Short Film Treatment

Logline: An old man that is stuck in the past tries to change modern youth by radical means.

An old house with a neat front lawn. An old man wearing khaki pants, a navy blazer, and a duck billed hat steps out of the front door onto a wooden porch. He relaxingly closes the door, walks onto the sidewalk and proceeds to begin his daily tasks.

The old man walks casually down the street, calmly observing the neighborhood around him. He glances over to the other side of the street and sees a pair of young kids playing with a handheld game, eagerly looking over each others shoulders. A deflated red ball sits just a few meters away from where they are sitting on the sidewalk.

A red ball is kicked. Children’s laughter is heard.

The old man, slightly disappointed, continues on his walk as he does everyday. This is nothing new to him.

The old man is sitting down at a local diner, reading the day’s newspaper. Nearby conversations are heard. A young waiter comes by and asks what he wants to order. The waiter suggests to try the new mocha that they are promoting. The old man ignores him and asks for “a black coffee”. As the old man sips the last bit of coffee left in the cup, he puts on his coat, pulls out his wallet from the inside of his coat and leaves some old bills on top of the check.

The old man is sitting in a park playing chess with a friend. He moves his queen in place and declares checkmate. In the background, kids are playing basketball. Suddenly, a basketball strikes the chessboard. A teenager runs past the two old men to retrieve the ball. The two old men yell in protest but the kids smirk and continue their pick up game.

The old man opens up the front door to his house and hangs up his jacket. Immediately an old phone begins to ring. He walks into the kitchen and picks up the phone. His son tells him how he and his son are supposed to come over that same day. He walks over to the refrigerator, glancing at some old photos. In passing his son asks about how that computer he sent him is working for him. The old man glances at a computer monitor sitting next to the garbage can in the front yard. The old man says fine.

The old man opens the front door for the dad and his son to walk in. The kid is texting on his phone even as his dad tells him to put it away. They exchange greetings.

At the dinner table dad and grandpa quietly eats while the kid is still texting on his phone. Dad seems to not be disturbed with his son texting at the table. Old man firmly asks the kid to put his phone away and that its rude to be on the phone at the dinner table. The kid reluctantly puts his phone on his lap. Dad suggests that the two of them go to the park together, for a little bonding time.

Old man and the kid are sitting a few feet away from each other on a park bench. The old man reaches into a small plastic bag and disperses some bird feed to the pigeon. The kids seems very bored and irritated. The old man offers the kid the bag, but instead he pulls out a gaming handheld. The old man turns back towards the birds and continues feeding them.

The kid is sitting in front of the TV set trying to set up his game console. The old man is sitting in his chair reading his paper. The front page talks about how “technology has ruined modern society”. However, when he looks to the rear of the TV set, he discovers that the game system is not compatible with the TV. The kid screams at the TV displaying static in frustration. Suddenly, the old man gets up, picks up the game console, and thrusts it on the floor. The kid, in utter awe and confusion, is yanked by his father while he is yelling at his dad (old man) about how . . .

The old man stands confused and unsure of himself as dad and son pack up to leave. The door closes on the old man, still dazed by the unfolding of events.

Ideology in Film

Ideology is a set of beliefs that is shown through different media, including film. These set of beliefs are usually underlying messages present throughout the film and is communicated through various techniques such as the narrative, acting, and production design. Explicit ideology is when the filmmakers state exactly what the film is exploring. This can be seen in the genre of the film when genre specific techniques are implored. For example, a crime film is out right stated to be a film through the production design and the set up of the film. However, implicit ideology is all of the underlying messages that aren't out right stated and can be debatable. Many times these ideologies are unintended and come from the critical analysis of film scholars.

Humphrey Bogart represents an ideological package that film studios were quick to use. He was known for his hard, quick-witted acting style. This was shown through the quick and sharp dialogue that was heard throughout his roles. Although he was cast frequently in his early career as a gangster, he moved past this when he went to film High Sierra, Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca. His roles after Casablanca were tough and strong, yet was trusted filmmakers trusted him his romantic leads as well. Five adjectives to describe Bogart's frequent roles would be quick-witted, strong, tough, vulnerable, and relentless. If Bogart were still alive, his next film role would be that of a man coming from a troubled past. He tries to cope with this burden because he displays such a strong exterior. However, inside he is a truly vulnerable man who longs for redemption.

