- All the characters are introduced in the scene however each of them are doing their own thing and in different locations
- Black cuts in between that characters
- Makoto is the only character shown twice
- Music is 'Burn My Dread' by Shoji Meguro. Somewhere between diagetic and non-diagetic as the music is playing through Makoto's headphones however the other characters cannot hear it
- The Music gets more intense as both the scene and actions that characters are doing get darker
- No sound from the scenes are heard other then the music
- Character's actions provides information about the characters however there is still a mystery surrounding them
- Dark and morbid quick images provide some more information about Makoto
Sheriff Bell:
Sheriff Bell is the first character introduced to the audience however unlike the other two main characters the sheriff is not seen on screen at all in his introduction, instead the audience is introduced to him through a voice over. The voice over is the sheriff talking about his time in law enforcement and the current state of the world. He initially begins talking about how his father and grandfather were also lawmen and that he and his father were sheriffs at the same time. When he states that he was proud to be sheriff at the same time as his father it implies that his father is no longer a sheriff leading the audience to come to the conclusion that he is either retired or dead. Sheriff Bell also talks a lot about the 'old timers'. He mentions how they never used to carry guns which shows how lawmen in the old times didn't require physical force to do their jobs. The sheriff also mentions how he can't help but compare himself to the old timers which suggests that he wants to be like them however he also states that he wonders how the old timers would do in the present showing that he acknowledges that times have changed since then. When Sheriff Bell talks about person he arrested that killed a young girl he is clearly confused by the fact that there was no motive behind the crime as he states that he 'doesn't know what to make of that' the depicts the sheriff as living the past and not being able to understand and cope with the present. Sheriff Bell states that he is not afraid of crime has he knew he had to be willing to die to be a sheriff but he doesn't want to have to confront something that he doesn't understand. The sheriff opening voice over provides the audience with an idea of what the sheriff is like before they have even seen his face which gives them a better understanding of the sheriff and his views.
Anton Chigurh:
Anton Chigurh is the second main character that the audience is introduced to. Chigurh is first seen being arrested which provides the audience with a false sense of comfort as the 'bad guy' is typically defeated once they are arrested however the camera does not show Chigurh's face as he is being arrested which shrouds him in mystery and also creates a feeling of discomfort and anxiety despite the comforting feeling of him being arrested. Even when Chigurh is seen in the station after being arrested, he is in the background and out of focus so the audience still can't get a good look at his face. When Chigurh starts moving towards the officer it creates a sense of impending danger as the audience can tell that he is planning something. The shot also looks like a typical horror movie shot where the 'victim' is facing towards the camera and is unable to see the danger that behind them and is typically out of focus, this helps to emphasise that Chigurh does not fit in a western movie like this and is out of place. Chigurh's movements and actions show his intelligence and how effective he is as if he has done this before, which the audience assumes that he has. He attacks the officer at just the right time, being right after he hangs up the phone and before he can realise what's happening. The look on Chigurh's face as he kills the officer is a psychotic however he is still not shown in a traditional shot, all shots that depict him are either from a moving camera or a titled view and when he is shown in a traditional shot he is not the main focus of it, mostly being in the background and is hidden by shadow or is out of focus. The first time Chigurh is shown in a regular shot and when the audience can finally see his face properly he is shown with a disturbing smile. Chirgurh also has very few speaking lines in the scene he is introduced in, being limited to "Step out of the car please sir" and "will you hold still please sir" showing that he does not say more that is necessary. Chigurh also kills two people in the very same scene which demonstrates his disregard for human life.
Casablanca was made using the studio system and was a collaborative effort. Everyone who worked on the film played a part in it's success, even if it is a minor part. Due to the studio system the director was not the 'auteur' of the film however did still play a huge part in its success and is one of the main reasons the film is the way it is. The producer and writers also played a big part in the success of the film and had a lot of input on the final result. Casablanca is a very dialogue heavy movie and too much dialogue can get boring quickly which will make the audience lose interest, it's because of the writers that this is not the case with Casablanca as it is filled with memorable and entertaining lines.
The editor also played a part in the movies success as it is the editor who pieced the movie together from the footage that was filmed and who cuts between different shots and scenes effectively. The cast also play a big a big part in the movies success at it is their job to bring the characters that they play to life and make them interesting and entertaining to watch. Extras also played a part, the use of extras in the background helps to bring the world of Casablanca to life and also helps the audience to understand parts of the film. For example, the large amount of extras in Rick's Cafe shows just how popular of a place it is, if there were no extras in the cafe the in would make the place seem dull.
The success of the movie isn't just due to people who worked on it. Parts of the film's success is also due to external factors. For example the timing of the film's release was perfect due to recent events in the war and helped draw in a larger audience.
