'Experimental Film requires a different kind of spectatorship.' Has this been your experience? [35]
Experimental films are full of strange mixtures of images, situations, words and expressions that may not tell a cohesive story but, in the end, don't have to in order to achieve an emotional goal. This type of film therefore requires the spectator to shift their conventional cinematic expectations to accommodate more radical narrative techniques, themes and meaning construction. Un Chien Andalou, the infamous 1929 surrealist short film from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, attests to this. Now add your personal response and discussion of spectatorship issues When I watched Un Chien Andalou I was first confused be the odd imagery of the film and was challenged by the lack of narrative and continuity but after the initial impact of the film I found that I could watch the film without the same feeling of confusion. I felt that I was starting to question the metaphors represented in the film. Although the film was serious I found myself laughing at certain parts that I felt looked weird, such as the woman getting ran over and the dribbling man as he gropes a woman.
For me, watching La Jatee was easier than watching the other experimental films because it was the most conventional as far as narrative goes. the series of pictures were so well taken it was like watching a normal film. However i did find it a bit slow paced. although I did like the paradox ending and the ideas behind the story which I thought was very thought provoking. I thought that the idea of the narrative where people get inserted into a dream world/ fake reality reminds me of the matrix and the story behind the game assassins creed.
Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) is a work that maintains all of the mystery, tranquility, unpredictability, and personal attachment that is ever present within the world of dreams. Now add your personal response and discussion of spectatorship issues I felt that I could not connect with this film and I was bored by the repetitive cycles in the narrative and felt that the soundtrack was unnerving. However I did like the camera work on the stairs which was both disorientating and unique.
For our urban story we took inspiration from the french urban story La Haine. We did this through the use of many different cinematography and editing techniques. Furthermore we also adopted some of the themes used throughout La Haine, such as the feeling of boredom and lethargic behaviour, We conveyed this by by showing how time passed by slowly with the use of long shots and the use of showing the time which is also a motif in urban stories. La Haine uses black and white footage which we have mimicked in our urban story. Also the characters in La Haine also loiter throughout the film so we got Ellis to loiter. Also in La Haine the main character are also influenced by American Gangsta Rap so we used none diegetic Gangsta Rap.
Discuss some of
the techniques used in your chosen films to provoke audiences into
taking a particular point of view towards characters and key events.
Within the Urban Stories that I have studied there a number of techniques used to to help provoke audiences into responding in various ways and take a particular point of view towards individual characters and certain key events in the narrative.
The first shot that the audience can see in city of god is a knife being sharpened and then a cut to black. This shows how immediately that the film is set in violent place. The knife is shown in a close up and the only noise is the diegetic sound of the knife as it is sharpened. then as the shot cuts to black we hear diegetic music of a Brazilian band playing this highlights the setting of film making the audience make a link between Brazil and violence. Also the shot constantly changes with a fast pace of editing which causes the audience to feel confused and disorientated. In amongst the series of shot we can chickens being slaughtered this represents what happens to people who live there, which is another way that the film causes the audience to take a certain view of Rio De Janeiro in the opening scene. La haine - gun
After one of the chickens escapes from the roof of the building where the chickens are being killed it is chased by a group of armed kids through the narrow alleyways of the slums. The use of fast editing and handheld tracking shots give the audience the interpretation that Rio is a barbaric, hostile place. This use of camera work makes the kids look like a pack of animals rather than a groups of children. However it is shown that the children learn their behavior from other the older "hoods" in the film by how Lil' Ze orders them to chase the chicken. This is also shown in the scene in City of God where Lil' Ze forces Steak n' Fries to shoot a child of a similar age to himself. Also in the film La Haine we see a child intimating Vinz smoking and shooting in the cinema scene.
One of the themes of the urban stories that I have studied is that the characters are trapped by there environment and can not escape to start a new life. This is shown in City of God where .... tries to escape with his girlfriend but is instead gunned down by the police. This also an example of how characters in urban stories cannot sustain a romantic relationship. Both these themes are also present in La Haine, In the character Hubert. He talks to his mother about leaving but in the end he ends up shooting a police man, and he tries to chat up a girl but instead his friends ruin his chances with her entirely.
I have chosen these Films to focus on because they are all from
different Genres and they all show an idea of a controlling higher power
and characters struggling to cope. My main focus film is Full Metal
Jacket, this is because of the extensive highlighting of corrupt
authority figures and the theme of hierarchy.
