Author / flm4nal

Posts by flm4nal

Someone who enthuses about the art of making something visually appealing...
by flm4nal

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Directed by: Wes Anderson

Cast: Ralph Fiennes [M. Gustave], Jude Law [Author], Tony Revolori [Zero Moustafa]

The Grand Budapest Hotel: A popular European ski resort in the 1930s, run by concierge Gustave H. with Zero, a junior lobby boy, becoming his friend and protege. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service to the hotel’s guests. When one of Gustave’s lovers suddenly dies, he finds himself the recipient of a priceless painting and the chief suspect in her murder.

Inspired by: Writings of Stefan Zweig

My rating: 9/10

grand-budapest-hotel

Narrative aspects

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, directed by Wes Anderson, is a film that stretches out the extent to which one’s imagination can be built upon and presented to an audience. Inspired by the works of Stefan Zweig, Anderson developed brilliantly multi-layered characters with intricate and lavish set design and a plotline that is captivating for an audience no matter if they like films with this one’s aesthetical layout or presentation. The film plays around with narrative, building a skeleton that seems as if it is a take on Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’:

  • 1st level = A girl reading a book called ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ by a statue of remembrance
    • 2nd level = Old ‘Author’ telling the story into the camera about his book ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ from when he worked there
      • 3rd level = Young ‘Author’ meeting the elderly Zero Moustafa, who tells him the experiences he had when he was younger.
        • 4th level = Young Zero Moustafa travelling on adventures with Gustave H. while being the lobby boy for The Grand Budapest Hotel.

This in-depth take on a story reflects how impactful and captivating the experiences of Zero and the event revolving around Gustave H. were in the history of the hotel as well as for the Republic of Zubrowka. Generations continue to talk and discover more about this particular part of history in the fictional world Wes Anderson created. There is a story within a story and each level of the plot is vital to the other one progressing. moreover, the fourth level of the story (as described above) is further divided into five different chapters, further giving the film the feel of the audience reading a visual book than watching a film. It steps out of the conventions of a film, combining and creating synergy with two different entertainment mediums. Also, it follows the idea of the film’s core plot being eventually written into a book that the young girl in the first level (see above) reads.

Infer & Deduce: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ shares its name with the hotel in the film that serves as the main turning point in the plot as well as where the main character, M. Gustave H. works. It is the heart of the story while serving as a topic that generations read and talk about, as seen in the film. An audience immediately sees the relation and significance of the hotel to the entire plot of the film.

Technical Aspects

Wes Anderson is an auteur with a unique visual style. Where his narrative lacks in depth, the aesthetic in which he presents the world of stories makes his films visually pleasing and entertaining. He is truly an artist, using his films as a canvas to portray the world of his imagination.

Much like with his other films, Anderson incorporates unique camera movements that set his film aside from other films at the box office. Especially in The Grand Budapest Hotel, all camera movements consist of panning left and right, tilting up and down, dolly forwards and backwards and using a crane for moving the camera up and down. Rarely (i.e. 2 or 3 shots in the film), the use of hand-held shots are made. The camera movements complement the fairy-like setting for his characters as well as the homage he pays to a vintage look in The Grand Budapest Hotel, is apt for the time period in which it is set. Similarly, Anderson is more prominently known for the colour palettes he incorporates into the look of the entire film as well as different colour schemes from scene to scene. The colour palette in this film is bright but elegant, filled with purples, yellows, reds and pinks. These colours reflect some sort of special occasion’s colour scheme, or desired colours for desserts and pastries, an element that is closely associated with the hotel business in the film. The old aesthetic is also seen through the elaborate, time, setting and character-specific costumes and props that give implicit details on the personality of the variety of characters, the aspects of the locations used and the plot as well.

To add on, there is a lot of diegetic voice narration in the film, which helps to establish certain plot points from a third person point of view. Also, it reminds the audience of the ‘story within a story’ concept of the film, where the author is telling a story of Zero Mustafa. Moreover, the variety of aspect ratios used within the film (Cinemascope, 4:3 etc) helps to differentiate between the different levels of the story and help establish the time period in which each level takes place. Also, it is aesthetically pleasing!

Favourite Scene

This scene is one of my favourites. It is near the beginning of the film and introduces the two main protagonists of the film: Gustave and Zero. Gustave meets his new lobby boy and decides to interview him while he completes his daily errands, and the humorous side of both the characters is established in this introductory scene. While Gustave asks the new employee questions about his prior experience in the hotel business, Zero answers every question with a comedic ‘zero’, indicating his lack of experience and alluding to his name.

Gustave’s personality is understood with more depth through this scene as he is witnessed genuinely caring for the hotel he works at as a concierge and does not consider it as just a job. He is also the core powerhouse that the entire hotel operations runs on, as all his subordinates ask for his approval for certain hotel management aspects while he interviews Zero.

Visually, the scenes seem to have natural lighting (at least in the appearance) which contrasts with the unrealistic use of colour and costumes. Within the hotel, the setting is not over-illuminated as it would be expected in a fairytale-like surrounding that the hotel looks like. The lighting also aids with the saturated colours within the setting that enhance the tone and mood of this scene, and the entire film in general. This scene, being at the beginning, establishes the mood of the film through its array of bright colours. To add on, there are a variety of shot types, movements and angles in this short duration of the scene that also compliment towards setting the round-off idea and feel of the film that viewers can familiarise themselves with.

What would I do differently?

‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ uses brilliant camera techniques, has a multi-layered story with intriguing characters and is aesthetically very pleasing to watch. Personally, I would not choose to change anything. It is the perfect movie for my own viewing and every time I watch it I enjoy it as if it is my first time.

Further Research Areas:

10 Old World Lodgings That Inspired The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Grand Budapest Hotel Complete B-ROLL (2014) – Wes Anderson Comedy Movie HD (YouTube)

LUXX Studios | Behind the scenes of Grand Budapest Hotel (YouTube)

Behind the scenes at the Grand Budapest Hotel – Telegraph

The graphic designer behind Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

The Real-Life Muse Behind Wes Anderson’s ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’

Models, maps, plans, elevations, sections – Wes Anderson, the director of new film The Grand Budapest Hotel is easily the most architectural film-maker out there, says film critic Steve Rose

The Magnificent Locations of The Grand Budapest Hotel

Is The Grand Budapest Hotel’s ‘Boy with Apple’ artwork plausible? – Guardian

The untold story behind The Grand Budapest Hotel’s ‘Boy with Apple’

by flm4nal

Task 2 – Campaign Film

TASK :

To create a two-minute film for a campaign (societal/communal movement) that is applicable in the UAE (United Arab Emirates).

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

Once again, I got to work with people I haven’t with before during this year, which was motivating. Each person in the class has one area of strength compared to the rest and as projects are tackled one after the other, our special skills gradually become more refined.

The team and I sat inside our favourite place to be: The Film Lab. Here, we had a brainstorming session, sharing our ideas and thoughts about what campaign we should choose and promote awareness for. I had pitched my idea in relation to mental health, inspired by an old Facebook post (a version of it below) that had been viral at its time:

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Immediately, the team was on board with the idea of using this post concept for a campaign film on mental health. We then set out to pick out ones from the post’s list which would be applicable in UAE culture the most and altered them accordingly. We included: Self-consciousness with appearance, work stress, high expectations from parents and domestic violence.

