Wild Tales – Mise-en-Scene

A montage of old childhood photos present the idea of innocence which contrasts the later events in this sequence and helps the audience to infer relevant information about the sequence such as it is a family event that wouldn’t be available at this pint in the scene without this context. There is a distinct rich and privileged setting in the scene with lots of champagne glasses, expensive alcohol, golden chandeliers and tuxedos that contribute towards a disturbing feeling when she later threatens to take everything away from him on the rooftop after she discover he’s been cheating on her, allowing the audience to grasp the scale and severity of her threats. The use of pathetic fallacy in this scene also demonstrates her ferocity when she lashes out at him, simultaneously a bolt of lightning can be seen flashing in the distance and the sound of thunder follows thereafter.

Before this, however, The fact that the bride and groom appear from behind a curtain implies to the audience that their relationship is a façade immediately and they are putting on a show to avoid criticism from their guests. Ariel hasn’t shaved which shows a lack of care for his wife that we were originally led to believe he had which is a sign of his intentions to conceal the fact that he cheated on her. The phone is used as a device to discover the secret that Ariel has cheated on Romina and is used to call the mystery woman who he has been talking to that further arouses her suspicions and leads to her questioning her husband where she learns that he ahs in fact cheated on her. To escape this situation, Romina runs down a long, narrow hallway which suggests to the audience that she feels tarped and claustrophobic die to what has occurred and now feel betrayed and alone. The white wedding dress is supposed to represent the idea of purity and innocence that is present in Romina’s persona before she discovers she’s been cheated on but the white is tainted with blood after she smashes the mystery woman into a mirror, showing that she has lost that innocence because she has claimed revenge. Also, the mirror smashing could be representative of how the truth being unveiled has destroyed them as a couple.

The broken cake, glass and hair show the destruction both physically and mentally inflicted on one another and how it has caused chaos for everyone. The final image is a particularly compelling one, showing a bride and groom statue on the floor as the couple have sex on the table, which could be symbolic of the events that have taken place at the ceremony and how as a couple they have both fallen down but still remain together despite these chaotic events.

Wild Tales – Performance

At the beginning of the sequence, a large group of guests laugh and cheer and a montage of photos being projected onto a large screen that suggests this sequence is going to be taking place on a happy occasion. Everybody is energetic, moving to the pace of the music as people begin to dance around the room, further showing that it is a lively and joyous event. The bride and groom affectionately greet their in-laws with Romina embracing her mother in-law with open arms which shows love and respect for one another that contrasts further on in the sequence after Ariel’s mother attempts to physically hurt Romina due to her threats against her son. This sets up a cheerful atmosphere at the start of the sequence which is noticeably absent later on and is also where the first dialogue is spoken, roughly one and a half minutes into the sequence, involving Ariel’s father in-law congratulating him but also warning him, implying consequences should anything negative happen to his daughter which gives a sense of foreboding to the remainder of the sequence due to the trend throughout the film of themes of violence and revenge. Romina and Ariel are typically separated when dancing which could foreshadow a broken relationship in the near future.

After cutting to a scene where everyone is less mobile and sitting down eating, the couple takes photos alongside relatives whilst Romina speaks to several in which she clearly forces a smile during their conversation to appear interested in what they are saying, often giving artificial responses which could imply to the audience a first glimpse at her possible fake nature that will become even more apparent after the revelation that Ariel has cheated. She changes from appearing happy in her facial expression to suspicious as she spots Ariel with a woman, slowing down her speech as she focuses on what she has seen and making it clear to the audience that she feels negatively towards what is happening, making the audience suspicious of Ariel too. This distresses her compared to the confident swagger of the groom as he is not aware that she suspects anything of him. When being questioned by Romina, Ariel’s face and body language allude to the fact that he is lying as he attempts to act oblivious, neglecting to make any eye contact with her as he feels guilty and instead looking around the room at their guests as he cares what impression they have of him. The father of the bride seems much more empathtic than her mother in-law, comforting her as she cries which makes the audience empathise with her more as she is presented to have a much more caring family.

After storming out of the room and getting some air at the top of the roof, a chef already there attempts to calm her down with a gentle soothing voice that makes her feel safe. Romina then subverts the expectations of the audience and kisses the chef as he gives a look of shock towards her, showing it was an unpredictable action as she feels very vulnerable. This shock is also seen from Ariel, who vomits after walking up to the roof and catching them both having sex. Its at this point that Romina lets out an enraged threatening speech towards Ariel, transitioning her position from vulnerability and frailty to power and strength as she plots revenge against him, threateningly pointing her finger at him an accusatory manner and loud vocals that demonstrate the supressed anger she has towards his actions. To cope with this, Ariel can late be seen drinking alcohol just as Romina once did before to calm his nerves and appears as a device to frequently use as they both breakdown. Also, as Ariel does breakdown at the climax of the sequence, he elevates his voice, mirroring the way Romina did previously on the roof but then proceeds to subvert the audiences expectations by offering his hand to her just as he did when they first danced, before he admitted to cheating on her. They then get intimate on the wedding table which suggests to the audience that they have both re-kindled their bond but also that they need each other as they are both in abhorrent states of mind when apart.

Wild Tales – Sound

At the beginning of the scene, the digetic sound of the song ‘Titanium’ is playing in the background of the shots which has a very uplifting beat, giving the audiences first impression of the event as happy and joyful. The lyrics of the song suggest connotations of power and strength which would imply that the couple have a sturdy bedrock to their relationship whereas the song juxtaposes these ideas as the audience watches their relationship breakdown dramatically. The digetic laughter and cheering is lower in the sound mix but can still be heard clearly over the loud digetic music which conveys the fact that there is a large amount of guests watching the slideshow, emphasising the positivity in the room at this point in time and also assists in making the later sequence of events increasingly shocking as everyone appears to be having a great time initially. As the bride and groom enter the room, the digetic music increases in volume, appearing overwhelming compared to the other sounds in the mix that are virtually inaudible. Throughout this sequence the music seems to act as a device utilised to set the mood, so when the music is playing loudly, there is a general feeling of joy in the room but when it’s silent, there is typically something wrong between a set of characters. As they dance, there is a much more audible sound of men cheering when Ariel is separated from Romina in the shot and the sound of women screaming accentuated in the mix when focusing on Romina, insinuating that they are putting on a performance for their guests, hiding away from the revelation that they aren’t as deeply in love as things would appear from an exterior point of view whilst the separation of the couple in the sound mix suggests that the relationship is already unstable.

Upon cutting to an alternate scene, the digetic song ‘Titanium’ stop playing and is immediately replaced by the sound of diegetic Klezma music, performed by a live band in front of a large group of dancing guests. It increases the pace of the scene as the rapid music presents a lively atmosphere and further demonstrates to the audience that this an exciting occasion. This type of music is often performed during Jewish celebrations, signifying to the audience that this is a Jewish wedding which gives context to the sequence and tells of the religious culture of Argentina. The Klezma music stops suddenly after there is a time change that transfers the audience from watching a buoyant dancing scene to a quiet scene where their guests are eating at tables. The music is replaced with the diegetic sound of cutlery clanking together which gives less significant items more prominence in the mix to show a much calmer situation than before. Romina spots Ariel with a woman that she doesn’t recognise and its implied that she believes there is something dubious going on between them. The sound comes from her perspective with the focus directed on them and other sounds in the mix other than their dialogue decreasing in volume as they are less important to the story, telling the audience that her doubts have an important meaning to the outcome. The bride walks over to her own table and takes out a phone. Diegetic phone ringing sounds reveal her intentions as she calls the mystery woman. After picking up, the diegetic voice of the woman is presented from Romina’s perspective as the faint sounds of the woman’s voice come through the phone, allowing a feeling of sympathy for her as by showing the events happening from her point of view, the audience is more capable of understanding what trauma she is going through. The soft melody of ‘Blue Danube’ starts playing as Ariel approaches his wife to dance with her. This presents a sense of irony as the song is slow and romantic but there is a lack of romance between the couple after she has discovered that he has cheated on her, contarsting her emotions and making Romina’s situation appear even more tragic. Romina returns from the roof after liberating herself and the fast paced music previously played starts once again with a variety of conflicting sounds in the mix, showing the chaos of the wedding and their loud and exuberant dancing also shows how her newfound feeling of control, free from the awful feeling of being cheated on. the sound mix becomes increasingly conflicted in the scene where Romina and the woman she has been cheated on with spin around rapidly. the loud and disorientating sounds of the diegetic music and dialogue promotes a sense of dizziness that stops after the woman crashes into the mirror, leaving the audience with a sense of horror as it highlight that there has been a serious injury. As the sequence reaches its climax, there is a feeling of suspense to the scene due to a lack of music. The diegetic sound of the wedding guests actions such as Ariel popping open the champagne bottle, leaving the guests to gasp in shock or the footsteps as he approaches the crying Romina all add to this feeling. However, as the couple reconnect hands, the non-diegetic song ‘Fly me to the moon’ starts playing. This is very ironic as its a happy song with protruding themes of love throughout that heavily juxtaposes the events that have occurred, presenting a definite change in attitude between the couple as they begin to slow dance in front of the bewildered guests looking on.

Wild Tales – Cinematography

To start off the sequence, the camera pulls out to a wide shot that contributes to showing the large amount of guests at the wedding focused on the slideshow of old photos, crabbing right to further show the chow many happy guests are present, focusing on the cheerful pictures on screen. Steadicam is used throughout these shots and pushes in as the song increases in tempo to focus on the bride and groom, centrally framed and emerging from behind a curtain before arcing around them greeting their parents and in-laws to give the impression that the person watching the film is a spectator as the shots are very intimate with a sense of family unity followed by a series of handheld close-up shots focusing on the interactions between the partners and their in-laws making it more personal and meaningful. The steadicam arcs around the couple from a low angle to give the impression that the camera is dancing along with them whilst crowding the audience. Tracking shots match the pace of the dancing whilst the movement matches the energy of the music to give the scene a lively appearance. The lighting becomes harsher as the sequence progresses whilst the blue lighting could suggest the stability, trust and loyalty in the relationship at this point in time. The camera is kept at a low angle below eye level to give the audience the impression they are in a crowded area.

A change in location is accompanied by a change to warm yellow lighting, suggesting happiness. The camera pulls back from a shot of an energetic sousaphone, directing focus on the instrument and therefore a focus on the joy of the party as everyone immediately becomes engrossed in the music. after the party, there is less dramatic movement shown by less frquent, slower and more stable shots. A long lens is used to make the audience feel as if they are a part of the crowd the bride points out too before she moves away from the people she is talking to as the camera pans to the left to centrally frame the bride, isolating her in the fram with a shallow depth of field to focus on her reaction as she begins to suspect her husband might be cheating on her. The zoom draws attention to the woman sitting down in the centre of the frame but not clearly as the bride is unaware that she existed until now using a POV shot, followed by a reaction shot of the brides face to show the importance of the revelation to the development of the story and that her attenton is fully focused on the mystery woman. The camera tracks the bride as she crosses the room to the mirror, sandwiching the woman in the centre of her focus. the mirror shot foreshadows her apparent dual nature later on and a wrack focus from the brides phone the the womans phone implies that the bride has uncovered her husbands dirty secret whilst an over the shoulder shot using a long lens gives the impression that the bride is isolated because she now feels alone.

The crowd is darkened and the lighting focuses on the bride and groom with darker lighting on him to represent his apparent morally evil nature as the camera tracks the brides eye movement, focusing on his hand and the ring. the camera arcs around them as they dance to present the ffect that the audience is a guest that dances with them but cuts to different arcing shots, making it disorientating as the bride is puuting her husband under pressure so that he might reveal the truth.The focus is entirely on the couple as a shallow depth of field makes the background barely visible so that the audience can focus on what they are saying. A series of close-up shots between the newlyweds as they dance whilst the bride questions him changes to a wide shot when he confirms her suspicions and the camera stops dancing immediately when the couple stop dancing, becoming less smooth and more jarring to represent the brides shock and confused state of mind. the long lens suggests that the guests are watching him from a distance, tightening in on his reaction that could suggest their judgement as she has left the room in tears. the camera is attached to the door in order to track the motion of both characters and establishes the direction they are both heading. The lighting is darker on the bride when she doesnt know the truth but becomes lighter when its been revealed to her as she walks through the corridor, tracked by low angle shots from both in front and behind her to show she feels surrounded and overwhelmed with a declining sense of reality.

A BEV shot of the bride looking over the edge of the roof suggests she feels nauseated and is about to jump. The lighting in the background of the shots appears romantic, foreshadowing the romantic interaction between the bride and the chef and a romantic shot subverts the expectations of the audience as the seductive intention of the bride contrasts her despair. The long lenses with a wide aperture makes the scene seem more dreamy and the scene is shot on a spherical lens rather than an anamorphic lens and extended to widescreen which makes it appear more realistic. A reaction shot of shock from both the chef and Ariel as Romina lets out a violent outburst directed at her husband that neither were expecting. the 180 degree rule is broken during the confrontation to present the idea that the shoe is now on the other foot. The camerawork alternates to handheld as she feels free as she’s released her anger that she had stored inside her, indicating a change in attitude towards her chaotic relationship.

Wild Tales Contextualised

• Define a portmanteau film. What are other notable examples from recent years?

A film that combines two or more aspects or stories, often tied together by a single theme or event. Recent examples include City of God and Pulp Fiction.

• Give a brief synopsis of each of the stories in the film. Which are the most effective? Why do you think these stories have been chosen?

“Pasternak” – While on a plane, two people realise they both know the same person before discovering that every board on board knows him, each with their own story on how they grieved the mysterious character, leading them to come to the conclusion that it is no coincidence that they are all on the plane, together as they desperately attempt to flee the plane as it crashes into the garden of the mysterious “Pasternak’s” parents house.

“The Rats” – A young waitress recognises a customer in the restaurant she works in who once caused a tradgedy in her family. The cook suggest putting rat poison in his food but she rejects the idea but the cook goes ahead with her plan anyway, causing both his son and himself to be violently ill before the cook attacks him with a knife, killing him whilst being sent to jail.

“The Strongest” – Two drivers come into conflict when one driver continually swerves in the way of the other, blocking them from getting past. After the overtaking driver gets a puncture, he stops by the side of the road and is joined by the other driver who attempts to destroy his car before they both attempt o kill each other, one by ramming them off a cliff and running them over the other by hanging them but in the end, a fire igniting the petrol gets the better of both of them.

“Little Bomb” – A demolition engineer has his car towed after parking in the wrong place to pick up his daughters birthday cake, cauding him to be late to her party which results in the breakdown of marriage and then his career after he has a heated argument with an employee of the towing company. These events lead him to plant a bomb in his car after being towed on purpose causing a huge explosion, which ruins the company and sends him to jail; however, he arns the respect of the city and his family.

“The Proposal” – The son of a wealthy family kills a mother and her unborn son in his car, going to his parents for help who phone their lawyer. They persuade the groundsman to take the fall after bribing several people but soon learns that he is a victim of extortion of his lawyer, neglecting to go through with the deal. After a new term is agreed, he willingly pays up and the groundsman heads outside to take the blame before having his head smashed by the Victims husband.

“Until death Do Us Part” During a wedding party, a bride learns that her new husband has cheated on her with one of their guests, deciding to get revenge by threatening to take all his money and making his life a misery. After breaking down in front of all their guests, the husband goes into an emotion shock whilst his wife ends up in tears. The depressing ending however alternates paths and results in the couple slow dancing among the ruined venue and getting risqué which causes all their guests to dissolve from the room

The most effective story in my opinion is the “little Bomb”. It presents the breakdown of a characters welfare over time and shows the motives behind his decision to engage in a terrorist act. It also puts society into question as the company he bombs is free to exploit he citizens of the city for personal gain.

Each of the stories all have one theme in common, revenge. All six stories show how different people are brought to acts of violence based on their different experiences. The first two stories show how past events and the build up of time causes someone to consider violent actions to achieve satisfaction in terms of revenge whilst the second set of two show how a steady life can be broken down rapidly due to an individual action which can spiral out of control. The final two show how manipulation and deception causes a breakdown mentally and physically, in one case leading to death.

• The literal translation of the title is Savage Tales. How is this a more appropriate title and how well does it apply to each of the stories in the film?

It fits the film better than ‘Wild Tales’ as the acts of revenge and violence throughout the film are savage, often leading to the deaths of multiple people. The savage and senseless acts of violence can be seen in each individual story, ranging from a hijacking that causes an aviation disaster, the bombing of a company and the brutal murder of a groundsman.

• What does the viewer learn about Argentine society from watching the film? Does this accurately reflect the political and social reality?

The viewer gets the impression that Argentine society is dangerous and violent, with a repulsive setting and nature. The film appears to show a corrupt society with a dissatisfied people. Corruption in Argentina remains a serious problem suffering from widespread corruption in the public and private sector. However, it has improved since the films release in 2015, moving from the 107th least corrupt country out of 175 to the 85th.

• Are there aesthetic differences between each of the stories? How do the aesthetic support the story being told?

Wild Thoughts On Wild Tales – Review

Wild Tales (Szifron, 2014) is comprised of 6 different short stories that arent linked by story, but instead are linked by themes of retribution and violence that explore the extremities of human behavior when people come into conflict.

My initial thoughts are very conflicted regarding this film but what i do know is that i found it to be very entertaining and what i would describe as ‘Brilliantly insane!’. Out of the 6 stories in the film i would be inclined to say that ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ story was the superior out of the bunch as it was emotional and yet surprisingly unpredictable in a film where the audience knows that someones going to end up seriously hurt at the end.

