the concept of prison. This shot also shows that Jason look’s quite unhappy and maybe anxious as to what extent he is involved with Jason and his ‘business’, the light on his face could also communicate to the audience that Billy is a good person,but his innocence is shadowed by the violent personality of Jason who is in the dark at the back of the car, without a care in the world.

In this shot it shows Jason in a fish market, a scene which reveals to us the true extent of Jason’s violent nature. It is an environment which entails blood, guts and people. Jason attacks the man in public, this indicates that he doesn’t care about the consequences; he isn’t fazed by the thought of prison and he’ll do anything to get revenge.   

Here we see that Billy witness’s Jason throwing acid onto the man’s face through the wing mirror of the new van that Jason has required.  This shows that Jason is a man with no morals, and a dangerous one at that. He is also a part of a corrupt and dangerous social web, he is involved with crimes and capable of extremely violent crimes; this enhances the sense of threat and suspense.

The generic white van used in Essex Boys creates enigma, it is so generic that we are aware of its importance within the film. It is never revealed to us what is inside the van, which is what makes it enigmatic, just like in kill bill. Bill’s face is never shown, and that is the enigma within the Kill Bill volumes.  

There is a simple, clean establishing shot of the Essex Marshes; Jason has chosen this location to leave his victim. The marshes are bleak, but give a sense of isolation. The filthiness of the landscape can be compared with the situation in which Billy is entrapped. The Essex Marshes can be used as a representation of Jason’s character, as the marshes have no boundaries and Jason has no moral boundaries. The marshes are a vanishing point and are a bit enigmatic also, as we are aware that the tide will come in, and they will disappear. It is a primeval landscape, - one with no morals, which connotes danger. It is a wasteland, a ‘no man’s land’ this can be referred to the film ‘No country for Old Men’ when the desert is a wasteland also.

The photo on the left is of the landsape in 'No Country for Old Men', the right is of the Essex Marshes used in 'Essex Boys'. Jason and the hitman Anton Chigurh are both predatory and primeval; they have no moral landsape, their hunting grounds suggest the realm of a nightmare.

Review

Firstly, Our group sat, and made a brief outline about what we were going to discuss in the preliminery task, and also the angles we would use. We then made a storyboard to plan exactly what would happen, and then we began filming. The plan was useful as, it enabled us to know what we were suppose to be doing, and have us a guideline to go by.


During our filming task; we used a variety of different camera angles such as; birds eye view to show the location from above, and show the layout of the scene, we used panning shots for effect,  to suggest that the charachter is moving, and bring out the character from other things in the frame. We also used tracking shots, the effect of using this shot is to make the viewers feel like they are a part of the action, instead of being static observers. I feel like i have developed my skills of using a camera, and my confidence using once has definitely increased over the task, as i had an opportunity to practice different shots and angles.

Continuity was something we lacked, as we forgot to wear the same clothes as  we had in the previous lesson and therefore had to refilm the footage we had already shot, but we used this as extra practice, and found that the footage we reshot, was  better than the orginal film. 

I was not able to take part in the editing of the video, as i couldn't be in school due to a family wedding that i had to attend. However, i feel that the group i worked with did a brilliant job with doing so.


Overall; the preliminary task was enjoyable, and gave me a chance to work with new people and learn new skills.

Preliminery Task

How does Quentin Tarantino utilise conventions of the thriller genre in Kill Bill Vol 1

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003) Official Trailer

Opening Scene Of Volume 1

Quentin Tarantino utilises many types of generic thriller conventions in his film Kill Bill volume 1, An aspect, in which Tarantino utilises aspects of the thriller, is the way in which he uses light.  The scene opens with a black screen and the diegetic sound of the bride’s heavy breathing; and the sound bridge - these are the first signifiers that the film is within the thriller genre. We then see a close up shot of the bride in black and white, noir and chiaroscuro lighting; this can be used to create confusion amongst the audience or can indicate a flashback in a film. In Kill Bill, it is used in order to tribute to old thriller films such as ‘The Third Man’ which is also in black and white. The bride is shown from a high angle shot; this is to signify her vulnerability and weakness. She also has blood on her face – this indicates violence and crime.

