Category: Bicycle

Trends

• Fashion, health consciousness and active lifestyle trends

Statistics have indicated that bicycling is a healthy lifestyle with regard to not only cardiovascular exercise, but also a great mode of stress and tension relief. Many Americans have realized the benefits associated with bicycle industry (National Bicycle Dealers Association 2009 Para.4). It is also a fashion trend that fit and slim people are regarded to as fashion conscious.

Many people regardless of age or gender therefore see bicycling as a convenient way of achieving fashion statements with regard to their perceived fitness and body size. Subsequently, the bicycle industry has grown as more and more people take this option either as a means of transportation or, for recreation. The retail shop is evidently going to have high sales due to these social trends which do not show signs of diminishing in the next three to five years.

• Student market

The fact that this retail shop is located near a university is very convenient, as many students prefer to use bicycles for their transport given that most of them cannot afford cars. Additionally, it is regarded as fashionable to own certain makes of bikes, which is a very effective factor that might see this retail shop make large profits in the course of the next five years.

Opportunities

• High fuel prices

Political instability in the Middle East is a vital factor that highly affects the cost of fuel world wide. With the high cost being felt by the consumer in the recent times, consumers have found cycling not only a faster means, but also a cost saving mode of transport (Williamson & Zeng 69).

The bicycle industry therefore must see the opportunity in the high fuel costs which has turned about 5.2 % of the total population to cyclists. It is therefore important that the market finds convenient strategies to win more consumers as they also work effortlessly to satisfy consumer needs.

• Bicycle variety

Additionally, the business must endeavor to stock a wide variety of bikes to cater for varied consumer needs. These include comfort, mountain, hybrid, beach cruiser, downhill, commuter and also children bicycles in order to capture the whole market. If every customer’s needs are met, then the profits will inevitably be enormous.

The business can engage in offering free repair services for a specified period of time after purchase. This shall keep customers as they build business trust. The retail shop must therefore have unlimited selection of bicycles as they offer after service to customers. It is also important to note that the retail shop must stock varied brands to suit customer needs.

• Clothing

Among its competitors, there is no single one that offers riding clothing. Mostly, customers are referred to other shops. The retail shop therefore can take up the task of in additional to retail sale and service as their ways of generating revenue, selling gloves, shoes and riding wear to enhance service delivery.

• Events organizers

The fact that this retail shop is the only shop that organizers riding events gives it an upper hand over other competitors. However, there is great opportunity in organizing events that cater not only for students, but those that are gender and age conscious. This will give consumers an opportunity to view the stock in the retail shop.

It is also at such events that raffles can be organizers where winner are awarded with prizes such as new bicycles, free service to their current bicycles for a specified period of time or free riding gear. The organization of riding events is an opportunity that is bound to raise the profit margins.

Threats

• Economy fluctuations – discretionary spending

Being a small retail shop, the business will inevitably be affected by fluctuations of the economy as times become harder and harder for the consumer. Today, the unemployment rate stands at 9.1% which translates to fewer and fewer customers as a result of discretionary spending. Lowering costs of bicycles on the other hand is not a valid business decision considering the fact that this is a retail shop which makes only significant profit margins.

• Seasonality

The market is sometimes unpredictable and has seasons. If a new make of car is produced in the market, then there are chances of shift of interest. This is bound to after the bicycle retail shop as sales will definitely go down (Bicycle Retailer Para.1). Challenges associated with seasonality go beyond profits as the retailer has to cater for other business expenditures from other sources.

• Competition

The retail shop is at a threat facing competition pressure with regard to price sets as other wholesale merchants are in a position to cut profits and offer large discount considerably. At this point, the retail shop is not in a position to face such competition as it deals in limited stock and very minimal capital is there for expansion. Even though other competitors are retailers, the retail shop is bound to suffer together with them, when the large merchants offer appealing discounts.

Works Cited

Bicycle Retailer. Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. 2011. 14 September 2011. www.bicycleretailer.com

National Bicycle Dealers Association. Industry Overview. 2011. 14 September 2011. www.nbda.com

Williamson, Peter & Zeng, Ming. Value-for-money Strategies for Recessionary Times, 2009 Harvard Business Review, 69

The roots of Italian neorealism can be traced to the style that appeared in the Italian cinematography of 1913 and 1916 that focused on filming people who deal with their own issues in various realistic settings.

