1.3 Personal Critical Response on 'Despicable Me'

Despicable Me? More Like Despicably Great!

BFI Imax, the best 3D experience ever created plus it has the title of having the biggest screen in Britain which is 20 metres high and 25 metres wide as well as holding up to 500 people. Carrying 11,600-watts to provide the perfect amount of digital surround-sound and to match it has a superb motion-picture projection system in the world; and will literally make you feel inside the film.

IMAX has an advance system that blows all the other three-dimensional system out of the water! The experience of Imax is an experience that is a ‘must see’ not a ‘should’ as its atmosphere is indescribable and could be summarised in one word mind-blowing! In addition to having the best system in the world, being placed in the heart Southbank makes the BFI IMAX such a spectacular location for tourists and other visitors who want to absorb the experience.

Inside the BFI IMAX lied red carpets across the floor giving you the mentally that you are a celebrity and deserve all the respect. The service was satisfactory as it was quite slow but the impact of that builds excitement making you more anxious. The pricing was quite expensive as it was £1.50 for a 500ml bottle of water! I assume that this is warning the viewers that you should never climb a mountain… without a credit card!

Universal introduces to us another breathtaking animated film illustrating to the audience that it doesn’t matter how evil you are; there is going to be love somewhere! Being the first three dimensional film to be shown in the IMAX; Universal had to bring the big guns out the blow away the other Universal animated films and to show the other films that they have got serious competition. ‘Despicable Me’ is a film that contains numerous humour scenes that make you lungs feel like their about to explode, emotional scenes that could stuff you up with passion, and creative scenes that will make you fell inevitable; what do you think about that?

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, ‘Despicable Me’ has a magnificent story line about three orphans who get adopted and are willing to make an effort to creative a strong relationship; But do you think this is possible with villainous Gru? Wanting to maintain the title of the world’s evilest villain Gru contructs a diabolical plan to steal the shrink ray from the intelligent and nerdy Vector so his original plan could continue which was stealing the moon!

‘Despicable Me’ engages the audience with their groofy and childish charcaters which are called Minions. The minions play a key role in the play as they are used for humour because of the way they talk and the way they fight. The Minions also are used to keep the attention of the younger viewers as they are colourful and catch the youngsters’ interest because they are always moving around.

Without any hesitation ‘Despicable Me’ has to be one of the best Universal animated films but the standard was no way near Disney’s Pixar standard because Pixar films obtain such a immense quality that you could remember the film from beginning to end even if you watched the film two years ago: but ‘Despicable me’… I struggle to remember all of the film and I only watched it one week ago!

1.3 Research on film reviews

To get my information about how to structure my film review and what I should include in my film review I looked at some website the specialises in doing this.

Looking at 'Rotten Tomatoes' they have a 'tomatometer' on the left of the page which shows the person percentage of tomato critics that have given the film a positive review. Underneath the tomatometer is the number of critics who reviewed the film as well as how many people thought it was fresh (good) or rotten (bad). This is good for people who want to say the film as they could see from this site how many positive views there is about the films hence letting the audience know if the film is good or bad.
On the right of the page is audience feedback about the film which shows the percentage of people that liked it, the average rating of the film and the number of people who rated the film. This is a good idea as it shows what the professionals think about the film as well as what the audience think about the film. You get two different types of feedback making it easier to the audience to make the decision on watching the film.
In the middle of the page, there is a bar which indicates how many people like the film and underneath it is a short sentence talking about the film. The sentence doesn’t give too much detail about the film trying to make the audience go and watch the film.

The Telegraph review on the despicable me seems to be structured well as it has short paragraphs to keep the audience engaged. The review talks about the film but only short scenes as it tells the audience a bit about the film without giving too much information.

1.2 Research roles in London and information about artists met

Research roles in London

Architect

What is an Architect?

An Architect is someone who works in the construction industry and design new buildings. Architects also re-establish old buildings and develop new ways of using existing buildings. They mainly involved in the early stages construction projects.
Salaries may range from around £25,000 a year up to £100,000 or more for partners and directors.

Responsibilities

As an architect, you need to be able to design buildings, which are structurally safe, but you will also be responsible for the creation of a structure that is pleasing. Architects have the responsibility of meeting deadlines and everyone around them, from surveyors and engineers to bricklayers and plasterers, will be working to a tight schedule, and they will have to bear these factors in mind when planning construction.

