- A theme that is seen throughout all of Christopher Nolan’s movies is that cinema as a shared narrative can be a hugely powerful cultural force
- Many of his films reference film itself
- In Inception, the crew resembles a film crew
- Many of his films could be called meta cinematic, but he is very careful about avoiding meta cinematic images in his work
- For example, in Batman Begins, Nolan chose to have Bruce and his parents go see the opera before his parents are murdered, instead of going to see a movie (Zorro) like in the original comic books
- Christopher Nolan: “We didn’t have young Bruce going to see Zorro because a character in a movie watching a movie is very different than a character in a comic book watching a movie…it creates a deconstructionist thing that we are trying to avoid.”
- Over and above everything, his cinema is immersive
- He walks the line between being immersive and meta cinematic
- He hides in plain sight
- For example, in Batman Begins, Nolan chose to have Bruce and his parents go see the opera before his parents are murdered, instead of going to see a movie (Zorro) like in the original comic books
- Many of his films reference film itself
- The Prestige exemplifies Nolan walking the line perfectly between being immersive and meta cinematic
- For example, the opening scene, which is a title card (The Prestige) over a ton of top hats laying around that look the same
- If you already know this movie, the title card serves a literal function as well, as the top hats are literally the prestige
- The other symbolism is in the number of hats, all identical, duplicates, multiplicity, further reinforced by the next scene of all identical yellow canary birds, a key to understanding this film and its tricks
- Michael Cane does a voiceover of this scene explaining the three steps of a magic trick, the pledge, the turn, and finally, the prestige
- This sets up the movie’s structure
- Where is Michael Cane’s voice coming from? He is not narrating, and it’s not an inner monologue, and then after flashes of scenes from the future, he picks up the last line in a courtroom as if the whole voiceover was actually a testimony
- But, this bird scene is actually the last scene of the entire movie
- Nolan reverses the temporal relationship between the voiceover and the scene under it, and this kind of displacement is the key mechanism for the whole movie
- The Prestige is all about a trick that moves an object through time and space instantaneously
- This is what film editing does, cutting between short distances and continuous times
- Nolan has described learning the power of this by watching Terrence Malic’s The Thin Red Line, where Malic cuts to memories simply without blurs or wavy lines or any effects, and the powerful effect this can have on the viewer
- Nolan exploits this power to the fullest, cutting between multiple different nested memories, setting up those devices with the two journals, but once those are established, he cuts between them at will and without warning
- The complex narrative structure is totally subservient to the story Nolan wants to tell, it is necessary to keep the twist and turns unknown
- Even after Nolan has given us all the clues, we remain at his mercy until the final scene
- Note: We remain at his mercy even beyond the final scene, as the “real” ending or the real interpretation of the ending of some of his movies like The Prestige and Inception is widely debated.
- Michael Cane does a voiceover of this scene explaining the three steps of a magic trick, the pledge, the turn, and finally, the prestige
- For example, the opening scene, which is a title card (The Prestige) over a ton of top hats laying around that look the same
Category: Film Analysis
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier Video Essays
- Before, Falcon and the Winter Soldier have both been sidekick characters to Steve Rogers (Captain America)
- Surprising how head-on the story is on confronting racism
- Theme of tradition vs change
- Captain America’s shield, what it symbolizes, and what it means to different people plays heavily into this theme
- When Sam (Falcon) comes face to face with Isaiah Bradley we come face to face with what the shield can mean
- His backstory eerily familiar, mirroring Steve’s
- He defied his higher ups to go save his comrades
- But unlike Steve, who was heralded as a war hero and went on to fight in World War II, Isaiah was thrown into jail and experimented on for 30 years, before a nurse took pity on him and he escaped, being pronounced and thought dead, his story long forgotten and never told
- A prime example of black erasure
- Isaiah believes racism is systemic and there is not much that can be done, and asks why should someone become a symbol for a country that has never done anything for them
- “They will never let a black man become Captain America, and even if they did, no self-respecting black man would ever want to be.”
- Note: To me watching this series, I really loved this quote and what I saw in it was a good reflection of the real world. Police brutality is still rampant in America, and this echoes how you don’t want to support a corrupt institution. Sure, as a black person, you can become a cop and be a “good cop” yourself, but you are supporting a bad institution that allows brutality to happen, and you can’t change it all by yourself. We have seen black police chiefs step down when their officers commit police brutality, because they know as a police chief they must defend them, but as a human being with their own morals, they can’t defend them with a good conscience, and that’s not what they believe, so stepping down is the only option.
- I believe this show avoided that controversy a bit by having Sam be a self-proclaimed Captain America, the government did not appoint him, and he still has his falcon wings and is doing it his own way. We even see him get Isaiah’s approval.
- Disclaimer: this is not to say that no black person should ever become a police officer, and there’s no easy answer to a lot of these questions. I’m just stating what I’ve seen and how this show reflects that
- Note: To me watching this series, I really loved this quote and what I saw in it was a good reflection of the real world. Police brutality is still rampant in America, and this echoes how you don’t want to support a corrupt institution. Sure, as a black person, you can become a cop and be a “good cop” yourself, but you are supporting a bad institution that allows brutality to happen, and you can’t change it all by yourself. We have seen black police chiefs step down when their officers commit police brutality, because they know as a police chief they must defend them, but as a human being with their own morals, they can’t defend them with a good conscience, and that’s not what they believe, so stepping down is the only option.
- Sam resonates with what Isaiah is saying, and recognizes if he went through what Isaiah went through, he may feel the same, but chooses to have a hopeful optimism about the future.
- “They will never let a black man become Captain America, and even if they did, no self-respecting black man would ever want to be.”
- His backstory eerily familiar, mirroring Steve’s
- At the beginning, after debating what to do with the shield, Sam gives it to the museum of Captain America and gives a speech
- “Symbols are nothing without the women and men that give them meaning, and this thing…(picks up the shield) I don’t know if there’s ever been a greater symbol.”
- Sam is having his own internal battle with what the shield represents to him
- To him, Steve was the symbol, not the shield
- Shield was simply branding for a man who gave it meaning with his ideals and heroism and genuine caring for every life, not just his own
- He knows what the the shield represents to African Americans like Isaiah and is scared of changing this symbol, taking it up himself, and giving it new meaning
- Without Steve, the shield means something completely different until someone takes it up and puts their own ideals into it, like him
- To him, Steve was the symbol, not the shield
- The government decides they have other plans for the shield than a museum and quickly appoints a new Captain America: John Walker
- Sam serves as an idea of change throughout the show, John Walker serves a symbol of tradition, the blond haired, blue-eyed Captain America the world is used to, just maybe lacking in the morals department a little
- John serves as an anti-Steve, he has won medals of honor but lacks the morals Steve had
- “Steve stood for always doing the morally right thing, but now that the ideals behind the shield are no longer present, the morals held by the country the shield represents are less clear-cut, and often more violent, not to mention the obvious lack of white in his costume.”
