Editing, Mise-en-scene, Film Genres

LEBANESE INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES COMMUNICATION ARTS DEPT. FALL 2012 - 2013 Editing, Mise en Scene & Film Genres The Mirror (1974), Andrei Tarkovsky; 8 ½ (1963), Frederico Fellini Mulholland Dr. (2001), David Lynch RTVF410: ART OF FILM Hassan Choubassi Written & Remixed by Asma El Achhab - 11031715 11/30/2012 A perplexed analysis of th ee pi tu es ue o ies y hi h this pape ’s autho has had he isio restored. Apart from the multiple time layer shifts and twists in the deconstructed editing, illustration of poetic autobiographies, Mise-en-scène and surrealism, this report will also shed faded light on film genres, dreams and Remixability of images in the Lebanese movie industry. Disclaimer: All ideas appearing in this work are not fictitious. Any resemblances to real person’s ideas, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Look a ou d you… , … ite hat you see et ee the i ages, a d ehi d the sy olis , Do ’t opy the o k of othe s… , … o I shall g ade you u fai ly fo the scrapings you’ e ee ha di g e . (Choubassi, 2012) Starting off my papers with quotes helps me set the finishing point, and sometimes beginnings, which are the hardest and most exhausting. For this paper, my instructor advised us not to copy when putting together this analysis report, and not to narrate the happenings in the movies either. What made this task (of not copying) o e diffi ult is that I’m studying the basics of learning & cognition in a psychology elective course, which praises copying and roots it to the foundations of learning. I collect materials; I combine them, transform them, and decorate them (something we Lebanese are known for). As Catell 1might have put it, we need to copy to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding. Creativity isn't magic, it happens by applying ordinary tools of thought to existing materials. And though we scorn and misunderstand that soil from which we grow our creations, copying 2 will always be the basis of learning. Do ’t isu de sta d e he e, I’ ot alli g out fo plagia is - God forbid- but I’ hinting out how copying makes us at first, fluent in the language of our domain and then, things start to get interesting. Speaking of Interesting! In Communication Arts department, specifically in Art of Film class, we get to contemplate the works of others, which must have relied on existing material. Today, these movies have become check points for future sequels, remakes, adaptations of comic books, transforming the old into the new. What we witness today, is a remix culture3. The Culture Industry4 & Film Genres Those same stories that have been told, retold, subverted, transformed and referenced since the dawn of cinema, abided by standards of cinema making. In their book, The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception (1944) - and 1944 was a long time ago- Adorno & Horkheimer explained the commercialization of culture with modernity, creating the cinema industry. Latter, as a consequence, has created genre movies, and those stick to standard templates. Genre movies then break up into sub-genres with their own even more specific conventions. For example, in the category of horror movies, we have sub-genres like slasher, zombies, creature feature, torture porn, 1 Raymond Catell was a British and American psychologist, known for his exploration of: the basic dimensions of personality, a range of cognitive abilities, the dynamic dimensions of motivation and emotion, the clinical dimensions of personality, predictors of creativity a d a hie e e t, a d a othe s… 2 When Gute erg’s press first started the printing (copying) revolution, wide circulation of information and ideas acted as an "agent of change", Eisenstein said, in Europe and global society in general. 3 Remix Culture is a concept discussed in Lev Manovich – Deep Remixability (2005) 4 The Culture Industry – Enlightenment as Mass Deception, written by Theodo Adorno & Max Horkheimer et … All have standard elements that are appropriated, transformed and subverted from other films, books, TV shows, actual events, toys, plays or graphic novels. This emulation of messages induced predictable elements in genre movies that have been successful in the past, and are till now. The standardization of movie formats, globalization of content and predictability is fa a d a a othi g e see i Da id L h’s, Mulholland Drive. A great movie critic, such as the American pundit and journalist, Roger Ebert was beseeched of words and meanings when he wrote his review. He even screened the movie in front of a film critics association I dou t that’s the a e of the asso iatio , hi h is a g oup of eall old people ho disse t o ies scene-by-scene in order to reconstruct meanings and maybe be able to categorize movies. But this ti e, it as ’t the ase. I a i te ie ith Da id L ch about his movie; I te ie e : Rega di g Mulholla d D i e, hat is the the e of this movie? Da id Ly h: “a y! I e e talk a out the es From the beginning of the interview, till the end, Lynch refused to put his movie into words. Ideas a e like fish. If you a t to at h little fish, you a stay i the shallo ate . But if you a t to at h the ig fish, you’ e got to go deepe . Do deep, the fish are more po e ful a d o e pu e. They’ e huge a d a st a t. A d they’ e e y