The classroom of Herr Wenger when he introduces autocracy to the students.

2. Briefly describe the location or setting.

The classroom is part of a school in Germany which is specifically designed to not show exactly where in Germany it’s located. The indescribable setting of the placement of the school means that the classroom is also unidentifiable when comparing it to any other place in Germany. This is to show how something like The Wave could occur anywhere to anyone.

3. Explore how ethnicity or culture is represented in one key sequence from your chosen film.

In the Saturday Sequence (1:28:31-The End) of The Wave (Dennis Gansel, 2008), Herr Wenger is finally dismantling the movement after the week of its growing support. This begins as he is stood on the stage of the school auditorium, giving a speech about how great and powerful The Wave is. This speech is given to a large and more diverse group of people than the beginning, which shows how large scale the influence of it is on the students. The movement is supposed to be a copy of the dictatorship created in Nazi Germany so, although the group of students presented is more diverse in ethnicity and culture, this is suppressed by the group mentality presented in the film. This means that the ways in which ethnicity and culture are represented are very minimal.

This is also represented by the main point of this film: how dangerous fascism can be. It is shown to occur specifically when there is little diversity in a community. The lack of representation of diversity in ethnicity and culture in this film proves that this is the case. It is used to highlight how easily fascism can spread when there is no opposition to the rules.

The use of cinematography also helps to show how this is represented within The Wave. Many wide shots are used throughout the entire film which makes it so that the audience cannot become particularly familiar with any character. There are exceptions to this such as Tim, who has many shots where he is the main focus because he is so key to the plot of the film. However, the use of non descriptive wide shots, the placement of the camera to Herr Wenger’s eye level and not the students, and shots from behind the students (mainly in the classroom), show very little representation of any diversity in ethnicity and culture for the characters. These shots are used specifically to make every person indistinguishable from each other, so that the point of the film is conveyed correctly to the audience.

During the end sequence of The Wave, these are presented by the way that the characters act and how they look to the audience. Because the film is supposed to replicate fascist Germany, the character are represented in a way that makes them all seem the same. During the end sequence, Marco speaks out against Herr Wenger while he is making his speech. He is taken up to the stage by a group of people who are all dressed and acting in the same way. This is one of the reasons that there is little representation of ethnicity or culture in the wave because they all become one and do what they’re told. The use of a uniform making them all look the same eliminates the chance for any diversity in The Wave.

Tim is in the shadows next to Herr Wenger in a profile shot. He’s the second in command. Wide shots of the auditorium show the impact of the wave. Everything in the frame becomes still and orderly as the image of the wave is crushed by Herr Wenger. The camera is at eye level with the students and not the teacher, showing the audience that at this point the power dynamic has changed. This mirrors the beginning of the film when Herr Wenger was driving to school, with a complete change in confidence. As the gun is shown, there are increasingly frenetic camera movements. The movement of the camera is controlled by the gun, symbolises the power it holds over the entire room. As he gets driven away, Herr Wenger breaks the 4th wall and addresses the audience as he reflects on his actions.

Editing

The rapid editing of the scenes where Tim shoots Bomber increase tension of the scene and show that time is slightly deranged. This creates a sense of fear for the audience. There is a fade to and from white as Herr Wenger is stood in the auditorium to being taken away by the police.

Mise-en-scene

While they are in the auditorium, everyone is wearing the uniform which represents their unity. Karo is the only one wearing something different (pink) which contrasts the uniform of the others. This shows she’s different and is the calm in the chaos.

Sound

The sound of Herr Wenger fades away slightly while there is a shot of Marco during his speech, showing he doesn’t believe in the movement and the message is not working on him. The non diegetic composed score contrasts with the intense and rapid breathing of Herr Wenger brought up in the score which heightens the tension.

Representations

There is a much more diverse group of people in The Wave than at the start. This shows that the effect of the movement is actually quite drastic and proves Herr Wenger’s point at the beginning of the film that it would be easy to create this dictatorship, despite what the students believe. Although there is a more diverse group of people in The Wave, they are not presented as different because they are all wearing the same uniform and look largely the same.

The character who looks the most Aryan, Marco, is the only one who disagrees with The Wave which is slightly ironic but shows how brainwashed the rest of the characters are to the message that Herr Wenger is saying.

In the Tuesdays sequence of The Wave, Herr Wenger teaches the first day of the project week to the autocracy class. He introduces the class to some rules they have to follow. This included a uniform (white shirt) and standing up if you want to talk in class. He wanted to teach the anarchy class but wasn’t allowed to, so he turns to annoying that class and Herr Wieland instead. This causes some students from that class to want to join the autocracy class for project week, and support for The Wave increases.

Cinematography

This sequence begins with a low angle wide shot of Herr Wenger approaching the camera when walking down the corridor, silhouetted by the light in the background. Then, there is a cut to an interior shot of the classroom. The camera is largely on eye level with Herr Wenger at the start but the students are sat down, which reinforces the power dynamic of the classroom. There are smooth shots with the students (in a group) and hand held shots with the teacher(the leader). The camera follows Herr Wenger around, highlighting his leadership role in the film. Throughout this sequence there are usually two shots: the class and the teacher. But, as the sequence goes on, there are close ups of individuals who have an important role in the film. These close ups show how they respond to the message that the teacher is giving.

Editing

In the Tuesday sequence, Herr Wenger is always centrally framed. This focuses the audiences attention only on him and presents him as a figure with power. However, the students have less specific shots focusing on one person which de-emphasises their individuality.

This sequence also uses a classic Hollywood style (wide shot to a close up). This only happens to Herr Wenger which separates the audience from getting closer to the students and understanding them more.

