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The Fallen Angels Question didn’t work for some reason, so here it is:
Section D: Film movements – Experimental film (1960-2000)
62) To what extent is the film you have studied recognisable as the product of an auteur? [20]
Fallen Angels is very recognisable as the product of the auteur Wong Kar-wai. For example, his recognisable use of film form. One of the main examples is his use of non-diegetic pop songs throughout the movie, not for ironic purposes, but to connote certain feelings to the audience. Another main example is his use of rain, which he uses to bring characters together in Fallen Angels, furthering the themes of loneliness and togetherness. The mise-en-scene of rain is also used in his other films like ‘The Grandmaster’. Furthermore, he has a specific use of editing in terms of time manipulation to convey meaning. Such as, the use of step printing, like during the assassination sequence, which to partially used to connote a sense of coolness to the character. He also uses slow motion, like the slow motion of the train dirivng past during the opening, which has a sense of lonliness. Simialrly, his use of cinematography also does this. His use of wide angle lens and deep depth of field shots create the sense of sepeartion, as the character at the front is distant from those behind them, creating the sense of lonliness and need for connection with other human beings. These themes can also be seen in his film ‘Chungking Express’, which is the sister film to Fallen Angels, which was initially the third part to the movie. Another connection between these movies are the actors. Interestingly, the same non-actor was used in both, which is an experminetal attitude to film making.
Narratively, Wong Kar-wai’s work tends to be experimental, which is part of his auteur signature. Such as, instead of the narrative focusing on plot and explantaion, it focuses on character, themes like lonliness and connection, and emtions, as he uses expermintal narrative devices and narrative structure to convey very real human emotion. Such as, the narrative device during the opening of narrative repeition of two characters following the same path through the station, then both picking up the same key (close up) and enetring the same house but at different times highlights their lonliness and lack of close connection. This is instead of narrative devices being used for expostion, which most films have during the opengn equilibrium, but Fallen Angels does not. Throughout, instead of explaining who the charcaters are, and why they do what they do, like why the man assisinates people, Wong Kar-wai doesn’t tell us, and instead focuses on the emotion. This could be why the ending equilibrium is open instead of a closed ending, as the two characters on the same bike, with her holding on to him, is suggesting a closness between the two, even if momentary, which in a way sums up the themes of the films and the emotions of the film rather than any plot. During this ending, the lighting in the tunnel is green, and green lighting was also iused earlier when the son was spying on his dad watching the footage he filmed. As Wong Kar-wai doesn’t foolow traditional colour theory, it can be hard to intepret the exact connotations and meaning of his colour choices, but they are picked intentionaly and for emotional meaning. It’s possible due to both times that green lighting was used that it represents closeness between the characters.
ISP Mock
Film Lesson 03/03/20
Apply one filmmaker’s theory of documentary film you have studied to your chosen documentary. How far does this increase your understanding of the film?
On the one hand, studying Michael Moore’s documentary theory increased my understanding of the film Amy. This is because, there are elements of Amy that align with the theory. Such as, the use of editing, like the Ken Burns effect, which is a way of manipulating the footage to tell the viewer what to think and feel – this links in with Michael Moore’s way of making documentary, contrasting say to someone like Longinotto. Such as, in Amy, there is a park scene which includes a long shot of Amy in a provocative outfit, and the Ken burns effect is used, along with voice over talking about Amy’s provocative behaviour. This is inviting a certain viewpoint of Amy, and therefore links in with Michael Moore’s theory and way of film making. This could be seen as a negative thing, however, this moment can also be interpreted as a way of the documentary commentating on the media’s representation of Amy, rather than trying to convey a connotation itself. This is emphasised by the photo being a paparazzi picture, as well as many other photos in the film.
This isn’t the only moment in the film that has been used to create a specific emotion. Such as, the shot that goes from Amy’s house and up into the air, signifying how Amy was forced out of her own home. This was taken using a drone, and could only have been done using digital technology. The shot also conveys the unfair way that Amy was treated, which is therefore purposefully conveying something to the spectator, which links in with Michael Moore’s way of film making. Moreover, the film also uses fake/edited lens flare in multiple occasions, such as the singing booth scene, which has happy and other positive connotations, therefore trying to sway the audience emotions.
Further more, the opening of the movie is full of film form elements that fit in with Michael Moore’s film making theory and documentary style. Such as, the opening found footage being of Amy singing at a friends birthday, and the person we seen not even being her. This is a way of representing her as a every day person, contrasting to the media representations of her. Moreover, there is slow motion of Amy after she explains that singing is something she can just do, while her ‘performance’ is happy. This paints a positive picture of Amy, which links into Moore’s documentary theory, especially when you consider how the director may have chosen to be biased to contrast preconceived media idea and representations of Amy, which is something that Moore does too, except he’d never focus on a specific person, more likely an industry for example.
