Film Studies Evaluation

For our film studies unit, we studied three theories (Freud, Lacan and Mulvey) and how they applied to film making. After we analysed films with regards to these theories, we had to create our own piece using one of them. Me and Lewis decided to making a short film focused on Lacan's 'Lack' theory, which is based on the idea that we always lack something in our life, and this lack is what drives us to achieve more and better ourselves. However, we chose to focus more on a negative side of the theory, showing a young girl's obsession with social media and The Kardashians due to her lacking that life style.

We shot in a few locations including: classrooms and study centre in college, streets in Nuneaton and a shopping centre. We chose these locations because we wanted to show the girl amidst other members of the general public to emphasise how obsessed she becomes with her phone and despite all these people being around her, she still is being absorbed by her desires. I chose to use music from the 'Gone Girl' soundtrack because the film is about the media and how it portrays people, which I thought linked well to how the Kardashians relate to the media. The music also gives off a feeling of eeriness and uncertainty, which i thought worked well because there's something unusual about people being consumed by updates on other people's lives.

There is a scene where the girl is in a pitch black room, only illuminated by her phone light and computer, which we originally chose to shoot because we thought it would make for an appealing set of shots, but we realised it also works in the context of the video as it can be seen as her social media being the only thing that matters to her, and the only thing providing her with any illumination on her life. The dark also works in the sense that she is surround by darkness, relating to her 'lack' of being happy and having the life that she is so obsessed and fascinated by.

There are elements of our video that could have gone better, one of which being that the narrative isn't as strong as we first intended. I think we achieved the feeling of obsession and desire very well but the original 'lack' isn't as clear. The film starts with her getting a notification and getting hooked on the Kardashian's social media, but it would have worked better with a few scenes that show her being unhappy which could lead to her resorting to obsessing over social media. Also, the ending could have been stronger. Due to a lack of a strong plan for the ending, the film comes to a climax with the protagonist revealing that she has gotten the same piercing as Kylie Jenner, after posting pictures of the family on her wall and going through photos of them on the internet. We intended for a more intense ending, but I think this one suffices and gets across the same message.

All in all, I think we did well to split our roles and create a piece that reflects the core components of the chosen study, with just a few minor elements of the video that could have been executed in a more clear manner that would convey the message better to an audience that is not initially aware of the theory.

Promotional Video Introduction

A promotional or corporate video is a video that is commissioned by a business or organization, to communicate certain messages to other people.

Corporate videos are usually shown at a specific event or sent to clients. But they can also shown on company websites, and they are sometimes broadcasted, depending on it's purpose.

Corporate videos always have a specific purpose, function and target audience.

Main types of clients:
- Apple
- The Daily Telegraph
- Google
- College

Conventions:
- Interviews
- Brand identity
- Copyright free
- Music score/ motif
- Graphics
- Endorsements
- Cutaways
- Product photography
- Length
- Narrative
- Targeting audience

Types of video:
- Production Launch/ marketing
- Promote key messages and values
- Internal communications
- Internal/ external training
- Show-reels
- Event coverage

Target Audience
Mode of Address
Technical Conventions
Conveyance of brand/ identity
Narrative

Product Launch
Sincere mode of address
Music isn't overpowering, joyous to convey positive feelings
Product photography of iphone, close up view of technology within phone
Interviews with employees endorsing product
Shows the general public using product
Connects to other brand's apps
Finishes with Apple logo

Promoting Key Messages and Values
Informal, speaking to young audience
Hand drawn graphics
Relatable to the audience, talking about drugs, disobeying parents
Slang 'tramps'
Electronic music reminiscent of festivals and night clubs
Undertone changes to very dark part way through

Internal/ External Training
Light hearted tone
Targeting the employees of the company
Very 'correct' language, no slang and follows all the rules in the book
Instructional
Hand drawn timelapse
Links to national campaign
Promotes standing against discrimination

Show Reel
Slow motion
Music driven
High class cinematography
Shows everything in a classy way, everything is done to make the brand look good
No talking to take away from the visuals
Over fantasised

Friday Next Week
Analyse 4 promotional videos for:
Target Audience
Mode of Address
Technical Conventions
Conveyance of brand/ identity
Narrative

Scheduling
When working with clients scheduling becomes vitally important. Plan a schedule with a GANNT chart to stay on track.
The video is usually given in rough edit form a week after the end of the shoot, from which the client then views and suggests changes that need to be made to the video. The final edit is then submitted a week after this for the client to sign off.

Health and Safety
Corporate and promotional video productions need to ensure minimal health risks are apparent.

