Thinking Independent Study

• To begin with, a topic for the documentary needs to be chosen. This could be: The representation of women in action movies since the 1950's.
• Then the two films that we will use to explore this topic must be chosen and watched. One of these films could be a popular film we know well, and the other one may be a less mainstream but equally valid film exploring the same topic.
• Research on the topic should have begun by now, and some ideas for the development of the script as well. When the topic chosen and its manifestation in the films are familiar to us, then we should start to write the script.

Portfolio for Barrio Chino Project

Pre-Production

For this project, I took on the role of the director. In the beginning I was uncertain of what my exact job or involvement in the project would be, and was wary of becoming involved in things that did not concern me. Initially, I saw my job as a sort of “supervisor” of the entire production, who needed to make sure things were going according to plan. However, when we arrived on location, it suddenly occurred to me: We had no plan. Here lies the first and perhaps most crucial mistake I made as a director. I failed in providing my editor and cinematographer with a clear idea and vision of the story (if it was a story we were indeed trying to tell), which not only would have made for a much simpler and efficient shoot, but would have made for a better film.

Production

So, without a solid plan, we basically improvised most of what we did in the restaurant and around Barrio Chino. The cinematographer and I thought up a quick and vague idea of what we should shoot and in what direction to take the project, and then did our best to shoot those scenes. The workers in the restaurant were informed that we would be filming there, and they were very cooperative and helpful, especially when the manager agreed to let one of the waitresses stop working for a minute to shoot the scenes with her in them.

Almost every scene was shot out of sequence, with what we could shamefully call a narrative only existing in the heads of myself and María Figueiras, the cinematographer. I feel we had no trouble at all communicating with each other and in sharing our ideas, one of these being myself and the editor, Catalina Somoza, acting as a couple behind the two actors to make it seem like the restaurant was not empty.

I was very careful to avoid what I dreaded: becoming a dictatorial director and becoming upset if I wasn’t listened to. Instead, I found that the joy lay in collaborating with each member of the group and making the project a group experience.

There was also a moment when we needed the waitress for one shot but she was no longer available to us, so we instead shot the scene so only an arm would have to be shown, and this way we could use any arm.

 

Post-Production

When the footage was imported into the laptop the editor, Catalina Somoza, and I began to piece together the footage. It was during this time that I discovered how fun editing could be, all my previous experience with it having been frustrating, confusing and irksome. I was able to see the footage slowly take shape and a narrative, however shaky, being formed. The wonderful thing was seeing on the screen what he had had in our heads only days prior. We paid special attention to the sound of the film. Despite the noise level in the restaurant, the audio that was recorded directly to the camera had been recorded well enough to hear and understand what the actors were saying.

In this screenshot, which actually ended up in the final cut, my arm is clearly visible on the left hand side of the frame. Because we were worried that the sound of the voices would not be heard, we recorded them on a separate device. However, it was obviously not our intention for my arm to be showing in the frame.

Evaluation

With respect to pre-production, and as I have already mentioned, the failure to provide a clear plan proved extremely hindering. I feel this was my main and most important mistake throughout the entire process, however it served to show me the significance of pre-production and its influence on the final film. The plan was not the only thing we could have done differently in pre-production, however. We also could have gone to the restaurant before the actual day of shooting and familiarized ourselves with the location and therefore would have been much more prepared when it came to shooting.

For next year, I think would like to be involved in the scriptwriting, or perhaps try directing again. That having been said, what I value the most out of this project was the learning experience. Being the director allowed me to be involved in each aspect of the project, and I enjoyed this sense of collaboration, and I would like to try directing again now with a little more experience. However, in this case there was no script to be written, so I would be interested in doing so in another project to see how a scriptwriter works within a crew.

The final film turned out to exceed my expectations, especially after the actual shoot, when I thought we were going to end up with a chaotic mass of clips and no order to put them in.

To What Extent is Memento a Flippo (1998) Film Noir?

