Broadcasting and Film

Citizen Kane in a Century

The film most likely to be seen and reviewed one hundred years from now is Citizen Kane . The reason Citizen Kane will most likely withstand the next century above the others is the timelessness the concept of the film carries . Based on the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst , the film conveys the sense that the media is controlled by the few with the most money and the most power , a concept that lends itself especially well to film in terms of plot development and tension . Plot and tension

br garner a large audience that might not otherwise be united on what makes a successful film . For instance , Welles ' use of then-innovative cinematic techniques might be the wedge between an average movie-goer and a film critic , but the use of these techniques added dimension to the plot and tension in ways that previously been unexplored . Now seen as part of the cinematic canon , low camera angles make Kane 's character appear larger-than-life , adding to the dramatic tension . Facial close-ups also added to film 's mood , as the audience became enmeshed in the complexity of the characters and what happened to them . The use of flashbacks was also innovative , telling a story onscreen in a then-unconventional way , adding layers and giving the audience cues into the nature of Kane 's rise to the top of the journalism field , the power and wealth it allowed him , and the crushing fall the fickleness of the media to which he was pushed . Citizen Kane will survive the coming century because it broke ground in narrative technique as well as cinematic creativity , paving the way for all the other films viewed this semester

Martha Stewart : The New Kane

Citizen Kane updated for the times would ambitiously look at the rise fall , and subsequent rise of home-decorating mogul Martha Stewart . The star would be Cate Blanchett , as she would fit the role physically as well as act the role remarkably . Hilary Swank would play Stewart 's daughter , Alexis , and her husband , Andy , would be Robert Downey Jr Extensive research would be done , of course , to make the parallels between the real life person on which the film is based and the fictional character representing that person . The title character would be Ruth Helen Kane so as to keep the original film title in tact , to keep the parallel somewhat acute (Stewart 's middle name is Helen , and to play on the word ruthless . The film would be shot using the same cinematic techniques in the same way as Welles used in his original film - heavy use of flashbacks , facial close ups , low camera angles , extended and uninterrupted scenes , subjective use of lighting , and focus shots The difference would be that the film would not end with the character in jail , but would follow the steady rise back into her original position of power . Martha Stewart as subject would testify to the short attention span of the public today , as well as insinuate...