Year of release (UK)
the film had its premier in London on 29th March, 2004. It was later released on 9th April, 2004.
International release dates
the film opened in the USA on 24th September, 2004. other international dates included:
Netherlands - 12th August 2004
Australia - 7th October 2004
Spain - 29th October 2004
Czech Republic - 2nd November 2004
Germany - 30th December 2004
Genre
Horror - for its goriness and use of zombies.
Romantic - Shaun being dumped by Liz and the chase to win her back, risking his life for her. She is essentially the heroin of the story while Shaun could be seen as the hero.
Comedy
As well as these genres, I feel that it could also be seen as a parody of typical American zombie horror films. This is because of instead hiding in a big, secure building, such as shopping centre, they chose a pub. Another factor being that Shaun found the word 'zombie' to be ridiculous, and in many American films like 'Dawn of the Dead' they are never directly called zombies.
Prior to the release of the film, a remake of 'Dawn of the Dead' had been released just a few weeks before (USA). British horror film '28 Days Later' had also been released in 2002 along with 'Resident Evil' (2002 USA), so this could have possibly lead the way for the main obstacle for 'Shaun of the Dead' to be zombies. However, in all films like I mentioned above, the word 'zombie' is never used to describe the undead.
Director
the film was directed by Edgar Wright, who had previously worked with Simon Pegg (Shaun) on the TV sitcom 'Spaced'.
Producer
The film was produced by Nira Park, who had also previously worked with Pegg on 'Spaced'.
Executive producers - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Alison Owen, Natascha Wharton, James Wilson
Production companies
the production companies involved were Universal Pictures and Rogue Pictures, both of which are based in California, USA.
Funding
The film was funded by Big Talk Productions and Film 4 International.
Studios
The mostly involved the use of British studios, with Working Title Films, WT2 Productions and Big Talk productions, which are all based in London. Studio Canal was also involved, which is based in Paris, France.
Publicity in the UK
A promotional tour took place to publicize the film.
Marketing with the stars
International stars
A key international star in the film is Dylan Moran, who is famous for his comedy stand-ups and for starring in the sitcom 'Black Books' with Bill Bailey.
Marketing in the UK
International marketing
UK success
The film was a success in the UK both critically and financially. Reviewing the film for the BBC, Nev Perice said that it was a "side-splitting, head-smashing, gloriously gory horror comedy" that will "amuse casual viewers and delight genre fans."
European success
gained a gross of 115, 304 Euros in the Netherlands.
International success
The film was successful financially worldwide, with a total gross of $30,039,392.
Opening weekend UK figures
£1,603,410 - on the 11th April, 2004
Distribution UK/International
the film was distributed by Universal Pictures and Rogue Pictures.
Audience attraction
Many fans of the sitcom 'Spaced' which involved cast members Simon Pegg (Shaun). Nick Frost (Ed), Jessica Hynes (Yvonne) and director Edgar Wright, were called in as zombie extras. This was done through the 'Spaced out' fan website.
Friday 26 February 2010
Friday 12 February 2010
My comments on 'Babel'
Sound
What I found interesting about the sound in this film was the choice of when music was used. A lot of the music was quite cultural to the different locations, such as the solo acoustic guitar for the scenes in Morocco, the poppy-techno sounds when in Japan and the full band set-up at the wedding in Mexico playing exotic, high-tempo music. There was a mixture of digetic and non-digetic sound. Examples of digetic includes car radio, TV, live band ect. while non-digetic sound involved the overlapping soundtrack of the styles of music that I mentioned above. Another striking moment in terms of sound for me was when the helicopter arrived to rescue the American couple - the soundtrack took over in terms of volume, so whilst the helicopter blades could be seen spinning, they could not be heard, until they lightly started to fade towards the end of the scene.
Cinematography
Throughout the film, I noticed that nearly all of the shots, if not all of them, were hand-held, with no fixed support for the camera. This could be seen by the shakiness of the screen in almost every scene. None the less, there were still an excellent range of shots, from the shot/reverse shot of the American couple at the dinner table, the opening tracking shot and the extremely powerful point-of-view shot from the deaf-mute Japanese girl (in the nightclub, we can tell it's her as the sound suddenly disappears).
Editing
I liked the fact that the editing was used to control the four separate narratives and ultimately bring them together to form the full plot. This was displayed by the sudden cuts to new locations, and further supported by what was going on in the current scene e.g. the Japaneses news show informing viewers of the injured American in Morocco. Eyeline action also took place many times, my favorite points being when the Japanese girl looked over to the boys sat on the table across the room and the Moroccan boys looking down from the mountain to the bus.
