G.A.N.G.S.T.A Research Book by westrenae1

G.A.N.G.S.T.A

RESEARCH BOOK

INTRODUCTION.

As I have approached the final project of my university experience, it was very inmportant for me to focus on a project that I loved, to look at a topic that I knew that I was passionate about and am willing to spend 3-4 months on without getting board. For a long time, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always had a love for film and tv series; from comedies to crime documentaries on Netflix, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been drawn to characterisation and how it develops overtime. So to have the chance to explore genres or film or a partiuclar genre of film really does excite me.

ELEVATOR PITCH.

WHAT IS MY PROJECT?

I have been told in the past by tutors in my previous projects that I have a strong skill in researching and distilling information. I would like to think that I have a strong knowledge on tv and film because for such a long time now family and friends have approached me and asked me to suggest films or a new tv series for them to watch. When it comes to me watching films or a tv series, I tend to find myself analysing what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve watched straight after, whether that be the characters development throughout the show/film, the lighting that was used in a particular scene or even the camera angles and music that used within a scene to convey a particular emotion, which is why I would like to produce a book that discusses and analyses the ways in which characters in film and tv have transformed from beginning to end, which is told through their costumes.

For example, the character transformation that Julia Robertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character Vivian Ward takes on can be told through her costume as she transforms wearing crop tops paired with knee high boots to a beautiful red dress and jewels. .

HOW/MANAGEMENT OF PROJECT

The work will be done on my own. Some of the challenges that could be faced in this project is art direction, which is why I will conduct research on film and tv magazines and look at the way they have art directed their pages to inspire my own work. My creative outcome will be created through InDesign as this program is best for creating magazines/books.

TARGET AUDIENCE

My target consumer for this project would be people who love film and tv, in particukar, people who would like to gain more knowledge on films or read someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opinion on some of their favourite characters. I would like my commissioning client to be a magazine or a film researching job.

WHY THIS PROJECT?

For anyone who loves film and tv, to be able to read about some of their favourite characters and how theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve managed to transform, evident through costume would make them want to go back to watch these films and episodes and review these characters through new eyes.

WHAT IS GENERALLY UNDERSTOOD BY THE NOTION OF FILM GENRE? “Genre isn’t a word that pops up in every conversation about films-or every review- but the idea is second nature to the movies and our awareness of them. Movies belong to genres much the way people belong to families or ethnic groups. Name one of the classic bedrock genres- Western, comedy, musical, war film, gangster picture, science fiction, horror- and even the most casual moviegoer will come up with a mental image of it, partly visual, partly conceptual.” Richard T. Jameson, They Went Thataway (1994) Genre, it would appear, is not your average descriptive term, but a complex concept with multiple meanings, which we might identify as follows: . genre as blueprint, as a formula the precedes,

programmes and patterns industry production; . genre as structure, as the formal framework on which individual films are founded; . genre as label, as the name of a category central to the decisions and communications of distributors and exhibitors; . genre as contract, as the viewing position required by each genre film of its audience.

Why I chose to look at crime/gangster films: For a long long time I have always enjoyed watching crime/gangster films. I guess itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because of the way its glamourised in Hollywood or just simply the fact that I shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be siding with the bad guys bet yet I always have. There is just so much to talk about when it comes to crime films and the gangster protagonists that are in these films, whether that be looking at the characterisation of the gangsters, their attire or even where they come from. All of these things tie in together to make a really great ensemble which I find very interesting, which is why I want to look at crime/gangster films through the decades (from the earliest films in the 1920s to present day). My inital thought for this project is to create an exhibition, along with a guide book that alows you to look ant the differences between the gangster characters through the years, which will include some of the key props from the film, key/stand out scenes from the film and some costumes from the films. Most likely I would fine someone that has the technical skills to create a virtual exhibition space for me which would have mock ups of how I would like my exhibition space to look, but I would be the one to conduct/produce the written knowledge that is paired with this exhibition space. In films you only get a glimpse of the time the producers and directors are trying to convey which is why I belive that it is important for people to understand the whole picture of the time and place that are being represented within these ganster/crime films.

GANGSTER FILM

When conducting some research on Instagram (the app that a lot of Gen Z use and prefer), there are a lot of posts on Instagram that are surrounded by crime films and gangsters, which can easily be found by using hashtags such as: #crimefilms, #gangsters, #greatmovies, #mob. If you want to be more specific, some hashtags use the actors name to find certain posts such as: #alpacino, #robertdeniro, #leonardodicaprio, which is good because then there is a quicker way for people to pin point and access certain information, which is why Instagram would be a great platform to promote this book.

I wanted to conduct some research on exhibitions and thought that it would be good idea to produce some primary research for this. When looking for exhibitions in Londo that are based on one particular film or films in general, I found it to be really difficult to find some. Of course there is the BFI but that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t what I was was looking for. I was more so looking for something that wouold include costume or prop and the closest thing that I could find for that was Bond In Motion Exhibition which is held at the London Film Museum. Although this exhibition is soley based on one franchise, it could still give me some inspiration for what I would like to include in my own virtual/mock up exhibition. The location for this exhibition was in Covent Garden which I really liked because there were so many different shops and resturants up there which would mean that the customers that visited the Bond exhibitions could make a whole day out of the experience which is what I would want for my exhibition, for it to be in a key location where people are willing to visit.

IT WAS REALLY COOL TO HAVE AL THE PROPS FROM ALL THE BOND FILMS IN ONE PLACE

ALTHOUGH I DID FIND THE SPACE TO BE A LITTLE SMALL. IT WAS ONLY WALLS THAT WERE USED TO SEPARATE EACH FILM AND IT’S PROPS AWAY FROM THE OTHERS. MAYBE IF THERE WAS MORE SPACE (MAYBE THEY COULD HAVE CONSIDERED A DIFFERENT LOCATION) THEN I THINK THAT IT WOULD CREATE MORE OF AN EXPERIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE VISITING THE EXHIBITION AS THERE WOULD BE MORE SPACE TO EXPLORE EACH PROP/CAR FROM EACH BOND FILM. I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN REALLY NICE TO INCLUDE THE BOND THEME SONG AS YOU WALKED INTO THE VENUE, JUST TO MAKE IT MORE BOND, AS CRINGE AS IT MAY BE! BUT THAT WOULD HAVE GOT YOU READY TO SAY ‘YES, I AM HERE WHERE ALL THE BOND VEHICLES ARE AND I AM HERE TO SEE BOND!’

I DID LIKE THE FACT THAT WITH SOME OF THE VEHICLES THAT WERE ON DISPLAY, THERE WAS A PROJECTER THAT PLAYED A CLIP FROM THE FILM THAT THE CAR WAS USED IN AND IT BASICALLY SHOWED US THE CAR IN USE AND IF IT WAS BEATEN UP, THEY SHOWED THAT SCENE WHERE THE CAR WAS THEN DESTROYED. WITH SOME OF THE VEHICLES THAT WERE DISPLAYED, IT INCLUDED SOME FACTUAL INFORMATION ON THE CARS WHICH IS USEFUL INFORMATION FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN CARS.

