How is meaning created through use of production techniques in a media product I have studied?

Ineception uses various production techniques, most of which are synonymous with the genres it belongs to - Science Fiction and Action. The use of these is effective in creating and reinforcing common tropes and ideas from these genres, with production techniques, in order for them to create more meaning.

Editing techniques especially were used to convey meaning. Fast cuts to various action sequences throughout the scene is a common feature of the Action genre, as well as serving as methods to make the characters relatable to the audience, creating meaning for the character. The fast cuts from shot to shot represents the confusion the characters feel, and relates to the audience's confusion as the film often changes from different levels of dream, which all have action simultaneously. This was effective, as it confused the audience, and show created meaning in that the characters were shown to be confused or panicked as well.
A lack of cuts during scenes of discovery were used to show the slow process being undertaken in the narrative, the meaning of the shots (slow learning) is shown by the fact that there isn't constant change and that it is a slow process, which is shown by the slow movement and lack of cuts.

Camera angles and movements were also used in Inception to convey meaning.
Slow pans and reveals are typical for Sci Fi films, and were used to portray discovery and learning in the film. A long shot, panning across the scene to show all the characters working together to learn creates meaning, as the camera angles add on to the feelings exhibited in the scenes - long term learning and a long process working towards something, which was effective as I as a member of the audience felt the desired result.
On the flip side of this, shaky, fast moving camera movements were also used effectively in high tension and fight scenes to convey meaning (for example, in the assault on the snow base in the penultimate dream level). Shaky shots make the scene less clear and more confusing, which reflects how the characters feel and creates meaning in the scene, desperation for them (and the audience) to understand what is happening. This was effective, as it put the audience and characters in the same position, and so made any meaning created more efective and emotive as the audience felt like they experienced it too.

Music was also used in Inception to convey meaning.
Incidental music, frequently used in both Sci Fi and Action genres, was used to create meaning in this film by accompanying appropriate shots to enhance feelings of excitement and danger. An example of this was the music used over the corridor fight scene and all fight scenes surrounding it, which was fast paced like the editing, encouraged the deadly implications of the fights, and so created and reinforced the meaning in the scene.
A sound bridge was also used effectively in the film in the form of narration. Cobb talking about his experience in limbo with Mol, while the acts he is talking about is shown during him talking, is used to emphasise that the scenes were in the past, and the tone in his voice along along with his dialogue created the meaning of regret at his experience. This was effective in conveying the message, as both techniques provided more reason to believe and feel connected with the story he was telling.
Rain, and the loud, harsh sound it makes was used in the film to represent uncomfortability and incoming danger in the film. When the team is on the second dream state, rain greets them, as does the first signs of resistance and danger. The sound of rain dominates the voices of the team, which shows that this dream level and it's guards intends to dominate the team. So rain and it's sounds presents the meaning of danger and domination in Inception.

Unit 1 Genre and Narrative Revision

Why is it important to be able to identify a media product?
Because how it is identified (what genre it is) denotes to the audience certain characteristics to make the film more or less attractive to the audience.
Knowing a genre can also allow different and further analysis - how they stay or stray from the genre.

What different ways can the narrative be structured?

Linear and Non-Linear

LO1 Production process and job roles

Key personnel in the film industry:
Directors (Pre production)
Producers
Editors (Post production)
Actors/ Talent (Production)
Artists/ Designers (Pre production)
Technicians - Light, sound, camera (production)
Animators (production)
VFX (Post production)
Writers (pre production)

One of the most important roles in Inception would be a VFX and general editors. Because the film features a heavy amount of visal effects, and fast cuts to compliment action scenes and to make the film's themes of confusion efective, editors would be important to do this.
The movements on screen, and actions in general, are integral to the film, so a screen writer is essential in making every fight scene and influential motion, such as the spinning top, as poignant as possible.

LO2 Web

Pre 2000:
Web pages not interactive, mainly just for information
Marketing was mainly traditional - trailers only in cinema or on TV

Post 2000:
Boradband introduced to UK, resulted in faster download speed so websites could be better
Youtube (2005) VOD (video on demand service) came out
O'Reilly (2004) coined the term web 2.0 - means the web was now interactive

Digital methods of marketing are in existance because of technological convergence. This means technologies coming together to provide a new service for the audience. So for the internet, phone and web technology came together.

