We presented our artefact today! We got useful feedback, we talked about how Citizen Kane may seem boring compared to today's standards but at the time it had a greater impact. Conánn pointed out how film making hasn't changed since then. Also how the story only seems boring because it goes completely over our heads which we completely agreed with- we actually pointed out that the story is basic but with a deeper meaning. And when our group watched the film the second time we picked up on things and understood it better. Our presentation can be seen below or here: docs.google.com/presentation/d/1holkWYArc0-iJwfQRPg2h1okQKbkZ4Gn_tWEohrJa94/edit?usp=sharing Our final schematic can be seen here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6tl1004n0krs924/FinalSchematic.png?dl=0 We also end up changing the colour scheme slightly so we where sticking to this grey scale theme while still making it easy to follow. So the main (present) timeline is down the middle with the characters showing at the sides. The digital layout of our schematic was done by Veronika And finally our artefacts! I made the snow globe version (although I didn't paint it) and Leon made the other version of the sled. The meanings and idea behind these can be seen here and here. Implicit Meaning Snow Globe Explicit Meaning Sled
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We decided to go with an idea of making two Rosebud sleds. One version was to be like a replica from the film- it is our explicit sled and it's supposed to be Kane's childhood sled. The other sled is the implicit sled which is a sled trapped in a snow globe. This one was supposed to look older and worn out or possibly burnt looking. The idea was that this represented the implicit meaning behind the film and that something Kane finds so precious is kept safe inside of a glass dome. I put together snow globe sled and the rest of group helped to paint it We also started working on our presentation. Viola, Veronika and I each had certain point we wanted to talk about for certain slides but we also had notes to use throughout the entire presentation as there where a lot of interesting points we wanted to bring up.
For my notes I just wrote down ideas for every slide, honestly I could rant for a while about Citizen Kane but I just did extra in case someone forgot their part.
Snow globe held in centre of Xanadu concept I was looking at the work of Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz- www.martin-munoz.net/ - and the kind of globe snow globes and figures they create. We could either do a really simple, neat and tiny version or put something into a big snow globe.. like a snow globe the size of a football or something. The style of their art work is kind of how I picture our artefact looking, only we could have our one completely in grayscale.
Citizen Kane poster (1941)
When looking at the story of Citizen Kane in relation to the Three Act Structure by Vogler we didn't think it linked in with it well. The life story of Kane follows the structure but the way the story is told in the film doesn't. It's because it's all shown in flashbacks and is not exactly in chronological order- so that's why in our schematic we didn't use the structure because we feel it doesn't apply (in an obvious way). Compared to the hero's journey citizen Kane doesn't exactly fit in with it either. At certain points you could link it to the hero's journey structure but not often. For example you could say that there is an Act 2 when we are met with our tests, allies and enemies in the film. This could be when Getty's confronts Kane about his affair and Kane has to make a choice, then we see what characters decided to remain his ally or become his enemy. We also looked at how characters could be a certain archetype and for Kane we couldn't decide. He's not a hero or an anti hero and he's not a villain, and in the end he just ends up being a failure. Leland and Bernstein are definitely our main characters allies, although later Leland leaves Kane. Thatcher is Kane's mentor but could also be considered as a Herald because he challenges Kane to change. Getty's isn't really a villain but could be considered as a shadow and causes conflict. After some research I found a statement by Orson Welles- He talks a lot about what he wanted to achieve with the film. He wanted to make a film that was more focused on the examination of a character rather than a narrative of action. His idea was to show that 5 or more characters could have as many widely divergent opinions concerning the nature of a single personality.
When looking at the explicit meaning of the film, it's the story of a search by a man named Thompson, the editor of a news digest (similar to the March of Time), for the meaning of Kane's dying words. He hopes they'll give the short the angle it needs. His researches take him to five people who know Kane well—people who liked him or loved him or hated his guts. They tell five different stories. The implicit meaning- Thompson never discovers what Kane's last word meant, but the audience does. In his subconscious it represented the simplicity, the comfort, above all the lack of responsibility in his home, and also it stood for his mother's love which Kane never lost. Stories told by other characters are biased, so that the truth about Kane is uncertain. These meaning are something we would like to include in our artefact. References: http://www.wellesnet.com/orson-welles-explains-the-meaning-of-rosebud-in-citizen-kane/ We met up as a group to come up with a rough/basic schematic which we could then use for our final one. Also in case any of us where missing parts in our own notes. We are basing the layout off of a timeline- down the middle is the present, on the left of that are any present day characters. On the right are flashbacks and characters from the flash backs (so this section is the past). The middle timeline and flashback timelines explain whats happening in that part of the story where as the characters arcs are focused on what that particular character is doing on and off screen.
Icons for characters Kane: At first we where thinking of maybe doing a snowglobe or a sled but it made more sense to do a Rosebud. The entire movie is based around finding out what this word means, it's Kane last word before he dies. We were also going to have it be a white rosebud but white roses mean innocence and new beginning, so it was Veronika's idea that we make it orange (means desire) with a bit of red (means love) to represent Kane's desire to love or be loved. Susan: In the end Susan is a missing piece to Kane's life. During the time he spends with her, Susan never quite completes Kane but when she leaves he can't live without her. The puzzle piece also represents the time she spent in Xanadu with Kane, the music note is to do with her singing, both are such major but sad parts of her life. Bernstein: Bernstein is shown a lot throughout the story, he seems a very kind man compared to the likes of Kane of Leland. He always remains loyal to Kane and most of his life is him focuses on the newspaper and working hard. Emily: The diamond is tied into when Kane first meets Emily- He's in Europe 'collecting diamonds'. It also represents her strength, she wasn't afraid to confront Kane and in the end turn against him. Junior: Junior, Kane and Emily's son, isn't shown a lot in the movie. The toy car represents the unfortunate fate waiting for him. Thatcher: Thatcher's flashback scenes and perspective is all based around what's wrote in his diary. We see how he sees Kane and what he thinks of him. At a time he becomes obsessive of what Kane is doing and writing in the newspapers and keeps note of everything. Gettys: Gettys also doesn't appear much in the movie but plays a crucial part. He's responsible for exposing Kane's affair with Susan to Emily and the rest of the world, this is a major turn around for Kane politically. Serpents are connected with vengefulness and vindictiveness, Getty's actions were a cruel way of ensuring he won a political campaign without really having to compete. Thompson: We don't really learn a lot about Thompson's personality, we just known he's a dedicated reporter whose invested in the task he's been given. So a type writer seemed fitting as he is interviewing everyone and taking note of what they say. Leland: In the end Leland becomes a bit of a mess. He ends up drinking which ultimately leads to him losing his job. Alcohol usually portrays a character in a negative way and the affects can change the character negatively or lead to the characters destruction. Icons for characters. Designs by Veronika.
We've been given the task of creating a schematic and an artefact based around the film Citizen Kane (1941). I am in the same group as I was for the last project so it's Leon, Veronika, Viola and myself again! So what actually is a schematic? 'A schematic, or schematic diagram, is a representation of the elements of a system using abstract, graphic symbols rather than realistic pictures. A schematic usually omits all details that are not relevant to the information the schematic is intended to convey, and may add unrealistic elements that aid comprehension.' (Source) Good examples to look at are maps for buses or train lines. A layout for a movie however is going to look a lot different. I also looked at schematics that where in a circular shape as I thought this would be a cool way of laying out our final schematic but I'm not sure how well it would work and it might get a bit clustered.
I tried making sure the characters got there own paths on a separate bit but the only character I didn't manage to do this for was Bernstein as he appears a lot throughout different sections of the movie. So I'm hoping the rest of the team can help me fill in this gap. I thought the story was interesting in relation the Voglers theory as well. Considering I did a whole bit on Circular story form I think Citizen Kane ties in perfectly with it. Our opening scene to the movie shows a sign saying 'No Trespassing' is also our ending scene so we come back to the place we started. 'No Trespassing' opening and ending scene. Source: Citizen Kane A lot of objects are also recovered near the end of the movie. This was the part I was talking about previously where the character breaks the fourth wall by talking to the camera, basically the audience. When Kane writes about protecting the interests of the people Leland keeps the original declaration he wrote out and signed because he thinks it will be important in the future. Later near the end of the movie when Leland and Kane are no longer friends, Kane fires Leland and at this point has become some what corrupt in the way he shares the news. Leland then sends Kane the original declaration in a letter- possibly to remind him of what he once believed in and stood for? Another thing that stood out was the trophy that's given to Kane when he returns from his travels in Europe. Nothing is really mentioned about it in the movie, Kane takes it and it's not spoken about again until it is later shown in one of the final scenes of the movie. The trophy is sat amongst all his other possessions- characters liked to imply that Kane was a hoarder but it could possible be that he attached sentimental value to everything and each thing had a memory attached to it. Finally that brings us the the meaning or discovery of 'Rosebud'. At the beginning we are shown Kane on his death bed as he speaks his final words 'Rosebud', he then drops a snow globe onto the ground that smashes into pieces. Near the start of the movie we are shown a younger Kane playing in the snow on a sled while his mother signs him and his fortune away. In the ending scene the camera pans across the crates and finds the sled with the word Rosebud stencilled on it. In the final scene, men are tossing trash into an incinerator. Raymond says, "Throw that junk in, too," and in goes the sled Rosebud. In the beginning and throughout the movie it's talked about Rosebud as they investigate what this word means, we are shown Xanadu and how the snow globe come into play until the very end. Which brings to story to an end, full circle. In the end our reporter Thompson explains to the other reporters that he never found the meaning of Rosebud, but that it doesn't matter. "I don't think it explains anything. I don't think any word explains a man's life. He was a man who got everything and then again lost everything, Rosebud must've been something he lost or something he wanted but never got"- Thompson. My thoughts: If Kane had possibly grown up with his parents he could have lived a better life? He even says in the movie that maybe he would be a great man if he lead a different life. I think the sled symbolises his loss of childhood and family. He grows up to be successful and wealthy but it soon starts to crumble the more power he gets. He becomes so invested in his empire that he starts to become self-centred and numb to actual feelings. In the movie we are told that his first wife and son die in a car crash but we are never told what happens or how Kane reacts. He never seems to recall them or shows signs of grief- has he become completely emotionless and a narcissist? He ends wanting to control what people say and think. Had he grown up living with his parents would this be any different? I'm unsure. I think this was story about a man who wanted ownership which only lead to tragedy and himself drowning in his own ego. Rest of groups blogs:
Viola https://blog.schantalls.net/ Veronika https://riverincamelot.wordpress.com/ Leon https://leonlyleweir.wordpress.com/ |