To what extent has digital technology been essential to the production of ‘Amy’ [20]
To what extent has digital technology been essential to the production of ‘Amy’ [20]
Digital technology was essential to the production of ‘Amy’, therefore proving that regarding the critical debate, the significance of digital technology is high. For example, many sequences in ‘Amy’ begin with an establishing shot that was shot using a drone. Like, the shot of Camden from above. This could not have been done using film, as it’s too heavy, and is an example of digital technology being needed to create meaning. In this case, to establish where we are in the story of Amy’s life. Drone footage is also necessary later on in the movie, therefore being another example of the significance of digital technology. Such as how the opening of the ending scene is shot with a drone that goes from Amy’s house and up into the air, a visual metaphor that emphasises how she was forced from her home to the airport when paired with the non-diegetic voice over that explained the situation. This shot was therefore constructed to get across this meaning, and the idea that the people who forced Amy to the airport were wrong in doing so. This links to Michael Moore’s documentary theory and his documentary making/style, as he often uses film form elements like certain pieces of cinematography to evoke a certain emotion in the audience, just like this bit of drone footage in Amy. Like Moore, ‘Amy’ can be considered a biased film to counteract preconceived media representations and opinions of Amy. Hence, why they might have chosen the opening to be archive footage of Amy as a talented child, represented as an ordinary human who isn’t the focus of the video, to show us another side to her and a side that you can’t dislike. This contrasts to Longinotto’s documentary style and theory, as she focuses on her documentaries being as non-fictional and as real as possible.
Digital technology was also shown as essential to the production of ‘Amy’ in other ways. In that the majority of the archive footage/found footage that made up the movie was filmed or taken using digital technology. Such as, the use of phones. This opposed the paparazzi images in some cases. Such as, the picture of Amy with a homeless person was clearly taken on a phone. This is noticeable due to the performance of Amy playing up to the camera, and how close the photo was taken to Amy. This picture represents Amy in a positive light, as her being nice to a homeless man has positive connotations. To contrast, the paparazzi images have the opposite effect. Such as, the long shot of Amy in the park which was taken using a long lense emphasising the sense of being spied on. This photo is then edited with the Ken Burns effect, another example of digital technology, which shows Amy’s outfit and inviting judgment, especially when paired with the non-diegetic voice over discussing her promiscuity. It’s possible that the film used digital technology in this way not to judge Amy but to judge the media and paparazzi – the director may have wanted to highlight how mean media could be, rather than judge Amy and encourage us to judge her too. Phones are also used during the performance section, when Amy is refusing to sing while on stage. The use of found footage shot on phones positions us with the audience, meaning when the crowd goes from cheering to yelling ‘sing’ and other mean things so quickly, the feelings from this and the connotations are heightened. As someone who has been watching the film, having seen Amy’s journey to this point, being positioned in the crowd probably makes the audience member uncomfortable, and is a moment that the film invites the audience to side with Amy. This is against Longinotto’s documentary making, as although she uses functional film form elements her work is unbiased. However, constructed realism will always be present no matter how hard a documentary film maker tries to make it realistic as there will always be an element of construction.
