Evaluation

Analyse and evaluate the production in relation to the British film which influenced it

My key sequence is called ‘Broken Communication’ and is heavily influenced by the British film ‘Ex-Machina’. The film follows intertwined storylines of a husband and wife who are having troubles communicating because of technology, and their adopted son who is being bullied online. I wanted to use the idea of how technology can help but also hinder. This key theme is evident throughout both films and both lead to a dark and unsettling ending. 

Within my key sequence I used a variety of micro-elements to explore and experiment with how to represent the mise- en-scene influence of ‘Ex-Machina’. For my sequences, I wanted to use mise-en-scene to create a mixture of naturally lit shots, in the scenes outside and in the bedroom, as well as artificially glowing shots, seen at the end. This simultaneously contrasts nature with technology, as well as foreshadowing a darker intention and outcome. This inspiration came from the scene at 30:40 in ‘Ex-Machina’ where Eva is in the room with red lighting and the scene from 3:00 to 3:40 where ‘Caleb’ is trying to find ‘Nathan’s house.’ I also decided to use the positioning of actors within one of the opening shots, where the husband and wife are together, to present the clear power difference between the two. I decided to have the husband standing tall in front of the window, blocking out the light to represent a dominant character, and the wife, who is smaller, sitting on the bed, at a low angle. Intimidation is shown through levels clearly throughout ‘Ex-Machina’ as the character ‘Nathan’ is often portrayed as dominating the scene over ‘Caleb’. 

Another use of micro-elements in my sequence was Mise-en-scene and juxtaposing editing. I wanted to incorporate the idea of cutting to shots of nature to contrast the theme of technology whilst also reflecting the storyline. An example of this is the time-lapse of clouds gradually get darker and stormier as the storyline progresses. This use of pathetic fallacy is used to reflect the underlying dark reality of the sequence as well as the darkening mood of all the characters. I also used this idea when the wife finds the child pornography. To symbolise the unsteady and unsettled emotions of the wife I cut to a shot of a fragile rose shaking in the wind. I also wanted to use different locations for my sequence that reflect this juxtaposition. The majority of my sequence was filmed at a large nearby park, but I also filmed the scenes in which the teenage boy is walking from 0:49 to 1:01 in nearby streets to achieve a more naturalistic and mundane effect through the suburban atmosphere. The overall colour scheme I wanted and achieved includes both tungsten and sombre blues, greens and greys. This aesthetic was inspired both by Ex-Machina and by films such as ‘Confessions’ (2010) by Tetsuya Nakashima, the last few Harry Potter films and a German drama called ‘Dark’. This decision was influenced heavily by a use of a multitude of nature locations within ‘Ex-Machina’, especially in in the scenes from 23:38 to 23:45, 53:30 to 53:50, 55.27 to 55.30 and 1:00:26 to 1:00:37. My editing for my sequence includes straight cuts to add a clear sense of pace and movement. 

Another way in which I used micro-elements was through sound. For my sequence I decided to use the song ‘Last Flowers’ by Radiohead as atmospheric non-diegetic soundtrack. The song has a haunting and mournful sound that encapsulates the mood and aesthetic I wanted for my sequence. The music also includes a strong sense of rhythm that strengthened the pace and created clear climax that correlates to the emotions of the characters. For example, as I was editing I found that I stretched or shortened the pace at which the shots cut were to match the change in in the music. This is evident in the transition from the scene at 0:40 to 0:50. I tried to use minimal dialogue, with only one scene having a few lines, to instead focus on the words unsaid and emotions hidden, linking to my title ‘Broken Communication’. Instead, I focused on the use of non-diegetic music and the sudden contrast with clear diegetic sound effects that draw attention to the scene. For example, in the only scene with dialogue, there is a sudden slam of a door to represent the anger and emotions felt but not said. I also used this idea when the teenager suddenly receives a text message from his phone. I wanted to break the separated atmosphere in which the spectator was watching and instead draw them into the reality of the bullying. 

My key sequence is the start of the film and I used Todorov’s narrative theory. I started with an equilibrium of everyday life and then created a disruption where the wife has seen the husband’s child pornography and the husband has taken his laptop off to a meeting. I decided to experiment with breaking different structures and narrative forms. One way in which I decided to do this is through the use of Propp’s Character Theory. Instead of having clear distinctions between the different characters within my sequence, I wanted to have more mundane characters that although don’t fit completely into each character type, are still influenced by them. An example of this is how the husband has certain identifiable villainous qualities, like being rude towards his wife and breaking the law, but still isn’t the Villain. Another key theory I wanted to explore was Levi-Strauss’ theory of Binary Opposites. I included the binary opposites of Technology Vs Nature and Young Vs Old. However, like for Propp’s theory, I also subverted the theory by merging and blurring the line between good and bad to create a grey and bleak look at modern humanity. As well as using different narrative theories, I also experimented with different narrative devices, such as foreshadowing and Pathetic Fallacy, to emphasise aspects of my sequence to the spectator.

(993 words)