The films narrative is largely linear, however there is use of ellipsis in the montages, where time is compressed to convey information faster, and the montages themselves are expressive, shown what life is like in general through specific images, e.g., happiness in the fun with friends montage, shown through jumping in puddles and laughing with friends.
Key Elements:
Ideology:
The film never establishes what Shaun’s time in Combo’s gang did to his relationship with his other friends (Woody, Lol, etc.). By the ambiguity of whether or not Shaun’s life has been permanently stained/damaged by his time in Combo’s gang, the film shows that racism leads to harm for everyone. Milky, the victim of a hate crime, Combo, the regretful perpetuator of it, and Shaun, the helpless bystander, tied to the awful occurrence by his place in the gang. Even the other members of Combo’s gang were caught up in the chaos of the assault scene, assaulted by Combo as well, showing that racism is a poisonous whirlwind of violence that drags everyone up into it.
The film ends the same way it started, with a montage of news reel footage from the 1980s, here displaying the end of the Falklands War. The footage shows the spoils of the British victory: the raising of the Union Jack over a town hall in a small, unassuming village on a derelict island, scared and helpless POWs, dead British soldiers. This imagery displays the results of patriotism, when nationalism descends into violence, and what it costs, e.g., lost fathers, like Shaun’s. This questioning of the morality and necessity of nationalism and pride in one’s nation contrasts Combo’s own ideology. The film forces the audience to confront the question: what is the cost of nationalism? The juxtaposition of Britain’s violence and Combo’s likens the two, questioning the morality of both. What is the reward of the ideology of the people that Combo represents? The people that claim England to be a glorious land. By showing the results of that ‘glory’, the film explicitly tells the audience that this ideology only leads to pain and suffering.
Shaun throwing the St. George Cross into the ocean is an explicit symbol of a rejection of nationalism, of the hate that it can lead to. He even wears his normal skinhead clothing now, having rid himself of the hate he held while in Combo’s gang. The film here, using this imagery and the sorrowful non-diegetic compiled piano score, conveys its ideology to the audience that racism only leads to regret, violence, and loss. It influences the audience to agree with its ideology, done through Shaun breaking the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera at the end. The film is not interested in letting the audience make up their own mind, and so it is not true British social realism. This is an opinionated film with an explicit ideology that it influences the viewer to agree with, and the viewer would have to try very hard to have an oppositional or aberrant reading of the film.
As with previous montages, the camerawork in this one is more gliding and graceful, carefully framed, such as the shot that smoothly dolly’s backwards as Combo and his gang walk, in slow motion, towards it.
Ideology:
Shaun is shown being indoctrinated by Combo into the gang. He is told what epithets to say, how to talk to the ethnic minorities Combo targets, being cheered on by Combo and the others as he begins to walk and talk like they do. He is also shown in one shot of him walking through a graffitied underpass, which he is superimposed against, literally descending into a world of racism, far-right sentiment and nationalism.
Combo and his gang are presented as pathetic, but imposing. The characters are shown to be truly low, as they harass women and children, thinking that they are making a difference, or are in the right. In the shot shown below, they are even shown to be laughable, as Shaun wears a coat too-big for him, and Gadget walks like a thug. However, the men are also made intimidating through their use of fear to scare away the Muslim children. Combo carries a knife, and the group, in this way, reflect their real-life counterpart nationalists. Risible in appearance and nature, but intimidating in their methods.
Again, the film strays from the nature of true British social realism, as non-diegetic compiled piano music plays, somber and sorrowful, over the montage. This music tells the audience that what Combo and his gang is wrong, immoral, and Shaun’s growing inclusion into their ideology and methods is tragic, regrettable, a low point in the story. In this way, this sequence is a direct parallel to the one where Shaun has a fun day out with his friends, the other skinheads (non-racist ones). There, the non-diegetic compiled score is soul, upbeat and positive, giving the montage an optimistic mood, and manipulating the audience to feel happy for Shaun. Here, the mood is made more miserable and downtrodden by the despondent piano tune, influencing the audience to feel sad for Shaun, and regretful of the current events in the film.
This scene is the disruption of the equilibrium, a clearly defined turning point in the narrative where an infectious force of hatred worms its way into an otherwise picturesque friend group.
Key Elements:
The more gritty, real use of a handheld camera is done here to give the scene, in contrast to the montages, a more brutal and dark feel. In this way, the film has all the trappings of a British social realism film, except for the use of montage and manipulation. For example, as Combo continues with his story, performing an outrageous impression of a caricature black man, the diegetic sounds lower in the sound mix and a non-diegetic compiled somber piano score rises in the sound mix, juxtaposed with Milky and Woody’s ashamed expressions and Combo’s glee in his blatantly racist impression. This is manipulative, as the film is influencing the audience to feel repulsed by Combo’s story and impression, empathising with Milky, who has been singled out and humiliated here. A true kitchen sink drama would show the scene and allow the audience to come to their own decisions on the story and Combo’s character, rather than trying to tell them how to react to it. In other words, diegetic sound is the mark of true British social realism, so This Is England goes away from true British social realism by subduing its diegetic sounds in favour of a manipulative non-diegetic compiled score.
There is deliberate focus and emphasis on Combo’s use of racial epithets to highlight his sheer hatred, his rage towards ethic minorities. It highlights the poison and vitriol of his words, and the enthusiasm of his odium.
The camera focus is tightly on Combo in this scene, the camera close to his face, and he gets the majority of the screen time during his speech. However, the film cuts away to reaction shots of other characters, like Milky, who is clearly ashamed, angry and disapproving. The use of reaction shots here shows the clear divide between the people who are rightly embarrassed by Combo’s story, like Woody, and those who find it funny, like Gadget, foreshadowing the ,after split in the group, and conveying the hidden prejudices amongst some in the group.
Meadows uses montage to compress time and convey messages in short time spans. Here, an entire day out with friends is shown in a short montage, which communicates to the audience that Shaun has found a place in this friend group, and is happy with them.
The film is almost episodic, with the periodic use of montages acting as book markers dividing different segments of the story. For example, the first montage displays Shaun bored and sending his Summer alone, and after that he first meets the skinheads. In this montage, we see what his life is like now that he has friends to spend it with, but after this montage the equilibrium is disrupted, and Combo’s infectious character is introduced. After that, a montage is used to convey his negative influences on Shaun.
Key Elements:
During these montages, the film plays out almost opposite to how Trainspotting does. It uses a gliding steady cam, with carefully composed and framed shots , the use of slow motion. Whereas Boyle uses more chaotic, playful and interesting camerawork, This Is England is mostly more gritty and real in its camerawork, aside from in the montages, where the film becomes more conventionally pretty. For example, the montage os highly edited, even to the point that its doesn’t reflect reality, e.g., we see the gang jump into a pool three times.
The non-diegetic compiled score is soul music, the music that the skinhead group is formed on. The montage also takes place against the backdrop of a deprived urban landscape with graffiti, showing the setting they live in. Clips of Shaun having fun with friends,played in slow motion to emphasise his happiness, show his acceptance into this new, surrogate family. The clips also show off the inclusive nature of the group, which contains men, women, black and white people, younger and older people. They are all bonded by their shared sense of fashion, taste in music, and eccentricity as a group. They are no the cool kids, so to speak, rather a group living on the outskirts, an edgy group. They are from a particular subculture, and they gang together. They are also given a childlike innocent by being shown jumping into puddles together, laughing giddily.
The film is prevented from being true British social realism through the manipulative editing that encourages the audience to react to the film in certain ways. For example, in this sequence, the upbeat, lively compiled music juxtaposed with the shots of Shaun and his friends having fun influences the audience to feel happy for him, which is not true to the subjective nature of kitchen sink dramas.
Meadows as a director favours the use of montage, which he uses frequently in This Is England. The film immediately begins with news reel footage from events and examples of pop culture in Britain in the 1970s, such as skinhead fashion, the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher, nationalism. This is done for the same reason that Boyle opens Train spotting with Lust For Life by Iggy Pop: to immerse the audience in the time period, conveying the attitudes and mood of the time.
For example, the non-diegetic compiled score used is soul music, the music that the skinhead gangs are formed around an appreciation for. Milky, later on in the film, refers to himself as one of the original skinheads. The juxtaposition of soul music here and news reel footage of racist skinheads at rallies conveys the infiltration of racist nationalists into the skinhead subculture.
The conflicts present at the time are conveyed through the contrast between black music and racist rallies, violence with pop culture, Thatcher with miner strikes. The film then transitions from this montage into Shaun’s bedroom, which contains a photo of his deceased, military father, and a radio playing a broadcast of people discussing Thatcher’s politics, immediately rooting Shaun in this time period, and to an extent a product of it. He is part of the films hyper real reflection if 1983 working class Britain.
The film is narratively satisfying, coming full circle by the end. Renton’s motivations were established at the start of the film, and now his change in motivations/actions has been explained,. Despite the fact that we don’t know what happens to him or the other characters next, the story has been finished, having told the story that it set out to tell.
Key Elements:
At the beginning of this sequence, the camerawork has calmed down, with a higher use of static shots, with a signifying the calm before the storm. Renton, too, seems to have lost his cool confidence, now acting more cautious than he did when he was someone with no care for the consequences of his actions. This change in behaviour and filmmaking signifies a shift in Renton’s world.
Ideology:
The narration, too, is less poetic here, more an explanation of why Renton chose to betray his friends. It is less nihilistic, more pragmatic, even confessional in tone. As his explanation has a moment to sink in, there is a call back to the poetry of the narration at the start of the film. Renton begins an almost reversed versions of that one, with the same rhythm, cadence, but a different delivery, like a mirror image of the first monologue. He now accepts and embraces ‘life’, capitalism, Thatcherism, rejecting nihilism and hedonism. In this way, the film argues that nihilism ultimately fails, leading to nothing, and mist give way to pragmatism.
The montage begins with sudden, jarring stock footage of thongs that are distinctively from London. Rapidly edited shots of pigeons, ice cream, tourists, double decked buses and famous street sign convey the new location to us, alongside the use of current dance chart music from the time, a switch from the cool retro compiled music used before. This use of shallow chart music that would have been popular at the time signals a change to a new place. Even the camerawork loses its signature playful flourishes, reverting to a more conventional style of cinematography, signifying Renton’s turn to consumerism and some level of ‘normality’ in modern life, and a turning point in the film.
Ideology:
The use of new chart music and the distinctively London things serve as the embodiment of all the things that Renton rejects in his initial ‘choose life’ monologue. The typical working-class values are embodied here in the montage of a modern, bright metropolis. It also signifies Renton starting a new chapter in his life, accepting capitalism, work as an estate agent, and a rejection of heroin, hedonism, etc.
Renton’s fast paced, energetic and almost poetic narration connects the scenes in the film, acting as a bridge to maintain a constant fast pace. His narration is accompanied by visuals, such as when Begbie finishes Renton’s sentence, speaking directly to the audience and thereby breaking the fourth wall. His narration is rhythmic, bridging the large ellipses between scenes, which are used to compress time in this opening sequence to give the audience an introduction to the lives and personalities of these characters.
Key Elements:
The film opens with an ‘in media res‘, or a cold open, immediately cutting to a low angle shot of feet running from an unseen threat, then cutting to Renton and Spud, who we do not know, running from security guards for reasons we do not know. This is done too shock the audience, throwing them into the story and the pace of the film, overwhelming them with the sudden information. The song ‘Lust for Life’ by Iggy Pop plays to the scene, lending an upbeat energetic pace to the scene, but also conveying the shared culture and tastes of the protagonists, who would have grown up listening to this type of music, as it was released in 1977.
The film is rapidly edited with unusual angles, a playful style of cinematography, such as the arching shot of Renton on the floor. Another example of the playful editing and camerawork is the action match between Renton falling on the football pitch to him falling in the drug den. It uses freeze frames and captions to introduce the ensemble cast of characters, which also breaks the fourth wall, a narratively engaging strategy. The film also uses highly exaggerated, heightened mise en scen, such as the red drug den and the green hallway outside it. The film is rooted in British social realism, but presents a grim situation in a mostly comedic, fun, even exotic way.
The film is highly expressive, conveying the lives and circumstances of the protagonists in a light, comedic, even cartoonish way. For example, the film conveys Renton’s addiction and his struggles to get off heroin through the comically jagged planks of wood that he uses to lock himself in his room. He then comedically breaks these down to escape, which is unrealistic, and so the film is not true to British social realism, but presents the grim subject matter in a lighthearted and fun way. It is storytelling through metaphor. This is most done i8n the ‘worst toilet in Scotland’ scene, where Renton literally climbs into a toilet to retrieve some suppositories. In the next scene, he is soaking wet, even though we, the audience, understand that he did not actually climb in. The toilet itself is comically and unrealistically dirty, to the point of absurdism. This is a metaphor, done to convey the filth and squalor that Renton lives through in a funny and comedic way.
Ideology:
Renton’s omniscient narration plays over the scene. In it, he sarcastically mocks the ‘choose life’ anti-drug campaign, in which he rejects stereotypical middle-class values, instead embracing hedonism, approaching life in a nihilistic way, rejecting the status quo, authority, social conventions and aspirations. He instead chooses to live a life for pleasure, claiming, “why? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?”.
His message has a strong counter-culture message to appeal to the younger audiences. Renton has an angry, defiant punk attitude, and is made likeable through his intelligence, charm, and enthusiasm. The 1970/80s cultural references are targeted at the more youthful audience, e.g., Sick Boy talking about James Bond, making pop culture references for the younger British generation watching.
These stills from the opening sequence convey the pace and disjointed scenes used to introduce us to the characters and the story.
Merab is threatening, and shows no sign of fear with a rifle aimed at her, showing that she is used to violence. Ree, also, is bloodied, aggressive and quick to anger.
The Sheriff at the end of the scene looks disgusted by the sight of the hands, whereas Ree has no visible reaction to it, having, seemingly, overcome her grief. The man is the coward here., the one displaying hysteria.
Ideology:
In summary, the film is about a woman struggling against problems forced on her by a patriarchal society, and in the end survives by her own resilience, independence, and help from a group of women. The men in the film either represent the threats she faces, such as the bale bondsman or the Sheriff, or the toor of her problems, like Thump Milton and Jessop, or are entirely useless to her, again like Milton or Jessop.
The story is not resolved through a violent climax, as it would typically be in male-dominated Hollywood. Instead, the resolution contains only female characters, and overtly avoids a showdown or a fight. Therefore, the film is atypical, following women from a woman’s POV, made by women, resolved in a rare way. This choice to go against violence is seen in Ree choosing to leave her gun behind, on trust, putting herself at risk to protect her family. In contrast, Teardrop, at the end of the sequence, implies to Ree that he is going to kill Jessop’s murderer. Due to a sense of toxic masculinity and a belief that he is bound through some sort of flawed, invisible code of loyalty or honour, he puts himself at risk not to protect the family, but to enact petty revenge, only exacerbating the cycle of violence. Ree was only ever involved in this situation out of necessity, wherea Teardrop had no actual need to take revenge. It is his choice, and he, weakly, decides to pursue violence, rather than protecting his family, like Ree did. Ree even chooses to stay home and help the kids rather than following g her dream and joining the army, sacrificing her own life for theirs.
Often in film women are objectified. Here, the opposite happens, as Jessop serves only as a corpse, an object. And in the end, a woman saves the day. Ree commits to a horrific task of removing her fathers hands, all to protect her family, despite the obvious trauma it causes her. Alongside this, in her final conversation with the Sheriff, Ree holds the leverage, not the man, as he pleads with her not to expose him as a coward. She knows this, mocking him, and leaves knowing that she has the power over the man, not the other way around, for once.
In the final scene, Ree, her mother and the daughter do the laundry, whereas the boy, Sonny, just plays idly on a nearby skateboard. The chicks that Teardop gives to the kids as a gift represent the children taking on their own parental responsibilities.
The scene is shot entirely differently to the rest of it, done in black and white and in a smaller 4 by 3 aspect ratio, with a grainy, vintage video quality that evokes the aesthetic of a documentary or home video. This creates a surrealistic, intimate feel to the scene. The scene feels real, yet surreal and metaphoric.
The camera movements in the scene are disorienting, moving randomly and shaking. A worms eye view and an arch shot around a tree trunk put us in the squirrels POV, evoking the sense of panic and rushing momentum of the scene, also helping us understand the fear that the squirrel has.
Ominous imagery like burning woods and a canted angle shot of vultures disregarding their carrion create a gloomy atmosphere and imply that danger is encroaching on Ree’s life at a rapid pace, and that she cannot do anything about it. This is also seen in the shot of the squirrel clinging onto its tree, it’s gone, protectively, played before a wide shot shows the woods burning up, conveying a sense of finality and doom.
Sound –
A loud, imposing and disorienting diegetic sound of chainsaws dominates the sound mix, putting the viewer on edge, as it does the squirrel. It evokes a feeling of impending doom, emphasises by the images of fire and the frantic squirrel, as if the animal, representing Ree, is being closed in on by threatening forces. The sound also emulates the wood cutter that Ree was using earlier in the film, a device typically used by men. Therefore, the sound of it used here can be interpreted to mean the approach of men, cutting down the woods, which here represent Ree’s home and lands.
A non diegetic composed score dominates the sound mix. It is overbearing, discordant and imposing on the audience, building tension and a sense of chaos in the scene, alongside a sense of impending doom. This sense is also created when the sound of chainsaws is louder the second time it plays. This same chainsaw sound also foreshadows Ree’s later task of sawing off her father’s dead hands. The entire scene, in fact, implies that Ree will have to make drastic decisions to save herself from a cruel, tragic fate.
Editing –
Mise-En-Scen –
Performance –
We understand the imposing sound of chainsaws to be intimidating the squirrel due to it’s frantic, panicked and darting movements. It looks around as if searching for a threat, and runs as if trying to avoid one.
Ideology:
The squirrel in the dream represents Ree, with smaller squirrels dependent on it, as it panics and tries to avoid an imposing, unstoppable approaching force that traps and encloses her, helpless. The whole scene evokes her slipping control over her circumstances as she nears losing her home.
In conclusion, this sequence presents Ree as trapped in by a cruel system and an even crueler fate that she is almost hopeless to survive, which approaches her, her home, and her family at a rapid pace.
Ree stands behind bars, which the camera looks through to show her or the men in the seats. This presents her as physically segregated from the men, who are above her, and do not notice her. This is reinforced when she walks along the walkway above the cattle cages. She is shown, in a wide shot, to be physically trapped in and removed from the men, also shown through the juxtaposition to the caged in cattle below her. However, she is shown to rebel against this entrapment, shouting and running, facing the opposite direction that the cows do. A close up of a screaming calf at the end of the scene represents Ree’s struggle, her panic and helplessness, and her slipping control over the situation.
The cattle cage environment is shown through a cold, blue and silver colours palette, and the dark area below the walkway seems large and imposing, as if it were stretching on forever. Close ups of cattle throughout the sequence build a sinister tone, and build contrast between Ree and them, both of whom are trapped, scared, out of control and relying on their fates to be decided by men above them.
Sound –
A loud, non-diegetic composed sound rises in the sound mix throughout the scene, disorienting the audience and giving the scene a dramatic tension, alongside a sinister, ominous undertone. The blaring, distorted, unintelligible voice of the auctioneer over speaker remains present in the background, evoking the sense of this being a masculine, “anti-feminist world”.
Editing –
Mise-En-Scen –
The men in this scene are all made to look like a singular mass, each one indistinguishable from the other, wearing similar clothing, typically with facial hair, white, middle aged.
Performance –
Ideology:
The auction is completely male-dominated space, where some stand physically higher than the rest of the room, and all the men sit above Ree, most not even noticing her. This makes Ree look physically smaller in this space. Close ups show that the men all look the same, an anonymous mass of masculinity. Ree is out of place here, seen in how she is below the men, behind bars, and when she walks in she does so beside a dog, who also looks out of place here.
Ree is also shown to be out ignored and separated from the men when she shouts down at Thump Milton, who physically cannot see or hear her. She does not have a voice, but she continues to shout and give chase to Milton, defiant against her segregated and enclosed space in society.
The woods stretching into the background of the shot of Ree and her siblings look monotonous, grey and dead, evoking a quiet, still, empty environment.
Ree is shown in the shot to be the one in charge, centrally framed, surrounded by her shorter siblings, with the prominent rifle aimed.
The camera focuses on the gutting of the squirrel, displaying the gruesome nature of this lesson the kids have to learn.
When Ree is cutting wood, she is shown in a wide shot, showing that she feels trapped in her environment, reflecting her struggle with poverty, surviving, and finding Jessop. This shot also allows for us to see the large mound of discarded tyres littering the foreground, further establishing the poverty of the community, alongside the large, imposing barn that Ree stands in, which is made crudely out of wooden planks. Tight over the shoulder shots during her conversation with Teardrop increases the tension and uncomfortable nature of the moment.
Sound –
The choice of only using diegetic sounds in the sequence create a sense of realism, and evoke a silent, dead atmosphere, also giving the film a more serious tone.
Editing –
Mise-En-Scen –
An example of Ree being presented in a way that denies the male gaze by being naturalistic and unappealing is through her chapped lips. Teardrop is also presented in a realistic way, presented as a man who is clearly living in depravity and addicted to a harmful drug. He looks menacing, and this is also shown through Ree’s clear discomfort around him.
Performance –
The characters act in a naturalistic way, seen in how Ree tells her brother “bless you” after he sneezes. This presents her as caring, polite and a realistic person. Her behaviours and mannerisms are naturalistic. She is also shown to be a strong, if harsh mother figure, sternly telling her brother to get used to gutting the animal. She takes on the attitude of a stern mother while doing a typically male job, acting as a parental/teacher figure. She is also clearly knowledgeable on the subject of hunting, showing her experience and her comfort ability/skill in these traditionally male roles.
When Ree receives news of Jessop’s burned car, she gives no apparent emotional reaction, presenting her as mature, composed and strong. It also shows how disconnected her father is from her family. Teardrop is patronising to Ree, calling her “little girl” and trying to intimidate her by grabbing her face after she confidently tells him that she wont sell her land. She does not seem afraid though, meeting his gaze and refusing to shy away. In this way, she is presented as being above Teardrop morally, physically healthier than him. He blinks slowly and speaks in a way that makes him sound slow or inhibited or tired. She speaks with confident clarity, while he has to rely on intimidation to sway Ree. This subtle power dynamic is also seen in how she is clearly disapproving of hid cocaine usage, which she literally turns her nose at. This shows that she recognises her responsibilities as a parent figure and role mode. She also confidently and sarcastically tells Teardrop “not so far”, when he asks if she is addicted to it herself yet. Despitre all this, Teardrops aid through money, advice on how to financially support herself, his enquiry about Ree’s mother, all suggest that he does care about her and the family’s welfare.
Ideology:
Ree is further shown to be the one with responsibility, caring for the family by hunting, a traditionally male role. However, she also cares for the children, teaching them to fend for themselves, a maternal role. This role as mother and father at once is seen in her life lesson of “never ask for what ought to be offered” to her brother, and, in contrast, her teaching them to hunt animals for food. By acting as a maternal and paternal figure, she is presented as un-gendered /in a way that is not particularly one gender or another. Rather, she is an individual, not a stereotype. In this way, the film denies the male gaze. Ree is also shown to fill masculine roles by her cutting wood with a wood splitter in the next scene.
The young girl seems to be taking most roles, as she pulls the guns trigger, and intently watches the gutting, showing her concentration and eagerness to learn. She shows no signs of disgust at the gutting, and does not shy away from the corpse. In contrast, her brother seems upset by the sight, and is clearly bored while waiting for a squirrel to appear. In this way, the female character actually takes on more responsibility than the male one. She represents the next generation of women who will take up traditionally male roles.
Ree fills all teacher/parental roles in the film, presenting her as neither feminine or masculine, but independent and strong, selfless and confident.
Bonnie & Clyde is a product of the inspiration that Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty and Dede Allen took from the French New Wave style of filmmaking. This took a causal, freelance approach to filmmaking with no strings attached by conventional means of editing, cinematography, acting, dialogue and narrative. As a result, the film is edited in a way that brings our attention to the editing, as often the film will cut to the same image further on in time, and other times characters are further on in time after a cut, delineating, to an extent, from typical continuity editing. It also takes a new approach to camera work, often using handheld cameras and shaky camera work. The actors are unconvincing, and the dialogue is often written in a way that sounds unconvincing and undramatic.
Warren Beatty, the actor of Clyde and the films producer, had a large hand in the films final product. He chose the actors, the director, oversaw the script and wheeled the film into production in the first place. He took ideas from the French New Wave, and oversaw the film to ensure that it would contain imperfections. He also wanted to play Clyde as a morally grey character who killed, robbed, and suffered from impotency, going against the typical convention of a basically flawless, handsome, dashing male movie protagonist. He and Penn wanted the film to be as realistic as possible, shooting on location and using natural lighting, such as when the cloud goes overhead on the field as Clyde chases Bonnie. They wanted the film to be un-theatrical and wished to avoid creating any beauty in the film through cinematography, romance, or any way in which the film was made.
Dede Allen, the films editor, also took inspiration from the French New Wave. Her approach to editing was to avoid conventions, instead utilising apparent and often jarring methods. One editing technique popularised by the French New Wave was hard cuts, which are used in Bonnie & Clyde. Another is non-temporal editing, as often characters will be moving on one shot but much further on in time when the next shot appears, making the moment unnatural and the movement of the actor and editing of the scene jumpy and sometimes slightly jarring, alerting the audience to the films production. As did Penn and Beatty, she aimed to avoid any sort of conformity or comfortable typicality in the film that audiences were used to from other’s, using editing techniques that had an undertone of being unfinished/unpolished.
Arthur Penn took inspiration from the unconventional, unique style of filmmaking in the French New Wave. He incorporated this into Bonnie & Clyde in the overall product of the film feeling unfinished and different, clearly made with the aim of feeling different to other, more traditional films with strict narratives and forms of editing, cinematography, etc. He did this through making sure that the script felt off with its unnatural, for a film, dialogue that emulated real, un- orchestrated dialogue, similarly to the natural lighting and camera work affected by the hilly landscape it was filmed on, such as camera inside the car shaking as Bonnie and Clyde pulling up to see Malcom at the end of the film.
Beatty (centre) had a large part in the presentation of Clyde as a flawed protagonist, but also the overall production of the film with inspiration taken from the French New Wave style of filmmaking.
After the collapse of the Hollywood studio system and cinemas became free to exhibit films of their own choice, including foreign and independent films, directors were left with more freedom to experiment and produce films as they wanted, leading to a dramatic rise in auteur productions that began largely due to the heavily innovative and radically different way that Bonnie & Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) was made. The film utilised temporal cuts that did not adhere to typical, seamless continuity editing, and presented new themes of sexuality and crime set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, blending dark comedy and brutality not sen often in film before. Arthur Penn had the freedom to take inspiration from the French New Wave due to the collapse of the Hollywood studio system and the subsequent ending of strict narrative conformity and unnoticeable editing to keep focus on the story.
Penn, Beatty and Allen all took heavy inspiration from the French New Wave, exhibited in America due to the increased freedom of cinemas to exhibit foreign films. The French New Wave was a new and innovative style of filmmaking from France that had placed emphasis on ‘outsider’ characters and how they perceived and interacted with the contemporary urban environments they lived in, often influenced by social deprivation and real social issues that existed at the time. The movement also favoured a casual, new approach to film making, with often handheld camera work, low budgets, hard cuts and non-continuity editing. They also experimented with portraying more realistic depictions of society, characters and themes that surrounded the story what had not been outwardly shown before under the Hays Code, such as violence, used in Bonnie & Clyde in a comedic setting, crime and sexuality. The film is shot on location using naturalistic lighting, politically motivated and a realistic character driven story.
Bonnie & Clyde was made in the backdrop of the 1960s, a period where typical American values were being reevaluated and the population were mor accepting of how the characters in the film were portrayed. Having morally grey characters was more likely to happen in the 1960s than the 1940s, and this also goes for the sexual imagery (included in the first shot, no less. Also e.g., when Bonnie is embarrassed by the by Clyde taking his shoe off in the street) nudity (which is involved in the first scene), violence shown in graphic detail through blood and squibs, the (almost) sex scenes, common nature of guns and robbery and kidnapping and murder in the plot, even the implication that Clyde is homosexual. It’s anti-establishment attitude( e.g Clyde shooting the bank’s sign), youthful and criminal protagonists resonated with younger audiences. An example is how Malcom punishes Moss for getting a tattoo, dismissing the protagonists. He is portrayed as a villain in the film, and is resonated with young audience members who wanted to dissent from their parents.
The brash attitudes and immoral choices of the characters were more acceptable in the 1960s, including Clyde’s arrogance and Bonnie’s smug attitude.
In this final scene, Bonnie and Clyde go shopping and enjoy a day out together before noticing a pair of cops and driving away. During said drive, they notice Malcom, C.W Moss’s dad, and stop to help him with what he claims is a flat tyre. After he leaps under his truck in fear, Bonnie and Clyde realise that this is a trap, and make for each other before being brutally shot down by a group of police with rifles hidden in the bushes beside the road. The cops investigate the two’s bodies, confirming that they are dead.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
Unlike other scenes in this film, the final sequence is mostly done via stationary camera that smoothly glide to track the characters. The scene begins with Bonnie and Clyde centre frame to bring our attention to the, and the camera smoothly crabs left to follow their journey to the car. It tilts up to show Clyde and then tilts down to track his sitting into the car. He and Bonnie and kept in frame constantly to keep our attention on them here. She is even kept in frame from over his shoulder. Reaction shorts are also used as he drops his lens. Inside the car, he and Bonnie are shown close together to signal their emotional connection. When Clyde asks about getting ice cream, he points at the parlour, which is in frame but in the background as the focus is on them. A close up is used on Bonnie’s doll as she describes it, showing us what to pay attention to. Reaction shots are also used as Moss looks out the window at the events unfolding.
The camera gets tighter between the couple as the sequence goes on, showing how close they are to one another now. It is tightest on them as they eat the pear together, showing their emotional connection through physical proximity. Shot reverse shots are used as they drive up and speak to Malcom, such as him waving and them pulling over to talk to him. Despite this, the camera shakes inside the car as they pull up, and canted angles are used due to the camera being placed on a small slope to show the car pulling up. Reaction shots are used constantly towards the end of the scene, showing Malcom’s fear of being shot, and Bonnie and Clyde’s realisation that they are about to be killed. Through the finals shot of the couple lingering on their bodies, the film forces the audience to confront the tragedy of the situation and the brutality of the scene. The camera smoothly glides over to track the movements of the people walking up to the car, keeping our attention on them, the brutal scene that they have caused, and their reactions to it.
Sound –
The lack of non-diegetic composed music in this scene, including the typical blue gras music that accompanies the car scenes in this film, created tension and builds a sense of tragedy in the tone of the film.
Editing –
There are rapid shot reverse shots towards the end of the scene, building tension and showing the realisation of the characters of what is about to happen, signalling it to the audience. This rapid use of redaction shots is unlike normal continuity editing, edited instead almost as a montage. The use of slow motion forces the audience to confront the brutality of the killings for longer. They are not shot in the face though, as the film still wants to present it’s attractive, glamorous movie stars, who are made to appear as such throughout the film.
Mise-En-Scen –
Bonnie and Clyde wear bright clothing to bring our attention to them and present them as more innocent. The pear they eat serves as sexual imagery to represent how they are closer to each other now, and more trusting of each other, also implying that Clyde has gotten over his hesitance to move forward in his relationship with Bonnie. This makes their brutal end more tragic. The blood used to show gunshots make the final scene more brutal and shocking to the audience, forcing them to confront the violence and the consequences of the character’s actions.
Performance –
Despite their previous behaviours in the film, Bonnie and Clyde here are innocent, youthful and happy, Clyde acting clumsily and Bonnie giggling and fawning over him. This makes their deaths more sympathetic and tragic, eliciting an emotional response from the audience.
Context:
Representations and Aesthetics:
Despite their criminal career, brashness, smug attitudes and aggressiveness before this scene, Bonnie and Clyde are presented as more innocent characters here. Clyde makes the jokes, and Bonnie aughts gleefully at them. The cops are presented as the villains, the lead one wearing black, their faces grim and the group of them shown shattered glass, distancing the audience from them.
Auteur:
The amount of blood in this scene, though unconvincing, is brutal for the 1960s.
Clyde catches Bonnie, who has snuck away from the gang and ran into a dying wheat field. She says to him that she wants to see her mother again, and Clyde agrees despite the risk, and in the next scene Blanche, Buck, Bonnie and Clyde enjoy a family re-union at an abandoned industrial site. There is an air of tension to the scene which culminates when Bonnie’s elderly and disapproving mother confronts Clyde and questions his plans and the safety eh van provide for Bonnie. His charm does not work on her, and she finishes by saying “You best keep running, Clyde Barrow” and leaves the couple alone by the site.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
At the beginning of this scene, the style of filmmaking swaps between conventional American commercial filmmaking and the French New Wave style which influenced Arthur Penn’s direction. The scene is filmed on long lenses in the French style, and the camera movements following Clyde and improvised, causing the movement to be rapid, sudden and disconcerting to the audience. However, as Clyde runs next to the car, the camera filming moves backwards on a rig to produce a steady image, mo vying to show Buck as Clyde leans in to talk to him. An extreme wide shot is used as the actors improvise, running across the field. As the lighting cannot be controlled, because the film was shot on location in the French style, the shadow in this wide shot is no longer there when the scene cuts to a closer shot lol Bonnie running. Even in this wide shot though, the camera cranes upwards to follow the movement of the actors up the screen, a more traditional style of Hollywood filmmaking. In the closer shot, a what leaf obstructs the foreground, a sign of shooting on location rather than on a controlled, choreographed set.
Bonnie’s mother is shown in separate shots to everyone, showing her isolation and disapproval. During this picnic scene, the camera shoots through a car windscreen to serve as a filter that makes the image more grainy and giving the scene a dream-like quality. This is also done through washed out colours and far-away telephoto lends shots used for close-ups, such as the one with Bonnie’s mother, separating her from an incoherent, blurred background and adding a strange, incomplete feel to the shot. It gives the scene an other-worldly like atmosphere, adding a surreal quality to this entire sequence and making it feel more profound. This atmosphere serves as a metaphor, as the meaning behind the character’s’ expressions and the heavenly and strange atmosphere to the scene signifies that Bonnie and Clyde will die. This confusing lens the scene is shot through also prevents the audience from seeing clearly the fact that this scene takes place in a hidden industrial wasteland. This is symbolic of the direness of the characters’ situation, showing that they have to hide to survive, and also signifies the distractions Ned happiness they get when they are seen spending time together and playing in the pit. The location is shown through an establishing wide shot at the start of the scene and one at the end of it, a more conventional American style of cinematography.
Bonnie’s mothers’ words of “You best keep running, Clyde Barrow” are made to look more prophetic by the use of a long lens which isolates her from the background and the close up isolating her from everyone else, although this final conversation is done in traditional Hollywood style through shot-reverse-shots, close ups and over-shoulder shots.
Sound –
Editing –
The dissolve cut to the picnic scene is an example of traditional American commercial cinema editing. However, the scene with the family swaps between slow and normal motion and missing frames shots disconcert the audience to create an abstract and dream-like quality in the French New Wave style. There is also a moment of discontinuity when Bonnie;s mother is looking at Clyde in one close up and then down in the next.
Mise-En-Scen –
The dying wheat field serves as a metaphor for the fact that Bonnie and Clyde are destined for death. This is also signified in the funeral-like clothing that the characters are having a family reunion.We see how Bonnie’s character has changed through her lack of bright makeup and her more serious demeanour here.
Performance –
Blanche and Buck seems to be regretful, signifying that they know that Bonnie and Clyde will die, similarly to Bonnie’s mother’s sad demeanour, as opposed to Bonnie’s unsure expression and Clyde’s (and the children’s) clear ignorance. We see that Clyde’s boyish charm does not work on her mother as it did Bonnie at the start of the film, allowing for the mother so speak some actual truth for the first time in the film. In the final shot of the scene, Bonnie and Clyde are isolated, Clyde seeming confused and Bonnie worried, oscillated in a wide shot by being kept far away from Buck and Blanche who are clearly upset, foreshadowing the clear end of Bonnie and Clyde. It also leaves the entire gang alone in frame, showing their isolation from everyone else.
