The Band of Outsiders is a hallmark of the French New Wave Movement. The movement was based on challenging the normal conventions of filmmaking and cinematography. They increased the power of the director during movie production, and changed several essential components of a film. The French New Wave Movement switched up editing conventions such as making what would be a cut a long shot or making a long shot a cut. The movement also added other edits such as random cuts, freeze frames, or zoom-ins. The film, Band of Outsiders, presents these concepts and challenges some well established concepts.

This is evident from the beginning of the film as the title plays to a quick strobing sequence of the three main characters faces with no explanation, which is unusual and not present in traditional cinema. A subtle example is when Franz and Arthur are casing out the villa they are planning to rob and Franz pretends to be shot. The scene continues for what seems to be a long time with no cutting to anything else as Franz squirms on the ground. This differs from how traditional media would cut away after a little bit of squirming, but this movie stretches it out for a long time.  A distinct and extremely visible example occurs in the diner scene as Odile says they need a moment of silence and then they all stare at each other without talking for a minute and all sound cuts out. The movie makes the moment of silence literal, which plays to the New Wave concept of bringing the viewer out of their immersion and showing them that they are watching a movie. In traditional filmmaking the opposite effect is desired and they would not break the flow of the movie to such a high degree. The scene later on in the diner when the three protagonists are dancing also breaks the flow. The scene continues for far longer than it should with a lot of narration interlaced. This is unusual as in non-experimental movies the dancing would conclude quicker or there would be a cut. Much of the movie continues without a major example until the scene in the Metro where Odile sings a song while staring directly at the camera. This is another moment where the filmmakers are bringing the viewer out of their immersion by having the actress acknowledge the camera. Actors looking at the camera is something actors are trained to avoid doing even to the modern day so this is a rather unusual event for a viewer to see especially when it is the only such incident in the movie. The fourth wall is broken in a less obvious way later on in the movie when Arthur mentions it being like a “Bad B movie”. This once again breaks the immersion of the viewer but this time in an amusing way.

There are no more major breaks in immersion, but there are several scenes where the scene extends far past where it normally would. For instance, the scene where Franz and Arthur struggle to put a ladder up the window for an extended amount of time, as well as, when Arthur is shot by his uncle and just continues staggering around for a while. These scenes show how the French New Wave directors experimented with the basics of film to see its effect on the viewer and the art of filmmaking. This appears to be the purpose of the French New Wave.

They wanted to go past the boundaries and rules of filmmaking to see how the art could be improved. The French New Wave experimented with many techniques to see what the effect would be, no matter whether the effect was good or bad they wanted to try it to show that it could be done. These men were pioneers opening doors for future creators to not be bound by restrictive ideals, but instead allow everyone to have their own method of cinematography where the viewers decide what they thought was the best. They succeeded in their mission and changed some of the major parts of film. The French New Wave is the reason we have jump cuts, fourth wall breaks and why montages became so popular. They broke the chains holding film back and we should graciously thank them for creating a new revolution in film.

The movie Memories of Matsuko manipulates music in a way that sets it between being a musical and being a regular movie. Scenes are filled with drama and sometimes humor interlaced with musical moments, sometimes small and sometimes large. 

The audience gets a riveting preview of the musical nature in the first scenes as the movie opens up to a fast paced montage overlaid with Japanese pop music. The music returns to the background as we meet the main character and learn that his aunt Matsuko has died. The background music is melancholy and contemplative once we learn Matsuko has died which vaults the viewer in the mindset of the main character as he struggles with feelings about a dead aunt he never knew. The background music later influences the ambiance of the story when the main character is cleaning out his dead aunt’s house and sees a mysterious group of people watching him outside. The music takes a dramatic tone causing us to interpret them as the main character does, in that they must have had a hand in his aunt’s death. We later find out that this is not the case, but the tone of the music compels us to a different conclusion.

