How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?
Scene: Opening scene
The impact La Haine has on the viewer depends not only on the subject matter but also on the use of several distinctive film techniques. The cinematography of this film is highly innovative as there are several scenes in which the the movie is shot in a way that makes the viewer believe they're seeing someone other than what is really there. It was a low budget movie but it still managed to impact on the audience through clever techniques such as fake mirrors, time markers and a sense of documentary authenticity.
In the opening sequence the entire credits are shown over real footage of riots with the song Burning and Looting by Bob Marley playing non-diegetically over it. The use of real footage gives a larger impact on the viewer as it gives the later story a sense of meaning and realism to the world. All footage used was in black and white, this removes racial divisions and points the focus more towards the social class issues. The riots would have been a terrifying experience to witness but with the music choice it not only relates to the original story of the film but also mellows out the mood as if these riots were normalised after they had happened. Being portrayed by the media in this documentary style mood, the audience is impacted substantially by beginning to understand the problems and differences between stereotypical Paris and the real Paris.
In a later scene, Vinz, Said and Hubert are sitting around together quietly and bored in a park together for hours on end. A news van shows up and begin recording; the footage they're recording is shown in order to represent how the media view the youth of the time. The media do not care that the boys were causing no trouble, they needed some footage that presented youths from the projects as malicious and violent so they provoked Vinz and only used parts of what he said in order to twist his words into a new meaning and further demolish what little respect the underprivileged youth had left from middle class society. This impacts on the viewer as they begin to realise that not everthing the see on the news should be taken as face value. The way this scene is shot links to the opening credits in a documentary style, although it is of course not real documentary footage is it filmed as if it could be. The camera is always watching them from a slight distance or from behind in order to make the documentary style of filming a reality and further comparing the film to the original Paris riots.
Tuesday 11 October 2016
La Haine - Short task
Bleak - Throughout the film the outlook for the three main characters looks pretty bleak as no matter where they go there is violence and a lack of safety. Even at the end of the film when the day is ending for them Vinz is killed, Hubert's fate is unknown and Said is left alone to witness the shooting of one or both of his best friends.
Sexist - The boys from the estate don't know how to speak to women respectfully, apart from Hubert who is slightly more gentlemanly due to the fact he is the father figure in his family and speaks to his mother with respect in contrast to Vinz who acts incredibly rude towards his grandmother. In the art gallery scene where Hubert approaches two women in an attempt to set up Said the conversation starts of respectful and ends up with screaming and shouting sexist remarks towards them. Throughout the film only a small number of women are seen and they're all in a position of lower status compared to the men.
Real - Not every story has a happy ending, especially in real life. La Haine portrays real aspects of life in the projects with constant conflict from police and from other citizens. The film tackles hard-hitting subjects like police brutality, corruption and drugs which are all aspects of an underprivileged upbringing. In the scene where the boys go to Paris and Hubert and Said are caught by the police and subsequently abused by them in custody it represents the corruption that goes on behind closed doors when too much power is given to the wrong people, a problem that probably occurs more often than you would hear about.
Tense - In the final scene where Vinz lies dead on the ground and Hubert is pointing the gun at the police officer that shot him there is a high tension in the air. Any slight movement could see the end of someones life and Said knows this. He looks on from behind the two with fearful eyes and when a single shot is heard the screen goes black. Without knowing who it was that died, if it was Hubert, the police officer or both, the tense atmosphere is held.
Sexist - The boys from the estate don't know how to speak to women respectfully, apart from Hubert who is slightly more gentlemanly due to the fact he is the father figure in his family and speaks to his mother with respect in contrast to Vinz who acts incredibly rude towards his grandmother. In the art gallery scene where Hubert approaches two women in an attempt to set up Said the conversation starts of respectful and ends up with screaming and shouting sexist remarks towards them. Throughout the film only a small number of women are seen and they're all in a position of lower status compared to the men.
Real - Not every story has a happy ending, especially in real life. La Haine portrays real aspects of life in the projects with constant conflict from police and from other citizens. The film tackles hard-hitting subjects like police brutality, corruption and drugs which are all aspects of an underprivileged upbringing. In the scene where the boys go to Paris and Hubert and Said are caught by the police and subsequently abused by them in custody it represents the corruption that goes on behind closed doors when too much power is given to the wrong people, a problem that probably occurs more often than you would hear about.
