Alfonso Cuaron is seen through the American public as the creator and mastermind behind Gravity, he is one of the most talented foreign directors worldwide but is never truly recognized for his other amazing works. Cuaron is the Dante Alighieri of long shots in editing, he is often praised through his attention to detail, and the interaction between a character his environment within the realms of each shot. Along with his partner in crime Emmanuel Lubezki, the cinematographer, they are well acclaimed free-thinkers and celebrities in the realm of fantasy and science fiction. In 2006 their collaboration created one of the most underrated films of all time, and one which is still all too relevant to the world we live in today. Children of Men …show more content…
This is best seen within one of the film’s more complex filmed scenes, “The Car Scene”. Following Cuaron’s exemplary interaction between characters and their backgrounds, as the audience we come to form a synesthetic relationship with the way the film moves. Moving much like the characters might and swaying to the smooth movements of the camera. This isn’t only due to Cuaron’s use of a documentary like shooting through his use of steadicam or handheld but also through the interaction of the characters and the world around them, ultimately creating a 3-D like reaction from the audience. Initially within the scene we see ourselves like the characters compacted in a small car, creating an uncomfortable and awkward setting inside the realm of the film and outside in our realm as the receivers. It isn’t until Julian’s playful interaction with Theo that the tension in the car lessens. This is also seen though the change in lighting, while initially they are in the same gray scale as their environment their eased tension can be seen through the beautiful sun shining through the trees into the car as they interact with one another. For a moment we feel a sense of comfort and community before we are dragged back along with the characters to reality, as a storm of people descend on the …show more content…
Copious movies throughout time depict the essence of war with darkness, utilizing short takes and abrupt editing techniques to better illustrate of the chaotic nature of war. In contrast, Cuaron considers the importance of a day’s worth and highlights the lapse of time within the movie in a short length of days along with the utilization of longer shots to better depict the details and environment which take place. While, Cuaron does this iconically throughout the film it is best represented though the scene in which Theo’s searches for Kee and her baby. The scene begins with a bang, depicted as miserable as the environment 's usual ugly gray coloring and the continuous sounds of gunshots and blood-curdling screams. As the audience, we move with our protagonist in the search for Kee, through the utilization of steadicam and handheld motion of the camera. It is not until Theo reaches Kee that we see the importance of their interaction with their environment and it’s importance to the movie. There is a sudden explosion and both Theo, Kee and the baby fall to the ground, diegetically we hear the dying song of frequency caused by the explosion. The room goes silent, the guns have stopped, the baby cries and suddenly the people surrounding them rise some whispering
In Edward Scissorhands, a close-up is used on both Edward and Kim’s faces after Edward mistakenly drops a steak in Kim’s lap. This close-up allows for facial expressions to be seen clearly, in turn adding to the emotion of the scene. (In this case Edward’s apologetic embarrassment, and Kim’s annoyance.) As the characters display an obvious emotion, the mood syncs up with the emotions they feel. Similarly, in The Corpse Bride the camera tilts, sways, and bounces as Victor runs from Emily in the world of the dead. This creates a chaotic feel to the scene as tilted shots put the audience in Victor’s shoes as he panics. Finally, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a view is used to show Wonka and his tour group, as well as dancing Oompa Loompas while Augustus is stuck in the chocolate tube. Being able to see several different events taking place from above creates a chaotic atmosphere. Juxtaposed, however, by the “unprepared” order of the dance routine taking place below. These aspects work together to help create a suspicious, and chaotic mood to the
How would mankind communicate to each other without names? Names are what describe people in terms of personality, traits, and association. That’s why names are immensely important and thus, used in films such as Bound, in order to create a deeper meaning in a character’s actions and personality. The film Bound is written and directed by The Wachowskis. The film is about two lesbians: ex-convict Corky, and lesbian prostitute Violet who is in a relationship with mob money-launderer Caesar but decides to escape from Caesar after meeting Corky for she fell in love with her the moment she sow her in the elevator. So Violet wants to leave Caesar for Corky, but that’s not all. She and Corky come up with a strategy to steal two million dollars from the mob and blame it on Caesar. "Your name defines you," says Gregg Steiner, a Los Angeles talent manager (Parenting). In the film Bound, characters’ names have a lot of significance in which some have more connotations than others. Each character’s name holds symbolic meaning to the character’s role in the film and this is very apparent among Corky, Violet, and Caesar as well as the supporting casts: Gino and Johnny Marzzone.
Where do we draw the line between freedom and safety? The film The Day the Earth Stood Still, directed by Robert Wise, broaches this question from a unique perspective and displays many of the pros and cons that must be taken into consideration in order to answer this question. Earth is faced with the question: should humanity give up violence, or maintain its freedom to bear arms? While the decision was ultimately left up to the audience in this movie, the movie intended to convey that it is in the better interest of humankind to give up a portion of freedom to bear arms in favor of the safety of billions.
