The impact of 9/11 threw Hollywood into a state of confusion: the attacks, which had been viewed as frightening and unprecedented, caused an upstir of sensitivity and fraught reflection in American cinema. Images of the towers were removed from movie posters and trailers (most famously Sam Raimi’s Spiderman), the theory being that they might be too upsetting for American audiences still struggling to comprehend the attacks. American cinema has seldom depicted the attacks in any great detail, and for a number of years following the attacks recreation of the event has been seen as disrespectful and tasteless within a nation still suffering. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, many films were postponed; elaborate action set-pieces of cities being destroyed became viewed as inappropriate, as were other films like the 2003 comedy View From the Top which focused on a woman’s desire to become a flight attendant. The concept of returning to 9/11 was seen as too traumatic, too soon for a grieving nation to be made to look back upon that day. Some film-makers pushed back against this stance and kept the images of the towers in their films — Spielberg’s A.I …

The cultural assumptions made around men tend to reinforce a view of men being ‘tough’. This assumption forms into an expectation of how men should and should not behave. A broad distinction is drawn between the appropriate ways in which boys and girls, men and women, ought to behave. This distinction shows a particularly problematic manifestation in how boys and men are expected to conduct themselves, offering not only limitations in how men can behave, but also deeply destructive cultural norms which negatively impact men’s psychological and emotional well-being, as well as breeding negative attitudes towards women and homosexual men.

The cultural expectation is unwavering strength, resilience and dearth of sensitivity in men. There is a demand for men to ‘man up’ in the face of problems, to never be uncertain or indecisive, to never feel unheard or overburdened. To never cry, or express strong emotions like glee or sadness. In many ways anger is the only acceptable masculine emotion in the face of trauma, adversary, conflict or pain. The support networks are shockingly lacking, with an indifferent air frequently felt around discussions, reflecting back on the attitude of self-reliance that men are expected to embody. For men, there may be an additional element of shame to these problems arising as a sense of emasculation at being unable to ‘tough’ their way through it, as well as feeling humiliated at even having such problems to begin with. Perhaps most strikingly this can be observed in men domestically assaulted by women: the entire ‘expected’ order is upended, they feel marginalized in their personal lives and in the discourse surrounding them, and they fear and experience mockery when they come forward. …

It’s a question that’s asked a lot. Sometimes it’s not even asked, but rather asserted as being true. Online many men seem to feel that dating is rigged in women’s favour, that all the heavy lifting is done by men and women simply soak up the validation that comes from being attractive. In its most extreme form, we see this taken to its limits with the incel community: where men bemoan their lack of attractiveness and their supposed genetic failure, raging misogynistically at women who have so “unfairly” overlooked them with their sexual shallowness. …

One of the most hotly contested adaptational choices in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) is the characterisation of Faramir. While his brother, Boromir, is generally seen as being somewhat deepened in Jackson’s scripts, Faramir is felt to be weakened in ways that lead to disappointment, sometimes outrage, among fans. The ‘good-captain’ who shows his quality and lets the Hobbits go from the books is turned into a much more conflicted and negative character to increase the drama. Many find this version of the character unnecessarily cruel and short-sighted, others claim he fixes a major flaw within the book itself. I, personally, find myself in the former group. …

All Images Credited to: Columbia Pictures.

Some films I return to every so often, every couple of years, just to look at again. Just to examine them and see if with time, age and greater knowledge, there’s new things to find, whether it’s moments viewed from a new perspective, new interpretations on images, or appreciation for techniques that I failed to notice before, perhaps elements of performances that did not resonate initially. In many cases, coming back, the films are often lesser than I recalled. The more distance that has passed, the more likely I will find things that irk me or disappoint me, or I find the visual approach more bland and generic. One of the risks of exploring art, developing personal tastes, and deepening appreciation, is that it becomes harder to like things, or to not find faults or failings that otherwise might have gone unacknowledged. …

Over the last few months, the world has radically changed. It’s a situation unprecedented, never before have I — or most people, I imagine — experienced something quite like this. A mass pandemic rages across the world, entire nations are put on lockdown. Rules about social distancing are enforced, the interpersonal world is shut down. There are no places to go, nowhere to have fun, no one to meet.

At times, the lockdown situation feels as though I’ve been transported back to my early teens, when I was a serious introvert and socially anxious. I spent most of my free-time indoors, on the computer, listening to music. The world, to me, seemed a threatening place back then. Now it seems to have genuinely become one, with dangerous consequences for many if the virus remains uncontained. Isolation is a necessity. And as I isolate I realise I have more time to think about things, more time to ponder things, more time to work on things. …

When it comes to constructing a visual image — whether in photography or in film — the placement of the camera is of vital importance. The choice of angle has subtle psychological implications: it affects how we view the person, the environment or the situation. If we consider the mood, the feel or the purpose of an image — whether capturing a real or a fictional depiction — then where the camera is placed becomes essential in conveying those elements to the viewer.

Composition is one of the central elements of photography. Not only does it make the image visually appealing, it conveys expressive and interpretative information. Whether a photograph or film shot, how the elements of the image are composed do a great deal in highlighting the perspective, the mood and the meanings within the image. Thought must go into whether to choose a low, mid or high angle, whether or not to frame up close or far away; whether to frame off-centre or centred, how much background and contextualising detail should be incorporated, how the light should fall on a face. …

There are many impressive visual stylists in cinema, yet few have the compositional and staging grace that Steven Spielberg has been perfecting for over forty years of his career. It’s hard to call a Spielberg film ‘bland’ given that, whether they succeed or fail on the whole, the visual nature of his films is always embedded with fantastic images, complex blocking, and economic storytelling. Spielberg has been noted as one of the great practitioners of the classic Hollywood style: one that makes use of covering ground in a one-shot, often veering through three to several compositions, in order to cover the scene in a precise way that avoids overt showboating. …