AESTHETIC DEFINITION.- the way a film’s visual and aural features are used to create essentially non-narrative dimensions of the film, including the film’s ‘look’. Aesthetics can be understand to relate to the style, tone, look or mood of a film

Social Realism- the realistic depiction in art of contemporary life, as a means of social or political comment.

Kneecap is a social realism film as it tackles the issue of sectarianism in the North of Ireland and the characters express their troubles and bio-logical trauma which stems from colonialism through music and self-expression, all while evading the police and R.R.A.D (radical republicans against drugs)

Verisimilitude- the appearance of being true or real.

I would class this film as having verisimilitude because of Gena Rowlands incredible portrait of an unstable bi-polar mother.

Magic Realism- Magical realism portrays fantastical events in an otherwise realistic tone.

Donnie Darko would be classed as magic realism. Donnie commonly converses with Frank a bunny who tells Donnie the date at which the world will end, Donnie believes this bunny is real, which classes this film as magic realism

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.

Mulholland rive would fit into the hyperreality category as the watcher is not aware that the first half of this film is a dream and the second is reality.

AESTHETICS TERM 2-

•Iconography- the visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these. The film heavily evolves around dreams, what is real and what isn’t.

•Intertextual Referencing- the relationship between media products where one text references another text by reusing some its ideas and meanings.

I would class Almost Famous as intertextual referencing as many real-life bands including Lynyrd Skynyrd and the eagles are mentioned as if they belong in that world with the fictional band Still Water.

•Visual motif- commonly seen, repetitive symbol in a film

red roses are commonly used in American beauty to represent, love, lust, passion, murder, blood,

Sound motifs- commonly heard- repetitive sound in a film.

Gregorian chants are often heard at high tension points in the film as to make the spectator feel uneasy.

•Colour Grading- digital tools or photochemical processes are used to make videos or films look better or change the colour tone and mood. 

•Auteur Trademarks-An auteur is a director that has such a distinctive style of directing that they are considered the “author” because you can recognise their style from one clip- David Lynch as an example. A particular kind of irony where the very macabre and the very mundane combine in such a way as to reveal the former’s perpetual containment within the latter.” David Lynch has a very recognisable style of directing, as the topics he usually drifts to are on the subjects of dreams, mystery and alternate realities. He often uses the colour blue in his films.

PATHOS- a quality that evokes pity or sadness.

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- film genre that emphasizes humor

DRAMATIC IRONY-  a literary device by which the audience’s or reader’s understanding of events or individuals in a work surpasses that of its characters.

VERFREMDUNG- The distancing effect, also translated as alienation effect is a concept in performing arts credited to German playwright Bertolt Brecht. Paul breaks the fourth wall talking to the audience

POSTMODERN HUMOUR- postmodern humor features jokes about serious topics like murder or war. By writing characters who make light of such topics, postmodernists highlight the dehumanization they see in their society.

Travis Bickle makes it his mission to “cleanse the filth” from New Yorks streets.

Aesthetics: The overall style, feel, and texture of a film. This can involve scenery, costume, and how they all tie in

Realism:  an artistic approach and narrative style that aims to represent life, characters, settings, and events as closely as possible to their real-world counterparts.

verisimilitude – the appearance of being real or true (in terms of world building and costume design)

social realism – drawing attention to the social and political conditions (issues) of a particular time period and location.

magic realism – portrays fantastical events in a realistic tone to successfully build a believable world for the spectator.

hyperreality – artificially created media that is perceived to be reality, a heightened reality.

Visual Style: The visual language of a film, the look and feel of the film.

iconography – the use of reoccurring visual images and symbols that convey specific themes, evoke emotions, and build the film’s narrative.

intertextual referencing – the overlap of media, utilised to support the narrative of the film. The media could be other films, music, poetry, and literature.

visual/sound motifs – a visible or audible element that reoccurs throughout the film to carry the storyline, plays a symbolic role.

colour grading -a post-production process to alter the visual appearance of the film/shot. This can either be to make it more vibrant to convey a lighter, happier narrative, or it could be desaturated to convey dullness or negativity.

auteur trademarks – a trademark style, making a directors work immediately recognisable.

Tone: The overall atmosphere or mood of a film.

pathos – appeals to the audience’s emotions, typically sadness.

bathos – an anti-climax or a juxtaposition of shots to create a humorous effect.

suspense – excitement or anxiousness created by tension.

Suspenseful because it’s a Darren Aronofsky film; paranoia, perfectionism, and horror.

comedy – provides the audience with amusement, usually consisting of explicit one-liners, or on the other hand, intellectual pieces which are implicitly/unintentionally ‘funny’.

dramatic irony – when the audience understands more about a situation that most characters do; an ‘inside joke’.

distancing effect – also known as ‘breaking the fourth wall’, is when the illusion of being an unseen spectator is shattered, the characters on screen are directly interacting with the audience.

postmodern humour – Challenges accepted notions and expectations of genre, philosophy, and humanity.

