Influences
Inspiration can be found everywhere, and successful directors take this inspiration and implement it into their film in order to create something that appears to be original and unique, despite the fact it may be heavily influenced by something that has already been done. However, these initial ideas taken from a range of sources provide the starting point for something amazing.
Guy Ritchie is a highly influential film maker, producing well known films such as Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Sherlock Holmes. They all come under the umbrella of the crime genre. As his work is so popular, I decided to look into some of the work he has done to identify elements that may inspire me. Despite this, some of my main influences did not come from him, and below are different examples of both films and series that have had an impact on me and the reasons why.
When set with the task to create the opening two minutes of a film, one of my initial thoughts went back to when I watched the TV series Top Boy. I was completely absorbed into the story and found great interest in learning about the more unpleasant side of London, almost as if I was looking behind the curtain of all the great attractions I've seen in London as a tourist. At first, I struggled to comprehend the difficulties faced by children at such a young age, and getting involved with gangs and drugs from as little as 8/9 years old. This inspired me to want to produce a film that includes high levels of corruption as it provides an interesting twist on what we as an audience think we know about a familiar place, when in reality it is much darker than we think. This ties in with some of the comments mentioned in my focus group, as this type of exploration appeals to young adults who are not yet entirely aware of the imperfections in society.
The Wolf of Wallstreet also influenced the production of my film. This is because it shows drug use in a completely different environment to Top Boy. The director, Martin Scorsese, portrays the serious nature of the corrupt banking system in way that makes it lighthearted, humorous and entertaining, similarly to the way drug use in the film is portrayed too. The themes of drugs and corruption are what stood out to me most, as it demonstrates the different environments in which these crimes can take place. Top Boy also contains these themes, however due to the contrasts between the role of a wealthy banker and an unemployed drug dealer, it creates a completely different tone. Large scale corruption is something I would like to include in my crime film as from the perspective of the audience, it is interesting to see how it can be pulled off.
Gone Girl is another film that has heavily influenced my decisions. It would be best described as a crime/murder film, as it is based around the disappearance of Nick's wife, Amy. It follows the conventions of a classic murder, and is very conventional, sticking to its genre. The reason why it had such an impact on me is because of the ways in which psychology played such an important role, and with it came in depth exploration of the different characters. For me, this made the plot gripping and interesting, and if I raise questions about the behaviour of characters, I may be able to create a similar effect on my audience. I also liked how clues were used in the film, as it pushed the audience into trying to figure out the crime themselves. This method of engaging the audience was very successful, as it also helped to pull them into the story. As a result of my focus group and questionnaire, I think using a similar method would be a good way to make my audience think and question what they are seeing, which is something people wanted from a crime film.
Guy Ritchie is a highly influential film maker, producing well known films such as Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Sherlock Holmes. They all come under the umbrella of the crime genre. As his work is so popular, I decided to look into some of the work he has done to identify elements that may inspire me. Despite this, some of my main influences did not come from him, and below are different examples of both films and series that have had an impact on me and the reasons why.
When set with the task to create the opening two minutes of a film, one of my initial thoughts went back to when I watched the TV series Top Boy. I was completely absorbed into the story and found great interest in learning about the more unpleasant side of London, almost as if I was looking behind the curtain of all the great attractions I've seen in London as a tourist. At first, I struggled to comprehend the difficulties faced by children at such a young age, and getting involved with gangs and drugs from as little as 8/9 years old. This inspired me to want to produce a film that includes high levels of corruption as it provides an interesting twist on what we as an audience think we know about a familiar place, when in reality it is much darker than we think. This ties in with some of the comments mentioned in my focus group, as this type of exploration appeals to young adults who are not yet entirely aware of the imperfections in society.
The Wolf of Wallstreet also influenced the production of my film. This is because it shows drug use in a completely different environment to Top Boy. The director, Martin Scorsese, portrays the serious nature of the corrupt banking system in way that makes it lighthearted, humorous and entertaining, similarly to the way drug use in the film is portrayed too. The themes of drugs and corruption are what stood out to me most, as it demonstrates the different environments in which these crimes can take place. Top Boy also contains these themes, however due to the contrasts between the role of a wealthy banker and an unemployed drug dealer, it creates a completely different tone. Large scale corruption is something I would like to include in my crime film as from the perspective of the audience, it is interesting to see how it can be pulled off.
Gone Girl is another film that has heavily influenced my decisions. It would be best described as a crime/murder film, as it is based around the disappearance of Nick's wife, Amy. It follows the conventions of a classic murder, and is very conventional, sticking to its genre. The reason why it had such an impact on me is because of the ways in which psychology played such an important role, and with it came in depth exploration of the different characters. For me, this made the plot gripping and interesting, and if I raise questions about the behaviour of characters, I may be able to create a similar effect on my audience. I also liked how clues were used in the film, as it pushed the audience into trying to figure out the crime themselves. This method of engaging the audience was very successful, as it also helped to pull them into the story. As a result of my focus group and questionnaire, I think using a similar method would be a good way to make my audience think and question what they are seeing, which is something people wanted from a crime film.
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