Kapadia:
Reflexive, poetic and expository
Moore:
Participatory, aspects of performative (Grierson - documentary is the creative interpretation of actuality)
Broomfield:
Participatory, reflexive (ie shows him making it - his direct cinema approach to get your own negotiated reading)
Friday, 7 June 2019
Global Film - Aesthetics and Stuff
Aesthetics is almost in the background, but gives an overall look and feel
Ie in Pan's Labyrinth the lighting shows it. Pathetic fallacy of weather - deteriorates as the film goes on
Pans Labyrinth has uterus imagery - the female reproductive system creates
Spirals in fantasy imagery shows the unending nature of the plot or fantasy - eternity. Cogs contrast this, especially in the captain's room, showing the binary opposition
City of God - the high contrast colour shows vibrancy, like the city is alive, almost a character in itself, which is epitomized by the flat scene
Never show an establishing shot of the slum, shows they're trapped
Extreme close ups, shallow depth of field, handheld - documentary. Whips pans intercut with actual cuts. V. fast editing montages - like an advert of music video
Freeze frames - connotations of a gangster film - Goodfellas. Familiar with convention. Difference is Li'l Ze doesn't have the things that gangsters have, he's still trapped even if he's rich
Editing at the end is the same as at the beginning - Rocket becomes the chicken but the roles are reversed - Li'l Ze becomes the chicken
When people want the outside world, they can't escape, but when the outside world wants you, you get out - Rocket
Scenes:
Opening
Kid shot
Knockout Ned montage
Transformation
Closing scene - Li'l Ze talking to police until the Runts walking off. Voyeuristic. Runts walk back into the city - endless cycle.
Pans - he's trapped in his fathers legacy, just as the cogs in his room show that he's trapped in the watch
Production contect - includes representation, setting and time of production
Ie in Pan's Labyrinth the lighting shows it. Pathetic fallacy of weather - deteriorates as the film goes on
Pans Labyrinth has uterus imagery - the female reproductive system creates
Spirals in fantasy imagery shows the unending nature of the plot or fantasy - eternity. Cogs contrast this, especially in the captain's room, showing the binary opposition
City of God - the high contrast colour shows vibrancy, like the city is alive, almost a character in itself, which is epitomized by the flat scene
Never show an establishing shot of the slum, shows they're trapped
Extreme close ups, shallow depth of field, handheld - documentary. Whips pans intercut with actual cuts. V. fast editing montages - like an advert of music video
Freeze frames - connotations of a gangster film - Goodfellas. Familiar with convention. Difference is Li'l Ze doesn't have the things that gangsters have, he's still trapped even if he's rich
Editing at the end is the same as at the beginning - Rocket becomes the chicken but the roles are reversed - Li'l Ze becomes the chicken
When people want the outside world, they can't escape, but when the outside world wants you, you get out - Rocket
Scenes:
Opening
Kid shot
Knockout Ned montage
Transformation
Closing scene - Li'l Ze talking to police until the Runts walking off. Voyeuristic. Runts walk back into the city - endless cycle.
Pans - he's trapped in his fathers legacy, just as the cogs in his room show that he's trapped in the watch
Production contect - includes representation, setting and time of production
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Experimental Film
Bring debates about experimentalism and post modernism - is there a difference?
No meta narrative - no real binary oppositions or themes, just there to look at. Not put behind anyone or anything - could represent that life is unpredictable and without metanarrative
Non-linearity - the way it uses it, makes us confused as we think we're behind someone and then they die or we switch to another time. Once Vincent is gone we don't really latch onto anything else, possibly Butch but that's up for debate. The non-linearity actually impacts our ability to relate to him even though we know the most about his backstory and life. We first see him in opposition to Vincent, which puts us immediately against him. Butch doesn't have a 'cool' stylized monologue, even his girlfriend does. Makes him look boring, uninteresting in comparison to others.
Auteur traits come into play - dialogue not used to move forward - either to develop character or to look cool.
Debates about experimentalism could be that, as different experimental films came out the same year (Natural Born Killers), there is a movement of post modernism instead of individual experimentalism. Also Breathless by Jean-Luc Goddard came before
No meta narrative - no real binary oppositions or themes, just there to look at. Not put behind anyone or anything - could represent that life is unpredictable and without metanarrative
Non-linearity - the way it uses it, makes us confused as we think we're behind someone and then they die or we switch to another time. Once Vincent is gone we don't really latch onto anything else, possibly Butch but that's up for debate. The non-linearity actually impacts our ability to relate to him even though we know the most about his backstory and life. We first see him in opposition to Vincent, which puts us immediately against him. Butch doesn't have a 'cool' stylized monologue, even his girlfriend does. Makes him look boring, uninteresting in comparison to others.
Auteur traits come into play - dialogue not used to move forward - either to develop character or to look cool.
Debates about experimentalism could be that, as different experimental films came out the same year (Natural Born Killers), there is a movement of post modernism instead of individual experimentalism. Also Breathless by Jean-Luc Goddard came before
Silent Film
Aesthetics and the outside influence on them - cubism etc. Look at the idea that realism vs expressionism can be seen by Charles Wolfe things
Aesthetic Qualities in Pans Labyrinth and City of Giod
Look and feel of the film - auteur traits, mise en scene and cinematography and sound - have we got repeated audio or visual motifs that keep recurring in the film.
Pans Labyrinth - Spiral imagery, dark colours contrasting fantasy. Captain's room - watch motif keeps recurring - cogs turning link to the idea of the clock, as if he's trapped inside the moment. Puts us on the brink of sympathy with the character. Waterwheel in the background of the rabbit sequence. Lullaby played in various scenes, used to emphasize the jarring juxtaposition of fantasy vs reality, and her innocence
City of God - all the costume of the characters makes them blend them into the slum - enforcing the idea that they can't escape and are part of it. This is true for both times. The people who don't belong are obvious - Tiago with his ginger hair, Benny when he starts wanting to leave wears bright colours, different to the others
Pans Labyrinth - Spiral imagery, dark colours contrasting fantasy. Captain's room - watch motif keeps recurring - cogs turning link to the idea of the clock, as if he's trapped inside the moment. Puts us on the brink of sympathy with the character. Waterwheel in the background of the rabbit sequence. Lullaby played in various scenes, used to emphasize the jarring juxtaposition of fantasy vs reality, and her innocence
City of God - all the costume of the characters makes them blend them into the slum - enforcing the idea that they can't escape and are part of it. This is true for both times. The people who don't belong are obvious - Tiago with his ginger hair, Benny when he starts wanting to leave wears bright colours, different to the others
Key issues to talk about for each film:
Pans Labyrinth - Fascism and Patriarchy - Rabbit Poachers and Pale Man, and Tree and opening sequence
City of God - Entrapment and Corruption and escapism and poverty - the aerial shots - and Li'l Dice brothel and montage, supported by Benny death - poverty = everything is a result of poverty
Ideology in BOTSW and NCFOM
Libertarianism, Feminsim or Marxism in BOTSW
Marxism for NCFOM
Passive and active spectatorship - looking for readings of things
4 different ideologies when we talk about it:
Dominant ideology - relates to society
Spectator's own ideologies
The ideological framework or perspective that we put on the film
The film's own ideology
Ie putting a feminist ideology over Blade runner it would change how we see the film compared to putting a Marxist reading on it
By putting a different framework on it will it change the way you see it - would be see civilization vs wild is BOTSW if we didn't put a libertarian perspective on it
Difference between ideology and narrative is that ideology is a set beliefs and values where as narrative is unique to the film
Marxism for NCFOM
Passive and active spectatorship - looking for readings of things
4 different ideologies when we talk about it:
Dominant ideology - relates to society
Spectator's own ideologies
The ideological framework or perspective that we put on the film
The film's own ideology
Ie putting a feminist ideology over Blade runner it would change how we see the film compared to putting a Marxist reading on it
By putting a different framework on it will it change the way you see it - would be see civilization vs wild is BOTSW if we didn't put a libertarian perspective on it
Difference between ideology and narrative is that ideology is a set beliefs and values where as narrative is unique to the film
British Film Production Context
Cool Brittania - pride in British culture, especially counter culture - rise in Britain on international stage, don't mention the time it's set in. People are changing, drugs are changing, music is changing. Also change from conservative to labour. Brought in heroin chic, made Lou Reed's Perfect Day number one in 1998. An adaptation from the book
Sightseers - smaller budget due to being independent
Sightseers - smaller budget due to being independent
Narrative
Narrative positioning - who we're placed behind through the cinematography and who we side with. Allows us to talk about spectatorship - bridges narrative and spectatorship
Sid Field's Narrative Structure - 3 acts - sets up problems and establishes character, confrontation and revealing problem, resolution - everything is solved
Todorov's - Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, Recognition of disequilibrium, Solving disequilibrium, new equilibrium
Binary Oppositions - Claude Levi-Strauss
Narrative themes
Linearity - flashbacks don't make us non-linear because it's internal non-diegetic - in the character's head not the spectators. Ie Trainspotting is non-linear because it's shows nihilism and the cycle of addiction, creating an enigma that draws in the audience, same with Pans Labyrinth. Trainspotting is omniscient because we know more than just the main protagonist, but stops being omniscient when he moves to London - ie when he stops doing drugs. Could show shared drugs experience or their reliance on each other.
Sid Field's Narrative Structure - 3 acts - sets up problems and establishes character, confrontation and revealing problem, resolution - everything is solved
Todorov's - Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, Recognition of disequilibrium, Solving disequilibrium, new equilibrium
Binary Oppositions - Claude Levi-Strauss
Narrative themes
Linearity - flashbacks don't make us non-linear because it's internal non-diegetic - in the character's head not the spectators. Ie Trainspotting is non-linear because it's shows nihilism and the cycle of addiction, creating an enigma that draws in the audience, same with Pans Labyrinth. Trainspotting is omniscient because we know more than just the main protagonist, but stops being omniscient when he moves to London - ie when he stops doing drugs. Could show shared drugs experience or their reliance on each other.
Essay Structure
Paper 1 - 2 paragraphs per point, 2-3 points per film - 45 mins per question, 5 planning, 3 questions
To get Band 5 talk about alternative interpretations
Intro - quick summary, context, setting etc. Anything relevant. Suggest general terms of answer
Body - more detailed
Conclusion - sums up findings, explain what overall message and effect is
To get Band 5 talk about alternative interpretations
Intro - quick summary, context, setting etc. Anything relevant. Suggest general terms of answer
Body - more detailed
Conclusion - sums up findings, explain what overall message and effect is
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Compare the extent in the films you haev studied duispay author individuality
'The Hollywood machine always crushed any individuality in filmmaking'
Vertigo - first scene - Elster and Scotty talk for first time - that scene follows classic Hollywood conventions of deep focus, blocking, dialogue driven, doesn't display auteur individuality, however there is one moment of unmotivated camera movement that shows director control
Dream sequence - v. Hitchcock - breaks rules of Hollywood - discontinuity editing, all subjective, no dialogue and he started out in the silent era making tile cards, and so may prefer to show scenes without dialogue, which happens for a lot of the scene. Also narratively, in book don't know until end that Judy is involved, but Hitchcock brings it to the middle to use suspense, v. him
Scott not as strong an auteur of Hitchcock, difference in cuts and how they demonstrate decisions he makes of director, shows that that's not what he wants and hat he had to compromise. Debate with Ford about whether he's a replicant or not. Eye gouge in theatrical cut is shown, cut to owl's eyes, his trait, in the d cut
Very important - can we talk about auteurs anyway, do they exist
Vertigo - first scene - Elster and Scotty talk for first time - that scene follows classic Hollywood conventions of deep focus, blocking, dialogue driven, doesn't display auteur individuality, however there is one moment of unmotivated camera movement that shows director control
Dream sequence - v. Hitchcock - breaks rules of Hollywood - discontinuity editing, all subjective, no dialogue and he started out in the silent era making tile cards, and so may prefer to show scenes without dialogue, which happens for a lot of the scene. Also narratively, in book don't know until end that Judy is involved, but Hitchcock brings it to the middle to use suspense, v. him
Scott not as strong an auteur of Hitchcock, difference in cuts and how they demonstrate decisions he makes of director, shows that that's not what he wants and hat he had to compromise. Debate with Ford about whether he's a replicant or not. Eye gouge in theatrical cut is shown, cut to owl's eyes, his trait, in the d cut
Very important - can we talk about auteurs anyway, do they exist
City of God Meirelles Quotes
'City of God is about exclusion - it's a part of Brazil that doesn't participate in wider society'
Used to work making commercials - quick sequences that can get the ideology across in 30 secs or less
Used to work making commercials - quick sequences that can get the ideology across in 30 secs or less
Sunday, 19 May 2019
Thursday, 16 May 2019
Exam Stuff
Silent film - revise mainly production context as it relates to everything - all the ideas and themes relate to things at the time
Most questions 'to what extent' which is basically evaluate
Most questions 'to what extent' which is basically evaluate
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Blade Runner Discussion
Themes
Corruption - the 'corruption' of the Replicants away from their designed prupose results in their attemot at humantiy - they turn into us when the are corrupted - brings into question the IDENTITY of HUMANITY and what defines it
Corporation - the individuals are lost to the neon glow of billboards and products, swimming in a sea of light it's hard to find yourself, let alone anyone else. Also draws comaprisons to America at the time (production context), who were promoting corporations heavily, and shows that it may already be happening. Brings in ISOLATION
Implicit - humanity can be achieved by other means - what does it take to be human? Is what we knw what is ture (Vertigo).