One of my favourite aspects of the film was sound. It’s more prominent in some scenes but i found it to be captivating and felt it really helped to draw me in to what i was watching and make it appear entirely convincing.

Despite having the same general themes, all the stories seem entirely unique and fuelled my fascination with the characters, making it virtually impossible to predict the outcome of the action that’s unfolding. This gave me a sense of being overcome with information that i had to process to work out a characters motives and helped me to appreciate what they were feeling in a realistic manner.

In order to improve, i would have liked to see all the stories connect in some way other than the theme of violence as i think that it would have added more context to the stories and made it even more entertaining overall.

SCORE: 8.5/10

Pan’s Labyrinth – Pale Man Sequence

Mise-en-scene

The colour palette is dark to show how Ofelia is in the captain’s world when she is confined to her bedroom which looks plain with a window that is partially barred by wooden planks and leaves, showing that she is a prisoner. Ofelia opens up her storybook which changes from blank page to reveal pictures similar to that of Alice in Wonderland with pasterlly colours that make it appear less threatening and foreshadows the pale man in the following encounter. When entering through the newly crafted door in the wall to the lair of the pale man in the fantasy world, a change to a warm colour palette indicates a change from the reality of the Captain’s world to the fantasy world.

A vaulted ancient ceiling gives the impression of catacombs under a cathedral with a chessboard-like floor and gothic features which further references to Alice in Wonderland. Ofelia places a chair on the floor so she is able to step down from her room but it is also foreshadows her necessity to use it later to escape and places an oversized sand timer as she steps down which emphasises it’s importance to the plot. The corridor curves around the corner to show how deep the lair is and the windows are small to show she will be unable to get out. She then emerges in a large chamber thats dominated by a large table with a figure at the end of it that resembles the Captain when he had his feast earlier on to show they are both evil. A collection of jellies and overflowing fruit are piled up on the table as a large feast, something that a child would imagine but is unavailable due to the rationing after the war, hinting that she is imagining what she used to have but now can possibly only dream of.

The pale man is a towering figure with large flaps of pale skin that dominate his body as he used to be much larger and fatter because he would eat a large amount of children but he hasn’t eaten for a long time so is now thin and frail, also shown by the murals of his victims that depict him as a creature of legend. The shoes are a visual reference to the concentration camps at Auschwitz during WW2 which resulted in the deaths of thousands of children, linking the pale man to the atrocities of real life events and how his actions result in the deaths of a vast amount of children. The fire that is situated behind the pale man appears to be like the mouth of hell which further utilises diabolic imagery, showing his evil intent.

The key that Ofelia uses to open the hatch to obtain the knife looks ancient as if from a fairy tale with a twig handle, referencing to Ofelia’s natural elements that link her to the rebels. Also, the shiny knife has a golden handle that links to the colour palette seen in the fantasy world. Her temptation to take and eat the grapes is caused by them being almost plum sized that makes them look appealing and references to the forbidden fruit where Eve was tempted to eat fruit from a tree that had been forbidden from her and like Eve. Ofelia’s actions lead to loss.

Pan’s Labyrinth – Fig Tree Sequence

Cinematography

When following the horses and Ofelia, the camera pans from right to left indicating that they are venturing on a journey with much more gentle and slower arc movements with Ofelia as if she is lost in a fantasy world is it gives a floaty and dreamy effect compared to the harsh and quick movement of the horses with a warm and bright colour palette that suggests the effects of the Captain have disappeared for the time being as they are in the forest which is the rebels’ territory. The use of long lenses when looking at the soldiers places the audience on the side of the rebels as we can see the action from their perspective whereas shots are closer into Ofelia as she is exploring on her own. As Ofelia arrives at the tree, a wide shot moves into a close-up shot, arcing around her to reveal the tree, tilting up to show the large size of the tree in order to show how small Ofelia is in comparison which also shows its significance. This is followed by a close-up shot of the magical rocks she has been given and tilts up to show her determination for completing the task before a close-up of her shoes follows as they are going to be significant to the story. The camera then dollies back and tilts up to show her enter the tree that uses the frame within a frame technique which focus the audiences attention on her movements down into the tunnel, then panning to the left to show a close-up of the dress waving in the wind, suggesting its going to fall off, creating fear and dread at what could happen if her dress is ruined due to it being a gift from her mother and something she must wear to impress the cold hearted Captain.

A crab to the right reveals her climbing through the tree and possibly shows that time has passed since we last saw Ofelia begin to undertake her task. The camera is always positioned at Ofelia’s height throughout this sequence in order to show that she is the main point of focus for the audience to see the story progress. The colour palette is till warm as she is surrounded by elements of the fantasy world but is now slightly darker because she is underground but she is also aware of both the dangers she will face in the tree and what she might expect when she returns to the mill and the fear of the Captains reaction to her dirty state forces the fantasy world and the Captain’s world to collide. The Captain steps down from his horse to search for any objects that might indicate signs of rebel activity, shown through a medium shot that focuses on his commanding body language which transitions to a close-up shot so that we see just the Captain and his reaction to his discovery before a medium shot shows the reaction of the soldiers around him awaiting their orders. Following this, the camera then arcs around him so we are left to focus on what he is thinking and feeling as he comes to the conclusion that they are being watched by the rebels from a distance. Another use of a long lens shot once again gives the impression that the audience are watching the Captain from the rebels perspective as he taunts them before returning back to the mill, indicated by the camera movement panning from right to left as the soldiers exit the frame that contrasts the movement from previous when they were headed out on their journey. Despite this, the movement in the next scene appears to differentiate from this pattern as Ofelia moves from left to right and then from right to left whilst still searching for the object of her desires that sent her on this journey. It presents the fact that the environment that she is presently located within is disorientating and unsettling for her as she attempts to move through the tree. Also, when engaging with the toad, a whip pan effectively shows the quick movement of the toads tongue as it grabs the bugs in her hand. Finally, when Ofelia completes her task and emerges from the tree the setting is dark and there has been a complete transformation in colour palette from the warm and bright setting as she headed out on her journey to the fantastical warm colours inside the tree that was tainted by the captains world and the effect he has on Ofelia until it reaches almost complete darkness as she is now in deep trouble, foreshadowing what the effects of her adventure might have on her due to the captains influence.

Sound

The sequence starts with the diegetic sound of horses galloping rapidly away from the mill whilst simultaneously accompanied by the non-diegetic composed score that gives the scene a lively and adventurous tone. Cutting to Ofelia, the sound of the horses can still be heard as she is going on her own adventure at the same time but is lower in the sound mix as we are focusing on her and tells the audience that these two events are happening at the same time. The non-diegetic composed score changes to be more mystical and fairytale-like compared to the sinister and quick paced tone when cutting to the soldiers wHich is a trend throughout this sequence.

Upon arriving at the tree, her narration comes to an end and the soundtrack becomes far more eerie as the tree comes in to frame and is revealed to the audience, showing its dying state and the danger that it will hold for Ofelia. The magic stones she carries in her hand are given exaggerated clanking noises as they come into contact with one another to show their importance to the story. Before entering the tree, she takes her dress off in order to prevent damage to it as she climbs down through the tree, leaving it on a branch. The diegetic sounds of wind flowing through the air implies to the audience that when she emerges from the tree, her dress will have blown away, creating a sense of fear as the audience knows it was a gift from her mother in order to please the Captain. Inside the tree, the score has stopped so the audience can focus on Ofelia’s surroundings as she crawls through the tree with the added diegetic gurgling sound of mud that presents the revolting conditions that she’s in but could also link to her mothers womb and just as the toad is killing the tree from the inside, it is implied her unborn baby brother is doing the same to her mother.

When being taken back to the Captains world, there is an immediate sound of the galloping of horses and the jangling of their holsters before the Captain steps down from his horse to inspect the fire, accompanied by a low crackling sound that indicates people were there not long ago but they have gone now. After realising they are being watched, he walks over in the direction of where he believes them to be and starts shouting into the distance. His voice is elevated to make him sound commanding and authoritative so as to intimidate the rebels. Also, the core is composed the timing of his movements and sounds sinister and jarring, matching his emotions and making him appear like a conductor as a loud bass sound proceeds the downwards movement of his arm. This sinister score continues as they leave until the onlooking rebels come into view, transitioning the non-diegetic score to be heroic and noble, showing that they are our protagonists who are fighting for freedom whilst the fascists are evil.

Cutting back to Ofelia, as she makes her way through the tree, the diegetic croaking of the toad can be heard before it comes into frame, foreshadowing the encounter that is about to take place and builds tension, making the toad seem powerful and oppressive. She is almost drowned out by the malevolent sounds of the toad that seem atypical for a toad, showing its ferocity and how it’s from a world not familiar to the real world. The audience is forewarned about Ofelia’s idea and the destruction of the frog when the non-diegetic composed score starts which is followed by the death of the toad after eating the rocks, with its heart coming apart from the rest of its body whilst it deflates. Exaggerated squelching noises bring the audiences focus on that object which is accompanied by a noise similar to that of a gust of wind as its body slowly deflates. Ofelia picks up the key which gives off an exaggerated metallic sound to show the importance of the key and its shiny and fantastical nature. After emerging from the tree, the sound of thunder shows that time has passed and strikes loudly when she realises that her dress has disappeared and goes to pick it up in the muddy conditions that has ruined it, made all the more prominent by further moist and squelchy sounds.

Editing

A multitude of hidden cuts start off the sequence, making the change in locations flow smoother from one another without it feeling jarring which would fail to immerse the audience in the action. The cuts used for the soldiers are far more rapid than when focusing on Ofelia to show they are travelling with purpose whereas Ofelia is lost in her book in a dream-like state and the slow cuts reflect this as she wanders through the forest. A glance object shot draws attention to the rocks in her hand as they have significance to the story. The scene utilises contiguity editing when she looks up at a branch and then cuts to her hanging her dress on that branch to keep the action interesting and maintain a steady pace. Further use of contiguity editing occurs as it cuts to Ofelia already crawling through the depths of the trees tunnels and a hidden cut is once again used as the camera pans to the right behind a wall in the twisted tunnels, continuing to pan right in the next shot that makes the storytelling smooth and shows that these events are occurring simultaneously.

The match on action technique is used when the Captain dismounts from his horse and lands on the ground. Contiguity editing is used as he departs from the camp as he begins to walk to his horse before cutting to him mounting his horse and leaving. Returning to Ofelia’s journey, shot/reverse shot shows the toad and Ofelia coming face to face with one another and interacting. After successfully defeating the toad and claiming the key, a cut from her holding the key to out side of the tree in the dark shows the change in time so that once again the pace of the film isn’t made slower.

Mise-en-scene

A group of large and powerful looking horses symbolise their strength in the fights against the Republicans whilst the soldiers wear wealthy, smart, gold and blue uniforms whereas the rebels wear dark brown clothing as they are forced to live in the forest in seclusion, hiding in the tress when the soldiers ride out to find them; however, they leave behind a lottery ticket which suggests that they still have hope despite the war being over that the republicans shall regain power and the nationalists be overthrown. At the same time as the soldiers ride out, Ofelia goes out exploring in the forest with a dress that’s appearance is similar to that of the dress in the Alice in Wonderland books which also explores the world of fantasy which is what Ofelia is continuously engrossed in, just as she is lost in her book rather than the real world around her, showing her strong connection to the fantastical than reality and takes of an white overlaying layer of her dress to reveal a pure green top, representative of the style of clothing that the rebels wear, demonstrating how she is going against the oppression of the Captain and the influence of her mother to follow her own path. Various floating objects give the impression that multiple fairy-like creatures are present to indicate the crossing over from the real world to the fantasy. The vast amount of passages in the interior of the tree are dark and twisted, with black CGI bugs that surround her and crawl over her are designed to evoke feelings of disgust from the audience and deliberately make it seem like a disgusting place to be. However, there Is a contrast when there is a transition to the Captain’s world where he is in a large open space that appears more inviting and less threatening almost making the audience want to spend less time focusing on the fig tree because of its grotesque nature. After entering the tree, Ofelia comes across a large toad, representative of the baby living inside her mother and how this uterine imagery shows the effect that the baby is having on her, just as the toad is slowly killing the tree causing it to decay. When the toad dies, the heart is left behind whilst its body deflates, foreshadowing the fate of her mother as she will die and leave the child that she cares for behind. Upon emerging from the tree, the dress is covered in mud as its been blown off in the wind overtime but shows that Ofelia doesn’t care about the materialistic value of such items.

Performance

The soldiers are experienced riders, heading out enthusiastically towards a suspected rebel camp where they intend on completing their mission of wiping out the remaining republican cells that are hiding in the forest. At the same time as they venture out, Ofelia goes on a journey of her own, engrossed in her book and moving slowly through the forest which contrasts woth the rapid and loud movements of the horses. Her narration has taken on a fairy tale style of narration as she discovers what task has been set out to her by the faun. She enters the tree willingly which shows that she isn’t scared of the danger that she could possibly face inside the tree and has a curious nature. When inside the tree, her appearance makes her look vulnerable and is clearly repulsed by her surroundings, breathing heavily to show her fear. The Captain is focused on the task set before him without expressing any emotion towards what he sees whilst the soldiers look at him in expectation of his next orders which they follow without any question. He doesn’t look at any of the soldiers around him when talking as he believes himself o be above all of them whilst his formal nature is contrasted with that of his soldiers who have a less formal physicality and are easily distracted from the task they are undertaking. One soldier takes the bag from the Captan immediately, willing to serve him without hesitation whilst another is silenced by the Captain holding up his hand towards him as he realises they are being watched by the rebels in the trees who he threatens and establishes his superiority over by giving a commanding shout, taunting them as he feels in power and invincible. After giving the order to mount up, all the soldiers leave the camp, leaving the rebels in the trees to watch them leave in the distance as they stand with a heroic stance with his hands clutched on his weapons as a result of his lack of fear to the Captain’s threats.

We then see Ofelia still searching in the twisted tree looking aimlessly around covered in bugs but choosing to ignore them as she is focused on the bigger problem set before her. Upon seeing the large toad, she introduces herself as the Princess Moana rather than as Ofelia because she has embraced the fantasy world that has been revealed to her, acting as though she is a princess by appearing outraged rather than scared as she is disgusted by the toad and the conditions that it lives in. When she has an idea on how to kill the toad, she begins to smile and act more confidently as she knows how to complete her task but still remains fearful as she reaches gingerly for the key that the toad leaves behind as she recognises the danger. Exhausted and weary, she emerges from the tree after completing the task and transitions back from being a princess in the fantasy world to the reality of being Ofelia who understands that she will be in deep trouble given the upset look as she locates her ruined and muddy dress that was made for her by her mother.

Pan’s Labyrinth – First Shaving Sequence

Cinematography

The camera starts by moving backwards to change the shot from a close-up shot to a wide shot when he starts to play his grammaphone and begins to start shaving, where he remains still whilst the camera moves around the room to give the effect of the movements being like a dance with the gentle and slow camera movements reflecting this. The camera then arcs around the Captain as a close-up shot, focusing on the razor before becoming a mirror shot as he shaves which could possibly be interpreted as presenting his commanding nature as the camera has to move around him and be active rather than being static, causing the audience to focus on everything he is doing and so giving him an imperial nature. These movements all appear as one long continuous shot that incorporates a variety of other shots to make the action appear engaging for the audience who are able to fully orientate themselves with the surroundings of the Captain and his own private nature.The sunlight in the background is shown through a blue light rather than white as its the Captains room meaning that the colour palette is affected by his blue and grey colour palette. A slowly tightening wide shot of the Captain shows him polishing his boot with care before changing to a two shot that slowly tightens into both the Captain and Mercedes, who holds the dead rabbits attained from the night prior. Her entrance causes the Captain to stand up to query his burnt coffee and as he does so, the camera pedestals up to haves the effect of making him look taller than her, showing his power over others and accentuating his influence on them.

Sound

The diegetic sound of the grammaphone record playing can be heard after the Captain places the tone arm on the record, producing patriotic sounding music which presents him as a patriarchal nationalist and shows how his manner is different when he is alone and taking time to smartly present himself. The sound of the razor is exaggerated to draw the audiences attention to it as he runs his hand along the blade. The music remains diegetic until the first hidden cut as time has moved forward from when he first started shaving but there is no alteration in the timing of the music so it becomes non-diegetic and from the transition to diegetic polishing of his boots, different diegetic music is playing as time has moved forward and lowers in the sound mix when they start the Captain and Mercedes start talking. Mercedes takes an exaggerated gulp of burnt coffee as she has been ordered to drink, fearing what the Captain’s intentions are whilst he puts a hand on her shoulder, indicated by a stroking noise that shows that she belongs to him, causing her to walk away quite and submissive at his command.

Editing

The sequence starts with a lengthy shot to establish that the Captain is about to shave before the cuts start. This is followed by several hidden cuts that make the scene flow better to the music and uses contiguity editing as his cigarette is smaller after the cut which also demonstrates match on action which demonstrates the passing of time when shaving and polishing his boots and the pacey editing when shaving contrasts the longer shot when he is polishing his boots. A series of shot/reverse shot favours the Captain over Mercedes to show that he is in control whilst the use of a two shot shows the distance between them. Finally, the lengthy frequency of shots show that despite his tactics, she isn’t intimidated by the captains efforts as she is able to ignore them and feels more in control as she has valuable information that he is unaware the she knows of.

