Friday, 29 November 2013
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Institutional Context
Institutional context
8 Largest Film Production Companies
Successful Heist Films
Heist films is a sub genre of crime films and I have researched the most successful films of that genre with the highest grossing.
First place is Ocean’s Eleven which was realised in 2001 and is an American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh with cast including Bard Pitt, Matt Damon & Julia Roberts and with very successful with both box office and with critics. The film had a budget of around $85 million which is about £5,284,070 and grossed about $38million and was at the top of the box office for the weekend. Overall Ocean Eleven had a worldwide gross of $450,728,529 which is $417,728,529 more than the estimate budgeted for the film. Ocean’s Twelve comes second and Ocean’s Thirteen came second showing how poplar the film was.
Fourth placed is a film called The Italian Job which was realised in 2003 and is a heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film with cast including Edward Norton, Jason Statham and Danald Sutherland. It grossed over $176 million which is about £109,411,000 and had a generally positive response from critics, it also had a worldwide gross of $176,070,171.
Heat is a 1995 American crime film written and directed by Michael Mann and starts people such as Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The film is kind of a remake if L.A. Takedown which was also Written and directed by Michael Mann. The film grossed $187 million worldwide which is about to £116,249,000
The town is a 2010 American crime drama film starring, co-written, and directed by Ben Affleck. When the film came out in 2010 it was at number and had numerous amounts of positive reviews. Jeremy Renner was even nominated for an Academy award for Best Supporting Actor. The Town grossed $154 million worldwide and took first place at the box office.
Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 crime film which was directed and written by Quentin Tarantino. This film is defently a classic of independent film and was named the “Greatest independent film of all time” by Empire. Critics praised the cast and the film made its $1.2 million bugetback by grossing $2,832,029 in the united States. A soundtrack titled Reservoir Dogs: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released featuring songs used in the film, mostly from the 1970s. In 2006, a Reservoir Dogs video game was released, and was banned in some jurisdictions for its violence.
Repertoire of elements, Heist
Repertoire of elements. Heist
Repertoire of elements – heist.
Characters: A heist film conventionally has range of main characters, archetypes to the genre, who hold certain specialities and expertise. There is always –
The leader – (stereotypically a man) This person generally accumulates the rest of the crew members, choosing them either because of past jobs he has pulled with them, connections through other people, or any other source that makes them a reliable selection. He is also the head of the operation, who rigorously thinks through the explicitly thorough planning of the heist, then explains it to the crew, giving them their role.
The roper – this person (can be of either sex) is the one spots the mark (the target) and tries to gain their confidence, keep them under surveillance, and maybe even get to know them so well he/she gets Intel from them that would on the heist. Such as work schedules so they know when it’s safest to pull off the job, etc.
Computer expert – this is the tech guy, who has unrivalled knowledge on almost everything to do with computers and technology, that helps the crew crack system software, that they have technical control of camera’s, pressure sensors, motion lasers, passwords, key codes, lights, traffic lights, phones, other computers etc… this person helps the crew get past the “impenetrable high security system” with a degree of ease.
Explosives expert – this person make everything go KA-BOOM. This person has probably had training in the explosives field, and knows what is needed for what job. They help break through walls when walking in isn’t an option, the help crack a safe open when the code is out of reach, they essentially blow a lot of stuff up, to make the movie look a lot coolers. Sometimes there are gun experts or marksmen, but it is rare, because what makes a good heist movie is the intricacy that’s involved, the smart thinking that goes into robbing people, as oppose just using adulterated brute force.
Then there are other characters who are sometimes put in there for convenience. Such as those smaller, more flexible to fit in tight space when sneaking in a place. A getaway driver for when the heist is done, and they need to make a quick, clean getaway. A temptress, who at times can also be the roper. The safe cracker, who experience in picking locks, opening safes, and getting through doors that need a pass to open. Mechanic, who helps assemble all the equipment that is used during the jobs, or even modify other automated things that are involved cars etc.
Iconography: Things commonly seen in heists are, the planning sheets, blue prints, floor layouts etc. explosives equipment used, cars, crew members in suits, or in disguise as cops, construction workers, employees of the heist setting, at times guns, computers, software on screens, the thing being stolen, be it piles of money, bricks of gold, jewels or anything else.
Setting: Heist settings can vary all the time, mostly depending on what it is they are trying to steal. If say they are trying to steal money; we’d see – a casino. A bank. A warehouse. A van (carrying that money). Same goes for Gold or anything of the like – a gold reserve, a bank, even a vehicle carrying the gold. Jewels don’t get moved a lot. So most likely is that they will stay where they’d been all along.
