Self Evaluation on my Evan Almighty (Summer Research Task) PowerPoint Presentation

After having presented my PowerPoint Presentation to the rest of my class based on my Summer Research Task, I was given feedback in things that went well and things that I could have improved on.

...Class feedback on my Presentation...

...What Went Well...

* I didn't read off the board, which allowed me to elaborate on the points made.

* I kept within the 5 minute timeframe.

...Even Better If...

* I slowed down when speaking and used pauses within my speech.

...Mr Bush's feedback on my Presentation...

...What Went Well...

* I explained why I chose to do my Summer Research Task based on Evan Almighty, which as a result allowed my classmates to understand the reason as to why I had made that decision.

* I spoke very fluently and was well rehearsed .i.e. I knew what to say and when to say it.

* I had excellent slides of which I elaborated on well, as a result showing my understanding of the text.

* I covered most of the key concepts.

* I had good use of media terminology .i.e. conglomerates, generic conventions, primary/secondary audience.

* I had an introduction and conclusion.

* I had good concept flow which allowed me to have a comprehensive presentation.

* I referred to theorists .i.e. Propp's character theory, and Lévi Strauss' theory of binary oppositions and the 3 media platforms learnt within AS Media Studies.

...Even Better If...

* I improved my expression and varied the tone of my voice.

* I referred to the key concept of media values and ideologies which would allow others to know the reasons behind the making of the film.

...Blog Feedback...

* I had the poster, and trailer embedded within my blog.

* I used a range of images.

* I included my own research on the text .i.e. reviews, and interviews.

* I included the review from the "Guardian" Newspaper.

Significance = 1/5

Structure = 1/5

Simplicity = 1/5

Rehearsal = 2/5

Final Score = 5/20

Evan Almighty - Summer Research Task PowerPoint Presentation

View more presentations from Jaleesa Denton.

Review by The BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2007/07/30/evan_almighty_2007_review.shtml

Highlighted parts are in orange:-

For a few memorable minutes in Bruce Almighty (2003), Steve Carell caught lightning in a bottle. His jabbering turn as newsreader Evan Baxter upstaged 'comedy god' Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac quickly signed him up for a spin-off. Alas, Carell isn't blessed with a second strike of divine inspiration in Evan Almighty. Having said that, he exudes enough of a warm glow to make this updated Noah's Ark story an enjoyable outing for all the family.

After launching a new high-profile career in politics, Evan is visited by God (Morgan Freeman) and warned of an imminent flood. The deity helpfully throws a few planks his way, plus a copy of Ark Building For Dummies and commands him to get busy. Soon enough what starts as a weekend DIY project takes over Evan's life, and he struggles to convince the world - and more importantly his family - that he's only doing it because God said so.

"MILDLY AMUSING"

It's evident early on that writer Steve Oedekerk (who scripted the original) is short on ideas. He takes one mildly amusing skit, like Evan being stalked by animal twosomes, and plays it over and over again. Then there's the one where Evan wakes up with a shaggy Noah-style beard which immediately grows back after shaving. Oedekerk stretches that gag so far it's on a par with JC's miracle of the loaves and fishes. Thankfully, Carell's hapless puppy dog charm makes him immediately sympathetic and he possesses the comic timing to put a much-needed spin on an obvious joke. Wanda Sykes adds her brand of sassy, wisecracking attitude playing his secretary and a splashy CGI finale ups the excitement. Of course it's left to Carell to steer us through the choppy parts.

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Reviewed by Stella Papamichael

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ = 3 out of 5 stars

Review by The Guardian Newspaper

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/aug/03/morganfreeman.stevecarrell

Highlighted parts are in orange:-

No one seems to have a single good thing to say about this movie, so let's reverse that trend: the picture is always in focus and, well, at least it's not 96 minutes long. A reported $175m was squandered here and it's impossible to see where it went. Evan Almighty is said to be the most expensive comedy ever made - but it can't be, as comedies are supposed to be funny, something this most assuredly is not.

With such a massive amount of cash at stake, and a story that involves religion and politics,director Tom Shadyac has gone to great lengths not to upset anyone. Or amuse. Or entertain. Arriving at a time when few UK residents will be able to find anything even remotely funny about floods, Freeman's deity has Carell's congressman build an ark, more to spend time with his kids than to survive an impending apocalypse. A cast full of people who have been frequently funny elsewhere flounder in this deluge of sentimentality and CGI. Avoid like the Ten Plagues.

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Reviewed by Phelim O'Neill

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ = 1 out of 5 stars

Evan Almighty (2007)... Summer Research Task

Evan Baxter is a rising congressman with a bright future and a goal to "change the world". God hears this message and decides to give him a hand.

The last time we saw Evan Baxter, he was being tormented by rival Bruce Nolan on screen, live from their Buffalo TV station. But as time passed and Evan has made up with Bruce, he's gone onto bigger and better things. Newly elected to Washington D.C. as a congressman, Evan has left Buffalo, New York in pursuit of a greater calling. But that calling isn't serving in the illustrious ranks of America's politics, but being summoned by the Almighty himself, who has handed Evan the task of building a new ark, much as Noah did before.

