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Reflection

What Have I learned this year?

Well this unit, taught me on how to evaluate films in deeper meanings not only the narrative but the signs and symbols (semiotics) , the mise en scene (cinematography, storyboarding, the visual theme and narrative storytelling through direction), genre and man and woman in the image. 

This gave me an advantage to create my own story, and add elements of semiotics like the letter, the mise en scene: the cinematography, the props, the look of the 60s and to get a thorough understanding of the narrative. While also portraying women as psychopaths and girly. 

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Peer Review: Presentation

Monster Mash Review

Slide 1: What is it about? 

I want my story to be subtle, creepy, humorous and unpredictable. For my narrative I chose the song “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett, and what the lyrics are telling us in this song is:

  “I was working in the lab late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster from his slab began to rise And suddenly to my surprise”

“He did the mash He did the monster mash The monster mash It was a graveyard smash”

What I want to interpret by these lyrics is that, the lady is the monster and she will be dancing along to the song. In relation to a monster doing the monster mash.

Slide 2: The Story 

A heartbroken lady opens a letter from a former lover, which makes her tear up.

After reading the letter she starts having an existential crisis, so a montage starts of her daily routine.

The letter is there to show that whenever the lady thinks of her former lover, she starts crying.

Slide 3: Other References 

Font – I used the font Monster Mash to give the actual look of the song and to show the 60’s elements.

Colour – I colour corrected my video to heighten the thriller/60’s feel to it. (Inspirations – A Woman Under The Influence by John Cassavetes).

At the end the colour fades into black and white because now we can see her true colours she is indeed, a monster!

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Changes In Monster Mash

What Changed and Why?

In the beginning, the original plan was for the lady to look at the freezer and not open it, but it made much more sense for her to open it. 

Also the telephone scene was included but much more different, it was only supposed to be one scene of her on the telephone just talking normally, however I decided to add that scene altogether to show her changes of moods and craziness while talking to “someone”.

I also changed the scene where she changes clothes from the bathroom because it wasn’t coming out as visually pleasing as I thought in my mind. 

Initially, I wasn’t going to change the ending to black and white but it made much more sense especially showing that, now we can see the lady’s true colours she is indeed, a monster!

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Filming

Monster Mash Filming 1 - 15.01.2021

Location: Rooftop (my flat) 

Lighting set up - red heads (three point lighting) 

Props - wig, robe, eyeball, gloves, “wine” cranberry juice, wine glass, etc. 

Some info - we got back from school with the equipment at about 2 and started filming at around 3:30pm, there were some disturbances but I managed to film all the rooftop scenes and finished around 8pm. 

This was the scene where the actress was trying to make herself cry. 

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Film Review

Psycho (1960)

Psycho Description 

Psycho starts with our protagonist Marion Crane, who vanishes after being caught from stealing from her boss/manager. Her significant other and sister try to locate her and end up reaching the notorious Bates Motel, where they are introduced to Norman Bates. 

Figure 1: Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, [Film] 1960, (No Film School, 2019)

Man and Woman in the Image in Psycho 

When talking about the male gender in Psycho, in Hitchcock’s movies the men are presented as damaged and always in need of rescuing, while women are interpreted as the “babysitters”. In Psycho, Hitchcock show us that from the very start that “women are objects of sexual desire that are to be sought after.” (Elliot, n.d.) (In the first ten minutes of the film, Marion is seen topless twice)

In Hitchcock’s films women are flirty while men are rich, charming or handsome pigs that pursue women. (This is seen earlier with the rich man Tom Cassidy). Women are also depicted as disregarding, scheming liars who can not be trusted. (When Marions steals 40,000 impulsively)  

A gender role dispute which is distinctive to Psycho, is that of the tyrannical mother on the obedient son. (A boy’s best friend is his mother)

Figure 2: Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, [Film] 1960, (eng3122 WordPress, 2019)

When Norman Bates sees Marion, he immediately craves her. She is lost, confused, frail and easily trusting. “ Hitchcock’s commentary on the reckless logic-ignoring idea of women may be summed up with Marion’s line, “sometimes a girl deliberately steps into traps.” (Elliot, n.d.)

