Film Studies: Essay, Evaluation and Bibliography

Film Studies

A Psychoanalysis of Yorgos Lanthimos’ film Dogtooth (2009)

Dogtooth (2009) is a film that continues to gain an intense reaction from its audience. Some may find it an uncomfortable watch and difficult to follow while others declare it an ode to arthouse cinema. Whatever the reaction, it is difficult to deny that Dogtooth engages our visual pleasure (Mulvey) as spectators for we are able to fulfil our ‘curious gaze’ through our observations of the family participating in a number of bizarre behaviours. One way that this can be observed is in how the parents discipline their near adult children when they are seen to be acting out of line or in any way that doesn’t conform to the strict ideology that they have forcefully implemented. The film takes place in the desolate countryside of Greece and follows the interactions of the family and the threat that the outside world has on the patriarchal familial structure. Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and Laura Mulvey are three highly influential psychologists who had great impact on the formation of Psychoanalysis. Although, they all have differing views on how Psychoanalysis they also share some common ideas that can be discussed when applying Psychoanalysis to film. This essay will discuss how the theories of Freud, Lacan and Mulvey can be used to decipher a film’s meaning through analysis. 

The film begins with a close up of a tape recorder which plays a recording of a female’s voice who presents new words and their meanings. What is unusual here is that the words and their meanings do not match up with the audience’s understanding. The voice defines the word sea as being a ‘leather chair with wooden armrests’ and highway as a ‘very strong wind’, both of which are significantly different to their correct definition. This is a strong statement to be made at the beginning of the film and establishes a sense of confusion and disorientation as the audience struggles to identify anything that can inform meaning in the mise-en-scene such as clothing, technology and location. Therefore, the film appears as though it takes place in a timeline of its own and perhaps also in a fictional location. Jacques Lacan’s philosophy of language discusses how individuals create an understanding of language in conforming to the patriarchal familial figure (father). An individual who is unable to build an understanding of language is ultimately viewed as suffering from psychosis or another form of mental disorder. This is interesting because if we apply this theory to the tape recording played at the beginning of the film, we could argue that the children are in fact able to develop language accordingly because they are submissive to the commands of the father and ’to learn a language is to learn a set of rules for the use and combination of words’ which again refers back to how the words on the tape are listed almost like a set of rules to be abided by. 

Lacan’s also discusses the unconscious and its role in developing language by controlling the ‘bodily manifestations and identifications with others and “external” objects that insist beyond his/her conscious control.’ This can be used to support the argument that the language that the children are taught by their parents is not entirely responsible for their understanding of the world around them and it is actually factors such as their repressed unconscious desires that rule how they identify and interact with others. Therefore, the subject of whether or not the children being brainwashed by the parents has a great impact on their development seems insignificant in comparison to the role of the unconscious because these desires are more powerful than anything that can be taught. 

Within the same beginning scene, we are introduced to the three children, all of which are in the bathroom listening to the tape recording. The three mid shots (each lasting around thirty seconds to a minute) introduce each sibling separately so that the viewer is able to take in each character as an individual before seeing them as more or less versions of the same person as the extreme rules set by the parents leave little room for individuality. The mid shot of the eldest sibling is particularly significant because she is sitting facing away from the mirror which is directly behind her. This could be representative of the fact that she has yet to make the connection between her ‘inner self’ and ‘outer self’ as Lacan notes in a stage of development known as the mirror stage. Lacan estimated that the mirror stage takes place between the ages 6 - 18 months in infancy therefore this insinuates that the eldest sibling has skipped this stage of development as she is more like the age of an adult than a child. This could however explain the reasoning behind her childlike innocence and behaviour in the film as the children are often seen playing games and competing against each other to win prizes such as choice of the evenings activities, a choice which as an adolescent/adult you should be able to make for yourself which again reinforces the dominance of the patriarchal power structure. 