- White in the american flag (and often in general) is symbolic of purity and innocence
- Red and blue symbolize valor and justice
- This color choice hints that John Walker will do whatever it takes to achieve “peace” and justice even through compromising means
- This is furthered when he gets his new costume at the end which is the same but black, furthering the idea of tradition
- But, in doing so, they have not only lost all purity and innocence (white), they have turned it into a symbol of despair and darkness (black)
- Walker is so far integrated with the government that his ideals are non-existent
- The flag smashers represent globalization of the world, Walker represents pro-nationalism, being used as a publicity stunt to channel the thoughts of the leaders in control of him
- When Walker literally gets blood on the shield by bludgeoning a man to death, the US strips him of his title
- The question remains whether he would have been punished if the incident didn’t happen in broad daylight
- Note: in the courtroom scene where they are stripping him of his title and he is trying to defend himself, he tells them that they made him, which I think furthers this point, and I really appreciated that one line. The government shaped John Walker to be who he was, they gave medals of honor for doing horrific things in war, they exposed him to brutality and let it happen. He is a product of his environment, the environment that the US government brought him into and cultivated. Then, they selected him as the new Captain America because he was a poster child for the US, and they could control him as the new symbol.
- Interestingly enough, when John is under no-one’s control, this is when we see him choose to save a truck of people instead of going after Carly (who killed his friend earlier in the series)
- This furthers the idea that Steve was the morals behind the shield, the man making the decisions for the most part for John is the government, who only seem to be working for their own self interest
- Left to his own devices, John makes a better decision (saving the truck)
- At the end, we see Walker end up in the hands of yet another crook leader, as his desire to be recognized and be greater takes over
- The question remains whether he would have been punished if the incident didn’t happen in broad daylight
- Walker represents exactly what Zemo feared; a morally corrupt man who has a complete desire for power, wherever it takes him
- Zemo: “a desire to become a superhuman cannot be separated from supremacist ideals”
- “Steve stood for always doing the morally right thing, but now that the ideals behind the shield are no longer present, the morals held by the country the shield represents are less clear-cut, and often more violent, not to mention the obvious lack of white in his costume.”
- Interesting to re-contextualize John as symbolizing white supremacy/racial supremacist ideals up until he takes the serum
- John is surrounded by supportive people of color in his life, his wife and his best friend both supportive his uptake of the mantle of Captain America
- Yet, especially with Lamar, the best friend, he is there as a sidekick to John’s story, there to motivate John’s actions
- Even Lamar’s death is the reason John is provoked into brutality publicly murdering someone
- Yet, especially with Lamar, the best friend, he is there as a sidekick to John’s story, there to motivate John’s actions
- John becoming Captain America and getting the serum is also the result of two black men
- Sam giving the shield to a museum, which eventually makes it into his hands
- The serum is a direct result of the testing done on Isaiah
- John is surrounded by supportive people of color in his life, his wife and his best friend both supportive his uptake of the mantle of Captain America
- This is why it means so much for Sam to take up the mantle of Captain America, to be a symbol of change, to take up a piece of imagery that is so saturated with history, and to be giving it a new definition
- Sam’s whole arc through the show is his philosophy that things can get better, and will get better, and he can be a positive force of change to help that
- Sam hasn’t had the serum, and represents the ordinary man, but someone who chooses to stand up and fight for what is right
There is one shot I would like to talk about, that I can’t seem to find or get into this post, but it is Falcon, the new new Captain America in his new hybrid costume, descending from the sky like an angel carrying Carly’s body. Sam didn’t want Carly to die, and he wasn’t who killed her. This shot evokes a sadness that we feel from him, that she had to die. It also frames him like an angel, which is symbolic for how he tried to guide Carly, and talk to her, and sway her away from the path of killing people to get what she wanted. This also furthers the point of purity and innocence, with the comparison to an angel, the majority of Sam’s costume being white, and his sadness for Carly, who wasn’t a full grown adult, the purity and innocence of children.
- The most interesting part of it is the topics that it deals with like power and accountability
- Good things the show does
- Places emphasis on the shield as a symbol and who could be the next Captain America
- John Walker creates the potential for the deconstruction of a superhero
- Bad things
- Plot points left unexplained, felt like they tried to fit a 6-hour movie into TV episodes
- Good ideas but bad execution
- John Walker slowly eroded into a villain, good chance to have a dark Steve Rogers and critique the idea of a military-backed superhero
- But he is redeemed in the finale and becomes a sort of anti-hero
- A lot of promises and references with no payoff
- Sharon is now a villain, the power broker, and it isn’t really explained at all besides her being left adrift by the US government
- John Walker slowly eroded into a villain, good chance to have a dark Steve Rogers and critique the idea of a military-backed superhero
- The lost development means we don’t care enough about Falcon or The Winter Soldier
- It is the same for Zemo and the flagsmashers/Carly
- Thematically, it is high-reaching but doesn’t deliver
- Most prominent theme refugees
- Carly is the culmination of this
- Carly and the flagsmashers are refugees from the blip
- While they have a lot in common with many other refugees, we can compare them specifically to the refugees from World War I
- In history, these people found themselves stripped of legal protection in their own homes, while also being denied protections in their new homes
- Some were literally better off committing crimes because a criminal had some rights where a stateless person had none
- The French migrant workers were relied on for crops and other things, but kicked out and mixed with refugees once they were no longer needed
- This is spot on, as countries welcomed everyone to come together and help rebuild during the blip and then forced them out
- In history, these people found themselves stripped of legal protection in their own homes, while also being denied protections in their new homes
- While they have a lot in common with many other refugees, we can compare them specifically to the refugees from World War I
- The show wants us to examine the law, and what it means for Americans to be running around as world police
- John Walker and his partner essentially spy on falcon using his tech as his tech is government property and they are the government
- Even though John Walker and his partner are literally military, the fights they have are not considered war and considered more like policing
- John Walker decided Bucky doesn’t need court-mandated therapy and gets him out of it
- John Walker kills the refugee civilian and the whole theme of the state of exception is that he shouldn’t have the power to do that
- The difference between good Captain America and bad Captain America is the ethics behind the person who holds the shield
- John Walker is punished for killing that person but his argument is that he is no different from the larger organization
- “I only ever did what you asked of me, what you told me to be, and trained me to do, and I did it, and I did it well”
- The question is posed of whether John lost his job because he actually did what he did, or because it became a PR nightmare
- “I only ever did what you asked of me, what you told me to be, and trained me to do, and I did it, and I did it well”
- Connection to Nazi Germany
- Their philosophy is that the law is suspended so anything goes
- Prominent scenes take place in front of stained glass windows in the shape of stars of David
- One of the flagsmashers mentions his family’s connection to being Jews in Nazi Germany
- Zemo links super soldier ideology to supremacy
- “that warped aspiration that lead to Nazis”
- This vaguely defined supremacist idealogy is the creation of a being to lord over other beings, to enforce the law, or suspend it based on their own judgment
- Very related to Isaiah, who is an African American super-soldier who was stripped of his rights and experimented on
- He comes to learn what violence outside the law means in the figure of the KKK
- “The famous 332 fight for this country only to come home to find crosses burn on their lawn”
- The government erases his story once he becomes a problem
- Isaiah talking to Sam: “You want to believe jail was my fault because you got that white man’s shield. They were worried my story might get out, so they erased me. My history. But they been doing that for 500 years.”
