Sian Ella Edwards: Portfolio

Film first became an interest of mine when I discovered an in depth analysis of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I was incredibly interested by how this person had taken visual symbolism to foresee future events in the narrative and in turn how much effort the film creators put into the smallest of details. As a film maker I enjoy creating visual hints and layers of symbolism in every aspect of the piece. I am fascinated by telling stories through images, I was always encouraged to create Art by friends and family as many of my subject books were colourful, presented artistically and visually appealing. My UCA Foundation Diploma has taught me valuable skills in all aspects of Art and Design which allows me to expand my film making creatively and aesthetically. The course has given me experience in creative subjects such as Graphics, Fashion, 3D, and Fine Art has given me starting points for many aspects of film making such as prop making, costume and set design; not just the basic directing and cinematography. I have practiced how to choose appropriate themes that I can translate onto a page and screen. My most recent projects have allowed me to experiment with the technical, audio and visual side of film rather than the story telling, helping me develop my confidence with editing on both Final Cut Pro and Adobe Creative Suite. Learning Contextual Studies has given me the ability to look beyond the simple process, to the meaning and importance behind Art and Film. This has allowed me to understand that I want to make a difference with my films, and create social dialogue to allow for change. I successfully passed the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award which involved doing voluntary work, expanding skills (dog training, basketball) and orienteering. When partaking in my school charity “Rag Week”, I made cakes for cake sales, and created my own costumes (with a homemade Captain America shield, and a Mad Hatter hat). My form also hosted a teacher / student dancing competition and a goalie competition during Rag Week, which I designed the posters for. This involvement improved my confidence in school and helped me bond with peers through the community spirit that the charity week created. I also took many photographs in Rag Week of people’s costumes and activities, which I gave to the school to use in Open Evenings. Outside school, I have worked at the Debra charity shop in Ewell Village where I sorted stock, arranged displays and cleaned. Some friends and I took part in ‘Race For Life’ at Epsom Race Course; here we raised £250 for charity. In my free time I like to draw portraits and also enjoy watching films, sometimes making short five minute edits. I often enjoy thinking of stories that would create social dialogue and help people understand issues they may never know first-hand. During my holiday, I visited Skomer Island, where I attended a wildlife photography course; teaching me the finer details of photography, such as exposure and aperture, the white balance, using a histogram, and the use of composition and lighting. Similarly, I attended a Fine Art week long course at Central Saint Martens, where I worked on a small illustration, giving me experience of learning outside my own school and university. A degree in film would be perfect for me because I would be able to focus my efforts completely on the subject, and I believe the opportunity to learn from experts and those with industry experience would be vital for me on my way to becoming a passionate film maker.

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Untold Story - Feminism

DISCLAMER: No music in this video belongs to me.

“Our Feminism” 2017

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Should art be political, reflect current social and cultural conditions and challenge the viewer?

Political Art (or Film) can mean many things – protest, representation, even a critical analysis of the politics in that era. Reflection of social and cultural conditions also has many layers, it could mean a simple, accurate representation of lifestyle. Yet, in the context of the question, it is likely the question is asking if film should reflect the social conditions of the politics in that era. The final branch of this question about whether the film should challenge the viewer could also be interpreted in many ways, challenging the viewer could simply be making them think a little harder about the film, as they do in French New Wave, or it could be challenging the audience’s political views, which would amount to a protest of sort. Both these films are excellent in their own rights, and that is why I believe that a film does not need to do any and all of the requirements posed in the question, they do perfectly well without it and do not need to be political or challenging. My previous research never looked at these topics, only ever skimming the surface and looking at it aesthetically, so I will use this essay as an oppurtunity to discover what I really want my work to mean, and how I can go about that. In my own work I aim to make films like Pride (my second chosen film), as it presents a thrilling story with a strong, inspirational, political backdrop. A lot of my previous work focused on Feminism but shyed away from an actual story – merely presenting opinions and views through a mouthpiece. Another film I aspire to, is Made in Dagenham (2010), this film similarly to Pride, documents 20th Century activism, I particularly like the aspect of looking back at important political issues and I aim to do so. I feel that as a film, when based on politics and opinions, it works much better when it is looks at the past because it can have a beginning, middle and close. In this essay I will look at how that makes the film a better piece of work than when it is set in the ‘now.’

