Conventions of a Gangster movie

Conventions of a Gangster movie

Plot lines

• Highlight of the gangster

Showcasing a dramatisation of Gangster lifestyle, with scenes of the Gangster having the upper hand over of rivals or enemies, exaggerated violence and action scenes, or not following the norms of the society the gangster is in. It gives a sense of escapism to the audience who probably will sympathise with the Gangster at the end of the film.

• Rise and fall of the gangster

The rise of the gangster usually involves them breaking away from their original lifestyle which they find restricting as it cannot fulfil their dreams to attain something for themselves. This could include success, wealth, power or respect. We follow the gangster as they tackle the different conflict or trouble they get into and see them rise to the top of said gang or in the family. However, due to the immorality they develop in order to rise or facade they put up, they lose something often a consequence is also formed. The fall is a sense for them to reflect on their life and see what they have built destroyed or taken over which gives a sense of failure towards the storyline.

• Morality

Gangster in films seem to have an end goal whether this may be success, climbing the ranks in the gang, love, power, wealth, possessions, they are always ambitious in order to gain recognition. Their development as a character often has to lose something in order to attain their ambition which includes the loss of morality. However, the downward spiral to immorality becomes their downfall as once their goal is attained they need to compete to keep it the same or often want to gain more from it further falling back to the crime or betrayal.

• Power struggles

The conflict in Gangster films usually centre around the power struggles faced by the gangster which could come in forms from rival gangs or families, the authority which is the police or a higher up; alternatively, it could be from personal reasons like a rival from their past or competitive gang member. They are able to overcome this through being street smart, ambitious and materialistic. Their efforts if successful are often recognised by their superiors or the heads of the family and rewarded by recognition or respect.

Themes

• Betrayal

Could come from someone in their family or gang betraying them, falling out from a friendship, a hit placed on them or the gangster could turn their backs on the gang and end up betraying them usually going to authorities or selling them out to a rival family.

• Loyalty

Loyalty is heavily shown in the gangster way of life to the point that it could be viewed as a form of fear as it is frowned upon to go against the family seeing it as a crime punishable by death. The dependence the gangster has on gang could be compared to brotherhood or their family, showing an undying loyalty towards the group. However, the extreme loyalty towards the gang is close to unhealthy due to them accepting immorality and leading them deeper into the life of crime and corruption.

• Violence

Violence is prominent in the gangster films, often shown through the weapons used for example the most common being guns and sometimes knives. However, the overuse of the gore element such as the exaggerated blood scenes makes the genre more impactful though it gives the audience a sense of reassurance due to the fact it is not realistic. It adds to the gritty nature of crimes for the gangster genre. The inclusion of violence scenes reveals who has the most power or upper hand over characters and the use of red either through lighting or mise en scene adds to the danger or ominous aspect of it.

• Power

The rise to get their ambition and recognition prompt the gangster genre to be about gaining power, from the showcase of ranks or families in the community there is always signs of a power struggle. Whether it be the rivalry with another gang, trying to keep up with the crime business, or getting their materialistic desires the gangster would have to survive the power struggle happening.

• Women

Women are often used as an end game towards the gangster, they are often shown as a trophy, possession or a sense of achievement. The sister or the women in the family are often protected by the men in the more traditional way, this can be seen as they do not interfere or participate in any of the crime life and tend to the family or home. Other tropes include them being sexualised in which the colour red is often used for their colour of clothing. The damsel which is portrayed as weak and the need for her to be saved from situations. Another is the naive or innocent girl who remains ignorant to the gangsters' lifestyle and is often deceived through the charisma of the gangster as to what is going on in their life.

Mise- en scene

Gangsters dress to look professional due to the hierarchy and power facade they portray. It also represents wealth and ambition being that gangster families are run like a business. They dress in the following

• Suits
• Trench coats
• Hats

Women typically wear

• Dresses
• Jewellery
• Red colour/ Red lipstick
• Curled hair 

To further portray the signs of wealth actual money can be seen to represent heist from banks, or blood money for crimes. Watches, rings, or chains, especially in gold or silver, are used to give across the message of wealth as well.

Weapons that are commonly used are guns though knives are sometimes used.

Smoking
Cigars tend to showcase wealth too as they are more expensive than cigarettes.

Setting

Urban/cities, industrial areas

Notable sets include an office usually the main office is the Dons, deserted areas, such as streets or alleyways used for violence scenes and bars.

