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Trainspotting first response

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Rating- 9/10 

I think that Trainspotting was a great movie. I really enjoyed the aesthetics of it, the lighting was a standout aspect to me. I think the movie felt very real, and the scenes including the drug usage are very tense. I enjoyed the grungy feel of the lighting in most of the scenes. 

Stand out scene: 

I feel that this scene was very powerful in its representation of Renton’s overdose. The way that most of the camera is covered by the carpet when looking from Renton’s point of view really disorientates the viewer, which adds to the effect of this scene. The camera cutting from how Renton is perceiving the situation to how others around him are is a very unique way of showing his move to the hospital. The use of the carpet falling down into the floor is a great use of foreshadowing to the death of Tommy and the later shot that parallels this, the lowering of his coffin. By doing this, immediately the viewer knows that Renton has overdosed, and this scene becomes a lot more tense. The tense feeling of the scene is starkly contrasted with the music playing in the background.  

Cinematography- I feel that this scene is very effective at showing Renton’s thought process in this scene. the way that the camera lingers on this close up shot of the needle, showing how Renton waits for the blood to leak into the syringe. The way I have interpreted this is him having slight hesitation, knowing that doing this could send him to prison, as he said that he would stop using and go to rehab on court order. The camera being this close to the needle also helps in un-nerving the audience, as seeing it be injected so close up may unsettle a large amount of viewers.

Mise En Scene- I feel the space in this frame is able to show how the three in this frame feel insignificant to their situation. by having the characters against the vast hills behind them, it creates a contrast to the rising tensions between tommy and the others.

Editing – The editing for the whole bedroom scene helps to create a tense atmosphere, the sharp cuts from each shot of Renton’s hallucinations to the next help to get the viewer on edge. It disorientates the viewer by cutting from things that are inside Renton’s mind (Spud sat on his cupboard, the baby) and things that are real (himself and the tv).

Sound- during Renton’s overdose scene, sound is used in an effective way by the use of an already existing song. Perfect Day by Lou Reed is played in the background of this scene underneath other sounds, such as ambulances, cars and the doctors shouting at him. this is a very effective way to show the audience how disconnected Renton is in this moment, as the music stops when he is given the adrenalin shot in his arm.

Sound

Sound

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sound designersound mixer
decides what sounds will be used in the piece.
(i.e. sirens, dialogue, cars)
they may also create these sound effects for the specific project.		decides when the sounds will be present.
(i.e. if they fade in and out during scenes of stress)
make sure that audio is up to the quality that is desired

The Shepard’s tone: A tone of music designed to unnerve the audience. It is constructed with three tones in different octaves that all play at the same time. The lowest and highest fading at different times to give the illusion that the sound goes on forever.

Diegetic sound: Sounds that appear to the characters in the universe can hear, such as dialogue and music played on radio.

Non Diegetic sound: these are sounds that cannot be heard by the characters on screen, such as the soundtrack and narration.

Sound Effects: these are sounds that are artificially made for the purpose of enhancing a scene. (emphasising a mood, action or feeling). used in all kinds of media (radio, theatre, film and tv.)

The Foley Artist: re-creates the sounds in a recording which get layer on top of the original clip. This may get done because the original audio was too low or not clear enough. Things they could re-create are walking, a character getting hit or a character falling, along with most sound effects in movies.

Leitmotif: A recurring piece of music that is present throughout a film or film franchise, they are guides. there are 4 categories character, setting, emotion and evolution. an example of character music would be something like Indiana Jones’ theme that plays throughout the movies. An example of setting would be the piece of music that plays in lord of the rings when in reference to The Shire, this could be when the characters are present in the shire, or when they reminiscing on it while out on their adventure. These can also be modified to show emotion about the setting, like having the music slow down or be played on a different instrument to signify that they miss the place. An example of Emotion would be in Up with the music associated with Ellie, it plays throughout the movie to signify Carl’s mental state and at the end to show how he has grown attached to Russel. For Evolution, you could use Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) as an example, as in the prequal movies, there is a slight part of the imperial march that can be heard in Anakin’s theme.

Sound Bridge: helps smoothen the transition from one scene to the next. can be referred to as a J-cut or an L-cut depending on if sound leaves before or after the image.

