Stories We Tell - approaches to analysis MEGAPOST

How do we get marks in film studies really?

1. Writing something!
2. Using theorists. Reference their work to strengthen your own point
3. Using film studies terminology, for example MES
4. Using a clear structure, for example PEE, PEA, PEEL, etc
5. Reference key scenes and explicit reference to film language 
6. Evaluating film form, and considering the use of cinematography, editing etc 

What is reality? What is the truth? What must we consider when considering the notion of ‘truth’?

Reality an illusion

Reality is based on perspective 

Reality is a construct of our own perception, and everyone’s reality is different

Reality is a combination of all of our experiences and knowledge

“My recollections may be faulty, but I’m not going to lie” - In what ways can filmmakers use micro elements to encode a notion of verisimilitude?

• The use of archive, both ‘real’ and that which was reconstructed for the film creates a powerful sense of verisimilitude
• The film is extremely self aware, and continually draws attention to its own status as a film. This is reinforced not only through Sarah’s explicit narration that discusses the filmmaking process, but also the anchorage of the MS of Sarah filming in Harry’s living room using a super 8 camera constructs a sense of authenticity and artificiality. This constructs a highly confusing yet also immersive and compelling address to the spectator.
• A metanarrative that extends beyond the traditional storytelling structures adopted by films. By featuring so prominently in her own film, Sarah fully accepts that her narrative is biassed, and she only emphasises this by using techniques such as reconstruction
• One particularly striking film making technique is Sarah’s decision to leave in ‘mistakes’ in order to construct a simultaneously confusing yet also ‘realistic’ address. A perfect example of this is the MES of Sarah’s hands abruptly entering the frame and clapping in her father’s face to signify a cut. This editing technique is usually completely cut out. By leaving in this ‘mistake’ , Polley is drawing attention to the contradictions of the documentary genre, and presents a total deconstruction of film form 
• Polley therefore lulls the audience in to a false sense of security before deconstructing their own sense of reality
• However, we can also argue that it is wholly self centred of Sarah to not only make a film about her own privileged family, but also herself. Sarah constructs herself as a flawed and even unlikable individual, yet in doing so creates a more personal and even more relatable address. 
• Sarah is making public a narrative that traditionally would be private, which gives the film an intimate and often delightful atmosphere. This is further emphasis by the film’s use of a sombre, classic piano soundtrack that clearly sounds like it from a different era, which constructs a deeply nostalgic atmosphere

What filmmaking techniques have been used to convince the spectator that the filmmaker is offering a truthful account in the documentary you have studied?

Knee jerk reaction - SWT provides the spectator with a false and even unreliable sense of verisimilitude in order to convey the ideology that everyone has different stories, and everyone has their own truth. In order to construct this, Polley uses a variety of innovative filmmaking techniques to construct a complex yet quixotic set of narratives.

PLAN

Home videos

Archive footage

Grierson - Non fiction film ‘drama of the ordinary’ 

Nichols - documentary modes

Pennebaker - documentary and cinema verite and direct cinema 

Narration/narrator

Factual narration 

Super 8

Breaking the fourth wall

Direct address

High and low angle shots

Still images/freeze frames

Montage

Binary opposition

Performance

Graphics

Editing

Sarah Polley

Perspectives

Reflexive

Diane

Canted angles 

ECU

tracking shots

Handheld

Mid shots

Formalism

Experimental 

Olde time/vintage

Hybrid genre

Interviews

Bricolage

Representation of the Bourgeoisie 

Hyperreality 

Non linear narrative 

Verisimilitude - ‘like the truth’. A sense of verisimilitude is constructed through super 8 ‘archive footage’, talking heads (documentary convention) and the use of a narrator. 

Representation - a reconstruction of reality. SWT is a perfect example of self representation

Diegesis - in the world of the narrative. The diegesis of this film is remarkably complex, which is made possible through the huge number of differently constructed narrative strands which frequently contradict one another. A perfect example is the ‘real’ archive footage and the ‘reconstructed’ archive footage being played one after another. This means the speaker is completely unable to differentiate between what is real and what is not. 

Postmodernism - the idea that there is no objective reality, and there is no point in even trying to hide this. SWT is postmodern in the sense that everything is clearly a lie, and also true at the same time. This deliberately confusing mode of address will either alienate or enthral audiences 

Quixotic - delightfully confusing and complicated

Stories we Tell - postmodern approaches

Postmodernism - how do we define a theory that has no definition?

Postmodernism is an ontology. It is a way of interpreting the world. However, it’s smug application can often be frustrating to students and teachers alike. I don’t think there’s any one theoretical perspective that is more divisive than this one. So how can we actually define a theory that cannot be defined?

• A way of thinking that forces us to think differently
• Nothing is real, nothing exists. Anything can be interested in any number of ways by audiences, meaning that meaning is ultimately subjective
• Rejecting reality and embracing randomness and disorder 
• A nihilistic view of the world that argues that nothing matters, and anything could mean anything 
• We live in a postmodern world where meaning has collapsed 

Elements of postmodernism and examples from Stories We Tell

• The collapse of meaning 
• The structure of the film is unclear and unstructured. Scenes flow in to each other making it hard for audiences to differentiate between them
• The revelation that the Super 8 ‘home movie’ sections used to illustrate the film are often fabricated specifically for the film. This deliberately breaks the sentiment and the underlying structure of the documentary, and challenges the notion that the documentary is ‘real’ which is frustrating and causes disillusionment for the audience
• The very final shot of the film, where Harry surprisingly admits he may be Sarah’s completely negates the intensely emotional scene preceding it, and causes the film to collapse in a manner that makes the audience feel frustrated and betrayed 
• Self-reflexivity and mise-en-abyme - “this is a story about a story”
• There are several scenes where Michael is reading his own book out load. However, in the middle of his monologue, Sarah stops Michael and makes him restart, to force him to deliver his lines in the ‘perfect’ way. This highly subjective mediation constructs a narrative within a narrative
• At the start of the Narrative, Sarah explicitly directs michael in to the booth, directing him, and reminding the audience that ultimately, it i Sarah constructing this narrative 
• Hyperreality - where the representation is more real than that which is being represented
• The Super 8 footage has a distinctive quality that infers verisimilitude. Authenticity is constructed and anchored through the lack of editing, the shaky handheld cinematography, the pops and scratches all connote a hyperreal expectation of ‘home movies’ to the audience. In actuality, many of these scenes have been staged, with ‘realistic looking’ actors who are interchangeable from their counterparts constructs a hyperreal mode of address to the audience, where the construction is more real than the alternative 
• Bricolage - a style constructed from disparate elements
• Talking heads 
• Super 8 ‘home movies’ 
• The use of narration
• Deliberate breaking of the fourth wall
• Expressive shots and abstract shots
• Studio shots