MORE SO THAN THE CARS, I REALLY LIKE THE FACT THAT THEY DECIDED TO INCLUDE SOME OF THE PROPS THAT WERE USED IN THE FILMS THROUGHOUT THE DECADES. THEY INCLUDED THE STORYBOARDS THAT WERE USED FOR SOME OF THE FILMS. I REALLY LIKED THIS BIT BECAUSE YOU ALMOST FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT IS NEEDED TO CREATE A FILM BEFORE THE FILMING EVEN BEGINS, THEREFORE YOUR ABLE TO SEE THE PROCESS AND THE ‘REAL’ BEHIND THE SCENES IF WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A FILM. I REALLY LIKE THE ADDITION OF THE PROPS THAT WERE INCLUDED SUCH AS THE JAMES BOND PASSPORT, HIS MEDICAL RECORD AND IT LOOKED AS IF ALMOST EVERY PAGE WAS FILLED WITH INFORMATION AS OPPOSED TO JUST COVERING THE FRONT AND BACK PAGE WHICH ARE THE ONLY VISIBLE PAGES TO THE VIEWER.

GANGSTER DEFINITION

Gangster noun

a member of a gang of violent criminals. “Gangsters threatened to kill him if he did not cooperate in the theft”

WHAT IS MEANT BY A GANGSTER FILM

A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The American Film Institute defines the genre as “centered on organized crime or maverick criminals in a twentieth century setting”. The institute named it one of the 10 “classic genres” in its 10 Top 10 list, released in 2008. The list recognizes 3 films from 1931 & 1932 (Scarface, The Public Enemy & Little Caesar). Only 1 film made the list from 1933 to 1966, (White Heat (1949)). This was at least partly due to the limitations on the genre imposed by the Hays Code, which was finally abandoned in favor of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system in 1968. The genre was revitalized in the New Hollywood movement that followed. New Hollywood directors would be honored with 5 of the top 6 films on the list—1967’s Bonnie and Clyde by Arthur Penn, 1972’s The Godfather and 1974’s The Godfather Part II both by Francis Ford Coppola, 1983’s Scarface, a remake of the 1932 original, by Brian De Palma, and 1990’s Goodfellas by Martin Scorsese.

THE ORIGINAL FILMS I CHOSE TO LOOK AT

When conducting some research, I came across a book called Gangster Films, which was a book based on crime/gangster films throughout the decades, which some dated back to the early 1900s. The book looked at how the film was preceived by the public, information on the director and the plot. What I enjoyed when it came to reading this book is that it had so many gangster/crime films and so much information surrounding the film in one book. I definely feel like I can take from some of the ideas illustrated in the book and ellaborate for my own guide book. So I wanted to create a virtual exhibition that would showcase the gangster films in chronological order and how they have evolved over time as well as including props, costume and a few facts. HOWEVER... this idea had to change because I then realised that although I have chosen these films from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;different decadesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; I chose them by the decade they came out as opposed to the decade they are based on, otherwise the whole premice of my idea would be WRONG!

THE 6 CHOSEN FILMS I AM NOW LOOKING AT

My original plan was to create a mock-up/virtual exhibition as part of my creative outcome, but as I took time to think about it, I realised that I wanted to emphasise my skills in writing more than curating or creative direction, which is why for my final major project I will soley be creating a book based on 6 films and disscussing key themes within the films, what was going on at the time that plays a key role within the films, the costume in each film, character analysis and whether or not their are any connections between each gangster in each film. I also want to look at how and if the way the characters change overtime, if we see their costume change and they either gain power or lose power overtime. Each film that I have chosen is either based off of a real person or looley based on someone, so I thought that to add a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Did You Know?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; segmant to the book would be a good addition to the book because for me personally, after watching a film, for me if I found out that it was based on an actual person, I would instantly want to do all the research I could to find out what scenes from the film actually happened or who is the film loosley based on? And what was fact and fiction? which is why I believe that it would be a good idea to have all the information that surrounds these films in one book.

SUMMARY: After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary crime boss Al Capone (Robert De Niro) rules Chicago with an iron fist. Though Prohibition agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) attempts to take Capone down, even his best efforts fail due to widespread corruption within the Windy Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s police force. Recruiting an elite group of lawmen who wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be swayed by bribes or fear, including Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), Ness renews his determination to bring Capone to justice.

PROHIBITION

In the 1820s and ’30s, a wave of religious revivalism swept the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other “perfectionist” movements such as the abolitionist movement to end slavery. In 1838, the state of Massachusetts passed a temperance law banning the sale of spirits in less than 15-gallon quantities; though the law was repealed two years later, it set a precedent for such legislation. Maine passed the first state prohibition laws in 1846, followed by a stricter law in 1851. A number of other states had followed suit by the time the Civil War began in 1861. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common fixture in communities across the United States. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours. Both federal and local government struggled to enforce Prohibition over the course of the 1920s. Enforcement was initially assigned to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and was later transferred to the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prohibition, or Prohibition Bureau. In general, Prohibition was enforced much more strongly in areas where the population was sympathetic to the legislation–mainly rural areas and small towns–and much more loosely in urban areas. Despite very early signs of success, including a decline in arrests for drunkenness and a reported 30 percent drop in alcohol consumption, those who wanted to keep drinking found ever-more inventive ways to do it. The illegal manufacturing and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”) went on throughout the decade, along with the operation of “speakeasies” (stores or nightclubs selling alcohol), the smuggling of alcohol across state lines and the informal production of liquor (“moonshine” or “bathtub gin”) in private homes.

The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution–which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors–ushered in a period in American history known as Prohibition. Prohibition was ratified by the states on January 16, 1919 and officially went into effect on January 17, 1920, with the passage of the Volstead Act. Despite the new legislation, Prohibition was difficult to enforce. The increase of the illegal production and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”), the proliferation of speakeasies (illegal drinking spots) and the accompanying rise in gang violence and other crimes led to waning support for Prohibition by the end of the 1920s.

In addition, the Prohibition era encouraged the rise of criminal activity associated with bootlegging. The most notorious example was the Chicago gangster Al Capone, who earned a staggering $60 million annually from bootleg operations and speakeasies. Such illegal operations fueled a corresponding rise in gang violence, including the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, in which several men dressed as policemen (and believed to be have associated with Capone) shot and killed a group of men in an enemy gang. The high price of bootleg liquor meant that the nation’s working class and poor were far more restricted during Prohibition than middle or upper class Americans. Even as costs for law enforcement, jails and prisons spiraled upward, support for Prohibition was waning by the end of the 1920s. In addition, fundamentalist and nativist forces had gained more control over the temperance movement, alienating its more moderate members.

