Immediately breaks fourth wall
Unique, comic book style visuals
Narration works with dialogue
Obsessive use of symmetry
Storyline is four layers deep - woman reading book, man reading book aloud, Jude Law talking to Zero, the actual story
Stylized title cards
Odd use of swearing - surprising with the childish style of the film
Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Experimental. Show all posts
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Monday, 5 November 2018
To what extent can your chosen film be classed as experimental?
Study Buddy: Elaine
Write down a list at the bottom of what research you did
Ideas:
1. Non-linearity - basic plot made interesting by the way it's told, relates to 2.
2. Style over substance - stylistic dialogue, glorification of violence, music, stylized subject mattes (ie gangsters) etc. create an aesthetic film which covers up the boring plot
3. Expectations: Casting - Travolta, Willis, Thurman, Wallace as black, Lance as a businessman. Messes with what we expect characters and actors to be + Messes with convention. Relates to 4
4. Plot doesn't have traditional (and once necessary by law - Hays Code) comeuppance for criminals, everything stays the same (Todorov's ideal of equilibrium)
To what extent can your chosen film be classed as experimental?
Perhaps the most obvious part of Pulp Fiction that makes it experimental is it's non-linear narrative. The plot - the events that happen in the film. In fact, this film can be considered an anthology film, as all plot lines in the film are tied together by one person - Marcellus Wallace, and little else. Such an approach to the film essentially covers up the unoriginal, uninteresting plot of the film, making the spectator more interested in it as events often occur without prior knowledge, making the audience want to find out how it happened, the opposite to the usual aproach This stylised approach to writing is very experimental, as Tarantino took the story and placed it in a circular narrative, very different to most film's narratives, especially at the time. A similar idea used by Tarantino, for the same purpose, is prioritising style over substance. For example, the dialogue in the film is very stylised but achieves little - the whole Jack Rabbit Slims scene had no relevant dialogue to the plot at all, and only serves to build the 'cool', stylish aesthetic of the film, again an experimental idea. Examples of this concept can also be seen in music choice - 60s and 70s pop. These examples show the power sound has in a film, and how it can be used to make a film experimental as seen here.
A large part of exeperimentalism is subverting expectation. Tarantino as an auteur does this frequently with his casting choices, of which there are many examples in Pulp Fiction. John Travolta's career was seen as ended, and mainly consisted of rom coms and dancing films, so to play a serious, if slightly comedic, hitman in a drama was massively risky, and as such unexpected. The filmmaker also used this technique to play with established roles/character tropes. Uma Thurman as the femme fatale Mia Wallace drastically differs from the stereotypical portrayal of the role. While still attractive, Wallace's costume (a baggy white shirt and trousers) strays from the standard dress, which immediately points the character out to the spectator as alternative, different, unpredicatable. She is still clearly dangerous - drug use, a controlling demeanor and her unexpectadly intelligent observation ('awkward silences') reveal the potential for manipulation and malice. Of course, this is a staple of the femme fatale character, but Thurman does this in a way that differs from usual -in her later scenes. The frailty and vulnerability shown by her overdose, and the joke she tells to Vince, gives a glimpse past the hard exterioir of the trope, into a deeper, more developed character, yet again subverting expectation. Similarly, diverting from Propp's characters is also something this film does. There is no clear protagonist (although common theory suggests Vince and Jules), the antagonist ranges from character to character, and even incudes other characters (Honey Bunny and Pumpkin's being Vince and Jules), the Princess/Treasure Chest, Side Kick and most others are also ambiguous. So Tarantino made Pulp Fiction experiemental by going against the spectator's assumptions and expectiaitons through the use of casting and charactrer performance.