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.

Aesthetics – The overall style and feel of a film including the lighting, mise en scene, colour palate and cinematography.

Aesthetics Terms 1 – Realism

• Verisimilitude – believability within the film; how convincing the world is to the audience.

Dune is a good example of verisimilitude as the sci-fi environment feels very fleshed out which makes it feels like it could be an existing world.

• Social realism – films that aim to depict the effects of environmental factors on the development of a character.

This Is England demonstrates how children can be very naïve and impressionable, especially when faced with something tragic like a father dying in war, which is ultimately what attracted Shaun to Combo’s views in the first place.

• Magic realism – depicting magic systems in a realistic way.

While Harry Potter is very much a fantasy series, the magic system doesn’t really feel like it has any flaws, as well as being very vast in terms of what it can do.

• Hyperrealism – a dramatic depiction of reality/gives it a ‘perfect’ feeling.

The Barbie film depicts life in a dramatic and exaggerated way, with the beginning of it suggesting that life in Barbie world is perfect.

Aesthetics Terms 2 – Visual style

• Iconography – the use of recurring symbols, visual motifs and themes to convey meaning and evoke emotion

Water is a recurring theme throughout Moonlight, that appears throughout all three parts of the film.

• Intertextual referencing – the use of ideas or themes from other pieces of media or literature

Alice Cooper is seen in Wayne’s World, appearing as himself. This happens again in Wayne’s World 2, where Aerosmith appear.

• Visual/sound motifs – a recurring story element acting as a way to highlight a film’s meaning.

The Imperial March is an iconic sound motif that occurs throughout the entire Star Wars franchise.

• Colour grading – manipulating the colour, tone and mood of a film to enhance the impact of the story.

Though Schindler’s List was filmed in 1993, they consistently film it in black and white. However, one little girl is shown to be wearing a red coat to represent children’s innocence, though it has been interpreted in many different ways.

• Auteur trademarks – when a filmmaker has complete creative control over a film and implements their visual style in other pieces of their work.

Wes Anderson’s iconic colourful style is recurring throughout a large majority of his work.

Aesthetic Terms 3 – Tone

• Pathos – a persuasion technique that aims to appeal to the audience by evoking the intended emotions, mainly sadness.

Up utilises pathos at multiple points throughout the film, but the most famous would be the montage scene of Carl’s life with Ellie before she dies.

• Bathos – an absurd or ineffective climax.

The ending of Monty Python and the Holy Grail could be considered bathos because it leads to a very unsatisfying climax.

• Suspense – a state of anticipation towards an outcome.

The Silence of the Lambs uses suspense throughout the film effectively.

• Comedy – a genre of film where the main emphasis is on humour.

Shaun of the Dead is a very highly rated British Comedy directed by Edgar Wright starring Simon Pegg.

• Dramatic irony – a situation in which the audience or reader has a better understanding of something than the characters themselves.

Everyone watching the film Tangled knows that Mother Gothel is not Rapunzel’s mother, but she’s managed to convince her that she is.

• Distancing effect (verfremdung) – techniques designed to distance the audience from emotional investment.

Dogville uses a distancing effect/alienation to prevent people from getting too emotionally invested.

• Postmodern humour – aims to undermine highly regarded expectations.

Pulp Fiction tells the story out of the ordinary and flips our expectations of film structures.

Young People

Shaun, as a young person is represented in this film as being a vulnerable and impressionable boy that can easily adapt to what others say to him. He is easily influenced by Combo’s ideologies which is a real representation of how so many real young people in the real world start to fall into far-right ideas. But at the end he shows that it is still possible for young people to change. Shaun is also seen as a victim of circumstance, of the social and political problems happening around him as he is rightly clueless.

Older People

Shaun’s mum throughout the film is the only parental figure seen that doesn’t manipulate Shaun’s vulnerability and constantly supports him. She can be seen as a positive light for Shaun, especially when she talks with Shaun about his dead father and offers help. She is seen as a responsible, caring mother.

This differs to Combo who, for Shaun, seems to fill in the void that Shaun’s biological father left when he passed away. Combo is represented as an adult who is angry and very outspoken- he doesn’t sway in his ideas and wants to spread them around. He may think of himself as a hero for Shaun, but actually he is a manipulative figure that used his authority due to his age to pick on Shaun’s insecurities and lack of a parent. He is not responsible, and is not a good representative for what an adult should be and do.

Class

All of the characters in This is England represent the lower working class. We see them navigate their childhoods while in this class and this is reflective of the director’s own experiences. For Shaun, we see the drawbacks of his own poverty reflected in the mise en scène in his bedroom- the chair as a bedside table, the dim lights and the décor in bad condition.

