World War Z

World War Z could fit into a horror-thriller or action-horror genre, this is because of the gore, the jump scares, the use of music, the tension built up, the guns, explosions also zombies are very well known for being in horror films. The introduction to the film communicates the genre very well as there are a lot news reports and footage of the wildlife and it shows a lot of footage about viruses, predators and prey which is a big link to the main narrative of the film. This film could be argued to be a sci-fi horror film as the virus used to create these zombies is actually science fiction which is usually  missed by viewers as most people stereotype sci-fi films as films which futuristic space ships and alien films.

This film fits into the Hollywood production context, this is because of the stars that they have who act in this film. It is easy to tell this is a Hollywood film by the budget used in this too as it looks very professional by the top quality equipment. This film being a zombie film with a lot of over the top explosions and action scenes is very common for a Hollywood film and another huge giveaway.

Having well known stars in the film is a good way to get viewers as fans of the stars in the film will want to go and see their latest film. Depending on how big this star is then it gives a hint on the budget of the film and how good the film will be. The stars used could also hint on what kind of film this will be as some actors are known for what genre they star in usually.

In this film the non-diagestic were used quite a lot throughout this production. This Hollywood film keeps the viewer on the edge of their sheet the whole way through, the budget was obviously very high for this film as a lot of CGI and make-up must have been used. In Hollywood films nowadays it is very common to see superhero films and zombie films as these have become a big hit in the last decade. The locations used were brilliant as they use famous places from the U.S and other places over the world.

The technology used relates to the production context as a Hollywood film as in this film we see CGI for example huge explosions and plane crashes. The make-up in this film used on all the zombie actors was extremely realistic looking and quite scary, I think they couldn't have done this better so I rate this film highly for that. The stars, equipment, narrative, music and shots used were also to a high standard.

I think queer theory can be related to in this film as the main male character (Brad Pitt) has long hair which sometimes could stereotype someone as being homosexual. One of the main female characters has short hair and she also happens to be in the army, this would place her into the butch or soft butch category.

I am a big fan of Hollywood films, most of the time they are much more entertaining than British or Bollywood films, this is because they have a much bigger budget and better equipment most of the time. It's also much easier for them to bring in top quality stars, get the best locations to shoot at and the CGI is much more advanced than anywhere else. The whole feel of this film is very professional. 



Silence of the lambs

 

In this film a few semiotics were used such as conotation when we see the skull looking pattern on the back of the moth, this could be seen as death. The moth being basically reborn out of the cacoon could also mean reincarnation  or birth to some people so it depends on how the viewer looks at it. Stuctualism was used when she was in the bad guy's house and she begins to connect the clues with the picture of the moth on the wall. At the start of the film the genre was communicated to the viewer by showing the main character running away into the mist with an eerie soundtrack, the font used was one that would most likely be seen in an action or horror because it was black and white and in bold, this is quite a serious looking font.

 

In this film the men all treat the main charcter differently because she is a good looking woman, this relates to feminist film theory as in this film she is a strong independant woman which goes against the stereotyping of women usually seen in film. One guy asumes she has been picked for a task simply because of her apprence and not because of her qualifications. A lot of men don't treat her fairly and see her as eye candy.

 

Queer theory is also related to in this film with the character Buffalo Bill. This character is transgender  wannabe and people who are transgender get stereotyped into being homosexual, this is because of how they usually act, dress and how they speak. This film doesn't mention anything about this characters sexuality but he is the easiest to relate to queer theory in this film but his character is portrayed  negatively.

 

One of the most memorable scenes for me was when was saw moth cocoon stuck down the dead woman's neck as this was big part of the story line and a big lead on who could be this murderer (Buffalo Bill), it was also very different to any other scene in other films so I find this almost iconic.

 

The shots used created much tension and also created an eerie and scary vibe to the film as the characters  were looking straight into the camera on midshots in one scene so this makes the viewer feel more into the story like they are there too, this can help the viewer relate and if they feel part of the film then it could be scarier for the viewer to watch.



 

Queer Film Theory

 

Queer theory was originally associated with the radical gay politics of ActUp, Outrage, and other groups which embraced “queer” as an identity label that pointed to a separatist, non-assimilationist politics. As it has come to be understood in cultural theory, however, queer theory challenges either/or, essentialist notions of homosexuality and heterosexuality within the mainstream discourse (the “binary sexual regime,” to use historian George Chauncey's phrase), and instead posits an understanding of sexuality that emphasizes shifting boundaries, ambivalences, and cultural constructions that change depending on historical and cultural context. "To queer" is to render “normal” sexuality as strange and unsettled, to challenge heterosexuality as a naturalized social-sexual norm and promote the notion of “non-straightness,” challenging the hegemony of "straight" ideology. This emphasis on non-straightness lends queer theory its assimilationist, anti-essentialist cast, for when one considers the realms of fantasy, the unconscious, repression, and denial, much that is ostensibly considered “heterosexual” easily falls within the realm of queer. The influential work of Judith Butler, particularly Gender Trouble, with its now broadly overused concept of “performative” sexuality and gender identity, seeks to reject stable categories altogether. While thoroughly disruptive of mainstream “truth regimes” of sexuality, it also challenges standard gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and transgender politics. In Butler's conception, these terms are rendered meaningless when stripped of the institutional means that support them. Alexander Doty's notion of “queer reception,” in Making Things Perfectly Queer, is another way in which standard categories are challenged. Doty separates “reception” from “identity” and stresses the way a spectator may derive “queer pleasure” by deviating from standard categories in viewing film and television. Thus straight-identified women spectators might experience “queer pleasure” at the sexual tension generated between Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma and Louise; straight-identified men might enjoy the exaggerated homoeroticism of Stallone's Rambo.

I found this info at - https://faculty.washington.edu/mlg/courses/definitions/queer.htm

 

 

Queer theory is about the stereotyping homosexual people in film. This can be offensive to some viewers as the stereotyping could lead to people being wrongly accused of their sexuality from what they wear, act like, speak like, look like and their general interests. This is shown in the film mean girls as one of the charcters is commonly mistaken for being a lesbian from how she acts and dresses, this is her being stereotyped.