Mise-en-scene

Although many factors mean it is taken away, each character in this sequence has some sense of individuality because of their clothing. Some stand up more than others because of their clothes (Mona).

Most of the students are smart and well dressed, this categorises them to be with the more appropriately dressed teachers. This presents the students as more grown up and mature than Herr Wenger. He wears another band t-shirt like in the opening sequence. This shows him to be presented as messy and childlike, unlike the students.

Sound

Throughout this sequence, there is mostly diegetic sound because the audience needs to be immersed into the situation so it becomes believable. Most of it is dialogue, which shows the importance of what Herr Wenger is saying. Over the marching, Herr Wenger becomes louder and louder, which reflects many of the famous speeches of Hitler.

Representation

The silhouette of Herr Wenger makes him look powerful as he walks down the corridor. There is a contrast between the adult figure and the smaller more anonymous figures waiting in the classroom. It represents his power over the students at this point, but only as a teacher. The ‘lookout’ makes the students seem childish, this happens because they’re infantilised by the film makers to make the end contrast more.

The students are mostly smart and well dressed while they’re wearing their own clothes. The teacher goes against the expected ideas as he’s wearing another punk rock t-shirt and dressed how a teenage would dress. During this sequence there are very stereotypical roles where teacher gives orders and students follow orders. As the students become more synchronised in marching, they are shown to be one unit. All age, ethnicity and gender is shown to be the same at this point because they’re loosing their individuality and they all becoming one. There is nothing to show they’re different. No clear divide between them. The clothing separates them and gives them individuality but the rest unifies them. However, Karo is seen as the disrupter who is actually thinking for herself and is still being individual.

The Wave (Dennis Gensel, 2008 ) is separated into three different sequences. The opening sequence of the film sets up representations of the characters and of where the film takes place. During this first 10 minutes, we see the main characters and begin to understand what is happening.

This sequence begins with Herr Wenger driving to school. During this time the audeince can understand the kind of character he is by the way he acts. He drives to the school where he works and gets assigned the autocracy topic for the project week. Then, the other main characters of the film are introduced while they are practicing for a play. After, the water polo team is shown to the audience with Herr Wenger as the coach. Then finally, the younger characters are at a party, shown to be acting older than they are.

Cinematography

The opening sequence the only part that doesn’t get a title. It’s a prologue sequence which introduces characters, locations and a general time scale. This starts with a follow shot of an obviously second hand car travelling down a road. It cuts to interior of close up of the stereo. It’s clearly not part of the car and shows the character to be a young person who has something to say- a form of rebellion.

Cut to interior of exercise books on the seat. An extreme close up profile shot shows the character singing to the now diegetic sound of the car stereo. There is then a series of exterior shots and close up shots of the exterior and interior of the car. During this time, the character is shown to be childish and immature, as he thinks hes cool but he the only person who thinks this.

At this point the camera breaks the 180 rule and he drives the other way. It has gone from left to right, to right to left. This shows his character type to be chaotic and that no rules apply to him. The unstable and uncarefully composed shots all add to the chaotic atmosphere for the character.

As the car pulls into a careless parking spot, a low angle steadicam shot of the car approaching is used. Then an extreme low angle tracking shot shows him walking from the car to the school.

The camera follows him as he walks into the school so that he is presented to the audience the way he feels he is shown to everyone around him. His costume is similar to the students of the school, however, when he walks into the staff room, he is much different.

Herr Wenger is shown complaining in the head teacher’s office about how he wants to teach anarchy and not autocracy. So, everything he does is presenting him to the audience as an atypical teacher. He is shown as more of a student than a teacher. He also doesn’t conform to the rules that you are supposed to when working in a professional atmosphere.

During his talk with the head teacher, he is told to sort it out himself and so the power dynamics of his conversation with the other teacher -Herr Wieland- are shown through cinematography. This is because Herr Wieland is looking down showing that he has the power to not give what the Herr Wenger wants. He then replies in Latin which is passive aggressive because he knows that Herr Wenger wont know what he’s saying.

After he talks to the teachers and is shown to be distinctly different to any other teacher, there is a cut from Herr Wenger to a drama studio where the students are rehearsing a play. There is an immediate contrast with the way the adult characters are actually portrayed as the students here are presented as mature and independent . Karo is confident and serious, not shy and will stand up for herself. She is a positive strong female representation and has a strong moral compass.

There is then a cut to the schools water polo team practicing. Here, Herr Wenger is the coach. This is similar to what he does in the classroom and gives him a sense of authority- he says what is happening and gives introductions to be followed. During this scene, the audience is intruded to Marco (another main character) who from the start is shown as a follower, ‘a soldier’.

Then, there is a party scene which starts similar to the opening of the film. It shows many of the younger characters and the students from the school trying to act mor grown up than they already are yet, this entire time, Herr Wenger is trying to look young showing the difference between them. This show that these character are not special and unique, they are the same as any other group of teenagers. This then contrasts what they become later on- uniformed fascists.

Then, other characters are introduced into the film through political conversation this shows that underneath the youthful behaviour, they actually care about the way their country is run.

After this, there is a cut to Tim who is an outsider and tries to overcompensate for his loneliness by going above and beyond. When he’s in The Wave, he’s the one that takes the most drastic action.

Editing

Opening titles have a spray paint graffiti mark which foreshadows the events in the rest of the film when the people part of The Wave movement wanted to spread the influence of it over Germany.

The rhythm and pace is also cut to the beat of the music. This is trying to establish Herr Wenger as ‘with it’, but he’s 40.

