Use of the Camera

Watch the following video about camera movement in film.

 In the video the narrator explains a range of film terms relating to the use of the camera.

Define the following terms and write a full description of how these are used in film-making;

 For example;

Pan

This is short for panorama. the camera is usually on a tripod and moves from side to side to give a steady shot of the scene. It is often used to set the scene. Often at the start of a film. You can now take panorama shots on most phones. This allows you to take in more of the scene by moving the camera across the horizon.

Now do the same for the rest of the terms.

• Tilt
• Pedestal
• Dolly
• Track
• Zoom
• Crane
• Steadicam
• Point of View

Making and Editing Spirited Away

This is an edited version of the opening of the film which claims to be the original Japanese version.

What has been changed ?

Miyazaki is the director but he had a large team of animators, sound producers and artists working for him at Studio Ghibli.

If you edit footage together in a different way then meaning can be altered.

The film version that we study has been edited with a slow pace to establish characters, narrative and setting.

Continuity editing has been used to support the audience’s understanding narrative and the strange world that the spirits inhabit.

In contrast to the more familiar low-budget anime Miyazaki kept a higher frame rate (30fps) as opposed to the more commonly used 24 frames per second.

Each frame is hand made so the film is incredibly well crafted with teams of people working on the animation.

This clip will explain some of the methods used to make the film.

and here is part 2

One of your focus scenes is the first six minutes. We will analyse these closely in class. You will be expected to write about the opening in the exam.

The exam board have given you some pointers about areas to focus on;

Cinematography (including Lighting) 

• High angle mid shot (MS) of Chihiro in the back of the car denoting her place within the family as a child/female.
• Camera movement changes as they enter the forest reflecting the importance of the setting and the change in narrative.
• Sequence One contains lots of establishing shots of a modern, westernised and urban Japan that contrasts with establishing shots of the nostalgic bathhouse/spirit world later in the film. Low angle shots from within the car looking out, positioning the audience with Chihiro.
• Daylight signifies safety and the lowering sun and casting shadows and signifying danger. A traditional fantasy/horror trope.

Audiences and Spirited Away

It is important that you have an opinion about the film.  An examiner wants to see that you have personally engaged with the text.


The film was made primarily for Japanese audiences but there are elements that look toward a global audience. For example, the characters are quite European in their facial features. Thesis a feature of Anime but do you think this is a conscious decision on the part of the animators?  We have an American dub for the voices which allows Western audiences a different perspective as the language will be different. Do you think this affects a western audiences reading of the film?

A lot of the cultural references will be lost on a Western audience if they are unfamiliar with Japanese history and culture. What do we learn about Japan from the film?

Here are some responses from primary research.  They offer an isight into different readings of the film.

It seems like a disjointed series of scenes. It looks great but the narrative doesn't hang together.

It was confusing, Give me Moanna any day, It went on for ages and lost my interest.

Would rather it had subtitles as the American accent gets annoying

Watch it without prejudice. See it on the big screen and let it wash over you.

It about a world that adults don't understand. they cannot see the magic, they cannot see the fairies, they have lost the ability to see other worlds and use their imagination.

It's well dark for a cartoon. 

Use the theory of Stuart Hall to define three different readings of the film.

• Preferred
• Negotiated
• Opposite

Chihiro's journey

You could put this film in the genre of 'coming of age' films.  The protagonist goes on a journey, there is an inciting incident which peoples them on a quest and the voyage of self discovery begins.  Usually the hero becomes a better person by the end or has learned some truths about life.

We identify with the young female protagonist and her journey. It is through kindness and love that she conquest all.  A common theme in film and an aspirational message for young people.
 Chihiro gains followers through her innocence, hope and positivity, improving lives and inspiring others. It is her sort of super power.

It is also about overcoming fears like a lot of coming of age films especially American teen horrors.  IN this case it is the fear of moving to a new place with new friends and a new school. By the end Chihiro has learned to embrace change and avoid fear.  See the possibilities and engage with life.

Chihiro goes down the rabbit hole and discovers herself in this imaginary world just like Alice.  She learns bout the harsh truths of life such as greed and injustice and comes across characters as vivid as the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter.  It is like a fevered dream or a nightmare but our heroine comes out stronger, focused and informed.

As John Lasseter says in the extras,the film asks the question ' how do you keep your innocence and good nature and not become a stroppy teen.'  Also how do you avoid being influenced by the negative role models or monetsr that might surround you?