400 Blows (Les Quatre Cent Coup) is a 1959 film directed and written by François Truffaut. The film follows a young boy named Antoine Doniel as he struggles with adolescence. It was created with a movement; The French New Wave or Nouvelle Vague. With this movement came many successful films, proving that film was not merely for mindless entertainment (Cinema De Qualitie) but was an art form. Meaning, directors like Truffaut did not want his viewers to forget about ‘current’ events but to actually think about them, as a lot of Art does. A large aspect of French New Wave was challenging the viewer’s pre-conceived ideas about film and what it should represent; this new way of thinking and filmmaking was a breath of fresh air for audiences and was a primarily why French New Wave was so popular.

Truffaut was one of the first directors to excerise Autership (term coined by Andre Bazin) – the Auter Theory is the practice of “treating film like an art form and directors as the artists” (French New Wave: Pocket Essentials, 2005). 400 Blows in particular is his most personal and the first of his auto biographical. So Truffaut was truly beginning to excerise a theme of Autership he would continue in later years. The autobiographical nature of this film means the cultural and social conditions of 1940s and 50s French society was very present, it tackled the flaws of the era, and the mistreatment of the misunderstood youth. 400 Blow’s use of social and cultural reflection meant the story resonated with viewers who would also have felt they had been left behind by the establishment. “In speaking of himself, [Truffaut] seems to be speaking to us.” [Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, or the Sea, Antoine, the Sea, 2000]. This theme of dejection is heavily used in 400 Blows, we see through the use of cinematography that when allowed have fun there are large distant tracking shots. Doneil and friends could “run down endless tiers of steps, their arms extended, almost as if they were flying” [Auteur Theory and the French New Wave, 2004]. When Doneil is with his parents at home or teachers in the class room, the shots are close and suffocating.

Pride (2014) is a modern film that looks back on culture, society and politics rather than representing it. The subject of the film would have been so controversial at the time – the 80s – that it would never have been given realistic representation. Films like Pride, that look back on important movements distinctly use the Audience’s Superior Position to represent issues that would have been too ‘shocking’ to reflect accurately when they were happening. By making this film forty years later, the director; Matthew Warchus, allows the audience to feel pride and accomplishment rather than fear and trepidation. Rather than a protest, it is representation. This much more euphoric than 400 Blows, where it reflected social conditions of its’ own time, and audiences would have felt as lost in it, as in their own society. It does not give an ending to it’s theme because there simply wasn’t one yet. However, in doing this, Pride does not challenge the viewer, and falls prey to the saying ‘preaching to the choir.’ Though Pride does show differing political opinions throughout that could challenge the viewer, the anti gay characters are allowed to explain why they feel homosexuality is wrong, and allows the audience to almost understand where they’re coming from – though most know homophobia is outdated and bigoted. In 400 Blows, those with different views as Antoine Doneil were represented as wrong, and were given two dimensional personalities; simply there to make Doneil the victim.

A recurring motif of this film is the shaking hands, representing the coming together of two struggling communities (LGBT, miners) that previously were wary and hateful of each other. This truly represents the Labour Movement with clarity, as explained in the film by Dai (a striking miner), the Labour Movement means “you support me, I support you, whoever you are, wherever you come from, shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand.” 

