Whiplash initial discussion
In film studies, the five micro elements we discuss are
- MES
- Cinematography
- Sound
- Editing
- Performance
All five of these micro elements are primarily visually, and all of them in turn construct the three macro elements:
- Narrative
- Genre, and
- Representation
- The final sequence is highly problematic, and it communicates to the spectator that Fletcher not only has got away with his abuse, but also has been vindicated and justified. Through all of Fletcher’s abuse and problematic teaching methods he has constructed the best drummer in the entire world
- However, Fletcher clearly had no intention of making Nayman into a star. He tries to halt him on stage (“what the fuck are you doing?”), his angry facial expressions, bringing in a third drummer to increase the tension of Nayman, not giving Nayman the music or stealing his music, and abusive, manipulative and gaslighting Nayman at every opportunity.
- In terms of the narrative of this film, Nayman is attempting to convince Fletcher that he is worthy of being in Fletcher’s band. The entire narrative is structured around Nayman’s desperation to make Fletcher happy.
Conflict in Whiplash - interiority and exteriority
Whiplash’s principal theme of conflict is situated within the psychodynamic conflict between Nayman and Fletcher. Moreover, the interiority of Nayman as a character is explored in far more detail than the main characters of the other films. Interiority refers to the inside of Nayman’s mind, and the idea that a character can have a fully formed internal life.
Initial comparison
When comparing these films, your comparisons can be PROFOUND (e.g. themes, representations, ideologies and so on) or SUPERFICIAL (for example Whiplash and District 9 both have a scary bald man in it). Even these superficial comparisons will be useful for discussion: Fletcher’s appearance is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for constructing the ideology of conflict that exists in this film, and he was likely cast for similar reasons for why the guy who played Koobus was cast in D9!
How conflict is encoded through micro elements in the ‘training montage’ - exploring ideology and conflict
- In District 9 and Battle of Algiers, conflict is constructed through an opposition between the oppressor and the oppressed. While this is true in Whiplash, another form of conflict is the internal conflict that exists within Nayman himself
- In the long take of Nayman staring at the cymbal, constructed through punishing close up, the cymbal occupies a full two thirds of the screen, symbolising the sheer power that music occupies in Nayman’s life. We see the tortured performance of Nayman’s face staring at the cymbal in hatred, suggesting that the conflict that exists here is consuming his life. Immediately this montage, we cut to a cute scene of Nayman and Nicole in a cafe, symbolising Nayman’s desire for a normal life
- Nayman is autistic coded throughout the film, and his obsession is constructed through the montage of the drum related MES of his bedroom. The newspaper clippings, CDs, DVDs and the otherwise sparseness of his room suggest that for Nayman, drumming is his special interest and consumes his life. In doing so, a stereotypical representation of neurodivergent teenagers is constructed that allows the target audience to understand Nayman’s fixation
- Physically, Nayman falls into a stereotype of the skinny neurodiverse teenager. He is superficially similar to other archetypes such as Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, which again allows the audience to understand this conflict
- The blurry out of focus shot of Nayman’s phone constructs an ideology where Nayman has rejected social and family contact in order to pursue his drumming
- The MES of the drum related posters on his wall indicated a hyperfixation on drumming. One poster reads “if you lack talent, you end up in a rock band”, which suggests his fixation is purely on technically advanced jazz music
- A slow pan revealing Nayman lying upside down on his bed is connotative of Nayamn’s internal conflict. His life has been turned upside down by the abuse he has received, yet even in this state of relaxation he is listening to complex jazz music in preparation. This single shot also situates an image of Buddy Rich immediately above Nayman, reinforcing a hierarchy with Nayman at the bottom. Nayman sees himself as inferior and lacking.
