13. Compare the challenges presented to the spectator by different experimental and expaned film/video works.
Some of the challenges presented to the spectator by different experimental films are those which include unconventional film techniques that make the piece difficult to watch and/or process. A film such as Un Chien Andalou by Luis Bunuel (and Salvador Dali) certainly use unconventional narrative and challenges 'mainstream' cinema. This is done regarding narrative and the themes throughout the film, some of which being considered taboo and risky for the time of production and release (1929). One scene which comes to mind regarding it's challenging nature is the close up shot of a knife slicing through a female's eye at the beginning of the film. I thought this part was particularly shocking as the human eye is a valued part of the body and is responsible for many things. The thought of it being cut open creates a sense of unease and queasiness. Another scene in the film which could be considered challenging to a spectator is the close up shot of a male's hand which has ants coming out of the centre of it. This personally made me feel very uncertain about what I was watching as I felt it was one of the most random parts of the film. This was Bunuel's technique of working as any idea that may have any sort of meaning was rejected. Another scene which generates similar feelings or unsureness is the shot that depicts a man riding a bicycle dressed as a nun. At first I thought this was very perculiar and then quite amusing as this is something you may not see everyday. This is an attack and critisism on religion as Bunuel was an Athiest and strongly against organised religion such as catholicism.
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Fight Club Exam Response (q.17)
17. How useful has a particular critical approach been in gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of your chosen film? [30]
The particular critical approach that I have been studying, the Crisis of Masculinity, has certainly helped me gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the film, Fight Club. There are many scenes which relate to this approach that have helped me understand what the director, David Fincher, was trying to say throughout the film. The Crisis of Masculinity suggests that men in today's society are becoming more feminised due to the lifestyle they have chosen. The approach also suggests that we live in a female-dominated world and this is the reason for the femininity of males.
An example of this is the 'Testicular Cancer' scene, where Jack/Narrator goes to a support group whose aim is to help men who have had the disease and need emotional support. The scene starts as we see Jack arrive and there are a group of men standing and talking to get to know each other. There is then a straight cut to show the same men sitting on chairs in a circle, talking about their stories. This is something that is stereotypically linked with an activity that women do when they have problems, therefore linking itself to the Crisis of Masculinity. They are located in what appears to be an gym, with an American flag noticable in the left hand corner of the shot. This also links itself to the theory as these men have the ability to play 'manly' sports in this facility, however they are not. The audience then go on to hear one of the men in the circle talking about how he has lost his wife, as she left him, and he says "Thank God, I'm happy for her" before bursting into tears. The word God/Jesus appears a lot during the film, and this is due to the idea that we assume God/Jesus is male, however that may not be the case, like the males in this scene. After this, the host of the group announces that it's time for the one-on-ones, which in itself could be mistaken for a reference to sexual activity. Jack is paired up with a man named Bob, and then states he has 'bitch-tits'. Jack goes on to use the voiceover to tell the audience that Bob had his testicals removed due to cancer, and as his body wasn't producing as much testosterone and more estrogen, he then grew a pair of breasts and his wife left him. Bob is a perfect example of the crisis portrayed in the film, as he has no testicals or wife/children but does have breasts and a higher-pitched voice. This helped me gain a deeper understanding to the crisis as this shows that the men in this film are literally being turned into women and they can't do anything about it. Even Bob's name is comical and links to the approach as it is one letter away from the word 'boob'.
Another example which helped me gain a deeper understanding of the film are the rules of Fight Club and other quotes from the film which may suggest that Jack/Tyler are homosexual. The rules of Fight Club include ones such as; "You do not talk about Fight Club", which may be a reference to 'being in the closet' and not telling people that you are gay, "If someone yells stop, goes limp..." which is a reference to a man's penis during sexual intercourse, and finally "No shirts, no shoes" which is accompanied by a stot of a man removing his wedding ring. This the act of the men removing all forms of women from their lives for the period of time that they are in the Fight Club. Another thing regarding the fight club that may be considered an act of homosexuality is the pink bar sign above the entrance to the club, as pink is a colour associated with homosexual men. Other quotes from the film which may suggest that Jack/Tyler are homosexual are ones such as "Everywhere we went, we were sizing things up" which is a reference to somebody looking at others in a sexual way and wondering how 'large' they are. Another quote which could link to the Crisis of Masculinity is when Jack comes back from a business trip and gets stopped by airport security because his luggage was vibrating. The security officer states that "9 times out of 10 it's an electric razor, but every once in a while...it's a dildo" and Jack immediately becomes defensive and responds with "I don't own a dildo!" which could be seen as Jack getting embarrassed and panicked due to him actually owning one (homosexuality).
Jack's lack of ability to talk to women is another factor which could be linked to the critical approach, and this is seen whenever he's around Marla. When Jack first meets Marla and she walks off, Tyler flashes in between them, suggesting that he is going to become in between them having a relationship. Later on in the film, we discover that Tyler and Marla are in a sexual relationship and this is due to Jack not being able to begin a realtionship with her. Another critical approach, Freudian theory, suggests that Jack is the ego and Tyler is the Id. Tyler is able to get whatever he wants and is everything Jack dreams off being, which can be backed up by Tyler's quote " I look how you wanna look, I fuck how you wanna fuck....".
The particular critical approach that I have been studying, the Crisis of Masculinity, has certainly helped me gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the film, Fight Club. There are many scenes which relate to this approach that have helped me understand what the director, David Fincher, was trying to say throughout the film. The Crisis of Masculinity suggests that men in today's society are becoming more feminised due to the lifestyle they have chosen. The approach also suggests that we live in a female-dominated world and this is the reason for the femininity of males.
An example of this is the 'Testicular Cancer' scene, where Jack/Narrator goes to a support group whose aim is to help men who have had the disease and need emotional support. The scene starts as we see Jack arrive and there are a group of men standing and talking to get to know each other. There is then a straight cut to show the same men sitting on chairs in a circle, talking about their stories. This is something that is stereotypically linked with an activity that women do when they have problems, therefore linking itself to the Crisis of Masculinity. They are located in what appears to be an gym, with an American flag noticable in the left hand corner of the shot. This also links itself to the theory as these men have the ability to play 'manly' sports in this facility, however they are not. The audience then go on to hear one of the men in the circle talking about how he has lost his wife, as she left him, and he says "Thank God, I'm happy for her" before bursting into tears. The word God/Jesus appears a lot during the film, and this is due to the idea that we assume God/Jesus is male, however that may not be the case, like the males in this scene. After this, the host of the group announces that it's time for the one-on-ones, which in itself could be mistaken for a reference to sexual activity. Jack is paired up with a man named Bob, and then states he has 'bitch-tits'. Jack goes on to use the voiceover to tell the audience that Bob had his testicals removed due to cancer, and as his body wasn't producing as much testosterone and more estrogen, he then grew a pair of breasts and his wife left him. Bob is a perfect example of the crisis portrayed in the film, as he has no testicals or wife/children but does have breasts and a higher-pitched voice. This helped me gain a deeper understanding to the crisis as this shows that the men in this film are literally being turned into women and they can't do anything about it. Even Bob's name is comical and links to the approach as it is one letter away from the word 'boob'.
Another example which helped me gain a deeper understanding of the film are the rules of Fight Club and other quotes from the film which may suggest that Jack/Tyler are homosexual. The rules of Fight Club include ones such as; "You do not talk about Fight Club", which may be a reference to 'being in the closet' and not telling people that you are gay, "If someone yells stop, goes limp..." which is a reference to a man's penis during sexual intercourse, and finally "No shirts, no shoes" which is accompanied by a stot of a man removing his wedding ring. This the act of the men removing all forms of women from their lives for the period of time that they are in the Fight Club. Another thing regarding the fight club that may be considered an act of homosexuality is the pink bar sign above the entrance to the club, as pink is a colour associated with homosexual men. Other quotes from the film which may suggest that Jack/Tyler are homosexual are ones such as "Everywhere we went, we were sizing things up" which is a reference to somebody looking at others in a sexual way and wondering how 'large' they are. Another quote which could link to the Crisis of Masculinity is when Jack comes back from a business trip and gets stopped by airport security because his luggage was vibrating. The security officer states that "9 times out of 10 it's an electric razor, but every once in a while...it's a dildo" and Jack immediately becomes defensive and responds with "I don't own a dildo!" which could be seen as Jack getting embarrassed and panicked due to him actually owning one (homosexuality).
