#once again THE CINEMATOGRAPHY OF THIS SCENE>>>>>

[hybridbstr]

ONE YEAR OF NOT ME DAY 4

favorite scene: white showing as himself in from of sean for the first time

"where are you going now? aren't you going to say anything? you should at least tell me what your name is."

[brianskangs]

"Among all of the possibilities, Thank you for choosing me" — Welcome to the Show (DAY6)

[tytangfei]

As long as there are fireflies, there’ll be hope.

A Familiar Stranger (2022)

[romchat]

Unknown (2024) visual analysis (ep. 1-8): How to film heartache

This show.

The writing and acting continue to be fantastic, but I feel like I haven't seen enough appreciation for Unknown's cinematography, which captures the heartache of Qian and Yuan's changing relationship so beautifully.

Here are some of my favorite moments of visual storytelling so far...

Framing & Composition

Something that I immediately noticed about Unknown is how much dirty framing it uses. "Dirtying the frame" is when a cinematographer uses architecture, nature, objects, or even people in the foreground to add depth to a shot. In earlier episodes, we often see Qian and Yuan framed together by everyday household objects.

These shots emphasize the uniqueness of their relationship: they are brothers because of the domesticity surrounding them and yet at the same time the framing almost tucks them away into a private space of their own. Their relationship is born from yet separate from the familial space they share with Lilli.

So when Yuan drunkenly confesses his feelings and shatters any lies Qian might have been telling himself about their complex relationship, the camera language loses its earlier intimacy.

We suddenly see more medium and long (versus close-up) clean shots where the characters are surrounded by tons of negative space, isolated from each other.

I also don't think it's an accident that we start seeing more dirty frames again once Yuan leaves for America and Qian realizes how much he misses him.

The New Years scene is a perfect example of this. As Qian miserably cheers an absent Yuan, we see the camera subtly pans to the side of the table where he'd usually sit. No one has been able to occupy that private space at home or in Qian's heart.

Visual Parallelism

In a previous post, I've talked about how visual parallelism (when we link characters, events, storylines, etc. through a shared image) can signal major changes in the relationship between two characters, and the show uses this technique in multiple ways. (Yuan’s cheeky and completely satisfying “is there something you want me to do?” in Episode 8’s seatbelt scene, for one.)

But I think the most striking moment is when Yuan asks Qian to confront his own feelings at the end of Episode 8.

When we look at the composition, camera angles, and actor blocking (how the actors are positioned in relation to one another) we can see that the scene directly mirrors the moment that Yuan gifts Qian with cufflinks in Episode 6. In that episode, Yuan is shot from a high angle, making him look even younger and more vulnerable, while Qian cups his face from above, anchoring him as he tries to give misguided advice:

Qian: I actually feel sorry for you. Isn't it tiring to love him? Yuan: It is. It's so tiring to like someone you shouldn't like. Qian: Then what are you doing? Why are you limiting yourself?

It's notable then that during the last scene of Episode 8, the roles are reversed and the blocking and camera language changes accordingly. Throughout Episodes 7-8, we can see the ways Yuan adopts a more mature approach to his interactions with Qian. He has made it clear that he still cares about him but he will only make another move if Qian clearly expresses his desires. Now it's Qian who is the most unsure and vulnerable, with Yuan anchoring him:

Yuan: Wei Qian, don't you like Wei Zhiyuan? If you do, is it only because we're brothers? This thing about us, is it that you don't want it or that you don't dare?

Like Qian had advised him years ago, Yuan now asks why Qian insists on limiting himself by denying what he wants.

Bonus Parallelism:

Both Yuan and Qian's kiss fantasies mirror each other as well.

[follows-the-bees]

2x3 Filmmaking Analysis

Editing and cinematography breakdown of the purgatory and mermaid scene in The Innkeeper.

I haven't talked much about editing in all of my previous breakdowns of this season, but I want to start talking about that, and I'm starting with this scene. The whole of 2x3 contains exceptional editing between what is happening in Ed's gravy basket purgatory and the real world.

We start with Stede on the stairs, quiet, only a deep inhale of despair is heard, the heartbreak already evident on his face. He holds up a lamp, one of the only sources of light in the "reality" scenes. Lighthouses and golden lighting in general have been used in both seasons to symbolism the love between Ed and Stede. Stede is literally carrying this light with him, and he sets it down next to Ed's head shining the light onto him. Stede is the one who puts the glow on Ed's face.

The editing then cuts to Ed in Purgatory as he hits the water, a giant light behind him, but he starts to sink away from it, becomes surrounded by water, recalling back to 1x4 when he talks about how he feels like he is just treading. Water shows Ed's mental state: he's expressed in the past that he feels like he's drowning, he wants to stay at sea forever, be the bird who doesn't touch ground, etc.

We end this shot with Ed's bare feet the most visible in the dark blue abyss of the ocean. And in a direct parallel, the next edit is to Stede's feet - which are wrapped in BLUE-dyed fabric, with RED lining - walking into the waterlogged cabin. This immediate cut between their two feet in water shows how Stede is meeting Ed in both worlds. They are together in the water, in the deep blue depth, their connection only picks up from there.

While talking to Hornigold, Ed professed that he didn't think anyone was waiting for him. And he still has that mindset as he starts to sink.

Stede sits quietly down next to Ed, lovingly calls him a nut, and debates about taking the cloth off of Ed's face. We know Stede to be a boisterous man, not afraid to talk, but his voice is quiet here, the sentences short. He covers his face with his hands, hiding and comforting himself. Stede is rendered speechless when he's faced with earth-shattering grief and this all encompassing sorrow tells the audience just how much pain Stede is in.

