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Aesthetics

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Aesthetics are the colours, shapes, and objects that can be categorised based on the emotion/feeling they evoke.

Realism

Verisimilitude – The appearance of being true or real.

Social Realism – work that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these conditions.

Magic Realism – a literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy.

Hyperreality –  an artificially created copy that is perceived as somehow more real than the real thing, or too real to be real.

Visual Style

Iconography – the use of recurring visual images and symbols in movies that convey specific themes, evoke emotions, and build a film’s narrative identity.

Intertextual Referencing – when a text implicitly or explicitly refers to another text, by using distinctive, common or recognisable elements of the referenced text.

Visual/Sound Motifs – a recurring story element that acts as a way to highlight a films thematic meaning.

Colour Grading – post-production process of altering the appearance of an image for presentation in different environments on different devices.

Auteur Trademarks – A directors “iconic” style of direction

Tone

Pathos – an emotional appeal to an audience.

Bathos – an effect of anti-climax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.

Suspense – a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.

Comedy – type of drama or other art form the chief object of which, according to modern notions, is to amuse.

Dramatic Irony – a literary or film technique originally used in Greek tragedy, where the significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to the audience but unknown to the character.

Distancing Effect – breaking the fourth wall, through action, set, or sound

Postmodern Humour – Challenges accepted notions and expectations of genre, philosophy, and humanity.

Exam

Exam Feedback

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Impressive Phrases:

“This “reframing” of the central character” has a potentially cathartic effect on the spectator“

“Arthur, who was earlier depicted as pathetic and sad, is now depicted as powerful and heroic.“

Diegetic: something occurring within the context of the story and able to be heard by the characters.

Cathartic Effect: the release of strong emotions through a particular activity or experience

Reframing: change in camera angle without a cut and can include changing the focus of the scene

Connote: to imply as a consequence or condition. Synonyms include imply, suggest, indicate, signify, etc etc

Paragraph Structure: Point / Example / Explain / Link

Throughout Joker, cinematography is used effectively to create a sense of chaos within the film’s diegetic world. This is particularly evident in the scene towards the end of the film where Arthur is shown in a  low- angle, close-up looking out of the police car window and reacting with glee at the riots taking place around him. Here, the camera is used to position  the spectator as not only connecting with Arthur, but now looking up to him. This suggests to the spectator that the tables have turned and Arthur, who was earlier depicted as pathetic and sad, is now depicted as powerful and heroic. This “reframing” of  the central character” has a potentially cathartic effect on the spectator who has, up until this point, been encouraged to sympathise with Arthur’s point of view as a victim of circumstance. The deliberate and stylised use of this slow-motion reaction shot, enables the spectator to get a sense of poetic justice being served: Arthur is now on his way to prison.

This is England

This Is England – Representations

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Young People:

Young people are shown in This Is England to be reckless and irresponsible. At various points throughout the movie, we’re shown the younger characters in the movie making irresponsible or wrong choices, not caring for the consequence of their actions. Examples of this portrayal are how Woody and his gang go to an abandoned housing complex to destroy the building for fun, or how Gadget goes to Combo’s gang purely out of spite, instead of because of his belief in their politics.

Older People:

One of the few times we see characters in This Is England that are older than their early 20’s is when Combo and his gang attend the nationalist rally. This shows that the older generation at the time would’ve cared about the nationalist policies and agreed generally with the anti-middle eastern policies they carried. This racially insensitive stance paints the older generation as being bitter.

Class:

Most of the characters in This Is England are from a lower middle working class background, and the indoor settings they are shown in give us an idea that these lower classes generally have worse living conditions. For example, Shaun lacks real furniture in his room, needing to use a chair as a bedside table, and the paint on his walls is peeling. We can further infer that the living conditions is worse through the actions of each character. Most of the lower class characters shown in the movie show a lack of intelligence, and this portrayal paints the lower classes as being generally less educated than higher ones.

