Exam Question

17. Explore some of the ways in which placing your chosen film within a broader critical framework has helped to develop your appreciation and understanding of specific sequences.

Within the film, "Fight Club", directed by David Fincher in 1999, the use of the Freudian personality theory is prevalent when referring to certain characters. As revealed in the title sequence, we are taken on a journey through the Narrator's mind, indicating the fact that we are going to be witnessing the psychosis of his mind and seeing everything from his perspective. In the first sell-help group sequence, the leader of the group instructs everyone participating to "open ourselves up". Immediately, our other main character in the film, Tyler Durden, is spliced into the shot. The fact that we are seeing everything from the narrator's perspective portrays the idea that this new character is a figment of his imagination; a simulation disguised in reality. The fact that the composition in this shot has placed the leader of the self help group and Tyler Durden on either side of the crying man, indicates the idea that Tyler Durden could potentially be seen as the Id and the self help groups could be seen as the Super Ego to the Narrator. When referring to the Freud theory, the narrator can be seen as the Ego, due to his balanced, more subdued lifestyle. Meanwhile the other traits of personality can be represented through Tyler, the Id, who is the more primitive and irrational when it comes to making decisions and the self help groups, the Super Ego, which are more towards morality and compromise. The quick editing of tyler being flashed into the shot has been used to indicate the fact that the Id is still being censored by the Super Ego, keeping Tyler repressed, only being licensed occasionally to reveal the Narrator's true unconscious desires. Whilst this use of Freud's personality theory helps to develop my understanding in this sequence, it also contributes towards my realisation that Tyler is contributing towards the Narrator's crisis of masculinity by showing up at a time where the Narrator is about to do something that can be classed as feminine; in this case, crying. Tyler, also known as the Id is attempting to bar him from causing any demasculiniaztion to himself. In a similar way to this splice of Tyler Durden, he is seen three more times on occasions where the Narrator's unconscious desires are peaked. For instance, when the Narrator chases after Marla and she walks away from him, Tyler appears for a second and the disappears almost immediately. This use of editing and appearance of Tyler could illustrate the idea that Tyler is exposing the Narrator's sexual desires due to him being apart of the Narrator and knowing what he really "wants"; the word "wants" being a common trait of the Id.

Moreover, it is much easier to understand the car crash sequence when you match the scene with the Freud theory of personality. By thinking of Tyler as the Narrator's Id, it becomes clear as to why the Narrator is driven to let go of himself and allow the car to crash. Tyler brings out the worst in him. By placing Tyler in the drivers seat, we can see that he is about to take over and persuade the Narrator to doing what he wants. Pathetic fallacy has been used successfully to illustrate the state of the Narrator's mind and mimics his hysteria, worsening the emotional confusion that he is currently going through. The mise-en-scene of the red coat symbolises the idea of danger and rage, an emotion felt in the subconscious, which is finally breaking through. It is also the colour of the devil and resembles the idea of the angel and devil acting as the subconscious; the devil being the Id and the angel being the Super Ego. With the absence of the Super Ego in this scene, there is no doubt that Tyler, the Id is about to take over. The non-diegetic music resembles that of a broken alarm, almost warning the audience that something is about to happen, Tyler is going to take over. The fact that the two people in the back of the car repeat Tyler's rules indicates the idea that they are followers to a higher power; they see him as a God. This is similar to the way the Narrator feels towards Tyler; he sees him as a God and is jealous of the things he does and wants to be able to reveal his unconscious desires, just as Tyler actually acts them out. Even the use of the low key lighting represents the idea that he is in a dark place without the 'supervision' of the more moral Super Ego. Moreover, split lighting has been used to represent how Tyler is one half the Narrator and then vice versa, representing something more sinister that is about to take place.

