Suture

Suture:

Suture:
- A medical term, meaning to stitch up
- In film theory, the process whereby the spectator is 'stitched up' in the filmic text
- One application of this is the shot/reverse-angle shot
- This series of shots establishes the viewpoint of 2 characters, allowing the spectator to adopt first one & then another position
- Thus the spectator makes sense of off-screen space & becomes 'stitched' into the film

Suture & Ideology:
- Notion behind suture is that it renders the film's signifying practices invisible; therefore, the spectator's ability to read or decode he film remains limited
- It's therefore theorised that the system allows the film's ideological messages to be slipped in unnoticed & become absorbed by the spectator
- Film is thus hegemonic rather than a reflection of reality
- So in Hollywood, we are presented with an unquestioning idea of the idealness of American values

Suture & the shot/reverse-angle shot in Fish Tank

1:09:00 to 1:11:00 - see Fish Tank scene notes for more
1:09:00: Note the way the below picture is shot from Mia's perspective (over the shoulder)
2nd shot: The next shot is a close-up profile of Mia - no reverse shot. This is typical of a number of sequences between Mia and Connor
3rd shot: Are we being sutured into the film with Mia?

(1:09:00)

(2nd shot)

(3rd shot)