There are two pieces of music which I will use during my edit to compliment what is happening on the screen, making it dynamic and interesting to watch, and to help drive the narrative.
This is the piece "Nocturne" by Chopin. I chose this piece as it begins softly, and has a melancholy feel as well as a sense of good things to come. It is light hearted, and so adds to the humour of the piece.
To be used during sequences to show the characters' boredom in his own life - at work, home life etc.
This next piece is "Winter" by Vivaldi. It begins slowly and yet feels tense, and the builds more dramatically. I will use this piece for when Clive dreams that his wife cheats on him, leading to her murder.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Lev Kuleshov
When evaluating my edit, I took into account what I learned about Lev Kuleshov and his experiment regarding the order of shots and the effects they can have. For example, relationships between characters and the appearance of those characters to the audience can be manipulated according to how they are editing. This is an example:
Evaluation - Draft
I have decided to enter my 'Come Die with Clive' edit as my final piece. I believe that as an edit this is my best piece of work, as I have developed it from an original idea and therefore it is completely my vision.
When I began the edit, I took into consideration the themes which I wanted to portray. I wished to create a darkly humorous piece which would shock the audience as well as make them laugh. I wanted to create a bored, droning atmosphere for the character of Clive to exist in to represent his state of mind, and also an air of tension between him and his young wife.
I also wanted the piece to be character driven, by our main character, Clive. The genre of the film is drama, however this piece does not conform to the typical drama genre because it does not follow a 'hero' as the protagonist - it follows the villain. I wanted to raise an awareness in the audience that this character should not be liked as he is, in fact, a murderer, but by making the audience laugh at the character this makes the audience want to like him. Therefore, it creates an air of tension and confusion for the audience - as they are confused about how to feel about the main character.
I began the edit by emphasizing the lifestyle which Clive leads. I felt it was important to make his home life as dull and boring as possible, to give a sense of reason behind him killing his wife (as much reason as can be had for murder). I chose to begin the film with a Birds-eye-View shot of Clive, lying in bed, staring into space. This instantly suggests sadness and boredom as he clearly cannot sleep. The shot, as it is head on of the character, also suggests that the story is going to be told through his eyes.
I followed this with a petty argument between Clive and his wife, to introduce their relationship. As I wanted their relationship to be tense, this worked perfectly as it showed them arguing with each other from the moment they wake up. I used close-up's of Clive to emphasize his irritation.
This was the beginning of establishing the relationships between the characters. There are two main relationships in the narrative - the relationship between Clive and his wife, and the relationship that Clive has with himself. As for the majority of the film Clive is alone in his own world, I felt it was important to establish how he acts during this time. I therefore used a variety of sequences, beginning with Clive getting on the bus to work, to establish his bored state of mind. By extending these sequences I feel that it created the feeling of repetitiveness that is important of the character - for example, Clive being bored in the office, his resentment when returning home, and his escape into his music when he leaves the house.
The music that I chose for the piece was an integral part. It served many purposes. Firstly, I wanted to give the audience an idea that Clive is quite an eccentric character - which is why I chose to have him listen to classical music. This seems odd when first heard, as he is such a young man. Secondly, the music adds not only drama to intense scenes, but humour in particular circumstances - for eample, when Clive is in the office, therefore reinforcing the idea of a darkly humorous film.
When I began the edit, I took into consideration the themes which I wanted to portray. I wished to create a darkly humorous piece which would shock the audience as well as make them laugh. I wanted to create a bored, droning atmosphere for the character of Clive to exist in to represent his state of mind, and also an air of tension between him and his young wife.
I also wanted the piece to be character driven, by our main character, Clive. The genre of the film is drama, however this piece does not conform to the typical drama genre because it does not follow a 'hero' as the protagonist - it follows the villain. I wanted to raise an awareness in the audience that this character should not be liked as he is, in fact, a murderer, but by making the audience laugh at the character this makes the audience want to like him. Therefore, it creates an air of tension and confusion for the audience - as they are confused about how to feel about the main character.
I began the edit by emphasizing the lifestyle which Clive leads. I felt it was important to make his home life as dull and boring as possible, to give a sense of reason behind him killing his wife (as much reason as can be had for murder). I chose to begin the film with a Birds-eye-View shot of Clive, lying in bed, staring into space. This instantly suggests sadness and boredom as he clearly cannot sleep. The shot, as it is head on of the character, also suggests that the story is going to be told through his eyes.
I followed this with a petty argument between Clive and his wife, to introduce their relationship. As I wanted their relationship to be tense, this worked perfectly as it showed them arguing with each other from the moment they wake up. I used close-up's of Clive to emphasize his irritation.
This was the beginning of establishing the relationships between the characters. There are two main relationships in the narrative - the relationship between Clive and his wife, and the relationship that Clive has with himself. As for the majority of the film Clive is alone in his own world, I felt it was important to establish how he acts during this time. I therefore used a variety of sequences, beginning with Clive getting on the bus to work, to establish his bored state of mind. By extending these sequences I feel that it created the feeling of repetitiveness that is important of the character - for example, Clive being bored in the office, his resentment when returning home, and his escape into his music when he leaves the house.