During the scenes of Karo practicing for the school play, she gets a lot of attention. Compared to everyone around her, she is lit and clear. She also controls most of the conversation. This sets her up to be the different one and the voice of reason in the film.

Mise-en-scène

Herr Wenger is introduced wearing the uniform of the rebellious youth. This is more clearly shown when he steps out of his car and the audience can see that he’s wearing a black leather jacket and a Ramones band t-shirt. This more clearly shows his rebellion.

Every person outside are everyday normal people. This builds a heightened contrast between the character and the environment. Everywhere is representative of any town in Germany because it is nondescript. The school building is the same as the rest of the town- representative of anywhere.

Representation

In the opening sequence of The Wave, there is nothing to say about ethnicity apart from the fact every character is a middle class white, making it incredibly non diverse. This is also representative of Germany prior to the Second World War when fascism began to spread throughout Germany.

There is also representation of age within the first 10 minutes of this film. There is a clear divide between Herr Wenger and any other group of people. When he is on the way to school, he is shown as childish and different to the average citizen of the undescriptive town he’s in. When he walks into school he is shown as trying to be cool and one of the kids, but then he reaches the teachers lounge and the head teachers office. So by this point instead of looking cool, he is presented as out of place and immature. This representation is also shown in the contrast of Herr Wenger and Herr Wieland’s character type.

• Technological

• Social

• Institutional

• Cultural

• Political

• Historical

What is the film about?

The Wave is about a school in Germany which over the course of 1 week recreates a fascist dictatorship. This particular class that the film is based around is taught by teacher Rainer Wenger, who shows his class that it is easy to be able to recreate a dictatorship in Germany again, despite what they first thought. Throughout this time, Rainer gradually begins to give the students more rules on how they can dress and behave. He makes them wear a uniform and address him as Herr Wenger. Then, they create a salute, and begin to discriminate against anyone who is not part of The Wave.

Without realising, it becomes much bigger than a class project and the students begin to believe in it, thinking they can change the rest of Germany. All through this film, there is one interested student who seems to be a lot more invested in the process of creating this autocratic leadership than any other student - Tim. He is frequently shown carrying a gun around (that ‘only fires blanks’) with him (foreshadowing), and ‘protecting’ Rainer from any possible threats.

At the end of the film, Rainer tells every supporter of The Wave to meet in the school auditorium. Here, he begins to give an elevating speech on how The Wave will roll over the rest of Germany and that it will remain forever. Then he stops. Rainer goes on to explain to the students that The Wave needs to end and that it is not real, that it was an experiment to show them that a dictatorship could be easily created again.

Realising that the most important thing to him was going away, Tim becomes visibly upset and aims his gun at the people on stage with him. He shoots one of the other students (Bomber) and then aims the gun at Rainer, asking why he shouldn’t shoot him too. Tim is told that he cannot do this without the leader, and that The Wave is more than just him. In complete despair, Tim turns the gun to face him and shoots himself, deciding that it would be better to die than live in the current situation. After this, Bomber is taken to hospital, Tim’s body is taken away, the students reunite to accept what has happened, and finally Rainer is taken to prison for what he has created.

Does the film belong to a particular genre?

The Wave (Dennis Gensel, 2008) is a political thriller because of its main messages. The film is based around the political idea that a dictatorship is easy to create. It has qualities expected of this subgenre - political corruption, a protagonist who ends up being a victim (only a victim to the actions of Tim, he deserved the prison time for what he did), a fast paced narrative, and suspense.

Who made the film?

This film is made by Dennis Gensel, and it is his most popular work. He is a German screenwriter and director who has been apart of many other films, whether that is by acting or directing. He shows qualities of an auteur because many of his films centre around the idea of an opposition or violence which must be overcome. In the case of these films, it is mostly spies, Nazi Germany, or another organisation which is trying to harm the protagonist.

What do you think the filmmakers wanted to say?

The main concepts presented in this film show that the filmmakers wanted to show how easy it is to create a fascist dictatorship like the Nazi’s did in World War II. People think that it could never happen again because they’d know when they are being lied to or manipulated, but they won’t. Just like the experiences of the people in Nazi Germany, you don’t realise it’s happening until it’s already too late. This is what the film shows to the audience.

Do the filmmakers use any interesting techniques to convey information to the audience?

By telling the audience the days that each event happens on, it gives a sense of reality because the filmmakers wanted to base it off of true events that happened. The film is based off the novel called ‘The Wave’ by Todd Strasser, which is also based off an experiment made by teacher Ron Jones at Cubberley High School in California in 1967. By making the film a real story and giving it a time line, the filmmakers are able to convey to the audience the important message that it’s much easier to make an autocratic society than what you would think.

How does the film represent particular individuals or groups of people?

The most important characters in this film are Herr Wenger, Karo, and Tim. They all represent different political views that people have, which is very important for the way in which the fascists in this film are viewed. Herr Wenger is the person who begins the entire movement, although it’s not obvious that he believes in the ideas it has. Instead he is there to convey the main message of the film to the audience.

Karo is very clearly against the entire situation right from the start. She refuses to wear the uniform and conform to the rules set out by Herr Wenger. This shows her as the different one in the film and she is purposefully outcasted by the other members. This gives her a strange presentation to the audience because she is purposefully shown as different and that this is a bad thing. But at the same time, she has good morals and beliefs which the audience would agree with. So, these two views contradict each other which represents the way people who don’t take part in these events are treated in a real autocratic system.

