Sunday, 30 September 2007

ANALYSIS OF THE INTRO OF THE MOVIE...

The intro of the movie starts with the name of the institution and a track of 50Cent "i'll whip ya head boy" is played on, and the credits are shown on the screen, the name of the director and the name of the actors, the name of the song played on.
as the credits and the song of the intro are played on, there is a long shot from the side mirror of the 50cent's car showing cars driving during the night which is low-key-lighting and the only lights turned are the lights of the city and showing many cars driving at the same time which is indicating it is a busy city.
then the camera zooms on 50Cent's car and mainly a close up on 50cent's face which is indicating that he is the protagonist because he's the first character seen and he is shown as serious and that something is going to happen, and there is a white boy in the car looking scared, and then we see a man holding a gun and hugging the white boy so that is showing that something is going to happen to him and that is now related to the name of the song and which makes sense.
Then other members of the gang are shown in the car, so that is indicating that they are the main characters of the movie, at the end the car is still shown from a long shot from the outside and then it zooms up to the screen again as parts of the location are being seen.

IDEOLOGY AND VALUES

The ideology is mainly to show the biography of 50 Cent and how he was able to become a famous rapper and what problems he faced in the past, it is also to show the patriarchal ideology of black males.
the other ideology that is trying to be shown to the audience is poverty and showing that some black males are having that problem and that what is causing them to start getting involved in crimes and robbings etc...
the life of many black youths is shown throughout the movie and also many solutions are being seen, and 50Cent finds the only way to become successful is to get into music and rap and that can give us an idea why we see many black males getting involved into rap and music, so that's maybe because of the same case of 50cent which is poverty, teenage problems, drugs etc...

INSTITUTION

What is the institutional source of the text?
ISA, Paramount- hollywood institutuions.
MTV television films because he is a singer and is associated with his style.
In what ways has the text been influenced or shaped by the institution which produced it?
in realtion to the mtv institution is 50 cent's music included in the movie, promoting his songs.
Is the source a public service or commercial institution? What difference does this make to the text? the source is a commercial institution because they are hollywood institution not as the BBC which is a service public broadcaster, the difference is that it will be screened in the big odean cinemas not as a BBC text wich will be screened in art house cinemas.
as it is screened in odean cinemas, so it is aimed at a wider audiences and it is going to be screened around the world, and excpects to get a lot of views.

AUDIENCE

the text is mainly aimed at young adults aged 15-18 because the age certificate is 15, it is also aimed at adults to show them how are the lives of some young black males.
the text is also dedicated to 50Cent's fans which will be so interested to see the movie and see 50 cent's real life and how he was able to become a famous worldwide known rapper, and what problems he faced in his life.
is is dedicated to adults mainly parents to show them the life of many youngsters and what problems they are facing, due to the lack of parents supporting them to prevent the problems such as being involved in drugs, crimes etc...
poverty which is another problem is to make them feel what is causing many children on the world to become like that and get involved in many things in order to get money, which is show in the movie 50cent's mother is trying to do anything to feed her children and her family such as selling drugs.

COMMENTS ON BLOGS...

Jageet's blog

Anjali's blog

Neelema's blog

Kunal's blog

Kabir's blog
not really related to my topic but it has the music genre which is quiet realated to one of the genres of my topic, which is muscial genre.

Saturday, 29 September 2007

GENRE

To which genre does the text belong?
The movie has a hybrid genre, mainly it is an action movie because it includes many crimes happening, and also the genre can be musical because there is a lot of use of 50Cent's music tracks so that is promoting his songs in some ways and because the movie is mainly based on the life of the rapper 50 cent.
it can also be romantic when he meets his girlfriend and they get married and have a child, when they show them together.

Does the text feature a star, a director, a writer etc who is strongly associated with the genre? What meanings and associations do they have?
The movie features (Curtis) 50Cent's life and that is associated with the musical genre because his proper music is played on, which is promoted in the movie, Action is associated with his life due to the crimes and murders that he faced, and that association of the genre with the text is to show the audience how he was able to become a famous rapper after facing all of those problems, the cations is therefore to show how he was involved in crimes etc...
the musical genre of the movie is there to promote his music and also associated within the scenes to show how he became a rapper and how he actually started his career.

