Analyzing Form in Cinema

"The Conversations" teaches me that when one talks about movies, it is often done in the form of comparison between films of the same genre or time period. Jaws, for example, is largely compared to other so-called "summer blockbusters"in order to make a point that Jaws isn't a typical one. No matter what the two critics are talking about, they keep going back to other films of the category: "...really great horror movies don't just provoke reactions of fear, they're also about fear." Not only this, but they also compare Spielberg to other directors: "And, like Quentin Tarantino after him, Spielberg clearly wants us to enjoy Jaws not just as adventure but as a movie adventure." Ed Howard talks a lot about how the film feels (which is, most of the time, subjective), as well as about its story line and special effects (or the lack thereof). Jason Bellamy talks about the balance between the special effects and the story line. Additionally, he mentions the power of shots not just as stand-alone elements but with a reference to anotehr film: "Those shots, ostensibly from the shark's perspective, recall the underwater shots in Creature From the Black Lagoon." Bellamy discusses only the shots that are especially effective, "Later, the girl's hand washes up on the beach, the first evidence of the shark that will soon terrorize the area, and Spielberg delivers a sensational closeup of the detached hand..." Another notable thing about "The Conversations" is that both film critics barely quote the characters from Jaws. Most of their conversation is circled around analysis of specific scenes and effects as well as their effectiveness. The talked-about shots are in order, so the conversation is similar to watching the film, except with some major commentary in it. Most importantly, Ed Howard and Jason Bellamy talk about all aspects of form in this movie: its structure, point of view, and theme. By going over each one of these aspects, they provide us with a full analysis of the movie in comparison to other films within this genre. 

Mise en Scene Analysis of Jaws Sample Frame

Our eye is immediately attracted to the city mayor because he is in the dominant area of the shot. Not only is he in the centre, but he is also wearing a light blue suit that contrasts with the darker, more neutral colors of other men's suits. 

The shot is rather a combination of high and low key; the lighting looks natural. 

It's a knee-up medium shot. 

The camera is set at the eye level. 

There is no one dominant color in this shot, however, the main ones are grey, red, and light blue. Out of the four men, the mayor stands out the most because of the light color of his suit. The reason behind this has to do with color symbolism- we can tell that the mayor is in charge, his opinion is weighed more than anyone else's. 

There is no great sense of depth in this shot, however, neither is the image compressed. The used lens is closer to a telephoto one. Since the shot is a little grainy, the stock must be fast rather then slow. 

The other three men are the main eye-stops after taking in the dominant, the mayor. All men are in focus and their size is significant. 

The image is very dense because all objects are in focus. In addition, the car behind the men is red, so it also attracts our attention. Moreover, a man who is leaning on the car is wearing a white shirt, which makes him stand out against the greens and browns of the background. 

This shot has circular composition because of the way men surrounded Brody. 

The form of this shot is closed because all the necessary information seems structured within the confines of the frame. All the visual elements are arranged and held in balance. 

The characters are placed at the left edge of the frame, especially Brody. They have little room to move around within the frame because they are standing on a bridge and behind them, there is a car. Therefore, the framing is tight. 

Foreground, midground, and background are all in focus, however, the foreground is what we, as audience, focus on the most. Midground and background don't comment on the foreground. 

The characters occupy half of the foreground, from the left edge to the center. The reason Brody is placed near the edge is because Spielberg suggests his insignificance while the mayor's placement in the center point at his importance. 

Three men are shown in profile which suggests their focus on the conversation rather then on the outside world. One man is looking directly into the camera, somehow inviting us into the conversation. 

The distance in this shot is personal between the foreground characters. 

How Do Films Reveal Character Traits?

Films reveal character traits through the arrangement of all the visual elements within the frame of a movie screen.

We know that "the dominant is often movement itself". Here, Quint is the one moving. Thus, the audience is under the impression that this experienced shark hunter is here to save the day. The other two men stop moving and give way to Quint the moment he enters the picture. We follow him with our eyes, fascinated by his fearlessness. 

Although Brody is definitely not dominant in this social group after everything that happened during the day, where Quint was the bravest and most experienced man, the nighttime scene opens with a close-up of Brody. "The amount of space taken up by a character doesn't necessarily relate to that person's actual social dominance, but to his/her dramatic importance." This is exactly what we see in this shot; Spielberg emphasizes the concern of Brody, thus revealing his character. While the other two men look quite relaxed in the background, Brody gives us a feeling of tension- he is still thinking about the shark. 

