Comparing Different Versions Of Batman Film Studies Essay

Comparing Different Versions Of Batman Film Studies Essay My aim for this essay is to analyse and compare different versions of the Batman film. Ive decided to compare the 1966 Batman to the 1989 Batman and The Dark Knight, which was released in 2008. I wish to look at how these films have been made, how Batmans reputation has changed over the years and how they compare to the original comic books. Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics in 1939; he was the caped crusader who went against the criminals of the underworld who killed his parents. In the early comics, the drawings showed a grim tone and nourish use of bold blocks of black ink (Sabin, 1996, p.61). However, later on the comics were progressively lightened in order to draw a younger relationship; a trend which culminated in the 1960s where the comics became camp comedies to reflect the amazingly successful television series (Sabin, 1996, pp. 61-62). Wikipedia (2008) Man Who Laughs [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manwholaughs.jpg (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) BD Comics (1999) Batman- No Mans Land [Online] Available at: http://bdcomics.bdgamers.net/2007/06/13/batman-no-mans-land/ (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) The 1966 Batman was a film adaptation of the 60s TV series; it had budget of $1,377,800. In the film, there are no shots of skyscrapers or any buildings that resemble the scenery in the comic books. The costumes in this film are basic; the villains are all dressed in suits and Batman and Robins costumes look cheaply made, compared to the most recent film; this shows the difference in budget. The make-up is very basic; the Joker has a ghostly white face and red drawn on smile; no prosthetics are used on him. The Penguin has a prosthetic nose to make it freakishly long and pointy, however the rest of the characters have normal day to day make-up on. The fight scenes in the film are unrealistic, fake punches are thrown between characters, with words such as URKK and OUCH entering the shot is big letters: The TV show was definitely dopey, comedy and slapstick substituting for anything remotely violent or suspenseful. It even offered the surreal bonk/zap title cards to amplify the fun. (Gibron, 2008) This makes the fighting look comical and amusing. However it does match the comic book style of fighting and was what was acceptable to be shown in the film and TV series at the time. Still from TV 1960s series Batman (1966) Batman Generation : Batman 1960s TV Series [Online] Available at: http://movie-collections-on-dvd.blogspot.com/ (Accessed: 10th November 2010) The sidekick Robin appears in this film. I think his presence makes Batman look less macho, it implies that he needs back up, this may have been the reason he wasnt written into the series of films that followed decades later. In comparison to films today; it is very naive, in one scene a very toy looking shark is used as a prop and in the Bat cave every machine or piece of equipment is labelled. Heath, R (2008) The Dark Knight 2010 [Online] Available at: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?m=200807 (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) Clara, H (2010) Entertainment [Online] Available at: http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/entertainment/lewis-wilson-michael-keaton-and-val-kilmer-batman (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) In 1989 Batman was released, it was the first of a series of feature films starring Batman which were produced by the Warner Bros; it had a budget of $35,000,000. This film strayed away from the 1966 camp version, Beyond Hollywood emphasises this point by saying: Before 1989, unless you were an avid comic book reader, you probably viewed Batman as a clownish superhero, trading punches and quips with bad guys with his youthful assistant Robin faithfully at his side. He was campy, a bit dull, and never dangerous. That is, until the summer of 1989, when Tim Burton arrived to changed all that. (Beyond Hollywood, 2004) Gotham City is dark and gothic looking; the buildings are dingy and old. The shapes of the buildings resemble the comic book images; they dont look like any usual American city. Lots of smoke is used in the setting, it reminds me of backdrops in a theatre production. The joker also matches very well with the comic book illustrations; the make-up cleverly allows the actor to have a fixed smile. He puts on a show and prides himself on being theatrical, using joke shop type gags, i.e. a flower that squirts poisonous gas and a buzzer which he attaches to his hand to electrocute his victim. The music, which is often played as a backing to the joker, is almost the same as you might hear in the circus, everything about it is comical. Neumaier, J. (2008) Jack Nicholson warned Health Ledger on Joker role[Online].Available at: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/24/2008-01-24_jack_nicholson_warned_heath_ledger_on_jo.html (Accessed: 31 October 2010) Newsrecord. (2008)Heath Ledger Was Changed by playing The Joker'[Online]. Available at: http://www.inoutstar.com/news/Heath-Ledger-Was-Changed-by-Playing-The-Joker-6583.html#nimg_16437 (Accessed: 31 October 2010) The Dark Knight (2008) was directed by Christopher Nolan and had a budget of $185,000,000. When writing the film, screenwriter David S. Goyer took influences from a few comic books rather than just one. In an interview he said: I think that there are elements from The Dark Knight, elements from The Long Halloween, elements from The Killing Joke. But its not like we were specifically adapting one specific comic book or comic book arc. (Goyer, 2008) In this film the joker has apprentices who are masked like clowns. These masks are very eerie; they allow the characters to be emotionless and cold; only showing the single expression that is drawn on their mask. Batmans fight scenes are bold and highly choreographed; this is a big contrast to the jokers style of fighting, which is very rash. This film is dominated by the Joker character; his scarred face is messily covered with make-up giving him a clown-like persona. This persona is confirmed by his greasy, green tinged hair, black eyes, smudged roughly outwards and his red creepy smile. His drawn on smile is covering thick badly raised scars. The white make-up which covers his face is uneven and always looks worn. His costumes are odd, purple velvet suits with a green shirt; this allows him to stand out against others, who mainly wear classic suits. Costume Designer, Lindy Hemming, wanted to create a younger trendier look, in order to represent Ledgers generation(Hemming, 2008). This costume also matches the comic books. His character is fearless and chillingly calm; I think this creates a great atmosphere and carries the film. Sound has a huge impact on this version of the film; dramatic music is played in the background, ticking noises are also frequently used, symbolising the rapid passing of time. However there are a few shots in the film which have no backing music or noise for that matter; this is a big contrast to the rest of the film and cleverly creates a maximum impact. One particular shot is of the Joker hanging himself out of a stolen police car that he is driving, I find this scene very chilling. After watching a documentary about the composers thoughts behind some of the music, I learnt that the sounds are based on the Joker character: Shots and clips were used to produce music that matched the jokers movements and personality. Punk influences were used and tones and noises were produced using two clashing notes of the cello, to give the feel of razorblades. (Zimmer, 2008) The sounds are unsettling and the composer wanted to create a sound which demonstrated rising tension. Uhlich, K (2008) Trickster Heaven, Two Face Hell: The Dark Knight [Online] Available at: http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/2008/07/trickster-heaven-two-faced-hell-the-dark-knight/ (Accessed: 3rd December 2010) Another hugely important character is Harvey Dent. He is Gothams golden boy who, by the end of the film, thanks to the Jokers words; I took Gothams white knight and brought him down, has been turned into a villain, Two Face. The effects for Two Face were created using digital make-up, in other words high use of CGI. A lot of shots in the setting are of buildings, the camera pans high above lots of skyscrapers as a link between scenes. The villains seem to always be lit darkly, where the lighting has a blue tinge. In conclusion, as the decades pass, technology improves and the budget for the films increase, which I think is due to the increase in film popularity. Each film stays true to the comics in different ways; the 1966 Batman is most like the comics in the fight scenes where they are quite graphical, with sounds entering the screen in text. However the make-up and costume doesnt match up and doesnt give enough of an impact. The 1989 Batman does match very well to the comic book images, make-up and costume-wise. It also has a great set which matches the buildings of Gotham city and really gives a feel that they are living in the comics. The Dark Knights special effects are by far the best and in my opinion I think the acting is best in this film. The joker is a crucial character in all three versions, particularly 1989 Batman and The Dark Knight. It is a matter of personal opinion which version is the best, however I agree with Slant magazine in preferring Health Ledgers chilling version: Eighteen years after Jack Nicholsons over-praised, distinctly Jack-ish personification of the dastardly purple-clad jester in Tim Burtons Batman, Ledger returns the character to his demented The Killing Joke graphic novel roots, conjuring up a transfixing, indelible portrait of our worst terrorist-extremist nightmares. (Schager, 2008) The Dark Knights acting and gothic feel matches well with the original comics, before they were made more camp to match the 1960s audience. The make-up takes a different direction to avoid copying Tim Burtons film, this however meant they needed to steer away slightly from the comic books. Overall, in order to achieve the perfect film version of the batman comics, you would need to combine, 1989s make-up, costume and set with The Dark Knights music, special effects and acting.

