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.
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.
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.
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.
Question - Does Quentn Tarantino's specific use of violence in his movies suggest he is an auetuer?
Item 1- Kill Bill Volume 1 2003:
I have chosen this film because it is one of Tarantino's more popular films. After watching the film you can tell within the first few minutes that it is has a theme of extreme 'over the top' violence. So this makes a very good example for question on Tarantino being an auteur. The movie is drenched in violent scenes and shows dominant conventions of violence throughout this all reflects to my auteur theory question and proves that Tarantino enjoys creating more violent films.
Item 2- Pulp Fiction 1994
Pulp Fiction is noticeably violent from the opening sequence in the diner, the mise en scene of the characters and iconography of the guns all links to my topic of the theme of violence in films Quentin Tarantino has directed. The violence is destined to be a dominant part due to the narrative. Being one of Tarantino's first it sets a running topic for his movies on the grounds of violence and is one of the movies that sparked curiosity to his fascination with violent themes in films.
Item 3 - Django Unchained 2012 -
Django Unchained showed brutality from the first few minutes. It uses over exaggerated special effects in terms of violence i.e blood spraying unrealistically far. Further scenes even show two slaves fight to the death bare handed which ended in the slave master handing a hammer to one slave to finish the job. This film is incredibly violent and definitely follows my theory that violence is a running for Tarantino's. It can be proved that it follows this from the graphic scenes that are seen throughout and the language which is used is of an abusive, discriminative manor which often links with violence.
Item 4 Quentin Taratino interview (2003): The interviewer discusses how Tarantino's movies are noticeably violent were, she continues to discuss how this on going theme of violence may disturb some viewers but Tarantino counters this with the idea that sometimes violence can be empowering in films and violence in films is extremely entertaining.
Item 5 web link:
http://www.channel4.com/news/tarantino-cinema-violence-django-unchained-quentin
The web page starts by introducing Tarantino with a quote he previously told channel 4 about movie based violence, he suggests movie violence is fantasy based and has no relevant links to real-life violence. The webpage discusses about Tarantino on the grounds of violence in movies and find that he overall finds violence thrilling to watch in movies and he believes his audience also feel the same way as they understand the violence this all gives proof on my theory of Tarantino being an auteur.
Item 6 Interview Channel 4 news:
In this heated interview Tarantino is questioned on his movie Django Unchained, they discuss Tarantino's style of violence in movie's. When asked questions about why Tarantino likes to create such violent movies, he replies saying that he believes violence creates good cinema for viewers to watch. To summarise the interview as a whole there is noticeably a lot of conflict with the idea of all Tarantino's movies being repeated violent over and over again, I can use this because whilst in the interview he is labelled as a director that only produces violence films which links to my auteur theory question.
Item 7 - http://www.wmagazine.com/people/celebrities/2013/02/quentin-tarantino-django-unchained-director/
Magazine article which talks about Quentin Tarantino having a gift for violent set pieces and the article also talks about racial abuse and violence towards African american characters in the film Django Unchained.The article also covers aspects of Tarantinos work that could possibly be too violent for people to watch comfortably. He argues this saying it is a difficult movie (Django Unchained) and that it can be rough and brutal for older black people to watch. This is useful to me because I can use the ideology that Tarantinos films may become too violent for an audience to take interest in them which may ask the question if Tarantino would alter his choice of genre in films. or keep it the same. This all reflects the auteur theory ideology and can be used in reference to my question.
Item 8 – Quentin Tarantino
OK Celebrity magazine -
http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/Quentin-Tarantino-annoyed-by-movie-violence-links-to-Newtown-massacre
The article briefly discusses Tarantino's theme of violence and the suggestion that it could affect individuals to "live-out real-life massacres", but Tarantino doesn't agree with this statement. He then goes on to state that the issues with real life violence and film violence are not connected and that real life violence is due to the issues of gun control and mental health. This is useful to me as it covers social issues with the genre of violence in many films. In terms of Quentin Tarantino's films it proves that he is in indeed an auteur and does follow what my question asks.