NARRATIVE

Wider context (SHEP):
Social: we see the type of community that 50cent is living in, that most of the teenagers in there are getting involved in crimes and drugs…
This problems are caused due to poverty so those teenagers find becoming a gangster as the only way to get what they wanted in life.
50 cent’s mother used to be involved in crimes and drugs in order to feed her family, until the day she was killed this shows how it affected a lot on 50cent and that what might have made him follow his mother’s background, in order to get revenge from the death of his mother.
Economic: poverty which is one of the main problem that is making those boys to become gangsters, of robbing banks, because they see their community suffering, we see also when 50cent gets rich after being involved in many robbing and crimes he goes off and buys a car without even having a driving licence, at the beginning the car seller didn’t want to give him the car but when he saw the amount of money that he was offered he accepted and didn’t follow the rule. This shows how everyone in that community is in need of money and are able to do anything to get it.
After that he tries to do anything to escape from that so he finds music the best way to get money but he was still involved in those crimes.
Political: showing some black teenagers are always getting involved in those things such as in bullet boy which is also Ashley Walters from being involved in a type of crime he gets to prison as 50cent did.

Theories/theorists:
Prop- the hero which is shown as 50cent (Marcus) he is always being tortured and bullied bye the other gangsters( the villain) the way that they shot him many times.
Levi Strauss- Binary Oppositionwhich is 50cent against the other boys competing with him on the topic of money and when he gets rich they try to do anything to stop him.

non linear narrative because it includes flashbacks.


MEDIA LANGUAGE

C-The boys are mainly wearing baggy clothes, hoodies and caps and that is kind of a gangsteroutfits.
L- Most lighting is low key lighting to show sadness and that something bad is going to happen, and also to create sadness.
A-The actors in the movie are mainly from a black community to show how they are living adn what problems they are facing, some of them are actors from art-house cinemas such as "Ashley Walters" and some are from a hollywood background.

P- There is a use of guns, knifes which are indicating robbing and crimes.
S-Dublin, Ireland
What work is being done by the sound track/commentary/language of the text?
The music played on is digetic with every scene and with the whole text as well, because the music is 50cent's and which matches with his life, and 50 cent's sound tracks are mainly played on when he's involved in robbing or getting involved crimes.
the title sequence starts with a song of 50Cent and the locations are shown in the movie.
There is also a use of emotional music on sad scenes, e.g.: when 50 cent (Marcus) got shot nine times and was nearly going to die, so the music in there is emotional diegetic with the scene.
The actors in the movie are speaking slang amercian language,and the use of a lot of swear words in the movie.
What are the dominant images and iconography, and what is their relevance to the major themes of the text?
the most emotional scene is when 50 Cent is laying on the floor and struggling to stand up because he has been shot nine times.
What sound and visual techniques are used to convey meaning (e.g. camera positioning, editing; the ways that images and sounds are combined to convey meaning)?
Number of close ups to show emotions and what's the person feeling and there is also long shots to show the person as being the boss it shown when 50cent is shooting, there is a use of point of view shots to make the audience identify with the character.

Friday, 28 September 2007

Media Representations

Who is being represented? The black community and what problems they are having.Young black men are being represented in this movie, which then became gangsters.

In what way? The black community is represented and it is showing what problems they are facing and what is causing the young black males to become gangsters mainly 50 cent.

By whom?

50 cent is represented as a gangster and every step that made him become a gangster is shown,and that he became the boss of the group.
50cent's mother is shown as involved in crimes and taking drugs, in order to get the money and feed her children.

Why is the subject being represented in this way?
the subject is being represented in this way to show 50 cent's problems and other black males' problems and the only way to become successful and get what they wanted is to take drugs, get involved in crimes.
it is mainly showing the problems that 50Cent faced in his life and what steps he took in order to become a worldwide famous rapper,after having faced many problems, he found the only solution that will make him rich and successful is to become a singer, and becoming a gangster which made him start with his job.

