Film: Something’s Brewing

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Film Week Critique + Personal Film Poster

Stolen Land (Robatierra) – Movie Review and Critique

The Nasa People, in peaceful protest

The Documentary Stolen Land (In Spanish, Robatierra) was shown as part of the All Roads Film Festival at the National Geographic Museum. The festival focused on indigenous and underrepresented minority-cultures from around the world in order to promote dialogue and understanding. The documentary itself was about the indigenous Nasa people of Colombia. The lands of the Nasa was stolen from their ancestors, and the film focuses on their fight for the land while trying to stave off the opposition and violence against their nation.

The intended audience of this peace would be anybody involved in conflict resolution or peace-keeping. The struggle of the Nasa people is one worth noticing, and perhaps this documentary could bring more awareness to the government, who in turn could embrace reform and give the Nasa their proper rights. Its purpose is to show the perspective of the underrepresented Nasa, and to bring to light what obstacles they have had to overcome, whether it be police brutality or government bureaucracy. The Nasa are treated like second-class citizens, and this documentary shows how that has affected their lives.

As a Foreign Language and Communication Media Major, I have had many courses focusing on Latin American society and indigenous peoples of the region. However, I can honestly say I have never heard of the Nasa people. I did not expect to see how poorly they are treated. I was also not expecting how united they are as peoples. Many indigenous people in Latin America have been integrated into their secular societies, but the Nasa seem to want to stay independent and in touch with mother earth.

The film follows the life of Lucho Acosta, a leader in the Indigenous Guard and a descendent of Indian warriors. The Indigenous Guard are pacifists who do not believe in violence, and aim to protect the people and their customs. The people only wish to reclaim “the mother earth” that was taken from them in a peaceful manner. Lucho says that violence only breeds more violence.

The Nasa have no place to plant and they have no food to eat. They plant on the lands of their ancestors, which are now owned but not used, by the Colombian Government. The Nasa break on to the land, plant food, and retreat when police intervention occurs.

A government owned plantation, stolen from the Nasa people, but serving no purpose for the country

 

The Nasa have gone through many trials in their efforts to restore mother earth. The government considers them “land robbers” and bandits. Police often come onto Nasa settlements in retaliation to the Nasa’s efforts. After a massacre of six Nasa in the 70’s, the Nilo accords were signed, promising 39,000 acres of taken land to the Nasa. As of 2009, less than a quarter of those lands have been turned over.

The Nasa staged peaceful protests, such as the blocking the Pan-American Highway. The police, in turn, set fire to their settlements, essentially destroying everything the Nasa owned. The Nasa try to have dialogues with the government, but the president does not care to hear their voice.

 

Blockade of the Pan-American Highway

Lucho, and other sons of the Nasa, were displeased by the lack of progress and growing violence. Certain members of the Nasa tribe, calling themselves “The Grandsons,” are a threat the safety of their people. The Grandsons do not see change happening, and have become a more radical off-shoot of the guard. The government are looking for a pretext for violence, and the Grandsons are giving them one. They are more radical, and throw potato bombs at police attackers. After a police man is killed by a potato bomb at La Emperatriz, Lucho is exiled from the guard.

The Nasa continue to march, and continue to plant on mother earth. For now, this is an ongoing battle, but hopefully the future will be better for them.

The documentary featured a lot of black screens with text, juxtaposed alongside footage and action shots. There was not a need for dialogue at most points – the shots themselves showed a lot of story, and the text just filled in in with background information. The film was in Spanish, so the parts with speech were appropriately subtitled. There were many close-up detail shots, along with sweeping/panning long shots.

The filmmakers also juxtaposed their own film footage with footage from the news media and government meetings. In this way, they had both the Nasa and the government’s position featured.

Lucho served as a sort of “main character,” allowing us to focus on one person’s story in particular, and allowing us to struggle through alongside him. Showing an individual story alongside the history of a great nation gives the story more depth and background, and adds validity to the story.

The sound in the movie was recorded well, but was very basic. There were no special effects at all, which adds to the documentary style. Because the Nasa lives so basically, a documentary about them would also be basic.

The interviews were very emotional and informational at the same time. They were definitely trying to get you on the side of the Nasa, and make the government look like the evil bureaucrats.

I really liked this documentary. As mentioned before, I am well versed in Latin American struggles, so learning about a new one is fascinating to me. Now that I know about what the Nasa people went through, I am more likely to follow their cause, and look for legislative changes in the Colombian government. I loved when they showed the Nasa blocking the highway, holding their staffs in the air as protest. This shows that actions speak louder than words or weapons.