Lighting/ Sound

• Low-level lighting
• Dimly lit
• Natural lighting when shot outside

The above give a more realistic and gritty look which is geared towards the genre. Some scenes are usually dark and the lighting will be focused on one area or character giving off a sense of dominance or to further.

Sound includes

Diegetic dialogue

Sound bridges

Voice overs along non diegetic music although this is used in more modern gangtser films.

Editing

Quick Cuts

Black and White

Camera angles/ shots

Trunk shots- low angle shots, canted?

Mid shots- flat angle,

Two shots- relationships of characters

Long shots/ establishing for the settings

Close up on facial expressions

Over the shoulder

High and low angles

Low angle 

Track in and out


Panning and cranes

When Worse Comes To Worse Screenplay

When worse comes to worse from Tatiitat

Start writing the screenplay for your trailer. You must include: 

  1. Description of each character. 

  2. Description of the settings. 

  3. Dialogue between characters. 

  4. SFX and music you will use 

  

Formatting 

Font Courier, size 12, double line spaced. Characters' names IN CAPITALS. For scenes, include INT. for interior shots, EXT. for exterior shots.  

Ideas on the camera shots being used 

Introduction to the D'Angelo family  

Either- the family gathered in a room (meeting) 

-Establishing shot of a house  

-Massim close up shot moves into a wide shot In a chair with narration/ voice over him 

Gabe as a child in the rags time period 

-Shot of Gabe pickpocketing 

-Shot of Gabe running away 

-Getting into a fight with the other rag children (shot of Gabes hand with a broken bottle in defence positions then shows medium shot of him with it) 

Scene of Gabe looking at the mirror  

-Holding a scissors hands at the basin (sink) medium shot 

-Close up shot of the items at the sink, shot of Gabe back leaving the toilet (ambiguous) 

For progression  

From the mirror scene shows Gabe as consigliere  

-Room with only Gabe, Enrico and Massim. Massim in the middle, while Enrico on the right hand side and Gabe is seated in front.  

-Wide shot of the Don Families in a meeting, close up of Massimilano and Michele.  

Vince Parents Death 

-Vince watching through the closets, shadows of the bars on his face. Witnesses parents killed, silhouette of parents bodies, focuses on the blood seeping towards Vince. 

-Comes out, walking on the blood, kneels beside his parents crying. 

Scene of Rags 

Killing a police man 

Pulp Fiction

• Definition of pulp at the start
• Starts of with Ringo and Yolanda planning a robbery, Ringo seems to be more talkative and dominant as he gets the full attention of Yolanda.
• Brings up store owners having guns and killings
• The robbery starts to take place, Yolanda is seen as more aggressive when making demands compared to Ringo, which is seen as unconventional as she is taken charge of crowd control.
• OPENING SCENE
• Cuts to the title with the soundtrack, this is odd as the opening scene is usually at the start of the movie. Showing themes of Fragmentation that can be seen throughout the movie.

VINCENT VEGA & MARSELLUS WALLACE'S WIFE

• Introduced to Vincent and Jules, mise en scene with the suits
• Vincent conversation consists of drugs and alcohol 
• Getting guns from the trunk
• Talks about Marcellus and Mia, Rumour of Marcellus being overprotective over Mia as one of the guys got thrown out a window. 
• Vincent and Jules are associates to Marcellus so can infer he is the boss
• Introduction to the briefcase which seems at the time a relevant plot piece. The use of gold lighting on Vincent's face might mean the contents of the briefcase could be associated with wealth. 
• Mise en Scene - meet up place is trashy and unkept, fast foods, Vincent is smoking. Suitcase code 666
• One of the roommates is shot, while the other is trying to negotiate, Jules continues to use intimidation and voilence. 

• In a bar, unlike Vincent and Jules, Butch is dressed casually showing he is an outsider towards the group.
• Butch gets offered money for a job by Marcellous
• The plaster on Marcellus makes us question the timeline, also Jules and Vincent appear and it is pointed out their clothing is different from their normal suits.
• Vincent is going to treat Mia with respect due to her being Marcellus wife, afraid to go out of bounds due to his boss.
• Mise en Scene classic use of red lighting in the bar to show the confrontation between Marcellus and Butch

• Vincent questions about piercings, also buy drugs. Discusses the seller's market and how heroin is becoming more popular.
• When Vince insults Jodi, he apologises because its his wife. However, when she comes to the room to give him the baggies she gets pushed out of the way.
• Masculinity trait showed when they are discussing cars