Tim is represented as quite over enthusiastic throughout the film, which is a little unsettling to the audience as he is so eager to create a dictatorship, similar to the one created by the Nazi’s. Tim’s sad ending presents the idea that there is only one ending for such a belief as the one he had. The audience is given a small amount of backstory to the reason that Tim is the way he is, which creates empathy for him, but he is shown as so keen for the movement to live on, that ultimately his representation only ruins any empathy for his character.

There are also the anarchists in this film. This group is not really represented to the audience as bad because they oppose the views of The Wave, which is what an audience would assume they are there for. In the film, they have a small amount of rivalry because their beliefs defy the ones of the fascists. But really, they are only there to give the audience a different perspective to view the film from.

My opinions

I think that this film is one of the best in the Film Studies course. It is not first (that one hasn’t been covered in the course yet), but it is still excellently made. When I began watching it, I already had relatively high expectations for it because of the themes of the film and what it was about. This is because the political views presented in the film and learning more about them is quite interesting to me so that obviously made the film more interesting. The soundtrack for the film also added to the overall great experience of it (that one short scene during the party where The Hives were played for like 10 seconds).

The only thing I did not like about this film was the ending where Tim died. Although it’s understandable why this happened for the plot, I think it made the film worse, and without it, the film could be almost perfect. The filmmakers had to make up this part of the film as it didn’t actually happen in the book the film is based off so they had to give the film a dramatic twist for the ending for the film to have some lasting impact on the audience, but I don’t think it works.

Overall, The Wave is ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

The film studied in this section of the course is Die Welle (Dennis Gansel, 2008) or The Wave (in English). There are 4 key sequences which are analysed. This film has been chosen because it is in German which means it is right for this section of the course.

Core Study Areas in Component 2b

Key Elements- Cinematography, Sound, Editing, and Mise-en-scène.

Contexts- Cultural, Historical, Social, Political, Technological, Institutional.

Additional Study Areas in Component 2b

Representation, Culture and Society- Age, Ethnicity, and Gender.

The closing sequence of Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) is where the main narrative threads become one. This could be symbolic of Jamal’s life because everything he has worked towards the entire film as finally happened for him. In this sequence, Latika escapes from Salim and Javed and Jamal wins the final question on Who Want To Be A Millionaire?.

Cinematography

The sequence openings with shots of Latika in Khans house. There’s a focus pull from Salim to a close profile shot of Latika, which draws the audiences attention to the scar on her face and connects Salim and the scar together. A close up shot of Latika is used to show her watching the TV behind her where Jamal is entering to play the game.

Latika is able to run away because of Salim’s redemption moment and so there’s an implication that he knows the error of his ways so is making up for it by offering Latika an escape route. There is lots of cuts between Latika running to find Jamal and him being at either the Who Want To Be A Millionaire? studio or the train station.

It then cuts back to an almost match of the opening shot of the room of Jamal and the interrogator in the room. Then Salim makes his way to the bathroom in Javed Khan’s home. The audience soon realises that what was shown earlier is happening now. At this point the audience realise that the film’s narrative has almost got back to the start.

The final shot of Salim is him saying god is great matched with a shot of Jamal looking up.

Editing

Most of this sequence is parallel editing or cross cutting between Latika making her escape and Jamal eventually finding her at the train station.

As this sequence plays out, there’s parallel editing between Latika escape and Jamal’s release from the police station. Mixture of parallel editing and cross cutting its about symmetry. He wants to get to the show and she wants to be at the station. Traffic and busy show sets make the audience realise they are both interlinked. Everything that is going on is mixed with shots of Mumbai to show the effect and scale of the events.

This journey and escape sequence all comes together as it cuts back to the studio and Jamal enters for his final appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. As the film approaches its climax, there’s a lot more traditional parallel editing. It reaches a point where it is clear the characters will come together at the end in the train station. Everything in the studio is in continuity editing, but it parallel edits to the continuity editing of Latika’s thread. The parallel editing is no longer telling two stories, but one now. They’ve found each other.

Analepsis to the beginning of her story. Everything is back to the start of the film, but the understanding of the situation is clearer.

Sound

Lots of diegetic sound is used at the beginning but towards the end the non diegetic composed score becomes more pronounced.

The sound is what links all of the narrative threads together and the sound bridge when Jamal and Latika meet in the train station.

Mise-en-scène

Latika’s scar is a symbol of Salims violence and as she is the ‘princess’ character in the film, is makes clear that the person who has hurt her (Salim) should suffer, which he does when he dies.

The opening sequence of Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) uses a range of editing techniques to establish a complex narrative structure with 3 threads. The first 8 minutes of the film show the audience where it takes place and begins to explain what is happening.

Cinematography

This sequences starts in media res (in the middle of) so the audience does not know what’s happening in the scene. We can tell that this is an interrogation, which gives the audience a story to begin to understand. Jamal is being interrogated and there are multiple extreme close up shots, all in canted angles, and high and low angles, which establishes an uncomfortable and disorientating atmosphere for the audience that is common in interrogation scenes. It is clear from the beginning that there is an aggressor and a victim in this scene which is shown through the way he blows smoke into Jamals face. After this there is a transition which fades to black which begins the narrative format of the rest of the film.

After this, the scene fades from black to close up of money being scattered in a bathtub. At this point in the film, it is not clear to the audience why this is happening, but the director has put it there for a purpose that will be revealed at the end. There is a fade from black to the third sequence, all of which have seemingly separate story lines but through editing it becomes understandable to the audience what the directors intentions are by the way the story is given to them. After this fade to black to the third sequence, we see a Birds Eye view of the main character, Jamal, in the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? studio.

