Paddington (2014) Case Study

 

 

I was given an assignment on developing a case study. The movie I selected for my case study is Paddington (2014). I have included the information for each bullet point under each example. Paddington himself is a visual effect because he is digitally animated and placed into the film, using motion capture where actors wearing suits dotted with markers. In fact, some of the physical interactions Paddington has with other characters are done with hidden assistants behind the camera that make contact with the characters using spoons or tools that Paddington can easily be edited over to make it look like he's on screen.  

 

 

The opening of the film has a TV-broadcasting introduction with a black-and-white, crackly filter over it to make it look vintage. The fake television broadcast is then shown using the same visual filters. This helps us acknowledge that what we are seeing has taken place in the past and can serve as context for the storyline of the film. 

 

 

An iris-in is used when the explorer, Montgomery Clyde, says goodbye to the bears and we transition to present day. This serves the vintage effect of the television program and makes the goodbye seem less melancholy. This also lets us know that the relationship between the bears and explorer are very amicable.

 

Slow-motion is used as Paddington trips and all his oranges fall out of his hand while his grandmother watches. This enhances the comedic effect and chaos of the situation. We are meant to understand from this that Paddington is very clumsy and blundering, which is a character trait that will continue to be built upon throughout the movie, and is used for humor. 

A cut-on-action is used when Paddington falls off the branch when grabbing a hanging orange. This cut is used aesthetically to make the action sequence smooth while enhancing the action of Paddington falling, where we experience it more directly as opposed to simply seeing him fall from a distance. 

 

 

There’s an eyeline cut when Paddington’s uncle seems to be in shock, and the film cuts directly to what is causing his shock, which would be his home falling during the earthquake. This allows the audience to resonate with him and his dismay, and highlights how he is distraught and upset to see his home crumble.

 

There’s another eyeline cut where Paddington looks for his uncle as he closes the bunker hatch, and we cut to Paddington’s point of view of Uncle Pastuzo, seeing the scene through Paddington’s eyes. This emphasizes the tense and heartbreaking nature of the scene as we are caught anxiously waiting to see if Uncle Pastuzo will make it to the hatch.