Visual Review 7: Death Proof Movie Poster

Via Google Images

“Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.” (IMDb)

That tagline on the poster, pretty much sums up the film. Released in 2007, This Quentin Tarantino B-movie was shown in theaters as a part of “Grindhouse”, a double movie feature which also premiered Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror.

Unlike many movie posters which have cut out pictures from promo shoots to use as a film cover, this Tarantino film’s poster is drawn/sketched with chalk. The images are placed in the upper and middle thirds of the poster. This draws the eye to the important parts (the car and the title of the film). The poster shows us a deep depth of field. It’s like a long shot which gives off the effect of the car being in motion. Lines lead us to a road wit this “Death Proof” vehicle with silhouettes of eight ladies in view.
    Linear perspective applies to this poster. The vehicle shown in motion implies it goes on beyond the poster. That car continues to zoom out of our site. It would almost be like a vanishing point if it were moving forward in the opposite direction (which is funny, because that references to the movie itself; The movie Vanishing Point is referenced through dialogue; and the ladies in the second half find the vehicle identical to the one from the film).

There is emphasis put on the title of the film. The drawn vehicle leads us to the the title. The size isn’t overpowering anything else on the poster. The poster is relying on visuals rather than odd-font or huge text. The color breaks from the breaks from the black/white/grey scheme by using red to make the title stick out. The title size is larger than the director’s name. Probably by choice of the director to focus on it. Through advertisement and press releases, audiences and fans already know it’s a Tarantino film. The title is tilted a little as well as the directors name. We also get the male star’s name put on the vehicle (in plain lettering), which represents his character. The font doesn’t really show action--it could be a comedy--but I think the title itself takes away any hint at that.
    The choice of putting the title in quotation marks, I see not only as a way to site a movie (as people do versus using italics), but I think it’s ironic. It relates to events/dialogue in the movie. “This car is 100% death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you really need to be sitting in my seat.” (Kurt Russell’s Stuntman Mike).

The car itself is falling, as it moves down and out of the poster. The female silhouettes in the background are rising, which can symbolize the second half of he film (them challenging Stuntman Mike). There is tension, I think, in the darkness of the car. I also think there are good color choices made in this poster. Stuntman Mike in the dark going what could be into darkness and away from the light (sunrise) shown behind the silhouetted ladies. The objects fill up the center viewpoint again bringing your eye to the middle and lower portions of the poster.

The negative space in the poster can also symbolize the location (which is the country--middle of nowhere). Stuntman Mike is driving but is in the shadows (representing his dark and menacing character). The blackness contrasts well with the red color choices in the background and in the title text. I don’t think this poster would look the same without these colors. If it were in live color with actual shots of the actors, the poster wouldn’t have the same effect. The car almost looks as if it were erased away at the headlights to give off the effect of bright headlights, emulating nighttime. Whoever the artist was behind this poster did a great job, I think.

I didn’t need to be sold to buy the poster and the DVD, because I already knew what the film was about. I think for an outsider, they’d be pretty curious just by looking at the film.
    People can talk about how bad this movie was. Or how it was one of the worst/schlocky B movies, but I don’t care. I have a thing for bad movies, I guess. Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite directors and Death Proof is one of my favorite movies.

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Video Scavenger Hunt

Fellow Group 2 Members: Lindsey McCabe & Lauren Ramon

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Visual Review 4: "Moonstruck"

Via Pinterest

“Loretta Castorini, a book keeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she agreed to marry (who is the best friend of her late husband who died seven years previously) (IMDb).

      The film was released December 18, 1987 by MGM. Moonstruck starred Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello and Vincent Gardenia. Directed by Norman Jewison, this love story shows that anything can happen under “La Bella Luna”—a full moon.

      The movie open with wide shots of New York City, there are extreme wide shots of the cityscape. These shots show places that are later revised in the story (i.e. The Met—which is a key moment later in film). We are introduced to the main character Loretta, an Italian middle aged widow who is book keeper for the local shops in Brooklyn Heights.

      Throughout the film, not only through the camera moves but also through the dialogue there are instances of repetition (i.e., shots of the moon; and scenes with the professor arguing with this dates; accusations of being a wolf). There are also several references of the moon made by characters: Pop’s comment every time he walks the dogs “la Bella Luna” or “Did you see the Bella moon out tonight?” We are also given a reference outside of the dialogue: The Luna Restaurant shown during a street scene.

