Whitney B - Film Technique

Bunny

This short animated film deals with the concept of death, and its characteristics are brought to life in the form of a moth, as well as the afterlife being represented by light. At the very beginning, Bunny chases the moth away, chasing it out of the door. When the moth continues to fly around the porch light, Bunny turns it off. After more of this chasing and persisting, the moth finally gets in by pushing open a window and bumps into a picture of Bunny and her husband, knocking the frame sideways. Bunny sees this and becomes sad looking at it, a sign that her husband has died and she misses him. The moth finally ends up right in the batter of the cake Bunny is making. She mixes it up and throws it in the oven, and then falls asleep from her effort, which symbolizes the fatigue that comes with fighting death and trying to keep it away. When she wakes to the oven

The light in the film symbolizes heaven or an afterlife that death is always moving towards. The moth is death that is coming to take Bunny away. When Bunny sets the timer for the cake, it is a sort of symbol for the limited time we have to be alive, that there is always an end to the time we have in this life. The oven symbolizes transformation; it literally is a transformation of food, but as a transformation of life form as well, from the physical to the spiritual. As bunny peeks into the oven out of curiosity it shows us that the afterlife is a curious matter, that we are always seeking answers to our questions even if they are scary. Bunny’s reaction to the moth throughout the film changes just as the human’s reaction to the thought and pull of death changes as we grow older. Often times we hear older people say that they are ready whenever it is their time, that the thought of death no longer scares them or worries them. Could this accepting attitude towards death and the afterlife allows us to live longer or at least in more peace than the attitude that most young people carry, that life is fragile and death is something to shy away from? I wonder what our lives would be like if we truly accepted that death may take us at any moment and we were completely fine with going in peace.

Paris, Texas

The imagery in this film is heavy and explains many unspoken aspects of characters and themes. We see many scenes where the background is more important than what is in the forefront. When the “crazy” dude is out in the dessert we see his head between two pillars and later on we see him walking along in the grass below telephone lines with the mountains in the background. There is a road, but he is not following it, symbolizing that he is going a route that is not often taken if at all. He has his own sense of direction and logic as to how to get where he is going. His fast and purposeful walk shows that he is determined and sure about his path, not hesitating or questioning his impulse. A car stops and we see that it is his brother, whom he seems to have to reaction to as he continues to walk. The two frames of the men both have mountains behind them; one is large and wide while the other is more hill-like and very plain. These two frames represent that the two men are not coming from the same place and that their lives have different frames of reference, in which understanding is difficult to achieve mutually.

The brother tells him to get in the car, but he doesn’t want to and looks off to the power lines instead. Finally, he gets in but he sits in the back seat. This symbolizes that he is being taken somewhere, rather than going with his brother in a mutual companionship to wherever they are going.

Another interesting scene is when he is walking across the bridge over the freeway. There is a man that is ranting about the end of the world and crazy things to the cars that are passing below. The camera is following the main character, so we see the point is not getting to the ranting man, but the point is for the viewer to watch the walk, and this creates a type of tension and anxiety as we wait for him to arrive at the rambling man. Below them it is busy and hectic but they are above it, separate from the constant coming and going. The yelling man is preaching doom, but it is pointless because no one can hear him. The main character touches the man as he walks by as to bless him or give him peace, to let him know that he has been heard by someone.

Lastly, the interactions between the main character and his estranged wife present intriguing insight into their situation. When he goes to visit her for the first time he doesn’t reveal himself and asks her questions about what she does, trying to trap her and manipulate her into telling him as a stranger or a customer, rather than as a wife. He’s treating her as a problem to be solved, an object behind the glass. The husband and wife relationship is shattered because he is not treating her as his spouse or equal. The phone sitting on the table represents the line of communication when people aren’t together, when there is distance between them. In this case the phone bridges the barrier, but there is no physical distance, just emotional distance. It’s about alienation; they are cut off from each other so they can’t talk face to face. There is insulation on her side, rather than a wall, so it is an unfinished part, a fake front. This all adds to the message of the relationship as a façade. It is all an illusion and not actually real. The second time he goes to see her he ends up not facing her. The cord to the phone has a reflection that reaches her on the other side, which is a strong image that represents their line of communication. He tells the story of his life and she knows it is him. She goes up to the glass and touches it, calls his name, so he turns around and puts down the phone. His face is now covering her face through the reflection and their images diverge. He picks up the phone again, tells her to turn the light off so she can see him. Here the phrase “Can you see me?” symbolizes the need for communication and to connect with one another, to know that the other person is “seeing” you, or understanding you. The spousal relationship is changing and these scenes show how communication can be lost and regained if you put yourself out there, even though it may never be the same with that person.

Pink Floyd

The video is dark and mysterious, and reveals many types of symbolism regarding soldiers and war. Blood is shown flowing into a gutter, as if it is a waste of all the sacrifice. The planes that were flying turn into the grave markers from all dead soldiers of the war, a symbol that something that once was very much active and flying, is now buried in the ground, silent and still. The soldiers are skeletons, showing that they are the walking dead, destined to be killed before they even know what they are risking. We also see the British flag as it falls out into a cross with blood. The idea is that you lay down your life for your fellow countrymen and that patriotism often means to die for your nation. These symbols are strong and appear throughout the video, reminding us that the pride and confidence of a nation often turns into a blood battle, wasting precious life and turning war into a game where everyone loses.

Cabeza de Vaca

This film has interesting allusions to Jesus Christ. We see the main character raise a woman from the dead, hinting at the time when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. After the girl is back alive again she comes out and he stays inside the tomb, lying where she was with his arms out in the crucifixion position, another symbol of Christ. In the last scene they make it to Mexico City, where the leaders want him to help them get more Indian slaves. He is amazed at what has happened over the last eight years while he was gone. The shot has a lot of imagery with smoke and fire where the men are behind him o the left and the right side is the plain land and desert. He stands between the two. This symbolizes his position between the Indian culture he has come to understand and the civilization from where he came. There is slavery and destruction on one side and the pristine landscape on the other side. We can see that he has been transformed, and he stands between the two worlds and has to make a choice. As he is approached with this suggestion, he goes to talk to the Captain, moving completely into the destruction side of the frame. But, he is not completely on the Captain’s side; there’s a gulf between him and the Captain, and symbolically he stands between the two. The Spaniards claim they are trying to “save” the Indians, they are actually killing and enslaving them. When he speaks of “the faith” that is against this, he explains that it is a faith (Christianity) that embraces all human beings the same way and views them as equally valuable. But the Spanish empire does not operate under the true Christian faith. They think Christianity gives them the right to go out and exploit people in the name of God. “What faith are you talking about?” asks the Captain when confronted with his hypocrisy, and is met with the powerful response, “The only one.” This statement shows his transformation from the beginning to the end, he sees the bigger picture. He finally understands that the true faith is that of love for everyone, and not just for your family or your own kind. The true faith is the one that includes everyone as essential and of the greatest value.