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Home , Richard Ayoade, Warp Films

Film Studies Knowledge Organiser Contemporary British Cinema:

Overview: Director: Set in Wales. Follows the story of Oliver Tate. Oliver is Meaning of Title: Submarine Produced by: Films a teenager struggling with typical adolescent anxieties Certificate: 15 Refers to bouts of depression suffered by Oliver’s about age, sex, school, family and love. Submarine has father. Lloyd says they make him feel as if he is totally Running time: 97 mins been adapted from a novel by Joe Dunthome. submerged at the bottom of the ocean. Release: Toronto International Film Festival , 2010 UK release, 18 March 2011

Key Elements of Film Form Contexts

• Mid shots to reflect his isolation • Blue colour motif prevalent throughout the ‘Prologue’ • Progressive gender stereotypes, including the • Use of his silhouette and not his face suggests he is a sensitive and overly emotional male (Oliver) Cinematography difficult and complex character. • Jordana could be viewed as a strong female • Pathetic fallacy to denote Oliver’s sombre mood. character that goes against female teen/ romance archetypes. She is dominant, assertive • Oliver’s romanticised POV – rose-tinted spectacles (romance with Jordana) or in a sepia-tinged melancholy and in control. She is reluctant to date Oliver and is motivated initially by revenge. (homelife). Social • Jordana’s appearance is unconventional for a female lead as she is not sexualised, she wears • Colour symbolism to convey themes – links to Melodrama where colour is used to emphasise moods no make-up and is androgynous and quirky. and emotions. • Jordana seduces Oliver and is the aggressor. Symbolism of red coat She could even be seen as a modern ‘femme Mise-en-Scène • Jordana’s • Oliver falls in love with Jordana; the colour motif of the fatale’. film changes from blue to red. • The film has a conventional ending which sees traditional gender stereotypes reinforced • Use of iconography from the Rom Com genre – lens flare, two shots, arc shots, natural lighting, selective focus. • The film shows evolution of the teen genre and • Uses chapters and title cards to separate narrative into displays many similarities to a classic historical three chapters, drawing on filmic influences including teen film such as The Breakfast Club. Almodovar, Tarantino. • The film shares a high school setting, central Editing • Jump cuts used in the ‘Under the Bridge’ sequence to Specialist Focus – Film Style/Aesthetics teen romance, use of teen ‘archetypes’ such as reflect Jordana’s dominance. the nerd (Zoe), the geek (Oliver) and the misfit • Use of a music video aesthetic - filmed in a montage • Draws influence from a contemporary American (Jordana). style to ’s Hiding Tonight. The sequence uses Indie movie aesthetic (i.e. Wes Anderson). Influenced by many historical periods/figures Historical • home video/Super 8 footage and is a nod to the style of • Key style elements – use of colour and visual styles. Shares many similarities with . motifs/symbolism; coloured ‘chapters’; the work of – breaking the fourth melodrama codes. wall, narcissistic narrator, self-delusion an Richard Ayoade in IT Crowd/his awkward star • Soundtrack by Alex Turner (of the ); • alternative (male) view of romance. persona and how this may have impacted on his supplementary narrator to Oliver – singing the thoughts • Whilst Woody Allen’s romance films reflect within Oliver’s head. ‘signature’. gender differences in 1970’s with female Sound Stylistic influences previously mentioned • Oliver’s narration directly addresses the audience and • – dominance over men and men in crisis at the shares his innermost thoughts comparison to real life - French New Wave, Woody Allen, Tarantino, role reversal – this film has similar themes of awkwardly communicates. Almodovar, John Hughes. changes in gender roles and female power. Glossary Aesthetics The specific ‘look’ of the film; the film’s style. KS4 Independent Study Tasks (Homework) Auteur From the French ‘author’. A director who has control over the style of the film and influences the style of the film. Task 1 Task 2 ✓ Create flash cards for each of the key ✓ Research the cast list for the film Aspects of camera angles, distance and movement. Also a consideration Cinematography words in the glossary list. and write down who plays who. of colour, lighting and texture of the footage. ✓ Learn the spellings and definitions. ✓ Also find out and note down previous experience of the actors. When, where, how, and why the film is set. The time, place and Context circumstances. Might be social, historical, political, and cultural. ❑ Done ❑ Done Methods, ingredients, things necessary for the style/category of film. Task 3 Task 4 Generic conventions E.g. the use of spaceships, alien forms and communication devices in ✓ Research and make a ✓ Watch Spielberg’s E.T. Sound that is part of the film world (car horns beeping, birds singing, list of the films it has produced (2007) on YouTube (Artic Monkeys, Diegetic sound since 2006. directed by Richard Ayoade). telephones ringing). ✓ Note down what these films seem ✓ Although the narrative of this short Sound added in post-production to create a certain atmosphere (sound Non- diegetic sound to have in common. music video seems very different to FX to increase fear, music to underscore emotion). ✓ Why do you think Warp Films were that of Submarine, look for the keen to produce Submarine? similarities in terns of Genre The style or category of the film. cinematography. Note down as many Iconography The images or symbols associated with a certain subject. similarities as you can. Film that is independent of the constraints of mainstream Hollywood. ❑ Done ❑ Done Indie/independent These films are often characterised by low budgets, location settings, (often) inexperienced directors and fairly unknown casts. Task 5 – 2 weeks ✓ Research the work of 2 of the following: Francoise Trauffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Lighting design to create different light/dark ratios. High-key lighting is Key lighting (high Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino. bright and produces little shadow, whereas low-key lighting is used to and low) ✓ Create a revision resource (poster/ flash cards/ PowerPoint) that focuses on the specifically create shadow and contrast. director’s style. ✓ You should link your research to where their influence may be seen in short Mainstream Popular, conventional, and/or part of a major film studio system sequences or frames in Submarine.You should include some of the following Literally, ‘what is in the frame’: setting, costume & props, colour, stylistic features: lighting, body language, positioning within the frame all come together Mise-en-scène - Interrupting or toying with the audience’s suspension of disbelief to create meaning. - Breaking the fourth wall Motif A dominant theme or recurring idea. - Examples of intertextuality/ postmodern techniques - Title cards Plot Different to story, plot is the narrative order that the story is told in. - Direct address - Drawing attention to the filmmaking process Representation The way that people, places and events are constructed.

❑ Done Story The ideas & events of the narrative whole. An individual member of the audience whose viewing experience will Spectator be unique according to a range of factors.