Film Studies A Level

OFOTCN Mcmurphy's Arrival Cinematography: Natural seeming lighting, real and raw atmosphere. Sound: All diegetic, a quiet scene, merely dialogue and no background sounds or music Mise-En-Scene: Office setting Performance:Doc is played by an amateur actor- Demonstrates how Forman took influence from the German Expressionist movement. Nicholson in performance is informal and chatty, discussing the photograph on the Doc's desk, and joking with him about the chain before the discussion launches. McMurphy smokes during the scene to show he is trying to keep calm and collected. Jack Nicholson used method acting to help himself deliver a simple and truthful performance, which complements the authenticity of the scene. Open body language- demonstrates an air of confidence- these demonstrate the informal treatment of the subject of mental health. - Breaching a difficult subject such as mental health shows influence from the Italian Neo realist movement. Dialogue/Plot: A F...

paper1: ofotcn, vertigo, fishtank, kevin Paper 2: pl cog mwamc apdn pf Narrative theories: 3-act structure Todorov equilibrium Propp Binary opposition Oedipal Character Arc -Choose 3 scenes for each film: Fishtank: Mia at the start, Mia at the end and Connor and Mia sex scene... to represent the 3 act structure or binary opposition in narrative. The End Scene The end scene represents the resolution of the character arc of Eva Eva has finally accepted the role of motherhood and taken on her duty. The reconciliation scene in the end of 'We Need to Talk about Kevin' allows the spectator to sympathise with Eva; this is what Eva as the narrator intended for how the spectator to respond. The closeups of Eva and long cuts suture the spectator into the scene, combined with the desaturated colour. The lack of warmth within the colour palette allows the spectator to gain insight into how Kevin has come to the sombre realisation that he regrets his act...

post 1960 influences: -German expressionist movement -Italian Neo-realism -French new wave: Lack of artifice; not artificial- long takes, semi-improvised, natural lighting (In OFOTCN), location shooting Hitchcock worked with all the studios and held immense power in the classical hollywood film era. HITCHCOCK AUTEUR FEATURES: -Blonde, full busted women -Composer, Hermann -Worked with the same production/design team for every film -Influence from the German expressionist movement-> Kuleshov effect-> Soviet Montage -Elaborate costumes -> German expressionism, taking the everyday and exaggerating it was a theme of this movement. -Camera Viewpoints -> experimental camera techniques -Eccentric characterisation -Sexual taboos & voyeurism: male gaze and scopophelia -Meticulous planning for all of his work -Expression of ideas through visual terms, dialogue was less significant "Self plagiarism is style"- Alfred Hitchcock

Compare how your chosen films reflect their production and institutional contexts - 40 marks Compare the extent to which your chosen film directors could be seen as auteurs Institutional context -German expressionist movement : German Expressionist films are therefore notable for their dark themes of insanity, horror, death and fatality that translate prevalently into the film’s mise-en-scene and narrative. It counters the principle of realism and practises extreme distortion as means to communicate inner emotional reality (Johnson, 2010). World war 1 brought feature film production to a near standstill as resources became scarce. Prior to ww1 films fell largely into the category of 'Cinema of Attractions'- Designed for entertainment. Germany was left with a huge infrastructure for film production and distribution that grew during the war; whilst the rest of Europe's film industry was decimated, therefore they could compete with hollywood after the war. -...

How useful has an ideological critical approach been in understanding binary oppositions in the narratives of your chosen films? (When looking at the films from a perspective of intense study,  what can you find about the director's ideologies of binary opposition in the narrative etc) Applying an ideological critical approach to Fishtank, the spectator can observe binary opposition that stems from the Oedipal trajectory, Father figure Vs sexual partner in Narrative. In the scene wherein Connor and Joanne have sexual relations, the repeated sound of Mia slamming her door gives the spectator insight into Mia's perspective of jealousy, to the extent she seeks attention from Connor. The sound is disruptive, hinting that Mia desires Connor and Joanne to cease having sexual relations. This refers to the aspect of the Freudian theory of the Oedipus complex wherein females are sexually attracted to the father; the anger insinuated by the sound of the slamming door reflects Mia...

Caitlin Grills - End scene -In the beginning as she gets in the car and sits in front of Kevin there is non - diegetic music in the background with the lyrics "nobody wants me" -'Nobody's Child'. This reflects how Kevin's life has been surrounded by neglect and lack of authentic affection. -Mid shot of Kevin the first time he appears, with a long cut. This allows Kevin to appear is timid in front of his mother, showing a need for her that he has never possessed before. -Racked camera focus, the focus shifts from Kevin -> Eva. -It is is the first time that Kevin has showed humility (modesty), this is exemplified in the Medium Closeup of Kevin.  -Kevin is framed at a three-quarter angle -Closeups of Kevin and Eva heighten the emotional intensity; this creates a claustrophobic atmosphere for the spectator. - Eva is presented centre frame in the immediate aftermath of the crime; she is now off centre, this could be as she is more at ease. -Kevin is cent...

How useful has an ideological critical approach been in understanding the narrative resolution of your chosen films? (When looking at the films from a perspective of intense study, what can you find about the director's ideologies of feminism etc) Cinematography: -The scene begins with a shot of a reflection of Kevin eating in the glass table. There are two different ways that Kevin is seen by his parents. It is a reminder to the audience that Eva is reconfiguring the past. -Kevin is positioned centre frame, the audience's gaze is directed towards him, this reflects that Kevin's status and power is dominant over both of his parents. When Eva is in the Diner, she is on the edge of the frame, maybe because she is being separated from Kevin, this makes her an unbalanced person. There is a lot of dead space within the frame, isolating Eva in the present moment. Contrastingly, she is in the centre of the frame in the breakfast sequence which shows her strong similarit...

Vertigo and ofo - AUTEUR, INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT Fishtank and Kevin - IDEOLOGY, NARRATIVE, MEANING RESPONSE, FILM FORM Pans lab & cog - MICRO ELEMENTS AND MEANING, MEANING AND RESPONSE, CONTEXTS Man with a movie camera & A propos de nice - CONTEXT & REALIST VS EXPRESSIVE -Film form (micro features) -Meaning and response -Contexts -Spectatorship, contemporary -Narrative -Ideology -Auteur -Critical debates ( pulp fiction) -Filmmakers' theories

- Kevin's mom gets home to find the dead husband and daughter - Kevin transitions to fifteen years old - Mom tries to teach Kevin to count Supermarket Scene: Cinematography  High key, Artificial lighting suggests coldness which contrasts with the red lighting in the flashbacks, creating an eerie atmosphere. Tracking down the aisle, Mid shot, eye line. Eva is positioned centre-frame, acquire's the spectators sole focus. This creates a calm atmosphere and suggests that Eva is trying to control her life. Ironically calm, but with underlying tension created in the editing. The narrative calm atmosphere is contrapuntal to the editing. Camera movements in the supermarket contrast with those in the flashback. Shot 35 mm anamorphic (very wide screen) , creates a lot of dead space (empty part of the shot). The emptiness of the screen creates volatileness and tension. Slow zoom of when shes in front of the tomatoes presents her isolation and the world is closing in on her ...

Component 1: 2 hours 5 mins Section A; Hollywood: 1930-1990 (40 marks) Section B; British Film since 1995 (40 marks) 1 hour on each section Component 2: 2.5 hours Section A: Global film (40 marks) Section B: Silent cinema (20 marks) Section C: Experimental film (20 marks)