AL CAPONE

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname “Scarface”, was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. Before being sent to Alcatraz Prison in 1934 for a tax evasion conviction, he had amassed a personal fortune estimated at $100 million as the head of the infamous crime syndicate. At age 14, Capone met the gangster Johnny Torrio, which would prove the greatest influence on the would-be gangland boss. Torrio taught Capone the importance of maintaining a respectable front while running a racketeering business. The slightly-built Torrio represented a new dawn in the criminal enterprise, transforming a violently crude culture into a corporate empire. Capone joined Torrio’s James Street Boys gang, rising eventually to the Five Points Gang. As Prohibition began in 1919 after the 18th amendment went into effect, new bootlegging operations opened up and drew in immense wealth. In 1925, Torrio retired, and Capone became the crime czar of Chicago, running gambling, prostitution and bootlegging rackets and expanding his territories by the gunning down of rivals and rival gangs. As Capone’s reputation grew, he still insisted on being unarmed as a mark of his status. But he never went anywhere without at least two bodyguards and was even sandwiched between bodyguards when traveling by car. Capone also had to deal with rival gangster Bugs Moran and his North Siders gang, who had been a threat for years. Moran had even once tried to kill Capone’s colleague and friend Jack McGurn. The decision by Capone and McGurn to avail themselves of Moran was to lead to one of the most infamous gangland massacres in history — the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre became a national media event immortalizing Capone as the most ruthless, feared, smartest and elegant of gangland bosses.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Eliot Ness is the most classy of the group thanks to his black suit, though most of the time he is seen in action with his longcoat. Then he chases Nitti through the rooftop and we see it in full action, and also for a visible contrast between Ness and the gangster in white. He is determined to stop Capone at all costs. At first, with conventional legal procedures, but when he fails at this and teams up with Malone, the Irish cop teaches him how to deal with dangerous criminals that don’t hesitate at killing anyone, even sacrificing his moral convictions. He is also a hero with bad publicity. When he first shows up on the scene, Capone learns of his raid on a warehouse full of liquor and switches the cargo to make Ness look like a fool. Sure enough, next day there’s a headline of Ness looking foolish, holding one of the umbrellas found in the raid. You witness Ness get to that point where he realsises that following the rules will not get him very far, and we see this when Jim Malone shows him a much more unorthodox way to defeat the gangster’s organization. At the end, he forces the judge to change the corrupt jury telling him that he would say his name is in said corrupt jury’s list. In reality, while the Untouchables put pressure on Capone’s organization, and Ness weeded out the corruption in Chicago’s law enforcement, it was an unrelated IRS operation that ultimately brought down Capone. Ness’s self-promotion at the time helped popularize the impression that Ness was responsible.

A ruthless and powerful Italian-American gangster who establishes a reign of crime, alcohol smuggling and corruption in the city of Chicago. It’s his fault that Chicago is a city of corruption and violence even though he does not take part in any of his schemes. He’s the crime lord of Chicago who controls all the illegal activity and has the cops and other officials in his pocket. Capone is very feared because of his Hair-Trigger Temper and the violent consequences he may take if someone messes with him. Just look at the face of the barber who accidentally cut him at the beginning. In public, he is seen smiling and an affable citizen, who claims that the violence in Chicago is not his fault or that he doesn’t evade taxes. For the entirety of the film, up until the end, he’s evaded suffering any consequences for his crimes.

1920s FASHION

ELLIOT NESS

• Costume designer: Marilyn Vance • Elliot Ness (Kevin Costner) is seen almost always wearing a hat and a trench-looking coat: this adds a cool demeanour to this character • Tends to wear three-piece suits but the main attire we see this character wearing is a medium shaded grey flannel wool three-piece suit, which was supplied by Giorgio Armani • Although the suit shares some stylistic touches with the 1980s, the fit and overall look are appropriate for 1930 • The mid-section of the suit is pulled in, emphasizing the shoulders and legs to lend Ness a more athletic profile, the male equivalent of the female hourglass • Ness’ trousers are pleated with an era-correct high rise above his natural waist • For the dramatic confrontations between Ness and Capone (which were fictionalized by the filmmakers) Robert De Niro wears light grey threepiece suits cut from designs by the real Al Capone’s original tailors

AL CAPONE

• Noted for his method acting, De Niro personally tracked down Capone’s tailors so he would have identical clothing for The Untouchables, all then made by New York tailor Henry Stewart . De Niro had always wanted to play Capone, feeling previous interpretations didn’t properly reflect the gangster’s charm and public appeal. To get the part “right” De Niro went to Sulk and Sons on Park Avenue for authentic Capone underwear, rejecting his $20,000 Armani wardrobe and having it redesigned. . After a major death in the film, Ness confronts Capone on the lobby stairs of the Lexington Hotel which the gangster had made into his headquarters. Capone, his son, and his bodyguards are heading to a baseball game – as they often did – although Capone hardly looks like a man dressed for baseball in his gray silk three-piece suit. A year later in court, Capone again wears a gray silk suit, although this is a lighter-colored and hardly one that an average man would wear for such a serious occasion. Both suits have single-breasted jackets with wide, pointed peak lapels that sweep down to a single-button closure at the waist. The jackets have broad, padded shoulders with roped sleeveheads. The hip pockets sit straight on the waist with slim flaps, and a white linen pocket square pokes out of the welted breast pocket. Headed out for the day, Capone also dons a white felt fedora with a wide black ribbon. . Capone’s final outerwear accessory is a pair of large tortoise-framed sunglasses with brown tinted lenses. . Although they may be vintage-inspired, the style of the sunglasses is more 1980s than ’30s

SUMMARY: Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this mob drama, based on Mario Puzoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Although Michael tries to maintain a normal relationship with his wife, Kay (Diane Keaton), he is drawn deeper into the family business.

ITALIAN MAFIA

Founded: 1869 Founding Location: Founded in U.S New Orleans, Chicago, New York City, Philidelphia, and various East Coast Cities Years Active:

Late 19th Century- Present

Territory:

United States; active in many parts of the country during it’s peak

Ethnicity:

Full members (made men) are of Italian decent,other criminals of any ethnicity are employed as “associates”

Criminal Activities: Racketeering, smuggling, fraud, counterfitting, robbery, assult, money laundering, drug traffiking, murder, theft

THE DON

Don, abbreviated as D., is an honorific prefix primarily used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, Croatia, Goa, and the Philippines. Don, and dom, is derived from the Latin Dominus: a master of a household, a title with background from the Roman Republic in classical antiquity. With the abbreviated form having emerged as such in the Middle Ages, traditionally it is reserved for Catholic clergy and nobles, in addition to certain educational authorities and persons of distinction.

The Don (also known as Overboss, Crime Boss or Godfather) is the leader of a crime family. The Don receives a cut of every operation taken on by every member of his family. Depending on the family, the Don may be chosen by a vote from the caporegimes of the family. In the event of a tie, the underboss must vote. In the past, all the members of a family voted on the Don, but by the late 1950s, any gathering such as that usually attracted too much law enforcement attention. Sometimes, the Don chooses his own successor.

MAFIA FASHION

VITO CORLEONE

But for the remainder of the film, Vito’s attire is earthy, rustic, tweedy: which represent a Sicilian countryman. He was only on the screen for a total of 16 minutes.

• Costume designer: Anna Hill Johnstone • Michaels father, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is first seen in a three-piece suit with a floral boutonniere

MICHAEL CORLEONE

• Costume designer, Anna Hill Johnstone illustrates the characters reluctant transition from the privileged, welleducated and relatively innocent ‘golden boy’ of the family, to the murderous and powerful mob boss • We first see Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) at his sister, Connie’s wedding in a full military wear • When Vito’s life was threatened with an attempted assassination, Michael had to step up for his family, in order to protect them. We see him wearing a brown expensive-looking overcoat while guarding his dad’s hospital • He is sporting what his brother Sonny very accurately describes as a “nice Ivy League suit” — brown corduroy sports coat and contrasting slacks, with a striped tie and Oxford cotton button-down shirt • Michael’s dressed in much the same shirt and tie when whacking out the man responsible for his father’s shooting, drug kingpin Sollozzo and his crooked cop muscle, McCluskey — but has swapped the collegiate corduroy for a “strictly business” grey flannel three-piece suit • Going into hiding in southern Italy when the heat’s on afterwards, Michael adopts the garb of the Sicilian countryside: flat cap, laid-back band-collar shirt and waistcoat, the pinstripe pattern of which hints at his city-boy origins. • It’s here we can see Vito’s ‘power’ deliquescing and Michael becomes more powerful as his status moves up to the new ‘Don’ • Michael professes to “renounce Satan and all his works” while standing as godfather at his nephew’s baptism, looking thoroughly Mephistophelean in a grey double-breasted suit and blackand-silver striped, smooth silk tie • At the end of the film, as Vito Corleone has passed away and Michael is now the mafia boss, he is seen sporting a suit, yet the tie is very loose, and the jacket removed to reveal suspenders. The symbolism is potent indeed — as is so often the case, the most dresseddown man in the room is also the most powerful

