ADAM CURTIS - SHIFTY - NOW ON iPLAYER

Adam Curtis makes very beautiful, uncompromising and often terrifying documentaries about how we make sense of the world. Through his access to The BBC's vast archive of news and documentary footage, he typically pieces together a collage of fractured narratives that forces the audience to come to their own understandings and conclusions. Shifty, his latest series, is a history of the radical changes in the UK from the late 1970s to the mid 2010's. This is not a conventional historical documentary, and instead uses a range of often confusing archive footage to explore how meaning collapsed and became 'shifty' after the establishment of Margaret Thatcher's government. In doing so, the series explores identity, culture, media, politics and pot-colonialism.

In short, this documentary is as close as it's possible to get to 'media studies the TV show. The conclusion to this documentary is the same as the conclusion to every Adam Curtis documentary: that meaning has collapsed, that we cannot make sense of the world now, and that we cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is not real. 

Curtis's style of documentary film making is marmite. You may well hate it. It provides now answers, but asks complex questions instead, forcing the audience to come to their own conclusions. But if this sounds up your street, you may welcome as obsessed with Adam Curtis's documentary films as I am!

Unseen textual analysis practice: PG tips advert

PG Tips | Live Life One Tea at a Time | At Home With Monkey: Explore how media language combines to create meaning

This advertisement uses many conventions of the reality show in a manner which will be accessible and easily recognisable to it's working class target audience

• PG tips connotations of working class identity
• MES is stereotypical working class, newbuild house, aspirational 
• Intertextual references to TOWIE
• Tabloid newspaper: symbolic of working class identity 
• Stereotypical and hyperreal representation of working class lifestyle 
• Model is hegemonically attractive yet also stereotypical working class. Appealing to middle aged heterosexual men, yet also realistic and relatable to a heterosexual female audience 
• Ideology
• Narrative
• Intertextuality
• Married couple 
• Middle aged, working class, white British people 
• PG tips: stereotypical working class 
• MES of the stacked boxes suggests a humorous obsession with the brand 
• Performance: shouting at children
• Stereotypical working class setting
• References to reality shows like TOWIE
• Soundtrack is stereotypically British and comedic, reference to comedy shows 
• The newspaper constructs a hyperreal representation of the working class
• The woman is hegemonically attractive, appealing to a heterosexual male audience , yet relatable for a female audience 

Representation and newspapers - the 'partygate' editions

Component one  A - Representation question is ALWAYS 30 marks, ALWAYS an hour and ALWAYS comparing a SET TEXT to an UNSEEN EXAMPLE.

Who, what where why when is represented in the set texts?

• EVENT - ‘partygate’. A reference to the ‘Watergate’ scandal. An intertextual reference that will appeal to an older target audience…
• POLITICAL PARTY - The conservative party. Historically the most popular party, and were in power in the year it was published] Feb 2022.
• POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES  - both newspapers have different views 
• BORIS JOHNSON - the public figure, who has been reconstructed by the producers
• MIDDLE AGED, MIDDLE CLASS WHITE MEN - this group in society are hegemonically and hierarchically more important than others 
• BRITAIN  - The most important country in the world!
• There is also a symbolic annihilation of black people, women, and working class people…although the Mirror does feature several working class people

Compare how these pages from the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror construct versions of reality. In your answer you must: 

• consider the choices media producers make when constructing versions of reality 
• consider the similarities and differences in the representations 
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations relate to relevant media contexts. [30]

Newspapers will use media language to construct representations that fit into their own agenda. In doing so, the producers of a newspaper will construct a complex new version of reality to manipulate their target audience to change or cultivate their own ideology. In doing so, newspapers construct a target audience who will consistently buy their newspaper every day, thus minimising risk and maximising profit. 

 

What is the reality constructed in these two newspapers?

Daily mirror - partygate set edition

• While the mirror is politically against the conservatives and Johnson, Johnson is represented as the most important and powerful person in the country. The main image of the former PM dominates the front page, reinforcing not only his blame in regards to the scandal, but also his immense fame and influence 
• The skyline article on the royal family (tears for the king) also reinforce a patriotic mode of address, and suggests a complex mix of ideologies that are likely to appeal to a working class target audience. By being positioned next to the masthead, the royal family are elevated to the same importance as the newspaper itself, and suggests their values are the same. The sense of patriotism is anchored through the lexis of the slogan, ‘The heart of Britain, suggesting the mirror is at the centre of what it means to be British. Therefore, a manipulative reality is constructed where if the target audience do not buy the mirror, they will be less patriotic and less British 
• The double page splash image of a busy surgery represents a reality where British medical workers are hardworking and essential . Yet a smaller secondary image of Boris Johnson apparently smirking with a flute of champagne constructs a reality where the prime minister has no respect and compassion for the hard work of the British people. This is a classic example of bias through selections, where a misleading image of Johnson constructs a reality where he is contemptuous of the NHS and the British people. This is highly likely to cultivate a shared ideological perspective in the target audience. 
• Stereotypes:
• Evil manipulative politicians
• Hardworking and resourceful NHS workers
• Evil, manipulative dictator Putin… better than johnson!
• ‘The general public’... middle aged and diverse, just like the target audience
• The younger, more casual politician. Kier Starmer doesn’t wear a tie, making him more relatable to the target audience 

Daily mail  - unseen example

• A patriotic reality is constructed through the MES of flags, anchored through the long shot of a diverse crowd, and finally the anchorage of the lexis of the headline, seemingly directly addressing the audience as well as the soldiers who sacrificed themselves in WWII. A complex reconstruction of Britain is made, cultivating a sense of pride and patriotism 
• A professionally shot yet canted angle portrait of the royal family positions the patriotic target audience to realise that the royal family are also human, reinforcing the sense of togetherness. This humorous mode of address constructs an unlikely reality where the target audience and the royal family are equal. 
• By reinforcing royalist and hierarchical ideologies, the newspaper reinforces right wing ideologies about power that cannot be challenged. Karl Marx argued that the ruling class use their power to manipulate the ideologies of the working class. By reinforcing straightforward ideologies, that both the Royal family and British ideologies are the most important things in the world, a sense of control and manipulation is constructed

