Evaluation - Draft 1 Incomplete

The aim for my practical coursework was to create a closing sequence for a crime drama film, using micro features to build tension and unfold the narrative. The main micro features which myself and my group focused upon were mise en scene, sound and cinematography.

In my group I was responsible for being director, aswell as being partly responsible for mise en scene and camerawork. Being director meant that I had to create a detailed plan of how the sequence would unfold and write the script for those performing in the sequence. As I was organised, the creation of the film went smoothly with little problems. Furthermore, me and one other member of my group was responsible for the mise en scene. We created a murder investigation board which are typically found in police investigation offices.

(Image of board)

Before making this, we researched and analysed existing crime investigation boards to broaden our knowledge and so that we could make ours as realistic as possible. Making this involved taking several close up photographs of peers which could be the suspected murder. We then edited these images onto a background on Photoshop to make it appear like a real suspect mug shot. We further added lots of notes to the board, pictures and red ribbon to make it look as realistic as possible.

Camerawork is yet another micro feature which I was partly responsible in our group. Within our sequence we decided to use a range of different camera angles in order to unfold the narrative. The main camera angles included close up shots, over the shoulder shots and establishing shots.

Close up:

( Image )

Over the shoulder:

( Image )

Establishing shot:

( Image )

I believe that my contribution to the practical work was successful as without the investigation board it may not have been clear to the audience where the sequence was set, as it was just an ordinary office room which we used to film in. The investigation board made the setting much more noticeable. Furthermore, the sequence would be dull if a variety of camera angles weren’t used within it which is why being partly responsible for camerawork had an impact on the final product. This is because I could identify and use a range of different and suitable angles within the sequence.

Without the micro essay coursework from year 12, our final product would not be the same as the micro essay allowed us to gain deeper knowledge and understanding of micro features and why they are important within a film. 

Presentation Script - Draft 3

Run audio: Theme music from Titanic: Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On - 20 seconds then fades out to silence.

Projector: Display slide 1 - pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio in three different films: Titanic (Item 1), The Wolf of Wall Street (Item 2), The Revenant (Item 3). 

Presenter:

Good afternoon, my research project explores the versatility and range of the well known film star Leonardo DiCaprio. Three films which I will frequently refer to during this presentation are: Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant. These films are useful in highlighting Dicaprio's versatility and the difference he brings to each role.

Projector: Display slide 2 - pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic.

Presenter:

Titanic is the film that initially shot Leonardo Dicaprio to stardom. At this time he was known as a teenage pin up boy that every fan girl wanted a poster of on their wall. However, as time has progressed Dicaprio has broken away from that representation and took multiple risks in order to become who he is in the film industry today. This presentation will cover all my findings of this subject. To begin with, I will now play a video of Dicaprio discussing Titanic.

Projector: Display slide 3 - Play video of Titanic interview(Item 5).

Presenter:

As we see in the clip Dicaprio expresses how he 'took a chance and tried something different' when taking on the role of Jack in Titanic. He further states how he had never took on anything this big before which shows his willingness to take on new, challenging roles in order to become a more successful and versatile actor. Taking on this role turned him into a teenage pin up boy, but is this what he wanted? Dicaprio discusses this in an online interview on the timeout website.

Projector: Display slide 4 - Screenshot of online interview on Timeout website(Item 7) , specifically the part talking about 'Leo Mania years'.

Presenter:
This screenshot shows Leonardo Dicaprio being asked about the 'Leo Mania years' which he seems to be completely unaware of. The interviewer asks him about these years and he states: 'It was bizarre. I took a break for a couple of years because it was so intense. I needed to recharge and refocus.' I believe this proves that although he successfully adapted himself to the role of Jack in titanic his popularity from this film, particulary amongst teenage girls, became too intense for him and wasn't particularly what he wanted.

Projector: Display slide 5 - Screenshot of an online article from the website Goliath, showing Leonardo Dicaprio's 10 best performances (Item 10). 

Presenter:

 As visible on screen, Titanic is valued as one of Leonardo Dicaprios best performances. The article also highlights the teenage girl fan base which Titanic created, turning Dicaprio into the teenage pin up boy, which from research I gather he didn't want to be. The article specifically states that 'Every teenage girl at the time was swooning over Dicaprio in this movie, for good reason. He was able to pull off the underdog charm and street wit to perfection'. I feel as though this is useful as it suggests that Leonardo Dicaprio can adapt his performance to any role, even pulling off an underdog charm and street wit to perfection. 