Mise-en-scene

The grammaphone demonstrates the Captain’s wealth, showing he is allowed luxuries that others don’t have the privillege or status to attain along with a selection of various grooming tools that are a necessity for maintaining his proud appearance, whilst his multitude of possessions that would have been hard to obtain such as soap and cigarettes shows that he treats himself better than those around him, giving connotations of corruption. However, he polishes his own boots, something which would have traditionally been the responsibility of servants but he takes it upon himself to care for them as he takes pride in his appearance so much that he is reluctant to let others do the job for him.

Performance

The scene starts with the Captain gliding his hand over the tone arm of the grammaphone so that it produces music for his own enjoyment when he is shaving, shown when he picks up his shaving tools and moves over to the mirror. His slow and careful movements appear to match the rhythm of the patriotic music that the grammaphone is playing, giving the impression that this whole routine is like a dance and he takes great pride in how precisely he completes the task. When picking up the knife, he brings it close to his body in order to inspect it, highlighting his attraction to violence in all forms and further portrays him as being evil. Also, the posture he holds when shaving is just as precise as his actions and appears to be standing in a position just as you would for a ‘matador’; an element of Spanish dancing that involves the use of a very straight posture. Upon transitioning to a new location, the Captain polishes his boots whilst speaking with Mercedes, touching her shoulder to make him appear powerful and her weak, doing so slowly as he wants to intimidate her and presents his controlling nature.

Pan’s Labyrinth – The First Bedtime Sequence

Cinematography

The scene starts with a wide shot that highlights Ofelia walking over to her mothers bed, crossing over the floor and climbing in to bed as the camera pans to the right as it follows her slow movement as she walks gingerly across the floor whilst also crabbing to the right via the use of stedicam that gives the shot a dream-like feel to it. The colour palette of the bedroom is juxtaposed by a bright and warm light source from the fire and the cold, dark and dreary blue colours that are coming from the window. This presents how the different worlds collide with the warm fantasy colours from the fireplace reflecting strongly on Ofelia whilst her mother is lit by the dark and grey colours of the Captain’s world from the window which connects her with the fascists and shows how the Captain’s influence has conformed her to living in his world in order to supply for herself and Ofelia. The camera then arcs around the bed to focus on the conversation between Ofelia and Carmen, proceeding to then slowly push into them both to draw the audiences attention into what they are saying and how they are feeling before stopping to rest just before her mothers stomach, allowing the audience to see ofelia rest her head on her mother to speak to her brother. to show this, the camera tilts and pedastols down into the womb at the same time to reveal her unborn brother inside the womb. The following sequence starts when a pan to the right from the womb reveals a flower at the top of a mountain which is made to look significant as the camera rapidly pedastols down whilst tilting upwards.

Transitioning from the bedroom to the Captain’s office is done so in a smooth manner as it combines tow shots that slowly push in with a cut to connect them both. This sequence looks at Captain Vidal fixing his watch, giving a close-up of the watch to show what he is concentrating on which then tilts up, pedastoling down to show the captain from a low angle in order to relect his power. An important part of cinematography is the framing which is clearly used for effct in this sequence. The Captain is always framed in the centre of the frame as he has authority and control whereas the the soldiers and the doctor are either framed to the right or the left as they are never in control throughout this sequence.

When interrogating the farmers, a series of close-ups of the farmers face getting repeatedly bashed in makes the act appear even more violent and jarring to the audience with a static wide shot used when shooting the farmer on the floor, centrally framing the captain to make this act of violence all the more disconcerting for the audience, firmly disavowing any thoughts that he isn’t a maniacal killer. Also, the colour palette has once again changed when outside with the farmers being lit by dark blue and grey colours that reflect that they are under the captain’s control and his actions represent the actions of the fascist regime and his methods of asserting power.

Sound

The sequence starts with a shot that focuses on Ofelia, the digetic crackling of the fire and the chirping of crickets gives a sense of comforting every day sounds which don’t suggest any danger as well as the safety and protection provided by the rustling bed sheets as Ofelia climbs in to bed to join her mother. These digetic sounds are then replaced by a new sinister creaking noise and wind from the open window which only becomes more prominent after Ofelia’s mother mentions that there is nothing sinister and it is merely the wind, putting her mind at ease; the bird sounds also link with the dialogue as her mother mentions that they are from the city and wouldn’t be used to such wildlife in a remote area. Rather than focusing on all the noises simultaneously, the sound perspective is isolated on the thing that the audience are supposed to engage with which is why we can’t hear the fire anymore as we are now concentrating on the creaking noises from the house. At this point, the non digetic composed score rises in the sound mix, linking it to the dialogue that can be heard as it begins to play when they are talking about a fantasy story. To comfort her unborn child, Carmen asks Ofelia to tell him one of her stories in order to calm him and allow her to go to sleep. A transition from the real world to the womb is accompanied by a sinister rumble and the digetic sound of a beating heart and embryonic fluid flowing is now present before these digetic womb sounds lower in the mix and the non-digetic whistling wind can now be heard and the score has increased in volume. Ofelia’s voice sounds more echoey when her narration of the story transitions from the real world to the womb and fantasy world in order to indicate the fact that she is telling a story unlike before when she was speaking to the baby in the real world at a lower tone so she was soothing the baby to stop causing her mother pain so that she could go to sleep. Upon telling the story, the sound of a cricket can be heard fading in before it reaches it’s peak noise when it has landed on the branch because it shows its approach and the digetic gust of wind that moves the branches indicate the speed of the camera when it moves away from them and begins to follow the cricket which gets louder or quieter depending on it’s distance from the camera. A gentle whoosh sound when the cricket lands on the window shows that the barrier between the fantasy world back to the real world has been crossed.

The score get more dramatic and sinister after cutting to the captain whilst Ofelia’s narration continues as she talks about being forgotten and lost which links to the captains personality as he wants to leave a legacy behind and for it to carry on with his son, stopping only when the doctor walks into the room. Emphasising the digetic sounds of the cogs in the watch draw attention to it and represents his own mechanical nature, these digetic sounds have now become more functional rather than having any meaning such as the closing of the watch and the approaching footsteps. The score that accompanied her narration has now stopped but the watch can still be heard as heard ticking as time is a continual motif that is linked to the captain. Before stepping outside, a soundbridge separates the two locations from inside the mill to outside when the wind can be heard increasing in volume before he steps outside. There is still no score as it’s important to concentrate on the conversation and particular sounds such as the digetic sound of the cork and liquid in the bottle which shows it’s significance and once again draws the audiences attention to it before the farmers son is hit with the bottle. The initial hit of the bottle on his nose is far louder than the following hits received to show the brutality of the captain making us fear his nature. The digetic sound of his nose crunching is repeated as the beating progresses and the more it does so, the more the sound of moisture can be heard to represent the blood from his broken nose. Also, as the beating starts a violin can be heard getting louder, screeching violently as the old man is shot ,coming to an abrupt end when they are both left dead. The captain puts his gun back in the holster attached to his uniform which is made more prominent than other sounds to focus attention on Vidal with the digetic sound returning to being functional to show how everything is normal once again.

Editing

The scene utilises continuity editing at the beginning to show a series of events, starting with a match on action shot of Ofelia climbing into bed. One long shot makes the atmosphere more calming and shows how she feels safe alongside her mother without any tension as the camera slowly moves into position, coming to rest before reaching her mothers stomach. an edit is a visual reminder to an audience that what we see isn’t real so the long take draws our attention. A hidden cut transitions from Ofelia talking in the real world to a CGI sequence inside her mothers womb, followed by another hidden cut that transitions from the CGI sequence back to the real world. The dissolve indicates that parallel editing is now being used to show that as the captain is in the process of fixing his watch, Ofelia is telling the story to the baby. Now in the captains room, a glance/object shot of his watch shows his focus on the task of fixing it which is then followed by a glance/object shot after the doctor has entered the room to show his priority is his watch. shot/reverse shot when talking with the doctor shows his distance from those around him as he has isolated himself from others as he views himself as being superior. a j cut transitions the scene from being inside his room to leading his soldiers outside which is slowly paced as its one long shot in order to build the tension as later on the shots are much more frequent and rapid to make it appear more shocking as he is beating the young farmer showing how the rapid sequence of cuts represents his quick change in attitude. shot/reverse shot between the captain and the farmers son that he is brutally beating shows his face being smashed in from a high angle shot to show his vulnerability whereas a low angle shot of the captain shows his power and violence. The scene ends with a lengthy shot after both farmers are dead that signals to the audience that the main action has taken place and the situation has been dissolved.

Mise-en-scene

a carving on the headboard of the bed shares similarity to the Faun’s thawns and the uteurs tree in the forest. Ofelia’s wearing a green jumper which links her to the environment and the Rebles who are hiding in the forest as she isnt a fascist like her step-father. inside the womb the colour palette is orange suggesting warmth as the baby hasnt been exposed to the cruel real world and is also associated with the fantasy world.. the mountain appears miniature whic is what the kingdom is. purple flower represnt royalty. focuses `on the crescent moon as ofelia has to complete the challenges before the full moon. fire si warm and comforting. cogs in the background of the shot and the watch represnt his mechanical nature. gold on the captains uniform is symbolic of wealth and authroity. the doctor wears a lot of brown clothing and has a brown suitcase linking him with with the republicans. he smokes whilst it was difficult to obtain tobacco showing his power and influence. the framers wear more natural colours raising the suspicion of the captain that they are rebels. blue colour palette when interrogating the farmers to hsow they are in cpntrol. physical effects used when smashing his nose to make it more realistic and horrifying.the rabbits show the innocence of the farmers after they have been murdered

Performance

Ofelia walks gingerly across the floor as it’s cold on her feet and she is wary that her mother is tired and lies close to her mother showing that the bond between them is strong and they protect each other and she speaks softly to comfort her. Carmen is rational blaming the creaking noises on the wind whereas Ofelia looks for the fantastical that might cause the noises. She is also clearly disappointed that her mother got married to the Captain but neglects to show any animosity towards her as she cares for her because she is her mother but knows that they are in this situation because of her. Ofelia whispers to her brother because of her kind nature and does so despite the fact that he is causing her mother a lot of pain as she cares for him and begins to tell him a story, where her voice takes on an echoey quality as the story becomes narrated when looking at her mothers womb.

The Captain has a precise and accurate posture, fully uniformed that shows his disciplined and calculating nature whilst gently caring for his watch which contrasts his brutality towards those he views as inferior. he begins by asking about the welfare about his wife which gives the impression that he cares about her but then brushes the matter aside and moves on to asking about his son, stopping his own troops in their task for being there to check on his son. The fact that he rejects the possibility of a daughter shows his attitude towards women, creating tension for the audience as now he has two vulnerable woman staying ta his place of residence who he is likely forgo any protection if it comes down to himself or them. When interrogating the farmers, he disregards their possessions showing his lack of care, implying that he has already made up his mind about what to do with them so when his son bravely backs up his father, doing so in the knowledge that he is surrounded by soldiers because he cares about his father, for which he is brutally beaten and his body is left to drop to the floor that demonstrates the level of the Captain’s callous. This savage nature appears to be a predictable trait of his as the soldier holding one of the farmers moves quickly out the way when he is shot as his violence is predictable. Finally, rather than accepting any blame, he puts blame on his soldiers instead who all stand to attention as they fear him, despite never shouting or raising his voice as he is both collected and sadistic.

Pan’s Labyrinth – Opening Sequence

Cinematography

The opening shot of the sequence crabs from right to left, showing the blood that is dripping from Ofelia’s hand and then tilts anti-clockwise. It is at this point that the audience realises that the blood was moving from undeground to the top of the hole, reminescent of the idea that time is moving backwards. The colour palette is blue and grey, giving it a distinctly cold feel as it’s currently in the captain’s world and his influence which becomes more apparent as the film progresses because the opening shot is blue and grey as the Captain has killed Ofelia. The camera then pushes in to Ofelia’s face and we see her pain, making the audience feel sympathetic towards her. It then moves from a close-up shot to an extreme close-up shot oh her eye, suggesting that we will see the story from her perspective and and reveals the first glimspe of the fantasy world, crabing to the right. The camera moves in to focus on where the princess is going, moving to a frame within a frame then tilting up to reveal the top of the tower where the light suddenly overexposes the frame, washing everything out and creating a transition. A low angle shot is used when looking at the ruins of the cathedral and the camera journeys from left to right to reveal a small grave which is followed by a crane shot that glides over a skull and then a wall to show the vast amount of destruction to the landscape due to the effects of the Civil War. Cut to a close-up of a book which is followed by a cut to a shot of Ofelia reading which frames the character so that the audience understands that she enjoys the idea of the fantastical. Rather than using a steadicam, a handheld camera gives the scene movement on the forest trail. The camera is always at Ofelia’s eye level rather than her mother’s hinting towards the fact that she is the main character. The centre frame of Ofelia cuts to a POV shot of Ofelia looking up at the towering trees in the sky to show what she is looking at but the camera pans down turning the POV shot into a tracking shot as she walks inquisitively down a muddy path. The use of a glance/object shot draws the audiences attention to the rock that she pick up in her hand as it shows how it is of significance to the story with an over the shoulder shot to see what Ofelia sees whilst viewing her reaction to the object. Cut to a follow shot of Ofelia walking towards a mysterious statue which is framed on the left whilst Ofelia is framed on the right, used to effectively show what the soldiers are doing in the background in the centre of the frame. After placing the rock in the hole of the statue, an arc shot reveals her mother and a soldier waiting for her to come down from the small grass mound where the statue is positioned. The deliberate use of a wide angle lens makes the shots appear submersive, making us feel like we are actually following what Ofelia is doing and where she is going. The camera pillars up then focus pulls to transfer the focus from from the cars to the insect that has landed on the tree and arcs around to show the cars exiting the frame whilst still following the insect. Finally, as the convoy disappears up the road, the shot cuts to the captain who is introduced with a close-up shot of his pocket watch before seeing who it belongs to showing that it has major significance to him.

Sound

In the opening sequence, a ‘J – cut’ is used of the digetic sound of wind whistling in the background, giving an ominous tone to build tension and anticipation before the story begins. The non-digetic narration gives exposition and delivers context to the story that is about to be told. The wind continues to be gently heard as the digetic sound of blood dripping draws our attention to it which reveals Ofelia lying injured on the ground. The sounds in the mix contribute to a feeling of melancholy as we see Ofelia dying after being shot. Upon the transition from the reality to the fantasy world, an accompanying ominous bass sound shows that we have changed locations and the non-digetic score attains a lullaby quality similar to something a child would sing and now sounds more mystical rather than ominous as there is a change from death to life and from reality to fantasy. An important factor to note is that a part of the non-digetic score takes on a slight choir-like quality when changing to the fantasy world. This could imply a sense of the unknown as it could be linked to ideas of religion and how different people interpret ideas differently depending on their beliefs which plays a strong part in the film as Ofelia is the only one willing to believe in the fantasy world whilst those around her push ideas that involve what they cant be certain is in the real world aside.

The non-diegetic score completely stops when we see ofelia and her mother in the car in order to allow the diegetic dialogue to define the scene as it gives important context to the story. Also, when inside the car and standing outside it, the noise from the engine is far more prominent than when Ofelia begins to walk away later on, showing that we are seeing this event from her perspective rather than the soldiers or her mothers, further indicating that she is important in terms of the upcoming events. Sound is used very selectively throughout thescene, for example, when Ofelia picks up the rock, a exaggerated sound of the rock hitting her foot draws attention to the object before we see it. After picking up the rock, the score starts briefly to show how the rock has significance and then becomes more orchestral with the sound of a deep cello adding to the effect on the audience and showing that something isn’t right when she is overlooking the overgrown statue. A diegetic rumble and flutter builds ominous tension before the impending action occurs, when a large insect emerges from the hole in the statue and stops as it has been revealed to the audience what was causing the noise. The ominous rumble subverts the audiences expectation as it implies that something bad is about to take place, building this tension which causes the audience to fear what might be lurking inside whereas in fact the stopping of the noise shows how there is no imminent threat of danger. The scene still maintains that it is from Ofelia’s perspective due to the diegetic dialogue not increasing after she moves away with her mother back to the car whilst focusing on the insect, meaning the dialogue becomes less distinguishable and the fluttering of the insect and the engine of the car now have a more prominent place in the sound mix, before a J-cut of the ticking of the Captain’s watch indicates that time has passed before they reach their destination.

Editing

To begin with, a set of titles appear at the start and move towards us to draw the audience into the information that is being relayed to us, giving us a greater understanding of the historical context in Spain that will be important for fully understanding the story.

The opening shot is shown in reverse so that it shows the film is not in chronological order, choosing to start at the end instead. As the camera moves in towards her eye, there is a hidden cut in the blackness of her eye that transitions the scene from the real world to the fantasy aswell as from the end of the story to the beginning. When escaping, the princess runs up a large spiraling staircase that leads to the top where she can be free from the fantasy world, where the sunlight is harshly facing down on her and is used to fade to a white transition so that it appears that it is the effect of the sunlight. A dissolve effect indicates the passing of time so the audience knows that there is a large period of time between the two events. The audience are implicitly told that Ofelia is the main character due to the shot/ reverse shot and the edit favouring a longer amount of screen time over her mother when they are conversing in the car. Contunuity editing is used in the next shots when a cut to a shot of the sky shows the focus of her attention, leading to Ofelai stumbling over a rock on the floor where a glance/object shot shows that it has an important meaning in setting up the story. Shots are focalised on what Ofelia is focused on such as when she looks at the statue which is treated like a person as shot/reverse hsot is once again used before the insect emerges and a reaction shot shows what she is thinking in order to affect the way he audience feels about her. At the end of the sequence there is a switch to contiguity editing after the cars are shown to be starting to carry on their journey but changes to the perspective of the Captain who is already seeing them arriving.

