For this topic, I am intending to study 3 films. The 3 texts I have chosen to study are David Fincher's 1999 film based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, 'Fight Club', Starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, Dennis Villeneuve's 2014 film 'Enemy' based on the novel 'The Double' by José Saramago which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, and Darren Aronofsky's 2011 film 'Black Swan' and I will by applying Freud's theory of the structures of the personality, the Id, Ego and Superego, to these texts.
In Fincher's 'Fight Club', Edward Norton's character of The Narrator clearly portrays the role of the Ego, as he is shown to embody both the traits of the Id and the Superego, as he enjoys bouts of violence, but later in the film we see him strive for control as Tyler'd plans spiral out of his control. Tyler Durden is clearly the Id in this example, as all he wants is to cause chaos, following his desires for violence, sex, masochism, brutality and ultimately terrorism. Throughout the text, there are multiple Superegos as Jack, or The Narrator, follows Tyler through his path of mayhem. Initially, one could argue that the self-help groups that Jack attends are his Superego, as they allow him to compose himself by crying which allows him to sleep at night. I have heard of people arguing that Marla Singer is a superego within the film, however she does display many qualities of the Id, such as stealing, having sex, smoking and lying, and she is ultimately what causes Jack to no longer feel satisfied by the self help groups, as her lies of having cancer or another terminal illness emanate his own lies. After these groups, Fight Club becomes The Narrator's Superego, as they are what now give him release from his mundane life, and he stops going to the self help classes due to his addiction to fight club and the adrenaline rush he gets from it.
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
Freudian Psychology Short Film Script
I.E.S
[ext. establishing
shot of house. It is night time. Loud music is playing from inside the house.]
[int. house party.
mid shot of the protagonist, the Ego, wearing a plain t-shirt, plaid shirt and
black jeans. He has a beer in his hand and is staring directly at the camera.
Behind him are an array of characters drinking, laughing, doing usual party
stuff. Loud trap music is playing]
[cut to long shot of
a girl, she is blonde wearing a lot of black.]
[cut back to mid shot
of ego, and 2 characters walk in from either side. One is wearing a white
shirt, black tie and black jeans (Superego), the other is wearing all black, with a black
‘Bad Religion’ hoodie (Id).]
Dude, You’ve been
staring at that chick for like 20 minutes
Ego:
I don’t know hot to
talk to her
[Shot-reverse-shot of
Id and Superego]
Id:
Just go up and kiss
her man
Superego:
That will never work,
you need to take it slow, introduce yourself.
Id:
Shut up. Just kiss
her, man! It’s a fucking party, everyone’s here to hook up let’s face it.
Superego:
I thought we came
here to have a good time
Id:
You know nothing
about parties dude, just fucking kiss her. It’s now or never.
[cut back to the long
shot of the girl, and the ego walks into frame, walking up to her. Cut to
medium close up two shot of their faces, and the ego grabs her and kisses her.]
[Shot-reverse-shot of
their faces as the kiss is happening and the ego looks as if he’s in heaven,
whereas the girl looks in hell. Cut back to MCU and she breaks away from him
and slaps him in the face. Cut back to long shot, and she walks out the door.
Cut to mid shot of Lew and the Id and Superego walk up to him.]
Id:
Well, I for sure
thought that would work and she would melt in your mouth. It takes a lot of
balls to do what you just did.
[SRS of Id and
Superego]
Superego:
You imbecile. You
have absolutely no idea how the female mind works.
Id:
Normally that works a
charm. Cigarette?
[Extreme Close Up of
open cigarette pack in hand, 2 cigarettes are poking out. Cut to CU of ego’s
face]
Ego:
I need one after that
[Tracking shot of the
three walking outside, past people drinking, some people passed out]
[medium-long shot of
the three stood outside. Ego lights his cigarette]
Id:
Whiskey? (Swigs from
the bottle and hands it to the ego, then lights his cigarette)
Ego:
(Swigs from the
bottle)
[cut to close up of
ego’s face]
what the hell is in
this?
[cut to MCU of Id]
Id:
Just a bit of Mandy,
you know, MDMA, liven up this disaster of a party. Hey, talking of Ecstasy,
wanna take a line or 2?
[ECU of him taking
out a bag of white powder, cut to mid shot of Superego]
Superego:
Oh god, you’re going
to lead him down your dark path of drugs, stealing, sex and violence.
[mid shot of Id,
holding the MDMA in front of the camera]
Id:
Lighten up,
douchebag.
[Montage of drug
taking, drinking, dancing, smoking, laughing etc, and after some serious
partying, the two crash from the drugs on the sofa. The superego looks at them,
then drags the ego off to the bathroom- mid shot of the 2. SRS between ego and
superego]
Superego:
Don’t follow what
that mongaloid tells you, he’ll only get you into trouble.
Ego:
Well at least he
knows how to have fun.
