How Freud's theory of the self is composed in The Emperor's New Groove.

How Freud's theory of the self is composed in The Emperor's New Groove.

The ego- The ego in this clip is represented by the main character Kronk as he is mainly seen in a mid to close up in the middle third of the shot between the devil version of himself and the angel version of himself on either sides of his shoulders which draws the audience’s attention to him in the middle. In this mid to close up shot he represents his own ego as he is trying to find a balance between the two versions of him on his shoulders and is consciously aware of the decision he is trying to make. As well as this his facial expressions in the mise-en-scene have the look of confusion which represents him trying to find the balance and gain a sense of reality between the two separate parts of his psyche. Kronk also says in the diegetic dialogue "You guys are sorta confusing me' which represents to the audience that the id and the superego are taking over and distorting reality until finally Kronk, the ego takes control again in making them both disappear within the mise-en-scene taking back a normal sense of reality. Kronk gives a balance between the id and superego and behaves in a more rational and realistic way.

Also, with in the diegetic dialogue Kronk asks “what does that have to do with anything’ which also represents the idea that he is trying to bring his thoughts back to reality rather than being distorted by the id who is trying to take control. 

The superego- The superego in this clip is represented by the second character to enter the scene which is the Angel Kronk on the right third of the screen, being on the right side of the screen may be extremely significant by the fact that the superego tries to make a person take the morally ‘right’ path. This character instantly represents the superego due to the fact that angels often connotes a person’s moral principles and the need to be a good person, the need to do the right thing and the need to be perfect.  Angel Kronks aim is to make Kronks behaviour more civilized, he does this by saying in the diegetic dialogue 'you're not just going to let him die are you'. This has been encoded to represent him pushing Kronk to be a better version of himself and to do the morally right thing. Even the devil Kronk says that the Angel Kronk will lead him own a path of Righteousness which the superego is supposed to do to a person. The superego aims to make one better then they already are and turn them into their ‘ideal self’ which an angel often connotes. 

The id- The id is represented by the last character in the clip, the Devil Kronk shown on the left third of the screen. The reason why this character represents the id is because it’s trying to lead Kronk down a path of temptation and giving into his instincts and desires, which the devil often connotes to an audience. The Devil Kronk wants Kronk to just walk away from Kuzco in order to gain instant gratification of pleasure in a job being done. The Devil Kronk also represents the id as he is dressed in all red as a part of the mise-en-scene which connotes lust and desire of which the id seeks to satisfy these feelings to gain the instant gratification that comes with this. 

Even down to the order in which the id and superego exists the scene represents the strength and power that they both have. The id is supposed to be the strongest part of the personality as this is innate in our behaviour from birth and will ultimately be our primary driving force therefore the id is shown in the scene to be the last to leave therefore showing how the id represented by Devil Kronk, is the most dominant force and will fight to be more dominate and controlling than the superego represented by Angel Kronk.

Freud's theory of 'the self'

Freud's theory of 'the self'

The Id –

This part of the personality is innate, its present in a person from birth and related to our primitive instincts. The reason for the id being there from birth is for the fact that it controls a person’s primary drive for pleasure seeking and needing instant gratification as well as the avoidance of pain. An example of this is a baby needing food, they don't understand that they need to wait therefore they may cry in order to get the instant gratification of relieving the unpleasant feeling of hunger as they haven't yet leaned how to balance their desires. Freud suggests that the id 'acts as the driving force of personality'. The id controls the desires and urges of a person and is often more dominant than the superego and has more control on a person’s driving force, it is instinctive and childlike. The id is described as being the strongest aspect of one’s personality. The id can also be linked to addiction problems as the id craves anything that will relive the unpleasant feeling of withdrawal such as cigarettes or alcohol addiction.

Freud suggests that the id is unaware of the passage of time and the external world which is the reason to why we have the desire for instant gratification and to be relieved of unpleasant feelings straight away. The idea of Freud’s id is still used within psychology today and within film as it helps us to understand our unconscious motivations and driving forces as we go about our daily lives. 

