The Freud Analysis

Freudian Analysis

psychoanalysis & film

The id is the 'horse'. It is the unevolved instinctive part of our brain, responsible for the urges and desires we try to repress. 

The ego is the 'driver' of the chariot and the rational part of our brain. It is able to guide the id, but never has full control - just as the driver is aware that if the 'horse' wants to go in a different direction, he is ultimately powerless to stop it.

The superego is the chariot driver's father, sitting behind him, pointing out his mistakes. It is the part of our brain responsible for criticism and moralising. 


Freud believed that "dreams are the royal road to the unconcious" and that they contained important clues into the human psyche (Weiter, 2004:195), much of his initial research methods involved questioning his patients on their dream experiences and using their descriptions as a means of uncovering their 'true' motivations and perceptions on the world.

https://honeyandthehomewrecker.com/2016/01/04/1077/

"Film operates on much the same principle...film speaks directly to the unconscious, the language of dreams is one that is not an abstract form of communication such as narrative, but is one that is filled with images they carry hidden meanings on a latent level. Just so is the language of film organised so that only a part of the film is communicated in a narrative form - sound and images make up the majority of the effect".(Kluge 1999)

ID - Pleasure and avoiding pain

EGO - Pleasure and avoid pain tempered by reality - compromises - demands of ID, SUPEREGO and world

SUPEREGO - Do the right thing, be good, be perfect according to moral code. "Conscience" in Freud's view.

Therefore, the nature that is film can be, to a degree, deconstructed in order to unveil a universal understanding of our thoughts and behaviours that through identification, contributes towards our enjoyment of the film as it acts as a release mechanism of these id induced impulses.  

Freudian Analysis 

ID - The MOST PRIMITIVE drive, concerned only with fulfilling pleasure. Has sometimes been referred to as the IRRATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL part of the mind. It is often regarded as being SELFISH, because it's CONCERNED ONLY WITH ITS OWN SELF-SATISFACTION. Babies and young children are often used as examples because they're usually driven by the PLEASURE AND INSTANT GRATIFICATION principles. Key word: WANT.

EGO - Based on the REALITY PRINCIPLE. The ego is capable of understanding that one's own desires may vary for people around (reality), and is willing to make this consideration. THE EGO TRIES TO MEET THE BASIC NEEDS OF THE ID BUT ALSO TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE REAL WORLD. The ego understands that actions have effects, whether positive or negative, and tries to balance out thinking before carrying out decisions/actions. Key word: BALANCE.

SUPEREGO - Based on moral principles instilled by rearing and moral/ethical restraints placed upon by caregivers. The superego encompasses an individual's ideals, goals, and conscience as well as society's. The superego is concerned with what others will think, and stands in opposition to the id. The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behaviour. Key words: MORALS, COMPROMISE.

New Wave Short Film

Short Film 

Brief and evaluation

Alongside the written part of contextual studies, we were also tasked with creating our own short film in the style of a New Wave movement of our choice. To keep it simple I decided to stick with the British New Wave style. 

As New Wave is notorious for not making sense and being more about the editing than the storyline, for example the feature of long shots and jump cuts, therefore I decided a series of random shots were, for me the best way to capture and create my own version. 

Originally I had decided to work in a pair, however as we progressed through planning we came to the realisation that we had different ideas for what we wanted out of the production. So upon re-evaluation, through me having a weekend booked away in Durham visiting a friend, i decided to film random segments of my weekend to get up to a 2 minute clip, therefore in reality, simply capturing my weekend in a series of more obscure shots.

My shots vary from scene to scene, however I admit the quality isn't as good as I'd like it to be as it was filmed on my Iphone and was filmed at quite a fast pace and predominantly in the dark so there isnt as much contrast with lighting as I'd have liked.

Something I regret was the fact I didn't know the weekend I had selected to go away on was Durham's annual light festival which was unfortunately finished on the night I had arrived unlike the previous day where it went on into the early hours which I was quite disappointed about as I believe it could have made a strong difference to the final appearance of my footage and been very unique around the brief but fitting in a way. So ultimately if I'd have done better research I'd have planned my weekend/time better to have been able to include the lumiere festival in my work.

As an additional resource I also used free online stock footage that I felt would relate to my film just to ensure there was some superior quality periods within the production.

Overall I wouldn't say my film screams New Wave, however I would argue it's very randomised and includes some unique objects within shots and gives a nice insight into the weekend I experienced in Durham. If I were to carry out the task again, I would definitely do more extensive research into what I could have filmed in Durham rather than it be a total stroke of luck for footage and would perhaps take more time and precaution in the overall appearance/quality of shots.

I edited my film using imovie and decided to have periods of fast edited footage transitioning to slow paced or normal footage, I did this to replicate the actions of sporadic jump cuts within new wave.

Lighting

Lighting 

What Is Rembrandt Lighting?

Portrait photographers have a few main classic lighting setups to choose from. You can create many of them in their most basic form with a single light source, such as a speedlight.

The type of lighting isn’t important. But it needs to be a light source you can control. Natural light isn’t easy to control as a main light source.

Some of these setups include butterfly light and loop light. The names are often assigned after the type or shape of the shadows the light(s) casts on the model’s face.

Why Use Rembrandt Lighting?

Rembrandt lighting is a dramatic light. It is one of those moody setups that plays with chiaroscuro. This technique from paintings makes use of strong contrasts between light and dark.