English People:

Much like older people, English people are portrayed as being driven by entitlement, through the nationalist party. The only times we hear England being mentioned in the movie is in tandem with the viewpoints of the nationalist party, showing English people as agreeing with nationalist views.

Asian/Black People:

Every racial minority shown in This Is England becomes a victim to Combo and his gang, and these racial attacks portray Asian and black people as being victims in a 1980’s British society, as the common viewpoint of the time was that they were threats to “usual” society.

Men/Masculinity:

This Is England features toxic masculinity quite strongly, having the first issue of the movie be that Shaun gets bullied for having feminine trousers. Men are portrayed as being excessively aggressive throughout the movie, mainly through Combo. Combo’s irrational and crazed attacks through the latter half of the movie tell us as an audience that masculinity is being portrayed negatively, and as something that leads to most of the “evils” shown in the movie.

Women:

Women take a more submissive role in This Is England, with their plotlines having no agency in the main story of the movie. Although women aren’t directly shown to have agency in the story, Loll acts to portray women as equally as masculine as the main cast of the movie, through her character design and actions towards Combo. Her fearless denial of his love shows that she is a character that can stand up for herself and her skinhead character design helps to roughen up her character, helping subvert typical gender roles for women.

Place:

The Midlands are shown to be grimy and urban in This Is England, with a lot of the external set featuring graffiti or broken down/unmaintained housing. This, combined with the aforementioned internal set design, tells us that The Midlands wasn’t a particularly nice place to live in the 1980’s, as it was unkept and ran by the younger (less responsible) generation.

This is England

This Is England – Micro Elements

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Mise-En-Scene: At 04:06, we see Shaun waking up and getting ready for school. In this shot we see that the paint on his wall is peeling, and that his “bed-side table” is a chair that he’s stacked items on top of. As this is one of the first shots we see of Shaun, we’re instantly made to believe that Shaun is less fortunate when it comes to money, as his mother can’t afford to properly furnish and decorate his room.

Editing: At 58:50, we see Shaun, Combo, Gadget, Banjo, and Meggy walking together in slo-mo, with the English flag imposed over them. This shot mimics a scene prior, where Shaun is shown walking in the same figuration with his old group, and this shot with the added context of the English flag shows Shaun’s transition to nationalism, through Combo’s mentoring.

Cinematography: At 01:02:50, we see Shaun getting apprehended by the shop owner, ending in the store getting raided by Combo and his gang. During this scene, the camera pans between characters frequently, making the documentary style that the film aims for feel much more realistic, and due to the amount of pans we do, it adds to the franticness of the scene, and throws the audience off when paired with the scenes racist undertones.

Sound: From 00:00, the movie starts with the song “54-46 Was My Number” by Toots And The Maytals, and this ska track paired with the 1980’s broadcast television footage on screen tells the audience about both the topic and time period this movie is set in. Through the song, we can infer that we will be dealing with the 1980’s Skinhead revival, as Ska was one of the genres skinhead culture was based around.

Representation

Representation

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All aspects of film form including narrative contribute to the representations of cultures and societies (gender, ethnicity and age) including the ideological nature of those representations

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Performance

Age, ethnicity, wardrobe, facial expression, body language, and gestures are all examples of representation through performance.

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Stereotype

A stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example, an expectation about the group’s personality, preferences, appearance or ability. Stereotypes are often overgeneralized, inaccurate, and resistant to new information. A stereotype does not necessarily need to be a negative assumption. They may be positive, neutral, or negative.

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Countertype

A representation that actively seeks to subvert and challenge negative stereotypes usually of a person, group or place.

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Sarah Connor Examples

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Countertype

Although Sarah Connor was shown as a submissive female character in the first movie, in the second she is shown a lot more masculine, donning more utilitarian costuming and displaying tight muscles and shorter hair. These all hint towards Sarah fitting a much stronger character type in the second movie, one commonly assumed to be fit with men.