Projector: Display slide 6 - Image of Leonardo Dicaprio in the Revenant. 

Run audio: The Revenant Main Theme - Ryuichi Sakamoto, 20 seconds then fades to silence. 

Presenter:

Here we can see a drastic change in role for Dicaprio. He goes from Jack the teenage pin up boy to Hugh Glass the fur trader living in unbearable conditions and therefore appearing a lot less looked after! Taking on this role was a huge risk for Dicaprio as it was such a big change from his previous roles where he appeared as his usual self. Mise-en-scene is everything which we can see within a film and it plays a major role in The Revenant. One way is through the costume and props which clearly get Dicaprio into the character as he is transformed and appears looking like a completely different person ready to take on the challenging role he has before him. This whole new identity for Dicaprio may challenge what people think of him. Although, from research it is gathered that Dicaprio brought something to this role which no one else could! As stated in a GQ Australia magazine article (Item 11) : "Right now, Leonardo Dicaprio is king of the celluloid jungle. No one hunts and kills like Leo." This quote simply consolidates the idea that no one can bring to the role what Leonardo Dicaprio has. His outstanding performance was in fact rewarded when Dicaprio won his first Oscar Award in 2016 for The Revenant. 

Projector: Display slide 7 - Screenshot of The Wired online interview(Item 4). 

Presenter:

When interviewed about The Revenant and taking on the role of Hugh Glass, Dicaprio said "I decided to embark on what I would characterise as more of a chapter of my life rather than a film commitment." This phrase highlights his positive attitude towards film which explains his outstanding performances, vast range and high adaptability to films. His Revenant co-star Tom Hardy says that "Leo is an enigma, there's something kind of magic about him.". This highlights Dicaprio's success, in getting into the challenging role in the film, as he is spoken highly of by co-star Tom Hardy. It purely emphasises the power Leonardo DiCaprio has to adapt to any role he is given.

Projector: Display slide 8 - Collage of images of Leonardo DiCaprio in the following films: This Boy's life, The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries, Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, The Man in the Iron Mark, The Beach, Gangs of New York, Shutter Island, Django Unchained. 

Presenter: 
As we can see from this collage of images Leonardo DiCaprio has been involved in many different films with a groundbreaking change of roles. The different films he has been involved in are outlined on the Quora website(Item 8). The website shows multiple images of DiCaprio in action in the  several different films which gives us snapshots of his success due to his wide range and adaptability to different roles. His success is further highlighted in an article from The Telegraph(Item 12). It states that: "If DiCaprio says he wants to be in a film, it not only gets made, but it also gets seen; in the past four years, the films in which he has starred (Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street) have made collectively $1.2 billion at the box office." This again highlights Dicaprio's success in not only one, but many of his films where he clearly must have adapted well to the extremely different roles.

Projector: Display slide 9 - Image of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Run audio: Song from The Wolf Of Wall Street: Joe Cuba - Bang! Bang! - 20 seconds then fade to silence.

Presenter:
The Wolf of Wall Street is a film based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, and his rise to a wealthy stock broker living the high life to the fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Projector: Display slide 10 -  Screenshot of an online interview with Leonardo Dicaprio from the Shortlist website(Item 9).

Presenter: 
 An online interview with Leonardo Dicaprio from the Shortlist magazine states the following; "Is it true that you invited the real Belfort round to coach you on being drugged up?" Dicaprio replies saying "Yeah". This gives us an example of Dicaprio's method acting, which is when the actor/actress completely immerses him or herself into the role. It also provides evidence for the depth of his research, which he carries out in order to add authenticity to the role. I believe that this shows his pure determination to be able to adapt into the different roles which he is given and to perform at the highest standard he possibly can.

Projector: Display slide 11 - Play video off the Hollywood Reporter website(Item 6). 

