OTF Reflection 5

I have always been interested in the creation of subjectivity in films because each filmmaker imparts their own subjectivity into their films. Capturing a moment with a camera creates a sense of importance as time is captured in the present to be watched in the future as a relic of the past. “The camera is a past-maker. However, the act of filming itself, to operate, is to look forward” (Zamboni, 2014) and this process does not happen unless there is a person involved. A person chooses when to film, where to point the camera and what to include within the frame, all in order to tell a story and convey a particular subjectivity. Take for instance, the scene from Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011) when the Driver is carrying a sleeping Benicio down the hall to his bed after their day out with Irene. Winding Refn changes the point of view throughout this scene between Irene’s and an omnipresent perspective. An omnipresent viewpoint allows for the viewer to see everything from a detached perspective while still allowing them to emotionally connect with the characters. To aid the viewer to understand how the characters themselves are feeling, the director will place a shot from their point of view between two detached shot which injects the character’s emotions into the frame.Drive 1

This shot from Drive is from Irene’s point of view and the soft lighting of the hallway and the music creates a romantic mood. Irene watches the Driver from behind and we do not see his face, showing the she does not really know who this man is. But the jacket draped over her son highlights how the Driver protects and cares for Benicio placing him in a trustworthy light.

Drive 2

No characters is looking at Irene in this scene and so this shot is for the audience to see how much she cares for the two men in the previous shot, mirrored by the two lights on the wall as they are the only two bright parts of her life. The small smile that plays over her lips creates guides the audience to feel happy for the quasi family, their subjectivity in this scene built by the relationship between real life experiences at how Winding Refn frames his characters.

References

Refn, Nicolas Winding (2011) Drive, FilmDistrict

OTF Reflection 4

Gilles Deleuze states that that ‘the out-of-field refers to what is neither seen nor understood, but is nevertheless perfectly present’ (Cinema 1: The Movement Image, pg. 16). Splitting the understanding of the frame into two layers based on this quote allows us to see how the world of the film influences each individual frame to build the narrative and the characters of the film. The first layer of the frame is what is in the reverse shot which builds up the viewer’s understanding of the space of the scene. During our tutorial, we watched the final shootout of the 1968 Sergio Leone spaghetti western film Once Upon a Time in the West which provides a clear example of the meaning behind the Deleuze quote. This scene is iconic in cinema history from the music, the staging, the acting calibre of Clint Eastwood who has become known for his many roles in Western films and the memorable desert landscape. For example, this close up of Jason Robards during the shootout ensures the audience is aware of what is out of the frame.

RobardsLeone places this shot between wide shots and uses montage to establish the space the shootout will take place. The close up allows the audience to focus on Robards’ eyes as he watches his opponent move through the space. The use of montage informs the audience of is out of field which allows them to visualise what is happening in the reverse shot. The camera slowly moves around Robards’ face to mimic his opponent’s walk to aid this visualisation.

References

Leone, Sergio (1968) Once Upon A Time In The West, Paramount Pictures

OTF Reflection 3

The manipulation of time is unique only to cinema. A photographer may capture a moment and a painter may choose to artistically develop the world they see, yet time can never continue to move in these mediums. ‘The moving image’ defines cinema, as it lends itself to capturing moments, big or small, as they occur through time. Whenever the term ‘slow motion’ is mentioned, most people conjure this scene from The Matrix. This advanced expansion of time technique is referred to as bullet time, The Matrix Bullet Time

which according to the Isaacs was “conceived specifically for The Matrix” to show audiences they were in a constructed, unearthly space. While being some of the more memorable moments in cinema, the opening of Zombieland, the dream destruction at the cafe in Inception, the elevator of blood in The Shining to name a few, expansion of time is not just used for its ability to up the ‘wow’ factor of a shot. An example of this is the scene in American History X where Edward Norton’s character is handcuffed and taken away by police after killing an African-American man.

American History X

Shot to place the audience in Edward Furlong’s point of view, the toll this event will place on the family is placed on display. It is used to capture the range of emotions the character are going through, the rage and hate on Derek’s face as he kills a man, the anguish and shock that Danny feels is felt by viewers. Slow motion in this instance does not allow the audience to escape the horror of this event in real time, thus adding an even further layer of importance and guttural reaction the scene.

References

Kaye, Tony (1998) American History X, New Line Cinema

Wachowski, Andy & Wachowski, Lana (1999) The Matrix, Warner Bros.

