After todays lecture on 'Realism', i have some ... thoughts. although i understand the point of realism, i can't really agree with it 100%.. and I'll tell you why. The whole aspect of realism is to "represent reality within a film", but who is to say exactly what reality is? because reality is within the eyes of the beholder, everyone perceives reality in a different way. for example, someone with a "mental disorder" such as Alzheimer's or anxiety disorders or Psychotic disorders involving hallucinations, drug addicts, alcoholics i could go on and on and on, my point is that these people obviously see reality differently than say you and me, who's to say that you and me don't see reality different. because if you think about it... could people having separate opinions technically be classed as seeing reality differently? or even someone not being affected by the cold as much as the person next to them is someone seeing reality differently than someone else. So really if you think about it, isn't a realist film... or a film representing reality, really just seeing reality as the filmmaker see's it??
Friday, 28 October 2011
Realism???
After todays lecture on 'Realism', i have some ... thoughts. although i understand the point of realism, i can't really agree with it 100%.. and I'll tell you why. The whole aspect of realism is to "represent reality within a film", but who is to say exactly what reality is? because reality is within the eyes of the beholder, everyone perceives reality in a different way. for example, someone with a "mental disorder" such as Alzheimer's or anxiety disorders or Psychotic disorders involving hallucinations, drug addicts, alcoholics i could go on and on and on, my point is that these people obviously see reality differently than say you and me, who's to say that you and me don't see reality different. because if you think about it... could people having separate opinions technically be classed as seeing reality differently? or even someone not being affected by the cold as much as the person next to them is someone seeing reality differently than someone else. So really if you think about it, isn't a realist film... or a film representing reality, really just seeing reality as the filmmaker see's it??
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Salaryman - Jake Knight
Another film i watched today, this film really hit home with me, and I'll explain why at the end.
basic blurb - A Japanese man wakes up to find he has lost his memory of the past few days, so he rigs his camera to automatically take pictures throughout his day. 4 days later he reviews his pictures to find that everyday is exactly the same and he is living a completely repetitive life.
This film was very effective in the way it used it's shots. sticking mainly to wide shots to show the emptiness of the rooms around the main character. all the walls were bare and plain white, there was such a lack of identity within the character and spaces that he was a part of. there was no music and very little sound used in this film apart from a voice over, which exaggerates the lack of excitement in this mans life.
When his photos are developed, and he discovers what he does during the day. the question is posed, did he really lose his memory or was it simply that his days are exactly the same so he doesn't think he can remember, but actually he can?
the reason this film "hit home" for me, was because one of my biggest worries is that I'll end up having a life like this, no excitement, no creativity, no anything. could you imagine that?
basic blurb - A Japanese man wakes up to find he has lost his memory of the past few days, so he rigs his camera to automatically take pictures throughout his day. 4 days later he reviews his pictures to find that everyday is exactly the same and he is living a completely repetitive life.
This film was very effective in the way it used it's shots. sticking mainly to wide shots to show the emptiness of the rooms around the main character. all the walls were bare and plain white, there was such a lack of identity within the character and spaces that he was a part of. there was no music and very little sound used in this film apart from a voice over, which exaggerates the lack of excitement in this mans life.
When his photos are developed, and he discovers what he does during the day. the question is posed, did he really lose his memory or was it simply that his days are exactly the same so he doesn't think he can remember, but actually he can?
the reason this film "hit home" for me, was because one of my biggest worries is that I'll end up having a life like this, no excitement, no creativity, no anything. could you imagine that?
Highrise - Gabrielle Russell
Watched High-rise by Gabrielle Russell, it's a very interesting short film. First impressions I'd say the film theme is poverty and desperation. It shows a mother and her baby living in a small claustrophobic space. from the very start the expressions of the mother show resentment towards her baby as she watches a game show on the tv, a connection can be made between the two here, the mother feels as though the baby is holding her back in life and because of this she resents her responsibility.
In the next few minutes the Gurgling sounds of the baby and the sounds from the tv get louder and louder, at the same time the shots get closer and closer towards the womans face - this is probably to represent her annoyance at the situation and also to show her confusion with everything thats going on around her. eventually the baby throws its doll, that lands on the sill of an open window. when the baby moves toward the window to retrieve the doll the mother does nothing at first. then she suddenly moves, falling to the floor and knocking over the babies milk bottle. for a moment the shot is focused on the milk bottle as it slowly drips milk to the floor. i believe there is something in this shot that is extremely relevant to the story, maybe the milk bottle represents the mother in some way, i have not managed to work it out. Then in the most shocking part of the film the mother gets up and leaves the room. shutting the door behind her she waits in the hall. i think this is the part of the film that would get the biggest emotional response from an audience - and the response would be disbelief that a mother would put her baby in that much danger. This is the point that shows desperation, the mother is so desperate, for either money or just a way out that she is willing to let her child die!! everything goes quiet, then a babies scream is heard and the mother rushes back inside the room to find her baby on the sofa playing with a different toy (emotional response - relief). the mother moves to the window and looks out to see the doll smashed on the pavement below, this shot simply represents the severity of the situation and the real danger the baby was in.