My father, my hero Essay

My father is not a celebrity; he is not such a recognizable face. My father is not a national hero; he is not a multi-millionaire. My father is just an average quiet man, whom I honour and respect. My father was born in 1954, in the small South-Indian state of Kerala. He was the fourth child of my grandfather (late C.M. Thomas). My father managed to succeed well enough in classes to pursue education at Ranny College (Affiliated to Kerala University). In college, he majored in physics and soon went to Bombay, looking for a job. There he completed a financial accounting course and thus received a job offer (for secretary) in Saudi Arabia. He arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1980, vastly different from the one we see today. While in Saudi, he met my mother, who was working as a nurse in one of the hospitals there. They got married in India and started their married life in Saudi Arabia. Soon after that, he got a job offer as an accountant from one of the branches of Nissan Diesel. He has been a faithful employee of Nissan Diesel for over 20 years now. In the past 20 years, he received many awards and promotions in appreciation for his dedicated service. Presently, he is working as the manager of one the three main showrooms of Nissan Diesel in all of Saudi Arabia. My mom on the other hand, is now the ‘Deputy Nursing Director’ of one of the best private hospitals in the Kingdom. Both my father and mother, hold high executive positions and are a great help to the South-Indian community is Saudi Arabia. My father is a very respected person, both in India as well as in Saudi. In his company, he has a staff of 25 people, working directly under him. My father is a truthful and straight-forward person, who has excelled due to his very unique leadership skills. He has also been a great help/support to many friends & relatives there. I truly believe that people like him are an asset to the South-Indian community. He is an outstanding problem-solver/a troubleshooter and has always been a great help for his company. He also plays a great role in the church as an elder and as an active figure. My father has now decided to immigrate to Canada, far from the land of his memories and dreams to a new land of supposed opportunity for his children. As a role model, my father’s life and destiny is never based him on alone. He has sacrificed his own personal happiness for the well being of his children. The comfort of living in a familiar culture as a well-known figure, has been traded for the future education and happiness of his two children. In choosing this country to settle in, my father is forsaking his respectful position, higher salary and close family. In return, he will gain nothing personally besides the happiness and well being of his children. I truly honour and respect the courage that accompanies such a decision. And for this reason, my father is my hero. He is my role model.

How successful can the management of fragile environments can be?

How successful can the management of fragile environments be, given the constant and increasing demand for their exploitation? A fragile environment is an area where the flora and fauna have adapted to a specific climate and evolved to occupy many different niches due to extremely high competition for resources. Furthermore due to the constant abiotic conditions, specialisation and symbiotic relationships have occurred to such a degree that even the slightest ecological or environmental disruption cannot be accommodated, meaning individual habitats and ecosystems can be easily destroyed.This combination of specialisation and interdependence increases the overall fragility and vulnerability of this biome Fragile environments can be exploited in different ways, and for different reasons. For example the Amazon Rainforest, an equatorial tropical rainforest biome, has been significantly exploited for its agricultural potential and natural resources; cattle ranching, soya bean and palm oi l plantations, mining and timber. The most significant consequence of these forms of exploitation is deforestation.There are many management strategies to combat deforestation, popular choices are; legislation, ecotourism, selective logging and various tree regeneration schemes. In this essay I will assess the extent to which these management schemes are successful in terms of sustainability and environmental effectiveness, in light of inevitable increasing anthropogenic pressures on tropical biomes around the world. Firstly it is important to identify how fragile environments are exploited and for what gain. If we look at the Amazon Rainforest, one of the major forms of exploitation is land for cattle ranching.Vast expanses of the rainforest are deforested to make way for grassland to rear cattle. This form of exploitation was responsible for 80% of all Amazonian deforestation in 2009, due to the ever increasing global demand for beef as a new wave of middle classes emerge from dev eloping nations with a first world diet. Large soya bean plantations run by major agricultural TNC’s like Cargill in the Amazon increase its land for plantations at rates of 1. 