Brief Synopsis of Memento

Christopher Nolan and Guy Pearce on the
set of Memento.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has anterograde amnesia, an inability to form new memories, which he contracted from a head injury while trying to save his wife from two murderers. To his knowledge, he managed to kill one of them during the attack, but the other one remains on the loose. He believes this man to be called John G., and it becomes his main goal to find him and kill him. He has managed to create a system which, seemingly, allows him to move closer towards his goal, in spite of his condition. "Habit and routine make my life possible", he says in a voice-over. These habits include having a system of where to place things, talking to people face-to-face if possible rather than on the telephone as to be able to gauge their true intention, taking Polaroids to recall faces and, of course, writing copious notes, the most important of which he tattoos on his body so that they become permanent and cannot be lost. Leonard is not alone, however. He has many first encounters with people he has already met and who are aware of his condition. Two of these characters are a man he calls Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Ann Moss). Who they really are and their true intentions as to why they help Leonard find John G. are blurred, until the end of the movie when (hopefully, unlikely if it's your first viewing) the puzzle fits.


What exactly is Film Noir?


Is it a genre? Is it a movement? A style? Or just a fancy term that makes you sound like you know something about movies? I don't know, except that the latter is obviously a (bad) joke. In any case, there are certain characteristics which are so unmistakably recognizable, so distinct to film noir, that you will find yourself identifying a noir movie in no time.


A grim canvas
Filmed in black-and-white, noirs are distinct for their shadowy, dark images. Primarily influenced by German Expressionism, studios weren't quick to complain, as this meant less money had to be spent on lighting. Set in a nameless, timeless urban landscape, it becomes the ground for the trademark film noir characters. 





Femme fatale and male protagonist. Notice how she blows
the smoke on him, the suits, the liquor. Classic film noir.

The disillusioned antihero and the femme fatale
Film noir's protagonist, a tortured, cynical man dealing with inner demons is a staple of classic film noir. Usually a cop, war veteran or detective of some kind and a drinker on the side, he is almost always an alienated soul. He cannot help but fall for the alluring, sexy femme fatale, who will real him in, lead him into danger and then leave him astray when all is said and done.

Iconography and techniques
Always present are the cigarettes, the guns, fedoras and the three piece suits, which all work together to provide the look and feel of film noir. Close-ups, spot lighting, voice-over narration and flashbacks linking a lingering past and troubled present are just a few of the techniques used.

How do things turn out?
"Pure" film noir would not have a happy ending. A happy ending would turn a film noir into a film gris or a melodrama done in a noir style. Note: Often, the director would be one from the German school (Curtiz, Lang, Preminger, among others).

Analyzing Memento as a Film Noir

In what ways is Christopher Nolan's 2000 film Memento a film noir? 

According to Hyde Flippo, and as we have also seen earlier, a required element for a movie to be noir would be the trademark cynical, disillusioned antihero facing some kind of moral dilemma at the center of the film. Leonard Shelby, the character played by Guy Pearce, would fit the mold. Because of his condition, Leonard does become an alienated character. However, regardless of his condition, we still manage to see the stubbornness and the I-don't-give-a-damn attitude that he carries with him. Inner demons? You bet. There's only one thing on his mind: find John G., kill John G.

Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss

So, where's the femme fatale? She is the character played by Carrie-Ann Moss, Natalie. As the film progresses, we find that she is not an honest woman, and even says to Leonard in his face, "I'm going to use you". He won't remember, anyhow. She really puts the fatale in femme.

Classic film noir features the dark and shadowy images in black and white that we have already seen. You'd think this is where Memento might not cut it, but the film actually has sequences filmed in black and white, intersected in between the rest of the film which is filmed in color. They distinctly divide the story into two parts, which by the end converge.

Even in color, Nolan achieves a very noirish
looking picture through great lighting.

Here is a still of one the black and white sequences
in the film.

Flippo says that "often" the film is a crime or detective story. Do I even have to? Leonard Shelby thinks his wife has been murdered (a crime), and proceeds to track down the killer (he essentially becomes a detective by doing so). There.