Context:
Representation and Aesthetics:
Auteur:
We can see Bonnie’s clear concern at the prophetic nature of her mother’s words, whereas Clyde is clearly ignorant to the dire reality of his situation, earning the disapproval of Bonnie’s mother.
In this scene, Bonnie and Clyde pull of their first bank heist with the help of their new recruit, C.W Moss, as their getaway driver. The best goes to plan, except when they get outside they cannot find the getaway car since Moss has parked it away from the bank. Chaos ensues as the bank’s alarm goes off and the public begin to converge at the scene. Eventually the couple find the car, but Moss struggles to pull out, causing a wreck and he reverses and accelerates into two other cars. They begin driving away, but a bank worker latches onto their car in pursuit of them. Clyde responds by shooting the man in the face, causing a violent scene as the man tumbles from the side of the car to the ground and Bonnie, Clyde and Moss drive away as people chase and shoot at them and the firefighters arrive.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
An extreme long shot establishes the scene from under a roof awning. This makes the film look as if we are observing something by accident, adding a sense of realism to it. When Bonnie and Clyde enter the bank and take out their guns, Thayer are framed within a frame through a glass window to draw our attention to them.
As the car escapes, the scene mirrors the initial getaway scene, here without the jovial, jaunty music played before, taking a more serious, dramatic tone after the act of violence committed by Clyde.
Sound –
The sequence begins with a J cut from Clyde in bed transitioned by a loud car beep to establish the new location, which is also done through an extreme long shot with the crossroads outside of the bank centre frame.
Editing –
The scenes of the robbery in the bank and Moss outside are parallel edited to raise tension and signal to the audience that something bad is going to happen in a more conventional way of Hollywood filmmaking.
Mise-En-Scen –
The buildings shown look old and abandoned, showing the backdrop of the Depression and signalling that the south is in an economic decline. As the film was shot on location, the filmmakers choose to film in the Southern states to portray an area suffering the impacts of the Great Depression.
Bonnie wears a beret, a small nod to the inspiration taken by the filmmakers from the French New Wave.
Performance –
The extras in this scene were civilians asked by the filmmakers to serve as extras to add to the sense of realism and truthfulness prevalent in the French New Wave style of filmmaking.
Context:
The scene within the bank is largely improvised, striving for a realistic depiction similar to a documentary or unscripted sequence of events not played by professional actors.
Representations and Aesthetics:
When the pursuer chasing Bonnie and Clyde’s getaway vehicle is shot in the face by Clyde, we see an close up of the impact it creates. A large spray of blood against an agonised face is extremely violent and shocking for a mainstream film in the 1960s. The violence is shown centre frame and close up, even cutting back to it in an unnecessary and brutal shit reverse shot between it and the man who did the act, forcing the audience to confront it and the brutal actions of the protagonists, who we like and are attached to, but we have to face the consequences of their actions. It does not ruin them, but cements them as flawed ‘anti-hero’s’, displaying in graphic detail for the time the consequences of their actions.
Auteur:
Warren Beatty (left) had a massive hand in the films final product as its producer, portraying Clyde as an imperfect protagonist, differing from typical Hollywood strong male leads at the time. He also helped create the films shoddy but realistic dialogue, often improvised, and influenced its feel as an imperfect, casual, fun and low-budget production, heavily inspired by the French New Wave.
Bonnie Parker lies naked and clearly frustrated by her boredom at home. She sees a man outside trying to steal her mother’s car, who she confronts. She quickly falls for the man and walks into town for him, asking questions about him and where he’s from. He shocks her by revealing that he has been released from state prison for armed robbery. She provokes him to rob a store to prove that he did so, which he promptly does, forcing the couple to giddily flee the town in a stolen car together. The man reveals that his name is Clyde Barrow.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
The film intersperses the opening credits worth real photographs taken from the Great Depression era of the 1930s, grounding the film in the real life time period and economic climate it takes place in. Film camera shutter clicks are times with he cutting of photos and credits to further establish the olden time period. The names of the actors fade to a red font, foreshadowing violence. Pictures of them in character further grounding these characters as real people. A lack of non-diegetic sound here immerses the audience and gives the film a documentary film, also due to the real images shown here.
The film does not follow the conventional Classical Hollywood Style of introducing the location of the new scene is set in to the audience through an immediate establishing shot, instead opening on an extreme close up of Bonnie’s lips, immediately sexualising her. This shot is disorienting for the audience due to the lack of context to buildup to it. The camera pans to show her reflection in a mirror, done with a hand-held camera, new technology at the time that had been embraced by the French New Wave for its casual apparel and easy use. Making films for a low profit utilising a small budget with low cost equipment. The camerawork feels improvised with not pre-planning or choreography, instead filmed in the moment, similarly to the performances and dialogue. The entire sequence is shot through close-ups os Bonnie’s face, keeping the environment hidden to the audience and therefore going directly against the Classical Hollywood Style, instead concentrating on conveying her frustration and boredom over the location. This is seen in how the camera rises up to an extreme close up of her eyes looking off screen at nothing in particular. When this happens, the camera misses the focus point, and we can see it re-focus onto her face, which makes the cinematography feel improvised and causal, taking inspiration from the French New Wave style of filmmaking,
Clyde and her are shown in shot reverse shots through a netting over her bedroom window. This is not removed to improve the clarity of the shot for the audience, instead obscuring the view. This is because, in the style of the French New Wave, the filmmakers always shot on location instead of on set because it was cheaper and gave the films a sense of realism. This also results in no control over the lighting of the scene, seen in how Clyde is in shadow when peering into Bonnie’s mothers’ car. The film was shot on location in southern states since they were the poorer ones in the 1960s that had not yet fully recovered from the Great Depression, and so still looked economically damaged. Zoom lenses are used in the film to captures the action from a distance and reduce the need to stop and start the shooting constantly for new shots.
Despite the story being largely about crime, we are not shown the robbery here, as the film primarily focuses on the relationship between Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of people who rob banks. The film denies the audience the pleasure of seeing the action, which they expect to see, to instead keep their attention on the emotional connection between the two protagonists. As the two escape in a stolen car, inside the car we see a projected backdrop, but outside it the film was shot on a real location in rural Souther Texas.
Sound –
When Bonnie confront Clyde outside, the dialogue is poor quality and very hard to hear, both due to the strongly southern accents and the poor sound quality. This is because the film was short on location, and so the dialogue said while shooting is what we hear, and isn’t added or clarified/improved in post-production.
The majority of the sequence contains only diegetic sound as the films was shot on location, adding to the sense of realism and truthfulness prevalent in the film and how it is made. As the couple escape, a jaunty upbeat bluegrass banjo tune plays to give the scene an excited, jovial and care-free feeling, reinforcing the tone of the film, a love story with a backdrop of crime. It also shows how much fun the two have while/from robbing places.
Editing –
Mise-En-Scen –
Bonnie being shown behind the bars of her bed is symbolic of her feeling imprisoned in her home.
As the two walk though the street together, we see the paint on the walls peeling off, and a quiet and empty street. This shows the backdrop of poverty in the story, but what location shown is real due to the film being shot on location, typical of the French New Wave style of filmmaking.
Performance –
In her room, Bonnie’s movement are random and seemingly in-planned, adding a sense of realism and improvisation to the scene. Her accent is deeply southern instead of an artificial Mid-Atlantic accent to portray a more realistic representation of the regional accent and the characters in the film.
As Clyde walks across the road to rob the store, we see he has a prominent limp. This links to his story about him chopping of two of his own toes in prison to get off of work detail, portraying him as a mysterious and flawed character, and Warren Beatty method acted to achieve a sense of realism in the film.
Context:
F.D.R campaign posters are plastered on walls to immerse the audience in the 1930s time period, alongside the decaying town which establishes the impact of the Depression on society.
Representations and Aesthetics:
For 1967, this is a borderline offensive and at least a risky way of presenting a leading female role. It is provocative and suggestive, establishing Bonnie as a rebellious character in the 1930s and edging what can be permitted to be shown in a film by the Hayes Code. This can also be seen in how flirtatious she is with Clyde, and the phallic imagery used in the coke bottles and Clyde’s pistol, sexually suggestive imagery considered edgy in the 1960s. The film also presents Bonnie’s beauty in a naturalistic way, showing her without much intervention or artificial beauty created through the use of lighting to highlight or enhance her features.
Bonnie is a bored, uneducated waitress living in a small, quiet town. Clyde is an ex-convict bank robber. As is characteristic of the French New Wave, the film follows two real people living real lives, making the story (somewhat) more relatable for the people watching it.
Auteur:
Dede Allen allowed for the film’s sound design to be deliberately shoddy as she took much inspiration from the French New Wave style of filmmaking and editing. Robert Pentonville and David Newman made the dialogue feel real and I provided, which it largely was, to add to the sense of realism in the film. The director, Arthur Penn, and Warren Beatty, the producer, both made the film feel authentic and realistic in its style through a deliberately poor quality for a Hollywood film.
Some directors in America had been inspired but the various methods of the French New Wave, such as focus on realism, hand-held camera work and improvised dialogue. The focus on serious plots had fallen after the decline of Hollywood, and the French New Wave galvanised some young American directors to take a more causal, relaxed and fun approach to filmmaking. This inspiration also culminated in rapid shifts in the tone of the film and abrasive/rough editing.
David Newman and Robert Benton were both screenwriters who had no particular style of screenwriting, or a focus on any particular genre, tone or motif. There was no recognisable aspect of their scripts that associated the film with the screenwriters. They took inspiration from the French New Wave in their approach to fun, causal film script as with often improvised dialogue or realistic dialogue. For example, they were both inspired by the unconventional relationship between the characters Patricia and Michel in Godard’s Breathless (Godard, 1960) In fact, Bonnie’s poem in the film mirrors the exchange of letters between Jim and Catherine in Jules et Jim (Truffaut, 1962) When writing the film, French New Wave director Francois Truffaut screened the film Gun Crazy (Joseph Lewis, 1950) as he had loved it. This also led to Warner Bros. Advertising the film as a violent crime genre film and star vehicle. It was the two scriptwriters who brought Penn onto the film when Truffaut himself could not.
A director who took inspiration from the French New Wave was Arthur Penn. He was a director who made his name through Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967), and was not recognised for many other productions. He was a director-for-hire who did not have any recognisable motifs of his own, instead taking his ideas from the French New Wave style of directing, with a focus on realism and deliberately casual way of filmmaking. He favoured shooting on location with small production teams, many of his films displaying American myths/culture, Classic American genres and ‘outsider’ characters.
Dede Allen is considered an auteur Hollywood director, taking inspiration from the French New Wave and stylising jump cuts used for emotional effect, audio overlaps, placing continuity editing at a low priority and instead focusing on expressing the body-language of characters through cutting and conveying the plot in a nuanced way.
Warren Beatty, the actor who played Clyde Barrow in the film, also produced it and made up contributed attributions to the script through their improvised dialogue. He had wanted Clyde to be presented as a flawed protagonist, an anti-hero, and played the character that way. As producer, he made contributions that made the film what it was, an imperfectly produced film taking heavy inspiration from the French New Wave style of filmmaking. He hired Newman and Benton, selected most of the cast and oversaw the script’s development. His role in production reflects the rise of ‘star-auteurs’ in the 1960s, for example Jack Nicholson, who also directed and produced films.
The scene begins with a mid-shot of an airport worker, tracks his movement outside, then rests o n the car pulling up, tracks the movement of the people walking out, then pulls our further to a five shot to show the worker that Renault is speaking to. This is the perfect example of Classical Hollywood Style, preventing the need for cutting by using carefully planned actor choreography and smooth, gliding camera movements to keep the audience immersed, keeping their attention away from how the film was made and keeping it only on the story and the characters.
Instead of using shot reverse shots, a close up of Rick and Ilsa is used to prevent the need for cutting, keeping the audience immersed in the moment and emotionally invested in it, and also showing Rick and Ilsa’s emotional connection and intimacy in that moment. Very shallow focus is used here to show that nothing else matters in the moment.
A close up of Ilsa keep or focus on her emotional reaction to what Rick is saying. It does this again by pushing in on her face as her and Lazlo leave to bring our attention to her emotional state, making us understand the emotional importance of this moment in the film and making us sympathise with her. Rick is also lit more similarly to Ilsa in this scene, which shows that they have moved past their hatred for each other, and that Rick has become a better person.
Editing –
Shot reverse shots between the plane leaving and the Nazi arriving raise tension as the audience link is the two together and understand that Lazlo and Ilsa have nearly left, but now Rick is about to be arrested, as Renault has explained through exposition that he will, and Rick told him to as soon as the plane left. Faster shot reverse shots between Rick and the Nazi raise the tension between them, and an over the shoulder shot from behind the Nazi looking at Rick shows that Rick won the quickdraw. Shot reverse shots between Renault and Rick as Renault explains the death of the Nazi to his men raises tension, and shows an emotional connection between the two and a deliberate decision on Renaults part to help Rick.
Sound –
As Rick and Ilsa say their emotional goodbyes, As Time Goes By plays to add emotional subtext to the scene. The non diegetic composed score picks up to an intense and dramatic moment as we the the Nazi driving quickly to the airport. As the film ends, the composed score rises to a grand and powerful crescendo to signify the importance and victory of the moment.
Mise-En-Scen –
Performance –
Context:
Lazlo’s dialogue is patriotic, rousing and moving, a result of this film being an interventionist piece. Rick is presented as a noble American hero by offering the Nazi three chances to do as he says, and only shoots him when the Nazi also draws a gun. This is symbolic of America finally getting involved in the war after being reluctant to for so long. Renaults decision to drop his Vichy (French allied with Nazi Germany) water bottle into a bin and kick it to show his anger and him being finished with the Nazis. Ricks saying that now is a good time to start being a patriot, and Renaults agreement, are symbolic of the need for America to join the war.
Representation and Aesthetics:
Auteur:
An over the shoulder shot here shows what the protagonist is looking at.
In this sequence, Rick sits alone in his cafe at night, drinking in the dark. Sam begs him to leave, but Rick refuses to, waiting for Ilsa to return. Sam decides to stay, and upon being told to by Rick plays As Time Goes By. This evokes a flashback from Rick, which shows that he and Ilsa used to live in Paris together near the start of the war, and were deeply in love. However, as the Germans marched into Paris, they fled, which plans to leave together. However, Rick is abandoned at the train station, receiving a note from Sam written by Ilsa apologising, saying that she cannot leave with him. We cut back to the present, in the cafe, and see how grief stricken Rick is over the loss. Ilsa then enters and pleads Rick for help, but is met with butter indifference from him.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
The sequence begins with a mid shot of Rick, him pouring a drink to immediately establish that he is drunk. This mid shot shows that he is the centre of this scene, and dolly’s out to reveal Sam walking through to discover Rick. Rick is shown in dim light, his face only shown by a dim key light. This reflects his dark and depressed mood, and shrouds his character in mystery as-well as making him appear more rugged and weathered to us. Later on, we see the extreme contrast between him and Ilsa, whop wears bright clothes, has smooth, light skin, and is shipowners in deep focus with much light shining on her. When Sam and Rick talk to each other, both are shown in a two shot. When Rick ins monopolising to himself, it is through a close up to signify his emotions and bring the audience physically, and therefore emotionally closer to him.
In the Paris flashback, a projection is used behind the actors as the film was actually shot on location. During this flashback, there are many more close ups of Ilsa than there are of Rick. This brings our attention to her, putting us in Rick’s position of looking back on the past, thinking of her, and brings our attention to her glamorous presentation as-well. The lighting on her is done to make her seem much more elegant and beautiful, delicate and fragile than Rick. When she is distraught at having to leave Paris, we see a close up of her, not Rick, to keep our focus on her emotions, her presentation, and the meaning of her words and her eyes, made eye-catching by the catchlights in them, establishing an emotional connection withy the audience.
During this sequence, certain things that were mentioned already in the film have significance, such as As Time Goes by, the Labelle Aurore cafe, and “Here’s looking at you, kid”.
When Ilsa enters the cafe, a literal blast of light comes in with her two instantly bring our attention to her, show her innocence compared to Rick, and make her appear more angel-like. She is also centre-frame, making her entrance even more dramatic. As she speaks to Rick, she is shown in light, symbolising her purity and his lack of it.
Editing –
We cut to a close up of Rick as Sam stars playing, because the film wants to focus our attention in on whoever is speaking or most important in a moment, which here is Rick. This highlights his significance to the story, and shows us his facial expressions to make his emotions clearer and thereby establish an emotional connection with the audience.
In a moment that deviates from the Classical Hollywood Style, the scene fades to reveal a flashback to Paris, breaking the linear narrative for a scene. We dolly closer to Rick here to show that he is thinking of it, looking back on the past. Throughout the happy moments of this flashback sequence, the camera cross-fades between shots to evolve the feeling of happiness, and show how much Ilsa and Rick enjoyed their time together. Real war footage is used in this flashback to immerse us in the war and set the film, in a real setting and time, and making the events shown contemporary. An actual sign is used to show that they are entering Paris, allowing the audience to make the connection between the German’s entering and Rick and Ilsa being there.
Sound –
The music soars into a crescendo as the flashback stars, paying the French National Anthem to evoke themes/feelings of patriotism and establish the new setting of the story for the audience. The music reflects how the film wants the audience to feel, so when Rick and Ilsa are happy together the music is upbeat and lively. When Rick sees the note left by Ilsa, the music soars up into a dramatic and sad crescendo. As he leaves the station with Sam, it drops to a horn-based, angry and tragic moment. This is finally done as Ilsa leaves Rick’s cafe in tears and Rick drives through himself, and a more tragic and pessimistic As Time Goes By plays.
Mise-En-Scen –
Sam wears much darker clothes compared to Rick, to show that Rick is a more important character here. In the Paris flashback, the film shows us that the characters are in Paris through the music, set design, and the stereotypical French items in frame, such as berets, striped shirts and strings of garlic.
As Rick stands at the train station, he is presented in a trance coat and hat, a classic film-noir outfits used as a reference to his other film noir roles and to make him seem more masculine. In contrast, Ilsa’s outfit as she speaks to Rick in his cafe, in the present, is carefully done and made to make her look delicate and beautiful.
Performance –
Context:
Ricks ability to unrealistically tell how far away the approaching tanks are sacrificed realism for the provision of context to the audience. This is also seen in how exposition heavy the script is to reveal important contextual information to the audience.
Representations and Aesthetics:
Auteur:
Rick is shown in darkness with the bottle clearly visible next to him, showing us his coping mechanism, and his emotional state through the lighting. The mid-shot brings our attention to his defeated and agonised expression.
In this scene, we see that Ilsa and Sam have a past, and are connected through the song As Time Goes By, and Sam, for some reason, wishes for Ilsa to avoid Rick. Rick and Ilsa are reunited, although in the film this is the first time that we see them together. Rick is also introduced to Lazlo in the process. He and Ilsa reminisce over memories we, the audience, do not yet know of in full detail, making their history mysterious and intriguing the audience. Lazlo and Ilsa leave as there is a curfew in Casablanca.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
Ingrid Bergman believed that one side of her face looked better than the other, and this affects how she is presented in the film, mostly from one side of her face more than the other, to maintain her presentation of an elegant, glamorous film star. This is also seen in how she is often presented in mid shots or close ups. In these, unlike closeups of Rick and male characters in the film, she is in focus whereas the background of the shot isn’t, bringing the audiences focus in on her.
To bring her reaction to our attention, a drawn out close up of Ilsa is used to show her emotional reaction to the song, As Time Goes By. This makes us connect and sympathise with her, manipulating them to evoke an emotional reaction to the film, and it keeps our attention on her presentation.
When Rick enters the scene, he is framed within a frame by an arch overhead through a low-angle shot as he walks into the light, making a dramatic entrance to signify his importance and status as a large star in the Warner Bros. Stable of actors.
As Renault and Lazlo enter the shot of Rick and Ilsa looking at each other, the camera pans to track their movements and set up a four shot, keeping them all in frame. It shot reverse shots between close ups of Rick and Lazlo to signify the importance of their small interaction, showing that both men have reputations that precede them. The actors are choreographed so that everything in frame that matters is visible to the audience, such as when Renault look back to call a waiter, and Lazlo has moved out of the way for us to see who Renault is speaking to much farther back in frame. The camera slowly and smoothly pedestals down as the actors sit, bringing us into their conversation. Then it cuts to a 3 shot of Ilsa, Renault and Lazlo to sin gift what Renault is saying to Ilsa. An over the shoulder shot from behind Ilsa looking at Rick brings our attention to their interaction and signifies its importance, and Ilsa is when in a close up to show her glamour and beauty, shown from the side with an above key and fill light illuminating her soft face and makeup. The key light on Rick is dimmer, so that more of the left side of his face is in shadow, presenting him as more mysterious, masculine, weathered and experienced. To prevent cutting between the 3, Ilsa, Renault and Lazlo are shown together in a 3 shot to allow us to look at whoever is speaking in a single moment, and who to. The camera rises again as they do, and the waiter is shown just between Renault and Lazlo. It finally drops again as Rick sits after the others have left and dolly’s into a mid shot of him, bringing our attention to his expression and again signifying the importance of his mysterious past relationship with Ilsa. He all but looks at the camera to display his emotions to the audience.
Editing –
The conversations in this sequence are done in Classical Hollywood style, shot reverse shots done to show who is important in a certain moment, such as Sam when he pleads Ilsa to leave Rick alone. For most of this conversation, the camera faces Ilsa through an over the shoulder shot from behind Sam, to bring our attention to her glamorous presentation.
Sound –
When Rick notices Ilsa, a sudden and deep note in the non-diegetic composed score signifies her importance/connection to him, catching the audiences attention and intriguing them in the history of the characters.
Mise-En-Scen –
Alongside her bright costume and pristine makeup, Ilsa is decorated by elaborate jewellery, one on her outfit and her earrings too. These reflect light in small, dazzling items of the frame, catching Ilsa in the audiences eyes more and complementing the catch lights illuminating her eyes.
While Rick has a classy and pristine suit, his skin is more wrinkly and rugged than Ilsa’s, and he is typically shown is less light and in deep focus close ups to make him stand out less than her.
Performance –
Humphrey Bogart almost always plays the same person, himself, making him more solidified and recognisable, even iconic as a star in the studio stystem, which Warner Bros. Wished to coast in this film through his dialogue, presentation and actions.
Context:
The studio makes efforts to utilise the set of Rick’s cafe to its fullest. It is an expansive and highly designed and detailed set, so about two thirds of the film take place in it. Camera movements and actor choreography are carefully done to make the set clear and immersive for the audience.
The film is a romance film as well as an interventionist piece. Therefore, it tries to affect the audience to evoke emotions and pull on the heartstrings. At its centre, it is melodramatic, and the script and production are done to manipulate the audience and make them feel certain things. This can be seen in this sequence through the dialogue, which is romantic, poetic and melodramatic as Rick and Ilsa look back on their past, and through the non-diegetic composed score, which has a somber, dramatic tone that is meant to evoke sadness in the audience to make them connect and sympathise with the protagonists of the film.
Representations and Aesthetics:
Auteur:
The camera has tracked the actor movement by panning right with the, and where Lazlo is stood now he will move to reveal a waiter behind him, who Renault calls over. The actor choreography and camera movement combine to reveal everything that is important to the story and audience to see in a frame.
This scene introduces Victor Lazlo and Ilsa to the film, who enter Rick’s cafe to meet with an ally of Lazlo’s cause. While there, they meet with but are bothered by Captain Renault and the German Major, who interrogates Lazlo and arranges a meeting for the next day. Lazlo stands his ground, but Ilsa is clearly worried for his safety.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
As Lazlo and Ilsa enter the cafe, the camera tracks their movement, crabbing to the left to keep our focus on them. It does this as hey move through the cafe, coming to rest on Sam to show his concerned reaction to seeing Ilsa, signalling to the audience that there is a connection there. It does this also by showing a closer shot of Ilsa, focusing our attention on her concerned reaction. In close ups of Ilsa, she is in focus whereas the background is only in soft focus, unlike with the other characters, to keep our focus on her and present her as more beautiful.
As with the other sequences, in Classical Hollywood style, the carefully planned camera movements bring the expansive and detailed created set to our attention, immersing us in the environment. It also prevents the need for extensive cutting and distracting the audience from the story and dialogue. The choreography of the actors goes along with the camera movements, keeping everything essential in frame, and moving between different types of shots without much cutting. We see this with how the camera moves up and down as Lazlo is spoken down to by the German Major, and the camera tilts up slightly to keep our focus on Lazlo as he stands up to the oppressive forces against him. When Ilsa and Renault are talking, the scene shot-reverse-shots between them, and when four people are talking in one shot, the face of the person who isn’t, Ilsa, is not shown.
Editing –
Sound –
Editing is kept to a minimum and is all in service of the story in Classical Hollywood Style, but follows typical shot-reverse-shot fashion to show dialogue in a way that makes it digestible, not distracting the audience but directing their attention to what is important in a conversation at a certain moment, such as when Lazlo speaks to the secret resistance member, and it cuts between them to show whoever is talking in the moment.
The diegetic sound of Sam’s piano playing rises in the mix as Lazlo and Ilsa near him, immersing the audience in their position and the environment of Rick’s cafe. When it is more faint in the background, it melts into the rest of the sound mix, keeping the dialogue audible but preventing the scene from becoming silent, keeping the audience immersed in the cafe.
Mise-En-Scen –
Immediately the contrast between Lazlo and Ilsa is set, as Lazlo wears a white suit, but Ilsa wears a white dress which is much lighter and more eye-catching, brining our attention to her. This presents her as elegant, beautiful but more fragile than Lazlo.
Performance –
Lazlo is stoic and almost emotionless compared to Ilsa, who we see tearing up often, with clearly concerned or upset expressions. This presents her as more fragile and innocent than Lazlo, but also intrigues the audience as to her past relationship with Sam and Rick, which she makes clear when she sees them, hears or asks about them. Her accent is also Mid-Atlantic, a fictional accent that was popular in Hollywood at the time to act as a universal accent between American and British.
Context:
Warner Bros. Had a stable of actors which they wanted to exhibit to the audience to make most use of, similarly to the sets they use in this film. In this, the audiences attention is brought to Ilsa by her light dress, attractive presentation and the focus of each close up being on her. She is presented as the famous, glamorous film star that she was in real life.
Representations and Aesthetics:
Ilsa is presented as elegant and graceful, with flattering make up, catchlights to make her eyes more captivating and bring our attention to them, establishing an emotional connection with the audience, a captivating outfit and lighting that brings our attention to her. It makes her seem beautiful, but also more fragile and delicate than the males in the film, who are presented are more gruff and less soft. This also symbolises Ilsa’s innocence in contrast with characters like Lazlo and Rick. It also plays into Warner’s intent to create an interventionist film, portraying Ilsa, symbolically, as the weak, vulnerable and delicate European countries at risk of more aggressive, stronger powers. She is also presented like this to make her look glamorous and beautiful for the cameras, attracting audiences to see the film and boasting Warner Bros.’ Stable of actors.
The Nazi officer is portrayed as self-important, smug, proud, formal and entitled, whereas the French Chief of Police, Renault, is more polite, gracious and informal.
Auteur:
Despite her not being centre frame here, our attention is on Ilsa, due to her light dress and carefully done and elegant make up.
This scene takes place 6 minutes into the film, and introduces us to the protagonists place of business. It establishes the seedy and lawless nature of the cafe, immersing the audience in the world the protagonist rules over, showing multiple different illegal activities and exchanges that set an image of what life is like for many in Casablanca. At the end of the sequence, we are introduced to the protagonist, Rick, although he says nothing, and his actions and appearance are the only indicators of his character here.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
This sequence is a perfect example of the subtlety of the classical Hollywood style, beginning with a long shot establishing the location, then cutting to a close up of the sign to direct the audiences attention and contextualise the scene. The camera then tilts down and follows a group of customers into the cafe, where the doorman holds the floor open for the camera and a waiter greets us, immediately immersing the audience in the environment. The camera glides smoothly around the set in a rare method for filmmaking in this time period. It is possible here because the set has been built and the actors have been blocked precisely to allow for the film to be made and for the location to be seen perfectly by the audience.
A wide shot displays the vast and complicated location crabs along the room, tracking the movements of a distant waiter, bringing us deeper into this location, where eventually the waiter leaves the frame and the camera smoothly glides down into a close up of Sam. We then cut to a new location, and the camera, again, carbs to the left and pedestals down to bring our attention to a pair of men, keeping the editing to a minimum and keeping our focus on the story, every small scenario here used to establish what life is like for those trying to escape Casablanca. Hopelessness, desperateness, and turning to illegal activity. They also establish the environment of Rick’s cafe, and what sort of people it attracts. This can be seen again where it pans from one small chipper of conversation between a pair of men doing something illegal to a man being served at the bar. This efficiency of storytelling all serves to contextualise Rick’s life.
Once again, a long shot of the waiter opening the door cuts to a wide shot that tracks his movement through a new location, to a close up of some new characters which dolly’s back to an over the shoulder shot 4 to shoot the dialogue. Everyone in all parts of the frame are kept in focus for us to see who is talking, and the camera smoothly follows the waiter so that we can follow the whole conversation. The scene is all one shbut is reframed seamlessly by the gliding camera movement.
We are introduced to Rick’s character before we even see him. The close up of his lazy signature on a document signifies his importance, and his silence signals that he is a stoic man of few words. A carefully framed close up reveals all in one frame his tendency to drink and smoke, and his strategic thinking through the chess board, which he plays the black pieces on, signifying his tendency to fight as the “underdog”. When he is revealed, no one else is in frame to keep our attention on only him, his face is in shadow and him being in a dark, lonely corner of the bustling cafe, making him appear gruff and mysterious, a large part of his character being revealed before he even speaks. This is also shown in how people look to him for approval to enter, and he only casually nods to say give permission.
Editing –
There are as few cuts as possible as we enter the cafe, immersing the audience due to keeping all focus away from the filmmaking and on the story and location/set design.
Sound –
As the camera nears Sam, the diegetic sound of his singing and the music he is playing rises to become the dominant sound in the sound mix, keeping our attention on him and further immersing us in the audience. This is also true when it L-cuts to a further location and the sound of his singing drops in the mix, but only enough so that we can infer we are still near him, or at least in the same area.
Mise-En-Scen –
The mixed costume design, from Western tuxedos to fez hats, shows how multicultural the location is, further contextualising the story.
Ricks suit is pristine and white, bringing our attention to him. It shows that he has class and style, and also shows his authority and importance over the black costumes that most of the cafe employees wear.
Performance –
The large mix of accents perpetuates the situation that Casablanca is in, fillies with immigrants trying to get out but failing.
Context:
As much of a films success at the time was dependant on the size of its cast, much buildup is made to emphasise Rick’s reveal, which in itself is a somewhat dramatic moment because of the way he is kept off frame at first before being revealed in a shot all by himself, the lighting illuminating his face and him immediately displaying his authority as owner of the cafe.
Representations and Aesthetics:
The lighting on the women in the film is much softer and smoother than that on the man, which is harder and outs them in shadow, gibing them more gruff or weathered faces. The women, by contrast, are presented as much smoother and fairer, making them appear fragile and elegant, whereas the men seem tough and masculine.
Auteur:
Ricks face is lit to bring our attention to him, as well as the dark contrast between his bright, pristine suit and the dark, empty corner of the cafe he sits in. The darkness of the shot also presents him as gruff, secretive and reclusive, even mysterious. This contrast how the women are presented in the film, as beautiful, elegant and delicate.
This scene begins with a restaurant goer being pickpocketed by an unassuming foreigner, who ironically warns him of there being “vultures everywhere” in Casablanca, further showing the lawlessness of the location. The scene then introduces us to the main antagonist, a Nazi officer, who arrives via plane in Casablanca. He is greeted by the French Chief of Police, who informs him, and the audience, through exposition, that the murderer of the two German Couriers with important exit documents will be arrested at Rick’s cafe later that evening.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
The opening shot of this sequence is a wide shot in deep focus to make the background, and the lavish, expansive set, more visible to the audience, further boasting and utilising the Warner Bros. Set design and immersing the audience in the environment. The actors are blocked perfectly to be in frame, no one in the way of the camera view of another, so that all of them can be seen talking, but also so that the events they are reacting to in the background contextualise their dialogue and can be witnessed by the audience as they hear the dialogue. We cut to more shots of the usual suspects being herded into the police station to further contextualise their conversation. We then cut back to a two shot of the pickpocket explaining the nature of Casablanca to the unsuspecting victim. As the pickpocket stand up to speak to the lady, the camera pedestals up and dolly’s back to become a three shot, once again making everyone in the conversation visible to the audience without making unnecessary or distracting cuts. This is also true when the victim stands, so that he is still in frame, and the waiter that walks on screen is stood in the exact spot where he is visible stood between the man and the woman.
The shot of the plane landing is framed by an archway, Warner Bros. Still making the most of their set as this exotic arch farmers a plane landing and an imposing, foreign lighthouse in the background, focusing our attention, alongside the precise blocking of the guards to bring our eyes to the landing plane and the lighthouse beyond it. As is typical of classical Hollywood style, this long shot cuts to a wide shot of the plane to make the change in location more seamless. This frame is also composed by the blocking of the extras to bring our attention to the planes door, where the villain is exiting, as the extras are lined up and facing said door. This then cuts to a close up of the main Nazi officer approaching a lesser officer, and then an over the shoulder shot reveals the official much closer to the camera to signify his importance, as-well as his height over the other officers. The exact same thing happens to show the French Chief of Police’s importance, an over the shoulder shot showing his importance to the plot, but he is much shorter than the Nazi officer, showing a power dynamic. We then cut to a wide shot that tracks the movement of the characters, crabbing, to avoid making cuts. A close up two shot shows the two men talking, then a cut to a three shot shows the third officers input, stating there until the end of the sequence.
Editing –
Regular shot reverse shots between the crowds of people looking hopefully up and the plane coming in to land show their desire to escape Casablanca, and the rarity of a plane in the air in the city. Fade cuts make the editing more seamless as fast the scene feel like one larger take, as seen when the plane lands and the transition follows its movement to cut to the framed shot of the airfield.
Sound –
The diegetic sound of the plane landing rises in the sound mix when the camera is nearer to it, immersing the audience, and lowers so that we can hear the peoples dialogue.
Mise-En-Scen –
The architecture is exotic and Eastern, immersing the audience in this new and foreign, interesting environment and further contextualising the story in every new shot, another example of efficiency of storytelling.
Performance –
The actors all play stereotypical caricatures of their characters ethnicity. The English man is pompous and patronising, the French man fats speaking and amusing, the German upright and smug, the Italian rapidly moving and speaking with exaggerated hand gestures.
Context:
The film makes deliberate efforts to expose its large and impressive sets, with exotic architecture, large amounts of extras, deep focus, long shots and precise actor blocking to draw the audiences attention to the most impressive, life-like parts of the environment, immersing and impressing them, making most value out of these large and expensive sets.
Jack Warner wanted this film to be a pro-interventionist piece of media, so likely made sure that the Nazis were presented as emotionless, greedy and bland villains. The director, Michael Curtiz, also likely affected their presentation, as he was Hungarian himself and usually presented beaten down characters against larger, more imposing powers, here, Nazi Germany.
Representation and Aesthetics:
The men at the restaurant are stereotypes of their nationalist it’s, the Englishman being a gullible, naive and unassuming victim, the French man being a sly, nimble and smart trickster.
The Nazi officers in this scene are caricatures of the typical American perception of them at the time. Their uniforms are neat and straight, and they move stiffly, almost robotically, displaying an obsession with efficiency and authority. On the other hand, the French Chief of Police seems overly optimistic and care free. A comedic moment is also made out of the stereotypically needy Italian officer desperately trying to gain the attention of the Nazi officer, who almost completely ignores him, causing the Italian man to become confrontational with other officers, speaking fast and making exaggerated hand gestures.
Auteur:
The city in the background of this shot is actually a matte painting, as the film was shot in a Hollywood studio with recreated sets. This long shot was done to further immerse the audience in the exotic location and contextualise the story and the scene this moment in taking place in.
