Phenomenology
At what physical level do we experience something? (Bonus: what is this experience called?)
The body (embodied experience)
What are the technical elements and concepts overall in film theory (only technical, not color and sound)
Angles, shots, editing, lighting, French new wave, mise-en-scene, atmosphere, aspect ratio.
(Bonus: Name the types of angles, camera movements, lighting, and aspect ratios mentioned in the analysis and what they did to immersion).
How are colors interpreted?
(Bonus: Which color is particularly known for creating high arousals)
Through the phenomenological processing, and through association with previous experiences and perspectives with/on certain colors and their representations.
(Bonus: High chroma red)
What is the name of the book and author referred to mostly in this section?
The audiovisual chord by Huvenne 2022
What areas of study mostly address immersion?
VR, video games, and art exhibitions
Who shares the film experience?
Viewer and film maker
What is a tableau shot, and what does it communicate to the viewer?
Bonus: (how was this used in the film and what did it do to the viewer?)
Symmetrical neat shot of a character making direct eye contact with viewer (breaking 4th wall). Can enhance the sense of artificiality, or further immersion by creating a deeper and personal connection with the viewer.
How are the colors used in The Grand Budapest Hotel? What do they signify to the viewer, and how do they effect perceptions of the scenes?
The colors are used in many ways. For example, bright red in stressful situations. This allows the viewer to become neurologically aroused and feel the same way as Zero. Color is also used to contrast the outer world in the film with the inner experience of Zero. Etc. Etc.
What is the main argument in this section?
That visual and auditory elements function as a whole
What are the four states of the immersive process?
Reality, engagement, engrossment, immersion
What factor plays into interpretation after watching the film?
What is French new wave, and how can we see Wes Andersons' inspiration of it?
Developed in the late 1950s, it is a filmmaking method that diverts from traditions. The director has the main control over production, and it uses techniques such as breaking the 4th wall.
How is music used in scene 2?
The music contrasts the visual elements of the scene, and allows the viewer to identify with Zero's inner feelings more than the environment.
What comes first: meaning or feeling?
Meaning
What are the barriers in reaching immersion? Name a few that are viewer dependent (and ignored in the analysis), and some that are addressed through audiovisual elements.
Ignored/viewer dependent: Access, investment, preference, audiovisual expectations
Adressed by audiovisual and narrative: narrative, empathy, atmosphere
Phenomenology states that interpretation and meaning making goes beyond sensing and response. How so?
The embodied film experience consists of the universal sensory processing of both the body and mind. Within film, the sound is interpreted to construct imagined spaces, bridging the gap between our internal ‘imagined world’ and the external world. "...It is a system consisting of all sensory impressions. In our body, a totality of lived significations is brought together." Huvenne, 2022
How is film theory ontological and epistemological?
Ontoligical: Specific techniques and how they appear. Film as a communication device and object.
Epistemological: How films are interpreted and processed by viewers. How certain film techniques relay subliminal messages and guide emotions
What are the three main functions of sound?
Emotive, perceptive, and cognitive
According to the study by Bezdek, what caused increased brain activity in participants?
When a suspenseful scene was paired with suspenseful music. The relationship between audio and visual is essential when creating emotion.
What is narration?
The process by which fictional events are presented in an ordered and temporally structured manner thereby producing a certain effect on the viewer.
What are the main texts/writers referred in this section, and what are their theoretical inputs?
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: Experiences/observations of the world is a melting of body and mind
Yochai Ataria: Moods are influenced by surroundings and [perceptions of them (full embodied experiences)
Martine Huvenne: Systems of sensory impressions.
Vivian Sobchak: Perspectives have ability to signify. Films communicate emotions that are reflected on, experienced, and felt.
Task: The two others will find a scene from a film. Your task is to break down the use of film techniques in the scene by using the correct terminology from the film theory section.
yippee!
What are the three types of color harmony, and where do we see them used in the film?
Analogous harmony: Mainly in the 1960s part of the film.
Monochromatic harmony: Seen especially in scene 3
Complimentary harmony: Scene 2, and in the outdoor scenes
What is heautonomy?
Interrelated autonomy. Each element can function on their own, but will be perceived as a whole in relation to other elements.
What is the diegetic effect, and how is it seen in TGBH?
Essentially the feeling of being present in the fictional world. This is enhanced by the use of camera movements, empathy, color and sound, and character identification.