Jack's lack of ability to talk to women is another factor which could be linked to the critical approach, and this is seen whenever he's around Marla. When Jack first meets Marla and she walks off, Tyler flashes in between them, suggesting that he is going to become in between them having a relationship. Later on in the film, we discover that Tyler and Marla are in a sexual relationship and this is due to Jack not being able to begin a realtionship with her. Another critical approach, Freudian theory, suggests that Jack is the ego and Tyler is the Id. Tyler is able to get whatever he wants and is everything Jack dreams off being, which can be backed up by Tyler's quote " I look how you wanna look, I fuck how you wanna fuck....".
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Urban Stories Exam Response (City of God)
How far can it be argued that your chosen films provide a 'realistic' representation of the people and places they focus on?
To a certain extent, my chosen films do provide a realistic representation of the people and places they focus on.
An example of this in the film City of God (2002), is where the audience is told 'The Story of the Apartment' and we can see that drug use is used throughout the different decades that appear in the film and is a constant way of life for the people of the favelas. Throughout this static montage scene, we see all of the owners of one apartment in the favelas, and all of the activity that goes on there. The audience see that the character Li'l Ze takes over the apartment and uses it for drug selling etc. This is something that is very realistic and does happen in the favelas in Brazil.
From my own knowledge, I know that young boys, from the ages of 11, are forced to participate in drug selling and similar business as this is the way of life in the favelas. The life expectancy of males in Brazil is an average of 18 years old. A reason for this way of life may be that living in the favelas is a 'vicious cycle' and the people living like this are always sucked into things of this nature.
'Suck' is a constant word used in the dialog of the film. Rocket says that "Having a hood as a brother sucks..." in the scene where his brother Goose is being told off by their father about him stealing from a motel, and this word relates to the idea that people living in the favelas constantly get sucked back into the drug activity and violence, even if they don't want to. Another example of the cycle is through these individual's friends. Peer pressure and copying others may be a factor of the continuous cycle, as when somebody sees somebody doing something, they may want to copy them and do what they do. This can be seen in the film where Li'l Dice (Li'l Ze) goes with the Tender Trio (Shaggy, Goose and Clipper) to a heist at a local motel to steal goods. Li'l Dice wants to go in with the older guys, however he is too young so stays outside to watch. Li'l Dice wants to be like the other guys as he wants the same amount of respect they get from the rest of the villagers in the favelas. (WRITE ABOUT LA HAINE- YOUNG BOY COPYING VINZ/HIM COPYING AMERICAN FILMS)
There is also the constant thought that if you attempt to escape the favelas, you may die, like the character Shaggy does in the scene where he tries to run away with Bernice, the woman he loves and wants to start a family with.
Friday, 7 March 2014
SHORT FILM: Reflective Analysis
Reflective Analysis- A Story of a Burns Victim
My aims for this film were to create a sequence called 'A Story of a Burns Victim',which showed the life of a young girl named 'Sarah', who has suffered a burn from a chemistry experiment that went wrong at school. I wanted to show the 'aftermath' a few months later when Sarah was about to return. In my film I also wanted to include a variety of shots such as extreme close ups. In terms of my aims and context, I think that the final product was very successful. I got the idea for this story after reading the book 'Beautiful' by Katie Piper, which is her autobiography about her experience of the acid attack she experienced several years ago. I then based my short film around some of the things she said in the book, such as emotions she felt.
I managed to use the style of shots that I wanted to, taking techniques from directors which I have watched and been inspired by. The main director who I wanted to work in the style of was Kenneth Anger, who is known for his homoerotic films such as Firework. This was successful as I think that some of the shots which distort Sarah's body whilst she is getting changed at the beginning of the sequence replicates similar shots to those which Anger uses in his work.
Another influence for my film was from the French New Wave style from the 1950s and 1960s. Main notable characteristics for this style of film were; constantly breaking the fourth wall (which is something that features in this sequence) and breaking rules of continuity editing and using free editing techniques.
Someone else who influenced my film, were the Quay Brothers as one of their films, 'The Comb' features similar shots to the ones that I used in my sequence. This is an experimental film, therefore my film does feature some experimental characteristics. For example, one of the most noticeable similarity is the beginning sequence where the female stretches out her arm whilst in bed. This is a shot that I used in my film, when 'Sarah' does a similar thing.
The non-diegtic music which features in this film is an acoustic song called 'Better World' which mainly features at the end of the sequence. This accompanies a voiceover from Sarah talking about her incident and the effects from it. Trying to shoot a variation of shots within this sequence was one of the most difficult things to do whilst creating this film, as well as the editing process. As I had ever made or edited a film before, this was 'new territory' therefore I had to learn how to do things such as shortening clips and changing the volume on the audio as I was editing. This film would be shown on something like 'Random Acts' on 'Channel 4' which is a late night viewing window for short documentaries like my film. Some of the shots that I used in the sequence such as the extreme close ups, helped make the desired effect that I wanted to create within the film. I wanted the film to be realistic and relatable, therefore producing an universal personal reaction as this is something which could easily happen to anybody at anytime. I think that the 'narrative' for this sequence was successful as it was clear of the story which I was trying to tell. This was also something picked up on in my feedback from the audience. Some of the feedback that I got from some of the audience included suggestions that I could possibly fit the audio in time with some of the shots better, as there is a certain part in the sequence where 'Sarah' touches her face, and the voiceover states that time can't heal everything. This would have fitted perfectly to the visual on screen. I think that the sequence could have been edited slightly better, however this was my first time editing so there were going to be a few mistakes. I also think that the non-diegetic audio (voiceover) could have been slightly louder as when I watched it back for the second time, I had to turn the volume up slightly as I was unable to hear it.
For this sequence I did all aspects of post production, filming and editing. I did my main character's makeup, which was a key aspect of making the narrative visual on screen. I then did all of the filming, directing my main character and the editing once everything had been filmed.
I managed to use the style of shots that I wanted to, taking techniques from directors which I have watched and been inspired by. The main director who I wanted to work in the style of was Kenneth Anger, who is known for his homoerotic films such as Firework. This was successful as I think that some of the shots which distort Sarah's body whilst she is getting changed at the beginning of the sequence replicates similar shots to those which Anger uses in his work.
Another influence for my film was from the French New Wave style from the 1950s and 1960s. Main notable characteristics for this style of film were; constantly breaking the fourth wall (which is something that features in this sequence) and breaking rules of continuity editing and using free editing techniques.
Someone else who influenced my film, were the Quay Brothers as one of their films, 'The Comb' features similar shots to the ones that I used in my sequence. This is an experimental film, therefore my film does feature some experimental characteristics. For example, one of the most noticeable similarity is the beginning sequence where the female stretches out her arm whilst in bed. This is a shot that I used in my film, when 'Sarah' does a similar thing.
The non-diegtic music which features in this film is an acoustic song called 'Better World' which mainly features at the end of the sequence. This accompanies a voiceover from Sarah talking about her incident and the effects from it. Trying to shoot a variation of shots within this sequence was one of the most difficult things to do whilst creating this film, as well as the editing process. As I had ever made or edited a film before, this was 'new territory' therefore I had to learn how to do things such as shortening clips and changing the volume on the audio as I was editing. This film would be shown on something like 'Random Acts' on 'Channel 4' which is a late night viewing window for short documentaries like my film. Some of the shots that I used in the sequence such as the extreme close ups, helped make the desired effect that I wanted to create within the film. I wanted the film to be realistic and relatable, therefore producing an universal personal reaction as this is something which could easily happen to anybody at anytime. I think that the 'narrative' for this sequence was successful as it was clear of the story which I was trying to tell. This was also something picked up on in my feedback from the audience. Some of the feedback that I got from some of the audience included suggestions that I could possibly fit the audio in time with some of the shots better, as there is a certain part in the sequence where 'Sarah' touches her face, and the voiceover states that time can't heal everything. This would have fitted perfectly to the visual on screen. I think that the sequence could have been edited slightly better, however this was my first time editing so there were going to be a few mistakes. I also think that the non-diegetic audio (voiceover) could have been slightly louder as when I watched it back for the second time, I had to turn the volume up slightly as I was unable to hear it.
For this sequence I did all aspects of post production, filming and editing. I did my main character's makeup, which was a key aspect of making the narrative visual on screen. I then did all of the filming, directing my main character and the editing once everything had been filmed.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Monday, 24 February 2014
SHORT FILM: Aims and Context
Aims and Context
- Documentary Short.
- Film/Script
- Short Film.
