repn of britishness task 2- comparison of films through the decades compressed

8/14/2019 Repn of Britishness Task 2- Comparison of Films Through the Decades Compressed

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REPRESENTATION OF BRITISHNESS TASK 2:REPRESENTATION OF BRITISHNESS TASK 2:

COMPARISON OF FILMS THROUGH THE DECADESCOMPARISON OF FILMS THROUGH THE DECADES

Your second task is, in pairs or more (1 film per person though) toresearch any two or more British films of your choice, with only onefrom the 90s or noughties (or none if you prefer). You’ve a week to dothis!

You will be presenting your findings to the class on Monday 25th, and emailing anysupporting materials (PowerPoint, Word docs, YouTubelinks etc) to me by Sunday 24th at the latest .

The aim is to give you as much creative freedom as possible, but I will stipulate that, across the two classes,

any film can only be used by ONE person as a case study, so 1st come 1st served, and I'll post a listof chosen films as I get them so you can check against this. Some pointers:

1. The idea is to compare and contrast representations from(at least, depending on group size) two different decades2. When you've settled on a film and checked with me thatnobody else has already snagged this one, your first step is tocreate a basic profile of the decade it was produced in: whatwere the key events for Britain, in politics, world affairs andpopular culture? Which film/s are now seen as defining thedecade? Are there any significant films from later decades

which look back to this time?3. While you're looking to contrast two films it can be a goodidea to think of 2 (or more) that have some common ground -perhaps a more recent film that is set in a past decade, or movies that highlight certain social issues/groups4. As a secondary case study, we will also be lookingat representation of youth through the years, so youmight want to factor this in

5. Your research will take in a wide range of views andreviews - check the index of Library books and scan

Library magazines for articles (this might actually be agood idea before you select a movie, as you'll knowyou've got quality resources to hand), but also usewebsites such as rottentomatoes.com, and user comments on amazon, imdb etc, and (you surely expectthis by now...) look for materials (not just reviews) onsites such as The Guardian!

6. It would make sense to pick films you have, or can access, on DVD!!!

REPRESENTATION OF BRITISHNESS TASK 2: COMPARISON OF FILMS THROUGH THE DECADESmediastudies @ IGS

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Ken Loach’s CCH caused an outcrythat led to the creation of Shelter ;Mike Leigh’s Naked won criticalplaudits, but features a dark anti-hero whose homelessness stems



7. List key facts on each film: director, year of release, production co's, budget/box office(if available - try alternatives to imdb), basic plot synopsis, principal cast, any additionalnotable personnel (editor, composer, producer etc), awards/nominations8. Try to find quotes from the actors, directors and others involved in its release, perhapsfrom the DVD9. Home in on what representation of Britishness this film offers; what sort of charactersdoes the narrative focus on; discuss the setting/s - including accents and dialect; whichcounter/stereotypes does it use; was it seen at the time as challenging the dominant ideologyand is it viewed differently today10. Is the film part of any movement or released by a studio with a signature style (egHammer, Ealing)? Make use of your (and others!) work on these recently

11. You'll want to provide some clips from each film to put your analysis into context; ideallyuse any of the various software available to save scenes as .mp4 files which will play in VLCetc, otherwise note the timings of scenes. If you're each usingDVDs this will slow things down considerably. No more than 5 minsclips per film, maximum 10 mins per group.12. If using PowerPoint, make sure you frequently illustrate your slides with relevant images13. Whenever quoting, or even paraphrasing, give the source -

and be careful to use quote marks, or indent quotes where relevant

Sections to Include in YourSupporting Materials

• TITLE (YEAR) OF MOVIES YOU’RE COMPARING

• BRIEF INITIAL SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS YOU

WILL EXPLORE

o [THE FOLLOWING ARE FOR EACH FILM IN

TURN]

• THE DECADE: KEY FEATURES

• PRODUCTION NOTES

• SUMMARY OF YOUR RESEARCH: DETAILS OF

ONLINE SEARCHES & SOURCES USED

• KEY AREA/S or ISSUES OF REPRESENTATION;WHICH FACE OF BRITAIN IS THIS?

• HOW TYPICAL IS THIS OF THE TIMES?

• THE FILM IN THE WORDS OF THOSE INVOLVED

• CRITICAL RECEPTION … THEN & NOW

• DIRECTOR NOTES

• CAST & OTHER PERSONNEL NOTES


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• SAMPLE CLIP DETAILS, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY (LIST OF (RE)SOURCES USED)

o [WHEN EACH INDIVIDUAL HAS PRESENTED ON THEIR FILM…]

• A UNITED KINGDOM, OR A MULTIPLICITY OR BRITAINS? [summarise – and account for – thesimilarities and differences between your films]


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repn of britishness task 2- comparison of films through the decades compressed

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