Comparing complex representations in Adbusters and Woman

Explore how the magazines you have studied both reinforce and challenge stereotypical representations of issues and events. Make reference to…

Woman 

• Genre: women’s lifestyle (clear and conventional)
• Straightward messages about…
• Simple, straightforward, sexist
• Women. Specifically housewives. White, British, middle aged, and working class

Adbusters

Genre: politics, art, activism (unclear and unconventional)

Complicated messages about…

Complicated, complex and progressive 

An unconventional collection of representations, including issues such as climate change, big fashion conglomerates, gender, war and conflict. All these representations are grouped together with every expectation of the audience being able to understand it

Woman - Breeze soap and Adbusters: water DPS

In woman magazine, the issue of living up to hegemonic gender norms is addressed in a simple and straightforward way. The use of lexis provides a direct mode of address for the target audience, imploring the audience, “Darling, you need breeze”. Here the advert takes the address of a woman talking to another woman, and reinforces the dominant stereotype that in order to be successful, a woman must be hegemonically clean and attractive. This is anchored through the main image of a highly hegemonically attractive, very young and also highly sexualised image of a woman. Here, a representation is constructed of a hegemonically perfect woman that the target audience is highly unlikely to look like. Here, this representation is a highly aspirational image that cultivates the sexist and patriarchal ideology that only beautiful women have value. This reflects the dominant cultural ideal of the time, and allows the target audience to live up to hegemonic standards. A hyperreal representation. In Adbusters, the issue of water poverty is addressed in a complex and highly polysemic manner, with three completely different elements (article quote, bath scene and tap) constructing a guilty and confusing mode of address. A binary opposition between rich and poor is utilised to create a confusing mode of address. While Adbusters features no paid for advertising, the right image is a full page, completely untouched advertisement for a luxury Zucchetti tap. This represents a legal grey area, although no money has changed hands. Regardless, by contextualising this image, and anchoring it with the images of poverty on the other side, the producer of Adbusters has doutourned or culture jammed this advert, giving it a radical and sarcastic mode of address. Here the issue of water poverty is delivered through a complex and mocking mode of address. This ironic mode of address will specifically appeal to a middle aged anti consumerist audience. However, Adbusters, being highly polysemic, also addresses the issue of sexualisation of women in media products. While the preferred reading of this double page spread is to reject luxury brands and coming to face with poverty, the close up high angle shot of a completely nude woman sitting in a bath subversively tackles the hegemonic norm of women being used for a heterosexual male gaze. The closely cropped close up omits the models face and breasts, which is in complete opposition to the almost pornographic Breeze soap advert. Van Zoonen argues that the representation of gender has become more complex and diverse over time. Comparing these two very different magazines makes this absolutely clear.

• Front covers - Woman magazine contemporary female representation, shy and timid and nameless woman. Adbusters, a soldier, a violent individual, with no anchorage, unconventional and highly upsetting
• Woman - A-level beauty, huge amount of information instructing the target audience to look like a teenager vs the 350 ppm DPS, with ambiguous representations of women, one a glamorous model, the other a homeless woman
• Adbusters - “save the planet kill yourself’: extremely depressing, nightmarish mode of address, vs “they’re like snow capped volcanoes’, presenting a relentlessly sexist and reductive ideology. Second wave feminists of the 1960s would object to these reductive stereotypes 
• Both magazines take the address of using depressing modes of address to upset and demoralise their target audience. For adbusters, they use the representation of environmental issues to construct a bleak and depressing reality where we have no hoe, but we really must protest. Perhaps even worse, Woman magazine constructs a world where only young, hegemonically attractive and conservative women will succeed in society. By reinforcing these patriarchal values, it ensures the simple, sexist straightforward audience will buy the same magazine every week. 

Revising the feminist theories of media studies

bell hooks - feminist theory - ‘Feminism is for everybody’ 

Intersectional feminism. Welcomes everybody, trans women, sexual identity, appearance (pretty privilege), ethnicity, age, ability etc. Certain groups are more vulnerable than others. Feminism is also important for men, hooks argues because the expectations about gendered identity extend to men as well.

Feminism is a political belief. We must challenge the world around us. For example, hooks referred to Beyonce as a ‘terrorist’ for self sexualising herself. Rather than simply being hegemonically attractive or having lots of money, other ways of being successful include having a tight knit family, having close friends, education, happiness

Applying hooks to Woman magazine - many examples of the sexualisation of young white hegemonically attractive women constructs the ideological perspective not only that women exist to appeal to the heterosexual male gaze. It also suggests that the hegemonic ideal of beauty is to be young, white and hegemonically attractive. The producers here are reflecting the dominant ideology of the 1960s in order to minimise risk and maximise profit. 

Black Mirror - San Junipero - a good example of intersectional and complex representations of women. One character is bisexual, the other a lesbian, one is black and one is white, and one is in a coma and the other is also considering euthanasia. The episode is also highly involved in the cultural situations of the 1980s, including themes of homophobia. However both characters are highly hegemonically attractive, in order to appeal to a wider audience 

Judith Butler - gender performativity 

Sex - a biological distinction

Gender - an identity 

Gender performance - the actions that we carry out every day to construct our gender. Examples of this can be seen in the front cover of Adbusters, which constructs an oppressive, strong and intimidating re-presentation of masculinity. This is the complete opposite of the Tide advert, which constructs a conventional performance of gender, with her hegemonically appropriate and attractive hair and makeup, constructing the image of a perfect hyperreal housewife. 

Gender performativity - how our performance of gender shapes the world around us. The ways in which our performance of gender creates reactions 

Les Revenants - the tracking shot of Simon entering the Lake Pub constructs Simon as a hegemonically attractive and smartly dressed young man. He is moody, angry, and motivated. Lena’s reaction is highly seductive, and she uses seductive gesture codes to attempt to get Simon’s attention. However, Simon completely rejects her advances, which subverts the narrative expectations of the audience. This scene both conforms to and rejects Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and in doing so constructs a very complex representation of gender. 

