Comm 2302 Spring 20

Reading Summary

This chapter details why identifying with characters is important, how mediamakers encourage their audience to identify with their characters and the limits of such identification. Identification mixes “wish fulfillment and realism” by permitting us to step into someone else’s shoes at low risk and cost (35). Mediamakers encourage us to identify with a character by creating a spectator position (a theoretical position we must occupy to make sense of and enjoy the film). The spectator position is first created through primary identification (identifying with the camera). Mediamakers play with camera angles, shot sequencing and distance to help the audience situate themselves in the film’s space and later, identify with the characters in said space.“Identification” can be further broken down into two processes (alignment and allegiance) to explain character engagement. Alignment refers to the process by which the audience gains information about a character. Media makers control how strongly we identify with a character by determining how much we know about them. Audience proximity to the character is created through spatial attachment (the camera follows and is positioned nearer to certain characters more than so than others) and subjective access techniques such as dream sequences, flashbacks and voiceovers, giving insight into internal states. Through point-of-view, the audience is once again brought closer to the character by literally perceiving the world through their eyes. In addition to alignment, allegiance (moral evaluation of a character) is another important part of identification. Encouraging the audience to make judgements about a character determines how we react to the individual, whether we care about or are repulsed by them. Mediamakers employ music, lighting, camera angles and costuming to indicate how a certain character should be judged (ie. shadows, dark clothing and ominous music suggest an evil character). In terms of the limitations of identification, while strategies such as alignment and allegiance encourage identification, they do not ensure it. A spectator position may be created but whether it is occupied is up to the viewer. 

Outside Example 

One example I came up with while reading “How do we identify with characters?” is the movie “Hidden Figures”, a biographical drama telling the story of Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson – 3 female African-American mathematicians- as the brains behind NASA’s Friendship 7 mission (launching astronaut John Glenn into orbit). The movie heavily emphasizes the struggles faced by the 3 women on account of their race and gender, something I was immediately able to identify with as an Asian female.

Reading Connection 

Apart from being able to identify with the characters through their gender and race-associated struggles, the film directors prompted me to align myself with Johnson in particular by having the camera follow her more so than the other women. This served to highlight the importance of Johnson in the Friendship 7 operation as her calculations were essential in ensuring the safety of Glenn. Similarly, the low-angled close-up of Johnson addressing the rampant racism in the Space Task Group gave further insight into her struggles as an African-American woman in a white male-dominated field (“Lord knows you don’t pay…living off of coffee from a pot none of you want to touch!”), permitting me to sympathize with the character while evoking respect for her determination and grit. While I initially judged Colonel Jim Johnson negatively on account of his small-minded views regarding women’s mathematical abilities, his efforts(“likeable actions”) to make amends by apologizing to Katherine, spending time with her children (standing in for the father they lost) and support of her work at NASA later prompted me to become allied with him (46).

Reading Summary

Smith describes realism as a set of techniques employed by mediamakers to encourage the belief that the given media is “truthful,” or authentic (14). According to Smith, there are many forms of realism which largely draw upon two general categories: the “documentary look” of realism, in which filmmakers capture real-life events with little focus on clarity, and the “dramatic look” of realism, in which filmmakers attempt to convey fictional events as being real and immersive, through clear shots and seamless editing (14-5). Realism often depends on an “apparent spontaneity,” or the perception that the events being depicted in the media—as assumed of most real-life events—are unplanned (15-6). This apparent spontaneity takes three forms. Visual spontaneity involves the use of loosely framed compositions, “available” or natural lighting, and jerky camera movement (17-8). Verbal spontaneity involves techniques such as improvisation, method acting, and sound mixing (19). Narrative spontaneity involves constructing a story that is not void of seemingly mundane and irrelevant events (20-1). The framing of depicted events can also contribute to a sense of realism and believability (22). For example, framing a film as being “based on a true story,” makes audiences interpret the film as being more realistic (23). Smith also describes that film as a medium lends itself to a higher sense of realism, as it is perceived to more faithfully capture reality in detail, with little room for subjectivity. (25-9). The extent to which realism is achieved in media also depends on how plausible audiences find the events in the story and the character actions (29-30). This, according to Smith, depends on how consistent a particular media is. Audiences expect realistic works to be “internally consistent,” rather than contradict itself (31).

