Independent Study- EXample 5

8/2/2019 Independent Study- EXample 5

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Visuals Audio

Black Screen. Slow fade in long

shot of a highway with a sign of

Route 66 in focus in the

foreground and the road leading

off towards the horizon.

Narrator: The road movie typicallyregarded as a film genre made by

Americans [pause] for Americans

[pause] about Americans. [Pause]

A fast montage of stock images ofAmericans on road trips,

involving still images that

include the American flag, the

flat American landscape and

American cars.

Voiceover of Sam North [introducedvisually at the end of the page]:

From the earliest days of American

cinema, the road movie has been

synonymous with American culture and

the image of America to the world.

A globe fades in, beginning on

America, which is filled by the

American flag, before the camera

pans and stops on Europe, which

is a detailed map showing major

highways and cities but withoutborders. A black title appears on

the map: A Journey into an

Unknown Genre The European RoadMovie

Narrator: However, another continent

teeming with road movies has been

continuously ignored in criticisms

of this genre, with the convention

of an internal and external journey

that classically involves a road andmotor vehicle being taken and

adapted to suit a European way of

life.

Opening shot of Silent Souls,

where Aist, the protagonist,

travels on a bike along a road.

The shot from behind emphasises

the journey ahead for Aist as the

leading lines of the road draw

attention to the distance ahead.

Narrator: By journeying into the

road film genre, we will discover

European road films and argue that

these films, while distinctly

different from their American

counterparts, utilise the same

conventions as American road movies.Talking head shot of narrator,

who is sitting in the passenger

seat of a relatively new car

parked at the side of the road.

Narrator: Both American and European

genres focus on a physical journey

littered with encounters and

experiences.

Car moves towards the camera so

the road behind the car moves

into the centre of the frame,

demonstrating that the journey

has begun. Sudden zoom into road

creates a transition to a black

screen.

Narrator: There may not be a

destination, a road, a vehicle or a

distinct reason for leaving, but the

characters do leave behind something

for a journey of a country and of

ones self that is reflected in an

internal and external journey.

Fade in of a talking head shot of

Polona Petek (with her name and

Senses of Cinema contributor inthe centre right) set at a desk

in an office with books in a

stack and a laptop beside her.

Polona Petek: Despite the

overwhelming global popularity of

the genre, among mainstream as well

as independent and experimental

filmmakers, the road movie is a

relatively uncharted territory.

Cut to a talking head shot of

Wendy Everett (with her name and

Film Critic in the centre left)in a room with road movie

posters, including Vanishing

Point, Bonny and Clyde and Easy

Wendy Everett: Although the road

movie is widely identified as a

typical Hollywood genre, the

concepts of journey and change,

which lie at its heart, have always

been fundamental to cinema.


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Riderin the background.

Cut to a talking head shot of Sam

North (with his name and

Novelist and creator ofHackwriters displayed in thecentre right) set in the back of

a cinema near the projection.

Sam North: Just because there is a

road and someone is driving on it,

does not, I would argue, make it a

'road movie'.

Cut to still images of famous

road movie protagonists from

films such as:

- The Wizard of Oz- Thelma and Louise- Little Miss Sunshine

Narrator: All road movies have one

specific, constant convention of the

journey. However, this does not

involve the classic American

conventions of a road and a motor

vehicle

Cut to close up tracking shot of

the quote from the book CrossingNew Borders, with the section ofthe quote of self highlightedyellow in a large font.

Narrator: but a critique ofhumanity, which, as Ewa Mazierska

and Laura Rascaroli explain in

Crossing New Border, a road moviecriticism, is an exploration ofboth society and of self.

Black screen with white text: Who

leaves on a road trip?

Texts slide out the right of the

frame, leaving a black screen.

Cut to talking head shot of

Narrator.

Narrator: These four films all have

protagonists of a striking and

fascinating nature that should be

analysed to understand how certain

groups are explored and represented.

Clockwise fade in of a still-

frame close up of each

protagonist with the title of

each film, the name of the

protagonist and the directorsname underneath, creating a 4-way

split screen, with each image

appearing as the individual is

mentioned in the audio.

Narrator: Rune Langlo depicts a

struggling addict in Jomar in Nord

while Paul Cotter portrays an

emotionally cut-off individual in

Alistair in Bomber. Also, Paul King

illustrates the effect of a severe

mental disorder in Stephen in Bunny

and the Bull and Aleksei Fedorchenko

also explores emotions in Silent

Souls through Aist, who descends

from a group of inexpressive people.

Fade in of talking head shot of

Walter Salles (name and Directorof Motorcycle Diaries shown),

with stills from the MotorcycleDiaries playing in the background

showing Ernesto Guevara as he

encounters different individuals.

Walter Salles: The road movie is

limited only by one obligation: to

accompany the transformations

undergone by its main characters asthey confront a new reality.

Cut to a long shot of Aist and

Miron travelling in the car

(Silent Souls), which dissolves

into an extreme long shot of

Jomar travelling across the frame

(Nord). Cut to talking head shot

of the Narrator.

Narrator: Although one may consider

the obvious physical movement the

most important journey in a road

movie, the development of a

character as they face new

experiences and encounter new people

defines the genre.