Mise-on-scene
As well as the music, costume was also kept quite cultural to each character's nationality. For example, the American middle-class couple with jeans and shirts, the rich Japanese businessman constantly appearing in a suit and the Moroccans dressed in robes ect. Lighting was quite natural throughout, with daytime and night time shots both using natural lighting sources. Dim light was used well in the Moroccan village as it would most likely be dim in those sort of huts, while bright lights re-created the Japanese club scene well. One of the most notable props had to be the rifle because it linked each narrative together, as the did the editing.
What I thought
I liked the fact the music was kept quite cultural to each location and how that all four separate narratives were linked together by the rifle as, to me, it shows how effective props can be in a film. The point-of-view shot from the Japanese deaf-mute girl also proved to be very powerful, showing what its like to experience an action-packed, loud nightclub with no hearing. The multi-narrative element also reminded me somewhat of the film 'Elephant' but with more of a cultural impact. This is defiantly a film that I would recommend to other people.
What I found interesting about the sound in this film was the choice of when music was used. A lot of the music was quite cultural to the different locations, such as the solo acoustic guitar for the scenes in Morocco, the poppy-techno sounds when in Japan and the full band set-up at the wedding in Mexico playing exotic, high-tempo music. There was a mixture of digetic and non-digetic sound. Examples of digetic includes car radio, TV, live band ect. while non-digetic sound involved the overlapping soundtrack of the styles of music that I mentioned above. Another striking moment in terms of sound for me was when the helicopter arrived to rescue the American couple - the soundtrack took over in terms of volume, so whilst the helicopter blades could be seen spinning, they could not be heard, until they lightly started to fade towards the end of the scene.
Cinematography
Throughout the film, I noticed that nearly all of the shots, if not all of them, were hand-held, with no fixed support for the camera. This could be seen by the shakiness of the screen in almost every scene. None the less, there were still an excellent range of shots, from the shot/reverse shot of the American couple at the dinner table, the opening tracking shot and the extremely powerful point-of-view shot from the deaf-mute Japanese girl (in the nightclub, we can tell it's her as the sound suddenly disappears).
Editing
I liked the fact that the editing was used to control the four separate narratives and ultimately bring them together to form the full plot. This was displayed by the sudden cuts to new locations, and further supported by what was going on in the current scene e.g. the Japaneses news show informing viewers of the injured American in Morocco. Eyeline action also took place many times, my favorite points being when the Japanese girl looked over to the boys sat on the table across the room and the Moroccan boys looking down from the mountain to the bus.
Mise-on-scene
As well as the music, costume was also kept quite cultural to each character's nationality. For example, the American middle-class couple with jeans and shirts, the rich Japanese businessman constantly appearing in a suit and the Moroccans dressed in robes ect. Lighting was quite natural throughout, with daytime and night time shots both using natural lighting sources. Dim light was used well in the Moroccan village as it would most likely be dim in those sort of huts, while bright lights re-created the Japanese club scene well. One of the most notable props had to be the rifle because it linked each narrative together, as the did the editing.
What I thought
I liked the fact the music was kept quite cultural to each location and how that all four separate narratives were linked together by the rifle as, to me, it shows how effective props can be in a film. The point-of-view shot from the Japanese deaf-mute girl also proved to be very powerful, showing what its like to experience an action-packed, loud nightclub with no hearing. The multi-narrative element also reminded me somewhat of the film 'Elephant' but with more of a cultural impact. This is defiantly a film that I would recommend to other people.
Friday 5 February 2010
Producers and Audiences (case study) - 'Titanic'
Pre-production and production
Story Source - based on the boat (true story) which sank. Some roles also based on historical characters, such as capt. Edward John Smith (played by Bernard Hill).
Simplification of character and narrative - Jack, pinned down as lower-class hero with good looks, Rose - Heroine (or damsel in distress engaged to Cal) happen to be beautiful. Cal, sharp looks, dark hair, making him the 'villain'. Hero and Heroine win each other, but a tragedy occurs in the end. Pitched as 'Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic'. Russian sub operators held model submarines around the wreck as directed by Cameron.
Cost of the rights to the source - 12 dives needed when shooting the real footage of the Titanic, Deep-sea camera developed by Panavision and Cameron's brother Mike, which could withstand the 400 atmospheres of pressure at that depth. 12 minutes of film only in the deep-sea camera and it took many hours. 1/33 scale model of the ship constructed for rehearsals.
