First Response –
Director – Danny Boyle

I give a rating of 8/10. For me throughout the whole movie, it felt like you where watching a true story of the group of people. This feeling was created by the actors, who’s acting was very talented and quite emotional to watch. The acting created the feeling of a realism of social issues in life.

The most memorable scene for me was when Renton is in his locked bedroom and is having withdrawal symptoms. This is the most memorable scene for me because I though the acting from Ewan McGregor made the scene very memorable and unforgettable. I also though the sound that was used was amazing because as the music got quicker and louder the more Renton got more fidgety and angrier.

Trainspotting – Micro elements

Sound – my favourite seen that used sound amazingly was when he was having withdrawal symptoms in his bedroom. I liked the way they used sound because as Renton was getting more and more fidgety and anxious and increasing with his symptoms the music/ Sound get faster and slightly louder over the time of this scene

Editing – In this scene the use of adding a title of the names of each character help the audience to understand each character individually and instead of guessing which character is who you already know who they are from the use of editing. This creates a sense of being knowledgeable as you don’t have to go finding in the film who is who.

Mise En Scene – In this scene I thought the mise en scene used showcased the scene perfect. There is a group of old people playing bingo and Renton is just sat in the middle of the gathering feeling uncomfortable and wanting to get out of the situation he is in. In this scene it creates a sense of the two different life’s that Renton and his parent have; Renton’s life – unsettling and upsetting, Parent’s life – fun and a social life.

Cinematography – in this seen, the camera is a birds eye view of Renton laying on the floor. This creates a sense that Renton is feeling week and appears to be needing help, as the audience we are looking over him creating a sense that we are watching him get defeated by drugs. This scene get quite disturbing and upsetting when there is a a shot of Renton looking up with a rectangle frame creating a sense that he is in a coffin and he is dying.

My rating-8/10

Throughout the duration of this film I was highly captivated, by multiple factors; the story-telling, the soundtrack and overall personality’s of characters. A memorable scene for me was when Mark Renton overdosed and was taken to hospital. This stood out to me sue to the soundtrack and the cinematography within this scene.

In this screen grab from this moment, before he overdoses the carpet falls into the ground creating a coffin shape that it falls in. This moment stands out due to the symbolism, the coffin shape representing his life slipping away from him. The carpet slipping is filmed at a low angle showing the moment in focus which I think makes it more powerful to me. It also stands out due to this whimsical event, we see this in the toilet scene it shows the effect that drugs have on their viewpoint and what they perceive.

Trainspotting (1996)
Dir. Danny Boyle

9/10 – This was a very highly anticipated film for me as I know that it is a beloved cult film, and I enjoyed it a lot. I really like how it dealt with really difficult topics such as heavy drug use, sexuality and social matters. The acting was amazing which really kept me invested throughout the film, along with the use of narration.

The most memorable scene in Trainspotting for me was when Mark Renton overdosed on heroin because I think that it was really well done with the way they film it. I love the shot from Renton’s point as he sinks into the floor with the Mother Superior looking down at him. It gives a really claustrophobic feel and makes it seem as if he is in a coffin. As well as this, the music being Perfect Day by Lou Reed adds some irony to the scene. To add to this irony, there are some shots of an ambulance going past where he is along with the noises of the siren, which I think really shows the fact that the Mother Superior doesn’t care about him, only his money as it shows him putting Renton into a taxi, where he is then dumped outside A&E.

Cinematography in Trainspotting:

I like the use of an over the shoulder shot in this scene. It is eye level, which I think adds to the background narration and the fact that this is extra-diegetic (breaking the 4^th wall). This makes the spectator feel more connected with the character, even though he is not in a relatable situation whatsoever.

Mise-En-Scene in Trainspotting:

The mise-en-scene in this scene feels intentionally uncomfortable and almost sterile but it also reflects the time it was set in. Spud’s surroundings feel like they are supposed to contrast his chaotic personality and how he is acting while he is on speed. While it is a comedic scene, the look of his messy hair and suit makes you feel almost bad for him because his lifestyle is making him struggle to get a job.

Editing in Trainspotting:

I chose this scene as an example of editing because I like how it shows the difference between their lifestyles. Tommy wants to get out and explore because he is healthy and clean, while the others are lagging behind, not wanting to go with Renton even drinking. I think that it marks a change in Tommy because it is only a scene later that he tries heroin, which is what contributes to his death.

Sound in Trainspotting:

I really like the use of sound in this scene because they have the song Perfect Day by Lou Reed playing in the background, which adds a lot of irony to it as Renton had just overdosed. It also makes it a lot sadder, as it shows how they treat drug addicts like scum, which emphasises the irony. The only other thing that is heard in the scene are ambulance sirens, which ultimately drive past Renton entirely. I think that this is really powerful in showing the situation that he is in; that the Mother Superior does not care about him, only his money and that his drug addict friends would betray him for money and drugs.

