Media Cover Work

American Gangster:



http://youtube.com/watch?v=QOSOYSLDuQE







Scarface:



http://youtube.com/watch?v=6dgbfjbm-po







American Gangser short MIGRAIN notes:

• Wearing suits, typical costume of the gangster genre




• Low key, natural lighting promoting dark kind of imagery or otherwise natural lighting used to create a more realisitc effect




• Gunshots in the trailer, using mainly pistols. Gangster genre tends to go with more automatic type of weapons that shoot alot of bullets together.




• Imagery of fire alongside protagonists face to possibly show his characteristics or his capabilities




• People smoking, typically seen in gangster movies. Gangster movies normally involve people smoking and therefore the fact that he is smoking could be seen as a negative influence as in society today there are issues to do with young people smoking and also there are many issues related with smoking as a cause of death. Also stacks of money being produced in order to connote a wealthy lifestyle, also him moving with his family into a big mansion




• Wearing bowler hats at times, shown as suspicious characters




• Hip hop music used in the background, not typical of the gangster genre, normally classical music used




• Russell Crowes character however does not wear a suit. Subverts the standard convention. He is rough looking and wears slightly rough looking clothers but that is probably because it is reflecting the society at the time which was also rough. NON-polished appearance, subversion.




• Barely any female characters to be seen, supporting the idea of a patriarchal society




• Major subversion in the sense that the protagonist is not American Italian, but is black! Criminal shown as a black man, reflective of society and the moral panic that has been created




• Family orientated man, typical of this particular genre




• Lavish lifestyle. Promoting a capitalistic society and linking to the idea that money brings happiness

Scarface short MIGRAIN notes:

• High use of the colour red! connoting danger and violence and also showing Al Pacinos face in red, therefore possibly connoting an unstable mind




• Protagonist wearing a suit, polished appearance




• Smoking as a casual thing to do




• Women are good looking and dressed in a manner to show that they are there just to look at. Laura Mulvey, "Male Gaze".




• Women also smoking, ciggerette can be seen as a phallic symbol, again re-inforcing the idea of a patriarchal society




• Lavish lifestyle, again a direct similarity between the two movies and again promoting capitalism and showing society as materialistic




• Familial ideologies as family being important is again a typical convention of these movies. Showing a marriage scene to create this ideology within the movie.




• Machine guns used, the type of guns normally used in gangster movies. Direct conflict with "American Gangster" as that film uses pistols more.




• Al Pacino's face apparent throughout the trailer, emphasis on the protangonist as he is the main selling point of the movie. This is because of the role he played in The Godfather.




• Here they also show stacks of money being produced, again showing the capitalistic ideologies and also shows "appeal" in possible illegal activities. Reflective possibly of increase in crime and stolen money

Other Related Texts:

• The Godfather (1972)




• The Departed (2006)




• Road To Perdition (2002)




• Donnie Brasco (1997)




• Snatch (2000) British movie, make comparisons with different country ideologies and are somethings typical of a genre? or typical of a genre within a certain industry?




• Resevoir Dogs (1992)




• Pulp Fiction (1994)




• City Of God (2002) Independent art house movie, in a completely different country, run down area and compare conventions, definitely not polished appearances!




• Goodfellas (1990)

Wider Contextual Issues:

• Crime in USA
• Deliberate use of black people in American Gangster to connote black people as criminals
• The rest mentioned above in the notes
  
  
  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. Both “American Gangster” (Ridley Scott, 2007) and Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983) both follow conventions of the “crime and gangster” genre but however they have differences as such which shows that aspects of the genre are changing with the views society is taking on it.
  In both trailers, the male gender is highly prominent and although women are shown, they take passive roles. The crime and gangster genre tends to support the idea of patriarchy and therefore the women in the film conform to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. In the Scarface trailer there are images of women dressed scantily and they are shown to be under the full control of men. Although there are not scantily dressed women in the American Gangster trailer, they take passive roles and are only seen rarely. The only occasions they are seen, is when they are looking worried, or seen as part of families. Another typical convention of the crime and gangster genre, is the familial ideology. The protagonists are always seen to be very family orientated. In American Gangster we see the protagonist Denzel Washington having dinner with a big family and also moving his family into a big house. In Scarface they show clips of the protagonist Al Pacino’s marriage and this again is re-enforcing a familial ideology.
  In both trailers it is also evident that they are living lavish lifestyles. In American Gangster they are seen moving into a mansion and in Scarface he is seen living in a beautiful looking palace and also seen in his own personal Jacuzzi. These images are re-enforced by the fact that both trailers show clips of stacks of money being produced and by doing this; both trailers are promoting a capitalist society. They are showing here that money is needed in order to achieve power and also happiness. This is an issue that is also apparent in society today as money is shown as something that ultimately will bring happiness. Adverts on TV are constantly promoting expensive products and showing them as if they are necessities for people, in order for them to be happy. These images are very typical of the crime and gangster genre and also have been apparent for quite a time almost emphasizing the fact that we live in a capitalistic society.
  There are however also some quite major differences. The crime and gangster genre has been most famous for having protagonists with polished appearances. In Scarface this is apparent as we see Al Pacino dressed smartly a lot of the time giving off a classy image. However in American Gangster there is a huge difference. The protagonist Denzel Washington is seen many times in causal clothing and Russell Crowe is very rough looking and this is something that is not stereotypically apparent in this particular genre. American Gangster is set in a rough area and the characters are also seen to reflect this at times. This however gives the film a more realistic feel as the mise-en-scene is reflected in the characters clothing and appearance. More realistic touch is added as natural lighting is used throughout the movie, again adding to the effect of realism. However Scarface is a lot more glorified. High key lighting is used when there are scenes inside the house to make the house look a lot more polished off and also to give high importance to the characters.
  Also stereotypically in this genre, Italian-american gangsters are used. However American Gangster uses a black actor as its protagonist. He also happens to be a criminal and therefore this is reflective of how society is at the moment. Black people in society today are stereotyped as criminals and this film re-enforces the ideologies that exist today. Also there is a possible link in the sense that hip hop music is used as the backing track for American Gangster and as black people are normally associated with that specific type of music, again they could be shown to be stereotyping. Hip hop music however is not typical of this particular genre. Normally they tend to use a small amount of music and depend on certain quotes to attract audiences, or they use classical music as these types of films are normally slow. A lot of characters are also constantly seen smoking. As these characters are seen as “cool” and are also worldwide recognized actors, this imagery can be seen as a negative effect on society. There are contemporary issues involving young people smoking and if they aspire to be like people they see in film, the actors and film makers are ultimately acting as negative influences. Audiences are seen as passive here and this links to the idea of hegemony being apparent in society today. The crime and gangster genre is one that is always glorified and shown as something very “cool”. This could be possible reasons as to why there are many issues with crime in society today as the films could prove inspiring to some and also many others may aspire to be like the actors they see on screen.