HOWEVER, when the pitching day came along, the team’s entire world was turned upside down… it literally felt like that because we had to rethink our entire concept. What’s worse is that we completely exhausted ourselves with stress regarding actors and locations since after the pitch we were ready to start production. So when we had to rethink our idea, we apologised to the actors and didn’t collect the equipment. Instead, we sat once again in the film lab and brainstormed… talk about Déjà vu.

But being creative people, an idea sparked in our heads.

We decided to star one character and their life during four different days. We would show the exact same schedule and shots of waking up to eating breakfast to traveling to uni to working and so on, but as every day would go by, the character’s health and motivation would change and reduce. The people around her would be negatively impacting her mental state, whether it is her parents arguing continuously, classmates ignoring her or gaining unwanted attention from strangers.

And with a version 2 of our idea intact, we set out once again to find the actors, locations and rent the equipment accordingly.

Equipment used: 1 BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, 1 Canon Lens, 1 Tripod, 1 ZOOM Microphone, 1 GlideCam (we tried using a GoPro but we couldn’t get the proper body harness we were hoping for)

 

PRODUCTION

Production went reasonably well! We finished everything in our planned three days without any issues. The only constraint we had to work around was that the actress had to leave for a bus before 5:30 PM to her home.

We filmed the scenes outside block 16 and inside the food court on Day 1, the classroom and tram scenes on Day 2 and all the house scenes on Day 3. Our production had quite a few extras but the lack of dialogues balanced out how hectic it was to film the scenes. Each shot had to be done four times, with a change of clothes each time. It seemed to be hectic but the actor was enthusiastic during all three days of production, which the entire team is so thankful for.

We did not actually face any problems during production, only time constraints where we then had to hurry with completing shots.

 

POST-PRODUCTION

I wasn’t the editor for this project so I do not have a full account of the ups and downs, BUT I did make some changes after the class screening session.

The Professor had given us some pointers that we could adjust before submitting our work before the deadline later that day. These points included stabilization of the footage and the audio levels. We divided the two tasks amongst two group members. I did the audio correction, boosting the decibels of all the audio effects and dialogues a little bit since when the video was screened with the projector, the audio levels were completely off, lower than desirable.

Hopefully, in the end, my audio knowledge pays off and the levels are corrected (although in actuality, I still think it’s low :))

 

FINAL VIDEO:

Baby Driver, Opening Scene Recreated – 

 

 

by flm4nal

Task 4 – Scene Recreation

TASK :

To recreate a one minute and thirty-second scene from a film to the closest as possible in terms of actors and acting style, set design and props, sound, and camera movements, angles and shot types, and editing.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

This was a big project; something the entire class were about to face which would make us realise what pressure is. Even our Professor kept reminding us about it, which helped I guess 🙂

After having a shuffle of teams from the previous project, and having the knowledge and brief of the assignment in our minds, my team and I went to the Film Lab to discuss ideas. Nothing says ‘film class’ like watching movies, specifically short scenes, all day long over and over again, while looking at the costumes one run and the lighting in the other. Of course, within the first day of planning, we couldn’t settle on a solid idea but we gathered a list.

The next day, coming back to the mammoth of a task that is scene recreation, we went through the list again and started being more critical about how practical it would be for students to pull off every detail. We were left with the dinner scene from La La Land (2016), the Pokemon scene from Paper Towns (2015) and two scenes from Baby Driver (2017) which was the opening and the planning scene.

While each team member had their own preference for each scene, we tried to weigh out the pros and cons for each (a kind of SWOT analysis) and leave the list to a remaining two or three options. The planning scene in Baby Driver was something I had suggested in class as an example for choosing. It brilliantly combines a small number of dialogues and sounds, with just enough camera movement to make it interesting. Plus, all the action is in-sync with a music track. Although, in the end, because of the location requirements (a warehouse with industrial machinery) we cut it off our list.

After much contemplation and arguments, our list was (in this order of priority):

  1. The opening scene – Baby Driver
  2. Pokemon scene – Paper Towns (backup)
  3. Dinner and argument scene – La La Land (backup, if everything fails)

Now, as much as me and another team member were passionate about Baby Driver as a film and how interesting the scene would be if we actually pull it off… We didn’t realise the challenges we would end up facing to pull it off.

 

Equipment used: 1 ZOOM microphone, 1 BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, 1 Canon Lens, 1 Tripod (and the sad reality that we could have used the GlideCam but we had not learnt about how to use it in class… )

 

PRODUCTION

This phase had started great and it ended great but the middle… not so much.

Our first day of shoot ended up being a test shoot with various setbacks. It was a domino effect with the actor, playing Jon Hamm’s character in the movie “Buddy”, ditching us, the sun rising and the weather being the usual Dubai weather which led to all of our footage is completely burnt, and to make matter worse, our actress couldn’t make it for the next day so we had to recast all the character roles, except Baby who was being played by our director.

As long as that sentence was above, our stress went on until we wrapped our production phase completely. Since it was on the brink of winter starting, days were short and the window of golden hour time wasn’t enough for us to execute 30 shots in a lower number of days. We had multiple shooting days, more than we hoped, with multiple cars since the same car wouldn’t be available for all the days. We ended up using four cars for a one-minute and thirty-second clip… FOUR CARS.

It was hectic and tiring and in many cases a waste for us reaching the location, only for it to get too dark or only shoot one or two shots.

But we had fun, and it was probably the most fun I have had on any project this year (this is my reflection all the way in April 2019. Oh, the many things I would tell my 2018 November-self doing this project…). As we gradually ticked off each shot on our storyboard and shot list, we called a wrap at the end of each day with relief that we were one step closer towards finishing the project.

 

POST-PRODUCTION

The day had finally arrived when I had all the footage on my computer, ready to be compiled into a small duration of a minute and thirty-seconds. Being the editor, I sat in the comfort of my home and spent endless days and nights trying to make everything work.

And everything did.

My most dreaded fear during production was that we would overlook filming a shot, assuming that we had done it, and when I would come towards editing, that shot would be missing. THANKFULLY, all the shots were in place and they were more perfect than I had expected.

Other than placing 30 shots and editing it exactly to frame of the original clip, the only other thing I had to focus on was the colour grading and correction. Even though we would not be assessed on that aspect since we hadn’t learned of it in class, I used it to give life to the clips and in most cases make the red of the car stand out, since all the cars we used were more of a maroon shade of colour than red. Moreover, since we had limited time to check settings like the white balance and the ISO, I adjusted the colour to closely look as similar as possible, so that when someone is watching the video, it wouldn’t be distracting.

One editing aspect I really enjoyed was the sound design and mixing. Having knowledge of sound editing beforehand, I recreated the entire audio track of the video to match as closely to the real clip as possible. I did not use any sounds from the real clip. I changed the decibel levels and the pan from left to right, with multiple layers of audio on top of other audio.

An interesting element in the video is that at 0:27 (see below), there is a black coat that passes in front of the camera making it appear as if it is a wipe transition. In the original clip, it is from someone walking in front of the camera but since we did not shoot the scene like that, I had to do some post-production magic to replicate it. Using a stock photo of a man wearing a coat, I scaled it so it would fit the entire screen vertically then used keyframes to move it from one end of the screen to the other, altering the speed to match the speed of the original clip. It was a little tedious since I had no clue about how to do it in DaVinci but the end result looked extremely believable!

 

 

FINAL VIDEO:

Baby Driver, Opening Scene Recreated – 

 

 

by flm4nal

Task 1 – Two-Shot

TASK :

To film two varying shots of maximum ten-seconds in length to be edited into a sequence in class.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

This was one of the first projects the class received. Being someone who has always worked individually on media projects, I was looking forward to this assignment without any concerns.