The music that I chose for the piece was an integral part. It served many purposes. Firstly, I wanted to give the audience an idea that Clive is quite an eccentric character - which is why I chose to have him listen to classical music. This seems odd when first heard, as he is such a young man. Secondly, the music adds not only drama to intense scenes, but humour in particular circumstances - for eample, when Clive is in the office, therefore reinforcing the idea of a darkly humorous film.
Mark in Time - Presentation
What is the narrative?
Narrative follows main 3 characters:
- Richard Newman
Takes pictures of people, ‘collects’ them. “I’ve always been an observer”
- John Dockerty
Wants to be an entertainer, likes people who are different.
- Woman (unnamed) who was an actress.
From Birmingham, unhappy with where she moved to. “I’m fed up with all these old people!”
2
Key Elements
- The key elements are the events that take place in the main characters parts of the documentary.
- Follows them in their everyday lives
- Focuses on the characters – the narrative is driven by what they do – makes it unpredictable (not staged).
3
Key Relationships
- The key relationships lie between the characters as individuals and the camera, but more importantly the audience.
- Because the characters address the camera directly, they are therefore sharing their experiences with the audience, making the documentary feel much more personal.
4
What works/ doesn’t work?
- The main focus on the three characters. It switches back and forth between them, therefore it does not become boring (as we are not seeing one character for a long length of time).
- However, there is less focus on the woman’s character, and the film therefore does not feel balanced between the three main characters.
- The voice-over tells the audience straight away what it is going to be about. It sets up the story and sets the tone for the rest of the documentary.
- There were several scenes which seemed random and were not fully explained – i.e. The woman researching her family tree at the beginning is never seen again. As is the man out side the ‘Mermaid Inn’ – their appearances are never explained and therefore not only seem irrelevant, but disruptive if the narrative.
- The music works as a transition between the scenes – when a scene is changing to another character, piano music plays, separating the two scenes.
- This is also done with individual shots – for example, while the music plays, shots of the countryside are often used as part of the transition.
- There are also random images flashed onto the screen when the characters are speaking – I did not feel that this worked as there did not seem to be reason behind them, and this was not explained. In the context of documentary as a genre, I did not feel it was appropriate.
5
Character Themes
Being An Entertainer
- The key themes seem to be about ‘wanting to be an entertainer’ in when it comes to two of the main characters, but not to the other. He is more focused on capturing images as a hobby
- Though this is creative, it does not tie in with the other two characters. Perhaps it would have been better to include another character instead of him who also longed to be an entertainer?
Eccentricity
- Each of the characters is entertaining to watch because of their personalities – they are unpredictable and amusing, as well as interesting to hear about.
A Feeling of ‘Not Achieving’
- Each character shares a sense of underachieving, which ties them together.
- For example, Richard Newman says later in the documentary “Some people are successful early, some later” – he does not feel that he has done as much with his life as he would have liked to.
- John Dockerty also says “I don’t think I’ve achieved” – hence his desire to be recognised as an entertainer
- The actress discusses how she “used to go out” and “had fun with friends”, but since moving feels that she lives in a “grave diggers’ wedding”. She longs for what has already passed
They all want to leave their mark, be recognised.
6
How would I change it?
- Black. Piano music begins, fade into shots of fields.
- Narration begins – introducing characters.
- Shot of Richard Newman in red light, developing pictures. “I’ve always been an observer”
- Shot of actress, putting on make-up. “I’ve always been an entertainer....theatre is in my blood.”
- Shot of John Dockerty playing the keyboard. “I want to become an entertainer”
3. Cut to Richard Newman, back to developing pictures. Music has ended. Then cut to him showing the camera pictures. Quote “Time flies...”
[Ref. To old people connects to next scene.]
4. Cut to actress on beach, explaining how she got there. “I’m fed up of all these old people!” Putting on make-up, talking about how she has “always been an entertainer....theatre is in my blood.”
[Being an entertainer connects to next scene.]
- Cut to John Dockerty. Playing the keyboard/singing. “I’ve always wanted to be an entertainer......I like people who are different.”
[Piano music an transition to first character starts again.]
7
- 6. Cut back to Richard Newman, now in car. Discusses being “technophobic”
[Not as necessary to link the scenes together here, as the characters’ similarities has already been established.]
7. Cut to actress, now dancing on stage. Scene dancing alone, singing
8. Cut to John Dockerty, station chippy. Discussing being on song and dance shows
[Transition of random shots, images, over piano music.]
9.Richard Newman in market, taking pictures of the elderly.
10. Cut to actress, make-up mirror. Getting dressed
11. Cut to John Dockerty, in hotel
[Piano music begins, voice-overs indicate the documentary is coming to an end.]
12. Richard Newman, voice over clips of him showing pictures, taking pictures in market, in red room etc. “I’ve always been an observer....I’ve always been a people person.....Some people are successful early in life, some later....”
13. Actress, voice over clips of her in front of mirror, dancing, singing, on beach. “It’s like a grave diggers’ wedding....I’m sick of all these old people...Theatre is in my blood....I didn’t make the most of opportunities...”
14. John Dockerty, voice over clips of him playing the keyboard, singing, in the chippy, in the hotel. “I like people who are different....I have a normal life....I want to become an entertainer....I don’t think I’ve achieved....”