Voice over: a voice that narrates over the events of the movie, usually from a character present in the movie from the future. it may also be from the perspective of an ‘unreliable narrator’ which may be the views of one character, not the whole story. An example of voice over is at the beginning of the extended cut of lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring by the character Galadriel.

Score/Underscore: The score of a movie is pieces of music that are composed specifically for a movie. An underscore is a piece of music that is played underneath the dialogue and sound effects. it can be used to help amplify the mood or themes of a scene, for example ‘Concerning Hobbits’ from the lord of the rings is used to amplify the feelings of comfort and tranquillity that is in The Shire.

Synchronous: a sound that is matched with the actions that are being viewed, I.E when someone is talking or when you hear and see a match being struck.

Asynchronous: when a sound is not matched with the actions that are being viewed. I.E. birds off screen or cars.

Needle Drop: when a pre-existing song is put as the underscore in a movie. This can be used to enhance emotions in a scene through the association of these songs.

Sound Perspective: Its volume, how far away it could be from the source. this could be utilized, by having a scene with no dialogue and having the sounds of the setting taking the foreground. For example, in Spielberg’s Munich, there is a scene that has almost no dialogue and does all of its story telling through the sounds of the scene. These sounds are raised and lowered throughout the scene to heighten the tension.

Film Score: my favourite Film score is the score for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring. I feel that Howard Shore does a great job of world building for the first movie of the franchise. It makes each area of Middle Earth well known to the viewer, this is done by using different instruments for all the important areas that are shown in the first movie that will be reoccurring throughout the franchise. By having them all represented by different instruments, it is able to world build and introduce the audience to the areas of Middle Earth without having to say anything. For example, when Frodo wakes up in Rivendell, the music is very regal and the viewer immediately knows this is a place of importance and will be a place of safety for Frodo and the Hobbits. This regal sound is continued throughout the entire time they stay in Rivendell, this creates a connection of importance to the elves in the viewers mind.

Moonlight

moonlight camera sizes, angles and movements

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Cu/bcu (close up/ big close up) 

I feel that this type of shot was chosen for this scene because it gives you an insight to how Chiron could have been feeling. By having the camera this close, it almost puts the viewer in the Pov of Chiron, therefore getting the audience more attached to him as a character and his story. This shot is effective in being able to capture the stress Chiron would have been in every day from how his mother acted, the way she would change depending on if she wants something from him. 

Mcu (middle to close up) 

A lot of the shots in this movie are very effective in putting the viewer in Chiron’s position. By having this shot almost at eye level, it once again puts the viewer in Chiron’s Pov. In this scene, there are a lot of shots like his, or ones that are close ups of characters looking down the camera lense, which in a tense and emotional scene like this is very effective.  

Xls (extreme long shot) 

By having an extreme long shot here, it emphasizes Chiron’s loneliness and his isolation from his peers. The way that he is separated from the people his age emphasizes the fact that he is separated from them.  

Slight high angle

The way that the camera is slightly looking down on Paula Could be Replicating how Jaun feels about her. The way he slightly looks down on her because of how badly she treats her son. But throughout the scene, the shot becomes more of an eye level shot, which could be replicating the way that Paula scolds Jaun because he is disappointed in the way she treats her son, but he is the one who is selling her drugs. 

High angle shot 

The high angle shot in this scene could represent how Chiron feels less than people. It could also represent his innocence while asking these serious questions to Juan, the camera making him look smaller and more venerable.  

High angle/Bird’s Eye

The way that this shot is placed high above the pair makes the audience feel like they’re almost intruding on a private conversation. By having the camera in amongst the trees, it adds to the feeling of the audience knowing something private and since it makes it more private, it makes the audience feel more invested. 

Pan down

In this shot, it pans down from Jain to Chiron. This happens as Juan is telling Chiron a story, this movement of the camera could be a visual representation of Chiron taking this story he’s being told to heart. 

Handheld cam

The camera in this scene is handheld, letting the waves move it around. The jerky movements of the camera coupled with the waves submerging more than half the lense at some points, makes for a powerful scene. the way i view this scene, the shakiness of the camera is meant to mirror chiron’s nerves. 