Budget Cost - $200,ooo,ooo, Leonardo DiCaprio was paid $2.5million. Kate Winslet paid just under £1million.
Production companies - Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Lightstorm Entertainment.
Length of shooting schedule - Production started September 1st, 1995. Filming lasted for 160 days (originally planned for 138, but cast members becoming ill with cold, flu and kidney infections meant it was extended).
Part of the set where water first comes rushing through a doorway had to be re-built to withstand a higher pressure as Cameron wanted triple the amount water that was originally intended (40,000 gallons).
Genre - Romantic/Disaster
CGI/Effects - Digital water and smoke were added. extras captured on a motion capture stage. The faces of many actors were scanned, including visual effects supervisor Rob Legato and his children, for the digital extras and stuntmen. There was also a 65-foot (20 m) long model of the ship's stern that could break in two repeatedly, the only miniature to be used in water. For scenes set in the ship's engines, footage of the SS Jeremiah O'Brien engines were composited with miniature support frames and actors shot against greenscreen. To save money, the First Class Lounge was a miniature set incorporated into a greenscreen backdrop. For final plunging scene, full-sized tilting set used, with 150 extras and 100 stuntmen. Cameron criticized previous Titanic films for depicting the final plunge of the liner as sliding gracefully underwater. He "wanted to depict it as the terrifyingly chaotic event that it really was". To carry out the sequence, people were needed to fall off the increasingly tilting deck, plunging hundreds of feet and bouncing off railings and propellers on the way down. "A few attempts to film this sequence with stunt people resulted in some minor injuries and Cameron halted the more dangerous stunts." The risks were eventually minimized "by using computer generated people for the dangerous falls".
Financing - 20th Century fox convinced by Cameron to invest in the film after saying that real footage of the wreck would be good for the movie.
Importance of music - 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion, iconic to film, music video montage accompanied it. This was secretly composed by Dion, James Horner and Will Jennings after Cameron said that he did not want to included any song in the film, even at the closing credits. The song won an Oscar.
Formal excess - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCy5WQ9S4c0 - Some 'over the top' scenes e.g. Jack slamming into the door, Brock Lovetts's phone stare ect.
The phrase 'I'm the King of the World!' was listed as #4 out of 100 in the greatest movie lines in 2007 by Premiere.
Distribution
Distribution company - Paramount Pictures (USA theatrical release)
Marketing - Posters, trailers and a tagline.
Budget - Around $40million
Publicity - Mainly word of mouth and many featurettes.
Number of countries - released in approx. 65 countries.
Merchandise - Calender, Bottle tops, earphones, puzzles, key rings, cigarette lighters ect.
Exhibition
Date of release - 18th November, 1997 (UK) 14th December, 1997 (USA) London and Los Angeles premieres respectively. 19th December 1997 (USA) 23rd January 1998 (UK).
The original release date was meant to be 25th July, 1997. This was changed for two reasons: one being that production (especially CGI) took longer than anticipated, and the other being that Harrison Ford demanded the date to be moved after finding out that 'Air Force One' was scheduled to be released on the same day. Paramount agreed to this, thinking that if they didn't, Ford would never work with them again.
Number of screens used for opening weekend - 2, 674 (USA) 416 (UK)
Box office taking in opening weekend - $28, 638, 131 (USA)
Length of time in cinemas - 21st December 1997 - 20th September 1998 (final cinema gross)
Releases after theatrical period - VHS, laserdisc (September 1st, 1998) DVD (July 31st, 1999) TV showings. Cameron has also confirmed a 3-D release in cinemas for sometime during 2011.
Extra
Matthew McConaughey was considered for the role of Jack, But Cameron demanded DiCaprio.
Jack Davenport was considered for the role of Cal, but was declared too young.
Rob Lowe was considered for the role of Cal.
Even though Cameron only began with a 165-page outline, both DiCaprio and Winslet committed to the film.
Christian Bale auditioned for the role of Jack, but was declined the part because Cameron didn't want two British actors portraying American characters.
Gwyneth Paltrow also auditioned for the role of Rose but lost out.
Madonna auditioned for the role of Rose.
