Auteur peer observation

Director - David Fincher


Within the presentation I created, I talked about the Auteur David Fincher. My presentation listed films and projects he produced, as well as side by side comparisons of several films which showed lighting and camera angles which are commonly seen within his films. Additionally, I also featured a list of the actors used in order to explain that there is no common link between his actors and characters like there is with other auteur's, for example, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Despite this, it was apparent that the style that Fincher uses is extremely distinctive. This is evident especially in projects that it wouldn't be expected. For example, Madonna's 'Express yourself' music video includes a lot of common features of Fincher's first film Alien. Blue and yellow lighting is a commonality, as well as smoke and fragmentation.


My observer discussed the fact that he learnt that Fincher enjoys making people feel uncomfortable after being showed the quote :

" You have a responsibility for the way you make an audience feel, and I want to make them feel uncomfortable"​

Additionally, according to feedback my presentation also had a great deal of information and how Fincher handles the production and featured a lot of details about the Auteur. My presentation was also described as very visual, whilst not lacking information.

overall, I would say that my presentation was a success and was sufficiently detailed, however if I was to improve I would research into his films more and add extra information based on the way he works when producing films and how other people feel about working with him.

How far does the knowledge of the production process encourage a constant shift between passive and active spectatorship? - Winter's Bone

How far does the knowledge of the production process encourage a constant shift between passive and active spectatorship? 

 

Winter’s Bone, made in 2010, is an independent and low budget film set in rural Missouri. The film follows the life of Ree Dolly who is played by Jennifer Lawrence. The film explores the life of patriarchy and poverty the characters lead whilst they set out to find Ree’s farther, the owner of an illegal meth lab.  

One of the most significant themes throughout the film is the submissive and ridged, traditional gender roles the women adhere to throughout the film. The women are clearly living in a stereotypical patriarchal society, where men dominate and are in charge of general life in this small part of Missouri. Men are always portrayed as being authoritative and a scene which supports this is when we see Teardrop raising a gun to both his partner and Ree, who is his niece. The fact that we see men raising weapons towards family emphasises the fact that the society they live in is extremely dominated by male power. As a result of this the audience is more likely to become active. This is because the events seem real and the fact that the film is based around a controversial topic, I.e. patriarchy and violence towards women and family, the audience become involved and develop opinions and feelings based on these events.  

The linear narrative allows the audience to follow the intense storyline, whilst actively thinking about what's going to happen. The film uses non- actors and is based in a genuine rural community, where real people played parts throughout the film. This not only adds to the neo- realism of the film, but it also allows the film to become more intense and believable due to the events the audience see. Similarly, verisimilitude is often present as the appearance of reality is never disregarded. This is a result of the mise en scene, such as the naturalistic setting and authentic clothing. The fact that the clothing worn throughout the film was brought from second hand shops or borrowed from the local community in the place the film was set, adds authenticity and the appearance of truth. The film itself was shot for only 6 weeks. This little amount of time to make the film benefits the realism of the film, due to the fact that the appearance of truth is emphasised, due to the the non-actors having less time to perfect things, making things more realistic. Additionally, Jennifer Lawrence went to the set of the film a week early in order to study the community and grasp what life was really like. The fact that she lived the life of the people of Missouri makes her performance more authentic. It could be argued that the knowledge of the production process causes the audience to become passive due to the fact they are aware the film is a production, therefore it is less believable. However, in contrast it could also be argued that the knowledge of the production process causes the audience to be active, as a result of them becoming more interested in the believable, real life events. Additionally, this knowledge could again interest the audience further, as they are aware of the lengths the actors and producers went to in order to make the film realistic.  

The use of natural lighting and minimal editing again gives the film an authentic feel. This is because the film gives the sense of real-life events, therefore staged or harsh lighting would ruin this and make it seem like a big production film. Similarly, the minimal makeup that the actors wear again emphasise that this is an independent film, as it shows real looking people, rather than glamorous and expensive looking actors typically seen in Hollywood films. The knowledge of the production enables the audience to believe the film is real, due to the fact the fact that the film seems like real life, with real people, which therefore is believable. Similarly, it could also be said that the audience get so caught up in the realism of the film, that they forget the natural lighting and minimalism is done purposely.  

