Institution

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. It was one of the so-called Little Three among the eight major film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. Today, as part of the Columbia Tri-Star Motion Picture Group—owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony—it is one of the leading film companies in the world, a member of the so-called ‘Big Six’. It has no connection with CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System). Established in 1924, Columbia is tied with MGM for the fifth-oldest American movie studio still in operation. The predecessor of Columbia Pictures, Cohn-Brandt-Cohn Film Sales, was founded in 1919 by Harry Cohn, his brother Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt. Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. Many of the studio's early productions were low-budget affairs; the start-up CBC leased space in a Poverty Row studio on Hollywood's Gower Street.

Info from www.wikipedia.org

M.I.G.R.A.I.N analysis on 'Hancock' trailer

M.I.G.R.A.I.N

'Hancock'
This is the main film I am going to be using and will be the main film that I will be referring to.

‘Hancock’ is a 2008 superhero film directed by Peter Berg and starring Will Smith, Jason Bateman, and Charlize Theron. It tells the story of a vigilante superhero, John Hancock (Smith), from Los Angeles whose reckless actions routinely cost the city millions of dollars. Eventually one person he saves, Ray Embrey (Bateman), makes it his mission to change Hancock's public image for the better. The story was originally written by Vincent Ngo in 1996. It languished in development for years and had various directors attached, including Tony Scott, Michael Mann, Jonathan Mostow, and Gabriele Muccino before going into production in 2007. Hancock was filmed in Los Angeles with a production budget of $150 million. In the United States, the film was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America after changes were made at the organisation's request in order to avoid a "restricted" (R) rating, which it had received twice before. The film was widely released on July 2, 2008 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Hancock has received mainly average reviews from film critics. To date, Hancock has grossed $225,214,837 in the United States and Canada and over $330 million in other territories. http://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.youtube.com/

M: (media language) - The sound at the beginning is slow and is a classical non digetic sound, the slow classical music at the beginning reflects upon the moving image on the screen, as the camera goes through the sky and gives the audience the feeling that someone or something is coming down (heaven bound). While the camera goes through the sky typography is seen, the writing is plain white and bold and it comes towards the screen making it more eye catching and therefore emphasising the main captions in the film. The camera suddenly points down and the audience see the caption 'Hancock' and the CGI effect of the land down below the camera does a fast zoom towards the earth; and then we see the feet of someone lying on the bench, the music suddenly turns in to a more rock type of song, as the complexion of the scene changes. Then there is a montage of shots showing his destructive path, it ends with the caption 'this summer' a plain black background and white writing. Also there is natural sounds digetic these are the one's of the characters speaking while the scene changes, making it seem more realistic and not as boring, as it would be with just music and no digetic sounds.

I: (institution) - Columbia, Sony pictures entertainment. The makers of this movie have shaped it towards their own personal view, as Columbia pictures have had numerous successess such as 'Casino Royale' (2006), 'Spiderman' (2003 - 08), 'You don't mess with the Zohan' (2008), 'Saawariya' (2007) etc. They also our known as one of the 'big 6' therefore showing they have the money and power in this industry, as well as having the ability to show off their digital effects.

G: (Genre) - Action/adventure.

R: (representation) - The clouds at the beginning represents someone coming from the sky like someone coming down from heaven or flying, typical "superhero". The little kid trying to wake up 'Hancock' symbolises innocence, maybe the innocence and the good intentions of 'Hancock'. 'Hancock' is a heavy drinker this portrays how he has issues and the drink seems to be the only thing keeps him going and keeps him sane.

A: (audience) - This seems like the type of film to appeal to everyone females and males from a very wide range however the certificate of the film is 12 so any male or female over the age of 12 can watch it, further the age range in my opinion is 12 - 21.

I: (ideologies) - Patriarchy beliefs as it is a man who is the hero, as well as capitalist views, as the film is based on 'Hancock' causing the country to much money as he destroys things so re-building costs are high.

N: (narrative) - The trailer seems to be a linear narrative as it does not jump from one bit to another, it has a clear and noticeable chronological order making it easy to follow and not get confused with the plot without really giving too much away.

Theorists

Theorists:

•Vladimir Propp - The villain, the donor, the helper, the princess and her father, the dispatcher, the hero and the false hero.

•Claude Levi Strauss – Binary oppositions.

•Tvzetan Todorov – Equilibrium, disequilibrium, new equilibrium.

Vladimir Propp

His theory of the villain, the donor, the princess etc, conforms in ‘Hancock’ as it is based around a theory like this. However ‘Hancock’ is not the typical representation of a superhero, as he is a drunk as well reckless; this takes the edge out of him conforming to Propp’s theory of a “fairy tale” type film.

Claude Levi Strauss

The theory of binary oppositions runs throughout the whole film, such as good vs. bad, reckless vs. responsible, drunk vs. sober etc. This theory brings in to mind the challenges ‘Hancock’ is facing as he is trying to change after saving Ray Embreys life.

Tvzetan Todorov

This theory applies to almost all superhero films, as they all usually run in a smooth chronological order, with a beginning, a middle (usually where the disruption/incident occurs) and an end where the disruption is solved. ‘Hancock’ is not an exception as it reforms to this theory of order.

Research

Research

Batman:

Batman is a fictional comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger and published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ‘Detective Comics #27’ (May 1939). Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a wealthy industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to physical and intellectual perfection and don a bat-themed costume in order to fight crime. Batman operates in the fictional Gotham City, assisted by various supporting characters including his sidekick Robin and his butler Alfred Pennyworth, and fights an assortment of villains influenced by the characters' roots in film and pulp magazines. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess any superpowers; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess and intimidation in his war on crime.