- People who have suffered from burns (or something similar) Male and female audience. Shown on Channel 4's Random Acts (late night short documentary - http://randomacts.channel4.com/#home). French New Wave style and characteristics.
- Close ups throughout sequence of right side of young girl's face, low key lighting at beginning of sequence, changes to high key lighting near middle of sequence. Applied cinematography techniques from an independent drama.
- Issues: This is new to me as at AS I made a storyboard instead of film-never made a film before. New thing to me. Never edited a film before either.
- Influences: Kenneth Anger: variation of shots taken in his style (while Sarah is getting ready) and French New Wave, breaking fourth wall characteristic (when Sarah looks straight at camera for a second)
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Experimental Film Exam Response
Discuss some of the ways in which the film or video work you have studied for the topic requires a different kind of spectatorship for that which spectators bring to their mainstream film-going. [35]
Some of the ways an experimental film's spectatorship opinions differ from a mainstream's is mainly based on the fact that a mainstream film is a lot easier to watch in terms of the narrative and any other subliminal messages hidden in it. This is can certainly be seen in 'Un Chien Andalou', directed by Luis Bunuel in 1929. This is a very surrealist film, which was based on a dream that Bunuel and Salvador Dali, a surrealist artist, had about a man with a hand made up of ants. It could be argued that this film is very difficult to watch as parts of it are very disturbing, such as the beginning sequence where an eye is cut open with a knife. It has been stated that this is very hard to watch and makes audiences cringe as the human eye is a very important part of the human body so seeing it cut open makes us fear it happening to ourselves. I personally found this film very disturbing and weird because of these factors. Compared to a mainstream cinema film, such as '127 Hours', where similar things happen which strike a reaction like in 'Un Chien Andalou' (such as the protagonist cutting his own arm off due to it being trapped under a rock) this film, is very difficult to watch. A mainstream film is arguably a lot easier to watch than an experimental film due to it being watched in a cinema by a wider amount of people.
Another experimental film which may contain a different spectatorship view to a mainstream film, is 'Meshes Of The Afternoon', directed by Maya Deren in 1943. This surrealist film, based on the male's perceptions of females is a very surreal film. The film argues that the male opinions which state that women should say at home and be in the kitchen all day, is wrong, and this is shown in many ways including the director Maya Deren being female. As well as influencing other forms of film, such as Muse's music video Supermassive Black Hole, which could be considered as a short film, there have also been references to Meshes featured in films such as David Lynch's Inland Empire (2006). As an actress starts to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world starts to become nightmarish and surreal is the main narrative of the film. However as David Lynch's films are very surreal this question may not refer to Meshes and the spectatorship views of these films.
An experimental film that has certainly got a different spectatorship view to a mainstream film is Kenneth Anger's 'Fireworks'. Made in 1947, the homoerotic underground film is about a young man being homosexual and getting beaten up for it. Some of the spectatorship views for this film may include references to the film being hard to watch as in the present, it is less common to hear about somebody being hurt due to their sexuality, whereas in the 1940's it was illegal to be homosexual. A mainstream film such as 'Brokeback Mountain' has very different spectatorship view as it is a film which was shown in cinemas, that features homosexuality, and was very successful as it won 3 Oscars and many other awards such as, Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes. Audiences nowadays have a more open opinion on homosexuality as there are more people coming out everyday, and people are more acceptant of it, whereas 60 years ago when 'Fireworks' was made nobody would allow it.
The last experimental film that I am going to discuss is Chris Cunningham's "Rubber Johnny", a 6 minute short film in the style of a music video which could be seen as very weird. Whilst watching this film, I was very confused for the majority of it because it is unclear what is going on and there is no clear narrative. When you are watching this film you also get the sense of not wanting to watch it as you are unsure what is going on, however you are intrigued as to what is going to happen so you are unable to not watch it. Compared to a full-length mainstream film such as "Titanic" where is it clear what is going to happen, as it is based on a true story, "Rubber Johnny" has the element of surprise in terms of what it happening on screen.
Some of the ways an experimental film's spectatorship opinions differ from a mainstream's is mainly based on the fact that a mainstream film is a lot easier to watch in terms of the narrative and any other subliminal messages hidden in it. This is can certainly be seen in 'Un Chien Andalou', directed by Luis Bunuel in 1929. This is a very surrealist film, which was based on a dream that Bunuel and Salvador Dali, a surrealist artist, had about a man with a hand made up of ants. It could be argued that this film is very difficult to watch as parts of it are very disturbing, such as the beginning sequence where an eye is cut open with a knife. It has been stated that this is very hard to watch and makes audiences cringe as the human eye is a very important part of the human body so seeing it cut open makes us fear it happening to ourselves. I personally found this film very disturbing and weird because of these factors. Compared to a mainstream cinema film, such as '127 Hours', where similar things happen which strike a reaction like in 'Un Chien Andalou' (such as the protagonist cutting his own arm off due to it being trapped under a rock) this film, is very difficult to watch. A mainstream film is arguably a lot easier to watch than an experimental film due to it being watched in a cinema by a wider amount of people.
Another experimental film which may contain a different spectatorship view to a mainstream film, is 'Meshes Of The Afternoon', directed by Maya Deren in 1943. This surrealist film, based on the male's perceptions of females is a very surreal film. The film argues that the male opinions which state that women should say at home and be in the kitchen all day, is wrong, and this is shown in many ways including the director Maya Deren being female. As well as influencing other forms of film, such as Muse's music video Supermassive Black Hole, which could be considered as a short film, there have also been references to Meshes featured in films such as David Lynch's Inland Empire (2006). As an actress starts to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world starts to become nightmarish and surreal is the main narrative of the film. However as David Lynch's films are very surreal this question may not refer to Meshes and the spectatorship views of these films.
An experimental film that has certainly got a different spectatorship view to a mainstream film is Kenneth Anger's 'Fireworks'. Made in 1947, the homoerotic underground film is about a young man being homosexual and getting beaten up for it. Some of the spectatorship views for this film may include references to the film being hard to watch as in the present, it is less common to hear about somebody being hurt due to their sexuality, whereas in the 1940's it was illegal to be homosexual. A mainstream film such as 'Brokeback Mountain' has very different spectatorship view as it is a film which was shown in cinemas, that features homosexuality, and was very successful as it won 3 Oscars and many other awards such as, Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes. Audiences nowadays have a more open opinion on homosexuality as there are more people coming out everyday, and people are more acceptant of it, whereas 60 years ago when 'Fireworks' was made nobody would allow it.
The last experimental film that I am going to discuss is Chris Cunningham's "Rubber Johnny", a 6 minute short film in the style of a music video which could be seen as very weird. Whilst watching this film, I was very confused for the majority of it because it is unclear what is going on and there is no clear narrative. When you are watching this film you also get the sense of not wanting to watch it as you are unsure what is going on, however you are intrigued as to what is going to happen so you are unable to not watch it. Compared to a full-length mainstream film such as "Titanic" where is it clear what is going to happen, as it is based on a true story, "Rubber Johnny" has the element of surprise in terms of what it happening on screen.
Friday, 24 January 2014
Fight Club Exam Response
What does your chosen film reveal about the usefulness of one or more critical approaches you have applied?
The film that I have studied for this question is David Fincher's 1999 film, Fight Club, which features a certain critical approach that questions the masculinity of the male characters in the film. This critical approach allowed me to understand the narrative of the film more and the reasons as to why certain characters did certain things in the film. The film begins with the audience seeing the narrator, Jack, going to a pressure group that men who are experiencing testicular cancer go to for support. We see several men sitting in a circle talking about their feelings, located in an American gym. In the shot the audience can see an American flag on the wall, as well as a basketball court. This is one of factors of the crisis of masculinity, as these American men, which are usually perceived as manly, are ignoring their surroundings of the sports hall and talking in a circle, which could be considered as being the feminine way of dealing with this problem. It could be argued that to solve this problem, playing basketball like men would have worked, but in this sequence it shows that the males are giving into the testicular cancer and this is making them quite feminine. The males in this circle are wearing name badges, and this shows that they have no identity as it is in the process of being taken away. There is a specific character, named Bob, who has been a victim of this femininity, as he had testicular cancer and therefore had to have his testicles removed. Bob was given pills which contained oestrogen, and this caused him to grow a set of female breasts. It could be argued that Bob's name is a playful pun, as Bob is only one letter away from being the word, Boob. Bob later becomes a member of the Fight Club/Project Mayhem and this helps him to regain some of his masculinity, despite the breasts.