Tarantino utilises dialogue to a high extent in his films, and it is considered a staple aspect of his films. He makes the dialogue enjoyable and engaging for the audience through reference to pop culture, and long conversations often revolve entirely around trivial or non-important topics, which makes it relatable and enjoyable for the audience to listen to. Ordinary conversations between friends are easy and entertaining to pay attention to, especially when between characters such as Jewels and Vincent, hit et that you wouldn’t usually expect to be talking do jovially about a “royale with cheese”.The dialogue provides a flowing pace to the film, as seen in how the drive leading up to the murder in the apartment is as long as the scene in the apartment, but the audience does not realise this while watching either scene since the dialogue in the car flows so easily. It also makes the character archetypes interesting, fleshing out blatantly cliche characters through relatable and unique dialogue over mundane focal points (such as the French equivalent of American fast food names) that is characteristic of Tarantino.
Narrative Viewpoint:
“The character with whom the audience is manipulated to emphasise or sympathise at any oven point in the film.” Tarantino also utilises this in an interesting and nuanced way, as he shifts the perspective between characters every new chapter. At first we are interested in the diner robber’s story, then we empathise with Vincent due to his precarious situation, then we are enthralled by Butch’s risky quest for the gold watch (in which Vincent and Wallace become the antagonists) then we understand Jewel’s sudden moral awakening, and from that perspective Vincent seems like a vain idiot to us and the diner robbers are the antagonists of the scene. This prevents the audience from becoming too attached with any one character, but simultaneously keeps us engaged and attached to all of them.
Character Motivations:
This is the driving force behind the character’s choices and actions. Motivations are fundamental to the audiences understanding of and engagement with the meaning of films. Tarantino’s character motivations are facilitated through his dialogue and so is the films narrative drive. This can be seen in how Vincent’s seemingly pointless defensiveness about the inappropriateness of foot massages eludes to his later apprehensiveness of taking Mia out and sets up his personality, therefore why he reacts to her overdose in the way that he does. It is also done, more explicitly, in Christopher Walken’s explanation of the origins of Butch’s fathers’ gold watch, which sets up why he would later go to such great lengths to retrieve it.
Cause and Effect:
The cause is an event or action and its consequences , which is the effect. All films are constructed around this simple concept, and in Pulp Fiction this can be seen in Vincent’s desperateness to save her with Mia due to the story of the man killed by her husband because he gave her a foot massage. Vividly created characters make cause and effect more esoteric, and creates character nuance and depth.
Chronological Flow:
“The arrangement of things following one after another in time.” Pulp Fiction only flows chronologically in throughout the individual sequences in the film, which contrasts how the film as a whole is not arranged in chronological sequence.
Pacing:
“The rhythm at which the plot unfolds.” Tarantino deliberately paces his films in a nuanced way that goes against film tradition, subverting audience expectations and engaging them through that subversion. Seemingly insignificant scenes take up a lot of time, whereas scenes crucial to the story can start and end very quickly, as seen in the drive to the from the apartment where Martin is shot by Vincent very suddenly and offscreen, after which the scene ends abruptly, just after we see a long, drawn out conversation between Vincent and Jewels about divine intervention. It is also evident in the diner robbers’ long conversation about robbing coffee shops opposed to gas stations right before a sudden start and cut away from the actual robbery in the diner itself, which we only again return to at the end of the film.
La Ricotta (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1962) follows an actor who is taking part in an adaptation of the deaths of Christ who finds himself starving to death mid-shoot.
The film swaps between focusing on the director of the movie, the actor, and the crew. It does this to put on display ones suffering juxtaposed to the other’s ignorance and arrogance, and therefore signifying to the audience the reality of this situation. It also switches from a serious, symbolic drama to a slapstick comedy, as one minute a man is dying from starvation due to the rest of the cast’s ignorance to his existence, and the next he will be ruining across a field in sped up footage to make his movements more comedic.
The themes of ignorance and class divide between working and upper is outlined through actions, as the conversation between the director and a journalist reveals his eccentricity and obsession with his own work. The film then cuts to the protagonist being forced to hoard food in a cave. The same thing happens at then end, where wealth visitors come to see the production of the film, but only find the protagonist dead on a cross. The film also uses symbolism, such as when the actresses dog eats the protagonists lunch, thus causing him to starve further. Another example is when the protagonist being put onto the cross is teased by the people attaching him to it with food and drink, emulating the actual crucifixion of Christ.
One moment that I remember is when the actors are pretending to be figures from famous religious paintings, staying completely still and in careful, planned positions and poses. The wide shot used here and the use of colour brings our attention to what the director is trying to emulate, and when it cuts back to the film crew, the film is in black and white and imperfectly framed shots. The use of the wide shot here to bring the audiences attention to everything in frame, and the potential symmetry and framing of the shot.
Night Fishing (Park Chan-wook, 2011) is a 33 minute short film that follows a man on a fishing trip who catches more than he bargained for after dragging the corpse of a woman out of a lake.
The film is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the entire film was shot on iPhone. Despite this, the film only uses a unique movement once, towards the beginning where a crane shot pans right as the camera moves over the ground. Throughout the rest of the film, usual camera movements and shots are used. However, the camera is remains still and steady, and after some time I forgot that the film was shot on a phone.
The other interesting thing about the film is the fact that it begins as a music video, with a band performing a song. The film remains on them for almost 3 minutes, before eventually swapping focus to the protagonist The lyrics of the song add meaning to the film, but this music video format is a sharp contrast to the supernatural thriller/horror that follows.
Finally, the film includes a twist around 18 minutes in, the reveal being that the protagonist is actually dead, and currently transitioning to the afterlife. The woman they meet is the spiritual medium in real life who he uses to communicate with his family for the final time. This twist is very sudden, but takes a few moments to be explained to the audience, as we cut to a completely new location where the previously dead woman is now alive and screaming in front of a group of people in what seems to be some sort of ritual practice. It is then shown to us, not through dialogue but through mise-en-scene and performances, that the fisherman passed away while on a fishing trip. We see this from an image of him decorated with candles, which reflects people mourning over him, and his family being clearly distraught as they talk to him through the medium. The twist is well done, but very jarring as the camera suddenly cuts from still close ups to a handheld wide shot, and the transition takes a minute as the woman is submerged and hallucinates the lake that she was in previously. It also completely removes a character, and changes the course of the story for the final 15 minutes, which are much more emotional than the previous scenes, which were suspenseful and even disturbing at points.
Some shots that I remember in particular and may choose to include in my final film is the handheld tracking crab shot of the woman after climbing out of the bath, the close low angle shot of the woman’s face, or the arch shot that circles around the fisherman as he sits patiently by the lake with his fishing rods set up in front of him. These are all shots that I may use in my own film, although the idea of using a twist would completely alter my idea and the execution of it, as-well as a musical performance to set up the film, so I will not use them in my film.
Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay, 2012) is a 16 minute short film that follows a man who swims through rivers and lakes, listening to people along his way and finally trying to reconnect with society towards the end of the film.
The film is shot in black and white, which makes the bodies of water water look much deeper and wider, therefore more intimidating to the audience. It shows how the man, the swimmer, feels much more free in these places, as all of this space belongs to him. This is also communicated through close-ups that show how skilled he is at making his way through the water, and long shots that emphasise how deep the water is and how fearless they are of it. The film also inconsistently swaps perspective between him and people on land, which shows how others see him, and therefore how strange this scenario is to the audience, but also by swapping back to the swimmers perspective we can see more sense in his actions, as we see the skill with which he travels, and the stunning beauty of the water.
The film also relies heavily on the non-diegetic composed score, as there is little to no dialogue in it. The music is nationalistic, which doesn’t seem to be for patriotic or propagandistic reasons, but to add a powerful and grand quality to these scenes of a man swimming. They make this strange and bizarre situation more beautiful, as the musics power and grandiose adds a moving atmosphere to these scenes, accompanying the shots of rural scenery and the man swimming through it. It is very intense, and at the beginning adds a peaceful quality to the scene, making it feel more surreal and calming. Here it accompanies wide shots of the countryside to emphasise the beauty of what the man is doing. In the middle of the film, it is used to create more intense and distressing scenes for when the man is attacked by children or tries to walk on land. This accompanies extreme closeups of the man and the carnival rides, making the environment feel much more hostile and intimidating. At the end of the film, wide shots are accompanied by powerful and moving music, which makes the final scene feel more powerful and moving even if what is happening is not entirely clear. A monologue about a runner’s life being lonely is played over here to add more profound meaning to this artistic and visually stunning moment, and partially explains why the swimmer sinks below the surface at the end.
The film uses many close ups of the man swimming, and as the picture is very high quality, this brings to our attention the beauty of the environment and the man swimming in it. The film also uses some interesting techniques, such as reverse slow motion footage, first person perspectives that rise in and out of water, and extreme close of wide shots. These techniques lead to the film having a very dream-like and ethereal feel, as intensity rises suddenly in the middle before falling again in the last few minutes.
Some techniques that stick with me are the use of slow motion, sharp contrast between black and white, reliance on the non-diegetic composed score and use of close ups to impact the audience. These create a powerful, moving and visually striking short film that conveys meaning through music and actions, rather than dialogue or character. A good example of this is when the man leaves the water to see a carnival. Here extreme close ups of the rides accompanied with intense and industrial sounding music makes the audience uncomfortable in this hostile and uncalled environment, and the choice to not show any rides fully in frame makes them seem larger, more intimidating, like uncaring, industrial machines. The lack of colour also helps here, as in the water it creates a beautiful, calm and serene environment, but here illuminates the mist and bright lights, making this carnival seem like hell on Earth. This helps the audience understand the swimmers fear of this place, and therefore why he returns to the water. I may use black and white for sequences that take place in different time periods in my film, or the use of slow motion in shots where the main character is in deep thought. More likely though, the use of extreme close ups to show emotions of the characters or wide shots to bring the audiences attention to the environment. The use of powerful music to convey meaning where there is no dialogue is also an idea I will use.
Pitch Black Heist (John Maclean, 2012) is a 13 minute short film that follows a pair of thieves preparing to rob a safe hidden inside a completely dark safe room.
The film is shot in black and white, which reflects the themes of light and darkness. The characters wear all black, reflecting their professions and personalities, as both are pessimistic or reclusive. It also creates a more dark and gloomy atmosphere for the film, as the characters and environments are devoid of any colour. The noir format makes the film feel more slick and serious, as the environment is kept empty of anyone other than the protagonists who stand out clearly with their clothes that don’t match the background palette, keeping the audiences focus on them. It focuses on the relationships between the protagonists, which is developed not through dialogue, as one is vey reclusive and silent, while on is outgoing and extroverted. What small snippets of dialogue there is very carefully reveals important information about the characters. For example, the older, more sociable man talks about, earlier in the film, how he is not used to more modern robberies of things like hardware and technology, implying his age and time in this line of work. Later on, the more quiet man quickly mentions how he resents his father for leaving when he was a child, and then a few minutes later that his dad was also a vault thief, and he has followed his footsteps, in a sense. This careful choice of what to reveal and what to hide explains the sudden betrayal at the end of the film for those who paid attention earlier in the film. The actions and expressions of the characters in the pub sequence are the main way that the director signals a growing bond between them both.
One moment that I remember is when the two characters are arm wrestling in front of a white background, which illuminates them. They are often wearing dark clothes against a dark background, so when they are in a lighter environment they are easier to see. I also remember the almost 2 minute long scene that takes place in the pitch black room. This reliance on audio places us in the position of the protagonists, and as there has been lots of buildup throughout the rest of the film, this moment is made even more suspenseful by the complete lack of music in the entire film other than the ambient, diegetic music played in the pub so signify the characters’ drunkenness. The deliberate use of silence to build suspense, the careful choice of dialogue to build character and buildup to the sudden ending, the tense silence between characters and use of black and white with contrasting uniforms against backdrops all stick with me, and I may even use on or two in my own film.
La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962) is an experimental 28 minute short film that takes place in a dystopian future that exists after the nuclear World War 3, where a man is experimented on to see if he can travel through time and find the saviour of what remains of mankind.
The film is very interestingly shot, as every shot is a still image, and the editing between them is not rapid enough, or at all, to make the film stop motion. Instead, it plays out almost like a graphic novel, where each shot is its own photograph. It is a very unique method of storytelling through cinematography, and contributes to the feeling that much of what we, the audience, see is essentially a flashback . This also works for scenes set in the future, but ultimately makes the film feel like an art project that places emphasis on each individual shot which is beautiful in its own right. Another interesting aspect of the film is that there is no actual dialogue by the characters in the film. In fact, they do not even have names. What the film relies on completely to convey information as to what is being shown in each frame is a narrator, who explains the context to the film, what we are seeing, and what it means. This heavy reliance on the narrator results in constant narration throughout the film, which Chris Marker occasionally breaks up with compilations of shots that do not need explanation, such as the scene in the museum, where the audience understands what is happening and can be left to appreciate it for a few moments. These moments allow for you to become connected to these characters, despite their lack of input to the plot and the way that they are presented in the third person by the narrator. This narration and the absence of any real character, combined with the single-shot dynamic make the film feel more like a story that is being told to us with visual accompaniment than a film we become involved in as we feel characters develop and lose ourselves in the plot.
What sticks with me is the use of narration, still images, and sound design to carry along through multiple shots to create pace and intensity where the content and pace of shots does not. Despite the sometimes frustrating and slow nature of these shots, they do make the film feel unique and stylistic, and also contribute to a very interesting way of communicating a unique plot with lots of potential. It conveys this interesting plot through it’s interesting technique, which makes the film so memorable. The use of a sudden, shock ending also makes the story a tragedy, and the somber, neo-noir execution of this pessimistic and grim future scenario makes the film interesting and entertaining in its own right, even without the use of its photographic form of cinematography. It’s use of single, still shots is something that I may use in my own short film, if I include a flashback scene, or single photographs that I may cut to a close up of.
The Grandmother (David Lynch, 1970) follows a young boy who suffers through an abusive relationship with his parents but strives to cope by planting a seed that soon sprouts into a caring grandmother.
The film is immediately distinctive, as it switches between live action and 2d animation made up of paper clippings. Both aspects of the film’s form are artistic, as even the live action uses fast paced and rapidly edited together still shots to create stop motion movement. David Lynch creates extremely unnatural and sometimes disturbing moments by combining live action and 2d animation, and also uses sound design to make very surreal and unusual effects that have a lasting impact on the audience. I remember this film for its very strange and unique story, effects and animation. The performances are also very unnatural, as the characters do not act at all human, which makes the film feel more like a surreal and dream-like experience, that more than often evolves into a nightmare.
The film is artistic, and favours interesting techniques and an unconventional story told through surreal and unusual methods like 2d animation and mise-en-scene to leave a lasting impression on the audience. I remember in particular the impressive cocoon that was built to show how the grandmother came to be born from a single seed. The mise-en-scene here is very disturbing to see, as the spectacle of a human growing from a plant-like organism is hallucinatory, and very ambitious from the director. What is also impressive is how Lynch establishes characters through actions rather than dialogue, as music and performance shows personalities and dynamics between them, as seen in the opening scene where the boy’s father abuses him as the whole family act like a pack of dogs. Another interesting aspect to talk about is how the film will often end a sequence through a sudden and jarring freeze frame where audio will echo out until the shot fades to black. This is very unexpected each time, and is done to establish, over time, the living situation of these characters. It is a unique and abnormal method of showing the passage of time, and the exaggerated expressions and screams of the characters makes the film feel more like theatre, as their inhuman characters seem to echo real emotion, through bizarre screams, barks and shouting. As Lynch’s methods of portraying these themes and emotions are so extreme, I doubt that I will take any inspiration for my own film project.
Characters are established at the beginning, as Lynch uses the 2d animation style in the film to show how they came to also be born from the ground. His use of the animation here is to show what cannot be shown through live action, but his execution is very artistic and makes an immediate impression on the audience as to the tone and aesthetic of the rest of the film. It is definitely the most unique and unconventional shirt film that we have studied for our coursework, and I think that David Lynch achieved in his goal of creating a lasting impression on the audience.
Curfew (Shawn Christiensen, 2012) follows a man who is attempting to commit suicide but decided against it when he is asked by his desperate and estranged sister to look after her daughter. Over the course of one day, he connects with his niece, planning the whole time to finish his suicide after dropping her back off with her mum.
The plot is interesting, as both protagonists are established as imperfect people, as the nice is spoiled and ungrateful while the uncle is irresponsible and makes bad decisions. However, the relationship that builds between them feels genuine, as the uncle does want to connect with his niece, and the niece can tell that her uncle is unwell. As their relationship grows, you come to connect and sympathise with both of them, and understand their situations more.
The film uses focus to keep our attention on the protagonists, but this makes everything in the background are very blurred, which hazy neons colours that emulate a hallucination, which is because the main character is on drugs. The film also uses colours to match the mood, as seen in the beginning when the dark red floor matches the colour of the protagonists blood during his suicide attempt, but later on the contrast is higher when his niece is dancing in the bowling alley. Lens flares are also used here to emphasise the happiness of the moment. As the protagonist looks around here at his hallucination, the camera spins around his head to make the audience feel dizzy and therefore emulates the effects of the drugs he is on. The while dance sequence is shot differently yo the rest of the film, with fast camera movements, bright colours and a crab shot that tracks the girls movement along the alley, which is one of my fav shots from the film. This is a stark contrast to the stationary camera and dark colour pallets and shadows in the rest of the film, which reflects the relationship between the characters and the uncle’s depression. The makeup design in this film is also incredible, as the uncle looks genuinely severely ill, which can be seen most in the first 3 minutes when he is trying to commit suicide and meeting his niece for the first time. Here he is extremely pale, unclean, and looks miserable, tired, ill.
Some other shots that I like were the shot that looks down on the uncle in an extreme close up that is also at a dutched tilt while he is considering answering the phone call that could save his life. The wide shot if him shouting at the women outside the bathroom is also memorable, as it is framed symmetrically, and makes sharp and random cuts to represent the uncles mounting anger and to show the passage of time, therefore emphasising why the women are annoying him. The opening shot is also very clever, as it crabs right to reveal the blood, cigarettes and phone. It comes to rest on the phone, when a bloody and trembling hand also holding a razor comes into frame from above it to answer the phone. This slow reveal builds atmosphere and makes the reveal that the main character is trying to kill the self more shocking. Close ups of bloody cigarettes and a razor imply what is happening before it is finally shown. It also establishes this character while the phone call immediately establishes the conflict that sets the plot up.
This shot emphasises his anguish, and the phone being out of focus is symbolic of the fact that help is there, but he refuses to take it. `his face being in focus makes us concentrate on his expression of pain, and the matching colours of red create a dark atmosphere and reinforce the grim nature of this scene. This shot shows the desperate and fatigued look of the protagonist.
High Maintenance (Phillip Van, 2006) takes place in a not too distant future, where a wife gets into a domestic dispute with her android husband, who doesn’t wish to celebrate their anniversary the way she intends, making her take matters into her own hands.
The film all takes place in one room, so uses close ups to show the conversation between these two people. This brings our attention to their robotic expressions and dialogue, as they have no emotion or compassion in their voice, just saying sentimental words without any emotion behind them. This dystopian sci-fi concept is only kept restricted to how it operates within this boring relationship,and the twist that both people are androids who are both easily replaceable shows the grim nature of this fictional scenario. It uses a real format of a failing marriage but incorporates a fictional sci-fi twist to make it more interesting and imagine how these aspects would fuse together in real life. This interesting fantasy scenario implemented into a realistic one is an interesting way of telling a story, and is an aspect that I may involve in my own short film.
I also liked the moment when the wife shuts off her husband, as a close up on the back of his neck shows slowly tracks her hand movements to show that she is reaching for a miniature switch on the back of his neck. This sudden reveal makes the moment more shocking and entertaining, and this and the sequence afterwards of her buying a new husband shows the dark future of this short film. I also remember the shot where the camera dolly’s out off the room as it shows the wife at her computer telling the robotics company what she wants out of her new husband. This movement away emphasises her isolation and the inhumanity of what she is doing. This and the extreme close up of her face as she eyes her new android with an entranced, obsessed look are both shots that I like, as her obsession with this fake person emphasises the dystopian concept, and it brings our attention to her obsession. The clever use of repeated dialogue from both of the robot husbands also shows their lack of humanity, and signals that something sinister is happening without the use of music to show this.
A Girl’s own story (Jane Campion, 1984) follows a group of young girls who navigate growing up and the various challenges and changes that come with it. It deals with subjects that are difficult to approach, such as teenage pregnancy, affairs, sex and sexuality.
The film establishes its main character immediately, as we see them as their school. The theme of strict religious education is a theme in this film, but when the protagonist is introduced we do not learn their name and the cinematography makes it hard to tell what is happening, as the frame is completely filled with people and it is a close up of this crowd. The narrative is incoherent as it swaps between characters, and it is not made clear where they are or what their relationships are. The themes are also interchanged at random, and sometimes are not made clear.
There is also a swap to an expressive mode of storytelling towards the end, as the main girls sing in together about their troubles. This swap from real and serious subject matter to a more whimsical and expressive way of conveying the meaning and emotions of the main characters is quite jarring, as it is so unexpected.
The main technique that I took away from this film was the final shot, where multiple people are sat in an empty room and looking at the floor. The camera stays near the floor and dolly’s forwards, towards the girl who is furthest away but centre frame. As it moves forward, the people towards the side of the frame move out of fame to slowly direct the viewer’s attention to the girl who is centre frame, and when the camera reaches her it stops, and the film fades to black.
Elephant (Alan Clarke) takes place in Northern Ireland in the 1980’s, , when ‘The Troubles’ were occurring, and follows a number of murders that take place throughout multiple sequences in the film. Each sequence follows a particular murder case, and they all follow a similar format of a mysterious and silent person searching frantically for someone, hiding an object and holding a passive expression. When they find that person, they are shown shooting them, fleeing the scene, and then the sequence ends with the scene focusing on the murdered person.
There is only one word said throughout the entire 38 minute movie, and that is a shout of panic from someone who is about to be murdered. Each sequence lasts a different amount of time, some ending in a few minutes, some lasting for 5 minutes. They use the formulaic time spent searching for a victim to build tension, as wide, open and empty spaces are filled with silence, the only sound being the loud and fast footsteps of the soon to be murderer. The director also uses wide shots and long takes, where the person searching will often be very far away from the camera, to emphasise the quietness and emptiness of these spaces, building suspense as we presume the killer gets to closer to their victim. This time spent searching can last for minutes, which drag on in complete silence, and this is done to build tension, as the killings can happen very suddenly, and when they do, they are made to be very shocking.
The killings are sometimes shown in long shots that let us see the murders happen in explicit detail, and sometimes they are shown through close ups to bring the audience closer to the violence. The receptiveness of the murders gets the formulae stuck in the audiences mind, which emphasises the mindlessness and brutality of the killings. At the end of the sequences, the corpses are also shown in close or long shots, which forces the audience to pay attention to the extreme violence that the film is based off. The film is not fun to watch, as the subject matter is so grim and the execution emphasises the brutality of it all, and the repetitiveness keeps it cycling in the audience’s memory.
My personal favourite aspects of the film were the ways that the camera sometimes followed the killer in tracking crab shots or pans to keep our focus on them, and sometimes would show them walking through large spaces in wide long takes to build tension and emphasise that they may be the focus of this scene, but are not the protagonist. It also makes the sequence where the killer is not shown until the end, and the focus is open the soon to be victim. I also remember the shot where an over-the-shoulder shot shows a man approaching another person, who he has just shot, who is crawling on the floor and bleeding, and as he weakly up and closes the long distance between them, tension is built for around 20 seconds, where tension is built and we form sympathy for the victim, and the drawn out moment makes it all the more uncomfortable for the audience to watch, and the inhumanity and uncaring nature of the killing is made clearer through the horror of the moment.
The Wrong Trousers (Nick Park, 1993) follows the iconic clay stop-motion characters, Wallace and Gromit, in a 28 minute short film where Wallace invests in some self-walking trousers and Gromit is tormented by his new roommate, Penguin.
The film uses pre-existing characters, so does not need to take time here to set them or the time and place up, as the audience is already familiar with their relationship, situation and personality’s. The plot conflict is set up within the first 10 minutes, as the trousers, an important plot device, and the penguin, who establishes the main conflict, are introduced. However the film spends almost 5 minutes introducing the characters and showing us their daily morning routine, which is important as this provides the contrast to what their life, or Gromit’s in particular, is like after the penguin asserts himself.
The main escalation of events also occurs very early, at around 12 minutes into the film when Gromit moves out and Wallace is kidnapped by his own trousers. Since the film is so short, the exposition, conflict, climax and falling action all take place very quickly, with little space between them. Most of the other short films that we have watched have not had such a linear narrative, as they take place over a very short or un-specified period of time, and so they do not even have expositions at the start, such as Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010), or do not have rising action as most of the film is spent establishing character rather than comedy or plot, like Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary, 2015). The last 16 minutes involve Gromit trying to catch the penguin and Wallace being made to steal a diamond. Much of this time is spent in silence, as neither animal character speaks at all, so the film relies on dramatic music and animated body expressions to convey information to the audience. The film is also comedic, and most music, situations and jokes serve to make the audience laugh. The plot does come to a climax in the last 5 minutes, where a dramatic and intense chase scene plays out, using physical slapstick comedy that it’s made possible through the animation style to achieve comedy.
I remember in particular the moment where Gromit is looking out of a cardboard box, and a POV shot lets us see from his perspective that the penguin has noticed him, and a dramatic note in the non-diegetic composed score raises the tension of the moment. The penguin eventually moves on, and we see from outside the box that he did so because the box has a dog face drawn onto it, and Gromit’s eyes are essentially camouflaged onto it. This information is hidden from the audience at first to raise tension and keep us focused on what Gromit is seeing, immersing us in his position, but when it is revealed it makes a joke.
When The Day Breaks (Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tibly, 1999) is a 9 minute long short film that takes place in a 2d animated world where animals take the roles of humans, cooking, shopping, shaving, etc. It follows two characters in particular, a pig and a chicken, who go about their human lifestyles and come to meet at a point in the film.
The film uses a unique 2d animation style that is made up of pencil drawings that are all animated together to link up and form a stop-motion animation. There are no characters that we, the audience, connect to. We simply see these people go about their everyday lives, which are normal, except for the car accident that occurs about halfway through. However, this set up does not go far, as the main character it effects quickly gets over it, and the film switches from a dark subject matter to an interesting showcase of a unique animation style. As the film’s focus shifts from the main characters to the various systems of plumbing and electric circuits that connect their homes, we see a rapid succession of shots that outline the wires, pipes, etc. that connect these humanoid-animals. This is an extremely fast paced and rapid sequence of shots that are akin to the soviet montage movement in the way that a selection of images shows so quickly that their content do not convey the meaning, but rather their overall theme. This is a technique I remember from the film. In particular, I liked the shots where wires were followed and shown connecting to devices in rooms and between rooms, which can likely be done without using this unique animation style.
As we do not know or connect to any of the characters, it is hard to feel emotional for any of them, and although the animation style is interesting, it does not keep the film engaging or immersive. It is a fascinating visual art piece, but there is little substance to the plot or characters it focuses on. The film more so exhibits it’s very unique animation technique of pencil and paint on photocopies than it creates a progressing plot or narrative. There is little meaning or symbolism, and the animation style makes the cinematography quite disorienting and jarring at times, making it hard to interpret what you are seeing. Therefore, When The Day Breaks shows how interesting visuals storytelling techniques can give a film a unique and individual style that may interest the audience, but how actual plot, narrative and characters are also important in creating an engaging short story.
Meshes Of The Afternoon (Maya Deren & Alexander Hamid, 1943) is a 14 minute short film that tells a very abstract and artistic depiction of a woman’s dream.
The directors seemed to want to immerse the audience in a very surreal and difficult to visualise scenario, which leads to the film being very abstract and the narrative jumbled. There is no set plot, and events simply play out as the protagonist navigates a very realistic dream in the sense that it makes no sense. Events replay multiple times, which creates the feeling of a time loop, and dutched camera angles, fast, hidden cuts make the actual layout of the house feel like something from a German Expressionist film of the 1920’s, which is done here to create a surreal and express I’ve environment, like something that you would dream up.
Like Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010) the film does not use any dialogue, except here this is more apparent as it is a longer short film. The surreal environment and exaggerated performance by the protagonist convey meaning. I particularly remember the use of the first person to immerse the audience and make the film feel more surreal and abstract. I also remember some of the physical ways in which we are immersed into the protagonist’s situation, such as a tube that the camera is placed through when they fall asleep, showing the world through a concentrated and focused view. This and the moment where the screen is actually broken and shatters to reveal another location behind it is symbolic of distorted reality and an interesting technique to create a dream like state, which is what the director set out to achieve. The nun who is revealed to have to face was also interesting, and can be easily recreated in a similar way to make a sudden twist, and the slow and sluggish running of the protagonist also replicates the feeling of being in a dream, as no matter how fast they run, they are never shown getting any closer to the person that they are chasing. This and the repetition of different events and object changing just as they are interacted with, sudden and jarring cameras movements that make hidden cuts between locations make the feel film surreal and dream like, therefore immersing the audience in the protagonists position.
However, the film is extremely repetitive and does not use its time to create characters or plot, only focusing on its abstract and artistic meanings. This is nit something that I would include in a short film, and in a 5 minute time frame would attempt to be more effective with my conveying of meaning and building of themes, aesthetic and characters. This film had more time to do that, but became repetitive through its use of the abstract dream quality.
Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010) is a 5 minute long short film that follows a woman on a bus who imagines very unlikely scenarios playing out in front of her as she listens to music, and sparks up a brief and fleeting romance with another passenger.
The film does not have any dialogue at all, which means that it does not set up its plot or characters other than through what we can see through the their actions and expressions. Events simply play out in front of us and the protagonist, and the intensity of events fluctuates as the two main characters are separated by the other people on the bus. There is no actual climax or buildup, as there is little to no communication of the characters emotions or intentions other than through silent performance.
The film does show how information can be conveyed through physical actions rather than dialogue, and the performative dance at the end conveys the main characters excitement through action, rather than narration or cinematography, etc. The film relies heavily on performance and the audiences interpretation of it, and the narrative is not particularly interesting or entertaining. There are a few interesting moments where the protagonist becomes lost in their own reality, but this does not contribute anything to the story, and can be hard to interpret when the character is not set up before hand. There is no context to the character, the audience just has to see what is happening and understand it’s meaning, which is not communicated in a way that makes it clear, as there is no dialogue or set up, character development or narrative progression.
I remember shots like the close up of the two peoples hands slowly touching, as this allows for suspense to be built, and the moment to become more romantic through. The way that it cuts to close ups of their faces and shot-reverse-shots to show that they are building a connection is an interesting technique that I can use to create a romantic moment in my own short film. The sudden flicker of light in the top left corner here was a technique that I wouldn’t use, but it does emphasise the sudden sentimentality of the moment.
The film is short and uses its time effectively, like most short films, to set up a romance between two characters, but otherwise does not establish meaning or characters, and incorporates some symbolism through performance that is difficult to understand as there is no dialogue or character development to explain it. I think the directors intention was to establish a connection between two characters in a short time frame with no dialogue or context, and uses the protagonists imagination to reflect their emotions, which is not entirely clear while watching the film. The establishment of a romance in a short time frame with nothing said is what I remember as the most positive aspect of Connection, but the unconventional ways of conveying meaning did not do the film many favours.
Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary, 2015) is a 13 minute short film that follows a man living in London who suffers from a severe speech impediment that renders him virtually mute, and how he handles the fact that he may be finally meeting his online girlfriend in person for the first time.
I liked the simplicity of the plot and the way that interesting techniques were used to take the audience through it. We can hear the protagonist’s thoughts, as they struggle to communicate them with anyone else, which gives the film a very sympathetic narrator who can give the audience his thoughts and emotions without directly communicating with them and breaking the fourth wall, as About A Girl (Brian Percival, 2001) does. This brings the audience into a close and understanding relationship with the protagonist, allowing us to understand him and why he is making the actions he does in the film, and his coping mechanism to help him through his disability. This was an interesting technique that stuck with me. I also liked the way that he makes “snap-judgments” of people he sees. It emphasises his loneliness and creates a simple coping mechanism for the protagonist which makes the audience sympathise with him. It is also a good way of creating brief moments of comedy in an otherwise gloomy short film.
The film also takes time to establish its protagonist before the conflict that sets the plot in motion. This is important as it helps the audience to understand him and why he behaves the way he does, and when the conflict is established , it changes his behaviour. This change then affects the way he behaves day to day, which the plot mostly follows, his daily life. There is no dramatic buildup to the ending, and no intense climax, just an intimate portrayal of someone in an otherwise romantic situation who struggles due to an unfortunate disability. So the film shows how a plot can remain interesting just through its protagonist and the audiences connection to them, and their development in the short time frame used, and how this can be communicated to the audience in a unique and explainable way.
The climax is resolved, but only right at the ending, which makes for an ending that is partly a cliffhanger, as we do not know what will happen after, but also a happy ending, as we understand the protagonist has worked through the issue they face throughout the film. The use of silence at the end of the film is also a clever but simple use of symbolism that reflects the main characters silence, but also immerses the audience and raises tension as to what is going to happen, but also making the moment feel much more powerful and impactful, as all else if forgotten except for what is important, the distance between the two characters in that moment. About A Girl, Stutterer only follows one main character, but it shows how this can be made to work by establishing a likeable and sympathetic person in an interesting situation, and how the audience can be brought closer to them through intimate and personal narration, and how a detailed or progressing plot is not crucial to a film, as long as the characters are enjoyable and their navigation through it is entertaining.
About A Girl(Brian Percival, 2001) follows a young girl who talks directly to the audience, telling them about her interests, social life, family and dreams for the future.
An interesting technique the film uses is direct communication by the protagonist to the audience. The girl acknowledges the camera and speaks to us, which gives the audience a very personal understanding of the main character. This brings the audience into the film, and helps them to understand the character more. It is also shot in handheld, and made to look like an observational documentary, as the camera is sometimes far away from the girl, and picks up conversations that she has with other people.
The film also cuts back to points in the girl’s day to give the audience footage of the things she is talking about, such as her relationship with her dad, friends, arguments with her mum, etc. This is also done quite clumsily, as sometimes the girl is interrupted by these sudden and fast flashbacks that do not always give important information away, and this is done to help bring us closer to the main character. The film is clearly trying to create a realistic depiction of a young girl living in her circumstances, and therefore uses her narration and footage to juxtapose how she describes her life and what it looks like to the audience, and the perfect moment where this can be seen is the shock ending. In fact, the twist in this film that comes in the last 20 seconds and completely changes the way we look at the protagonist and the rest of the film, is the main thing I remember from About A Girl. It is extremely shocking and grim, which takes the already realistic subject matter and makes it much more serious and powerful. This and the footage taken earlier used to backup or juxtapose the protagonists narration, and the method of communication directly with the audience are all techniques that stick with me.
There is no particular climax, enigma or conflict set up, just the main character describing themselves to us, the audience. I did not like hoe repetitive this mode of communication felt after a few min utes, as the protagonist constantly talks to the audience, with the only breaks being footage taken from earlier, in which she may also be the only one talking. This brought the film down for me, but the film does use some interesting techniques, and also shows how a short film can be centred around one specific character who can involve the audience in their life and therefore, the film. However, it also shows how you can lose the audiences attention through constant dialogue and the lack of any developing plot or progressing narrative, as the film just follows a character describing their life, with a twist ending to add meaning and peak interest but otherwise no devices to advance the plot and keep the audience interested.
Wasp (Andrea Arnold, 2005) is a 26 minute short film that follows a mother who attempts to pretend that her four children do not belong to her so that she can go on a date with an old friend. However, she already struggles immensely to provide for them, and pulling off this stunt causes more disaster for her family than she expects to risk with this act.
The film makes use of its long time frame for a short film to establish its characters, urban setting and narrative. The mise-en-scene immediately establishes where the film takes place and we are introduced to the main character, the mother, through her first actions of fighting other people in front of her children. The main conflict is quickly set up after this event, which was done to establish the main character, and the conflict establishes the lie the mother must uphold while trying to look after her children. The plot leads up to a climax, which is when her children are put in harm’s way by her neglect, which she must abandon her date for to protect them. The plot slowly builds up to this, and the narrative follows the family only throughout this day, and does not use any unique techniques to tell the story.
One thing that stuck with me was the cinematography, as the film is shot entirely with handheld cameras, which make it feel almost like an observational documentary. This makes the film feel real, raw, like its happening right in front of us, immersing the audience. The frame composition is also realistic and cramped at times, with large object obstructing the view, which impacts the audience by making them feel claustrophobic in the pub scene. The movements are also frantic and unpredictable at times, which makes it feel like the filmmaker is following the characters, documenting them. Parallel editing is used towards the end of the film as it cuts between the mum inside the pub and her kids outside. This and the natural lighting make the film feel real and unplanned, which sticks with me after watching it.
