Freud, Film and The Unconscious
Psychoanalytical Approaches

- 3 posts on the theories, Freud, Lacan and Mulvey (on blog)
- Analysis of applying these theories to 3 films, analyse sequences from films (3 posts)

Freud believed that "[Dreams are] the royal road to the unconscious" and that they contained important clues into the human psyche (Weiter, 2004:195), much of his initial research methods involved questioning his patients on their dream experiences and using their descriptions as a means of uncovering their 'true' motivations and perceptions on the world.

"Film operates on much of the same principle... film speaks directly to the unconscious, the language of dreams is one that is not an abstract form of communication such as narrative, but is one that is filled with images they carry hidden meanings on a latent level. Just so is the language of film organised so that only a part of the film is communicated in a narrative form- sound and images make up the majority of the effect." (Kluge, 1999)

Therefore, the nature that is film can be, to a degree, deconstructed in order to unveil a universal understanding of our thoughts and behaviours that through identification, contributes towards our enjoyment of the film as it acts as a release mechanism of these id induced impulses.

Freudian Analysis

- The Id- Tyler Durden (Unconscious desires/ the 'repressed' - set free without conscience)

- The Ego- The 'narrator' (The conscious/IKEA lifestyle - comfortable)

- The real Tyler can be found between The Id and the Ego (one half each)

-The superego - Initially: 'The self help groups'
Then 'The Fight Clubs
Then 'Project Mayhem

-The superego will regulate 'pleasure', it will censor the Id, but will also license it

-Freud explained his famous model for brain function in the 1927 publication, The Ego and the Id. Since then, the theory has been explained with reference to a horse and chariot.

ID: most primitive, irrational and emotional, selfish, concerned only with it's self satisfaction, pleasure and instant gratification, wants

Ego: reality principle, tries to meet the basic needs of the id but also takes into account the real world, balance

Superego: Based on moral principles, morals, compromise


ENEMY

Lighting Techniques

In this video, I demonstrated the main lighting techniques used in film and television. The techniques are edge lighting, rembrandt lighting, butterfly lighting and three point lighting. These techniques are used in commercial films but I showed them in a talking head interview style, as this was the easiest to set up in the college studio.

Edge lighting just involves one light source, which is placed to the side of the subject so that it only illuminates half of their face or even less. The result is quite a moody image, and gives connotations of duplicity so is often used with characters that have a darker side (as their face literally has a dark half) or have negative intentions. This shows that lighting can give a more powerful meaning than simply to illuminate the actors.

Rembrandt lighting also only involves one light source, but it is placed at a fourty five degree angle to the subject, and about a foot above their head. The creates a simple but flattering effect, and is characterised by a small triangle of light underneath one eye. This lighting technique originated from the painter Rembrandt who used to paint his subjects with this lighting technique, and it got translated to photography and film.

Butterfly lighting also uses one light source, this time placed directly in front of the subject, above their head pointed down towards them. It is characterised by a butterfly shaped shadow underneath the nose due to the light being pointed down towards their face. It was often used by fashion photographers in the 30's because it is a flattering technique for a model's face, and it is also simple to set up.

New Wave Essay Bibliography

Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Dir. Arthur Penn. DP. Burnett Guffey.

Midnight Cowboy (1969). Dir. John Schlesinger. DP. Adam Holender.

Taxi Driver (1976). Dir. Martin Scorsese. DP. Michael Chapman.

Ebert, Roger. "Taxi Driver Movie Review." All Content. Michael Phillips, 01 Jan. 1976. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

Giannetti, Louis D., and Scott Eyman. Flashback: A Brief History of Film. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1986. Print.

Macnab, Geoffrey. The making of Taxi driver. London: Unanimous, 2005. Print.

Other sources found but not used:

Fairnie, Alan. "French New Wave". Slideshare.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

Hitchman, Simon. "American New Wave: New Hollywood, Direct Cinema, And Independents". Newwavefilm.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

New Wave Essay

For my new wave essay, I chose to analyse the American New Wave. I chose three films, Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Taxi Driver (1976). The process of making this essay was to gather research relating to the American New Wave and other influences such as the French New Wave, collect relevant clips from my studied films, write a script and record it in the college studio. I think one thing that I did well was to structure my video in a clear way with some clips corresponding to the topics that I was talking about in the commentary. I also think that I did well to talk about the influences behind the new wave and the reasoning behind it's inception.

Making this video essay further informed me about the history of film especially American cinema. It helped give me in insight into how to film in a creative way, as this was really the only way that they could film. The film makers had to compromise and come up with innovative films to get around their restraints bought on by the lack of backing from large studios.

There are a few things that I think I could have done better though, as I didn't plan my time that well and put a lot of strain on myself on the last few days. For example, I think I could have spoken in more detail about specific scenes in my movies and the conventions that they used, especially when relating to how they characterised the new wave style. Also, I think that my video and script could have been longer, adding more detail to my points. This came down to me wanting to finish the video for the deadline, and having a second cut of the video would help to make sure I explained everything in more detail. I see the video as more of a summary of the new wave, rather than a critical analysis.

Lighting Setups

Suggested Setups:

A small documentary where portability is paramount"

-A powerful but portable LED light, maybe one that could attach to the camera

-A fold-able reflector with both gold and silver panels

Firstly, the subject isn't specified so I would think that a powerful light source is a good idea as you might need to shoot some pretty open things. Also, I think having a light that could attach to the camera is a good idea since you don't want to have to carry a light around if you are looking for portability. A fold-able reflector is important because it means you can shoot in harsh daylight without a large piece of equipment. A downside of this setup is that you may need a more powerful light source if shooting something other than portraits so you would have to sacrifice portability.


Talking Head style interviews"

-Three lights (for three point lighting)

Three point lighting is a staple technique where one side of the subject is lit with the main light, then the shadows on the other side are filled with a less powerful light and lastly a light is directed on the surface behind the person so that they stand out from the background. This technique has been used for years and is reliable in producing professional results. A negative of this setup though is it is hard to film an movement in it, as the placement of the lights need to be specific and moving around causes the effect to change.


"A night time shoot"

-A larger light

-A soft box 

-Reflector

-Camera that can shoot in night vision

For a full night time shoot, a larger more powerful light source would be needed, as you're providing all the light artificially. To avoid this light being too direct and harsh, a soft box would help to provide a nice even distribution of the light on your subject. A reflector is a good idea any time using artificial lights, especially if you want to do an interview at night and need to make the person look as good as possible. Lastly, night vision capabilities are a good idea, although not necessary. This would be for somebody looking to film a documentary, maybe a wildlife video in the dark.