Psychoanalytical film theory

One of the questions psychoanalytic criticism wants to address is the formal nature of cinema in relation to the subjective nature of the human mind. For example, the great post-Freudian psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan would use the term ‘lack’ to describe a state of desire that cannot be satisfied. Does cinema too often create a cinematic world that denies this lack and generates plenitude – a satisfying, clearly comprehensible cinematic experience?
This isn’t only an issue of narrative expectation; that events will end happily, that the baddie will be vanquished, the couple brought together. 

As Rob White proposes in The Cinema Book, commenting on the psychoanalytic dimension to semiotician Christian Metz’s work: “As the spectator settles into immobility…the spectator, ignoring the actual situation of film going (being part of a group in an auditorium) as well as the artificiality of cinema’s narrative techniques (camera movement, editing, lighting, mise en-scene etc.) succumbs to a lascivious, covetous, furtive belief.” This is the belief “in his or her principal role in observing, and by extension in controlling or directing the narrative progression of the film.”

Psychoanalytical film theory is an approach that focuses on unmasking the ways in which the phenomenon of cinema in general, and the elements of specific films in particular, are both shaped by the unconscious. Whose unconscious? This is where things get a little tricky. The unconscious studied by psychoanalytic film theory has been attributed to four different agencies: the filmmaker, the characters of a film, the film's audience, and the discourse of a given film.

1. The Filmmaker's Unconscious. In its earliest stages, psychoanalytic film theory compared films to dreams, slips of the tongue, and neurotic symptoms as films were considered to be manifestations of a filmmaker's unconscious. This kind of psychoanalytic film theory is somewhat out of fashion today.

2. The Character's Unconscious. Another application of psychoanalysis to cinema studies focuses on the characters of a given film and analyses their behaviour and dialogue in an attempt to interpret traces of their unconscious. This approach, when it first appeared, was immediately attacked by skeptical film critics who pointed out that fictional characters, insofar as they are not real people, have neither a conscious nor an unconscious mind to speak of. However, the psychoanalysis of film characters quickly found new credibility with the next stage in the development of psychoanalytic film theory--the analysis of the audience's unconscious as it is prompted and shaped during a film viewing.

3. The Audience's Unconscious. The audience-focused approach will often focus on the way in which the behavior and dialogue of certain characters can be interpreted as manifestations of our unconscious, insofar as we come to identify ourselves with them when we visit the cinema. Thus, as we sit quietly in the dark and forge our psychic bonds with this or that character, we unconsciously project our own fantasies, phobias, and fixations onto these alter-egos. Whenever they inevitably say or do something that even tangentially touches upon one of these fantasies, phobias, or fixations, we derive unconscious satisfaction or dissatisfaction accordingly.

4. The Unconscious of Cinematic Discourse. This is the most recent version of psychoanalytic film theory more or less abandons the character-centered approach altogether, focusing instead on how the form of films replicates or mimics the formal model of the conscious/unconscious mind posited by psychoanalysis. Thus, for example, the psychoanalytic film theorist might focus on the way in which the formal procedure of editing will sometimes function similarly to the mechanism of repression by cutting out a crucial, emotionally charged moment which, though unseen, will continue to resonate throughout the film. Here the unconscious that is unveiled belongs neither to the filmmaker, nor to a character, nor to an audience of viewers, but rather to the film's own discourse. The unconscious is thus conceived as an organisation of hints and traces of meaning residing within the audio-visual language of the cinema.

My film on the other hand can be read in terms of symbolism and psychoanalytical film theory as although it states that the character conscious state of mind is not so in fashion and used as much to this day, I still, feel as though in terms of personal identity, my target audience may concentrate more on their "alter egos" and how they somewhat create their own fantasy, phobia or fixation from the realism and inevitability of my plot. As instead of satisfying the audience, my film ends on a new equilibrium leaving the audience on a cliff hanger where they almost end it themselves in their own imagination of what the would want to happen or what they think should happen, as as a part of the cinematic discourse unconscious, by cutting a crucial and emotional element within my film I believe that we (audience or filmmaker) have mor a unconscious or unconscious state of mind.

Marxist film theory

Karl Marx...

• was a german philosopher
• wrote Communist Manifesto (political pamphlet) in 1848
• history of society is history of class struggles
• marxist film criticism based on his theoretical ideas
• marx liked realist texts
• marxist critics are wary of how cinema supports dominant ideology
• the marxist film theory is one of the oldest film theories ever studies

concepts of marxism and ideologies in film...