While she is undressing he spies on her, where she is also topless again proving the point of Hitchcock’s portrayal on women that they are subjects of sexual desire. When Norman murders Marion this strengthens the idea of - “A key theme of Hitchcock’s films is that they tell stories “built upon the struggle to dominate and the dread of impotence,” upon, more specifically, “the form of a man’s desire… to dominate the woman.” (Boyd, Palmer),

Figure 3: Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, [Film] 1960, (eng3122 WordPress, 2019)

The cop in Psycho is sceptical, but only makes minimal effort. 

Later when Marion’s sister Lila has to persuade Sam to go with her to find out what happened to her sister. 

In “Psycho (1960) portrays women as reckless emotional creatures that must poke and prod the logical, careful, over-analytical men into action in order to, in the end, solve the mystery.” (Elliot, 2020) 

In the end, Lila uncovers the truth that Norman’s mother is dead, and when she turns Norman comes at her with a knife. Making her scream and throws her arms up in the air with helplessness. (like Marion did earlier, in the shower scene).

Lila’s curiousness, is what helped her solve the mystery.  However, Sam grabbing Norman Bates and saving her is the action that was needed to solve the problem. “Hitchcock’s portrayal of women as action initiators rather than actually acting themselves is prevalent in all three films, and this scene is the ultimate example.“ (Elliot, 2020)

Semiotics 

In the shower scene, to not make it just an ordinary scene they manipulate it with play of shadows, and the scene changes. The music suddenly starts playing at its loudest with an unsettling pitch when she is getting stabbed and the only human voice we can hear in that scene is only the lady’s.

Hitchcock wants to frighten us, shock us and tell a story which he achieves it by using subtle, off guard imagery and natural sound which changes dramatically to effect the viewer’s experience making sure it leaves a lasting impact. (which clearly worked)

References 

Elliot, B., n.d.. Hitchcock’s Gender Roles:  Psycho by Ben Elliott. [Online]  Available at: https://eng3122.wordpress.com/group-3-main/gender-roles/hitchcocks-gender-roles-psycho-by-ben-elliott/  [Accessed 8 February 2021].

Hellerman, J., 2019. How  Hitchcock's 'Psycho' Changed How We Watch Movies in Theaters Forever. [Online]    Available at: https://nofilmschool.com/How-Psycho-changed-cinema  [Accessed 8 February 2021].

Jabbari, T.,  2015. CCTP711: Technologies of Meaning – Semiotics and Cognitive  Technology. [Online]  Available at: https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/cctp-711-fall2015/a-psycho-semiotic-application/  [Accessed 8 February 2021].

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Film review:

EDtv (1999) 

EDtv description

This movie begins with our protagonist who works in a video store, and he is invited for a television show that displays his normal daily routine, but then the producer changes her mind and decides to film the complete show focusing only on Ed’s life. 

Figure 1: EDtv by Ron Howard, [Film Poster] 1999 (IMDB, n.d.)

Man and the Image in EDtv

I noticed that in this movie, they perceived Ed (the main character) as an “idiot” which is a male stereotype for some men, the “pretty” men. For example he has daddy issues, his daily routine consists of going to work, going to drink at the bar, pooping and clipping his toes or random stuff like that. He also has daddy issues because his dad left them for a nurse. In the beginning the producer mentions that a man is needed for the reality show, which might sound like that men are much more more interesting and funny. 

Also they show us another stereotype with his brother, toxic masculinity especially him cheating and saying “cheating is a woman’s job to stop and it’s the man’s job to continue. He also sexualises his girlfriend a lot, and to offend him his girlfriend exposes him for being bad at intercourse that being, he took it as an offense because of his toxic masculinity. 

