Run Lola Run (1998)

Task: Focus on the editing technique and the narrative of the film.

Wow this is a curious film.

Run Lola Run is a 1998 German thriller film directed and written by Tom Tykwer. It is a story about Lola, who got a call from her boyfriend, Manni saying that in his careless lost a huge amount of money to a homeless man that he was suppose to deliver and and this might cost him his life. In panic he decides to rob a store for the money if Lola can not help him within 20 minutes. Thus, Lola tries her best to get that money but ultimately fails and dies only to relive the moment to try something different to save her boyfriend.

Run Lola Run uses a lot of editing techniques which include crosscutting, montages, shot reverse shot, jump cuts, temporal continuity to name a few.

Cross cutting aka parallel editing is an editing technique where two scenes are played on screen simultaneously which suggests to the audience that the two scenes are happening at the same time, this can be seen very often throughout the movie, such an instance would be when Manni was about to rob the shop, he looks at the off-screen clock outside and a section of the screen shows the clock he's looking at, this shows the audience that the scenes of the clock and Manni are happening at the same time.

Montages is an editing technique where multiple separate shots/images are shown to form a continuous whole, this is most commonly seen when Lola runs past certain pedestrians that future is shown through a montage of images that show their lives story afterwards. Shot reverse shot on the other hand is a technique where person A is looking at another person off screen (person B) and then the next scene will be person B that person A was looking at, implying that both of them are looking at each other even though it is two different scenes.

Jump cuts is an editing technique where two sequential shots of the same scene are put together to have the subject move abruptly having it appear like the subject moved forward in time. This editing technique can be used to speed up a scene or have the scene feel very hectic and unstable. This can be seen in one of Lola's most famous scene where after getting the phone call from Manni starts to panic; jump cuts are used here to showcase how much turmoil she's in. 

Temporal continuity is an editing technique which suggests to the audience that a scene is still happening despite the shot changing to something else. This technique can be seen when Lola knocks the female pedestrian, even though the shot changes to a montage of black and white images showcasing the remaining life of that pedestrian, the music continues to play which causes the audience to infer that Lola is still running despite the change of shot, and sure enough, the next shot is Lola continuously running.

Sound is also very important in the editing of this film. Non-diegetic music were added to the movies intense moments which gives the audience a sense of excitement to go along with the hectic visuals. This is very apparent in scenes where Lola is running; a constant loud music is playing at the background which in the case there wasn't any music, the scene wouldn't have the same feeling.

All this editing gives a sense of continuity throughout the movie that helps deliver the narrative of Lola trying to save Manni. Even though there are different timelines where Lola tries different things to save Manni, a sense of continuity is maintained from the transition between the timelines suggesting that Lola learned something from her previous try. For example on Lola's first run, she was taught by Manni how to unlock the safety of a gun as she never used one before and on the second run, where she threatens her father, she swiftly unlocks the safety of the gun she's holding as if she has learned it from her previous run. 

Amélie (2001)

Task: Focus on the analysis of mise-en-scene. Select few examples from the scene of the films and elaborate the film techniques in details.

Amélie (2001) is a French romantic comedy about a shy waitress called Amelie who likes to secretly change the lives of those around her before she found a mysterious photobook which leads her to a man called Nino she eventually falls in love with.. This movie was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Mis-en-scene is a word which originates from French and it means "placing on stage". Basically it's all the objects which include background, clothing, stage, lighting, performance etc in a shot. Generally it is staging of a scene. 

First of, the film takes place in Montmartre, small elevated area north of Paris, France. The film was shot on location and not in a studio which helps a lot in the mis-en-scene of the film. Amelie's room is also filled with candles, decorations and color, probably signifying her vivid imagination and her ability to plan and layout her room the way she likes it. This is opposed to her neighbor, Raymond Dufayel aka "The Glass Man", who has a pretty dull room but his paintings show a tremendous amount of focus or maybe its just for the audience to focus more on the character.

Amelie is also shown to have very strong imaginations with the scene of her staring at the clouds and making out different shapes. The color of the scene and the weather also seem to correspond to Amelie's mood. The scenes are usually bright in color but when she becomes sad, the weather seem to darken as well and everything feels a little more desaturated. On the topic of lighting, the chosen light is usually soft lights with evidence of key lighting and back filled light (the use of three point lighting). Even our text book Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson references Amilie in their three point lighting. This lighting helps focus on the character in close up or medium shots. 

Next, let's talk about the costumes, Mr. Colignon, the market owner Amelie often stops by, wears a thick grey overcoat, formal shirt and tie during work signifying his cold, business like personality that affects his kind assistant, Lucien negatively who also wears an overcoat but warmer in color and you can see him wearing a bright colored tee shirt on the inside indicating him wearing appropriately for work but also having a bright warm personality on the inside. Amelie on the other hand wears pretty normal looking clothing, very modest and sweet looking which helps the audience associate her with innocence. Not to mention that haircut, the short bangs and her facial expressions gives her a sort of naive look. Also, the clothing of "The Glass Man', Raymond Dufayel also corresponds very well with his current status of a sickly old man. He wears thick clothing, and gloves with many layers which is usually what sick people would wear. I'm just a bit worried his clothing might snap his brittle bones, it looks quite heavy..

In conclusion, Amelie is a great example of a movie which uses all available skills to make a great movie, from the accurate and colorful mis-en-scene to the cinematography, special effects and acting skills which brought us a wonderful funny film of Amelie.