Kubrick chooses to make films films where there is a higher power
The complete Kubrick by David Hughes
comments on "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia"
- mad with power / relates to full metal jacket and a clockwork orange
Auteur Theory Book
this helps explain 'the auteur theory' which can help me to explain how Kubrick is an auteur helps me show my evidence for how he is one.
http://www.film4.com/special-features/5-min-guides/stanley-kubrick
This website states how kubricks work is philosophically based hinting that he may convey his personal ideological and political views and messages in his films.
'Whilst his films were philosophically based, they also presented moviegoers with some of cinema's most abiding images'
this pages also touches on Clockwork orange as being 'Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will' this re-enforces the idea that the characters are controlled by higher powers.
also highlights a possible motif across his films 'His movies almost all contain scenes set in a bathroom.'
Useful paragraph -
In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.
This site also says that his films are viewed as being 'Cold'
in this video it states how Danny does not/ can not speak of what happens in the room which relates to how kubrick is forced to keep quiet about his opinions of the moon landing hoax which is an example of how higher power/the Government is controlling freedom of speech and the film industry (Stanley Kubrick
http://staticmass.net/the-directors-chair/stanley-kubrick/
this source is not so good but does however state that 'Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.' This could be a possible/characteristic of kubrick films motif
http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/kubrick//
This site is useful because it shows how Kubricks work shows authority.
Useful quote about Dr. Strangelove - 'The film, which depicted mad murderous war generals, was not looked upon fondly by the Pentagon as it made fun of them, their generals and their various war plans.
It’s from here Weidner goes on to claim the Pentagon contacted Kubrick with an offers the filmmaker simply couldn’t refuse, making him a deal with an occult society that ruled the world that would give him the freedom to make the films he wanted.
It’s at this point many of us watching would ask ourselves “How could such a thing be covered up?” and “How could Kubrick go along with such a plan?” Weidner explains that filmmaker would go on to use his future films to tell us how he faked the footage and photographs and also what effect this deal with The Powers That Be would have on his life. For this, he points to The Shining as the film where Kubrick lays bare his entire story with an elaborate set of clues, having altered King’s original story to enable this.
This shows how Kubrick was personally effected by higher power.
Useful paragraph -
In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most
predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr.
Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The
Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned
with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times
of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic
view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.
1 Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick 1987)
this film focuses on the US soldiers of the Vietnam war.
This is my focus film and is great for my question because of the key relevance to my question.
This film highlights the corruption of the hierarchy in the US army during the War in Vietnam, and how higher power forces the protagonists to kill. The film is set in 1960s America and Vietnam and shows the slow, hard struggle of training with the Gunnery Sergeant and the gradual decline of humanity during conflict spurred by the American army. Also the film is split into 3 chapters which are indicated by 3 separate fades to black the first chapter is the training, the second chapter is Joker's time as a field photographer and the third chapter is the fight to kill the girl sniper.
2 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
This film is good for showing how Kubrick conveys his ideology and opinions on authority and is a very useful source because it shares many of the themes that are shown in Full Metal Jacket. The film follows the life of a young thug called Alex. However A Clockwork Orange is set in an alternate time in an obscure British society where the authority is brutal and stern. Much like Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange is also split into three chapters Alex's gang life, his prison life/treatment and after his treatment.
3 The Shining (1980)
The shining is a useful source because the themes of higher power that it contains are not as obvious as in my other focus films but they are still there and instead are paranormal. The shining is a horror film and focuses of the lives of the Torrance family who are left to look after a hotel during the winter and are tormented by possessive spirits. The owner of the hotel however is very similar to the way the government is shown at the end of A Clockwork Orange by how kind he is when he is getting what he wants. Furthermore I can write about how Danny is Controlled by Tony These are all examples of higher power, making this a useful source.
Texts
4 The complete Kubrick by David Hughes
This book is useful for highlighting key themes and characteristics of his films.
comments on "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia" this shows how Kubrick represents authority across his other films.
- mad with power / relates to Full Metal Jacket and A Clockwork Orange
5 Auteur Theory Book
This helps explain 'the auteur theory' which can help me to explain how Kubrick is an auteur and helps me show my evidence for how he is one. This could be very useful for my question because it gives a precise clear definition of what an auteur is and I can use this to so if Stanley Kubrick meets the criteria.
