Joe Leggett's Film Blog

Rick's introduction to Casablanca was a slow build up which made sure that we had a lot of context before meeting the protagonist character. For a film made in the 40's, it was a work of art. The amount of things you could do with a camera was not very broad in the time that Casablanca was made, so the camerawork was very basic. However, they showed how they could make the most of what they had in this scene particularly. We start with an establishing shot that gives us a lot of context of where we are-Rick's bar. When we enter the bar, the camera follows people around the area, listening to people's conversations. It follows the room from right to left and at the same time, shows us that any one of the minor characters here could have their own potential film. There aren't a lot of closeups in this scene and this is mainly down to the fact that when we do meet Rick, he is portrayed as extremely important.  Once again, the lighting opportunities weren't a...

The Babysitter is a new movie that came out this month on Netflix. There was a lot of build up leading up to the film's release and it did not disappoint. the film was directed by McG who is notorious for his role in directing Supernatural, Shadow hunters and The O.C. The movie is based on the life of a boy named Cole, who's parents are often out of town. He has a babysitter named Bee who seems to share a close Bond with Cole. However, one night Cole was curious as to what Bee did after he went to sleep, so he spied on her. What he saw would be the turning point in the movie as much more blood and gore followed. A lot of the costumes designed for the main female characters (especially Bee) are very sexually provocative and revealing. This is to emphasise the fact that she is Cole's fantasy and she is very attractive in general. The characters in the movie are generally around late teens/early twenties and it is somewhat of a stereotype that girls this age wear revea...

Last Thursday, me and my fellow colleagues were given the opportunity to see one of the first screenings of the film 'Breathe'. The film was produced by Jonathan Cavendish who's parents are the two protagonist characters in the film. He hopes that it will inspire people with disabilities to make the most of life. The performances from Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy were undoubtably the key elements behind the amazing outcome of the film, with Jonathan Cavendish even saying they were the 'perfect' people to play the real people. There were some truly beautiful scenes in the movie. I mean that in a sense that there were some very attractive landscapes, and some tear-jerking emotional moments. The context of the film was very interesting and enjoyable to follow. What made the film even more intriguing is the fact that the producer, Jonathan Cavendish is the real son of the couple in the movie. This brings a lot more emotion into the movie as he is able to ...

Casablanca (1942) is a film made by Warner bros. It was directed by Michael Curtiz who released a total of 177 films in his career. It was released just after the USA joined World War 2 and was quite blatantly propaganda. However, most war propaganda films around that time were nit that great, but this one is still one of the most beloved films of today. Was it fluke, or is it just an amazing film? There is a wide range of mis-on-scene used in Casablanca. The costumes were amazing and it was very noticeable that the film was the work of a lot of experts in their areas forming together to produce a great film. The costume designer, Orry-Kelly did a great job by giving Ilsa light colours and basic clothing to put most of the emphasis on how beautiful she naturally is. The scenery was very limited in the 40s so film companies ahd to improvise a little bit. Casablanca did a great job of making the most of the limited resources. For example, the final scene is shot in one basic room and a...

13 Sins (released in 2014) is a thriller movie that is based around a man named Elliot, a failing salesman who is under a lot of financial trouble. He receives a phone call from a mysterious voice who tells him if he completes 13 challenges, he will get a lot of money. As the movie develops, it becomes more vital for Elliot to finish the challenges as if he doesn't he will be arrested. The film starts off strongly with a scene in which many middle class white people are in the middle of some sort of conference. A man named Edgar Solomon is called up to speak. We can tell that he is important as he is the centre shot and there is a shot of cameramen taking interest in him. Edgar Solomon reads nursery rhymes but shockingly makes them very explicit and rude. For example, he says " There once was a lady named Dot who lived off of pig shit and snot. When she ran out of these, she ate the green cheese... that she grew on the sides... of her twat". This adds a theme of dark ...