Post #2 – Imagined Communities and Transmedia

Television is a cultural generator, its purpose is to entertain and spark conversation about the events depicted on screen. Narrative programs rely on an audience becoming invested in the story they are telling to ensure they come back to the show as soon as the next episode is available.

The concept of imagined communities is central to narrative television as fan appreciation helps to keep a series on the air. It gives the sense in media audiences that they exist within a large group who share a common interest for instance, an appreciation for a television show. Members of an imagined community “will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear of them” (Anderson, 1983) yet they feel that they are a part of a larger force.

Created by Dan Harmon, the sitcom Community centres on a diverse group of community college students who attended the fictional school Greendale. It first aired on NBC in 2009 and was met with critical acclaim but garnered rather low ratings for a network comedy. It cultivated a cult following and fans of the show felt as if they belonged to a community that was considered meagre yet rather zealous. In November of 2011, NBC announced it was removing Community from its schedule and this news united the fans to rally support for the show. In this day and age the increased amount of communication technologies, such as social media, has allowed niche audiences to easily find one another. The fan response to NBC’s decision is evidence of this, as the community came together to save the show. Under the hashtag #SixSeasonsAndAMovie, they ensured their voices were heard and in the process found the other members of their imagined community.sixseasons social networkIn addition, Community was cancelled after season five and the fandom showed their support for the show yet again and helped it get picked up by the online streaming service Yahoo! Screen, thus allowing audiences free access worldwide.

Transmedia is the use of various types of media to tell a story, engage an audience and grow a brand. This strategy “allows for the opportunity to create deeper, stronger, and more varied connections between story universes and audiences” (Daryoosh Hayati, 2012). As Community continued to evolve, it began to distance itself from sitcoms by incorporating a ‘meta’ quality to its story telling, often commenting on the conventions of television and appealing to the small its small but devoted fan base. Transmedia was utilised in many ways, one of those being releasing of ninety second clips that were filmed specifically for the internet and were not from the main show.

While these were promotional material for the DVD release, they added to the reality of the world by allowing the audience to see into the lives of the characters that inhabited it. Dan Harmon’s dedication to the fans was shown through his commitment to having audio commentary for every episode on the DVD release.

The link between television shows and their audiences is vital for the longevity in this day and age as the television landscape is awash with choices, content creators must engage with their viewers in as many ways as possible to keep them coming back.

References

Anderson, Benedict (1983), “Imagined Communities”, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism”, Vol. 2, pp. 48-59

 Evans, Elizabeth Jane (2008) “Character, audience agency and transmedia drama Media” Culture & Society, Vol. 30(2), pp. 197-213

 Hayati, Daryoosh (2012) “Transmedia Storytelling: A Study of the Necessity, Features and Advantages” International Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 2(3), pp. 196-200

 Sony Pictures DVD (YouTube Channel) (2010) “Community Season 1 – Mini Episode Study Break – “Generation Gap”, video, viewed 11 August 2015, Found at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skYis9qPgVE>

 Sony Pictures Television (2009) “Community”, television show

Post #1 – Female Relationships Representation in Broad City

Created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, Broad City is a sitcom adapted from a web series of the same name, centred on two female friends in their mid-twenties living in New York City. Hailed by critics and viewers alike, the driving force of the show is the core relationship between the two main characters Abbi and Ilana, as it showcases a genuine friendship between women the likes of which have rarely been seen on television. This legitimacy is cemented through a number of aspects, such as the aforementioned creators themselves, as they play characters who share their real life names. Glazer and Jacobson help to pen the scripts which adds a depth to their onscreen friendship as a sense of history is easily identifiable within their interactions. Elaine Blair of the New Republic magazine wrote in her review of the series that “They have so many inside jokes that listening to them can be like trying to decipher a code.” During the first episode of the show, Ilana asks her friend “Can I talk to the Abbi who stole a van?” and Glazer and Jacobson do not elaborate on this piece of history as these inside jokes and pieces of backstory inform the audience of the depth of their relationship outside of what is shown on screen. An example of this can be seen in episode four of season two as Abbi is faced with the choice of ‘pegging’ Jeremy, the man she has a crush on.

In her review for this episode, Caroline Framke of the A.V. Club states that Abbi and Ilana ‘know and accept each other inside and out’ and this conversation is a perfect encapsulation of their friendship. Ilana is not jealous of Abbi for experiencing something she has always wanted to try, she celebrates it and doles out advice and encouragement. Throughout the series, the girls support each other in every endeavour without hesitation and Framke’s proclamation that Broad City is ‘one of the best and most touching depictions of female friendship’ stems from instances like these.