Italian Neorealism Characteristics

The neorealism stemmed from the banality of themes and mundane social situations that were depicted in the previous cinematic works. Neorealism had become to mean not only an innovative cinematic style but created a new philosophy of moral, political, and social standards. When discussing the main ideological attributes of neorealism, the following characteristics can be outlined: a new essence of democracy emphasized by the significance of simple people; a compassionate view on the world without lightweight judgment of people; the preoccupation with the Fascist past of Italy and the devastating circumstances caused by the war.

The Bicycle Thief as a Prominent Neorealism Work

The Bicycle Thief (1948) was made when the economy of Italy was slowly beginning to improve, and the neorealist movement was starting to fade. Thus, the film combined the most significant aspects of neorealism, depicting the poverty of Italy. It is a film that took nearly sixteen months to create and is the film where “nothing-next-to- nothing” happens (Gordon 31). The de-dramatization of the events in the film contributes to the neorealism characteristic that has very close relations to the existing reality. The lives of the characters are not set in a particular logical sequence they are messy stories that nowhere. Since the year 1948 marked the ending point of Fascism, the film reflects the devastation of the country at the same time with representing a shift from the Fascist aesthetic to showing the lives of ordinary people (Gordon 15).

When it comes to the film, neorealism was nothing more than a question of style. Realism was something the director wanted to bring into the artificial setting he had created so that the viewer accepts the artificial reality for genuine reality. However, it can be considered one of the most compelling but simple pieces of narrative cinema ever created (Gordon 8).

The Influence of Neorealism on Pather Panchali

Upon seeing The Bicycle Thief directors across the globe saw the refreshing aesthetic characterized by the postwar aspirations and beliefs in a better future. The realistic technique used in the film was successful in transferring an engaging story that reflected popular social issues. As a response to the two decades of the Fascist ruling and an avid call to the reconstruction of the Italian postwar society, The Bicycle Thief offered an array of new possibilities to the world of cinema.

The neorealism movement led by The Bicycle Thief has influenced a series of political and social reforms along with the emergence of new cinematic works like Satyajit Ray’s Pather Pancali shot in 1995. The influence of Italian neorealism is evident in Pather Pancali that depicted the rural life of Bengali without any exaggerations or embellishments. Since The Bicycle Thief enforces a new set of values that put an emphasis on the moral principles and family values (the main character Antonio Ricci is a father of a poor family that has to do everything in his power to support his family) (The Bicycle Thief), the work of Satyajit Ray also devotes attention to the social issues of superstition, illiteracy, and poverty.

Works Cited

Gordon, Robert. Bicycle Thieves, New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print.

The Bicycle Thief. 2016. Web.

The Bicycle Thieves is an award-winning film that was produced in Italy in1948 by Vittorio De Sica. This essay offers a succinct analysis of the film in terms of plot and theme developments, character analysis, use of sound and images as well as the overall context.

It is one of the typical examples of a neo-realistic film that was created after the end of the Great World Wars. The film depicts a gritty and cumbersome world in several ways. The grainy films were shot in various settings using hand-held cameras.

Antonio Ricci’s life has been explored in the film. To bring out the intended meaning, a realist approach has been used to depict the endeavor of the persona as he strives to get back his stolen bicycle. Moreover, a realistic plot has been created in the film using basic and daily occurrences in life.

The audience is only in a position to obtain the projected meaning due to the raw emotions used in the film. The lead roles in the film were portrayed by Enzo Staiola and Lamberto Maggiorani. They were non-actors in the film.

In this particular analysis, the scene that will be explored runs from 01:19:00:00 to 01:24:00:00. The scene shows a crowd chasing a bicycle thief who has just stolen a bike from the side of a street. The son of the thief runs after him as he cries loudly. Both the father and the son are then embarrassingly frog-matched by the crowd along the street to the police station. This is the most intense and dramatic section of the movie.

The emotionally erratic son opts to run after his father because he notes that a crowd of people is barging him. Intense emotions and ideas have been excellently displayed through the body language of the non-actors in the film. A feeling of empathy or being sorry cannot escape the mind of the audience at this point due to the sadness, tears, and worried expressions that can be seen all over the face of the unhappy son.

The scene also contains several shots that can be considered to be terrific. However, the shots can be considered to be accidental bearing in mind that improvisation is a common technique used in most neo-realistic movies. The camera creates a fantastic shot as it spins close to the unhappy son of a thief who is starring as events unfold.

