Film Analysis - Big Fish

Big Fish  
During our lesson, we watched 'Big Fish', a 2003 American fantasy drama film, based on the novel of the same name. The film centers on the character Edward Bloom and his seemingly failed relationship with his estranged son, Will. Edward and Will fell out because Edward continued to tell exaggerated stories about his life, which are depicted throughout the film through storytelling or memory sequences. However, in the period the film is set, Edward is on his deathbed and Will has returned to his family home to reconcile with his father.

Metaphors and Symbolism
Throughout the film, themes are established and symbolised through the use of metaphors. There are so many things throughout the film that could be interpreted as a symbol of something else.

A symbol I picked up on during the film is the constant reference to the fish itself. During the title sequence, Edward Bloom is seen tackling the biggest fish in the lake, where he retrieves his ring from its mouth. The fish is later on seen at the end of the film, where Edward takes his ring off, notably with his mouth like the fish from the beginning, and is lowered into the water before becoming that exact fish. This fish symbolises Edward Bloom himself, as it refers to the common phrase, 'Big fish in a small pond', which means someone is a big shot and could be seen as too 'heroic' to be in such a small or unimpressive place, such as the town of Ashton where Edward comes from. This idea is challenged when Edward moves on from Ashton and arrives at the circus. The circus owner tells him, 'you were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean', suggesting that Edward is a nobody. However, before he departs from the circus, he changes the circus owner's mind, therefore proving that Edward is, in fact, a hero, despite having been unseen or unheard of before. This sets up the idea that Edward Bloom has extraordinary things ahead of him. Before Edward leaves Ashton, the witch tells him, 'the biggest fish in the river gets that way by never being caught', which suggests why Edward leaves the seemingly perfect town of Spectre later on; he wants to explore the world before staying put in one place - he doesn't want to be 'caught'. Edward marries Sandra and, after returning from the army, his life becomes more mundane and average. Despite having unusual run-ins, he's no longer the big shot hero he once was. This implies that he has been caught, his marriage and family life has made him settle down and therefore he is no longer a 'big fish', just like the witch said. This idea is further reinforced when Edward dies, his body is lowered into the water and he becomes the big fish after returning his wedding ring. His stories lived on after his death, therefore his fame lived on, therefore after his death, he became the 'big fish' once more because he's no longer 'caught'.

The title may also reference the idea that as a story gets told more often, it is slightly exaggerated each time. For example, a fisherman tells the story of the time he caught a fish in the river and each time the story is told, the fish in the story gets larger every time. This is because the story is exaggerated each time, and when that story is told through many generations later, the story is far from the original. This just means that the story is made better or more relevant every time it is told, for example, Edward told the story of the big fish so many times throughout Will's life, and then eventually at his wedding. At the end of the story, Edward somehow relates the story to Will's wedding by talking about 'catching an uncatchable woman', which shows how a story can be tweaked to be applied in a relevant situation. This helps the viewers understand the creativity in storytelling, and that incorporating the truth or logic isn't necessary regarding a story, even if the story teaches a lesson that can be applied to reality. Will, in the film, is a realist and is very cynical towards his father's story-telling as there is no logic within his stories, however by the end he realizes that his father used these stories to make his life seem more magical than it is. This made his father memorable, and he truly became a 'big fish' because the stories are what made him so powerful. It taught Will to see things from different perspectives and allow people to live their life how they wanted to, even if it was complete fantasy or not. I believe this is symbolic to the audience because the whole film represents how people should see how other's live their lives and allow them to live their lives how they wish. My first thought regarding the evolution of storytelling reminded me of common stories within our culture, such as the story of Troy or Robin Hood. It seemed rather silly that Will was so against Edward's stories because there were so many esteemed stories like these in modern culture. If nobody else created stories for future generations then the only stories we would have been told were from centuries ago and not from this era.

