film extract

Evaluation

Film Extract Evaluation

The context of the film was inspired by a story from the Louis Vuitton Foundation that was exhibiting the Shchukin collection, famous paintings from a Russian art collector during the 1920s/30s. He collected paintings from Paris from artists such as Matisse and Picasso. Then, their artwork was considered unusual to which Shchukin was influenced by. As significant was the effect of showing such works in open afternoons at his Moscow palace. In 1918, Shchukin fled Bolshevik Russia with forged passports and diamonds hidden in his daughter’s doll. His collection was nationalised, divided between St Petersburg’s Hermitage and Moscow’s Pushkin Museum, then banned from view entirely and buried in basements. Now his works are the jewels of Russian museums, but Shchukin’s name remains little known abroad.

The pictures of Shchukin's house and the story of his collection inspired my narrative, to create an extract based on an art collector with an underlining mystery. The excessive paintings and detail hung around the rooms is what I wanted to recreate. To even include paintings hung in a garage.

The extract begins framed to a medium shot of a female entering a room with excessive detail of ornaments, figures, paintings and obscure lamps. The camera pans, following her further into the room while she removes her coat and turns some music on. The shot ends tilting downwards as she sits opening a newspaper. This one take already reveals the character’s traits and representation of a woman. She allures the audience into the scene without even facing the camera but removing her coat. The camera is present, sitting down with her as the jazz music begins. The music is by Krzysztof Komeda who composed for directors such as Polanski, the pieces of music I have used are from Polanski's Cul-De-Sac. A psychological comic thriller with elements of film noir. The opening of this extract was inspired by a particular scene in Cul-De-Sac.

The shots are centred as she directly looks into the camera as if it were a person. Zipping up her dress, a similar feature to my character as she removes her coat. Which follows by tracing her every move even looking at what she is looking at and hearing what she can hear. The objects of a bottle, a record player and the newspaper suggest a boredom in the character. Taking whatever is placed in front of her even taking advantage of the characters in the ending scene. My character develops similar traits freely removing her coat onto a table, playing a piece of music and reading a newspaper. As well as seeing what she is seeing. A final medium close up is made as she peaks through the side of her newspaper looking directly at something in the corner from where she had entered from. Footsteps and a figure in all black with a painting in one hand walks past the doorway. Framed to include a statue of a woman holding a circular light and a bottle of wine placed next to her. Mise-en-scene in a home can suggest many characteristics and because this is a film noir in black and white, mise-en-scene is particularly important because there isn’t any colour that can be suggestive to narrative or characters. Which derives the audience to look at objects and what parts of the frame is lit to focus upon. In this case, the figure is only present for a few moments as he walks up the stairs, he actually walks off screen to the left which places the eye to the light and its details. This also happens in the beginning, when the female walks off the screen to the right leaving spectators to look around the room.
Sound is then changed to what the next character can hear as he is now the centre of attention. In another room, the music is distant with the main sound being foley. The spectator is again presented with another room panning to the right following the character and his surrounding. This room is evident to Shchukin's collection and the passion for art the character has. A more intellectual representation to the male in comparison to the female. After placing a picture above a fireplace, he turns his head to the collection on the wall where a missing painting can be seen right in front of him, however this is not important and is a small detail to the overall extract. Retreating back to the left of the room, something is taken from a draw that has a lining of secrecy to the way it is opened. The only moment in the extract that is still in time and noticeable as he places that something in his pocket. The shot again retreats back and begins to follow his every move. Repeating the alluring theme as the camera tracks behind the character. A hand held shot observes him putting gloves on followed by a still close up of him placing a black hat on. He then walks out of the house with the music eventually being cut off as the door closes on the other side. Which continues the on going tracking shots from behind as the next score comes in. A simple low bass shaping the character and the genre into a darker stage as light is limited by streetlights. More hand held shots are made to interpret an unpredictable moment as the oppressed light and music change manipulating spectators.
The opening of the light begins another piece of music that starts with a high pitched uneasy sound followed up by deep basses in the same tune as the previous piece. The harsh sound of the garage door opens with light pouring in from the torch, an opposite effect to when the character leaves the home. The camera tracking, following him around the garage filled with paintings is repeated but instead he is looking for something. As soon as he picks up a painting in one hand closely looking with his torch, the camera leaves with the ending score into an enigma.


Polanski was also an inspiration to film form, in particular his simplicity of filmmaking that builds up the narrative.

A Therapy has that simplicity of still, one handheld close up and a final tracking shot retrieving to the coat. This is followed by a score enhancing the feeling of fulfilment and passion, by a simple narrative and a simple film form. Which inspired my extract to portray a simple structure that gradually develops into an ending that leaves spectators for more.