A Clash of Epics: 300: Rise of an Empire & Noah

A Clash of Epics: 300: Rise of an Empire & Noah

     After an intensely long hiatus from Petrozza’s Ladder, I have decided to test the waters once more after much coaxing from fellow film friends and aficionados. After about a year and a half of putting reviews of films on my facebook profile I figure it is time to resurrect this old thing and put it to fun use. So enjoy.

     What better way to kick off this blog again than to start with a pairing of films that fall under my favorite genre, ye olde Sword and Sandal Epics!! Today we have what can be known as nothing else but a Parallequel to Frank Miller’s 300 and a creative and bold retelling of a Biblical Legend. Both films in their own right have surpassed and created new definitions to the genre of sword and sandal epics through their overall style and creative liberties with history and legend. So lower your sails and raise your shields, for when both epics take place on torrid waters, there is bound to be adventure!

300: Rise of an Empire

     As many a reviewer will tell you, Hollywood’s history of releasing a good sequel or prequel to a franchise film is quite a fickle beast, often smashing profits on to the rocks; that being said, 300:ROE takes a different and compelling narrative route, so as to not alienate the first time watcher and to still excite the eager 300 fan. 300 and 300:ROE run on PARALLEL STORYLINES!

     In making this genius move 300:ROE was able to introduce a slew of new ideas and styles to the battle epic, while still maintaining the ‘artfully violent’ medium that everyone devoured in the original picture. 300:ROE takes us away from the battle-hardened city-state of Sparta and over to the capitol of archaic democracy, Athens, now under threat by the tidal wave of Xerxes's onslaught.

     Unlike the original 300 Spartans, the motivations and philosophies of the Athenian soldier vary from our expected testosterone-driven hoplites who kick people into holes. The lead character is a warrior and naval commander hell-bent on the protection of all Greeks from this foreign invasion. Knowing he has an army made up of farmers, militia, and tradesmen, he must take his battles to the sea and use guile to overcome the armada of the film’s, and in my opinion, one of Hollywood’s most awesome female villains in a terribly long time, Artemisia.

     Now let’s move away from any more info on that (because the movie will tell you the rest) and on to some of the artistic and narrative choices. In 300 we saw some intense saturation and sepia tones of reds, maroons, and blacks, as well as a great use of artistically texturing blood in an almost matte style. This lent itself beautifully to the original Graphic Novel style of hard shadows, gory fights, and intense close-ups. 300:ROE has kept much of the style but changed the palette to justify the Athenian and naval theme with cold blue’s and turquoise tones. As an added dynamic, we notice the blood is given  a glossy shine. Much of the film takes place on torrid, stormy seas so I suppose they thought it was appropriate; However, I was not a fan of the glossy blood effect, it made those slow motion death strokes a little distracting, almost as if the blood had a shiny bald spot, but that is a small detail.

     As for narrative, 300:ROE builds the tension of its story alongside the battle of Thermopylae, yet still gaining intensity on its own front as the Athenians face sword and fire on land and sea. The film lends a creative and dynamic contrast to the first film by taking the battle to the water, which I believe was a much needed move. Too many sword and sandal battles happen on land, the only exception being pirate films, so it is very refreshing to see the use of naval tactics mixed with romantically artistic face to face combat.

     As for casting, I thought all the choices were great, it is good to see some familiar, yet not too familiar faces grace lead roles in the film such as Sullivan Stapleton and Hans Matheson. This really helped in acquiring a mystery and organic approach to developing a character through audience discovery. That being said, the woman who stole the entire show was the deadly and beautiful Eva Green as Artemisia. For a long time I have been disappointed at the ill or clumsy use of female characters, especially the villains, but for some reason, every time Eva Green graces the screen with her intense gaze and seductive yet foreboding voice I cannot help but wonder why she isn’t in more films. Green really captures the pent up vengeance of a tortured soul with the ambition, mythos, and military mind of a Hellenistic commander. Her presence on screen is powerful, and not because of her muscles! She is shown to be very short and slender in the film, so much of the fear she instills is in her Napoleonic ambition and wrath. It is hard to explain perfectly, but to be quite honest, we’d all be in serious trouble if her and Darth Vader ever got married. 

     Before I finish this, there’s a sex scene that really takes Oscar Wilde’s quote on Sex and Power very literally, and it is a great scene.

     Overall, this film was brilliant entertainment, I would argue just as good as 300. As for history people bitching and complaining about inaccuracies, I’m just going to sit here and stare at you for a bit and enjoy how much pain you are in over a film mainly based on a comic.

Noah

     I can honestly say that a new type of alternative genre has been born through the making of this film. Darren Aronofsky has taken some great liberties on an age old legend and brought new light to approaching religious tales. The secret? Don’t look at them as religion! Look at them as creation stories, myths, fables and legends, passed down over centuries to the point that they have entered the realm of fantasy, and that is exactly what he did. Noah has melded the gap between religious epics and the fantasy genre in a creative and moving dialogue through the dark controversial realms of fire and brimstone and good God, bad God (well in the bible’s chronology, the other way around :p).