Is the representation fair and accurate?
i think the representation is fair and accurate to some extent because 50cent's real life is shown and also representation of some black youths in the movie, but it's the opposite because not all black youngsters are gangsters and get involved in crimes and take drugs.

THE CAST


Directed by: Jim Shreiden
Running time: 117mins (USA)
50cent (Curtis Jackson)
Ashley Walters(Antwan)
Joy Bryant (Charlene) his wife.
Mark John Jefferies(young Curtis)
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Majestic)

Tuesday, 18 September 2007

research on the movie and gangsters.

50 cent in this movie is trying to show what has happened to him in real life, as he said in an interview that he is
trying to act as a real man not an artificial man , as he lived those moment eg: being shot nine times, he found it easy to act in the movie.
In order to show the gangster role in the movie, he decided to use his real personality and act as a real man, he also mentioned that he found it easier to act because that is his real personality as a gangsters, but if he chose another role and notbeing a gangster or who he was he might fail because he's ot showing his real personality.
50 cent being a gangster in this movie is due to many things and the only way to get rich and become succesfull was to become a gangster.
this movie is showing his life, but on the sametime it is showing us the audience waht is making other youngsters become gangsters.
one of the main cause of this change which is shown clearly in the movie is due to poverty, they don't have enough many to live the lifes they wanted and to start becoming succesfull is by selling drugs, commiting crimes to be shown in the community and to ha ve a level.
50cent (Curtis) in the movie was influenced of transforming into a gangster due to poverty adn his enviroment, showing his mother getting involved in selling drugs and in crimes inorder to get money, to feed her child.
so this is showing how he also followed his mother in being a gangster, he was trying to revenge from what had happened to his mother, that is another reason why he became a gangster.

50 cent "GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN" review

Article by: Shari Monah
Walking into the private screening of Get Rich or Die Tryin, I honestly expected the worse. Since this is 50 Cent acting debut, I anticipated flat dialogue, G- unit cameos, and a weak storyline to sum it all up. In order to be as objective as possible, I had to get rid of all the preconceived notions I had of 50 Cent before I gave this movie a fair chance. Since he wants to be considered as a serious actor, I will only refer to him as Curtis Jackson. Instead of 50 Cent the overly dramatic rapper that we’ve all come to love or hate. Off the bat, it is almost impossible for Get Rich or Die Tryin’ to fail since it is tied to so many A- list names. Obviously the movie would hit number one since its lead actor is music’s heavyweight 50 Cent. However it is the strong cast that supports the amateur actor and prevents the film from becoming a mere shout out to 50 and his G- unit clique. Curtis Jackson plays Marcus, a street entrepreneur that is forced into hustling after the murder of his drug dealing mother, Katrina (Serena Reeder). Driven by the anger from his mother’s death, Marcus sets out on a crusade to find her murderer while making a name for himself on the streets. Throughout the film, Marcus’s writing chronicles his journey from childhood to rap stardom. In order to prevent himself from embarrassment Jackson mainly narrates throughout this film. In fact, Marc John Jefferies ( Young Marcus), who has more professional acting experience, has more lines in this film than the lead actor does. Under the direction of six time Oscar nominee, Jim Sheridan, most of the story is told through the cold stare of Jackson’s eyes. Dependent on his physical acting, Jackson powerfully re-enacts the infamous scene of being shot nine times in front of his grandparents home. According to Sheridan, “shooting the scene was in a way therapy for him.” It is at this point where the audience witnesses the death of Marcus as a hustler and the birth of Young Ceaser the rapper. This film could not survive with out its supporting cast. Reportedly, Samuel L. Jackson did not want to be apart of this cast because of the violence that is tied to Jackson. Fortunately for C. Jackson, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ does not suffer from this absence. While Marcus’s life spirals out of control, it is the support of family and friends that helps him maintain his sanity. After the death of his mother Marcus is raised by his grandmother, Tony award winning Viola Davis (Antwone Fisher). As for his girlfriend, Charlene ( Joy Bryant of Antwone Fisher), she reminds Marcus that as a man it is his duty to provide for his family and not give up on his career. Bama, played by Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), is the loyal friend and manager who protects Marcus inside as well as outside of jail. Although Bama is not a main character, Howard undeniably steals the movie and the attention away from Jackson in every scene that he is in with the use of his humor. Synonymous to Jackson’s real life, the feud between his alter ego, 50 Cent, and Murder Inc. spills onto the screen. Young Ceaser generates noise in the rap industry by humiliating Majestic( Adewale Akinnuoye- Agbaje of Oz), a record executive who mirrors Kenneth “Supreme” McGriff. Similar to Supreme, Majestic is a convicted drug lord who launders his drug money through the record label. Along with Supreme, 50 also embarrasses Ja Rule who is portrayed by Dangerous. Like his counterpart, Dangerous is a flashy young artist who is on top of the world before Young Ceaser annihilates his career. In one scene Jackson’s character states, “ I rather live like a man than die like a coward.” Arguably, the reason why Jackson chose this role is because as a good businessman he knows the film can only enhance his career. Jackson knows that the audience will tie the pain and despair that Marcus has to endure with his own life story. Thus, increasing his gangsta image and being seen as more of a “man”. Curtis Jackson is aware that if he chose a role that is opposite of his current persona then there will be greater chance of him failing and being perceived as weak to his target audience. However, a real “man” would go outside of his safety net to test his true acting abilities. Whether it is due to the box office sales or the ability for the audience to empathize with the main character , Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is bound to be a staple in hip hop culture. For the individual who loves 50 Cent, this film would be the best product that Curtis Jackson has ever developed. But for the individual who is just curious to see what Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is about the film is good effort brought forth by the first time actor.

