JI:Training Montage

I really like the beginning 30 seconds of this clip, with the filming done in black and white, something we were thinking of doing ourselves. Some of the shots in the opening I think are really good, and effective for the type of opening we want to produce. There are also some other clips throughtout this montage which look good. Have a look and comment on what you feel will work.

JI:Rocky 6 (Training Scene) - Technical Analysis

A similar pattern all Rocky films seem to portray is a montage training scene between the two fighters included, emphasising the different conditions each one is situated with. One boxer training within an urban location, with unconventional boxing training styles, compared to the other boxer training is a more usual gym. This is a great way to show the progression of their training scheme and build euphoria about the main event to come.



Shot 1: a MLS establishing the location of the training.
Shot 2: MS of boxer, adding emphasise to his pain and commitment.
Shot 3: focus on preparation of other boxer, new location emphasised by lighting, using boxing wraps ready to start training.
Shot 4: finish preparation, focus on his fist, telling the audience he’s ready and the training’s going to begin.
Shot 5: switches back to first boxer with his continuing of training, once again emphasising his pain he’s going through with his hard routine.
Shot 6: flip back to boxer two, punching the air warming up, getting fired up.
Shot 7: switch over back to first boxer again, with lighting and conditions showing the different styles of training.
Shot 8: shot of other boxing punching pads quick, his training’s getting more intense.
Shot 9: MLS of boxer one running with his dog, different location.
Shot 10: ped down of boxer running, showing his clothes and appearance, along with his dogs matching top.
Shot 11: MS boxer ones original location, sweating while lifting a weight, working hard.
Shot 12: comes out to MLS of him, showing setting and people around him helping support. Emphasise is put on the heavy weight smashing the ground.
Shot 13: MCU of boxer’s trainer, showing him shouting at the boxer, pushing him hard.
Shot 14: next shot is a MLS of the boxer doing the weight again, showing his determination.
Shot 15: CU of boxers emphasising emotion and pain.
Shot 16: camera comes out to MLS shows how tired the boxer is.
Shot 17: flips to boxer two, in his gym, in the ring punching the pads hard.
Shot 18: MCU of him showing his face and aggression, working hard.
Shot 19: boxer one running with his dog again. Going back to this shot represents the progression of time, and the training has been going on over time.
Shot 20: back to boxer one’s original training location shows his training is continuing hard.
Shot 21: boxer two on the speed ball, a feeling of progression of time, and building up to the event.
Shot 22: CU of boxer one’s facial expression, expressing pain and commitment.
Shot 23: switches to shot of the large weight, showing how hard he’s training.
Shot 24: ECU of boxer two, focusing on expressions of determination, with the ball going through the shot to the audience’s right hand side.

LF:Hatton vs Mayweather 24/7

I came across this clip after I watched the documentary on sky sports and I love some of the features included. At 0:38 seconds they use elements of film noir whilst filing the ring, it then proceeds to show a classic film noir shot of Floyd Mayweather with half his face in covered in shadow. I feel this would work perfectly for us especially the shot of the boxers wrapping there hands. Out of all the clips I have viewed I feel this is the best suited for the style we are going for seeing as we could film a very similar sort of montage.

JI:Film Opening Analysis 4: Raging Bull

JI

This is the opening scene from Raging Bull a film predominately based on boxing. Although the action and narrative is minimal I feel it is very effective and creates a great, appropriate atmosphere.

• Firstly I feel that the music used throughout the opening scene really emphasizes the beauty of boxing, and portrays the sport as an art not a war, the music has quite a slow tempo and a major key.

• The music is very soothing but at the same time still entices the viewer to concentrate on the hooded figure in the centre of the ring.

• The font and colour of the text are simple but effective. The bright red provides subtle clues to boxing is a brutal sport and is not for the feint hearted however as this coincides with the music I feel as though the beauty outweighs the violence.

• The lighting in the sequence works really well to make the boxing ropes stand out bold, also the simplicity of the black and white emphasises the characters figure. The flashing lights work well to create a big event.

