MEST2: Existing product research

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

https://youtu.be/3lvNGhBXTU0

This movie was about a man who hires a company to erase the memory of a bad relationship. The film used a range of special effect techniques and camera work to depict the destruction of the man's memories and his transitions from one memory to another. In this scene particularly, what's interesting to note is that the camera is always at the height of Jim Carey's character, this also helps to make the camera work interesting because instead of cutting like we usually expect it to, the camera pans and changes focus as each character speaks. This helps to simulate the idea of eyes watching the conversation, and as the camera is at the height of the main character, it may allude to the idea that Jim Carrey's character is re-watching this memory from an outside perspective. 

What's also interesting is that the lane of bookshelves that they are in, has the books spines turned to the other side so that the audience can't read the titles, this is not true for the other lanes of bookshelves. What's also unique is that as the conversation is played out, the titles of the books slowly start to vanish, and as she finally vanishes he is left in an area with completely blank books. This was very effective in the sense that it helped the audience to feel for the main character and through the unique style of editing helped to create the sense of loneliness and bitter-sweet sorrow which helped to fit the narrative of the story.

The movie itself was rated R for it's expletive language, some drug and sexual content. It was generally a mix of drama, romance and science fiction. Due to this rating and it's genre I think the target audience might have been young adults and adults in general as it's narrative is something that everyone can relate to but also has very different layers of emotion and depth to it that might not be for children.

Drive

https://youtu.be/i5ufgkJ-uVE

This movie is about a unnamed Hollywood stunt performer who by night is a getaway driver for heists. It's considered a neo-noir arthouse crime film based on a novel.

This scene is very unique, especially considering that it has practically no dialogue at all. This scene is especially reflects the overall movie as it is a series of stunning visuals and graphic imagery and is a prime example of how the film conveys so many ideas and emotions through images rather than words. In the scene, the line between romance and violence is very abruptly crossed as the main character and the female character share a tender kiss before he violently stomps the hit-man's head. This ultimately results in the female character seeing as the main character in a completely different light. The director uses this scene to portray the main character as a hopeless romantic knight but also a complete and utter psychopath. The director also cleverly uses the elevator doors as a sort of transition wipes at the beginning and end of the scene.

It is rated R for strong brutal bloody violence, language and some nudity. Due to this I think the audience for this movie was especially adults as it had a many layers of both drama, romance, and action. It was also set in a realistic setting and location and showed raw emotional feelings through the film which helped to suture the audience and made them relate to the narrative.

Hero

https://youtu.be/AeeoEpmyb2Y

This movie is about a warrior with no name called Nameless and is based on the  story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC. 

The scene uses a variety of stunning visuals and cinematography but more importantly sound to portray the fight to the audience. While it does use several very exciting visuals to show the depth and intensity of the fight, what's more fantastic is the use of the sound, the diegetic sound played by the old man is contrapuntal yet strangely parallel to the fight. The "yelling" depicted might confuse the audience as they might think it is the two men fighting that are yelling, but really it is singing and part of the song. What's also unique is that in this sort of "mind fight" there is the use of a black and white filter which shows the idea of ying and yang but also helps to depict to the audience that this is a fight scene taking place in their minds. A variety of all these helps to show to the audience that this wasn't just about a fight scene but rather was much more idealistic and had a lot more emotion than just your average action fight scene.

The movie is rated PG-13 for stylized martial arts violence and a scene of sensuality. This rating means the movie is targeted for an teenage and older audience. This could be because of the fact that the movie is heavily influenced and based on martial arts, and this is something that young teenagers love to watch. It also involves a lot of drama and some romance which means that this could also be aimed for an adult audience.

Pan's Labyrinth

https://youtu.be/HhSjnG5pMOY

This movie is a Spanish-Mexican dark fantasy film about how a young girl imagines a fantasy world to block out the horrors of the Spanish Civil War.

In this scene, The doctor is a secret sympathiser for the anti-Franco rebels during the Spanish Civil War, chooses to defy Captain Vidal's orders and euthanises a tortured and broken prisoner. The cinematographer chooses to use two very contrasting colour tones in one setting, outside it is dark and gloomy but inside it is bright and golden. This however is also contrasting to the narrative, that although the inside is seen as bright, golden and happy it is the most dangerous place yet outside is safe but is shown with blues and is generally much more sadder. This also follows the general theme that the outside world at the time of the Spanish Civil War is very gloomy and filled with sadness. Finally, something that is also very unique is the poignant death of the doctor, the camera focuses directly on him as he walks away from the scene and the doctor is always in the foreground whilst his killer who shoots him in the back is in the background, this shows to the audience how the doctor was brave and that his killer, a person in great authority, was actually a coward.

This movie is rated R for graphic violence and some expletive language. Due to this, and it's dark genre with heavy use of drama, it is aimed at a older audience for adults. It is generally seen as aimed at an audience who are enthusiasts of the fantasy genre. 

Old Boy

https://youtu.be/APv5Jc0c7Qc

This movie is a South Korean mystery thriller with a neo-noir style. It is about a man who is locked in a hotel room for 15 years for no reason and with no knowledge as to who is captor is. When he is finally released, he begins to start his quest for revenge and find out who his captor was.

This particular scene is one of my favourites as it relies and uses heavily the classic idea of noir, with the main character narrating over the scene and the diegetic jazz sounds in the background. What's also unique is the use of camera work and framing that helps to create tension and also portray the varying characteristics of the main character. The neo noir theme is also enforced through the character's clothing and acting, he is very mysterious and dressed in all black which shows to the audience how he is not your everyday protagonist. Specifically, the shot where the camera is behind him, shows this mystery and is again reinforced as he takes his sunglasses off and blows out a puff of smoke from the cigarette. The iconography of the cigarette shows how he is a violent character and could almost be a borderline False Hero, we also never see his eyes which are normally identified to a man's personality and identity. Finally the director very cleverly uses a pillar in the setting as a wipe transition which makes the audience aware of the surroundings and setting in particular.

The movie is rated R for its strong violence, including scenes of torture, sexuality and pervasive and expletive language. Due to this and its heavy focus on action and fight scenes, I think it was targeted at a older adult audience. This is also evident due to its genre of and narrative having a lot of themes of mystery and drama. It also is able to masterfully incorporate themes of romance into its narrative.