Tense - In the final scene where Vinz lies dead on the ground and Hubert is pointing the gun at the police officer that shot him there is a high tension in the air. Any slight movement could see the end of someones life and Said knows this. He looks on from behind the two with fearful eyes and when a single shot is heard the screen goes black. Without knowing who it was that died, if it was Hubert, the police officer or both, the tense atmosphere is held.
Tuesday 4 October 2016
Reflective analysis - The Meeting
My goal was to create a photo-storyboard depicting the ending
sequence of a psychological horror called 'The Meeting'. My
target audience was between the ages of 16 and 25 as they are the main
movie goers of the horror genre. Through my use of micro features I
believe I represented this genre to a good standard by adhering to the
conventions. If my storyboard was used to create the
scene physically I personally think that it would hold the tense
atmosphere I strove to project. The sequence plays on the idea of
meeting your own inner demon as if it were a physical being and closely
links to a stalker type theme as the main character is trying to
escape from their past.
In order to convey the apparent tranquility, the first two shots have no non-diegetic sound; birds tweeting can be heard in the background to symbolize nature and calm. I selected the wooded area shown as it fits the forest setting that is well-known within the horror genre and can create a suspense within an audience if shot well. The fact that the shots are so quiet create a sense of realism and make the sequence come across more genuine. The character looking highly uncomfortable makes one interested in the story line I believe; this is because due to the mysterious nature of the surrounding area and unknown background of the character.
Non-diegetic music comes into play by the 3rd shot; a low beating sound that appears to be building shows the once tranquil scene to start to become more sinister. The low beat aims to symbolize a steady heartbeat and if done again I would add a heartbeat sound instead of the music to make it more obvious. The noise disrupts the setting and adds an unsettling air to the sequence. It is not until later on that the high pitched string music makes an appearance as it fits the conventions of the horror genre and builds tension. As the character runs through the woods, leaves can be heard crunching underfoot; this represents the calm nature being destroyed by panic. I think if I had to re-do the photography for this shot I would possibly add some ominous looking mist in the distance as if something was behind the character. Tracking the character during this shot adds a feeling that they're being chased or followed by something, or someone.
The shift from natural lighting to low-key lighting during shots 5 and 6 implies that the mood has now become more sinister and the character could face a danger of some sort. Low-key lighting triggers fear as not all areas are fully visible. Shot 6 is of the building itself; although it is only a dilapidated old shed it looks a lot bigger and scarier due to it being shot from a low-angle. The shed, I feel, because of its dark colour palette adds depth to the mise-en-scene as darkness represents evil. Upon entering the building it should become apparent to the audience of the evil presence as not only is the lighting low-key but also has a glowing red tinge quality to it. Another thing that perfectly fits the horror genre is the animals used within the sequence; snakes and spiders are two of the most iconic horror creatures so their inclusion was a must. These animals should enact some sort of fear within the audience as arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias.
The types of shots I used effectively exhibited the most important features of the shots I believe. The over the shoulder shot makes the audience feel as if they were perhaps cowering behind the character thus feeling more involved whilst extreme close-ups, for example on the eyes in shots 13 and 14, allow the audience to see minute details and further connect with the characters.
Due to the fact the whole point of the sequence is that you're meeting your inner demon it would make sense that your inner demon looked like an evil version of yourself. Therefore I edited two of myself in different outfits into the shot so that the differences between them are clear. The main character is wearing a white t-shirt to symbolize purity and good whilst their demon is in all black with a large snake around their neck to represent evil. With better editing equipment and possibly a green screen I believe this shot could have looked even more realistic. The demon sees in a form of broken thermal vision, this was inspired by the movie Predator; thermal vision gives off a animalistic and hunting vibe.
In order to convey the apparent tranquility, the first two shots have no non-diegetic sound; birds tweeting can be heard in the background to symbolize nature and calm. I selected the wooded area shown as it fits the forest setting that is well-known within the horror genre and can create a suspense within an audience if shot well. The fact that the shots are so quiet create a sense of realism and make the sequence come across more genuine. The character looking highly uncomfortable makes one interested in the story line I believe; this is because due to the mysterious nature of the surrounding area and unknown background of the character.
