Premiere Pro labeling bins

This is a screenshot of my Bins in Premiere Pro for my Film Studies piece "want", i imported all of my records into premiere pro and placed them into 4 bins so that access to the clips would be quick and concise, rather than searching my SD card looking for one particular clip.
The bins are labelled as

• Joe Footage (all recorded footage of subject one)
• AJ Footage (all recorded footage of subject two)
• Misc Footage (footage that was not of the subjects, essentially filler footage)
• Alternative colours  (the reversed colours shots of subject one and two, there are only a couple of these shots, so rather than them be lost in the subject folders, i placed them in there own)

Edit Decision List for A New Wave Film

00:05 - Jump Cut

stationary close up into stationary close up of the subject lighting a cigarette (to simulate the passage of time

00:08 - Jump Cut

stationary close up to stationary close up of the subject driving

00:10 - Jump Cut

stationary close up to stationary close up of the subject talking to someone off screen

00:15 - Match on Action

stationary wide shot to stationary close up showing that she is alone in the car

00:17 - Jump cut

stationary close up to stationary close up to again show the passage of time

00:21 - Jump cut

stationary close up of the subject talking to something offscreen to stationary close up of subject smoking

00:24 - Jump cut

stationary close up to stationary close up, shows passage of time

00:27 - Jump cut

stationary close up to pan left establishing shot, gives context of location


00:31 Jump cut

stationary close up to stationary close up of the subject addressing the camera thus breaking the 4th wall

00:36 Jump cut

stationary close up to wide angle long shot of pedestrians

00:39

stationary close up to stationary close up of the subject laughing

Mulvey theroy in film

Transformers (2007)

This scene within 2007's transformers conforms to all the points put forward in Mulveys male gaze.
The scene opens with a tracking mid shot of the Cars engine, the camera lingers over the engine (reminiscent of kennith angers scorpio rising), this shot also fits into mulveys male gaze theory, creating the possibility that the male gaze is not only about sexualising and objectifying women, but also objectifying other things a male finds pleasure in. The camera then cuts to a panning mid shot, with the focal point of the shot being Megan fox, she is postured suggestively over the car, with her hands raised on the hood of the car. As Shia La Beouf points towards Megan Fox, so does the camera. This conforms to the idea that not only does the camera linger on the curves of the woman, but also that the woman is only present to satisfy the males need.

The camera again cuts to another mid shot of Megan fox, This time leaning directly over the cars engine, her stomach and cleavage exposed.the cameras movments for this scene are very subtle, yet non the less conform the the male gaze, if you look closely that the camera traces the curves of her body, first from top frame, megan fox's cleavage, down to her waist and back, then down her legs. the fact that the camera movement is so subtle only adds to mulveys theory that the male gaze is so deeply routed in modern film that it can almost be considered subliminal.

Mulvey Theroy

Mulvey Film Theroy

Laura Mulvey is a British film theorist and avant garde film maker, her work explored a feminist approach towards film, often analysing and scrutinising film with psychoanalysis.

Laura Mulvey identified that Film fascinates its audience, it engages our emotions emotionally, intellectually and sometimes spiritually, Mulvey used psychoanalysis to discover where and ho the fascination of film is reinforced by pre existing patterns of fascination already at work within the individual subject (essentially the spectator). As a prominont feminist she believed that Film can and should be used as a political weapon.

Mulberry hypothesised that the Hollywood/mainstream/narrative cinema manipulates visual pleasure to directly influence the audience, according to her theory it "codes the erotic into the language of the  dominant patriarchal order" A key aspect of her theory is the presence of scopophilia, which means pleasure in looking (this was first created by Sigmund Freud in "three essays" in 1905). In freud original piece he explains how scopophilia is when we or the individual gets sexual pleasure from looking at other people, however mulvey also noted that in Freuds three essays, he said that people feel guilty when getting pleasure in this way. From here Mulvey suggested that cinema was the ideal place to get scopophilic pleasure because;

. The people in the film aren't aware that the spectator or individual is watching (therefore removing the guilt associated when receiving sexual pleasure from looking at other people)

.No-one else can see the spectator getting pleasure from viewing others as traditionally, a Cinema or theatre is dark, and that all others will be watching the screen

Mulvey argued that cinema essentially provides voyeuristic pleasure (pleasure from watching others who dont know there being watched).

