Sigismondi is a director who specializes in music videos focusing on striking imagery and an experimental feel. This blog post will focus on a selection of her films and how I can use them to influence me.
‘The White Stripes – Blue Orchid’
The first thing I liked about this film is how she chose to start it. It begins with a series of quick cuts and cross fades disorientating the audience, then launches into the film and song with a CS of someone on a swing. I think this is a really cool way to begin and shows me how you can use not only camera movement but the movement of props and characters to highlight a particular change. It also shows how camera movement can be provoked by whats happening in frame which is something I found Spielberg was really big on in my last project.
Looking at the lyrics and the film I feel that Sigismondi has interpreted the song as about someone acting up/making a scene and has supported this by using striking images, extravagant costumes and certain props that you wouldn’t expect to see, such as a horse.
You got a reaction
You got a reaction, didn’t you?
You took a white orchid
You took a white orchid turned it blue
I feel that its this idea that has dictated the overall theme of her film and has influenced a lot of her choices. This attention to detail using the song as a springboard for your choices is something that I aim to reflect in my film.
Throughout the film there are two main story strands which begin to cross over near the end; this is the layout I am wanting to use in my own film.
One story stand used in the film is a ballet dancer who is following a white apple throughout the house, once she gets the apple and eats it the scenes become increasingly strange and obscure. I think that the apple could be representative of a poison or hallucinogenic this idea could of been to support the lyrical idea –
Something better than nothing
Something better than nothing, it’s giving up
We all need to do something
Try to keep the truth from showing up
– although with words as metaphorical and vague as these its very much open to personal opinion and interpretation.
The second story strand features a couple playing and singing the track in the same house. It seems that its them who cause the apple to fall as a result of the vibrations; I think this is a nice way to subtly connect the two stories from the beginning and establish that they’re in the same location. As the film progresses these shots of them playing become more intense and the male character begins to interact with the ballet dancer scenes.
As this strand progresses it becomes apparent that the male character has a role to play with the apple and appears to be responsible for whats happened as he’s next to her on her ‘death bed’ and is creating the snakes that surround her. The use of snakes in this film I feel could of been symbolic of lying, drawn from the biblical representation of the snake in the garden of eden. Having her surrounded by them could indicate the facade that she hides behind, coming back to the theme of her acting out and not showing her true self.
Another way that this could be taken however is that because he’s creating these snakes that he’s the one lying to her and now thats what surrounds her. This idea could be supported by the lyrics,
You’re given a flower
But I guess there’s just no pleasing you
Your lip tastes sour
But you think that it’s just me teasing you
Get behind me
Get behind me now, anyway
Get behind me
Get behind me now, anyway
I think this yet again highlights how open a film like this is and that you’re not just getting the meanings that the artist intended but also the directors own interpretation of the song.
‘Katy perry – The one that got away’
This is another film by Sigismondi that I’ve found, following a woman looking back on her past relationship which ends in arguments and then the death of her partner. This idea is incredibly similar to mine, so much so that I may have to revisit some of my key ideas in order to steer away from being too similar. However this is also good as it means I have a very strong resource which I can draw ideas and techniques from.
This video isn’t the full song, I’ve cut it down to just the clips following the story of the relationship in order to make it easier to digest.
The first few scenes from this story strand are all about showing the relationship between the two characters. To support this she is cutting back and forth from one character to another and making use of a large number of OTS shots. This technique is used to solidify the idea that these characters are intimate and very closely connected.
Although theses shots are relatively quite steady there is still an element of ‘shakiness’ to them. This could be an indication of the state of their current relationship as the slight movements make it feel more rustic and homely, much like an old style home video. This kind of style is something that I could definitely implement for my ‘story strand – relationship’ to help build the connection between my characters.
Another aspect in this seen could be some slight foreshadowing. Having the painting of Katy larger in prop and frame could signify that the man cares more strongly about his art than his relationship, as we find out later. Although this may be stretching the interpretation of it a bit far it is still a strong idea that I could consider utilizing in my film.
Aside from the cuts and framing another strong aspect of this film is whats physically happening on screen. Having the characters engage in a friendly activity, share a kiss and embrace is a sure fire way of developing the idea of their relationship. This is something I plan on using in my story by carefully deciding on what situation I want my characters to be in.
Matthew Tucker 
This is terrific, Matthew. You have shown wonderful depth in your analysis, going into ferocious detail to explore the techniques used by Floria Sigmusinunudisigmundisun. You’ve explored how she connects her strong aesthetic to a narrative and metaphorical sense of meaning, and this is an excellent path to take: examining the work of filmmakers from the simplest techniques through to the largest of themes, and illustrating each moment along the way with key frames. Terrific work.
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