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Discussion Leader Presentation: Blade Runner (1982)

Throughout Linda Williams’ article “ Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess “ Williams speaks about a sexually saturated film experience and the fact that there are many forms of sexuality that take place in different forms and Genre’s. Williams argues that in society we have drawn a line in the sand when it comes to how much we can show yet we provoke sexuality in abundance anyway. An example Wiliams gives are how in melodramas, the moment that the viewers begin to cry is the moment of a “Jerk” feeling. Williams also speaks about a specific “Jerk” feeling that is what would force someone to cry for a melodrama or be afraid in a horror film. She feels that all movies have this certain desire, to provoke some specific emotion at some specific time throughout the story of the film.

Blade Runner (1982) is about a form of police in a dystopian future called Blade Runners. Blade Runners are cops that hunt and kill Robots that have gone rogue. This specific Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, was retired but is asked to come back to hunt down a group of fugitive Replicants (robots but humans physically that are basically slaves) that are going after the corporation that created them, Tyrell Corp. Replicants are typically created with a certain lifespan which is when they would just die and the robot would become useless. Deckard is then on the case with another Blade Runner named Guff. Guff is investigating the death of the previous Blade Runner on Deckard’s new case. But the case complicates for Deckard after a visit to the own Eldon Tyrell’s office where he meets Rachael, Eldon’s personal assistant, discovering that she is a replicant with false memories to see herself as human and does not have an expiration date. Deckard then begins to question his job and everything as he grows feelings for Rachael. In the climax of the movie, in some busted building, Deckard is fighting the main Replicant who is going after the Tyrell Corp, Roy Batty, when he is about to fall off the side of the building when Roy saves his life by grabbing him and pulling him up before he himself dies, because he expires. Deckard then grabs Rachael and escapes Los Angeles, not knowing how long Rachael would live. There is a scene before the film finishes, it shows Deckard finding a little origami crane that Guff was seen creating throughout the film whenever he would see a replicant. Director Ridley Scott said that this was a reference to Deckard, himself, being a Replicant.

Blade Runner (1982) can connect to Williams’ article in many ways through sexuality: the replicant woman in the group, Pris, is awfully sexual with both her leader and other characters; Violence, Deckard kills Pris and every other Replicant except the boss, Roy; and finally Drama, when Deckard runs away with Rachael, his Replicant girlfriend. All 3 of these scenes are playing on the strings of the audience and they are trying to provoke a certain emotion or a “Jerk” feeling.  Blade Runner (1982) also has a very futuristic world and one of the specific things that Ridley Scott did was make certain aspect play towards what he felt would be appropriate for that universes specific culture.

I chose The Terminator (1984) due to the fact that it has the exact same 3 forms of “release” that Wiliams’ article speaks about. The Terminator (1984) is about a cyborg being sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor because her son would grow up to be the leader of a resistance in a post-apocalyptic future. One of the men from the resistance, Kyle Reese, comes back in time as well but to stop the cyborg from killing Sarah Connor. This film has the same 3 “Jerk” reactions that Williams gives examples to. This movie firstly has the sexuality aspect in the relationship and sexual engagement that Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese take part in, The movie has the violence in the way that The Terminator just runs around blasting everyone, and the movie has a tearful moment in the way that (spoiler alert) Reese dies to save Sarah. The Terminator and Reese also both arrive in the nude. 

Discussion Questions

1. Do you feel you watch certain film and subconsciously have a certain expectation of how the film will give you a specific “Jerk” moment as described in Williams’ article? 

2. What other genres have the goal to provoke certain emotions besides horror, dramas, and pornography? 

3. Are the certain genres that Williams discussed all successful at provoking the certain emotion they are aiming towards?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

          In Bell Hooks’ article, “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators’,” she discusses the ‘gaze’ and the way it changes for black women and how politics within daily life affect what is portrayed and accepted in film.  She explained how black female spectators have to change the lens in which they watch films in order to ‘forget racism and not think about sexism.’  If a black female character is not in the film, then someone who represents black women is not visible for them to connect with.  But on the other hand, often times when black female characters are included in texts the manner they are portrayed ‘assaults black womanhood.’ Many texts include a black female character simply to enhance the white woman; discrediting black women for who they are.  Hook explains it simply in a sentence, “For black female spectators who have ‘looked too deep’ the encounter with the screen hurt.”  Hook also states that although every black woman does have an oppositional gaze when watching a film, each person does not come into watching a film with the same oppositional gaze.  The extent to which a woman feels objectified and degraded will affect how she develops an oppositional gaze.

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

          Eve’s Bayou is a story set in a Creole-American community of Louisiana and follows around a 10-year-old girl, Eve, during her summer break.  Eve finds her father, who is named Louis and is a successful and handsome family doctor, having sex with a family friend.  As the film continues, Eve’s relationship with her father strains when it becomes evident that he’s a serial cheater and when she learns that he tried to molest her older sister.  Infuriated, Eve seeks out the help of a voodoo psychic to kill her father.  A curse is put on her father and he ultimately is killed by the drunken husband of the woman he was having an affair with.

          This film’s predominately black cast removed the need for an oppositional gaze. Black men and women were represented throughout this film without being used to uplift white main characters. The events of cheating, lying, anger, vengeance, and death were all showcased in this film allowing for everyone to connect with Eve’s Bayou on some level.  All spectator can understand and relate with Eve’s plight, sympathizing with her and her family.  

Hidden Figures (2016)

    Hidden Figures illustrates the story of three black women that were instrumental for NASA in the 1950s and 60s.  Katherine Johnson was key to performing the calculations for the Atlas launch, Apollo II mission, and the Space Shuttle; Mary Jackson became the first female African-American aeronautical engineer; Dorothy Vaughn became NASA’s first African-American Supervisor.  In addition to their professional careers, the film depicted some of the personal lives of these three women, allowing for the audience to see that they are women of their community in addition to being intelligent.  

        This film showcased the strength and intelligence that makes up a black woman.  A black female spectator does not need an Oppositional Gaze when consuming this piece and would be satisfied seeing this film because of its honest depiction of who black women are.  Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn were represented as strong, independent, intelligent women who conquered adversity in a segregated United States.  With the film’s setting, there were times when the three women had to have thick skin to protect themselves from comments and actions made against them.  But these women faced the hatred with dignity and grace.

Discussion Questions

1.)    Do you think that films within the past 15 years have been more inclusive and accurately portrayed black women characters?

2.)    How do you think that black women’s oppositional gaze has evolved from 60 years ago?

3.)    Can anyone other than a black woman can accurately see a film through a black woman’s oppositional gaze?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

“A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre” by Rick Altman 

Semantics: the meanings of words, signs, symbols, and the phrases that represent them 

Syntactics: the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language 

The two of these constructs work together to create definitions for film genres, as a way to categorize. For example, Altman mentions how Western films typically take place in the West and involve cowboys. 

Three contradictions are mentioned. 

First, there is no single way of determining a genre’s written structure – defined by an inclusive or exclusive means of selection. The inclusive classification defines genre in a broad, generalizable context, while the exclusive classification is determined by more abstract ideals. These two types of definitions correspond with the semantic and syntactic approaches. 

Second, genres develop over time, as do genre theories – so the history of genres must be respected and taken into account. 

Third, Altman looks at the ritual and ideological approach. The ritual approach gives the agency to the audience. They pick the films they want to see, and therefore inspire Hollywood to accommodate their interests. The ideological approach denies audience agency and looks at genre as a way for Hollywood to lure audiences in for sales and further commercial desires. Altman calls for a dual approach that will encompass both semantics and syntactics as a response to the contradictions he proposes. 

Big (1988) 

Josh Baskin is a thirteen year-old, who begins to feel self-conscious when he finds his crush at a fair with an older boy. In a feat of frustration, Josh found himself in front of a Zoltar fortune teller machine. He placed in a quarter and wished to be big. The machine granted his wish and the audience later discovers that the machine was unplugged, despite its functioning. A storm begins brewing in the night - which leads to Josh waking up as thirty-year-old Tom Hanks. Unsure of what to do, Josh goes to the city and lands a job at MacMillen Toy Company. 

Josh spent a day off work at FAO Schwarz, where he managed to run into his boss. This led to a promotion for Josh - in which he was put in charge of testing new toys. Josh ends up gaining romantic feelings for his coworker, and begins leaving his best friend behind. Eventually, Josh became homesick and sought out the Zoltar machine to become small again and return to his family.