Stede pulls off the cloth from Ed's face, once again taking a shaky inhale of breath to prepare himself, and the show cuts to Ed's eyes opening in the water as he starts to fight, pulling on the rope tugging him down.

The editing takes us back and forth between Ed struggling with the rope in Purgatory to his fingers and hand twitching as he fights in the real world, all voiced over by Stede's mournful apologies to Ed. When Stede's voice comes through to Ed, it sounds muffled, like it has to travel through a tube to get to him - through the water and Ed's coma-induced brain.

As soon as Stede touches Ed's hand in the real world, squeezing it, Ed stops sinking further into the watery depths, and instead his focus is before him where a large light has appeared. This editing shows how Ed feels Stede's presence, not only his voice but how the touch grounds him, or at least prevents him from further sinking.

Stede's voice changes here, getting louder as he yells at Ed to come back to him. The quiet grief is replaced by twinges of hope, the deep sobs escape in raspy pains of anguish.

The light first appears to Ed in Purgatory when Stede holds his hand, and as Stede starts to hammer on his chest, to try and bring some life into him, the scene cuts to Ed seeing movement in the light as Stede in mermaid form starts to swim closer.

The scene then goes from both POVs to just Ed's. We see the rope come off as he decides to live. We can hear the muffled cries of Stede breaking in from the real world, and we see a sequence of scenes from the first season of Ed and Stede as Ed remembers all of their moments together.

Right when Stede pounds his chest for the last time and says he will never leave again, that's when the mermaid version of him comes into full focus. And we again spend time in just purgatory, in Ed's POV.

Mermaid Stede swims up to Ed and stops right in front of him, not touching, not pulling him to the surface. Instead he just stays there with him, smiling, and letting him know he's there. It is Ed who decides to live, and I think that's an important distinction. Stede doesn't save him, he just exists in Ed’s space, floating in the water, and ushering in light and hope.

The last moments are Ed waking up as Stede cries, their hands gripping onto each other in a symbolic meaning of them choosing each other, Ed choosing life. The last shot is no longer the fantastical purgatory place with bright white lights and blue water that symbolize the all encompassing pressure around Ed. Now it's the real world, where Stede is wearing blue and red, his feet are in water, and his lamp shining the light onto Ed. Their hands are clasped together as Ed takes a large breath of air - coming to life. Reborn not on the seas or water, but the boat that they fell in love with each other on.

We see continued symbolism throughout this scene. The red representing their love, the lamp set next to Ed by Stede and the bright light in the ocean that mermaid Stede brings in, showing the light and hope in Ed's mind now. And the blue colors that Stede wears, and Stede stepping into the water-logged cabin, showing how he is joining Ed in his world. And when Ed chooses life, all of those things are there to greet him but not in the bright fantasy colors of his mind, but rather the muted colors of the real world.

The cinematography of purgatory is lighter in tones. The ocean is dark until Stede brings in the white blinding light, which then surrounds them, turning the water around them to a soft blue. On the other hand, the lighting on the ship is darker. The brown wood of the cabin are just shapes in the background. The only light is from the deep orange lantern glow. The contrast in colors representing the fantasy from reality.

Every single cut in the editing has a purpose. Each action that happens in the real world is immediately reflected in the purgatory mindset. Not a single shot wasted. This scene is beautifully put together in all aspects of the filmmaking.

Hand gif credit

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Refire the Sets

I'll try my best to break down what I love about this scene.

The whip pan from Sydney to Carmy- telling us something is coming. The transition gives us this disoriented feeling.

Oh, and the symbolism of the dish that triggers Carmy- they could have used any of the dishes to start a response, but they chose the one from Carmy's past.

The acting: Carmy stutters, and that frustrates him even more that he can't get the words out, Sydney's reaction to each fuck is Sydney trying to make sense of his anger.

The camera moves to Sydney and the clock behind her heightens the intensity.

When Carmy pleads, please just refire, just refire, please, the climbing music lowers a bit- signaling that this may not repeat the 1x07 review moment since Carmy tries to calm himself down.

And it won't be a repeat because Sydney speaks up for herself this time; she's not frozen in the wake of his anger; instead, she's ready to point out the reasons behind the error.

Writing: The quick dialogue happening at once- when Sydney and Carmy argue, their words collide, but they can catch everything the other is saying and react to it. There's no stone left unturned between Sydney and Carmy because they're listening to every word that comes out of their mouth.

While Sydney tells him what he was doing that caused the dead fish. Carmy hears it and reacts, and this time, it has nothing to do with the guy by the window. It has everything to do with Sydney. The rollercoaster from pleading just refire to the sudden explosion of Syd.Syd. I love how that's written and Jeremy's power behind calling her name.

The camera zooms in on Carmy when he says each word- Refire the sets. They've been sitting here for fucking ever. Refire. The camera gives us the feeling of heightened anxiety that's still there. But there's another whip pan when Sydney warns Carmy Watch it dude.

With Sydney's warning, the music returns to normal and at a normal volume. The camera focuses on Carmy again- but this time it's not as close- his panic attack is over.

The greatest part about this- this whole scene was only about 45 seconds, and it put us in a different world. That's what it always seems like with Sydney and Carmy- whether an argument or coming closer- it's a scene that slows down or speeds up the story's pace.

Kudos to the cinematography, writing, directing, and acting in this short amount of time.

