Films have become wildly popular due to the fact that films can portray different emotions and feelings than a novel. The audience that attends a film gets a visual experience that they would otherwise miss while reading a novel. A film is graded on its ability to suspend reality and immerse the audience in a world that is film. If the audience cannot suspend their reality, they will never let truly experience the film. There are many examples of cinematic and audio techniques used in the film The Help that effectively immerse the audience into the story, leaving the audience to feel as if they are truly in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s during the beginning of the civil rights movement. “Cinema is strongest when it tells its story through revealing human behavior and actions rather than using dialogue to narrate thoughts, feelings, and situations” (Rabiger 84). In The Help the first example of an effective visual experience that further tells the story comes about thirteen minutes into the film when Celia Foote first makes a phone call. As Celia Foote is talking the camera is zoomed in on her legs and expensive looking heels. In the shot with her legs accompanies a pool in the foreground. Immediately the audience can tell that Celia Foote has beauty and money. Next, the camera pans out slowly to reveal the full body of Celia Foote. This cinematic technique was used to emphasize Celia’s looks by giving time to let the audience appreciate her beauty. This scene made the audience curious about Celia, and when an audience is curious, they are interested and immersed into the story. The next use of a cinematic technique that further enhances the story is when Hilly Holbrook proposes that the colored help have their own b... ... middle of paper ... ...th Hilly’s perspective, and her reaction. All of these examples prove that this film uses strong cinematic techniques that further immerse the audience into the film. The visual experience is one that is significant to film itself; therefore it is the most important element to this medium. Without a strong idea of cinematic technique, the film would not be succesful. This film successfully suspends reality, and for about two and a half hours, the audience feels as if they are in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement. Works Cited Millerson, Gerald. Lighting for TV and Film. N.p.: CRC, 1999. Print. Rabiger, Michael, Mick Hurbis-Cherrier, and Gustavo Mercado. Directing Film Techniques and Aesthetics. Burlington (MA): Focal, 2013. Print. The Help. Dir. Tate Taylor. Perf. Emma Stone and Viola Davis. Touchstone Pictures, 2011. DVD.
Throughout the film, the filmmaker follows the three victims around in their everyday lives by using somber music and backgrounds of depressing colors. The documentary starts off with colorful images of the scenery
A couple examples of this would be the scene in which Solomon is nearly hung and the scenes in which songs are sung by the characters. When Solomon is hung he is actually able to reach the muddy ground by standing on his tiptoes. The scene continues for an uncomfortably long period as we see the other plantation workers continue about their business. All but one of the workers stayed away. There was one girl who came to give him water later that day. This scene seemed have deeper meaning than just the events of one man’s life. I believe the director used this gruesome act in contrast to the alluring background to make an allusion to how atrocities can occur in the most seemingly beautiful places. In the case of the songs, there are two important ones to be analyzed, “Run, Nigger, Run” and “Roll, Jordan, Roll.” In the first song, the slaver Tibeats sings this runaway song to comment on how futile it is for slaves to try and get away. He basically aims to break their spirits. By the look on the slaves’ faces we can see their scorn and hopelessness. In the second song, we see Solomon make one of his most important decisions. Through this song we sense his renewed power and determination to be continue on. After watching this film it becomes easy to so how his visionary capacity led to his receiving of the Acadamy Award for Best Picture. It is also of note that he is the first black director to receive this
In another budgetary adaptation, the film crew, lacking the funds for cranes and dollies to do moving and panning shots, quickly switched between multiple shots for dynamic dialog, giving a certain frenzied feel to the dialog interactions (Hervey 38). The style this lends to th...
