Ideology in Film

Ideology is a term that has expanded in meaning over the past few years and is a term that is well known in the media field as well as film field. It refers to the values/viewpoints and meanings/messages that a media representation might be able to reflect on its viewers. Ideology can be looked at in two ways; one explicitly when the film director, producer, or writer declare to be the subject in their film, and/or implicitly when the meaning of the film has various different meanings that the filmmaker did not intend.

Tom Hardy has been growing as one of my favorite actors over the past few years. His characters he plays are intriguing, and determined that have imbedded into his roles so profoundly. He was known for his role in inception playing Eames, but was also in the films: like Star Trek: Nemesis, Warrior, and more recently This Means War. In each of these films Tom Hardy plays a different role, to show his growth as an actor and ability to fit various roles that directors need. His directors utilize his versatility by giving him roles as a comedian, fighter, fictional character, villain and a conman. Five adjectives to describe his character are versatile, risk-taking, determined, strong-willed, and well-rounded. The next role he will have is I think another villain or fighting character since his great success in the film Warrior.

The film that I extremely enjoyed was Warrior directed by Gavin O' Connor. My two favorite characters was the father and army vet-son Tommy Conlon. With the father Paddy Conlon is played by Nick Nolte and the reason his character is so successful is O' Connor creates a disconnect between him and his sons. O' Conner makes both his sons despise him and create this emotional tension throughout the film. As, the film progresses the father tries to get back into his sons lives only to be constantly rejected with the theme that he tried to accomplish too much too late. Near the ending of the film the father does come to a consensus with both brothers, but realizes that his relationship with them will never be the same. In the scene where Tommy yells at his dad my feelings are being manipulated to despise Tommy, when his father should be the one to hate for abusing his kids and wife for so long. The film maker probably wanted to convey this viewpoint over another to make the audience more emotionally attached to the film, which it was successful in doing.

The ideologies of a certain time period would change the way a narrative is represented to its audience because societies change and an audiences interest varies over times. Political, media, religious, and educational institutions within our society are open to change drastically over time. An example of a film narrative that has changed over time is Spider Man. Spider Man is a classic film that was altered and changed ever, so slightly as the audiences appeal changed. Characters roles seem to vary as the more recent Spider Man series focuses more on the romance aspect with Mary Jane, while the new series the Amazing Spider Man seems to be more focused on the action aspect.


I feel that films can affect me and my behavior drastically without consciously meaning to. I believe that a films message can convey certain truths about the outside world that we never learn from experience, but just by seeing it in a film. For example with romance films like A Walk to Remember, Notebook, Charlie St. Cloud, and more recently The Vow we get this belief that finding your own special one is very possible. These films give hope to everyone that love triumphs all, but negatively convey this message that your own love has to be a certain way. Consciously film makers do not realize what their films convey, but not always do romances give a sad feel to its audience. Sometimes audience members are angered at a films outcome or at the message conveyed and I do not believe this is ever an intended feel.

Suspension of disbelief is when something seems entirely real in a film and we accept it even though we do not personally experience this particular circumstance. An instance of this is when in romances like The Notebook, the girl chooses the guy she first fell in love with when she hasn't seen him in forever, and is engaged to some other man. This outcome seems entirely unreasonable, but because the audience gets tied emotionally to the original love that the guy and girl shared, they believe the outcome without questioning it.


I think the financial support of a film and production company has an effect, but not an over powering effect. With smaller films like Paranormal Activity began with a small production company called Blumhouse Productions, but became a very popular film. There budget for the film was small, but it still was a very successful production ensuing their success though Paramount Pictures became their leading production company in the next film which allowed their budget to increase, so they could add more effects and props to their film making its quality increase.

IB Short Film Treatment

 Logline: Technology is taking over tradition and the old generation's lives; an old man can not believe what society today has become...will he ever submit to technology?

An old house with a neat front lawn. An old man wearing khaki pants, a navy blazer, and a duck billed hat steps out of the front door onto a wooden porch. He relaxingly closes the door, walks onto the sidewalk and proceeds to begin his daily tasks.

The old man walks casually down the street, calmly observing the neighborhood around him. He glances over to the other side of the street and sees a pair of young kids playing with a handheld game, eagerly looking over each other’s shoulders. A deflated red ball sits just a few meters away from where they are sitting on the sidewalk.

The deflated ball is kicked.

The old man, slightly disappointed, continues on his walk as he does everyday.His life has been a daily routine everyday.