Although we weren’t expected to prepare any pre-production documents for this task, I did have a one-on-one session with my mind palace to come up with an interesting concept. I have always been a fan of the ‘new and unique’ and I did not want to submit something ‘expected’ or ‘predictable’, coming from a student in year 1 of film.

The previous mini-task, ‘Task 0’, had been filming a 20-second clip on your mobile device of anything. Even for that task, I wanted to present something intriguing to watch and eye-catching. It led me to shoot an extreme close-up, still shot of my sister’s pink Croc on the stairs, her putting it on her foot then walking towards the front yard. Throughout the entire video, the only object in focus is the pink Croc and when it is out of the close-up frame, the entire video is out of focus.

So, personally, I needed to come up with a concept for this task and not just film two different videos. I kept this close in my mind because we would have to edit these clips together in class, and the inner experimenter in me started to arise.

Being an avid fan of films and TV shows, I started looking at videos online, scribbling ideas on sheets of paper and scrunching them into balls that would be thrown into a trash bin when I got too ambitious or impractical… or just boring!

In the end, like a sign from above, I settled on doing two shots inspired the idea of ‘The Upside Down’ from ‘Stranger Things’ on Netflix. It would allow me to experiment with editing as well as showcase some interesting filming techniques. I eve used my phone to film some test shots inside my house, carrying out the specific camera movements needed to achieve the look of the concept.

Equipment used: Fujifilm FinePix Camera, Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) – Task 0

 

PRODUCTION

This assignment was the first opportunity where the class had to rent out equipment from the IT office. It was exciting and concerning since we would have to take extra care of the sophisticated equipment, otherwise, we would have to bear the consequences. Nevertheless, I was excited to film my concept!

But life does not always go as one plans it and I faced problems with my SD card. The Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera requires a certain SD card specification to record and read data. I had bought mine online and the price was close to the market standard. Although, I faced the perils of online shopping and it was a faulty card. Funny enough, it works on other cameras (on my Fujifilm) and other devices perfectly, but not on the Black Magic cameras. The whole thing remains mysterious until today… The specifications listed for the product are probably not correct, I DON’T KNOW!

Other than that, production ran smoothly. Even though there were quite a few takes for each shot, the process was quick to finish.

 

POST-PRODUCTION

Even though the official post-production phase of this assignment was to be held in class, I did my own trial version of the concept at home using the software, CyberLink PowerDirector (software that has been with me from year 9, the first year I took media studies).

To my relief, the clip blended quite well and looked great! The best part was that it looked realistic, and the transition from the ‘real world’ to the ‘upside down’ worked brilliantly. I couldn’t wait to show my class and the Professor my concept.

 

FINAL VIDEO:

This is the edited version, with both the separate videos put together – 

 

Task 0 – 20-second clip shot using a mobile device

by flm4nal

Task 1 – Advertisement

TASK :

To create a thirty-second advertisement for a product, service or place.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

The project began with assigning our teams. I finally got to work with three people that I did not get the opportunity to work with for the rest of the projects and I was looking forward to it. Although at first, we had a differentiation in our ideas for an advertisement, in the end, we settled on the concept of doing an advertisement for our course. It would be completely vintage, in the form of a 1960s film, then transition gradually to a modern cinematic look. Going home after the day of discussion, we were all satisfied.

However, when hearing the initial ideas from other teams, I felt unsatisfied all of a sudden with our film concept. It seemed to bland, to express openly, and I voiced my opinion to the team who all understood the point and wanted to really make this advertisement great.

Sitting in Professor Daniela’s class one day during an intermission after watching the Weekly screening, I started to look at slogans for various companies and brands. As I felt like my research was going nowhere, I came across KFC’s classic slogan of “It’s finger lickin’ good”. I found the idea amusing if we could actually depict people licking their fingers and-

“Why not actually make it for McDonald’s and put ‘It’s finger lickin’ good too’ at the end?”

Before class started I rushed to my team and pitched the idea. At first, a couple of them didn’t quite understand it but as I explained it further they got the concept and were immediately on board. As we refined our idea and made it much more surprising or perhaps entertaining to watch, keeping both KFC, McDonald’s and rivalry advertising in mind, we were ready to pitch for the first time it in front of our module Professor, a nerve-wracking but exciting experience.

 

Equipment used: 1 BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, 1 Canon Lens, 1 Tripod, 2 ARRI Redhead Light and light stands

 

PRODUCTION

After collecting our equipment, we were looking forward to finishing of the production phase of our project. We had booked a room in block 19 in advance, gathered all the actors and appointed an assembly point: the film lab in block 16.

Since all acting were our classmates, casted for helping each other out and getting extra credits, they realised the possible hassles a team can go through during production. They were extremely cooperative, and in the end, they were getting a chance of eating free food!

As two members set up the lights, the other two helped the actors feel comfortable and get a little more acquainted with our concept and what they have to do without giving too much to the twist away. That was saved for screening day.

Each actor had to carry out a series of actions: Eat a sandwich wrap and fries, drink a fizzy drink, lick their fingers and whistle to ‘Don’t worry be happy’ by Bobby McFerrin.

We filmed each actor in one sitting so that we would not have continuity problems with their clothes, shot angles and light and shadows.

There were times when we were stressed about the lighting, there were moments when the backdrop didn’t seem to work and there were instances where the actors found it challenging to carry out of the actions. Nevertheless, there were a lot of laughs and tons of fun during production for this advertisement. While the actors enjoyed eating free food, the crew members had a great time filming.

It couldn’t have gone more smoothly.

 

 

POST-PRODUCTION

I was the editor for the project and since I have the editing software, DaVinci Resolve, at home, I stayed in the comfort of my house and edited the project.

Firstly, I made a rough cut and sent out a test video to the team to gain their feedback and opinions. I stayed in close contact with each of them, especially with the director, to make sure that I deliver a final product that the whole team is proud of and that it is what the director envisioned.

Although everything was going well and I was on the right track, in-sync with everyone’s visions, I worked closely on the colour to bring out the ‘red’ of the background and the brightness associated with the brands we were incorporating into the advertisement. Moreover, I scaled all the shots to make sure that all the subjects aligned in the centre.

Towards the end of the advertisement, there is a ‘text erasing’ sequence which consumed most of my time on this project and in this phase of production.

I used another editing software, Sony Vegas Pro, to create the animation since I felt more comfortable with it (having prior knowledge of it) and I did not want to waste time learning how to achieve the same result or even better in DaVinci Resolve.

It was a quiet post-production phase as I stayed in my bedroom for hours on end, clicking away on my computer and making everything satisfy the perfectionist inside me.

 

FINAL VIDEO:

McDonald’s vs. KFC – A Rivalry Advertisement – 

 

by flm4nal

Task 3 – Documentary

TASK :

To create two 1 minute documentaries revolving with any chosen topic. Each one should have one of the team members as the subject. Moreover, one documentary should use a clip-on mic while the other uses a boom mic.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

Having the same team members as the previous assignment, we immediately went into brainstorming ideas for topics the documentary should be about. Picking out two members from our team helped to narrow down the possibilities related to something that makes the member stand out. In the end, Joshua Balan was chosen to star in a fitness documentary while I was chosen to star in a music one, both of which are one of our strong and passionate points.

