Media Unit (Bond) By Zac Southwood Essays

Media Unit (Bond) By Zac Southwood Essays Media Unit (Bond) By Zac Southwood Essay Media Unit (Bond) By Zac Southwood Essay For my media unit, I have chosen to study the opening sequence of Tomorrow Never Dies a James Bond film. I will describe and evaluate the dramatic techniques used in the sequence. I have studied the social and cinematic background to the James Bond movies as spy films and as the originators of their own genre The action spy adventure. I have watched the video of Tomorrow Never Dies, paying particular attention to the timings. I have also watched the video of Mission Impossible Two also paying attention timings. Hereinafter Mission Impossible Two will be referred to as MI2 and Tomorrow Never Dies as TND. I have studied the shooting script for TND and the original screenplay for Bond 18 later named TND.The opening scene of TND was set in a terrorist arms bazaar on the Russian border. James Bond has been sent there to identify terrorist suspects, a camera had been concealed with a satellite link to Headquarters in London where the mission was being controlled by British military office rs alongside British intelligence controllers. By way of the camera HQ was able to identify many of the worlds most dangerous terrorists and armaments they were trading. Admiral Roebuck decided that this was now a military matter and immediately ordered a missile strike to take out the whole bazaar. A scene showing the missile launch from an offshore battleship followed where it was stressed that from launch there was 4 minutes and 8 seconds to impact.Admiral Roebuck informed M the controller of British intelligence to get her man out of there and that he had 4 minutes and 8 seconds to do so. A message was sent to Bond, however further camera surveillance revealed that one of the jets at the bazaar had two Soviet nuclear torpedoes as part of its payload which should the missile strike would make Chernobyl look like a picnic. From the time that the missile strike was launched the events that followed took place in real time with the film sequence running exactly 4 minutes and 8 secon ds. Bond decided to do his job having realised the potential disaster he fights his way to the jet destroying arms and killing terrorists along the way. He boards the jet and flies it with its dangerous cargo out of the scene in precisely 4 minutes and 8 seconds just avoiding the missile impact.R Spottiswoode the director used many dramatic techniques to make the sequence as exciting and tense as possible. Admiral Roebuck is portrayed as an arrogant man who acts in haste at the same time as M is shown to be worried that his actions may be risky. The interaction between the characters creates dramatic tension with M being cautious and Roebuck gung-ho the resultant mistake confirms Ms fears. The conversation between Tanner and Bond, which leads to the revealing of the torpedoes and realisation dawning on, a now equally worried Roebuck ensures and enhances our realisation that there now really is a problem and great danger exists. Admiral Roebucks attempt to recall the missile and the failure of the missile to respond dramatically exposes the deadline of 4 minutes 8 seconds and Bonds reaction as now being crucial.Spottiswoode now emphasises the scene by having long shots tracking the missile as screen time runs in real time. Bonds time and our time as the audience are the same, this emphasises that Bond has an apparently impossible mission to accomplish in less than 4 minutes with a real countdown going on. Spottiswoodes techniques are in direct contrast to MI2 where there are also three time sequences and countdowns. Firstly a scene where Hunt has 40 seconds to penetrate the Atrium in fact runs to over two minutes of screen time. A further scene gives 10 seconds to get out of a bombed van which runs for 26 seconds and finally a 8 minute scene with Hunt isolated running 6 minutes and 30 seconds. None of these run in real time and run in a kind of slow motion, which is not as effective and exciting.Spottiswoode further enhances the excitement and tension with his use of cinematic techniques during the 4 minute 8 second sequence. He uses music during the scenes at headquarters to heighten the threat and tension along with the familiar James Bond theme music when Bond appears. The use of sound is also important with the commotion at the bazaar whilst fighting and the sound of the approaching missile all create excitement, which is then contrasted with the silence aboard ship, which emphasises the countdown to impact. The use of lighting with red light aboard the ship indicating a sinister danger and the shadowy headquarters where only the characters of M and Tanner are well lit, to indicate their worry, further sets up the atmosphere of the scene.The way the film has been cut and edited has all added to the sequence, short violent scenes without fades and dissolves are contrasted with longer scenes concentrating on the missile and M who is clearly worried. This theme is carried on with the action sequences being full of movement and increasing use of explosions and gunfire as opposed to shots of M standing very still and simply conveying her sentiment. Some of the shots used which are in extreme close-up for example a fist punching, a hand throwing, a hand planting a magnetic grenade, a face thinking, eyes narrowing created with rapid cuts and editing help to give pace to the sequence. We are therefore able to identify with Bond and the real time task that confronts him because it is in real time and the director has used virtually everything at his disposal, our tension is heightened by the impossibility of the task and increasing hope that Bond and we are going to pull it off.To conclude we know from the script that Real time is directors choice as there were originally only 2 minutes to impact. In fact the original script and shooting script was cut back by 10 pages and more to focus on this sequence. We can observe how the effect is heightened by techniques of rapid editing between scenes along with contrasting the a ction between explosive and silent and all running in real time, the audience is left spellbound. I found that this approach as opposed to type of slow motion sequences in MI2 to be more effective and enjoyable.

