War Reasearch

 

                                                             Everything about War films 

An example of a film that shows a 
the theme of good and evil and also
Where the protagonist is facing
overwhelming odds.

    Throughout history, there have been countless wars, many of which are well-known while others are unfamiliar. The purpose of many war films is to make the audience feel like they are in war or feel like they are a part of the battle. War films are often aimed toward young men as their typical target audience, as many young males usually prefer action and violence as their preferred genre. In many of these war films, some conventions include overwhelming odds towards the protagonist, for instance, the protagonist is usually outnumbered. Another convection is that the films include a lot of combat that is central to the film and determines the fate of the main characters. Many war films especially World War Films have a theme of good vs evil, in this case, the Allied forces and the Axis powers. Also, many war films shoot scenes on location and use detailed choreography to immerse the viewer in the film, making it realistic. To market the films, many producers or directors cast well-known actors which can extend the target audience and include people who wouldn't normally watch war films.

                                                                   Content

The film Inglourious Basterds uses the theme of 
brotherhood to signify the close relations and trust 
that the men have with each other 

    Common conventions of the war genre include the depiction of the brutality of combat; the psychological effects of war on soldiers; comradeship; sacrifice; and leadership. Most often there is a distinct "us versus them". Movies tend to present moral dilemmas and the battlefield is shown as a merciless and inhumane environment to be in, for example, scenes of heavy action-violence. Sometimes there are themes/elements of heroism, cowardice, and survival. Some key elements are Character arcs: Soldiers often grow through the processes of war, facing many challenges related to their courage and morality. Battling sequences: Actions with high risks depicting chaos and intensity in combat using tactics with real kinds of weaponry. Themes of brotherhood: There is a strong bond that develops between soldiers when faced with danger, which insinuates loyalty and sacrifice for one another. Moral ambiguity 

                                                           Production Techniques

Behind the scenes of Full Metal Jacket 

    Some of the more common filmmaking techniques to represent war on film would be handheld camera movements, which give a sense of realism and immediacy; desaturation, providing a more hushed and realistic look; high-speed film, for showing the chaos and brutality with much more extensive ease; low-angle shots, enabling the feeling of power and dominancy; and long-take sequences, keeping the audience at the edge of their seats. Canon Zoom Lenses: allow for rapid changes in focal lengths to generate a documentary effect. War films can be done using the following different strategies such as; Spectacular: which tries to attempt some form of realism Indirection: which detracts from reality. This balance can shift with time. For example, silent films relied on indirection by necessity, whereas films about World War II resorted to more spectacular techniques to give realism to the cinematic representation of the war.

                                                          How the genre marketed

    Marketing war films A war film is marketed through several channels such as Partnerships: studios may collaborate with other companies to market their films. Recently, Warner Bros., Intel, and Dell partnered in the making of a virtual reality

One of Dunkirk's partnerships with the game
World of Tanks

for Dunkirk. Social media, films may also be marketed on social media sites. Media, films may also be marketed through print media such as newspapers and magazines. Interviews: Interviews with actors or directors that star or direct a particular film are another good way of promoting films. Trailers: Theatrical and TV trailers may be used to promote the film. Merchandising: Merchandising can be another option in promoting a film. Press releases: Press releases may also be used to announce the production and release of any film. Posters and Billboards: These could also be used in advertising. War films are also marketed by focusing on their biggest stars, great reviews, and themes.

                                                                 Film Samples

(2022)
All Quite on the Western Fort    

  

  The 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Edward Berger, offers a harrowing depiction of World War I that embodies the war genre by confronting the chaos and devastation of battle from a soldier’s perspective.  It also demonstrates the genre's capacity not only to depict the violence and strategies of battle but also to reveal the psychological cost of war on individuals and society. By focusing on the futility and moral ambiguity of war, the film reinforces the genre’s ability to provoke reflection on the human condition and the devastating impact of armed conflict.

    

 

Napoleon (2023)

 Ridley Scott's Napoleon is a fascinating addition to the war genre, blending historical narrative with the intense, large-scale battles that define such films. By focusing on Napoleon's life—from his rise to power to his complex relationship with Josephine—Scott not only illustrates personal ambition but also explores the brutal nature of warfare during the Napoleonic era. The film embodies war-genre elements through its grand battles, strategic tension, and the portrayal of soldiers as tools in a larger, often merciless game of political power. Many scenes like the Battle of Austerlitz serve as dramatic set pieces, capturing the harsh realities of 19th-century warfare with impressive attention to historical accuracy in weaponry, tactics, and combat formations.

                                                            Other examples of War Films

   

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

             

               

                                                        

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
(2008)

                                                        

The Pianist(2002)

                                                    

Jarhead(2005)

Representation

Singing in the Rain

 Patterns of Character Representation in Singin' in the Rain Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly's 1952 masterpiece, Singin' in the Rain, is more than just a joyful, light-hearted piece of entertainment with great, unforgettable dances in it, but a satire on Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies; really more importantly, behind its main characters lies serious representation patterns. Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are emblematic of the competing models of filmmaking, old and new, which give perception into the preoccupation of image and voice within the film industry.

