Discuss some specific discoveries you have made in applying a critical approach to your chosen film. [30]

Fight club is a polysemic film. Many of the messages and details in the film can go unnoticed on first viewing and applying critcal theory to this film has helped me understand it. I think the theory of the crisis of masculinity is best to apply as the entire movie's main theme is men fighting against society and the supression of their masculinity.

In the basketball room scene the men at the support group show this with there framing showing femininity being low down under the mise en scene of a basketball hoop representing the ideals of masculinity with sport. To contrast the basketball hoop, instead of using it the men are sat in a circle talking about there feelings in a wide shot this shows they have lost the masculine way of life. The Narrator feels like there a being made by society to be like this. This is shown by a close up of The Narrator looking emotionless and reinforces the idea that film is about rejecting society. We see that  behind one of the men Tyler flashes on the screen for less than a second this is edited in to show that is the moment the Narrator felt he needed to create Tyler to change what he is seeing. This is not noticeable at first but during multiple viewings and this it happens many times before Tyler is introduced as a character in the film.This also relates the films meta narrative, the film knows it is a film, with Tyler later on editing single frames into films just like what is shown here.

I think the crisis of masculinity can also be applied to the bathroom scene where see Tyler refer to the issues he feels which represent his crisis of masculinity. "we are generation of men raised by women" this shows how they feel there problems are due to their childhood and that for the purpose of their masculinity they have to reject woman and anything feminine showing the films misogynistic undertones. Tyler is framed right next to the narrator's head showing they are the same person with the same feelings. Many men would have to same feelings as the narrator as for the majority of the movie he represents the every man. Tyler being their exaggerated persona.

In the final scene of Fight Club we see the narrator chose Marla over Tyler rejecting the ideas of masculinity that Tyler presents in the film. Marla isn't portrayed in a negative way which challenges the Misogynistic messages in the film. She portrayed as quite masculine with the mise en scene of her dark clothing and cigarette in hand. This is also a clear reference to film noir femme fetal charactors. It shows her having a crisis of her own. In the phone call scene a dream like low angle shot showing her suicide she is a confused character wanting to be involved with the narrator but not knowing what is going on.

In the final scene we see that Marla is the one way the narrator wants to be with and has all along. Going against the crisis of masculinity throughout the film. This is shown by the narrator telling everyone else to leave as well as the empty space in wide two shot with just Marla and the narrator in. Now Tyler has gone he doesn't feel the crisis anymore. The non diegetic music is more than just the generic lift music used in most of the film it being an actual song with lyrics. Showing things are more uplifiting, romantic and starting to become normal compared to the insanity of  the narrators life. The two shot shows the silioutes of the narrator and Marla looking like they are wearing similar clothes this relates Tyler's and the crisis in masculinity ideals about men being feminised. This argues against the idea as it really matter after everything that has happened. The narrator is alive and thats what matters.

In conclusion I feel after applying the critical approach of the Crisis of masculinity the discoverys I made showed the film as more polysemic than I first thought with going in and out of that message showing changing nature of how men view masculity. It also contains clearly many other film theory such as freudians Id theory where we see Tyler as the narrator id causing him to give in to temptation. Many critical theories help apprieciate the many details and messages of the film even more than just one.

14. Identify and discuss particular aspects of the experimental films you have studied which have challenged you as spectator.

The experimental film La Jette  has challenged me with its use of still photos to tell a narrative rather than mostly consisting of moving video. This along with the black and white is used in the opening scene to set up the destructive world. It is like you are looking at historical photographs which many of the photos used really were. This challenged me as I am used to mainstream movies being faster and more engaging.

This technique is used for most of the film, although in the bedroom scene we see moving video used in a close up of a woman's eye. This was to difficult to make out for me as it was between many fade transitions which made me unsure if what happened actuality happened. This created a dream like experience relating to the man feeling like this is a perfect life in this scene.

The other thing I feel was challenging was the non diegetic voice over used in the future scene. This was due to how monotone the voice was, on first watch this caused me to lose interest in the film. This made less challenging by the diegetic sound effects the film uses such as the heart beats of the man. This helped me relate to the character as it put me in his position.

Andy Warhol's Heat was also a very challenging film for me as it was made so fundamentally flawed. This was done on purpose to push the boundaries of what a film can be without the conventional technical qualities. For example in the table scene the camera is moving around without focusing on any particularly character or following the conversation. This made it hard to work out what was going on or really care about any of it.