Superego:
Yeah, illegally.
Ego:
He was right about
you, you are boring.
[cut back to mid shot
and the ego walks out of the bathroom]
Superego:
(Shouting) Say that
when you’re in handcuffs! Or dead!
[cut to long shot of
the party downstairs. Ego walks in and the Id walks over to him. Cut to 2 shot]
Id:
Come on bro, let’s
blow this joint. I’ll drive.
Ego:
You have a car? But
you’re drunk and on drugs!
Id:
Not yet I don’t, and
God, you’re letting that square influence you. Grab him and let’s shoot.
[Ext. long shot of
the 3 stood around a car, the Id is kneeling and fiddling with the driver’s
side lock]
Superego:
I really disapprove
of this behaviour.
[SRS between Id and
Superego]
Id:
Shut the fuck up, I’m
giving you a lift here!
Superego:
I hope the police
catch you one day.
Id:
Look, you’re really
getting on my wick so shut your mouth.
[the lock clicks]
Id:
Fuck yeah! Get in
lads.
[cut to mid shot of
car interior in the back seat. The three get in the car, Superego instantly
puts his belt on]
Ego:
You couldn’t have
stolen a nicer car?
Id:
Trust, these things
are built like tanks, they never et me down
[car engine starting
noise]
See? I’ve done this a
hundred times.
[Ego puts his seatbelt
on, but the Id doesn’t]
[Cut to Establishing
shot of the car in a field Int. car, Id is rolling a joint]
Superego:
I need to go shake
the dew off the lily
(gets out of car)
[Shot reverse shot of
Id and ego]
Id:
We need to kill that
square
Ego:
Wh..what? are you
crazy?
Id:
We need to kill him
to be free of control, he’s the crazy one!
Ego:
But we can’t just
kill him!
Id:
You have to, do it
with this
[ECU of Id handing
ego a knife, cut to mid shot from in front of them]
Do it or I’ll just
leave the two of you out here in the middle of nowhere.
Ego:
Fine, I’ll do it.
[Car door opens,
Superego gets in]
Superego:
What were you two
debating? It sounded as if you might be arguing.
Ego:
Oh, it was nothing.
Id:
Get out of the car
[cut to close up of
the ego looking at the id, then back to previous shot]
We don’t want this
car to stink of weed do we?
[Shot reverse shot of
Id and superego]
Superego:
Oh great, more drugs.
If you have such a
problem with drugs, why are you still here?
Superego:
To guide him! To make
sure you don’t corrupt him!
Id:
To control him!
You’re a manipulative prick!
Superego:
You’re the
manipulative one! You made him take drugs and steal a car!
Id:
Just get out of the
fucking car and quit whining.
[Ext. car, extreme
long shot, the three are stood around the car smoking the joint. The Superego
is leaning against the car staring into space. Cut to mid shot of id who looks
over at the ego, camera pans to him and he gulps. Cut to mid shot of the
Superego, then back to the Id, who draws his finger across his throat.]
[ECU of Ego taking
the knife out of his pocket, then cut to a mid shot from behind the ego as he
walks over to the superego.]
Ego:
I’m sorry dude
(stabs him
repeatedly)
[cut to Id, who looks
shocked, but in a good way]
Id:
Fuck! You know, part
of me didn’t think you’d do it! I thought you were too spineless!
[Cut to mid-long
shot, Ego turns to Id]
Ego:
You know, he was
right, you really are a manipulative cunt.
(guts him like a
fish)
[ECU of bloody hands
and knife. Cut to CU of Ego’s face. He looks relieved]
[Aditive Dissolve
back to the party. Ego is stood alone in the same mid shot as before. Cut to
long shot of the girl. Cut back to the Ego, he looks around him. Pan from his
perspective, and there is no Id or Superego to be seen. Cut back to mid shot,
and he smiles. Cut to long shot of the girl, and the Ego walks up to her.]
Ego:
Hi, I’m Lewis.
[Cut to black.
Credits roll.]
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Film Studies Design Brief
The concept for my film comes from the Freudian theory of the Id, the Ego and he Superego, and I intend on having 3 main characters who support these roles. One concept I have had is that at a party, a man meets a girl and instantly falls in love, but doesn't know how to get her to like him, so he unknowingly creates 2 alternate personalities who become his best friends, in order to guide him in getting the girl. One of these personalities is reckless, tells him he needs money and a flashy car and to look cool and to smoke and do drugs, whereas the other is a much more controlled persona, with a clear set of morals who tells him he needs to have a better outlook on himself and to groom and look good, but ultimately these two personalities clash as they cannot agree on anything, so the Id convinces the protagonist that they need to kill the superego in order to be free of control. In the end, he goes along with the plan, but after killing the superego he also kills the Id. there is a cut back to the original scene at the party, and rather than meeting the two sides of himself he decides to confront the girl alone.
