Contextual Information
Introduction
When looking into films for my contextual information page, I researched a mixture of films that inspired my narrative story and films that inspired my films aesthetic, look and editing style. The films I've looked into can be seen below.
The end of the f***ing world
'The End of the F***ing' world is a British, dark comedy/ drama series, that first premiered on Channel 4 in 2017. The show is based on Charles Forsman's comics, which were collected into a book in 2013. The eight-part (first) series follows the characters of Alyssa (played by Jessica Barden) and James (performed by Alex Lawther) who run away together and get into trouble. It is a beautifully written show; with an impeccable plot, stunning locations, fantastic cast, perfect soundtrack, as well as various other amazing qualities. I probably am a little biased, as it is my favourite television show of all time, but this series is one of the best looking and best made shows I've seen. Which is why I have taken a lot of inspiration from this show.
I was especially drawn to the final episodes of the first season, because of their location. The beach they go to feels dull and dim (juxtaposing the typical joyful and fun expectations of a beach day). I have taken inspiration from this series' locations into my own narrative film.
US
US is a 2019 movie directed by Jordan Peele starring Lupita Nyong'o, who multi-roles the protagonist and antagonist (Adelaide and Red). The story follows Adelaide and her family (performed by: Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex) on their trip to Santa Cruz (where Adelaide grew up). However, Adelaide is on edge, as she is reminded of a traumatic experience from her childhood. As the story progresses, it is discovered that people who look identical to everyone (similar to doppelgangers) have come to kill their other selves. The story follows the family as they escape, battle and kill the evil versions of themselves. The film is interesting and effective, creating great tension and suspense. Alike my reasoning for Black Swan: visually, this film is a big inspiration for my narrative film. I want to take inspiration from the composition and editing of this film and how cleverly moments are put together to create the effect of a cloned actor.
I was also interested in the idea of twins; although this film suggests that these people are tethered to different (less fortunate) versions of themselves (more doppelgangers rather than twins), the principles are still there (even having two twin characters in the film). I wanted to include twins, as I wanted to include an uncomfortable feeling of sibling rivalry (with rivalry being a key element to this film) and thought it would be strongest in a twin relationship. Also the famously classic legend about the one "evil twin" (one has to be the evil one, as one twin inevitably has to be worse than the other); which will work well in my chosen horror genre and links back to this film. The scene where Adelaide and Red dance, while segments of their dance plays through the scene is a key moment that I found to be visually effective in planning and filming.
BLACK SWAN
Black Swan is a 2011 thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starring Natalie Portman. The story follows a ballerina (Nina (played by Portman)) whose life of dance completely consumes her life. She is chosen to play the lead role (and replace the old prima ballerina (played by Winona Ryder)) in her dance company's production of "Swan Lake". She proves herself to be able to play the Swan Princess (Odette); however, struggles to be able to fully embody the Black Swan (Odile). Her inability to fulfill her role drives Nina into an anxious despair, and she crazily spirals in her search for perfection. Her fixation on being the best ("perfection") drives her to hallucinate and drive herself into madness. It shows elements and themes of classic film noirs: with the femme fatale being an entity oto the protagonist, as well as the protagonist being the cause to her own demise. In the conclusion of the film, Nina stabs herself (while hallucinating) and dies in style as the perfect Swan Princess.
Seeing the struggle and destruction a single character can have upon their own self, inspired my character creation and development for the narrative project. Overall, the film is stylish and very effective, making the audience feel uneasy, as well as invested in the story. However, I was mostly inspired by the scenes where Nina is confronted with versions of herself. In mirrors, the viewer (and Nina) can see a different version of Nina, causing destruction to herself. This symbolizes the characters own self demise, and visually is something I would like to bring into my own film. I want to use a technique like this in my film, as I think it is visually effective to an audience. It is also a great technique for a horror film, as makes the audience feel unsure of what they're watching as well as visually intrigued.
Memento
Memento follows the distorted and confused story of Lenny as he attempts to hopelessly find the person who raped and murdered his wife. The downfall to this character ambitions is his fatal flaw: short-term memory loss. As he attempts to hunt down his wife’s killer, he is thrown around by different information, unable to piece it together before he forgets. Leonard keeps mementos (polaroids) and notes (tattoos) to allow him to remember his purpose and information he has already built up. Lenny is an unreliable narrator, and although the audience already understands that we cannot follow his narrative, as the information builds up and the film concludes, we are left with the outcome that breaks us away from Lenny's character (which the non-linear narrative had forced us to do initially). The audience is taken through a distorted experience, alike Lenny’s memory condition, as the film follows a non-linear narrative (a story-line that ins't chronological). Using this structure creates a feeling of uncertainty and delusion, as we are unable to piece information together until all are played out. Questions linger on the viewer's mind that can only be accessed on the conclusion of the film, where we piece narrative codes and plot points together.
I was inspired by the non-linear narrative and wanted to use it in my film. I found a video on Youtube where Christopher Nolan (the director of the film) explains the Memento film timeline and structure, which can be viewed on the right. This video was helpful in organising my own film, as I could plan out the structure in my script. I also liked how Memento defines defines different time periods by using differing film colours (the black and white scenes, contrasting the other coloured scenes). To do this in my own way, I want to use a song that will follow through in specific linking scenes.
Edgar Wright's Editing
Edgar Wright is an English film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films. He is a big inspiration for me, I love many of his films. Particularly for the style he brings through all his projects. One of my favourite films (of all time) is 'Scott Pilgrim vs the World, which is filled with loads of amazing detail. The editing style is unique and fits the comic book theme (as Scott Pilgrim is a graphic novel series) perfectly. However for this project I have taken inspiration specifically from his 'Cornetto Trilogy'. The 'Cornetto Trilogy' are three of Wright's films that includes: 'Shaun of the Dead'; 'Hot Fuzz'; and 'The World's End'. It is an anthology series of Wright's films, although these three films aren't connected (apart from the running cornetto joke). I love the fast paced editing in these films especially the fast cuts and 'crash zooms'.
On the left is a amazing video essay from the Youtube channel: Every Frame a Painting. The video was extremely helpful when planning and prepping for working on my narrative film in premiere pro. I want my film to be interesting, so observing how Edgar Wright uses his unique style to make film visuals be more entertaining aided me with planning my own video. Although my narrative film isn't a comedy, I will take inspiration from his films and embrace elements into my narrative film.