John Hughes: Reaching New Levels of Achievement in Hollywood

John Hughes: Reaching New Levels of Achievement in Hollywood David Bordwell (2006) firmly believes that when faced with the challenge of creating, people ask themselves how they can raise the premises to new levels of achievement, or revive a disreputable genre. He argues that people challenge themselves with the question ‘How can I make casual connections more felicitous, twists more unexpected, character psychology more involving, excitement more intense, motifs more tightly woven? How can I display my own virtuosity? Following this quote and my own research, I’ve come to believe that John Hughes is a very significant example of a filmmaker to reach a whole new level of achievement in Hollywood. As the director and writer of several well-known teen movies such as Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), from the mid-1980s Hughes has been respected as one of the more influential figures of Hollywood for redefining an d leaving a long-lasting impression on movies with a teen demographic.Through deeply focusing on new themes and motifs such as social hierarchy, he undeniably changed the teen movie genre forever by creating sympathy and understanding for adolescent characters. In the 1980s, teenager’s attitudes were changing, and many theorists believe music television was to blame. Shary (2005) states that with celebrity appearances, commercials, and a brand-new, fast-paced style, MTV became â€Å"the court where youth culture was told what was cool†.He also believes that the political changes in America also heavily influenced teenagers perspectives, especially after the â€Å"carefree attitudes† of Carter’s presidency turned into the â€Å"peremptory dictates of Regan’s decade†. He states that: â€Å"The new Republican ethos may have won over voters, but at the same time its naive ‘just say no’ approach to serious adolescent choices gave yo uth a renewed sense of irritation for adult authority. † To express their views on America’s politics, the youth became eager to experiment with sex and drugs, and Hollywood felt the effect of the youth’s impact and took note.At this time period, Hollywood was experiencing a transition of sorts, between what was labelled as the Hollywood Renaissance (Schatz,1993), into a more contemporary style of cinema which theorist Geoff King (2002) labelled as ‘New Hollywood Version 2’. To understand the breakthrough of John Hughes’ movies, we must understand that before his directorial debut of Sixteen Candles, films of the 1980s were not sympathetic to teens, and the majority f said films came in the form of slasher movies, or sex-comedies, where audiences would watch teenagers be embarrassed and hurt in various different forms. In this period of transition, these movies would reap in profits, but did not focus on character psychology or emphasise perfo rmance the way earlier examples did. In this transition period, Hughes’ managed, in some form, to stay true to the earlier, character-based films, but still managed to produce a successful profit, without any high-scale production that would turn his films into the newer, blockbuster style pictures.He often worked on more than one movie at once, and released them very close together, in a way that provided more money for the studios, as his reputation as a director became more well-known and his movies became more successful. It’s important to note also, that his films were released at a time where VCR and home videos were becoming more and more popular, which meant that young adults could watch his films over and over at home, and create a personal relationship with the characters.As a director, Hughes knew exactly what he wanted; to show teenagers as important, intelligent, and not the sex-crazed and shallow adolescents that earlier movies portrayed them to be. Gora (2010) proposes that: â€Å"What would set Hughes apart, in an age when other filmmakers were quick to portray teens as vapid, horny, pimpled caricatures, was that he was wise enough to present the teenage experience with the pain, seriousness, and melodrama that so often imbues age. As proven by films such as Losin’ It (1983) and Little Darlings (1980), many movies in the early 1980s revolved simply around â€Å"the quest of teens to lose their virginity† (Shary, 2005). Although Hughes has focused on the theme of sex, it is just one of many different themes and motifs in his films, including the ever-popular idea of social hierarchy, or parental pressure. Sixteen Candles, centres around the story of sixteen-year old Sam (portrayed by Molly Ringwald), whose birthday is forgotten by her family in favour of her older sister’s wedding the next day.This film includes the only completely nude scene of any of Hughes’ movies, and was only included due to pressu re from the network, who insisted that it was needed in order to compete with the other teen films on the market. The scene itself is not remotely sexual however, and exists only to emphasise Sam’s self-consciousness, when she and her best friend spy on the girlfriend of her biggest crush whilst in the shower after gym. It does include many of the cliches, such as the virgin esperate to have sex, the rich teen driving an expensive car which will undoubtedly be wrecked somehow, or a house party where the house is destroyed, but unlike other teen films, it encourages us to laugh with the characters rather than at them. To portray the idea of social hierarchy, where some sort of clique is ‘better’ than another, Hughes’ often uses a form of what Roz Kaveney (2006) entitles the ‘anthropology shot’. Kaveney states that â€Å"such shots establish a number of social