‘because of the BBFC 15 rating [we are aiming to meet,] we won’t be showing sex explicitly’
‘we chose this post-apocalyptic theme as it is very popular e.g the walking dead, the 10 etc.’
‘we chose to discuss sexual disease as this isn important issue for our teenage audience’
‘’we will being using several props to implicitly show the disease being contracted"
"How will you show the dystopian place”
"I don't think succeeders would be advisable. I think maybe more explorers or reformers would be better. I feel like this challenges people’s assumptions "
"When showing the disease, maybe have it be only contracted by teenagers to help with the audience you are directing this at"
"To show what the disease is use like propaganda or someone handing things out"
"For exposition maybe use titles on the screen or a voice over. Social media will be of great use as it will be for the youth and be a way to make it more realistic”
"use real life news outlets, edit in rallies, VICE news as they are a more youth based news”
‘we will be breaking some conventions such as when the woman will be spiking the mans drink which subverts from typical gender roles’
‘We were talking about three colours blue and we would like our extract to rumble three colours blue stylistically’
‘Look at online tutorials to make it as believable as possible’
‘its going to be more politically dystopian’
‘things routed in whats familiar are more successful than big hollywood stage films’
‘very futuristic’
‘We are linking it to our target audience through portraying relevant themes such as date rape and date rape’
‘could argue the woman spiking the man’s drink, brings awareness to date rape’
‘cinema has found countless ways of showing sex implicitly’
‘suggest this encounter is a subtle way yet give the audience the information needs’
‘the underlying moral tends to be promiscuity leads to death.’
"if the disease effects this particular age group it is more likely that your audience will be able to identify to the film."
"With this may we see a rise in Homosexuality... such as this is prominent in prisons...I think your idea is open to many topics"
“You didn't refer to the Hunger Games which is one of the most successful dystopian, hollywood movie also with a female protagonist. I would definitely would recommend watching it again over the holidays and borrowing the best ideas in terms the cinematography, script, narrative etc.’
“Diversion is a good one"
The ending: ’It gets worse”
“There will be no new equilibrium”
Our focus group consisted of three group members: Gifty, Muna and I pitching in front of a group of seven people. Our pitch included discussions of our narrative and other ideas for our three minute production.
To begin, our initial idea was a horror, thriller film based on a dystopian, post-apocolyptic world in which there has been an outbreak of a sexually-transmitted disease amongst the community. This subsequently leads to a mass pandemic and resorting to the separation of genders in order to decrease the amount of people contracting it. This leads to the evicting sex. Our initial antagonist and eventually protagonist will be a female, trying to find a way to minimise the epidemic by experimenting on others. The main focus in our video will initially be seen as the antagonist as she ends up spiking the male characters drink and then takes him to a place in order to test on him. This subverts gender roles and how females are usually portrayed in the media as being the vulnerable, and susceptible to date rape drugs. However, this label of being an antagonist changes rapidly once we realise her true intentions.
Our target audience will be targeted at young adults in the age range of 15 to 25. This is due to the fact that the characters will be of their age so they were created in order to enable for them to identify with them. Our audience is likely to be split 60/40 female to male ratio, as it will most likely appeal to a female audience since the protagonist is a female. An interesting point was brought up within our discussion. Mr Bush suggested "When showing the disease, maybe have it be only contracted by teenagers to help with the audience you are directing this at" and that "if the disease effects this particular age group it is more likely that your audience will be able to identify to the film." This is a very good idea will will definitely be considering and taking on board. Moreover, earlier in the discussion, we mentioned that in order to meet a 15 certificate, we will be avoid "showing sex explicitly."
In terms of the physical appearance of our extract, we mentioned how we wanted our clip to resemble the opening of Three Colors: Blue. By resemble, we mean in terms of the cinematography and use of shots. The use of the specific use of shots helps distinguish this extract as being from an arthouse film. To continue, what also makes our extract an Arthouse film is the fact that it will not lead to a positive resolution as there will be no new equilibrium. This subverts from typical dystopian films such as the Hunger Games. Instead this is similar to the film 'It Follows' where there is also no new equilibrium formed and leaves the audience with a myriad of enigma codes. Ultimately, this is the main aim of our extract. We hope to evoke feelings of intrigue and confusion. To elaborate on the physical appearance, we were asked "How will you show the dystopian place." To which, we answered that we decided to use a 'near-future', rather than an entirely different world as that would be very challenging for us to show. We reinforced this by saying "it won't be filled with fly-cars and talking robots." This adds to the realism.
As the discussion went on, we were asked what other themes our film will entail. We were told our initial theme is open to many additional themes it could allude to. "With this, you could refer to homosexuality as this is prominent in prisons...I think your idea is open to many topics" This is an interesting theme that is prevalent in today's society and broadens our target audience. It would be an interesting theme to prevail as without mention of it, it would lead to asking how normal it would be in a gender separated community. In addition, another rusggestion we were given washow we could make clear that there is a disease being spread. Our audience suggested we could use propaganda in the background of our shots to portray the epidemic. As well as this, we could mimic news channels and make our own articles to show within the film.