Another metaphor I picked up through the film was the constant presence of water. Running water is often associated with movement, which I think is symbolic of Edward's stories of his life and how he is never properly grounded or 'caught', as the witch described. This is backed up by Edward saying he's always been 'thirsty', hence he always needs water. This shows that he longs for the adventure and movement that is described within his stories, which is perhaps the reason Edward masks his mundane life with inconceivable, spectacular stories because it represents how he wishes his life was. Contrariwise, water may be restless at times, but in other situations may be calm and consistent. I believe this represents Will. Will has a logical method of perceiving things, however, his dad is more wild and imaginative, but they are still members of the same collective body- they're still family despite their obvious differences.

Another interpretation of the presence of water could be that it is symbolic of the evolution through the film. Water changes, it can go from being calm to being restless, or even the idea of movement could represent progression. I believe this is symbolic of perspectives being changed or evolved, for example, the way Edward saw Spectre at one part of his life as opposed to another part of his life. Although depicted in the film as the evolution of the town, I think it isn't the town changing at all, but in fact just how Edward saw the town.

This brings us to the town of Spectre. Spectre could be interpreted in many different ways. When Edward first arrives in Spectre it is seemingly perfect and all a man could wish for, it is rather reminiscent of Heaven - perhaps why nobody had ever left? There are so many features that resemble the afterlife, for example, the checklist with people's names on and the general light colored, heavenly appeal to the whole location, it just doesn't seem real.

Edward Bloom with young Jenny in the town of Spectre

I believe Spectre represents what every man eventually wants in life, to settle down at the end of his life. This is why Edward left when he arrived too 'early', it suggests how he prioritizes his needs, the need to explore comes before the need to be grounded. The town is what Edward had been hoping to find, however, he found it too early, as he still had ambition. The poet, Norther Winslow, had stumbled upon Spectre too, however, he had decided to stay. Norther left Ashton ambitious and hopeful, however, when Edward found him in Spectre, he had no ambition and was rendered unable to write poetry. I think this is because Spectre is what somebody wants at the end of their life, once they had fulfilled their aspirations, Norther had been blinded by the beauty of Spectre and had settled there instead of following his true dreams. Hence, Norther later left Spectre in order to become a rich man once Edward had changed his perspective on Spectre.

When Edward returned to Spectre, it was run down and broken, it was not how he remembered. I think this represents how Edward's desires have changed, Spectre was no longer what he wanted at this stage in his life, which is why he was 'too late' according to Jenny because his opinion had changed in the meantime.

Another thing Spectre could represent is success. When Spectre was heavenly and seemingly perfect, the road to get there was almost impossible to follow, it was painful. When Spectre had been ruined, there was a simple road there, I believe this is a metaphor for how to gain success, by working hard. When you take the easy road, what you gain at the end isn't as rewarding as when you take the hard road.

Sandra - Edward's wife

Another symbol I picked up on was the girl in the river, when he first saw her I believe that was Edward's sexual awakening, as when he ventured further than Spectre the next step in his life was finding his love. When he returned to Spectre, he saw the girl in the river again, which was foreshadowing his near-affair with the now older Jenny. At the end of the film, he calls his wife, Sandra, 'my girl in the river', because Sandra is the only woman he desires. I believe the girl in the river represents Edward's sexual desires. The fact Sandra is his 'girl in the river', shows that she is her only desire, which is further supported when Jenny tells Will that in his father's eyes, 'there are only two women, your mother and everyone else'. This symbolises his desire and love for Sandra.

In conclusion, it's clear to see there are many different interpretations of the symbols depicted in the film. Almost too many to go into.

Thanks for reading

-WM

Film Analysis - My Week with Marilyn

My Week with Marilyn

During our double media lesson on Friday, we watched the film, 'My Week with Marilyn', a 2011 British true-story drama directed by Simon Curtis. The film follows Colin Clark, a graduate pursuing a career in film making, and his week spent on the set of renowned stage director Laurence Olivier's upcoming film, 'The Prince and the Showgirl', starring Marilyn Monroe. It focuses on the relationship between Marilyn and Colin when Colin escorted Marilyn around London after her newly wedded husband, Arther Miller, returned to the US part-way through the production.