• Different shots of drug related things, needle, lighter, etc so that the audience thinks he has taken the drugs without seeing him inject himself.
• Introduced to Mia, who is watching Vincent through security cameras. She takes drug before meeting Vincent

• Mia casually smoking 
• Elvis Man and Kitty cat
• 'Hollywood Men'
• Pop culture references
• Mia gets into the car first, Vincent seating position is rather laid back due to the fact he is in-front of Mia, he doesn't have to put on the facade 
• Making a joint - Amsterdam associated with drugs
• Marilyn Monroe- the seven year inch white dress. Over sexual? shot of the people near the bar looking at her
• Mia in the toilet- showing women obsessed with their beauty or the way they look as seen with the women putting on makeup while Mia is taking drugs
• Subverts most gangster movies as Mia denies the being involved with Tony as it is unreasonable. Vincent comments 'I understand that Marsellus is very protective of you'
• Vincent and Mia are seen dancing- showing how comfortable they are around each other, compared to other mafia movies like the Godfather  that show the separation of both genders.
• Vincent goes to the toilet- seen throughout the movie as an ominous thing because bad events happen when he is not around. Mia ODs 
• Vincent talks to himself in a king of monologue questioning his morals

Film Treatment

When Worse Comes To Worse

Idea

The beginning

The D 'Angelo family were known for one thing and that was power. The power to give and the power to take away. Two choices that may not seem like a lot but are engrained in the mind of all who follow or hear of the family.
The first time Gabriela participated in a run was due to a misunderstanding. How was she to know Perro, her guardian had sold her off to the Rags to pay off his debt. She was given a bag to be dropped off at Adriano's place. She wasn't supposed to have started a war between the two main families.
However, the rags had a different plan for her. They came to collect their property, at her door before she was even awake. Then dropped her of in the Dormitory, the supposed 'housing facility' but was used as training grounds for the slumps bringing up the best runners and transporters for the families. It was known for its harsh treatments and the amount of dead bodies that were piled up weekly at the lake. Gabriela knew she didn't stand a chance of surviving, the mortality rate for females were close to none. Gabriela also knew she couldn't run away from the rags. Instant Death Sentence. So she did herself a favor, with the limited resources she has, she bought bandages, hair dye, scissors, clothes, and contacts.
From that day Gabriela became Gabriele.

*5 years later*

Gabriele had gone up the ranks of the family, he could remember being in the streets the survival mechanisms kicking in. Learning to trust no one as they were snitches and ears all around the Rags waiting for you to mess up. Due to his quick thinking and tactical mind, Gabriele had been bought out from the Rags by Enrico and placed at the doorsteps of the D' Angelo Family. People of this family were given power, but there was an expected way to use it. The D' Angelo family used violence. Violence in any form, it could be from killing, it could be emotional pain, or isolation. This was exactly why the hazing program had been terrible for Gabriele. One being that he had his secret of his gender and the other being breaking a family.


Gabriele looked at the boy beside him, Vincenzio, a constant reminder of the destroyed childhood that the Di'Angelo family had induced on him. The killing of his parents was supposed to be a normality, but taking him into the family and raising him as a D'Angelo was an insult. However, Gabriele knew he couldn't go against the word of the Don.

Story Plan

Vincenzio parents are killed in front of him. He thinks Gabriele did it, and hatred towards Gabriele at first but due to the mentorship from him, he comes to accept Gabriele. Later he finds out it was the Don, Massimiliano, that personally killed his parents (make up a reason). Vincenzio starts to plot against the Don.

Massim hears the Rags have been gaining more power and income due to doing their business on other mafia families territories. He decides to send out one of his capos team to do the same with Michele territory. However, they get killed after an encounter with the Rags but the Rags lose some of their merchandise due to this. Rumors of The D' Angelo being involved in the incidents arise and there are arguments in the family, some questioning Massim leadership. The D' Angelo family is put under scrutiny due to Massim poor decisions and leadership, and Gabriele and Enrico warn him not to upset the Cosa Nostra. Massim does not listen to the counsel and plans to send off another Capo team that includes Vince but due to the increase of the police alertness due to the rise of misconduct shown by the rags, calls it off.

The upcoming group is surfacing and the leader Giacomo, who we find out is the leader of the Rags which links to Gabriele wants to destroy the Cosa Nostra and come up on top. Gabriele wants revenge on the Rags for selling him to the mafia family.