• The simple costume of just a boxing outfit with the predominate robe works well with the characters hood up not revealing the main character as yet, however showing off his figure and action.

• The audience are instantly positioned with the story plot with the location of the boxing ring along with the main character.

There isn't really a social group presented in this scene, as with the audience not being able to see the main characters characteristics, so a judgement can't be made, however with the rich feel which the lighting and sound creates, I feel there is an event feel to the sequence portraying a middle class feeling.

The target audience for Raging Bull I feel is of a sporting background, particularly boxing, however with the drama mix as well, a broadened audience can be targeted such as young adults, as it contains a lot of fight scenes.

I feel Robert De Nero plays a very good role through out the film of being a tough American/Italian fighter in which the general public can relate to as he portrays certain heroic characteristics whilst boxing.

JI:Film Opening Analysis 2: Million Dollar Baby

The genre of the film is a sport/drama. Hillary Swank the main character, is portrayed in a progressive manor, taking up a sport which is generally situated with men, her ambition is to become the next great boxer, which is originally ridiculed by the males situated.

• The mise-en-scene of the boxing equipment clearly situates the audience within a gym, along with the casual, plain costumes of the characters, showing their dressed for training.

• The dark lighting shows the urban style area they are even with no clear setting establishment.
• The use of montage editing, along with the progressive music, without dialogue tells the story that she is developing her boxing skills over a period of time, and that her ambition is becoming a reality.
• The exchange of mid-shot to medium close-ups gives the audience a key image of the training she is putting in, compared to her emotion throughout the training.
• The dialogue over the top allows the audience to feel they're experiencing her progression along with her, and that they've been a part of it.

Within this sequence you see the social background the girl is from with her poor living conditions and low skilled job to get by. This maybe portrays the stereotype person who would be interested in boxing, as it is seen as a rough sport, this is backed up with the run down conditions of the location.

The target audience for Million Dollar Baby is primarily a sporting audience/teenagers with the attraction of boxing involved, however the mixed drama storyline will expand the target audience to young adults. The attraction of having Hilary Swank playing the main character may also attract previous fans of her work, along with the director Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.

In the sequence Eastwood is training up the girl boxer with the skills and training experience he has. The film brings an un-stereotype view with the boxer being a girl, which in my view is not widely recognised with the typical stereotype of it being to rough for women.

The three main star character within the film are Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, who also directed the film, and Morgan Freeman. It is always important to have a big star character for a film to attract a wide audience, as an audience recognises big characters, and their previous work, making the film desirable. All three of these characters have produced excellent work in the past, just one reason why the film was so successful.

At the beginning this film had some trouble getting funding for the project, however when Clint Eastwood was introduced as director and actor, Warner Bros, a massive Hollywood studio, took on the project.

LF:Film Opening Analysis: Rocky 3 Training Scene

 



Rocky also fits in the sport genre and follows the generic pattern of a local hero challenging the world of boxing. Rocky’s non verbal language gives us a good impression of his personality as soon as we see him training. He shows lots of impatience when trying to hit the speed bag showing his natural fighting instinct of growing up in an industrial environment. The music used throughout the clip is iconic to the rocky franchise and definitely adds a lot to the clip. I feel it’s motivates the audience in watching the clip as it shows Rocky’s progression leading up to the clip. I feel we could adopt a similar technique in showing the gradual progression of a young boy improving and conquering the boxing world. 

 The main social group that is represented is Americans with an Italian heritage as the audience is clearly aligned with rocky throughout the film he is portrayed as the hero and the audience con clearly distinguish him as the protagonist. Rocky fills the stereotypical role of a boxing movie as the film definitely confirms to the genre, he shows typical masculine traits and have a very physical muscular physique. Similar to the Ali film Apollo Creed also acts as a mentor throughout the clip, this could interpreted that in life everyone can benefit through the encouragement give by other people.