1) Look back at the five films you have analysed for your existing product research. Find which studios made them – e.g. Film Four, Studio Canal, BFI, BBC Films etc.
i) Krzysztof Kieslowski: Three Colours Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu)
Blue was made by Eurimages, fund for the co-production of European cinematographic works and canal+. Also, the Swiss company CAB Productions and the Polish company Studio Filmowe TOR. This is because it was an international co-production.
ii) Michel Gondry: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was produced by Anonymous Content, based in Los Angeles. They are an entertainment company established by Steve Golin.
iii) Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive
This film was made by Recorded Picture Company, an independent production company that makes films worldwide. They were also made by Pandora Film, a German film production company, founded by both Karl Baumgartner and Reinhard Brundig
iv) Ingmar Bergman: Persona
Persona was made by ‘SF Studios,’ a Swedishfilm production company. It was founded in 1919 as Aktiebolaget Svensk Filmindustri or Svensk Filmindustri. This can be abbreviated to SF studios.
v) Carol Morley: The Falling
The falling, a British production, was made by BBC Films. BBC Films is the film-making arm of the BBC. As well as this, The British Film Institute (abbreviated to BFI) is a film which promotes and preserves filmmaking in the United Kingdom.
2) What other films do these studios produce? Can you find any any other independent, arthouse or low-budget examples?
To begin, Canal+ has produced numerous films that fall under the category of art house. Asides from the trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski, they have produced films such as La Haine, United 93, Girlhood, City of God, Martyrs etc. Anonymous content is another example of a studio. They have produced art house films too such as Winter's Bone which had a budget of 2M which is significantly lower than the budget most films have. The British film production company, Recorded Picture Company have released include several independent films such as The Hit, The Last Emperor, Let Him Have It, Naked Lunch etc. Finally, SF studios (also known as Aktiebolaget Svensk Filmindustri or Svensk Filmindustri), produced a concession of Bergman’s work. A majority were considered art house such as Torment.
3) Do the studios have any notable successes? What is the most successful low-budget or independent film the studio has released?
These studios do have notable successes. For instance, Sight & Sound, published by the British Film Institute, has conducted poll of the greatest films every 10 years since 1952. Also, BBC Films published 'Africa United,' directed by first-time UK film director. To continue, Canal+'s most grossing film was 'The Pianist.' Although the genre appealed to a niche audience as it was quite specific and subverted from mainstream genres, the History genre film still appealed to a broad audience and it grossed over $120.1 million in the box office. It was so successful it even won several awards such as 'Academy Award for Best Actor', 'César Award for Best Actor' and more. Also, although already mentioned, the independent drama film 'Winter's bone' by anonymous content received widespread critical acclaim. This perhaps was due to Jennifer Lawrence's performance in which was universally important as she has a considerably large fan base.
2) Summarise the 10 steps of film distribution in a list using your own words.
Step 1:Prompted by a moment of inspiration or encouragement, perhaps an adaptation of a meaningful book, a historical figure, an event or even a moment in time, films can be devised in a myriad of ways. The first step of distributing a film is finalising the production of it.
Step 2: The creators need to submit their work to a sales agent where distributors are willing to invest in them. Step 3: Negotiating with a distributor as to the rights they claim, Step 4: Setting a date up with the distributor and getting a deal to get the right to put the work in UK cinemas. Step 5: involve groups of participants to pitch ideas. Step 6: promote the film to gain hype and increase the audience to a broader scale. Step 7: Collaborate with other companies and organisations to create a bigger production in which more hype will be generated
Step 8: Conduct market research to help establish a fan base around the genre and theme within the film.
Step 9: license film to exhibitors so it can be shown in screening. Step 10: Release the work on other formats e.g DVD.
3) Now research the distributors for each of the art house films you have analysed for your existing product research. Who distributed each film in the UK?
i) Krzysztof Kieslowski: Three Colours Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu)
This film was distributed by both MK2 Diffusion (France) and Miramax (US)
ii) Michel Gondry: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This film was solely distributed by Focus Features, an American distribution company.
iii) Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive
This was distributed by Soda Pictures (United Kingdom) and Pandora Film Verleih (Germany).
iv) Ingmar Bergman: Persona
This film was distributed by AB Svensk Filmindustri (Sweden) and Lopert Pictures (US).
v) Carol Morley: The Falling
Metrodome UK distributed this film.
4) How many cinemas did each film open in?
i)Krzysztof Kieslowski: Three Colours Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu): Unspecified.
ii)Michel Gondry: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Although i was unable to pinpoint how many cinemas this film was opened in, I found that there were 343 screenings in the UK, according to IMDb. iii)Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive: 4 screenings on the opening day in the UK. iv) Ingmar Bergman: Persona: Unspecified.
v) Carol Morley: The Falling: Unspecified.
5) How much money did each film make? Did it make a profit against the budget?
i)Krzysztof Kieslowski: Three Colours Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu) Budget:unspecified Profit:$10.6 million ii)Michel Gondry: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Budget:$20 million Profit:$72.3 million iii)Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive Budget:$7 million Profit:$7.6 million iv) Ingmar Bergman: Persona Budget:unspecified Profit:$250,000 v) Carol Morley: The Falling Budget:£750,000 Profit:£468,762
Curzon Artificial Eye is a British film distributor affiliated with the Curzon industry. They were founded in 1976 and ever since specialise in distributing independent, foreign-language (world cinema) and art house films all around London.
7) Look at the Curzon Artficial Eye YouTube channel. Watch three trailers for recent or upcoming independent films and identify something you can learn from each film to use in your own film production.
This trailer makes very interesting use of voice overs. I had not considered using voice overs until watching this as it uses the non-diegetic sound source very successfully. Moreover, the religious imagery is also a striking aspect. Making use of the shots by intentionally placing symbolic objects help add depth to the film.
I found this trailer's use of establishing or long shots especially evoking. The use of the establishing shots were intentionally included into the sequence to show the effect of destruction or to heighten a feeling of unity as there are crows of people sometimes in these shots. This contrasts vastly with the vacant areas of destruction shown later. This not only has taught me the importance of establishing shots but has also brought my attention to the juxtaposition of shots to create contrast which in turn will provoke the emotions of my audience.