Throughout the narrative, both the mother and father go to extremes to maintain the oppression of their children through lies and manipulation. They are indoctrinated with false stories of man eating cats and a brother that lives beyond the walls as another means of reinforcing the danger that lies in the outside world. The tale of the ‘dogtooth’ is perhaps the most symbolic as it signifies the key to their freedom and escape from oppression. Only when their ‘dogtooth’ falls out are they ready to leave the family home and face the outside world though this of course will not happen and the sense of hope and motivation that it gives the children to continue competing against one and other is entirely false.  

By the end of the film, the eldest sibling comes full circle as she is finally able to identify with her ‘inner self’ which she develops from exposure to the outside world in the form of videotapes of Rocky, Jaws and Flashdance which she bargains with a security guard who visits the home for. Her unconscious desire to lose her ‘dogtooth’ becomes her ‘ideal self’ and her curiosity brings this desire to life. In an uncomfortably brutal scene she begins to mutilate her mouth with a barbell in an attempt to break her dogtooth. An over the shoulder shot allows the viewer to observe her looking in to the mirror at herself, pausing to smile and expose her teeth as she begins to hit her mouth the barbell. While this is happening she continues to pause in between to smile at her reflection almost as though she is gaining some form of pleasure from her liberation. In Lacan’s mirror theory infants are able to look at themselves in the mirror and recognise themselves and similarly in this scene the eldest sibling is recognising the implications of her ‘inner self’ on her ‘outer self’ and how she can make the two come together to form her own identity. Although she is successful in losing her ‘dogtooth’, it isn’t entirely clear whether she is successful in her venture in to the outside world as rather than running away she gets in to the boot of the father’s car and we never see her again though it can be inferred that the indoctrination of her parents is too extreme to allow her to function in the outside world due to the huge differences in language and behaviour that is socially constructed. Lacan believes that we can never match up to our ‘ideal self’ because we will always want more and this seems to be true of Dogtooth also. 

The mise en scene is a visual representation of the patriarchal familial structure as it appears minimalistic, clean and orderly. Almost every shot appears very neutral, whites and blues and greys make the films colour palette which amplifies the cold, emotionless tone of the narrative. The only scenes which appear more colourful are those which take place outside which could be symbolic of the sense of freedom that outside has.  

Another theme which can be applied to psychoanalytic film theory is sexuality which is most evident in the scenes which take place between the security guard and the son. The father pays a security guard at his workplace to have sex with his eldest son in order to control his sexual urges. The interactions between the son and security guard are completely devoid of emotion, there is no love involved just sex and it appears extremely unnatural and awkward. It could be argued that even in these moments the patriarchal order of the family is reinforced because the son does not care for the pleasure of the security guard and is only focused on his own selfish desires. In scenes of nudity there are often shots of individuals from the waist down which places an emphasis on the visual pleasure for the spectator. Laura Mulvey’s ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ suggests that the cinema acts as a ‘safe space’ for spectators to indulge in their voyeuristic behaviour because no-one is watching them take pleasure in admiring the human form which would otherwise be frowned upon in day to day life. This creates a sense of ‘separation’ between the audience and the film and allows them to be active spectators and engage in scopophilic tendencies. Mulvey’s theory can be applied to the intimate scenes in Dogtooth because it projects ‘women as image and man as bearer of the look’ by hovering over the female form to allow the viewer to become voyeuristic by exposing them to the erotic contours of the body. The cinematic gaze is most often produced by masculine means and therefore this reinforces the idea that women's bodies are an object of masculine desire. 