With time passing by and his family belittled by Evan's newfound realisation, Evan will have to do the work that God has given him in what promises to be an unusual adventure for a man who just wanted to serve his country, might actually be saving humanity.

Directed By: Tom Shadyac

Release Date: January 22nd 2007

Genre: Comedy

Running Time: 90 minutes

Certificate: PG

Starring: Steve Carell, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Morgan Freeman

Media Representations

...Evan Baxter...

Throughout the film, the protagonist is being represented as a hero. This is shown right at the throughout the film, however it mostly comes into context right at the beginning of the film where Evan is shown telling others that he will "change the world". As an audience, we can probably tell that he plays those role of the hero within the film due to his portrayal as a congressman, and more so as Noah. Men who lead the same sort of lifestyle as Evan are being represented by the protagonist himself. By this, I mean people who set out to change the world and help others can relate to Evan as they see him going throughout probably somewhat of a similar situation to themselves. They are being represented in this way to allow the appearance of the uses and gratifications theory through the use of personal identification. Therefore the representation of Evan Baxter as the congressman could be quite fair and accurate due to people who have the same sort of career having the same sort of dream; wanting to change the world and help others.

...God...

In this film, God is being represented as a donor, this is possibly one of the easiest representations to see due to him preparing Evan for what is to come. The donor's job is to prepare the hero and give them objects in which they must use to carry out their quest. Within the film, we see God play this part as he sends Evan all the equipment in which he must use to build the Ark, and give him useful information, such as when the flood is coming. He can also be seen as a magical figure as he seems to "pop" up anywhere; for example, when Evan is driving, and when he is pledging the flag of allegiance in the United States Capitol. The representation of God within this film could be quite fair and accurate as it shows that God is omnipotent and omnipresent, as he has to power to appear anywhere.

...Congressman Chuck Long...

Due to his role as the antagonist within the film, he is represented as being the villain by the end of the film due to his disbelief in Evan. This can be linked to Levi Strauss's theory of binary opposition as the film creates a contrast between good vs. evil .i.e. Evan Baxter vs. Congressman Long.

...Evan's Family...

Evan's wife and sons are represented as helpers due to them helping Evan build the Ark. The role of the helpers can be linked to Evan's sons more so than his wife as they begin to help him build the Ark from the very beginning whereas his wife has doubts until she is approached by God (without knowing it is him) and is told to stand by her husband and his beliefs.

Media Languages and Forms

* One of the most denotative levels of meanings within the film is when two doves appear on Evan window seal; this denotative meaning comes into context when his youngest son says that they are a symbol of good luck. However, this symbol of good luck also sets up a connotation being that animals are beginning to come to Evan as they know that they flood is soon approaching. With more and more animals appearing throughout the film the audience will begin to notice that Evan's role in building the Ark is becoming real.

* The audience is lead onto a narrative enigma, as they continuously see the number "614" appear everywhere that Evan is .i.e. his alarm clock, his assistant's telephone extension number, and his license plate number. The audience may begin to wonder why this number keeps appearing and what it could mean, to which they will find out by the middle of the film.

* With many different connotations being shown within the film, it will become important for the audience to continue to watch it to see whether any of their questions will be answered, as a result putting an end to any enigmas created.

* There seems to be continuous use of one specific costume within the film; suits, which are shown being worn by many of the characters seen within the film which creates a connotation towards the audience that many of the characters come from a middle, or possibly upper class society. This can also be said for the props used, which in this film mostly comes in the form of houses, including Evan's. They appear to be more upscale than anything else leading the audience to think that the characters within this film may have a lot of money due to their occupations.

* The mise-en-scéne plays a significant role within the film as it more than anything links to the narrative. The continuous use of high-key lighting allows the audience to understand the genre more as they see that it is a funny, cheerful film. We also get to see the mise-en-scéne take on an important role when Evan begins to turn into Noah. With the use of this mise-en-scéne in the form of Evan's costume (now the robe) and his make-up (now his long hair, and beard) the audience are able to get more of an idea about Evan's new role as Noah.

* After having looked at what songs are featured on the soundtrack, it is easy to see that there is a juxtaposition between the sound and the camera shot. For example, during a scene where Evan is building the Ark, the song "Waiting on the World to Change" is featured in the background, connoting to the audience that there is a link between Evan's new role as Noah and the music featured in the film as it creates a symbolic iconography of Evan carrying out his message of changing the world.

* The non-diegetic sound in the form of a melody and the close-up, tracking shot of Evan's feet whilst he is walking to his bathroom after waking up helps to create suspense and anticipation as the audience begin to wonder why they are not shown Evan's face and what could have happened to him.

