Wow, haven't updated the blog in a while :s! So, Imap done. Essay done. Just one more deadline to go!
Hmm..and a lot of catching up on here...and project research...ok maybe no relaxing for me. Better get on it.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Imap/Essay
After weeks of undecidedness over which essay question to use I've finally opted for question 3. The character I am going to use to analyse will be Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates Of The Caribbean.
Denotation/connotation/myth is definately the one...now just to decide on the other set. Hmm.....iconic/arbitrary....or maybe binary opposition?..choices choices..
Denotation/connotation/myth is definately the one...now just to decide on the other set. Hmm.....iconic/arbitrary....or maybe binary opposition?..choices choices..
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Damon Reads Twilight
Just a little extra.....
There was a certain quote mentioned in the lecture that 'maker's are aware of makers'. Following on from the topic of vampires heres a clip from The Vampire Diaries that instantly came to mind upon hearing this.
Made me laugh!
Vampire: Human or Creature?
In our seminar following the Intertextuality lecture we discussed early vampire films Nosferatu (1922), Nosferatu:The Vampyre (1979) and Dracula (1993). Now, personally I could sit and discuss this topic all day. I love the vampire subculture and having always wanting to see Nosferatu but having never got round to it (I know, I know, shocker), getting to watch a clip, if only for 5 minutes was a real treat. (I will now be buying the film!)
Seeing how a vampire was portrayed in the '20's compared to the recent more modern vampires, the look has changed drastically but the story still the same.
In the '20's vampires were made to look like what they are, a monster - scary, creepy, disgusting etc, someone you would want nothing to do with and avoid like the plague. But as the years have gone on film makers have been able to take the fact that this 'creature' is dangerous and evolve it into a type of danger that draws you in. (Of course casting handsome, young actors and making the vampire look more human plays a big part in this!) By making them attractive and human-like you can relate to them a lot more, but theres still that part of them that sets them apart from the rest of us, which is very intriguing and mysterious. This can be seen from the releases of 'The Twilight Saga', 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'True Blood'. All three shows doing very well and being extremely popular over the past couple of years. I think this transformation has been possible as ideas have changed over the years, people becoming a lot more relaxed about certain types of context not only on t.v but in life in general. For anyone who has seen True Blood will know how sexy the programme is - compare this to the bedroom scene in Nosferatu where he takes her heart, no physical contact, the action being carried out to the viewer by his shadow.
Nosferatu (1922)
The Twilight Saga (2008)
True Blood (2008)
Seeing how a vampire was portrayed in the '20's compared to the recent more modern vampires, the look has changed drastically but the story still the same.
In the '20's vampires were made to look like what they are, a monster - scary, creepy, disgusting etc, someone you would want nothing to do with and avoid like the plague. But as the years have gone on film makers have been able to take the fact that this 'creature' is dangerous and evolve it into a type of danger that draws you in. (Of course casting handsome, young actors and making the vampire look more human plays a big part in this!) By making them attractive and human-like you can relate to them a lot more, but theres still that part of them that sets them apart from the rest of us, which is very intriguing and mysterious. This can be seen from the releases of 'The Twilight Saga', 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'True Blood'. All three shows doing very well and being extremely popular over the past couple of years. I think this transformation has been possible as ideas have changed over the years, people becoming a lot more relaxed about certain types of context not only on t.v but in life in general. For anyone who has seen True Blood will know how sexy the programme is - compare this to the bedroom scene in Nosferatu where he takes her heart, no physical contact, the action being carried out to the viewer by his shadow.
Nosferatu (1922)
The Twilight Saga (2008)
True Blood (2008)
The Vampire Diaries (2009)
As you can see Nosferatu is someone you would cross the road to avoid: scary eyes, sharp teeth, pointy bat ears and long fingernails - an all-round nasty creature, whereas the others are all pleasing to the eye. And going by these pictures alone you can't tell them apart from a normal person. The same can't be said for Nosferatu!
However, srcatch beneath the surface and you find they are all the same, blood drinkers, shy away from human contact (for the most part!) and where ever they go death surely follows.
By changing the look to appeal to a younger audience the subject has gained a cult following, the world currently going vampire crazy!
Monday, 1 November 2010
Haven't I seen That Somewhere Before?
I found last week's lecture on Intertextuality really interesting. Sitting through many films in the past I have often found myself thinking a particular scene looks quite familiar, certain I had seen it somewhere before and then it annoying me for ages after, not being able to figure out where from and why. Now knowing what it is and why film makers do it, I find myself intentionally looking out for these signs when watching not only films but also T.V programmes and adverts.
During the lecture, one scene that instantly came to mind was from The Hangover. Zach Galifianakis, aka Alan, riding escalator into the casino with Bradley Cooper, mimicking the scene from Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise:
The Hangover (2009)
Rain Man (1988)
I instantly recognised it and said as such to my friend. And yes, I did feel a little smug. heehee :)
A T.V series that encorporates intertextuality on a big scale is Spaced. Anyone who has seen this programme will know that sci-fi in particular is referenced A LOT! - Star Wars mainly (as can be seen on the cover of the DVD.) Its very cleverly done and anyone who hasn't seen it then please do!! Its so very good.
Episode 1:Beginnings (just to get you started):
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Simon Pegg has then stepped it up and proceeded to take certain jokes from this series on to future projects of his, such as Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. So in some way all of his work links together. Watching one of his films for the first time and hearing a one of the jokes you wouldn't think anything of it, but having watched his previous work you feel that you know and understand him and the characters he potrays on a more personal level.
Logos
Whilst browsing through some magazines I have also seen images and logos that are intertextual. For example the Gucci and Chanel logo:
Although not exactly the same, the idea of the initial letter linking together is clearly very similar.
Photographs
Demi Moore's iconic naked photo whilst pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair in the early '90s sparked a lot of controversy when first published but has now been recreated many times over by other stars over the past 20 years for various magazines:
What with all of this intertextuality it does make you wonder when it will end but the fact is (as correctly stated in the lecture) it can't. People will always be influenced by other people's work whether consciously or subconsciously.
In a way I think this is a really good thing as you can take that first idea and improve on it in a big way until its 10/50/100% better. The natural process is that this will keep happening as time goes on, which makes you think of all the possibilities that we have yet to encounter in the future.
And whats not to love about that?!
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