As a film primarily about crime and the criminal underworld, it doesn't obey the typical structure of crime-based films. In fact, 30 years before it was illegal for crime films to end with the criminals not being punished, as is the case in this film, due to the Hays Code. And while it ended decades before, the code set in place a set of values rarely if ever crossed, which is another reason why Pulp Fiction is experimental. This relates to Todorov's theory of narrative. Instead of the resolution of a new equilibrium being instated, all criminals return to their lives without repercussion (with the exception of Vince), meaning that the equilibrium didn't change at all. The film goes against the idea of narrative resolution typical not only in its genre but in film in general, again experimental.
However, there is also the argument that Tarantino's films aren't experimental, merely pastiche. The majority of his ideas, esepcially in Pulp Fiction, stem from other films, going against the idea of experimentalism - being the first to do something. For example, the Jack Rabbt Slims dance scene is lifted from Federico Fellini's 1963 film 8 1/2, the square Mia made just before is from the Flintstones, and many more. Although homage is a staple of post modernism, it is debated that Tarantino takes this too far, and so his films (including Pulp Fiction) aren't experimental.
In conclusion, Pulp Fiction takes the staples of cinema, and use the audience's concept of this to subvert expectation, an act that makes the film experimental, however, it's argued whether it is in fact the first time these things have been done,. So while there are asepcts of the film which are experiemntal, it's debatable whether the film can be classified as such.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/quentin-tarantino-stolen-movie-scenes-2015-6
Write down a list at the bottom of what research you did
Ideas:
1. Non-linearity - basic plot made interesting by the way it's told, relates to 2.
2. Style over substance - stylistic dialogue, glorification of violence, music, stylized subject mattes (ie gangsters) etc. create an aesthetic film which covers up the boring plot
3. Expectations: Casting - Travolta, Willis, Thurman, Wallace as black, Lance as a businessman. Messes with what we expect characters and actors to be + Messes with convention. Relates to 4
4. Plot doesn't have traditional (and once necessary by law - Hays Code) comeuppance for criminals, everything stays the same (Todorov's ideal of equilibrium)
To what extent can your chosen film be classed as experimental?
Perhaps the most obvious part of Pulp Fiction that makes it experimental is it's non-linear narrative. The plot - the events that happen in the film. In fact, this film can be considered an anthology film, as all plot lines in the film are tied together by one person - Marcellus Wallace, and little else. Such an approach to the film essentially covers up the unoriginal, uninteresting plot of the film, making the spectator more interested in it as events often occur without prior knowledge, making the audience want to find out how it happened, the opposite to the usual aproach This stylised approach to writing is very experimental, as Tarantino took the story and placed it in a circular narrative, very different to most film's narratives, especially at the time. A similar idea used by Tarantino, for the same purpose, is prioritising style over substance. For example, the dialogue in the film is very stylised but achieves little - the whole Jack Rabbit Slims scene had no relevant dialogue to the plot at all, and only serves to build the 'cool', stylish aesthetic of the film, again an experimental idea. Examples of this concept can also be seen in music choice - 60s and 70s pop. These examples show the power sound has in a film, and how it can be used to make a film experimental as seen here.
A large part of exeperimentalism is subverting expectation. Tarantino as an auteur does this frequently with his casting choices, of which there are many examples in Pulp Fiction. John Travolta's career was seen as ended, and mainly consisted of rom coms and dancing films, so to play a serious, if slightly comedic, hitman in a drama was massively risky, and as such unexpected. The filmmaker also used this technique to play with established roles/character tropes. Uma Thurman as the femme fatale Mia Wallace drastically differs from the stereotypical portrayal of the role. While still attractive, Wallace's costume (a baggy white shirt and trousers) strays from the standard dress, which immediately points the character out to the spectator as alternative, different, unpredicatable. She is still clearly dangerous - drug use, a controlling demeanor and her unexpectadly intelligent observation ('awkward silences') reveal the potential for manipulation and malice. Of course, this is a staple of the femme fatale character, but Thurman does this in a way that differs from usual -in her later scenes. The frailty and vulnerability shown by her overdose, and the joke she tells to Vince, gives a glimpse past the hard exterioir of the trope, into a deeper, more developed character, yet again subverting expectation. Similarly, diverting from Propp's characters is also something this film does. There is no clear protagonist (although common theory suggests Vince and Jules), the antagonist ranges from character to character, and even incudes other characters (Honey Bunny and Pumpkin's being Vince and Jules), the Princess/Treasure Chest, Side Kick and most others are also ambiguous. So Tarantino made Pulp Fiction experiemental by going against the spectator's assumptions and expectiaitons through the use of casting and charactrer performance.
