Cinematography Research

What do I want it to look like? Lighting/cinematography.

For lighting style, I want to create dark but well-lit shots. this is because of the of films I have taken inspiration from which use a similar style. The film has a dark message/story which is very real and happens to a lot of new time mothers. I want to make this journey relatable and real. This is why I want to draw on to the attention of isolation and loneliness which is why I have decided to use a hazy blue/green colour and tone throughout the film using a Kino Flo light.

I have taken huge inspiration from the film Birdbox (2018) as the story of the film is also a mother who is protecting her children from the outside diamonds. The lighting style for the interior and exterior shots look like they're naturally lit by using lights from outside the windows to enhance the exterior lighting they have placed cardboard and other materials over the windows to keep the light out but the light shines through the cracks creating small shadows on the actor's faces.

In our film, I am going to create a similar style of lighting as our main character is hiding from the outside world, she doesn't want anybody to look in her house or even know she is home, the interior will look like it is from the natural light shining through the cracks in the curtains and blinds, I will achieve this from using powerful lights (Arri 2000W) shining from the outside window to create a beam of light from the outside, but also by filling the room with smoke from a smoke machine this will create a haze inside. The scene in bird box where the mother is out with the children on the river, they also used a fog machine here which I thought was effective for this scene where all three were scared for their lives the fog created a sense of lostness and fear which I thought looked and worked really well, I would really like to create this foggy haze through the woods and the river which I would create with an artificial fog machine.

https://vimeo.com/95921649

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPCX934rkDo

Breaking bad (2008) creates every shot carefully with what is in the frame and what isn't. they use cinematography to tell more to the story when the dialogue isn't needed. The scene where Jessie thinks bikers are coming to get him is an example of when the camera is focusing on everything relevant in the scene by using shallow depth of field and extreme close-ups to only show us everything needed as the other stuff in the shot is not relevant at that moment in time. They use shallow depth of field shots to show important intimate relationships when for example Walter is holding the baby, everybody else is out of focus and there is a long shot of Walter just having a bonding moment with his baby, he knows he is dying and he is just staring at his baby where he can forget about everything for that moment as everything else is kept out of shot and left for the viewers to join and focus on nothing else but this.

Most of the cinematography is face on, a point of view shot and many close-ups which make you feel like you are in the film seeing what the actors see.

Handmaid's tale (2017) uses some of the most inspiring lighting scenes. every shot is lit so beautifully using blue/green tones. Most of the shots are fairly dark in the interior shots. some of the scenes will have no dialogue and just the main character sitting in the window or stood still and the lighting will be beaming through the window drawing the main focus on to the main character. The lighting reflects on the mood. Most of the interior shots come from a window or other single light source using one big light to create a beam coming through onto the actor. This is how I want my lighting to be.

Apocalypse Now (1979) this film uses an over amount of lighting to create the darkest scenes in the film. Vittorio Storaro the cinematographer shoots the scenes with lights even though the scene is extremally dark, the lights directly on the actor make the background turn black. This is a technique I will take to use for my cinematography in the film.

Tully (2018) made by the creators of Juno (2007) is a film about a new time mother. The film shows the real struggles of the non-glamours lifestyle the mother has. Throughout the film we see her walking around trying to calm her baby down constantly while it is crying we even see her take a 'break' and sit on the floor by the washing machine still rocking her baby to calm her. We are taken on her journey into her busy life connecting with her and we can almost feel how tired she is with no help from anybody else.

This film shows how exactly motherhood is, the house is messy we see lego and other toys on the floor and we even see a shot f the mother slouched in bed while attached to two breast pumps while collecting milk. All the shots are thought through to show all the real things mothers have to do in their days and that it really is a full-time job.

Mother (2017) cinematographer Matthew Libatique used a handheld technique throughout most of the film 'Mother' this is because he wanted the camera to stay attached to the mother, just like in our film the main focus is the mother, the other actors are relevant to link the story but we are mostly focusing on her and her reactions, and thoughts and being with her 24/7 is the way to watch her movements and know that the other characters are not relevant.

Matthew Libatique said: that "Aronofsky’s camera movement has increasingly become more subjective since making “The Wrestler,” but the strategy for “mother!” was more extreme: The camera would stay physically connected to the mother character the whole movie. The language of the film would essentially be limited to three types of handheld shots that followed Lawrence around the house: singles on mother, over-the-shoulder (connecting mother to her surroundings), and point-of-view shots showing what mother sees".

I really like this idea to only use a certain amount of shots to limit the movements so that we stay with the mother.

I have taken a great interest in researching the struggles my main character will be going through. This has helped me reflect on what lighting and set design I will need to accommodate the script. by getting a better understanding of Postpartum anxiety I have been able to begin designing the storyboards for this film with a clear picture of what I think is relevant to see for the film. I have looked at some 'mum' articles of struggles with what the main character will be facing such as the struggles of being a mum with PNA which include her breastfeeding struggles, sleeping problems etc.