Overall, it is clear that the knowledge of the film production contributes to whether the audience is passive or active. However, this is dependent on the type of audience and their taste. Generally, it is clear that the audience are more likely to be active with more knowledge of the production process. This is because the film becomes more real and the efforts made become more clear. Despite this, there may always be a partially passive audience as a result of lack of interest of because the film is neo- realistic and isn't a Hollywood production. This knowledge may cause the audience to form an opinion before even watching the film .

Winter’s bone notes : 

• Not big on exhibitionsim, left to figure out what’s happening 
• Jenifer Laurence wasn’t a big actor at the time the film was made
• Doesn’t encourage passive viewing 
• Location shooting - lots of nature and animals
• Neo realistic
• Handheld camera
• Two year pre production to find a secure location in rural south 
• Film shot in Taney and Christian countries 
• 25 day shoot
• Shot on High resolution red DV camera
• Budget $2 million 
• Released in 2018 

Miss en scene - 

Rebecca Hofherr the clothing director - $5500 budget all from second hand ships and even did a clothes swap with locals for authenticity 

‘Before You Snap’ - Short Film

mood board

Mood board for short film (horror) inspired by Michael Myers. 

short film synopsis

Synopsis

 

 Michael lives a fairly regular life. He's a college student who has high hopes of a bright future. He experienced a relatively normal childhood and had kind and supportive parents,who always wanting to help their son in whichever ways they can. However, when work starts to pile up and Michael begins to miss deadlines, his anger and insecurities seem to build up and something inside of him finally snaps.

Using an old hockey mask he used to use when he was a child, he begins his murderous killing spree.

With close reference to two scenes from ‘Pans Labyrinth’ explore how cinematography and Mise-En scene create meaning (1250 – 1500 words) 

The pale man scene 

The pale man scene is a significant scene within the film ’Pans Labyrinth’ as it is a representation of the oppressive powers in Ophelia’s world. Del Toro creates a film where fantasy coincides with reality and the real world. The duality of the two worlds complement each other significantly, despite representing the fascist world Spain lived in during this time. The use of juxtaposition emphasises the way that Del Toro scrutinizes Spanish society. The monstrous character of the Pale man follows the story that The Faun assigns Ophelia three tasks in order to escape the depths of her reality and become princess of the fantasy world. The character of the pale man is interesting, as he appears to be castrated. This is interesting as the film is based around a heavily patriarchal society with heavy male domination. This could again be Del Toro’s way of scrutinizing Spanish society. 

The use of mise en scene within this shot is interesting as the props used, such as the arrangement of food on the table Is a representation of Spain’s fascist society. It could also be a representation of the Catholic church. This is evident as Ophelia is given strict instructions to not eat any of the food, despite eating it anyway. Until this, the creature appears to be stationary and doesn’t appear to be aware of Ophelia’s presence. This is until she defies the Faun’s instructions and proceeds to eat a grape. Everything about this setting and aesthetic implies danger, despite the Pale man appearing to be motionless. The camera lingers over the scene and reveals subtly distorted details, including the fact he doesn’t yet appear to have eyes. The use of camera angles and editing is also interesting, as the mixture of close ups and long shots increase the anticipation within the scene and allow the audience to realise that something bad is potentially about to happen. Similarly, the use of diegetic sound such as the increase in the volume of Ophelia's breathing also adds to the suspense. Additionally, the Pale Man essentially bites the heads off fairies and eats them. This could be interpreted as destroying childhood and innocence, which is exactly how Ofelia sees the Captain. The pale man could additionally be seen a representation of Spain’s catholic church at the time. Despite this, instead of cooler blue hues, the lighting appears to have warmer, yellow tones, making it feel like a safer environment, even though Ofelia is in just as much danger in this world as she is in the real world. This could perhaps be Del Toro’s way of criticizing the post war consensus Spain was living in.  

