Thinking out loud... Dropping my degree?

For the last few days I've been thinking about dropping my degree and restarting a new one. My current degree title is Film Studies and Media & Cultural Studies (it's a joint BA).

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE studying film. LOVE. I'm not that fond of the cultural part though... I find it a bit boring to be honest.

Anyway, I kind of jumped into this degree. I was made redundant in June of 2009 and applied through UCAS clearing. Having studied film and media at college... It was kind of a safe bet for me. I knew I didn't want to go back to full time work (because I only ever planned on working for a year and then going back to uni anyway), I knew that being made redundant was a sign and a kick up the butt I needed... If I didn't return to education then, I probably never would have. I applied for this degree because I knew I would enjoy it and be able to cope with it. Like I said, safe bet although I didn't know how it could help me find a job post grad.

When I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher (I even did work experience in a primary school). About 6 months into my degree I looked into it and found out that I could use my degree as a stepping stone onto another course that would qualify me as a teacher. So that's been the plan ever since.

I've now found out that it's actually two courses (one for the qualified teacher status and the other to teach me the basics for teaching primary school kids). This adds another two years, another two institutes, another two years of arguing with student finance (and actually... I'm not sure if I'll be able to get financial help with one of the courses)

So it got me thinking... I could just do a degree in three years which teaches me all of that and qualifies me as a teacher at the same time. Although this degree has substantially higher requirements to be accepted on the course. And I'd need to do work experience before I apply... Which is doable.
I just think it would be better and more convenient in the long run to switch courses now. It'd still take the same amount of time. And the two years of studying film and media haven't really been wasted... I mean time spent enjoying yourself isn't time wasted, is it?

I don't know. I need to speak to my university when I go back. Too confusing to think about.

/end of boring babble

Essay: German expressionism and its Influence.

Another essay from my first year of uni. If you find anything useful, please let me know. This was for a film history class. I'm fairly sure I got an A for it.

German expressionism and its Influence.

It has been argued that the German expressionist movement has had an influence on many later filmmakers and genres. I agree with this argument and in this essay I will be explaining why I believe this to be the case by discussing the common traits of expressionism and applying them to later films and genres.

Unlike other European countries, the film industry in Germany in post World War I was booming, in fact it was second only to Hollywood. This was mainly due to the German government’s ban on foreign films and the rising demand by German theatres. Between 1914 and 1918 the amount of film production companies rose from 25 to 130 and continued to grow, by 1921 there were over 300 companies. The government supported filmmaking throughout the post war period; the ban was lifted in 1920 which gave German filmmakers little competition for over five years.

Expressionism began in the form of paintings in 1908 and soon transferred to a wide range of media including cinema. In 1920 a film was premiered in Berlin and critics declared expressionism had reached cinema. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (directed by Robert Wiene) was the first of its kind. Although audiences were used to this style in art and other media, it had never been seen on film before and was a success with the public. From that point onwards other films with the same distinct style were released. In the short period between 1920 and 1927 over twenty films were made that fit into the category of expressionism (although some critics argue that only six can truly be labelled as German expressionism, the rest simply use expressionistic elements). The movement died out in 1927 due to filmmakers moving to other countries such as Hollywood and the increasing budgets needed. The last of the expressionist films was Metropolis (directed by Fritz Lang), which had a big budget for the time.

German expressionism had a very distinct style. It often emphasized on the design, such as mise-en-scène rather than the editing and the story (unlike Hollywood films at that time). Hermann Warm, one of the set designers on The Cabinet of Dr Caligari was quoted as saying “The film image must become graphic art”. A lot of the sets used were influenced by expressionistic paintings of the time, which tried to express an inner emotional reality, rather than what’s on the surface by using abstract shapes and shade or lack of colour to create distortion. Figure movement and expression would often be overly dramatic with actors moving in a slow, jerky, choreographed way and make up was often used in abundance to enhance facial features such as the eyes and facial expressions. Highly stylised lighting was used, often using chiaroscuro lighting (stark contrast between light and shadow) along with oblique camera angles. Most importantly, it was the integration of all these elements to create an overall composition which aimed to bring out the essence of a situation, a mental state, create mystery, exaggerate, distort, destabilise, alienate and create a sense of entrapment, disharmony or a dream like state. It also often dealt with gothic or disturbing and gruesome subject matter.