Non-diegetic music comes into play by the 3rd shot; a low beating sound that appears to be building shows the once tranquil scene to start to become more sinister. The low beat aims to symbolize a steady heartbeat and if done again I would add a heartbeat sound instead of the music to make it more obvious. The noise disrupts the setting and adds an unsettling air to the sequence. It is not until later on that the high pitched string music makes an appearance as it fits the conventions of the horror genre and builds tension. As the character runs through the woods, leaves can be heard crunching underfoot; this represents the calm nature being destroyed by panic. I think if I had to re-do the photography for this shot I would possibly add some ominous looking mist in the distance as if something was behind the character. Tracking the character during this shot adds a feeling that they're being chased or followed by something, or someone.
The shift from natural lighting to low-key lighting during shots 5 and 6 implies that the mood has now become more sinister and the character could face a danger of some sort. Low-key lighting triggers fear as not all areas are fully visible. Shot 6 is of the building itself; although it is only a dilapidated old shed it looks a lot bigger and scarier due to it being shot from a low-angle. The shed, I feel, because of its dark colour palette adds depth to the mise-en-scene as darkness represents evil. Upon entering the building it should become apparent to the audience of the evil presence as not only is the lighting low-key but also has a glowing red tinge quality to it. Another thing that perfectly fits the horror genre is the animals used within the sequence; snakes and spiders are two of the most iconic horror creatures so their inclusion was a must. These animals should enact some sort of fear within the audience as arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias.
The types of shots I used effectively exhibited the most important features of the shots I believe. The over the shoulder shot makes the audience feel as if they were perhaps cowering behind the character thus feeling more involved whilst extreme close-ups, for example on the eyes in shots 13 and 14, allow the audience to see minute details and further connect with the characters.
Due to the fact the whole point of the sequence is that you're meeting your inner demon it would make sense that your inner demon looked like an evil version of yourself. Therefore I edited two of myself in different outfits into the shot so that the differences between them are clear. The main character is wearing a white t-shirt to symbolize purity and good whilst their demon is in all black with a large snake around their neck to represent evil. With better editing equipment and possibly a green screen I believe this shot could have looked even more realistic. The demon sees in a form of broken thermal vision, this was inspired by the movie Predator; thermal vision gives off a animalistic and hunting vibe.
La Haine
Brutality, Misunderstanding, Time, Revolving, Westernisation, Brotherhood
POWER
Scene: Said and Hubert getting used by police
Annotated Catalogue
Does James Wan's use of isolated children in his horror films make him an auteur?
Films
Item 1: The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Item 1: The Conjuring 2 (2016)
I chose this as my focus film because it is Wan's most recent film that supports my hypothesis. Wan's use of isolated children is prevalent in the majority of his horror films and I believe that this could possibly link to the fact that he himself feels isolated due to his background. The film heavily focuses on utilizing shadows in an attempt to fool the viewer into thinking something is lurking when it is in fact not; it's mise-en-scene being dark and eerie also adds to this. Wan's directing is evident when watching one of his horror features as he embraces complex narratives and character backstories, and it is these complexities that add to the thought of him being an auteur.
Item 2: Insidious (2010)
The first installment of the Insidious franchise shows further support for my question as Dalton, the main child character, is noticeably isolated for 99% of the film. Also, when watching Insidious and The Conjuring 2 the similarities in the directing style are evident through the use of low-key lighting and dark miss-en-scene. Like my other supporting film of choice, Insidious focuses on the isolation of the child to create fear and suspense within the audience and there are several key scenes that show this perfectly.
Item 3: Annabelle (2014)
My other supporting film, Annabelle, clearly shows isolation of children but more subtly. With the family moving into a new house with their baby, there are several shots where the baby is left isolated. Even though the demon is attached to the doll and is mainly targeting the mother, Wan's use of isolated children to induce fear is still apparent with this film. Annabelle's cinematography is highly similar to both Insidious and The Conjuring 2 and is easily recognizable as one of Wan's works.
Books
Item 4: The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: A Mortal's Guide to Making Horror Movies
This book about how to make horror movies contains a short interview and bio on/with James Wan. He discusses how shooting the low-budget first Saw film went and vaguely discusses his directing styles. There is a paragraph from Wan explaining how he conducts himself with his actors and the characters they're portraying which will be helpful to me when linking his directing style to his own upbringing and life.
Item 5: Teach Yourself Film Studies by Warren Buckland
This particular book includes some helpful quotes that solidify my case. Not only discussing the details of auteur theory but also what makes a director an auteur.