Presenter: 

The video which I have just played is off the Hollywood Reporter website. On the website, Dicaprio also discusses different aspects of The Wolf of Wall Street with director Martin Scorcese. Dicaprio states: "You know, when you jump into that world head first, as we did, we just became kind of different people on set." This highlights the positive mindset Leonardo Dicaprio has towards getting into and adapting to a new film. 

Projector: Display slide 12 - Collage of a variety of different pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio over the years. 

Presenter: 

To finish off the presentation I have gathered a collection of images which show Dicaprio's progress in his career and the change he has made. From my research I can conclude that he as an actor has a vast amount of range and adaptability when it comes to films. He has demonstrated the mindset and determination needed in order to be a successful, adaptable actor.

Projector: Display slide 13 - Contact details.

Presenter:

 For further information or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email which is currently displayed on screen. Thankyou for listening. 

Run audio: Theme music from Titanic: Celine Dion - My Heart Will Go On. Play for 1 minute to finish off the presentation then fade to silence.

Presentation Script - Draft 2

Run audio: Theme music from Titanic, 20 seconds then fades out to silence.

Projector: Display slide 1 - pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio in three different films: Titanic (Item 1), The Wolf of Wall Street (Item 2), The Revenant (Item 3). 

Presenter:

Good afternoon, my research project explores the versatility and range of the well known film star Leonardo DiCaprio. Three films which I will frequently refer to during this presentation are: Titanic, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant. These films are useful in highlighting Dicaprio's versatility and the difference he brings to each role.

Projector: Display slide 2 - pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio in Titanic.

Presenter:

Titanic is the film that initially shot Leonardo Dicaprio to stardom. At this time he was known as a teenage pin up boy that every fan girl wanted a poster of on their wall. However, as time has progressed Dicaprio has broken away from that representation and took multiple risks in order to become who he is in the film industry today. This presentation will cover all my findings of this subject. To begin with, I will now play a video of Dicaprio discussing Titanic.

Projector: Display slide 3 - Play video of Titanic interview(Item 5).

Presenter:

As we see in the clip Dicaprio expresses how he 'took a chance and tried something different' when taking on the role of Jack in Titanic. He further states how he had never took on anything this big before which shows his willingness to take on new, challenging roles in order to become a more successful and versatile actor. Taking on this role turned him into a teenage pin up boy, but is this what he wanted? Dicaprio discusses this in an online interview on the timeout website.

Projector: Display slide 4 - Screenshot of online interview on Timeout website(Item 7) , specifically the part talking about 'Leo Mania years'.

Presenter:
This screenshot shows Leonardo Dicaprio being asked about the 'Leo Mania years' which he seems to be completely unaware of. The interviewer asks him about these years and he states: 'It was bizarre. I took a break for a couple of years because it was so intense. I needed to recharge and refocus.' I believe this proves that although he successfully adapted himself to the role of Jack in titanic his popularity from this film, particulary amongst teenage girls, became too intense for him and wasn't particularly what he wanted.

Projector: Display slide 5 - Screenshot of an online article from the website Goliath, showing Leonardo Dicaprio's 10 best performances (Item 10). 

Presenter:

 As visible on screen, Titanic is valued as one of Leonardo Dicaprios best performances. The article also highlights the teenage girl fan base which Titanic created, turning Dicaprio into the teenage pin up boy, which from research I gather he didn't want to be. The article specifically states that 'Every teenage girl at the time was swooning over Dicaprio in this movie, for good reason. He was able to pull off the underdog charm and street wit to perfection'. I feel as though this is useful as it suggests that Leonardo Dicaprio can adapt his performance to any role, even pulling off an underdog charm and street wit to perfection. 

Projector: Display slide 6 - Image of Leonardo Dicaprio in the Revenant. 

Run audio: The Revenant theme music - 10 seconds then fades to silence. 

Presenter:

Here we can see a drastic change in role for Dicaprio. He goes from Jack the teenage pin up boy to Hugh Glass the fur trader living in unbearable conditions and therefore appearing a lot less looked after! Taking on this role must of been a huge risk for Dicaprio as it was such a big change from his previous roles where he appeared as his usual self. Mise-en-scene is everything which we can see within a film and it plays a major role in The Revenant. One way is through the costume and props which clearly get Dicaprio into the character as he is transformed and appears looking like a completely different person ready to take on the challenging role he has before him. This whole new identity for Dicaprio may challenge what people think of him. Although, from research it is gathered that Dicaprio brought something to this role which no one else could! As stated in a GQ Australia magazine article (Item 11) : "Right now, Leonardo Dicaprio is king of the celluloid jungle. No one hunts and kills like Leo."