Aesthetic
High contrast colour, low key lighting. Typical in sci fi, expecailly the gritty dystopian ones of Scott. Without the harsh neon there is blackness - the tech and corpoations are rising to the top and the darkenss is the result. Confusing, alien but still reminiscent of our world
Shoot through smoke - everywhere. Cigarettes in the bar show the seedy nature, but also obscure the view of the other patrons and makes it feel unsafe, unfamiliar. Constantly smoke or steam iun the background achievieng a familiar effect, and shows that the inudstrial wasteland is ever present in the lives of the inhabitants. The smoke as he's fighting Leon hides the fight and leaves us confused and on edge. The background is always hazy and unclear, drawing our attneiton to the foreground but also showing danger and uncertainty
Long landscape establishing shots + cinematography that docuses in world building - the world is more inteseresting than the characters - the world defines and shapes the characters, and the story is told thourhg them but it's of the world. We learn relativily little of the character's backgrounds or personality, but how they act and react tot he world is what defines them to us
Eye close ups - ie the beginning and the Voight Kompff test showing them. Eyes are the gateway to the soul, and is how we see others - eye contact is noticeable and it's our key to our perception of the world. Lights shine off replicant eyes to show who they are - they betray who we are, our identity, and our purpose. Eyes are used for symbolism constantly in the real world for divinity. They visited an eye shop to find Tyrell, very important part of creation and them
Deckard - an enigma, even at the end we learn very little about him, compared to Scotty who we learn everything about in the second scene
Corruption - the 'corruption' of the Replicants away from their designed prupose results in their attemot at humantiy - they turn into us when the are corrupted - brings into question the IDENTITY of HUMANITY and what defines it
Corporation - the individuals are lost to the neon glow of billboards and products, swimming in a sea of light it's hard to find yourself, let alone anyone else. Also draws comaprisons to America at the time (production context), who were promoting corporations heavily, and shows that it may already be happening. Brings in ISOLATION
Implicit - humanity can be achieved by other means - what does it take to be human? Is what we knw what is ture (Vertigo).
Aesthetic
High contrast colour, low key lighting. Typical in sci fi, expecailly the gritty dystopian ones of Scott. Without the harsh neon there is blackness - the tech and corpoations are rising to the top and the darkenss is the result. Confusing, alien but still reminiscent of our world
Shoot through smoke - everywhere. Cigarettes in the bar show the seedy nature, but also obscure the view of the other patrons and makes it feel unsafe, unfamiliar. Constantly smoke or steam iun the background achievieng a familiar effect, and shows that the inudstrial wasteland is ever present in the lives of the inhabitants. The smoke as he's fighting Leon hides the fight and leaves us confused and on edge. The background is always hazy and unclear, drawing our attneiton to the foreground but also showing danger and uncertainty
Long landscape establishing shots + cinematography that docuses in world building - the world is more inteseresting than the characters - the world defines and shapes the characters, and the story is told thourhg them but it's of the world. We learn relativily little of the character's backgrounds or personality, but how they act and react tot he world is what defines them to us
Eye close ups - ie the beginning and the Voight Kompff test showing them. Eyes are the gateway to the soul, and is how we see others - eye contact is noticeable and it's our key to our perception of the world. Lights shine off replicant eyes to show who they are - they betray who we are, our identity, and our purpose. Eyes are used for symbolism constantly in the real world for divinity. They visited an eye shop to find Tyrell, very important part of creation and them
Deckard - an enigma, even at the end we learn very little about him, compared to Scotty who we learn everything about in the second scene
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Silent Film - Theory
Realist vs Expressive
Using Critical Theory
Andre Bazin (the guy who came up with auteur theory) - French theorist and critic
Distinguished between directors who put faith in reality and those who put faith in image
He believed un objective reality - like documentaries
Father of auteurism - he believed cinema is the director's personal vision
Realist isn't in terms of how realistic it is, but in key elements of film form. Expressive is using sound and angles to create meaning, where realist is just showing (common in social realism)
Tom Gunning - 1986 - The Cinema of Attractions
Cinema from 1895 to 1907 is primarily concerned with spectacle. Chase, trick films. Narrative plays a secondary role
Cultural Contexts
Rube Goldberg cartoons - seem to focus on mechanical comedy - ie the Rube Goldberg Machinem which is similar in themes of machinery and overcomplicated simplicity to silent films
Mechanical development/transport - cars have appeared, railways define America, planes are now a possibility
Cubism - art movement all about symmetry, which can be seen in Keaton and realist films. A more interesting way to look at everyday life. As, back then, art was almost an entertainment form in itself
Consumer culture greater - buying instead of making
Modernism - consumerism more popular, pop culture rising, the system of editing etc. How things are. Tech age comes in to this, as separate mediums such as radio and cinema came into their own it created celebrities
Wolfe's Conventions of American Silent Film
Keaton has no use of expressive cinematography - long shots, framing used to show gags. Rule of thirds coming into play which it hadn't yet. Mise-en-scene favors gadgets and engineering. There are multi-featured sets and props. Keaton's costume - the baggy trousers, black jacket and straw boat hat iconic. Fast paced action editing, ie the dog at the gun range. Iris shots - vignette, instead of close up or POV, but these happened in European cinema. 'Stone face'. Emphasis on physical expression.
Aesthetics - symmetry, surrealism (impossible gags, ie the paint coat hook), parallel lines - train tracks etc. working within the frame. Circular imagery
Using Critical Theory
Distinguished between directors who put faith in reality and those who put faith in image
He believed un objective reality - like documentaries
Father of auteurism - he believed cinema is the director's personal vision
Cinema from 1895 to 1907 is primarily concerned with spectacle. Chase, trick films. Narrative plays a secondary role
Rube Goldberg cartoons - seem to focus on mechanical comedy - ie the Rube Goldberg Machinem which is similar in themes of machinery and overcomplicated simplicity to silent films
Mechanical development/transport - cars have appeared, railways define America, planes are now a possibility
Cubism - art movement all about symmetry, which can be seen in Keaton and realist films. A more interesting way to look at everyday life. As, back then, art was almost an entertainment form in itself
Consumer culture greater - buying instead of making
Modernism - consumerism more popular, pop culture rising, the system of editing etc. How things are. Tech age comes in to this, as separate mediums such as radio and cinema came into their own it created celebrities
- Falls and chases played for big laughs
- Stunts that thrill the audience
- Star comedians with intriguing personalities - Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd - everyman personalities - childlike, idiot savant. Passive characters. Stars as we know them first developed. Groomed or success by studios
- Implausible scenarios - flat packed house, accidental assassin
- Stories told efficiently and clearly - no ambiguity or unresolved narratives
- Evoking of dream-like states - bits of surrealism. Silent films are almost inherently dream like states because they have no sound
- Critiques of American society - authority figures are butts of the joke, incompetent and bullying idiotic antagonists who are set against the 'everyman' protagonists
- Men and Women representation - women are motivation, the Treasure chest in Propp Theory, but is active in One Week. Masculinity is a physical thing Brett Carroll wrote American Masculinities, said definitions of masculinity is through body. Joe Roberts - tall antagonist compared to small Keaton, big aggressive movement, anger, facial hair. Encompassed by antagonists but not the protagonist
Keaton has no use of expressive cinematography - long shots, framing used to show gags. Rule of thirds coming into play which it hadn't yet. Mise-en-scene favors gadgets and engineering. There are multi-featured sets and props. Keaton's costume - the baggy trousers, black jacket and straw boat hat iconic. Fast paced action editing, ie the dog at the gun range. Iris shots - vignette, instead of close up or POV, but these happened in European cinema. 'Stone face'. Emphasis on physical expression.
Aesthetics - symmetry, surrealism (impossible gags, ie the paint coat hook), parallel lines - train tracks etc. working within the frame. Circular imagery
Thursday, 2 May 2019
Silent Film
Have a lot of comedy shorts - go to see a program of things rather than one long things
Much more melodramatic performances - as sound couldn't help and it came from theatre
Popular until talkies - late '20s
Title cards to inform or add dialogue
Pianist usually played in the cinema
Buster Keaton does all his own stunts, practical not CG
Not that different to now in that they have different genres - horror, western, action, comedy, German expressionism
Realist vs Expressive areas of silent film
Started as realist - ie Lumierre Brothers. Spectatle, watching something int he real world happen instead of narrative. German expressionism changed this - strange camera angles, expressive editing
Conventions of silent film comedy:
Stunt comedy - physical, slapstick
Lack of narrative for gags or opposite, Keaton combines them
Chase sequences
Shot in long shot
Buster Keaton
Really successful comedian, rivaling Charlie Chaplin. Was an independent filmmaker but gets persuaded to sign to MGM (i.e. the studio system) which destroys the purity of his work, and so retires. Developed alcohol problems and dies in 1960s. People rediscover him around then. Rail Runner made around then, transitioned well into talkies
A lot of it is improvised - figure out beginning and end at the rest will figure it out, which created a contentious relationship with MGM who wanted written down stuff, but he felt it was stifling as he changed his mind
Influence on Jackie Chan
Unique to the film
Auteur traits
Context of the time
One Week
What's similar and what's changed.
Editing is different - says 'this is what happens next or at the same time'. Very functional, no use of juxtaposition.
No ECU, use lens eye instead (vignette, says look at this), also used in and out for time transitions
No camera movement, tiny bit of panning but that's it.
Scores written for the film
Had a really strong role for women at the time - risqué sequence of her in the bath, she makes decisions
Mise-en-scene is very symmetrical, one of his auteur traits
Cinematography is mainly long shots
Uses flat lights all the time, no low key lighting at any point, contrast with silent horror at the time
The High Sign
Violent comedy
Stories of house split into story board like shot - symmetry
Stronger narrative
Protagonist has fallen on hard times - auteur trait. Relevant to the time, just before the Great Depression where poverty was rife, relates to audience, almost a strong social comment even if the main purpose is escapism
Also, characters are inept - idiot savant
Motivation is usually women
More extreme close ups, but on inanimate objects (ie calendar, register) not on people's faces. Don't get reaction shots, use physical comedy instead
Cops
Deep depth of field so can see anything behind
Camera movement tracking the horse and cart
Scarecrow
Symmetry - key elements and aesthetics. Also American art focused on symmetry at the time, especially interesting as filmmakers were influenced in art at the time
Fascination with mechanical things - house spinning in One Week, walls in High Sign, other stuff here
Editing was more sophisticated- - eyeline match
Focusses on the relationship between him and the big man more, which doesn't usually happen.