Don finds out about Gabriele's Gender. Feeling angered and betrayed by this, Don puts out a hit towards Gabriele, due to this Gabriele and Vincenzio decide to team up together to take out the Don. Gabriele first convinces the administration of the D 'Angelo family with the help of Enrico and gains support from them and the rest of the members. Meanwhile, Vince confronts the Don in his office alone, Vince pulls out a gun to kill Massim, Massim to disorient Vince tell the truth of Gabe's Gender. In the moment, Massim struggles to get the gun from Vince and points the gun to kill Vince. Gabriele enters from the secret passageway and shots Massim before Massim has a chance to kill Vince. Vincenzio becomes the next Don with Gabriele as his Consigliere and accepts Gabriele gender due to her saving his life.

Other Don families feel threatened by this takeover, they call for a meeting in which Basilio brings up the issue of the Rags getting out of hand, as they are alerting police attention onto the mafia drug business. As a peace settlement, Vince and Gabriele accept the job to take out the Rags. Gabriele who has been in the Dormitory before plans out and advises the Don on how to intercept them. They confront themselves at night. In the fight between the Rags and Di Angelo family, Underboss Enrico gets killed in the process of the Vince winning by Vince killing Giacomo. Gabriele then becomes the Underboss of the D 'Angelo family. Everyone knows his true identity but is still accepted into the family.

Structure of Mafia

The Commission

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Boss/ Don 

4 families

DONS

Abramo (Moretti)

Basilio ( Lo Vecchio)

Massimiliano (D' Angelo)

Michele (Zacchelli)

RAGS DON

Giacomo

Consigliere 

Gabriele (D' Angelo)

Edmondo

Guglielmo

Raimondo

RAGS CONSIGLIERE

Sigismondo

Underboss 

Arrighetto 

Enrico 

Federigo 

Ricciardo

RAGS UNDERBOSS
Alonza

Caporegime

Capos of the D' Angelo

Niccolo
Vittorio
Allessandro

Soldiers

Soldiers of the Di' Angelo Family

Martino 

Marcello 

Luigi 

Gualtiero 

Ermanno 

Elda * 

Armanno
Vincenzio

Associate

Angelo 

Nunzio 

Sergio 

Camilla 

Gregorio

Rat

Paolo
(Betrays the Rags to Gabriele)

Goomah

Martha

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_Mafia-related_words

Levi-Strauss- Binary opposition

Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who developed the theory of structuralism and structural anthropology.
A binary opposition is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.
Levi Strauss theory on binary opposition talks about how narrative can be split into opposites, such as Good and Evil, Man and Woman, Rich and Poor, etc. Due to having these opposites, when together it creates the conflict in the narrative story and this becomes the central climax.



In Pulp Fiction, there are some elements of binary opposition



Vincent and Jules



Ringo and Yolanda



Butch and Marcellus

Todorov's Narrative Theory

Todorov theory from Tatiitat

Vladimir Propp and his 7 Archetypes in Film

Trailer Analysis

Trailer Analysis for Goodfellas

Goodfellas from Tatiitat

Thoughts on Once Upon A Time In America

My Thoughts On Once Upon A Time In America

• Set in the time of prohibition ( alcohol bein illegal)
• 'He's my uncle' Start of Max and Noodles unconventional friendship
• Startled by the phone ringing in the beginning and almost irritated or uncomfortable
•  Noodles sense of morality is skewed or almost irregular
• I questioned where Noodles had been doing in the years he left to go to Buffalo.
• Noodles criticism to Max can be a sense of foreshadowing, as Noodles wanted to be his own boss and not leave the safety of the rags and streets 'like the stink of the streets', which at the end Noodles seems content with his life, unlike Max.
• Clues on Max surviving.
• Focuses on betrayal and legacy left behind.
• Transitions from the use of flashbacks.
• Noodles coming out from prison and going back into the gangster life
• 'Tommorrow they ask me to get rid of you, is that okay with you' - Noodles 'Maybe I ought to just dump you' - Max
• Violence is seen throughout the film from the setting fire to the stands, robbery and killing in the diamond heist to the rape scene.
• More themes on 'Rise and Fall' seeing as Carol tells Noodles to turn Max in as he's getting insane for power and the aspect of 'Growing Up' as Older Noodles seems to reflect on his life coming to an acceptance.
• Feel sympathy for Noodles even though he still carries on with crimes.
• Theory on the fact the movie went back to the 'high' scene with noodles was that him being older could have being dreamed up and fake as this was his coping mechanism of dealing with the loss of his friends.
• The undermining of women, for example, when Max and Noodles had an argument on 'broads getting in the way' and Max proceeds to yell at Carol.
• Noodles perception of Max having died with his group of friends at the bank works well with the new image of Mr. Bailey. 
• Mr. Bailey falling into the rubbish truck. Implied he did.
• The scene of Noodles getting high after his friends death.
• Max (Mr. Bailey) and Deborah
• Max feeling bad about selling his friends out and the power he now has, has turned on him.