- He comes to learn what violence outside the law means in the figure of the KKK
- Very related to Isaiah, who is an African American super-soldier who was stripped of his rights and experimented on
- By the end of the series, Sam accepts the mantle of Captain America and tries to distance himself from some of the symbols troubled history
- He even speaks up on behalf of refugees
- Sam speaking to the GRC: “You have to stop calling them terrorists.”
- GRC: “What else would we call them?”
- Sam: “Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions of people into settlements around the world, right? What do you think those people are going to call you?”
- Sam speaking to the GRC: “You have to stop calling them terrorists.”
- The show is trying to tell us that things are different and that Sam is a more compassionate Captain America
- But, is the question really us doing better? Or is it the very system where the exception has become the rule, where anything is possible outside the law? And that does not seem to have changed.
- He even speaks up on behalf of refugees
What Makes a Movie “Good”? Cherry Reviews
- “Really wasn’t my cup of tea”
- Tom Holland did really good
- Believes the fault to be in the Russo Brothers
- Style “flashy, in your face, self indulgent”
- Narration “absolutely tanks this movie for me”
- Very on the nose explanatory
- Example: Tom Holland calls a friend (a character we have seen before and know) to help him get a safe open and he narrates “I called my buddy since he used to work for a locksmith”
- Lazy
- Voice-over does not enhance the film in a way that couldn’t be communicated visually
- Things to admire
- Performances are really strong for the most part
- Russo Brothers are taking risks even if they don’t pay off
- Doing something different from their superhero movies
- Theme
- Mixed; not clear
- Small theme of America not treating their veterans right but barely and reinforced by narration which is not emotional for the viewer, we are just being told
- Too many different approaches to theme, would get interesting and then backtrack
- “Twisted love story that centers around addiction and breaking a toxic cycle”
- Cross between Forest Gump and Requiem For A Dream
- Got very mixed reviews
- One of the biggest criticisms of it that Tom Holland was miscast as a bank robber
- Personally believes this is the point; that even a good kid can get mixed up in bad things
- I personally agree, Tom Holland isn’t supposed to be a stereotypical bank robber, and in the film we see he’s insecure and not sure of himself, and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone robbing banks
- Personally believes this is the point; that even a good kid can get mixed up in bad things
- Tom Holland gives great performance
- Criticism
- Don’t see what Nico (Tom Holland) sees in his girlfriend
- She is cold, says “Thank you” when he tells her he loves her, then tries to leave as she is spooked by that admission
- Don’t see what Nico (Tom Holland) sees in his girlfriend
Notes on Anatomy of a Scene: Memento
Notes on Anatomy of a Scene: Memento, A Sundance channel original production
- “Memento is a psychological thriller based on the idea that the protagonist can’t make new memories (Director)”
- Memento plays forwards and backward at the same time
- The murder is shown in the first scene of the film
- A balance of intriguing them and confusing them, but giving them enough time to process and connect the pieces
- If you withhold the information from the audience that is withheld from the protagonist, it does a good job of putting yourself in their shoes
- The structure of the film has alternating color and black and white sequences
- The color sections us, sequence by sequence, back in time
- Black and white sequences move more or less forwards in time
- The color scenes always end at the beginning of the previous color scene
- The structure is exhibited in the first three scenes
- The opening shot is a polaroid fading to white as it’s shaking, which is the opposite of what would actually happen, the polaroid is un-developing
- The next few shots are in reverse but don’t have much reverse action in them, it’s just clear that something is off, and then as that scene ends, which is the scene of Leonard killing Teddy in reverse, it’s clear that reverse action, or time being weird, is a part of the vocabulary in this film
- Leonard killing Teddy in reverse was a way for it to not be too gory or bloody, we see close up shots of blood receding backward, we see Teddy’s fallen off glasses go back onto his face, and we see the gun fly into Leonard’s hand as he shoots Teddy, and the scene ends as we hear the gunshot
- Then we move onto a black and white scene
- The first few shots are close-ups, disorienting, we are being told by the narration where we are but we’re still disoriented and unsure
- The narration sounds unsure
- The third scene, color again, precedes the first scene
- It’s more tangible
- Casting
- Leonard as a character was quite ambiguous on the page, he doesn’t know how old he is due to his condition, etc.
- Because of how the film is, and how information is withheld from us, first impressions were even more important than usual, so casting was important
- It was important to cast Teddy as someone with a little bit of humor, to cast a little lightness on the film
- Production Design
- Creating a world in which the main character has limited information
- The palette of colors is blues, whites, grays, a realistic looking palette, so the world looks like we know it, but we don’t have much information at all
- Classic film noir of having a setting in an ordinary reality
- The realistic and ordinary setting is ambiguous, does not give us many clues
- Finding and designing the building where Teddy was killed so that it was very recognizable, so when we went back there and saw it in black and white it was clear where it was
- Wanting it to be anonymous but to have textural details
- A lot of over the shoulder shots, the camera always sticking with Leonard in some way
- Wanted a natural look with natural lighting
- A higher angle looking down on Leonard in the black and white scenes suggested more of an objective perspective
- Editing
- Every scene connects in a linear way, so every scene is crucial
- To guide the audience, shots used at the beginning of one color sequence are shown again at the end of the next
- None of the sounds are backward, they’re all forward sounds that have been editing to work with the reverse action
- The black and white scenes are made to seem like a documentary, with the voice-over, shots, and editing
- The line where Teddy says “You don’t have a clue, you freak” the actor never nailed so Christopher Nolan did it himself
- The score
- Giving sound to Leonard’s moods
- Specific sounds to differentiate between black and white scenes and color scenes
- Subliminal sounds, not that noticeable
- The emotions of a character who feels things without really knowing why
- Music that suggests sadness and melancholy with no explanation
- Unreliable narrator
- Manipulated point of view
- The ending wraps up the movie and leaves people to dissect the truth of what happened, we are slowly given more and more information until we get all the information we want in the end
Film Analysis: Knives Out
Summary
I chose to analyze Knives Out because I know it well and own it, and have been interested in it for a while. I have seen a couple video essays on it, and think it’s a great film with a great cast.
Major spoiler warning for this movie. Do not continue reading if you are interested in watching it.
Film Analysis
| Film Title |
Knives Out |
| Year | 2019 |
| Director |
Rian Johnson |
| Country |
USA |
| Genre | Comedy, Crime, Drama |
| If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why? | I would replace the small opening shot, that shows the house, has dramatic music and shows the dogs running across the yard in slow motion. I would keep the music, but change this one shot because I think it feels a bit out of place. I also would replace, or eliminate, the shots of some of the random things in Harlan’s house, like the masks, and dolls, because I don’t feel it contributes to anything. |
As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.