Cops begins with an intertitle card with a quote by Houdini, which is expressive as it symbolises to the audience the themes of romance and prison. A reverse iris shot takes us into a two shot of Keaton and his girlfriend, keeping the audiences attention on Keaton, who is behind bars. The camera then cuts between a man calling a cab and the taxi driver, parallel edited to show the audience that they are connected and therefore manipulating the audience as they are made to understand the connection between the man and what he was waving at. There is then a long shot though of Keaton sneaking up behind the man to pick up his wallet, letting the audience look where they want, which is a realist filmmaking technique. The same goes for when Keaton tries helping the man into his taxi, but then the film cuts to a mid shot with Keaton centre frame to bring our attention to him looking through the lost wallet, which is expressive as it tells the audience where to look, here, an important plot element. It is also expressive when we cut to a shot of the man in the taxi doing exaggerated shocked expressions and movements to tell the audience that he has realised he’s lost his wallet. The same for when he realises there is no money in it after he has gotten it back.
When the taxi stops and the man gets out, the shot is framed so that after it drives off, Keaton is gone, and the gag is that he has left the man behind without his money, and the man does not know where Keaton has gone too. A fade to black and then fade cut to a new shot of the cab pulling over signifies a passage of time, which is expressionist as it tells the audience information directly, without letting them realise themselves. As Keaton is paying the driver, we cut to a close up of all his money to bring the audiences attention to it and then a mid shot of a man with a newspaper to show that he has noticed all of Keatons cash, which is expressionist as it ensures the audience understands the set up for the upcoming joke. The same happens when the man looks to the right to see the family preparing to leave their home, which the film cuts to, and an intertitle card explains what they are doing directly to the audience, which, again, is expressive.
There is then a vignette shot of the man pretending to cry on the curb to being our attention to his exaggerated and unrealistic reactions, which are expressive and used to give information to the audience that will make them understand the joke. The next intertitle cards explain the joke and we cut to a close up, making the audience focus on the interaction between Keaton and the man. The same thing happens here when the man takes the jacket from the mannequin outside after Keaton steals the horse. There is then a realist wide shot as Keaton begins to load up the furniture but the man comes out and begins helping him, letting the audience focus on what they want to. However, Keaton is still kept centre frame to make him the centre of attention and bring our focus on his confused expression, telling the audience that he does not understand what is happening, an expressive way of communicating the joke.
A fade to black and cross fade tells us that time has passes since the family helped Keaton pack, which is an expressive technique. There is a wide shot when the wife brings out a pair of vases and and a suitcase to Keaton for him to pack, which does not force the viewer to look at a particular thing, but it does cuts closer to Keaton as he crushes the vase in the case, making sure that they see the final gag here. A close up of the address is given is expressive, since it tells us what he is supposed to be doing. The dog biting Keaton’s hand begins in a wide shot, but then cuts to a close up as he is bitten, bringing our attention to the joke for the sake of comedy. There is a wide shot, though, when Keaton uses the punching glove as an indicator, and foe when he accidentally punches the cop with it. The jokes made about police in this film represents the social distrust for police at the time, and the film is shot in an actual real city, which shows what reality was like at the time, but it is not objective reality shown here, which would be realism, since Keaton’s cart is an impossible structure, which is similar to German expressionism, except here it is done for a joke.
There is an iris shot of the gland specialist sign to bring our attention onto it for the sake of the joke being made. There is then a passage of time shown through a cross fade to black, which is also expressive. An intertitle card explains the context of the police parade, but a wide shot lets us look where we want. The same happens when Keaton rolls into the parade. There is also an intertitle card though, explaining that Keaton’s girlfriend if the mayor’s daughter. This police parade scene is a mix of realism and expressionism, as it represents the police force of L.A in the 1920’s, but there is also Keaton carrying an impossible load of furniture on a wagon in the middle of it all. Parallel editing between the cart and the mayor shows his frustration at it, and a close up of Keaton shows his cluelessness in all of this chaos. There is more parallel editing between the terrorist on the roof and Keaton on the wagon to set up the joke of it landing next to him.
We are not shown Keaton jumping off the cart, which is expressionist as it sets up the joke of Keaton hiding behind the umbrella in the panicking crowd. The wide shot here though lets us look around the frame ourselves before noticing Keaton , which is a realist technique. The cops are always kept out of frame before they run at Keaton, which is expressive as it deliberately hides the joke from the audience to make the surprise more comedic. The same thing happens as Keaton walks down the alley with the cops following him before one jumps out in front of him. An iris shot of Keaton sat in the car with a tie as a fake moustache he is expressive as it forces the audience to notice it. The see-saw joke is realist as it is a symmetric wide shot that lets the audience focus on either part of the frame they want, but is an expressive scenario that cuts to a close up of Keaton being ready to jump off to help us understand the joke. A vignette shot brings our attention to Keatons’s disapproving girlfriend, and a wide shot with Keaton centre frame to keep our focus on him, which is an expressionist technique of conveying a joke. The final shot of the gravestone is expressionist, as it makes us focus on the joke of his bizarre death.
The beginning shot in The High Sign is an intertitle card establishing Keaton as “our hero” and providing contextual information, which is expressive. The Newspaper gag is expressionist but the setting is a realist depiction of a seaside town of the time period. Also shot in a long take to make the joke clearer. Keaton is kept centre frame during the cop banana gun joke to keep our attention on him. The man flipping bottles on the beach is centre frame, while Keaton is on the right side of the shot, a realist technique through long shot but only done for comedy so that the audience can see reactions of both men. Long take of Keaton shooting bottles used to let the audience focus on what they want but cuts to close up of man mocking him with exaggerated reactions and makes us focus on him, but this situation is expressionist also as Keaton makes impossible misses/shots
The film uses a realist technique as the man is shot in his back, which is not centre frame either. The man behind the counter is kept out of frame for a comedic jump at Keaton to scare him, which is expressive since it is hiding information from the audience as it is from the protagonist for comedic effect. The shooting range scene is a long shot to show Keatons lack of aim for comedy, an expressive joke shot in a realist technique. The Blinking Buzzards are a comedic/comic representation of gangs in the 1920’s America. An Inter title card gives information on the gang, telling the audience how bad they are instead of letting them see for themselves or come to own conclusions, so this is expressive. The shot of Keaton worrying cuts to dog with meat to tell us directly what he is focusing on, and force our attention onto it. An iris shot on the gang leaders message makes us look at it to understand the message.
An iris shot on calendar also makes us understand more contextual information when it was already visible in the background of the long shot of the basement. Another intertitle card gives contextual information on August Nickelnurser, explaining his character before the audience even sees him, and he is first shown in a vignette shot to make us focus on him and understand that this man in frame is him. A close up on the letter from the gang to August has the sides of the frame blacked out to make us reads the text and understand the circumstances August is in. Another iris shot on August’s daughter is done to show her reaction and pondering, showing her to be an important plot element. A long shot of the gang’s basement lets us focus on anything in frame which is a realist technique, but the cartoon depiction of real gangs through exaggerated performances also makes it expressive. The iris shot of the gang leader shows that he’s impressed by Keaton’s shooting skills and makes sure that the audience notices it so that the plot can progress. An iris shot keeps our focus on the cash in the register to make us see it, therefore setting up the robbery joke. Parallel editing between the dog and Keaton shows the relation between them, but does not a show where Keaton is shooting, just how he is faking it. Expressive as the audience’s attention has to be on whatever is important in that moment, and is not allowed to wander on anything in frame assuming its all visible and in focus. A close up on the cat shows that it is afraid of the dog, which is expressive as it makes the audience understand the correlation and that events are about to escalate because of it. The film then cuts between Keaton and the dog to show that things will escalate via parallel editing, making certain that the audience understands why the bell wont stop ringing and Keaton has to improvise.
An iris shot of the woman brings attention to how she is persuading Keaton. The iris shot of Nickelnurser’s business card does the same. A close up of Keaton stood with gang member behind holding a skull shows us what scares Keaton for the joke. A close up of Keatons shocked face looking at the letter, him looking at camera to show shock, and an intertitle card telling him to kill Nickelnurser tells us directly the bizarre scenario. Intertitle card literally tells us what Keaton has to do and the bizarre nature of it. It’s an expressionist gag as Keaton paints coat hanger on wall and it magically works. Iris shot of banana gun makes us pay attention to it and make the connection to the earlier gag, representing social distrust again of police at the time. There is a fourth wall break as Keaton looks at camera and does the high sign for comedic effect, which is expressionist. A long shot is used when the cop catches up to Keaton, and we can see them fighting and Keaton trying to use the high sign but also the man approaching in the background with a baton. This is a realist technique as the audience is allowed to look at what they want to in frame. Another Inter title card tells us that there are booby traps in home for Nickelnurser’s safety even though we can see that, so the filmmakers are making sure the audience understands the set up for the climax, an expressionist technique.
It’s another expressionist gag as Keaton looks into his tea cup and sees a horse kicking, which is symbolic and conveys meaning to the audience. Not objective reality. There is a realist long shot showing August pretending to be dead on floor and his daughter mourning him while the gang member can be seen in the background congratulating Keaton before leaving. But then the film cuts to a close up on August and his daughter to show him revealing that he is still alive, and she shocked as she looks at the camera, breaking the fourth wall and directly communicating her emotions to the audience, all expressionist techniques. Parallel editing of gang outside and Keaton inside shows that they know he has faked August’s death. The chase sequence begins with close ups to direct our attention to where the action is happening, such as the window shot of Keaton falling back down onto the gang member poking his head out, but eventually cuts to a long shot to let us look where we want. The house here is similar to the one in One Week, constructed in an expressionist way for comedic effect, but shot in a realist way to let us see the whole joke. However The High Sign does cut to close up shots occasionally to break up the long shot to make us focus on important moments, e.g when Keaton finds August and his daughter again, guiding behind the curtains. The gang leader is shown in a long shot as he aims his gun at August’s daughter, centre frame despite the fact that Keaton is in frame, to the right. This is a realist technique as our attention can wander to Keaton pulling the trap door lever, the gang leader holding the gun up, or August’s daughter’s distressed reaction. However, just before this it cuts to a close up of the gang leader and the woman, getting the audience to focus on this dramatic development. The final shot iris zooms in on Keatons hand to show high sign gag, focusing the audiences attention on this one last joke.
The scene setting in the first intertitle card is expressionist, influencing the audience. The next shot is of the sun rising, which is an expressionist technique as it is sped up to show the passage of time, communicating information to the audience without letting them realise it themselves. Then next intertitle card gives context to the layout of the house. Buster is kept centre frame at first to keep the audiences focus on him, which is an expressionist technique. The next shot is a long shot in focus depth which is realism as it allows the audience to look where they want and cut with their own eyes, taking information from the frame without it being told directly to them.
There is then an iris shot of the mirror, forcing our attention onto the man’s reflection and woman’s picture, which is expressive. The film cuts between Keaton and his roommate to show Keatons jealously aswell as his exaggerated reaction, which is a form of expressionism, using unrealistic characters to convey information to the audience rather than attempting to capture objective reality. The camera cuts to a closer shot of the two men to show their gestures and expressions, which is expressionist as it directs our focus onto objects of significance. We cut between one side and the other side of the houses front door, which is done in parallel editing to show that the mans actions on one side affect Keaton on the other, which is an expressionist technique of conveying information although the film is representing a real way of removing tooth. The long shot of Keaton’s tooth being removed is realist. An expressionist close up of Keaton shows that he is healed, directing our attention to this important plot development.
Keaton is kept centre frame when its just him in shot to keep our attention on him, which is expressionist. An iris shot of gas meter brings attention to it. The table with strings gag is an expressive scenario but shot in a long shot on static camera so a realist technique reflecting the widespread poverty of the time in America. There is a similarity to one week in the crafty and unrealistic furniture that is expressionist but reflects the poverty of this time period so its realist context represented in an expressionist way with realist techniques. No particular person focused on here, the film only shows the aspects of the house, however its not objective reality represented here as the scene is for the purpose of a gag. Parallel editing is used during the chase sequence to cut between Keaton and his roommate to tell the audience that both events are happening at the same time. An iris shot is used to bring the audiences attention to the medicine labels, which is expressionism.
There is a long shot of Keaton running around a building to escape the dog on the roof, which is realist as it allows for the audience to look at what they want to in frame. The buildings here represent rural farmland of America at the time, which is realism. The romance between the woman and two men also shows the traditional gender roles of the time. Another iris shot of the dog in Keaton’s one room house brings our focus to it. The Scarecrow shows a realist context of farming in America during the 1920’s, as seen by the maize fields and agriculture technology, scarecrows and huts. A long shot of Keaton dressed as a scarecrow hiding from the men in maize field is a realist technique. The costumes, veichles and technology are realist depictions of the time period as seen in the horses still being used on roads. An iris shot on screw being put on lady’s finger to is done to make a joke but shows poverty in realism through expressive technique. Intertitle card at the end shows that the couple are now married, directly giving information to the audience, which is expressive filmmaking. Cinematography, editing, mise en scen and performance are expressionist and the scenarios are too but represent realist context through some realist techniques for the purpose of a gag, similarly to one week.
Expressive scenario of a marriage being performed on a motorbike ended through an expressive filmmaking technique in the form of an iris shot, directing the audiences attention onto everything in frame and not blacked out.
In the opening shot of One Week, an iris shot reverses and expands to reveal the whole screen, which is expressive as it adds a layer to the film that does not capture objective reality. The first shot of the calendar is an example of expressionism as it directly gives the audience information to contextualise the film, such as what day of the week it is on a calendar. The first intertitle card is expressionist as the text is there to manipulate the audience into accepting the message and to convey the point that the film is making, hinting at the bad events to come in “such a sour echo”.The sound that is added to the film in post production is expressive as it tells the audience when something is exiting or sad, and so on, manipulating them into understanding the meaning rather than capturing objective reality and letting them come to their own conclusions. The next shot is an iris shot with a bell centre frame, the rest of the shot cut out by the black sides of the iris, directing the audiences attention onto the bell, or whatever is important in that moment of the film.
There is then a cross fade from the bell to the newly married couple leaving the church, which is also expressive as it shows that these two events are connected. The shot of them leaving the wedding is realist though as it is a long shot that allows for the viewer to direct their attention to anything in frame, although the central framing of the couple who are descending the church steps to be exactly centre frame shows that they are the object of importance here. So here, cinematography creates a mixture of realism and expressionism through composition. People throw rice at the couple aggressively, which is a realist depiction of the tradition, but the aggressiveness of their throwing of the rice and the shoes is there to be funny and therefore expressive, as it does not capture objective reality.
As the couple are about to walk out of frame Keaton stops to pick up a pair of shoes, which is a gag but also reflects the poverty of the time period. The costumes that people are wearing are realistic reflections of what was fashionable at the time of filming this. And aren’t exaggerated for effect like what would be done in German Expressionism. All intertitle cards are expressive as they provide context that the film itself doesn’t, so manipulate the audience into understanding more. We then cut to a close up shot in depth of field of Handy Hank, which is expressive as it directs our attention to him, and his performance is an exaggerated depiction of a jealous man. The next shot is a 3 shot with no emphasis on any particular character so we can focus on who we want, which is a realist technique. The film is filmed on a real street-representative of America at that time. There is then a cutaway to a closeup of a wedding gift card, but it is shot in vignette to focus our attention on what is important, which is expressive, directing the audiences focus, therefore manipulating them.
There is an unrealistic and therefore expressive stunt as Keaton balances between two cars. One Week often uses exaggerated situations and performances to emphasise athleticism and bravery, which is an expressionist technique used here for the purpose of physical comedy. But this is still shot in L.A, which makes it a realist representation of America at the time of filming in the 1920s. There are no close ups or cutaways or focus directions in action sequences apart from central framing, which makes these comedic action sequences expressionist scenarios that represent the context of the films setting and time period through realist filmmaking techniques. This can also be seen in the cop being knocked out gag, which is an expressionist representation of the real distrust of police at the time in America, done for the sake of a joke here. This is expressive, but is also shot by a static camera in a long shot, which makes it a realist technique. Realist depiction of flat pack portable build your own house gift gag, realist depiction of social problem of lack of affordable housing at the time. Iris shot of delivery man and inter title card and close up on him isolating him-expressive and manipulative. Box is left right way for us to read it as it is opened, which is expressive to give context. Iris close up shot of directions sign to show that it is important plot element. Vignette shot of first direction is expressive as it forces the audience to focus on a certain thing, usually an important plot element in the film.
The shot then fades to black and brings us back to the calendar, directly giving the audience contextual information, which is expressive, showing the passage of time. Keaton’s stunt performed on the plank is expressive since it does not progress the plot at all or present bye time reality, it’s simply there for the purpose of a joke. The gender roles of the couple, the woman cooking and man working on the house, is a realistic depiction of traditional gender roles at the time. However, parallel editing is used here to show that these two events are happening no at the same time, which is expressive as it gives information directly to the audience without letting come to their own conclusions. The cinematography is also dictated by the jokes in One Week, as seen when awe cut to a long shot to get a full view of Keaton falling from the plank, which makes it expressive. There is then parallel editing between Handy Hank and the couple, and Hank’s expressions and mannerisms are extreme exaggerated to show his glee at the trick he’s pulled off, which is expressive as it strays form a realistic depiction of reality.
The house itself here is also constructed for Keaton to do stunts off, as seen when the wall flips and leaves Keatons wife hanging in mid-air, which is in no way similar to reality. This mise en scene is similar to that of German Expressionism, which used exaggerated and symbolic mise en scene to convey meaning and themes. Keaton’s wife also breaks the fourth wall when she swoons over him, looking at and therefore acknowledging the camera and audience, which is expressionist as it does not portray objective reality, and directly communicates with the audience. However, there is then an expressive scenario in the strongman giving Keaton the piano that crushes him filmed in a realism technique through long shot in depth of focus which is a realism technique as it allows for the audience to focus on what they want to.
One Week often incorporates expressionist scenarios for the sake of comedy, such as Keaton dangling from a chandelier, but films them through more realist techniques, such as long takes from static cameras, which allows for the audience to see the whole image themselves and therefore take in the entire gag. However, it also uses expressionist techniques, such as an Iris shot on the wife shouting up at Keaton to bring the audiences attention to important plot points, but at the same time is realist in its depiction of 1920’s America and traditional gender roles at the time, poverty and traditions/societal norms. Each of the little comic sequences that comprise the overall film are shot in static cameras, long shot, depth of focus etc to let the action play out, which is realist filmmaking. But parallel editing is an expressive technique as its a filmmaking technique used to convey information directly to the audience, thereby preventing them from coming to their own conclusions. In the bath scene, for example, the wife directly acknowledges the camera and therefore the audience, breaking the fourth wall, an expressive technique used here for comedic effect. As Keaton runs through the extremely high up door and lands on the ground, a long shot is incorporated so that the audience can take in the entire stunt, but is a realist technique regardless.
There is an iris shot of Keaton as he realises rain is coming through the roof, making the audience notice his dismayed and comedic reaction. This is the filmmaker making decisions for the audience rather than letting them cut with their own eyes. The whole situation of the house spinning is also expressive, done for comedic effect, shot through depth of focus and long shots which are realist techniques of filmmaking. The editing in this sequence is also expressive as the length of shots decreases and the pace of editing increases to increase the intensity and pace of the scene, therefore manipulating the audiences reaction. The wife at the piano is shown through an iris shot to signify her importance and focus the audiences attention. The intertitle card of the merry-go-round joke is literally a joke written on screen, directly communicated to the audience for comedy rather than conveyed through physical action or sequence, which is expressive. To show the effects of the storm, the house is physically altered to look more damaged and deformed, which is expressive as the depiction of reality is manipulated for comedic effect, not showing objective reality in the process. As the couple try to get their house off the railway tracks, there is parallel editing to show the train approaching, which is an expressive technique. Joke relies on our perspective and position from where we’re seeing things take place, position of camera allows joke to work, expressive as it is manipulative, shows train coming one way and makes it look like it will hit the house. The audience cant see it coming from the other way. At the end, you see the real location of the time, which is realism in the film.
“Portable, digital cameras, digital sound recording equipment and non-linear digital editing have had a very significant impact on documentary film.” How far has digital technology had an impact on your chosen documentary film?
Plan:
Intro – briefly evaluate the significance of digital technology for documentary films and list the main reasons why – portability of digital cameras, digital audio and editing were positive for it. Then introduce Sisters In Law.
Para. 1 – Discuss the opening sequence and pick apart the aspects of digital technology in the question.
Para. 2 – Discuss the aspects of digital technology in the opening sequence.
Para. 3 – Manka sequence. Remember to keep in mind editing, audio and digital cameras are seen in the film and were used in its production tot he filmmaker’s’ advantage.
Para. 4 – Manka Sequence.
Conclusion – Link back to question, evaluate overall impact on documentary film through positive effects on production.
Version 1:
Digital technology has impacted Sisters In Law (Kim Longinotto, 2005)to a large extent. Digital audio equipment, digital camera technology and editing have made it easier for Kim Longinotto to gain high quality footage and documentation of their subject without making any sacrifices during the production process.
In the opening sequence of Sisters In Law, the camera shows the view from inside a moving car, introducing us to the village the film will be set in. The camera used here is steady and captures the view from outside the window clearly, in good quality footage. This is the first time that the portability of digital cameras can be seen in the film, as the camera being used here fits into the back of this small car. The first show we see of the office is a man parking his bike up. This shot, alongside those inside the office, were included in the final film after the editing process because Longinotto was able to film for long periods of time, capturing lots of footage of this village so that she could choose which clips to keep in the film. This is because the digital cameras hold near limitless storage, so that the filmmaker can film for as long as they want, as seen in the opening shot to this sequence, and decide what to include in the film in post-production. The lightweight nature and portability of digital cameras allows for Longinotto to film in these cramped office conditions without getting own the employees’ way, since the small camera can just be moved when needed. These digital cameras can also film in natural and low light conditions, as seen inside the office, without the need of obtrusive artificial lighting, and the end product of the footage is still high quality.
There is also no need for a boom-stick to pick up audio here, since there is a non-directional camera built into the camera. This means that there is no large audio device taking up space in the room, making sure that no employees are distracted by the camera crew since their small and portable equipment keeps them unobtrusive. This non-directional microphone also does not need to be aiming at a specific subject to capture audio from them, and just one digital camera can capture good quality audio from around the entire room without using bulky, heavy and obstructive equipment. Digital cameras are also cheaper than film cameras, so two were bought for Sisters In Law, and we can see this from how the film cuts between them both. This allows for more footage to be captured, as seen here from where the camera cuts from a shot of a woman setting up her desk in the office and answering a phone to a man in the lawyer’s office the next room over. But despite there being more cameras here, they still take up little more space as they are so small and portable. The audio from the office has also been edited to play over the footage of man in the lawyers office, so that we can hear the conversation playing out in one place but also be immersed in the environment from the clip of the office, making us, the audience, feel like we are really there. The digital camera can zoom in on objects of significance, such as the wife who is giving her story, to focus the audience’s attention on them without physically moving the camera and distracting the participants. The compact nature of the cameras also leads to people sometimes forgetting that they are there and giving a genuine reaction to things, such as when the lawyer shouts “That’s what you men do” at the husband, which allows for more authentic aspects of these people and life in the village to be captured.
Digital camera technology has also had a significant impact on the production of the Manka sequence. The camera is small and compact, remaining unobtrusive in the lawyer’s small office as it takes up significantly less space than a film camera would. This prevents it from being distracting at any point for the participants in the documentary, such as the small child Manka, who does not look at it more than once throughout the whole scene. It also allows for Longinotto to point the camera at whatever is relevant in a specific moment, such as the lawyer, who she pans right to show as she gives a reaction to the aunt’s actions. The lawyer’s reaction, a brief moment of anger, was also made possible by the size and portability of the digital cameras, as the lawyer likely forgot that they were there and so gave a completely honest reaction in the heat of the moment. These digital cameras can also zoom, so Longinotto can bring the audiences specific attention to something, such as the aunt’s reaction to what she has done when it zooms in on her face as the lawyer questions her, or in this case the scars on Manka’s back, making the audience feel sympathetic for her and avoiding having to physically move closer to capture it on camera, interrupting the proceedings. The camera also automatically refocuses when it pans right to show the lawyer’s reaction to the scars on Manka’s back, and this shows that these cameras can move quickly, but also do not require professional camera operators to be used and capture good quality footage.
The near infinite storage space on these cameras allows for Longinotto to record for as long as is needed, and avoid interrupting events and proceedings to get a new camera. This is impactful as a documentary filmmaker, specifically an observational one, must avoid being a distraction for the participants of the film and interfering with the way that events play out. These lightweight and portable, accessible and compact digital cameras remain unobtrusive throughout the production process and prevent the film crew form being too involved in the events that they are documenting. The high quality of the camera footage also allows for the scars on Manka’s back and legs to be seen clearly by the audience, emphasising the severity of the aunt’s actions, and the zoom again helps here by allowing Longinotto to focus the audiences attention without moving herself. The long takes in this sequence also show to the audience that the footage here is unedited and untampered through editing, making the film feel more authentic and real.
Digital technology has had a significant impact on Sisters In Law. Lightweight, portable, compact cameras with near limitless storage space allow for long takes and for the filmmakers to stay unobtrusive in the films production, separate from events and avoiding interrupting proceedings. They also film in natural light conditions, and their non-directional, built in microphones allow for quality audio to be captured form all around an area without the need for a boom stick, which can be bulky, difficult to carry around and distracting for the film’s participants. Non-linear digital editing has allowed for Kim Longinotto to choose which clips she would want included in the final film, and what is not necessary, and make sure that events are kept in order and different audio and footage clips can be overlapped to make the film more entertaining and flow better, keeping only the most important clips in the final film.
Version 2:
Digital technology has impacted Sisters In Law (Kim Longinotto, 2005) to a large extent. Digital audio equipment, digital camera technology and non-linear digital editing have made it easier for Kim Longinotto to gain high quality footage and documentation of their subject without making any sacrifices during the production process.
In the opening sequence of Sisters In Law, the camera shows the view from inside a moving car, introducing us to the village the film will be set in. The digital camera stabilisation here captures the view from outside the window clearly, in good quality footage, and prevents the camera from shaking around and disrupting the quality of the footage. This is the first time that the portability of digital cameras can be seen in the film, as the camera being used here fits into the back of this small car. The first show we see of the office is a man parking his bike up. This shot, alongside those inside the office, were included in the final film after the editing process because Longinotto was able to film for long periods of time, capturing lots of footage of this village so that she could choose which clips to keep in the film. This is because the digital cameras hold near limitless storage, so that the filmmaker can film for as long as they want, as seen in the opening shot to this sequence, and decide what to include in the film in post-production. The lightweight nature and portability of digital cameras allows for Longinotto to film in these cramped office conditions without getting own the employees’ way, since the small camera can just be moved when needed. These digital cameras can also film in natural and low light conditions, as seen inside the office, without the need of obtrusive artificial lighting, and the end product of the footage is still high quality, as we can see the inside of the office clearly despite the lack of artificial lighting equipment.
There is also no need for a boomstick to pick up audio here, since there is a non-directional camera built into the camera. This means that there is no large audio device taking up space in the room, making sure that no employees are distracted by the camera crew since their small and portable equipment keeps them unobtrusive. This non-directional microphone also does not need to be aiming at a specific subject to capture audio from them, and just one digital camera can capture good quality audio from around the entire room without using bulky, heavy and obstructive equipment, as seen when a woman speaking in frame can be heard at the same time as a man who is sat outside of shot. Digital cameras are also cheaper than film cameras, so two were bought for Sisters In Law, and we can see this from how the film cuts between them both. This allows for more footage to be captured, as seen here from where the camera cuts from a shot of a woman setting up her desk in the office and answering a phone to a man in the lawyer’s office the next room over. But despite there being more cameras here, they still take up little more space as they are so small and portable. The audio from the office has also been edited to play over the footage of man in the lawyers office, so that we can hear the conversation playing out in one place but also be immersed in the environment from the clip of the office, making us, the audience, feel like we are really there. The digital camera can zoom in on objects of significance, such as the wife who is giving her story in the lawyers’ office, to focus the audience’s attention on them without physically moving the camera and distracting the participants. The compact nature of the cameras also leads to people sometimes forgetting that they are there and giving a genuine reaction to things, seen in Sisters In Law when the lawyer shouts “That’s what you men do” at the husband, which allows for more authentic aspects of these people and life in the village to be captured.
The near infinite storage space on these digital cameras, made possible by SLR memory cards, allows for Longinotto to record for as long as is needed and avoid interrupting events and proceedings to get a new camera or new film tape. This is impactful as a documentary filmmaker, specifically an observational one, must avoid being a distraction for the participants of the film and interfering with the way that events play out, seen in Sisters In Law when the lawyer has an outburst of anger against the aunt who beat Manka. These lightweight and portable, accessible and compact digital cameras remain unobtrusive throughout the production process and prevent the film crew from being too involved in the events that they are documenting by walking around or taking up space, reminding participants of their presence there. The high quality of the camera footage also allows for the scars on Manka’s back and legs to be seen clearly by the audience, emphasising the severity of the aunt’s actions, and the zoom again helps here by allowing Longinotto to focus the audiences attention without moving herself. The long takes in this sequence also show to the audience that the footage here is unedited and untampered through editing, making the film feel more authentic and real.
Digital camera technology has also had a significant impact on the production of the Manka sequence. The camera is small and compact, remaining unobtrusive in the lawyer’s small office as it takes up significantly less space than a film camera would. This prevents it from being distracting at any point for the participants in the documentary, such as the small child Manka, who does not look at it more than once throughout the whole scene. It also allows for Longinotto to point the camera at whatever is relevant in a specific moment, such as the lawyer, who she pans right to show as she gives a reaction to the aunt’s actions. The lawyer’s reaction, a brief moment of anger, was also made possible by the size and portability of the digital cameras, as the lawyer likely forgot that they were there and so gave a completely honest reaction in the heat of the moment. These digital cameras can also zoom, so Longinotto can bring the audiences specific attention to something, such as the aunt’s reaction to what she has done when it zooms in on her face as the lawyer questions her, or in this case the scars on Manka’s back, making the audience feel sympathetic for her and avoiding having to physically move closer to capture it on camera, interrupting the proceedings. The camera also automatically refocuses when it pans right to show the lawyer’s reaction to the scars on Manka’s back, and this shows that these cameras can move quickly, but also do not require professional camera operators to be used and capture good quality footage.
So overall, digital cameras, non-linear digital editing and digital audio equipment has had a significant positive impact on the production of Sisters In Law. They allow for Kim Longinotto to operate with a small camera crew and lightweight, portable cameras that remain unobtrusive andcapture quality footage in natural conditions, with the digital memory card storage capability allowing for long, uninterrupted takes that make it possible to capture unexpected events during production, such as honest reactions from the participants. The digital audio equipment allows for the film crew to remain stationary as they record and captures what is needed, remaining unobtrusive by reducing the need for boomsticks, and the non-linear digital editing means that Kim Longinotto can take what footage she finds most essential to the film and include it in post-production to keep events in chronological order for the audience.
At the beginning of the scene, people are shown playing a football game. No one playing football is paying attention to the camera, due to how small and unobtrusive it is. This part of everyday life in the village was also recorded in the first place due to there being near limitless storage in the camera for footage.
Inside the courtroom, the lightweight cameras comes in handy since the filmmakers using them can quickly move out of peoples way as they walk into the room. The room also has no artificial lighting, but the cameras do not need it as they can get good quality footage even in low light conditions. There is also a multi camera set up, as seen from there being shots from in front and behind the woman. These cameras could be used due to them being affordable and easily accessible to the film maker as, and also allows for them to avoid walking around the room during the trial and interrupting events.
The ease of use of digital cameras allows for her and her assistant to both use one for good coverage of the scene. The near infinite storage also allows for both of them to record constantly, picking up lots of footage and avoiding stopping the proceedings to get a new camera or film. The portability of the cameras also allowed for Longinotto to move into a corner of the room to remain outside of events while recording. The portability and lightness of the cameras allows for her to make delicious on the spot, since she has not planned where to stand or film from or what to focus on. Since the camera is so small and unobtrusive, people eventually forget that it is there, which gets an honest reaction out of one of the men, who jokes about the wive’s husband killing her, which was picked up by the cameras that don’t have to stop recording. This causes Longinotto to have to step in to remind the men of her presence to influence the proceedings to gain a more favourable conclusion.
The camera being used in the Manka sequence is clearly so unnoticeable, unobtrusive and compact that even the child, Manka, doesn’t seem to notice it. The cheaper, affordable digital cameras allow for more to be bought, so a multiple camera set up allows for more footage to be captured. Extended takes can record more footage since the camera cannot run out of film.
A more lightweight camera means that Kim Longinotto can move and react quickly to events happening without her control, and also reduces the need for editing since she can simply face her camera towards whatever is most important in that moment. The long takes also prove to the audience that all they are seeing is real, untampered with through editing, and everything that they are seeing actually happened with the filmmakers adapting to film it, adding to the documentary’s authenticity.
Filming more allows for Longinotto to select the best footage and include it in the final film, leaving out what she doesn’t like. Her equipment is high quality enough to pick out details of the small scars on Manka’s back even without out artificial lighting. The way that the prosecutor loses her temper towards the end of the scene shows that she has forgotten Longinotto is there filming, or at least to enough of an extent that she may break her composure and give her most authentic reaction to the aunt’s actions.
In the establishing shot of the opening sequence, the camera is filming from inside a moving car window, recording their entrance into the village. The digital camera is steady and stable, remaining portable but also with good camera quality. The camera is also able to film in low-light conditions, as there is clearly no artificial light around, but the footage is of high quality, and this long, uninterrupted take is made possible due to near unlimited storage space.
The background and foreground of the pan shot of the village are both in focus, which shows that digital cameras do not require professional photographers to be operated properly and efficiently. The clip of the man parking his bike has been left in the film spot-production, and it was taken in the first place since Kim Longinotto can make long takes due to such large storage spaces. There is also not much space for movement in the reception room, so the small and compact digital cameras allows for unobstrusive filming methods that keeps the filmmakers out of people’s ways. There is also no artificial lighting indoors, but the digital camera quality is still high since it does not need artificial light conditions to shoot in. There is also no boom pole needed since the camera being used has a built in, good quality microphone, so the film crew remain unobstrusive, taking up less space, having less equipment to buy, and can fit in smaller, more confined spaces.
There are also multiple cameras being used, which we can tell from the fact that the footage of someone in one shot is overlayed with audio taken by another one. This shows that digital cameras are more affordable and accessible than film cameras, so more people can get into the industry and create their own work. The small, compact camera also means less people notice and are distracted by it. Kim Longinotto also does not know what is going to happen while filming. Many important events may occur or nothing at all, so having near limitless storage allows for her to film for as long as she wants and choose the best footage post production, and also does not have to stop recording or time recording carefully and risk losing valuable footage because the film camera was off or taking a while to set up.
Digital cameras can also zoom, so Kim Longinotto does not have to move around to fill the frame with certain people, which she does often here, as seen in how she zooms in, from the corner of the room, on the wife who is explaining the story of how her child was kidnapped by her husband. When the camera pans to the right to show the prosecutor, we can see it quickly an sharply refocus on her face, which shows that digital cameras do not need professional camera operators to be used. There is also a non-directional microphone in the camera, so it does not need to be aimed at someone too pick up audio, which is useful for when multiple people are talking at once and it does not take up much attention. The fact that Kim Longinotto is able to record so much footage is what allows for these accidentally revealing moments, like when the prosecutor shouts at the husband, losing her temper and yelling “That’s what you men do!”.
The divorce sequence begins with an establishing shot to contextualise the scenery and environment of rural village life in Cameroon. The scene then cuts to a shot of the abusive husband sat at a desk to remind the audience of this particular case by showing them of that certain character. The court council is shown from Amina (the wife’s) perspective at first, helping the audience understand what position she is in. Longinotto moves around the room here to document the scene, but also remain out of the way of the people, so as to not interfere in what is happening at all. This is shown to have worked when the court begin speaking to Amina in a disrespectful and threatening way, leading them into behaving how they would normally, without cameras in the room, since they forget that they are they. However, it also leads to them playing to the camera, as seen at the end of the scene where they grant the divorce and speak to Amina in a more polite and respectful way.