A film I really like is La Vie en Rose where Marion Cotillard stars as the late famous French singer, Edith Piaf. I really like this character because the audience has the chance to watch her evolve from a naive girl, to a strong woman, all while retaining her vulnerability. Being a bio-pic, the filmmaker's choice of including events that span her entire life work to develop her not only as a singer, but more essentially as a woman. By exploring the struggles that women handle day-to-day through a different frame, the filmmakers are able to relate to the audience. Some values that this film works to promote is the importance of having love in your life. Although Edith physically deteriorates in the film, the love that she holds to her deathbed assures the audience that she was content as she passed. As an audience member, my feelings are manipulated to prefer her view over others is through the extensive investment we have with Edith. We've seen her struggles and tribulation, yet she has overcome them all. The audience becomes so invested in her character that we are able to sympathize with her. The filmmaker may want the audience to consider an ideology over another in order to communicate their own ideas. However, the expectations of the audience is important when considering this film. Because Edith was such a beloved singer, the filmmakers are obligated to portray Piaf's positive characteristics as well as interesting events in her life that would be new and fresh for the audience. These pressures are also put on by film studios because the financial aspects of the film require that the subject matter in the film is insured success.

Some ideologies are cemented into how certain narratives are told. However the problem arises when there are shifts in these ideologies. As a result the narrative style shifts accordingly. For example, films that operated under the ideology that the world is going to end in a nuclear war (seen during the Cold War), would change due to the passing of the nuclear crisis past the 1990s. No longer were films constructed with tensions surrounding the end of the world. However, films like these have resurfaced in the form of disaster films. This is in response to the Mayan calendar ending in 2012.

In most cases, the ideologies aren't immediately felt. This is because it has been weaved through various aspects of the film, making it hard to detect. However, in films like Triumph of the Will by Leni Riefenstahl, the effects are more glaring. This is because the ideology departs so far from ideologies that would be considered the norm in current-day society.

Suspension of disbelief is when the reality in a film is accepted although it may be vastly different from reality. For example, fist fights in films last a long time while in reality, they may take only seconds. The audience accepts this because it helps to create the diegesis of the film. However, the filmmakers must be mindful of suspending reality before the audience begins to disregard the reality of the films. An example of this would be in Casablanca where the plane takes flight in a matter of seconds while in real-life, it would take much longer.

The influence of film studios on the ideologies of films is irrefutable. However there are certainly varying levels of influence. For example, films under famed directors like Hitchcock and Kubrick would operate more so on the ideologies of the creative filmmakers then the financial backers of the film. However, studios often times dictate how films end in order to do what they believe as to satisfy the audience. This is why there are "Directors Cuts".

Genre Study

Drama

Examples:
La Vie en Rose
The Social Network
Warrior

Narrative Conventions:
Dramas usually follow the five-arc structure with an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and a resolution.

Other Defining Conventions:
Typical Wardrobe: Depending on the time period, dramas reflect the culture they are coming from. Costumes aren't fantastical but instead exude realism.
Typical Visual Style: Though they reflect reality, dramas often choose to highlight certain details in the environment that adds to the story.
Typical Setting: Location can play a huge role in dramas because they help to define the characters. For example in La Vie en Rose, the film would be less effective if it wasn't set in France.
Typical Historical Setting: Dramas can take in almost any place in time. However, many choose to highlight past events and provide a dramatized version of certain events by creating sympathetic characters and situations
Typical Situations: These films usually outline a conflict early on in the film. This creates the premise for the rest of the film to build off of. Rising action then ensues in which more problems are introduced.

Action/Adventure

Examples:
Casino Royale
The Dark Knight
True Grit

Narrative Conventions:
Action/Adventure films usually highlight the physical aspects of acting. There needs to be a lot of action going on. This is what action films do to captivate the audience. Audiences go into action films expecting to be entertained by quick and fast paced sequences as opposed to character building scenes. Most scenes don't need to necessarily add to the characters themselves.