My Week with Marilyn is based on Colin Clark's diaries, 'The Prince, The Showgirl and Me' and 'My Week with Marilyn'. These diaries document Colin's account on what happened on the set of 'The Prince and the Showgirl' and his week of intimacy spent with Marilyn Monroe. My Week with Marilyn (the book) was published after Colin Clark's death, as he wanted to keep the contents of the diary to himself in respect for Marilyn. However, after he passed away his family released the diary.

Representation of Sexuality
In the film, sexuality is presented through the actor's portrayal of the characters as well as the public attitudes conveyed in the film towards it.

Marilyn and Sexuality
Marilyn Monroe is the most renowned sex icon to date, however, within the film, it is revealed that her 'blonde bombshell' persona is just a facade. The Marilyn the public knew was a typical 'dumb blonde' and exhibited the traits associated with this stereotype: naivety, dumbness and sexual behaviour and mannerisms.  Whereas, the film depicts that Marilyn was, in fact, anxious and not confident; almost the opposite of how she is portrayed in the media. She played on her appearance to create a whole new persona for herself, which in turn sky-rocketed her success as she gained a lot of attention for her 'dumb blonde' personality and erotic appearance. This shows that she would not have been valued for her own person, but in fact had to create a sex-oriented character in order to gain public recognition.

Marilyn Monroe depicted in the film,
appearing seductive

At the beginning of the film, Marilyn is briefly mentioned by the other central characters, and they are all star struck to hear that the most iconic sex symbol of the time is going to be working with them. This sets up an assumption from the audience that the character going to be introduced will be portrayed in the same light that Marilyn herself once was. She would be portrayed as how the public saw her and how the public only wanted to see her: a sex symbol. When the character is introduced, she is seen emerging from a plane. The first thing about her that stands out is her appearance, she's dressed glamorously and alluringly; she looks very attractive. This is accurate to the real life Marilyn Monroe as she was renowned for her sexy appearance. She elegantly descends from the plane appearing confident, however, upon closer inspection, she seems uncomfortable with the amount of paparazzi bothering her. This occurred to me as odd because it didn't fit my expectation of Marilyn, having little insight about her prior to watching the film I assumed everything about her would channel confidence and sexiness, even in situations like this.

In her next scene, at the press conference, she seems much more relaxed. She responds to interviewers in a flirtatious manner, appearing extremely confident. The questions directed at her were sex oriented as opposed to acting oriented, font-family: inherit;">'Marilyn, is it true you wear nothing in bed but perfume?', this shows that the public and media didn't care for her career and didn't take her seriously as an actress, she was seen as merely a sex icon as opposed to a 'serious' actress. On the contrary, she didn't seem taken aback by this question, which suggests that she understood and accepted that this is all the public values her for. This made me wonder if she embraced the fact that the public only valued her for her sex symbol persona and if she used it to her advantage to gain such success.

When the production begins, Marilyn was late to the initial read-through, angering the director, Laurence Olivier. This suggests that perhaps even Marilyn didn't take her career seriously, which possibly correlates with how the media sees her; the fact she only embraced her sexuality and prioritised this over her acting career is why she was seen as nothing but a sex symbol in the public eye. However, I dismissed this concept when the read-through began and Marilyn took her time to develop her character's personality upon reading the script, despite Olivier asking her to just read it plainly. This shows she did take her job seriously, as she wanted to create an in-depth character rather than portray it as the director intended: an overly sexualised, female 'plot device'. The fact that she was cast in a role intended to be another 'dumb blonde' role of Marilyn's shows how not only the public saw her as nothing but a sex icon, but even professionals within the film industry. This is also shown as throughout the production the director constantly disrespected Marilyn, and shrugged away any moments Marilyn tried to contribute to her character. The director clearly didn't take her seriously, despite him casting her in his production. You wouldn't think a director would cast someone he couldn't take seriously as an actress in his production if  he wanted a role portrayed 'well'. This clearly indicates that he didn't want her for her acting but merely to add sex appeal to the role, again showing how Marilyn was viewed as nothing but a sex symbol. This idea is further reinforced when Laurence Olivier grows very frustrated when Marilyn doesn't play the character 'right', he asked her to just do what she 'does best' and be 'sexy'. He didn't want an in-depth character but just a character with sex appeal, lacking personality. 