Ask yourself the following questions:
| TOPIC | YOUR NOTES |
| 1. Who is the protagonist? | Marta Cabrera |
| 2. Who is the antagonist? | Ransom Drysdale, the entire Thrombey family |
| 3. What is the conflict? | Who killed Harlan Thrombey and how will they get away with it? |
| 4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words) | Family drama, justice |
| 5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals) | Linear with flashbacks |
| 6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)? | Harlan Thrombey, a father and grandfather, is discovered dead with a slit throat. The police believe it is a suicide, but they continue investigating with a private investigator who was anonymously hired. Harlan died the night of his 85th birthday when there was a big family party, so the family and his caretaker and friend, Marta, are the ones talking with the police and being scrutinized. We then find out, 30 minutes into the film, that Marta accidentally gave Harlan the wrong meds the night of the party, and Harlan devised an elaborate plot to make it look like he committed suicide to protect Marta and her undocumented mother. Marta struggles to avoid detection from the private detective, Benoit Blanc, as he frequently talks with her and trusts her, telling her he suspects foul play. He also learns, with help from Marta, that all the family relatives lied about the night of the party, and at the party, Harlan cut all of them off from his money, for various reasons, overall, wanting them to make something for themselves. We then get to the will reading, where it is found out that Harlan left everything to Marta and nothing to his family. The family quickly turns against Marta, and Ransom helps her drive off to escape them. Ransom manipulates Marta into telling him the truth and offers to help Marta keep this from getting out, in exchange for his cut of the inheritance, when Marta explains that she thinks Blanc is on to her, and she got a blackmail letter with the photocopied header of a toxicology report on Harlan, that would prove her guilt. Ransom and her drive to the lab and see that it is up in flames. Blanc spots them, and Marta drives away, resulting in a car chase where they are caught. Ransom is taken into police custody, and Marta is still presumed innocent. Blanc rides with Marta to go to the station, and she stops on the way to keep her appointment with the blackmailer, leaving Blanc in the car. She discovers Fran, the other housekeeper for Harlan, who is shot up with morphine and near death. Marta calls 911, caring more about Fran’s life than her inheritance. It is then revealed, to the police and Blanc, the true story of what happened with Marta. Marta insists on going back to the house, to tell the family the truth, and renounce the inheritance. When she gets there, she shows Blanc where Fran stashed the toxicology report and then starts to tell the family the truth. Before she can tell them, Blanc, who opens the toxicology report to read in the background, steps in to tell the family that Marta will not be denouncing the inheritance, and shame on them for trying to manipulate her. He leads Marta, who is very confused, away, and with the police officers there, starts explaining. Halfway through his talk, a police officer brings Ransom in. Blanc explains that the toxicology report came up normal. Ransom switched the medical vials, and took away the life-saving antidote, meaning that when Marta switched them, she switched them back. If she would have called the police instead of going along with Harlan’s plan, he would still be alive. Ransom was the one who hired Blanc anonymously, wanting Marta’s “guilt” to be uncovered. Ransom was responsible for Fran being shot up with morphine, for the blackmail letter, the medical building burning, everything. Marta has really committed no crime, while Ransom is guilty of arson and attempted murder. Ransom then grabs a knife and tried to kill Marta, but it turns out to be a prop knife. He is arrested, and the loose ends are all wrapped up. |
| 7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing, characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such reactions? |
The soundtrack for this film is very dramatic, which creates suspense in a way that invited intrigue and suspense without fear. This suspense is typical of the murder mystery genre and keeps people watching and extremely interested, knowing that everything will be explained and wrapped up (and the killer found) in the end. In certain flashbacks, where are also given different pieces of information visually, storywise, and soundwise. For example, in one flashback, we see Harlan talking with his son, but we do not hear what they are saying, as the family member being questioned at that time did not know what they were saying. We later see the same scene, but we hear what they are saying and continue with those two characters because it’s a flashback from Harlan’s son. The editing is essential, as the sequencing and what is revealed to us when is very important to the film. You can see my blog post on the twist of Knives Out for a deeper dive into this, but the summary is that if the information and clues were given to us in a different order, the twist wouldn’t make as much sense, and would be too hard or too easy to guess. Characterization is also vital to this movie, as it gives us disgust and empathy for certain characters and reasons for what is happening. |
| 8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions? | The setting is realistic, taking place mostly in a large house, and at other times a realistic-looking world. The atmosphere that is suggested is suspenseful, as this house is big, possibly full of secrets, and it is where the characters, who are suspects, all gather together. Knives in the movie serve a symbolic function.
“Harlan Thrombey : [Talking to his caretaker, Marta Cabrera, about his nephew, Ransom Drysdale] There’s so much of *me* in that kid. Confident. Stupid. I don’t know… protected. Playing life like a game without consequences. [Grabs a knife out of a nearby display stand] Harlan Thrombey : Until you can’t tell the difference [pauses and takes the knife out of its sheath] Harlan Thrombey : between a stage prop… and a real knife. [Stabs the table in front of him with the knife blade; the knife remains upright]” (IMDb) This is the knife that Harlan kills himself with, and later in the movie, Ransom tries to kill Marta with a knife he grabs from Harlan’s collection (shown below) which turns out to be a prop. This turns this symbolic line into a literal one. |
| 9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character? | The Thrombey family is costumed and made up in nicer, rich clothing. It is clear that they have money and are well off. In contrast, Marta wears plainer clothing that reveals she is of a lesser social status. Marta is not white, and she lives with her illegal immigrant mother and her sister in an apartment. Marta is also younger than most of the Thrombey’s, and because of all this they look down on her. The costuming and makeup of the Thrombey family reinforce their wealth, status, and the belief that they are better. |
| 10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood? | |
| 11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically? | |
| 12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music? | |
| 13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture? | This film was released around Thanksgiving. Thankgiving is an American tradition where families come together, and it’s mainly looked upon as good, but this provides a different perspective on an arguably objectively horrible and certainly dysfunctional family coming together. This also exhibits class differences, political differences, and how people like the Thrombey’s feel they have a right to wealth. |
| 14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015. | |
| 15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene. | PLACE THE TIME STAMP FROM THE SCENE HERE… Example: 00:00:00 – 00:05:00 |
| 16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film: | |
| a. Screenwriting: | |
| b. Sound Design: | |
| c. Camera Movements/Angles: | |
| d. Light Setup: | |
| e. Soundtrack/Score: | |
| 18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film? |
Harlan was also the author of many bestselling mystery books, so he had a great sense of drama, as you could see from things around his house relating to his books, including this collection of knives behind the chair. This is where the family is interviewed, so it serves a symbolic purpose, and as a reminder of Harlan and his work throughout the movie. His daughter says once in the movie that it doesn’t feel real, and it feels like something Harlan would write, or do. She doesn’t know that she is partially correct, as Harlan did commit suicide to protect Marta and her family.This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, thus should remain in the Creative Commons
Mr. Le Duc’s Film Analysis Resources
Notes on “How To Do A Plot Twist – Knives Out” Video Essay
Warning: Spoilers for Knives Out, The Last Jedi, and a small spoiler for Game of Thrones
- In Knives Out, the plot twist improves the story
- Director, Ryan Johnson’s last film was The Last Jedi, which was overwhelmingly criticized for the fact that it subverted people’s expectations
- Director fails to use a device in one story (The Last Jedi) and learns and succeeds in another (Knives Out)
- Ryan Johnson made an intentional effort to be divisive in The Last Jedi
- Divisiveness itself is not bad
- Taboo topics are divisive, but nothing is inherently wrong with them
- Johnson wasn’t divisive because he raised valid and interesting questions that some don’t want to be raised, but simply because he compromised fundamental elements of his story for a quick, short, cash in on shock
- Achieved polarity by intentionally incorrectly using storytelling devices and decreasing the quality of his work (“subverting expectations”)
- Johnson learned a valuable lesson with these two films, that subversion done right doesn’t reduce the quality of your story, it enhances it
- (3:29) 3 core rules that decide whether your subversion, shock, or twist will be an asset to your story or a detriment to it
- (4:00) Rule 1: It must enhance your story going forward
- How does it enhance your story?