Dolly shot 

The camera seems to be on a track during this scene, following Chiron as he walks through the corridors of his school. Shots like this are great at building suspense as the audience cannot see the characters face, making them unaware of and unable to read a characters facial expressions to try and predict what they will do next. 

Joker

Joker Mise en scene

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From my understanding mise en scene is the combination of all the aspects of a film that make up each shot. All the thought and time that went into each moment and aspect of the film, from costume to the lighting. All aspects of a film must be thought about with each shot, because all of them could have a second meaning that would push the story’s narrative more. 

I’ve selected this moment from the Joker because it is a good example of the mise en  

scene. I think this is because it has a realistic set design of a sound stage that is used on a tv show set. This medium shot encompasses Aurther’s desire to be seen as a comic, and later revealed, just to be seen at all especially by Murray. The shot is an almost point of view shot, but from a spectator. Aspects of this set could have been made for the movie, but I doubt that all of it was, i feel that the parts that specifically align with the Murray show where probably made for the movie, while the actual stage would have already been made for other talk shows. The composition of the shot brings attention to Aurther and Murray, while still showing the camera/film crew in the background, though the audience isn’t  supposed to pay them much mind, as they have been blurred.   

I feel the composition of this shot is very balanced, with Aurther in the middle and the alleyway on each side.  It is clear that this is a real alleyway and not one constructed for the film, but the props and rubbish that are on the sides probably were placed there by the crew. The way that the sign is laid out broken on the floor could be read as a reflection for Aurther’s current mental state. The lighting is also slightly low-key and almost dirty looking, again to highlight the state Aurther is in, compared to a couple moments before when he is working, where it is much brighter. 

I feel that the lighting in this scene is very strong, because it changes depending on where you are looking on the screen. Toward the staircase you have more low-key lighting, which lets the audience know where to look, making them focus on Aurther. Whereas the single florescent bar and the dim light from the window that are lighting Aurther are really standing out.  Having Aurther be the only thing that is lit makes the audience know to look at him. While bright lights can often be associated with happiness or joy, here the bright florescence is more associated with hospitals and institutions of a similar sense. I also feel it important to mention that the camera angle that this is shot from could be a representation of Aurther’s spiraling mental health at this point, as he has just finished running down spiral stairs and finding out he is adopted, which could be considered as the catalyst for the rest of the movie.  

The costuming for Aurther’s “Joker” persona is a very important aspect of the film. Most people who would have gone to see this movie would be expecting makeup like this on him for the whole movie because he is based off the Joker character from Batman.  having this makeup be foreshadowed by the clown masks that begin to be worn by the people protesting because of Aurther’s murders is a very smart move. The makeup itself is a very classical clown look, something people will automatically know is meant to be a clown. As for the costume, I feel that having him dressed in bright contrasting colours was a choice made to have his actions happen after being even more surprising. This also could be so that the fictional audience of the Murray show would be more surprised because of his almost jolly look. The bright colours contrast with his dark actions and mind. 

The use of space and lighting in this shot is very effective. The way that the officers stand up and Aurther sits down can wordlessly portray the power difference between them, their presence making Aurther feel smaller, or at least he is portraying that to them. BY having there be a lot of space between them, it creates a sort of “us vs them” mentality that Aurther is setting up by this point in the movie. By this point, Aurther has already started to think that the whole of society is against him, so having this very visible space between them shows that. The lighting in this scene is again reminiscent of that same florescent hospital lighting. By having the officers in almost complete darkness, shows the audience that from Aurther’s perspective, they are the enemy. While Aurther, has some light behind him, showing that he truly believes he’s done a good thing. 

I feel the use of this film’s aspect ratio is done very well here. By having a slightly taller screen, you are able to take in the beauty of the theatre that they are in. But along with that, with the screen not being too thin, you are able to see the slight audience reactions from the people either side of Aurther. Aurther being in the center could be a slight foreshadow to how Aurther is at the center of all the chaos and destruction that will happen and mostly affect the people who are watching this film. In this show, the viewer is able to almost get into the mind of Aurther, by feeling how invisible he must feel because he was able to just grab a uniform and come into this screening. 

 I feel that the use of space in this shot is very telling of Aurther’s mental state. The way he is  off center could be showing how mentally he is declining. As well at this, having the camera slightly blur out the background, it still makes sure the viewers eyes are drawn to Aurther and not the things in the background. 