The assigned scriptwriters wrote the scripts for each documentary then the storyboards were drawn up. While these production documents were being sorted out, we also organised the location permits for where we wanted to film. Also, we decided the shooting days and times for each, keeping in mind o the weather and the sunlight outdoors to avoid over-exposed footage that could cause us to reshoot the scenes again.

Equipment used: 1 ZOOM microphone, 2 BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, 2 Canon Lens, 1 Tripod, 1 TASCAM transmitter and receiver, 1 Slider, 1 KINO LED Light

 

PRODUCTION

MUSIC: This documentary went fairly smoothly although one technical issue caused us to have a reshoot. The documentary opens with a time lapse of the team setting up the lights and camera but once we started filming the interview, I forgot to turn off the time lapse setting. Moreover, we had to then book the classroom once again and successfully finish shooting the entire interview in a short duration of time. Personally, I liked the second room better and feel as though it looks better on camera and in the final video.

FITNESS: We had some issues with the team leader, the director, for this particular docuemntary since a lot of time was wasted and tasks were not done according to the standard that was required. In the end, the rest of the team members jointly took over and pulled off creating a decent looking fitness docuemntary. To add on, we had some issues with the Slider as we couldn’t assemble it properly. Eventually, we did the shots either handheld or on a tripod.

 

POST-PRODUCTION

Two members were assigned as being editors for the documentaries. There was initially a disagreement between the actual editor for the fitness documentary but Joshua took the job over since he wanted to learn how to edit and the final cut looked surprisingly great. As a team, we were satisfied with our entire performance throughout the project, even though some problems did arise. We managed to pull through and produce two quality works.

In post-production, we did not face any other significant problems other than having a lot of extra b-roll footage that we sadly couldn’t incorporate into the final documentaries.

 

FINAL VIDEO:

‘Survival of The Fittest’ – Fitness Documentary – 

 

‘The Sound of Music’ – Music Documentary –

by flm4nal

Task 2 – Lighting

TASK :

To display our use of lighting equipment and using it to light a scene. Also, to compare a naturally lit scene with an artificial lit one.

 

PRE-PRODUCTION

This was the first group project our class had been assigned. I was looking forward to working in a team

The team collaborated and discussed a concept to film for the lighting project. We had various ideas for the scene but ultimately decided on picking two characters playing a game of chess.

The team created the required pre-production documents, including the storyboard of how the angles, shot type and movement would be of the camera. We booked the required equipment for the project then collected on the day we scheduled for shooting. Moreover, we had booked a classroom at the university for a couple of hours for shooting the scene.

Equipment used: 2 KINO LED Lights, 1 BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera, 1 Canon Lens, 1 Tripod

 

PRODUCTION

The team set up the equipment in a matter of half an hour then we did a couple of test shots for both versions of the scene. This also helped the actors practice their acts and dialogues so that the actual takes would go smoothly.

We did face a slight issue of having smooth camera movement since to add a more narrative look, we wanted the chess board to be revealed after the two characters are seen sitting at a table. For that dolly out movement, we had to do it free-hand since we did not have the equipment like a GlideCam or a Slider, and neither did we learn about them in class yet. In the end, we improvised a way to make the camera movement as smooth as possible. Since I was the camera operator, I was seated on a table and I placed my hands while holding the camera, on top of a team members arm that was stretched out. This acted as support for my shaky hold and we both moved in-sync backwards so that we could get a decent visually-appealing shot.

 

POST-PRODUCTION

This assignment was the first instance where we had to work as a team to edit. After filming we used the facilities in the film lab. We first archived the footage and renamed the takes, then we put the shots together, first editing the naturally lit scene then the artificially lit scene.

For the shots with the dolly-backwards movement, we had to stabilise it since it would be too distracting to watch the clip otherwise.

 

FINAL VIDEO:

‘Realistic’ Lighting – 

 

‘Artificial Lighting’ – 

by flm4nal

Chinatown (1974)

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Cast: Jack Nicholson [J.J. ‘Jake’ Gittes], Faye Dunaway [Evelyn Cross Mulwray], John Huston [Noah Cross]

J.J. Gittes, a private eye in Los Angeles, is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to investigate her husband’s activities. Jake’s investigation soon becomes something more than routine when he meets the real Mrs Mulwray and realises that he was hired by an imposter. Mr Mulwray’s sudden death leads Gittes into a trail of corruption, deception and eerie family secrets as Evelyn’s father becomes a suspect in the case.

Inspired by: California Water Wars (in history)

My rating: 8.5/10

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Narrative aspects

‘Chinatown’ is a brilliant example for the use of the three-act structure, a method of division used in story-telling to keep the plot cohesive, systematic and engaging for a reader or audience. It allows story-telling to fall under a fixed skeletal framework which follows a character on a journey through the beginning, middle and end (in a broad sense):

  • Act 1 is usually for the ‘Exposition’ or ‘Set-Up’ and establishes the main characters, the relationships and the universe of the story. Soon, the incident of the story takes place and the main character, usually the protagonist, is made aware of it by him/herself or another outside source. The attempts to deal with the incident usually spiral into a much more bigger or deeper problem. The first turning point takes place, which ‘(a) signals the end of the first act, (b) ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist and (c) raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film.’ (Wikipedia)
    • J.J. Gittes is introduced to the audience as a tenacious yet arrogant private investigator working on his own venture and firm to provide services to the general public. They are also introduced to his colleagues and rivals then witness the set up of a new case that seems to be like any regular infidelity-in-relationship deal when Mrs Mulwray comes to his office. Though however, Jake Gittes soon realises that an imposter came to his office that day and the real Mrs Mulwray suspects no problems in the relationship with her husband, who is found dead in the water days later. Jake takes the case as his main priority and realises soon that something bigger is going on.
  • Act 2 serves as the ‘Rising Action’ or ‘Conflict’ typically shows the protagonist try in resolving the problem that occurred during the previous act, only to find that the situation is worsening. The protagonist may be unable to solve the problems faced because he/she may not have the skills at hand to deal with it and the negative forces, the antagonist, he/she are fighting. The protagonist develops as a character with a greater understanding of their capabilities as well as a better awareness of their surroundings (a character arc). Usually, the protagonist is supported by others since they cannot achieve their goals alone.
    • J.J. Grittes is seen uncovering the deeper and darker secrets of the situation regarding Mr Mulwray, Mrs Mulwray and her father Noah Cross, and how it all ties in with the problems involving the water supply in the city. J.J. Grittes does not seem to have the interrogative expertise to deal with the deadliness of the situation he has stumbled upon, though he develops as a character and the audience truly sees him grow as an individual who actually cares about the people he works for, in this case, Evelyn Mulwray.
  • Act 3 is the ‘Resolution’ of the story and its probable sub-plots (whether about character relationships or a side plot to the main one). This act contains the ‘Climax’ where the main tensions of the story are brought to their peak and the dramatic effect is heightened as well, usually leaving the protagonist and other characters involved with a greater new sense of who they are after having the main question answered. At a point, the victory for the protagonist may seem impossible but perseverance is witnessed along with the wisdom of new ideas or trials that finally lead him/her to success. Though however, in some stories, the characters are left with a cliffhanger or an unsatisfactory ending to what they were looking for. Nevertheless, the protagonist becomes more aware of their new capabilities.
    • J.J. Grittes is made aware of Noah Cross and how big of a toll he is in the crime that he is in the process of solving. Noah Cross turns out to be more villainous than imagined when his abuse towards his daughter Evelyn is revealed. Grittes is battling between catching Cross while avoiding the police force, like Lieutenant Lou Escobar. In the end, the film reaches the climax where Grittes is threatened by Cross and thus the foreshadowing of no victory becomes true with Evelyn being shot dead and Cross taking custody of her daughter. The film leaves the audience with a strangely sad and satisfying end as the detective does not get the solution he wanted and worked for. In conclusion, the audience learns that “It’s Chinatown”.

