This document provides a summary of a student's film studies assignment on how the context of production can affect the final product, specifically films. The student investigated the historical, technological, and cultural contexts. Their research examined the early days of film through documentaries and how technology has advanced filmmaking over 100 years. They also looked at how ideology and culture are represented in different countries' film outputs. The student analyzed remakes of films and how they differ based on changes in historical context, technology, and audiences. They concluded that history, technology, and culture all significantly impact the stories films tell and their production qualities.
1. Unit 26 Film Studies
Assignment2: The Context of Production
Final Report
Mosheer Ayed
I was askedtofindout abouthowthe Contextof Productioncanaffectthe Final product,inthis
case,Films.ContextIwasaskedto investigate were:
Historical
Technological
Cultural
Historical & Technological
FirstlyIwatch a documentarycalledThe Birthof HollywoodnarratedbyPaul Merton,which
explainedabouthowthe Hollywoodindustrystarted,the people the technologystarted.Alsosome
clipsfromthe original earlyfilms.ThenIexploredaPowerPointcalledFilmHistoryPart1,whichgave
sidesof the people andtechnology.
Cultural
I investigatedhowideologyandculture canbe representedthroughacountry’sfilmoutput.This
involvedlookingatsome clipsfromdifferentcountriesandconductingfurthersecondaryand
primaryresearchintofilmsof one particularcountryof my ownchoice fromwhichI constructeda
PowerPoint.Ialsocomparedrepresentationsmade tomyownexperiences.
Remakes(Historical, Technological & Cultural)
FirstlyIresearched3 Filmsandtheirremakesnothingsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthem.
Thisincludedpointsabouttheirproduction/technology;narrative;setting,editing,lightingandstars.
SecondlyIfocusedonBack To The Future IIand lookedathistorical contexttoconstructMood
boardsthenchose a scene andplannedhow Iwouldremake it30 yearsinadvance to reflectthe
changesintechnology,scriptandaudience.
2. Finding
Historical
Duringmy researchI made a leafletaboutthe earlydaysof filmsand earlydaysof technologies.I
findoutthat most of the filmsfromNewYorkare frompaper printcollectionof the libraryof
CongressMotionPicture,Broadcasting,andRecordedsoundDivision.AlsoIfoundoutandincluded
that Technologyandfilmmaking hasbeendiscoveredfrom100 years.The experimentswithoptical
toyssuch as the Zoetrope showedthatmovingpicturescouldbe generatedfromaseriesof still
images.
I foundthat ThomasEdisonwasresponsibleforthe movie industry.ThomasEdisonmachine only
allowedone personatonestorecord.The Luminaire brotherswhereresponsible forthe ideaof
Audience publicscreening.Whichisstill populartodaypeoplegotothe cinemato watch a film.
Howeverpeoplewatchtheyfilmonthe computerwhentheyare inbed. Sowe are goingback to
the olddays one personwatchingone filmbythemselves.
3. Silent movie
I made a short silentfilmtoshowmyunderstandingof how earlyfilmswherecontracted.The film
was a minlongbecause inthe earlydaysfilmswhere minortwomineslongandmost filmswhere
silent. Imade my silentfilminthe style of the Luminaire brothers.Ihadto make my earlyfilm inone
shotwithout movingthe cameraas theydidin the oldendays.Musicwas addedinmy filmand
Frenchtitle onmy filmandblackand white.Mysilentmovie wasjustlike aneverydaymovie. The
shotsbelowshowsome sensesfrommysilentfilm.Also Ineverhadanyscriptto read from.I came
up withitmyself.The narrative inthisistoboyscome alongto thiswomanwithsomethingtooffer
but theygetrejectedbutanotherguycomesalongand giveshisheartandshe takeshim.My filmis
not developedalotbutit didhave a beginningmeddle andend
4. This was my questionnaireaboutthe Americans that I have created for my audience,the audiencewere not a
particularaudiencebutwere randompeople who have given me feedback.
I had simplequestions thatwere straightforward and easy to answer, these questions were given to ten
people that gave me straightforward answers.I had questions such as;
What’s the popular foods that Americans eat?
