IMDb (Internet Movie DataBase)

IMDb is an internet TV and film database which has proved very useful and interesting in both my school and home life. On this site you can find: Actors profiles, Films, TV shows and many other interesting articles and lists for the users to sink their teeth into.

On a typical page for an actor consists of: a small Bio, where they were born, photos and what they are known for. This "what they are known for section" is incredibly useful if you wish to see more of an actor at their best. 

Where IMDb really shines is its film and TV pages though. On these you will find: the title, a score out of ten given by IMDb's own critics, a synopsis and the actors involved with their characters names at the side. This is especially helpful as it allows the user to seek out their favourite actors in a certain film to find more of their work. This was the case with me and Sam Rockwell when i watched "Green Mile" and loved his performance. from just 5 minutes of searching i had compiled a list films featuring him and also films related to those that i may enjoy. All in all, IMDb is a very useful tool for someone wishing to widen their film vocabulary and also strengthen their knowledge around the whole subject.

How Suspense is Built in Film

Over school holidays, i tend to find myself watching quite a few horrors and thrillers. There's something about the atmosphere and the tension created in both of these genre's that i can connect with very deeply. It was only until recently where i began to understand it after stumbling across a few interviews of Alfred Hitchcock where he define's the differences between suspense and mystery. To describe this, he used his famous analogy of the bomb, which is explained in the video below.

 While this is a very  good description of what suspense is, it doesn't describe how this can fit into a film. One scene from the recent film "the conjuring 2" carry's quite a lot of suspense using the pre-requisites of a suspenseful film.

Warning: this is a scary scene. Viewer discretion is advised 

This scene exhibits some elements that are common in suspenseful moments in cinema. Probably the most prolific in this particular sequence is the pacing, lighting and sound track. Suspense normally relies on the scene to be slow, but gradually gain momentum as it carries on. This is exhibited by the shadow walking towards the picture and the placement of the portrait in the background of most of the scene. This gives the audience a focal point of the scene- they know that what is going to happen will be related to that picture. This is aided by the music. Because there is virtually no music, or little sustained notes on the strings or something, it keeps the audiences attention purely on the visuals of the scene rather than overwhelming them. 

top five Best- Top five worst

One series on youtube I've been getting into recently is Walter Banasiak's Top five best/ Top five worst. In these videos, he comprises a list of 5 of an actors best and 5 of an actors worst performances in his opinion.

Part of the appeal of these series for me is the fact that it shows even some of Hollywood's most beloved actors (such as Ben Affleck, Johnny Depp and Jennifer Lawrence) have bad days and don's always put there all into a performance. And this can has such a detrimental effect on the final piece. It also introduces aundiences and fans to films that they may not have seen, even though they are considered fantastic films. This is the case for me watching "Ed Wood" after i saw it on the top 5 best of Johnny Depp's performances. Linked below are the Top five best and Top five worst videos for Jim Carrey.

 

This has proven to be quite a valuable tool for me as i always love finding new cinema experiences and widening my knowledge and skills through absorbing this medium. And with this third party presenting films that people have probably never heard of either supporting or destroying these actors work, it can help you to form a more critical view on many actors seen to be at the top of their game. This was the case for me and watching their top five best and worst of Tom Hanks; and actor who i previously thought was untouchable. But looking at some of the performances they bring to light, it is clear to see that every actor has the ability to have a bad performance.