Monday, 16 December 2013
Stop Motion Experimental Film with Reflective Analysis
link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZeNxbkzogw
Reflective Analysis
Josh, Steph, Emily and I made a stop motion film about society and how it influences our lives. Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. We did this by having a white ball of play-doh being a person who gets squashed by society, shown by the hand flattening it, and it being tied up, with the string at the end of the sequence. Our film uses a lot of symbols in the form of the string and the play-doh, because this shows that humans can be 'morphed' and 'shaped' to do whatever society wants it to do. In total we took 250 images and this created about 44 seconds of film. If we were to do this again, we would need to take more images to make it longer and this would also allow us to put more symbolism in the sequence and make the message that we are trying to put across more clear. We found some parts difficult to film as we needed the sequence to look as fluent and real as possible. We also found coming up with ideas to symbolise our message quite difficult too, as they had to be possible to create. We attempted to create a variety of shots such as close ups and pans around the ball as this would be effective and make the sequence seem like it wasn't made up of images. We think that this stop motion sequence is very successful despite it's minor flaws such as lighting and fluidity.
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Experimental Film Exam Response: Un Chien Andalou, Le Jetee and Meshes of the Afternoon
'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]
Un Chien Andalou, the infamous 1929 surrealist short film from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, attests to this.
I think that this film was very strange in the terms of having no narrative, and this made it quite difficult to watch. After watching it for the second time, I then understood the constant use of repetition and the referral to the box and the ants in the male's hand. The themes of the film were religion, with the reference to the hole in the hand like Jesus, taboo topics with the nudity of the female character, and generally being about being in a dream-like state. This film makes you think about things featured in the film and makes you ask questions. Parts of the film are quite disturbing to watch such as the eye cutting scene and when the female's armpit hair ends up over the male character's mouth. The thought of your eye being severed by a blade makes me cringe and I find this difficult to watch. The title of the film makes no sense either once translated to English and this shows me that the film is going to be quite surreal and odd. I do like the film because it makes me experience different emotions and I like the surreal style. Some of the film explores the relationship between men and woman with men and woman dressed up as the opposite sex. This is meant to show that men don't understand women and this is also a theme in some of the other experimental films I have watched. I like the idea of having no diegetic sound because this then emphasises the film being an art form and visual medium. Parts of the film are quite shocking but over this is a very interesting film to watch.
Chris Marker became known internationally for the short film La Jetée (1962). It tells of a post-nuclear war experiment in time travel by using a series of filmed photographs developed as a photomontage of varying pace, with limited narration and sound effects. I think that this film is a very good example of experimental film because it is a completely different style and it's one that I've never seen before. As a fan of science fiction films, I can see the relationship that modern day sci-fi has to La Jetée and I can also see similar themes such as having no way of changing time due to the paradox. This theme can also be seen in films such as Terminator. There is a narrative to this story and this is something which is not common in experimental films. The film relates to time and in some parts it looks like a time lapse, as if the male lead is dreaming about time travel instead of participating in it. There is a non-diegetic voice over featured in this film to narrate what is happening in the photographs. The photographs that make up the film symbolise that time doesn't move and memories, which is the fuel for the time travel, are simply just mental photos. The film explores dreaming versus reality and this makes you question whether things are real. This is mentioned during the narration when he says 'real birds, real cats'. La Jetée also relates to the film Minority Report, featuring Tom Cruise with the reference to the covering of the eyes. There is the small section of the film where the woman blinks and because the film is made up of images, I wondered whether I actually saw it. This challenges my perceptions and this is the impact I think the filmmaker wanted to create and it confused me slightly. In the film, the male protagonist sees his own death as a young boy due to the paradox and this has certainly influenced modern sci-fi films because I have seen a similar narrative before watching this. Technical skills in this film include dissolves and fading as well as panning and zooming into and around the images. This makes the film seem more like a motion film instead of being made up of still frames. In total, I like this film because it has very clever ways of portraying the themes and it is an early sci-fi film, which is my favourite genre of film.
Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) is a work that maintains all of the mystery, tranquility, unpredictability, and personal attachment that is ever present within the world of dreams. I think that this film is very well made and I understood quite a lot of it, despite it being experimental. The main theme for this film is to show woman's perceptions of men's interpretations of the female gender. This is shown by a black figure, which is seen throughout the film, who has a mirror for a face. This is a symbol for the female's perception as this figure represents men. As this film was made by a female director, feminism is a huge factor in this film. In the 1940's, female directors weren't really seen, as they were ideally 'stay-at-home mothers'. Maya Deren decided to then make this film with these themes to speak out on behalf of women. I think that the non-diegetic sound in this film is very annoying and this made the film very difficult to watch. The music is made up of somebody tapping a drum in different tempos and a slightly annoying wind instrument. It is quite high-pitched and this is what gives discomfort while watching this film. Another theme of this film is sleeping and being in a dream-like state. This is what attracted me to like the film, as I like things based on dreams. There is a fade of an image, with a shot of Deren's eye closing, which represents the process of falling asleep. Then, a time-lapse of Deren asleep follows and this shows that dreams don't really have a concept of time. A knife and a key are two recurring objects in this film and this relates to the theme. The knife represents a dagger on the male's perceptions of women, and these perceptions involve the 'mother' role, which typically involves keys to look after the home. After thinking about these representations once I watched the film, I really liked the whole idea of using subtle objects like this to replace other messages being portrayed in the film. Meshes of the Afternoon has gone on to inspire music video's such as Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, which involves similar figures with mirrors for faces. In total, I really like this film because I agree with the themes and the feminist issues, and I think that the symbolism in the sequence is very effective.
Monday, 18 November 2013
Short Film (La Haine style) with Reflective Analysis
Friday, 18 October 2013
Presentation Script
Presentation Script: Can Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's screen collaborations be seen as an auteur approach?
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton shown on screen [item 24], Edward Scissorhands theme song played [Item 28]
SPEAKER: My research project is based around the well-known working relationship of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. My intention is to explore this relationship and then go on to answer the question, is Tim Burton an auteur? Auteur theory is the "basic premise that a movie director, in certain circumstances, can be assigned the title of 'author'." [11]. A US film critic, Andrew Sarris, stated that, "the strong director imposes his own personality on a film; the weak director allows the personalities of others to run rampant." [11]. This quote means that an auteur is a director who has recurring themes, actors and subjects in his films, which distinguishes them from other ordinary directors who may use many different styles or actors in their films. Tim Burton is known to be an auteur, and his constant casting of his friend and working partner, Johnny Depp is one of the reasons why.
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp together [item 25, image]
SPEAKER: Before meeting Burton, Johnny Depp was the heart-throb in the television series, 21 Jump Street. The soon-to-be star played Officer Tom Hanson and was in the show for three years. [17] Depp didn't want to be seen as a 'poster boy' for the rest of his life and wanted something different. This was when he met Tim Burton and was cast as Edward Scissorhands. The duo explain in this interview with Jonathan Ross when asked about how Burton found Johnny Depp and why he was casted for this character.
PROJECTOR: Clip of interview with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp [item 22] (play from 1.00 to 2.11)
SPEAKER (cont): As you've just heard, Johnny Depp seemed like the perfect actor for the role of Edward Scissorhands as he was misperceived for a section of his acting career, due to his part in 21 Jump Street. Whenever asked, Tim Burton always states that Johnny Depp is very similar to him and this is why the pair constantly work together. In an interview with Burton, he was asked what was "the basis of the bond between (Burton) and Johnny Depp that enables (Burton/Depp) to work together so successfully?" [4] and he responded with "I realised something about Johnny...which is that he has baggage too. He looks a certain way, but who he is goes far beyond his appearance. There's a lot going on with Johnny." [4]. This statement informs us that Depp is very similar to Burton and this is the reason for him being casted as the main character for Edward Scissorhands. This point relates to Auteur Theory as Tim Burton puts parts of his personality in each of his characters and this is a factor of the theory as many directors, who are seen as auteurs, commonly do this.
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp [Item 25]
SPEAKER: Burton has a very strange and distant personality, which is something he likes to portray in the characters featured in his films. Edward Scissorhands is the most similar in regards to personality and how the character acts etc. This has been stated that Burton's greatest character [18] is Edward Scissorhands. "Edward Scissorhands is as Burton as a character can get; his alienation from suburbia, his dark shaggy hair (and) pale complexion..." [18]. In this sequence from Edward Scissorhands, Edward is discovered by Peg, the Avon lady who takes him in and gives him a family. When Edward is found, he is distant and seems scary and peculiar, which is very similar to Burton and his personality.
