Filmic Experience
Jurassic Park
Two Aspects of Film Experience: Sensory and Collective. Sensory enables new forms of feeling ensuring immersion. It’s about the experience of a place, situation, the world of images/sounds. Collective is available to everyone, the theme is of general interest and expresses common values and engagement. - F. Casetti
Week 3: Montage Theory
Here dives into the different types edits made during a film making different types of shots are a big one, shot like the following, Wide shot, Medium shot, Close shot, Extreme close Shot and also different shot angles like Bird’s Eye View, High Angle, Eye Level, Low Angle, Worm’s-eye view. The film The Godfather displays examples of Eisensteinian Montage which is a juxtaposition of shots cut together to generate symbolic meaning and also the Kuleshov Effect which is also a juxtaposition but of images that have an emotional effect on surrounding images that we earlier saw changing their innate meaning through association.
The Godfather - Forum
The Godfather (1972) Francis Ford Coppola. This is a film that I have never seen before and it is a type of movie that I haven't really watched before but it is definitely worth the watch. I do find it interesting to watch and dive into the storyline behind a mafia family containing their power, family, and the crimes these people go through, and watching how Michael changes from being the distant one in the family's criminal activities to being pulled back into the work of crime after Vito is hospitalized.
My favourite scene from "The Godfather" is the horse head scene. This was a very disturbing and chilling scene. Seeing this man peacefully wake up in bed to the terror in his eyes as we know he is covered in blood and sleeping with a dead horse.
Overall I would give The Godfather a ⅖ star rating, personally it just wasn't quite my favourite type of movie. I found it to be hard to follow along with what exactly was happening and dragged on a bit too long to keep my attention but all round has potential and is not a poorly written film.
★★ Watched 25 Jan 2024
Week 4: Film and Affect
The Royal Tenenbaums - Forum
The 2001 ‧ Comedy/ drama movie The Royal Tenenbaums was directed by Wes Anderson. I personally enjoyed this movie quite a lot. This takes us through the story of this dysfunctional family. I found it interesting to dive into the story of Richie and his adopted siblings, especially Margot. The romantic feelings for Margot that Richie grows is a key theme in this movie. The movie shows many vibrant colour hues and unique styles with a quirky aesthetic. My favourite scene has to be when Richie hits a breaking point while playing tennis, as he loses his match I found it to be quite upsetting but also very humorous. I give this movie a 4/5 star rating the scenes from this movie are unique and quite funny.
★★★★ Watched 02 Feb 2024
Mise-En-Scene: Is the arrangement of Sets, props, costumes, subjects (performance &
staging), and lighting in a play or film, focuses the attention of viewers.
Motif: This is a reoccurring prop that is symbolic and significant.
Staging: is the act of how elements are arranged in scenes.
Affect: Physiological expression of internal emotional state.
The Close-Up: the close-up zooms in on the face to help viewers feel emotionally closer to a character by getting physically closer to them.
Costumes and makeup also plays a huge role in films, it helps actors stand out. Different costumes/outfits/makeup can change our perspective on a character. “All films are designed to generate a continuous interplay of stimulus and bodily response between screen and spectator” —Doug Mcdougall, the Corporeal Image.
Week 6: Cinema and the (Male) Gaze
Gaze is a subject looking upon another as an object. Typically gaze is a one-sided viewing.
Scopophilia: is the act of looking as a source of pleasure
Voyeur/ism: Viewing someone without their knowledge or consent, for example; Jeff spying on Lars Thorwald in Rear Window. Exhibitionism: the practice of enjoying performing for someone viewing as the object of the gaze
The "male gaze": How film idealizes women visually as passive objects from a heterosexual male perspective. The patriarchy is a prime example of male gaze thinking, it's a system of society where men hold all power and women are shut out from any form of this power.
Rear Window - Forum
"Rear Window" is a 1954, Thriller/Mystery. Jeff is a photographer who becomes wrapped into a murder mystery seen through his window. There was a slight mix of seeing everything through Jeffs's POV and an outsider/ Lars Thorwald. I found it very interesting to see how being handicapped makes Jeff form of fun people-watching, and when that goes south he is left almost “useless” which creates a scene of sadness for him. My favourite scene is when Jeff is caught spying on Lars and they make eye contact with each other, I love this because it's so suspenseful. I give Rear Window a 4-star rating. This film was suspenseful and for the most part exciting to watch. I did find the acting to be a little on the rough side but not too bad overall.