Then, there is a high angle shot of Latika in the train station. It seems that it is a memory of Jamal’s because it seems dreamlike. It is clear, to an audience that has seen this film previously, it’s from the middle of the film because she doesn’t have the scar that Salim gave her. This shot is only quick but establishes something of importance for the audience.

The next scene starts with a chase. There’s a lens flare making the story look dreamlike so the audience knows that this section of time is not in chronological order to the integration shown before. Danny Boyle has used natural lighting, handheld camera shots in nearly every single shot, and it is also shot on location, all which make it seem believable to the audience. The chase uses many extreme long shots, a few of which have been zoomed in a significant amount to capture the chase. Danny Boyle has also uses lots of different chaotic shots and angles to create the energetic but vibrant atmosphere. During this chase, the characters do not always move in the right way for the effect of showing the maze which they live in. The camera movements and overly/poorly filmed shots work effectively to provide an accurate portrayal of their lives in the labyrinth-like slums. As the chase continues, there are long shots and five layered birds eye view shots which get higher each time. This shows the difference between the sizes of the people there to the slums and contributes to showing what a lively place it is to live.

Editing

The editing in this sequence is mainly used to help the audience differentiate between each of the narrative threads.

As established before, this sequence begins in the middle of an interrogation, it has one particular aesthetic warm orange and yellow colour palette and a smokey haze through the lighting, which distinguishes this thread from the rest of the film.

The screen fades to black and the caption lets the audience know where and when this sequence is taking place- Mumbai, 2006. This short sequence which replicates the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? show, in the format of a question with four answers which appear on screen. There is a purposeful wait before the 4th question to create a dramatic moment for the audience.

After this, there’s a short shot of money being scattered in a bathtub. This has a distinctly different aesthetic to the gold and orange of the interrogation sequence.

Then, the audience sees Jamal at the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? studio which is also aesthetically different. It has blues, silvers, and monitor glow whites, with smooth camera movements. This looks different to each of the other two sequences ,which establishes the main point of this sequence- helping the audience to differentiate between each of the narrative threads. At this point it begins to cross cut between events and because the audience needs to know that these separate actions are linked, it cuts back to each multiple times. This makes the audience able to connect the narrative threads together, even if it’s not completely understandable at this point in the film. As it plays out the cross cutting between to two locations become distinctly different to each other, contrasting the main differences present in the film.

After we see Jamal in the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? studio, analepsis is used to give the audience a short glimpse into the past and to know what Jamal is thinking. This is an effective way to give context and a story to the film. He explains that he knew the answers which is why the director is able to create a story- by going back to his childhood to explain how he knew through personal experiences.

The film begins to become more upbeat and chaotic as the chase sequence starts. The pace of editing increases appropriately to fit with the need for energy. As this goes on there is one distinctly different almost slow motion shot of one of the children who is wearing a shirt which shows the name of the film to the audience, before continuing smoothly with the scene. This is shown throughout the film to be an effective technique of showing the audeince important or memorable moments which are key to the plot.

Once the chase ends and the main characters (Jamal and Salim) are found by their mother, they gets pushed into a classroom where it uses another moment of slow motion to show the audience The Three Musketeers book. Later on in the film the audience realise that this is how he knows the answer. It is the one that gets revealed to Jamal as he gets hit, and we realise that what he said in the interrogation is true, he did not cheat, he knew the answer.

Sound

In the opening sequence of Slumdog Millionaire sound is mainly used to link key scenes together so the narrative structure can work effectively, but also to make the separate threads clear to the audience.

During the scenes of Jamals interrogation, diegetic sound is used to immerse the audience in the story and to make it seem realistic. This is especially effective when there is the heightened diegetic sound of Jamal being hit by the interrogator in the police station.

When the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? questions appear on screen, the non diegetic score that accompanies it in the actual show also plays, replicating the format of the show which makes the film realistic for the audience.

During the section of cross cutting between events, the which connection between all of these sequences is the sound bridge of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? host talking and the music identified with it.

Once the opening sequence becomes the chase through the slums, there is a J-cut which introduces a high energy quick tempo pop song which leads the audience through Jamal and Salim’s childhood story.

Mise-en-scène

Slumdog Millionaire is shot on location which meant filming in the Mumbai slums. This gives the film a unique opportunity to really immerse the audience in the story and seem like what is happening is real and true.

The use of distinct colour palettes for each thread of the sequence contrast each other. The difference between the natural lighting and orange and yellows differs from the harsh artificial lighting of the monitors and lights in the studio.

The use of shots which give context to the story add to the understanding that the audience have of the slums and the life of the characters. These can be the multiple shots of the slum, showing its true size compared to the children running through it or the shots of people who are living their daily lives.

The way in which the policeman acts to the person in the car makes it clear to the audience that the police aren’t the most powerful people in this society. This makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the children because they are having a good childhood (which is seen through the way they act towards the police) but the police aren’t trying to stop their fun.

Vladimir Propp was a Soviet folklorist and scholar who analysed Russian Folk Tales. He said that in every story, there are 7 character types. These are; the hero, the helper, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the princess, and the false hero.

The hero- in Slumdog Millionaire the hero is Jamal. He is the main character of the film and manages to overcome the obstacles set out by the villain(s), then finally gets the princess (Latika) at the end.

The villain- this character type could be given to a couple of characters in Slumdog Millionaire. These people are Salim and Maman. Salim could be considered the main villain because he is the one who is closest to the hero (Jamal) and regularly betrays him in different ways throughout the film. As well as Salim, Maman is a villain because he ‘creates struggles for the hero’ by pretending to be a good person and actually trying to hurt Jamal and his friends for personal gain.