Thursday 6 September 2018
Persona 3 The Movie:#1 Spring of Birth Review
Introduction
The Persona 3 The Movie series are Japanese animated movies that serve as a film adaptation of the Persona 3 video game by Atlus, the entire plot is split into four films. The initial Persona 3 video transitions surprisingly well into a movie format and unlike most film adaptations of video games the Persona 3 movies stay completely faithful to the game's plot and due to the original game being very story heavy the creators of the movie series were given a lot to work with. The movies were only released in Japanese however versions of the movie have been released with English subtitles. The first movie in the series was Persona 3 The Movie: #1 Spring of Birth Review. It was directed by Noriaki Akitaya, written by Jun Kumagai with the original games story being written by Atlus.
Plot Summary
Spring of Birth covers the first portion of the original game's plot which follows teenage protagonist Makoto Yuki who has just transferred to Gekkoukan High on Tatsumi Port Island in Japan, however upon arriving he begins to experience the strange phenomenon known as the 'dark hour', a hidden hour between one day and the next which only certain people can experience. During the dark hour creatures known as 'shadows' roam which only come in many forms and cause harm to humans that are inactive during the dark hour. Makoto soon learns that he has the ability to summon a 'Persona' to combat the shadows and joins the 'Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad' (or SEES for short) which is a group of other 'Person users' from Gekkoukan High that work to protect humans from the shadows
Themes
The main theme in all four movies as well as the original game is death leading to a very dark plot however, due to it being the first movie in the series, the theme of death is significantly less present in Spring of Birth then the other three movies however that does not mean that it isn't still there. In fact the dark themes are present from the beginning as although there are no major character death present in Spring of Birth the characters do consistently mention dying throughout the movie and the entire series as a whole.
Characters
Featured alongside protagonist Makoto Yuki are the other members of SEES. Although more characters join the group throughout the series not all of them play a major role in Spring of Birth specifically, come characters who become major characters in some of the other movies are only briefly shown on screen in Spring of Birth. The other characters in the movie that play a major role are Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Akihiko Sanada, Mitsuru Kirijo, Fuuka Yamagishi and Shinjiro Aragaki. Each character also has their Personas that they are able to summon and although the Personas themselves to do not have their own personalities they are all based of mythilogical, historical figures and people or creatures from folk lore that helps to represent the character's personality. This is a good way to give each character more depth then just what is seen on screen. Characters each have their own development although for some characters their development is in the other movies and not Spring of Birth. Through the series the main characters often have some conflict with each other which is built into the character development of the characters involved. An example of this in Spring of Birth is Junpei's character arc around the midpoint of the movie in which he becomes jealous of Makoto's natural abilities as he feels that fighting shadows is the only thing he can do well but he is still shown up by Makoto. This effects Junpei's development as a character as it leads to him rushing off alone while on a mission in an attempt to be the hero, he is then saved by Makoto and Yukari after being attacked by a shadow where he learns that he doesn't have to be the best to be a valuable assets to the team.
Sountrack
The soundtrack for the movie was composed by Shoji Meguro, the same person who composed the soundtrack for the original game, as a result the movie borrows a lot of music tracks from the games and some remixed or rearranged versions of those tracks as well. This means that are often upbeat but intense music during action scenes as they use the battle theme from the games soundtrack. Even the main theme of the movie, titled Burn My Dread, is also the main theme of the original Persona 3 video game. Reusing music from the original Persona 3 creates a sense of familiarity to fans of that game as they will recognise tracks after hearing them in the game.
Balancing
The original Persona 3 video game was all about balancing fighting shadows with daily life activities, however these activities would strengthen you, and this has been translated into the movie. The movie constantly shifts between scenes that take place during the day and ones that take place during the dark hour. Scenes that take place during the day are usually all bright and colourful using a variety of vivid colours, however these colours become slightly duller in the night time scenes as the dark hour approaches which helps to create a sense of incoming danger. During the dark hour the environment becomes very dull and gloomy with the sky changing colour to a dark green creating an odd green glow, this creates a contrast between the dark hour and day scenes and conveys that it's not fun and games anymore and that the characters must fight.
Awakening Scene
One scene of the movie that I would like to focus on is the scene where Makoto discovers and first summons his Persona (The scene included). Being a scene that takes place during the dark hour, the environment is and dark and gloomy with a strange green glow and blue dark blue mist which a sense of mystery and neither Makoto or the viewers know exactly what the dark hour is or why it exists. The gun like objects create an even greater sense of confusion as viewers do not know what they are and only see characters pointing them at their own head until a Persona is summoned. During the fight Orpheus (Makoto's Persona) transforms into another Persona, Thanatos, this shows that there is more to Makoto then people initially thought and he is more then just another Persona user like the other characters. This scene is also one of the first times that Makoto shows any form of emotion and provides very small glimpses into Makoto's backstory and who he is as a character
Conclusion
In conclusion Persona 3 The Movie: Spring of Birth is one of the few great movies based off a video game as it is able to stay true to the original material while still providing a new experience to people who already know the story from the games by using flashy animation and providing a new take on certain scenes that were originally just characters standing around or characters whacking shadows over and over. As a fan of the original game myself I really enjoyed this movie however it is still enjoyable for people who have never even head of the Persona series before as they are able to experience a new and unique story with interesting characters. I would recommend this movie to people who are fans of interesting (but admittedly a little weird) stories.