CHARACTER ANALYSIS When I watched this film for the first time after being pestered by my dad which felt like I heard it being said a million times over! But it was definitely worth listening to my dad as found that I became so interested in the character of Vito Corleone soley thanks to the portrayal of him which was done by Marlon Brando, but the character of Vito Corleone is probably one of the most highly known withi gangster films, even if he was only on our screens for a total of 16 minutes. The first time that we are introduced to this charcater is in his office/study on the day of his daughters wedding day. The lighting is really dark and ominous as there is a man in front of the Don pleading for the Don to help him out. We only see the back of the Don and it ha probably been about 2-3 mintutes into the film and he still hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t said anything yet but because of the lighting and his posture, we already know that this character carries a lot of weight. It really is enjoyable to watch this character, even if we do only see him for 16 minutes, this character just has so much authority with being the head of the Corleone family. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smart with the decisions that he makes for his family, the respect that he has brought to his family name as well as being able to see his softer side which we witness towards the end of the film.

At the beginning of the film, Michael Corleone is very different to his father. He expresses to his girlfriend Kay that he is not apart of the family business, unlike his eldest brother Sonny, and to be fair he makes it quite clear that he is not apart of the mafia lifestyle as we hardly see him at any of the meetings that involve the 5 mafia families of New York (his family included). In the beginning, Michael is quite reserved. He is the quiet brother who did not want any part in the mafia outgoings and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that his father wanted him to get involved either, but we see a switch in Michael when his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life is threatened with an attempted assassination and Michael slowly steps up into becoming more involved with the family business by stepping up and acting as his fathers bodyguard at the hospital he was being treated at. We then see Michael completely take on the Corleone name when he kills Solanzo at the Italian resturant which demonstrates his dark side, determination and readiness to protect his family. After this has all taken place, you can really see how cold he has become as he has no issue with showing no mercy in order to protect his family.

SUMMARY: Harlem drug dealer Frank Lucas rises to power in corrupt 1970s New York, equalling and surpassing the notorious Mafia families with the reach of his empire. On the other side of the law, honest cop Richie Roberts dedicates himself to taking down `the most dangerous man walking the streetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Lucas acts with impunity, smuggling heroin into the US in the coffins of American soldiers killed in Vietnam.

THE RISE OF THE GANGSTER

In Harlem, he indulged in petty crime and pool hustling before he was taken under the wing of gangster Bumpy Johnson. Lucas’ connection to Johnson has since come under some doubt; he claimed to have been Johnson’s driver for 15 years, although Johnson spent just five years out of prison before his death in 1968. After Johnson’s death, Lucas traveled around and came to the realization that, to be successful, he would have to break the monopoly that the Italian Mafia held in New York. Traveling to Bangkok, Thailand, he eventually made his way to Jack’s American Star Bar, an R&R hangout for black soldiers. It was here that he met former U.S. Army sergeant Leslie “Ike” Atkinson, who was from Goldsboro, North Carolina and married to one of Lucas’ cousins. Lucas is quoted as saying, “Ike knew everyone over there, every black guy in the Army, from the cooks on up.”.

When interviewed for a New York magazine article published in 2000, Lucas denied putting the drugs among the corpses of American soldiers. Instead he flew with a North Carolina carpenter to Bangkok and: We did it, all right...ha, ha, ha... Who the hell is gonna look in a dead soldier’s coffin? Ha ha ha. . . .We had him make up 28 copies of the government coffins . . . except we fixed them up with false bottoms, big enough to load up with six, maybe eight kilos . . . It had to be snug. You couldn’t have shit sliding around. Ike was very smart, because he made sure we used heavy guys’ coffins. He didn’t put them in no skinny guy’s . . .” — Frank Lucas. Frank Lucas (September 9, 1930 – May 30, 2019) was an American drug trafficker who operated in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was known for cutting out middlemen in the drug trade and buying heroin directly from his source in the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia. Lucas boasted that he smuggled heroin using the coffins of dead American servicemen,but this claim is denied by his Southeast Asian associate, Leslie “Ike” Atkinson. Rather than hide the drugs in the coffins, they were hidden in the pallets underneath.

FRANK LUCAS

BLUE MAGIC

In the earloy 1970s, Harlem-based drug Kingpin, Frank Lucus, was slingling his signature brand of heroin all over New York City and the rest of the East Coast. “Blue Magic”, as it was called, was the best-selling, closest-to-pure heroin people could get. Charles Lutz, who served in Vietnam with the 525th Military Intelligence Group and spent 32 years as a federal narcotics agent, was part of the team that toppled Lucas’ Asia-based heroin supply chain. It was the largest heroin smuggling operation in American history. In the film American Gangster, Denzel Washington portrayed Frank Lucas, a Harlem narcotics distributor from the late 1960s and early 1970s who put the trademark “Blue Magic” on the high-grade brand of heroin he sold.1 When he found someone distributing a lower-grade heroin and also calling it Blue Magic, the following exchange took place: Frank: See brand names, brand names mean something. You understand?... Blue Magic. That’s a brand name. Like Pepsi. That’s a brand name. I stand behind it. I guarantee it. They know that even if they don’t know me anymore than they know the, the chairman of General Mills. Nicky: What... are you talkin’ about, Frank? Frank: What I’m talkin’ about is, when you chop my dope down to one, two, three, four, five percent, and then you call it Blue Magic, that is trademark infringement. You understand what I’m sayin’? Nicky: With all due respect, Frank, if I buy something, I own it, you know?

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

I love Frank Lucas because the way he was portrayed to the audience was as a gangster who really had a buisnessman’s hat on. Even though we do witness him commit murder a few times on screen, we grasp a true essence of him as the businessman as he is trying to perfect his craft with the purest heroine Harlem has ever seen. His Blue Magic was a bramd name that he didn’t want anyone messing with, which I really appreciated and other people can side with because when you’re building up a reputation, you don’t really want anyone messing with that. It’s quite weird that you would try to justify what he is doing but it’s just that way his charater comes off as ‘cool’. His voice is mellow (even though he has shouted a few times) but for the most part, this character has his head above his shoulders who really is trying to make his life better, not only for himself but for his family which is evident when he brought his mother a very large house which is located in a predominantely white area. We learn that Lucas is also a very determined character as he is adoment on cutting out the middle man when it comes to supply and demand. Lucas is also very serious when it comes to making sure not to draw attention to himself. For example, he warned his brother on wearing clothes that were too loud sceams ‘arrest me’ but unfortunately, Lucas didn’t take his own advice which we see later on.