The court speaks to the husband more respectfully than they do to Amina, asking him what they want as oppose to telling Amina what to do. This shows how Longinottos observatory style works, causing characters to act as they would off-camera, since they forget that it is there. The courts discrimination against Amina is also seen in how the man does not dispute her evidence that he abused her, and they still threaten her that they wont grant the divorce. Amina and her husband are shown in a two-shot as she explains how he abused her, showing both victim and offender in frame to allow the audience to see what affect the man has had on her. A close up on Amina shows her fear and sadness as tears streak down her face, and another close-up as the men threaten her, bringing the audiences attention to the affect that this situation is having on her, making us sympathise with her. After the divorce is granted, the abusive husband is kept out of frame, showing that he no longer has any influence over Amina, instead focusing on her, zooming in to show her happiness and relief at her victory.
At the beginning of the Manka sequence, the scene cuts between two camera, one showing Manka and the man who took her to the police station, and the other showing Vera, the prosecutor. Cutting between two cameras avoids panning too much, instead using simple shot-reverse-shots. As the man explains how he found Manka, the camera stays on him and her in a two shot, the size difference emphasising how small and frail Manka is and also her uncomprehending expression, showing her trauma, and the mans concern as he tells the story. The camera also looks down as Manka in a high angle shot to show how small she is, which gives the scene more gravity as the man explains what has happened to her. It also zooms in on her face to bring emphasis on her bloodshot eye, allowing the audience to see what has happened to her, having more of an affect on them than if it was just said without footage to back it up. Longinotto brings the audiences attention to important parts of a scene, but in the process may have an impact upon their interpretation of the scene through cinematography.
The camera stays focused on Manka’s face as as she is questioned, and this brings to the audiences attention the passive expression and obvious confusion and sadness she has, making us feel more sympathy for her and helping us understand the effect the beatings have had on her. The camera then pans to the right to show Vera’s reaction to Manka’s confirmation that here aunty beat her, showing to the audience her clear dismay and disappointment at what she is hearing, showing that she is a good person. It also stays on her as she makes a phone call, showing her mounting anger.
As the police officers get an arrest warrant for Manka’s aunt, the camera follows them and occasionally shows random people to give a better, more authentic image of the environment that they work in. As the aunt is questioned by Vera, it stays focused on her with only her in frame for a while, showing her increasingly distressed reactions to the questions that she cannot lie her way out of. It occasionally zooms out as she tries to defend herself, creating a two or three shot of the aunt, Manka and the man. The contrast between the man, who cannot even bring himself to look at the aunt, and the aunt who is desperately trying to defend herself from her crime, makes her seem like the villain of this scene, and the man the good character in frame. It also shows how passive and confused Manka is at her aunts pleading, which shows how young she is and, therefore, how cruel and uncaring the aunt is, which is emphasised by how she relentlessly begs for mercy here.
The camera does not cut back to Vera often, only panning right to sometimes show how angry she is at the aunt for her actions. Most of the time it stays on the people on the other side of the table, immersing the audience into Vera’s position, which is done to make her seem like a good person to them. It zooms in on Manka’s back as her scars are revealed, and also keeps the aunty in frame in a two shot to show what she has done and her reaction to it. The three shot also shows how the man is looking after Manka, who looks relatively comfortable with him, while her aunt, who is supposed to look after her, only uses her to try and prove her defence case. As all the people leave the room, the camera pans left to show Vera’s expression of disappointment and anger, which pushes the presentation of her as a moral and just person.
The opening sequence of Sisters In Law is from a handheld camera looking outside the window of a moving car. This shows the rural, African location that the film is set in, introducing the audience to this foreign environment. Longinotto also challenges the audiences pre-conceived ideas of what a rural African village may be like by displaying the dull, overcast sky and thick greenery surrounding the village. There is also some African-inspired non-diegetic music playing over this footage, immersing the audience in this environment and culture. It’s jaunty and makes the tone of the film seem more light and happy, juxtaposing the later serious and grim subject matter.
As the scene continues, obvious, hard cuts are used to show that time has passed and we are getting deeper into this village. There is no contextual information for the film others than the captions showing where it is, to avoid influencing the audiences opinion in any way. The camera pans right to show a dirt road in the village, immersing the audience in the scene by making it feel more like they are seeing these events as they happen, and that they are there. The camera movements are also spontaneous and move as events occur, following participant’s movements since events are not scripted or planned in observatory film.
Longinotto’s physical presence is reduced by only her and a co-director filming. They did not ask people to speak English, instead using English subtitles to keep the films authenticity. No music is played after the initial opening shot, keeping the atmosphere feeling real and avoiding manipulating the audience’s feelings. The crew go around, recording aspects of everyday life in this village to create a sense of place in the film. She also uses zoom at times, sacrificing aesthetic for a useful way of bringing the audiences attention to something. She also stands in the corner of the office to remain out of the way as she records, and moves and refocuses the camera to focus on whatever is important in that moment.
When the film does cut between shots, it is not done to manipulate the audience but to compress the films length and avoid unnecessary scenes that don’t add anything to the film. If the important moments, like conversations go on for a long time, then so does the the scene. The film is also visually imperfect, as seen when the camera pans left to show Vera talking to the husband who kidnapped his wife’s child, and the camera takes a second to refocus. This is left in since the scene is still important for the film.
Every time there is an extended sequence focusing on one of the sisters, Longinotto then cuts to scenes of domestic life in Cameroon to contextualise the film and show more of what the location is like, putting it into real life and immersing the audience, teaching them of what it is like there. Handheld cameras, natural lighting creates a real sense of place, showing more of what the location is and also avoiding spending time setting up bulky equipment, allowing her to capture events in real time, making the film less artificial and staged.
There are many differences in the key aspects of film form between fiction films and documentary films. This table lists those differences.
Fiction Films:
Mise-en-scene is real or ‘fake’ to create the film.
Characters are real or invented purely for the film but are mostly played by actors.
Equipment is hidden from the audience to create the film.
Filmmaker is a director who is in charge of the creative process but not in the film.
Narrative follows people in the film, can be changed to suit the filmmakers wants.
The audience will accept the reality of the film, fiction or not. These films want to attract the broadest possible audience who want to be entertained.
Fictional film usually has a higher budget than documentary film.
Environment is invented for the film or shot on set but put into fictional context for film. Environment can be real and set in real location too.
Documentary Films:
Mise-en-scene is real and used to create the film.
Characters are usually played by real people, interviewed for their involvement in the subject matter.
Equipment is shown to exhibit the reality of the documentary.
Filmmaker creates the film but can be shown on screen/be part of the film.
The narrative follows real events and must be concise to make the subject matter clear and understandable.
Attract a niche audience who want to learn about a subject band not necessarily be entertained, and know that the film is showing real events.
Documentary film usually has a lower budget than fiction film.
Environment is real in documentary film and used for a specific purpose.
“How far do each of the films that you have studied represent key characters in ways that reinforce or challenge the audiences expectations?”
Plan:
Introduction – overview how men and women are reflected in how Romina and Ariel act, then describe how the way they act reinforces our expectations but goes on to challenge them later on.
1 – Describe how Ariel and the chef is represented in a way that reinforces our expectations.
2 – Describe how they are represented in ways that challenge our expectations.
3- Describe how Romina and Ariel’s mistress are represented in ways that reinforce expectations.
4 – Describe how they are represented in ways that challenge expectations.
Conclusion – Summarise previous points and explain, link to overall question.
Version 1:
Wild tales represents key characters, who are used to symbolise the groups of men and women, in ways that, at first, reinforce audience expectations. However, as the film goes on, these representations change in ways that communicate themes of revenge and taking power by challenging audience expectations.
As one theme of the wedding sequence is gender inequality, the key male characters in that scene, Ariel and the chef, are at first represented in ways that reinforce the audiences expectations. Through performance, Ariel is extremely happy and exited during the wedding, with a wide grin on his face and happily greeting his friends. He carries himself in a proud and confident demeanour, and we see him touch his mistress, which shows his audacity and belief that he can get away with anything. His power complex and smugness are emphasised by Romina’s hopeless and distraught expression, amplifying the psychological damage that his actions have had on her. His costume is also extremely straight and tidy, showing his obsession with his appearance, and he is never shown at eye-level when in frame with Romina, showing his how he has taken advantage of her and gotten away with it. The chef is different, and at first challenges the audiences expectations by being kind and comforting to Romina, as seen in how he is kept eye-level; with her when in frame together, but his seemingly sentimental attitude is shown to be a rouse when he is seen leaking his story to his co-workers. This representation reinforces audience expectations of the character as he is a male, and the lack of many other male characters in this scene and Ariel’s affair show that a clear theme of this story is negative masculinity and gender inequality.
As the story goes on though, Ariel begins to be represented in a way that challenges audience expectations. His proud and perfect demeanour fade away into panic as he pleads with Romina to remain happy until the end of the wedding, and his facade completely cracks and a terrified expression comes onto his face. He also leans down as he pleads with her. This reflects how she is already bringing him down to her level, and he is spiralling in his attempt to maintain his perfect appearance, and is willing to try and emotionally manipulate her, like the chef does, to make it seem like he has a perfect and happy marriage. By the end of the story, Ariel has completely lost all composure, letting go of his proud and independent masculine demeanour, being cradled and comforted by his mother. He is below Romina’s eye level here, his previously perfect uniform is disheveled and he is is in a mess of tears, showing that she has completely won over him and he no longer has any power over her, and she has taken revenge. This representation challenges audience expectations by contrasting how we expect Ariel to act from the way that he is built up as a proud and masculine figure, certain in himself and exploitative of his wife’s ignorance. So, seeing him represented as weak and fragile challenges our expectations.
Romina, a key character, is a reflection of women who are exploited by un-faithful husbands, which creates the expectation of her being timid and weak. She is at first represented in a way that reinforces the audiences expectation through cinematography and performance. At the beginning of the scene, Romina is extremely exited and has an almost plastic grin plastered onto her face. This obviously exaggerated emotion portrays her as ignorant and perhaps even gullible, which we would expect from how Ariel also acts like a stereotypical male. She is also represented as hopeless and emotionally devastated when she realises that her husband has had an affair, as she is shown in an extreme close up, with an panicked expression and everything else other than her face out of focus, reflecting her feeling of isolation and helplessness in that moment. This represents Romina as a weak and fragile character, and continues as she flees the party in a desperate panic attack, crying and breaking down as she runs away. This makes us sympathise with her as she is obviously distraught, but also reinforces our expectations, as so far she has been represented as naive, so an emotional shock like ethics would have such an expected impact on her.
However, Romina is also presented in ways that challenge the audiences expectations, to a large extent too. As Romina threatens to ruin Ariel’s life on the roof, her sadness transforms into anger and fuelled obsession as she screams with hate, and looks down her nose at him. Here, Ariel is also shown to be panicked and terrified by her outburst, showing that she is growing to stand up for herself, surprising the audience as it is such a sudden change in the couples power dynamic. As the wedding sequence continues, Romina assumes more influence over Ariel, which challenges audience expectations to a large extent. She is kept above his eye-level, reflecting her new-found power over him, and her previously beautiful and white dress is now spattered with blood and her make-up ruined by tears. This change in her previously perfectly organ used demeanour and appearance reflects her change in personality and sudden obsession with revenge, abandoning public image in favour of ruining Ariel’s life as he ruined hers. This sudden seizure of power and independence is a drastic change from the giddy and over the top performance and perfect appearance of Romina at the start of the story challenges the audiences expectations of how Romina acted as a character.
Wild Tales represents key characters in ways that initially reinforce audience expectations, but as power dynamics change and the themes of the story become more clear, our expectations are challenged to a far extent. Characters fit or stray from audience expectations through cinematography, performance and mise-en-scen, and these reflect the changes in their character from how they were introduced at the beginning of their arcs, and from that they are represented in ways that heavily reinforce audience expectations and ways that suddenly challenge them as a character progresses and changes.
“Discuss how aesthetics are used to communicate themes in Wild Tales. Make detailed reference to particular sequences in your answer”.
Essay Plan:
Introduction – Each story has its own aesthetic. Mention this then talk about how each one communicates the theme intended in each story.
Middle – Talk about wedding sequence. Talk extensively about the techniques used, how they communicate themes, what said themes are. After two paragraphs move onto diner sequence, and talk about how aesthetic differs from previous one, and repeat process.
Conclusion- Explain how both sequences use their individual aesthetics communicate their individual themes.
Version 1:
Each individual story in wild tales has its own specific aesthetics that are used to communicate the themes of each story, which differ form the others. Cinematography, mise-en-scen, performance and sound all combine to create the aesthetic, and through these the themes of each story can be inferred.
The wedding story has a clear aesthetic that sets it apart from the other story’s. The sequence begins with an extremely large and filled wedding party, adorned with expensive furniture and decorations. The mise-en-scen here gives the scene a clear opulent aesthetic, communicating the story’s theme of wealth. When the newly-weds enter the scene, the camera pushes in on them and keeps them centre frame to symbolise that they are the centre of attention and events, as is also shown through the lavish red carpet they walk in on, and the crescendo in the diegetic compiled score. When they reach their family and friends, the couple immediately separate and talk to their individual groups. We see, through performance, the couple seem extremely happy, and they have almost plastic seeming smiles on and act in stereotypical ways, perhaps as they would be expected to act at a wedding. The bride screams in joy as she runs up to her friends, and the groom shakes hands and laughs with his friends. The characters act as if their movements and expressions are completely scripted, which gives the scene an aesthetic where the characters do not act as themselves. The couples obvious separation is also shown from the shot-reverse shots between the bride and groom, whose backs are facing each other. This communicates the theme of superficiality in the story, but more specifically the couple’s fake affection for each other, which is apparent in how they never speak to each other with actual respect or adoration throughout the entire scene.
The entire ballroom is filled with flashing lights and bright and dark costumes. The contrast in the mise-en-scen and cinematography is extremely sharp, symbolising the differences between how the men and women act in this story, communicating the theme of gender inequality. This is also shown through how Romina, the bride, is kept at eye level throughout the scene, whilst her husband, Ariel, whenever in frame with her, is shown as above her via low-angle shots. This represents his expectation of being a stronger figure than his wife, playing into the theme of gender inequality. Romina’s inability to stand up to the actions of her husband are also shown when she calls his mistress, which is shown through a shot where Romina is stood in the backdrop of the shot, whilst the woman is at the front, far from her, symbolising Romina’s weakness and helplessness. This is shown to have changed at the end of the story when Ariel begins to break down, letting go of his happy and perfect facade, crying and curling up into a ball on the floor. He is then shown as beneath Romina, as the camera looks up at her from a low-angle shot, showing how she now stands over him, communicating the theme of overcoming gender stereotypes and taking power, the story arch that Romina goes through.
The theme of superficiality is also shown through the scenes tense and uncomfortable aesthetic, which is accomplished through sound as-well as performance. This is seen at the end of the scene when Romina re-enters the ballroom and the music stops playing. All of the guests and Ariel have concerned expressions on their faces as they watch on at the scene Romina is making, and this sharp contrast from their previous joy emphasises the seriousness of the moment, and communicates the theme of superficiality, combined with the lack of music that symbolised the attempt at hiding the couples obvious disdain for each other. The couple lavished their wedding in expensive jewellery and furniture and loud music and happy faces, a combination of sound, performance and mise-en-scen, as when these all take a sharp contrast to make the scene feel more serious, it communicates the theme of superficiality being broken by revenge and obsession.
The theme of revenge is communicated through mise-en-scen and performance and cinematography, which give the scene a violent and brutal aesthetic. At the beginning of the scene, Ariel towers over his wife, grinning madly knowing that he has gotten away with cheating on her. As Romina becomes aware of his actions and exposes him, she becomes more loud, clumsy and out-going, whilst Ariel beds down to be eye-level with her, and his voice becomes evidently uncomfortable and panicked. At the end of the scene, Romina stands above her husband, staring down at him, and is shown to have won over him through the low-angle shot of her looking at him. Her dress is also covered in blood, symbolising how her wedding, and chance at a perfect, happy, if pretend, life has been ruined by her obsession with revenge. Ariel’s costume also becomes rugged and messy here, symbolising him letting go of his facade of happiness in his panic and desperation to keep Romina quiet and submissive to him. When Romina spins around with Ariel’s mistress, she and her are kept in focus, whilst everything else is kept out of focus. This represents Romina’s obsession with getting revenge on the woman who ruined her marriage, and nothing else matters to her in that moment.
The themes of superficiality, revenge, obsession and gender inequality are communicated through the wedding sequences aesthetic. The aesthetic has a sharp contrast which reflects the differences between men and women in the story, and the way that the characters performances and costumes change throughout the scene reflects the theme of superficiality. Mise-en-scen, cinematography, and performance and sound create the scenes aesthetic, and therefore communicate the themes intended in the wedding sequence.
Key tip: consider and name this sequence a shirt film, and split this short film up into sequences within itself, such as the rooftop sequence, etc.
Cinematography:
The scene begins with a frame within a frame, where a picture of Romina as a child is kept-centre frame to bring our attention to it. The camera pulls out to reveal that it is part of a slideshow and being showed at a party. The camera then crabs to the right to show off all the guests and the scale of the wedding party. We then cut to a shot from even further back to reveal the full-scale of the party. A handheld camera shot immerses us in the scene, as it is being filmed by a cameraman, making it feel more real. The frame is repositioned to have the archway centre-frame to signify the importance of the people coming through it. The camera pulls back to follow the couple, almost making it a tracking shot to show us how important they are. As they begin to dance the camera follows them to keep our attention on them. The camera also glides around to show them from different angles, and they are shown to be facing away from one another in parallel edited cuts. This also implies that the couple are married more so for the sake of appearances, rather than actual love.
Another wide shot of the whole room displays the expense and glamour of it all. The handheld camera shows that they know they are being recorded, hence, putting on a false face of happiness. The camera pushes forward to keep the couple centre frame bring our attention to their false happiness. The next shot of people sat at a table is framed like a photograph, showing that Romina feels observed and recorded. After she realises what has happened to her, she is left alone in the shot, showing her feelings of isolation and fear. The camera tracks her alone, signifying that she is the only character of importance at that moment, and comes to rest on a short of her looking in the mirror to symbolise self-reflection. This also allows the woman Romina calls have room in frame, showing her importance but also Romina’s concentration on her, and desire to keep herself hidden from her. We then see Romina’s reaction as we push in to focus on her face. The camera then arcs around into an over the shoulder shot to show what Romina is focusing her anger on, and the look on her face.
We then have our attention shifted from Romina to the girl by a focus pull, and the second phone call is shot with Romina in the background to show what the woman’s perspective is like, how she does not notice Romina but Romina has not stopped looking at her. It also shows her grieving process. As Romina walks away from the dance, a canted angle shot symbolises how her world has fallen apart. We then see a POV shot from her perspective to emphasise how observed and frightened she feels. We see her calming down when the camera is at eye-level and more steady, but when shots are more frantic is shows the breaking down of this perfect facade the couple has created. This communicates the themes of superficiality, power and obsession.
A birds-eye-view shot tracks her and leads to the audience thinking that she is about to commit suicide, raising the tension of the moment, and also emphasises the sheer size of the building, and thus, the danger of the fall. A shallow depth of field keeps Romina in focus and everything else out of focus, showing that she is the only thing of importance in this moment, and is very deep in thought/grief. This also reflects how things look when you are crying. The camera stops moving around and the editing slows down as the chef consoles Romina, showing how he is sensible, wise, and how his words are calming Romina. After Romina storms back into the hall, the camera is shaky, reflecting her anger and broken facade. We see a shot of the chef in the kitchen, centre frame to bring our attention to him, and how he is laughing at the encounter he had. We then see a reaction shot of how humiliated and distraught Romina is. The dancing is shown as more chaotic by the camera staying on Romina and the woman she hates, showing her obsession with her and her desire for revenge, and how everything else is out of focus for her. It also makes the audience feel dizzy and match the feeling of Romina and the woman she is spinning with.
Lots of canted angle shots emphasise the mayhem of the scene and the escalation of events. The camera moves unsteadily around the scene to match Romina’s drunken haze, and a series of two shots of Romina and her husband show their faces close together, that they no longer love each other, and are desperate. This communicates the themes of gender inequality and barriers, more specifically those set up by male power complex’s, being overcome/destroyed.
Sound:
The upbeat and popular song titanium plays in the diegetic, compiled score. This matches the couples apparent happiness, but also links to the theme of Romina standing up to her terrible husband later on. The song also enters the pre-chorus’s as the couple enter to build suspense and signify their importance. As the song builds up to a crescendo, the pace of the editing speeds up to match/reflect it. After a temporal cut, the more music is more classical and traditional, to symbolise the grand and expensive nature of the wedding. It is quietened after a temporal cut to let us hear the dialogue. As Romina looks on at her husbands mistress, we can hear their conversation, though we know that she cannot, showing that she is probably fearing what is being said. The diegetic sound of her breathing rises in the diegetic score to bring attention to her state of panic.
The next diegetic complied music played is very light and airy, but the volume increases as she touches hands to signify the importance of this moment. Her quavering voice is also contrasted by the romantic music playing, making the scene feel more ironic and grim. The diegetic sound of the door closing matches the end of the song, making way for complete silence on the roof. Our attention is brought to her conversation with the chef by the silence, the only sound other than the two characters the sounds of the cars below, immersing us in this environment on the roof, reflecting the isolation and safety there. Little music is played when Romina begins causing chaos in the ballroom, making the events seem much more serious and embarrassing, adding emphasis to to them. It also makes the diegetic sound of the bottle popping more shocking, and also makes it seem more like a gun shot has happened, similar to earlier when we were tricked into thinking that Romina has jumped off the roof.
Mise-en-scen:
The background of the image of Romina as a child symbolises anger and danger, a foreshadow to her later outburst. The couple sat at the table are completely surrounded by food, wine, expensive times that show how rich and elaborate this wedding is, and the expectations placed on the couple. The party lights are flashy and bright, showing excitement and reflecting feelings of joy and ecstasy. The party smoke and beautiful chandeliers show that a lot has been spent on making the wedding seem nice, which reflects the couples fake joy together. Their entrance is also made more theatrical by the red carpet, making them look like royalty, almost. Romina’s dress looks expensive, intricate, beautiful, and so does her husbands, showing their want to look happy and successful as a couple.
The colour palette is very light and blue, filled with cold colours that foreshadow bad events. In the new setting of the roof the palette becomes filled with more orange colours to signify a change in atmosphere. The ball room is filled with cameras to show how Romina feels observed and without privacy, and how much expectation is on the new couple. As Romina becomes more frustrated, hair makeup is drained away by her tears, and her dress and hair becomes ragged and dirty, where it was once so delicate and elegant. This symbolises her spiral and descent from a false face of happiness to her real emotions of grief and frustration. Communicates themes of superficiality, or rather the destruction of it.
There always seems to be a camera on screen, showing that this entire wedding is almost just for show. As her husband walks up the stairs, the colour palette is made green by the lighting there, symbolising envy and jealousy, the negative qualities of his character. As Romina delivers her monologue, lighting strikes to symbolise her rage, an example of pathetic fallacy. The white dress and chef’s uniforms match, showing a similarity between the bride and him, and also implying honesty, which makes the chef’s later telling of the story all the more crushing for Romina.
When the groom’s mistress is thrown into a mirror, the entire room is specked with glass to emphasise the severity of the moment, as-well as how much blood the woman is covered in when we next see her. The entire ballroom is in a state of disrepair by now, with tables toppled over and food littering the floor, emphasising how everything has fallen apart, and the facade has been shattered, also symbolised by the mirror breaking. As Romina rips out her hair extension it symbolises that she is completely done with her facade of happiness, and is at the final stage of her descent into disarray. An example of expressive costume that communicated the theme of superficiality.
Editing:
The camera cuts from a shot of the slideshow to a happy couple at a table to show how fond people are of the newly married pair. There are various cuts to people laughing and having fun to create a happy and up-beat atmosphere. This cutting also shows off the glamour of the wedding, and fits the pacing of the song. There is also one long shot of the couple entering to signify their I’m portable in this scene, over everyone else there. The scene is parallel edoted as the camera cuts between both of the newly weds in their separate friend groups to show that they are not as close as it would seem. A shot of the couple kissing has a camera interface edited over it to make it look like its from the perspective of a camera, putting the audience in the position of bystander to these awful events, forced to watch but not interfere, much like the on-lookers at the party. Shot-reverse shots do not show who is talking exactly all of the time to also show other peoples reaction to what is being said. This is seen on the roof when Romina and the chef talk to show that she is taking in all that he is saying.
As the scene progresses, the camera focuses more on Romina than her husband, which puts us in her position and makes us sympathise for her more. The separate movements of Romina and her husband are parallel edited to keep them separate, showing their secret desire to stay away from each other, which manifests as their physical distance now that the wedding is ruined. There is a glance-object of the shoe on the floor to show it’s importance as a symbol of false public appearance being dropped. After the woman is thrown into the mirror, a temporal cut slows the pace of the scene and gives the moment more gravity, and the atmosphere a more tense and thick feeling. It also serves as a cut to a new time period. The scene does not cut at all towards the send, making the audience look on at what is happening, immersing them in the moment.
Performance:
Everyone in the scene seems happy, almost to an ecstatic extent. As the couple walk through, they do not talk to each other at all, which implies that they are only doing this for public appearance, not actual love. They don’t even look at each other, and immediately separate when they have the chance. Everyone around them is so happy that it almost looks fake and put on like the couple themselves. The couples friends are also acting in stereotypical ways, with the men begging up their mate and the women ecstatically screaming in excitement. They are almost acting the way that they are supposed to as friends at a wedding. Romina’s husband, Ariel looks straight at the camera, implying his obsession with how he looks and acts when being watched.
The smiles for the camera look fake, acted. This is seen in how Romina smiles at people talking to her. Romina also try’s to walk away but is forcefully dragged back, which shows that she is not really choosing to be there. Her frequent mentions of Facebook also represent her artificiality and attention to appearance. We only see her joyful expression change as she sees someone she doesn’t recognise, which signifies that what she has noticed is of importance. We see Ariel lean over and touch the woman, which makes it clear that something has occurred between them. We also see this in how she turns around to grin after he has left. She also acts suspiciously as she quickly begins talking to someone else after accidentally making eye contact with Romina. For the first time, Romina does not look happy at all, emphasising just how concerned she is, and how important this moment is.
Even after being exposed by Romina, Ariel plastically smiles in front of everyone to keep his image happy and perfect. His eyes also frantically dart around to show that he is trying to see how other people are viewing him. Even though he has been caught cheating on his wife, he is still more concerned with maintaining his perfect image. Romina’s voice trembles after her fear is confirmed, and she stumbles and staggers around to show that she is disoriented and confused, shocked. She is visibly broken out of this hazy stupor when someone tries talking to her, showing how distracted she was.
After cheating on Ariel, Romina has a sudden newfound confidence which come out as she has her monologue, but there are also notes of sadness and grief in her voice, showing that she is doing this in self-defence. Ariel looks scared and mortified by his wife standing up to him, and at the threat of his perfect image being ruined, he cannot handle it, so breaks down and cries, completely ruining his image. Romina clearly enjoys this chaos she has caused, where Ariel does not, showing that she believes she has nothing left to lose. Her joy is clearly bittersweet though, as she revels in the madness, but obviously misses the pace she had before, and the happiness, whether real or not. Ariel is clearly beneath Romina as he is cared and consoled by his friends and family, whilst she does not care and walks around alone, done with her fake identity. She seems to take a certain peace after the mirror incident, accepting the chaos of her life, and the tatters of her image and marriage. She mocks her husband and the wedding itself, which she now admits was a facade, as she goes through the usual wedding traditions like cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet. Ariel is clearly resentful of her for ruining his life, and no longer cares to look happy and perfect for the cameras. As the couple makes up, they seem to take excitement and eagerness to repair their lives, or simply live them, now that they can take peace in the fact that they can’t fix it.
This low-angle shot of Ariel shows Romina’s new found power over him.
“Discuss how aesthetics are used to communicate themes in your two chosen films. Make detailed reference to particular themes in your answer.”
Essay plan:
– Guillermo Del Toro uses many different unique methods of filmmaking to create a dark and fantastical aesthetic in pan’s labyrinth. – For this essay on aesthetics in pan’s labyrinth I will discuss the key elements of film form in certain key sequences from the film, and how these are combined to create an aesthetic. – Specifically the first shaving sequence and first bedtime sequence, and for these I will go into detail about how cinematography, sound, editing, mise-en-scen and performance are used to combine and create an aesthetic, and from there how this communicates themes. after these two sequences are done I will expand onto an overview on the whole film. – Here I will simplify how Del Toro uses film form to create aesthetic, using what I discussed in detail in the sequences as evidence for how the entire film is given an aesthetic, and from here how this is used to communicate themes. (The essay question is on pan’s labyrinth and wild tales but I am only discussing pan’s labyrinth)
Essay: Version 1.
In Pan’s Labyrinth, the film has a dark and mystical aesthetic that creates and emphasises themes of the supernatural, mystically, fantasy and violence. They are predominantly created via the films unique mise-en-scen and cinematography, but all fundamentals of film form are used by the director, Guillermo Del Toro, to communicate these themes.
For the first bedtime sequence, Del Toro mostly uses cinematography and editing to give the scene a fantasy aesthetic that evolves into a dark and intense tone. The scene begins in Ofelia’s mothers’ room. This is shown by a tracking shot of Ofelia that pan’s to the right to reveal the room. The room is made to look dark and gloomy via the silvery and blue-tinted colour pallet used in the film at night. This creates a dark and still environment, and also symbolises the Captain’s control on the setting, as his uniform is blue as-well. The scene is given a slow and calm pace to immerse the audience in the dialogue by keeping the camera on Ofelia and her mother and not cutting. The camera leaves this shot via a hidden cut when it pedestals down into the darkness in the sheets. When it reemerges it is showing the inside of Ofelia’s mothers womb. This makes the movement through the scene feel fluid and constant, creating a dream-like feeling and fantastical aesthetic. This communicates the themes of imagination, and the conflict between fiction and reality in the film.
The camera continues this smooth and gliding movement pattern as Ofelia tells a fairy-tale, as seen when it pans to the right, exiting Ofelia’s mothers’ womb and entering the mountain-top setting. This makes the audience feel like they are in a dream, symbolising Ofelia’s undying imagination and the fairy-tales that she believes in, helping us to understand how she imagines these stories. The hidden transition is also made more smooth by the red colour of the womb matching that of the sky in the mountain shot, making the audience not even realise a cut had been made, reinforcing the dream-like quality of the sequence, and also giving the environment a dark and sinister aesthetic with the deep colour of blood. The colour palette once again changes to a dark and silvery-blue as the camera pedestals down from the mountain top, making the transition back into the real world all the less noticeable, creating a dark and gloomy aesthetic that makes it hard to differentiate the story from the reality in the film, communicating the theme of Ofelia not knowing the difference between reality and fiction.
Mise-en-scen is also used to create aesthetic in the bedtime sequence. For example, Vidal’s uniform is pristine and organised , decorated and clean. This gives him a sinister and cruel aesthetic, showing the themes of his obsession with appearance, expanded on more in the first shaving sequence, and his dedication to patriotism for the fascist regime he serves under. The performance by him and his soldiers emphasises this, since his posture is upright and assertive, dominant, whilst his men closely follow him, staying behind him and completing his commands immediately. This shows his authority and ranking above everyone else. The theme of Vidal’s violence is also enforced further when his men look on in visible disgust at the murder of the farmers, emphasising the effect he has on people, and his lack of empathy. This gives Vidal a grim and cruel aesthetic as a character. When the doctor is talking to Vidal, Vidal is shown through low-angle shots which show the height contrast between him and the doctor, making the Captain seem like a much more imposing and intimidating figure. The gears and mechanisms shown in the backdrop of the basement give the scene an almost steampunk aesthetic, which emulates the cold heartless and robotic nature of Vidal, communicating the theme of cruelty and un-caring tyranny of Vidal.
When Vidal confronts the farmers, the camera stays on an over-the shoulder shot of them looking at him. This shows off their concerned expressions and postures, Vidal’s height compared to theirs, and also builds suspense as we see him searching their bags. This adds to Vidal’s powerful but evil and imposing aesthetic, showing the theme of his violence and indifference to innocence. The camera cuts between a close high-angle shot and a close low-angle shot as Vidal beats the farmer’s son to death. This rapid editing makes the scene more intense, amplifying the shock of Vidal’s violence. The camera angles place us in the position of Vidal to bring the audiences attention to the brutality, and the farmer’s son to show Vidal’s calm and collected expression as he commits this act. This distressing and memorable scene adds to Vidal’s aesthetic, making him a cruel and sadistic character as-well as a collected and cunning commander. This communicates the theme of Vidal’s two-sided character, who is both calm and authoritative, yet has the capacity to be extremely violent and is prone to outbursts of rage.
The first shaving sequence uses mise-en-scen and performance to create the aesthetic of Vidal’s character and portray the themes involving him and the relationship he has with other characters, such as the wealth divide. As Vidal looks into his mirror, we see how intent and concentrated he is, as-well as the way that he confidently strolls around his room and carefully prepares his shaving equipment. The lack of hair on his face, combined with the immense care with which he is going about such a simple task as of shaving, give the character a sinister and powerful aesthetic, which reflects the themes of Vidal’s pride and self-obsession
As Vidal sits in the dining room, mise-en-scen is used to represent his control over the wealth and rations of this part of Spain, and his attentiveness to his presentation. He sits, polishing his boots with full attention, reflecting his obsession with his appearance, and his tidy and decorated uniform represent his patriotism as a Captain, and also his careful attention to his presentation. When Vidal stands and places his hand on Mercedes’s shoulder, an over-the-shoulder shot shows how much taller he is than her, making him a more intimidating and imposing presence to the audience, giving him a threatening aesthetic and communicating the theme of his power over the environment and those in it. The kitchen is also designed to reflect his power, as seen in the completely stocked space for the fireplace, which is very large, and the very long dining table. These represent the Captain’s wealth and power over rationing, and also effects the pale-man’s dining room. His large coffee mug also contributes to the Captain’s powerful but corrupt aesthetic as a character which delivers the theme of the wealth divide between the peasantry and nobility/government in Spain during the Civil War. The theme of Vidal’s dominance and authority is also shown through low-angle shots that face up at him. This makes him seem like a much more giant and physically imposing figure than those like Ofelia or Mercedes, who are kept art eye-level.
In Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro uses aesthetics to communicate certain themes, mostly via mise-en-scen and cinematography.. The first bedtime sequence is best for analysing how he can give a certain scene and environment an aesthetic, and the first shaving sequence shows how he can give characters aesthetic and can deliver themes through them and their surroundings. These aesthetics deliver certain themes such as wealth divides, the supernatural and the line between reality and fiction. This is done through cinematography that makes the audience see a character in a certain way, editing that creates a sense of fluid movement through a scene, and mise-en-scen that reflects themes and symbolises messages to the audience.
The scene begin’s with an arching wide-shot to show where the scene is taking place, what characters are involved, and establish the environment. It also show’s that Ofelia is alone in this moment. We then cut to a close-up of what’s in her book, signifying its importance, and the camera follows the images hat match up with the narration, creating a visual link between the story of fiction and the reality playing outer in front us. When Ofelia beings drawing on the wall, a close-up shows the shape that she is outlining, eluding to its significance later on in the scene, and also the effect that the chalk then has on the wall.
The camera cuts to the other side of the door to give the audience an un-obstructed view of the new environment. It also shows the scale of the hallway compared to Ofelia in a wide-shot. It also makes room for the contrast between the real and fantasy world, emphasising the nightmarish nature of the fantasy world. The wide-shot also shows how long the hallway is, which will be important as Ofelia fells from the pale-man, and also the alien architecture of the room.A close-up shows the hourglass and its importance, signifying that time may run out.
There is a wide-shot from over Ofelia’s shoulder to reveal the wide scale of the pale-mans room. The camera also stays near Ofelia to immerse us in her position, and make the audience feel like they are part of the scene. The camera crabs from left to right to follow Ofelia, keeping her centre frame and therefore the centre of the scene’s attention, but the camera is also placed on the other side of the table, allowing for us to seen all of the food placed on the table and her reaction to it.