Item 9 - Online Article of Django Unchained- http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/django-unchained-director-quentin-tarantino-404489
In this article it covers Django Unchained's reoccurring use of the N-Word - which states that it was used over 100 times. The use of extremely strong language and violence is very typical of Tarantino's films and this article is evidence of that. This is useful to me because it shows Tarantino's forms of violence can be both physical and verbal which shows versatility within what he deems violence and entertaining to shoot.
Item - 10 Only Article "violence is the best way to control an audience" Quentin Tarantino http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/6975563/Quentin-Tarantino-violence-is-the-best-way-to-control-an-audience.html This article focuses on Quentin Tarantino's love for violence which he directs and watches. He states that "violence is so good" because it is the most enjoyable form of entertainment in film, the article then goes on to talk about how Tarantino made a speech at the British Academy film and television in Piccadilly to explain that he uses gore in his movies to "play" the audiences. I can use this in my work as the article expresses how Tarantino is interested in violence and why he enjoys implementing violence into his films in unique ways.
Item 11 - http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/django-unchained-quentin-tarantino-violence-rewriting-history
This article covers Tarantino's latest movie Django Unchained. It covers many different topics of the film but it does include information and explanations to why Tarantino chose to make the film so violent and it justifies this. The film is violent because the time period was set in was a violent time for African Americans. The article does go on to state that the films violence is nothing in comparison to what actually occurred in these times. I can use this in my work because it links to the auteur theory question as it discusses Tarantino's violence within Django Unchained and it also talks about why he chose to make the film this way which can give evidence and explanation to the auteur theory question.
Item 12 - Quentin Tarantino web interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVl0MvdFtsk
In this video clip Tarantino talks about how Django Unchained has to have aspects of violence within the film because he wanted to portray how the black slaves were treated in early 90's america. Quentin then goes on to speak about how he wouldn't be aloud to show the true brutality that the slaves endured in these times as it was too explicit for film. The usefulness of this item is because it shows evidence of violence in Tarantino's films which links to my question and its also useful as it deliberate's how he wanted to keep his film as realistic as possible.
Item 13 - I intend to insert a 30 second clip from Quentin Tarantino Documentary on moodle Hollywoods Boy Wonder 1994 49:10 to 49:40
Quentin talks about how winning the Cannes award is a "big shield" against people who are constantly criticising him for making overly violent films. This links to my question because it relates to the element of violence.
Item 14- Book - "Quentin Tarantino Interviews:" By Gerald Peary page 31
In this book of Quentin Tarantino's interviews on page 31 there is a discussion on realism violence and movie violence, on this page Tarantino talks about his thoughts on movie violence in comparison to realism violence. He states that he looks at everything as comedy - he enjoys the aspect that everyone could be laughing at his movie then suddenly "the next moment theres blood on the walls". Tarantino then further talks about how in his view ultra realism is "absurd" and that he chooses his character to talk to each other through pop-culture. This is a good source as is analyzes why Tarantino makes such violent films and how they can be justified for not causing real life violence, this also covers his views on ultra realism and how he enjoys the impact violence can have on films.
Item 15- Quentin Tarantino Daily Mail Article
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1242783/Quentin-Tarantino-pays-tribute-power-violence-British-Academy-Film-speech.html
In this online article Quentin states that "extreme violence is the best way to control a viewers emotions" Tarantino also goes on to say that he like to use gore to "play" his audiences. These quotes from Tarantino all link to my auteur theory question on his element of violence throughout all of his films, they do this because they all give evidence towards my theory and back up my ideas.
Item 16 - Andrew Sarris notes on the auetuer theory 1961 BOOK pages 562-564
http://alexwinter.com/media/pdfs/andrew_sarris_notes_on_the-auteur_theory_in_1962.pdf
In this Item it discusses the definition of the auetuer theory and goes on to talk about how the skill of the director is linked to the conception of an auetuer. The auteur theory can be visualised in three circles concentric circles, the outer circle is technique, the middle circle personal style and the inner circle interior meaning.
In this item which overviews Tarantinos early life, current and early film production it discusses how he came to love films and how he implemented aspects of his childhood into the films he directs today. This item is particularly good for me as it holds many quotes that I can use for my presentation script.
Rejected : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-bPjtUvWTg
The interview on Graham Norton's television show with Tarantino very briefly talks about his new movie Django Unchained. The majority of the interview is of a humorous nature and does not go deep into Tarantino's film concepts of violence.