15. [Piano music continues, over shots of fields. Ending on characters discussing how they do not feel they have achieved, wraps up meaning of documentary.Fade out.]
8
Summary
- I would give the documentary linearity – for example, keeping the order of character appearances the same.
- The time given to each character will be equal.
- To maintain the audiences interest, every time the scene changes back to a character, they will be in a different scenario.
- Left out unnecessary scenes - characters who are never mentioned again, John Dockerty discussing his childhood, also in garden. Did not contribute to overall film, and would have made his section of the film longer, therefore making the characters unbalanced.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Notes on Musicality
A Bout de Souffle
How has sound been thought about?
During the era of the French New Wave, filmmakers like Godard and Truffaut wanted to escape the boundaries that held down mainstream films. The point of their films was that they did not have to conform to the specific filmic laws that Hollywood had created for them. They therefore valued script and camera over everything else.
For example, during the opening sequence of the film, the main character is shown reading a newspaper. The next shot is a CU of a woman's face. This disregard for the 180 degree rule made it disorientating for the audience, and it was not apparent until a few frames later that the woman was in fact gesturing to the main character. This was the first time audience's experienced cinema that was not the norm.
The sound in the film A Bout de Souffle reflects this. During the opening section, when the main character is being introduced, soft jazz music plays. This reflects his character.
At the end of this sequence, a dissolve is used to show the scene transition, with light hearted music. From here, the music changes every few minutes, changing in relation to the speed of the clips used, and the action on screen. The music is driven by the action, rather than the music being used to give a greater dramatic effect.Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Final Edit
When deciding which edit to use as my final edit, I have taken a few factors into consideration.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT
Whilst I enjoyed this edit, I do not feel it was my strongest. I found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it did not necessarily have to follow a linear narrative, so i was slow at first to decide how I would structure the edit. However, once I understood that I could interpret the piece in my own way, I began to develop the piece to what I believe was very effective. However, I do believe that I am better at constructing edits with a clear narrative, for example from a drama genre.
RELATIVITY
This piece I found easier to structure than the former. I also found it more interesting as whilst editing it I discovered that I could change the relationships between the characters and how the audience perceives them according to which shots I choose to put where. However, I had some trouble with this footage in relation to sound, which is not my strongest subject, and so I felt it best to use another piece to submit for my final edit.
VITAL SIGNS
Vital Signs was a 2 minute piece which I created for my drama module. It followed the story of a doctor is unhappy with his career, and also has family issues with his brother. One day, the character has an argument with his brother, before discovering that he has died in a car crash. He then discovers that his brother, contrary to what he thought, was in fact attending college to make a better life for himself. This results in the character being inspired to do something different with his life.
Although the piece was well received by my tutor and peers, I felt that there was more that I could have done with the piece to make it make more sense had I had more time to do so. I enjoyed editing it as I could follow the linear narrative from start to finish, which is my preferred style of editing, but I do not feel that it would work well enough to be submitter for my final edit.
COME DIE WITH CLIVE (working title)
This is the piece that I am working on for my 10 minute drama production. I feel very involved with this piece as I have written the script for it and am the editor. I have been with the project from the beginning so I feel very confident with my knowledge of the characters, which I find is very important when editing in order to convey the correct message to the audience.
I am therefore hoping to take a section from the film to submit as my final edit. I feel the most confident with it and can document my progress as it develops.
JOURNEY THROUGH THE NIGHT
Whilst I enjoyed this edit, I do not feel it was my strongest. I found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it did not necessarily have to follow a linear narrative, so i was slow at first to decide how I would structure the edit. However, once I understood that I could interpret the piece in my own way, I began to develop the piece to what I believe was very effective. However, I do believe that I am better at constructing edits with a clear narrative, for example from a drama genre.
RELATIVITY
This piece I found easier to structure than the former. I also found it more interesting as whilst editing it I discovered that I could change the relationships between the characters and how the audience perceives them according to which shots I choose to put where. However, I had some trouble with this footage in relation to sound, which is not my strongest subject, and so I felt it best to use another piece to submit for my final edit.
VITAL SIGNS
Vital Signs was a 2 minute piece which I created for my drama module. It followed the story of a doctor is unhappy with his career, and also has family issues with his brother. One day, the character has an argument with his brother, before discovering that he has died in a car crash. He then discovers that his brother, contrary to what he thought, was in fact attending college to make a better life for himself. This results in the character being inspired to do something different with his life.
Although the piece was well received by my tutor and peers, I felt that there was more that I could have done with the piece to make it make more sense had I had more time to do so. I enjoyed editing it as I could follow the linear narrative from start to finish, which is my preferred style of editing, but I do not feel that it would work well enough to be submitter for my final edit.
COME DIE WITH CLIVE (working title)
This is the piece that I am working on for my 10 minute drama production. I feel very involved with this piece as I have written the script for it and am the editor. I have been with the project from the beginning so I feel very confident with my knowledge of the characters, which I find is very important when editing in order to convey the correct message to the audience.