      In the beginning of the movie, Loretta’s boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello), proposes to her over dinner at The Grand Ticino, which is the neighborhood restaurant. They agree to start their wedding plans as soon as he returns from Sicily to tend to his dying mother. Johnny asks Loretta to invite his brother Ronny to the wedding—the two have bad blood and he wants a clean slate. During this dinner scene and in the others through the film, there are many two shots. There is a perfect moment of that when Loretta goes to Cammareri’s Bakery to talk to Ronny (Cage) and the camera cuts to the two women standing next one another as they watch Ronny and Loretta argue. The two go to Ronny’s apartment to talk—after Ronny reveals he was engaged lost his hand during an argument with his brother while slicing bread. His fiancé left him because of the incident and that’s why the two aren’t on speaking terms--Loretta tells Ronny that he is a "wolf" (there’s another reference here; repetition) for allowing himself to cut off his hand instead of be entrapped by marriage. That instance sets Ronny off and he grabs Loretta and kisses her. “Wait a minute! Wait a minute!” she yells then the two make love. There are dolly-ins and truck-ins as we move through Ronnie’s apartment. During their dialogue cut-ins are used to show them pouring and drinking whiskey. After Cage and Cher’s’ love scene--as well as other scenes in the film-- we are show again shots of the moon.

      There is effective use of light and shadow to showcase location and time of day. Dolly-ins take us into the setting so they audience gets a feel of where the characters are (i.e., showing us rendezvous shot of the father with mistress—here we see like father, like daughter).

Source: google.com via Liz on Pinterest

      This film has a lot of camera movements and shots and alternates between them throughout. I feel as if that is a common formula in romantic comedies because of the content and emotion they want to convey through the characters. Any extreme shots would take away from the story and here we have close-ups, two-shots, and mid-shots to show us intimate moments which are necessary for the film. Shots of the moon are done from low angles and shown with a cast of fog surrounding it, and symbolize passages of time. At night—after Loretta and Ronny’s love scene--the characters gaze at the moon which creates streams of light over their faces and shadows to enhance the characters moods. During this same night scene, textures are shown from the lace curtains onto faces and blinds onto skins so that moon reflects patterns. We are shown scale through a low angle, and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge, as we transition from night to day.

     The next day, Ronny confesses his love to Loretta who is disheveled and knows what she did was wrong. Ronny agrees to leave her alone if he can have the two things he loves for one night: The Opera and Loretta. She agrees to see La Boheme with him at The Met later that night.

      As a catholic woman, Loretta feels the right thing to do is to go to confession. Again there are cut-ins which focus on the priests’ hands during confession, which is enhances the moment of privacy. We are shown high angle shots of stairwell at the home and when we revisit The Met we are shown extreme wide shots so that one gets a sense of the vastness of the theater. During the dinner scenes (Rose and the professor) the restaurant provide a lot of distractions, and to keep the audience focused on the characters, the camera zooms in so that the background is out of focus and your full attention is on the dialogue. There are warm colors shown in the scenes indoors – these color choices of the clothing of the women in the kitchen and the color on the walls create a feeling of warmth from the household. Darker colors and shades are associated with night. After the opera we see the two characters in the bar and we are shown a deep depth of field shot so the two characters in background are in focus even though the condiments are closest to the screen. After the Opera, Loretta finds out about her father’s affair and comes to realize that she’s in love with Ronny after all—she may not say it until the end but you can see a change that begins when she and Ronny start to hold hands during the show.
     The ending brings together the typical structure of a romantic comedy. It turns out to be just Loretta’s luck that Johnny has to call off the engagement because his sick mother was cured and if he marries her, his mother will die (What?!). This gives Ronny the perfect opportunity to propose to Loretta. “Where’s the ring?”, and after Ronny borrows Johnny’s pinky ring, Loretta accepts and confesses “I love him awful”. The camera dolly outs and trucks left and right as we leave the house as a form of closure. The story has been told and we end with panned left and right shots of family portraits, which symbolized one of the themes for the film which is family. The final shot is a mid-shot of the updated family portrait with the newest addition—Ronny—to the picture.

      I thought this was a great movie, I especially loved the dialogue. It’s very smart and witty. The two actresses awarded with Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress were well deserved. Cher and Olympia Dukakis delivered wonderful performances. I’m proud to own this film listed on AFI’s top 10 romantic comedies.


Sources: IMDb, AFI, Wikipedia

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Visual Review 3: "Rear Window"

Via imdb

     Rear Window, released in 1954 and directed by the “Master of Suspense” Alfred Hitchcock was produced by Paramount studios starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter. Shot in Technicolor which was restored to what we would have seen when the film was shot. The colors were helpful in making the film come to life. This movie was one of Paramount’s biggest sets.