Bibliography:

(1) Dogtooth (2009) 

(2) Dogtooth Movie Review & Film Summary (7th July 2010) (online) available from:       
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dogtooth-2010

(3) A dive into the twisted psychology of Dogtooth (11th March 2018) (online) available from: http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/a-dive-into-the-twisted-psychology-of-dogtooth/ (online)

(4) Dogtooth and the Tyranny of the Paternal Metaphor (2012) (online) available from: http://film-philosophy.com/conference/index.php/conf/2012/paper/viewPaper/212 

(4) Dogtooth (22nd April 2010) (online) available from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/22/dogtooth-review 

(5) Film Review: Dogtooth (22nd April 2010) (online) available from: https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film-review-dogtooth-1-800939

(6) Decoding 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer,' the Craziest Tragedy of 2017 (28th November 2017 (online) available from: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vb354d/decoding-the-killing-of-a-sacred-deer-the-craziest-tragedy-of-2017 (online)

(8) The Favourite review: Yorgos Lanthimos courts controversy but cops out (7th January 2019) (online) available from: https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/the-favourite-yorgos-lanthimos-olivia-colman-emma-stone-rachel-weisz (online)

(9) Freud's Stages of Psychosexual Development (online) available from: https://psychologenie.com/freuds-stages-of-development

(10) Oedipus complex: One of Freud's Most Controversial Ideas (20th September 2018) (online) available from: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-oedipal-complex-2795403

(11) The Oedipus Complex (online) available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_PRnY7Jkw

(12) Yorgos Lanthimos interview (9th December 2018) (online) available from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/09/yorgos-lanthimos-the-favourite-interview 

(13) Dogtooth Film Review (25th April 2010) (online) available from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/25/dogtooth-film-review

(14) Lacan, Jacques Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (online) available from: https://www.iep.utm.edu/lacweb/#H3

(15) Laura Mulvey (1999) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Film Theory and Criticism, III Women as the image, men as the barer of the look, New York, Oxford UP, Page 840

(15) Lanthimos's 'Dogtooth,' a Family Parable (24th June 2010) (online) available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/movies/27dogtooth.html

(16) Jacques Lacan Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy  (2nd April 2013) (online) available from: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/lacan/

(17) symbolic, real, imaginary (2002) (online) available from: http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/symbolicrealimaginary.htm

Film Studies Research

Film Studies: Research on theories and films and their context

Topic ideas:

• A textual analysis and application of Jacques Lacan theory of lack and the mirror stage to the films of Yorgos Lanthimos - Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Favourite

Dogtooth:

Family structure - the father is the only member of the family to leave the home to provide for his family while the others must remain in the walls of their home.

The development of language - linked to psychological development

Mirror stage - mirrors are often seen within the film, within the first scene of the film, the siblings are in the bathroom listen to the tapes that their mother and father have created to teach them words and their meanings. A mid shot shows the oldest sibling sitting with her back to the mirror - this links to her development because she has had a bizarre upbringing where she hasn't been able to make the usual connection between her inner self and outer self though this is developed as she tests the boundaries and takes it upon herself to remove her 'dogtooth' herself through self mutilation which she does whilst looking in the same mirror that we see her facing away from in the beginning of the film.

The mirror theory is demonstrated through the metaphor of the 'dog tooth' as the children are told that only when their dogtooth falls out are they then ready to venture in to the outside world. As a viewer we are aware that this entirely unrealistic because adult teeth are not known to just fall out unless it happens in an accident. Therefore the 'dogtooth' is a symbol of something that they will never achieve and they are condemned to misery in the compound of their own home. This is similar to Lacan's theory of lack and that we will always desire something but even when/if this desire is met there will be something else that we desire therefore we will never truly be satisfied.

Dogtooth notes:

Words - the children learn new words through the use of a recorded tape, the words they learn do not resemble the true meanings - their world is already distorted - links to development 

We see the father drive a woman wearing security uniform to a very secluded place - this is where the majority of the film takes place and is the family’s home 

Brother is seen using weights before the security guard arrives - he shares the idea that men have to be strong to seduce women 

When the brother is having sex with the security guard it is shot from above - similar to a scene where we see the parents having sex, which demonstrates patriarchal dominance within the family

Their purpose is to compete against each other to prove their worth to their parents - links to Lacan theory because they will never reach the top position or at least remain the ‘best child’ because they are competing everyday in order to impress their parents and to be able to make decisions about how the family spend their evening 

The siblings play childlike games 

Freud talks about ‘penis envy’ - relates to power structures within society and in Dogtooth this relates to the family structure. 