Mulvey and Lacan

Mulvey expanded on Lacans concept of The Mirror stage and the childs development of self and other by explaing the importance of seeing yourself visually reflected in film. This means that when we see a character on the screen that either looks, reminds, or acts like us, we identify with it, and seeing such a representation reinforces our sense of self and worth.

Mulveys conclusions

According to Mulvey, most mainstream hollywood films are made by male filmmakers for a male audience, and that female filmmakers were often shunned, left only to create in the avaunt Guarde scenes. This results in active male characters (protagonists of the film which use the narrative forward, so that the audience are encouraged to identify with them), whereas female characters are usually passive (prizes for the male characters, objects of desire that men fight for, characters that dont act or think for themselves)

Male Gaze

In Mulveys 1975 'Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema", she coined the term the male gaze, which is when the audience regardless of gender or sexuality is put into the perspective of a heterosexual male, for example, in a shot the camera might trace alongside the curves of a woman body, putting the viewer in the eyes of a heterosexual male.
However, it may only be classified as a male gaze if it uses certain camera techniques, editing techniques or audio cues. Such as:

.slow motion when viewing the curves of a woman
.deliberate camera moments
.cut aways

This theory suggests that the male gaze denies women human identity,relegating them to the status of objects to be admired for physical pleasure and nothing more. the theory also suggests that women can only watch a film from a secondary perspective and only view themselves from a mans perspective. Regardless of this, the presence of a woman in mainstream film texts is vital, often a female character in a film has no real importance herself, it is how she makes the male characters within the text fact or feel that is of importance, essentially, the female only exists in relation to the male.

Visual pleasures

Lacan theory within a film

Enemy (2013)

At its core Enemy is a film about fear, the story follows a man named Adam, who discovers he has an exact doppelgänger, who lives a complete opposite life to him. Whilst Adam is mild mannered and essentially timid, his doppelgänger is the opposite, aggressive and confident. The film explores the relationship between the two, there opposing lives and the relationships they are involved in.




Within a few minutes of watching it becomes clear that the film is an exploration of Adam subconscious, whilst were never explicitly told that this is the case we can se it clearly through the mise en scene, camera techniques and even the narrative itself.

One scene that perfectly represents the lacan theory is the initial meeting between adam and his doppelgänger. Up to this point in the film Adam knows what he wants, he wants to meet his doppelgänger, this is the desire that he believes will fill his lack, as he walks to the motel door he is in centre frame, he is in control of the situation. A prostitute passes him clutching onto a room key, the camera suddenly cuts to a wide shot focussed on the top of her suspenders, we see in the background that Adam is still there, walking past her, however this time rather than being in focus and centre framed, he is to the left, the camera blurs him so we can only vaguely make out that this indeed adam. We can view this as an extension of our protagonists conscious, Upon seeing the prostitute and her Stockings, Adam is suddenly conflicted, is meeting his doppolganger truly what he wants?, or is he simply chasing his primal urge for sex?, If one was to watch the film in its entirety than this would easily be compatible with the Lacanian lack throughout the film, but as we are only analysing one scene, we shall ignore this.

The next key scene following this is the initial meeting between Adam and his doppelgänger. the two stand opposite each other, the camera remains completely still, simply observing the two, in an almost clinical manner. the camera for this scene can perhaps mimic the audiences perception and spectatorship of the film, simply an observer into this individuals mind, powerless to have any interaction within it.

The two show each other there hands, they comment on how similar they are. the doppelgänger than asks Adam if he has a scar on his chest from when he was a child, this freaks Adam out and he hurriedly leaves the room. We can perceive this as Adam realising that perhaps the doppelgänger is exactly what he has been lacking, the doppelgänger is a confident, assertive and bold figure, everything that Adam is not (Adam being obedient, withdrawn and almost afraid). The same goes in reverse, Even though the doppelgänger has a seemingly comfy home life, with a pregnant wife and a relatively wealthy standard of living, his fear of commitment means that he is always seeking a way out of this comfy home life, ( numerous references to his affair throughout the film).