Friday, 7 September 2007

"city of god" & "50 cent get rich or die tryin"

The movie "city of god" can be related to the "50 cent get rich or die tryin", because it also includes young men turning into gangsters when they start getting involved into crimes and drugs,when fights start to occur between the boys that were friends before because of money and drugs they start killing each other, which is the same as 50 cent the only way of getting rich was to get involved in drugs and crimes which is being a gangster.

gangster movies and its genre

Crime and Gangster Films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or gangsters, particularly bankrobbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and violently murdering their way through life. In the 1940s, a new type of crime thriller emerged, more dark and cynical - see the section on film-noir for further examples of crime films. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as post-war film noir or detective-mystery films - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms.
Crime stories in this genre often highlight the life of a crime figure or a crime's victim(s). Or they glorify the rise and fall of a particular criminal(s), gang, bank robber, murderer or lawbreakers in personal power struggles or conflict with law and order figures, an underling or competitive colleague, or a rival gang. Headline-grabbing situations, real-life gangsters, or crime reports have often been used in crime films. Gangster/crime films are usually set in large, crowded cities, to provide a view of the secret world of the criminal: dark nightclubs or streets with lurid neon signs, fast cars, piles of cash, sleazy bars, contraband, seedy living quarters or rooming houses. Exotic locales for crimes often add an element of adventure and wealth. Writers dreamed up appropriate gangland jargon for the tales, such as "tommy guns" or "molls."
Film gangsters are usually materialistic, street-smart, immoral, meglo-maniacal, and self-destructive. Rivalry with other criminals in gangster warfare is often a significant plot characteristic. Crime plots also include questions such as how the criminal will be apprehended by police, private eyes, special agents or lawful authorities, or mysteries such as who stole the valued object. They rise to power with a tough cruel facade while showing an ambitious desire for success and recognition, but underneath they can express sensitivity and gentleness.
Gangster films are morality tales: Horatio Alger or 'pursuit of the American Dream' success stories turned upside down in which criminals live in an inverted dream world of success and wealth. Often from poor immigrant families, gangster characters often fall prey to crime in the pursuit of wealth, status, and material possessions (clothes and cars), because all other "normal" avenues to the top are unavailable to them. Although they are doomed to failure and inevitable death (usually violent), criminals are sometimes portrayed as the victims of circumstance, because the stories are told from their point of view.