Welcome Wednesday: Siân Thom: Can music make or break a film?

Hey Guys,

Wednesday is the day I introduce a guest onto my blog and let them write me a post. They will be posting something about their area of knowledge and each week I will try and have a different area.

Sometimes I may post a response to what the guest has written.

This week I have Siân Thom guest staring on my blog.

Siân is my fifteen year old sister; she is going into the second year of her GCSEs. Afterwards she wants to go to college and focus mainly on acting and drama. Her ambition is to end up as a well-known actress.

This is her guest blog and underneath is my response:

There isn’t one film that I’ve watched that hasn’t had music in it, when films were first created as silent movies they weren’t really silent, yes there was no speaking but there was music and depending on the music you could tell the mood change in the film, even though the music had no lyrics or that it was just a pianist sat under the scene with a sheet of music that he had to play all the way through the film, the tempo and the pitch would change to notify the audience that the scene is meant to be funny or sad. In modern day films, there is speaking in the scenes but it still boils down to the music chosen by the producer, director, music producer or whoever puts the music in. A film would not be a film without music it would just be words and pointless actions with the audience not fully understanding what is going on in one scene to the next.

The right music makes you feel more for the characters, it makes you believe what the characters are saying, and even if the acting isn’t great you can still feel happy, sad, angry or excited by the right chose of music in that scene.

When I’m watching a film and a sad scene starts to play out, it’s not the acting or the words that make me cry really, it’s the music, the slow sad music that emphasises that it’s a sad scene and that is what sets me off crying. The other night I was watching Life as we Know it [(2010) Directed by Greg Berlanti and staring Katherine Heigl] and [slight spoiler] when the little girl calls holly mummy there are little chimes in the background, and I know that isn’t that much of music but just that little can make a scene, I think if the chimes weren’t in that scene I would of cried as much or realised the full extent of her calling holly mummy. I always listen to the music in films, if the music is right for the scene and connect with the film then it will make the audience feel like they are part of the film. But there are other cases where the music does not suit the scene what so ever and if it’s an important scene then the whole film is ruined in my opinion.

I watched a film a few years back with my brother and the music starting playing in the background and both Matt and I cringed because the music didn’t suit the scene or the film. So for the rest of the film we couldn’t get into the film or relate with the characters because, it was an important scene that explained what the whole film was about and it was ruined by a few minutes of music played quietly behind it.

Also sometimes in a film they can play the music too loud so you can’t hear what the characters are saying, this mostly happens more on the television in series or one-off shows. If a pilot is coming on T.V and you watch it and the music is too loud so you can’t hear what the characters are saying so you don’t know what is going on in the whole episode then it is unlikely that they are going to get a series because that pilot determines whether they get their series and if the public aren’t getting into because of the music then it won’t be back on our television screens for another 6 episodes.

So in conclusion if the music isn’t right for the scene the film is over. I mean don’t play an upbeat song if someone on the screen is crying and don’t play a slow sad song if someone has just received some really good news. The music has to flow with the words and actions of the film otherwise it’s doomed from the start.

My Response:

Well My response is going to contrast rather a lot in comparison to my sister’s views, but this happens quite a lot so I’m sure she will understand.

First of all, there is a guest post I wrote quite a while back discussing music and mood.

http://malikagandhi.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/a-film-director-in-the-making/

So my response to what Siân said.

Music and sound works in two different ways in film, there is diegetic and non-diegetic.

Diegetic: Music or sound that the character can hear. It is happening inside the scene and effects the character in a certain way

Non-Diegetic: Music or sound that is placed over the top, almost like a score. It tells us, as an audience, how to feel in that scene.

My argument is why, as an audience, should we be told how to feel? As my sister said it does add to the tension to a scene where the monster is about to jump out. It adds to the sadness of that part where the guy breaks the girl’s heart.

I agree with my sister when she says that some films and TV shows over-use non-diegetic sounds/music and it can cause the show/film to lose believability, the audience start to lose interest. Some films even get to the point where there is only non-diegetic music and too much action. The action therefore means nothing; the audience does not know how the characters feel.

My belief is there should be more diegetic music and sound so the audience know how the character feels which shows that when something bad happens to the character, they are affected more because they understand that character fully.

I’m not saying the use of non-diegetic music is wrong and it should not be used because I have seen some good films that use non-diegetic very cleverly and leave the audience in suspense a lot of the time, but my question is: could you do this with diegetic sound and music?

