Annotated Catalogue Guidance and examples
1
Annotated Catalogue 1000 words (10% tolerance) 10-15 items Items split into sections with sub headings 70 word annotation per item Annotations on how the item is relevant to the area of investigation and how it contributes to the overall research Under each sub-heading (books, magazines etc) please split your catalogue up into primary and secondary resources (primary being the most important resources in your opinion). The catalogue must conclude with a short paragraph which lists significant items (3 to 5) not selected for inclusion in the catalogue, offering brief reasons why (up to 200 words)
2
Annotated Catalogue – Technology focus Films Primary Resources. Item 1: Jurassic Park (Amblin Entertainment, US 1993, Dir. Steven Spielberg). A groundbreaking film that accumulated BAFTAs and Academy Awards for its Special Effects as well as inspiring numerous film makers such as George Lucas and Peter Jackson to continue to progress the use of CGI. Great detail and scientific research went into ensuring the dinosaurs in the film were as life like as possible. Not only does this film rely on CGI it also contains some of the best animatronic creatures used in film. This film will serve as my focus as it is an example of how far technology has evolved but also how it continues to progress.
Item 2: Beowulf (ImageMovers, US 2007, Dir. Robert Zemeckis). The technology in this film was inspired by the use of motion capture to build threedimensional characters pioneered by the 2004 film The Polar Express. The production team for Beowulf was the largest ever used by Imageworks. New animation tools were created especially for this film. The motion capture technique used allowed for the characters to achieve impossible stunts whilst still remaining realistic. I chose this film as it is at the peak of modern technology and creates a good contrast with the effects in Jurassic Park.
Item 3: King Kong (US 1933, Dir. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack). Released in 1933, this film mesmerised audiences with its groundbreaking stop motion animation created by Willis O’Brien. As well as stop-motion King Kong also made use of optical effects courtesy of Linwood G. Dunn. The special effects techniques used in this film inspired many of modern day’s films that incorporate CGI as well as some of today’s leading directors such as Peter Jackson. I am using this film as a starting point as it was created at a time when technology was just beginning to be introduced into mainstream film.
Books Secondary Resource. Item 4: Rickett, R. & Harryhausen, R. Special Effects: History and Technique (Billboard Books 2007). This book gives a detailed insight into the history of special effects in cinema as well as well as detailed accounts of how they are achieved. 3
Pictures of some of cinemas greatest and most influential set pieces and characters are also included which are useful for visuals in my presentation. Primary Resource. Item 5: Smith, T. G. Industrial Light and Magic: Art of Special Effects (Ballantine Books 1988). This book focuses on the career of Industrial Light and Magic studios, responsible for some of cinemas most influential and innovative special effects. As well as providing information on the history of the studio and how it has progressed over time, it also gives detailed accounts on how techniques from stop motion animation have developed and made way for digital special effects.
Magazines Secondary Resource. Item 6: Computer Generated Imagery, MediaMagazine. This magazine article makes reference to both King Kong and Jurassic Park two of my chosen study films. The article is particularly useful as it offers a different perspective on the evolution of technology. The journalist argues that too much CGI in cinema creates a problem as it could lead to producers striving to improve technology just to out do each other. The author points out the positives to using full models rather than digitally created characters. Primary Resource. Item 7: 3D Cinema: A Giant Leap Forward, The Independent. This newspaper article is useful to my presentation as it gives a brief history of 3D cinema as well as focusing on how the modern 3D film adds to the emotional response of the audience to the film. Internet Primary Resource. Item 8: http://www.ilm.com/inside_timeline.html. This site was useful to my research as it clearly breaks down the poignant specific time frames in the history of Industrial Light and Magic studios. Although not going into too much detail for each year, the outlines are useful for me to further investigate specific films and developments in technology.
Item 9:
http://library.thinkquest.org/3496/zjurassic.html. This site focuses 4
particularly on Jurassic Park. From this site was able to gather information as to why Jurassic Park is considered to be such a pioneering film. Details are given into the introduction of ILM Studios due to the effects they had created for Terminator 2 into the production of the film and how the need to create stunning, realistic special effects led to new developments in technology.
