Reflective Analysis!

Assessment 04

MDA1700 - Assessment 03 - Final - American Avant-Garde

For our final assessment for this module I decided to analyse the characteristics of the American Avant-Garde Film Movement, in relation to two films: Maya Deren's 'Meshes of the Afternoon' and Stan Brakhage's 'The Way to Shadow Garden'.

MDA1700 Assessment 03

MDA1700 - Weeks 19-24 - Theoretical Excursions

Out of all of the parts of the module so far, I have found the content of the final six weeks the most interesting and engaging.

I personally have always been interested in the more experimental side to film-making; interested in art and experimental and more unconventional film-makers, so I found the content covered in this part of the module more interesting in the fact that it included and allowed to think about and look more in-depth in at the more experimental sides to different films.

The first example of this was when we were looking at Feminist cinema. As something I never had studied in-depth before I found the lecture and seminar interesting, especially when we learned more in-depth about the 'male gaze' and the implications it holds, and how certain male-oriented aspects of cinema can be subverted and the message changed.

I found the two Sally Potter films we'd watched very interesting; 'The Gold Diggers', and Orlando.

I especially like the toying around with Gender and gender identity in orlando, from the male actor Quentin Crisp playing Queen Elizabeth 1st, to the Androgynous protagonist and his-then-her own change in gender identity, and relationships with people who were both male and female. The idea of MAgic Realism (a term I had come across while studying Mexican Cinema) was also prominent in this film, mainly in Orlando's agelessness, and the fact that people didn't react to it in a surprised way (as we would expect) so it was seen as the norm in this world.

I really enjoyed the study of American Avant-Garde, and looking at the work of Maya Deren and Stan Brakhage. As these films are more artistic in their meaningful approach, and their execution of stylistics, I really feel they connected more with my own personal interests. The two we looked at i class (Deren's 'Meshes of the Afternoon' and Brakhage's 'The Way to Shadow Garden' I felt were very interesting to watch, and I really enjoyed seeing two very different examples of the movement.

While I initially found the two films hard to understand, while viewing them in preparation for the final formative assessment I feel that I have found deeper meaning and a deeper understand of the movement and the main messages trying to be put across by the directors, coming across different personal interpretations for the messages in the film.

One of the main parts of this module I feel I have enjoyed the most is how I, in my studies, have delved into the histories and developments of such a wide array of different film movements and different aspects of how films communicate different meanings to us as audiences.

MDA1700 - Assessment 03 - Visual Essay - Melancholia

For the 3rd summative assessment we were asked to make a visual essay on any aspect of 'film'.
While initially, I found this very difficult as I had never had to do a video essay before, after deciding to base it on one of my favourite films: Melancholia, by Lars Von Trier, I started planning out how I can use the grand imagery of the film to put across the main point of my essay, which is how the film itself, featuring many auteur qualities of Von Trier, is not a typical disaster film.
Unfortunately, due to the software used to get the clips from the DVD, there is a watermark on the essay. If I make a visual essay again for this course, I will try to find another way to get the clips, avoiding the watermark

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MDA1700 - Weeks 13-18 - Challenges to the Mainstream

Starting with French New Wave and ending with Postmodernism, in the past six weeks we have looked at a variety of film movements which have gone against the more conventional styles of cinema we started looking at.

I have previously watched the film 'A bout de Soufflé' (Breathless) and I found it as entertaining then as I did now. I enjoy the look and 'feel' of the film, and the almost disjointed, yet almost 'stylish' editing.
I had never really studied the French New Wave movement, and found the lecture and seminar interesting, particularly how the movement utilisex their less-convention style of editing, and its almost disruptive effect in the film.

I also enjoyed the documentary 'Close-Up', which though I missed in the screening, I watched in my own time. Being Half-Iranian, I foudn it interesting to watch and consider in my studies, a film relating to what is a part of my own culture so to speak.