PROJECTOR: Sequence from Edward Scissorhands [Item 1] Sequence where Peg finds Edward in the large house.
SPEAKER: So as you saw, Edward seemed peculiar and Peg thought she was going to be in danger when he began to get closer to her, due to his scissor hands. However when Edward began to talk to her and came out of the darkness and into the sunlight, she saw that he was a gentle person and she saw his "trusting nature and sweetness"[18]. Burton's personality and ideas for his films are sometimes perceived that way. However, these weird and strange thoughts work in Burton's films, as you can see from the amount of success they always produce. Whenever Burton and Depp are thought about, many people think of their relationship being very symbiotic. This means that are very close and they understand each other well. In an interview with Esquire Magazine, the Burton stated that "There are partnerships where one person is good at one thing and the other is good at another... But we're very connected in terms of taste." [27] This states that the pair have a very symbiotic relationship, in Burton's own words. Depp has stated "Even when we first met, we connected on all these super absurd levels" [26] and this goes on to back up the previous point.
PROJECTOR: Image of a drawing which Tim Burton did when he was young boy [Item 23]
SPEAKER: This image is a drawing of Burton's idea of Edward Scissorhands, from when he was thirteen. It could be argued that this looks like Johnny Depp, despite the duo not meeting until the late 80's. This must be a 'happy coincidence' however it is strange. Another thing which allows Tim Burton to be called, "auteur" is his constant reference to the actor, Vincent Price.
PROJECTOR: Clip of The Inventor reading a story to Edward in Edward Scissorhands [Item 1], After clip has ended project image of Vincent Price, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on the set of Edward Scissorhands. [Item 26]
SPEAKER (CONT.): In Edward Scissorhands, Price plays Edward's creator, who could also be seen as a father figure. Price also worked with Burton by doing the voice over for Burton's short film, Vincent, which is about him. [19] This could be seen to be an auteur style factor, as reference to Price and his genre is a regular thing that is seen in Burton's films. Sweeney Todd [3], featuring Depp, is a film version of the famous musical, which was made by Burton in 2007. The film features singing, which means that Burton must have trusted Depp, despite it being out of his comfort zone. This continues to show us the strong working relationship that the pair have.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Sweeney Todd, song 'Epiphany' [Item 3]
SPEAKER: Another factor which may make Burton an auteur, is the constant use of the protagonist being a romantic and the idea of falling in love. This can be seen in Edward Scissorhands [1] where Edward falls in love with Kim, the beautiful daughter of the family who find him. It is also seen in Sweeney Todd [3] where one of the main characters, Mrs Lovett is in love with Todd, despite him not seeing it. It could also be argued that the proposal scene in Alice In Wonderland [2] is very romantic, when Hamish proposes to Alice. This also shows that Burton sees himself as Depp in these romantic roles because these are things he can't express, therefore he has to use his characters to do this for him.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Alice In Wonderland, when Hamish proposes to Alice. [Item 2] Then show clip from Edward Scissorhands scene “Because you asked me to.” [Item 1]
SPEAKER: However Burton and Depp don't always work together and the pair have both been known to work with other actors and directors. Could this be argued that this is the factor which makes Burton an ordinary director instead of an auteur? Burton has been known to have a very good relationship with actress Helena Bonham Carter as well as Depp. One thing that is known is that Burton and Bonham-Carter are in a long-term relationship and have been since 2001. [29] It is sometimes argued that despite her having a smaller role than Depp, Bonham-Carter had more screen time than Depp in the most recent film Burton has made, Alice In Wonderland. Depp plays the Mad Hatter, while Bonham-Carter plays the Red Queen. It could be argued that the relationship the Hatter and the Red Queen have is similar to Burton and Carter's, with her being 'bossy' and demanding things constantly.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Alice In Wonderland, sequence where Mad Hatter fits the Red Queen with a selection of hats. [Item 2]
SPEAKER: William Goldman, an American novelist and filmmaker, often argues against auteur theory, and makes a point which asks why 'auteurs' are the authors of their films by stating, 'How in the world is Stephen Spielberg the "author" of that? Why is it often referred to today as "Stephen Spielberg's Jaws"?'. This is a valid point and it could be argued with Tim Burton. Why are Burton's films referenced to as 'Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland' and 'Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands'? In regards to Edward Scissorhands, Burton wasn't the only writer for the film, as he received help from Caroline Thompson [20]. So surely this makes the film Thompson's as well as Burton's?
SPEAKER (CONT.): Despite Burton also using Helena Bonham Carter in his films quite frequently, this doesn't stray from the title of auteur as this could be considered as another feature to the theory. I personally do not think that this makes Burton an ordinary director because Burton will never be ordinary due to his personality, which is always seen in his films, and despite him not using Johnny Depp in every single film he produces and giving other actors more screen time, there will always be auteur factors within the films which still give him the auteur title such as the types of characters used in his films. In regards to William Goldman's view on auteur theory, the films that Burton makes are solely his own ideas and visions. This then gives him the right for the film to be called a Tim Burton film. It adds to his auteur title even further. The types of films that were created and produced by Burton is an new style of film itself which could be called 'Burton-esque'. Films such as Henry Selick's Coraline take on this style of film to honour Burton's way of filmmaking. Henry Selick was the director for Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas therefore Selick would be familiar with Burton's style of work.
PROJECTOR: Screen shot of The Nightmare Before Christmas IMDb page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/) to highlight details of the film.
SPEAKER (CONT.): Johnny Depp and Burton have made 8 films together [16] and their 23 years working together have been extremely successful and a credit to the film industry. In conclusion, Tim Burton can certainly be seen as an auteur in regards to his partnership with Johnny Depp and his film making because Burton portrays his own personality through the use of Depp and without this, Burton's films wouldn't be as good as they are. It is Burton's quirky personality and amazing ideas which make his films as great as they are.
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton shown on screen [item 24], Edward Scissorhands theme song played [Item 28]
SPEAKER: My research project is based around the well-known working relationship of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. My intention is to explore this relationship and then go on to answer the question, is Tim Burton an auteur? Auteur theory is the "basic premise that a movie director, in certain circumstances, can be assigned the title of 'author'." [11]. A US film critic, Andrew Sarris, stated that, "the strong director imposes his own personality on a film; the weak director allows the personalities of others to run rampant." [11]. This quote means that an auteur is a director who has recurring themes, actors and subjects in his films, which distinguishes them from other ordinary directors who may use many different styles or actors in their films. Tim Burton is known to be an auteur, and his constant casting of his friend and working partner, Johnny Depp is one of the reasons why.
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp together [item 25, image]
SPEAKER: Before meeting Burton, Johnny Depp was the heart-throb in the television series, 21 Jump Street. The soon-to-be star played Officer Tom Hanson and was in the show for three years. [17] Depp didn't want to be seen as a 'poster boy' for the rest of his life and wanted something different. This was when he met Tim Burton and was cast as Edward Scissorhands. The duo explain in this interview with Jonathan Ross when asked about how Burton found Johnny Depp and why he was casted for this character.
PROJECTOR: Clip of interview with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp [item 22] (play from 1.00 to 2.11)
SPEAKER (cont): As you've just heard, Johnny Depp seemed like the perfect actor for the role of Edward Scissorhands as he was misperceived for a section of his acting career, due to his part in 21 Jump Street. Whenever asked, Tim Burton always states that Johnny Depp is very similar to him and this is why the pair constantly work together. In an interview with Burton, he was asked what was "the basis of the bond between (Burton) and Johnny Depp that enables (Burton/Depp) to work together so successfully?" [4] and he responded with "I realised something about Johnny...which is that he has baggage too. He looks a certain way, but who he is goes far beyond his appearance. There's a lot going on with Johnny." [4]. This statement informs us that Depp is very similar to Burton and this is the reason for him being casted as the main character for Edward Scissorhands. This point relates to Auteur Theory as Tim Burton puts parts of his personality in each of his characters and this is a factor of the theory as many directors, who are seen as auteurs, commonly do this.
PROJECTOR: Image of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp [Item 25]
SPEAKER: Burton has a very strange and distant personality, which is something he likes to portray in the characters featured in his films. Edward Scissorhands is the most similar in regards to personality and how the character acts etc. This has been stated that Burton's greatest character [18] is Edward Scissorhands. "Edward Scissorhands is as Burton as a character can get; his alienation from suburbia, his dark shaggy hair (and) pale complexion..." [18]. In this sequence from Edward Scissorhands, Edward is discovered by Peg, the Avon lady who takes him in and gives him a family. When Edward is found, he is distant and seems scary and peculiar, which is very similar to Burton and his personality.