Frankly, 400 Blows – though still representing social conditions and challenging the viewer, is not remotely political; and I feel it may have benefited and relied on this, as Truffaut did not entirely agree with his target audience’s politics. In the critical magazine ‘Cahiers Du Cinema’ Truffaut “went out of his way to antagonise them. He defended censorship imposed on American films, praised a film text written by a Nazi collaborator and even paid tribute to the French monarchy. In short, he gave them every excuse to call him a fascist.” [The Politics of the French New Wave; 2009]. If Truffaut had translated his right wing politics onto the screen, his films would not have been accepted and loved, as they are now. This makes Truffaut seem dishonest, the context of his films are very political and the actual films seem to ignore it; they may have had a bigger impact it Truffaut had included politics. However, French New Wave was focused on challenging the viewer; campaigning relentlessly that film was an art form. The directors were concerned “more with reaction than action” [The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice; 2004]. 400 Blows was made to satisfy the youth’s lack of representation, rather than create political discourse, and I believe Truffaut succeeded in his aim. Pride had a completely different aim, that it too achieved, this film wanted to represent a controversial political event and tell a story, it was less about the aesthetic and more about the meaning, meaning Pride evoked a stronger emotional response from the audience. It could conclude and give a bittersweet ending that, I feel, makes it a better film than 400 Blows, which leaves the fate of Antione open ended. Looking back on the events of Pride allowed the film to really look at both the good and nasty parts of that era, also allowing the audience and filmmaker to look back objectively. Pride, however, as mentioned in the body of the essay does not challenge the viewer, but in the way Pride would’ve done so, it would have felt more like indoctrination and forcing the audience to agree rather than simply educating them.

Overall, both films have actually benefitted from not ‘ticking all the boxes’ in the question, rather than simply them not needing them, as I stated in the beginning. However, I do feel that films are better when they can actually mean something. Everything becomes ‘dated’ and ‘old’ in the end – I personally can’t relate to any character in 400 Blows and someday audiences won’t be able to relate to gay rights because all the battles have been fought, so if a film manages to use it’s medium to deliberatly reflect politics and society, in the future it can be used as history.

Bibliography

·       Truffaut, François, dir. (1959) The 400 Blows; Les Films du Carrosse.

·       Warchus, Matthew, dir. (2014) Pride; BBC Films, British Film Institute.

·       Hill, John (1986) Sex, Class and Realism; British Film Institute

·       Jones, Stephen G, (1987), The British Labour Movement and Film, 1918-1939; Routledge & Kegan Paul LTD

·       Bordwell, David (2004) The Art Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice. Film Theory and Criticism; New York: Oxford UP.

·       Rodowick, D.N (1988) The Crisis of Political Modernism: Criticism and Ideology in Contemporary Film Theory; University of Illinois Press.

·       Fabe, Marilyn (2004) Auteur Theory and the French New Wave: François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. Closely Watched Films: An Introduction to the Art of Narrative Film Technique. Berkeley: U of California P.

·       Wiegand, Chris (2005) French New Wave. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials.

·       Conomos, John (2007) “Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, or the Sea, Antoine, the Sea.” Senses of Cinema. http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/6/blows.html

Accessed on 28/01/2017

·       Browland. (2016) The 400 Blows: Antoine Doinel's Place in the French New Wave

https://reelrundown.com/movies/The-400-Blows-Antoine-Doinels-Place-in-the-French-New-Wave

Accessed on 28/01/2017

McNett, Amber (2009) The Politics of the French New Wave

http://www.newwavefilm.com/about/french-new-wave-politics.shtml

Accessed on 21/01/2017

·       Magaaral, F (2010) The 400 Blows: Societal Justics and Accountability

http://polsci167.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/400-blows-societal-justice-and.html

Accessed on 28/01/2017

Jenkins, Chadwick (2009) The Aesthetics of Aborption

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/70934-the-aesthetics-of-absorption-truffauts-the-400-blows/

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PRESENTATION SCRIPT

 *Open title slide*

*Read title.*

*Change slide.*

In this presentation I will talk about how and why Marvel dominated Hollywood and the mainstream media. My focus films are Avengers: Assemble, Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron. As I researched this topic, my focus became less how Marvel became popular, but the tactics they use to stay popular and relevant.

*Change slide.*

Marvel release their film’s in phases, with a common theme in each. We are currently in Phase 3, beginning with Captain America: Civil War.