Fade to a series of imagesinvolving a low-angled shot of

Narrator: It is therefore necessaryfor protagonists to have the ability


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Jomar, a long shot of Aist left

in the car as Miron leaves, a

low-angled shot of Stephen trying

to calm down against a wall and

Alistair sitting in the back on

the van looking dejected.

to change and develop. The underdog

status of Jomar, Aist, Stephen and

Alistair aids in allowing the

directors to develop the characters

during their journey as they

confront new realities.

Cut to talking head shot of Katie

Mills (with her name and FilmEssayist in the centre right)

Katie Mills: Even today, Road

stories largely persist in

romanticising the underdog.


the narrator. Dissolve transition

to a movie poster of Nord with a

close up on a snow-blind Jomar.

Narrator: The underdog is explored

in European road movies, as shown in

Rune Langlos casting of Jomar inNord.

Taking head shot of Rune Langlo

(with name and Director of Nordshown) at a small theatre with

the opening of Nordplaying in

the background, featuring mid

shots and close ups of Jomar.

Rune Langlo: The rest of the famous

males actors around 30 in Norway are

kind of handsome and well

proportioned Anders for me is a guythat you can relate to he'slikable.

Fade in of a series of still

images of Jomar and the

individuals he meets in his

journey: Lotte and her

grandmother Rigmor, Ulrik,

Soldiers, Sir Trondelag and

Thomas. Cut to final shot of

Nord, where Jomar approaches his

son.

Narrator: Jomar, the protagonist in

Nord, encounters individuals and has

experiences that ultimately change

his character while his weaknesses,

which involve anxiety and addiction,

are explored and do not hinder him

in reaching his quests finaloutcome.

Montage of close up and mid-shots

of Jomar drinking, smoking and

taking pills before and on his

journey. Cut to a mid shot of

Jomar hugging Ulrik shirtless.

Narrator: Jomar has addiction

problems that create an image of a

struggling individual that, when

paired with his anxiety, challenges

masculine hero qualities.

Shot from Nordthat features the

dialogue between Jomar and Lasse,

with the camera focused on Jomar

in the foreground to emphasise

his critique of his own

masculinity in the dialogue.

Jomar: Youre not struggling withanxiety or anything like that?

Lasse: No, not that I know of.

Jomar: No, just angry? Pissed off in

the old fashioned male way. No

anxiety.

Cut to fight scene between Jomarand Lasse, in which Lasse punches

Jomar in the face, causing him to

fall as Lasse remains above him,

where the levels show the

difference in power in their

relationship. Shot fades out.

Narrator: The connection betweenmental strength and masculinity is

emphasised by Erlend Loe in the

script to create an underdog status

for Jomar and through the shots

Langlo uses when Jomar meets

different individuals.

Fade in sequence where Jomar

meets Ulrik, beginning with a

long shot of the trucks tyresthat fill the frame before camera

pans to show Jomar sitting on thesnow. Shot cuts to a long shot of

Narrator: In a long shot of Jomar

meeting Ulrik in their first

encounter, Langlo shows that Ulrik

is in a position of power over Jomar

through levels in the frame, whereJomar remains in the bottom half of


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Jomar and Ulrik on the truck

taking up different levels in the

frame.

the frame whereas Ulrik, on his

truck, is in the top half of the

frame.

Shot continues to show

intercutting between the high-

angled shots of Ulrik on his

truck looking down at Jomar with

long shots of Jomar on the ground

looking up at Ulrik that are

slightly high-angled to emphasise

the size of the truck in the

foreground.

Narrator: Additionally, through the

high-angled shots of Ulrik on his

truck and the low-angled shots of

Jomar when he meets the soldiers,

Langlo uses large vehicles and

camera angles to show Jomars weakernature compared to those he meets.

Cut to high-angled shot of Jomar,

which emphasises the sun behind

him. Cut to a shot of the dark

room that contrasts the bright

lighting in the first shot.

Cross-dissolve to a shot of Jomar

setting off on his skis from

Ulriks place. Fade black.

Narrator: However, as Jomar

encounters more isolated individuals

in his journey, he overcomes

challenges of snow-blindness and a

destroyed skimobile to begin skiing

again, which ultimately demonstrates

a character change towards a

stronger individual who can overcome

obstacles.

Fade in to a talking head shot of

narrator, which cuts to a slow

zoom shot of Stephen sitting and

crying by the door, unable to

leave (moving from a mid to close

shot) (Bunny and the Bull)

Narrator: [pause] Paul King allows

his audience to fully experience

Stephens psychological state so weunderstand his weak status through

successful visual effects.

Cut to close up shot of Stephen

looking through the eyehole at

his front door, where the light,

which represents the positive

outside environment, piercing his

eye reflects Stephens need toleave. Shot cuts to a close up

shot of the camera looking

through the eyehole.

Narrator: The warped effect placed

on the shot looking through the

eyehole demonstrates the disjointed

and chaotic outside world from

Stephens narrative viewpoint, as weunderstand his struggle to leave the

house due to the psychologically

damaging effect of the journey.