Soon after that we receive our first musical flashback dealing with Matsuko. It takes place during Matsuko’s time as a Junior High Teacher, as she sings with a choir travelling down a river on a boat. This song shows one of the important phases in her life where she was happy. Throughout the story each important phase in Matsuko’s life is marked by a musical number showing her feelings toward herself. This first flashback displays her happiness as a Junior High Teacher with a choir song, but this happiness doesn’t last as she steals from another teacher to cover up for a student and is fired. We see music in another flashback, this time as a child. She is in a department store watching a musical act by performers while she makes her father laugh. This musical number demonstrates another era of her life. It shows the childlike part of her life when she was also happy.

The movie moves later on into her life after she fled her parents house and is living with an abusive boyfriend. She has returned to the same store she saw the performance as a kid, but this time the singing brings less joy and even calls out that she is lying to her brother. We can visualize how she has lost the happiness she had as a child through the tone of the music. After this we do not see another musical section until after her abusive boyfriend dies and she becomes the lover of his rival author. The song is similar to a home product commercial before she skips into a cartoon sunset, thus marking another era of her life and happiness. Her happiness is fleeting when her lover breaks up with her after she speaks to his wife, and the song matches this by losing its happy tone.

The movie lays out each major change in her life by song. She works for a brothel which occurs entirely through a montage accompanied by a steamy song, ending in sadness as the brothel closes. She marries a barber in another montage with a song. This song is jubilant and similar to the songs of her youth as she had finally escaped the dark parts of her life. This montage concludes when she is sent to prison, but another montage with a song starts, this time about her life in prison. It is a rap song showing how hard life is in prison ending with her learning to be a hairstylist. This one concludes sorrowfully as she finds out her husband remarried.

After that the montages end and the singing becomes very sparse. She does some singing at a Yakuza bar for her new boyfriend/former student and later sings as she decorates her garbage filled shack. The last musical number is the culmination as Matsuko ascends to heaven. She sings the choir song from her Junior High teacher years and we revisit the major parts of her life before she climbs to heaven. Music in this movie represents the changes in Matsuko’s life, and sets the tone for the audience. 

The movie The Babadook best exemplifies the fear of the unknown. In the movie a widower and her son are haunted by the supernatural Babadook who slowly destroys their lives. Horror movies fixate on phobias and this movie prominently features the phobia of the dark. For most of the movie the Babadook is camoflaged by shadows, which is one of the main ways of obscuration in horror. Most scenes take place at night leaving us uneasy and wondering if the Babadook is hiding in the shadows. This is part of a larger attempt by the movie to keep its namesake monster as obscured as it can, which leaves us wondering what the Babadook really is. We often see his shadow or his outline in the dark, but it isn’t until he appears in an old black and white television program that we see his true form. Even when he is not obscured by the dark he was obscured by video distortion in the television. There are times when the viewer believes they can see the Babadook in broad daylight, but these are simply instances of priming. The movie will make it seem like a coat and hat hanging on the wall are the Babadook in order to make us let our guard down when we later see the outline of the Babadook’s signature look. An example of this is when the mother goes to the police station and looks at a coat rack. Previously, the movie was only priming us, but this time we let our guard down and it really is the Babadook on the coat rack. This priming creates one of the most important feelings in a psychological horror film, the feeling of confusion. The viewer doesn’t understand what the monster really is, its ultimate goals for the family, why it is stalking them, or when it will appear. The longer the viewer stays in this state of uncertainty the longer the tension is built up. The Babadook dedicates most of the movie to building up the tension and the fear of what the Babadook intends to do with the mother and son. The long waits between tense scenes make those few times where we do see the Babadook far more impactful. For most of the movie the viewer does not believe the Babadook is real because only the child can see it. As the film progresses we start catching more glimpses and aggressive sightings until the mother cannot ignore the issue and it all bubbles over. This tension pays off at the end when she is possessed by the Babadook and kills her dog before being trapped and cured by her son. Another great way they introduce tension is with sound. During scenes of building tension the movie is dead silent leaving the viewer on edge waiting for a tension breaking moment, but often times nothing happens leaving us worried about a possible scare. The opposite happens when the tension is finally broken as the music rises in volume expressing an appearance of the Babadook or other critical moment. In some scenes the Babadook may not be noticed until the music signifies its presence such as in the scene where it appears in the neighbors closet. The voice of the child also contributes to the sound of the movie. He often screams and whines which tires out the viewer just as it tires out the mother. The story of the Babadook is a parallel to the feelings the family feels after the death of the father. The Babadook comes around the anniversary of his death and even takes his form at the end of the movie. The mother takes the anger she gets from the Babadook out on her child as if she is angry that her husband died while taking her to the hospital when she was giving birth to him. The ending scene where the mother feeds the Babadook worms in the basement shows that the pain will never leave, but she now has control of it and won’t let it possess her as it did before.

