Lewis Punton Animation

The 1994 film Ace Ventura - Pet detective is widely renowned as being a got to comedy when an audience is in need of guaranteed laughter, Jim Carrey gives one of his most memorable performances as the lead character Ace and the film delivers a laugh a minute whilst being well thought out and interesting. Pet Detective is directed as Tom Shadyac and stars Jim Carrey and Courteney Cox, two actors who were well in their comedic prime during the 90's due to the likes of Dumb and Dumber and Friends being on their respective resumes.

Fig 1: Movie Poster, Ace Ventura

The film follows the story of Ace, a detective who focusses on animal related crimes, meaning that his apartment is littered with exotic animals and caters for their every need. Cox plays the character of Melissa Robinson, a publicist for the American football team the Miami Dolphins, Robinson enlists the help of the trusty nature detective when the teams dolphin mascot snowflake is kidnapped, obviously leading to hilarious consequences as Ace now has to track down the missing bottle nose.

Pet Detective is widely focused on slapstick humor, it relies on numerous occasions on Carrey's sheer physicality to further the plot of the film and deliver some of the biggest laughs the film receives throughout. There a countless times when the film potentially begins to drag or the pace is slowed a little to much, only to be storming back to life by the physical comedy that audiences have no doubt grown to adore Carrey for, the same physicality that saw viewers fall in love with films such as Liar Liar and Bruce Almighty.

Fig 2: Screenshot, Ace Ventura

One of the strongest and potentially most memorable scenes of Pet Detective is in fact the opening scene, which sees Carrey in disguise delivering a parcel to an apartment. At this point the audience has little to no information regarding character set up, plot or backstory, and so relies completely on Carrey's ability to make any scene interesting, which he obviously achieves. The scene sees Ace walking down the road with a parcel in hand, a parcel which he then begins to throw across the street, jump on and generally destroy, leading to Carrey giving one of the most underrated scenes of his career, as not many actors could make an entire audience laugh uncontrollably with no set up or character development.

Another incredible scene that has gone on to be a staple of Carrey's career would definitely be the scene which takes place in the residential care home as the audience see's Ace impersonating a potential resident, acting out as someone who could live at the home. Again, Carrey delivers an amazingly physical performance that sticks with audiences for years to come. The scene itself bares witness to a now famous Carrey trait, the rewind, a scene that sees Ace perform an act and then reverse the steps he has just taken to replay the event that just happened in slow motion, something that has cropped up in other Carrey film since. This display of physical comedy is what fans have loved about the Ace Ventura films for years since, as Carrey delivers an incredibly memorable performance that transcends the likes of slapstick humor.

Fig 3: Screenshot, Ace Ventura

Not only is Ace Ventura - Pet Detective an incredibly funny film by its own rights, it can also boast the achievement of having one of the funniest leading men in film at its helm also, something that adds an entirely new aspect to the film as audiences can support a character played by an actor that has already won their hearts. In Pet Detective, Carrey gives one of his most iconic performances to date, delivering a blend of humor that exceeds the limits of slapstick and situational comedy.

Illustration List

Fig 1: Movie Poster, Ace Ventura, https://uk.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-21786/Ace_Ventura_Pet_Detective.html, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 2: Screenshot, Ace Ventura, http://screencrush.com/ace-ventura-then-and-now/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 3: Screenshot, Ace Ventura, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109040/mediaviewer/rm3617556224, Accessed on: 13.01.17

The Hunger Games | Adaptation Film Review

The Hunger Games is a 2012 film based on the 2008 young adult novel by the same name written by Suzanne Collins. The film was directed by Gary Ross and stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, two stars who have since gone on the appear in the rest of the series and have extremely successful careers. The film was met with widely positive critical opinion and has gone on to produce 3 sequels, splitting the final book into two films, potentially as the story was to detailed for one film as well as for some commercial benefit.

Fig 1: Movie Poster, The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games follows the life of a Katniss Everdeen, a young adult who lives in the poorest district of the 12 that remain, each year the wealthy state known as the capital holds an event known as the hunger games, an event which sees two young residents from each state enter an arena and fight to the death, leaving only one victor. The idea of the hunger games existing as an event in this fictional world is to remind the citizens of the 12 districts of the extreme power of the capital.

As an adapted piece of material, The Hunger Games is widely successful, it keeps the majority of the story and characters fairly identical to that of the book and events occur in almost the same chronological order, meaning that a fan could follow the books as well as the films and not only maintain chronological sense but also follow the same events that result in the same outcome.

Fig 1: Screenshot, The Hunger Games

There are almost no differences between the book and filmic versions of The Hunger Games, an achievement that not many adaptations can boast they have accomplished, as often times in pieces of material that have adapted from novels or literature in films, different aspects need to be altered in order to suit the needs of cinema.

Now obviously there are slight differences in the descriptions of characters from the books and their physical appearance on screen as somethings are simply unachievable, also within film there will always be a priority for some actors to play certain roles in a directors vision, meaning that small compromises have to made in order for goals to be met and a cohesive film to be created.

