Actor Profile: Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro

Robert De Niro is an Oscar-winning American actor and producer who has starred in over 90 films during his career and ha. He is thought of as one of the greatest Hollywood actors of all time. He most famous for playing the main part in Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Godfather: Part 2 and The Intern.

 

15 Facts About De Niro

 

1. De Niro got his first taste of life as an actor when he landed the plum role of the Cowardly Lion in his school’s production of The Wizard Of Oz
2. His father, Robert De Niro, Sr, was an expressionist painter
3. He's appeared in over 90 films with eight more in various stages of production, including Grudge Match with Sylvester Stallone.
4. He's been nominated five times for an Oscar and has won twice for The Godfather: Part II and Raging Bull.
5. He's been married twice and has six children, including adopted daughter Drena De Niro.
6. Interestingly He grew up just a few blocks away from future director Martin Scorsese, but the pair didn't meet until much later on
7. De Niro worked as a river to prepare for the role of Bickle
8. On screen brothers De Niro and Pesci lived and trained together while making Raging Bull.
9.  During the sparring scene in Raging Bull De Niro broke one of Joe Pesci's ribs.
10. De Niro co-owns celebrity friendly restaurant, Nobu
11. He received $35,000 for his Oscar-nominated performance in Taxi Driver (1976). His part in Little Fockers (2010) earned him $20 million. 
12. He paid a dentist to mess up his teeth for the role of mad Max Cady in Cape Fear
13. born in August 17, 1943 (age 72), new York city
14. he is of Italian/American nationality
15. he has a height of 5''10.

career

Robert De Niro first gained fame for his role inBang The Drum Slowly (1973), but he gained his reputation as a volatile actor in Mean Streets (1973), which was his first film with director Martin Scorsese.  during his lengthy career Robert has achieved 43 wins and 76 nominations.
 

 In 1974 De Niro received an Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in The Godfather: 2 (1974) and received Academy Award nominations for best actor in Taxi Driver(1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Cape fear (1991). He won the best actor award in 1980 for Raging Bull(1980). De Niro heads his own production company, Tribeca Film Center, and made his directorial debut in 1993 with A Bronx Tail (1993).

Use of camera angles in the opening of 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' (1961)

Throughout the film Breakfast at Tiffanys (1961) a range of different lighting techniques are used to enhance expression and realistic detail within the characters of the film.

The opening scene begins with an establishing shot of the city along a road of shops and other high rise buildings. This gives the audience a visual for the setting of the film and where any events that happen will be set.   The colours used in the opening are dull and bland until the next scene where a yellow cab can be seen, captured by a tracking shot, travelling down the road. The taxi is bold in colour which signifies its importance or the importance of who or what it holds inside.  

The third shot of the opening scene sees a tall elegant lady clad in all black step out of the taxi and as an audience we now know she is the main established character. The colour of her whole outfit is bold, dark displaying confidence. The beaded detail on the back of her floor length gown along with the dark sunglasses covering her face even though it is not at all bright in the natural light also emphasizes the significance of the character and that she perhaps holds some wealth.

Here the camera cuts to a low angle shot of the back of the lady looking up at the shop emblazoned ‘’Tiffanys’’ to tidy up the opening of the film and link it to its title. Also the use of the low angle shot rather than a more zoomed out one suggests the shop to play more importance than the character herself. As the angle ‘looks up’ as if we were viewing it from the first person.

In scene 4 the camera slowly zooms out to a medium shot of the unknown lady still wearing shades to conceal her identity which adds intrigue into the beginning of the film and sparks questions in the audiences mind which will only be answered by continuing to watch the film past the opening credits.

The camera zooms out to a long angle shot of the lady walking down the boulevard looking in the shop window and then zooms in again to face her from the front so we finally get a more detailed shot. 

The lady is holding a takeaway coffee while eating a bakery item. This small detail suggests that she is maybe less of a higher class than we first initially thought and maybe not as wealthy simply because of the mannerism of how she is eating. The medium close up shot displays this at a perfect distance and this is why the use of camera angles and the editing of them played a vital part in the success and smooth running of the film which is a classic in the present day.  

Short Film Response to Kes (1969)

Kes tells the heart-warming story of Billy Casper and his relationship with a falcon that he finds in a nest on a field, brings home, nurtures and trains to fly. Billy has a hard time at school and the teachers act as bullies towards him especially his P.E teacher who forces him to have a freezing cold shower after class in the winter time. He constantly picks on billy and encourages the boys in his class to do the same. The relationship between Billy and Kes is metaphorical as Billy gets more respect and socialisation from the falcon than he does from his school teacher, his peers and his family. Billy is an outcast, whose family is poor. However his emotional intelligence outweighs all this but no one seems to give him the time of day and has little patience for him all apart from his pet falcon, Kes.

Kes is a great example of how a low budget film can still be a successful one and a relatable character and believable storyline sometimes have a higher impact on an audience than the use of technology and high grossing actors.

The British film is directed by Ken Loach and adapted from the novel ‘’a kestrel for a knave’’

Kes won a total of 5 awards including a BAFTA and was nominated for 4 in 1971 and 1972. 