- The main subversion in Knives Out is that it flips genre’s halfway through
- Entire advertising campaign for the movie, and the whole first act, a murder mystery “who-done-it”, trying to find the killer
- At the end of the first back, we see exactly who did it and it seemingly answers all the questions
- No longer “who-done-it”, but “how is she going to get away with it?”
- Johnson weaponized the tropes of the murder mystery genre
- The audience believes Marta poisons Harlan Thrombey by accident, so far she has been a kind and likable person, we are rooting for her to succeed
- In every murder mystery, the detective finds the killer, it’s a trope that every murder mystery has
- In the end, the detective gathers everyone around, goes through all the clues, points at the person who did it, and they get caught
- Johnson weaponized this trope, because of it, we genuinely believe Marta is going to be caught at the end and she will go to jail
- Makes every interaction more interesting because we are rooting for her while simultaneously believing she will be caught at the end
- Knives Out exploits and weaponized its own tropes
- The main subversion in Knives Out is that it flips genre’s halfway through
- How does it enhance your story?
- (8:44) Rule 2: It must have a strong verisimilitude with the story told before
- Verisimilitude means that a thing makes perfect logical sense in light of all the other logic that surrounds it
- Can be foreshadowing but not just that
- The infamous scene where Rey gives Luke his old lightsaber and then he throws it over the cliff
- Goes against what Luke would actually do as a character
- That lightsaber is a sentimental object, created by his mentor, used by his mentor, used by him, the only family heirloom that he has
- Bad verisimilitude, not bad foreshadowing
- Goes against what Luke would actually do as a character
- Knives Out shows less foreshadowing and more good verisimilitude
- Makes a good, easy to swallow twist
- Good example Ned Stark’s death in Game of Thrones
- You expect his life to be spared
- Almost no foreshadowing, but is a good shocking surprise that fits
- (12:03) Foreshadowing
- Some of the best clues ones that you don’t notice until the twist has happened
- You can still have a great twist that people see coming, but it’s hard
- It needs to fall in a sweet spot between being logical and too predictable
- In Knives Out, Ransom is revealed to be the real killer behind it all, he swapped Harlan’s medication to make Marta accidentally give him a lethal morphine dose
- This is a good example of the sweet spot, near impossible to figure out beforehand but almost obvious in hindsight
- Order in which clues are delivered
- Not often talked about in the context of plot twists
- Has a massive effect on how easy to guess the twist is, but little to no effect on how cathartic the twist is
- In Knives out, the very first clue we get that Ransom is the murderer is in the very beginning, when everyone in the family is interviewed by the detective and we are told that at 3am in the morning, once everyone is in bed, the dog starts barking
- We absorb this information but don’t know what to do with it
- We are then given clues throughout that slowly fill in more pieces of the picture
- Such as, the dogs are friendly towards everyone except Ransom, they are friendly towards Marta during the night, the detective, etc.
- The only time we see them aggressive towards someone is when Ransom first arrives and they bark at him and harass him
- The detective even says, “A good judge of character is a dog”
- If these clues were given in the opposite order, the twist would be more obvious
- Cathartic not only because we discover it is Ransom, but because we realize it only ever could have been him
- The infamous scene where Rey gives Luke his old lightsaber and then he throws it over the cliff
- Can be foreshadowing but not just that
- Verisimilitude means that a thing makes perfect logical sense in light of all the other logic that surrounds it
- (15:12) Rule 3: It can’t break any promises
- People’s main issue with The Last Jedi
- We were promised certain things, like Rey’s parents
- In The Force Awakens, we find her parentage is a mystery, but we are promised an interesting answer, and hyped up for this plotline, for this interesting mystery, people were speculating, they were interested
- Then, Kylo Ren delivers the news (in The Last Jedi) that her parents were nobodies
- It takes a mystery that was hyped and gives an answer that is mundane, that makes it not matter
- It achieved nothing except disappointment
- We were promised certain things, like Rey’s parents
- In Knives Out, Johnson learned from his mistakes, he keeps his promises
- He lets you think he has broken his promises, but then it turns out to be a really fun, interesting climax
- We have that murder mystery plot, and it fizzles out, goes away
- We then have a new plot, of Marta trying to get away with it
- In the end, we not only resolve the plot of Marta, but we also resolve the murder mystery plot, delivering on a promise we already thought was broken
- The plots recombine and every single promise made is delivered in the climax
- He lets you think he has broken his promises, but then it turns out to be a really fun, interesting climax
- People’s main issue with The Last Jedi
Comparative Study Worksheet 2020-21
“Film scripts for sale in Soho! #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc #movies” by Nat Ireland is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Summary
A guide to planning, researching, and creating your Film Comparative Study
Student Work
| Neil’s Post |
Steps and Tasks
- Brainstorm possible films for the task. You must select TWO films from contrasting cultural contexts.
- Brainstorm and justify at least three different areas of FILM FOCUS for your two chosen films.
- Brainstorm and justify at least two different CULTURAL CONTEXTS for your two chosen films.
- Consolidate your ideas and develop at least three different RESEARCH QUESTION topics for your study.
- Finalize your choices and select your RESEARCH QUESTION. Choose two films for comparison.
- Develop the main arguments you will make about your topic.
- Collect evidence from the films that support your argument.
- Research secondary sources for information that supports your argument.
- Write your Narration and plan the audio-visual components of your video essay.
- Record, assemble and edit your Comparative Study Video Essay.
- Create a Works Cited document (separately) once your Comparative Study is finished.
Guidance for Your Work
“Simple formative analysis of film elements, no matter how precise or insightful, won’t cut it which is why the research question needs to be crafted in such a way that it provides scope for theoretical and socio-historic exploration. It’s basically an EE in disguise but focusing on two very different textual sources.”
- Thoroughly read the Comparative Study requirements in IB Film Guide PDF (including rubrics)
- Watch Mr. Le Duc’s CS Overview Video
- Examine the CS Poster 1 (PDF)
- Examine the CS Poster 2 (PDF)
- Watch Garrett’s CS Example and Read Garrett’s Two Column Script
- Notice the color designating justified film language elements
- Watch another example about South Korean New Wave
- Explore Mr. Le Duc’s Film Resources Page
Comparative Study Task Components
For this assessment task, each student identifies, selects, and researches each of the following task components.
- TASK 1: One area of film focus.
- TASK 2: Two films for comparison from within the chosen area of film focus, one of which originates from a contrasting time (historical) or space (geographical) to the personal context of the student, and the other film identified for comparison must arise from a contrasting cultural context to the first film. Students are required to select films they have not previously studied in depth. The selected films cannot come from the prescribed list of film texts provided for the textual analysis assessment task and, once selected, the films cannot be used by the student in any other assessment task for the DP film course or the extended essay.