Three-quarter turn suggests rejection and unfriendliness. He is not willing to join in on the fun that the other two men are having. 

When Quint launches into a heartfelt monologue, sharing the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, the camera doesn't move. "The frame selects and delimits the subject, presenting us with only a "piece" of reality. It can also function as a metaphor, a window through which the audience peeps into characters' lives." Here, like in many other shots of the movie, Quint is the main character. Hooper is listening with his mouth open, suggesting that we should do the same. 

Since quarter turn is intimate, the audience gets even more attached to Quint. Spielberg clearly devotes close attention to characters, instead of hurrying past them to the shark. 

The camera moves closer and closer, making the audience emotionally attached to Quint. 

"The central portions of the screen are reserved for the most important visual elements." This shot is an example of a profile position (looking off frame suggests being unaware of being observed). Since the characters are really into what they are doing, their characters get revealed even more. Skin contact suggests intimacy- the more time the two men spend together, the closer they get. 

After having observed Quint for the past shots (during his storytelling), we now listen to the dialogue between the two men. Here, we see the fun and playful nature of their characters. They are an arm-length away from each other- they are obviously getting attached to each other and the audience gets attached to their relationship, too. 

Distribution of Visual Elements in Jaws

"Isolated figures tend to be heavier than those in a cluster. Sometimes one object can balance a whole group of otherwise equal objects." Indeed, here, an impressive crowd of clueless and scared people is balanced out with a single confident person, Quint. In this shot, Spielberg puts him in the position of dominance that juxtaposes him with the other people in the room and therefore "distributes weights harmoniously over the surface of the image". 

Although "the area near the top of the screen suggests power, authority, aspiration," this is not the case here. "In some instances, the top area is simply the most sensible area to place an object (when the person's head is logistically at the top of the screen)". Indeed, with the red spots in the background, we know that the Sheriff is not in power here- the shark is. The red spots of blood in the ocean are the dominant in this shot. They attract our attention due to their brightness that contrasts with the overall greyness of the shot. While "the dominant is often movement itself", in this shot, the Sheriff's movement doesn't attract our attention as much as intrinsic interest. The audience knows that the blood is dramatically important, so it assumes dominance in the picture. 

In this medium shot, we can see an example of classical composition. Here, Spielberg knew that it would be psychologically appropriate to keep this kind of composition because of Quint's importance. He is telling a fascinatingly terrifying story so our attention is obviously on him rather than anyone else in the boat. Also, "the central portions of the screen are reserved for the most important visual elements" is a rule that works here. 

Spielberg: the King of Cinematic Suspense

This shot is the Sheriff's POV because he is clearly concentrating on the sea. Even though one might think that the Sheriff should be the focus of this shot, Steven Spielberg purposefully puts him on the right. The viewer, just like the Sheriff, always needs to see the sea in the background, which is made possible with this placement. 

Even when a distraction is in the Sheriff's way, he keeps looking at the sea. In this close-up shot, Spielberg wants the audience to concentrate on the sea rather than the "distraction". 

As the Sheriff is looking at the water, shots keep cutting to long and extreme long shots of the sea. In this one, we automatically concentrate on the boy far away from the shore. Spielberg makes us worry that the boy will become a victim of the shark attack. 

After a series of shots in which the camera keeps switching from "false alarm attacks" back to the Sheriff's anxious face, we see a waist-up shot of a boy. He is looking for his dog that's nowhere to be found. The vastness of the sea hints at the fact that something happened to the dog. This, again, makes the audience worry that the actual shark attack is about to happen. 

To emphasize the fact that the dog is, indeed, gone, Spielberg switches to a high angle shot of the log that the dog was playing with earlier. 

Murnau's Art of Fear: Nosferatu

After seeing an opening medium waist-up shot of the vampire, he is shown in full height. This long shot makes us realize that besides having a scary face, the vampire is tall and therefore more powerful. This quick switch from a shot of him behind a window to the one of him standing outside signifies that the vampire is now free to go after his victim. 

