Barthes Meets "The Sopranos"

The first quote that I find illuminates the advertising of the last episodes for the "Sopranos" has to do with the denotative message that the audience would perceive. The quote is as follows: "The utopian character of denotation is considerably reinforced by the paradox already mentioned, that the photograph (in its literal state), by virtue of its absolutely analogical nature, seems to constitute a message" (Barthes 277). We can use the "Sopranos" poster as an example similar to a photograph, as it is not a drawing like Barthes goes on to explain the differences of the two in his essay. And just like Barthes mentions, there are many different messages that can come out of these images. Where this coded message resides is exactly what people will ask, and only a close look at the images will they be able to tell. At first glance at just the images, one sees Kevin Gandolfini, the lead character of "The Sopranos" to the right of the poster space in a stark black and white color, dressed in a nice suit and tie, looking off the the left of the space. The next images that might catch the audiences eye, although they may be more insignificant, tend to convey hidden messages that can be revealed in a connotative look of the poster. The background consists of the Statue of Liberty to the left, in tones of black and white, and a flock of flying geese also in tones of black and white.

To begin with a second quote from "Rhetoric of the Image", I believe that the best quote to describe what the audience might first pick up on in terms of connotative evaluation has to do with the visual image of Gandolfini. There is a lot to comprehend as it pertains to the image, and it allows the audience to question the signified of the image and place it in a larger context. The quote is as follows: "...in advertising the signification of the image is undoubtedly intentional; the signifieds of the advertising message are formed 'a priori' by certain attributes of the product and these signifieds have to be transmitted as clearly as possible" (Barthes 270). While the image of Gandolfini is a signifier, there are many different signifieds that one can ascertain from it. In terms of feelings and emotions, one might be that the signified is a sense of sadness, a loss of hope. His eyes seem to be a signifier of their own as well, as they are not looking directly out, but rather they are looking off to the left as if he is looking for something or is thinking. The signified might be a lack of focus, misdirection, or not having any interest. The signifier of the Statue of Liberty might give off the signified as America, the ideals of America, or justice. While the signifier of the geese might represent the signified of leaving for a while or moving on, and seeing as it is the final episodes of the show, it could be just that.

The third quote I chose tends to do more with the linguistic message of the poster. The words "The Final Episodes-April 8, 9PM" and "Made in America" are the only ones that appear on it. Not even the show's name "The Soprano's" appears. This in of itself gives of a clear linguistic message even though the letters aren't there; one is to assume that maybe the show is so popular that everyone would know what it was at first glance. "The text directs the reader through the signifieds of the image, causing him to avoid some and receive others..." (Barthes 275). This statement cannot be more true in this context, as the words help put the picture in context of the signifiers so that a signified can be established. Just the words about the show having its final episodes creates an environment in the poster to help distinguish the messages within. And that is a perfect form of relay between the poster and its audience.

