Self-Reflexive Documentary

How does your film conform to the conventions of the film movement you chose?

 

The film movement that I chose was self-reflexive documentary and the main source of inspiration for the film was 2012 self-reflexive documentary by Sarah Polley, The Stories We Tell. Similarly to The Stories We Tell the genre was easily identified throughout due to the fact that many of the techniques that I used have connotations with self-reflexive documentaries. For instance, within my film I used archive footage in order to illustrate the strong relationship with my mother and my brother therefore fulfilling another convention of self-reflexive documentary which is to make it personal and emotive. In addition to this, I filmed the technical aspects of how the documentary is made by showing camera and lighting equipment in order to highlight how self-reflexive documentaries are real life which ultimately makes the content of the film more relatable. Furthermore, I, as the film maker, interacted with the participators not only to make my family feel more at ease but also to show that there was minimal filming crew and therefore making the film much more honest and real. As a result of this my self-reflexive documentary easily identifies in this genre due to the number of conventions that were used.

Although there was not much of a story within the film, as it was more revolved around my family member’s answers to the questions, there was a linear narrative with archive footage from around a year ago edited in to give a sense of who these people were and their close relationship with each other. The linear narrative ensured that the film adhered to its genre conventions of being as close to reality as possible, as the audience could understand the thought process of the participators. In addition to this, during the editing process it was ensured that the participator’s pauses and hesitations were kept in the final cut in order to assist the narrative as the film shows my family stopping to think which illustrates how self-reflexive documentary focuses on reality and evokes sympathy amongst the audience. However, similarly to The Stories We Tell within the film there were certain moments where there was a story. For instance, when my mother talks about when my cat died. Therefore these stories helped the film further conform to the genre conventions and drive the narrative. Although, the film failed to have much of a plot as there was no screenplay as it was important that the self-reflexive documentary stayed as close to reality as possible. If there was a script it would have seemed fake and the participators would not have space to tell their truth which would ultimately make the film more relatable to the audience.

There was no specific target audience as it was necessary for the film to be accessible to all, as many self-reflexive documentary spark conversation and evoke thought no matter what category of audience they fit into. As an audience they would most likely experience the preferred reading of the film which was to showcase the difference between an adult and a child’s responses to a series of philosophical questions whilst simultaneously highlighting the close relationship of a family. However, as a spectator, the individual member of an audience, it is possible that they could have had a more negotiated reading as they would be a lot more free to think on their own experiences and possibly relate it to the self-reflexive piece. It would be highly unlikely that the audience or spectator would receive an oppositional reading as the film isn’t polysemic and there is no intended hidden meaning, as the film conforms to the conventions of the genre of being truthful and evoking an emotional response rather than being like a surrealist film where there is room for different interpretations.

 

In regards to representation there were two main groups of people that were being represented which were children and adults, as my brother is nine and my mother is forty-three. This representation was vital in order for the message of the film to be clear which was to illustrate the difference in opinions between children and adults. The self-reflexive documentary also has the capacity to represent the different genders, as the participant’s genders differ, however it was not the intention of the film to raise issues around gender roles. It is important to note that both the participants are heterosexual and white, which could be quite significant as the questions that were asked may have been responded to differently if they were ethnic minorities or LGBT+. Another area of representation that is explored is that my brother is more middle class whereas my mother is working class which is possibly why they would have different answers and ideologies when it came to answering some questions as they were brought up in different backgrounds.

 

Kuleshov Effect

Surrealism

Scene From Love Actually

Making A Cup Of Tea In The Style Of Edgar Wright

The Hunger Games: A blockbuster action or a social realism film?

The Hunger Games (2012) is a film based on Suzanne Collins’ novel directed by Gary Ross, staring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. In reference to the macro elements of film (narrative, genre, representation, and audience) this essay will conclude that The Hunger Games is in fact a social realism film and not just an action film.

One reason the film can be classed as social realism is due to its representation as it includes: the wealthy and the poor, ethnic minorities, and male and female roles. Given that the 12 districts portray the poor and the capitol conveys the wealthy, this could be seen as reflecting real life where the wealthy dictate and control the lower classes. Furthermore, Rue is from district 11 where the majority seem to be ethnic minorities thus imitating reality as historically, and still in certain places in the world, black people and other ethnicities have been segregated from white people. In addition to this, the way in which male and female characters are represented contradicts the way we might view these genders in real life. For example, Katniss Everdeen is portrayed as being emotionless and strong, “He made me look weak”, and Peeta Mellark is conveyed as being more compassionate and less serious than Katniss. This brings light to gender stereotypes that are apparent in our society and tries to challenge them. Therefore, The Hunger Games can be received as a social realism film due to its representation that reflects but also challenges society in reality.

