Case study michel gondry

2. Michel Gondry was born on
May 8th 1963. He was a
French film director, a song
writer and a producer. He is
famous for his inventive
visual style and distinctive
mise en scene. His carer all
started when making a
music video for a French
rock band.
About Michel Gondry
Michel Gondry grew up in a
place in France called Versailles
with his family who were
inspired by pop music. In the
80s Gondry was very fund of
becoming an inventor and so he
attended an art school in Paris
where he knew he could
develop his skills In what he
liked to do the most.
He is well known for his
creative imagery and inventive
and unique story line techniques
and directing films up to a high
standard based more on fantasy
than reality. When Gondry was
young, he loved to draw and so
he would teach his class mates
how to draw naked women.

3. In want to focus my inspiration on
Michel Gondery as he has his on way
of filming and making the story line
relate to Post- modernism in his own
way and also creates amazing music
videos that’s up to standard.
In one of Gundry's films in which he
directed, he makes good use of post-
modernism. In one of the scenes of
“Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless mind”
he focuses the film on a main character
which has a procedure of wiping painful
and unwanted memories and is a mild
form of brain damage that is said to have
no side effects. This is a fictional idea
that Gondry has come up with within the
film as it is unrealistic and it is therefore
a constant reminder that this is not based
in reality only in films.
One of the biggest
elements that has
stood out to me
within the film
which relates well
to post-modernism
is the scene in
which the
characters roles are
changed within the
imagination and
memories of the
main character such
as the baby Joel as
it contradicts his
memory to the
place clementine
within them.

4. * The whole aspect of the Film “Eternal
Sunshine of the spotless mind” is all related
to Post-modernism. It is the idea that an
individual can go and get therapy to forget
someone. This movie uses miese-en scene as
it is set in 21st century and shows that it is set
in a middle class environment as everything is
possible now by technology and new theories
and discovering's, and when its set in the
modern days, it shows that anything is
possible through the use of post-modernism of
mise en scene. This is the most common in
Sifi films.
In the film “ Eternal Sunshine of the
spotless mind” Gundry uses Hyper
conscience- of a scene when Joel had a
flashback when he was getting beaten up
when he was younger. He had to erase that
memory of him getting punched as a child.
The use of props such as the sink lifts up
the mood and could be seen as comedic
In the film we see the
use of Cinematography.
For example we see a
part from clementine as
it is dark and dim and
her hair changes colour
between different
bright colours. We also
see her wearing a
colourful dress which
symbolises her
personality as quite loud
and noticeable. This
suggests that she is the
main focus in the scene
as we are seeing the
scene through Joel’s
eyes.

5. *
* One of the famous short films made and written by Michael
Gondry had proven to be a success by the audience. It is about
a man in his pajamas that drives in a bed that moves like a car
while singing Elvis Presley's “Pecan pie”. This short film was
made in 2003. This was an imaginative piece of gondrys work
which entertained views.
Camera angles
From watching the film I have
picked up on a few use of
camera angles. One in which
was a low angle shot. This
was used when Jim Carrey
was standing up on the bed
showing that he doesn’t care
and he is above everyone else
making the audience feel that
he is the main character and
has taken the spotlight
showing his power as a
character through the use of
camera angles.
Another use of camera
angle is a close up shot of
him riding the bed whilst
singing. This shows the
audience that Elvis prissily
song of “Pecan Pie” was
one of the best songs
enjoys by everyone and by
seeing Jim Carry 'reaction
to it, it makes the
audience like it more and
enjoys it through the
humour of Jim Carry’s
facial expressions.
Also panning movements was used within the
short film of Gondry’s work. The use of
Panning movements helps the audience to see
the setting and how the setting relates to the
music and the theme of the bed. For example
seeing that is dark and quiet links in with when
people go to bed is usually at night and they
expect it to be quiet. The fact that it is within
the night quiet theme shows that it is putting
the song “Pecan Pie” as the spotlight and the
main focus of the film so that the audience
doesn’t focus on anything but the song.

6. *
* The chemical brothers are an English electronic music band
famous in 1989. One of the most famous music was the song
called “Lets forever be”. It is a song by English big beat band
the chemical brothers and released as the second single from
their third album Surrender in 2 August 1999. The music
video for the track was directed by Michel gondry which had
may visual film effects of a young women's nightmare. This
video drew visual inspiration and became a well known song
and bought attention to the group.
Visual effects
In the music video of the
Chemical Brothers “let
forever be. We see many
aspects of post-
modernism. One of aspect
used was the effect of the
multiple character copying
the fall of mirrors but in
real life. This illustrates
simulation of the copy of a
copy of a copy within the
music video. This is one of
the famous effects in
Gondrys work.
Within the music video, Michel gondry uses a wide range of
camera shots. One of which was close ups on the clock that was
next to the female character next to the bed. This shows the
audience that time is catching up on us and we don’t get
enough of it and the close up makes the audience aware of
time. This carries on through out the music video such as the
fast pace of the music and the video all moves fast which
reflects on the genre that keeps on flowing. This shows that
everything needs to be done fast incase time runs out. In the
music video they don’t focus on a specific object like in a film
of Gondrys but on what is actually happening.
Panning shot form one shot
to another showing the
same effects of a copy of a
copy in a shape such as the
drum scene we see many
drums but in a circle shape