I am therefore hoping to take a section from the film to submit as my final edit. I feel the most confident with it and can document my progress as it develops.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Relativity
How you have approached the edit
When I began the edit of Relativity, I quickly began to enjoy it because it was so different from editing Journey Through the Night. The latter was much more open to interpretation with how is can be presented as the narrative is not as hard-set.
For example, when I began the edit of Relativity I recognised that the genre was drama. Since I am also taking Drama as a module, I recognised the key themes which needed to be applied to the piece to make it make sense to the audience. This included the linearity of the piece, as well as rules which must be applied to the order of shots in order for them to appear smooth-running. (I also took this theory from my editing presentation on Pudovkin - i.e. how putting together different shots can determine audience perception).
So, I therefore began by considering the genre. I wanted to make the edit as smooth-running as possible, to give the all-important impression to the audience that what they are watching is reality. For example, in the first shot, the woman walks past the man in the kitchen, and he grabs her arm. The next shot is in the same instant but from his POV. I therefore made sure that I timed the two shots accordingly so that they ran from one onto the other, rather than the two shots overlapping and having the same action happen twice.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I felt that the relationships between the characters was what was driving the piece forward, so I decided to develop these as far as I could. I also realised that depending on how I edited the piece, I could change the feelings and motivation of the characters (again in reference to my Pudovkin presentation). So, once I had decided how I wanted my characters to feel about each other, I could begin choosing which shots to put where.
For example, the script suggests that the character of the mother would rather spend time with her daughter and feels guilty about giving in to her lover's demands. However, I manipulated the shots to tell a different story. I decided that Cielle, the child, should be the main focus of the piece, as her longing for her mothers attention seemed much more effective when the mother would rather be with her lover. I therefore took the shots and moved them around in a way which shows Cielle's despair when her mother leaves her to be with her lover.
For example, in many of the other edits I saw, when the man approaches the mother, she looks reluctant to go to him. I therefore changed this so that when he approached, using a different shot, she looked happy.
How you’ve built tension
I felt that a sense of tension should be in two places - firstly, between Cielle and the man. Secondly, between Cielle and her mother. This was achieved by having the man tell her to 'make up her mind' at the beginning when she is choosing her cereal. I also showed a lot of shots of Cielle's reaction to when he approaches her mother - looks of remorse, etc.
The sense of tension between Cielle and her mother was achieved by the way that her attitude towards her mother changes. In the beginning, she and her mother talk and laugh. When the man approaches, she looks remorseful and sad that her mother has left her. This I felt incresed the audience's empathy for Cielle and made her situation seem even more sad.
What are the key moments
The key moments in the piece lie with the reactions of Cielle. She drives the narrative, I wanted the story to be effectively told through her eyes. Therefore, the key moments are her reactions to when the man enters to ask her mother to the bedroom - it lets the audience know of her feelings towards him and her despair that her mother would choose him over her. Also, similarly, earlier when he yells at her about her cereal - she and her mother share a look which suggests that Cielle dislikes him.
How it differs from the script
I feel that my edit differs from the script as I chose to have the story told through Cielle's eyes - but I changed the relationship between the mother and her lover. In the original script, it is suggested that the mother feels guilty for leavng Cielle, and that she doesn't really want to - but in my edit, I changed this so that she wants to go with her lover and leave her child. I believe that this makes Cielle's character seem more sad and changes the audience's attitude towards her mother and lover - therefore we empathise with Cielle more.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound was not an element that I chose to focus on especially for this piece. In Journey Through the Night, sound could be used to create tension. However, this did not seem relevant in this edit, as the narrative is drama. I therefore chose to just keep the dialogue and ambient sound, reinforcing the idea of the story as reality.
How it changed over time
When I started the edit, I did not originally plan to have the relationship between the mother and Cielle so different. However, I think it looks more effective overall as I really wanted the audience to empathise with Cielle. Looking back, I now feel that to make it better I could have used more shots through her eyes to reinforce this. I also could have made the character of the man more absent, to make his intrusion seem even more annoying.
When I began the edit of Relativity, I quickly began to enjoy it because it was so different from editing Journey Through the Night. The latter was much more open to interpretation with how is can be presented as the narrative is not as hard-set.
For example, when I began the edit of Relativity I recognised that the genre was drama. Since I am also taking Drama as a module, I recognised the key themes which needed to be applied to the piece to make it make sense to the audience. This included the linearity of the piece, as well as rules which must be applied to the order of shots in order for them to appear smooth-running. (I also took this theory from my editing presentation on Pudovkin - i.e. how putting together different shots can determine audience perception).
So, I therefore began by considering the genre. I wanted to make the edit as smooth-running as possible, to give the all-important impression to the audience that what they are watching is reality. For example, in the first shot, the woman walks past the man in the kitchen, and he grabs her arm. The next shot is in the same instant but from his POV. I therefore made sure that I timed the two shots accordingly so that they ran from one onto the other, rather than the two shots overlapping and having the same action happen twice.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I felt that the relationships between the characters was what was driving the piece forward, so I decided to develop these as far as I could. I also realised that depending on how I edited the piece, I could change the feelings and motivation of the characters (again in reference to my Pudovkin presentation). So, once I had decided how I wanted my characters to feel about each other, I could begin choosing which shots to put where.