Other themes that you can explore in the film include;

• concern for the environment
• valuing cultural heritage
• celebrating Japanese culture
• exploring the spiritual elements of Japanese culture and religion
• the clash between westernisation and traditional Japanese culture 

Walt Disney and Studio Ghibli

The Ghibli studio has links with Disney who help to distribute the film globally but Studio Ghibli films are a very different to more mainstream Disney films.

It is worth studying the similarities and differences between the two studios and the representations of young female characters. Studio Ghibli films often have a strong female protagonist.

The music is similar and a soundtrack is composed using classical music to guide the emotions of an audience.  For example, listen to the music in the opening scene. It is sad to begin with to evoke Chihiro's emotion at leaving her old home.   It reaches a crescendo when her father drives fast and is forced to brake suddenly.

The use of a soundtrack remind me of a classic Disney film 'Fantasia' which includes The Sorcerer's Apprentice'. The music is an essential component and the film was made when talking films were just beginning.  The orchestral arrangement is paramount to understanding although we tend to remember the visual part of film.

You may get a question like, 'How is sound used in 'Spirited Away'?

Another area that is likely to be a focus is representation and here you can discuss Disney films and how they have represented women in the past.  You could look at older Disney classics like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. The idea being that traditionally Disney has been conservative and represented young women as being defined by stereotypical societal roles. They aspire to be kissed by a Prince and being happy ever after through marriage. Japan is also quite a conservative society that would want film to promote these traditional roles and values.

Only recently have Disney films started to challenge these defined roles for young women. Analyse the representations in these two films and explain how they differ from traditional Disney films.

In relation to your film. How does the character of Chihiro reflect the changing representations of young women in animated films?

Surrealism in Spirited Away

The film is lauded for its imaginary dreamscapes and for creating such a wonderful magical world full of vivid colour and detail.  The studio has links with Disney who help to distribute the film globally but Studio Ghibli films are a very different to more mainstream Disney films.

Unlike a lot of mainstream animation Ghibli films are bizarre, intelligent, and challenging.  Audiences are given credit for wanting more than simple fairy tales.  Young people want to be shocked and at points horrified or terrified to take them out of their comfort zone.  They can deal with complex narratives and explore 'adult' themes ad sophisticated concepts. Where Disney reduce things to their simplest form for an American audience they possibly underestimate, Ghibli are willing to offer a creative and imaginative experience that asks more of an audience. They are willing to provide a sinister edge and magical worlds which do not always make total sense.

The studio creates dreamworlds such as the 'bathhouse' and grotesques, monsters that might seem scary to younger audiences. They are taking a risk doing this but one that has gained them new audiences globally which Disney are keen to align themselves with. Audiences that want more than the traditional Disney fare.

Part of the joy of this film is watching the weird and wonderful creations imagined by the animators.  My favourite are the sootballs carrying coal like the sorcerer's apprentices.

This colourful world reminds me of surrealist cinema of Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali.  In places the dreamscapes of Dali are evident such as the lantern with a jumping foot.  The narrative is somewhat disjointed and dreamlike also which fits with the ethos of surrealism.

Perhaps the most surreal character is No Face. As in Dali's art the challenge is how we interpret the image to gain meaning.  No Face is meant to be read as a symbol of greed and the effects of consumerism whether Japanese, Western or global.  It is the adult world that has lost its way and like the parents they have become pigs.  Selfish and greedy, obsessed with the desire for more.

Some say that film cannot do metaphor.  What is the symbolism of no-face?

What does this character represent ?

Perhaps over indulgence, greed, narcissism or the adult world itself, a word of sin, ugliness, greed and pollution.  This character is tamed by the good nature of Chihiro. Love conquers all and the poison is extracted.  the pigs are also a metaphor used in other Ghibli films of adults who have been corrupted. In Porco Rosso adults become pigs due to their desire for war.

Binary Oppositions in 'Spirited Away'

Claude Levi Strauss came up with the theory of binary opposites which you could apply to this film.

In 'The Poetics' Aristotle suggested that all drama is conflict.

To take this further we could say that narratives are driven by conflict between opposites.

Genres can be identified by these opposites such as The Western. At a basic level most Westerns are the struggle between civilisation and wilderness. Cowboys versus Indians.

Identify further oppositions in a chosen genre.

What are the opposites that drive the narrative in Spirited Away ?

Good /  Evil
Young /Old
Spirit world /Real world
Dream/Reality
Grotesque/Beauty/
Greed/Selflessness
Pollution / Health

Here is a very brave teacher explaining the theory in a video.