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Side by side

Side by side is an American documentary which investigates the progression of the film industry through history. The film covers all aspects of both digital and photochemical film creation and what has been able to be accomplished through the use of these two devices.

  What are the positives of digital film making?

Through the creation of digital film it has meant that how films are created and presented to an audience can and has been evolved, and digital film has allowed things that couldn't be done with film now being able to be accomplished such as being able to see the process of what you have been recording instantly and communicating with actors whilst filming. Digital camera also allowed more material to be on camera and with the invention of wide screen, more could be fitted on a screen.

When digital film making came into perspective it had an advantage which was the cost, as it was cheap it allowed multiple camera to be purchased and set up to capture all elements of a scene when resulted in a lower budget needed thus more money could be spend on other aspects of the film.

Since digital film was so convenient through the small handheld camera's it meant filming could be conventional and you could capture footage illegally. Due to the speed in which things could be filmed it allowed everything to be done quickly thus reducing chaos  for example during the filming of 28 days later Boyle needed to stop traffic in order to get the shots, this was able to be accomplished in a short period of time due to the use of a digital camera.

A strong advantage digital had was the fact it didn't cost anything to reproduce the film thus resulting in less money being spend.

With the creation of digital filming came digital effects which had no limits which therefore allowed any vision of film to become a reality and due to the high resolution of the camera it allowed these effects to look as realistic as possible through the advanced and flexible techniques of the editing. With digital colour correction a film became even more sophisticated and portrayed more emotions and allowed the desired look to be given.

What are the negatives of digital film making? 
The opinion in which people have on digital film making result in it being seen as a negative, these opinions mainly consist of digital film resulting in the end of film, which can be hard for film makers to emotionally detach themselves from film as it is what they used originally.

Digital in the film industry was considered to looked 'amateur' and 'muddled' which simply meant that digital representation didn't look acceptable. Another problem digital portrayed was the digital image wasn't as good as film and also digital cropped out sections of the image in order to fit it on screen.

Digital also had storage flaws which created risk as the film could be lost. Copyright could also come into play simply because of the advanced effects, which meant anyone could manipulate a films effects and completely change how it was originally meant to be seen.

What are the positives of film stock?
A positive of filming with film stock is the excitement which in created due to the process of having to wait over night to see the production, film makers enjoy this excitement as it makes the film become more special. The acting is also effected when shooting on film stock due to the pressure of getting a performance perfect as each take counts, this resulted in better and serious acting.

The fact certain objects needed to be created in order to have effects on film, such as models, gave a sense of satisfaction to the creator as is meant it was all more personal and gave more reason for them to be proud of the creation of the film.

Film could be layered which acted as a positive thing due to it giving different effects to the production, thus resulting in film having a beautiful look to it.

What are the negatives of film stock?
Since no new camera's re being developed for film it means that the technology is limited thus it is likely to be on the brink of extinction. This also means nothing can be added to the camera's provided due to them being unable to evolve into something far greater.

The special effects for film stock were also very limited which meant the visual representations the creators hope for wouldn't be able to be constructed into the film, which made film harder to sculpt into looking good. The editing for film consisted of only colour balance which mean only the red, blue, green and yellow could be modified. Due to this limitation in editing it meant hardly anything could be done and the colour wanted couldn't be created.

Since film camera's had a large expense and multiple cameras were needed this meant the budget for a film had to be drastically increased in order to shoot the film. This is meant filming on film stock was risk as if the film flopped it meant a larger portion of money was lost.

Film was also risky simply because the process of filming couldn't be seen as the shoot was happening, and since film makers had to wait 24 hours to see the process it created more pressure because if it is not right it could possibly not be ready by the deadline.

How has digital changed the way in which films are consumed/watched? 
Digital has changed the way simply are consumed simply because of the evolution into modern techniques. The fact digital allowed 3D to be created meant a new and exciting way for a film could be consumed which created a new unique selling point for film makers. This was clearly successful due to avatar, Alice in wonderland and how to train your dragon being the biggest grossing films of that year.

As digital cameras allowed awkward shots to be filmed it meant film could be seen in a new and exciting way as new angles which had never been seen were portrayed. This resulted in certain film becoming visual manifests through the creative cinematography.

Digital allowed the quality in which films were shown in cinema to be better thus resulting in a better experience for the consumers simply because of the pristine picture and everything being captured as it is seen.

Digital allowed modern and sophisticated effects to be introduced which was a big advantage to fantasy films as it allowed things which couldn't be shot come to life. This completely altered how people had seen films before  as they had never seen anything like it which created a sense of amazement for an audience.

What do you think about the impact digital technology has had on the film industry? 
The creation of digital film making has had a big impact on the film industry as it allows any idea to become possible  for example avatar. Digital has also allowed a cheaper budget which means film industries have been able to make more money from creating films and in a shorter period of time. With the creation of 3D it meant film industries could push there boundaries into something which is realistic for an audience due it being captured how eyes see.

I personally think digital has had a huge impact simply due to the image quality as being a fan of pristine picture means the creation of blu ray was a huge attraction for me and others. With the creation of blu ray it meant an audience could get amazing quality in the comfort of their own home for a price with is reasonably in their price range.

