I am a huge fan of Keanu Reeves and I am starting to think there is is not a lot that he can't do. Side by side (2012) is a documentary film directed by Christopher Kenneally. The film follows Keanu around as he interviews an array of directors, actors, and film enthusiasts. Each interview reveals their preference and gives an insight to the techniques and opinions of each filmmaker. Each interviewee is asked a variety of questions relating to which medium they prefer - film stock or digital.
A majority of the film is shot as a face to face interview between Keanu Reeves - as the interviewer - and an industry professional as the interviewee. One of the techniques I appreciated as a viewer was the incorporation of an animation explanation of the camera technology. Due to the frequent use of film industry jargon, whether it be technical terminology or colloquialisms, Kenneally cleverly includes diagrams in between interviews to educate and enlighten the viewer. Keanu reeves is a co-producer for Side by Side and although he was heavily involved in the film right from its very inception, I believe it was a very wise decision to cast him as the interviewer. Feature films and high concept films will often spend a lot of time and resources securing celebrity 'big name' actors; in order to ensure box office ratings and revenue. However, for documentaries, I think that particular interviews are more believable when the host has a well rounded knowledge base with the interview topic. The star power of Keanu Reeves was a major influence for me personally as a viewer. But I did feel as though the people he interviewed seemed to enjoy being in his company. I do not think that the interview would have quite same aesthetic if it were hosted by a different interviewer.
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When filmmakers are in the develop stage of their projects, they have specific ideas on what they want to present and how they will convey those messages to an audience. I often think about whether or not I have interpreted a film correctly and how frustrating it would be for a filmmaker if a viewer misunderstood the film’s sentiment.
Baraka (1992) is a documentary by Ron Fricke. What I enjoyed most about this film is the fact that it is non-narrative. I first saw Baraka when I was 16 years old with a close friend in the living room of her parent’s house. When the film ended we were so moved and filled with excitement with grand ideas to become vegans, shave our heads travel the world. Now, 10-ish years later, I have the opportunity to re-watch that same film in a class room setting in a foreign country - I am filled with excitement yet again. This time however, the excitement comes from me thinking “I know how you did that Fricke”. For me, the saying ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ comes to mind when I try to analyse each sequence of Baraka. If you were to write out a plot summary of the film from beginning to end and show it to someone that had not yet seen the film, it would look like a completely random selection of moving images. Baraka really makes the viewer do a lot of the work when watching the film. You are forced to consider why each particular scene has been placed in front of the other. For instance, during the first 30 minutes of the film you are presented with images that fall under the certain theme. A theme of humans and nature in harmony: Fricke starts with nature (ice capped mountains), animals (monkeys in hot spring), and a few very old and traditional cultural groups of humans. Although Fricke doesn’t explicitly say it, this does set a starting point for the story ‘timeline’ for Baraka. Any scene presented after the 30-minute mark fall under a different theme. The secondary theme is confronting and seems to focus on human’s negative impact on nature, mainly overpopulation in metropolitan areas and greed and war. That being said I also think that there was third and final theme of Baraka. At around the 1-hour 20-minute mark, the focus seems to shift from the planet earth. For example, the viewer is presented with time lapse footage and images from a desert. The final moments of the film were the most mind blowing for me. These images made me consider outer space and beyond Earth. Every images and sequence that was captured in Baraka is just from one planet, but when you compare it the vast-ness of the universe it all does seem quite insignificant. Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) - Phillip NoyceRabbit Proof Fence (2002) is a film I hold close to my heart and it is a film of great significance to me and my family. Mahalo for choosing this film. The last time I watched Rabbit Proof Fence was at the Belgrave Twin Cinema in Armidale NSW - my hometown - and also the town where my grandfather had seven of his siblings forcibly removed from him, by the Governing Authorities. My family, like the characters in Rabbit Proof Fence, were also affected and are apart of the 'stolen generation'. It was extremely difficult for me to watch Rabbit Proof Fence; to remove myself from the content and story and try to concentrate on the plot. Nonetheless, I struggled through my emotions. My grandfather would tell me stories of his childhood and about running or hiding from the Government vehicles. So the removal scene stood out to me. When Molly, Daisy and Gracie were taken their family, Noyce changes the point of view of the camera; from what the child's would see looking out from within the car, to the family looking in at the children. These jolted frequent shots, creates a frantic and panic emotion for the viewer. Other cinematic techniques I noticed, is the character development. Noyce was able to convey the relationship between mother and child within the three generations: grandmother, mother, and child. The relationship of the Indigenous female role had positive associations. Another technique that really stood out to me was the use of mise en scene in the Chief's office. Also the angle of the camera was tilted and I thought that this emphasised or implied, that his point of view on the Indigenous people was coming from a distanced and uninformed perspective. Finally, I think that way in which Noyce incorporates the 'fence' throughout the film has underlying symbolic associations. Fences are physical barriers and borders that indicate where property ownership begins and ends. Fences are also a foreign and introduced concept to the Indigenous population. The importance of the fence is evident, due to the title of the film. However, reoccurring images and scenes of the fence form a motif throughout the film, this was an effective filmic technique because it helps to remind the viewer to there is an ongoing battle between races and land ownership which is a theme in Rabbit Proof Fence. |
AuthorNicoleRoseAnna an Aquarian, middle child, grand-daughter, sister, aunty, cousin and niece. On the road to becoming a Sociologist specialising in Film & Television. Archives
November 2016
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