The other thing that made this movie challenging was the characters. There was nobody in the film that I could relate to along with them having no stories or character arcs they meant they acted so inhuman that my only instinct was to dislike them.  In the pool scene the character of Jessica  was made incredibly unlikeable with her performance being loud, vain and uncaring of her own girlfriend's suicide attempt. For this they used a low angle wide shot this does not suite the scene as we cannot see any emotion or conflict taking place and there is nothing else in the shot that we are meant to be seeing. It does not serve a purpose. This made the scene displeasurable to me.

Another film that challenged me was Koyaanasquatsi as the film had no conventional narrative mainly focusing on visuals and the films non diegetic score. This at first made me quite frustrated as in the opening scene I felt like I was waiting for the film to start or for something to happen. This was quite challenging for me as there wasn't anything for me to relate to. As the film went on I felt more for the breathtaking natural landscapes. This made me feel empathy and guilt during the change scene where the editing cuts to man-made buildings for the natural environment that has been destroyed.

In conclusion while I think these aspects have challenged me as a spectator someone else will react differently. Experimental film rely's on the mindset of the viewer watching them. If someone goes into an experimental open to different ways of film making they are less likely to be challenged by them. It also depends on whether they are used to that kind of film. Although even after watching other experimental films, many of these films still challenged because by definition they are all different.

5. Discuss how far the ‘look’ created by cinematography and editing contributes to the impact of the films you have studied for this topic.

I think the look created by cinematography and editing used in films greatly impacts how the audience sees them. In the opening scene of Chunking Express we see smudge motion used. An original cinematography technique Wan Kar Wai created for the film. This creates a disorientating effect for the viewer of the film. It puts them in the perspective of the characters in the film and sets up the feeling and setting of it. This is because Hong Kong was in a confusion time when this film was made and set. This was 3 years before going under Chinese rule this is represented by the Cinematic techniques used with being hard to see what is happening and what is going to happen.

In cafe scene the mise en scene of the Coca Cola logo shows the western influence on Hong Kong and the capitalist values that they felt they would lose when under Chinese rule. This made clear to the audience by having it be lit in bright neon so it is noticeable in the background of a mid shot to the audience. Small Neon lights are used throughout  the film to give it both an original and urban look.

In the bar scene we see the cinematography of the proximity between characters is important as the two shot shows 223 and the Woman's failing relationship having a small distance between them. 223 mentions this himself. The mise en scene of the woman's clothing with the make-up, blond wig and sunglasses shows her as western inspired and similar to a Film Noir character. Giving the audience the impression of what sort of character she is.

La Haine uses much less cinematic techniques using more verisimilitude giving it more of a realistic  look. This is done so audience can listen to the message more given it is close to reality. This is done through hand held cameras in the street scene as well as it being coloured in Black and White this gives it a historical documentary look.

The one scene that doesn't do this is Vinz's dream sequence which is purposely made different from the rest of the film with the large empty wide shot and non diegetic music. This contrasts the verisimilitude used in the rest of the film. This is done so when he wakes up we are brought more into reality.

In the park scene we also see differences in conseved reality with the editing.the film cuts between two different shots of Vinz speaking. With the wide shot of all the characters representing what is really happening and the close up shot of Vinz representing what the media show. The high angle shot shows how the people look down on the people in the projects and the park enclose looking like an animal inclosure showing how they were treated.

In City of God we see the colour is overly exposed to show the harsh nature of the Favelas and the environment they are in. The non linear editing in the opening shows a documentary style
so they can learn Rocket's story from a first person perspective. It also shows contrast for different periods of time.

In the party scene we the cinematgraphy of a two shot to show the conflicting ideals of two characters, Benny and Lil Ze. There is more shadow around Lil Ze showing him more of a morally corrupt character while the mise en scene of Benny's clothing is more light colours and his hair is dyed blonde.

In conclusion think the look created by cinematography and editing contributes to the impact of the films as they create the film itself and make it unique, meaningful and interesting for the audience but they are not the only things that contribute to the look of the film. The mise en scene also changes how a film looks. The story and character are also important to consider as that is what the audience are meant to follow. The context is also important as you may not appritiate a lot of the visual without understand them.

14. ‘Experimental and Expanded Film/Video most often offers artistic representations which open our senses to new ways of experiencing aspects of our world.’ Explore what kinds of demands this makes on the spectator.

I think that experimental film challenges the spectator in the case of it being watched in a different way to mainstream films. In mainstream films we see films as having the movement, image and sound as expected to appeal to our senses. With experimental film it is made to be different and can be more challenging for the spectator.

For example the film Koyaanasquatsi there is no dialogue or conventional narrative. Instead the movie focuses on the visuals of the many establishing shots and the score. The aim of this is to create an emotional response within the audience. In the opening credits it mostly consists of a black screen which takes a long period of time accompanied by humming of the films title. This made me feel bored, as well as humour when I get the idea that this is all the film is.