[allhappyandgay]

The bedroom scene was undeniably flirtatious and romantically coded and whoever says it isn’t is specifically filtering out the signs so they don’t see it

(because we all know if they were straight everyone would clearly view it as what it is: an intimate moment)

here’s why:

Mike’s (and will’s) body language

The shots and cinematography (I was planning on linking @byleranalysis’s video on this scene cuz it’s great but I can’t find it, still though the shots are very telling. edit: t'was found! x)

Labeled ‘intimate moment’ in the script

Interruption trope

It inspired will to take his painting which is a symbol of his love for mike

Mike enters the room, completely shutting the door behind him (no matter the reason), leaving the two of them alone. He sits down on the bed, letting his bottom lip audibly slip out from under his teeth and nervously drums his legs while looking will up and down from behind. he let’s out, “thanks by the way,” which he knows Will will have to question (re: “I didn’t say it”). mike is aware will doesn’t know what he’s referring to, adding clear design to his approach.

Now this could just be me but starting a conversation with something like “thanks by the way,” regarding what you know the other person is unaware of, is intentionally setting them up for a surprise appraisal, which I think is very flirty.

This allows mike to make a joke out of his shitty behavior as a means to lighten the mood because admitting you were wrong and being able to make fun of yourself is hot, sorry not sorry! this is mike giving will permission to laugh at his behavior with him, which seriously throws him off and he looks mike up and down before turning away in excitement, denial, self preservation, vulnerability or most likely all of the above lol, poor flustered will. once he turns away mike draws in a deep breath to wipe the smile off his face so he can focus on apologizing to him. he shakes himself out of whatever trance he was just in so he could get to his point, squinting one eye and stuttering as he changes the subject. “hey, also, but, uh, about the last few days,” he starts, exiting flirting territory.

He tells will his home isn’t the same without him despite having all their other friends, and doesn’t mention his girlfriend until suggesting he was worrying too much about her, followed by “I don’t know, maybe I feel like I lost you or something,” bringing the two right back into a flirtatious standpoint.

This again could just be me, but asking “does that make sense?” is such a… I don’t even know the word, it’s just, such a thing to say lol. there are some situations where it’s annoying to hear, like a parent trying to confirm their child knows what they did was wrong. but the way mike asked will if what he’s saying makes sense low key gives me butterflies. he paused to make sure he’s on the same page in such a soft way and will immediately nods his head, holding back tears. Idk maybe Im making it a bigger deal than it is but I love that simple line from mike so much.

Mike and will both nervously gulp down air, unable to take their eyes off each other. the tension rises as the camera gets closer to both their faces, removing any physical distance you might’ve thought was there at one point. mike tells him that whatever it is that happens next, he thinks it will be easier to go through if they have each other, if they work as a team. quiet moments linger on their teary eyed expressions with every heartfelt addition from mike. he quickly looks will up and down again, emphasizing his desire to be “best friends,”—reciprocating wills own previously stated desire brought to light at rink o mania—his lips slowly parting with anticipation.

Will responds finally with a quiet “cool,” trying to keep his cool lol. you can see his excitement despite the stillness of his body, and there’s a calm steadiness to his eyes, glistening with tear beads. mikes eyes are also shining, the sunlight from the window illuminating his own teardrops sitting comfortably, refusing to fall. he raises one eyebrow as a smirk forms from his lips, looking him up and down once again but slower this time, before completing wills ‘cool’ with his own. he chuffs as his smirk grows into a smile, and they gaze at each other in silence for a couple moments.

This is a huge contrast to how mike was acting before their scene in Jonathan’s room, which tells us something changed for him because of it. mike was reminded how much he loves being with will, how much he missed his company. and without will having to tell him, mike realized he was being an idiot. of course this was seemingly because will reassured him about el, but quite honestly I think it was mostly by will flirting with him. he literally waltzed into wills room—without even knocking first—to get some more of whatever that was between them two scenes prior. and neither of them are fully aware the other is flirting or what that could mean (otherwise we’d be in very different territory by now), which tells us it’s intentional from both parties.

I also think it’s important to mention that what made them start flirting in Jonathan’s room was will reminding mike (and the audience) of their history and how they used to be, saying “that was you guys who saved me, that was you guys.” this is what made mike all giddy and what inspired him to address everything so they could be close like that again.

Based on this logic, will flirting with mike was what “knocked some sense into him”that he was being a “self-pitying idiot,” because mike apologizes to will by following the same energy that inspired him to, flirting. making fun of a situation. joking around.

All they had done since mike got to lenora was fight and ignore each other. then suddenly every moment they get alone they find themselves giving each other heart eyes and hiding stupid grins. they don’t even seem to question it, this is just how they are now. it comes naturally. so when mike realized how good it felt to be in wills presence again without arguing and being petty, just themselves, it probably gave him a huge confidence boost and made him feel better about the entire situation. yes will told him he would have another chance to tell el what he didn’t get to (which is what the GA thinks he wanted to hear), but what really lifted his spirits was having will back in his life, which inspired him to confront and apologize to him. he got a taste of what they could be like, and decided he needed that. he couldn’t go back to fighting and being awkward after their moment in Jonathan’s room. when he confidently swung the door to will’s open, and skipped straight into flirting, that was mike implementing his decision to turn back the clock, make things go back to how they were. but this time with slightly different intentions in mind.

Mike suggesting they be friends (best friends) again is also a callback to, canonically, “the best thing [he’s] ever done,” I might add. that holds a lot of weight, they didn’t need to remind the audience of mikes (also teary eyed and intimate) monologue in s2 but they did. mike basically relived the best thing he’s ever done in this scene.