Infer & Deduce: The reason for the title of the film does not strike at first but while watching the film it becomes apparent that it means more than just referencing to a cultural area in America named ‘Chinatown’. Throughout the film, China and people from that country are referenced but this still does not give a clear indication as to why the film devotes it’s identifying title to that place. One would think that it could be an expression for something but now, after the release of the film, it has more or less been used as it. Previously, using the word Chinatown would only be associated with the area belonging to that ethnicity but now the film has coined a phrase that continues to live on as an expression in conversation. But it all still bears the unanswered question as to why the film is called ‘Chinatown’. This doubt is cleared up when J.J. “Jake” Grittes first mentions that he had some dealings in the place Chinatown in the film while he was an officer. (This is further explored in the section ‘Favourite Scene’ below)

Technical Aspects

‘Chinatown’ is a film where the plot takes place in the realm of the plausible reality and even so since it does inspire its plot points from the actual California Water Wars incident. Because of this, the location and set designs used do resemble real life and mirror the personalities and living styles of people who most probably do exist, like business magnates and their families, and private investigators and police officers. Scenes in natural environments like many desert scenes seem to use prominent natural lighting and are shot during the day to set the scene better for the audience to understand. Moreover, the film makes great use of suburban town life and uses empty streets outside shops and houses for scenes of J.J. Grittes following suspects or the suspects making a getaway.

Moving forward, the soundtrack of the film compliments the genre as well as the scenes in the film as Grittes follows suspects and continues the investigation at certain locations or in his office. Though it is interesting to note that this film does have a minimal use of soundtrack to convey certain emotions or carry on as the background for a scene. The lack of non-diegetic music and the prominence of silence present in the film reflects the reality of the situation, wherein normal real life people do not have music to compliments the emotions they feel in a given situation, and it is merely a tool used in visual mediums to convey to an audience more non-spoken details about characters, plots, settings or themes. In scenes where Gittes is on a stake-out, following characters while maintaining his anonymity, the silence heightens the tension and the reality of keeping quiet in a critical situation like it when a detective is investigating. The audience is taken on a journey into the inner workings of a detective and how they complete their tasks, whether morally or immorally.

Above all, like many of the films in history and especially considering the mystery genre, camera techniques play an important role in the way in which an audience perceives a situation and how it affects the progression of the plot. In ‘Chinatown’ the camera usually follows the viewing field of the character it is focused on (in most cases J.J. Grittes) tracing their gaze and seeing what the character sees without the scene being in the first person point of view. Furthermore, the camera moves with pans and dollies to reveal certain subjects in a scene, people or objects, that were not visible before, which goes well with the mystery genre since the idea of it is all about revealing the unknown and figuring out the solution to a probably unsolvable problem. An example of this is a scene towards the beginning of the film where Jake is watching a man out in the desert with binoculars. The camera follows the man but then dollies out and pans to the right to reveal Jake standing by a pillar and keeping an eye on his actions.

Favourite Scene

When a film maintains the level of suspense and intrigue created in the audience throughout its entire time-frame, an ending to it needs to be worthy and ‘Chinatown’ has a conclusion that was sort of uncalled for but satisfying. After learning the abusive truth about Mrs Mulwray’s father, Jake confronts Noah Cross and is only challenged by his superiority in status that stops Jake from arresting him. Noah ends up getting away with shooting his daughter Evelyn and taking custody of his granddaughter (and daughter), winning the entire showdown and leaving Jake in a silent stare.

This scene is not only powerful as it brings about this fantastic story to an end but it also sports a created phrase that is still used in places today:

Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.

— Lawrence Walsh

This line at first seems to be nothing more than a plain reference to Jake’s previous workings in the location of Chinatown as an officer and having some tough times while completing cases. However, this saying does have a deeper meaning to the entire situation the film depicted. The phrase said by Lawrence Walsh, J.J. Gittes partner, simply means that ‘what happens, happens’ and there is nothing a mere man like Jake can do anything about. He is just one man in front of a powerful individual like Noah Cross, which would make it seem as if Jake worked on the case with both hands tied behind his back. Jake continues to battle against the injustice of the law system and how wealth and status is majorly determined by how much money a person has with them, which is exactly the factor that makes Noah Cross the superior being in the situation and allows him to swiftly get away with the murder and abuse of his daughter and her husband Mr Mulwray. The film sheds light on a very real and important issue in society as injustice takes place on a regular occasion, sadly, whether to do with race, religion, gender, age, money or occupation. Despite the level of education, people receive and the awareness created in relation to current events, prejudice still runs the day and this is exactly seen in ‘Chinatown’, though however, no one dares to challenge Noah Cross since he could practically buy out the police force or the best lawyers the country has to offer.

The audience also sees the character development in Jake Gittes, from appearing as an extremely confident and arrogant private investigator to one that now seems to actually care about the people he works for and wants the best for them. The expression of despair and loss is clear on his face when he sees Mrs Mulwray’s blood-soaked body in the driver seat of the car, clearly depicting that he really feels the weight of being taken advantage of and no matter how much he would want to help and make things right (take down Noah Cross) he is helpless and cannot do anything. Jake has turned towards having his own private eye venture after leaving the police force to better help the people who hire him, where the police would shrug off. He even states when he is getting a shave at the barber’s shop that:

Listen, pal. I make an honest living. People only come to me when they’re in a desperate situation. I help ’em out. I don’t kick families out of their houses like you bums down at the bank do.

This would portray Jake as someone who wants the good of the community to be the product of his work and be someone who is there for people when the police would not. Though the last scene makes it clear that no matter how good at heart Jake, or in fact anyone, is there is no stopping the people with power over everyone else who can sway the sympathies of special forces that govern a country’s way of running.

What would I do differently?

Being an avid fan of the mystery genre, ‘Chinatown’ appealed to me as a film. The story is intriguing and keeps an audience engaged till the resolution, or mystery’s answer, at the end whether it is seen as justice or not. I would not change anything about the film as it starred brilliant characters and an issue addressed that is factual (the California water wars). Although, making it with modern day camera and effect quality would make the film much more suited appearance-wise for the audience of today. Moreover, this film’s narrative would actually suit as a televised mini-series going on for a season of 5 to 10 episodes. Jack Nicholson as the main character, did an amazing job portraying the character of Jake Grittes and his arrogant but considerate attitude towards helping the people who hire him. To add on, the director and the screenwriter brilliantly captured the essence of an issue that was, in reality, a big part of history for the USA, while the rest of the crew brought the mise-en-scene to enhance the atmosphere at everyone moment in the film.

Further Research Areas:

Chinatown Film Review – Roger Ebert

Forget ‘Chinatown,’ Get the Real Story of California’s Most Famous Water War

WHAT’S UP WITH THE TITLE? – Schmoop (Chinatown)

20 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Chinatown

What is the meaning of the line at the end of Chinatown?

Chinatown: the best film of all time – The Guardian

Three Act Structure – TV Tropes

The Three-Act Structure – Elements of Cinema

THE PARADIGM WORKSHEET

A History of Three-Act Structure

3-act Structure — Star Wars (original)

What Are the Four Image Systems in Chinatown?

