Category: Reminiscents

The Witch, the Saint and the Bitch

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People who are used to me would be aware of my obsession with powerful people in history. In this case, BBC’s new series The White Queen, based on Philippa Gregory’s novels, is a look at historical fiction, taking on the role of the women in the War of the Roses. The tagline, being “Men go to battle, Women wage war,” transforms historical characters such as Elizabeth Woodville (and the female members of her family) into witches, Margaret Beaufort into a pious saint-wannabe and Anne Neville as the one to manipulate Richard III into taking his nephews’ throne. I am normally one to support the feminist movement, empowering women and what not, but I don’t think the producers of the new show quite got it right.

It’s not that I disapprove with the fictional influence on the popular story of the York-Lancaster conflict, but I do criticise the sloppy combination of three novels into a single plot line, a distant attempt on emulating the success of the Game of Thrones series (I suppose). The title itself, “The White Queen”, abandons the “Red Queen” and the “Kingmaker’s daughter,” and we are given the assumption that the only protagonist to follow is Elizabeth. Even worse is the poor establishment of Margaret and Anne’s stories, introducing them only through their initial interactions with the White Queen. One of the things that made the GOT series successful, is its ability to isolate and integrate each protagonist’s stories into the plot, which TWQ failed at.

Lastly, the Brechtian element of stretching the story over a long period of time (in this case, the years of the Wars of the Roses), was going to be a disadvantage in the proper aging of the actors. The kids’ transformation through different actors is appropriate, but using makeup to keep the  the budget to a minimum and  persisting with the same actors for the older casts was simply annoying, incredibly frustrating.

I would still recommend the show to anyone who enjoys history. Of course, do not expect it to be anywhere near accurate (there’s freaking witches!) it is still an enjoyable option for your downtime.

Obsessions

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From Game of Thrones to House of Cards, Heroes to Charmed, and even Tomb Raider, I have always been obsessed with the same character archetypes from childhood. What does this wildly varied assortment of content have in common?

Power.

Whether they are born into power or through the manipulation of the system, there is something about the idea of being superior and being privileged to rights that only I do, that makes my juices flow. I hope this does not lead people to assuming my character as power-hungry or desperate, but it would certainly speak for my need to strive for excellence and settle for perfection. I have always been the type of person who does everything he can to work proficiently towards a wonderful outcome, or the extreme opposite of absolutely relaying all responsibility and trying to be as lazy as I could be. Traits that aren’t  the best socially, for sure.

Beyond the idea of being born into power,  ambition is even more effective in holding my interests. Manipulating the system for personal gain is morally wrong, but it never ceases to turn me on.

Explains my obsession with House Tyrell in Game of Thrones. Growing Strong.

Intertextuality

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In the pretext of applying the concept of intertextual studies to my learning, the idea of sharing my exploits in creating TV for Broadcast media on my blog is suggested by Elliot. Considering that creating media is my passion and reflection is not, this would be a minimalist initial attempt at such.

Having created short films since 2010, I wouldn’t say that I had any trouble with the actual production side of things. I confess that as a solo film maker, I had my problems having to rely on other people’s availability, but I sincerely believe that it all turned out really well. The idea of representing an organisation (RMIT) and communicating with other organisations such as Sensis and St. Michael’s Grammar School purposefully, gave me a sense of pride in what I do, rather than amateur projects I have been involved in the past. The post-production side of things, however, is something I only became aware of recent times. I mostly acquired my proficiency with Adobe Premiere through experimentation at the beginning of the year, having relied on other people to do my editing in the past for me.

A massive event that would influence my career in film making, however, is my very first attempt at using green screen. This is a thought that every amateur film maker and media man would think of as professional, although it is proven to me as easier than I thought it would be. Through experimentation and the gift of You Tube tutorials, I was able to create a substantial segment opening appropriate to our host program, ABC’s Behind the News. Adobe After Effects was always something I shied away from, but this first step towards advanced editing and animation inspires me to pursue this course of learning.

One thing about film making that I desperately profess as a weakness and that this assignment has not helped whatsoever, is the use of lighting. I am a purveyor of wonderful stories and am aware of the importance of lighting in framing a scene but it is not yet something that I am capable of achieving. Perhaps future projects may do the same thing this one did for me.