After mike and will have their “intimate moment,” as the script itself calls it, a tire screech dramatically breaks their eye contact. we are brought back down to earth, where the two of them are actually several feet apart and not face to face. if you felt like they were supposed to kiss, you were quickly reminded that they physically couldn’t lol.

The tire screech wasn’t even that loud and yet their demeanors both changed drastically in less than a second, as if they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Jonathan hadn’t even barged in yet, but they were so focused on each other that a loud noise basically jumpscared them out of it lmao.

This is, as we all know, the interruption trope, which is used most commonly for ‘will they won’t they,’ tension reliant, slow-burn romances to keep you on the edge of your seat, only to make you throw your arms in the air and yell “oh, come on!”

The last part of the scene mike gets up and goes to the window with Jonathan, but we keep our eyes on will who gives mike one last pineful look before quickly grabbing his painting—a symbol of his love for mike—and stuffs it into his bag.

This is intentionally showing the audience that their conversation gave will either the confidence to give it to him—which he seemingly has been going back and forth between based on mikes behavior toward him, proving that’s what made him decide to take it in the end—or hope that it could go well, possibly implying he thought mike might feel the same, or at the very least was flirting with him (which he was).

The fact this moment was deliberately focused on says “hey! will got an idea from this interaction—one that specifically made him decide to take the painting—so you should too!”

In conclusion, gæ.

[larrylimericks]

23Mar23

We’re feeling some internal friction At silver screen Louis’ depiction; All the world is a stage But it’s hard to engage When plot lines combine fact and fiction.

I get really rambly below the fold. Proceed with caution if you’re over the discourse already.

I debated seeing All of Those Voices in theaters. I didn’t see either of Harry’s films in theaters — Harries are too much of a wildcard, and I refused to sit through hours of squeals and gasps and reactions, not to the movie but to “omg! Harry’s going down on someone! omg, Harry’s bum!” So I was already tentative about seeing Louis’ film in a shared space, outside the protective silos of tumblr. But I bought a ticket, because I want to support him and because I was genuinely curious what story would be told. Then we got the trailer and I hesitated again, not wanting to watch a propaganda film. But, I’ve lived through all the other Bullshit moments, so I figured I could live through Bullshit on the big screen.

My theater crowd was great — pretty neutral aside from an amusing row of politely excitable Larries I was in secret solidarity with. And I pretty much loved the film. Well, 92% of it. I look forward to watching it again when it streams. I mean, it was an hour and a half of content featuring this fascinating creature we’re all obsessed with. I didn’t want to blink. I hung on his every word (when I could understand them). How cool to get, essentially, a long-form interview, where he’s not promoting an album and we’re not getting the same sound bytes. Louis is wonderfully open and vulnerable, and the story of his life (heh) is inherently compelling. The cinematography is beautiful. The behind-the-scenes are delightful and delicious. I can’t wait for the AOTV gif sets once we have it in high-def.

But it has some plot holes as wide and deep as the ones in Don’t Worry Darling.

First, there’s the confusing (to the uninformed) absence of a love interest. Louis is asexual, as far as the film goes. There’s not even a ghost of Eleanor, with whom he’s cumulatively spent a decade and who is supposed to have inspired so many great love songs and with whom he is supposed to have survived a pandemic. Props to E for living her best life now: going to see Scream on AOTV opening day, enjoying full custody of the pups, publicly supporting her assumed partner — sorry you got Kiki Layned from the film, but I’m guessing you weren’t even written into the script. (It’s not like the film was conveniently re-edited in the months since their break-up. Her stunt tapering was intentional.)

Then there’s the glaring absence of a baby mama (thank god; that family would have been even more insufferable). We’re cruising along for 45 minutes or so and then, wham, Dad!Louis enters the chat with a fully formed 6-year-old child. The kid just magically appears with no backstory — just like in real life ... twice (the first time with the pregnancy announcement and the second time with the revival of Dad!Louis after several years of dormancy, right in time for documentary filming. Just like Harry stunted with his co-star during filming and production, Louis stunted with his.)

The kid is cute, and faultless in this. The scenes are objectively sweet (as they were designed to be). But Louis, who normally keeps things very close to the vest, is all of a sudden an emotional spigot you can’t turn off when it comes to these scenes. It seems quite out of character. Which brings back to mind that this Louis *is* a character. The Freddie scenes just didn’t seem to have a point in the plot other than: Louis is a dad. And that role isn’t integral to the film’s story.

He’s incredibly emotional with Freddie, but the movie doesn’t tell us why. The storytelling gets lazy here. The lad/dad plot seems wedged in. The movie would be perfectly complete without it. I felt like it could have been integrated a few different ways: Louis experienced tragedy after tragedy after tragedy — loses 1D, loses his mum, loses his sister ... and then impending fatherhood either becomes another trial he must reluctantly face (in the surprise pregnancy narrative) or it helps him navigate the grief of losing his sole parent, his closest confidante. OR, Louis, not wanting to be like the absentee father he had, shows up for his own oopsie baby despite the unexpected circumstances. But there’s no exposition or rising action. No footage or photos from the first few years of the kid’s life that we haven’t already seen. Just an immaculate conception.

I think the most compelling narratives of the film are these:

Louis’ overcoming adversity after adversity after adversity. Holy hell. I lived through 1D ending, through the devastating news about Jay (god, I remember the shock and sadness of that day — it was incomprehensible), through the heartbreaking news about Fizzy, and then when you think Louis is gonna get his moment of victory with his first solo world tour, coronavirus pulls the rug out. (That sequence was well done: where we keep seeing the dates get closer and closer to March 2020, and we all know the villain that’s coming, but it’s still such a blow.) I lived through all that in real time, but seeing it in such a concentrated sequence really highlights the shit he’s been dealt, and hearing him open up about so much of it ... that’s the character development relevant to the film’s denouement. And getting to see Louis get what he deserves, finally, and hearing him acknowledge that he deserves it, was a lovely ending.