Production design is an essential component of every movie and it is comprised of various elements combined into one large umbrella term. Almost every aspect of what the viewer sees is a part of production design. Production design covers such topics such as color, use of space, props, outfits, and architecture. Some prime examples of these particular subjects can be seen in Moonrise Kingdom which I will use to discuss these topics of production design. The use of color in production design is a very prolific part that many viewers might not even notice. Color can set the mood for the audience, make people, areas, or objects stand out, or show a transition in a character’s personality. In Moonrise Kingdom all these uses can be recognized, such as the overwhelming use of yellow in the beginning, but as the mood intensifies and the storm gets worse the scenes take on a darker color scheme. This takes the viewer from a blissful mood to a tense mood as the kids are on the verge of being caught by the authorities. The use of color to create discord between objects or people can be seen when it is used on Suzy throughout the movie. Her outfit is one of the only uses of pink in the movie as well as her blue eyeshadow being one of the few uses of blue. This is done to make her look out of place which is the way she feels about herself. Suzy’s outfit is also used to show a transition, because as she becomes comfortable with her surroundings she wears a beret that is not pink which makes her color stand out less among all the others. The other major part of production design employed in Moonrise Kingdom was the use of space. Use of space can be divided into three main elements, those being architecture, size and scale, and geography. Geography is where the movie takes place in the world, and is the least important element in Moonrise Kingdom because the exact part of the world the movie takes place in is not given. Architecture is the way sets and buildings are layed out to provide information without directly telling the audience. In Moonrise Kingdom architecture is utilized more than geography. One such example is Camp Ivanhoe. The camp is layed out with very straight and orderly rows of tents, illustrating to the viewer how strict the lives of the Khaki Scouts are. The use of size and scale are not major parts of the movie. The most essential areas of production design are the use of props and outfits. Which are used intricately in Moonrise Kingdom. Every single outfit provides insight into the character, or tells the audience something without speaking out loud. Suzy’s outfit and Sunday shoes show her inexperience with the woods while Sam’s raccoon cap and scout outfit display his wilderness expertise. We can see the strictness of the camp leader by his perfectly groomed scout outfit as well as the coldness of the Child Services Lady by her outfit. The selection of props are essential. They can advance the plot or provide additional information to the watcher.  These props can provide obvious information, or be more passive about what they are telling the audience. An example of a less obvious use of props was observed in the Scout Master’s tent. Towards the end of the movie the Scoutmaster now has a picture of the female phone operator he met during the movie thus showing their relationship that we would not have noticed otherwise. A more noticeable use of props occurs when Sam and Suzy take inventory of their belongings. Suzy brings several items that express her character. She brings a music player exemplifying her naivety for surviving in the woods. She also brings several books displaying her love of reading, sense of adventure, and her kleptomania. Her love of books and troubled nature are combined when she takes a book from her parents about dealing with a very troubled child. Overall there are many different parts of production design that must come together to make a good movie.