Film Studies- Final piece + synopsis

Lack- Film Studies final piece

Lack is a Avent Guarde short inspired by the unique aesthetics and visual narrative of 1962's La Jetee. The story explores lacan's theory of intrinsic lack within the individual through still images and use of abstract audio, resulting in a short that challenges the physical form of film itself and simultaneously, representing the Lack within us all.

Lacan Theory

Jacques Marie Émile Lacan was a french psychoanalyst and psychologist who expanded upon the works created by his predecessor Sigmund Freud. Lacan's work influenced many of the top intellectuals of his time and continue to do so. His works covered a wide variety of topics, but its his hypothesis about our intrinsic lack that i will focus on. 

The theory revolves around the idea that we, as humans, are never complete. We are born with a void within us that will never be truly filled. Every action we take in our lives is an unconscious attempt to fill this void. As Lacan puts it 
"Desire is a relation to being to lack. The lack is the lack of being properly speaking. It is not the lack of this or that, but lack of being whereby the being exists.“

We can clearly see Freuds influence in this theory, the ego drives the actions of the self, usually from a position of want, a need for something rather than random actions. the lack within lacans theory is 
essentially the ego with Freuds theory.

Lacan recognises three different kinds of lack within us all, According to the nature of the object which is lacking. The first is Symbolic Castration, the second is Imaginary Frustration and the third kind of lack is Real Privation. The three corresponding agents are the Real Father, the Symbolic Mother, and the Imaginary Father. Of these three forms of lack, castration is the most important from the perspective of the cure.  Lacan viewed castration as a fantasy of the mutilation of the penis, linking it with a series of fantasies of bodily mutilations which begin with the image of the fragmented body, possibly an unconscious fantasy to punish oneself for never being truly whole. 


The mirror stage is also key in discussing how we are intrinsically born with a lack, an infant less than 15 months old cannot physically recognise there own reflections, they see however an almost objective perfection in there reflection. Subconsciously we always try to become this perfect reflection, by never can do due to our intrinsic self punishment. this is essentially why we all suffer from lack, we spend our lives trying to fill the void that we think will complete us, however no matter what we do we can never live up to the image we saw as children.

As show in Lacans “lack” and “Mirror Phrase” theories, Freud has excessive amount of effect on Lacan.
In most of Lacan’s theories, we can effortlessly see Freud's influence in them. Lacan's "return to Freud" emphasised a renewed attention to the original texts of Freud, including radical critiques of Freuds work. 

Lacan- 4 our film challenge

A freudian theme within a film

If i were to create a film that incorporated it within itself it would be as followed.

the film would essentially be an avert guard piece. the film would cut between a subject involved in various situations that conflict him morally and  subjectively. the idea is very lose but her are some examples of scenes that i would incorporate the theory.

an individual comes across a corpse of a girl at a house party that he himself hosts, the camera would cut to his hands against the camera, covered and dripping with blood, the expression upon his face is one of obvious guilt, almost for the corpses perspective, he himself would not say anything, rather the shot cuts to the ID and the SuperEgo shouting to each other within a tight two shot within a location that has no connection to the action stated previous, possibly against a black background.

The ID would argue that the subject should run, never associate himself with the crime that he has so obviously committed, whereas the SuperEgo would argue back, saying that he should surrender, surrender himself to the higher authority.
All the while this scene would cut rapidly between the shots of the Super Ego and ID arguing, to the id crying into his hands, blood dripping from his hands, and his face

Another scene that i think would be interesting within this film would be if a subject happened across a car crash. the audience would never see the car crash, but would rather hear the screams, the tears and pain of the car crash, all for off screen. The camera would again be focussed on the subjects face, never moving or panning or racing according to his movements. The audience would simply be an observer of the subject, nothing more.