- The extreme close up of the bleeding blister on Nayman’s hand is symbolic of the abuse he inflicts on himself in anticipation of the further abuse he will receive. The ECU also elicits an uncomfortable and abject mode of address. This repulsive MES allows the spectator to feel sympathy, yet also positions them in a conflicted mode of address. We are confused as to why he is pursuing his dream so far. Yet through intertextual reference to the sports film training montage, we understand Nayman must work hard to succeed. In many ways, this is a stereotypical representation of the american dream.
- Nayman’s obsession with drumming borders on sexual. His sweating contorted face is symbolic of orgasm, and his commitment to drumming seems to completely overwhelm his own sex life
How is conflict encoded through micro elements in the Not My Tempo sequence in Whiplash?
- In the hallway prior to this sequence, Fletcher leans in in close proximity to Nayman. This gesture is highly polysemic. It encodes friendship[ and a relaxed attitude to life. At one stage he smiles and softly replies ‘cool’, indicating that he is a calm and relaxed professional musician. Yet, by leaning in over Nayman, the MES of his body emphasises his physicality. This gesture is intimate, intimidating and completely inappropriate. Throughout the film, we see Fletcher utilise the gesture code of removing his jacket to display his muscular physique. By situating the two characters together in an over the shoulder close up, an intimidating binary opposition is constructed. This sequence functions as an action code, suggesting to the spectator that something awful is going to happen.
- Fletcher forces Nayman to repeat the same measure over and over again. There is a marked contrast between the volume of the band playing and the absolute silence. Here, Fletcher uses the intimidating and even violent gesture of an outstretched fist to silence the band. The absolute control that Fletcher wields is symbolic of his domination over the band. This is further anchored through the earlier sequence where Fletcher enters the practice room. A montage of shots of the second hand of the clock shown in extreme close up, and then a rapid fire montage of the panicked expressions for the students emphasises the extreme level of domination that Fletcher holds.
- Initially, the orange colour grading of this sequence connotes success, happiness, warmth and acceptance. Yet as the sequence progresses, it comes to encode tension, anger, heats and frustration. This process of colour grading anchors a sense of conflict and intimidation throughout the sequence. However, the harsh and orange colour grading also serves to highlight and exaggerate and accentuate the intense lines that exist around Fletcher's face. Here the high contrast lighting constructs and emphasises Fletcher’s intimidating and expressive face.
- The sequence utilises only diegetic sound, which forces the spectator to engage with the sound effects of the sequence. In particular, the pleonastic sound effect of Nayman being repeatedly slapped in the face situates and positions the spectator with Nayman, a fact which is anchored through the MES of Nayman’s slapped face. Here Fletcher is teaching Nayman a lesson through the use of physical abuse. By slapping him directly in the face, Fletcher is radically disrespecting Nayman's autonomy as an individual, and in turn dehumanises Nayman in front of his classmate. Additionally, Fletcher screams at Nayman ‘if you deliberately try to sabotage my band, I will fuck you like a pig’. This threat of sexual abuse is explicit and transgressive. This language is also abject and dehumanising. Fletcher is a perfect example of a repressive state apparatus. He is able to do these things because of the power of the institution he is associated with.
- Horrifyingly, this abuse is normalised. Nobody comes to help Nayman or intervene, and nobody even seems to react
Representation and Whiplash
- “Stereotypes are a very simple, striking, easily-grasped form of representation” (Richard Dyer)
- “A stereotype is a widely held belief about a certain group of people”
- Sociologist Walter Lippmann suggested that stereotypes were negative images.
- Stereotype has come to mean a less than fair appraisal of a person or a group, often times linked to a negative prejudice.
- Films, however, often use stereotypes to communicate information quickly about characters or groups to the audience. BUT by doing this, the stereotypes are reinforced.
- Alternative images and unexpected representations – countertypes – also exist, and can be used to challenge stereotypes.
- Over time, these countertypes can become more popular and may encourage a change in hegemony.
- When analysing ideology in films, we should consider where and how these types have been used, and what the intention is in doing so.
Stereotypes and countertypes in the three conflict films
.jpg)