Star rating: ★★★★
week 8: Revisioning the Gaze (Women’s Cinema)
The Female Gaze is what men think women want to see, the female gaze doesn’t exist. The cinema in terms of women, was made by women for women. It broadcasts the perspective of life using characters in visual media to portray a female’s point of view. It emphasizes the growths and challenges women face. Female gaze challenging traditional male-dominated presentions. Painting women as empowering rather than passive objects. Archival footage: is a film taken from an archive, and then used to new film (from personal or historical/museum)
Stories We Tell - Forum
The stories We Tell is drama documentary made in 2012. I enjoyed the film "Stories We Tell" by Sarah Polley. I liked watching as Polley's family reflect on their own perceptions of things that they encountered in the past, as the recreate it. Also the film's use of Super 8 to get a home movies vibe adds a nostalgic feel. Sarah Polley takes us through her life as she disovers who her biological father is. Facing the challenge of adapting with this new information and learning more about her life. This film had moments where it was a bit dry and dragged but I still enjoyed the drama of this. I give this a ⅘ star rating.
★★★★ Watched 01 Mar 2024
Week 9: Black Female Spectatorship - Forum
Us
"Us" is a 2019 film directed by Jordan Peele. This is a horror genre film. The movie is about a family and their doppelgängers that turn dangerous and haunt them. This group is known as "The Tethered." This movie starts by showing us flashback scenes from when young Adelaide goes through a trauma at the beachside inside of the house of mirrors. Here Adelaide and Red come face to face in horror. I also originally didn’t like horror films but this one was quite fun to watch I wouldn't say it was very gory or gruesome and I found it to be interesting and keep you captivated. I give this a 5/5 star rating.
★★★★★ Watched 08 Mar 2024
"The Oppositional Gaze" is how Black women look and fit into the media and society regarding stereotypes. Slaves were punished for looking different for many years. This topic teaches us about the experiences and different perspectives of women of colour. Talking film sense, blaxploitation is a film genre from the 1960s-70s that displayed black peoples as the casts but often to poke fun at stereotypes from black culture for sales profit. Since this time new black cinema has moved past Hollywood stereotypical roles for black cast memories.
Week 10: Simulacra and Simulation
In week 10, we dived into the topic of Simulacra and Simulation. Simulacra is a copy/representation of something real. It is the idea of replacing reality, the physical symbol with its representation. Simulacrum on the other hand is also like a replica/ copy of something but has no direct relation to what it originally represents, a representation that stands on its own. In "Being John Malkovich," simulacra and simulation are shown through people entering Malkovich's mind. Blurring lines between reality and representation.
Being John Malkovich
"Being John Malkovich" is a comedy movie directed by Spike Jonze in 1999. This film stars the American actor John Malkovich playing as himself. The story follows Craig Schwartz, who is a puppeteer but works on the 7 ½ floor of a NYC office. Craig finds a hidden portal, that leads into the brain/ mind of movie star John Malkovich. Upon entering this portal you get to experience Malkovich’s life for 15 minutes. After you are spit out onto the side of a freeway. Craig, Maxine and Lotte use this discovered portal as a side hustle. I thought I was really cool as the film slowly gains a cult base. My favourite scene is when John Malkovich demands to go into his own portal himself. He is haunted by is own face being on everyone and the only word that can be spoken is “Malkovich” this scene was funny but also slightly creepy.
I would give this movie a ⅘ star rating, I enjoyed all the weird twists to this plot this movie although its unlike something that I normally would watch. The actor being John Malkovich playing as himself was also a great touch.
★★★★ Watched 13 Mar 2024
week 11: Society of the Spectacle
What is a Spectacle? The society of the spectacle is social, real life downgraded by media. Commodification is when an object not specifically made for retail, becomes a product for sale, in the event of this it loses any significance and previous values. Just as Barbie herself and her talents and fashion sense are turned into a product for sale with a dollar value.
