Contemporary Filmmakers Research Articles

An Analysis Phatic Expression on Hotel Transylvania Animated Movie

In contemporary filmmaking, the portrayal of emotions is pivotal, with phatic communication playing a crucial role. Phatic communication, involving verbal interactions aimed at maintaining social relationships rather than conveying information, enhances narrative and character development. This study examines phatic expressions in the animated film "Hotel Transylvania," directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, to uncover the deeper meanings and social significance of these seemingly simple interactions. The analysis reveals that greetings, casual conversations, and social courtesies in the film not only establish and maintain social bonds but also contributing to the film’s charm and authenticity. By exploring phatic communication in "Hotel Transylvania," this research offers insights into sociolinguistics and communication studies, emphasizing the importance of these expressions in storytelling and the functions of phatic expression in social context so that the readers can apply it to enhance their conversations.

Adapting to multilingualism: Persian dubbing strategies in animated films

ABSTRACT The incorporation of foreign language(s) into modern films is an inherent aspectof contemporary filmmaking. Multilingual films impose numerous challenges in the dubbing process. That is probably why research on the translation of multilingual filmscan lead to intriguing results. This study aims to uncover the tendencies in dubbing multilingual animated films into Persian. To achieve this, six multilingual films featuring additional foreign languages alongside the main language, English, were selected. These films were examined to identify potential changes in dubbing approaches over a decade-long period (2013–2022). The framework proposed by Minutella (2021, (Re) Creating Language Identities in Animated Films. Palgrave Macmillan) was adjusted and subsequently applied to the corpus in the current study. The findings revealed fascinatingshifts in Persian dubbing practice. In the earlier years, the third language (L3) was either omitted or substituted with Persian. On the other hand, in more recentyears,these strategies were replaced with techniques aimed at preserving the foreign essence and local nuances portrayed in the original movie. To put it differently, the foreign expressions were repeated in the dubbed versions or preserved to some extent.

Towards an Ecology of Practices in Academic Filmmaking

This video-essay proposes to depart from the experimental cinema made by Latin American women in order to highlight the tendencies of this minor cinema in which we can find ecological and formal concerns that cross our geopolitical and imaginary territories. Thus, we aim to identify an ecology of practices within the work of three contemporary filmmakers that despite their distinct styles and approaches, share commonalities and divergences that offer insight into the rich diversity in the same ecosystem. This was done through a montage of material from three short films: 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (2020) by Ana Vaz, Erial (2021) by Javiera Cisterna and Celaje (2020) by Sofia Gallisá Muriente. Through this video essay, we aim to interweave ideas, images, and methodologies towards a cohesive understanding of an ecology of practices in both film and academia. Our aspiration is to foster reflection on academic film practice as a possibility to reveal other means for political, epistemological and aesthetic inquiry.

A Geology of Film-fossils: The survival images across time and space in the digital era

This article explores the relationship between the concept of fossils and contemporary non-fiction cinema. Focusing on the space-time of cinema, materiality, and eco-feminism, in the attempt to represent the natural environment, the human being is no longer at the centre of the representation. Contemporary film subjects range instead from the stones’ iconography to the image’s survival, the archive, and its activation in the digital age. By analysing selected works by contemporary film-makers – Barbara Hammer, Deborah Stratman, Ana Vaz, Adrián Balseca, Eloïse Le Gallo, Julia Borderie and many others – this research aims to cover contemporary productions from an aesthetic and narrative perspective and see how new strategies are established to represent the natural world in the Anthropocene.

Christopher Nolan s Cinematic Art: Exploring Non-linear Narratives and Thematic Depth

Christopher Nolan, a renowned director in modern cinema, is famous for his unique non-linear storytelling and deep thematic explorations. This paper looks into Nolan s filmography, examining his storytelling techniques, themes, and visual style. It discusses the themes of memory and truth in Memento, heroism and moral dilemmas in the Batman trilogy, and the blend of sci-fi and philosophy in Inception and Interstellar. The paper also evaluates the impact of Nolan s work on contemporary filmmaking and critical reception.

