Part A–

The ideologies surrounding gender in Pan’s Labyrinth is so Cleary critical about patriarchal society. The female characters like Ophelia and Mercedes are expected to be subservient, stereotypical by their male counterparts, but instead turn out to be courageous and smart, the archetype of traditionally patriarchal views on women.

Part B-

Del Toro uses aesthetics in Pan’s Labyrinth to firstly take on the perspective of Ophelia, and her imaginative, magic – realism personality. The magical look of the movie as a whole reflects how in order to shield herself from the violent environment, Ophelia fabricates a world of her own, a fantasy world where suffering doesn’t exist and she’s the princess.

How is gender represented in Pan’s Labyrinth 

• Use of gold colour pallet – used in fantasy scenes and scenes with Ophelia. 
• Shadowy blue colours – used in scenes with the faun 

Analysis of frog tree scene –  

The use of intertextual references takes place in Ophelia’s dress that she takes off, the dress reminds the audience of Alice in Wonderland, and the fantasy world that both Alice and Ophelia explore. The way the dress is sullied contrasts with the expectation of women being put together and ‘polite’, whereas Captain Vidal is presented to be more put together, therefore inverting the roles of men and woman, and commenting on the absurdity of gender politics and roles. 

The use of ‘wipe transitions’ creates a parallel between Ophelia and Captain Vidal, both being binary Oppositions of each over. 

The use setting illustrates how Ophelia is ‘trapped’ in the world she is, she is living in a much smaller world, boxed in by expectations of society and gender stereotypes. Whereas Vidal is out in the open, exclaiming out to the woods, as if he owns it. 

The colour pallet also reflects Ophelia’s fantasy world, whereas Vidal is lit realistically, showing how he does not posess the same childish, imaginative mindset as Ophelia. 

Sound:

The non-diegetic, whimsical underscore used in the opening of the movie first of all sets the tone for the film; magic realism and fantasy, but also leads the film towards a backstory, paired with the cyclical structure the opening shot provides, the spectator is made aware (through the use of a J-cut and underscoring) that this movie is non-naturalistic and surreal, reflecting the auteur trademarks of Guillermo Del Toro.

Mise-en-scene:

The scene’s ‘look’ in this scene contrasts to the shocking murder the Captain committed just the night before, introducing the character to be relentless and psychopathic and also representing him as the story’s antagonist. The composition is thought-out and deliberate, adding to the uncertainty the Captain radiates.

Cinematography:

The shallow depth of focus in the ‘pale man’ scene adds to the tension created, the camera blurs the figure in the background to add to the impending terror. The shallow depth of focus also allows the eye on his hand to be focused, leading the spectators attention to the horrific, in-humane monster, engaging the audience and creating the effect of the pale-man coming closer and closer to Ophelia.

Editing:

The editing used in this scene essentially ‘teleports’ Ophelia to the Labyrinth, adding to the verisimilitude of Guillermo’s fantasy magic-relist world. The spectator is encouraged to loose track of the ‘unexplainable’ aspects of the movie, and to instead share Ophelia’s imaginative, fantasy world, therefore aligning with the character of Ophelia.

1. 8/10
2. Most memorable scene – The Lullaby. I think this scene encapsulates the abandonment and loneliness Ofelia feels having been separated from her mother, finding comfort in Mercedes, who acts as a maternal figure in the meantime. It stands out to me as they both are governed by Captain Vidal, a violent and unforgiving man that terrorizes them and essentially traps them.

3) Iconic image

The shallow depth of focus adds to the horrific nature of the film, and makes the ‘pale man’ appear even more inhumane and threatening. Additionally the fact that the shot is dimly lit adds to the dark and eery themes of the film.

1)I have decided to utilise narration in my short film, engaging the audience and aiding in the character development of the protagonist, and additionally a non-linear narrative (montages etc)

2)Narration is evident in Le’Jetee and was used in an effective way to build a story line to essentially ‘sell’ the verisimilute of the stylistic and post-apocalyptic world. This is influential moving forward in my film, as I would aim to hint towards a non-linear narrative in from where I bring together the narration and the other clips.

