fishtanks opening scene

Opening scene:

-first shot of Mia out of breath- shows her vulnerability
- begins with an enigma code
- tracksuit suggests she is trying to protect herself from the male gaze/ conscious of it.
- shot of Mia and city- establishes her with the estate/town.

fish tank car scene

Car scene:

- clearly improvised- younger actors are non-proffessional.
- Mia POV / over the shoulder shots looking at connor and Mia.
- connection between family members- humour between them for first time.
- over the shoulder shot of Tyler presents whole 'family' together- Mia's desire for nuclear family- intercut with Mias gaze over Connor- father/potential partner figure.

fishtank scene analysis: Mia first meets Connor

Mia first meets Connor:

- Connor presented as over confident and complementary.
- connor shirtless- as if connor is asserting his dominance by forcing spectator to look at him.
- Mia shown from a low angel shot while she is dancing- she is un-empowerd- appears vulnerable.
-  close ups shown of Mia gazing at Connor- Mia's eyes follow Connor from his waist up- exemplifies her infatuation and admiration of him.
- all over the shoulder shots are from Mia's point of view.
- ne-realist- lack of artifice.
- change of music after he leaves/ changes tone.

fishtank- fight with travellers

fight with travellers:

-Mia comforts horse- camera steady- portrays Mia using horse as an escape from poverty/estate/society.

fishtank final scene analysis

Final scene:

- Music about difficulty of life- represents mothers/Mias hard life- creates sympathy for spectator.
- they dance together/mirroring each other- first connection and Mias understanding of her mother- camera tricks with them- audience a part of their connection
- her hair is down for the first time- she is conforming to male objectification.
- the way they stand in line with each other suggests an evolutionary stage- inevitable cycle.
- sister presented infant of estate as car drives away- suggests lack of home for most people in poverty.
- car drives off into sunset- ironic as future for Mia is presented as bleak- comment on traditional hollywood movies where people drive off into the sunset.
- Mia reliant on billy to escape situation- comment about how women are still largely reliant on men for escape
- extreme long shot of balloon floating off- suggests fragility of Mia- her escape will only be temporary/ not a bright future- ostensibly a happy ending.

fishtank dance scene

Mia dance audition scene (1:43:50):

- intense focus/long shots on girl dancing/ auditioning- the spectator is in the position of man who will be watching her if she wins audition- director criticising male gaze and the way women are viewed by men. the spectator feels they are in the same position as Connor was watching Mia.
- Mia is told to take hair down which resembles Connor asking the same of her. Sexualisation of women. she is told that she looks more feminine which portrays expectations of women and the way they are presented in order to appeal to men.
- long shot of Mia being watched by judges/other girls- resembles Connor watching her- as a woman she constantly being watched and scrutinised.
- slight high angle shot looking down on Mia- presents her vulnerability and intimidation.
- as she walks out of audition the music becomes quieter- portrays her rejection/realisation of the expectations that people like Connor hold over her- also a rejection of the idea of Connor providing her with comfort and safety- Mia presented with power over her future for the first time in the film- she no longer rely's on Connor.
- high angle over the shoulder shots looking down at girls watching Mia- audience made to empathise with and align themselves with her.
- shot reverse shot of Mia of stage- close ups of her face reveal her realisation/disillusionment.
- shot of Mia walking alongside mirrors as she walks out- shows the different roles she is expected to play.

fishtank scene analysis: sex scene

Mia and Connor sex scene analysis:

binary opposition (internal/external conflict)

time code:1:09:30:
micro feature : camera framed form Mia's point of view. no over the shoulder shot from Connors view- audience aligned with her.
meaning created: conflict between Mia and Connor- viewer encouraged not to share Connors perspective- director could be challenging notion of male gaze.

lighting- golden low key- use of chiaroscuro
the lighting is golden when they are having sex (phantasmagorical)- taking place in a dream like state- when he leaves the lighting is darker- he is leaving the fantasy- dream is over.
the lighting resembles the scene in which Connor takes Mia to bed- contrasts to lighting in other parts of the film- calm and comfortable around him.
1:12:57:
lighting from outside shining onto Mia
appears like stage lighting as she performs her dance routine- erotic connotations.

1:10:10:
Mia drinking alcohol- shows she is repulsed by it. wearing pyjamas
represents the conflict between her desire to be a mature adult/ the persona she presents, and her vulnerability as a 15 year old.
extreme close up of Mia's mouth and feet during sex- fragmentation of Mia's body- non erotic parts of body- presents clash between parental and sexual relationship.
lack of nudity- director aims to protect Mia- not intended to arouse- audience are instead made to feel uncomfortable as there is a lack of non-diegetic sound- portrays Connor as simply using Mia.

1:10:15:
close up shots when showing mia, medium/medium-long shot when showing Connor (body language portrays higher status)
conflict between her vulnerability and lack of control vs his control and experience.
vodka bottle between Connors thighs- phallic imagery.

suture

Suture:
(oposite to Brectian distanciation) the idea that the spectator is stitched into the narrative and film text. e.g. shot reverse shot (constant cuts)- adopts the viewpoint of two characters. the spectator is drawn into illusion.
allows directors to present ideological signs/ideas invisibly. idealogical messages go unnoticed and are unconsciously absorbed by spectators.- becomes an ideological state apparatus.

fishtank narrative and ideology

ideology and narrative:

narrative theories:

• equilibrium- Todorov (equilibrium, disruption, realisation, attempt to repair, equilibrium)
• linear/non-linear/cyclical
• character types- Propp
• three-act-structure- (setup, confrontation, resolution)
• binary opposition- Levi-Strauss
• enigma vs action codes- Roland Barthes (action= what will happen next, enigma= audience question why)

structuralism(concept of binary opposites- conflict acts on an ideological level)
formalism(distinction between story and plot- story=events of the narrative, plot=how the story is presented)

Propp (formalist scholar) analysed plots of Russian folk tales and identified 8 character types (villain, helper, princess of prize, father, donor, hero, false hero, dispatcher)

The Oedipal Trajectory- film theory based on Freud's conception of the Oedipal complex.
in a film that embraces the Oedipal trajectory, the threat of castration is dispelled and the masculine role of the patriarch is assumed. in film the female is passive and the male is actively seeking her. man feel threatened by women as they resemble their mothers, leading to fetishisation and the male-gaze, rather than the whole female body.
girls look towards a father figure and male subjectivity even though they desire their mother, and failure to do so will result in punishment, marginalisation or death.

how useful has an ideological critical approach been in understanding the narrative resolution of your chosen films?
how useful has an ideological critical approach been in understanding binary oppositions in the narratives of your chosen films?

fishtank cinematography

fishtank cinematography:

beginning- natural lighting throughout
throughout- the camera is handheld and filmed from Mias point of view
camera usually films Mia straight on
9:20- lighting- bright sun comes into room reflecting off Mia while she dances
13:00- shaky camera during fight with boys reflecting her anxiety
26:10- bright orange low key lighting when connor puts Mia to bed
48:20- camera from mias view looking at Connor, reflecting scene where he put her to bed. shows her focus and awe of him. shallow depth of field.
52:00- motif of the camera portrays Mia watching, and her point of view, just like the film itself.
1:07:10- light coming through form outside world, conveys sense of hope/ life outside her current situation.- similar to previous scenes in same room.