     The overall design, lore, and narrative had a wonderful hybrid of fantastical themes that I would like to coin as…..

Wait for it….

BIBLE PUNK!!!!

     Now hear me out, I know there’s bible punk music, but that’s not what I mean. In the fantastical styles of cyber, and steam punk there now needs to be room for another alternative style. A style which uses angelic light as a volatile yet useable source of energy, and where the elemental beings cast out by ‘the creator’ still roam the earth as a tribe of rock ents (pretty much). The film also shows a pangea-like world that is caught in a pre-apocalyptic limbo of Iron Age industrialism (check out those iron welding helmets!) and creationist (in a hippie kind of way) guardians. It is actually a tonne cooler than it sounds and the special effects are astounding, it is certainly the kind of film you want to see in AVX.

     As for casting, I was quite surprised at the choice of Russell Crowe; although I love his work I did not expect him to be cast in this role, but once the story takes off you can really see that gentle giant-meets-raging bull surface in all the right parts. Emma Watson is also in it, and of course she is great in it but the film does not revolve around her, as I was worried it might, but she plays an integral role in testing Noah’s moral grounds. An honourable mention also goes to the very quirky role of Methuselah who is played by Anthony Hopkins, and Ray Winstone who plays the animalistic ‘son of cain’ Tubal. Everyone played their part well and although the film does stretch a whole 2 hours and 20 minutes the change in stakes and plot intensity give it a very seamless flow.

     So if you want to see what Waterworld could have been like if it was written in biblical times and then plunged into a new alternative fantasy genre, you should check it out. It was quite an intense and heavy film, minus the happy and preachy attitude that old bible films took (which doesn’t mean I don’t like Ben Hur or The 10 Commandments, they are still spectacular and unbeatable in their genre).

Well, that was a mouthful for an intro back to Petrozza’s ladder! Be sure to comment, like, subscribe, and all that good stuff.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

    

"Let's Do Lunch" Los Angeles, Film School and Employment Reality

One of the greatest turn offs for most people when it comes to getting into the film and media industry is the intense competition...in ways this competition is a stigma that transcends tonnes of cynical students and interested parties who have not been able to get in, or, have not made the right effort.

During my first trip to Los Angeles this summer I had the opportunity to meet up with an industry worker who is in development at a major television production company (sorry guys, won't say who) over some nice dinner with them I was given the raw description of how competitive and cutthroat the industry can be when integrating. It involves long hours and extreme amounts of overtime and ambition. You need to love your work and be determined to get where you want to go. As a Canadian, it would pretty much mean little to have my PA credentials in my resume if I am applying in LA, they want people who know people, and who have worked and experienced their system......the *cue angelic music* THE STUDIO SYSTEM.

this does not bother me one bit.

I am a fan of the idea that as long as I can network and get my name out there enough, someone will eventually bite. You have to try everything, get a good position at a film festival as a volunteer and non-intrusively network (which means wait for their card, don't give them yours), or get into a film program in the united states in the big Two film maker factories: The New York Film Academy (Spielberg, Pacino, etc) and UCLA (Mr Lucas...need I say more?) and from there grab entry level jobs through teaching connections. Fresh, keen and able hands on set are always wanted and if you are determined enough to work your way up, you can have your shots at the big jobs.

After Touring Universal Studios and Warner Brothers I was completely flabbergasted to be passing and walking on the sound stages of shows like Ellen, Chuck, Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half men, and see the recreated sets of the War of the Worlds, Jaws, and the lots of Spiderman, The Mentalist and countless others. Knowing that these worlds and characters can be fabricated as an industry of imagination blows my mind and entices me more to work my way to becoming a Hollywood film maker. I apologize to those filmies out there who love their independent and guerrilla film making ways, sticking it to the American studio 'Man', but I am a lover of the mainstream, trapped in an independent world.

Because of this an amazing friend of mine decided to kidnap me for a weekend and took me to the open house of the New York Film Academy. She wanted me to see the possibilities of working with real production tools and learn the ropes of starting my film making career. After taking the tour, hearing the programs, and the potential to study either in New York, LA, or half and half, I was pretty much bought on the idea of learning the competitive ropes of my art in the Mecca of Movies, and because of that trip, I feel I have found my escape.

Many are intimidated by the cameras, lighting, and technicalities of being in film school, but learning by experimentation and careful instruction is a great way to start, and that is what you do in film school. What you gradually learn in a field over months or years you learn in weeks. If you are creative but not very technical or vice verse, they fill in the blanks and sculpt you into a creative and technical film maker with the actual tools of the trade, from 16 and 35 mm to HD.