Sam Fender - Fender’s costume is casual and stereotypical working class, demonstrating the area he is from and his working class roots. It constructs a reliable and attainable performance of gender that will appeal to his younger target audience. This is a complex representation of masculinity and portrays Fender as a vulnerable and emotional man.

Exploring micro elements in the ideology of conflict

Discuss the ways micro-elements of film are used to represent conflict and shape spectator response in the films you have studied. You must draw comparisons between the three films you have studied in your answer.

Conflict refers to an opposition of ideologies. Aristotle argued that all narrative is conflict, and diametric oppositions between values fuels all narrative cinema. Micro elements are absolutely essential in shaping spectatorial response to conflict. However, each film uses different micro elements in different ways, but always for the same reason; to emotionally manipulate the spectator to align with the ideology of the director. To explore this idea, I shall closely refer to…

Battle of Algiers - sound and cinematography - the torture montage

• Multiple CUs and ECUs of a weeping civilian positions spectator with the witness of the torture
• The intradiegetic gaze of the witness and the torture aligns spectatorial response
• The music is funereal and depressing. The music is non-diegetic
• A complete lack of diegetic sound forces the spectator to focus purely on the torture, and is symbolic of the lost voices of the civilians being tortured
• Without the anchorage of the sound effects, a sense of actuality is constructed
• The handheld cinematography in combination with the use of zoomed in CUs and ECUs constructs a documentary mode of address
• This recorded nature of the cinematography is cold, distant, and feels like a warning 
• A sense of abjection is constructed through the alarming MES of realistic  blood

District 9 - sound, performance -  cat food and hand amputation

• Wikus is visibly shaking on the phone, anchored with the MES of sweat pouring off his face constructs Wikus as increasingly abject
• Wikus’s performance, in particular his deadpan delivery of “I did not have pornographic activity with a fokking creature!” reinforces the abject situation that Wikus is in and have been placed in by MNU, a shady multinational with the resources to frame him 
• The editing and cinematography of the claw amputation scene combine to construct intense spectatorial manipulation. The MES of the concrete slab reinforces the filthy and disgusting nature of this act. Furthermore, after the abject and disgusting imagery of the claw being severed in CU, we cut to a CU of Wikus’s screaming face. Followed immediately by an ELS of of Wikus screaming and isolated in the filthy township

Exploring micro elements in A bout de souffle

Cinematography - everything to do with the camera

MES - everything on the screen (‘put in scene’)

Sound - dialogue, music. We need to consider the diegesis

Editing - combining shots to create meaning. Also includes post production special effects

Performance - what the actors do. Naturalism and expressive performances. Proxemics… etc

EXPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE - Michel breaks the fourth wall, addressing the spectator with a boring monologue. This not only helps to engage the spectator in the NARRATIVE, it also defies film conventions (e.g. Classical Hollywood narrative) and breaks the rules

EXPRESSIVE CINEMATOGRAPHY. After being confronted by the police officer, there is a MONTAGE of ECUs in profile of Michel. This constructs not only Michel’s inner worry, but also the intensity of the sequence. This forms a binary opposition with Michel’s laid back PERFORMANCE, constructing a confusing mode of address for the spectator

There is an alarming use of JUMP CUTS throughout the sequence, where we cut from Michel to Michel. This constructs not only a confusing mode of address, it also breaks away from classical Hollywood narrative, and reminds the spectator that they are watching a film

The use of MONOLOGUE - nonsensical, jarring and even unpleasant. He objectifies women or ‘petite filles’, before deciding they are ‘dogs’ and not worth his time. He frequently sings, mutters, and makes banal statements like ‘I like the countryside’. This use of NATURALISTIC performance constructs a real and relatable persona for the audience to negotiate their own alignment to this hegemonically attractive but thoroughly unlikeable character

HANDHELD CINEMATOGRAPHY. Classical Hollywood films typically shoot car interiors in a sound stage, using external cameras and a blue screen. However, in Breathless, a sense of naturalism is achieved through shooting on handheld cameras in cars with available lighting. 

There is little music, mainly DIEGETIC MUSIC from the car radio, again constructing a naturalistic mode of address. However, there are elements of non-diegetic sound in this sequence. Michel’s leitmotif, a jaunty brass theme is repeated throughout the film to the point of frustration, not only reminding the spectator of Michel’s arrogance, but also the fact we are watching a film. Furthermore, the INTERNAL DIEGETIC SOUND of the PLEONASTIC gunshot not only positions the spectator in Michel’s confusing train of thoughts, it also makes INTERTEXTUAL reference to the kind of violent Hollywood movies that Michel loves so much

Revising documentary

Theories pertinent to documentary

1. John Grierson - documentary: the creative treatment of actuality 
2. DA Pennebaker - Direct cinema and documentary truth. Eg handheld cinematography, long takes
3. Christian Metz - the indexical bond. By filming something we make it real
4. Jean Baudrillard  - hyperreality. We are constantly bombarded with images that seem more real than the thing that’s being represented. The idea that representations are more real than reality

Question: The documentary theorists Grierson and Pennebaker continue to dominate discourse and discussion surrounding contemporary documentary films. Discuss this claim in relation to the examples from the documentary films we have studied

Knee jerk reaction

G and P are absolutely essential in understanding the complex and rich nature of Stories we Tell

Plan 

MES

Super-8

Direct cinema 

Handheld

Rough 

Modes of documentary

Performative

Reflexive

Poetic

Recreation of settings 

Hyperreality 

Fly scene

Emotional manipulation

Soundtrack

Talking heads 

Biased

Postmodern: a film about a film 

Unlikeable protagonist

Canadian 

Verisimilitude: like the truth 

Quixotic 

Introduction - DAC

A documentary is a genre of film with a contested definition. For Grierson, it is the creative treatment of actuality, where film form and micro elements can be used to construct a sense of verisimilitude. A somewhat opposing view comes from D.A Pennebaker , who believed that documentaries should be direct, unvarnished and real. G and P are absolutely essential in understanding the complex and rich nature of Stories we Tell. SWT is a documentary film regarding the documentary maker Sarah Polley, her film making family, and the complex and dramatic lives that they have led. 