Mise-en-scene

The white text on black background is used for exposition, giving necessary context to the audience in the titles that represents the good and evil portrayed in the film whilst the font appears gothic just like you would see on a tombstone. The fantasy world has a grand and cavernous empty space with an exotic storybook landscape similar to Gaudi’s style of architecture such as the Casa Milà in Barcelona, looking ancient as if its crumbling and in need of help. The two sphynx displayed demonstrate an Egyptian style of architecture which shows a mix of landscape that could have been constructed from a childs point of view due to the various types of abstract structures from different parts of the world. The clothing she wears is similar to red riding hood, suggesting that the story is going to be an adventure as the story of red riding hood follows a young girl who ventures into the unknown just like Ofelia. The crumbling cathedral appears as though it was once magnificent, symbolic of the effects of the war. The tree branches have no leaves on them as the princess has died because of the exposure to sunlight whilst the skull found in the cathedral represents the death present in the film. Ofelia reads a book that appears to show a young girl just like in Peter Pan who is surrounded by fairies and shows the fantasy world crossing into reality which looks worn that suggests its comforting to her. She is wearing the same coat as her mother as its a layer of protection that the Captain gives to them but her mother is wearing blue shirt, showing the Captain has tainted her whereas Ofelia is wearing a green shirt, showing her connection to nature is being covered up by the influence of her mother and the Captain. The statue that Ofelia discovers faces inwards, away from the others so that only Ofelia is able to see the fantasy world, looking ancient with a ruined face which is a typical motif of toro’s films.She is also surrounded by seeds and flowers floating around her that represent the fairies that she will have a connection to over the course of the film. The name Ofelia in Greek means ‘help’, linking to her caring nature and foreshadows her actions in the film when she attempts to help her mothers child and the faun. Finally, the watch that the captain is holding is another reference to fantasy as it references to Alice in Wonderland which also follows the adventures of a young girl just like Ofelia.

Performance

The rapid breathing of Ofelia shows the fear she has as she knows that she is about to die, suffering in great pain from the wound caused by the Captain shooting her and it’s because of this look of pain that the audience can sympathise with her. After transitioning to the fantasy world, the young princess running quickly in the distance shows the desperation that she has to flee her world and explore above the surface which contrasts Ofelia, who when first introduced, appears lifeless and immobile after being shot and then engrossed in her book about the world that the princess attempts to flee from. Ofelia’s strong connection to the fantasy world is first shown when she strokes a page that depicts a picture of fairies that surround a young girl, implying that she feels close to them, wanting to involve herself with fantasy rather than the real world. Ofelia’s mother, Carmen, appears disappointed as she doesn’t believe in fairy tales whilst Ofelia is more interested in the contents of her book than her mother speaking, who is cradling her stomach to draw attention to her pregnancy, making her weary and ill which foreshadows her death later. Ofelia looks emotionless at her mother’s pain, disliking the fact that her mother is pregnant as she doesn’t agree with her marrying the Captain, choosing to instead wander off in curiosity and shows her habit of not doing what she is told. Upon finding an insect, Ofelia briefly jumps backwards in shock as it reveals itself but is unafraid of it, letting her curiosity take over her rather than consider any possible danger she might be putting herself in. After her mother tells her to move away from the statue, guiding her back to the car, her mother puts her arm around her for support whereas Ofelia doesn’t touch her mother as she took her away from the fantasy world and brought her back into the real world. Finally, the Captain immediately shows his sternous when we first see him, clutching his watch in his dark black gloves, showing he is disciplined and more concerned in the time than with the safety of his wife.

Pan’s Labyrinth Contextualised

1. Synopsis

Real world: It is 1944 and General Francisco Franco is the fascist ruler of Spain. Captain Vidal and his falangist troops have taken control of a mill in the mountains of Spain. They stockpile food there, giving the civilians barely enough to eat so that they can’t afford to give any supplies to the leftist guerrillas in the woods. Vidal has married Carmen, who bares his child. He sends for her because he wants to be present at the birth of his son. Vidal has little time for Carmen’s young bookish daughter, Ofelia.

Unbeknownst to Vidal, his housekeeper (Mercedes) has a brother who leads the rebel maquis. She and Doctor Ferriero secretly supply the guerrillas.

The communist rebels retake the mill shortly after Carmen dies during childbirth. As the falangists are overrun, Ofelia kidnaps the newly born child. Vidal follows her into a nearby labyrinth where he shoots the girl and reclaims the baby. He is confronted at the entrance of the labyrinth by Mercedes and a large group of maquis. Pedro (Mercedes’ brother) shoots Vidal under the right eye and kills him. A weeping Mercedes cradles Ofelia. Ofelia dies.

Fantasy world: Princess Moanna sneaks out from the underworld to become mortal and dies. Her spirit passes through countless humans. The king of the underworld vows to wait for Moanna’s return. A fairy leads Ofelia to a labyrinth where a faun tells her she is a reincarnation of Princess Moanna and that she needs to return to the underworld.

However, to make sure that her magical spirit is still intact, Ofelia has to successfully perform three tasks — obtain a key from the belly of a giant toad (that is killing a tree where enchanted creatures rest); use the key to retrieve an item from a locked door guarded by a demon (the Pale Man); spill the blood of an innocent into the portal of the underworld.

The faun instructs her in sorcery. Ofelia is distracted because of her sick mother and fails the second task. Ofelia passes the final test by sacrificing her life instead of her brother’s.

Princess Moanna returns to the underworld where she rules with “justice and a kind heart”.

2. When and where do the events in the film take place? The period featured, 1944 in Spain, is intriguing to the non-specialist as it is clearly a period where the rumblings from the Spanish Civil War are still being felt despite the war itself having finished in 1939. The main setting of the film is a military outpost in Catalonia surrounded by a rural area.

3. Briefly, what was the Spanish Civil War about? When and how did it start and end? The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and ended in 1939 and started due to economic hardship experienced in the 1920’s and 30’s caused by the Great Depression. It caused a large amount of unrest and an election in 1936 brought to power a leftist Popular Front government. Fascist and extreme-right forces responded with an army mutiny and coup attempt that turned into a civil war.

The final Republican offensive stalled at the Ebro River in 1938. Within months Barcelona would fall, and in 1939, some 200,000 Nationalist troops entered Madrid unopposed. The city had endured a siege of nearly two-and-a-half years, and its residents were in no condition to resist. The following day the remnant of the Republican government surrendered; Franco would establish himself as dictator and remain in power until his death on November 20, 1975.

4. Which of the factions does the Captain represent? Why is he stationed at the mill? The Captain represents both the Nationalist and Spanish factions lead by General Franco. He is stationed at the mill in order to find the last remaining cells of Republican rebels hiding in the mountains.

5. Which of the factions do the people in the mountains represent? Why are they hiding? They represent the Republican rebels who are hiding out in the mountains after the fascists were victorious in the civil war. They are hiding from Vidal and the Nationalists who are looking for the last remaining Republicans groups.

6. Which of the factions do the political and religious elite support? Why? A local priest, attending a meal held by the Captain, dismisses the possible pain felt by the rebels on theological grounds. His representation lacks humanity and is clearly a barbed commentary on an out of touch and complicit Catholic church: “God has already saved their souls. What happens to their bodies hardly matters to him.” Del Toro uses the cinematic conceit of a banquet to heighten the corruption of the local middle classes and ruling elite.

Despite his criticisms of Catholicism as a dogma and institution it is clear that Del Toro admires the spirituality of his native religion — in a later film Crimson Peak, a ghost story, he commented on his belief in ghosts. The scene above is strongly redolent of a stylised heaven with its church-like setting, a rosary window flooded with golden light and a grey bearded father figure flanked by a doe-eyed mother. It is all rather stuffy and formal befitting a royal court perhaps but not a fairy domain. That said it is clearly Ofelia’s (Princess Moanna’s) ‘happy place’ – she has come home to a loving warm family and an adoring people.

Political and religious elites supported the nationalist faction because of the power and wealth of the catholic church and due to the fact that the majority of political parties agreed to the Spanish Coup in 1936 including the falangists. The priest shown at the feast also shows that the church are in support of the nationalists. There were only small groups of republican Catholics called the Basques but they were only made up of small groups.

7. Which of the factions do the peasants support? Why? They were supporters of the Republicans as the right-wing government had attacked workers’ and peasants’ living standards with wages being cut in half. Republicans were also eradicated from the military, universities and the public sector so when the civil war broke out between the far left and right, they supported the right.

8. What role do women play in the two factions? The representation of women is evidence of the social problems women faced in this patriarchal and macho era.

Parties worked to encourage women in their ranks, but women would be locked out of other opportunities and their concerns were ignored on both the Nationalist and Republican sides. Women for the first time would be involved in in combat on the front and Republican women had the choice to be actively involved in fighting fascism.

In the film, Mercedes takes a lead role in fighting the fascists but she doesn’t actually fight on the front line and acts more as a spy and a messenger for the Republicans. Carmen on the other hand doesn’t see any fighting and instead raises her child and cares for unborn son. Other women in the film include those who work to clean and cook for the men who are actively fighting.

9. How is food an important symbol in the film? Part of the fascists propaganda was that no family will go without bread and water which is why rationing out the food became so important so that all families could survive and be given provisions equally. However, it’s also used as a symbol if wealth. The fascists clearly deprive food from poorer families and instead hold great banquets with vast amounts of food that could feed large groups of people but instead choose to feed only powerful and influential people showing the level of corruption. The food also becomes one of the main focus points of the film as the Republicans blow up the stores where they are kept, exposing how the Nationalists are blinded by greed and power so they are unable to spot Republican sympathisers in their ranks.

10. How is poverty an important theme in the film? Poverty was caused by the great depression towards the end of the 1920’s and through the 1930’s causing the civil war to begin in 1936. This saw a shift from a leftist dictatorship to a fascist dictatorship which the majority of labourers despised. The film shows the differences in standards of living for the Republicans and Nationalists as Captain Vidal is safe in the mill with large resources of food,medicine and tobacco whilst the Republicans are forced to hide in the mountains and get medicine from a doctor who steals from the fascists.

11. How is time an important theme in the film? Time is a recurring motif throughout the film. The captain has a pocket watch that he continually attempts to repair, foreshadowing his death at the end of the film as he is running out of time and he can’t change or fix what his fate will be. Time is also important to Ofelia as she has to complete 3 tasks before the end of the full moon.

12. How is disobedience an important theme in the film? Ofelia is very disobedient, especially when concerning her new stepfather, Captain Vidal, who shows no affection towards her and is only concerned with the welfare of her mother but it soon becomes clear that the reason for this is because he wants a strong son and doesn’t care about the consequences of what might happen to Ofelia’s mother. It’s because of her disobedience that she discovers the labyrinth and is lead on 3 tasks in order to restore her place as the princess. She goes against her mothers wish to take care of the dress she made for her and later on leaves with Mercedes to find her republican brother before being stopped by her stepfather. This leads to her stealing her stepfather’s child and upon seeking out the Faun, she goes against his order to hand over the child, resulting in the Faun telling her that she can never become a princess again and being shot by Captain Vidal, leading to her death.

13. How and in what ways does Pan’s Labyrinth draw on fairy tale and fantasy tropes and archetypes? One of the main themes in the film is the fantasy world with the idea that a young girl will believe what others deem to be the impossible as she enjoys reading fairy tale books and doesn’t fully understand the impact that the Spanish Civil War will have on her life. Other films that draw on the same fantasy ideas include ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’. The influence from Alice in Wonderland is the use of imagery such as the dress, the large feasts, the continual reference to clocks and the time and the hole. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ both have the leading female protagonist wearing red shoes. In ‘Oz’, the shoes are able to take Dorothy home and the red shoes that Ofelia wears at the end of the film after she dies symbolises how she is home and draws on the idea of fate. Other archetypes include the mandrake root also seen in ‘Harry Potter’ and the fairies which are present in Disney films such as Tinkerbell in ‘Peter Pan’. All these films have elements of fantasy in them and they all involve a child being taken away from somewhere where they feel like an outcast and taking them to a fantasy world where they feel like they really belong.

14. How is fascism portrayed in the film? The negative depiction of Franco’s fascist forces is clearly intended to be extended to the imaginative poverty of fascism in general — in contrast to the more benign and sensitive (although hardly democratic) fairy kingdom. A more realist political representation is that of the guerrillas who are presented as resourceful and determined and egalitarian. Mercedes’ love of children (Ofelia and her baby brother) suggests a tenderness and a celebration of all things childish — indeed, unlike Ofelia’s weak and dismissive mother, Mercedes gives advice on the handling of fauns.

The Fascists are depicted as being tyrannical and oppressive whilst the Republicans are presented as being caring and loyal. The Nationalists are most prominently highlighted in taking part in violent actions and engulfing themselves with large amounts of food and other luxuries that many starving people are without. They are shown to torture, kill and show a lack of care towards women. The Republicans on the other hand don’t engage in torture and are trying to survive whilst still fighting for what they believe to be right. We mainly see their perspective from Mercedes who takes care of Ofelia, attempting to get her out of danger like a mother but Vidal puts her in direct danger. Also, when the Republicans attack and breach the mill, the first thing they are shown doing is searching for Ofelia showing the amount of care they have, becoming even more apparent later on when Mercedes weeps over the dead body Ofelia.

15. How does Guillermo del Toro employ uterine imagery in the film? Uterine imagery is something that relates to the uterus. It can be first seen in the film when Ofelia’s baby brother can be seen inside her mothers womb. It’s also present through the representation of the uterus in the dead tree where deep inside there is a huge toad that dies after being poisoned, leaving behind a huge heart with a key. This idea represents Carmen and how she is in agony because of her unborn child who is killing her and when she gives birth, she dies, leaving behind her child who becomes an important part of Ofelia’s task to unlock the gateway to becoming a princess with a blood sacrifice. This is an extension of Ofelia trying to help her mother and her viewing her baby brother as a sickness and the toad exploding is her own attempt to birth the boy to end her mums pain

16. How are maternal instincts presented in the film? Maternal instincts are mainly shown through the characters Mercedes and Ofelia which is ironic because Carmen is the only mother in the film. Mercedes takes care of Ofelia when her mother is ill with Ofelia’s unborn brother. She actively attempts to get her out of trouble when she ruins her dress and tries to leave with her after her mother dies and she is in danger. When Mercedes leaves, Ofelia takes over as having the maternal instincts as she attempts to escape with her little brother to take him to safety and when the Faun asks for his blood, she rejects the opportunity to become a princess and makes her brother the priority, dieing because of this. Ofelia is also given a mandrake root which has to be nurtured and cared for to end her mums sickness and shows her beginning to care for her brother as she cant’t see him behind the pain he is causing her mother and so begins to see him something other than pain by looking after him and using the milk and her own blood for passion.

17. What is the significance of faces and shaving in the film? Faces are an important part of identity which is clearly an important part of Captain Vidal’s status as he continually shaves his face to show he takes pride in his appearance and cares about other people’s perception of him. A major turning point in the film then is when he gets his mouth cut which he attempts to hide from the view of those around him more out of embarrassment than in pain. Not only would it be humiliating for him to be wounded but even more so to be wounded by a Republican woman as he would view himself as a proud and honourable fighter and this would taint the outlook that other people have on him. Also, in an interview, Director Guillermo del Toro spoke about giving the captain his facial injury to show the audience that the captain is a monster now both mentally and physically. Injuries to the face is a common theme that appears in del Toro films such as in ‘The Devils Backbone’ for the ghost Santi who is shown to have cracked his head with blood constantly spilling out.

18. What is the significance of flowers in the film? They are significant as they represent the idea of rebirth for Ofelia at the end of the film as when she dies, flowers are used to show that she still live on despite living in a fantasy world. They also represent life and how eventually that life must die as nothing lasts forever seen through the character Ofelia.

19. How does Guillermo del Toro operate a ‘one for them, one for me’ filmmaking policy? He operates a ‘one for them, one for me’ policy by directing a film thay will bring money in for the production company resulting in him being able to make a film that he wants to after the commercial success of the bigger Hollywood blockbuster. One example of this was ‘Pacific Rim’ (2013) and ‘Shape of Water’ (2018). He did ‘Pacific Rim’ for the studios and ‘Shape of Water’ for himself.

20. How far is Pan’s Labyrinth representative of Guillermo del Toro’s oeuvre? Del Toro as an effective and idiosyncratic fantasy/horror auteur is evidenced in his earlier films such as Cronos (1993), The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015) as well as in his much more mainstream Hollywood work such as Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013).

Del Toro’s films typically deal with the supernatural. In Del Toro’s worlds, rather than the moststers and supernatural elements of the film being the threat, he shows that the only real monsters are human. In ‘The Devil”s Backbone’ the dead ghost boy is supposed to be the supernatural and threatening but in fact del Toro shows that the real enemy is Jacinto rather than the ghost. Similarly in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, one interpretation of the film is that Ofelia actually died and there was no fantasy world, instead she dreamt it to come to terms with the pain she feels in real life such as losing her dad her and having him replaced with her new stepfather, Captain Vidal.