AMERICAN GANGSTER FASHION

FRANK • Costume Designer: Jany Yates • Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) wears a sand-brown, single breasted suit with peak lapels. This look isn’t overtly gangster, nor is it businessman • His whole look is in sync: Sand-brown suit, tie and brown shoes

LUCAS

• Frank Lucas quizzically asks his younger brother Huey, “What you got on?” “A very, very nice suit,” Huey responds proudly, wearing a 1970s-style silk shirt with the exaggerated collar overlapping the lapels of his three-piece. Lucas, however, disagrees. “It’s a clown suit. That’s a costume with a big sign on it that says ‘Arrest Me’. You understand? You’re too loud, you’re making too much noise.” He pulls his younger brother close to dispense some words of wisdom. “Look at me. The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.”

• In the ‘Fight of the Century’ scene – a battle between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali – Lucas sports a $50,000 chinchilla coat with a matching $25,000 hat • They were gifts from his wife and he resultantly felt obliged to wear the opulent coat, despite knowing it would make him the loudest one in the room • With a camera in hand, Roberts (Played by Russell Crowe who is an FBI agent) is in the crowd and on the hunt for the distributor of a brand of heroin colloquially known as ‘Blue Magic’, and spots Lucas due to the sheer lavishness of his ensemble and his intriguingly close ring proximity • Wearing this coat was Lucas’ downfall • Once the FBI made their investigative intentions known at Lucas’ wedding, he threw the coat into the fireplace and watched it disintegrate in the flames, and it’s at this point his empire starts to crumble • The costume designer recreates the high and low fashions of the time (1970s) • Rather than fashionable cuts with expensive trims and loud cloths favoured by brash, tasteless gangsters, Lucas’ preference for formal and modest business attire serves as a constant reminder that he wants to be seen as a businessman, not a drug dealer

SUMMARY: Rise of the Footsoldier follows the inexorable rise of Carlton Leach from one of the most feared generals of the football terraces to becoming a member of a notorious gang of criminals who rampaged their way through London and Essex in the late eighties and early nineties. It is three decades of his life following him from football hooliganism, through to his burgeoning career as a bouncer, his involvement in the criminal aspects of the early â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;raveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; scene and subsequently to his rise to power as one of the most feared and respected criminals in the country

CARLTON LEACH

He was born in Canning Town, (East London since 1965). Leach was catapulted into a criminal career by his love of West Ham United F.C. Before long, he was a member of the notorious Inter City Firm, a gang of hooligans who followed the East London club. Leach started work as a bouncer in East London, where he became involved with Tony Tucker, then followed by Pat Tate, both of whom worked as large scale dealers in ecstasy during the rave era in the late 1980s.

FOOTBALL Football hooliganism or soccer hooliganism is disorderly, violent or destructive behaviour perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves conflict between gangs, in English known as football firms, formed to intimidate and attack supporters of other teams. Other English-language terms commonly used in connection with hooligan firms include “army”, “boys”, “bods”, “casuals”, and “crew”. Certain clubs have longstanding rivalries with other clubs and hooliganism associated with matches between them (sometimes called local derbies) is likely to be more severe. The onflict between fans usually takes place before or after a match. The people involved usually select locations away from the stadiums to have their fghts, this way they avoid arrests made by the police, but conflict can also erupt spontaneously inside the stadium or in the surrounding streets. In extreme cases, hooligans, police, and bystanders have been killed, and body-armoured riot police have intervened with tear gas, police dogs, armoured vehicles and water cannons. In particular, looking at the Inter City Firm, they are an English football hooligan firm (which Carlton Leach was a member of) that were mainly active in 1970s, 80s and parts of the 90s. The Inter City Firm is closely associated with the London football club West Ham United.

HOOLIGANS

TERRACE FASHION

. Followers of this subcultural movement refer to themselves as “casuals” . football fans who choose to clad themselves in designer “casual” clothing rather than their team’s colours . In the early days of the late 1970s, this was done in order to more easily infiltrate rival firms for fights – something that has seen the term become synonymous with hooliganism and thuggery . The subculture developed its own uniform and a selection of core brands. Farah, Lois, Diadora, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Sergio Tacchini, Fila, Ellesse, Cerutti 1881, Australian, Lacoste, Lyle and Scott, Pringle, Kappa

SUMMARY: South Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes under cover to infiltrate the organization of gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). As Billy gains the mobsterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trust, a career criminal named Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) infiltrates the police department and reports on its activities to his syndicate bosses. When both organizations learn they have a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin must figure out each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identities to save their own lives.

WHITEY BULGER

James Joseph “Whitey” Bulger was the boss of the largely Irish Mob in Boston from the 1970s through the 1990s. His longevity and success in organized crime largely can be attributed to protection he received as a high-level FBI informant. Bulger was notorious for his readiness to use violence and especially murder to achieve his criminal goals. His offenses grew increasingly large in scale, culminating in a string of bank robberies from Rhode Island to Indiana. In June 1956, he was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. He ended up serving nine years, including stints in Atlanta, Alcatraz and Leavenworth. (Bulger allegedly served time in Alcatraz because he was discovered making plans to escape from his prison in Atlanta.) By 1979, Whitey Bulger had become a preeminent figure in Boston’s organized crime scene. That year, Howie Winter, the boss of the Winter Hill Gang, was sent to prison for fixing horse races, and Bulger assumed the gang’s leadership. Over the next 16 years, he came to control a significant portion of Boston’s drug dealing, bookmaking and loansharking operations. In the spring of 1994, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Massachusetts State Police and the Boston Police Department launched an investigation into Bulger’s gambling operations. In early 1995, Bulger and his associate, Stephen Flemmi, were indicted. Bulger, however, managed to slip through the authorities grasp. Bulger’s life on the run ended in June 2011, when he was caught and arrested in Santa Monica, California, after a 16-year manhunt. A tipster had notified the FBI that the 81-yearold fugitive and Greig had been living in a rent-controlled apartment as retirees. The FBI had the building manager lure Bulger to the garage of the apartment by telling him the lock on his storage locker was broken. In the garage, Bulger was surrounded by FBI agents and local police officers.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Colin Sullivan is a rough guy from a rough neighborhood,which contradicts the preception that we have of him as he comes across as an innocent guy (in the beginning), but from the beginning of the film we then realise that he has been mentored by Frank Costello who is at the head of one of the irish mobs in Boston. Partway through the film we realise that Sullivan doesn’t really like to talk about his past in terms of where he comes from. When his fiancée Madolyn brings childhood pictures of herself to his apartment when she moves in, he immediately takes them out of the room and says: “You don’t see any pictures of where I came from. Look, I respect who you are. Just, you know, not in the living room. We might have company.” Colins respone displays two things to the audience: 1, he is ashaamed of his background and 2, he doesn’t want anything connecting him to the mob boss Frank Costello when he is supposed to be a man who keeps the law in check.

Frank, who’s based heavily on reallife South Side gangster Whitey Bulger, isn’t interested in playing by the rules of the society around him. He’s an irish Catholic who grew up during a time when irish people were hated and had a really hard time in America. For Frank, life is all about taking whatever you want and daring other people to try and stop you. And when these people do try and stop you, you kill them. Despite his belief in doing anything to get what he wants, Costello still follows a certain honor code. For example, he feels a bit bad about bringing Billy Costigan into his criminal world, saying: “Your Uncle Jackie, he also would kill my entire f***ing family if he saw me here with you. And I think about this.” Costello then says “Did you ever think about going back to school?” At this point, Frank seems to be doling out some genuine fatherly advice, and he’s disappointed when Billy doesn’t listen to him. As a mob king, Frank likes to think of himself as totally irreplaceable. As he tells Billy: “The only one who could do what I do is me. A lot of people had to die for me to be me.”