Woman and the Image in EDtv

At the bar scene you can see the main character Ed with his friends, and a his brother’s girlfriend is seen at the bar sitting alone, drinking. presumably that she just went there for her boyfriend and is not aloud to hang out with the boys. This movie does sexualise women, also a naked woman is being recorded on live tv. 

Semiotics 

Camera work to show that it’s being shot 24/7. Showing the absurdity in being filmed throughout the day.

"Ed TV was a prophetic film that foretold the coming of reality television.” (Bennett, 2013)

My Thoughts

It only consists of one great idea to start a trend in Hollywood. EDtv is a movie that set off writers and producers start looking at the several individuals who might be admired amongst large sectors of the viewing audience.

It consists off drawing the audience’s attention and getting excellent ratings. EDtv has introduced the madness of reality tv shows like (Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Honey Boo Boo) although it is not certain that ED tv was the reason behind these shows it certainly made people start to contemplate the possibilities. 

References  

Hanson-Firestone, D., 2020. How the Movie EDtv  Helped Shape Reality Television. [Online]  Available at: https://www.tvovermind.com/how-the-movie-edtv-helped-shape-reality-television/  [Accessed 5 February 2021].

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Women and Men in the Film Industry

A known fact that has been happening through the Hollywood days of filming is that women are sexualised objects and known only for their looks and mostly acting ditsy.

Although through the years this has been developed where women are also treated like men and are not only known for being the “damsel in distress” but nowadays there are shows and films about women being the heroes like for example (Wonder Woman). 

To be honest I think it mostly depends on the filmmakers, although some might portray the non-sexist movement but still clinging to the “ideal type” for film. Like for example Greta Gerwig director of Little Women (2019), you can see that she does understand women a lot and has embraced the intelligence of women in her film, but she still used the ideal types like Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalamet.

Little Women (2019) is about 4 sisters going through phases of their lives in 1868, the main character Jo March is an author and she tries to get her book published by 2 male publishers in the ending they wouldn’t publish the book unless the protagonist is married but she decides to end it how she wanted to the protagonist leaves home alone. 

So, I guess the female vs male in films stigma will always depend on the filmmakers. Every filmmaker has a specific vision for the roles they want their actors to portray. 

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Blair Witch Project: Review

Genre 

Blair Witch Project (1999) is a film about three film students record the journey to Maryland backwoods to learn about the horrific events of “The Blair Witch”. Things go poorly after they lose their map. 

The genres of the Blair Witch are:

Horror

Indie film

Found footage 

Mystery

Supernatural 

Psychological Horror 

Blair Witch isn’t like any other horror films at all, it does not involve any gory, horrifying elements or any special effects but it is still in fact horrifying. Arguably the “Blair Witch” might have scared the audience due to it’s subtle elements like the hand holding camera movements, and how they exceptionally made it look realistic with normal looking people.

This makes the audience wonder that any person could find themselves witness something like this, it feels ordinary. Making the audience feel for the main characters and wanting them to survive since they could be the ones in a situation like this.

Although we can’t actually see anything relevantly scary, but we do see the terror in the main character’s eyes. This film evidently made horror much more inferior than it already was, because before the Blair Witch there weren’t only scary films that were just based on the psychological element. Some paranormal films like “Paranormal Activity” which was produced by Steven Schneider and Jason Blum and have been affected by the “Blair Witch” by adding hand held camera shakes. 

To be honest my thoughts on this film although it’s brilliantly done and highly effective, I was quite bored watching it because I am generally a person who likes to see action happening. 

I also did not find it scary at all much more monotonous , which says a lot because I get scared easily, so I think maybe the time it went out was probably very scary to the audience. “I still hated Blair Witch. I don't lack imagination, but this movie certainly did. I've seen Tampax commercials that filled me with greater fear” (Chasuk, 2001). 

Figure 1: The Blair Witch Project by Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick, [Film] 1999, (Wikipedia, 2020)

References 

anilamushtaqhorror, n.d.. BLAIR WITCH PROJECT – FILM ANALYSIS. [Online] Available at: https://anilamushtaqhorror.wordpress.com/blair-witch-project-film-analysis/ [Accessed 10 December 2020].

