Montage

Last week one of my classmates did presentation on Sergei Eisenstein. He was film theorist who concerned about techniques rather than content: montage. The use of montage is best known as film editing. He believed that montage will shape the audience’s emotions, thoughts, and create metaphors as well. Therefore, he developed montage into five categories:

1. Metric montage which focuses on length of shot by combining the shot
2. Rhythmic montage which focuses on visual pattern within the shots. It will be based on matching action and
screen direction. It will be considered as portray conflict such as opposing screen.
3. Tonal Montage which focuses on editing that establishes emotional character of scene.
4. Overtonal Montage is the interplay of metric, rhythmic, and tonal montage. The interplay will combine ideas and emotional in order to bring the desired effect from audiences.

5. Intellectual montage which combine two scenes as a kind of metaphor. There is no meaning in the individual

shots.

When I heard about these montages, I tried to figure out which film that relates with these montages. The scene from Face/Off reminds me the fight scene of So Close (2002) that Ai Lin (Shu Qi) assassinates the chairman of Chinese company. The shot technique is conflict by offering fight/violent scene along with calm music. This scene brings about the emotional to audiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Ea0abq04w&feature=PlayList&p=806B3F1CC4AD92F5&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_vwIMN7Ww&feature=PlayList&p=806B3F1CC4AD92F5&index=2

Another montage is intellectual montage in the film Siam Renaissance (2003) which in the last scene when MeeJan talks to their parents switch with the scene ManeeJan’s parents pour holy water for her along with falling of roses’ petal. With this technique, the film represents each petal of roses that drop slowly as the infinity love of parents to her. Individual scene cannot represent the meaning to audiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2_bKmqxqE8&feature=PlayList&p=FE3B85D0E423E19C&index=11

Gaze--- Who gaze?

Today, many films and magazines are related to male gaze who represent women from male point of view. This idea was developed from the article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” by Laura Mulvey who is feminist film theorist. She stated that the female characters are objects that are controlled by the camera. Through the films a scene of male gaze involves with the camera capture on the curves of a woman’s body.

For example, my last film My Wife is Gangster, when female character, Eun-jin dresses a beautiful dress the camera pans around and focuses on her body slowly. Another example, in the film Miss Congeniality (2000), there are many scenes that the camera focus on female body such as when everyone see agent Hart after she has make up on and dress sexy cloth. The camera focuses on her body through the other characters’ eyes.

However, films are not only one media that focus on female body, the advertising industry especially magazine as well. The picture of attractive women will be shown on the cover on inside pages in order to show products to customers. The advertising aims at the viewers who think that they could be the same as model so they decide to buy products. In addition, the men customer will buy magazine because the attractive women picture as well. Again, I think there is male gaze in cartoon, if we consider male gaze carefully such as the way female characters dress.

Can the subaltern speak?

My Wife is Gangster (2001) is about woman who joins a gang and become a boss named Eun-jin. She acts, talks and dresses like a man. She has a lot of her subordination. One day she discovers her sister, unfortunately she found out that her sister has cancer. Eun-jin asked a doctor to operate her sister, but the doctors refuses because her cancer is at last stage. Before her sister dies, she asked Eun-jin to get marry and has happy family. Therefore, Eun-jin decides to make a promise with her sister and she has to find a groom to make her sister’s wish come true.


Eun-jin is a good example for the easy “Can the Subaltern Speak?” wrote by Spivak. She pointed that the subaltern does not have their own voice to ‘speak’ because their voice are never heard. In this term of subaltern, I talk about feminism. Throughout the films, Eun-jin is denied a voice or the films absent her voice. In this film, Eun-jin character can compared as Hindu widow who burn herself for honor her husband because she does not have her own voice to ‘speak’. First, she has to follow her boss although she has her own man. Second, she has to get married as her sister asks her to do. Eun-jin has to follow what other people say to her in order to follow rules and make her sister is happy. We can say that Eun-jin does not have her own desire same as Hindu widow who jump on fire.

These two ideas point out that feminism still does not have her voice in the global world today even she has power, man, and position

Semiotic (signifier and signified)

According to Saussure, he divided the sign into two components: the signifier and the signified. The signifier is a form which the sign takes or something that can be touched, seen, and so on and the signified is the concept it represents. Saussure suggested that the sign must have both a signifier and a signified. It means the sign is a combination of these two components.

For example, man and woman wear rings mean they are got married which is signifier; however, the rings also suggest their relationship, eternal love, and togetherness which are signified. Furthermore, in advertising industry also uses signs with words and images in order to reveal what they are doing or what the organizations are like. In the film Coming to America, Prince Akeem works at local restaurant called McDowell’s which use alphabet M (attempt to replica McDonald’s) to represent their business. Alphabet M is signifier, and also represented the name of restaurant, family business, and advertisement.

Another example is the perfume advertising that focuses on teenagers (advertisement above). It applied pink to be main character: perfume, clothes, and lip are signifier, but pink also represents beauty, love, sexiness, calm feeling, relaxation, and acceptance. Therefore, Miss Dior Cherie presents its sexiness and beauty by using dark and light pink.

Let’s look at the signs and interpret them, you will find that there are meanings in themselves that you never notice before.

Star Trek

Star Trek “Plato’s Stepchildren” is a third season episode that first broadcast on 1986. This episode was criticized by scores viewers because the first an interracial kiss on television. In addition, UK skipped this episode in 1970s and 1980s because this episode presented more on “sadistic violence”. However, later on this episode could run on television in 1993.

The acceptance of difference

Although many viewers are disappointed with this episode, I think that there is some point that director tried to tell us. This episode suggested the strong sense of equality and society. Wherever you come from, we are equal. For example, Alexander always worries about his size and he is treated as slave by Platonians. However, Kirk and his friends make him forget about this issue because they treat Alexander as their friends. Kirk asked him about his thought, opinion, and well-being.

“Where I come from, size and color make no difference” by Kirk

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) is a science fiction film which was directed by Scott Derrickson. The main character is Keanu Reeves who plays as Klaatu. This film focuses on the contemporary issue of environment that will destroy the planet. Klaatu, who is representative of alien, comes on planet Earth with his large spaceship in order to judge whether human can change their behaviors and thoughts to save the environment. If not, he has to destroy humanity in order to save the planet.

I like this film because it persuades people to realize the world problem that everyone has to collaborate in order to save our planet. The opening scene of this film reminds me of the film, Independence Day, open the scene with the UFO comes in over the Washington, D.C. However, the aliens are different in form of appearances. In this film, the Day the Earth Stood Still, presents alien look like humanity and also accompanies by giant robot while film Independence Day shows hostile creature of outer space, not even speak English. With the scene that character Regina Jackson, the Unite Stated Secretary of Defence, denies Klaatu to speak with United Nations shows that how America thinks about its position in this planet. In addition, the Day the Earth Stood Still presents the emotional plot between Helen Benson character and her stepson Jacob which their relationship is a factor that drives the story to be achieved. However, this film makes me little disappoint with action scenes because the director offers just a few short shred. For example, football stadium and truck was destroyed from the insect like nanobots. Finally, with the word, “but we can change, just give us a chance”, it force people realize that what they have done in the past and what they should change in order to save this planet.

However, I think that not everyone will realize the problems and their behavior that could damage environment as long as they can live with plentiful environment and nature. Therefore, do not wait until saying this word, we can save our Earth now.