Star Wars - Queen Amidala

Star Wars: Episode I Phantom Menace was released May 1999 and was the forth Star Wars film to be made, of the six. It was written and produced by George Lucas. Queen Amidala is the leader of the human population on the planet Naboo. Throughout the film she is shown to be a bold and courageous leader, but at times she also shows the vulnerability of a young 16 year old girl forced into a position of power that perhaps she would rather not have. 

Queen Amidala has two dramatically different looks in the film. When she is in her royal attire, she wears very extravagant outfits with extreme white makeup and avant-garde hair designs; however when she is disguised as one of her servants, she is a lot more natural and young looking with a very plain uniform. 

Queen Amidala 1

Makeup
Queen Amidala's makeup is very extreme and abstract looking. She has an even layer of white paint all over her face, it looks very thin, as if it could be her own skin. Just below her lower lash line has been kept bare which I think makes the look softer and gives her eyes more definition. There is no contouring or blush, the face is kept very bare and flat looking. Her eyebrows look like they have been lightly filled in, or maybe just brushed through and cleared of white product. She looks like she is wearing a very light coat of black mascara on her top and bottom eyelashes. She has got a small red dot on both apples of her cheeks. Her top lip has been sharply lined and filled in with red and then there is a red strip going down the middle of her bottom lip, with the rest of her lips kept white. Her makeup is kept the same, with just slight changed in colouring, whilst she is Queen; it is her hair and outfits that change dramatically.

http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2013/03/Queen-Amidala.jpg

Hair
Queen Amidala's hair is, for me, the stand out feature of all her looks. All the hair styles she wears are so unique and extravagant, with different shapes and accessories and colours. I love how every hair style ties in perfectly with her outfit, with the same colours and textures. There are so many hair looks, but I have picked my two favourites to look into. It looks like her hair has been put up into a high ponytail at the back; however I think extensions would have been added to give her the length and thickness to create the bubble shaped ponytail. I think the two side structures would be made up of padding to give them that horn like shape; I then covered in hair the same colour as her natural hair. After all the fake hair was shaped, I think the gold accessories would have been added and the red and gold pendants would have been attached to the padding. I think that the gold headpiece, with the gold chains, would act as a foundation for the big pastiche of moulded hair.
Another of my favourite hair looks from Queen Amidala would be Look 2, below. I don't think any of her real hair would have been used in this hairstyle, I think her hair would have been tied back and then the whole head piece would have been put on top.

I love all the very rich tones in both these hair styles because it shows she has power and high status.

Look 1
https://nickholdstock.files.wordpress.com
/2010/11/queen-amidala-754048.jpeg

Look 1
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2a/
7e/78/2a7e787e2392732188f3a89a64a5eb5c.jpg

Look 2
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/12/19/242B68A90
0000578-2881088-image-a-28_1419020325517.jpg

Look 2
https://fredainhistoryclass.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/
star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-18.jpg

Style

http://www.rebelshaven.com/SWFFAQ
/images/throneroom/throneroom4.jpg

http://laulaugauthier.l.a.pic.centerblog.net/o/73eb0121.jpg

Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/

Cinderella - Makeup, Hair and Fashion

Cinderella was directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Chris Weitz. The styling in this 2015 version of Cinderella was kept very true to the original cartoon, with the beautiful blue ball gown and glass slippers. Cinderella has two very different looks; she starts off looking very scruffy and dirty and then at the ball she looks stunning, with her hair and makeup perfectly done and in a sparkling gown.

Cinderella 1

Throughout a lot of the film, Cinderella is a slave to her evil step mother. She has very minimal makeup on. It looks like she is very a light layer of foundation, with some rosy pink blush. Her eyebrows look very lightly filled in and it looks like she is wearing a pink lip stain to give her lips colour, but without looking too defined. In one scene, after Cinderella has been sleeping by the fire, she has black coal smudged all over her face, making her look very dirty and scruffy. I think that during some of the other scenes, Cinderella looks too perfected and so I think that some dirt should have been added round her hands or a bit on her face, just to give her that worn out look. 

When Cinderella is working as a slave, her hair is quite frizzy looking and messy and she either has her hair in a middle parting with a messy low ponytail or she has her hair kept off her face with a dirty looking piece of cloth wrapped round the front of her hair and then either down or in a loose bun. 

Cinderella is always seen in the same pale blue dress and brown apron whilst she is working for her evil step mother. The dress has a square neck line with frill detailing, and a structured waist line to give her a flattering hourglass silhouette. It gets dirty throughout the film to show she has been working hard and hasn't got time to be constantly cleaning it. 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/11/19/234C82FE00000578-2841139-Cinder_Ella_
In_the_film_the_Disney_princess_s_famous_name_is_act-64_1416414778547.jpg

https://ohilodude.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/download-1.jpeg

http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141213204436/disney/images/3/35/Cinderella
-Trailer-Cate-Blanchett-Movie-Preview-Tom-Lorenzo-Site-TLO-5.jpg

Cinderella 2

When Cinderella's fairy god mother transforms her into a princess, she wows the ball goers with her beauty. Her makeup is still kept very natural looking, with a light layer of foundation and a rosy pink blush. She might have a very light, natural contour under her cheekbones to give her face more definition. Her eyebrows look slightly darker to balance out the darker eyes. In the screenshot I took of the film below, it looks like she is wearing a shimmery medium brown shade all over her lid and then a slightly darker matte shade through the crease to blend it out; it looks like the same brown through the crease has been very lightly brushed along the lower lash line too. She isn't wearing obvious fake eyelashes, but she may have been wearing natural looking individual eyelashes to give her natural eyelashes some volume. She is wearing a red lipstick on her lips, however it looks like three has been dabbed on because there are no harsh lines round her lips, making them look softer and more natural. 

My own screenshot from the film.

Cinderella's hair has been put in a middle parting and perfectly curled into loose ringlets. It looks like both sides has been curled away from the face and pinned back, just above her ears, to take the front hair off her face. It looks like the hair has been plaited over the top of her head to give her air some volume and body. Some jewels have been dotted all round her hair to make it look very glittery and girly. To continue the sparkly effect, so glitter has been brushed all over her chest to give her a pretty glowing look. She wears her hair differently from the original cartoon, I think to add a more unique and modern twist.

http://www.costumedetective.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cinderella_ball_hair.jpg

Cinderella's ball gown was kept very true to the original dress in the cartoon version, with the puffy sleeves, nipped in waist and big voluminous skirt; however she didn't wear the signature long blur gloves. It looks like she is wearing a corset as her waist look tiny and very defined and her waist is emphasised more with the puffy sleeves and neck line and the huge padded skirt. The off the shoulder neck line added a sophisticated touch, decorated with butterflies and flowers. I like that the skirt was almost shiny because it looked so beautiful in the lighting. The glass slippers were breath taking! They were carved in so many different directions that they were always glistening and sparkling and they were topped off with a gold butterfly on each foot. 

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blue_cinderella_3006.jpg

https://kaiserswest.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/lily-james-1024.jpg

http://www.bestfreejpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cinderella_2015_shoes.jpg

Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/

Grease - Looking into Sandy

http://comediva.com/images/stories/sandy_makeover_051012_revised.jpg

Sandy Olsson is played by actress Olivia Newton-John. Sandy has two very contrasting looks in the film. She is first introduced as a very sweet and innocent character who has just fallen in love in a fairytale way. Throughout the majority of the film though, she has a very youthful, fresh faced look; however at the end of the film the Pink Ladies give her a makeover to become more sexy and confident. Here, I will look into both these looks, from the makeup to the styling.

Sandy 1 

Makeup
Throughout most of the film, Sandy looks very sweet and innocent. She has very fresh, dewy skin with lots of rosy blush to give her that youthful and girly look. It looks like the foundation used was very dewy and that not much powder was used to mattify the skin, apart from possibly under the eyes. I think a cream blush and possibly cream highlight was used to give her that glossy/wet look on the cheeks. Her eyebrows have been very lightly filled in to match the low lights in her hair to softly frame the face. Her eyes look very minimalist, with possibly just a bit of a grey toned brown through the crease and brushed lightly over the lid, and along the lower lash line to define her eyes. It looks light there is a very light coat of mascara on her top eyelashes and then her bottom eyelashes were possibly left bare. I think there is some white in her waterline to get her that 'wide awake' and puppy eyed look. A very natural glossy colour has been used on the lips to keep with that very youthful look.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/dc/52/
d1/dc52d19b83bd8ebf259bca76dcab7070.jpg

Hair

Sandy's hair very always very neat and tied off her face. In the majority of her looks she has a short, straight cut fringe which I think adds a youthful and girly touch to her look. In the image below, she has her fringe swept to the side, however this is the scene just before her Pink Ladies makeover so I think that is a little hint at what was to come. Her most common hair style is where she has half her hair tied up in a high ponytail and then the rest down and curled outwards at the bottom; I think this hair style is very fun and girly to suit her innocent image at that time. She wears coloured ribbons and hair clips in her hair which she colour coordinated to match her outfits, making her look very put together and neat looking.

http://clothesonfilm.com/grease-olivia-newton-john-is-squeaky-clean-jellybean/9286/

Styling

She is always seen wearing flared dresses or skirts, never tight dresses or trousers, to show how girly and youthful she is. I noticed that the girls that were seen to be more daring and sexy in the film would wear very dark or intense colours to represent how they were more mysterious and powerful; however Sandy would always wear very light and pastel colours to represent her innocence. She is always tied in at the waist to give her that hourglass figure that was very popular in the 1950s. Her outfits were very classy too, she n would never show too much skin or cleavage, until the more risqué characters.

http://img.costumepedia.com/1/442/good-sandy-outfit-in-grease.jpg

Sandy 2

Makeup
At the end of the film the Pink Ladies give innocent Sandy a makeover so that she can impress Danny and show him that she can be sexy and fiery when she wants to be. Her skin isn't as dewy as before, so I think a more matte foundation would have been used and set with powder; however I do think that some highlighter has been used on the tops of her cheekbones. She isn't wearing as much blush as before and the product placement has changed from the apples of her cheeks to just under her cheekbones to give her face a more mature, sculpted look. Her eyebrows have been filled in with a much darker shade to balance out the heavy eye and lip makeup. Black eyeshadow has been used just through the crease of her eyes and along the lower lash line to make her eyes really stand out, and then it looks like a light grey shade has been used on her eyelids. I think a very small winged liner has been used as in some images you can see a black flick at the side of her eye; this may have been eyeliner or black eye shadow. Her brow bone looks very bright, so I think a white eyeshadow was used to make them stand out. I can't see clearly from the images, but I assume that some form of fake eyelashes were used to further intensify the dark, seductive look. She wears a glossy red lip in her final look as red lips were very popular in the 1950s and seen as very sexy, yet glamourous.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nNyruRbs5KM/hqdefault.jpg

Hair
Before Sandy's makeover, her hair was always very slick and neat, but after her makeover her hair is a lot more relaxed and messy looking which I think represents her more wild side coming out. Her hair has been curled/permed all over to give it body and texture; it looks like it may have been back combed and hair sprayed to give it more volume. I think it has been curled in different directions as the curls have a messy and relaxed look about them. It looks like it has been clipped back on one side to give it some shape and style. 

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/grease/images/3/37/S
andy-grease-2.jpeg/revision/latest?cb=20121226055242

Style
She wears a very daring all black, skin tight outfit for her transformation. She had never worn black in the film before or anything so tight so it was a big shock for the audience to see her in such a dramaticly different outfit! It was also a shock to see her smoking as only the characters seen as rebellious were seen with a cigarette. The fact that her shoulders are bare shows she has become more confident and feels more sexy. She is wearing red heels, higher than we have seen her in before, to match her red lips, and I think the red represents her new fiery and powerful image. She had only been seen in flared skirts so her legs had never been on show, so her black shiny 'pants' create a striking and memorable contrast to her previously girly and youthful appearance.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DhrcCcBOsTk/Ui92ni3v9WI/AAAAAA
AAAHKs/GvUrmiCAqMA/s1600/greasecostumeinspiration.jpg

Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/

Current Film - Cinderella

http://www.avenuetheatre.co.uk/home/images/Cinderella-2015.jpg

Plot/Storyline
As a child, Cinderella had the perfect family life, with a loving and supportive mother and father, however after her mother falls sick and passes away, her life is changed forever when she is introduced to her new evil step mother and two ugly step sisters. Shortly after her father remarried he also tragically passes away in an accident whilst on his travels, so Cinderella is left all alone to be bullied and used as a slave. One day, Cinderella breaks down and escapes into the forrest where she bumps into the Prince. They only meet for a minute, but the Prince knows that she is special, and so puts on a ball for all the fair ladies of the land to attend, hoping to meet her once again. Cinderella is excited by the news of a royal ball, however her evil step mother forbids her to attend. On the evening of the ball, Cinderella's dreams come true when her Fairy Godmother casts a magic spell, that lasts only until midnight, to turn her into a beautiful princess with a horse and carriage; she could go to the ball after all! Cinderella enchants the Prince with her beauty and kind heart, but she runs to leave just before midnight, leaving only her glass slipper for her prince to remember her by. Determined to find his princess, the Prince orders his men to travel all over the land, to find the perfect fit for the glass slipper. Cinderella's evil step mother locks her away, but after the Prince hears a mysterious singing voice from the top of the tower, finally finds the perfect fit and they lived happily ever after ruling the kingdom with kindness and courage.

Genre
Fantasy film.

Motifs


Stock Character
Cinderella is similar to Grease in the way that it has genres that overlap and therefore change the stock characters within the film. Cinderella is a fantasy film, but it is also a romantic film, meaning that many of the same stock characters would be used for both Grease and Cinderella. Below are some of the most common fantasy/romantic stock characters matched up with characters from the film:
-The female would be Cinderella as she is the leading role who the storyline follows.
-The hero would be Prince Charming, as he saves Cinderella from her miserable life as a slave to her evil step mother and marries her, giving her an amazing life as a princess.
-The love interest would be Prince Charming because he is the one who Cinderella meets and falls in love with.
-The side kick would either be the Fairy Godmother, as she enables Cinderella to go to the ball or you could say Cinderella's animal friends as they give her company and help her to fix her mother's old dress. You could also argue that the Prince's Captain was the Prince's sick kick as he was always by his side when he needed support or help.
-The evil one would be mainly the evil step mother because she makes Cinderella's life a misery, treating her like a slave and banning her from any social events. The two ugly step sisters are also evil character, but tend to follow anything their mother tells them to do.
-The comedic one would be the ugly sister duo because they wear outrageous outfits and are constantly fooling around and are very over the top.


Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661199/fullcredits/

Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace, Genre

The genre of this film is science fiction. According to the English Oxford Dictionary, the definition of Science Fiction is:-

Fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.  (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/science-fiction)

It took many decades of development before science fiction films were taken seriously.  Originally, they were very much looked down on as B movies, with low budgets and no well known actors, and it wasn't until Star Trek and Star Wars were released in the 1970's that they made a big impact as a genre. The first science fiction films were made by Georges Melies, a French magician, in the early 1900's, including A Trip to the Moon (1902) and The Impossible Voyage (1904).  However, it was more the 'fantasy' part of his films which inspired other film-makers and sci-fi as a genre took quite some time to become popular.  In the 1920's German film-makers produced a number of films which imagined significantly greater developments in science, such as space travel, and in the l930's and 1940's a number of low budget sci-fi serials were made, with all sorts of futuristic gadgets and inventions, which were based on pure fantasy rather than any attempt to consider serious possible scientific developments.  However, in the 1950's there was renewed interest in the genre, partly because the films were made to appeal to the teenage market, which was increasing with the growth of drive-in cinemas, and partly as a reaction to fear of the atomic bomb and the Cold War.  Destination Moon (1950) was the first sci-fi film to try to be true to current and possible scientific developments and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was the first film to portray aliens who had better technology than us and who were also coming as friends, not enemies.  Other classic sci-fi films made at this time were 'creature features' which featured monsters which were created on earth as a result of mistakes made with atomic radiation, such as Them! (1954) and Tarantula (1955), reflecting society's worry about the effects of nuclear warfare.  The next film of particular note was Planet of the Apes (1968) (which received an Honorary Award for Makeup), commenting on the inhumane treatment of animals; it had a number of well known actors in its cast and was a big hit.  The same year 2001: A Space Odyssey, introduced the idea of a computer working for itself for its own benefit rather than that of human operators, and also emphasised the importance of stunning special effects in the genre.

However, it was in the late 1970's that science fiction became an important and highly regarded genre in its own right, when firstly Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and then Star Wars (1977) were released; Star Wars is still the third highest-grossing film ever in the US and received 10 Oscar Nominations.  This was a classic science-fiction film, but also encompassed other film genres, such as the Western, fantasy and combat films, making it appeal to a vast audience.  A common occurrence with science-fiction films is that they spawn sequels and Star Wars has five.  These films established science fiction as a popular genre and have been followed by numerous notable films, including Alien (1979), also incorporating the horror genre, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), growing to series of 12 films, and ET the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), another major box office hit.  The special effects employed in these films have developed significantly, especially with the use of computer generated special effects, such as the 'creature feature' series Jurassic Park (1993, 1997, 2001, 2015).

Like other genres, science fiction often contains elements of other film genres, such as horror.  In Frankenstein (1931), for example, the concept of a mad scientist producing a monster has elements of both science fiction and horror.  Sci-fi theoretician Vivian Sobchack explained the difference between the 'monsters' in horror films and the 'creatures' in science fiction films by noting that horror film monsters often evoke some sympathy from the audience and there's usually only one in a film, whereas the creatures in science fiction films tend not to have any human emotions attributed to them and make no emotional connection with the audience, being just 'things' which are usually hostile and in groups.  A film such as Star Wars also has elements of the Western (the suggestion of exploring new frontiers) and combat films.  Science fiction films, however, are particularly identified by their settings; usually in the future in conditions that may result from imagined developments in technology with its repercussions on human life.  This allows the creators to use limitless imagination on the conditions that may exist and to continue to answer the question 'what if?' as one development leads to another, such as developing space travel opening up whole new worlds and the life that may or may not exist within them.  Another factor common to this genre is the production of series, sequels and prequels, with only horror films having a similarly high number.  For example, Star Wars has six films, Planet of the Apes five and Alien four.  These films are appealing to a young audience, who also like to have related merchandise produced, such as video games and comic books, and who become such fans that they will attend conventions, such as the fans of Star Trek.  

The fact that science fiction films are set in the future or the present with imagined technological developments, means that film-makers use a number of easily recognisable icons, such as the spaceship, aliens, robots, cyborgs, computers taking control and dystopia (a world where life is particularly bad).  Throughout their development, science fiction films have also reflected the issues concerning society at the time, such as the 1950's fear of the unknown effects of atomic warfare (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 1956), concerns about the environment and overpopulation (Blade Runner, 1982), the emerging reliance on computers (WarGames,1983) and the development of cyberspace (the Matrix series).

1990s Film - Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was directed and written by George Lucas and it was released in 1999.

Plot/Storyline
The Trade Federation are unhappy with the taxation on trade routes, and therefore blockade the planet of Naboo. Two Jedi Knights are ordered by the Senate to resolve the problem, however the Trade Federation won't give in without a fight and attack the Jedi. The Jedi manage to escape to Naboo to worn the planet's population about the impending attack, however they are too late as the Queen has been kidnapped by the Droids. The Jedi set the Queen free and escape the planet, but there luck is shortly lived when their ship gets badly damaged and they have to land on the back water planet of Tatooime. Here, they meet the young Anakin Skywalker who battles through a high stakes pod race in order to win enough money for the parts needed to fix their ship and his own freedom. As they finally leave the planet they are attacked by an unknown enemy, Darth Maul! After a tense battle, Quin-Gon-Jin escapes with the others to the Senate, however they quickly realise that they're going to get no help from them and make the bold decision to return to Naboo and fight the battle alone. During this battle, the Droid army are destroyed and Anakin blows up the Trade Federation's ship. Quin-Gon-Jin is brutally killed by Darth Maul, but Obi-Wan kills Darth Maul in return. After the battle, the Trade Federation leaders are arrested and Obi-Wan begins Anakin's training in becoming a Jedi Knight, as he had promised Qui-Gon-Jin.

http://the-artifice.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Star-Wars-The-Phantom-Menace-700x423.jpg

Motifs
The film pays great attention to the colours that the characters wear and what they symbolise. Darth Maul wheres all black, which could represent evil, mystery, death and power; he has red and black patterns painted all over his face and head which could represent war, angry and danger. The intense colours used for Darth Maul are in great contrast with the more neutral colours of the Jedi Knights. The colour brow represents loyalty and trust; it is a warm colour suggesting a monk's robe. The colour brown also represents how they are very grounded and stable for people to be able to lean on for help and support. Qui-Gon Jinn's lightsaber is green which could represent how he is very emotionally involved with saving Queen Amidala's and her people from being attacked. Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber is blue which could represent the trust and loyalty that he has for Qui-Gon Jinn; it could also represent the power and knowledge he uses when defeating Darth Maul when Qui-Gon Jinn can no longer do so.

The lightsabers are a symbol of the Jedi Order, and the uniqueness of the weapon makes them stand out from the rest of the inhabitants of the Star Wars universe. The use of colours in the lightsabers helps to identify them and who they represent. For example, colours like blue and green are used for the Jedi to show that they stand for the light side of the force (good) and red is used for the Sith who represent the dark side if the force (evil).

Motifs such as space ships and laser guns remind the audience that this is a science fiction film and that the action taking place on screen is happening in a different universe than our own. Aliens are also used in this way but they also help to drive the plot and provide convenient opponents for the more commonly human 'good' characters. This makes it easy for the audience to sympathise with the human characters and gives the film writers an easy 'bad guy'. The Aliens in the film also entertain and keep the audience interested as unusual and strange life forms help to populate the Star Wars universe.

Science fiction jargon is used at many points during the film to create a sense of futurism and out of this world technology. These technical terms such as 'hyperdrive', 'medichlorians', 'lightsabre' and 'pod racer' all serve a similar role to that of the aliens in the way that it shows we, the audience, are not in our own universe.  They also serve as plot motivators as the fact that their ships hyperdrive is damaged when they escape indirectly causes them to land on Tatooine and meet Anakin, setting off the events of the Star Wars saga.

Stock Characters
Within every film genre there are stock characters where the same stereotypes will almost always appear in the films within one genre. Below are some examples of stock character within science fiction:
-The scientist
-The female(victim/love interest)
-The sceptic
-The alien
-The idiot
-The hero
-The villain
-The child

In Star Wars some of these stock characters are very much present; however there doesn't seem to be a a character that fits the scientist role. When I thought of the female/victim, I automatically thought of Queen Amidala because at the beginning of the film she is seen as a weak and vulnerable character as she failed to save her people from the Trade Federation, however she is never objectified as the love interest in the film. Although it could also be argued that Anakin Skywalker could be the victim as he is saved by the Jedi repeatedly and is seen as vulnerable because of his age.
I think that the sceptic would be Yoda, even though he has a slightly minor role, because he questions Qui-Gon Jinn's plans.
I think that Jar Jar Binks fills the role of both the alien and the idiot because he is the alien with the most dominant role and he is constantly fooling around and doing stupid things.
I think that throughout the film Qui-Gon Jinn is the hero because he is the leader of the two Jedi Knights and is the one to make the decisions, however when Qui-Gon Jinn dies, it is then Obi-Wan Kenobi who has to step up as the hero and kill Darth Maul. I think that it is common for people to assume that the hero has to be male, however it could be argued that Queen Amidala is the underlying hero after all. She starts off being very timid but her character develops throughout the film to be more determined, strong and adventurous. It is Queen Amidala who comes up with the plan to take back control of Naboo and fight against the Trade Federation and she continues to come up with many ideas to help this come into action, for example, the land battle diversion. It could also be argued that Anakin Skywalker is the hero because he is the one that blows up the Trade Federation ship.
The villain in this film is Darth Maul as he kills the character first seen as the hero, Qui-Gon Jinn.
The child in the film is Anakin Skywalker primarily because of his age but also because he has to be looked after by the Jedi. However Obi-Wan Kenobi could also be seen as the child because he is Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice and therefore looks up to him, just like a son would look up to his more knowing father.


Resources:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120915/fullcredits
http://makingstarwars.net/2013/08/padme-is-the-hero-of-star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace/
An Introduction to Film Genres, by Lester Friedman
http://www.sparknotes.com/film/starwars/themes.html
http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-brown.html

Grease, Genre

The film Grease doesn't fit perfectly into just one genre. It is a musical, because there are songs sung by the characters throughout the film, with dancing; but it is also a romantic comedy because it is about two teens going through struggles but finding love in the end.

When technological advancements towards the end of the 1920's meant that films could be produced with a soundtrack, the genre of musicals was a natural development within films and became instantly popular with audiences.  The Jazz Singer (1927) was a precursor of a true musical, having just a few sound sequences rather than a full soundtrack, but it was the first such film to be produced and was a box office hit.  This encouraged other studios to produce musicals and a large number, 125, were made between 1929-1930 to take advantage of this new market.  This was at the time of the Great Depression, but the films continued to show rich and happy people living in opulent surroundings, with audiences keen to enjoy this fantasy life.  Warner Bros, however, did start to produce films which reflected the poor economic state of the country at the time, with films such as 42nd Street (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933 commenting on the struggle for employment and of everyday living.  Also in 1933 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in their first film together - Flying Down to Rio - a pairing which caught the audience's imagination and they went on to star in a total of 9 musicals in the 1930's, with music written by well respected songwriters of the time, including George and Ira Gershwin and Irving Berlin, ensuring musicals were a highly regarded and popular genre.  Towards the end of the decade, in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was released; still one of the most popular of all genres of film of all time.

Unlike some other genres, musicals remained popular during World War II, and they enjoyed another 'golden era' of popularity between 1944 and 1958, with stars including Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron performing in classic films such as Gigi (1958) and Singin' in the Rain (1952).  However, their popularity began to wane in the late 50's/early 60's when most musicals were merely screen adaptations of popular Broadway musicals which failed to bring anything new and exciting to the genre.  Around this time most of the few original musicals that were made were aimed at the youth market, such as films starring Elvis Presley, including Hawaii and Las Vegas.

In the late 1970's two musicals starring John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978), were massive hits.  They were both aimed at younger audiences, showing them how they could use dance to affect their lives and friendships, and were the beginning of a group of similarly structured films, such as Flashdance (1983) and Footloose (1984).  The musical then became particularly popular again with a new audience when Disney began producing a series of very successful animated musicals, such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994), aimed at a much younger audience.  Similarly, Disney went on to develop the highly successful High School Musical brand between 2006 and 2011, which was again aimed at a specific young age group, rather than having the broader appeal of the original musicals, which were aimed at a much wider age group.

Musicals this century have had mixed success.  Hairspray (2007), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Miserables (2012), which received 8 Oscar nominations and won 3, including Makeup and Hairstyling, were all box office hits; whereas Rent (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007) were both badly received.  Unlike in their 'golden eras', producing a musical at the moment does not guarantee success, with each film being judged on its own merits and individual appeal.

When the genre 'musicals' was first introduced, a film which included three or more songs was considered to be a musical.  More recently, the songs must be an integral part of the film and actually help to tell the story or move the story along.  However, as with other genres, musicals often incorporate elements of other genres, such as Westerns (Annie Get your Gun 1950) or romantic comedies (Grease).  There have been two main attempts to categorize musicals further than just the musical element.  The original subdivisions were: the revue; the operetta; the backstage story; the star vehicle; the musical biography; the integrated musical.  In his book The American Film Musical published in 1987, Rick Altman suggested different categories: the fairy-tale musical; the show musical; the folk musical - which managed to incorporate the previous categories into just 3 new categories.  Across all these sub-categories, however, there is one element which is common to most musicals; bringing two people together against the odds.

Pre 1990s Film - Grease

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Plot/Storyline
Grease was a broadway show made into a film in 1978. The film starts off showing two young teens playing around and falling in love on a beach in America, but the bliss ends when the end of summer arrives and Sandy has to move back to Australia. Fate plays it's part and they end up going to the same school, Rydell High, but when they eventually meet Sandy is disappointed to find that Danny is not the same Danny she had fallen in love with at the beach. He feels he has to uphold his hard T-birds reputation and doesn't want to be seen as soppy or uncool. However after trying to change their ways and prove to each other that they both want to be together, they end up driving away into the clouds (literally) to start their new adult lives together.


Motifs
I think a motif in Grease would be the use of cigarettes to show how cool and rebellious the character is. Characters such as Rizzo and Kenickie are seen smoking cigarettes to show their 'cool kid' status and characters that are seen as more geeky are never seen to be smoking. When Danny is first introduced (image below) he is seen talking to some attractive girls and then turns around and has a cigarette in his mouth which shows his rebellious, cheeky chappy, 'top dog' status. Sandy is never seen to smoke, apart from when she is pressured into it once by the Pink Ladies at a sleep over, however at the end of the film when she has her makeover she is seen with a cigarette in her mouth. I think this represents how she is trying to be very cool and seductive and show that she isn't just a 'good girl' and has a naughty side too.

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Sandy wears very light and pale coloured clothing and accessories to show she is pure, youthful and light hearted; whereas I noticed that all the characters that wear seen to have more of a dark side, wore very dark and deep colours to show how dangerous and mean they could be. The perfect example of this is the outfit choices at the end of school ball. Sandy wears a white flared dress, white low heels and a white hair accessory; I think this all white outfit represents her innocence, purity and virginity. Frenchie wears a yellow, frilly dress and the colour yellow is associated with happiness, joy and energy, which are three words you would use to describe her fun loving personality. On the flip side, Rizzo wears a very sexy, body tight, red and black spotted dress with high heels. I think the deep red in her dress represents her passion, anger and longing for leadership; and I think the black in her dress shows her mysterious, evil and power hungry personality. This could also be said for Cha-Cha's all black outfit. The 'good' characters mostly seem to have light coloured hair and the 'bad' characters seem to have dark coloured hair, to represent their dark or light sides.

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I think a motif for the T-Birds would be how they comb their greased up hair up and into a twisted point. I think this is a sign of them showing how cool their style is. An example of both Danny and Kenickie doing this is just after Kenickie asks Danny to be his wing man at the race and they hug excitedly. Once they realise that they are being soppy by hugging each other, they both immediately take out their combs and start combing back their hair to show that their 'hard man' image is still very present. Another motif to show that they like to keep up their cool image is the use of leather jackets. Danny and Kenickie are almost always seen wearing black leather jackets, with their collars up and laid back walk to give off a hard and cool image. When Sandy is given her makeover she is seen slowly strutting up to the boys in a leather jacket, which was very different from her usually attire, representing how she could now have the same 'bad girl' image as Danny.

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Stock Characters
Musicals are always mixed with another genre to shape the storyline. In Grease the genre crosses over with the romantic-comedy genre to create the love story between Sandy and Danny. I will therefore give a list of stock characters more focused on a romantic comedy. Below I have listed the commonly used stock characters and matched them up with characters from Grease.
-The male would be Danny as he is the lead male character that falls in love with a beautiful girl.
-The love interest is Sandy as the storyline follows how Danny and Sandy fall in love and find a way to be together.
-The unsuitable partner would be Tom Chisum, who Sandy briefly dates but realises that he is too boring and stilted for her, this makes her realise how much she wants to be with Danny.
-The evil one could be argued to be Rizzo at points because she makes fun of Sandy and takes pleasure in awkwardly introducing Sandy to Danny. However it could also be argued to be Leo from the Cycle Lords because he is very cruel when he races Danny and he steals Kenickie's prom date off him and then flaunts her in front of him at the dance.
-The sick kick for Sandy would be Frenchy as she is always a shoulder to cry on for Sandy and is always there for support. Danny's side kick would be Kenickie because they are best friends and have each other's backs.
-The good gang for the females would be the Pink Ladies, which is the group of girls Sandy is adopted by, formed of Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty and Jan. For the boys, the 'good gang' would be the T-Birds, who have a cool and hard reputation to uphold, formed of Danny Zuko, Kenickie, Sonny, Doody and Putzie.
-The bad gang would be the Cycle Lords as they are the rival gang to the T-Birds.
-The comedic character could be seen as Blanche as she always acted very over the top and ditsy, however it could also be seen as Frenchie as she is poked fun at for dropping out of beauty school for messing up, especially her hair colours! The trio of T-Birds could be seen as a comedic group as they are always messing around and making up silly dances. Many of the characters have comedic value in Grease, so there are many arguments for this role.


Resources:
http://musicals.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=78360
Introduction to Film Genre, by Lester Friedman

Understanding the Basics of Film Genres

What is a Motif?
A motif is something that is repeated or has a pattern. This could be a colour, music or a phrase etc. A film's motif can give you a greater understanding or clue for the development of the film, so when you find one you need to question why it has been used and why is there a pattern. Therefore you need to identify, track and then propose a meaning.

Film Genres
A film genre is a type or category of film.

Film genres were created when people started noticing that certain story lines were more successful than others and so repeated them. These successful story lines were then put into categories.

Throughout time more and more categories have been created, however the main types of genre are:
-Western - Stagecoach, High Noon, Cowboys and Aliens
-Gangster - The Godfather, Pulp Fiction, Bugsy Malone
-Musical - The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story, Mary Poppins
-Romantic-Comedy - Clueless, Pretty Woman, Easy A
-Action/Adventure - Casino Royale, Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible
-Science Fiction - Alien, Blade Runner, Avatar
-Comedy - The Hangover, Dumb and Dumber, Superbad
-Drama - Fight Club, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption
-Historical - Braveheart, The King's Speech, Gladiator
-Horror - The Exorcist, The Shining, Dracula

Within each genre there are stock characters, where the same stereotypes are repeated within the same genre. For example, in a horror film you would have the dumb blonde, hero, evil character, hysterical character, non-believer etc.

There are several ways to categorise films into their genre. The same themes are repeated in the different genres, for example, in a romantic comedy the couple always seem to go through struggles but then find a way to be together by the end of the film. Icongraphy are repeated images throughout a film in a certain genre, for example, in a Western you will repeatedly see images of guns, the cowboy hat, horses, the bar scene etc. Each genre will have the same overall mood, for example, in a si-fi film there is a fear of the future. The same cinematic style will be used in each gener, meaning how the film is shot. An example of this would be in a Western there is always dramatic scenery, shots showing tumble weed and cacti and most scenes are shot in the day; in contrast to this, a detective film would be shot in low key lighting, with heavy shadows to create tension and there would be dramatic closeup shots and high and low shots.

Stages of Genre - the development of film genre over time.

1. Primitive - This is when the genres are starting to develop and so the audience has nothing to compare is to and therefore no expectations.
2. Classical - This is when the genre is the most popular with the audience and the audience now knows what to expect as the patterns are continued.
3. Parodic - This is when the genre becomes so predictable and stale that the film makers pick fun at the genre, by creating exaggerated characters or focusing on unexpected characters.
4. Revisionist - This is when the film genre's classical mood, themes etc are challenged or questioned within a film.
5. Extension - This is when the film has the same values and themes of the genres but when unexpected things happen, meaning a certain aspect of the film would not fit in with the genre that you thought.

Many modern day films do not fit into one genre. It is very common to have overlaps.


Resources:
http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html
http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/filmtopics.htm

How to Read a Movie

It can be very overwhelming to analyse and read a movie as a whole as there are so many different aspects of the film to talk about, so it is easier to break it down into different sections so that you can analyse the film section by section and then put it all together. You can break a film down into three parts; Literary aspects, Dramatic aspects and Cinematic aspects. 

The Literary aspects of a film are the aspects that film share in common with written literature. An example of this would be the plot. A film or a book would always have a storyline, meaning they would first give the background to the story and introduce the characters, there would then be a problem that would heighten the action in the film, there would be the climax and then the action would lesson and the problem would be resolved. Another example would be the characters; all stories need characters to move the plot along and add emotion to the film or literature. The characters can either change and develop through the plot or they can stay the same, for example, the evil characters can stay evil or improve throughout the film or book. Some characters in films and literature carry the plot, whereas some are just used to fill or for a comedic aspect. All films and written literature have a setting, meaning they have a time period and a location. They both have themes within the storyline, this could be the message that the author is trying to give to the audience about moral situations, for example. The last literary aspects would be the point of view of the text, meaning if it was written in first, second or third person. 

The Dramatic aspects are the aspects that films shares with live dramas, for example a musical or a play. This is when you look more at the visual side of the film, in comparison to the written aspects. This is when you look more into the actors or actresses that play the certain characters and how they would suit playing certain characters i.e. how/why the actors are cast into the film or live drama. You could also look into the costumes, makeup and hair within the film and how they suit their characters and what they could say about the characters. You could also look into the set design and how well it suits the certain time period or mood of the film. Another thing you could look at is how they speak and their facial expressions and if that suits their character. 

The Cinematic aspects are the aspects that make film its own medium and that can't be done in literature or in live theatre. These would include how the cinematography, i.e. how the movie is filmed, the angles of the camera etc. Another aspects would be how the film is layered with sound and what impact that has on the mood or pace of the film. You could look into how the film has been edited, for example are there loads of short frames to make the mood more panicked and fast paced or are the frames very long and calming. The special effects used in film are getting more and more advanced and this is where you can evaluate what you think of them and if you think they are effective.