• individual matters can make a difference to the world
• an individual can improve him/herself
• good will triumph
• effort will be rewarded
• financial comfort and stable marriage is the best reward
• criminal will return to crime scene
• evil will be exposed
• corruption exists in isolated cases
• don't do drugs, drink, or meddle with things you don't understand

My short film links to this theory and society as it is about bullying, a struggle many young people go through that sometimes can continue later on in life. However,  certain messages like 'the good will triumph' and 'effort will be rewarded' don't link to my film at all as by the end with the new equilibrium as the audience, we don't improve as an individual or get something good from it as it is simply a strong message that I would like to get across.

Film Review Final Draft

This is my final film review. From before I felt as though I still had a lot more to offer and that there was still a lot of black spaces that I needed to fill. Firstly, applying to the feedback about the "plain border" I decided to add a green stripe at the top, grey and block stripes along the sides and bottom and an arrow shape pointing towards my article in the bottom, left hand corner. With these borders I now feel satisfied that i have managed to add enough colour around the side to make it seem much more livelier attracting more of an audience. Below the border at the bottomI have also added page numbers, this is because this is very essential information that every magazine article should have, therefore I included it. I kept the font the same for my page numbers to reinforce the house style of my products. Secondly, I the felt as though the space at the bottom on the right was very bare, so to prevent this I added a bright green stripe, keeping with my colour scheme, to make it seem as though there was a lot more going on. I then overlapped sell lines over the top of the green box, I used white and blacks fonts that contrasts with the green. Furthermore, I decided to include a sell line because I felt that my film review lacked in something really interesting, so I added information that implies that if you sign up to a certain website, you are able to seen "never seen before footage" from behind the scenes. I did this because, after doing my primary research for my short film and it's film review, I realised that behind the scene interviews and exclusive footage is really significant as it is very interesting for the audience to see especially if they are fans and are really keen on the main product, in this case my short film. To conclude, I feel that overall  have produced a much more sophisticated and professional product compared to my first film revue draft. Also,  I have learnt that my audience feedback is really important and plays a big part when making my film review as without the criticism I wouldn't have been able to correct myself and improve in some areas.

Film Review Draft 2

This is my second draft and I feel that I have made a huge improvement. After processing my audiences feedback on my previous draft, I can now say that I have taken into account what they have said and have tried to satisfy their needs. Firstly, I was told that my film review was lacking in information and text as a whole and that it looked rather plain and boring. To prevent this I have added a quote to my primary image at the top. I did this because in my last draft I felt as though if someone was to look at it, they wouldn't know what is it about by looking at what is there as it was very limited before. Now, The images give off a lot more, for example, I have added the quote "pulling someone down will never help you reach the top" as I feel that it is very inspirational. For my target audience, being someone that may have or still are experiencing bullying being the victim was to read this, i feel as though they would know straight away what it is about and that they may relate to the quote themselves as though it is addressing them. However, the font this time is sans serif, black with a white highlighting background. I decided to have separate from the rest because I feel that it is very important as it is a inspiring and memorable quote. I have also added  "review" sections so my audience, target or oppositional can see what other people have said about it. Lastly, everything else I have kept the same because beforehand I had a series of positive feedback, however, I still feel there's room for improvement.

Film Review Draft 1

This is my first ever draft of my film review. Firstly, I wanted to keep a subtle and simple colour scheme so I decided to include the colours white, black and green in order for them all to contrast with each other helping significant information stand out. For example, the masthead is bright green, although it is bright, it isn't too in your face as it blends with the greens in the picture. To also help specific texts to stand out I overlaid a white font on black, and then black on white to make it clear for the audience to see and read. Furthermore, I have chosen to use a serif font, this is because in my short film I have also used a serif font for the title, credits and other texts. The repetition of this simple yet effective font has heaped me produce a house style within all my products by using the same fonts and colour schemes. I feel as though it is very professional to do so as it will help my work become more recognisable because my aim is for them all to look similar and therefore rememberable. Secondly, the main images on my film review is of course another important element. My Primary image at the top is what I wish my target audience to see first, hence why my title is also there so straight away then get a grasp of what it may be about, who is in it, and what it is called. However, I still feel as though they won't definitely know what it is about, which is something I want to work on for my next draft. However, I have also included secondary images on my film review as I feel that the images are a very significant part of it as it is natural for everybody to be drawn in my the images with it being the first things they look at. I decided to include an image (the one at the bottom) from behind the scenes, in this case I caught the main character of my film looking at the camera. Although I am happy with the images, I still feel that my film review is lacking in something, so I decided to make a questionnaire and go around and ask different people what they think, tho enabled me to get an honest opinion on it.

