Category: Film Macro Elements

Critical Response & Reception, Filmmakers’ influences (intentions & vision), Genre, Motifs (symbols and themes), Narrative structure.

Posted on in Critical Response & Reception, Cultural Contexts, Filmmakers, Genre, Motifs, Narrative

Textual Analysis Research

Links to the Films

Your Initial Response

Complete one of these documents in preparation

Context / Film Research.

You’ve got one week to conduct the research necessary to help you understand your chosen film:

  • Character Representation
  • Narrative
  • Genre
  • Visual Style
  • Historical Context
  • Critical Reception (Reviews)

By the end of the week you will submit a proposed sequence from your film as well as an essay question which will help you focus on the sequence as well as link your ideas to the whole film. You should take a copy of this document to record the research that you undertake this week.

Some Sources to Get you Started

Days of Heaven

Lighting in Days of Heaven

Days of Heaven Close Analysis

Reference: Zucker, C. (2001) ‘ “God Don’t Even Hear You,” or Paradise Lost: Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven.”’, Literature Film Quarterly, 29(1), p. 2.

Akira

Nerdwriter (Animating Light)

20 Years of Japanese Cinema – Media Magazine Article

Reference: Ramey, M, 2009. Cinema of Japan. Media Magazine, 27, 7-12.

La Haine

Structure, culture and cinematography.

Ghetto Culture – Media Magazine Article

Reference:  Turner, P, 2011. Ghetto Culture. Media Magazine, 35, 19-22.

Posted on in Film Macro Elements

Inquiry

The first thing you will do once you’ve selected your chosen film is conduct some research into the film.

This must be done independently, your teacher cannot do this for you. However, we will share our findings in film focused seminars during the week after the screenings:

  • 26th – 28th September.

Your teachers have done some research into the following broad macro areas:

  • Film Analysis & Motifs
  • Filmmakers (Auteur)
  • Genre
  • Narrative
Task 1

Read through teachers’ the research document and identify one quote from each section that you think you could drop into a textual analysis essay

You should use this use document to copy in the quote, cite the reference (given in the document) and explain how this might be used in your textual analysis.

Task 2 – Context Research

When you do your own research in the week after the screening, you should find most/all of the following research sources to help you understand the macro and context of the film as understood by others. For 28 Days we have found them for you and they are listed below the sub heading.

Reviews
Blogs / Websites (Detailed Analysis)
Books

We have also got the ‘Beyond Hammer: British Horror Cinema Since 1970’ James Rose. There is a useful chapter in book this on 28 Days Later. 

We are going to power read this chapter on 28 Days Later and identify some of the key ideas discussed.

Click the image to read the article…

Video Essays

Now You See It. (2016). What Are We Afraid Of? Societal Fears Reflected in Film. [Online Video]. 13 November 2016. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=1sYHfYYiyYw. [Accessed: 14 September 2018].

Posted on in Film Macro Elements

Refresh your Brain

There are three key areas to any textual analysis essay:

  • Micro Features Analysis (within your chosen 5 minute sequence)
  • Macro Features Analysis (within the whole film)
  • Cultural Context Analysis (the wider significance surrounding the film / content)

We have two weeks to review what we already know and fill any gaps in your understanding and application.

Essential Macro Features
  • Genre
  • Narrative
  • Representation
The Feynman Technique

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Resources

The class will be working in two halves and each of those halves will have one of the terms to define and apply. Follow this link to the slideshows that you will be working on.

Task 1
  • Using the Feynman Technique to define what is meant by one of these terms and how they can be used to analyse a film.
  • Define and explain the concept simply in one slide of your shared slideshow.
    • You should use the blog to help you.
Task 2
  • In pairs or threes discuss one of these ideas to, 28 Days Later (2002) Boyle.
  • Evaluate and analyse 28 Days Later using that macro feature.
Task 3

Embed the slideshow into: reflective journal>exploring film>28 Days Later

Posted on in Comparative Study, Film Macro Elements

Compiling Your Video Essay

There are two possible essay titles for your video.

  1. How and with what effect are specific film elements of German expressionism used within a contemporary horror film?
    1. This essay is asking you to define German expressionism as well as explain how this film movement had a distinctive visual style; you should use scenes from Nosferatu to illustrate your ideas.
      • You should use some contextual detail from the period/culture in Germany to explain how Expressionism came to the fore.
    2. In the second part of the essay you should use Let The Right One In to show how that style is still used in horror movies today.
  2. From Nosferatu to Eli. How has the representation of the vampire changed to suit contemporary values, attitudes and beliefs?
    • The second essay asks you to explore the representation of the two vampire characters. Remember the key to a representation essay is twofold:
      1. What ideologies (values, attitudes, beliefs (fears)) from the period / cultural that made the film are communicated through these ‘monsters’.
      2. How is this ideology communicate through micro features in key scenes.

The work we have done over the last few weeks was designed to help you answer these questions:

Question 1:
Question 2: 
Task: Compile Your Video Essay

The means that you need to plan your video essay and bring together all the materials that you are going to use to answer one of the two questions.

  • Review the research we conducted last week.
    • What ideas (quotes) do you want to drop in to your video essay?
      • You should aim for 3-5 quotes ideas taken from your research
    • Make sure you reference the name of the book and author in the essay.
    • You must also compile a bibliography for your essay (a list of your research sources), which you should submit next to your essay in your Reflective Journal.
  • Select the examples from the films that you going to use in the essay?
    • Choose 2-3 scene from each film and within those scenes select approx 15-30 second clips.
  • What terms do you need to use to describe these examples?
  • What is the meaning implied, suggested or illustrated in your example?
  • How will you link the TEAS to the significance?
    • This means going back to the question, which should be at the top of your video essay & bibliography.