The diegetic sound of the brides’ heavy breathing, and noises continue- this connotes that the bride is innocent. In the background we can hear the diegetic sound of footsteps, which are gradually getting louder; this is a generic thriller convention that creates suspense and tension amongst the audience as they are unaware of who is coming. The camera then cuts to a low angle tracking shot of a man’s’ feet walking. He is wearing boots with a Cuban heel; this suggests he is wealthy, as these types of shoes are expensive.

The use of diegetic sound within the opening of Kill Bill Volume 1 connotes the aspects of the character – we can tell the man within the tracking shot is the villain. Diegetic sound is also heightens the mood, and it also adds to the sense of drama within the opening. Diegetic sound also makes film realistic, and therefore we can sympathise with the character and the tension and fear she is feeling, and the footsteps she can hear. Tarantino is also ensuring that he is building up tension and suspense within the audience, and makes them wonder what is going to happen and who the man is.
                                                                                                                                 

The camera then cuts back to a high angle shot of the bride’s face;  we then hear diegetic sound of the door closing and we hear a man’s voice say ‘Do you find me sadistic?’ this indicates immediately that he is someone who Is sadistic, and enjoys blood and horror. It also connotes that he inflicted these injuries on her. We then hear the diegetic sound of the man walking towards the bride, and wiping her face, with a silky handkerchief, with the name bill embroidered into the corner. Immediately the audience are aware that the man wiping the blood off her face is Bill.  The blood and the silk handkerchief contrast, as the blood represents; violence, corruption and brutality whilst silk represents, soft nature, and delicacy. The bride’s facial expressions communicate to the audience that she is very uncomfortable being near Bill, and flinches when he touches her, even if it is through the handkerchief. This shot tells us a lot about Bill; he is wearing a bracelet; that may be symbolic, for example, he may be incorporated with a gang- which would imply he was a dangerous man.

 This shot, again shows the vulnerability of the bride, but also the importance of her character, and the power and importance Bill has within the film. It also shows that he has a high status within the film.  Quentin Tarantino has also used generic conventions by using enigma within the opening scene – the enigma is that Bills face is never seen, and the contents of the briefcase in the movie are never revealed to the audience.

Practice Shots

Worms Eye view


















High Angle 

Medium Close up

Extreme Close up           

                                                                                                                            

Birds Eye View

Close Up

Tilt Shot         
                                                                                                                                                         

Low Angle




















Long Shot

 

Over the Shoulder Shot  

                                                                                                                             

StoryBoard for Priliminary Task

Shot Reverse Shot, Match on action & 180° rule

180° rule

The 180 degree rule is one which means that two people in a scene should always keep the same left and right relationship to one another, so that the audience watching doesn't get confused. The picture below shows that if the camera crosses the line connecting the two charachters together, it is called crossing the line, this is called a reverse shot - and it means that the two charachters are seen on opposite sides of the shot than before.

Match On Action

This is when the camera follows the steps, movements and action that the character makes and then cuts it from one action to the next but making it a different angle or camera keeping sure that it is giving continuation to the scene.

Shot Reverse Shot

Shot reverse shot is a technique used when two characters are talking to one another; face to face, and one character is shown looking at the another, then it shows the other charachter lookingback at the first. Because the charachters are facing eachother it looks as if they are looking at one another.

Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy (2011)

Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy Trailer HD

Director: Thomas Alfredson

Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy Promotional Poster

Winter's Bone (2010)

 Director: Debra Granik
 External Review: (Rotten Tomatoes)

Bleak, haunting, and yet still somehow hopeful, Winter's Bone is writer-director Debra Granik's best work yet -- and it boasts an incredible, starmaking performance from Jennifer Lawrence.