The only drawback of the documentary was that it ran a little bit long. Some parts seemed very repetitive, and it could have been cut down to more of the main events for time’s sake. I would recommend this film to anybody who cares about human rights violations, or marginalized groups. It is eye-opening to see that groups of people are still treated as second-class citizens in modern society. This film brings this issue to light in a succinct and beautifully shot manner.

Movie Poster: Something’s Brewing, by Marley Cook, Lauren Keane-Farrell, and Emily White

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Movie Poster Critique

Movie Poster Critique:

The Dark Knight (2008)

I chose this picture from the “50 Beautiful Movie Posters” reading. I love The Dark Knight and I love how intriguing this poster is. All of the little details make it so eerie and dark, which matches the mood of the movie. The genre of The Dark Knight is a combination of action, crime, and suspense/thriller. It also has a science-fiction kind of feel to it, with all of the villains and superheroes and their gravity and science defying abilities. It may be a coincidence that the movie is called The Dark Knight to match the dark tone of the film, but I feel as if a lot of semiotic-thinking went into that decision. This Batman movie was different than a lot of its predecssors – it felt more real, and came about in a post-9/11 environment. For us, the kind of dark and sadistic terrorism that the Joker propagates hits extremely close to home, and the whole movie is a reflection of the genuine darkness of our time.

The movie poster appears to be a collaged effect or joker cards, tape, red blood/paint, and an exacto knife, which has scratched random words into the poster. The poster is a juxtaposition of both Batman and Joker’s personalities, and seems to be designed from inside the mind of the chaotic and crazy Joker’s head. The mouth drawn over the Batman’s face in blood/paint resembles the exact placement of where the Joker’s mouth is. The cards and quotes also give it away.

This poster contains a lot of powerful elements. First of all, the Batman is facing straight forward, and he is smack dab in the middle. Although alignment sometimes dictates the rule of thirds or abstract framing, the centered nature of this poster works. It draws attention to the dark figure and all the elements that make up the portrait. It also gives the whole poster a sense of symmetry and balance. The red in the poster against the drab white and black create emphasis. Because we can’t tell whether it is paint or blood, the color psychology works in a negative light, making the “smiling mouth” murderous and full of rage. The contrasting horizontal and vertical lines of the playing cards also adds to the chaotic effect. The text is also interesting, and almost subliminal. You have to focus so hard to see it, that it is forcing a message upon you, and making you wonder why the words are there or what they mean.

The signified in this piece are the Batman himself, the cards on the page, and the exacto knife. However, the only signifier on the page is the title of the movie itself. The denotation of what these elements mean versus their connotation is vast. Playing cards seem innocent enough, but when used as a murderous calling card, they take on a different meaning altogether. Semiotics are often based on stories or myths. I feel as if the collage-board feeling we get from this piece gives us the same feeling of insanity that the Joker must feel. We want to know his story, and why  he sees his enemy the way he does. Also, we are curious about the title’s relation to the artwork, and how the story is going to go. We are also, of course, obsessed with the idea of the masked hero and the corrupt villain. A superhero story draws in the senses and need for action.

I believe that this is what they are selling: the evil villain and the super hero at odds. In order for us to understand who has made this image of the Batman and why they see him in this manner, we have to see the film. We need to get to know the characters through more than one viewpoint. I think the poster is aesthetically pleasing in general, and that the multiple elements work together to make it dynamic rather than chaotic. I think it is effective, and if the success of the film is a testament to the genius of the advertising team.

 

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Lumiere Critiques and Mis-En-Scene Deconstruction

CRITIQUE – Lumiere Films:

My Film:

I thought that making the Lumiere would be a lot simpler than it was. There are a lot of factors that can go wrong with filming that can easily be fixed with editing, but with raw footage it is harder to get that perfect theater-quality shot. Morgan and I shot our takes as the sun was going down, so we were fighting against the elements for the good shot.

I expected to film the smoke billowing from the hookah, and not the people specifically. However, it was extremely difficult to get a good (i.e. non-boring) shot with the tripod I was using and the setting we had. However, my friends were good enough to let me film them, and the coal dropping on my roommate lent for a surprising ending. It ended up being much more dynamic than I expected and I was very happy with the end result.

In hindsight, I would try more variety with my scenes and set-ups. It was hard to do films that had not been done before, or to do things in a new way. I might also try and frame the shot a different way, as some of the action was cut out of the right side of the scene, where the hookah actually was. My tripod was not very steady, so I would have tried to use better equipment or stabilize my equipment in a different way.