Questionnaire...

1. What do you like about it?

Nathalie - I like the colours used as it isn't too in your face but it still stands out, if that makes sense. I also like the images and how it shows who is the protagonist in your film, this may vary your target audience by attracting a younger audience.

Michael - I like the choice of font. It is very calm and prevents it from looking really busy and messy.

Paige - I like how you've decided to add a black column on the right had side because it makes it a bit more colourful and livelier instead of it all being plain black. 

Ellie - I like the colours used.

George - The variety of different images, it provides a lot to look at.

Chloe - I think the information if really interesting when you start talking about being in the directors shoes and your opinion on it all, and then an interview with the main character of the film. 


2. What did't you like? What would you improve?

Nathalie - I think it is a bit plain and that you could add something else on it, I would perhaps add more information or images.

Michael - There's a lot of blank spaces that could be filled.

Paige - I think you could add more colour to it to fill the blank spaces.

Ellie - I don't like the emptiness.

George - I don't like the blank spaces around the edge, maybe you could add a border.

Chloe - it looks quite plain, there isn't a lot going on.


General Feedback...

"I really like the style but at the same time I feel that it lacks in colour, there's a lot of blank spaces that you could fill with important information or more pictures."

"I like the font, I feel that it really suits the genre. However, there are a few black spaces which you wouldn't see in a real magazine"

"I love the use of images and how you have pictures of behind the scenes with the main character operating the camera. It's interesting to see!"


This feedback has made be realise that I am on the right track yet there is still a lot I need to do to improve, for example, fill the blank spaces, more information and more colour. With this feedback I can now move on to produce a better film review. 

Ancillary Task - Final Film Poster and Textual Analysis

This is my final draft of my film poster and this time I have done it landscape. I made it quite similar to my other draft in terms of font and house style, however, as part of my feedback on my first draft was to add more information on it as it looked very 'dull'. I began to look and analyse other film posters and I noticed that they all had blocking text situated somewhere on the poster. 

Firstly, I decided to overlap two photos of the two girls who are playing the same person in my short film. However, the main focus is on the younger girl as we can see that the light is much brighter on her face, which implies that she is the most significant character as she portrays 'Nina's' childhood and her terrible upbringing. So the message is almost a if this is what we see behind her face, behind the appearance there is a lot more to her. It also gives off a similar impression as the 'don't judge a book by it's cover' as it's as if you shouldn't judge a person by their appearance as there may be a lot more behind it. I have kept the names the same at the top as these people are the main actresses within my short film. 

The title on the other hand, I decided that this time I wanted the title to go across their mouths as though her name and her appearance takes over what is actually her life and/or her past. In the present tense scenes with the counsellor and Nina in my short film, we only see what nina looks like and at the end we find out her name... This links to the poster as well because so far we can only see what she looks like and what her name is. As seen before on my first draft, I decided to keep the 'Unseen, Unheard and Unwanted' as people said that these words were very powerful on my previous draft so therefore, I have kept them on this draft as well. I feel that after my target audience has seen these three words it gives a clear realisation of what the film is going to involve. 

Also, the blocking text I have included this time makes my film poster look more professional as now it is complete unlike my previous draft looking 'dull' an 'empty'. The blocking text is used to tell the reader who it is produced by, who stars in it, and who's edited it... etc. These may also help the audience recognise someone who stars in it, although this is not the situation for me as mine is a short film for a2 media so unfortunately there are no big stars in my film!

lastly, I have kept the house style the same as this sans serif white font is what we see in my short film also. I wanted to keep this font the same throughout the making on=f my short film and my ancillary tasks as it helps it look professional and neat. On the other hand, the blocking text is in a completely different font which is still white but a serif font which contrasts greatly with the rest of the text. This specific text is in a different font because whilst researching blocking text on film posters I realised that the same or similar font was used on pretty much every film poster. So to keep and follow this convention I decided to keep a similar font on my own film poster to help it look professional. 