- TASK 3: A clearly defined topic for a recorded multimedia comparative study, which links both the selected films and the identified area of film focus. Each student should invest time in researching, developing, and honing their topic (which in most cases is likely to be expressed in the form of a research question) to ensure it is clear, focused and concise, in order to provide them with the maximum potential for success in this task. The topic should seek to enrich the student’s understanding of the chosen area of film focus and should avoid a plot-driven approach to the comparison.
The assessment criteria for this task requires students to provide a strong justification for the choice of task components as part of the recorded multimedia comparative study. This includes the student’s justification for how films arise from contrasting cultural contexts.
1. FILM Choices List
- How much time you spent: 15 minutes
| Which films are you considering for your final Comparative Study? List as many as you wish below as part of an initial brainstorm. Remember that you must select TWO films from contrasting cultural contexts for this task. e.g. CITIZEN KANE | Year, Country, and Director of the film. e.g. 1941, USA, Dir: Orson Welles |
| Joker | 2019, USA, Dir: Todd Phillips |
| Seven | 1995, USA, Dir: David Fincher |
| Parasite | 2019, Korea, Bong Joon-ho |
- 1917: 2019, England/USA, Sam Mendes
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: 2016, USA, David Yates
- Guardians of the Galaxy: 2014, USA, James Gunn
- Spider-Man: Far From Home: 2019, USA, Jon Watts
- Avengers: Endgame: 2019, USA, Jon Russo, Anthony Russo
- Zodiac: 2007, USA, David Fincher
2. Areas of FILM FOCUS
- How much time did you spend: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Research Film Movements
- Research Film Genres
- Research Film Style (the difference between genre and film style defined)
- Research Film Theory
| Film Focus Possibility – identify the broad focus area and then add specifics (e.g. “THEORY – Auteur theory” or “GENRE – Horror”). Develop at least THREE options…you can create more by adding more rows. | Justification for this Film Focus. Be as specific as possible. |
| GENRE – Thriller/Suspense (psychological) | Story-driven instead of action-driven, both films are of this genre, and I really like how deep and complicated these films can be. |
| THEORY – Freudian theory | In Joker, Arthur was abused as a child, and we see newspaper articles talking about how his mother neglected him. This may be why he seeks out recognition throughout the entire film. In Seven, John Doe also had a bad childhood, with his mom beating him, and headaches as a result of shock treatment. When he was a grown man, he found his wife cheating on him. He never had children, because his wife was unable, and for that reason, he never touched her. In his teen years, John goes back to his childhood house and finds his mother was burning his belongings and is telling him he will go to hell for his sins. John found a key and left her as she caught fire and burned to death, using the key on a box that contained a book of the seven deadly sins, and then started his crimes. This shows his crimes could stem from his abuse as a child. |
| THEORY – Marxism | The economic gap in Joker between people like Bruce Wayne’s family who get tons of recognition and have much wealth, and people like Arthur who are left without counseling and medication due to budget cuts. When Arthur kills the host of a talk show, he becomes a symbol, a face for violent protests with signs like “kill the rich.” |
- THEME – Recognition: John Doe in Seven wants recognition, from people and from God, for this “good work” he is doing punishing people for their sins. In Joker, the entire film is about Arthur trying to gain recognition.
- THEME – Reality in mental health: In Joker, we are seeing Arthur’s story, so in a way, he is the narrator because we are seeing what he is seeing/experiencing. It is an unreliable narrative, and throughout the movie, we find out some things we see aren’t real, and we are left at the end to question, with no “real” or “right” answer, which parts of what we saw were real and which weren’t. In Seven, John Doe is under the delusion that it’s his job, given to him by God, to punish people for their sins. We as the audience know what is real, and John is obviously under a delusion. But, we as the audience also only know what the detectives know; we don’t know John’s plans, and we are left to reel at the discovery with the detectives at the end.
3. Chosen CULTURAL CONTEXT
- How much time did you spend: 40 minutes
For this assessment task, “cultural context” involves consideration of some of the following factors, some of which may be blended (such as socioeconomic factors).
- Economic, Geographical, Historical, Institutional, Political, Social, Technological
| Identify at least TWO Cultural Context possibilities for your chosen films. |
Justification for this Cultural Context. Be as specific as possible. |
| Seven: More complicated crime film which wasn’t common | Silence of the Lambs, a psychological horror film, came out in 1991 and was one of the few thrillers to ever receive the best picture oscar. Before, in the 1980s, crime films were more about mute, emotionless killers. |
| Joker: More polarized political climate in America | With Trump as president, there is a lot more polarization politically, and fewer people are willing to compromise. This had led to a higher rate of hate crimes under his presidency, and other things such as Obamacare trying to be taken away. A reflection of our real world can be seen in Arthur’s medication and therapist being taken away due to budget cuts, and violent protesters in the streets, very radical with their violence and signs like “kill the rich.” |
- Joker: Mental health issues less stigmatized: A film like Joker may not have been as well accepted by audiences if it had come out any earlier, and we can partially see this in the critics. A lot of critics think that some young white males may come away from the film seeing Arthur as the protagonist, and think violence is okay. Despite some past films being just like Joker in their depictions, with no spikes in violence or radical teenagers coming away from them, and Joker not picturing Arthur as victorious, people, mostly critics, were shocked by this movie. (Why Do Critics Hate Joker? Video Essay)
4. RESEARCH QUESTION Possibilities
- How much time did you spend: 5 minutes
Consolidate your thoughts above and develop at least THREE different research question possibilities. More are possible by adding additional rows to the table below. FYI these will be shared with the full class for discussion of strengths and weaknesses.
| Your Chosen Area of Film Focus | Topic for Comparative Study (written as a research question) |
| Genre: Thriller/Suspense (psychological) | How has time impacted this genre? |
| Theme: Reality in mental health | How do these two films depict reality in mental health? |
| Theory: Freudian theory | How do these two films showcase the Freudian theory? |
Setting: How does the setting in these two cities affect the story?
5. Final Decisions
- How much time did you spend: 10 minutes
Using your topic options in the table above, select ONE to be your final topic for this Comparative Study task. NOTE: There are examples from the IB of what this should look like below this table.
