Thomas Vinterberg’s The Celebration features a distinct style clearly defined by the rules of Dogme 95 and its accompanying manifesto. The Celebration, like other Dogme 95 films, makes extensive use of minimalist production values in its overall aesthetic. This bare-bones style lends a certain authenticity to the films; helping to focus a viewer’s attention onto the dialogue and action. Although it initially seems unusual, The Celebration’s particular style becomes a defining characteristic of the film.
The opening scene from The Celebration was chosen because it was my first glimpse of the Dogme 95 style; as well as my first chance to make a judgement on it. The film opens with an extreme longshot of Christian, the protagonist, walking down a road in the Danish countryside while talking on his cell phone. Christian seems severely isolated in this shot, occupying only a small portion of the expansive view of the rolling wheat fields. Shot using a Sony Handycam on DV cassette, the image quality is poor, definitely distorted and grainy in comparison to films shot using standard 35mm. This opening shot also makes Dogme 95’s signature handheld camera work very apparent with clearly visible shakiness. In my last Dogme 95 essay, I elaborated on my initial feelings of uncertainty watching a film with such seemingly poor production value. Now I’m beginning to realize that these stylistic choices were meant to jarr the audience as they are exposed to a completely reimagined style of filmmaking.
While The Celebration manages to follow the Vow of Chastity quite closely, there are scenes in the film that appear to break the some of Dogme 95’s rules. Immediately following the opening shot, the film cuts to a close up of Christian’s face shot using a wide-angle ‘fisheye’ style lens. This lens choice appears to violate rule number five of the manifesto that states “optical work and filters are forbidden.” Although this would violate Vinterberg’s own rules, the choice of a wide-angle lens helps reinforce another Dogme 95 rule, “shooting must be done on location.” The wide angle lens helps to give the viewer an expansive view of Christian's surroundings.
Christian talks of his father’s homeland as the camera rotates around, presenting the viewer with images of the Danish countryside and a picturesque blue sky. These opening shots are mostly comprised of extremely long takes, giving the viewer a chance to take in the scenery. In a single shot, the camera pans from Christian’s face, to his pocket, to his briefcase, and then back to his face.
Throughout the first five minutes the shot changes from long to medium within this time frame when the men get out of the shed and walk to the car were there is a elegant looking man waiting for them. The worke...
When the film starts the American flag is flying and music is played. Violins, trumpets and bugles can be heard playing. We see an elderly man walking ahead of his family down a path. Quickly it is made clear that the path is located in a mass graveyard. As he walks past the graves the number of dead becomes apparent. One of the graves is the Star of David showing how not only Christians fought this battle. After seeing the immaculate graves the camera faces the elderly man. The elderly man falls to the ...
The painting Light of Hope is a realistic painting of a light house on the coast of an American shore done by contemporary artist Thomas Kinkade. Thomas Kinkade started his career with his first lithograph, and after some time he realized he was inspired to paint not for the money but from his heart. His main goal became glorifying God and spreading His light. Kinkade grew up in Placerville, California and growing up to be a big family man. Often in his paintings he leaves little symbols representing his wife and children. Over the years he has donated his earned money to different charities and is al crediting God for his ability to paint. His purpose as a painter has been and will continue to share of the light of God (Thomaskinkade).
When I watching this movie, I notice that I felt less separation from the movie. Initially I could not find a reason for that but, soon after I realize that the camera is not static but it wobbling slightly. In most movie, camera does not move and it creates the frame. In the other hand, this movie’s handheld camera type of camera works imitate the human eyesight feeling and make people feels like to experience the event in a movie as a one of the character. In this perspective, do not explain too much about the detail is emphasizing this experience. Consider these things, I really excited and enjoyed couple of scene which are the running through battle field and engaging to the baby. In the every day world, both scene is pretty rare to experience. For the battle field scene, majority of the people have avoiding to be in there so that is rare. The engaging to the baby experience is quite normal event for most people and of course it is grate experience but, in this movie setting, baby is extremely rare and seeing baby is truly miracle event. To emphasize and provide this miracle event, this camera work is perfect to apply.