Rejected - Django Unchained interview with Tribute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jCuwvaYV4o
In this interview Quentin Tarantino rarely discusses violence and for the majority of the interview which lasts 5 minutes he talks about how he hired Jamie Foxx for the main role and other aspects of the film which don't link to my auetuer theory question he does not discuss violence what so ever.
Rejected - Interview with Quentin Tarantino on Conan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmtqJzQlnUk
I rejected this item because it shows no relevance to my auteur theory question, throughout the interview they discuss Tarantino's movie Reservoir Dogs and also cross over the topic of his representation of women in his films. But they do not talk about violence used within any of his films.
Under The Skin (2013) - Is described as a British/American science fiction film which is directed by Jonathan Glazer who also directed Sexy Beast (2001), also its produced by James Wilson and Nick Wechsler. The film is based off the novel of the same name by Michel Faber which was released in 2000, the films first release was at Telluride film festival on 29th august 2013 and then the official release being 14th march 2014 for UK audiences.
A brief description of the narrative is that it is based in modern day Scotland where a young woman's body is hijacked by a alien; the alien then lures men in to harvest their flesh. The film runs for 108 minutes and is given a viewers age rating of 15 by the BBFC. The reasons for this rating are due to infrequent strong sex and frequent nudity.
The Films budget was $13.3 million and on the box office mojo received $3,668,973. Under The Skin opened with a gross of £239,000 at the uk box office and opened in the United states with $140,00 in four features, earning its highest per-theatre average out of all the films released during that weekend. The film stars Scarlet Johansson who is recognised for her role as Black Widow in the big block buster hit The Avengers (2012), being typically known for big roles it was odd to see her take the role in a low budget British film.
Reviews were generally quite positive towards Under The Skin with many people pleased with Glazer's directing and Johanssons performance within the film. The review website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 86% off of 159 reviewers gaining the film an average score of 7.9/10. A positive review of the film stated that it is "A claustrophobically seamless and unnerving drama of self-awakening", a negative view was that of Kaleem Aftab of the Independent, who stated that the film was "laughingly bad" giving the film 1 star out of 5.
In the two american crime films selected for this essay, Badlands (1973) and Natural Born Killers (1994), there are many different and also similar scenes and areas in both films which represent different things throughout each of the movies.
To begin I will talk about the wide landscape areas that are featured in Badlands, these type of areas are very common throughout the film. The wild american desert which you see Kit standing in to the right is a setting where a lot of key scenes take place; such as his surrender/capture and also there are many shots and scenes of Kit and Holly travelling through the open desert by car and foot as the desert is often viewed from outside the windows of the car.
America is viewed as the country of freedom, I believe this is projected through this choice of scene, the open road and wild barren desert give a sense of wilderness and almost a sense of isolation from the real world, this links to the freedom america is renounced for and also to the idea of the american dream which is represented very strongly in both films. This absence of the 'real world' is also what Holly and Kit stated they were searching for, they made their own home out in the woods and when they were found they fled in search of a new home to live, far away from civilisation.
Next I will do a compare and contrast of two scenes set in both the exact same places for each story, Mallory's house and Holly's house. Holly's house in Badlands was very suburban and generic although her family did not match these normal traits, Holly's mother died giving birth to her and there for her dad was left with her as she grew up without a mother. This dysfunctional family is a theme which occurs in both films. Mallory's house is quite alternate to Holly's, Mallory's family consisted of her mother father and younger brother all living under the same roof. Mallory's father sexually abused her and we can prove this through the performance of the characters in key scenes which occur in Mallory's home setting, from key lines Mallory says such as "you never tried to stop it" which Mallory says before setting her mother on fire. Mallory goes through a great deal more than Holly does in her home life, this is reflected in her character as she is very eccentric and boisterous in comparison to Holly. During the death scene of Holly's farther which took place in her home, Holly took no part in his murder. Where as during Mallory's parents deaths Mallory assisted in drowning her farther and burning her mother this shows the difference in character between the two. These key areas are seen to be quite isolated from the outside world, although they are part of communities and civilisation, no other characters are seen in these settings and this adds to the theme of being alone which occurs in both films.