Danny Boyle (1996)

Critical score 7/10

The film portrayed an accurate and in depth representation of drug addiction and the lower class Scotland at the time. I can see why the film would be considered to be a classic as it is very unique and portrays a powerful message. However, it was very graphic and vulgar even though it adds to the storyline it felt uncomfortable to see at times.

Stand out scene: When Renton comes off heroin and is experience intense hallucinations as a result of withdrawal, this scene stand out to me as even though Renton is experiencing a lot of mental pain the scene still gives off a sense of hope as his addiction is subsiding and he’s stopped taking the drugs making the audience feel hopeful for his future.

Critical score: 9/10

Personally I enjoyed this film. It has a sense of culture to it. People from the UK would understand and recognise the movie for what it is. A main reason for the high score is because of the soundtrack. With iconic songs like Bornslippy made the movie for me. For me the movie is almost an advert on why yo shouldn’t do drugs. It shows off a heroin addict in the worst and true way living in Scotland.

At some point I couldn’t watch and thought where to much. Especially when they showed needles where I couldn’t watch. Other than that the movie was great and I highly recommend.

Memorable scene

A memorable scene for me is the last period of the movie where Mark Renton has just taken the drug money from the hotel. It has a voice over of Renton explaining he is now clean from drugs and is going off to live his life. The final scene is Spud being given a chunk of money Renton left him as he felt that Spud was the one who deserved it.

I really enjoyed this film. my score out of 10 would be 8.5/10. there are some very realistic scenes and representations of how British politics created a legacy of disaster for Scotland specifically. There’s no censoring in this film which allows the audience to be shown what the realities of living in Scotland during the heroin and AIDS epidemic was really like.

The exploration of gender is very interesting to, as topics like gender expression in a place like Scotland during the mid to late 90s would have been very stigmatised.

a scene which was memorable for me was when Renton went to Tommy’s apartment. Renton was now clean and trying to get himself together, while Tommy was deep in the pits of addiction and had contracted AIDS. there is a parallel between Tommy and Renton as before Tommy was using heroin he represented the middle class of Scotland which had not been affected by the terrors of drug abuse. Renton represents the disease of drug abuse and how it can ruin peoples lives, e.g. the events of Renton stealing Tommy’s sex tape lead him to using heroin and eventually dying.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

TIME CODE 5:31

In this scene as well as many others we can see the character Swanny, also known as Mother Superior. Every time we see this character he is in the drug den surrounded by a sinister red light. The red light in this film represents all of Renton’s vices; sex, drugs, death, and everything else that is stopping Renton from “choosing life” When the audience sees the red light they know that Renton or one of his friends will most likely be using heroin, this creates a sense of anxiety within the spectator.

SOUND

TIME CODE

What makes a film good?

I believe that the question of ‘what makes a film good’ can have many answers to it; the plot, the cultural impact, the score etc. However, to me, there is not one thing that makes a film good alone. The right combination of a good plot, paired with good acting, suitable music and direction can be what does this; these aspects being the macro elements to films.

The micro elements on the other hand, are incredibly important in making a film great, despite not being obvious at first glance. For example; the way a scene is set up – the mise en scene – can impact the way the viewer depicts a film. It can be a great tool in adding plot devices or even foreshadowing that the viewer may not pick up on the first time watching. Furthermore, editing can also help with doing this. While it may not be obvious at first glance, colour grading can impact the way you are supposed to feel about characters, as well as set the general mood for the film. Schindler’s list is a good example of this; it’s an all black and white film despite being filmed in 1993, the only colour ever shown being the girl walking in the streets.

I also think that having the right score for a film is incredibly important. Similar to colour grading, music helps to impact the way the viewer is supposed to feel about a character, along with also making certain scenes feel so much more important and interesting. Music is extremely impactful in films even when they aren’t musicals, for example; The Pirates of the Caribbean. Hans Zimmer, a very famous composer in the film industry, wrote the score for Pirates of the Caribbean. I feel that the music in that film is just so captivating and that half of the movie just wouldn’t feel half as impactful if there was no music all together. As well as this, the music in Pirates of the Caribbean is so iconic and instantly recognisable because it was very influential. Another example is Coraline. The iconic ‘French’ sounding song in Coraline is actually gibberish made to sound like French, which I think just adds to the unsettling nature of the film.

Overall, I think it’s very difficult to pick out one aspect of a film that makes it good, as there are many things to think about when it comes to films.

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.