Denotations & Connotations of The Mise- en- scene.

Film Narrative

"A filmmaker once told me that exposition in dialogue must be stated twice if anyone is going to remember it. The opening to David Fincher’s 'Se7en' introduces the protagonists, sets up the initial premise, and displays how their different personalities will clash throughout the film. Not only does it do this in less than four minutes, but it manages to communicate this information twice. It was fascinating to discover that this simple and graceful opening was actually pieced together from a much longer opening, which contained details that were meant to make appearances throughout the film. Due to the inability to move the production to New York for a shot of Morgan Freeman on a train bound for the city, the opening was ultimately carved up and rearranged into the one we now know. Without this turn of events, we never would have gotten the brilliant opening credits sequence that was made to replace the train shot. The trimmed-down opening gives us the opportunity to jump right into the story." Tyler Knudsen.

http://www.indiewire.com/embed/player.jsp?videoId=0000014c-78ae-d847-a35c-7fbfb6de0000&width=480

Narrative Theory

Narrative from Andy Wallis

Directors and Directing.

GREAT DIRECTORS from ANISMA FILMS on Vimeo.

If you're really interested in film director's and their craft, this is the video to watch. It gives a great overview and includes contributions from lots of the world's greats. Enjoy!

Foley Artists

This is the job I would like in sound! It looks fun!

Film Music

The opening titles of Blade Runner - with music,





Count on David Lynch to use a classic like Bobby Vinton’s Blue Velvet in an amusingly ironic fashion, initially playing it over gorgeously-shot images of roses and fire engines in a quiet, suburban utopia, before we cut to Jeffrey Beaumont’s father, who suffers a stroke. The idyllic song continues to play its optimistic tune, creepily juxtaposed with this man writhing around on the floor in agony, which perfectly encapsulates the film’s central premise, of a dark underbelly resting beneath the squeaky-clean veneer of Lumberton.
Blue Velvet eventually fades out, and the more sinister score fades in, making it clear that something very unpleasant indeed is about to come to the forefront.


One of the most distinctive aspects of every Quentin Tarantino film is the soundtrack, and Pulp Fiction is certainly no exception. QT usually picks music from his own record collection, and reportedly first heard Urge Overkill’s cover of Neil Diamond’s Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon in a small record shop while visiting Amsterdam.
It’s just as well, then, because the result is one of the most iconic scenes in Tarantino’s entire filmography, in large part thanks to the tune, as Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) dances around to it while Vincent Vega (John Travolta) tries to talk himself into being well-behaved.
There’s a tremendous irony that the song, about a girl coming of age, is juxtaposed with Mia snorting some cocaine. The song fades out just as things take a turn for the worse and Mia begins to convulse, having accidentally overdosed, which is another classic moment all by itself




Stanley Kubrick used Strauss to convey the awe and wonder of this sci-fi opening......



then more classical and classically inspired music in his movie of Steven King's 'The Shining'.

Lastly, directed by Steven Spielberg, the iconic 'Jaws' theme by John Williams, say no more...

Sound in Film

This is the clip that we use to look at how sound is used to create ambience and atmosphere in film, introduce and/or reinforce genre and enhance or emphasise meaning. The tempo emphasises the editing and construction of the narrative and the sense of urgency. The level of detail and variation is immense and precise and evidences the craft of this aspect of film-making perfectly.

Below is the opening sequence of David Lean's adaptation of Charles Dickens which also creates a vivid mental picture using sound.



and again the sequence below makes effective use of ‘audio closeups’ to set the scene – a singing school choir, a bicycle wheel turning, a ‘stream of consciousness’ voiceover, and music.

Mise-en-scene

Cinematography at the oscars from gedlyn

The Art of Film-making.

OK so you might not agree with everything he says, but there are some good points and tips.