Cross-dissolve to a shot of the

moon and road ahead as Stephen

and Bunny set out with the car.

Cut to a shot of Bunny andStephen pulled up on the side of

the road for petrol.

Narrator: Additionally, Bunny and

the Bull uses animation throughout

the flashbacks of the journey to

reflect the chaotic nature ofmemories.

Talking head shot of Paul King

sitting at the crusty crab on the

animated set (name and Directorof Bunny and the Bull shown)

Paul King: I wanted the sets to

reflect Stephens mental state.

Cut to a shot of Bunny kissing

Eloise in the back of the car as

Stephen watches, which dissolves

to a birds-eye-view shot of Bunny

leading the bull in circles.

Narrator: Therefore, the extremely

masculine image of Bunny, who sleeps

with Eloise and fights a bull,

juxtaposes Stephens weak nature.

Fade to a split screen, where Narrator: Similarly to Nordwhere


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Jomar taking pills is shown in

the left of the frame and Stephen

opening the cupboard and taking

pills is in the right of the

frame. Cut to shot of Stephen

unlocking his door and turning to

face Bunny one last time.

Jomar need pills on his journey,

King includes medication to reflect

the protagonists weakness. However,like Langlo, King has Stephen

overcome his fear of remembering by

accepting Bunnys death andjourneying out of his house.

Shot of Stephen leaving his house

at the end of Bunny and the Bull

that cuts to a close up of his

foot hitting the ground outside

on a new journey. Fade to black.

Narrator: We can appreciate

Stephens internal transformation,as the end concludes with Stephen

setting out on another journey,

symbolised by the action of stepping

out of the house.

Fade in of a talking head shot of

the narrator, which cuts to a

shot of Alistair picking up

bricks and hurting his back.

Narrator: [pause] Alistair is shown

as an underdog in Bomberas his weak

position becomes apparent during the

journey.

Fade in of Alistair in the front

seat of the car in a diagonal

shot, where he holds the map and

makes travelling decisions. Cross

fade to a shot of Alistair in the

back of the van from Rossviewpoint as the driver.

Narrator: The most important

portrayal of Alistairs weak statusis shown through his demotion from

the front seat to the back of the

van, which was originally the area

for Valerie in a clear gender

divide.

Cut to a talking head shot of the

narrator. Cut to a shot of Ross

pointing to The Rules on thefront of the car that dissolves

to Valerie taking a photograph of

Alistair.

Narrator: By crossing this divide,

Cotter creates a distinct

segregation between the older

generation and Ross to portray the

conflict in their priorities

Cross-fade to a shot of Ross on

the phone talking to his

girlfriend while driving

Narrator: in which Ross is focusedon the future and returning home to

Britain

Cross-fade to a side-on shot of

Alistair showing the photo to a

civilian in the village.

Narrator: while Alistair remainsfocused on the past and arriving in

the village in Germany.

Cut to a long shot of Alistair

sitting on a pile of bricks

looking dejected up at Ross.

Narrator: Additionally, Alistairsage and lack of emotions are shown

as a weakness.

Cut to a close up and an extremeclose up on Alistair as he

watches Ross scream at him.

Ross: At least I've got emotions,unlike you, you crusty-boned half-

frozen solid old relic of a

crustacean.

Cut to a shot of Alistair

screaming at Ross in a close up

intercut with responding close

ups of Ross yelling at Ross while

on the phone.

Narrator: However, he eventually

allows himself to express his

feeling and emotions, which first

show his anger at the situation

Cut to a close up shot of

Alistair speaking to Valerie.

Alistair: I hate you.

Cut to a close up of Valeriesguidebook, which cuts to a shot

Narrator: but then reveal his trueadmirable, heroic quality, as he


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of the van travelling past the

sign Warsaw, with the title Day5: The road to Warsaw appearing.

allows Valerie to go to Warsaw in an

attempt to emotionally connect with

his wife and please her.

Cut to close up shots in the

matching sequence to the audio.

Ross: How do you feel?

Alistair: Quite good I suppose.

Montage of a series of still

shots from different parts of the

journey, including Alistair

driving his car, Alistair sitting

next to Ross as navigator,

Alistair sitting in the back of

the van and then Alistair driving

the van. Fade to black.

Narrator: Clearly, the journey

allows Alistair to change as Valerie

and Ross confront him about his

attitude towards life and his

relationship and Alistair lets go of

his guilt of bombing during World

War One.

Fade into a talking head shot of

narrator, which cuts to Aist

talking to a woman (Subtitles:

Miron is calling you. The

directors calling)

Narrator: [pause] Finally, in Silent

Souls, Aists weaker status is shownthrough Mirons ability tomanipulate him, as Miron

Cuts to a long shot of Miron and

Aist talking on the roof

(Subtitles: Lets go right now)

Narrator: is able to convince Aistto begin the journey after the

catalyst of Tanyas death

Cut to shot of Aist and Miron in

the car with the following

dialogue in subtitles:

Aist: And why here?

Miron: The honeymoon.

Narrator: and decides where to go as

driver and navigator while Aist

remains a passive passenger during

the journey.