Henry Jenkins (2006) came up with the term 'Black Box', meaning a phone.

Covergence to make a smart phone:
Music
Games
Computer (web search)
Camera
Microphone
Maps
etc.

Above the line advertising (targerts a mass audience):
Premieres
Trailers
Reviews
Posters

Below the line advertising (targets individuals):
Social Media - Instagram updates, Twitter accounts
Happy Meals toys
Competitions

LO3: Narrative Theory

What is the difference between a 'story' and a 'narrative'.

Story - The sequence of events/ plot

Narrative - How the story is structured

Story of Inception

Inception functions like a typical heist film:

Backstory of characters

Reason for heist

Preparation + more character development

Heist - loss of characters, more character development

Pay off - Goal achieved

Values and Beliefs in Inception:
Family is the most important thing - whole plot is aimed for the protagonist to reunite with his family
Some crimes are morally ambiguous - the reason behind them make them less severe - the crime they're committing had multiple pay offs for different characters, including the antagonist
Perfection is impossible - no character is perfect, all of them have their faults shown, i.e. Cobb being the reason his wife died

How Inception presents an enigma that is resolved:
The protagonist not being able to return home is the enigma in Inception, which the whole plot revolves around. The way this is solved is the whole story of the film - the heist.

Does Inception follow Todorov's four (one example)?
Inception follows the last 3 of Todorov's four, in that there is disruption (Cobb not being able to see his family, the first operation resulting in a partner's death), there is an act against the disruption (heist attempted in hopes Cobb will be reunited with his family) and restoration of a state of equilibrium (Cobb can now see his family as he is no longer a criminal). However, there is no state of equilibrium at the start of the film, as the film starts with the mission failing and Cobb being a criminal, so the film doesn't follow this theory exactly.

What binary oppositions are present in Inception?
I don't think there are an binary opposites in Inception. This is because, even though the protagonists are criminals, they aren't presented as such, and no form of police of government is presented in the film. Also, the protagonists and antagonists appear similarly - dressed in suits, armed etc, so there is no class opposition or wealth opposition.

Stock characters in Inception:
Villain/ antagonist - Fisher, Mol, Cobb himself
Hero/ protagonist - Cobb
Helper/ supporter (sidekick) - Arthur (primarily), Ariadne (transitions from secondary to primary) and others
Princess - Cobb's family
Can be fluid character roles - roles that change person and vice versa

3 enigma codes in Inception:
(Link 1:30) Shows the building collapsing, makes the audience think of how Cobb is going to escape
(Link 3:14) Shows the building flooding, a seemingly possible event to survive. As the concept of death in dreams hasn't been explained, this seems very dangerous
(Link 3:47) The dangerous mob is presented as another shot, especially as they are shown to be getting closer, and the characters were previously shown to be worried about it.

3 action codes in Inception:
(Link 1:35) Showing the broken glass indicates a fight or attack with it, which is also encouraged by the conversation
(Link 3:00) A new enemy appearing and threatening a protagonist, promises him as a threat and violence to ensue
(Link 0:41) A gun being pulled by Arthur denotes violence in the next scene, which was only hinted at previously


Key Theory 1: Tim O'Sullivan (1998)
Media texts tell us some kind of story
Through careful mediation (specifically encoded/ put in), texts offer a way of telling stories about ourselves (as a culture) - these are ideologies (values and beliefs).

Key Theory 2: Pam Cook (1985)

The standard Hollywood narrative structure should have:

"Linearity of cause and effect within an overall trajectory of enigma resolution"

A high degree of narrative closure

A fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spatial and temporal coherence

Key Theory 3: Tzetan Todorov (1977)

Films have four stages:

Stage 1: A point of stable equilibrium

Stage 2: This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a stable disequilibrium

Stage 3: Action directed against the disruption

Stage 4: Restoration of a state of new equilibrium

Key Theory 4: Claude Levi-Strauss (1958)
Binary opposites
E.g. Good vs Evil, Rich vs Poor, Race A vs Race B

Key Theory 5: Vladimir Propp (1928)
Narratives feature stock characters and that audiences understood stories because of such features.
Villain/ antagonist
Hero/ protagonist
Helper/ supporter (sidekick)
Princess (the prize for the hero - not necessarily a person) one that is rescued/ saved/ helped

Key Theory 6: Roland Barthes (1977)
Narrative codes:
Enigma codes work to keep up setting problems or puzzles for the audience
Action codes work to inform the audience in terms of what is happening in the next shot/ scene

KTA 5 Genre analysis essay

Genre is a method used to categorise products together based on similar features and aspects. In film, generic elements such as theme, plot structure, sound and editing can be used to define a film and place it into one or more genre.