| Your Chosen Area of Film Focus | Film 1 | Film 2 | Contrasting Cultural Context | Topic for Comparative Study practice task (written as a research question) |
| Genre: psychological thriller | Seven (1995) | Joker (2019) | 20+ years apart | How has the psychological thriller genre changed over the years with the times? |
6. Developing Your Topic
- How much time did you spend: 25 minutes
| Develop 3-5 main arguments that can be made about your topic based on your research question and chosen film focus. | Brainstorm how you could support these arguments within your video essay. |
| drugs use over the years-joker, how both films frame drugs? | |
| politically tense time-3 strikes your out, sex scandals, unjust imprisonment of black people, rioting after Rodney king, an all-white jury acquitted all policeman | Compare how politics affects different films, Seven less political than Joker, Rodney King shows not everyone punished by the law (connection to Seven), Joker riots show politically tense time, a reflection of the 90s and now |
| serial killers in 1990s, seven, hate crimes/violence in 2019, joker | Compare how different films use/frame violence |
| blame simply on John Doe but the whole story told with Arthur | Compare how different films frame mental health. Arthur was abandoned by the system, erratic, John Doe methodical, both films ended in them killing someone but different forms of mental illness |
7. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Primary)
- How much time did you spend: 2 hours 30 minutes
| Identify at least 15 scenes from your chosen films that will help support the arguments you have outlined above. Screen clip a frame from each scene below. | Write notes about how this scene helps support your argument. (These notes will help form your voice-over narration.) |
| Man fed until he dies, for gluttony | John Doe wants to punish people in a way he feels appropriate for their sins, not by the justice system, see seven scene below |
| Scene where rioters in the street, laying Arthur on the top of the broken police car, worshiping him | Reflect the politically tense time that we have today, we are polarized sides pitted against each other. In Joker, the protesters are radical, signs like “kill the rich” instead of trying to redistribute wealth. |
| Goes with the seven scene above, car scene, same as below
Seven – Scene – Creating expectation for the climax (Youtube) |
John Doe clearly doesn’t completely believe in the fairness of our justice system, since he says the detectives should be thanking him for killing a lawyer who “dedicated his life to lying with every breath he could muster to keeping murderers and rapists on the street.” There was distrust of the justice system after an incident in 1991 (detailed below) with Rodney King being beaten on camera by police and the judges acquitting all the officers. |
| Seven car scene, John talking about the lawyer | John Doe in Seven does not necessarily have a political agenda, politics are not really mentioned throughout the film, besides when he talks about the lawyer letting criminals go free. |
| Scene of protesters rioting
|
Arthur in Joker also doesn’t really have a political agenda. Politics are a lot more present in the film, as Arthur sparks an entire political movement resulting in riots and violence, but we see throughout the film that he doesn’t really care. He doesn’t try to spread awareness when he’s on the tv show or with other people, he is just seeking recognition. He wants to be seen, to be recognized. (wisecrack video below) |
| Arthur kills three guys in the subway | Joker [UltraHD, HDR]
Scene of the sin sloth |
Both films have the same result, John Doe and Arthur killing, but they get there different ways. Arthur is more rash in his actions, for example, he doesn’t plan to kill those men on the subway, while John is methodical and calculating, as is shown by the fact he’s had the man being punished for sloth tied down for a year. They have different types of mental illnesses, where Arthur is irrational and erratic in his actions, uncontrollable, unpredictable, while John is delusional in a different way, un-empathetic (to say the least), but cold and calculating, even toying with the police (box head scene). It is clear he knows what he is doing, and can do it well. |
| Arthur kills three guys in the subway | Joker [UltraHD, HDR] | Joker shows Arthur killing people, when he kills the three men on the subway and when he kills Murray. This has a different, but arguably just as effective, effect as Seven, because it showcases Arthur’s erratic-ness. When he kills the people on the subway, it’s clear he didn’t plan it, and we as the audience are shocked, it comes as a surprise, just as him killing Murray happens in a second with no warning. |
| Scene from one of the murders, scene of man crying describing the lust murder | Seven shows the results of John Doe’s murders, or has someone describe them, but does not show John Doe actually killing anyone. This allows the film to get it across to the audience these horrific murders, and all the psychology behind them, but without being a “slasher” film or succumbing to gore for no good reason. |
 Near the end of the film, when Arthur kills Murray
|
Arthur uses violence to get a point across by making the ‘joke’ “What do you get when you cross a mentally ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? I’ll tell you, what you f*cking deserve!” And then kills Murray on air. He uses this violence that is literally broadcast to spread his message about the broken system. |
 John Doe in the back of the police car talking with the detectives, saying people need to be forced to see. “You can’t tap people on the shoulder anymore, you have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you’ll notice you have their strict attention.”
Seven – Scene – Creating expectation for the climax (Youtube) |
In both films, violence is a way to get a point across. John Doe wants to punish people for their sins, and he wants people to know about his crimes so they can hopefully see the error of their sins, or be scared. He also says “Who I am doesn’t matter” and “I’m not special. I have never been exceptional. This is though, what I’m doing.” This contrasts with Arthur since throughout the entirety of Joker, we see that Arthur just wants to be recognized. John doesn’t care about personal recognition, just about recognition of the work he is doing. |
| Arthur realizing his relationship with the girl next door wasn’t real | Again, we can sympathize with him. Since we see his perspective throughout the film, we don’t know what is real either, and we can put ourselves in his shoes and imagine how hard it is to be abandoned, un-medicated, lonely. |
 Arthur on the train before he kills the three men, them making fun of him for uncontrollably laughing
Arthur kills three guys in the subway | Joker [UltraHD, HDR] |
We see what Arthur has to deal with, he’s being made fun of, they take his stuff, beat him up. |
| Mills about to kill John Doe | John Doe does not care about his life, he believes he deserves to die, and we as an audience are also made not to care, he’s less humanized than Arthur which takes on the stance of the time |
| John Doe in the back of the police cruiser, near the end of the movie, leading the detectives out to a field, they are talking about who John is and why he does what he does
Seven – Scene – Creating expectation for the climax (Youtube) |
John clearly never got medication, and is mentally ill, delusional, but the blame is placed solely on him. We are not made to consider his backstory much, even though he had a rough childhood/life (fanwiki). He himself says who he is is of no consequence, as said above. Also, it is important to note he is more human than previous films killers (cultural context: Silence of the Lambs, a psychological horror film, came out in 1991 and was one of the few thrillers to ever receive the best picture oscar. Before, in the 1980s, crime films were more about mute, emotionless killers). This shows more humanization than before, but nothing compared to what we have now, like what is shown in Joker. |
| Arthur talking to his therapist (for the last time) learning that he will be losing her and his medication due to budget cuts | Humanizes him, leads us to sympathize with him more, blames the system instead of him, shows a more modern take on mental health. |
8. Selecting Supporting Evidence (Secondary)
- How much time did you spend: 15 minutes
| Identify at least 3-5 secondary sources (articles, books, websites, video essays, etc.) which provide information that help support your arguments being made. In this column include the specific source citations. | Summarize the detailed information from the secondary source that you can use in this column. (You can copy+paste if they are from online sources.) |
| Wikipedia – Rodney King | “Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was an American author and activist who was a victim of police brutality by the Los Angeles Police Department. On March 3, 1991, King was beaten by LAPD officers after a high-speed chase during his arrest for drunk driving on I-210. A civilian, George Holliday, filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage to local news station KTLA.[2]:85 The footage showed an unarmed King on the ground being beaten after initially evading arrest. The incident was covered by news media around the world and caused a public furor. At a press conference, announcing the four officers involved would be disciplined, and three would face criminal charges, Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates said: “We believe the officers used excessive force taking him into custody. In our review, we find that officers struck him with batons between fifty-three and fifty-six times.”… he (Rodney) spoke to reporters from his wheelchair, with his injuries evident: a broken right leg in a cast, his face badly cut and swollen, bruises on his body, and a burn area to his chest where he had been jolted with a 50,000-volt stun gun…Four officers were eventually tried on charges of use of excessive force. Of these, three were acquitted, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge for the fourth.” |
| How Arthur is just seeking recognition throughout the film and does not care about the political movement he has sparked. | |
| How Seven keeps from showing John Doe committing the murders, and how this is an amazing asset to the story telling and film. | |
| https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61908/14-things-you-might-not-know-about-se7en | Silence of the Lambs, a psychological horror film, came out in 1991 and was one of the few thrillers to ever receive the best picture oscar. Before, in the 1980s, crime films were more about mute, emotionless killers. |
*Add more rows as needed.