Cut to high-angled tracking shot

from in front of Miron, who walks

through the supermarket, withAist entering and leaving the

frame but remaining behind Miron.

Narrator: Visually, Fedorchenko

reflects this hierarchy through the

high-angled mid shot of Mironwalking through a supermarket after

burning the body.

Cut to shot of Miron walking

around the car, leaving Aist

inside. Cut to a mid-shot of

Tanya and Miron in the foreground

and Aist in the background, where

Miron moves out of frame and the

camera focuses on Aist as Tanya

turns around.

Narrator: Also, Aist is trapped in

the car when Miron abruptly leaves,

where the framing of the carswindshield clearly separates them to

show the conflict between two

individuals who loved the same woman

whilst isolating Aist.

Cut to shot of the birds in acage, with Aist in the background

also trapped by the cages barswithin the frame. Fade black.

Narrator: This continuation of thetheme of entrapment in Silent Souls

demonstrates that Miron easily

controls Aist.


narrator, which then cuts to a

shot of Aist looking out the

window as the camera takes on a

voyeuristic approach outside the

car looking in.

Narrator: [pause] Additionally,

unlike the other road movie

characters, Aist does not undergo

change on the road that

significantly influences the

conclusion of the film.

Cross-fade to mid and long shots

of Miron and Aist pouring vodkaover Tanya before lighting fire

Narrator: This reflects the

unchanging traditions of Russiasociety, a clear theme within the


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to the body. Cut to a close up

shot of an object used for

pouring water, with the water

leaving the object through slits

in the eyes as if its crying.

film, although Aist gradually shifts

from being emotionless to allowing

his love for Tanya overwhelm him

before the car accident kills them.

Cut to shot of Aist walking along

a bridge that matches the

voiceover audio, where water

symbolises life and death for the

Russian tribe.

Voiceover from Silent Souls:

Aist: Our people are a bit strange,

their faces inexpressive. There are

no passions boiling.

Cut to shot of Aist looking at

photographs of Tanya and Miron.

Aist: My thoughts and memories swept

over me and carried me away.

Cross-fades to a close up shot of

Aist in the car, where his

emotions of pain and suffering

are shown. Cross-fade to a shot

from behind of Aist watching

Tanyas body burn during theritual. Shot fades black.

Narrator: Aists transformationduring the journey reflects the

ability of the transformative power

of the road, as he is able to

develop even with such strong and

overpowering traditions.

Slide transition forms a split

screen, with Jomar laying a

blanket on Ulrik as a fatherly

act in the left side of the frame

and Ross talking to a man on a

bicycle trying to help his father

in the right side of the frame.

Narrator: The films Nordand Bomber

explore the positive impact of

journeying upon individuals, as

Jomar gains a renewed sense of power

and masculinity through being able

to ski again and a sense of

fatherhood with Ulrik

Cut to mid-shot of Stephen taking

pills to control his

hallucinations before moving tocount the tiles on the wall.

Narrator: while Bunny and the Bullexplores the negative effect of

travel upon Stephen, theprotagonist, who remains trapped in

his house

Cut to shot of Aist and Miron

lighting the body on fire with

their backs turned to the camera.

Cut to a shot of Miron committing

Tanyas ashes into the river.

Narrator: and Silent Souls uses asmall character change to emphasise

the importance of tradition and

customs in a critique of Russian

society.

Shot of Stephen and Bunny at the

train station at the start of the

journey. Cross-fades to a shot of

Bunny dying. Cut to taking headshot of North, which fades black.

North: The irony of the road movie

is that the weak leave, but only the

strong survive. The road either

makes or breaks a person.

Black screen with white text

(which fades in): The Road

Cut to a series of still images

of the American highway,

including an image of a sign of

Route 66.

Narrator: [pause] The highway is a

classic American symbol of freedom

and opportunity for any who dare to

head out into the unknown,

representing a way of escape.

Fade in of a montage of long

shots, including a shot of Wyatt

and Billy travelling on

motorcycles (Easy Rider), a longshot of Kowalski travelling on a

Narrator: The long shot and extreme

long shot, in which the vehicle, the

road and the surroundings are

visible, is heavily used in bothAmerican and European road movies,


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highway (Vanishing Point) and an

extreme long shot of Thelma and

Louise (Thelma and Louise)

making it a classic convention of

the genre and demonstrating the

freedom associated with escaping on

a journey on the road.

Long shot of Jomar travelling

through the barren landscape of

Norway (Nord)

Cross fade to long shot of the

van travelling through the green

landscape of England (Bomber)

Narrator: It emphasises the

vastness, richness and openness of

the landscape, especially through

the colour connotations of freedom

with green in the landscape in

Bomber.

Cross fade to long shot of the

car moving from the centre of the

frame (where they have been

stopped by the police) into the

distance as the camera pans to

keep them in frame (Silent Souls)

Fade to black as voiceover ends.

Narrator: [pause until car reaches

halfway point on bridge] Some

directors also enjoy using a long-

take, where holding the shot for a

longer period of time makes us

follow the leading line of the road

into the distance as we consider the

journey ahead.

Fade in of a tracking shot from

the opening sequence of Easy

Rider

Narrator: Finally, the movement of

the camera is extremely important in

portraying the journey in the films.