The donor- Salim could also be considered the donor because he ‘prepares’ Jamal for his future (treating him horridly because he’s the older brother and therefore more powerful), then leaves him with the thing Jamal wants the most (dying so he can’t keep taking Latika away from Jamal).

The dispatcher- this would be Prem, who is the host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. He gets Jamal to explain to the audience the stories he has which show h knows the answers, and leads Jamal on a journey to finally meeting Latika at the end.

The princess- the role is very obviously Latika. She is meant to be with Jamal and for most of the film they cannot because of ‘evil’. This is Salim for kicking Jamal out and leaving him on his own when it was the three of them, and then at the train station when Jamal and Latika find each other but she gets taken way again by Salim.

The false hero- this role is Salim because he is always trying to be better than Jamal throughout the film, then, he takes Latika away from Jamal even when Salim knew how Jamal felt about Latika. This behaviour makes him a classic false hero.

Vladimir Propp’s 31 Narrative Functions

Vladimir Propp had another way of categorising stories, this was into the 31 Narrative Functions. This theory consisted of 4 spheres that show each main section of a story; introduction, the story, the donor sequence, and the hero’s return. These then split off to be 31 separate points that make up one story.

This theory says that every story follows this sequence of events, but Slumdog Millionaire does not apply to this because of the complex narrative structure it has. This means that the order of events is not in chronological order/ the order of the narrative functions, because the analepsis and prolepsis used switches the order in which the events take place.

Tzvetan Todorov’s Equilibrium Theory

Tzvetan Todorov thought of the Equilibrium Theory. It said that each narrative has 5 stages which are; equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, recognition, and new equilibrium. This can apply to Slumdog Millionaire because each stage of equilibrium is present in the film and in the right order.

Equilibrium- Jamal and Salim live in the slums with their mother.

Disruption of equilibrium- Jamal and Salim have to flee the slums with Latika because they are under attack. Jamal then loses Latika later on.

Recognition of disruption- Jamal tries to find Latika after losing her.

Attempted resolution- Latika gets taken away from Jamal at the train station by Salim.

New equilibrium- Jamal finally finds Latika again and the audience can assume that they stay happy together after the film ends.

Claude Levi-Strauss’ Binary Opposition Theory

Claude Levi-Strauss proposed the theory of binary opposition. This means that the majority of narratives in media contain opposing main characters. Examples of this are; good and evil, a hero and a villain, light and dark, young and old, peace and war, and men and women.

In Slumdog Millionaire, the binary oppositions are;

Rich and poor.

Good and evil- Salim and Jamal.

Poverty and wealth- the slums and the Taj Mahal.

Roland Barthes Action and Enigma Codes

Roland Barthes said that anything in culture can be a sign and send a specific message, and that a story needed a clear plot for any narrative to be good. There are two main codes; Action and Enigma.

An Action code is significant events that move the narrative on, creating suspense. An example of this in Slumdog Millionaire is when Jamal sees Latika at the train station for the first time, but she ends up being taken away from him. This creates suspense because it makes the audience want to find out if they ever find each other again and want to know what happens to Latika after.

An Enigma code is where there will be a deliberate plot point that makes the audience ask questions to make them want to know more and continue watching/reading, also helping to move the narrative on. This is shown in Slumdog Millionaire at the start of the film where it gives the audience four possible answers, where one is “He cheated”. This makes the audeince want to watch more and see which answer is correct.

• Shot- one piece of footage ranging in length of time.

• Scene- a series of shots all relating to a particular time or location.

• Sequence- multiple scenes useful to the plot which form a section of the film.

Continuity editing

Slumdog Millionaire is different to many other films because the large majority of it seems as though it is not continuity editing, yet it is regularly present within each thread of the film.

An example of when Danny Boyle uses continuity editing in Slumdog Millionaire is when they children are playing cricket on the runway and they get chased by the guards back through the slums.

Cross-cutting

Cross cutting is used in Slumdog Millionaire because it shows the similarities and joins parts of the story together, creating the plot for the audience to understand.

The most clear use of cross-cutting that Danny Boyle uses is during the beginning of the film when we see Salim scattering money into the bathtub and Jamal is on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Even though the audience doesn’t yet understand why these two shots are linked, we know they are because of the use of cross-cutting.

Parallel editing

Parallel editing is not often used in Slumdog Millionaire so when it is, it highlights a crucial moment in the film.

The most clear use of parallel editing that Danny Boyle uses is during the scene where Jamal finds Latika in the train station at the end of the film. Jamal sees her before she sees him and runs to her from far away. It is told through parallel editing as it shows its importance to the plot and the audience understands that it is a major moment.

Analepsis or Flashback

Slumdog Millionaire uses analepsis and flashbacks regularly, as it is one of the ways the circular narrative is constructed. This gives the film necessary details for the plot and without it, the audience would not understand what was happening.

Anytime Jamal is asked a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, his answer is backed up with a memory from his childhood that proves he knows it’s correct. For example, when Jamal is asked the question “Cambridge Circus is in which UK city?”he knew because of where he works.

Prolepsis or flash-forward

Prolepsis is used in this film because it supports the circular structure of the film, but it also gives the main character a motive to work for in the rest of the film.

An example of this in Slumdog Millionaire is when Jamal is on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and the film cuts to a shot of Latika at the train statin. This exact shot is seen again further along in the film when they find each other at the train station.

Montage

Montage is only used once in Slumdog Millionaire when Jamal and Salim get on the train after escaping and sell food and other items to get money and food back. This is told through multiple short shots that take place over a longer amount of time. It leads them to the Taj Mahal where they have grown up more.