Never hold back because it is too expensive or too hard, work an extra job and take a year to film and build a portfolio, apply for film school, volunteer, ANYTHING....just don't give up.

Because if you do give up, you give someone else a chance, and every time you see a bad movie, you will know you could have made one better. Hahahaha, well, maybe not the best guilt trip phrase but you get the picture.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog on scoring and shot organization which will include some behind the scenes leaks of FDNN

Christian A.V. Petrozza

Editing Trailers, and the Webseries 'Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights'

Ever since I remember wanting to get into film (high school) I always gawked for days at the trailers of my most anticipated up-and-coming films, watching the previews twice or more a day to get pumped for the film. The fact that even after investing a couple of hours worth a month just re-watching these trailers and showing them to friends etc. continues remind me how impressive and fun it must be to be a trailer editor.


Trailers are more commonly known as previews, they show us some exciting plot points and enticing information about the film without giving too much away. In order to keep people excited for the film, I find most blockbusters leave you with a common phrase or image to remember the film by. For example, Avatar constantly had posters of profile shots of the Navi and recently, the Robin Hood trailer, one of my most anticipated films in a long time, has the fantastic use of phrase as Ridley Scott films usually do "Rise and Rise again, Until Lambs Become Lions". The phrase alone leaves shivers down my spine.

I kept these things in mind when editing my trailer for the webseries Fuzzy Days, Noir Nights,(FDNN) which will be released September 2010. Through the process of reading through the scripts, mapping out a Trailer Plot summary, and adding a few sounds, I realized how much fun and how little time it took me to edit it. I spent about 4 hours over two days putting together the trailer and the only proplem was trying to show exciting parts without giving things away.

So here's a few tips.
-if it's a show or series, put enticing and exciting shots out of episodal sequence, this keeps them guessing.
-play with your video effects like fade to white, brightness, simple stuff.
-make sure the people or the camera is moving during each shot when the plot picks up, keep it fresh and use as many angles as possible
-music is key, it drives the preview as much as the occasional dialogue. So as the grail crusader once said "choose, but, choose wisely"
-be sure to put a fresh character in the next shot, or at least a shot where they are in a completely different setting and costume, keep the colour flow constant, human attention spans are low, damn plebs ( :-) ).

But as far as I can tell they are the easiest promotional tool to get people to stay tuned and they can make or break a film. Now here are some production stills from FDNN and an awesome trailer for Robin Hood. Take note, this is what awesome looks like.



Christian A.V. Petrozza

BACK ON TRACK: Fedora's, Trench Coats, Small Towns, and Big Houses

So after the Successful screening of Pretty Boys and Dabbling In Histories: Now and Sven at the Next Generation Film Festival I am finally free of my academic obligations. I will have a copy of Pretty Boys delivered today and I will post at some point on Vimeo, but until then Dabbling is on youtube.

With the release of these huge projects which turned out amazing and after several awesome nights of celebrating with film people after two years of being limited due to my Athletic Obligations (which I don't mind at all, love you fencing people) I am finally able to get back to the long arduous task of continuing to capture the last 4 hours of the new webseries coming soon. By the end of the month, with some help from a friend, I will have a trailer ready.

But until then stay tuned and I shall continue to keep you all updated on the webseries and its post production. But in the meantime,if you have not seen it already, here is my animation.





Christian A.V. Petrozza

Kill The Bird: Tweeting and Texting Television Travesties

Ever since texting took flight in the cell phone universe it immediately jumped on a social text bar that was strapped on the bottom of every Much Music video full of teenagers posting random comments like 'I love ya Tina" or "Play Rick Astley! lol!" Now with the birth of a new social network God, Twitter decided to overblow their expanse from the internet to TV. Twitter has already done this during hit shows like Fringe and Glee. This idea was also exploited during the Michael Jackson Memorial.

Now I understand in comparison to music video text bars twitter posts relevant comments to the programming, but does anyone really give two tweets about 'Randoguy58's' concern about who will bring the moonwalk back. Many viewers shared horrified sentiments with the TV Tweet trend when it appeared on Fringe and Glee, and it was soon pulled. Like many who have blogged or commented, the Tweets were distracting to the audience despite the Tweets being from production crews and the actors.

This 'lower-third-social-information' impedes on the asthetics of watching and enjoying the romance, action, and suspense, let alone the suspension of disbelief of the shows we watch. I would hate to be watching Battlestar Galactica if Edward James Olmos had tweets popping up during an exciting spaceship battle.

This Twitter bird has also flown its way to IBM who has patent the Tweet remote, so people can ramble about watching television while watching television, this spelled a nightmare come true for many TV lovers who are afraid that it will encourage shows to have more live feeds on the show. Although IBM is working on this technology the annoyance with this idea may kill the Remote before it gets the green light.

Television has always given the comfort of escapism within the comfort of your own home, we do not need little tweets to interrupt our fantasies and pleasures.

Christian A.V. Petrozza

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