Comparing Le Jetee, the short, and 12 Monkeys, the full-length movie

 Hey Blog! 

Today I will be comparing another short and full-length movie for the sake of research! I will be exploring Le Jetee and 12 Monkeys and how the use storytelling, visuals, and concepts of time travel. From there I will reflect upon them and article on the comparison. I hope you all enjoy it! 

I watched the video comparing 12 Monkeys and La Jetee and it discussed how the full-length film is a natural extension of the short, building on the original ideas. The video also explains how both films explore how things will happen regardless. 

In La Jetee, the short, the protagonist is stuck in a loop that repeats without chance for change. Meanwhile, 12 Monkeys elaborates on this concept where the main character must try to prevent a catastrophic event. The nature of time highlight's themes in both films, which the video explains is crucial to the two works.  

The video also showed me how important the manipulation of time is when it comes to storytelling. In both films, time travel is an overall theme. La Jetee’s use of photography emphasizes the fixed nature the set nature of time, while 12 Monkeys grows it with ability to alter past events. This taught me that time manipulation will not only move the plot forward but may create emotional depth. 

With this, I now see the power of visual storytelling and I will try to use it in my project! 

The article looks into the same comparison. One of my key takeaways is how adapting La Jetee into a feature investigates the idea of memory and identity in a more fleshed-out way. Meanwhile La Jetee focuses heavily on the implications of time travel through its minimal visual language, 12 monkey expands on these ideas with other themes such as mental illness and the nature of memory. 

The article discusses how the main character of La Jetee is a victim of time, however in 12 monkeys, the protagonist is more active in trying to change the past. This difference leads to a major shift in narrative. La Jetee’s focus is fate, while 12 Monkeys is a more pronounced sense of human impact. The article also explains how 12 monkeys had a more conventional narrative structure, compared to the photo montage. 

One other takeaway from the article was how each film used their forms. The photographs in La Jetee and the film in 12 Monkeys, both represented the passage of time. The still images show the still time while the motion shows more urgency. I could use different forms in my project to evoke different feelings! 

Thank you all for reading! I hope I can use some of this information in my project. Talk to you guys soon. Bye!