Louis’ journey to find his footing and his confidence as a solo artist after unfathomable success as part of a group. But, in a sort of plot twist, he’s not really solo, is he? The film gives a lovely introduction to his band now — and in their own words, reveals that they’re not just a backing band, they’re a *band* band. Louis has let them in. He’s forged a new brotherhood. *That*, for me, was the heartwarming story. I loved those scenes, loved seeing Louis in his element, which is in a collective, where he is both king and jester at the same time. (Or perhaps Oli’s the jester. Thank fuck for him, man. Oli is the standout. The breakthrough performance. The comic relief. I want a spinoff series.) It’s easy to miss 1D and glorify those short years and think nothing will ever top it, but Charlie’s storytelling of the LT Band is remarkable. We’re left looking forward, not back.

I know Louis’ dedication to his fans and his fans’ dedication to him is a huge focus, but I don’t really enjoy watching commentaries on fandoms I’m a part of. I’m living it. I don’t need outsider context. And in a fandom as fractured as Louis’ (and 1D’s) there’s not a universal experience. The film depicts dedication as sleeping on streets for rail, hopping from country to country and draining bank accounts — because that’s the kind of “superfandom” that gets easily turned into a marketable freak show. Show me the documentary on the fans who organize the light projects, who run the fashion accounts, who curate livestream sources on show nights, who have turned giffing into an art and science, who help promote Louis in the absence of a competent marketing team, etc., etc. I also thought the interview with the American(?) girls talking about LATAM shows was shortsighted. And showing the rainbow factions but not addressing them? What a missed opportunity to talk about songs like Only the Brave becoming a queer anthem. Straight artists can have gay fans, you know.

But the film doesn’t make the kid relevant to any of those storylines. He could have been worked into the first, but wasn’t. It was like a standalone narrative, with footage from a narrow set of days. I was at both those L.A. shows. The energy was so different from night 1 to 2. And in retrospect it’s clear Louis was performing the first night so Charlie could get the right shots. More like a choreographed play than a rock concert. It makes sense now why the Clarks weren’t in the VIP box with Freddie — couldn’t have them cluttering the frame or distracting the actors. Just, everything about the Freddie scenes is heavy-handed. Make a sign for your dad! Draw his logo in the sand! Fly a kite at sunset! He’s the spitting image of Louis! (Len does all the heavy lifting.) And all the maneuvering it had to take to get all those shots from the L.A. show?! In the VIP box from behind (and from the front, and when he just happens to be mouthing along to Two Of Us), side stage watching Louis end the show, on-stage watching Louis approach Freddie after the show, on-stage catching the moment Louis gives the lad a shout-out ... Charlie had a shot list. But sure, nothing was set up, it was totally organic.

I’m still unsettled by how heavily Charlie laid it on at the first premiere press conference — *he* was the one to bring up the kid, and was weirdly emphatic that nothing was staged, nothing was forced. It had the same energy of the “It’s. Not. Real” thrown baby doll moment, only it’s Charlie insisting that It. Is. Real. Thou dost protest too much, me thinks.

And of course, the lack of interaction between Louis and Harry remains, as ever, the biggest tell. We get poignant post-1D Nouis and Lilo moments in the film, but no Larry. We’re spoon-fed these Very Emotional Moments between father and son (“love you,” “Darling,” mouth kisses), when the real story, the real emotion, the real connection is in just a few seconds of furtive glances between Harry and Louis in the backstage footage of the last 1D performance. Christ, the way Harry’s eyes bore into Louis — chin tilted down, eyes glancing up from beneath a furrowed brow, lips tight, disguising his attentiveness with a hair flip ... they mastered so many forms of silent communication. The quiet call and response, the depths of love and care and concern and protection contained in micro-expressions. Fuck, give me 90 minutes of that. Just a silent film of Louis and Harry looking at each other.

Anyway. Sorry this sounds so grumpy. I did really love most of the movie. But I haven’t made sense of why this film was made. I don’t know its purpose. Maybe the introspection forced by the pandemic lockdown is to credit for this glut of music docs (“docs”) lately. Maybe nine minutes frees him up for nine more months or nine more years. I dunno. He obviously wanted this story told in this way.

Seeing a movie requires the willing suspension of disbelief. You have to ignore critical thinking in order to enjoy the story you’re being told. You tune out your knowledge that everything is fake for the sake of being entertained. We know that Superman can’t actually fly, but we still buy tickets to the cinema. But, a documentary shouldn’t require us to employ this semi-conscious perceiving mode. Yet here we are. I’m just not sure how much more or how much longer we can suspend our disbelief to enjoy fandom.

[theflyindutchwoman]

I've got her! I've got her!! Right there. Here. Come on! Here she is. Help me.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 2.11 - Day of Death

I can't express how much I love this episode. It is such a masterpiece that I know that anything I write will automatically pale in comparison… So I'm just going to gush over some of my favorite moments.

The way Tim's emotions are so palpable during the whole episode, but particularly here… For someone who's usually good at compartmentalising, it says a lot about his feelings that he can barely keep it together. The only time we saw him this feral and this distraught was over Isabel and she was his wife… The cinematography and music just enhance everything he is going through here : the golden lights that remind us that Lucy is running out of time… the haunting piano notes or silence that give an eerie atmosphere… the looming dead tree… All of this serve to heighten Tim's feeling of despair.

