Documentaries have the ability to express and tell a real series of events through visual and audible conventions. Within 70 years, video games have risen from nothing to an almost all-encompassing status. Atari: Game Over (Atari), and The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (King of Kong) are both oriented around the early years of gaming, focusing on different aspects of the hobby; Atari aims at uncovering the truth as to one of the catalysts to Atari Incorporated’s demise, whereas King of Kong focuses on the competitive nature of gaming. Each documentary uses a variety of distinct methods to express their exposition, interviews, and cinematography.
Each documentary uses different methods for their expository openings. Atari opens by giving
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Atari chooses to represent their interviews in a more serious tone and uses it as means to further the plot. King of Kong opposes this by using the interviews as their main method of driving home the story, opting to omit most other forms of convention. Another minute detail that King of Kong contains is using the specific settings for each interview to express the idea that this is a very real story, occurring in everyday people’s lives. For instance, many of the interviews with Billy Mitchell were in his restaurant, and many of Steve Wiebe’s were at his house. Atari however, uses very similar backdrops, mostly in locations that are associated with more serious manners, such as a library or an office space. These different approaches to the background allow for different expressions to be made. In the case of King of Kong, the use of places where Mitchell and Wiebe frequent, provides a more down to Earth feeling of “this is real”. Additionally, King of Kong’s use of a silent interviewer allows the viewer to feel that they are being spoken directly towards, rather than given a recount, whereas Atari has an interviewer that can be heard, which allows the documentary to feel more informative. These uses of interviews both allow the story to progress; although through different …show more content…
For instance, Atari uses many cinematic rolling shots of the dump and the town, building up the idea that this is a topical occurrence for the community, and that the finding they could obtain here are pertinent to Atari’s demise. Additionally, the scenery portrays a much more serious tone, using more “mature” settings over “childish” ones. Opposingly, King of Kong omits the use of cinematic rolling shots for much of the documentary, opting to record “on site”, giving the viewer the sense of feeling present in the story. Moreover, the use of these scenes also provides the impression that this is not to be taken as seriously as other documentaries of similar nature. These contrasting expressions of cinematography help to divide the two documentaries; integrating the viewer into the story of King of Kong, and recounting the story to the viewer in
One could righteously make the argument that films today have advanced in numerous aspects in terms of the audio quality, cinematography, and not to mention the advances in editing. Based off of that argument, one could claim that the filming process is in fact at its epic peak; with advanced green screen technology and the use of computerized editing, films today have completely evolved from the early versions of motion pictures. With these advances, directors like Kelly are more able now, than ever before, to include better audio, visual and cinematic effects to better enhance their films and portray a deeper and more emotional feeling to the piece at work. In regards to the “Head over Heels” montage in the film, Kelly was able to accurately and systematically show what was going on around Donnie’s school without a word of scripted di...
by Kong when he reaches the top of the building with Anne (Figure 1) . Cynthia Erb describes this use of sexuality and raciness in King Kong as a, “type of commodification that was feat...
Romero achieves this through the various instances in which he encapsulates and viewpoint than most Hollywood movies during the time of its release such as the portrayal of an African-American as the main character. This sequentially assists to the films depiction of the hero and ands to its appeal. Such are some of the creative elements which Romero has demonstrated through the film. Although the movie setting is from laid-back technological production, the film's footage shots and sound effects are effective compared to the production during such times. The movie has sufficiently demonstrated its appeal with great motion and sound effects. It would be best feasible for individuals who have not had the chance to entertain themselves with the film to do
Wes Anderson’s film, The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), trails about a dysfunctional family coming together for a reunion. The purpose of this essay is to examine and evaluate Anderson’s use of various film techniques to support in building the plot and thus presenting the story. Additionally, reasons as to why the events are presented in that manner would be stated.
Jenkins, H. & Squire, K. (2002): The Art of Contested Spaces. In King, L. (ed.), Game On: The History and Culture of Videogames. (p.64-76) London UK: Laurence King Publishing.
The film Wendy and Lucy, directed by Kelly Reichardt, presents a sparse narrative. The film has been criticised for its lack of background story, and as a short film, much of the story is left to the viewer to infer from what is presented in the plot. However, Wendy and Lucy is able to depict the intimate relationship between Wendy and her dog as well as reflecting more broadly on the everyday, and commenting on the current economic state of the film’s setting in America. This essay will examine how film form contributes to the viewer’s awareness of the story in Wendy and Lucy and allows a deeper understanding of the themes presented. The aspects of mise-en-scene, shot and editing and sound in the film will be explored.
Video games are a valuable part of the world today. They feed the minds of the creative and provoke the minds of the less creative. Violence, immersion, and an unusual setting are all qualities of a game that create an intense and memorable experience for the player. By demonstrating and improving upon the three qualities that were deemed necessary to create a good game, video games could amount to astonishing heights in the future and bring something new to the table that could surprise us all.
The adventure fantasy genre in film has its beginnings in the early 20th century, according to Tim Dirks, a writer for the filmsite.org web site
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
Over the past decade, there has been an ongoing debate over whether video games can be deemed as art. While most are in favor, there have been some detractors (most famously, the late Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times). Meanwhile, that hasn't stopped museums from taking on the challenge of making video game-focused exhibits - most notably, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC and the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY. During my summer holiday, I was able to see the Museum of the Moving Image's video games exhibit in action and came away very impressed at the selection of games that were there - ranging from arcade classics like Space Invaders to newer titles like Super Mario Galaxy 2. My point is that I believe video games to be an art form unlike any other - a truly interactive art form. For that reason, the game which I’ve chosen to analyze as a work of art is one that excels in many areas, including visual impact, conveyance of ideas to the player, and perhaps most importantly, proving the case for why video games should be recognized as art.
Adaptation is an essential part of the motion picture industry, with a majority of films based on literature and other forms of source material coming out of Hollywood every day. One of the most controversial examples of adaptation, at the time, was the great Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 dystopian drama A Clockwork Orange, based on the novel by Anthony Burgess. In a futuristic society ruled by gangs, corruption, and “ultra-violence,” psychotic teen Alex (wonderfully portrayed by Malcolm McDowell) volunteers for a government-regulated experimental treatment to rid himself of his wrongdoings after committing an act of murder. Through the film, we follow this tragic anti-hero’s journey to discover the central theme of fate - whether the government controls human order, or if there is a freedom of choice. Although the film was originally blasted by critics for its excessive use of violence and sexuality, it has since become recognized as one of the most psychologically captivating pieces in cinema, earning its place among AFI’s “100 Years...100 Movies” list. Clockwork Orange’s fascinating mise-en-scène (staging, lighting, costuming), cinematography, music selection, use of voice-over-narration, and narrative structure brilliantly establish the novel’s realistic satire of the dystopian future, making the film one of Kubrick’s most successful adaptations.
The visual construction plays an important role in establishing the plot and enticing viewers to a dystopian story. It is the finishing touches which makes a movie a masterpiece. The combination of visual effects including montages, camera angles and tempo was structured brilliantly in the I am Legend and as a result was successful in demonstrating key qualities of a dystopian fiction.
Runge, Paul. “Video Games Represent the Most Powerful (and Potentially Dangerous) Era in Storytelling”. Huff Post Tech. 10/21/2013 31 January 2014
In conclusion, both versions of King Kong stand as iconic films for their development in various elements.
In the present time, video games make up a large part of many country’s cultures. Since the first video games produced on room-sized computers back in 19471, just what kind of things caused video games to evolve into the enormous industry of the 21st century? The advancement in video games can be largely attributed to improvements in technology, precedents set by certain integral video game companies, but was also set back by a crash in the market in 1983.