Altman and Big (1988)

This film is marked as Drama/Fantasy. I think it is interesting that this is marked as fantasy, because to me, that genre typically symbolizes mystical creatures and abstract settings. This is my pre-determined semantic expectation of the genre. However, fantasy was presented in a different way.

The drama aspect of this film did follow the given set of “rules” that are typical, as a love story did develop.

In my opinion, this film followed the comedy genre more than Drama/Fantasy, as it was a witty, coming-of-age movie.

Zombieland (2009)

A virus turns the majority of civilization into zombies. Four survivors follow a list of survival rules to make their way to a safe haven in Los Angeles.

This film is listed as Science Fiction, which I would not label it as. This is another movie that existed for me outside of its ascribed genre. I understand the Science Fiction element, as zombies were present in the film. However, this film held many comedic moments for me, leaving me to believe it was labeled as a comedy.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you know of any films that you believe are inappropriately labelled based on their genre?

2. Do you believe the audience has the agency over the films being produced, or Hollywood makes the audience believe that they hold this power, as a capitalistic tool to continue making films they see fit? 

3. Do you think that the further classification of subgenres limits the creativity output that is being put into the film? In other words, does genre create constraints on the film’s potential?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

“A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre”

In “A Semantic/Syntactic Approach to Film Genre,” Altman proves that there are contradictions or flaws in the way critics distinguish genres, and then provides a means of improving these problems.  The inability to develop common ground or universally accepted definitions of genre is due to three contradictions in the current way critics distinguish genres.  The essence of these three problems is that the steps we use to classify genre are incompatible because many films stray from the pre-existing notion of what makes up that genre.  Altman then proposes his own theory for genre classification which uses Semantics and syntactics to make the process more faithful to one ideology.  The meaning of semantics is basically the study of meaning in language and the definition of syntactic relates to obeying the set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in each language.  Relating to film, Altman describes semantics as the building blocks of genre which includes attitudes, characters, shots, locations.  He then describes syntactic as the deeper meaning found in the arrangement of different traits in a film.  He shows how these two aspects can work in a complementary manner by explaining how certain movies can have more semantics and less syntactics or more syntactics and less semantics.  Both approaches are needed to reach a more informed understanding of a film’s genre.  

35 shots of rum :

35 Rhums (2008) is a drama directed by French filmmaker Claire Denis.  It follows a father/widower, Lionel, as he realizes that his daughter, Josephine, is grown up, in college and will eventually leave him.  Their relationship is very close since it is just the two of them who live together so it is easy to tell that it is an emotional process to separate. A neighbor and longtime friend, Noe who plans on moving away soon, is also followed in the story as he and Josephine fall in love, marry and move out.  The name of the film comes from the an old story that the father’s group of coworkers know.  When you feel content with the next chapter of your life you take 35 shots of rum.  In the beginning of the film the father has only 19 shots at a coworkers retirement party.  At the end of the film when he is proud of his daughter for getting married and moving out he takes 35 shots because he is content.  The film is made up of a very small narrative that accounts for small, personal, and very realistic aspects of each of their lives.  There is also very little dialogue or emotion which highlights the long and drawn out shots that create tension and allow the audience to analyze the characters’ perspectives.  This is what makes the semantics of the film unconventional with a drama, however the plot and story of the film are still syntactic to a drama.

This scene is an important part of the plot because it is when Josephine finds out that Leo is going to leave and deep down she realizes that she wants to go with him.  The scene before this is the first scene where the two of them kiss which tells the audience that they have feelings for each other.  As far as semantics, the fact that they show little emotion is surprising since this scene holds a lot of importance in the drama.  Also, there isn’t much dialogue and there’s only three cuts in the scene whereas most dramas would have a lot of close-ups to capture the emotion.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) is the third movie in the Harry Potter series and is labeled as an adventure/fantasy film.  This film is comparable to 35 Rhums because both films have unconventional aspects within their genre. This film strays from conventional syntactic aspects of adventure or fantasy that the other harry potter movies share and follows a much more horror-oriented arrangement of events.  It starts off with explaining how a criminal named Sirius Black escaped from prison and is on the loose.  Later, the school finds out that Sirius broke into school so now everyone is even more freaked out.  The ending of the film consists of Harry encountering a werewolf as well as the big black dog that has been reappearing throughout the movie who ends up being Sirious Black.  

The Semantics of the film are consistent with adventure/fantasy but the syntax gravitates towards the build up of tension and fear towards encountering the dog/Sirious Black.  Centering a film around the constant fear of an inhuman character is more characteristic of the horror genre, however, since the film has adventure-like semantics that relate to harry’s life at Hogwarts, it is still an adventure/fantasy film.

Questions

1 - Are there any genres that you prefer watching over others?  What semantic or syntactic elements make you like or dislike that genre?                   (Semantics -  building blocks of genre which includes attitudes, characters, shots, locations)      ��                                                                               (Syntactics -  deeper meaning found in the arrangement of different traits a film)

2 - Do you know of any films that don’t completely conform with the stereotypical aspects of its genre and how does it not conform?

3 - When watching a film do you judge the quality based on your preconceived notion of what the film’s genre should be like?  Do you consciously “check mark” certain elements of the film that did a good job of conforming with its genre?

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The Semiotics of Film in Relation to Comedy

“Some Points in the Semiotics of the Cinema” by Christian Metz

Semiotics – the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation

Film semiotics – the study of signs as they pertain to film on a variety of levels

In this essay, Christian Metz asserts that cinema may be considered a language (NOT a language system), and as such the concepts of linguistics can be applied to the semiotics of cinema, but “only with the greatest caution” (71).  He discusses the studies of connotation and denotation within film semiotics, which can be further broken down into paradigmatic and syntagmatic categories.  Connotation generally deals with emotion, interpretation, ideology, etc. while denotation is the literal meaning of the images.  The syntax of film, according to Metz, is not unlike the syntax of language.  For example, shots compose sequences like sentences compose paragraphs.  The paradigm, however, deals with that which is unrealized.  

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) dir. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones

These ideas and their combinations are used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) to create comedy.  This film, named after British comedy group Monty Python, basically consists of a series of loosely related sketches that all fall under the simple narrative of King Arthur’s quest for the Holy Grail.  While much of the film’s humor is derived from the writing, visual gags are employed in a manner that can be defined using Metz’s methodology.

Paradigmatic Connotation

To better understand paradigm, let us examine paradigmatic connotation.  In this case, the connotation arises from the viewer unconsciously comparing a shot to its unrealized counterpart(s) in the paradigm.  In other words, the connotative meaning is derived from a contrast between the shot onscreen, and other potential shots that could (or should) have been in its place.  The clip below contains an example of paradigmatic connotation which creates comedy.

In this scene, the exact same shot of Sir Lancelot running towards the camera is used five separate times.  The reuse of the same shot in this manner creates humor through paradigmatic connotation, as the viewer unconsciously compares this shot to the shot succession that they would have expected (Sir Lancelot getting physically closer).  Humor can be defined in many ways, one of which being a subversion of expectations.  Using this definition, the link between paradigmatic connotation and humor in a comedy film is clear.

Syntagmatic Connotation

This is similar to paradigmatic connotation, but much easier to visualize and understand.  Syntagmatic connotation does not involve comparing a shot to potential shots, but rather it compares a shot to the other realized shots in the film.  Editing techniques can create humor through syntagmatic connotation, like in the clip below.

This scene uses an insert in the form of the “Intermission” title card which breaks the tension after it rises in the previous shot.  The “Intermission” card is not inherently funny, but its juxtaposition with the shots of the treacherous bridge crossing creates humor.  Syntagmatic connotation causes this because the connotative meaning (comical) is created by the comparison between realized shots.  The emotion associated with humor is often defined as “relief,” as the laughter which results acts as a release of tension.  Syntagmatic connotation is essential to visual comedy in films based on this definition.

Shaun of the Dead (2004) dir. Edgar Wright

This zombie parody is praised as one of the best comedy films of this century, which is largely due to its clever gags.  While many of these exist solely in the writing, there are some examples of visual gags which use connotation as a force for comedy similar to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Paradigmatic Connotation

Once again, the idea of paradigmatic connection is somewhat linked to the idea of ‘subversion of expectations.’  The humor in this slapstick arises not only from the slapstick itself, but from the intentional diversion from what the shot prepared us for.  Shaun’s confidence in this shot (in addition to his competence up to this point) created a paradigm for what we should expect from him.  So, we would expect the shot to have him leap over the fence just fine, and in the realized shot of his failure, we laugh because of how we unconsciously compare the shot to the unrealized shot of his successful jump.

