Director: Dan Gilroy
aesthetic is the overall view and representation a person or place gives off due to its or their features such as clothes hair makeup etc.
verisimilitude: in film means the appearance being true or real.
eg- the realistic life’s of teenagers and their troubles highs and lows etc.
social realism: to give the audience a true sense of what the lives of these characters are like, and the social issues that are happening at the time.
eg- the events surrounding society ant its beliefs when this film was set.
magic realism: portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone
eg- the fantastical events within this film are shown to be realistic.
hyperreality: a condition in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.
eg- the idea that within Truman’s life none is entirely sure what real and what’s fake.
iconography: the use of recurring visual images and symbols in movies that convey specific themes, evoke emotions, and build a film’s narrative identity.
eg- the reoccurring bunny rabbit though the film while the plot thickens
intertextual referencing: when a piece of art is mentioned, examples being a book, a poem, another film etc..
eg- the mentions of all the literature within this film
visual/ sound motifs: sound or visual elements in film that reoccur to help tell the characters story.
eg-“number one rule about fight club” repetition
colour grading: putting a filter or a certain filter over a film to suit the mood or set a tone.
eg- summery and vibrant to match the contents of the film.
auteur trademarks- a directors following theme of vibe throughout there films
eg- Jordan Peele, reoccurring theme of black representation in horror films, realistic representation of fear.
pathos: an appeal to the audiences emotions. sad moments
Ethos- is a persuasive technique that appeals to an audience by highlighting credibility
bathos- anti-climax, unintentional lapse in mood.
suspense- a film that puts you on edge and unknowing of what’s to come.
dramatic irony- when the audience knows something that the character does not.
distancing effect- something to remind the viewers that it is just a story and to not get too emotionally invested in it.
post-modern humour: when a film has embraced multiple genres and embracing absurdity and breaking conventions.
In this movie the soundtrack is a very crucial thing, a example of this is the use of the smiths song please, please, please, let me get what i want in the final scene, i think the use of a sad song for this scene makes the viewers feel something for shauns character however it also indicates a new beginning for shaun and shows that things are going to go uphill for him as he is letting go of the racist beliefs he was taught.
The use of cinematography in this film is represented well in this image, this long shot of combos white supremacist group with combo placed in the middle shows how combo has such control on everyones a d their beliefs and how he is the most powerful of the group.
The use of editing and montage in this film helps establish to the audience not only the timeframe in which the movie is set but also the conflict in england at the time, and that people in england, like combo are focusing on the wrong problem.
In this film the elements of mise en scene are crucial to help viewers understand the context of production, the use of costume in this film establishes to audience that it is set in the 80s with the characters wearing high top doc martin boots and tight jeans with suspenders, the style of clothing also helps the viewers understand that majority of the characters are skinheads. The setting establishes that shaun is brought up in a working class area living in a large estate with small houses and run down corner shops.
I enjoyed this movie, however mostly for the message it was trying to get across to its viewers. I enjoyed the aspect of setting and costume as it seemed authentic to the 80s. With the use of a young boy being the main protagonist of the film is interesting as it shows all the racist ideology’s he was exposed to while being surrounded by the wrong crowd, I believe this film represents how racism is taught and is not ideas young people come up with on their own. A memorable scene in this movie was when milky and combo where talking in the apartment before combo beat him up, this scene was so memorable as it showed the sheer disrespect people have to deal with daily due to their race, the emotional aspect of makes it more impactful and powerful.
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 representation.
Ideology is set ideas
age
ethnicity
costume
facial expression
body language
Ideas that aren’t progressive and confining certain types of people into set categories based on gender, race, class etc.
The idea of braking away from set ideas and breaking harmful stereotypes. Example: a black president of America.
Sarah Conner in terminator one is represented as a young ditsy waitress, falling in the the stereotype that all women are girly and aren’t fit to do action and violence. however in the second film she transformed into nan action heroine to be a powerful woman with ability’s and skills to yield weapons and kill bad guys, this countertype wasn’t common for the release date of the film. you can see the difference between the two images and can see the large difference between the character in the two films, number one being her dressed in pink with soft feminine makeup, and number two her holding large weapon in a harsh black tank top showing her new muscular build, with her hair pulled into a messy ponytail with visors on showing her to be ready for action and combat.