Inception falls within the Sci Fi genre due to it's use of fictional science, which is central to the plot, and the dystopian worlds featured in the films due to the scientific instruments used. In addition to Sci Fi, Inception could also be considered to have a subgenre of Action/Adventure, as it features violence prominently in the film, although it isn't vital to the plot and is shown to not be intended in the story.

I agree with Barry Keith Grant's theory in that all genres have subgenres. This is because Inception is classified as a Science Fiction film due to the reasons stated above, but also has several key elements that relate it to other genres. For example, the frequent use of violence relates to an action film, as stated above, and the popular heist subgenre of action/ adventure is also key to the film, as it follows the generic conventions in terms of plot almost perfectly - problem (Cobb wanting to see his family, unable to), planning the heist (introduction of characters and development, showing of skills), heist (the literal heist), pay off (Cobb reunited with his kids). In addition, the themes of the film, for example, that some crimes are morally ambiguous (which is shown in the film by the antagonist, Fisher, also getting a reward, his father's praise, as well as the protagonist), is also frequently part of the heist subgenre.

Patrick Phillip's theory, that genres give the audience comfortable reassurance, I also believe is accurate because it is shown in Inception. The Science Fiction genre promises complex equipment and technology, along with a threat not possible (or very unlikely) in the real world, along with impossible scenes, usually action oriented, to reinforce the plot. Inception features all of this, as the device used to enter people's dreams isn't explained in the film (although a manual was released prior to the film), it adds to the mystery of the device and the concept of Inception, without having to dive into he scientific aspects of it. In this way, Inception differs slightly to the genre, as it fails to explain many concepts and processes, which is usually a staple of the science fiction genre. This can be seen as being used to throw off viewers, making the plot seem more intricate than it actually is, as the process of inception in the film is described as very complex and dangerous, but is rarely shown in this way.
In addition, the main, recurring threat in the film, the imagined aspect of Mol (who can be considered the main antagonist) repeatedly acting against Cobb even though she is dead in the real world, is a classic example if a trope in science fiction, an enemy that is not only hard to understand, but can't be defeated by physical means, instead being an enigma action for the audience to wonder about.
There are also numerous action sequences in Inception (the corridor fight scene, the building being destroyed and flooded sequence) that would be impossible in a different genre, without the technology available, making it another characteristic of sci fi films. These scenes reinforce the idea that what the characters are doing, and what the plot is revolving around, in unconventional and confusing, which helps the audience relate to the characters as they feel the same way.

Although not entirely conventional, Inception's marketing did benefit from the common conventions usually associated with advertising heist and science fiction films. Using mystery and intrigue is not uncommon for heists films that have a mysterious aspect, which benefitted Inception as it's an independent film. For example, using clues and puzzles in magazines to attract readers to the film's website is unique, but not a-typical for a film that has large amounts of mystery, like sci fi and some action. In addition, immersing the audience in the world with mock-manuals and guides, to make the film more believable and make the audience more interested in the film.
However, Inception does also oppose this rule. The $1,000,000 budget used on advertising highlights this point, in addition to the extensive methods used for advertising that were relatively unique - a game with unlockable posters of the film, for example. These things both prove both prove that Inception couldn't rely on it's genre(s) to reduce expenditure, due to it not being part of a film series.

I also agree with Rick Altman's theory that genre offers pleasure to an audience. Science fiction often features intellectual pleasure through puzzles and mystery, which Inception featured constantly throughout the film (the concept of Inception, mazes and dangerous situations with no obvious means of escape), confirming the theory as it stuck to it's genre's usual pleasures. Panning shots of problems being solved, calm and methodical non-diegetic music all added to these scenes to heighten the intellectual pleasure.
As Inception can also be considered an action film, as it features action and adventure throughout. This results in visceral pleasure being a key part of the film, fast paced action (the corridor fight scene - with fast action cuts, forward tracking shots, shaking camera angles as well as a fast and dramatic score - non - diegetic sound) making the audience feel excited and often fearful for the characters. So this theory is also reinforced by these scenes, making me agree with the theory more.