Some important figures in the expressionism movement included Robert Wiene, who directed several expressionist films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, The Golem (1920), Raskolnikow (1923) and The Hands of Orlac (1924). Wiene left Berlin after Adolf Hitler took power in Germany and died of cancer in Paris in 1938.

Friedrich Wilhem “F.W.” Murnau, also an important figure, directed what’s said to be the first Dracula film Nosferatu (1922), Tartuffe (1925) and Faust (1926). Murnau then went to Hollywood where he worked for Fox Studio, he received several Oscars. He died in a tragic car accident in 1931.

Fritz Lang is another important figure; it can be argued that he is one of the most influential figures from the period. He directed several films categorised as expressionism such as Destiny (1921), Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), The Stone Rider (1923) and Metropolis (1927). Lang fled Germany in 1934 and eventually ended up, like many other filmmakers, working in the United States. Although expressionism had died out, Lang still used aspects of expressionism and then went on to make Film Noirs in the 1940’s.

As mentioned previously, many filmmakers left Germany to pursue careers in other countries, many going to Hollywood. This is potentially the reason why expressionism was so influential to later developments, in particular film noir and the horror genre.

Film Noir was a term given by French film critics to describe a stylish type of Hollywood crime thriller beginning in the 1940’s. Film Noirs had certain visual and narrative traits which included low-key photography, use of chiaroscuro lighting, settings in big cities, fem fatales, male protagonists and were usually based around criminal activity which were often adapted from crime novels.

Film noir had a direct link to expressionism in the form of Fritz Lang who became one of the most prolific directors of the film noir. His notable film noirs include Ministry of Fear (1944), The Woman in the Window 1944), Scarlet Street (1945), The Big Heat (1953), While the City Sleeps (1956) and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1957).

Expressionism also influenced the horror genre, particularly early horror films. Early horror films were often based on literary characters such as Dracula and Frankenstein. Like expressionist films, they were often set in exotic or gothic locations and dealt with issues such as monsters, psychopaths and feelings of entrapment. These films aimed to thrill and excite audiences by scaring them. Like expressionism and film noir, the horror genre used stylised lighting and camera angles to distort people and sets to heighten fear. Also similar to expressionism was the makeup and costume, monsters/killers wore makeup or masks along with gothic type clothing to exemplify the character.

In Fritz Lang’s 1931 horror film M, several conventions of expressionism can be seen such as chiaroscuro and use of glass and reflections to distort, as well as gruesome subject matter. M influenced other horror films much later such as Wes Craven’s slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) in which, like M, is about a child murderer; even the use of children singing songs about the murderer was mimicked. The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise could also be said to be influenced by expressionism, especially since there are many dream sequences, the use of costume and makeup, the use of shadows and oblique camera angles.

Alfred Hitchcock, a director best known for his horror and film noir films worked in the German film industry during the expressionist period and later used several techniques in his own films.

In his 1927 horror film The Lodger, Hitchcock makes use of chiaroscuro, an aspect often associated with expressionism (an example of this when The Lodger slams his window, a shadow is cast on his face in the shape of a cross).

In his horror film Psycho (1960), the shower scene where Marion is murdered can be compared to the scene in Nosferatu where Orlok pursues Ellen. In Nosferatu a silhouette is cast on the victim and in Psycho you see the silhouette of Norman behind the shower curtain.

In the film noir Notorious (1946) oblique camera angles were used (noticeably when Alicia wakes up with a hangover, the shot of Devlin is almost diagonal) and lighting was low key. Also the use of distorted view while Alicia was driving drunk could be seen as influenced by expressionism.

Hitchcock also used staircases in a lot of his films, which were often used in expressionism in the form of stylised and menacing staircases aiming to disorientate. Hitchcock used many unusual or grand staircases, such as the circular one used in Notorious which was complimented by the round chandelier in the middle of it. Psycho, Vertigo (1958), and The Lodger are just a few other examples of staircases used as motifs.

Although expressionism had influenced film noir and the horror genre the most, filmmakers have use it effectively in other genres. Tim Burton is known for his style, a style which appears to have been influenced heavily by expressionism in many of his films. You can make endless comparisons between The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Burtons films like Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Beetle Juice (1988), the bizarre sets, heavy makeup and costumes, the big gothic houses, stylised lighting, oblique camera angles, figure movement and expression etc. You could also make comparisons between the cityscape of Batman Returns (1992) and the cityscape of Lang’s Metropolis with the big tall angular buildings which seem to create a sense of menace.

