Tuesday, 15 November 2016

Viewing Log: Akira (1988)


Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Distributor: Toho

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after nuking the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles against anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural power suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Story
  • Based on Manga comic series
  • Considered to be the best animated sci fi film. This relates to my own work as I will be making an animation film in the sci-fi dystopia genre. 
  • Civillians are surveilled by the government
  • The general public proceed with their everyday lives despite the war thats occuring 
Mise-en-scene




  • Overall the film was extremely visually pleasing to watch due to its elaborate set design
  • Realistic use of lighting and shadows
  • Setting - school trashed: graffiti and rubbish everywhere. This correlates with the dystopia genre and emphasises the war torn setting
  • During Testuo's dream: lighter, washed out colours; soft blur - connotes a happy memory
Camera


  • Many aerial shots of the city
  • Parallax camera effect
  •  Canted angles to emphasise chaos
Editing

  • When Tetsuo has flashbacks a series of images are quickly presented (lasting about a frame each)
  • I would like to use a similar effect in my own work

Sound
  • Often sounds are echoed to connote an abandoned setting
  • Themes of chaos are highlighted through the use of diegetic sounds such as gunshots and explosions
Overall thoughts:
I did find the film to be extremely confusing, especially as the story progressed and more supernatural elements are added. Yet I can understand why it is culturally relevant, and there are still many ways that I'm inspired by it.

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