I do not agree with David Bordwell's theory that any genre trope can appear in any other genre. This is because Inception almost only features tropes that are encoded into the sci fi and action genres, while featuring only a couple from other genres. For example, the main goal of the story being the family, connoting the importance of family to the viewers, isn't typical for either of the two genres, but is a central part of Inception. However, there are no other examples of other characteristics of genres in Inception, which is why I disagree with this theory.

LO3 Genre Theory

What do you understand is meant by the term 'genre'?
Genre is the way of categorising a product, based on features it portrays that are similar it to other products.
Type/category of film.

Film genres:
Action/ adventure
Sci Fi
Comedy (treatment - can have different types, e.g. action comedy etc)
Romance
Musical
Fantasy
Horror
Animation
Thriller
Social realism

Exam questions (examples)

6* Analyse how the production techniques used create meaning in a media product you have studied. (12) MICRO  - MACRO

6* Analyse the conepts of 'genre' and 'representation' in a media product you have studied. (12). MICRO - MACRO

Common elements (found in genres) are called generic conventions/ characteristics/ elements or tropes.

Key theories:

Barry Keith Grant (1995)

Said all genres have subgenres. Divided up into more specific categories that allow the audience to identify them specifically by their familiar and recognisable characteristics or Generic Elements.

Subgenres

Slasher (horror), psychological (horror, thriller), zombies (horror), hammer (horror), gothic (horror)

Patrick Phillips (1996)
Said genre offers audience 'Comfortable reassurance'.
Genres fulfil audience expectations by following predictable patterns - we know what to expect from a text.

Branston and Stafford (1999)
Genres help to 'minimise risk and expenditure'.
Are a blueprint for success.
Genre conventions also make it easier to market and sell products to audiences.

Rick Altman (1999)
Genre offers pleasures.
Emtional Pleasures - happy, sad, nostalgic etc.
Visceral Pleasures - 'gut' responses - excitement, fear, laughter etc.
Intellectual Puzzles - Makes the audiece think, has enigmas, insert shots etc.

David Bordwell (1989)
'Any theme map appear in any genre'.
Theme = the ideas, ideologies, concepts, 'myths' etc. that are encoded into a media text.

Inception

The genre of Inception is Sci Fi, because it uses fictional science as a central part in it's story.

It could be considered in the subgenre of action/adventure, as it uses action and fight sequences in it's story frequently, and uses fast paced music to buld excitement. But it doesn't feature violence, and the characters try to avoid it, making it a subgenre not a hybrid.

Inception reinforces/ provides familiarity in terms of genre as it uses the basic plot of a staple in Sci Fi, heist based films, to connote to the audience what to expect. For example, it connotes a planning, an action sequence and a pay off at the end, which is has, although the specifics differ slightly to the norm.

This film was successful, as the marketing for the film was original, but it stuck to the Sci Fi methods of mystery and showed off the science elements of the film to appeal to a Sci Fi audience.

Pleasures featured in Inception, and Sci Fi as a whole, are Intellectual (as it features a puzzling plot and problem solving, how to get into Fisher's mind, solving the mazes), Visceral (as it's subgenre action often features excitement, tracking movements, fast cuts etc) and Emotional (sad when shown the backstory of the protagonist, Cobb, and happy at the pay off when he's back wih his kids).

I agree with David Bordwell's theory, as Inception shoed the themes of family, loss and friendship eventhough it's a Sci Fi film with a subgenre of action, both of which typically don't usually exhibit these features. For example, the death of Cobb's wife, him reuniting with his chldren, the emotion Cobb feels at meeting his friend in limbo again.

KTA 5 Genre analysis essay

Intro that defines genre + Inception

Key Theory 1 - back up/ challenge with examples

Key Theory 2 - back up/ challenge with examples

Key Theory 3 - back up/ challenge with examples

Key Theory 4 - back up/ challenge with examples

Key Theory 5 - back up/ challenge with examples

Examples include diegetic and non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene, editing, themes etc.

Use of sound

Diegesis

Diegesis is the narrative construct that everything takes place in, it is the story world/ the world that the fim/ TV programme takes place in.
How real the diegesis appears is linked to the level of 'verisimilitude' (which means the appearance of being real).