Moonlight

Moonlight First response

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Scoring- 8/10 

I feel that moonlight is a beautiful and emotionally strong movie. I found myself connecting with these characters a lot and really getting attached to them throughout its runtime. the writing and interactions felt very real which helped with getting me engaged with them and their struggles. The way that the audience grows with Chiron and goes through his struggles really makes this a stan doubt coming of age type movie, where most stick with characters through one point in their lives, we follow Chiron through multiple. 

Stand out scene: 

While I feel there are multiple standout scenes in this movie, I think the one that stood out to me the most is when Chiron is getting arrested. While it isn’t really the scene, I find the most moving, it is the shot where Chiron is looking at Kevin, I find to be the most devastating. The way they were able to capture the pure sense of betrayal he must have felt in that moment really moved me.

Y12 Starter tasks

Monaco- the spectrum of the Arts

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“What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of the Arts” 

The spectrum of the arts, i feel, is defined as the ways that art can differ and can change. Art is like a liquid, it’s definition is fluid and will change from person to person. because of that over all accepted definition has changed throughout the years, according to Monaco. the spectrum of the arts can also refer to the multiple different ways you can  experience a piece of art. as discussed in class, such differences come up when looking at films. The way reading a novel will change the experience, to the way seeing something performed will change it. some examples of this i could reference are the way that reading a novel is completely personalized to you, the way you envision the characters and the way that they speak and deliver lines is completely union to how you read. Whereas when you watch a film, the casting and their line deliveries are already done for you. Similar could be said about the experience of watching a performance rather than a film. other than the obvious lack of physical depth that a performance has to a film, when you watch a film, you know that you’re getting the best version of it. Whereas, when you are watching a live performance, things can go wrong, like people forgetting lines or props, but that aspect of it being live also gives it a much more human feel and a sense of adrenaline for the people acting in it. 

Joker

Joker critical response

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Rating- 7/10 

It was very beautifully shot, the soundtrack was great and very clearly displayed and heightened emotions in the scenes. But the first hour was not my favourite because it was just Aurther wallowing for an hour, which I did not connect with.  

Stand out scene- the ending 

I feel that the music was really carrying the ending, the use of much more happy music compared to the subject that was happening on screen really heightened it. I feel that it really showed the extent of Aurther’s descent to madness. I also think the music fits because throughout the film the song ‘that’s life’ is related to Murry’s show and the reason he is in the ward is because of what he did on the show. 

Y12 Starter tasks

Categorizing Films

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Mainstream: 

-Bugs life, 1998 – John Lasseter + Andrew Stanton – animated (Pixar children’s film) 

-Love Simon, 2018 – Greg Berlanti – romcom  

-The breakfast club, 1985 – John Hughes – teen comedy  

– The magnificent seven, 1960 – Paul Wendkos – western 

Historically significant: 

-Wizard of Oz, 1939 – Victor Fleming – fantasy musical (revolutionized the use of color in films) 

-Battleship Potemkin, 1925 – Sergei Eisenstein – war  

-Alphaville, 1965 – Jean-Luc Godard – noir  

Art film: 

-The Shape of Water, 2017 – Guillermo Del Toro – romantic horror fantasy (Guillermo del Toro is a very arty director) 

-The seven Samurai, 1954 – Akira Kurosawa – action  

-Fitzcarraldo, 1982 – Werner Herzog – Musical, Drama  

A Bug’s Life – I chose to put this in mainstream because it is a movie that is produced by Pixar, which is a mainstream company. Being a mainstream company means that all their movies will have a large audience as a given. As well as that, children’s movies are usually mainstream because children are a large demographic in the film industry. 

Wizard of Oz – I chose to put The Wizard of Oz in historically accurate because it was one of the movies to revolutionize the use of colour in movies. This movie would have been a lot of people’s introductions to the use of colour in film, which would make it very significant.

The Shape of Water – I chose to put this in Art film because i have seen a few Guillermo films and I think he has a very artsy style and by the few screen caps I’ve seen, I think this movie is following that pattern. The movie’s topic is also one that sounds like an art film, being about a more confusing relationship between the human and the amphibian creature.