Reflective Analysis

For this piece of coursework I created an avent garde experimental film rich with themes of feminism and gender boundaries, by taking my own approach to film making I was influenced by Chris Markers Bodysong (2003), and Maya Deren's Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) as the majority of clips I used were recycled image and referenced women. I managed to forage clips from two music videos and two youtube videos relevant to the themes of my film.

The opening clip of the film quickly enters the audience to identifying the key messages the film will contain, the burning bra symbolises the marginalisation of women within today's society; primarily the subordination which the media brings against women. Burning the bra shares the ideology that the ties which restrict women are being broken; they're being burned away, this opening shot sets the scene for the entirety of the film. Criticisms I would give the opening shot is the length, it is the longest shot in the film and plays for 40s, this can cause disinterest with the audience and take the attention away from the key points of the film. Additionally the brief close up shots of the bra were not shot as intended, specifically the pads of the bra were to be shown in the close up but due to editing difficulties it didn't turn out this way. The audio track used is Water Me by FKA Twigs, I chose this due to the misogynistic theme within the lyrics; the lyrics portray a woman who was told she was inferior by a man. I use this track for educational purposes for the viewer as I wish to remind them of negative impacts men can hold against women. 

The proceeding sequence to next take place features a drag artist preparing for a show, the sequence is equipped with fast cuts and increased tempo of film and is edited to match the rhythm of the track. This scene is heavily influenced by Kenneth Angers Puce Moment (1949) which similarly shows a woman repeatedly trying on different dresses. The fast cuts and increased tempo create a uneasy atmosphere for the viewer, this technique is in reference to Jack Smiths Flaming Creatures (1963) as it causes a confusion and uneasiness for the audience. I chose to include a drag artist into my work with relevance to gender boundaries and stereotypes, the hyperbolic nature of drag can be translated to a form of men's appreciation of women. I purposely slow down the clip 1.06-1.09 to create an ethereal atmosphere within the film and to match with the overlaying track. 

The film then quickly transitions with a cross dissolve into the next stage which aligns reversed clips of women dancing and applying hyperbolic amounts of make-up. This sequence also empowered with fast cuts and increased tempo, symbolises the pressure and strain girls are subjected too from society in terms of appearance. Close ups are used to strike a reaction into the viewing audience, exhibiting the severity of the issue that the film presents. I used reversed film in this section to resemble the political issue of women appear to be moving forward in society, but still continue to face discrimination in many other ways; therefore reversing what people have fought to change. This also gives a disorientated view to the aesthetic of the clip which will infatuate the viewer to think further about the topic.

Cross dissolves introduce the viewer to a new montage of film. This particular sequence shows high tempo close-up shots of a female dancing in an abstract manor. These beginning shot focus on cutting or obscuring the females face from the view of the shot, this technique again links to feminist ideologies that women bear no identity in modern society. The introducing shots of this section create a silhouette of the females face, this technical aspect again links to the previous creed. The sequence then partakes in extreme close ups of the females shoes, then shows her wielding a flail and burning sword. I chose these clips specifically because the iconography of the weapons gifts the female with dominance and power, as these ancient weapons were typically used by men in wars many years ago I found it ironically fitted the themes of my film. The following clip shows the female equipped with a flare at during night, the flare portrays her as light in darkness gifting her with an identity, consequently the flare burns out and she is forced to blow out the dying flame again removing her identity.

The final voyage that the film carries viewers through is brief but incredibly fundamental, as the few quick shots of the new born baby play an instrumental role within the whole film. The reasoning for the existence of these clips is because at birth a person is ascribed their gender status and this fundamentally moulds their whole lives; from appearance, to relationships, to human rights. The final shot on the film shows the rapid reconstruction of the bra from the beginning from the video in an extremely fast tempo to match with the music, I chose this particular shot to finish with because it translates that even though work has been made towards gender equality some ties and restrictions are still in place for women globally.

To conclude my films my main references were Bodysong (Chris Marker) due to the way I chose to create it and Flaming Creatures (Jack Smith) in the way the film is edited for aesthetics and appearance. The main messages I wished to convey to a viewing audience were mostly educational facts on feminism in modern time and gender fluency, the intended target audience for my film would logically be current feminists and the LGBT community as my film does tackle some issues on gender identity, although my film seeks to be educational and so I wish people who dont fall into these categories would watch it to help broaden their own personal knowledge of the themes and ideologies present. 

