Wednesday 15 April 2015

fight club

Fight Club - Critical Approaches

  • Crisis of Masculinity
  • Freudian
  • Postmodernism
  • Nietzchean
Andrew walker review of Fight Club
Objectives

  • To understand how to apply critical approaches for exam questions
  • To be able to apply critical approaches to a short sequence from the film.
  • To demonstrate an ability to respond correctly within written analysis.
How to approach your exam answer for Section C: 'Fight Club"
Don't explain the theory APPLY IT!!!!!
Don't be overtly descriptive, just state the scene: e.g Jack goes to the dentists. Not he goes to the dentist and meets his friend and goes out for coffee afterwards.
Respond in a personal way - what have You taken from it?

Polysemy

"Each text is seen to generate a potentially infinite range of meanings"

Crisis of Masculinity

Henry Giroux says its a failed critique which focuses on consumerist culture and how it shapes male identity and ignores how neoliberal capitalism has dominated and exploited society.

The film assumes that capitalism and consumerism are "impenetrable", and there cannot be resistance or struggle against them.
it focuses instead on defending "authoritarian masculinity" The fight clubs' violence are complicit with the system of commodification that it denounces because it ties into instant gratification, heightened competitiveness, and "the market-driven desire" to dominate and win in fights.
Fight Club ascribes to a world under the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes in which cynicism replaces hope.

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Frame rate:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/3/930510

How to create a tilt shift effect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJJYbO1OVcM

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Creative Project Notes

Schedule:

1. Preparation start: 1st February 
2. Filming start: 11th February (Berlin: establishing shots, montage sequence)
3. New York shots: 5th March - 10th March
4. Editing: 25th February - 20th March
5. In-house evaluation of project: 13th March
6. Any additional last-minute filming: 13th March - 20th March
7. Reflective analysis start: Friday 20th March LATEST!!!! (sooner the better)
 Deadline: Friday 27th march 

Don't worry about budget or scope. Aim for the best outcome.
Defy and challenge conventions.
Intrigue.

Planning: Plan out all shots before New York.

Technical decisions:
Aspect Ratio?: Will it change during the shoot? Which ratio is best suited to the film genre/period/meaning etc? 2.35 : 1?


Reflective Analysis:


  • Mention how continuity errors accrued - How I could fix them? (Could considered actually removing them)
  • Be specific to the shot, mention the intention, meaning, outcome, how well it worked. How could it be improved?




Creative ideas:


Potential Narratives: 
Misunderstood Stalker? (Twist: turns out to be himself)
Deranged individual - Serial Killer
Fake Documentary (e.g. The Blair Witch Project, The Impostor), 
Exposition

Short film based upon the messages of Arcade Fire's 'Reflektor':
  1. Things aren't always how the appear in films/tv/online (The Truth)
  2. The people's lack of trust in the government (NSA's PRISM program)
  3. Inspired by the styles of Sans Soleil/Koyaanisqatsi



Film opens up with a low angle shot of the up above Mac Desktop Computer.
As 'Reflektor: Instrumental' starts to play, the monitor starts to come on and display an image of New York


Genre: 
Black Comedy Drama, Sci-fi?

Editing:
Could apply artificial film grain to evoke a time period.
Slick Scene transitions
Voiceover
Title Sequence (This establishes the tone of the film: it must reflect it. Think of Birdman's title sequence)

Context:
It's freezing in New York at the moment
I'll have no other people besides my family to direct in New York
Story based around my family or a member in particular.
My role: Director/Writer/Cinematographer/Actor?/Camera Operator
How can College be utilised?: Film projector could be used as a backdrop/cinema sequence

Shots:
Time lapses - from New York Hotel window (Times Square)
Establishing
Slight zoom in on the characters' interactions/reactions (Modern Family Style)

Mise-en-scene/Props:
Get Dad to bring one of Jonathan's cars home?
Borrow Martin's gun? (Cant take to new york though)
Lighting - Natural, non natural? low key/high key? 

Soundtrack:
Songs (Think about pacing, diegetic/non-diegetic):
'Wolves' - Kanye West (Themes: dystopia, evil, love, redemption...)
'Reflector' - Arcade Fire (Themes: the new digital age, missing a loved one
Original soundtrack? Work with Anna to produce a score?