Projector: Display slide 7 - Screenshot of The Wired online interview(Item 4). 

Presenter:

When interviewed about The Revenant and taking on the role of Hugh Glass, Dicaprio said "I decided to embark on what I would characterise as more of a chapter of my life rather than a film commitment." This phrase highlights his positive attitude towards film which explains his outstanding performances, vast range and high adaptability to films. His Revenant co-star Tom Hardy says that "Leo is an enigma, there's something kind of magic about him.". This highlights Dicaprio's success, in getting into the challenging role in the film, as he is spoken highly of by co-star Tom Hardy. It purely emphasises the power Leonardo DiCaprio has to adapt to any role he is given.

Projector: Display slide 8 - Collage of images of Leonardo DiCaprio in the following films: This Boy's life, The Quick and the Dead, The Basketball Diaries, Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, The Man in the Iron Mark, The Beach, Gangs of New York, Shutter Island, Django Unchained. 

Presenter: 
As we can see from this collage of images Leonardo DiCaprio has been involved in many different films with a groundbreaking change of roles. The different films he has been involved in are outlined on the Quora website(Item 8). The website shows multiple images of DiCaprio in action in the  several different films which gives us snapshots of his success due to his wide range and adaptability to different roles. His success is further highlighted in an article from The Telegraph(Item 12). It states that: "If DiCaprio says he wants to be in a film, it not only gets made, but it also gets seen; in the past four years, the films in which he has starred (Django Unchained, The Great Gatsby, The Wolf of Wall Street) have made collectively $1.2 billion at the box office." This again highlights Dicaprio's success in not only one, but many of his films where he clearly must have adapted well to the extremely different roles.

Projector: Display slide 9 - Image of Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Run audio: The Wolf of Wall Street theme music, 20 seconds then fade to silence.

Presenter:
The Wolf of Wall Street is a film based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo Dicaprio, and his rise to a wealthy stock broker living the high life to the fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Projector: Display slide 10 -  Screenshot of an online interview with Leonardo Dicaprio from the Shortlist website(Item 9).

Presenter: 
 An online interview with Leonardo Dicaprio from the Shortlist magazine states the following; "Is it true that you invited the real Belfort round to coach you on being drugged up?" Dicaprio replies saying "Yeah". I believe that this shows his pure determination to be able to adapt into the different roles which he is given and to perform at the highest standard he possibly can.

Projector: Display slide 11 - Play video off the Hollywood Reporter website(Item 6). 

Presenter: 

The video which I have just played is off the Hollywood Reporter website. On the website, Dicaprio also discusses different aspects of The Wolf of Wall Street with director Martin Scorcese. Dicaprio states: "You know, when you jump into that world head first, as we did, we just became kind of different people on set." This highlights the positive mindset Leonardo Dicaprio has towards getting into and adapting to a new film. 

Projector: Display slide 12 - Collage of a variety of different pictures of Leonardo Dicaprio over the years. 

Presenter: 

To finish off the presentation I have gathered a collection of images which show Dicaprio's progress in his career and the change he has made. From my research I can conclude that he as an actor has a vast amount of range and adaptability when it comes to films. He has demonstrated the mindset and determination needed in order to be a successful, adaptable actor.

Projector: Display slide 13 - Contact details.

Presenter:

 For further information or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email which is currently displayed on screen. Thankyou for listening. 

Run audio: Theme music from Titanic. Play for 1 minute to finish off the presentation then fade to silence. 

Annotated Catalogue - Draft 2

Films

Item 1: Titanic (James Cameron, 1997)
I have chosen this film as this is the film which shot Leonardo Dicaprio to stardom. This film is seen as a benchmark for him, as this is the film which people frequently compare his later work to.

Item 2: The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013)

In this film Leonardo Dicaprio takes an 'adult' role which is a change of direction for him. Compared to the films he was known for at this time, it is a major change and highlights his versatility. Furthermore, the critical acclaim shows that Leonardo Dicaprio was successful in fulfilling a different role.