The film also heavily features a typical film noir element: voice-over narration. The voice-over puts us inside Leonard Shelby's mind, a very useful (and helpful) way for the viewer to sympathize with him, particularly because of his condition, which makes us see how hard it would be to be in his shoes.

So, is Memento Film Noir?

From what we have seen, it is clear that Memento would fall into film noir. However it is important to note that, strictly speaking, films noir are no longer being made. The movies that are considered film noir, again strictly speaking, are the ones from the 1940s, 1950s and in some cases even 1960s. Many pictures released from the 1960s onward share attributes with film noirs of the classic period, often treating noir conventions in a self-referential manner. Such latter-day works in a noir mode are often referred to as neo-noirs.

Leonard Shelby, covered in tattoos.

So, where does Memento become a neo-noir? Firstly, the character of Leonard Shelby. Although he does posses the necessary traits to make him a legitimate film noir protagonist, the modern twist that Nolan and his brother, the screenwriter, give to the character is his anterograde amnesia, his inability to form new memories. This is unique to Leonard Shelby. 

Also, the iconography. Classic noirs, as we have seen, feature the cigarettes, the three piece suits, the fedoras and the guns profusely. In Memento, the iconography is played with. The character of Leonard Shelby may not carry a fedora with him at all times, but he is covered in tattoos. And all throughout the film, we are overloaded with notes, and Polaroids. He may not always where a smart three piece suit, but he tries to.

Almost a three piece suit.

Perhaps there aren't any true flashbacks, but anyone who has watched the film will agree that the sequences in black and white play and feel like flashbacks.

It's not a coincidence that Natalie, Memento's femme fatale,
works in a liquor store.

Close, Leonard, close.

From what we've seen, it seems that Memento is about as close to a film noir that you can get these days. So much about it evokes film noir. But if you're still not convinced:

"I try not to be too conscious in my influences, particularly when working in such a specific genre, because I do think the film is a film noir. People sometimes ask me if it's a film noir, as if I would take objection to that, but I don't. I'm comfortable with that."

Christopher Nolan on Memento

Secondary Sources:
The Telegraph: "Film noir is coming out of the shadows"
IMDb - Memento (2000)
Hyde Flippo: Film Noir Elements
Wikipedia: Film Noir
Quote from: YouTube: An Interview with Christopher Nolan
All images taken from Google Images.

Thinking Short Film

We find a middle-aged man in his small, messy apartment sitting down on his unmade bed. He is doing drugs. There is a briefcase next to him on the bed. From his somber face and his sloppy clothes, we see he is quite miserable. He is sitting on the bed staring at the ground when he recieves a phone call. He is slow to pick it up, but when he does, he says: "Don't worry, I'll be there. Tell them I got what they want", and he looks at his briefcase. He does some more drugs and leaves his apartment in his sloppy clothes, briefcase in hand.

He gets into his old, beat-up car and puts his briefcase in the back seat. While driving, his expression doesn't change, although he does nervously look at his watch and glance at his briefcase. He might say: "I don't know how much longer I can do this."

He finally pulls up at a simple building in a humble neighborhood. The sky is grey. He gets out of the car, taking his briefcase with him. He knocks on the door of one of the buildings and a woman opens the door, relieved to see him. She says: "Thank God! They won't wait any longer." He walks down the hall into a bathroom and sets his briefcase down. He opens it, and inside we see a box of make-up, a clown suit and a funny wig. He sighs and we see him put on the costume and do his make-up. When he is done, he opens another door, to a crowd of excited little girls cheering, and jumping up and down.

Short Film

This is one of my favorite short films of all time, called Apricot. It was directed by a great up-and-coming director called Ben Briand. Click here to go to his website, where you can see the other short films he's made.

Waiting For Superman

Pre-Production

Before we start making this documentary, we need to make sure we are organized. This means:

• We must know what people we are going to interview
• We need to know where we are going to find these people.
• The questions we are going to ask should be pre-meditated, leaving room for some to be improvised if the occasion allows it.
• We should also make sure we are allowed to film everywhere we want to go.