PROJECTOR: Sequence from Edward Scissorhands [Item 1] Sequence where Peg finds Edward in the large house.
SPEAKER: So as you saw, Edward seemed peculiar and Peg thought she was going to be in danger when he began to get closer to her, due to his scissor hands. However when Edward began to talk to her and came out of the darkness and into the sunlight, she saw that he was a gentle person and she saw his "trusting nature and sweetness"[18]. Burton's personality and ideas for his films are sometimes perceived that way. However, these weird and strange thoughts work in Burton's films, as you can see from the amount of success they always produce. Whenever Burton and Depp are thought about, many people think of their relationship being very symbiotic. This means that are very close and they understand each other well. In an interview with Esquire Magazine, the Burton stated that "There are partnerships where one person is good at one thing and the other is good at another... But we're very connected in terms of taste." [27] This states that the pair have a very symbiotic relationship, in Burton's own words. Depp has stated "Even when we first met, we connected on all these super absurd levels" [26] and this goes on to back up the previous point.
PROJECTOR: Image of a drawing which Tim Burton did when he was young boy [Item 23]
SPEAKER: This image is a drawing of Burton's idea of Edward Scissorhands, from when he was thirteen. It could be argued that this looks like Johnny Depp, despite the duo not meeting until the late 80's. This must be a 'happy coincidence' however it is strange. Another thing which allows Tim Burton to be called, "auteur" is his constant reference to the actor, Vincent Price.
PROJECTOR: Clip of The Inventor reading a story to Edward in Edward Scissorhands [Item 1], After clip has ended project image of Vincent Price, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on the set of Edward Scissorhands. [Item 26]
SPEAKER (CONT.): In Edward Scissorhands, Price plays Edward's creator, who could also be seen as a father figure. Price also worked with Burton by doing the voice over for Burton's short film, Vincent, which is about him. [19] This could be seen to be an auteur style factor, as reference to Price and his genre is a regular thing that is seen in Burton's films. Sweeney Todd [3], featuring Depp, is a film version of the famous musical, which was made by Burton in 2007. The film features singing, which means that Burton must have trusted Depp, despite it being out of his comfort zone. This continues to show us the strong working relationship that the pair have.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Sweeney Todd, song 'Epiphany' [Item 3]
SPEAKER: Another factor which may make Burton an auteur, is the constant use of the protagonist being a romantic and the idea of falling in love. This can be seen in Edward Scissorhands [1] where Edward falls in love with Kim, the beautiful daughter of the family who find him. It is also seen in Sweeney Todd [3] where one of the main characters, Mrs Lovett is in love with Todd, despite him not seeing it. It could also be argued that the proposal scene in Alice In Wonderland [2] is very romantic, when Hamish proposes to Alice. This also shows that Burton sees himself as Depp in these romantic roles because these are things he can't express, therefore he has to use his characters to do this for him.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Alice In Wonderland, when Hamish proposes to Alice. [Item 2] Then show clip from Edward Scissorhands scene “Because you asked me to.” [Item 1]
SPEAKER: However Burton and Depp don't always work together and the pair have both been known to work with other actors and directors. Could this be argued that this is the factor which makes Burton an ordinary director instead of an auteur? Burton has been known to have a very good relationship with actress Helena Bonham Carter as well as Depp. One thing that is known is that Burton and Bonham-Carter are in a long-term relationship and have been since 2001. [29] It is sometimes argued that despite her having a smaller role than Depp, Bonham-Carter had more screen time than Depp in the most recent film Burton has made, Alice In Wonderland. Depp plays the Mad Hatter, while Bonham-Carter plays the Red Queen. It could be argued that the relationship the Hatter and the Red Queen have is similar to Burton and Carter's, with her being 'bossy' and demanding things constantly.
PROJECTOR: Clip from Alice In Wonderland, sequence where Mad Hatter fits the Red Queen with a selection of hats. [Item 2]
SPEAKER: William Goldman, an American novelist and filmmaker, often argues against auteur theory, and makes a point which asks why 'auteurs' are the authors of their films by stating, 'How in the world is Stephen Spielberg the "author" of that? Why is it often referred to today as "Stephen Spielberg's Jaws"?'. This is a valid point and it could be argued with Tim Burton. Why are Burton's films referenced to as 'Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland' and 'Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands'? In regards to Edward Scissorhands, Burton wasn't the only writer for the film, as he received help from Caroline Thompson [20]. So surely this makes the film Thompson's as well as Burton's?
SPEAKER (CONT.): Despite Burton also using Helena Bonham Carter in his films quite frequently, this doesn't stray from the title of auteur as this could be considered as another feature to the theory. I personally do not think that this makes Burton an ordinary director because Burton will never be ordinary due to his personality, which is always seen in his films, and despite him not using Johnny Depp in every single film he produces and giving other actors more screen time, there will always be auteur factors within the films which still give him the auteur title such as the types of characters used in his films. In regards to William Goldman's view on auteur theory, the films that Burton makes are solely his own ideas and visions. This then gives him the right for the film to be called a Tim Burton film. It adds to his auteur title even further. The types of films that were created and produced by Burton is an new style of film itself which could be called 'Burton-esque'. Films such as Henry Selick's Coraline take on this style of film to honour Burton's way of filmmaking. Henry Selick was the director for Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas therefore Selick would be familiar with Burton's style of work.
PROJECTOR: Screen shot of The Nightmare Before Christmas IMDb page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/) to highlight details of the film.
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Exam Question Response: City of God
5. Discuss some of the techniques used in your chosen films to provoke audiences into taking a particular point of view towards characters and key events.
In the film, City of God, there are certain camera techniques which do provoke the audience into taking a particular point of view towards characters. The main character that the audience may side with is Rocket, a young man who aspires to be a photographer. Rocket is not a hoodlum, like the people he grew up with such as Lil' Ze, he just wants to become a photographer and get out of the City of God. I personally took the point of view about certain situations in the film from Rocket as I thought he was always in the middle of things. You can see this by where the camera saw him. Rocket was always situated in the centre of conflict. An example of this is in the beginning/end sequence where Rocket is between Lil' Ze's gang and the police. The use of camera rotation and close up at this point shows that this has been the case since Rocket was very young, as the film goes back in time to when Rocket and the others were younger.
Rocket is very similar to a character in La Haine, which is another film I have studied. This character is Said. Throughout the film, Said is constantly seen to be in the middle of conflict which is exactly like Rocket. In La Haine you can see that Said is in the middle throughout conflict whenever Vinz and Huburt get into an argument. Said is placed in the middle of the camera shot and this shows the audience that Said is the peacemaker in the trio.
The same, however cannot be said for Rocket. Despite always being in the middle of the shot, Rocket does not actually attempt to fix the conflict which occurs throughout the film. Rocket continues to follow his dream of being a photographer. Rocket's aspirations are very similar to the hoodlum's. The hoodlum's, such as Lil' Ze just want to shoot people with guns, whereas Rocket wants to take pictures of things which could be considered shooting things too, as this is what you do with a camera.
In the film, City of God, there are certain camera techniques which do provoke the audience into taking a particular point of view towards characters. The main character that the audience may side with is Rocket, a young man who aspires to be a photographer. Rocket is not a hoodlum, like the people he grew up with such as Lil' Ze, he just wants to become a photographer and get out of the City of God. I personally took the point of view about certain situations in the film from Rocket as I thought he was always in the middle of things. You can see this by where the camera saw him. Rocket was always situated in the centre of conflict. An example of this is in the beginning/end sequence where Rocket is between Lil' Ze's gang and the police. The use of camera rotation and close up at this point shows that this has been the case since Rocket was very young, as the film goes back in time to when Rocket and the others were younger.
Rocket is very similar to a character in La Haine, which is another film I have studied. This character is Said. Throughout the film, Said is constantly seen to be in the middle of conflict which is exactly like Rocket. In La Haine you can see that Said is in the middle throughout conflict whenever Vinz and Huburt get into an argument. Said is placed in the middle of the camera shot and this shows the audience that Said is the peacemaker in the trio.