The old man is sitting down at a local diner, reading the day’s newspaper. Nearby conversations are heard. A young waiter comes by and asks what he wants to order. The waiter suggests to try the new mocha that they are promoting. The old man ignores him and asks for “a black coffee”. As the old man sips the last bit of coffee left in the cup, he puts on his coat, pulls out his wallet from the inside of his coat and leaves some old bills on top of the check.

The old man is sitting in a park playing chess with a friend. He moves his queen in place and declares checkmate. In the background, kids are playing basketball. Suddenly, a basketball strikes the chessboard. A teenager runs past the two old men to retrieve the ball. The two old men yell in protest but the kids smirk and continue their pick up game.

The old man opens up the front door to his house and hangs up his jacket. Immediately an old phone begins to ring. He walks into the kitchen and picks up the phone. His son tells him how he and his son are supposed to come over that same day. He walks over to the refrigerator, glancing at some old photos. In passing his son asks about how that computer he sent him is working for him. The old man glances at a computer monitor sitting next to the garbage can in the front yard. The old man says fine.

The old man opens the front door for the dad and his son to walk in. The kid is texting on his phone even as his dad tells him to put it away. They exchange greetings.

At the dinner table dad and grandpa quietly eats while the kid is still texting on his phone. Dad seems to not be disturbed with his son texting at the table. Old man firmly asks the kid to put his phone away and that its rude to be on the phone at the dinner table. The kid reluctantly puts his phone on his lap. Dad suggests that the two of them go to the park together, for a little bonding time.

Old man and the kid are sitting a few feet away from each other on a park bench. The old man reaches into a small plastic bag and disperses some bird feed to the pigeon. The kids seems very bored and irritated. The old man offers the kid the bag, but instead he pulls out a gaming handheld. The old man turns back towards the birds and continues feeding them.

The kid is sitting in front of the TV set trying to set up his game console. The old man is sitting in his chair reading his paper. The front page talks about how “technology has ruined modern society”. However, when he looks to the rear of the TV set, he discovers that the game system is not compatible with the TV. The kid screams at the TV displaying static in frustration. Suddenly, the old man gets up, picks up the game console, and thrusts it on the floor. The kid, in utter awe and confusion, is yanked by his father while he is yelling at his dad (old man) about how . . .

The old man stands confused and unsure of himself as dad and son pack up to leave. The door closes on the old man, still dazed by the unfolding of events.

Writing About Film

A formal analysis of a film requires that the viewer breaks down the entire film into smaller sections that relate to the film as whole. A formal analysis has many components to it that should be related to the film such as: cinematography, lighting, setting, acting techniques,and the score. To complete a full formal analysis all these components should be touched on or acknowledged instead of a mere summary of the film. 


Another form of film writing is history. Each film has some historical context relating to them and each director is influenced by the historical context in which they live in. For example many war films have been produced in the last decade because of the war in the middle east and directors have noted the effects of our past since wars are a large aspect of our lives and effect people in numerous ways. Films that involve history within them also influences what is accepted or banned in our society today; it allows people to realize what is going on around them through a director's view point or production. Many films are influenced historically; sport films are influenced by a certain instance or time period like coach carter or remember the titans, mythical films that relate to ancient mythology, classical films that represents conventional techniques that were popular at the time period, etc. 


A third type of film writing is ideological papers, which is to promote some set of beliefs. Each country has its own set of beliefs that are trying to be shared throughout the world for example, with ancient martial arts films many times Asians are portrayed as the dangerous type who take on ten guys at once, so in our society people are influenced by these ideologies and want to imitate these film ideas. Even though the ideas might be imitated an American film would still have distinct features that a Chinese film wouldn't have. 


The fourth type of film writing is cultural studies and national cinemas. This type of writing is when the film is influenced by the culture and nation that is producing it. National cinemas and cultural cinemas can reflect a new aspect to its audience like "slum dog millionaire" gave us insight about the Indian culture and influenced Americans throughout the world because of the great differences between our cultures and theirs. The approach that is taken through different nations in national cinemas are what separates different styles from one another. 


The last type of film writing is when discussing the Auteur. This type of writing is mainly influenced through the director in regards to his intent of the film. Even though films are a collaborative piece of work and many people play a role in the final product, looking at the director and film as a whole in an objective manner can allow you to understand common themes the director uses to fully understand his intent of the film. 


Annotating a film sequence is like taking notes on film. In specific it is when you take notes on a particular shot sequence, so you can further analyze it and focus your writing. This technique is extremely useful when break down a certain part of a film and figure out its intent you can note why the lighting in the particular shot was done that way or the editing or score, etc. 