Later in the film, when Marilyn and the lead character, Colin, begin their week of 'intimacy', Marilyn says that 'All people see is Marilyn Monroe. As soon as they realise that I'm not her, they run.' This line is significant because it shows that Marilyn recognises the fact that she is only seen for her sex appeal and not for herself. 'Marilyn Monroe' is a sex icon and she knows that she knows that this is just a persona she created and is in fact not her. The fact that people realise she is not this sex icon and 'run' shows that she is most definitely only valued for her sex appeal. 

During the film, when Colin goes to retrieve Marilyn and she is not ready, she says, 'Forgive my horrible face'. The fact she has to apologise for looking remotely messy, despite her still looking very attractive, shows just how important her appearance was, as it was all the public valued her for. 

Marilyn Monroe depicted in the film, dressed provocatively

When Marilyn and Colin go on a date, Marilyn says 'I want this to be the perfect date, I haven't been on a real date since I was thirteen.' Given the historical context, men were expected to be chivalrous and respectful of women, especially during courtship. The fact Marilyn hadn't been on a real date shows how she was valued, nobody respected her as a woman because of the negative connotations that surround being a 'sex symbol'. The purpose of a date is to get to know someone, nobody wanted to 'get to know' Marilyn because they liked her face and not her person. She wasn't taken seriously as a woman, let alone an actress, people just saw sex appeal and nothing else. During the date, Marilyn goes on to say 'Shall I be her?' when approaching a crowd of fans and paparazzi. She then proceeds to act sexily and pose for the public. She was embracing her sexuality and gaining publicity by acting how they wanted her to act: sexy. She knew that's all people wanted. 

Colin and Marilyn discuss running away together and ending her career, however, she refuses, despite her blatant unhappiness because of it. This indicates that perhaps she's been valued for being one thing for so long, that even she knows that that's all she is, she cannot be valued for anything else. She finds acceptance in being seen as nothing but a sex symbol.

On the other hand, the film depicts Marilyn embracing her sexuality to the public by dressing provocatively and flaunting her features. She's flirty and confident and allows the public to see her just for that, despite aspiring to be a 'serious actress'. She engaged in an affair with a man despite being married, upholding the promiscuous nature associated with being a sex symbol. It is suggested that she has engaged in other affairs when her assistant warns Colin that the same thing happened to him, and she 'breaks hearts' all the time.

Vivien Leigh and Sexuality
Vivien Leigh was Laurence Olivier's wife, and a very successful stage actress during her heydey. She was intended to be cast as the role that Marilyn was cast as, however, is said to have been too old for the role, because the role had to have sex appeal. This shows that as a woman ages, she is deemed as less sexually attractive and therefore loses value. The fact that Vivien Leigh could not be in a role (that she apparently could play far better) because of her age and sex appeal goes to show how appearance is deemed more important than any other factor, including talent. 

Colin Clark and Sexuality
Colin Clark, the leading character, is conveyed to be very naive. When he first laid his eyes on Marilyn Monroe, he was obviously very enticed by her. Despite his blatant attraction to Marilyn, he pursued a more 'obtainable' romantic interest: Lucy, the wardrobe assistant. They went on dates together and there was seemingly a lot of chemistry between the couple, they had spent time together and gotten to know each other, so they valued each other for their personalities. However, when Marilyn Monroe shows a slight interest in Colin, Colin begins to chase her. This shows that he still valued appearance over personality, as he went for someone he did not know over someone he had gotten to know just because of appearance. Once Marilyn had ended it with Colin, he returned to Lucy. This shows how he valued women too. 

