Infinite Productions: The Wicker Man

Showing posts with label The Wicker Man. Show all posts

Saturday, 13 October 2018

GENERAL CONVENTIONS 3: sound; genre signification

My influences

I like the idea of incorporating music into our film opening for more than just creating an ambiance (diegetic or not I'm not sure) - 'choreographing' a film to sound isn't the most common of conventions but it can work
Not using much dialogue for exposition
A voiceover
The use of Foley sound, both for verisimilitude and creativity - a good example of this this BTS video form the 2018 horror film The Quiet Place

Summary

audio bridge between titles (eg Bride of Chucky, Baby Driver)
ambient and Foley sound for verisimilitude (The Mexican, The Quiet Place, Baby Drive, Chucky)
music can be diegetic or non-diegetic - often used to signify genre/target audience (eg Baby Driver and Chucky)
music is not usually continuous - fades in and out (eg Baby Driver)
sound can signify setting (eg Submarine)
Can be used to build tension/narrative enigma (eg The Mexican, Drive and Chucky)
Institution aspect - OSTs

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Vodcast

RESEARCH (MINE):
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Baby Driver - driven by music

I have decided to split this opening sequence into 2 parts: the opening sequence & titles.

Opening Sequence

Baby Driver OST on vinyl

Sound is one of the most important aspects of Baby Driver, with large sections of the visuals being “choreographed” to fit the soundtrack, sometimes more reminiscent of a music video than a film. In this example it has been stated by the director that the scene is built around the song, rather than vice versa.

The attention to detail is a part of the auteur director, Edgar Wright’s, style, but also has huge marketing potential

a line used in a lot of the promotional material was "all you need is one killer track" (OST available on apple music, spotify & vinyl).

The opening sequence begins on a fade from black, and before the first shot we can hear a high pitched sound which turns into a musical note (an audio bridge)

the sound is unsettling and has a foreboding nature, signifying a somewhat serious genre.
This is also a part of the narrative, as the audience will come to know that the protagonist suffers from tinnitus (a ringing in the ears).

As the screen fades from black and we see a city street, the ambient sound of cars driving past can be heard - high level of verisimilitude.

As the car which the protagonist is in pulls up a louder sound can be heard - also for verisimilitude.

In the second shot we see the protagonist pull out an iPod classic and begin a song, which then plays over the remainder of the opening sequence.

The follow 4 cuts happen to the beat of the song, and even the chewing of gum is on tempo, although it does not make any sound.

via GIPHY

The song is a garage/blues/alt rock song by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which signifies the action genre, but also more serious themes.

Every part of the opening sequence is choreographed to the song

the opening and closing of car doors, walking to the beat, the movement of the car, ads the protagonist sings and dances along - diegetic.

via GIPHY

Just before the protagonist watches the rest of his ‘crew’ fire guns in the bank they are robbing, the music becomes quieter and police sirens can be heard as a police car drives past

this anchors the genre as action, as this takes precedent over the music.
This is also somewhat expositional to the narrative as we learn the protagonist’s central conflict is that of his commitment to a life of crime, and music is one of the ways in which he can hide form the immorality of criminality.

The sound of gunfire is also heard through the bank window, although the sound is muffled - this is most likely Foley sound

via GIPHY

Sounds of the tyres screeching can be heard, and there are some close ups of the tyres making sharp turns/quick stops

The only dialogue in the opening sequence is over the walkie-talkie of a police car (also diegetic). This is a part of the director’s style - focusing on film as a visual medium, using sound and visuals for exposition rather than dialogue as often as possible.

Titles

Also created very much like a music video, the title sequence is lead by audio, with diegetic aspects adding to the song (car horns, bike bells, scuffling of feet, ATM beeps), and the visuals being made in conjuncture to the lyrics

the protagonist miming playing the trumpet in a shop window as is it heard in the song, and lyrics being written in graffiti on the street which change as the protagonist walks back from getting coffee.

via GIPHY

Baby Driver on the way there vs. on the way back screenshot

Unlike in the opening sequence the title sequence is a 2:45 long steady-cam tracking shot, with elements of the street timing in with the music rather than cutting to the beat.
The song used in the titles is Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Early

R&B rather than a rock song
Appeals to an older audience

When the protagonist removes one earphone to order coffee the music becomes quieter

sound editing done in post
assures the protagonist is properly anchored as the audience is experiences the diegesis through his eyes and ears
Then only exposition done throughout dialogue here is the main characters name ('Baby')

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Submarine

The first sound that can be heard in Submarine is unclear: it could be wind or waves

it is made clear that it is the diegetic sound of waves when seagulls can be heard. This is expository as it signifies that the film takes place by the sea.

