Comparing La Jetee (The Short Film) To 12 Monkeys (The Full-length Film)

 La Jetee (the short film)  

“La Jetee” is about 28 minutes long. The film is told through pictures and voiceovers, which is an extremely interesting way to edit a film with a potentially high action plot. The film itself focuses on time travel, which is very different from our plot, but the fact that it’s told through voiceovers and pictures reinforces the idea that we should aim to give our audience a feeling(fear, entertainment, and excitement are the main ones). If an audience can get a feeling from a series of pictures, a voice speaking over it, and the occasional sound effects, then we should clearly aim to replicate that effect. Doing so will aid in the fulfilling the purpose of this film and all others, which is to tell a story.  

In terms of plot and character relationships, “La Jetee” does have some developments of the main character’s motivations and their backstory, but it’s important to realize that this film is about 28 minutes long. Taking that time length into account is important, because we have much less time to develop our characters and their feelings about the world around them. Five minutes may not be as much time as we feel like it is, so it’s important for us to have these clear characterizations in mind and to be able to imply them correctly.  

In terms of the more technical aspects of filmmaking, certain camera angles are used to influence mood, as well as transitions in editing. For example, close up shots paired with shot-reverse shots show communication and focus on the character’s expressions. However, wide shots and long shots are used to create a mood of reminiscing, which ties into the film’s themes of time and memory. While our film is entirely different from “La Jetee”, it would be in our best interest to be sure that the shots we use have purpose and create the appropriate feeling for the film and audience.  

 

12 Monkeys(the full length film) 

Plot wise, “12 Monkeys” carries the same aspects of time travel and is meant to be a tribute to “La Jetee.” Another aspect seen in “12 Monkeys” is the soundtrack, which is very upbeat. A cheery soundtrack for what most would consider a darker film seems odd, but a similar aspect is being applied to our film. Our genre is horror/comedy, which defies conventions of both, but these seemingly opposing genres can work together. Sometimes comedies make darker moments humorous and darker moments in horror can their tension broken with a joke or slapstick comedy. Connecting that to “12 Monkeys” and its soundtrack, the upbeat soundtrack would easily work well with certain moments, but not for others. It’s drawing a delicate balance, which is what we have to do in the creation of our film. Between the genres of horror and comedy lies a line that we have to walk delicately along to create the right feeling for our film.  
 

Applications:  

The filmmaking process can be complex. There’s scripts to write, schedules to create, editing to be done, soundtracks to be made or found and so much more. Through all of the technical aspects of filmmaking, it’s important to remember that films are created to tell stories and to give the audience a feeling. This fact ties into what was said before, about ensuring that our chosen shots and angles have purpose, and that we try our best to balance between two seemingly contradictory genres. “12 Monkeys” does do this really well, but that movie had more time to develop the storyline. We need to be able to meet all of our goals in this five minute film, which may be a formidable challenge. However, as long as we plan correctly and keep these goals in mind, we should be good to go.  



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