To summarise, I think German expressionism did have a great impact on cinema through its influence and although the movement only last seven years, due to its influence on filmmakers who in turn influenced other filmmakers and so on, hints of its legacy can still be seen in contemporary movies to this day.

Bibliography

BORDWELL, D and THOMPSON, K (2004) Film art: an introduction international edition. 7th ed., United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill.

 BORDWELL, D and THOMPSON, K (2003) Film history: an introduction 2nd ed., United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill.

HAEFFNER, N (2005) Alfred Hitchcock, Essex: Pearson Education Limited

HAYWARD, S (2000) Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, United Kingdom: Routledge

Movies watched from January 3rd - January 5th

January 3rd 

Finding Nemo (2003) 

This film is beautiful. One of my favourite Pixar films... Dori breaks my heart every time. I should explain, the next few days will be full of children's films. Actually, a lot of days will probably be filled with children's films because my two year old nephew is a frequent visitor to my house. Plus... I not-so-secretly love cartoons anyway. Shhh. They still count in my list okay?

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Classic. Although since reading the book "Wicked" and loving the musical of the same name, I just can't watch it in the same way again... Dylan (my nephew mentioned above) fell asleep watching it. Is that a good or bad thing? 

January 4th

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Oh boy will you see this a lot in my blog... Dylan is obsessed with it. I think in the last two weeks we've easily watched this... 20 times. No exaggeration. One day it was played three times. Three. THREE. I used to love this film. I remember seeing it at the cinema when I was a kid. My mum used to take us to see every Disney film released and it was traditional to get a happy meal on the way home. The happy meals usually had toys from the Disney films. Anyone remember those days? Those were good days. I miss them. This probably explains why I love Disney so much (and yes, I do love Disney... Screw you). I associate Disney & Disney movies with happy childhood memories.

Brother Bear (2003)

Tell every body I'm on my way! A more recent Disney classic. No one does it like Disney. Cute movie.

As you can probably guess, Dylan was here today...

January 5th

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Again. 

No, really.

One and a half times.

I can basically recite the entire script. And sing every line of every song.

Apart from that song Gaston sings in the pub... Haven't quite mastered that one yet.

I'm sure by next week it'll be embedded in my brain.

Fame (2009)

Finally! A movie with a target audience above 8 years!

To be honest I only watched it because it was on Sky Anytime. I also saw this in the cinema... I wasn't impressed but it was aesthetically pleasing. Shiny lights and such.

I promise I will watch some decent films some time soon.

But I don't often keep promises so... Don't hold your breath.

I guess I'm averaging at about 2 movies per day. I'm on a break from uni until January 17th... Although I have a couple of essays to do, so I don't have much to do. I'll probably just make it to one movie per day when I'm back at uni :(

Mise-En-Scène Analysis of The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)

As I said in my introduction post, I will be posting some of my essays I have written. The essays I will be posting are from last year... I'm not posting any of this years work until I pass the year (as I'm not sure of the rules and what not).

 Just to note: This essay was  my first ever university essay. It was written to meet specific criteria and a 1000 word limit, there's obviously a lot more you could analyse. It also focuses only on the opening sequence of the film (about the first 10 minutes). This essay was graded a B.

From the opening sequence we are told a great deal of information about the characters through the use of mise-en-scène. We are also given clues and information which set up the narrative expectation for the remainder of the film.

The light bulb in the very first shot could be seen as symbolic. A light bulb turning on can symbolise an idea or sudden understanding of something, there are several examples of this throughout the film. When Cole Sear realises the ghosts don’t want to hurt him, they just want his help, when he reveals to his secret to his mother, when Dr Malcolm Crowe realises Cole Sear and Vincent Grey could both see dead people and of course the big reveal when Dr Malcolm Crowe realises he is dead. I believe it is hinting to the audience that sometimes you have to look at things in a different light, to see what has been there all along.

Throughout the film, the colour red is used as a warning, a pattern which is established in the opening scene and even from the very first shot. The filament of the light bulb turns red before it turns on properly, Anna Crowe’s lipstick is red, there is a red napkin on the table, the door handle that leads to the basement (which is shown several times later in the film as Dr Malcolm Crowe tries to open it). Most importantly, the wine is red. We only see Dr Malcolm Crowe drinking the wine, which suggests something is going to happen to him. It can be said that the award frame is a reddish coloured wood also, when the couple are reflected in the award, they are framed in red, which leads us to believe they are the target of whatever bad thing is coming. This pattern continues throughout the rest of the film. Whenever something ghostly or otherworldly happens, red is seen (the red jumper Cole Sear wears at the party, the red balloon, the red tent etc).