Feedback 

Paige - "It's good and I like how there's a layered picture because it adds effect and makes it look as if the film will be better quality I don't really know how you could improve it because it's really good already"

Ancillary Task - Film Poster Draft 1

This is my first draft for my first ancillary task. I chose to produce a film poster for my short in order to help publicise it. Firstly I used a picture of one of my two main actors in my film, Alexandra Wright plays the young Nina. I feel as if the younger the actor on my short film poster the more impact it has on my target audience in terms of the way they may feel towards her. Having a child on my front cover ay also attract a wider audience as everyone has been in her situation, everyone has been a child and knows what it's like. Whereas if I had an older person perhaps in their 40s then it might not attract as many people as some of us might have not lived that moment yet. I also edited my short film poster on Pixlr as that is what I have used throughout my As coursework whilst making magazine front covers, an article and a contents page, so I know how to use it and that it is reliable. 

I started with the main image and I added a layer on top of it to give it the darkness around the edges and corners. I felt that this dark colour contrasted greatly with the main girl in my picture and pinks and bright blues she is wearing, most importantly, I felt that it juxtaposed with my plot. I also used this dark black and greys to my image simply to enhance the visibility of my text.

I then went on to think about my text. Firstly, I decided to use a white font as it portrays the young girls innocence and it also contrasts really well with the dark background to help it stand out to attract the audience. I also used a sans serif font because I wanted to keep a house style as this is the font I used for my text in my short film for the title and credits... At the top I began with short snippets of information containing the main actors names to give my target audience an insight to as who stars in my short film. I then moved on to the title, one of the main attractions of any film poster. I continued to use a white sans serif font to keep up the house type of my short film, however, I used a slightly different font as it looks like as though it has been coloured in even though it hasn't. I picked this font because I felt that the little affect of it has a significant contribution to my interpretation of the innocence of the child influenced by not only the white font but the style. Above my title I have a tag line, where in this case if three powerful words that are said in my short film by the little girl describing how she feels. "Unseen, unheard and unwanted" all sound similar and one by one get more powerful leading up to the 'unwanted", and to think this is what that little girl is thinking makes the audience engage in the plot more and it will hopefully make them want to watch it to find out really what's going on in the little girls life. 

Overall, I like what I have done for my first draft and I will proceed to gather feedback from my target audience in order to know what to add, subtract or change in order to make my short film poster more appealing. 

Photos for Poster/Magazine Article

Auteur theory

The term auteur originates from France which translates as author, which also means that a director's film reflects their creative vision. The Auteur theory was introduced in the 1950s by French film directors like Francois Truffaut who advocated a focus on the contribution directors made on the style and form of film, he quoted...

"A true auteur is someone who brings something genuinely personal to his subject instead of producing a tasteful, accurate but lifeless rendering of the original material"

An auteur is a film maker whose style and practise is distinctive which creates a signature status for them. It is also a film maker who has a personal, signature style and keeps creative control over his or her work. making any film or in this case a short film where the director is the auteur but it would not be possible for them to create the whole production on their own, instead they collaborate with others and team up with, writers, cinematographers and actors, however, the director is still an auteur in a sense that they everyone and everything in the production.

The auteur theory is good for thinking about erectors and your own approach, it also draws our attention towards what is different between film, rather than what is similar. 

Auteur theory focuses on...

• Individual stylistic features
• How texts are determined by artist' creativity
• How texts emerge as part of an artists body of work.
• The product of an individuals imagination 
• Film as art, not just a piece of entertainment 

Jean Luc Goddard - "your camera movements are ugly because your subjects are bad, your casts act badly because your dialogue is worthless; in a word, you don't know how to create cinema because you no longer know what it is"

I agree with Goddard, as I feel that someone can't simply make a film or a short film just by watching films and learning from them. They have to have some sort of creative aspect about them with an open mind in order to even come up with that initial idea in the first place. 

Overall, I feel as though I have used the auteur theory really well as I have been creative as a filmmaker by having the subject matter about bullying which is something serious. Although it is not a personal subject matter as I have not gone through this myself neither the bully or victim, however, I feel that I have portrayed my own opinions of bullying. The short film ends on a disequilibrium where nothing is solved and I feel that the not so happy ending was a more realistic approach to the situation and that my target audience are more likely to walk away with an opinion of their own. Whereas if the situation was solved and the bullying stopped by the end of the film, the audience may walk away feeling satisfied which defeats the idea of the films purpose and main message that I want to get across.