The film won a total of 11 Oscars:
Best art direction/set decoration -Peter Lamont (art director), Michael Ford (set decorator)
Best cinematography - Russell Carpenter
Best costume design - Deborah Lynn Scott
Best Director - James Cameron
Best effects, sound effects editing - Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes
Best effects, visual effects - Robert Legato, Mark. A Lasoff, Thomas. L Fisher, Michael Kanfer
Best film editing - Conrad Buff IV, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris
Best music, original dramatic score - James Horner
Best music, original song - James Horner (music) Will Jennings (lyrics) 'My Heart Will Go On' - Celine Dion
Best Picture - James Cameron, Jon Landau
Best Sound - Gary Rydstorm, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano
It was also nominated for:
Best actress in a supporting role
Best actress in a lead role
Best Makeup
It also received wins internationally:
Best foreign feature film (James Cameron) - Amanda awards, Norway
Best foreign film - Awards of the Japanese Academy
Anthony Asquith award for film music (James Horner) - BAFTA's
Bogey award in titanium - Bogey Awards, Germany
Best Soundtack - Brit Awards
Box office award - Czech Lions
Best foreign film (James Cameron) - Cesar awards, France
Film - international (Kate Winslet) - Golden camera, Germany
Story Source - based on the boat (true story) which sank. Some roles also based on historical characters, such as capt. Edward John Smith (played by Bernard Hill).
Simplification of character and narrative - Jack, pinned down as lower-class hero with good looks, Rose - Heroine (or damsel in distress engaged to Cal) happen to be beautiful. Cal, sharp looks, dark hair, making him the 'villain'. Hero and Heroine win each other, but a tragedy occurs in the end. Pitched as 'Romeo and Juliet on the Titanic'. Russian sub operators held model submarines around the wreck as directed by Cameron.
Cost of the rights to the source - 12 dives needed when shooting the real footage of the Titanic, Deep-sea camera developed by Panavision and Cameron's brother Mike, which could withstand the 400 atmospheres of pressure at that depth. 12 minutes of film only in the deep-sea camera and it took many hours. 1/33 scale model of the ship constructed for rehearsals.
Budget Cost - $200,ooo,ooo, Leonardo DiCaprio was paid $2.5million. Kate Winslet paid just under £1million.
Production companies - Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Lightstorm Entertainment.
Length of shooting schedule - Production started September 1st, 1995. Filming lasted for 160 days (originally planned for 138, but cast members becoming ill with cold, flu and kidney infections meant it was extended).
Part of the set where water first comes rushing through a doorway had to be re-built to withstand a higher pressure as Cameron wanted triple the amount water that was originally intended (40,000 gallons).
Genre - Romantic/Disaster
CGI/Effects - Digital water and smoke were added. extras captured on a motion capture stage. The faces of many actors were scanned, including visual effects supervisor Rob Legato and his children, for the digital extras and stuntmen. There was also a 65-foot (20 m) long model of the ship's stern that could break in two repeatedly, the only miniature to be used in water. For scenes set in the ship's engines, footage of the SS Jeremiah O'Brien engines were composited with miniature support frames and actors shot against greenscreen. To save money, the First Class Lounge was a miniature set incorporated into a greenscreen backdrop. For final plunging scene, full-sized tilting set used, with 150 extras and 100 stuntmen. Cameron criticized previous Titanic films for depicting the final plunge of the liner as sliding gracefully underwater. He "wanted to depict it as the terrifyingly chaotic event that it really was". To carry out the sequence, people were needed to fall off the increasingly tilting deck, plunging hundreds of feet and bouncing off railings and propellers on the way down. "A few attempts to film this sequence with stunt people resulted in some minor injuries and Cameron halted the more dangerous stunts." The risks were eventually minimized "by using computer generated people for the dangerous falls".
Financing - 20th Century fox convinced by Cameron to invest in the film after saying that real footage of the wreck would be good for the movie.
Importance of music - 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion, iconic to film, music video montage accompanied it. This was secretly composed by Dion, James Horner and Will Jennings after Cameron said that he did not want to included any song in the film, even at the closing credits. The song won an Oscar.
Formal excess - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCy5WQ9S4c0 - Some 'over the top' scenes e.g. Jack slamming into the door, Brock Lovetts's phone stare ect.
The phrase 'I'm the King of the World!' was listed as #4 out of 100 in the greatest movie lines in 2007 by Premiere.
Distribution
Distribution company - Paramount Pictures (USA theatrical release)
Marketing - Posters, trailers and a tagline.
Budget - Around $40million
Publicity - Mainly word of mouth and many featurettes.
Number of countries - released in approx. 65 countries.
Merchandise - Calender, Bottle tops, earphones, puzzles, key rings, cigarette lighters ect.