His distress when Angela announces that she can't tell from the video if Lucy's still alive, is written all over his face. So is the confusion that quickly changes to hope when he spots her moonstone ring… And how symbolic is it that he finds her ring. Or that Lucy threw it as a breadcrumb - for him specifically. He once told her that the most important thing she needed was her eyes - cop eyes - and she remembered it. She left something for him to find, knowing that he would, as she admitted to him later. Because he also taught her during the manhunt that she's never alone. But it goes beyond trust : what she had was faith in him. And the fact that he rapidly recognises her ring just shows how attuned he already is to her. As far as we know, she only wore it twice in his presence : when they won the roundup competition and when she gave him her "evaluation" of him. And yet, he remembered and knew that it wasn't just some random piece of jewellery. Granted, the odds that someone else lost a ring there were minimal. But as we've seen with his Valentine's day present, he was paying attention to her.

And then there's this mix of desperation and hope when he finds out where she's buried, calling the others frantically, digging her out with his bare hands, not even stopping for a shovel… Or when he opens the barrel, not knowing if she's merely unconscious or not breathing… When he breathes life back to her… Armstrong's look says it all : what's driving Tim is something far more powerful than just guilt. Or duty.

There's also this immense sigh of relief that can be heard once Lucy regains consciousness… The way he's gently putting one hand under her head to make her more comfortable and help her get her bearings, maintaining contact with her to ground her… It's such a contrast to how feral he was before. Or the way he holds her close to him at first when she starts crying, trying to comfort her before hugging her tightly, cradling her, swaying a bit, with his hand in her hair… The way her trembling hand is gripping Tim, holding onto him like a lifeline… How she's hiding in his embrace and he's giving her some sense of privacy when she breaks down… How he's whispering soothing words to her - and I love that we can't really hear what he's telling her, that everybody else are giving them time and space. It adds to this feeling of intimacy, to this idea of privacy he's giving her despite the fact that they're surrounded by their friends and colleagues - and commander. It's just the two of them in that moment. That hug was as much for her than for him. After the ordeal she went through, Lucy desperately needed to feel safe again - or as safe as possible. And Tim himself needed the reassurance that she was alive. To quote another show - he cares, a lot more than he's supposed to. And it was in full display in this episode.

[piningintrovert]

I've seen a lot of great discourse surrounding the cinematography in RWRB, but I would like to draw your attention to the top tier sound editing during that turkey phone call scene between Alex and Henry.

If you're able to listen closely, you can hear the sound of Henry's voice change from the staticky, muted tone that you usually hear over the phone into his normal voice as he appears on Alex's bed. Then once he turns away from Alex and they're getting ready to end the call, his voice goes back to that distant, staticky tone again.

It's such a small detail but it makes huge impact (at least imo).

[blues-valentine]

Okay, but HSMTMTS was insane for having Gina look at Ricky as he enters the room when Ashlyn sings “Is this home?” And then having both Ricky and Gina on frame for: “I am here for a day or forever? Shut away from the world until who knows when. Oh but then, as my life has been altered once, it can change again. Build higher walls around me. Change every lock and key. Nothing lasts, nothing holds all of me.” and then “My heart’s far, far away…” as Ricky walks out of the door and out of frame. Like, this was insane cinematography and foreshadowing.

And people doubting Ricky and Gina wouldn’t be endgame is insane because this level of effort isn’t put on non-endgame ships. They didn’t need Ricky in that scene, they just did it so they could mirror the lyrics with them and their constant theme of change and basically tells us that Ricky is Gina’s home and heart.

[episodeoftv]

Round 4 of 8

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5.16 The Body

tw Death of a major character, grief, dealing with the death of a parent

Buffy, Dawn, and their friends deal with the aftermath of Joyce's death.

The purposeful removal of music for the whole episode, the grief portrayed, the portrayals of people with varying amounts of interaction with death. It hits so hard.

This episode killed me. I have never watched anything that has fully encompassed the feeling of loss and what it's like to experience death close to you than The Body. It is an absolute gut punch in the best way. I actually had to take a week off of watching Buffy to recover because I was so destroyed. 12/10 I don't think I will ever be able to watch this episode of TV ever again

One of the greatest depictions of grief and bereavement of all time. Both formally inventive and unique in its cinematography, sound design, editing etc. while also being an incredible personally affecting emotional experience.

There’s another buffy episode that probably deserves the title more, but I did have to give this one some recognition. For a whacky silly show about vampires, this episode is maybe the realest portrayal of death and grief I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a sad episode that makes audiences cry - I mean it is that - but it’s also this incredible examination of what it’s like to lose someone, and how the world shifts on its axis when that happens. The lack of any non diegetic music is an amazing touch to give this episode a sense of distance from all others. It’s real in a way that’s hard to watch but also unforgettable. Certain scenes and lines will always stay with me and will forever shape my feelings on life and loss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)

Leverage: 3.11 The Rashomon Job

Each member of the team recalls the story of an artifact all of them tried to steal on the same night five years ago.

its a great little bottle episode, if bottle episode meant something completely different than what it does. we get a sneak peak into everyone's histories, we get people making fun of each other by changing their stories once they realize oh my god that was YOU??? and we get shit like the Shrimp Allergy Debacle

https://leverage.fandom.com/wiki/The_Rashomon_Job

[luescris]

Guys. You guys. Guys.

I don't know what to do with myself right now.

We've been rewatching Trollhunters the past few weeks or so now. We are already on the last four ish eps of the last season. We just got done watching A House Divided. Aka the episode where Jim sacrifices his humanity to turn into a half troll.