I Was a Mom-Shamer—That's Why I Wrote My Film - http://time.com/4433715/tallulah-director-mom-shaming/

15 Signs It's Not PPD, It's Postpartum Anxiety

https://www.babygaga.com/15-signs-its-not-ppd-its-postpartum-anxiety/

This article is all about Postpartum Anxiety which is often mistaken for PPD the signs of PPA is what our main character will be suffering from which is what makes us think she could be a struggling new mother. the main signs of PPA which will be incorporated are included;

mother checks on the baby obsessively - watching her baby in the nursery
mother won't let anybody else touch the baby - not her partner or family, we don't see the bab either.
OCD - keeps the house spotless.
racing, dark thoughts - of her partner hurting her baby or anybody else.
no appetite - we see her partner eat and the baby but not here.
panic attacks - this includes:

"Racing" heart.
Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy.
Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers.
The sense of terror, or impending doom or death.
Feeling sweaty or having chills.
Chest pains.
Breathing difficulties.
Feeling a loss of control.
believes the worst is yet to come - the end of the film, she knows something will happen

cannot sleep - eyes wide open in bed, lying still. Alarm clock moves fast to show time racing by.
passes the PPD test - gives her no explanation to why she feels like this.

20 Things That Can Easily Go Wrong When Mom Breastfeeds Her Newborn

https://www.babygaga.com/20-things-that-can-easily-go-wrong-when-mom-breastfeeds-her-newborn/

This article is on mothers who struggle to breastfed and the truths on how it can make them feel which include not feeling good enough and leaves them in pain when the baby doesn't take.

Others include:

snacking on foods that dry up milk
baby has a reaction
painful breasts

During the film signs of the mothers, struggles will be shown subtly, I wanted to add as many main points in the storyboards and a big part will be breastfeeding as she is struggling to get the baby to latch on no matter how hard she tries.

This is a list of other ways she can show her struggles of breastfeeding:

using breast pads/coolers
using a breast pump
eating cabbage leaves
taking hot showers
drinking Sage Tea
massaging breasts

12. HOW IT ALL STARTS: EMOTIONALLY SMOTHERING A CHILD – IS THE SAME AS ABANDONING A CHILD. FIND OUT WHY.

https://relationshipknowledge.com/emotionally-smothering-a-child-is-the-same-as-abandoning-a-child/

How do we know she is smothering her child? this article interested me because the message of smothering a child is the same as abandoning a child is strong, this could be used within the film as the mother is technically trying to be such a good mother and do nothing wrong that she is doing everything wrong too. I can show this through her efforts to make meals and keeping her environment clean but also by letting nobody near her baby and having break downs too will show she is not coping.

Symptoms of postnatal depression (PND)

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/postnatal-depression-pnd

Although I didn't really want this condition to be labeled PND, but PNA both are still extremally similar with the same side effects, most of which will be used to symbolize her illness so the viewers can attach a bond with the main character through sympathy.

The range of symptoms experienced depends on the severity of the depression, and may include:

Low self-esteem and lack of confidence
Feelings of inadequacy and guilt
Negative thoughts
Feeling that life is meaningless
Feeling unable to cope
Tearfulness and irritability
Difficulty sleeping or changes in sleeping patterns
Low sex drive
Anxiety, panic attacks or heart palpitations
Loss of appetite
Difficulty concentrating or remembering things.

Factors contributing to postnatal depression

The exact causes of PND are still not known. Some contributing factors might include:

Physical changes – even a relatively easy birth is an overwhelming experience for a woman’s body. In addition, the sudden drop in pregnancy hormones affects brain chemicals (neurotransmitters). Broken sleep and exhaustion can also contribute to depression
Emotional changes – adapting to parenthood is daunting. A new mother has to deal with the constant demands of her baby, a different dynamic in her relationship with her partner and the loss of her own independence. Such changes would be hard at the best of times but are even more overwhelming when a woman is still physically recovering from childbirth and coping with broken sleep
Social changes – society puts lots of demands and expectations on a new mother, which a woman may feel she needs to live up to. She may find herself less able to keep up contact with her friends and workmates. Adapting to living on one wage may also be difficult

A mother’s relationship with her baby during postnatal depression

A woman with PND tends to withdraw from everyone, including her baby. This is a symptom of the disorder and doesn’t mean that she is a ‘bad’ mother. Some people think that bonding between the mother and child has to happen within the first few days or weeks of birth, or else it won’t happen at all. This is not true.

The relationship between a mother and her baby is an ongoing process. Once the depression lifts, the mother will be able to once again feel her full range of emotions and start to enjoy her baby. In the meantime, she might need some extra help from family and friends.

How will I create/shoot the exterior chase scene?

For the chase scene, I want to create an eerie feeling that makes the viewers feel the danger is about to come after the tension throughout the buildup.

I want to make the scene where she is being chased throughout the woods a confusing journey where she doesn't know what way to turn. I want to make a haze/smoke/foggy atmosphere to make this feeling, like in Birdbox (2018) where the mother and children are on the water the whole surrounding background in the shot is either really foggy or you cannot see it at all which makes you feel claustrophobic and panicked with them.

There are two options to create the fog, the first is from an outdoor fog machine and the other option is to use the lens and slightly dampen it which will distort the frame to make it look foggy/damp, but the fog machine we have use of has a portable battery which is brilliant for the exterior scenes.

For the equipment, I wanted to use a lot of handheld shots to run alongside Emily, our actor, to get the feeling that when you watch it you're running too. I tested this out with Emily in my experimental film and it worked really well. I used the handheld crane for this. I will also be using a drone which I want to have an overhead shot over the trees looking down on Emily running through the woods. This will give the sense that you're in Evie's shoes. I want the audience to feel really involved in this scene.

tully-charlize-theron-today-191101-tease