Aims and Context

Aims and context 

• Genre - Experimental
• Length 3 minutes apron
• References - Chris Marker's Bodysong (recycled film), Un Chien Andalou (gender), Meshes of the Afternoon Maya Deren (feminism), Kenneth Anger - Puce Moment 
• Target audience - Feminists, LGBT community, People searching to educate themselves on feminism and gender.  
• Theme - Gender boundaries, Feminism

Andy Warhol's Heat 1972

Released in 1972 and directed by Paul Morrissey, Heat was set as a parody film based on Sunset Boulevard and quickly became one of the most scandalous films released in the 1970's. Andy Warhol originally aroused the idea of creating the film but lacked film technique; due to this Warhol chose Morrissey to support him in creating his next piece of art by becoming the director for Heat.

Joe Dellasandro was picked by Warhol so that he could mold Dellasandro into a "super star" a term Warhol used for exceptional famous individuals. Joe Dellasandro had no acting experience prior to filming Heat; he was chosen by Warhol mainly due to his look and physique. You can notice throughout the film that the camera concentrates on the male form, this is a style that Warhol has given to the film. Heat's filming was done on a budget which resulted in interpretive acting, which from a spectator ship view can be seen as very comedic, as much dialogue makes little sense and it tightly rushed. Due to the low diegetic sound quality of the film it is also to troublesome to understand the conversations of the characters 100% of the time. The film was filmed in one take for each scene due to the budget of the production, this resulted in multiple noticeable mistakes throughout.

From a spectator point of view Heat presents itself as a trashy substandard version of Sunset Boulevard which I believe is what Warhol was trying to achieve, although set on a budget with poor acting Heat does bear many quality shots and camera techniques. Warhol intended that Heat become part of the trash cinema genre which are films particularly filmed on low budgets which poor performance in acting and low quality shots. Trash cinema is also very ludicrous and playful with slapstick themes. The film bears many hyperbolic sex scenes which create unwanted discomfort as a spectator, as the films narrative could be run without half of the sex scenes. Warhol more than likely decided to implement the scenes to add increased sexuality to the film, to make the film as trashy as it could possibly be.

In conclusion, Heat directed by Morrissey was based around the ideology of the successful film Sunset Boulevard, Warhol wanted to design Heat to be the trashiest film of its time, as film was a new thing Warhol was experimenting with he chose not to direct the film himself but played a huge role on the production and filming of Heat. In terms of spectatorship Heat is incredibly hyperbolic and playful with its narrative, although featuring some serious themes it turns them into parody's of themselves making the movie seem realistically humorous.

Chungking Express question

Chungking Express is a Chinese film directed by Hong Kar Wai, it is a film about relationships which all take place in a multi-national urban environment which is highly populated - this greatly impacts the characters choices throughout the film.

Many characters in this film follow the urban stories conflict of not having an identity. Cop #223 and #663 both lack identity as they are referred to by their cop numbers and not their birth names also Fayes uncle continually gets #663's number wrong and when he is corrected he states "I don't really care".  The men in Chungking Expresspossess slightly different characteristics to the men in other urban stories like La Haine and City Of God, the men are very oblivious and cannot help themselves move forward after their old relationships. The women in Chungking Express are alot more proactive and in control of their lives - the women even sometime try to help the men an example for this is Faye with cop #663. During the scene where Faye is cleaning the windows and floor at the food stand, the camera positions itself so that you as a viewer are looking through the glass at #663, Faye cleans the glass over where he is standing as a way of cleansing him from his negative past. Later in this scene she also mops the floor around him in the same context. The police officers are self absorbed and isolated this could be a metaphor the Hong Kong at the end of the twentieth century. 

Film techniques used are often referring to the characters state of mind in the scene, for example cop #633 has a flash back of his old girlfriend and it can be shown that he misses the old relationship because he continually irons her old air hostess uniform. Smudge motion is used during the scene where Faye and #663 are at the food stand, this technique shows that the characters are lacking power and the ability to move forward with their lives, this can be related to the theme of isolation within the highly populated city. 