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Stereotype

In the first movie, Sarah is shown to be a lot more ditzy and feminine, wearing light colours and having large styled hair, whilst working in a service job, we get the idea that this is the “damsel in distress” type character

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Representations In Trainspotting

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  1. WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT)

Danny Boyle

2. WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)

Heroin addicts, Scottish people

3. WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?

POC, women

4. WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?

People who do drugs are generally less intelligent than clean people

5. WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?

White men have power, and older people are given the most

6. DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?

Begby adheres to the stereotype of Scottish men being very aggressive and angry

7. ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?

They don’t fit the typical character types of dark comedies like itself, but the ensemble matches casting of similarly “British” films

8. WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?

As this film is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, the main theme being about drug addiction tells us that Scotland has an issue with drugs

9. HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONSTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS?

The grimy setting of “Mother Superiors” den conveys the idea that drug addicts usually dont pay much attention to taking care of their surroundings, and end up living in nasty conditions

This is England

This Is England First Response

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Critical Score: 6/10

This Is England does a great job of capturing a slice of British life in the 1980’s, and while it boasts impressive documentary style cinematography, the shoddy acting and narrative pacing/continuity knocks the movie down significantly. The first 30 minutes act as a highlight for me, as the movie loses steam once Combo is introduced.

Favourite Scene: Shaun’s haircut

This scene is my favourite as it shows the close relationship that has developed between Shaun and Woody. This lays the foundation for Shaun’s “betrayal” very effectively, by showing Woody as a pseudo-father figure to Shaun, playing on all the things we know about Shaun and his personal life in this part of the movie.

Uncategorised

Trainspotting First Response

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Critical Score: 5.5/10

This film does a good job at capturing audiences attention through its subtly introduced depiction of being under the influence of drugs, and the rather fantastical aspects of this depiction really engaged me through otherwise boring scenes (Spuds job interview, Renton visiting the mother superior whilst on probation, etc). My only gripe with the film is that I felt as if Renton was poorly written, and as he is the main character, this disconnected me from sympathising with his situation, which is the driving force of the film.

Favourite Scene: Spud’s Interview

I’ve chosen Spud’s interview as my favourite scene in Trainspotting as I love it’s use of Mise-En-Scene, shot distances, and Ewen Bremner’s performance to illustrate the effects of drugs on the characters in the movie. In this scene, Spud is at a job interview for a leisure centre, and has just taken drugs to calm his nerves. This scene is set in an office, that is extremely long, so that Spud and the interviewers are on separate sides of the room. This subtle set design mimics the effect that the drugs Spud took will have had on his perception, as the unnatural room size matched with the erratic zooming in and out of the different camera shots used in Spud’s speech create a sense of discomfort and slipping control commonly associated with the side effects of drugs. Ewan Bremner’s performance in this scene is stellar, creating a truly memorable and comedic display of character for Spud, and solidifying his personality in this early stage in the movie.

Moonlight

Moonlight – Cinematography

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Shot Distances

CU – (Close Up)

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about close ups as it shows the claustrophobic and suffocating feeling that Chiron has when being bombarded by his addict mother. Chiron is subject from a young age to substance abuse through his mother and this scenes close focus on Chiron’s mothers desperate and deluded facial expressions helps to illustrate how Chiron feels about his mother and her issue.

LS – (Long Shot)

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about long shots as it shows how Chiron is helpless in his situation. As his bullies leave the scene on the left, Chiron tries to subtly make himself big and intimidating, but as the shot type is so wide, it shows that Chiron is out of his field here, and that he is a lot more vulnerable than he would want to be.

M/CU – (Middle to Close Up) 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about middle to close up’s as it shows the audience what Chiron’s situation is, and how it’s framed so personally with the waves washing over the camera makes the audience feel as if we are with Chiron in this moment, but also understand his feeling of being drowned out and lost in his own life, being neglected by his mother and bullied by his fellow students. 

