For this analysis, I chose to compare Indiana Jones to Inja.
1. How are the characters introduced? Through the course of the movie, how do their actions define who they are?
In the beginning of Indiana Jones, Jones is introduced as a calculated adventure seeker. I get this from how Jones positions himself with an athletic stance as he is about to steal the golden item. He also empties some sand from the bag, making a calculated decision to find the right weight to replace the piece with a bag of sand. Jones’s actions define who he is later in the scene when he has to trade his treasure for his whip. This decision defines who he is because it shows his attachment for his whip (his life), he would rather choose his life over some treasure he worked really hard for.
In Inja, Thembile, the boy, is introduced as a caring individual who would sacrifice his happiness for the well being of a dog, his new friend. We see this in the beginning of the film when he is playing with the dog, expressing their relationship, and also when he cuts the rope from the flagpole to create a collar. After the old man kicked the dog and made Thembile open the bag, Thembile resisted as much as he could until his life was in danger, ultimately trading his treasure (the dog) for his life. This can be compared to Indiana Jones when Jones waited until the last second to make the decision to trade his treasure (the golden piece) for his life before the door closed. Later in the film, when the old man had his heart attack, Thembile had to choose between his old friend (the dog) and his master. His actions define his character because he could have either shot the dog, who was following orders, like Thembile had been doing his whole life, or the old man who had been giving him the orders to kill the dog.
2. How is the setting portrayed? What is the sense of space in the movie—what do you see or not see in the world that these characters inhabit?
The setting in Indiana Jones was portrayed as a small, old, cave-like environment. It seems to be mid day based on a beam of light shining through the ceiling and I would guess it is sometime in the 1940s based on the outfit Jones is wearing. The cave has spider webs, overgrown grass, and ancient art to represent its history.
In the film Inja, the setting takes place in South Africa both in the 1960s to the 1980s, we get this sense of a change in time from the transition of when Thembile, the boy, was changing the flag from a young boy to a man. There seems to be a lot of land that Thembile works on with the other slaves, we get this from the long shots as well as showing different scenery other than what is closest to the house.
3. What types of shots do you see in the film? How do the filmmakers use photography to set a tone and style?
The types of shots that are in Indiana Jones are medium to medium close, to full body shots. The filmmakers use photography to set the tone in this scene by focusing on the subject, while also showing the surrounding environment. If the camera was too close, we would not see enough scenery, and if it was too far, we would be too distracted on what is around the subject.
The same thing can be said with Inja. In this film, there were close ups, medium shots, medium long shots, an extra long shot and even an extreme close up so show Thembile whistling. The filmmakers use photography in this film to show what is important. For example, the filmmaker chose to do a close up of the old man popping open a pill bottle to emphasize the medicine he was taking which later we realize was probably for is heart problems.
4. What is the pace and style of the editing? Describe two cuts in the movie: between what shots do they occur and at what points in the story? In what ways do any edits add meaning to the shots or help the flow of scenes?
The pace any styling of editing for Indiana Jones starts slow, but builds with speed over time. Right after Jones takes the golden piece, things start to become a lot faster. As things start to get more intense, the shots become shorter and packed with more action such as Jones running through a huge spider web with a massive death ball chasing him. One cut in this scene that was also mentioned in class was right after Jones ducked the falling wall to grab his whip and before the massive ball comes rolling down. In this cut, the camera does a dolly to the right to show the other side of the wall where Jones was facing an old skeleton in spiderwebs, it then cuts back to see Jones’s reaction shot. This was effective because it helped show the depth of the room without using a wide shot.
The pacing and editing of Inja was pretty slow because the filmmaker used longer shots to let the setting kick in, as well as the story build. One cut in this movie was right after Thembile let the dog out of the bag and before his friend shows up on his bike. This cut was from young Thembiles’ face to, black, to a tilt up of older Thembile hanging the new flag. This cut sequence was effective because without the pause of black, the transition would be too confusing and fast. The black screen is a way the filmmaker represented time passing. Editing between clips helps move the story along much faster, and also gives the film more flow. Without these cuts, there would be one long take of what the subject is doing and it would be too boring and plain.
5. What visual and sonic elements create a strong impact? What are your reactions to the short movie? Consider both your thoughts and emotions.
Visual elements that create a strong impact are extreme close ups and long shots. The extreme close up focuses on one specific thing, catching the viewers attention while the long shot shows the location and more scenery. Both can have a strong impact on the film. Sonic elements such as sound effects of walking on gravel, or the snap of a whip can really add value and texture to the movie as well. I really enjoyed the short film, Inja. I think it used its pacing to its advantage which kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I like how the filmmaker chose to leave the video open-ended so its up for interpretation. The boy could have either killed the dog or his master, or the master could have either killed the dog or the boy. I also enjoyed Indiana Jones, although I had seen this movie before, watching it a couple more times made me notice smaller details and cuts I would not have picked up on before.
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