From here, action starts building up. As if the terrifying face and the tall body of the vampire weren’t convincing enough, Murnau’s next shot is low angle. The way he sets up the camera makes the vampire look even stronger than he already is. This is done with the use of the vampire’s shadow, same as in the next shot when his hand’s shadow is on the lady’s dress. 

This method makes the hand look bigger, and the fingers-longer and creepier. 

In the next shot, which is eye-level. as the scared lady moves away from the camera and closer to the bed, she starts looking smaller and smaller with every step she takes.

In addition to this, an extreme long shot of the sea and the moon highlights the eerie atmosphere. 

Finally, a close up of the vampire is shown to the audience to once again emphasize what the frightened lady sees and feels. Murnau’s ultimate goal is to feel what she must be feeling- fear for her life. 

Oblique Shots Make The World Go Round (Literally)

How does this shot make you feel? "Unstable" and "tense" are the first words that come to my mind. It makes me want to grab onto something as if I just fell and need to help myself get back up by tilting the angle back to the horizon level. No wonder oblique shots are only used to represent how a drunk person or someone who is about to faint might feel- they make you feel nauseous! Imagine sitting in a movie theatre and feeling like you're on a ship that got caught in a wild storm. No one wants that. However, there are times when cinematographers get assignments like that, in which case, nothing can compare to the power of nausea-causing canted angle. In short, oblique shots make the world go round (literally).

Cultural Convention

Chickens from Baraka

To me, this video shows the "speed over quality" mentality that modern day people tend to have. After reading the textbook, I realize that this take away of mine has to do with the way the clip is filmed. For example, the clip's motion is that of a formalist film because "formalists deliberately stylize and distort their raw materials". (page 2) The fast speed not only makes sure that "no one would mistake a manipulated image of an object... for the real thing", but also brings an important point across. (page 2) It is through the sped up motion that I realized what the video was really about.

The speed brings people and chickens together, as they move at the same pace. I think the clip director was trying to say that by valuing speed, we forget about the quality of our lives. The horrifying images of chickens on the conveyor make us cringe, but this video is not promoting vegetarianism. It is saying that human approach to life is like that of a rightless chicken in a factory. One of the characteristics of formalistic films is "the camera is used as a method of commenting on the subject matter, a way of emphasizing its essential rather than its objective nature". (page 4) I think it's through a unique filming technique that this short clip got such a powerful point across.

Museum/gallery visit Quarter 2 and 3

1) Whether you choose painting, film, or digital design as your medium, it is important to trust yourself with this decision. Jedd Novatt, for example, uses steel for his sculptures because he likes the immediacy of this material. Being able to create something rather quickly fits his personality. When Novatt was a young artist, people used to tell him to use mixed media because it was popular back then. So he was thinking, “Why can’t I just do what I want to do?” Every artist has a natural connection to a medium that he or she uses for self-expression. What’s important is that you trust your instinct: use material to free yourself.

2) Looking at art helps one to become a better artist. If you go to a museum and see a painting that you don’t like, don’t ignore it. Go back and ask yourself what it is that you don’t like about it. See if you misinterpreted it or missed any details. Not only will you learn something about the painting, but also rediscover yourself. Part of our job as artists is to get out of our own way of thinking by having no prejudice against the things we don’t like. 

3) It is not impossible to sustain yourself financially as an artist. When Jedd Novatt first started his career, the art world was very different from what it is today. It wasn’t common to start selling art right after graduating from college. Instead, people believed that it was important to give themselves time to develop artistically. This idea was central to his experience; he let himself make a lot of mistakes before creating something that he was proud of. Novatt didn’t make a hundred mediocre things; instead, he made one good piece. This is why when he had to wake up to this boring “I have to make money” reality, I had that one thing that would sustain me.

4) It shouldn’t be that difficult for people to tell if they should pursue art because being an artist is a career. If you choose to make art but be a doctor or a lawyer, that’s great, but those who live and breathe art are too consumed with their next work to be able to focus on anything else. Being an artist means that you have to keep creating art no matter what. When no one is interested in your work and life gets difficult, excuses start coming up: “I stopped because I had to make a living.” Jedd Novatt believes that people quit because they weren’t meant to continue making art. If art is really what you want to do, you’ll find a way to do it. If it’s “sort of” what you want to do, you’ll find an excuse to not do it.