Amy critical debate question

'Portable, digital cameras, digital sound recording equipment and non-linear digital editing have had a very significant impact on documentary film.' How far has digital technology had an impact on your chosen documentary film? [20]

Candidates may include the following: 
• an understanding of digital technology relevant to the chosen documentary (which may include the role of portable, digital cameras and digital sound recording equipment which facilitate a closer connection with subjects) or non-linear digital editing (which may lead to conscious manipulation of material or the blurring of 'fact' and 'fiction' in some documentary filmmakers' work) 
• some discussion of the significance of the move from film to digital in the production of moving image work in more general terms 
• some discussion of the impact of digital technology on documentary style, for example, a particular kind of observational intimacy or a sense of mobility and improvisation. 
• Band 5 responses may recognise that some aspects of digital production (e.g. handheld cameras) may be used to convey an illusory sense of the real (i.e. that they are coded to give the impression of reality to spectators).

- The intimate and personal style of the documentary is dependant on the footage captured using portable digital cameras (home/non-professional footage)
- without this, the filmmakers would be limited on the footage they could show, as she is of course not alive to give her account on her life - we would also not have access to footage of Amy as a young girl, and her growth through fame, addiction and relationships
- in order to see her as a victim, this footage is crucial, as the media representation of her alone presents her as simply another celebrity involved in the life of drugs and addiction - does not encourage empathy form spectators

Amy closing scene analysis

Closing Scene:

Editing
- Slow motion used extensively, often with freeze frames of the key characters
- Still images of Amy are of happier times - dissolves between them; slow zooms into the pictures
Intercut with news footage could be a. home video - also with paparazzi in background - layers of spectatorship
- Very long cuts, the images are shown for a long time SO the spectator can focus on the voiceover
- Final shots of Amy =closeups; linear (from childhood) slow zooms in; often in slow motion; all end with freeze frame.

Meaning of Editing
- Even when dead, Amy was not left in peace - paparazzi and news teams swarming around - sound of flashbulbs
- Director wants to leave a positive image of Amy at the end - juxtaposition acts as an antidote to the hard-hitting images of her body being carried out - leaves the spectator witht the impression that her life was positive
- The caption in the establishing shot highlights that this is reality.

Sound
- Non diegetic nostalgic melancholic piano and strings music in a minor key, influences the spectator to feel nostalgic and emotional towards Amy's death, viewing it as a tragedy. The music gradually increases in volume / creshendo after Amy's body is carried away. Amplifies the sense of despair, elegaic. Represents a sense of sorrow. The music is beautiful, representing the beauty of her life. The music is celebratory of her life.
- Over the credits, the music segues into Valerie. More upbeat / celebratory. Brings the spectator back to reality

Cinematography
- Scene starts with helicopter shot over london; establishing shot. Identifies amy with a time and place - immortalizes her, she lives on through her music.
- Slow motion used during funeral footage
- Centre frame man, draws attention to him crying is contrapuntal to the expectation of men in society, shows him as vulnerable.  Emphasizes the heartbreaking extent of Amy's death.
- Long shot heavily zoomed in camera struggling to focus, voyeuristic - the spectator is intruding into the grief. Camera is clearly at a high angle from a great distance and is heavily zoomed in.      - Makes the footage grainy, unsteady - sense that the spectator is intruding. Asks uncomfortable questions about spectatorship.

Mise En Scene
- Dull colours emphasizes the melancholic atmosphere created in the music.

Performance: 
- Andrew Morris brings dramatic pauses to his speach, emphasizes the intensity of the scene

Amy descent into addiction scene analysis

Descent into addiction:

cinematography:
-Amy interview while high- close up of unfocused eyes
-still photographs often close ups or extreme close ups- often camera tracking in or along

editing:
-paparazzi cameras flashing- combines with freeze frames and jump cuts - disorientating for spectator
-juxtaposition of moving and still images- often long cuts used to show still images
- director purposefully chooses video of Amy on stage as filmed by an audience member rather than professional footage- makes the sound appear worse and her appearance
-positioned from view of paparazzi- possibly being questioned as to why we are watching it- we are looking at what they produced

sound:
-VO in conjunction with editing
-period of 25 seconds of silence during still images of drugs
-captions and lyrics/locations/times- roots film in fact