My final point is that music affects us, just as it does a character in a film and people who say music is not important have not had the experience of discovering what it can do for you. 

If you want to know more about Siân, then check out her Twitter: @Ginger_Thom

If you can think of any films where the music does complete the whole film let me know. Also if you can think of any films where there is not much music but the film is still brilliant then please comment. I really want to know all your opinions on this one.

If you have any comments or views on what has been discussed then please place them below. If you would like to appear on my Welcome Wednesday blog then let me know.

Stay safe,

Matt 

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Themes on Thursday: Is there any Intergalactic Creature who Can Save us from this Parallel, Apocalyptic Cyborg?

Hey Guys,

On Thursday’s I will be looking into the different themes and genres of films. I will be looking into what classes a film under the certain genres and what themes tend to run through them.

There will be a lot of films being watched that I or you have probably never heard of, but that’s the experience of film.

This week’s focus has mainly been directed towards Sci-Fi. So why should today be any different? We are going to travel into the world of Science Fiction and discover great wonders.

So for a start let me explain that Science Fiction films are any film that is set in the future or has some reference to other worlds. Content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, parallel universes, aliens, and paranormal abilities can feature in these films.

There are a lot of Genres and themes that appear in Science Fiction films. So how would you know if you’re watching a Sci-Fi? Let’s list a small amount of traits and themes.

·         Is the film set in the future?

·         Is the film set on a different planet?

·         Is the film set in space?

·         Does the film contain a creature/monster?

·         In the film, Is there a scientific research that goes wrong?

·         Does the main character have super powers?

·         Is there an alien attack?

·         Is there some sort of epidemic?

·         Do any of the characters time travel?

·         Is there an alternate/parallel universe?

·         Are there any robots/cyborgs/clone etc.?

·         Can the characters live under water?

·         Are there any flying objects? (E.G Space ships)

Now some of these you would have already guessed, as did I, but others are quite a surprise. Did you know any comic hero movie is classed as a Sci-Fi film? Now that you know that, you will think over it and recognise some of the themes that run through. For example the Iron Man (2008 – present) films, Tony Stark uses Science and Computers to build his Ironwear.

Science Fiction films used to just primly be ‘about science’ it has evolved and transformed into something greater with many different sub-genres. Here are just a few of the subgenres with an explanation.

First of all any Apocalyptic, holocaust, or post-apocalyptic story which focuses on the end of the world, or the world just after "the end." Society is wiped out and must rebuild; humanity is destroyed; humanity must cope with an aftermath.

Cyberpunk stories are set in a high-tech, mechanical and advanced universe of computers, hackers, and hybrids. "Cyberspace” films fall into this subgenre. Humans may spend time "living" in a virtual environment.

First contact looks into the primary meeting between humans and aliens. These can range from horrific tales of invasions through to stories of gentle visitors bearing technology and peace. The meeting may occur on Earth, in space, or on another planet. "alien invasion" films fall into this sub-genre.

Military science fiction looks at futuristic combat locations such as space, against opponents such as aliens or machines, with advanced weaponry. This may include genetically modified warriors.

Near-future science fiction takes place in present day or in the next few years. Elements of the setting should be familiar, and the technology may be current or in development.

Space operas are similar to Western "horse operas," often contains good guys fighting with bad guys in space or on distant planets. Star Wars is a classic example.

Time travel is where characters travel to the past or future. It could also be where they are visited by other time travellers. Topics range from seeing what the past was like, to paradox of killing somebody who effected your future, through to "tampering" causing a massive ‘butterfly effect’ altering the entire future/world. "alternate universes" where each change in the timestream spins off a new universe can be classed in this sub-genre.

So hopefully you can understand more about how the Science Fiction works and you can understand why a certain character is doing one of the listed things above. Hopefully it makes you understand the film that little bit more.

For those of you interested in finding out more about current Science Fiction films, here is an Internet Movie Database link listing all the most popular Sci-Fi films at present: http://www.imdb.com/genre/sci_fi

If you have any views on what has been discussed or have any films, themes, or genres you would like me to look into then comment below.

Stay safe,

Matt

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Welcome Wednesday: Tonya Polk: Movies Vs. Books

Hey Guys,

Welcome to Wednesdays. Every Wednesday I will introduce a new person who has a simular interest to myself who I think that both myself and you guys can learn from, understand and take things from. Each week I will post a short intro to the person, what they have to say and their important links. Maybe even do a response once or twice.

