Unfriended (2014) and Andre Bazin's Realism

Film & Media Studies
11 May 202114:25
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video analyzes the horror film Unfriended through the lens of realist film theory, specifically André Bazin's ideas about long takes and deep focus cinematography granting spectators freedom. It examines how Unfriended manifests a 'long take realism' not found in more mainstream films like Searching, using minimal editing and a continuous stream of time to shape attention in subtle ways. This phenomenologically forces viewers to confront the boredom and dead time of sitting at a laptop. So while not Bazinian realism about the conditions of being in the world, Unfriended taps into the conditions of being on our devices.

Takeaways
  • 😀 The film Unfriended manifests a cinematic realism through its long take aesthetic
  • 😮 Unfriended has a minimalist approach compared to mainstream desktop films like Searching
  • 🎥 Unfriended's long take approach is related to realist film theorist Andre Bazin's ideas
  • 🌄 Bazin valued depth of field, long takes for spectator freedom vs montage
  • 🎞 Unfriended forces the viewer to experience the boredom and dead time of using a laptop
  • 👀 The viewer's attention in Unfriended is shaped through the interface rather than montage
  • 🔍 There is more ambiguity and personal choice in where the viewer looks in long take films
  • 🖥 Unfriended taps into the phenomenology of using digital devices and being online
  • 🤔 The realism of Unfriended is about the experience of using a laptop, not reality itself
  • 💻 Long take films reproduce conditions of perception, while montage is more constructed
Q & A

  • How does the film Unfriended manifest a kind of cinematic realism?

    -The film uses long takes and deep focus cinematography to create the illusion of an uninterrupted stream of events, similar to how we perceive reality. This allows the viewer more freedom in where they look on screen.

  • What is the minimalist approach taken by Unfriended?

    -The film restricts itself to only showing the desktop screen of the protagonist. There is no cutting between camera angles and no non-diegetic music or sounds.

  • How does the desktop film Searching differ in its aesthetic approach compared to Unfriended?

    -Searching uses quick cutting between screens, non-diegetic music, voiceover, camera moves and zooms. This departs from the long take realism of Unfriended in favor of a more mainstream cinematic storytelling style.

  • What does long take realism allow the viewer to do?

    -Long takes with deep focus allow the viewer to exercise more personal choice in where they look on screen. The film does not dictate what is important through editing, introducing some ambiguity.

  • How does the lack of montage in Unfriended shape viewer attention?

    -Without montage cues that lead the viewer's gaze, attention in Unfriended relies more on small visual details and sounds that draw focus. Moments of boredom also play a role.

  • What is the core aspect of Bazin's theory of realist filmmaking?

    -Bazin valued the ability of cinema to capture continuous duration in time and unity of space. He felt montage disrupted the natural perception of reality that long takes made possible.

  • In what ways does Unfriended depart from Bazin's notion of realism?

    -Rather than reproduce the feeling of physical reality, Unfriended taps into the specific mode of perception and attention involved in using digital devices and software.

  • How does the realism of Unfriended serve a phenomenological purpose?

    -By forcing the viewer into the mundane experience of sitting at a laptop, the realism makes visible and felt certain conditions of media technology use that typically escape our awareness.

  • What creates ambiguity in the film image according to Bazin?

    -When camerawork and editing do not overtly dictate where the viewer should look, it introduces ambiguity by allowing the audience to discover meaning for themselves.

  • How does the example from Searching resemble Bazin's montage theory?

    -The rapid cutting between images and emphasis on selected screen details shapes clear meaning for the viewer in a way Bazin compared to sentence-like bits of information.

Outlines
00:00
🎥 Examining Unfriended's cinematic realism and lineage to Bazin's theory

This paragraph introduces the video's focus on analyzing the film Unfriended through the lens of cinematic realism, specifically the theories of realist film theorist Andre Bazin regarding long takes and deep focus cinematography. It outlines how Unfriended manifests a minimalist, long take realism that grants the viewer freedom, similar to Bazin's ideas, despite being a horror film.

05:06
🎞 Comparing Unfriended's long take realism to the mainstream montage of Searching

This paragraph contrasts Unfriended's long take realism with the rapid cutting and montage of the film Searching, showing how Searching is more mainstream and cinematically familiar. However, Searching is also more virtuosic in conveying narrative information through screens. Some key clips are analyzed to demonstrate the differences.