Towards the end of the movie #633 places all his old girlfriends things in boxes but still keeps the boxes in his house this shows that he still has not changed and the next sequence of things he does all follow this theory. He goes to the California bar to meet Faye and asks for loose change three times in the scene. The referencing of change is very prominent as it literally means physical change, this scene shows that he has changed due to his new clothing but it also shows he has not changed completely due to smudge motion being used. Later in the store scene where he finds his ex girlfriend when asked how he is he replies "still the same" referencing there is no change in his character.The symbolism of a new chapter in the movie is referenced by the sound of an aeroplane, the sound signifies a new journey for a character and is used multiple times throughout the movie. 

Presentation Script

The Auteur theory and how it applies to Quentin Tarantino

Projector: Notes on the Auetuer theory in 1962 Andrew Sarris Book pages 562-564 [16]


Speaker:


"The assumption that underlies all the writing in a movie is that the director is the author of a film, the person who gives it any distinctive quality." Auteurs are described as film makers with a great sense of original style and distinctive work. Quentin Tarantino conforms to this ideology remarkably, his idiosyncratic, quirky style of film is immensely recognised in the industry for being excessively violent and murderous. Tarantinos distorted, unrealistic interpretation on violence has aroused the conclusion that he is indeed an auteur.


Speaker:


It's incredibly easy to distinguish a Quentin Tarantino film, intense violence, over exaggerated special effects, and intense over the top story lines are all factors which each and every film he has directed hold. This all backs up the idea that Quentin Tarantino is an auteur; a highly talented director that implements his own style of film to each film they direct. Tarantino is repeatedly asked the same question as to why his films are so overly violent and he has always replied with the same answer. [10] "violence is the best way to control an audience," Tarantino believes that good violence creates good cinema. During his childhood Tarantino moved to California when he was 4 and this is where he developed his love for films. He stated one of his earliest memories was when his grandmother took him to see a John Wayne movie. [17] His mother has previously said that since he was young he loved story telling but he would also show his creativity in unusual ways. [17]"He wrote me sad mother's day stories. He'd always kill me and tell me how bad he felt about it." This quote could explain and interlink some aspects in Tarantino's films, one of which being violence towards women or involving women.


Projector: Kill Bill - Go-go Ubari fight scene (3 mins) Youtube Clip


Speaker: Kill Bill is one of Tarantino's most popular films and from watching this short clip you can see Tarantino's distinctive style from the beginning of the clip all the way through to the end. In the clip you see the main character Black Mamba and Go-go jumping in a hyperbolic manor, it is extremely over exaggerated as the characters jump inhumanly far. [15] "Extreme violence is the best way to control a viewers emotions" this extreme violence element of Tarantino's style can be noticed in this particular scene towards the end as Go-go is killed, blood pours from her eyes which would not realistically happen if someone where to be killed this way in another film. This scene features a lot of diegetic sound to add to the realism of the scene, but when over exaggerated violence or character movements are occurring non diegetic sound accompanies the action. For example when Go-go flips and falls into the table you can hear a bowling ball hitting pins over.


Projector: Kill Bill - Animated O-Ren Ishii scene clip (3mins)


Speaker: This particular scene is the first and only time animation is used in Kill Bill, even in animation Tarantino's distinctive style is still prominent. You can notice by how Tarantino romanticises


the violence, you can also notice that he has left his mark on this from the humorous character in the scene, this character is a gang boss of the yakuza called Matsumoto. Tarantino has said in previous interviews [14] that he likes his audiences to laugh at the violence and look at it with a humorous point of view. This particle style of animation or "anime" is significant to Japanese culture which Kill Bill is greatly influenced by, examples of which are the samurai swords and the fact that the final part of the film is set in Japan.


Projector: Kill Bill - Head cutting scene (ending) (2min)


Speaker: This conclusion of the film ends as violently as the film began, again this scene featured hyperbolic character movement and special effects from jumping and over exaggerated gore. This particular scene features many uses of close ups focusing on the face and sword of both O-ren Ishii and The Bride, this represents the iconography of the weapons and violence during the scene. All these factors support my ideology of Quentin Tarantino being an auetuer for his distinctive filming style.


Projector: Item 4 interview second half (2mins)


Speaker: Quentin Tarantino is often criticised on his level of violence in his movies, in this short clip you see him take part in an interview in which the interview is very opposed to the violent aspects of his film Kill Bill [1]. In response to over violent movie claims causing realism violence Tarantino states that [14] he looks at his style of violence in a comedic manor, he enjoys the aspect of film where people can laugh at the violence and not take it as seriously as you would if it was real life violence. He also states that "extreme violence is the best way to control a viewers emotions" [15] he likes to play his audiences and he believes that good violence creates good cinema. [13] Tarantino likes to use his Cannes award for Pulp Fiction as a "big shield" against criticism on his work.