Paragraphs: PEA

What points could we make here?

One way in which Polley uses the creative treatment of actuality is through the highly stylised staged reconstructions throughout her film… 

Yet Polley also uses Pennebakian notions of direct cinema throughout her film. A perfect example of this can be found in the extensive use of talking head footage…

In fact, many scenes combine the utilisation of creative and direct cinema. A perfect example of this can be found in the final montage of the film, where Michael philosophically discusses life, love, and his obsession with flies. 

The MES of Michael is as chaotic and confusing as the film. His slouched performance, unbrushed hair and missing teeth present a complex and yet reliable character. Michael is often seen smoking and surrounded with alcohol. This unpolished representation constructs a reality where Michael is sad, fragile, but also real. This sense of verisimilitude is anchored and grounded through the Pennebakian utilisation of naturalistic, shaky and handled cinematography. Michael is often shot in ECU, aligning the spectator uncomfortably close to Michael. Additionally, Polley chooses to shoot Michael in grainy Super 8 footage, once more constructing a complex and confusing sense of verisimilitude. Here, Super 8 is a symbolic code, and suggests nostalgia and reminiscence. Yet here, confusingly, Polley chooses to use vintage technology to shoot contemporary footage. Here, a highly confusing mode of address is constructed, forcing the spectator to interpret this message. The footage is immediately nostalgic, and suggests that all moments will eventually be memories. Here, Nichol’s mode of poetic documentary filmmaking helps us understand the scene. Rather than meaning something clear and deep, a poetic and existentialist mode of address is constructed for the spectator. 

Revising the nouvelle vague and early French surrealist cinema

A bout de souffle

What is the goal, function and intended response of this film and the movement as a whole?

• Directly challenging old, traditional French cinema (le cinema du papa)
• To challenge morality itself and to align the spectator with the antagonist
• A focus on youthful and existentialism - it is unclear why Michel kills the police officer, reflects the changing expectations of French society 
• Rejects the structure of classical Hollywood narrative 

What contextual information and key facts are vital to understanding these films?

• Jump cuts added by Goddard for reasons of length… an example of serendipity!
• Filmed wild style/guerilla style on the streets of Paris. More authentic… and cheaper!
• Written by Francois Truffaut, another French new wave director!
• Cahiers du Cinema - a French film magazine still going today! The writers were obsessed with auteur theory, and American auteurs such as Alfred Hitchcock
• Goddard was communist and highly politically motivated 

What elements of auteurism manifest in the debut features of these directors, and why is this a ridiculous question?

Auteur theory - a concept made up by Truffaut, suggesting that even in a Hollywood studio system, some directors rose to the status of ‘author’. Auteurs films share certain iconography and aesthetic elements. They make the same film again and again. Auteurs existed within a studio setting, yet made distinctive films regardless. Andrew Sarris in America introduced this theory to English speaking audiences

• Jump cuts: a film making mistake used for dramatic purposes. Confusing and alienating
• Aesthetic: cars. A blunt narrative device
• Guns: 'all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun'
• Postmodern films: deliberately break the rules, eg breaking the fourth wall
• Cool young actors. E.g. Jean Seaburg, Jean-Paul Belmondo,  Brigette Bardot

What are the distinctive elements of film form that characterise these films? What is the aesthetic of these films? 

• A naturalistic film that uses improvisational performance style. Yet there are expressive elements, such as the eyebrow scene… 
• Edgy elements, such as a criminal protagonist, and sexual situations
• Repeated motifs from other films, including intertextual references to Humphry Bogart

L’age chien 

What is the goal, function and intended response of this film and the movement as a whole?

• To explore the subconscious mind and subconscious desires, the central concept of surrealism 
• To go against old cinema, narrative cinema, Hollywood cinema 
• To shock and discomfort the audience. Transgression: to go beyond socially accepted norms 
• To criticise established French institutions: the church, the government/the state/ the bourgeoisie and the established order

What contextual information and key facts are vital to understanding these films?

• Bunuel and Dali associated with the surrealist movement, and associated with artists like Renee Magritte and especially Max Ernst
• Bunuel grew up in a tiny Spanish town called Calanda. The drums at the end of L’age D’or are a direct reference to a Calanda tradition
• L’age d’or instigated riots in Paris, and Bunuel and Dali had to hit from crowds with a bucket of rocks. The film was banned in many countries, including France for a few years, and the UK until 1986
• The Surrealist group collaborated with the communist party, associated with left wing politics 

What elements of auteurism manifest in the debut features of these directors, and why is this a ridiculous question?

• Fetishistic images taken from dreams 
• Sexual fetishism: nudity, tights, feet etc
• Shameful exploration of sexual practices
• Criticisms of the church, the bourgeoisie, and the police…
• Animals in strange places!
• A broken and non-linear narrative that resembles a dream
• Themes of societal pressures getting in the way of our desires  

What are the distinctive elements of film form that characterise these films? What is the aesthetic of these films?

• Expressive films, yet there are some naturalistic elements, such as the use of relatable settings and naturalistic performance 
• A surrealist aesthetic. Bleeding donkeys, priests being chucked out of windows, cows in beds… dreamlike and funny!
• Transgressive imagery. Sexual assault, ants spilling from a wound, an eyeball being split open, and overt blasphemy 

Spectatorship - the process of a privileged spectator immersing themselves into the film experience

The audience - passive, mindless, mass and ill defined. Audiences will always have the same response. 

The spectator - the active viewer. The spectator is privileged. The spectator understand the context of the film, and has an awareness of concepts such as narrative, genre film form 

Facts: contextual information

The Force Awakens 

• JJ Abrams (Director of Star Trek, Super 8, the rest of the sequel trilogy, and the producer of Cloverfield franchise)
• Species in big budget, tentpole sci fi films
• US film… although shot in Pinewood in London and a variety of other locations
• Huge budget, 533 million dollar
• 2.7 billion in revenue
• Produced by Disney following their acquisition of Lucasfilm for 4.5 billion…
• A huge ensemble cast

Ex Machina

• Alex Garland (author of The Beach, screenwriter of 28 Days Later and Dredd, and unofficial director of Dredd). Specialises in indie, lower budget, and more cerebral; science fiction
• UK production… although shot in Norway with a variety of actors of different nations
• Low budget - 15 million
• 36 million
• Produced by several companies, primarily Film 4, but also DNA films and A24, to minimise financial risk
• Four main characters

How does theatrical spectatorship emphasise the impact of these films?