6 Media Magazine Issue 13 2005 Article title - a shining odyssey the work of auteur Stanley Kubrick.
This magazine contains a useful article on Stanley Kubricks The shining and other films such as Eyes Wide Shut and 2001 A Space Odyssey. The article touches on how Kubrick is an auteur and various techniques and themes that are contained in three of his films which all convey that he has his own style and ideologies that he puts into his films
7 Adventures in the screen trade
This article argues that auteurs don't exists because of the fact that it takes many people to create a film so therefore the idea that one person controls the style of the film is flawed. This article is useful for creating a discussion in my script because although it is true that many people make a film, with Stanley Kubrick he often took charge and supervised everyone working on the film so that he was fully satisfied with the end result. Websites
8 The Auteur cast Episode 104: Stanley Kubrick http://auteurcast.com/2012/06/04/episode-104-stanley-kubricks-full-metal-jacket/
This source is very useful for my research as it helps express the loss of identity in Full Metal Jacket and how it contrasts with apocalypse now which is another Vietnam war film and how the names of the characters are forced on them by the gunnery sergeant during the first part of the film. This helps convey how the protagonists are controlled by higher power just by how they are stripped of there names, it also conveys their worthlessness in the film.
This website states how Kubrick's work is philosophically based, hinting that he may convey his personal ideological and political views and messages in his films. This is very relevant to my investigation and helps enforce my argument.
This page also touches on Clockwork Orange as being 'Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will' this re-enforces the idea that the characters are controlled by higher powers.
Also highlights a possible motif across his films 'His movies almost all contain scenes set in a bathroom.' and this site also says that his films are viewed as being 'Cold'
10 Senses Of Cinema - Stanley Kubrick http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/kubrick/
This source is great for my investigation and gives a detailed overview of the three focus films and my rejected item. It gives a breakdown of his other films and a brief overview of his life. This webpage also comments on how Kubrick is more than willing to change parts of other people work, For example The Shining by Stephen King, to convey his own views and ideas through his films.
Furthermore it Highlights how the soldiers in Full Metal jacket are faceless silhouettes at the end of the film as the walk of singing.
11 Static Mass - The Directors chair - Stanley Kubrick http://staticmass.net/the-directors-chair/stanley-kubrick/
This source is not so good but does however state that 'Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.' This could be a possible/characteristic of kubrick films motif. This helps give evidence to the idea that he is an auteur.
12 Static Mass - Kubrick's Odyssey http://staticmass.net/documentary/kubricks-odyssey-documentary-2011-review/
This site is useful because it shows how Kubricks work shows authority.
Useful quote about Dr. Strangelove - 'The film, which depicted mad murderous war generals, was not looked upon
fondly by the Pentagon as it made fun of them, their generals and their
various war plans.
It’s from here Weidner goes on to claim the Pentagon contacted Kubrick with an offers
the filmmaker simply couldn’t refuse, making him a deal with an occult
society that ruled the world that would give him the freedom to make the
films he wanted.
It’s at this point many of us watching would ask ourselves “How could
such a thing be covered up?” and “How could Kubrick go along with such a
plan?” Weidner explains that filmmaker would go on to use his future
films to tell us how he faked the footage and photographs and also what
effect this deal with The Powers That Be would have on his life. For
this, he points to The Shining as the film where Kubrick lays
bare his entire story with an elaborate set of clues, having altered
King’s original story to enable this.
This shows how Kubrick was personally effected by higher power.
Videos
13 Stanley Kubrick a life in picture
this is very useful for my question
because it gives an overview of Kubrick and helps explain the reason
behind many of his film making decisions.
This documentary touches on how Kubrick was threatened by the FBI that
they would begin an investigation into the set designs of Dr Strangelove
which relates to how Kubrick's personal interactions with the
government. This relates to how he may use protagonists to show the
oppression of higher power in his films.
14 Faked Moon Landing Hidden Subliminal Messages in Stanley Kubrick's Movie "The Shining"
This video explains the room 237 scene.
In this video it states
how Danny does not/ can not speak of what happens in the room which
relates to how kubrick is forced to keep quiet about his opinions of the
moon landing hoax which is an example of how higher power/the
Government is controlling freedom of speech and the film industry.
This resource may not be so good because it is about my rejected film and does not talk about higher power which my other films focus on. Therefore this article lacks relevance.
