Domestic abuse is such a personal topic for some of the public and can often be a subject most would dismiss due to its realism and often hard hitting storylines.
However, domestic abuse can come under a number of catagories that often subvert the steriotype. It can be more than just physical pain, It can be emotional pain aswell. In addition, the protagonists tend to be a male and a female, where as the public does not tend to acknowledge that woman can be the abuser and men the victum, or woman abusing woman. These topics are often dismissed. However, like the characters who abuse, the age differs aswell, you can have a character of an old age who abuses a younger character vice versa; and have characters of the same age. Moreover, you can have partners who are financially disadvantage opposed to those who are of a wealthy background, yetboth could have abusive relationships.This topic really presents how your age gender and financial background has little relevance to why individuals are abused in general cases.
The clips below present how abuse can be represented in different ways, but all signify at one point physical abuse, opposed to just emotional abuse. However, not all the videos show someone physicaly hurting somneone else,but signify it through the different shots. I chose these videos because
Cinematography/sound/ Mis- en scene/ Edit
I have decided to analyse a domestic abuse video to give myself an idea on what is expected from it, and how they present their idea using cinematography and sound.
I like the fact this domestic abuse campaign is slightly more abstract than the others below and how it presents the idea that domestic abuse isn't someone choice and isn's part of a script. This also presents how people can only escape for a little while until they are once again faced with their abuser. The Miss-en-scene is also located in a nice area and illustrates how no matter how much money you have, you can still be apart of a abusive relationship. I find it intriguing that they decide to subvert the stereotype. Such as the other campaign below the abuser at first is unidentifiable to give a more intimidating effect and the victim's perspective is always viewed first, until it is dominated over by the abuser. The red in this shot foreshadows what might happen to her and i like the slow tracking shot to build tension. I particularly like the close up of the mans hand, as he still remains unidentifiable till the face to face conflict. The close up of the had suggests that he is the abuser due to the smashed glass in the previous shot. Like others below, the protagonists end up on the floor which could reflect their low self esteem and the position that they are in in comparison to their partner. I believe the tracking shot out to present a set was very effective and kept to the abstract style. The caption in particular 'isn't it time someone called cut' is a very skilful caption that will draw attention.
How they present the victim
They firstly present the victim as a wealthy individual who has a job, however, as the narrative progresses they present the weakness within the character. As an audience you start to see glimpses of her tainted character, which makes the audience more sympathetic towards the character as it makes us question how well victims can cover up their problems.
Cinematography/sound/Mis-en scene/Edit
The first sound we hear as an audience is the non diegetic sound of sad music as you see a close up of a child playing innocently. Thus creating a dramatic and saddening tone to the shot. As an audience you hear the sound of a piano which i believe is something we would like to use within our product to convey the same type of tone across our footage. In addition, the sound takes away the voice of the victim which reflects the lack of choice the victim has within the situation.The shallow depth of field creates the child to be even more oblivious to the environment that she lives in and makes the audience feel emotional for that character. The close up shot reverse shot between the two main characters is intimidating to watch and makes us as an audience feel uncomfortable.
However, although i like this idea using shallow depth of field which i would like to use within our own film, i don't believe the child should be in all the shots and should only be in a few so it does not stray away from the concept of pressure. The slow moving shots reinforce the sad tone and give it a realistically depressing atmosphere. The differing shots between the mother and daughter doing roughly the same things presents that the child's future could also be ruined by domestic abuse if things do not change. This is a concept which i would also like to run alongside our pressure film; the idea that the child reflects the happier times of the abused mother, and maybe the same fate awaits if circumstances do not change. The location of it being in a home presents realism and is a vital part of connecting it to the audience and making them understand that for some people it is a regular occurrence. The natural light with a blue ting insinuates that this is the norm for some families, creating a more dramatic environment to visualise. This is also a prevalent colour throughout other domestic abuse campagns. Pictorial editing is also used where the woman is having a nose bleed and then the girl is washing up a red up to symbolise that violence may continue to run through the family if it is not stopped. Another good point that i feel this clip has is that there are shots of both of the characters putting on make up, however, it is done in different ways. The child is putting it on to dress up, whilst the mother is putting it on to cover up, and i like the way they have linked the concept of make-up as being used as a facade which is very interesting to watch, and would like our protagonist, in some way, to portray a mask of some sort, however i would like the make-up to present the internal emotions of the character rather than using it as a mask to hid her experiences.
How is the victim presented
Within this, the protagonist presentation differs strongly from the Keira Knightly advert, as within this advert it jumps strait to the point, showing the protagonists weakness without the strength, yet shows the protagonists innocence and hope through the child character. This protagonist is seen without a job, and is always featured at home, suggesting that she could be entrapped in the situation and cannot get out.
Cinematography/Sound/Mis-en scene/Edit
The Mis-en scene in this short film is much how i imagine our production to be, it presents a home and homely objects such as photos and cooking objects such as a Kettle which the audience can relate to. It presents the idea that anything can happen behind closed doors and also conforms to the stereotype as the male is the most dominant character within this, which is how i would like to present the main characters in our own product. I like the fact that this homely feel is contrasted by anger and sadness.
My favorite shot in particular is the kettle shot. They have use a low angle shot to present the kettle as being Superior, and by using this shot suggestively hints that it is a significant object in another shot. The reflection of the kettle is blurred, making the man unidentifiable much like an abuser. The character in this shot is wearing dark clothes in comparison to the light around him which could also signify evil verses good.In addition, i like the fact they have used a household utility to represent how something useful can be so dangerous.
The camera first presents the situation though the victim's side, then though the abuser. At first the abuser is unidentifiable as the victim is given a voice. However, once the abuser is introduced the female voice dies out and the male takes over for the majority of the shots. In one of the shots, the woman is standing behind the man presenting the woman as being dependent. From this video, i would much like our product to have the woman being dependant and timid.
Developing idea
Although my main focus is along the lines of pressure which threads through the concept of domestic abuse, i decided that all the objects in the shot should only subtly hinder the idea that the pressure is building. In deciding for a more subtle approach, objects such as the balloon which was originally going to be filmed separately and slotted into the scene should not be included, and only objects such as a kettle and clock which are more fitting to the environment should be included and should be introduced through shallow depth of field so the setting does not change. Although the balloon could have all ready been blown up in the room and the wind blows the balloon into a hook in the wall and it squeaks until the balloon gives in and pops.
In addition, i thought it would be more appealing and hard hitting if there was a third character, and that being a child who is oblivious to the tension that is happening around them. However, the child should be playing with objects that symbolises pressure and the subordination of a victim, such as the child knocking over a pile of domino's as the camera cuts to a woman gets hit to the ground; but still in view behind the two arguing characters you can see the child so all the shots link, yet have a contrasting effect between an innocent character and a coroupt relationship.
Furthermore, i believe the dialogue between the protagonists should be muted and there should be a 'music box' sound over the top of the whole film and as the 'pressure' objects are introduced the counterpoint sound of happy music should be softened to allow the objects to be the main focus point. I decided a music box type of music as they are normally associated with happy hours of playtime, which is contrasted against the seriousness of the situation, giving it a mundane tone.
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