I had three different types of foods that my audiencehave mentioned. Foods such as;
Burgers
Pizzas
Chipotle
These were three main foods that people likein American. For example watching this programme called
Americans best fast foods,I sawthat a lotof Americans enjoy the spicy tasteof the burgers and the saucy
taste of the pizzas.
Another question that I have asked my audiencewas:
What arethe stereotypes in America?
To this answer a lot of my audienceanswered fat and overweight you had the one or two people who said
they are racists and somesaid rich and many said violent.
I think my audiencesayingthis shows whathas been on crime watch this is to do with the violenceand
racismand also thenews when they come up with Americans being overweight as they want to help them
reduce their weight by not eating too many burgers and piazzas.
One of my other questions that I have also asked was a question that had choices in there, the question
was:
What arethe people in America like? Are they nice, selfish,rich or poor?
This question some of my audiencehave answered all and some have said rich and also somementioned
selfish.
Backingthis up would be the conditions of houses that people livein by this I mean people there livein
nicecomfortable and largehouses compared to houses elsewhere. As well people said rich becausethey
would buy designer clothes and when seeing them in programmes and justvisitingAmerica or going to
bug cities in America people arereally rich.
5. Cultural
Prezzie
For my prezzie work I have chosen America because ithas a big filmculture.The genre describes America as
comedy, Acton and drama.Duringmy prezzie I chose 5 films that were made in America. However one of the
films I chosen is fastand furious6 I chosen this filmbecausethe characters in this filmhavea simpler
personality to me. For example Vin Diesel he loves racingin fastsports cars thatdescribes me somehow.
However the main characters in the filmare not the same age as me they areall older then I but they do seem
liketo bringthe target audience to my age group. The characters in the filmcommunicate likeme and my
family they read, write and talk justlikeme and my family.Some of the events in this filmcould take placejust
where I’m living(Birmingham) maybeit could take placein the future. I have lived in similar places justlike
those in the story but the filmwas filmed in familiar placeto me.
I have chosento dotitanicbecause itis a widelyviewedmovieuntil
today.I alsochose thisfilm because the characterspersonalityiswhat
people are like nowadaysbrave andloving. The maincharactersinthe
filmare olderthanme buttheydo attract target audienceswithinmy
age andolderbecause mytargetaudience love towatchedmoviesthat
include heroesaswell asaction.The charactersare like neutral human
beingsbecause theycommunicate the same butwithadifferentdialect.
Some of the eventsinthismovie canbe takenplace ina beachin
Birminghambecause mostof the movie isbasedonwater.
6. Remakes
The Alicein Wonderland movie was firstpublished in 1865.The remake of Alicein Wonderland was made in
2010.Alice a 19 year old girl who is to marry an English lord.At her engagement party she escapes because
she doesn’t know whether to go through with the marriage.She ends up fallingdown a hold in the garden and
spots a strange rabbit.At the end of the hole there is a placecalled the Underland which is very strange and
weird. There aretalkinganimals,queens and knights.Alicerealised that sheis there for a reason and she must
restore the rightful queen to her throne. The differences between the two is the firstone has less colour,the
colour isn’tbright.Also the characters look more realistic than the remake becauseyou can clearly seethe
characters in the firstvideo are wearingcostumes as you can see their faces clearly.The actors in the second
video arealso realistichowever they are very different to the firstmade movie which shows a lothas been
improved sincethen. In the remake there is a lotof shadows ad darkness which reflects what the actor is
feeling, however the firstone is jolly and lightthroughout the movie. The actor in the firstmovie is a littlegirl
whereas the actor in the remake is a 19 year old girl with a different story.
The original filmsticksa child’s story.Which the remake is a much darker story and is aimed at an adult
audiencetoday. The original filmhas morecolour and more sound and is more attractivethan the remake.
From the remake you can tell that the age of the character is notas suitableas in the actual character in the
original film.Also the settings are different the original oneyou can actually tell itlooks likea cartoon version
but not drawn in that way, where itshows the brightand bold colours, where this is really appealingan
enjoyableto the audienceand looks likea fantasy story.But the remark one its not as excitingand enjoyable
as the other one but its dark and dull and has older characters in it.