After 30 seconds a voiceover begins

this is non-diegetic and purely for exposition, but also builds narrative enigma as the voiceover begins before we see the protagonist’s face, but is very quickly resolved as the protagonist comes into the shot.

The accent tells us that the protagonist is from Wales, and from the sound of waves we can infer that the film is also set there.

The sound of waves is quiet and not overpowering as if it were a storm, creating a calm atmosphere.

As a mellow song begins to play the camera cuts closer to the protagonist’s face twice - both times to the beat - and on the third beat the protagonist looks into the camera.
Similar to Baby Driver there is conjuncture between the music and the visuals, however the music is non-diegetic within the opening scene of Submarine.

As the music starts a brief montage consisting of wide shots of the Welsh coast is shown (9 shots in total, only the last 2 of which have Oliver in them).

With the music this creates a calm atmosphere/ambiance, but is also iconography, as it shows the character's awareness of himself as just a small part of the surrounding world, that he accepts he is not ‘an individual’ and does not need to think of himself as unique in order to motivate himself to ‘get out of bed, eat food and walk around like nothing’s wrong’, as he states other people do in the voiceover.
This is similar to in The Wicker Man - which was filmed on location at Hebridean, and during the opening credits has many wide shots of the countryside as the protagonist arrives by helicopter

via GIPHY

Submarine OST on vinyl

The acoustic music adds to the calming atmosphere, and similar to Baby Driver has marketing potential for an OST, as it is by the lead singer from the alt band Arctic Monkeys (star billing).

when you look up a poster for the film, the second image which comes up is for the soundtrack

A google search for Submarine's poster

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RESEARCH (Sam's):

CONVENTION3: DETAILED ANALYSIS SOUND, GENRE SIGNIFICATION

Bride of Chucky (1998):

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Non-diegetic music
Audio Bridge between titles
Sound:

slow high pitch string instruments
slow long drum beats which are several seconds apart. Therefore makes it creepy:

it gives the slow heartbeat feel (messes around with your psychology)
the slow drum beats make you holding your breath which gives a tense feeling.

the single beat kicks slow down your heartbeat which again messes with your heart which impacts the heart (if fast pace music, it speeds up your mood/adrenaline)
later on the non-diegetic sound changes to a faster pace (drum kicks)
(It's very effective to mess with somebody's heart if combining fast/slow notes)

Baby Driver (2017):

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At the beginning, we find an audio bridge which is common in movies (still in the black screen and then the first shot comes)
ambient sound of cars driving past and people talking on the phone to add verisimilitude
the sounds are all non-diegetic which were added later on during the post-production process
00:12 we hear a clear sound of a car pulling up which gets louder and louder
sound of engine, brakes, and handbrake
all this non-diegetic sound (details) of the car is signifying that the red Subaru is going to play a bigger role in that scene (before transitioning into the main film)
it's always cutting to the beat
the long drawn out drum beats are several seconds apart
in the background, you hear a fast pace high pitch note which rises in volume
this is going to raise the tension (make the mood tense)
01:00 they have included diegetic sound (protagonist singing along)
the music they chose is kind of rock genre
the pace of the music changes often it goes from slow then fast then it slows down again and stops (brake) eventually then it picks on the pace again
therefore it messes with the heartbeat
it gives the tense feeling/mood then stops or slows the mood down
when the music goes fast again with the sound of the car (engine, tire/drifting) it makes the viewer more excited again
especially for rock the fast notes, drums, and guitar, it fits well because the fast beat of instruments gives the viewers adrenaline and excitement
also, the fast pace is likely to signify action (whereas, for horror, it is long drawn out slow drum kicks to make it creepy/scary)

Drive (2011):

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audio bridge/ambient sound which overlaps between the title sequence and first shot of the movie
there again we find a slow drawn out bass kick which is several seconds apart
it slows down our heartbeat which gives a tense vibe
the fact that the bass kicks don't change in notes (monotone/change in speed) it makes it mysterious and dramatic
first shot (panning/tilting shot) there are a lot of non-diegetic sounds (flipping the phone, taking the bag, walking noise)
ambient sound is also present (cars driving past)
at 02:11 the music rises in volume which signifies tension, it's about to get serious (action)
at 03:11 you only hear the non-diegetic sound of the watch
it signifies that the time is going to be a major element
at 03:20 the central protagonist turns up the volume of the radio
it signifies that there are important pieces of information to pick up

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GENERAL CONVENTIONS 6: Mise-en-scene for exposition

My influences

lots of set dressing is a really effective way of providing exposition without using clumsy dialogue - posters, props, graffiti, incorporating diegetic sound (eg a radio broadcast/ocean waves)
a level of quirkiness?
use framing to show how character is feeling
a voiceover?
something set in the past or future could be really fun to create through mise-en-scene (scifi?)
What I don't want to do is use up time resources where I don't have to: in The Wicker Man, filming was pushed into autumn, but the film was meant to be set in spring/summer, so they attached leaves and flowers to trees in most of the film (I applaud them for so adamantly insisting on creating high verisimilitude within the diegesis, as the season was quite a big part of the plot, and attention to detail is something I want to continuously incorporate, but I want to be as practical as possible and this seems excessive)

Summary

set dressing, props, lighting(high/low-key?) (Submarine, Need fro Speed, This is England)
Makeup (Baby Driver)
costumes and iconography (Baby Driver, This is England, Submarine)
accents and sound (This is England, Submarine)
exposition v narrative enigma, also subverting expectation/body language (Mean Girls, Baby Driver, Need for Speed)

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Vodcast

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RESEARCH(MINE):
Baby Driver

There is. lot of overlap here with my post on central protagonist and narrative (link to post here)

In the very first shot of Baby Driver the name of the city is visible on the wall of the bank

2 of the largest parts of the narrative are introduced in the first 2 shots: driving and music

The costumes provide exposition to both the narrative and the characters:

The protagonist's shirts gradually become darker as the film goes on (first is white, last is dark grey) - this iconography is mean to show how he does increasingly immoral things as the film goes on
The black and white jacket could also show this conflict within the character, as it also contrasts with the almost all-black costumes of his 'crew'
The glasses are used repeatedly to show that he is 'blinding' himself to crime, also contrasts with the other members of the crew who only remove their glasses once they have left the crime scene

Baby Driver screenshot showing costume

The long black coats, leather gloves and heavy bags of the 'crew' make it clear that the plan is to rob the bank

Make-up work has been done to give the protagonist scars on his face

in the narrative these are not actually linked to his involvement in crime, but the audience will likely assume that they are
also narrative enigma - where/how did he get them?

The character 'Buddy' leads the group into the bank

shows he is the leader/of higher status than the other 2
you would think that because he is the leader that he would have the seat next to the driver, but he is seated in the back to show that he is with the woman (very subtle and you probably wouldn't pick up on it on initial viewing, part of the director's attention to detail)

Shot of the 'crew' entering the bank through the car window, next shot is medium-closeup of the protagonist's face

always cuts back to the main character, shows his reactions, doesn't follow the main action (subverts expectation)

After the protagonist sees his 'crew' fire guns in the bank, he very quickly turns his head away and tightens his grip on the wheel

shows his aversion to the violence, also subverts expectation as he then immediately begins lip-synching and it seems as though it was all part of the choreography

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Submarine

Submarine has an eccentric amount of set dressing for mis-en-scene in the opening shot

The typewriter and polaroids on the walls show it is set in the past
the props (eg the skeleton) suggest that this is a child's room - is actually the room of an odd teenager so this adds into the character
posters covering the walls and lots of books - show the character is educated and a bit quirky
Lamps everywhere opposed to high key lighting (which is expensive and glamourising) - representative of institutional background of the film (low budget indie)

screenshot showing set dressing

The framing of the character in the shot (awkwardly cramped in the corner) shows how he is awkward an feels out of place
The duffle coat looks a little like a pea jacket

it isn't a Louis Vuitton jacket - signifies middle/working class background
uses and gratifications theory - identification
link to the sea

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This is England

The first shot of This is England provides a lot of exposition and creates some narrative enigma

