Her (2013)
Echoes of Silence (2018)
These two images clearly distinguish the similarities between Her and Echoes of Silence. Her is one of my favourite films of all time. The way it explores the complications of human loneliness is perfect, and it is what comes to mind when I think of melancholy cinema. Visually and thematically, I wanted to build on what I love about Her in Echoes of Silence. Echoes shares distinct similarities with Her, through the exploration of the relationship between humans and technology within a contemporary/near futuristic society. I wanted to ask the same questions that Her does, without feeling the need to outright answer them, rather to leave the viewer with a decision to make of their own. Questions such as, what does it mean to be human if an A.I can perfectly replicate our emotional responses? Does that make them as human as us? Furthermore, does that give them the same rights and stature as us human beings? These questions are all central to the narrative of Echoes, and they are often explored in Her. The above shots are extremely similar in composition and both manage to capture the raw emotion of the characters in frame. Where they differ is what mood they set out to create through colour palette. The soft glow of the first image leads us to believe the subject is in a positive mental state, whilst the below image from Echoes does the exact opposite with its cold tones and textures. This is the kind of detail I want to go into with my filmmaking, where a discussion can take place regarding the micro elements of a film.
There Will be Blood (2007)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Echoes of Silence (2018)
The above images show three shots, the first from Paul Thomas Andersons Oscar winning drama 'There Will be Blood' starring Daniel Day Lewis. The second is from Stanley Kubricks magnum opus '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Then below is a still of our main actor Graham Saxon in Echoes of Silence. All three images are linked together by their composition. As they are all low angle shots, they allow the subject to appear dominant and overbearing. This shot is often conforms to the codes and conventions of the action adventure/superhero genre, in which the camera will be at a low angle to depict the villain as physically overbearing. The same can be done with the protagonist, but as with all composition it is discretionary to each and every filmmaker/D.O.P. The parallelism that exists to both There Will be Blood & 2001 was an intention of mine from the start. I am a huge admirer of PTA and Kubrick, and the scenes which these stills belong to in particular. In the case of There Will be Blood, the character of Daniel Plainview (DDL) is a revelation, and the raw intensity of this scene comes to boiling point with this low angle shot of him smashing down on Paul Dano with a bowling pin. PTA is a vastly knowledgeable and experienced filmmaker, and I highly doubt this shot was unintentionally paying homage to Kubrick. Going back to my previous point about influence, I often find its importance understated. 'Originality' is only applicable in the context of a films potency. In other words, a film can freely borrow and steal from previously existing sources and work on many levels as long as the filmmaker keeps their artistic integrity. Case in point, the entire filmography of Quentin Tarantino.
The link to 2001 takes us to the plains of the earth prior to human beings. An ape beats down on a skull with a bone in hand, signifying the primitive nature of man, which masterfully then cuts to the juxtaposing space exploration of man some thousands of years in the future. Echoes links in with both There Will be Blood and 2001 through the fact that I wanted to showcase the primitive nature of Julians character, and in doing that the audience can hopefully see and feel that same nature inside of them. In the context of the scene, Julian finds a casket on a beach inside of his nightmares, in which he thinks his dead granddaughter is inside of. Out of desperation, he takes an axe and aggressively hacks open the casket. This for me was a perfect opportunity to explore the use of the low angle shot to present a character who is dangerous, lead to that point by his grief.
The Tree of Life (2011)
Echoes of Silence (2018)
The Tree of Life (2011)
Echoes of Silence (2018)
The Tree of Life is a critically acclaimed mix of arthouse and high profile hollywood filmmaking with a stellar cast. Director Terrence Malick is fiercely divides audiences and critics all over the world, which is one of the reasons I hold him in such high regard. In the film The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick explores the contrasting and conflicting nature of nature and nurture. Two of the characters who play parents, are both nature and nurture. Nature having a progressive and passive presence whilst nurture is fierce and interfering. This is similar to what I wanted to explore in Echoes of Silence. I wanted to take what Malick has done through his visuals and his storytelling style, and offer my own take on the theme of man vs nature. I wanted to achieve this primarily through the production design in the film. I wanted a clear clash between the electronics and the neons (man made design) and the greens and yellows of nature. What I have ended up with is in some way no clear way to decipher the influence that has reached me from directors such as Terrence Malick, but I know on a personal level that it has taken place in the film. This is less homage to a genre or to an image as the previous posts, and instead provides a subtle admiration and attempts to mirror the atmosphere in films such as The Tree of Life, where all of the themes are the unanswerable aspects of our existence.
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