Fade in to reveal a frame split

into 4 sections, with each

section slowly fading-in in a

clockwise movement and showing a

tracking shot from Bomber, Bunny

and the Bull, Nordand Silent

Souls.

Everett: The genre is

iconographically marked not only by

road and car, but also by key

filmic elements such as the tracking

shot, and the representation of

wild, open spaces.

Talking head shot of the narrator

sitting in the car.

Cut to shot of camera looking up

at trees from ski mobile as if in

first-person (Nord)

Cross fade to shot from the back

of the van of trees moving

overhead (Bomber)

Narrator: The road movie is marked

by constant motion, so a moving

camera is used to not only reflect

the continuous need to journey, but

also bring the audience into the

experience, especially with cameras

giving a first-person impression of

the journey from the vehicle.

Cut to a tracking mid shot

outside of the car of the

narrator, who addresses theaudience. Fade out.

Narrator: The camera, whether in or

out of the car, gives an impression

of constant movement to reflect thephysical journey in road movies.

Fade in of extended long panning

shot of the van travelling down a

B-road in a richly coloured

landscape. Cut to a split screen

of the highways in Easy Riderand

Thelma and Louise that dominate

the landscape. Fade black.

Narrator: In Bomber, Cotter keeps

his protagonists on B-roads, a clear

deviation from the American

convention of open, barren highways

that were classically found in films

like Easy Rider and Thelma and

Louise.

Fade in of a shot of the

conversation between the

protagonists, starting with along shot of a B-road in the

Conversation between Ross, Alistair

and Valerie:

Ross: Tell me why we cant takemotorways.


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right of the frame and a highway

on the left to emphasise the size

difference between them while

elevating the B-roads statusthrough a higher physical level

in the frame.

Alistair: Fuel economy for a start.

55 miles an hour is the most

economical speed to travel at so

motorways are a waste of time.

Valerie: The B-roads are much

prettier Ross.

Long shot of Kowalski driving his

car along an open highway in

America (Vanishing Point) before

quick cutting to shot of Ross and

Alistair framed by the car

(Bomber) to emphasise

juxtaposition. Fade to black.

Narrator: However, the long shots

association with freedom is

juxtaposed through the deviation

from iconic highways in Bomberto

emphasise the theme of entrapment

shown by the confined spaces of the

van or car in European Road Movies.


David Laderman (with name and

Film Professor shown), who issitting in a room in a university

with books around him. Cut to

shot of Alistair and Ross framed

by the windscreen of the car,

which acts as a barrier between

the characters and the road and

shows the journey ahead. (Bomber)

David Laderman: Unlike interior

domestic scenes that use doorways

and windows to create a sense of

entrapment and enclosure, the road

movie makes use of the formalistic

frame-within-a-frame so as to

foreground the crucial act of

looking and seeing while driving.


Steven Cohan (with name and FilmProfessor shown) in a room witha long shot of Thelma and Louis

framed by the windshield (Thelma

and Louise) in the background.

Steven Cohan: Two people in the

front seat of a vehicle make for

easy classical framing and keep the

dialogue going.

Cross-dissolve to show a long-

take using the framing technique

with no communication between

Aist and Miron and the road

stretched out before them in the

centre of the frame to highlight

the long journey ahead (Silent

Souls)

Narrator: However, as seen in Silent

Souls, this can also emphasise the

lack of communication between the

protagonists. The framing device

emphasises the conflict between Aist

and Miron due to Tanyas love forAist

Cross-dissolve to similar shot of

Alistair and Ross in the

foreground, with the car trappingthem within the frame. (Bomber)

Fade black.

Narrator: while the confined spacein Bomber also shows the tension in

the family unit with a settingmostly confined to the van.

Fade in to shot of vertical split

screen:

- The top section has close upshot of Alistair hold a map

- Bottom section is of the mapBunny finds in Stephensapartment

Narrator: Additionally, both Bunny

and the Bull and Bomber, two British

road movies, are set for the

majority of the journey outside of

Britain, highlighted by the use of

maps and signs to signal changes in

locations as borders are crossed.

Swipe transition to a horizontal

split screen, where- The left of the frame involves

Narrator: Road signs in Bomberand

Bunny and the Bull are a key symbolof crossing borders in Europe, which


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Ross smiling next to a sign

welcoming visitors to Germany

(Dundesrepublik Deutschland)

- The right of the frame has

Stephen, Bunny and Eloisa driving

past a sign with Willkommen NachDeutschland.

highlights the need to distinguish

between countries to gain a sense a

national identification for

countries in Europe. The characters

transverse across a vast landscape

as the theme of escape is explored

in Both American and European road

movies.

Slide transition from the centre

split outwards reveals a talking

head shot of the narrator. Cut to

a map of Europe, which zooms

suddenly towards England, acting

as a transition to the next shot.

Narrator: Paul King and Paul Cotter

illustrate the need to travel beyond

the England in British road movies,

continuing the theme of escape by

traversing borders and cultures in

Europe.