Outside Example

Reading this chapter reminded me of a horror film that I really enjoy, Under the Skin (2013) by director Jonathan Glazer. It is about an alien who comes to Earth disguises itself as a woman (Scarlett Johansson). Throughout the film, the alien drives around Scotland, preying upon unsuspecting men and luring them into a trap where their bodies are “harvested” for some unknown purpose. Glazer wanted the film to seem realistic, and he employed a number of techniques to achieve a film that felt very real and visceral, despite the very fictitious premise.

Reading Connection

Under the Skin seems to achieve this sense of realism largely through its use of techniques that create the sort of “apparent spontaneity” that Smith describes. The film makers employ visual, verbal, and narrative spontaneity by filming shots with hidden cameras, using real people instead of big budget actors, disguising Scarlett Johannson so that she is not recognized, and avoiding heavily scripted dialogue between the characters. During filmmaking, Scarlett Johannson actually drove around the streets of Scotland in a van filled with hidden cameras, picking up ordinary people and conversing with them. These people were then told after the fact that they were being filmed. As a result, the interaction between Scarlett Johannson and the other characters seems very organic and real.

Reading Summary

Realism on screen is not exactly what we all perceive it to be. The meaning of “real” in realism is contrary to what it fully encompasses. Majority of films and shows are planned in advance down to every detail. The chapter discusses two kinds of trends within realism films and shows, the “dramatic look” and the “documentary look”. The “dramatic look” is supposed to consume the viewer to an extent that they forget to question how “real” what they’re watching is. Majority of Hollywood films and shows embody this “dramatic look” effect because nothing is truly natural or unplanned. The “documentary look” is supposed to convince the viewer that what they are watching is happening in real time without all the edits and scripts although this too is planned. When it comes down to it, realism is merely an opinion to the viewer on how “real” the screening is and what they consider to be real.

Outside Example

Recently I watched the film 1917 and was reminded of this idea of realism. Although not fully based on a true story, this film did reflect a real soldier’s experiences in World War 1. The heart of the film was based on real ideas and emotions but with a planned plot and script. The fact that this film was almost entirely shot in one continuous take is where I have found myself asking how much was planned and were there any spontaneous “real” moments because they didn’t give themselves the option of retakes for every scene. This is where realism is put into the viewers hands.

Reading Connection

The film 1917 embodies aspects of both the “dramatic look” and the “documentary look”. Because it is a Hollywood film, there is obviously lots of planning, script writing, scene practicing etc. Nothing about a Hollywood film is argued as real. But in being based off of real events and because the director chose to shoot this film in one shot, it leaves me as the viewer to believe that some aspects of the film were in the moment and natural. This is where the  “documentary look” can be seen because cameras were in constant movement capturing everything as it happened. 

Reading summary

Everyone has most likely heard of identification at one time or another. They probably think that that have a good idea on what it means. If asked people would probably say that they have identified “with the world of the film, or with a particular situation in a television program, or with the camera” (Smith 36). As Greg Smith points out in the third chapter of his book, are these examples the same as “identifying with a character” and do we even know what this means (Smith 36)? The first major section of the chapter asks the reader why identification matters. It explains that identification gives depth to the medium it is apart of and that it brings its viewer closer to itself. The form of media asks us to become participants in its world. The next section of the chapter focuses on “The spectator” (Smith 38). Here smith discusses that a pivotal part of identification is us, the viewer. That many techniques used by directors to include or shape identification are based on manipulating the how the viewer sees the world the director has created. Smith even discusses how directors will unconsciously or purposefully use identification to make female characters more feminine and that this is a reflection of the world outside of the film or show. Following this Smith explains that there are several components of identification. These components are “alignment,” “spatial attachment,” “point-of-view,” and “allegiance” (Smith 43-46). Alignment is how much focus is spent on characters. The more focus the greater the alignment. Spatial attachment gives us information we would know if we are where the character is. Point-of-view lets us see through the characters eyes and tells us how they perceive the world. Finally, allegiance is when we make a moral judgment of a character based on the information we have been given and decide whether to side with them or not. The last section of Smith’s chapter is about the limits of identification. That pieces of media may ask you to identify with multiple characters simultaneously. That this can become complicated very quickly. Some directors will even purposely break the immersion of the audience to keep them from getting caught up in a realistic story.