The camera would again cut rapidly to a static shot of the Id and the SuperEgo against a background, the two arguing against a black background. dissimilarly to the previous scene, the Id and the SuperEgo would portray themselves more violently this time. there words becoming more violent than the previous time. the difference between the two would become almost indifferent.

the camera will fade to black upon the subject witnessing the car crash. his face staring, with horror, upon the hour he is watching.

the final shot of the film would consist of an extremely slow zoom of our subject stirring on a sofa, with him whipping his head back in agony, his hands gripping against his hair. just as we did for our previous scenes, the scene would cut, this time almost rapidly against the subjects playing the Id and the SuperEgo, screaming at each other, unaligably. almost suddenly the subject would pull handgun out of know where, point it to his temple. the camera wold cut the ID,The SuperEgo, standing there motionless, speechless. the subject would slowly pull a gun to his temple, all the while cut a staticframe shots of the two aspects of the conscious arguing.. the scene would cut end to sound of gunshot, we would cut to the two aspects of the brain falling ti the ground. we would end at a static shot of wide shot of the individual, blood seeping from his nose.

ID,SuperEgo, and the Ego within film.

ID,SuperEgo, and the Ego within film.



This is a shot from david finchers 1999 film Fight Clubl, in which an individual wrestles with his alter ego for control over his physical identity.

This short synopsis does nothing to elaborate how crucial the Id, Super Ego and Ego theory is to this film. for the sake of connivance i will explain who the characters are and how they relate to the theory.

Marla singer (The Woman) is representative if the Super Ego,
Tyler Durden (The Man in the basement) Is representative of the ID
and, The narrator (The Man in the suit) Is representative of the Ego

Marla Singer is easily a representative of the super ego, the aspect of the mind that controls and shuns individual thought, in this scene she is essentially begging the narrator for an explanation for the mark on his hand, she isn't compassionate, she isn't emotional, she simply wants the empirical, objective answer to the question. She is not concerned with the subjective, emotional answer (essentially provided by the ID), she wants the facts, the truth.

Tyler Durden is quite obviously the ID, not only is he physically situated within the basement of the setting, (not dissimilarly to the deep, repressed recesses of the mind and the ID) but he is also not apart of the conversation between the Ego and the SuperEgo. As i mentioned in my previous post (Freud Theroy) the id does not concern itself with the social restraints of the Ego and the Super ego, he is quite literally and physically on a completley separate plain of existence to the other aspects of the conscious. Deep from within the shadows, he expresses his primal and physical desires, rather than discuss and contemplate his feelings on a physical and intellectual level, just as the SuperEgo and the Ego do.

The Man in the suit (by purpose of elimination, the man in the suit) is the Ego, the portion of the mind that moderates between the Id and the SuperEgo. In this particular scene the Ego essentially follows the Id, the primal urge of avoiding confrontation by essentially shutting the Super ego out. the fact that he resides in the basement of the house could possibly be a representation of how the Id dwells within the deep recesses of us all, lurking deep within us, covertly watching, listening, and influencing the Ego. we can conform this by the fact that Marla (The Super Ego) never listens to Tyler Durden, she is fixated on the Ego (the narrator) .

Freud Theroy

The Id, Superego, ego is a psychoanalytical theory created by Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist (1856-1939). This theory is the idea that both consciously and subconsciously we are controlled by three aspects of our minds, the id, the super ego and the ego. 
The id is the disorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human's basic, instinctual drives, it is also the only aspect of the mind that is present from birth. It is also the source of our bodily needs, wants, desires, and impulses, particularly our sexual and aggressive drives. The id has no concept of self restriction, socially acceptable actions and rules and regulations of the world around it, It only wants. A representation of this would be a new born baby. A babies only instinct is to fulfil its spontaneous needs and wants, it has no awareness of the world around him, it only craves its own intrinsic needs 
the super ego is the polar opposite to the ego, it is the part of our consciousness that incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from our parents and those around us. The superego's purpose is to control and essentially repress the ID, especially the primal human urges such as sex, aggression and want. it also houses the purpose of attempting to persuade the ego to turn to a more moralistic, society acceptable goal rather than the ID's primal urges and to strive for perfection. 
the ego on the other hand is the aspect of the mind that sits perfectly in-between both the superego and the ID, it the aspect of the brain that essentially makes physical decisions within the physical world. this isn't to say that the ego cannot be persuaded or challenged by the ID or the super ego. One would naturally find themselves naturally siding with the ego in terms of wants and needs of the physical form, but unlike the Id, the ego also considers social and cultural factors into is decision making, upon which it relies on the superego to communicate how to act upon the social and cultural factors around it. 
this theory can be perfectly represented with the chariot analogy, imagine two horses and a chariot racing down a road, it is the chariots duty ti guide and control the two horses pulling the chariot, the chariot cannot allow itself to favour either horse, unless it veers of the road, it has to keep both horses in reign, in order to allow itself to keep itself straight.

