Amy (Kapadia, 2015)

Cards (19)

  • Amy was directed by Asif Kapadia and released in 2015
  • Core study areas:
    Film form
    Meaning and response: aesthetics and
    representations
    Contexts
  • Specialist study areas:
    Digital debates
    Filmmakers’ theories
  • 'Amy' reclaims her persona as
    a talented and vulnerable young woman affected
    by fame, the media, and addiction from the unkind
    caricature presented in the media.
  • It also shows the
    underside of fame and celebrity culture. With Amy,
    Kapadia consolidates his signature style, established
    with Senna, of creating documentaries from
    existing material depicting the lives of celebrities
    considered to be outsiders
  • The truthful nature of
    the documentary was called into question by Amy’s
    father, Mitch Winehouse, who objected to the way
    that he was represented. This controversy draws
    attention to the constructed nature of documentaries,
    despite the use of authentic rather than reconstructed
    footage.
  • Cinematography of the documentary includes drone shots to establish locations, particularly of London. Much of the footage is
    shot on mobile phones, with some low-quality, washed-out, and wobbly filming which gives a feeling of intimacy and creates authenticity. Montages of still photographs are used and
    zooming in on photos gives a sense of scrutiny
    and truth-seeking
  • In order to create a unified image King and Kapadia manipulated the digital images by adding layers of effects in order to create something "that felt like a single film, rather than a collection of random clips."
  • Mise-en-scène:
    The London setting is established, alongside
    various homes including Amy’s, which creates
    an uneasy voyeurism, especially when we see
    drug paraphernalia.
    • Streets are also key locations and inevitably the
    presence of the paparazzi on them as they hound
    Amy.
    • The iconic look of Amy: the beehive, the tattoos,
    and the increasing weight loss, examines the thin
    line between being in and out of control.
  • Editing:
    Slow motion is often used to create an eerie
    sense of descent into chaos and to create tension
    in a story which would be very well known by
    most audience members.
    • The rapidity of change in Amy’s life is reflected
    by the pace of the editing.
  • Sound:
    The music is at the forefront of the film. Amy’s
    extraordinary voice dominates and the lyrics,
    which appear on screen, are a storytelling
    device. The choice of font (handwriting style)
    makes it seem that Amy is writing the narrative,
    but of course these are choices made by Kapadia
    that mimic the feeling that many have from
    listening to music; that the artist is speaking
    directly to them.
    • As is common in documentaries, interviews
    form a voice-over, which also helps to construct
    the narrative
  • Performance:
    Close-ups in the performance footage of Amy
    create intimacy and show her passion for her
    music and confidence as a performer. This
    makes it even more tragic when she can no
    longer perform at the final concert in Belgrade.
    Kapadia chose to interview Amy’s friends and
    family through audio only, as he felt people
    behave differently in front of a camera. The
    interviews were recorded just a year after Amy’s
    death – you can hear the raw emotion in Amy’s
    friends’ voices.
  • Representations:
    Key representations are the press, men ready
    to exploit women, young women who are both
    sassy and vulnerable, drug users, and mental
    health issues, including eating disorders. The
    documentary asks us to question the toxic nature
    of celebrity culture and fame itself.
  • Aesthetics:
    There is a sense of Amy as a very British
    performer but also her talent as a white jazz singer is demonstrated. This creates a rather eclectic and unique aesthetic attributable to Amy Winehouse, that the film is both mourning and
    celebrating.
    • The aesthetic can be described as intimate,
    personal and tragic.
  • Cultural context:
    • This documentary draws our attention to
    our own digital footprint and how easily our
    narratives can be constructed by ourselves, but
    more disturbingly, by others. Unseen footage
    and unheard tracks are used in the film, entering
    the culture, and gratifying the needs of her fans.
  • Political context:
    While not overtly political, this film highlights
    the issues surrounding a ‘free press’ and the
    intrusive nature of the paparazzi desperate to sell
    papers at any cost. Ultimately, this can be seen
    as a critique of capitalism. It also engenders a
    need for schadenfreude (pleasure from others’
    misfortunes) within the audience, a need which
    can then be fed by representing celebrities such
    as Amy Winehouse in a mocking and uncaring
    way.
  • Institutional context:
    Amy is an independent British film funded by
    Film4 and two small independent companies,
    one from the US and one Canadian, with
    some funding from Universal Music UK who
    released the soundtrack. It was distributed by
    British independent distributer Altitude Film
    Distribution.Kapadia has said that Amy forms part of a
    loose trilogy of his films about talented, tragic
    celebrity figures, alongside Senna (2010) and
    Diego Maradona (2019).
  • Digital debates:
    The film is reliant on the existence of digital
    technology both for the footage and the editing.
    The use of text on the screen in colourful and
    informal fonts creates a connection between
    the young, vibrant Amy and the viewer. This
    intimacy is enticing, but the film also explores
    the negative aspects of technology: the intrusive
    cameras of the paparazzi, and the voyeuristic
    nature of them in the wrong hands (particularly
    the shots of a fragile, ill Amy which are
    uncomfortable to watch).
  • Key scenes:
    • Opening
    • Crack apartment
    • St Lucia/divorce
    • Belgrade Concert and ending