This trailer's strongest aspect is the aesthetic element. It consisted of several shots of the scenery and eventually to less serene shots. The intentional act of placing tranquil shots against more chaotic shots heightened the impact of the effect they had on the audience. Moreover, the aesthetic element was also heavily aided by the gentle blue colour scheme.
Find some London-based arthouse cinemas and research the following:
1)What is the name of the cinema? Where is it?
I have selected the Arthouse Crouch End based cinema on Tottenham.
2) What type of films do they show? What films are on this week? How do their
programmes differ from the major cinema chains like Vue?
To begin, the Arthouse Crouch End shows mainly art films. These are targeted towards a niche market rather being designed for mass appeal or towards a mainstream audience. This is because art films are intended to be an artistic work, containing unconventional or highly symbolic content. By unconventional, I am making reference to how these types of films often possess qualities that distinguish them from mainstream Hollywood films as different. Unlike major cinemas such as Vue, the Arthouse Crouch End detaches from the mainstream trends in terms of film as they do not show unrefined, new films for the purpose of gaining hype. Instead, they stray away from this type of content. A good example is how the newest, most popular screenings are of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and ‘Moana.’ It is not a surprise that this cinema is not screening these films whatsoever.
3) What type of audience attends this kind of arthouse cinemas? Are there any clues on the website regarding the target audience? How can you tell?
From my previous research as to the content shown, it is evident this cinema targets a niche audience rather than the mass market. As the content is often very meaningful and discusses themes in society, reflected upon realism within the films, it is argued that it requires a certain degree of experience and knowledge to fully understand or appreciate such content. This subsequently means that younger people are less attracted to this kind of cinema as they lack this understanding that older people are more likely to have. Therefore, the audience is more likely to be older people and as arthouse cinemas tend to be quite expensive, it is far more likely that middle class people with a solid income are going to be attracted to this cinema. Regarding clues from the website, we can easily tell by the overall layout that this cinema is quite high brow. What stood out to me most from the website was the food options. Rather than conventional popcorn being served, we can see they serve sandwiches.
Film London is one of nine regional screen agencies within the United Kingdom. This organisation is supported by the BFI, the Mayor of London and also receives significant support from Arts Council England London. It sustains London as a major international film-making and film cultural capital.
In other words, theyconnect abstractions, talent and finance to pioneer ideas to sustain the notorious creative film culture of London.
Microwave film not only funds films but also is dedicated to offering full support and mentoring toassist shortlisted filmmaking teams.. As well as this, the provide production finance and offer distribution support to the commissioned work. This is all provided within their ‘microschool.’
3) What is the London Calling project for Film London and how does it encourage independent filmmaking?
London Calling project is an annual short film scheme. They encourage independent filmmaking by providing a source of mentoring and funding. This enables individuals to achieve their full potential. Also, the idea of it being a competition and having an award, enables competitors a motive.
4) Choose three feature films funded by Microwave Film and embed their trailers in your blog. For each film, explain why it fits the profile for an arthouse or independent film and what target audience the film might attract.
i)Lifting: This is a British drama. More specifically, a melodrama in which uses plots that appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. As well as the use of a sub-type of drama, we can also see the is an instance of 'world cinema' as the use of foreign language is prevalent. All of these factors along with the social realism and indie feel indicate this is an arthouse film. Considering arthouse films are notorious of requiring a certain degree of knowledge to fully understand the depth of these kinds of films, we cannier that the target audience are farmer like to be older people. Moreover, the fact that arthouse cinema is expensive, we can assume that they are likely to be middle class or above. However, we can also argue that the narrative subverts from conventional plots as it heavily focuses on the homosexual relationship between the lady's son and the main character. This type of sexual orientation still remains fairly controversial but predominantly with the being population rather than the younger population. This is simply due to the stereotype that the elderly are more traditional, conservative and religious making them quite close-minded. The youth on the other hand are seen as more accepting to homosexuality. This means that the film could be targeted at younger people as well as older people. I would suggest the age range would be from 16-30. In terms of gender, I feel that women would be far more likely to enjoy this genre of film as there is an aspect of romance in it and it is said to be very emotionally evoking.
ii)ill Manors: To begin, this British crime drama film instantly appears to provide a form of depth. This is quickly made visible by the still of the nurture based quotation. Instantly, this idea of our environments impact appeals to teenagers and young adults. Teenagers in specific as they are between the liminal period of youth and adulthood, where they are surrounded and easily influenced by their environment and where creating any identity for themselves. This makes it easy for teenagers relate to the themes of this film. This movie appeals to a niche target audience as they use a storyline that isn't usually applicable in mainstream films. This is conventional of arthouse film. Instead, here they discuss ongoing social issues in British society and critique the ideas of hierarchy. They explore issues that are likely to appeal to people who are interested in affairs. This trailer includes a shot of a house which is a typical, run down British home. This adds to the social realism of the film and therefore attracts those who are seeking enlightenment e.g reformers from Young and Rubicam's theory.
iii)Strawberry Fields: This psychological horror film at first glance appears to appeal predominantly towards females. This is because of the issues the sisters face which a of females can relate to (hopefully not as severe as in this case). Also, the use of binary opposition within the roles here reveals the conflict and the riveting narrative. I think that the target audience are likely to be 18-35. This is because although adults are more typically associated with arthouse film, young adults can also identify the themes of the film.