Cut to a sequence from Bunny and

the Bull that matches the audio,

with mid shots of Stephen and

Bunny. Cross fade to image of

Stephen putting on his backpack

at the end of the film at he

leaves Britain in search of

Eloise in anther journey.

Dialogue that becomes a voiceover:

Bunny: She doesn't see you as a

sexual being.

Stephen: But I am one.

Bunny: I think you're gorgeous, so

do loads of girls, just not in

Britain. That's why we need to hit

the road.

Slide transition from the centre

to the sides reveals the talking

head shot of Everett. Fade black.

Everett: European journeys

specifically engage with the lack of

space and the predominance of

borders.


the narrator sitting in a moving

car. Fade black.

North explains another reason behind

Englands lack of highway-based roadmovies as a logistical

impossibility.


North.

Cut to montage of archived still

black and white images of

building highways in England that

is then juxtaposed with a highway

in America with a diner in the

foreground.

North: It ill suited the British

landscape. For one thing, until the

1960's, there was no highway in

England at all. The very concept of

open roads, 'Diners', strangers

encountering anything more lethal

than an AA man was alien.

Cut to a montage of images ofhighways in England from the

1960s to 2000, where the images

are gradually cut quicker until a

map of England in 1972 (from

Bomber) appears, showing the lack

of highways in the time period.

Narrator: The relatively shorthistory explains the lack of

symbolic meaning for highways in

Britain when compared to America,

especially as Alistair, a typical

older Englishman, controls the roads

travelled in the journey in Bomber.

Cut to a talking head shot of Ewa

Mazierska and Laura Rascaroli

(name and Academic for each)sitting in front of a projector,

where an aerial shot of a cartravelling along a straight

Mazierska and Rascaroli: The open

spaces of North America, with their

straight, boundless highways and the

sense of freedom and opportunity to

reinvent ones life


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highway (Vanishing Point).

Cut to an unsteady shot of the

road (framed by Miron and Aist)

ahead as they travel along a road

of bends and hills (Silent

Souls).

Mazierska and Rascaroli: are inclear contrast with the European

reality of a mosaic of nations,

cultures, languages and roads

Montage of mid-shots and long

shots of Jomar travelling along a

white landscape without a road.

Cut to a shot of Jomar

approaching am abandoned building

that cross-dissolves to a shot of

Jomar approaching an isolated

tent. (Nord)

Narrator: However, importantly, the

lack of roads in Norddoes not

exclude it from the road movie

genre, as it still contains a

journey narrative in the film that

explores self-discovery, the only

specific requirement of the genre.

Fade in of an aerial panning shot

of Jomar travelling on an

undefined path that shows the

freedom associated with

travelling without a road. Shot

fades to another aerial shot of

Jomar before cross dissolving to

a long shot that also shows there

isnt a path ahead. (Nord)

Narrator: Additionally, it is this

lack of road that allows Langlo to

explore the Norwegian landscape

through extensive use of long and

aerial and long shots that portray

the overwhelming white-dominated

environment, showing the freedom

associated with creating an off-road

road movie

Shot dissolves to an extreme long

shot of Jomar skiing down a

slope. (Nord)

Cut to a long shot and then an

aerial shot of the van as it

approaches town (Bomber). Fade

Black.

Narrator: while illustrating theinsignificance of Jomar in

comparison to the landscape, a

concept that is explored in other

European films with the extensive

use of the long shot.

Fade in of a panning shot in the

left direction along of a map of

American with the major highways

heading west emphasised

Narrator: Also, it is not just the

road travelled, but the direction of

travel that clearly distinguishes

American and European road films.


Chuck Klosterman (name and

Author and Essayist shown)standing on a highway gesturing

into the horizon in the distance.

Chuck Klosterman: The idea of moving

west across the country is such a

deeply American tradition that

virtually all Road Movies borrow

from this motif.

Slide transition to shot of Ethanleaving on horseback (The

Searchers) that wipes to a long

shot of Thelma and Louis driving

off a cliff (Thelma and Louise)

North: Road movies are in the endabout searching for Utopia and often

ending up with Dystopia. The journey

West was synonymous with that

search.

Cut to talking head shot of the

narrator. Intercut with a

tracking shot of the protagonists

travelling from left to right

(Bomber), a panning shot of Jomar

travelling from left to right

(Nord) and a long shot a Mironand Aist travelling from left to

Narrator: However, none of the

European road films being

investigated show the protagonists

heading west, instead showing the

journey either North or East through

camera pans from left to right and

the vehicle entering the frame fromthe left and exiting to the right.


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right (Silent Souls)

Cut to a tracking shot of Jomar

talking with the soldiers with

English subtitles shown at the

bottom of the screen.

Dialogue from Nord(English

Subtitles)

Soldier: Where are you headed?

Jomar: North.

Fade in of a split screen, with

the left side of the frame

showing the van from Bomber

entering and leaving the frame

from left to right and the right

side of the frame showing the car

from Thelma and Louise travelling

towards the left of the frame.

Narrator: Travelling North is in

direct contrast to American road

films and occurs because, as the

road movie genre became less focused

on the western genre, the journey

west isnt necessary, especially inEuropean cinema.

