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.