For example, the script suggests that the character of the mother would rather spend time with her daughter and feels guilty about giving in to her lover's demands. However, I manipulated the shots to tell a different story. I decided that Cielle, the child, should be the main focus of the piece, as her longing for her mothers attention seemed much more effective when the mother would rather be with her lover. I therefore took the shots and moved them around in a way which shows Cielle's despair when her mother leaves her to be with her lover.
For example, in many of the other edits I saw, when the man approaches the mother, she looks reluctant to go to him. I therefore changed this so that when he approached, using a different shot, she looked happy.
How you’ve built tension
I felt that a sense of tension should be in two places - firstly, between Cielle and the man. Secondly, between Cielle and her mother. This was achieved by having the man tell her to 'make up her mind' at the beginning when she is choosing her cereal. I also showed a lot of shots of Cielle's reaction to when he approaches her mother - looks of remorse, etc.
The sense of tension between Cielle and her mother was achieved by the way that her attitude towards her mother changes. In the beginning, she and her mother talk and laugh. When the man approaches, she looks remorseful and sad that her mother has left her. This I felt incresed the audience's empathy for Cielle and made her situation seem even more sad.
What are the key moments
The key moments in the piece lie with the reactions of Cielle. She drives the narrative, I wanted the story to be effectively told through her eyes. Therefore, the key moments are her reactions to when the man enters to ask her mother to the bedroom - it lets the audience know of her feelings towards him and her despair that her mother would choose him over her. Also, similarly, earlier when he yells at her about her cereal - she and her mother share a look which suggests that Cielle dislikes him.
How it differs from the script
I feel that my edit differs from the script as I chose to have the story told through Cielle's eyes - but I changed the relationship between the mother and her lover. In the original script, it is suggested that the mother feels guilty for leavng Cielle, and that she doesn't really want to - but in my edit, I changed this so that she wants to go with her lover and leave her child. I believe that this makes Cielle's character seem more sad and changes the audience's attitude towards her mother and lover - therefore we empathise with Cielle more.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound was not an element that I chose to focus on especially for this piece. In Journey Through the Night, sound could be used to create tension. However, this did not seem relevant in this edit, as the narrative is drama. I therefore chose to just keep the dialogue and ambient sound, reinforcing the idea of the story as reality.
How it changed over time
When I started the edit, I did not originally plan to have the relationship between the mother and Cielle so different. However, I think it looks more effective overall as I really wanted the audience to empathise with Cielle. Looking back, I now feel that to make it better I could have used more shots through her eyes to reinforce this. I also could have made the character of the man more absent, to make his intrusion seem even more annoying.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Once
I thought that Once was a very beautiful film which captured the essence of a true love story and made it very believable for the audience.
The story opens with a talented busker on the streets of Dublin. He is barely noticed despite his talent, except for a young boy who tries to rob him of his earnings. I thought that this introduction to the film was very powerful as it set up the world in which these real characters live. Life is hard for them and following their dreams is not easy - I believe that the film portrays this very successfully as the setting and events are very realistic.
This is also apparent of the characters themselves. Neither are particularly successful or beautiful as we are used to seeing as an audience. Instead, talent has been valued over this. They discover each others talent and this makes for a relationship much more beautiful than anything that a 'typical' film could falsely produce. What makes their relationship so believable is the way in which they come to know each other - it does not seem false or set up.
I also enjoyed considering the film as a different kind of musical. Although it is not apparent that it is indeed a musical unless the viewer is told, I felt as a viewer that it helped the characters express their emotions in a way which was more obvious to the audience. Because of the characters' circumstances, they cannot tell each other how they feel and so expressing their emotions through the musical numbers is an effective way to relay this to the viewer.
Let The Right One In
Let the Right One
In was one of the most haunting films I have ever watched.The narrative itself I found very uncomfortable to watch - particularly the relationship between the lead character and his school friends. As the boy was portrayed as potentially quite emotionally disturbed, this made it more harrowing to watch as his school friends taunted him. It set up the idea that perhaps the boy would react violently due to his unstable state of mind.
His relationship with the girl, however, is also uncomfortable although I was not entirely sure why. The girl seemed to act much older than she is which made her intentions with the boy confusing. It was unclear to me whether she really just wanted his friendship, or something more.
When it was revealed that the girl is in fact a vampire, it gave
the all the characters a real sense of depth. It was now apparent the the girl must be deeply lonely in her vampire life, and that she genuinely does want a friend. But this is mirrored in the fact that she is a killer - does this affect the audiences empathy for her? Do we feel more sorry for her because she is a little girl?
Monday, 1 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Hunger
I found Hu
nger to be a very harrowing film to watch. I thought that the film was very powerful, and successfully conveyed the real life struggles that people go through for justice, which more than often go completely unrecognised.
The story followed a man who under any circumstances refused to back down because he believed so strongly about his cause. The film showed his slow deterioration, which was very disturbing to watch as a viewer. As the man became weaker, and endured horrific injuries to his body and mind, and still he would not back down.