5) Watch these top tips for film production. List three things you've learned from these short videos that you can apply to your MEST2 production work.
i)Maintaining a sense of social realism by ensuring the narrative is as culturally specific as possible.
ii)Making certain that my characters are emotionally evoking, striking and that they embody the ideas of the themes I want to be portrayed.
iii) Ensuring I have a meaningful, well written narrative.
1) Research the BBFC: what is the institution responsible for? How is it funded? What link does it have to government?
The BFFC, also known as ‘The British Board of Film Classification’ and previously ‘The British Board of Film Censors’, is an independent body founded in 1912. They are the UK's regulator of film and video. They provide age ratings or film certificates such as U, PG, 12A, 15 and so on. This certificate specifies that a film or video game is only suitable for someone over a certain age. Essentially, it distinguishes content into age categories. Therefore, the content is then restricted to only those over that certain age to purchase the material. As a designated body, they have obtained certain legal powers over content such as the ability to rate, censor, cut or even reject works from publication entirely. According to the official website, they ‘are designated with statutory responsibility for the classification of video works under the Video Recordings Act’. The ‘Video Recordings Act’ is an Act of the the United Kingdom that was passed in 1984. It states that 'commercial video recordings for sale or hire within the UK must carry a classification'. To continue, this age clarification within this act, must have been agreed upon by an authority designated by the Home Office (a ministerial office responsible for several things such as security.) The British Board of Film Classification, has been active in the certification of content since appointed as the classifying authority by Home Office in 1985.
Although their submitted content appears to be predominantly films, and videos, they also are responsible for identifying websites as pornographic, they have been informally named as the ‘likely regulator’ of websites. The BBFC also provides service for mobile phone operators and video games. BBFC guidelines for film and video are used to filter or restrict access to internet content for mobile phone users under 18 years of age.
Moreover, the independence of this UK film regulator subsequently means their income is derived entirely from the fees obtained from their services. This is calculated by assessing the running time of films, and from the fees it charges for classifying films and videos.
Film classification includes examiners watching submitted films whilst logging details of the content, which includes the general context, timings of key moments, bad language, drug references etc. Next, details of the issues are discussed and an argument in support of the recommended age rating is conducted. Finally, the film is awarded an age rating and BBFCinsight.
(BBFCinsight is a short synopsis of the issues found in the content. It will tell you what certificate a film was given and what sort of audience we believe the work is suitable for.)
The argument begins by arguing the freedom of content and censorship. Then continues to the need of ensuring some form of safety from ‘moral harm’ towards its consumers. They argue that classification provides this. Although some work is more challenging to tackle, it is essential to provide an award of classification to it.
4) Read this BBFC section on controversial decisions. Why did The Dark Knight generate a large amount of media coverage regarding its certificate? Do you agree with the 12A certificate The Dark Knight was awarded?
Occasionally, age classifications produced by the BBFC may cause a controversy or ‘moral panic’ due to the sheer fact that ideas of what is appropriate to different age categories is very subjective. The Dark Knight is a prime example of a film that demonstrated this. The issue seen with this movie is that people perceived it as not falling under 12A certificate as there were points that appeared to break the regulations set under this certificate.
Firstly, the main classification issues in The Dark Knight was the overall tone of the film. Its sombre, dark tone and the 'adult' nature of some of its themes along with the bleak ending was cited as unsuitable for a film rated 12A. Also, another predominant issue was the amount of violence and threat it contained. The 12A regulations claim that ‘Violence must not dwell on detail. There should be no emphasis on injuries and blood.’ There were a significant numbers of complaints about the 12A rating from members of the public regarding this guideline. However, this was justified by the violence in the film being quickly edited and almost entirely lacking in any vivid imagery of blood or injury. Moreover, The Dark Knight was considered by the BBFC as having the tone and themes that could be accommodated within the regulations of 12A, that was suitable for young adolescents. As a result of assessing all these factors, the examiners who classified the film agreed it met the criteria.
Personally, I think that the certificate it was awarded, was in fact entirely justifiable. Despite the abnormally high amounts of complaints, I felt that the rating it was given abided the criteria entirely and actually children are far more able than the public assumes. Nonetheless, the publics response and feedback to The Dark Knight's classification, fed into the BBFC's importance of tone as a classification issue.
5) What are the guidelines for a 15 certificate?
From the website, they clearly state that 'The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.' To elaborate on the specifics, citing to the official website, they firstly state that drug taking authorised but are obliged not promote or encourage drug misuse. They firmly state that menacing behaviour i.e suicide and self-harm should not reside on detail as they could cause similar behaviour. In terms of language, they do allow strong profanity but very strong language can be permitted depending on the circumstances of the context. Moreover, there are little to no restrictions of nudity in non-sexual academic context but otherwise they do not permit nudity with strong detail. This alludes to sex which is allowed to be shown but again, only if there is not a lot of strong detail. There may be verbal references to sexual behaviour or acts, but the strongest references are improbable to be acceptable unless justified by context. In terms of violence, the BBFC allow acts of violence but directors must not dwell on the graphic gore of the infliction of injuries. The strongest bloodcurdling, gory images are unlikely to be accepted.
6) The BBFC website offers an explanation of every classification it makes and detailed case studies on selected titles. Choose one 15-rated film from the BBFC case studies section and summarise the classification the film was given and why.
The 15-rated film I have picked is called Attack The Block, a British horror movie, submitted to the BBFC in 2011. The examiners reported on this film stating that it was 'clear from the characters, the tone of the work and the general address, that it had strong appeal to older teenage viewers.' This is what first led them to lean towards a 15 rating rather than 12 or 12A. As well as this, the film contained frequent and strong language throughout. It was reported that there were over 50 uses of 'fu*k.' Under the published BBFC Guidelines, only infrequent strong language is permitted at 12A so this work immediately appeared to not abide to 12A criteria. Therefore, the work was automatically moved to 15 category at first glance.
