Example Of Film Essay

1. In (2003) Movie Lost in Translation, how are the characters of Bob and Charlotte used in establishing the parallel narrative structure of the film?
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation was released in 2003. The movie was a hit during its introduction, and it portrayed a better dramatic visualization of a romantic loves tory in Tokyo. The humorous attitude of the movie displays its relevance with post-modern societies, facilitating rich social and cultural aspects in one of the world’s prominent international cities. The main theme of the movie orbits round the main characters including Bob and Charlotte. These two characters dictate their positive semblance with the story of the movie that belongs to a popular city.
Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson played the characters of Bob Harris and Charlotte respectively, in the movie. The movie is said to address parallel narrative structure through these two characters. Both the characters are interesting and they have their own conflicts with their respective lives. From the story, it is clear that the character of Bob Harris represents an American action film star, who is an aged personality now. Bob arrives Tokyo for his shooting of Suntory Whisky advertisement. He receives two million U.S. dollars for this. Also, Charlotte is also in Tokyo, who is present in a hotel room left by her husband. Charlotte is a young college graduate. Both these characters represent their post-marriage personal conflicts, which at times create a sense of confusion and tiredness of their relationships.
Bob Harris is a married person. He is tired of his twenty-five year old marriage. There is less heat and intimacy between him and his wife. The relationship is proving to be poorly romantic. His marriage suffers due to midlife crisis. It is quite observable from the body language of Bob that he is in some kind of atypical situation. Such personal skirmishes depict the melee and struggle of the character to cope up with the day-to-day challenges.
Similarly, Charlotte is unhappy and unsatisfied with her husband. She does not believe in having her safe future with him. She feels alone and unsecure. Also, she thinks that her husband is relatively more attracted to the models. She is discontented and hopeless as far as their relationship is concerned. Both the characters complement each other and the story advanced throughout. The internal conflicts of the two characters, and at their respective age limits, reassured the aesthetic approach of the director to his story. Both the characters are illustrated beautifully, representing their separate lives and their relevant consequences. Both of them represent unhappy married individuals, who desperately seek change and excitement in their lives.
It is quite observable that bot the characters, Bob and Charlotte, dictate the analogous description of the story of the movie. The descriptive structure of the movie is definitely coming from these characters. For instance, the story begins right from this point only where both the characters are struggling with their own clashes. Both the characters then meet and the story advances throughout. Even the movie starts with a half-nude shot of Charlotte that depicts intimacy, satisfaction, affection, pleasure, feminism, and etcetera. Both of the characters reveal their conflicts to one another and both became understanding to each other. These elements shaped the parallel narrative structure of the film.
2. Considering (1997) Movie Chasing Amy, discuss how the production design adds an extra layer of meaning to a film.
Generally speaking, production design is the overall look of a film. In other words, production design is meant to convey definite, and of course very essential, meanings of a story visually. Chasing Amy, a romantic-comedy movie - written and directed by Kevin Smith, is one of the best inspirations that depict its strong visual attitude. The main theme of the movie revolves round sex and sexuality, history of sexuality, friendships etc. All of these aspects are well rendered by the chromatic stratagem of the movie. The production design of the movie was well addressed to facilitate the crux of the story in an appealing way. The production stratagem, and the overall presentation, of the movie is marvellous. The artistic charm can be sensed from the aesthetic expression of the main theme of the movie.
The story of the movie is about the two cartoonists, Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards, who are friends for twenty years. The conflict arises between them as a beautiful lady Alyssa comes in their lives. Holden falls in love with her and the clash begins between the two friends. All the characters are unique and reveal their dissimilar corresponding characteristics both materially as well as emotionally.
The visual aspects of the movie depict its relation with time and location. For instance, the movie illustrated fashion that was present in New Jersey and New York during 1990. Even the apartment of Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards reflects the sensation of their profession and life. The unorganised condition in the living room represents a bachelor’s apartment. Both Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards wear loose-fitting costumes that represent the custom that was present during that time. Their way of living is also an illustration of production design. Similarly, Alyssa’s vision imitates confrontational fashion that depicts the trend during nineties.
The production designer has worked quite carefully in order to manipulate the central theme of the story. The costume designer, for instance, has influenced the significant sensation of the movie to establish the timing and location of its characters. Every scene in the movie is well prepared with utmost care, giving preference to the theme of the story of the movie, like the entry of Alyssa with her dazzling outfit and look.