Diegetic sound examples:
Music from a radio
Speech if someone's talking (dialogue)
Scenery sound, like waves or wind
Traffic, equipment, doors, other misc. objects
Other foley sounds
Anything that could be heard if  you were there, in the diegesis (not added on afterwards)

Synchronous sounds

Synchronised or match with what is viewed.

Is a diegetic sound

Footstepts, movement, often instruments etc

Contributes to realism of a film, as it exaggerates something which couldn't be captured while filming

Mostly used in horror and action films, for things like footsteps and punches etc.

Ambient sound

Refers to any sound that are used to establish location

If they are in a city centre there would be sounds of traffic and people talking. In a park there would be various animal sounds etc

Dialogue

Accent - How you pronounce words, usually from where you're from

Dialect - Words ou use , also often down to location

Tone - What intonation you have

Mode of address - Informal or formal, three types: Peer to peer (e.g. some radio, social media), parent to child (explaining something to audience in a realistic way), teacher to pupil (news)

Examples of dialect:
The
Bath
Breadcakes/ baps/ roll/ buns

Non-diegetic sound

Non-diegetic sound examples:
Any sound that doesn't have a source in the scene
Theme tunes
Music being played over something
Voice over/ narration

Sound bridge

Lead in or out of scene

Common transition of continuity editing

Can be non-diegetic and diegetic, as it can start non-diegetic and then bridge to a scene where music or talking has a visual source, and vice versa.

Incidental music

Music composed in a film or play as a background to create or enchance a particular atmosphere.

Can accompany action, give hints at future events, builds tension or fill intervals between scenes.

Stings

Used as distinctive background music to add emphasis to an important moment in a motion picture or television program.

Can be used to introduce a section of a show, or indicate the end of a scene.

Used in:

Any genre; horror, drama, comedy

Radio

Television advertising

Motifs

Condition the audience emotionally for the arrival, or actions of a character.

Acive viewers find the pattern relating it to the character or action.

Can be used to help shape a story hat requires many characters as it helps to sustain the narrative as they help clarify narrative functions of the characters and provide a sound association for those characters as we move through the story.

Examples:
Star Wars (Darth Vader, Imperial death march)
Jaws (Jaws)
Psycho (the killer)

Sound - Starter task

Starter task

Why is sound important for creating meaning for the audience?

Sound can be used to control/ influence tha audience's emotions in order for them to relate and understand the scene more. For example, sad, slow music at a funeral scene connotes to the audience that something sad is happening, making them understand the scene more without direct explanation. As a result, it is also used to explain situations to the audience without immersion-breaking explanation.

Sound can also be used to make an action more or less impactful by accompanying an act with a loud or non-matching sound to show the effect of an action on the film.

Unit 1 LO3 KTA 3 Feedback Sheet Mise en Scene

 

WRITE UP FOR MISE EN SCENE INSTRUCTIONS: COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR FILM

-          Locations and Iconography (2-3 examples)

-          Characters and Acting Gesture (protagonist, antagonist)

-          Costume and Make Up (protagonist v antagonist)

-          Props (2-3 significant props)

-          Lighting and Colour (high key or low ley examples)

Inception

Locations and Iconography (2-3 examples)

Lifts are used extensively throughout the film to act as a transition – a point in the film where something important happens. For example, the lift Cobb uses in his dream state to access memories, in which it was revealed the nature of his wife’s death, a turning point in the film. This iconography was used to represent what a lift denotes – a transition from one point, or level, from another. This is especially applicable in this film as it revolves around different ‘levels’ of dreams state.

The ‘totems’ used in Inception represent the characters who use them. For example, the loaded dice used by Arthur connotes certain things about his character. For this example, a dice made to fall on a specific number takes out the element of chance, which represents Arthur’s uncertainty in many situations – he wants to eliminate chance and always know the result, which the dice does.

The snow compound in the defender’s mind. The use of such a remote area, inhospitable all but those who are tough enough (connotes Cobb and the intruders) or have the knowledge (Fisher) to survive it. As the film is based in the mind, this gives the initial advantage to Fisher, connoting that the intruders have a disadvantage in their task. In addition, the snowy tundra, so different to the metropolis cities the subject was seen in previously, represents how distant Fisher is to the information stored there.