Force awakens 

In the planet annihilation sequence, a rich orchestral score anchors the spectator, and aligns their response with that of the director. Furthermore, the rich, bassy and pleonastic sound effect of the planet killing laser symbolically demonstrates the destructive power of the weapon. We cut to a close up of General Hux, his performance indicating fear and regret in the face of the oncoming genocide, and a subsequent montage of alien worlds and futuristic cities facing annihilation reinforce the sense of total destruction. For the spectator to experience this in the cinema emphasises the emotional response intended by the director

Ex Machina

In the scene where Caleb first meets Ava, a subtle and complex relationship is constructed between the two characters. A significant internal conflict is evident in the character Caleb, who is simultaneously fascinated and romantically attracted to Ava. Caleb’s performance is amused, nervous and clearly conflicted. The subtle use of CG in this sequence aligns the spectator with Caleb, and foreshadows later themes of the dark and manipulative power of artificial intelligence. These subtle conversations, expertly emphasised through the use of an ambient yet also also highly conventional science fiction soundtrack, communicate themes of gender, humanity, relationships 

Exam practice: the surrealist aesthetic

Analyse how one or both experimental surrealist films you have studied use mise-en-scene to create a surrealist aesthetic [15].

Knee jerk reaction - MES is used to an extensive level to construct a comprehensive and shocking surrealist aesthetic. 

Plan 

MES 

Performance

Lighting

Editing

Soundtrack 

Macro element: narrative

Settings 

Props

Transgression 

Freud

Sex and death

Fetishism

Bunuel

Unconventional

Subconscious desire

Donkey dragger

Eye cut

Dream logic 

Looks like dreams

• MES is used to an extensive level to construct a comprehensive and shocking surrealist aesthetic. A surrealist aesthetic refers to the look and feel of the unconscious mind.
• One perfect example of how MES constructs a surrealistic aesthetic can be found in the scene where The Man announces that he has diplomatic immunity. 
• The MES of the mud covering the man constructs a surrealist aesthetic by presenting disgusting and abject imagery. The man is covered in mud after publicly attempting to have sex with a woman next to a funeral procession. Yet here, the mud soaked man walks through a quiet Parisian suburb, constructing a binary opposition between the passionate id, ego, and social norms. 
• The man swears aggressively at a passer by, his obscene gesture again forming a binary opposition with the quiet and civilised street. The MES of tree lined gardens connote wealth, yet the filthy man connotes poverty, again constructing a dreamlike aesthetic
• The document that the man hands over to demonstrate his diplomatic immunity is highly ambiguous. It seems to resemble a poster or architectural blueprints, yet the man reads in an insulting tone from this wordless document, again constructing a confusing and bizarre surrealist aesthetic. 
• This scene, like almost every scene in LD, is an attack on the ideology of the bourgeoisie. It is symbolic of the inequality of French society in the early 20th century, and uses surrealist imagery to make a powerful point. 
• However, the most dreamlike and truly surrealist sequence in L’age d’or occurs in the garden towards the end of the film. In a montage of shots, we cut between the conductor, an older gentleman in an expensive suit that symbolises wealth and social status, to a series of close ups of The Woman, played by Lya Lys, who sensually and sexually sucks the lifeless toe of a pure white statue. Once more, a binary opposition is constructed between transgressive sex and wealth and society. 
• The performance of The Woman is highly expressive, symbolising passion and the fulfilment of the id
• The orchestra plays The Liebestod from the conclusion of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, an opera about life, death and how these two concepts cannot be operated. Here the MES of the cold dead foot contrasts with the frantic performance and sensuous MES of the woman’s makeup, constructing a strange, dreamlike and surrealist aesthetic 

Exam practice: spectatorial response and the ideology of conflict

Discuss how the films you have studied use performance to shape the spectator’s response to the idea of ‘conflict’. You must draw comparisons between the three films you have studied in your answer

Introduction - DAC: Definition, argument, context

Performance is one of the most essential aspects of a film, and can be used by the director to shape and even manipulate the perspectives of the spectator. Conflict is absolutely essential in constructing a spectatorial response, and also to create a compelling narrative. The ideology of conflict is fundamental to the structure and themes of all three of the films I have studied. However, performance is the most important element at the disposal of a director in order to shape the spectator’s response to themes of conflict. To explore this idea, I shall use the examples of Battle of Algiers, a documentary style Italian drama that explores the conflict of war, District 9, a South African sci fi that explores the conflict of apartheid south Africa, and Whiplash, an American drama that focuses on the conflict of student teacher abuse. 

PEA: Point, evidence, argument

• A sympathetic and empathetic response to the hardships of the characters
• Anger and and a sense of injustice 
• Disgust and abjection 

P  - Another powerful way in which an ideology of conflict is constructed is through the use of performance to emphasise a sense of disgust and abjection in all three films

E - Extreme close up of Nayman’s eyes and nose emphasises his utter exhaustion, and rejects any ideology of romanticism. Nayman is not hegemonically attractive, with the MES of sweat drenching his face emphasising his eyebags, and the downy hairs, symbolic of youth. A conflict between innocence and ambition is constructed, shaping the perspective of the spectator, and aligning the audience solely with Naman. The ECU of eyes emphasises his presence and his relatability

E - ECU, Fletcher's eyes and nose, constructed with low key lighting, creates a sense of disgust by emphasising his hideous, harsh, and hegemonically unattractive features. The montage of these two shots constructs a relationship between the two characters that is abject and unpleasant to the spectator, having been signed with Nayman and his abuse throughout the narrative. 