Moreover, during his relationship with Lucy, he was very eager to have sexual relations with her, which shows how he viewed sex as he wanted to rush into it and not wait. 

Overall 
Overall, the film clearly presents how the characters and public felt towards sexuality, and how they each behaved uniquely regarding the subject. I enjoyed the film very much and reading into how the film conveyed sexuality. 

Practice Film Opening Preperation

Opening 2 Minutes to a Film Preperation
2 Minute Film Opening Task:
Develop a character and use this character in a 2-minute film opening set in a given location. Plot, cast, film and edit an opening to a film. Incorporate your character's traits into the film.

Character Development
Character development is the expansion and growth of a character, including in-depth details, within literature and film. Character development is important in order to create an in-depth, relatable character. Creating a relatable character is necessary to engage the audience, as they have a character to connect and empathise with. A basic, plain character will not be relatable, as they appear inhuman and are therefore not engaging because they are seen as boring. If the audience cannot engage with the character, it will make the film less entertaining and people will be less inclined to watch it or enjoy it. A character used merely as a plot device cannot engage the audience as a sole character, and they don't really add much to the film besides aiding the plot. Moreover, characters with certain personality traits, including a fatal flaw, can impact what happens in the story, and therefore makes the plot more in depth and thought out.

Creating a Character

During the lesson, we were provided with a sheet containing several images of random people. We were asked to choose one of the people and develop a character based on their appearance and expression in the image. This is the sheet of images we were provided:

This is the image I selected:

From this image I brainstormed these notes:

Group Member's Characters
We were randomly generated into a group of three, so again I was working with people I was not entirely familiar with. However, this didn't have much of an impact, as we all shared and explained our ideas thoroughly and confidently to each other. Upon being put into the group, a member of the group (Jack) and I realised we both were working from the same image, and therefore had the same character appearance. Initially, we thought to use them as two different characters but then we compared both our character analyses and realised that they had minor similarities. We decided to merge our character analyses into one character for the project. This is the character analysis Jack brainstormed from the same image as mine:

Jordan, the other member of the group, chose to use this image from the selection:

These are his notes he made based on the image:

Group Brainstorming
In our groups, we were given a location in which our 2-minute opening had to be situated. We received 'Woodland'. From this, we had to develop an appropriate situation in which both our character's meet realistically. It also had to be engaging. We devised the concept of burying a body in the woods and this is the idea we decided to use in the end. These are some of our brainstorming notes:

Another concept we came up with was the idea of a drug dealer retrieving his money off somebody who owed him. This plot involved three characters. The first, mine, was the person who owed the drug dealer money, as it specifies in my notes she is addicted to pills. In the plot, she is running through a wood to get away from him, having escaped through the window of the apartment she never leaves when she heard a knock at the door. This will show her anxiousness and paranoia as she is constantly checking who is around. The drug dealer (Jordan's character) uses Jack's character to beat the money out of her, as in his notes it specifies how she is 'evil' and aggressive.

Location
We brainstormed different places we could potentially film the project. The first suggestion made was Thetford Forest.

Thetford Forest is a large woodland and nature reserve on the edge of Thetford. It contains tall, varied types of trees, including pine trees, which is the image we had initially desired for the project. Thetford forest is appropriate because it is deep and huge, therefore the chance of any pedestrians walking in the background, disrupting the film, or making noise is low. Moreover, there are little to no everyday noises that will mask the audio of the film, and it is open spaced therefore we can move freely to obtain the desired angles. It is also a good choice because of how deep it is, therefore won't have any plain field, park, town etc in the background. On the other hand, Thetford forest is a popular forest for dog walkers and hikers, therefore on the off chance somebody does walk past, it will disrupt the filming. Furthermore, it is so large, it requires a lot of travelling to get to the desired spot, which requires transporting the equipment too. This is a hassle and will use up valuable filming time. If we were to film in the easier areas to access, it will be close to the main road, therefore noises of vehicles passing will be caught on camera. We decided not to use Thetford forest because not everybody could get there, as it is 35 minutes away from the majority of the group and requires travelling by vehicle. This is an image of Thetford Forest:

 

Another location suggested was Wayland Wood, Watton. This is a deep wooded nature reserve in Watton. As a nature reserve, it doesn't have any industrial or artificial noises in the background to mask the audio or make the setting too close to civilisation and therefore not appropriate for the plot. There are several open areas which are convenient for setting up good angles and makes it easy to manoeuvre. It is a large wood, therefore any chance of pedestrians walking by and disrupting the filming is low. The size and deepness are a benefit as no civilisation or fields can be seen in the background of the film; just deep wooded areas will be seen which is the image we desired for the film. Wayland Wood was a good option because it is a very attractive woods, with many flowers and vegetation which will look really good on camera. On the contrary, Wayland Wood is mostly closely packed, therefore you'd have to locate more open areas for filming which requires transporting the equipment far which uses up time and effort. Moreover, the fact the trees are so close to one another means not much light comes through and the film will be made dark. This isn't good because it can make the film grainy or too dark for the appearance we wanted. Going not so deep into the woods would prevent this, as the shallow areas will be more lit, however, the shallower areas are closer to the main road and therefore would capture the noises of vehicles passing by. In addition, Wayland Wood is too far for the group to travel to and must be accessed by vehicle. This is an image of Wayland Wood:



Our chosen location is Kett's Park, Wymondham. This location is appropriate because it contains open areas, making it easy to film in. In the wooded areas, it is confined and remote, so not many people will disrupt the filming. There is no noise of traffic or people talking to mask the audio. It's easily accessible to the entire group which was the main factor in our final decision, as the entire group must be present when filming.



Casting
Casting the roles was difficult, as we had to find actors who were both willing, free and looked remotely similar to the characters chosen. We had to find a female actress, fairly young with fair skin and hair. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a female that precisely fit the required description, but found someone who's facial features mildly resembled the character's. This is the actress chosen:

I chose this actress because she was eager to become a part of the production, and can innately perform the role of an anxious yet angered female. Moreover, her facial features are very mildly reminiscent of the character's, including her long face and small, darkish eyes and small, straight lips.

Casting the male proved even more difficult, as nobody knew of any middle-aged male appropriate and willing to perform the role. After long consideration, I chose an actor with fairly long hair, which would be able to be combed over in the same fashion the character in the image chosen has. As a group, we agreed to apply makeup to the male character to make them appear much older and add temporary grey dye to achieve the look of the character the appearance is based on. This is the actor chosen before makeup has been applied:

I chose this actor because even though he did not look like the character, he can be transformed into the role using makeup, hair dye and wearing a suit. He can perform the role of a refined man and come across intimidating but derisive, which is perfect for the role.

Props

For the project, we only require three props: a wedding/engagement ring, a shovel and a packet of pills. These props are easy to obtain, as I own a shovel that we can use. However, we must make sure the actress is cautious wielding it, as it is rather heavy and can cause an injury. A cheap, dupe ring can be purchased from an inexpensive retailer, and can be passed off in the film as an expensive wedding/engagement ring. As for the pills, we can use simple pain killers. 