Easy Rider scene analysis

easy rider- cemetery analysis- HNC induction

first and foremost easy rider is a critique on the state of decay that America found itself in during the 60’s. America during this period was undergoing drastic social changes, people were realising that the fabled american dream was nothing more than a illusion. the cemetery scene represents this existential moment perfectly. 

the scene starts with the two protagonists sitting in a cemetery with two prostitutes, the camera in this scene is a mid shot, angled slightly downwards this combination creates a impression of uncertainty, the static camera makes the viewer feel uneasy, a state of uncertainty that anything could happen in the moments following, the slightly tilted camera angle the shot relies on could be considered condescending, we are looking down at these individuals, the bottom of the social chain, we can easily relate this shot set up to the existing existential motif, the low angle and static camera represent that these people are people are stagnant, the american dream is dead and for these characters it has died with them, they have given up on the illusion of happiness and its pursuit of it 

following this we watch as the four take LSD, a psychoactive stimulant that induces hallucinations, immediately after, a non diegetic pulsing metallic clanging plays and continues to play throughout the scene, the metallic clanging is alien and disorientating, this could possibly be a representation of the the american dream, about how men and women forced themselves to conform to the ideals set by society at the time, a slow repetitive march that leads nowhere. the scene uses cross cutting at this point to represent the characters trip, the scene frequently cuts to religious iconography, slats in walls which resembles crucifix, are decayed and warped, possibly a representation on how america is now out of touch with its founding morals and principles, a preacher reads out scripture whilst the camera shifts in and out of focus, disorientating the viewer, shots of the sun, shot extremely close up till the screen is engulfed in white create a feeling of nothingness, of a blinding light that creeps forward unwaveringly possibly a representation of the characters impending deaths. one shot used within the cross cutting is particularly interesting, a prostitute lies completely naked in a graveyard, her limbs obscured by water droplets, making her look deformed and warped, this was filmed on a fish eye lens, resulting in a frame that is perfectly rounded which only adds to the alien aesthetic of the shot. this could potentially be a representation of to this fringe group of people, sex is the only thing that matters, not wealth or money or the american dream, but sex in all its forms. we are also presented with fast consecutive shots of one of the men crying next to a statue, upon analysis the statue is a model of the liberty statue, he utters the words “why did you leave me like that, shut up”, the fact that he is saying these words to the statue of liberty itself could mean that he feels as though america has abandoned him, the very ideals that america was built on have escaped him. the scene ends with one of the men sitting on the statue almost mockingly, the sun lights fills the screen and ends with nothing but white, this sunlight which eventually takes over the entire screen could be seen as the protagonist finally accepting that he has finally succumbed to the vices that have claimed so many before him, his sudden realisation that the american dream has indeed died, and this is his moment of clarity 

easy rider was released in 1969, filmmaking during this period was primitive when compared to the digital era we are in now, all film was recorded on reels, and were edited by hand, to create an effective cross cutting  a editor must have spent an extreme amount of time and determination to finish editing. 1969 was also a time in which american avont guarde cinema was being released, for the time this style of film making and editing was considered very experimental, with most directors of the time focussing more on linear narrative and 

well established filming techniques. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDAdzb9IeGU