Analysing Two Forms of Media
First impressions are extremely vital. We form an opinion within the first 30 seconds of meeting someone and that plays a vital role in the relationships formed. Similarly with films, the audiences usually identifies with the genre within a few minutes of the screening. With that in mind, this analysis will focus upon decoding the opening sequence of two contrasting films in order to understand its tone and genre. In this case, the opening sequence is defined as the point until which the title is established, this is usually within the first 120 to 180 seconds of the film. I have chosen to compare the mise-en-scène of a modern day romantic comedy, ‘What If’ (Michael Dowse, 2014) versus the classic horror film,
…show more content…
This establishes the tone of the film as energetic and gives the audience the impression that the narrative and characters are light-hearted. Furthermore, the movie begins at night which suggests a sense of romance, which is a central theme of the film. However, in ‘The Shining’, the camera follows a single yellow car through a changing scenery of mountains and landscapes. From the wideness of the shots, we see the environment as desolated and lonely. The audience is aware that there is no sign of life apart from the driver of the car. This hints that isolation will be an important theme of the film. It also establishes the driver as the central character of the film. Thomas Caldwell describes framing as “a way of withholding information from the audience” (Caldwell, 2005). Although conversely, it is also a way of including an image or object within a frame to convey a specific meaning. In ‘What If’ shots of the Toronto skyline are frequently shown throughout the film, usually in the background or out of focus, to reinforce the idea established in the beginning that the city is another character in the film. Similarly, In ‘The Shining’ the hotel is where the entire narrative unfolds. Hence, it is imperative to focus on the location at the beginning of the film itself.
The opening scene of ‘What If’ is set at night but this is not to imply that the lighting is or dark but that it is sultry, playful and romantic. The accompanying music which
Harold and Maude, a movie directed by Hal Ashby and released in the 1970’s, did not receive much attention and popularity when first released. Since the movie depicted obsession with suicide through a 20-year-old character Harold, the movie received backlash because during the 1970’s there were high rates of suicides among teenagers and college students. However, over time college students found the movie very entertaining, therefore bringing the movie into the lights and making it a cult hit. In Blue Velvet, a neo-noir mystery film directed by David Lynch and released in 1986, received a variety of critical responses from a wide range of audience, but this movie’s unique style earned Lynch his second nomination for Best Director. The idea of innocent getting caught in a web of evil is portrayed through the character Jeffrey Beaumont, who first encounter’s a severed ear in a grassy abandoned field. In this paper I will compare and contrast these two movies that include key actors Bud Cort, played as Harold, and Kyle MacLachlan, played as Jeffrey and include a few key points that have made these movies enjoyable to watch.
Both Laura Mulvey and bell hooks describe the idea of the “gaze” in film. In both of the theories presented by Mulvey and hooks, the “gaze” is the way in which viewers are subjected to a particular perspective because of their social standing. In Mulvey’s case, she argues that the “gaze” in which the audience is forced into is that of the “male gaze” while hooks argues a more nuanced “gaze” including the “oppositional gaze”. While some of Mulvey’s argument is accurate, hooks argues that it leaves out important other factors, in particular, race. Both arguments have many similarities and differences, and can be seen exemplified in many films, such as Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It.
Although the best reasons for “going to the movies” are to be entertained and eat popcorn, understanding a film is actually quite complex. Movies are not only a reflection of life, they also have the capability of shaping our norms, values, attitudes, and perception of life. Through the media of film, one can find stories of practically anything imaginable and some things unimaginable. Movie-makers use their art to entertain, to promote political agendas, to educate, and to present life as it is, was, or could be. They can present truth, truth as they interpret it, or simply ignore truth altogether. A movie can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in-between. A film is an artist’s interpretation. What one takes away from a film depends upon how one interprets what has been seen and heard. Understanding film is indeed difficult.
Digital software didn’t exist to make shapes and words fly across the screen at the touch of a button. A title sequence sets a tone and atmosphere for a viewer, characters become introduced to the audience; Bass told stories in his title sequences that included a beginning, middle, and end. The primary purpose of a title sequence has always been to introduce the name of a film, introduce the actors, and introduce the main people that work on it. Title sequences may be considered the most important aspect of a film to some. In a perfect world the title sequence sets up an expectation for the audience and causes excitement, but sometimes they may not be interested in the intro, that can cause them to have a negative attitude towards the rest of the
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
The mise-en-scene in the opening sequence shows the tension and threat in it while adding a sense of
The following essay examines the characteristics of the aestheticisation of abjection by analysing Jonathan Demme’s, The Silence of The Lambs (1991) to better understand what pleasure we, as a culture, find in consuming horror films. The Silence of the Lambs shows women being tortured, sexually assaulted and murdered yet is still a widely popular film that serves to entertain a seemingly sane society.
