Black Swan Analysis

In the clip from the Black Swan, we witness the break down of the mind of a character via the way the film is shot.

The start of the clip is filmed using a hand-held camera, as it follows Natalie Portman’s character around. The inconsistency of the levels create a busy, chaotic effect and also make the audience feel as if they are involved- they feel as if they are the ones following the character, and have entered the world of the film and consequently feel more emotionally attached and involved with the characters.

The use of non-diegetic sound in this scene is effective, as we hear the laughter of girls just after we are prevented with an image of them. We assume that the laughter comes from them, however the fact that we never see it come from them insinuates that the Portman’s character is hearing things, and as a result we question her mental state.

The following series of shots show us the events of the film from the view of those in it. A point of view shot shows us how she sees and the following reaction shot show the character as being scared, confused and guilty. Consequently, the audience feels sympathy for her, but we are also cautious and dubious- as she is obviously unstable.

The following shot is of Natalie Portman’s character looking in the mirror, dressed in her black swan costume. The fact that she is looking in a mirror implies that she has a ‘split personality disorder’. This foreshadows her eventual final conflict with herself. Also, the mise-en-scene of the cluttered desk suggests that’s she has a messy or ill mind, also implying she is mentally unstable. The artificial light not only adds to the realistic aspect of the scene, but also, from the fact that it is ‘artificial’ or ‘fake’, we could deduce that so is she: she isn’t real anymore.

The over the shoulder shots that switch between the two characters effectively show the contrast of the characters through their very contrasting facial expressions. This also reflects the two very different sides to her, engaging in the conflict within herself.

We then witness another point of view shot, this is shot with a handheld camera, and is unstable and inconsistent, implying she is experiencing chaos and confusion in her mind.

The close up shot of her wound shows the audience that she has injured herself, confirming suspicions of her alter ego. The wound itself is symbolic, because as a result of mise-en-scene, the shocking red blood against the typically ‘pure’ and ‘innocent’ white costume, represents how she herself has been tainted. Also, the use of red insinuates danger and passion, both of which are becoming apparent to be themes throughout the film.

Throughout this scene, the iconic music from Swan Lake is playing. This is a constant reflection of her mental state- as the music gets more chaotic and intense, so does her mind.  When the music climaxes, it is at the point she realises her insanity and mental decline. And a close up of her face coincides with this to illustrate the moment of truth.

The fact that the music is that of Swan Lake is not only relevant because of her role in the production but it also foreshadows the character following the fate of the role she’s playing.

We then see her return to her desk in a shot almost identical to one we saw earlier:

The only difference being that she is now wearing her white swan costume as opposed to her black costume. This is dramatic irony- she has realised she has a dark side to her, and has no control over her own mind, (a very scary thought), yet she sits in white clothes, confronted with a visual representation of her cluttered, messed up mind. And calmly continues with her life. The use of white and black contrast reflects the two different sides to her and they both live her life, (both sat in the same seat etc.).

She then proceeds to apply stage makeup to her face. This could be a metaphor for her putting on her mask - it shows her life has now turned into playing a part as appose to just her job. Alternatively, it shows commitment to her role, as even though she is wounded and mentally ill, she is still determined to finish her role on stage and fulfil her destiny. This is her fatal flaw.

The scene then jump cuts to the stage, this shows how closely linked her life and the production are.  The fact that the camera is handheld means we follow her around the stage, we see that this is very full and chaotic- another parallel with her mind. The inconsistency with the camera shows her mental instability.

The production on a whole is dramatic irony. This is the final scene of the show and where everything comes to a close, and the white swan kills herself. This is ironic because it is the characters final scene before she dies as a result of her own actions. Also, the low key lighting in the scene foreshadows the unfortunate imminent events.

Within this scene, the swan is thrown between black figures. This is a parallel for Natalie Portman’s character battling with her mental demons. The handheld constantly following her round suggests that her demons are forever following her around.

We see the climax of the performance as she runs away from others on the stage. This symbolises the end of her life. Dancing and performing was her life, and the fact that she has turned her back on the dancers, (who represent her life), implies it is in the past, and so consequently the end of her life.