Glazer has been quoted in YES Magazine as saying that ‘the characters on the show are only “15 percent exaggerations”’ of their real life counterparts which illustrates that the events depicted on screen have roots in real life experiences. A situational comedy is centred on characters sharing a common environment and the humour stems from the hyperbolic aspects of the situation. Setting Broad City in New York places the women in the midst of countless other millennials suffering from similar post-college problems. The humour of the show stems from the personalities of the women, allowing them to be fully realised people and not just caricatures whose role it is to make an audience laugh.

Broad City

Abbi and Ilana are regular working class people with cramped apartments and low income jobs who face problems that are common for people in their twenties. Audiences are able to connect with them on a social level because their lives mirror the ones they view week to week.

References:

Aronoff, Kate (2015) “Why “Broad City” Is the Perfect Comedy for the Student Debt Generation” YES Magazine. <http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/why-broad-city-is-the-perfect-comedy-for-the-student-debt-generation>.

Blair, Elaine (2014) “The importance of being dirty” The New Republic, Vol.245(9), p.7(2). <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/117702/broad-citys-post-feminist-sensibility-tvs-best-comedy>.

Comedy Central (YouTube Channel) (2015) “Broad City – To Peg or Not to Peg?”, video, viewed 10 August 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5uI_-mnojs>.

Framke, Caroline (2015) (Review) “Broad City: Knockoffs” The A.V. Club. <http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/broad-city-knockoffs-214781>.

Paper Kite Productions (2014) “Broad City”, television show.

 

 

OTF Reflection 2

When I was capturing my fifty frames, I found it immensely convenient to be able to whip out my phone and take a picture of something that caught my eye. I thought that not having access to a proper camera would hinder my ability to create frames but the availability of my phone allowed me to capture moments faster than possible with a regular camera. Ever since I was confirmed to be in this studio, I had been collecting photos I had taken in my everyday life, trying to do some hands on research and figure out how to create a beautiful shot. For instance, frames three to six were taken while I was walking my dog. It was a quiet day, the silence filled with only the rushing of the wind and upon climbing up a hill to a rest station, I let my dog wander so I could capture the view in unique ways. I wanted my frames to be grouped or paired together to either show a passage of time or a graphic match between two different views. For example, frames seven to twelve were taken on a weekend away during June and the view over the lake was a perfect back drop for experimentation with capturing a moment. Susan Sontag wrote that there is “a sense that photographs capture reality and not just interpret it” and while I agree with this, I also discovered through this project that there is a sense of personal interpretation to an image. Yes, a frame is developed to guide a viewer through it but two people can look at an image, begin searching it in different locations and arrive at dissimilar conclusion about what they just saw. The beauty of the cinematic frame is that each one can be a personal experience not matter how many others have seen it.

OTF Reflection 1

Discussing films with people who are not as passionate about films as I am, the difference between the ways we approach watching and enjoying movies always surprises me. I have always been taken with beautiful looking movies, always audibly oohing and ahhing at fantastic looking shots and that is why I was drawn to On The Frame. Tuesday’s class was a great introduction to the course and it allowed me to really begin to think about what goes into a visually stunning shot. I rarely stop to consider that every second is made up of (usually) twenty-four frames and being introduced to that way of thinking awoke the connection in my mind to paintings and drawings. Dan introduced the film frame as an “individual snapshot of time” and this connects to Susan Sontag’s views on photography as ‘principle devices for experience something.’ I have always valued candid photographs over staged portraits because it captures a more realistic vision of the event, a more accurate look into the past without put upon smiles and upright postures. Sontag describes photos lend a certain importance to an event and I think expanding on this thought to include the emotional weight each photograph is key to understanding a film’s DNA.

This is one of my favourite shots from Mad Max Fury Road.Mad Max Bike Wheel

It is not a grandiose action set piece, which were spectacular in their own right, but this shot stayed with me after I had left the cinema because it tells the story about the world of the film and George Miller’s creative endeavours all in one frame. The barren wasteland and the costuming speak to the harsh environment while the patterns radiating from the wheel shows how a perverse beauty can be found in every inch of this world if you only looked hard enough.

I mention this to portray how I see film frames and photographs at this moment, at the beginning of this studio. These slivers of time can capture an event, but just like how my friends and I can have differing opinions about what makes a great movie, the core and importance of the film frame is the emotional impact it draws from its audience.

References

Miller, George (2015) Mad Max: Fury Road, Warner Bros. Pictures