Remakes: Back To The Future II

This is never going to happen but just imagine if.........My choice would be the middle one of the trilogy as it relates to us in 2015. Some predictions they got right and some we have surpassed. Some just did not come to pass. How would you update the original ? Who would play your Professor and Marty McFly? How would you update the story? Would you be tempted to copy frame by frame like Gus Van Zandt or would you go for a more radical update like Baz Luhrmann? This would probably be what I would do and include an iconic soundtrack to represent current times and, of course,  use green screen to recreate all the settings that are not even thought of yet. Anyway, here's a reminder of what we're messing with - obviously the day-glo kiddy clothes will go and the Jaws hologram!

I look forward to seeing your ideas!

One last thing.....

RIP Spock. Live Long and Prosper.



     

Film Remakes II

Sometimes directors may just want to pay homage to another director. Why else would Gus Van Zandt remake (in 1998)  Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), frame for frame, if not as a labour of love?

Even the music is the same.

Sometimes the director puts his own 'auteur' stamp on the story. Take Zefferelli's 1968 Romeo and Juliet which uses a romantic, muted and rich palette of colours with slow 'renaissance-style' music and costumes to transport us to the world of the C14th/C15th Italian court.

Whereas in Baz Lurhmann's 1996 version we have a very distinctive modern soundtrack, with props and costumes to match, plus overt references to and representations of, the darker sides of the story, all of which are remind us of the style of Luhrmann's other 'remake' films such as Moulin Rouge and the recent The Great Gatsby.

And finally, here's a roundup of the Top 10 best remakes

and, the Top 10 Worst!

Film Remakes

Remakes are an interesting study. Why remake a film that is already popular for instance? Well, new audiences mean new money for one thing and if there is an existing audience for the old film then they may well be interested in a new version of it. Take Alfie for example:

This is the original film trailer for the version starring Michael Caine made in 1966. This was the 'Swinging Sixties'. Mini skirts were in, the Beatles were No. 1 and there was an air of freedom and sexual revolution. However, women were not having it all their own way and this film shows some of the darker side to the times, albeit told with Caine's tongue in cheek humour to camera.


This is the trailer for the remake starring Jude Law and made in 2004.

The setting has moved to New York and the music has changed, but the humour and misogynist streak that characterise Alfie are still the same and told in the same style - to camera. This could tell us that nothing much changes except for the technology involved in the filming.
Which brings me neatly to this remake - War of the Worlds - written by H.G. Wells. This is a story of alien invasion. For the 1954 version this represented Russia - the nuclear, Communist threat.

Agreed, the technology and style are dated, but the representation of ideology and the drama is not. Here is the 2005 version starring Tom Cruise, with great special effects and a much better equipped military fighting the 'new threat' - Iraq.



Lastly, for the moment, a story from a different culture which is a classic of all time - The Seven Samurai.

Made in 1954 this is the story of seven Japanese warriors - the eponymous Samurai - who become the hired protectors of a small farming community being threatened by outsiders. In 1963 this was remade in America as The Magnificent Seven, an iconic film in its own right.

 In keeping with the context of its Wild West setting and the representation of culture the Samurai have been replaced by cowboys, gunslingers who share the same aims and face the same issues as their Japanese counterparts.

In all of the remakes above improved technology has changed the style and quality of the film process but not necessarily the quality of the narrative and its impact on audience. For me, Michael Caine is a much better Alfie, the film is more relevant in its London setting and Jude Law brings nothing new to the part.

War of the Worlds scared audiences in its original version but for me, the technology available for the remake enhances the narrative tremendously and the addition of Ray Ferrier's (Tom Cruise) family, through which the narrative unfolds, provides a modern twist on the story and a relevance for the film's audience.

My last choice of remake is two versions of the same story which on first sight look nothing like each other but which are evidence that a good story can travel across cultures. The Seven Samurai in black and white are The Magnificent Seven in glorious technicolour. They have the same purpose and motive, the same squabbles and camaraderie. Yet only 10 years separates these texts, unlike the other remakes but the gap seems much wider, why? Is it the representation of the warrior, the bows and arrows, the fact that the original harks back to Japanese history which the West is largely ignorant of? Whereas Yul Brynner's men are part of the Western genre, frequently on the screens at that time and therefore familiar.

Anyway, more next time. One last thing........here's another story linked to the Seven Samurai - this time from the cult TV series.......