How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques?

     The film La Haine is set in the 1990's in France, the time when the youths and police force were rioting against one and other. Normally when we think of France we stereotype it, think of it as very peaceful loving place, but the representation of France in La Haine is very negative and involves lots of conflict, this is created by the film techniques but also by the performance of the actors.

     Matthieu Kassovitz based the film around a small social group of young men from ethnic minorities. The first character we are introduced to is 'Said'. He is stood in the middle of the street with his eyes closed and the camera is slowly zooming into his face. When Said has his eyes closed there is no sound, but as he opens his eyes, you can hear the diegetic sounds around him, this almost suggest that the youths at this time are trying to shut out the world, or that they can't believe their eyes, this film technique makes an impact on the audience as they are already aware of some kind of conflict in the film. In this opening scene impact is created on the viewers straight away with the usage of conflict which is shown through film techniques. After the close up is shown of Said opening his eyes, the film then cuts to the back of Saids head, the camera slowly pans up and over the top of his head to reveal what Said is looking at.

Said is looking at the Police Station where many Police Men are standing (pigs). A point of view shot is specifically used because Said is standing on the other side of the road, so this is creating distance between him and the Pigs. This shows conflict, as even though the Pigs are usually seen as the heroic people in films, you know that in this film from the usage of the film techniques, that in this film they are the 'bad guys'. The camera then pans to Said at the back a Police Van writing graffiti on the van.
A close up of the graffiti of the van is shown for a reason, because at the top of the graffiti he has marked his name, and underneath says 'Fuck the Police' (but in french) This had an impact on me because it made me think of him as a very risky character, showing he's not afraid of the police and is quite rebellious, so it showed me as to what kind of character he was.

     We are then introduced to another character who is friends with Said, Vinz. Straight away I was aware of the character Vinz was as a low angle shot is shown of him asleep, which to me made me think of him as a bit of a slob. As Said then enters the room a point of view shot is used and the camera zooms into his hand, which on it, is a ring that says Vinz. We are introduced to Vinz' character in a similar sort of way in which Said is introduced. Because of the fact Vinz was wearing a big ring, it made me stereotype him and look at him as a kind of thug who wears a lot of 'bling'.

The next clip backs up my theory as Vinz is standing in the mirror threatening his reflection, almost practising in case he needs to hurt or threaten someone, I think this behaviour has been influenced by the surroundings he is living, constant conflict and riots going on around him, which in a way, made me feel sorry for him.


      

Annotated Catalogue

Quentin Tarantino uses specific music in his films, can this be seen as his key signature and does this make him an auteur?

Films:

Item 1 - Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction is a film in which very dominant popular tracks are used in very tense and strange scenes. Tracks that fit the scenes perfectly and add to the effect, an example of this would be the track that is played over the scene when the character Mia Wallace mistakes the Heroin for Cocaine which causes her to nearly die, 'You'll Be A Woman soon'. Tarantino uses a wide range of genres of music in this film, making it very Post Modern and very personal to him. This is seen as his key signature, making this a very good film to refer back to when proving he is an auteur.

Item 2 - Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003)
I am choosing Kill Bill: Vol 1 as one of my films because this film is very well known for having specific and dominant music in scenes and also varying in his choice of music. For example when 'Black Mamba' is searching for O-Ren Ishii, even though there is tension, there is still very dominant happy Chinese dance music in the background, giving it a very different feel to other films, making this a key signature in the film.

Item 3 - Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Reservoir Dogs is a perfect film to use to back up my question, as people have been saying for years now when people listen to the songs featured in this film, they have become so iconic, that they just can't help picture the scene in their mind. 'Stuck In The Middle' by Steelers Wheel was used to accompany the scene in which a police officer was tortured, and because of how graphic the scene was, now when listening to the song, one can not help picture the scene.

Books:

Item 4 - Quentessential Tarantino by Edwin Page (2006)
This book discusses all three of my chosen films, it mentions specific scenes in the films and why certain tracks of Tarantino's choice have been chosen at this certain point. It also tells me the names of these tracks and how they are significant, therefore it is a very useful source.

Item 5 - Tarantino A to ZED (1999)
This book will make a key piece of evidence to answer my question as there is a section purely specified on his music, it discusses how he decides on the right tracks before shooting, or even scripting, has begun.

Websites:

Item 6 - http://www.denofgeek.com/other/12893/music-in-the-movies-quentin-tarantino:
This website contains tonnes of information about Quentin Tarantino's choice of music. It contains all 3 films I am looking at and gives the names of the majority of tracks he uses in key scenes. It is therefore essential as I will be analyse my films in great detail.

Item 7- http://whatculture.com/film/10-greatest-uses-of-music-in-quentin-tarantino-films.php
Even though this website only contains information on two of my chosen films, it is still a fantastic website to use, as it includes names of tracks used in the films that are iconic and even include videos of key sequences in which these tracks are used.