eautiful. (Lynch, 2006) As so e ie e s felt the o e all a ia e is dete ti e-like, othe s ade a o a e out of its narrative, and many divided it into two parts, the dream and the real part. The director, on the other hand, simply had an idea and fell in love with it, solely owned the meaning of his creation (maybe not) and simply wanted to share it with world. Yet the world refuses to be subjected to uncertainty and ambiguity. Movies that are vague and beautiful, people feel distressed if kept as such, probably the ’d all a whole new genre vague and beautiful just to ease their anxiety, but then agai , e’ e o liged to o side the epe ussio of the i e a i dust hi h has esta lished its societies and controlled their perception. Relentlessly as well, camera techniques kept switching dizzily, only to flip view points from Diane (dream or not) to Betty (real or not). Nothing untraditional surfaced when watching the use of zooms, angles & pans, yet they were all subconsciously looping us into the trick of believing mysteries & adopting sides with the characters. When Lynch allowed the dream world to intrude the Figure 1 Wheel-chaired man from David real world & the delusions, reminding us that we, are also Lynch's Mulholland Drive shifting worlds as we journey through Diane’s o Bett ’s pla ed by Naomi Watts) unstable universe, he unleashes key aspects that sets a unique mise-en-scène which supports his representations, example Figure 1; the strange room in which a wheel-chaired man sits using a phone to contact those who which to speak with him (though he barely speaks)- not to forget the butler standing in the back (barely recognizable and o hold fo his aste ’s o de s . All these p ops, lighti g de isio s, ha a te appea a e a d f a es’ o positio s play a major role in setting key aesthetic atmosphere for viewers to sense that this guy not only seems to be of very high importance in cinema production, but is feared and autonomous to all his subordinates (and probably to reflect a dominant reality of how things go in Hollywood). Yet the mise-en-s e i of the all is ’t Mulholla d D i e. It is Felli i. Felli i’s 8 ½. Nostalgic Labaki & Disoriented Fellini E e though it’s a sto a out a diso ie ted di e to wishing the world was a figment of his imagination, synonymous with his dreams, and with a past that oti ated his futu e, I ould ’t ot a t all Le a ese a d fall fo the a to s as though the ’ e o eigh o s, the setti g as though it’s in an old village in South of Lebanon, & to a homage sensation that this movie was meant to be produced, here, in Lebanon, in 2012. But wait! The soundtrack is similar, and so is that scene Figure 2, and this one too Figure 3. Now I see the cradle from which Nadine La aki’s su o s ious o o s ious has foregathered images and inspiration to conceptualize a style hi h I’ e previously perceived as hers. I blame not the Lebaneseased di e to fo falli g i lo e ith Felli i’s a t. Figure 2 Women power bundling up on men is viewed in Nadine Labaki's Cara el & Where do e go o ? o Ies, as depi ted fro Felli i’s 8 ½ When Quentin Tarantino was the new George Lucas, and when Isaac Newton said that, If I ha e see fu the , it is sta di g o the shoulde s of gia ts , hi h as hat he as doing when he adapted that saying by Bernard of Chartre, why a ’t La aki e the Le a ese version of Fellini? Figure 3 Final celebrative scene is noticed in both "Caramel" & "8 1/2". Although the movie "Where do we go now?" also exhibits a closure where all the actors are put in one frame. To prove that she rightfully earns that name is the fact that her two movies exhibit a mash-up of Felli i’s fo at a d a ie e. Pa ked ith ele e ts pulled f o ou tless s e es, Nadi e La aki raises Lebanese sampling to new heights of sophistication. Clea l though, hat is a ti ulated i Felli i’s 8 ½ ea s little to o o e tio ith Nadi e La aki’s e i ed e sio . To pla e Guido the di e to i the e te of atte tio he he appa e tl wished to disappear to his own realm, Fellini situated him and other characters in the most unorthodox positions in the frame (foreground, background). The aspect of composition is seen in the beginning of the movie, at the holy water front, where the crowd in the square is placed really near to the camera, looking at the camera, as though the ’ e all ead fo thei lose-ups and craving a role in Guido’s o ie (which summarized the entire plot). To e ho est, ho ould ’t a t to e i it? Not Guido’s movie, but Felli i’s, o as Guido the pe so ifi atio of Felli i? “adl , e’ll e e e su e, ut I’ positi e that the e’s a Guido i e e di e to , the so t that is burdened by demands and expectations, especially after one major success. Because of that, Guido was going through an escalation of commitment 5feeling, towards his sponsor, crew & staff, wife, girlfriend & even his own self. “ a t spa e positio s as ’t the o l i h i e ati aspe t of 8 ½, décor (hotel lobby & rooms) as well as actors’ overall appearance also portrayed some key findings in each character. Wealthy women were dressed prestigiously to show social stature, while lower class women were o di a il d essed, e ept fo Guido’s ist ess who was always perturbed by her appearance and closet, wanting to look chic and seductive at the same time. The wife of Guido was middle-class looking, somewhat conservative with her looks unlike the American Gloria Mezza otta’s