Monday, 5 November 2018

film selection notes for coursework. (C)

High maintenance - 9 mins

  • Opposite ends of table - visible distance 
  • exaggerated sounds chewing and drinking, exaggerates silence and feeling of emptiness.
  • Constant reference to technology; computer analysis, robots.
  • loneliness and not satisfied; people are easy to replace, same problems no matter the person.
  • she's a robot too; loss of connection, no love just loneliness.
Ways I will use this:
  • Themes of loneliness and loss of connection 
  •  
Swimmer - 18 mins
  • black and white  
  • constant increase in beating of drums.
  • stone, paper, scissors
  • several long takes of plants in water
  • almost church-esque music in background 
  • water looks like a black abyss 
  • speech sounds like its on a radio
  • from a different time - child in goggles similar to 1940?
  • radio transmission fades away as swimmer is shown 
  • slow mo of swimmer 
  • child dressed as animals - hunting? - where the wild things are
  • film noir - lighting - chiaroscuro 
  • fairground - marks on back and face - blood? - alarms (police)
  • swimming is reversed - running away from police
  • longshot- swimming farther into sea - no civilisation - in middle of sea - goes under
  • credit scene is mirrored 
Ways I will use this:
  • use of long takes - mimic melancholy and tiredness 
  • narration and voice-over - mimic the film noir style and detective style 
  • use of chiaroscuro 

Meshes of the Afternoon - 14 mins

  • female director
  • mirror face - male gaze - man is mirror - she only sees what he sees in her (her looks)
  • constant repetition of bonjos, setting and movement (chasing herself)
  • Key in mouth - escape inner turmoil - lock away whats going on inside 
  • black clothing, key turns into knife - funeral and only escape is kill what she's thinking??
  • takes key but it goes back to the table - can't escape 
  • Murdered with mirror - he's killing her, male gaze is killing her 
  • the location is the mind 
Ways I will use this:
  • lack of linear narrative
  • psychological ideology 
Stutterer - 12 mins  .


  • narration - phone call, inside head.
  • close up of mouth - main focus on movements and words.
  • sign language - emphasises desperation in not wanting to talk
  • repetition of words in mind
  • Jeremy Kyle - about communication with "his son", use of background diegetic sound.
  • lots of shots where he stares into the camera 
  • rubs throat - as if to prepare to talk
  • Layering sentences - shows state of mind
  • Typography - life revolves around words and communication 
  • all forms of communication : typography, tv, facebook, books, sign language
  • jumpcuts and fade to black - mimics stuttering.
Ways I will use this: 
  • use of background objects to tell a story - focus on one thing instead of the linear storyline.
La Jetée



  • montage of images - told like a storybook.
  • photos are memories - circular plot
  • one moving scene - woman blinks, question if its real, not all photos show memories.
  • Voice-over with subtitles (both diegetic and non-diegetic at times)
Ways I will use this:
  •  Questioning the plot (is he real?)
  • Non-linear plot.

Fallen Angel
  • sudden changes to black and white
  • Neon lights are layered - image doubled and smudged 
  • everything takes place at night
  • repetition of scenes
Ways I will use this:
  • Repetition and continuation of scenes, kitchen, mr sleep.
  • link to text on screen 
  • layering/smudging of calendar

Tropes of Film Noir and detective style

  • minor things reveal major plot
  • femme fatale 
  • smoke / smoking
  • cynical attitudes & sexual motivations 
  • moody atmosphere
  • chiaroscuro 
  • voice-overs & monologue 
  • themes of existentialism 
  • themes of alienation 
  • dark and claustrophobic 

No comments:

Post a Comment