The main themes present within the clip are,

• Good vs evil, Rocky is viewed as a hero that need to stand up to the other boxer who is portrayed as the villain.
• How a man with a lot of heart can accomplish a lot with the right amount of dedication and heart.
• The effect encouragement and friendship can have on someone when it comes to training for a main event.

Th3e music used throughout the cliup in my opinion creates the tension, furthermore you see Rocky's gradual progression building up to the fight however there is an element of tension as there are parallels drawn between Rocky and his opponent. You see the ferocity of Rocky’s opponent which creates an element of doubt weather or not rocky will win the fight.

The scene setting when Rocky is training I feel are very effective especially with the mirror shot of his improving his footwork, also the lighting creates a musky feel around further enhancing an industrial environment.

Rocky 3 already had a very large following seeing as the first 2 films were extremely successful so they already had a large following, however the target audience would again be boxing fans and a young male audience. However there is an underlying love story throughout the film which could incise other audiences into the film. Rocky was distributed by MGM showing that it was an industrial cinema production as it was quite main stream following the typical boxing storyline of the fighter eventually prevailing. Therefore I feel that boxing films have a proven track record with Rocky films become legendary throughout the industry with the iconic training scenes.

LF:Film Opening Analysis 1: Ali

Ali is a biography of Mohammed Ali, however it also fits into the genre of sport, the audiences generic expectations of the text are fulfilled because certain aspects of iconography are present within the opening scene that the audience would automatically label a boxing film with. For instance the speed bag and the skipping rope. The opening shot is Mohammed Ali jogging down the street a vital part of boxing and through the use of mise-en-scene the audience can paint a basic image of the background and environment Ali grew up in, the run down industrial setting is a typical environment you would expect boxers to emerge from.
We can also learn a lot about Ali through his non verbal language first of all his costume evokes a certain thuggish element to his personality as he is wearing a full tracksuit with his hood up some audiences may interpret him as providing an aggressive image. Furthermore towards the end of the opening there is a scene of Malcolm X delivering a speech to Ali and through his dialogue you can learn how he is trying to gain equal rights for Black people in America a vital part in the history of the country.

Throughout the opening scene the audience is most definitely positioned with Mohammed Ali the close ups of Ali’s face allow the audience to appreciate the concentration on his face. In addition when Ali is listening to the speech delivered by Malcolm X the audience is allowed to for see how religion had such a hue impact on Ali’s life and he is driving the narrative however the audience position changes when there is a piece of montage editing. The audience is then positioned with another boxer allowing the audience to think about possible contenders for the title. There is very 
 dialogue within the first two minutes of the scene the only sound is non digetic music played at a live concert. The music has a major key and has an uplifting affect on the audiences viewing.

The major themes in the narrative include:

• ·      Boxing is the major theme within the opening sequence showing a young Black boy striving for greatness in a business that is very unforgiving.

• ·      The discrimination black people faced during the 1960’s in America when the police assume Ali is running for some other reason apart from boxing. This enhances the stereotypical view that young Black people in society or are often involved with crime-based activities.

• ·      Ali’s fiercest competitors Sonny Liston who at the time is the current world heavy weight champion, there is a short clip of him putting another fighter down showing his skill and physical strength in the ring.

• ·      The powerful effect reigion and public speakers can have on peoples lives as Mohammed Ali looks up too Malcolm X almost as a father like figure.

The target audience for this film would typically be boxing fans, however
seen, as Mohammed Ali was such a famous iconic figure many people would go and see the film to gain an insight into his life and how he affected so many people.

My original reading of the text as a young British male would be to see Mohammed Ali’s dedication to the world of boxing and to appreciate his true talent. However I feel you are also exposed to deeper issues throughout the narrative such as the discrimination he faced whilst he was in his prime and how he searched for a way of dealing with such issues therefore turned to Islam.

Will Smith stars as Mohammed Ali and I feel as though it is very important they have an athletic big name star to play the main role of Ali. First of all Mohammed Ali is one of the greatest sportsman of all time therefore I believe if they want the film to appeal and touch as many people as possible the use of big star names is crucial.