This idea was mirrored in the film by the use of the camera. The most interesting point of which, and probably what the film is best known for, is the use of the 15 minute shot in the middle of the film. This not only showed a fantastic performance by the actors, but also portrayed the characters state of mind and helped the viewer understand endurance. The shot is so long that it creates tension, and emphasises the struggle that this man has every day with the passage of time. The shot makes every moment in the film seem longer, makign it easier for the audience to empathise with the horrors that the character has faced.
The power of the film also comes from the directors choice of showing exactly what happens to the body and mind if it is starved of food for any length of time. This is edited togeth
er with shots of the man being presented with food, which to watch as an audience is incredibly frustrating as we are used to the hero of our story surviving - we instinctivley want our hero to pull through and have a happy ending. However, this film was made to document and represent real events and therefore we do not get our happy resolution - emphasising the power of the message of the film.
nger to be a very harrowing film to watch. I thought that the film was very powerful, and successfully conveyed the real life struggles that people go through for justice, which more than often go completely unrecognised.The story followed a man who under any circumstances refused to back down because he believed so strongly about his cause. The film showed his slow deterioration, which was very disturbing to watch as a viewer. As the man became weaker, and endured horrific injuries to his body and mind, and still he would not back down.
This idea was mirrored in the film by the use of the camera. The most interesting point of which, and probably what the film is best known for, is the use of the 15 minute shot in the middle of the film. This not only showed a fantastic performance by the actors, but also portrayed the characters state of mind and helped the viewer understand endurance. The shot is so long that it creates tension, and emphasises the struggle that this man has every day with the passage of time. The shot makes every moment in the film seem longer, makign it easier for the audience to empathise with the horrors that the character has faced.
The power of the film also comes from the directors choice of showing exactly what happens to the body and mind if it is starved of food for any length of time. This is edited togeth
er with shots of the man being presented with food, which to watch as an audience is incredibly frustrating as we are used to the hero of our story surviving - we instinctivley want our hero to pull through and have a happy ending. However, this film was made to document and represent real events and therefore we do not get our happy resolution - emphasising the power of the message of the film.
Pudovkin - Constructive Editing and Heightened Realism
- Wanted to break the boundaries of 'classical' editing
- Based on the idea that a director does not adapt reality, but uses it for the creation of a new reality. For example, the scenes are not comprised of real men, props and landscapes, but of their images. The dirextor then takes this to create his own 'filmic' space
- "Just as the poet takes uses words to create a new perception of reality, the film director uses shots as his material"
- Wanted not only to tell stories but to interpret and draw intellectual conclusions from them
- Developed 'contructive editing' - for example to show a man falling from a tall building, the first shot would be shown from the window into the net, but the net would not be visible to the screen. It is then shot falling from a slight height to the ground. When put together, it creates the illusion of a man falling from a tall building.
- Found that small details of the scene, if shot all in one shot, would not be noticed by the audience, and these therefore have to be shown seperately - for example 'sinking in the mud' and 'the piercing wind'
- Each shot must make a new and specific point
- Found that by suitable juxtaposition, shots could be given meanings which they had previously not posessed - for example if there was a shot of a man smiling and then a shot of a revolver, followed by the man looking terrified, the man would suggest that he is cowardly. But, if they were reversed, the outcome would be opposite and he would be seen as heroic. Different emotional effect can be achieved according to the order.
- In another experiment, he took an actor and shot him with a neutral expression. They then put the shot next to a can of soup, then to a dead woman, then to a littel girl playing with a toy. In each the audiences raved about his acting skills, about how sad he was about the woman or lovingly looking at the child - but the face was the same for each one, thus proving the emotional control of editing.
- Concentrated as a director on the emotions of the people in his films
- Everything makes sense one clip after another - link by link, brick by brick.
Presentation - Night Journey
How you have approached the edit
When approaching the edit, I took into consideration the genre of the rushes that I was given and the nature of the script, in order to create an atmosphere which I believed to be suitable for the piece.
The main aspect which I wanted to convey was that of the tension between the characters. As the script seems to be psychological thriller in nature, it seemed the most appropriate. I wanted to set up an atmosphere that is tense and secluded, and one which seems to be isolated, so that the audience would empathise with the man with the cannibal.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I began by have the two characters appear together, opposite each other on the chairs of the train. This gives the impression that they are in a situation from which neither of them can escape. This is firstly due to the way in which they appear - it subtly suggests that this is where the characters are supposed to be and that they cannot change that of their own free will (because of the editing and the camera positioning them there rather rather than them walking there themselves). This is also emphasised by he fact that the audience cannot see a door - therefore no means of escape is visible.
As the scene progresses, I chose to use a lot of close up shots of the characters watching each other. I wanted to make it clear that the cannibal is in control and so I used shots of the cannibal looking amused, and reverse shots of the man looking scared and on edge. I also put in small gestures from the man to suggest fear, such as him nervously clutching the newspaper.
How you’ve built tension
I have built tension through the relationship between the characters themselves. As I wanted to maintain that the cannibal was in control, I used longer shots to establish this. I also used close up shots to show the emotion in his face and reversed this with the terror in the face of the narrator.
I also considered the timing of the character movement in relation to the narration. For example, when the cannibal sounds particularly threatening, I used a clip where his face is stern and he is leaning forward, making him look more menacing.