The final setting I will talk about is the prison in Natural Born Killers, this setting is completely exclusive to Natural Born Killers as we see M&M after they are captured where as in Badlands the story ends when Kit is captured and sent to the electric chair, we see no scenes inside a prison. The prison setting is very grotesque and so are many of the characters which reside within in it. Scaggnetti is in a huge number of the prison scenes, his character is given back story in the few begging scenes of the prison as he talks to Dwight about his mothers murderous rampage which shows the audience as to how Scaggnetti became such a disturbed character. Part of the police Scaggnetti is seen killing a prostitute in a motel room, he has a violent attitude towards women this is confirmed towards the end of the movie where he tries to abuse Mallory in her cell. The prison is home to a lot of inmates to the idea of communal isolation leaves in this part of the film due to the high population of inmates and camera crew that are seen in the prison setting. Wayne Gale is in the prison towards the end of the film due to an interview he has with Micky before the riot breaks out he is also a very distorted grotesque character and we see this through many uses of colour during the prison setting. Flashes of green, blue and orange all occur in this setting these colours also occur earlier in the movie but are incredibly common and highly used in this setting, these colours represent greed, jealously and sickness all things which the movie shows the media is. Many characters are hunting for fame and this is noted through things they saw during the movie about being 'stars' and featuring on television shows, all aspects of the media are covered this links to the greed and the colours blue and green which often represent this throughout the movie. The media is viewed as the root of all evil throughout the whole film, even in prison televisions are situated around the building, in the final ending sequence of the film a camera man is present. Media is always present in every sequence in the film except for one, in the native american's hut there is a television but it is switched off. This goes back to the idea of the native american's being the first to own america and now media and all these other aspects have polluted the country.
The ending scene in the prison is packed full of analytical film themes; colour, religious symbols and the dutch tilt and angles are used very often throughout the prison sequence. These all affect the audiences perception of the film.
In conclusion both films rely heavily on scenery and setting as it helps set a feel and mood to a film, it contributes to adding meaning and story to the film and also helps create the view on which people see the film. Natural born killers is viewed as a dark film where as the majority of Badlands' scenes where in the day which could indicate a difference in the time both films were made and how that society has changed with its perception to the crime genre.
How far do the two films you have studied for this topic present similar messages and values? [40]
Natural Born Killers (1994) is an American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and Badlands (1973) is another American crime movie and it is directed by Terrence Malik. In this first section I will be talking about the values and messages of the movie Badlands, there are many hard to notice messages that are shown throughout the entirety of this movie, in the first initial scene when Holly and Kit meet Holly is standing in the light and Kit in the shadows which is a symbolism that Kit is not to be trusted where as Holly is seen to be a warm and innocent character. Through the progression of the film we find that Holly is quite a cold naive character, she narrates the film and give important background information that is not necessarily shown in the film, for example the voice over tells the audience about Kit being executed on the electric chair, we don't necessarily see it happen. The fact that Holly is a cold character can be proven through her reaction to the deaths of both her dog and farther, she seems very unaffected by both incidents, although she did not take part in the murder of her farther like Mallory did in NBC, but she doesn't try to stop it or seem to mourn him through the film which helps show her morals and values in the film. There is also the aspect to Holly that because she is so young and naive she may not understand the impact of murder as we see this a lot through the film when Kit murder's people she seems very calm and almost non caring about the situation. Many messages in the film indicate the role Holly will take in the movie, a sign close to holly says "bait" which could be pre-emptive towards her role later in the film it also tells us a lot about the narrative. Comparison between Holly and Mallory is that they are very different types of characters. Holly is a very passive, quiet almost innocent character, her sexuality is very weak compared to Mallory from Natural Born Killers, Mallory's sexuality is incredibly strong, this is noted through the outfits she wears, the confidence her character bares and the extremely romantic relationship she has with Micky you could also say her sexuality is strong because of the scene where she seduces the gas station boy to try and get revenge on Micky for looking at other women.
