This “reframing” of the central character” has a potentially cathartic effect on the spectator.
“The deliberate and stylised use of”
Diegetic: anything that originates from the world of a film. e.g. sound, characters (dialogue).
Cathartic Effect: Refers to the emotional experience audiences feel after watching a movie. (releasing emotions)
Reframing: A change in camera angle without a cut and can include changing the focus of the scene. making the audience see the character in a different way (different mindset) can be negative or positive.
Synonyms for Connote: Imply, suggest, indicate, signify.
PEEL paragraph: POINT, EVIDENCE, 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.
CRITICAL SCORE: 6/10 My first initial thought of the movie was that the acting and story line were very good and interesting. However, personally I thought it was too graphic (the needles).
Memorable Scene: The most memorable scene for me would be when Renton was hallucinating and seen the baby crawling on the ceiling. I thought it was strange yet clever the different ways the director made them be under the influence of drugs. I also thought the editing was unique and that’s why it was memorable.
Trainspotting Micro Elements:
Sound:
This is taken at the beginning of the film as it introduces the different characters. Music is played that is upbeat and quick which sets the mood/tone of how the film will be like. There is also narration over the top saying the characters names which clearly shows to the audience who is who.
Mise-en-scene:
In this scene there is very minimal mise-en-scene in the scene. The basic furniture around him, with dull colours helps the audience focus on Renton. Also the high angle camera view helps show he is the main focus as the audience is looking down on him.
Editing:
In this scene Renton is under the influence of heroine and is under a trans. When the baby is crawling on the ceiling there is obvious editing as they have to edit the baby the other way round to which it was originally filmed.
Cinematography:
In this scene the cinematography creates a chaotic shot. As this is an eye-level shot it makes us feel like we are sitting across the table from Renton and Spud. Also the eye-level shot helps us the people in the background and where they are (a bar).
Consider the ways in which the following groups are represented in the film :
Young People: young people are the dominant age in the film. Renton and his friends are all young adults aged 20-25. I think they are viewed negatively as they are seen taking drugs and having bad behaviour.
•older people (parents/authority figures): In this film the older generation are the parents of the main men. They show they have authority over the younger generation as they are sensible and clearly show more respect and concern over their sons taking drugs.
•working class people: In this film working class people are highly stereotyped into merging with low class people. As most main characters are part of the working class this means that they are seen taking drugs and having no self respect and no morals.
•Scottish people: In the film the main characters are Scottish. However, not a lot of attention is drawn to this and doesn’t remain a key feature of the film. This just makes them seem like regular people and you are seeing their storey.
•Addicts: In this film there main supplier of heroine is ‘Mother Superior’ who is heavily addicted to heroine. They can be viewed as bad people because when under the influence of drugs they turn into different people that hallucinate and become naïve. In the film you can see them see things that aren’t actually there giving the audience a negative insight to drugs.
•Men: Men are the dominant gender in this film. All main characters are men.
•Women: There are not a lot of main women in this film apart from the girlfriends of Renton and his friends. You see a women getting injected with heroine and she screaming and getting told it’s ‘better then sex’. This can give the impression to the audience that women are dependent on men and are scared of taking risks.
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.
Ideology: set of ideas, beliefs of someone holds (group of individuals having them same ideas).
PERFORMANCE:
age ethnicity, costume, facial expression, body language.
Stereotype: A fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing.
Countertype: A representation that actively seeks to subvert and challenge negative stereotypes usually of a person, group or place. e.g black president in America rather then white.
Terminator 1: Sarah Connor is seen a stereotyped American waitress. she’s in pink which is viewed as a very ‘feminine colour’. she is around 20, in a scene she is seen being late for work this can provide us with information letting us know she is a hopeless 20 year old who’s always in a rush.
Terminator 2: Sarah Connor is seen as a countertype now. She is seen to have a muscular build which is the opposite to the first film where you seen her in a feminine pink dress. she is also seen wearing black which is seen as a ‘masculine colour’. in this photo she is seen holding a gun and she seems very comfortable around it, indicating to viewers she’s been training and is preparing for war/battle.
Why do you think the director change her character in the second film?
It wasn’t the director who chose her character to be more of a countertype it was Sarah herself. She said she wants the charter to be crazy. She still fights how she did in the first film.