This weeks guest post is my American friend, Tonya Polk:

Tonya is a fourty one year old housewife and mum, who ‘refuses to ever grow up’. She lives in Bangor, Maine, USA. She is very proud that ‘It’s also hometown of famous author Stephen King’. She considers herself to be ‘an unofficial expert’ on such things as movies and books, which is what her guest blog is about. Hope you enjoy what she has to say:

Movie vs Book. 

Hey Guys,

This is something I never gave any thought to as a teenager or young adult.  I remember sitting in a packed movie theater anxiously waiting to see my favorite Stephen King novel brought to life in front of my eyes.  

Having read just about every book he ever published, I didn't care that the movie didn't exactly follow the book~ who would care when your hometown author has just filmed an entire movie in OUR hometown?!? 

Many years later, after I re-discovered the joy of reading again (I have to thank Stefanie Meyer for that, and yes, I am a proud Twihard) was when I discovered how a director and screen writer can ruin a great love story, or any story for that matter.

Don't get me wrong, not all screen adaptations are BAD (Harry Potter was spectacular)  but for ME, reading is an escape from reality, like a little personal vacation into a fantasy land.  Using your imagination, getting your own personal vision of what the characters look like, visualizing the scenery, smells, sounds...all are very different and personal to each reader. 

Do the directors and screenwriters actually READ the book (s) ? Or do they just read the back cover and get some input from the author?  Do they understand that readers have a very personal connection with the characters and the storyline? Do they even know HOW WELL we know the book, every detail, every love scene, every detail of every place the characters have been?  Do they even care? Who is to blame? 

As talks are in the works and directors are being talked about,I am very nervous about my beloved "Fifty Shades" being made into a film.  Will the actors be good enough?  Will they pay attention to the LOVE story and not just the "other" stuff in the books?  Will I even WATCH the movie? Or let MY Christian and Ana live in my head?  Seems silly to stress over fictional characters in a book, but if you are like me, and love to read, you will understand exactly what I mean. 

So now, my thinking is, maybe it's better NOT to read the book first, that way all expectations are gone (well, except that the movie is at least GOOD) and you don't find yourself stressing over the screenwriter leaving out your favorite scene or changing dialogue that make you want to get up and walk out?  Or will the screenwriter be so amazing and blow all my expectations away? ( Hunger Games comes to mind on that note). 

So which would YOU choose? Book or Movie?

Stay safe,

Tonya

My Response:

Most, if not all, movies are based on something. Such things as books, stories, poems or even other movies (postmodernism). So this is a good thing to look at.

When basing a film on a book you have got a lot riding on the end result, most of the time there is just too much in the book to possibly fit into the movie. Other times the auther themselves says ‘look I’m not that keen on that part, can we not place it in?’ but this does make the fans of the books unhappy.

As Tonya said, we all have our own imagionations and will read a book differently; we all pick out different immergry that effects us the most. So when we are getting shown how to feel, it is much different.

A good film, based from a book, that does not get much credit is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Directed by Tim Burton. Whenever I mention this film I get ‘oh it’s not as good as the original’ but how can it not be better, when it follows Rhoald Daul’s creation to the last T, even including the original songs that Daul wrote?

So I do agree with Tonya, when reading a book you have your own vision and imagionation on what is happening and directors should take this into consideration more. They need to make sure that they try and read the book and consult with the Author, or as close as possible.

Let me know what you think? Do you agree with Tonya? Is there any films you can think of that are as good, or maybe better, than the book? Is there any film that ruined the books for you?

Check Tonya out on Twitter:

@Summersunluvr

Stay safe,

Matt

Tips for Tuesday: Plan of Action

Hey Guys

This is Tips for Tuesday. Here is where I give you the tips that I, loosly, follow or think that I should follow. These are either life tips or tips to do with work, maybe even specific tips to something. It may help you with something you’ve been trying to over-come or maybe it will just inspire you to try something new.

We all need to plan out what we are doing. From the simplest of shopping lists to the major deadlines.

I have done a guest post once about writing tips, which went into both how to prepare and planning. So I thought I would extend on the Plan of Action.

So heres a few steps to help you plan and set out things so you get them done on time, or, if you are like me, before the deadline.

Tip One: Buy a Diary and Use it Wisely

What could be better for your deadlines than a diary? Lets say you need to finish a book by September. Set it in your diary, write it down. Once the deadline is written down, that means it is stuck. Theres no changing it, you’ve just got to make sure you work towards it.