Exhibition
Date of release - 18th November, 1997 (UK) 14th December, 1997 (USA) London and Los Angeles premieres respectively. 19th December 1997 (USA) 23rd January 1998 (UK).
The original release date was meant to be 25th July, 1997. This was changed for two reasons: one being that production (especially CGI) took longer than anticipated, and the other being that Harrison Ford demanded the date to be moved after finding out that 'Air Force One' was scheduled to be released on the same day. Paramount agreed to this, thinking that if they didn't, Ford would never work with them again.
Number of screens used for opening weekend - 2, 674 (USA) 416 (UK)
Box office taking in opening weekend - $28, 638, 131 (USA)
Length of time in cinemas - 21st December 1997 - 20th September 1998 (final cinema gross)
Releases after theatrical period - VHS, laserdisc (September 1st, 1998) DVD (July 31st, 1999) TV showings. Cameron has also confirmed a 3-D release in cinemas for sometime during 2011.
Extra
Matthew McConaughey was considered for the role of Jack, But Cameron demanded DiCaprio.
Jack Davenport was considered for the role of Cal, but was declared too young.
Rob Lowe was considered for the role of Cal.
Even though Cameron only began with a 165-page outline, both DiCaprio and Winslet committed to the film.
Christian Bale auditioned for the role of Jack, but was declined the part because Cameron didn't want two British actors portraying American characters.
Gwyneth Paltrow also auditioned for the role of Rose but lost out.
Madonna auditioned for the role of Rose.
The film won a total of 11 Oscars:
Best art direction/set decoration -Peter Lamont (art director), Michael Ford (set decorator)
Best cinematography - Russell Carpenter
Best costume design - Deborah Lynn Scott
Best Director - James Cameron
Best effects, sound effects editing - Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes
Best effects, visual effects - Robert Legato, Mark. A Lasoff, Thomas. L Fisher, Michael Kanfer
Best film editing - Conrad Buff IV, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris
Best music, original dramatic score - James Horner
Best music, original song - James Horner (music) Will Jennings (lyrics) 'My Heart Will Go On' - Celine Dion
Best Picture - James Cameron, Jon Landau
Best Sound - Gary Rydstorm, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano
It was also nominated for:
Best actress in a supporting role
Best actress in a lead role
Best Makeup
It also received wins internationally:
Best foreign feature film (James Cameron) - Amanda awards, Norway
Best foreign film - Awards of the Japanese Academy
Anthony Asquith award for film music (James Horner) - BAFTA's
Bogey award in titanium - Bogey Awards, Germany
Best Soundtack - Brit Awards
Box office award - Czech Lions
Best foreign film (James Cameron) - Cesar awards, France
Film - international (Kate Winslet) - Golden camera, Germany
Tuesday 2 February 2010
The high concept model in 'Top Gun'
Post-generic filmmaking
- Although not heavily, this film in my opinion did have the hybrid genre of action-romance - the action coming obviously from the amount of flying and shooting involved, and with the sideline between Maverick and Charlie adds the romance element.
- Tom Cruise's character, Maverick, could easily be pigeonholed as the 'hero' type. This is because he begins with a lot determination, is able to have a romantic interest, face an obstacle (the death of another pilot) and come out the other side as a hero again, with everyone happy for him.
Extended montages
- The song 'Danger Zone' by Kenny Loggins is repeated through moments in the film, mainly during the early flying scenes. It is often used to accompany these selected scenes.
- The soundtrack album to 'Top Gun' can be seen as a huge aide when marketing the film, reaching number 1 in the billlboard 200 in 1986.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1a_ikfUico - 'Danger Zone' music video. Notice how the video orientates between clips from the film and of singer Kenny Loggins.
Design reflects advertising style
- A promotional poster that I found for the film contain the tagline 'Up there with the best of the best' which is meant to summarise part the movie's plot - when flying in the top gun academy, you have to be up there with the best pilots.
- The poster is largely dependent on one image of Charlie and Maverick, with a few fighter planes in the background. This is supposed to signify the plot with a just a words and images.
Replicated in Publicity
- Trailers and TV spots involved, with the TV spots lasting for around 30 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8ze3S0Uj8&feature=related - 1986 trailer.
http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/top-gun/tv-spot-dangerous - various TV spots and trailers
Formal excess
- The camera work during the flying scenes is quite heavy, with many angles being shown and a lot of shots happening quickly. I felt that some of these were not neccesarly linked to the story, but just to show off.
- During the tennis scene at the beach, camera work became slower to capture the expressions on people's faces and the actions that they were doing. Again, I feel that the scene was majorly important, but just over-the-top.