In terms of gore, violence and threat, examiners noted that it was strong throughout. Attack on the block consisted of bloody imagery as human characters were attacked, wounded and killed. At certain points within this film, a profusion of blood is visible, even gushing from characters’ mouths in one sequence. Another strong gory sight was of a young adult’s face being mutilated up by aliens. However, this was entirely justified by the contextual aspects. Examiners brought to light the fact that the work was based upon a fantastical context. This means that the aliens and monsters have less impact as they are clearly part of the film’s world and are the sort of elements audiences expect from this genre. Moreover, some also argued there were comical elements to the creatures, which further lessens the impact of their violence. Heightening this, there is no sadistic violence as it is all in the milieu of self-defence. This means that it does not in any way promote, encourage or glorify violence as a form of pleasure. Therefore there seems no problem with containing the violence and gore at 15.
To continue, the portrayal of drug use, taking and dealing was also assessed. In the film there are frequent references to drugs. The BBFC Guidelines at the 15 certificate state that 'drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse'. The BBFC had to distinguish whether the vast volume of drugs references simply mirrored on the world of the film where characters were consumers of drugs, or if it ‘normalised’ and glamourised/glorified drug taking as a whole. As one of the characters was arrested for the possession of hard drugs, examiners concluded that it did fit the 15 criteria as it reflected the world of film where characters were consumers of drugs.
Examiners culminated, after discussing with other examiners and hierarchies of the industry, that the film met the 15 certificate. It was passed as a 15 and awarded this certificate in 2011 and the BBFCinsight made clear to the public that it contained strong profanity, gore, violence, drug references and minimal sex references.
1) Krzysztof Kieslowski: Three Colours Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu)
This extract, which is merely the opening to first part of a monumental trilogy, Three Colors: Blue, begins with a tracking shot. The shot used here is a close-up that is following a tire attached to a car driving down the freeway. This opening shot also uses the diegetic, synchronous sounds of the wind, and other cars driving past. The particular use of this sound contributes vastly to the realism of film immediately and also helps to create a tense, perplexing atmosphere. This on its own this helps to engage the audience in a moment of suspense but the use of narrative is equally as significant as we can see the entire opening is densely filled with enigma codes. The audience are unaware of where the car is going, who it belongs to, the destination of the car or what circumstances caused the journey. The use of enigma codes, proposed by Ronald Barthes, supply the audience with unanswered questions. These entice the audience and therefore make them continue watching to eventually receive the relief of satisfaction. The next shot is a medium close up of an arm waving a piece of tin foil out of the car window. Here, the wind is still present but we are given the additional diegetic and synchronous sound of tin foil hitting the surface of the car. This suggests build up of pace. The foil flies out of the person’s hand into the wind. Perhaps this is symbolic of later downfall in the film because something someone obtains is being taken by stronger forces. This is relevant as the film’s most prominent theme is about freedom being impossible ever to obtain. The next shot is incongruous with the previous scenes, most prominently in terms of lighting. This perhaps is demonstrating the difference between a child’s perspective and and adult’s. We are given a medium, tracking shot of a young girl looking out of the rear window of the car. Here, the use of lighting is especially striking as we can see flares of red, orange, yellow and green which differs to the previous and latter scenes. The young girl appears to be mesmerised by the flares of light. This is emphasised through the next shot which is a point of view shot of the hazy lights from the young girl’s perspective. This helps us identify with the girl whilst further reinforcing enigma codes of her situation. The camera movement is intentional here as it is shaky which helps incite danger as there is a lot of movement and we are moving in the opposite direction of the lights, until we fade into darkness which is again suggestive of downfall. The next returns to the blue toned lighting in which we see the family intervening from their journey in the car. The next shot is a close up on a leaking pipe attached to the car. The shot creates an impression of an eerie and ominous atmosphere. We can see the young girl advancing towards the car in the unfocused background of the leaking pipe. Perhaps this was deliberately directed to further amplify her significance later in the film. The use of these characters who appear fairly oblivious to what the audience can see or feel, suggest they are the protagonists according to Propp’s theory about characters and actions as narrative function. In addition, we hear the first instance of dialogue here where the young girl says something briefly in French. This instantly establishes the 'world cinema' aspect of the film.
The family return to driving on the freeway. The audience transition to a young boy sitting on the grass playing a game. We are given a close-up of the well known game in France, bilboquet. The principle of game includes catching one object with another, where both are joined by a string. This again alludes to the theme of the film: freedom. Its message is that we are alive, but not free, demonstrated perfectly by the game of bilboquet. We are directed to an establishing shot of the car driving through the mist, where the boy playing his game watches the car. The boy’s curiosity signifies that it is unlikely or rare that cars drive in this particular area. This instantly suggests an action code because the audience are aware that something will happen. Next we can see the boy finally winning the game and attaching the ball into the cup, seconds after, skidding noises can be heard and we see the car striking into a tree. and some coming out of it. This is especially striking because it connotes that once we feel our freedom being stripped of us, we realise our fate. This is well portrayed by the car accident. As wells this, we know realise the close up of the leaking pipe foreshadowed the future revelation of the accident. We can see the young boy pick up his skateboard and run towards the car. Here, there is the use of a long establishing shot. As the boy advances further, the shot blurs slightly and gradually fades to black. In this extract, the boy would be classified as the helper, according to Propp’s theory as he aids ‘the heroes’. This clip was predominantly filmed in blue process. Numerous scenes are shot with blue lighting, and many objects are blue. The use of the blue tint and desaturated tone help illuminate the story as well as suggest depth. Blue holds connotations of complex and contradictory meanings. As the film uses a significant amount of blue, it was likely used to create feelings of melancholy, and grief. This alludes to the themes of the film as well as that blue often is said to link to freedom, which in this case is an ironic use of the colour in the film.