In the change scene we see that the films  message of life out of balance is presented as it cuts harshly between a the wide shot of the natural world and similar shot of the built up city. This shows how different the world has become and makes us look at the world differently as the first half of the movie we see the world from the perspective of the rocks, the plants and the wind. This made me feel bad when all of that went away. After this I felt the movie started to drag as I already got the message of the film and felt I had seen all the film could be.

La Jette is made to be different from mainstream films with the way it is edited being mostly static shots for long lengths of shot. At the start this was quite jarring for me as my senses had to adjust to pace and technique. The sound is also made hard as there is no music and very monotone non- diegetic voiceover with a few diegetic sound effects this made me feel bored at first. This is in black and white which gives it a historical feel like looking through old photos or at a museum. We are looking at the future like we are looking at the past.

The pace of the film is not like this all the way through the film in the bedroom scene there is a short piece of video. I did not notice this at the first because at that point in the film my senses had adapted to it. It seems so out of place it made me question whether it happened or not. The past scenes contrast from the gritty mise en scene of the future this make us appreciate the time we are living in more.

In Jan Svankmajer's Alice we see the sense of sound is purposely off with the footsteps in the following rabbit scene being off key. This creates a distorted effect on me knowing something is not right but not picking up on instantly. The visuals also give the effect of the uncanny vally with the doll scene having the mise en scene of the porceline mask look disturbing. While the story has nothing dark and in it the mise en scene and the colour make it seem more adult take on the story. Makes us question what is good and wholesome and what is dark or creepy blurring the lines between them.

In conclusion I think that Experimental films do offer artistic representations which open our senses in many different ways and that does sometimes affect how we see the world but I don't think this affects everyone equally. Some people may be very affected by these film while others may have no reaction at all. It varys between people.

How far should the films you have studied for this topic be seen in relation to their particular time and place? [35]

The movie La Haine represents Paris in 1995 this is set up by the opening credits of the film showing real footage of the Paris riots. This provides context to situation and rebellious feeling of the characters. This shot implies violence as we say mulitiple people in the wide shot angry shouting and moving. The audience would reconise that this led to violence. This real footage gives the movie Verrisimilude. The fact that is in black and white takes away the ideas of colours possibly taking away it just being about France as its what happens that matters no the colour.

In the bridge scene we see Paris clearly represented in the mise en scene of the city backdrop in the background. This also gives it it's urban feel and shows how small the characters are in comparison to the city. This is done by having them framed in the centre of the wide shot with the perspective of the city seeming so great compared the them. The characters themselves represents the ideals of France with Vinz representing Liberty, Said fraternity and Hubert Brotherhood.This being shown by the order they are standing in.

In the park scene we see the way people in projects were misrepresnted by the media during that time. With varying of what we see as reality when it cuts between two different shots of the same thing. With the wide shot of all the characters representing what is really happening and the close up shot of Vinz representing what the media show. The high angle shot shows how the people look down on the people in the projects.

The movie Chunking Express shows Hong Kong in 1994 which is just a few years before going from British to Chinise rule. The confusing nature of this is represented in the opening scene where smudge motion is used. This creates a disorientating effect on the viewer so they feel more of the place Hong Kong was at the time.

This also represented by the amount of western imagery we see. This shows the capitalist values that Hong Kong felt they would be losing. In the Cafe scene we see coca cola logos behind faye and later on we 663 infront of a massive Macdonalds logo. The charcters in the film are effected by their western like surroundings.

The diegetic music shows this as in that Cafe scene Faye plays the song "California Dreaming" which shows she wants wants to be part of another culture more than her own. Faye herself ends up leaving Hong Kong to go to California at the end of the movie which is what she wanted. I feel movie in general shows a lot more of other culture as much as it is own which it could be argued represents Hong Kong more.

In City of God we see Favelas in Brazil represented although where this film differs is that it is across multiple different time periods across 3 decades. This shows the ways the Favelas change In the field scene we see an establishing shot showing the traditional Mise en Scene the Favelas had. The diegetic sound is quiet and the shot are bare. It shows how seperate this place was to the rest of society and sets the idea of the poverty the characters are living in.

Later on the movie we see how built up the favela has become contrasting this. In the party scene we see the Favela have become very western inspired with the diegetic music of "Kung fu fighting" as well as the lighting showing it be like a typical lively American party. The mise en scene of Benny's clothing also shows this with his smart shirt and bleached hair. He is trying to look rich and typically non brazillian.