These are usually bold contrasts that affect the whole composition. As such, this is a kind of lighting that suits low key photography best.

Rembrandt lighting will draw the viewer’s attention where the light triangle is from. This is because of the contrast between the dark and the light.

It also adds a mysterious feel to the image.

On top of this, it’s a simple setup to master. And you can create Rembrandt lighting with a single speedlight, for a punchy portrait.

What is Split lighting?

Split lighting involves “splitting” the face into two proportional halves, with one side being in the shadow and the other side being in the light. It can be done with a single light source, which makes it easy and inexpensive to execute even for beginners.

The light contained in the shadow side of your subject—particularly his eye—is called the catchlight. This adds to the impact of the image and draws the audience to it.

What is Split Lighting Used For?

This lighting technique is ideal for a variety of purposes:

• Achieving a dramatic effect in portraits
• Fashion photography
• Commercial photography
• Adding variety to a set of themed portrait photos
• Making a broad face look slimmer

What is butterfly lighting?

Butterfly lighting is a portrait lighting pattern where the key light is placed above and directly centered with a subject's face. This creates a shadow under the nose that resembles a butterfly. It's also known as 'Paramount lighting,' named for classic Hollywood glamour photography.

High/Low key lighting 

High Key and Low Key photography make use of lighting and contrast (or lack thereof) to create a specific mood. Originally high key photography emerged as a solution for screens that could not correctly display high contrast ratios. Today capturing high key photos, like low key photos, is a stylistic choice in photography.

rembrant lighting - https://expertphotography.com/rembrandt-lighting-photography/

edge/split - https://www.adorama.com/alc/faq-what-is-split-lighting

butterfly - https://www.slrlounge.com/glossary/butterfly-lighting-definition/

high/low key - https://learn.corel.com/blog/high-key-low-key-photography/

high key lighting picture -https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/47147127336080084/?lp=true

Health and Safety

Health and Safety 

Professional film crews take health and safety issues very seriously. The line of responsibility runs from the Producer to the Production Manager and 1st Assistant Director and finally on to all crew members who have a duty of care which is recognised by law. If someone can see the potential for an accident and does nothing to try to prevent it, they can be held responsible in some way, probably along with their senior colleagues.

When filming, people have many things on their minds, things can get rushed, and risks can increase. Even simple things can become dangerous because this is not an ordinary situation. Of course, all of life presents hazards, but if someone is asked to run down a hill repeatedly to get the scene right, for example, the risk of them tripping and falling on their face is increased with each time they do this. If the hill is pavement rather than grass the risk of serious injury is increased.

Risk assessment
The way to stay safe is to look at each shooting set up or location individually and think of what exactly could go wrong. This is called a risk assessment, and can be an excellent exercise to do with your students. (if you don't work with the young people on it you will need to cover it yourself)

It's a three step process

• Identify all the hazards
• Evaluate the risks
• Identify measures to control the risks

Then put in place safeguards to eliminate or minimise risk. You should make a record of any risk assessment to ensure the students are clear on how to stay safe. This can save time during your shoot. Rules about listening to each other, respecting a chain of command, looking after equipment properly, and not rushing, will all help to keep people safe and happy.

Weather

Extremes of weather are one commonly overlooked hazard. If you are filming outside all day, it is essential to make sure the crew are dressed appropriately. A lot of the time you may be standing around and people will get cold very quickly even in what seems quite mild weather. Layers of clothes are best, and get everyone to bring a waterproof and a woolly hat - they keep out wind as well as rain and are invaluable.

Sunburn and heatstroke are other outdoor hazards. Always have high protection sunscreen on hand and make the students put it on. Try to get students to wear some kind of sun hat or stay in the shade when possible and make sure lots of water is available to drink. The other reason for sunscreen is to stop the actors' appearance changing drastically and messing up the continuity of the film!

Time pressureRushing to finish in time is when hazards get missed, or people start taking risks. If this starts to happen, take a moment to calm everyone down and remind them: this is only a film. If you feel really pressured try to think of how to lighten the work-load: can you cut out some shots or set ups to give you the time to get the most essential stuff for the film without a panic? Or can you come back tomorrow to finish?

Common hazards

Tripping hazards

Move or gaffa tape down cables and objects that could be tripped over. 

Lifting hazards 
Go carefully when moving or lifting heavy or dangerous things, ask someone to help you.

Camera risks

When a camera operator or cast member is walking during a shot, make sure they are comfortable with their route and there is nothing that could cause problems (a camera operator who needs to walk backwards for a shot should have an assistant to guide them and/or check their route).

Water

Shots that involve water  

Precarious

Shots from high up or near the edge of something.Shots that look illegal

Shots that look illegal 

Shots might look illegal if you didn't know a camera was there. This could cause distress to members of the public &/or cause a police call out.  




weather image - https://www.vaisala.com/en/blog/2019-07/day-day-benefits-weather-detection

tripping hazard -         https://healthyproject101.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/training-cables/

time pressure - https://jysk.co.uk/housewares/decoration/clocks/wall-clock-tobias-d41cm-silent-movement

water -https://www.theknowledgeonline.com/guides/post/2013/06/03/Underwater-filming-A-guide

precarious shot -https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/retro-photo-camera-ledge_5126205.htm