Outside example

The first thing that popped into my head while I was reading the chapter was video games. I thought about the games I have played and how in most of them you are playing as someone in the game. This game character may be a person in the story or it may have been a character you you created. Many of these games that I have played are also in the first person perspective. The most recent game that i have played that fits this description is a game called Vermintide 2. In this melee focused game you are playing as one of five characters. The actions you take can while in game can affect the voice lines spoken by your character and make it seem like you are interacting with the world as that character. Also, the sound in the game is directional and can give you audio ques as to where enemies are respective to you position.

Reading connection

Smith’s third chapter can be applied to Vermintide 2 in several ways. First, as a game you are able to directly control the character you are playing as. Thus your identification with the character by being in their shoes is great. Next, the perspective of the game is first person and thus the point-of-view of the character lets us see the world from their eyes. The sounds of the game give the player spatial attachment by letting them hear the same sounds as if they were also standing where the character was. Finally, the voice lines give the player more information on the character and allow them to make a moral judgement on the character and thus decide on their allegiance.

In this chapter, Smith discusses how audiences identify with characters in film, T.V. shows, and gaming, and the various strategies filmmakers use to invite audiences into a characters’ perspective. In the first few pages, Smith talks about the difference between visual pleasure of cinematic art and the intimate story telling that connects audiences with the emotions of a character. He points out that individualization is quite subjective as each person has their own experiences, but also argues that, filmmakers can use components of identification to put audience members in a voyeuristic position. Through spatial attachment, subjective access, point of view, and allegiance, producers are able to create ties to characters and purposely evoke emotion and provoke thought.

This chapter reminded me of the Black Mirror episode, “Bandersnatch,” where viewers choose how the episode will play out. This interactive episode literally gives the audience members control as each choice made changes what will happen as the episode progresses. This episode is the essence of identification, changing the viewer from a voyeur to an active decision maker. I was also reminded of the movie Rear Window when voyeurism was mentioned because it was one of the first movies to place the audience in the eyes of the main protagonist. This film was one of the main examples Laura Mulvey used in her argument on the existence of a “male gaze” in Hollywood.

I think the idea of interactive cinema will begin to increase after the “Bandersnatch” episode because it is a revolutionary way of thinking about identification, and is a new way of combining cinema and gaming. Although the viewer is not in complete control the producers create that illusion, and arouse feelings of fear, anxiety, and uneasiness about making the wrong choice. I also find it interesting how the use of identification and voyeurism in film goes all the way back to the start of cinema, and the ethical dilemmas it has caused even as our society and our entertainment has progressed into a modern age.

Chapter Summary

This chapter discusses realism and the techniques mediamakers apply to appeal to viewers’ assumptions of realism. Each person has a different level of knowledge when watching or listening to media and mediamakers try to encourage us to believe their media convey the truth through a combination of different techniques. Conveying realism can vary depending on if the goal is to produce a dramatic look or documentary look.  The first look has smooth transitions with actors reciting their scripts, while the latter can appear more choppy to add the effect of filming as the events are occuring. They can utilize certain techniques, like apparent spontaneity or interpretive frame, which help an audience recognize media as being more realistic and capable of occuring in the real world. Viewers have assumptions of plausibility and consistency that alert them when something occurs in a movie that would never happen in real life or break the rules established in the story’s setting. Small details, like displaying “based on a true story” at the beginning of a movie, automatically give viewers confidence that the events taking place in the movie or show must have occurred similarly in real life. They do not know what is dramatized and what is not, so they accept that everything will generally stick to the original story. As improvements have been made in the media making process, film and television has elevated its ability to convey realism to an audience, whether it stems from improved acting methods or production technology. 

Example

    I was able to better understand the difference between a documentary look and a dramatic look when I connected the concept to how different mediamakers have approached retelling the story of Ted Bundy. On Netflix, there is a documentary series as well as a movie centered around Ted Bundy and his crimes. The documentary series uses tapes of his confession as well as old interviews with Ted Bundy to explain exactly what happened with factual evidence. There are also current interviews to piece together the information given to us through archaic footage.  The movie creates a storyline from the perspective of Ted Bundy’s girlfriend, and the two main characters are played by well-known actors, Lily Collins and Zac Efron. This movie was inspired by true events, which led me to trust the information I learned from the series more than the movie. All of the events in the movie lined up with the documentary series, but I primarily trusted the series since it was based on factual evidence and not a script.

