Maya Deren

April 29, 1917 – October 13, 1961

She intended for her films to be 'an experience' 

She used editing, multiple exposures, jump cutting, superimposition and slow-motion
Created continued motion through discontinued space, while abandoning the established notions of physical space and time, with the ability to turn her vision into a stream of consciousness

Films have an autobiographical tone to them

Arrived at USA in 1922

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

The Spanish film 'Princesses' uses specific camera techniques in order to reinforce the racial divide between the prostitutes, yet also- discretely, their similarities. A handheld camera shows the immigrants socialising and mingling, as well as parading around in order to sell themselves. The variety of races and ethnicities shows the diversity that the Spanish culture attracts, consequently offering contrast from the generic Spanish girls they are juxtaposed with. The inconsistant zooming in and out on the girls creates a sense of verisimilitude- as it is obviously filmed from far away, as if in a documentary. A girl in Gloria's salon observes that it's 'like a jungle out there', reinforcing this, while also supporting the cultural opinion on prostitutes: that they are not much better than animals. The mise-en-scene of the fountain also creates the environment of a jungle, as it's as if they are all gathered around the watering hole, as would happen out in the wild. However their similarities are illustrated by their shared entrapment -demonstrated by the blinds on the windows of the salon, as if they are cared in. Consequently, a point of view shot from the Spanish prostitutes means we are looking 'through bars' at the immigrants, but this also means that the immigrant prostitutes are viewed through the same 'bars'- demonstrating that they are both confined by similar issues. 

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

The impact of Chungking Express relies heavily on the effectiveness of film techniques communicating the anticipation of the imminent social change to reflect what the residents of Hong Kong would soon be facing. This is evident in the scene where we see Faye cleaning 663's apartment, consequently instigating the needed change in his life, while simultaneously easing him into it. The mise-en-scene shows her pouring new fish into a previously dirty fish tank. This could be seen as her breathing new life into his world, after he's been living in an empty void since the last big change in his life- being left by his girlfriend. This can be viewed as a social comment; showing that although the people of Hong Kong may feel abandoned and wary after being deserted by Britain and handed back to China, all is not lost, as it could be a fresh start, with new hope and life. This is reinforced by the use of colour in the scene- as they are bright and vibrant which is a big contrast to the dull, low key lit apartment we saw 663 living in originally. The framing of the scene also implies that this new female in his life will soon become pivotal and vital, as a close up tracks backwards to reveal Faye in the centre of the camera, suggesting she is central to 663's new story. The use of a montage reinforces the importance of time and space; it's manipulation of time along with the fact that it confines the viewer to just one place forms the argument that change is inevitable, and that even if you try to keep everything the same, you can't escape the fact that adaptation is healthy and needed in order to keep up with a and live in the modern world. 

How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

City of God achieves maximum impact through the use of cinematic techniques, and this is arguably used most effectively in the opening scene. The editing used throughout this scene is abrupt and sharp, enforcing a chaotic, hectic, confusing atmosphere that the audience finds themselves immersed in. This reflects the lives that the inhabitants of the Favela lead. One of the main focuses of the editing is the knife in the mise-en-scene, where the shots are extremely short, which could imply that the life span of people around is also very short. The first shot of the whole film, after complete darkness, is of a knife being sharpened on a rock, suggesting that the community is living on the edge of a knife, enforcing how dangerous it is to live there. This technique used reflects the genuine issues of the time the film was set in- in the favelas, someone died every 90 seconds, which demonstrates the short life span. Also, another aspect of the mise-en-scene, a chicken, is used to demonstrate the lifestyle in which the residents of the favelas are forced to partake in. A close up of the chickens foot shot a tag keeping him in place- he is trapped just as the residents are. Later the chicken becomes free and begins to escape, tracking shots show the frantic escape attempt of the chicken as it tries to escape its imminent, inevitable death. A chase sequence ensues and a long take tracking shot at floor level follows the chickens continuous narrow misses before ultimately stopping. This use of mise-en-scene, combined with the mix of long and short takes effectively foreshadows the numerous escape attempts that happen consistently throughout the film adding to the sense of verisimilitude.

how far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distincitive uses of film techniques?

The opening scene of La Haine uses constant conflict and opposition and this is demonstrated through the technique of cinematography. This technique is used in order to create an accurate representation of the rocky, agresive world that the characters live in. The film credits themselves consist of real life footage of riots and extreme violence, it has the sense of documentary authenticity, created through the use of handheld cameras, which reinforces the fact that the issues faced by our characters are also faced by people everyday in the real world. This provides the viewer with context of the film- there was social and political unrest throughout the projects, which resulted in conflicts with authority, and in these cases the police. The portrayal of their world is continued in the form of a news broadcast, regarding a youth put in hospotal by a policeman. The zooming in on Abduls face on the screen is very typical of a real life feature, which once again, adds the feeling of authenticity and it being genuine. This is followed by a scene where Said is stood directly infront of a series of policemen. The camera pans to show the intimidating sight of riot vans and policemen. This is used to convey the constant presense of unwelcome characters and the constant intrusion on those in the projects's lives. However, the level of intimidation rapidly decreses when the camera curves round to show Said grafiting their truck. The cinemaography showing this demonstrates the constant challenging of the authority and constant opposition to those they deem outsiders- this continues throughout the film.

La Haine Words

Bleak- The world of La Haine is very simplistic, uninteresting and boring. This is demontrated through the fact that there are many scenes where the trio seem to be just siting around and waiting, with nothing to do. The bleakness of their surroundings could also be demonstrated through the fact that the film is shot in black and white- there is no colour.

Pessimistic-  Most of the characters dont have an optimistic outlook and consequently view every situation as a negative, this creates a hopeless society surrounding them, and begins the cycle of a depressing environment. This is demonstrated through the fact that Vinz expects his friend to die, and is almost waiting for and anticipating the worst, and is banking on it, (he says if he dies, he'll 'even the score'). 

Real- La Haine is easily viewed as real, as it shows the sides of Paris that Hollywood don't want you to see. It's not pristine, it's genuine and the world that the trio live in contrast greatly with the eiffel tower sort of world that we see in the Paris city scenes. Also, the main part of Paris itself is revealed to have crime, similar to the projects, which seems to be an accurate portrayal.

Tense- The film on a whole is tense, as the question of whether Vinz will actually follow through with his pln to kill a policeman, however, the final scene itself is the most tense, as the gun is bein held to Vinz's head then eventually Hubert and the policeman facing off with their deadly weapons.

La Haine

Images for La Haine:

Words for La Haine:

Revolution

Unity

Disunity

Trapped

Family

Liberty

Scenes for Poverty:

The BBQ scene- they have to share and steal the food.

When they attempt to hotwire the car- they have the instinct to steal the car, but aren't privileged enough to know how to drive it.

Scenes for Power:

The shooting outside the club- the youths have the weapon so consequently have the power in that situation.

The final scene/Vinz's death- the policemen have the weapons and consequently have the power, however when Hubert turns and comes back, the power is matched.

Scenes for Conflict:

When Vinz first shows his friends the gun- this creates a divide within their group .

The BBQ scene- the police come and try to get rid of them and they face off.