Write whatever you want about the film(s) you choose. Just be sure to address how you think music and sound contribute to your understanding of and appreciation for what you watched - by no later than 5pm next Tuesday, April 25.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
THE HUNTING GROUND | LOST IN LA MANCHA
Write whatever you want about the film(s) you choose. Just be sure to address how you think music and sound contribute to your understanding of and appreciation for what you watched - by no later than 5pm next Tuesday, April 25.
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Music, I believe, is the most emotional aspect of any film. It can set the difference between whether a moment is happy or sad, it can determine the significance of a certain character or scene, and it has the power to change our perspective of how we view things in the film itself, and that what made The Hunting so damn good. It wasn't the interviews, or the nice cinematography that made this film impactful, it was the sound of these scenes that made me really listen to the interviews and invoke an emotional reaction. I think that sound is vital in all aspects of a documentary and that music can serve as a way to tell the audience what they are supposed to be feeling, whether it be love, sadness, fear, and for the hunting ground, sympathy, and that's why sound is so important in films.
ReplyDeleteTrina Mulligan
ReplyDeleteWOW. That’s my reaction after watching The Hunting Ground. This documentary was powerful and was loaded with tons of information and different stories that made it epic in my opinion. The Hunting Ground tackled the heaviest and most seriously overlooked problem in college campuses in a well-structured and authentic way. The usage of talking heads went perfectly along with the b-roll of college campuses because the stories that were told were so rich with detail, that the b-roll didn’t need to be anything more than students passing by the camera.
I was definitely impressed by the cinematography because it made the campuses look immaculate and perfect which contrasted well with the horror stories being told. This documentary was horrible to watch in the way that I couldn’t believe the shocking statistics that were mentioned such as the fraternities being second known for sexual assault and the Tallahassee Police not doing anything to fix the situation. I love that not only was this documentary filled with interviews, photos, footage, audio recordings, and statistics, but it also followed the story of Annie and Andrea and the amount of work that they do to help rape and sexual assault survivors. This documentary seems completely un-biased because it was told by the survivors, the offenders, the faculty, the media, and the student body. This was very much a giant epidemic that was seen on all different perspectives and analyzed carefully.
The sound work on this piece as well as the music that was chosen fit very well with the theme and the tone of the film. I loved how both the opening and closing of the film used the same graduation song as well as footage of graduation speeches to represent both the start and end of college and the documentary. I love how Cutler never used any type of sound of music that would freak the audience out such as overly-sinister music. Everything she chose to pair with the interviews made me listen even more intently to the story because it just drew me in. When the stories got particularly serious and intense, she would often opt for no music at all which created a sense of importance to the survivor’s stories. Any music that was added to the interviews was soft and almost unnoticeable like a single note on a violin, which was definitely appropriate for the tone and context of each story.
This was definitely a heavy documentary, but I believe every person, (especially college students) should watch in order to be informed of what to do when a rape or sexual assault situation arises. The end of the film is very much hopeful for the future but also puts it in the hands of the students to fight the institutions and the money making monsters who ignore the atrocities committed.
The Hunting Ground was a very powerful film. I was engaged with it from the get-go, with the acceptance reaction videos of all these students. It was effective in getting the message across by emphasizing the importance of college and its promises to protect students and create a safe and fun environment, while telling a story that showed the opposite was true. It was emotional and powerful and just really well done in general, but what really stuck out was the music choices. It was all modern pop music, mostly familiar voices, and all female, if sung. They also played collegiate music during the film, such as graduation tunes or school fight songs. This was a strong choice considering most of the subjects were also female, and the pop songs were ones that are aimed at the female college student demographic. It all added another layer to that “typical college experience” theme the film sardonically brought up throughout the narrative. It would show this idealistic life on campus that is typically associated with going off to a university, and then would spin it around to the dark underbelly that is hidden by school administrations. Playing those songs throughout the film, particularly during the dark parts, brought you back to that image we all have of college, and in some parts it would put a dark twist on the song by playing Ellie Goulding during a sexual assault recounting. The film was strong, and with the choices in music it was especially impactful.