The Batman (Dark Night) 2008:

The Dark Knight is a 2008 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. The film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman film series. Christopher Nolan returns as the director, and Christian Bale as the lead role. Batman's primary conflicts in the film include his fight against the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his strained friendship with district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).
For his conception of the film, Nolan was inspired by the Joker's first two appearances in the comics and Batman: The Long Halloween. The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago (as was Batman Begins), as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. The director used an IMAX camera to film six major action sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. The Bat suit was redesigned, with a cowl allowing Bale to move his head. The film also introduces a recreation of the Bat cycle, known as the Bat pod.

Superman:

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero widely considered to be one of the most famous and popular of such characters and an American cultural icon Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 it was sold to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics#1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book.
The origin story of Superman relates that he was born on the planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father moments before the planet's destruction. Adopted and raised by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent, and imbued with a strong moral compass. Very early he started to display superhuman abilities, which upon reaching maturity he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity.
Superman is hailed as "The Man of Steel," "The Man of Tomorrow," and "The Last Son of Krypton," by the general public within the comics. As Clark Kent, Superman lives among humans as a "mild-mannered reporter" for the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet (the Daily Star in original stories); there he works alongside reporter Lois Lane, with whom he is romantically linked. This relationship has been consummated by marriage on numerous occasions across varying media, and the union is now firmly established within the current mainstream comic’s continuity.

Superman Returns (2006):

Superman Returns is a 2006 Academy Award nominated superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Superman. It was directed by Bryan Singer and stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay was written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. It was based on a story by Bryan Singer, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty.

The film is a re make of the Superman franchise that took more than a decade to get off the ground, and is the first Superman film since Superman IV: the Quest for Peace, made nineteen years earlier. Superman Returns revolves around Superman's return to Earth after a five-year absence. Director Bryan Singer has said that the continuity is "branching off from" elements of "the first two Superman films with the late Christopher Reeve," The film received fairly positive reviews and earned $391 million worldwide.

Spiderman:

Spider-Man is a 2002 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film is the first in the Spider-Man film series. The film was written by David Koepp, and directed by Sam Raimi. It stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe.
The film begins with Peter Parker, a high school student, being bitten by a genetically altered spider. After misusing his newly given abilities, which indirectly caused the death of his Uncle Ben, he becomes the heroic Spider-Man (wants justice through revenge, UN superhero persona). Peter hopes to win the heart of Mary Jane Watson, the girl he has loved since he was a boy, and battles the villainous Green Goblin, who is the father of Peter's best friend, Harry Osborn.
After being stuck in development hell for nearly 25 years, the film was released on May 3, 2002 to good reviews from critics, went on to break box office records, and became the highest grossing film of 2002. The success of the film led to two sequels, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. This led the films to being a trilogy in the Spider-Man film series.

Spiderman 3:

Spider-Man 3 is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Ivan Raimi and Alvin Sargent. It is the third film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. The film stars Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace.
The film begins with Peter Parker basking in his success as Spider-Man, while Mary Jane Watson continues her Broadway career. Harry Osborn still seeks vengeance for his father's death, and an escaped convict, Flint Marko, falls into a particle accelerator and is transformed into a shape-shifting sand manipulator. An alien symbiote crashes to Earth and bonds with Peter, influencing his behavior for the worse. When the symbiote is abandoned, it finds refuge in Eddie Brock, Jr., a rival photographer, causing Peter to face his greatest challenge.
Spider-Man 3 was commercially released in multiple countries on May 1, 2007, and released in the United States in both conventional and IMAX theaters on May 4, 2007 by Columbia Pictures. Although the film received generally mixed reviews from critics, in contrast to the previous two films' highly positive reviews, it broke most of the opening weekend records, both in the United States and in foreign markets, including records held in IMAX theaters. It went on to gross $891 million worldwide, making it the 3rd highest grossing film of 2007 and the highest grossing film in the Spider-Man series. Additionally, having earned $336 million domestically, it was the highest grossing film of 2007 in the U.S. However, the DVD sales results of this film did not meet industry expectations.

Superhero Movie:

Superhero Movie is a 2008 comedy film written and directed by Craig Mazin and produced by David Zucker and Robert K. Weiss. Superhero Movie starred Drake Bell, Sarah Paxton, Christopher McDonald, and Leslie Nielsen. It was originally titled Superhero! Superhero Movie is a spoof of the superhero film genre, mainly the first Spider-Man. It follows in the footsteps of the Scary Movie series of comedies, with which the film's poster shares a resemblance. It was also inspired by some of Zucker Abrahams earlier spoof films such as Airplane! And ‘The Naked Gun’. Production began in September 2007 in New York. It was released on March 28, 2008 in the United States, and the UK release was June 6, 2008, and received 9 million dollars on its opening weekend and was number three in the box office. The film was rated PG-13 by the MPAA for crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references, and language.

Infomation collected from : http://www.wikipedia.org/ & http://www.youtube.co.uk/

My Question

Is 'Hancock' a typical representation of a superhero?

I decided to use 'Hancock' as my main film as it is firstly a new movie, which has been made within the specified 3 year gap. It all so does not conform to the normal conventions of a super hero movie, as 'Hancock' is someone that is the opposite of a superhero.