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Breaking Down The Scene | The Break-Up

(Reed, US, 2006)

This shot accurately portrays The Break-Up's whole narrative. Behind the nice aesthetics, there's many layers to uncover, making it one of my favourite shots in the film.

In this scene, Gary Grobowski and Brooke Meyers, played by Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, are speaking to their realtor about potentially needing to sell their apartment due to their break-up. The framing in this scene follows the rule of thirds and nicely distances the two characters, representing their separation at this time. At some points in the scene, even the realtor who sits opposite them, manages to fit himself into the gap between them. Brooke's closed-off body language with Gary's more slouched demeaner furthers that tension. He's glancing at her through his peripheral vision as if he is more open to discussion while she rightly, looks straight ahead, after being wrongly treated by him.

Another great thing about this scene is the colour. Red and blue is distinctly split down in the middle. Gary is usually seen in red tone's throughout the film, representing his selfishness and flaws while Brooke's character is rarely scene in such harsh coloured tones. A great thing about this shot is how even the props are evenly split down the middle to form two separate colour palettes. From the messy red painting on Gary's side to the fresh, purple flowers and white mugs on Brookes', we can possibly form a more sympathetic outlook on Brooke, even with her shut off performance. It distinguishes the characters effectively.

The props both in front and behind the couch are not only used to further distance the characters but they represent what the argument is even about. The house was clean before Brooke got tired of putting in all the work and the bed sheets in the back hint at the characters not feeling "at home" any longer, changing their living space to accommodate for their separation. Most of the items in this scene also seem like they belong to Brooke. She is the one who enjoys art, and from previous scenes it doesn't seem believable that Gary would make the effort of buying nice tableware or would be able to take care of flowers. The only possession Gary has is the bed sheets near the window which cause more disruption to the scene and feel out of place, much like his body language.

With most of the film being set in the apartment, the relationship needs to be effectively reflected in the environment the characters live in and I believe this is achieved here. The partition between the two characters in the shot can be seen in many ways, from the colour to the shadows, and the design intentionally reflects the plot of the film and the character's disconnection.

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My First Documentary

(Tomecek, UK, 2022)

Fashion being a passion of mine made this one of my favourite projects to work on. It was an interesting experience being there from the beginning of researching the agency to then editing this documentary but I thoroughly enjoyed it, (working with a friend on it definitely helped :) ).

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Creating Short Films

(Tomecek, UK, 2021)

The first short film I recorded was actually the first film I ever took part in. The idea for it was show the ambience of a skatepark, which was great as the fast-paced, electric atmosphere meant we could experiment with different shots and attempt to add a small narrative. It was a great experience where the crew's individual knowledge and experiences all came together to create something solid. We were also fortunate enough to film in a day as we had one location and the planned shots were set for the same time, which also makes it a great activity to do with friends on free days.

(Tomecek, UK, 2022)

I recorded a second short film exactly a year after which took more planning, but was just as entertaining to film. It was great seeing this vision come to life of a girl transported into the 70s on one lonely night. Setting the correct ambience was just as, if not more, important for this project as it had a more rounded narrative that needed to get across. Filming in a day, using items that we had already owned or the actress did, shows just how budget friendly shorter films can be!

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Female Rage Trending in Film

An angry woman is definitely not a new concept in movies but female characters are starting to become more complex and female rage is starting to trend on social media. Both in films and real life, women still tend to be shaped into their binary construct and can be seen as one-dimensional. Vexed women are simply called dramatic, bossy, or animalistic; their 'unfeminine' qualities are disliked in this patriarchal society, harming them.

Past films tended to include female fury through the male gaze where women's problems were unsubstantial, or in horrors where they typically depicted a 'white, pure, pretty' girl who has been wronged and just like the horror, and violence, her rage is also fictional. The rising popularity of the "Good for Her" trope intends to diminish this and gives ALL women the power and safe space to be angry and to speak out. Anger is a human feeling, so women (as humans, naturally), should have the right to feel and behave like anyone would, without being demeaned.

The rising popularity of female wrath and revenge is a satisfaction for viewers who are often told there is no reason to feel angry about not being 'allowed' to be angry in the first place.

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Female Revenge or Twisted Nightmare | Midsommar

Midsommar (Aster, US and Sweden, 2019)

Dani Ardor, played by Florence Pugh, joins her boyfriend and his friends on a retreat to the idyllic Swedish countryside in time for the Midsummer Festival. All is not what it seems, however, as Dani struggles with her toxic relationships and past trauma of her family's death while simultaneously discovering a friend's peaceful village to be a sadistic cult. Her boyfriend and nearly all the friends become sacrifices for rituals but Dani ends up surviving and being crowned the May Queen. The film finishes with Dani's haunting smile even after all the disturbing things she has seen and been through.

There is an audience satisfaction of watching the protagonist break free from the abuses she has experienced, and the final shot of her smiling with the triumphant non-diegetic music playing can be easily interpreted as a "happy" ending. The psychedelic feel of the film definitely also helps trick viewers into believing that Dani is finally free. Unfortunately, she is not. She is still trapped in the sinister cult which will find a way to further profit off of her. They have isolated her from the outside world, the cause of her pain, but they have now prevented her freedom, healing, and true happiness.

It's also important to wonder about what our thoughts would be on the ending if Dani still had family or close friends back in America. Can her ending be enjoyable just because she is truly alone and now she will never be? Did her suffering stem not only from her grief and boyfriend, but her loneliness? The underlining horror stems from the knowledge that we are naively happy for her, at least for a second, as our human need for other's connection overpowers the view of Dani as an independent person who should naturally live free.

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Quick Thoughts on Bunny | DWD

Don't Worry Darling (Wilde, US, 2022)

A character becomes likeable when a viewer can relate to them or values their morals. Olivia Wilde's character, Bunny, does become a more rounded, likeable character at the end of Don't Worry Darling but does that fully redeem her as a 'good' character?

By the end of the movie, Bunny saves our heroine, Alice, satisfying audiences wants. Her situation in the community, Victory, is also explained as her just genuinely wanting to see her children again which encourages viewers empathy.

It is also important to note that a character should be likeable due to their flaws as well as their strengths. A perfect character is unrealistic, impossible, difficult for the viewer to relate with. However, I do believe even after Bunny's redemption, her cons outweigh the pros. The knowledge and acceptance she had of Alice's and other characters' entrapment is, in my mind, unlikely redeemable.