Manhattan

Manhattan - one of my favourite films.

One thing i love about the beginning of the film is the way the scenery is all made to seem enormously grand and ever fluctuating.

It can be argued that the use of non-diegetic sound, contrasting colours, quick shots and lighting are what allow this opening scene to be so intense and 'pulsating'. The movement of the cars and the people in the opening scene play a large part in this too, in my opinion.

The countless shots of New York establish the setting very clearly to the audience, whilst allowing a humane image to also be portrayed, using the rule of thirds.

Watching the beginning of Manhattan has given me a few ideas about what i can do in the opening of our film. For example, to use contrasting colours such as black and white to create a more intense visual effect, using light and dark would highlight the contrast even more obviously.
Another example is to use a great deal of movement if it is appropriate, as this will create an exciting viewing experience (if done correctly!). If possible, an appropriate piece of 'classical' music, such as the piece used in the opening of Manhattan, could also be used to good effect!

Cat Gough

Commentry & evaluation on the opening scenes of Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back - a cult classic, which follows the legendary Bob Dylan during an eventful two week period in 1965.
In this wonderful fly-on-the wall film/documentary, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker shows Bob Dylan to be an extraordinary character during his controversial tour of England.
D.A. Pennebaker's use of a hand-held camera device enabled him to manoeuvre himself into any situation thrown his way - an excellent viewing experience.

Commentary

After the Subterranean Homesick Blues video, the titles appear (starting at 2.16). This is the point in the clip where i will begin my commentary.

D.A. Pennebaker firstly uses an inconspicuous shot - a mirrored image of Bob Dylan showing him to be looking in the mirror, whilst vaguely singing the words to She Belongs To Me and strumming steadily on his guitar.
There are various possible ways of analysing this shot, but in my opinion, Pennebaker may have used it to illustrate to the audience that even though the film may appear to show Dylan in an utterly truthful light, it merely shows a singular dimension of his personality and character that he wished to exhibit at that point in time.
Pennebaker uses panning shots several times and zooms during this first scene, highlighting to the audience Dylan's fast paced lifestyle at the time of filming. This is an effective camera shot in this circumstance, as it produces an exciting viewing experience for the audience.
Zooming to a close-up also allows the audience to understand that the film is not scripted or planned - creating verisimilitude.
Pennebaker cleverly uses the image of the spotlight and darkness that envelopes it, creating an artistic shot, which has many connotations for the audience to pick up on.

Cat Gough

First post

Abbie Hawkins and Cat Gough are the components of this media studies group.

We will be working as a team to upload blogs, videos and pictures throughout the year in order to make a successful and exciting blog-viewing experience for you!