Post 9: Research - A Film

POST 9: I'VE WATCHED A FILM

For research, our teacher decided that we should get some ideas from the basis of all music videos,films. So, from the vast number of films on the shelves in our media studies classroom, he chose a film he thought we would enjoy and had a similiar baseline that we were aiming on for our courswork, for each of us and told us watch and review the film. I got the movie, 'Rushmore'.

RUSHMORE (1988)

• Facts:
• Director: Wes Anderson
• Cast: Jason Swartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Mason Gamble
• Release Date: 20 August 1999
• Budget: $9,000,000 (estimated)
• Gross: $17,096,053 (11 June 1999)

What had you ever heard of this film before?

I had heard of this film before my teacher gave it to me, because I had known the director (Wes Anderson) from his other films and had been recommened to watch this one as well, but had never really got round to it. I love the Wes' other films, The Grand Budepest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom and The Royal Tenebaums and so assumed this one would be just as great. I wasn't surprised that it was.

What happened in it?

Max Fischer is a precocious 15-year-old whose reason for living is his attendance at Rushmore, a private school where he's not doing well in any of his classes, but where he's the king of extracurricular activities - from being in the beekeeping society to writing and producing plays, there's very little after school he doesn't do. His life begins to change, however, when he finds out he's on academic probation, and when he stumbles into love with Miss Cross, a pretty teacher of the elementary school at Rushmore. Added to the mix is his friendship with Herman Blume, wealthy industrialist and father to boys who attend the school, and who also finds himself attracted to Miss Cross. Max's fate becomes inextricably tied to this odd love triangle, and how he sets about resolving it is the story in the film.

What did you enjoy?

- I felt like it was a simple plot but the storyline had depth and different layers to it as well
- I liked the characters and how the actors portrayed them (especially Jason Swartzman who played Max Fischer becuase the arrogance and blind stupidity can be really hard to pull off)
- I really enjoyed the comparison between the private school and the local comprehensive
- The style of the film with the colours and setting that suited the environment and

What didn't you enjoy?

- The arrogance of the character but i think that it adds to the personality and I don't like arrogant people in general so to see that trait in the protaganist, it can be hard for the audience to like him
- There's nothing else I didn't like about this movie but I thought maybe the original 'stamp mark' of Wes Anderson that people like so much, wasn't shown like it is in Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budepest Hotel. For instance, standing and talking into the camera, or having everything so neat in the setting of the film wasn't used as much. 

Anything you would like to use as stimulus/ ideas for your music video?

I love the style of these movies that Anderson makes, but I think copying a certain style isn't what makes a movie or music video great so it isn't really something I can use as such but I think that for our music video, seeing as we have our idea, the movie helped distinguish what kind of style I want it to be. I also love the relationships between the charcters he constucts and I know those aren't the same I want to portray in our coursework but I know that having that personal factor on screen is important if you want to connect with your audience and have a story in a music video. 

Would you recommend the film to anyone else?

Yes, I would recommend this film to another person who hadn't seen this before. I think The person would have to like this sort of taste of Anderson's film style but nevertheless, I would 100% recommened this film to anyone else. 

LR