 

by flm4nal

Magnolia (1999)

Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Tom Cruise [Frank T.J. Mackey], Philip Seymour Hoffman [Phil Parma], Julianne Moore [Linda Patridge]

On a random day in San Fernando Valley, a dying father, a young wife, a male caretaker, a famous lost son, a police officer in love, a boy genius, an ex-boy genius, an ex-boy genius, a game show host and an estranged daughter will each become part of a dazzling multiplicity of plots, but of one story.

My rating: 8/10

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Narrative aspects

‘Magnolia’ is a film that has its storyline divided into different sections with the obvious weather forecast headings like ‘Light Showers. 99% Humidity. Winds SE 12 MPH.‘, and also the more frequent use of various characters and their lives which switch between each other. This allows the audience to finds breaks within the story and to shift their focus from one idea to the next, keeping them engaged in the film and attentive towards the plot point and perhaps the implicit details as well. Moreover, divisions between ideas are important for a film that is as long as two average length films, to not overwhelm an audience with an abundance of information for just one character. The length of this film is justified by the in-depth use of so many characters and backstories that seem to not connect but then eventually do. All characters relate to each other in some way, acting as parallels to each other, whether biologically or visited by another at a public place. It shows that even in reality, people’s lives can, in fact, overlap and a person may be going through the same situation or emotions as another. Though at the beginning of ‘Magnolia’ the similarity between the characters is unclear. However, an audience would expect that such a combination of characters coming together in the same town would eventually take place, otherwise the director of the film would not show these characters’ stories.

The film is covered in themes exhibiting key ideas that help an audience to sympathise, despise or understand characters and situations better, though also including Biblical allusions that serve as the interpretation of the famous frog scene in the film.

(covered in detail in the ‘favourite scene’ section)
  • Relationships – The film depicts different kinds of human interactions like a husband and wife, a presenter and an audience, a father and a son or a nurse and a patient. These relationships allow the audience to observe various angles of probable life and understand the mood and atmosphere created. It is a theme since it is relationships that drive characters to make choices like committing suicide, meeting someone new or facing their fears, and it is this that allows the characters to grow and the story to progress forward.
  • Pain – This involves both emotional and physical pain felt by the characters in the film. Every character has their own source of pain like Frank who is living with the emotional pain of his lost parents and Stanley who is pushed by his father to compete and succeed in a trivia game show. Moreover, physical pain is felt by Earl Patridge and Jimmy Gator in the form of their ever-growing cancer, which brings emotional pain to the loved ones around them. The film explores the different situations and reasons for pain and depicts how a certain individual could act and respond to it.
  • Impurity – The film depicts characters that are going through a dose of ‘impurity’ like Claudia Gator and her drug intake, Linda Partridge and her adultery and Frank T.J. Mackey and his continuing game of lies revolving around his past. To add on, the other characters also display impurities in relation to their situation and story. In the end, all characters are seen with the struggle and the heavy-weight their guilt and regretful actions have put on them emotionally that they are seen broken down, with the aim of getting some help and being saved from the nightmare their sadly enduring. This drives the story to progress and also adds the suspense and tension which keeps the film engaging since the audience would not know how and if the characters would come out of the situation with success.
  • Repentance & forgiveness – Characters look out for the forgiveness by their relatives and acquaintances for the ‘impurities’ they are guilty for throughout the film and in the past of their lives. Characters aim to restore their dignity and improve as people with an inner self-awakening and this drives them towards being committed in the film and pushing the plot forward.

Infer & Deduce: There are many ideas involved in finding a reason for naming the film ‘Magnolia’. The flower comes to mind at first, signifying the life cycle of an animate object which can be seen throughout the film where characters seem to be content at first but then something in their life tears them apart and brings them to their lowest. Flowers, in general, could symbolise blooming juxtaposed to withering. The meaning of Magnolias depends on the colour of the flower as well as the attitude of the person giving and receiving the flowers. White magnolias, in particular, symbolize purity and dignity which in the case of the film is quite ironic since every character is going through a state of impurity, whether it is the use of drugs, the abuse of parents or infidelity, which brings them to their downfall.

According to IMDb.com, ‘Magnolia’ may signify:

  • Magnolia Blvd. is a street in the San Fernando Valley where the film takes place.
  • Magnolia sounds similar to “Magonia”, a term created by Charles Fort (who wrote about strange phenomena and is referenced in the film’s closing credits) which is an alleged place in the sky where things are kept until they fall from it.
  • There is a legend that the bark of the Magnolia tree can cure cancer.

All of the above points do apply to the film’s characters, plot and settings, further re-instating the fact that there is not only one reason for the film to be called ‘Magnolia’ and rather than just like the characters with varying identities, Magnolia’s meaning is subjective and can be applied to all of them.

Technical Aspects

Along with the astounding attention to detail in the narrative part of the film, ‘Magnolia’ exhibits an array of camera techniques used to convey certain emotions or plot points throughout the 3-hour time span of it. The ratio of freeze-frames (where the camera is still) to shots where camera movements are involved is significantly low.

  • Pan and Tilt movements – These types of movements are used to follow characters in a scene. Panning is used as they walk from the left to the right, or vice-versa, parallel to the camera, moving on a fixed axis point. While titling involves the same concept though is done from top to bottom, or vice-versa, on a fixed axis point. These kinds of camera movements are not as active as dolly movements where the entire camera follows the subject, and allow an audience to observe the scene with more stability. An interesting use of the pan and tilt camera movements is with the Whip-Pan or Swish Pan, where the camera moves very quickly on the pan or tilt axis which causes a blur and can create a seamless continuous transition from one scene to another even if they have been shot at two different times and put together in post-production. In the film, it is used to transition from one character’s story to the other character, and appear to connect both timelines.
  • Dolly and Zoon movements – This is a major technique used in various instances in the film to denote a sense of suspense and a rise in tension. The frame goes from a wide shot to a medium or closeup shot very swiftly, creating a fastened pace while emphasising on a certain character or object in a scene. This technique is achieved by using a dolly and physically moving the character towards or further away from the subject, or by using the internal built-in feature, zooming in or out, of the camera. While dolly is used to increase the intimacy between characters and other subjects, zooming in or out gives more of an on-looker sort of feeling, as if the audience is spying on the subject in the frame.
  • Framing – The type of shots mostly consist of medium to medium-closeup shots of the subject, especially people, and are at eye level, whether they are standing or sitting. It is rarely done that the angle is higher or lower than that of the normal eye-level of a person. In terms of significance, it allows audiences to view all characters, regardless of what they are going through, how their personality is exhibited and what choices they make, to be assessed and judged as equals to each other. All the people in the film are going through their own subjective experiences and form them as individuals who either grow into greater individuals or succumb to the expectations of reality. What someone goes through, no matter how small or large, does not make them inferior or greater than anyone else. At our core, we are all equal and the perception of the clothes characters where, or where they live alters their status in our eyes.
  • Other – Tracking shots that are not necessarily on a dolly (are hand-held, most likely being a Steadicam) are used in one particular scene where Stanley, the young boy visits the TV studio that conducts the trivia show he had been studying for, is being shown around the premises and the camera follows him but then shifts to following the presenter’s wife. The camera does not seem to make a cut and it follows the character like some sort of ever-watching entity, paying attention to all actions made by the character. This effect engages the audience’s attention into following the on-screen characters on their narrative journeys.