As a film primarily about crime and the criminal underworld, it doesn't obey the typical structure of crime-based films. In fact, 30 years before it was illegal for crime films to end with the criminals not being punished, as is the case in this film, due to the Hays Code. And while it ended decades before, the code set in place a set of values rarely if ever crossed, which is another reason why Pulp Fiction is experimental. This relates to Todorov's theory of narrative. Instead of the resolution of a new equilibrium being instated, all criminals return to their lives without repercussion (with the exception of Vince), meaning that the equilibrium didn't change at all. The film goes against the idea of narrative resolution typical not only in its genre but in film in general, again experimental.
However, there is also the argument that Tarantino's films aren't experimental, merely pastiche. The majority of his ideas, esepcially in Pulp Fiction, stem from other films, going against the idea of experimentalism - being the first to do something. For example, the Jack Rabbt Slims dance scene is lifted from Federico Fellini's 1963 film 8 1/2, the square Mia made just before is from the Flintstones, and many more. Although homage is a staple of post modernism, it is debated that Tarantino takes this too far, and so his films (including Pulp Fiction) aren't experimental.
In conclusion, Pulp Fiction takes the staples of cinema, and use the audience's concept of this to subvert expectation, an act that makes the film experimental, however, it's argued whether it is in fact the first time these things have been done,. So while there are asepcts of the film which are experiemntal, it's debatable whether the film can be classified as such.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/quentin-tarantino-stolen-movie-scenes-2015-6
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Tarantino as an Auteur
Employs long takes, minimal editing, mirror shots and humour, all characteristic to most of his films (Kupść, 1989)
Gratuitous use of violence
Cinematography: Crash shots, long takes, tracking shots. car boot POV shots, mirror shots, close ups on lips and feet
Feet
Long, intense dialogue, humorously dramatic violence, and frequently nonlinear scripts
Late 60s early 70s pop music
Actors: Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Waltz, and Michael Madsen
Zeitgeist Definition
Spirit of the times - defining mood or spirit of a period as shown by beliefs and ideas
Monday, 22 October 2018
In what ways is Pulp Fiction experimental?
Narrative Structure - almost self referential in that the non-linear narrative makes the storyline obvious, break our suspension of disbelief. Realize when Vince is killed.
Doesn't have a clear protagonist - could be suggesting that we don't need one. Doesn't have a meta narrative - a narrative with an overriding theme (often a binary opposition or dominant ideology), which is the only one of Tarantino's film that doesn't
Doesn't have any narrative resolution - no return to equilibrium (possibly Butch riding off but as he's not the protagonist maybe not). It ends on mid-narrative
Genre Conventions - doesn't have the 'rise and fall' narrative of gangsters films, everything stays the same.
Stylized imagery/iconography - gangsters etc. it does have. Mia as the femme fatale is the opposite to the usual - attractive in an unconventional way, wears a shirt instead of a dress, not v. feminine, however she's referred to as the 'big man's wife' and Uma Thurman was chosen over Pam Greer as the latter isn't submissive
Expectations/Casting - John Travolta experimental - usually plays a dancer, sex symbol, massively different to this role. Gang land bosses thought to be white, Italian men. People's ethnicity in the gang doesn't seem to matter. Bruce Willis experimental casting - should be mid-20s but is older, father-daughter relationship with him and Fabienne
Language, representations and 'shock value' - very stylized dialogue, there to sound cool. Talk about normal things in a very stylized way. Controversy with swearing and racism. Gangsters seen as intellectually thoughtful people (Mia talks intelligently, Jules especially), shown as cool and capable, sophisticated, overriding interesting in popular culture. Women seem juvenile (Hunny Bunny, Favian), while Mia seems strong (although juvenile to a certain degree). Black people shown as powerful (Jules seems superior compared to Vince, Marcellus is overall in charge and the catalyst of the plot).