Story- Everything that happens in the fictional world between the beginning and the end, including events that viewers infer or presume to have happened.

Plot- What viewers see on screen and hear on the soundtrack to allow them to construct a story in their heads. Plots can begin anywhere on the chain of story events and can leap backwards and forwards in time and space.

In the film, there are 3 main plots; the Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? set, the police station, and Jamal growing up and looking for Latika. These sections are very distinct to each other because of the way they’re filmed. From the beginning, the story is in a circular structure. This is shown through the use of prolepsis and analepsis throughout the film. The film begins close to the end of the story, but this is to help the audience have full context of the situation happening. This is partly shown by each section of time being filmed differently to show the audience that the story is not being told in chronological order;

- The start of the film takes place at the police station, filmed at canted angles, orange and yellow colours with lots of diegetic sound used.

-This is different to the set of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, with the distinct smooth and swift camera movements and well-lit surroundings.

-During the scenes of Jamal and Latika, most of it is filmed in the slums, and to show this there is much more shaky footage which is also worse in quality too.

These are each filmed like this to help the narrative to be constructed in a circular form. This is also shown through the use of analepsis and prolepsis, which cuts from the police station to either the set of the show or Jamal when he was younger- helping to construct the circular narrative. The narrative structure of Slumdog Millionaire incorporates the familiar structure and format features of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, which provides the film with a set to create the plot and the circular structure, along with the non-diegetic compiled soundtrack. This is used in the film to add a sense of urgency to each section and to create differences between each of the threads in the film.

Narrative structure of Slumdog Millionaire.

So, now I have to think of ways to improve it because clearly I cannot submit it, even though this is just for the rough cut screening. I am going to use the two week half term to work on this. I am going to ask my actors to find a time to film most of it again because I think that a lot of the shots could be improved in some way. I am also going to film the extra scenes I think is necessary for the plot now I’ve seen some of it put together, and also re film ones that could do with some improvement.

The extra not recorded yet shots I need are:

• Wide shot of Character 1 looking in the same direction for the 2nd scene.

• Wide shot of Character 2 in her bedroom waiting by her phone for the 3rd scene.

• Character 1 getting up and leaving go out for the 5th scene.

• Long shot of Character 2 sitting down next to Character 1 for the 10th scene.

• The characters short conversation.

Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008) is about a boy and his brother who live in the slums in Mumbai. Throughout the film, there are scenes of the main character, Jamal, who is being interrogated by the police. At the start, we don’t know why this is happening or who he is, but it becomes apparent to us that he is being questioned for his win on the hit show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (hence the name of the movie). Each sequence of the film is showing Jamals experiences that relate to each question of the show. Through this method, the audiences learns that his family is just him and his brother, Salim, and eventually a girl named Lakita who becomes their ‘third musketeer’ after a cold and rainy night. They are all found by an unknown man (Maman) who finds homeless children and gives them a home. For a while he seems like a good person, but turns out to be a horrid man. When he finds them, they are used to get money for him, then he shows Jamal that he blinds some too. Jamal tries to get his brother and Latika to escape but only the brothers do. Eventually, they make their way back to where they first found Lakita. They manage to escape with her and kill Maman. As they all get to a safe place, the brothers end up going their own ways because Salim threatens Jamal and tells him to leave - without Latika. Overtime, Jamal finds his way back to her, but, she denies his idea to run away together. Still, he tells her he will wait at the train station every day until she finds him. He ends up going on the TV show where she sees him again and they eventually find their way back to each other in the end.

Slumdog Millionaire is an adventure/romance/drama film. This film conforms to Romance genre conventions because it has all of the key points in the plot: they meet, they get separated, he tells her he loves her, they reunite in the end.

A genre cycle is:

Slumdog Millionaire is in the Romance genre, it would be included in the romance genre cycle.

This film is made by Danny Boyle in 2008. He also made Trainspotting (1996). He is known for making films out of difficult and unfilmable books.

This component is 30 minutes long in the exam and is worth 20 or 25 (depending on whether there are 3 or 4 questions) or 10% or 12.5% of the final GCSE.

For this section, there are 2 assessment objectives:

I have been able to load all of the footage onto my iPad. When I filmed, I had done multiple takes of each shot. This meant there was some footage on the other camera that I had found, and the rest on the iPad, so the footage is a little messy in terms of the order. I think that by this point I have filmed everything I need unless something tragic happens.

I have a few things I need to do to:

• Learn how to use the editing software (LumaFusion).

• Move all of the footage I took on my camera from Files to my Photos so everything is in one place.

• Sort through the different shots to find ‘the best’ of each scene.

• Edit the shots together.

If once I have started to edit and have seen a rough draft of what the film will look like and there’s bits missing I forgot to shoot or it just needs an extra shot to tie two scenes together, I will retake or film another scene to make everything look better.

The Specialist Writing says ‘A strategy to decoding the meaning of a composition or frame is to identify the themes and ideas that lie at the heart of the film; its essence; its core ideas’. The first use of this is at the beginning of the film when a quote from Joan Didion “Anyone who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento”. This quote is used because it is explaining that something which seems so interesting and new to one person may be completely dull and irrelevant to another. This is key to the film because it explains how Lady Bird feels about Sacramento and because it links to the Specialist Writing as it is identifying key themes of the film to the audience as soon as it begins, even though it might not be fully understood then.

‘The framing of a shot conveys meaning through the arrangement of visual elements’. This is evident in the film right from the start of the opening sequence with the main character Christine McPherson (Lady Bird) and her mother. Within the first shot of the film, the audience is immediately introduced to the two characters, who appear to be similar. This is shown through the ‘arrangement of visual elements’. They are both facing each other, showing that they are in some way connected, and they both look the same with their hair, arm positioning, and facial expressions. The characters are both asleep while this is happening, telling the audience that they are comfortable being themselves when calm and comfortable.