Favourite Scene

Up to this scene appearing on screen, the film captivated me through its multi-layered character portrayal and development and how the seemingly varied people linked up in some ways. Though once the first frog fell from the sky onto the windshield of Officer Jim Kurring’s police car, I was introduced to a wave of confusion, bewilderment and incapability of holding my laughter in. The rain of frogs was hilarious for me and I felt that it was so random for a film that made perfect sense up to this point. It was after the film ended that I researched the scene’s significance and found that it is quite symbolic.

The film uses a Biblical allusion of the plague of frogs to mirror the modern day situation to history:

(1) And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (2) And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.

Exodus 8:1 & 2

The film refers to the numbers ‘8’ and ‘2’, at times even together, many times in hidden places subliminally. This clearly alludes to Exodus 8:2, a verse that happens to also mention frogs and an abundance of them, just like the film depicts. According to IMDb.com, the places where the numbers appear are as follows:

  1. Weather forecast: 82% chance of rain
  2. A gambler needs a 2 in blackjack but gets an 8
  3. Sydney Barringer’s mother and father’s apartment number is 682
  4. Right after Jim Kurring sees Donnie Smith climbing up the building, you can see a flash of a sign on the side of the road that says “Exodus 8:2? (it’s visible again when the frogs fall and hit Kurring’s car)
  5. In Marcy’s mugshots, her criminal record number is 82082082082
  6. In the bar scene, there is a chalkboard with two teams, the frog and the clouds, the score is 8 to 2
  7. A member of the game show crowd holds a placard with Exodus 8:2 written on it
  8. Jim says he gets off work at 8:00, and Claudia suggests they meet 2 hours later for a date

These are just a few of the examples where Paul Thomas Anderson uses the cleverness of scriptwriting and set design to really leave clues for the attentive members of the audience to spot and draw the connection to this very confusing frog scene. The verse from Exodus 8:2 refers to the story of Moses and how he was given a mission from God to convince the Pharaoh of Egypt to let the prisoners go so they may worship Him, and if the Pharaoh refuses, God “will plague all [the Pharoah’s] territory with frogs”. In the context of the film, it could refer to the ways in which the characters have drowned themselves in self-doubt and wrong-doings that it is time for them to turn to repent for their mistakes. The “Pharoah” could be a symbolism of the characters’ addictions (drugs), jobs (motivational speaker), relationships (husband and wife) and agendas (winning a competition), and that these people should prioritise and focus on the bigger picture and meaning of life and improve themselves. Though however, the audience sees the characters continue on the same path they started on and become rather worse in their behaviour or emotionally unstable which causes a rain of frogs to “cleanse” out the impurities caused by the ‘naive’ characters.

To add to the peculiarity of this scene, on the 28th of June in 1957 a weather phenomenon took place. Thousands of small fish, frogs and crayfish fell during a rainstorm at Magnolia Terminal near Thomasville, AL. Whether it is a coincidence that the numbers 8 and 2 were part of the date and the location of the incident was named Magnolia Terminal, or an act of a powerful entity on purpose is beyond comprehensible. It is quite interesting to ponder upon, being that this occurrence took place years before the film was produced and released. Paul Thomas Anderson could have taken some inspiration from this event which lines up very well with the Biblical verse.

Source: Climatological Data, Alabama

What would I do differently?

I immensely enjoyed the film, not expecting it’s extended length to deliver worthy entertainment and a story that was captivating in every scene. The two aspects I would alter would be the length since, for me, I feel that it would put off people from watching the film since it would seem like taking a major life decision since it takes a lot of time out of someone’s life. However, when considering the story and how heavily its audience captivation depends on the various characters having detailed backgrounds and somehow linking to one another, the 3-hour length seems to be appropriate. Regardless of this, the film did not seem boring at any point. To add on, the other aspect I would change would be the explicitness of the film, especially regarding Tom Cruise’s character. Though however, his actions and attitude did contribute to the understanding and interpretation of his personality and reasons behind what he chooses to do.

Further Research Areas:

Meaning of frogs in the movie “Magnolia”

ABUNDANCE OF SYMBOLS IN `MAGNOLIA’ HAS FILMGOERS LOOKING FOR CLUES – Chicago Tribune

Magnolia and Meaning – Culture Snob

The Magnolia Flower: Its Meanings and Symbolism

Magnolia Film Review – Roger Ebert

by flm4nal

Misery (1990)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Cast: Kathy Bates [Annie Wilkes], James Caan [Paul Sheldon], Richard Farnsworth [Buster]

Paul Sheldon, a novelist, is in a serious car crash and is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his number-one fan. Annie brings him to her house in the suburbs, where her obsession for him takes a horrifying turn when Sheldon is killing off her favourite character, Misery, in his upcoming novel. As Sheldon comes up with a plan for escaping, Annie becomes more controlling and violent as she forces the author to write according to her wishes.

Based on: ‘Misery’ by Stephen King

My rating: 8.5/10

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Narrative aspects

‘Misery’ is a film that explores a brilliantly thought out plot that is simple but yet multi-layered. The film mainly takes place in the house of Annie Wilkens, limiting the settings in which the protagonist Pal Sheldon is exposed to yet, the film remains to be interesting until the end. A main point about the film is the character portrayal and development that aid the story to move forward and engages the audience into the surprises of the unknown:

  • Paul Sheldon – The famous author for the ‘Misery’ novel series suffers from a celebrities worst nightmare when he is taken hostage by a woman who claims to be his number-one fan. Paul Sheldon is thankful at first but as the story progresses he starts to realise that whatever happened to him with the car crash was a complete disaster and far from any good. The audience sees him start to struggle and suffer, which would ultimately bring an inner awakening to a person who would be assured of being arrogant and egotistical. Paul has a successful novel series and out of nowhere, he is in a situation he never thought he would end up in. It makes one realise how sufficient we are on our own but also how easily we can be brought down to nothing from illness or injury. Paul is seen bedridden and completely dependant on Annie Wilkens, who sadly, by his bad luck, is not someone who he would want taking care of him.
  • Annie Wilkens – The antagonist of the film is seen with a variety of attitudes, from content and civilized to completely rageful and horrific, which would lead an audience to immediately conclude that Annie is suffering from bipolar disorder. She is easily triggered into feeling angry by the slightest of words or actions, and Paul falls victim to it. Annie’s innocence is shadowed upon a few scenes after she appears, at first making an audience question the outburst but once it continues repeatedly on occasions, an in-depth look into her character could unearth more origins for her behaviour. Annie is portrayed as someone who is most likely having ‘Celebrity Worship Syndrome’, an obsessive-addictive disorder, where clearly, Paul is the famous personality in this situation. For Annie to stumble upon her idol is beyond her dreams and she displays to be ‘overly involved and interested (i.e., completely obsessed) with the details of the personal life of a celebrity’ (PsychologyToday). This leads her into controlling Paul as if he is some sort of play-doll or pawn in a game of chess, with her demands being every move towards reaching ‘checkmate’ and gaining the version of the ‘Misery’ novels she would be pleased with.

 

According to Wikipedia, based on the book by Christopher Booker:

  1. Overcoming the Monster
    • The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) which threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist’s homeland.
  2. Rags to Riches
    • The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
  3. The Quest
    • The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location. They face temptations and other obstacles along the way.
  4. Voyage and Return
    • The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses to them, they return with experience.
  5. Comedy
    • A light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.
  6. Tragedy
    • The protagonist’s character flaw or great mistake which is their undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character.
  7. Rebirth
    • An event forces the main character to change their ways and often become a better person.