21. How did the critical reception of The Devil’s Backbone influence the production of Pan’s Labyrinth? In an interview with the guardian he said “We got rave reviews, lots of applause, people telling me “great movie!” Then landed in Los Angeles and then September 11 happened. That was when I realised that anything, and whatever I had to say about brutality and innocence had just changed. It changed so much over the course of the year that I had to make a movie that structurally echoed Devil’s Backbone, and that you could watch back to back. Devil’s Backbone is the boy’s movie. It’s the brother movie. But Pan’s Labyrinth is the sister movie, the female energy to that other one. I wanted to make it because fascism is definitely a male concern and a boy’s game, so I wanted to oppose that with an 11-year-old girl’s universe.”

22. Was the film financially successful? Released in the UK by Optimum. Premiered at Cannes in May 2006 to great acclaim. Co–produced by a number of Spanish, Mexican and American production companies the $19 million budget is reflected in the complex production design, period dressing and relatively large cast. The eventual worldwide box office of $83.3 million was seen as a triumph making profit of over 441.5%.

It became the highest grossing Spanish-language picture ever released and moved successfully into the top 10 list, expanding to more than 1,100 screens. It’s so successful because it brings in Spanish speaking audiences whilst still appealing to non-Spanish speaking countries and showing that high end motion pictures can be made on far smaller budgets.

23. Why is the year of release of The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth significant? ‘Devil’s Backbone’ was released in 2003 whilst ‘Pan’s Labyrinth was released in 2006, spread 3 years apart much like how the Spanish Cuvil War lasted for almost 3 years from 1936-39.

24. Why no CGI? The key technology used in this film is the animatronics and green screen work as discussed above and its effective creation of a magical-realist production design.

Costume design is so important for film and especially for these type of fantasy films in order to make the creatures appear even more realistic including their movements such as with the Faun otherwise the audience will be taken out of the story and lose interest.

25. Why did GdT write the DVD subtitles himself? Del Toro wrote the subtitles for Pan’s Labyrinth himself after becoming disillusioned with the translation of The Devil’s Backbone — a film also with the Spanish Civil War as its backdrop and the informal prequel to Pan’s Labyrinth.

Del Toro no longer trusts translators after the work on The devils backbone and said in an interview that they were for the “thinking impaired” and “incredibly bad”. He also did this so “it doesn’t feel like your watching a subtitled film”.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Mop-Up

I found the post-production on this project to be the most stressful I’ve ever had to work with. My plan was to add music and touch up certain shots to make them look a lot sharper; however, there were numerous factors as to why I feel that it could have gone a lot better which I will list below.

Strengths

There were several shots that I had never used or attempted before and it was good to see what it was like taking them from an idea to reality. Also I found that whilst filming I was able to think of new shot ideas such as a shot where it shows a close up of myself but in between my arm and my body my mums hand can be seen poisoning the water. This experimental shot was risky but I think it actually worked so its definitely important to consider new shot ideas for the future.

Weaknesses

The main thing that I found to be an issue was the editing software that is available on android. It meant there was a large watermark at the bottom of the screen and there was a lack of functionality, for example you are unable to add sound effects or colour grade competently so you mostly have to use the raw footage taken. Other examples of how it’s inadequate for video editing are that there is a lack of volume control, transitions and to make it even harder, you can’t turn the app landscape so cutting clips is extremely difficult. One of the clearest annoyances is the watermark that has been left at the bottom right hand corner of the film.

If I had to do this again I would change a few things: I would use final cut pro as it was impossible to edit on an app; I would be more aware of the lighting and i would minimise the amount of shots i make in order to create a smoother workflow.

Also, I would have liked to take some more time considering music choices as I don’t think they fit as well as I would have hoped. Next time i plan to make sure that i have all the necessary equipment with me to improve the appearance of the film such as my camera, lighting, tripod and editing on adobe premiere pro.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Location Scout and Floor Plan

To help me plan my shots I created a storyboard on paper.

I did a location scout as part of the pre- production process in order to work out whether my idea would fit the scale of the kitchen. I found that there was some issue with my ideas so I was forced to change some shots and there were several continuity errors which were unfortunately necessary as there was a lack of space.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Filming

Following the instructions given, i used my phone to shoot the film, using mostly static shots with a select few tracking shots at key moments. I was restricted by the capability of my phone and had to rely on my mum for certain shots who had no previous filming experience. This is one of the main reasons i used a lot of static shots but also because the kitchen is very small so certain shots couldn’t be achieved in such a confined space. My character was responsible for making the drink whilst my mum was the one drinking. I decided to use clear glasses so the poison in the liquid would be indistinguishable between both glasses. The lighting in the kitchen is unfortunately very weak in certain areas but was also often too harsh when filming.

I used a small tube so that it would fit in someones pocket and decided to use a radio to change the music from being digetic and non-digetic to give it context.

When filming, I found that there was several things that went wrong. Firstly, the already poor lighting was made worse when one of the bulbs went out mid-shoot. Also my tripod broke during filming so most shots looked shaky and unprofessional.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Screenplay

Pans Labyrinth (del Toro, 2006)

Doctor: But Captain, to obey – just like that – for obedience’s sake… without questioning… That’s something only people like you do.

In Spain 1944, the young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie yet captivating fantasy world, finding a collection of magical creatures that set her numerous tasks to complete in order to save her mother and become the young princess she is destined to be.

The film is the second part of an incomplete trilogy and combines themes of loss, tragedy and joy.

One of my favourite aspects of this film is it’s aesthetic looks and representation. The beginning of the film shows a luscious and warm forest but is paralleled later on in the film with a dark and mirky atmosphere as the effects of the war closes in on them. The vibrant colours perfectly reflect the current state of the story or the chosen character creating a much wider and deeper meaning behind the emotions and feelings at that point in time, creating effects of tension and despair. The representation is so subtle and yet so brilliant in this movie, for example the slow decay of the tree and the toad that lives inside that dies, leaving only it’s beating heart, representing Ofelia’s mother and the baby which eventually kills her.

Production design is possibly one of the best of all time due to the creative and realistic characters that bring the story to life and allow the audience to be forced into it, feeling every emotion and sharing the pain of every hardship.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Treatment

Shona stands over the pots and pans, flustered and wearily stirring the large wooden spoon to prevent the already sorrowful looking substance from boiling over. She isn’t fazed by the sudden appearance of her son, Aaron, who makes it his business to move sharply past her, exchanging a mere glance that would to a stranger show no affection in the form of a mother to her son. He leans over to pour a drink from the silver tap and slowly turns around beginning to drink from the cup. A soft melody gently that quietly plays in the background gradually becomes more noticeable to Aaron as he drinks the last remains of the ice cold water. His eyes shift focus towards the lapping music which he has become increasingly aware of, moving forward without any urgency, he thrusts his finger down to a button on the radio, sharply halting the sound from its speakers, leaving a silent and eerie pause before Shona turns briskly towards Aaron. Steadily, she has moved from the dismal attempt at cooking to place herself where she can reach for a number of old plates and mislaid cups at her disposal. She draws her breath, exclaiming sarcastically “Oh, its nice to see you got me a drink too”, unfazed and uncaring he gives a swift effortless shrug, showing no sign of retort “And i see you turned off my music”. Aaron slowly raises his head, knowing that he must surely speak if he desires no further aggravation. Naturally, he is neither capable of being pleasant or considerate, returning her comment with an undaunted look of disgust, stating “If we have to listen to music at least make it good, d’ya know how many times iv’e had to listen to this crap?”, his tone has raised now as he begins to show his aggression. Shona, looking slightly bewildered, begins to bring up the courage to respond, doing so in a defensive manner whilst being taken back by the insult at her choice of entertainment “Well, i um, i think that…” she’s interrupted by the loud bellowing voice of Aaron who unleashes a wild barrage of fury “I don’t care what you think and why should I?”. They both stand silent, staring at one another until Aaron breaks the silence, “Alright” he conceded reluctantly, “How’s about the drink?” as his eyes appear to scowl at her. Aaron turns towards the sink quickly and begins to pour the water into the tall clear glass. Shona, taking a great stride to reach the half empty mug sitting neatly on the table, reveals a small glass vile that she had concealed in her right pocket. Oblivious and unaware, Aaron turns around to hand a full cup of ice clear water, slightly shaking and spilling a small amount of the liquid over the edge. Shona takes a large gulp of water and places it down beside her as Aaron reaches for his own drink and begins to take a small sip from the cup. Suddenly, he begins to violently choke until he is left coughing and spluttering on the ground, gasping at every opportunity for air without success. Heavy footed and looking over the cold and lifeless body of Aaron wasting away on the damp and dark floor, she paces without urgency over him, forcefully flicking the radio on to once again play a calm and soothing melody and stand with admiration, looking across to the countryside view and taking a considerable drink from her cup before setting it beside her. The room remains cold and harsh as the night closes in on them, Aaron now as lifeless as the icy moon, slowly but surely shuts his eyes in the knowledge of his imminent and unavoidable eternal sleep.

Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)

Frank Abagnale Sr.: Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse, wouldn’t quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out. Gentlemen, as of this moment, I am that second mouse.

An FBI agent pursues Frank Abagnale Jr. who successfully managed to forge millions of dollars’ worth of checks while posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor. Until one day he finds his luck runs out but in a surprise turn of events, begins work for the FBI, helping to track people down just like him.

The first time i saw the film, the main aspects that were drawn straight to my attention were both the mise-en-scene and the performance.

Performance

There are a few standouts in this film such as the laid back Tom Hanks playing Carl Hanratty, the charismatic Leonardo Di Caprio playing Frank Abagnale Jr. and the likes of Christopher Walken playing his father and Martin Sheen playing Frank’s father in law. Di Caprio is able to bring a spark to the role that other actors would struggle to find with an ability to make the audience believe that he is the character that he envelops. He also brilliantly showed us the type of man behind the crimes and what he could have done if he stayed on the right side of the law, although we would rather see the exciting chase between the two men.

Mise-en-scene

A particular scene that i wish to focus on for mise-en-scene is the scene where Frank Abagnale Jr. is almost captured by Detective Hanratty but uses his cunning and wit to escape the difficult situation. One of the most notable pieces of design is the elaborate food display that is present across the scene. There is no immediate attention brought to the display but when Frank Jr. has eluded the grasp of Hanratty, attention is drawn to the black leather wallet that is full of various food labels and suddenly everything in the scene begins to fall into place for Hanratty that he is the criminal. The comic book, large amounts of food and cheques begin to have a greater meaning for him and gives a greater understanding as to the personality of the characters evoking more feelings of sympathy and compassion.

I would in no doubt say that ‘Catch Me If You Can’ ranks highly among some of my favourite movies of all time because of its gripping and enticing nature. My only complaint would be the lethargic start to the film which fortunately is made up for in the following middle and end phases ;however, it does nonetheless give background to his life and allow us to gain sympathy towards Frank Jr because of the trauma he had in his early life.

Kitchen Sink Drink – Introduction

The task that we must complete is to plan, film, edit and upload a sequence that features two characters in a kitchen, during which a drink is offered and accepted but something is secretly added to it. We must document all the stages of production and embed the finished sequence.

Treatment- A treatment is a as a “novelized” version of your screenplay. Instead of writing in traditional screenplay format, you’re relaying the narrative as a sort of short story or novel.

An example of this would be that in your screenplay it would look like this:

Ewan stands over the body of his dead mother with her necklace in his hands, slowly looking up to the sky in the pouring rain. He’s sobbing.

Ewan

What have you done!

Whereas in a treatment it would look like this:

Ewan stands over the body of his dead mother with her necklace in his hands, slowly looking up to the sky in the pouring rain. He’s sobbing. Drawing all his strength he exclaims “What have you done!”.

The Devil’s Backbone (del Toro, 2001)

Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber. 

After Carlos – a 12 year old boy is left at an orphanage when his father died in the Spanish civil war, he discovers that the orphanage is haunted and must uncover the secrets that lie beneath.

The film manages to simultaneously be both haunting and tragic at the same time and combines many individual stories of guilt, war and death. Despite fitting the horror category (a genre which i have typically shyed away from), it transcends a far deeper meaning than merely being a scary story and shows the value of teamwork and companionship in a deeply troubled time.

One of the main things that I loved about the film was the ending. It leaves the audience questioning what they just saw, attempting to figure out what was real and what wasn’t. Something that I perhaps would improve is the presence and meaning of the bomb. Whilst I recognise that the bomb held some significance in the timeline of the story, I think that it could have had a better place in the film.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Aesthetics

The most prominent part of ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ that Wes Anderson utilises superbly is the inclusion of varying aspect ratios to represent the different time period that a particular scene or shot is set in.

During scenes set in the 1930s, the aspect ratio is noticeably different to a more typical modern day aspect ratio because it uses a 1.37 : 1 aspect ratio, traditional of the time. The majority of the film is shot using this aspect ratio as it is during the time period where we see a young ‘Zero’ and ‘M.Gustave’ working at the ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’.

However, scenes set during the 1960s use a 2.39 : 1 aspect ratio which creates a widescreen effect which was commonly used during this time as there was a large competition between TV and Cinema so films were made to appear larger and more expansive, giving the audience a reason to go out to the cinema rather than stay at home.

Lastly, the aspect ratio 1.85 : 1 was used to show scenes from 1985 onwards and is far more recognisable to a modern day audience as this aspect ratio is used in the majority of films dating from 1985. There are very few scenes in which this aspect ratio is present as the majority of the film is set in the 1960s recounting the story of his adventures with ‘M.Gustave’ during the 1930s. It is present at the start and at the end of the film however, with a young woman reading the book about ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ that was told to the author by ‘Zero’ during the 1960’s.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Representation

Representation is how the director presents certain ideas or stereotypes through the use of fictional characters on screen. One of the most prominent examples of this in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ would be the difference in classes. Characters such as ‘Madame D.’ represent an upper class way of living whilst characters such as ‘Zero’ and the shoeshine boy represent people who have lost something, with the shoeshine boy it’s his leg forcing him to find an unrewarding job and with ‘Zero’ it’s his family which forces him to travel to a different country in search of work so that he might survive.

We empathise with ‘Zero’ at the beginning more than we would with any other character such as ‘M.Gustave’ because he has been forced out of his home country due to conflict and surrounded by those who are more accustomed to wealthy surroundings, creating the effect of disorientation on the audience as everything seems on a considerably larger scale to him and therefore it is shown to be much larger to us showing how he is so distant from the setting he is in.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Performance

Chapters 4 and 5, ‘M.Gustave’ 00″09:21 – 00:10:50

M.Gustave is relaxed until he hears people approaching and becomes more professional taking precise steps. The organisation of the room looks choreographed showing that he is disciplined and organised and he gives commandments louder than those he is commanding answers as he is in control.

When talking to Madame D. he puts on a happy appearance despite desperately wanting her to leave and it can be clearly seen that she is nervous for her own life but he is anxious and restless and reassures her in order to get her to leave. He becomes far more informal when speaking with guests and very out of character. Also, he cant hide his repulsion and interrupts himself to complain about her nails showing his impatient attitude.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Mise-en-scene

Chapter 5, ‘Lobby’ 00:11:33 – 00:13:32

-Matching cross key symbols foreshadow his secret hotel organisation -All staff are wearing purple and gold representing wealth -Zero has a drawn on moustache to make him look older -Zero has his hat on sideways to show his inexperience -M.Gustave has a neat moustache and hair -Crippled boy is dirty and wearing bland clothes to show his poverty -Juxtaposition of language as M.Gustave has formal pronunciation but says some very informal things -M.Gustave is wearing a morning suit and grey and white as he is a figure of authority -M.Gustave carries around a notepad to show he is always prepared -The palm court is full of palms with a fountain, lots of staff, expensive art and marble and flowers which show luxury -All staff must defer to him for advice and respect his decision -In the elevator he is the only one sat down while others have to stand up

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Editing

Chapters 28 and 29, ‘The second copy of the second will’ 01:20:47 – 01:27:09

The 4 types of editing include:

Continuity editing – Showing a sequence in order Contiguity editing – We don’t see the whole sequence of events leading up to something (e.g. someone at a bus stop then they get on a bus and then shows them at their destination) Parallel editing – Cuts from one thing to show another thing but the audience knows those things are happening at the same time Montage editing – Series of related clips set to music that conveys meaning

There is a non – digetic composed score that sets the rhythm for the the editing so that the cut happens on the beat with actions occurring in time to the soundtrack. A combination of tight shot cuts that go back to a wider shot gives more context . There is a use of contiguity editing when Agatha walks up the stairs as it shows her walking and then shows her at the top of the stairs entering the room where the safe is located. in the elevator, a glance object shot is used to show interaction with the stolen painting. Cuts from movement in one direction to a different movement to keep it interesting and changes from continuity editing to parallel editing as we understand what is happening at the same time and then later returns to continuity editing but then switches back to parallel editing when Agatha is in the lift. Wes Anderson chooses not to use shot reverse shot and instead elects to keep both characters in the frame.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Sound

Chapters 25 and 26, ‘The Remote Foothills’ 01:12:21 – 01:17:42

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is very deliberate in the way that it effectively uses its sound. One of the main techniques used is making the item, object or action that the audience should focus on, be the most prominently heard thing in that shot or scene.