Projector: Item 6 interview 2mins


Speaker:


Racial violence has become an ongoing issue that Tarantino has recently been criticised for due to his most recent film Django Unchained [3] which narrative follows a black liberated slave in the early 1900's. Much controversy was raised due to this film, one factor being the over excessive use of the term "Nigger"[9]. The term was used over 100 times within the film and can be justified due to the time period which the film was set in and that Tarantino wished to stay true to the brutish events that took place nearly 100 years ago. Tarantino acknowledges that some people may find the film hard to watch [7] but he believes he should stay as true as legally possible (due to censorship) to the events.


Projector: Blank





Speaker:


Tarantinos over the top violence is often blamed for real-life acts of violence such as many school shootings across America [8]. He is accused due to the violence in his film indoctrinating people’s minds with violence. Tarantino defends himself by stating that all violence in his films he views as fantasy [5], he likes the concept of violence being humorous and we can see proof of this in films such as Kill Bill v.1.


Projector: Pulp Fiction movie poster "http://thesefantasticworlds.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/movie-poster-pulpfiction.jpg"


Speaker:


Pulp fiction one of Tarantino's earliest films is recognised mostly for kicking off his pattern of successful eccentric violent films, the film won many awards including a Golden globe for best screenplay in 95. A director’s success is required for them to be classed as an auteur. In conclusion Tarantino is an extremely success director and auteur, the many different concepts of violence which he displays in his film technique back up this theory. He notably conforms to the auteur theory this is obvious from his distinctive style of film and in how he controls the direction in which his films travel.

To what extent are the characters in the Urban Stories you have viewed victims of a more dominant social and political ideology?

The film genre of urban stories by nature features very unfortunate characters and shines a light on the darker underbelly of certain countries. In La Haine, Prinsessas and City of God the characters are situated in poor rural areas which are infested with crime which results in the characters being forced in to many situations which involve taking part in crime. This could mean that they are victims of dominant social and political means.

In La Haine there are many political issues that are apparent throughout the film some of these issues are shown in the opening scene of La Haine, the movie opens with real footage of Paris riots which set a negative violent tone for the rest of the movie. The movie is set inside the banlieues of Paris which have been built twenty miles out of paris and they almost seem as they were designed to keep the poorer population of paris out of the middle-class centre of the city. The banlieues are stereotyped in the media as places of urban deprivation, crime and drug use. In the banlieues slang French is used which is called verlan or 'back slang' it began in paris in the 1980's. In La Haine the majority of the characters do not have a single farther figure, this is a prominent theme for the urban stories sub genre and for many of the films we study. Said has a older brother which does count for a farther figure and you can notice how many of his actions and choices are very different to those of Hubert and Vinz's. Said is more moral than both of them and controlled which could be because he has a farther figure in the movie. This could mean that Vinz and Hubert may be victims to a social ideology.

In Princessas the ideology that Caye lives in a poor rural area is harder to identify this is because for the majority of the scenes of the film Caye is not at home. Although Caye does live in a set of building flats but in conflict of this Caye is saving up for plastic surgery as she states to Zulema in the movie. This could mean that Caye isn't that bad off with money and is only working as a prostitute for a limited time, as she also says in the movie that its just a 'temporary' job. A criticism of this being that typically in Urban stories the ideology is that most characters are never able to escape the harsh surroundings they are situated in. Furthermore a social issue which can be identified in Princessas is that of an ethnic conflict. In the hair salon scene you see the group of prostitutes inside the salon getting their hair styled whilst they all discuss the street walkers they can see outside the salon. The majority of the escorts outside the salon are illegal immigrants and come from African backgrounds. The girls inside the salon all criticise the immigrants stating that they are putting them out of work because they pay a lot cheaper for sex. The ethnic conflict between the two groups of women can say that the immigrants are victims of racism which is a social ideology, Additionally the idea that all characters in Urban stories are viewed as victims may not apply to all characters in Princessas, Caye is not necessarily a victim of political or social means - she has chosen to become a prostitute to help fund for her boob job and in scenes like the opening scene of the film in the hospital she is shown to be very much in control of her surroundings and in control of what happens in terms of how she works. This can be seen as she is very straight to the point with the young men in the beginning of the film and sets her own rules for them that they have to follow if she is to 'work' with them. This can also be countered that later in the film during the bathroom scene in the restaurant. A man forces her on her knees in the toilets after she refuses to have sex for money and states that she is no longer a 'whore'. Caye does give in to the man and gets paid for oral sex which shows she is a victim but this can also be linked to the ideology that no one can ever escape from their circumstances in an urban legend.

