Media Theory - Tumblr Posts
Now this, this i like.
Only two critiques... well, one critique and a retracted other.
Because my first thought was to ask where Mr.milk’s cream shade fitted into this idea given how utterly whipped and docile to the system he’s become, and then I realized he’s actually pretty darn optimistic for his position. He doesn’t ever show sign of rebellion, but he still dreams of possibilities outside of Clamburg. Even though he’s shot down at almost attempt to actually do his job as a teacher, he still tries to work with what he can and cares about his students. He can barely make it past two words with Mrs.Minty, for months in end, but he still tries. His failure to change his situation isn’t from a lack of will/want, it’s just his heightened anxiety & stress overwhelming him!
The only other thing I had to know it was that I personally didn’t see any evidence that either of V’s parents are terrified of their daughter. Violetta if anything seems pretty affectionate to her.
making fiends hc because I’m hyperfixated: y’all know the way the background characters in making fiends are all grey? I think that grey is the most common ‘color’ for someone in the making fiends universe. maybe it could represent someone who has no ‘will’ in Clamberg. I don’t believe we ever see anywhere outside of it. For example…
Charlotte is joyful, loving and kind… even though she might be a bit of a troll (my headcanon.) She has the brightest, aside from Vendetta, colours. A light blue can symbolise inspiration, freedom and trust.
Vendetta on the other hand, is green, a bright green. This also, in my hc, represents a high level of determination. Green usually represents greed, discord and prosperity.
Notice how the other characters in the show have very faded palettes.
I know the reason for this: Charlotte & Vendetta are our main characters, so they need to stick out more.
However, in universe…
I think the brightness of your color represents your desire or wants. Most people in Clamberg have given into the despair of living there, and have no hope. A character like Marion is brighter than her classmates, but not as bright as Charlotte or Vendetta. She has a lot of will, and even plans on leaving for Canada. However, she is still scared of Vendetta, so she isn’t fully prepared to go through with it.
Compare this to Maggie, who is incredibly dark. She isn’t faded though, which means she still has some passion for life. She writes poems, she’s somewhat kind, and in a way, transcends the threshold from ‘hopelessness’ to ‘active despair’. Rather than just having no hope, she actively relishes in her suffering.
Marvin, Malachi and Mort all have darker colours. They probably have some desire to leave, but not as much as brighter coloured characters like Marion.
Ms. Minty is a brighter colour, and shows little fear of Vendetta too.
You might think: okay, Rubella?
However, Rubella is not a human. She is a fiend. She doesn’t have a ‘will’ or ‘desire’, so I don’t think I can count her.
What do y’all think? I think personally the only contradiction is Violeta, who is clearly terrified of Vendetta, but has a bright colour palette.
Lake Mungo (Anderson, 2008)
The mockumentary format enables the audience to trust the protagonists and furthermore, identify with their grief over losing their daughter. Unlike other ‘haunting’ sub-genres of horror, the focal point of the narrative appears to be with all family members accepting the death of Alice rather than cheap scare shots. Arguably, the uneasy tension created at the start of the film is through both the identification with the protagonist and through the genius use of mockumentary sub-genre.
The integration of the hand-held camera and late night recording narrative device is so underrated and is successful in creating a higher level of intrigue for the audience. However, the narrative threads created by the use of the camera reflects family relations. The initial shots of Alice are created by her brother to help her mother accept Alice’s death and analysing of the second tape shows Alice’s sexual relations with her next door neighbour. Furthermore, the use of the family psychic Ray increases the sense of verisimilitude throughout the film and he also allows an insight to Alice’s inner fears. Ray is another essential narrative device for the film as he vocalises the similar fears of both Mother and Daughter (Alice’s fear being losing her Mother and her Mother’s fear of her distance from Alice).
The discovery of Alice’s phone in Lake Mungo provides the scariest moment in the film and shows Alice confronting her fears of drowning-she sees her bloated, dead body in front of her. As her parents revealed she never talked about the Lake Mungo trip, it shows the sheer distance between the characters. Despite the climatic moment being scary, it’s also liberating(in a sense.) Alice’s parents believe the spirit in the house has changed since the discovery of Alice’s phone so the audience believes that the family’s problems are over. Arguably, this is due to the genre codes and conventions- the audience shouldn’t identify with the ghost, when the family believes they are safe, the audience are safe. However, this is not the end.
The interchanging shots of Alice’s final interview with Ray and her Mother’s show that the distance is still there, despite the fact her family believes Alice is free. Alice talks about how she sees her Mother yet her Mother does not see her. In comparison, her Mother talks about how she doesn’t see Alice. The final shot of the family shows a figure at the window, the audience is led to believe that this is Alice. Thus, creating the idea that Alice has been there all along and the family has found various reasons to not see her. The physical distance between the family and Alice shows this.
In my opinion, although the message is somewhat cliched, the film discusses the distance between teenagers and their parents. Furthermore, the idea that after death nothing is solved and we never truly knows what someone else feels. The film is incredibly well executed and is both terrifying and emotional.