Item 10: http://www.unmuseum.org/stopact.htm. This website gives a detailed history into the progression of Stop-Motion Animation, relying especially on King Kong as an example. Also gives a brief description on how Stop-Motion Animation works and explains the cons of using the technique. This article is particularly useful as the beginning of my speech will centre on this technique of animation and how it set a new standard for cinema. Secondary Resource. Item 11: http://www.movieweb.com/news/. This site provides an interview with Frankie Liu one of the CGI technicians involved with the development of the technology used in Beowulf. Liu goes into detail on how the film was first approached and how they developed the stop motion animation with the real life actor’s performances. This was useful as it gives a first person account into how stop animation is created as well as offering a lot of background to how they came up with using this technique.
DVD Documentaries Secondary Resource. Item 12: Behind Industrial Light and Magic Featurette: from Jurassic Park (Amblin Entertainment, US 1993, Dir. Steven Spielberg) Special Edition DVD Set 2005. This documentary was included on the special edition DVD release of Jurassic Park and includes director Stephen Spielberg and the CGI technicians explaining how the technology was developed in order to give a fully realistic effect to the dinosaurs. The documentary also gives details on the problems that come with trying to achieve the best visual effects possible in a film.
5
Items Not selected Internet
Item 1: http://www.imdb.com/. I chose not to use this website for my research as it contained too little factual material. There was no information on the technology development in my chosen films although it does state the number of awards the films won and includes some audience reactions to the films. Some additional trivia is present but as it is possible for anyone to add their own text onto the website it is unreliable.
Item 2: http://www.wikipedia.org/. This website wasn’t used due to the unreliability of the authors who construct the articles used. I preferred to use articles written solely by one author with credible knowledge to the topic. However the citations page at the bottom of the articles was useful as they linked to professional websites that included detailed articles on film technology as well historical information on my chosen films. Books
Item 3: Dominic Case Film Technology in Post Production (Focus Press, 2001). Useful for detailed information on the background to film technology but doesn’t offer much on modern techniques. Most of the information given is very technical and explained in scientific terms rather than in a more commercial context.
6
Annotated Catalogue – Auteur focus Films Primary Resources; Item 1:
Alien: Resurrection (20th Century Fox, USA 1997, Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet). Jeunet’s first Hollywood production, this film displays his struggle with Hollywood to put his unique visual style and characteristics into the film as he does with the others, and although there are obvious connections with his other films Alien: Resurrection demonstrates his need to work without industrial interruption.
Item 2:
Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain (UGC, France 2001, Dir. JeanPierre Jeunet). Amelie connects most strongly with all of Jeunet’s films, showing his dark humour and restrained colour pallet as well as all of his other characteristics. This is the best choice for a focus film as it most clearly demonstrates Jeunet at his best.
Item 3:
Un Long dimanche de fiancailles (Warner Independent Pictures, France 2004, Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet). This film has the most obvious link to Colonial France, of all of Jeunet’s films, which is a reoccurring theme within most of his films, and appears to be something he feels strongly about. It is also his most obvious use of confined space and claustrophobia, with the juxtaposition of open space and personal confinement, which is also one of the strongest themes within his films.
Secondary Resources; Item 4:
Le Bunker De La Derniere Rafale (Zootrope, France 1981, Dir. JeanPierre Jeunet/Marc Caro). The Bunker of The Last Gunshots clearly shows the beginning of Jeunet's directorial techniques, and his early onset as an auteur. Despite this being the first film in the series of films he made in conjunction with Marc Caro there are still blatant links to his later films, displaying confinement, mutation and colour – or lack of, this I think is a key point in Jeunet’s career and the beginning of him becoming an Auteur.
Item 5:
Les Cite Des Enfants Perdus (Studio Canal Image-France 3 Cinema, France 1995, Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Marc Caro). Throughout this film there is a constant surreal fantasy world which both Caro and Jeunet have the ability to create, this being one of the key visual styles I plan to look at during my research and presentation. The City of Lost Children also shows mutilation and distortion through the Clones, Twins and Cyclops’s which links into themes present within Jeunet’s films. 7
Internet Primary Resources; Item 6:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000466/bio. This article is particularly helpful for outlining Jeunet’s famous characteristics, and gives an insight into who he is as a director and an auteur which is useful for my study area. There are also useful personal quotes from Jeunet which I am able to use to reinforce my argument.