Cross fade to long shot of Wyatt

and Billy travelling east (Easy

Rider) from left to right in the

frame.

North: Road movies were no longer

confined to going west, but could

travel in almost every direction.

Slide transition to a split

screen:

- Left side of frame shows amontage of the different

museums they visited in

different countries (Bunny

and the Bull)

- Right side of the frame cutsbetween different shots that

include the chapter titles

each day, such as Day 1:Northern Holland(Bomber)

Slide transition reveals a black

background.

Narrator: This is also seen in Bunny

and the Bull and Bomber, where

Stephen and Bunny travel everywhere

in Europe and Ross, Alistair and

Valerie travel southeast to Germany

from Britain. Clearly, European road

films disregard the symbolic meaning

of freedom and escape associated

with travelling west, especially

with the focus on confinement

through framing of the car, as the

genre adapts to different cultural

values.

Cut to a shot of the sleeper

train in Bunny and the Bull with

the title KLN TO WARSZAWASLEEPER TRAIN

Narrator: The mode of transport

chosen for European Road Movies also

demonstrates this difference.

Fade in of a montage of shots of

American road films involving

cars and motorcycles

- Long shot of the car in Thelma

and Louise- Long shot of the car in

Vanishing Point

- Long shot of the motor bicycles

in Easy rider

Rascaroli and Mazierska: Whereas the

main vehicles for traversing the

North American expanses are the

private car (preferably a

convertible) and the motorbikeEuropean films often opt for publictransport (trains, buses), if not

hitchhiking or travelling on foot.

Long shot of Stephen and Bunny

sitting in a carriage of a train.

The camera zooms out to reveal

the entire train travelling

through the snapshot landscape,

which effectively explores the

different landscapes theyencounter on their trip in a

Narrator: Bunny and the Bull

utilises public transport as well as

a car, as opposed to the classic

convention of a car for individual

transport, as the protagonists cross

more borders within Europe through

train travel. Additionally, the carused tends to be less aesthetically


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13

short period of time. pleasing in European road movies to

reflect the difference in culture.


Rascaroli and Mazierska with an

image of the captain crab car

behind them (Bunny and the Bull)

Rascaroli and Mazierska: In European

road movies, the car tends to be

disposable, transient, and

temporary.


narrator. Cross fade to a

tracking shot of the characters

pushing the van (Little Miss

Sunshine) Fade black

Narrator: This can be seen when the

roads dangers impact heavily uponthe vehicles in unforseen obstacles

the protagonists must overcome.

Three separate shots appears on

the black screen in order from

left to right. The shots are a

third of the size of the frame,

with the accident in Bunny and

the Bull involving stop-motion

animation in the top left of the

frame, the accident involving

Alistair and Valerie in the

garage before their depart in the

centre of the frame and the

accident involving Jomar on his

ski mobile in the bottom right of

the frame.

Narrator: In Bomber, Bunny and the

Bull and Nord, the protagonists all

experience obstacles in their

journey from accidents that render

their vehicles damaged, halting

their journey until alternative

transport or repairs can be made.

This is especially important in

Nord, as this accident renders Jomar

stuck with Ulrik until he can begin

skiing again and thus allows for

significant character development by

Langlo.

Horizontal slide to a shot of the

road framed ahead by a dark

foreground of Aist and Miron,

foreshadowing the abrupt end to

their journey. Shot cuts to the

chaotic camera movements of the

accident, which then fades to

white.

Narrator: In Silent Souls, the

accident not only halts their return

journey home, but also is the

dramatic ending that coincides with

the suicide and murder resolutions

typical of American road movies,

which reflected the negative impact

of Dystopia upon individuals in a

bleak portrayal of societys future.

Black background with white text:

Major themes in European Road

Films


narrator in the car.

Narrator: There are numerous themes

explored in European cinema that are

less important or ignored in

American Road films, such as the

Second World War.

Black screen with white text:World War Two

Fade out of text and fade in of a

map of Europe, with Western

Europe filled with the Nazi

Swastika

Narrator: The Second World War isone of the key historical events

examined in European cinema as a

recurring theme of loss and

suffering.


Everett. Cross fade to close up

of Alistair holding the

photograph of the bombed village.

Everett: The events of the Second

World War have left a legacy of

guilt and lost innocence that is

still felt today

Cut to a close up shot of

Alistair looking at the roadahead, which cross-fades to a

Narrator: In Bomber, the decision to

leave on a journey centres aroundthe impact of the war upon the


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shot of the road ahead, framed by

Ross and Alistair in the car and

then dissolve to image of packed

suitcase.

protagonist Alistair by acting as

the catalyst for the trip.

Cross fade to a close up shot of

Alistair saying sorry at a

department store.

Alistair: So thats why Im here to um, to say sorry. So, sorry.

Cut to a montage involving

archive footage of warplanes and

soldiers leaving to fight in the

war, with the final image of a

bomb being dropped below in an

aerial shot form the plane.

Narrator: Although Bomberis a film

more closely related to the Second

World War in comparison to Bunny and

the Bull, the war is also mentioned

as a negative event for the British

protagonists.

Sudden cut to a mid-shot of

Stephen shouting at Bunny that

matches the audio.