This film is categorised as an arthouse film as well as being classed under the genre of foreign and drama. This would most likely appeal to the ABC1demographic as it is an arthouse film and brings light themes of French Revolutionary ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality. It is rated 15 under theBBFC classification. This classification from the website states “the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.” The demographic of this film would include 15-45 year olds. The split would likely be 60% to 40% male. I feel that females would be more likely to watch this particular type of film because the film focuses on a female who suffers the loss of her husband, which is a problem females are more likely to empathise or identify with rather than males. This, according to Young and Rubicam is aimed at reformers and explorers as a psycho-graphic audience. This is because Art house is a genre that only those who want to be intellectually enlightened want to watch.
2) Michel Gondry: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This film is about an estranged couple who erase each other from their memories. This clip in an ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ is notorious for it’s well written lines and impressive yet subtle editing. To begin, this extract starts begins with a woman, we assume to be the protagonist, using some technology to assist her with sorting out books. This first shot is a medium shot maybe in an attempt to establish her substance in the film. The camera tilts up slightly and pans to a male character who has advanced to her side. The male character can be seen wearing a dark trench coat yet he holds certain mannerisms that suggest timidness in his being. This contrast causes a sense of uncertainty in the audience. On the other hand, we can see the female wearing red; red is often a symbol of promiscuity or sexual desire. This links to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. She proposed that often woman are presented as objects of male pleasure. Mulvey connects the male gaze to scopophilia, when one gains pleasure from looking at other people as objects. To continue, the audience can immediately see that the use of camera movement adds to the realism of the film. The cinematography is slightly shaky and at eye level of the main character. This could have been an intentional choice by the director as it alludes to the idea of the characters re-watching their memory from an external perspective. This film’s most prominent theme other than the nature of attraction, is the erasing and recursion of memories. This is evident as after further research, I found that this scene being recorded without a tripod, is what achieved this raw and realistic effect. Following the introduction of the male character within this extract, dialogue is exchanged between the characters. Their nervous yet pleased demeanour establishes the idea of their relationship being more intimate than platonic. Again, the use of the camera is still prevalent as it tracks the characters as they walk along the library. This amplifies the idea of a bystander watching their conversation as if revisiting a vivid memory. They then use the books and shelves of the library to hinders with what the characters are doing. This technique may have been deliberately used to create a sense of destruction of the continuity of their conversation. This perhaps was because it reflects on the timeline of their memories or suggestive of obstructions in their relationship.
The camera continues to pan and change focus as each character speaks in a myriad of ways. Through this, they break the conventional 180 degree rule of over-the-shoulder shots. Again, this in one of the several ways in which the audience view this scene as if it was a bystander watching the conversation. As there conversation progresses, an aspect of editing becomes prominent in this clip. The books on the shelves become achromatic, loosing any vibrance and fading to white entirely. This effect is incredibly subtle, that people don't even notice it until they're all blank. This foreshadows perhaps how their relationship can fade away and they wouldn't notice. Perhaps this was the director’s intention; people don’t notice things until they’re gone. However, this undeniably alludes to the main theme of this film which regret and memories. Moreover, the female protagonist (Propp’s theory of characters and actions as narrative function) gives an impression of anger and dependence and the male protagonist appears timid and gentle. Both of which, break the typical conventions of female and male representation in the media. What I find most striking about this clip besides the editing technique, is the parallel between the dialogue in the extract and the last lines at the end. The male protagonist says ‘Okay’ and accepts her flaws. This mirrors the ending of the film where he does the same.
The use of lighting is entirely high-key within this clip which accentuates the characters facial features to make them appear glamorous as well as revealing their facial expressions fully to give the audience full insight to the depth behind the narrative.
Gradually, the actors advance closer to each other and the camera shot transitions in a side profile of the couple who are quite close at this moment. Following this, non-diegetic music plays over the scene. The music is wistful, slow and conventional of the romance genre. Up until this moment, the sound was diegetic which preserved a sense of detachment until music played which created a unity between the two characters. The music increases in terms of pace and the characters become closer until the clip jump cuts to a shot of the male protagonist standing alone. Here, we can see all the books dissolved to white entirely which is when the audience realise the scene was in fact him revisiting the memory entirely. This brings to light the theme of conscious vs. and the theme of regret as he realises how much he cherishes memories with Clementine by watching their relationship from a place of an bystander. Also, we can see how the male character's choice of clothing was intentional as black holds connotations of loss and this is apparent through the loss of his memories and previous partner.
This film is categorised as an arthouse film as well as being classed as a science-fiction, comedy-drama film. This would most likely appeal to the ABC1 demographic as it is an arthouse film which as a genre tends to be more enlightening and educational. It is rated 15 under the BBFC classification. This is justified as there is some vulgar language and sexual content. This classification from the website states “the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.” The demographic of this film would include 15-30 year olds. I feel that this film appeals to this age group most as often people in the age range are most likely to be engaging in new relationships or ending them. However, this kind of emotion or depth may not be relatable to young children. The split would likely be 90% to 10% male. I think it is very obviously apparent why this type of content is far more appealing to them than it is to males. Romance as a genre typically attracts a more female demographic as a whole. This, according to Young and Rubicam is aimed at reformers and explorers as a psycho graphic audience. This is because Art house is a genre that only those who want to be intellectually enlightened want to watch.