ReplyDeleteWell damn. The Hunting Ground was emotional to say the least. The way the story was constructed was very nice too. While it managed to show a wide array of campuses and survivor stories, it followed an overall narrative of how some people, like Annie and Andrea, are addressing the issue. The amount to talking heads didn’t bother me because they are full of these survivors’ stories that need to be heard. And the b-roll around the campuses fit so well with the interviews. The compilations of all the ads for these different universities were also very effective. The context in which these cheery and excited clips were placed really juxtaposed it to add a whole new meaning. It spoke to the overarching theme of the doc too, which is how these universities are all hiding such a serious problem.
ReplyDeleteThis documentary is hella authentic because it’s literally these women and men telling their stories that they’ve been silenced about for so long. The filmmaker just laid out the facts for us in an intriguing and exciting to follow way. I felt on the edge of tears for most of this film. It’s an important piece of work that shows just how powerful documentary is as an art form. Putting this issue into a film like this and giving these people a voice is so necessary to actually affecting what happens in the real world. Bringing awareness to sexual assault on college campuses through something like this is definitely going to cause a reaction.
Now this might be just because I was actually paying close attention to the music because of the assignment, but goodness was this score BOMB AF. In her article, Miriam Cutler talked about how it’s important to look beyond cue to cue when adding music and instead look at the “music story arc”. I could really feel that. All the music flowed throughout the whole movie. She also said that setting a film to music is an instinctive process, which makes sense because the score felt very natural. The right mood was set at the right time every time music started. It wasn’t overbearing or manipulative, it added to the emotions I was already feeling. One of my favorite parts, musically, was at the beginning when everything was happy and then it started to become darker and the music flowed SO WELL! UGH! And the way everything came full circle with the graduation music at the beginning and in- so satisfying. And the moments where she added actually songs with lyrics worked awesomely too. I’m guessing Lady Gaga made that song for this doc? This got me excited to meet Miriam.
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ReplyDeleteSo I chose to watch The Hunting Ground for this assignment because my older sister watched this when she was at Saint Mary’s College and told me that it was necessary to watch. This was extremely hard for me to watch because I was sexually assaulted in my junior year of high school, and to actually see how much worse it gets just made me feel distressed. I am not sure if any of you have been through any of that, but it is hard to watch so many women tell their stories knowing exactly how vulnerable and disregarded they feel. I was astonished to see a few of the schools on this film were the ones I almost went to study Environmental Studies or Biosynthetic Chemistry at. Yale, Notre Dame, Emerson, etc shocked the hell out of me. Two of those colleges are in my hometown, and I have met the police dude that they interviewed from Notre Dame. It still amazes me how these atrocious college men are able to get away with this much debauchery just because the school itself does not want an inferior reputation. I find it quite futile that students pay at least $45,000, if not more, a year just to blow over these cases. Rape is an epidemic that needs to be observed, understood, and resolved by primarily by the predator, and yes, the victim and witnesses as well. I personally feel like we have let this go on for too long and that the patriarchal hierarchy that we have in this country needs to be smashed and replaced with better morals towards women. It is crucial for us to subvert the patriarchal paradigm that we see in today’s society.
ReplyDeleteTo digress, I did enjoy the overall structure of the film. It felt organized and thoroughly thought through to tell the stories of these women. I loved the way the statistics were shown in this film because it put a focus on which numbers went with which school or state. I thought the music was interesting, especially how she began and ended with “Pomp and Circumstances,” better known as, “The Graduation March,” to emphasize this sense of accomplishment at the beginning and end of the film. The morose, somber violin sounds for the scenes where the women told their stories made it much more authentic because that stygian and almost empty feeling you get when hearing that is exactly how they felt/feel talking about their story. Honestly, I want to say more, but half the time when I was watching this, I was on the verge of crying or just wanted to hear what the women had to say. It was extremely hard to watch, but I’m glad I did.