Syntagmatic Connotation

The parallelism in these two long shots contributes to the humor created by the second long shot.  The first long shot depicts Shaun’s routine with seemingly no other purpose than to further the plot slightly.  However, once this parallel long shot is introduced, it becomes clear that the true purpose of the first long shot was to prepare for the eventual syntagmatic connotation.  The second long shot is inherently comedic because of Shaun’s obliviousness to the zombie outbreak; even so, the comedy is amplified by comparing it to the first long shot, which the viewer unconsciously refers back to as evidence that this is Shaun’s regular routine.  The idea of simply going about your daily business in the midst of a zombie outbreak is comical in its absurdity, and that comedy is mainly due to the syntagmatic connotation created by parallelism.

Discussion Questions

Can a shot/scene/film’s paradigm vary from viewer to viewer?  If so, how would this affect paradigmatic connotation?

Can visual comedy exist without connotation in some shape or form?

How might a film’s syntax and syntagmatic connotation affect a viewer differently based on genre (horror, action, etc.)?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

In Christian Metz’s “Some Points on the Semiotics of Cinema” he explains how scenes “can be conceived of either as a semiotics of connotation or as a semiotics of denotation,” (67). In other words, some scenes have surface level meanings (denotations) while others have deeper meanings (connotations) that are used to help develop the narrative of a film.

Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962)

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962), directed by Agnès Varda, is about a singer named Cleo, who is trying to postpone hearing her diagnosis because she fears its will confirm that she has cancer and is going to die. After getting her tarot cards read and seeing multiple signs of bad luck, such as a broken mirror, she is even more afraid than before. She spends her day with friends trying to forget her trouble to no avail. Then she meets a stranger who she confides her problems in. He gives her the strength to finally see her doctor, who tells her she has a treatable illness.

In the scene where Cleo is practicing Sans Toi, she tears up while singing. The song is about working troubles out with a lover. Her tears seem to be caused by the atmosphere of the sad song on the surface. However, she becomes emotion because she may not have the opportunity to experience true love because she may be dying. The lyrics of the song remind her of a part life she may never get to experience.

“Dry your tears

Time will wait for us

We got lost in all this

I don’t think there’s any more reasons to be afraid

Dry your tears

We are so much stronger

Than all this time, all this remorse

We forgot ourselves, we got things wrong

I still love you so much”

Edward Scissorhands (1990) 

Edward Scissorhands (1990) in short, is a film about Edward, who is the result of an unfinished science experiment, learning to live in community after being isolated in an abandoned house for years. He is taken in by Peg and there he learns the meaning of family and love. Through the movie he struggles to find himself until he finds a talent for cutting hair with his scissor hands.

The scene where Edward creator dies before he could give him human hands contains not only symbolism, but also information about Edwards emotional capacity, which helps to explain his awkwardness throughout the film. In the scene we see Edwards hand get destroyed which symbolizes his hopes of becoming human being ruined. Also we see an almost emotionless reaction to his creators death. This shows the spectator he is lacking much more than just hands.

In the end of the film, the audience is shown through Edwards actions he has gained emotions. The scene shows Edward cutting ice sculptures that make snow for the town, which is Kim’s favorite.

Discussion Questions:

Is a film more appreciated if it has a deeper meaning behind the text? 

From the elements of cinema, which do you think are better suited to develop a deeper meaning to the narrative of film?

Do you think there are instances where the spectator gives a text or art a deeper meaning that were not apart of the director’s or artist’s intentions?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

“Ideology and the Practice of Sound Editing and Mixing” 

In Mary Anne Doane’s “Ideology and the Practice of Sound Editing and Mixing”, she acknowledges the lack of appreciation for sound and attributes it to sounds “intangible quality” and “its lack of concreteness.” She further claims that sound is seen as a lesser medium because in the hierarchy of the senses, stating “hearing is not as privileged as sight.” Yet she argues that sound is essential to a film as it creates both mood and atmosphere (via music) and it is “the bearer of all meaning.” The sound is a sort of reinforcement of the visuals which is meant to be coordinated with them and uphold realism. Simultaneously she acknowledges that realism within the realm of sound is often sacrificed for the notion of intelligibility. She describes the different methods of recording sound and mixing sounds all with the purpose of ensuring intelligibility of the world around the characters so that the audience understands what is occurring on the screen.

West Side Story:

A quick synopsis of this film is that it is a remaking of Romeo and Juliet as a musical except instead of being a story set in Verona, it is set in New York in the 1950’s. The two feuding families are now gangs – one of native-born New Yorkers (the Jets) and on of Puerto Rican immigrants (the Sharks). It was originally a Broadway production released in 1957. Some of the most popular songs from this musical include Maria, Tonight, America, and I Feel Pretty.

Since it is a musical, it features semi-diegetic sound as the source of the music is never seen, but the characters actions and dance are reflective of the beats in the music. Within a musical as this one, the intelligibility of dialogue becomes all the more important as almost all the story is conveyed through song and dance which is coordinated with the music. Everything is inspired by the music: The dance, the snaps, the lyrics, and the fights.

The quartet (quintet in this film) is typical of a Broadway show where through staging it becomes clear that multiple people are singing different parts at the same time. In a film, it is much trickier to accomplish this feat since not everyone is on the screen at the same time and thus you cannot read people’s lips to understand what they are saying. A moment like this in a film is one where post-synchronized so that all the character’s voices blend while also maintaining a degree of intelligibility. Also, the camera uses shots of each character singing to link the melody they are singing with them so that the sound can recreate the image in the viewer’s mind when that character is not pictured.

Describing the idea of post-synchronized sound is also important for this film since the directors chose Natalie Wood, a white woman, to play a Puerto Rican. This is intrinsically problematic, as it is inherently wrong that they failed to cast a Latina for the part. Furthermore, it is quite tragic because her singing was so poor that they chose to dub her. Natalie Wood does not sing at all throughout this film.

Ida 

The film Ida uses sound in a contrasting manner to that of West Side Story. Whereas West Side Story is constantly using sound to drive the plot forward via song and dance, Ida is almost completely lacking a soundtrack. The film is for many moments silent where the only sounds being heard are those of the environment. 

Like this scene, there are many instances where no dialogue is spoken for minutes at a time. Likewise, there is no score replacing this dialogue, but instead, the viewer is left to rely solely on the environmental sounds/sound effects to reinforce the visual image. This sort of choice is quite intentional; the directors refrain from the use of a score to create the mood for the film. The lack of music and constant dialogue coordinates with the black and white cinematography to build an oppressive atmosphere which is where the context of this film is important – that of Communist Poland in the 1960’s.

The lack of music also allows the usage of music to take on a greater meaning within the film. It allows music to become a liberating power as it frees the people from their stoic, humdrum lives. This notion is furthered by the directorial choice to use American jazz which was a clear opposition to what was promoted by the Communist Party. It is the only moment where the characters are visibly happy and enjoying themselves which holds an underlying message that liberty is greater than oppression.

Discussion Questions:

Is the choice to omit music and limit dialogue more effective in conveying its meaning to the viewer than over-reliance on sound, or is a film that utilizes all the aspects of a soundtrack in unison with one another more effective to convey meaning?

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Discussion Leader Presentation : Blazing Saddles (1977)

Discussion Questions

What other genres do you guys think sound plays a major supporting role?

How can sound affect an audience members experience in a film?

Do you guys think sound and editing play as “silent” of a role as Mary Anne Doane claims they do?

Mary Anne Doane states in her writing Ideology and the Practice of Sound Editing and Mixing that she believes that sound is a silent support in the overall scheme of a film. She claims that sound is less analyzed than the image that is on the screen. This is due to the “Ideology of the visible”. Doane theorizes that the reason why sound editing, and mixing go unnoticed is because if they are done correctly the viewer is not supposed to notice them.

