Major Project TERM III - Dream sequences in film Research

In the last part of my research connected to this term's major project I will be looking closely into different dream sequences in cinema. I will analyse how different filmmakers are visualizing them in their own visual style.

I will be looking at four films in which we can either see a dream sequence or the majority of the film is a dream. The four films being, 'Spellbound' (1945) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 'Inception' (2010) made by Christopher Nolan, 'Anima' (2019) created by Paul Thomas Anderson, and finally 'Wild Strawberries' (1957) directed by Ingmar Bergman.


Spellbound (1945)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Spellbound (1945) dream sequence

Probably the most recognizable dream sequence in film history, and for good reason. The scenography created for this sequence was done by Salvador Dalí, Spanish surrealist artist whose one of a kind visual style can be easily recognized in every frame of this scene. 

While the style does not appeal to me instantly, it is more of a symbolic take on the dreams, the more I watch it the more I am intrigued by the complexity of the entire piece. Each element, each prop is crafted perfectly, ranging from misshaped wheel rolling of the roof to the giant eyes and cutting through them scissors (Pronovost, 2017).

It is also an unusual sequence for Hitchcock whose films, while might be insane from the plot standpoint, are often more grounded than that. Nonetheless, I feel like this kind of narration works well in this, with very classic approach to visualizing dreams, as crazy and surreal. As Freud even said 'Dreams are often most profound when they seem most crazy' (Freud, n.d.). I think that it is absolutely true in this context. The sequence in Spellbound (1945) feel so out of place and weird that it makes it look even more like an actual dream, even though in actual dreams we don't tend to see this kind of visuals (Pronovost, 2017).

While it is undeniably an amazing piece of work, I do not think I can take much from it, since my film will be much more grounded and down to earth than this sequence.


Inception (2010)
Directed by Christopher Nolan

Inception (2010) trailer

Contrary to the Spellbound (1945), dream sequences in Inception (2010) are much more grounded in reality. From using real life locations to the lack of surreal props of scenography. While of course it does have a dose of fictional elements, like an elevator going through memories or the sudden waves that are supposed to wake Cobb up, dreams presented in this film are trying to be as real as possible. After all the whole plot of the film is about it. Dreams presented in this picture are much closer to the depiction of lucid dreams rather than the ones we are used to (Greenberg, 2010).

It is because Christopher Nolan was in fact more interested in them when he was making this film. He was fascinated by how real dreams feel while being in them. You are not noticing that you are being thrown into action, or that some of the things make less sense than others. While you are dreaming everything feels real (Bordwell, 2010)

As for the inspiration for my film, Inception (2010) seems like a great choice. It is close in visual terms to what I want to create, with realistic depiction of dreams instead of surreal. It lacks however the emptiness I want to show in my film. I want to visualize the alienation, an empty world with only the main character present in it. This trait is not present in Inception (2010). Its world building is presented in an entirely lifelike way, while what I want to present has a touch of this surreal, empty feeling.


Anima (2019)
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Anima (2019) trailer

Anima (2019), while not really represents a dream sequence, the entire film has this dream like feeling attached to it. Also, while the first two acts would be no use to me, since they were shot in a very specific scenery, the third act is where I could draw some inspirations from. It was shot in the evening and at night, and the atmosphere really match what I would like to create. The foggy alleyways and green scenery, while full of people in this short, feel very alienated and personal. 

There are also some shots which I feel like perform the same function to the ones in my script. The opening shot of the tube, feels to me like a portal to the dream world. The similar function in my script has the scene of going down and up the staircase. The framing of both of those shots is also similar.

The visuals aside I feel like the sensation you get form this film is similar to the one I want to present in mine. The entire while looks very loud and chaotic is in fact very peaceful and intimate. It might be because of the brilliant choreography from Damien Jalet, who created the choreography to Suspiria (2018), or because of the cinematography which combines tight shots of our main characters' faces to create the intimacy between them, with wide shots which help us catch a breath during these intense fifteen minutes (In/Frame/Out, 2019).


Wild Strawberries (1957)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Dream sequence from Wild Berries (1957)

While I did not watch this film before writing my script, and never seen this scene, it is very surreal how similar my film and this scene are. From the general story structure to even framing, it is uncanny how similar these two projects are. The good part is that I can learn from this a lot. Since this is how Ingmar Bergman, objectively one of the best filmmakers ever lived, shot it this way, I can study it and try to either replicate it or try to improve it.

Ingmar Bergman in this sequence decided to waive from usual for that time style of creating dream scenes. With the surreal and uncanny imagery, with chaotic blurry shots and devoid of sound scenes. Instead, he leaned more into the way we actually dream. Similarly, to the way Nolan shot Inception (2010), Bergman depicted dreams as very realistic and grounded, with only few elements which feel out of place (Mormina, 2016).

This sequence also correlates with every criterion I wanted to portray in my film. The wide shots depicting empty streets and create empty feeling. The main character being almost only person in the entire scene, and of course the ending with a big plot twist, that there is another character which is a copy of the first one. All of these themes relate to my script and I find it quite comforting that the great filmmaker what Bergman is, thought of the very similar idea as me. Now it is in my power to create something even remotely as good as what he created.


__________________
Sources:

Anima. (2019). [film] Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. USA: Netflix.

Bordwell, D. (2010). INCEPTION; or, Dream a Little Dream within a Dream with Me. [online] Observations on film art. Available at: http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2010/08/06/inception-or-dream-a-little-dream-within-a-dream-with-me/.

Greenberg, H. (2010). ON INCEPTION AND THE CINEMATIC DEPICTION OF DREAMS. [online] . Available at: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.689.6261&rep=rep1&type=pdf [Accessed 9 May 2021].

In/Frame/Out (2019). ANIMA (2019) - Film Analysis. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z7e--vCrc4 [Accessed 18 Feb. 2021].

Inception. (2010). [film] Directed by Christopher Nolan. USA: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Mormina, M. (2016). THE DREAM SCREEN: AN ARTISTIC ANALYSIS OF THE REPRESENTATION OF DREAMS IN CINEMA. [online] . Available at: http://research.sabanciuniv.edu/34572/1/MisiaMormina_10120289.pdf [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Oestreich, A. (2016). DREAMS in Film (an essay film). [online] vimeo.com. Available at: https://vimeo.com/168247716 [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Pronovost, V. (2017). Dreaming in Hitchcock Movies. [online] The Wonderful World of Cinema. Available at: https://thewonderfulworldofcinema.wordpress.com/2017/11/19/dreaming-in-hitchcocks-movies/ [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Randal, E. (2011). Salvador Dali Dream Sequence from Spellbound (1945). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyPe1Jahyfo [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Spellbound. (1945). [film] Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. USA: United Artists.

Wild Strawberries. (1957). [film] Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Sweden: Svensk Filmindustri.

YouTube. (2010). Nightmare sequence from Wild Strawberries (1957) directed by Ingmar Bergman. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIQ-s6hwykM [Accessed 9 May 2021].

Comments

  1. Christian's Art Portfolio Blog16 May 2021 at 15:11

    The Bergman sequence is very eerie. Partly due, I think, to the sound design. You might consider adding some studio 'foley' sounds to your project.

    ReplyDelete

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