One film viewed as part of this module which had a particularly poignant effect on me was 'The Trial' directed by Orson Welles based on Franz Kafkas novel. From slight research before the screening, I knew to expect the downcast ending and confusion throughout the film, yet the film itself still had an effect on me. While the plot itself confused me at times, and If eel the film dragged on quite a bit, I found certain aspects to the film engaging and interesting.

For example, I found the animation-esque imagery at the start involving the story of the gate and a man being denied access very interesting, as I feel the visuals were different and something I had not seen before, and the story itself complemented the narrative of the film.

Throughout the film, as it was clear form the start the protagonist wasn't exactly set-up for a victory, there was a melancholic and almost belittled feel, which I believe was complemented by the almost fascist mise-en-scene, (i.e. the large, dark, towering structures and how even the sets themselves seem to look down upon and belittle audiences and the protagonist).

I also found the ending quite 'difficult' to watch; not in the sense that I foudn it shocking or frightening, just because of how after witnessing the character's struggle to get himself 'cleared', and all he had been through and the journey we as an audience had gone on with him, his life was ended brutally, with no real explanation. This, I suppose, was one of the main aims of the film with regards to audience response.

MDA1700 - Assessment 02 - Realism and Formalism

For our 2nd summative assessment for MDA1700, we were asked to focus on a single film we had studied in class, and while possibly referring to Andre Bazin's 'The Evolution of the Language of Cinema', and palcing the film within its historical and cultural context, identify whether we consider the dominant approach of the film to be Realism or Formalism (and which type) and why.

I chose to analyse Jean Renoir's 'Uni Partie De Campagne':

MDA1700 Assessment 02

MDA1700 - Weeks 7-12 - Realism and Formalism

After looking at the Hollywood Continuity System, we moved on to the study of different types of Realisms and Formalism.

Initially, I found the idea of Formalism, especially the implementation of editing, particularly interesting. I had never heard of the term 'Formalism' before, and initially found the different ideas associated with the movement, and the different theorists and theories (such as Andre Bazin's work in 'The Evolution of the Language of Cinema' quite difficult to grasp, however, once I got more comfortable with the new terms and ideas I feel I became a lot more comfortable with the content.

I found Eisenstein's work on Montage, and the different types of montage and their uses very interesting as well, such as the dialectical montage (for example) in Battleship Potemkin, in the steps scene, and the idea that two unrelated images can generate a previously unthought of meaning.

This was similar to the idea of the 'Kuleshov Effect' which I found particularly interesting, in which a person was shown three images of, for example, a man, a bowl of soup, and then the man, again. despite no indication of this in the shots, audiences inferred that the man was hungry, due to the association of the images. I found this particularly interesting, as though I had never thought of it as a point before, this influence held by editing (even of 3 simple images) holds a key importance in how films are interpreted by audiences.

The movement I found the most interesting out of the ones we looked at, was French Poetic Realism. After watchign Jean Renoir's 'Une Partie De Campagne', I really enjoyed the use of stylistic elements and general feel of the film.

I had always presumed Realism to mean a film which was presented as 'realistic' (such as the typical British 'Kitchen Sink' dramas, or the more modern films featuring handheld camera to present a 'realistic' feel), yet when I watched my first poetic realist film, I found that it had a particularly poignant feel to it.

The use of camera movement, music and setting, while not particularly unrealistic, didn't have the grittiness I would associate with what I would think of any form of 'realism', and which can be found in, for example, Italian Neo-Realism (i.e. The Bicycle Thieves). The film itself had an almost fairytale elements to it, which I found particuly captivating, and I also enjoy how, upon further research and finding out more about Jean Renoir, he had been influenced by his Father's work, and used imagery and motifs associated with the French Impressionism Art Movement.

MDA1700 - Assessment 01 - Dancer in the Dark - Scene Analysis

For the first summative assessment for MDA1700, we were asked to analyse an extract from a film, and analyse it regarding one, or a combination of the stylistic elements we had covered in lessons.

I chose to analyse the final scene of Lars von Trier's 'Dancer in the Dark', in which the protagonist, Selma, is hung for murder after she killed a man in self-defence.

