wildtales

Question 1

what is the Spanish way of saying wild tales?

Answer 1

Relatos Salvajes

Question 2

who is the director of Wild Tales?

Answer 2

Damian Szifron

Question 3

where and when was is made and produced?

Answer 3

made in Argentina/ spain

released in 2014

Question 4

background information on Wildtales ?

Answer 4

the title means ‘savage tales’
its a portmanteau of 6 deadly stories on revenge
extreme acts of violence from protagonists
its vicious, bloody, funny, satirical black comedy
it shows that small lapses of self control can change the course of multiple lives
relatable and global, shared frustrations and we can all lose control
Oscar nominated (lost to Ida) and BAFTA winner.

Question 5

who is Szifron?

Answer 5

he is an Argentinian film and television director and screen writer born in 1975.
his influences behind wild tales were: Roald Dahl, Tarantino, Coen Brothers, Almodovar and Looney tunes

Question 6

what are the common themes in Wild Tales?

Answer 6

self contained narratives and enigma twists
Macabre, dark, sinister
extremely violent, often comically so
thrilling and mysterious
relatable but caricatured characters
themes of injustice and revenge and inhibited losing of control.

Question 7

what inspiration did Szifron use for the road rage tale?

Answer 7

‘duel’

Question 8

Argentinian context?

Answer 8

guardian 2015: ‘ truly tales from a branca nation’

a rage at the complacency and mediocrity of Argentinian ruling class.

Question 9

social contexts?

Answer 9

Argentinian social order. individuals are itching to take a stand against a country that demonstrates both backward and social constructs.
economic decline halted but periods of inflation and uncertainty.

Question 10

political and historical contexts?

Answer 10

recent history in Argentina of military junta and the so called ‘dirty war’ (state terrorism) in 1976-1983.
human rights violations , later investigation into war crimes and the ‘disappeared’ by the ruling military.
mistrust of officials and government in recent history
contemporary Argentinian corruption and bearocracy.

Question 11

institutional context?

Answer 11

film production in Argentina supported by the state , i snow on of the major film industries in the Spanish speaking world.

budget of the film $4 million
locations in cities of Buenos Aries, Salta and Jujly prainces.

Question 12

the film s composed of 6 short segments, what are their names?

Answer 12

pasternak 
las ratas
el mas fuerte
bombita
la propuesta 
hasta que la muerte nos separe

Question 13

quote from Szifron?

Answer 13

’ i like to see the wildness… we are human animals’

‘vital organs of the same body’ ( about the stories)

Question 14

audience response

Answer 14

often horrified , sometimes amused

realistic characters are relatable but exaggerated sometimes surreal narratives

Question 15

representations in Wild tales

Answer 15

individuals have no real power and natural; savage instincts make them lose control.
bastards rule the world- Argentinian society , ruling middle class just out for themselves. a corrupt system
characters erupt in a liberating way, but come off worse and not looking good.
only represents Argentinians , they face injustice, inequality, stress and make wrong decisions.
combination of mundane and the extreme. violence erupts but is so uncontrolled as to be comical.
abuse of power takes different forms and links the tales which all have a different aesthetic.

Question 16

mise in scene in general in wild tales

Answer 16

opening pre-credits sequence set the black yer comic tone. the credits consist of a series of mages of animals.

Question 17

editing in general in wild tales

Answer 17

editing between sequences as well as within

Question 18

sound in wild tales

Answer 18

music by Gustavo Santolava theme over the credits and background music.

Question 19

representations in wild tales

Answer 19

‘bastards rule the world’ Argentinian society just out for themselves.
corrupt system and petty officials.