This shot stops abruptly and rises to a slightly high-angle shot facing down at Ofelia. The stop makes the reveal of the pale man more surprising and shocking, and the camera pedestal makes him seem more imposing and also display the scale of the creature compared to Ofelia. It also rests for a moment on the pale-man to bring its horrific features to the audiences attention, allowing for them to become fearful of the monster, as they understand what it looks like.
This wide-shot brings the audience’s attention to the grotesque form of the pale man.
After picking up the Petri dish, a close-up signifies that it is important, and an over-the-shoulder shot brings the lack of eye sockets on the pale man to our attention, making us question why there are eyes on the plate and where they fit into his character. A close-up of Ofelia shows that she is looking up, and so when we see the arching shot of the tapestries we, the audience, understand where they are in the room, and the camera movement shows all of the tapestries, showing the pale-mans history without audibly explaining it.
The low angle-shot of the shoes rises to make it seem like a very tall and intimidating pile, and the camera switches focus to show Ofelia’s reaction to the shoe’s. Letting the audience know that she is realising the danger of the situation. A wide-shot shows all the key-holes, and therefore establishes the risk of this moment. A close-up of the key signifies its importance, and a close-up of it being put into the lock raises suspense as we wonder whether it will work or not.
The camera is inside the hole as Ofelia reaches for the dagger, which makes us fear for what is inside the hole and how much danger she is in by putting her arm in there, and the silhouette in the bottom right corner makes us wonder what that is, increasing the tension of the moment. A close-up of the blade shows its importance.
The pale man is kept out of focus in this shot to show that Ofelia is oblivious to him. It also keeps him in frame though to show how close he is to her, and also how she has not noticed him, and is instead focused on the food.
As Ofelia leaves, another shot lingers on the pale-man, since now we are wondering whether he will move or not. As she walks away, a close-up shows that she has come to a realisation, and the camera pans to the right to show what her attention has been caught by. A close-up of the grape brings to attention how enticing it is, and how delicious it looks. As Ofelia eats it the camera pedestals and pushes forwards, swapping focus to the pale-man to bring our attention to him and emphasise that he is about to do something, building suspense. The close-up of his hands shows the disgusting look of his fingers, and also pedestals up to show him coming to life and breathing for the first time. The next close-up shows his hands and him putting the eyes into them, answering the question posed by why the eyes were on a plate if he had no eye sockets.
The camera stays on Ofelia and keeps the pale-man out of focus to show that she is oblivious to him, and also raise tension as he approaches her. When Ofelia finally see’s him, the camera switches focus and remains eye-level with Ofelia to show how much taller and imposing he is compared to her, and install fear of the pale man in the audience. The closeup of the pale-man shows the gore when he devours the fairies, showing what he is capable of. As Ofelia turns and runs, the pale-man is kept in frame to show him wiping his mouth, and that he is ready to chase Ofelia.
The camera rapidly pans to the left to show that Ofelia is running back home, keeping her centre frame and therefore the centre of attention, and the fast movement of the camera creates tension and a frantic moment. The camera cuts back to the pale man to show that he is now in pursuit of Ofelia. The shaky camera used as she is running creates tension and reflects her panic. The shot of the other side of the wall slowly pushes out/dolly’s backwards, implying that there is no hope left. The pale-man is also shown entering the hallway and holding up his arm to let the audience know that he can see her, and is going to approach her.
As the pale-man walks down the hallway the camera follows his feet by quickly crabbing to the left, showing that he is heading towards Ofelia and also showing the speed with which he is moving, raising the tension of the scene. A close-up shows the chalk dropping, showing where it landed and how Ofelia can’t retrieve it, the chair legs wobbling, showing how close it is to toppling Oliver and therefore raising the risk and tension of the moment, and Ofelia’s horrified reaction to the pale man. The camera also quickly cuts back and forth between her and the pale man to emphasise how quickly he is catching up to her. When Ofelia climbs out of the doorway, there is a close-up of her hands on the floor to show how desperate and close to safety, and the camera quickly cuts between her feet and the pale mans closeness to them, raising tension and fear, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The doorway lets in light from the other room, emphasising the contrast between the two worlds and making the atmosphere and themes portrayed by the colour pallets more prevalent. There is also a close-up of the door to bring our attention to it shutting permanently.
There is clear similarity between the pale man and Vidal, such as their dining rooms, and the glassware on their tables.
Sound:
As the images come onto the page some fidgeting scribbling and scratching sounds can be heard, establishing a connection between the drawing and the magic of the moment, due to an invisible artist. The twinkle sound heard also adds to the fairy and fantasy themes/environment of the film. The non-diegetic narration shows Ofelia’s closeness to the story, and also shows the context for the images in the book. The non-diegetic composed score is subtle, with piano notes that adds a peaceful yet mysterious and somber atmosphere to the scene.
The chalk produces a sharp scraping sound on the wall, showing how rough and in-welcoming the architecture of the mill is, helping us understand Ofelia’s desire to escape. It also signifies the importance of the chalk in that moment, as important objects are the loudest in the diegetic sound score at their moment of significance. The later fizzing contrasts this, emphasising that the foaming and fizzing chalk is unnatural and adding to the fantasy element of the scene.
The music builds into a grand finish as Ofelia finally opens the door, signifying a change in environment and an important moment in the scene, keeping the audiences attention on the new world and building suspense as the door is slowly opened. The music here also signifies a grand entrance by Ofelia, showing her royal status in the fantasy world. The door also sounds extremely heavy as is it opened, showing Ofelia’s determination and obsession in the fantasy world. It also sounds like a boulder being pushed aside, adding a secretive and ancient feel to the new world.
As the camera shows the hallway, the music again builds into a trumpet filled climax, making the new environment feel un-welcoming and sinister. The distant diegetic sound of the pale man’s nasally and weak breathing makes the audience feel uncomfortable and concerned as Ofelia goes deeper into this fantasy world. This also establishes the pale-man’s power and dominion over the place, and eludes to a dark undertone to the new place.
The non-diegetic score regularly hits high notes that make the fantasy world feel more imposing and powerful. The diegetic sound of the chair wobbling also eludes to the later importance of it. A deep, fast sound of wind plays to make the environment feel cold and hostile, almost serving as a warning to Ofelia. Ofelia’s footsteps are quiet and isolated in the thick silence of the moment as she walks down the hallway, raising suspense as the audience anticipates a sudden rise in the sound mix or something to be revealed on screen. Otherwise the silence and unnerving ambient sounds like fire crackling and wind moving through the hall puts the audience on edge.
As Ofelia moves down the table and gets closer to the pale man the pitch and tempo of the breathing sounds increase, implying that they are coming from the pale man, making him more of an uncomfortable and intimidating presence, invoking fear of him in the audience. The composed score also reaches a sudden high as the pale man is revealed, making it more of a shock to the audience, creating fear of him in them, and also showing how invested Ofelia was in the food to the extent that she did not notice the pale man sat there.
This high-angle shot shows Ofelia’s terrifies expression at the pale man’s display of violence, and also how much taller he is than her.
As Ofelia picks up the Petri dish with the eyes on, a wet squelching sound can’t be heard. This establishes the texture of the eyes, creating disgust in them and adding to the detail of the grotesque nature of the pale man. While Ofelia looks at the tapestries on the ceiling, the distant and faint sound of babies crying creates an audible link to the images on screen, signifying the violence and brutality of the pale man. As Ofelia brings out the key, a sharp ringing sound emerges in the diegetic sound mix, showing that it is an item of significance at this moment, and is about to play an important part in the scene.
The skittish and chirping diegetic sounds of the fairy’s movement signals to Ofelia and therefore the audience what they are trying to communicate, and their light and quick chirps convey emotions of happiness and a sense of victory, which quickly changes once the pale man wakes up, making the violence of the moment when he devours them all the more visceral and shocking to the audience.
The blade that Ofelia retrieves produces a sharp yet faint ringing sound, emphasising its importance to the plot, making it also more memorable once it becomes an important item in the film, much later on. As soon as Ofelia turns back to the pale man the non-diegetic composed score evolves into a deep and sinister toned moment, which creates feelings of tension and discomfort in the audience, as they, and Ofelia, are now expecting him to move, raising the tension of the scene.The non-diegetic sound of a harp also signifies and conveys Ofelia’s captivating by the fruit, showing why she has stopped and what has caught her attention, adding a heavenly and holy importance to the food on the table. The score also gradually picks up as Ofelia gets closer to eating the fruit, and this conveys to the audience that a direct and immediate consequence of this is about to occur, which we understand to be the pale man since the camera comes to focus on him.
The tapestries bring attention to the grim history of the pale man, and how he specifically poses a threat to Ofelia.
As the pale man finally wakes up the non-diegetic score abruptly cuts off, making the moment more surprising and forcing the audience to keep complete attention on the pale man. The diegetic sounds of his movements are sudden, like bones cracking as they move for the first time in ages. His breathing too comes in long and deep and rough gasps, showing that this creature is ancient, and also making it seem more appealing and repulsive to the audience. This is also done by the sounds of his movements as he begins to walk, which are crooked and wet, which also increase in the sound mix as he gets closer to the camera, making the audience physically want to get further away from him.
We understand that the quick and frantic chirps from the fairy’s are intended to prevent Ofelia from eating the fruit, adding to the tension of the scene as we understand that they know about the pale man and the threat he poses. As the pale man moves his fingers, the string instruments in the composed score suddenly pick up, adding to the crooked and unnatural movements of the pale man with sudden and violent musical notes.
The non-diegetic composed and diegetic scores are layered, exampled by the manic chirping of the fairy’s and the building of the pitch of the intense and sinister music. This layering of sound makes the scene more intense and engaging for the audience.
Ofelia’s breathing deepens and accelerates, emphasising the fear that the pale man creates in her, and therefore the audience is left on edge too. The sounds of her footsteps as she sprints down the hall are rapid and heavy, showing her desperation to escape. When the pale man enters screen again and lifts up his arm a loud and screeching sound plays and temporarily dominates the diegetic sound mix, making the pale man a much more imposing and terrifying presence. We hear the diegetic sounds of his footsteps as he approaches Ofelia, increasing the tension off the scene. The chalk makes a faint but noticeable diegetic snapping sound, bringing the audiences attention to this and therefore establishing it as important. The diegetic sounds of the pale mans screeching sounds similar to a child in pain, naturally creating feelings of discomfort in the audience, making the creature more revolting and terrifying, and also adding tension, reminding the audience constantly that he is getting closer to Ofelia. The scraping sound of chalk on concrete is once again inserted to emphasise the importance of it as Ofelia draws one the ceiling. As Ofelia crawls into the real world, the close-up of her hands on the floorboard is accompanied by the diegetic sound of squeaking, which emphasises her desperateness to escape, and her closeness to safety and yet, danger. The same thing happens as the pale man thrusts his arms at Ofelia, showing his desperation in killing her. As the door shuts we also hear the diegetic sound of burning to show that it is shutting permanently.
The biblical amount of exotic food makes it enticing and tempting to both Ofelia and the audience, helping us understand why she chose to eat it, despite the earlier earning not to.
Editing:
The scene is kept at a slow pace by leaving shots long and in-interrupted, letting the audience, and Ofelia, take in the environment around them, and giving the scene appropriate time to raise suspense. As the camera dolly’s back down the hallway after Ofelia opens the door, the shot fades to a further away position, showing a passage of time and creating room without an unnecessary cut for us to view the hallway and new colour pallet. It also works better than a regular cut since Ofelia is still in the same place as in the previous shot, so a cut would be jarring as we, the audience, typically expect a change in shot after a cut, so a fade gives us more time to process this change in camera position.
We understand the scene with Ofelia opening the door and beginning to explore the pale man’s world to be continuity edited, as each shot takes place after the last. The scene changes to parallel editing though as the camera cuts back to the hourglass to remind the audience that time is running out. This is because we, the audience, understand that these two moments are taking place at the same time, and this serves the purpose of keeping in the audiences mind that time is running out for Ofelia, even when the hourglass is not on screen, raising the suspense of the scene and keeping the audience invested in the film as they know that things could go wrong for Ofelia at ant moment.
Post-filming, a red and hellish colouring has been added to the scene to make the environment seem. More intimidating and sinister. Every time an important objest is shown, it is done so via glance-object shots, signifying their importance as the camera keeps them as the only thing on screen. After releasing the fairies, the camera cuts back to Ofelia after holding focus on them for a moment, and she has moved, signifying a passage of time to avoid pointless scenes of the character walking around when the layout of this new world has already been established to us.
The scene cuts between Ofelia and her hand inside the hole to show that she does not know where her arm is reaching, what may be in the hole, and also her pained and struggling expression. As Ofelia leaves the room, her mental process is shown by moving the camera between her face and the fruit on the table, and the scene does not cut here so that we can see her turn her head and the camera move with it via panning to the left to show what she is looking at, and therefore what she is thinking about it.
As the pale man approaches Ofelia, the camera only cuts twice to slow the pace of the scene down and capture the audiences attention with the horror of the moment, and also raising suspense by making the moment feel longer by lack of edits. The scene begins to cut more rapidly between Ofelia and the pale man to show their proximity to each other, create tension in the scene and reflect the chaos and panic of the moment, immersing the audience in the process. There is more parallel editing when the camera cuts between the pale man and Ofelia to show that he is chasing her, making the scene more intense. A reaction shot shows Ofelia’s desperate reaction to the doorway shutting, emphasising how much worse the situation is becoming. The camera cuts rapidly between Ofelia on one side of the door and the pale man on the other, significantly increasing the tension of the moment. The scene finally stops cutting and rests on a wide-shot of Ofelia above the trapdoor after a close-up brings our attention to the door shutting, and this slows the pace of the scene and allows for the tension to dissipate.
This in-cut close up forces the audience to witness the horror and gore of the pale man.
Mise-en-scen:
Ofelia’s outfit is similar to that of Anne Frank, which links to the time period of world war 2 and also emphasises the themes of suffering and hiding and imprisonment by Ofelia in the wake of ruthless of fascism. This also links to the pile of shoes shown later on, creating fascist symbolism in the pale man. The fairy tale drawings are similar to fairy tales of medieval Europe, contributing to Ofelia’s desire to escape the present to live in another world. The colour of the room she is in is blue and silvery, adding to the sharp contrast between it and the fantasy world. It also makes the room feel cold and still, and the old objects randomly scattered around the room establish how hidden and secluded it is, and why Ofelia chose to go here to complete the task set by the faun. The colour of the room also reflects the colour of the Captains uniform, symbolising his control over the real world.
The size of the doorway is quite small, making it seem more claustrophobic , and also references Alice in wonderland, in which the young protagonist takes a journey into a beautiful fantasy world through a portal, except here the horror is amplified by the supposedly idealistic world of Ofelia’s imagination being a nightmare in disguise.
The walls of the fantasy world seem to be coated in blood, which gives it a hellish and nightmare like quality. The hallway is filled with pillars that seem to resemble those one would expect to find in ancient cathedrals, which may be done to reference instances of child abuse or demonic religious imagery. The hourglass is a clear link to the theme of time in the movie, more specifically time running out. There also seems to be fingers clutching the hourglass, symbolising the pale man’s control over time in this world, or a tree’s branches, perhaps in reference to the tree in the film earlier.
The large fireplace behind the pale man creates hellish imagery, and references the Captains fireplace, inventing a link between the two characters and their control of wealth, and destruction of innocence, and tendency for violence. Ofelia’s costume her also makes her stand out, and signifies her innocence in a world built on top of death and suffering. The bountiful food on the table references fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, in which evil witches lure in innocent children via food. The food on the table also references Vidal, and also looks fake, as if imagined, filled with jellies and fruit. This is done to reference the colour red again, and therefore blood, and also to create an image of what a child of Ofelia’s age may imagine a feat to look like.
The pale man is sat at the head of the table with his arms layer out in front of him, showing his dominance over the room, and also referencing the Captains same place at his table, and his control over his world. The pale man’s body is revolting and deformed, humanoid yet alien, with sagging skin, red eyes, sharp fingers, and extremely pale skin, exposing the veins beneath. This creates feelings of repulsion in the audience, creating a disgusting and hideous creature that matches its actions of cruelty and violence, perhaps showing what Vidal looks like beneath his own skin. The pale mans sagging skin also shows that he has not eaten in a long time, and his previous fat has just come to hand off his body. The lack of eye sockets also removes all capacity for emotion. The blackened fingers also show corruption and greed. The eyes on the table also seem stuck to the petri dish due to a sort of disgusting slime attaching them both, adding to the disgust that the pale man’s physical from conveys.
The tapestries are shown to convey the pale man’s violent history without unneeded dialogue. The architecture also links to medieval catholic cathedral architecture, and they also show that the pale man may have a disturbing pride in his cruel history. The pile of shoes is an obvious link to the Holocaust and themes of child suffering and Fascism, also showing how deadly and ruthless the pale man is, and how many other people have tried, and failed, to defeat him.
The key that Ofelia holds is gold and crooked, showing its importance but also fantastical nature. The dagger, also, is gold and bright silver, with elegant engravings and a curved hilt that looks to the faun’s horns, which makes it seem like a beautiful and valuable weapon, fit for royalty. The grape that Ofelia notices as she leaves is large, plum-sized even! It also has water on it, making it seem enticing and delicious.
After devouring the fairies, the pale man has blood all over his mouth and dripping down his chest, making him seem even more ruthless and un-caring for the suffering he causes to others. His now visible legs are skinny, crooked and frail, showing his previous inactivity, and how his form is almost human, just not completely, almost as if it is trying to replicate a human. When Ofelia finally shuts the door, we see a bright light spilling out from underneath it, showing that the door is shutting.
The tracking shot shows all of the food on the table, and Ofelia’s interest in it, by keeping both in focus and frame.
Performance:
As the drawings come onto the page, Ofelia seems completely immersed and fascinated in the drawings, showing her persistent child-like interest in magic and fairy tales. As the chalk begins to dissolve into the wall she seems surprised, showing that even she cannot predict how the magic will effect her world, yet she does not seem scared or apprehensive, signifying that she is not scared of the fantasy world, just eager to explore it. She also takes a good amount of time to study the hallway, showing that she is eager but not reckless in her exploration of the fantasy world. She takes her time as she walks about, which we, the audiences, knows to be foolish, as time is running out. This shows that she is mindful of danger but can be distracted by her obsession with the stunning and alien world in front of her, and become oblivious to her time limit in it.
She does not take her eyes off the food on the table as she walks down it, displaying her interest in it, and foreshadowing her later folly in being tempted by it. This also gives a reason for her to be shocked by the sudden appearance of the pale man. As with everything else not from the real world, Ofelia is absorbed by her curiosity in this foreign creature, yet still seems disgusted by its physical appearance. Her breathing gets more rapid and heavy as she looks around and notices the numerous signs of the pale-man’s danger, showing that she has caught on to the danger she may be in herself.
When she pulls out the key, Ofelia seems temporarily completely engulfed by her fascination in the item as she stares at it with a surprised expression for a few seconds. As she tries to retrieve the dagger from the hole, Ofelia briefly stands on her tip-toes to remind the audience that she is still small and vulnerable, and amplifies the risk and therefore suspense of the moment as we know that she cannot see what is in the hole. Her struggling expression shows that she is in possible danger, and is also not an invisible protagonist.
The diegetic ringing sound brings our attention to the dagger and its importance, and its intricate design makes it seem like an important and precious item.
As Ofelia walks up to the pale man she seems nervous, letting the audience realise that she expects something to happen now, raising the suspense. When she tries to eat the grape she frustratedly swats the fairy’s away, and puts on an expression of pure joy and euphoria as she eats the grape, which show the audience the extent of her ignorance in this moment.
The movements of the pale man are sudden and crooked, his legs wobbling as he walks, showing how frail they are. His breathing is rough and laboured, showing his age, and his hands sake, showing his hunger and recent wake up from, presumably, a very long nap. Ofelia’s reaction to the pale man matches that of the audiences, disgusted and disturbed. Her breathing quickly becomes fast and heavy as she runs away, showing her panic, and her face and voice is terrified as she see’s the door closing, showing how desperate she is to escape. The pale man is clearly blind and reliant on his hands, as he recklessly stumbles about and holds his hands out before him to see where he is going.
After the chalk breaks, Ofelia looks back to see the pale man approaching her, and at his her face becomes pained and terrified, showing how much more serious and urgent the situation has become, making us, the audience, sympathise with Ofelia and also making the scene all the more intense and engaging. The pale man is also shown to be sadistic by the malicious grin on his bloody moth, showing his morbid pleasure in making others suffer.
As Ofelia finally escapes, we can see her face as she crawls desperately out of the hole, showing her eagerness to escape. As her legs are pulled out of the fantasy world we see a frustrated expression on the pale-man’s face and his arms frantically swinging to catch Ofelia, showing his desperate greed and hunger. When Ofelia shuts the door her breathing slowly slows to show that she has finally escaped danger, but suddenly picks up as the banging and screaming temporarily increases, establishing the fear that the pale man has created in her. But her panic evidently dissipates as the silence overcomes the screaming from the pale man.
At the beginning of the fig tree sequence, the camera pans to the right to follow the movement of the soldiers rushing into the woods. This shows that they are the dominant force in this moment and keeps the audiences attention on them. The movement of the soldiers and Ofelia’s are also from the left side of the screen to the right, implying a journey on both sides of the story. We then cut to Ofelia and the shot has her in frame to show that she is the centre of her side of this scene, and also that she is running away from the mill. It also stays at her eye-level, putting us in her position and creating relatability and empathy in the audience for Ofelia.We cut back to the Captain and see the camera rapidly pushing past trees to keep up with him and his horse. This creates a fast pace and feeling of movement, and how fast he is moving, and brings the audience into the scene. A wide shot quickly crabs to the right to show that he is ahead of the rest of the soldiers, showing his position at the heads of authority, and his obsession to find the rebels. It also shows how many men he has under his command, and how loyally they follow him into danger, displaying his power and control.
After cutting back to Ofelia, a low-angle shot shows how small she is compared to the rest of the woods, and therefore the daring of her quest, and therefore the danger that she is in. the shot after this one is a high-angle until Ofelia approaches and nears the camera. It then becomes a mid-shot to show that Ofelia is looking out into the woods in adventure. The movement of the camera also keeps the pace going and immerses the audience, making them feel less like an observer to the events in the film but that they are actually in the film, involved in what’s going on.
The camera then arches around her to reveal the tree she is looking for. It also begins to tilt upwards to reveal the full scale of the tree and its scale in comparison to Ofelia, implying how much danger she is in and also framing it like a dominant building, making it feel more intimidating and imposing, like its in control of the environment around it. This also show’s that Ofelia is not at all afraid of the tree, and in the face of mysterious and possibly dangerous forces she is only overcome with curiosity and child-like joy, not fear or apprehension.
The wide-shot shows just how large the tree is compared to Ofelia.
A glance object show’s what she is holding, stones, and this temporary focus on them signifies their importance to the plot. There is also a glance-object of her shoes. This could be a foreshadow to the shoes he gains later on in the film, but here it is primarily for the purpose of signifying how rotten and in-clean this environment around and inside the tree is. A wire shot then brings the camera up to bring the branch into frame, keeping focus on Ofelia and it to show what her expression is like, showing that she has noticed, and what has captured her interest, signifying its importance in this scene.
The camera pulls backwards and pedestals upwards via crane shot to reveal the dress. This shot establishes that Ofelia is now heading straight into the danger, and the dress in kept centre frame to show that it is important that it is placed there, and foreshadows that it will play a part in the film later on, which it does. As Ofelia crawls through the tunnel we cut back to Vidal via hidden cut, but she and him are still moving from left to right, showing a nearing end to their journeys. The lighting in the tunnel is also dark and gloomy, creating an unsafe and uncertain atmosphere, but the lighting is bright enough for us to see Ofelia’s face, keeping her expression clear and visible to the audience. After cutting back to Vidal’s side of the scene, we see a close-up of his boots hitting the floor to establish that he has confident footing, and the force with which he hits the ground signals his intensity and aggressiveness. The camera also follows him and keeps Vidal centre frame to maintain him as the focus of this scene.
There is a glance-object of the fire to create a connection between what Vidal is thinking and why he has come to the conclusion that the rebels are still nearby. The camera then pedestals up and arch’s around the Captains head to show his thought process and also keeps the other soldier in frame, but not at the centre, to show his loyalty to the Captain and show to them audience that he is not saying anything important in this moment. The camera pushes in slowly to show that Vidal has noticed something. A glance-object show’s what he has noticed and the fact that this is important to the Captain, holding the viewer’s attention as an important plot device is revealed.
This low-angle shot frames Ofelia’s as a heroic protagonist.
The antibiotic bottle is kept centre-frame in the close-up shot as the Captain lifts it up to make it obvious to the audience what it is, and why it is important. The Captain himself is also kept centre-frame to keep the audience’s attention on him and his movements. As Vidal shouts into the woods, the camera is positioned in a low-shot from behind him to show where he reckons the rebels are and where he is shouting at, and then a high-angle wide-shot shot from in front of him shows the size of the forest and emphasises that the rebels could be anywhere, building suspense, and also making the audience question whether this shot is from the perspective from the rebels or not. An extreme close up of Vidal then Showa how intense and obsessed Vidal is to the cause of destroying the rebels.
When the rebels are finally revealed, they are all kept in a wide-shot which shows how many there are and how they are all glaring at the soldiers after they retreat. After we cut back to Ofelia, who is now crawling through the tunnel, she, like Vidal was, is kept centre-frame to keep our attention on her and her reaction to the environment around her. A long-shot of the hallway creates suspense, and the camera slowly pushing in creates the feeling os claustrophobia and makes the atmosphere more tense, making us wonder in fear where the danger is coming from and what it will look like.
the toad is revealed by the camera moving from Ofelia to the shot in a single take, building suspense and slowly bringing the toad into frame, showing what it looks like, where it is, and how Ofelia reacts to it. There is then an over-the-shoulder shot from behind the toad, which personify it, adding to the fantasy element of the scene, and also showing how much bigger it is than Ofelia. After the toad licks Ofelia’s face, we see a close-up of her hand that also serves as a match on action to signify that she has dropped the stones, and that this is about to have an important consequence to the scene.
A match-on-action shows her picking them up, and then a wide-shot is done to show how far the toad is from Ofelia, and therefore the power of the burp. The way that the edges of the frame are also covered by mud adds to the feeling of being trapped, immersing the viewer in Ofelia’s situation. The camera then cut’s to a close-up of Ofelia’s hand to show what she has picked up and how this is important. After the toad has died, the camera follows Ofelia to build suspense as she approaches the key, and keep the audience immersed in the moment as a participant in the story, not just a mutual bystander, since we see the key at the same time she does. As she crawls towards the key, we see what it is, and by keeping Ofelia in frame we see that it is her objective to obtain. The key is then kept centre frame, like the antibiotic bottle earlier, to show its importance to the plot and the character. There is then a close-up of Ofelia after she escapes the tree to show how tired and exhausted she is. It also tracks her movements and moves the right enough to reveal that she has lost the dress, and establish the trouble she faces now. The camera also moves back to eye-level to create sympathy for her as she realises the trouble that she is in.
The over-the-shoulder shows the scale of the toad as opposed to Ofelia.
Sound:
As Vidal and his troops leave the mill, the non-diegetic score immediately picks up into an intense and dramatic orchestral tone which is emphasised by trumpets and other horn instruments signalling a grand arrival but with a dark undertone, indicating the power of the men but also their dark and immoral motives. The diegetic sounds also increase suddenly as the scene is quickly filled with the sounds of multiple horse hooves, neighing and the shouts of men. This immerses the audience and also emphasises the intensity of the moment., and the speed and purpose with which the men are moving.
the trumpets decrease in tone and pitch as we cut to Ofelia, but does not put the scene in complete silence as the heroic and exiting tune keeps playing, keeping the audience’s attention and focus on the scene, and not losing the fat and aggressive pace. However we can still hear the muffles and distant sounds of men and horses as we are with Ofelia which immerses us in the setting and makes it feel more realistic. It also establishes that Ofelia and Vidal are leaving the mill at the same time, making the rest of the sequence parallel editing. The contrast between the aggressive and dramatic music that plays when Vidal is on screen and the bright and peaceful and heroic music that plays for Ofelia contrasts their characters.
As Ofelia walks through the forest, we hear the sounds of mud and rustling beneath her feet. This immerses the audience in the setting of the scenes, so even something as small as ambient diegetic sounds can contribute to how much the audience is attached to a scene and environment in a film, including the stones in her hand, which signifies their importance. After reaching the tree, a dramatic horn sound picks up in the mix to foreshadow that something is wrong, and that danger is possibly approaching. This keeps the audience invested and on the edge of their seats and building suspense, and also adds a dark and serious atmosphere to the scene.
The diegetic sounds are drowned out by that of the Roy this beating of horse hooves, showing their force and drive.
As the camera pushes in on the dress, the diegetic sound of wind picks up in the sound mix to signify that something bad is going to happen to the dress, a foreshadow and an explanation for when the dress is found on the ground later on. As we cut to Ofelia inside the tree, the diegetic sounds are muffled and distant, as if from underwater, which creates a tense and uncomfortable environment and atmosphere in the tree, and puts us in Ofelia’s position. A low violin sound picks up in the non-diegetic composed score to signify a tragic aspect of the scene, creating suspense and fear for Ofelia’s safety. A sound of wind rushing also creates a cold and un-safe atmosphere as Ofelia enters the tree and signifies a change into the fantasy world again.
After cutting back to Vidal, the sound of the horses slowly disappears as they leave frame to reduce the sound in the mix, keep the pace slow and calm, and make space for the audience to pay attention to Vidal and what he is saying. The loud and powerful sound of Vidal’s boots hitting the floor temporarily drowns out all others in the sound mix, showing how much authority and dominance the Captain holds over the scene when he is in it.
As he investigates the campsite, we can hear the diegetic sounds of birds tweeting in the forest. These calming and peaceful sounds keep the pace of the scene slow and patient but also prevents the scene from being too quiet as Vidal looks around. It lets us hear his words, immerses us in the scene, and builds suspense without leaving the scene in complete silence. It also contrasts the constipated and muffled sounds of the inside of the tree, helping the viewer adapt to the new setting.
As the Captain shouts into the woods, his voice echoes throughout the trees to shown that the rebels most likely heard him, how truly massive the woods are, and how commanding and intimidating the Captain is. It also implies that even the creatures of the forest cannot escape the influence of the Captain. As we cut to a close-up of Vidal, horn instruments pick up suddenly and sharply in the score again. This subtly symbolises his mounting frustration and disdain for the rebels, and also creates the feeling of fear from something as simple as the look he makes in this moment. The music also builds up to a dramatic reveal of the rebels, and build into a climax as the scene cuts back to Ofelia. The way that the music suddenly cuts out here implies that the scene will be following here from now on.
Vidal is intently staring, even though he cannot see the rebels, attempting to intimidate them and control his rage and fury.
A low and guttural sound emerges in the diegetic sound mix as hits shot of the tunnel continues which builds tension and implies that something large and powerful, possibly dangerous is nearing, building tension and suspense, and therefore keeping the audience’s attention. Once the toad enters frame, it produces deep and rough, wet and moist sounds. These make the audience uncomfortable and evokes disgust in them for the toad. As the camera gets closer to it, the sounds increase in pitch and volume, making the audience more repulsed by the creature and again making them feel more like an actual participant in the movie as opposed to a bystander only witnessing the events.
When the toad burps, the diegetic sounds in the mix massively pick up and the roaring noise overcomes all others. This establishes the toad as a powerful and imposing creature that seems to have dominion over this territory. This moment disturbs the audience and raises the stakes as we now understand that Ofelia is in danger.
After Ofelia picks up the beetle it uncurls itself, and as it does he hear the diegetic sound of scuttling. This makes the insect seem more alive and biotic than a CGI monster, and also establishes to the audience that it is an object of significance in that moment. The score picks up into a hopeful and calm toned moment that signals to the audience that Ofelia has noticed something, as shown in the previous shot, and the music shows that this has led her to a realisation.
The men instantly quieten at this hand gesture, showing Vidal’s authority sand control over them.
When the tongue shoots out from the toads moth, we hear a loud roaring and squelching sound that makes this fantasy creature seem more real and organic, adding a realistic and serious tone to the fairy-tale monster, as if done again in the film later on. As the toad dies, we once again hear roaring but also a cracking sound to match the image of the toad’s jaw unhinging as it dies, adding to the gore of the moment. As its corpse deflates we hear a sound like rushing air, and as Ofelia retrieves the key from the contents of it’s stomach we hear sticky squelching. These diegetic sounds act as an audible sort of mise-en-scen, making the scene feel more real, immersing us by putting us in Ofelia’s position, and making the scene feel more real by adding to the texture of the objects on screen. Non-diegetic sounds also signify items as important though, as seen, or rather heard, when Ofelia picks up the key and a sharp ringing sound emerges in the mix, focusing the viewer’s attention on it.
We again hear wet and sticky sounds as Ofelia wipes her forehead to emphasise just how in-clean she is, creating sympathy in the audience for her, and making them think about just how much she has been through. We are introduced to the new setting outside of the cramped and claustrophobic environment of the tree to the the open and spacious forest by the sound of Ofelia’s footsteps crunching on the leaves beneath them. The distant thunder hints towards the coming thunderstorm, building suspense and an impending feeling of danger and fear for Ofelia.
Editing:
The first hidden cut in the scene is made when the camera moves behind a tree and when it emerges on the other side we are with Ofelia. This serves as a seamless transition that keeps the pace of the scene going and is hard to notice, linking the left to right movement of the characters between shots, and making the transition less jarring and distracting than an ordinary cut.
The scenes are established as parallel since we know that Ofelia and Vidal leave the mill at the same time, and the mid-day lighting implies that these events are happening at the same time. The locations of the different parts of the forest being similar also makes the movement of the scene feel more seamless and more like an uninterrupted sequence and experience of the events on screen. The hidden cuts are also used to keep in the audiences mind that the scenes are taking place parallel to each other. Another hidden cut is made from behind another tree to keep the fast-paced scene of horse-riding not lead to a sudden cut to the more calm and measured scene of Ofelia walking in the woods alone. It also signifies that both characters are approaching their destinations/goals in this moment.
Another hidden cut changes the position of the camera and signifies a passage of time between the cut. Every time a hidden cut is made the characters are kept centre-frame to keep them as the centre of the audience’s attention and they are also moving in the same direction, creating a similarity between both scenes and therefore a seamless transition that keeps the pace going smoothly and not suddenly cutting between shots. Once Ofelia reaches the tree there are no more hidden cuts. This is done to slow the pace of the scene and build suspense without cutting back to Vidal. This is continuity editing, since the lack of hidden cuts allows for the scene to play out before us in-interrupted, letting the audience follow the scene with clarity thanks to the continuity and lack of transitions.
This tree is not used for a hidden-cut, making those that are unexpected, and immersing the audience in the scene since they cannot guess when it will cut, and the trees obstructing the view makes it feel like we, the audience, are actually there, in the forest.
After Ofelia enters the tree, a hidden cut is made from the tunnel to a tree, and from there we are following Vidal again, making the change again smooth and not at all surprising, since it has been done before in the scene and the audience has a slit second more than they would with a normal cut to interpret the new environment of the scene. It also keeps hold on the audience’s attention throughout the scene, keeping them involved in the story and immersed in the. narrative.
The camera only does another hidden cut from behind a tree to show a passage of time, as the horses are further away afterwards, and change the position of the camera to where the rebels are standing, revealing where they were watching from all along. The scene does not do a hidden transition back to Ofelia to imply that the scene will be following her from now on.
As Ofelia talks to the toad, there are shot-reverse-shots that personify it, and therefore make it feel like a much more real and organic creature, making the audience question whether or not it is all in Ofelia’s imagination. It also makes for room to show off how large and indifferent the toad is to Ofelia, making the audience concerned but also fascinated in the huge monster on screen.
The wide-shot shows the rebels and we=here they were watching from. The movement of the horses from right to left also signifies that they are now going back to where they came from, retreating.
Mise-en-scen:
Ofelia’s outfit is quaint and simple, a clear reference to typical fairy-tale protagonists who were from humble beginnings and would wander off into the woods on some grand quest, as she does in this scene. It also looks similar to Alice from Alice in Wonderlands dress, creating a link between the two characters, and their story’s. The book she is reading is large and antique, signifying the grand scale and ancient legend of her stories, and the one that she herself is creating.
