La Jetée (1962) is a science fiction narrative directed by Chris Marker, base on a third-person narration. It is a 28 minute long film that comprise of black and white still images in sequence rather than a moving footage. It is set in a post World War lll in Paris whereby a survivor of this post apocalyptic was sent back in time by some scientists for their time travelling experiment due to his strong attachment to a memory that was haunting him as a child. The film is directed from the present to the past memories and to the future, but ended with a plot twist whereby the film when back to his past again. La Jetée started off with a description of a memory by a boy who witnesses the death of a man at the airport and ended with the same scene, …show more content…
The time travelling to the past and to the present has had a great influence on our interpretation of the protagonist’s memories. The notions of time throughout this film also helps to emphasise and contribute to the major theme, time which Marker was playing with. In the film, the protagonist seems like he is going through a loop in time, the cyclical nature and the fact that the protagonist aren't able to escape from it. This great distance and detachment between the protagonist and the viewers are shown by the use of the third person narration and the lack of communication between the characters. The fact that the film uses a third person narration adds a level of suspense too, which I guess it the main purpose of the …show more content…
At the start of the film, Marker put in this familiar noises of the planes to tell us that it was situated at the airport. Without the use of the sound in this particular scene, it would be just a photo montage whereby the viewers wouldn't probably feel the present of planes. Music helps to establish a sense of the pace at each of the accompanying scene and sometimes overlap voice-over musical score. At the beginning of the film, the images of the war torn Paris was accompanied by some sort of choir music that sounded very depressing and melancholic which then adds to the atmosphere. With the film starting off with this eerie atmosphere could also foreshadow a depressing storyline later on, that the protagonist meets his own death. Furthermore with the deliberate use of music in various part of the film, it kind of foreshadow the tragic ending whereby the fixated image of him as a child watching someone die at the
The sound used in this scene are all diegetic, the sounds of gunfire and explosions show that the characters in this scene are in very real danger of being shot or blown up, this helps the viewer develop a more personal connection with the characters since the scene is towards the end of the film, the viewer has developed a personal connection with the characters and do not want them to die. The diegetic sounds of military personnel can be heard, this is used to show the urgency that the military personnel have to get The Sapphires and Dave out of the dangerous situation. This scene is used to emphasise the danger that Dave and The Sapphires are in very real and very lethal danger, the mixture of sinister camera angles to emphasise the visual danger that the characters are in to the inhospitable sounds portrayed by the scene to highlight the explosive danger that the characters are in. The lighting used features the darkness and the difficulty to see due to the night sky.
The journey trope functions in A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolaño to reveal how time becomes the underlining antagonist that continuously torments the characters throughout their lives. Time – as represented in these two novels – has its own palpable energy that takes on the metaphysical embodiment of the ‘goon’ and the ‘wizened youth’. Both these characters take the members of their respective novels on a journey of realisation, regret, and remorse and introduces the readers to the concept that time is the only truth and it is not always kind. In A Visit from
Many scenes involved ironic contrasts between the tone and the surroundings. On several occasions the background music was cheerful and upbeat while the physical settings and scenery were terribly dark, dreary and depressing. One good example of this is the scene where Andy was helping the guards with their taxes. There was upbeat and cheerful music but the room and the surroundings were dark and gloomy. This hint of happiness represents how Andy’s hope ...
The acoustic guitar is also symbolic as it is usually associated with soft and sad music. People in the audience may also relate the tone to ceremonial, funeral music therefore arousing existing emotions.There is a sudden change of mood as the archival emergency call is played as a voice-over. A lugubrious atmosphere emerges, the camera shows a close up and slowly zooms in on the entrance sign of the High School, “Columbine High School - home of the rebels”. These techniques are significant as it leads the viewers into contemplating about their own High Schools, creating emotional introspection. As a younger viewer it also enables me to empathise with the students being a similar age to the victims of the massacre. The severity of the situation is also felt through the use of sound as the audience can hear the trembling and distraught tones from the emergency calls. Archival sound footage further strengthens the authenticity of the crisis. As the distressed voices are heard as a voice-over, paired with the solemn sound of the acoustic guitar, the camera techniques further complements the disaster. The handheld camera then begins to take you through the empty
People are defined by their past. The past holds a person’s reputation, relationships, and decisions. All these factors lead to a person’s present. This idea is heavily explored in the novel Station Eleven. The author, Emily St. John Mandel, spends a significant portion of the book in various flashbacks to explain a character’s present. The past is sporadically interspersed into the telling of the present storyline. These random jumps force the reader to pay close attention to whether it is the past or present. Emily Mandel uses the past, in the form of flashbacks, as a device to further develop her characters. The author of Station Eleven uses flashbacks to show contrast in characters, explain relationships, and reveal a character’s motive.