TRAINSPOTTING REPRESENTATION
1.WHO IS DOING THE REPRESENTATION? (DIRECTOR’S VIEWPOINT)
The director is doing the representation. They are creating what will be viewed by audience/viewer.
2.WHO IS BEING REPRESENTED ? (Identify specific social groups)
The working class, all character are to be seen in the lower or working class status.
3.WHAT SOCIAL GROUPS ARE OMITTED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONS?
Social groups that are getting omitted is children. Apart from the baby that is the only child you see. People aged 20-25 are the Minority age.
4.WHAT MESSAGES ABOUT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS ARE BEING CONVEYED?
The messages that are being conveyed is that this particular group of people are bad. It indicates to us that they are taking drugs everyday, have a lose of humanity.
5.WHICH CHARACTERS OR SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE POWER WITHIN THE REPRESENTATIONS?
The social group with the most power is the 20-25 year olds as that is how old majority of the characters are. One child is seen and you rarely see anyone older then around 50-60.
6.DO THE CHARACTERS ADHERE TO OR CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES?
These group of people adhere to the stereotypes of working/lower class people. It shows that these people throw their life’s and away and over take the use of drugs.
7.ARE THE CHARACTERS TYPICAL OF FILMS IN THAT GENRE?
As the genre is black comedy I would say it relates to it. The characters being open to drugs but also being comic really relates to the genre.
8.WHAT DO REPRESENTATIONS TELL AUDIENCES ABOUT SOCIETY AT THE TIME THE FILM WAS MADE AND/OR SET?
The representations tell the audience that this society at the time was over drug users. It shows us that in Edinburgh used to be a run down place which was a bit sketchy. It enables us to see that most people were in the working class.
•Young people: In this film the main protagonist is Shaun who is seen to be around 12 years old. He is the youngest main character in this film and all the others in the skin-head group are around 13-20. Within how Shaun is represented as a young person is negative and positive. It can be negative because his characteristics change and he becomes severely racists due to Combos actions however you see his character development as you see him having a sense of realisation that everything Combo said wasn’t true and his actions were bad.
•Older people (parents/authority figures/ politicians): There are two different types of older people viewed in this film, Shaun’s mum and Combo. Shaun’s mum is a loving mother grieving over her husband who had past away who wants nothing but the best for Shaun as he’s the only person she seems to have left. However then you have Combo the “original skin-head”, when he appears in the film everything changes. The mood shifts and the characteristics of some characters change. Combo is a very negative character who’s personality evolves around politics. He gains authority over Shaun however, he makes Shaun realise he is a bad person.
•Class (working class and other classes): Most people in this film are part of the working class no one is seen to be part of the high class status.
•English people: All characters are English and all are seen as equal however as Milky is still English but black Combo look down on him and discriminates him. I think there is a positive and negative view on English people as they can been see to be caring and gentle but Combo really changes up everyone’s characterises and makes the audiences view change to negative.
•Asian/Black people: Throughout the film I think black people where seen as equal to everyone else however, when Combo appears in the film everything seems to change. In the scene where Milky and Combo are having a conversation about Milky’s family you can see the jealousy and the anger on Combos face. Combo talks about the way unity was created when black people taught him the way of music. But I think throughout the film you could tell Milky always got looked down on by Combo.
•Men / masculinity: Most characters are men who are very opinionated. they all are part of the skin-head group. I think Combo is very stereotyped as he is your usual masculine male.
•Women: The main women in this film is Shaun’s mum and Lol. Shaun’s mum can be seen as a vulnerable character as she is still grieving over her husbands death. Lol is Woodys girlfriend and seem to have gotten manipulated by Combo. Both these women are head strong and don’t put up with the wrong answers. Overall I don’t think women are taken over control as they are very independent.
•Place (the Midlands where it is set): The setting (Midlands) is set where the true story happened. It is quite a run down area full off houses and flats with one or two corner shops.
This happens right at the beginning of the movie where montage is taken place. It shows lots of different things happening at the time of the film (1980s). The music is upbeat reggae music by ‘Toots & The Maytals’ this song helps represent what decade it is in.
Editing:
Also at the beginning of the film there is very distinct editing as there is a montage. On average each individual clip lasts around 2-3 seconds or more depending what they are showing. In this montage they show significant things that happen in the era of the film (1980s) such as Prince Charles and Princess Diana getting married and also various different clips of the wars that had happened.