Barbie - Forum
The Barbie movie is a comedy/ fantasy movie directed by Greta Gerwig. The movie is based around the idea of the Barbie doll created by Ruth Handler and owned by Mattel. Before this movie, many took to believe that Barbie was made only for little girls and as a
‘Model’ as to what and how a woman should look and act. The ideal woman must be white, have Long blonde hair, skinny, blue eyes, perfect facial features, and date the perfect “ken” boyfriend. Even as a little girl myself this image is exactly how I wish to be, and it would upset me that I naturally didn’t fit this standard. Greta did an amazing job displaying how Barbie wasn’t made to belittle other women and make them insecure but rather empower women. While watching this I realized that the “stereotypical” Barbie wasn’t what I thought when Barbie refused to see Ken as more than her friend, as I always fell guilty viewing Ken as Barbie’s boyfriend. My favourite scene is when all the Barbies pretend to tend to the men in Barbieland to gain Barbieland back from the patriarchy land that Ken created. It displays how some men can view women and want us to be nothing but their pretty “long-term long-distance low-commitment casual girlfriends” The Barbie movie had many deep messages in it making this movie overall an amazing film. I would rate this movie a 5/5 star rating. Barbie played a huge role in my life as a girl growing up and this film brought back a nostalgic, happy feel. Now as I'm older and no longer play with Barbie it was nice to bring that memory back and see a different meaning to Barbie and what a blessing being a girl can be.
★★★★★ Rewatched 20 Mar 2024
week 12: Cult Films
Cult films have a very specific fan group, Shreks fan base is most definitely a cult from the memes to the "shrek rave" concerts. Cult films often use many tactics like dressing up, yelling, and props. Films like this just as Shrek are quite quotable and have references that turn often into memes. This is huge in Shrek. Archetypes are also a topic of this week. An archetype is a symbol or character whose role is commonly seen in many stories. These super-basic characters and the role they hold are known as archetypes examples are the heroes, villains, mentors ect.
Shrek - Forum
Shrek is a fantasy/comedy film by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. The movie is a series of 5 other sequels. This movie gives a twist on classic fairy tales and nursery rhymes that we previously knew like Big Bad Wolf by Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears from Goldilocks, Pinocchio etc. The movie is based around an ogre named Shrek, Shrek is a grumpy ogre who wants nothing more than to just be by himself in his swamp. For all the fairy tale characters to go away and return to their homes Shrek and his trusty stead (a talking donkey) must go on a quest to rescue Princess Fiona from a fire-breathing dragon. later we find out Fiona is also an ogre and a perfect lover for Shrek. One of my favourite things about rewatching Shrek at an older age is realizing some of the “mature” humour that the younger me didn’t understand. But this film also gives a meaningful message about self-image and self-acceptance. Shrek shows us the importance of inner beauty as Princess Fiona is deemed to be “ugly” at night when she turns into an orge, but Shrek sees past this and becomes her true love which makes Fiona take “true loves form” Overall Shrek is a great film that makes people of any age crack a laugh, and keeps you actively engaged in the plot. I give this film a 5/5 star rating I enjoyed this movie its definitely a classic “watch again”
★★★★★ Rewatched 27 Mar 2024
week 13: Hollywood Nostalgia
The Artist - Forum
"The Artist" is a Comedy/Romance by Michel Hazanavicius. This silent film was shot in 2011 but is aimed to look as if it was rolled out in the 20s The Artist was a fun movie to watch considering silent films are not my favourite I found The Artist to be easy to understand and have an engaging plot. Similar to other typical ‘dried up movie stars who meet and help the next star sensation’ George the washed-up silent movie star, meets Peppy a dancer and actress for the new talkies. My favourite scene is of course the end, when George makes an appearance and dances with Peppy for the premiere of Peppy's film. This just shows how George is adapting to the new times. This is when we hear to movie transition into the talkie era as actors begin to speak. Overall I rate The Artist a ⅘ star review. Again Silent films are not my go-to movies I enjoy colourful audio-filled films but It is still a great movie considering and it was fantastically thought out on how to bring the old back but also bring new modern touches to the old silent 20s in Hollywood.
Nostalgia is a flashback feeling that brings us comfort in thinking of the past and simpler times through memories. Hollywood nostalgia is seen through old black-and-white films and often silent films, the 2011 film The Artist gives a perfect example of Hollywood nostalgia. Old Hollywood films produce pastiche content which is when the movie imitates a style or many characteristics of another works.