Production

Students, teachers, parents, businessmen, and educators were all interviewed for this documentary. Each one was interviewed in their "rooms". Students, for example, were interviewed in their bedrooms, teachers in classrooms, educators in offices. There were many different tyes of footage used throughout the documentary. This includes animations, actual original footage shot for the film, archive footage of someone making a speech, for example, and also borrowed footage, notably from the movie The School of Rock (Linklater, 2003) and from the television series The Simpsons.

Post-Production

Editing is the main factor in post-production. Surely many hours of film footage that was shot for the documentary did not make the final cut. The footage must have been filtered a great deal, leaving only the footage that make up the documentary we just saw. This footage, however, was organized in such a way that it tells a complete story in just under 2 hours. The footage has been ordered so that we get to meet the children, their parents, and then the problem facing their education and the people wanting to fix it. All of this is done in such a way that it engages us and makes us aware of the problem. Music is a big factor to achieve this, and it is present in several instances throughout the documentary. In moments that are sad, the music encourages us to feel sad. In uplifting moments, uplifting music is chosen to accompany the situation.

Aside from the music, the other important non-diagetic sound is the director's (Davis Guggenheim) voice over. I think Guggenheim chose to do the voice-overs himself because it an issue he is personally concerned about, as he explains throughout the beginning of the documentary. This is also evident in the fact that his first documentary (of which footage is borrowed for this one) is also about education in public schools. It also adds a degree of authenticity to the whole matter; that the people who made the film actually care about it.

In my opinion, the ending is a terribly sad one. I don't know if the filmmakers intended it to be this way, because, by some angles, it should be a happy ending. This makes me think that Guggenheim chose an ambiguous end to his film on purpose, which is interesting. It is clear, as the credits also suggest, that this is an issue the filmmakers want us to be concerned about, and that there are people wanting to make a change, like filmmakers are, for example. But maybe they are suggesting something deeper. Maybe they are trying to say, underneath it all, that people just don't care enough to make a change, that too few people care about the children, and that no amount of documentaries can ever change that.

Documentary: Six Point Plan

1. We have chosen to do a documentary about piquetes because it is an issue very familiar with many Argentinians. There were many piquetes during these last few months that have affected loads of hard-working people. Many Argentinians have strong opinions about these riots, and it should be interesting to hear them.

2. Our target audience is the group of people who have ever been affected by piquetes. People who go to work every morning and come back in the evening, whose commute is interrupted by a load of other men who complain about their jobs. Although these are the type of people we want to reach and will interview, we hope the documentary will speak to many other people as well, perhaps the people that cause the piquetes.

3. With respect to technical equipment, we will need a handheld camera, possibly a tripod if we need to hold it still and a computer with proper editing software. We could also make use of a camera to take pictures to insert in the documentary.

4. Our primary sources will be those people that not only take part in the piquetes, but those that are affected by them. As secondary sources, we could interview people who have been indirectly affected by piquetes, such as people who were affected by those who were directly affected by the riots.

5. The interviews will be conducted by Gaby. Tomas will be responsible for the actual filming and general direction of the interviews, and Mery will be in charge of the editing and, whenever necessary, providing the lighting for the interviews.

Technical Analysis of Documentary Trailers

Waiting for Superman

Analysis

1. Sound:

In terms of diagetic sound, we hear the voices of children who are students, of adults who are school authorities, concerned parents and a succesfull businessman.
We also hear non-diagetic dialogue, such as the person behind the camera interviewing the different people. There is also someone who talks to the audience directly about the issue the documentary covers.
One more important non-diagetic sound is the music. Different songs, both original and borrowed, are used throughout the trailer to accompany the video.

2. Video Footage:

There are different types of footage used throughout the trailer. The footage taken from other places, like the one where the biker misses the roof and crashes to the ground, and animations. Animations are an effective and amusing way to make a point creatively.

3. Sources:

The first interview is with a teenage student, and it takes place in her bedroom, presumably. The next is with another student, again in her bedroom. The third interview is takes place in some meeting room with a woman named Michelle Rhee, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Next comes Geoffrey Canada, an education reformer, who is interviewed in a classroom. A little student boy is interviewed in his bedroom after that. A man who looks like a UPS truck driver is interviewed in a hallway. One of the student's parents are interviewed in their bedroom as well. A man who seems like a school authority is also interviewed in his office. Lastly, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is also asked questions.