I am the Blair Witch

These quotes that we are meant to analyze in terms of applying them to the "Blair Witch Project" hint at the absence of aura that the film creates. This is exactly what this film exhibits though; in an attempt to throw out all conventional filmwork such as the photography, cutting of scenes, and layout of the story, an aura is built up from the reality the "mechanical equipment" portrays. I don't think anything like "The Blair Witch Project" had ever been created before, so as this is a very original piece of art, that in itself helps emanate some aura of the film.
The first quote states that the "singularity of the shot in the studio is that the camera is substituted for the public". Also, as a result, the aura that the actors convey dissipates. However in the "Blair Witch Project", this is not the case. As much as the camera might be a substitute for the audience, it works both ways for the actors as well. The actors of the film see the same thing that the audience would. So there is a duplicity of viewing, and a different reality is shared by both. And therefore, the audience participates in this aura, which is somewhat reminiscent of the aura one would feel in a performance of "Macbeth" like the quote dicusses. On the other hand, an argument suggesting that the film loses in a sense some of its aura because it is a mechanical reproduction of the art of a Hollywood film is true. Like Walter Benjamin says in his essay "A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", something that is the product of mechanical reproduction may not touch the actual work of art (in this case the film taking some of the elements of another film), and the quality of the film consequently is lessened.
The second quote I agree with more. Because of the cameraman's work in penetrating reality the way he/she does with the mechanical equipment at hand, its true that the final picture is really "pieced" together, and you get a more "real" outlook in the end; whereas a painter will paint reality as art in a whole. This tends to be less realistic because of the equipment used. In "The Blair Witch Project", not only did the use of equipment like their cameras present a reality through just a camera, but it also had the illusion as if one was perceiving reality through a set of eyes. And that it of itself brought another aspect of reality to the screen.
After analyzing those two quotes, I have come to believe "The Blair Witch Project" is more of an attempt to cut into reality. Walter states "the uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition", and with "BWP"'s attempt to try varying and unique means of photography, the reality created is inseparable from any other work of art. The crew of the film really did try and delve into reality and break it down into something that would translate to the audience in a way that was never really accomplished before. And now with movies such as "Cloverfield" and "Paranormal Activity", this type of integration of reality is being duplicated on the screen. These films are essentially the mechanical reproduction of "BWP", and that being said, those are the movies which lose a sense of aura--not "The Blair Witch Project".

Realism: Classical Hollywood Continuity Films vs. "Tokyo Monogatari"

The term “realism” was created in the early 1800’s in reference to a style of art that elaborated the style of living and everyday life in the nineteenth century. It brought to attention the ordinary things of life and made them extraordinary: a verisimilitude of reality. And even though the realism that we see today in film and film art expands on these concepts, I believe it emphasizes the role of everyday life in a new light; it takes the closely knit characters of this “everyday life” scenario and develops them in attention to the social factors that affect them.

In understanding how classical Hollywood continuity films create a different form of realism than Tokyo Story, one first must point out the contributing factors of realism in these Hollywood films. According to “Film Reference”, some kind of narrative causality constitutes the realism aspects of classical Hollywood continuity films. Since the plot of these films generally center around the protagonists and supporting characters, these individuals are subject to “whims of fate”. And it is through the chain of “cause-and-effect” that the narration is created. So in order to maintain an air of realism in these films, certain technical elements were evoked, such as creating the right costumes of the time period, having extra-diegetic music play over transitions and herald in character action as well as synchronized sound, producing different camera elements (fades, dissolves) to show the correct passage of time, and executing the right spatial continuity (180 degree rule, editing). Even the roles of an individual playing the “hero” or “villain” of these films contributed to its realism, because this certain typecasting was what the audience was looking for.

So what elements of realism did Tokyo Story adapt from this classical Hollywood continuity film style, and what elements separate it from those Hollywood films? Well it seemed there certainly was a unique narration with the elderly pair that decided to visit their grown-up children in Tokyo. But one could argue that Yasujiro Ozu did not intend for this film to convey a narrative at all. It is in my personal belief that this film was more an example of poetry than a narrative. The only thing that Tokyo Story and Hollywood have in common with this “narrative” concept is the idea that the elderly couple were subject to the chain of “cause-and-effect” of society on their children. As for the technical elements, Ozu tends to break the standard concept of what Hollywood would use as elements that convey realism. He tends to use more formalistic shots, rather than ones that stick to the 180 degree rule or the more common shots. Tokyo Story also seems to be in a different wheel of time; Ozu likes to prevent the common lapse of time from occurring, by either showing elaborate shots of the surrounding landscape or virtually stopping time with his ability to manipulate his camera shots. But even though the progression of time separates this form of realism from Hollywood’s, it is realism nonetheless. But what I think separates this realism from all others is his conventional method of ignoring the rise-and-fall action of classical Hollywood films. He contributes what he has to say through his characters and the environment around them, and then he just drops them back off into the world in which they started at the beginning of the movie...as if life never stopped. What a concept of realism.

http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Realism-MAKING-MOVIES-REAL.html