Woman looks at camera after being kissed by the scarecrow, braking fourth wall, acknowledging that it's a film
Much more melodramatic performances - as sound couldn't help and it came from theatre
Popular until talkies - late '20s
Title cards to inform or add dialogue
Pianist usually played in the cinema
Buster Keaton does all his own stunts, practical not CG
Not that different to now in that they have different genres - horror, western, action, comedy, German expressionism
Realist vs Expressive areas of silent film
Started as realist - ie Lumierre Brothers. Spectatle, watching something int he real world happen instead of narrative. German expressionism changed this - strange camera angles, expressive editing
Conventions of silent film comedy:
Stunt comedy - physical, slapstick
Lack of narrative for gags or opposite, Keaton combines them
Chase sequences
Shot in long shot
Buster Keaton
Really successful comedian, rivaling Charlie Chaplin. Was an independent filmmaker but gets persuaded to sign to MGM (i.e. the studio system) which destroys the purity of his work, and so retires. Developed alcohol problems and dies in 1960s. People rediscover him around then. Rail Runner made around then, transitioned well into talkies
A lot of it is improvised - figure out beginning and end at the rest will figure it out, which created a contentious relationship with MGM who wanted written down stuff, but he felt it was stifling as he changed his mind
Influence on Jackie Chan
Unique to the film
Auteur traits
Context of the time
One Week
What's similar and what's changed.
Editing is different - says 'this is what happens next or at the same time'. Very functional, no use of juxtaposition.
No ECU, use lens eye instead (vignette, says look at this), also used in and out for time transitions
No camera movement, tiny bit of panning but that's it.
Scores written for the film
Had a really strong role for women at the time - risqué sequence of her in the bath, she makes decisions
Mise-en-scene is very symmetrical, one of his auteur traits
Cinematography is mainly long shots
Uses flat lights all the time, no low key lighting at any point, contrast with silent horror at the time
The High Sign
Violent comedy
Stories of house split into story board like shot - symmetry
Stronger narrative
Protagonist has fallen on hard times - auteur trait. Relevant to the time, just before the Great Depression where poverty was rife, relates to audience, almost a strong social comment even if the main purpose is escapism
Also, characters are inept - idiot savant
Motivation is usually women
More extreme close ups, but on inanimate objects (ie calendar, register) not on people's faces. Don't get reaction shots, use physical comedy instead
Cops
Deep depth of field so can see anything behind
Camera movement tracking the horse and cart
Scarecrow
Symmetry - key elements and aesthetics. Also American art focused on symmetry at the time, especially interesting as filmmakers were influenced in art at the time
Fascination with mechanical things - house spinning in One Week, walls in High Sign, other stuff here
Editing was more sophisticated- - eyeline match
Focusses on the relationship between him and the big man more, which doesn't usually happen.
Woman looks at camera after being kissed by the scarecrow, braking fourth wall, acknowledging that it's a film
Tuesday, 30 April 2019
To what extent does editing and/or mise-en-scene help to reinforce key themes in the films you have studied?
To what extent does editing and/or mise-en-scene help to reinforce key themes in the films you have studied?
Both Pans Labyrinth (Del Toro 2006) and City of God (Meirelles 2002) have strong themes in the narrative, than are reinforced by various methods, including editing and mise-en-scene. Binary oppositions and metanarratives are explored via a variety of techniques to create a more cohesive message in both films.
Perhaps City of God's most plot driven theme is corruption, especially in relation to the character Li'l Ze. This is best highlighted in the 'Li'l Ze story' scene. In terms of editing, this scene is a collection of two montages with a scene in the middle. The brothel killing section is slow, with cuts not typical for a scene of such violence. There are no action matches on shots fired, the pace remains steady and slow, methodical like the killings taking place. This allows the spectator to experience the scene better as it allows us to see the enjoyment the character has in killing without the distraction of cuts, and so brings forward the idea that, to Li'l Ze (or Li'l Dice as he was known then), the killings are almost normal, not a surprise or a pivotal moment for him, although of course it is to the narrative and audience. Later in the scene, with the killing montage that sent the film forward in time, editing was also used effectively to reinforce this film. The quick montage used very short takes, and often cut in the middle of takes to create an even more shaky and frantic sequence that makes the violence seem even more gruesome and maniacal than it already is. There are also action matches on gun shots implemented, differing from previously, which are used to transition between times and to speed up one take, which makes the shots even more impactful and visceral. This all contributed to the theme of Li'l Ze's corruption, as it literally shows the spectator the timeline of the character's ascent to the most dangerous hood in the slum, which shows the corruption Ze has been subject to, and his growing potential to corrupt others, as Benny appears in the last shot. So the pace in editing in this scene, and the difference between the two techniques used in the montage, are effective in reinforcing the theme of corruption to the audience, both of Li'l Ze, and for him to corrupt others.
Mise-en-scene is also used in this scene, although to less of an effect, colour and costume specifically are used to show corruption. The 1960s has an oversaturated yellow hue to the whole section, and is especially used in the brothel part. The yellow lighting, yellowish shirt of Li'l Dice, yellowish walls and white-turned-yellow skin of his victims (ie lighting, costume and set/location) via the lights reinforce the colour into the minds of the spectator. Also, the yellow sand and orange bricks (ie location) of the Shaggy killing section is also drenched in the colour. This is important because after the montage, into the 1970s, the main colour palette is blue (the walls, the clothes, the lights of the scene), and the only holdover from the previous colour is Ze's vest. Not only does this create contrast shows the change in Ze - he's gone from the warm yellow to the cold blue, ie corruption, but he still has evidence of the past on him. This again reinforces the theme of corruption as it shows that, regardless of the change, Ze is still young (supported by the dialogue that states that he's 18), which creates an even more horrific idea in the audience's head - that he can be so young and so dangerous suggests a massive amount of corruption to the character, so much so that he's hardly identifiable.
Mise-en-scene especially is used in the Pale Man sequence in Pan's Labyrinth. The theme of Freedom vs Oppression/Fascism is explored in numerous ways throughout the film, and in this scene it's that that Ofelia and the Pale Man, and the things associated with them, represent Freedom and oppression respectively. The lair of the Pale Man is covered in a red and orange colour palette. The walls are red, the fruit (which is her downfall and is almost an enemy in itself) is a deep blood red, and the walls and metal of the set, and the lighting via the fire (and to an extent the Pale Man, as his white colour takes on the colour of the light) are orange, and meld well with the red. As seen later in the scene, this all represents the blood and violence of the Pale Man, shown by the remnants of the fairies that cover the character's face after killing them. It brings a dangerous meaning to the already sinister room, and so relates to the theme of Oppression in that he's a dominating force of death, much like the fascism of Franco's Spain where the film is set. The fact that the colour of the light makes the Pale Man the same orange also shows the spectator that he belongs in the environment of violence and monstrosity. The colour of the set and lighting, and of the Pale Man, are especially important as it contrasts so greatly with Ofelia's costume. The green of her coat and dress are opposite on the colour wheel to the orange and red of the set, showing to what extent that she doesn't belong. She, thematically, represents everything the place doesn't - freedom to the oppression of the lair, innocence to the Pale Man's evil, and this is immediately clear to the spectator via use of colour, costume and set.
Also, the colour and set also show the age of the Pale Man, and so bring to bare the Childhood vs Adulthood theme, or even Old vs New. When the scene ends and she returns to her room, it's flooded in a high contrast blue/green colour, similar to her attire, showing that she now belongs there, in the real world, away from the oppressive place she just was. Her ability to escape and goes to where she belongs perfectly summarizes the theme, and is reinforced by the colour used.
An important theme in City of God is the idea that everyone living there, everyone in the film, is trapped - a victim of the circumstances around them. Location and iconography (within mise-en-scene) are massive contributors to this. For example, aerial shots of the slum in the beginning of the film bring to mind the image of rat runs or mazes - the inhabitants are trapped in a unnavigable, inescapable place that reduces them to animals. This relates to the binary opposition of Passivity vs Choice in City of God, which is also reinforced by mise-en-scene and editing. Rocket is the only character in the film who gets out successfully, and the only discernible difference between him and the others his inability to stoop to the violence and hood lifestyle that is the norm in the slum. This is represented in the film by his locations and their appearance in comparison to the slum. For example, the newspaper office he is shown in is characterized by muted blue and grey tones - of the walls, the computer screens, the costume of the actors (both Rocket and the journalists) are low contrast colour, creating a bland environment that brings about comparisons to the spectator of their own offices and jobs. It works in direct contrast with the high key colour used in the favela - there's even a scene pointing out the hood's penchant for gold jewelry, and most characters wear some variations of yellow or red at some point in the film. It shows the audience that Rocket has chosen a different path, a different way out, that leads to the normality that the average spectator can relate to, and so reinforced the idea that he can chosen the dominant version of normality. In fact, in the opening scene when Rocket is talking about choice while standing in the middle of a standoff, he is wearing the muted blue which is similar to the office, and the colour in the location is also muted, which makes the transition into the past with it's bright palette all the more jarring, and shows that he has already made a choice to live differently to the life being represented there - ie the Tender Trio.
In conclusion, both Pans Labyrinth and City of God use editing and mise-en-scene to reinforce themes to the spectator by using contrast of colour in set and costume, editing in tandem with camera work and the spectator's relationship with the characters for both editing and mise-en-scene to ensure a negotiated reading for the audience.