E - Low angle close up of Nayman thrashing the drums. Presented in a montage with CUS of cymbal covered in sweat, an abject and disgusting mode of address is used to shape the ideology of the spectator. The unhealthy relationship that Nayman has with playing music is here constructed through the montage of CUs of Nayman screaming which drenched in sweat. This positions the spectator in an uncomfortable and distressing mode of address, emphasising the themes of abjection that are central to this film

Battle of Algiers - the opening sequence, encoding ideological perspectives and exploring the representation of RSAs and ISAs

• The French military is represented as dominant and clearly repressive. The opening shot of the film. The high angled long shot of the tortured Algerian constructs an ideology where he is weak and vulnerable to the military, who are skulking around the room in uniform. We are instantly aligned as a spectator with the vulnerable and older algerian. Even in this long shot, we see the fear and trauma in his face. The tiled walls of the setting connote violence, as they can easily be cleaned, suggesting the awful things which have happened in this room. This opening shot constructs the Algerians as an underdog and the French as a dominant repressive state apparatus. 
• In a subsequent shot, a binary opposition is constructed between the powerful European occupying forces and the weak and vulnerable Algerian. The casting of the actor is perfect. His sad and vulnerable face creates a sense of empathy from the spectator. The actor who plays him is non-professional, which heightens the sense of discomfort and awkwardness, which is in turn anchored through the wordlessness of his performance, suggesting he fears being punished by the repressive regime. 
• One soldier gently mocks the prisoner, yet is stopped by the commander. Instead of torturing him further, they fetch him a cup of coffee, mentally torturing him by forcing him to question his own morals. The soldier attempts to play a joke on the Algerian, but is stopped by Matthieu in an apparent act of kindness. This bizarre ritual reinforces the idea that the commander is in charge of this situation
• We cut to the raid on the casbah. A militant drum beat is accompanied by an intimidating piano motif and threatening brass. These militaristic tones construct an ideology where the well equipped French army are clearly willing to utilise lethal force to kill a single person
• When we first see Ali, we see him hiding behind a wall with a man, a woman and a child, constructing the Algerian resistance force as the underdog.
• The camera slowly pans across the faces of the four, introducing each one of them in closeup. This helps to align the spectator with the Algerians, and in particular Ali, a hegemonically attractive and serious looking young man. Yet it also constructs a complex and alarming ideology where Ali has clearly had to debase himself in order to survive the French occupation. 

Abjection, disgust and emotional response in District 9 and South African cinema

Mr Bones (2001) - how does the trailer for this wildly popular South African film encode representations of ethnicity? And what does this trailer teach us about South Africa?

• A slapstick comedy, with repulsive toilet humour  throughout.
• Much of the comedy comes from a white man playing a crude stereotype of a black man. This insensitive representation indicates that much South African humour can be politically incorrect and racially charged. Much South African comedy follows this routine. 
• In Mr Bones the comedy arises from differences in culture. Despite the fact this is a post-apartheid film, the idea of black people and white people being equal is presented as a hilarious idea. 
• Finally, Mr Bones is surprisingly crude and gross from a British perspective. But District 9 is ALSO crude, gross, vile, and over the top in terms of how it presents its genre conventions. 

How and why does District 9 adopt such a brash and crude mode of address?

• The laboratory fight takes on a slapstick nature, with blood and gore flying everywhere 
• Constant swearing throughout the film, with almost every sentence having the word ‘fuck’ constructs a humorous and unserious mode of address
• The silliness of the MES of the aliens arm 
• Wikus running around, pulling, falling over and getting in to scrapes is funny! It is a ridiculous and darkly comic performance 
• Lines like “I did not have any pornographic activity with a fokking creature!” construct a crude and unpolished sense of humour 
• This crude and unpleasant mode of address in in stark opposition to Battle of Algiers

District 9 - how does this film use micro elements to encode abjection, and why?

• Julia Kristeva argued that abjection, or to cast off, is a tool often used in horror films to evoke disgust. Horror films often use gore and disgusting themes to engage and interest its audience. Yet here, abject themes and imagery are used to explore allegorical themes of racism and prejudice. 
• The entire setting of the township is constructed through the MES of rusty metal, which connotes a sense of unease and abjection. The MES of rubbish connotes a lack of care for the environment, but also a lack of infrastructure. 
• Wikus cuts off his alien hand, placing his foul abject appendage on a dirty hunk of concrete. Wikus looks away, and we see his face in close up, shaking and shuddering, his face covered in sweat. This not only anchors Wikus as terrified, it also reinforces Wikus as abject. As spectators, we feel conflicted, finding Wikus disgusting and pathetic, yet also sympathetic and relatable.
• The alien hand is disgusting and abnormal, and forms a binary opposition with his normal, human hand. Wikus’s reaction to it is to cut it off. This binary opposition between humanity and an alien identity can only be solved through violent force, which once more alienates and disgusts the target audience. The MES of black blood spurting in a CU shot is abject, strange, disgusting, and anchored through the reaction of Wikus's screaming face further reinforces the themes of hatred and disgust.
• The squelching wet sound effects help elicit disgust in the spectator, and reinforce the perspective that Wikus's hand, and now Wikus himself is disgusting and abject
• “I did not have any pornographic activity with a fokking creature!” - The power MNU corporation has used their power to smear Wikus as a foul sexual pervert. Wikus has been constructed as a degenerate, an abject outsider and untouchable by society. 
• By using disgusting themes, imagery, settings and even humour, this sequence constructs an ideology that brings the oppressor closer to the oppressed