The Id's idea of getting the girl is to just walk up and kiss her, and just to do it without thinking about it, his logic is 'it's a party dude, everyone who's here is looking to hook up', whereas the superego says 'no, you have to talk to her, convince her that you're worth being with, make small talk and get to know her', eventually the Id sways his opinion, and after kissing the girl she slaps him and walks off. the Id turns to the Ego and says 'dude, I thought for sure that would work' superego- 'you truly are an imbecile'. Id convinces them to go to the garden for a smoke, and when they're out there having a fag, the Id says 'come on, it's tie to make this party better' and pulls out a bag of white powder. superego- 'oh god, you're gonna lead him down your dark path of drugs, sex and violence', Id-'lighten up square, it's just a bit of coke, not gonna hurt anybody' cuts through montage of the Id and ego snorting, drinking, smoking drugs, dancing, all with the superego in the background, just standing there shaking his head. They crash from the drugs, and the superego drags the ego off into the bathroom. He tells him that following what the Id does will lead him into self destruction, and that he's only concerned with himself, doesn't consider others etc, but the ego dismissed him as being boring, says 'we're at a party dude, enjoy yourself, at least he knows how to have a good time'. after more party shenanigans, the Id convinced the ego to steal a car. the superego tries to talk him out of it but at this point he's given in to the id so much he thinks it's just a bit of fun, plus the alcohol is clearly affecting his judgement, so after some debating, they steal a car and go for a drive. The Id turns to the Ego whilst they are outside smoking, the SE is nowhere in sight, and says 'we need to kill that boring prick' ego-'wh.. what?!?!' 'that guy, he's just too boring, he thinks about things too much, we need to kill him to be free from control, so we can just be ourselves again' ego-'you're a psychopath' 'nothing I haven't heard before. Come on man, he's gonna turn you into a square like him, we need to get rid of him. permanently.' He hands him a knife, and says 'trust me'. the superego comes back from his urination and says 'what are you guys talking about?' and the ego jumps at him with a knife, stabbing and killing him. Ego stands there for a moment, knife in hand, covered in blood and says 'what have I done?!', faces the Id and says 'you're a monster!' and stabs him repeatedly. look of satisfaction on his blood soaked face, cut back to the party scene where he initially saw the girl, he looks around as if to look for his imaginary friends, shrugs it off and walks up to the girl and says 'Hey, I'm Lew'. Cut to black. Credits roll.
The Id's idea of getting the girl is to just walk up and kiss her, and just to do it without thinking about it, his logic is 'it's a party dude, everyone who's here is looking to hook up', whereas the superego says 'no, you have to talk to her, convince her that you're worth being with, make small talk and get to know her', eventually the Id sways his opinion, and after kissing the girl she slaps him and walks off. the Id turns to the Ego and says 'dude, I thought for sure that would work' superego- 'you truly are an imbecile'. Id convinces them to go to the garden for a smoke, and when they're out there having a fag, the Id says 'come on, it's tie to make this party better' and pulls out a bag of white powder. superego- 'oh god, you're gonna lead him down your dark path of drugs, sex and violence', Id-'lighten up square, it's just a bit of coke, not gonna hurt anybody' cuts through montage of the Id and ego snorting, drinking, smoking drugs, dancing, all with the superego in the background, just standing there shaking his head. They crash from the drugs, and the superego drags the ego off into the bathroom. He tells him that following what the Id does will lead him into self destruction, and that he's only concerned with himself, doesn't consider others etc, but the ego dismissed him as being boring, says 'we're at a party dude, enjoy yourself, at least he knows how to have a good time'. after more party shenanigans, the Id convinced the ego to steal a car. the superego tries to talk him out of it but at this point he's given in to the id so much he thinks it's just a bit of fun, plus the alcohol is clearly affecting his judgement, so after some debating, they steal a car and go for a drive. The Id turns to the Ego whilst they are outside smoking, the SE is nowhere in sight, and says 'we need to kill that boring prick' ego-'wh.. what?!?!' 'that guy, he's just too boring, he thinks about things too much, we need to kill him to be free from control, so we can just be ourselves again' ego-'you're a psychopath' 'nothing I haven't heard before. Come on man, he's gonna turn you into a square like him, we need to get rid of him. permanently.' He hands him a knife, and says 'trust me'. the superego comes back from his urination and says 'what are you guys talking about?' and the ego jumps at him with a knife, stabbing and killing him. Ego stands there for a moment, knife in hand, covered in blood and says 'what have I done?!', faces the Id and says 'you're a monster!' and stabs him repeatedly. look of satisfaction on his blood soaked face, cut back to the party scene where he initially saw the girl, he looks around as if to look for his imaginary friends, shrugs it off and walks up to the girl and says 'Hey, I'm Lew'. Cut to black. Credits roll.
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