Blazing saddles is a satirical western written by Mel Brooks as well as Richard Pryor. The film is made to satirize racism using the Hollywood version of the old American West. In the film, there is a railroad company that needs to divert through a town called Rock Ridge. The company is run by Hedley Lemarr, who wants to run the citizens of Rock Ridge out of town just to build his fortune. Bart, a railroad worker, is left for dead in quicksand by his boss and he understandably whacks his boss with a shovel but is arrested. Coincidentally, as a form of punishment he is appointed sheriff of Rock Ridge. He takes this opportunity seriously and devises a plan to fool the railroad company and save Rock Ridge. Bart enlists the help of Jim and alcoholic gunslinger also known as the Waco Kid and Mongo a henchman previously employed by the railroad company.

https://youtu.be/nQlcVz7CPWE

https://youtu.be/tTNJUjsNKVk

Mac & Devin Go to High School is another comedy that pushes the limits. The story was written by Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg. It is about two high school seniors, Mac, who has been in high school for 15 years and Devin, the valedictorian with aspirations to go to Yale. Mac teaches Devin how to relax and live life the way he wants to. He does so by teaching Devin how to handle his abusive girlfriend and by introducing him to weed and tattoos. While Devin helps Mac learn the basics of chemistry and math to help Mac finally graduate high school and get a date with one of his teachers. This movie was released alongside an album of the same name. The movie diverts to scenes which are essentially a music video. This emphasizes the soundtrack even more to the audience.

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Discussion Leader Presentation

“The Dramaturgy of Film Form,” Sergei Eisenstein,

According to Sergei Eisenstein, cinema is, first and foremost, montage. In the “The Dramaturgy of Film Form,” he asserts that conflict is the fundamental principle of every work of art. He believed that the duty of an artist was to contribute to the creation of a new society by raising the consciousness of the masses. He embraced the film medium as the most effective tool in achieving this goal.

Akin to the early Marxist idea of dialectic,  at the center of the artist’s construction is the principal of the dialectic, a conflict between individual elements that create meaning larger than, and different from, the sum of these elements. He believed that cinematic meaning is not inherent in the image itself but is constructed by the process of montage. “But in my view montage is not an idea composed of successive shots stuck together but an idea that DERIVES from the collision between two shots that are independent of one another,” he writes.  

He believed that the task of art to reveal contradictions of being; to forge the correct intellectual concept, to form the right view by stirring up contradictions in observer’s mind and through the dynamic clash of opposing passion.

Love & Basketball (2000), Gina Prince-Bythewood

Sypnosis:

Love & Basketball

tells the story of two childhood friends bonded by the shared love of basketball. The film spans roughly thirteen years of friendship and follows the development of the relationship between childhood sweethearts. By the time they enter their senior year of high school, Monica and Quincy realize they’re in love with each other as they both decide to play basketball for USC. The film uses gender equality issues in sports as a source of tension for their romance — the girls’ games in high school are sparsely attended in comparison to the boys’ games; and in college, the women adhere to a stricter curfew, while the men’s team has the adoration of their entire campus. Later, Quincy’s love of the game is tested when he’s betrayed by his father, the sole reason he became a basketball player. Quincy doesn’t quite understand the of-the-moment struggles that his girlfriend faces. Her options to have a career playing ball professionally means she’ll have to live outside of the country since the WNBA is not yet an option for her. That divide is what ultimately ruins them by the third quarter of the film. The only thing Monica loves more than Quincy is basketball — it’s what she’s good at and it’s the thing that keeps her focused. She’s unlike her sister, who takes after their stay-at-home mother, both sticking to the traditional lines of who a woman should be. InLove & Basketball, the actual love story between Monica and Quincy come in second to the love a female athlete has with fulfilling what seems to be an impossible dream — thriving in a field dominated by men.

In the “Dramaturgy of Film Form,” Eisenstein argues that art is always conflict because of its social mission. “It is the task of art to reveal the contradictions of being,” he writes.  Art is dialectical because it’s subject is dialectial too. Monica is a woman but doesn’t uphold what society deems as “womanhood.”  She was a woman who wasn’t delicate, but rather, could hold her own on the court and trash talk with the best. Yet, could still fall in love with the boy next door. She is arrogant and isn’t transparent with her feelings towards Quincy.

In the opening sequence, Monica is dressed resembling society’s depiction of a boy and fools young Quincy to invite her to play ball with them. In the following shot, she takes off her hat and reveals her long, flowing hair. He is a she. The juxtaposition of the two independent shots emphasizes the reaction of the boys. More importantly, it created the dynamic effect in the apprehension of the whole: the gender hypocrisy in sports. This hypocrisy will always be a factor not only in sports but in their relationship, something the two characters must confront as they grow up together on and off the court.

Monica’s road to stardom is more arduous than that of her male counterpart. In comparing the careers of the two would-be professional athletes, the scene juxtaposes the seemingly enchanted life of a blue-chip athlete with that of an aspiring star. It subtly underscores the difference between the facilities and the density and energy levels of the crowds. The collision between these independent shots was the true meaning of montage according to Eisenstein. They are juxtaposed and explodes into a concept in the way could not have achieved had it been edited in another way. It drives the narrative forward.

One of the defining moments in Monica and Quincy’s relationship comes before the injury but after he finds out that his father has been cheating on his mother. It eventually leads to Quincy breaking up Monica because he goes to her for comfort, but she has to focus on her game. It’s important to point out that Monica isn’t insensitive about it, though. She is willing to be there for Quincy, but Quincy is forcing her to choose between two things she loves. The second basketball sequence in the film is a reverse of the first sequence. This time Sanaa is thriving on the court while Quincy struggles. It is the first time we see such a thing. This sequence provides a higher order that would not have been revealed in succession shots. Quincy doesn’t understand the trials she faces as a female athlete, and he doesn’t seem keen on ever getting the point. He expects her to put him first. basketball becomes the catalyst for their breakup, highlighting Monica’s undying commitment to it and Quincy’s growing distrust of it.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006), David Frankel

Sypnosis:

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a recent graduate at Northwestern University with big dreams of becoming a journalist in New York City. Despite ridiculing the shallowness of the fashion industry, she lands the job “a million girls would kill for”: personal assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Editor-in-Chief of Runway. Andy has to put with Priestly’s humiliating treatment and unimaginable demands in hopes of getting a job as reporter elsewhere. At first, Andy struggles with her job and fits in poorly with her catty coworkers. Despite everything, she will consider the experience a challenge, drastically changing her clothes and self-image. She finds herself working 24/7, leaving her private life hanging by a thread. As she is whisked away to Paris facing all the glamour that could be hers, Andy is forced to make a decision about where she wants to be in her life.

In the opening sequence,  Andrea ‘Andy’ Sachs (Anne Hathaway) gets herself dressed in the morning for a job interview to become Priestly’s assistant. She brushes her teeth, confidently throws on a hideous sweater, eats an onion bagel, and rides the subway. Shots of Any are juxtaposed with that of the “the other girls,” that old standby film trope of women who care about their appearance too much. They meticulously do their makeup. Their clothing is chic, their boyfriends are hot, and they hail a taxi to work. Andy’s actions are matched with the other women. For example, the women are seen putting on lingerie while Andy puts on briefs. This degree of incongruity heightens the intensity of the spectator’s impression. This sequence highlights a concept that will resonate throughout the film: Will Andy compromise who she is for the person the fashion industry expects her to become?

The sequence “Gird Your Loins!” shows Miranda arriving at the office early and how frantic the office becomes as a result. The juxtaposition of Miranda’s ease with the office evokes the deep power structure in the office. This fear of Miranda is prominent throughout the entire film. Priestly tosses her handbag and coat onto Andy’s desk every morning without looking at her. She puts down her employees so much so that they quake in fear when she shows up to work. Priestly shows little to no concern for the wellbeing of her underlings, as is highlighted by her reaction when her fashion assistant Emily gets into a car accident.

Andie’s awful sweater is soon replaced by a series of glorious ensembles. While in Paris, Andie is seen applying mascara in the mirror. The following shot shows Andie, pre-Runway. What follows is the reaction shot that according to Eisenstein, creates the dynamic effect in the apprehension of the whole The conflict between these directions creates the dynamic effect in the apprehension of the whole. It showcases Andie’s internal struggle of her values and an uncompromising bottom line of self.

Discussion Questions 

1. In what ways have you seen the idea of montage evolve from Eisentien to present day? 

2. Should an artist, particularly a filmmaker, be obliged to create art imbued in conflict? Are there instances where this has been the case? 