External review: (The New York Times)

Even before the real trouble starts — with suspicious lawmen on one side and a clan of violent drug dealers on the other — Ree Dolly faces more than the usual litany of adolescent worries. Her father, locally renowned for his skill at cooking methamphetamine, has vanished, and her emotionally hollowed-out mother has long since abandoned basic parental duties, leaving Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) to run the household and care for her two younger siblings. The family lives in southwestern Missouri, a stretch of the Ozarks that is both desolate and picturesque, words that might also suit “Winter’s Bone,” Debra Granik’s tender and flinty adaptation of a novel of the same title by Daniel Woodrell.

“Winter’s Bone,” warmly embraced at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, belongs, at least at first glance, to one of that festival’s familiar genres: the regional-realist morality tale. These days, American independent cinema abounds in earnest stories of hard-bitten people living in impoverished corners of the country, their moral and emotional struggles accompanied by acoustic guitars and evocative landscape shots and generally uninflected by humor.

The faces in “Winter’s Bone” are certainly mirthless — not only Ree’s, but also those of the relatives she turns to for advice and protection when her predicament becomes desperate. The topography of chilly hollows and ragged forests is filmed in a way that emphasizes its bleakness. There are banjos and fiddles, as well as guitars, and some beautiful old mountain ballads are performed on camera. Some of the cast members are nonprofessional actors, and nearly all are wary, watchful and taciturn, speaking their few words in faultless regional accents.
What distinguishes Ms. Granik’s film from, say, Courtney Hunt’s “Frozen River” — to cite another recent Sundance favorite with cold weather in its title and grim Americana on its mind — is that this harshness is not there to illuminate a sociological condition. Something more primal, almost Greek in its archaic power, is at stake in “Winter’s Bone,” and its visual and emotional starkness do no not feel like simple badges of authenticity.
This is not a story about drugs and family life in a particular region of the United States, even though it displays some impressive local knowledge (much of it derived from Mr. Woodrell’s book). It is more deeply about tribal ties and individual choices, about a stubborn girl’s sense of justice coming into sharp and dangerous conflict with deep and intractable customs.
In Ms. Lawrence’s watchful, precise and quietly heroic performance, Ree is like a modern-day Antigone, making ethical demands that are at once entirely coherent and potentially fatal. After his last arrest, her father, Jessup, put up the family property — including the house where his wife and children live — as bond, and if he does not surrender soon, it will all be taken away.
Jessup, however, is nowhere to be found, and Ree’s efforts to locate him leave her in a terrible dilemma. She must either betray the code of silence that keeps her extended family firmly and proudly on the wrong side of the law, or else face destitution.
“Aren’t we all supposed to be kin?” she asks, more than once, as she tramps through the backwoods from house to house, demanding information, help or just a scrap of elementary kindness. The kinfolk next door grudgingly offer food and monitor Ree’s encounters with the nervous deputies from the sheriff’s office who stop by from time to time. Jessup’s brother, Teardrop (John Hawkes), greets her with silent menace that erupts into violence, though he turns out to harbor more compassion than most.
“Are you going to kill me?” Ree asks, after a group of women led by the wife of the clan patriarch has beaten her and thrown her in a barn.
“That idea was talked about,” is the matter-of-fact reply.
Anxious sympathy for this young woman in peril — at 17, barely more than a child herself and forced to respond to challenges that would terrify most adults — is the prevailing emotion you are likely to feel when watching “Winter’s Bone.” It is straightforward and suspenseful but also surprising and subtle. Ree is torn between loyalty to her brother and sister and a desire to escape her ancestral home, to join the Army and make a new life for herself. But an interview with a military recruiter reveals just how deeply she is embedded in a way of life that has defined her family for generations.
The soldier, who patiently and kindly demolishes Ree’s dream of running away, belongs to a world governed by reasonable options and practical considerations. Ree lives somewhere else, in a universe ruled by ancient grudges and elaborate, inflexible notions of obligation, honor and shame. “Winter’s Bone” is about her discovery of how cruel her native habitat can be and also about her initiation into its ways — a coming-of-age story that is not entirely about breaking free.
Whether Ree’s world exists in quite the way Ms. Granik and Mr. Woodrell depict it is not really the issue; the film’s realism is a point of entry rather than the whole point of the exercise. Its setting is finally subordinate to the main character, as memorable and vivid a heroine as you are likely to see on screen this season.
“Winter’s Bone” is rated R. It has drug dealing, drug use and profanity.

