Sunday, 23 July 2017

Amélie - Foreign Film Study


After watching 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' I wanted to look at a foreign film with the same intention of documenting the most effective scene compositions and character expressions. When choosing which one to focus on, I came across 'Amélie' (2001, France). This film encompasses very well composed scenes and a mixture of character work and general tone/decor of the era/place it is set in. As it is one of my favourites, it seemed an obvious choice to really be able to look into what makes the film so compelling to audiences all over the world. Again, Amélie as a character is very singular in her world, she's quirky and very likeable, something which is highlighted and helped by close ups.

Drawing scenes and elements of importance to me was helpful for me to pinpoint what is successful in the story-telling. Colour and use of tone is something I really enjoy within the film, it is very present throughout. Following Amélie through her journey from childhood also helps you to connect with her as a person. Because of this I tried to record a lot of examples of close up scenes whilst sketching.

Thursday, 20 July 2017

The Passion of Joan of Arc - Silent Film Study


Starting to think about research in terms of practical work as part of my investigation into composition and contributing factors to an overall tone/narrative, I wanted to study particular genres of film. When looking at silent film, a title that kept coming up was 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' (1928, France). The fact that the film has no spoken dialogue was a bonus for me, as the story-telling is completely reliant on the aesthetics of the film and the way it is made.

There were many dynamic camera angles (compositions) that I quickly recorded in my sketchbook. The most obvious camera angle used throughout was close ups. For me, this portrayed an element of intimacy between Joan of Arc and the audience member. Particularly in scenes dealing with emotion, this was very effective. Another thing I picked up on was the characterisation of the men in the film compared to Joan (who was the only woman for the majority). They are all very unlikeable, unapproachable (often sniggering). I think this adds to the sympathy felt for the protagonist, and keeps her very separate from the other characters - adding to the intended depiction of Joan's martyrdom.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Mise-en-scène


The arrangement of everything that appears in the framing – actors, lighting, décor, props, costume – is called mise-en-scène, a French term that means “placing on stage.”

Elements of a mise-en-scène

Settings & props
Costume, hair & make-up
Facial expressions & body language
Lighting & colour
Positioning of the characters/objects within the frame
(Hidden meanings - sending messages to an audience)

Whilst researching into the compositions found in different areas of the aesthetics found in film, I want to take into consideration these elements in particular - all are examples of how factors excluding spoken words contribute to the telling of a story.

Composition - Rules

Image result for composition rules

Image result for composition rules

'In cinematography, composition refers to the frame of the image and how the elements of the mise-en-scène appear in it. Composition guidelines must be observed when telling stories visually, as in filmmaking. Useful conventions are applied to make heroes stronger, villain ominous, generate anxiety, give the audience tranquility, and more…'

Film Scholar's Insight

'Composition rules and conventions are older than cinema and photography. Most of the concepts in this page have been used for thousands of years in painting. Filmmakers and photographers have borrowed many techniques from painters and used them as a springboard for new ideas and practices.' 

Lead room
Rule of Thirds
Static Composition
Dynamic Composition

Therefore, the principals of film-making used to influence the interpretation of a story by the audience can be seen within a wide variety of aesthetic narrative, could link to illustration and the types of storytelling found in picture books - find examples.

http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/composition.html

Saturday, 8 July 2017

Formalist Film Theory

Here’s a little bit of what I’m working on for my March zine - a couple of drawings inspired by John Cassavetes’ film Opening Night.
http://elenikalorkoti.tumblr.com/post/45705497445/heres-a-little-bit-of-what-im-working-on-for-my

Formalist film theory is a theory of film study that is focused on the formal, or technical, elements of a film: i.e., the lighting, scoring, sound and set design, use of color, shot composition, and editing. It is a major theory of film study today.