Connection Between the Chapter and Example

    The documentary series portrays a documentary look, meaning that it makes the viewers feel as if they are experiencing the events themselves. The movie portrays a dramatic look, which aims to make viewers interested in the characters’ lives without being aware of the filmmaking process. When considering realism, both use different techniques to avoid breaking the realism a viewer feels. The series relies on an interpretive frame and verbal spontaneity to show that the people being interviewed are real and unscripted.  Since it is categorized as a documentary, it adds authority to the information that is provided. This explains why I am more hesitant to believe every aspect of the movie instead of the information given in the series. The movie also uses an interpretive frame by advertising that the movie is “inspired by true events,” which aims to influence viewers to believe that all of the events are true. This technique is combined with the use of a script and talented actors, which creates powerful scenes. This leads to an emotional connection to the characters. It does not add more realism to all of the events filmed since it relies on a script that could be altered or changed more so than in a documentary series.

Reading summary

This chapter emphasizes the importance of moving past the notion of whether a work tells the truth or not and looks instead to discuss realism as a set of techniques that media makers can implement. These techniques fall under two broad trends that John Caughie labels the “dramatic look” and the “documentary look,” and are used to make the film look more real, through the use of different camera techniques or lighting options; sound more real, through scripting messier conversation and improvisation; and feel more real by creating consistency and plausibility within the work. These techniques help the works mirror reality and show harsh environments and a certain level of spontaneity. Additionally, according to the chapter, realism should not be looked at as an “is it or isn’t it” concept, as it varies from moment to moment as the viewer adjusts based on the information given to them. 

Outside connection:

“Goodwill Hunting” came to my mind when trying to think of a realistic work, based on a number of the techniques that are utilized in the movie. The work tells the story of a group of friends, one in particular who is especially talented, and observes their lives and interactions, from exposing their living conditions and livelihoods, to jumping an individual on the street, and giving an intimate view of therapy sessions and relationships. The story becomes more realistic to me when considering the fact that the protagonist, living in the Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts area, is being portrayed by Matt Dammon, who was born and raised in the area himself. 

Reading connection:

“Goodwill Hunting” seemed realistic to me after reading this chapter because while although it does have a “dramatic,” hollywood look, it still does many of the things that realism aims to do. It exposes harsh conditions, through the livelihood and living situations of the characters within the movie, and it shows that reality is relatively unplanned, that people are “making it up as they go along” when the group of friends pull over to jump and assault a former bully. It slows the pace of the movie by including a number of scenes that do not work to advance the plot and it achieves credibility by casting a main character with a knowledge and understanding of life and reality where the story is set.  

Reading Summary: 

This chapter dives into the different variables that contribute to realism within the media ranging from presidential speeches to television programs. The chapter aims to explain that realism is complex and can not be simply defined in a few sentences or less. John Caugie argues there are two ‘looks,’ which are the documentary look and the dramatic look. He also acknowledges that in both of these cases it is difficult to fully capture events without distorting the real account of events. For example, explaining historical events that take place over the years is condensed to documentaries barley over an hour. He then proceeds to explain apparent spontaneity and its importance to realism. Apparent spontaneity ranges from lighting to camera work. This chapter mentions that some filmmakers actually prefer improvisation because they like for their work to be more ‘realistic’ and thus more spontaneous.

Personal Example:

I personally thought of the office immediately when thinking of realistic programs that I connect with. The office is appealing to many people for its ability to show a human’s day in a very realistic manner. They accomplish this by trying to capture every event of the office in the time frame that the event would truly occur in. It shows both the pros and cons of having a job in a small office as well as in corporates their personal lives and problems and how it relates to the office life. Although this is very realistic, it is done so purposefully and that becomes more apparent while reading what can make something seem more realistic.