gi lf ie d , who was liberal in looks and attitude. Everything was programmed, even the footsteps of the secondary actors in the background. Beautiful white customs were worn in the midst of a typical Rome architectural location. Which reminds me, what was that big huge structure being built for the movie ? Never could make head or heels of it, but I could relate it to how Guido was feeling, especially from the way he was talking to Rosetta. That really big construction was similar to the promises he was giving, himself and everyone else. A building that kept rising and his anxiety kept kiting over the sea of his dream. Eventually all those promises came to an end, he fell from sky, the construction site was then abolished. Guido: The truth is: I do not know... I seek... I have not yet found. Only with this in mind can I feel alive and look at you without shame. Guido was probably David Lynch now, who is still on the lookout for an idea to fall in love with, and wander his thoughts between 6:30a.m and 7:00a.m6. But unlike Mulholland Drive, 8 ½ bursts with so much affection in some scenes, it becomes more of a tranquilizing poetry. When Guido (unannounced) remembers his childhood baths and mother, a sweet tune takes you to a loving home, loving people & memories. Is it the ioli s? A ie e ’s ate falls do ’t sta t just he e, ut it’s 5 6 Escalation of commitment is the tendency to stick to a bad decision even when it is bringing you bad outcomes. Those were the times David Lynch says he came up with the idea for Mulholland Drive. after an old lady ends the shot, melancholically, and the tune fades. That elderly person is in herself, poet , a pa ado of a passio ate a ho e he death is ea , a d a Guido’s o ld is u li g on him. Arsney Tarkovsky is heard reciting his poetry, while his son sows together a poetic representation rather than a plot, warping an autobiography of his childhood and conscience. Figure 4 An old lady melancholically ends a scene in Fellini's 8 1/2 If Beirut was in The Mirror… Though I do ’t ad ise ou to liste to Arvo Pärt 7 hile at hi g Ta ko sk ’s Mi o , o liste to Frates from Pä t’s Ta ula Rasa hile eadi g this, I a ’t de the fact that they fuse magnificently. The heroine is uniquely introduced apart from the others Figure 5. “he’ll be the face hi h e’ll u de sta d more of Ta ko sk ’s histo i al background and psychodynamics with his family, later to play the role of his wife. Drawing oneself is hard, but narrating a life span that dissociates into dreams, memories and fantasies is sheer Herculean. Mirror distinguishes amongst those time layers in Figure 5 Tarkovsky introductory scene of hazy hues, just like a stormy day in Russia. Whether or not he his Mother names this autobiography similar to what his intensions are of mimicking (mirroring) his life with a movie camera is up to Tarkovsky himself, yet many studies mention that the di e to ’s i flue e with Ja ue La a ’s ps ho-developmental stage called, the mirror stage (Smith, 2004) is what led him to call it as such. Apart from all the reviews out there, this movie carried me through prolonged mental activity to make sense of the symbolic and mental representatio s p ese t i so eo e else’s i d without having to put my own perception to deconstruct it. Though I was informed not to, it is human instinct to try and categorize thoughts into conceptual pots and drawers. But nothing seems to work out. On a similar note, t to e e e the last ti e ou oke up a d said, I had a ei d d ea last ight , o I at hed the ost i d-t isti g o ie the othe da , a d ou a ate it to a close pe so , a e he’ll u de sta d it, a e ot. This is exactly what The Mirror tries to propagates, at least on a simplistic level. In other words, when Freud wrote on interpretations of dreams, many modern psychologists rejected his theories seeing that we differ in cultures, and so do the archetypes 7 Arvo Pärt is an Estonian music composer. present in our minds, hence our dreams are based on different sort of symbolism which might act as an impossibility for a psychologist in Lebanon to interpret a dream of a person living in Russia. But if The Mirror was set in Beirut, here in the comfort of my streets and archetypes of its people, Beirut would be damp and has a thick scent of melted paint and scorched wood Ta ko sk ’s house burn). Bei ut i Ta ko sk ’s e es ould e itte to ou ost ils a d chokes you with how pu ge t it a e, si ila a e to ho Russia as i the ti e of “tali , he e Ta ko sk ’s othe would run endless aisles, halls, stairs, aisles, halls, and stairs to only make sure Stailn’s a e as ’t spelt right. If we were to write an autobiography of Beirut, would it be an eccentric mindboggling movie by David Lynch? or a Nadine La aki’s depi tion from a Fellini mise-en-scene? Would it taste of damp and burnt surrealism of a perplexed 20 year old remixing the plagues of civil wars with boastful cultures and doomful dreams? Bibliography Choubassi, H. (2012, 11 19). RVTF410: Art of Film. Beirut. Lynch, D. (2006). Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. Tarcher . Smith, A. (2004). On the use of poetry in Tarkovsky's Film Mirror. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1791295/Smith_--_on_the_use_of_poetry_in_Tarkovskys_Film_Mirror UNDP, CDR, & NHDR. (2008-2009). National Human Development Report; Towards a Citizen's State.