Websites
Item 6: http://www.slideshare.net/karismakhuttan96/director-case-study-28674141
This past evidence on Wan's backstory and directing style techniques is helpful to me by explaining several different cinematographic techniques he uses in a large proportion of his films. It also talks about style used in The Conjuring; my focus film The Conjuring 2 is also part of this franchise. Because it talks about the styles of the same franchise it links to my question and will help me validate my hypothesis on whether Wan could be considered an auteur by his use of isolated children and other such techniques.
Interviews
Item 7: Slash Film
This online interview shows Wan talking about a particularly long take within The Conjuring 2 in which the ghost of Bill Wilkins is interviewed. The camera remains motionless on Ed, the interviewer, the a shallow depth of field. This is because Bill claims that he won't speak unless Ed is turned around and not looking therefore we see Ed's emotions but not Bill's. The separation between Bill, who is speaking through Janet the isolated child, and Ed is apparent; the space between the two of them is completely empty, further creating distance. This interview helps to support my question by taking about Wan's use of separation and his child actors within my focus film.
Item 8: Director James Wan discusses 'Insidious'
This YouTube interview by MakingOf not only gets Wan discussing Insidious but also touches on his influences and starting out as horror director. Because of this I will be including it in my presentation as it links to my question. Talking about his background, Wan gives us more of an insight into his mind as a horror movie director and his passion for film. It is how Wan describes the differences between his directing style in Insidious, which he has stuck more to with the haunted house sub-genre, and Saw. However he does describe Saw as being written as a psychological thriller but shot as a horror. The depth that he goes into when explaining his directing style is of utmost help to me.
Documentaries
Item 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHnuZqtV68 "The Origins of Auteur Theory"
This short 20 minute documentary explains the origins and meanings behind auteur theory, this is helpful to my study because with an in depth history on the subject I can better uncloud my judgement on whether Wan is or is not in fact an auteur for his directing techniques. The history of auteur theory in fact quite interesting in itself and could prove an invaluable source to help with my question. Resources helping to better explain auteur theory in several mediums are forever helpful.
Item 10: https://vimeo.com/171209898 "James Wan:Sound and Suspense"
This 5 and a half minute long short explores Wan's signature use of tension building cinematography. It goes on to discuss how he utilizes subtle light and music cues to induce terror into his audiences. Although not directly speaking about his use of isolated children, it does clearly show several scenes with isolated children within them to either cause fear and feel fear; because of this I can use this shot documentary style spoken essay as a credible source for the answer to my original question.
Item 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQK01Mm7M_Q "How James Wan conjures up a scare"
This short documentary explains 5 main ways how Wan 'conjures' up a scare, non of which directly mention the use of isolated children. However, it does go into vast detail on how we manages to shoot his films in the way that the audience begin to genuinely care for the characters well-being and therefore builds a one-way platonic relationship with them. This can link to child isolation as it is a common feature throughout Wan's horror films and it is one of the many ways he grabs his audiences attention to care for his characters. Because his use of isolated children has not been properly explored yet my research will be one of the first to break this barrier.
Extras:
Item 12: Waterphone music video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjjQqd0eLzw )
Waterphone music is prominent in Wan's horror features and is common within the horror genre. This piece of music will be used to add to the effect my presentation will give to the audience. It will be played as a video instead of a sound clip in order to let the audience see what a waterphone looks like as it is an unusual instrument.
Rejected items:
The first installment of the Insidious franchise shows further support for my question as Dalton, the main child character, is noticeably isolated for 99% of the film. Also, when watching Insidious and The Conjuring 2 the similarities in the directing style are evident through the use of low-key lighting and dark miss-en-scene. Like my other supporting film of choice, Insidious focuses on the isolation of the child to create fear and suspense within the audience and there are several key scenes that show this perfectly.
Item 3: Annabelle (2014)
My other supporting film, Annabelle, clearly shows isolation of children but more subtly. With the family moving into a new house with their baby, there are several shots where the baby is left isolated. Even though the demon is attached to the doll and is mainly targeting the mother, Wan's use of isolated children to induce fear is still apparent with this film. Annabelle's cinematography is highly similar to both Insidious and The Conjuring 2 and is easily recognizable as one of Wan's works.
Books
Item 4: The Filmmaker's Book of the Dead: A Mortal's Guide to Making Horror Movies
This book about how to make horror movies contains a short interview and bio on/with James Wan. He discusses how shooting the low-budget first Saw film went and vaguely discusses his directing styles. There is a paragraph from Wan explaining how he conducts himself with his actors and the characters they're portraying which will be helpful to me when linking his directing style to his own upbringing and life.