The family in Dogtooth is lead by a patriarchal figure - the father 

Throughout the film there is questioning of the structure of the family, usually in males we see them looking up to their father and wanting to be like them or even in some cases stronger than them. This is also illustrated in women when they look up to their fathers and wonder why they can never become the ‘head’ of the family. In Dogtooth it is the eldest female sibling who rebels against her family or the ‘society’ she has been raised in. She becomes more curious about the things that they have been taught and is fascinated by the security guard who comes to visit the family - she doesn’t have any other interactions outside of the family besides this one. She learns behaviour from the security guard to bargain with people, offering them a prize in return for them doing a favour. In this case the security guard is bargaining with the older sister in order to gain sexual pleasure. The older sister copies this and bargains with her sister, asking her to lick her on the stomach and other areas of her body in order for a prize to be won. 

Freud Oedipal complex 

Lacan suggests that the oedipal stage is more about the need to obey the father rather than dominate father, father represents the paternal metaphor 

Family represents a hierarchal patriotic structure and this is also seen in society as the child gets older and leaves the family and joins greater society 

In dogtooth the phobia is entirely constructed through the paternal figure with help fro the mother. The greatest fear lies in the outside world, the father brainwashes his children with stories of the dangers that lurk outside of their home 

The family structure is surrounded by this idea of fear and phobia of what lies waiting for them in the outside world and this is done through patriarchal force 

Family - focuses on their interactions and the power struggles within the family. The dogtooth is a metaphor for their freedom although it can never be achieved 

The idea of their ‘unseen brother’ who the father uses to instil fear in to the children and he even fakes his death 

At the beginning of the film we are introduced to three children within the family listening to a tape recorded by their mother. She is delivering words and their definitions - sea is a leather armchair with arms - this shows they are being brainwashed by signifiers with imaginary meanings 

He gives punishment to the children and creates the competition between them 

Dog training - shows the father’s parenting - poses the question ‘do you want an animal or a friend?’ 

False narrative - the made up stories 

Mother is the voice of reason - tells children the meaning of words if they ask 

The son is the middle child but is raised to the top of the children’s hierarchy

Son hasn’t developed sexuality - awkward and childlike, the father could be doing this to create the ideal heterosexual figure for his family or Freud would argue that this is to control the desire that the son has for his mother 

Airplane is a symbol of freedom - the siblings constantly fight over it 

Eldest sister says she wants to be called Bruce - could this be because she has recognised the patriarchal force in her family and understands that if she goes by a male name then she can be viewed as being a strong figure ? 

Lack is in the form of the ‘dogtooth’ metaphor 

Lack - the sisters because they will never become the head of the family simply because they are female 

Lack -  to be the best sibling because the siblings are constantly in competition with one another - link to a scene where the family are listening to a piece of music and the father narrates over the top, telling the children what the words of the song mean because they are words they do not recognise 

Odephius - greek myth of a son who said he would kill his father and marry his mother, freud develops this idea in his concept ‘the oedphius complex’ a stage in which he believes a child 

The Favourite:

Queen Anne - her lack is the trauma of losing children and being alone yet when she has the choice of two female companions fighting over she still ultimately miserable and dying

Abigail - she wants to gain her status back but when she does she realises what she has committed herself to, she will always be a prisoner to the Queen if she wants to remain a lady

Bibliography:

(1) https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dogtooth-2010 (online)

(2) http://thebigpicturemagazine.com/a-dive-into-the-twisted-psychology-of-dogtooth/ (online)

(3) http://film-philosophy.com/conference/index.php/conf/2012/paper/viewPaper/212 (online) 