Connection:

I connected this chapter to the office and its ability to adopt more realistic settings like the lighting, volume, camera transitions, and dialogue. Everything in the media is heavy calculated by those filming and or releasing projects. However, this can also have an impact on the audience. Some prefer the more realistic programs and connect that to more realistic settings where lines are not scripted and less is tampered with. However, others see it as an escape from reality and use less realistic programs as an outlet from reality. Either way, how realistic something is always taken into consideration on the producing end as well as the viewers’ end. I connected it to this chapter for that exact reason. I prefer shows like The Office because I find it more authentic even if that authenticity is calculated by scriptwriters and filmmakers. I realized this is not something I often analyze.

READING SUMMARY

The reading goes into depth on the idea that “realism” is not only a single concept, but is composed of many different ideas that make up the term. Spontaneity is a large idea focused on at the beginning of the chapter, describing the intricacies of “dramatic” and “documentary” styles of film, and how hard it is to include spontaneity in both of these. Language used within films also greatly affects how the audience perceives the level of accuracy in the media product, whether it be chaotic rambling by a character, or quick, witty language that causes the audience to view the media as more authentic. Another large focus in the reading is “plausibility”, consisting of small details like hairstyles or clothes that can make the film/media less realistic. The idea that the world is a “consistent” place is not represented in realistic media, and in fact is discouraged, the producers leaning more towards spontaneity to better represent our own “spontaneous” realities in the world.

OUTSIDE EXPERIENCE

For the past few years, my sister and I consistently watch youtube, trying to find creative, relatable creators. One of our favorites recently has been David Dobrik who makes “David’s Vlogs”. The vlogs consist of four minute, high speed, spontaneous videos made by a young 20 year old man (David), and his friend group (The “Vlog Squad”). His earlier videos give a more authentic feel; they’re not scripted, with lots of humor and funny pranks that show very realistic reactions from the friends shown. His newer content, after gaining a lot of popularity, now includes an array of celebrities, huge pranks, and giveaways, all funded and shot by David himself.

READING CONNECTION

The earlier videos I watched from David were my favorites. I felt as if I were actually in the friend group. The videos move quickly from scene to scene, giving a very realistic, authentic feel to a viewer. The reading mentions early on that wealth and glamour are usually avoided by producers when trying to make “realistic” content. As David has gotten more and more popular, and more celebrities have been introduced into his “friend group”, the sense of reality starts to fade. The normal American is not driving a Tesla through Beverly Hills with Kendall Jenner shotgun. They’re in their Hyundai Elantra in the McDonald’s drive through, fighting with their little sister over fries. The sense of reality is lost when high standards of living are introduced, and I could easily see this within the newer vlogs by David.

Reading Summary

The reading focuses on how realism is movies and television is different from real life and that there are many ways that directors portray realism in their films. It also mentions how movies show many scenes that would not be able to be done in real life because in real life things just happen rather than being planned. With this we can see that in movies there are scenes where things are made to look nicer or more vivid than in real life to make the movie have more color or to create a different mood in the eyes of the audience. In the chapter the author also talks about how people are able to judge how realistic a movie or show is based on if events that happen are logically able to happen in real life.

Outside Example

This reading reminded me of the recent movie Joker which focuses on the origin of the most known villain of Batman. We (the audience) see the life of Arthur Fleck, a guy that is just trying to make an honest living and take care of his mother, Penny. We learn that Arthur takes medication until budget cuts limit his ability to buy them and we start to realize the effects this starts having on his life. Due to his unstoppable laughing condition, we often see him getting beat up until he loses control and begins to kill people without regret. This fact becomes even more terrifying when we see that after he killed a group of guys on the subway, he goes to a bathroom and starts dancing in front of a mirror as if what he did was right. Arthur slowly starts to become Joker by wearing a maroon suit, dyeing his hair green, and wearing makeup to look like a clown.

Reading Connection

I associated the movie Joker to this reading because in the movie there are many scenes where the audience is tricked into believing that a scene is happening but in reality we just saw what Arthur believed. This makes the audience have doubts about the whole film, the audience doesn’t know what is real and what is made up. Even though the movie is not a very realistic movie because there are many scenes that wouldn’t be able to happen in the real world, we can see the differences between this world where Gotham exists and the world Arthur sees. The movie also shows some real world problems even though they might be exaggerated, we see the way people with mental problems are treated, the divide between social classes, riots against government, etc.