I found this film extremely powerful, in the way it uses shots and sound to convey emotion. the game show represents her longing and her poverty. it was definitely successful in extracting an emotional response from the audience.
In the next few minutes the Gurgling sounds of the baby and the sounds from the tv get louder and louder, at the same time the shots get closer and closer towards the womans face - this is probably to represent her annoyance at the situation and also to show her confusion with everything thats going on around her. eventually the baby throws its doll, that lands on the sill of an open window. when the baby moves toward the window to retrieve the doll the mother does nothing at first. then she suddenly moves, falling to the floor and knocking over the babies milk bottle. for a moment the shot is focused on the milk bottle as it slowly drips milk to the floor. i believe there is something in this shot that is extremely relevant to the story, maybe the milk bottle represents the mother in some way, i have not managed to work it out. Then in the most shocking part of the film the mother gets up and leaves the room. shutting the door behind her she waits in the hall. i think this is the part of the film that would get the biggest emotional response from an audience - and the response would be disbelief that a mother would put her baby in that much danger. This is the point that shows desperation, the mother is so desperate, for either money or just a way out that she is willing to let her child die!! everything goes quiet, then a babies scream is heard and the mother rushes back inside the room to find her baby on the sofa playing with a different toy (emotional response - relief). the mother moves to the window and looks out to see the doll smashed on the pavement below, this shot simply represents the severity of the situation and the real danger the baby was in.
I found this film extremely powerful, in the way it uses shots and sound to convey emotion. the game show represents her longing and her poverty. it was definitely successful in extracting an emotional response from the audience.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Banksy / starwars
i stumbled across this picture on stumble.com (ironically) and i think it's hillarious, but also a very clever combination of popular film and a taboo art form. what makes it so different for me is that i haven't seen much in the way of Art and film combined in such a way.
Steel homes - Eva Weber
After watching Steel homes by Eva Weber today i have managed to make quite a few observations.
the film starts with an image of a metallic shutter being opened into a building while a metallic rubbling can be heard. we then see a series of metal doors with padlocks keeping them shut. over these images as well as metallic clanging sounds, voice overs can be heard, of people talking about "their rooms" and "their doors and padlocks" without actually telling the audience what we are actually seeing in the images. instantly we are given the impression of a prison which would then tie in to the title of "steel" homes e.g. prison cells. We then see people with metal carts walking around the building and opening rooms and taking out objects from the rooms. we then realize that this is a storage facility. it is noticeable that the people in the images have their faces hidden from the camera, along with the blank metallic walls and the numbers on the wall cause a lack of identity in the people that are in shot. the people seem upset, and the mood of these people is reflected in the surroundings of the shot. The mood of the voice overs also seems quite unhappy too. it's as though the confined spaces of the storage units are a reflection of the peoples lives, small and confined, everything packed into one small space, which i believe was the element to the film itself. The sounds in the film work very successfully, there is a subtle hint of quiet melancholy music heard throughout however the metallic clanking is more overwhelming making the film and the lives of the people seem very mechanical. the use of cataphoric referencing in the film is a very effective technique, as an audience we automatically draw assumptions about the people in the voice overs which turn out to be inaccurate,
the film starts with an image of a metallic shutter being opened into a building while a metallic rubbling can be heard. we then see a series of metal doors with padlocks keeping them shut. over these images as well as metallic clanging sounds, voice overs can be heard, of people talking about "their rooms" and "their doors and padlocks" without actually telling the audience what we are actually seeing in the images. instantly we are given the impression of a prison which would then tie in to the title of "steel" homes e.g. prison cells. We then see people with metal carts walking around the building and opening rooms and taking out objects from the rooms. we then realize that this is a storage facility. it is noticeable that the people in the images have their faces hidden from the camera, along with the blank metallic walls and the numbers on the wall cause a lack of identity in the people that are in shot. the people seem upset, and the mood of these people is reflected in the surroundings of the shot. The mood of the voice overs also seems quite unhappy too. it's as though the confined spaces of the storage units are a reflection of the peoples lives, small and confined, everything packed into one small space, which i believe was the element to the film itself. The sounds in the film work very successfully, there is a subtle hint of quiet melancholy music heard throughout however the metallic clanking is more overwhelming making the film and the lives of the people seem very mechanical. the use of cataphoric referencing in the film is a very effective technique, as an audience we automatically draw assumptions about the people in the voice overs which turn out to be inaccurate,
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Just driven down the motorway
I love driving at night it's so easy to get lost in the dark emptiness of the road. there's something really peaceful in the eeriness of silence. it's a great way to clear your head, when you're not going anywhere everything is much simpler.
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