groups among high school students and pan between them to demonstrate social division s†.This shot can be effective because despite the fact that we will only really know a few select characters, it is able to establish the kind of environment they are living in. An example of said shot is used in Sixteen Candles, introducing the ‘geeks’ at the dance. Although Hughes’ did not invent the shot, many films have reproduced the way he used it, such as Mean Girls (2004), where the character Janice introduces Cady to the social cliques in the cafeteria.As well as the anthropology shot, Hughes’ also used many low-angle shots in his films to connote the sense of inadequacy teenagers feel when looking at the world. This is also used often when the characters talk to adults, and is especially prominent in The Breakfast Club when the characters talk to the principal. This shows the control Principal Vernon has over the kids, and enforces the belief that because they are young, they aren’t as powerful. Hughes,’ as a director, paid a great deal of attention to setting social background in his films.The opening of The Breakfast Club, the story of five teens of different cliques who must spend their Saturday in detention, uses single shots to give us a feel for each character. Claire, for example, the typical rich and popular ‘princess’ is introduced with the shot of a prom queen poster, although we haven’t officially met her character yet. Similarly, John Bender, the ‘criminal’ problem-child, is introduced using a shot of a vandalized locker with a noose attached.The film officially opens with a glass-shattering transition to an introductory shot of the high school, which could be read as foreshadowing; eventually, the character’s defences are broken down, and they open up to each other to become friends. The writing of Hughes’ films brought a great deal of attention to motifs that hadn’t been paid much attention before, such as the idea of the child acting li ke the parent. A prime example of this is Sixteen Candles, where Sam’s mother apologises to her for missing her birthday. In this scene, Sam, the teenager, is the one to comfort her emotional mother, and say â€Å"It’s okay, these things happen†.Themes also explored were the ideas parental pressure, such as The Breakfast Club, where geeky Brian contemplated suicide because he feared his parents would be disappointed in him for failing his first class, or the theme of money and social classes, which Hughes’ addressed by pairing Claire and Bender together; the rich girl with the poor boy. He also brings a new light to female sexuality, which the character of Alison addresses directly; â€Å"If you say you haven’t you’re a prude. And if you say you have, you’re a slut. It’s a trap. Seeing such touching scenes on screen empowers teens, and helps the audience sympathize with their experiences. Said themes have since been addressed in many teen movies to this date, such as Clueless (1995) or Easy A (2010). The impact that John Hughes has left on Hollywood is undoubtable and everlasting. Despite the fact that it has been over twenty-five years since The Breakfast Club was released, for example, countless references are still made to the film in today’s pop culture, including homages in NBC’s cult TV show ‘Community’ and a mention in CW’s ‘Gossip Girl’ (â€Å"we’re the non-judging Breakfast Club†).Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons and Futurama, is also a huge fan of the film. Bart Simpson’s famous catchphrase ‘eat my shorts’ is a direct reference to John Bender’s line, which he says defiantly to Principal Vernon. Judd Nelson’s portrayal of the character was also the inspiration for the name of Futurama’s temperamental robot Bender. The movie has also been spoofed in many American advertisements, including t he 2008 commercial for chain clothing store JCPenney.The back-to-school line was heavily influenced by The Breakfast Club, and featured teenagers dancing in a library to the most popular song from the soundtrack, ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’. Not Another Teen Movie (2001) was a complete parody of the majority of Hughes’ material, and featured a cameo from Molly Ringwald as an adult who disapproved of teenagers. To this day, Hughes’ is continually paid homage to, and because of the way he changed the portrayal of teenagers, people will continue to do so for a long time. (Word count: 1,643) References & Bibliography Driscoll, C (2011).Teen Film: A Critical Introduction. UK: Berg. Easy A, 2010. [DVD] Will Gluck, United States: Sony Pictures. Clueless, 1995. [DVD] Amy Heckerling, United States: Universal Pictures. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986. [DVD] John Hughes, United States: Paramount Pictures Gora, S (2010). You Couldn’t Ignore Me If Y ou Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and their Impact on a Generation. New York: Crown Publishing Group Kaveney, R (2006). Teen Dreams: Reading Teen Film and Television from Heathers to Veronica Mars. London: I. B. Tauris King, G (2002). New Hollywood Cinema: An Introduction.London:  I. B. Tauris Little Darlings, 1980. [DVD] Ronald F. Maxwell, United States: Stephen Friedman/King’s Road Productions Losin’ It, 1983. [DVD] Curtis Hanson, United States: Tiberius Film Productions Mean Girls, 2004. [DVD] Mark Waters, United States: Paramount Pictures Pretty in Pink, 1986. [DVD] Howard Deutch, United States: Paramount Pictures Shary, T (2005). Teen Movies: American Youth on Screen. London: Wallflower Press Sixteen Candles, 1984. [DVD] John Hughes, United States: Universal Pictures The Breakfast Club, 1985. [DVD] John Hughes, United States: Universal Pictures