After first viewing of the film, one might be quick to say that the film is completely devoid of music. It is used so scarcely that it appears to make no impact. Yet, it is that scarcity and exclusion that creates the sullen tone of the film. Bresson relies heavily on ambient, diegetic sound that, in this case, is going to be the silence or the rustling of prisoners’ or guards’ feet within the walls of the prison. Careful scraping of the spoon handle on the floor, the creaking of the wooden door as it is pried open, and the light tapping on the cement walls all lend to the solitude and determination of the prisoner. Sound very much plays a role as a symbol; the clinking of the keys against the railing represents not only authority but raises the tension of the film, the viewer knowing that Fontaine’s exposure as an attempted escapee would lead to sudden death. In combination with the random firings from the death squad, Bresson leads the viewer to really feel the hopelessness and disparity of the situation.
The way the novel jumps around in time helps it to create a sense of timelessness when it comes to the characters. Because most of the novel takes place in the past (and starts out somewhere near the present), the third person narrator of some chapters isn’t afraid to pull back and look at the grand scheme of the character’s lives. One time where this is particularly noticeable is when two characters are playing on the beach as children, then all of a sudden the reader is given a full look at one of the child’s (mostly tragic) life up to adulthood.
music to analyse—in fact, the music runs almost constantly throughout the film without very little
The music suited the movie very nicely. By the type of music playing, you could determine what sort of scene was coming up, either fast and light...
How is music used in this film to create a sense of place? Trace, compare, and discuss the role of musical exoticism in three different scenes. You can either be literal in your discussion (Tibet, Egypt, the Amazon, etc…) or more abstract (the supernatural as a type of “exotic”). How does Williams use unusual harmonies, instruments, or special effects to create an expressive mood?
The interdependence of memory and identity is not unproblematic. Self-assessment and assessment of the characters in the novel will lead one to realise that manipulation of the past is integral...
The main character, Edie, provides the narration of the story from a first person point of view. She tells her story based on an event from her past. Because she narrates the story the reader is unable to be sure if what she tells of the other characters is completely accurate. Because one does not hear other character's thoughts one could question whether Edie interpreted them correctly. Or has time caused her to recall her story different from the way it actually happened? For example, Edie says it is hard for her to recall how she felt when she had to do dishes without a dishwasher and heated water. It had been so long ago her perception had been altered. Sometimes time can play a role in why truth can be so hard to see.
Different from other types of films, the music in Phantom of the Opera was used by all the characters, as a way to tell their part of the story. The music created a convincing surrounding for the film, guided the audiences. The music was constantly a signifier of emotion, as the characters expressed their feelings through the songs. The music score was an emotional and scary score that tied into their diegetic/non-diegetic singing, giving the main characters an identity, specifying situations and places to help connect certain points. When we hear the dark music play throughout the movie, it plays a certain theme, that theme gives the viewers a clear hint of who or what the music is talking about. Another example of signifier of emotion was in The Devil Wears Prada, where the film used either fast upbeat songs for when Andy walks all around the city, running errands for Miranda, or romantic alternative music when Andy is with her boyfriend and true friends (The Phantom of the Opera/The Devil Wears
I really liked when the scenes where the image and sound both work together great. I refer to the silence as nothingness and feeling alone because that describes the dark silences perfectly. It is definitely the most prominent part in the movie, and I think more movies should try to use silence to their advantage. I absolutely think that the movie uses silence expressively. For one thing, they are in space so there isn’t a lot of noise in the middle of the galaxy, but for some reason when I think back to when there were shots of the rocket ship in the dark galaxy I think of how the film makers made there be no background noise except the ship which was nice because it made it seem very realistic. Usually in movies there is a lot of background music that you don’t notice, but it helps the scene out. In this case the director used silence to make the scenes more realistic. I think of the scene where Matthew McCaughey goes into the dark hole. He was narrating at the time then suddenly you hear dead silence. It made me have a deeper connection with the movie because the movie was silent, but so were my thoughts. When I think back to the movie, I don’t remember there being a lot of music because it all just blended in, then I went back to see if they had anything special about their music I noticed all the different types of music they had throughout the movie. (This is all referring to my discussion post from chapter
The importance of music in movies is highly regarded for manipulating the viewer’s emotions and helping them immerse into the story. Music is one of the prime elements in cinema. Without it a movie would feel dull and unexciting. There are three elements in a movie: one is acting, the second is picture, and the third one is music. It is a holy trinity; if incomplete, there would be a lack of sensation and excitement. Both acting and picture can stand independently from one another, but music is the one that makes the movie memorable.