After the camera has stayed on Lady Bird and her mother, there is a J Cut to Lady Bird asking “Do you think I look like I’m from Sacramento?”. Then we see both characters getting ready as they are about to leave. At this point they seem to be trying to pass the time with whatever they can, but on closer inspection it’s noticeable that both characters are doing what they find most important to them in that situation. This is an example of how ‘Every shot counts no matter how inconsequential it may seem’. It is clear that Lady Bird is obsessed with how she is perceived by others and this is shown by her simply looking in the mirror and asking a question, showing a key theme in the film: identity. This shot also reveals to the audience that her mother, Marion, feels she has to and wants to care for her daughter. This is shown by her making the bed in the morning even though she doesn’t have to. As they sit on the bed together, there is peace and they forget to be mad at each other. These shots have value to the film because they show how the characters really are with each other when they aren’t hating the other.

There is another J Cut to the next shot of a diegetic sound playing in the car of an audiobook called Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This is used because ‘anything and everything that is included in the composition or frame of a shot is there for a specific purpose’ meaning that anything in the frame is used to move the story along and help the audience to understand the film better. Grapes Of Wrath is a book about ‘the importance of family and community, the struggle for social justice, and the resilience of the human spirit’(-eNotes) which are all included in the issues of Lady Bird. It is also about a mother helping her dying child, which is used to get the audience to sympathise with the characters.The use of this specific book helps the audience to understand what is happening to each character. As this audiobook is playing the camera cuts to a shot of a long road which is a visual metaphor for the events which are ahead of them.

While the audiobook is still playing there is a wide shot of them in the car where they look very similar again. The only sound that can be heard is the audiobook as it seems to get to a certain level of suspense before cutting off. Then, the 180° rule is deliberately broken at this point because it is a metaphor of the disharmony between the two characters. The Specialist Writing Option explains that use of this shot is important to the story even if it seems ‘inconsequential’. In the car there is all diegetic sound because it immerses the audience in the conversation happening. After a second, Lady Bird goes to put the next part of the book on the radio but her mother doesn’t want it on, breaking the peace. They both overreact to the other, but the audience sees them reacting the same way even if they don’t themselves. As the conversation continues, the road turns so that it matches with the argument, and the sound of them arguing increases too which heightens the tension between them. The use of this slight change in direction and volume makes the audience aware of the conflict going on.

Throughout the fighting, it is noticeable that they look at each other less and less. Referring to Specialist Writing Option A, this is used because ‘The framing of a shot conveys meaning through the arrangement of visual elements’. Using this technique, the audience can tell that Lady Bird is the main character of the film, not just through obvious methods such as the title of the film. This is made clear specifically in this section of the film because all the shots where we hear her talking, she is shown. But, if her mother speaks, we don’t always see her.

As her mother continues to talk the volume is still loud but Lady Bird is not involved in the conversation. We hear the diegetic sound of Lady Bird taking off her seatbelt with a dramatic moment of her throwing herself out of the moving car. This scene exhibits the Specialist Writing quote ‘A strategy to decoding the meaning of a composition or frame is to identify the themes and ideas that lie at the heart of the film; its essence; its core ideas‘. This is because the way to understand why she did this, the audience has to understand the genre features of the film, with one of them being conflict between a parent and their child so Lady Bird clearly just wants to hurt her mother by the action of hurting herself.

Then, there is a cut from the screaming of her mother to a close up of the pink cast on Lady Bird’s arm which is now broken. The cast is pink and stands out and is easily noticeable exactly like she wants to. This also introduces the idea that ‘anything and everything that is included in the composition or frame of a shot is there for a specific purpose’ from the Specialist Writing Option. This can be applied here because the closeup of her cast is used to bring the attention of the audience to it in exactly the same way she wants to it to affect others around her. As the camera moves from the shot of the cast to a wide shot of the school assembly we can see everyone is doing the same gestures, but Lady Bird isn’t as she wants to stand out even more than previously thought. This emphasises the fact that ‘anything and everything that is included in the composition or frame of a shot is there for a specific purpose’. After this, the title of the film, Lady Bird, is written in a gothic font. This is a clear juxtaposition between the way she would write it herself, and the way she wants to be perceived as independent.

Altogether, I agree with each idea that is presented in Specialist Writing Option A: Finding The Frame. Every point made within the article helps to identify and explain key features and themes of every film, not just Lady Bird, which without I might’ve missed out on finding. The slightly changed perspective that the Specialist Writing gives along side the Key Elements of Film Form highlight more questions to be answered that could give a deeper insight into analysing anything necessary.

I was able to film each scene I needed, but I think that there will be some where I will want to re-film. During filming, I took multiple shots of each scene to get what I hope to be the best version of each scene. So, now I have to look through the footage and find the best of it.

The day before filming, I also spoke to the actors to discuss the costumes, which should’ve been planned before but luckily it all worked out in the end. I chose the people I did for my film because I felt their usual personalities suited the characters best, this also helped with the costumes.

A few weeks before filming, I was also thinking about how to improve my film because I didn’t think it was the best version possible so I made some slight changes to it.

I think that the filming went well because everything worked out pretty perfectly to what I imagined it, including; the weather, the plot, the characters, the costumes, and getting to film before the end of the summer holidays.

These contexts are;

• Technological

• Social

• Cultural

• Historical

• Political

• Institutional