Hollywood Vs Independent

The two films which I've decided to compare and contrast are I am Legend and Pulp Fiction(Independent), both of these films were received high gross profits, and became very successful despite their criticisms. Pulp Fiction was Produced and distributed by Miramax and I am Legend was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.. In my essay I will be discussing the different characters in the film, who the actors were and what role they took film, I will be discussing the Sound( which also included music and dialogue). The camerawork and how that contributed to the pace of the film, the editing of the film meaning how the film rounded off, and the finishing touches provided and Finally the Mise-en-scene of the film meaning what propps were used , the locations and lighting and how these influenced the genre and the theme of the film.

Characters
I am legend is a unique film, that only focuses on one main character, the hero and the villain is many zombies , this slightly different from Pulp Fiction has the film contains several characters all in the limelight of the camera. The one character factor that I am Legend posses is a very risky technique used by the Film, has requires the Actors(Will Smith) to maintain the pace and action of the film, without boring the audience, however if this technique is done successfully, it can engage the audience. Pulp Fiction on the other hand is slightly more safe and most of the time quite successful, the film involves more than one character on the bad side and the good side of the film, which keep the audience engaged, has it becomes less predictable whereas I am Legend has a bout a million zombies and one man. Although Pulp Fiction's style seems quite Normal, it can be quite exiting if certain characters are defeated, or in some cases, betray their fellow members. Both the characters in both of the films, are pacy and provide intensive action, but I am Legend provides a more original approach to the film whereas Pulp fiction is slightly more normal and perhaps doesn't take enough risks.

Camerawork
The Camera work in Pulp Fiction is extremely limited however clever directing makes good use of short budget. Pulp fiction really shows shots outside of the main setting(indoors), however Tarintino does create some interesting shot selections, his low and high angle shots are so simple to use, but are very effective in terms of establishing themes of the characters. I am Legend on the other hand is slightly different has more long shots are used because the film is set in apocalyptic world, extreme long shots are highly required in order to express how extinct the world really is. Pulp Fictions unique camera style can produce an unique effect, has it shows the characters in a different lights whereas I am Legend attempts to set an image in the audiences mind with the type of shots they use.

Sound
Tarantino is very clever with his music, as uses a lot of Surf Music in order to make his character seem cool or cocky, or "self-consciously cool", He also tries to chose some very clever one-liners "[Jules shoots the man on the couch] I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I didn't mean to do that. Please, continue, you were saying something about best intentions. What's the matter? Oh, you were finished!". This is said in a sort of sarcastic psychotic manner, but in fact gives the impression to the audience that Jules is a dominant character in the Film. I am Legend on the other hand, doest really seem to use much music, especially during the middle of the film when you would expect actions to be running high, however to give the film an extinct feel, it requires no music, and the provides a ambience and stillness to the film. The film is very direct and can be at times very emotional "[to a pretty mannequin in the video store] I... I promised a friend I would say hello to you today. [begins to cry] Please say hello to me. [sobs]". This piece dialogue represents the harsh realities that Robert is facing within the film. Pulp Fiction seems to comically exploit some dark issues within the film in comparison to I am Legend, has its main motive is too set the express the emotions of the film through dialogue.

Editing
Pulp Fiction had short budget so it couldn't afford mega special effects, so relied heavily on psychical equipment to assist he visuals of the film, this includes a machine which blew up a woman skirt and several explosions, but most of all a huge amount of gun shots, this was an effective technique by Tarintino has the guns and explosions were relativity cheap at the time, and also it contributed to the sound and theme of the film, I am legend on the other hand produced stunning effects for its time, it made its zombie look highly realistic and also their was a scene i which the camera was held at a point of view shot, with zombies running toward it, which a really provided a concrete feeling that you were in the scene, and for viewers at home it provided a cinematic approach to the film. Both of the Films made exceptional use of equipment for their time, but I am Legend is probably more visually appealing than Pulp Fiction however,Pulp Fiction had a really small budget($8.5 million) and made good of what money they had.

Mise en scene
The Mise-en-scene in I am Legend is very skilful, the location of the film is set in what seems lie an exact replica of New York, upside down cars and very messy streets which portrayed the chaos and confusion that happened during that time, also there was a scene that appeared that was shot inside the a building, the lighting was very dark and the only light was of a torch, these techniques used by the film director produced mystery and suspense within the film. In Pulp fiction Tarantino is very obsessed with propps uses a lot of guns within the film, to portray the gangster theme, he also uses blood to convey violence within the film, to add a lot of his locations were set in dark lighted areas which provided a more darker theme. I am Legend and Pulp fiction both use their location creatively to set the theme of the film, however I legend tends to focus more on locations whereas Pulp Fiction tends to focus mainly on propps.

Conclusion
The films are very different and vary in styles however the characters functions are very different and this therefore impacts the whole film, so the camerawork is focused on person and the dialogue and etc...but this does not take anything away from the film has it provides a very eerie feel to the film. Pulp Fiction on the other hand is very Comical and seems to be alot more light hearted however some scenes can be quite gory and therefore reminds the audience that this is still a gangster action film. Overall they provide a great entertainment value.