The depiction of the 1990s in Ukrainian cinema of the 2010s–2020s as a way of national self­identification

The relevance of the study. Understanding of this period — encompassing the collapse of the USSR, the beginning of Ukraine’s independence, and the experiences of contemporary filmmakers during their childhood and youth — remains pertinent and essential.
 The purpose of the study is to examine the stylistic and substantive features of the depiction of the 1990s by Ukrainian filmmakers in films of the 2010s and 2020s, and to prove that this is a way of national self-identification.
 The methodology. The following scientific methods were used: analysis (to process theoretical works, works on the history of art and philosophy, articles by film critics and interviews), comparative (to highlight the peculiarities of each of the domestic directors’ works), deductive (to highlight specific stylistic features from the general Ukrainian film process of the era of independence), synthesis (to highlight the tendency of directors’ approaches to depicting the past as a holistic phenomenon) and generalization (to write conclusions).
 The results. An analysis of the stylistic and substantive features of the depiction of the 1990s in Ukrainian cinema in the 2010s–2020s has revealed that this phenomenon is a way of national self-identification. The main thematic blocks that exist in the field of national self-identification in these films are: a critical look at the system of society; production of life values; deromanticization of the past; coverage of generational trauma; nostalgia for youth and childhood; the problem of national mentality and the past existing in the present; existential issues of the search for meaning; and identity crisis. The main tendency is to depict the formation and maturation of the protagonist in the story model of a coming-of-age film. In each case, the chosen thematic area depends on the way the author expresses his or her personal worldview.
 The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it is the first comprehensive study of the phenomenon of depiction of the 1990s and the period of the first years of independence in Ukrainian cinema after the 2010s, which is a way of national self-identification.
 The practical significance. This study can be useful for further in-depth scientific study of both the trend of depicting the 1990s in cinema and the process of national self-identification. It can also be used in teaching film theory and film history.

Metaverse film. The rising of immersive audiovisual through disrupting traditional moving image and its conventions

The development of the metaverse and its immersive technologies has had an impact on contemporary filmmaking. Associated with the concept of metaverse are the terms “VR film”, “VR cinema”, “cinematic virtual reality”, and “metaverse film”. As new expressions of digital media, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have become hotbeds of groundbreaking experiments with immersive audiovisual languages that have led to the production of numerous narrative works experiences that combine the real and the virtual using immersive devices.The term ‘metaverse film” could encompass all cinematic practices related to the metaverse, including videos shot in virtual worlds such as VRChat. In a sense, machinima, or films made in the last 15 years using game engines, could therefore be said to be the origin of metaverse films. Similarly, immersive VR audiovisual storytelling is part of the cinematic practices in this emerging metamedium that immerses the viewer in parallel virtual universes and makes them part of the story.Metaverse has a disrupting potential that may add new insights to the way we think of film and storytelling. Following these ideas, we consider relevant not only for the academic field, but also for the industry to frame the “metaverse film”. Using a bibliographic and different catalogs and databases review as well as major XR sections of major film festivals as main methodology, we conducted a research that goes through the immersive audiovisual fiction produced during the last decade, with the aim to set its current state of the art that might help conceptualize the term and all that surrounds fiction and non-fiction experiences of the metamedium.

Exposing and Creating Nuance in Cinema: A Study on the Representation of Marginalized Identities in Neeraj Ghaywan Films

Being a perception-inducing and reinforcing medium, films can make remarkable efforts to humanize the lives of marginalized identities. Indian cinema has been largely criticized for its upper-caste gaze, sexual objectification of women, gagged or stereotypical representation of minorities, and other cultural identities. Neeraj Ghaywan is necessarily one of the young contemporary filmmakers from Bollywood who, regardless of the status quo, attempts nuance in terms of representation and portrayal. Diversity in the organizational structure of our society should reflect in mainstream cinema narratives to impact the process of democratization. The presence of more filmmakers from diverse identities would energize this process in its due course. This study is designed to analyze the representation of marginalized identities and explore the auteurship of Neeraj Ghaywan. As choosing not to talk about is itself a political act of subversion, under-representation would impact only social exclusion, while misrepresentations might perpetuate and bring about toxic stereotypes. The films of Neeraj Ghaywan are keen on both aspects of faulty representations.

Frame Design in Visual Culture of Contemporary Filmmaking.

The purpose of the article is to define the artistic and aesthetic toolkit of frame design in the visual culture of auteur film directing. Research methodology. In developing the topic, an integrated approach was applied, in particular, the methods of systematisation, comparison, verification, comparative and textual analysis were used. The analytical method and the method of figurative and stylistic analysis in their unity were aimed to consider the art historical aspect of the problem. The scientific novelty of the research is that the director's creativity is studied in the context of the visual culture of frame design and for the first time became the subject of a special study. The appropriateness of using the systematic method in studying the features of the author's plastic film language has been proven. A comprehensive analysis has been conducted and the features of frame design in the author's film work have been revealed. Conclusions. The materials presented in the study expand the arsenal of knowledge about the specifics of the visual culture of the author's film language in various worldview models and enable their application in educational courses, the creation of educational and methodological literature on the theory and history of cinema and television, directing. Key words: visual culture, author's cinematography, director, frame, design, screen art, composition, colour.

