Run Lola Run Analysis

Plot/Theme/Character	Camera Work/Visuals	Production Design	Sound	Editing and Effects
Lola is shown to be a very powerful character with almost supernatural power at times. The best example is when she manages to stabilize the guard when he is dying in the ambulance. There is also a switch in gender roles, as Lola comes to Manni’s rescue, taking charge throughout the film. Lola’s screaming also makes her seem powerful; she uses it to make Manni stop talking, and screams when she is the casino trying to guess where the ball will land.	There is a lot of camera work that focuses on clocks. Obviously an important part of the film is the 20 minute time limit that the characters have. The camera focuses on the clock to remind the viewer of time. In the first ending where Manni is about to rob the bank, the screen is split between him, Lola and a clock. When Lola just barely misses Manni, it shows how close she is to him, but how far she is from stopping him.	The film was based mostly around what Tykwer wanted to get across. Tykwer puts emphasis on side characters. This can be used to break up the scenes where Lola is just running. Tykwer has stated that he dislikes the way side characters are used and given no real meaning. For example, the woman with her baby has multiple endings between losing her baby and winning the lottery.	Sound is used to help the viewer get an idea of what is happening in the film. When Lola holds the security guard’s hand, we hear the heart rate monitor slowing down. This lets the viewer see that the guard is probably going to live. Without the sound, this scene would not really get this point across, the viewer is sure the guard will live now.	During dramatic scenes there are a lot of jump cuts and camera movement. When Lola was thinking about who she could go to for money, we see the characters flashing, and when she decides on her father, it stops. During the same scene, the camera is spinning around her, this helps build up tension before she even runs out of the room. It helps the viewer know what is happening without unnecessary dialogue.
The plot of the film is designed to the personal wants of Tykwer. He creates the buildup that most films do through a full plot arc, but instead going back in time, and having Lola act differently across the endings. He makes the characters grow and makes the audience feel for the characters in a new way.	During the bedroom scene, there is a romantic feeling as there is a red filter. It automatically sets the mood for what the characters are saying. Besides showing love, it makes the shot much more interesting to look at especially since the camera doesn’t move.	Tykwer had a central theme of love as the driving force between Manni and Lola. The only time where this is shown in detail in the bedroom scene. The red tint not only creates a feeling of romance, but it also hides Lola’s red hair. In the bed room, the two are equal. This helps show the relationship between the two.	In the first ending, the ambulance helps the viewer see just how close Lola is getting to Manni. We first hear the ambulance from Lola’s perspective, later it drives behind Manni showing that Lola is not that far away. This also helps deal with the lack of knowing where Lola is, and how far she had to run.	One effect that sticks out in the film is when Manni drops the gun when Lola dies. The sound the gun makes is off, and for a reason. It drags attention to the sound since it is wrong, it also shows how Manni has lost any will to fight or run after he sees Lola.
There are several themes in Run Lola Run, most important being love and fate. Love is what motivates Lola to find 100,000 marks in only 20 minutes. Their love is almost strong enough to get them through anything. Tykwer has said that love can move mountains and does, but he brings his film more down to earth by having Manni and Lola each die. This ties into the idea of having a set fate, and bending fate. Lola almost seems strong enough to change things that are set. Lola’s most powerful and rebellious moments occur in the final ending.	Tykwer also chose to use totally different cameras depending on what he was shooting. Scenes with Manni and Lola were shot in film. The shot looks clear, and helps the viewer’s focus on what is happening, not the quality of the shot. Other shots, in particular the one with Lola’s father and his affair looks grainy. This may represent Tykwer’s idea of what is happening that Manni and Lola are real or positive while everything is fake or wrong.	Tykwer put a lot of emphasis on time, whether it is in slow motion, fast motion, or simply being an obstacle for the characters. First off, it helps the audience see how little time Lola has, and how close she is to success. The best example is when she barely manages to reach Manni before he robs the store. Just a few more seconds and the robbery which ended in Lola’s death could have been avoided.	The music is also an important choice in this film. Most of the time it is techno/ dance music. This allows the films flow to continue. It seems like the kind of music used was best suited for the film, it was made specifically for this film. Tykwer worked very closely with two composers who he trusted when creating the music for his film. It establishes rhyme, and a dialectical relation which relates time in the film.	One of the best transitions of the film is between the first and second plots. Lola throws the bag of money in the air, and as it falls, there are cuts to the phone falling from the beginning. This provided a smooth transition straight into the action of Lola running. It also helps transition locations without confusing teh audience.