Although they have very different alternative characters for each films, the messages and values remain quite similar for both movies. The lover of the lam story is the main feature of both of the films and both pairs of characters are seeking the same thing through the film. The American dream. This is idea that anyone who lives in the USA can succeed through hard work and become happy with their lives, the definition is often including things such as freedom and meaningful relationships and sometimes fame. Both sets of characters in both films are searching for 'the american dream' both sets of characters gain notoriety throughout the films which could be linked back to the idea of the american dream.
How far do the american films you have studied for this topic depend on well established narrative and genre conventions?
Badlands and Natural Born Killers both have similarities and differences in narrative and genre, Badlands is set around the 1970's and in this time media had very little influence on americas population. Where as in Natural Born Killers the media has been given the impression that it has complete control over people and it can alter their behaviour and make them violent. Although these films do have similarites they both have similar narratives and themes, Badlands has key features of the dysfunctional family, mass killing spree and a love aspect to the narrative; where Natural Born Killers takes it to an all new exaggerated level, the characters in NBC are more knowing in what they are doing and take enjoyment out of going on mass killing spree's where as characters Kit and Holly in Badlands are extremely naive and are less in tune with what they are doing.
The genre 'lovers on the lamb' has conventions that are present in both films, they both have the run -away couple who are in pursuit of the american dream, the characters desire to become someone else, to become famous, to become a social icon to their generation. A key scene in both Badlands and NBC is the death scenes of the female characters parents. In Badlands Holly's fathers death sequence is a lot more serious and hard hitting than NBC in this scene Holly stays behind Kit as the scene progresses she takes no part in killing her parent, where as in NBC Malory takes enjoyment in killing her parents, this may be because of the abuse that she had gone through because of them, but Malory takes part in drowning her father in the fish tank and setting her mother on fire. We know that Malory was a victim to abuse from a line she said to her mother before she killed her "you didn't stop it" this abuse could be the reason why Malory is as eccentric and crazy as she is and why she does begin her killing spree.
This genre and narrative links very well to the idea of the 'american dream', this dream is represented so many times in both films. Kit and Holly seek this dream through freedom and notoriety, Kit tries to become notorious and "famous" just as his idol James Dean, he tries to reflect his idol in his character and you can see this from choices he makes through the movie, such as choices he makes on his appearance and look. The hat he wears in the end scene where he is caught and how he dresses and presents himself.
Step outline reflective analysis James Fawcett
I produced a step outline featuring six different scenes and sequences, I did this work on my own and I used many different micro features within my work. I used sound to help create tension and make the scene more intense, the non-diegetic sound added to the horror aspect of the story board which helped to unnerve the audience. I enjoyed choosing when and where to put non-diegetic sound in my sequence I believed it worked well because it did everything I want it to do and worked successfully within the step outline. I tried to use lighting towards the end of my story board, I struggled to find the right places to use it so if i was to do a step outline again I would learn to put lighting in with more affect.
I added a lot of camera angles and shots throughout all of the scenes in the step outline, I believed I used the camera angles well to show characters power or vulnerability in certain scenes and shots. I also used close ups to signify importance of objects and items which could link to the mise en scene of the story. The mise en scene could have been used a lot more I think but again I found it hard to find the right places and times to add mise en scene to the story I would definitely go back and re-do this if I had chance. I didn't involve editing in my step outline which I would definitely like to do if i were to do another step outline as Its a different approach to the work and can change the perception of the scene completely.
The narrative I chosen was based off of a mix of previous horror films I had watched in the past, I added aspects of lots of them to put together my own narrative to use for my work. The narrative wasn't the best, it could have been more detailed and thought over more but making a narrative is not my strong point in Film, but I did try to the best of my ability. The audience I believe would follow the early parts of the narrative quite easily, but towards the end of the story it becomes slightly hard to understand and there are many questions left unanswered during the climatic point of the story. This would make an audience confused and not understand alot if the story were to continue from where It left off.
In my narrative I had only one proper character Zoey, I tried to keep it as one character because I wanted to really show the influence of isolation in my narrative I wanted it to be a big aspect of the story as it is a good convention of the horror genre. Choosing a young female character I think adds to the vulnerability of the character, as most audience members would be more caring and concerned for a young girl rather than an older man, this is all adds to the audience feelings and emotions. I could of maybe made two different characters and maybe have them become separated during part of the story which would keep the isolated convention fresh in the narrative and give a larger character list to work with.
