FISH TANK - NOTES
FISH TANK
MICRO FEATURES
- Handheld camera
- Documentary feel
- Blue-like colour palette
- All the sound is diegetic
- Set in Barking
- Lack of artifice
- Cinema vérité - real cinema
- Social realism
How useful has an ideological critical approach (feminism) been in understanding binary oppositions in your chosen films.
Mia is forced to be used for the male gaze. She is dancing for the middle aged white male as though she is is a strip club.
Due to the absence of a father, Connor is used as father figure and a sexual partner to Mia, due to her interaction with Connor and how she longs for him; sexually and emotionally.
The shot reverse shot, sutures the spectator into the filmic text as we can see the way that dominance is presented; we can see Connor spread out on the sofa like he owns the room and Mia standing halfway through the door.
The bottle of alcohol that Connor posses is considered to be a phallic object as he holds it towards his genitalia which shows the conflict between the two as she longs for this phallic object which he gives to her.
MIA AND CONNOR SEX SCENE
Suture - Shot reverse shot
Over the shoulder shot from Mia looking at Connor. She's always in the shot, and in her point of view. Keeps the audience looking straight at Mia's story. Connor has dominion of the scene - he is owing the room and Mia is marginalised.Props
She has a drink in her hand - not completely sober.Lighting/colour palette
Dark cold colours, complements the uncomfortable scene. Hyper naturalistic lighting.
Oedipal trajectory
She doesn't have a father but now she sees the new boyfriend of the mum as a father figure. This is the first father figure she has had which shows the spectator the sexual feelings she desires. She conforms to male subjectivity.
How useful has an ideological critical approach (feminism) been in understanding binary oppositions in your chosen films.
Mia is forced to be used for the male gaze. She is dancing for the middle aged white male as though she is is a strip club.
Due to the absence of a father, Connor is used as father figure and a sexual partner to Mia, due to her interaction with Connor and how she longs for him; sexually and emotionally.
The shot reverse shot, sutures the spectator into the filmic text as we can see the way that dominance is presented; we can see Connor spread out on the sofa like he owns the room and Mia standing halfway through the door.
The bottle of alcohol that Connor posses is considered to be a phallic object as he holds it towards his genitalia which shows the conflict between the two as she longs for this phallic object which he gives to her.
PARA
The ideological approach in understanding binary oppositions is presented by the shot reverse shot which sutures the spectator into the diegesis of the filmic text. The camera angles of the shot reverse shot aligns the spectator with Mia. This is done through the over the shoulder shot showing Mia but also her point of view which is Conor sitting sprawled out on the couch. Arnold wants us to align with Mia as she wants to give the audience a better understanding of the hardships Mia has suffered as though she has been forgotten by the government. Arnold wants us to look past that and have a deeper understanding to how Mia is still a person who suffers at the hands of society.
During the midpoint scene in Fish Tank where Conor and Mia have sex, there contains a shot reverse shot which is crucial in understanding the binary oppositions and ideology that is presented. These camera angles aligns the spectator with Mia as she is constantly in the shot. Arnold wants us to align with Mia as we can fully see the hardships that she is experiencing. Furthermore, during Mia's dancing, we see the camera placed behind Mia, static at eye level with Conor. This shows the spectator that Conor is looking at her breasts and this is an example of Mulveyan male gaze. Also, as we find out later Conor is someone who lives in a middle class suburban area, it reflects how Mulveyan male gaze is created mainly by middle-class men. In the sex scene, no genitalia is shown as we only see her hands and her feet, which are not sexualised in anyway. The reason for this is to present the male to be dominant. Also, her ankles are shown to remind the spectator of how Conor was like a father figure to her before when helping her in the lake, and how it's changed now due to her penis envy and how she is now sexually attracted to him.
INRTO TO CONOR
The ideological approach in understanding binary oppositions is presented by the shot reverse shot which sutures the spectator into the diegesis of the filmic text. The camera angles of the shot reverse shot aligns the spectator with Mia. This is done through the over the shoulder shot showing Mia but also her point of view which is Conor sitting sprawled out on the couch. Arnold wants us to align with Mia as she wants to give the audience a better understanding of the hardships Mia has suffered as though she has been forgotten by the government. Arnold wants us to look past that and have a deeper understanding to how Mia is still a person who suffers at the hands of society.
During the midpoint scene in Fish Tank where Conor and Mia have sex, there contains a shot reverse shot which is crucial in understanding the binary oppositions and ideology that is presented. These camera angles aligns the spectator with Mia as she is constantly in the shot. Arnold wants us to align with Mia as we can fully see the hardships that she is experiencing. Furthermore, during Mia's dancing, we see the camera placed behind Mia, static at eye level with Conor. This shows the spectator that Conor is looking at her breasts and this is an example of Mulveyan male gaze. Also, as we find out later Conor is someone who lives in a middle class suburban area, it reflects how Mulveyan male gaze is created mainly by middle-class men. In the sex scene, no genitalia is shown as we only see her hands and her feet, which are not sexualised in anyway. The reason for this is to present the male to be dominant. Also, her ankles are shown to remind the spectator of how Conor was like a father figure to her before when helping her in the lake, and how it's changed now due to her penis envy and how she is now sexually attracted to him.