The tree, once it enters frame, is large, old and rotten. This adds to the still a new tense atmosphere of the scene, and making is teem much more imposing and intimidating than the other trees in the forest, and matching the description of the fairy-tale, giving the first grain of truth to the seemingly childish story. The entrance is shrouded in darkness, making it seem feel more mysterious and dangerous, and creating fear in the viewer for Ofelia’s safety. The tree itself is also shaped like a uterus, adding tonic themes to the film by serving as hidden imagery/symbolism to create deeper and subtler messages in the film. The ribbon that flys off the dress foreshadows the affect that the wind will have on the dress later on.
As Ofelia enters the tree there can be seen dusty particles in the air, giving the scene a surreal and fairy-tale like atmosphere, and thereby immersing the audience in the setting of the tree, and making it easier to understand what Ofelia is going through, literally! The inside of the tree itself in completely coated in mud and dirt, infested with large and unsettling insects, cramped by withering branches. This setting is uncomfortable for the audience to see, and the other aspects of the scene, especially cinematography and sound, make us feel out of place and nervous as Ofelia explores it, showing her bravery and bringing to life these ancient grim fairy tales. The mud collecting on Ofelia’s previously neat outfit shows how little she cares about it, and her persistence to drive on, whilst most, if not all, people in the audience would of turned back by now.
This wide-shot is used to show how many rebels there are, and their fire-power.
As Vidal investigates the fireplace, there is still steam coming off of it, acting as a visual clue that the rebels only recently left. The antibiotic bottle is small and clear, implying that it is valuable and also allowing for the audience to see it clearly. The Uniforms of the soldiers are very straight and clean and also a deep shade of blue, a sharp contrast to the green, in-organised and dirty woods around them, implying that they do not belong there. The gear and weapons they brought with them does indicate their power though, and willingness to commit violence. Their uniforms also contrast and conflict with those of the rebels, which is darker, less done-up and fashionable, like a personification of the woods themselves, and also showing that they are literally more suited and adapt, even in control of the environment of the forest. The weapons are also heavily armed, showing that they, like the Captain, and even though we haven’t seen it yet, are also willing to commit acts of violence for their cause.
Back in the tree, Ofelia now has dried mud on her face, signifying a passage of time. The toad is covered in bumps and rubbery looking skin, with thick and slimy saliva drooling from its mouth. It has long eyelashes and goat eyes, a huge moth and wet and sticky tongue. All of these factors in its physical appearance contribute to it evoking feelings of disgust and repulsion in the viewer, who as a result has a physical reaction to what they before just suspected was a harmless fairy tale, emphasising the real life scale and danger of these stories.
The toad is warty and ugly, creating repulsion and disgust in the viewer.
After the toad licks Ofelia’s hand, it is completely coated by slime and muck, making the audience sympathise for Ofelia, but also admire her bravery and lack of fear at this mighty beast, signifying her dedication to become the princess. As the toad deflates, its previously rubbery and wet skin now looks slightly like plastic, or a deflating balloon, instantly reducing the power of the animal and the fear it evoked whilst kit was alive, once again immersing the audience in the reality where the toad is not a reality, and therefore not a threat. In other words, the toad is not as monstrous when it is alive and breathing.
It’s(previously) insides are orange and made of slime, creating more repulsion in the audience as the camera nears it, and ensuring that the disgusting nature of the creature, if not the fear it evoked, is still alive after the toad dies. After Ofelia finally leaves the tree, her hair is completely plastered down by slime, her face covered in mud, and clothes soaked. This creates sympathy for her and the detail of the filth helps for us to imagine how much she has been through and how she feels in that moment.
Performance:
We can tell that Ofelia is running away from the mill from her sudden break into a run after turning back to indicate that she heard the soldiers setting off and momentarily thought that they were after her. She seems curious and full of wonder as she explored the woods, showing her excitement at being a part of the fairy-tales she has read about for so long. She seems cautious as she enters the tree, showing that she knows their could be danger about, but she makes no hesitation as she approaches the tree, indicating her bravery and fascination. As she crawls through the tree, her uncomfortable expression and laboured breathing shows that she is apprehensive and possibly re-considering her depiction tom go this far, but most of her reaction seems to be out of disgust as she studies the tunnel she is in.
The mud on Ofelia id dirtied here to show that’s she has been down in the tunnel for some amount of time.
The Captain also acts with intense purpose and authority as he approaches the fire, refusing to break his gaze from it, indicating to the audience what is important in this moment. As the Captain holds his hand up, his soldiers instantly silence themselves. This quickly establishes his power and authority over three, their loyalty and the un-caring and in-human nature of the Captain. Vidal seems sure in himself as he assesses the campsite, and even more confident that the rebels are nearby, signifying his skill and experience as a military leader. As approaches the tree line, he once again refuses to break his gaze, making him come across as a sort of un-caring machine, completely obsessed with carrying out its purpose, and shows Vidal’s inner anger and hatred for the rebels. Vidal’s voice as he shouts out into the woods is extremely booming and powerful, assuming control of the entire area around him.
The submissive silence of his men here also shows his authority over them, and his willingness to take charge. His dark and brooding expression hints at the the evil and disturbing things that must go on in Vidal’s mind, and also references the look he made as he killed the two farmers, showing how he always looks that calm yet intent. It also shows how inwardly infuriated he is over being too late to stop the rebels, and that they are probably just out of his reach and sight, but still has enough command to control his emotions, except for when he brutalises innocent people in cuts of um-measured rage, but even that he does with a cool and collected look on his face. There is another sign of his authority as the men instantly follow his suit from a gesture as simple and him holding up his hand. He also does not wait for them to follow him, because he know that they will follow his commands exactly as he says to. Or rather, signals to.
The jaw can be heard in-hinging in the diegetic sound mix to make the moment more impactful.
As Ofelia questions the toad, she seems genuinely confused at why it chooses to live down there, showing that she does not question the reality of what she is seeing, but rather the more mundane and simple questions about it. E.G not why is there a giant frog, but rather why he likes to live in the tree. It also shows her childish imagination/wonder and her fearlessness. She does seem concerned when she loses the stones though, keeping in the viewers’ mind that she is still a child, just one mostly concerned with completing a magical quest.
She looks fascinated and even hypnotised as she approaches the key, showing her dedication/devotion to getting it. After leaving the tree, Ofelia wipes her forehead and sighed, breathing heavily and leaning against the tree, emphasising her exhaustion and allowing for the audience to put themselves in her shoes. She also seems more vulnerable once outside of the tree, showing that she is much more comfortable, strangely in the wet and muddy underworld of the fantasy world, rather than the real one where Vidal has the power, signifying that he, a single man, evokes more fear in her than the giant toad and claustrophobic tunnel filled with insects was.
The razor that the Captain holds is sharp and imposing, a clear symbol of his tendency for violence and aggressive solutions, whether for dealing with rebels or shaving. The ring is on his left hand, which may be means to symbolise Vidal’s false love for his wife. The gramophone he plays music on is showed to display his wealth, and contrasts him to the peasants shown in the rest of the film. This establishes the power he holds over the area and the rations. Throughout the shaving sequence, Vidal has no uniform on, which signals two the audience that he is alone and in a truly private moment, but even here he carry’s himself with dignity and pride, as he is that obsessed with image and integrity as a military leader.
The cigarette also shows Vidal’s control of luxury resources like tobacco, and the smoke illuminated by the light coming into the basement hangs around his head gives him an intimidating presence, almost like smoke steam from the nose of a stag. The cigarette is also shorter after a hidden cut, which shows a passage of time. The many scattered and stacked papers at Vidal’s desk show his efficiency and attentiveness to his work, and the various shaving equipment also hints at his obsession with maintaining a clean and pristine appearance.
This shot is made more biblical by the light and symbolism of the razor, and the low-angle shot that makes a monster out force out of Vidal.
The cogs and mechanisms that are seen in the background of the basement are symbolic of Vidal’s efficiency and machine-like personality. He has no emotion, only an end goal and mission to destroy the rebels. This shows that he is a truly cruel and viscous villain to the otherwise fairy-tale aspects of the story, like a human form of the various monsters seen in the rest of the movie.
The boot that Vidal polishes is very shiny and clean, and this signify that it was probably expensive and also signify, again, the Captains attentiveness to how he looks, and his pride in being a Captain. This is also seen in how tidy and neat his uniform is, especially in contrast with the more humble and simple design of Mercedes’ and the kitchen staff outfits. The dining table is long, which shows that it was likely expensive (it also eludes to the later one “place man” sequence, showing how much of a monster Vidal is) and the mug is large and the fireplace completely stocked with wood, and also big and imposing. This all contributes to subtly signalling to the audience the military’s, or more specifically the Captains control over the ration’s and resources and money in this area of Spain, and his power that comes with being a military official in a fascist country. This can also be seen with the amounts of buckets and food in the kitchen.
Vidal clearly takes pride in this ritual of masculinity and dominance most people call shaving.
Cinematography:
There is a close-up of the gramophone to bring attention to it and the Captains hand, which the camera then follows upwards until it lands on Vidal’s face. There is a mid-shot here to make room for the razor, Vidal’s face, and the light coming into the basement behind him. This is also a low-angle shot, looking up at Vidal to make him seem more intimidating and imposing to the audience. The shot here almost looks like a portrait, the light giving a biblical sense to the image, and the razor a symbol of Vidal’s violence and power. This shows the Captains inflated perception of himself and his status as a Captain.
The camera then moves from a mid-shot to a long-shot as Vidal walks towards the mirror. This allows for us to see the entire basement and his position in the centre of it. This symbolises his authority and status in the centre of the mill as the Captain, and also his small part in a much bigger fascist machine. The camera then arches around the mirror to push into a close-up of the Captains face as he shaves, forcing the audience to get closer to him and see the precision with which he shaves, how he has no hesitation in using a dangerous razor, and how impassive he looks as he does it, a reference to the face he made as he killed the farmers earlier, calm and casual.
The over the shoulder shot shows how much taller Vidal is than Mercedes, and puts us in her position, letting the audience know how intimidating he is.
A glance object shot shows us all of the equipment that the Captain us using to shave, showing, again, his particular carefulness with creating an appearance. Once the Captain is in the dining room, the lighting is hazier and warmer, a sharp contrast to the cold and metallic environment of Vidal’s room. This also eludes to the contrast between Vidal and Mercedes as characters. The camera pedestals up as Vidal stands, which shows how much taller he is than Mercedes.
This is re-enforced when we cut to an over-the-shoulder shot of Vidal leaning down to intimidate Mercedes, which shows how imposing and threatening he is physically. This shot is also very tight, which creates a feeling of claustrophobia and fear in the audience, of Vidal. The camera then cuts to a wide-shot to show the entrance to the kitchen and how Vidal menacingly stared at Mercedes as she leaves. Only we, the audience, see this, so only we know that he may have suspicions of, or dark intentions for her.
Sound:
The non-diegetic sound of the gramophone picks up in the mix as Vidal turns it on. The audio is loud and slightly scratchy, which immerses the audience in the time period. The music is also very grand and patriotic in nature, which shows Vidal’s sense of patriotism and self-pride/image. The razor produces diegetic sounds that are sharp and sudden. This establishes how sharp the razor is and therefore how much danger Vidal is putting himself in by using it. It also puts the audience on edge slightly, since it is an unpleasant and rough sound that makes the audience feel uncomfortable, which they are supposed to with Vidal on screen, since the is so menacing.
The music also comes to a climax as Vidal begins shaving , which shows how he views this simple activity as a sort of symbol of his power, authority and masculinity. The grand and powerful tone of the music symbolises his obsession with how he presents himself and how he goes about completing his mission. The complexity and liveliness of the music also serves as a stark contrast to Vidal’s otherwise passive and calm expression.
Vidal is careful yet fast as he handles the sharp razor, showing his daring and confidence.
No music is played when Vidal is in the dining room. This creates tension and keeps focus on what he and Mercedes are saying. It also makes what seems like a vaguely awkward conversation come across as a lot more intense and threatening, as the awkward silence combines with the Captains terrifying demeanour to evolve into a disturbing silence that hangs in the air as thick as fog. This all emphasises the fear that Vidal creates in the audience, and the effect on the people around him, including Mercedes, who’s perspective we see here. As Mercedes enters the kitchen, there are many diegetic sounds of metal and glass inserted to emphasise how busy the staff are, and also the amount of rations they have, and immerses the audience in the environment, of only for a few moments.
Performance:
As Vidal goes about the basic task of shaving his face, he seems to be taking great care and joy even in it. This is seen in how he carry’s himself around the room confidently, asserting his power over the environment. His movements are fluid and constant, showing how much pride he takes in maintaining his appearance. The seriousness and attentiveness with which Vidal shaves his face eludes to how he goes about his work as a Captain, efficient and concentrated. The face he makes as he looks in the mirror is also very similar to the one he made as he killed the farmer’s son earlier, showing that he truly had no regret or remorse/hesitation as he murdered that man.
He also makes the activity of shaving almost like a ritual, in the way that he plays music and apples the cream with a brush, carefully studies the blade before using it, smokes and study’s his face in the mirror, and uses a hot towel to get ready. This all contributes to our perception of the Captain, and how he seems so obsessed with himself, his country, career and appearance. This is also seen in the dining room as he intently stares at his boot as he cleans it.
Mercedes answers back to the Captain, which eludes to her role as a rebel, and also her silent disdain and hatred for the Captain. He responds by asserting himself by standing up and placing a hand on her shoulder. This solidify Vidal as a threatening and dominant figure who is fine with keeping people in line by using fear as a tactic. Mercedes’ concerned expression shows this. The way that the kitchen staff also seem happy and even joke when not in the presence of the Captain creates a less tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, emphasising the effect that Vidal has on people by creating that same effect on the audience.
Mercedes is clearly quieter after Vidal’s threatening words.
Editing:
The scene is done in a lone-take until the camera crabs behind a pillar in the basement. As it passes through the darkness, a hidden cut is made, since when it emerges time has passed and the cameras is in a new location. This makes the shaving sequence almost seem like one long cut, which makes the various cuts seamless and un-noticeable. This keeps all focus on the Captain, and also makes the pacing of the scene match the fluid and precise movements of the Captain match each other. The pacing also matches up to the intense and fast music, and keeps the audience up to speed with the course of events in this scene, as we understand them to be continuous, which makes this continuity editing.
There is also another hidden cut when the camera moves behind the Captains head. This could be done to ssymbolise the fact that we, the audience, do not know what goes on inside Vidal’s head, what his inner-thoughts are, which makes him all the more terrifying. It also then brings us into a wide-shot of the basement, but then the scene cuts to the kitchen. The cuts that show a passage of time make this temporal editing, done to progress the story and keep the basic scene of Vidal shaving brief and filled with symbolism, not content, and progress the story more. A cut is possibly used here to end the fluid and constant movement/pacing of the scene before and brings the audience into the new environment. There are few cuts from here, as the shaving sequence is over and now Vidal is not alone, and the focus of the scene has switched from him to Mercedes, which is done by leaving Vidal off-screen as she leaves into the kitchen.
The shot where Ofelia and her mother are talking in the bed is one long and continuous shot. The director avoids cutting here to keep attention and focus on the two characters and their dialogue. The shot also slows down the pace of the film and prepares the audience to hear this story. The camera then pedestals downward in a fluid and floaty movement to create the feeling of a fairy-tale narration. The darkness on screen is used to make the transition and enter into Ofelia’s mothers womb, and then the camera dolly’s right and once again enters darkness to reveal the fairy-tale world. the same thing happens with the rose. It takes a moment to realise that the scene is now in a different environment, making it feel surreal and dream-like. The movement is created by the transitions and feels constant as it avoids making cuts and keeps moving throughout the sequence. It also makes the change from the CGI setting to a real one un-noticeable. The dream-like feel is also achieved by only using movements like pedestals and pans and crab shots. The transitions are fades, which blurs the line between reality and the fairy-tale.
The whole sequence is also done in continuity editing, since the events take place in chronological order. Finally the camera pedestals down to reveal the Captains room, once again secretly transitioning through the dark floor. A J-cut is used at the end of the scene to show the doctors reaction to the Captains threatening words, before cutting to the next scene. This also links the scenes together and establishes that no time has passed since the end of the scene with the doctor and the start of the scene with the farmers. A long take again slows down the pace of the film, creating a contrast between this and when the scene begins cutting rapidly as the farmer’s son is killed. The editing also matches the pace of the action, as here with an intense and violent burst of movement. The cuts between the Captain and the farmer’s son also shows his reaction, which is impassive and calm, to the disgusting act that he is committing. The pace of the editing also becomes sedate and slow as the action ends, matching, again, the movement of the characters.
Cinematography:
The room in which Ofelia and her mother are is very cold and dark, shown trough the blue tinted and silvery colour palette which also gives it a gloomy and dull atmosphere. It pans to the left to follow Ofelia and bring into frame the fireplace and bed. This serves as an establishing shot used to build the atmosphere of the room and follow Ofelia’s movements, keeping her as the centre of frame and therefore scene. When both characters are on the bed together a wide shot is used to keep focus on them and their dialogue, but also makes room for the darkness on the right side of the screen, building more atmosphere and tension. The shot also leaves plenty of empty space above the characters to create the feel of the large and empty room, and also makes makes the engravings on the bed frame clear to the audience. The camera slowly dolly’s forwards as the conversation continues, bringing the audience further into the scene.
The camera then pedestals downwards and transitions into a new environment. Then it crabs to the right and again transitions to a new place, pedestals down and crabs right, finally falling into an arch shot around the bed. These fluid and smooth movements make the scene play out like a story, which is narrated by Ofelia. Therefore, the camera movements contribute to the fairy-tale aspect of this scene, and almost makes it feel like a dream.
A low-angle shot is used here to give the audience a sense of scale of the mountain.
The doctor is kept at eye-level in the scene in the basement, perhaps to contrast how the Captain is usually above the camera in low-angle shots, and this subtly implies that the Captain is a better person that Vidal. Meanwhile, Vidal is sat in a chair shown to be looking up at the doctor, which signals that he has some dependancy on the doctor for looking after his wife and child. This changes after the captain stands up though, when he is once again shown from a low-angle shot. This and the over-the-shoulder shot from behind the Captain show how much taller the Captain is than the doctor, making him an intimidating presence and showing his superiority over the doctor. The soldiers are kept in the background and out of focus to keep the audiences attention on the doctor, but they are kept in frame to increase tension and block the exit, which gives the scene a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere.
The camera arch’s around the mill to follow the Captains movement, and the fact that he is between the two soldiers shows that he is the centre of focus for this scene. The shot of him searching the bag is long and goes not cut until he starts attacking the farmer’s son. This gives time for the situation to be explained by the soldiers, the farmers to plead their innocence, and tension to be built as Vidal searches their possessions. The dialogue establishes the stakes, and the shot makes for suspense building, and also illuminates the harm already done to the farmer, which implies that the soldiers are brutal and cruel. Vidal’s previous behaviour makes the audience wonder and fear to what extent he will punish the farmers if he finds anything too incriminating. The camera also slowly dolly’s forward again to build tension, immerse the audience, and establish how claustrophobic the farmers feel, completely surrounded by soldiers.
The camera quickly cuts between the Captain and the farmer’s son to show the violence that he is committing, and then the calm and neutral expression he wears on his face as he does it, showing how evil and cruel he is. One shot of Vidal also shows the farmer in the background, showing his reaction to the brutal scene in front of him, making the scene all the more stressful and intense. The low-angle shot makes it feel like Vidal is towering above us, making him all the more intimidating. There is also a close-up of the brutalised mans face to display how horrific the violence is. A wide shot is used to show how Vidal casually fires rounds into the two men, and how the soldiers just stand around, looking at this happen. Vidal is also always kept centre frame to show that he has authority and the centre of the attention in this scene. This displays Vidal’s authority, and the fear he puts into people, and how dangerous he is too.
The next shot is an over-the-shoulder from behind one of the soldiers, and this shows who Vidal is talking to, what his expression is, and the left side of the screen has space for the rabbit corpse in the bag, implying that Vidal murdered the two men for nothing. The shot then lingers on two soldiers to show how they reacted to the murders, and this imply that even Vidal’s own men are afraid of him, and opposed to his brutal actions/methods.
Sound:
As Ofelia walks from the door to the bed, diegetic sounds of her footsteps and the fireplace are comforting and homely, building a warm and safe atmosphere. The creaking and sounds from the house build a tense and eerie atmosphere, and the sound of laboured breathing from Ofelia’s mother implies that they are on edge. The non-diegetic score builds as Ofelia’s mother opens up to her about her loneliness. It is slow and somber, and prepares/signals the audience that there is about to be another scene in the fantasy world, and also emphasises the gothic tone of the film, and the emotions Ofelia and her mother are feeling.
When we see the baby, the heartbeat can be heard in the background, muffled and slow, and this is possibly done to show the relationship building between Ofelia and her brother. Diegetic wind and other cold, ambient sounds play, as the camera movements. This adds an ominous quality to the scene, and also adds to the sense of movement through the story, and the cold outside environment. The diegetic sounds of the insect increases the closer it is to the camera, immersing the audience. The sound of the score also gets louder as the scene goes on, and the choir like sounds to it give it a religious quality, that emphasises the beauty of the story, and lends it a small sense of truth.
When Vidal finishes fixing his watch, it begins ticking to a rhythm, showing that there is a purpose to it for Vidal, signifying importance. The sounds are also mechanical, creating a link between Vidal’s cruel and cold efficiency and the machine he holds. The ticking is also heard over the conversation about Ofelia’s mother, and this creates the sense that time is running out for her. As Vidal and his soldiers walk outside, the diegetic sounds of their footsteps create the atmosphere of the outside of the mill, and the Captains footsteps are louder than the others, implying authority and dominance, and get louder as he gets closer to the camera, making him seem more intimidating and making the audience feel like they are actually in the scene.
The important objects can be heard more, as with the watch and the bottle. The diegetic sound of the Captain slamming the bottle lid down implies that he has snapped, and lost patience. The diegetic sounds of the mans face being bashed in gets louder and wetter as the scene goes on, emphasising the gore and brutality, and creating more of an impact on the audience. The score also picks up here, making the situation more distressing and disturbing. The gunshots can also be heard echoing, once again building atmosphere and the dominance/authority of the Captain, and the fear he creates in people.
The non-diegetic score builds in intensity as the scene progresses, which makes the murder all the more hard to watch for the audience. The scene once again goes silent as Vidal walks away, slowing the pace and intensity of events, but still leaving the audience and the guards on edge from what trust happened.
Mise-en-scen:
The moonlight in the scene gives the room a gothic and theatrical feel. The design of the fire and the rest of the room is quite gothic, which builds atmosphere and adds to the tone of the room. The lighting on Ofelia and her mother is very soft and smooth, showing the warm and loving relationship between them. The bed frame also has a similar design to the underworld in the beginning of the film. It resembles goat horns or a uterus, which acts as symbolism and foreshadowing. The clothes that Ofelia is wearing is quite humble and simple and symbolises her as a kind person, who does not show off. The make-up on both characters is also naturalistic, and does not seem done-up or over-done, but genuine and reflective of the characters it’s on.
The blanket is black so that the un-seen transition can be made. The red colour of the womb matches that of the rose, dark and deep, allowing for another transition and creating a dark and ominous atmosphere. The hill that the rose sits on seems rough and brittle, implying danger and matching the narration of how people were scared to climb it, and the sky looks like a storm is brewing, making the atmosphere of the setting gloomy and grim. The thorny branches are also very foreboding and sharp.
The CGI gives the creatures and environment in the story scene seem fantastical and unreal. The basement is filled with gears and tools, which reflects the cold and precise efficiency with which Vidal operates. It also looks like a clock, which links to the stopwatch he is fixing in that scene. Vidal’s uniform is decorated and pristine, showing that he takes his profession seriously and is very strict with how he presents himself. The doctor is dressed well to show that he is professional and that the Captain trusts him, but is less done up and up-tight with his appearance.
The smoke coming off Vidal’s cigarette gives him an intimidating and confident appearance. It is also a symbol of wealth, to show that he is in control of the goods and resources that other people need and want, such as the peasants. The setting of the mill in the woods is similar to many old fantasy book and fairy tale tropes, which establishes an atmosphere for the film, and also makes the area feel more remote and isolated, therefore trapped and claustrophobic.
The soldiers all have clean and tidy uniforms, which reflects how obedient they are to the Captain. The farmers, on the other hand, have dirty and rugged outfits, which shows that they are poor, and provides a direct contrast to the Captain. It also implies that they work hard, struggle to make money, and, like Ofelia, are more honest and good people than Vidal is. The blood and bones that are shown as the farmer’s son is brutalised emphasises the aggressive nature of the Captain, and the extent of how cruel and awful this crime is. It is repulsive for the audience to see, and solidify the Captain as an evil, unforgivable villain.
The rabbit body is held up, and its limp and still body hanging by the ears instantly signals to the audience that the farmers were telling the truth, and therefore the Captain brutally injured two men.
It also looks like a crime scene in this low angle wide shot. Even when the camera gets further away from the violence, we are still engrossed yet mortified by the scene playing out in front of us.
Performance:
Ofelia looks happy to see her mother as she walks across the room. After the chaotic and in-happy events of the previous day, this context and facials expression shows that she has a good relationship with her mother. However, It also shows that Ofelia and her mother an only feel safe together when the Captain is not there, as Ofelia’s previous reactions to the Captain show that she does not trust him. Ofelia is evidently scared as she looks frantically around the room and stays close to her mother for comfort.
Ofelia’s mother is clearly uncomfortable, and we, the audience, subconsciously realise that this is due to the baby, as she has struggled with them before this scene. We also see her mothers’ face go dull and take a conflicted and hurt expression. This establishes how she feels guilt for her daughter, but also feels she had no choice to marry the captain, which makes him seem even more evil to the audience. The way that Ofelia narrates the story is also very full of bravado and confidence, which imply that she knows the story well, and this links with her already established love for fairy-tales.
The Captains expression is intent and concentrated, which shows how important the watch is to him. The doctor seems concerned and uncomfortable around the Captain, which implies that he is afraid of him. The Captain is also shown to be the figure of authority over the doctor, since he does not look up to address him when he walks in. The small hand gesture also shows how much power he has over his men, and how used he is to having people obey him instantly. The doctor also recognises his authority, as he stops talking immediately. This implies to the audience the danger that’s the Captain poses.
Vidal also seems offended when the doctor asks why he has assumed the gender of the child, shown by the way he slowly blows out smoke and looks down his nose at him, almost as if he’s been challenged. This shows the aggressive and impatient personality of the Captain. The soldiers walk behind Vidal, subtly showing his rank above them. The farmers seem breathless and concerned, and the son takes his hat off as soon as he’s told. This shows that they know something the audience does not, how dangerous he is, which builds tension and fear of what Vidal is capable of. Vidal even seems too be taking pleasure in the interrogation, they way he tells the men what to do so much, which shows how sadistic he is.
The way the Captain slams the bottle lid down is aggressive, and the way he does not brake his gaze as he approaches and murders the man shows the extent of how evil and heartless he is, as-well as the calm and disappointed look on his face as he kills the man. The soldiers also make no reaction, which signals that they too are scared of him, and have seen this sort of violence before. This contrasts with the farmers terrified and expected reaction to such violence. Only when Vidal leaves do the soldiers react, and that shows how scared they are of him, and that he is the only person there with no sort of remorse, guilt or repulsion to what he just did.
We have studied the opening sequence of Pan’s Labyrinth and have picked out the different key elements of film form in it, going into detail about how each one has been done to covey information or meaning to the audience.
Cinematography: The sequence starts off with a unique camera movement. The camera crabs to the left to show Ofelia bleeding, then twists right to make her lying eye-level with the camera and therefore the audience. This puts them in the environment of the scene, which is made cool and dull by the silvery and grey colour palette used here, and also focuses all attention on Ofelia, signifying her importance, and that this scene must hold significant importance in the course of the narrative. It also puts the camera in position to push into Ofelia’s eye, and a fast and CGI transition into the underworld kingdom implies a change in place and time-period, also creating a sense of fantasy and mystical nature. once we have entered the kingdom, the camera pans left to cover an extreme wide-shot of the kingdom. This shows the audience how huge and seemingly powerful and grand it all is. It also provides the mise-en-scen, which I will go into later, plenty of space to be put on display.
The extreme wide-shot also provides ample room to show the princess, Moana, escaping the kingdom, which is being explained for context by the narrator, which fits into editing.
The camera then pushes in to bring our attention to Moana and her escape, and then tilts upwards to reveal the huge staircase, keep Montana at the forefront of the audiences attention, and also allows for the soundtrack to build up to the blinding light that follows. here the screen is over-exposed to put the audience in Moana’s position, blinded and shocked by an intense light. it also makes for another smooth and seamless transition into the upper-world, which has a different colour palette to show a different place, temperature and once again, time-period. the camera then slowly crabs right to let the new setting sink in whilst the narrator continues, and also so a skeleton can be revealed, making it clear that violence will be prevalent in the film, and also establishing the conflict that is the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. It then floats up to bring to our attention the cars driving past, and the abandoned church and mass-expanse of woodland.
We then see a close-up of Ofelia’s fairy-tale book, which signals that it is important to her, shows an illustration that hints at Ofelia’s state later on in the film, and shows that fairy-tales and fantasy elements are also going to be a present theme in the film. there are multiple over-the-shoulder and two-shots in the car to show Ofelia’s conversation with her mother. As Ofelia walks around the woods, the camera drops to her level, putting the audience, once again, in her situation, and also showing that she is the centre of the films focus. Even the tilt to the sky mimics where she is looking. The focus on the stone on the floor establishes it as an object of significance, and also Ofelia’s noticing of it. We then cut to a close-up of Ofelia’s face to see that she has noticed something that has caught her attention, bringing in the audience as this captures their attention.
The architecture of the altar matches that of the underworld, and the holes in the eye creates a clear link/connection between it and the stone.
There is an match-on-action to bring our attention on Ofelia picking up the rock, then a close-up to display the unusual formation on it. The over the shot of Ofelia and the statue also makes it look as if the statue is a character itself, contributing to the mystery and suspense of the whole scene. The camera slowly pushes in on the mouth of the altar to ensure that the audiences tension is on it, this way making sure that they have some reaction to the bug that crawls out of it. An over-the-shoulder shot shows Ofelia’s reaction to it. The way that the camera follows the bug also shows Ofelia’s perspective.
The camera follows the insect as it flys away, but keeps Ofelia in shot and the her as the object as focus, this is to show her delight as she looks at the fairy, and remind the audience that the insect is important in relation to her, as she is the protagonist. The insect only leaves frame when Ofelia’s mother enters it, and puts her and the officer in focus to show that this trance that Ofelia was in whilst looking at the insect has been broken to an extent. As the insect/fairy crawls around the trunk of the tree the camera lowers and arcs to follow it and imply to the audience that it is certainly following the truck and cars.
The close-up on Vidal’s watch signifies it significance to him, much like the earlier shot of Ofelia’s book, how it is shown even before them. The close-up also brings attention to how there is a crack on the watch, making the audience wonder why that is there. There is then a close-up on his face to show his importance as a character, and then the camera pans right to follow the cars and reveal the mill and setting of the film to the audience, an establishing shot.
The slow dolly in this shot allows for the audience to take in the environment, statues, which are part of the mise-en-scen, and Moana’s placement here, and her size compared to the rest of the architecture. It also gives the narrator more time to explain the fairy-tale playing out in front of us.
Sound:
The silence included in the opening credits build suspense, and then the diegetic sound of wind and an owl hooting establishes an atmosphere that’s is cold and outside. The lullaby is used as a motif to create suspense and put the audience on edge as it and the wind gradually rise in the mix, which by now is layered due to the different sounds of the woods and Ofelia’s breathing and Mercedes’ humming, slowly bringing the audience into the scene before we even see anything.
the breathing also adds to the tension, making the audience wonder why it is there. A windy swooshing noise is played during the transition to the underworld, making it feel cold and subtly hinting at a change in atmosphere, and matching the speed of the camera, making it feel more like we are actually there, in the scene. The crows cawing adds a dark undertone to the sound mix, as the birds are traditionally associated with themes of death, like a dark foreshadowing, and reference to the pervious shot of Ofelia dying.
The swooshing sound and the crows cawing again signals a change in atmosphere, and hints at the theme of death that is about to be shown in the form of a rotting skeleton. The score has a choral quality to it, establishing the old time-period and eerie atmosphere. The non-diegetic score stops when the conversation starts to keep our attention on it. The sound of the car braking is quick and sharp, showing that there has been a stop and also that the drivers are likely efficient. The diegetic sounds of the cars and people fades away as Ofelia walks off, putting us in her position and distracted mindset.
As Ofelia picks up the stone, the non-diegetic score picks up again, in-concisely making a link in the audiences mind between the underworld and the rock. The sound stops as the camera pushes into the mouth on the stone, helping to build tension and keep the audience as attention on the stone, not the music. The sounds of the insect are quick and clicks, which are uncomfortable to listen to, and these stop as Ofelia’s mother calls to her, breaking the trance made by the focus on the insect. When we see Vidal’s watch, we hear the rhythmic clicking of it, implying that the captain has a close eye on time and orderliness.
Editing:
The captions are edited in to allow English audiences to understand what is being said. The scene where Ofelia is bleeding out is also played in revere, showing that this scene takes place at the end of the film and also gives the scene an unreal and fantastical element.The transition to the underworld is done without making any cuts, since it pushes into her eye and then we discover that there has been a change in environment. This is done to make the flow between places and time periods seem fluid and even in-noticeable. The character of Moana also seems to be edited in, making her movement seem flowing and dream-like. The scene in the underworld is one long and continuous cut that makes the sequence feel like a dream, and the way that it is constantly moving forward makes it feel like the words on the page of a book, which, of course, it is.
The transition to the upper-world is also done without cutting, instead through a flash of blinding light. The only cut we notice fades in as the camera passes a wall, and is hard to notice at first. The scene only cuts when Ofelia reaches the end of the fairy-tale. As Ofelia walks through the woods, the camera follows her and the scene does not cut for a few moments. This lets the atmosphere and setting of the woods sink in, and also keeps the audiences attention as we approach the rock on the ground. When the scene cuts to Captain Vidal at the mill, it is a J-cut since we hear the ticking of the watch before we see it, and this lets the audience know beforehand that something of significance is about to be shown.
The conversation always stays on one side of the invisible 180 degree axis.
Mise-en-scen:
The blood dripping from Ofelia’s nose signals to the audience that she is dying, as-well as that blood on her hand. The architecture in the Nader world kingdom is large and ancient and grand, implying that it is old and powerful, and it also creates the feel of a place from a fairy-tale. The statues shown near the stairs are very similar to those of ancient Egyptian art, which establishes the inspiration for the kingdoms design, and also the pillars are similar to those of Ancient Rome. The immediate debris and destruction that we see on the surface immediately shows the destruction and chaos of the war. So does the rotting skeletons, which also links back to what the narrator is saying about Moana’s death when she reached the surface world.
One of the skeletons also has a pair of glasses next to it, a clear foreshadow of the doctors death later on in the film. The Cars are Rolls-Royce’s which shows that the army has a clear budget to spend, and so are Ofelia and her mothers’ clothiers, showing that they are likely from the city. Even the book is designed to look like an old, antique fairy-tale book.
The design of the stone creates a sense of mystery and attracts the audiences interest, and then when it fits into the rock, we see that the rock has a similar design to those buildings in the under world, establishing a link between them. The design of the bug is intricate, sharp and deadly-looking, creating a feeling of repulsion to it in the audience. The guns that the soldiers are holding signal that Ofelia and her mother are extremely important to them ands have reason to be protected, and also hints at the later conflict in the film.
The vast amount of boxes and crates at the mill show that the Nationalists are powerful, have budget to spend, and are planning on setting up a permanent base/stronghold at this clearing, as well as the huge amounts of soldiers. The uniform of the captain is intricate, flashy due to its medallions and badges, and how tidy it is, all signalling, along with the watch, that he is an important figure in the film.
The latex gloves hint towards the brutality with which Vidal operates through in the movie, and how he seems to wash his hands of all the violence he commits.
Performance:
The laboured breathing and distressed expression on Ofelia’s face shows that she is scared and injured, and this captures the interest and sympathy of the audience. Her mother comes across as loving and protective of her daughter, but still confused at her obsession with fairy-tales. She is also clearly sick with her sniffling, tired face, exhausted demeanour and sickly coughing. On the other hand, Ofelia seems interested and curious, calm at her mothers coughing. This implies that she is fearless and follows her curiosity, as seen with how she investigates the altar and is ecstatic at the insect. The captain is cold, clearly frustrated with the late arrival of the cars, and commands an air of authority with his silence and in-flinching stare.