9. Writing Your Narration
- How much time did you spend: 1 hour 30 minutes and counting
Using the information, scene choices, and external sources you have compiled in steps 6-8, you will now write your voiceover narration and match it up to your chosen visual examples.
Length (</= 10 Minutes)
- For the final Comparative Study, your narration should be no longer than 10 minutes in length.
Remember that you need to:
- COMPARE and CONTRAST your two chosen film using the arguments and evidence you identified in parts 6-8, above
- Begin your narration with a detailed justification for the chosen cultural contrast
- Use an equal balance of the two selected films.
- Write in a third-person voice to construct your argument (similar in tone to your Extended Essay and other
comparative analytical work you have written in Film class). - Identify where any WRITTEN TEXT will appear on the screen and highlight this (to reference during the
creation/editing stage)
| Which Visual Evidence/Scenes line up to this part of the narration? | Voiceover Narration Ideas |
Formatting Guidelines
- Watch the Formatting of an Audio/Video Script in Celtx
- Assemble in Two-Column AV Format in an option below
10. Assembling the Comparative Study
- Set a timer
- How much time did you spend: ?
Now you will collect all media resources needed for the task and construct your video essay.
REQUIRED STEPS
- Import the digital copy of your chosen films into editing software
- Identify and extract chosen scenes and clips
- Place and edit clips into a rough timeline for your video essay
- Record audio narration (both partners should participate in narrating this practice task)
into an audio file using recording equipment (Zoom recorders, iPhone, DSLR Rode video
mic, etc.) - Import your recorded narration audio file into your project timeline
- Assemble, edit and fine-tune clips and narration until your video essay takes shape
- Create and add any required textual information in the timeline (including black slate at the start)
- Audio mixing of narration and movie clips (adjust levels so that narration and movie sounds complement each other)
- Export the final video essay movie file
- Upload Unlisted draft to YouTube for peer review
11. Create Works Cited
- Set a timer
- How much time did you spend: ?
- Create Works Cited list separately (Google Doc)
Examples of Possible Task Components (from the IB)
| Area of film focus | Film 1 | Film 2 | Possible topic for comparative study |
| Film movement: German Expressionism | The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) | Edward Scissorhands (1990) | How and with what effect are specific film elements of German expressionism used within a chosen contemporary film? |
| Film movement: French New Wave | Breathless (1960) | Badlands (1973) | The influence of the French New Wave on New Hollywood’s use of innovative film elements in its representation of youth and violence. |
| Film genre and film style: Black comedy | No. 3 (1997) | The Big Lebowski (1998) | To what extent do “black comedy” films differ according to cultural context? |
| Film theory: Soviet Montage | Battleship Potemkin (1925) | Koyaanisqatsi (1982) | To what extent are specific features of Soviet montage theory faithfully employed in a contemporary experimental film? |
External Assessment Criteria SL and HL
Peer Review Checklist
| TASK COMPONENTS (ACTION) | Notes / Suggestions | |
| __ | Assemble Findings | |
| __ | Develop a personal and critically reflective perspective | |
| __ | Identify and gather appropriate audio-visual material to support the study | |
| SCREENPLAY | ||
| __ | Justify the chosen topic and selected films | |
| __ | Make sure that the text is in a formal academic register (can be in the 1st person) | |
| __ | The balance between visual and spoken elements | |
| __ | Make clear reference to your sources as on-screen citations (text on-screen) | |
| __ | Make sure the primary weight of evidence for the study from the two chosen films | |
| __ | Make sure each film is given equal consideration | |
| __ | Make sure film language information is communicated clearly throughout (avoid “to be” verbs – make statements like “blah is this.”) | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated logically rooted in film language | |
| __ | Have another student highlight the WHAT WHY HOW in your draft screenplay | |
| VIDEO ESSAY | ||
| __ | Recorded voice and edited commentary numerous times until happy with the material | |
| __ | Make sure your name and the school’s name ARE NOT IN THE ESSAY | |
| __ | Make sure to have 10-second title card with:1. Area of film focus
2. Titles of the two films for comparison 3. The chosen topic |
|
| __ | Include breaks in your recorded commentary to enable other audio-visual material included in the study to be clearly heard (if needed) | |
| __ | Make sure film clip length matches points being made | |
| __ | Make sure still images have citations on-screen if you have them | |
| __ | Make sure text on-screen is legible and spelled correctly | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated audibly (levels are good for all sound) | |
| __ | Make sure information is communicated visually appropriate manner | |
| __ | Make sure background music is from Creative Commons and is cited | |
| __ | Make sure edits are clean | |
| __ | Make sure the presentation is 10 minutes maximum, including title card and credits | |
| __ | Make sure two films are listed in sources | |
Text Analysis: Up in the Air
Cast and Crew
- Directed by Jason Reitman
- Writing Credits Walter Kirn (novel) Jason Reitman (screenplay) and Sheldon Turner (screenplay)
- Music by Rolfe Kent
- Cinematography by Eric Steelberg director of photography
- Film Editing by Dana E. Glauberman
Notes
What (Film Language Element)
Why (What did the commentary reveal)
How(What did the commentary reveal)
- Made the film as the economic depression happened – firing scenes originally satyrical, but economic depression happened and interviewed people who were actually fired
- The first film to be allowed to film real security checkpoint- 10pm-4am shooting, real TSA officers volunteered time
- Director’s house burned down, he and his wife were safe which was the only thing that really mattered, did not really want anything in their house, which is where the backpack speech came from
- First meeting scene with milage cards – unironic, echoes 1940s romance style
- Why they both joined the milage club was improv, it felt too sudden to go from flirting over milage cards to sex
- Specifically wanted circular hotel
- When Ryan is talking with his sister the glue, filmed in the real airport at night, open terminal, people bewildered by walking off the plane and seeing George Clooney, also can’t stop airplanes so getting good sound was hard
- The camera has to have counter-movement for every movement the actor does and find the new eyeline, in the shot where he asks her to “fire” him.
- The composer made music for not quite an outright comedy, doesn’t tell the audience what to think, light comedic music that you don’t notice
- How Natalie types very important detail-Jason wanted her to be killing her computer with her fingers
- Shot on two planes- One real one and one mock one
- “Do you want the cancer (can sir)?” Line actually happened to Jason
- Extras in St. Louis great to work with – acted beautifully and subtly when fired
- Only one looped line in the entire film
- Fighting the seasons- covered the bottom of trees in wood bark to hide green sprouts since it was still winter in the film
- Abandoned chairs felt like abandoned bodies, a mark of a failing company, each chair felt like a person
- Director’s favorite scene was when Ryan, Natalie, and Alex all meet and Ryan and Natalie sit down and talk with Natalie about her future life because all characters coming together
- Moved the boat on the water to get shots instead of moving the camera, wanted a completely black background with no city
- At the beginning of the movie, places were chosen to be beautiful, later in the film, they were chosen to be real
- Shots get shakier as Ryan gets more disheveled