THE DEPARTED FASHION

. Matt Damon’s character, Colin Sullivan is a first and foremost a member of the Irish mob who is disguised as a police officer acting as an informant for mob boss Frank Costello meaning that he is in disguse as a police officer . When he is not an officer and it with the mob, he is still seen sporting what could be considered as ‘normal civilian attire’, which is a simple cotton shirt and jeans which makes him slip under the raider . Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Billy Costigan is the complete opposite of Colin Sullivan. Billy is an authentic police officer who is there to serve and protect, yet he then goes undercover in the irish mob to crack down on the crime that they are taking part of, which means he goes from wearing his police uniform to becoming a ‘gangster’ by wearingan all blck outfir which consists of a black t-shirt, black jeans and a black leather jacket, baseball caps which seems to be quite typical for a disguise which we see happen most times in films, the hat and majority of black clothing is somehow supposed to hide your identity but through his actions he definitely manages to fit in and provide the Boston police with all the information they need to destroy the irish mob created by Jack Nicholson’s character, Frank Costello

SUMMARY: Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba) and his friends enjoy a luxurious lifestyle funded by bank robberies, and they avoid capture by sticking to a strict set of rules. As they celebrate the latest job, a former associate arrives with a daring plan to rob an armored car. The lure of so much cash is too tempting to resist but, unbeknown to Gordonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men, this heist puts them on a collision course with Russian mobsters and a detective (Matt Dillon) who will do anything to capture them.

CHARACTER ANALYSIS

Gordon Cozier without a doubt is the leader of this group. He’s quite a laid back character, in terms of the way he handles situations. There are times, very crucial times where a big decision needs to be made and the rest of the team are rambling on, you can tell that Cozier is plotting a tactical and intelligent plan to tackle the situation ahead of the group. He’s normally the last person to speak and that’s beacuse of the authority that he carries. We also witness a glimpse of Cozier attempting to be a family man, and I say that loosely because we only witness a small amount of interaction with his older sister, Naomi who is a recovering addict. As his team plan to commit one last heist which would cut them a lot of money between the 5 of them, Cozier wants to make sure that his sister is out of the way so he can do what he needs to do without any interruptions, so that he can also better her life and take her back to the Caribbean where they had experienced better times; but you can also sense the frustration when his sister does not abide to his rules when she does not adhere to his rules. Overal, Gordon Cozier is the brains of the organisation.

John Rahway is the second man in command of the group who has a very cool nature about himself. He almost acts as the brains of the group as he is the one that brings the ideas forward to Cozier and makes sure that the plan can run smoothly without any interruptions. Rahway is also a very ggod judge of character which we witness when one of the old members of the crew, Ghost returns from jail and convinces the guys to complete one more job, even though the group insisted that they would never do a job back to back as it would draw attention to themselves, but Gordon Cozier agrees to take part in the new heist which ultimately leads to 3 members deaths later on in the film.

Jake and Jesse Attica are te ony brothers that are involved in this group. These two brothers have such a strong bond which is very visible throughout the film. Around the middle of the film, when Jesse is running from the police (which is showing off his daredevil escape artist skills), he then makes it back to the group and finds them panicking as they were wondering about his whereabouts. Jesse proceeds to tell the group that he shot a police officer during the case, saying “that it was like he wanted me to shoot him”. They all become a little frantic which is when Gordon shouts back at him “You don’t shoot the cops! C’mon man!”, Cozier then lunges himself forward to attack Jesse, but his big brother Jake comes to the rescue and defends his little brother, by justifying that they hear him out. The two brothers really do show how much they have each other’s back when we witness them choose to die together before ever going back to jail.

TAKERS FASHION

. Majority of the time, these men are seen wearing suits which gives of a very professional look to them. Even if they are criminals . Jesse Attica is sometimes seen sporting a t-shirt and joggers which makes sense because he is the member of the team that is able to make the quick escapes as he can do athletic jusmps to escape the situation. . The group are also seen sporting cosutmes in the film which is part of their disguise during their heists.

WORKING TITLE FOR THE BOOK

G.A.N.G.S.T.A Gaining. Attributes. Needed. (To) Get. Somewhere. Through. Achievement

The reason why I decided to call the final outcome book ‘G.A.N.G.S.T.A’ is because there are a lot of things that make up a gangster; but when you look at the core of it, they are all looking to get somewhere better in life which is where the ‘GAINING ATTRIBUTES NEEDED (TO) GET SOMEHWERE THROUGH ACHIEVEMENT’ comes from. There are certain attributes that a gangster either has or learns that are needed to help them survive in their world. They are all trying to achieve something also. Whether that be riches, fame or even respect, that is their end goal, and we see this journey that they take on when they learn new skills or attributes; which is why I believe that thsis title is quite fitting to the picture that is painted within this book.

MY CONSUMER

Specifically 20-25 year olds, with the analysis that is included within the book as well as including facts so that people are more well informed about the films within the books, will sit well with Gen Z. The colours used within the book will also sit well with Gen Z. I Know thatI personally am a fan of this typeof book and when talking to my peers they also felt the same which then helped further my justification for making the book. After conducting some research on social media, I found that there were a lot of pages that were curated around gangsters; some of which had a large following which proves that people do in fact love gangsters within crime films. People who are aware of the films that have been included within the book G.A.N.G.S.T.A will be happy to read someone elses perspective on these 6 films. As a person who loves films, to be able to read up on some of your favourite characters is very enjoyable to film lovers.

NEVILLE BRODY When researching what kind of layout would be best for my final outcome book, I decided to do some research in graphic designers which is when I came across Neville Brody. His work has a lot of typeography in it, which I like because the work then becomes so bold and really stands out which is something that I feel would be very fitting for a book thats aimed towards 20-25 year olds. What I also found very interesting about his work was the repetitiveness of the colours red, white and black. I then thought I could use this in my book. First reason being that the colours are bold which will attract peoples attention, but also for the fact that the colours could have a meaning behind them. For example, the red would represent all the blood that has been shed by the gangsters that have been included in the book. The black would then represnt all the darkness and dark times that come with being a gangster. The white just nicely breaks up the two pages.

G.A.N.G.S.T.A

Gaining

ADDING INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS BEFORE EACH FILM COPY

Attributes

Needed

Get

Somewhere

Through Achievement

I thought that instead of getting straight into the film copys that I have created for 6 gangster films, I thought that it would be very interesting to somehow tie the title into the book a little more as it would be nice to have the title of G.A.N.G.S.T.A running throughout the book and not just be a stand alone title, which is why I though that it would be a good idea to give the reader an introductory paragraph before each film copy. I want to link each charcacter to one of the words that makes up the acronym for the title of the book. For example, I would associate the film The Godfather with the word Attributes; I say this because there are so many attributes that are included in the film between the father and son. Therefore, I would continue this idea throughout the book by deciding for each film whether they are associated with the word: gaining, attributes, get somewhere and achievement.

EXAMPLE OF CREATIVE WRITING FOR THE INTRODUCTIONS The Rise of the Footsoldier (2007). written from the perspective of Carlton Leach “Do you know how much I fuckin’ love football? The love that I have for the sport is ridiculous. West Ham till I die. But let me tell you a little story. I used to be a bouncer in some club up in East London, which is where I met two top geezers, Tony Tucker and Pat Tate. Drug dealers. Who unfortunately were both murdered. But anyway… they were two big time dealers back in the 80s. If you needed ecstasy to keep you going through your raving, they were your guys. Sorry, back to the story… met a few more people and that’s when I joined the ICF and for those of you that don’t know what that stands for, Inter City Form. We were just a bunch of West Ham supporters you know. Talk about how much we fuckin’ hate Spurs and Liverpool. They called us ‘Hooligans’. But then of course one thing led to another… you then meet a few more people and then BOOM! I’m in charge of the criminal underworld of London. I’m Carlton Leach! I run the show!”