Mise-en-Scene:
In this scene is can visually see a lot of people crowded into one room. The arrangement of the character can show the amount of importance each have or if a individual character is talking so the main focus will be on them. In this cause Woody is talking in this shot, the mis-en-scene shows he’s most important.
Cinematography:
This extreme longshot captures Shaun at the beach. This shot signifies to the audience he is isolated on the beach and seems so alone. The audience could feel a sense of nurturing for Shaun as in the previous shots he is seen enjoying his own company, but the extreme long shot shows that the whole day he had been alone.
CRITICAL SCORE: 9/10 My first initial thought of the film was that the story line was interesting and easily captivated me but also how everything was realistic and believable.
Memorable Scene: I think the most memorable scene for me was when Milky and Combo were having a conversation about Milkey’s family and how he’s grown up. The way you can see the happiness on his face (Milkey’s) when he’s talking about them is so believable, it felt as if it was real. However, this scene really shows the psychotic side, the instant change as he says, “you have anything don’t you”, you could hear the jealousy and anger in his voice.
Monaco talks about the different artistic expressions such as visual arts, performing arts, literary arts and film. He describes that with visual arts these single moments are unchangeable. Performing arts, is a form of art that has a distinct narrative and are often performed live. Literary arts involve poetry, novels and essays, this array of literary arts show deep emotion through storytelling. All these artistic expressions fall under the roof of ‘film,’ they are all forms of art in their own way.
They way Monaco speaks about advancing technology can change the idea of film in whole different way. They way technology is now we can watch every film on demand (the film will always be available to watch whenever). This withdraws the excitement of watching film live. They only way we have access to live film is performing arts. He also allows us to know that film can indicate and help people’s emotional and political views on the world.
Big close-up: As this shot is so close it gives the audience a distinct focal point to look at. She is breaking the 4th wall (looking straight into the camera) which makes the audience feel she is talking to us. I think the director purposely did tis shot as a big close-up because it makes see the character in a deeper way/level. As the shot is close up, we can see every emotion very vividly. Just looking into her eyes, you can see the panic or the unstable mentality.
Long Shot: This shot shows Chiron at the train station alone. The way he is shat in the middles with the whole of the city landscape behind him helps to signify he’s extremely lonely. I think the director has purposely done this to help this audience feel sympathy for him as he’s solitary. As an audience member myself, watching this scene showed me that there is the whole world, but Chiron still ends up alone.
Extreme long shot: This scene shows the area where Juan sells the drugs. The shot helps the audience consume all the different details about this location. It helps us see it’s run down and a quiet area; this signals that it could be a very dodgy area that is very unsafe.
Camera Angles-Moonlight
High Angle: This a shot taken of Chiron walking home from school. This high camera angle can direct the audience’s attention to the vulnerability he is in. It also makes him seem powerless with the shot, even though he is the only one in the frame he is alone which calls out he is alone. This is also followed on throughout the film as there are many other scenes where’s we see Chiron alone.
Low Angle: This low angle shows little looking up at Juan. The camera angle lets us see his whole face and reaction. As a viewer this angle could also signify that he is ‘little’ even though they are both sitting down the angle can help represent that his name signifies his height.
Eye-line Angle: An eye line angle helps us see the image in the frame at a ’natural’ position. In this case and in this scene, Black and Kevin are having a conversation. This angle can let the audience clearly see the two characters talking.
Camera Movements
Pan Right: This scene is when Chiron (black) is talking to his mum in her garden. The way the camera slowly focuses makes the viewer feel they are watching this scene from the background. It also clearly shows how closed off the characters in the location.
Pan Left: This scene is when Chiron is walking home from school and the camera instantly moves to Paula (his mum) and puts the focus onto her.
Track in- Track out: In this scene the camera slowly tracks onto little when he is in the field with his friends. The camera shows that he is feeling disconnected with his friends as it shows the viewer he is left out/alone even when he’s with his friends.
Sound Editor: The sound editor selects, polishes, and assembles three primary elements—recorded dialogue, sound effects, and music—into a complete, integrated soundtrack.
Sound Mixer: The leader of the production sound crew, responsible for recording high-quality audio on set and location for film and television productions.
What’s the difference between the role of the a Sound Editor and a Sound Mixer? The difference between the two roles is that the Sound Editors find the resources and the Sound Mixers “mix” them all together.
Diegetic: the sound that the audience but also the characters CAN hear in the film.
