3rd blog task for bfaftv2 - scene and sanity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk_tn8K0OwA, funeral for a dead bird from “the hours”

This scene has a startling contrast between a child wondering about death and an author who is not too far from it. 

The camera work is not complicated, there are wide shots to establish the location/light and colours of the scene, there are mid shots to indicate the characters’ frame of mind while interacting with one another on the concept of death.  My favourite shot is the CU shot of Virginia Woolf’s face looking at the dead bird and the CU of the dead bird.  In short, the camera work is not complicated with minimal movements, but provides great coverage to communicate to the audience the psychology of the characters and the poetry of the moment, as we, the audience is also being challenged to our own understanding of death.

This sequence captures my imagination as it assists me in understanding the camera work and performance required in portraying the characters’ psychology and thought.  This aspect of the cinematic art is something which I am greatly endeavored to accomplish.  It has a sharp cinematic edge to it as it has the CU shots of Virginia Woolf’s face and of the dead bird, these would not be effective for a stage setting.  Additionally, due to the intimate nature of the scene, where neither of the characters are projecting their vocal, this also makes it more suitable for the screen, as the screen has the ability of inviting the audience to the intimacy of the space.

Here, we see a Virginia Woolf who looks at death with a quizzical manner, she is neither afraid or sad about it.  It is almost an apple, red, incandescent and enticingly crunchy and juicy, it is the enticement of this deathly apple that brings about the great despair and despondent of life.