The same, however cannot be said for Rocket. Despite always being in the middle of the shot, Rocket does not actually attempt to fix the conflict which occurs throughout the film. Rocket continues to follow his dream of being a photographer. Rocket's aspirations are very similar to the hoodlum's. The hoodlum's, such as Lil' Ze just want to shoot people with guns, whereas Rocket wants to take pictures of things which could be considered shooting things too, as this is what you do with a camera.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
Exam Question Response: La Haine
How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?
La Haine is a french film about riots that occurred during the 1990s in Paris, France and the surrounding areas. These riots were about the French banlieues, which are the living areas in Paris for immigrants and non-French people. This includes people of religion such as Jewish, Islamic and even Afro-French people, which are the religions of the three people who feature in the film. The film's main text is the after effects in these places in the 24 hours after the riots took place. This has a major impact on me because this instantly makes the film a true story because as I know from my own knowledge, these riots did happen around 1995. I think La Haine depends on distinctive film techniques during the film to make it so believable and to make people realise that these events did occur almost 20 years ago.
I think that the main sequence that shows this is the sequence after the montage at the very beginning of the film. The non-diegetic music fades out and this music is not typical French music, as it is Reggae, which is typically associated with Jamaican people. The fade in music shows that, just like any other, this riot faded out and people stopped destroying stuff and fighting. A news report then starts and a French woman begins talking. We continue to see the montage as almost a POV shot as it shows the riots how you would typically see them if you were watching them on the news. The media is also a big influence in this film, and also influences a certain character in this film too. The news report states that a young person named "Abdul Ichaha is in a critical condition in hospital" after being beaten by a police officer during the riots.
This has an effect on me because I think that is disgusting behaviour, and that would never happen here in England. The media seems to influence these young men too, as they are making a 'typical American gangster pose' that would probably be seen in a modern gangster film. Halfway through this news report there is a transition that looks like a television being turned off, which gives the impression that people living in Paris would do this because they don't really care about things like riots going on in the banlieues. Then a clock stating the time 10:38 appears on the screen and this is accompanied by a ticking clock sound. This makes it clear to me that the film is about time and shows that, especially in this situation, time is very limited. There is then a straight cut to see Saïd, an Arab who lives in the French banlieues because he is an immigrant. There is a shot noise which sounds like a gun being fired as it cuts to see Saïd. This makes me realise that something is about to happen and I start to get apprehensive about what this may be. There is a slow close up on to Saïd's face, and he has his eyes closed, with no diegetic sound around him. Then once he opens his eyes the diegetic sound resumes and this represents Saïd coming back to reality and opening his eyes to what has really happened during the riots.
There is then a straight cut to see the back of Saïd and this represents that the film will be from Saïd's point of view. You can hear a helicopter overhead and this is a constant reminder that the people that live in the banlieues are always being watched and can't escape. The camera goes over Saïd's head and we see a line of police officers. This clearly shows the conflict between the authorities and the people living in the banlieues. The camera then cuts to pan across the line of officers in a wide shot. With their stances, you can see that the police have power over people. Before the pan, there are two young people who walk across the shot and they seem intimidated by the row of authorities. You can also see there is poverty around the banlieues as there is graffiti on the wall behind Saïd's close up in a previous shot. The same reggae music from the montage becomes diegetic sound in this sequence as it is being played in the background. The point of poverty and conflict becomes even more clear as the camera continues to pan around to the back of a police van, where Saïd is vandalising it. You can see conflict from this because he writes 'Fuck The Police' along with his name.
This shows a sense of identity, which is needed in the banlieues and is a common theme amongst the characters in this film.
La Haine is a french film about riots that occurred during the 1990s in Paris, France and the surrounding areas. These riots were about the French banlieues, which are the living areas in Paris for immigrants and non-French people. This includes people of religion such as Jewish, Islamic and even Afro-French people, which are the religions of the three people who feature in the film. The film's main text is the after effects in these places in the 24 hours after the riots took place. This has a major impact on me because this instantly makes the film a true story because as I know from my own knowledge, these riots did happen around 1995. I think La Haine depends on distinctive film techniques during the film to make it so believable and to make people realise that these events did occur almost 20 years ago.
I think that the main sequence that shows this is the sequence after the montage at the very beginning of the film. The non-diegetic music fades out and this music is not typical French music, as it is Reggae, which is typically associated with Jamaican people. The fade in music shows that, just like any other, this riot faded out and people stopped destroying stuff and fighting. A news report then starts and a French woman begins talking. We continue to see the montage as almost a POV shot as it shows the riots how you would typically see them if you were watching them on the news. The media is also a big influence in this film, and also influences a certain character in this film too. The news report states that a young person named "Abdul Ichaha is in a critical condition in hospital" after being beaten by a police officer during the riots.
There is then a straight cut to see the back of Saïd and this represents that the film will be from Saïd's point of view. You can hear a helicopter overhead and this is a constant reminder that the people that live in the banlieues are always being watched and can't escape. The camera goes over Saïd's head and we see a line of police officers. This clearly shows the conflict between the authorities and the people living in the banlieues. The camera then cuts to pan across the line of officers in a wide shot. With their stances, you can see that the police have power over people. Before the pan, there are two young people who walk across the shot and they seem intimidated by the row of authorities. You can also see there is poverty around the banlieues as there is graffiti on the wall behind Saïd's close up in a previous shot. The same reggae music from the montage becomes diegetic sound in this sequence as it is being played in the background. The point of poverty and conflict becomes even more clear as the camera continues to pan around to the back of a police van, where Saïd is vandalising it. You can see conflict from this because he writes 'Fuck The Police' along with his name.
I think that the film techniques used make me, as a viewer, feel different ways such as tense because of the sound effects and camera shots used.
Tuesday, 3 September 2013
Annotated Catalogue
Subject: Tim Burton
Focus of Study: Auteur/Recurring ActorResources: 3x Chosen Films
6x Books
8x Internet
3x Images
2x Interview
1x Magazine
1x Sound
Title/Question:
Can Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's screen collaborations be seen as an auteur approach?
Films:
Item 1- Edward Scissorhands (1990)
I chose this film as my feature film because this one of the first films Burton and Johnny Depp did together and it is notably the most successful of Burton's career. Edward Scissorhands (played by Depp) is about a young boy with scissors for hands who is an 'outcast character' to the neighbourhood. I am going to use this film to answer my question by showing how the title character is 'moody and dark' and represents Burton and his personality. I will also be showing how Johnny Depp has a certain acting quality that Burton likes in his films. Edward Scissorhands is certainly a suitable feature film for this question as Edward Scissorhands is Burton's own story whereas most of his other films are adaptations of past films. (Extremely Useful)
Item 2- Alice In Wonderland (2010)
Alice In Wonderland is my second film of study because it continues to support the Burton and Depp relationship theory. Alice In Wonderland is about a young girl who falls 'down the rabbit hole' and meets the Mad Hatter (played by Depp) and uncovers a make-believe land. This film again reflects Burton's personality as it is weird yet visually imaginative. I will use this film to back up the other answers to my question as it shows that despite not being the main character, Depp is still featured in the cast. I will also explore how Depp is extremely versatile and can be shaped to look very different, just like he does in this film, and if this is another reason for the recurring use of him. (Useful)
Item 3- Sweeney Todd (2007)
Sweeney Todd also stars Johnny Depp and again the character has a similar personality and also has a dark past like Burton. Depp plays the main character once again and is a successful film, just like all the others the previous ones the 'duo' have made together. Sweeney Todd is about a barber and serial killer who murders his customers with a straight razor and processes their corpses into meat pies. The film is undoubtedly dark and moody. I plan to use this film to answer my question by pointing out how Johnny Depp is comfortable playing Burton's dark characters and how this shows through the success of the film. (Useful)
Books:
Item 4- "Tim Burton Interviews - Bert Cardullo/edited by Kristian Fraga (2005)"
This book features many different interviews with Tim Burton as well as others such as Johnny Depp. In this book there are roughly five different passages that I may be able to use to answer my question and back up my other answers too. All passages are Burton being asked questions about his working style and techniques. I will use quotes from these questions and responses such as this to answer my question because they are direct quotes from Burton himself. (Very Useful)
Item 5- "Pocket Essentials Film Tim Burton - Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell (2001)"