Non-Diegetic: The sound that only the audience can hear and the characters CAN’T.
The diegetic sound in this scene is when the Joker pulls the trigger of the gun. The audience can hear the gunshots as well as Arthur and his mum. As well as the gunshots there is the tv playing in the background which gets turned up louder after the gun is shot. However his mum also starts shouting wondering what just happened.
The non-diegetic sound in this scene is the music playing over the top of the Joker on his way to the Murray Show. This music is up beat but also capturing.
Synchronous: is a sound that is matched with the action and movements being viewed.
Asynchronous: is not matched with visible source of the sound on the screen.
what is it meant by needle drop? needle drop is when a popular song is added into a movie to set the scene. Juxtaposition to the sound, to the image. It can either relate to what is happening in that certain moment or can completely go against it.
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.
Ben Burt created the lightsabresound.
Which film genres do you associate them with? Horror, Science Fiction.
Foley Artists: A foley artists layers sounds onto a film (post-production). They film in a soundproof room and use anything they can to make the sound realistic. They usually enhance the sounds that are happening in the scene e.g a person wearing high heels and walking.
Leitmotif: A leitmotif is a short musical phrase that helps the audience understand who’s appearing or what’s happening in the scene. They include character ,setting, emotion and mood. An example of a character leitmotif is the avengers every time they are in one big group music is played which sounds demanding and strong.
Lcutand Jcut: •A sound bridge is a type of sound editing that occurs when sound carries over a visual transition in a film. A L-cut is when you see the video/film image with the sound, and the sound then follows through to other shots. A Jcut is is when you can hear the sound in one scene and then it switches to where the sound is from.
Voice Over: Often tells the audience what they need to know but also could be unreliable e.g. film noir, Shawshank redemption.
Score/Underscore: The underscore/score helps distinguish what the mood is and also helps create an atmosphere. the underscore is just music quietly playing underneath the dialogue.
Sound Perspective: Refers to the apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre, and pitch.
Sound Design: Sound design is when the sound designer creates a layer of sounds in the scene. In Munich the build up to the big climax was silent, when the build up was happening one at a time each background sound was taken away leaving the audience to hear nothing.
My favourite soundtrack in a movie is ‘Anyone But You’. i like this soundtrack because it has modern songs in it such as Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield’s. As they used a well known song it made the movie more engaging. Having a song that is made in the 2000s also helps show the age of the characters and how they relate to this song. The songs are mostly upbeat however, some are ballad.
I have chosen this scene from the joker because I think the mise en scene really stands out. The director has chosen to use composition, as you can see the Joker is a vivid image and is in the foreground of the shot. However, the two police officers are blurred but you and just about still see their figures at the top of the staircase. This draws attention to the audience as it expands their viewing of the scene as the focus is on the Joker until the unfocused figures of the police offices appear in the background. The relationship between the costume and the stairs makes the iconic outfit stand out. The dull background of the stairs makes the joker in the foreground pop.
This scene shows the make-up aspect of mise en scene. As the joker is in the reflection of the mirror you can see him doing his make-up. In this scene he is getting ready to do his original clown job on the streets. Seeing him do his make-up in the opening scene will create an impact on the audience as it reflects on how he looks in his iconic costume.
The lighting is this scene shows several different types of creativeness. The lighting has both high key and low-key features. The main lights are off, but the above lighting is shining brightly down on Authur. The stage lights shining down is causing a shadow effect onto the black wall. This shows us he is the main subject of the scene.
This scene is in Murray’s studio. In this moment we are waiting for the Joker to out from the wings. The set design is very over the top and has high key lighting. You can tell the set is a tv because of the stage lights, the sofas and the vast number of cameras on set. The audience also helps to create the atmosphere of a tv show.
This scene is near the end after he has shot Murray. This scene represents makeup for a mise en scene aspect. The face paint around his mouth is originally red however, this time he is using blood to draw the smile. This shows the Jokers evil behaviour.
Todd Philips has a wide range of aspect ratio in this shot. This wide shot shows the amount of people who disliked Murray as they are all cheering for the Joker because he shot him. The wide shot encourages the audience to look around New York city and see how busy it is and how many people follow the Joker.
The film stock has used a grain over the scene to give it an eerie feel to it. This scene is with his therapist, and they are talking about his problems. The grain shows that this isn’t a positive scene between Arthur and his therapist.