Lost in La Mancha
ReplyDeleteThank heavens for the music or I would have been bored to death. The film Lost in La Mancha wasn’t terrible but just a bit boring . I like the context , and found the director Terry Gilliam passion for his film Don Quixote de la Mancha or The Man Who Killed Don Quixote quite beautiful and entertaining. I felt that the film showed the dirty side of filmmaking, because not all films get made right away. It's was entertaining listening to all of the passion Terry Gilliam had for his film and seeing all the elaborate props. In addition I loved seeing young Johnny Depp. It was interesting to see how hard it was for director Terry Gilliam to cut the budget for his film about Don Quixote continuously, having to produce his film in Europe with half the budget (40 million to $32 million) that was needed for the full production.In addition he had to move his film from Hollywood to Europe. I thought Director Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe did a great job keeping the film authentic by allowing the audience to see the lengths in which Terry Gilliam suffered through in order to make his film. I enjoyed the style of music that Miriam Cutler introduced. I felt that she added some life to the film which made the film not as stale. I almost wish there was more music in the film. I liked how the music lightened the mood as well as bought attention to those series moments within the film. I noticed that during the interviews sometimes the music was soft and quiet but doing moments where the director Terry Gilliam was showing the audience his elaborate plans for his film about Don Quixote the music was very fun and lighthearted. I wondered what influenced Miriam Cutler when composing the music for Lost in La Mancha? It seemed as though she wanted the music to represent the artist himself director Terry Gilliam or maybe even Europe.
Ian Roozrokh
ReplyDeleteThe Hunting Ground
It is amazing how sound and score can add so much depth to a film. The Hunting Ground is a film every college student and college faculty and staff should watch. It definitely made me feel as though I need to be proactive and outspoken on campus about sexual assault, all was helped by the music and score of the film.
When focusing on music, sound, and score in The Hunting Ground, it definitely made me more aware of the impact the visuals had on me and what they were communicating. Although, when thinking of sound, I’m always thinking of if the sound wasn’t there at all and if the visuals would play with what the story is about and what the filmmaker is trying to pursue. I ask myself, would the pacing feel different, would it have a different emotional impact, and can this story be told without the use of sound. It’s definitely an individualistic type of approach when relating this back to other films, but with The Hunting Ground, I felt as though the music was one of the key tools to keep me, for one, engaged, and for another, emotionally impacted; the interviews would have seemed dull and repetitive, the stats would seem boring and lecture based, etc. etc.
Overall, the film played very nicely and the score of the piece helped exhibit stories that are needing to be shared. I hope this inspires others as it did to myself to be more proactive on college campus’ about these types of issues.
I watched the Hunting Ground this weekend, which might have been a bad idea considering I just watched Audrie & Daisy a few days ago too. Needless to say, I am overwhelmed. As a female I have stressed and worried about this happening to me, my sister, my friends. Seeing so many women openly tell of what happened to them was heartbreaking. I felt myself feeling almost flippantly about the issue when the statistics were scrolling across the screen. Films like this don’t feel like they give you a moment to breathe. But because of the sonic choices made to keep the music lighthearted and almost bouncy during the graphics, like a college recruitment video or advertisement, we are not only provided a moment to breathe but a moment to reflect on the fact that most people (other than victims) really are disconnected from the issue. They are able to feel lighthearted, able to write these events off, and able to disregard the emotional trauma of rape victims.
ReplyDeleteCutler’s use of ‘promotional’ seeming music was brilliantly ironic. Though in some scenes it felt cliché, it felt like the best course of action instead of pushing forward in being catapulted with horrific sexist shit amplified by melancholic, almost pity-inducing music. Cutler intelligently opted for the symbolic route- showing us that what mattered more to these schools was their reputation, the inspiration they provide, and the money they receive. Not the women and men who have suffered at the expense of (generally terrifying, if you ask me) college boys.