Copyright
There should be no copyright infringement on your project. This includes songs, books, ideas, photographs, quotes from films and songs etc.

Stages of Production:
Communication
- Initial contact with client
- Production meeting (define message/ audience/ brand)
Planning
- Gather Inspirations/ mood boards
- Storyboard
- Feedback with client
- Scheduling (GANNT)
- Shot list
- Location Scouting
Shooting
- Transportation
- Equipment lists
- Release forms
- Checking against plans
Editing
- Checking dailies
- EDL
- Labels and bins
- Rough Draft (checked by client)
- Final draft
Sign Off

First Meeting
What do you want your video to do?
What does this audience care about and how does your product or service relate to those concerns?
What specific problem am I trying to solve and how do I communicate the solution to that problem?
How are you going to get people to watch your video?
What is the idea for this video?

Lacan Theory Film

Mulvey Theory

Mulvey proposed a theory called the male gaze, which focuses on how the media depicts women from a male's perspective. It shows how women are used in films solely as objects of male pleasure, and links in to scopophilia (pleasure in viewing). The male gaze consists of three perspectives;

- that of the person behind the camera
- that of the characters within the representation or film itself
- that of the spectator

In modern Hollywood films, it has become a common convention to place females in the cast that act simply as visual pleasure to draw male viewers in.

Traditional conventions of the male gaze in movies include;

- men playing active roles that drive the narrative
- women play passive roles that just show eroticism and add nothing to the narrative
- men outnumber women
- the women's physical attraction is used to overpower the men and show them as sexually weak (links to femme fatale)




The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, which shows the rise, indulgence and the fall of Jordan Belfort's Wall Street empire. The films is primarily driven by male characters and the majority of women in the film are used as Male eye candy and this reflects the real life story. An example of this is Jordan's Wife Naomi, who in one of the first proper introductions that we have to her is completely naked. Her sexuality is continued throughout the film, such as her using Jordan's attraction to her against him in the scene where she wants to punish him so she doesn't wear underwear.



A lot of the Male Gaze is employed right from the first scene. The scene is a montage style scene with narration from the lead character Jordan. There is a tracking shot of a Ferrari followed by a close up shot of Jordan receiving oral from a woman. Instantly that portrays women through a stereotypical male viewpoint and as a sex object. This is further amplified a few moments later when there is a wide shot, followed by a medium shot and a birds eye view shot of Jordan's wife in nothing but underwear rolling around on a bed and posing for the camera. There is also a point of view shot of her walking to the camera and holding a seductive stare. This all shows her through Jordan's eyes, inviting the audience to a place that is usually kept private (the bedroom). There is also more narration from Jordan saying "Yeah.... she was the one with my c*ck in her mouth in the Ferarri, so put your d*ck back in your pants". This monologue paired with the clips of his wife creates the impression that Jordan sees himself as 'the man' and that he has a lot to brag about when it comes to wealth and women. The film is told through Jordan's viewpoint, which obviously means that we are getting a male viewpoint, hence the male gaze.

Lacan Theory

Lacan said when you are born, you see yourself as a baby in the mirror and see a perfect version of yourself. From that point in your life onwards you are constantly striving to become or live up to that flawless reflection of yourself. This creates lacks within your life, which are simply put things that you do not have or cannot obtain and this infests a hunger or strive to motivates you as a person. This theory can be applied to today's society, such as when a new version of a popular phone gets released, and everybody else obtains it but you don't, so a hole is created in your life and you are trying to fill that hole. This example also shows how superficial our desires can be, as you don't genuinely need the latest version, but we're pressured by our society to be up to date and consumed by technology.

In film, Lacan's theory is often used especially when relating to the subject of obsession and perfection. The films actors as generally shown as consumed by their desires, good or bad, trapped in an isolated frame of mind and this can be picked up on by the director of photography who can choose to show this visually to enhance the film.



Whiplash is a 2014 music drama directed by Damien Chazelle. It focuses on a drummer, Andrew who is an aspiring Jazz dummer. He has dreams of becoming the greatest drummer of all time, and looks up to the greats such as Buddy Rich. However, he has trouble achieving this and multiple things get in his way, such as his new girlfriend, his family's lack of support, and most of all his new teacher Terence. Terence observed Andrew and invited him to the top orchestra band of the school and Andrew feels like this might be his pathway to his dream of greatness. However, Terence completely destroys Andrew pushing him too hard and even abusing him mentally through his 'push people to the limits' approach to teachers. However, in the end Andrew's motivation and determination to fill his 'lack of greatness' prevails and the film ends on a very powerful note with Andrew proving his greatness to Terence in front of a packed audience.



