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Digital Gothic and Unfriended
This week we started to look at the concept of the term "digital gothic" and how it is used in horror films. We also studied the film Unfriended as an example of this idea. First I should define what digital gothic means. It is the idea that even though the technology is a great tool and can be powerful in the right ways, it is also a scary thing to have access to. This is because technology creates a border between fact and fiction and through this, it creates heavy anxiety for the viewer.
A good example that uses digital gothic in action is the film Unfriended. The whole film takes place on a computer screen, as the characters talk to each other through, facetime, messages and other social media sites. The use of technology plays a big role in this film as it creates an uneasy mood for the audience. We understood this week that technology has made horror films much scarier. Given that the film Unfriended uses real social media sites etc, it creates a sense of realism among the youth of today and makes it ever so believable.
However, there is a disagreement about whether technology has made films too bland and predictable. Some may say that because technology is solely used for these films, it relies too much on it and ruins the idea of a true cinema. The conversations this week we had on Unfriended and digital gothic have been very interesting. I am curious to develop my knowledge of this concept as I find it amazing how technology is changing the horror game.
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New Form of World Cinema: Osoufia in London
In the recent years, I'd say that there have been a lot of new styles of cinema being displayed around the globe which gave us a chance to understand a new perspective on filmmaking. In this week we dived in on one example being, the 2003 Nigerian comedy "Osoufia in London," directed by Kingsley Ogoro Ng.
The film's character, Osuofia is a rural Nigerian man who travels to London to claim an inhereitance of an estate that came from his now passed brother. With this his priority, another problem arises that he finds it hard to adjust to the 'London life' given there are lots of differences from where he departed from.
With films being increasingly made and distributed in other countries, I think that the film, "Osoufia in London" is a prime example of how the concept of globalisation has affected even the film industry. Within today's globally connected world, the film has a strong focus on the hardship of 'cultural adaptation' and different cultures understanding one another. Going away from western cinema, this Nigerian comedy shows the value of telling a story with a clash of culture. It is also evident how digital technology made it very easy for everyone around the globe to have access to film making, and reach audiences too.
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Revealing the Truths of Dogme 95.
This week we focused on Dogme 95, a movement that began in 1995 by Danish directors. The directors offered ten rules within their manifesto which included the following: using handheld cameras, natural lighting and avoiding special effects and post-production editing. Within the class we discussed the film Festen and under the Dogme 95 rules implemented the use of the handheld camera technique and filming in daylight to deliver a more realistic feeling. Festen, translated into English as 'The Celebration', is a powerful film that highlights stories of abuse and family secrets. It has a strong feeling of rawness and is as if it is not a film but actual real footage, such as a documentary. Regarding Dogme 95, the movement's prime focus on the notion of truth and realism has been praised for its ability to show the characters' 'naked' feelings, without trickery. The viewer is completely drawn into the dysfunctional family's drama because of the use of handheld cameras and natural lighting. Using this method, the movie emphasises themes of dysfunctional families, trauma, and the weight of dark secrets while maintaining a realistic tone. The rules offered by the directors seem to be quite strict and limited in what or how you can film your films, but it helps directors to get out of their comfort zone and provide a more substantial effort to their craft rather than solely depend on visual effects created by the post-production team that often, creates a gimmicky feeling. By Festen successfully pulling this off, it can help other films or directors do the same. It is something that I have done before knowing the Dogme 95 movement because creating a film the way the Danish directors intend does feel more rewarding as a filmmaker too. Festen's narrative and character development were also affected by the Dogme 95 rules as most films tend to rely on post-production editing to achieve this however, given they had to rely on their abilities, it captured more beauty in acting than without the use of Dogme 95. The importance of telling the story over the visual aspects is another signature move for Dogme 95. It helps us develop a better connection to the film and its topics so that we can tell our friends about it and talk about it all the time in conversations. This can even increase exposure to the film. On the other hand, filmmakers now have access to a wider range of technology. Directors that do not follow Dogme 95 such as Christopher Nolan use IMAX cameras to film amazing images that convey their films better. The use of CGI also enables them to show unimaginable things on the screen. However, some may say that because of this increased dependence on CGI, films can lose their realness and emotional impact.
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Interstellar: Exploring the Limitations of Digital Cinema.
As a cinema enthusiast, questioning how cinema creates an immersive world at their fingertips with just digital technology has always amazed me. In digital cinema, the director Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014) is a very important film to talk about. The special effects in his film include hyper-realistic sound design, photorealistic imagery, and outstanding visual effects. All show the possibilities of digital filmmaking. Hyper-realism is among the major themes in Interstellar. While traditional cinema frequently aims for realism through indexicality, the usage of digital animation and motion capture in the movie offers a new level of realism that is both astounding and mesmerising. The article "Digital Cinema and the History of a Moving Picture" written by Lev Manovich gives us a thorough analysis of the history of digital cinema and how it is different to the more traditional celluloid film. He points out that the production and the way the public consumes motion pictures have been dramatically changed by the arrival of digital cinema. Filmmakers can now alter both pictures and sounds in unheard ways thanks to the new and improving digital technology, which has contributed to the hyper-realistic special effects in Interstellar. This article can help us understand how digital technology is used in Interstellar to produce a distinctive cinematic experience. One way that Nolan achieves Hyper-realism in interstellar would be through its practical effects. The crew for interstellar would use a mix of physical sets, props and miniatures which I believe has to be quite impressive. As a collective, this managed to achieve a realistic environment for the actors and for the audience to experience. Furthermore, to increase the idea of realism in Interstellar, the crew built an actual Endurance spacecraft as seen in the film to maximise the film's powerful story, even creating a whole new computer program to depict a beautiful scientifically accurate black hole. As I noted how the film uses actual real sets and miniature models to give the idea of space travel a sense of realism, I think that the film's use of digital effects enables a level of visual richness and depth that would not have been achievable with conventional filmmaking methods.
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Ex Machina: Discussing Post-Humanism and Tecnological Uncanny in Sci-Fi films.
The 2014 sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, directed by Alex Garland, explores the relationship between people and computer robots in greater depth. A young programmer Caleb, who is chosen to test Nathan's new artificial intelligence programme Ava, is what the film is mostly about. The film confronts the ideas of post-humanism and technological uncanny as Caleb beings to engage more with Ava and starts to doubt his humanity. The key term, ‘technological uncanny’ is associated with the unexplained disturbing sensation that you might feel when technology becomes almost human-like or even greater. In the film, Ava’s whole appearance can give this feeling towards Caleb, this further helps him question his sanity, and if she is more than what meets the eye. It is said that humans have a natural fear of things we cannot explain, it is natural to avoid anything that can cause problems and a threat to our survivalas humans. This then raises a few ethical questions about the rapid development of artificial intelligence around us and the consequences we may face. The renowned Sigmund Freud also supports this through his psychoanalytic theories which can help us understand the characters a bit better. He says how the concept of the 'repressed' such as withheld memories or urges can almost appear when in the face of the uncanny. It is seen in the film where Caleb's uncanny feeling he gets for Ava may perhaps be his deep desire for intimacy and love. Post-Humanism is the idea that technology and human-built machines will perform better than humans, rendering humans on the bottom step of the ladder in advancement. This is supported through Ex Machina when Ava, displays outstanding emotional intelligence and even exploitive skills. In the end, the film raises questions regarding what it means to be human and what happens when machines resemble us ever so much. This is a must see for people interested in the collision of humans and technology.
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