The realism of Margin Call (2011) extends beyond the depictions of its characters and into its portrayal of the financial industry. J.S. (2011) writes, "Margin Call…depicts the many banalities that make for a financial meltdown, and the near-silent panic that sets in. Finance is depicted as slippery and amorphous, a creation of not just the banks, but of a whole society oriented toward easy consumption." In this respect, Margin Call (2011) strips away the mystical facade that often is attributed to Wall Street and allows the viewer to see how they influence the financial market as much as they are influenced by it. Furthermore, the dialogue and financial terminology used by Chandor in the film is accurate investment banking jargon, which Chandor was familiar with because his family is personally involved in the banking industry; Chandor's father worked for Merril Lynch, thus Chandor understands the inner workings of the banking industry and knows how to present this sector in such a way that others will not be confused by how and what he presents on screen (LaRoche, 2011).
Furthermore, the "epistemological distance between the players and the rest of the world is emphasized in the shooting style: flattened, digitally cool, and visually dry" (Clover, 2012, p. 8). Chandor does not rely on extraneous effects or locations and aims to depict the activities in the film as they would occur in real life. Chandor deliberately wrote the film to be shot in a single location, which was then shot at One Penn Plaza at a former hedge fund office (LaRoche, 2011). Opting to shoot at a location previously associated with the activities of a trading firm creates a realistic and believable environment, especially when shots focus on the world outside the office. Additionally, the office itself, where trading takes place and analysts perform their duties, is meticulously cluttered with workstations and file boxes. Chandor also opted to focus solely on the action on the screen as it would happen in real life. There is no non-diegetic sound utilized, which helps to emphasize the reality that Chandor attempts to create within this fictional realm.
Margin Call's (2011) realistic setting also enables Chandor to realistically depict the relationships between people in the financial industry. Rabiger and Hurbis-Cherrier (2013) note, "At a critical plot point, the firm's CEO appeals to Sam Rogers, the firm's best sales manager, to direct his team to dump the toxic assets -- a strategy which Sam is morally opposed. This pivotal scene could have been in the CEO's office but Chandor mad a brilliant choice and set it instead in the men's bathroom" (p. 108). Chandor's decision to have this interaction take place in an intimate setting personalizes the relationship between Rogers and Tuld, the CEO, because it allows them to interact with each other away from the confines of the conference room that is drenched with paranoia. Chandor uses the bathroom setting a second time when Seth Bregman approaches Jared Cohen knowing that at the end of the day he will be unemployed, which is devastating to him not because of the materialism and personal profit associated with the job, but because he truly loves what he does (Margin Call, 2011). This interaction is also intimate because it allows Bregman to be vulnerable to a senior employee in the firm without attempting to brown-nose or to attempt to save his job. Rabiger and Hurbis-Cherrier (2013) contend that Chandor's use of bathroom interactions "humanizes world-altering decisions taking place and reminds us that economic shifts are not forces of nature, but choices made by ordinary people" (p. 108). On a different level, using the bathroom as a secondary location where important decisions are made also allows the viewer to see how some of the most important decisions that are made by executives occur outside the boardroom and on the proverbial golf course.
It is through this narrative approach that Chandor is able to push aesthetic and, to a lesser extent, ethical boundaries. Chandor does not aim to glamorize the financial industry, but rather seeks to dissect it. While documentaries aim to depict the world as it is, and not as it should be, Chandor was not...
These powers are unique to Keaton, who has been widely considered superior to Charlie Chaplin for his "gentle coolness" and "deadpan bewilderment," (MacDonald 6). Both in the General and Sherlock Jr., Keaton is at his best. However, the General is a deeper and more memorable movie from the point of cinematography, direction, editing, and acting. Buster Keaton is one of Hollywood's shining stars of the silent era. After the advent
Perhaps there is something deeper to Twilight than anyone is willing to admit. So, then, we must ask ourselves: What are these films about? Is there not something revealing even about the reflections seen in popular culture? Cannot pop culture, therefore, be considered part of high culture? Must it be discarded simply because it is popular? I don't think that it must. And yet there is something distinctly different
This were then replaced with larger big band orchestras as technology allowed such large groups to be clearly recorded, "As the swing era began, shorts were made of many of the top orchestras," (Yanow 2). Big band orchestras began showing up in all the major Hollywood productions. They featured pre-recorded songs where the musicians lip singed. It is interesting to have such a crucial period on film. The Swing Era
Censorship in Music Censorship Under the Guise of Protecting the Children Rock and Roll Culture Hip Hop Culture Is Censorship in Music Viable and Does it Make a Difference? There have been many attempts by society control music. Governmental statutes, agency regulations, business controls and parents have all tried to censor the music. Sometimes they have succeeded and sometimes they have not. The examination of various aspects of rock and rap music censorship involves general
Affirmative Action in Hiring and Firing in the Ad Industry and/or Ad Firms Advertising in the United States means a lot of money and as much as $2.1 million is spent on each advertisement during the Super Bowl advertisements lasting for 30 seconds. There is now a question as to whether the composition of workers within the industry, both in the creative sections and in the non-creative sections will affect the
Disassociation, Personality Disorders, & Global Capitalism: Open Your Eyes to the Fight Club Fight Club is a cinematic adaptation of a novel of the same title; therefore, the novel will be referenced peripherally in this work. While the focus of the paper will be upon Fight Club, in an effort to expand the context of the ideas to be discussed, the essay will also include analysis of a related Spanish film, Abre
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now