Everything 2 - Stanley Kubrick http://everything2.com/title/Stanley+Kubrick
Not useful because it is not relevant to my question. This article gives an overview of his life and career instead on conveying his key ideologies and views of higher power or how it controls society.
23.7 facts about Stanley Kubrick http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/237-facts-about-stanley-kubricks-the-shining-20130326
This webpage does not show Kubricks views or opinions on authority or higher power or reference how he is an auteur. It only gives interesting facts about the making of the shining and who it influenced after its release. This does not make this a very valuable source for my research.
2001 A Space Odyssey
This is my rejected film because I find that
it is too similar to full metal jacket and a clockwork orange with the
way the higher power is represented, so I decided to use the shining
instead because the element of higher power is the force that possesses
jack and torments the family in the hotel rather than hierarchy like in
my other focus films
How far does the impact of the films you have studied
depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?
In the film La Haine the use of key cinematic techniques is important in representing the key ideas and beliefs of the characters in the film.
The film is shot in black and white, this shows the definite message of racial oppression throughout the narrative, and re-enforces the idea that the live in a place with old fashioned views on how ethnic minorities are oppressed in modern day france. also through out the film there is a constant use of slow paced editing this is shown especially in the scene where Vinz and Hubert go to the police station to collect Said, this helps to show their facial expressions as they witness the the damage and distraction in the station. Personally i feel that this scene helps to show the reality of the damage caused by the riots and how it has made a clear divide between the police force and the youth. This is also re-inforced by the use of shallow focus to state the obvious divide between the teenagers and authority.
Also in this shot we see Hubert in the foreground and the police in the background in a long shot. This highlights a clear conflict emphasising the conflict.
Furthermore in the Police Station as Said is walking towards the stairs the camera tacks his movements and he is in the centre of the frame showing that he is the main focus, but when he reaches the stairs the Police officer pushes him aside (out of the centre of the frame) this shows his dominance and how the Police are in control. I feel that this is a powerful shot and completely summarises how the ethnic minorities are oppressed and pushed aside throughout the film.
After the police station scene the camera tracks the three lads as they walk away. the camera is hand held and follows them with one singular shot the slow paced editing, i feel, shows how in the rough French urban estates time goes by very slowly. Furthermore I believe it shows how the characters are united. However as Hubert finds out that Vinz had a gun on him the camera instantly cuts to show him and Vinz as being opposed. This is done through the 180 degree rule, Hubert and Vinz are now not shown in the same shot again in this sequence. However Said is often shown in shots with both characters. This help re-enforce the theme of him being the idea of fraternity as he attempts to keep Vinz and Hubert together. Fraternity is one of the three words in the french motto. This conflict between the characters shows how without proper role models and guidance the characters will resort to what they have learnt from western culture (violent films). This is a key motif to Vinzs character as he is often shown throughout the film quoting violent films and pointing his fingers in a gun shape. This behavior is also show to transfer from him own to a small boy who watches and mimics Vinz in the cinema in Paris.
Clip 5
in car fixed shot
shallow focus close ups Vinz
long sustained shots
slow pace of editing
tracking shots highlights facial expressions
shallow focus shows opposition and separation between youth and authority
continuous shots
vengeance graffiti
Siad is in cetre of the shot but is then shoved aside by the police officer highlighting a definite conflict (put in his place) possible racism
hand held tracking shots as character walk continuous
Hubert in centre Said is in the centre which enforces the idea that he represents Fraternity
Does the way Stanley Kubrick presents power figures in his films make him an auteur?
Stanley Kubrick is considered to be one of the best directors of the 20th century having made classic films for the majority of his life. He is also widely recognized as being an auteur with his own unique stylistic approach to film making. Those familiar with Kubrick’s work can probably spot how he conveys his own personal opinions and ideologies through certain characters in his movies and the way they are treated by authority. The focus films that I am studying are Full Metal Jacket, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining.
I have chosen these Films to focus on because they are all from different Genres and they all show an idea of a controlling higher power and characters struggling to cope. Which help point out how Kubrick is a auteur. My main focus film is Full Metal Jacket (1987)[1], this is because of the extensive highlighting of corrupt authority figures and the theme of hierarchy.[1] Full metal Jacket shows the protagonist Joker to become more and more of a killer as the story progresses through its three stages, Training, Early Vietnam and The Girl Sniper.