Chasuk, 2001. The Blair Witch Project (1999). [Online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/reviews [Accessed 24 January 2021].

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Movie Inspiration + Thoughts

Pierrot le Fou (1965)

I really enjoyed watching this movie and getting to discover more the techniques of the “French New Wave”. I discovered more about the fourth wall, it is used quite often, like in this scene and also when Ferdinand asks Marianne “You’ll never leave me?” which she replies “of course I wont” which he goes again to say “of course?”. She looks at him and says “yes, of course”, looks down and looks directly at the viewers. This gave me the impression that she is not trust worthy. 

For my narrative, I will be using the technique of breaking the fourth wall because it inspired me a lot and I think it will add more elements of the “French New Wave” style. 

Figure 1: Pierrot le Fou by Jean Luc-Godard, [Film] 1965, (Pinterest, 2020) 

Figure 2:  Pierrot le Fou by Jean Luc-Godard, [Film] 1965, (zkalatifilms, 2020)

Jump Cuts 

The jump cut in the party scene of the party scene, “where the colours are blue and then turn green including a jump cut. I would like to use some of these jump cuts in my montage scene. 

Time -- (03:02-03:07)

References:

MattGFX77, 2017. Pierrot Le Fou (1965) - Party Scene. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtjcSBIUZRQ&t=43s [Accessed 10 December 2020].

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Film Inspirations

A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes (1974)

Figure 1: A Woman Under the Influence by John Cassavetes, [Film] 1974, (Roger-Ebert, 2020)

This film has some relations regarding my narrative, the most important element is the woman, Mabel who is having an existential crisis and going nuts. I want my character in “IVY” to relate to some of Mabel’s quirky expressions.

I liked the plot, and the ending was very satisfying. Personally, I thought it was too long but I get why it had to be long, we got to know the characters much deeper and even their story it had to show many phases that Mabel was going through. 

What I enjoyed a lot, is the cinematography especially the colours and lighting used. I have a soft spot for films that were either made in the 70′s or based on the 70′s era. This is my first ever French new wave film, I had ever seen and I liked it.

For next time, I think Jean-Luc Godards’ style would be more to my liking, cinematography wise. 

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Concept Idea:

Monster Mash

Although Halloween has passed, I didn’t quite get to celebrate it properly due to covid-19. I want my story to be subtle, creepy and unpredictable. 

For my narrative I chose the song “Monster Mash” by Bobby Pickett, and what the lyrics are telling us in this song is: 

“I was working in the lab late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster from his slab began to rise And suddenly to my surprise”

“He did the mash He did the monster mash The monster mash It was a graveyard smash”

What I want to interpret by these lyrics is that, the lady is the monster and she will be dancing a fairly amount of times. Relating to a monster doing the monster mash.

There is a heartbroken lady drinking wine and smoking a cigarette in her balcony. She’s constantly crying, smoking, drinking wine, eating, going to bed and waking up to repeat the same routine. In various locations (Bed, Bath, Balcony, Sofa) At the last scene, you can see a body part in a freezer. She walks up to the freezer sheds a tear then, whispers something to the freezer. (your guess)

Figure 1: Passion by Brian De Palma, [Film] 2013, (Pinterest, 2020)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOFCQ2bfmHw

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Film Review 3:The Matrix - The Mis-en-scene.

The Matrix (1999) is a film about Thomas/Neo (Keanu Reeves) a computer programmer has found himself in an underground war against strong robots/computers who have built his complete reality with a system that is “The Matrix”

The mis-en-scene of The Matrix is divided into five elements to covey the meaning to the audience and is continually shown throughout the whole film. Mis-en-scene is used in film to highlight what they want the audience to observe the importance of these elements which are, the settings, costumes, makeup, the characters and the actor, lighting and colour, and composition. 