You should have written a script before you edit. You will be recording this script later this week and will be editing to the script.

Posted on in Comparative Study, Cultural Contexts, Film Macro Elements, Genre

Research Sources for your Comparative Video Essay

In your final video essay, which compares our two films you need to show that you have done some independent research.

From IB Film Specification:

‘Each student carries out broad research, using both primary and secondary sources, in order to investigate possible areas of film focus and films for comparison from within the areas of film focus, using materials from a range of sources, including original films, critiques, publications and other media.’

In the assessed coursework you should do this research entirely independently and should aim to have between 8-12 sources. These sources will be made up of a combination of:

  1. Your two chosen focus films
  2. Books on your film focus or chosen films
  3. Critics Reviews
  4. Magazine and Newspaper Articles
  5. Video Essays
  6. Podcasts
  7. Websites & Blogs

For this practice unit we have provided some research materials that we would like you to quote from in your video essay. We are also going to go to the library later this week to find book.

Task

In pairs divide and conquer one of these resources, which will be allocated to you by your teacher.

Find 1-3 quote(s) from the source, which you think are useful in developing your understanding…

  1. …the context of the film movement
  2. …the film genre (vampire horror)
  3. …the cinematic style (micro features) of our films

You should also generate a full Harvard reference for your specific source.

Put both the quote and the Harvard reference into this slideshow for the whole class to access when we put together our video essays next week.

Mr G’s Class

Miss H’s Class

1) Horror Monsters Media Magazine Article

Read this article on monsters published in The Media Magazine

2) Crash Course on German Expressionism

3) Film IQ – History of Horror

4) Academic Journals

We subscribe to a huge library or academic articles, books and reviews.

You can access the resources here (see below for user names and passwords)

Here are three articles which I found on Film Vampires:

  1. A Century of Vampires
  2. Warm Blooded – True Blood & Let The Right One In.
  3. Here is a review for Let The Right One In.
Posted on in Cinematography, Genre

Horror Cinematography & Sound Design

Today we are considering cinematography & sound design that is conventional (typical) of horror films.

We will watch Suckablood (BC Horror) in class and use this to consider how the cinematography & sound is typically ‘horror’.

We are seeking to understand how German Expressionist cinematic techniques were the blueprint for horror films.

Task

In pairs, one of you will be exploring cinematography:

  • Framing
  • Compostition
  • Angle
  • Movement
  • Lighting & Colour

Whilst the other considers sound design and music:

  • Diegetic
    • Foley
    • Dialogue
  • Non-diegetic
    • Music
    • Sound Effects
The Video.

Make a short montage in Premiere Pro, which uses titles to identify specific features of cinematography and/or sound, which are conventional of horror.

  • You should aim to find 3-5 examples of sound and 3-5 examples of cinematography

This means the video should be either silent, showing a feature of the cinematography. Alternatively the video should show a still of the scene or a title card and analyse the sound which you are describing as conventional of horror and/or influenced by German Expressionism.

Posted on in Comparative Study, Film Macro Elements, Film Micro Elements

Representation of a Vampire

Let’s do some close analysis of select sequences from our two set texts. You will be allocated two sequences, one from each film. Your job is to explore the representation of the vampire monsters at these moments in the film.

Firstly, do a close micro analysis of:

  • Editing
  • Sound
  • Cinematography
  • Mise-en-scene

Then consider, how these micro features communicate meaning about the nature of these monsters, their representation.

You will be responsible for putting together two slides, one for each film, which compares the scenes and considers what social fears seem to be reflected by Eli & Nosferatu.

Here are the scenes. The scenes your group have been allocated are next to the scene. Please complete two slides in this shared (editable) slideshow:

Posted on in Comparative Study, Cultural Contexts, Genre

Monsters

Some monsters to thrill, scare and delight you.

Why do we like to scare ourselves?

A key features of any horror film is the monster. The monster is said to represent the fears, anxieties and concerns of society at that time. That means that the monster and the theme of the film are inextricably linked and intertwined with each other.

To start developing your understanding we are going to look at some classic horror monsters and consider their representation and beneath that what social fear they stand for.

TASK

In pairs, do some research and develop a monster profile for your allocated monster.

Mr Gregson’s Monsters

Miss Hales’ Monsters

Posted on in Comparative Study, Film Macro Elements, Narrative

Horror Narrative

The next macro study to apply to a film is to consider the narrative as part of the genre.

Remember the basics of narrative?

What are the typical features of a horror narrative?

Consider two narratives as you complete this document:

  • A fairy story you know well. (Has this has been done previously?)
  • A horror story or film you know well

Upload your narrative analysis of the horror film to your reflective journal along with a trailer for the film you studied.

Posted on in Comparative Study, Film Macro Elements, Genre, Reflective Journal

A study of the horror genre

A study of most films will include consideration of genre.

Here is a slideshow to remind you about how to study genre:

So genre is a comparative study:

  1. In what ways does a given film follow the generic conventions of horror
  2. how is it different and…
  3. …can we account for those differences.
Task for snow days

Watch this short horror film from Bloody Cuts: (In the dark if you can…)

Make a copy of this document.

On page two of the document identify features of this film which you think are  conventional of the horror genre. Create a new page in your reflective journal called Horror. Post the film and your analysis.

This will serve as a useful blueprint and structure (Altman) against which to test our two films, Nosferatu and Let The Right One In. We will ask ourselves the questions:

  • In what ways do our films follow the generic conventions of horror
  • how are they different and…
  • …can we account for those differences.

Remember you should also have watched the two films on the previous blog post!