While watching the Hunting Ground i really did pay attention to the way music affected how I was feeling during the film. Knowing what it was going to be about, the cheery tone the music had in the beginning gave a false tone of safety and joy because I knew what was going to happen, and from then it became more and more somber when we found out what had happened to the students. Music in all films help me to understand a situation better, not by telling me information, but getting my mind to a place to analyze what I'm seeing better. It's another filter for the viewer to get the right information in the right context of sadness, shock, and disbelief. I thought it was told very well, similar to how i felt about 13th in that they weren't afraid to just give us information and the story followed a linear path from what the interviewee would say. Another sequence I appreciated was when they went through the punishments that the offenders received. The sarcastic demeanor of the voice helped keep a lighter tone in spite of the harsh seriousness of what happened to get these light punishments. I really appreciated everything that went into this as it sheds light on an issue that doesn't get a lot of attention, similar to how 13th was done and I really liked that doc as well.
ReplyDeleteI finished The Hunting Ground this morning and all I can say is wow. The beginning of the film touched me and was a great introduction to the rest of the film. The high school seniors reading their college acceptance letters for the first time was a genius way to lead into a film about college students and the "very serious" (as the colleges have been quoted in saying) matters it tackles.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the colleges were all quoted that they take this matter very seriously yet ignore completely or wait months or years to take actions is laughable. Rape is a serious issue and the way the schools AND the media handled it was absurd. The way the media, especially sports center took to defend the athletes in question just because they are athletes was hurtful to the female population. False accusations do occur, but as a society, I feel this film was intended to speak to us about how we view the victims in a much more negative light than the accused.
The statistics that flashed across the screen intermittently were disturbing to say the least. One of the most shocking and most effective of them being the numbers relating to how many cases had been brought up in the schools and how many expulsions there were. The difference in numbers was appalling and almost more eye opening than the victims stories. I think the stories were what brought those stats to life, and without both, the film would have fallen flat in a sense. The two things together created an overwhelming feeling of injustice; the numbers allowed the audience to feel for the other victims whose violations had no consequences to any but themselves and their families, and the stories created a personal idea of what some of the victims endured.
The ending made me proud of humanity and its intolerance to injustice in this instance. I only wish I didn't watch it in a Panera since I was trying my best not to lose my shit. Luckily, I was sitting in the corner.
Lost in La Mancha
ReplyDeleteI chose to watch Lost in La Mancha, and I sort of wish that I had watched The Hunting Ground. I was conflicted between the two, but I think watching Lost in La Mancha taught me a new way on how powerful and important music can be to a film. I agree with Brittany on the fact that if the music weren’t present in this film, it would bore me to death. I was bored--almost fell asleep actually. It felt boring and unamusing to me because I was basically watching a film shoot the entire time, hearing the crew speak upon the logistics of making the film. Yes, there was some apparent conflict in the film which made it a bit easier to watch. But even then, I wasn’t really amused by the story. I would have liked to learn a bit of background on the story of Don Quixote, and why the director was so drawn towards it. I almost wished I could have just watched the film they were making in this documentary instead...
In terms of music composition, I feel Miriam Cutler did an excellent job choosing what type of genre(s) of music to add into the film. The Spanish music included whilst the illustrations reenacted the Don Quixote script added a very, “history lesson” type vibe, which was kind of cool. The music throughout the film fits the Quixote time era, which was important, even though this doc was made in the early 2000’s. I think it’s more interesting to hear the old Spanish music rather than choosing another genre of the present day. At some points, it seemed like the music was placed in very odd areas. I remember there being points of conflict without music, which made the mood of the film change for me.
About 18 minutes in, there’s this section about Terry Gilliam and his crew and their filmmaking process. It’s quite satirical to me, at least I thought it was supposed to be. I loved what Cutler did with the sound design at that point. The circus-y type music with the tubas and excessive sound effects made me laugh a bit. It almost seemed like the directors were trying to show how much a fiasco the production was, and how money savvy they were.