Thursday, 18 April 2019
City of God
Directed by Fernando Meirelles
Based on real events
Set in Brazil 1970s
Look for key elements of film form + narrative themes - if we aren't talking about how things impact on the spectator we aren't analyzing
Binary oppositions:
Poverty vs Wealth, Passivity vs Choice (Rocket doesn't act like everyone else, everyone else is passive in that they act in the favela way, Rocket doesn't), Nature vs Nurture
Theme of escape - starts by chicken escaping - knives are out, people are trying to get you. Tender Trio one tries to escape but gets killed, Benny tries to escape but doesn't as he's a victim of the chaos of the favela and his past passivity/actions, Rocket only escapes because he sees another way
Poverty - the driver of the narrative (at least initially, turns to power) as people are trying to survive. It's a trap they are all trying to escape, then trying to escape by:
L'l Ze's Corruption- as poverty wouldn't be there without his corruption. Knockout Ned starts his war for noble causes, but soon corrupts to needless violence, with him quickly being able to kill. The light theme with the Tender Trio shows that they aren't corrupted, supported by their ideals of no killing and giving back. But the film progresses and gets darker as Rocket's view on life is corrupted
Talking about themes is describing, need to apply it to film form to analyze
Ie 'how does X film form help with character development in the film OR show spectatorship OR how is gender represented etc.' Plan both before you answer
Childhood - reminds us of how young they are at all times - Rocket and his obsession with getting laid, smoking weed, girls. When the kid gets kid he's looks incredibly childish
Victims of circumstance, total corruption, trapped - top shots make it look like a rat's maze
Editing used in creative ways
3 sequences:
Little kid being shot - pans over to the youngest kid, can see his stomach and chubby child legs, he's still a child and the audience and the character knows that. Both kids readily offered over their hands, facing the reality of the situation. Little kid is dressed in clothes too small, cries like an infant, brings the reality that they're children. Li'l Ze corrupts Steak. The scene itself has a narrative that's reflected in the whole film - only scene where we follow Steak but reflects other character's experience - shows Todorov's theory as it starts quiet, disruption is them capturing the runts, acknowledgement is when Steak realizes what's happening, solving disequilibrium is when he's deciding to shoot them, and the new equilibrium is him as a killer and the Runts dealt with. Self preservation, trapped in the situation, hangs about with them for want of a better life which he sees he can achieve through them. But contrasting with Rocket, who has strong morals, and Li''l Ze, who has none, Steak is in the middle as he recognizes that it's wrong but can't stand up against it. Steak represents the spectator as he's on the outside but is forced in. Doesn't focus on the two kids during the time before Li'l Ze comes so we don't know them, we judge them just as children. When the sequence starts it starts with him presented behind bars - he's already trapped in the situation. Calling them 'friends' shows his childlike need for inclusion and his naivety of the situation. Hoods are shot from low at the end and confrontation to show their power, but when travelling as a group they're short from high, showing that poverty is all around them and they're all trapped by their surroundings, never letting us forget that its there. Steak starts strutting in the scene, like he's one of them - confidence in ignorance. When we're shown the children it's shot like the documentary with the handheld camera little zooms to show detail, and immerses us via it, but when it suddenly cuts back to Li'l Ze and his crew it's steady, Resevoir Dogsesque. Kids have naturalistic dialogue, Marxist reading shows how the drug structure is similar to capitalism, and is almost a concentrated form of it. The fact that the two kids aren't shown straight away shows that it could be any kid. When the 2 kids are shown there's always something looming over them, ie the gun. Steak is shown from a higher angle than before to show that he suddenly loses power when he realizes. Ze giving the kisd a choice is symbolic as there's never a right one in the favela, like the start with Rocket saying that whatever you choose it's bad. Ze calls it 'the little hand' before he ignores his choice. Editing pace slows down as Steak makes his decision, and the fact that he' shown from a low angle but is towered around by the others shows his lack of power. Also goes from group shots to a two shot with Ze and Steak and then just Steak, showing how his yearning for inclusion ultimately lead to isolation. Steak closes his eyes when shooting to show that he knows that it's wrong, while Ze never stops talking to show his nonchalant attitude to killing, further shown by the congratulations afterwards - after which he's shown by himself even though he's being congratulated. Last shot most isolating - with Steak looking away with the dead kid in the background, like the spectator and Steak not being able to look. No music for the whole sequence adds to realism. Set in broad daylight, showing that it's not unusual
Showing Li'l Dice/Ze as he grows and kills people. Effective transition of time, clever editing showing them in the same position. Introduces the character dynamic of Benny and Ze, and establishes his notoriety through the brutal sequence that leaves the audience shocked - we still don't have time to recover from seeing him as a child on the rampage
Rocket attempting to turn to crime - good narratively - shows us that there's still good in the favela, positions us strongly behind him as we can relate. Bit where they find a body then drives past tricks the spectator, reminding us of our pessimism after seeing the previous sequences, and reminds us of the innocence of Rocket - he has a moral compass and can't do wrong (i.e. when arguing with the journalist, he goes in angry but comes out with a job). Whenever he tries to rob someone he gets something out of it - good is the only way out
Actors who aren't professional means you only see the character, and there are some very good performances.
Homework:
To what extent does editing and/or mise-en-scene help to reinforce key themes in the films you have studied?
Editing:
Opening sequence
Child death scene has long takes with little editing, more camera movement
Li'l Ze child-teenager, frame moves but the character doesn't - represents poverty etc.
Apartment, time changing, editing over time, again shows that the place, City of God, is holding them there, and while the people change the place doesn't
Benny's death - cuts on the strobe light
Based on real events
Set in Brazil 1970s
Look for key elements of film form + narrative themes - if we aren't talking about how things impact on the spectator we aren't analyzing
Binary oppositions:
Poverty vs Wealth, Passivity vs Choice (Rocket doesn't act like everyone else, everyone else is passive in that they act in the favela way, Rocket doesn't), Nature vs Nurture
Theme of escape - starts by chicken escaping - knives are out, people are trying to get you. Tender Trio one tries to escape but gets killed, Benny tries to escape but doesn't as he's a victim of the chaos of the favela and his past passivity/actions, Rocket only escapes because he sees another way
Poverty - the driver of the narrative (at least initially, turns to power) as people are trying to survive. It's a trap they are all trying to escape, then trying to escape by:
L'l Ze's Corruption- as poverty wouldn't be there without his corruption. Knockout Ned starts his war for noble causes, but soon corrupts to needless violence, with him quickly being able to kill. The light theme with the Tender Trio shows that they aren't corrupted, supported by their ideals of no killing and giving back. But the film progresses and gets darker as Rocket's view on life is corrupted
Talking about themes is describing, need to apply it to film form to analyze
Ie 'how does X film form help with character development in the film OR show spectatorship OR how is gender represented etc.' Plan both before you answer
Childhood - reminds us of how young they are at all times - Rocket and his obsession with getting laid, smoking weed, girls. When the kid gets kid he's looks incredibly childish
Victims of circumstance, total corruption, trapped - top shots make it look like a rat's maze
Editing used in creative ways
3 sequences:
Little kid being shot - pans over to the youngest kid, can see his stomach and chubby child legs, he's still a child and the audience and the character knows that. Both kids readily offered over their hands, facing the reality of the situation. Little kid is dressed in clothes too small, cries like an infant, brings the reality that they're children. Li'l Ze corrupts Steak. The scene itself has a narrative that's reflected in the whole film - only scene where we follow Steak but reflects other character's experience - shows Todorov's theory as it starts quiet, disruption is them capturing the runts, acknowledgement is when Steak realizes what's happening, solving disequilibrium is when he's deciding to shoot them, and the new equilibrium is him as a killer and the Runts dealt with. Self preservation, trapped in the situation, hangs about with them for want of a better life which he sees he can achieve through them. But contrasting with Rocket, who has strong morals, and Li''l Ze, who has none, Steak is in the middle as he recognizes that it's wrong but can't stand up against it. Steak represents the spectator as he's on the outside but is forced in. Doesn't focus on the two kids during the time before Li'l Ze comes so we don't know them, we judge them just as children. When the sequence starts it starts with him presented behind bars - he's already trapped in the situation. Calling them 'friends' shows his childlike need for inclusion and his naivety of the situation. Hoods are shot from low at the end and confrontation to show their power, but when travelling as a group they're short from high, showing that poverty is all around them and they're all trapped by their surroundings, never letting us forget that its there. Steak starts strutting in the scene, like he's one of them - confidence in ignorance. When we're shown the children it's shot like the documentary with the handheld camera little zooms to show detail, and immerses us via it, but when it suddenly cuts back to Li'l Ze and his crew it's steady, Resevoir Dogsesque. Kids have naturalistic dialogue, Marxist reading shows how the drug structure is similar to capitalism, and is almost a concentrated form of it. The fact that the two kids aren't shown straight away shows that it could be any kid. When the 2 kids are shown there's always something looming over them, ie the gun. Steak is shown from a higher angle than before to show that he suddenly loses power when he realizes. Ze giving the kisd a choice is symbolic as there's never a right one in the favela, like the start with Rocket saying that whatever you choose it's bad. Ze calls it 'the little hand' before he ignores his choice. Editing pace slows down as Steak makes his decision, and the fact that he' shown from a low angle but is towered around by the others shows his lack of power. Also goes from group shots to a two shot with Ze and Steak and then just Steak, showing how his yearning for inclusion ultimately lead to isolation. Steak closes his eyes when shooting to show that he knows that it's wrong, while Ze never stops talking to show his nonchalant attitude to killing, further shown by the congratulations afterwards - after which he's shown by himself even though he's being congratulated. Last shot most isolating - with Steak looking away with the dead kid in the background, like the spectator and Steak not being able to look. No music for the whole sequence adds to realism. Set in broad daylight, showing that it's not unusual
Showing Li'l Dice/Ze as he grows and kills people. Effective transition of time, clever editing showing them in the same position. Introduces the character dynamic of Benny and Ze, and establishes his notoriety through the brutal sequence that leaves the audience shocked - we still don't have time to recover from seeing him as a child on the rampage
Rocket attempting to turn to crime - good narratively - shows us that there's still good in the favela, positions us strongly behind him as we can relate. Bit where they find a body then drives past tricks the spectator, reminding us of our pessimism after seeing the previous sequences, and reminds us of the innocence of Rocket - he has a moral compass and can't do wrong (i.e. when arguing with the journalist, he goes in angry but comes out with a job). Whenever he tries to rob someone he gets something out of it - good is the only way out
Actors who aren't professional means you only see the character, and there are some very good performances.
Homework:
To what extent does editing and/or mise-en-scene help to reinforce key themes in the films you have studied?
Editing:
Opening sequence
Child death scene has long takes with little editing, more camera movement
Li'l Ze child-teenager, frame moves but the character doesn't - represents poverty etc.
Apartment, time changing, editing over time, again shows that the place, City of God, is holding them there, and while the people change the place doesn't
Benny's death - cuts on the strobe light
Monday, 15 April 2019
Vertigo and Classical Cinema
Martin Scorsese - Vertigo is cinema poetry
Classical Hollywood cinematic techniques
Martin Scorsese - Vertigo is cinema poetry
Classical Hollywood cinematic techniques:
The devices most inherent to classical Hollywood cinema are those of continuity editing.
Jump cuts are allowed in the form of the axial cut, which does not change the angle of shooting at all, but has the clear purpose of showing a perspective closer or farther from the subject, and therefore does not interfere with temporal continuity.
Classical narration progresses always through psychological motivation, i. e., by the will of a human character
This narrative is structured with an unmistakable beginning, middle and end, and generally there is a distinct resolution
Directors became more in charge of their films, as opposed to the studio controlled productions
Bazin - classical film is a photograph play, in which events existed objectively, and the camera is just getting the best angles
Little use of sound effects, and more so score and soundtrack
Martin Scorsese - Vertigo is cinema poetry
Classical Hollywood cinematic techniques
Martin Scorsese - Vertigo is cinema poetry
Vertigo has some new wave editing styles - the dream sequence, but still relies on the classical Hollywood day-to-day editing
Classical Hollywood cinematic techniques:
The devices most inherent to classical Hollywood cinema are those of continuity editing.
Jump cuts are allowed in the form of the axial cut, which does not change the angle of shooting at all, but has the clear purpose of showing a perspective closer or farther from the subject, and therefore does not interfere with temporal continuity.
Classical narration progresses always through psychological motivation, i. e., by the will of a human character
This narrative is structured with an unmistakable beginning, middle and end, and generally there is a distinct resolution
Directors became more in charge of their films, as opposed to the studio controlled productions
Bazin - classical film is a photograph play, in which events existed objectively, and the camera is just getting the best angles
Vertigo production context: Shift to new wave techniques
Blade Runner production context: Societal opinions - fear of Cold War, growing globalization, computers and rise of tech fear and tech revolution
Could end up with a question comparing classical Hollywood to new wave - editing and lighting are good ways in
Thursday, 11 April 2019
Project notes
Brief explanation of film - introduction
Inspiration from short films we've seen
How film is different to short films we've seen
Director's inspiration
-
I made my film, 'Don't Ask Why', with a postmodernist approach to the narrative twist choice for the stimulus. As such, I aimed to include the postmodern traits to my film, including most notably parody, playfulness/lack of seriousness, intertextuality and breaking the fourth wall and style over substance. Including montage and monologues, I wanted to create a stylized film that creates satisfying feeling to the audience, instead of any sort of thought provoking message.
-
By far the biggest inspiration I had for my film was the short film About a Girl (Brian Percival). The walking monologue is informative but filled with personality, setting up the character, film genre, story and establishing the use of fourth wall breaks in the film. Although my use of monologues is only at the beginning and end, they still fulfill the same function. In addition, the use of the emotive montage interspersed in the narrative to create a connection with the character is also something I took inspiration from for my film, as the combination of a character's commentary and the reality of the situation (which may differ from the character's analysis) is an effective and entertaining way to present a narrative, which presents the spectator with a lot of information through interpretation rather than overtly telling them what's happening.