‘Misery’ fits in the categories of ‘Overcoming the Monster’ (where Paul makes it his mission to get rid of Annie, the antagonist, and break free from being held captive), ‘Rags to Riches’ (Paul is successful at his work as an author and it all goes away when Annie finds him after the car accident. Paul grows as a person with more consideration as he escapes from Annie’s home), ‘Rebirth’ (Whatever Paul goes through makes him realise that he should change his ways and so ends up with a new mindset about himself and his work). The combination of these plots allows the story of the film to become more in-depth as well as continue to remain entertaining with multi-layered characters till the credits roll. It is storytelling at its finest and combining many of these plot concepts is not noticeable in the film, nor probably in the book by Stephen King.

Infer & Deduce: The film’s title shares its name with the novel it is based on by Stephen King, though contains a hint of mystery since the word ‘Misery’ is also the name of the book series that the main character, author Paul Sheldon, creates and writes. Additionally, this is also the name of the protagonist in the book series that is in the book written by Stephen King that the film is based on. Humorously, it sort of feels like something Christopher Nolan would conjure up. Moreover, the use of the descriptor ‘Misery’ would apply to the emotional state Paul Sheldon goes through while being held captive at Annie’s house, as well as what Annie feels towards Sheldon.

Technical Aspects

‘Misery’ uses a variety of techniques to convey the mysterious and disturbing attitude of the character Annie, for example, or the nature of the plot itself. While the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and makes the scenes more suspenseful, the variety of shot types allows certain implicit messages to be translated for the audience:

  • Bird’s-Eye Shot – In the few beginning scenes, shots taken from a helicopter while flying over a landscape create the setting for the rest of the film, allowing the audience to familiarise themselves with where the story takes place and how the setting could affect the fate of the characters.
  • Long Shots – These kinds of shots are used for establishing a setting but show the more intricate of details when compared to a bird’s-eye view. An example of this are scenes from the beginning where the snowy mountains and location is shown while Paul Sheldon drives on the road. Like the Bird’s-Eye Shot, it enlightens the audience about the setting where the film could prominently take place and how the snow, in this film, could act as a helping hand for the protagonist when he is in a life-or-death situation. In ‘Misery’, it is the snow that causes him to be taken hostage by his psychotic number-one fan Annie Wilkens.
  • Extreme Close-Up Shots – These kinds of shots are used to either direct the focus of the audience to a specific aspect in particular or if an object is of small sizes, like the orange Novril pills that Annie gives to Paul for his pain. Moreover, a sequence that extensively uses these shots is when Annie is coming back home from getting the paper Paul requested for his typewriter while Paul is hurriedly going back to his room so that Annie does not suspect anything. Movement and facial expressions are emphasised on as the pace of the scene rises. Paul is seen struggling with his injury but hastening to his room with close-up shots of the door nob and him locking the door with a bobby pin, for example, or Annie shoes as she walks into the house.
  • Low Angled/High Angled Shots – These camera angles allow an audience to view the world from certain characters’ point of view without the shot being in the first person. Low Angled shots are used to create the view of Paul Sheldon since he is lower in height when talking to Annie because of being on his bed recovering. Similarly, the audience sees a repeated use of High-Angled Shots that portray how Annie sees Paul, towering over him and looking down. Moreover, these shots depict the level of power in the situation where Annie is seen as superior and controlling over Paul, and Paul is inferior and helpless.
  • Pans/Tilts/Dolly Movements – Camera movements of any kind keep the shots more interesting to watch for an audience. While in some moments they help reveal details an audience would not have seen in the setting, camera movements follow characters throughout a scene allowing the audience to feel as if they are in the situation rather than watching characters on a screen. This film uses movements to their advantage in scenes that are high in tension with no knowledge of the fate of characters. This keeps it fast-paced as well as the audiences on the edge of their seat.

Furthermore, the lighting techniques allow another level of emotion to be felt by the audience as it creates an intimidating atmosphere in some settings while giving a natural, homely look in others. In scenes hot during the day, lighting is mostly natural from the source of the sun, while indoor scenes use lamps and candles to illuminate the set. In addition to that, an interesting use of lighting is when it starts to rain in the area where Annie lives. When she enters into Paul’s room with surprise, the scene uses the lightning outside to create a dramatic play of light and shadow on her face, enhancing the menacing and malevolent attitude of Annie.

Favourite Scene

This scene explores a different side of Annie Wilkens as she is seen with a unique attitude when compared to the rest of the film. Annie is seen to have an inner realisation about the situation with Paul Sheldon, stating that because he is almost finished with writing the Misery novel that she wants and that his legs are getting better, he would demand to be let out of the house and go home. Annie would not have any control over his life and situation she seems to be enjoying and the rain outside continues to remind her of that ‘inevitable’ future.

The scene uses an array of camera techniques to portray the emotions that Annie in particularly is feeling, with close-up shots emphasising on capturing her facial features and expressions of despair and melancholy. This makes an audience’s strong pessimistic feelings towards her psychotic behaviour previously die down a little as she is seen to have a progression of character and forget about her delusions. Annie seems to know that she cannot have everything she wants anymore. While this scene has comparatively focused on Annie with lengthened shots on the character, the reactions have been countered with Paul’s expressions being shown from time to time as she looks at him and says particular words. From the way Paul reacts, he would seem to feel exactly the same as the audience and be hopeful that once the new Misery novel would be over, and Annie receives the story she wanted, she would let him go without any harm. There is a look of relief on Paul’s face. The low-key lighting in this scene adds to the gloomy atmosphere created by the rain which in turn affects Annie’s normally energetic attitude. Moreover, the natural lighting sources of the lamps in the room make the scene feel less scripted or fabricated and more of an actuality. To add on, the sound from the rain outside hitting the windows also brings more emotional pain to the scene while making it more naturalistic.

However, all restored faith in Annie Wilkens drains away when she seems to become detached from the rationale she was leading Paul towards believing and pulls out a small revolver from her robe pocket. Immediately the audience, as well as Paul, realise that Annie definitely has some psychological conflictions with herself and would do anything in her power to achieve what she wills. The tension rises in the scene, creating anticipation towards what horrific action Annie would commit next, or when she would have her next anger outburst. The final dutch-angled shot in the scene taken to show Annie exiting her house and stepping onto the porch portrays a sense of displacement between the character’s attitude as well as their morale.

What would I do differently?

Of course, producing this film with modern day technology would allow it to be high definition and consist of different settings, clothes and props as times have changed though I would not change anything about the film. It was pleasant to watch, disturbing at times which is exactly what it intended on, as well as, entertaining. The actors did a brilliant job in portraying the characters and the emotions they felt in the situation.

Further Research Areas:

THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN STORIES IN THE WORLD

Understanding The Seven Basic Plots

The Seven Basic Plots – Wikipedia

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Stephen King’s Misery – YouTube

Misery Film Review – Roger Ebert

What’s the Difference between Misery the Book and Misery the Movie?

Book vs Film: Stephen King’s Misery

Celebrity Worship Syndrome – PsychologyToday

“I’m Your Number One Fan”— A Clinical Look at Celebrity Worship

The Psychology of Celebrity Worship -HealthDay

Psychology; A Clinical Assessment Of Annie Wilkes From The Movie ” Misery”

Annie Wilkes: Love and Obsession

The Inspiration for Misery – stephenking.com