3. Eisenstein writes that its the task of art to reveal the contradictions of being? What does this mean to you? What other films have embodied this notion?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

Sergei Eisenstein, “The Dramaturgy of Film Form”

Dramaturgy: The word originated in Germany and has evolved right alongside filmmaking itself. Originally dramaturgy was the narrative created only by thinks such as dialogue when art could only be preformed live. However, as mediums grew the study of Dramaturgy broadened and reached to things such as lighting and sound, and what we are mostly gonna focus on in this film, editing and montage.

Eisenstein’s main point is that art is created through conflict, and this extends to film as well. He calls it “dialectical modes,” or “dialectical principles.” Dialectical simply means something that “acts through opposing forces.”

This dialectical principle is very easily applied and seen in montage, two opposing shots in succession can create a third idea that is not captured but still instilled in the viewer. “The superimposition of two dimensions of the same mass gives rise to a completely new higher dimension.” 

The Piano (1992) -Jane Campion

Synopsis: This film revolves around Ada McGrath who is a mute piano player with a daughter named Flora. Flora acts as McGrath’s translator as she speaks only in sign language. McGrath and her daughter, who are Scotish, are transported to a New Zealand Island after McGrath’s father marries her to a man named Alisdair. McGrath is dropped of on the beach of the island and Alisdair comes with a man called Baines and a team of native islanders to come bring her things. Due to the limited size of the team they are forced to leave the piano on the beach, because of this McGrath is very distant to her fiance. Later in the film Baines buys the piano and has it transported to their location inland and says he wishes to learn how to play, however he does not truly wish to learn. Instead he tells McGrath that she can have it back as long as he can do sexual things with her a certain number of times while she plays it. She reluctantly agrees and each time she plays the acts get more and more sexual. Eventually she does enough and Baines realizes this is only making him a worse person she finally receives her piano back. She realizes she misses the sexual encounters and wishes to continue with Baines, he agrees. Eventually Alisdair catches wind of the relationship and overhears the two having sex in Baines house. Alisdair later tries to rape McGrath but she is able to stop him. Alisdair bans her from seeing Baines, so while she is banned she tries sending Baines a love note drawn on one of her piano keys and gives it to Flora to deliver. Flora delivers it instead to Alisdair and he is so furious he cuts off one of McGrath’s fingers so she can no longer play the piano. Eventually Alisdair breaks off the marriage and sends McGrath and her daughter away and Baines goes with them. While on the boat she has Baines throw the piano overboard, but she is attached to it and begins to drown. She is able to kick free and is saved back onto the boat. In her new life Baines has created her a metal fingertip that she uses to play the piano.

Eisenstein in the film

This gaze inherently has little meaning without context, or better yet contrast. From an outside perspective we can tell she is sad, maybe upset or even annoyed. What she is looking at changes that perspective, which is exactly what Eisenstein says is the only way narrative in art can be pushed.

Here is what she is looking at in the film, but how would it change if she were looking at this instead?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4N8Sssc4CM

4:26- Contrast between the daughter and the angry Alisdair. The emotions of the two characters, the way they walk, their motives. It creates stark contrast that pushes forward what is about to happen in the plot.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) -John Hughes

Synopsis: Ferris and his two friends skip school and have the most outrageous day ever... that’s really all you need

Eisenstein in the film

Although these two films are in completely different genres and tackle completely different topics, they both use montage in a way that creates stark contrast the pushes forward the narrative.

In this montage you see the stark differences between Ferris and his father: how fast they are going home, their demeanors and motives, the way they spent their day. All of these differences create the anxiousness of whether or not Ferris will make it home. Perfect dialectical principle. 

This is a further example of the dialectical principle. From the principal’s point of view he believes he is truly speaking to a parent (after hearing from Ferris), but we as the viewer are clued in as we have the contrasting view of Cameron on the other end of the line. Without seeing Cameron we as a viewer would have no way of knowing who was truly on the other end of the phone, and this was a key plot point as it was able to get them excused and begin their day.

Discussion Questions

1. A further point made by Eisenstein is that it is arts responsibility to elevate the masses. To what extent do you believe this is true and how should artists go about doing this?

2. Although these films explore completely different topics their use of contrast in montage is very similar. What are some examples of other films that use this principle?

3. Eisenstein is pretty set on the idea that this dialectical model is the only way to achieve true art. Do you have any examples of art that you would say does not follow this model?

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                   “On Editing” by Vsevolod Pudovkin

Vseldov Pudovkin’s essay “On Editing” discusses how editing is a tool that not only connects two separate scenes or pieces but controls the “psychological guidance” of the spectator; Pudovkin highlights some editing techniques that prove this idea:  

-The interruption of the long shot with close-up through editing directs the attention of the spectator to that detail which at the moment is important to the course of action

-Editing allows observers to be standing near and see every detail clearly; therefore, the lens of the camera becomes the eye of the observer and the change of angle of the camera are subjected to the same conditions as those of the eyes of the observer.

-Editing takes the attention of the spectator from one action to another what can either excite or soothe the spectator if the attention is transferred correctly.

Finally, Pudovkin summarizes the aim of the editing methods, such as creating contrast, parallelism, symbolism, simultaneity, and leitf-motif.

                                             Flashdance (1983)

Flashdance presents the story of Alexandra (Alex), an eighteen-year-old girl who wishes to become a professional dancer. Alexandra works as a welder during the daytime and as an erotic dancer in the town bar Mawby’s at night. One day Alexandra tries to apply to the dance academy in Pittsburg but gets discouraged when she hears that the application form requires her to fill previous formal dancing education. Alexandra starts dating her boss Nick after he insisted many times. The film also shows Alex’s relationship with her best friends Jeanie who works at Mawby’s bar as a waitress, Richie who works as a cook in the same bar, and Hanna who is like Alex’s mother figure. Hanna (who was a professional dancer in the past) convinces Alex to apply to the academy. When Nick realizes that Alex is applying to the dancing academy, he calls some friends in the committee so she can get an audition. Alex gets furious at Nick since she wanted to get in the academy by her own merits even though she lacks formal education and decides not to go the audition. Finally, Alex is moved by Hanna’s death and decides to go to the audition and gets a spot in the academy. 

The techniques mentioned by Pudovkin in his essay and their impact on the spectator are recurrently used in this film: 

The shots in the scene where Alexandra is practicing her dancing change from medium shots of Alex to close-ups of her feet and hips; these cuts make the spectator focus on the rapid and coordinated movement of her hips and feet as a representation of how talented she is.

The cinematographers in the film use a lot of cutaways to show small details that enhanced the mood depicted in the scene. For instance, in the scene where Alex and Nick are having dinner, the shots cut to their feet what enhances the erotic atmosphere of the scene.

Cutaways are also used to show the passing of time as well as to keep the theme of dancing in the spectator’s mind. For instance, the scene where Alex and Jeanie are coming back from the gym is followed by a shot where they are walking in the streets while two kids are dancing nearby.

Finally, editing is used in the film to show contrast and make the audience more excited about particular actions. The final scene of the film presents shots of Alex dancing for the arts committee of the dancing academy followed by shots of the committee's reaction. 

                                                 Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash follows the story of Andrew Newman, a nineteen-year-old boy who aspires to be jazz drummer for an important band. Fletcher, an abusive professor of the Shaffer Conservatory, invites Andrew to be in his band as an alternate drummer. Fletcher's band is the most prestigious one of the Shaffer Conservatory. Andrew is pushed by Fletcher through abusive method to perfection to the point Andrew hurts himself physically to achieve perfect tempo and rhythm. Andrew also breaks up with his girlfriend Nicole in order to have more time to practice. In an important competition, Andrew forgets his drumsticks in the place he rented a car, so he had to drive back to get them for the competition and has an accident on his way back. Even though Andrew is bleeding and physically damaged, he arrives on time for the performance but is unable to play the drums properly ruining the show. Fletcher expells Andrew of his band in the middle of the performance making him angry and causing him to get violent. Andrew anonymously testifies against Fletcher on the court for mistreatment and gets him fired from the Shaffer Conservatory. After some time Andrew finds Fletcher in a jazz bar and Fletcher invites him to play in his new band since an important performance is approaching; however, Fletcher knew Andrew was the one who got him fired and decides not to give him the right music sheets. Finally, Andrew plays the songs he learned being in the Shaffer conservatory and ends with a tiring and difficult solo to impress Fletcher who changes his attitude towards him. 