Narrative Structures for the European Identity Crisis: Antiplot in Ulysses’ Gaze, A Talking Picture and Our Music

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsMaría NogueraMaría Noguera teaches History of Cinema and Film Criticism in the Universidad de Navarra (Spain) since 2006. In the same institution, she has been Head of Master’s Degree in Screenwriting (2015–2018). Her research and academic interest focus on European cinema. She has written extensively about realistic theory traditions in cinema and their connection to film directors such as Roberto Rossellini, Joao Botelho or Manoel de Oliveira.Miguel Muñoz-GarnicaMiguel Muñoz-Garnica teaches Film Criticism and Foundations of Narrative in the Universidad de Navarra (Spain). He completed a doctoral thesis about the image of family in Japanese cinema and its relevance in the films of contemporary filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda. He has released several academic writings related to Japanese and Asian cinema. He also works as a film critic at the online Spanish magazine El Antepenúltimo Mohicano.

Review: Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg

Book Review| June 01 2023 Review: Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg Hoor Elshafei Hoor Elshafei HOOR ELSHAFEI is a graduate student in the Film and Television Studies program at Boston University. Her research examines identity and the cultural flow in film. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar BOOK DATA Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2022. $39.95 paper. 512 pages. Film Quarterly (2023) 76 (4): 108–109. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2023.76.4.108 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Hoor Elshafei; Review: Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg. Film Quarterly 1 June 2023; 76 (4): 108–109. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2023.76.4.108 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentFilm Quarterly Search BOOK DATA Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, edited by Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2022. $39.95 paper. 512 pages. As a complement to the exhibition No Master Territories: Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image, curated for the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Feminist Worldmaking and The Moving Image is a book that belongs to a long tradition of scholarly efforts that focus on practices that flourish in the shadow of the industry, often in fierce opposition to it. The book surveys the moving-image works made by and about women in defiance of commercial norms, works that seek to invent new languages to represent gendered experience. Constructed as an extensive library of moving images, the book offers ten original texts, two conversations, and eight diptychs with key historical texts appearing alongside short responses from contemporary filmmakers. Editors Erika Balsom and Hila Peleg marshal... You do not currently have access to this content.

Lost in Aestheticization: Bong Joon-Ho's Parasite

Winning more than 300 awards and overachieving at the box office worldwide, Parasite remains a perfect marriage of arthouse and mainstream, social commentary and entertainment. However, the rapturous reception of the film belies the odd paucity of critical conversation, eclipsed by an explosion of "opinions." This article examines the way Parasite, by offering unlimited pleasures of interpretation of its elaborate cinematic details, leaves the theme of social disparity unchallenged: a process that would be best illuminated by Walter Benjamin's phrase, "the aestheticization of politics." The first part borrows from David Harvey and Bruno Latour and examines the film's spatialization of social inequality within two opposite dwellings. The second part analyzes Parasite's merging of smell and poverty, using Jacques Ranciere's term, "the distribution of the sensible." The last part delves into the things abundant in Parasite, how the exotic Korean objects designed to supplement action and characterization overpower the film and thus erase sociopolitical potentialities. The fact that Parasite was financed by a South Korean chaebol, which ironically created the film's artistic aura, shows that contemporary filmmaking cannot break free from neoliberalism but has become a cultural "parasite."

Visual Effects in Movies: Bridging the Imagination-Reality Divide

Visual effects, or VFX, have become essential to contemporary filmmaking. With the use of VFX, directors can take viewers to magical realms, recreate historical epochs, and give life to the wildest of their audiences' imaginations. VFX has revolutionized filmmaking, enabling directors to push the boundaries of storytelling. From otherworldly creatures to breathtaking landscapes, VFX artists bridge the gap between what the mind conceives and what the camera captures. This bridge connects the limitless realm of human imagination with the physical reality of cinematic storytelling. In this article, we highlight the significance of visual effects in modern filmmaking and underline their potential to blur the line between the fantastical and the virtual worlds they portray. In addition, the study digs into the seamless integration of visual effects into live-action sequences, which serves as an example of the artistry required to produce plausible illusions.

Changing Times

Changing Times

The Musical Idea Work Group: Production and Reception of Pre-existing Music in Film

AbstractHow do filmmakers work with pre-existing music? To answer this question, I conducted interviews with the musicians, composers, editors, sound designers, and music researchers for Lars von Trier's films. This article combines previously unpublished insider information with an original analytical methodology to clarify the working processes of contemporary filmmakers who utilize pre-existing music. I build on Ian Macdonald's production-situated conception of the ‘Screen Idea Work Group’ to posit the ‘Musical Idea Work Group’, a notional framework emerging from the teams who develop film-musical ideas. While previous film music research tends to analyse artists (persons) or music (products), here I focus on contrasting descriptions of highly collaborative working processes with the prescriptive mechanisms of film reception. In this way, I demonstrate a more holistic understanding of filmic authorship while accounting for previous constructions of Trier as an ‘auteur mélomane’ based on critical perceptions of how he utilizes music.

Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania 2021 Conference Distinguished Lecture: Contemporary Filmmaking in Oceania

ABSTRACTThis piece is an edited version of the Distinguished Lecture at the 2021 ASAO conference. The discussion centers the real life lessons and experiences of filmmakers, contributing to and challenging conversations about media and cultural production. The piece begins with a brief overview of the past and present of visual anthropology and media in Oceania. Panelists then recount their own journeys to filmmaking in their lives. The discussion moves to the industry and demographic concerns of film in the region, as well as questions of developing national identities and their experiences of production in different cultural contexts. Panelists speak in detail on the systemic barriers of accessing funding, and about film as a profession in the context of ethnic, gender, and class inequality. After speaking about the nature of transnational collaborations and relationships, panelists discuss the value of communities viewing themselves on screen, and the importance of accountability.

Karnan: An Assertion of Dalit Identity

Indian films, both mainstream Bollywood (Hindi cinema) and regional films have captured issues related to caste, class and gender disparities, and have enabled directors/producers to experiment with techniques so as to challenge stereotypical representations. Tamil cinema in this context has gone through a sea change in its representation of the subaltern class. From being silent and passive sufferers, the characters on screen now raise to speak for their community and assert their identity. This article explores the representation of Dalits on visual platform and how contemporary filmmakers seek to challenge and demystify the established narratives/canon. The article further analyses the recent Tamil cinema titled Karnan (April 2021) which challenges dominant ideologies that perpetuates discrimination, objectification, exclusion and silence to sustain its power. Using the Mahabharata mythical characters and employing cinematic techniques, the film resists and subverts dominant perception which aims to silence the other.

‘I went there to live’: A case-study of Šarūnas Bartas’s Tofalaria and Few of Us

I argue that contemporary filmmakers, including today’s most artistically acclaimed Lithuanian film director, Šarūnas Bartas, whose works examine an ethnographic subject, question the rigid distinction between art and ethnography and prompt us to rethink the definition of ethnographic film. However, since they are primarily interested in the result, these filmmakers inadvertently perpetuate a cinematographic colonialism instead of trying to challenge obsolete models of representing other cultures. To make my point, I analyse two of Bartas’s early films: Tofalaria (1986) and Few of Us (1996), both shot in the area of the Eastern Sayan Mountains informally known as Tofalaria and inhabited by the Tofalars, the smallest indigenous ethnic group in Russia. Although they focus on the same subject, these films employ two different strategies of filmmaking and visual representation: Tofalaria can be considered as a conventional ethnographic documentary in which a voice-over describes the images and tells the story of the Tofalars, whereas Few of Us is a fiction film which has a narrative structure and features professional actors alongside local amateurs. Both films share the same premise: Tofalar culture and the Tofalars themselves are dying. Moreover, Tofalaria is depicted as a non-place, to use Marc Augé’s term, and has therefore lost its anthropological meaning.

Her resistance is many: the accented filmmaking practice of Mizgin Müjde Arslan

ABSTRACT This paper aims to understand the “accented” documentary practice of Mizgin Müjde Arslan, a contemporary Kurdish female filmmaker who was born in Turkey but lives in diaspora. I will discuss her filmmaking through the features of accented cinema, developed by Hamid Naficy and furthered by Asuman Suner. These features are multi-perspectivity, liminality, being the subject and the storyteller simultaneously, deconstructing the borders, replacing the history with a new memory, and cyclicity. As Naficy’s model lacks the gender dimension in its imagery of nation, identity and belonging, I will discuss his model from a broader perspective by adapting Suner’s approach, adding the gender dimension into my discussions. For this purpose, I will use the principles of “accented feminism”, a term I develop within the paper and draw the concept of “accented feminist cinema” from.

Negotiating Gendered Spaces and Contextualizing the Female Body: Reading Indian Films

AbstractIndian films, both mainstream Hindi and those in regional languages, have successfully portrayed the everyday sociopolitical and cultural maps of Indian life. No doubt, contemporary filmmakers have experimented with forms and techniques and have also given enough space to address gender issues to provide empowerment. Recent films like Ki and Ka (2016) and The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) have used visual media to represent varied dimensions of gender performances, to negotiate gendered spaces, and to ask pertinent questions about women’s bodies. Using the cinematic narrative, I explore deep‐rooted marriage‐and‐family structures that are layered within the patriarchal psyche that limits women’s freedom and sexuality. Through analysis, I explore how these films subvert and negotiate “naturalized” gender dictums and allow us to reorient our thoughts on gender.