These films are all origin stories (except Iron Man 2) then to tie up the phase Marvel released Avengers: Assemble, where these loved characters all teamed up – a fairly unknown narrative at the time.

*Change slide.*

Phase 2 mostly focuses on already established characters. Guardians of the Galaxy introduces an entirely new world to the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe and Ant-Man ends Phase 2 with an introduction to another ‘smaller’ world to the MCU. Through continually introducing new characters, Marvel are preventing ‘Superhero Fatigue’; the risk of too many superhero films and boring fans with repetitiveness – Marvel keep fans passionate about newer, less established comic-book characters.

*Change slide.*

Pictured on the slide is Item 10.

Phase 3 introduces new characters to the MCU, and Marvel now represent more minority demographics: Black Panther will be the first black superhero with the main role in the film, and Captain Marvel is the first lead woman. The final film: Inhumans, will incorporate the TV universe into the main plotline – highlighting Marvel’s shared universe.

*Change slide.*

From my research in Item 11, I learnt Avengers: Assemble is the most popular of my focus films, because, as shown in Item 11, people watch these films because they are often on television, and people talk about them. This film is always on TV and fans talk about Avengers: Assemble as it would have featured their favourite character at the time.

*Change slide.*

It was important to include the flaws to Marvel in this essay about their success; Avengers: Age of Ultron gives insight into the niche and stereotypical films Marvel could get stuck into creating.

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However, Ant-Man is an example of what Marvel are planning in Phase 3; showing Marvel can continue creating successful and exciting films.

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*Read summary.*

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*Read slide*

All Marvel films share a universe; in Phase 1 the origin stories lead up to the Avengers. Not much advertising prior to Avengers: Assemble was needed, as they had already inspired massive anticipation for Avengers from all the previous films.

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Marvel also tease their next films with mid and post credit scenes, for example in Ant-Man, the end credit scene was Captain America and the Falcon, discovering The Winter Soldier. This was Marvel plugging their next film: Captain America: Civil War.

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On this slide we see eye-catching billboard posters, (Item 14), which stand out because they are so strange. Passers-by have taken pictures of these advertisements, and shared them online, where they will reach a wider audience. This would have been Marvel’s aim.

*Change slide.*

*Read quote.*

This quote, from Item 7, displays why Marvel advertise like this – because many people were unsure about Ant-Man; most believing Ant-Man was not a character integral to the Marvel universe. Lilly mentioned in an earlier interview (Item 6) that what she liked best about the Ant-Man marketing was how they obviously made fun of the name. This will draw in more potential viewers.

*Change slide.*

These posters, also seen in Item 14, deliberately included the Avengers to catch attention. The wording helps emphasise that Ant-Man is a superhero too. These clever marketing tricks were made possible by Disney’s acquisition of Marvel (Item 5) – boosting Marvel’s marketing resources; particularly overseas. Meaning Marvel films will have more revenue overseas because their marketing will attract fans (the Item 14 bus stops in Australia.)

*Change slide.*

Furthermore, Marvel already had the massive following of the Avengers from the comic-books, and though the superheroes in the team in the comics are different to those in the films –fans will still watch the films to pass judgement.

As highlighted in Item 8, however, it is good that the films are different to the comic-books; otherwise there would be repeated plotlines, fans would not be interested in watching. Keeping the stories different will ultimately give the MCU more success.

We know that Marvel are not worried about departing from the comics, as seen in Item 4; Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy was dissimilar to his character in the comic books.

*Change slide.*

*Read slide.*

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Here, Marvel fans line up outside Hall H – where Marvel premiere their teaser trailers – many of these people sleep over night, showing how dedicated some are to Marvel. These fans stay obsessed because of character development (what most fandoms centre on). And as shown in Item 4, Scarlett Johansson feels Marvel concentrate on how to move the characters forward each film.

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*Read slide.*

Devotion to these specific actors and characters will encourage fans to watch every film Marvel release.