(4) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/22/dogtooth-review (online)

(5) https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film-review-dogtooth-1-800939 (online)

(6) https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film-review-dogtooth-1-800939 (online)

(7) https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vb354d/decoding-the-killing-of-a-sacred-deer-the-craziest-tragedy-of-2017 (online)

(8) https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/the-favourite-yorgos-lanthimos-olivia-colman-emma-stone-rachel-weisz (online)

(9) https://psychologenie.com/freuds-stages-of-development

(10) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-an-oedipal-complex-2795403

(11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_PRnY7Jkw

(12) https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dogtooth-2010 

(13) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/dec/09/yorgos-lanthimos-the-favourite-interview 

(14) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/apr/25/dogtooth-film-review

(15) Dogtooth (2009) 

Psychoanalytic Film Theory

Mulvey: Pleasure and Narrative Cinema

Laura Mulvey: A British filmmaker and theorist, most well known for her essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' (1975) . Her work is observed to be one of the most defining texts in establishing feminist film theory. 

Mulvey (1975) states that film fascinates us through images and engages our emotions. Through the use of psychoanalysis she aimed to "discover where and how the fascination of film reinforced by pre-existing patterns of fascination already at work within with individual subject". She refers to this as a "political weapon". 

In mainstream cinema patriarchy is heavily prominent, placing a focus on women as objects of "visual pleasure". She argues that this visual pleasure takes the form of scopophilia where the viewer can take great enjoyment and pleasure in observing the human form in an environment where they will not be condemned for doing so. She argues that films actually encourage this  type of behaviour from the viewer by creating a "safe space" that is specifically designed for people to explore the visuals that cinema creates. 

She describes a 'shift in spectatorship' in the films that she had come to love and admire. She  became a female spectator of films, viewing them with 'different eyes' than before. The difference here is that instead of being absorbed in to a films narrative and mise en scene and becoming voyeuristic spectator, she became an active viewer who placed herself at a distance from the film in order to form criticism. The group that she was involved with during this period of time were known as The Feminist Studies Group. 

(Laura Mulvey discusses the emergence of her essay 'visual pleasure and the narrative cinema')

Sigmund Freud discusses scopophilia in his 'three essays' (1905). In simple terms he discussed the link between children's voyeurism and cinematic looking. Describing a curious gaze that we possess that stems from childhood before we have developed a sense of what is right and wrong in a social context. For instance, children are often outspoken and do not realise that it is rude to point at someone and say something aloud about their physical appearance. A fully developed adult brain has adapted to filter through our thoughts and be selective with what we share aloud with others therefore relating to our personal definition of societal norms. In cinema Freud believes that we resort back to this childlike mindset and become absorbed by what we are viewing, allowing ourselves to stare and take pleasure in doing so. He believed that the most satisfying of visual pleasure is that of the human form and face. 

He states that women's portrayal within a narrative act 'against the development of a storyline' and alters in pace to act almost like a freeze frame in moments of erotic contemplation. "Women as image, man as bearer of the look". Women are not only an 'erotic object' within the narrative but also for the spectator who for them are an object of fantasy. Throughout the narrative the spectator is being guided through the story in an attempt to let them identify with the male protagonist which intensifies their visual pleasure of female characters by making them feel included in the storytelling. 

This leads on to the concept of fetishistic scopophilia: the image of the woman can be viewed as a threat to the male spectator which can instil fear. The two methods of escaping this fear is to first investigate the woman and unravel her 'mystery' which can be achieved by exposure to the female body (fragmentation), the spectator no longer views her as a whole and is therefore removes any intimidation. The second method is to deny castration by turning the woman in to a reassuring fetish.

