A Kick-Ass Story

A good number of films are adapted from literary pieces. Film and literature are able to convey views and themes in different manners. Literature can create it's own reality in our heads, while films are more literal and require much less of our input. A filmmaker or screenwriter cannot simply replicate the actual content of the source, but can attempt to come as close to it as possible.

There are three types of adaptations: loose, faithful and literal. A loose adaptation is, at times, barely an adaptation. The screenwriter will take one element of the original story and develop in in their own way. Sometimes they will take a character or a situation and create their own story off of it. Faithful adaptations attempt to more closely re-create the literary source material. The screenwriter will do their best to capture the spirit of the source material. Literal adaptations are the most strict form of adapting there is. As the title of the term suggests, the screenplay would be a very literal and close adaptation of every aspect of the story presented in the literature form. Literal adaptations are usually only found in stage plays. With the way filmmaking works, it is impossible to properly utilize space and time to create a literal adaptation.

Kick-Ass is a film adapted from a 2008 graphic novel of the same name. The story is about a boy named Dave Lizewski. Dave is the typical high school loser; he isn't popular, isn't particularly good at anything and obsesses over comic book characters. In an attempt to mak his like a little more exciting, he decides to start fighting local crime under the name "Kick-Ass". After reading the source material belonging to the film Kick-Ass, I would definitely classify the film as a faithful adaptation. The film was a re-creation of the graphic novel in filmic terms. After reading the graphic novel, it could be confidently concluded that the film did a great job of capturing the spirit of the book. The screenwriters and director clearly made some changes in the small amount of time between the production of the novel and the film, but each change still carries the same weight or importance that was established by the novel. For example, the violence and gore in the novel is very over-the-top. The novel was a lot more violent in comparison to the film. While the violence was toned down compared to the novel, the film still captures the overall spirit of the violence found in it's source material. In comparison to many other films, Kick-Ass would still be considered a violent film. The introduction of light and fun music helped keep the violence from turning the tone of the film extremely dark. So, as said before, the film translated the spirit of the novel onto the screen. Kick-Ass is a great example of a faithful adaptation.

In writing a screenplay for an adaptation, the most important consideration is whether or not they are able to do justice to the source material. Some screenplays adapted from widely praised pieces of literature are usually highly scrutinized. The screenwriter must be sure that the source material can be translated well on screen. The writers of Kick-Ass went into the project knowing it would be made into a film, and that method worked. The screenwriter was able to create a film that will be entertaining to the masses without dissapointing the fans of the novel.

Drama: Pan's Labyrinth

In the art of cinema, the set design is the framework of the film. The style, views and possibly even themes of the film can be clearly presented in the design of the sets. The location, costumes, furniture, cars, colors and lighting can all be used to assist the viewer understand the film in a more complete way. The sets are not just background that sits quietly behind the action, but representations of the story and themes in the film. In class, we watched the film Pan's Labyrinth. The film was a perfect example of set designs in film.

When attempting to categorize the styles of set designs in film, we first distinguish if the design is from a realistic of formalist view. Films can take from both styles, but most of them rely more on one to enhance the expressions found in the script. Realistic sets will convey more true to life visuals. Beauty, in itself, will not usually be the center of the action. The sets will be filmed outside without exploiting the beauty surrounding. Realistic sets wish to put more of the focus on the action in front of the camera. With more of a formalist view, the set designs will differ greatly from those of a realistic film. The sets will exploit any beauty found, creating a surreal experience. The sets will reveal the theme in a more blatant fashion. These sets are most commonly created in studios, rather than filmed outdoors. In a studio, the director and set designers can create whatever they need to. This gives them more freedom to seperate themselves (and the viewers) further away from time and reality.

The setting in a film needs to embody the overall message and theme of the story. Pan's Labyrinth is a great film to watch in terms of set design. Del Toro took elements of realistic and formalist filmmaking to create a beautifully haunting film. The film is about a girl named Ofelia in post-civil war Spain in 1944. Ofelia is moving to a military post with her mother to be with her new stepfather. Her stepfather is Captain Vidal, a very strict and sadistic man attempting to root out Spanish war guerillas. Ofelia, a fan of books and fairy tales, becomes wrapped up in her own fairy tale. She meets a faun that tells her that she must complete three tasks to return home and be the princess of her kingdom. This is an amazing film that combines the elements of reality with elements of a fairy tale. The set designs truly carry the story, helping the film bounce back and forth between realistic and formalist. Half of the film follows Captain Vidal and his hunt for Spanish guerillas. In these scenes, the film is shot outdoors. Colors are bland, and beauty is hidden. These scenes have such a bleak tone, helping the film stay grounded in reality for those particular scenes. The other half of the film follows Ofelia as she fulfills her tasks. Many of the scenes (such as the toad's tree and the baby eater's lair) were probably filmed in a studio. The colors are very lively with beauty being exposed in the more fairy tale oriented scenes. The constant jumps between realistic and formalist sets added so much to the storytelling. In a five minute span, you can view a gritty and realistic scene followed by a beautiful scene with strong themes drenched in fantasy.

Set designs are a characters in themselves. The director can manipulate and use the design to help enhance the story, just as they can with an actor. In Pan's Labyrinth, we were able to directly see the differences between realistic and formalist set designs. The set designs allowed us to witness the gritty and violent world of Captain Vidal while still immersing us in Ofelia's fantasy drenched story.

