Remember that a thesis statement is an answer to your research question and should be based on evidence that you have gained through, at the very least, viewing and analyzing the film. It should not spring fully formed from the ether. That is, don't just make it up and expect that you can change it whenever you want. Remember that your thesis statement should come out of your research, your research should not come out of the thesis statement.
So post your thesis statement as a comment to this post.
If you need any help picking out the phrasing for your thesis statement I've provided the good old fashioned "Toulmin model". The Toulmin model is a way of presenting an argument linguistically so that it is both clear to the reader as well as useful in setting up the structure of the paper. Anyway, here you are.
Kurosawa uses shadows and low camera angles to reinforce a theme of deception in "Rashomon," making the viewer feel they can't always take the narrator's story as the truth.
ReplyDeleteCallie Stribling, 1/2
@Callie
ReplyDeleteGood thesis so far. Rephrase the last statement to include the literary element, "the unreliable narrator".
"...making the viewer feel that the narrators are unreliable ones that can't be trusted."
ReplyDeleteCallie
Go a little deeper. What do you think is a greater meaning associated with the fact that the viewer cannot rely on the veracity of the narrator's account? What does it do for the overall meaning of the film?
ReplyDeleteKurosawa uses shadows and low camera angles to reinforce a theme of deception in "Rashomon," reminding the viewer that because the narrators are so unreliable the only thing that can be seen as truthful in the film is the fact that the story is being told, leaving the viewer in one of the rare situations where they don't know what actually happened. This makes the point of the film not to find truth, but simply to search for it even if there are no answers.
ReplyDeleteCallie
Thesis Statement: Mike Nichols use of the colors Red, White and Black within frames and with different camera angles helps the create the development of the main character Benjamin Braddock in the movie The Graduate.
ReplyDelete-sebastian canizares
1/2
Through the motif of blindness and invisibility, Sukurov illustrates Russia's relationship with Europe during the 18th and 19th century, one in which Europe rejects Russia's efforts to be part of the European culture and society.
ReplyDeleteSymmetry to the Hans Christian Anderson fairytale "The Red Shoes" and the ballet it inspires performed in the film as well as the use of color, specifically red, drives the plot and sets the climax in "The Red Shoes".
ReplyDeleteJenna Lang, 1/2
ReplyDeleteRaeneisha Cole
ReplyDeleteperiod 5/6
Fritz lang creates the tone of metropolis, as well as establishes degradation, alienation, expressionism and incompleteness in the film through the employment of an array of camera angles and frames. The settings depicted (and how they're depicted) heavily contribute to the film.
Aronofsky uses the discursive elements of film especially focus and tight framing of shots as well as the bold editing to create a tone of paranoia and distress in Pi.
ReplyDeleteGabby McRoberts 5/6
Both Francis Ford and Sofia Coppola explore the theme of family in their films. Where Francis Ford explores all different types of family's and what it means to be the leader, Sofia works more with specific family members, often coming of age girls. Both directors show this relationship through long sweeping shots and attention to detail in scenery.
ReplyDeleteMo Quinn
5/6
Hitchcock uses the isolation of L.B. Jeffries and his voyeuristic tendencies to show the differences in viewpoints between the main characters. Hitchcock also uses wide sweeping shots to show just how close the lives of the characters really are, and by the end of the movie all of the characters problems were resolved except for Jeffries' because staring at your neighbors all day can only land you in trouble.
ReplyDeleteRyan Rash 1/2
Scorsese uses freeze shots to show moments that emphasize the immorality and paranoia that results from the life of the gangsters. He also uses more lighting at the beginning, when Henry sees the good part of the life he has, then as the movie progresses, darkness starts to enter the film to show the evil behind the conduct in the life. Henry starts to wear darker clothing, and more events happen at night and/or inside. Then, at the end of the movie, he again has lots of lighting, a bright green lawn, and bright clothes on Henry, to show how much happier the life of a nobody is than the life of a gangster, so as to appeal to American ideology.
ReplyDeleteConnor 5/6
Research Question:
ReplyDeleteWhy did the movie Lacombe Lucien created such a scandal when it came out in 1974?
Thesis:
During the Nazi occupation of France at the end of WWII, some French people joined the Resistance other chose to collaborate and help the gestapo. This collaboration was a source of embarrassment and was kept unspoken.
Who are the good guys, who are the bad guys? The question seems shocking as the answer seems to obvious. The Resistants are true patriots, heroes. French gestapo agents are traitors.
Bad guys, good guys, heroes, traitors, glory, infamy, the movie shows it was not clear cut. The main character Lacombe Lucien has no ideology. He didn't become a collaborator because he hated Jews or approved of German politics. He was a victim of circumstances. He could have been a hero but he became a monster. He is cold, cruel, egotistical and we do not like him but somehow we cannot hate him. This terrifying movie shows that evil can be casual.
