127 Hours

Director: Danny Boyle

Year: 2010

Starring: James Franco, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn

WARNING: MAJOR PLOT SPOILER

Synopsis:

High octane adrenalin junky Aron Ralston believes he’s invincible and can do anything unaided whilst on an adventure holiday. In the film, Aron refers to the great outdoors as being his “second home”. On Saturday, 26^th April 2003, Aron decides to trek alone through the remote Blue John Canyon, and like many other treks in the past, he neglects to tell anyone about his destination. Unfortunately, on this particular trek, he slips down a small crevasse, a boulder also falls, trapping his arm and wedging it against the rock face. He has access to his rucksack and his small supply of rations as he unsuccessfully attempts to remove the boulder from his arm. He then tries to chip away at the rock with his multi-tool so he can slide his hand out, this also proves impossible. As these attempts haven’t worked, he hopes for someone to rescue him - the most likely candidates are Kristi and Megan, two women he meets and helps earlier in the canyon, when the ladies were lost. Megan and Kristi are the only other people in the world who know that Aron is in Blue John Canyon. His boss will only list him as missing, if Aron fails to turn up on Tuesday (three days away).

As time goes by Aron becomes more desperate and he starts to see flashbacks of his past (his family, his ex-girlfriend (whilst they were together, and when they split up) and of the party Megan and Kristi invited him to). Realising that he will not be able to see anyone in his flashbacks again if he doesn’t act fast, he prepares himself for the removal of his trapped arm. He initially breaks the bone by exerting pressure on his arm, then with his multi-tool he cuts through his arm on the break. The most disturbing moment is when he has to cut through his tendons, as the viewer sees he is in absolute agony. This scene is accompanied by a siren type of sound which heightens the effect. Eventually he’s free from the rock and stumbles out into the open. We see him slowly making his way down the path, retracing the steps he took a few days previously. The emotion of relief is replaced by happiness as he spots a family on the path, walking away from him, but still people. He shouts after them to catch their attention and they come to his aid.

Review:

I think the performance of James Franco is brilliant as he portrays his character very believably. The flashbacks Aron experienced whilst he was trapped, also adds to his desperation to escape. The fact that the story is based on real events also adds to the drama. This story has a happy ending, but one of sorrow and loss as well, as he has had to remove his lower arm in order to escape.

I think 127 Hours is a great film as it gets across the underlying message, that you cannot do everything on your own. Also another key learning is to tell people where you are going before you leave so someone always knows where you are.

The film editing is done expertly. The opening credits are very unusual as they feature a montage of crowds in a public place. I believe this is a superb film and would recommend it to most people – though possibly not to those who are squeamish.

Rating:

****

Costume for the Evil Character

A black coat will be worn by the villain as not only is it easy to get hold of, it also depicts the darkness of the character. The coat will bring a menacing look to the character and make him intimidating.

A baseball bat will be carried as a weapon by the bad guy.This is a well used stereotype for the violent characters in horror films. 

A balaclava will be worn by the bad guy. This will make it easy for the audience to see who is good/evil. The girls' know immediately that the character in the balaclava is evil and that they should run for their lives as soon as he starts to chase them.

Cast of Film: Viktim

In our three minute clip, we will be assisted by two students from our Drama department to play the main characters. Even though our final piece is just three minutes long, we want every second to seem real, and to make our target audience feel that they're watching a professional film.

Amelia Woodhouse

Amelia will play the lead role as Girl 1 who has just lost her brother and hasn't felt the same since. Fragile and alone, she finds that all is not what it seems.

Name: Amelia Woodhouse

Age: 17

Acting Experience: GCSE drama grade A. Various performances both outside school and in school. Amelia is well known for her skill in portraying psychologically demanding characters. We look forward to seeing her in this role.

Jasmine Williams

Jasmine is playing Girl 2, a good friend of Girl 1 who tries to help her cope with the loss of her brother. During the clip she finds out that being helpful and caring will be her undoing.

Name: Jasmine Williams

Age: 17

Acting Experience: GCSE drama grade B. Various small parts in school performances. For her final drama piece at GCSE she played a mother who was being bullied by her husband - a challenging role. She will be perfect for the part of Girl 2, especially in the chase sequences.

Viktim: Setting

When thinking about the setting of our film and when actually shooting there are things we have to consider;

• Weather
• Time of Day
• Props/Costumes
• Locations

These need to be specific as any detail which is wrong that the audience can notice will break continuity. For example, if we filmed two scenes, both within two minutes, and we filmed it over two days; one minute it was raining the next it was boiling hot, it would definately break continuity.

The time of day is key to creating an atmosphere; because our chosen genre is horror; if we shot a chase scene in the day the tension would drop; creating a less effective scene. The same applies to props and costume. If a character in a scene is trying to gain an emotional response from the audience, but while doing the scene was wearing a bikini; it just wouldn’t work. Props are key to explain time and to explain scene setting as there are different connotations of different colours.