7. The remake of Charlie andthe Chocolate Factorywaspublishedin2005. Whereasthe original was
publishedin1971.
Charlie andhisGrandpa Joe go to the factoryon the day of the tour.There'sa roommade entirelyof
edible things(withachocolate river),andlittlepeople calledOompa-Loompaswhorunthe factory.
One by one,the otherfourchildrenonthe tour cause some majortrouble andare carriedaway.
AugustusGloopfallsintothe chocolate riverwhile tryingtodrinkfromit,VioletBeauregardeeats
some magicgum that turnsher intoa blueberry,VerucaSalttriestosteal aworkersquirrel andends
up downa garbage chute,and Mike Teavee isshrunkendownwhenhe triestosendhimself through
television.The differencesbetweenthe twoisthatthe olderversionusesveryoldequipmentinthe
chocolate factorywhereasthe remake usesmodernequipmentandmachinesinthe chocolate
factory.The colouringinthe firstversionisnotasbright andcolourful andthe remake maybe
because photographybackthenwasn’tasgood as itis now.The actors have also changed.
The secondremake Charlie andthe Chocolate Factorynosuch differentinitI don’tknow whythey
made a remake the colouris justbeautiful.The umahlumpahare inthe remake are cute the
umpahlumahsare uglyinthe normal one.Inthe oldfilmof Charlie andchocolate factorytheyhad
not goodqualitycamerahoweverinthe new one theygotbettercamerastheyhave bettersounds
and ismore fun to watchand isenjoyable. HoweverinCharlie andthe chocolate factorythe remake
iscompletelydifferenttothe original filmastheyhave differentcharactersdifferentsettingand
differentplaces,buttheyare still bothbasedonchocolate.The original showsthatcharactersfrom
the oldcenturyas it looksold,butthe remake showscharactersfromour century.
8. The original of Cinderellawaspublishedin1950. The remake waspublishedin2015.
The remake of the Cinderellafairytale whichhasthe same storylineandisclose tothe original
animatedone.The difference betweenthe twoiswe see how she getshername.Itis a storyabout a
girl whois verykindandliveswithhermotherandfatherbefore theypassaway.Herfather
remarriestoCinderella’sstepmotherwhohastwosistersthatare very meanand make Cinderella
do all the house chores..Cinderellaisforcedtobecome amaid inherown house byherstepmother.
Cinderellawantstogo to a ball butisn’tallowedbecause herstepmotherdoesn’tgive her
permissionto..A fairygodmotherhelps Cinderellagettothe ball.Cinderellamustreturnby
midnight.Thismovie ismusical,romanticandfantasywhichhasbeenviewedbymanypeople all
aroundthe world.
The third remarkshowsa lotof brightcoloursand hasa lotof singingitisa cartoon versionandis
verypopularas kidslove towatch these kindsof stories,thisisbecause itisenjoyablefuntowatch
and joinalong.Howeverthere isalotof similaritiesastheyare bothone story and isbasedon
Cinderellaatthe endmarryingthe prince and becomesamaidafterher fatherremarries.The only
difference isone isa cartoonversionandthe otherone is actual characters filmingthe storyof
Cinderellawhichisveryromanticandmusical,andisviewedbypeople worldwide.
9. Moon board
During the year 1955 cars were some of the most classic, powerful and unsafe cars ever driven now in 2015 cars
can be damaged easily and cost a lot to repair. The modern designs and speed abilities were getting more and
more amazing every year, however in 2015 speed is something which would cause accidents and also has limits
in certain areas. It was said that air conditioners would be available as optional equipment in the cars so people
would decide whether they wanted it or not nowadays all cars are fitted with air conditioning. Research &
engineering teams worked hard at making the 1955 models safer, less expensive and easier to drive. Nowadays
cars are expensive and safer to drive.