Item 5: Teach Yourself Film Studies by Warren Buckland
This particular book includes some helpful quotes that solidify my case. Not only discussing the details of auteur theory but also what makes a director an auteur.
Websites
Item 6: http://www.slideshare.net/karismakhuttan96/director-case-study-28674141
This past evidence on Wan's backstory and directing style techniques is helpful to me by explaining several different cinematographic techniques he uses in a large proportion of his films. It also talks about style used in The Conjuring; my focus film The Conjuring 2 is also part of this franchise. Because it talks about the styles of the same franchise it links to my question and will help me validate my hypothesis on whether Wan could be considered an auteur by his use of isolated children and other such techniques.
Interviews
Item 7: Slash Film
This online interview shows Wan talking about a particularly long take within The Conjuring 2 in which the ghost of Bill Wilkins is interviewed. The camera remains motionless on Ed, the interviewer, the a shallow depth of field. This is because Bill claims that he won't speak unless Ed is turned around and not looking therefore we see Ed's emotions but not Bill's. The separation between Bill, who is speaking through Janet the isolated child, and Ed is apparent; the space between the two of them is completely empty, further creating distance. This interview helps to support my question by taking about Wan's use of separation and his child actors within my focus film.
Item 8: Director James Wan discusses 'Insidious'
This YouTube interview by MakingOf not only gets Wan discussing Insidious but also touches on his influences and starting out as horror director. Because of this I will be including it in my presentation as it links to my question. Talking about his background, Wan gives us more of an insight into his mind as a horror movie director and his passion for film. It is how Wan describes the differences between his directing style in Insidious, which he has stuck more to with the haunted house sub-genre, and Saw. However he does describe Saw as being written as a psychological thriller but shot as a horror. The depth that he goes into when explaining his directing style is of utmost help to me.
Documentaries
Item 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfHnuZqtV68 "The Origins of Auteur Theory"
This short 20 minute documentary explains the origins and meanings behind auteur theory, this is helpful to my study because with an in depth history on the subject I can better uncloud my judgement on whether Wan is or is not in fact an auteur for his directing techniques. The history of auteur theory in fact quite interesting in itself and could prove an invaluable source to help with my question. Resources helping to better explain auteur theory in several mediums are forever helpful.
Item 10: https://vimeo.com/171209898 "James Wan:Sound and Suspense"
This 5 and a half minute long short explores Wan's signature use of tension building cinematography. It goes on to discuss how he utilizes subtle light and music cues to induce terror into his audiences. Although not directly speaking about his use of isolated children, it does clearly show several scenes with isolated children within them to either cause fear and feel fear; because of this I can use this shot documentary style spoken essay as a credible source for the answer to my original question.
Item 11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQK01Mm7M_Q "How James Wan conjures up a scare"
This short documentary explains 5 main ways how Wan 'conjures' up a scare, non of which directly mention the use of isolated children. However, it does go into vast detail on how we manages to shoot his films in the way that the audience begin to genuinely care for the characters well-being and therefore builds a one-way platonic relationship with them. This can link to child isolation as it is a common feature throughout Wan's horror films and it is one of the many ways he grabs his audiences attention to care for his characters. Because his use of isolated children has not been properly explored yet my research will be one of the first to break this barrier.
Extras:
Item 12: Waterphone music video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjjQqd0eLzw )
Waterphone music is prominent in Wan's horror features and is common within the horror genre. This piece of music will be used to add to the effect my presentation will give to the audience. It will be played as a video instead of a sound clip in order to let the audience see what a waterphone looks like as it is an unusual instrument.
Rejected items:
- Saw (2004) - This film was rejected because although it is indeed a horror, it is more gore than the suspenseful paranormal side of Wan's films that I am exploring.
- Lights Out (2016) - Many think that Wan directed this film but in actual fact he only produced it, therefore not getting as much creative input as the director would get. For this reason I have rejected this possible source.
- Furious 7 (2015) - Wan decided to branch out from his normal horror genre films to make this action hit last year so that he did not get bored of making horror films. So even though he did direct this, it has no relation to my hypothesis and thus is rejected.
- Horror, the film reader (book) - Although being about the horror genre, this book is too general and does not relate to my question. It also does not contain anything about auteur theory.
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