In the opening shot, the digetic sound shifts from rustling paper but after the camera pans to the left, the digetic sound of the bike becomes more prominent and then decreases after the camera pans back to the right to focus on the whiskey bottle. The object is given prominence at the moment the audience should focus on a particular object. Also, the non- digetic sound of a rhythmic brush snare drum drives the action forward and the composed score doesn’t stop until the movement stops when Zero and M. Gustave begin conversing as the score accompanies movement.

At the start of the next scene, the digetic sounds of the train whistle and clacking noise can be heard before the non – digetic narration accompanies the digetic train sounds but are played quieter in order to make the speech more prominent.

Upon cutting to a wide shot on Zero and M. Gustave, a loud bass noise signals the change in location from the previous scene and the non – digetic composed score has stopped as the score accompanies movement and all movement has stopped. However when the monk approaches (indicated by metallic sounding footsteps), warning them to escape in a cable car, the score begins once again but is different to the latter as it’s more Godly because they have been saved by the monks and are travelling to the monastery. When they reach there destination, the score becomes louder and even more Godly and as the camera pans to the window, the opening sound becomes more focused and the chanting is more dominant as they enter the interior of the church, switching from non – digetic to digetic and when in the monastery, there is a slight moment of silence showing that they are out of place.

In the confession box, sounds have an echo as they are in a confined space but the score has now stopped as it’s an important part of the plot. As the story becomes more more convoluted, the score starts again and the sound is now more sinister with an increased tempo to show the drama. Also, the drums that were once quieter and quick paced have changed to become louder and more militant as they pursue the murderer.

The Grand Budapest Hotel – Cinematography

One of Wes Anderson’s most important aspects of his films is the unique style of varied shots that are used so effectively.

Chapter 21 , Checkpoint 19 Supply Depot 00:55:18 – 00:59:09

Shot 1

Symmetrical framing that draws attention to the centre of the screen and uses a frame within a frame. The taxi leaves frame and a pan to the right draws the attention to something else in the centre of the frame. The camera dolly’s in to focus and tilts downwards. Zero enters the frame when the camera comes to a rest and looks at what the audience have been looking at.

Shot 2

Symmetrically framed wide shot that’s well lit and then the light us extinguished with only neutral light. The shot is static and the light turns on to shift attention to the hole in the floor. The light us tracked with a pedestal shot.

Shot 3

Low angle close – up shot shows the prisoners feet as they descend into the tunnel. The shot pedestals to a wide shot to show their escape.

Shot 4

Close – up shot and frame within a frame from the light source.

Shot 5

A crab shot to the right reveals the dumb waiter which reveals a prisoner. The dumbwaiter is positioned on the left so he can get the keys without moving the camera. The camera crabs left and rests in its original position and the prisoners come to the foreground and exit the frame. It then crabs left and rests at the end of the ladder and remains static while the prisoners move to the right.

Shot 6

Wide out of focus shot of the prison to show the ladder move into the frame symmetrically.

Shot 7-18

Prisoners in profile as they climb down the ladder. A series of shot reverse shot with various degrees of close – up to keep it visually interesting and uses frame within a frame.

Shot 19

A wide shot of prison with a 90 pan to show where the action is taking place and characters enter frame and the doors open to reveal a room and dolly’s in to new location with a lighting change as the guard are asleep.

Shot 20

Wide shot where a silhouette tells the story.

Shot 21

Low angle wide shot with a frame within a frame.

Shot 22

Wide shot from a higher angle.

Shot 23

Frame within a frame and a well lit exterior shows the gloomy interior.

Shot 24

Low angle wide shot to show them in context.

Shot 25

Frame within a frame with a well lit exterior to show the gloomy interior.

Shot 26

A birds eye view shot showing the large drop.

Shot 27

An extreme long shot of them climbing down the ladder.

Shot 28

It shows where they are going then crabs to the right to reveal a labelled area to show where they are going.

Shot 29

Frame within a frame with direct lighting drawing the attention to something in particular.

Shot 30

Pedastols down to reveal a centrally framed hatch in the floor.

Shot 31

Worms eye view shot with a frame within a frame.

Shot 32

A birds eye view shot with a frame within a frame.

Shot 33

A worms eye view shot shows their reaction.

Shot 34

A wide shot shows what action they are going to take.

Shot 35

A worms eye view shot.

Shot 36

A birds eye view shot.

Shot 37

A worms eye view shot shows their reaction.

Blade Runner 2049 (Villeneuve, 2017)

Rick Deckard: “Sometimes to love someone, you got to be a stranger.”

Blade Runner 2049 follows ‘K’ (Ryan Gosling) a young blade runner who discovers a buried secret that leads him to track down the former missing blade runner know as ‘Rick Deckard’ (Harrison Ford).

The film was nominated for 5 Oscars and won 2, including ‘Best cinematigraphy’ for Roger Deakins and ‘Best visual effects’. It’s also shot in the traditional 2.39 : 1 aspect ratio used in a large majority of modern films.

Cinematography

When working with villeneuve, Deakins discussed at great length the right atmosphere that they wanted to create for the character ‘Wallace’, spending a lot of time looking at the way architects use light in modern structures and large concrete structures. They focused on one particular cathedral, with a big concrete block with two skylights allowing light in. They decided to create an artificial world in which lighting moves like sunlight with caustic water patterns to evoke different emotions.

02:08:56 – 02:16:44

Looking at a part of this scene, Deckard recovers after being captured by Wallace, who is keen to learn the whereabouts of a missing child.

There are 23 shots used in total with the majority consisting of wide and close- up shots.

The first shot is a close – up shot showing Deckard waking up after being unconscious, at first we are unable to see his face as it’s hidden in darkness but slowly becomes brighter, reflecting his own thoughts as he begins to understand where he is. This is also reinforced in the following establishing shot that tells the audience where he is as we look at his surroundings just as he does. This a common style as Deakins and Villeneuve want to give context to the scene. From this point on, only two types of shots are used, wide shots and close – up shots. This is a personal choice made by the director and Deakins as it shows the scene in great detail which becomes important to the plot later on when deckard notices the copy of Rachael has blue eyes when the real Rachel’s eyes were green. The use of light is perhaps the most important thing in this scene. its often used to reveal a certain character or convey a specific emotion. A close – up shot on Deckard switches to a wide shot where a faint voice can be heard but can’t be seen. Wallace then emerges from the darkness to reveal himself; a technique also used again when a close – up shot of Deckard shows him searching for someone, reacting when finding them, cutting to a wide shot panning to the left to reveal someone standing in the darkness much like we are his eyes. Wallace is always in darkness when there is a close – up shot as he is showing a lack of emotions and represents the fact that he is blind; however, the female figure has been revealed to be lurking in the darkness so she has become his eyes meaning that he is no longer in darkness in close – up shots.

Sound

01:40:48 – 01:45:21

Sound plays such a crucial part in the film as it engages the audience, especially when there are times that there is a lack of speaking to distinguish what us happening, making us rely on sound touches understand the characters emotions and actions.

In this scene, ‘K’ searches for clues to find out what happened to a child and stumbles upon Rick Deckard who has been missing for 30 years.

On the cut to the scene, there is a large bass drum sound with a very ominous sense to it as he is in a vast and destitute area with no idea what he will encounter. This drum sound repeats very infrequently and is filled with large gaps of silence in order to create tension. The digetic sound of bees can be heard which grow louder as ‘K’ walks towards the bee hives. When he looks up at the tall building, the non – digetic score can faintly be heard to keep the audience in suspense and create a sense of mystery and intrigue. Throughout this next scene, there is no non – digetic sounds present, instead only the digetic sounds of what the audience are supposed to focus on such as the door opening, the roulette table spinning and the piano playing. The digetic sound of Deckard speaking can only be heard when it’s in complete silence but he isn’t on screen but the audience knows he is there as does ‘K’ and his voice becomes louder when he is in shot as we now notice him more prominently. Also, there is a slight echo to both there voices due to being in a large empty building.

Denis villeneuve

I dont believe that villeneuve is an auteur although he is well known for his dark films that tackle issues with humanity such as ‘Sicario’ (2015) and ‘incendies’ (2010). One of his unique traits is that he will often use shallow focus to convey a sense of mystery always keeping the audience at arms length.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Anderson, 2014)

After watching ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, I am confidently able to convey my thoughts on how Wes Anderson has managed to create a cinematic masterpiece.

The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero, a lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.

It was nominated for 9 oscars and won four, including ‘Best Achievement in production design’ and ‘Best Achievement in Music written for motion’.

Wes Anderson once again does a superfluous job in creating a film that is rich in eye catching detail and purposeful design choices that brilliant compliment the characters on screen. One significant production choice that was noticeable in the film was the use of different aspect ratios to represent the different time periods being shown. During the 1930’s, a 1.37:1 ratio was used; 1.85:1 was used in the scenes from 1985 onwards; and 2.39:1 for scenes in the 1960’s. This attention to detail is present through many different aspects of the film and is one of the main reasons the film is so absorbing.

The film is a bright and wonderfully exuberant example of Andersons skills as a director and is reinforced by the unique style of cinematography that Robert Yeoman continually brings to his projects.

Reservoir Dogs

Our production process was far smoother than what i would have expected, nonetheless there was still a few minor complications. We were given 50 minutes to film both the short cafe scene and the longer walking scene outside. Preparations contributed to roughly 10 minutes of our time which restricted a lot of the shooting time we had available. This is why i feel that we wouldn’t have had to compromise on some of the shots, specifically the side- on tracking shot. To improve next time, i believe we shouldn’t have rushed some of our shots and focused more on getting the best shot possible.

We shot the scene outside first, focusing on getting the side- on tracking shot perfected, although with the pressured time constraints, we found that we weren’t satisfied with the finished shot, causing the shoot to move location to somewhere similar. This resulted in a group of bins being present in the final shot which moderately ruined the continuity of the film, however; the shot used was much better than the original so the sacrifice was justified. The front on close- up shots were filmed individually focusing on one character at a time. This was chosen because we wanted to focus on what the character was doing and felt we wouldn’t be able to organise everyone with the limited time, feeling it was more important to show their actions.

For the cafe scene, we filmed it in one shot using a wide shot to show some detail to the setting of the scene and to show the characters movements and actions as the scene progresses. The non-digetic sound of the narrator can be heard in the background during the altercation between certain characters which then fades into a black screen as the titles begin to roll. The narrator can still be heard in the background as music begins to play and cuts to a slow motion side on shot of several members of the cast. The final take wasn’t the original take we wanted to use but we felt our first shot wasn’t high enough in quality, however; we were forced to move location due to time constraints meaning the continuity was lost but we found it wasn’t as noticeable as we first thought when editing. Our plan was to line the cast so that it matched the original reservoir dogs front on close-up shots but we found that due to limited time, it would be easier to have one character walk towards the camera one at a time, meaning that unlike the original, characters talking to each other or walking alongside side one another couldn’t be seen. Later in the edit we were able to slow character movements and replay each shot of a character with a shot of them walking one after the other to create the impression that they’re all walking together. The final shot was probably the easiest. Someone operated the camera while all the cast walked towards the traffic using a wide shot, which was later slowed down and the title ‘Reservoir Dogs’ scrolls on the screen and stops just as the backing music begins to sing ‘turn to the left’ and fading away at the end of ‘turn to the right’, creating as much fluency as possible. The shot then cuts to black and the credits continue to roll, finishing the scene.

City of God: Key Elements of Film Form

Editing in City of God

The film starts with brief shots of a knife being sharpened, which then fades to black and then reappears. This use of a transition suggests there has been a change in time meaning these snapshots show that the knife is sharpening across the course of the meal and not just in the duration the audience views it on screen. its also an effective use of the kuleshov effect, where something that is clearly a threatening and violent object, is made to appear as merely a toll for chopping vegetables because of the transitions between music and food, shown only briefly which adds to the chaos.

One of the main focuses in the opening scene is the chicken and its used as a device to draw the audience into the story, portrayed by shots that cut to and from the animal. Another use of the kuleshov effect is when the chicken looks as though it is directly reacting to the other dead chickens, showing emotion as one shot shows a chicken being cut and the following focuses on the chicken and how it appears to react. Match on action is used frequently in this scene, such as the shots showing various actions which are jumbled up to show a disorientating atmosphere and later on when a police car nearly runs over the chicken.

Focusing the attention on Lil’ Ze, shot pace is shorter, longer and far less frequent when the camera shows Lil’ Ze, but shorter when on background characters. This choice was made consciously as it shows his character in far greater detail. Some examples of this include when he pushes over a man and looks down at him, doing a glance shot that shows his point of view and then shows several shots of him laughing in order to show that he is doing so maniacally because these shots draw out the time he is present on screen. Furthermore, slow motion is used primarily on Lil’ Ze when he confronts Rocket, emphasising the effect that it has on Rocket and implies the relationship between them.

Before this however, we are first introduced to Rocket when the film cuts from the frantic chase to he and a friend are talking to show a brief moment of calm whilst the audience are fully aware of the chase that is still happening, a technique known as parallel editing. Moving back to the confrontation, the camera focuses on Rocket and the frame rates slow down to show his reaction and the effect that it has on him.

Finally, a cross fade shows the transition of time whilst establishing a link between the time periods, ending the scene and demonstrating to the audience what is going to happen without giving too much information away, leaving them intrigued and wanting more.

Mise-en-scène

An aspect that is vital for a successful film, Mise-en-scène creates the overall appearance of a movie and if done correctly, will draw an audience in to the settings that characters have been placed.

The scene starts with the opening titles which have been coloured in blue, contrasting with the dull setting of the rest of the film, followed by short, rapid shots of a knife sharpening that’s followed by snapshots of a happy and lively atmosphere which is unfamiliar to a Western audience and heavily contrasts the tone of the film. The situation starts off as being quite comic but soon changes to concrete buildings with broken items lying around and dirty clothing suggesting a poverty stricken area that is very chaotic.

There are a large number of indicators present that show the city is uncared for and in chaos such as: the scrap metal that’s left in the streets next to electricity cables that have been unearthed and left dangling, windows with bars on them due to fear and high amount of violence and sign for City of God being partially destroyed which seems to be a metaphor for the destruction that the gang warfare has caused.

After the transition, the colour palette changes and is a lot brighter, distinguishing the change in time periods and the clothing changes also as the children in the 1960’s wear shorts but later on they are wearing jeans, showing the movement from the innocence of childhood and the harsh reality of adulthood. An important thing to note during the transition is that the setting changes from police vs gang to team vs team in a game of football with kids, reflecting how corruption runs deep through the city of Rio Di Janeiro.

Sound

Sound plays a key role in this scene, with much of the characters’ emotions being reflected through the sound that has been chosen.

To begin with there is a lack of sound as the titles appear to create anticipation, followed by quiet wind that slowly builds up to create tension. Digetic music is used to show a happy atmosphere despite the death of the chickens and can be heard during the opening shots but later on when Rocket is talking, it’s contrasted by calmness, showing the violence in the city being crossed with innocence. This mix of sounds heavily implies that the the city is chaotic and overcrowded. The majority of the chase can be seen through the perspective of the chicken which is shown by excentuated noises that would normally be quiter than they actually are. Also, the chicken appears to cluck in time with the music, giving a sense of focus to all the chaos and a loud beating of drums and music adds to the tension.

During Rockets confrontation with Lil’ Ze, a loud pulsing noise is present almost like a heartbeat to show his fear when faced with both the gang and the police. Finally, the scene transition from modern day to the 1960’s is portrayed by a loud ticking noise that gets increasingly louder until it stops when the full transition has taken place almost like a clock.

Cinematography

‘City of God’ was filmed on 16mm film which produces a grainy texture because it’s cheaper than other alternatives and more portable with twice as many sequences. Also, the opening sequence was filmed on a long focal length in order to make the viewer feel oppressed becuase of the lack of background that’s visible and was filmed through a series of close- up and extreme close- up shots rather than an establishing shot so the audience feel disorientated.

The majority of shots used are low angle shots to make everything seem clostraphobic with harsh direct light illuminating everything to make the setting appear unfriendly. There is commonly a lot of disoreintating handheld shots during the chicken chase which adds to the chaos but is then replaced by steadicam tracking shots with wider shots as the chicken escapes which gives the viewer a better understanding of the setting. Lil’ Ze is the only person we actually see with a close- up in the gang and at a low angle to show his dominance.

Focusing on the confrontation between the gang and the police where Rocket is placed at the centre of the action, when the police initially arrive a shallow depth of field isnt used as it’s important to see what happening in the background but when the camera dollys close to Rocket, our attention is focused on him as it moves from a wide shot to a close- up whilst introducing a shallow depth of field and making effective use of a ‘Whip arc shot’ which focuses the attention on the the character in the frame. When he is first introduced, the shots are steady to distinguish between the calm setting of him talking and the chaotic action of the chicken chase. The symmetrically framed shots further focus the audiences attention on the characters who are in the centre frame.

Finally, after the transition In time periods, the colour grading is far warmer and the camera is higher up with more use of wide shots which show the sky something which reflects how the city us consumed by violence and chaos.

Performance

In regards to performance, the scene opens with a lot of cooking and dancing which shows the characters happiness but later on, everyone has guns, specifically the children which highlights how the city is out of control. Also, all the children swear which clearly shows that there are no good role models to follow which has corrupted them.

Focusing on Lil’ Ze, he orders the kids around with a devious smile and maniacal laughter showing he enjoys his power and when he pushes a man to the ground, it shows his rapid turn to violence and how he isnt to be messed around with, striking fear into others. He tells Rocket to get the chicken and Rocket dies exactly as be is told which further showing the power that he holds and tells people not to leave when the police arrive demonstrating his control.