Overall, I was beyond ready to be done watching the typical process of a White American Male director. But, I appreciate Miriam as the badass she is and the work she puts into her compositions. I definitely look forward to watching more films that she has composed.
I first watched The Hunting Ground as a senior in high school, about to graduate. This doc has had a huge impact on me and how I see the world. This doc inspired me to become a loud and proud feminist and to educate myself on this topic. One of my favorite aspects of the film is the music choices. The original song sung by Lady Gaga, Till It Happens To You is beautifully haunting, and a perfect fit for the topic being discussed. The ending montage put to the graduation march, and the facts about the colleges put the whole topic into perspective. The perspective that once you graduate you’ll move on and move past your assault. Another aspect tot he film I really liked was the vast number of sources the film makers employed. There were males interviewees who were assaulted, not just females. they talked to the heads of various different schools and even a clinical psychologist. The rounded nature of the interviewees gives the film a much more credible feeling. I believe this film needs to be shown to either graduating high school seniors or college freshmen, it would be beneficial to show this incredibly engaging and educational film to the people it will mostly impact.
ReplyDeleteSean McGann
ReplyDeleteI watched Lost in La Mancha. It was a bit disappointing, not a bad film by any means. I enjoyed some of the more visually appealing aspects, such as the tribute to Terry Gilliam's animation inserts from Monty Python. However, it felt more like a DVD extra than a theatrical documentary. Sometimes what was intended to be a DVD extra can work as a theatrical doc, such as The Sweatbox (about the evolution of The Emperor's New Groove), but this film felt more underwhelming and cheap. It was neat, however, to see Terry Gilliam at work on an unrealized masterpiece. Overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10.
In terms of the music, I think Miriam Cutler's score worked really well with the footage. The vibrant, Latin feel was complimentary to the production on a movie about Don Quixote. The almost inappropriately upbeat music played during the most depressing sequences was also a nice comedic touch in my opinion. Overall, I think Cutler's score for Lost in La Mancha was very fitting and well done.
The hunting ground
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy watching this type of documentary, because the theme of these type of documentaries is close to my life. “Hunting ground” is a documentary that I think is pretty familiar with the doc “waiting for superman”. These two documentaries are all talk about the defect of the United States school system. The structure and the editing are very good in the “Hunting ground”, but I will focus on the music and sound uses in this documentary. Unlike other documentaries, this doc uses a lot of pop music as the soundtrack. First, because this doc is about the young people, so the use of pop music may be more relate to the theme of the documentary. Also, it is very clever to combine the lyrics of the music to what we seem. For example, when the title “Welcome to Harvard” comes out, then the music started and singing “now I seem the truth! Anything could happen!” when some footage of the Harvard school shows. Then the doc started to talk about the sexual assault problems in Harvard. I really like the use of the music, it makes the doc feel humorous and attract my interest.
The Hunting Ground was a really hard documentary to watch, but I think everyone should watch this film. Rape culture is too prominent in todays society and this film has helped raise awareness of that. The music and sound throughout the film really helped create a dramatic and serious feel. I don’t think the film would have had the same effect if there was not music or this good of music. I think the thing I loved most about the music in this film is that it was not super noticeable but helped tell the story. Having a part of the film that really works well to tell the story but doesn't stick out on its own taking away from what the documentary is telling is really hard to do, and this film did it so well. There was lots of popular music that was put in to keep attention of younger people and I think that worked well.
ReplyDeleteThe music really worked hand in hand to make the visuals pop more. I think any sound designer or composer knows that their job is to compliment, not over power. This film was very well put together and impacted me as a college student. I had no idea that sexual assault was this big of an issue on campuses. I’m glad i saw this film!
