Clip Links

Sands of Iwo Jima Raising the Flag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2Ym1rmWr3s





Flags of our fathers Raising the flag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAbfC8zPgug




Sands of Iwo Jima:

- It is never acknowledged that the flag they put up in the picture was the second flag which suggests that director didn't want the audience to think about the shot being staged because that picture was still a very iconic picture.

- Sands of Iwo Jima uses makes us sound to create a dramatic effect when CUs are used as the main characters look up to the flag. This is an example of how Directors use cinematic techniques to influence the mind's of the audience.

- In Sands of Iwo Jima a low angle shot is used as they raise the flag to show the audience heroic these men were.

- In Flags of our Fathers the camera man says how he didn't like the picture which is probably what was actually said.

- Flags of our Fathers concentrates on the camera men this emphasises how the film gives a more realistic view on the war.

Sands of Iwo Jima: Here's an example of how enemy is portrayed as useless in combat:

 

Flags of Our fathers shows how the Americans took very heavy losses on the beaches:

Sands of Iwo Jima:

- Shows no one getting killed ( Makes them look invincible, brave, patriotic, heroic, doesn't show the reality of war) 00:00 - 00:37

- Uses a mixture of real war clips and acted clips ( Possibly to keep the costs down and also to make the film seem more realistic and create a stronger connection with the audience of the time) 00:00 - 00:37

- When one of main characters is shot a medium long is used to capture his reaction, one of his friends stops to help but he insists he leaves him. However they come back to save him without anyone getting killed  (Very unlikely).
00:40 - 00:48

- When Sgt. Stryker is ambushed by a Jap one of his men save him and he kills the Jap without a fight  (This shows how the Japs were shown as being hardly able to fight in actual combat, portraying all the American soldiers as amazing in hand to hand and almost 'invincible' when the reality was they were equally as good) 01:15 - 01:20

- This film uses mostly medium shots and Close Ups to create a more personal connection with the main characters.

-When another character is shot dramatic music is played to mark the moment ( Once again the soldier gets a last few heroic words.) 2:01 - 2:12


  Sands of Iwo Jima de-humanises the Japs, portraying them as evil:

In Letters from Iwo Jima we see how the Japanese are people just like us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGEdunqTVfc



Sands of Iwo Jima:

In Sands of Iwo Jima the Japanese are portrayed as in-humane and evil as shown in this clip through the little smile that the Jap has when killing an American, suggesting he is enjoying himself. A medium shot was used here to show the mans expression to get a reaction from the audience.
00:27 - 00:29

Letters from Iwo Jima:

Here in this scene we see how cinematic styles have been used to portray characters as strong and weak. As Baron Nishi enters he is shot at a low angle with the very little light cast on him causing a feeling of uncertainty. As he takes of his coat he emerges from the darkness the shot is still a low angle, however as he sits down the camera follows him resulting in a more normal CU shot. A high angle is also used so show the weakness of the American. Here we can see a direct contrast of the films since the Americans in Sands of Iwo Jima are constantly shot in ways which reflect their heroism and strength through the use of high low angles and CU shots while the Japanese are actually very rarely shot if they are it will one being killed.

In Sands of Iwo Jima each main character always gets a heroic death with a few last words:

The Soldiers are portrayed as happy to be there because they've got plenty of supplies:

Independent Study: Rationale

For my Independent Study I will be examining how cinematic techniques in wartime and post war American war movies such as Sands of Iwo Jima were used for propaganda purposes to glorify war.

I will then compare this films cinematic techniques with more recent American war movies such as Flags of Our Fathers and most importantly Letters from Iwo Jima both of which are companion films that see the war from both the American and Japanese perspectives. I will be investigating how war movies have evolved from propaganda to feature films.

Independent Study: Research

What types of films are you interested in?

War, Action, Adventure, Sci-fi, thriller, Horror

Why are you interested in these sort of films?

Since a young age I've had an interest in WW2 along with that action and adventure. I just like watching things blow up and protagonists mow down hundreds of bad guys with a machine gun.

My interest in Sci-fi films is quite recent. I've only really started to like them in the past few years.
I really like being able to see what the world could potentially be like e.g a utopian society ( Star trek) or a hellish, over populated world with an ultra elite class ( Elysium ).

Give an example of one particular film from this genre that you find exceptionally interesting?

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Flags of our Fathers (2006)
Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

Give your reasons for why this particular film interests you?

The films listed above are all WW2 films which is a genre I love, mostly for the action.
I also like how Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima interlink to tell the story from both sides of the war.

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Who made this: Clint Eastwood

Why: To show the battle of Iwo Jima from a different perspective but to also show how the men who fought were very similar in that they were all fighting a war that they didn't necessarily want to fight.

What can you tell about the Filmmaker: Clint Eastwood was very interested in making a film about the Battle of Iwo Jima since there had never been one before

For Whom was it made: 

What is the nature of our engagement with film: 

What outside influences can we perceive in terms of finance, ownership, institution, socio-cultural context: Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

What tradition is it in: US War Film

To What other works might it be connected: Flags of our fathers

War of the Worlds (1953)

War of the Worlds

Plot:

War of the world is based around a global alien invasion from mars. The aliens land  near a small Californian town in what first appear to be meteorites, however they soon emerge from their shells and come out to attack the local authorities, citizens and the military. As the film progresses we find out that this has been happening all over the world and the aliens have landed outside of London and also places in India, Spain, France, Italy, China and Russia. The military eventually try to nuke the invaders however it has no effect due to the force fields that the aliens use to protect themselves. Later on the aliens finally arrive at LA which has been evacuated they continue to blast it to pieces until suddenly they all start to die. We are then told by the narrator that the aliens were killed by diseases/bacteria that they’re bodies could not handle.

Characters:

Dr. Clayton Forrester is the protagonist of the film, he working with the military to discover what the aliens are and how they can destroy them.

Sylvia Van Buren: 

Maj. Gen. Mann is the man in charge of the military operations in California

Filming styles:

Classic Hollywood

War of the Worlds (2005)

War of the Worlds (2005)

Plot:

War of the worlds follows the story of Ray Ferrier, his son Robbie and daughter Rachael. It all starts with a visit from his children after they’re dropped off by his ex-wife and her husband. Shortly afterwards strange storms start to occur shooting bolts of lighting at the ground deploying the invaders into their crafts. The storm causes an EMP affect and all electronics are broken including cars causing panic around the city. Ray goes to investigate where the lighting struck which turns out to be a big mistake. Slowly the alien crafts rise from the ground after a few brief moments they open fire killing as many people as possible. Ray escapes the attack and returns home, he packs some bags, takes a car and escapes New Jersey with Robbie and Rachael. Ray plans on taking them to Boston to meet their mother.

Character sketch:

- Ray Ferrier is an irresponsible, childish man who has no commitments whatsoever yet he has the responsibility of a teenage son and a young daughter. He doesn't know alot about his children as he doesn't seem very engaged in their lives.

- Rachel Ferrier is the young daughter of Ray Ferrier and Mary Ann. She is an intelligent girl. When we are first introduced to Rachel she shows her independence to do things on her own however as the plot continues she breaks down as she experiences whats happening around her. She is claustrophobic and often needs Robbie to calm her down

-Robbie is the teenage son of Ray Ferrier and Mary Ann. He is quite arrogant and often argues with his father. Robbie is also a bit of a rebel yet he means well and throughout the film he puts himself in danger out of patriotism.

Filming Style:

The Cold War:

The Cold War was caused through suspicion and mistrust between the U.S and the Soviet union. It is uncertain to when it really kicked off but tensions grew throughout the Second World War but it is thought to of lasted from 1945-1991. During this time both Nations had control over nuclear weapons which caused great uncertainty on both sides. One of the main disagreements throughout the cold war was what was to become of Germany. While Stalin wanted to communize Germany and create other pro-soviet governments in Eastern Europe President Truman wanted to clean up the post war mess by doing this he created the UN, the IMF and put $10 billion dollars into the rebuilding of Germany. One of the main conflicts of the Cold war was the Korean war with the U.S supporting the South and the Communist North being supplied by the Soviet Union.

Super 8

Super 8

Plot:

Super 8 is set in the summer of 1979, The film is about 6 young filmmakers who are making a zombie movie over the holidays. While filming a scene at the local railway depot, they see one of their teachers, Dr. Woodward, drive his truck onto the track and drive into an approaching train which causes it to derail. As they continue trying to make their film, they later realise that an alien was being carried on the train and that it had escaped the wreck and gotten into the community.

Characters:

Joe: is the central character of Super 8, he’s a good-natured 14-year-old who wants to help his friend finish his zombie film, and is at odds with his recently widowed father, who is also a local lawman.

Alice is new to the group but she still steals her father’s car to drive the boys to the remote, abandoned train station to shoot a scene for their little movie. Joe also has a little crush on her.

Charles is the kid who leads the group, he’s a pushy, large kid with big dreams and even bigger expectations for how his friends can help them come true. All that Charles cares about is his movie and that his movie has a better story and better production values.

Carey likes to set things ablaze and is the go-to guy for special effects and fireworks. When the massive train crash almost kills all of them, he’s the only one who thinks it was cool.

Filming Styles:

District 9

District 9

Plot:

In 1982 a huge alien spacecraft lands just above Johannesburg in South Africa, it contained millions of ill and malnourished aliens. These aliens were moved in a temporary camp which was controlled strictly by the military, this camp soon became a slum in which there are high crime rates and very poor living conditions. The rest of the film takes place in 2010 where the story follows Wikus van de Merwe an African bureaucrat who is chosen by Piet Smit a MNU executive which is also his father-in-law to lead the camp relocation by giving the aliens with eviction notices. While doing this they find a many illegal stashes of alien and human weaponry, devices these being the biggest finds they’ve had. The story also follows an alien called Christopher and his son, they are planning to escape but to do this they need a liquid so they can power there ship to return home however as they complete the creation of the power source it is discovered by Wikus and he accidentally sprays it onto his face over a few hours he starts to transform into one of the aliens ‘Prawns’ starting with his arm. However after being sprayed he confiscates the item and it is sent to the MNU HQ where it is place in the bio labs. Over a few hours Wikus experiences strange symptoms such black liquid coming from his nose loss of finger nails and throwing up. When returning home he is greeted by a surprise party in which he falls unconscious he goes to hospital where he finally discover his arm has transformed he is taken away by the MNU and is experimented on and used for weapon testing until he finally escapes from here on he is on the run from the MNU and escapes into District 9 where he finds Christopher who says he can turn him back, however he needs the liquid which was taken to the labs. Wikus and Chris break into the labs and steal the liquid and escape. They are then chased back to D-9 were Wikus plans to get up the mothership as soon as possible, but Christopher has changed his plans since seeing what the MNU had being doing to his species in the labs. He plans to go home and come back with more fuel however it will take three years to go there and back this enrages Wikus and he knocks Chris out and then activates the small craft and attempts to fly up to the mothership but is almost immediately shot down by the MNU he is then recaptured by the MNU and is being taken out but the convoy is ambushed by the gang he stole weapons off earlier he is then taken by them, they are just preparing to eat him as a Prawn battle suit saves him. He takes control of it and fights off the gang and the MNU off so he Chris get to his son who activates the mothership to beam them up so they can escape. Chris promises to return in three years. Koobus Venter the leader of the MNU military actions in District 9 finally destroys the armor suit and is about to kill Wikus but is surrounded by Prawns and ripped to pieces. The film ends with a series of interviews including one with his wife.

Characters:

• Wikus van de Merwe, a mild-mannered manager at the MNU Department of Alien Affairs, whose blasé and callous attitude to the aliens changes as he comes to see things from their point of view.

• Christopher Johnson, an alien who is increasingly more intelligent than the average Prawn and plans to escape.

• Colonel Koobus Venter, a PMC mercenary-soldier sent to capture Wikus. He is shown as sadistic and violent, taking pleasure in killing the aliens and responding brutally to anyone who opposes him.

• Obesandjo, a paralyzed psychopathic Nigerian warlord who believes that eating alien body parts will give him the ability to operate their weapons.

• Piet Smit,a director at MNU, and Wikus' father-in-law. He is the one who creates the cover-up that turns Wikus into a fugitive, and tries to turn his daughter against Wikus by saying he was an adulterer who had sex with the aliens.

Filming Styles:

District 9 uses a documentary film style with interviews, Handheld shots and CCTV camera shots it was like the rest of the film was a recreation of what happened to Wikus and his story.

 The Apartheid System: 

The Apartheid system was a system of racial separation between Black and White Africans. It was a extremely racist system against all black people which gave white persons overall authority against the Black or coloured inhabitants of South Africa. It divided people into four separate groups including White,Black,Coloured and Asian. The System created laws that made life very hard for Black people in that they could not run businesses or professional practices, they couldn’t be married to whites and even things like not being able to go on certain beaches or benches and even restricted from certain areas.