We looked at text in film this week, and I was reminded of a few TV shows that have had a modern portrayal of how teens text and the various ways characters can interact with their devices. For example, in this Euphoria (2019) scene Jules’ whole reaction is shown as she texts someone anonymous. Because all of the text is on screen, the audience can react alongside her. Additionally, the flow of conversation is fast-paced which is a fairly accurate portrayal of how teens text today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ2bxhkfIk8&ab_channel=darkscott
Another show that came to mind was Skam (2015) where the text messages flash on screen, interspersed with the dialogue. As the messages are anticipated, the phone is a vessel for the character he is texting, almost having the same sensitivity to the dialogue as a real person may have. In this way, the audience feels that anticipation with the other characters in the room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNGZzpadk-c&ab_channel=SVTZ
Also this week we watched ‘La France contre les robots’ to get us thinking about our filmmaker backgrounds and if we needed this context in order to enjoy or appreciate a film. I think even just based on what we have learnt this semester with voiceover and text on screen, I kept in mind when viewing. Additionally, I enjoyed the twinkling lights over the horizon in the first half, and the swan floating over the water alongside the character in the second. All of this together gave me a better grounding to think about what the film meant to me, which I don’t think I would have had if I had no prior education.
I was thinking about this when I went to see Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks (thankfully in the cinema) this week. My prior context was that I already liked the lead actors, so I had more of an appreciation of the subtlety of the performances. Additionally, I know Coppola’s work quite well. I don’t think overall my prior knowledge affected my appreciation of the film, because it was so focused on the personal relationships of the characters which I think can only be subjectively perceived, regardless of a film background. That being said, I did enjoy the cinematography – the film was softly lit and had a predominantly cool-toned colour palette. The scenes in the city streets were constructed to have a lot of reflective surfaces – off the ground, the windows, and the cars – and the surrounding lights were minimal. I imagine the streets of NYC are a lot warmer and brighter in reality.
It does lead me to the question of what the purpose of a film is if it can only be appreciated by those with technical understanding. I think ultimately a viewer’s personal connection is far more important than trying to classify things as ‘good’ or not, and that can include having a filmmaker’s background, being a fan of the actors, or just the story in the film itself. For example, watching ‘La France contre les robots’ resonated because I could draw elements of my actual life and prior knowledge to the text.