Shot Angles

High Angle 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about high angles because it shows the intimate relationship between Chiron and Kevin. This is a moment of calm in the film, with the characters relaxing on the beach smoking a blunt. This calm is subtly broken by both Chiron and Kevin looking directly into the camera from this high angle, creating a sense of compromise and vulnerability. 

Eye Level Shot 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about eye level shots because it shows Kevin’s initial reaction to see a grown-up Chiron. This prolonged and level shot with Kevin staring directly into the camera puts us in Chiron’s shoes and lets us feel how Chiron feels when Kevin sees him again for the first time since they were teenagers, and with the contexts we have of their relationship, we can accurately match Chiron’s emotions as an audience. This allows us to really envelop ourselves in these characters dynamics. 

Low Angle 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about low angles because it also puts us in Chiron’s shoes, but this time it’s so that the audience can connect with the pain he’s being subject to, both physically and mentally. We’re shown Chiron’s bullies kicking him and beating him up from his perspective and we get to understand that his struggle is a direct cause of Kevin succumbing to peer pressure and we as an audience can connect that this is both a betrayal and a humiliation for Chiron. This allows us to connect with Chiron even more, as we get to feel his pain through the camera angle. 

Shot Movement

Handheld Cam 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about handheld camera shots as the disorientating and wobbly shakes that the track has makes us as an audience understand the feeling of being an addict and being under the influence. As Chiron’s mother tries to get Chiron to unlock the house, the camera follows her towards the house with an uneven distance from the camera and her, and an unpredictable shake with each movement, making the audience feel disconnected and confused during the scene. This helps us empathise and understand Chiron’s situation with his mother and her drug problem. 

Tracking Shot 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about tracking shots as this extended following shot of Chiron’s journey to his classroom, where he inevitably attacks Terrel with a chair, allows us to visualise Chiron’s emotional process as he approaches his revenge towards his bullies. In moments throughout the fast-paced track, we see Chiron slow down and take a beat to reconsider his intentions, before he starts pushing ahead again, sealing his fate. This long track creates impact by showing us how motivated Chiron is to regain control in his life. 

Camera Pan 

I’ve chosen this shot to talk about camera pans as it shows us the relationship between Chiron and Juan. As Juan speaks to Chiron, the camera pans diagonally towards Chiron who is staring up at him with focus, showing how he admires Juan as a pseudo-father figure in his life, and how Juan is the only person that Chiron has to look up to in his life, as his mother neglects his well-being frequently across the movie. The pan also helps to tell the audience about how Juan feels in this scene, as he is not focusing on Chiron. This shows Juan’s hesitation to help and nurture Chiron as he knows about his home and personal situation, and knows that even now he’s overstepping a boundary. 

Sound

Sound

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Sound editors are responsible for handling the dialogue, sound effects, ADR, foley effects, and music. Simply put, the sound editor decides what you hear in the movies. They aren’t concerned with how they should sound but only what they would like on their own

The sound mixer is responsible for taking all the individual tracks and mixing them to be balanced. The mixing process can be a little tedious depending on the size of the library, but all the little tweaks made benefit the overall sound picture.

Sound editors pick the sounds that the sound mixers perfect.

Joker – Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic Sound

Diegetic: This sound is diegetic as it is the theme playing over Joker’s entrance to the show

Non-Diegetic: While Joker is dancing through this scene, there’s no way for him to hear the music, so it’s non-diegetic

Synchronous/Asynchronous Sound

Synchronous sound is sound that is matched with the action and movements being viewed, and asynchronous sound is not matched with a visible source of the sound on screen. 

Needle Drop

A needle drop is when a pre-existing song is used in a film to underscore a particular scene. This can be a powerful tool for filmmakers, as the emotions and associations that we have with a particular song can enhance the emotions and associations that we have with a particular scene.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds that are used in artistic works to emphasize or express an action, mood, or feeling. Sound effects were initially used in radio dramas, but can be observed more often today in podcasts, theatre, films, and television shows

Foley Artists

Foley Artists are tasked with producing realistic sound effects to match what’s happening on screen in post-production. Examples of Foley are the sound of breaking bones, creaking floors, squeaking doors, footsteps, falling bodies, fire, and basically any sound that is not dialogue or music.