A joyous celebration of the sanctity of life is generated through the element of Mood and atmosphere. The clip begins with a soft orchestration of piano and violin, creating a magical melody. The choice of melody creates the mood and atmosphere that influences the audience to feel joyous from the outset. The use of lighting adds dramatic effect to the mood and atmosphere of this scene; a warm yellow beam of light streams out of the barn, cutting through the dark and rainy morning, which
	Aside from the audio and visual points, there are various camera angles used. When everyone is circled around the boiling pot the camera man uses a stedicam shot to circle around and show everyone’s face. When the viewer is seeing a girl take off her clothes the camera technician uses a zoom shot. This holds true when the governor approaches the gathering.
The film begins with a title card sequence upon a static backdrop of shrubbery, mountains and distant clouds; a lingering sight that doesn’t truthfully establish forthcoming events in Vienna’s saloon. Her saloon may be quiet, but it is always occupied, and whilst the opening sequence, in which we are introduced to Johnny Guitar, is filled with a bravado of horns and orchestral accompaniment, the saloon itself is inversely populated by the sound of wind, tumbleweed, and stark silences - something perhaps more associated with the western expanse in which the story takes place. Yet for this dichotomy in sound, the initial visuals after the credit sequence foreshadow the destruction of locale, and the audience takes the place ...
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.
The next shot (shot 4) is composed so that we see Annie and Karin on the porch swing as if the narrator is standing out in the field watching them from afar. The following shot (shot 5) begins similarly, looking down on the corn field, but dollies and turns to follow Ray (indicated in shot 5.1 and 5.2) for a close-up amidst his crops as he first hears that famous line. He quickly looks around: shot 7 consists of a quick pan across the skyline — there’s nobody there. The movement of the camera in these opening shots makes it very clear that the camera is acting as a watchful and knowing presence, and it can easily be argued that the camera takes the point of view of the spiritual figure guiding the plot’s events. Shot 14 in particular, in which Ray exits the frame entirely and re-enters at the sound of the voice, reveals the camera to be a narrator with omniscient knowledge. The camera doesn’t follow Ray because something else is about to happen right where he was standing. It’s also important to note that in shot 5, the camera begins high above the landscape and then delves into the field so that the shot is almost overrun by the corn growing through the edges of the frame — the spiritual
The scene starts with a medium close-up of Richie, who is positioned in the center of the fame and looks directly into the camera –which also doubles as the bathroom window- while wearing his signature headband and sunglasses. The medium close-up leads the viewer to focus on Richie’s face during the actions that are to fallow, but it also allows for a sense of place to be established. The scene starts off poorly lit and with a s...
In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.
Stanley, Robert H. The Movie Idiom: Film as a Popular Art Form. Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc. 2011. Print
As an audience we are manipulated from the moment a film begins. In this essay I wish to explore how The Conversation’s use of sound design has directly controlled our perceptions and emotional responses as well as how it can change the meaning of the image. I would also like to discover how the soundtrack guides the audience’s attention with the use of diegetic and nondiegetic sounds.
Although admittedly some scenes have a comical side to them, Besson's fast paced action and gruesome images hold the tension and suspense brilliantly. His use of close-ups and camera movements, especially the subjective stance used by the victim, convey the feelings felt by the characters and the way in which they behave. Sound plays a crucial role in the opening sequence because, in my view, it is used to control the level of suspense and intrigue.
“Entertainment has to come hand in hand with a little bit of medicine, some people go to the movies to be reminded that everything’s okay. I don’t make those kinds of movies. That, to me, is a lie. Everything’s not okay.” - David Fincher. David Fincher is the director that I am choosing to homage for a number of reasons. I personally find his movies to be some of the deepest, most well made, and beautiful films in recent memory. However it is Fincher’s take on story telling and filmmaking in general that causes me to admire his films so much. This quote exemplifies that, and is something that I whole-heartedly agree with. I am and have always been extremely opinionated and open about my views on the world and I believe that artists have a responsibility to do what they can with their art to help improve the culture that they are helping to create. In this paper I will try to outline exactly how Fincher creates the masterpieces that he does and what I can take from that and apply to my films.