To then further my idea of writing introductions for each film with a word that is embedded in the title, to make it a little more enjoyable for my consumer to read (as before they were a little too static), I thought that it would be a good idea to write the introductions from the perspective of the character that I will take about later on in the copy. On the page ahead is an example of what I have written, from the perspective of Carlton Leach (ex football hooligan and Underworld leader). He is from London and knowing that he was a football hooligan it gave me free reign to explore the way he would talk (as well as using the reference from the film that is based on his life). I have experimented with trying to convey a choppy conversation with this introduction in particular, which is why there are quite a few full stops within this paragraph to convey that quick to the point conversaions that you see in films. Also, with the character being from East London like myself, meant that I had to put my east london hat on so I could really try and grasp how this man talks, which meant that certain letters had to be dropped to truly convey the cockney accent. It was really fun writing these introductions because it allows the characters to come to life which will sit well with the 20-25 target audience that I have.

G.A.N.G.S.T.A BRAND JOURNAL

. INTRODUCTION . ABSTRACT . MARKET INFORMATION

Table

CON TENT

Commissioning client, looking at the gangster in crime films, branding strategy, colour scheme, SWOT

. RATIONALE Research findings, Who is it for

. PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN Launch date, the future

G.A.N.G.S.T.A GAINING. ATTRIBUTES. NEEDED. (TO) GET. SOMEWHERE. THROUGH. ACHIEVEMENT Before each film copy, there is an introductory paragraph that has been written from the perspective of a certain character, which breathes more life into the film copyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

INTRODUCTION With a love for film, in particular crime and gangster films, I thought that I would take the opportunity to base my final year project on crime films that include gangsters. This is done though the analysis of 6 films that cover character analysis, costume analysis (what is says about the character) as well as any factual information that could be provided to the reader that would also enhance their knowledge of the film. The book that I have given the name G.A.N.G.S.T.A highlights my written and analysis skills as I offer writing that is formal (analysis) as well as stepping into characters shoes and writing introductions as them, to enhance the readers perspective of the characters within the film copys.

ABSTRACT For this Creative Direction for the Fashion Indusrty project, I want to create a book that is aimed towards 20-25 year olds (Gen Z), that look closely at six films which will focus on key aspects of the film such as character analysis which is always important when it comes to understanding a key character, as well as key facts for the reader to look into, because for me that always adds an extra dimention to the film if I have then realised that after watching, the events in the films actually happened. Creating this document in the form of a book is the best option as all the information you need is all in one place and maybe it become something that is released more frequently as opposed to a one off book, as I can alternate the crime/gangster films that are within the document, and then it almost becomes a collectors item. The name for my book is G.A.N.G.S.T.A which stands for Gaining Attributes Needed (to) Get Somewhere Through Achievement. I chose this acronym for the title because I felt that I could incorporate that through the write ups for each film, i.e. I have chosen a word from each letter for each film that I feel best represents the film, which really ties the films to the title of the book.

MARKET INFORMATION

COMMISSIONING CLIENT In regards to the client for this project, I believe that it fits within its own box, meaning that it could be a stand alone book that covers aspects within the crime/gangster films, from character analysis to costume analysis. A stand alone book that caters for certain aspects of a film. However, this book that I would like to create could also be suitable within a film review magazine such as Empire, Total Film and act as a complimentary article within these magazines, or even presented as a suppliment magazine, as it will act as a segment within the big magazines.

LOOKING AT THE GANGSTER IN CRIME FILMS

The mob movie has been a staple of entertainment history since the silent movie era. It flourished after the arrival of sound with movies such as The Public Enemy and Little Caesar. The public’s love of the gangster boomed again in the late 1940s with film noir hoods like actor Richard Widmark, and crested in the 1970s with The Godfather movies. The director gives a lot of importance to the antagonist as well as protagonist as well sa witnessing the evolution of lead charter as well second character. Gangsters in crime films leave you with questions such as “what if i could do that?” “What if I coiuld stand up to authority, to follow my own rules”. They have a certain appeal that draws you in to them when you know that you probably should not like them, which is why the gangster is a big talked about character within the film industry.

I am very guilty when it comes to being drawn to the gangster, and it is because there is a part of you that knows that you should not like them becasue they are the bad guy. Whenever I watch crime films with gangsters in them, there is a part of me that does think about what my life would be like if one of my family members was a mobster and all the respect that would follow the family name, as well as the idea of people either loving or fearing me, to which both excite me. From a young age, having a love for gangsters in the crime genre of film has left me doing as much research as possible on the film, especially once knowing that a film was based off of real life criminals or if it was loosley based off of someone, whcih can be even more exciting as it can come across as if the writers and the directors are slightly masking the true identity of the real life character, which adds a different layer to the story of the film, thus pushing you to do research to find out exactly who they are trying to portray,

BRANDING STRATEGY

The gangster is a much loved and much talked about character within the crime genre, and when talking to my peers about crime films. I then began to realise that there are so many elements to these films that they find interesting, that really do create big conversations, and this concept lead me to create a book that contains copy’s of some of the most popular mobster/gangster films which includes different aspects i.e. true facts. It is a book that people who love this genre of film would like to see as its all in one place as opposed to having to research seperate things themselves.

Gangster/crime films contain universal traits such as family, honour and teritory which we can all relate to, to a certain extent.

When conducting some research, I found that there were a lot of ‘Fan Wiki’ pages that people have created that gave you ‘factual’ information based on fictional characters, just how the actual Wikipedia page would, whcih I found really interesting because it solidified that people are interested in receiving this kind of information on fictional or in some cases non-fictional characters.

Director: Brian De Palma Budget: $25m Box Offie: $106.2m Awards: Oscar win to Sean Connery for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 1 Golden Globe, 1 BAFTA

Director: Francis Ford Coppola Budget: $6-7.2m Box Offie: $246-287m Awards: 3 Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Writing Screenplay based on material from Another Medium, 5 Golden Globes and 1 BAFTA.

Director: Julian Gilbey Budget: £4m Box Offie: £220,868

Director: Martin Scorsese Budget: $90m Box Offie: $291.5m Awards: 4 Oscar wins including, Best Motion Picture, Best Achievent in Directing, Best Writing Adapted Screenplay and Best Achievement in Film Editing, 1 Golden Globe, and 6 BAFTA Nominations.

Director: Ridley Scott Budget: $100m Box Offie: $266.5m Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars (Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Achievement in Art Direction, 2 Golden Globe Nominations. 4 BAFTA nominations.

Director: John Luessenhop Budget: $32m Box Offie: $69.1m Awards: 1 BET Award, 2 Black Reel Award Nominations.

COLOUR SCHEME In regards to the colour scheme that was used for G.A.N.G.S.T.A, the colours that were used were red, white and black. When conducting research for this book and thinking of what colours to use as well as the typography that was going to be used, I took subtle inspiration from the English graphic designer, Neville Brody. Red, white and black also seems to be a running theme within his work which is a really nice design. The combination of colours used are quite fun, but represented in a sophisticated way, which was replicated in the final design for the book. The colours also represent the lives of the characters that are included in the copyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as it can be preceived as blood and the darkness that can take over some of the characters lives.