Amy opening scene analysis

Editing in the first scene of AMY

By Asif Kapadia

Micro Feature	Meaning and response
Cinematography: -POV shot of Amy -Shaking, handheld camera. Amy center frame. Whip pans to Amy Home video footage	-Scene sutures the spectator into Amy’s early life -Kapadia wants the spectator to align with Amy- possibly empathise- she does however have extraordinary talent
Editing: -Two cuts in the opening sequence -Use of captions – where it takes place, and who is in it. -Elliptical editing (a type of editing that cuts unnecessary actions from a sequence. This means the sequence is shorter than real time and so doesn't last as long. This can be a positive because if a scene last (for example) a few hours it would cut it down to only a few minutes.) – used to show what is necessary and who determines it. -This has been harvested from how many hours of footage, who chose it? Why? What points are they making?	-Spectator response- either an ordinary person, or an attention seeker who needs to be the centre- could foreshadow her relationship with the paparazzi -Main issue is why this footage exists- why do people feel the need to capture the banal occurrences of their live? - Why was this footage chosen for the opening scene – is possibly a short part of longer footage
Sound: -Singing – Amy is interrupting conversation, monopolizing situation- clearly a passion from a young age; unfiltered, natural, raw (diegetic). -At the very start, over the title cards and the initial home footage, there is a single repeated piano riff/leitmotif – mood is somber, nostalgic in a melancholic way; foreboding; these were happier times for Amy though fleeting, as if her childhood had been truncated by her talent. - At the end of the sequence, there is a sound bridge to Amy’s performance of Moon river with the National Youth orchestra; bridging to a montage of stills of Amy and famed jazz singers of the classical jazz era.	-Representation- deliberate selection of material to present people and events in specific ways- who is the real Amy? -Filmed at home so possibly more natural- this is enabled by digital technology -Different people will have different perceptions of Amy- could it therefore be argued that there is reality in the way we see her/the persona she has created- peoples perceptions of each other depend on our relationships/context -this film is revisionist rather than contemporary
Mise-en-scene: -Amy, Lauren, Juliette and unidentified male -Suburban house- hallway -Not elaborately staged or costumed

Amy back to black scene analysis

Recording Back to Black:

Cinematography:

Slow zooms in on Amy and zooms out

Slow motion and close up.

When Amy receives the news of her grandmother, there is a vignette effect used of Amy smoking with a slow zoom.
Flashbacks of grainy holiday footage.
2nd recording session = low angle, claustrophobic / intrusive.
Not professionally lit. Raises the question why it was filmed.
EPK.
Focus on Amy. Grainy quality.


EDITING

The elliptical editing suggests that the death of Amy's grandmother was the reason for the spiral of her drug and alcohol abuse.
Kapadia has edited the footage and is therefore responsible for creating meaning. The flashbacks are therefore either edited by the family or by the director.
Placing the flashbacks between the two recording sessions suggests the above.

Ronson session - have more positive sequences been selected? And vice versa, have negative sequences been sed in the latter session as a means of justifying Amy's behaviour and subsequent addictions.

- Continuity editing is used  in the mark Ronson sequence; therefore the jump from this section to the recording session later
This comes into the editing in that idea of how the footage is being manipulated. Uses a series of shots in juxtaposition to highlight this idea. Forms a montage.
The footage that was used for the Mark Ronson session suggests that Amy was not troubled by alcohol due to the selection of clips used.
The idea of eleptical editing is important in terms of what is being left out.
Montage effect = family album / scrapbook of "granny".

In the latter recording session.
Fast paced editing during drinking seems to have been recorded. We don't know at what point the camera was even rolling.
They are making it look like a continuous sequence of Amy drinking more and more, but Kapedia has chosen the shots of Amy drinking and teamed them together, giving the overall effect that Amy is a heavy drinker.