In this scene from Whiplash, Andrew and two other drummers are battling to prove to Fletcher that their double time playing is sufficient. They are all competing for a part in the band, and this lack of a secure spot is what is driving all three drummers. There are close up shots of the three with sweat dripping from their faces and hair. The shots of them drumming are handheld giving them a natural shake which adds to the manic energy of the scene, portraying their almost animalistic hunger for the spot. Fletcher is show with harsh lighting that casts shadows on his face. This makes him look menacing and like his is the dominant one in the situation and he is the person that is driving the other's drive and desire to the max. As the scene progresses, the camera work gets more frantic and shaky as it tracks Fletcher around the drum kit, hitting a cow bell, throwing a drum across the room and doing other things to distract Andrew.

Editing to Sound

Freud Theory

Freud proposed that the human psyche was not one entity, but actually composed of three separate aspects. These are called the Id, Ego and Superego.

Firstly, the Id is the part of us that has the most primal instincts, such as aggression and sexual desires. This version of us does not conform to today's societal norms, and is the most representative of our original ancestors, as these traits were needed for humans to desire, but we have not and will not completely subside completely. These characteristics are often controlled but some times they become our primary intentions.

The Superego is the part of us that has been shaped and moulded by societal norms and conventions. This part of us is created with a strive for perfection and takes in to account how our regulated society wants us to be. This model acts solely on what is 'morally correct' and is in a constant conflict with the Id to control us.

The Ego is in the middle of the Id and Superego and can be thought of as the conclusion that we come to when considering both the desires of the Ego and Id. It is the middle ground between the two and often compromises between them to satisfy the needs of both. As it is, the Ego is the version of ourselves that we project most often to the outside world, as the other two are too extreme versions of ourselves for us to be seen as a normal person.




Enemy is a 2013 psychological thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve, which centres around a teacher who spots an actor that looks exactly like him. Through multiple meetings between the two, it becomes clear that they are the same person but the film doesn't make it explicitly obvious that this is the case: it is left to the viewer to make this connection. The Freudian theory can be applied to this film, as the Id, Ego and Superego can be clearly seen in the main characters.

Adam Bell, the teacher version of the character is the Superego. He is a teacher with a wife who lives his life in a sensible fashion, doesn't over indulge and does his best to live in the 'right' way.

Anthony however, is the Id, who has more of a primal instinctual approach to his life. He is an actor, and indulges more than Adam. He has a girlfriend, which is the first sign of this because he isn't as ready to make his girlfriend his wife. This could be assumed to be because he want's to sleep around with different women and doesn't want to be 'tied down' by a societal norm. He also has more of a 'badass' persona, such as riding a motorbike which leads to you seeing him with a leather jacket and a helmet on his bike. This is very much a parallel perspective to the character compared to Adam, and it's clear the differences are purposely created.

The Ego is created and shaped by the conflict between the two, and also the character's girlfriend and wife who control and reinforce their different lifestyles.

Another example of a film that you can apply Freud's theory too is Fight Club (1999) Directed by David Fincher. The way the Id Ego and Superego are used in this film is subtle and only revealed to the audience throughout the film with little hints with a big reveal towards the end of the film. In this film, Tyler Durden represents the Id, as he has a primal drive, he is greedy and self indulgent, he is physically attractive and he finds it easy to get female attention. He is everything that the narrator wants to be and strives to achieve. The narrator on the other hand is the Ego, who lives a mundane routine and boring life. He obeys the law and has to have everything planned to a T. His apartment represents his materialistic desires, as everything is set up, clean and seems like it was bought together in a package to give it an overall look and theme. He is organized and everything must be correct and fit together.



During the reveal scene, the Narrator is on the phone to Marla. Marla can be considered as the Superego in the text, as she is the one getting the Narrator to go to self help groups and to try to understand himself more, whereas Tyler is the opposite of that and the Narrator is being pulled between the two of them. There is a wide panning shot that reveals that the narrator is sat in a room with Tyler. The shot shows Tyler sat in a chair in a relaxed pose and his voice is quiet and calm. Opposed to this, the Narrator is stood up and panics when he realises that he isn't alone. The shot pans quickly and shows a lot of energy even though it is only two people in a room. The shot also tracks backwards slightly which emphasises the movement. Also, there is a shot reverse shot where the shot of the narrator includes Tyler in it two which could be to show that Tyler knows that they are the same person, however the shot of Tyler (from the Narrator's point of view) doesn't include both of them, implying that he is not aware of them being the same person yet, as all that is shown is Tyler.