Sound in Film

In the art of cinema, sound is one of the most important sources of emotion and meaning. Music, sound effects and the actual dialogue of the performers are forms of art in themselves. While watching a film, we tend to forget how much effort goes into the sounds we hear. Sound allows a film to feel as close to reality as possible, while also moving out of the realm of reality with the inclusion of musical scores. After studying the history and importance of sound in cinema, we watched the film District 9. It was great to truly dissect every sound in the film, allowing ourselves to reflect on the placement and intention of each sound.

In the early years of cinema, full orchestras provided background music to the silent films. The acting was the main source of meaning in this time period. Actors had to convey the emotions of the characters by their body movements alone. The music would help aid the film in portaying emotions, but the acting was the true source. Like stage plays, actors would have to be very animated and larger than life. In the 1920's there had been many experiments in synchronous sound, none of which truly worked. All of the failed experiments were good for something, however, as they opened the door to what we have the privilege to enjoy in our cinematic experience.

In 1927, The Jazz Singer opened the world to the "talkie era". It was a musical introduced by the Warner Brothers that included the musical numbers of Al Jolson. The few lines of dialogue were performed with actors speaking the lines into a microphone. In the early years of "talkies", most of the films weren't visually exciting. For the somewhat synchronized sounds and dialogue to work, the editing had to be very restricted. Many critics felt that sound was actually holding back the artistic integrity of film. Some daring directors began placing microphones around the set, recording the sounds while filming. Some formalist directors still did not buy into the idea, as they felt editing would destroy the creativity of editing. As daring directors continued to experiment more, sound became a more respected and natural element in the filmmaking process. These early stages are what opened the door to what we have now.

While watching District 9, we paid close attention to each sound and what it's purpose is. The sound in this film was incredibly rich in all areas. The film starts in a documentary-like form. With the characters looking directly into the camera, the viewer is intended to feel as though they are in the middle of the action. In terms of sound, they used many interesting tricks to help the documentary format of the film. One technique I found to be trully affective was the placement of the dialogue. If the actor was to the left of the shot, his voice only came from the left speaker. If he went to the right of the shot, his voice was on the right. This helped make the documentary style feel more authentic. As the film moves forward, it moves out of the documentary format and into a more standard style. In the second act of the film, the sounds are incredibly rich and organic. The gunshots sounded so clean and clear, not muffled and muddy. You can't help but admire all the layers of sound in one shot. You hear footsteps, gunshots and dialoque all in one shot. The soundtrack also added to much of the suspense of the film. The music worked hand in hand with the emotions of the particular scene. While watching the film, you can truly appreciate all that sound adds to a film.

After viewing films like District 9, it is hard to imagine watching films without the element of sound. In the early years, many filmmakers were reluctant to add sound to their films. Without the small advances starting in the late 1920's, sound would not be so vital in filmmaking today.

Movement: Run Lola Run

Filmmaking is movement. Movies themselves are simply pictures capturing movement. In film, the way in which movement is captured is a vary important dynamic in the flow of a film. It can allow you to feel certain emotions and capture themes, just in the way movement is captured. Movement can be very stylized and larger than life, as well as very subdued and more true to life. In class, we learned the importance of how movement is displayed for the audience.

Kinetics is the study of motion and it's causes. In film, there are both realistic and formalistic kinetics used to attach a certain style to a film. The kinetics in a film are determined by the themes of the film, vision of the director or sometimes the style of the actor. Charlie Chaplin is a great example of a formalist actor. His films were silent, so the story was carried by the movements. The way Chaplin moved was larger than life. You wouldn't see someone acting like him in public, so it's as if he is truly seperating himself from reality just in his movements. The audience accepts this as a symbolic expression of his feelings, emotions and ideas.

Some movements are lyrical. We can appreciate them for their beauty without picking up the ideas behind them. Some actions are slowed down for dramatic effect, some spead up to convey excitement or frenzy. Some shots have the character walking away from the camera, some towards it. Walking away from the camera displays distance with the audience. Walking towards the camera can give us a friendly welcoming from a hero or an invasion of space from a villain. Lateral movement can also be used to much effect. It can make the audience feel as though there is no end to the characters journey. Wide-angle lens can also be used to exaggerate distance. They can allow the shot to seem disoriented and distorted. These are many tools directors and cinematographers can use to allow their vision to come to life.

In "Run Lola Run", we watched many scenes dealing with specific movement. As the title suggests, there was a lot of running in the film. The director tweaks the images and films from certain angles to allow us to feel a certain way about the situation. For example, some shots were going left to right. These shots implied that she was in a desperate situation with no set plans made. The shots where the actress was running in front of the camera gave off a different feeling. It seems like she is more determined. She has the situation planned out and is closer to the destination. The manipulation of speed and the angle really enhanced the experience and added much emotional depth to the running scenes. The director properly utilized movement to create an exciting film.

Every shot in a film is planned a certain way to fit the mood of the film. As we learned in class, movements can be true to life or they can have more formalistic type movements. It is interesting to study a scene that has a strong focus on the movement. It raises many questions as to what the director is wanting you to feel while watching the scene. In "Run Lola Run", every single scene was shot a certain way to convey certain feelings. The movement in the film is what truly brought it to life.