Item 3: The Revenant (Alejandro G. Inarritu, 2015)

This film is very useful in my research as Leonardo Dicaprio plays a role which is different to any role he has played before. It is a role that meant he had to be willing to take a risk as it may not appeal to his usual target audience.

Internet

Item 4: https://www.wired.com/2015/12/leonardo-dicaprio-interview-revenant-climate-change/
This is an online interview with Leonardo Dicaprio which is useful for my research as it provides questions and answers on many different aspects of The Revenant. He discusses what drew him to taking the role of Hugh Glass in The Revenant and the change it was to previous roles which highlights his range.

Item 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6iCxstvahE
Video of Leonardo Dicaprio being interviewed about Titanic. He discusses the making of Titanic and how it felt to take on the role in this film, he speaks about the difference of the role in Titanic compared to previous roles which demonstrates his adaptability and range.

Item 6: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wolf-wall-street-scorsese-dicaprio-661503
In part of this interview Leonardo Dicaprio talks about getting into character when involved in a film which is useful for me in understanding his adaptability and range.

Item 7: http://www.timeout.com/london/film/leonardo-dicaprio-on-why-he-will-always-feel-like-an-outsider-in-hollywood
This online article includes an interview with Leonardo Dicaprio. He discusses Titanic and The Revenant aswell as his general feelings towards performance which will be useful in my research.

Item 8: https://www.quora.com/What-is-so-great-about-Leonardo-Dicaprio
This article outlines the journey of  Leonardo Dicaprio and the different films/roles he has took on during his stardom, this is useful for me in highlighting his adaptability.

Item 9: http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/dicaprio-talks-wolf-of-wall-street
This online interview discusses what Leonardo Dicaprio did in order to get into his character, which is useful in my research for highlighting his determination to adapt into different roles.

Item 10: http://www.goliath.com/movies/the-10-best-performances-by-leonardo-d,icaprio/
This website shows the top 10 performances of Leonardo Dicaprio. This is a good website for me to use as it allows me to compare his different performances and gain more of an insight into his adaptability and range.

Magazines

Item 11: http://www.gq.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/leonardo+dicaprio+on+exploring+his+
emotions+an+intimacy+youve+never+seen+before
This is an article from GQ Australia (Feb 2016) which is very useful for providing information regarding Leonardo Dicaprio's versitility. It discusses the different films he has been in and there is many good opinions of him within the article which I can quote.

Newspaper articles

Item 12: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/the-revenant/leonardo-dicaprio-interview/
Article from The Telegraph, which discusses Leonardo Dicaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and The Revenant. There are quotes from directors, such as Martin Scorcese, talking about Dicaprio and his performance skills which is useful for my research.

Material not selected:

One item which I rejected is the film The Beach (Danny Boyle, 2000) as I decided that although Leonardo Decaprio is the main actor in this film, it doesn't show much change from his previous films. Therefore, this film is not significant for my research as it doesn't highlight his versatility. A further film which I rejected is Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino, 2012). In this film Leonardo Dicaprio is a secondary character, which means that there is not much for me to focus on when carrying out research into his adaptability and range. A final item which I rejected is an article from an Empire magazine (May 1997, PG 56) as it only has a small section discussing Leonardo Dicaprio in Romeo and Juliet. I don't feel as though this is useful as it doesn't relate to any of my focus films and doesn't provide me with any infomation regarding his versitility.

Chungking Express - New Wave Film.

From the opening sequences, what evidence is there of the film as a 'new wave' product? 

A new wave film is one which breaks away from the conventions of a typical mainstream film. In a new wave film there is more focus on the visual elements rather than the script of the film. A new wave film can be defined by: a low budget, unknown actors, non-genre films and little or no economic imperative(little interest in making big money).

From the opening sequence of Chungking Express there is evidence that it is a new wave film.

• Chungking Express is filmed on location, there is no studio work, which is one aspect of a new wave film. 
• The messages and meanings are delivered more through the visual elements and micro features rather than being narrative driven like mainstream film. 
• The film uses a lot of natural, diegetic sound adding to the realism of the film. 
• Parts of Chungking Express are filmed using a hand held camera which also adds to the realism of the film.