Marketing Analysis

Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children

Where Marketing products were produced?

Trailers

The first official trailer shows an underwater scene while in the background music plays theirs 'a new world coming' which is a part of the Diversion aspect of Stuart Halls Theory as the trailer shows a fantasy world and this allows escapism from our reality which is why people would want to watch it. It also uses the element of self-discovery as the trailer shows Jake accepting the children peculiarities and this would make the audience relate to the characters as they have their different individual features. 

The second official trailer focuses on the characters gifts and sets up the plot of the film as Jake would have to protect the children from the bad guys. There are also more elements of diversion and self-discovery as the text headings in the trailer include 'escape the ordinary' which allows the audience to want the unrealistic nature of the fantasy film and 'embrace the peculiar' which the audience can gain a sense of identity fro this trailer.

There was also a Happy Loop Day video released for the book fans of the series Peculiar Children which included Easter Eggs and references to the book.
This is one of the comments from the video that breaks down the references to the book and what the video entails.

Websites

There is a website created for the movie which contains the links to the Twitter and Facebook pages, where and how to get tickets, videos that contain trailers, clips, tours of the set and redefined clips of people showing off their peculiarity through art.


Official Website for the film
http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/miss-peregrines-home-for-peculiar-children

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/MissPeregrinesMovieUK/?brand_redir=404759646299242

Twitter
https://twitter.com/PeregrinesMovie
The #staypeculiar is trending on twitter

There were also Tim Burton designed snap chat filters on Snapchat for the film as can be shown below.

Posters

Posters are introducing each character and their gifts.

Other

There is the use of synergy as clips of the film were played at the Olympics, commercials, and a TV spot was debuted on the Teen Choice Awards which is a show targeted to the kids and young teenagers who would most likely watch the film.  Marc Jacobs also did a display on Saks Fifth Avenue showing the theatrical view of peculiar children film by putting up portraits, clothing's and art to celebrate fashion and film in their exclusive collection.

Interviews

There was a Featurette Interview with Tim Burton that showed his visionary statement for the movie. On Youtube, there are different interviews of the cast members.

Partners

Where could audience view the adverts?

Buses

On some buses, for example, the ones below, the posters put on buses changed the characters from miss peregrine to the hollow which caught the attention of the people on the streets as it had an interesting feature and would interest them.

Other places that it could be viewed are on bus stop posters, trailers that are shown before films start at cinemas. On Youtube, they are played as advertisements before watching videos.

What aspects of the film were promoted to attract an audience?

The director Tim Burton is known for being a visionary director and it is shown throughout the trailer of how it looked aesthetically stunning with the different landscapes and making the fantasy aspect of the film. There is also the superhero element of the movie, as the characters have different powers and the hero element is added in the film trailer. Towards the end of the trailer, there is a bit of an action scene as the main character is shown fighting a monster, which leaves a suspense of what the theme of the movie is about and this attracts the audience attention.

In your opinion, which were the most effective marketing strategies?

The ads that appears before the start of a youtube video is very effective as it does not allow you to skip the ad thereby you have to watch and have an idea of the film through the clip in the ad. 

The use of social media for example the snapchat filters and the #staypeculiar becomes a trend that everyone can participate in, which allows the movie to get more publicity and a wider audience.

The posters on buses and bus stops help remind people of the film, and the new feature that was included to the posters allowing the changing of characters makes it catch the attention of the audience.

Which of these ideas could you 'steal' to market your gangster film?

The use of social media to start trends on the gangster film, or upload behind the scenes clips and videos around the making of the movie. This allows me to get an audience faster and target the audience through people who have similar interests linked to gangster movies through recommended posts. Trends can also start faster for  example, the use of the #staypeculiar. Due to the fact social media is online, it is available anywhere to a global audience. Social Media allows the audience to like, share, or add clips of the trailer or film to their own sites, meaning they could convince their friends or family to watch or recommend the gangster film.