In City of God the film takes place in the favelas - the slums of Brazil this is noticeably very similar to the banlieues in La Haine as the favelas are placed on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro which like La Haine can be the idea that the favelas are placed on the outskirts of the city to keep them distanced from the middle-class city centre. In City of God a running theme throughout the movie is that romance never works out. This can be seen through many couples in the film examples being Benny and Angelica. The first couple we see in the film is Shaggy and Berenice, as we see them come up with the idea of escaping the slums by hijacking a mans car and forcing him to take them out with him the car breaks down and Shaggy is forced to push the car whilst the police end up shooting him dead in the process. You then see the car turn back into the favelas showing that Berenice was unable to escape aswell, this proves that Shaggy was indeed a victim in these circumstances. Later in the film another coupling forms between Benny and Angelica, just like Shaggy and Berenice they mirror the couple and try to leave the slums in search and a new life. But under the same circumstances Benny is shot dead at his leaving party. Prior to this scene Angelica makes a statement that is "This violence sucks" the contextual meaning of this can be that the violence in City of God constantly sucks the characters back in, there is no escape.

In conclusion to this all three movies Princessas, La Haine and City of God all have themes in common with each other. The idea that no one can ever leave an urban story and the ideology that they always take place in a poor rural areas - they show the underbelly of society. Although in Princessas Zulema was able to escape Spain she did so whilst contracting an illness from unprotected sex which means she may not have really escaped after all. In City of God only one character is actually able to escape the violent vortex and that is Clipper after his vision in the jungle of the bigger fish eating the smaller fish which contextually means that there is always someone bigger than you that will take your place, this can be proved from the last shot of City of God where the Runts walk away after killing Lil Ze.

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques ? [35]

In La Haine there are many different film techniques which determine how a user is impacted by the overall film. Film techniques can influence the viewers perception on the film and the way they view it.

Firstly, camera and character position within the film is very influential, the camera work shows conflict between character of different race. Saïd is almost always positioned in between Hubert and Vinz this could show conflict between they're ethnicities and they're characters - also the fact that Saïd is in the middle also refers to how he brings the three together as a group and how he is the main influence of them all being together - this gives the impact of Saïd's character being the less aggressive of the three. The idea of Saïd being the character that brings the youths together can be seen within the first few minutes of the film where Saïd goes to find Vinz then suggests they go get Hubert.

Hand-held camera is used within the projects to give a life like sense to the film and create a sense of reality for the viewer. This can be linked to the real footage of the riots which was shown at the beginning of the film and which is continually shown throughout the film through tv's. Within the projects a wide angle lens is used which keeps everything in the shot in focus, this shows that they are in touch with their surroundings whilst in the projects - this could be linked to how the three youths know the majority of the people who live in the projects this can be see by how they recognise Mohamed's motor bike just by hearing the engine at the beginning of the film. During the scenes in Paris a telephoto lens is used, this lens makes it so the background of the shot is not in focus which shows a disconnection between the characters and their surroundings whilst in Paris this can be seen on the bridge scene.

The french film is very dominated by american culture - this can be noted through how the main three characters act and how their bedrooms are laid out and also by the music which is played through the film. Hubert's room is very americanised you can see this from the posters around the room and also how he has boxing gloves. The posters around his room show the black power at the olympics and also posters Mohammed Ali which show american influences on Hubert. The music that plays during Hubert's bedroom scene is reggae which could be linked to the fact that he is smoking cannabis also the music genre is very popular within america. There is also a mixtape scene where the camera fly's over the projects - whilst the camera flies over there is a mixtape of Edith Piar playing alongside KRS-One sound of the police - this shows a mix of french culture with american culture. Furthermore when Vinz is introduced the camera zooms on his ring which has his name on it, this is referencing american rappers as they typically have similar styled rings.