I also considered to shots between the characters. By using close ups and tight framing, I believe that I highlighted the emotions between them and therefore the tension for the audience.
What are the key moments
The first key moment is when I chose to use a black screen during a piece of narration "That's right. That's how it is." This reinforces the idea of no escape. The sentence itself suggests no escape, a situation which cannot be changed (that's how it is) and the black screen gives the impression that there will be a sudden end.
The second key moment is when the narrator begins to question the motives of the cannibal. I used clips here that make the cannibal look particularly menacing and amused, whereas the narrator looks confused as he begins to question what he is thinking. This gives the audience the clue that there is tension between the characters.
Thirdly, when the narrator struggles to stay awake. It is here that I wanted to make the audience feel helpless as he cannot stay awake and aware. I coupled it with the narration of the cannibal saying that he will "do what he wants with him", increasing the sense of fear and helplessness and again reinforcing the idea of no escape.
The final key point comes at the end, which I believe works quite strongly. I chose to also black out the end of the narration when the cannibal is telling the narrator that it doesn't matter because he will fall asleep anyway. This is particularly terrifying as it suggests that once he does fall asleep, the cannibal will attack. I therefore chose to black out the end as it not only reinforces the black screen from the beginning, but it suggests that the cannibal will now attack but the audience cannot see. I believe that what the audience assumes from the blackout works as a strong, scary ending.
How it differs from the script
When working from the script, I was pleased to find that I had a lot of freedom with it. There were not very many commands on the script and so I could interpret it how I wanted. I chose to keep in strong points in the script, for example the beginning with the cannibal walking down the banking, but I added my own style to it. Instead of using a fade out, I decided to cut it to a black screen as I believe this worked better.
In the middle of the piece, I decided not to look at the script much. I followed the narration as a starting point and arranged my piece according to what I thought looked appropriate. I wanted to establish the tension between the characters in this part of the film, and so I used a lot of shot - reverse - shot between the characters to develop their relationship.
At the end of the piece, I kept the idea of the narrator beginning to fall asleep, but I edited the last few shots according to what I thought would make the audience feel the most frightened for the narrator. I wanted to convey a sense of helplesness, which is why I decided to use the black screen at the end.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound is not my strongest skill, so I found it quite difficult to use and did not concentrate on it as much as the editing of the image.
With the narration, I sometimes split it up so that it was not just one piece and I could time it in whenever I wanted. However, this disrupted the sound as the noise changed when the narration was not present. So, when a new piece of narration was started, I made sure that I faded it in so that it did not appear to suddenly come in and sound out of place.
I had a constant sound of the train noise in the background, which I layered over the narration so that there was ambient noise of the characters being inside the carriage.
The sound which I concentrated on most was the of when I had a train rushing past in the background. With all train sounds except the first (where it was not appropriate due to the quiet ambient noise following it) I wanted to have the train rush past, sounding loud and terrifying. The most important aspect was that I did not have the train stop at any point - it always appears as if the train is carrying on, very quickly, giving the impression that the train may never stop.
How it changed over time
To begin with, I found the piece quite hard to begin to edit. As I am not very familiar with editing, I was not really sure how to begin. However, using the script as a template was very useful. I also found the log sheets useful, as it was easier to locate a desired shot.
I began by being very strictly loyal to the script - which was a mistake to begin with. I soon realised that the film was not making sense and I therefore decided to interpret the piece more loosely and this was where I began to understand how to structure the piece. I think that in parts my piece may be a little repetitive, but I am happy with it as a first attempt.
When approaching the edit, I took into consideration the genre of the rushes that I was given and the nature of the script, in order to create an atmosphere which I believed to be suitable for the piece.
The main aspect which I wanted to convey was that of the tension between the characters. As the script seems to be psychological thriller in nature, it seemed the most appropriate. I wanted to set up an atmosphere that is tense and secluded, and one which seems to be isolated, so that the audience would empathise with the man with the cannibal.
How you’ve established the characters relationships
I began by have the two characters appear together, opposite each other on the chairs of the train. This gives the impression that they are in a situation from which neither of them can escape. This is firstly due to the way in which they appear - it subtly suggests that this is where the characters are supposed to be and that they cannot change that of their own free will (because of the editing and the camera positioning them there rather rather than them walking there themselves). This is also emphasised by he fact that the audience cannot see a door - therefore no means of escape is visible.
As the scene progresses, I chose to use a lot of close up shots of the characters watching each other. I wanted to make it clear that the cannibal is in control and so I used shots of the cannibal looking amused, and reverse shots of the man looking scared and on edge. I also put in small gestures from the man to suggest fear, such as him nervously clutching the newspaper.
How you’ve built tension
I have built tension through the relationship between the characters themselves. As I wanted to maintain that the cannibal was in control, I used longer shots to establish this. I also used close up shots to show the emotion in his face and reversed this with the terror in the face of the narrator.
I also considered the timing of the character movement in relation to the narration. For example, when the cannibal sounds particularly threatening, I used a clip where his face is stern and he is leaning forward, making him look more menacing.
I also considered to shots between the characters. By using close ups and tight framing, I believe that I highlighted the emotions between them and therefore the tension for the audience.
