Task 2.1 Research Into Existing Products: Films

Research into films

Christian Metz said that all genres of film pass through four phases eg horror

•     The experimental phase (Noseferatu)
•         The classical phase (Frankenstein)
•         The parody phase (Scary Movie)
•           The deconstruction phase (Se7en)

Short films:

• Short films are like a signature/calling card as it just shows a slice of life. They are normally around the 15 to 20 minute mark and normally have a main story line shown through metaphors and meanings. 
• The internet has allowed a platform for short films as you can use websites like Vimeo to access these whereas before you would have to go to a cinema or a festival.

Andrea Arnold "Wasp" 

We watched her short film called the Wasp and from it I found several things;

• Short films don't need to be profound as its a slice of life and not a feature film, which is shown through the shaky camera shots which makes it kind of real life like a documentary.
• Throughout the film there is dark lighting reflecting the deep themes of urban London as you see council estates, hear swearing, also seeing the mouldy bread shows that the family were living in a deprived state. 
• We see several young children who are shown as vulnerable and alone which is emphasised by the dangerous elements shown eg enhance traffic noises. When they were left outside the pub there was a emphasis on them playing dangerously as you felt like the baby was going to fall out of the pram which gave us a sense of fear and panic.
• The wasp in the film could be seen as a metaphor of the mother. As she is a danger to her children and society by how she is acting for example leaving her children in the car park whilst she was in the pub. However it could be argued that society is the wasp for the mother as things around her do not benefit her and make her life worse.
• The short film shows that there may be a desperate underclass in British society which is irresponsible, this is show through the mis-en-scene as well of the suburban London accents.
• It shows a lot of realism throughout as it's in a documentary style as the shots were continuously moving ever so slightly which allows the audience to know that it is real and it does happen to many families. The only time the family is seen to be as a 'unit' is when the mother was happy and not swearing at the children which shows that the children's happiness is dependent on what the mothers sufficient mind is at the time as at the end she goes from shouting and swearing at the kids to hugging them all affectionately in a group form. There are many point of view shots through the short film although they are not too profound, this is to allow the audience to empathise with the characters which adds to the realism of it as some people who are watching may be feeling the same and can relate to the characters.

Todorov - Narrative Theory

1. Equilibrium - this is where everything is balanced or neutral at the beginning of the film.

2. Disturbance of equilibrium - this is where the balance in the story line has been disturbed by something eg; in Ransom, the child has been kidnapped. 

3. Recognition of this disturbance - this is where you become familiar with the disturbance and you see how you can fix it. 

4. Attempt to repair - this is where you try and fix the problem that's occurred and try to restore the balance that was there in the first place. 

5. Reinstatement of equilibrium - this is where everything goes back to its original state, usually the problem has been fix and happiness has been restored. 

A film that does this is 'Ransom' starring Mel Gibson. Other similar films like the Taken franchise follow this narrative theory. 



This shows that its a cyclic structure and not linear as the narrative is driven to restore the equilibrium which was once in place. However the beginning equilibrium is not the same as the end one as the characters involved in the narrative transform through the progress of the interruption. This theory can be shown in typical narrative films. 

Lynne Ramsey is a female, Scottish director however she didn't like being referred to as a female director (same as Andrea Arnold) as she didn't want a label as she wanted to be equal to other directors. 

One of Lynne's films was called Ratcatcher, this was because the bins hadn't been cleared in weeks which caused rats etc.

It was set in 1970's Glasgow which was portrayed as being unsafe and unclean. In the first few minutes of the feature film you see a boy drowning in a canal that is dirty and diseased ridden which is emphasised to reflect the uncleanliness of the town. 
Throughout the film the shots are choppy and episodic to break up the scenes also with a range of angles including close up's to portray the characters emotions and feelings. This allows the audience to empathise with the characters and allows them to engage in the film more as they can understand them. 

Gasman
Lynne has also made a short film which shows a slice of life. It is set in the late 70’s, the story behind ‘Gasman’ is one of adultery and deceit,as the father of a working-class Scottish family lies to his wife and children as he lives a double life that includes a mistress and their two children together. The film raises many controversial themes and issues, including sibling rivalry, lack of education, endemic poverty, unemployment, economic deprivation and social
disenfranchisement and alienation. 




















The town is reflected as dark and depressing by the low key lighting as although the shot is outside it is still showing a dreary atmosphere. This wide shot could also reflect isolation as there seems to be little around the characters and there is a sufficient distance between the characters body language. 

The issue of economic deprivation is also brought to the foreground in this opening scene with the lighting and mise-en-scene of the house showcasing this. The grim, grey lighting gives the house an almost run down feel and represents the harsh situation that the family are in.  




















This shot is quite scenic and painting like as it reveals a lot. The flats in the background are the ones that are in Andrea Arnold's 'Red Roads'. These flats began as a symbol of community and happiness however they have evolved into a downwards spiral of crime and poverty. 




















Sibling rivalry is shown here as the more dominant sibling is bullying her sister by pulling her hair and she does not listen to her father when he tells her to stop. This could show lack of discipline on the parents behalf as he doesn't punish her for pulling her sisters hair. However it could spark jealousy on one of the sisters behalf because her father is letting the other sister sit on his lap which could be another cause of this sibling rivalry. 


























However at the end of the short film the family is shown together as a family unit which could represent that tight bond that only families can have.