The first scene is set in a dark, cold, bleak looking basement, which is only being lit by a small light bulb and is very shadowy. This gives an almost spooky atmosphere and hints at the genre of the film, it also builds suspense. In contrast, the next scene is set in a cosy living room with soft lighting from candles and a log fire, almost romantic, intimate atmosphere, which I believe brings the audience at ease for the moment.

It is clear that the temperature is very cold. We get clues in the first scene when Anna Crowe gets the wine from the basement. Because of the lack of light in the basement, it looks cold. There is also evidence of this cold when Anna Crowe stops and shivers, she also puts on a cardigan, as does Dr Malcolm Crowe.

It is indicated that the couple have been at an event or celebration. We get this from their figure expression and movement. Dr Malcolm Crowe is clearly drunk by the way he stumbles about. We also get this from the costume and make-up. Dr Malcolm Crowe is wearing a suit, Anna Crowe is dressed glamorously in a colourful dress, her hair and makeup is also well presented. Of course when the framed award is shown this confirms that they have been at the award ceremony.

We can see that they are a wealthy couple through the setting. In the first scene there is a large wine rack with an abundant supply of wine, the next scene in the large living room with fine furnishings and an ornate fireplace as well as a grandfather clock and chandelier in the equally big hallway. It can also be assumed that Dr. Malcolm Crowe comes from a well educated background as he puts on a sweater with Liberty Rowing Club logo, also a photograph of a rowing team in the bedroom. Rowing is a traditional sport in prestigious universities such as Harvard and Yale (similarly Oxford and Cambridge in the UK).

We know that Dr. Malcolm Crowe is a psychologist and that he is good at his job. We get this information from props. The handmade thank you cards and most importantly the award which we learn is for professional excellence. Because of this emphasis on his career, we are led to believe that it plays a big part in the narrative.

The award is a very important prop. It gives us many details about the characters. It tells us Dr. Malcolm Crowe’s name, his profession and where the story is based (Philadelphia). It also hints at the relationship between Dr. Malcolm Crowe and his wife.  In the shot where the couple are reflected in the frame, we see that she is lower down than he. Moments before, we see her sit on the floor next to him who is sitting on the couch. I believe this symbolises her love for him. She puts him before herself, and it suggests she’s sacrificed something in the past for him. The dialogue backs this up when Anna Crowe talks about how he’s put everything second, including her, to help his patients and how she believes he has a gift that helps children. She clearly loves and believes in him.

It can be seen that Vincent Grey, unlike the couple, is not a psychologically rounded character. Firstly, he has broken in to the house and taken off everything but his underwear, secondly his figure expression and movement tell us that he is unstable, he seems scared and defensive, for the majority of the time at least one arm is bent up protecting him. We can also see he has anger issues and violent tendencies by the way he suddenly explodes and bangs on the bathroom door. Another important prop that reinforces this idea is the gun, which is an important prop in itself as it is used to kill two of the three characters we’ve been introduced to.

It is clear that Vincent Grey and Cole Sear share psychological similarities, Dr Malcolm Crowe’s note book is used to tell us this. The symptoms are circled for both characters are the same, divorced parents, acute anxiety, socially isolated and possible mood disorder. Because this are shown to us, we can make the assumption that Cole Sear is to play a major role in the narrative and that Dr Malcolm Crowe is going to try and help Cole Sear in the story ahead, to try and redeem himself.

Bibliography

BORDWELL, D and THOMPSON, K (2004) Film art: an introduction international edition. 7th ed., United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill.

LACEY, N. Teaching mise-en-scène [c. 18^th October 2009]. <http://www.mediaed.org.uk/posted_documents/Teaching_mise_en_scene.htm>

LEHMAN, P and LUHR, W (2003) Thinking about movies: watching, questioning, enjoying. 2nd ed., United Kingdom: Blackwell Pub.

PHILLIPS, P (2000) Understanding film texts: meaning and experience. London: British Film Institute

The Sixth Sense. (1999) DVD. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. USA. Hollywood Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment. Available as commercially published DVD.

