Bev Hollberg - Film Technique

 

Bunny:

In this short film, the moth was a sort of ‘angel of death’ guiding the old bunny to the light. The moth was more mischievous than nefarious. At one point, the moth banged into the photo of the bunny and her dead husband which makes me think that the moth could have been there to guide Bunny back to her husband. The film technique contributes to the moth as well-intentioned. The moth was frequently close to yellow light, which can symbolize comfort. There were also a lot of following shots of the moth which showed the importance of the moth to Bunny’s story.

Harold and Maude:

In Harold and Maude, Maude is teaching Harold about life. In the scene with the flowers, Maude tells Harold that part of humanity’s issue starts when humans see themselves as one ‘them’ instead of individuals. The angle of frame showed this idea when the shot started out above the flowers, so they all blended into each other. Then the frame came into shallow focus showing how different all the flowers looked. The film technique mirrored the dialogue.

Northfork:

In this movie, a father son duo are in charge of kicking people out of their homes to make way for a dam. The film technique emphasized the period of change that the characters were overseeing by emphasizing the contrast between images on the screen. For example, in the scene at the church, the camera shifts from the audience’s perspective, looking at the wilderness, to the preacher’s perspective, looking into the church. The point of view shot emphasizes change from wilderness to man-made buildings. This film technique emphasizes the theme of change throughout the movie.

Paris Texas:

This movie used contrast to emphasize the power of emotion. A lot of shots zoomed in Travis’s wife’s face. The lighting left her face split between darkness and light. The contrast on her face reiterates the emotional turmoil she felt. On one hand, she was the loving wife because she still felt so strongly about Travis but on the other hand, she also left him.

Pink Floyd:

The film’s message was very critical of authority. The film technique reinforced this major theme. The school was very grey, symbolizing the loss of curiosity for the students. In the scene when the children are likened to factory products, the camera filmed from above showing the whole system rather than individual kids. This reinforced the idea that the children were not important (or the camera would’ve zoomed in on the kids); instead that the factory of indoctrination was valued.

 

 

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