Then we have the hideout/rendezvous where the crew plan and prepare themselves, where some big part will play in the film.
Themes/Ideology: films like heist play in the thought of “moral ambiguity”. Where the audience see’s the crew doing something that is widely seen as wrong, yet they still want them to succeed. And also the notion of “crime doesn’t pay” in most to all heist films, the crew do a crime, and get away scot free with the goods they stole. Which brings a whole new light/possibility of whether crime pays of not. Most heist films nowadays are not so straightforwardly serious, they have elements of comedy to them (these are called caper films) this in a sense helps the audience turn a blind eye to seriousness of people robbing others, making it easier to deal with and more enjoyable.
Audience: I think heist has a rather wide range in terms of target audience, but I’d say males 16+. These types of films involve some things that would need a person with a mature way of thinking to understand, and enjoy.
Narrative: Plot/Narrative, generally consist of 3 parts.
Part1 – the exposition. The characters are introduced to the audience, their expertise are presented, and they become familiar to them. They then do the planning of the job and the preparations.
Part2 – this is the actual job/heist taking place.
Part3 – the revealing. After the heist is done, and they are getting away, or maybe any implications that come after the heist, whether it be a crew member gets caught, or one of them stitches up the crew due to greed.
Heist Genre Research- Research
Heist Genre Research, history
A heist film is a film that has an intricate plot woven around a group of people trying to steal something. Versions with dominant or prominent comic elements are often called caper movies. They could be described as the analogues of caper stories in film history. Typically, there are many plot twists, and film focuses on the characters' attempts to formulate a plan, carry it out, and escape with the goods. There is often a nemesis who must be thwarted: either a figure of authority or a former partner who turned on the group or one of its members.
As technology and security evolve, so does the criminal guile that seeks to fleece hidden treasures — it's the darker half of innovation, creating a balanced Ying-Yang of wealth. American industries flourished with the advent of train transportation, until they had to contend with the ferocious Jesse James gang. Large banks responsible for the 1920s Depression fell victim to John Dillinger's string of robberies and drew little sympathy from people who held them accountable for the economic collapse. History has taught us that no matter how big the trap, there’s always a sneaky mouse willing to steal the cheese. i think this is where the origin of heist began.
Usually a heist film will contain a three-act plot. The first act usually consists of the preparations for the heist: gathering conspirators, learning about the layout of the location to be robbed, learning about the alarm system, revealing innovative technologies to be used, and, most importantly, setting up the plot twists in the final act. The second act is the heist itself. With rare exception, the heist will be successful, though some number of unexpected events will occur. The third act is the unravelling of the plot. The characters involved in the heist will be turned against one another or one of the characters will have made arrangements with some outside party, who will interfere (often a wise, underestimated detective). Normally, most of or all the characters involved in the heist will end up dead, captured by the law, or without any of the loot; however, it is becoming increasingly common for the conspirators to be successful, particularly if the target is portrayed as being of low moral standing, such as casinos, corrupt organizations or individuals, or fellow criminals.
there are many great films within the history of this genre. such as
1900S-1910S: THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY (1903)
The Great Train Robbery (1903) didn't just lay the groundwork for heist films; it changed the way that moviemakers told stories. Edwin S. Porter's landmark 12-minute short was one of the first narrative films, and it utilized some ground breaking cinematic techniques (cross-cutting, non-static camerawork) to tell the tale of a railway heist and its bloody aftermath. Though the film begins with the villains undertaking the job, it's clear from their actions that they've done their homework, executing the heist with cold, occasionally murderous discipline. The Great Train Robbery is one of the most influential films ever made, and its iconic final shot. That of a man firing a gun directly at the camera
1950S: RIFIFI (1955)
Nobody made stylish heist films like the French in the 1950s. Case in point: Jules Dassin's Rififi, a dark, cynical tale of a group of thieves who meticulously plan and execute the perfect jewel heist before falling prey to human nature. Rififi perfected many of the conventions that would inform subsequent caper flicks, from the assembly of the perfect team to the inevitable fallout once the job is completed. However, its pièce de résistance remains the job itself, a wordless, virtuoso 30-minute sequence so precise and tense that it still dazzles today.
2000S: OCEAN'S 11 (2001)
Ocean's 11 pulls the rug from underneath the '90s brainy genre exercises that preceded it (Reservoir Dogs, Bottle Rocket, Heat), offering itself as a bubblegum caper filled with heavily stylized shots and a hot ensemble cast espousing witty one-liners. Other new millennium heist films, like The Italian Job (another remake) and The Bank Job, also patterned themselves after classic cinema, though more in line with the grittier style of the 1970s.
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