Additionally, the mise-en-scene used in ‘Bombita’ is incredibly effective in forming the aesthetic and tone of the film, this is something i want to bring to my film using symmetrical shots, repetitive shots and surrealistic shots with obscure lighting.

Moonlight – 49:00 -52:00

Joker – 34:00-36:00

Moonlight – Young working class families are broken, referencing parents who are addicts and have a lack of a suitable care-giver.

Joker – The entertainment industry exploits vulnerable people, they broadcast their struggle for profit and fame.

How does the film use classic Soviet Montage Techniques to tell the worker’s story? 

Firstly, Eisenstein uses tonal montage to communicate the exploitation of the workers and the destructive nature of the Aristocracy, and their disregard for humanity. In the scene where one of the proletariats depicted are asked if he’d like to join the opposing force, he insinuates a fight and the upper class character slams his fist on the table, knocking over bottles of ink that essentially floods a map on his desk. This directly references the bloodshed caused at the expense of violence and mistreatment of workers, directly caused by the upper class, and their classist, inhumane ways.

According to Eisenstein, a musical score’s pacing (or meter) influences metric montage, metric montage is effective in building the tension of a scene and evoking suspense/ anxiety in a spectator. During the scene where the workers fight against the multiple officers on their horses, Eisenstein uses metric montage to almost position the audience amidst the chaos, as if they themselves were fighting for their lives in a high tension, dangerous situation alongside the overworked, underpaid, underappreciated factory workers.

The shot also depicts a small child sitting isolated in the danger, separated from his mother. Eisenstein slots in this shot amongst the violence to comment on how the factory workers don’t get paid enough to support their children, and equally wont get to see their children as a result of the excessive work hours. By seeing the effect the upper class’s classist ideology’s on multiple generations, the spectator is forced to comprehend the cumulative cause and effect that the mistreatment of workers has on society.

Finally, the use of intellectual montage in Strike (1925) brings the whole movie to a cathartic and violent finish. Eisenstein depicts a cow being brutally slaughtered, another cog in the machine of manufacture and labour, adjacent to way the factory workers are treated almost like animals, killed when deemed no longer useful. By using a scene so gory and shocking it reinforces the violence of the conflict depicted in the film, essentially commenting on the exploitation of the working class, and how the divide between the starving proletariat and greedy aristocrat breeds unnecessary bloodshed.

Additionally, the intellectual montage of a cow being slaughtered represents how the lower class fights for human rights and liveable work condition all their life, and some die in the process. By visually capturing death in such a vivid way, the spectator if forced of those to have died at the hands of the upper class, whether by poor work condition, suicide (as depicted in Strike) or fighting against the breech of human rights in the form of a strike. Eisenstein does this to elicit the importance of standing up against Capitalism and the class system, as the repetitive cycle of working and then dying is tragic and the only true way to overcome this is to stand against higher status characters and a union, together, or else you are just another cattle being killed for its profit.

Narration/ Unreliable Narrator – An unreliable narrator is an untrustworthy storyteller, most often used in narratives with a first-person point of view. The unreliable narrator is either deliberately deceptive or unintentionally misguided, forcing the reader to question their credibility as a storyteller.

Backstory – A backstory is the history and background of your character, the events and experiences that shaped their personality, motivations, and goals. A well-crafted backstory can make your character more believable, relatable, and engaging for the audience.

Flashback/ flashforward – ANALEPSIS AND PROLEPSIS: What is commonly referred to in film as “flashback” and “flashforward.” In other words, these are ways in which a narrative’s discourse re-order’s a given story: by “flashing back” to an earlier point in the story (analepsis) or “flashing forward” to a moment later in the chronological sequence.

