Rufus's Film Blog

The Genre:  Horror. Narrative: An old man is coming back from the pub, it's dark and he's walking along a road that's lit slightly in yellow light. It's around 1am and there are forests on either side of where he's walking. There are no cars on the road, and all he can hear as he stumbles along is the rustling from the trees. He's slightly drunk and also occasionally has delusions, so when he starts to see movements in the trees he's not to bothered. However when he looks behind him and sees someone peering out from behind a tree he realises it could be more than just his mind.  Protagonist: Old man  Goal: To make it home in the dark. Obstacle: Something is chasing him slowly. Why is the story important/different? The man is mentally ill so can't tell whether the things that are chasing him are real or not. I took inspiration from Meshes In the Afternoon, as the feeling of paranoia and the sense that an unknown entity is pursuing them is present in both ...

 The film for me was very anti-climatic, as the expectations I had for the finale were very different to how it played out, being a calm ending, lacking the classical shoot out that westerns usually have. After Llewelyn's death, my focus shifted to Sheriff Ed, who I expected to step up and eventually kill Anton, capping off his police career as a hero despite being lazy throughout. However, this did not happen, instead a series of scenes took place where it seemed that a final fight was going to occur, however never did. This built up tension, teasing the audience with an action-packed ending but never delivering. The film left me with an empty feeling, like something was missing, which was the conflict between Ed and Anton. Even though I felt let down by the lack of action, I do appreciate the alternative ending that was explored, something that almost never happens in westerns. It makes me think more about what is happening in the film, rather than me just watching and not really...

 David Lynch uses everyday occurrences in the short film Grandmother, twisting them into nightmarish scenes to create a sense of tension and fear in the audience. The first of these occurrence's happens in the first scene, when the son is birthed. The dark grey colours give of a feeling of un-ease and mistrust, with the un-nerving static music playing with our imagination as the seed of the boy, a strange jagged shape, makes it's way up to the ground. As his parents reveal themselves, a man and women on all fours, barking in an animalistic manner, scars on their faces, the dad runs over to his son, behaving aggressively towards him. This could be a pre-curser to the horrors and abuse to come. The twitching, uncomfortable movements the parents and boy make lead to an unnatural distorted feel, making the audience feel uncomfortable, leading to a nightmarish first scene.  There is a scene in the film which depicts the grandmother and the son interacting with each other in a very ...

 1) Objective perspective in films means when there are no emotional or close ups of a characters face, and no emphasis on a characters emotional perspective. However subjective perspective is the opposite of this, as it is depicts the emotions of one character in a scene.  2) Film makers can immerse you in a characters perspective through the use of diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is used by filmmakers to allow the audience an insight into how one specific character is feeling, using sound they are hearing from their perspective only, which is not on the main storyline. This helps us get a feel of the emotions they are feeling in their heads. 3) For example in Saving Private Ryan non-diegetic sound is used to portray the shell shock of the soldier.

        Jack        v      Ben                     Traditional    v   Alternative     (lifestyle and family )                      Academic  education  v  practical education / life experience/social skills                               conservative v  progressive                         cold lighting v  warm lighting                                                 Parent v  child                       Normal school system v Home-schooling.   ...

 The two rituals are completely contrasted with each other. In the 'traditional' funeral we see the mums family unhappy with how she is being presented, especially the dad. We are more inclined to take the family's side, as it is directed so the shots are mainly close ups of the families face, making us feel more in tune with them than the other people in the church. We also feel sorry for them at the end of the scene when they are booted out of their own mothers/wife's funeral. In this scene we support the families controversial ideologies that completely go against traditional ones. In the families ritual they take the mother's body and burn her on the edge of a cliff. While we are prompted by the film form and cinematography to side with this ritual more, through the use of bright colours, hazy shots, and a lack of conflict contrasting the last funeral. I still find it slightly weird that they dug up their own mum's grave, placed her on a bus, and burned her,...

 We find out the girl is uncomfortable with the bustle of city life as she scrambles her way to get on a bus. We see in her illusion of a businessman killing an elderly women that her mind is unsettled and she has feelings of anxiety and isolation being on this packed bus filled with people who mind their own business. However when she has this 'connection' with a man on the bus, we see another side of her, as her illusions become happier, with passengers dancing in synchronization. This encounter with the man brought out her more positive views of society, and we see this through the change in her fantasies/illusions. Throughout the film we see many people with blank stares, hunched over, and looking completely lifeless. When our main character first sees the man, this is also true to him, as he is hunched over with a blank expression on his face. However, when the main character welcomes him, we see his flirtatious, kind spirit welcome up to her, and a light-hearted music sta...