3) Jim Jarmusch: Only Lovers Left Alive
This clip begins with a bird eye view of ‘Eve’ laying on the foot of her bed. This could have been achieved through the use of a drone. This shows a scene from directly overhead and does not include much detail yet it is used to give an overall impression. This shot does puts the audience in a godlike or any powerful position because they are looking down on the action. This suggests what the subject of the still may be insignificant or even feel unimportant. This high angle shot is often used later in the movie. As well as the the shot being a long shot and a bird’s eye view, the camera movement is also relevant here as it begins panning around a 360 degree circumference. This further enables the audience to be given an overall impression. The mise-en-scene here appears very thoughtful and telltale of this individual. Her hair is long and untamed, and she lies on the floor against a blue bed, surrounded by books. We can already tell she enjoys reading and is perhaps is a idealist. We are then shown a shot of another individual in his home, ‘Adam.’ The same aerial shot is used here but we are more zoomed into the subject rather than before where it could have been considered an establishing shot. Adam can be seen sprawled on a leather sofa, surrounded by shadows, guitar on his lap, also with the camera still circling above him. The use of dark shadows here is significantly more prominent in his shot in comparison to Eve’s suggest an undertone of darkness to his character which is not as apparent in Eve’s. The music used here is Wanda Jackson’s “Funnel of Love.” This song alludes to love where geography is irrelevant which links directly to this opening sequence as we can see these two people are not together. The use of this music however ties the scenes together, creating unity between them. This is called a sound bridge as it carries over a visual transition in a film. This type of editing provides a common transition in the continuity editing as the mood is connected through it. They are on opposite sides of the world yet they are connected.
To continue, we transition to a shot of a vinyl record through dissolve.The sound becomes synchronous rather than asynchronous. The is because the visuals are now parallel to the music. In terms of the music’s relevance to the scene, it is a parallel use of sound here. This scene dissolves again back to Eve’s room. We are using a similar angle here and another aerial shot. This is followed by another similar shot of Adam. The pace from the opening is extremely slow, adding to the serene, almost narcotised atmosphere. The opening continues echoing the soundtrack, circling the characters and and returning back to the vinyl record in a cyclical structure, suggesting events are inevitable and cannot be altered. This perhaps foreshadows something happening between these characters in the future. The use of these shots, the mise-en-scene, slow paced editing and thoughtful use of music create an aesthetic opening to this film successfully and indicate subtly at future events within the film. For instance, already we can see these people are destined for each other through their names. The names "Adam" and "Eve" can easily be deduced from the biblical creation myth or perhaps a reference to Mark Twain’s work.
This film is categorised as an arthouse film as well as being classed under the genre of horror, thriller, romance and drama. This would most likely appeal to the ABC1 demographic as it is an arthouse film.It is rated 15 under the BBFC classification. This classification from the website states “the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.” The demographic of this film would include 15-25 year olds. I feel that it would aim towards a younger demographic considering the themes used such as vampires. The split would likely be 80% to 20% male. I feel that females would be more likely to watch this particular type of film because romance is targeted towards them more.
4) Ingmar Bergman: Persona
This film’s narrative revolves around a nurse named Alma and her patient, Elisabet. This extract is the opening of the film. In this sequence, viewers are first introduced to the film by the sound of eerie and fear evoking non-diegetic music which immediately hints at the dark undertones them film consists of. The cinematography on the other hands begins with a screen of black and gradually we cans see lurid and odd sinuous shape reflections becoming more distinct and well defined. It appears that the first image we are presented with are some projectors and other film equipment. The pace is extremely slow paced and the light intensifies very steadily. As the bulb light heightens further, the setting is illuminated more until the scene is entirely overly exposedand fades or dissolves to white. After this point, the pace increases rapidly along with the sound, pitch and pace of the music. This is acts in accordance with a very high-pitched zapping noise which is synchronous with the visuals. This is followed by a series of montage style shots. It appears that the montage is cross cutting between a myriad of images of various types of equipment and a montage of self-contained images. We are presented with several images or clips, evoking entirely different associations. Any attempt to understand the links between the images feels futile so perhaps the deeper meaning was the dissociation that this film will evoke in its audiences. On the other hand, we could argue that this abstract style is pregnant when assessed in conjunction with the very fragmented narrative of this film. This sequence of film equipment is abruptly ruptured by the subliminal erect penis shown on screen. The audience can hear what sounds like a giggle along with this image. Following this, we return back to images of light and dark. We are directed to several shots of morbid images of slaughtered animals and frightening cartoon animations. A montage generally is used to give an overall impression of the content we will be viewing or to bridge a time lapse. This myriad of images cascading across the screen, achieves this perfectly.
There is still use of dissonant music here which again indicates an approaching menace being apparent in the film’s narrative but more so, unsettles the audience whilst evoking fear. The grotesque nature of these images hugely shocked a 1966 audience and are still effective despite the desensitisation of modern day audiences. As the clip progresses, more graphic images are presented until halfway through the clip where we are presented with close up shots of body parts such as hands and feet. This is an example of fetishisation of certain body parts.The music here dissipates and the lighting changes to high key rather than low key. Eventually, we are introduced on a character who gets up and puts her glasses to read and the music builds up slowly and intensifies. The character looks around ominously and caresses a blurry screen until the image becomes distinct and we can see a woman’s face clearly. The girl continues to rub the face until it blurs again and her eyes close. We jump cut to a close-up of the girls face and the title ‘Persona’ appears.
The mise-en-scene here is most relevant towards the end when we can see the individuals as a whole rather than fetishised. The lack of clothes and plain, white bedrooms give the impression of an institution. this foreshadows prominent themes of the film such as psychological deconstruction. Moreover, the lighting here is also a large aspect of what achieved the feeling of dread and dismay in their audiences. The lighting is majorly low key but there are instances of high key lighting. They use of low key lighting achieves an effect called chiaroscuro. The use of this dramatic effect of contrasting areas of light and dark intensifies moments and feelings in film. It also contributes to the opening sequence’s tense and anxiety ridden atmosphere.
The demographic for this film is likely to cater to a small population.This film is categorised as an arthouse film as well as being classed under the genre of thriller, mystery and drama. This would most likely appeal to the ABC1 demographic as it is an arthouse film. It is rated 15 under the BBFC classification. This classification from the website states “the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.” I found this surprising but justifiable. The demographic of this film would include 18-50 year olds. The demographic is likely to be oder as this is a classic film which is not very appealing to millennials. The split would likely be 30% to 70% male. The is because of the sheer amount of gore which stereotypically appeals to men more than females. An idea proposed by Kubrick stated we can vicariously reinforce pent up aggression through films. This could be applied to this film as we can evidently see substantial amounts of violence in it already.
5) Carol Morley: The Falling
This film immediately has a fan base due to the well known actress Maisie Williams. This instantly enables their film to gain popularity. What appealed to me, besides Maisie William’s starring role, are the psychologically twisted themes prevalent in this film. This clip begins with an extreme close up of a bruise. Its unclear where it has come from but it is suggested that it could be a love bite. The use of opening with an enigma code, (proposed by Barthes) intrigue the audience, enticing them and therefore encouraging them continue watching to eventually receive the relief of satisfaction. The next shot is a fetishistic close-up of a woman’s bun. These small, subtle shots add immense detail as to the genre and desired demographic of this film. The use of mise-en-scene here is what establishes this ultimately. Following these shots, we pan to who we assume to be the main focus of the film. This is the first face we are introduced to within this clip which is what helps us understand the significance of her role within the narrative. According to Propp’s theory of narrative roles, she would be the protagonist. Whilst these shots are being sequenced, the audio acts in accordance by using a deep, female voiceover. The voiceover is a poem by William Wadsworth (Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood) which alludes to biblical references. His poem simply suggests that the speaker feels that any once had glory has been stripped of this earth. This foreshadows the melancholy and sadness that will inhabit this film. To continue, the camera pans back from Maisie’s character and focuses on the woman fixing her hair again. This cyclical structure suggests a vicious cycle being apparent within the film. From the current setting of a bedroom where the two women are situated, we transition to a medium shot of two teenagers engaging in sexual intercourse in a car. Again, we can see a hickey on the female’s neck. They are often symbolic of a sign of passion and physical love. This perhaps is suggestive of the themes this film consists upon such as sex. Moreover, the use of this passionate scene focuses primarily on the female rather than the male. This links to Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze. She proposed that often woman are presented as objects of male pleasure. Mulvey connects the male gaze to scopophilia, when one gains pleasure from looking at other people as objects. Additionally, Berger believed “men looked, women appeared.” He stated that women were there solely for the objectification.
The shot returns back to a fatigued Lydia reading a book. The voiceover is still in action, connecting all the scenes together. As she focuses on something in front of her and delves into her deeper thoughts, we are presented with a bizarre, montage like sequence. The sound transitions from a voiceover into non-diegetic music that resembles clockwork. This is alarming for audiences and evokes a sense of apprehension. This montage consists of several shots of people and nature. A montage generally is used to give an overall impression of the content we will be viewing or to bridge a time lapse. This cascading of images across the screen, achieves this superbly. What is most striking within this montage, is the shot of a year group assembling for a group photo and glitching until they disperse and then return almost statically. This along with the eerie, ominous music and fast paced transitions, creates tension and fear within the audience. Moreover, some of the shots have ambiguous meanings and suggest crime. For instance, we can see a school girl with red hands yet we cannot see her face. This creates enigma and the juxtaposition contrasts vastly with the serene shots of nature.
The montage gradually stops and we are presented with a shot of a schoolgirl ringing the bell whilst students make their way to class. We are presented with a medium shot of a blonde girl advancing towards the camera. The audience at this point realise this girl is the same from the previous sex scene. We can see Lydia is walking towards her and runs towards her for a hug. This scene is striking as it is a parallel to film’s ending in which two girls are crying in each others embrace. The girls can be seen hugging tightly until the blonde looks discomforted and Lydia asks what is wrong. As soon as the blonde speaks, we realise she is the voice of the voiceover. When asked what is wrong, she says she has butterflies. This intrigues the audience as we know about her previous circumstances. They both walk into school and the final shot of this clip is of the school girl tolling the bell. The scene dissolves to black. Another theory that could be applied here is Hook’s colour code. She stated that lighter skinned women are deemed ore desirable and fit better not the Western ideals of beauty so black women are often underrepresented. This is apparent here as all the characters we have seen were predominantly white with the exception of one Asian.
This film is categorised as an arthouse film as well as being classed under the genres of mystery and drama. This would most likely appeal to the ABC1 demographic as it is an arthouse film. It is rated 15 under the BBFC classification. This classification from the website states “the work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour, although there may be racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes and language.” The demographic of this film would include 15-25 year olds. The demographic is likely to appeal to a younger audience as it touches upon themes such as teenage pregnancy, teenage sex, growing up etc. The split would likely be 70% to 30% male. The is because of the content of the film being stereotypically more female based.