The dialogue seemed realistic due to the use of slang and reliance on her regional accent, but in reality the nature of the conversation between her and the audience and the random jumping around topics actually makes it experimental. I aimed to write the Killer's monologue dialogue in a similar way - the character almost having conversations with themselves, and also the audience, with jokes and commentary of the events of the film creating a fourth wall smashing, humorous beginning and end which contrasted heavily with the dark appearance of the Killer and the sad montage and accompanying imagery at the start of the film. This is similar to About a Girl as it also contrasts the bleak reality of the girl's life with her upbeat, characterful monologue.
In addition, the cinematography for my film and this are also linked. In this, the shots of her life are bordering on voyeuristic, for example when showing her sitting on the side of the football pitch or walking with her family. It represents her trying to hide or ignore her real life, but is intruded on anyway. Similarly, my film's first montage in particular uses handheld camera movement, low angles and little lighting to create a voyeuristic experience, as if we're intruding into the character's depressed state. Working with this idea, I contrasted my second montage with this by including more close ups, steadier footage and lighter imagery to show that he is more accessible, both with the camera's perspective and the character's personality. However, I included voyeuristic shots, such as the conversation between the Girl and the Witness being partially obscured behind a wall, to remind the audience of the state he was in, and that as the Killer is still around he is still potentially in danger. It brings about the idea that he's being watched, stalked, vulnerable.
-
The Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay) inspired me more from a thematic perspective. The choice to focus more on aesthetic than overt message is a concept I used for my film and relates to my title. The cause for the conflict, is the killer aware of who he is and how she affected him, what's her goal? All of this is never stated, instead I focused first on the aesthetic, similarly to The Swimmer, with the plot being present but not taking precedent, leading to a negotiated reading which was my intention. Although my film is still more obvious than the more experimental The Swimmer. The narrative structure is non-linear
Music is also used in The Swimmer to evoke emotion, particularly at around the 5:00 mark, the 1940s vibe immediately creates feelings for the spectator, but are reliant on their individual experience, and so interpretation, of the music to create meaning, for example the nostalgia of the music and the slow pace creates a calm scene that possibly represents that the swimmer is looking at his past in the narrative structure. I aimed to do this in my film, particularly with The Doors' Alabama Song at the beginning and end. The quirky rhythm acts as a musical motif for the Killer, but the audience's interpretation of the music's quirkiness and lyrics creates connotations of the Killer that are unique to the individual. As this character was written to be an enigma of sorts, with no evident goal or motive, this was what I wanted to achieve; to create an ambiguous character that was up to the interpretation of the audience to define, which the music helped do similarly to The Swimmer.
-
The Wasp (Andrea Arnold) is similar to my film in that it uses a world firmly placed in reality while maintaining the dependent-on-spectator ending, as nothing is told to the audience in regards to what happens next for the characters. I liked this approach to filmmaking as it kept the interesting trope often utilised by short films, but kept the story linear and grounded in reality. While I used imagery in my compilations (which this film lacked in favour of literal story telling) to evoke an emotional response and show the feelings of the character, it was still overt, especially in comparison to films such as the Swimmer.
The dialogue is realistic, especially for the demographic it was aiming to portray, which contrasts with my film in part, as I used both realistic and stylistic dialogue.
-
The Grandmother (David Lynch) effectively uses imagery via colour and film speed to create a feeling of shock or unease, which is something I aimed to replicate. For example, in Grandmother, the extreme white of the boy’s face contrasts with the impossibly deep black, as does his lips, to draw the eye to him while creating connotations of him not belonging, being out of place, which along with the experimentally jarring visuals achieved via mise-en-scene create an unending feeling of dread that doesn't subside throughout the film. Although I only aimed to achieve this with the mise-en-scene of the mask, I still took the alien visual, and its contrast with the surroundings, to tell the audience immediately that something is wrong - the character is dangerous. In addition, the use of blackness or shadow in Lynch's film adds to somber tone of the picture. Although this isn't revolutionary, the extent to which the darkness is exaggerated forces the feeling upon the audience, and I also wanted to include such an effect in my film, for example with the text section, when the character is surrounded in darkness it shows his isolation, and the darkness that defines the first montage also shows that his overwhelming feeling is depression, supported by the dialogue in the police interview scene.
-
The stylized works of Quentin Tarantino were a significant cinematic inspiration in particular for my film. His oeuvre is often described as, in typical postmodernist fashion, having 'style over substance' - evoking a feeling of thrill and tension while usually lacking any metanarrative or intrinsic message, and that was something I aimed to achieve with this film. Often (student and short) films get so bogged down with the message attached to it, that it forgets to be exhilarating or even subtle, and can feel preachy instead of enjoyable. Because of this, I wanted to create a film that was fun to look at, listen to, and experience, for the audience to come away with a feeling of 'coolness', not a thought provoking idea, which is a concept that I discovered and took from Tarantino. The dialogue of the Killer is playful, humorous, as if they aren't taking the situation seriously, which is an attitude that defines the film in its ending moments and is a key aspect of Tarantino's work (for example in the 'square' in Pulp Fiction) and postmodernism. The randomness of the gun shot, the intertextuality and pastiche of the opening line, the immediate break of the fourth wall all contribute to the postmodern ideology I used to create the film, which was inspired in part by Tarantino.
Furthermore, the use of '60s pop and rock is also reminiscent of Tarantino's work (again in line with postmodernism), and I decided to use it to create a stylistic work that would create the desired stylish feeling via the audience's perception of the music as well as the tempo and lyrics adding to the scenes they were over. While one goal of the music was to encourage the audience to attribute their interpretation and experience of the song to the images they were over, it was also used to evoke themes reminiscent of classic noir. I also held my takes for a long time (especially in the end monologue), in part to allow the song to play out more and so conjure more of an atmosphere, which is also common in Tarantino's work, for example for the Reservoir Dogs torture scene.
Also, the costume of the killer was inspired by similar characters in his works. I wanted something striking, stylized and memorable, and the mask in particular works as a memorable part of mise-en-scene, much like the yellow jumpsuit in Kill Bill or the suits in Reservoir Dogs.
-
Of course, the opening line of the film plays off the cliché trope of 1980s films and the animations of Disney and Pixar - and as this trope is so recognisable that my intention of immediately going away from it via the jarring gunshot and killing of the assumed main character was intended to present the audience with the darker, more stylised alternative while still maintaining the whimsical aspect of the trope with the dialogue and performance of the Killer. My postmodern approach to film lent itself well to the self-referential aspect of the beginning of the film, with the first line and the Killer's following monologue creating a playful aspect to the narrative which defined the character immediately.
-
My inspiration for the faceoff scene was classic westerns, for example the classic face off in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Using the postmodern ideology, I wanted to spoof the concept comically, which I intended to shock the audience and show that it doesn't fit into the expected narrative. As my intention was to include a narrative twist, and as well as unmasking the Killer at the end, I aimed to present twists in genre expectation throughout, i.e. by parodying the trope.
Inspiration from short films we've seen
How film is different to short films we've seen
Director's inspiration
-
I made my film, 'Don't Ask Why', with a postmodernist approach to the narrative twist choice for the stimulus. As such, I aimed to include the postmodern traits to my film, including most notably parody, playfulness/lack of seriousness, intertextuality and breaking the fourth wall and style over substance. Including montage and monologues, I wanted to create a stylized film that creates satisfying feeling to the audience, instead of any sort of thought provoking message.
-
By far the biggest inspiration I had for my film was the short film About a Girl (Brian Percival). The walking monologue is informative but filled with personality, setting up the character, film genre, story and establishing the use of fourth wall breaks in the film. Although my use of monologues is only at the beginning and end, they still fulfill the same function. In addition, the use of the emotive montage interspersed in the narrative to create a connection with the character is also something I took inspiration from for my film, as the combination of a character's commentary and the reality of the situation (which may differ from the character's analysis) is an effective and entertaining way to present a narrative, which presents the spectator with a lot of information through interpretation rather than overtly telling them what's happening.
The dialogue seemed realistic due to the use of slang and reliance on her regional accent, but in reality the nature of the conversation between her and the audience and the random jumping around topics actually makes it experimental. I aimed to write the Killer's monologue dialogue in a similar way - the character almost having conversations with themselves, and also the audience, with jokes and commentary of the events of the film creating a fourth wall smashing, humorous beginning and end which contrasted heavily with the dark appearance of the Killer and the sad montage and accompanying imagery at the start of the film. This is similar to About a Girl as it also contrasts the bleak reality of the girl's life with her upbeat, characterful monologue.
In addition, the cinematography for my film and this are also linked. In this, the shots of her life are bordering on voyeuristic, for example when showing her sitting on the side of the football pitch or walking with her family. It represents her trying to hide or ignore her real life, but is intruded on anyway. Similarly, my film's first montage in particular uses handheld camera movement, low angles and little lighting to create a voyeuristic experience, as if we're intruding into the character's depressed state. Working with this idea, I contrasted my second montage with this by including more close ups, steadier footage and lighter imagery to show that he is more accessible, both with the camera's perspective and the character's personality. However, I included voyeuristic shots, such as the conversation between the Girl and the Witness being partially obscured behind a wall, to remind the audience of the state he was in, and that as the Killer is still around he is still potentially in danger. It brings about the idea that he's being watched, stalked, vulnerable.
-
The Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay) inspired me more from a thematic perspective. The choice to focus more on aesthetic than overt message is a concept I used for my film and relates to my title. The cause for the conflict, is the killer aware of who he is and how she affected him, what's her goal? All of this is never stated, instead I focused first on the aesthetic, similarly to The Swimmer, with the plot being present but not taking precedent, leading to a negotiated reading which was my intention. Although my film is still more obvious than the more experimental The Swimmer. The narrative structure is non-linear
Music is also used in The Swimmer to evoke emotion, particularly at around the 5:00 mark, the 1940s vibe immediately creates feelings for the spectator, but are reliant on their individual experience, and so interpretation, of the music to create meaning, for example the nostalgia of the music and the slow pace creates a calm scene that possibly represents that the swimmer is looking at his past in the narrative structure. I aimed to do this in my film, particularly with The Doors' Alabama Song at the beginning and end. The quirky rhythm acts as a musical motif for the Killer, but the audience's interpretation of the music's quirkiness and lyrics creates connotations of the Killer that are unique to the individual. As this character was written to be an enigma of sorts, with no evident goal or motive, this was what I wanted to achieve; to create an ambiguous character that was up to the interpretation of the audience to define, which the music helped do similarly to The Swimmer.
-
The Wasp (Andrea Arnold) is similar to my film in that it uses a world firmly placed in reality while maintaining the dependent-on-spectator ending, as nothing is told to the audience in regards to what happens next for the characters. I liked this approach to filmmaking as it kept the interesting trope often utilised by short films, but kept the story linear and grounded in reality. While I used imagery in my compilations (which this film lacked in favour of literal story telling) to evoke an emotional response and show the feelings of the character, it was still overt, especially in comparison to films such as the Swimmer.
The dialogue is realistic, especially for the demographic it was aiming to portray, which contrasts with my film in part, as I used both realistic and stylistic dialogue.
-
The Grandmother (David Lynch) effectively uses imagery via colour and film speed to create a feeling of shock or unease, which is something I aimed to replicate. For example, in Grandmother, the extreme white of the boy’s face contrasts with the impossibly deep black, as does his lips, to draw the eye to him while creating connotations of him not belonging, being out of place, which along with the experimentally jarring visuals achieved via mise-en-scene create an unending feeling of dread that doesn't subside throughout the film. Although I only aimed to achieve this with the mise-en-scene of the mask, I still took the alien visual, and its contrast with the surroundings, to tell the audience immediately that something is wrong - the character is dangerous. In addition, the use of blackness or shadow in Lynch's film adds to somber tone of the picture. Although this isn't revolutionary, the extent to which the darkness is exaggerated forces the feeling upon the audience, and I also wanted to include such an effect in my film, for example with the text section, when the character is surrounded in darkness it shows his isolation, and the darkness that defines the first montage also shows that his overwhelming feeling is depression, supported by the dialogue in the police interview scene.