The editing used also adds meaning to the scene, as the shot reverse shot used when changing from Ophelia to the Pale man not only builds suspense, but it also allows us to acknowledge the fact that something bad is about to happen. Similarly, the use of the camera panning across the table and revealing the food emphasies the fascist society Ophelia was a part of and could perhaps be to do with the fact that during the time the film was made, rationing was used as the upper class were hoarding Spain’s limited resources. Lastly, the close of the dagger is significant within the scene as it was the reason Ophelia was sent to the Pale Man’s cave initially, however is ironic as it foreshadows the way she dies despite us thinking the Pale man will kill her as she ate the grape. 

Overall, it Is clear the cinematography and mise en scene used within this shot creates meaning. This is evident as it allows the audience to understand the society Ophelia lived in and the reasoning behind Del Toro’s scrutinization.  

The toad and the tree scene 

The toad and the tree scene is significant within the film ‘Pan’s labyrinth’ as it is a representation of the fantasy world Del Toro has created. As previously mentioned, the two worlds coincide with each other as a representation of the fascist society Spain lived in.  

The toad is a apart of one of the three tasks Ophelia was assigned by Faun. First, we see Ophelia wondering through the forest in a green silk dress. This is evidence of intertextuality as it is very similar to the 1951 Alice In Wonderland dress. Additionally, we also see Ophelia go through a hole in the fig tree in order to get to her fantasy world. This is again similar to Alice in wonderland and the rabbit hole she uses to get to her fantasy world. This emphasises the aspect of fairytale and allows the audience to differentiate the two worlds Del Toro created.  

In the same way that the toad is syphoning the life of the fig tree, the Spanish upper class is killing the lower class by selfishly hoarding all of Spain’s limited resources. It could also be argued that the toad is a symbol for social inequality. This is because the toad is used for its purpose and tossed aside, and left for dead, almost like the working class were in the war at the time the film was made. It is also evident that the toad mysteriously grows large from feeding on grubs. During the dinner scene featuring Vidal and other important people such as the priest, the bigwigs are eating fancy food whilst the rest of the families are rationed. This also emphasises the post war consensus and the way that the upper class pushed the needs of the lower class aside. This is also how the Captain pushes Ophelia and Carmen aside when his son was born, emphasising the patriarchal society and the post war conditions Spain lived in. The camera work and lighting during these scenes emphasise the significance as the change in lighting from warm to blue when the two worlds change imply the fantasy world is safer and warmer, despite the levels of danger being equal. 

When Ophelia completes her task and feeds the toad three moon stones, the toad dies and regurgitates a large sack. This imagery is reminiscent of afterbirth when the placenta comes out of the birth canal. Similarly, the tree could be representative of Ophelia’s brother. The tree looks a lot like fallopian tubes and like the tree, Ophelia's mother is slowly being killed by what lives inside it.  

The cinematography and mise en scene used in this scene creates meaning as the over the shoulder shot of the frog to Ophelia appears to be a warm hue of gold lighting, despite the events that are about to take place. This implies a sense of warmth and perhaps safety for Ophelia, even though she could potentially be in danger. Additionally, the long shot of Ophelia initially entering the tree emphasizes the intertextuality and arguably brings a sense of nostalgia, as it references the film ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The use of editing also adds to the meaning of the scene as the fast paced shots during the time of Ophelia going through the tree builds suspense and implies something is about to happen. 

Overall, it Is clear the cinematography and mise en scene used within this shot creates meaning. This is evident as it allows the audience to understand that the Toad and the tree are representations of Spanish society and summarize the reasoning behind Del Toro’s scrutinization. Additionally, the use of cinematography and mise en scene also allow the audience to grasp a clear perception of both the real and fantasy world, in order to create meaning and truly show the way Ophelia and the Spanish society lived.