Figure 1:  The 20 Most Beautiful Shots from 'The Matrix' by Cromartie [Screenshot], 2019 (Film School Rejects, 2020)

These are all important elements to convey the message/meaning for example; when a character is in the matrix, the colour tone is always a tinted shade of green. This is for the audience to realise that they are not in reality but in The Matrix. The green colour tone is not only used in background lighting and colour tint but it is also fitting for the costumes that are worn. When the characters are in The Matrix, their outfits are also green example (tie, jacket or any other clothing item). When the location is set in reality, the colour tone is dark even their outfits. The colour tones are intentional so the audience can notice it. The colour green is purposely used since The Matrix is a simulation when we think of computer codes, the colour is always green and with that mis-en-scene is communicating to the audience. 

Continuing the mis-en-scene of The Matrix in the first scene we see when Neo first enters The Matrix he is seen in a white room which is called the construct where depth perception is not relevant, it simply never ends (Murphy, 2012). That scene purposely shows the audience to shows us a world that isn’t real life and in this scene the two characters Neo and Morpheus are both include the colour green in their outfits.

The characters emotions also is an important element, Neo is portraying his doubt and confusion. In this scene there are only two chairs which are exactly the same and symmetrically placed , a remote control, one table and a vintage tv set. This scene shows us how all these factors add up to the five elements of mis-en-scene and how they can be used to set a big influence to the audience.

 References 

Cromartie, K., 2019. The 20 Most Beautiful Shots from 'The Matrix'. [Online] Available at: https://filmschoolrejects.com/the-matrix-shots/ [Accessed 14 November 2020].

Murphy, P., 2012. The Matrix and Mise-En-Scene. [Online] Available at: https://pattymurph.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/the-matrix-and-mise-en-scene/ [Accessed 14 November 2020].

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Lesson Review: Narrative

What is a narrative?

A narrative is a story, when an event just happened and it affects the relation of time and space. Films also make use of different concepts like when two unrelated actions are alternated to allow the viewers to compare and contrast which is called Parallelism. Some films related to Parallelism are; Pulp Fiction, Babel, and Legally Blonde. 

For a narrative to be coherent, there must be an understanding of the contrast between the story and the plot. 

Figure 1: The Virgin Suicides (1999) by Sofia Coppola, [Film] n.d. (Screen Musings, 2020)

The Story and Plot

A plot for a film is a direct demonstration of narrative events that goes across with non-diegetic information (credits, score, etc). Diegetic principles come from the ‘film world’  and non-diegetic principles are things that go beyond that same world.

Cause and Effect

Generally the representatives of cause and effect are the characters. Characters who may be boring or versatile have certain characteristics such as (attitudes, strengths, habits, psychological impulses) which play neutral roles in the story and as a result have a distinct narrative use.

Although characters generally give neutral energy, in a movie this is not always at use. Due to the fact that some films like disaster movies start with a specific event, which leads the audience to look for a meaning behind the events looking for causal initiative. 

Usually, slight details can play vital roles. Filmmakers can choose when to put down causes for films like detective movies, they inspire curiosity or whether to hold back information and inspire suspense. Some films can retract knowledge of cause and effects, which leads the audience to theorize. 

Time 

To establish a film’s narrative from its storyline, the audience attempts to indicate the timeline, duration, and recurrence of events. Time is the main element which the filmmaker has at his/her hand. Unlike reality, time can be shortened, extended, and can go both forward and backward. 

Temporal Order

In films sometimes there are flashbacks or flashforwards to show the events of the story. Frequently the past and the present are altered and flashbacks may be shown in chronological order (eg. Mullholland drive, Memento). By these alterations in the story, elements like; surprise, tension can be added to the emphasis of the story. 

Space 

Plot can lead us to infer other story spaces than those presented to us on screen. Screen space bears a similar relationship to plot space that screen duration does to plot duration (Film and Philosophy, 2015).