1.WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT)
The director, Danny Boyle is choosing who and what is being represented.
2.WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)
There is representation of poor working class, representation of Scotland in the 1980s, representation of drugs, representation of drug addicts, representation of friendship, representation of sobriety.
3.WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?
There is very little representation of women positively as they are shown in not very positive light, no representation of any different races or different ethnicity’s other than white people, there is no representation of any lgbtq characters.
4.WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?
It is conveyed that people who live in poverty throw their life’s away for drugs sex and alcohol, it shows that the poor will continue to be poor as they don’t try to achieve goals.
5.WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?
the characters in authority in this movie are the police, the parents, and the drug house runner. this shows that the only time people are in power are people who have something the characters want *(drugs) or have a higher social ranking.
6.DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?
the characters adhere to stereotypes such as. women are only there for a relationship or sex. that all drug addicts are dirty and grimy. that people with addictions are irresponsible and do nothing but do drugs.
7.ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?
the characters id say for a “black comedy” all act reasonably to fit the genre, as they still keep the film heavy and emotional yet still having the right comedic timing.
8.WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?
It shows within society that drugs where too normalised and by realising the film they shown people what drugs does to peoples lives.
9.HOW ARE ELEMENTS OF FILM FORM (MISE EN SCENE/PERFORMANCE/SOUND/EDITING/CINEMATOGRAPHY) BEING USED TO CONTRUCT THE REPRESENTATIONS?
The use of mise en scene depicts the reality of low class Scotland in the 1980s by showing their homes and the crack den to be mostly unpleasant. the performance of the actors shows the look and tries to convey the feeling of drugs to the audience. the editing in times shows the hallucinations of the main character, Renton.
Initial response: 6/10
This movie is raw and real showing the realistic effects of drug abuse with out glorifying it, that is why I believe it is good. However I found it difficult to stay focused as the plot line seemed a little weak, however I understand that its necessary for it to be like that for this movies subject. It shows getting clean from substance isn’t a straight road to recovery and becomes repetitive much like the movie.
During the beginning of the movie the main character Mark Renton runs along the streets of Scotland reciting the iconic “choose life” monologue accompanied with “lust for life” by Iggy Pop. The diegetic monologue is upbeat and positive, opposing the contents on the movie by this it adds more interest within the viewer.
The use of the colouring in this film is unique and interesting, as this photo not only depicts lots of colours of all the apartment curtains, yet it still manages to be so glum and drained of life, almost allowing you to see the world the way mark does. The lighting in this is dull and lifeless incorporating more into the depressing vibe the movie gives off. The set on this movie depicts the reality of the working class in the 1980s.
The use of editing in this film is crucial to represent what Renton feels and sees when he is high. This creates a connection between the audience and Rendon by taking a look into his mind while he is in euphoria.
the use of cinematography in trainspotting is crucial within this movie to create affect for the audience. The use of this medium close up eye level shot allows the reader to see Renton and get a better grasp of his emotions.
A sound mixer ensures audio is recorded at a good level for each take., they decide when in films sounds are necessary.
a sound editor tracks the layers of sound in film and ensure they all blend well together.
The Shepard’s Tone– this makes views/ listeners believe pitch is always going up higher and lower creating a jarring contrast to make the audience believe something is intense.
diegetic– when it is in side the characters world eg a car horn
non-diegetic– when a sound is playing that the character cannot hear and is outside their world eg music playing.
examples in joker –
diegetic:
The radio, car horns, chatter and footsteps in the background, Arthurs character can hear therefore it is diegetic.
non-diegetic
The melancholy violin music playing in the background the therapist and Arthur cannot hear therefore it is non-diegetic.