Questionnaire

Year 12 Media Studies Student Questionnaire

Name:  Mandy Edmondson

GCSE Results: -

English Literature:  B

English Language:  A

Mathematics: B

Physics: B

Biology: B

Chemistry: B

French: A*

ICT: A*

Business and communication systems: B

Business studies: B

Hobbies

I like drawing and painting in my spare time, I also enjoy outdoor activities such as kayaking and surfing.  I like revamping jewellery to make it my own or sell on. 

Print Media

I like reading ‘The Guardian.’ I enjoy reading this newspaper because it lets me know what is currently occurring around the world. It not only includes culture, business and money but also life and style which I enjoy reading about because it is something I am interested in. I also enjoy the section that people write in their problems and ask for advice; I can relate to this sometimes and therefore find it funny and occasionally helpful.  It also contains what time TV programmes I watch are on during the week. 

Cosmopolitan is the magazine I enjoy reading the most; I enjoy it due to it having a lot of things women can relate to, It also updates me on new products that I may want to purchase and gives me ideas that I can use for inspiration towards my fashion sense.  I also like it because it contains embarrassing stories people have sent in that make me laugh. The magazine also regularly comes with free products such as makeup, a bag or a book. I find this persuades me even more to buy the magazine because I know I enjoy the magazine but I will also gain a free product. 

Radio Media

I like listening to Radio 1, I like the variety of music it puts on the show, and it gives me a chance to listen to recent tracks that have entered the charts. Although I don’t listen to the music broadcasted on this radio channel I still enjoy being aware of what the songs are. I Find knowing what they are helps me when I am in a conversation with friends who do like music of this type.

Music Industry

My favourite genres of music are dub step, drum step, Hip-Hop, and Rock.

I do access my music through the internet, I think it’s easier to access; you can make it louder, and also watch the music video at the same time. I can also access my music when using the internet for social networking or doing homework as I find it helps me concentrate.

My opinion of illegal downloading is that it is bad for the music industry and people should avoid it due to the artist losing out on money, viruses being very easy to download onto your computer along with the music and also the quality sometimes lacks. However I also think that CD’s and records are slightly overpriced and the artists are already rich and therefore aren’t going to miss any money.

The music industry does influence my attitude, depending on which genre im listening to. I find particular songs do affect my aspirations and make me want to do well for myself. The industry also influences my dress sense, in that I find I wear particular clothes that reflect certain music types that also influence certain styles.

Video Games

My favourite video game is called ‘The Hobbit’ it is the prelude to Lord of The Rings. It is a game in which a hobbit is sent on loads of quests where you collect jewels and complete puzzles that are set for you throughout the game. The player also acquires a lot of items to collect that help you on your journey. Each level contains a series of quest, some are optional and some are required quests such as saving the dwarves from the spiders.

Video games may have a negative effect on the on the attitudes to gender and attitude to the solution of conflicts due to the violence and tendency for men to be the main characters or women to have small roles in the game.  This may influence some people to think that females should have smaller roles in the real world –when this is most definitely not the case. It could also have a negative attitude towards the way we deal with conflict as individuals may consider the way that a problem is resolved in a game would be appropriate even though we should not resort to violence when a conflict arises.