In conclusion I think that films represent the their time and place very well with each film being a clear product of its country. Although it is not the more important than the story and characters to filmmakers are trying to tell.It is may seem like the films represent other cultures such as America but I feel those parts are part of their culture as well.

. Explore how far the application of a particular critical approach has either reinforced or challenged your first impressions of your close study film.

On first viewing Fight Club seems simple enough from a  basic point of view. People can take any of the messages the films seems to present and say the film is about corporations and masculinity or any of anything else. Simplifying the rest of the movie. But once critical theory is applied to the film we see the film is polysemic. There being more to it than one simple message.

In the basketball scene we see the crisis of masculinity being presented through the men at the support group. The mise en scene shows a basketball hoop representing the ideals of masculinity with sport. No-one is uses it. To contrast the basketball hoop we instead see the men sat in a circle talking about there feelings in a wide shot this shows they have lost the masculine way of life. The Narrator feels like there a being made by society to be like this. This is shown by a close up of The Narrator looking emotionless and reinforces the idea that film is about rejecting society. We that see behind one of the men Tyler flashes on the screen for less than a second this is edited in to show this is the moment The Narrator felt he needed to create Tyler to change what he is seeing. This also relates the films meta narrative, the film know it is a film, with Tyler later on editing single frames into films just like what is shown here.

The Crisis of Masculinity can also be applied to the bathroom scene where we see Tyler and The Narrator talking about this very thing. With Tyler saying "we are a generation of men raised by women" this shows they believe there problems come from there childhood and lack of a father figure. It also shows how they feel their masculinity means they have to reject any women from their life in a misogynistic way as that is what is ruining them. This mid shot is framed with Tyler just to the right of the narrators head showing him as a voice in his ear. The mise en scene of this shot is purposely dirty with muddy green colours. This shows how bad their life is when they are trying to be free. It challenges my thoughts that their life is better when rejecting society from The Narrators point of viewer. Seeing it as a viewer it seems a mess and it is foolish that they live like that.

In the final scene of Fight Club we see the narrator chose Marla over Tyler rejecting the ideas of masculinity that Tyler presents in the film. Marla isn't portrayed in a negative way which challenges the Misogynistic messages in the film. She portrayed as quite masculine with the mise en scene of her dark clothing and cigarette in hand. This is also a clear reference to film noir femme fetal charactors.

 After the narrator kills Tyler he immediately asks to be alone with Marla despite having to push her away throughout the film. This challenges my intial impressions as he seen to be more free here than before. Free from Tyler and himself. In this wide shot we see the silouttes of Marla and the Narrator looking similar with the mise en scene of the clothing, this relates to Tyler philisophy of men being feminised this not necessarily portrayed as bad. He is calm now.  The music also reflects this changing from the generic lift music used throughout the film to an actual song lifting to mood creating a sort of romantic ending despite all of  the chaos surrounding them.

In conclusion I feel after applying the critical approach of the Crisis of masculinity has challenged the way I initially viewed the film. While a lot of the film does present the ideas of  rejecting society in pursuit of themselves and reinforcing many first impressions. The film is Polysemic presnting much more than that and shows the changing nature of how men view masculinity

How far has critical debate about your chosen film shaped and altered your response? [30] 

I think the critical theory of the crises of masculinity is helpful to the understanding of the movie Fight Club. In the bathroom scene Tylers speech is a great example of what the crisis of masculinity is. When Tyler says “we are a generation of men raised by women” shows how many feel like they what it means to be a man anymore is gone and they have to reject everything feminine. It also shows how it’s a generational problem and how they blame their parents for the crisis This is in a mid-shot showing both with Narrator in front with Tyler by him in the background showing him as like a voice in his ear.  

In the "passing messages" scene also shows a crisis of masculinity in that shows a failing relationship between a man and a woman. The mise en scene of this shot reflects this for how dirty all the furniture is and the mucky green colour of this reflects the mess the narator lives in. This scene also shows Freuds superego theory with Marla representing the superego trying to control the two parts of the narrator him being ID with Tyler Durden as the ego. “I am six years old again, passing messages between parents.” This again relates to his problems coming from when he was growing up.

In the final scene we see the narrator chose the superego of the Id after killing the Tyler he wants to be alone with Marla. This goes against the crisis of masculinity as he now feels okay about accept a woman into his life which goes against the rest of the film. This time we see Marla without the diegetic alarm noises in the background as she is no longer seen as a bad thing. Non-diegetic music used that is more conventional to earlier when “lift” music is used. While so much is going on it ends on a strangely romantic note. In the final shot is framed symmetrical with the mise en scene having both Marla and the narrator’s clothing looking similar. This linking in with the crisis of men being feminised but this it is not seen negatively as the character is seen to be more at peace.