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
film genres usually associated is horror action and si-fi films. Where the soundscape is enhanced to increase dramatic tension
Foley artists- a Foley artist layers sound over the film once it has finished production, the sounds are created by random objects to perfectly replicate natural noises.
light motif- a specific set of music to distinguish and establish a specific franchise. you can have it for character as a theme tune eg jaws, setting in the lord of the rings to tell viewers where the characters are, emotions can be used by slowing down or speeding up a song to create meaning eg the UP theme tune.
L & J cut- bridges a visible transition.
Voice over- gives consumer a idea as the what’s happening in the plot, but can be unreliable eg- Shawshank redemption, Ferris Bulers day off.
underscoring- to establish the mood and atmosphere and almost the characters thoughts possibly to tell the audience what’s coming.
Synchronous sound- when a visible action is matched with a sound.
asynconous sound-is used when the director wants to create tension as the viewer can hear a sound but cannot see its source. Sometimes the audience can’t hear the sound that the character inside the film can hear.
needle drop- popular song dropped into a film and usually sets the mood. eg- Garry glitter song n joker steps sequence.
sound perspective-refers to the apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre, and pitch.
sound design- the use of sound in a film to carry the narrative along, which is crucial for the viewing experience that has a lot more of importance then we know. The use of sound creates depth, the most dominant sound in the scene and how it creates meaning for the story eg- the little girls footsteps going through the apartment to highlight her innocence.
My film with my favourite film sound track is “Call Me By Your Name” directed by Luca Guadaginino. I like the soundtrack as I not only love the songs in it regardless but it also relates to the films genre, romance and drama. The film has a distinct Italian feel to it and the soundtrack backs this up with it being mostly calm and slow melodic songs. The songs within this slowly paced soundtrack are melancholy at times signifying the heartbreak within the film which i believe to be very powerful to crate meaning and feeling for the viewers.
Moonlight
shot distances-
Close up
I have chosen this image of Chiron in a close up shot, this shot is powerful and a pivotal point in the film as it signifies the switch within charactar and adds suspense and shock for the next scene as the contrast of his facial expressions in this clip are sad and defeated, opposing the next scene when he is full of rage preparing to smash the chair over Terrel’s head.
Medium long shot
I have chosen this image for mls as in the scenes placement in the film is impactful and crucial to show how much Chiron has grown and changed from him being a young vulnerable little boy confused and lonely, to the ending of Chiron and Kevin happy creating a full circle moment for Chiron’s character.
Big Close Up
This scene is so impactful as it is so heartbreaking for Chiron, he an easy character to sympathize with and feel sorry for. Its difficult to see how upsetting Chiron mothers’ addiction really affects him. The venerability in this scene is visible from both actors which i believe makes it so powerful as you can see and even feel the upset, they are both going through.
Angles-
Shoulder level angle
This shot being shoulder level with chiron and kevin highlights their mutual respect for one and other, it also follows them while they walk making you feel a part of the conversation.
High angleThis is a high angle shot representing how small little really is, it also shows the conditions he was living in whilst also caring for himself creating sympathy for his character.
Waist level angel
This shot being at waist level for littles pov indicates how small he was compared to his mother literally and figuratively.
Camera movement-
In this scene the camera follows little swimming in the sea, the camera moves up and down as if you’re also swimming with them.
In this scene the camera follows behind Chirone fastly paced this represents and shows the anger he feels after being beaten up by his classmates.
In this scene the camera calmly follows Chirone through an empty street. This represents how he felt lost and did not know what to do at this point in the movie.
Moonlight – fist response
10/10
I have rated this film so highly because i love how it is genuinely realistic yet is still interesting, although i do not relate to the film and its issues i liked how they incorporated real modern-day issues that are prevalent today. The cinematography in it is beautiful to watch, especially the blue-like grain over the film making it distinctive and unique, and all the different shots are interesting. I loved the element of Chiron growing through the years with the transitioning shots and although the different actors playing Chiron might have differences from the outside but when it comes down to serious scenes you can see his character coming through the different actors and i think it also shows how people grow and change into things they admire/ look up to and for Chiron that was Juan.