Winters bone essay

How far does the knowledge of the production process encourage a constant shift between passive and active spectatorship?

There is a long shot as Jennifer Lawerence’s character, Ree approaches. The mise en scene of the classroom shows that this is an interview for the army through the leaflets that are set on the table. There is also a queue of other people waiting, however these are all male, insinuating and highlighting the masculinity of Ree's character. This may hold more significance to an active viewer rather than a passive one. This is as the are able to actively think of the underlying reasons behind this and understand the lower class american society that Ree lives in. A passive viewer may not pay as much attention to this or have an understanding of the society. Having prior knowledge isnt something required to understand or enjoy the film as even an active viewer may also be unaware or uneducated in the subject of the film. Spectator ship is also able to shift throughout the film, in many scenes, having prior knowledge to the production process may encourage a more observant view. However a film like 'winters bone' not only is created for entertainment purposes, it also has educational value to the audience, educating through the social realistic style. The budget of this independent film, would explain the setting of the scene. The film, being independent, has a far lower budget than most Hollywood blockbusters made by larger companies. The overall budget of the film, including set, clothing etc was only 2 million dollars. This may affect spectator ship in numerous ways. Viewers that are not use to independent film may have the assumption that the film would be unsatisfactory, due to its low budget. Contrarily, those that do appreciate independent film may have the assumption that due to its Independence it would be of highly quality that Hollywood movies. To be able to stay on budget, rather than using large sets(like most Hollywood movies), the film uses an actual buildings in a small town. Everything from the houses and schools are genuine. This adds more realism to the film as the lighting and filming wouldn't be perfect. This may distract an passive viewer who isn't use to that kind of look film. In contrast, an active viewer may appreciate the authenticity that the sets hold. The film also hold a cooler tone in comparison to Hollywood blockbusters, this is as it tries to capture the truth of how rural america truly is, rather than glamorizing it for entertainment.
A medium shot is then focused on Ree’s character as she begins to speak. Her clothing emphasises her class. The clothing budget for the film was only 2,000 dollars for all the main characters. This meant that the clothing director had to purchase second hand clothes to fit budget. The clothing director also, decided to clothes swap with locals in the area to gain the most authentic look for the main characters. Having prior knowledge to this creates an appreciation into



second hand clothes, she also decided to do clothes swap with locals in the area to gain the most authentic look for the characters. Although this film was made for entertainment purposes, it also has an element of educational content into North America and the type of lives they live. Following a seventeen year old girl who has little money and has to look after her siblings and mother on her own, allows the audience to emphasise and relate to her.
       

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

fish tank

"How useful has an ideological critical approach been in enhancing your understanding of  Fish Tank" ideological critical approach in fishtank. Working class. Young female being taking advantage of. Wanting to get out of the "fish tank" In the film "Fish Tank" the fish tank acts as a metaphor for social class/status. The film is dominated by social class this as we as an audience are constantly left comparing Mia and her family to the man that is dating her mother.  In the opening scene Mia is mid frame, the background is a blue concrete wall. The concrete wall reflects the council house environment which is typical of where working class people live. The colour of the wall ties into the title of the film "Fish Tank" as it is a metaphor for being trapped in social class.  The documentary style of the film tries to make it as realistic and accurate to life as possible. The director has done this in order for the audience to relate an
Read more
Image
 Crimson peak The scene begins with a close-up shot of the main character lying in bed. This shot creates a sense of claustrophobia as not a lot is visible.This makes the audience feel uneasy, much like the character does in this moment of time. In this scene, it is apparent that the tone of the film is serious. This is evoked through the low key lighting that it used. Through this, the director has created a sense of mystery as the setting is unknown to the audience. This also foreshadows that something bd is going to happen by building tension. Thos close up shot then pans out to reveal the darkness that is the room. in this old eerie house.In this the image of where the character is is builded from the mise en scene. This being eveything in frame, the old style curtains and props. The prop of the candle is a classic convention of horror movies. It allows the audience to know that this is a horror movie. Props also allow the audience to know the time period in which the film i
Read more

Amy

Within the first scene of the documentary Amy, raw footage is used. There is a short clip of her and her friends in the very first couple seconds of the film. There is a close up shot of her in the middle of the frame. This makes the film feel more persona; to the audience as they feel as if they are “close to her.” The director uses this clip first due to her innocence; this is Amy before fame. She singing she’s happy. She’s doing it with her friends because she enjoys it rather than for an audience. She is caught off-guard by the camera. The scene after this is again another raw footage film with her and her friends/management in the car. There is both non-diegetic and diegetic sound within the scene. The diegetic sound is quiet as the non-diegetic voice overs are played on top. This gives more context as those that are in frame are given time to elaborate what is happening.   There is a range of close up shots of Amy, many of these are slowed down so the audience hav
Read more