Turning the attention to Rocket, he walks alongside his friend close together, representing his they have a strong friendship but there is a lack of subtitles at selective moments which has been deliberately done in order to secluded the viewer from the conversation they are having. The film is often interjected by narration from Rocket who seems to have a tone of resignation that there has always been crime. When these two characters confront each other, Rockets facial expression shows how threatened he feels by Lil’ Ze which contrasts the gangs expression as they are happy and having a good time.

City of God: Contexts of Film

Here we have numerous questions thats purpose is to assist the viewer in their understanding of the film. In this case, the questions are about ‘City of God’ (Mereilles, 2002) and are based on the four different areas of context: Social, Political, Cultural, and Institutional.

One example of such a question includes ‘What is the City of God’? The answer to which would be a West Zone neighbourhood Rio de Janeiro.

Core Study Area: Key Elements of Film Form

The key elements of film form looks at five specific areas that affect the overall outcome of the film. The main five aspects of film that it looks at are: Cinematography, Editing, Mise-en-scène, Performance, and Sound.

Core Study Areas: Contexts Of Film

In order to understand the motives behind why a filmmaker has chosen a specific aspect of a film, there are four key areas that are focused on: Social, Cultural, Political, and Institutional.

Social factors look at the purpose that ‘City of God’ serves and key features such as why they chose to use 16mm film and to what extend is the film based on a true story?

Cultural factors look at artistic movements at the time influencing cinematography and does it follow a visual style of that particular countries filmmaking?

Political factors look at whether there was any influence from the government among other things.

Institutional looks at whether the film was cut to maintain a specific rating

In Praise Of ‘City Of God’

“The sun is for everyone, the beach is for those who deserve it.” – Rocket

In Rio De Janeiro during the 1970’s, two young men go on very different paths. Rocket, a budding photographer and Li’ l Ze, a drug dealer who uses Rocket to increase his fame as a violent turf war engulfs the neighbourhood against his rival ‘Knockout Ned’.

It earned the nomination for four Oscars, including the category for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Editing’. ‘City Of God’ (Meirelles, 2002) is based of a true story where violence and corruption roams freely about the streets.

The film follows a very unique style of narrative structure that is quite uncommon. Typically, some films will either follow a structure where the story is shown in chronological order or will divert back to before the opening scene of the film in order to show the audience how and why something happened. However, ‘City Of God’ completely ignores all narrative stereotypes which helps to make it incredibly engaging.

Instead, it presents a character or group of characters and their individual story one at a time. What makes this work is the fact that all stories are connected to the other stories so the audience is able to see different situations from different perspectives, and view them occuring at different times and in different ways. The first scene of the film shows Li l’ Ze and a group of young street criminals chasing a chicken, passing under a police car and stopping in front of Rocket, this is the first time these characters are introduced to us. In actuality, this scene is shown to us at the beginning but narratively it takes place at the end of the film, where we begin to understand what is happening as there have been seperate stories highlighting key aspects of the lives of people such as Rocket, Li l’ Ze, and ‘Knockout Ned’. This now means that the audience knows that all there lives are connected in some way and the police car is there for a purpose, something that we wouldn’t have understood as smoothly if we hadn’t been able to see events occur relative to the time of the character who’s story the audience are viewing.

Fernando Meirelles 

In an interview, Meirelles states how, “In City of God, I shot the first part only with wide-angle, short focal length lenses: 40mm, 32mm. You see these little rows of houses and a lot of skyline, always the skyline, because the people who moved there thought they had order and a horizon in their lives. As the story goes on, I begin to use longer focal length lenses and, little by little, to stop explaining the space”. “Eventually we are using really long lenses and never show the skyline or the perspectives. All the streets have something blocking the end.You never see the way out. It’s as if they were trapped.” He wants to make the viewer feel oppressed too just as the characters who live their feel and the people they are based on. Meirelles is a Brazilian director who has worked on films such as ‘The Constant Gardener’ and ‘City of Men’.

Rocket is caught between a gang and the police, shown in this full shot

One of my favourite shots in the film would have to be one of the very first shots we actually see. The camera focuses on Rocket as he approaches the chicken facing towards the gang, as the police arrive to confront them, the camera pans around following his eye movement as he looks back at the approaching convoy of police and then repeats this camera movement to show him looking back at the gang, presenting the location of the confrontation in a 360° pan from left to right. Meirelles uses a full shot to begin with that shows the character what the characters actions are, then he zooms the focus onto a medium close- up shot in order to show build up climax when its revealed to the audience that there is about to be a shootout and Rocket is stuck between both of them. The reason for this chosen technique i would ascribe to the fact that the director wants to allow the audience to gain a full of view of the setting in which an important scene is about to take place, also giving a sense of tension and unease because of these sharp camera movements and how everything appears to be closing around the characters that can be seen, shown by the use of the sharp transition from a full shot to a medium close- up shot and then transitioning back once again.

The Hateful Eight (Tarantino, 2015)

A Close- up shot used to show the first appearance of Warren (Samuel L. Jackson)

The Hateful Eight is the story of a bounty hunter and his prisoner, who attempt to reach a small town in the dead of winter and take refuge in a cabin that holds a group of highly elusive people as they seek shelter from a harsh blizzard, leaving them trapped for two days. It was gifted one Oscar for the ‘Best original score’ for Ennio Morricone who created a brilliantly unique western theme.

A wide shot used to show how the characters arrived at the main film location and how the setting has changed

One of my favourite shots used throughout the film is the effective use of the wide shot. The reason that its so effective is because it shows how the character is small in relation to their surroundings, presenting either the power of the blizzard that rips up ground in the wind or how the characters distance themselves from one another as there is a lack of trust in their company. The decision could have been made to use a medium shot on several occasions, but i think that a medium shot draws the audiences attention to the detail too much which is the opposite of what Tarantino is trying to do, he’s saying that you don’t need to look at a character close- up to determine their motives which gives the film far more suspense and a greater climax.

‘The Hangman’ converses with Daisy

One technique that is most notable is the use of shot reverse shot, seen most prominently between ‘The hangman’ and Daisy, as when they converse, the audience is drawn to the suspicion of one and the cunning of the other, implying that they aren’t just attached by cuffs, but also that if one suffers, then the other shall receive the same treatment.

An effective use of the wide shot, giving two camera angles to the same scene, one earlier on in the film facing away from the door from the perspective of ‘The Hangman’, and one from the perspective of the gang facing towards the door

A trait that is usually found in Tarantino’s films (because it work so well) is how we see the story take place in chronological order up until we reach the climax of a characters story arc or important part of the story. The reason this is done is to build suspense and revelation when we discover what has occurred and how every thing fits together in time. This is present in the movie when at the height of the action, the movie cuts back to before the opening scene of the movie to discover that four passengers are present in the haberdashery, all intent on free Daisy. It shows how they arrived and what happened prior to the arrival of the stagecoach, stopping just as we see ‘The Hangman’ enter which is what the audience saw before only now it’s done from the perspective of someone else. Another movie Tarantino does this in is ‘Pulp Fiction’ where there are seperate parts different stories mixed up and the audience doesn’t begin to figure out what and when something happened right up until the very end.

An example of a chapter that segregates a scene

Something that I especially loved when watching this film is the use of shots showing the chapters of the movie, in order to show the progression of the movie. It’s very uncommon and reads more like a book rather than a film when using this technique but I think that’s why it works. We are able to grasp a better understanding if what is about to take place, and yet, we have absolutely no idea what course the film could take because of the brilliance of Tarantino’s directing.

Quentin Tarantino

Auteur or not? Definitely yes! his movies are instantly recognisable and can be traced back to him easily because of his unique directing style. One of the first things to be noticed when watching one of his films is constant use of very violent settings and character. This can be seen in films such as ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir dogs’, and is no different in this film, especially this film. He uses this violence not to take frustration out on screen, but to give motive for a character, normally that motive comes in the form of revenge such as Django in ‘Django Unchained’ who lashes those who one held him as a slave, giving the character a purpose. Another one of his most prominent aspects is his use of long and intense dialogue scenes that gradually build up suspense over time, drawing out the eventual realisation that we are led, creating a shocking conclusion that the audience gets as they learn the truth, just as the characters in the film respond to it in a similar manner also. Lastly, something i believe to be one of his strongest traits in film making is how he intertwines different stories together from different perspectives and present them all as the film progresses to give a better understanding of what is occurring. For example, in the film ‘Pulp Fiction’, we see characters such as Vincent and Jules who share the same story but go off in separate directions that eventually results in them meeting with someone else from another story line, until it all comes together at the end, when the audience begins to understand the timeline of the film and when certain parts took place.

The two men drift away as they have succeeded in killing all members of the gang, only to lose their own lives as they slowly bleed out

Possibly one of my favourite shots in the entire film is the very final shot of the film. This is because the camera slowly pans up as they read a patriotic letter addressed from Abraham Lincoln. The reason it has so much meaning is because the letter highlights all the brave and heroic work Warren has achieved, whilst drawing our attention to Domergue, hanged by both men in an effort to reclaim some salvation before they die. It highlights how in such a gruesome film, these two characters are able to find peace, conflicting the emotions of the audience as to whether we feel sorrowful about their fates or whether we view the ending of the film as inevitable, as it cant be possible for such wicked men to live, this us what makes the fil so brilliant, there are bad guys and there are worse guys, and yet, we still feel mournful.

Knock – Knock (2)

After our first short film attempt, we were set the task of repeating it with a few changes. Instead of just entering a room and telling the joke, we now had to show the two characters departing this time, along with the fact that we now had a new group to work alongside with. We were given storyboards as an aid for planning, but found we weren’t as dependent on it as we had been previously, whilst still shooting the film, sound recording, and responsible for editing.

My partner was Daisy Samra, who was responsible for sound recording the film, except for the final shot, where Daisy took on the role of the cinematographer and i worked on sound recording. The plan this time was to do something far more simplistic than last time, in order to get the best looking shoot possible that didn’t contain any major complications, but managed to meet the revised success criteria that we take into account the 180 degree rule, shot reverse shot, and match on action, which was all completed successfully. I filmed in the light and decided to show more than just the room that we were filming in so that the audience have a better sense of the surrounding, this was shown when one character opened the door on the outside and then switched to a shot on the inside of the room. Also, my match on action shot was filmed with two varying shots, the first was a close – up shot that was chosen to clearly show what the action was, and the second was a wide shot, chosen to show the new location that the character had just entered.

The shooting process was seamless and worked extremely effectively. I found that my knowledge of how to use the camera has improved dramatically, from simply changing the camera modes, to being able to focus the shot. There were however still a few challenges that I felt were difficult to overcome. For example, I still need to work on my skills with setting up the equipment, as while I know how to shoot the video, my skills in getting the sound and camera ready needs some work. Also, I found that when editing, I was still unfamiliar with many of the tools which increased the time taken, although, I could definitely notice that I had improved.

During this project, I learnt how to use the sound recording device as I had never used it before because I was working with the camera so it was completely new to me. One thing that I would do differently next time is to try and explore a range of new shots to use in order to enhance my abilities and give a more pleasant viewing experience.

One aim that I have set myself Is to learn more about the camera and hot to focus the shot more effectively.

Shot / Reverse shot

Shot reverse shot is a useful technique which can be used in scenes such as conversations. One character is shown to be looking at another character off-screen, and then the other character is shown to be looking at the other character once again off-screen, creating the impression that they are speaking to one another.

Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese, 2013)

Knock – Knock

During class, we were set the task of creating a short film based an around a character entering a room and telling a knock knock joke, then departing. This had to be filmed twice in each group in 50 minutes to be edited later on. We were responsible for planning through the use of a storyboard, shooting the film, recording it and then editing it.

I was partnered with Andrew Elton for our film and the idea was to use the joke out of The Office US as all other jokes we saw were hopelessly unfunny. I decided I wanted to put my own twist on it. In the show it’s used in a very light hearted tone in one continuous medium shot so my ideas was to make the atmosphere seem more intense whilst still maintaining part of the humorous tone despite the thrill factor. The joke I decided to go with went as follows.

Midway through planning i decided to change the setting of the film and change the storyboard to show it changing from two students bumping into each other in a corridor to an interrogation type scene.

The shooting process was extremely stressful and looking back there are many aspects I would have liked to change. One major challenge i found was that my inexperience with the equipment meant that the already tight time constraints were restricted even more as i had to get an understanding for certain camera controls and how to correctly setup the sound recording. Another difficulty was that the script was written very quickly on demand meaning it wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked it to be and the actors, Daisy and Jay weren’t prepared enough to give the compelling performance that might have been capable with more time.

There are some clear things that I have learnt not to do in the future when filmmaking and what I could have done to improve it due to the work on this project. The decision to film in the dark is an effect I have seen utilised many times and whilst the concept of the idea seemed effective, the application of it was less so because the camera equipment was not up to a high enough standard to shoot in the dark without there being glare present on the screen and out of focus. Another problem came with my partner who through no fault of his own, lacked experience when controlling the sound recorder so the recording were often corrupted, not stopped or not filmed at all which meant when it came to editing, some words were missing and had to be used on the cameras sound rather than the microphone.

Prior to filming, we had a lack of knowledge about certain shot types and the 180 degree rule which meant could have looked better, that is if it could be seen at all!

Reverse shot used in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Scorsese)

I chose to use an over the shoulder reverse shot when filming the conversation between the two characters which may not have been clear in the dark, but I know that if it was filmed in a better location and setting, the shot would have greatly improved the look of the film. Also, the editing was a great challenge to me as I have often edited different films on my phone with much less sophisticated software, so moving to Final Cut Pro meant I had to learn everything from scratch which took up a lot of editing time. I havent fully been able to understand the full capability of the software yet which is why I am making it one of my main aims to learn if in my own time to create better films.

After I had completed editing the short film with the limited amount of sound files, I uploaded it to YouTube:

The Art of Shots

A shot is a series frames which are recorded continuously from when the camera starts rolling and when it is cut, completely unedited.

These shots are what make films so entertaining and can be used to show a characters emotion or an important part of a plot or story arc unfolding before our eyes.

An extreme wide shot from Django Unchained (2012,Tarantino)

Some of the first examples of shots being used in the early 20th century was when a camera would be stabilised by a tripod and would only capture motion within the frame such as a party which was interesting at the start but filmmakers began to realise they could tell a more engaging story by piecing together various shot sizes.

There are numerous types of shots, with the most common types including:

Wide/ Long shot – The characters can fully be seen in relation to the location or each other and can be used to show how the character is small in relation to their surroundings or if there is no character it can just be used as an establishing shot. It can also be used to show a new location so when the camera moves in tighter the audience knows where they are.

Wide shot from Django Unchained (2012, Tarantino)

Full shot – The character is fully in the frame but the location isn’t the focus and its purpose is to show how a character dresses, how they move or what action they are doing

Full shot from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, Leone)

Medium shot – Shows the character from the waist up in greater detail and are often used in dialog scenes and focuses on body language

Medium shot from Titanic (1997, Cameron)

Medium close-up shot – between the close-up and medium shot that frames the character from the shoulders up and might be used to show more body language and emotion. Might possibly be used to build up to to a climax that reveals information but no as intimate as a close-up.

Medium close-up shot from Inception (2010, Nolan)

Close-up shot – Shows the characters face in greater detail showing their emotion by facial expressions that you might miss in a medium shot. Can be used to show specific small actions such as putting a ring on a finger but used infrequently with great importance to the audience.

A close-up shot from The Shining (1980 ,Kubrick)

Extreme close-up shot – Puts the frame even tighter on the face highlighting specific features. Its uncomfortably close so the audience can feel what what the actor is conveying and is why it is used to show intense emotion when the drama begins to increase.

An extreme close-up shot from Requieum for a Dream (2000, Aronofsky)

Establishing shot – It tells the viewer where the story is taking place and can include things such as a building or a traffic jam. The shots can be tighter to show more specific locations such as an office in that building. Its important to use this to reveal relevant information so as not to confuse the viewer.

Establishing shot from Skyfall (2012, Mendes)

Extreme wide shot – Shows large landscapes in the frame giving the audience a feel for period and setting of the film. Characters are very small in context to the backdrop which is the purpose of the shot.

Match On Action

An editing technique that improves continuity where one shot cuts to another shot, showing an action of the subject in the first shot crating the impression that there is continuity which takes the attention away from any other continuity issues. It shows the same action being continued in 2 seperate shots.

Scream (1996, Craven)

The 180º Rule

It refers to an imaginary straight line that you draw between two subjects in a scene where you keep all cameras behind that line. This will often mean that there are three cameras, one that films a wide shot and the others film a close-up shot on 2 characters conversing.

An example of the 180º rule and how it can be used incorrectly

A Brief History of Film

Photography was invented during the mid – 1800’s and at its heart, its a way of catching light through the use of chemicals and it became commonplace very quickly. This meant that many people were looking to improve on it by being able to capture movement. They knew that if you could display moving pictures quickly, it could fool the human eye into think that it was moving, proved by stories such as two gentlemen betting over whether at any point the horse would have all four feet off the ground and tested this by setting up 12 cameras and triggering them to take a photo when the horse passed which proved this concept and made it look real.

Eventually in 1895, the technology was was produced that made it easier to capture photos quickly and brought about the film process, where a long roll of photosensitive material could take pictures and display through the use of a bright light to create the effect that the images were moving. At the very start, it tended to be very boring films such as a moving train but it was the advancement in technology that was so important.