Other Defining Conventions:
Typical Wardrobe: Most protagonists wear flashy and distinguishable clothing or very subdued clothing that would be suited for constant activity. Although many costumes may seem natural, designers pay attention to the practicality of fighting in those outfits.
Typical Visual Style: There is usually lot of camera movement. This is used to create a sense of speed in the action. Tight shots may be used to create a sense of disorientation. Because the protagonists are going to need to go from location to location, attention to production design is more concerned about realism as opposed to adding meaning to the film.
Typical Setting: The setting of action films may span several countries and locations. This is done to create a sense of a larger community in which the hero comes from. Because chase sequences are usually employed, sets are usually very large.
Typical Historical Setting: Many action/adventure films take place during the time the film was made. However, there are films that explore different time periods. There may be dramatized versions of heroes battling what society views as bad historical figures such as Hitler.
Typical Situations: Many times, the protagonists are either reluctant to fight or they are natural bad-asses. The heroes are usually thrown into a situation that are can't control and they fight to regain what they loss. This usually ends in defeating a "bad-guy"

Thriller

Examples:
Memento
No Country For Old Men
Fight Club

Narrative Conventions: These are usually plot driven films where it is important to explore the minds of the characters. It is important for there to be a focus on the characters themselves as well as keeping information hidden from the audience.

Other Defining Conventions:
Typical Plot: A typical plot would introduce the conflict at the beginning of the film. The protagonist would then spend the rest of the film trying to resolve the conflict. However, they would be thwarted in their attempts many times during the course of the film.
Typical Look or Style: Many thrillers take advantage of the suspension of belief in the film to highlight the visual style of directors. Whether it be in the lighting of the scenes or the color palette that is used, the art directors have a lot of freedom in designing how the film will look.
Typical Setting: Settings in thriller films focus on neo-realist settings. I say this to describe how many of the scenes take place in locations that highlight a sense of uncertainty and suspense. Therefore many sets are claustrophobic and help to show how the character perceives the space around them.
Typical Characters: Characters usually have a very different way of thinking. It is this difference in thought that helps drive the story. The plot usually focus on how this character is different from others and is done so to explore their characters in the process.

Writing About Film

A Formal Analysis is much like the Oral Commentary that we are expected to give for IB Film. Like the Oral Commentary, the formal analysis requires the commentator to look at all of the different aspects of the film and see how each part contributes to the whole. Some of these aspects include the cinematography, sound design, story, and art direction just to name a few. Looking at these different aspects is important to see how the individual parts of the film adds meaning to the film.

Film papers can also look at the history behind films. This encompasses the history that the actual film reflects, the culture and society that the film was made in, and even factors during the film's production that could have affected the outcome of the film. This is especially with the case with Apocalypse Now where the production of the film was so prolonged that it heavily impacted the film by incorporating a long production period to characterize the film itself. Films like Casablanca also reflects the society that made it because it represents Classic Hollywood film making. When film scholars look at films like Casablanca, they can identify conventions that were prominent in Classical Hollywood film making.

All films reflect some kind of ideology. Ideology papers examine the ideology behind film. Many times the ideology comes from the director or writer of the film. Film can be a medium to express one's views on topics and themes such as family, redemption, or trust. Fight Club works to express how anarchy effects the society around it. This is done through Tyler Durden's refusal to cooperate with the conventions of normalcy.

Like Ideology papers, Cultural Studies and National Cinema focused papers look at the society that made the film. Especially in national cinema, films can show audiences what the culture is like in other countries beside our own. For example, watching a film like Amelie can offer a glimpse into what French society is like at the time.

Finally papers that look at auteurs focus on the body of work that the director has made and how they relate with each other to emphasize certain themes. Many times, directors use similar techniques in making their films such as recurring plot structure, themes, and types of conflicts.

Annotating a film sequence is like taking notes, except with film. It can be a very helpful technique to efficiently articulate your ideas in a film paper. This technique is done by taking notes on individual shots of the film. Expecially when looking at excerpts of film, noting down the time code and adding notes to significant shots is effective in breaking down a sequence.

Thinking beyond the frame is a term to encourage scholars to think about the factors that contribute to the film outside of the visual image. For example, factors like sound, production history, and expert opinions on the film. A film is much more than the film itself. External factors play a big role in defining the film and what it come to represent, outside of the subject matter

5 Most Valuable Minutes: Taxi Driver

The one of the intents of Taxi Driver is definitely concerning the portrayal of New York City and how it is a city that is disintegrating. I selected these five minutes of the film because the audience finally gets to see the intent of the film come into fruition. The entire atmosphere helps to show how the city is corrupt and is becoming poisoned by people like the pimp.