Firms/companies

• Arc 3 Architects & Surveyors
• ARUP
• Gregory Phillips
• Dxigner
• GRC Landscape

Qualifications

need at least two subjects at A level or one A and two AS levels, which should be drawn from academic fields of study. In addition you must have passed at least five GCSEs which include English Language, Mathematics and a double award at science, or a separate science such as Physics or Chemistry. Many Schools of Architecture also accept GNVQ, International Baccalaureate, BTEC National Diploma, Access Course and other further education qualifications.

Graphic designer

What is a Graphic designer?

Graphic designers create designs that get their clients' messages across with high visual impact. They work on a huge variety of products, including websites, packaging, books and magazines, advertising, exhibitions and displays, and computer games.
Salaries may range from around £11,000 to £65,000 a year.

Responsibilities

• Create multiple design options for clients.
• Understand project requirements and stick to client specifications.
• Create and design advertising circular page layouts.
• Create sale signs with strong concepts and designs.
• Assist and support software engineers in executing projects successfully and
on time.
• Execute pixel-accurate designs including clean psd files.
• Use processes, tools and control systems to deliver projects on time.
• Meet deadlines while executing designing projects.

Company/firms

• KD web
• So Creative
• Cucumber Design
• Eight in the Middle
• Professional Presentations

Qualifications
HND or degree-level study is rare without first completing a foundation degree or BTEC national course in art and design. Any design-based course will give you a good grounding and knowledge of design/art history, printing techniques, etc.


Contemporary dancer

What is a contemporary dancer?

Contemporary dancers style is of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.

Responsibilities

• Stretch more than once a day
• Maintain a good weight with dieting
• Train the students and attend auditions and casting sessions.
• Create, discuss and interpret choreography
• Learn and use other skills such as singing and acting for performing many roles in musical theatre and other functions.
• Take care of the health and safety of the students, who comes for the dancing sessions.

Company/firms

• Londondance.com
• London contemporary dance school
• Candoco
• DV8 Physical theatre
• Rambert dance company

Qualifications

Need a dance degree and 5 GCSEs A or above.


Session Musician

What is a session musician?

A session musician is a talented instrumentalist who works alongside established solo artists or bands for a short-term period in order to record and play music.

Responsibilities

• Timely arrival at recording studio or rehearsal studio.
• Effectively perform specially made musical arrangements to mixing desk Contribute partly or wholly to the writing of the specific arrangement.
• Provide musical instrument and associated equipment to complete the task.
• Assist sound engineer and producer with recording and mix-down.
• Work tirelessly, often for long hours, until the part is completed
satisfactorily.

Firm/companies

• Vocalist
• Starnow
• EMI
• Ark 21 records
• 4 A D

Qualifications

• GCSE A level (A2) in two subjects, or a Rockschool Level 3 Music Practitioner qualification (96 credits), or a National Diploma in a relevant subject area (Music, Performing Arts etc.);
• Passes at GCSE level (grades A*-C) in four different subjects, two of which must be English Language and Mathematics, or acceptable qualification equivalents.
Acceptable qualification equivalents:
• Two AS (A1) passes will be deemed equivalent to one A level (A2) pass;
• A pass in a high-grade instrumental examination in combination with a pass in grade 5 Music Theory is equivalent in this instance to an A Level (A2) pass.


Journalist

What is a Journalist?

Journalists seek out news and bring it to the public as quickly as possible. They aim to present stories in a clear, engaging style.
A journalist may:
• Attend press launches, courts, council meetings and other events
• Interview people by phone or in person
• Respond to tip-offs, calls and news releases
• Record notes in shorthand or on tape and write stories up on computer.

Responsibilities

Legal Responsibility
Journalists face important legal responsibilities. They should know their rights and the rights of each individual, and they should be sure they are compliant with legal issues.
Social Responsibility
These events are presented in the form of pictures and articles. It is the duty of a journalist to make sure the information is presented in a fair, balanced and truthful manner.
Professional Responsibility
A journalist has a professional responsibility to present an accurate portrayal of events as they occur. This usually is accomplished through excellent and thorough research.
Reporting the News
Journalists are responsible for being active in their community. They learn to
uncover facts and know what is relevant and useful before it is printed.

Companies/Firms

• London school of journalism
• University of the arts
• City University department of journalism
• Themes valley university

Qualifications

• National Certificate Examination
• Certificate in journalism
• Diploma in journalism

Actor

Who is an actor?