Meanwhile as the film progresses, we can see that the position of the Super Ego gets transferred to a different character, Marla. The use of the name, 'Marla', is appropriate to the idea of her now being the Super Ego due to the fact that her name is an anagram of the word, "Alarm". She is a warning sign in order to try and persuade the Ego, the Narrator, from letting the Id, Tyler Durden take over. As the Narrator is seen once again in his 'spirit cave', the animal that once was a penguin has now transitioned into Marla; Marla can be seen as his guide for morality when later compared to Tyler Durden. This specific guide to morality is a key attribute to someone being classed as a Super Ego, which is reinforced by the fact that he is in his spirit world; in his mind. In the sequence after Tyler and Marla have intercourse, we never see them both in the same room together, indicating once again that the Id is just a figment of his imagination. In the kitchen scene, we are reminded that the film is set in the Narrator's psychosis, from the mise-en-scene of the worn down house and grimy conditions of the surroundings. From this we can take that he is confused and being told different things by the Id and Super Ego. The mise-en-scene of Marla wearing a dress juxtaposes with the masculine way in which Tyler is being shown, which mirrors the juxtaposition between the Id and the Super Ego. She is the exact definition of a counter balance to Tyler's aggressive and weaponised masculinity. Towards the end of the film, Marla becomes a significant part in the Narrator's life, shown through the end sequence, as Project Mayhem is taking place. The Narrator starts to care about Marla and wants her to be safe, indicating the fact that she has been able to get him to do the right thing and save the people he loves. The two characters are shown through a long-two shot, indicating the idea that they are in a place where they aren't being controlled by the Id. The explosions that surround them can represent the Narrator's confusion and manipulation by the Id ending, leaving the SuperEgo and the Ego to be one together. By creating this impression of Marla potentially being a Super Ego, I can begin to understand the differences between Tyler and Marla and the reason for having them both as a part of the Narrator's life. 

Plan for shoot for experimental film.

Coursework - creative project aims and context.

• A short experimental film.
• The target audience would most likely be towards the Art House Audience (galleries) and people who suffer with the constant feeling of being overwhelmed.
• I will apply influence from experimental films studied. For example, “Sleep”, by Andy Warhol and the closeups of certain body parts/facial features.
• The concept of the film will be about the struggles of a someone suffering from anxiety and the overwhelming feelings that we feel throughout this stage in our lives.

What is the importance of mise-en-scene and/or sound in creating meaning and generating a response in the films you have studied?

How far can it be argued that your chosen films provide a 'realistic' representation of the people and places they may focus on?

Within the film, "City of God", directed by Fernando Meirelles, the idea that it is impossible to keep a sustained relationship within areas of crucial development is shown and is represented in a more realistic way than the other films. During the sequence in the 1960's in which Shaggy attempts to escape the favela with his girlfriend, we are given the idea that due to social conditions, it is impossible to be in a constant, steady relationship. The fact that when we see the conflict in the escape vehicle, a handheld camera is used, without any non diegetic music, we get a real sense for the tension in the scene, which dramatically increases the sense of verisimilitude in the sequence. The girlfriend's decision to call Shaggy out for not being a man for not pushing the car straight away, is also one of the issues that the film manages to discuss as many woman in the time the film was set, felt like they had to be with a man who was brave and courageous. Shaggy being pressured into doing something he felt uncomfortable doing, is what leads him to eventually being killed, which is also one of the reasons why the relationship was going to end; masculinity stereotypes were a common way that lead en to violence and drugs. After Shaggy decides on pushing the car, we are shown through a very tight two shot him kissing his girlfriend, whilst also managing to include the mise-en-scene of the gun. I believe that Meirelles wanted to juxtapose the idea of love and hate, whilst also portraying the fact that the crime and violence will be what ultimately ends the relationship, in a similar way to many of the relationships within the City of God. The framing in the shot showing Shaggy pushing the car and his girlfriend watching over him, allows the audience to see in a realistic way how a woman and a man were separated from each other due to the social upbringing with crime affecting their relationship. This use of framing also acts as a microcosm of real life problems and how living in a poverty struck area will affect love due to reverting to crime to live or even just to escape. This is similar to how Wong Kar-Wai showed the same idea in his film, "Chungking Express".

Like Meirelles, Wong Kar-Wai strived to show the idea of failed relationships in his film due to the social conditions and because of Western Globalisation. However in this case, the film does not go to the same realistic extent than the film, "City of God". During the sequence in which Cop 633 must end his relationship with his flight attendant girlfriend, it is clear that relationships in Urban places are not meant to last. As there is a cut from the girlfriend on the escalator to Cop 633, we are shown that they are communicating through the mise-en-scene of glass and a window, which as a result reflects the barrier that is blocking them from taking the relationship any further. When referring to how realistic Wong Kar-Wai represented this issue that the people who inhabit urban environments, suffer from being unable to retain relationships, the only thing implying a sense of realism is that all throughout the sequence, only diegetic sounds are played, which immediately places us into the shot with the characters. However, unlike in the "City of God", there is no hand held camera in this sequence almost eradicating any sense of realism, in a way getting rid of any essence of a documentary. The idea of Western Globalisation affecting relationships is also a big factor when it comes to showing failed love realistically. Faye, a main character in the second story of the film, is highly influenced by American culture, which is reinforced by the constant playing of "California Dreaming" in the tighter one shots of when she is dancing around at work. The fact that her dreams and hopes in life are influenced by America and that they act as a barrier for her relationships, just goes to reinforce the problems of real life relationships; the idea that two people want two different things due to social upbringing and influences in life.