-
The stylized works of Quentin Tarantino were a significant cinematic inspiration in particular for my film. His oeuvre is often described as, in typical postmodernist fashion, having 'style over substance' - evoking a feeling of thrill and tension while usually lacking any metanarrative or intrinsic message, and that was something I aimed to achieve with this film. Often (student and short) films get so bogged down with the message attached to it, that it forgets to be exhilarating or even subtle, and can feel preachy instead of enjoyable. Because of this, I wanted to create a film that was fun to look at, listen to, and experience, for the audience to come away with a feeling of 'coolness', not a thought provoking idea, which is a concept that I discovered and took from Tarantino. The dialogue of the Killer is playful, humorous, as if they aren't taking the situation seriously, which is an attitude that defines the film in its ending moments and is a key aspect of Tarantino's work (for example in the 'square' in Pulp Fiction) and postmodernism. The randomness of the gun shot, the intertextuality and pastiche of the opening line, the immediate break of the fourth wall all contribute to the postmodern ideology I used to create the film, which was inspired in part by Tarantino.
Furthermore, the use of '60s pop and rock is also reminiscent of Tarantino's work (again in line with postmodernism), and I decided to use it to create a stylistic work that would create the desired stylish feeling via the audience's perception of the music as well as the tempo and lyrics adding to the scenes they were over. While one goal of the music was to encourage the audience to attribute their interpretation and experience of the song to the images they were over, it was also used to evoke themes reminiscent of classic noir. I also held my takes for a long time (especially in the end monologue), in part to allow the song to play out more and so conjure more of an atmosphere, which is also common in Tarantino's work, for example for the Reservoir Dogs torture scene.
Also, the costume of the killer was inspired by similar characters in his works. I wanted something striking, stylized and memorable, and the mask in particular works as a memorable part of mise-en-scene, much like the yellow jumpsuit in Kill Bill or the suits in Reservoir Dogs.
-
Of course, the opening line of the film plays off the cliché trope of 1980s films and the animations of Disney and Pixar - and as this trope is so recognisable that my intention of immediately going away from it via the jarring gunshot and killing of the assumed main character was intended to present the audience with the darker, more stylised alternative while still maintaining the whimsical aspect of the trope with the dialogue and performance of the Killer. My postmodern approach to film lent itself well to the self-referential aspect of the beginning of the film, with the first line and the Killer's following monologue creating a playful aspect to the narrative which defined the character immediately.
-
My inspiration for the faceoff scene was classic westerns, for example the classic face off in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Using the postmodern ideology, I wanted to spoof the concept comically, which I intended to shock the audience and show that it doesn't fit into the expected narrative. As my intention was to include a narrative twist, and as well as unmasking the Killer at the end, I aimed to present twists in genre expectation throughout, i.e. by parodying the trope.
Thursday, 28 March 2019
Pans Labyrinth
Binary Oppositions:
Freedom vs Oppression/Freedom vs Fascism/Female vs Male/Femininity vs Masculinity
Fantasy vs Reality/Childhood vs Adulthood/Naivety vs Reality
Parent vs Child (captain looking up to father, Mercedes becoming mother role)
Female vs Male (Men have all the power - freedom fighters, doctors, Faun. Women underestimated but then show their strength)
Ofelia ends up taking care of mother with mandrake, rebels defeat soldiers, women defeat men - oppressed rise up, all lead to freedom
.
Sequences to be used for the themes:
Arriving at the house shows themes of parent vs child (the relationship between Ofelia, her mother, the captain, and setting up Mercedes to be a replacement mother), femininity vs masculinity (captain makes mother sit in the wheelchair, mother needs driver's help when sick, but while captain decides what happens the women are instrumental in it happening - he responds to them), fantasy vs reality (Mercedes obsessed with the fair only to be brought back to reality by the focus shift and her mothers focus on her shoes)
Captain killing rabbit hunters is parent vs child (lack of power father has to help son directly comparable with mother over Ofelia and her son because of the captain - fascism and hierarchy takes away family). Captain is half in shadow* while others are cowering in darkness. Entire film language of the scene doesn't work as expected. Doesn't build tension via music or cinematography (i.e. swell of music and close ups), relates to fascism and fem vs masc as it looks casual - robotic, procedure, no emotion on his face. No punishment for the officer who brought them in front of him wrongly - life is cheap
*his face is half in shadow at other times - before interrogating the stuttering rebel, his face is half covered in shaving cream when he pretends to cut his own throat in the mirror. Possibly shows the inherent violence he and by extension fascism has
Captain at the head of the table relates to Pale Man scene - both at the head of the table with fire behind them, Pale Man = fascism. Pile of shoes relates to concentration camp imagery, officer has a luger, a German gun
When mother is hurt, Mercedes immediately becomes the mother role - i.e. singing
When Ofelia talks to Faun there's a lot of music, when it cuts to the doctor and Ofelia there's no sonic bridge, snaps back to reality
Recurring image of lottery ticket - when listening to lottery numbers Mercedes escapes leading to their demise - greed, fascists selfishness leads to demise
When captain finds the root, there's never a 3 shot of all of them together - they aren't a family, they're separate. (Parent vs Child)
Editing:
Frog scene - seems seamless
Rabbit Hunter scene and the lack of conventional/Hollywood editing, no quick cuts
Fantasy vs Reality - pans with cuts to other places blurs between fantasy and reality, especially as it's usually used to cut between the two
Jump Cut/Axial Cut when she enters the Pale Man place shows her isolation and small size, and the chase uses choppy editing to make the chase seem faster than it is, especially his movement
Editing slows down massively when she's shot, her life ebbs away
Freedom vs Oppression/Freedom vs Fascism/Female vs Male/Femininity vs Masculinity
Fantasy vs Reality/Childhood vs Adulthood/Naivety vs Reality
Parent vs Child (captain looking up to father, Mercedes becoming mother role)
Female vs Male (Men have all the power - freedom fighters, doctors, Faun. Women underestimated but then show their strength)
Ofelia ends up taking care of mother with mandrake, rebels defeat soldiers, women defeat men - oppressed rise up, all lead to freedom
.
Sequences to be used for the themes:
Arriving at the house shows themes of parent vs child (the relationship between Ofelia, her mother, the captain, and setting up Mercedes to be a replacement mother), femininity vs masculinity (captain makes mother sit in the wheelchair, mother needs driver's help when sick, but while captain decides what happens the women are instrumental in it happening - he responds to them), fantasy vs reality (Mercedes obsessed with the fair only to be brought back to reality by the focus shift and her mothers focus on her shoes)
Captain killing rabbit hunters is parent vs child (lack of power father has to help son directly comparable with mother over Ofelia and her son because of the captain - fascism and hierarchy takes away family). Captain is half in shadow* while others are cowering in darkness. Entire film language of the scene doesn't work as expected. Doesn't build tension via music or cinematography (i.e. swell of music and close ups), relates to fascism and fem vs masc as it looks casual - robotic, procedure, no emotion on his face. No punishment for the officer who brought them in front of him wrongly - life is cheap
*his face is half in shadow at other times - before interrogating the stuttering rebel, his face is half covered in shaving cream when he pretends to cut his own throat in the mirror. Possibly shows the inherent violence he and by extension fascism has
Captain at the head of the table relates to Pale Man scene - both at the head of the table with fire behind them, Pale Man = fascism. Pile of shoes relates to concentration camp imagery, officer has a luger, a German gun
When mother is hurt, Mercedes immediately becomes the mother role - i.e. singing
When Ofelia talks to Faun there's a lot of music, when it cuts to the doctor and Ofelia there's no sonic bridge, snaps back to reality
Recurring image of lottery ticket - when listening to lottery numbers Mercedes escapes leading to their demise - greed, fascists selfishness leads to demise
When captain finds the root, there's never a 3 shot of all of them together - they aren't a family, they're separate. (Parent vs Child)
Editing:
Frog scene - seems seamless
Rabbit Hunter scene and the lack of conventional/Hollywood editing, no quick cuts
Fantasy vs Reality - pans with cuts to other places blurs between fantasy and reality, especially as it's usually used to cut between the two
Jump Cut/Axial Cut when she enters the Pale Man place shows her isolation and small size, and the chase uses choppy editing to make the chase seem faster than it is, especially his movement
Editing slows down massively when she's shot, her life ebbs away
Monday, 18 March 2019
Pans Labyrinth Scenes
Start sequence:
Captain's grey contrasts with the light or earthy tones of the rest of the sequence, his close up is slightly low angle and imposing (probably mise-en-scene instead)
Soldiers go right to left to enter screen, while Ofelia and mum go left to right, shows we're on their side
Pull focus from her to mum when looking at 'fairy' pulls her back to reality
Follows Ofelia's eyes, gets us on her side, and has lots of close ups on her
Pale Man scene analysis (cinematography, sound and editing):
Music
Editing
Theme
Cinematography
Shows eyes then grapes, hinting to the audience that she's going to replace the eyes with grapes, but doesn't
Needed to focus on her hunger (having not ate the night before) and use more shots of the food to make it more tantalizing, and her more relatable
Pacing is way slower than a typical 'scary' horror film, we can see him coming, eating the faeries etc. Also makes us anxious that she won't get out in time from the get go, which eventually comes true
Sound of eyes on plate disgusting
Cutting to hourglass keeps us in suspense
Pale Man - Del Toro decided to make him featureless, where they were initially going to have a face, to make it representative of institutions and ideas rather than an individual
Initial shot of her entering the corridor shows her as small, showing her weakness and foreboding, jump cuts to show her even smaller also effective
All music ends as the Pale Man comes alive, replaced by deep drum noises then his groans, immediately changes tune. High pitched noise of her tools also contrasts with the deep noise, and the noise of the faeries also contrasts, almost jarringly against the low rumble of the background, plus it shows that they aren't supposed to be there, different worlds
Ambient noise almost sounds like breathing (Darth Vader esque), immediately putting us on edge. Also rumbling in the background suggests underground, unknown area
Music rises as she finds the dagger, indicating success, dips, then rises ominously as she is tempted by the food
Lightning/thunder as he finishes eating the faeries suggests danger
Her heart beating at the end is the only thing that remains from the scene after the door shuts
Quick cuts between her running and man coming towards her - he's gaining on her
When she first shows up he's in shot, but after before he focuses on the key he's constantly over her shoulder, reminding us of the danger, but when she picks up the key and uses it a similar shot is used but he's no longer there, showing us she's unaware of the threat. When distracted by food, shot shifts to block the Pale Man to focus on the fruit, also drilling in that she's distracted. She only realizes he's behind her when he comes into shot. Every time we see the hour glass it's always in focus, aside from when she's running towards it when the time runs out, before coming back when it does run out and the door shuts
Groaning makes him sound archaic, an ancient being, the pillars being Freco-Roman also imply age and show that he's ancient
Shot of mural with kids screaming debatably diegetic - can she hear it in her head, is it just for us, does it fill the room supernaturally (capturing souls etc.)
Cries of babies make us worry for her as a young girl
Fantasy has been gentle up until that point, which is incredibly jarring (only violence is bludgeoning and shooting the rabbit hunters), ramping up the violence. Relates to fascism concept theory - seems reasonable at the start but gets more and more dangerous
Ofelia wears green, which contrasts heavily with the red of the fruit, showing they're her opposition and has connotations of danger, and also with the orange of the room due to the fire and the metal, which extends to the Pale Man to an extent because as he's white the light reflects him, ie he belongs there but she doesn't
When the scene ends she returns to the blue-green colour she's assocaiated with, she belongs
Overall theme and point of the scene is that it shows that Ofelia is a flawed hero - it's the only point so far that it hasn't gone her way in a way that's tangible to the story (Toad and Mandrake good, dress ruining bad but not consequential). Sets in the disequilibrium, as although this started for the character with coming to the house, as the audience has only seen that it's the equilibrium for us (could be debated that her finding out she's a princess is a form of disequilibrium, but this is it in the traditional pejorative sense).