3 million hectares every year. Brazil is one of the world’s top producers of soya bean.The expansion of this market is driven by low transportation costs from improved infrastructure (both in and out of the Amazon) and increasing international demands for livestock feed where China is one of the main consumers, due to rapid economic growth (9% annually) and high demand from its emerging middle classes. The creation of huge mechanised soy monocultures has already been the sole cause of 21 million hectares of deforested rainforest in Brazil and 80 million hectares from the Amazon as a whole, since the early 1970’s.While these industries stated above as well as mining and logging have contributed to 240,000km2 of deforestation in the Amazon, the hunting for bush meat by native Amazonian trib es has put considerable pressure on rainforest fauna. Since the late 1990’s Brazilian Amazon local people consume between 2. 2 to 5. 4 million primates each year. This process is unsustainable as the primates reproduce at a much slower rate than they are consumed. Moreover some of these primates are endangered, meaning reproduction is inherently slower.There is often a conflict of interests between the exploitation and conservation of fragile environments. Thus in order for a fragile environment to be managed successfully a balance must be established. However, in reality this can be difficult to achieve. It is often the case that many countries depend on natural resources from fragile environments for income and trade on the global markets thus making fragile environments an integral part of their economy. This is the case with many LEDC’s, who are reluctant to stop exploiting their activities for fear it will result in economic decline and slower development.In Brazi l for example, much of the mining industry that takes place in the Amazon brought in $9 billion to the country in 2006. Moreover it can be a misunderstanding that most people, who exploit fragile environments like through mining in the Amazon, are doing so out of choice. As most locals have no other viable alternative to generate income for their families. Furthermore indigenous peoples often receive little education regarding global affairs and may not recognise the need for conservation. In addition it is rare that a single fragile environment is endemic to one country, as they often span over several territories.A good example is the Amazon rainforest which lies within Brazil, holding 60% of the forest, Peru 13%, Columbia 10% and with Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana also holding small amounts. This makes it difficult to establish a uniform strategy across the whole are, and made harder still by low funds available for conservation in many of these countries.One of the more popular forms of conservation management is conservation reserves that protect biodiversity and ensure its population lives  sustainably with their environment. One example of such a scheme is the Central Amazon Conservation complex in the Brazilian Amazon. Established in 2003, it brings together four reserves in the Amazon; Jau National Park, Anavilhanas Ecological Station, Mamiraua Reserve and Amana reserve, a total area of 49,000 km2. Sustainable development reserves have protected areas from developments that could have seriously damaged the CACC. Dams, pipelines, mines and commercial logging projects have all been prevented from entering the area.These reserves have improved biodiversity and caused a 100% increase in the black caiman population, and a 300% increase in the pirarucu fish. Economic Alternatives Programs promote sustainable activities whereby local people who make goods from the forest’s natural resources can sell directly to buye rs without going through ‘middle men’ who charge a commission. Thus ensuring a decent income, preventing any local farmers giving up land to major commercial agricultural firms, where the land is likely to be deforested and indigenous communities displaced.Overall the economics alternative program has reduced poverty, increasing household incomes by 50-99%. However this protecting such a large area can be difficult. The vastness of the area means it is majorly understaffed, thus making the control and regulation of illegal activities difficult. Only 100 volunteer guards and 150 employed members of staff are present in the Amana and Mariraua reserves – combined area of 2,490,000 hectares of land. The size of the protected areas and the number of staff available makes it is very difficult to prevent access into the reserves.In Jau National park, an area of 2,272,000 hectares, there’re only 4 permanent members of staff. Thus fish and turtle poaching remains a n unresolved problem. As populations increase around peripheral settlements, more stress is put on it to satisfy the demands of the populations, for example many towns in the heart of the rainforest suffer from intensive poaching of primates and manatees. Overall it may seem that despite efforts, and indeed success, of implementing such conservation schemes, may decrease in effectiveness following growing demand for the Amazons resources from increasing population pressure.Ecotourism is also a popular way of generating income for the local people as well as promoting conservation. It is a popular method of generating income in developing countries without billion dollar investments. Local people can act as guides or be providers of transport and accommodation – creating a source of income. The environmental low impact theme and conservation awareness can potentially bring in public and private investment. In addition it is a more environmentally friendly form of employment co mpared to other occupations such as logging and commercial agriculture.Plus if the country makes the economic transition from a manufacture to service sector economy, the government will have an indirect economic incentive to conserve the environment through promoting ecotourism. Ecotourism has already proved to be an economic, environmental and social success. For example, Costa Rica has been pumping in US$1. 