Showing my film to the audience was a good experience. I heard good and bad critiques from people, and I felt like overall there was a good balance of praise and criticism. People did react as I thought they would – my friend’s reaction to the coal adds some humor/surprise value to the video, and I feel as if people liked that. Most people complained about the composition of the shot/the fact that my friend was “looking” at the camera, which are problems I was aware of. I think the film went over well and I was pleased with the results.

Mike Egan and Kevin O’Shaughnessy’s Lumiere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhOnULuABQE&feature=player_embedded

Everybody seemed to really like this film, but I was not as excited about it for some reason. I thought the perspective on the ground was really cool, but the field of vision was not that great, and the shot seemed blurry. It was hard for me to focus on what was going on.

The mood was weird. The shot was dark, but the mood was not necessarily dark. It was more anticipatory/mysterious if anything.

I understand that we had to have a minute of footage, but I feel like this film went on for too long, and no much happened. I think anticipation was used well, and we were all waiting for something to come into the show. We were all anticipating something to happen, but as DC locals we knew the train was coming, and it was not as stimulating as it could have been. It could have been more interesting if people maybe moved in front of the camera or something else happened during the film. It could have been interesting if the shot focused on the opening of the metro doors and letting people in. If something completely unexpected happened, then it could have been more successful.

Genre Deconstruction

A. According to Allmovie.com, Romance is a film which deals with a sentimental relationship between two or more people, and is the biggest purveyor of escapism in film. Romance bases a lot of its material on what people assume romance is like. According to AMC, Romance is a genre full of love stories and affairs of the heart. It includes passion, emotion, and romantic involvement of main characters. Usually, the story revolves around a leading man and leading lady on their journey through courtship or marriage. Romance films often include themes about daily tensions, obstacles, and temptations. This fantastical view of love and relationships is what makes it such a great escape for the average person.

Thomas Edison’s 20-second-long The May Irwin Kiss, which came out in 1896, was the most popular Vitascope film of that year. This was the first filming of a couple’s kiss that was recreated from the kiss of two well-known stage actors. The kiss was scandalous because audiences were viewing two physically unattractive people on screen during an extended kiss scene. Other early romances include Camille in 1915, Intolerance in 1916, Male and Female in 1919, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923, Sadie Thompson in 1928, Rain in 1932, and The Garden of Eden in 1928. The genre really took flight in the 30’s and 40’s with a lot of romantic dramas and puppy-dog romance type films.

B. Classic: Gone With the Wind (1939)

In this classic scene from Gone With the Wind, we see Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) and Scarlet O’Hara (Vivian Leigh) discussing love and romance. After Rhett asks Scarlet to give him a shot in courtship, Scarlet calls him a fool and says that she will always be in love with another man. As she begins to move away from him, Rhett tugs her back and kisses her passionately. Scarlet tells Rhett she is about to faint, to which is replies “I want you to faint.” Rhett wants to show Scarlet, through his kiss, than he is more of a man than any she has previously been with.

Contemporary: The Princess Bride (1987)

In this scene from The Princess Bride, Wesley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) have just reunited after many years apart. Buttercup has thought that Wesley was dead for all of those years, and was surprised to find out he had been hiding his identity as somebody else the whole time. In this scene, they have just rolled down a very long and steep hill. When they reach the bottom, Wesley asks Buttercup to if she can move. In response, she says “Move? You’re alive: if you want, I can fly.” Wesley questions Buttercup as to why she did not wait for his return to get engaged. She replies that “you were dead,” to which Wesley replies “death cannot stop true love, all it can do it delay it for a while.” They share a deep and reuniting kiss after many long years apart.

C. Mise-en-scene:

Definition from the Hutchinson Encyclopedia:

“In cinema, the composition and content of the frame in terms of background scenery, actors, costumes, props, camera movement, and lighting.”

Wikipedia/Yale Website Terminology in Regard to Mise-en-scene constructions:

1. Decor – Objects contained in and the setting of a scene; used to amplify character emotion or the dominant mood of a film

Gone With the Wind:

In this scene we have very simple decor. There is a window in the background with curtains and jeweled curtain ties. When the scene pulls backs, we see a wider set, with 19th century lamps and furnitures to complete the room setting. This adds to the scene and genre, because the two people are very much the only dynamic thing in the room, so their solitude is romantic. Also, the old-timey feel gives a more “old-school” romance feel.

Princess Bride:

In this scene we see nothing but grassy knolls all around the couple. This adds to the genre and the scene because in their solitude, they can be romantic and alone. Also, the outdoors or nature is usually seen as beautiful and romantic, and mirrors the feelings of the characters.