Post-Modernism - self referential, non-linear, controversial, briefcase is a macguffin - could be replaced easily, the case is what we want it to be
Almost designed for repeat viewings as can notice things you wouldn't at first
Repeated mention of Vince taking Mia out at the start is a red heading for a plot around them
Lance represented as a pseudo-businessman, a salesman not a drug dealer, different representation to normal
Jungle Boogie at the opening credits makes us think of a Blacksploitation film, and then shows Jules after to continue this red herring
First time we properly see Marcellus Wallace is when he's run over - not untouchable like most mob bosses in films
Mysteries set out - e.g. Tony Rocky Horror thrown out the window
At Jack Rabbit Slim's, none of the dialogue is important to the plot. but it sets out the relationship between Vince and Mia
Editing - non-linear, also uses title cards to compartmentalize the film, making us know it's a film. Makes us look at the film from the outside, not immerse us
Sound - Dialogue is stylized and doesn't move on the plot. Very little cinematography to back it up, forcing us to focus on the dialogue
Narrative content - unconventional plotting, what we don't need to see. Sowing Vince on the toilet, also hints at violence to come, dialogue that doesn't contribute or move on the plot. Voyeur shots of Jimmy and Wolf talking about the shots to make Wolf look cool. Only realize we're in a non-linear film when Vince gets killed. We think we can anticipate what the film's about - Vince and Mia running off, but it doesn't
Doesn't have a clear protagonist - could be suggesting that we don't need one. Doesn't have a meta narrative - a narrative with an overriding theme (often a binary opposition or dominant ideology), which is the only one of Tarantino's film that doesn't
Doesn't have any narrative resolution - no return to equilibrium (possibly Butch riding off but as he's not the protagonist maybe not). It ends on mid-narrative
Genre Conventions - doesn't have the 'rise and fall' narrative of gangsters films, everything stays the same.
Stylized imagery/iconography - gangsters etc. it does have. Mia as the femme fatale is the opposite to the usual - attractive in an unconventional way, wears a shirt instead of a dress, not v. feminine, however she's referred to as the 'big man's wife' and Uma Thurman was chosen over Pam Greer as the latter isn't submissive
Expectations/Casting - John Travolta experimental - usually plays a dancer, sex symbol, massively different to this role. Gang land bosses thought to be white, Italian men. People's ethnicity in the gang doesn't seem to matter. Bruce Willis experimental casting - should be mid-20s but is older, father-daughter relationship with him and Fabienne
Language, representations and 'shock value' - very stylized dialogue, there to sound cool. Talk about normal things in a very stylized way. Controversy with swearing and racism. Gangsters seen as intellectually thoughtful people (Mia talks intelligently, Jules especially), shown as cool and capable, sophisticated, overriding interesting in popular culture. Women seem juvenile (Hunny Bunny, Favian), while Mia seems strong (although juvenile to a certain degree). Black people shown as powerful (Jules seems superior compared to Vince, Marcellus is overall in charge and the catalyst of the plot).