What are the key moments
The first key moment is when I chose to use a black screen during a piece of narration "That's right. That's how it is." This reinforces the idea of no escape. The sentence itself suggests no escape, a situation which cannot be changed (that's how it is) and the black screen gives the impression that there will be a sudden end.
The second key moment is when the narrator begins to question the motives of the cannibal. I used clips here that make the cannibal look particularly menacing and amused, whereas the narrator looks confused as he begins to question what he is thinking. This gives the audience the clue that there is tension between the characters.
Thirdly, when the narrator struggles to stay awake. It is here that I wanted to make the audience feel helpless as he cannot stay awake and aware. I coupled it with the narration of the cannibal saying that he will "do what he wants with him", increasing the sense of fear and helplessness and again reinforcing the idea of no escape.
The final key point comes at the end, which I believe works quite strongly. I chose to also black out the end of the narration when the cannibal is telling the narrator that it doesn't matter because he will fall asleep anyway. This is particularly terrifying as it suggests that once he does fall asleep, the cannibal will attack. I therefore chose to black out the end as it not only reinforces the black screen from the beginning, but it suggests that the cannibal will now attack but the audience cannot see. I believe that what the audience assumes from the blackout works as a strong, scary ending.
How it differs from the script
When working from the script, I was pleased to find that I had a lot of freedom with it. There were not very many commands on the script and so I could interpret it how I wanted. I chose to keep in strong points in the script, for example the beginning with the cannibal walking down the banking, but I added my own style to it. Instead of using a fade out, I decided to cut it to a black screen as I believe this worked better.
In the middle of the piece, I decided not to look at the script much. I followed the narration as a starting point and arranged my piece according to what I thought looked appropriate. I wanted to establish the tension between the characters in this part of the film, and so I used a lot of shot - reverse - shot between the characters to develop their relationship.
At the end of the piece, I kept the idea of the narrator beginning to fall asleep, but I edited the last few shots according to what I thought would make the audience feel the most frightened for the narrator. I wanted to convey a sense of helplesness, which is why I decided to use the black screen at the end.
How you’ve thought about sound
Sound is not my strongest skill, so I found it quite difficult to use and did not concentrate on it as much as the editing of the image.
With the narration, I sometimes split it up so that it was not just one piece and I could time it in whenever I wanted. However, this disrupted the sound as the noise changed when the narration was not present. So, when a new piece of narration was started, I made sure that I faded it in so that it did not appear to suddenly come in and sound out of place.
I had a constant sound of the train noise in the background, which I layered over the narration so that there was ambient noise of the characters being inside the carriage.
The sound which I concentrated on most was the of when I had a train rushing past in the background. With all train sounds except the first (where it was not appropriate due to the quiet ambient noise following it) I wanted to have the train rush past, sounding loud and terrifying. The most important aspect was that I did not have the train stop at any point - it always appears as if the train is carrying on, very quickly, giving the impression that the train may never stop.
How it changed over time
To begin with, I found the piece quite hard to begin to edit. As I am not very familiar with editing, I was not really sure how to begin. However, using the script as a template was very useful. I also found the log sheets useful, as it was easier to locate a desired shot.
I began by being very strictly loyal to the script - which was a mistake to begin with. I soon realised that the film was not making sense and I therefore decided to interpret the piece more loosely and this was where I began to understand how to structure the piece. I think that in parts my piece may be a little repetitive, but I am happy with it as a first attempt.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
My Winnipeg
I found My Winnipeg entertaining, but a little hard to watch.
The film is a fantastical documentary construction of the director's home town. Therefore, before I watched the film, I expected a happy documentary showing his beloved home town in an endearing light - however, all my expectations were shattered!
I found the style of the film quite hard to follow at first - the documentary style is quite unsettling next to the fantasy elements for a viewer. But once I accepted this, it was easier to watch and understand.
However, I was confused as to how the director actually felt about his home town. The topics themselves were often morbid, yet they were p
resented in a comedic style much of the time. So how does the director feel about his home town?
Wisconsin Death Trip
I found Wisconsin Death Trip to be quite an unsettling film, for a few reasons.
Firstly, the content itself. The film showed an account of the many deaths that have taken place during the final decade of the 19th century. This itself seems to be a very morbid topic, and I was therefore unsure of how to approach the film when watching it.
The deaths were presented mostly as very serious accounts of murder or suicide, but occasionally it would be presented as comedic. I was therefore unsure of how I was supposed to feel most of the time - was I supposed to feel sad for the deaths, or laugh at the hilarity of the situation? I was unsure of the directors intention of what he wanted the audience to feel.
Although the film was presented in an entertaining and engaging way, because of how unsure I was about how I was supposed to be feeling I was also unsure of what the director wanted to say through the film. What is its point?I also thought that the style of the film was quite repetitive - one account of
death after the other. Although it was structured well and I found it entertaining, because there was no sense of a narrative it just seemed to be a collection of events. Perhaps this is what the director intended, but i did not personally feel that doing so necessarily did the film justice.So, overall, I found the film entertaining, but was unsure of the director's intent. I could not decide what to make of the film, or what I was supposed to have learned from it, and so therefore felt unsatisfied. I do not think that the film was made to entertain, but to give the viewer an insight into these real events.
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