Music interrupts narrative
- During many of the flying scenes, the track 'Danger Zone' is repeated and often accompanies the action of the pilots - by flying, they are entering the danger zone. However, this is also to make these particular shots 'look good' and draw the attention away from the narrative.
- Also, in many of the meeting between Maverick and Charlie, a slow ballad song can be hared each time. The outcome is that it creates its own narrative, accompanying the scene.
Detached appearance of stars
- Val Kilmer (Viper) can be seen doing one if his trademark actions, flipping a pen over his knuckles.
- Director Tony Scott is referenced during the film. One of the desk office characters goes by the name of Scott.
- A reference to Peter Pettigrew (Charlie's older man date) is in the film - Maverick's first name in the film is Pete, whereas in earlier versions of the script it was Even.
Hyperbolic Physiques and action
- Maverick (Tom Cruise) Stars as the centre of hyperbole, with good looks and a muscle-full body.
Ironic distanciation: walking-talking brand
- The line "I feel the need - the need for speed!" was listed as #94 movie quote by the American film industry (out of 100)
- the term 'going ballistic' is now used by pilots for describing any action of the aircraft being put in a vertical or a nearly-vertical climb.
- Sunglasses are worn so much in film that we come to think of them as part of the characters.
- Although not heavily, this film in my opinion did have the hybrid genre of action-romance - the action coming obviously from the amount of flying and shooting involved, and with the sideline between Maverick and Charlie adds the romance element.
- Tom Cruise's character, Maverick, could easily be pigeonholed as the 'hero' type. This is because he begins with a lot determination, is able to have a romantic interest, face an obstacle (the death of another pilot) and come out the other side as a hero again, with everyone happy for him.
Extended montages
- The song 'Danger Zone' by Kenny Loggins is repeated through moments in the film, mainly during the early flying scenes. It is often used to accompany these selected scenes.
- The soundtrack album to 'Top Gun' can be seen as a huge aide when marketing the film, reaching number 1 in the billlboard 200 in 1986.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1a_ikfUico - 'Danger Zone' music video. Notice how the video orientates between clips from the film and of singer Kenny Loggins.
Design reflects advertising style
- A promotional poster that I found for the film contain the tagline 'Up there with the best of the best' which is meant to summarise part the movie's plot - when flying in the top gun academy, you have to be up there with the best pilots.
- The poster is largely dependent on one image of Charlie and Maverick, with a few fighter planes in the background. This is supposed to signify the plot with a just a words and images.
Replicated in Publicity
- Trailers and TV spots involved, with the TV spots lasting for around 30 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN8ze3S0Uj8&feature=related - 1986 trailer.
http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/top-gun/tv-spot-dangerous - various TV spots and trailers
Formal excess
- The camera work during the flying scenes is quite heavy, with many angles being shown and a lot of shots happening quickly. I felt that some of these were not neccesarly linked to the story, but just to show off.
- During the tennis scene at the beach, camera work became slower to capture the expressions on people's faces and the actions that they were doing. Again, I feel that the scene was majorly important, but just over-the-top.
Music interrupts narrative
- During many of the flying scenes, the track 'Danger Zone' is repeated and often accompanies the action of the pilots - by flying, they are entering the danger zone. However, this is also to make these particular shots 'look good' and draw the attention away from the narrative.
- Also, in many of the meeting between Maverick and Charlie, a slow ballad song can be hared each time. The outcome is that it creates its own narrative, accompanying the scene.
Self-conscious allusion to films and TV - During its first release onto VHS, the film had a feature that included a pilot-themed advert for diet Pepsi.
Detached appearance of stars
- Val Kilmer (Viper) can be seen doing one if his trademark actions, flipping a pen over his knuckles.
- Director Tony Scott is referenced during the film. One of the desk office characters goes by the name of Scott.
- A reference to Peter Pettigrew (Charlie's older man date) is in the film - Maverick's first name in the film is Pete, whereas in earlier versions of the script it was Even.
Hyperbolic Physiques and action
- Maverick (Tom Cruise) Stars as the centre of hyperbole, with good looks and a muscle-full body.
Ironic distanciation: walking-talking brand
- The line "I feel the need - the need for speed!" was listed as #94 movie quote by the American film industry (out of 100)
- the term 'going ballistic' is now used by pilots for describing any action of the aircraft being put in a vertical or a nearly-vertical climb.
- Sunglasses are worn so much in film that we come to think of them as part of the characters.
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