My reason for choosing this scene was because personally, I found it to be one of the most emotional film scenes I had had a response to. I feel that after watching Selma's struggle through the film, this ending was particularly upsetting to watch. I was interested in analysing the scene to see how the stylistic elements, as well as the emotional build up to the film, influenced my emotional response to the film.
MDA1700 Assessment 01

MDA1700 - Weeks 3-6 - The Hollywood Continuity System

The first part of our MDA1700 studies has been focusing on the 'Hollywood Continuity System'.
While a lot of the initial coverage of editing, continuity editing, sound and use of colour has been revising what I learned in A Level Film and Media, we looked at a lot of theorists, techniques and films in a more in-depth way than I had previously studied.

As the initial module content seemed like a natural progression from my A level studies, I found many of the newer terms and concepts quite easy to grapple with. These include certain aspects of continuity editing, such as consistency of screen direction, and the ideas of spacial continuity.

The concepts and ideas relating to this module also linked in nicely with the content of MDA1300, as while 1300 was allowing us to understand and actively participate in creating, controlling and manipulating the different factors of the stylistic elements and skills needed for the course (camera, sound, lighting, editing, directing, producing,) and this complemented the classes for MDA1700, in which we simultaneously learned about their application and effects in feature films.

This was a useful factor of the first few weeks of the module, as learning about the effects of these stylistic elements and some of the theory and history behind them went hand-in-hand with applying them in a practical situation and utilising them effectively in the appropriate assignments.

An example of this, is when we learned about the effects of the high contrast lighting in the film noir genre and how the different types of lighting, and the use of shadows affect how audiences see characters or events (as well being a staple of the genre obviously). This meant that when we're set the specific assignment, we have more insight as to how we can go about getting the desired effect from our manipulation of the stylistic element.

Also, as none of my previous studies had concentrated much on classical Hollywood (most of the content had been British Cinema, International Cinema (Mexican and Spanish,) and Auteur Studies,) I found the first part of this module very interesting. For example, I enjoyed watching the films East of Eden (by Elia Kazan) and Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder,) which I had never seen or studied before, yet now had the chance to watch in an effective environment, and study in-depth in the seminars (East of Eden in relation to the editing and consistency of screen direction, for example, and Double Indemnity in relation to the conventional stylistics of the Film Noir genre).

MDA1700 - First Assignment - Shot Type/Length Sequence Analysis

The first assessment for MDA1700 has been an analysis of a short sequence in relation to shot type and length. The scene I have chosen is the infamous scene from Jane Campion's 'The Piano' in which Alistair chops off Ada's finger due to her infidelity. The scene can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJQwpIrt2c
(3 minutes 43 seconds to 6 minutes 28 seconds)

and here is my analysis of the sequence:

‘The Piano’ (Jane Campion, 1993) – Sequence Analysis

                In the sequence I have analysed, the character Alistair, upon finding out his mute wife Ada has been having an affair, cuts off her finger, disabling her from playing the piano (which is the only way she expresses herself). 

                In the 3 minute extract there are 35 shots. The first 5 are between 3 and 6 seconds and the first two are a side tracking Long and Mid Shot of Alistair and Ada’s daughter, Flora as they are running through the forest. These longer, wider shots coupled with the dark, rainy setting and the camera movement establish the grim setting and the events which are to transpire; the unsteady camera movement signifies Alistair’s violent nature. One of the side-tracking shots is a 3 second close up of the axe, foreshadowing the climax. 

                Once he reaches Ada, there are Close Up and Medium close up shots, of 1-1.5 seconds of Alistair smashing the piano with the axe, emphasising the violence. A longer shot of 17 seconds, to build tension, then shows Ada being dragged outside. As Alistair swings the axe down there are 5 MCU and CU shots of the axe and the characters. The MCU’s emphasise character emotions, and as the axe cuts off her finger, the CU of Ada’s face amplifies her pain. The next shot is a MCU of Flora, covered in Ada’s blood. These shots, showing the effects of but not the actual injury makes the scene horrific, as the absence of explicit imagery leads the audience’s imaginations astray. 