Niccol uses long-over-the-shoulder camera shots of Vincent looking up into the sky at rockets leaving for Titan when he is working at Gattaca to showcase his ambition as he is metaphorically ‘reaching for the stars’. This humanizes Vincent making his character more relatable to the audience and allows them to feel empathetic towards him as having ambition is a human ideal. Subsequently, Niccol utilizes close-up facial shots and unfixed camera movements while Vincent is swimming against Anton for the time. The close-up shots of Vincent’s face highlight his struggle as the audience can see the pain and tiredness on his face, causing them to empathize with him. Continuing with this the camera is unfixed, therefore it is positioned to be follow the chaos of the waves and ocean. This positions the audience to experience the same chaos and struggle, Vincent must power through, making them feel as if they will also drown if they do not swim, furthermore making the audience empathize with his character. The non-diegetic sounds of orchestral music using crescendo and layering the texture, builds the tension further and emphasizes Vincent’s struggle and his determination to overcome the obstacles he must face. This causes the audience to experience tension and empathize with his plight.
The police and car owner follow close behind him, trying to get the husband to pull over. The use of the single frame displays the husband’s dark silhouette as the camera focuses on the rearview mirror where the police can be seen gaining on him. It allows the viewer to take in both storylines simultaneously. The husband is still racing home to help his wife, but the police in the mirror also show the duality of his worries as they literally and figuratively hang over his shoulder. Meanwhile, in the mirror, the police are seen trying to grasp the husband in order to get him to stop. The two spaces for the characters gives the chance for the film to focus on the overall plot progression versus the time cut between the husband and the police separately. It decreases the amount of time that audiences spend on one character and their storyline instead it forces them to understand the dynamics of every storyline and how they interact with one
At the beginning, the movie appears to be very dark and gloomy. This is shown from the riot at the bakery and the young revolutionist running away from authorities. There was so much trouble that the family went through to eat, and survive. The tension increases so smoothly yet it drives the nerves of the watcher during the family argument scene (which proves to be very effective).
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
Alfonso Cuarón’s movie “The Children of Men” depicts a catastrophic future for humanity. Although it is portrayed to show events in the future approximately the year 2027 what is interesting is that the society in which the people live in is very similar to the world we live in today. The buildings, stores, cars (although weird-looking) do not look at all fancy as one might think the future to look. Cuarón’s look on the future is not a positive, hopeful one as his movie foreshadows sorrows, miseries and gloom waiting to be welcomed into our world. His movie though does indeed go parallel with the political and societal events of today.
As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.
Pedro Almodovar’s 1997 film Live Flesh (Carne Tremula), is rich in both visual and story elements, making in the perfect candidate for a scene analysis. Upon writing this paper, however, this was almost to my disadvantage. I watched it through and whittled it down to about five scenes I considered analyzing. This self-challenge is a testament to not only this film, but Almodovar’s whole body of work; he has created so many thoughtful, intricate, and all together entertaining films in his career, I had to somehow forgive myself for just choosing one short scene out of only one of his movies for analysis. So, without further ado, here is an analysis of a scene from Live Flesh.
In The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Theodor Dreyer uses the visuality of spatial relationships in each shot with the human face and its ability to convey unspoken emotion in his portrayal of the demise of Joan of Arc. Unlike most film, the message is almost entirely told by just the eyes and expressions of the actors. There is very little reliance upon props and background. The camera angles and close-up shooting accentuate emotions and reactions. The editing style is almost methodic in keeping the emotional pace; it is much like an argument, alternating images of Joan’s tenacity, and the judges’ contempt. The artistic elements of the film are found in the subtle elements of the setting in contrast with the story that is realized by looking into Joan’s eyes as she witnesses her lifelong beliefs condemned and destroyed by her martyrdom.
In the fictional movie “Gattaca”, the setting takes place in a time era where DNA serves as the prominent primary role to determine social class levels. Vincent Anton Freeman, the main protagonist, suffers from genetic discrimination due to his non-genetic engineered DNA, resulting in myopia, congenital heart defect, and a life expectancy of only 30 years. In order to prevent more genetic deficiencies on future babies, it is necessary to ensure genetic advantages by employing a solution to heart diseases.
The word “uncanny” has no singular, correct definition to it. It could mean a multitude of things and can be achieved through various techniques outlined by Sigmund Freud. In volume XVII of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Freud gives many definitions of the word “uncanny” and writes the various mechanisms to achieve an uncanny effect. One such mechanism occurs when the imaginary becomes reality. This technique is showcased in the movie Inception made in 2010 and directed by Christopher Nolan. By blurring the lines between imagination and reality, Nolan is able to pique the viewer’s interests, which causes them to become more invested into the movie.
Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, was a very complex and interesting sci-fi movie. This movie in particular has a lot of factors playing into the movie. Everyone is able to find their favorite part about the movie, and various people can watch this movie and connect with it. This movie came out in 2014, and shocked millions of people by its intense ending. Interstellar was awarded for best visual effects, and then nominated for many other things including, best original score, best sound mixing, and best sound effects which played a huge role in making the movie. The image and sound complement each other, but I thought that image dominated over sound because there were so many silent moments throughout the movie. I thought the plot