For Pete's sake. I genuinely forgot how many emotions not only this show, but that part specifically gets out of me. I was stimming, and crying, and laughing all at once. Because oh my god. the way they did it.

the music. the cinematography. the way jims memories like. responded to when his friends/family was calling to him on the other side of the door. trying to get him to listen. to go back. my heart split into a million pieces.

I've never felt nearly as devastated as that moment. the only show that comes close is Turtles. but Jim's story. Jim's whole entire thing. They did everything so good it's insane. I could go on about this for hours I don't even care if this fandom is basically dead now.

And not only that, not only did i cry again to this episode. but i freaking found the music for that exact scene on freaking Spotify. I'm going to torture myself by listening to it over and over again because it's so just. Full. Y'know?????

I'm going bonkers. off the walls. insane. biting my pillows and wallowing in sorrow. ough

[crowncrown]

i rewatched genloss episode three and I’m about to make it everyone’s problem

Rewatching this episode with the knowledge of what’s going to happen adds such a nuance to this that you can’t fully understand until you already know the ending. From the first 10 minutes Hetch repetitively tells Ranboo he’s still in control of the simulation. He says things like

“Just listen to me I’ve got everything under control”

“I’ve programmed them (the Showfall drones) to believe there’s no show going on right now”

“I’ve disabled your mask”

Even Ranboo acknowledges this, at one point exclaiming

“I don’t know! you’re the one in control!”

Ranboo has gotten very used to this routine. Do what you’re told. Try to succeed the best you can. And maybe less people will die in the process. But this times different. He’s given partial control. The veil over his eyes is lowered just enough where he’s seeing more than he’s ever seen before. But he has no control. Hetch is doing the same thing Showfall has been doing this whole time. Telling Ranboo exactly what to do to get the best show out of him.

As the episode goes on, Showfall alludes to the simulation being active as ever more and more. There’s still background music perfectly timed. The camera angles are still there. Hetch gives us a lazy excuse that he’s using it to watch Ranboo, but this is the same guy who said Ethan and Nikki are still alive and well.

But I think the most sinister thing this time around is that they’re not just feeding Ranboo the answer to the questions they throw at him. They’re feeding him a narrative. When he exclaims “why me?!” Hetch responds with no hesitation “There must be something special about you”

“It’s a show. There’s a script. You’re the hero” ***

(We will most definitely come back to this ;) )

The most CLEAR part that shows us that the simulation is alive, before of course, we are shown very obviously, is the lead up to the kill switch scene. The audio distortion times up with Charlie’s perfectly timed speech. It has its own music. So many different camera angles. Zooms. It’s the best camera work of the whole show. It’s so cinematic and that’s on PURPOSE. Showfall is winking at us through the production of this, almost teasing us at what’s to come very soon after. We should have caught this. We should have been screaming at the screen telling our beloved hero to run. But we were celebrating. This should have been our biggest sign that this is all wrong and there’s no way in hell this is right but we were CELEBRATING. Our hero had won right?!

Yet he knew subconsciously that it was all wrong. Why else would you bow at a camera that’s supposed to be turned off? Once again he’s blind. The veil is pulled fully over his eyes yet again and he is back to the puppet we’ve gotten to know all along.

His victory is nothing but a set up to add more to the cinematography of his death.

And it leads on to the scene that we all dread on every rewatch. The execution. Or the box as I like to call it (🙃) Remember that point I said we’d come back to? This scene has so many parallels it makes my head spin. Hetch reassures Ranboo less than 20 minutes before that:

“You were just doing what you needed to to survive”

“There must be something special about you”

Because he had to do what he had to do right? He was just a guy trying to survive? Or was he? Did our beloved hero really have to do the things he did? Did he betray us? It festers in our brains deciding if this man should live or die while Hetch fuels the fire.

“don’t you see there’s consequences to your own actions?!”

“We only pushed you in the right direction!”

“That was the real you! Ranboo!”

He parallels these phrases in a way that makes us question everything we think we know about him. And the final nail in the coffin hits us right in the decision making skills as he hammers in:

“The choices you made. That’s the real you. That’s what makes you a hero”

That’s. What makes you. A hero.

No valiant efforts. No conquests. Not even winning. No. This was never about being brave or bold. This was about being a pawn. An actor playing whatever part he’s told to play. “The hero” is a title only given to the unluckiest of fools. Believing they are making a difference while being tossed away the second they break script.

That’s what makes a hero.

[follows-the-bees]

How center-framed shots of Ed's back show his emotional state and isolation

The use of negative space (Part Two)

(Part One: the use of greenery in the negative space of episode 1x7: It's Happening.)

This time I want to focus on the center-framed back shots of Ed.

Not pictured but still important and part of this analysis: When he prepares for Izzy to shoot him in 2x2, the opening of 2x8: Fisherman Ed. (There may be more but that's all I could think of/find at the time of this posting.)

Unlike in Part One, where negative space is mainly used to show the relationship between people/nature, these shots are used to show the mental state of Ed, his isolation. There is no one else present in the frames and often not even in the same room as him.

All of these moments have something in common: Ed is at some of his most vulnerable and alone. And this is shown by how small Ed is in the frame and using the open negative space around him.

1x9 and 2x8 Stede's Absence

Ed is first surrounded by the purple symbolizing his love, Stede not showing lip. Ed is looking out into the vast ocean (he feels like he's drowning.) In the second one, he is surrounded by the ship explosions wreckage, the cinematography color grading is tinted grey just like the previous episode when Stede and Ed fought. Once again, his thoughts are on the absence of Stede. Ed looks at the mainland, away from the ocean, fitting this season's theme of finding ground. These similar shots, trains of thoughts (the tracks leading to Stede), the basic colorless outfits, all show the emptiness in these two moments.

