Case Study

"Groundhog Day"


Groundhog Day deals with the same day repeating itself over and over again and the protagonists struggle in trying to resolve the issue. The idea of a time-loop was one that was proposed by one of the members of my group initially, influenced by this film. It comfortably fits into the theme of magical realism because it is set in a realistic setting and the magic is incorporated into the film as something that character experiences themselves. Between my group we decided to individually cover at least a couple of films and share ideas with each other about what we had managed to discover from our case studies, allowing us to compare and contrast. Through studying the film I aim to gather an understanding of how a time-loop is convincingly portrayed in film and if Groundhog Day could give me any ideas regarding how to condense an infinite amount of time into five minutes of footage. I anticipate also that studying this will help me to contribute to group discussions about more intricate details of the plot structure and events that could take place in our own film, and more importantly it demonstrates to me how somebody may react to this particular situation to help with our own characterisation. 

The above are stills from the film:
1st, 2nd and 3rd frames: The first frame makes the scene look ordinary through the verisimilitude created by the typical mise-en-scene. At this point in the clip there is no reason to detect that anything is wrong, relating the film back to the magical realism genre. The clock is framed in the middle of the shot and all is in view to suggest that there is nothing to be worried about yet, though the audience begins to get hints of the mystery from the song that is being played again at the same time. To maintain the steady atmosphere the camera sweeps fluidly to the second frame, this contrasts to the quick editing that is used later when the character is aware of the situation. It is only when the third frame is shown that the character begins to question "why the hell" is the same radio broadcast being played again. As his suspicions are juxtaposed with the frame of him washing his face, it infers that something disruptive and out of the ordinary will be happening.
4th frame: This close up is shown when a new repetition of the day is acknowledged. As it fills the whole of the frame it is more threatening to the character who is becoming weary. The music accompanying the shot is done with string instruments and is piercing which helps the audience to sympathise.
5th frame: It is due to this weariness that the character believes he can do any action and will not have to suffer the consequence: he punches an old school college who the audience has seen to be irritable, an action that also personifies the futility of his situation. The facial expressions, louder speech and quickening of the editing portray the tensions between the two, and the setting on the road with cars behind emphasises the potential danger the old friend could face.
6th frame: The character goes through several suicidal attempts in order to try and stop the repetitions. The high angle shot helps to promote fear, though at the same time empowers the character as he is shown to be in control to a certain extent and looking down on everything below him. His fall is captured in a tracking shot and both the slow motion and the music promote gracefulness; the director would have done this to then contrast it with the character abruptly throwing himself in front of a bus which mirrors the futility he feels. 


The research has been helpful in order to show how the time repetition can be shown as the shot of the time is repeated and creates a message alongside it. Also throughout, the character  goes through different emotions regarding the situation, however I feel that my group's short film we may not have time to explore this: a juxtaposition is shown between the monotony of the time and how this increases the frustration of the character. Examples of the quick editing have helped me to understand how my group could try and use montages and short sequences to show the passing of time efficiently. The character in Groundhog Day feels isolated and misunderstood and this shows how we may want to portray our own protagonist as well. 

Fantasy Subgenre - Magical Realism

Magical Realism
Example Films: Groundhog Day, Like Water For Chocolate


In films with magical realism, magical elements are combined within the real world and they are described as being real occurrences; in effect the "real" and the "fantasy" are shown in the same stream of thought. The content of the genre can vary widely as long as it maintains some verisimilitude: for example, a time-travelling character could be living and travelling through their ordinary life. 


It is "...what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe." Prof. Matthew Strecher. 


Magical realism as we now know it to be has been around since 1955. It is seen to be related to surrealism, however it differs because the magic in surrealism is inferred whereas in magical realism it does exist within the plot. Also, magical realism tends to look at the mundane aspects of everyday life but through a "hyper-realistic" lens. 


'Dreamlike' states are common in magical realism and the genre often introduces different realities experienced by one character. A sense of mystery is always present in the genre as a prominent theme. 

Key Films

"The Wizard of Oz" (1939)
Director: Victor Fleming
Screenplay: Noel Langley
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan and Ray Bolger
Genre: Musical Fantasy
One of the best known fantasy films, especially because of it's special effects which were developed for the time it was made. It was released in a significant year of film in Hollywood which also saw the release of "Gone With the Wind."




As shown in the clip, the film contains many fantasy elements. The 'hero' is going on a journey and is being guided by helpers as is conventional in many fantasy narratives. The costumes and the setting help to emphasise the mystical elements, especially the red shoes worn by Dorothy which possess magical powers.



"Edward Scissorhands" (1990)
Director: Tim Burton
Screenplay: Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest
Genre: Fantasy Drama
The film is a modern day take on a fairy tale, fairy tale narratives are commonly associated with fantasy. Like many fantasy films it introduces a protagonist that isn't human, but still gains the audience's sympathies. 



Many of the fantasy elements become apparent in this trailer: these are conventions of Tim Burton as much as they conventions of the film themselves.
It is snowing at the start of the trailer which is considered to the type of weather in which mystical things occur and this coupled with the dark lighting and the Gothic setting emphasise the fantasy iconography. Edward Scissorhands is an outcast and misunderstood character which opposes the traditional "Hero" from Todorov's theory and the film is almost an anti-fairy tale as it does not end "happily ever after."

Notable Directors

Peter Jackson and Tim Burton 

have both been responsible for some of the most successful modern fantasy films. 