Emotional manipulation and spectatorial alignment in District 9 

• While District 9 is crude, unpolished, silly and funny, it adopts a dual and polysemic mode of address by constantly flitting between ridiculous ‘fun’ sequences and highly emotionally manipulative scenes which forcibly align the spectator with the preferred ideological reading. The character Christopher Johnson is a perfect example of this manipulative alignment.
• Christopher Johnson’s face is smeared with red blood forming a sympathetic and empathetic link with Johnson. However, the smear of blood on his face forms a binary opposition with the alarming MES of Koobus’s ally being ‘gibbed’, and the abject spray of blood and guts going everywhere. This reinforces the ideological perspective that violence is justified in certain situations. We see exactly the same themes mirrored in BOA, particularly in the Casbah bombing scene…
• Christopher Johnson is represented through an explicit montage of him being beaten up. This constructs him as a victim and the underdog of this situation. This realistic representation of violence has clear parallels with the torture scene from BOA. 
• The soundtrack is moving and manipulative, using orchestral instruments to construct and anchor a sense of sadness in the spectator. This overly exaggerated mode ensures the spectator is aligned with Christopher Johnson.
• Christopher Johnson is wearing a red jacket. This serves two functions., It allows the audience to differentiate between him and the other aliens. Yet it also serves to humanise him, and allows the spectator to identify with something abject and alien.
• Christopher Johnson’s performance is mainly constructed through the MES of his eyes. Expressive and emotional, they align the spectator to his own ideals and ideologies. The BCUs of his expressive face can be seen mirrored in BOA in many uses of BCUs
• In addition to being humanised, Christopher Johnson is also compared to an animal, with the MES of his scaly skin. 
• Some violence in the film is sad and impactful, and some violence is extreme, comedic and resembles a video game instead (intertextuality). There's no one word for this, but when someone gets blown up into body parts in a game, a slang term for this is 'gibbed' (short for 'giblet... not nice I know!). We discussed why Blomkamp used the visual language of video games in this film, and concluded it was for comedy, to construct binary oppositions, and to create a conflict between 'good and bad violence'. Simply  put, when the 'bad guys' (antagonists) get blown away with the extreme and ridiculous MES of 'gibbing' ', it is fun, exciting and cathartic for the spectator. Lots of action films do this, especially my classic example, James bond films.
• On the other hand, the smear of blood on Christopher's face is subtle and creates empathy because it is relatable for the spectator. The combination of his cut face and the performance code of his sad eyes aligns the spectator with his suffering. 
• Basically, this film is doing some very complex stuff with violence, and how the spectator reacts to violence. To compare this to Battle of Algiers, we cheer when Ali punches that guy at the beginning who tripped him over, yet we flinch during the torture sequence. The film maker legitimizes one form of violence  and criticizes another.

Repressive state apparatuses in District 9

• MNU (multi national united) is an ominous extra governmental organisation that uses it’s wealth to use alien weapons to sell to international governments. In short, they are weapons brokers. They are “the second biggest weapon manufacturer in the world”
• Their power is encoded through the use of CCTV footage that suggests that they are in total control of Wikus, his life and everything which is happening. 
• The performance of Wikus’s father in law is cold and remorseless, and reflects the evil of the organisation. It forms a binary to Wikus pouring with sweat in clear discomfort
• The MES of the electric probe tortures Wikus in to pulling the trigger of a gun against his will

District 9 - how does the opening sequence and Alive in Joburg (2005) use cinema verité techniques to construct a sense of verisimilitude?

You can watch the short film by clicking here

• Use of handheld cinematography constructs a sense of verisimilitude, and an intense and confusing mode of address. 
• Subtitles are used throughout the film to subtitle the aliens language. As well as different African  languages, such as Afrikaans and Zulu. This constructs a sense of conflation between the aliens (here literally space aliens!) and people of colour, which reinforces themes of racism, and makes allegorical reference to apartheid 
• Cross cutting between grimy ‘documentary’ footage and talk head interviews positions the spectator as watching an informative and educational. 
• The framing and lighting of the talking head shots make it seem like an official government document and an official investigation. Yet the film’s title card is conventional of a conventional Hollywood movie. This confusing blending of modes constructs and ideological perspective that racism, segregation, immigration and alien invasions are a confusing issue
• The use of non-professional actors delivering vox pops constructs a sense of verisimilitude, and again immerses the spectator into a confusing narrative. Yet it also allows the film to deal with themes of immigration
• However, given that District 9 is a major South African film, partly funded by South African investors, it tones down themes of racism and apartheid…
• The soundtrack is highly conventional and even stereotypical, resembling the soundtrack to a mid market documentary
• Certain shots are shot on video, with time stamps and the characteristic distortion and murkiness of this. The shots from inside the mothership resemble an artefacts, as something that has nothing to do with a narrative film. Once more, it constructs a sense of confusing verisimilitude

The representation of Johannesburg 

• Throughout District 9, Joburg is represented as other. Different, dangerous and abject. The representation of Africa as a whole is highly typical and highly conventional

Intertextuality and District 9

Intertextuality - how does District 9 utilise the iconographic and paradigmatic features of video games? And why?

Gears of War - trailer

Intertextuality: where one media product makes reference to another media product. This can be explicit, for example in Scary Movie, there are explicit references to Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and so on. However intertextuality can also be soft and vague

• Gibbing - huge explosions of abject blood and guts. In video games, this is often a cathartic and fantastical reward for playing the game well, a visual encoding of ‘overkill’. In District 9, it serves exactly the same purpose, serving as a fantastical wish fulfilment contrasting with the bleak, vile sadness of the rest of the film.
• The iconography of aliens in games like Gears of War and District 9 are similar: strange, alien creatures that are hostile 
• The apocalyptic and destroyed setting is highly reminiscent of District 9
• Hypermasculine representations, particularly of Koobus, are typical of video games. This bis reinforced through the extreme violence that the entire film focuses on. 
• These videogame elements allow the film to appeal to and target a pre-sold audience of young men. 

Intertextuality - how and why does District 9 make direct reference to Robocop (Verhoeven, 1987)?

Robocop sequence

• Intertextuality allows the director to influence audience expectations. Additionally, the references to 80s sci-fi such as Robocop allows audiences to understand how D9 is using sci-fi conventions to encode political allegories. 
• The use of robot iconography in D9 represents an uprising against oppression. It represents a power fantasy, where weak pathetic Wikus is able to ride a big powerful robot around. 
• There are similarities in the size of the machines, and their use of rotary machine guns, iconography that has also become popular in video games
• This use of intertextuality is also a chance to celebrate and pay homage to the iconography of classic sci film

How do micro elements encode conflict in Battle of Algiers?

Montage: what three meanings does this term have?

1 - Editing in any form 

2 - Editing in order to show rapid improvement over a long period of time 

3 - The combination of shots to construct a particular meaning

How does the combination of micro elements construct meaning in the scene where Ali is introduced?