The producers will develop a test and the audience will tell the producers whether it is something they want to see or they are not going to see. This can affect the next text to be produced in an attempt to conform to the audience demands. Looking at the development of different types of genres and the development of films within the same genre, it’s possible to look at similarities and differences and identify changes in society and audience ideologies and tastes.
Set in 1984 The short film, Two cars one night utilizes the filming aspect of light and dark lighting to the contrast between the two cars with children in a pub car park. The long shot exhibited in the scene gives the picture of the two cars in the car parking lot while the adults are inside the pub. It shows the aspect of safety and danger for the children as they wait for their parents to come out from inside of the bar and pub. It also signifies the familiar and unknown as the children explore with their eyes what is around them. Taika uses the aspect of light and dark light to symbolize danger and create tension within this scene because as an audience we associate nighttime with being unsafe for children, and he uses the dark light and children in this scene to create a sense of danger. An example of this is when the car the two Boys are in is captured sitting still while the surrounding everything is moving, such as the people and the dark night sky. It portrays the darkness
Genre theory is used to study films and put them into a classification so that audiences know what type of film it is before they see it. Genres are categories based on the story of the film, sometimes the actors and actresses, or even the directors. All films fall under a genre or sub-genre category. Romantic Comedy is an example of a genre which is light-hearted, humorous story involving people in love, sometimes overlapping with subgenres such as screwball comedy teen comedy, or gross-out comedy. ( Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, table 4.1). This paper will focus on the romantic comedy genre and movie Rocky. It will take a better look at the specific conventions of this genre and how this movie fits the gangster genre.
Evaluation analysis Aims My aim for this project was to create an extract from a fictional film focusing on the narrative in the opening sequence of a film. I also had to create a storyboard from this sequence to show my cinematic influence in my film. The genre I have chosen to pick is a detective drama as this is seen through my script and storyboard. As it gives an example through the matchbox as this is a stereotypical noir crime genre.
In service of this argument, the essay unfolds in three parts. The first section sketches an appropriate framework for understanding how cinema marshals and moves viewers by engaging them in a fully embodied experience.4 The second section offers a brief overview of the film's plot before turning to an analysis of its triptych narrative and affective development. The third and final section considers the methodological, critical, and theoretical implications suggested by the preceding analysis.
Throughout this class, various discussions and blogs have been used to analyze the different elements of films such as theme, cinematic techniques and genre. It is time to bring all of these separate elements together in the analysis of one specific film, according to class text, “analyzing levels of meaning below the surface story can greatly enhance enjoyment as well as understanding of a film” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014. p. 10.03). There are several different approaches to film analysis including formalist, auteurist, and generic or any combination thereof. Utilizing a genre theory lens, the 1956 film The Searchers will be analyzed addressing contextual information, story/plot, aesthetic choices, social/personal impact and how these areas come together to develop the film.
One of the most important components for the movie is aesthetic. The reason is that aesthetic can create atmosphere and mood. Especially, one of the most famous Hong kong director Wong Kar Wai, who direct In the mood for Love (2000) put many elements of Aesthetic such as Mise en scene, sounds and cinematography. Aesthetic is an essential factor to construct a character, and create mood. Especially Wong Kar Wai has unique aesthetic to elicit emotion. “” Those components can bring audience to the movie. In this essay, I will argue that the subject of heartrending but romantic narrative has been depicted through the two components which are mise en scene, cinematography and sound. This will be done by analyzing every scene, followed by analyzing each element of the film aesthetic.
According to film theorist Thomas Schatz, “a genre approach (to film) provides the most effective means for understanding, analyzing, and appreciating the Hollywood cinema (Schatz vii).” His approach to film is strongly supported by theorist Edward Branigan’s and the narrative representation of character interaction (Branigan), and André Bazin’s arguments that the objective reality pressed against audience interpretation.