Grave of the Fireflies scene review

Movie : Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Director :  Isao Takahata (Heidi: A Girl of the Alps, Pom Poko, Only Yesterday)
Animation, Drama, War,
Production Co: Shinchosha Company, Studio Ghibli 

Cast

Seita = Brother = Tsutomu Tatsumi

Setsuko = Sister = Ayano Shiraishi 

Mother = Yoshiko Shinohara (The Hidden Blade (2004))

Aunt = Akemi Yamaguchi (Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975))

Technical Specs

Runtime: 89 minSound Mix: Mono | Dolby (as Dolby Stereo) (theatrical print)Color: Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095327/

Summary and spoilers

The movie begins after the events have happened with the narrators death. It's set during World War two in Japan. The American army is fighting the Japanese. The main characters are Seita and Setsuko their mother dies, they are sent to live with their aunt. She is cruel to them so they decide to try to live independent to her. Seita learns that his father is dead. Trying to live independently results in them becoming malnourished, Setsuko dies and so does Seita shortly after.  

The scene I have picked to analysis occurs at 1hr 15mins 26sec to 1hr 18mins 34sec.
Seita realizes that his little sister Setsuko is severely sick. He goes to town to take out the very last of their financial funds. He returns to find her barely alive on the ground.

Setting

Set in an abandoned air raid shelter by a lake. In Japan just outside a town.

Various shots used

Primarily reaction shots
Over the shoulder shots
Side profile of face
Perspective shots
Close up shot
The shots are primarily still and static displaying reactions. Produces suspense and unease. Makes one truly focus on what is on screen.


Mise-en scene

water sparkling,
wind,
plants,
Swing swaying,
Blankets,
doll,
wood,
old army raid base,
Timber frames bags,
tin of sweets,
tree roots,
Marbles,
Watermelon ,
Knife,

Sound effects
Wind,
Footsteps,
Muffled wind,
Brother normal voice,
sister can barely talk,
tin noise,
Worried Brother,
Mouth Noise
Moving,
Rocks hitting,
Click of a knife,
Cutting of a watermelon,
thud,
squelch,
Crack squelch
Atmospheric/ devoid of music

The lack of music just adds to the scene.


This is a very powerful scene. Watching it over and over again barely takes from its inpact. I get emotion just thinking about it. When he first finds enters she is talking about the fireflies and how they go up and down. She can barely talk and move. She has been eating marble thinking they were sweets. Seita takes them out of her mouth, she overs him some rocks thinking they are food. He feeds her water melon she can barely eat it. Her brother is full of hope as he got her food but its to late. Her final words to him is "thank you" which is very powerful. He goes off to make her food to hopefully save her and after he leaves the camera slowly pans down and the he says now as the narrator that she didn't wake up. Made me cry the first time I watched it. I am still generally on the verge of tears each time. 

Animatic for Pass

This needs a lot of work. It was only when showing it to the class that I realised how absurd it truly was.

Scene review Ecstasy (1993)

Movie : Ecstasy (1933)
Director : Gustav Machaty
Drama/Romance
Black and White
Sound Mono
April 1936 (USA)
Aspect Ratio 1.37 : 1
82 minutes long


Main Characters

• Eva
• Adam
• Eva's husband

Synopsis  (*Spoilers)

Eva marries an older man, but discovers that he is a control freak who doesn't seem to care for her. He is passionate. She regrets the marriage and they get divorced. While swimming her horse runs off with her clothing. She resorts to trying to chase it down topless. Another man catches the horse. After some bonding Eva seems to take a liking to Adam. They have sex, she orgasms and he impregnates her. Her ex-husband and her current lovers paths cross. The ex-husband considers murder suicide. He doesn't go through with the murder but in the end commits suicide. Eva and Adam see his corpse. Eva is overwhelmed with guilt. She leaves Adam without him knowing and raises their child alone.

The scene I have chosen occurs at 00:46:30 to 00:48:15. It is the sex scene between Eva and Adam.