Close up, high angle positions the spectator with Ali. His scruffy clothes establish him as working class and an outsider


Long shot, extra wide shot, makes Ali appear small and emphasises his powerlessness

Long shot, Ali dissolving in the distance of a setting where he does not feel he belongs

Low angle CU shot emphasises the smug and sadistic face of the aggressor, and his construction as a stereotypical white European brings in to question his presence.

Medium close up, high angle emphasises weakness and vulnerability, yet also imbued with a stoic and resigned attitude. His desire and need to punch the European man confirms his strict and clear ideology

Montage and meaning in the torture sequence 

• A sense of naturalism and verisimilitude is constructed through the representation of actual events. We cut from unflinching close up shots of torture to shots of soldiers witnessing the torture. 
• We as a spectator are positioned as an outsider with no ability to help at all. The cinematography is blunt and straightforward, with no emphasis on high or low angles. 
• In fact, the montage and cinematography construct an impassive documentary style film making that distances the spectator while at the same time, positions us directly at the point of abuse. The handheld cinematography constructs a sense of normality in the face of brutality. 
• In terms of casting, every performer resembles a hegemonically normal individual, making this sequence highly relatable. 
• The use of unpolished and non-professional acting also confirms the documentary style, with the reactions being blunt and straightforward. A complete absence of diegetic sound, which creatively symbolises the silence that has been enforced on these individuals. In combination with the discordant, dreamlike music. Played on a grand organ 

The French bombing mission on the Casbah: prelude, mission, aftermath. How do micro elements construct meaning in this sequence? 

• Sad, instrumental string music anchors emotions of sadness and uselessness. 
• The use of overhead, BEV high angle shots connote a sense of space and emphasises the extent of the damage. The MES of the lack of clothing of the men picking through the rubble constructs a sense of desperation, poverty and vulnerability. 
• The MES of the topless men also reinforces the notion that there are no emergency services or any official help that can help these people. And therefore a sense of community is also constructed, that these normal people must band together in scenes of unimaginable hardship. 
• The common man is both a victim and a saviour. 
• The diegetic music that is played in the garden party is smooth jazz, which constructs a calming and even approachable mode of address for the spectator. Yet when the officers jump in to their car, the calm music disappears, and we are confronted solely with the diegetic sound of the cars engine. Yet this threatening bass noise is seamlessly blended with the sound of a non-diegetic cello, playing a single, sustained note, constructing a sense of lamentation, loss, and impending doom. 
• This classic tension building device is an example of Chekhov's gun, and suggests an imminent and awful situation. The dialogue is highly anticipatory, completely different from the casual nature of the party. 
• The dialogue is terse and filled with anxiety, a fact which is anchored through the man in the back nervously chewing his fingers. Yet the main officer remains detached, almost dissociating from the scene, suggesting a conflicted internal monologue 
• The MES of the bomb suggests that operation is last minute and has been poorly formed. Furthermore, the nature of the act is clearly an act of terrorism, despite being official sanctioned, constructing a complex and emotionally heavy war narrative. This brutal attack constructs the French occupying forces as destructive, and using methods to suppress the native Algerian population using terror and fear. 
• The MES of the dead being carried by two shirtless men has religious connotations. The white shirt symbolises purity and innocence, which forms a binary opposition which the extremely distressing image of the child’s corpse. The shot itself makes reference to religious iconography such as the stations of the cross, and in doing so constructs the idea that the Algerians have been sacrificed for an ideology that they themselves oppose. 
• The cinematography and editing of the aftermath sequence is highly reminiscent of a news broadcast. The use of punishing long takes force the audience to look at the image of absolute human suffering, and reinforces the ideology that the French colonists are heartless, hateful, and even less than human. Within the context of the narrative, it also sets in motion and even ‘justifies’ the horrific act of violence perpetrated by the occupying forces

Ideology of conflict - an introduction

Three very different films that all have to be compared in one response. All three films are arguably straightforward when analysed individually, with all three films have clear and well defined ideologies and themes of conflict. Yet the question will demand a comparison of all three films in a comparatively short space of time (45 minutes!). This means that this unit is challenging in completely new ways.

Ideology - ideas and beliefs. Examples of ideologies include religious, gender based, social, human rights, race and ethnicity, political, education, control and the state…

For film studies, ideology refers to the belief and values of the director, as encoded through the micro elements of a film

Conflict - Refers to two or more opposing values or viewpoints

 Aristotle: “all narrative is conflict”

Narrative refers to how a story is told. The specific devices and techniques which construct them. 

All narrative is based around conflict: opposing ideologies. A problem must be introduced and usually solved in order to construct an interesting narrative. It’s ubiquity suggests that conflict is a fundamental aspect of human nature. 

Let's take a look at how conflict and ideology are fundamental to two very different and very famous films for children.

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

• The opposing colours of the lightsabres, blue and red were introduced in later films to enhance themes of conflict
• Villains are typically dressed in black, and use leading elements of MES such as masks, which encode themes of deception and hiding identity
• The heavy breathing of the main villain marks him as disabled and physically different, reinforcing an ableist ideology 
• The heroes, by and large are human and hegemonically attractive
• The narrative seems to be completely fixated on combat and fighting. The rapid fire editing emphasises the focus on combat and conflict
• The angry British accent of many of the villains marks them as being foreign, strange and different from the American primary target audience
• References to real life conflict, such as the Vietnam war help us understand the protagonists as Americans, and the villains as a foreign threat. Additionally, Nazi symbolism, encoded through the stark black uniforms, and the Death Star could represent nuclear annihilation 
• A simple and straightforward ideology that conflict can lead to freedom 

Cars (2006)

• A representation of working class cars (!!) living in small town America. 
• The soundtrack is bluesy rock and roll, with connotations of Working class southern American values
• Mater, the stereotype of the southern American hick, and the antithesis/binary opposition of Lightning Macqueen 
• The ideology that small town simple living is the true America, the authentic America
• Clearly targeting conservative, working class audiences, who will feel flattered and important form the representation. And when working class audiences are told that their lifestyle is adequate and superior, they potentially will look on their situation more favourably