Fig 3: Screenshot, The Hunger Games

One of the most notable changes that the director made when translating the book to a successful film was the addition of Wes Bentley's character Senenca Crane, a character who works within the control room of the hunger games arena, a character that didn't get much attention within the book. Jean Bentley states that "Since the book is told from Katniss’ point of view, we never entered Crane’s world outside of his interactions with the female District 12 tribute" (Bentley, 2012), a problem that often occurs when books are told from the perspective of the lead character.

As a whole, Gary Ross' filmic translation of the successful young adult novel The Hunger Games is extremely close to the details and events that are featured in the book with the addition of a few small characters that otherwise would never of been highlighted due to the nature of the narration of the book. Even with the addition of these small characters, Ross's adaptation of The Hunger Games is true to the novel and has gone on to spawn 3 successful sequels that have only grown in popularity.

Bibliography

Bentley, Jean, 'Hunger Games': The best book-to-movie changes (Seneca Crane, anyone?), http://screenertv.com/news-features/hunger-games-the-best-book-to-movie-changes-seneca-crane-anyone/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Illustration List

Fig 1: Movie Poster, The Hunger Games, http://bookriot.com/2015/11/28/look-back-hunger-games-movie-posters/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 2: Screenshot, The Hunger Games, https://www.accesshollywood.com/galleries/scenes-from-the-hunger-games-3262/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 3: Screenshot, The Hunger Games, http://screenrant.com/the-hunger-games-trailer-teaser/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Backstreet Atlas - Push | Documentary Film Review

Backstreet Atlas - Push is a short documentary that can be found on YouTube and was uploaded in 2013, it documents the travels of two adult skateboarders as they travel from Boston to New York using only their boards and a very little money. The documentary sees them travel through countless towns with the sole intention of meeting good people, exploring new areas and having a good time skateboarding. As they travel to different areas, word begins to get out amongst the different towns and soon enough kind hearted people start to offer them supplies and a place to stay as they venture into different sections of their journey.

Fig 1: Screenshot, Push - Backstreet Atlas

Backstreet Atlas is an extremely light hearted documentary that seems to focus on highlighting the good hearted citizens of the areas they visit, as they purposely seek out different kinds of people from different towns and ask their opinion on their task at hand and general questions concerning way of life. Backstreet Atlas delivers an extremely eye opening look into the general kindness of people, the difference between areas of America and the importance of generally having a passion, in this case, skateboarding.

Fig 2: Photograph, Backstreet Atlas - Push

Backstreet Atlas is a strong mix of two different types of documentary, on one half it is without a doubt an observational documentary as it exhibits real traits of this documentary mode. As the pair of filmmakers travel through the different towns they are certainly providing a window for the viewer to observe areas of the world and how they function which they otherwise may never have seen, something that an observational documentary holds as one of its core values. They are also clearly concerned with different types of citizens and historical sites, as they litter the film with little snippets of interviews of the various residents of the towns they visit, focusing on not only their thoughts of the skateboarding trip but also highlighting different events that have occurred in their respective towns and what they think of them, again showcasing traits of an observational documentary.

The short documentary also shares traits with another mode of the genre, the participatory mode, an area of documentary that focusses on the interviewer through physically and vocally participating in the subject of their film. In the case of Backstreet Atlas, the film really has two main subjects, skateboarding and people, both of which the makers actively participate in, skateboarding as they physically and literally travel from Boston to New York on their boards whilst commenting on what the sport means to them and how passionate they are about the subject of the film. They also have an active participation in the different people they meet along the way, as they seek out residents to interview and ask their opinions on the sport and also the events taken place in that town, often asking more questions to get the subject to open up and be more honest. It is also worth mentioning that at times the pair of filmmakers take part in small events or activities such as wine tasting or visiting new areas, another form of participation, as the pair are almost participating in the locations they pass through.

Fig 3: Photograph, Backstreet Atlas - Push

Backstreet Atlas - Push is not only an extremely feel good film, but it also provides a huge viewing platform into the world of skateboarding as well as the different areas of the places they visit and the lives of the people who live in those towns and cities. Backstreet Atlas is a strong mix between an observational and a participatory documentary, both highlighting different sections of America whilst taking part in the subject of their film and the lives of the people they meet.

Illustration List

Fig 1: Screenshot, Backstreet Atlas - Push, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGNwvTv_2n4, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 2: Photograph, Backstreet Atlas - Push, http://skatejawn.com/backstreet-atlas/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Fig 3: Photograph, Backstreet Atlas - Push, http://skatejawn.com/backstreet-atlas/, Accessed on: 13.01.17

Sunday, 15 January 2017

Critical Perspectives | Prosecution Presentation

Friday, 13 January 2017

Maya Tutorial | Film Review | In Class Activity - Submission Post

Maya Tutorial | Isometric Camera

Ace Ventura - Pet Detective | Comedy Film Review

The Hunger Games | Adaptation Film Review

Backstreet Atlas - Push | Documentary Film Review

Thursday, 12 January 2017

Adaptation (A) | Pitching Ideas