Item 7:
http://www.theauteurs.com/cast_members/1564. This website includes some useful quotations regarding Jeunet’s aims within his films, as well as talking about his unique visual style, comic sensibility and imagery. There is a particularly useful quote from Jeunet himself about his choice of narrative in Amelie and why he did what he did.
Item 8:
http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2008/09/16/the-fabulous-worlds-ofjean-pierre-jeunet/. This article presents the argument of whether Jeunet is or is not an Auteur, but it also helps highlight the main themes of childlike fairytales within his films with quotations from Jeunet regarding the real life inspiration behind them, which is very useful when talking about how he links the films to something personal to himself. There is also a mention of the directorial freedom he “craved” when working on ‘Alien’ and the restraint Hollywood caused his directorial style.
Secondary Resources; Item 9:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/commercial/art icle521203.ece. The article is useful because it outlines and defines Jeunet’s directorial techniques. There are also very useful quotes from Jeunet himself, which I may use in my presentation.
Item 10:
http://www.lycos.com/info/auteur-theory--directors.html. Useful sections of writing from different sources, touching on different theory, theorist and directors including Sarris and Astruc. There are quotes from Astruc which are useful to my argument of auteur, which I can use in my presentation, to back up my points regarding Jeunet being an Auteur.
8
Books Primary Resources; Item 11:
Ezra, E. Jean-Pierre Jeunet; Contemporary Film Directors (University Of Illinois Press, 2008). This book was a helpful starting point when coming to understand the themes of Jeunet’s films, and their links with one another. It has a lot of information about his characteristics and traits, underlining have one film links to other films, with ideas about what messages Jeunet is trying to put across. There is also a useful Commentary by Jeunet about his films, those he has worked with, and how his films have been received worldwide.
Secondary Resources; Item 12:
Cook, P. The Cinema Book (1st Edition) (The British Film Institute, 1985). Helped enhanced my knowledge of auteur theory, and how to recognise an auteur. This information will be helpful when it comes to writing my introduction into auteur theory for my presentation, as well as being useful for spotting Jeunets auteur characteristics.
Magazines Secondary Resources; Item 13:
Richards, O. Le Fantastique M. Jeunet Empire Magazine, January 2010. The article contains useful information from Jeunet himself, about his time working with Caro, their thoughts during the production of their films and the conflicts they went through whilst working together. There are many quotes which I am able to use in my presentation which back up the theory of auteur, touching on the artistic control a director needs and the restraints of working in a pair.
Material not selected (http://www.tallett.com/fr312k/PAR308/JEUNET/index.html). Mostly irrelevant comments regarding the films release and critical reception but nothing useful about Jeunets directorial style, or any of his characteristics. (Nathan, I. Perfect Organism: 30 Years Of Alien Empire Magazine, November 2009). An interview with Sigourney Weaver about Alien: Resurrection which does not help in my area of research, there are also interviews with previous directors but nothing regarding any of Jeunets work on the film. hhtp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1833585.stm. Only outlines Jeunet's work, with concise detail about Amelies reception and his international success.
9
Annotated Catalogue – Star/performer focus
FILMS Primary Source Item 1 - The Machinist (Paramount, USA/Spain 2005, Dir Brad Anderson) – I chose ‘The Machinist’ to be my main focus film as it highlights the extreme lengths that Christian Bale went to as he lost 1/3 of his body weight just so that he could achieve the embodiment of his character, insomniac ‘Trevor Reznik’. Secondary Sources Item 2 - Batman Begins (Warner Bros, USA 2005, Dir Christopher Nolan) - This was chosen as one of the secondary films as it was filmed just 6 months after ‘The Machinist’ had finished filming. To be able to get the role as Batman, Bale had to gain back the weight he had lost while film ‘The Machinist’, from 121 pounds to 180 pounds in just 6 months. Item 3 - Rescue Dawn (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, USA 2006, Dir Werner Herzog) – This was another one of my secondary films, I chose ‘Rescue Dawn’ as like my main film, Bale goes to not as extreme lengths in this film but still pushes himself quite a lot to get into the role of the character that he is playing. Whereas he didn’t lose as much weight as he did in ‘The Machinist’, he still lost some and also put himself through what the character would’ve been through, e.g. eating live maggots and swimming in snake-infested rivers. BOOKS Primary Sources Item 4 - Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies – The Key Concepts Second Edition (Routledge 2000) – This book was very helpful as it is a dictionary of important film terms; Method acting being one of them. Even though there was only a brief paragraph on method acting, I found that its explanation of method acting is more detailed and in much simpler terms then what I found on the internet. Secondary Source Item 5 - Benedetti, Jean. Stanislavski and the Actor (Routledge/Theatre Art Books 1998) – This book was useful as it goes into depth all the requirements that one must go through to be classed as a method actor. It book ranges from things such as; Physical action, Mental Action, and the two combined together. The book is based around Stanislavski’s method, the creator behind the term ‘Method Acting’ in the late 19th Century.