4. Text:

Throughout the trailer, texts are inserted every now and then to tell the audience what issue the film is dealing with. It makes the trailer very proffessional, and moving. There is also some text added when someone is interviewed to let the audience know the name and title of that person, so they are sure not some random people in suits are being asked questions.

5. Editing:

The trailer is ordered in such a way that makes it very effective. Firstly, the children of the schools, the center of the issue, are interviewed, talking about their dreams. This easily makes the audience sympathise with these kids, especially when the adults who are at the charge of the schools begin to talk about how poor their education is. Now they begin to tell the problem, and show people who are concerned about it and want to make a change. The kids are shown in their schools, to take the audience into their lives. As it finishes, the trailer shows how there is still hope for some of the kids, with inspirational music in the background. The trailer effects the audience emotionally, which makes them want to go see the entire documentary.

 Barefoot Children

Short Technical Analysis

This trailer is a for a documentary about abandoned, homeless children who live on the street. Throughout the documentary, the only sound we hear is that of cars passing by: like the kids must hear all the time.We are only shown short, disturbing footage of children drugging themselves, and sleeping under bridges, which evokes deep emotional response in the audience. The text explains how these poor children live every day, with the police who "beat them", and their parents who "abuse them". The footage, text and even the sounds of the cars all combine to create a chilling trailer for a documentary about a serious issue told in a way few people have seen before.

Caché (2005) Textual Analysis

This is a paragraph from my analysis of Michael Haneke's 2005 film Caché, or Hidden.

When Georges turns around, he is startled by Majid’s son, but still tries to remain calm in front of his co-workers. This represents a clash between George’s two worlds: the life he pretends to be living in public, and his internal and private chaos he keeps to himself. It is worth noting that Georges is a TV presenter in real life; someone who is frequently in the public eye. There is a scene Haneke shows us, before this one, where Georges carefully edits his material in the show, therefore controlling how he is viewed by the public. It is clear then how difficult it is for him to have his privacy exposed in such an abrupt way.

French New Wave

Between the years 1958 and 1964, a group of French film-makers created a body of work referred to as French New Wave. These film-makers were François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer, who were once all film critics for a magazine called Cahiers di Cinéma. They were driven by the notion forge a new cinema, and went on to influence how a film could be made.

Jean Luc-Godard

The movies featured unprecedented methods of expression, such as long tracking shots (like the famous traffic jam sequence in Godard's 1967 film Week End). Also, these movies featured existential themes, such as stressing the individual and the acceptance of the absurdity of human existence.

Many of the French New Wave films were produced on tight budgets; often shot in a friend's apartment or yard, using the director's friends as the cast and crew. Directors were also forced to improvise with equipment (for example, using a shopping cart for tracking shots).

In Jean Luc-Godard's À bout de souffle, after being told the film was too long and he must cut it down to one hour and a half, he decided to remove several scenes from the feature using jump cuts, as they were filmed in one long take.

The cinematic stylings of French New Wave brought a fresh look to cinema with improvised dialogue, rapid changes of scene, and shots that go beyond the common 180º axis.

But there is no better way of explaining this than by showing it. Here we have a clip of a scene from Godard's À bout de souffle.

Effects that now seem either trite or commonplace, such as a character stepping out of their role in order to address the audience directly, were radically innovative at the time. David Fincher used this technique in his 1999 film Fight Club. To see it, click here.

Modern examples of films that have been influenced by French New Wave are, among others, Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) and Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994).

Here we can see a direct homage to French New Wave by Quentin Tarantino.

John Travolta (left) and Samuel L. Jackson (right) play two mob hitmen
in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994).

Two hitmen on the job.

Another clear-cut example, this time with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey kiss in Michel Gondry's highly
French New Wave influenced film Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind (2004).

Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Godard's masterpiece,
A bout de souffle (1960).