The ego – 

This part of the personality develops second as a child begins to grow and starts to learn the difference between right and wrong from seemingly moral role models such as a person’s parents. The ego is able to set the id in the right direction but never has full control due to the id being a part of a person’s instincts and the ego only developing through socialisation. The ego creates a sense of rationality within a person so that they aren't completely driven by the need for instant gratification and allows a person to evaluate situations as well as planning and organising. The ego also acts as a balance or a judge between the id and superego so that a person isn't completely driven by either their urges or their criticisms. The ego is "the rational part of our brain' that helps us navigate daily life and to not always give in to our impulsive nature and allows us to act in a consistent way rather than irrationally. 

The ego begins to develop as an infant is exposed to the world around them allowing them to make better choices such as instead of gaining instant gratification, they may wait in order to gain a greater reward at a later time. Depending on how strong a person’s ego develops and the environment that they are exposed to the ego can help in resisting social pressures while balancing the id and superego to develop a better cause of action for a great outcome of different situations. The ego develops in order to keep us acting stable.

The Superego-

The superego is the part of the personality that develops last after a person learns the difference between right and wrong, it develops and becomes a person’s conscious leading them to make morally right choices. It controls a person’s moral code, pushes a person to do the right thing and has a need to make a person come across as seemingly perfect. The superego tries to persuade 'the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection'. The superego consists of two parts which are the conscious and the ideal self. The conscious will make a person feel guilty if they give into the id too soon or if they shouldn't have at all such as indulging on a craving. The ideal self creates an unrealistic view of a perfect person and tries to make one aim to be like this such as a way to behave in society etc. Again, if one doesn't live up to the ideal self then the superego can be made to feel guilty even if the ideal self is an impossible way for a person to act. 

The superego acts as an ethical component of one’s personality and develops due to how they are raised by their parents and the punishments the receive from doing ‘wrong’ things. An infant begins to understand the moral codes of those around them and therefore start taking these ideas onboard themselves to develop their own superego. The superego takes the longest to develop and can develop right into young adult hood as one may begin to change their moral code and alter their own views as they become more exposed to society and social pressures. 

Bibliography/references

·     Very well mind (20th November 2018) (online) available from https://www.verywellmind.com (accessed 26th November 2018) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-id-2795275

·     The Guardian (7th March 2009) (online) available from https://www.theguardian.com (accessed 27th November 2018)

·     Simply psychology (2016) (online) available from https://www.simplypsychology.org (accessed 27th November 2018)

·     Encyclopaedia Britannica (20^thJune 2017) (online) available from https://www.britannica.com(Accessed 28^thNovember 2018) 

·     Psychology Today (12^thJanuary 2010) (online) available from https://www.psychologytoday.com(accessed 28^thNovember 2018) 

Health and saftey concerns

Health and safety concerns 

One major health and safety concern of using a camera is water damage especially when using electrical cables that are either attached to a camera or when charging the cameras battery. Water can be a serious hazard for electrical equipment as it can cause an electrical shock if someone comes into contact with the damaged equipment as it will send an electrical current into the persons body and may cause serious harm. A way that this can be avoided when using cameras or lighting equipment is making sure that none of the electrical wires are exposed and are protected by an outer layer of plastic that is undamaged with no cuts or anything that could expose the wires in anyway. Another way that this can be avoided if you are aware of a water spillage is by turning of the power and moving camera and lighting equipment to try and reduce any water damage that may occur.

Another health and safety concern that can occur when using camera to record things such as tracking shots or a moving person is making sure that the floor/path being used is clear of any objects that may cause obstruction that may cause a person to trip. This was one of the concerns when making our own short of 'Behind the door' for both version 1 and 2 as both involve someone walking down a dark corridor. We had to make sure that there was no objects blocking the persons path which meant that we had to remove stray bits of paper on the floor that the person could have slipped on and made sure that they wasn't causing an obstruction.








