THX 1138 - Ideology

The concept of ideology is difficult to erase from the context of film. Ideology encompasses the fabric of societies around the world and consequently weaves it way into more films than not. The term ideology is most often used in a political context but may include any set of ideas that guide a set of values. The art of filmmaking is often used as an intentional medium to express those thoughts, but not always. The film THX 1138 (U.S.A., 1971) written and directed by George Lucas is packed full of ideological examples, never to be mistaken for neutral.

Many films offer a slant in favor of one political, religious, or social view. George Lucas was able to encompass conflicting political views and present issues of both that represent a broader view of government in general. In a world where every aspect of life is controlled by government, liberal ideas such as universal healthcare and conservative ideas such as universal religion have worked in unison to turn the human population into slaves of their own governmental politics. While this film is packed full of ideological examples the filmmaker’s views may not always be so easy to spot.

There are many tools at a filmmaker’s disposal to persuade the audience. The selection of a good looking and popular actor or actress to represent a character can easily lean the viewer towards the ideals represented. Underdogs in a film can also demand sympathy in turn the audience has sympathized with the characters beliefs. The settings and décor of a film can also influence the projection of ideology to the audience. Virtually all aspects of filmmaking can be allowed to convey the filmmakers’ vision of right and wrong.

While some films are made purely for their aesthetic beauty or present conflicting ideology neutrally, it is common for film to project the idea of right and wrong. Some films may be produced to invoke ideological persuasion, while others may present a more neutral view. With either interpretation the audience is presented with ideology which is more often than not found in film.

Kick-Ass - Story & Writing

Many movies have been and continue to be adapted from literary sources. The screenwriter is faced with many considerations; among them is exactly how closely the film should try to represent the literary substance. Becoming more and more popular in the film industry today is the adaptation of comic books into film. Deciding exactly how to represent the characters and stories poses quite a challenge for screenwriters.

When comic books are adapted into film the first decision to be made must be what sort of adaptation will be made. A loose adaptation may spin off of the character and develop a plot independent of the literary source. A faithful adaptation holds true to the character and content of the literary source, trying to represent the vision of the writer as accurately as possible. Finally, literary adaptations which are usually restricted to plays, don’t usually find their way into consideration when adapting a comic for film. A loose adaptation allows freedom for the film makers to inject their own vision into the characters and the plot.

The recent reemergence of the Batman character has been successful to say the least. The first film of the series, Batman (U.S.A., 1989) was directed by Tim Burton. The characters of the film represented very literally the characters of the comic book; more abstract was the storyline and plot that was represented. With no particular plot to follow the film was able to inject a more modern day feel to the film. The imagination of the screenwriter allowed the films of the series to appear more current and relevant. These films are a good example of how the screenwriter can often blur the line between a loose and faithful adaptation. The adaptation process can become even more confusing when reviewing the film Kick-Ass (U.S.A., 2010).

The film Kick-Ass throws a monkey wrench into the traditional idea of a screenwriter adapting a film from a literary source. This screenplay and comic for this film were written at literally the same time. The comic author and the screenwriter agreed on a synopsis and carried on from there. One would expect that the storyline would remain consistent between the film and the comic; however that wasn’t exactly the case. The comic is decisively more graphic than the film, while the film also contains some minor character differences most notably in appearance. Big Daddy did however hold a different occupation in the film which seemed to better develop his motives in the film. Fulfilling readers expectations isn’t always as easy as this however.

Quite often when a book or novel becomes very popular and is well written a film adaptation lends itself to disappointment. The beauty of a written work is that many of the details are left open for the reader’s imagination to fill. A screenwriter finds it much easier to adapt lesser known or poorly developed piece of work which lends itself to improvement. With many of the most popular comic book characters having already been adapted to film, the expectation would be the development of more collaborative efforts such as the film Kick-Ass. The screenwriters of these films have little to worry about as far as disappointing the readers, primarily because there are very few before the film is released.

Pans Labyrinth - Drama

The settings in a film contribute to the theme and characterization, bringing to it much more than just a backdrop to the scene. A host of elements work in unison to contribute to the creation of a realistic or formalistic perception of a film. The screen director works with almost infinite limits to convey a vast amount of information. Special effects, controlled on set locations, and access to actual locations provide the modern day director with the tools necessary to create their vision.

Set design is often conveniently labeled as either realistic or formalistic. More accurately, the set tends to lean towards one style or another without fully committing. Often sets are recreations of locations or periods which no longer exist, as a result they must contain, to some degree, a director’s artistic vision even while creating a realistic imitation. Filming prehistoric creatures such as that in Jurassic Park (U.S.A., 1993), while intended to be realistic, require great contribution from the directors imagination. Filming at an actual location doesn’t necessarily label a film as formalistic either. The use of color and type of shot can greatly influence the look and feel of an actual location.