(an explanation of scopophilia and how it affects individuals who experience it)


Applying the 'Male Gaze' to film

The Male Gaze is most prominent in mainstream cinema and can be explored within the majority of films. This can either be explicit in films such as The Wolf of Wall Street and Bad Teacher where there is a distinct female character created entirely for the visual spectator or subliminal where the viewer has to become an active spectator rather than allowing themselves to be completely absorbed in the narrative. In The Wolf of Wall Street this is demonstrated in the visuals of Naomi who is the stereotypical 'ideal woman' or an object of fantasy. In scenes where Naomi is present long, close up and point of view shots are often used in order to allow the viewer to hover over the contours of her body and view her as an object of desire. Throughout the film she is also portrayed as very glamorous and sexy through the outfits she wears, tight, short skirts and dresses, high heels and long blonde hair all contribute to her aesthetic.
Mulvey Research:

1) https://www.womenandfilm.net/home/2017/9/21/on-the-female-gaze (online)
2)

Editing

Development of editing

Editing is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of film, it enables directors to manipulate

audiences perspective and establishes the pace of which events unfold throughout the narrative. Modern editing continues to advance with the introduction of new technology but it is imperative to understand where it all began and the impact of editing on film. 

In 1895 the Lumiere brothers introduced the first camera known as the cinematographe, a three way machine that recorded, captured and projected a motion picture. It produced one long roll of film, essentially a continuous shot. On the 28th December 1985, the first public screening took place, it inspired the magician, George Méliès to become involved in film. After being refused a purchase of a cinematographe from the Lumière brothers, who saw him as a direct competition, he took it upon himself to purchase an animatograph from which he was able to create his own camera. Along with owning a theatre company, Méliès  began to show his own films. It is from this experience that he began to use jump cuts in his films to create an appearance of things disappearing and reappearing in shots. This effect can be seen in the film The Haunted Castle (1986). 

Méliès also introduced effects known as overlaying dissolves, fade in & fade out and stop motion photography. It is from this that Méliès was able to adapt film in to a storytelling form, something which would both engage and entertain audiences and continue to increase the popularity of film. Méliès theatre background hugely influenced his work, throughout his career he made around 500 films and all were shot from the same angle. Viewing his films was almost like being a spectator in a theatre audience, lots of detail was taking place in the scene but the audience could only see this a single perspective. 

Edwin S Porter is another figure who was emerging around a similar time. He had a background in vita scope projection and went on to become head of production at Edison Skylight Studio. In 1901 Edwin S Porter took a more experimental approach to editing by putting different parts of film together. This produced an image which consisted of several shots and increased in length. Porter was greatly influenced by Méliès and in his film Life of an American Fireman (1903) he combined stock footage and staged scenes to form a narrative. Similarly to Méliès, each shot was a complete scene and used a technique known as temporal overlaps to combine the two together. It is here that he began to understand the importance of the arrangement of shots to create meaning. This breakthrough in editing allowed Porter to create something more complex, a story that exists beyond the image produced. This idea of editing shots in to a sequence is known as 'primitive editing'. 

At the time D.W.Griffith had dreams of becoming a writer and started to write stories for films. He submitted his work to Porter who refused and instead gave Griffith a role in his film as an actor. Griffith then went on to work with the production company Biograph and went on to make around 450 films. In his film Greaser's Gauntlet he used a technique known as the 'cut in', this consisted of cutting a medium long shot to a full shot in the middle of a scene to emphasise the emotional reaction from the two actors within the scene. He also created the term 'continuity editing' a technique which allows scenes to follow a continuous and smooth pace which creates a sense of time and space within a narrative. From this the 180 degree rule was born, he discovered that by keeping the camera on one side of the 'axis of action' he could avoid any conflicts to continuity when cutting from one angle to another. Another technique established by Griffith is 'cross cutting' which allowed him to cut between different scenes in a parallel action which can be first seen in his film After Many Years (1908). Griffith used this techniques to experiment with the pace of the cuts to create a sense of urgency during particular scenes to build a cinematic climax. 

