Comparing La Jetee, the short, and 12 Monkeys, the full-length movie
Part 1
“La Jetée” (1962) by Chris Marker is a short film that was remodeled by Terry Gilliam in 1995 to make a full-length movie called “12 Monkeys”. Marker described his own dystopian-fable film as a photo novel instead of a film. The movie is a series of still images with voice and sound. It includes a dispassionate narrator that seems detached from the present action and gives a more distant feel to a story about obsessions with the past. Similarly, 12 Monkeys is a conscious, reverent, remodeling of Marker’s original storyline, themes, and ideas; it’s made by people who are devotees of La Jetée. Told in these snapshots, La Jetée is an intriguing lo-fi, sci-fi, time-travel tale in which a Parisian survivor of World War 3 is sent back before the planet was destroyed and radioactive to save humanity. This editing was extraordinary with its high-concept, action-oriented aspect. The unnamed man in 12 Moneys is selected because he clings hard to an image: a memory from his childhood, the face of a woman in the pier at an airport. Of course, this is a photo novel, not a photo album. With its flow of images alongside the audio it gives La Jetée its cumulative power.
In effect, the entire film is a meditation on the passage of time and the forged connection of image-making and ongoing preoccupation for Marker. He truly showed his photography, visual art, and filmmaking skills in the film. The protagonists of both films break out of their constraints and move back and forth through time, but still with no agency or control. All they really have are fleeting moments and later memories to cherish with another person who can't relate to them. On a rough count there are 400 plus pictures in La Jetée. Also a few repeats but its variation in Marker’s usage that makes the overall effect so potent. It includes clean cuts for traditional shot-reverse shot orientation, cross fade so it dissolves for a more dreamlife, reflective ambience, and longer holds to allot us to really explore and absorb certain images. The audio generally deployed with great subtly sometimes accentuates the visuals more overtly with a pounding heartbeat percussion in more sinister scenes. Even a seductive score for the most romantic interlude.
What appears to interest Marker the least, despite the premise and climactic twist, is plot. This is where 12 Monkey’s comes in - the writers and Gilliam set up a mystery to be solved. The film, like La Jetée, will climax with the explanation for the child’s hunting vision which is that he witnessed his own adult death. Notions of sanity and distorting wide angles convey a skewed vision of humanity. I envision this helping me throughout my short film process, because I can now understand and have an example of what the thriller genre appears like in short films. I will use similar camera angles and shots to produce a sinister and mysterious plot. This will allow me to produce a great film where my recently learned terminology will be put into good use.
Part 2
The 12 Monkeys movie is a science fiction film that follows the story of a man named James Cole who is sent back in time to prevent a devastating plague from occurring in the future. One of the key takeaways I got from watching the film was the importance of a strong narrative and compelling characters. The 12 Monkeys movie does a great job of weaving together a complex and engaging story that keeps the audience invested and engaged throughout the film. The movie also does an excellent job of developing its main characters, and the relationships between them, which created a rich and meaningful viewing experience. While watching the film, I was able to see how the filmmakers use various techniques, such as dialogue, setting, and visual elements, to convey the story and develop the characters. In addition to these elements, the 12 Monkeys movie also demonstrated the importance of visual storytelling, with its use of striking imagery and creative set design to help convey the film's themes and ideas. Another thing I was able to take away from the movie is the use of foreshadowing and non-linear storytelling, as the film jumps between different time periods to reveal key plot points and build suspense. The way that 12 Monkeys approached filming, especially in this genre, was something different than I have ever seen. It has given me and my group a different viewpoint on storytelling and using camera work to do so, which will be very helpful in our short film process. Overall, the 12 Monkeys movie is a great example of how to create a successful and impactful short film, and it can provide my group with valuable information and inspiration as we work on our project.
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