Real world: It is 1944 and General Francisco Franco is the fascist ruler of Spain. Captain Vidal and his fascist troops have taken control of a mill in the mountains of Spain. They stockpile food there, giving the civilians barely enough to eat so that they can’t afford to give any supplies to the leftist guerrillas in the woods. Vidal has married Carmen, who bares his child. He sends for her because he wants to be present at the birth of his son. Vidal has little time for Carmen’s young bookish daughter, Ofelia. Unbeknownst to Vidal, his housekeeper (Mercedes) has a brother who leads the rebel maquis. She and Doctor Ferriero secretly supply the guerrillas. The communist rebels retake the mill shortly after Carmen dies during childbirth. As the falangists are overrun, Ofelia kidnaps the newly born child. Vidal follows her into a nearby labyrinth where he shoots the girl and reclaims the baby. He is confronted at the entrance of the labyrinth by Mercedes and a large group of maquis. Pedro (Mercedes’ brother) shoots Vidal under the right eye and kills him. A weeping Mercedes cradles Ofelia. Ofelia dies. Fantasy world: Princess Moanna sneaks out from the underworld to become mortal and dies. Her spirit passes through countless humans. The king of the underworld vows to wait for Moanna’s return. A fairy leads Ofelia to a labyrinth where a faun tells her she is a reincarnation of Princess Moanna and that she needs to return to the underworld. However, to make sure that her magical spirit is still intact, Ofelia has to successfully perform three tasks — obtain a key from the belly of a giant toad (that is killing a tree where enchanted creatures rest); use the key to retrieve an item from a locked door guarded by a demon (the Pale Man); spill the blood of an innocent into the portal of the underworld. The faun instructs her in sorcery. Ofelia is distracted because of her sick mother and fails the second task. Ofelia passes the final test by sacrificing her life instead of her brother’s. Princess Moanna returns to the underworld where she rules with “justice and a kind heart”. There are two sides of the story that take place parallel to each other. Ofelia’s adventure into the underworld kingdom, and Captain Vidal’s pursuit of the rebels in the woods. A realistic scenario tied to a real-life event that actually happened, and a imagined scenario infused with nuanced aspects of traditional fairy tales.
2. When and where do the events in the film take place?
“The period featured, 1944 in Spain, is intriguing as it is clearly a period where the rumblings from the Spanish Civil War are still being felt despite the war itself having finished in 1939.” Captain Vidal has been assigned to the task of hunting down and executing the remaining communists, who are hiding out in the remote woods. The civil war has ended but some groups still fight on, resisting the fascist rule of the nationalists. The majority of the film takes place in the small cabin where Vidal, his family, and troops are stationed.
3. Briefly, what was the Spanish Civil War about? When and how did it start and end?
The war started in 1936 and ended in 1939. It was fought between the fascist Nationalists and the more liberal or communist Republicans. The Republicans were divided and had inferior supplies, whilst the Nationalists were supple by other fascist powers in Europe and had been united under one fascist dictator. Eventually the Republicans lost major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and the Nationalists assumed control of Spain.
4. Which of the factions does the captain represent? Why is he stationed at the mill?
Captain Vidal represents the fascist army of the Nationalists who have just taken control of the country. He is stationed at the mill to hunt down and kill the remaining opposition to the dictator and the country’s new government.
5. Which of the factions do the people in the mountains represent? Why are they hiding?
The people hiding in the mountains represent the remaining communist opposition/rebels to the new fascist rulers of Spain. They are hiding since they will be executed if found out to be communist, and so they are armed and preparing an attack on Captain Vidal and his soldiers.
6. Which of the factions do the religious and elite support? Why?
“A local priest, attending a meal held by the Captain, dismisses the possible pain felt by the rebels on theological grounds. His representation lacks humanity and is clearly a barbed commentary on an out of touch and complicit Catholic church: “God has already saved their souls. What happens to their bodies hardly matters to him.” Del Toro uses the cinematic conceit of a banquet to heighten the corruption of the local middle classes and ruling elite. Despite his criticisms of Catholicism as a dogma and institution it is clear that Del Toro admires the spirituality of his native religion — in a later film Crimson Peak, a ghost story, he commented on his belief in ghosts. The scene above is strongly redolent of a stylised heaven with its church-like setting, a rosary window flooded with golden light and a grey bearded father figure flanked by a doe-eyed mother. It is all rather stuffy and formal befitting a royal court perhaps but not a fairy domain. That said it is clearly Ofelia’s (Princess Moanna’s) ‘happy place’ — she has come home to a loving warm family and an adoring people.” The priest represents the Spanish Catholic Church, which sided with the Fascist dictatorship that had won the civil war. So did the elite classes of Spain, which are represented by the wealthy landowners that visit Vidal for dinner. These factions supported Vidal in the film and the Nationalists in real-life most likely since they had won the war, and had to win the trust of the new and violent government. The Nationalists also did not influence or negatively affect these factions, unlike the civilian population in the film which goes hungry so that Vidal can kill the remaining rebels. He does not take away any food from the church or the elite’s.
7. Which of the factions do the peasants support? Why?
The peasants support the communist rebels hiding out in the woods. This is because the rebels are trying to get rid of Captain Vidal and his troops, who are seen taking away the peasants food and even brutally murdering a group of innocent civilians in the movie. The Nationalists are brutal and indifferent to the peasants, and harm them in their attempts at removing the remaining communists.
8. What role do women play in the two factions?
“The representation of women is evidence of the social problems women faced in this patriarchal and macho era.” Mercedes is the woman who serves both sides of the conflict. She aids Captain Vidal and his troops by working in the kitchen, like the other women, and tending to Ofelia when her mother is ill. She help’s her brother and his communist allies by secretly bringing them food, messages, and supplies. Never does a woman get involved in any physical combat, but more espionage activities, which is accurate to ideals on gender roles that were held at the time.
9. How is food an important symbol in the film?
Food can be seen as a metaphor for the deprivation and suppression that people were subject to during the war. This can be seen in how the peasants have their food taken away from them, Captain Vidal and his guests hold big, expensive seeming meals regularly, and Ofelia steals food from the ogre because she is so hungry. It can also show how corrupt someone is. The rebels in the woods are represented as a good force, fighting against the dictatorship poof the Nationalists. Meanwhile, Vidal and similarly the ogre are seen with long tables of delicious foods, and both of those characters are villainous and corrupt. It also shows Ofelia’s childish wonder at all of the fairy-tale scenarios that she is living through, and this is even when she steals the grape from the ogre despite being seriously warned not too. It shows that she is naive and susceptible to temptation.
10. How is poverty an important theme in the film?
Poverty is used similarly to food as a symbol of corruption and evil in people. The people living in the woods, along with the peasants are seen as poor and heroic people who are repressed by the government but still fight on for the sake of their cause. On the other hand, Vidal lives in a luxurious and romantic mill, with access to milk and bread and meat, and he is the main source of evil and the cause of most of the problems in the film. It also show’s how people suffered throughout the war, whilst the upper-classes thrived unfairly. Del Toro also paid tribute to the tragedy of the civil war in his 2001 masterpiece The Devils Backbone.
11. How is time an important theme in the film?
The film begins with a shot of Ofelia dying in the Labyrinth, and ends at the same point. This circular narrative is perhaps meant to represent the pain and constant struggle of civilians living through the civil war. It is also perhaps done to show that Ofelia’s story is infinite, as apparently thousands of others girls like her have attempted to pass the faun’s tests, but have failed. This continuous cycle of death and reincarnation, since the story begins with her first body dying, and ends with her last dying, is done to show the fairy-tale likeness of her adventure, and the brutality of the Spanish Civil War.
12. How is disobedience an important theme in the film?
Disobedience is a more underlying theme in the film, used to convey a message about the war and gullibility. Ofelia is obedient to the faun at first, completing his quests and doing as he sits. This puts her in dangerous situations, such as the pale-man sequence. When she finally disobeys it at the end of the film and refuses to draw the blood of her innocent brother, does she make it into the underworld where she is re-united with her family. A similar thing happens in the real-world between Captain Vidal and the doctor who helps his pregnant wife through child-birth and also secretly supplies the rebels in the woods. When Vidal realises that the doctor is betraying him, he asks why he didn’t obey him. The doctor insults the captain by saying that only people like him can obey without thinking. Vidal then kills him but his death was in servitude to the rebel cause. His death was heroic and was done to show that the doctor would rather die serving the cause he believes in rather than the evil Vidal, so only when he openly disobeys and defies the captain does he realise how to help the rebels win. It shows that blind obedience brings death and suffering, and freedom, the opposite of what the fascists believe in, is how to win over evil.
13. How and in what ways does pans Labyrinth draw on classic fairy tale and fantasy tropes and archetypes?
The movie portrays many fascinating and various monsters. The giant frog is comical and quite confusing to behold, the pale man is like an ogre, terrifying and repulsive, and the faun is mysterious and mystical. These creatures are all similar to monsters from classic fairy tales, such as ogres, giant animals, witches and myths. The faun is even a representation of the Greek God Pan, hence the name of the film. The settings, such as the rotting tree, big dining hall and labyrinth even seem like they are plucked from fantasy stories. The young and naive Ofelia is filled with child-like wonder at the events that unfold before her, and even eats the food from the ogre, despite being frequently warned not too. This is similar to how many fairy tale protagonist would actually, and her motivation to become a princess in an underworld paradise is similar to old and classical fairy tale character motivations. The ogre scene is even similar to the story of Hansel and Gretel, with the repulsive witch who lures in her child prey with enticing and luxurious food.
14. How is fascism portrayed in the film?
“The negative depiction of Franco’s fascist forces is clearly intended to be extended to the imaginative poverty of fascism in general — in contrast to the more benign and sensitive (although hardly democratic) fairy kingdom. A more realist political representation is that of the guerrillas who are presented as resourceful and determined and egalitarian. Mercedes’ love of children (Ofelia and her baby brother) suggests a tenderness and a celebration of all things childish — indeed, unlike Ofelia’s weak and dismissive mother, Mercedes gives advice on the handling of fauns.” We see the contrasts between the resourceful rebels and Captain Vidal in his dining scenes, where much enticing food is laid out before him on the table. These subtle details hint at how the fascists are unfair and treat their people wrongly. This is also done more obviously with how the fascist troops brutally murder civilians and effect the people around them, keeping all the food for themselves, torturing captured rebels, and neglecting the need of the peasants in the area.
15. How does Guillermo Del Toro employ uterine and sapphic imagery in the film?
The image/shapes of the uterus is referenced/portrayed in the film Guiana the rotting tree in the woods. The way that this tree is apparently rotting due to the toad inside is perhaps meant to reference how Ofelia’s mother is going to die in child-birth. It can also be said to represent how the Faun has secret and mysterious motives for Ofelia’s quests, or how when she crawls out of the uterus, it is almost like being re-born by it, like how she becomes the princess in the underground kingdom at the end of the film. Yonis imagery is seen in the opening of the tree, once again referencing the theme of re-birth and childhood, which of course begins with birth.
16. How are maternal instincts portrayed in the film?
We see Mercedes’ paternal instinct to protect Ofelia when her mother is not well enough to do so throughout the film, for example when she cradles Ofelia’s dying body and sings her a lullaby. It is also seen in Ofelia’s mother herself, when she is concerned at the loss of her daughter. Captain Vidal is portrayed as cruel and indifferent to his daughters existence, so his lack of paternal instinct shows that he is a villain. Even the doctor looks after Ofelia and comforts her. It is the more evil characters like the Faun and Vidal who do not care for Ofelia, or have seemingly malicious intent for her.
17. What was the significance of faces and shaving in the film?
We see Captain Vidal shaving a few times in the film. Each time we see a cruel and cold look on his face, which shows that even in private, he never betrays his image of a hardened captain by showing guilt or remorse, which signals that he is a truly evil and un-caring villain. The actual action of shaving itself is perhaps meant to represent how Vidal is obsessed with upholding his image, or how he regularly washes and leans himself of the violence that he has committed. Vidal is later on shoe in the face, and his face is cut open by Mercedes, and a civilian has his face bashed in by Vidal. This is either done to show that Vidal’s previous acts of violence have come back to make him suffer through h=what he made other people suffer through, or to show how no matter how many times he shaves of his guilt and criminality, he will eventually break and fall to the violence that he has left in his wake.
18. What is the significance of flowers in the film?
Flowers often represent the theme of re-birth, blooming and youth. This is seen at the end of the film when a flower sprouts from the tree that Ofelia visited. It shows that traces of her still exist in the real world, and this links back to the fairy-tale aspect of the story. It also shows that she still holds her childish wonder and joy fullness that she had whilst she was alive.
19. How does Guillermo Del Toro operate a ‘one for them, one for me’ filmmaking policy?
Del Toro often reveals a pice of information in the film through scenes like Mercedes taking hidden supplies out of a hidden floorboard, or how the captain finds penicillin in a similar bottle at the rebel camp to what the doctor supplies them. This particular scene signals to the audience, despite a lack of dialogue in it, that Vidal has realised that the doctor is a traitor,and that he is about to kill him. However, Toro also keeps many things hidden from the audience, like the fauns secret motives, or if Ofelia is seeing all of these monsters in her head or if they are real. This is seen when Vidal looks at Ofelia but does not see the Faun, despite Del Toro tricking us into thinking that it was real. This is done by keeping Ofelia’s adventure and Vidal’s campaign separate until the end of the film.
20. How far is Pans Labyrinth representative of Guillermo Del Toro’s oeuvre?
“Del Toro as an effective and idiosyncratic fantasy/horror auteur is evidenced in his earlier films such as Cronos (1993), The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015) as well as in his much more mainstream Hollywood work such as Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013).” However, despite the conception that The Devils Backbone was Del Toro’s magnum opus, Pans Labyrinth showed that the director was capable of creating a deep, though-out and fully realised work of art. The concepts and story of the film is unique, with memorable characters and scenes that cement is as a powerful and individual piece of filmmaking that cannot be compared to any other of Toro’s films, or any other film in general. It is what the director is know for. He and the film are completely attached to one another.
21. How did the critical reception of The Devils Backbone influence the production of Pan’s Labyrinth?
After the massive positive receivable of The Devils Backbone, Del Toro was left with the necessary budget for creating Pans Labyrinth. This helped lead to a high production cost, and making the movie feel like it was backed by a large studio, despite Del Toro being in control of the project. The quality of the production led to more people watching the film, and the amount of money to invest in production, sets, costumes and actors was enough.
22. Was the film financially successful?
“Released in the UK by Optimum. Premiered at Cannes in May 2006 to great acclaim. Co–produced by a number of Spanish, Mexican and American production companies the $19 million budget is reflected in the complex production design, period dressing and relatively large cast. The eventual worldwide box office of $83.3 million was seen as a triumph.” The film nowadays is viewed as a classic, and the magnum opus of an already well known and respected auteur director.
23. Why is the year of the release of The Devils Backbone and PansLabyrinth significant?
Pans Labyrinth was released in 2006, just 5 years after The Devils Backbone. Nowadays Guillermo Del Toros films are made at similar intervals, and this is likely because it is these two films that made his name as an iconic director. The Devils Backbone’s success allowed for the production value of Pans Labyrinth, which is part of why the film is so good. It’s impressive practical effects and beautiful location, for example.
24. Why physical effects over CGI?
“The key technology used in this film is the animatronics and green screen work as discussed above and its effective creation of a magical-realist production design.” The practical costumes and real sets create the feeling that these fairy-tale like settings are real, and that makes the terrifying monsters all the more real and disturbing. CGI is only ever used for the more graphic gore in the film, such Vidal being shot in the face or the farmer’s son having his face bashed in by Vidal. This is because that’s harder to make with physical effects, but when Toro could use physical effects he did, and it makes the whole film feel more real, grounded, and serious.
25. Why did Guillermo Del Toro write the DVD subtitles himself?
“Del Toro wrote the subtitles for Pan’s Labyrinth himself after becoming disillusioned with the translation of The Devil’s Backbone — a film also with the Spanish Civil War as its backdrop and the informal prequel to Pan’s Labyrinth.” Del Toro clearly takes his films very seriously and puts a lot of thought and effort into them. TheDevils Backbone and Pans Labyrinth are the clearest examples of this. So it would make sense for him to make sure the message was conveyed correctly.
26. How does Guillermo Del Toro use distinct colour palettes in the film?
Different colour palettes are used in night-time scenes, day time scenes, and scenes in the underworld, or mythical/magical places in the film. The one used for the day is light and vibrant, bringing out the beautiful colours of the forest, and also perhaps meant to show how Ofelia feels safe at this time, and her wonder and curiosity in this new place. A darker, gloomier palette is used at night, increasing the shadows in the scenes, adding to the feeling of mystery and danger in these moments. The one used in the other world is less easy to notice. It is subtle, probably done to intentionally to signify , to those looking closely enough, a change in the atmosphere, and show that this place is not normal, safe, or human-made even.
27. Look at the “context starter questions” on the Contexts Of Film mind-map. How many could you answer? Add your answers to the end of this post.
I answered one question for each film context.
Institutional: What studio produced the film and how has this changed the films content?
Pans Labyrinth was produced by the Telecinco Cinema studio. This studio is Spanish, which is possibly why the film had such a high production value, since they wanted to fund a project that displayed some of the country’s history and culture. It would also be supporting a Mexican director producer an independent passion project, so they were perhaps more inclined to help fund the film.
Political: Does the film engage with politics directly or is it in the subtext?
The politics of Pans Labyrinth is strictly kept in the subtext of the script. There is never any clear political message, though the villains, who are fascist nationalists, are shown as the obvious villains, whilst the communist rebels are depicted as strong-willed and justified heroes. So the film has political sidings, but no clear message, meaning or manifesto.
Social: Is the film challenging or reinforcing hegemonic attitudes to particular social groups or concepts?
Pans Labyrinth seems to be challenging hegemonic attitudes to the concept of socialism and the group of socialists in the woods. This is seen in how it portrays Captain Vidal and his fascist comrades as the clear villains of the film. This is because they are the hegemonic class in Spain when the film is set, and the socialists are rebels hiding out in the woods, and they are portrayed as the protagonists of the story.
Cultural: Is the film typical of films from its country of origin at the time?
Probably not. Guillermo Del Toro is known for making extremely unique and powerful story’s that can’t really be compared to the work of other directors. His films are completely the brainchild of his mind, as he is a very original and individual auteur who does not use troops or trends in his films, as is seen in the time period that Pans Labyrinth is set in, and its very strange yet beautiful story.
Historical: We’re the filmmakers restricted by and contextual factors?
Most likely not. The issue of the Spanish civil war is not off-limits for filmmakers to include in their film, and this being a personal project completely controlled/produced by Del Toro, and not influenced by studio interference, there were no limitations in the creation of Pans Labyrinth.
Technological: (There is no question for technological factors so I made one up) How are the technological aspects of Pans Labyrinth reflected in the film?
The film has a very high production value. This is clear in its good-looking CGI, impressive and intricate practical effects, large cast, beautiful location and ambitious story that would seem very hard to adapt from script into film.
A re-occurring presence in the film is the fascist military, which we understand are called the ZZ. These people are brought into the film only ever to pose a problem or great to the protagonists.
An example of this is when M. Gustav (Ralph Fiennes) is arrested by Henckel’s (Edward Norton) and his men. This paints the military as a negative, oppressive force. Even though we, the audience, do not know who they work for or why they do what they do, we understand that they are antagonists from the actions they take, their evident racism towards Zero ( Tony Revolori) and their oppressive methods.
Edward Norton as Henckel’s. Notice the uniform and formation of men behind him.
Their grey and straight uniforms are also very dull and grim, almost similar to that of a Nazi uniform. The audience knows what a Nazi uniform looks like, so the obvious resemblance through the badges, coats and hats leads us to associate them with Nazi’s.
The way that Henkels men go about their orders immediately also shows how strict and authoritarian they are. It also establishes Henckel’s position as a high ranking officer. As I mentioned earlier, the badges subtly reference those worn by Nazi officers to display rank. the way that those in the film are star-shaped and arranged symmetrically in the uniform stop them from being direct Nazi uniforms, but subtly bring the image to a viewers mind.
Ed Nortons performance also paints the image of an evil man. He is stern and I’m-polite, and even when he apologises in the first scene he’s in, he seems to have no emotion or care on his face.
Another notable point is the way that the soldiers are tightly arranged in formations in all scenes shows how strict and tight they are. The banners shown in the hotel lobby after it has been taken over by the military also strongly hints back to Nazi propaganda.
The wold emblem shown later on in the film also brings the image of Nazi uniformity into the viewers head, instantly establishing the character as evil, before they even do anything. The way that they take over the hotel later on and completely re-decorate it also shows how evil the military is, and once again subtly references Nazi takeovers of places in WW2.
Wes Andersons style of directing is easily recognisable for its distinct and unique frame symmetry, aspect ratios, and perfectly arranged scenery.
A very noticeable thing about The Grand Budapest Hotel is the colour ratio. The colours are very bright and distinct, creating the feeling of a rich and bright environment. This makes certain scenes more memorable because of their stunning and gorgeous visuals. It is also used in one scene to convey to the audience that the scene is a grim and bleak time in Zero’s (Tony Revolori) life. This is done by making the scene completely black and white.
Another thing that the film is known for is the way that Anderson switches aspect ratios between the four different time periods. The ratio shrinks as the film goes back in time, starting at 16:9 in the opening scene, set in modern day, and transitioning to 4:3 in the 1930’s. This gives each scene its own distinct feel and aesthetic, and also brings the audience into the feeling of films made around that time period.
The film also uses zeitgeist to create the feeling of Eastern-European culture in the 1930’s through the clothes that people wear, the furniture and architecture, and and even the re-occurring trend of moustaches.
Almost every shot is also perfectly framed/centred. This involves placing characters and buildings and items centre frame. It also leads to shots being more symmetrical, which an equal amount of characters on each side of the frame, and buildings being perfectly balanced and symmetrical too. This creates the feeling of the time period the film is set in in a particular scene, and it also makes the colour scheme more balanced and aesthetically pleasing, like the rest of the film.
The editing is slow and avoids shots as much as possible, the mise-en-scene is arranged perfectly to create the feel of the place and time-period, the cinematography is done to place things perfectly centre-frame to show the importance of certain things and to make the shots more pleasing and symmetrical for the audience to look at.
Ralph Fiennes plays the hotel’s concierge, M. Gustav. The character of Gustav is very strict and competent, and is a figure of authority and self-control.
The pace and tone of Fiennes’ dialogue is very quick and calm. He gives out constant orders with a strict and confident tone, which signals to the audience his position above the other hotel staff. He also speaks very quickly and does not stumble on his words, which shows that he is a competent and capable manager.
His voice is quiet and calm, but also has a tone of authority and power. He also never said please, to show that he is an effective manger who does not waste his words.
Madame .D played by Hilda Swindon. M. Gustave’s nervous guest.
Gustave’s mannerisms are also very precise and confident. He moves around the room very quickly and calmly, with the non-verbal expression of someone who know what they are doing and knows that they will have their orders seen to. He moves his arms to give instructions very fluidly, almost like a bale dancer. This and the way that he moves so confidently show that he has planned and precisely timed movements to match that of the camera.
The blocking is also done to keep Gustav precisely centre-frame constantly throughout the one-take, which shows the audience that he is the centre of authority, and an important character. When we first see him, he seems to be reflecting as he looks from his balcony. This paints him as a reflective and wise person.
Ralph Fiennes’s (Right) movement and tone reflex tone the image of a confident and assured person.
His posture is poised and upright, to show that he is strict and keeps himself in order. His movements are purposeful, since he knows what his job is. It shows that he is experienced and has probably done this same thing before.
He leans into the conversation to show feigned interest, and when the conversation doesn’t go his way he show his frustration, before regaining control and continuing his calm demeanour and confident tone. But this breaks when he sees the varnish he doesn’t like, and then the prediction of his movements and confident tone stop briefly. he also interrupts his guest to make sure that she is calm and does not protest to leaving.
The staff of the hotel have noticeably tidy uniforms. M. Gustav in particular has a very slick sand clean look to him, with his neat hair, straight uniform and confident air about him. The colour of his outfit is purple, along with the rest of the staff, which is a rich and deep colour, associated with the wealth and royalty of the hotels guests. The colour of the carpet is also a very deep and rich red, possibly there to contribute to the atmosphere of wealth, tidiness, and nobility.
The tidiness of the staffs uniforms is contrasted by the crippled shoe shiner outside the hotel, who looks dirty and un-organised. The man who’s shoes he is cleaning is also very well dressed, and not even looking at the boy. This subtly shows how highly regarded and treated the hotels guests are, and the respect with which the staff treat them.
The hotels golden and perfectly arranged front entrance, with staff ready to greet guests.
The guests are also established as extremely wealthy customers. the men are in clean and even perfect suits, the women are in fur coats and hats, showing that they have money and also creating an atmosphere similar to that of the time period and place that the film is set in.
The way that M. Gustav speaks to the guests also shows how highly they are treated, especially in contrast to how he quickly and sternly gives orders to the staff. he even talks to the chef like he would a dog, or misbehaving child, just after carefully and respectfully conversing with a guest who is leaving. The amount of guests and luggage outside also quietly signals to the audience how popular and successful the hotel is.
The Grand Budapests lobby, the carpet a deep red, walls golden marble, staff uniform tidy and purple, and expensive furniture perfectly arranged.
The way that the staff, such and Zero, instantly do as Gustav has ordered shows how loyal they are. It also shows the authority and status of Gustav, how strict, tight and efficient the hotels standards are too, creating the sense of a truly fine and quality establishment.
The actual contents and structure of the hotel is also a big factor of the scenes mise-en-scene. The lobby is grand and beautiful. the walls are marble and shiny, lightbulbs arranged in splendid patterns. There are exotic plants, clearly imported, and large flower bouquets to symbolise how expensive this environment is to build and to stay in. The carpet is almost like that of something royalty or celebrity’s would walk on, and even the front doors sign is golden, showing wealth from the first steps up to the lobby door.
Chapters 28 to 29 in the film show Dmitri (Adrian Brody) chasing Agatha (Saoirse Ronan) since she has the painting Boy With Apple.
The sequence begins with an establishing shot, which establishes the location and time of the coming scene by showing an extreme wide-shot of the Grand Budapest hotel at night. This shot then cuts to multiple fast-paced and snappy shots of things like keys and shakers with the fascist army’s symbol on, showing to the audience that they are now in control of the hotel.
These shots occur in sequence, making it continuity editing. Here it shows Agatha walking up to a desk and handing over a cake. We, the audience, know from editing in other films, that when the camera cuts to the hotels new concierge, that this takes place at the same time of Agatha approaching the front desk. This is parallel editing, when two sequences that are continually edited are played next to each other, and take place in the film at the same time.
A good example of a Wes Anderson symmetrical wide-shot. This one is done to show what has changed in the hotel since we, the audience, last saw it.
There is then an example of glance-object editing when Agatha looks at something, and then we see a close-up of that thing she was looking at. There is also another instance where parallel editing is used when we see M. Gustav (Ralph Fiennes) and Zero (Tony Revolori) outside in a delivery van. We know that this takes place at the same time as Agatha receiving the painting from the vault.
The sequence then enters back into straight continuity editing when Agatha is noticed by Dmitri, who begins o chase her. When he sees here, however, a quick mugshot is inserted for the audience to understand how Dmitri recognises her. the ensuing chase scene is quite an unconventional one, since there are very few cuts, leading to long takes, as is the style of Wes Andersons directing.
Zero (left) and Agatha (right) after falling into the delivery van together.this is after the parallel editing of their individual paths cross, making it become continuity editing.
The parallel editing ends when Agatha and Dmitri enter the same elevator, so the previous shots of them separately have joined together. In this elevator we see Agatha is visibly afraid, and then the camera cuts to Dmitri to show the audience what she is afraid of.
There is then a classic shot-reverse-shot to show that Dmitri and Gustav are making direct eye contact as they shout across the room at each other. just before the gunfight begins, we see multiple soldiers poking their heads out of their individual rooms. The way that it goes from one man to another on the opposite side of the room creates a satisfying rhythm to the moment. When Zero looks off the balcony, a shot-reverse-shot is done to show that he is looking down at her. There is then an instance of cross-cutting when the scene cuts from Zero to Agatha, and then the scene enters continuity editing when he joins her on the balcony. The scene ends with a birds-eye shot of Zero and Agatha looking up at the camera, and then a close-up of the second copy of the second will to show what it is that they were looking at.
The sound mix in the chapters 25 to 26 is carefully made to build tension towards the reveal and chase scene at the end of the sequence. The snow is diegetic sound, probably added into post-filming, since the remote foothills are clearly on a green screen. This creates an atmosphere in the scene, making it feel more realistic. The sound of the cable cars swinging on their cables is also diegetic, and clearly made to sync up with the music score, probably done to build the impact and suspense made by the music.
Speaking of the sound mix, the music has a similarity to that of the place and time period of Eastern Europe in the twentieth century, including multiple string instruments, which are also effective of building tension and creating a feeling of impending doom.
A wide shot of the observatory on the mountain top.
The sound mix is also filled with sharp and jarring sounds, such as a motorbike starting, or a whistle being blown. These are quite surprising and shocking, putting the audience on edge. They also contribute to the building of intensity.
I also noticed that the music abruptly cuts off when characters speak. Then it begins again as soon as the characters finish interactions. The score also rises in tempo and pace the closer Zero and Gustav get to the church. Once again the dialogue between two characters is made clear when Gustav is instructed where to go after sitting down in the church, and the singing from the priests stops at this precise moment.
The audience is shown that a body has been dropped despite the scene being completely black, by the diegetic sound of a slumping noise. Of course, when the scene is lit again, we see that someone has been made red.
The sequence in which M. Gustave and his fellow inmates escape from checkpoint-19 (chapter 21) is made so that the information that needs to be shown to the audience is shown to them, and then the direct/immediate consequences of said thing are shown. This is apparent when the camera pans from the site of a lone van, silently implying to the audience that it is there to be used as an escape vehicle, a shot of Zero clocking into a manhole, showing that the escape is already underway.
One recognisable feature of Wes Andersons direction in his films is perfectly symmetrical shots. These break the rule-of-thirds, and make the image perfect and almost like a painting. It is done in this sequence to bring the a button perfectly into centre frame, where the audiences attention will be undivided and only on it.
M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) apologising to Zero (Tony Revolori) just after escaping checkpoint-19 with his help.
Another classic and commonly used method of cinematography by Wes Anderson is crab shots, frequently used in the Grand Budapest Hotel to follow characters, even when they are not in-shot, and are behind a wall or something. This is most likely done to keep the viewers attention constantly on the important vents happening, and reminding us that the characters are still the predominant focus of this scene. It also avoids cutting, as seen when the camera crabs right to reveal a dumbwaiter, and then left just afterwards to show a door, and then the same after that to show a group of men running.
Once again our attention is brought to a ladder by it being placed directly centre-frame. Theres also an example of Andersons stylistic unconventional directing when he breaks the 180 degree rule. But then a shot-reverse-shot is done to establish that one of the escaping prisoners is making eye-contact with a prisoner in his cell.
The escapees looking through a vent door, into the unexpected guard room.
A wide-shot is shown after this, into which the characters enter frame. However, the whole sequence contains less wide and extreme long-shots than the rest of the film, probably done to create the feeling of claustrophobia in the prison. After a 90 degree pan and a dolly, a wide-shot is used to show the size of the prison wall compared to the escapees.
A rare birds-eye-view shot then occurs not emphasise the size of the checkpoint, and then one of the only extreme wide-shots is done to create a change in atmosphere, since we are now outside, and to show how small the escaping prisoners are in comparison to the massive prison.
The prisoners shielding away at some prison bars, once again perfectly/symmetrically framed.
Lighting is also used particularly in this sequence, usually to bring the viewers eye towards a particular area, such as a path, button and vent. The prisoners are then shown looking down from this vent into the guards’ quarters, in a worms-eye-view. During the ensuing violence the camera is kept on this same shot to record the reactions of the onlooking escapees, and then the aftermath of the fight is shown in a birds eye view, framed symmetrically, as per usual with Wes Anderson, through the trapdoor.
The sequence expertly combines lighting, crab shots and panning to avoid cutting, symmetrical shots and wide and long-shots to portray a carefully planned escape sequence.
Cultural/social: The film evokes the feeling of wealth and nobility. This is apparent in the luxurious state of the hotel in its prime, strict rules and standards for the staff, fashion, expensive architecture and good service provided to the customers. It is clear that the people staying there have lots of money, and their clothing even feels very similar to nobility fashion of the time period and region of Eastern Europe in the twentieth century.
Historical/political: The film is not actually based on a real book or event. None of the historical events are real either, though the fascist soldiers in the film, such as Edward Norton’s character, are definitely intended to represent a mixture of various dictatorships that arose in Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. the war that occurs later on in the film is also possibly in reference to events like the Yugoslavian dissolution, or other violent historical periods. That period in history is probably what inspired the filmmakers to create this specific environment and time period for the movie.
Institutional: The Grand Budapest Hotel obviously has many similarities to some of Wes Andersons other films, such as the Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). This evident style of editing, pacing, and cinematography of his, involving Long and wide shots and periods of silence, probably influenced the location and set of the film, and even uniforms, and the actual architecture of the hotel, which was possibly made to help match the extreme wide-shots familiar to Andersons style.
Technical: Wes Anderson employs wide shots and crab shots regularly to stay focused on particular characters in frame. This is done to avoid cutting in the movie, so long-shots are common. Another interesting detail is how the actual hotel is not real, and the interior lobby was just set up inside a vacant department store in Germany.
The Grand Budapest Hotel was released in 2014 and is directed by Wes Anderson. The film chronicles the history of how the famous and extravagant Budapest Hotel came to be the quiet and forgotten establishment that it is in modern day. the majority of the film follows the hotels monsieur, M.Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) and the new lobby boy, Zero (Tony Revolori), and the various events that occur after the death of one of the hotels most wealthy clients, Madame D. (Gilda Swindon).
The story is told to us, the audience, by the author of the book(played at this point by Tom Wilkinson), The Grand Budapest Hotel, who recounts when he was younger (and played by Jude law) and visited the hotel only to meet its owner, Zero (F. Murray Abraham) who tells him the history of the hotel, and how he came to own it. Even after these mixed perspectives, the whole film seems to be from the view of a woman in modern day, who is simply reading the book that holds the story of the hotels rich history, which we see in the film.
the author of the Grand Budapest Hotel (Jude Law-on the right) converging with M. Jean (Jason Schwartzman- on the right) on the matter of a new guest at the hotel.
Wes Anderson is known as a very stylistic director, which is completely apparent in the Gand Budapest Hotel. He seems to refrain from cutting as much as possible, which leads to most of the shots in the film being quite long and drawn out, often long-shots moving to keep up with the characters, or wide-shots done to encompass as much of a set, such as the hotel lobby, or characters, such as the scene in the red elevator, as possible.
The movie is also split into parts, such as part 5 “the second copy of the second will”. These occasional breaks in the story give the audience a split second to recollect. The reveal shot of what the new part is called also creates the sense of a grand play, which could of been what Wes Anderson was trying to replicate, or, and most likely, a book, since that is what we see at the beginning, that the story is a book in modern day.
M. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) entertaining some of the hotels guests.
I believe that The Grand Budapest Hotel holds an important place in film history. It is instantly recognisable, and goes to show that in-conventional means of direction, narrative and sequencing in a film can add style and charm to it, setting it apart from other movies. The film is only 7 years old, but is still regarded as a cult classic for its witty and funny dialogue, lovable characters, and compelling story.
I personally loved this movie to bits! I thought that it was hilarious, and excellent from a subjective filmmaking perspective, despite its initially odd and even comical style. The shots are immersive and beautiful, the cinematography and editing is masterful, the performances are all outstanding and even the mise-en-scen is detailed and adds to the distinct atmosphere of the movie. I believe that perhaps Wes Anderson was trying to convey a message about how ethnic minorities were treated in early 20th century Eastern Europe, and how fascist governments effected the ordinary people there, as seen in the prison sequence and tragic ending to the story.
Zero (Tony Revolori) getting used to his new job as lobby boy, being supervised by M. Gustav (Ralph Fiennes) at the desk behind. A good example of a wide, encompassing shot in the film.
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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