The Classic Hollywood Cinema 

Classic Hollywood film usually sets up an action that will lead primarily from individual characters as neutral mediums. Protagonists have needs, which will transform into goals and the enemy (antagonist) will try to fight against these goals by creating quarrel. These forces will have to be conquered to be resolved. 

References 

filmandphilosophy, n.d.. Film Narrative. [Online] Available at: https://filmandphilosophy.com/2015/02/11/film-narrative/ [Accessed 16 November 2020].

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Lesson Review: Semiotics (06/11/2020)

What are semiotics? 

The study of signs and symbols that art, film etc communicate and develop interpretations to the audience.

Lets us break down a message into its element and examine them individually and the relation with each other.

Lets us look for patterns that intersects with different forms of communication.

Semiotics in The Truman Show

Figure 1: The Truman Show by Peter Weir, [Film] 1998, [IMDB, 2020)

The Index

The Truman Show is a film based on a man who is unaware that his whole life is a TV show (no spoilers, it is known in the trailer). “[H]is reality is fabricated is when a studio light falls from the sky. This is an index of symbolism, therefore you are seeing the smoke but not the fire; this studio light is a related object but doesn’t actually reveal the truth” (Word Press, n.d.)

This is a signifier in the storyline, this means it is seen as part of the sign and mostly the plot. This is the first symbol where it is indicating that not only he is in a  knock off reality but also his life is completely falling down. 

The Symbol

In The Truman Show there are continuous symbols, that are aimed at the representation of the characters. An important symbol in the film is the sea, it represents imprisonment and liberation and it is the only way to escape, but Truman is scared of the water because he was manipulated, to create that fear of water, in the film Truman’s tv dad died in the sea.

In the present his dad shows up out of nowhere and ends up being taken off from the set, which makes Truman aware that his father is not deceased and his fear of water starts going away. 

The revolving door is a significant symbol that Truman’s life will just keep going around, the same way. But it is also used as a symbol of freedom. Truman chooses not to go through the door like usual, this starts to reveal the truth of his reality by showing a piece of the set. This shows the audience that Truman is much more analytical than his first appearance. 

Next to the water, there are bridges that can allow you to leave. This is symbolising a way out but also captivity because Truman is afraid of the sea. This a symbol and index to keep Truman captive in his show but this means also that Truman will eventually conquer his fear of the sea and finally break free.

Eventually this will make the audience feel empathy for Truman, because he has no control over his own life and he couldn’t get out. This will make the audience realise by viewing this film, they are running away too, which is what the director intended to do, the main theme refers to why do individuals watch films?

Figure 2: The Truman Show by Peter Weir, [Film] 1998, (The Truman Show, 2020)

Fish Bowl Effect

In The Truman Show there are continuous shots of him in the mirror, hinting that he is being watched. This also has a signified meaning to it, while he is in the mirror he is drawing on it with soap. This shows that although he is in this fake reality he still is creative and has an imagination creating an identity for himself.

In the shots there are four levels of frames around Truman and they are contributing a preview of his captivity. 

See Truman through a lens

We see his contact with others through a lens.

Mirror shots of Truman looking at himself but also through the audience’s eyes.

The control shots of the (director) Christof the one who confined him in the fake world.

Types Of Semiotics 

There are also types of semiotics like;  Signifier - What is seen or heard. Signified - Meaning and interpretation of what is seen or heard.

The message: Denotation - exact meaning of the message. Connotation - Suggested meaning of the sign/message.

Icons: Pictorial representation. Index: The link the referent makes with the item that is being shown. Symbols: Links created over time which associates to the word/object. 

References 

Word Press, 2015. Semiotics Used in The Truman Show. [Online] Available at: https://wordpress.com/ [Accessed 20 November 2020].