The Puppy Who Lost His Way

â€Å"He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided. † As morning comes Rainsford is awaken by the shouting of a man, a more familiar voice says Rainsford quietly to himself. Beyond his belief he stumbles to the window of the chateau to see Whitney yelling for help from the wrecked boat. Rainsford says he's back to find his friend who he had lost only but four days ago. Rainsford stumbles down the steps and greets his friend just as zaroff had met hlrn at the door.Rainsford brings Whitney In and Rainsford explains everything that had happened to him the past few days. That Zaroff man seems like a monster, Whitney said. Rainsford then takes Whitney around the island showing him the numerous spots were he had been hiding from Zaroff He also showed Whitney the 10 slaves in the basement; this is Just making Whitney even more and more disgusted about this Zaroff man. The two men then come back to the eerie chateau for a somewhat royal lunch.Rainsford thinks to himself that Is seems as If Whitney Is the same position he was In Just a few days ago. He also realizes that he himself is now Zaroff Rainsford remains nearly speechless for the rest of the lunch. As night approaches Whitney is bewildered to find that Rainsford is gone, He goes outside and not but a minute passes and hears a rustle of the bushes, out emerges a dark shadowy figure. It is Rainsford with his shirt soaking in blood, Whitney, says Rainsford you are awake

Abortion and Infanticide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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An Evolving Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An Evolving Industry - Essay Example The following image shows the nude picture of the hot Bollywood actor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, who went completely nude for a scene shot in jail for Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie. The picture was released much before the movie. Picture of nude Neil Nitin Mukesh released before the movie (gobollywood.com, 2009). This has left the producers with no option but to make movies with more realistic and intelligent subjects than sex. Sex is no longer one of the powers of movies. To retain the power of porn in movies, producers have to take a lot of pain, as Rijsbergen says, Time has come to start a new movement inventing new images of sexuality and pornography. Time has come for a new Jan Wolkers, male or female, someone who can write powerful stories of authentic sexuality. Time has come for all kinds of individuals in the media, art and literature to invigorate the tired imagery of commercial porn. (Mystery Man on Film, 2007). Producers have started to make excellent use of technology for ma ss destruction particularly in action movies like Matrix and Spiderman. With the availability of all types of technologies, film producers are in a position to portray their wildest fantasies about action.

Performance management in action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Performance management in action - Essay Example Nampak plastics are a South African owned company which is a strong performer in its industry and is strategically located to supply the entire United Kingdom. It has eight manufacturing sites from Glasgow to Gloucestershire. It was noticed that the morale was very low in organisation and people were also treated badly. Few employees were seen running around the organisation to do everything and the rest employees were seen to sit around watching. The culture of the organisation affected its customers. In fact, Nampak was found as the worst supplier to its customers. Customer’s complaints were also reaching at large numbers. So, it was decided by the organisation to develop a legacy on the engagement and involvement of employees from the bottom of organisation to up. Eric Collins, the managing director of Nampak Plastics, conducted a meaningful survey of employee satisfaction in the company. In the feedback, it was found that around 80 percent of staggering employees do not pr efer Nampak as a place to work with family and friends as they thought that everything was wrong. To make its improvement, certain key initiatives were taken. Initially, Collins took the attempt to meet with customers to hear what is going well in the organisation and what is going badly. In a session with employees, an incredible dissatisfaction was seen from the shop floor. Large number of blames was levelled towards Eric. Later on, Wright-Smith was appointed as the head of HR. The first action taken by her was the ban of word â€Å"engagement†.â€Å"engagement† as she opined that people could not be engaged by telling them to be engaged. Rather, the need of the hour is to run focus groups by asking people at various levels of organisation and at each site regarding what could make Nampak a better working place. However, the feedback raised was not so good and it gave rise to the three key themes. The first issue was poor communication about the business as people co uld not understand what was going on and they did not feel involved. Secondly, the training and development was poor as the employees could not feel that they hold a career there and had any opportunities of development. Lastly, they did not get any feedback on their performance as their managers did not make any communication with them. Focus on front line managers It was decide to implement a system of company-wide performance management. It was asked to the group of employees regarding what they wanted. They answered that they wanted not just objectives but personal development. So, the company provided training to all the managers, focussing that it is the quality of conversation that counts a lot, not just a proper filling of form.

Problem Intervention Outcome in Hospital Sphere Essay

Problem Intervention Outcome in Hospital Sphere - Essay Example As such the overall incidence of the HAI is relatively large and can become a significant cause of deaths if hospitals fail to actually implement effective hygiene controls within the hospitals. Hand washing is considered as the single most important prevention which can ensure that this infection is reduced and controlled. Frequent hand washing before and after making contacts with the patients is one of the critical steps which should be properly implemented in order to ensure that hospital-acquired infections are reduced. This change proposal will exactly provide a step by step change proposal to implement handwashing in healthcare workers. Through this change proposal, higher management will be pursued to implement this step by step plan in order to implement this change. Management will be requested to actually provide resources as well as the necessary support to implement the changes at the healthcare worker level to ensure reduction in infection. This plan will outline as to how the hospital can actually implement the process of frequently washing hands by the hospital staff in order to reduce the hospital-acquired infection. As discussed above, almost 2 million patients are affected by HAI and one of the single most important precautions which can be implemented in order to reduce the impact of the same. Healthcare workers do not put much effort and focus on frequently washing their hand before and after they come into contact with the patients and other things. Since hospitals have relatively higher risk of acquiring this infection due to different reasons therefore it is critically important that the healthcare workers must follow strict practice of washing their hands. Currently, though this practice is followed but is not implemented properly and many healthcare workers avoid washing their hands properly. This lackluster practice can increase the HAI in our hospital and hence  the overall mortality rates can be higher.