                An 11 second MCU of Ada is the next shot; the longer shot emphasising her pain,  then a 4 second CU of Ada’s hands with her wedding ring over the injury, signifying how her marriage has led to this awful event and allowing audiences to take in the gruesomeness. The final shot is 49 seconds, of Ada walking away from the camera (and her husband) and collapsing, signifying how she is now distanced from those around her; unable to express herself through piano playing and sign language. This shot is powerful as it signifies Ada’s suffering through her expressions and movement. Her collapse could also represent the struggle of her marriage, and the suffering caused. 

MDA1700 - Week Two

For the second week of MDA1700, we discussed the film from the previous week's screening (Chaplain's 'Modern Times') and we also discussed the visual styles of film, and continuity styles, referencing them to Silent Comedy.

While a lot of what we looked at in the class was useful revision (such as the different elements of visual style, camera movements and some of the 'rules' of continuity style', there were many terms and examples of terminology I learned which were new to me.

For example, I had never really considered some of D.W. Griffith's 'rules' of continuity, such as Articulation of Space and the Consistency of Screen direction (mainly because I hadn't heard of them prior to the Seminar,) and I found it interesting how even though I had previously overlooked them, they're integral to the idea of continuity in film, as seen in the scene from Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' which we watched, in which a woman drives up to a house, and enters it to find a man dead and then proceeds to flee the scene.

Consistency of Screen direction was exhibited in the opening and ending of the sequence, as the woman drove into the scene and entered the house from screen left to screen right, and then as she fled she was moving from screen right to left.

We also noted the use of 'Slow Disclosure' in the above scene, which is a term used to describe when vital visual information is slowly reveal to add to the build up in tension.

The Proscenium style of silent cinema, and how it affects editing and the visual style was also discussed, and the prison canteen scene from modern times was used as an example of this, as it clearly shows how certain details are picked out for the viewer. The main example if when the criminal puts drugs in the salt shaker, and the camera (while still looking forwards onto the action like Proscenium style dictates,) pans down to show only the salt shaker, then back up to the criminals face. This shows how the camerawork manipulates the style of silent cinema for the desired purpose.

Due to the initial screening (The Ten Commandments, DeMille, USA, 1923) being cancelled we watched 'East of Eden' (Elia Kazan, USA, 1955).

MDA1700 - Week One

In the week one lecture and seminar, we spent time looking at the different ways film can be studied from a theoretical point of view, and different ideas and studies which have had an effect on film theory.

Different ideas we looked at were Gestalt Psychology and the work of Hugo Munsterburg, the general indication of which are that film viewing is a dynamic activity in which the mind is actively piecing together and making sense of the information, which is supported by Russian Psychological experiments, in which one unrelated image was placed between a shot of a man looking off-screen, and audiences made deductions about the footage they had seen.

While some of the methods of film study I have studied before, (such as Genre, Auteurism, Historical/Cultural, Semiotics and Feminist,) several of the other types and theories we looked at i had never come across before, so I found understanding them interesting and challenging.

For the film screening part of the module, we viewed 'Modern Times' (Charlie Chaplain, 1936, U.S.).
I found the film very entertaining, and I found the social satire (of the industrial revolution, and the state of the economy and employment at that time,) very interesting, especially when considering the similar problems faced by today's economy, do I find it easier to pick upon and understand the messages Chaplain was trying to portray in the film.

Another point I found interesting was the use of sound in the film, as it was a predominantly silent film, which was made after the inclusion of sound in mainstream cinema (which I feel is also a comment on the technological advancement at that time, and perhaps Chaplain's feeling towards the technology).
For most of the film, the only spoken dialogue to be heard was the voice of the factory boss at the start, who is monitoring and communicating with his workers on the large screens, and the voice advertising the 'Lunch-Machine'. I found it interesting that the only characters with spoken dialogue (a technological advancement) at the start were those who were affiliated with technology and/or a position of power in the economy, and I feel this fits in well with the messages and satire behind the film.