Four hour film challenge- The Door

New Wave film evaluation

For my new wave film I decided to experiment with my editing to reflect the New Wave techniques such as colour overlays and jump cuts. I have focused on the French New Wave for my work. I edited my footage on Premiere Pro as this enabled me to be able to edit quicker and it helped me edit my jump cuts in more detail. Using Premiere enabled me to experiment with different techniques. I decided to add a golden toned overlay to some of my footage. I filmed on location in Birmingham as filming on location is another convention of the New Wave. In Truffaut's 'The 400 Blows' they filmed on location around Paris. I only used natural lighting to maintain the sense of verisimilitude of the film as the French New Wave was about documentary style films that were personal to the director. I kept the ISO at 100 or as close to 100 as possible to ensure that my footage was not grainy or overexposed.

Freud

Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist who founded and developed the idea of psychoanalysis.  Freud believed that “Dreams are the royal road to unconscious” and that they contained important clues into the human psyche (Weiter, 2004:195)  much of his initial research methods involved questioning his patients on their dream experiences and using their descriptions as a means of uncovering their true motivations.

“Film operates on much the same principle… film speaks directly to the unconscious, the language of dreams is one that is not an abstract form of communication such as narrative, but is one that is filled with images they carry hidden meanings on a latent level. Just so is the language of film organized so that only a part of film.”

Therefore the nature that is film can be deconstructed in order to unveil a universal understanding of our thoughts and behaviours that through identification. 

Lighting techniques

Lighting Techniques
LIGHTING TECHNIQUES from georgie wing on Vimeo.

Shot types

I have created this video to show and demonstrate some of the different types of shots that are used in film. These include:

Extreme Close Up- This is used to invade the characters personal space and to show us how a character is feeling. This can also be used to focus on something important e.g. someones feet as they are running away from something/one. 

 Low Angle- The low angle is commonly used to make the audience empathise with the character that is less dominant. The low angle shows someone looking down on something or someone and makes the audience feel helpless.

High angle- The high angle is used to show a character looking down on something or someone else but from their point of view. This makes the audience feel powerful and God like.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety 

The health and safety of the crew and public must be thought about before any filming can begin. If health and safety procedures were not taken care of and someone was hurt because of this the filming could be postponed or even cancelled. When filming out on location on of the most important aspects that can affect the health and safety of the crew and the public is the weather. The weather can leave the ground in an unexpected condition, if it had been raining someone could slip and injure themselves. Another important aspect of filming on location is ensuring that any equipment you have with you is always being looked after by another crew member and that is placed out of the publics way and therefore doesn't become a trip hazard.

When you have finished shooting in the studio ensure that all of the lights are switched off properly, at the plugs so that they don't overheat. If someone else is unaware that the lights have not been allowed to cool down they may burn themselves when moving the lights. The overheating may also damage the bulbs and therefore they may need to be replaced. When using a tripod it must be set up securely and safely to ensure that it doesn't fall and break any equipment or injure anyone. 

Freud's theory in The Breakfast Club

Freud believed that people could be split into three different categories: the ID, the Ego and the Superego.

ID: Most primitive, irrational and emotional, selfish concerned with self-satisfaction. Pleasure and instant gratification. Key word: Want

Ego: Reality principle, tries to meet the basic needs of the ID, But also takes into account the real world. Key word: Balance


Superego: : Based on moral principles. Key Words: morals, compromise.

There are many film texts where these tropes are used, these include: Star Trek, Shrek, Beauty and the Beast and Avatar. 

One film where these tropes are present is The Breakfast Club. Throughout the films these characters fall into Freud's tropes:

ID: Bender- Bender says exactly what he wants to who he wants without a care for the consequences of his actions. He is anti-authority and regularly clashes with the superego. 

Superego: Andy- Andy tries to restore the order of the group after Bender constantly threatens it. 

Ego: Brian- Brian tries to balance out the superego and the ID's disagreement by reasoning with them , which doesn't work.
In the scene below the ID, Bender, is mocking Claire because of her virginity. At this point we hear the superego's, Andy, voice from off camera telling him to "Leave her alone". A reaction shot of Bender is then used to show him scowling and looking at Claire up and down. A jump cut then shows us Andy walking into frame and staring at Bender and Claire whilst repeating "Leave her alone". As Andy continues to walk forward Brian, the superego, comes into frame looking nervous at what is happening. A mid reaction shot is then used showing Bender looking annoyed as he says "You gonna make me?". A jump cut to a wide shot of Brian and Andy is then used to show us their reactions to this, Brian is slouched and still looks nervous and unsure whilst Andy is standing tall with his head high with a blank expression, showing he isn't scared of Bender, he then replies to Bender "Yeah". A close up then shows the audience Bender looking confused at the fact that Andy doesn't back down from the stand off.  A wide shot then shows the audience Bender and Andy standing face to face however Brian is sat between the two looking nervous and unable to help as the two go head to head. Andy physically gets Bender onto the floor and tries to hold him down . However the Andy soon lets go after Bender appears to give up the fight. A long shot is then used to show the audience that Bender has a flick knife. A jump cut is then used and we see a mid shot of Andy's face looking unsure of how he can stop Bender. Bender then stabs the knife into a chair to show his primitive nature and his lack of respect for his surroundings.  The lighting throughout this scene and the rest of the film is artificial as they are inside the library and are stuck inside the school all day.