2. Lighting – Intensity, direction, quality have effect on way an image is perceived

GWW:

The lighting here seems to be a mixture of low-key lighting and three-point lighting. It shows the shadows in their faces in contrast to the lights of their faces, so the mood is tense. The low lighting and darkness adds to the sexual tension between Rhett and Scarlet. When they pull back from the shot, they are silhouetted against the window, making them seem like they’re the only important thing in the shot, and emphasizing their passionate embrace.

PB:

The lighting here is very natural, and it seems like the sun is the key to the shot. Since the two of them are outdoors, it would only make sense that they would be lit by other natural elements. It adds to the scene because of the beauty of nature, and the idea that their love is natural and full of sunshine.

3. Space/Camera Movement – Depth, proximity, size, proportions of objects in film/Way of framing or filming

GWW:

The scene is filmed very close to their faces, focusing on the the reactions and emotions of both characters. The shot then pulls away to give a more dramatic view of what is happening. It is centered on the two characters, bringing emphasis to their kissing. This makes it romantic since the focus of the whole scene is on Rhett and Scarlet.

PB:

The scene is filmed near Wesley and Buttercup, so all we can see is half of their bodies and the grass around them. When they begin to kiss, we can only really see their faces, so all the focus is on their actions. The shot remains close the whole time, so it is very focused on the character and what they are about to do (i.e. kiss in this scene).

4. Costume – Clothes the character wears

GWW:

The dress is 19th century (1860s) style, because the movie took place during the Civil War. The historial aspect of it makes it seem more fantastical to us, and gets us lost in the romance even more.

PB:

The dress is medieval, but the story takes place in a fantasy land. Once again, this gives us a fantasy and whimsical feel, making the scene seem more escapist and romantic.

5. Acting – Different variations in performance style

GWW:

In Gone With the Wind, Rhett plays the typical macho leading man, who wishes to triumph all the other suitors and win Scarlet’s heart. Scarlet plays the typical love-confused heroine, who has to make a choice of which man is the best for her. In this scene, he shows his desire for her by telling her to give him a chance. He uses a gruff voice and rough demeanor, showcasing his masculinity and making her swoon. This shows us that in a romance, we want a manly man to sweep us off our feet, and that the decision to love somebody is easy to find in somebody’s kiss.

PB:

In The Princess Bride, Wesley plays the strong lover who returns to his woman after many years away. He finds her to be engaged to somebody else, but will stop at nothing to retrieve his true love. Buttercup is not a typical empty-headed heroine, but instead is a strong-willed woman who fights against her evil fiancée so she can end up with her one true love, Wesley. In this scene, Wesley sweet talks Buttercup, and tells her everything that she wants to hear. She cannot believe her eyes, and tells him that she will never doubt again. The scene is very peaceful and serene, and you can feel the deep emotion within each of them. This sets the tone for romance films, showing that sometimes our desire embodies all of our emotions, and that true love leaves us doubtless and whole.

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The Lumiere Manifesto and Lumiere Film

Lumiere Film:

Critique:

Frankly, I think the Lumiere film is a little bit boring and not truly an accurate depiction of real life. The manifesto and the bnet article about theatrical realism are claiming that in today’s society of high-technology and equipment, that the beauty of life is no longer depicted or depicted in a false manner. They say that we “edit our world” or “destroy viewpoints” with this unnecessary editing.

But in my opinion, real life is full of drama. Real life moves. Real life is full of special effects and lighting. One’s point of view does not stagnate and stare straight forward. One does not simply watch the world go by without interacting in it, or making something happen. The sun rises, the sun sets, lighting strikes, and we see things differently at all times of the day. I feel as if setting a camera up and letting it go documents boring plain stories, ones that most people are not entirely interested in.

In order for a film to be truly ‘realistic,’ it has to feel real. Although the examples about “Independence Day” and the false technology it showcases are correct in saying “this is not realistic, this is not real life,” we have to remember that genres exist for a reason. Nobody takes a sci-fi movie at face value. It is the romantic comedies and the dramas that we have to be critical of. How are they portraying real life situations? What life lessons are we learning?

Although these movies may have fantasy aspects, they provide escape from the realism we face on a daily basis. I feel as if people don’t necessarily go to the movies to see realistic things happening. I feel as if the Lumiere concept is pure at heart, but it provides no real entertainment value. Life does speak for itself, but sometimes simplicity leaves out parts of the story. In this was, a Lumiere film is not realistic. It is too one-dimensional, not giving us the emotion and drama we go through everyday.

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