Tip Two: Stop calling them Deadlines

The worst thing to hear, or think is along the lines of ‘Oh here’s the deadline, it has to be done by this point.’ Instead, set goals and targets. Lets use the same example of the book completion. So say you want it finished by September, work out how many pages you would have to write a week, how many chapters, and so on. Put down a target and a goal. The difference between a target and a goal is as follows.

Target: Your average amount that you can hit. The bare minimum you know you can do in that week. – This has to be what you know you are capable of, what you can achieve.

Goal: Above your target, what you want to be hitting, but you know it will take a little more effort. – This has to be a realistic goal, nothing too far fetched that its never going to happen.

Tip Three: Plan Your Day.

This task that you are trying to figure out and finish (The book by September) will not be the only thing you have to focus on at that time. You have to give room for your other commitments and tasks. So say if you work, or you have children, you have to make sure that all this is fit in also.

Now this might sound difficult. You are think, ‘I have so much to juggle I couldn’t possible do it all.’ Well for a start, wrong attitude to have, and secondly if you plan your day out, with all your targets and goals you might be quite surprised.

If every night, before you settle down to sleep, you plan out your next day; or every Sunday night, before you catch up on your shows, you write down what your goals are and plan out your days, then you’ll be surprised at how much free time you might actually have.

Tip Four: Make a List.

I don’t know what it is about lists, but we just can’t seem to get enough of them. We love to crete shopping lists and all sorts. So why not crete a list of things you need to do with the project (in this example list what needs to be done for your book). Such things like what the characters are up to, what happens. Even a breif step by step account. This way you know what’s coming next and you know what you need to do to get there and you aren’t going to feel as stuck when you come up to a more tricky task.

Tip Five: Reading and Research:

Reading seems to be the theme of the week this week, (as it is mentioned tomorrow in the guest blog, and my writing updates blog) but to set up your plan of action, you first need to research everything. You need to find out which directions you could take with your task and the best thing that would suit you.

If you are writing a book, then read afew books that are similar style or genre. This will help you with your layout, which in turn will help with your planning. (I will be going over this in much more detail in Writing Update Wednesday: You’ve got to Read to Write).

Finally:

Tip Six: Enjoy the Task.

If you have followed all these steps you should be doing quite well and should be well on your way to having it all figured out, but if you are not enjoying what you are doing and you don’t make the excersises or tasks fun, then you aren’t going to get into the task and lose motivation.

You need to stay motivated and enjoy the task at hand, this way you will get the task done much quicker than you first expected.

So if you follow these tips you should be able to get your plan of action all set up and should be able to get the tasks, and work done even before the ‘deadline’ you originally set.

If you have any other tips you would like to share on this subject, or any tips you think I should discuss for next week then let me know.

Stay safe,

Matt

Tips for Tuesday: How to Get Out of 'One of Those Moods'

Hey Guys,

This is Tips for Tuesday. Here is where I give you the tips that I, loosely, follow or think that I should follow. These are either life tips or tips to do with work, maybe even specific tips to something. It may help you with something you’ve been trying to over-come or maybe it will just inspire you to try something new.

Today the tips are about how to cheer yourself up when you’re having ‘one of those days’.

Now let's not lie, we all have them. We all wake up in the morning and feel down, or a bit rough. Sometimes we aren’t even truly sure why. It’s just ‘one of those days’ where whenever anyone says anything at all, like ‘would you like a cup of tea?’, you snap.

So here are my tips on how to get over those days. I’m not saying they’ll work for everything or that it’s a miracle cure for down days but it tends to cheer me up. So here goes:

No1: Make yourself a nice hot brew, with some sugar, and a nice slice of cake or a snack of some kind.

Well we all know sugar is bad for us and that if we have too much it gets risky, but you're in a bad mood, and things like that are the least of your worries. Sugary drinks and snacks will cheer you up and obviously you’re gunna pick your favourite snack or desert, so its going to taste even better. Then we focus on the brew. Now whether it’s tea, coffee, hot chocolate, whatever you fancy, the brew is going to warm you up inside and make you feel nice and cosy. that's just what you need for the mood swing.

No2: Put something on that you know will make you laugh no matter what.

I’m talking about your favourite comedian’s stand up show, or a film that makes you giggle every single time you watch it. Maybe even a sit-com. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s full of laughs and will take your mind off your bad day blues.

No3: Have great company.

Now I know what it’s like, you wake up, it’s ‘one of those days’ you want to be left, pardon my French, the fuck alone. Yet more likely than not, what you actually want more than anything is somebody to be with you to cheer you up.

