2 Film Blogs

Blog 1: The Hunger Games Saylid Lopez Film Data

● Title: The Hunger Games ● Director: Gary Ross ● Screenplay: Gary Ross, Billy Ray, Suzanne Collins ● Based on: The Hunger Games (novel) by Suzanne Collins ● Release Date: March 23, 2012 ● Nationality: United States ● Genre: Science Fiction/ Dystopian/ Action ● Production Company: Lionsgate ● Budget: Around $78 million ● Box Office Revenue: Approximately $694 million worldwide

Key Production Staff/ Technical Info:

● Cinematography: Tom Stern ● Editing: Stephen Mirrione, Juliette Welfling ● Music: James Newton Howard ● Production Design: ● Shot on 35mm film ● Shot on handheld camerawork and natural lights in multiple scenes ● Score is used mainly during action scenes

Summary

This story takes place in a dystopian nation called Panem, which consists of 12 Districts and the authoritarian Capitol. The Capitol and the president “Snow” control the twelve impoverished districts through “The Hunger Games.” This is an annual televised competition that serves as a spectacle to everyone in the nation. Each year every district needs to send two tributes, one boy and one girl that are chosen randomly. The idea is that these

tributes fight to death looking to take control of the arena and hopefully be the victors of that year's competition.

From district 12 Prim Everdeen is selected and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) , her sister, volunteers and sacrifices herself to take her place. Making her go to the games with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) , the boy selected from her district. As every district they get a mentor and in this case former winner from district 12 Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) prepares them for the reality they are about to face.

Inside the arena, Katniss faced multiple challenges that made her persona grow, gaining the attention of the public. She managed to rely on multiple survival skills and made loyal alliances that help her stay alive. In addition, her relationship with Peeta started

as a strategy to gain the public's love, but also became genuine as time went on. The film ends with Katnissh and Peeta planting the seeds of rebellion from the capitol because they both survive, something that was unimaginable to the president and an action that helps define the rest of the series. Analysis Genre Comparison:

The Hunger Games is part of the dystopian science fiction genre, with a young adult survival sub-genre. Some similar films are Divergent and The Maze Runner. Similarities

● The three are authoritarian systems that force young adults into deadly trial without an option

● All protagonists are essentially symbols of resistance and rebellion in their worlds. ● Social control is obtained through survival competition

Differences ● Divergent provides a choice of living by providing five different categories as options

of living. ● The Hunger Games is televised making it a media spectacle, something that does not

happen in either of the two other films.

Cultural Context Zeitgeist The Hunger Games was released in 2012, a time where people became more aware of inequality in wealth, political corruption, and media becoming more influential and overwhelming. There is a clear representation in the film of privilege and wealth, represented by the capitol, while we also see a representation of hard labor, limited opportunities, and extreme poverty in the districts. There was a clear division of social classes. There is an oppression created by the Capitol to the districts. From a Marxist perspective Panem is definitely a society that is built on class inequality. The capital is in control of everything: resources, production, media, food, people, etc. Violence is used to maintain this system and is also used as a distraction to make people forget the lives they are living. Lastly there is also a feminist approach since Katniss the protagonist is never portrayed as a sexual object, but rather as a strong woman that's a hero. She does not make part of traditional action roles, but her public image does get shaped by the capitol. Demonstrating that female identities in our realities can be controlled and marketed to certain audiences. Katniss made her resistance quiet, but effective, reflecting moder feminist ideas of survival within oppression systems. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-hunger-games/themes/societal-inequality https://typelish.com/b/the-hunger-games-and-marxism-108021