Lighting equipment may also be a big part of health and safety concerns because the wires may cause a trip hazard or the lights themselves may become too hot and may overheat the subject that is being filmed. When using lighting equipment that needs to be plugged into a power source a wire or multiple wires can be used and if not safely secured can cause a trip hazard therefore securing the wires will reduce the risk of injury to a person and will allow things to operate more effectively.  Also making sure that the lighting doesn't get to hot is a big part in looking after the health of the subject being filmed as they may also become overheated which may cause them to feel discomfort and may even feel dehydrated. In order to avoid this lights must be turned off when not being used and make sure that there are refreshments available to all who may be involved. Lighting equipment can overheat regardless of whether they need a power source or if they are used as portable lighting so it is essential that they are looked after and cared for properly.



Fire hazards are also a major concern when it comes to health and safety as it is a hazard for everywhere not just within media productions, because of this numerous plans must be put in place in case of a fire. One plan that can be put in place in order to protect peoples heath and safety is by having  fire extinguisher near by / within the room so that a fire can easily be put out if needed. Along with this clearly marked fire exists must be put in place for people to easily evacuate the building if needed.

Research

• Film Sourcing (2018) (online) available from https://www.filmsourcing.com (Accessed 1st November 2018) - https://www.filmsourcing.com/filmmaking-health-safety-keeping-your-cast-and-crew-safe/
• Open Channel (October 2005) (online) available from http://www.openchannel.org.au/ (accessed 5th November 2018) http://www.openchannel.org.au/safety-checklist-for-film-and-television/
• The phoblographer (1st April 2018) (online) avaliable from https://www.thephoblographer.com (accessed 5th November 2018) https://www.thephoblographer.com/2011/04/01/the-phoblographers-checklist-on-how-to-not-kill-yourself-in-a-photo-studio/

New wave film

New wave film brief

In our new wave film we have decided to try and incorporate the knowledge of both Hong Kong and French new wave films to demonstrate that we have a deeper understanding of a wide range of new wave texts.  We will be taking inspiration from the French film ‘Breathless’, the Hong Kong film ‘Chungking Express’ and maybe some inspiration from Easy Rider for our editing.

One of the technical conventions we will be using from the French new wave is ambient lighting, this is because it will be easy for us to recreate and will allow us to make our own new wave film look as realistic as possible and add a sense of verisimilitude. We will also use lighting to help us play around with black and white colour and normal colour to show a contrast in the mood of the two characters within the mise-en-scene.

We will also try to use double framing within the mise-en-scene as this is a common convention in Hong Kong new wave films particularly in the film ‘In the Mood for Love’, we will do this as it has connotations of isolation and entrapment. We will try to recreate this using object such as doors and windows to further enforce the entrapment.

Another way we will take inspiration from the new wave films is by using liberation of the camera from the tripod as apart of the technical conventions, we will us all hand held shots in order to convey a sense of realism as many new wave films often aim to do this as they want to break away from conventional film making and create a realistic narrative.

We will also try to use two character archetypes of a happy, upbeat, positive character and another of a sad, isolated, cynical character to show a contrast in the way people view love as love is a common narrative theme in both Hong Kong and French new wave films and how it affects people differently. We will also be adding text to the shot in the editing process to show the characters internal dialogue. We will use jump cuts for the happy character to represent the excitement that love brings to them and a wide angle shot to give the connotations of the isolation love can bring to the other sad character.

For the soundtrack we will use a mixture of both diegetic and non diegetic sounds in particular the song ‘ New York herald tribune’ from the film ‘Breathless’ and keep cutting between diegetic and non diegetic sound as this is a common convention in the French new wave.

Planning.

I have decided to shoot any bits of film needed for my own new wave film on just a camera and no other equipment as majority of new wave films are recorded purely on a handheld camera  in order for the text to be both experimental and convey a sense of verisimilitude which I will attempt to recreate. I will also do this as it can allow me to be true to the new wave conventions instead of going along with the rules of traditional film making. This will also allow me to create an effective postmodern text.

As well as only using a handheld camera I have chosen to only use small quotations instead of using a full scrip which I will attempt to add by translating the quotes into Chinese to be as authentic of Hong Kong new wave cinema as possible. I will also attempt to add these quotations by recording either the voice of siri or the voice of Google translate in order to create my own version of a postmodern text of a Hong Kong new wave film.