Plot

The film begins in a woodland and pans to a man walking through the forest. As the man progresses through the forest, the sound of shovelling dirt can be heard. The man approaches a woman patting on a pile of dirt, assumed to be a grave. The woman patting the grave appears to be anxious and paranoid (one of her included traits) and is constantly checking her whereabouts cautiously. She hears a crunch of leaves and turns round to see the man, shocked at first but upon recognition calms. She shows him her finger excitedly, it has an engagement/wedding ring on and she says she stole it from the woman she's buried (the man's wife). The man is unimpressed, which makes her uneasy and begin to panic about not getting away with the murder of his wife. He then reassures her, saying that he's going to be okay because he's going abroad and laying low. She's is confused about not being in his plan and he admits to using her to kill his wife. This angers the girl and she begins shouting before slapping him in his face. This then angers him too and he grabs her by the throat and slams her against the tree before saying that he never loved her. He takes her hand gently, which seems romantic at first, but he then proceeds to pull the ring off her finger and flick it past her face onto the ground before walking away. She shouts at him, revealing that she's pregnant with his child. He continues walking but she drops to her knees before noticing the shovel she was using. She grabs the shovel and runs after him, hitting him on the back of the head so he falls to the ground. The scene ends with him laying on the floor, appearing dead.

I interpreted this scene as a flash forward at the beginning of a film, and as the rest of the film progresses you find out the events prior to that and eventually after that.

Here is the images of our story board:

Here is the image of our script:

The script used only contains subtle hints that imply what is going on, rather than saying directly what is. This leaves it to the viewer to interpret more from it, and also makes it more realistic and natural, as opposed to being forced and too specific to seem like two character's who already know what they're talking about having a conversation with full details.

Characters

In the project, we had to show our character's traits shining through, which would be difficult in just a two-minute clip.

Lucy (female)

The character Jack and I created based on both of our notes combined is a less extreme version of the character's we initially developed on our own. We created a young, female character, roughly in her twenties. Despite being quite aggressive and violent, she is rather naïve and easily fell for Gordon's manipulation. We (Jack and I) decided to discard the notes we made about her past, as they clash, and developed a new background for her. Prior to where the opening scene begins, she had already met Gordon as a journalist during an interview. During this encounter, Gordon seemingly took a liking to her and from this, they began to have an affair behind Gordon's wife's back. Nobody's sure if he genuinely felt the way he claimed he did about her or whether he was using her - perhaps for good publicity in the media (as she's a journalist) or for the plotting of his wife's murder. Lucy is mentally unstable and is addicted to pills, this was never aided by Gordon's constant manipulation of her. She's insecure and paranoid as well as extremely jealous, which is the trait Gordon plays on and takes advantage of in order to kill his wife. My notes about the character stated that she is anxious: this will be shown through her constant checking around at the beginning of the plot, also conveying her paranoia to the viewer. Her paranoia will also be shown by how quickly she becomes uneasy about the situation when Gordon hadn't even said anything yet. According to Jack's notes, the character is evil and psychotic. This will be conveyed by her mannerisms and the general plot. For example, she takes the ring from Gordon's dead wife and wears it herself, as well as bragging about it. Moreover, she murdered Gordon's wife prior to the plot. She is supposed to be an aggressive character with a temper, this is conveyed when she loses her temper at Gordon and slaps him in the face (not to mention hitting him round the head with a spade). She's quick to escalate a situation.

Gordon (male)

The notes Jordan made did not include specific traits, however, did contain a backstory. As a backstory is harder to convey in a two-minute clip, we decided to invent traits based on his backstory. For example, as an MP, he must be a good speaker and confident. This will be conveyed through the way he talks to Lucy (talking down to her) and the way he treats her. Politicians have a reputation for being inconsiderate and selfish, which shown through Gordon, not including Lucy in his plan and admitting to using her to kill his wife. Moreover, as a drug dealer, he is involved in wrong doings. This gives the opportunity to make the character quite cunning and shady. As a man in a professional career (MP) he dresses smartly and must be quite clever, which is conveyed through him being able to manipulate Lucy into going along with his schemes and get away with all his doings. Gordon is charming and endearing, which is what attracted Lucy to him in the first place. He's well spoken and good with words. Gordon is extremely manipulative and has Lucy hanging by a thread.

Filming Schedule

We decided to film on Tuesday 27th September, at 5pm, as it is the most convenient time when everybody is available. The location is in Wymondham, therefore everybody is in relatively close proximity and doesn't require much transport. We also chose 5pm because evening lighting will be the warmest light, and therefore will create the most attractive and appropriate tones for the footage.  