Top 20 Highest Grossing Films Of All Time

Taken from the ''im flying'' scene in Titanuic

   TOP 20 HIGHEST GROSSING FILMS OF ALL TIME   

There are many films of different genres and length and budget directed produced and edited each year but not even half are very successful. Here are 20 of the highest grossing films of all time:

1. first of is gone with the wind (1939). an epic american historical romance. it focuses on the life of Scarlett O'hara and her struggle living through the civil war. the film is nearly 4 hours long, directed by        Victor Fleming, George Cukor and Sam Wood. Take in of:$1,640,602,400 
2.   Star Wars (1977) American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. With 7 films to date the first still reigns supreme with a take of: $1,446,331,100.
3. The Sound of Music (1965). Heartwarming musical s based on the  real life story of the Von Trapp family singers. Starring Julie Andrews $1,156,412,900 in domestic ticket sales
4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)The biggest movie of 1982 is also the fourth biggest movie of all time, with a grand total of $1,151,857,200.
5. Titanic (1997) is the action romance  based on the real life tragedy of April 1912. directed by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. it took in a total of $1,100,052,700 during its theatrical run. 
6. the ten commandments (1956) runs for nearly 4 hours and the biblical epic conjured up $1,063,720,000 at the box office. 
7. Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg this thriller/horror  is based on the killer great white shark that takes the life of a young woman into its jaws.  raised $1,040,000,000 in ticket sales.
8. Doctor Zhivago (1965) Despite being banned in Russia—the country in which it is set—until 1994, David Lean’s epic drama-romance still managed to drum up more than a billion dollars  with U.S. audiences alone.
9.   The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin’s ground-breaking horror film  loosely based on true events is the genre’s first receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Grand total of $898,065,200 at the box office.
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) The Walt Disney classic generated $885,080,000 at the box office.
11. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
    Another Disney classic, the original 101 drew up $811,328,100 between its original 1961 release and its four other re-releases (in 1969, 1979, 1985, and 1991).
12. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) The second film released in the Star Wars franchise is also its second highest grossing, with $797,226,800 in adjusted domestic ticket sales.
13. Ben-Hur (1959) American epic historical drama film. It had a 15million dollar budget. The largest budget of any film producer of that time. However it generated $795,760,000 in ticket sales.
14. Avatar (2009) James Cameron's sci-fi film is the latest entry into this list—and the director's second in the top 20 highest-grossing films, with $789,712,800.
15. Return of the Jedi (1983) Another Star Wars movie, another entry on this list. The franchise’s third release made an impressive $763,762,400.
16. Jurassic Park (1993) the  original of the science fiction Jurassic park franchise, directed by Steven Spielberg made  $746,406,300 in box office grosses.
17. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) George Lucas at it again. This time with The Phantom Menace, The 4th in the instalment, which took in $733,334,000.
18. The Lion King (1994) Disneys 3^rd feature in the top 20. Is a film known and loved by many of all ages. The film has been transcribed into a theatrical production and is worth $723,868,900.
19. 
    

    The sting (1979) an americsan caper film set imn the 1930’s. directed by George Roy Hill. Starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. It won the Best Picture of 1973 and also happened to be its highest grossing, generating $723,840,000 in ticket sales.
20. finally the 20th highest grossing film of all time Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Nearly 35 years after introducing audiences to Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark still rounds out the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time, making $718,837,500 in receipts.

Actor Profile: Leonardo DeCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor best known for his roles in; wolf of wall street, Titanic, Gangs of New York, Aviator, 

15 Facts About DiCaprio

1.  full name is Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio
2. Although at a young age he was advised to change his name to something more 'friendly and american' 
3. He was born in November 11, 1974 (age 40), in Hollywood, US.
4. He was considered the role of Pete Parker/spiderman in spiderman but the role was given to Toby Maguire. 
5. One of his closest friends is Mark Wahlberg.
6. He supports environmental causes
7. He created a spoken word piece called 'global warning' about global warming and climate change. 
8. Plays basketball, hockey, football and many other sports 
9. Leo owns 2 homes in New York city and one in LA
10. Leo has never won an academy award
11. although he has won 2 golden glove awards for best actor in the aviator and Wolf of Wall Street.
12. two of his favorite films are Taxi Driver and The Shining.
13. He is 6'' tall.
14. his net worth is over $200 million 
15. he attended LA center for enriched studies before attending Marshall High. 

Career

DiCaprio has gone from playing in humble, low budget films to playing the lead role in major blockbuster, movies such as Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997).

leonardo's performance skills became apparent to his parents at an early stage  and after signing him up with a talent agent who wanted Leonardo to perform under the stage name "Lenny Williams Leonardo  began appearing on many  television commercials and educational programs.

This helped his to  attract the attention of producers, who cast him in bit part roles in a number of television series, such as Roseanne (1988) and The New Lassie (1989), but it wasn't until 1991 that DiCaprio made his film debut in Critters 3 (1991), a low-budget horror movie. While Critters 3 (1991) did little to help showcase DiCaprio's acting abilities, it did help him develop his show-reel, and attract the attention of the people behind the hit sitcom Growing Pains (1985), in which Leonardo was cast in the "Cousin Oliver" role of a young homeless boy who moves in with the Seavers. While DiCaprio's stint on Growing Pains (1985) was very short, as the sitcom was axed the year after he joined, it helped bring DiCaprio into the public's attention and, after the show ended, DiCaprio began auditioning for roles in which he would get the chance to prove his acting.

Leonardo took up a diverse range of roles in the early 1990's, including a mentally challenged youth in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993 and the Dead (1995) and a drug addict in one of his most challenging roles to date, "Jim Carroll", in The Basketball Diaries (1995), a role which the late River Phoenix originally expressed interest in. While these diverse roles helped establish Leonardo's reputation as a diverse actor, it wasn't until his role as "Romeo" that Leonardo became a household name, a true movie star. The following year, DiCaprio starred in another movie about doomed lovers, Titanic (1997), which went on to beat all box office records held before then, as, at the time, Titanic (1997) became the highest grossing movie of all time. 

In more recent years Leo played a leading role in shutter island (2010) and inception (2010) also playing the main character in Wolf of wall street (2013)