To plan how I'm going to respond to question #1, I started to research different types of films that examine and explore ambition, emotional struggle, psychological disorders, and identity image. Even though my film opening Cadence is a mental sports drama, I researched both romantic and psychological thrillers intentionally to comprehend how internal conflict is visually produced.
In the Fault in Our Stars and Me Before You, which I talked about in previous blogs, emotional vulnerabilities is often introduced through these factors:
- frequent close ups
- soft, naturalistic lighting
-slow pacing
-diegetic sound like breathing or quiet dialouge
These films reflect more on characters facial expression to position the audience in a emotional sense. This influenced my decision to incorporate close ups on Leo's face, clenched fists, and physical strain to represent internal pressure.
Also I talked about A Star Is Born which presents ambition as destructive but also showing that it can be inspiring. The film uses performances and mise-en-scene elements to mirror the protagnists mental struggles and decline. This influenced me to utilize cross cutting in between the hopeful running scenes and the chaotic garage scenes to represent the definition behind ambition visually.
I analyzed Se7en too for its use of the dark lighting and harsh atmosphere. The dimly lit spaces usually portray the theme I'm trying to convey, psychological decay. This influenced my lighting in my garage scene, where the shadows symbolize Leo's mentality which is chaotic.
In Cadence, I follow these factors but also I'm challenging traditional sports statements. Rather than obsessing over perseverance, I portray ambition as unsettling. The scene in the garage uses quick editing and diegetic sounds of him destructing things to construct meaning around emotional breakdowns instead of success.
In terms of the representation of my opening, I introduce a young male athlete who experiences vulnerability. Many narratives that are male centered highlight emotional restrain. Throughout sound design, editing, shots, I position mental health as the main element to the narrative rather than add ons. This research will guide me to evaluate how my film both satistfies and overthrows genre expectations and I will do this throughout a slideshow presentation w/ a voiceover connected to question #2.
Sources:
Review: In ‘me before you,’ a broken man meets a free spirit (published 2016). (n.d.-d). https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/movies/me-before-you-review.html
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