7610EDN Film, Television and New Media

Senior Phase Curriculum

Hearing the Voice of the Director

Year 12Unit 4

Hearing the Voice of the Director:

• This unit explores the theory that the “author” of a film is the director, speaking to the audience with a distinct voice and vision. Throughout the unit we will expose the stylistic imprint of several directors by exploring the aesthetic, symbolic and thematic choices across their bodies of work.

• These slides act as references and are not indicative of lesson resources. The questions accompanying each slide act as a guide for the classroom teacher and are not representative of text that may appear in each lessons final resource.

TechnologiesTechnologies are necessary for selecting, constructing, manipulating and juxtaposing moving images during production.

RepresentationsInterpretation of particular representations depends on their contexts of production and use.Individuals and groups can use representation to form, reform and confirm identity.Representations are constructed according to sets of codes and conventions shared by and familiar to the creators of moving images and audiences.Representations often rely on social types and stereotypes. The way groups, individuals, places and ideas are represented may draw upon and challenge social values and discourses.All media texts are constructed representations of the world.

Audiences

InstitutionsProducers aim to construct and position audiences for particular purposes.Individuals use products as citizens.Individuals make meanings with products as part of the dynamic and evolving process of identity formation.An individual’s past experiences and their membership of social and cultural groups influence how they make meanings when using products.Individuals and groups use products in different ways for a variety of purposes.

LanguagesLanguages are always used socially and culturally and therefore operate through particular discourses.Languages used within genres, styles, forms and formats evolve over time as a result of a range of social, cultural and technological factors.Languages use signs and symbols which denote and connote meaning within specific contexts of production and use.Technical, symbolic and narrative codes and conventions are selected and used in the construction of products.

Edgar Wright and CharacterThis slide delves into directors that tell similar stories or use the same characters across their films by highlighting the commonalities between the protagonists of Shaun of the Dead and Spaced.

What similarities do you notice? How does the director want us to view these characters? What’s in the Mise En Scene? look in the background, are there any clues to how these characters live outside the camera? If this is where our protagonists start their journey, how do you think their journey will end? What sort of growth do you predict these characters will go on? Assuming these Characters will grow, what do you think the theme or message of these films are? Has anyone seen Scott Pilgrim or The Worlds End? How do they compare? What stories do you think Edgar Wright is interested in telling?

Terry Gilliam

What sort of imagery is Gilliam producing across these three images? Is the lighting natural or unnatural? What’s the texture of the first picture? Is it reminiscent of another art form? How has Gilliam framed these images? Is anything exaggerated Focusing on the first image, what’s the acting style Gilliam has asked of his actor? If this is Gilliam’s signature style, what art movement do you think he takes inspiration from?

The next two slides aim to guide students into recognising Gilliam’s use of surreal imagery in his works.

Focusing on the comparatively grounded Fear and Loathing is Las Vegas how has Gilliam used performance and framing to create surrealist imagery?What’s the acting style like? Refer to Jonny Depp’s eyes, what are they doing? What sort of expressions is Depp performing?

Is anything exaggerated in the frame? How has Gilliam achieved this? What effect does this have on the image? What do you think Gilliam is trying to convey? Has Gilliam successfully preserved his iconic surrealism in these frames?

Tim Burton

What emotion do these images evoke? What colours are prioritised in these shots? Referring to the bottom two images, what’s the architecture like? What in the foreground on the top imagery? What do you think they’ve been placed there? How is that top image lit? What’s in the foreground on the middle image? Why do we think those trees have been placed there? What art movement or time period do we think has inspired Tim Burton?

This slide aims to guide students into recognising Burton’s use of Gothic imagery in his works.

Zac Snyder

What’s taking place in each of these scenes? What colours are at play here? Compare this to the lighting, does it produce a natural looking image? What inspirations do we think Snyder has taken with him on set? Referring to the middle image, how are the characters posed? What is happening here? Is this frame reminiscent of anything in particular? (Comics + Video Games) Who do we think Snyder’s target audience is? If this is Snyder’s signature style what style of imagery would attribute to him and why?

The next two slides aim to guide students into recognising Snyder’s use of Comic Book imagery in his works.

Let’s compare these two images to their source material. Notice anything familiar?

Symbolism in FilmThe next two slides explore how symbolism is used in cinema to help use discern a director’s voice. The focus on this slide is how Zac Snyder uses Christian imagery to frame Superman as a modern messiah in Man of Steel, followed by exploring mythic symbolism in Batman v Superman and Watchmen.

Who’s in the frame? How are they presented? What’s their pose like? In having Superman pose like this what connections do you think the director wants us to make? Why do you think he wants us to make this connection?

Man of Steel:What’s in the frame? How is our protagonist framed? How do you think the director wants us to view the protagonist? Are there any symbolic connections the director wants us to make?

Batman v Superman:What’s in the frame? How is our

protagonist framed? How do you think the director wants us to view the

protagonist? Are there any symbolic connections the director wants us to

make?

Watchmen:What’s in the frame? How is our protagonist framed? Are there any symbolic connections the director wants us to make? Is it necessarily Christian? Is this connection frame in a positive light?

Wes AndersonThis slide examines the commonalities across Wed Anderson’s body of work by comparing

four different stills from four of his most seminal works.

Where is the focal point of the shot? How is the action presented? What sort of balance is achieved? Are these images perfectly symmetrical? How is the symmetry achieved? How doo it make you feel?What colours are most prominent – warm of cool colours? What’s the lighting like – is it dynamic or flat? How do they make you, as an audience, feel? Why do you think the director has made these choices? What voice do you think Wes Anderson has as an auteur?

BayhamOver the next 3 slides we will explore how Michael Bay constructs his shots to add and emphasise scale (see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2THVvshvq0Q)

What movement does the camera make? What’s the focal point in these shots? On what angle do we view the subject? What expressions do our protagonists have? How do the actors movie in these shots? What feeling do all these elements create? How does this camera movement, in combination with the performance, add scale?

What movement does the camera make? What’s in the frame? What’s the focal point in these shots? How many moving objects are in the frame? What direction are they moving? What’s dynamic about these shots? Are there any static objects? What does this add to the shot? On what angle do we view the subject? What feeling do all these elements create?

What’s dynamic about these shots? What’s static in the frame? Why do we think they’re static? What effect does this movement have on the pace of a shot? Why do you think Michael Bay does this? Who do you think his audience is? How are these shots cut together with the rest of the scene? What overall feeling is conveyed? What imprint do you think Michael Bay has as an auteur?