The editing which came with digital had a huge impact on bot film makers and the consumers. This is due to the creation  of  new way of viewing films. The editing allowed an image to be modified to any extent needed, which created a representation which could be as realistic or as far fetched as a film maker intended  The effect this had on a consumer was that they could appreciate just how pleasing a film was presented visually and made the eye sores be destroyed thus a better experience was formed.

What do you think will happen in the film industry as a result of digital technology within the next 5 years?
I personally think film is only going to evolve simply due to the amount which can be done with the creation of technology. I think he film industries will be able to soon go all out and be able to present their film to an audience in any way they intend. However, I also think digital can only evolve so much until it reaches a dead end which could be a deal breaker for film makers as money is likely to be lost for the film industry which could result in the end of films. Hopefully whatever is yet to come for example to perfection of a film picture on televisions will be enough for an audience to stay engaged with the idea of films.

I personally think the resolution for films will increase which will result in a new television which will match the resolution to the film thus creating a flawless and perfected picture for a film instead of what an audience has to deal with today which is grey blacks due to modern TV's pixels only dimming as apose to completely switching off. This is enable films to still live strong as the consumer will still have satisfaction in watching films.

I think the film industry will be able to expand their creativity to create a new unique selling point for a film like 3D and 4D which will appeal to a wider range of audience thus keeping the entertainment aspect of film alive. Perhaps an interactive element will be introduced to film which will allow the audience to become part of the film thus resulting in the film industry to grow stronger due to a consistent amount of money they will make.

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Pans Labyrinth

“Being a woman entails having within one’s body a secret labyrinth of power and mystery”

Chosen question – Pan’s Labyrinth represents women in a negative stereotypical way

Throughout the film women are represented in a stereotypical way, they are seen as weak and incapable of a man’s role this is mainly to add a sense of realism to the film as the way women are treated in the film is suitable to the time period in which the film is set. The first indication of the negative representation is in the opening, a girl is lying on the ground dying; this portrays a sense of defeat and shows women as being unable to overcome an enemy or dangerous situation. A close up of shot is used to emphasise this as it shows the pain in which the character is in resulting the audience assuming she has failed in what she intended to do.

The fact a character is shown to be pregnant adds to the stereotypical role of women which is to take care of the children. Throughout this pregnancy the Mother falls ill; this illness represents women having a lack of vitality as it shows they don’t have the strength to fight of something as minuet as an illness. The fact the Mother dies during child birth has a dramatic effect on the audience as it creates the impression she was over powered by the baby who happens to be male which creates subliminal sexism as it shows that men have more importance and to live.

Women also appear to be cowardly, this is clearly shown through the dialogue for example Ofelia reveals to her mother she is afraid. This creates a negative impression of women as it portrays women don’t have the courage to do heroic deeds thus representing them as the weaker sex.

The film represents women to be lower class than men, this is seen through both the costumes they wear and how they act throughout the film. The costumes contrast drastically with what the men in the film wear. The colours of the women’s costumes mainly consist of browns and off white tones which give their appearance a peasant look as they seem to all be wearing rags. Whereas the men are smartly dressed in uniforms complete with blues and black tones which connote masculinity and power.  The way the women are spoken to by men is very blunt and disrespectful and is often commands as the women follow the orders of men and appear to be servants. The captain asks Mercedes to fetch the luggage, this represents women as being flimsy as she doesn’t question or refuse to answer to his authority which shows the immense amount of respect the women have for men. The fact the insect in the film is female also creates an impression of women being a lower ranking than humans in the film as insects are seen to have no importance. It also however adds to the stereotype of women guiding the children as the insect is what leads Ofelia to where she is supposed to be.

It is stereotypical for women to work in the kitchen and this is the case in this film, most of the time when the women are being displayed they are either cooking or cleaning. The effect of this is that women are almost talentless as these tasks are basic factors of living and especially considering the men are fighting which creates contrast between the roles of men and women. This adds to a negative representation of women as it not only shows them as having less capability than men but also shows them as being slightly less academic as the tasks they undertake require very little skill and knowledge.

The weather is another key indicator of a negative representation of women. The fact it rains on Ofelia when she is undergoing a task portrays her as being helpless and creates a sense of misery as it appears women are stuck following orders, as even though she is doing something which is seen to be empowering she is still following orders from the male gender. It also suggests to the audience that women are lonely which a common representation. Rain is often associated with loneliness or depression thus the weather can be used to foreshadow the death of Ofelia’s mother as it results in women being represented as emotional, which is seen to be a weakness and this is yet another stereotypical aspect of women.  

The men in the film see women as being non-threatening  this is clear to see due to the captain’s dialogue ‘She’s just a woman’ this comes across insulting as it makes women appear completely powerless and have no capability.

Women are also represented as naïve and irresponsible, this is shown through Ofelia eating the fruit which she was told not to eat. This is a reference to the story of Adam and Eve which like the film represents women in the same foolish manor.

Websites used

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan's_Labyrinth (For time period)

http://www.localhistories.org/womensrights.html (To see women’s role during time era)