Assignment 1: Film Language (Chronicle Film Talking Head)

Assignment 1: Film Language (Mise - En - Scene - Conventions of A Horror Film)

Assignment 1: Film Language (Chronicle Film Talking Head Script)

Chronicle Talking Head 

by Isabelle Pollock

 Introduction to the film

Hello there, I’m Isabelle Pollock and today I’m going to analysis a popular film amongst many, particularly teenagers and young adults from recent years. This film is called ‘Chronicle'

Directed by Josh Trank and written by Jay Alaimo and Max Landis, Chronicle was released in 2012 through 20^th Century Fox. In its US Box Office hit, it received around £64.6 million.

Chronicle crosses over many sub-genres including drama, horror, mystery and suspense, Sci – Fi and fantasy, so if any of those genres are appealing to you, then this film is definitely well worth the watch!

(Just to warn you before hand, some spoilers will be revealed within this film talking head.) Anyway, for those of you that are unsure what Chronicle is about, here is just a brief summary.

“While attending a party, Andrew, Matt and Steve, three high school students develop a strong friendship after making an incredible discovery underground, in which they gain superpowers. But soon, find their lives spinning out of control and their pact is tested as they embrace their dark sides."                                                                                          

Andrew Detmer is played by Dane Dehaan, who is best known for playing The Green Goblin or Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man, Steve Montgomery played by Michael B. Jordan famous for starring in The Wire, an American crime drama TV series and Matt Garetty is played by Australian actor Alex Russell who is widely known for his role in the 2013 edition of Carrie.

The use of three young current actors helps to add to the popularity of the film. Often if a person is a fan of particular actor or even a director, then it is common for them to watch another media production they have participated in. This helps to promote and gather a larger target audience as well as it original intended audience which is classed as a PG-13 film (due to intense action and violence, thematic material, some language, sexual content and teen drinking)

OPENING SEQUENCE

In the opening scene there is complete darkness in the shot but we hear the diegetic sound of banging and we then here a male character which is Andrew, arguing with another male character, his father. We then see mid-shot of a camera which is focusing on a door which has mirror on the front of it and through the mirror we then see the reflection of Andrew (Dane Dahaan) sitting behind the camera which is on a tripod.

Low key lighting is used with the use of natural lighting coming through a window behind Andrew. This helps to represent the atmosphere that is surrounding the characters in the scene because we notice from the tone of Andrew’s father’s voice, it is very aggressive which helps to suggest the tension and strain in their relationship.

MID-POINT SEQUENCE

Another scene which I will analysis is during the mid-point of the film. This is when we start to see Andrew, I guess, start to become more of a villain, where he begins to realise the impact of his powers which really shows to the target audience his very dark personality.

Within the short clip, we see Andrew situated at three different settings. The first location has connotations of a high school. We know this because there is groups of students gathered together in their supposedly “friendship groups” and holding props such as bags, books and folders. We see Andrews’s perspective, through the camera, as he walks through the hallway of the high school. Using quick jump shots we see Andrew perform his powers in front of the other school students. 

We then see him at two other locations: toilet cubicle and scrap yard. The use of the frontality shot is effective because it provides the viewers with the feeling that they he is looking directly at them. This is vitally important as within in this shot, he is performing a monologue in which he discusses what’s he’s done with his powers and the way he feels no remorse for the damage he has caused. Because he is at an isolated venue, this also helps to portray his position and poor interaction with the rest of society. 

During the monologues he uses lot of hand gestures which help suggest that the points he’s making are important. We then see him towards end of the clip, we are shown how much power he has with the help of computer generated imagery, the audience are made to think that he has the power to make a car get crushed together by scrunching his one hand together. 

Closing Sequence/Final Fight Sequence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m7z7HGZY9M

This final scene overall proves why I chosen to analysis this film. Although this is when gorier and bloody scenes appear more, I just purely became so engaged and captivated by the way the film is shot, how it is edited and the action content demonstrated. There is predominant use of continuity editing within the scene. For example through the use of computed generated imagery we see Andrew jumping from one building to the next and then there is a smooth shot of him landing on top of the other building. 

The reason why I love this film is because instead of using just one main camera, there is use of other cameras to get other perspectives of the main event that is happening. For example we see Matt grabbing Andrew, forcing him to stop with his powers, but they fly through the air and then through the middle of a building and we see this action take place through a security camera and then when they land on the road, we see this through a camera inside of a police car. This is an effective method of filming because it helps to create a sense of realism within the film.