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Mulholland Drive: Review and Narrative

Mulholland Drive (2001) Directed by David Lynch, is consistent and honest. It is about a woman who loses her memory after a car crash, she wanders off and finds herself in an apartment where Betty an actress is staying. Betty tries to help the woman to find out who she is. As it reveals, in my opinion “Betty” (Diane) was hallucinating in the first part and maybe struggling with mental health issues. The second part showed us Betty’s (Diane) reality. Although most of the hallucinations are almost connected to everything, nothing is revealed to what is true and what isn’t which makes the film very hard to understand.

It definitely does not have a mainstream narrative structure! There is no space and time connected in this film, it has a non-linear narrative. 

confusion can also be good, like in Mulholland Drive. Is it a dream before dying? A depiction of split personalities? Life and afterlife? Alternate universes? (Gingrich, 2008). 

In my opinion, I also think confusion is good at times but there were some irrelevant scenes which were confusing too. The dream sequence was too long and when Betty wakes up to her reality it’s too short, I didn’t really get to understand the real Betty’s (Diane) life or Ritas’ (Camilla). Personally I am not a fan there was plenty of stuff going on while it was supposed to be Betty’s (Diane) dream.

Figure 1:  MULHOLLAND DR. [Film], 2020 (IFC Center,2020)

References

The Guardian , n.d.. Nice film - if you can get it. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/jan/17/artsfeatures.davidlynch [Accessed 5 November 2020].

Gingrich, P., 2008. MULHOLLAND DRIVE. [Online] Available at: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/5632/mulholland-drive/ [Accessed 20 January 2021].

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Casablanca: Review and Narrative

Figure 1: Read TIME's Original 1942 Review of Casablanca: 'Rick Is Still Trying to Get Over It' [Film] n.d. (TIME,2020)

Casablanca (1942) is a film about romance and war. It follows Rick Blaine (a night club owner) helping his previous sweetheart and her husband. Casablanca (1942) shows us the mainstream of Hollywood classical films and narrative, it has many principles showing us this style. Like for example it is in chronological order until, there is a flashback and the chronological order is deserted for a while but for some it isn’t a great deal due to the fact that the audience is seeing their love story in action. Which also adds another principle and that is the “Cause-effect chain”; which is where the characters’ decisions brings the narrative ahead. 

It all adds up to the narrative of a classical Hollywood film. To me it is not a personal favourite, it is romantic, has a lot of twists and the shots are delightful, although the movie followed the 3 act structure the chain between each event was happening too fast comparing them by today’s sequences.

They portray their romance in a beautiful way with desire and an impossibility for them to be together. 

“The unspoken tremor in most wartime movie romances is that the picture needs to address the feelings of couples separated by war. It's not just whether they will both survive, but whether love and desire can overcome the temptations that come with separate lives” (Thomson, 2010).

The only thing that wasn’t to my liking as much, was that they tried to rush the romance to quickly come up to the ending. 

References 

Rothman, L., 2017. Read TIME's Original 1942 Review of Casablanca: 'Rick Is Still Trying to Get Over It'. [Online] Available at: https://time.com/5021428/casablanca-movie-1942-review/ [Accessed 3 November 2020].

Ableman, C., n.d.. Dissect a film of your choice in terms of narrative and form. How rigorously does it adhere to the concepts of Classical Hollywood Narrative, Russian Formalism and Propp’s Principles of narratology?. [Online] Available at: https://sites.google.com/site/shadowsofmeandyou/essays---higher-education/film-studies-essay-on-casablanca [Accessed 3 November 2020].

Thomson, D., 2010. Casablanca: No 2 best romantic film of all time. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/16/casablanca-romance [Accessed 20 January 2021].

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Post 1: Can Masks be Symbolized?

A mask to me is a symbol of respect, not only respecting your own health but also respecting other people’s health. It is not the most comfortable thing, but it is in need right now. A mask can also have you create your own identity, some people choose to wear the medical one, whilst others choose to have a specific design for the mask to look stylish and match the clothes together with the mask. 

Even though some people dislike the mask they still choose to wear it. everyone is scared right now and feeling overwhelmed and a little bit of security for each other’s safety can go a long way.