Ideological formalism

Two examples of ideological interpretations that are related to formalism:
The classical Hollywood cinema has a very distinct style, sometimes called the Institutional Mode of Representation: continuity editing, massive coverage, three-point lighting, "mood" music, dissolves, all designed to make the experience as pleasant as possible. The socio-economic ideological explanation for this is, quite crassly, that Hollywood wants to make as much money and appeal to as many ticket-buyers as possible.
Film noir, which was given its name by Nino Frank, is marked by lower production values, darker images, under lighting, location shooting, and general nihilism: this is because, we are told, during the war and post-war years filmmakers (as well as filmgoers) were generally more pessimistic. Also, the German Expressionists (including Fritz Lang, who was not technically an expressionist as popularly believed[citation needed]) emigrated to America and brought their stylized lighting effects (and disillusionment due to the war) to American soil.

It can be argued that, by this approach, the style or 'language' of these films is directly affected not by the individuals responsible, but by social, economic, and political pressures, of which the filmmakers themselves may be aware or not. It is this branch of criticism that gives us such categories as the classical Hollywood cinema, the American independent movement, the New American independent movement, the new queer cinema, and the French, German, and Czech new waves.

Formalism in Auteur Theory

If the ideological approach is concerned with broad movements and the effects of the world around the filmmaker, then the auteur theory is diametrical to it, celebrating the individual, usually in the person of the filmmaker, and how his/her personal decisions, thoughts, and style manifest themselves in the material.
This branch of criticism, begun by François Truffaut and the other young film critics writing for Cahiers du cinéma, was created for two reasons.
First, it was created to redeem the art of film itself. By arguing that films had auteurs, or authors, Truffaut sought to make films (and their directors) at least as important as the more widely accepted art forms, such as literature, music, and painting. Each of these art forms, and the criticism thereof, is primarily concerned with a sole creative force: the author of a novel (not, for example, his editor or type-setter), the composer of a piece of music (though sometimes the performers are given credence, akin to actors in film today), or the painter of a fresco (not his assistants who mix the colours or often do some of the painting themselves). By elevating the director, and not the screenwriter, to the same importance as novelists, composers, or painters, it sought to free the cinema from its popular conception as a bastard art, somewhere between theater and literature.
Secondly, it sought to redeem many filmmakers who were looked down upon by mainstream film critics. It argued that genre filmmakers and low-budget B-movies were just as important, if not more, than the prestige pictures commonly given more press and legitimacy in France and the United States. According to Truffaut's theory, auteurs took material that was beneath their talents—a thriller, a pulpy action film, a romance—and, through their style, put their own personal stamp on it.
It is this auteur style that concerns formalism.
A perfect example of formalist criticism of auteur style would be the work of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock primarily made thrillers, which, according to the Cahiers du cinema crowd, were popular with the public but were dismissed by the critics and the award ceremonies, although Hitchcock's Rebecca won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 1940 Academy Awards. Though he never won the Oscar for directing, he was nominated five times in the category. Truffaut and his colleagues argued that Hitchcock had a style as distinct as that of Flaubert or Van Gogh: the virtuoso editing, the lyrical camera movements, the droll humour. He also had "Hitchcockian" themes: the wrong man falsely accused, violence erupting at the times it was least expected, the cool blonde. Now, Hitchcock is more or less universally lauded, his films dissected shot-by-shot, his work celebrated as being that of a master. And the study of this style, his variations, and obsessions all fall quite neatly under the umbrella of formalist film theory.

Saturday, 1 July 2017

Aesthetic - Without dialogue


http://illustratedladies.tumblr.com

Something that I have been thinking about a lot in terms of storytelling is the impact of body language (particularly when describing character), gestural cues, colour and tone. This idea stems from my interpretation of foreign films. 

At the moment I am working as an au pair in Italy, so a lot of what I am watching is in Italian. Although I am trying to learn a bit of Italian, there is a different readability of a narrative when the immediate dialogue is taken away. This is an aspect I want to explore further. Practically, I think it might be interesting to start drawing some scenes from foreign/silent films and comparing how the actual story line of the spoken words differ/coincide with that of the tone set in a scene.

I also want to start looking at frames and compositions within a range of different genres of film, as well as illustrated pictures books, to see how the placement of elements can influence the interpretation of a story.