Now obviously don’t pick the friends that gas on about things that annoy you, or the ones that are a little attention seeking. (And yes we all have a few friends like that, it’s natural) Pick the ones that make you smile and you can have a laugh with and never take much seriously. They are the kind of people you need around when you’re a little down.

No4: Pamper yourself.

We all love a god pamper. Yes even us guys. We love to sit in the bathtub and soak away our troubles. Nice glass of wine, some candles, a bit of music. Perfect.

If you’re not a bath person, fine. You can still relax; maybe you could moisturise, or take care of something that you’ve been meaning to do. Like, for example, a tan, or shave, or something that makes you look, and feel a million times better.

This will help because when we look better, we automatically feel better. It boosts our confidence and makes us think ‘Hey why am I down, I’m looking good and fresh. Let's forget about it’

No5: Put some really happy music on.

Now I don’t mean this stupid happy go lucky, everything is perfect music. I mean stuff that has a good beat and gets you going, makes you feel like you want to get up and dance and have a good time.

Last thing you want to be listening to is something depressing or sad, like Winehouse or Anthony and the Johnsons. That’s never going to help. You want some club mixes, some dance music. Whatever cheers you up.

Finally, 

No6: Spontaneously go out on a night out.

Now don’t be silly and get steaming drunk, now that is not going to help you at all. You truly don’t need to drink much at all. (Remember you had a few glasses in the bath as well).

It is just the vibe you get from a night out, the lights and the atmosphere. Plus if you’ve chosen the right people to go out with, which you should have, then this spontaneous night out will be amazing.

We all know that unplanned events are always the best also. So get your glad-rags on and get your party shoes on. We are going to have a great time.

So These are just six ways that I would try and cheer myself up, and seeing as I’ve only done two so far and I’m already feeling better I can say that most of the time they work.

If you have any other ways of cheering yourself up, or things that help you in everyday life, then let me know. I want to see how different people cope in similar situations to their bad days.

What do you do when you’re having ‘one of those days’?

Stay Safe,

Matt

Mull Over Monday: Are Films to Blame For Actions?

Hey Guys,

So after having numerous problems with accounts and emails and other things, all linked into losing my phone. I have finally got myself back on track. I’m back making YouTube Vlogs, I’ve got my writing going and been playing around on Photoshop for different covers and so on. Now I’m back on here and here are some of the things I’ve created and made whilst unwillingly being away.

Welcome to Mull Over Monday, This is the day where I pick something that people discuss and have different opinions about. These things will normally be to do with film or writing or something that obviously affects my life directly.

This week the topic is going to be quite a delicate matter. Now if I say anything that you don’t agree with, then just remember it is a discussion and is open to other opinions, but let’s remember to try and keep it above board.

The reason I’m saying this is a tricky, risky subject is because it is quite fresh in the news. Now I know I’m from Brittan and obviously this news does not affect us as much as the people in America, where it happened, but I thought I’d talk about it all.

If you haven’t guessed already I want to talk about how media blames films for Certain actions. Now this has sparked back up again due to the recent shooting at a premiere of Batman, The Dark Knight Rises, in Colorado.

Now I am not going to act as if I know all the facts or act as if anything I say is right, because it affects America, and not really anywhere else. Yet the media blames the film itself for the shooting.

Seeing as the film had just been released over there, it was a first premiere and that nobody had yet seen this film, already puts this theory into a bit out of place.

Secondly the gunman himself, not the most reliable of references I understand; but still, said that it was not down to the film, or religious views (as some media teams are saying) but still will not fully explain why.

Now if it was down to the film, then why just in one place? Why just one guy? Why did he burst into a random screen? Why did people in the opposite screening, which was a family film, also get shot by bullets he fired? None of these make sense.

This is not the first time that media itself has blamed a film for creating violence or destruction. We British have had a few cases, maybe not as rough and devastating as this case, but still not all that nice. Where children have gone to see a film out of there age range with their parents and then allegedly gone and re-enacted that scene and managed to hurt or kill people in the process.

First off, if you are a parent and you think that allowing your child of, let us say, fourteen to go and see a film rated 18 (not sure what that is over in USA) then you are asking for trouble from the start.

Secondly the group I’m talking about, who apparently saw the film Child’s Play then tied another child to a railway track. I have seen this film and for all I can remember I can truly say I don’t think there was a scene where this happened. Tell me if I’m wrong because it was a while ago.

