Digital Debates Flashcards
What is the purpose of the Director of Photography ?
helps the director achieve the look of the film
What is meant by the term dailies?
unedited footage of what was filmed that day
What does resolution depend on?
the number of pixels - the more pixels, the higher the quality
How many pixels does a typical SD camera typically have?
720x480 pixels
How many pixels does a typical HD camera typically have?
1920 pixels across
What is the job of the colourist/colour timer?
makes adjustments to the look of the film; they work with the director and the DoP to fit their desired visuals
What is dynamic range?
the ability to capture darkness (key criticism)
How far has streaming impacted on the way we consume film?
Films are more accessible: allows an individual to watch a film on their own
What is the benefit of celluloid when compared to digital archiving?
you can keep physical copies of celluloid, whereas archiving will result in a loss of footage in a century or so
Summary of Digital Technology in Amy
- little original footage shot: consists of captioned establishing shots of London with either a helicopter/drone. offer a brief counterpoint to the rest of the films style
- ‘Amy’ is clearly the work of a number of filmmakers - Kapadia has amassed a lot of archive footage from media sources and placed these alongside more personal insights into Amy’s life
- combination of analogue and some early digital recordings of Amy from her friends and family; offer a revealing perspective on her life
- controversial aspects of her life eg her bulimia, addictions and relationship with Blake
- we only hear the interviewees and never see them
- manipulation and montage effect of using footage alongside the interviews is what gives the film its power
- exposes how even before her fame, Amy’s existence was being documented through the use of digital technology
How might Kapadia have told Amy’s story differently?
- include footage of interviewees; would have places less focus on Amy
- could have included re-enactments
- could have included himself; more interactive so more bias
- could have been non-chronological
Objectivity in Amy
- editing is influenced by Kapadia’s personal feelings; the story he wants to tell
- subjective; portrayed Blake and Mitch in a negative light, misses context
Non-fiction in Amy
- archive footage used
- raw footage taken out of context: Kapadia did edit and place clips in a particular order and way, cut snippets out of real interviews
- Key scene of Amy’s death; a real event
Construction in Amy
- adding lyrics and names onto the screen: allows key events and people to be introduced
- construction of sound during Back to Black scene: technology is used to add studio recording to enhance the scene
- archival footage: without technology, this would not exist
- voiceovers
- linear: follows Amy’s life chronologically from a montage of found footage from her childhood to her death
Truth in Amy
- based on real events
- chronological: life and career through to death
- interpreted by spectator
- still images: closing montage with credits
- puts certain people in a negative light
- interviews of people close to her: first hand account
- archive footage
- no bias, Kapadia doesn’t give his opinion
Reality in Amy
- news footage portrayed of Amy shows the reality of how she was seen and treated
- Amy’s phone footage is raw and recorded solely for capturing the memory: shows the reality of her personality
- interviews show the reality of her fame and the real negative effect it had on her
- paparazzi pictures used to show her real and vulnerable moments ie when under the influence
- after her death the paparazzi sound the house: shows the poor treatment of her
Manipulation in Amy
- can manipulate footage to align the spectator with/against a certain person/narrative
- it is easier to manipulate images with a digital camera eg limited colour manipulation available photochemically on celluloid
Fiction in Amy
- Kapadia has stricter home videos and chose to cut them at specific points; creates narrative
- recreations are less fictional
- characters fit archetype eg Blake as the villain
- reality doesn’t have a specific narrative. but a film on narrative is quite useful
Spectator positioning in Amy
- the media is demonised due to use of digital effects, showing newspaper pictures in chronological order and the cruel portrayal of her deterioration
- the spectator is positioned against Mitch and Blake; we have sympathy for Amy
Key points for wider reading
- Kapadia: “I know when someone’s telling me something true and when they’re making it up. I know when they’re putting themselves in her life.”
- 100 people interviewed and 20 months of editing: took 3 years to make
- Mitch: “the film is trying to portray me in the worst possible light”
- Mitch also says the interviews he gave for the film were edited and the film-makers were “a disgrace”
- Kapadia: Amy was born at the wrong time, caught on the cusp of an analogue and digital world where notions of privacy were changing rapidly