Mr boon: Editing during the drinking sequence seems to have been recorded we don't know at what point the camera was even rolling; clearly this has been reassembled to create meaning - exaggerates the amount she is drink
Splices use low angle Extreme close ups in slow mo as she drinks - all signposting that the grandmother's death was the root cause is this just the director seeking an excuse for her behaviour later in her career? Is he absorbing her of all blame?

Spectatorship:
we're watching the film knowing that Amy was suffering from Bulimia, which changes the spectatorship of the scene.
As Amy is a girl / woman she has more vulnerability and is treated differently.

Sound: Ronson session - sound mixes between her apace vocals and the backing track, which periodically fades in; scene is predicated by Ronson praising her talents- mediating spectator response; she is professional, respectful (persuasive language - use of professional opinion) sound matching blends diegetic  and non-diegetic to demonstrate how successful the song eventually became meaning is created by contextual / retrospective knowledge

- use of Voiceover

- Silence punctuates the end for 1st recording session

The main way in which media is created in the film is the interaction between voice and footage. Some of the Voice overs feels more rehearsed whilst others for example her friend crying at the end feel more impromptu; also raises the question of which bits of the interview have been selected and for what purpose
silence punctuates the end of the 1st recording session; enables the spectator to align with her as she is moved by the song. - a sense of the humble brag.

Amy critical debates

Critical Debate:

The significance of digital technology in film
- the impact the digital has had on film since the 1990s is a developing debate
- some commentators argue that so far films have changed very little from pre-digital times

- digital film- unlimited- lack of meaning?

Representation:
Amy
-who shot the footage of her and why?
-would she behave the same way if the camera were not on her?

Captain fantastic deer stalking scene

Deer stalking scene:

-         - Questioning unfamiliar way of life- first scene that spectator sees of family- can’t align with family so much at the beginning- they are so alien to us- differences are shown before similarities- surprise and intrigues spectator

-       -   Challenging spectators view on morality and hypocrisy living western society- we try to ignore brutalities in capitalist world however they still go on.
-        -  Extreme/Close ups of deer before it is killed/ close up of knife with blood on/lack of non-diegetic music- possibly done to persuade alignment with animal- the fact that we aren’t aligned with the family in the first scene makes us more distanced from them

Amy filmmakers theory

Amy

-critical debates
-filmmakers theories

Key Terminology:
-objectivity
-construction
-truth/fiction
-reality
-manipulation
-cinema vérité (cinema of truth)
-spectator positioning

Bill Nichols:
documentary can be subdivided into 6 sub-genres:
- poetic (modernist style)
- expository (speaks directly to viewer with VO)
- participatory (filmmaker interacts with participants)
- observational (as though camera is not present when filming subject. 'neutral stance')
- reflexive (focus on the documentary process)
- performance (actively engages- may be a documentary about filmmakers own life)

Captain Fantastic church service

Ben and family disrupt church service:

- disruption of present conveys the sacrilegious ideology of the film
- long wide angle shot of ben opening doors with bright natural sun light from behind him- connotations of God/Jesus/religion/saviour
- track back shot as the family walks towards camera- alignment
- family in colourful clothing compared with the typical white and black formal attire of everyone else- contrasting lifestyles/ideals
- long shot of Ben's family on one end of the service and Leslie's family on the other end- conflict of sides
- long low angle shot of ben/camera placed in position of someone in audience- spectator supposed to look up to and listen to what he is saying/respect him as- alignment
- extreme long/wide angle shot of the church with the cross centre frame while Ben condemns organised religion for being oppressive and installing fear- sacrilegious element
- tracking shot of men forcing Ben out of church- hint at the role of religion in suppressing voices which speak out against it
- low angle shot of Ben standing in-between two crosses outside church- restrictions that religion places on people- religious oppression

