Over the next couple of weeks a series of blogs will be posted on the topic of Screen Studies. These blogs will contain content relating to a number of films that will be reviewed based on their story, themes, structure, and form, as well as analysing what makes them successful movies.
What is Screen Studies?
Screen Studies is the study of historical and modern films and how they have influenced the industry. Films are motion pictures, and like any art, they are a medium used to express ideas, feelings, and stories where they can be communicated to an audience.
What is filmmaking?
Filmmaking is the process of putting together a production whether it be TV or film. Making a film can be a lengthy process and is generally divided into 3 stages:
- Pre-production
- Production
- Post-production
Each of these stages all have their own procedure with separate members working in each department.
What does a film contain?
To begin analysing any works we will first need to identify what the composition of a film is. The elements that make up a film include narrative, cinematography, editing, sound, and mise-en-scene.
The first film that will be looked at is Tom DiCillo’s Living in Oblivion (1995). Its story focuses on the multiple challenges that are faced while trying to make an independent film in Hollywood. The concept of the movie revolves around giving viewers an insight on how a film production is put together and does a good job at educating those who may not have an understanding of how it operates. Since the budget of the film itself was quite low, it added more to its depiction of the indie filmmaking business. Although it may be somewhat of an over-exaggerated representation, the notion itself is not that farfetched than what would occur in reality. The characters within this film are a portrayal of the many roles that are required on a film set. The main focus is drawn into the role of the director and the responsibility they have while on set.
A creative technique that I admired was with the use of colour. The use of colour in a film can have an influence on the overall tone and mood of the picture and can affect the audience’s response. The way in which they chose to differentiate reality from fantasy by having one in black and white, and the other in colour, was a clever way to discern them from each other.
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