1. When introducing Amelie (and the credits), we find that she is an unusual and imaginative girl. This is displayed with close-ups of things she does without having establishing shots.
The framing is tight because we don't expect Amelie to need to move around. Instead, we expect her to be in a following shot doing something equally childish. These shots are "close to the action" because if she did move, we want to move with her and be close to her. Otherwise, we are just on the outside looking in. We aren't supposed to care about what's around her because the focus on her makes anything an establishing shot would provide unnecessary. This reflects the film as a whole because we feel like we know her by the time she is grown up and going about her adventures. The viewer has a connection with her because of these several shots shown before the story really begins.2. Another interesting thing is how Amelie "breaks the 4th wall". She looks at the camera to communicate with the audience.
The camera is at a neutral level so it seems like we're right there with her. There is tight framing because it's like (especially with the second picture) she's telling us a secret that only her viewer can know. People don't tell other people secrets from afar, but instead lean in so that we are close to them. I think this communication between her and her audience contributes to her peculiarity because one doesn't expect and actress who isn't even supposed to know they're watching them to suddenly talk or look at them. Although there is a voice-over narrator to tell the story, Amelie is also the one telling the story because of these little hints that she knows we're watching her. It reflects the film in a similar way to that of the first stylistic device, which is that the viewer can understand Amelie better by forming a connection with her. 3. Another thing that makes this film so unique is that when Amelie is watching the television, she imagines that the people on the screen are talking about her.
There is a black and white filter that makes it appear old. This make her seem like a long forgotten person who did much good in her life. She is trying to imagine a different life where she helped all of these people she met, such as the blind man and the old man with brittle bones. It is like an epiphany because she then tries to help those people because she wants to be remembered. This specific shot shows solitude because of the filter, the downward direction her eyes are looking, and all of the empty space in the shot. Amelie wants to change her lonely life so she doesn't have to die alone as well. this reflects the entire film because it gives her motivation to reach a different "destiny".
4. There is an odd special effect seen throughout the film of glowing orange at important moments. Sometimes there is an x-ray of something accompanied by it.
The dominant color in both shots is orange because it is such a bright color. I think it represents the warmth Amelie feels at doing good. Even though in the first shot she is being mischievous, she is doing it with good intent because the produce man needs to get what's coming to him for being so mean. It also just highlights the key so the viewer understands what she did with the keys. The second one more directly shows warmth because Amelie made it as though the blind man could see. He only needed to imagine everything she told him about his surroundings, and the orange glow effect make sit obvious that this was a miracle for him. The orange glow reflects the entire film because it supports the quirkiness of it.
The most interesting stylistic I saw in this blog is breaking the 4th wall. I thought this was an important part of the movie because the actors were communicating with the audience.
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ReplyDeleteThe most interesting stylistic device I read in this blog was breaking the fourth wall because it is great to understand who the main character is not only by what is told by the narrator, but by the way the character connects with the audience by directing talking to them. Your description of the shots are really detailed that help the readers understand what the director himself visualized.
ReplyDeleteThe stylistic device I found interesting was when you talked about Amélie and how she imagined herself in the show she was watching. She saw firsthand her future and the futures of everyone around her in clear black and white. Seeing herself like that, gave her a new look and a new approach to trying to change her life.
ReplyDeleteThe stylistic device i found most fascinating was when Amelie broke the fourth wall. It adds more communication and emotion to the film. The two shots capture the stylistic device.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talked about the camera angles and framing because that adds to the emotion of the shot as well. I also liked how you described Amelie's different emotions towards a scene; she goes from mischievous to a more helpful and caring personality.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you talked about the emotion that the shots carry through the characters. I also like how you talked about the main dominant colors that are used through out the movie and how that reflects. Lastly I liked how you talked about the camera angles and what it did to the movie and how you felt about it. You stated both the facts and your own comments which was good!
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