My supporting films are A Clockwork Orange and The Shining both these films, like my focus film show themes of higher power manipulating the protagonists. In A Clockwork Orange Alex is controlled by the government and in the shining it is a supernatural force controlling Jack and Danny.
In Full Metal Jacket our protagonist is the character Joker. Joker along with several others has his real name replaced with a nick name in the very first scene by the Gunnery Sergeant. This is an example of how Stanley Kubrick represents how the American Military remove the true identity of the marines in the Vietnam war.[8] In a way to control them. The way that the soldiers accept these names also brings into question their personal self worth. In addition to this in the ending scene of the film we can see a group of soldiers walking off into the sunset singing but you cannot see their faces, they are simply silhouettes. [10] This shows the lack of identity amongst the troops, making them look like shadow puppets. I feel that this suggests how the characters in full metal jacket are puppets and under control from a higher power.
In one scene in Full Metal Jacket we can see Joker in a publishers meeting for the military newspaper in Vietnam and he is forced to rewrite the end of his article to include an enemy kill so it sounds 'more heroic'[1]. This is a direct example of how the main character is controlled by a higher power, and how they bend the truth.
In Full Metal Jacket the Gunnery Sergeant is abusive towards the troops and constantly puts them down, causing Pvt Pyle to have a breakdown. This shows the audience Stanley Kubrick's view of how the hierarchy of the military/ government is twisted through how the characters are mistreated. This is a common theme which I feel features in the majority of his films, For example in his earlier work such as Dr Strangelove Kubrick shows the American government in a comedic fashion with the character of "an insane US air force general who orders an unprovoked nuclear attack against Russia"[4] This is a great example of how `Kubrick has incorporated his opinions of the American government into his films.
Also after the release of Dr Strangelove, Kubrick was threatened by the FBI that they would begin an investigation into the set designs of Dr Strangelove because of the accuracy of the war plane’s interior.
In Kubrick’s film The Shining (1980)[3] we are shown how he is told to stay quiet about his ideas of the moon landing [14].
PLAY FAKED MOON LANDING..... source 14
this is another example of how he shows higher power to control his protagonist. Also it shows how he was personally effected by higher power which helps us to understand why he often shows his protagonists to be under the control of a higher authority.
One of my articles (adventures in the screen trade)[7] suggests that there is no such thing as an auteur in the film industry. The article suggests this because it takes a whole team to create a film however I know that from watching Stanley Kubrick a life in picture [13] that Kubrick would always personally oversee everything happening with his films and would often take charge of the camera and would not put anything into his films unless he was 100% happy with it. This use of his own personal influence and ideologies throughout all his films is what makes him an auteur. ‘Stanley Kubrick’s films are cold, soulless, disconnected and indifferent.’[11] Furthermore one of my other research sources helps to reinforce that he is an auteur. [6]
A Clockwork Orange (1971)[2] is ‘Part social satire, part discourse on the nature of free will’ [9]. It follows a young thug called Alex who after he is arrested is offered a treatment by the government which causes him to not cause crime however once he is released he is not able to to defend himself and is beaten and attempts suicide which causes the government to step in once the story gets to the papers, so they don’t do badly in the upcoming election. this is a perfect example of how the government have removed Alex’s free will, also it shows they only really care about Alex when it makes them look bad. This reflects how Kubrick views the government.
‘In terms of the characters Kubrick chose to film, the most predominant type was that of the psychopath. General Ripper (Dr. Strangelove), HAL (2001) Alex (A Clockwork Orange), Jack Torrance (The Shining) were all psychopaths, while Full Metal Jacket was concerned with how society tries to create psychopaths (and values them) in times of war. This is no doubt in part due to Kubrick's seemingly pessimistic view of man and society and how thin the veneer of civility can be.’ [9]
Kubrick is more than willing to change parts of other people work, For example The Shining by Stephen King, to convey his own views and ideas through his films.
Furthermore it Highlights how the soldiers in Full Metal jacket are faceless silhouettes at the end of the film as the walk of singing. [10]
Stanley Kubrick didn't write any of his films he picked books to adapt into films but only ones he thought were interesting.[13]
offers the filmmaker simply couldn’t refuse, making him a deal with an occult society that ruled the world that would give him the freedom to make the films he wanted.