The 2006 thriller “The Children of Men” was at the forefront of cinematography in the early 2000’s with its impressive use of long takes, tracking shots, and other cinematographic techniques. The impressive use of long takes must be discussed before other techniques. Many instances throughout the movie when the protagonist and others are in the car, the scene will be a long continuous shot that spins around the inside of the car. One of the most famous scenes in the movie occurred when Theo, Kee, and the other members of the group were riding in the car when they are ambushed as a flaming vehicle blocks the road. While they are attacked the camera pans around in all directions to show the attack. We see Julian get shot by a man on a motorcycle while others throw rocks at the car as they try to flee. The way they captured this scene was considered a technological breakthrough for that time. According to the Behind the Scenes from the movie they built a giant rig on top of a car to allow for free movement of the camera, because the camera man would not be able to fit in the car and move around as they needed. This scene was groundbreaking and took so long to do that they only had one chance to film it. Similarly long scenes take place later in the movie. One such scene that was taken in one long shot is when Kee gives birth to a baby in the Bexhill Refugee Camp. Another very remarkable long take occurred towards the end of the movie when Theo, Kee, the baby, and others try to reach a boat by travelling through the streets of Bexhill as a war between the rebels and police wages between them. This shot is perhaps the most impressive as it lasts for over 6 minutes. The shot follows the group from them starting to head out all the way to Theo rescuing Kee from the building the fishes are fighting in. This scene is shot in a way that makes the viewer perceive it as a POV shot. The chaos of the scene is increased by having a wide angle shot allowing more destruction to be captured at once, thus overloading the viewer with new information and dragging them into the feelings the characters would have. The shot is equivalent to the viewpoint of a person following the characters in the street would see. The shot is eye level with the camera shaking and even being splattered with blood. Much of the rest of the movie is filmed in a similar format with the camera acting like the POV of a witness to the events. There are also times where it acts like the POV of a character in the car, such as in the farm escape, or a character sitting down and talking to another character, like Theo and his friend speaking at the beginning. The POV shot is used quite often because the Cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, wanted it to seem like a raw documentary. These POV shots were also tracking shots because they followed characters, such as the beginning cafe scene, the farm escape scene, and especially during the final long shot of the war ridden refugee camp. The filmmakers and cinematographers wanted us to feel like we were witnessing the events firsthand. They achieved this through their use of POV tracking, as well as filming the movie to appear through the lens of the main character’s experiences. We were not privy to information the main character did not know. We witnessed what Theo witnessed the way he did, such as him overhearing the Fishes’ plan at the farm. We don’t cut away from Theo to a seperate scene of the Fishes speaking we instead see them through the window Theo is looking through and barely hear what they are saying. In a sense this cinematography allows us to feel we are in Theo’s place. This same effect is best expressed during the scene where Theo is walking through the soldiers in the warzone with Kee and the Baby. The Soldiers are looking directly at the camera and we are seeing everything from Theo’s POV. In conclusion, the cinematography of POV shots makes the viewer feel like they are really in the circumstances of the movie, while the long takes break new ground in the field and awe the viewer.

The film Jurassic Park is an amazing example of the merging of practical effects with visual effects. The film was one of the first to popularize the use of computer generated imagery in filmmaking. Jurassic Park used ground-breaking visual effects to supplement its use of practical effects, which truly brought the dinosaurs to life on the screen. To begin we must discuss the practical effects present. The film contained many impressive props such as entire dinosaur skeletons, prop cars, and Jurassic Park uniforms. It also contained the use of simulated blood such as in the scene where Dr. Sattler finds the cut off arm of Ray Arnold after he was attacked by raptors. There was also use of make up effects such as the scratches and wounds the characters receive throughout the movie along with the mud and dirt covering them. In addition to make up effects there was also use of pyrotechnics when Dr. Hammon’s grandson was shocked by the electric fence causing it to spark and smoke. The greatest practical effects present were the movie’s animatronic dinosaurs. The major dinosaur animatronics that appeared throughout the film were the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Brachiosaurus, and Dilophosaurus. The Brachiosaurus animatronic consist of the neck and head. This was used in the scene where the children and Dr. Grant interact with it while it eats from the tree they are in. The scene was shot to only show the head and neck of the dinosaur which prevents the audience from seeing the supports of the animatronic. The animatronics for the Triceratops and Dilophosaurus were constructed differently because they were full body animatronics, not just heads as the Brachiosaurus had been. According to the Stan Winston School of Character Arts the Dilophosaurus was operated by puppeteers from a trench underneath it with its spit actually being shot out from underneath the tongue by a paintball mechanism. The Triceratops animatronic contained no hydraulics and was instead operated by cables and pulleys with a post in the chest moving up and down to simulate breathing. There was also make-up effects on the triceratops as they added puss and saliva to its mouth to simulate illness. The Tyrannosaurus Rex  was a mixture of both computer generated imagery and an animatronic. The animatronic of the T-Rex was the largest one they had created at thirty seven feet long. According to the Stan Winston School of Character Arts it was made by attaching plywood to an aluminum speed rail which was covered by chicken wire and fiberglass for them to apply clay to. This animatronic was used for scenes showing an up close view of the T-Rex such as the scene where it attacks the kids in the car. On the other hand, the scenes showing the T-Rex running or full body shots were computer generated. CGI was used during the jeep chase scene and during the attack on the tour vehicles. Those scenes involving the CGI T-Rex were often rainy or during nighttime which helps to mask the lower quality skin texture, which was an issue for CGI at the time. Techniques used to mask the lower skin quality texture were used for other scenes too, such as the scene when Dr. Grant and the others see the dinosaurs for the first time. They see a Brachiosaurus and several other dinosaur herds, but they are all seen from a distance which had the same masking effect as the rain. The shot was made by combining two different shots, one of the actors and one of the dinosaurs in the background. According to Business Insider the way they did CGI was they took a laser scan of the dinosaur models and uploaded it to a computer where they added joints and skin to the scan. They would then render each frame at 12 hours a frame before doing a composite shot of the dinosaurs and the actors. All in all the process took a year for all the CGI, which shows the overwhelming dedication the filmmakers had towards the project. Overall the film Jurassic Park displays the dedication in its extensive use of practical and visual effects. The fusion of animatronics and CGI brings extinct animals back to life on the screen.