Post-Modernism - self referential, non-linear, controversial, briefcase is a macguffin - could be replaced easily, the case is what we want it to be
Almost designed for repeat viewings as can notice things you wouldn't at first
Repeated mention of Vince taking Mia out at the start is a red heading for a plot around them
Lance represented as a pseudo-businessman, a salesman not a drug dealer, different representation to normal
Jungle Boogie at the opening credits makes us think of a Blacksploitation film, and then shows Jules after to continue this red herring
First time we properly see Marcellus Wallace is when he's run over - not untouchable like most mob bosses in films
Mysteries set out - e.g. Tony Rocky Horror thrown out the window
At Jack Rabbit Slim's, none of the dialogue is important to the plot. but it sets out the relationship between Vince and Mia
Editing - non-linear, also uses title cards to compartmentalize the film, making us know it's a film. Makes us look at the film from the outside, not immerse us
Sound - Dialogue is stylized and doesn't move on the plot. Very little cinematography to back it up, forcing us to focus on the dialogue
Narrative content - unconventional plotting, what we don't need to see. Sowing Vince on the toilet, also hints at violence to come, dialogue that doesn't contribute or move on the plot. Voyeur shots of Jimmy and Wolf talking about the shots to make Wolf look cool. Only realize we're in a non-linear film when Vince gets killed. We think we can anticipate what the film's about - Vince and Mia running off, but it doesn't
Narrative in Pulp Fiction
Wouldn't work without a non-linear plot, which is often used to make dull films exciting as it gives people something to expect. Parallel editing gives us something to watch all the time to make it interesting.
Loose thread going through it being Marcellus Wallace.
Have elements that other films would skip - conversations about mundane things, Vincent going to the toilet, eating etc. A common trait of Tarantino.
Doesn't have a clear protagonist - could be suggesting that we don't need one. Doesn't have a meta narrative - a narrative with an overriding theme (often a binary opposition or dominant ideology), which is the only one of Tarantino's film that doesn't
Doesn't have any narrative resolution - no return to equilibrium (possibly Butch riding off but as he's not the protagonist maybe not). It ends on mid-narrative
What's important in the film isn't the narrative but the characters
Loose thread going through it being Marcellus Wallace.
Have elements that other films would skip - conversations about mundane things, Vincent going to the toilet, eating etc. A common trait of Tarantino.
Doesn't have a clear protagonist - could be suggesting that we don't need one. Doesn't have a meta narrative - a narrative with an overriding theme (often a binary opposition or dominant ideology), which is the only one of Tarantino's film that doesn't
Doesn't have any narrative resolution - no return to equilibrium (possibly Butch riding off but as he's not the protagonist maybe not). It ends on mid-narrative
What's important in the film isn't the narrative but the characters
Thursday, 11 October 2018
Experimental Film
Loose Definition: Something that doesn't follow convention, often one of the first films to do something, may come out with a negotiated reading, come out of something different
Pulp Fiction
What makes it experimental?
It's controversy is part of the experimentation, e.g.:
Drugs - no value judgment places on it's use
Rape scene
Language - N word, excessive and white people say it
Swearing - always saying the F word
Narrative - non-linear
No score, all sound track. Mainly use diegetic sound. Primarily 70s, some 60s music
Editing:
Loads of fade outs and fade ups in strange places
Only one parallel edit - Marcel with Samuel Jackson
Cinematography:
Few shot reverse shots, only really when there's an argument with Vince and Samuel Jackson
Hitchcock-like shots, positioning
Motif:
3, 2, 1 before stabbing Mia same with putting the gun down
Vince going to the bathroom heralds problems
Film primarily dialogue, which carries people through it
Post Modernism
The idea that nothing is original any more, everything is a copy of a copy etc.
The theory that Quentin Tarantino is the death of post modernism because Pulp Fiction ultimately has style over substance, which is the peak of post modernism - borrowed ideas
Auteur debate whether he pays homage or steals from other film
A critique of social constructs - hierarchy, family, education, the reason why we exist
I.e. the rise of anti-heroes in the late '60s. None of the characters have heroic traits, similarly to Old Country for Old Men
Self referential/aware - knows it's a film - i.e. lets get into character, square. Always recognizes the fact that it's a film
Breaks down traditional ideas of film making
Lacks cohesive narrative
Sets out to be a cult movie
In modernism, dialogue is used to move the plot forward, in post modernism it's used to build character
Areas of intertextuality in Pulp Fiction:
Vince's car is a reference to Carrie
Referencing famous people - Marilyn Monroe etc.