INRTO TO CONOR
Female Gaze - Looks at Conor up and down - Sexualises Conor.
Low angle shot of Conor - Empowers him.
CONOR SLAPPING MIA - (01:40:45 - 01:42:33)
- Crisis before Act 2 climax
- Isolated
- Dark colour palette
- Handheld
- Track back
- Conor overpowers Mia - Feminism
- Conor slapps her
- Looking down on her
- She sits on the floor in a child like manor
- Oedipal trajectory - she punished for his actions
- Punished by society; mainly men. Conor is metaphor for society - if she does wrongdoing she gets punished
- Conor can get away with the actions he commits - no punishments - patriarchal
Throughout the scene when Conor chases after Mia, which is considered to be the crisis before the Act Two climax, Conor slaps Mia as he is punishing Mia for his own actions. Conor is considered to be a metaphor for present society as Mia, the woman, is punished due to the actions of a male and the patriarchal society. After the slap, Mia submits to the patriarchy of Conor as she falls to the floor and accepts her punishment. The camera tilts down so that the spectator can see Mia fall on the floor in a child-like fashion, showing how she has yielded to her 'fathers' punishments. The binary oppositions between Man and Woman is presented via the dark palette as this uncomfortable look of the scene mirrors the uncomfortable feelings between Mia and Conor. As Mia feels used by Conor for his sexual pleasures, she acts on her jealously of not getting attention from her 'father' and acts irrationally. On the other side, Conor has feelings of anger towards Mia as she is trying to 'disobey' him and he wants to punish her for it. This clearly shows how feminism is explored as she is used by the male and is punished for it, even though he is in the wrong.
- Dark colour palette
- Handheld
- Track back
- Conor overpowers Mia - Feminism
- Conor slapps her
- Looking down on her
- She sits on the floor in a child like manor
- Oedipal trajectory - she punished for his actions
- Punished by society; mainly men. Conor is metaphor for society - if she does wrongdoing she gets punished
- Conor can get away with the actions he commits - no punishments - patriarchal
- Handheld Camera.
- Track behind/in/left.
- Eschews multiple cuts.
- 10 Cuts.
- Tilt down on Mia. - Very dark colour palette - Over the shoulder shots ----------------------------------- Benji + Sapphire - Strip Club - Lighting; Illuminates the whole of the woman's body. - When Mia walks out: lighting illuminates all other auditions. - Costume; Mia is dressed in baggy trousers and a jumper, others are dressed in an objectifying way. - Cinematography; The high angle reflects how she should be in a position of power, however is not as she is inferior to the others. |
- Binary oppositions (Man vs Woman). - Mia acts like a child and sits on the floor after being punished. - Conor is metaphor for society - wrongdoing - gets punished. ----------------------------------- - Binary opposition where there is internal conflict within Mia: whether or not she wants to objectify her body to the male gaze. This is reflected by her defiance. |
- No punishments for the Male. - Conor gets away with what he wants. - Patriarchy and how women are used in society. -She submits to Conors punishment ----------------------------------- - Scopophilia - Male gaze from the club owner. - Over-the-shoulder shot of auditions; |
Josh + Abi - Bed Scene
Throughout the scene when Conor chases after Mia, which is considered to be the crisis before the Act Two climax, Conor slaps Mia as he is punishing Mia for his own actions. Conor is considered to be a metaphor for present society as Mia, the woman, is punished due to the actions of a male and the patriarchal society. After the slap, Mia submits to the patriarchy of Conor as she falls to the floor and accepts her punishment. The camera tilts down so that the spectator can see Mia fall on the floor in a child-like fashion, showing how she has yielded to her 'fathers' punishments. The binary oppositions between Man and Woman is presented via the dark palette as this uncomfortable look of the scene mirrors the uncomfortable feelings between Mia and Conor. As Mia feels used by Conor for his sexual pleasures, she acts on her jealously of not getting attention from her 'father' and acts irrationally. On the other side, Conor has feelings of anger towards Mia as she is trying to 'disobey' him and he wants to punish her for it. This clearly shows how feminism is explored as she is used by the male and is punished for it, even though he is in the wrong.
Conor/Mia sex scene:
ReplyDelete"During the midpoint scene in Fish Tank where Conor and Mia have sex, there contains a shot reverse shot" - "there contains" is a weird construct. Bring the director's name into it (Arnold uses a shot/reverse shot...)
"These camera angles" - be specific - you're really discussing framing and editing here, not camera angles.
"and how it's changed now due to her penis envy and how she is now sexually attracted to him." - a bit abrupt, this - you just throw penis envy into it, but you haven't even mentioned the oedipal trajectory!
Conor slapping Mia:
ReplyDeleteThis is not a bad paragraph overall - I think, though, that you could round it off by bringing spectator response into it - what are Arnold's intentions with a scene like this? How does she want us to respond? Do we sympathise with Mia? Do we perhaps feel a sense of complicity with Conor, as we live in the society he represents?