Lost in La Mancha is a fine (and tragic) little portrait of a movie going under, even if it is a little lacking in narrative impact. The excellent music definitely helped to keep moments interesting and lively where they may have fallen flat. I have a bit of a soft spot for Spanish guitar, and Spanish music in general, so a film where they could be utilized extensively was very appealing to me. The narrations and animations of the storyboards were a nice creative way to give an insight on Gilliam's lost vision. Despite this, I think you'd have to have a real fascination with the filmmaking process to enjoy the doc thoroughly. There's a sort of anxiety to a project of this caliber that definitely comes across in the film.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I find the prospect of a passion project completely falling apart during production absolutely terrifying, so I can only imagine how Terry Gilliam felt. Movies, in completion, can sometimes feel effortless, but the chaotic forces of nature and fate will not hesitate to fuck things up whenever they can. It's the kind of subject matter the melancholy Spanish guitar tone is perfect for. The style of music is incredibly malleable and Miriam Cutler does a great job of setting the tone without overpowering the film.
Lost in La Mancha is not the most stylish or beautiful documentary, but it definitely feels genuine and made me realize I haven't seen enough Terry Gilliam movies. I find his creative process very interesting and his zeal admirable, even if it may have been his undoing in this case.
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ReplyDeleteughhhahxhxsjcjkbkzdv. The Hunting Ground. Ugh! UGH. I am so overwhelmed by different emotions right now, both with the stories told in this doc and the filmmaking. UGhH. First off, it took me a while to finish this documentary. I paused a lot. I don't know if it was to regain myself or to refocus, whatever it was, I think this doc was far to long. I personally didn't need an hour and 45 minutes of facts after stats. I don't exactly know what it is about this film. It bugs me. But maybe it's the fact that I haven't fully processed my own case of sexual assault. I. Do. Not. Care. ABOUT. THE FACTS. I care about what people can do to get help. I don't want to hear 15 stories stating the same thing over and over. I knew what this doc was about and that I would probably feel this way after watching it but it was just too much. Too many subjects. Too many facts. Too long. The music was so cliche. I praised the silent parts of just people talking. Maybe I'm just angry that this is still a huge fucking probably. Also. WhY the FucK blur the rapist face. Expose that asshole to the world. Ugh. Okay back to the music as that is the focus this week. Someone mentioned in their response that the use of pop music made this doc feel more humorous. I sure hope that wasn't the filmmakers intention because that's just fucked up. At points, this film felt so fictionalized. The use of music pushed that even more. I just really didn't enjoy the music in this. For me the use of music felt like a joke. Like the topic wasn't hard enough but here lets add some sad music to make it even more dramatic. I would have preferred more natural sounds from the environments that we saw (like the leaves when were outside or room tone). Many people mentioned how the pop music helped them to relate. Relate to what though? Can I say a doc is predictable? Because this one was. We start off with uplifting patriotic music but it's obvious that we know something is going to happen through the change of music. I'll give props to that. I don't know what else to say.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this movie and listening to Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance twice, it will really leave a bad taste in your mouth. The use of this musical piece to bookend the film is somewhat expected but it works. What becomes a dream piece has now become a mocking tune to play around the sound of people promoting rape culture in American colleges. Music has a very interesting use in the film overall. The dubstep montages over the view of the frat culture really show the obscene and inappropriate ideologies of the frat culture.
ReplyDeleteThe overall structure of the film seems to be around the act of listening. Victims are silenced at almost every turn while those with money and power speak for them with words like, “how did you say no?”, and, “what were you wearing?” Interviews dominate the film. We see people we overall expect to see but then out of nowhere, we have members of fraternities and perpetrators of crimes. The arc of the movie also details the breaking through of the silence. Our main characters want to have their voices heard.
I’m so incredibly moved by this documentary. Sexual assault on college campuses, as any big-profit state college would say, “should be taken very seriously”. Of course, as a female with very firm beliefs against victim-blaming, a lot of the content in this documentary frustrated me to the point of tears. I sometimes tend to avoid documentaries about subjects that I’ve remained informed with that may only upset me for hours afterwards, but I was incredibly curious about what the score for this film was like.