Leitmotif

Leitmotifs are musical tracks synonymous with a character, setting, emotion, or character arc. They are used to guide an audience towards understanding the meaning and tone of the thing it represents.

Character: Dewey’s Theme – Scream franchise

Setting: The Shire Theme – Lord Of The Rings franchise

Emotion: Married Life – Up

Character Arc: The Imperial March – Star Wars franchise

Sound Bridges

L-cuts and J-cuts are both examples of sound bridges. Sound bridges are used to seamlessly link 2 unrelated scenes together through sound.

Voice-Over

A voice that narrates over the events of a movie. Usually from the perspective of a character central to the story, or from a “god-like” perspective.

Score/Under-Score

The score for a film is the (theme) music composed especially for it to enhance the mood/themes of the visuals which appear on screen. The underscore is music which is played “under” sequences to enhance mood and this is often mixed with dialogue and/or sound effects.

Sound Perspective

The apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre, and pitch.

Film Score

My favourite film score is Scott Pilgrim Vs The World because of how music is incorporated into the film and its story. Almost all of the music in the movie comes from the characters or the settings that each scene is set in, and it really helps to give the film verisimilitude. The score also helps to convey character emotion throughout the film. For example, at the end of the film, Scott goes through the same fight twice, and approaches both differently. In the first fight, Scott approaches with a selfish and entitled approach, and when his band is asked to play before the fight begins, the song they play is less enthusiastic and buried, whereas in the second fight, his selfless and appreciative approach changes the bands feelings towards the fight, causing them to play much more energetically and excitedly.

Joker

Joker – Mise En Scene

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I’ve selected these scenes and shots from Joker (2019) to show how Mise En Scene can be utilised in film.

Composition

Arthur is shown in the centre of the frame from the third person perspective, taking a moment to enjoy the film being played in the theatre (played by the Loews Jersey Theatre in New Jersey). This scene utilizes the composition aspect of Mise En Scene, with the scene being symmetrically shot with Arthur being placed directly in the centre of the screen, parallel with the film screen and adjacent to Gotham’s film-goers.

Set Design

I chose this shot to show the set design aspect of Mise En Scene, as the cramped and trinket-filled office flooded in dim and dreary lighting helps to illustrate the personality and motives of the clowning companies boss before we even hear him speak, we understand that he is a greedy and personally driven man who doesn’t care for Arthur or his financial status.

Props

I chose this show to show the prop aspect of Mise En Scene, as the items displayed on the bedside table and bedroom floor help to illustrate Arthur’s story throughout the story. The gun and cigarettes are indicative of both his unhealthy relationship with substances and his future suicide attempts, and the newspaper titled “kill the rich, a new movement” is indicative of his arc throughout the movie, becoming the symbol for a rebellion.

Lighting

I chose this shot to show the lighting aspect of Mise En Scene as the lighting in this scene shows us how Arthur feels about this moment in the film. The spotlight on Arthur and the isolation of the background, apart from the 3 sidelights, shows that Arthur is feeling like the metaphorical light is being shone upon him in this moment, and that this is his opportunity to prove himself to his audience, all eyes are on him.

Aspect Ratio

I chose this shot to show the aspect ratio aspect of Mise En Scene, as it shows how alone Arthur feels in this part of the film. The almost square aspect ratio shows how Arthur feels boxed in and isolated after his comedy gig gets mocked and his mother dies, leaving him without any family or friends

Make-up & Costume

I chose this shot to show the Make-up & Costume aspects of Mise En Scene, as this is the first scene where Arthur really adopts the “Joker” persona. The classic clown make-up and green dyed hair shows Arthurs past as a clown-for-hire, and how he has split himself from the more fun and entertaining side of clowning, and his more sophisticated and professional look conveys seriousness to the audience, telling us that he has changed into “the joker”.