Linear/ Non-Linear Narrative – Linear narratives are the most common form. Sometimes, however, a film might work better with a non-linear plot which presents some or all of the events in a non-chronological order. Sometimes film-makers might begin their story by showing us the final scenes first.

Ellipsis – It is there to suggest an action by simply showing what happens before and after what is observed. The vast majority of films use ellipses to clear actions that add nothing to the narrative. Beyond these “convenience” ellipses, ellipses are also used to advance the story.

Framing Device – a narrative technique in which a story is surrounded (“framed”) by a secondary story, creating a story within a story, often through Separate Scene Storytelling. The inner story is usually the bulk of the work. The framing device places the inside story within a different context.

Cliff-hanger/ Closed endings – A cliffhanger is hoped to incentivize the audience to return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma. The 1914 film serial Perils of Pauline was shown in bi-weekly instalments and ended with a cliff-hanger.

Macguffin – is a plot device used in films or books that sets the characters into motion and drives the story. A MacGuffin is an object, idea, person, or goal that the characters are either in pursuit of or which serves as motivation for their actions. Usually, the MacGuffin is revealed in the first act.

Foreshadowing – Foreshadowing means hinting about what is to come during later events. It creates expectations about how things might play out as your script continues.

Alignment/ POV – describes the process by which spectators are placed in relation to characters in terms of access to their actions and to what they know and feel.

Causality – One beat of the story should lead naturally and logically to the next plot point or else we will become confused and lose interest in the narrative. This cause-and-effect relationship between events is known as causality.

In Media res – In Medias Res is a Latin phrase meaning “in the midst of things.” Writers in the world of literature and film use it to describe a story or movie scene that begins with a protagonist at a later point in the narrative. By this point, a good deal of action has taken place.

Masterplot/ subplot – masterplots are just “skeletal” stories that recur again and again (by skeletal I mean that a given structure is what recurs, rather than its content).

In fiction, a subplot or side story is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or for the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or thematic significance.

Narrative Hook – In film, the hook is what grabs the viewer’s attention, preferably in the first 5–10 minutes, as a reader might expect to find a literary hook in the first chapter of a novel. During the pitch process, a screenwriter will use a hook to prove the “bankable” quality of their screenplay.

Plot Twist – A plot twist is a deviation from an expected story beat. Plot twists can take place at any time in a story, but they’re most commonly associated with endings (i.e.,” twist endings”). Writers frequently use plot twists to add nuance, shock, and surprise to formulaic narratives.

Narrative film is a type of film that tells a story from beginning to end using a particular structure. According to narrative theory, these stories follow a format that begins by introducing characters, disrupting their lives, and showing how they overcome adversity to resolve the plot.

Key Theorists

Todorov – all narratives contain equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, resolution, and new equilibrium. “Logical and artistic necessity” mandates these formal similarities. Narrative, Todorov suggests, is a language that humans are conditioned to speak.

Levi-strauss binary oppositions – Levi Strauss, a French anthropologist in the 1900s, proposed a theory of ‘binary opposites’ which entails that the majority of narratives in media forms such as books and film contain opposing main characters. These binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative; and introduce contrast.

Propp spheres of action – Vladimir Propp (1928) claimed characters could be defined by their “spheres of action” and the role they played in the progression of the story. After studying 100 fairy tales in tremendous detail, he identified seven archetypes: the villain, the donor, the helper, the princess, the dispatcher, the hero, and the false hero.

Vogler/ Campbell Hero’s Journey –  the Hero is living in the so-called “ordinary world” when he receives a call to adventure. Usually, the Hero is unsure of following this call — this phase is known as the “refusal of the call” — but is then helped by a mentor figure, who gives him counsel and convinces him to follow the call.

Barthes Narrative Codes – Relying on the textual analysis, it shows that the selected story is tangled by all the five codes i.e. the proairetic, hermeneutic, semantic, symbolic and cultural codes. The story starts with an enigma, is full of suspense where several elements stand for connotative meaning.