Characters and Acting Gesture (protagonist, antagonist)

Cobb, the protagonist in the film, always appears to act confident and on top of things, which can especially be seen with his conversation with Fisher in the dream state. A confident walk, unwavering voice and a firm resolution in a plan all support this. However, this masks the desperation that Cobb sometimes let slip – the desperation to see his wife and kids again, which is a recurring thought in the film.

The antagonist, Fisher, acts similarly. Feigning confidence and ability to keep on top of the company which is left for him, he uncertain, cracking voice and panicked expressions show the audience that in fact he is uncertain, and even scared, about the situation he is in with his father.

Costume and Make Up (protagonist v antagonist)

The protagonist, Cobb, typically dresses in smart but casual dress – shirts and jeans or trousers. This could show the always keen and intelligent nature of Cobb, he always tries to act professional, even though Mal keep stopping this. In the dream state, he is almost always seen in a suit, showing his heightened professionalism while working.

The antagonist, Fisher, always wears a smart and expensive suit, apart from the snow level of dreaming. This is used for a similar reason to Cobb, he wants to appear professional and able as his father did, in order to gain the love of his father or to make himself his own man.

Props (2-3 significant props)

The chess piece – Ariadne’s totem. This totem, crafted to a professional level by Ariadne, represents her planning and creation side – her main role in the group. Even though no previous reference to woodworking was mentioned, the wooden chess piece was crafted seemingly professionally, similarly to how she took to maze and world creation in the dream state. The reference to chess also shows the planning she typically exhibits in the film; she acts like it’s a chess game – always a few steps ahead. And the fact that she chose a Bishop chess piece represents her character – important to the group, but lacks the experience to be a more prized piece. Also, the Bishop’s restricted movement could reference her creation of mazes, another restriction of movement.       

Other totems were central to the plot as well. Cobb’s spinning top totem represents order and stability iver changing dream state – the top spins and never topples, it is always stable. This can represent Cobb’s desire for a stable life, opposed to the life of a fugitive that he lives. In addition, the spinning top is often used and thought of as a children’s toy, connoting that Cobb is always thinking of his children, who are represented by the toy.

Lighting and Colour (high key or low ley examples)

Limbo, the main fear in the film, is presented in a very bland light. There are no bright colours (sun, lightning), or dark colours (night), it is all presented in subtle greys and blues, connoting that the state really is in between two extremities, dream and reality, dark and light.

The 1^st level of dream state is where everything starts to fall apart. The dark blues and greys suggest negativity, suggesting something will go wrong. The white van used by the group in this level is used to suggest they are the good guys, which white usually connotes, and that the white is fighting back against the danger, which it is.

Cobb’s house, which he is trying to get back to for the film, is filled with warm browns and greens, connoting a place of happiness. Even the dark lighting in the house appears warm and welcoming – safe, not threatening. And the very bright sunlight with the bright greens outside where the children are, connoting that that is the real place he wants to be.

Gender Theory and representation

In Inception, the roles of gender aren’t explored in great detail. However, some observations can be made about how each gender was included and represented.

Mal, the former wife and current nemesis of Cobb, is presented in a very negative light, even though the circumstances she is in, or what Cobb puts her in in his head, is a result of Cobb’s interference. Mal is presented as head strong and stubborn, which are typically seen as male stereotypes, which resulted in self debilitation to her, which Cobb had to solve. This could be interpreted as the male looking after the less competent female, or showing how being headstrong and unreceptive to advice, again, stereotypically male traits, can damage you and your relationship. So maybe it was a critique on male actions, but represented through a female.

Adrienne, the youngest and least experienced member of the group, is placed into a scene dominated by males, and can be seen in some parts of the film as being ignored. However, this happens to every character, as the person guilty of this is Cobb, who’s headstrong nature results in him ignoring everybody, so this may not be a result of her gender. In fact, Adrienne by the end of the film is perhaps the most influential character over the powerful Cobb, which is down to her observances and patience, stereotypically female traits. Showing that a young female in a man’s world can still prosper and take charge. Because of this, I believe that gender roles in this film are fairly non-existent, with a possibility of gender being used to emote the audience.

In addition, there is only one scene in the film where women can be perceived as the subject of sexual objectification. In this scene, Arthur kisses Adrienne, and it is revealed moments later that while it seemed like an act of preservation or defence against the threats around them, it was actually, or at least mainly driven by, Arthur’s attraction for Adrienne, which can be seen as using her in this context.