The job of an actor is to bring to life characters created by playwrights and scriptwriters. They interpret their role with guidance from a director and either
performs in front of a live audience in a theatre setting, or for TV, radio or film.

Responsibilities

• Live in the characters being portrayed as an actor.
• Entertain audiences with acting skills.
• Study and learn hard the dance, movements, speech, voice and pantomime.
• Make the audiences believe they are the real characters they portray.
• Learn hard a variety of acrobatics for stunt scenes.
• Perform in television commercials and short films as an actor.
• Learn all aspects of film production as an actor.
• Learn all about the stage techniques as an actor for theater performance.
• Attend rehearsals and acting classes to become a perfect natural actor.

Akala and his agent Chanelle Newman

Akala is a British recording artist who has his own independent label with Chanelle. Chanelle worked with Sony but was very disappointed about how the company was ran and made a huge decision to leave so and work with akala. Akala joined the music industry because both of his parents worked in showbusiness and his older sister was in the music industry as well.

Kevin Leo

Kevin Leo is a vocal trainer and is also a songwriter who has worked with artist like JLS and the sugarbabes. His happy in his line of work and says his hours are both long and short depending the artists he has worked with.

Marcel Pusey

Marcel went to academic school then started his career in Australia to start his career in college in jazz music. When he came back to England, he decided to make study business and then started his label. He is currently a recording artist.

Paul Mardles

Paul is a journalist and works as a sub editor. He was an editor for a magazine called jokky slut and wrote about music by asking well-known artist’s questions. He also wrote about different cultures and sports and he think his job is fun because he talks to big artists and write about the conversation but for a negative expresses how difficult it is to meet deadlines and how he has to improvise when people don’t say a lot.
Paul started writing when he was a child then worked his way up to talking about personal lives and his advise to people who want to be a journalist is to reading lots of books and newspapers.

Marcina Arnold

She’s a vocal coach. Marcina Arnold is a London based singer/songwriter/percussionist, born of Scottish and South African roots. She did a task with us involving a song from the blues and made us join in with the singing.

1.1 list of sources

Performing Arts: The Globe

http://www.shakespearesglobe.org/exhibitiontour/abouttheexhibition/

Talks about the different exhibitions
The page goes into more detail e.g the different types of tours

http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/abouttheglobe/

Talks about the origin of The Globe
Shows other links about The Globe and how it began.

Art and Photography: Tate Modern

http://www.tate.org.uk/about/

Tells you the purpose of Tate Modern
Has other links to contact them and the government and funding

Film: IMAX

http://www.bfi.org.uk/about/whatwedo.html

Talks about different information about the BFI IMAX and the origins of it.

Southbank Centre

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/about-us

Tells you what is offered at the Southbank Centre

Southbank London

http://www.southbanklondon.com/index.php?pid=2

Talks about the location and what is offered

1.1 Review of southbank scene

Southbank Art Scene

What is southbank?

Southbank is a centre that offers a wide range of programmes like music, art and visual art plus many more! Southbank Centre consists of the Royal Festival Hall that specialises in music, the Hayward Gallery that show the finest pieces of art, Queen Elizabeth Hall for the posh and classy people who enjoy listening to opera and choirs. The southbank also involves the Saison Poetry Library and also deal with the Arts Council Collection and organises the National Touring Exhibition programme in venues throughout the UK.
Situated on the south bank of the River Thames next to the popular BA London Eye, Southbank Centre is at the heart of an arts quarter stretching from the Royal National Theatre and National Film Theatre to Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe.

Popularity of the Southbank

Great deals!
The well-known Southbank has many different cultures of food, which makes it great in magnetizing tourists, and people who like to try something new. As we walked along the alleyway of southbank we noticed a women who was attempting to draw new blood by handing a leaflet which was advertising ‘Yo! Sushi” by giving out an outstanding deals quoting ‘Pay £10 and get five plates free!’

No need to walk

Another since of popularity in southbank bank is that people assume that you can’t see all of the southbank in one day so they offer a new public transport which is suppose to revolutionise the London transport called ‘Cycle Hire.’ This allows you to rent a bicycle and use it as long as you want for a reasonable price as long as you are a member. This is great as you can see cycle around the southbank, exploring the area, and when your ready to leave, just quickly put the bank safely away and carry on your journey back home.