The use of filming techniques, to beautify or sensationalize a set, can contribute to the sense of realism or formalism as much as the actual setting itself. If the majority of shots are taken during a foggy evening filled with moonlight or during the rising dew of the morning sunrise, the natural beauty of the scene seems to contribute to a sense of formalism. In the film Pans Labyrinth (Spain, 2006), the dark forest setting and lack of brightly lit or sun filled scenes even in the real world, coincides with the fantasy world that Ofelia encounters. The items on the set can contribute just as greatly to the style.

The contribution of a setting is significant as they can tell the story of a character even before he enters the scene. A setting which contains lavish decoration can indicate a wealthy status, while a scene of simple amenities can depict a poor less affluent character. The way that the props on set are presented can direct the film’s realistic or formalistic influence. Items brought to the forefront in close up shots or emphasized by lighting can influence the formalistic feel of a scene. The lack of these techniques leaves items on the set to insignificance, leaving a more realistic feel to the shot. A film could contain the same scenes with the same actors, but contain a completely different feel depending on the vision of the director.

The overall stylistic representation of a set can greatly contribute to the formalist or realistic tendencies of a film. The director’s ability to manipulate the items on set, and the location, to convey his or her intentions deicide the interpretation the audience will have on a film. Some films by nature of their content will be shot with a formalistic style, such as Pans Labyrinth (Spain, 2006), others are left more open to interpretation such as Full Metal Jacket (U.S.A., 1987). Most films tend to use contributions of both realistic and formalistic styles to convey a films feeling, while relying greatly on the set to accomplish the intended goal.

Crash - Acting

The requirements of a successful film actor vary from that of a successful stage actor. The basic distinction separating the two is the medium of time. The stage production occurs in real time In front of the audience, while the film product is a collection of clips subject to change at anytime according to the director’s vision. The ability of the actor to mold the role of the character being played is more prevalent on stage as opposed to film where the director harnesses control.

Performing on stage presents a specific set of requirements. The ability of the actor to be seen and heard clearly is paramount. Flexibility and training of the actor’s voice will contribute to the believability and impact of a performance. Unlike film the success of a production relies greatly on the actor’s performance on stage rather than the directors’ presentation. The actors’ responsibility begins even before a word is spoken as physical requirements such as size and grace cannot be concealed by the camera.

The film actor is subject to revealing close ups which make it difficult to conceal age, which is one benefit that a stage actor does possess. The camera can conceal many physical attributes however; such as height, weight, and awkward body language. The overall presence of a stage actor carries a greater importance as the actor is generally seen from head to toe on stage. The facial expressions of required in film do carry as much importance as the physical characteristics of a stage actor however.

The film Crash (U.S.A., 2005) exemplifies the importance of realistic actions rather than the theatrical mannerisms of a stage performance. In this film the characters are representative of everyday people dealing with some of the worst possible experiences. The importance of the actors facial expressions and realistic reaction to these occurrences is vital to the film’s success. In a scene where a black woman is rescued by a racist city police officer who had previously sexually assaulted her, the expression of each characters face following the conclusion of the ordeal said more than words could convey. This sort of interaction with the audience requires a special skill not as precisely honed on stage.

The actors of each performance medium enjoy benefits and frustrations equally. The stage actor may contribute more precisely to the representation of his or her character, but must sacrifice the nuances of realism for the sake of projecting to the audience. The film actor must sacrifice a great deal of creativity to the director’s vision and editing, but can represent a character more naturally and accurately. The actors in the film Crash were expected to perform in that manner. The fundamental requirements of theatrical and film acting clearly dispel assumptions that actors of each could somehow be interchangeable.

District 9 - Sound

In 1927 the inclusion of sound in film, called the talkie era, was introduced by the film The Jazz Singer (U.S.A., 1927). The use of orchestra’s, piano’s, and organs to add music to silent film would begin to decline, but not without resistance. Synchronous sound recorded as the film was rolling, limiting the movements of the actors and the camera to enable the microphones to pick up the dialogue. Many producers unsatisfied with the limitations of synchronous sound began to develop new ways of adding sound to film. Rene Clair began to film many scenes without sound and dubbed the clips when filming was complete. The development of new sound techniques would affect the filming of movies and the acting styles required forever.

Prior to the addition of sound in film, the tone or pitch of the actor’s voice was relatively insignificant. Silent film stars were critiqued on their looks and ability to evoke emotion by their actions. The realism added by sound reduced the need for dramatic emphasis in scenes to convey the message. Actors were now forced to focus on their spoken words and correlating actions rather than miming their way through a scene. The film District 9 (U.S.A., 2009) exemplifies how accurately sound, even an alien language, can effectively convey emotion. The film requires alien refugees to interact with increasingly less cordial humans. Throughout the film the aliens speak in their native language, only being subtitled during longer dialogue sequences. The sounds the aliens produce are however nearly sufficient to convey their message. The grunts, clicks, and associated sounds of the alien speech effectively displays the emotion associated with a scene, whether it be anger and frustration or patience and caring. The inclusion of sound also changed the way that directors filmed a sequence and what they chose to emphasize.

The silent era of film often required directors to include subtitles or dialogue cuts to convey messages. The inclusion of necessary scenes to develop character often directed the directors rather than the film being shot purely for plot content. The innovation of sound now allows directors to set the tone and mood for a scene with very little visual clues. The sound of a slowly creaking door clearly signifies impending danger, while the sound of happily chirping birds sets a much lighter mood. The contribution of sound to the content of a film allows for increased comprehension of a scene.

Films prior to the late 1920’s required a great deal of exaggeration from the actors and a dedicated effort by film makers to visually develop a story. A vast amount of experimentation and dedication to develop the audible content included in film has influenced the requirements for actors and editors alike. The inclusion of synchronous and nonsynchronous sound working together in modern films has bridged the gap between concerned formalistic and realistic directors. Audible cues such as, an actors tone of voice or the off screen sounds of a crying baby, have given directors an increased ability to influence the emotional involvement of the audience.

Raging Bull - Editing

The use of editing in film added an element of art to the filming process. From a simple perspective editing eliminates unnecessary time and space as well as connecting different shots or scenes within a film. D.W. Griffith’s use of editing to add power or subtlety has been referred to as classical cutting; Griffith has contributed more to the elements of editing than any other individual.

Griffith’s use of the close up was able to add drama and emotion to a scene. In the film Raging Bull (U.S.A., 1980), director Martin Scorcese used close-ups masterfully to garner emotion from the audience. In a scene where the paranoid Jake La Motta confronts his wife Vickie with accusations of adultery, Scorcese uses the close-up to show increasing tension. Jake follows his wife into the bathroom and as the physical abuse from Jake increases the camera draws closer, relaying the fear and intensity of the moment, as the threat subsides so does the camera. Scorcese incorporated many other editing techniques that were perfected by Griffith.

Griffith would often use long extended takes with very few set up to shoot love scenes while conversely utilizing brief cuts during chase or battle scenes. Scorcese having to shoot several boxing matches did a masterful job of utilizing Griffith’s techniques. The title fight that Jake La Motta won, only consumed roughly a minute of actual screen time. In a short time Scorcese was able to convey the intensity and duration of the fight effectively to the audience through the use of short clips carefully compacted together. Considered the Father of Film, D.W. Griffith has made a lasting impact on the industry.

The basic elements of editing had already been developed before Griffith began his career. His vision however, allowed him to use editing techniques to psychologically direct the emotion of the audience. The contributions of Griffith have contributed to the success of many modern films. One great example of Griffith’s continued influences are in the film Slum Dog Millionaire (U.S.A., 2008). Thematic montage is used to show flashbacks throughout the film explaining a young boys ability to answer questions on the game show. Griffith’s work with parallel editing, cross-cutting, and development of thematic montage were among his greatest contributions which will indefinitely influence film editing.

Movement – Run Lola Run

The carefully choreographed movement that occurs in a film between characters, camera, and setting goes relatively unappreciated. Kinetics, camera movement, and the distortion of movement work in unison throughout a film to persuade the viewers’ perception. The film Run Lola Run (Germany, 1998), directed by Tom Tykwer, masterfully choreographs movement to accentuate events as they unfold.

The film opens with a bird’s eye view of a city. The camera swoops down and zeros in on a single apartment. The camera carries us through the window, down a hallway and into a room where the camera zooms in on the red telephone. This journey zooms us from the vastness of the world into the small world of one girl, whose life is about to be changed by a phone call received on a relatively insignificant telephone. The speed at which this journey occurs is significant. It is fast paced and symbolic of the adventure Lola is about to face. If the shot were filmed at a slower or even real time pace the significance would have been lost and misleading, presenting a sense of calm or normalcy that the audience would have associated with a slower movement. This distortion of movement is also a distortion of time, but just one of many ways movement can affect perception.

Lola has received her fateful phone call from Manny who is desperately seeking her help. Once the call has ended Lola is standing alone in the middle of the room trying to collect her thoughts. The camera swirls frantically around Lola who is stationary at the center of the shot. Flashes of acquaintances that may provide her with some help are seen. The urgency of her thought are portrayed by the speed of the camera circling her, as she gains focus the intensity of the swirling slows to a halt as the viewer learns that she will seek her father’s help. This representation of thoughts through the swirling camera movement associates Lola’s thoughts with the feeling most people experience when urgently seeking a solution.

Throughout Run Lola Run the many uses of movement available to a director are used. Most of the movement in the film is achieved through camera movement and mechanical distortions, such as animation or slow motion. There are moments when kinetic movement of the actors contributes to the content of a scene, most notably when Lola and Manny are surrounded by the police resulting in fatality. Tom Tykwer’s use of movement resonates throughout the film, dramatically contributing to its overall content.