Stephen (Bunny and the Bull): This

is Switzerland Bunny; these people

are Nazis!

Cut to a talking head of the

narrator in the car. Cross-fade

to archived photographs of Nazi

soldiers and juxtaposing images

of 21st

century Swiss Police. The

images slowly fade away to reveal

a black background.

Narrator: Paul King here uses a

stereotype of Swiss Police as Nazis

to emphasise how isolated Britain is

compared to Europe, as Stephen

appears paranoid and nave in this

scene.

Black screen with white titles in

the centre of the frame: Family

Text fades out as shot of Ross

hugging Valerie fades in,

followed by Ross shaking

Alistairs hand.

Narrator: [pause] Another theme

explored in European road movies is

the importance of family, unlike

American road films focused on

abandoning the idea of family.

Talking head shot of Cohan as the

first scenes of Jack and Miles on

the road (Sideways) play on a

television set in the background

Cohan: A road narrative, first of

all, responds to the breakdown of

the family unit.

Cut back to talking head shot of

the narrator in the car.

Narrator: In comparison, family is a

dominant theme in Bomberand Nord.

Cut to a shot of the road ahead

framed by the car and Alistair

and Ross in the front (Bomber)

Narrator: Ross sets out with his

parents to help his father apologise

for World War Two

Cross-fade to a long shot of

Jomar travelling through the townbefore cutting to a shot of him

travelling in a white landscape.

Fade black.

Narrator: while Jomar leaves behind

a life void of intimaterelationships on a journey to find

his young son.

Black screen with white title in

the centre of the frame: Home


Mazierska and Rascaroli.

Mazierska and Rascaroli: [pause]

Most road moves are deeply concerned

with the theme of home.

Shot from the back of the car of

Aist and Miron travelling on a

road, as the camera pans to

reveal the town they are leavingbehind.

Narrator: This theme of home is

applicable for both American and

European road movies due to the need

to leave behind the home environmentof family, friends or simply


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Subtitles: We are leaving our

beloved Neya. (Silent Souls)

familiar lifestyle as protagonists

escape or move out on a quest.


Pamela Robertson.

Cut to shot of Stephen walking up

the corridor of a train. (Bunny

and the Bull)

Cut to shot of Ross packing

Alistairs bag into the car andclosing the boot of the car.

(Bomber)

Cut to shot of Aist walking

towards the car with the buntings

(Silent Souls)

Robertson: Typically the road takes

the traveller away from home.

Sometimes, the road leads to a new

home, as in frontier narratives or

tales of emigration. As often, in

various kinds of escape or travel

narratives, the road just leads away

away from boredom, or danger, orfamily, or whatever it is that

produces the desire or need for

something called away as opposedto the place called home.

Cut to close up shot of Jomar

watching his cabin burn and

choosing to leave before heading

out into the darkness (emphasised

by the brightly lit foreground)

in a long shot. Fade black.

Narrator: In Nord, the long shot

from behind of Jomar travelling into

the distance once he sets his cabin

on fire is a symbolic shot

emphasising that he is leaving his

home forever as the journey has

begun.


Salles, which fades back to the

4-way split screen of close ups

of the protagonists.

Salles: Road movies are as necessary

as ever to tell us who we are, where

we come from and where wereheading.

White text on a black background

appears as the words are said:

European Road Movie (main title)

Landscape, Roads, Mode of

transport and the Theme of

Entrapment

Narrator: The European road movie is

defined by its landscape, roads,

mode of transport and distinctive

themes, such as the theme of

entrapment, that vary from the

classic American road movie.

Fade in of a shot looking back

along the road taken from inside

the car (Silent Souls), cut to

front on shot of the car with

Bunny and Stephen (Bunny and the

Bull), cut to shot of Ross and

Alistair in the front of the van

(Bomber) framing the road ahead

Narrator: Although similar to the

American road movie through an

exploration of the concept of home

and escape, the framing and long and

tracking shots used and the

representation of men through the

protagonists

Cut to talking head shot of thenarrator, which cuts to a split

screen of Route 66 in the left

section and a sign showing Warsaw

ahead (Bomber)

Narrator: its defining elements canallow for a new subgenre of EuropeanRoad Movies, allowing for further

examination of a rival to the

American-dominated genre.

Cut to a fast-paced montage of

still images from Bomber, Bunny

and the Bull, Nordand Silent

Souls already used showing the

change in the protagonists over

the films, finishing on a 4-way

split screen involving the finalshots of the all the

Narrator: Exploring the journeys in

these films has allowed for an

examination of humanity and our

weaknesses, as shown in the

protagonists. Ultimately, however,

the transformative power of the road

prevails as a definitive conventionof the genre.


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protagonists.

Cut to reverse tracking shot

involving the camera moving

forward on the back of Aistsbicycle while continuing to look

at the road he has travelled,

which bends out of the frame

instead of straight towards the

horizon in the distance.

Narrator: The road movie, although

dominated by America, is clearly

effectively explored in European

cinema and will continue to

fascinate audiences. This genre will

continue to be examined and adapted

as home is left behind to journeyout into the unknown.

Independent Study- EXample 5

Documents