Whiplash uses the same techniques mentioned with similar purposes as those of Flashdance: 

Andrew’s ability with the drums and determination to be a better drummer are portrayed by the junction of shots that show Andrew playing the drums and close-ups of his hand rapidly hitting the hi-hat while bleeding.

Also, the film shows small details that help to create the atmosphere through editing. The romantic atmosphere in the scene of Andrew’s first date with Nicole is partly created by a cutaway to their feet getting together.

Finally, editing is used to show contrasts in the scene where Fletcher is finding a drummer that can play "Caravana" by juxtaposing shots of Andrew playing the drums at high speed with shots of Fletcher’s reactions; this makes the audience excited as tension is built.

                                                  Questions

1. Does the guidance of editing to specific elements or small details that otherwise might go unnoticed make the experience of watching a film less realistic? 

2. Will the practicing scene in Flashdance and Whiplash have a different impact on the audience without the junction of the medium shots and the close-ups? 

3. Is editing the best tool to make the spectator excited? Think about how Whiplash’s "Carava" scene would appear if tilts would have been used instead of cuts. Will this provoke the same excitement?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

In his essay ‘On Editing,’ Vsevolod Pudovkin describes the importance in understanding and applying editing techniques to better films from the perspective of both the director and the viewer. He discusses the most basic elements of editing such as parallelism, symbolism, simultaneity, etc. According to Pudovkin, editing “builds the scenes from separate pieces, of which each concentrates the attention of the spectator only on that element important to the action.” Essentially, editing is what frames the film into a narrative, allowing it the power to specifically direct the attention of the viewer to what is necessary to the plot. Editing not only allows this, but can help also to show the passage of time, important details, and more in the most efficient way possible. Without the tool of editing, film would be far less dynamic.

The Big Sleep (1946)

Howard Hank’s The Big Sleep (1946) follows the main character, Phillip Marlowe, as he investigates a number of different events, each building off of the other. Initially, Marlowe is simply trying to understand and resolve any debts that his acquaintance, General Sternwood’s daughter Carmen may have found herself owing to a man referred to as ‘Geiger.’ Along the way he discovers Geiger shot in a house owned by a man named Eddie Mars. Through a complicated development of events, Marlowe becomes more and more interested in the details of what happened to a man named Regan, Sternwood’s close friend, who had disappeared. As he investigates, he discovers that Regan had been killed by Mars for supposedly running off with Mars’ wife. The film as a whole is less about one specific story, and more to do with examining death as a whole and the effect it has.

The Big Sleep relies quite heavily on editing. Dissolve transitions are used almost constantly throughout the film. As a general rule for this text, any transition that requires a change of scenery or implies movement involves a dissolve transition from one shot to the next. These two clips display the use of a dissolve to show the transition from both one location to another. While the dissolves are used frequently, when they are used it is for a purpose. The dissolves used in this text allow for emphasis and dramatic flare by drawing out a scene just a few seconds longer, but not putting it directly in focus. The benefit of this technique is it has more of a subconscious effect on the spectator than an obvious one.

In this clip, the spectator watches as Marlowe walks out of sight and Vivian watches as he exits. The use of the dissolve from this scene to the next, which features Marlowe leaving, suggests that Vivian at the very least is thinking more of Marlowe as he leaves and foreshadows a future liking towards him.

Another clip, from the very first shot of the film utilizes the dissolve simply to show the two sides of General Sternwood’s front door, with characters awaiting each other on each side. In this case, the use of the dissolve may simply be to ensure that the spectator is aware of whose home the door belongs to, and ensuring that the spectator connects the two scenes to avoid confusion. It also creates a smoothness between the transitions that may set the tone for the rest of the film’s editing.

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) follows Jack Torrance and his family—his wife and son—as he takes a job at ‘The Overlook Hotel’ as a caretaker for the Winter. The hotel has a dark past involving a similar scenario where the husband ended up murdering his wife and daughters with an axe. Jack Torrance accepts the job so that he may spend the time devoted to writing. His son, Danny has supernatural powers which connects him to the exact force that leads to his father’s demise. Jack eventually ends up loosing his sanity while locked inside the hotel due to a number of factors, creating the famous “Here’s Johnny!”.

This film is similar to The Big Sleep in that it also uses quite a bit of dissolve transitions, mainly to show change of location or movement as well. Though The Shining does not utilize the dissolve quite as often as The Big Sleep, it does use it more than the average movie of its time and demonstrates how different editing practices were just 30 years apart from each other. This film employed the dissolve in very strategically planned moments and each one had a very specific intent. In both, however, the use of a dissolve transition drags out a scene creating a lasting effect, sometimes even adding to the anticipation and tension felt by the viewer for relief. 

Both films use a dissolve to transition out of their very first shots, which sets a tone that the film may be more slow-paced and the plot will take extreme attention to every necessary detail to be added. 

This clip features several different dissolves, all highlighting movement to new locations and compeling the spectator to understand that every shot is associated so closely to the one before that they are literally intertwined.

The following scene all add to the suspense and tension used throughout the film to create a thriller. The film uses dissolves to show Dick, the hotel’s chef, as he nervously waits for news on the status of the family, sensing something is wrong. 

Discussion Questions

1. Is the purpose of editing to guide the spectator’s natural inclination to see the next shot? Or is it to manipulate the spectator into thinking they are seeing what they want to see next?

2. What is your opinion on the usefulness of transitions which are now considered more “cheesy” such as dissolves? To what extent do you find them helpful?

3. Do you believe editing holds the power of the film’s narrative? To what extent?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

In “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, Mulvey deconstructs the “male gaze” in film as a way to move forward in cinema. She argues that alternative cinema cannot come out of nothing, and therefore we need to examine movies as they exist now in order to showcase how current cinema reflects present society so that there can be radical change. She states that overall, Hollywood reflects the dominant ideology that is the patriarchy. Mainstreams films have integrated the erotic because of this dominant patriarchal ideology and in analyzing the pleasure, it can be destroyed. Because there is a separation of the screen and audience, we are spectators in the characters’ private worlds. As such, we watch the female characters as we identify with the main controlling character. Mulvey only delves into movies with male protagonists in her text, however acknowledges that the this idea can still carry over so the two movies that will be analyzed have main characters with unconventional circumstances regarding gender. 

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

In, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, the spectators follow three drag queens, Vida Boheme, Noxeema Jackson, and Chi-Chi Rodriguez in their trip from New York City to Los Angeles to participate in the “Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant”. Their car breaks down eventually and they are stuck in a rural town called Snydersville for a couple days. 

The idea of gender seems a little complicated as Noxeema differentiates early on in the movie that they are drag queens because they are gay man that have way too much fashion sense for one gender. However, after the beginning scene the three characters stay in their drag personas for the rest of the movie and use the pronouns she. Moreover Vida is extremely happy when one of her town friends later refer to her as a lady friend, and not a man. Nonetheless, the three queens present themselves as women the entire time. 

In the beginning of the film, there is a makeover sequence in which Vida and Noxeema transition into looking more feminine. Overall, the sequence gives off more of an empowering atmosphere because it is clear through the actor’s performance that these characters are transforming of their own volition. However, it is interesting to note, that with the use of close-ups, the more Vida and Noxeema present themselves as women through makeup and costume, the more intimate the camera gets with the shots of their body like their torso, lips, and boobs to indicate their womanly-ness. Mulvey talks about the erotic that is coded in our language of film, and here we can see how the director uses sexualization to show an association of transforming into a women. 

It is only the the transition that these kinds of choices are made with these two characters. The only character subjected to voyeuristic shots the rest of the movie is Chi-Chi, someone who flaunts their sexuality.

Chi-Chi does own her sexuality the entire film, but also seems to be the only one objectified by the camera as a result of this.  

With the exception of the beginning scene and the occasional scenes with Chi-Chi, the characters are filmed from a rather neutral standpoint. They take pride in themselves because that is who want to be. Their makeup and costumes are not for others, but rather for themselves. This is evident when Chi-Chi tries to call Vida out and implies that women are lesser since that is what Vida resorted to because she supposedly could not cut it as a man. 

The camera zooms onto her face when her wig is taken off. As spectators we get the sense that she ties herself to her outward appearance. On the opposite spectrum, there is Mulan that only transforms for others. 

Mulan (1998)

In Mulan, the spectators join Fa Mulan as she joins the army in place of her father. In doing so she gains physical skills and uses her brains to become a top soldier and saves all of China from the Huns. 