It is evident through the church funeral scene that the spectator is being persuaded to become an active viewer by questioning religious doctrine as Ben does. At the same time, Ben is seemingly placed in the position of a saviour or spiritual leader, as reflected through certain elements of cinematography. At the beginning of the scene, a wide angle tracking shot shows ben, who is positioned centre frame, and his family disrupting the funeral church service, and this choice of camera framing and movement persuades spectators to align and empathise with them. This along with the bright natural lighting which reflects through the door as they enter, positions Ben as an almost holy figure, who has come to save Leslie from the hands of the Church. furthermore, an extreme long shot is presented while Ben is declaring Leslie's disdain and disillusionment of religious ideology, and this this long shot positions the large cross on the wall centre frame. This enables the diegetic speech of Ben to directly juxtapose and undermine the cross symbol which embodies the christian faith, conveying the sacrilegious messages of the film. The spectator is also placed as a viewer watching Ben talking from the perspective of other mourners, with a low angle shot of Ben. This again places him in the position of a spiritual leader or saviour, who the spectator is persuaded to idealise and respect, in the same way that his children do. When standing outside the church, ben is positioned in-between who crosses and is framed from a low angle. This symbolic placement of Ben subtly hints at the films condemnation of religion restricting individual thought and voices which may oppose it. The spectator is therefore urged to question the power that the church imposes on people, and the inability for organised religions to tolerate or engage with challenging ideals and beliefs.

Captain Fantastic table scene

table scene analysis:

- already aligned with ben (anti-US ideology- film anti-dominant ideology)- affects viewing of scene
- setting- traditional American family- perfection- idealised
- Ben represents the opposite of this
- us against them feeling- Ben's family sitting directly opposite harpers family
- sound from Jackson's phone enhanced
- handheld camera- underlying tension/discomfort for spectator
- ben presented as isolated from the rest- at head of table
- over shoulder shot of Ben- alignment- in control of situation
- close up shots of Harper and Dave reaction- comparing 2 lifestyles
- men more direct
- pan to show Harpers reaction when Ben calls out Dave
- over the shoulder shots from Ben's perspective (argument outside)- spectator aligned with is perspective
- focus shifts to ben in pan right to him after showing other parents reaction- his triumph
/control

NCFOM first Moss meeting

NCFOM first meeting Moss:

- first shot POV of Moss through gun lens of deer- predator- becomes pray later
- long shot of desert from Moss point of view
- extreme close up of Moss- character alignmet
- same dialogue of 'can you hold still' from Moss and Chiguhr- similarities between them- no clear hero or villain
- wears typical outfit of a cowboy- stetson hat/check shirt
- enigma around who he is
- POV of Moss following blood trail
- audience deliberately alienated/excluded from Moss conversation with Spanish man

NCFOM dog chase

Dog chase scene:

- fast pace editing heightens tension
- hand held tracking shot as he runs- sutured into narrative- alignment with Moss
- we see what is behind him/slightly off centre framing- trope of horror film
- slow tracking in shot when he is under car- spectator brought closer to him
- long shot low angle of the killers- increases alienation- alignment with Moss point of view

NCFOM end scene

Ending:

- Carla Jean positioned in front of grave- foreboding
- bleak colour of costumes of people at funeral
- only diegetic sound- builds tension when Chigurh meets Carla Jean
- lingering POV shot of the opened window- builds anticipation- Kulashov effect
- over shoulder shots when she meets Chiguhr- mirrors coin toss scene- spectator aligns with her.
- Chiguhr seated in the shadows/darkness- uncertainty about his intentions/place in the film
- long shot of Chiguhr wiping shoes as he walks out door- implied that he killed her- elliptical editing- when scene is deliberately cut off- makes spectator more active
- flat sound before car crash- creates a shock / some spectator anticipations depending on spectator
- car crash possibly persuades spectators to sympathise with Chiguhr
- long tracking camera shot of  Chiguhr walking away- resembles hero talking away at the end of typical Western- subverts genre - usually the closing shot- Chigger gets away with crimes
- dissolve shot- as Chiguhr walks away

NCFOM coin toss scene

coin toss:

- high angle establishing shot- coincides with western convention- isolated/lifeless background
- shot reverse shot/over shoulder shots.
- medium close-ups of both- Chiguhr slightly off centre- he's unbalanced/unpredictable- don't align with him- shop keeper in centre with window/natural light behind him
- slow tracking shot as tension builds- spectator becomes more involved as we are closer to the characters

- lack of non-diegetic music also builds tension
no pause in dialogue- quick pace- literal dialogue