The motion picture Whiplash was a bothersome to watch film. Witnessing the appalling and unnecessary abuse the character suffered from his teacher, Terrence Fletcher, and the sense of loneliness that permeated the movie unnerved me. The movie appeared to have the desire to create discomfort and sympathy for Neiman, by using cinematic techniques to put the audience in his state of mind. One such example was how many scenes contained just the main character, Andrew Neiman, and no other characters, thus the audience begins to feel separated from all the other characters. Another technique was how the movie focused mainly on the musical career of Neiman and leaves little time for the rest of his life, which is similar to how Neiman was portrayed in the movie. This allows the audience to feel the stress Neiman feels as we are shifted between musical practices filled with verbal abuse from Terence Fletcher to scenes of Neiman practicing drumming till his hands bleed. Just like Neiman the audience has no reprieve from frantic practice to horrible beration, thus thrusting the audience into the stressful mindset of the main character. This psychological discord makes those with the toughest constitution flash back to their stressful days of class and long study filled nights, creating even more empathy to Neiman. The abuse Neiman received seems to abate at times, but quickly returned as he gains his position as core drummer then loses it by a whim, meaning the audience is kept on its feet because the story can take a turn at any moment. We as the audience are never truly able to get comfortable as any stable time in Neiman’s life is almost immediately punctuated by bouts of dehumanization that would make most people cringe. Throughout Whiplash we see Neiman’s desire to be a successful drummer only to witness his hopes get dashed to pieces. During times of Neiman’s success the image is brightly lit such as in a cafe or bus ride, but when his hopes are bludgeoned the image turns darker such as an alley at night which subtly leads our emotions to those of Neiman’s. When Neiman encounters those close to him the audience fills with the hope that he could get pardoned from the abuse, but none of his family or associates seem to understand his trials and tribulations causing him to cast them aside. The fast high-paced beat of Fletcher’s orchestra can be felt by the audience through the movie’s use of cuts during musical numbers. When Neiman is thrust into Fletcher’s orchestra the movie cuts back and forth rapidly between different instruments never quite letting the audience focus or calm down. This happens several times throughout the movie, sometimes with this montage of cuts followed up by a highly discomforting conglomerate of cuts containing Neiman rapidly practicing drums till his hands bleed. As the movie progresses his practice montages become more frantic and aggressive, paralleling his descent into anger. One montage contains him replacing bandages on his wounds and shoving his hands into ice water, with one of his final practices showing him smash his drum kit to bits. By having each subsequent montage have more and more rapid cuts we can see how Neiman is drained and pushed to his limits as the film goes on. One such scene I really liked was the movie cross-cutting between Fletcher forcing the three drummers to practice for hours as the other students took a break outside. This montage increased the feeling that the other students truly do not know what Neiman is going through, causing even more sympathy for the protagonist. There is another montage of cuts when Neiman is travelling to the competition before he gets into an argument with Fletcher and when he is travelling back to grab his drumsticks before he is hit by a car. These cuts increase the intensity of the scene as the audience wonders whether Neiman will get back in time, before having his efforts be entirely in vain. Overall these cuts increase the discomfort of the audience by not allowing them to focus during musical scenes and highlighting the unfairness and brutality of Neiman’s treatment. These jump cuts along with scene positioning and lighting changes present a movie that disheartens the audience and forces them into the mindset of its main character, so they feel the distress he felt.