Mars Attacks! (1996) & Hook (1991)

Mars Attacks

Watched on January 1st, which means I watched 3 films in one day. Go me!

I love this movie. I'm always surprised when I find people who haven't seen (or heard of) this film, which as it turns out... Is most people. Of the people who I DO find that have actually seen it... Not many like it. I know people have different tastes and such but... I'd really like to slap them in the face! Maybe it's because I've seen a lot of the Sci-Fi B movies that it parodies (yes, I am a geek okay?), I just think it's hilarious.




Hook

Watched on January 2nd.
This is one of my favourite films of all times. Remember how I said I'm more interested in how films make you feel? This film is the ultimate feel good film for me. Despite the fact that it always makes me cry multiple times.
I have an emotional attachment to this film, watching it takes me right back to my childhood. It's no secret that I love anything Peter Pan related and this film is just beautifully done. I know it didn't get a lot of good reviews, but screw critics.
Fun little fact: The pirate that gets put into the Boo box? Glenn Close! Once you see that you'll never be able to unsee!

Four Christmases (2008) & All About Steve (2009) And a bit of babble.

Four Christmases

This was my first movie of 2011. A Christmas film that has been lingering on my Sky plus box for ages. See that's the problem with having a Sky+ box... I always put films on to record and never get round to watching them. The only reason I finally watched it this morning is because I got up stupidly early, decided I was bored and flipped through the on screen planner and saw... SHOCK HORROR I'm down to 24% space. I had to start deleting crap.
So I ended up watching it thinking... Okay it has Vince Vaughn and Reese Whetherspoon in, it's going to be okay to occupy my half asleep brain. And it was for the most part. Although instead of having lovey dovey "aww" feelings towards the main characters (which is what you're supposed to feel in romcoms) I just found myself constantly annoyed by Brad (Vaughn's character). I don't know. I guess it wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen.


All About Steve

Another movie lingering on Sky. I'm a sucker for Sandra Bullock movies. And Bradley Cooper? Yum. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to like this movie... As soon as I saw a blonde Sandra Bullock I died a little inside. But I warmed to it. It was cute in an... Average way. But still cute. I also wasn't expecting Bullock's character to be a nut job (I'm sorry "normal in her own way"). I thought it was a romcom but it wasn't, although it certainly had that feel in the first half of the film. It was a nice early morning feel-good movie.




Note: I did say I wasn't going to review all the films I watch, and that still stands... But I probably will write a few words about some films. Like below. Not reviews, just grumbles or babbling.
And by the way, you'll soon learn from me that I'm not really a good film critic. Yes, I can study a film and analyse it 'til the cows come home if I need to... But I'm more interested in how a film makes you feel (and by you I mean me because... Well we all interpret things differently, obviously).

Introduction. Ish.

I'm a lazy blogger. I should say that from the start. Please don't expect much from this blog. At all.

Just thought I'd post a little intro. My name is Rachel and I'm 23. Probably the most boring person in the world. My new years resolution is to start and maintain a blog because... Well, I found an online diary I had a few weeks ago (from when I was a teenager) and realised I had forgotten a lot of stuff about my life back then. Although I really wanted to punch my former self... If only for the terrible grammar and spelling... Regardless, I liked reading it. I guess everyone loves a bit of nostalgia.

Also, last year I tried to do this thing where I challenged myself to watch one film a day. It worked out pretty well but I didn't have anywhere to really keep track of it. So this year I thought I'd start a blog to keep better track of what I watch. That's not to say all I'll be doing in this blog is listing films I watch... I'll be doing some "real" blogging too. And probably be doing some film reviews (although I won't be reviewing every film I watch because that would be too time consuming). I might add some of my film, media and culture essays I've written too. Although I'm not sure if I'm allowed to... I guess there's no harm in publishing past essays, right?

This "introduction" blog has been pretty crappy, hasn't it? I didn't really introduce myself much. I should probably add that I'm a twitter-holic... So if anyone actually comes across this and wants to know any more, you can tweet me @spacecampsucks

But... Just for the record... It's almost 11am of January 1st, 2011 and I've already watched TWO films. TWO. Okay, two crappyish films that were lingering on Sky anytime... And I got up stupidly early for no reason... But TWO films. 11 hours into the new year. Props to me?

Yes, yes... How very thrilling.