However, The Hunger Games could also be described as an action film with elements of other genres. For instance, the growing relationship between Peeta and Katniss throughout the film could imply the film is in fact a romance although it could also be argued that this romance is important to the story as it results in the audience forming an emotional attachment with the characters and that this doesn’t necessarily mean that the film is a romance. The Hunger Games also has aspects of comedic dialogue however it would be incorrect to class the film as a comedy as this is just much needed comic relief to the social realism genre that it is. The film may have been considered as an action film in order to drive audiences to see it at the cinema, as action films usually do better at the cinema than social realism films. This is because action films tend to be more of a spectacle with CGI and sound effects whereas with social realism films most people prefer to discuss them during the film and the budgets are normally smaller so there isn’t a need to see it on a huge screen. So therefore by classing The Hunger Games as an action film it would have earned a higher worldwide gross, $694,394,724, compared to a film classed as a social realism film such as Pride which accumulated $7,285,099.

The narrative of The Hunger Games emphasises that the film is more of a social realism than an action film. The plot is in a linear sequence with a number of flashbacks throughout to help the audience understand the characters more, this highlights that the film can be categorised as social realism as reality also follows a linear structure. There is also predictable chain of effects with cause and effect taking place which also relates to what happens in real life as it is fairly predictable with consequences, which usually isn’t an action film convention as action films tend to be unpredictable and quite unrealistic. On the other hand, it can be argued that the film still includes moments of action such as the killing and fighting of the tributes as well as Katniss running from the fire and animals that they put into the game. However, the film includes more that would categorise it as social realism such as gender stereotypes, the capitol having sovereignty over the districts, as well as the divide between the rich and the poor. All of which relate to real social and political issues in the world.

The different genre conventions of The Hunger Games appeal to many audiences so it is difficult to argue if it is an action or a social realism film purely based off of the audience that the film pulls in. The Hunger Games appeals to teenagers and young adults as that was what Suzanne Collins’ novel appealed to; in addition to this, the film was given a 12A certificate in  order to maximise young audiences to go and see it. This may imply that the film is more of a romance/action film as this is what usually appeals to younger audiences. However, The Hunger Games still appealed to many adults due to its hidden social realism elements.

Pride Vlog

Pride Script

Representation

Pride (2014) is an autobiographical comedy drama about the 1984-85 miner’s strike and how the group LGSM helped to raise money and awareness for the miners. The film represents a few different social and cultural groups such as: Women, Gays, Lesbians, Londoners, the Welsh, and the Government and Police. The ideas that are being conveyed about said groups are the following: women are portrayed as being inspirational, for example, Sian James was just a typical housewife who went on to become the MP for the Swansea constituency. Women are also represented as being firm and telling their husbands and male friends to stop being so stuck in their ways and actually communicate with the gay community. This representation accurately reflects what was going on at the time as there were women’s action groups who would help out the miner’s by raising money, collecting food and helping out in any way they could. Gay people are represented in the film by being more enthused by progress than the straight people. Their role in the film is also to highlight the AIDs crisis at the time as well as Joe’s character highlighting the legal age for straight people was 16 whereas for gay people it was 21. Gay and Lesbian people are also represented as being much more fun than straight people, this representation may be for the interest of the audience as it adds much needed comic relief. The representation of the Welsh and the Londoners differs as the welsh are conveyed as being much slower towards change and the Londoners are represented by most of the gay characters as people who like to party and are politically active. Finally, it can be argued that the Government and Police are represented in the interests of a more left-wing audience. As some of the characters mention their hate towards Conservative prime minister of the time, Margaret Thatcher. The film also illustrates how the police laughed in many of the picketer’s faces and were quite brutal when at marches. However, it is unfair to say that the film is just trying to push its political agenda as it does accurately represent the events and people at the time. For instance, there were 5 deaths during the strike and 11,000 arrests. So therefore, the story of ‘Pride’ needed to be told because it shows the police brutality many people faced. It is also a true story that was so nearly forgotten due to the Conservative party never properly addressing the strike that led to many needed legislation involving the workplace and gay rights.

Audience

Pride’s gross revenue was £16.7million USD, which highlights that the film was more designed to be watched at home with family friends rather than go to the cinema to see it as it is not a blockbuster. On the other hand, many people may have wanted to go to the cinema to see it as the film has a top billed cast including: Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Imelda Staunton, and Andrew Scott. Even though the story of pride needed to be told so people like Mark Ashton did not die in vain and to tell the other side of the story that may not have been told by the news at the time, many criticised the film for being left-wing propaganda. Therefore the film possibly only appealed to left-wing audiences and to the LGBT+ community rather than to a wider range of people. However, Pride won ten awards, including a BAFTA, and received 91% on rotten tomatoes which reiterates how the story did need to be told as it managed to get such a positive reception. Although, the film was still criticised for not using any Welsh actors and for its lack of ethnic minorities. However, overall the story of ‘Pride’ is a story that needed to be told as it highlights the struggle that miners and gay people faced at the time, whose story was brushed over for many years by biased news outlets.