ReplyDeleteI found the music composed for this film to be a seamless and needed addition to Hunting Ground. If I were viewing this without an intent to concentrate on the score, I’d imagine that nothing that was used would distract me from the footage itself.
It was appropriately somber when victims told their personal stories about their assault, not at all intrusive or forced. Sad tones in the background over a difficult story to listen to didn’t sound like an effort to pull at my heartstrings, but rather a tribute to what the subjects had to say. Other audio (such as more playful score tracks during the introduction of key subjects) also blended fabulously. I’m so grateful that a film such as this one was able to have its own music composed for it, because this subject is just too meaningful and important to mix with a score that wasn’t specially tailored for this narrative.
Score aside, I also enjoyed the use of licensed tracks played throughout- like the various modern pop songs. Not to say I necessarily enjoy the songs themselves, but I appreciated a youthful, upbeat song used with very youthful, upbeat imagery (like new students excitedly moving onto the campus, or a chic advert for Harvard).
The rest of the film was incredibly well made, and the statistics and examples within are something I’d love to shove in the face of some opposers I know personally. But this film’s score was so artfully crafted that I’m motivated to look up a way to listen to it separately- just so I can hear it in its entirety.
I just watched The Hunting Ground.
ReplyDeleteI have ridiculously strong feelings about the film, and would love to share them, but for the sake of keeping this post grounded in the use of music in the film, I will limit myself to writing about that. That said, those ridiculously strong feelings were accentuated by Miriam Cutler's score. Everyone knows music's main function in film, documentary and narrative, is to create "mood". The score (when I speak of the score, I am not referring to Edgar Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance march, colloquially known as the Graduation Song, as that falls under the music supervision role in film post-production) serves the film well, and I believe it keeps the audience engaged emotionally with the story.
At times I thought that the score was unnecessary, given the seriousness of the subject, and that perhaps it would be served better without, but that thought was expunged from my mind fairly quickly, for the reason that this documentary relies on its ability to engage an audience and draw them into the issue it presents, and rightly so. There is even a section towards the end of the film that speaks about the importance of personal narrative influencing policy. When the score serves to make the narrative as engaging as possible, as with all the other formal elements of the film (cinematography, editing, etc.), it succeeds.
Miriam Cutler accomplished this here; I am extremely excited for class tomorrow, and plan on sitting in the front row.
“The Hunting Ground” definitely had an impact on me. Right away, I was engrossed in the film. The footage of students being accepted brought me back to the time when I got my own personal acceptance letter. The classical music paired with footage of numerous colleges made the campuses appear prestigious. There were speeches included from faculty and one phrase that stuck out to me was “whatever happens in college stays in college”. I felt this alluded to one of the film’s main points, which is that rape on college campus is not talked about or prevented. These attributes contributed to a strong opening of the film. Certain songs pulled at my heart strings, one of them being “Till It Happens to You” which was sung by Lady Gaga. I felt this song accurately portrayed how the characters were feeling, which made me sympathize with them. I noticed that most scenes included some kind of music in the background. Even with the constant music, the voices of the characters were still able to be heard. The numerous testimonies made it impossible for the issue to be ignored. It was very in your face. These testimonies combined with subtle music in the background created tones of sadness, and fear. An extremely ironic sequence in the film was at the end. Triumphant music is playing once again as footage of schools are shown to not have changed their ways. They continue to deny the horrible acts happenings at their “prestigious” schools. Overall I felt that the music choice throughout the film was very appropriate and pertained to each individual scene. I felt a range of emotions from excitement, sadness, and anger while watching this film. By the time it was over, I had become extremely upset about the denial on the issue.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten what The Hunting Ground was about by the time I started this movie. So at the beginning I was pulled into a false sense of comfort from all the pomp and circumstance. The revelation of the doc being about college related sexual assault only hit that much harder, and in my opinion was a very well done effect. I think for the most part the score reflects the moods of the scenes quite well. Only problem I had was with the amount of party songs being used, outside of party scenes. But with these scenes in particular they were sometimes archive footage so I wasn’t sure if it was part of the source material or if it truly is just weird song choices. But once again, I feel the score matched and amplified the mood of the doc quite well and even provided some nice surprises along the way.
