What filmmaking techniques does I'm Not There use?

CineCode breaks down 5 techniques in I'm Not There (2007): Identity Construction and Loss, Non-Linear Narrative, Parody and Pastiche, Film Within a Film and Diegetic Musical Performance.

Who directed I'm Not There?

Todd Haynes directed I'm Not There, released in 2007. CineCode also covers Safe (1995), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Far from Heaven (2002), Carol (2015), Wonderstruck (2017), Dark Waters (2019).

What films are similar to I'm Not There?

Films that share techniques with I'm Not There include Lust, Caution (2007), Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Frank (2014).

Drama · Music · Biography

I'm Not There

Todd Haynes, 2007

Six different actors play versions of Bob Dylan, each standing for a different stage of his life and image. The film never tells you who he really is. It is a good one to watch if you want to see how a biopic can break its own rules.

1 Psychology 2 Narrative 1 Cinematography 1 Sound

At a glance

I'm Not There is a 2007 drama, music and biography film directed by Todd Haynes. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (1 psychology, 2 narrative, 1 cinematography and 1 sound), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Lust, Caution uses several of the same techniques.

Psychology

Identity Construction and Loss

Showing a character's sense of self being built, borrowed or stripped away by pressure, roles or the group. Who they are shifts with what they wear, say or join.

How this film uses it

No single actor owns the main character, and the film never settles on one answer. Each version of Dylan is shaped by the role he plays: a young kid, a poet, a folk hero, a pastor. You see an identity built and thrown off again.

Where to see it

The Jude Quinn storyline. Cate Blanchett plays Dylan in 1966 as Jude Quinn, and the film closes on real 1966 concert footage of Dylan playing harmonica.

Narrative

Non-Linear Narrative

Telling the story out of order by jumping between time periods. The order you see events in changes how you understand them.

How this film uses it

The film jumps between six storylines instead of following a single timeline. A reveal in one story changes how you read another. You build the picture of a man out of pieces.

Where to see it

The move between strands. The film cuts from the Jack Rollins documentary to Robbie Clark's biopic and the other storylines with no fixed order.

Narrative

Parody and Pastiche

Imitating a known genre, author or famous scene with affection or mockery, so the audience's familiarity with the original drives the humor and the commentary.

How this film uses it

Haynes imitates other films and eras with affection. The Jude Quinn scenes with the Beatles use sped-up film speed in the style of Richard Lester's A Hard Day's Night. Knowing the original adds the joke.

Where to see it

The Beatles scene. Jude and the Beatles appear in a sped-up sequence that echoes A Hard Day's Night.

Cinematography

Film Within a Film

Showing a movie that the characters watch in a theater, as part of the story. The 2 films comment on each other, and the line between them can blur.

How this film uses it

Robbie Clark is an actor who plays Jack Rollins in a biopic called Grain of Sand. So the film shows a fake movie about Dylan inside a movie about Dylan. Each version comments on how a life gets turned into a story.

Where to see it

Robbie's biopic. The storyline includes scenes from Grain of Sand, in which Robbie plays Jack Rollins.

Sound

Diegetic Musical Performance

Letting characters perform the songs on screen, so the music comes from their own hands and voices. You hear the song and the performer's nerves at the same time.

How this film uses it

Some songs are sung on camera by the characters, such as "Goin' to Acapulco" and "Pressing On". You hear the music as part of the scene, with the performer's voice and nerves. It ties the six men to the same songbook.

Where to see it

The on-camera performances. Characters sing "Goin' to Acapulco" and "Pressing On" in the middle of their storylines.

Questions

I'm Not There: quick answers

What filmmaking techniques does I'm Not There use?: CineCode breaks down 5 techniques in I'm Not There (2007): Identity Construction and Loss, Non-Linear Narrative, Parody and Pastiche, Film Within a Film and Diegetic Musical Performance.
Who directed I'm Not There?: Todd Haynes directed I'm Not There, released in 2007. CineCode also covers Safe (1995), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Far from Heaven (2002), Carol (2015), Wonderstruck (2017), Dark Waters (2019).
What films are similar to I'm Not There?: Films that share techniques with I'm Not There include Lust, Caution (2007), Shoot the Piano Player (1960), Velvet Goldmine (1998), Frank (2014).

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