Freshmen Broadcast Critique

Pre-production: We came up with the idea of interviewing freshmen because it was the beginning of the year and interviewing the new freshmen would make a good segment. We didn't do any research for our segment, we knew that we needed medium shots and close ups. The problem was that we didn't think the film through, and the segment didn't totally fall apart, but it didn't come out to great. We planned on just interviewing freshmen, and getting b-roll of the campus in general. We didn't think of interviewing teachers that taught freshmen classes. Finding people to interview wasn't difficult because we went after siblings of people we knew. Unfortunately technical issues ruined some planning. We also needed to picture what would be said as b-roll was made.

Production: Quality: For the most part, we went after shots that were straight and static, framing both the interviewer and person being interviewed. Since we had a limited time to film, we just went with the location around us. Our b-roll was fine as basic b-roll, but it didn’t really shine or directly relate to what was being said during the interviews. As far as framing for the whole piece, it was mostly medium shots, with few exceptions. The shots really are uninteresting; it would make more sense with a more exiting interview. There was very little camera movement in the interviews, but the b-roll was shaky. Lighting wasn’t a real focus; we just wanted to avoid silhouetting and extreme brightness. Our audio was a problem at first, because it did not come out at all, but when we re-filmed our interviews the audio came out well and there weren’t any distracting noises.

Script: We didn’t include any voice overs, or music in the piece, so there is no real introduction or closure, just interviews. We didn't use the script as a tool to help us, we just went after opportunities to get shots and interviews.The script needed a lot of work before it could be of any use.

Editing: There aren’t any technical issues in the segment, as far as sound being too loud or any jump cuts. The only effect we used in the segment was a close up of an interviewee as they answered a question about Freshmen Friday to give it some horror aspect and a little comedy.  Another notable edit was zooming quickly in and out of a trash can as the interviewee talked about Freshmen Friday. During the interviews we added some writing that went with what was being said, making the more exciting to watch. B-roll was put in last minute and really didn’t add to the piece.

Overall: My favorite part about the piece is adding writing that went with what the interviewee was saying, it felt better to watch it rather than just the interviews in a regular shot. It had the same feel as b-roll. I would add interviews with teachers, or another staff member that would be important to the freshmen, the only other things I would add are necessary like music and voice overs. The most important thing I can take away from this project in picturing as you plan your piece. It may be difficult at first, but it is better to think when you are still in pre-production before having to improvise near the deadline.

Old Lady Character in Time

It's a nice sunny morning in London and it is time for Mrs. Swanson to get up. She realizes that she stayed up to late watching Saturday Night Live the day before and is going to be late to chat with her friend at the bus stop. She hurries to get dressed and thinks about all the days that she had made it to the bust stop at exactly 9:52am. She looks at the clock as it turns to 9:48. She thinks about the fastest way to get to the bus stop, remembering parts of childhood exploring the city, and as quickly as she thinks of it, she is out of the door. She runs down the stairs and realizes she has forgotten to take her pills which her doctor told her she had to take or she wouldn't be able to move her legs very well. She stands there for a second and sees Big Ben ticking closer to 9:52. She sighs and begins to jog, where to the bus stop where her friend is waiting and looks at her watch as it strikes 9:52. She sighs and looks at the ground only to look to her left where her friend is there smiling at her.