Item 8 -  http://bradtilles.hubpages.com/hub/Quentin-Tarantinos-Cinematic-Soundtrack
This website discusses all 3 of my chosen films in slight detail, focussing on specific music, looking at key scenes in each of my chosen films, it also includes videos of these scenes with analysis. It is therefore a good source as it makes it a lot easier to find tracks in certain scenes and say how they are his key signature.

Item 9 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Tarantino
Even though Wikipedia is full of information, there aren't really any specifics on his choice of music and why he uses the music he does, so the reason I am using this website is for a certain quote which is completely relevant, "He said he would listen to music in his bedroom and create scenes that correlated to the music playing" This quote is brilliant to back up my theory that he is an auteur. 

Item 10 - http://voices.yahoo.com/a-style-apart-look-into-technique-quentin-5885460.html
This website discusses how Quentin Tarantino has a specific style to his films, and how he often refers to pop culture in his films with his use of music. The text then discusses films such as Pulp Fiction and makes reference to key scenes and key tracks used.

Item 11 - http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/siryan/screen/auteur%20theory.htm 
This website explains the Auteur theory, this will enable me to back up my discussion and I can pick out key quotes to include into my script.

Interviews:-

Item 12 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTF5XvwcYZI
This interview is perfect to use for my research project as Quentin Tarantino discuss all 3 of my chosen films and discusses why he uses certain music in key sequences, also, things Tarantino actually says can be used as quotes to back up my theory of him being an auteur.

Item 13 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZkHS1Fqc10&feature=player_embedded
Tarantino discusses how in Kill Bill he actually uses original music in the film rather than a soundtrack, and he then goes on to discuss how he is a soundtrack legend and has a huge soundtrack collection and his been/done for years, hearing the director say this himself can really help my statement that Quentin Tarantino is an auteur.

Magazines:-

Item 14 - http://www.empireonline.com/features/quentin-tarantino-playlist
This magazine is very vague, but however includes key quotations which back up that his choice of music in films makes him an auteur, with quotes such as 'Quentin Tarantino is not what anyone would call a music ignoramus'.

Item 15 - http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/quentin-tarantino-and-the-art-of-the-badass-soundtrack
Straight away from the title of this article you can see that Quentin Tarantino is an auteur. 'Quentin Tarantino and the Art of the Badass Soundtrack'. This article discusses that even if you don't like Tarantinos films, his soundtracks are always essential listening, this really helps me answer my question.

Item 16 - http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/at-the-movies/a451459/quentin-tarantinos-music-moments-stuck-in-the-middle-david-bowie.html
This article once again discusses how Quentin Tarantinos films all have a similar style in choice of music. This article talks about all 3 of my chosen films and key tracks in key scenes, as well as this, also discusses how the tracks make the viewer feel. This is therefore a very good source as it makes it very easy to discuss scenes in his films and the songs used, I can also use quotes in this article to discuss how his music makes the audience feel.

Images:-

Item 17 - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7850Hg384jcRa4qW7EVrxN057SLTvWge6oXDxK4qEeL5rTW_YqmNKTuFCiF_gZ89ONjpxQZxS6F8tXoaugC13sLzvPwpNu9_DXVq8fgbbqwNRfsZftFuUVeAV-QSRiDPN_DnIbIz5z5Y/s1600/reservoir_poster.jpg
This poster is relevant for my Presentation Script as when discussing Reservoir dogs I can give the audience something to look at so they know exactly what I'm talking about.

Item 18 - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xCDk9sHL5F9vlQc6Xmwrr7rNjWGr4Y1emgqwlOxUwO2IkfypRg1fnRDMNC22GWYCoXWnHUiSs5Be50O4ifS9be9GcODyqo0u4An0YIEF_Z9dQo3MEb1mf_JScr09JEEn5EUSDoKyOV0/s1600/pulpfiction1.jpg
This poster is used for the same reason as Reservoir Dogs, to give the audience an image as to what I am talking about.

Item 19 - http://www.movieposterdb.com/posters/08_11/2003/266697/l_266697_42fb368f.jpgv
This poster will be used when introducing Kill Bill, as it will enable the audience to have more of an image to what I'm discussing.

Rejected Items:-

Website:-
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/ipoduser/a_guide_to_the_music_in_the_films_of_quentin_tarantino/
At first, I thought this website was quite helpful, as it gives the songs to more or less every track he has used in his movies, however, that's all it states, it doesn't state what scene they were used in or why they were used, so in the end I realised this was useless.

Magazine:-
http://www.empireonline.com/features/a-z/quentin-tarantino/default.asp
This magazine discusses various stylistic elements that make Quentin Tarantino an auteur, and I thought this would be brilliant to use, however, it didn't really discuss his usage of dominant popular music in his films, and also didn't make reference to specific films, so I then decided not to use and reject the item.

Film - Inglorious Bastards:-
For a while at the start of this project, I had chosen Inglorious Bastards as one of my focus films, however, during my research of this film, there was actually very little about Tarantino's music and the influences it had on people, so therefore I decided to scrap this film and look at Reservoir Dogs instead.