The plot wasn't very planned I wrote it as the ideas came, which isn't a particularly good way to plan a narrative so if I were to do it again I would definitely plan out a narrative with key scenes to help build tension then big action scenes to execute all the tension that's been building up through the story.
My initial role was to create a narrative and add key micro features to the plot and plan it all out in the form of a step outline, the strengths of a step outline is that it is easily changeable and if you don't like a certain shot or scene you can edit it very easily. I changed my mind multiple times about the narrative and I found it easy to change everything I had already done to fit the new narrative. Disadvantages are that the step outline has to be heavily detailed else it is hard to get your idea across to someone who is reading it, you have to explain what type of shot is being used, what angle the shot is at, if there is any non-diegetic sound taking place. It has to be detailed and if it isn't as detailed as it should be then the narrative or image you have may not be perceived as clearly as you would hope.
Consequently I believe I did a good job at creating a step outline, If I were to do it again i would try to focus on adding other aspects to the work which I didn't add this time round.
Scene 1 Page 1
Slugline - (Present) CABIN - DAY
End Point in Last Scene - N/A
Characters in Scene - Zoey
Point of Scene - Introduce Zoey to Audience
Allow audience to get understanding of her character
Ending/Central Question - Why is Zoey in the Cabin
What does she plan on doing there
Key Micro Elements -
Camera will be a key feature of this scene with mise en scene showing importance as well, the mise en scene in this sequence will show Zoey's values and traits and what type of a person she is. Close ups will be used to show importance of certain objects and points that are relevant to the scene.
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects -
The scene opens with Zoey bringing her luggage into the cabin through the front door, her muddy, dark coloured shoes dragging across the floor(mise en scene) as she enters the small building (camera). Her bags drop out of her hands and crash onto the living room floor of the cabin (camera) Zoey then travels through the cabin checking out rooms and familiarises herself with the area (backwards tracking).
Zoey finds the run-down bedroom and inspects the décor of the room (handheld). She discovers an old vinyl player with multiple records lay next to it, after placing the most modern looking record onto the player and turning it on(close up of vinyl) she lays down on the bed to day dream.
Scene 2 Page 2
Slugline - CABIN - NIGHT
End Point in Last Scene
Zoey day dreaming on bed and consequently falling asleep
Characters in Scene -Zoey
Point of Scene - Introduce mirrors
Unnerve audience
Ending/Central Question - What is wrong with the mirrors?
Key Micro Elements - In this next scene im going to focus a lot of non-diegetic sound to add tension to the scene, I will also use camera angles to help show Zoeys lack of power that she has in the scene and how she isn't as safe as she thinks she is in this cabin. Also some convections of the horror genre will be made prominent in this scene
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects - Zoey wakes from her daydream, the vinyl is still absently spinning on the player but is no longer playing a song (camera), she takes the needle off the player and begins to inspect the cabin in more detail. (non-diegetic tension building music slowly builds) She walks into the bathroom and pulls the string to turn the light on, the light slowly flickers on (high angle view of zoey from light perspective). Zoey approaches the mirror (music intensifies), Zoey washes her face in the sink and checks herself out in the mirror, she turns her back to the mirror to leave the room as she does this her reflection stays in place (music/nails on a chalk board sound) her reflection glares at Zoey as she leaves the room. Zoey being completely oblivious to what just happened.
Scene 3
Slugline CABIN- Night
End Point in Last Scene -
Zoey leaving the bathroom
Characters in Scene -
Zoey
Point of Scene - Further add tension and fear to the audience
Ending/Central Question - Who is the lady in red?
whos at the door?
Key Micro Elements - In this next scene I will continue to focus non-diegetic sound and I will also make mise en scene more relevant to the scene. Camera angles will continue to show Zoeys vulnerability during this sequence.