The movie is produced with apt essentials that dictate the visual aesthetics of the story. The characters, costume, setting and locations etcetera were richly exposed to compliment the story structure of the film. The characteristic ingredients of the movie assured the authenticity of the story, meant to be addressed in a humorous and entertaining fashion. The sound, graphics, colour specifications, etcetera are presented in an admirable way with apt relevance to the respective scenes. All these elements illustrate the artistic quintessence of the story.
The work done by the director is admirable. Every nook of the story is given a rich treatment to facilitate the visual fertility of the film. Every production stage of the film is well addressed by the respective artists to make it more tasty and flavoured. The make-up artists, hair stylists, the special effects department and even the location supervisors have quite synchronically created a rich visual feel of every scene of the movie, presenting it as a creative visual inspiration. The music also compliments the story of the movie, making it more expressive. Its music has been a great hit during nineties. The music of the movie includes - Have You Seen Mary (1995) by Sponge, We 3(1997) by Soul Asylum, The Impression That I Get (1996) by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Run's House (1988) by Run DMC, I Don't Care (1997) by flip and Can't Do Nuttin' for Ya Man (1990) by Run DMC. All off this adds an appealing essence to the movie, making its central concept more generous.
The film is portrayed as a well organised narrative that confers the positivist euphoria of the characters who present themselves as complimentary to the leitmotif of the story. Every element of the movie is presented in an aesthetic way to confirm the importance of the story along with its characteristics. Every scene is visually strong to depict the essence of the scene in particular and the movie in general.
3. In (1982) Movie Blade Runner how is the visual design ceneterd around the idea and feeling of claustrophobia?
Blade Runner is a Science-Fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott. The movie possesses a futuristic concept, taking place in November, 2019. The main theme of the movie illustrates the production and manufacturing of genetically engineered replicants by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-corporations" throughout the Globe. The replicants, looking like similar to the humans, can be distinguished on visual basis from the humans. The replicants are dangerous, and they are banned to come to Earth. However, their presence on the earth is assessed by a special police force known as ‘Blade Runners.’ The movie depicts a group of replicants escaped who are about to be hunted by Rick Deckard.
Being a Science-Fiction film, it needs to be equipped with advanced concepts that direct the visual attention of the viewers. The same was addressed by the film-maker and introduced breath-taking sights and locations that mark the advancement of science and biology of the world. Tyrell Corporation is depicted as a powerful industry to manufacture genetically engineered beings that are similar to humans with less life span (four years). The replicants come to the Earth in order to seek an increase in their life span, to which they are banned and illicit.
The conception of claustrophobia has been portrayed in a very prominent way. Literally, the term claustrophobia means ‘extreme fear of being in an enclosed space,’ and this state is portrayed well with the help of advent scientific knowledge and possibilities. The total appearance of the locations depicts a future world with advanced machinery and digital technologies. All the visual conception of the film is inspired by famous artefacts and inspirations of the world’s renowned artists and professionals. For instance, the director of the film, Ridley Scott gives a worthy credit to Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks and the French Science-Fiction comic journal Métal Hurlant, which means ‘Heavy Metal,’ to which the artist Moebius made accountability, as aesthetic mood sources.
The director also illustrated on the setting of "Hong Kong on a very bad day" and the industrial scene of his home in northeast England. The pictorial style of the film is inspired by the work of a popular Italian Futurist architect, Antonio Sant'Elia. Ridley Scott appointed Syd Mead as the official concept artist for the film who, like the director, was motivated by Métal Hurlant. The futuristic aura developed by the team depicts a well-researched area of future technologies that can change the thinking possibilities among the human beings. The famous artists enhanced the ideology of Scott to portray a claustrophobic atmosphere in the film, and they sure did it.
Similarly, The Voight-Kampff machine represents a fictitious tool that is used for interrogation of the replicants. In other words, the machine is used to confirm if the captured being is a replicants or not. In order to determine whether they are replicants or not, the Voight-Kampff, a polygraph-like machine, is used by Blade Runners. In reaction to emotionally provoking questions, the machine counts bodily processes like heart rate, respiration, iris movement, etc. more or less, the whole setting is constructed according to the frightening space that can lead to claustrophobia.
The director, Ridley Scott along with his team including concept artists and art director finally comes up with a great product that synchronises with the visual appeal of the movie. The concept of claustrophobia is well addressed by the team to declare a fearful state and situation that can have a prominent effect on the viewer also. The colour and setting orchestrates the appeal of certain important scenes that depict revulsion. Blade Runner was nominated for Academy award for Best Effects, Visual Effects in 1983.