Task 1 - Analytical Approaches to film
Auteur theory, theory of filmmaking in which the director is viewed as the major creative force in a motion picture. Arising in France in the late 1940s.
Feminist theory:
Is a theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics and feminist theories. feminists have many approaches to cinema analysis regarding the film elements
Queer theory:
The notion of shedding light on the LGBTQ+ community that emerged in the early 90s and giving light to queer studies and women studies
Marxism theory:
A philosophical and practical frame work Analysing or changing in society that was developed from the ideas of Karl Marx in the 19th century.
Feminist theory:
Is a theoretical film criticism derived from feminist politics and feminist theories. feminists have many approaches to cinema analysis regarding the film elements
Queer theory:
The notion of shedding light on the LGBTQ+ community that emerged in the early 90s and giving light to queer studies and women studies
Marxism theory:
A philosophical and practical frame work Analysing or changing in society that was developed from the ideas of Karl Marx in the 19th century.
The film I am going to discuss when talking about the Auteur genre is Edward Scissor hands . Edward Scissorhands is a romance and a fantasy film with aspects of the gothic genre running through it [like all of Tim Burton movies have].
Tuesday 29th Jan 2019
L.O To be able to identify symbolism in a auteur film.
Task: To watch any auteur film of your choice noting down symbolism.
Misencene:
My film choice is Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino uses a lot of symbolism within his movies
For example at the beginning of the movies [about 20 minutes in] Vincent is holding a brief case. The briefcase that Jules and Vincent procure from Brett's apartment for Marsellus are never specified. All that is known about them is that they glow, and that Pumpkin calls them "beautiful." The briefcase is an example of what is called a MacGuffin: a cinematic plot device that advances the plot with little to no explanation. Given its alluring mysteriousness, the briefcase symbolizes human desire itself, with its status as a highly coveted object mobilizing several characters to commit acts of violence.
My second example is Butch's gold watch that is a family heirloom, the significance of which is explained in a long monologue that is chronologically, the earliest event in the entire film. As a child, Butch received the watch from a man who had served in the Vietnam War with his father. The watch is a symbol of love, being passed down from Butch's great-grandfather, to his grandfather, to his father, and finally to him, surviving an incredibly unlikely series of events in the process. The fact that so many men put forth so much effort to save the watch, is what makes Butch willing to risk his own life to retrieve it, after his girlfriend mistakenly leaves it behind.
Settings:
The settings in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction are set in Los Angeles, California USA and is set in the early 90s and one of the scenes is filmed in LA airport and Mia; one of the main characters lives in a house in the Hollywood hills.
Colour:
The colouring in pulp fiction is quite saturated and the brightness if high as well to give it quite a vintage vibe.
Tuesday 29th Jan 2019
L.O To be able to identify symbolism in a auteur film.
Task: To watch any auteur film of your choice noting down symbolism.
Misencene:
My film choice is Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino uses a lot of symbolism within his movies
For example at the beginning of the movies [about 20 minutes in] Vincent is holding a brief case. The briefcase that Jules and Vincent procure from Brett's apartment for Marsellus are never specified. All that is known about them is that they glow, and that Pumpkin calls them "beautiful." The briefcase is an example of what is called a MacGuffin: a cinematic plot device that advances the plot with little to no explanation. Given its alluring mysteriousness, the briefcase symbolizes human desire itself, with its status as a highly coveted object mobilizing several characters to commit acts of violence.
My second example is Butch's gold watch that is a family heirloom, the significance of which is explained in a long monologue that is chronologically, the earliest event in the entire film. As a child, Butch received the watch from a man who had served in the Vietnam War with his father. The watch is a symbol of love, being passed down from Butch's great-grandfather, to his grandfather, to his father, and finally to him, surviving an incredibly unlikely series of events in the process. The fact that so many men put forth so much effort to save the watch, is what makes Butch willing to risk his own life to retrieve it, after his girlfriend mistakenly leaves it behind.
Settings:
The settings in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction are set in Los Angeles, California USA and is set in the early 90s and one of the scenes is filmed in LA airport and Mia; one of the main characters lives in a house in the Hollywood hills.
Colour:
The colouring in pulp fiction is quite saturated and the brightness if high as well to give it quite a vintage vibe.
Pulp fiction uses different color palettes for many different scenes,quite some actually. This is often done to support the narrative structure of the movie.
Even though considered a great success it is very interesting to see that Pulp Fiction does not use the what is called the modern ‘Blockbuster Look’ (also referred to as the Teal and Orange look). Notice for instance that in the first scene there is no teal nor blue background. This scene is actually very colorful.
Colors are used to tell stories, thew support the story being told. How ever great an beautifully colours are, in general they will “not” work if they do not contribute to the story being told.
Camera Work:
The cinematography in Pulp Fiction certainly enhanced the viewing of the film. For example, one of the very first scenes of the movie Vincent and Jules are seen dressed in suits, grabbing their guns out of their trunk. They are getting ready to recover the lost briefcase for their boss, Mr. Marsellus Wallace. This low- angle shot explains a point Tarantino’s trying to make throughout all of Pulp Fiction.
The significance of a low-angle shot facing up at the characters proves that the character themselves are superior. This shot has the camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis looking up at the characters. There are several examples of these type of shots found throughout
Vincent is led to where the briefcase is and he looks down to unlock it. Not surprisingly, the combination is 666, the devil. As Vincent is looking down, the camera is facing up at him. This is where the low- angle shot is captured. The way the camera is positioned shows half of the briefcase and reveals that whatever is in it is larger and more important then Vincent himself.Then the angle is zoomed out and faced up a little. However, it is still a low-angle shot because the camera is still on the ground. The low- angle camera now represents the superiority of Vincent. When the camera moves even further down to the ground than it was before, it makes Vincent appear larger than the briefcase and the new main focus.
Lighting
Pulp Fiction uses different types of lighting throughout the film with the primary lighting technique being low-key lighting. The lighting adjust as the different story lines combine to make the movie. Low-key lighting is evident during intense moments of the movie. This was a good selection of lighting that has a lot of crime, violence, and dark humour.
Old films to new:
The films I am going to study is Arthur. There is one remakes of the film Arthur and the original that was make in 1981 starring actor Dudley Moore Arthur is a 1981 American comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens; New York City. Although the project was initially in the works at Paramount , they eventually dropped the project with Orion Pictures taking over. Promoting the film proved to be a challenge, reportedly six ad campaigns were discarded before a final one was decided upon.
The new Arthur stars actor and comedian Arthur is a 2011 American romantic comedy film written by Peter Baynham and directed by Jason Winer. It is a remake of the 1981 film by the same name written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Russell Brand in the title role, with Helen Mirren supporting him.
Old films to new:
The films I am going to study is Arthur. There is one remakes of the film Arthur and the original that was make in 1981 starring actor Dudley Moore Arthur is a 1981 American comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens; New York City. Although the project was initially in the works at Paramount , they eventually dropped the project with Orion Pictures taking over. Promoting the film proved to be a challenge, reportedly six ad campaigns were discarded before a final one was decided upon.
The new Arthur stars actor and comedian Arthur is a 2011 American romantic comedy film written by Peter Baynham and directed by Jason Winer. It is a remake of the 1981 film by the same name written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Russell Brand in the title role, with Helen Mirren supporting him.
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