She finally turns and faces reality and her fate, and we know she has accepted what she thinks is her destiny.

We then experience a shot reverse shot in order to display the reaction of her mother in the audience, they are both wearing similar facial expressions- panic and distress. Natalie Portman’s character is in the light, in contrast to her mother being in the dark. This suggests that the mother is the villain, this could mean her daughters demise was her fault, as she was too harsh on her whilst raising her.

The bird’s eye view of her jumping off the ledge in slow motion is very effective, as it creates tension, as we see the physical representation of her mind tipping her over the edge. The audience consequently feels emotional and sad about the ending.

Finally, the last shot is one of pure white. Symbolising the end of her life, the story and her being restored of her innocence- there’s no longer any red tarnishing the perfect white.

The instability of the black swan is reflected through how the film is shot, lit and through scene parallels. This presents the mental decline cleverly and effectively, whilst sufficiently fulfilling the audiences entertainment needs.

Horror Genre

In the horror genre, many techniques are used in order to create the right mood and atmosphere for the story. There’s the obvious, intense, dramatic music that is regularly played to create suspense and provoke a fright, (this is an example of non- diegetic sound), but then there’s also the less obvious, more subtle techniques, like the low key lighting, which causes the audience to subconsciously distrust a character.

Other techniques can be used to create the appropriate mood, like the use of camera shots. For example, a close up shot of a characters face in a horror film could result in either the audience trusting and feeling comfortable with the character, or feeling uncomfortable and intimidated by them.

Techniques like this set the tone for the characters. If a character is viewed with a low angle, with darkness surrounding them, or with shadows cast over their face, the audience will feel small, and consequently experience a sense of powerlessness and insecurity. As humans we are all instinctively afraid of the dark, so, if a character is associated with darkness, or has a lot of shadows or black around and on them- it is natural for the audience to feel scared and be fearful of them. In the same respect, long shots and medium shots with bright light is often used to provoke trust for the hero of the story. The light represents honesty and openness and purity- all trustworthy qualities. The medium/long shots show the characters in full- implying there is nothing to hide about them and that they are genuine. In contrast, the close up shots could mean they are open, and the intimacy could also mean they have nothing to hide- as even examining them up close, they are pure.

An angle that is commonly used in the horror genre to demonstrate instability and threat is the Dutch/oblique angle.  This is where the camera shows an uneven so consequently distorted view of the shot. This represents imbalance and is often used in regards to mental instability and danger. Hence its common occurrence in horror films, where sometimes the antagonist is mentally instable.

Another angle that creates a distorted sense of a familiar world is the high angle. This is commonly used to show characters getting swallowed up in their surroundings and seeming insignificant- putting the world into perspective.

Some directors incorporate the use of handheld cameras to create a jerky, ragged authentic effect that makes the audience feel a part of the action. This makes the film more real and consequently more scary- the action feels nearer and more intense, increasing the fear factor.

In most horror films, the focus of the camera is extremely significant. If the focus is on anything in the background, it is probably a clue, but when the focus is on someone talking, what they’re saying is important. Also, a common thread in horror films is the common occurrence of a cross in the background. This is symbolism- relevant because of satanic messages and un-holy themes. This is common throughout the horror genre.

 

Summer Film Review

My favourite film of this summer would have to be paper towns.  Although some may argue that as a film it is nothing special, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think this can be put down to the storyline and scripting.

The story is a simple coming of age teen drama revolving around an 18 year old boy, ‘Q’, and his relationship with childhood friend and long-time crush, Margo. Margo is a mystery, not only to Q and the audience but to herself, and Cara Delevigne portrays this perfectly in her spot-on interpretation of the already well established book character. She expertly shows the layers to Margos’ character, whilst effortlessly making Q’s love for Margo believable, as I’m sure many other audience members would agree with me when I say, you couldn’t take your eyes off her.

The plot revolves around Margo disappearing after spending a night with Q, (who she hadn’t spoken to for years), full of mischievous, exhilarating and technically legal endeavours. Q and an unlikely group then follow clues left behind by Margo in order to find her and bring her home.