Our own interpretation of a French New Wave picture:

Outdoors and spontaneous, a typical feature of French New Wave pictures.

A very natural looking picture, similar to the
one below:

A real French New Wave picture.

French New Wave has significantly influenced the way cinema has progressed. We owe a lot to these smart and idealistic group of talented film-makers, who have helped shape what a film can accomplish.

 Sources:

French New Wave (Wikipedia)

Close reading of The Birds (Hitchcock 1963)

1. Note the details of each attack: who is attacked and why. When is the first attack? What happens? When do the audience first know an attack is coming? How is this moment foreshadowed?

Melanie is the first person to be attacked in the film, when a seagull swoops down and pecks her head. She was coming back from secretly visiting Mitch's home, who lived on the other side of the lake.

Mitch saw her in the boat, and drove around the lake and waited for her as she came back. When they looked at each other, the seagull suddenly attacked.

2. Write a one sentence description of the protagonists.

Mitch: A handsome man who must learn to make room for the many women in his life.

Melanie: A younge naive woman who means well but has fallen in love with a man in a complicated situation.

Lydia: Mitch's mother, who is overprotective of her child and scared of losing him to any woman.

Annie: A school teacher who has always been attracted to Mitch even though he doesn't feel the same way.

3. How does Hitchcock build tension through editing in the school yard scene?

Hitchcock first places Melanie in front of the school yard, so she is unaware as the birds fly onto the playground one by one behind her. The fact that the birds make no noise as they fly onto the school yard creates even more tension. Then he cuts to the classroom and then back to the school yard, only now it is full of birds:

Melanie doesn't notice this for a while but she does she becomes as tense as the audience is and walks into the school. The entire time we are expecting a massive attack, but Hitchcock does not rush anything: He slowly builds up the tension for a while until the birds finally attack.

4. Can you work out what triggers the attacks?

It seems that the attacks have something to do with the three main women of the movie (Melanie, Lydia and Annie). There is always at least one of those three women present when the attacks happen. I do not know why.

Camera Shots

Tweety faces a long day at school. He doesn't like it one bit.

(High angle)

During break time, he tells Mati about his plan to escape.

(Low angle, close-up)

For some reason, Mati, who is 8 feet tall, looks down on Tweety to assert his manhood. In the end, he agrees to join him in his escapade.

(Close-up)

All of a sudden, Mati finds a way out! He is thrilled!

(Establishing shot)

Tweety climbs up the Sports Building, convinced it is the way out.

(POV)

Soon Mati joins him, trusting in his leader.

(Low angle)

Tweety nearly falls off, but no one seems to care.

(Extreme close-up)

Mati realizes that the break is nearly over, and decides to give up on the escapade.

Tweety can't believe Mati abandoned him, and decides to mope on a bench inside the school. He questions his existence in the world.

Short Film Review - Strangers

Strangers, the short film written and directed by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv, tells us the story of how our enemy’s enemy can become our friend.

Two strangers sit opposite each other on a train. They eye each other critically. Then we see a close-up of the newspaper one of them is reading: It is in Arabic. The other notices this and pulls from under his shirt his Jewish necklace. They remain silent, as the train pulls into the next station. Here things get tense, when a gang of white men position themselves in between our two main characters. The gang makes it clear they don’t like “those people”, and one of them even spray-paints the Nazi symbol on the newspaper the Muslim was reading. They know there is no way out alone, and with another look between them, they realize they need to find a way out together.

            The film is structured into three main parts: The beginning with our two characters silently judging each other. Then the gang walks in and tension builds. The final sequence where they work together rushes and swooshes past and effectively releases all the tension that has been building from the beginning, which is the way it should be.

            It is more about the story it’s trying to tell than about the characters themselves. It could have been told in many other ways, but that doesn’t mean using religion as the catalyst doesn’t work. It actually works great, and setting the situation on a train was a very smart decision: We know they can’t escape until they’re at the next station, and even then they only have a minute to get out of there. It is a well-made short film with something to say. What more can you want?

Grade: 7/10