Theatres were one of the most popular forms of entertainment in that period of time know as ‘Vaudevelles’ and were affordable for everyone but when films were starting to be produced, they overtook it in popularity and these theatres were turned into the first cinemas which meant watching films was still affordable as they only had to repurpose the theatres and film went from being nowhere to everywhere in a matter of years worldwide and at this point in time, there was a lack of sound so there were no language barriers meaning it was accessible to everyone.

Certain early influential figures were inspired by the Lumière Brothers, who were able to capture some of the very first films including a film of a train arriving at a station and devised an early motion-picture camera and projector called the cinématographe. George Méliès was invited to the premiere of their train station film in 1861 and was immediately amazed by what he saw and decided he wanted to buy their cinématographe, but after being refused, he started work on making a camera of his own which was completed in 1896, so he stated to make films. Whilst filming one day, his camera jammed, allowing him to discover that if you stop the film and then start it again in the same place, it would appear that certain objects and people had moved very quickly, creating one of the first special effects. Later on, he would also develop the technology to do split screen where he could duplicate himself several times in the same frame. Méliès was a revolutionary filmmaker, who advanced the filming world greatly in the period that he worked in, with one of his most famous contributions being his film ‘A Trip to the Moon’ in 1902, which used. 825ft of film which was a massive amount at the time and gave the filmmaker 15 minutes to entertain their audience.

It was very easy to record sound, but what made sound impossible for films was that films weren’t smooth, so audio couldn’t time properly with the picture. Throughout 1910 – 1915, films improved from 8fps to 12fps but by 1918, they were filmed at 24fps which is enough to fool the human eye into thinking the film is running smoothly, and has been used ever since. There were attempts to add colour to the film, however; the method of painting each individual frame would take far too much time and couldn’t be done across hundreds of films. One major drawback of film was that they were very expensive to produce so films would only have a limited number of copies meaning people could wait many years after release to see a film. Sound in film was eventually solved in 1927, by waves on the film that were played back 20 frames behind the picture but the film was given slack to keep it smooth.

The Wizard of Oz (1939, Fleming) was one of the first big budget films to have colour although it seemed more unnatural and wasn’t until the 1960’s before colour became more prominent and choices such as aspect ratio changed. The Academy Ratio was 1.33:1 which was the obvious square space but has changed many times such as in the 1950’s when either 1.66:1 or 1.85:1 was used and in modern days when it is more common to find widescreen experience at 2.35:1 making the size of the screen expand dramatically over the course of the past 60-70 years. Also, the first 3D films were introduced in the 1950’s in order to attract a bigger audience and then attempted again in the 1980’s but instead wearing glasses which was a real drawback and were never very effective so many films remain in 2D.

The biggest threat towards cinema was the television. This was because people wouldn’t want to travel to the cinema if the could see it in their own homes which meant industries such as Hollywood had to take action. In order to save film, they spent far more on films with more extravagant costumes and sets. Also, they made the screen bigger, either but cutting the top and bottom off the picture and expanding the screen or by shooting the film with an anamorphic lens which would make it appear small, but when projected onto the screen, they would use a bigger lens to increase the size of the picture so that people would remain interested. In the early 1970’s, videotape technology became available which was revolutionary as you could record something, then watch it whenever you wanted. This meant video rental became a rising threat as you could see a film cheaper than the cinema and less than a year after it came out.

One of the most recent threats to cinema are streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, that produce original content and are heavily investing into these original films for the future. This is especially apparent with Netflix, who are one of the main streaming services and have the rights to many films which is why other new streaming services are beginning because they have seen its success which has meant Netflix has had to produce more original content as studios are pulling films from Netflix for their own streaming service. The chances of these services running in the long term are very unlikely as its very unfriendly to the customers, who dont want to pay for multiple services.

Inception (Nolan, 2010)

Inception follows the work of a thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream sharing technology who is given the task of planting an idea into the mind of a powerful C.E.O starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Ellen Page.

Inception has won 152 awards including 4 prestigious Oscar’s in a range of categories. ‘Best Achievement in Cinematography’ for Wally Pfister, ‘Best Achievement in Sound Mixing’ for Hirschberg, Rizzo, and Novick. ‘Best Achievement in Sound Editing’ for Richard King and ‘Best Achievement in Visual Effects’ for Corbould, Lockley, Bebb and Franklin.

Christopher Nolan

Nolan is one of the most recognisable auteurs of the 21st century, with a unique style that many instantly accosiate with him. He is known for his mainly dark and fantasy themes and non-linear storytelling type where he has multiple threads all at once. This is still apparent in this film but not as prominently as some of his others such as Memento (Nolan, 2000).

Reality – Memory and Tradgedy

Inception deals with the idea of dreams and how we feel safer when we are in our own dreams. It asks us how different the real world is from the one we make for ourselves and whether it’s right to spend so much time dreaming about what could be than living about what is. This is present in the fim through the character Cobb, he struggles to cope with the stress of losing his wife and Nolan cuts the ending of the film seconds before we learn if he is still dreaming because he is in a better place for himself.

Cinematography

The cinematography in this film put simply is mesmerising, this incorporated with insanely epic special effects brings together such an immersive feeling and keeps you transfixed from beginning to end. One of the most simple examples is the spinning top, that something so small can be so significant and the way this is captured by Pfister does so well at catching your attention.

Cobb: What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient… highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it’s almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed – fully understood – that sticks; right in there somewhere.

I think this quote is so important as it points out the fact that what the world and people see, is very different from the actual reality and once we learn this, we never lose it.

Acting

One of Nolan’s many noticeable traits is that he will often re-use certain actors on many of his films, and you can see why. He has used the likes of Tom Hardy (Dark Knight Rises, 2012/Dunkirk, 2017) and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, 2006/ Dunkirk, 2017) because of their versatile acting skills. Hardy (Earnes) has the ability to tell stories with just the use of his facial features and Nolan has mentioned his reason for picking him for some roles because of what ge can do with his eyes alone. Murphy (Fischer) is described to be the perfect villain because of his “seductive” and “sinister” acting methods by ‘The New York Times’ so makes the ideal choice for this anti-hero. It’s also no suprise Nolan went with Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the most recognisable faces in Hollywood who is one of the most talented and diverse actors if the 21st century and shows it in ‘Inception’ with heart-throbbing scenes and a range of emitional abilities.

Cold War (Pawlikowski, 2018)

Cold War is a passionate love story between two very different people who come from very different backgrounds and follows their story across some of the most troubled times of the 20th century, venturing through locations such as Poland And France to share music for the entertainment of others whilst two lovers attempt an impossible relationship, in an unforgiving period of time.    

It has proudly won 35 awards whilst also being nominated for 3 Oscars including ‘Best Foreign Language Film’, ‘Best Achievement in Directing’ for Pawlikowski and ‘Best Achievement in Cinematography’ for Lukasz Zal.

Pawel Pawlikowski

Pawlikowski is best known for his work as a director on films such as ‘Ida’ in 2013 and early works including ‘My Summer of Love’ in 2004.

Insatiability- Depression and Discontent

In my opinion, the film shows the attitude of many about the state of affairs that people had to deal with during the Cold War. Some felt that they were restricted from doing what they love and reflects in this film in the form of an unlikely couple who try to find love during hard times. Like Zula and Wiktor, many were disheartened by a lack of freedom and the theme of ‘Insatiability’ is present here as they go looking for something that neither of them are able to find. This is reflected greatly in the final scene of the film. After escaping the labour camp and going to get married in secret, they are unable to escape the fact that they aren’t satisfied with their lives and find their only source of happiness when they are together, this leads to their eventual downfall as they die together overlooking the shimmering tall grass in the field and deliver the final line which leaves the audience realising why they did it. “Let’s go to the other side, the view will be better there” – Zula. Personally I believe this can be interpreted two ways, one way is the conclusion that they were so unsatisfied in life that the only happiness they could find is in the next world after death. Also, another way that I interpreted it when watching was that it could reference much of the thoughts of many who lived in the West during this period of time and they felt that the lives they once had were no more and couldn’t find peace in knowing that and instead chose to die in each others arms.

Cinematography

The lead cinematographer, Lukasz Zal, made the decision of having the film shot in a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the more typical modern day cinemascope such as the more usual 16:9 in order to give the impression that the film was shot during the time that it was set, as films would have been shot using this aspect ratio. This format engages the audience more as they are capable of looking at the setting in greater detail. This decision was also the reason as to why the film was shot in black and white to give the film a far more aged appearance. Interestingly, the film doesn’t follow the rule of three, used to give greater focus on a character and what there actions are or what they are looking at, the reasoning behind this, I would think, is that it shows how cut off some individuals feel from society and how many blindly followed laws set out before them, not question whether they were right or wrong.

“Now I’m yours. For ever and ever”

Zula – ‘Cold War’ , 2018

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (kershner, 1980)

When we were young, we could all watch a film and aspire to be just like a character we saw, whether that’s wanting to explore abandoned temples just like Indiana Jones or race across time just like Marty McFly in Back to the Future (Zemeckis, 1985). For many though including myself, after seeing Star Wars, our inner child wanted nothing more than to fly in the stars and discover new planets. I think that although all films in the trilogy are superb and many would argue that the first is the best, I would have to say that Episode V is superior in my opinion for numerous reasons.           

        

After seeing a vision from Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker must travel to the Dagobah system whilst his friends travel to Bespin where they are met by Imperials and captured. it is up to Luke to go save them which leads to an epic showdown between himself and Darth Vader. The film takes on many challenges of filmmaking in the time that it came out with a great array of practical effects that cleverly depict gargantuan monsters on the screen whilst being mere inches in real life. A New Hope was so loved because it established the setting of this universe and developed characters that were instantly admired, and Empire Strikes Back is able to continue this whilst delivering new locations such as the harsh ice planet of Hoth and the swampy wilderness of Dagobah, as well as having a strong first and middle act that leads to a fantastic end battle that can never be forgotten because of the intrigue that It leaves behind and the jaw dropping twist in the climax that leaves you wanting more.

George Lucas

Although he didnt direct this film, he did have the majority of the say on film choices so I have chosen to ignore Kershner as he isnt an auteur and focus on Lucas. It’s hard to tell whether Lucas is an auteur as he hasn’t directed many films and those that he has have mainly come from the Sam franchise. I would be inclined to argue that he is an auteur due to the fact that he deals with ideas such as growing up and leaving home in order to pursue what they want, which is present in his films such as American Graffiti(Lucas, 1973) and of course Star Wats: A New Hope (Lucas, 1977)

Suspense – Temptation and Deterrence

One of the main themes relates to the idea that characters are continually being drawn to temptation whilst others work to make them see the light. This coincides with suspense as its unclear to the audience what course of action someone might take and this becomes most apparent in the final showdown between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Good and Evil. Most if not all know about the surprising revelation near to the end of the film and has become notoriously quotable, but when you first saw the film, the prospect that this was a possible outcome seemed to be impossible which is what makes it all the more brilliant. It shows that good and evil are never truly 100% that, they have aspects of both in them whether they realise it or not, but until two opposites collide and come to this conclusion themselves, both seek to sway the other, for reasons they may not fullest understand themselves.

Reel Life

When I was 8, I had my very first experience of cinema when I went to watch Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston, 2011). Previously, I had always watched films at home on a very small 19 inch TV in the distance, making viewing experiences, whilst still enjoyable, completely different to how I first saw this movie. I remember being astonished by the size of the screen before the film had even started, and when it did, a feeling of captivation seemed to flow through me as the pure booming sound and brightness of what I was witnessing, transported me into another world, one that I would never be the same again. I felt every action, every silent whisper, although someone was breathing down the back of my neck, it’s a feeling that I can describe as being something that changed my view of film forever.

I believe that it was back in 2010 when I was fortunate enough to watch the masterpiece that is Lord of the Rings : Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003) for the very first time. The final film in the trilogy, it allowed for superb character development and masterful shots that engaged with the audience on a vast amount of levels and is one of the main reasons for my love of film. From my experience, many truly brilliant films that are so emotive have the capability to inflict strong feelings such as sorrow and joy especially upon first watching them, but in my opinion, I think that Return of the King triumphs over all others in terms of characters and how the story beautifully coincides with the score composed by Howard Shore.

The characters are developed perfectly across the course of the three movies and their arcs are wrapped up with such precision in the movie as can be seen if we take the character of Frodo for example. When we first meet him in the Fellowship of the Ring, he is a bright and joyful individual, who becomes conflicted after having been given the ring, which continues across the course of all three movies until the final film. Even after succeeding in his quest, he still lacks the same persona that he had once before, and refuses to smile even after the film is drawing to a close as he is still holding on to the heavy toll of he ring when everyone is celebrating the victory, its only when he leaves on the boat later on that he smiles, perfectly ending his character arc and ending an exception story. Also, as stated before, the score for Lord of the Rings brings out so much conflicting emotion whether the story makes us feel pity for a character or sadness when we watch someone leave, it demands that the audience become engrossed with what they are viewing and I know that it would always remain one of the most heart-breaking and beautiful stories told on the screen.

Over the course of the past decade, I have watched a great variety of different films from comedy to fantasy, horror to sci-fi, but one particular film comes to mind when I think of the weird and wonderful. Locke (Steven Knight, 2013) I believe to be such a unique film in the way that it takes place in one location, looking on Tom Hardy’s character, Ivan, and his struggle across the course of the film inside a car as he fights with those he loves and his own conscience.

Hardy’s performance keeps you fixed on what’s occurring in a film that shouldn’t work, but thanks to the brilliance of editing, directing and stellar acting by Hardy, you cant help but take your eyes away. The film was shot over the course of a few nights with several different camera angles in the car and only a minimal amount showing the exterior in order to affect the audience on how he is feeling as he is stuck in a very claustrophobic environment both physically and mentally. As this was filmed over a few nights, there was a directing choice made that meant a scene would only be shot once and be used on most scenes, giving the solo performance of Hardy an even more realistic appearance. One of the main things that I admire about this film is the writing. To have a film that is set in one location it requires a script that gives a compelling plot with interesting characters and a sense of intrigue throughout as the audience doesn’t know where he is going and what is causing him such stress until the climax of the movie.

Auteur Or Not?

An auteur is a film director who has such a strong signature on a film that you are able to know it is one of their films without seeing their name on it.

The director that I have been given is Guillermo Del Toro, a Mexican filmmaker, famous for his many works such as Pacific Rim (Del Toro, 2013) , The Shape of Water (Del Toro, 2017) , and Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro, 2006) , many of which are Oscar winners. I have seen many of his films including the ones above and can note that he is definitely an auteur. His signature is that his films typically deal with the supernatural and the film focuses on the main character who ignore clear warnings and this leads to bad consequences, implying the statement that it is the humans that are the monsters.

Much of his filmography includes visual representation for ideas such as his use of snowfall when there is a gateway and is often to show that it is supernatural. Another is that clockwork represents the unhindered work of time and evil and can be seen put to effect in many of his films.

A Gathering Storm

The structure of my course goes as follows. I will be assessed by two external exams both worth 35% and a piece of coursework worth 30%. These exams will both be 2 hours 30 minutes long and i will be assessed on different parts of my knowledge. Component 1 looks at Hollywood 1930-90 and will be a comparative study, looking at films such as Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958) and Blade Runner (Scott, 1982). In section B we will look at American film since 2005 such as La La Land (Chazelle, 2016) and Boyhood (Linklater, 2015). Finally, in section C, we take a look at British film since 1995 such as Shaun of the Dead (Wright, 2004) and Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996).

The structure of my course goes as follows, i will be assessed by two external exams both worth 35% and a piece of coursework worth 30%. These exams will both be 2 hours 30 minutes long and i will be assessed on different parts of my knowledge. Component 1 looks at Hollywood 1930-90 and will be a comparative study, looking at films such as Vertigo (Hitchcock, 1958) and Blade Runner (Scott, 1982). In section B we will look at American film since 2005 such as La La Land (Chazelle, 2016) and Boyhood (Linklater, 2015). Finally, in section C, we take a look at British film since 1995 such as Shaun of the Dead (Wright, 2004) and Trainspotting (Boyle, 1996).

Component 2 will comprise of 4 sections, the first being about Global film including Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro, Spain, 2006) and City of God (Mereilles, Brazil, 2002). Section B will be about Documentary film such as The Arbor (Barnard, UK, 2010). We then take a look at film movements and begin with silent cinema and look at films such as Spies (Lang, Germany, 1928). Our final section will be Experimental film where we look at films such as Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, US, 1994).

Component 2 will comprise of 4 sections, the first being about Global film including Pan’s Labyrinth (Del Toro, Spain, 2006) and City of God (Mereilles, Brazil, 2002). Section B will be about Documentary film such as The Arbor (Barnard, UK, 2010). We then take a look at film movements and begin with silent cinema and look at films such as Spies (Lang, Germany, 1928). Our final section will be Experimental film where we look at films such as Pulp Fiction (Tarantino, US, 1994).

The coursework that we do will involve creating a 5 minute short film, this will involve us organising costumes and set locations whilst writing a script and shooting the film.

Hello World!

Hello there, my name is Aaron Bruce and welcome to my blog! This blog comprises of all my work in A Level Film Studies and will contain notes about my work and be a place to share my opinions on different aspects of old and new pieces of cinema that I have viewed.

Star Wars (Lucas, 1977)