ReplyDeleteLOST IN LA MANCHA was so timely for me and I'm so glad I watched it. Just last Sunday, we wrapped on shooting the D3 film BUSINESSMEN that I'm directing, and it has been such a nightmarish production-- by far the most stressful and difficult thing I've ever done. I could relate to Terry Gilliam on a spiritual level throughout the whole process, and though my film was a mere $3000 short compared to his multi-million dollar feature, I drew so many similarities between our two productions. I too feel that our production was cursed. There was an otherworldly amount of bad luck and things going wrong that were out of our control, and it's a miracle that we pushed through and brought it to completion. I know how it feels to have a vision in your head that you KNOW will be great, but you just can't seem to execute anything how you want it. It's somewhat comforting seeing an example of how even the most professional big-budget movies have their downfalls, and it makes me all the more proud how we were able to persevere through ours.
ReplyDeleteI loved the simplicity of the documentary and it's linear structure. It often paired words and interviews with a relevant, compelling and sometimes humorous juxtaposition of imagery, and let the first-hand footage tell the story-- only bringing in a narrator when they absolutely needed for the sake of giving clarity and explaining what's happening from the film industry perspective for those audience members who would otherwise have no idea what's going on. As a filmmaker, I value the opportunity to see the step-by-step inner-workings of a movie production and observe how a director works to evaluate what I'd like to imitate and what I'd like to avoid.
Lastly, addressing the musical score: I thought it was great that though the film was never finished, we were able to hear great Spanish cinematic music that could have very well fit as a score for the film itself. It wasn't too heavy-handed and never over-manipulative of the emotion in the film which kept the experience raw and authentic for the viewer. I felt like I was there as a part of the crew, and not solely an outsider who the filmmakers are trying to dazzle with amazing cinematography or fancy motion graphics. Checking out Terry Gilliam's IMDB, I am surprised to see that The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is currently in production once again and set for a 2018 release! I can only wonder how it's going and hope that Terry manages to break the curse with this one. If so, I'll definitely be in the theaters there to see it.
The Hunting Ground
ReplyDeleteI have to say I was super engaging documentary for me, given the topic and relation to being a young woman in college. It really shed a lot of light on rape culture that is often frowned upon for the victim's standpoint, especially from college and universities point of views. I especially was engaged in the score of the film, particularly looking how certain elements in the music could enhance a scene even more dramatically. Some might say that the upbeat songs took away from what was being shown, but I felt it put myself more in the moment. Miriam really brought a very subtle effect to the film with the music that blended into the emotion and words of many scenes.
Zoey Danielson
ReplyDeleteMusic is everything when it comes to a film. It can up the emotional effect, downplay it, use silence as a tool… There is so many ways sound can be used and when it’s used right, there’s nothing better. When I think about great scenes in movies, I can’t not think about the music that went along with it. An example is in Me and Earl and the Dying girl when Greg finally shows Rachel his movie he made for her. These scene, mixed with the fantastic acting and the music is what made that one of the best scenes ever in my opinion.
I think The Hunting Ground, like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, is able to create such an intense feeling with the music. When I was watching this, it moved me in just the right way. I was hearing everything this documentary was saying and I was listening to everything these girls were saying and feeling, at least something, of what they were feeling. Because of the music, the message was just that much more powerful, especially when the girls were giving their accounts of what happened to them. It was absolutely emotional in the best way- to say the least!
I don’t even know what else to say except wow. This film is so authentic. It takes you on this journey and throws you down the rabbit hole, in the most powerful way. I learned so much from this film and it was put together in such a beautiful way. It definitely hit home. It’s a sad truth, but I think many people these days knows someone that has been effected by sexual assault. This film is so important, I will definitely be recommending it to people.