Rabbit Poachers Scene:
Repeated motif of circles and wheels in the film - cycles like the moon. Scene takes place next to a water wheel, and it comes from a scene where he's fixing his watch.
Camera's moving at the start as if moving with purpose, stops with captain and soldiers in the foreground in focus, farmers behind slightly out of focus
Patriarchy as a theme is present in all the film, including this as there's a father son relationship.
Camera moves in as they're about to be accused
Uniforms blue and the darkness of the scene stand out compared to fantasy world
Can see more clearly that the farmers are dirty, even more contrast with uniforms
Very long take, the push in as they're accused, and again as the captain examines the bag, warns us that something bad is about to happen. Pushes in more as they speak and become more in focus. At this point the captain is on one third the son is on the other, showing opposition. Moves in again before bottling and we still don't expect what's happening because the lack of pace
Cuts to lower angle with the strong violence of the bottling, then cuts to various angles of his face, POV shot and a low angle shot, immediately speeds up pace. Ends with a shot with he father's ace in the center and the camera rises, again showing warning, before he's shot without performance warning
Shot tracks forward as he goes back to check the bag, showing that what he's going to say is important, and also has a long take.
The line shows that he's not phased by violence and sets his up as a violent man
Rack focus of the two soldiers as the captain walks away shows the fear of the soldiers as well, and that there's no camaraderie between troops. This is the easiest points for them to question him, and they outnumber him, but they're all order followers and so don't
Music is very sparse, highlighting the brutal sounds of the bottle
End scene:
Adds a lot to the fairy tale theme of the film. The somber scene goes to a high key colour fantasy world. Adds a dream like quality that goes into the afterlife
Yellow light that transitions into the fantasy scene is an effective transition, but also could represent the bright rebels defeating the cold blue of fascism - almost a pyrrhic victory. The yellow is also the yellow of the real world, i.e. in the start, and so goes towards the argument that she's actually alive and that they fantasy is real, adds towards the negotiated reading, especially as the light appears in the real world
In the fantasy world the shoes are focused on, and has imagery of Dorothy's shoes in Wizard of Oz. But they're less feminine, links to feminism and that she isn't a passive character
Red of the blood contrasts (high contrast colour) massively with the white of her costume, very emotive and striking image.
The high key blood almost shows she's dead because it's so striking
Cinematography, ie the crane shot focusing on her, is typical death cinematography
Bloody hand death imagery
Goes back to the Toad Tree, which is supposed to look like ovaries to show reborn, and goes to the branch where she hangs her clothes to show the flower being reborn, like the story at the start, and so brings about ideas that she is reborn and reinforces the fantasy negotiate reading.
The cuts in the end, ie by the tree, shows us that it's soft or fantastical
Faun meeting scene:
Relating to death scene where the final shot of her cranes up, the first shot of her walking down the stairs matches the shot, implying that its marking her movements down into the labyrinth to be reborn
She's isolated in the scene, innocence or even naivety. She's manipulated by every man in her life including the faun
Scene edited via POV shots, Faun shot from low down, very little objective cinematography
Faun in half light all the way through, showing that he's untrustworthy, and we only really trust him at the end of the film. Appears and disappears via shadow
Captain's grey contrasts with the light or earthy tones of the rest of the sequence, his close up is slightly low angle and imposing (probably mise-en-scene instead)
Soldiers go right to left to enter screen, while Ofelia and mum go left to right, shows we're on their side
Pull focus from her to mum when looking at 'fairy' pulls her back to reality
Follows Ofelia's eyes, gets us on her side, and has lots of close ups on her
Pale Man scene analysis (cinematography, sound and editing):
Music
Editing
Theme
Cinematography
Shows eyes then grapes, hinting to the audience that she's going to replace the eyes with grapes, but doesn't
Needed to focus on her hunger (having not ate the night before) and use more shots of the food to make it more tantalizing, and her more relatable
Pacing is way slower than a typical 'scary' horror film, we can see him coming, eating the faeries etc. Also makes us anxious that she won't get out in time from the get go, which eventually comes true
Sound of eyes on plate disgusting
Cutting to hourglass keeps us in suspense
Pale Man - Del Toro decided to make him featureless, where they were initially going to have a face, to make it representative of institutions and ideas rather than an individual
Initial shot of her entering the corridor shows her as small, showing her weakness and foreboding, jump cuts to show her even smaller also effective
All music ends as the Pale Man comes alive, replaced by deep drum noises then his groans, immediately changes tune. High pitched noise of her tools also contrasts with the deep noise, and the noise of the faeries also contrasts, almost jarringly against the low rumble of the background, plus it shows that they aren't supposed to be there, different worlds
Ambient noise almost sounds like breathing (Darth Vader esque), immediately putting us on edge. Also rumbling in the background suggests underground, unknown area
Music rises as she finds the dagger, indicating success, dips, then rises ominously as she is tempted by the food
Lightning/thunder as he finishes eating the faeries suggests danger
Her heart beating at the end is the only thing that remains from the scene after the door shuts
Quick cuts between her running and man coming towards her - he's gaining on her
When she first shows up he's in shot, but after before he focuses on the key he's constantly over her shoulder, reminding us of the danger, but when she picks up the key and uses it a similar shot is used but he's no longer there, showing us she's unaware of the threat. When distracted by food, shot shifts to block the Pale Man to focus on the fruit, also drilling in that she's distracted. She only realizes he's behind her when he comes into shot. Every time we see the hour glass it's always in focus, aside from when she's running towards it when the time runs out, before coming back when it does run out and the door shuts
Groaning makes him sound archaic, an ancient being, the pillars being Freco-Roman also imply age and show that he's ancient
Shot of mural with kids screaming debatably diegetic - can she hear it in her head, is it just for us, does it fill the room supernaturally (capturing souls etc.)
Cries of babies make us worry for her as a young girl
Fantasy has been gentle up until that point, which is incredibly jarring (only violence is bludgeoning and shooting the rabbit hunters), ramping up the violence. Relates to fascism concept theory - seems reasonable at the start but gets more and more dangerous
Ofelia wears green, which contrasts heavily with the red of the fruit, showing they're her opposition and has connotations of danger, and also with the orange of the room due to the fire and the metal, which extends to the Pale Man to an extent because as he's white the light reflects him, ie he belongs there but she doesn't
When the scene ends she returns to the blue-green colour she's assocaiated with, she belongs
Overall theme and point of the scene is that it shows that Ofelia is a flawed hero - it's the only point so far that it hasn't gone her way in a way that's tangible to the story (Toad and Mandrake good, dress ruining bad but not consequential). Sets in the disequilibrium, as although this started for the character with coming to the house, as the audience has only seen that it's the equilibrium for us (could be debated that her finding out she's a princess is a form of disequilibrium, but this is it in the traditional pejorative sense).
Rabbit Poachers Scene:
Repeated motif of circles and wheels in the film - cycles like the moon. Scene takes place next to a water wheel, and it comes from a scene where he's fixing his watch.
Camera's moving at the start as if moving with purpose, stops with captain and soldiers in the foreground in focus, farmers behind slightly out of focus
Patriarchy as a theme is present in all the film, including this as there's a father son relationship.
Camera moves in as they're about to be accused
Uniforms blue and the darkness of the scene stand out compared to fantasy world
Can see more clearly that the farmers are dirty, even more contrast with uniforms
Very long take, the push in as they're accused, and again as the captain examines the bag, warns us that something bad is about to happen. Pushes in more as they speak and become more in focus. At this point the captain is on one third the son is on the other, showing opposition. Moves in again before bottling and we still don't expect what's happening because the lack of pace
Cuts to lower angle with the strong violence of the bottling, then cuts to various angles of his face, POV shot and a low angle shot, immediately speeds up pace. Ends with a shot with he father's ace in the center and the camera rises, again showing warning, before he's shot without performance warning
Shot tracks forward as he goes back to check the bag, showing that what he's going to say is important, and also has a long take.
The line shows that he's not phased by violence and sets his up as a violent man
Rack focus of the two soldiers as the captain walks away shows the fear of the soldiers as well, and that there's no camaraderie between troops. This is the easiest points for them to question him, and they outnumber him, but they're all order followers and so don't
Music is very sparse, highlighting the brutal sounds of the bottle
End scene:
Adds a lot to the fairy tale theme of the film. The somber scene goes to a high key colour fantasy world. Adds a dream like quality that goes into the afterlife
Yellow light that transitions into the fantasy scene is an effective transition, but also could represent the bright rebels defeating the cold blue of fascism - almost a pyrrhic victory. The yellow is also the yellow of the real world, i.e. in the start, and so goes towards the argument that she's actually alive and that they fantasy is real, adds towards the negotiated reading, especially as the light appears in the real world
In the fantasy world the shoes are focused on, and has imagery of Dorothy's shoes in Wizard of Oz. But they're less feminine, links to feminism and that she isn't a passive character
Red of the blood contrasts (high contrast colour) massively with the white of her costume, very emotive and striking image.
The high key blood almost shows she's dead because it's so striking
Cinematography, ie the crane shot focusing on her, is typical death cinematography
Bloody hand death imagery
Goes back to the Toad Tree, which is supposed to look like ovaries to show reborn, and goes to the branch where she hangs her clothes to show the flower being reborn, like the story at the start, and so brings about ideas that she is reborn and reinforces the fantasy negotiate reading.
The cuts in the end, ie by the tree, shows us that it's soft or fantastical
Faun meeting scene:
Relating to death scene where the final shot of her cranes up, the first shot of her walking down the stairs matches the shot, implying that its marking her movements down into the labyrinth to be reborn
She's isolated in the scene, innocence or even naivety. She's manipulated by every man in her life including the faun
Scene edited via POV shots, Faun shot from low down, very little objective cinematography
Faun in half light all the way through, showing that he's untrustworthy, and we only really trust him at the end of the film. Appears and disappears via shadow
Visual Storyelling 101
Pan's Labyrinth and City of God will both ask about key elements of film form, both likely to be cinematography
Composition:
Rule of thirds
Central framing to draw attention , applying with symmetry
'Leading lines' (using lines in frame to direct attention)
18mm wide shot, used to establish
50mm standard
Use long lens to pull background forward
Lighting direction
Side lighting suggests character has a dark side, as does surrounding them with darkness
Colour and contrast
Low contrast - looks like real life
High contrast - colours stand out, blacks darker. Stylized
Ie colour contrast in Trainspotting goes up when he's off heroin - more vibrant, or less normal
Should use a start, ending, middle sequence in each film to analyse
Composition:
Rule of thirds
Central framing to draw attention , applying with symmetry
'Leading lines' (using lines in frame to direct attention)
18mm wide shot, used to establish
50mm standard
Use long lens to pull background forward
Lighting direction
Side lighting suggests character has a dark side, as does surrounding them with darkness
Colour and contrast
Low contrast - looks like real life
High contrast - colours stand out, blacks darker. Stylized
Ie colour contrast in Trainspotting goes up when he's off heroin - more vibrant, or less normal
Should use a start, ending, middle sequence in each film to analyse
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Coursework
Friday 26th April Deadline for film and write up
Try and get everything done for 29th of March
Look on EDUQAS website at GCE Film Studies for criteria
Monday, 28 January 2019
Global Cinema
Read through MLE worksheets - background info, production context at time of production and diegesis, Look at what Del Torro says about it
Pans Labyrinth
Childlike storytelling at the beginning, narration and cinematography - comic book almost, cartoonish. Combined with the Ofelia's bookish nature it immediately creates a fairy tale esque plot, which is twisted into almost horror
Watching from the insect's perspective multiple times at the start creates a sense of foreboding
Fire goes against the blue when Ofelia and the mother are in bed, possibly showing isolation
Military uniforms are blue, contrasting with the woods and nature, they don't belong#
Starts like either a war film or a fantasy film
Key elements of film form: always moving cameras, always soft lighting, orangey-blue colour scheme
High pitched noise is a motif for tools, metal
Research:
Although audiences have interpreted the film's bittersweet ending as everything from a religious metaphor to a psychological allegory, Guillermo del Toro offers a simpler, but more poetic, explanation, "I always think of that beautiful quote by Søren Kierkegaard that says the tyrant's reign ends with his death, but the martyr's reign starts with his death. I think that is the essence of the movie; it's about living forever by choosing how you die."