Setting

Cabin

Various shots used

• Over shoulder shots producing voyeuristic viewing  
• hand reaction shots to convey feeling
• Close up shots to show facial expression
• Close up shot from above looking down at this shot is voyeuristic
• Suggestive shot of a gap in the floor boards and furry rug having a pearl necklace tossed down onto it. The rug and gap being symbolic of a vagina and a the pearl necklace of semen. 
• A shot of them through a veil producing a voyeuristic feel.
• Cut away shots

Mise-en scene

• Pillow
• Bed
• Pearl Necklace
• Dress
• Furry rug
• Quilts
• Light
• Veil

There are no sound effects or foley in this scene only music. The music suits very well to the piece. Building and fading away as the characters orgasm and experience bliss.

I rather like this scene as they tell all without showing much. The experience is conveyed through expression, symbolism and emotion.

The composition is very nice.

Reflecting on story development

When coming up with my story. I feel I would have been better off first deciding the location. Then developing characters. Then wondering what type of conflict or event may emerge between the two. Then and only then should I have come up with a story and developed it from there.

• Setting
• Characters
• Relationship
• Story

If I had followed this format the story process would have been more fluid. Instead I tried to come up with a story divorced from setting and then impose a setting onto the story. My characters are without substance and a back story. I am finding it rather difficult to impose a back story onto characters who I have already decided their actions.

Really glad I have learned this. 

Statement of Intent for animated short Pass

Explain your idea

My story is a mixture of impermanence and repetition. On one hand the story says that everything changes, by showing the viewer the past in a photograph and contrasting that past with the now present reality. On the other hand Pass aims to elude to the idea that tomorrow it will all repeat again, this is shown by having the first frame the same as the last frame. Time passing is stressed in the animation. This is done through the sound of the clock and footsteps mimicking the clock. Time is represented changing in a repetitive way. The french proverb  “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” comes to mind.

The hydra human represents an obstacle in the life of Tom. This obstacle is the loss of his lover. This loss affects Tom mentally physically and emotionally. The hydra humans represent the trinity of the mind, body and spirit. The head of the hydra human that represents the mind turns on the spirit and then turns on the body. This occurs at the same time Tom considers committing suicide.

Processes

I aim to use a multifaceted approach. Painting in water colour. Drawing outlines in oil pastel and painting over them. Applying filters in photoshop. Apply a moving texture over the piece to create rain. I am to film watercolor and water interacting and then apply it to the piece.

Learnt

I have learned a few helpful things one can do. Come up with ideas based on interesting pictures. Keep it relatively simple base your idea on a core concept eg. a quote. Recky photography is useful. If your not happy with it change it. What your project begins with and how it ends can be completely different. Don’t be afraid to completely change things. Attachment to things you like can stop it from becoming better. I learned how to construct a mood board, before i thought it was just combination of images related.

Hopes to learn

How to make all the sound effects and apply them well. How to animate the medium successfully while maintaining the qualities of the medium.

Variety of Sound Listed for Pass

Here I have comprised a list of all the different sounds I feel I will need in my animated short Pass.

• A clock ticking.
• A clock alarm going off.
• The noise of a clock being turned off on a table.
• Movement of quilt.
• Noise of springs in a mattress.
• The frame of a bed creaking under shifting weight.
• The clock alarm being turned off.
• Tom getting out of bed.
• A light-switch being turned off.
• A door being opened and closed.
• Footsteps on a hard floored staircase.
• Muffled screaming, moaning, fighting, sirens. 
• Traffic.
• Howling wind.
• Rain.
• Dripping.
• Damp footsteps.
• Man mumbling to himself gibberish.
• Scrapping noise.
• Hydra humans roaring.
• Man whimpering
• Hydra humans mocking and laughing.
• Inhaling fast panic like.
• Stretching noises. (For movement of hydra humans)
• Hissing and roaring noises.
• Crunching noise for the bite of the hydra human
• Squelching noise for the bite.
• Screaming.
• Swallowing noise.
• A bird. Either a crow or a raven cawing. 
• River.
• Van driving past.
• Breathing, as if nervous.
• Unnerving note.

Storyboard for Pass

Experiments

Sketch book work.

Posters

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