Role models

In remembrance of our great leaders, Southbank has statue of Nelson Mandela to show the tourist all his great quote and what he did. To me this is great chance for people who don’t know about the excellent leaders who did great things so I think the dark colours stand out from the bright colours which will attract the people walking by to read it.

Attractions of Southbank

Walking around Southbank has so many different creative ways to try draw tourists passing by, and statues and landmarks that make it impossible to stop and not take a picture but in addition to that, there is something that makes tourists go to the Southbank in the first place... the different sort of creative and media buildings.
Each building in the Southbank has its own different image on creative and media such as:
Art and Photography:- Tate Modern
Performing Arts (Theatre):- The Globe
Film:- IMAX British Film Institue (BFI)
Music:- Royal Festival Hall

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is the national gallery which is based on international modern art. Tate Modern is one of the families of four Tate galleries which display selections from the Tate Collection. Created in the year 2000, Tate Modern was built on the disused power station in the heart of London. Tate Modern includes modern British art where it contributes to the story of modern art, so major modern British artists may be found at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
Tate Modern has a variety of ways to get there including by boat! Yes I said boat! Relax on a ride cruising along the river themes coming from Tate Britain to Tate Modern, don’t worry if you missed the boat, it comes every 40 minutes! How amazing is that?

Although the year of 2010 has not even ended yet, exhibitions are being prepared for 2011 the creator could look his best for certain number of days or mouths. An example of this is “Gabriel Orozco’s” exhibition which is going on between 19 January to 25 April 2011 showing the audience Orozco’s work and sculptures. Gabriel Orozco’s was known as ‘Creative, playful and inventive’ which is a remarkable use of triples that would make the audience think why is he called this and make them visit the exhibition and finally, you are still able to book tickets whilst to exhibitions are still taking place... tremendous!

The Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is an only one of its kind worldwide resource devoted to the examination of Shakespeare's work and the theatre for which he wrote, through performance and education. The Globe Theatre Company, Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition and Globe Education seek to further the experience and international understanding of Shakespeare in performance.
The Globe shows a large amount of dedication for education as the globe is used for entertainment and educational purposes (for students to have a better understanding of Shakespeare’s language). Since education plays a key part in the globe, they offer a booking plan for groups (15 or more) to encourage schools to come and watch one of Shakespeare’s plays to understand the language and dress sense they had plus being involved with the workshop.

A London premiere of the new print of Sven Gade’s film with live piano accompaniment. This is a film about a hero who was born a girl but raised as a boy, as part of a family determined to retain the crown in the aftermath of war.
Sven Gade’s startling reinvention of the play provides a remarkable exploration of the European psyche in the wake of the First World War. Asta Nielsen, who plays the title character, was one of the leading actors of her generation and a role model for Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich.

BFI

The BFI (British Film Institute) promotes understanding and approval of film and television tradition and culture. Established in 1933, the BFI runs a range of activities and services. The BFI cares for the world's richest and most significant collection of film and television.
The BFI IMAX is well-known for its holding the record of having the largest screen in the UK in the Southbank. The London IMAX was designed by Bryan Avery with his company Avery Associates Architects and finally completed in May 1999. The size of screen 20m high and 26m wide and to compare to the size the seating capacity holds up to 500 seats and so each person could have a perfect sound experience, the IMAX has 12,000 Watts of digital surround sound system.
Although the site is surrounded by traffic and has an underground line just four metres below, the architects and engineers accounted for this in their design and the entire upper structure sits on anti vibration bearings to prevent noise transference.
Although the BFI IMAX sounds so amazing and mind-blowing, me and my class decided to go to Southbank and see what is so special it and I could confidently confirm that the BFI IMAX is the best film experience I’ve ever had. Details about who we talked to are below:
Miss Charlie Roberts
School and group
Booking manager
1 charlie chaplin

Royal Festival Hall

Constructed in 1951, the royal festival hall stands in the heart of the southbank centre. The royal festival hall is made to present music performances As well as the auditorium, the building consists of The Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre Shop, several places to eat and drink, and the Saison Poetry Library.
Royal Festival Hall is open daily from 10am-11pm. Entry to Southbank Centre and to all our buildings is free, and you are welcome to come into our Foyer spaces and enjoy the atmosphere with or without a ticket.

Map

Photos at the Southbank