SWOT

STRENGTHS . People enjoy gathered information on some of their favourite characters in film . The introductory paragraphs that are placed before each film highlights where the film sits within the acyronm G.A.N.G.S.T.A (Gaining. Attributes. Needed. (to). Get. Somewhere. yet it is written from the perspective of one of the characters that is spoken about within the copy which gives it personality which could really appeal to the 20-25 demographic . It will create conversations once being read as people find new facts on films or conversations on characters in which people will then give their opinion . Writing about of a selection of crime/gangster films will then reignite peoples intrest in the films . The book could then create a whole new audience . Being a female writer writing about male dominated films means it has a different perspective

WEAKNESSES . Although there are a lot of people who do enjoy gangster/crime films, it could be considered as being aimed towards a niche group as opposed to being a book that encompassed say, Greatest Films of all time (yet that would have to include a large amount of films) . Some people may not have seen all the films included within the book which could be off-putting to a certain extent. Prehaps a book that included films within the last 10 years may appeal to people aged 20-25 . Majority of the films that have been directed by men, which highlights the lack of women directors involved in topics such as crime and gangsters within the industry.

OPPORTUNITIES . This book could become a book that then looks at more gangsters within the crime franchise which is released bi-annually . This book could follow the same principle that G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R does but fit it to mold within a new genre of film . Creating a blog/website for this book would be great as Gen Z live within the digital age, where everything is instant for them (a subscription service) . Looking at different film genres allows you to expand on the demographic that it is aimed to thus creating books that stem from the original book for everyone . Due to Covid-19, majority of people have been in lockdown at home which means people have free time to catch up on film and tv, therefore they can re-watch or watch the films for the first time that are included in G.A.N.G.S.T.A

THREATS . A big threat for this project unfortunately is the pandemic that the world is living in, Covid-19. Due to the 7 week lockdown we have experienced and only in week 8 has the lockdown restrictions been slightly eased, the book that I have created that was intended for print, is not feesable at this current time. Certain layouts that would have made much more sense if the book were to be prinited would have been much more beneficial. Therefore, I have had to change certain layouts to fit a digital layout . When it comes to analysis on certain subject, I find that I can be quite academic, which can be quite boring at times, so to fit my target audience of 20-25 year olds, I had to find the right balance of being formal enough to get the point across, yet not too academic where it would bore the consumer

RATIONALE Researching that people really have a love for the bad guy, the gangster, the outsider, there is so much research when it come to crime/gangster films. There are so many forums on the internet that shows the conversations that are taking place between people which are based on crime/gangster films. This publiction aims to offer people an insight into character analysis and what it says about their character, as well as facts on what was going on historically at the time which was reflected in the films as well as some of the characters who were based off of or loosle based on real life people. The age group is 20-25 year olds, as the art direction was inspired by Neville Brody by using similar colours as he uses in his work (red, white and black) as well as his typeography style which is fitting for this age group. Also, in regards to the tone of voice, it is light enough to appeal to a 20 year old yet there is enough analysis that it could appeal to someone who is in their mid-20s. There is a lot of information that has gone into this book which is why someone between 20-25 would appreciate it. This book provides the conversation that people always have regarding crime/gangster films all in one place, which then continues to spark up conversation once read. The title for this book G.A.N.G.S.T.A as an acronym gives justification in a sense for each film, as it gives you an insight into what the films focus is, as well as making the film seem a little better in terms of making the criminals appear as ‘cooler’ or ‘desirable’. As a person who enjoys and loves crime/gangster films themself, to have a book that has films of those nature in it as well as providing all the information I needed and some I didn’t know i needed, is very enjoyable as you are then able to spark up a conversation with the next person on what was just learnt from the book G.A.N.G.S.T.A.

After conducting a lot of research for this project, I found a lot of articles that justified why people are obsessed with true crime, the crime genre, and gangster characters. A lot of it had to do with the fact that directors had taken real life people, sanatise them, glamorise them, and place them on the Hollywood big screen to which they appear to us as the hero. There is a realness that comes with the gangster, where you can understand (some of) them to a ceratin extent as they try to make their lives better. They were people who transitioned from nothing to something, which people can ressonate with.Evil fassinates people, its something that people know they should not like, yet they do, and of course Hollywood does have a big role to play in this as they choose a very handsome and talented actor that they know people love, place then in the role of the mobster which then almost â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;softens the blowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the real life character that is being portrayed. It humanises them, which people love.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

WHO IS IT FOR GEN Z Specifically 20-25 year olds, with the analysis that is included within the book as well as including facts so that people are more well informed about the films within the books, will sit well with Gen Z. The colours used within the book will also sit well with Gen Z.

LOVES THE GANGSTER After conducting some research on social media, I found that there were a lot of pages that were curated around gangsters; some of which had a large following which proves that people do in fact love gangsters within crime films.

LOVES FILMS People who are aware of the films that have been included within the book G.A.N.G.S.T.A will be happy to read someone elses perspective on these 6 films. As a person who loves films, to be able to read up on some of your favourite characters is very enjoyable to film lovers.

PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

#gangsterfacts In terms of promoting this book, Instagram would be the best platform as Gen Z spend approximately 3 hours (on average) daily on social media. The use of dividing the cover up into 9 squares which makes up the grid on Instagram is very useful as the large image intrigues people, thus making them more drawn into finding out what the book is all about. People respond very well to the 9 image gris (that represents one image.

#thedeparted

#welovegangsters

#americangangster

#thegodfather

#theuntouchables

LAUNCH DATE

24 AUGUST, 202O

When it came to reaearching the top 20 gangster films of all time placed in the number 1 position was The Godather, as it was noted to be one of the greatest gangster films of all time, which is why I believe that it would be very fitting to have the launch date of the book on the same day of when the film was released back in 1972.

REFERENCES

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/frank-lucas-americangangster-drug-kingpin-dead-842740/

BOOKS:

https://themobmuseum.org/blog/frank-lucas-the-drug-kingpin-who-inspiredamerican-gangster-is-dead/

Gangster Films by Smith, Jim, 1978, London: Virgin, 2004

http://carltonleach.com/

Film/Genre by Altman, Rick, 1945- London, BFI Publishing, 1999

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10846125/hooligan-firms-slashed-rivalsstanley-knives-grenades/

Gangsters and G-Men on Screen [electronic] : crime cinema then and now

https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/football-hooliganism

FILMS WATCHED: The Untouchables (1987)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitey_Bulger https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/obituaries/whitey-bulger-dead.html https://brody-associates.com/

The Godfather (1972)

https://www.instagram.com/thegodfathermovie/?hl=en

American Gangster (2007)

https://www.instagram.com/gangster.quotes/

The Rise of the Footsoldier (2007)

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/559256/why-we-love-true-crime

The Departed (2006) Takers (2010) WEBSITES: https://www.fashionbeans.com/article/terrace-fashion-guide/ https://www.watchmojo.com/video/id/10750 https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone https://vintagedancer.com/1920s/1920s-fashion-men/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_Mafia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_(honorific) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_honorifics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Lucas https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/31/obituaries/frank-lucas-dead.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/a-confession/why-do-we-love-true-crime/ https://globalnews.ca/news/4888508/how-does-true-crime-affect-you/ https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/why-do-we-admire-mobsters https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34312359

G.A.N.G.S.T.A