New Technology

I think technology has increased my understanding of the world as I can research the things I don’t understand on the internet, and cameras allow me to see things that I haven’t seen before whether it is of a country I have not yet visited or a new species that has just been discovered, it is now easier to discover and learn new things about the world around us with the technology that has been created.

Technology has dramatically increased my ability to communicate with others; there are so many ways of communicating with friends and family whether they live nearby or across the world. Social networking, Texts, Phone calls and Emails are just some of the things I use to communicate with the people I wish to and I think if this weren’t possible I’d find it very hard and expensive to send them ways of communication.  It would also take much longer if we didn’t have technology to communicate and therefore means of communication would be slow and impractical in todays’ modern world.

My ability to access to films, television programmes and the music industry has been made very simple with technology. It’s very easy and simple to access, with help of internet, games consoles and televisions as well as cinemas. I don’t have to hesitate about how I want to consume media.

Technology has made my ability to create my own media texts simple,  I can make them in a matter of minutes, they can be made on so many programmes are easy to go out and purchase and most already come when you buy a computer and therefore making a newspaper article, poster, or advertisement is simple and takes minimal time.

Television

My favourite television channels are BBC 1, ITV, and E4. I prefer BBC 1 because when a film is showing; there are no advertisements throughout the film.  I also like these channels due to the programmes that show on them tend to be the ones I enjoy.

My favourite television genre is soaps, because I’ve watched them for years and I like keeping up to date with the story line, through the magazines and spoilers.

Personally I consider Eastenders, 90210 and Desperate Housewives  the most memorable television programmes because of their dramatic storylines and the cliff hangers at the end of the programme that leaves me urging to watch the next!

Feature film

My favourite genre of film is horror and comedy; I love both of these genre’s because they make me laugh, and intrigue me.

The three films I find outstanding are;

I prefer to consume films via the cinema or DVD, the cinema for the reason of surround sound and huge screen, and DVD because I can enjoy a film in the comfort of my own home and enjoy my own food while doing so,  I prefer to watch a movie at home due to the reason that I save money this way and can eat hot food without it costing me a bomb.

My favourite cinema is Vue. I chose this cinema over others because it’s easy to access; it’s in the centre of the town. I also prefer this cinema due to film tickets being cheaper; they offer teenage tickets that are cheaper than an adult. When I purchase a ticket there I also get a discount on the next visit. Although the seats may not be the most comfortable I still prefer to pay less and use my money elsewhere.

The genre of the movie determines if I prefer to watch it by myself, If it’s a thriller I prefer to watch it alone, whether than a romance tends to make me want to watch it with another person. I love to watch comedies with other people and in groups as you can laugh together and have fun whilst also watching the film. A serious film is something I like to watch solely to enjoy it to the full potential and understand the story line.

Are you a media producer?

I have never contributed to the construction of a media production before.  I volunteered to be the model for my best friend’s art piece, in which I had to cover my face in sweets as the theme was set around childish behaviours 

 

Conclusion

The most offensive media text that I have consumed was a film about the deaths of terrorists, and although terrorists are bad people the footage made me feel quite sick. I wouldn’t advise anyone to watch it.

The most interesting media text I have seen and remember was the tsunami in Thailand. I found this very interesting, also horrifying, but I found it quite fascinating.  It was the main story in the media at the time and I couldn’t stop reading about it, I kept reading about the aftermath and how the people affected would build their country again and how they would build their houses and have to replant their land and get new livestock. I find stories to do with natural disasters fascinating.

This video about a man who has no arms or legs altered my attitude to life generally, towards myself, my family and friends, my community and country and my inspirations and values. It had a very large affect on me and made me realise what I should value in life and appreciate that I have more than some other people who wish they had the simple things that I don’t think about.  Nick Vujicic inspired me in this video a great deal and I hope it inspires you too.

I have chosen media studies as an option because I am interested in the media a great deal. Media has also affected my life a great deal and affects my everyday life. It also inspires me and helps me view things from different angles and perspectives, which helps me understand things better.