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*Read slide.*

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*Read slide.*

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Here we see how the majority of the background is all CGI.

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A prominent example of Special Effects is the Hulk’s motion capture. Marvel’s films would not have worked if the visual effects was as limited as it was in the 20 Century, when Marvel films were unsuccessful.

*Change slide.*

*Read slide.*

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The reason Marvel’s Visual Effects work so well is because they interchange CGI with stunts and actors, as displayed in Item 4 where it is stated, they take careful consideration on what will be superior; practical or digital.

*Change slide.*

*Read slide.*

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In addition, translating a comic-book drawing to cinema is difficult; viewers expect more realism in photographs. Whedon explained in Item 13 that “We wanted it to feel very natural when he’s sitting in that circle of Avengers”. This would have been impossible in the 20th Century, as they did not have the time, money or technology to make the Hulk – eyes, hair, teeth, skin – realistic enough to construct a believable fantasy world to immerse the audience in.

*Change slide.*

*Read slide.*

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A further point is that it the style of artwork used in a comic, displays an underlying message (Item 8) – which is near impossible to translate to screen. The layout of the comic’s as seen on the page is contrasting to how you view a scene in a film. In a comic-book, the entire scene is laid out on page; a key element to comic-books, and vital for a superhero story.

The way this is translated to screen affects the tone of the movie; and the way they do this will define whether it will be a box office success.

*Change slide.*

*Read slide.*

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*Read slide.*

Many non-comic book fans, however, were put off by Ant-Man (Item 3); they had not heard of him before – there was a ‘trend’ of fans claiming they watched Ant-Man for the end credit scene. Showing that many only want to see already introduced characters – if Marvel do keep it new and fresh, they may lose a percentage of fans who only watch films for their favourite character and actor.

*Change slide.*

*Read out slide.*

This outraged many fans – Marvel only planned to use Disney’s resources to cater to young males rather than Disney’s female audience (Item 5), which could limit Marvel’s revenue as, according to market research, 46.76% of comic book fans are female – meaning Marvel could lose money by ignoring female fans.

*Change slide.*

This shows the omission of Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron merchandise. In Item 9 I discovered Black Widow only appears on a Tote Bag; mouse pad; mug and one shirt out of 56 Ultron pieces on sale from Marvel.

Another issue is the promotion toys for Age of Ultron:

*Change slide.*

Black Widow was removed from most Avengers toys in the opinion that the target audience – young boys – would not want to play with female action figures. Kohl’s, Hasbro and Walmart are reported as the toy sellers to notoriously omit Black Widow.

*Change slide.*

She was omitted from, what critics claimed, her best scene – and replaced by Captain America

*Change slide.*

Marvel films feature few black superheroes; all of them currently supporting characters. They are, however, introducing Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, who will have a solo film in 2018.

Throughout this essay I analysed how marketing, fandom, and visual effects factor into Marvel’s continuous success, and also the possible limitations to this success. I learned Marvel take their flaws and gradually remove them –introducing lead black and female superheroes, keeping the storylines new and exciting for the dedicated audience. Marvel respond to their fans’ focus on the characters with character development, and their use of marketing is sly and clever – however Marvel still do not seem to be aware of their ever growing female audience.

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Talking Typography 30 Second Film

"Break the Laws of Physics to Shoot Her Down From Lancaster". Audio is hella crackly at the start and I can't work out why :/ so i gave up and uploaded it an...

“Break The Laws of Physics” 2017

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Oil Water Light

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the music in this video and I am not monetising it in any way.

“BP Oil Spill” 2016

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Fine Art Film - Negative Space Sculpture - Sian Edwards

Sian Edwards & Chloe Bird Fine Art Film Project. Foundation Diploma for Art and Design - University for the Creative Arts.

“Negative Space Fine Art Film” 2016

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An Evolution of Feminism // Sian Edwards

A Level Film Project -- 2016 The differing opinions of feminist topics from three decades - 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the music...

“An Evolution of Feminism” 2016