Martin Scorsese has directed a variety of films including the Aviator, Shutter Island, The Departed, Goodfellas, and recently, Hugo. However Taxi Driver relates most with Goodfellas, a film he directed that portrayed American gangs. Although both emulate much different tones and environments, both films do a good job of inspecting the main character and their deterioration and transformation. In Goodfellas, we are presented with a young man making his way up criminal society. However, he eventually loses grasp of reality because he is taken away from that lifestyle.

In Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle is a war veteran with a haunted past who drives around New York City and finds solace in it. However, he eventually feels a need to stand up for what he believes in and becomes a vigilante and takes matters into his own hands. This is where these five minutes come in. The audience finally sees Travis Bickle succeed in getting rid of the "scum" of New York City. This extract does a good job of fully realizing his character. Because he is shot at and sustained fatal injuries, he is able to display his motivations and beliefs to the whole audience; he has nothing to lose and in this near-death experience, there is nothing left to hide.

This extract relates to the narrative because it almost serves as a resolution to the film. If the climax of the film was when Travis Bickle failed to kill the senator, we are given this scene in order to see Travis come to terms with himself because he feels a need to "flush everything down the toilet". Killing the pimp and saving the girl would bring him peace because he would feel like he is doing something about the corrupt city.

This extract highlights Scorsese's intent by manifesting all of the corruption in the New York City and using the pimp's compound to personify it. By taking out the people who are involved with prostitution management, Bickle is used to show how the corruption can be eliminated through individual involvement. Because Bickle sees that the senator is unsuccessful with getting rid of the "scum" in the city, Scorsese's use of Travis Bickle and his subsequent murders illustrates his intent.

This extract definitely has the elements of an action/crime film. This is done through the use of weapons, the frequency of deaths, and the criminal issues in these five minutes. However it also has elements of film-noir due to the stark criminal aspects of the scene. The shots of the bodies laying inside of the room best shows this connection to film-noir and that genre's style and conventions. In relation to history, this extract shows how Travis Bickle may have been affected by his service in the Vietnam War. Because he has been so lonely and out-of-place after the war, this scene shows a return to his lifestyle during the war. Being set after the Vietnam War is important because it is the main cause of Travis' isolation from the rest of the city.

The American Anti-Hero

The American anti-hero is a type of character found in films that perform heroic acts, yet with unheroic intentions. There are various historical factors that contributed to the rise of this type of character from 1945 into the 1980s. One of the reasons was because America emerged a new country after WWII. America was not as innocent and pure as it was before and characters on screen needed to reflect that. Characters became more gritty and real and flawed. The article by Andrew Henneberry also mentions how America was more rebellious. Protagonists reflected this by being morally questionable. Filmmakers encouraged audiences to sympathize with these characters and in turn realizing the wrongs in society.

The American anti-hero contradicted the Classic Hollywood Ideology because the characters in Classic Hollywood Cinema were clearly definable whereas anti-heroes had a variety of motivations. Heroes in classic cinema would have traits that were immediately recognized, while in anti-heroes, these traits were not always apparent all the time.

Intensified Continuity: David Bordwell

According to David Bordwell, there are four factors that contributed to intensified continuity.

The first of which is from more rapid editing. Almost as a result from "American and British filmmakers experimenting with quicker cuts,  the entire industry moved forward because audiences soon became accustomed to cut action. The long shots found in realist films would bore the audience and wasn't visually stimulating. Realism became irrelevant and the average shot lengths of movies rapidly decreased.

A second style was from different lens lengths in between shots. Wide angle lenses was able to capture more of the action and provided deep focus that filmmakers were looking for. Filmmakers also used longer lenses because they were "all-purpose tools for close-ups, medium shots, and even establishing shots". This shift was caused partly because of the ease of use in exterior locations. Filmmakers could use longer lenses to shoot action much farther away and proved to be a multipurpose tool.

A third style was the use of tighter framing for dialogue shots. This technique was aided by "Panavision's sharper, less distorting lenses" in order to give the amount of detail close-ups needed. This technique became popular because it placed more importance on the actors' performances as opposed to the aesthetics of the shot.

One final style that Bordwell mentioned was the use of a free-ranging camera. This was the use of shots that incorporated motion into the shot. this was done in order to convey an emotion that dialogue couldn't be able to portray. For example, "pushing-in"could create a sense of tension that the actors wouldn't be able to effectively convey alone.