Narrative

* The narrative of "Evan Almighty" is organised and structured to a good extent as it mainly revolves around God responding to Evan's prayer of helping him change the world, by which he must save humanity to do so. Throughout the film, we see the build-up of Evan taking on the role of building the Ark, therefore allowing the audience to gradually understand the concept of the film's narrative and the climax it leads them to.

* Due to the film's narrative bringing forth the case of religion, people who are of a specific religion may be able to understand the film more clearly due to them knowing the story of "Noah & The Ark". However as said before, for those who lead the same sort of lifestyle as Evan, personal identification may be able to take place as they can see themselves in the same sort of situation as Evan.

* Characters are delineated by their role within the film. Most of the characters within the film either take on the role of a hero, villain, donor, or helper, as a result leading the connection of these characters' representation to Propp's character theory. Heroes and villains are created through the characters' roles within the film. A hero is created through Evan Baxter as he is shown actually believing that God is who he says he is and takes this role further by building an Ark, as a result taking on the full role of Noah.

* A villain is created out of Congressman Long due to his disbelief in Evan and the flood. With the further knowledge that his dam is what caused the flood, the audience are able to see him more as a villain due to knowing that he is the reason as to why people were placed in danger.

* As said before, people who have the same sort of career as Evan may be able to identify with him as they also wish to change the world in one way or another. However, in opposite context to this is the alienation that some audience members may feel as they may not have the same sort of lifestyle that Evan leads and therefore may not be able to relate to him.

* Music plays a major role within the film as a lot of it is to do with God and The Flood; for example, the songs "Spirit in the Sky" and "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" give the audience more of an idea about the overall narrative, and what may possibly make it somewhat easier for them to understand.

* The major theme within the film is clearly the story of "Noah & The Ark", and the values and ideologies that are featured in the film are able to back this up. The director of the film possibly wanted to tell the story of "Noah & The Ark" within a comedy film as he may have wanted to gain a large audience; for example, those who came to learn and those who came to laugh.

Genre

* This film belongs to the comedy genre, and the reason as to why is because of the multiple comedy scenes seen within the film. This leads onto the generic conventions within the text where full-on comedy is shown; mainly during the scene where Evan is shown trying to shave off his beard, but seeing that it is continues to grow back, even seconds after he has shaved.

* Many of the iconographic features of the text are the links between stories from the Bible and the actors. For example, seen early on within the film is a billboard saying that the cinema is now screening the film "The 40 Year Old Virgin Mary"; this can be used as an iconographic feature due to Steve Carell having been the protagonist within the film "The 40 Year Old Virgin" and clearly the Biblical figure of the Virgin Mary.

* Many of the characters are based upon the personalities of which they must portray. For example, Evan Baxter portrays a kind, intelligent man who has everything he could possibly want therefore making him a likable character, whereas Congressman Long portrays different. Congressman Long is portrayed as being a dislikable character due to his disgruntled behaviour shown close to the end of the film. Having a variety of characters may allow the film to gain a large audience in order for them to see whether any conflict takes place between these characters which is possibly the reason as to why the writers may have created these characters.

* The audience's generic expectations of the text have been fulfilled to a good extent due to the multiple comedy scenes. As an audience, we expect a comedy film to be full of comedy scenes, which further leads to the result that the text does infact conform to the characteristics of the genre as it is shown to be funny and entertaining.

* Steve Carell (who plays the role of Evan Baxter) is known for his roles in other comedy films such as "The 40 Year Old Virgin", "Little Miss Sunshine", "Get Smart" as well as being known for playing Michael Scott in the American sitcom "The Office". As a result of being either the lead character or second lead character in many comedy films and shows it would be easy for him alone to being in an audience for the film due to him having gained a large amount of fans as a result of portraying these multiple roles.

Media Institutions

* The institution behind the film "Evan Almighty" is Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures is often associated with a number of films from a variety of genres. These include "The Skeleton Key" (horror), "Nanny McPhee" (family), "Knocked Up" (comedy), and "Wanted" (action). As the follow-up to "Bruce Almighty", one could say that this sequel to the 2003 comedy film would be able to "feed" off the success of its predecessor due to the already established character, Evan Baxter.

* As a result of distributing a large number of films in a large number of countries, it would appear as though Universal Pictures is a commercial institution as it makes films for profitable purposes as it did with this one. This affects the film in a huge way as a number of iconographic features, such as; high key lighting, montage editing, and a variety of camera shots/angles have been used in order to grab the audience's attention.

* Universal Pictures is partly owned by General Electric, and Vivendi and could play huge part in how the film is received. With both companies being conglomerates within their own industries and countries "Evan Almighty" would be a film which would be able to receive a substantial amount of viewers due to its wide publicity.

* By targeting all 3 media platforms, the film was able to be distributed in a number of ways. As a result of distributing the film through the broadcasting, print, and e-media platforms in the forms of trailers, posters, and websites, it would be quite easy for the film to gain a large audience as the institution has used these media platforms in order to attract people of whom can decide for themselves whether they would play money to watch it.