Peter Jackson's most notable work has been on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, as well as on the remake of "King Kong." Jackson had no film training and his talents in directing have been self-taught through trial and error. In his early days experimenting with film making he managed to create impressive special effects using a small cost. His first feature production was "Bad Taste" (1987) and due to lack of funds his friends took on the leading roles. The film helped to shape his early recognisable amarteuristic style and became one of his cult-classics. When offered the opportunity to adapt "The Lord of Rings" he was pressured into trying to make it into one film, however he felt it would better if it was a trilogy. He is known for his visual scope and attention to detail which are both necessary for fantasy films to keep the narrative believable. Because of his innovate style he is now widely considered to be one of the film-makers of his generation.


Trademarks of Peter Jackson:
Often films close-ups using wide angles
Darkly humorous scenes of violence
Enormous visual scope with emphasis on landscape
His films frequently conclude with a bloodbath
In his movies, there are frequently axes and fake documentaries

Tim Burton is a creative director who is know for his quirky directing style; at Disney he grew tired of working on the mainstream films and wanted to create work he felt was more original, reflecting his now recognisable style. The Box Office success of "Batman" brought him to other's attention and his first partnership with Johnny Depp was on "Edward Scissor Hands."  He manages to twist some of the fantasy conventions as his heroes are often neurotic and cowardly but also intelligent, but he allows for audiences to sympathise with them. Drawings and animation were important to Burton in his breakthrough: it is through these he could experiment with his quirky plot ideas and characters. Animation for Burton also meant that he didn't suffer from constraints as he could exploit the unrealistic elements of the fantasy genre, creating his creative freedom. 


Trademarks of Tim Burton:

His films often have a Gothic feel to them, often including Christmas and/or Halloween scenes with plots that often focus around a misunderstood outcast

He often likes to open his films with a quiet night time snowfall

Most of his films tend to be either dark or colorful, and sometimes contain scenes of both

Often features castles, churches or other old buildings

The History of the Fantasy Genre

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Genre Theory

Fantasy Genre: "Films that deal with fairy tale adventures or plots from the dark ages"


Following our initial ideas, we individually researched the genre ourselves to find out more about its conventions:


The Repertoire of Elements.

Films from the fantasy genre often create hybrids with the science-fiction and horror genres as the magical elements they include compliment these: all of the genres have the freedom to be flexible with their narratives and create a sense of unknowing. The genre revolves mainly around unexplainable events and wonder allowing to push the boundaries of possibility. The films are generally well received by both children and adults as they offer escapism and mystery. 


Good vs Evil is the most recognisable theme and is relevant to all fantasy texts: It involves conflict between two opposing sides. The audience is often lead to sympathise with the "good" character as the plot is lead by them. The good and the evil don't have to be shown through characters, the evil, for example, could be an unfortunate situation. Traditionally, evil characters invaded the lands of the good characters - a concept that is common in fairy tales.
-The Hero personifies the good: They generally live up to their role as the plot progresses because of what is demanded of them and represent the "moral goodness." The Hero undergoes a quest relying on a helpful force (often involving saving the world) which may be lead to self-improvement and/or a reward. Their experience will be mystical and contain elements of supernatural phenomena.
-The Dark Lord personifies the evil: They will have committed an atrocity that has made them feared by others and they threaten the equilibrium at the start of the narrative.
These characters do not have to be human; often they are talking animals or creatures which are believable in the genre.


Magic in some capacity will feature in a fantasy film as a defining feature. It is because of this that the films can have unrealistic plots. The magic often is usually only possessed by the Hero and/or the Dark Lord which helps to identify them both as influential characters. The Hero uses their magic for good and the Dark Lord uses theirs for evil. Fantasy characters that are associated with magic are wizards, witches and magicians.  Magic can be subtle or used as a "force", like in Star Wars for example and is realistic in the setting of the film. 


The events shown in these films are unlikely to happen in real life, though they may have some scientific relevance or truth in them. Because of this they are enjoyed by audiences because they offer escapism.


Examples of mystical characters would be vampires, dragons and fairies. 


Todorov's theory is most applicable to fantasy films. In addition to the Hero and the Dark Lord, the narrative includes a Reward, traditionally in the form of a princess who would have been distressed and a Mentor who is older and who guides the Hero. 


ICONOGRAPHY:

Because of the creative freedom of the fantasy genre it is difficult to define it as being either  a "male genre" or a "female genre." It is dependent on the type and the plot of the fantasy film. Emotional characters and themes are something associated with the female genre and will be applicable to most fantasy films. Also love is often an integral component, accounting sometimes for music with 'sweeping chords' also considered to be feminine aspects, whilst also dealing with situations that are infeasible in the real world. Contrary to this though, references to battles and conflicts between different worlds are compatible with the male genre. Ultimately though, as these films are used for escapism, they are generally considered to be female. They are high culture too; they are made with large budgets and appeal to mass audiences due to their 'tried and tested' formulas. 

In order to help us to try and establish what an audience would want from a fantasy film as a group we asked some people what they liked most about the genre and what they expect from it themselves. The two girls we asked were both of a similar age to the group members and so could be a potential demographic to consider for a target audience as we would relate to their thoughts and experiences regarding the fantasy films they may have seen.

Initial Ideas

As a group, Alisha Hans, Kathryn Davies and I noted down the initial ideas that we had regarding our film. We were all in agreement of the fantasy genre to begin with as it is a genre we are all interested in and we hope to develop a plot line that reflects the genre. Thinking of initial ideas together will prove to be a good starting point as it has begun to produce the above details and it will be something we can refer back to if needed.