(gif:loveexpelrevolt)

1x3, 1x5, 2x3, 2x8 Ed's Other Personas

Throughout the series, Ed takes on different personas/roles: Jeff the Accountant, Jeff the Innkeeper, the Fisherman, Blackbeard/Kraken. And with every intro to this new character Ed's back is the first thing we see. It is a clue to the audience that this isn't the real Ed, these are personas he shuffles on and has to turn around (in frame) to capture.

For both Jeff personas, Ed turns into the frame, like an actor transforming their identity, a switch of the mind. Jeff's story and journey starts positive but quickly derails into fruatration when things don't go as planned. Ed must drop this identity and go back to just being Ed.

The camera movement in 2x8 with Ed's fisherman persona amplifies how it is different than Jeff's. Instead of Ed turning into the shot, more upbeat and smiley, the camera rotates around Ed to reveal his face. Ed's voiceover during this invokes a calm mindset that Ed is trying to encompass. This calmness means he can stare out into the water, content, not psych himself up to be fake upbeat.

While these shots can symbolize Ed's need to play, they also symbolize how he has compartmentalized himself. Jeff is separate, Blackbeard is separate (he works for him), and the Kraken is separate.

2x1 and 2x2 The Kraken

Ed sits down in the darkened/covered windows of the captain's quarters, arguably in one of the most vulnerable moments we've seen of him. It is the only time Ed is shirtless (other moments of his vulnerability consist of being down to just a t-shirt — the purple of 1x7 and black of 2x3.) While we don't know if the "trust no one" tattoo is new, the ink is darker than his other tattoos, so it at least stands out more. He is surrounded by random objects, bottles of alcohol, and rhino horn.

Missing from here but also part of this conversation is during the scene where he hands Izzy the gun and asks him to shoot him. This is the pinnacle moment of his suicidal tendencies, he puts his arms out in acceptance, his hands free of anything.

These moments are both calm, quiet, both in darkened recesses of the ship (like the darkness of his mind/mental wellbeing at this moment). Ed is at the height of the Kraken persona, but he is also resolute in his final actions. We see this "peace" continue the rest of the episode when he stands at the wheel and turns the ship toward the storm.

The show consistently uses this center-framed shots to visually represent Ed's mental state; the negative space around Ed shows his isolation. The cinematography choices also add to the emotional symbolism, the darkness of the Kraken shots, the grey/purple when Ed's thinking of Stede, to the brighter blue of Purgatory. All this camerawork and cinematography come together in such a beautiful way. I love how good this show is at visual storytelling.

(Part three of this series coming soon.)

[galaxythreads]

I've seen so many posts talking about all the bad things about s2 of Loki, so things that ARE good about season 2 so far:

The mystery of episode 1 was, once you got into it, really compelling and sucked you into it

the pacing is much better in s2 than it was in s1

We're at the midway point and thus far Sylvie has barely had 5 minutes of screen time. She's not taking over the story. She's barely in the story. And though I do want to see her story come to a satisfying conclusion, it's been nice to not have her overpower the narrative

What wasn't working with Mobius and Loki in s1 IS working in s2. In s1 I couldn't believe they were friends if you forced me to, in S2 it is clear that they actually care about each other

The TVA is a lot more gray than it was in s1. In season 1 they tried really hard to make it Secretly We're the Victims, but in s2 they're adding a lot more nuance to what's going on

The cinematography has been amazing

The soundtrack of s2 is really good as well

Loki has been much more in character of OG loki than he was in s1. He doesn't fidget as much, he's not dismissive of things, he seems a lot more assure of himself in s2 than he did in s1. Like he's not constantly trying to prove something to Mobius. And this is because he and Mobius are actually friends in s2, so Loki feels secure in his presence and it's easy to show

Mobius has respect for Loki's abilties in s2. He lets Loki use magic and actually frequently encourages him to. Mobius doesn't see him as a stupid little "pussy cat" he actually sees Loki as a threat and lets him be a threat

Loki's use of magic feels a lot more like it's something he's been doing his entire life and less like a OH YEAH! HE HAS MAGIC QUICK USE THAT TO SHOW OFF FOR A MOMENT!! :DD like no. Loki braces for fights with magic. It's just really nice to see.

Loki hunting down Brad (?) in the opening of s2 and completely owning him. I have nothing else to say. That scene was THE scene to me.

Mobius and Loki are actually trying to take care of each other

Mobius has a lot more depth in this season because of how dark the TVA is

Ravonna's speech about how the TVA was held together by the skin of her teeth and how the moment she left it all fell apart. It was a really powerful moment that showcased how much depth there is the Ravonna.

Ravonna and Victor's sorta romance. I didn't love it, but it actually worked really well in the context of epi 3, and I love that they subverted your expectations by having it be Miss Minutes who was actually the insane lover

I didn't love most of episode 3, but I did think it was an interesting direction to take the series, adding in Victor. He's more sympathetic than HWR was so we feel more for him.

Loki vs Brad.

Episode 2

Have I mentioned that I love episode 2?

No push toward a sylki agenda. No push toward Lokius. Loki's relationships with everyone is purely platonic and it's clearly written as platonic and it's nice that Loki is just getting support from his friends, not being shoved into a romance box. While they've talked about Sylki, there has been exactly 0 moves to make it canon again. They're kind of ignoring it happened, which is probably for the best.