In this scene, Andrew is wearing a hospital gown and becomes covered in blood when he bashes through buildings. The use of blood around the characters face and body is effective because the colour red helps to emphasise power and danger. It also raises blood pressure, which helps to scare the target demographic. The use of dark black smoky eyes is efficient because it helps to create a sense of mystery but also evil. The use of this colour is also used like a facial mask to help represent death.

Media Film Theories (Todorov and Propp)

Chronicle does justify Todorov’s narrative/plot theory:

-It begins with a state of equilibrium – Andrew, Matt and Steve are happy at school and go to party with some fellow school students.

 -There is then a disruption of that order – They discover an unusual object underground and gain superpowers from it.

-We then witness the recognition that the disorder has occurred – Discover and experiment with their powers, but end up killing an innocent person accidently and when Andrew uses his superpowers to control the weather, Steve gets struck by lightning and dies.

-There is an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption – Final fight scene – Andrew powers become too strong and causes damage to surrounding area. Matt, becomes the hero and uses his powers to try and save the town and to stop Andrew from causing any more danger.

-Finally there is a return or restoration of a new equilibrium – Matt has to result in killing Andrew, as it only way to conclude his powerful actions.

PROPP CHARACTER THEORY

The film also follows Propp’s character theory, however in most films it is common and is shown almost immediately to the audience who the hero and villain are in the narrative, but within this film, events happen to the characters which then determine who is the hero and villain. Andrew realises the impact his powers have which then makes him want to be superior over others and has no remorse in destroying objects or even people, which concludes him to becoming the antagonist and Matt, who also has these super powers, but has realised the negative impact and has to step in and try to stop Andrew from creating any more damage, which then makes him become the protagonist of the narrative. Steve, the other friend who gains superpowers too becomes the ‘helper’ as he assists Matt before he gets killed as a result of Andrew’s dangerous actions.

So, I personally feel that Chronicle is a great produced film and as you can see, has gained a lot of popularity since its release. So I would definitely recommend seeing this film, if it has interested you! Thank you for watching! I'm Isabelle Pollock, and that has been my talking head! 

Assignment 1: Film Language -- Editing Analysis (Hot Fuzz - The Battle for Sandford)

Assignment 1: Film Language -- Sound Analysis (Sherlock Holmes Clip)

Assignment 1: Film Language -- Carrie 1976 (Mise-En-Scene Analysis)

Carrie (1976)

Carrie features typical connotations of a classic horror film. This is portrayed through use of lighting and colour. The use of low key lighting for the house location, as it is set in a rural area, is effective because it helps to create a dark, spooky atmosphere. Also the use of low key lighting for the set of a school prom, with the use of intense rich colours such as dark blue and red and use of multiple spotlights, helps to create a mysterious and very anxious atmosphere, almost hinting to the audience and allowing them to suspect that something dramatic is going to happen. This is represented through the colour red because it emphasises power, strength and aggression and the colour dark blue helps to emphasises integrity and seriousness.

The various use of props such as knives, blood, fire and water help convey the theme of violence which is a typical convention of a horror film and this also reflects through the protagonists characteristics. For example, the use of fire helps to suggest the anger and passion of the protagonist’s feelings and emotions because of the way she has been treated by other characters. The use of a cross helps to show the religious iconography used, which is another common theme used in a stereotypical horror film.

The body language and movement is helped emphasised through the use of quick continuity shots. For example, the protagonist uses a lot of sharp/quick head turns when using her telekinesis powers. This is often used in horror films to help create a feeling of tension and to help create a sense of confusion for the audience, making them feel scared when it is necessary in the film. The protagonist’s predominant facial expressions, often widening her eyes, helps to show as female lead character, how superior she is over the rest of the characters featured in the film. We’re able to notice that through these emotions of frustration and anger, it helps to build tension and create terror for the target demographic.

The leading character has very naturalistic make-up and hair. This is to suggest how weak and vulnerable she is because she is targeted and is a victim of bullying and the audience are made to sympathise with her character. But towards the end of the film, we see how this contrasts, because when she is covered in blood, we notice the binary opposition in personality traits because we notice how the character develops strength and is now more powerful.