Question 20

cinematography in las ratas

Answer 20

use of focus pull and camera movement to reinforce narrative and preferred reading.
rule of thirds, focus pull, and depth of field used to introduce and emphasise characters.
eg cook in the window has warm lighting aswell as villian in window has warm lighting. both devils?
light and colour, warmth to a sickly cool green.
close ups to emphasise key objects and for shadow their use. eg rat poison, food and Knife.
camera tilts up from knife to capture reaction shot of cook saying prison ‘isnt too bad’ (humorous yet shocked response)
match on action again to emphasise the poison and the temptation
slow zoom to increase tension
audience are protected from graphic shot of vomiting but then a close up warms eye views of waitress in pool of blood.
circulating aerial shot of carnage (Tarantino like?)

Question 21

mise en scene in las ratas

Answer 21

establishing shot of cafe at night in rain, stormy night , typical horror genre.
mundane, domestic scene
green and orange, dated almost sickly
dirty kitchen, missing tiles, like a filthy morgue
erie light in kitchen
cold, grubby deathly grey of cook and kitchen
close up on knife foreshadows its importance later
rat poison fitting as men like the loan shark are like filthly rats.

Question 22

sound in las ratas

Answer 22

diegetic rain and thunder
dialogue: cook ‘ shall we do the community a favour?’
non diegetic music to add tension and set tone and mood.
volume of sound increases with tension
diegetic sound of cook stabbing loan shark
mournful music

Question 23

editing in las ratas

Answer 23

breaks the 180 degree rule (unsettling )
shot reverse shot -reaction shots to introduce enigma and exposition
editing combined with non-diegetic sound in post production
ellipsis from cooking to taking out the food (did she poison the food or nah?)
editing get quicker -violence escalates very fast
transition into next take, graphic match of cars

Question 24

performance in Las Ratas

Answer 24

loan shark- running for mayor (respectful position but corrupt system) audience will immediately be sympathising waitress.
bullying, rude, controlling, sarcastic, patronising
rude (clapping for attention)
waitress, seems torn, conscious. facial expressions and non verbal codes

Question 25

cinematography in Bombita

Answer 25

black screen transition at start, view of explosive being put in hole
first shots, close and focused on a mundane task. cut to explosive longshot of the building to be demolished. impressive and dramatic helps represent simon as highly skilled.
depth of field used to draw attention to key aspects of narrative eg arrival of tow truck. audience is aware but simon is not.
slow zoom to a mid shot of simon still with the cake. calm but getting increasingly impatient
two shots only focussing on simon side view reaction shots
camera slowly zooms in on mirror representing the erupting rage he feels
warmth of house juxtaposed with simons cold reception
paying fine, breaks 180 degree rule to show he is spinning out of control.
long shot of corridor urban , wealth cool greys and blues.

Question 26

mise en scene in Bombita

Answer 26

cool grey s and warm neutral tones . urban feel, grey robotic officials
in car
mid shot of grey traffic jam. heat haze to reflect anger
dull domesticity of kitchen. mundane life, similar use of accent colour to Las Ratas(tired and dated) (red green and brown tones)
long shot of corridor , greys and blues, wealth success and urban

Question 27

sound in Bombita

Answer 27

dialogue is vital eg simon starts represented as one person and develops into someone different
non diegetic music and diegtic urban sounds
hustle and bustle of the city - smoky atmostphere , hooting cars and traffic noises. (impatience, busy urban anoymity)
non diegtic staccato music
strings for tension
‘you gang of thieves’ corrupt but people put up with it
music used with close ups and fast editing for drama
dialogue is used with comic effect ‘take it easy’ and ‘get a therapist’

Question 28

editing in Bombita

Answer 28

kitchen scene, shot reverse shots mid shot. who is in control?
reaction shots, realisation that he’s got another ticket
calm music and slow mo as he hands the fine over, slow paced editing showing him get explosives.
montage of new stories
cuts back to black to transition to next tale

Question 29

performance in Bombita

Answer 29

character arc 
self assured and confident to stressed , resentful angry to heroic and loving and apprieciated (simon)
sudden spurts of rage
'what violence?' comedy reaction shots 
'get a therapist'