Small Scale Study

The final version of my small scale study was handed in on Monday. This included the annotated catalogue, presentation script and the presentation itself. Now I need to focus on revising more on Mexican, Hollywood and British cinema and do more past papers for the exams next year. The first, in January, is a resit of FM2: British and American film.

Clint Eastwood presentation and close study film

Having now presented my Clint Eastwood presentation, there are several changes I need to make to the script, one being the signatures. In order to write an in depth response to my area of investigation statement, I will need to focus on three signatures, rather than four. There are several reasons for this, but the main reason is so I can write more, in a lot more detail. There are a few parts of the presentation itself that I like, such as the comparison of John Fords work to Eastwoods, using two almost identical shots but from different films. This needs to be done by 9th December. A FM3d form must also submitted as thsi is the final deadline for the peice of coursework.

Now onto the films. We have been studying three films, one of which will be our close study film for the exam. In order to gain a clearer understanding of each, we have been asked to produce presentations, so it gives people the opportunity to ask questions. This will be useful, as we can refer to the powerpoints for revision, when the final exam approaches.

The presentation for Babel will be this Thursday. I also need to go through past exam papers (both AS and A2) to practice my exam technique.

World Cinema blog update

I have just been updating my World Cinema blog and I have now, also, related La Haine to the micro and macro aspects.

Link: http://lawrencesmitha2worldcinema.blogspot.com/

With regard to my small scale, I am now focusing on Eastwood as a director. I will be identifying key themes and similarities in my three focus films, which are now;

• Outlaw Josey Wales
• Unforgiven
• Gran Torino

In each of the films I will identify key themes and similarities, as my area of investigation statement.

New blog - World Cinema

I have just created a new blog specifically for World Cinema, where I have analysed the REC screening from last Monday (http://lawrencesmitha2worldcinema.blogspot.com/)

Meanwhile my research is still well underway. Im currently producing the presentation and making a start on a few of Eastwood's books. Im also reading The Cinema Book where there is a brilliant section on The Western and many other interesting topics.

Eastwood opposes abolition of UK Film Council

Eastwood has credited the UK Film Council for helping his production company with his latest film in London. The UK Film Council is to axed due to the government spending cuts and the end of the year. Eastwood was among 50 actors who apposed the abolition and mentioned how much damage to the industry it will do if the plans go ahead. According to The Observer, lottery funding has increased to support the production of new films. The overall figure is estimated to be around £3 million. 

   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-10911948

Secondary research on Clint Eastwood

After a lot of research in to Clint Eastwood, I have now found many resources on Eastwoods performances, as well as his influences. The difficulty is trying to find information related to Eastwood as an actor and not a director. The majority of books and interviews are about his directing, however I have found several informative books about his life and how he came into acting.

• American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood
• Clint: A Retrospective
• Clint Eastwood Icon: The Ultimate Film Art Collection

Possible Clint Eastwood signatures

For the project, I will be focusing on the following signatures;

1) Hard, gritty character that isnt afraid to do what he feels is necessary
2) Very little movement in general
3) Very little dialogue - uses facial expressions to intimidate enemies
4) Doesnt show emotions
5) His roles are more about reality, with a strong story.

Clint Eastwood as Superman??

I was looking through the internet and apparently Eastwood has turned down some big roles during his career. He was offered to play James Bond after Sean Connery left and Superman. He turned down both roles as he felt it didnt suit his image as a tough, hard actor.

http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrities/2010/09/09/15290331-wenn-story.html

New term of A2 Film Studies!!

To start the new term of Film Studies, an Annotated Catalogue needs to be completed as part of a small scale project. I will be studying the work of Clint Eastwood as an actor and the traits he carries in his film roles. Dirty Harry will be my main focus film, whilst I will be referring to at least two his many films. Eastwoods career has spanned over 50 years, so there will be loads! Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven will obviously be on the list. My next step is collect more research related to his films.