Fashion in the 1950’s was varied. There were many unique styles all around the country. Nowadays every design
is different and cut up. The waistline in the 1950s was a major issue for women because some liked to have a
baggy dress whilst others preferred having a waistline and slim dressed. Nowadays many of the outfits are slim
fit both for men and women. In 2015 women like to reveal more of their body however in 1950 women liked to
look sophisticated and smart. In 2015 clothing has become quite expensive and the quality is not as good as the
clothing in the 1950s.
10. Sports in the 1980s were controlled by a few. Joe Montana, possibly the best quarterback of
all time. Mike Tyson, the most feared boxer to walk the planet. Baseball was quite popular
however in 2015 in England football has become a big obsession for men and women. In 1980
men were the most common gender in which played various sports however nowadays women
have become very good at sport.
Over the last years, the world of social media has experienced quick changes. Think back to your Friendster
account and compare that to your Facebook profile today. There is a world of difference. Facebook and provide
businesses ways to connect with their customers. You also have more advertising options, such as appearing as
a suggested page/profile to follow or pinning your post to the top of your followers’ news feeds. These are ways
in which customers become attracted to the business. The use of phones, Internet and social media have
changed the way we work, the way we live, and the way we make and maintain friendships. This shows that
2015 has changed widely since the 90s.
In the early years of cinema, editors and directors would never cut from a wide angle to a close up, because the
audience would get confused. Over time the use of faster and tighter editing became common. Today almost
any film contains at least one instance of cutting from a wide shot straight to a close up, or even going to a new
location.
11. I chose the year 2045 because Ithinkmanythingswouldchange.One of the thingsI thinkwouldbe
developediscancer.Ithinkscientistswill domore researchintotreatingcancerandcuringit for patients
whichmeansthe deathrate will be decreased.Ialsothinkthe poorcountriessuchas Africawill become rich
and the rich countrieswill become poorbecause the richcountriesare becomingverygreedyandare going
againsteach othertryingto prove whichisbetterthanthe other.AlsoI thinkthere will be more warsdue to
the hatredof eachcountry.
12. The screenshotsshowthe partsI usedduringmy scriptbut I made changesto it.The changesI
made were whenMarty wastakingthe hoverboard fromthe littles.The changesImade for that
scene wasMarty speakingtothe little girlsandthe little girls callinghimapervertandwalkingaway.
I changedthisbecause Ineverhadany hoverboardsto act inmy scans.AlsoI usedthe scene when
Griff comingout the cafe and lookingforMarty. HoweverIaddeda scan of my own.The scan thatI
thoughof mywas whenMarty say “lookslike I’monfootthenwhere’sthe Docwhenyouneed
him?”aftersayingthat the Doc appearswiththe car and picksyouMarty and car disappears. Imade
these changesbecause intodaysocietychildabuse andgroomingare animportantconcernand
mendo notapproach children.Mstory board below showsmyplanningformyfilm.
My storyboard
13.
14. Conclusion
I thinkit’sobviousthatthe contextof productionaffectfilmsinlotsof ways.
Historyhas a differentaffectbecause theyhaddifferentstoriestheydidhave beginning,middle and
end.The storieswhere shortandsome filmswere silentnosoundwasgiventothe audience
howevernowadaysinmoviesoundisveryimportantandisusedineveryscene.Sounddescribesthe
feelingof the scene e.g.whensomeoneisdyingthenthe soundisemotional andslow.Alsocamera
qualitywasnotthat good as itwas white andblackfilms.Howeverthe filmtechnologieshave
improvedbecause nowtheyhave HDfilms3Dfilms.Cinemashave improvedwithtechnology.
Culture representsacountryfor example IfoundoutthatAmericanfilmsmostlyuse the American
flagbecause theirmovie isbasedinAmerica.Forexample FastandFurious6 the movie showsthat
Americanscare abouttheirfamilyandshowsAmericandreamistobe richand free.Theyshow this
by sittingtogetheraroundadinnertable andtalkingandeatingwitheachother.Thisshowsthat
theyare alwaystogether.
How technologywasBlackandwhite this ishow technologyhasdevelopedtoHD
Familytogether