While some viewers believe Ofelia's eating the grapes in the Pale Man's den to be something of a "too dumb to live" moment for the young heroine, it would actually seem to be a reference to what turns out to be her ultimate virtue: Courageous disobedience. According to Guillermo del Toro this theme is why the movie is set against the backdrop of falangist Spain (where disobeying the fascist regime was dangerous), and the final test of character for the princess confirms the importance of disobedience as well.
Javier Navarrete's score is structured around a lullaby.
+
Pans Labyrinth
Childlike storytelling at the beginning, narration and cinematography - comic book almost, cartoonish. Combined with the Ofelia's bookish nature it immediately creates a fairy tale esque plot, which is twisted into almost horror
Watching from the insect's perspective multiple times at the start creates a sense of foreboding
Fire goes against the blue when Ofelia and the mother are in bed, possibly showing isolation
Military uniforms are blue, contrasting with the woods and nature, they don't belong#
Starts like either a war film or a fantasy film
Key elements of film form: always moving cameras, always soft lighting, orangey-blue colour scheme
High pitched noise is a motif for tools, metal
Research:
Although audiences have interpreted the film's bittersweet ending as everything from a religious metaphor to a psychological allegory, Guillermo del Toro offers a simpler, but more poetic, explanation, "I always think of that beautiful quote by Søren Kierkegaard that says the tyrant's reign ends with his death, but the martyr's reign starts with his death. I think that is the essence of the movie; it's about living forever by choosing how you die."
While some viewers believe Ofelia's eating the grapes in the Pale Man's den to be something of a "too dumb to live" moment for the young heroine, it would actually seem to be a reference to what turns out to be her ultimate virtue: Courageous disobedience. According to Guillermo del Toro this theme is why the movie is set against the backdrop of falangist Spain (where disobeying the fascist regime was dangerous), and the final test of character for the princess confirms the importance of disobedience as well.
Javier Navarrete's score is structured around a lullaby.
+
Thursday, 24 January 2019
Short Films
The Grandmother (1970) - David Lynch
Much more acceptable to express things surreally in short film
The Swimmer (2012) - Lynne Ramsay
Metaphor can be explored more freely, less need to draw out ideas
Can be more about the aesthetic than narrative, don't restrict yourself
Possibly about escapism - dialogue about moving freely, swimming in countryside water, water allowing all direction of movement, sport being cathartic, Lord of the Flies references, losing yourself in rides (although the swimmers detachment from them could show his inability to lose himself, be free, as he goes through many options without sticking to one)
'The film aims to give a real feel for the diversity of landscape and people of Britain' - BBC
CONNECT
Title cards like tube map
Bigger overall message - what we think on the tube (killing the woman to get her seat), what we want to do (reach out to the man), being together (dance at the end) happily not awkwardly
Wasp (2003) - Andrea Arnold
Dependent on the spectator
La Jetee (1962)
The more you watch it the more you forget the stills and create movement for yourself, still suspends disbelief
Looks very, very French
Didn't expect science fiction
Much more acceptable to express things surreally in short film
The Swimmer (2012) - Lynne Ramsay
Metaphor can be explored more freely, less need to draw out ideas
Can be more about the aesthetic than narrative, don't restrict yourself
Possibly about escapism - dialogue about moving freely, swimming in countryside water, water allowing all direction of movement, sport being cathartic, Lord of the Flies references, losing yourself in rides (although the swimmers detachment from them could show his inability to lose himself, be free, as he goes through many options without sticking to one)
'The film aims to give a real feel for the diversity of landscape and people of Britain' - BBC
CONNECT
Title cards like tube map
Bigger overall message - what we think on the tube (killing the woman to get her seat), what we want to do (reach out to the man), being together (dance at the end) happily not awkwardly
Wasp (2003) - Andrea Arnold
Dependent on the spectator
La Jetee (1962)
The more you watch it the more you forget the stills and create movement for yourself, still suspends disbelief
Looks very, very French
Didn't expect science fiction
Thursday, 10 January 2019
Trainspotting cinematography
Lighting and colour - bleak unless showing heroin use, shows their outlook on life, especially without it, and also links to addiction. I.e. Mother Superior's red light and carpet, the green of the park
Camera - Perfect Day, showing people in a wide angle shot, highlights the people and the system he's abused to perpetuate his habit, while still gaining preferential treatment to save his life. Also go past two nihilistic punks who look at him confused - they don't think that's what nihilism is about
Baby scene/death - sets up disequilibrium, first time in the film that he's cared and has been deeply affected by something. Interrupts the status quo, possibly eliminates the idea of nihilism as he moves to London after and shows he cares
Used a wide angle lens without edges bowed out, makes things look further away, spend a lot of time at a low angle, like a 'rats' eye view down on the floor. When entering Mother Superiors, at same levelish as baby, but when the woman takes heroin we're on a level with her
People inject each other, comradeship, but Renton's in a different room as if not part of it
When showing people's opinions they're far away, as if it's not real. Colour is browns and greys, Renton in shadow in middle of parents
Friends-narrative-cinematography - friends are together by chance and use, no allegiance to each other (as shown in the end and that he can move away so easily when he's sober). His friends are almost antagonistic 'the problem with being sober is that I have to interact with my so called friends (park scene) and when Tommy takes him walking. And with Begbie he's using them as cronies, to respect him while he has none for them or their habit. Nihilistic, selfish. Heroin use is solitary, not communal like party drugs, so they don't even take it together, literally just score together
As Renton improves the camera gets closer and higher (as with Diane's conversation) he sees her for the first time properly as a person and not part of his surroundings. And when Begbie comes to visit him it's clear he's annoyed as the amount of reaction shots showing it increases. Shots on Begbie are steady while Renton's are handheld - unsure.
Mise-en-scene
'Who needs reasons when you got heroin' and other heroin shots - nothing in the shot but them, the main thing in your life. Even in pub when showing people's opinions
Let windows burn out via ISO to show the outside as a fuzz, irrelevant
Renton's bedroom when trying to quit - still at a low level and far removed from him. Almost like establishing shots in the room. No decoration. Tommy's becomes that as well, wide angle and barren with low angles as he's laying down, both from his perspective and not
But when Rentons clean its filmed closer, conventionally as he's talking to Diane and even before she turns up, as is his room in London even if it's still a bad place, and has warmer colours
Renton shifts to align himself with us (during the Begbie betting montage), not us getting on his side like is typical. Specifically the building up of cigarette packs like his stress, and Renton always wearing a suit even when relaxing - represents society even though he says 'if there was a society I wasn't part of it', foreshadows last scene where he says to choose the stuff he didn't before. The resolution is accepting society (maybe he doesn't feel the need to go back to it after seeing the value of society)
Camera - Perfect Day, showing people in a wide angle shot, highlights the people and the system he's abused to perpetuate his habit, while still gaining preferential treatment to save his life. Also go past two nihilistic punks who look at him confused - they don't think that's what nihilism is about
Baby scene/death - sets up disequilibrium, first time in the film that he's cared and has been deeply affected by something. Interrupts the status quo, possibly eliminates the idea of nihilism as he moves to London after and shows he cares
Used a wide angle lens without edges bowed out, makes things look further away, spend a lot of time at a low angle, like a 'rats' eye view down on the floor. When entering Mother Superiors, at same levelish as baby, but when the woman takes heroin we're on a level with her
People inject each other, comradeship, but Renton's in a different room as if not part of it
When showing people's opinions they're far away, as if it's not real. Colour is browns and greys, Renton in shadow in middle of parents
Friends-narrative-cinematography - friends are together by chance and use, no allegiance to each other (as shown in the end and that he can move away so easily when he's sober). His friends are almost antagonistic 'the problem with being sober is that I have to interact with my so called friends (park scene) and when Tommy takes him walking. And with Begbie he's using them as cronies, to respect him while he has none for them or their habit. Nihilistic, selfish. Heroin use is solitary, not communal like party drugs, so they don't even take it together, literally just score together
As Renton improves the camera gets closer and higher (as with Diane's conversation) he sees her for the first time properly as a person and not part of his surroundings. And when Begbie comes to visit him it's clear he's annoyed as the amount of reaction shots showing it increases. Shots on Begbie are steady while Renton's are handheld - unsure.
Mise-en-scene
'Who needs reasons when you got heroin' and other heroin shots - nothing in the shot but them, the main thing in your life. Even in pub when showing people's opinions
Let windows burn out via ISO to show the outside as a fuzz, irrelevant
Renton's bedroom when trying to quit - still at a low level and far removed from him. Almost like establishing shots in the room. No decoration. Tommy's becomes that as well, wide angle and barren with low angles as he's laying down, both from his perspective and not
But when Rentons clean its filmed closer, conventionally as he's talking to Diane and even before she turns up, as is his room in London even if it's still a bad place, and has warmer colours
Renton shifts to align himself with us (during the Begbie betting montage), not us getting on his side like is typical. Specifically the building up of cigarette packs like his stress, and Renton always wearing a suit even when relaxing - represents society even though he says 'if there was a society I wasn't part of it', foreshadows last scene where he says to choose the stuff he didn't before. The resolution is accepting society (maybe he doesn't feel the need to go back to it after seeing the value of society)
Trainspotting music
90s music but set in the 80s, which adds to the 'Cool Britannia' aesthetic and theme. Used a lot of recognizable hits
Monday, 7 January 2019
Amy Notes
Title works as establishing who she is via montage
Foreshadowing - ''I don't think I could handle it [fame]'
Music is used to highlight the point being made - song about dad not being there after talking about it, which shows how close her music was to herself - 'she had one of the most pure relationships to music' (Sam Beste, her piano player)
Interview about being hounded by press, says she's not up for it, foreshadowing
As soon as she turns to drugs, the music stops, voices are focused on to show how serious it is, less in touch with music
Cuts to flashing cameras every now and then to remind us that she never got a break
Only song Kapadia plays all the way through is 'Love is a Losing Game' to highlight Blake's villainy
Puts traditional media onto new media, layering
Snapshots shows that it's similar to crime and espionage - not right
Still shots taken at home the most powerful - drug use, very personal images
End footage shows her being happy and innocent - juveniles her
Doesn't show her cheating or any detail about it, skips her wrong doings
Foreshadowing - ''I don't think I could handle it [fame]'
Music is used to highlight the point being made - song about dad not being there after talking about it, which shows how close her music was to herself - 'she had one of the most pure relationships to music' (Sam Beste, her piano player)
Interview about being hounded by press, says she's not up for it, foreshadowing
As soon as she turns to drugs, the music stops, voices are focused on to show how serious it is, less in touch with music
Cuts to flashing cameras every now and then to remind us that she never got a break
Only song Kapadia plays all the way through is 'Love is a Losing Game' to highlight Blake's villainy
Puts traditional media onto new media, layering
Snapshots shows that it's similar to crime and espionage - not right
Still shots taken at home the most powerful - drug use, very personal images
End footage shows her being happy and innocent - juveniles her
Doesn't show her cheating or any detail about it, skips her wrong doings
Mock Details
British film - ideology and narrative - 40 marks
Documentary - 20 marks - compare to other documentaries and makers, i.e. 'Michael Moore would say about this film', would've been different if they made it. Broomfield's view is that it should always be negotiated, Moore's view is that documentary is the vehicle for the creator's opinion
Experimental film - 20 marks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)