This leads to breaking, (but not entering at the same time), entering, (but not breaking at the same time), a road trip and an awful lot of self-discovery. Without a ‘typical’ Hollywood ending, I believe some would feel let down, or unfulfilled by how the film is brought to a close. However I think a quiet acceptance and realisation that not everyone is how you may perceive them to be is much more effective.

The use of comedy keeps the tone light, whilst also tackling the issues of high school teens during the most important year of high school both academically and socially- it is very relatable, which is a reason I think it appealed to me so much.

The moral of the film is to live in the moment, make memories and focus on the now. Although this seems to be Margo’s motto at the beginning of the film, we see Q develop a similar attitude… but with a more sensible, mature approach. He also develops the outlook that he had put Margo on a pedestal for years, and had been blinded by his love for her so much, that he couldn’t see that she wasn’t the brilliant, all knowing admirable character he had created and made her out to be; in fact she was a lost girl who had already decided the world was too small and boring for her, and to the audience it seems inevitable that she would end up unhappy and discontent.

The simplicity of the film suits the story, and no embellishment is required to distract from lack of character development, or plot holes. The story the film tells is a beautiful mystery with a perfect  conclusion, that is emphasised and flattered by the plain, simple ending, that left me, personally, with a warm feeling in my heart- the feeling of content.

The Success Of Jurassic World

Jurassic World. The fourth film in a series forever trying to live up to the standards of the first film. Forever desperate to capture the magic and emotion we witnessed in the 1993 landmark film… and forever falling short. So surely, if all Jurassic World turned out to be was a poorly constructed sequel, that failed to live up to the quality of the original film; theatres would be filled with angry ex fans,  calling for explanations and demanding to have their cherished film done justice. However that’s not what happened at all. Instead, Jurassic World smashed the box office and was undeniably a mammoth success. So, if it wasn’t down to a brilliant, captivating plot, or a genius, shocking script, how did this come about?

The answer is simple, and lies in the failures of its previous films. Put plainly- this film wasn’t as bad or as disappointing as the two original sequels that everyone likes to pretend never existed. The two previous films clung onto original cast members and relied on them solely to carry the franchise, but with Jurassic World hitting the reset button, and having it set twenty years in the future, it gave the film a fresh feel. This is what the series desperately needed.

Of course, a film ‘not being terrible’ isn’t reason for the amount of success Jurassic World experienced. The box-office smash used cutting edge CGI and special effects, leaving sci-fi fanatics content and pleased after a two hour long fix of beasts wreaking havoc in all sorts of hard-to-create action scenes. The film cost a fortune to make, and this is clear from the finished product, and sometimes, mindless action sequences are enough to satisfy large groups of people, who go to the cinema and watch films, simply to be amazed.

This brings me onto my next point. This point suggests that perhaps the film was a large box office success because it brought the magic to a new generation. Teenagers these days have grown up, most of them, having watched at least one of the Jurassic Park films, (most likely the first), but having watched them with the view of them being ‘old films’. With the incredible effects the young people of the world are exposed to these days, it would be typically hard for them to be amazed by anything that doesn’t explode in high definition,  or be affected by a death that didn’t contain pints of blood and ounces of guts, so despite Jurassic Park being so brilliant to the older generation- their children simply wouldn’t see it in the same light. However, the fact that this film has revitalised the ideas, and continued the story, makes it more relevant and interesting for them. The children of today are curious to see what all the fuss was about all those years ago. And anyway, what teenager doesn’t like a film about killer dinosaurs’ pursuing A-list stars?

This leads me to my last point. Chris Pratt. Women are box office contributors too, and while a dinosaur film would typically be expected to attract men and boys, fathers and sons, groups of teens, with a face like Chris Pratt on all the promotional posters, some women are bound to trickle in somewhere…

All in all, despite critics claiming that the plot, script, character development and chemistry was nothing special and by no means matched the standard set by the 1993 classic, Jurassic World was an undeniable box office smash.  And it seemed to go down well with fans of the franchise as well- which is truly how the success of films should be measured- not by how many people they can fool into walking through the door opening weekend, with airbrushed posters and action packed trailers.