 Some of the quotations I will attempt to use are;

• "Embrace the void and have the courage to exist" 
• "We were strangers when we met and we were strangers when you left"
• "Time is running out, time is expiring" 
• "Why must thing end, why must things expire?"
• "The city feels like a dark blur in the underbelly"
• "I no longer walk with you but I'm always reminded of the past" 

I have decided to try and use quotations such as these as many of the narrative themes in the Hong Kong new wave revolve around meeting strangers, time, specifically time expiring and of characters constantly being reminded of the past. 

Some of the shots I plan to get while filming are ones such as close up of clocks in order to signify the importance of time withing Hong Kong new wave films and for the audience to decode that there is a sense of time running out. I also plan to add long shots of people walking through a city / town as this is a common setting within the cinematography of Hong Kong new wave films. One of the final shots I plan to get is a point of view shot of someone walking in order for the audience to gain the gratification of personal identity as they can feel as though they are apart of the text itself.

Lastly for the soundtrack I would like to have diegetic sounds of the city such as cars, transport and other sounds often associated with the city to allow for the audience to gain the gratification of entertainment as well as gaining a sense of verisimilitude. As well as this I plan to add non diegetic drum sounds as this is a common occurrence in the soundtracks of Wong Kar Wai's films in particularly the film Fallen Angels 1995.

 
I also researched the weather for Coventry, where we was filming in order to plan on appropriate clothes to wear as well as equipment needed in order to protect the camera from damage such as water damage, like covering it with a plastic bag when it was raining, which it did throughout the day.  

New wave film - City Waves


Evaluation of new wave film (Strengths, weaknesses, camera and lighting).

One strength of my new wave film the use of technical conventions I managed to use in my own text in particular the wide range of shot types I was able to recreate. I managed to get a bird eye view in order to add an establishing shot, long shots of people walking in the city, close ups of someones feet walking and multiple dutch angels particularly when showing a clock. This is a strength as it allows the audience to get more involved in the films as they can get a wider feel as to where the film is set and therefore gain the gratification of entertainment. Another reason that this is a strength is because it allowed me to show demonstrate my knowledge of shot types and also meant that i could demonstrate how to use certain shot types. I think that the most successful shot type however were the various dutch angles I managed to capture. A reason that I think that these shot are most successful is because they are commonly used in Wong Kar Wai's work in order to connote the feeling of disorientation people feel in the city and the audience can also decode this in my own postmodern adaptation.

Another strength of of my new wave film is the use of lighting I managed to get which consisted of both high and low key lighting. I used a range of high and low key lighting as this was used as part of the mise-en-scene in Wong Kar Wais Chungking Express. By using these lighting style I was able to encode different feelings into the film such as high key lighting when a mid shot is shown of a painting of Wonder Woman saying 'She can do it' allowing me to encode a positive powerful feel to the shot. Later on I used low key lighting when Showing an isolated section of Coventry city which allowed me to encode a hopelessness feel to my film and even a bad mood of which the people of Hong Kong felt leading to the handover.

However a weakness of my film is the extremely fast paced editing during the middle of the train journey and the pumpkin due to the fact that it may be little too fast. Although many films in the Hong Kong new wave use fast paced editing my own may be too much that could disorientate the viewer meaning that they may struggle to gain the gratification of entertainment. If I was to recreate this I would slow down parts of the editing to allow for the film to flow more smoothly allowing the audience to not be as confused by the film and understand what is happening within in.

Another weakness of the film is that I was unable to recreate the double framing which is a iconic part of In the Mood for Love's cinematography. This was a weakness as it meant that I was unable to encode the feeling of isolation an entrapment within the film which is often a common narrative theme in the Hong Kong new wave. If I was to recreate this I would try and make better use of doors and windows in the mise-en-scene to further encode the feeling of being trapped.

A final strength of my new wave film is that I was able to show a range of depth of field from shallow to deep. I was able to do this by adjusting the aperture and F scale. By changing the aperture to being low with a low f scale allowed for a shallow depth of field when showing a close up of the pumpkins hat. By making the aperture higher I was able to capture a deep depth of field particularly when walking through the city and long shots of others walking in the city. This was a strength as it allowed me to demonstrate a deeper understanding of camera techniques.