Amy: Ending Notes
Cinematography:
- ELS of the crowd at the concert – drone (digital)
- official and amateur footage used from the concert
- positioned with the crowd but align with Amy
- found footage of her body being carried out – desaturated (Michael Moore)
- LS of someone crying at the funeral
Mise en Scene:
- blurry/grainy found footage of the concert – audience position, matches the documentary’s style of actuality
- red light – demonic, slow-mo (V/O ‘it felt like the end’
- ‘she totally blow it’ – TV footage (Michael Moore)
- sub-titled dialogue of the crowd e.g. ‘sing’
- CU picture of her bare feet (paparazzi) – cropped
- professional photo – smiling – V/O about drinking
- ‘3 weeks later’
- ‘4:05 pm’
- desaturation
- friend picture
- subtitles
- magazine cover – ‘demons’
- Funeral footage – disrespectful of the documentary of commentary of paparazzi
Perfromance:
- Amy hugs the band
- Amy sits down on stage
- There is a person reassuring Amy’s dad at the funeral
Editing:
- slow-mo of Amy on stage when she is not singing
- photo of Amy taken out of focus. ‘she didn’t want to do it’ at airport
- After funeral – montage of Amy – smiling, singing, ordinary
- cross fade to Amy on street and her phone (CU) – took stud out, modest clothes, white clothes, edited picture, healthier?, picture purposefully chosen, Ken burns but very slight, less judgmental
- montage during credits while famous song plays
- slow-mo – police etc
Sound:
- dropped in airplane sound
- sound bridge of crowd cheering
- non-diegetic paparazzi camera sounds over paparazzi pictures – effect
- crowed cheer and then boo – mood shift
- V/O – ‘she just wouldn’t sing’
- diegetic band on stage – won’t sing
- V/O – excited about the wedding, didn’t care that she had messed up
- V/O – ex-manager and friend) ‘she said she hadn’t been drinking’
- ringing sound effect
- friend Juliette – ‘ It was my Amy’ ‘she just kept saying sorry’ V/O – compared to a child, almost crying, ‘missed my best friend’ – cross fades to picture of them as children
- ‘If I could give it back just to walk down that street… i would’ – someone repeating what she had said V/O – contrasts to earlier in the film (‘lucky’)
- non-diegetic piano during phone call that started the film
Moore:
- guided in terms of representation of Amy and what to feel (e.g. wants to make you cry)
Digital Debate:
- drone – exaggerates that she has been taken away from her home to the airport
- phones
Amy – Recording Session – Notes
Cinematography:
- functional lighting (archive footage)
- crash zooms e.g. of buttons, Amy singing
- rooming camera
- amateur footage – authenticity, amateurs
Mise En Scene:
- lyrics on screen
- archive footage
- non-glamourous
Performances
- enjoying the music
- Amy seems happier without Blake, negative portrayal of Blake
- Amy – professional
- ‘All my strength comes from my nan’
Editing:
- fake lens flare when she is singing
- slow-mo of Nan (w/ music, dame as when Amy’s dead body is carried out)
- animated lyrics
Sound:
- diegetic singing in the middle of non-diegetic music/singing, then diegetic again
- V/O ‘tempestuous’ – theme. ‘relationship’ – Mark
- V/O about nan paired with a visual
- V/O against Amy being a procrastinator despite what the media says
- nan is sick
Moore:
- guiding how you feel about Amy e.g. V/O, lens flare, archive footage specifically chosen
Amy – Park Scene Notes
- bittersweet: park, sunnyAmy’s happy, V/O, paparazzi, Kn Burns
Cinematography:
- static image
- long lens (Paparazzi) – being spied on. They’re not friends taking a picture, strangers, exploiting a celebrity
- high key lighting
- didn’t know the pictures were being taken (contrasting to the homeless person pictures)
- paparazzi vs phone (homeless) – people may have already seen these images
Mise en Scene:
- edited interview?
- Ken Burns – a long shot of Amy – lingers for a long time, forcing us to look at and possibly judge what she is wearing, judgmental, paired with V/O, or is it reminiscent of and criticising how the paparazzi treated her
Sound:
- non-diegetic music – being guided
- V/O childhood – dad leaving her mum, the man’s childhood possibly edited together with sex V/O
- V/O with a long shot of her body discussing her promiscuous behavior
- V/O – self-destructive people
- V/O – in love with Blake – paired with images of love hearts next to Blake’s name that she has drawn
- comparison to Blake earlier – not dramatized, monotone, detached – V/O about how they liked to self-sabotage over ken Burns body – not eating enough?
Moore:
- guided viewing experience
- Moore wouldn’t judge Amy, he would criticize the media but possibly using similar technical codes
Digital Debate:
- drone footage
Amy- Middle Notes
Cinematography:
- photos
- found footage
- EXL of Camden – digital – couldn’t of been film (heavy)
Mise en Scene:
- CU of Amy’s dirty shoes and a homeless person’s shoes
- Photograph subtly introduces Blake then we meet him
Performance:
- introduced to more people
Editing:
- slowing down drone footage
- very slow Ken Burns effect
- slow-mo on Blake – gross, highlighting his mindset
- may have lightened her in the photo – others are desaturated
- Ken Burns and zoom – Amy doing a gesture with V/O of a guying saying he slept with her
Sound:
- strings – drunk, needed to come home in a wheel burrow confession
- sound bridge of microphone noise
- V/O life is short
- non-diegetic piano
- interview over the phone – need subtitles the audio’s so bad
- ‘drunk’
- ‘things started changing’ image of smiling with friends (Ken Burns)
- V/O of Pete – ‘best looking’, ‘coolest’
- Voice over doesn’t always match with what we see
Digital Debate:
- mobile
- drone
- gathering of footage you wouldn’t have without digital technology
Georgia Newman Film Studies 