Thinking beyond the frame relates to thinking about outside factors that influence the film besides what you see before you. One needs to question who made the film, why was it made and did the director relay any important themes that could be possibly already used in his/her other works. You must also look at production history to understand what outside factors came into play when making this particular production. Critics and expert opinions should be viewed to to further build your own analysis and understand what genre the film is to give you an overall feel of how the film will be like. Many aspects plays a role in a films success and production, so everything should be looked into, so your own understanding grows.

Five Most Valuable Minutes:Taxi Driver

The movie we have recently watched in film class is an ingenious piece by Martin Scorsese. The movie Taxi Driver, was a piece about Travis Bickle(Robert Di Niro) who in the movie is portrayed as a Vietnam War Vet. He is a very lonely man who is discontent with his lifestyle and feels the need to work 24/7. He becomes a taxi driver and has unusual habits, that leave him with barely any social skills. The setting is in New York and Travis, feels that the only way society can progress is if it is "flushed down a toilet." I feel that the extract I am focusing on for this film is one of the most important scenes, because through this extract an accurate characterization of Travis is made, the setting of New York is touched upon, and Travis' intent to fix New York is shown.

Martin Scorsese was born in New York and is a very well known director who directed twenty-five films. Some films he directed are The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, The Departed, Aviator and Shutter Island. Taxi Driver seems to relate to the screen writer, Paul Schrader's older screenplays like American Gigolo and Bringing Out the Dead. The recurring themes of loneliness and alienation are two traits constantly used within these movies. In relation to his other more recent work Shutter Island, also a thriller seems to be a recurring type of movie style Scorsese enjoys. In Shutter Island the main character Teddy seems to face psychological struggles just as Travis does in Taxi Driver. Both films have you on the edge of your seat and Teddy of Shutter island is personally motivated to pursue a case, that ultimately has no solution to. The mysteries push him to his own insanity, as in Taxi Driver, Travis is personally motivated to clean up New York, but his motives lead him to wanting to kill himself. Both characters can not deal with the circumstances before them, for Teddy he must figure out the case and Travis he wanted to clean up New York, but neither get to see their desires accomplished. 

In Taxi Driver, (another dramatic thriller) the opening of part six, Travis is listening to a voice over of Palentine one of the people running for a political position in the film. Travis is told by a police officer to get off the side of the road, which could show how the authorities are blinded by certain corruptness and are patrolling the wrong things of New York. Following this Travis is seen writing a letter to his parents, on a childish card that highlights his isolation. Travis says "he hopes no one has died" expressing how detached his own relationship with his family is and isolation from them. Travis is quite lonely throughout the film, and is ashamed by his own loneliness. In the letter he explains how things are going well with Betsey his brief romance. He can not continue with this romance due to his own alienation. One of the first dates he took Betsey on was a movie revealing film that angered Betsey and ended their brief romantic stint. Through this sequence Travis can be depicted as a character who has little practice with human interactions and further give reason to his loneliness.

The next sequence of this extract is Travis playing with the magnum and watching a romantic film, annoyingly. His annoyed expression could reveal his frustration in society as a whole, because he does not seem to understand how real interactions work . Travis seems to live in the fairy tale world, and does not have a grasp of reality not understanding how actual interactions with girls work. Following the T.V. Sequence Travis is seen looking at injustice going on in New York with one man dragging another away. This relates to how throughout New York the society is corrupt and people are bystanders not intervening with "scum" that surrounds New York.

The last sequences of this film is Travis asking to have time with one of the younger prostitute girls, hoping to make a difference in her life. The confrontation with the pimp foreshadows the resolution of the film where Travis decides to try and end the corruptness of New York single-handedly. This confrontation also reveals how discontent Travis is with the society and his attempt in relation to the narrative to "flush out New York in a toilet."

This extract had every aspect of the main ideas Scorsese attempted to portray and this film allowed me to realize thematically that one man can make a difference. This thematic idea Scorsese uses often in his films, and especially through this particular film. Travis had many flaws as a human being, but ultimately he wanted to sacrifice himself for the better good. He attempted to fix New York and metaphorically fixed an aspect of New York, by saving the girl from a life of prostitution. This film is a classic and is a main reason why Scorsese became, so well known.

Blog Response- The American Anti-Hero

The American-Anti hero seems to be a contradiction within itself because they "will perform acts generally deemed 'heroic', but will do so with methods, manners, or intentions that may not be heroic." This was a popular intent of film makers at the time period, which was around 1945 because World War 2 had a large influence on people and directors at the time, so they had to create films to appeal to their audience. The characters being portrayed and films seemed to rival the harsher time period that America seemed to adopt during the time. America at the time was not innocent at all and "Americans wanted their heroes to rebel against the status quo like they, the American public, were rebelling." America through different films, audiences can understand the context of what is going on at the country's time because films do not present irrelevant material. Many times films rival, the society at the time as shown during this period, and through war-films politics and soldiers minds were constantly questioned. An example of the anti-hero more recently is brad pitt in fight club, where his gritty character contradicts him aiding many people in a violent outlet of fighting.