6 million annually since 2000 from ecotourism, resulting in jobs for local people and 25% of its land under government protection. GNP per capita rose from $1500-$2000 between 1978 and 1992.The village of Tortuguero, Costa Rica, a satellite settlement to the Talamancan national park took a survey which indicated that 88% were highly satisfied with the multiplier effects from ecotourism in the park; such as local employment empowerment and government funding into building eco lodges on old farmland in the village; attracting tourists to spend in their local economy. However, th ere are cases where ecotourism has not benefitted the local community or the country as a whole.It is often the case that an ecotourism service is provided by an international agent, whereby revenue is repatriated overseas, away from the local community. Moreover even if the service is provided by host nation companies, the jobs can be seasonal, menial and in most cases, low paid. The influx of wealth and foreign exchange can shift political and economic conditions to make the country or area dependant on tourism as opposed to domestic economic practises. This induces a degree of instability to the industry, making it vulnerable to sudden economic change, such as the global financial crisis in 2008.This can create a lack of demand and subsequent economic decline in the area and ultimately forcing the local population into occupations that unsustainably exploit natural resources. In conclusion, it is can be said with a degree of confidence that most schemes are beneficial to an exten t. Land which is protected, conserved and managed sustainably outweighs the possible environmental damage that can occur due to poor management and lack of funding towards the scheme. Moreover it is the schemes which involve the local community that have the biggest potential to be successful.Managing the environment whereby its inhabitants are able to reap the full economic benefits of its natural resources allows; growth, development and investment into the local economy – Thus resulting in a self-sustaining operation. However, as world population is not yet set to peak until 2050, the pressure on the environment and demand for resources is only set to increase. It is also worth noting that in the light of possible changes to our global climate system in the coming decades there will be an even greater threat to the Earth’s fragile environments.With the effects of anthropogenic induced climate change causing more extreme weather, the constant abiotic factors that hav e shaped our fragile environments across the globe face a deadly, permanent change. If we are to preserve any type of fragile environment at all, it could be argued that a universal effort to reduce our carbon footprint would be the most successful long term scheme to ensure the survival of the Earth’s biodiversity.

Essay-Journey on Christopher Columbus

The life of Christopher Columbus deserves to be discussed even in the XXI century. Life-adventure, life-discovery, life-journey†¦ Without the modern society conveniences we have at our disposal today, Christopher Columbus successfully crossed the ocean in order to find exotic unknown lands. He was one of the earliest travelers who turned their journeys into an exciting subject to ponder over in a high school, college or university essay. Before you start writing the paper, make sure to spend some time on preliminary research to develop a clear thesis statement. Remember, you shouldn’t necessarily collect facts, but some detail that can be later discussed in an essay on Christopher Columbus would be nice. Start your assignment with the introductive section. This is where you outline all the basic points on the traveler, and different periods of his life. It is OK to give any additional background info related to the essay thesis statement that is necessary to be made clear before you dive into your argument. Generate the thesis statement and that is how your introduction ends! Taking into consideration the type of the essay you’re supposed to write, compose three or more paragraphs within the body of the essay. Remember, the starting sentence of every paragraph should introduce the evidence that completely supports your thesis statement. We recommend you to provide at least one fact within every essay paragraph together with further explanation of how it actually backs up your thesis. The conclusion is the essay segment where you’re required to finish your argument on Christopher Columbus. State your thesis statement once again at the beginning of the conclusive paragraph but make sure to avoid including any new information within this essay section. End notes or footnotes on the information sources you referenced in your work are welcome!