The type of shots has an important role in the understanding of Joan’s victimization. Medium close-ups and close-ups are used through out the film, creating a scary intimacy between Joan and the judges. In The Passion of Joan of Arc, Dreyer uses close-ups to show that Joan is struggling against forces much larger than herself. “Dreyer uses strange and distorted medium shots, emphasizing the aesthetic tension between a frightened and disoriented Joan, and of her cruel and mocking tormentors. ” This distortion creates pity and fear in the viewer. Also, the close-ups make us fully focus on the story and Joan’s emotion since the set, props or anything else that could appear in a long shot cannot distract the viewer. In addition, Dreyer shot torture instruments with a close-up. By giving us the chance to see the instruments closely, we become fearful and feel sympathy for Joan. Again, this emphasise, the clergy’s
Romero achieves this through the various instances in which he encapsulates and viewpoint than most Hollywood movies during the time of its release such as the portrayal of an African-American as the main character. This sequentially assists to the films depiction of the hero and ands to its appeal. Such are some of the creative elements which Romero has demonstrated through the film. Although the movie setting is from laid-back technological production, the film's footage shots and sound effects are effective compared to the production during such times. The movie has sufficiently demonstrated its appeal with great motion and sound effects. It would be best feasible for individuals who have not had the chance to entertain themselves with the film to do
Friedman, L., Desser, D., Kozloff, S., Nichimson, M., & Prince, S. (2014). An introduction to film genres. New York, London: W.W. Norton & Company.
Arnheim’s body of theory suggests that the necessity of human intervention to implement plot, tropes, and culturally legible symbols raises a film to a higher level than a mere copy of reality, and that this interpretation and expression of meaning is “a question of feeling” or intuition on the part of the filmmaker. (“Film Theory and Criticism” 283) One consequence of effective directorial intervention is that differences in speed, stops and starts, and what would otherwise be jarring gaps in continuity can be accepted by viewers, because if the essentials of reality are present, th...
Ray Lawrence is an Australian film and television director who has made three critically acclaimed feature films over two decades. His first film, Bliss, initially struggled to gain an audience, but later grew to become an art-house hit (Byrnes, n.d.-a). Following Bliss, it wasn’t until 16 years later that he released his next film Lantana, and then another 5 years until the release of Jindabyne. These films are unique in that they tend to have more focus on the development of the characters rather than the progression of a narrative. Through these films Lawrence has developed a reputation for his one-take shoots and use of natural light. This essay will explore more deeply the similarities and differences between Lawrence’s most recent films
The film Wendy and Lucy, directed by Kelly Reichardt, presents a sparse narrative. The film has been criticised for its lack of background story, and as a short film, much of the story is left to the viewer to infer from what is presented in the plot. However, Wendy and Lucy is able to depict the intimate relationship between Wendy and her dog as well as reflecting more broadly on the everyday, and commenting on the current economic state of the film’s setting in America. This essay will examine how film form contributes to the viewer’s awareness of the story in Wendy and Lucy and allows a deeper understanding of the themes presented. The aspects of mise-en-scene, shot and editing and sound in the film will be explored.
Mulvey, Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” Visual and Other Pleasures. Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1989. 14 - 26.
Mattie, Cogburn, and LaBoeuf’s journey through the Choctaw Nation is a long, gruesome one. The scene features a couple of cinematographic techniques that make it very memorable. One of these is editing. The group’s journey takes approximately ten hours, but Deakins uses time lapse cinematography to make it much shorter. The images dissolve into one another with each new image bringing them farther into the Indian Territory. This technique shows the distance the Mattie, Cogburn, and LaBoeuf travel by compressing the time. Another ...
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
made in. Some incorporate them into the plot, some use them as allegories, and some satirize them.” Without an influence or connection to relate with the audience, the film would have no dimension. When seeing a movie, viewers are always going to search for an underlying meaning or message that could connect to their lives today. Although most
With many different genres and types of filmmaking, it can result in a large variety of stories and conflicts. Nevertheless, film has always brought people together as a society. If there is one thing everyone can notice about films is the achievement in style and directing. The three directors talked about in this paper are the most successful at delivering a breathtaking style and direction to their films. Baz Luhrmann, Wes Anderson, and Martin Scorsese have produced and directed films over decades and each film as impacted not only the United States but worldwide. With the unmistakable trademarks that each director has, it is very easy to feel sucked into the world in which they are shaping around you and the story. Because of these three directors, the film world and industry has been revolutionized for many centuries to come.
John Gibbs and Douglas Pye (2005) Style and meaning : studies in the detailed analysis of film. Engalnd: Manchester University Press, pp 42-52.