Fourth Blog - method

What type of method have you selected? Why?

I have opted to use Kristin Thompson’s Neoformalism methodology, as the neoformalist analysis I have read coincides greatly with my research. Utilizing a type of analysis created by an established and prestigious film theorist presents a justified and cohesive methodology, which would lend credibility to my own analysis.

Explain and justify 3-5 steps of your method.

1. I will watch each movie thoroughly, taking preliminary notes on the following categories:

1) Mise en scène
Light; decor; costumes; placement and movement of figures; or graphics: composition, color, and movement. 

2) Sound
Music; effects; voice; fidelity; pitch; volume, mixage (multiple tracks), timbre; simultaneous/nonsimultaneous; onscreen/offscreen. 

3) Camera/frame
Movement; distance; angle; height; lens; exposure; speed. 

4) Editing
Temporal; spatial; graphic; continuity/discontinuity. 

5) Optical effects
Transitions; color; distortion.

2. I will codify my findings, combining certain techniques if the scene requires it (for example, in the climax of Once Upon a Time in the West, Leone times the camera movement, editing, and blocking of actors with the musical score to create tension. In such cases, isolating a singular technique or element would be insufficient; instead, the interplay between mise en scène, sound, and cinematography must be analyzed simultaneously).

3. I will then rewatch the movies again, to solidify and alter any of my data collection, as well as gather final overarching conclusions.

Identify and explain at least TWO limitations/challenges of your method.

One limitation of my method is the low amount of films I am choosing to analyze closely, I will bolster this with evidence from other films (ones that are not included in the in depth analysis, but that are imperative to the argument), however the issue still stands of establishing a change over time with a relatively low sample size. Another limitation is my own skills as a film analyst, as I am not as adept as people like Thompson, my analysis may have shortcomings I cannot forsee or solve.