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key messages and values in films

Moonlight – Growing up without a responsible guardian in a rough neighbourhood in which you get bullied in, can influence bad behaviours and those bad behaviours reflect on the persons background and their authoritative figures that they followed growing up.

Joker – Members of society who turn into serial killers/psychopaths are typically those who have come from a difficult parental situation and have grown up being looked down upon in society.

Key messages and Values in Joker and Moonlight

Moonlight

A key message in moonlight showcasing the suffering those in the lower class have to go through. For example Shyrones childhood neglect from his mother spreading throughout the film and her only caring about him for his money.

Joker

A key message in joker is the societal prejudice against those with physical and mental disability’s. We see this for example with main character’s Arthur being judged and neglected by society due to his mental illness. There is also a minor character with dwarfism who’s job is working at a clown business and is made fun of by his associates for his disability.

Mini Essay Strike Methods of Montage

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.

Bonnie and Clyde Context

Bonnie and Clyde was produced and released to the public in 1967. During this time many major world events were taking place that influenced the films production and the things they put in the movie. One of these factors was the Vietnam war which majorly influenced the ideas in the film like patriotism for American citizens and the showcase of hippies and other outlaws. The civil rights movement was also ongoing at this time which caused major civil unrest and limited black people’s roles in the film to minor parts in the film.

wild tales 4 : Til Death do us Part/Hasta que la muerte nos separe 

Film 4: Til Death do us Part/Hasta que la muerte nos separe 

What did you like about the film? I really liked the plot of the film; it made it entertaining to watch.  What didn’t you like? I thought the beginning was my least favorite part of the film as the music I felt didn’t match the vibe of it.  
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I would perhaps use the narrative theme of betrayal displayed in the film.  What ideas won’t you use? Why? I probably won’t use the violent aspects of the film (i.e. the glass smashing cuts scene) though I do think it was crucial in the plot and scene.  

In-Depth study: All elements 

Feature Example 
Narrative structure  The narrative structure is a wedding that goes wrong in many ways but ends up being fine for the bride and groom as they realise they are perfect together because of their toxicity. 
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme Inserting image...The beginning scene establishes the plot, as it’s obvious it’s a wedding and the images that the family are watching establish the characters. 
Mise-en-scene Inserting image... The mise-en-scene is mainly crowds dancing on the wedding floor, this example is the Simcha band, a Jewish band that the bride and groom have to celebrate their wedding. 
Cinematography Inserting image... The cinematography in this feel is cleverly used and has a very professional look. In this scene the bride is calling the number from her husband’s phone and looks at the girl through the mirror, this is cleverly done to show the bride’s expressions at the same time as showing the girl picking up the phone. 
Editing  The editing in this film is very smoothly done, it has lots of clean cuts that roll to the next scene without the audience noticing the editing because it flows so cleanly. 
Sound  The sound in Till Death do us Part, is very chaotic and links to the scenes shown in each part. The music and scenes emphasize the characters’ emotions throughout, so when its loud, fast music, the characters feel stressed, in the beginning scene, its celebratory music, again showing the characters emotions, and the end scenes music being a love song, shows the characters feeling of love to each other. 

Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film? 

Cinematography/Sound/Editing: This film’s cinematography and sound were the best aspects, so I would use similar in my short film. Narrative structure: I am inspired by the theme of betrayal in this film, so I am thinking of a similar theme to mine. 
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme:  The setting of the film was really creative so would be inspired by it; the rooftop scene was very impactful and gave effect to the overall film. Creating enigmas: The ending really created enigma in the film because after all the chaoticness and stress, the bride and groom got back together, making the audience confused, so I am inspired by this ending because it is so unexpected. 

Narrative Devices

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 devises

Narration – speaking happening over what is happening on screen which adds more information into the sequence.

Unreliable narrator –  an untrustworthy storyteller, most often used in narratives with a first-person point of view. 

Backstory – a history or background created for a fictional character in a film or television programme

Flashback – a scene in a film, novel, etc. set in a time earlier than the main story.

Flash forward – show events that will happen at a later time than the main story

Linear narrative – a story in chronological order.

Non-linear narrative – any narrative that doesn’t follow a traditional, chronological order from beginning to end

Ellipsis –  omitting a portion of the sequence of events, allowing the reader to fill in the narrative gaps

Framing devises –  a story that is different from the main story, comes at the beginning and end of it, and adds to it in some way.

Cliff-hanger – a situation or part of a film that is very exciting or frightening because you are left for a long time not knowing what will happen next. 

Closed ending – when a TV show or a film end with no confusion

Macguffin – an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.

Foreshadowing –  hinting about what is to come during later events.

Alignment – the way in which we are oriented towards the characters in a narrative in terms of information

POV – point of view – which character the narrative is being told from

Causality – cause-and-effect relationship between events

In media res – in the midst of things, a story that begins partway through its plot, with the missing events filled in later through dialogue, flashbacks, or other techniques.

Masterplot – “skeletal” stories that recur again and again

Subplot – a secondary plot used in film and television that receives less screen time and emphasis than the main plot.

Narrative hook – what grabs the viewer’s attention.

Plot twist – an unsuspected occurrence or turn of events in the story that completely changes the direction or outcome of the plot from the direction it was likely to go.