10
MAGAZINES Primary Source Item 6 - Graham, Jamie. Rage Against the Machine in Total Film, April 2005 – This was an interview with Brad Anderson (Director of ‘The Machinist’), he talks about the film as a whole but more importantly to my research he explained and talked about the nature of Christian Bale’s weight loss and how shocked he was when he was on set and sitting with him.
INTERNET ARTICLES Primary Sources Item 7 - http://www.geocities.com/eco_gr00v3r/method.html - This article was very helpful for my research as it explains what method acting is and who created it. It also lists prominent method actors in cinema today. Furthermore, it helped me as I got a clear understanding of what actors go through in their method acting, it also made me think that Bale has created a new type of method acting in his acting style as he takes some of the original method but takes it to the extreme. Item 8 – http://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/themachi_christian_bale.shtml - This article helped me thoroughly as it was a detailed interview with Christian Bale about the regime and diet that he went through to get into character to play insomniac Trevor Reznik. It also explains why Christian Bale didn’t want to use CGI to show the weight loss and how he gets attracted to these types of roles.
Item 9 - http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEHtLOKJ9zqXLO - This article was one of the best articles I found as it was an interview with Christian Bale but instead of asking him how he lost the weight but instead questioned whether it was worth it in the long run. It did delve into his diet a bit like the other interviews but I was more interested in the why he did it side of the interview which others did not have. Secondary Sources Item 10 - http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_12364.html - This article helped a lot in my research. It is a Christian Bale interview about ‘Rescue Dawn’; it helped me as a lot of the interview was talking about the things he goes through to get into a specific character and how he changes it during different roles that he plays. In the interview, he also explains that he was actually eating real maggots and swimming in snake-infested waters to make it seem more real then using special FX or a stunt guy. Item 11 - http://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/batman5_christian_bale.shtml - This is also an interview from Christian Bale, this time talking about ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Machinist’. I thought that this would help me in my research for the reason that Bale tells us what he had to go through to get the role of Batman as in ‘The Machinist’ he had lost 1/3 of his body weight which he had to gain back in 6 months.
11
Item 12 - http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=449 – This is another interview with Bale but I think this is the best of them as it asks questions on his training regime he had to go through to get the figure of Batman and to gain back the weight he’d lost. It also explains that the weight wasn’t hard to put on, it was more the muscle which was hard, and as well as the training regime, it told me about the other things he had to do to become Batman like learning martial arts or taekwon-do. DVD EXTRAS Primary Source Item 13 – Brad Anderson, The Machinist film commentary – This source helped me to understand the nature behind why Christian Bale went to such extreme lengths to play the role of Trevor Reznik as it explained why Trevor was the way he was which made me appreciate the film more than what I would’ve done if I hadn’t watched this commentary. MATERIAL NOT SELECTED The material that I didn’t select were; http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/entertainment/films/themachinist_210305.shtml. This source
had some useful information on it but it basically was repeating what the other articles was saying but not in as much detail. The source was more of a review of the film which is not what I was looking for in my research as I wanted detailed analysis and information on Bale’s weight loss and performance which this didn’t give. Another unused source was that of; http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/jun/05/features.magazine. This article wasn’t as helpful as the others because again it is another interview with Bale which I’ve already got enough of. However it does describe his life and previous films he has done. It also explains about his family, how he got into acting in the first place and his life after his first feature film at just 12 years old but that didn’t warrant enough to be in the catalogue.
12