     Rear Window was seen as Hitchcock’s seen as one his most mature pieces, the fact that it’s all shot in studio did not hinder any of the camera shots vs. it being on location. This is Hitchcock’s way of showing objects and association in what’s going on – in the beginning of the film and all throughout we get close ups of objects to relate to the moods and time of day  (i.e., the thermometer with heat and close-up of watch with early AM view).

     There are dolly-ins to the different apartments, and camera panning both left and right to show the entire complex. Many of the intimate shots between Kelly and Stewart have a shallow depth of field where you have the background apartments out of focus. As Stewart’s character Jeffries looks thorough the binoculars you begin to see his point of view which is constant throughout the film. When Jeffries suspects the Salesman (Thorwald) of murdering his wife he decides he needs a closer point of view and brings out the telephoto lens. This lens allows for details and becomes and important aspect of the film to Jeffries finding out that Thorwald has committed the crime. The camera tilts up and down to hint a secret spot (flower bed), that viewers don’t realize until the end of the film. 

     Stewart has three roles throughout the film, (1) the wandering male character of Jeffries, (2) the camera man as he pans with his own telephoto lens to watch and (3) the director – he has a complete view on the “house of fiction” via his Rear Window.  It’s Hitchcock’s own story with Jeffries in the director’s chair (his wheelchair). With the constant panning throughout the movie, the telephoto lens that Jeffries holds has the slightest shake to it as he watches Thorwald move from room to room.  We are shown shots within shots from the viewfinder as Jeffries gets closer to solving the mystery (i.e. figuring out the clue to the flower bed). And at the climax of the film, fast motion is used to show neighbors coming from their homes as Jeffries dangles from his window. 

Source: recollective.tumblr.com via Meghan on Pinterest

     Unlike the short story the flower bed holds the secret to a piece of the murder unlike the cement wall. There is no Sam who brings food or runs around for him.  In the movie Jeffries is aided by his girlfriend Lisa and his nurse, Stella.  LB Jeffries lives in the apartment, while in the short story he resided in a house. The characters were adapted for thematic purposes. The newlyweds that went out every night have become the newlyweds that stay in. And Miss Lonleyhearts is no longer the widow who lives with her daughter. The only constant characters are L.B. Jeffries--who in the story was named Hal Jeffries, also restricted to movement--and his doppelganger, Thorwald with the sick wife. Hitchcock’s films fill the void in showing us vs. describing what could have happened while characters are asleep (i.e. “Wife” is shown leaving in AM). 

Stewart’s view is restricted like the story because he can’t completely see what’s going on; like a dollhouse with the rear wall cut out.  Before Jeffries suspects his neighbor of murder, as an audience we see the guilt in Thorwald first, because he’s looking all around to make sure no one is watching him.  Thorwald’s constant guilt-watch in the story isn’t noticed right away. Jeff is a little slower to pick up what’s going on…or rather he’s not that involved, he reassures himself with reasoning as to why no one was checking in on the wife (“delayed action). In the film, Jeffries just knows right away that something isn’t right and becomes fixated on the salesman while occasionally checking back in on the other characters in the “doll house”. There is a scene in the story where the movements between Thorwald in his apartment and the landlord showing the two tenants the space above him are in synch (only to reveal later where the body of Mrs. Thorwald is). There is a moment of synchronization between floors in the film as well however they are between Lisa (Grace Kelly) and Miss Lonelyheart as they both realize the man with the piano has stopped playing his music. This was done using a wide camera lens, making a greater picture than if it were a zoom in (because you wouldn’t be able to see both women).     

     Light symbolizes life and you saw that in everyone’s apartment. The lights were always on and they were carrying on with the everyday business. Thorwald’s apartment was always dark. The lights were always off which you associate with an evil character. The only sign of him being present was the constant lighting of the matches in the dark. Shadows are used re-create natural light from the sun. They are also used to hide both the good characters from being seen as well as the murder. Shadows are also played with through the drawn shades, and as an audience you are left to wonder.

     The obvious difference in the film and story’s ending was that instead of Jeff becoming free and getting his cast taken off, Jeffries breaks his other leg and is further entrapped—so to speak--in his relationship with Lisa (Kelly).

     Rear Window is a great film, one of my favorites by Hitchock. All in all, it doesn't even compare to the short story. The movie really brings every element that you'd need camera-shot wise and for acting skills that it comes together beautifully.

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Lumiere Project

With Lumiere video assignment partner, Laila via littleladylemonade

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