Exposition:

the walls show decay and connote poverty
the alarm clock radio, lamp and picture are placed on a chair, rather than a bedside table - further signify this
Also signified by the uncool heavy wool jumper on the radio
2 inter titles tell us the year and that it is the last day of school
the protagonist whacks the alarm clock to turn it off, as if telling Margaret Thatcher to shut up
The small room, low-key lighting and non-glamourising appearance of the protagonist (ginger, in his baggy underwear, being teased for wearing bellbottoms) signify low-budget indie social realism
graffiti 'Maggie is a twat'
The bike outside the house isn't chained up but isn't stolen - shows that this is a working class community
the accents also tell us where it is set

This is England first shot

non-glamourising shot of protagonist

Narrative enigma:

the photo on the chair - who is it?

this is resolved later on through dialogue

we only see bits of the protagonist (his hand, the back of his head) before we see his face

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RESEARCH(SAM'S):

Usually, movies starts with Narrative Enigma and later on exposition is provided. However, often they provide exposition using mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is coming from French and basically means "put into the scene". In other words, they describe the objects within the frame. It is divided into four general areas: setting, lighting, costume, and staging.

Setting:
The setting creates a sense of place/mood and it may also reflect a character's emotion. The setting can either be entirely created in the filming studio or filmed on-location.

Lighting:
It is one of the most important aspects of movies. It sets the atmosphere and mood. you find high and low-key lighting. Because one of the biggest issues in filming it to film during the night (low light). It's very hard for the camera to pick up on quality and light that's why you're going to have a lot of distortion or noise in the image. Low-key lighting uses natural light to shoot and High-key lighting is using external lights to fill e.g. shadows or shots which aren't bright enough.
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This is an example of high-key lighting for the movie Harry Potter

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Costume:
The most easily noticeable aspect of mise-en-scene is the costume. It can include both makeup or wardrobe. It's used to signify a character's personality or working class. The costume is also an important part to signify the time in which the film is set as well as to advertise the fashion at this time.
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I took the example from This Is England. The costume they are wearing signifies that the movie is set in the 60's.

Staging:
The cast can make or break a movie. Basically, it is the actor's duty to bring their character to life within the framework. As well as the emotion/expression of the actors dictates how strongly the audience feels about the film.

Submarine (2010):

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it starts with a panning shot of the room
it provides exposition for the protagonist just using items set within the frame
00:24 you find a few reading lamps and a lot of books, posters which signifies that the protagonist is really into reading
in the same frame, you see that he made his bed and everything is organized which connotes that he likes it tidy
using low-key lighting (only the lights of the room)
non-diegetic Seabird sound which signifies that the protagonist must be living somewhere near the coast/beach
00:41 a typing machine on the desk which signifies that he is a writer
00:52 telescope and solar system which could signify that he likes to study the solar system
00:57 a high angle and the protagonist sitting in the corner looking out of the window into the sky connotes vulnerable, weak and deep thoughts

Drive (2011):

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a map on the table connotes that the protagonist studied it
he made some plans
very little items in his room which make him ghostlike
old and small TV connotes he isn't rich and telephone book under the TV
or this could also anchor that he is in a hotel

Need for speed (2014):

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00:19 starts with panning shots of the central protagonist with his family which signifies the close relationship
pictures of him in go-karts
a lot of car toys
a lot of racing trophies
this anchor that the protagonist is a racer and really into motorsport
the fact that he has still got pictures when he was younger connotes that he is attached to his past

Thursday, 6 September 2018

Films for Initial Analysis

Goon

L4yer Cak3

Visioneers

Mean Girls

The Mexican

The Notebook

Apocalypse Now

The Wicker Man

Baby Driver

Submarine

These are films I will partially deconstruct for my research into general film conventions, The ones I will mainly look at are Baby Driver and Submarine.

Baby Driver poster

Baby Driver (Edgar Wright, 2017)

prod: Media Rights Capital/ Big Talk Productions/ Working Title Films

dist: TriStar Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing

BOX OFFICE: UK$17m US$108m GLOBAL$227m

BUDGET:$34m

CRITICS: Rotten Tomatoes 93%; IMDB 7.6

Submarine (Richard Ayoade, 2011)

prod: Warp Films/ Film4 Productions/ UK Film Council/ Red Hour Filmsdist: Studio Canal/ The Weinstein CompanyBOX OFFICE: UK$2.4m US$470k CRITICS: Rotten Tomatoes 87%; IMDB 7.3