Evaluation

The influence of neurology and dream theories on contemporary cinema is an important development in recent film. The main three concepts that included within the content of dreaming and neurology in film are the theories of Freud, Adler and Jean Baudrillard.

One of the main theories that I explored is Alfred Adler’s theory of how dreams are problem-solving devices for a person’s waking lives. I wanted to see how this theory linked to my primary research, relating this theory to the films Source Code, Inception and Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. At least one character in each of these films have to go into some sort of dream state and resolve a problem that is also occurring while they’re awake. I attempted to present this in my key frames with Ezra’s character and how he has to change his selfish ways because they’re affecting his reality and the people around him. I chose to have him in a dark, confined space to reflect his (possibly sinful) desires and to show his mind is clouded with darkness. In terms of narrative, I wanted the “over-heard voice” to be Ezra’s conscience, helping him realise that he must make amends within his mind-set in order for things to change in his waking life. Key Frame 10 was the most effective within these ideas, displaying Ezra floating in his out-of-body experience and the distorted images of his past relationships. I edited the girls in this picture to be cartoon-like and distorted to represent Ezra's perception of them - not real and emotionless. I also edited the girls to be central in the frame to make it look like Ezra is inferior and surrounded by his issues that he refuses to solve while he's awake - he has no choice but to face these problems. I think my script and key frames were effective for this particular theory of dreams solving the problems of a person’s waking state.

Another theory that I studied for neurology and dream theories is Freud’s ideas of symbolism, projection and displacement.  Freud implies that these dream symbols are metaphors for the dreamer’s desires and thoughts that are deep within the unconscious mind. Shutter Island and Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind are prime examples of how a person’s desires can be manifested into something or someone else in the form of a dream. I attempted to present this in my key frames in the scene with Adrian talking about his dream and the people around him have blurred faces (linked to Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind). I wanted this narrative to reflect the idea that Adrian doesn’t want to remember certain people within his past, the blurred faces being his distorted memory of them. For the key frame of Adrian’s dream, I wanted to make it clear that he is not in reality, making everything surreal and distorted via Adobe Photoshop and giving the frame an orange/yellow tint. I attempted to make the lighting surreal also by amplifying the brightness and exposure. I think that Key Frame 17 is the most effective in portraying these ideas of symbolism. The mise-en-scene is a school playground that is being portrayed as the busy street in Adrian's dream, the business being a symbolism for the discontent within his mind. For the most part it was effective, but if I made more of an effort to make the dreams more surreal or possible make more dreaming frames, it would have conveyed Freud’s theories better seeing as I would have more space to be creative with my exploration of study.

The final theory that I decided to study on neurology and dreams is Jean Baudrillard and is ideas of simulacra and simulation - non-reality becoming real as long as the dreamer believes it. This theory also dictates that the dreamer may not be able to distinguish dreams from reality. I attempted to portray this in my key scenes with the outdoor/campfire scenes: I amplified the brightness, contrast, levels and saturation to make the setting more surreal and dream-like. There are also frames where I specifically distorted the background and objects around the characters, making it dream-like, emphasizing the idea of not being able to distinguish dreams from reality. Key Frame 8 is the most successful in presenting the hyper-reality ideas through the editing. In this frame I duplicated the layer, erased the background, re-applied the layer and adjusted the contrast to present the enhanced and surreal atmosphere. I also used the mise-en-scene of being in a wide open space to give the frame an unsettling atmosphere and it is also easy to manipulate the scenery. I think this frame was very successful as I was able to present the ideas of simulation and simulacra clearly with the editing on Photoshop.