Finished Product (30/09/16)

Here is the finished film:



Character Analysis

Tyler Durden (Fight Club, 1999)
Tyler Durden is an iconic character, portrayed by Brad Pitt, in the 1999 film, 'Fight Club'. Originally appearing in the novel of the same name, he is the split personality of The Narrator, created by insomnia-induced delirium and his frustration with his repetitive lifestyle. The character of Tyler can be interpreted as both the protagonist and the antagonist of the film. His other identity, (the narrator - portrayed by Edward Norton) is an ordinary, unnamed man living a repetitive lifestyle largely controlled by consumerism. Tyler exhibits the freeness, spontaneity, and independence the narrator longs for.

In the film, Tyler Durden only appears as an 'official' character part-way through the film, being introduced to the Narrator on a passenger plane. Before this, he can be seen momentarily flashing on the screen in a similar fashion to the explicit images he flashes in cinema films in his part-time projectionist job.

In preparation for the film, Brad Pitt and his co-star, Edward Norton, took classes in boxing, taekwondo, grappling, and soap-making. Pitt also willingly visited the dentist to have his front teeth chipped for the role, so his character had an imperfect appearance.

What makes people take to Tyler Durden so well? 
Despite being rather animalistic and lacking any manners (conveyed by his behaviour such as flashing images of male genitalia on family films, desecrating hotel meals with bodily fluids and so on) Tyler is such a compelling character for many reasons, including his dashing good looks. One of the main factors I believe makes him so captivating is that he exhibits aspects so many people long for. For example, his lack of value for material possessions. The character is largely anti-consumerism and doesn't waste his money, time and effort on buying products and particular brands. This is an ideal many of us wish we could follow, however, subconsciously do not because of how valued brands and material possessions are in Western culture. The desire to spend less and not value materials is outweighed by the desire to fit in or surround ourselves with luxuries. The audience wants to be him, just like the Narrator wants to be him, and is evidently bewitched by him upon their first meeting. Tyler's own description perfectly sums up how people see him:

"All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not."

Another feature Tyler is admired for is his independence and freedom. While many people watching the film are victims of wage-slavery and consumerism, Tyler is depicted as a man with no responsibility, which many people would envy. This also makes him so contrasting to his other identity - the Narrator - which makes him a refreshing character for the audience to watch.

Moreover, Tyler Durden is such an in depth character, with such small intricacies including particular mannerisms and ideas. This makes the character more human (despite being absolutely insane) and therefore more relatable and likeable. An audience would find it difficult to like a character with no personality. On the other hand, the fact that he is so different to many people viewing the film makes him more enjoyable to watch because his behaviour is so intriguing. The huge contrast between the viewers and this character creates a more interesting film, as watching someone so similar to them would be boring.

An interpretation as to why Tyler is such a captivating character could also be that he displays leadership qualities - he runs a club and later an entire project with followers. This activates the submissive follower traits within the audience and instantly make them believe every word that comes out of his mouth, similar to in the film.

The character shows very gradual advancement throughout the film as well. This creates relatability because a character that stays the same throughout occurrences in a plot is unrealistic. Furthermore, it shows him putting his ideas into practice. When the character is introduced he has the same ideals he ends the film with, however, they become more extreme as he puts them into practice. This slowly makes the audience perhaps fear him, as they begin agreeing with his ideas until they are put into action and become far too extreme. A character able to change how the audience is feeling is successful, as it makes the film more memorable because they felt something when watching it.

Tyler Durden was rated Number 1 Greatest Movie Character of All Time by Empire magazine, which shows he was a hit with the public. Brad Pitt's portrayal is highly regarded and the character is considered iconic. He is constantly referred to in popular culture, as well as quoted, which proves how successful a character he is.

Here is a clip of Tyler Durden in David Fincher's 'Fight Club':

Thanks for reading,

-Wendy

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