In the beginning of the movie, Mulan conforms for multiple men: her possible future husband and her father. She alters her outward appearance for the gaze of other characters within the movie. 

What is more interesting is how the movie alters her appearance for her when she is not needed for the gaze of someone else.

Her face shape changes and she no longer has eyelashes. This transformation is most of out place when she is outed as a women for the first time to the army. Since she is outed as a women, and therefore a potential object to be gazed upon her naked face appearance changes once more. 

Mulvey says that “the determining male gaze projects its fantasy to the female figure which is styled accordingly” and that the woman must be in the story although her visuals “tend to be against the development of a story line”.  Although, out of place in the story seeing as she would have no time to put on makeup and nearly escaped death. This physical transformation serves as a way to indicate that Mulan is now something that can be looked upon since she presents as a woman. When her hair is let down, the more prominent feminine features are even more exaggerated on her face. 

In the song “Girl Worth Fighting for”, the soldiers explain their ideal women. In doing so the visuals show conventionally beautiful, curvy, pale girls that idolize these men. The camera pans over a bunch of girls doing work as the men chorus sings “You can guess what we have missed the most, since we went off to war”. Not only that, when Mushu wolf whistles at the girls in the rice field, the reaction from the girls suggests that they enjoy it while Mulan looks embarrassed. 

The girls in the shot above look dainty even though they are doing taxing, agricultural work showing exactly the point of projecting a fantasy onto women.

Even if Mulan is not sexualized in a way, she is still being subjected to a certain type of “male gaze” because of the expectation her character is placed under in relation to other male characters in the cast. 

Discussion Questions 

1. How do you think the male gaze still applies or does not apply to movies with female protagonists, or all-female casts? 

2. Do you think it is more justifiable to objectify a character with the camera if they are proud of their sexuality? 

3. How do children’s films sexualize/objectify or do not sexualize/objectify women?

4. Does the depiction of gender fluidity in film change the power dynamic that is in place in order for the male gaze to be a reality? 

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Discussion Leader Presentation

“It Happened One Night” (1934)

Throughout the film “It Happened One Night” (1934), proponents of Laura Mulvey’s theory regarding the “male gaze”  can be seen distinctly. Mulvey discusses in her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” that, in a film projecting a relationship between a man and a woman, the man can be seen as a dominant figure that subjects his gaze onto the woman, whose sole purpose is to be the recipient of that gaze. In the film, Ellie runs away from her father due to his disapproval of her engagement to King Westley. During her escape from Miami, she meets Mr. Warne on a bus. The audience begins to see Ellie transform from her own person into someone else’s property. Mr. Warne calls her his wife to the other passengers and even documents the marriage in legal terms so that she is under his name and thus cannot be found by her father. However, there is a clear separation of power as Ellie is never the one to choose where they go to next on their journey, where they stay, or what they eat. Mr. Warne frequently talks down on her like a child and even tells her when she should not be doing something.

At one point in the film, detectives are searching for Ellie by her father’s demand, and enter the house where she and Mr. Warne were staying at the time. Ellie and Mr. Warne begin to put on a scene by acting frantic, as he demands that the police are not to approach his “wife”. Ellie is holding a hand mirror and is turned away from the detectives so that they cannot see her face. She pretends to start crying, showing signs of weakness and fear that are not unexpected by a figure deemed inferior. By doing so, Ellie is only adding to the notion that a woman needs a man to save her, however this is apparent in the entire film as she relies on Mr. Warne continuously to keep her safe. This idea agrees with Mulvey’s theory that a woman only exists in relation to the male.

In one final scene in the film that embodies Mulvey’s methodology, Mr. Warne and Ellie are trying to stop a car on the side of the road so they can get to their next destination. Mr. Warne tries first, by giving the “thumbs - up” to cars passing by or trying to wave. He finds no success, and Ellie laughs adoringly at him in the background. She, then, volunteers to try. Her method is quite different as she lifts up her dress to show her leg to a passing car, which stops upon sight. The objectification and sexualization of women as figures that only have power in their physique is the essence of what Mulvey was aiming to prove. She writes, “The beauty of the woman as object and the screen place coalesce; she is no longer the bearer of guilt but a perfect product, whose body, stylized and fragmented by close - ups, is the content of the film, and the direct recipient of the spectator’s look.”

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Comparing Methodology to “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) 

Using Laura Mulvey’s methodology and the ideas and themes shown in “It Happened One Night,” the Disney film “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) can also be used to display the imbalance of power between a man and a woman in film. Belle leaves her home to find her father while Ellie left to run away from her father, but when Belle arrives at the castle, she is immediately taken over by male domination and control. She is only given meals when the Beast wants to give her them and she must eat with him, or else she cannot eat at all. She is also not allowed to leave the castle or enter the West Wing. Belle tries to assert her dominance by refusing to leave her room or see the Beast. However, because his needs to fall in love with her to save the castle are more urgent than her returning home, the other residents of the castle slowly lure her out of her room and into the hands of the Beast. The tensions between them ease and this film becomes a classic and predictable love story.

Belle is the recipient of the previously mentioned “male gaze” as the two dance after dinner one night. Her face is made up through the use of makeup and she is given a beautiful dress to wear. Once she is all put together, everyone cannot stop regarding her beauty. The Beast is taken back by it as well. This would be analyzed in Mulvey’s terms as Belle’s sole purpose in the film, to be an object of “looked - at - ness” by a male character rather than for her true purpose, which was to save the castle.

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Conclusion

One final similarity between these two films that is emphasized by Laura Mulvey’s theory and methodology is the treatment of both female characters in these films by their fathers. Ellie’s father does not want her to marry King Westley, just as Belle’s father does not want her to marry Gaston. This could be seen as the acknowledgment between the father figures and husband figures regarding the treatment of their daughters and how there is an innate notion that these particular men are not good enough to be married to their daughters. They know they are not genuine men. It is interesting that the men know how one another will act and can identify it, though they may not necessarily agree with it.

Questions

1. Are women always seen as the inferior characters when placed beside a male in a film?

2. What types of genres of films do you think make women seem the most inferior?

3. Has the sexualization of women in films lessened now that there is more awareness of it?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

In the reading “Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus” by Jean-Louis Baudry, Baudry claims that the role of film is to produce an idea of realism. Baudry also states that the camera creates a sense of transcendence. The camera’s main role is to make the audience forget that it is there. The camera should conceal its work instead of make itself known among the audience through camera work, projection, and precise cinematography.

Rear Window

In the film Rear Window (1954) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, we follow the character L. B. Jefferies, a photographer who is confined to a wheelchair in his apartment. Jefferies is unable to leave his apartment due to his broken leg, so to pass the time, he watches his neighbors from his rear window. Throughout the film, we are introduced to his neighbors, but they are mostly unnamed as we are watching from the perspective of Jefferies who hasn’t met most of them. Some of the characters he calls by names such as “Miss Torso” or “Miss Lonelyhearts.”

Later in the film, Jefferies hears a loud scream in the nighttime coming from his neighbor Thorwald’s apartment, then later notices that Thorwald’s wife is missing and he is cleaning a kitchen knife. Jefferies is now entirely convinced that he just witnessed a murder and begins to tell everyone about this. Continuing in the film, we, as viewers, see through the eyes of Jefferies in his apartment every successive event that takes place. Jefferies and his girlfriend begin to do their own investigation by checking the garden for any clues and even breaking into Thorwald’s apartment to search for any possibly incriminating evidence. The tension builds up in the film and near the end, we figure out that they were correct and Thorwald tries to kill Jeffries by pushing him out of the window.

The entirety of the film takes place in one room, Jefferies’ apartment. This cinematic technique really draws the viewer into the life of Jefferies. It gives viewers the exact sense of voyeurism that Jefferies has, and we can’t see anything that he can’t see. Most of the time, he is looking through the windows of his neighbors with a camera, so the frames look as if we are also looking through the same camera and we feel the claustrophobia that Jefferies feels.

Rear Window relates to this reading, as the camera dominates the film. Viewers relate to the events taking place since the film is shot in a way that brings us into the world established in the film, bringing us into the life of Jefferies and becoming as invested in the murder mystery as Jefferies and his girlfriend are.

12 Angry Men

               The film 12 Angry Men (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet, is a very similar film to Rear Window as the camera is the most important element of the film, and the camera is confined to one room for the entirety of the runtime.