After this, filmmakers went on to establish techniques such as matching eyelines, cutting on action, establishing shots, reverse shots etc. A new wave of cinema was created. Griffith's blockbuster film The Birth of a Nation, used all of these experimental techniques and determined its success despite its controversy for being racist. However, it was soon banned due to its controversy causing riots to take place. Griffith never recovered from this setback and would not make another successful film in his time. Griffith was a hugely influential figure in the world of film and is responsible for the style of continuity editing used in mainstream cinema today. 

The Lumiére Brothers 

Edwin S Porter 

D.W.Griffith

Contextual Studies - Easy Rider Clip

Contextual Studies - Easy Rider Clip

The clip begins with a medium shot, the four characters in the scene are intoxicated and we witness them sharing alcohol, cigarettes and pills. There is little dialogue between the characters although the audience are aware of a relationship between them from the intimacy shown between the male and female characters. This use of medium shot allows the audience to have a more intimate view of the characters, we are close enough to observe details such as facial expressions and body language whilst also taking in part of the location in which the scene is taking place. The juxtaposition of the tone at this point is reflected through this beginning shot which allows the audience to observe the interaction with the characters in the form of a casual conversation however, with the addition of substances taken by the characters we can already foreshadow that the mood may take a dramatic turn. 

Throughout the entire clip we hear a constant droning machine type noise which adds to the unusual psychedelic atmosphere. This noise is presumably diagetic although it could be interpreted as internal diagetic as none of the characters acknowledge the noise therefore it is unclear whether the noise was simply due to something such as construction or whether it may be a reflection of the fragility of their mental stability throughout the clip due to consumption of LSD. Regardless of this, it's important to note that this does have a direct effect on building tension in the scene and adds to the already erratic and claustrophobic tone that has been created. This could also be representative of the effect of LSD which makes the characters act in a way which appears to consume them in their own emotions. the use of jump cuts also illustrates this as we can see the emotional torment the characters are experiencing through their facial expressions. 

The use of 360 degree pan makes the camera appear as though it is spinning which again relates back to the subject of being intoxicated while also adding a sense of instability.  As the clip continues we are introduced to another female who appears to be reciting a biblical verse/prayer; this a reminder to the audience of the unforgivable environment that this mania is taking place in. We see one of the female characters taking off her clothes and later lying across a gravestone naked, the vulnerability of her naked body insinuates that she has lost control of herself and is therefore engaging in risky behaviour as a result of substance abuse. Audiences in 1969 would have been completely shocked by such behaviour much like a modern audience would be however with religion playing a more dominant part in society at the time it would have been viewed as incredibly shameful. 

Planning/Things to add 

Themes to discuss and relate to shot etc: sex and drugs - losing control, attitudes in the 60's and how it relates to the new wave and breaking down boundaries in cinema

Begins with a medium shot - characters are intoxicated, we see them sharing alcohol, cigarettes and pills, there is little dialogue between the characters although the audience are aware of a relationship between the characters from the intimacy shown between the male and female characters. A medium shot is more intimate and follows the structure of a casual conversation, we are close enough to see facial expressions of characters and interpret body language, we can also see a partial view of the background, so we are able to take in brief details about the location in which the shot is taking place which adds to the meaning

tilt shot

jump cuts - we can see the emotional torment of the characters from their distressed facial expressions and them crying out in disjointed sentences - their words make very little sense

use of zoom and snap zoom - the snap zoom on the sun and the bright light that covers the screen could be representative of the effects of LSD - colours are brighter therefore the sun could seem almost ominous/powerful with its brightness - LSD is reportedly supposed to make the user view things from an entirely different perspective therefore something as simple as the sun could be viewed in a completely twisted sense of its reality.

improvisational style in relation to acting and dialogue

Wider context:

"Easy Rider...a ritualistic experience and viewed often by youthful audience in the late 1960's as a reflection of their realistic hopes of liberation and fears of the establishment."

source = www.filmsite.org/easy.html     date accessed: 21/09/18