When most people envision Seaworld they probably remember their spectacular orcas. For years Seaworld promoted the orcas heavily in their advertising, but heavy promotion was disastrous for them in the end. Ever since 2014 the Seaworld orcas have been associated with scandal. This association is thanks to the movie Blackfish, which exposed the terrible treatment and cover-ups surrounding the orcas at the theme park. This expose style documentary changed the world’s views on Seaworld and whether it is ethical to keep orcas in containment. Blackfish contains many essential elements of a documentary, but it also provides an excellent example of bias in film. To begin, we must look at the movie’s goals and how it achieved that goal. Blackfish was created with a goal of drawing awareness to the mistreatment of captive orcas, and the clandestine practices of Seaworld. To achieve this objective the documentary used both primary and secondary sources to provide exposition and establish the case against the theme park. The secondary sources are primarily interviews from former employees of Seaworld and scientists knowledgeable in the field. These sources provide the thoughts and experiences of those who have worked up close with the animals this documentary wants to protect. By allowing the events to be retold by people who agree with the message of the film subtly maneuvers the audience view things as the director wants the audience to view them. There is also prevalent use of primary sources such as court documents and video footage. The court documents are from the case in which OSHA sued Seaworld for putting the lives of its trainers in danger because of unsafe working practices. The statements of Seaworld representatives are used to cast doubt on the credibility of the company, along with footage of them leaving the court smiling, implying their ambivalence to the horrific events they were discussing. Footage of the trainers with the orcas along with footage of violent incidents comprise the rest of the primary sources. This footage provides the viewer with factual evidence of the points of the documentary, while allowing them to get a clearer picture of the horrifying events being described. This footage is overlaid with audio from interviews, which shrewdly influences the viewers interpretation of what they are seeing. Thus the movies combined use of primary and secondary sources shape the viewers feelings into a desired viewpoint, thus achieving the director’s goal. After the documentary aired Seaworld’s stock dropped and the park almost went bankrupt. Public opinion on the captivity of orcas and other cetaceans were changed, and protests rocked Seaworld. Seaworld first tried to contest the arguments made in the movie, such as in their article “The Truth About Blackfish” (which is now taken down), but that tactic proved ineffective and Seaworld had no choice but to wait out the storm. Currently Seaworld has promised to end their orca shows in 2019 and no longer breed them, and their stock has almost returned to pre-Blackfish levels. This film and its fallout is an excellent example of how a documentary can change the world and impact the public’s opinions. A distressing documentary can change an entire industry and debilitate a major organization.  A savvy filmmaker can use their skills to make an audience believe anything, but it’s also important to discuss the bad side of this ability. This damaging side is of course biased filmmaking. Despite humanity’s best efforts every person has bias, because every person has their own beliefs and values. When making a movie only some footage can be used, and the filmmakers must decide which to include, and their personal biases effect that decision. This film is heavily affected by such an issue. While the film does bring many serious issues to light, it does not go about it in an unbiased way. The way they filmed the documentary meant Seaworld or its supporters could not provide a rebuttal against the claims, which means viewers only witnessed the information from one side. Even if the creators of Blackfish were trying not to create bias, their inherent dislike of Seaworld and their methods of information collection mean the documentary has an implicit bias. Overall, the documentary Blackfish is an impressive and great lesson in how a well-made film can have a brutal impact, but also how our bias may creep in even if we do not intend it.