               12 Angry Men is a courtroom drama that takes place in the span of one day. There are 12 jurors who are voting whether an 18-year-old boy is guilty of stabbing his father to death. For all the jurors to leave the room, they must all agree on one side. After the first vote, juror 8 is the only one who believes that the boy is not guilty and then he attempts to convince the other jurors that there is evidence that the boy did not kill his father. Through the film, there is a lot of disagreement and anger shared. Slowly, more and more people change their vote to not guilty and the tension rises. At the end of the film, finally everyone agrees that there is reasonable doubt that the boy didn’t commit the crime and he will not be given the death sentence, but it was not easy to do.

               The camera plays a major role in this film to show the tension growing as the film goes on. The camera starts out with a wide angle of all the men in the courtroom at a neutral angle. As the film moves forward and the tension grows, the camera is slowly changed to lower angles and close ups of the face to show the claustrophobia and really show the expressions of the men.

               This film also relates to the reading as the viewers are drawn into the film from the camera as the camera sets the entire mood of the film. None of the characters are assigned names, so we cannot relate to them, we are instead brought into the courtroom with them and we can feel the tension build up just as the characters do.

Discussion Questions

1.       How does the camera draw viewers into the world that is presented?

2.       How can different camera angles change the way viewers look at specific events?

3.       What other types of cinematic techniques can be used to build up tension in a film?

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Discussion Leader Presentation

Jean-Louis Baudry in his psychoanalysis, “Ideological Effects of the Basic Cinematographic Apparatus, asks why and how are we able to accept what is reflected on a screen as reality. He dives into the exploration of how films are constructed to create a practical image that the viewer can accept as reality. He talks about how the purpose of the camera is to capture the story in a way that the camera is not noticed at all. Through the use of acknowledging the importance of the eye of the subject as well as how the image is projected to the viewer, Baudry shows how important cinematography is to the film being accepted by the audience.

In the film, The Third Man (1949), which is about a murder mystery in Vienna. We are first filled in with short clips of what had been going on months before we entered into the storyline. We (as an audience) were given the cliff notes for the bigger story that was about to be revealed. However, the camera showed us the images from the past quickly almost as if we were a part of solving a bigger problem. Throughout the film longshots, close ups, and short clips were used to not only inform the viewer what was going on, but to allow the viewer to make their own conclusions and to create suspense to maintain the audience’s attention and active but silent participation in the film. Short clips were used to mainly inform the audience or characters what was taking place at the given moment.

When Holly finds out that his friend Harry was really involved in a horrible situation of selling altered drugs to sick children, he was shocked. The man who was supposedly murdered and who Holly had thought was innocent and was murdered for no reason was really responsible for hundreds of murders himself. During this reveal, short clips of the children, the hospital, and the evidence of Harry’s involvement were used to set up the history of the corruption that had taken place. Another short clip was used when Harry was finally surrounded by the police and was about to be arrested. Short clips of the several police officers waiting for Harry to run into their trap along with pans to Harry’s frantic expression created suspense but it also foreshadowed the truth that Harry would not be able to escape. Long shots were used to allow the audience to observed and discover at their own pace and feel as though they were in the moment rather than being briefed as to what was going on or happening.

 In the shot after Harry had been executed by his friend Holly, Holly is shown walking out from the smoke. In doing this it not only reveals that Harry had been finally captured but it also revealed a deeper meaning. That Holly had finally had come into the truth and was no longer blinded by the loyalty he had to his friend. Another longshot that was used is at the end. The film comes back around to full circle. It began with the funeral of Harry and ends with the funeral of Harry. Instead, this time it ends with Holly waiting for Harry’s love interest to walk down the road.

She doesn’t acknowledge Holly at all but continues to mourn the loss of Harry. This long shot gives closure to the film and with the road in the background it shows how far these characters have come but it also never shows the road ahead which is what we will not see. This shot gives the viewer the opportunity to return to their own lives and not worry about what will happen to the characters next.

           In The Help (2011), the camera plays a crucial role in capturing the lives of the many characters it involves. The camera is used to help establish comedy, anger, and sadness. It does this through using closeups, such as Minny’s burned chicken, anger through the close-ups of the characters during intense aggressive conversations, and sadness by showing some of the history behind the characters through pans of the symbols that represent their hurt.

One shot that specifically reminded me of “The Third Man” was the shot of Abilene walking down the street after she had left her last baby. From this perspective we are looking at her back while she is walking away. This does the same thing that it did in The Third Man however, it shows that she is walking away from all of the sadness, and hurt that she had faced. It was geared to show her moving beyond the past and on to the next chapter.

Discussion Questions

1.) What effect does a long shot have on a viewer?

2.) Do you ever find yourself relating to different characters in the film because of the way the image is projected?

3.) How does the camera capture your attention from the beginning?

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Cynthia Baron & Sharon Marie Carnicke on “Giving Performance Elements Their Due”

Cynthia Baron and Sharon Marie Carnicke’s article “Giving Performance Elements Their Due” explores how a character’s performance is an underappreciated medium through which to tell the story in a film. They mention the Kuleshov effect, which posits that way a film is edited can give it more meaning than the acting in that film. On the other hand, Baron and Carnicke write that not only does “actors’ work contributes to the trajectory of the dramatic action” (44-45), but “what the actor does within the frame with body and voice, rhythm and movement, matters more than the presumed creative process” (46). The strength of the actor is often hugely important, sometimes to such an extent that the non-performance aspects of the film are built around the actor’s performance, not vice versa. The actors’ movements and interactions can provide the basis on which lighting or set design are determined. They go through a couple of films where the actor’s performance makes the film, one in particular: “Chaplin’s performance in City Lights (1931) reveals the way that film comedies often subordinate not only plot to actors’ performances, but also shot selection, lighting design, and editing choices” (39).

City Lights (1931)

City Lights (1931) is a romantic comedy silent film and the brainchild of Charlie Chaplin, who was the film’s director, writer, producer, and leading actor. Using music and sound effects, the film showcases Chaplin’s penchant for storytelling without intelligible dialogue and also features many scenes that demonstrate Chaplin’s slapstick humor. The film depicts Chaplin’s “Tramp” character falling in love with a blind woman who lives with her grandmother while maintaining a new friendship with an alcoholic millionaire whose mood swings everyday. Many scenes are carried by Chaplin’s expressive physical action, rather than other aspects of the film not related to the actors themselves. 

In the scene where they first meet, the Tramp witnesses the millionaire trying to commit suicide. Chaplin’s facial expressions (especially his eyebrows) convey the shock that the Tramp is feeling as he watches the millionaire’s plans almost come into fruition.

In the first scene of the film, Chaplin’s on screen action is used for a different purpose when he is found sleeping on a monument when it is first revealed to the public. The Tramp’s antics are not only comedic but also make fun of the dignified and lofty way monuments are presented.

This is accentuated when the national anthem begins playing, compelling the Tramp to put his hand over his heart even while his pants are stuck and he can barely keep his balance:

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

In Silver Linings Playbook (2012) the protagonist is Pat, a recent divorcee with bipolar disorder who comes back home after spending eight months in a mental health care facility for bipolar disorder. Bradley Cooper’s performance as Pat is crucial in many scenes because not only carries the scene but convey’s the overall mood more than anything else. In one scene, he finishes the novel A Farewell to Arms and rants to his parents about how much he hated the ending. The scene is carried by Pat, who paces angrily around the room and talks while his parents sit idly in bed. There is no music and the other actors in the room hardly interact with him, leaving Pat alone to carry the scene.

Contrast this to another scene in which Pat has a violent breakdown while looking for his wedding video. In that scene, there are many more shots and Led Zeppelin plays in the background. Bradley Cooper’s performance is less consequential to the overall meaning and emotion of the scene because of the other elements that have been added.

Pat later meets Tiffany (played by Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow who recently got fired because the depression she felt after her husband’s death got in the way of her job. Pat and Tiffany open up to each other in a cafe. The scene has close-up shots of each person’s face, with no music or other characters in frame. Because the viewer can see their facial expressions, the performances of Cooper and Lawrence convey more than any other part of the scene and we rely on them for meaning. 

Discussion Questions:

Do you think film editing can enhance an actor’s performance or vice versa?

How do you think an actor’s performance changes in a silent film? D they have to be more expressive or can get away with less?

Which do you think is more important in a film: the acting or the editing/cinematography?