John Travolta dancing, also shot similarly to Saturday Night Fever
Opening scene almost exactly the same as opening of Bonnie and Clyde
All references Buddy picks up is a reference to a horror film
All songs 1970s soul pop music
The way they speak - exploitation
Style of substance - the Prada Handbag of Tarantino's films
Similarities to Reservoir Dogs
Long, protracted dialogue sequences
Doesn't show expected parts - not much action, diner scenes
Same actors
Controversial language
Voyeuristic shots, two shots, high contrast colour
Long takes
Pulp Fiction more non-linear
Using dialogue for dialogue's sake
-
Pulp definition at start of film relevant to how the film looks and is set out
Context of production - early 1990, shift away from social and political structures, sense of re-evaluating the past, cultural exploration: post modern texts, high/low culture blurring, film as collage etc. Independent/mainstream crossover beginning
High/low culture - ballet and fancy stuff vs TV shows, naff novels, films
Quentin Tarantino is a self confessed film obsessive. His films filled with references to other texts, sometimes seen as plagiaristic
Pulp Fiction
What makes it experimental?
It's controversy is part of the experimentation, e.g.:
Drugs - no value judgment places on it's use
Rape scene
Language - N word, excessive and white people say it
Swearing - always saying the F word
Narrative - non-linear
No score, all sound track. Mainly use diegetic sound. Primarily 70s, some 60s music
Editing:
Loads of fade outs and fade ups in strange places
Only one parallel edit - Marcel with Samuel Jackson
Cinematography:
Few shot reverse shots, only really when there's an argument with Vince and Samuel Jackson
Hitchcock-like shots, positioning
Motif:
3, 2, 1 before stabbing Mia same with putting the gun down
Vince going to the bathroom heralds problems
Film primarily dialogue, which carries people through it
Post Modernism
The idea that nothing is original any more, everything is a copy of a copy etc.
The theory that Quentin Tarantino is the death of post modernism because Pulp Fiction ultimately has style over substance, which is the peak of post modernism - borrowed ideas
Auteur debate whether he pays homage or steals from other film
A critique of social constructs - hierarchy, family, education, the reason why we exist
I.e. the rise of anti-heroes in the late '60s. None of the characters have heroic traits, similarly to Old Country for Old Men
Self referential/aware - knows it's a film - i.e. lets get into character, square. Always recognizes the fact that it's a film
Breaks down traditional ideas of film making
Lacks cohesive narrative
Sets out to be a cult movie
In modernism, dialogue is used to move the plot forward, in post modernism it's used to build character
Areas of intertextuality in Pulp Fiction:
Vince's car is a reference to Carrie
Referencing famous people - Marilyn Monroe etc.
John Travolta dancing, also shot similarly to Saturday Night Fever
Opening scene almost exactly the same as opening of Bonnie and Clyde
All references Buddy picks up is a reference to a horror film
All songs 1970s soul pop music
The way they speak - exploitation
Style of substance - the Prada Handbag of Tarantino's films
Similarities to Reservoir Dogs
Long, protracted dialogue sequences
Doesn't show expected parts - not much action, diner scenes
Same actors
Controversial language
Voyeuristic shots, two shots, high contrast colour
Long takes
Pulp Fiction more non-linear
Using dialogue for dialogue's sake
-
Pulp definition at start of film relevant to how the film looks and is set out
Context of production - early 1990, shift away from social and political structures, sense of re-evaluating the past, cultural exploration: post modern texts, high/low culture blurring, film as collage etc. Independent/mainstream crossover beginning
High/low culture - ballet and fancy stuff vs TV shows, naff novels, films
Quentin Tarantino is a self confessed film obsessive. His films filled with references to other texts, sometimes seen as plagiaristic
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)