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects - Zoey leaves the bathroom and goes to the living room, (camera tracking as she moves through the house, tracking her from the side) as she walks through the house you can make out her reflection in the windows, mirrors and reflective surfaces,(tension building non-diegetic sound comes back) her reflection is not her own but of a woman dressed in a red dress (mise en scene). Zoey stops in the living room and lights the fire. Zoey goes and gets a book off the book shelf on the far side of the room, on top of the book shelf are religious figures such as crosses(camera) and small angel figurines (mise en scene). Zoey sits herself onto the red sofa(mise en scene) (low angle shot) and begins to read through the book she took off the shelf, (non-diegetic sound intensifies) (camera begins to slowly zoom in on Zoey from low angle). (high angle shot of bathroom mirror) There is a knocking at the front door, Zoey is startled then gets up to go answer the door.
Scene 4 Page 4
Slugline - CABIN - LATE NIGHT
End Point in Last Scene - Door knocking
Characters in Scene - Zoey
Point of Scene -
Scare audience
Scare/unnerve character
Ending/Central Question - whos in the house?
Key Micro Elements -
In this scene I will continue to carry on using the non-diegetic sound to create and build tension for the audience I will also add more aspects of mise en scene to certain objects around the cabin, this will add more understanding to what is happening in the scene.
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects - Zoey approaches the door to open it, (low angle shot) Zoey slowly opens the front door to the cabin (non diegetic sound peaks), to find that no one is at the door she steps outside and looks around to find no one in sight. Slightly unnerved Zoey walks back into the cabin and locks the front door behind her. A window smashes in the distance(diegetic sound), Zoey quickly runs into the bedroom and grabs a baseball bat, she walks back into the living room to find the front door wide open. Zoey runs outside the front door to see if anyone is around, as she steps outside the door it slams behind her and locks. (non-diegetic music begins) As Zoey tries to open the front door and realises it has locked all the lights in the cabin go off leaving her in complete darkness and leaving her outside.
Scene 5 Page 5
Slugline - WOODS - LATE NIGHT
End Point in Last Scene - Zoey being locked out
Characters in Scene - Zoey
Point of Scene - Climatic point in story
Ending/Central Question - Where is she going to end up?
What will happen to her?
Who is the woman in red?
Key Micro Elements -
In the next scene I wont be focusing on camera angles as much but lighting and sound. Lighting and sound will help create the right atmosphere during this scene to make the audience uncomfurtable and to scare them. I will also concentrate on performance aswell to help the audience understand how the character is feeling in this certain part of the story.
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects - Zoey bangs on the door of the cabin (all non-diegetic sound stops) and cannot get back inside no matter how hard she tries. The cabin is located in a woodland area which is very isolated, behind her she hears movement in the bushes. As Zoey turns to face the bushes you can see the woman in red(mise en scene) behind her in the window of the cabin (non-diegetic sound begins very intensly), Zoey turns back to the cabin and see's the Woman behind the window. Startled,(performance Zoey jolts back and begins to run through the woods in hope to find a road. The woods are incredibly dark (low-key) Zoey trips on some bushes (camera) and falls and hit her head. She imediately gets back up and analysises the area round her. Its so dark she can barely see anything but almost as if glowing she can see the woman in red pursing her through the woods. Zoey terrified (performance) begins to run again through the woods as far and as fast as she can. In the distance she can slowly see the sun rising.
Scene 6 Page 6
Slugline - WOODS - EARLY MORNING
End Point in Last Scene - Zoey running from the Lady in the woods
Characters in Scene - Zoey
Point of Scene - Ending point to story
Ending/Central Question - Who was in the woods?
Will Zoey ever go back?
Key Micro Elements -
In this final sequence I will primarily focus on non-diegetic sound to show that the character has reached safety and to gives the audience a relief to what has previously happened. I will also try to show aspects of mise en scene. Some camera angles will be used to show Zoeys change in power
Scene Description focusing on key micro aspects -
As the sun rises Zoey begins to find herself nearing a road, glancing behind her she can see that the Woman in red (mise en scene) is still behind her but further away in the distance as if she cannot go out because the sun is rising. Zoeys wrists and arms are cut from running through all the branches in the forest (camera), Zoey notices the sun coming up into the sky(camera) as the woods begin to lighten up around her.(non diegetic/upbeat sound begins) She continues running and find herself coming up onto a main road through the woods.
As she runs out onto the road(high angle) she glances back to find nothing is now following her and she is out of danger, a car begins to come down the road (camera) and Zoey signals for help. Zoey gets into the car (longshot) and drives away.