The movement of the bicycle is similar to camera work. This redirects the attention of the spectators to get the impression that the father is being looked at by the son. The boy appears to be worried and angry simultaneously.

The camerawork at the portion is rather shaky. The ensuing actions are rapidly being followed by handheld cameras. To some extent, it resembles a shot in documentary footage. Such a shot psychologically convinces the audience on the realistic nature of the film because people have quite strong ties documentaries and news footages. A lot of things are allowed to take place in front of the camera, thereby creating an image of a movie shot in a real city setting.

A city in a state of ruin has been portrayed in the location of the shot. For instance, the crowd is dressed in filthy and torn outfits in the mise-en-scene. As a result, the notion of poverty is reinforced. The grueling scene also assists in understanding the motive for stealing the bicycle. The fact that this place is poverty-stricken has been affirmed by the meager material possessions, the dilapidated scenery, streets, and the ripped clothes worn by the characters.

The barbarity associated with abject poverty has been revealed through the mean streak in the film. An impression of a violent society has also been demonstrated in the film by the mob of the angry crowd ready to unleash their wrath on the bicycle thief. It is pertinent to mention that the Post War era in Italy was marked with a long period of economic turmoil that left households in a dire state of poverty.

The poverty index was high in Italy after the end of the first and second world wars. Clues and themes of the intense rate of crime have been mapped throughout the film. For example, the police walls are filled with posters for the “Most Wanted” criminals who are still at large.

The scene does not contain a lot of speech except for minimal conversation between the thief and the young boy. Facial expressions and physical portrayals are the major part of acting in this scene. Hence, dialogue does not take the center stage. The scene also contains faint music in the background. The musical sounds do not dominate the scene.

It is obvious that this is the best way to present the quiet loneliness that has engulfed both the father and his son. In the real sense, the somber mood does not require a great deal of music. It is also interesting to mention that the background music is similar to an orchestra. The sharp, deep tones tend to deduce some of looming danger. The audience is readily left to empathize with the two victims gripped in an isolated situation.

The source of sound in this part of the film is mainly emanating from the immediate traffic and yelling from the crowd. These are likely the only sounds that were recorded when the movie was being taken. However, it was not a mistake at all since it injects perfect realism into the movie.

Emotion has been conveyed throughout the film through staring of the eyes. The element of “acting devoid of speaking” has been brought out vividly in this scene. Characters have managed to use several close-ups in the scene.

The logic that demonstrates the degree of a messed life has been depicted in the film. A state of contradiction is also evident in this scene. For instance, the man desperately requires a source of livelihood. However, he needs a bike to obtain a job. Worse still, acquiring a bike demands money. Unfortunately, he is not in a position to buy a bicycle because he has no money.

To a large extent, I suppose there is harmonious chemistry between the father and the son. The latter makes the film to work. A strong and unrelenting partnership between a father and son has been expressed in the storyline. It makes the audience to easily identify with the realities of life. The two characters portray genuine looks. Also, an incredible performance is visualized when they demonstrate a close emotional attachment in the scene.

There are several instances when the camera presents the story from one character’s point of view. For instance, the young boy featured in several stand-alone shots when the father is being yelled and chased by the angry crowd. Besides, the two key characters are predominantly featured after the crowd has left them. The latter is achieved by positioning the camera at different angles.

For example, the camera is zoomed closer to the character’s sad face. Changing the angle of the camera to focus on the feelings of a character is a skillful way of emphasizing the pitiful or dire situation at hand. It is only through the facial expression of the characters that the audience can share the feelings in the film. It also relates to the major theme of poverty as portrayed in the movie through the tattered clothing and gloomy faces.

In terms of composition and image, space usage in the film is accurately balanced. All the characters have a reasonable share of the available space. The only time when the bicycle thief is constantly surrounded by specific people is when he is being matched to the police. The action augers well with the situation at hand because he cannot be allowed to walk freely since he is a thief.

To present the action, the camera has been positioned in different angles depending on the prevailing action. A case in point is when the thief is finally caught.

The camera is canted to highlight the sad face of the man who is shocked and dumbfounded. Also, crane shots and pans have been skillfully created by the camera to depict the wrath of the crowd. The presence of several old bicycles parked at the side of the streets indicates an extreme state of poverty that has befallen the city dwellers.