A Parents Guide to Notre Dame

A Parents Guide to Notre Dame Paris may have its legendary cathedral, but when it comes to famous Catholic universities, there is only one Notre Dame - and its in South Bend, Indiana. Heres the scoop: everything a parent should know about the Golden Dome and the Fighting Irish. The College: This venerable university with its glowing Golden Dome and breathtaking gothic architecture dates back to 1842. Its founder, a 28-year-old French priest, named it after Our Lady of the Lake, Notre Dame du Lac. The school is known for its top-notch academics - it regularly appears on the U.S. News World Reports top 25 - as well as its famous athletic programs and a 1,250-acre campus that belongs on any most beautiful list. Its stunning.Your child does not have to be Catholic to go here, but you should know that mass is held daily, the campus has 47 chapels and its prayer grotto is modeled after the one at Lourdes. Spirituality is important here and community service part of the schools ethos. Notre Dames 12,000 students - a figure that includes 8,400 undergrads - attend classes on the semester system. But the single most important thing parents should know is that Notre Dame students are so very happy here, both academically and personally, that 95% of the freshmen retur n sophomore year. And 95% of those students end up graduating from Notre Dame. Only Harvard and Princeton boast better stats. The Tab: Of course, all that glory - and all those small class sizes - comes at a hefty price. Tuition at the University of Notre Dame was $41,417 in 2011-12. Some 80% of the universitys students live in the colleges 29 single-sex dormitories. Add room and board - $11,388 - to the tab for a grand total of $52,805 per year. There is no Greek system here, but students remain in the same residence hall for all four years, which creates a tight-knit sense of community.The College Town: Technically, Notre Dame is in its own small town of Notre Dame, just outside South Bend. But from a parent perspective, thats mere envelope addressing. South Bend is the college town, and its a very nice one indeed with all the benefits of cosmopolitan life and small-town charm. In addition to visiting your college kid, you can also hike the winding riverbank trails, go white water rafting on the East Race Waterway or head for the recreational possibilities of Lake Michigan.Notre Dame is a two-hour drive ( 90 miles or so) from Chicago, so youll likely fly into OHare - although South Bend has its own small airport too. Just be aware that Notre Dame is on Eastern time, Chicago on Central. Chicago makes a great hub for any college tour. There are scores of terrific universities - Purdue, Northwestern, Loyola and more - all within a few hours drive. But if your interest lies in Notre Dame and Notre Dame alone, stay in South Bend, where there are plenty of hotels, including the much-beloved, 60-year-old Morris Inn, which is located right on campus. The Morris closed its doors in late 2012 for major renovations; it is expected to re-open in August 2013. (Tip: some hotels will give college visitors discounts, so be sure to call and ask - its not usually advertised online. Check with the Morris directly, when it reopens, to see if they plan to resume their parents club offers.)If youre visiting in the winter months, pack for snow. Its not as cold here as in Minnesota, but South Bend gets 81 i nches of snow per year and January temperatures drop down to the 20s and 30s Fahrenheit. One last thing: When its time for junior to fly home for the holidays, theres a bus service that runs between campus and OHare for about $35 one-way. More Important Details: This is a highly competitive school, but it produces some pretty incredible results. That high retention rate comes from the universitys first year of studies program, which teaches college study skills, helps students explore interests and offers support and guidance. Got a a possible pre-med? The Notre Dame acceptance rate into med school runs around 80% - the national average is closer to 40%. Community service is part of the culture here. Some 80% of the colleges students volunteer; more than 10% go on to join the Peace Corps.Got a musician with a penchant for sports? Notre Dames famous marching band dates back to 1843. Got a bel canto soprano, a bassoonist or jazz pianist? Notre Dame has an opera program, as well as jazz and classical performance and music education majors, and its performing arts center boasts five stages. But music majors here don’t declare until sophomore year, its possible to double major in music and another field, and auditio ns are for ensemble placement and scholarship consideration, not university admission. (Translation: Its a very fine program, but if your kid is considering Juilliard or Curtis, he probably wouldnt apply here. And if thats where you are in the decision-making process, this article on College Admissions for Music Majors may help.) Notre Dame is famous for its Division I athletics, and especially its Fighting Irish football team, which has notched 11 national championships and seven Heisman Trophy winners. More than 60 former players are in the College Football Hall of Fame. But Notre Dame also fields 25 other mens and womens varsity teams, as well as more than 80 intramural and club sports. Broom ball, anyone?Incoming Frosh Stats: Notre Dame is considered one of the nations 20 most selective universities, with a 29% acceptance rate. The average incoming freshman is in the top 4% of his high school class, with a SAT score of 1,390-1,490 out of 1,600 or an ACT of 32-34.The Law School: Notre Dames law school dates back to 1869 and its programs include the standard 3-year Juris doctor degree, as well as programs in international human rights and an LL.M. (Masters of Law) program in international law from Notre Dames London Law Centre. Admissions are extremely competitive, with more than 3,000 applicants vying for 183 places per year. The average accepted law student had a 3.64 college GPA and a 166 out of 180 on the LSAT. More? Visit the University of Notre Dames campus website for details on admissions for undergraduate study, law school, and grad school. This link will take you straight to information on scheduling a campus visit. If youre headed to the campus itself, visitor parking is at the corner of Eddy and Holy Cross Drive in Notre Dame, Indiana.