The Pocket Essentials books are all very informative and this one about Tim Burton is no different. This book features information about Edward Scissorhands which backs up all theories I have which answer my question in regard to this film. I will also use quotes from the book to answer any questions about why Edward Scissorhands is played by Depp and if the character has any relation to Burton. (Useful)
Item 6- "Burton on Burton- Foreword by Johnny Depp, Edited by Mark Salisbury (2006)"
This book features many pages about my feature film, Edward Scissorhands, and about the ideas and making of it. This book features many original drawings of what Burton wanted Edward to look like and it then compares the original to Depp. The book also then has Burton explain the reasons for these ideas and talks about Edward's similarities to Burton. I am going to use this book to answer my question by making use of the comparisons and original ideas. (Useful)
Item 7- "Johnny
Depp-A Kind of Illusion, by Denis Meikle (2004)"
This book features many useable quotes from
Johnny Depp about his relationship with Tim Burton. I am going to use these I my
research. However I am also going to quote a certain page (page 92), which will
allow me to argue against my question as it shows that Burton was unsure about
Depp before their working relationship started. (Useful)
Item 8- "Teach Yourself Film Studies-Warren Buckland (2008)"
This book features a large and specific section on Auteur Theory, which is a main part of my study. I am going to use this to explain what the theory is and why Burton may be seen as an auteur. (Extremely Useful)
Item 9- "Adventures In The Screen Trade- William Goldman (1983)"Item 8- "Teach Yourself Film Studies-Warren Buckland (2008)"
This book features a large and specific section on Auteur Theory, which is a main part of my study. I am going to use this to explain what the theory is and why Burton may be seen as an auteur. (Extremely Useful)
This book features a counter-arguement to the Auteur Theory by Goldman, which I am going to use to argue against my answer as it is something that I have not yet considered to talk about in my presentation. (Useful)
Internet:
Item 10- "http://movies.about.com/od/thecorpsebride/a/corpse091405.htm"
This is an interview with Johnny Depp. In this he talks about Tim Burton and their relationship, especially when working together. I am going to use quotes from this item to answer Johnny Depp's perspective on the duo's relationship and how the process occurs. I will also use this interview to further my other answers to the question such as whether Johnny Depp is a reflection on Tim Burton. (Useful)
Item 11- "http://h2g2.com/approved_entry/A22928772"
This is a definition of Auteur Theory, which is part of the subject matter for my project. I am exploring this theory and researching whether Tim Burton can be classed as an auteur. This website also uses Burton as a case study which I am going to use quotes from as it answers and summarises my question answer. (Extremely Useful)
Item 12- "http://www.starpulse.com/news/Stephanie_Nolasco/2010/05/24/qa_with_alice_in_wonderlands_tim_burto"
This is an online interview with Tim Burton where he is being asked questions about his film Alice In Wonderland (which is my third chosen film). The interviewer asks Burton two questions about Johnny Depp and he gives a positive answer however doesn't really go into depth about his answer whereas in other interviews he has. I am going to use this piece by using quotes from Burton's answer, however I am also going to use this item to argue against my own question. (Useful)
Item 13- "http://www.totalfilm.com/features/interview-with-tim-burton"
This is an interview with Burton, in which he is asked about Johnny Depp and answers with a possible reason as to why he used him in Edward Scissorhands. However this interview also features a question about Helena Bonham Carter, another actress who Burton often uses in his films. This interview will be similar to Item 12 and it will be used to answer, as well as debate against my question. (Useful)
Item 14- "http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/film/features/20767-qaa-johnny-depp-a-tim-burton"
This is an question and answer session with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. The pair are asked questions about their relationship and they both give in-depth answers. I am going to use this item by quoting some of the relevant responses to answer my question and influence my research. This makes the item useful. (Useful)
Item 15- "http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1632397/johnny-depp-tim-burton-talk-about-their-long-history.jhtml"
This is another interview with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, where they are both asked questions about their film, Alice In Wonderland. Burton is asked why Depp is always used in his films and he replies with an answer which states that he only casts Depp if he knows that he'll be able to play the character in question. I am going to quote this to answer my question, however I am also going to use a quote from the article which talks about Depp's amount of screen time which isn't a huge amount. This quote will be used to argue against my question.
Item 16- "http://letterboxd.com/adrian/list/best-buds-johnny-depp-tim-burton/"
This is a summary of Burton and Depp's films, which includes the year it was made. Once you click on the film poster, the link shows you a small plot analysis which tells you what the film's story is, as well as showing people's reviews and thoughts about the film, many of which mention Burton and Depp's pairing. I am going to quote some of the (relevant) comments about the film as this will back up some of my previous answers. (Useful)
Item 17- "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092312/"
This is the IMBd page for 21 Jump Street, the television series which stared Johnny Depp before he met Tim Burton and was cast in Edward Scissorhands. This is to be used in my presentation when I talk about before Johnny met Burton. (Useful)
Item 18- "http://www.totalfilm.com/features/50-greatest-tim-burton-characters/edward-scissorhands-edward-scissorhands-1990"
This is a ranking of Tim Burton's best characters, where Edward Scissorhands ranks as number 1. There is an explanation below the image of the character where it is stated how similar Edward is to Burton. I am going to quote this part of the site in my presentation as this helps influence my answer. (Useful)
Item 19- "http://timburton.wikia.com/wiki/Vincent_Price"
This is a Tim Burton 'wiki' page on Vincent Price. This features a small piece of text that states what Tim Burton and Price have worked together in, which I am going to use in my answer. (Useful)
Item 20- "http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099487/"
This is the IMDb page for Edward Scissorhands which features information about the film. I will use this information in my presentation.
Interview:
Item 21- "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4ClVG10TYg"
This is an interview with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, which took place Arsenio's Hall in 1990. This was the year that Edward Scissorhands (my feature film) was produced and released in cinemas. In this interview the duo get asked about things such as; where the idea for the film came from, what Edward's personality is like and they also talk about how successful the film was and would be in the future. I am going to use quotes from this interview to answer my question as they get asked them during the interview. (Useful)
Item 22- "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clu6s7DfJnA"
This is an interview where Jonathan Ross talks to Johnny Depp and Burton about 21 Jump Street in a interview with him and Burton. This is going to be shown as Johnny talks about going from being in 21 Jump Street to in Edward Scissorhands.
Images:
Item 23- "http://artoftimburton.tumblr.com/image/28865702677"
This is an drawing of Edward Scissorhands, which Tim Burton drew as a teenager. I am going to use this image as a visual aid and explain my views on how I think this drawing looks like Johnny Depp, even though the pair didn't know each other until 1990. (Useful)
Item 24- "http://herocomplex.latimes.com/books/tim-burton-opens-up-about-his-weird-mental-process/"
This is a photograph of Tim Burton. This is going to be used as a visual aid for my audience so they can see what Burton looks like and if they are unfamiliar with his appearance, this will help.
Item 25- "http://www.johnnydeppfan.com/portraits/p318.jpg"
This is an image of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton which will be used as a visual aid during my presentation.
Item 26- "http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2011/05/memories-of-vincent-price-for-his-centennial-celebration/"
This is a image of Vincent Price, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp on the set of Edward Scissorhands. This will be used as a visual aid in my presentation.
Magazines:
Item 27- "http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/deppandburton0108"
This is a magazine article which includes an interview with both Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. I am going to use the start of the interview in which Burton gives an answer to my question from his own personal perspective. I am going to quote this as this will support the rest of my answer. (Useful)
Sound:
Item 28- "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NogOtenplCM"
This is the theme song for Tim Burton's film Edward Scissorhands. This will be played at the very start of my presentation.
Newspaper:
Item 29- "http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/tim-burton-helena-bonham-carter-2349458"
This is an online newspaper article about Burton and Helena Bonham Carter, which states at the end how long the couple have been in a relationship. This is going to be used while arguing against my answer. (Useful)
Rejected Items
Book "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (Updated Edition)- Preface by Jason Solomons, General Editor - Steven Jay Schneider."
This book basically told me what happened in the film and didn't really offer any new information which would answer my question. There was only one page, in which it stated what happened in the film, of which I already knew, therefore I will not be using this in my research.
Internet "http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/great-directors/burton/"
This is an article about Tim Burton and his work over the years. Featured in this article is an analysis of Burton's film, Edward Scissorhands. However, despite Edward Scissorhands being my feature film, I am not going to use this item because the text features no relevance to my question in which I could use to answer it.
Interview "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl6ymkucHAs"
This is an interview with Tim Burton, here he talks about his most recent film, Frankenweenie. In this interview, Burton talks about his film as well as his love of stop motion, however this is no use to me as none of my chosen films are stop motions, such as Corpse Bride. Burton doesn't mention Johnny Depp as he doesn't feature in the cast of this film, therefore this item is invalid to my research and I won't be using it.
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