Yet because these kids had seen this film, it got blamed. Some films get blamed for things before they are even released or seen by audiences. Films such as Blade Runner and Natural Born Killers where not even allowed to be shown in certain places due to the media hype, saying that they were bad films that glorified violence and would lead to problems.

These media nuts do like to take things out of hand and twist the real reason behind things. They like to do it with everything and they have gone and done it with the Batman film. They have made both the cast and crew feel bad about the film and given it a bad name, when it was not even the fault of the film.

Some media teams apparently even made up the rumour that the killer called himself ‘The Joker’. Now me wanting to be a director and want to create films that make people think about things would not understand why the Media would make up such lies and rumours?

 These lies will not sell more papers, more than often people like to know the truth about these situations. They want to know what went on; they don’t need to be told that if you see this film it will lead to violence.

If it was true that films affected your actions and that people truly go around killing people after seeing a film or due to seeing something, then don’t you think we would have many more problems such as these? There would be utter chaos every time somebody brought out a new film.

As I said at the start, I’m not pretending to know all the facts or saying that I’m right and all Media is wrong and judgemental and should be band. I am just viewing my opinion, and that is that the Media have twisted this out of proportion, as normal when something like this happens, and they have made people scared. They should be making people calm about the situation, shouldn’t they?

If you have any views at all about this incident, or any others that Media blame films for, let me know. I want you to update me and I want you guys to get chatting about this. Do you truly think that a film could make somebody act that badly? Or do you think the Media have it all wrong? Are they just blaming the film because they don’t know the real reason? Let me know what you think.

If you’ve been to see the Dark Knight Rises, then let me know what you think also.

Stay safe,

Matt

Can a Film Change Somebodies Views?

Hey Guys,

I have always been interested in film and how everything works. I've always loved the use of story-lines and cinematography and how a film can take us away from our own lives or makes us feel powerful but can films really change our views? Can a film make you sit down and think about what you believe in and make you think about them, or even change those beliefs all together?

 As you will know, there are a lot of different types of films, some are there to just entertain, and you don't need to be overly involved with them, such films as pure action films or comedies. These films that we know are just basically sit down, we watch and we don't need to take much in, or away from the experience. As my father likes to call them, they are 'remove brain' films.

These aren't the films that I want to focus on; they do not tend to affect us all that much. The films that can affect us are more the emotional dramas or the love stories, but also sometimes films that we would not expect to affect us do touch is in the most peculiar ways.

Now there is a difference between a film affecting us and a film changing our views. Neither of these are easy to do, as there is such a wide audience range and it is hard to affect each one individually. To effect or touch somebodies heart you have to have a theme or content that people understand or have been through themselves, or even a theme that people would hate to go through and are scared of, such things like love, life and death are very high in effecting people but is there other ways? Could people be affected by things that are not as obvious?

In respects of changing somebodies views, now this is a very different case. It is very difficult to turn round to somebody and say 'I think you should feel this way about this topic.' It does not work that way, you can't tell people how to feel or how to view things, all you can do is show them and hope they understand it the way you hoped.

An example of a film I studied once that changes views was Natural Born Killers, Directed by Oliver Stone. Now this film gets a lot of mixed reactions, and that is the point of the film. It was created to effect people and it makes them feel differently about the media, law enforcement and criminals. This film puts a spin on serial killers, making them into more of a hero figures as the media glorifies them and makes them into a respected couple who are mistreated by the corrupt law enforcement.

The question is though; does this film change your views? Well whilst watching it, you do feel for the couple and you do find yourself on the other side with the criminals, hoping that it will 'end well' for them. I would not say it fully changes your views forever though. Yes it makes you more wary of the press and of law enforcement, but many films do this.

What I really want to know is, if you can make a stunning film, which changes peoples' views, and makes them think. Now I'm not saying that some views are wrong and others are right, obviously everyone thinks differently, but what I want to know is if it is possible to watch a film and come out thinking 'maybe my view on this subject was not clear' I want to know whether you would go home after a film and think over what you saw and how it could affect your views and even yourself.

All directors and writers strive to affect the audience in many different ways. Each of them have probably also tried to change peoples' views and tried to make people think a certain way, the thing is I don't feel like you should be made to feel a way, I feel that if you show somebody something in a different light than they are used to, maybe that will affect something.

I guess, for now, I will just have to keep wondering, until I find a film that makes me change all my views or, hopefully even better, create something that effects people in more ways than one.

Stay Safe,

Matt Thom