Black People

Milky is the victim of racism in This is England. He represents the views held by many English people in the 1980s, and when he is brutally beat up by Combo, we see the extent of the deep hatred. However, he explains how he has a good and big family around him, and him and Combo even find a point to relate on when they discuss music, but Combo’s racist views eventually prevails.

Aesthetic – refers to the overall style and theme of the film including the texture, this refers to the beauty of the film and how aesthetically pleasing it is looks wise

Realism

Verisimilitude – the believability of the world of the film (diegesis), how real it looks compared to the normal world.

Social Realism – films which reflect a range of environments and social issues

Magic Realism – films with a realistic tone containing fantastical events bringing old stories, myths and tales to modern relevance

Hyperreality – films where everything feels overly real, an exaggerated reality to the point where it becomes hard to believe it is real

Visual Style

Iconography – the use of recurring images and symbols in films to convey specific themes or evoke specific emotions and build the film’s narrative

Intertextual Referencing – when a film overlaps with another work of art (another film, work of literature or another art form)

Visual/Sound Motifs – recurring visual or sound element used throughout the film to create meanings and representations

Colour Grading – a way of manipulating and editing raw film to maintain colour tones through the film

Auteur Trademarks – when a film “author” or director who is in full control of the making of the movie utilises the same way of filming including camera shots and angles, themes and lighting throughout most of their work

Tone

Pathos – different objects, subjects or specific elements which convey an emotional appeal, making the audience convey a sense of pity or empathy

Bathos – an anti-climax in a film, when the audience expects something to happen and something usually more underwhelming happen

Suspense – usually in correlation with anxiousness and anticipation, the spectator not knowing when and how it is going to happen

Comedy – a genre of film which mostly focus on humours moments therefore making the audience laugh

Dramatic Irony – the significance of a character’s words or actions is clear to only the spectator but not the character itself

Distancing Effect – usually used in live plays, when the character breaks the “forth wall”, it is used to distance the audience from emotional involvement

Postmodern Humour – another style of comedy including other comedy features such as parodies, irony and including both high and low art styles

Aesthetics are the overall appearance, style and perception of a film. For example, the makeup or costumes worn, set design and props.

Aesthetics term 1: realism

Verisimilitude- The appearance of being true, believable or real

In This is England (Meadows 2007) the set design and use of location shooting creates an accurate and detailed image of 1983 England.

Social Realism- the aim to draw attention and recreate, social/political issues and critique those to blame. For example, showing poor conditions in the working class and critiquing capitalist views.

Of mice and men (Sinise 1992) include many political elements and give viewers an insight of America during the great depression following the Wall street crash in addition to the prominent social issues such as racism and sexism.

Magic Realism- Presenting a realistic detailed view incorporating magic or fantasy elements, often blurring the line between speculation and reality.

The Harry Potter franchise perfectly encapsulates the essence of magic in the real world while questioning if its fantasy fiction and reality.

Hyperreality- The lines between fantasy and reality are blurred and fantasy is well blended to the reality so there is no obvious distinction between them.

In Barbie (Gerwig 2023) fiction is morphed into reality as Barbie leaves her fantasy land and brings it to the real world.

Aesthetics term 2: Visual style

Iconography- The use of reoccurring visual symbols/images that convey specific themes or ideas, add to the plot and add emotion.

Intertextual referencing- Occurs when a movie overlaps with another art piece, such as a book, another film or a piece of music.

Visual/sound motifs- A reoccurring sound or visual symbol in a film that highlights the films plot or message its trying to portray. These visual symbols could be reoccurring objects, colours or shapes.

Colour grading- When raw film is edited and manipulated to create consistent colour tones throughout, like a filter to create a distinct colour pallet.

In Fantastic Mr Fox there is a prominent use of browns and oranges to create a clear, specific colour pallet to reflect the film

Auteur trademarks- When the film is clearly directed by a specific person based on a distinctive sign telling their work apart from other peoples.

Wes Anderson is an auteur as his style is unique and his work can be told apart from other films. He uses a specific narrative and visual style to make his work distinguishable.

Aesthetics term 3: Tone

Pathos- Appealing to audiences emotion

Bathos- Refers to the rhetorical anti-climax, transition from one topic to a vastly different one.

Suspense- Creation of a feeling of anticipation from the audience, this can be heightened by a stressful violent or emotive scene. Gives an effect similar to a cliff-hanger.

Comedy- Humorous, designed to make audiences smile and laugh.

Dramatic irony- When the audience know information the characters don’t, creating humour or suspense.

Distancing effect- Achieved when the audience cannot have the illusion of being an unseen spectator.