Don Lockwood

Don Lockwood is the classic male movie star of Hollywood's Golden Age-smooth, talented, and easily adaptable to the shifting cinematic landscape. With his charm and talented abilities, with appeal both in front and behind the camera, he is an asset to this new world of talkies. The film portrays him as the quintessential man for this transition, changing seamlessly from physical, silent stunts to more verbal and musical ones. Whereas Don is often cast as a hero, he serves to mirror the Hollywood system in which it can create stars as workable icons, conversely demonstrating that talent alone is less important than the ability to fit the demands of the evolving industry. This again is apparent in his relationship with Kathy Selden who plays the character Debbie Reynolds, who is cast as his love interest; after all, it is Kathy's "voice" that ultimately saves Don's career, underscoring the power of image and sound in creating stardom.

Lina Lamont: The Tragic Product of Hollywood 

Lina Lamont

By contrast, Lina Lamont is portrayed as the tragic victim of the sound revolution. While she was a huge star of silent films, her thick nasal voice becomes her undoing in the realm of talkies. The failure to make a transition into sound films, despite a glamorous image, says everything about superficiality-obsessed Hollywood. Not only was Lina's portrayal comic, but it was very tragic too; it underlined the ruthlessness of the industry towards those who fail to keep pace with changing technologies and styles. The irony, of course, is that this face, tailor-made for a movie star, belongs to a voice-a supposed mark of authenticity-that reveals the artifice of her screen persona. Lina thus becomes an icon of Hollywood's expendability, a metaphor for the way in which Hollywood discards its stars once they no longer serve its purposes.

Hollywood's Reflection on Itself
In Singin' in the Rain, the characters of Don and Lina represent two aspects of Hollywood's perception of itself. Where Don represents the resilient face of the industry, Lina is its victim-a ruthless causality. The film uses their characters to comment upon this constructed nature of stardom and how careers can be made or ruined based on factors as arbitrary as a voice. Beyond the individual characters, the entire movie allows one to visualize just how Hollywood presents its own mythology-celebrating and poking fun at the glitz, glamour, and inevitable obsolescence of its stars.

Multimedia Companion:
Clip of Don Lockwood dancing in "Singin' in the Rain": This iconic scene makes him swim into sound films with ease-it symbolizes his adaptability and Hollywood's romanticized idea of the perfect male star. Lina Lamont voice scene: A small clip of Lina attempting to speak on the film would insinuate the tragedy of her fall, as that juxtaposed her voice against her beauty and really hammered home the superficiality theme of the film. Movie poster and behind-the-scenes photos: These will be useful in showing the difference between the public personas of the characters and the behind-the-scenes images of their struggles in a transitional Hollywood. While the wittily noticed film commentary on stardom reminds us that behind this spectacle lies an industry that is as fickle as it is glamorous, where representation makes or breaks a career.

Sound Project

    In class we discussed how sound techniques are essential in both audio production and sound design. Some of the sound techniques we discussed in class were non-diegetic audio, which are like a score which manipulates the audience's emotions and adds layers of meaning to what they see. An other technique we learned were sound bridges, what this does is ensures smooth transitions between scenes, making the film feel cohesive and continuous. Also we talked on how the score works. The score words hand-in-hand with these elements to create an immersive and emotionally rich experience.

    The directions that we were instructed to follow for the sound project was to Brainstorm a 1-2 minute school-appropriate scene with action that occurs within this time frame. Avoid scenes involving getting ready for school/work, cooking, or robbery. Identify the sounds present in the scene and consider if the plot could be conveyed using only sound. Choose a scene for your project and create a detailed outline that explains how you will use sound to tell the story. You are allowed only seven words in the scene.

Submit your outline to Canvas under "Soundscape Planning Outline." Using sound effects databases and everyday items, create an audio recording that tells the story. No video is allowed; only a black screen or still image can be used. The scene must be 1-2 minutes long. Create at least four sound effects using random objects on a "foley stage" (no digitized audio or sounds made with your mouth). Record and edit a video showing how you created these four sounds. Submit three files: A complete sound file of the scene, labeled with group members' last names. Lastly a video showing the creation of the four foley sounds, labeled similarly. 1-3 images of your editing timeline showing the full audio layers.

    The way me and my partner approached the brainstorming of the project was to think about places that had a lot of distinctive sounds, with that we thought about doing the sound project about the zoo. As we knew what we wanted to do, me and my partner started to look at videos of zoo tours and closely paying attention to the background sounds of the videos so we can create a similar environment in our project. The outline that we created when we were brainstorming helped us greatly as the outline gave us a rule of thumb of what to do and it helped us not going off track while editing the project. The editing software we used to create our project was Adobe Premier Pro. Reason for why I used it is because I really enjoy using Adobes software's and  its was also made free because of our school district paying for it. One thing that I would like to improve would be being able to know how to share the project in a better way as I had to record the audio of the project on my phone and had to send the video of me recording the audio to my partner.

This is the link to the sound project: BrownGomez_foley_per7.mov