10:08
🎬 Relating Unfriended's aesthetic to Bazin's theories on realism

This final paragraph relates Unfriended's aesthetic approach to Bazin's specific ideas about long take, deep focus cinematography creating continuity of dramatic space and time and allowing spectators more freedom. It argues that while Unfriended is not purely Bazinian realism, its device-focused realism makes us confront the conditions of being on our laptops.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡minimalism
The video discusses the minimalist approach of the film Unfriended, which exercises aesthetic restraint by avoiding common cinematic devices like montage editing. This creates a sense of realism, as if the viewer is sitting at the computer with the protagonist. The minimalism manifests as long uninterrupted takes.
💡realism
Cinematic realism refers to filming techniques that create an authentic, realistic experience for the viewer. The video analyzes how Unfriended's long takes align with theories of realist filmmakers like Andre Bazin, who valued deep focus and continuous shot framing.
💡desktop film
This refers to films presented entirely from a computer desktop perspective. Unfriended is a key example that pioneered this style. The video contrasts it with the 2018 film Searching, another desktop film but with very different stylistic choices.
💡montage
Montage editing is a signature of cinematic storytelling, sequencing shots to convey meaning. Unfriended intentionally avoids using montage in favor of long uninterrupted takes at the computer. This grants more freedom for the viewer's attention.
💡Andre Bazin
Bazin was an influential realist film theorist who argued that techniques like deep focus and long takes better capture the continuity of space and time. The video analyzes how desktop films like Unfriended manifest Bazin's ideals in a new digital context.
💡spectator
Bazin's theories exalt the freedom of the spectator/viewer to choose where to look within an image. Unfriended's long takes similarly avoid guiding the viewer's attention, leaving them to observe dead moments that would normally be edited out.
💡phenomenology
The video relates Unfriended's forced realism to media phenomenology - making the viewer confront invisible conditions of ordinary laptop use. The realism taps into the experience of using devices rather than reproducing reality.
💡ambiguity
Bazin argued realist techniques like deep staging introduce useful ambiguity, not guiding the viewer to one interpretation. Similarly, Unfriended's lack of montage editing creates space for the viewer's own perception rather than imposed meaning.
💡attention
With no montage editing, the viewer's attention in Unfriended wanders based on boredom or cursor movements, much like bazin's ideal of a free spectator. This manifests cinematic realism in how attention mimics reality.
💡space
Bazin praised how techniques like deep focus better capture continuous space. Though entirely digital, Unfriended also conveys a sense of continuous space through sustained shots of the computer desktop interface.
Highlights

The film manifests a kind of cinematic realism and long take realism important in film theory for understanding the medium of film

The film has a minimalist aesthetic, exercising restraint in using common cinematic storytelling devices like montage

The desktop film genre need not be aesthetically realistic like Unfriended; Searching is an example of a desktop film with more familiar cinematic storytelling

Unfriended's long take realism gives us new forms of attention tracking not related to montage

The film's boredom emerges from its aesthetic minimalism and criterion to present one continuous stream of time

The film manifests layered virtual spaces through windows rather than actual space like in cinema

Unfriended relates to Bazin's interest in long takes and deep focus granting spectators freedom to choose where to look

Bazin valued unity of image in space/time; montage sacrifices the specific effects from this unity

Long take aesthetics manifest a more active mental attitude and personal spectator choice

Unfriended is not merely Bazinian realism reproducing conditions of being; it reproduces conditions of being on our laptops

The realism forces confrontation with the unseen, ordinary conditions of laptop use

There is a phenomenological advantage to Unfriended in creating these conditions

Unfriended's realism is not about being in the world but using devices

The minimalism and realism lend themselves to media phenomenology

The realism gets us to confront and understand the conditions of use invisible due to everyday laptop use

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

Bazin's "Evolution of the Language of Cinema" Part 2

Andre Bazin's Evolution of the Language of Cinema

Stanley Cavell's The World Viewed

Andre Bazin's "Ontology of the Photographic Image"

Siegfried Kracauer's Theory of Film

Andre Bazin's "The Ontology of the Photographic Image," Part 2: Waltz with Bashir

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Thanks for rating: