Learn basic filming techniques and how it created the grim world of ‘Requiem For A Dream’, the 2000 sensation by famous director, Darren Aronofsky.
‘Requiem For A Dream’ was one of the more graphic films we watched during our first year at college. I can still hear the films creepy theme song, and that perverted chant to this day.
It was a very awkward day, that day when we first watched it. If you’ve seen the film you’ll understand why. What made it even worse was our classrooms had perspex windows, anyone walking down the corridor could see what we were watching, not to mention our horrified facial expressions.
Our lecturer at the time wanted to throw us into the deep end and get it out of the way. We were an inquisitive and facetious bunch so we didn’t make the situation any easier for her.
At first I was unsettled by the films dark and graphic nature, however upon delving into the world of film theory, character study and premise, it’s a rather great film for what it is. I wouldn’t say its a film to watch on a regular basis, it would be too depressing for that.
In the analysis below, you will learn the basic filming (and editing) techniques used in cinema and how , when arranged in certain ways, it will give the desired look and feel of the films environment, the characters and evoke the desired emotional response from the audience.
If you are in need of a scriptwriter or script reader (doctor) you can get in contact with me on my website here.
SPOILER ALERT! It’s best that you see the film first before reading the analysis below.
Analysis on the Filming Techniques used in ‘Requiem For A Dream’
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Hubert Selby Jr (based on his book / Screenplay), Darren Aronofsky (Screenplay)
Release Date: October 2000
Genre: Drama
Starring: Ellen Burnstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans
Christopher McDonald, Keith David and Sean Gullette
An ancient Chinese proverb states that “one picture is worth ten thousand words” and in the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ it is very true. The basic plot of the film is about addiction and the harsh outcomes that it has upon its victims. The film focuses specifically on the lives of Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), his best friend Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) and his mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burnstyn).
The film takes place in Coney Island (Brooklyn, New York City, North America) and spans over a few months in their lives, while they go through the ordeals of the alluring world of addiction. Resulting in their lives spiraling out of control and facing the consequences from the effects.
The meaning behind the film is to portray the high costs to addictions, not necessarily in monetary terms but in what you might lose of yourself and those around you, and that it will lead to a negative outcome.
The film is a depiction of how people try run away from the harsh realities of life, replacing it with something that subdues us, offering an escape and false coping mechanism for the world we’re in. The more you want it and partake of it turns into an addiction. The film delves deep into the downside of this, being you become dependent on it and will constantly crave and be at the mercy of your chosen fix. Slowly deteriorating, being consume, just like the hole in Harry’s arm.
This story is centered around the lengths people will go to in order to obtain their addictions. Even if it sets aside all sense of morality and relationships or stemming new addictions. The purpose of this film, and the themes that it is addressing, is to show the dark side of what addiction has on its subjects; physically, emotionally and mentally. That there are consequences to our actions and that defective relationships can steer us towards a negative path, if we’re not careful. We, the audience, will be made aware of the dangers and should learn from these characters shortcomings. What is interesting, is the way director Darren Aronofsky brings author Hubert Selby Jr 1978 novel to life.
Throughout the entire film we are subjected to the characters decisions, them partaking in their addictions and the consequences of their actions. It is as if we ourselves are either partaking along with them or that we are peeping into their personal lives, right down into the darkest hidden corners, judging them as they make one mistake right after another. We can’t help them. All we can do is watch their lives descend into desolation and despair.
The Encarta English Dictionary describes ‘Addiction’ as follows:
- Drug dependence – a state of physiological or psychological dependence on a potentially harmful drug.
- Devotion – a great interest in a particular thing to which a lot of time is devoted.
- Need to do an activity – a strong need or wish to spend as much time as possible doing a particular thing.
From the definitions above, “drugs” in not limited to substance abuse of illegal narcotics, but it includes other substances, e.g. tobacco, caffeine, sugar, and activities, e.g. excessive gaming, social media etc.
The films composition was captured well by cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
- Composition – how it was arranged or put together as a whole.
Different perspectives were created by using different camera techniques. These techniques will be discussed below with some examples from the film.
In the beginning of the film we are introduced to Sara Goldfarb and Harry Goldfarb (mother and Son) as they bicker among each other from two separate rooms. She has locked herself in the closet of the living room while Harry is on the other side, and is trying to take her television set. She had chained it up in an attempt to keep him from taking it, even if she confesses that she has done so to keep the robbers from taking it. This can be seen as her being chained to her addiction of television, and the mistrust between them.
This scene is interesting as it is depicted by a split screen.
- Scene – is made up of several shots that take place in the same location and time.
- Split screen – is when two images are shown at the exact same time on the screen, but on opposite sides. Each side is showing two different images that can either be at the same location and time, or they can be at different locations at different times.
In this specific scene we get to see Sara in the closet while Harry is in the living room. We get to see both of their reactions as they are both trying to make one another feel guilt. It shows she is afraid of him and it also represents that they have a ‘split’ relationship (Figure 1).
There is another use of a split screen when Harry and Marion are having an intimate encounter but we see them separately on the screen, and how the way that they are touching each other is disconnected (Figure 2).
There as a number of wide angled shots in the beginning of them film.
- Wide angle shot – captures a wide area around the subject or to capture as much information within the frame. Normally used to establish the location of where the subject is and/or what is happening around the subject.
We see a few examples of this while Harry and Tyrone are pushing the television set along the streets of Coney Island (Figure 3).
This wide angle shot is not only just to portray the location of where the film is taking place, or where the subjects are, but it was used in the sense that we are still not in the thick of things just yet. There is a moment when Harry and Tyrone pass the back of the Coney Island Amusement Park, capturing in its view the roller coaster tracks above them. This is a hint that the characters and we, the spectators,are in for a roller coaster ride.
There’s an irritatingly redundant amount of montages used throughout the film.
Montage – a subsequent amount of images that are shown right after one another, usually in rapid procession.
The montages are used throughout the film whenever a character is partaking in their addiction. At one point a split screen montage was used to differentiate between two characters partaking in their own separate addictions, during the same time and in the same place, yet it was done so to keep them apart (Figure 4). This is seen right before the shot of Harry and Marion on the bed together as the camera is slowly spinning above them.
The scene above mentioned of Harry and Marion on the bed, that is slowly zooming out and spiraling (Figure 5), depicts their lives is (will be) spinning out of control. Their dialogue is that of love for each other but they are staring straight up above, making no eye contact. It represents that they are more alone, than together, and unaware that their relationship is superficial.
Some shots were done with a Snorricam (Figure 6)
- Snorricam – a small camera that is strapped onto the subject so that when they move they are kept in center while the background moves. This gives a realistic point of view of what the character is experiencing.
- POV (point of view) shots – it is the view from the subject/characters level of observation (perspective).
This technique was used when Tyrone is running away when the other drug dealers got gunned down and he is covered in blood and scared out of him mind, right up to where the cops capture him. It is also used when Marion is doing the walk of shame after leaving Arnold’s (Sean Gullette) room. We see her point of view as she walks down the corridor into the elevator, following her outside in the rain where she pukes. It is also used with Sara when she is finally in the red dress but is extremely paranoid and is hearing things in the apartment, e.g. the loud dial tone sound of the telephone off the hook.
There are a number of high angle and low angle shots being used.
- High angle – is an examination taken from a high position overlooking onto a subject.
- Low angle – is taken from below eye level and is looking upwards at the subject.
Some examples of a high angles in the film are the scene with Marion is in the elevator and later with her again in the bathroom towards the end of the film where she is getting ready to meet Big Tim (Keith David) – (Figure 7). This gives the feeling of belittlement, that what she is doing is morally wrong and that we are spectators looking down on her, spying on her, judging her.
Examples of a low angle is where Harry and Tyrone are in the car going to Florida, giving us a false hope that things might be looking up for them (Figure 8).
The use of close-up and extreme close-up techniques became more noticeable as the film progressed.
- Close-up – focuses closely in on the subject (Figure 9).
- Extreme close-up – focuses intensively onto a specific attribute of the subject (Figure 10).
You can see these during the montage drug partaking scenes, e.g. eyes dilating, pills falling onto the palm of Sara’s hands, Harry shooting up with heroine.
A ramping technique was used during the scene where Sara is running down the street after her hallucinations got the better of her.
- Ramping technique a.k.a slow motion – where the cameras frame rate is changed and captured at a faster frame rate, when it’s played back at normal speed the images appear slower.
The visual effect that this technique gives the sense of her paranoia, panic and disorientation (Figure 11).
- Fast Motion – technique where you record the images at a less than normal speed and then project it at normal speed. This will make the subjects appear to be moving at a faster pace.
You can see the fast motion technique in the beginning of the film where Harry, Marion and Tyler are high on drugs. Their movements have been sped up to represent the brief effect and elation that the drugs have on their bodies.
- Fisheye – is a type of camera lens and often mistaken as the term ‘walleye’ effect. It is an extremely wide angled lens that distorts the image to appear closer in the middle and stretched out towards the sides.
- Walleye vision or walleye effect – according to UrbanDictionary.com it’s a phrase coined in the 90’s comedy ‘Hot Shots!’. This being a rare eye condition affecting the person’s eyesight, their vision is skew and reflects the perspective of a walleye fish. The only known method to correct this is with a rectal procedure called a multioptipupiloptomy.
Example of the fisheye techniques use in the film is where Sara is waiting in the doctor’s room (Figure 12).
The vibracam technique was used with Sara when she is all paranoid and hallucinating from the effects of the pills and is surrounded by the people from the television show.
- Vibracam – where the cameras movements are violently rapid and shaky.
There is an instance where the axis line is crossed over.
- Axis line a.k.a. the 180° rule – cinematography guideline in which two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. There is an invisible axis that the camera moves along and when the camera passes over it, it is called crossing (breaking) the line and becomes a reverse angle.
We see this during one of the scenes where Harry goes to visit Sara in her apartment. At first we see Harry from the right side but then a little while later it is filmed from the left side (Figure 13).
The effects used in the typography were catered towards the films overall look.
- Typography – the style(appearance) of printed text
In the beginning, the films title and the names of the cast members would appear and then disintegrate into nothing. Harsh cut-ins of the words “SUMMER”, “FALL” and “WINTER” were inserted not only to inform us of the season change, but that things are moving towards desolate times. “SUMMER” being good or at least the better part of the story, “FALL” (Autumn) a representation of the characters “fall” into the dark side, and lastly “WINTER”, the bitter cold that destroys all that remains of summer (good). There is no sight of spring (hope) for these characters, they are left in an endless winter.
- Wipe a.k.a. screen wipe – editing technique that forces one image off the screen, being replaced with another.
When the word “FALL” appears, it wipes downward, removing the previous image of Tyrone running for his life from the cops. The heavy movement of the wipe simulates the literal action of falling and, together with the harsh sound effect, hitting the ground.
The musical tone of the film is also suited for this film, its rapid nuances and irritatingly scratchy pitches are insanely depictive of the feel you get from watching this grim tale. It aids in creating the uncomfortable experiences and menacing situations theses characters are going through. Times it gets frustrating, like that itch you just can’t scratch, driving you insane.
Another thing to keep track of is the colour scheme throughout the film. Normally a gloomy pale greenish colour, times it has a yellow or blue tone. As the film escalated towards the end the colours become duller and darker. Even the characters clothing is dull or dark shades. The scene in the film, where, scene-after-scene from Harry and Marion on the bed spinning to Sara in her apartment and to that of Tyrone in the jail cell they can all be seen wearing black and dark greyish clothing. Another hint for the audience that past this point there is no turning back for our characters, they (and us) will have to endure the ride upon this sinking ship (Figure 14). Note in all of these images that there is a blue (cold / depressing) tone.
The only moments in the film with bright colours are during the dream scenes. For Sara, her dreams are usually seeing herself in the red dress and she is on the ‘Month of Fury’ show. Everyone is cheering her on and she is happy. With Harry’s dreams, he sees Marion on the pier overlooking the ocean, she is also wearing red. The colours are vibrant, full of life (Figure 15).
He is happy in his dreams, but usually they get interrupted and he wakes up. He sees Marion as the light of his life, but even then he is noticing that there is something pulling her attention away from him. The life he is living and brought her into will get the better of them both.
In Harry’s dream towards the ending he is running again towards Marion, but now in urgency. She is not there, in his despair he stumbles backwards and falls down into an empty pit of darkness, falling onto a dirty alleyway. Harry’s roller coaster journey has climaxed to its crescendo, finally realising he has lost Marion, and that his life has fallen backwards into desolation.
The way in which certain emotions where captured, without dialogue, were brilliantly portrayed by the actors and gave us a more in-depth knowledge of these characters. In the scenes where Tyrone is on his bed alone looking at a photo of his mom, and it is raining outside, displays his emotions of how he longs for his mother and is depressed. Marion, at dinner with Arnold, is sees screaming inside her head. She is at war with herself about deciding whether or not she should sleep with him for money, again later when she is in the bathtub, after having been up to no good with with Big Tim, she appears all calm and serene under the waters but then screams out, the water muffling out her screams. This reflects her superficial calm exterior but is broken, and pained, internally.
In the films ending, after the climax, we can see all four characters in the fetal-position (Figure 16).
This position is usually used when we are feeling lost, cold or sad and we are in need of something comforting, warm and familiar. It is a fine ending, well horrible for the characters but for composition it is good. The ending brings these unfortunate souls to terms with the consequences of feeding their addictions, and warns us of the dangers of addictions.
In conclusion, the film ‘Requiem for a Dream’ is composed well and the use of camera techniques is executed exceptionally. We follow the pace of the film (including music and the length of the scenes) as they start to become shorter and more rapid so that everything escalates during the films climax, where as Aronofsky states “all hell breaks loose”. You are pulled into this world and feel for the characters.You feel your body start to tense up as the film crescendos.
From the examples above, about all the camera techniques, we can see that the cameras role in the film was that of a narrator, as there were many instances in which the images portrayed more information and realism than what any words could. Thus, “one picture is worth ten thousand words”.
If you are in need of a scriptwriter or script reader (doctor) you can get in contact with me on my website here.
Angela de Sousa 