- symbolism of nooses behind shopkeepers head- foreboding- surprise when he isn't killed
- Chigurh doesn't kill him- presenting a twisted sense of morality

NCFOM essay question

How far do your chosen films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response? Refer in detail to at least one sequence. [40 marks]

opening scene:

- establishing shots of dessert scenery- typical western- however, images of barbed wire fencing and electric wires subvert ideas of a western, which are typically set in the 1800s. 
- the camera eventually pans to a police car, which also subverts the western tropes.
- the voice-over of a sheriff speaking with a thick Texan accent also establishes the western elements of the film.   
- however, the lack of non-digetic music may subvert ideas of the western genre, which typically uses non-digetic music to set the scene and atmosphere.

The Coen brothers portray through No Country for Old Men, a postmodernist Western, whereby they both conform to and subvert the typical conventions. By manipulating the typical Western tropes through visual aspects and sound aspects, the directors persuade audiences become active spectators through re-evaluating their understanding and notions of the Western genre form as early as the first scene. This reaction from spectators is vital, as the film intends to portray the disillusionment of the Western story-line, which depicts a victory of good over evil, and the 'hero' riding off into the sunset. 

The police car and barbed wire which can be noticed during the first scene highlight's immediately to spectators that the film intends to subvert notions of Westerns. The camera pan towards the police car signifies that the film will take place in modern day, which already subverts the typical period of Westerns which was the 19th century. the barbed wire in the extreme long and wide establishing shots of the desert also undermine this typical Western trope of the desert landscape, by conveying the element of modernity. Therefore, before any characters or plot indications are introduced, spectators are made aware of the subversive nature of the film, which intends to demonstrate how modern perspectives of the world world view morality as blurred,  and that people are not so clear cut as being either a 'villain' or 'hero'. this is evident through the later portrayal of Moss and Chigurh, as although Moss is ostensibly the hero, he nevertheless steals money, and although presented as the villain, Chiguhr walks away from the story mostly unharmed. This idea of clear cut villains and hero's are typical tropes of Westerns, which intend to reflect the integrity of the American nation, whereby good is rewarded and bad is punished without error. 


the final scene of Chigurh further illustrates the use of visual and soundtrack cues in presenting the subversive nature of the film. When the car crash between Chigurh and an unknown driver occurs, spectators are persuaded to believe that Chigurh has been killed, mirroring the typical formula of western films whereby the 'villain' reaches an inevitable downfall. However he survives,and the back to camera tracking shot of him walking away from the scene instead mirrors the conventional end to the narrative of a 'hero'. Here, spectators are persuaded to become active in questioning the ability for such a morally corrupted character to be exonerated and walk away as a hero. spectators pre-conceived conceptions of Western films portraying two characters at either end of the spectrum of morality, and the hero surviving is challenged. Instead, the Coen brothers highlight through a modernist story line, the disillusionment of this conventional message which is seen not only in Westerns but the majority of American cinematic creations. perhaps the film intends to convey how in reality, there is no 'morally pure' individuals, and instead everyone internalises a multitude of characteristics and moral codes.   

NCFOM context/meaning/response

NCFOM context/meaning/response

- Takes place in Texas, USA in 1980 after the conclusion of the Vietnam War, one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history, and which is referenced at points throughout the film.
- a post-modern Western that examines the disillusionment towards good triumphing over evil and the hero riding off into the sunset. 
- Moss, although ostensibly the hero/protagonist, does pay for stealing money, suggesting that sometimes evil can be punished. 

NCFOM shootout scene

Shoot-out scene:

lighting:
-dark/lack of lighting- sense of anticipation/mystery/uncertainty
-golden lighting/ dark/ lack of lighting in both motel and outside- moral ambiguity/immorality over morality- constant sense of danger- spectator can't escape feeling of persistent danger/threat

shots/camera:
-long/slow pace shots- build up on tension/intensity
-low angle shot showing Moss sitting on bed- gives him power/control dead space around him however may make him seem more vulnerable
-Kusaehov effect- spectator persuaded to align with him over Chiguhr
-close ups/ mid-shots of Moss- spectator alignment
-speed up of shots after first shot

sound:

-monotonous phone ringing from outside room
-monotone ring in background- build of tension
-lack of non-diegetic music- audience lack of direction of how to feel- more sutured- audience can make up own mind- more active spectatorship- as Moss does not want to make noise, the lack of sound enhances relationship/alignment with him
-beeps in background- become louder/quicker- intensifies scene

-shadow of feet behind door- forebodes fight scene/danger- horror trope- hybrid genre
-spectator never sees Chiguhr until the end of the scene- can't align with him- elusive character
-all that is revealed from his character is through sound/shadows- footsteps walking towards Moss behind car
-shootout takes place in urban street rather than desert- subverts western
- no resolution to their shootout/confrontation
- aiming to recreate time but time has moved on so can't

NCFOM opening scene

opening scene:

• micro features
• western generic conventions
• alignment of character
• spectator response
• passive/active
• preferred, negotiated, optional, aberrant

-lack of non-diegetic music
-sound of wind/voice of sheriff
-vast landscapes/establishing shot- static camera- barbed wire fence/telegraph poles/cables
-pan's to police car- seems incongruous

In the opening sequence of No Country for Old Men, the film appears to conform to the Western genre. The deep depth of field shots showing the desert landscape suggests to the spectator that they are watching a take on a western. this, with the voice over of the sheriff, which is a typical western genre convention. however, the barbed wire and telegraph poles present in the sequence of desert shots hints to spectators that this film may challenge conventional western films, which were originally set in the late 1800s. furthermore, the shots eventually pan to a police car, which appears incongruous to the dessert setting, and the western genre, which conveys to the spectator that this film may intentionally subvert ideas and the ideology of this genre. this encourages the spectator to become an active rather than passive spectator as their perceptions of the Western genre are being challenged.

Chigurh introduction:

costume- dark, subverts western attire
casting- spanish actor
camera filming from behind (back to camera shot)
not in focus in back of police car - enigma code around character

The spectator is first introduced to Chigurh at the beginning of the film, though his introduction may intentionally prevent alignment from spectators. His dark and plain costume, along with the back to camera shots creates a sense of anticipation for viewers, as we are ambivalent about his intentions. He is also filmed out of focus when he is sitting in the police car, emphasising the enigma code that he displays, resulting in the spectators uncertainty, and inability to align themselves with him. the fact that his attire so obviously subverts the traditional western style of Stetson hats and boots, further persuades spectators to feel uncertain about the character, and to consider his place or role in a western setting, which through the first sequence of landscape shots was so clearly established.


feedback:
"He is also filmed out of focus" - sounds like the filmmakers did this unintentionally. Use the phrase 'shallow depth-of-field'
"traditional western style" - 'style' not the right word here - use genre/codes/conventions

character alignment

character alignment:

passive spectator- we absorb the messages that are given to us by the character/films ideology, possibly though alignment e.g. we are persuaded to align with Ben and Moss, and so we may become passive spectators as we accept how they behave as plausible/acceptable
however, we may become active spectators as the film encourages us to question the characters behaviour and the ideology that we are being exposed to e.g. Ben and Moss both behave in immoral ways that we would otherwise question if we were not aligned with them.

Western genre

western genre (late 1800s)

- use of close ups/ extreme close ups
- gun at waist shots
- silences/winds (no non-diegetic music in NCFOM)
- horses
- dessert/small towns/bar (saloon)
- sheriff
- whiskey
- trains/carts
- native american's
- cowboy hats/boots
- riding off into distance/sunset (lone rider) save town then leave (continuation of journey)


Ideology and spectatorship:

hero- never wants to accept civilisation, as embodied by the woman, who brings notions of community/family. he is always desiring to be on the move in Wild West. the cowboy is the embodiment of frontiersman-ship (doesn't want to live in civilisation).
cowboy also ways represented as being caught between 2 values- ideological contradictions in myth of frontiersman-ship- nations ambiguous attitudes to the west- civilising the west meant giving up the freedom it represented/freedom of the individual. (Hayward)
one might look at NCFOM and consider how it subverts expectations of Westerns. the expectations of watching Coen Brothers films also.