The Anti-hero contradicts the Classic Hollywood Ideology because Anti-Heroes motives seem to be more defineable than those of Classic Ideology. Anti-Heroes are "Rebels... who fight authority figures no matter what the cost." This is true in almost all anti-hero stories where you can predict the actors motives and intentions through the time period. Also you know what to expect out of the character and their motives are more hostile than the typical "hero" portrayed in Classical films.  A film we recently saw shows how the anti-hero is far different from a classical hero, who does not have as many psychological issues as the anti-hero does. Travis constantly faces issues within his own mind allowing the audience to question his sanity.

Blog Response- Article- Intensified Continuity

David Bordell expresses in this article how there is a period of intensified continuity that surrounds the new cinema of today. In the beginning Hollywood used more wide angle shots that were a bit static to go for the more realist view, that had a standard lens of 35mm. Over time though the standard has changed and directors are incorporating different lens to give the audience a sense of depth and also having a lot more faster edits to build tension and suspense in the films.

"Fast-paced dialogue has reinforced premises of the 180-degree staging system...the axis of action must be strictly respected." Through this you could see how the intensified continuity plays a significant role when directors are composing a set of shots. For example before with the shots not as quick as they are now, the 180-degree line was not as important, but now since the shots are so fast the audience pays attention to the 180-degree line and can easily spot when this is crossed. Also with new technology it is making it easier to follow this rule, but with the constant increase of speed through each cut, this rule must be respected and acknowledged.  This also supports one of the 4 factors of intensified continuity, which more rapid editing; a way for this to further happen would be shot length varying now, to escape that sense of realism.

The second aspect of intensified continuity is different lens lengths in between shots. "Since the long lens magnifies fairly distant action, the camera can be quite far from the subject, and this proved advantageous in shooting exteriors." This was used because film makers and directors now could take advantage of their new lenses by taking shots from a lot farther and depending on their lens to get all the action. This lens also allowed the film maker to incorporate deeper focus within their shot, which now is a very popular technique.

The third aspect of intensified continuity is closer framings in dialogue sequences. In many films now you do not see the stationary sequence of two characters talking, but see, "Mouth, brow, and eyes become the principle sources of information and emotion." Now because pf the faster cutting and longer lens variety, a dialogue sequence does not need to bore the audience but can be very intimate and emotional. This forced the audience to focus more on the actor's performance instead of the make-up of each shot.

The last aspect of intensified continuity is the usage of free ranging cameras. "Camera movement becomes a mainstay of popular cinema," through these movements a clear path is set between old cinema and new. The use of motion in shots allows the director to convey feelings and moods that the actor cannot portray, or to extenuate a certain mood or feel at the time.

Blog- Advanced Editing Notes- Overview/Classical Paradigm

1. The camera work from the two short films "Arrival of a Train" and "Damsel in Distress" differs quite significantly. The Arrival of a Train short film is composed of one static, stagnant shot throughout the film, which probably portrays the time period during that time. This shot is derived from a realist stand point where the angle is at about eye level and is composed of people going off and on the train. The idea behind the director is more on the surface, since no editing technique or different angles were incorporated by the director. In the Damsel in Distress short film, there is a more clear narrative going on through the different shot sequences. This is eminent through classical films that have a more fast paced cutting that seems to build tension for its audience. The diverse shots of close ups, long shots, and tracking shots build a greater tension for its audience.


2. As I noted from above the Arrival of a Train short film has a more realist feel to it because the distanced shot is held for quite awhile without moving. This is also probably due to the lack of technology at the time and is what appealed to the audience at the time, realist films and shots that are straight forward. The other short film had the classical approach where the cutting was fairly fast from one sequence to another to build a dramatic tension for the audience. The different shots like wide shots, long shots, close ups add to the story and make the story feel a lot more fast paced, even though this short film was a lot longer than the first.


3. In the first short film there is no clear cut narrative, I believe the director did this on purpose because he wanted the audience to make their own interpretations. The angle the director chose is a stagnant spot that seems pretty wide, so people can be show going in and out of the train, which supports the realist view. The other film with the damsel focuses on her and seems to have a dramatic narrative that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. This narrative is a lot more clear cut because there is a plot, an antagonist, protagonist, a climax and a resolution.