SCREENING - "In the Mood for Love (????)" Dir. Wong Kar-Wai, 2000, China - you can watch it here https://soap2day.to/MczozMzoiNzczOHx8MTM4LjExMC4yN...
then pls continue to answer the discussion question which is :Analyze three scenes in the film focusing on the use color, talk about mood, power dynamics in the scenes, character perspective and POV. Be sure to use continue to use technical language you have acquired from this class (DOF, framing, camera moment, composition, etc.) and from today's technical lecture on color.
here are examples of 2 classmate's response to this disucssion question:
classmate 1: The dinner scene (35 min) seems simple at first glance, but has a lot going for it. The colors of this scene are mostly dominated by the reds and greens from the wooden backings/seats, table, and practical light between the two people. I'm having a hard time getting a read on power dynamics in this scene (similar to how I am in real life), but it seems like these two are testing the waters on role-playing each other's partner to cope with their absence. The POV switches back and forth based on who's the one doing the role-playing or gathering information, as shown by the intentional camera positioning (sometimes over the shoulder of one character, making it feel like we're looking through their eyes). I'm quite impressed with how the cinematographers were able to make use of the relatively simple space of a single booth at a restaurant, expressing complex emotions through subtle camera movements and sly shot selections. The soft lighting and use of shallow DoF creates a curious mood, further expressing where these two characters are in their relationship: getting to know each other and their own roles. There's nothing terribly eye-catching about it, but it's immensely important for their emotional development, and expressed well by the production design.
In contrast, the "mistress rehearsal" scene (58 min) couldn't be more different. Directly following a montage of unique and dynamic pans involving mirrors and screens, this scene is comprised of just 3 static angles. And yet, the way they're used is so impressive: when Mr. Chow roleplays as Mr. Chan, we use the angle where his face is hidden, just as the faces of the partners are never seen in the film. But when Mr. Chow breaks his character to provide feedback, we cut to the reverse shot of his face, serving as a sort of "cinematic safewording" to communicate to the audience they've stopped roleplaying. And of course, when they resume, we cut back to the first angle to hide Mr. Chow's face. As for color, shades of red dominate the scene, save only for Mrs. Chan's white and blue dress and Mr. Chow's white shirt. Considering the heavy subject matter, where Mrs. Chan "finds out" her husband has a mistress, this couldn't be more fitting: there's intense emotion behind Mrs. Chan's accusation and reaction afterwards, expressed by the suffocating reds of the small room.
The final scene of the film is quite intriguing. It's got a mood to it unlike any other scene in the film: ethereal, vast, lifted, even bordering on barren with its gray, washed out hues. The color choice is especially interesting, since previous scenes always had some source of beautiful color, often from lighting choices or Mrs. Chan's dresses. It's fitting that since Mrs. Chan is gone, the color becomes drab and unsaturated. It's also the perfect expression of Mr. Chow's emotional state: he's letting go of the experience he had with Mrs. Chan, putting it into a hole and covering it with dirt, just as he told Ping earlier. Most shots are framed to be extremely wide, with a focus on the massive temple, making Mr. Chow and the monk look tiny by comparison. Nowhere else in the film do we get these massive establishing shots, since the urban environments of all other scenes involve either walls of tall buildings or are set indoors. Again, this perfectly establishes the feeling of letting go. As for power dynamics, I would argue the temple holds the power in this scene, since it's implied to be a suitable resting place for Mr. Chow's secret, which is backed up by the framing, making Mr. Chow look tiny by comparison.
classmate 2: I want to first say, I thought the aspect ratio was so important in this film. Watching it on the computer, and having it take up the entire screen had such an impact on the tone of the film. This film taught me so much about how framing impacts how we see characters and also the relationships between characters.
1:02:55-1:04:20.
I love this sequence. It was at this moment I realized how people were being framed. At the beginning of this sequence, we have a long depth of field and the door frame used as “frame” for Su. Su looks cramped because we have a long depth of field, so you can see more of the wall and door frame than her. We continue the sequence to another door frame, where we see Su’s back and a little bit of other characters. We see slow push in, with no cuts, as we zoom in on Su. This shot really speaks to the visual language of the film. Where characters are more often shot on their own, even if they’re talking to someone else or if there's other people in the room. It creates an isolating environment, where even if people are in company they are alone. It creates one sided conversations and emotional distance from company. The sequence ends with a medium close up on Su while she sips on her drink. She’s completely alone and looking out the window. We rarely have mediums close ups on characters, so this shot really stands out. It's a great example of how to break your visual language to have an emotive/tonal impact on the storyline.
1:07:
This film uses extreme depth of fields. Usually this means the characters' bodies are cut in the frame, the characters are isolated in the frame, or we see close ups of objects. This creates the visual language of isolation, secrecy, and compartmentalization. During this sequence, I realized this may be one of the only moments in the film where we get a medium close up with two characters in frame. This two shot adds to the intimacy of the moment Su and Chow are sharing. During this sequence, we see various depths of field But there are moments like 1:09:50 where we see a standard medium close up. This moment is so special because the framing indicates the bond the two characters share. We never see Chow and his wife in the same frame, or Su and her husband in the same frame. So this moment is pivotal in showing the connection between Su and Chow. However as the depth of field shifts more narrow to wide, we see because of their respective marriages they have to create distance between one another. Overall this sequence speaks to the timeline of their relationship. Where we start off with a wide depth of field creating distance between the two characters, we have various tighter shots showing their growing intimacy, but ultimately we end with a deep depth of field creating the ultimate distance between the two characters as they walk away from one another.
1:23:40
This sequence does such a phenomenal job of using transitional shots. Especially because Su and Chow are countries away, the great execution of the transitional shots makes it feel like the two characters are connected. At 1:23:39, I loved the shot of the landline and the string coming off the frame. This film centers around unspoken and unresolved desire, and this shot encompasses that for me. There is rich contrast in the color of the white landline, and the stark shadow/negative space where the string continues off screen. This negative space speaks to what's hidden in the shadows, especially as the sequence unfolds and Su calls Chow but doesn’t say anything. They both hold the phones in silence while knowing who’s on the other end. The sequence ends with a wider shot of the landline where you can see more of the room it's in. This time the cord is fully in frame. These two shots of the landline are so simple, but the first one speaks to the longing that both characters feel for one another, while the second one almost represents that they won't see one another again. Although they may still have feelings for one another, both of them continue life and move past these moments they shared together.
THE SECOND PIECE OF HOMEWORK --- is i need you to revise an essay here is the google drive where u can see the improvements on the essay and the instructions for the revision of the essay friend! :) 1