Sandra Norwood
Period 1/2
Pulp Fiction is a horror movie because of the way it deals with death in that it shocks and catches the victim off guard and unprepared. The viewer putting themselves the victim's position feels insecure and afraid therefore making it a horror film due to the unsafe feeling it gives the viewer.
ReplyDeleteBailey Shelton
Period 5/6
How does the director show Bruno and Ricci switch roles of father and son in "The Bicycle Theif"?
ReplyDeleteThesis: Bruno and Ricci switch the roles of father and son as the father's childish instincts to look for his stolen toy take over. Bruno is left to fend for himself and is given very little compassion and in the end, it is Bruno who rescues Ricci from jail.
Hitchcock uses the sense of real time and natural dialogue during the long takes in "Rope" to reinforce the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteSam Kaspar 5/6
The lighting in the Godfather changes from person to person to person and throughout the movie. As the light changes for Michael, it illuminates his takeover of the family.
ReplyDeleteKatelyn Alexander
1/2
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ReplyDeleterevised research question:
ReplyDeleteHow does Junet use color filters to develop characters in Amelie?
Thesis Statement:
In "Amélie" Junet uses a color filter to accent red and green, which he then uses to show characters in an innocent and whimsical light.
Shannon Plunkett
1/2
The theme of the absurdity of war (especially nuclear war) is portrayed throughout the movie through the use of satire directed at elements of war.
ReplyDelete(The Shining)
ReplyDeleteKubrick develops the Torrence's isolation through the setting and their interactions. Because of Jack's growing madness and the hotel's location, the horror element within the film grows as the plot progresses.
The hand held effect and the random cuts creates the effect that makes the viewer feel as a part of the action in the movie, as well as the effect of switching between the two cameras throughout the movie.
ReplyDeleteThe Blair Witch Project
Caleb Gross
Period 1/2
Research Question: How do the Japanese view the spiritual aspects of death in The Departures, and what elements of the film contribute to the portrayal of this cultural view?
ReplyDeleteThesis: The Japanese's gentle, reverent attitude towards both the spiritual and natural aspects death is portrayed through the careful use of diagetic and non-diagetic sound as well as camera angles.
Mr. Odum,
My thesis seems really encompassing, do you think I should focus on just doing a cultural paper, instead of analyzing the different elements of film? The Departures is rich in Japanese culture, would it be enough to focus on that aspect alone?
Thanks,
Michelle
Michelle Zhang
Period 1/2
Stanley Kubrick's film Full Metal Jacket reflects the existentialist themes of existence before essence, the freedom of man, and life's ambiguous morality. The film develops these themes through its depictions of Marine Corps boot camp and combat action in Vietnam, and the juxtaposition of these two narratives.
ReplyDeleteSander Trubowitz
Period 5/6
All throughout Crash, the characters make decisions about who they are and which morals are important to them, and in most of these, decisions Haggis shows his own beliefs about specific races and what their moralities are centered around.
ReplyDelete-Jesse Moritz
5/6
Thesis:
ReplyDeleteIn the movie swing time, danceshow the love, connection, and attraction between the two main charactors, lucky and penny, through a common intrest, swing.
In "Frankenstein," James Whale uses camera angles to illustrate the ideal human; a morally and emotionally stable person that's fully aware of his surroundings. The monster represents a character which acts and looks (anatomy-wise) very similar to a human, but is too aggressive, illogical, and unintelligent to be considered an actual “human being.”
ReplyDeleteIvana Correa 5/6
The psychological effects that war creates for characters Nick and Michael are represented in the difference between their interactions with each other before going in Vietnam and upon finishing their service. The beginnings of these dissimilarities is noticeable in various scenes of The Deer Hunter as the plot progresses.
ReplyDeleteKatie Pastor, 5/6
The theme of fate is portrayed in the film through to set up a challenge for the main character like when T.E. Lawrence decides to go back for Gasim. The Hashemite tribe viewed everything as being written, but instead Lawrence proved them wrong by saving Gasim, showing how the theme of fate provides obstacles for T.E.Lawrence.
ReplyDeleteMark Rangel 5/6
Research question: How are lighting and camera angles used to set the mood in To Kill a Mockingbird?
ReplyDeleteThesis: By using high or low camera angles and hard or soft lighting Robert Mulligan allows the viewer to identify the mood that the character in a specific scene is trying to portray in to Kill a Mockingbird.
Elizabeth Mendez, pd.1/2
Hitchcock uses contrasts in lighting and motion to illustrate the boundary of good and evil within human experience in Strangers on a Train.
ReplyDeleteHannah Bangs 1/2
(Research Question: How does Christopher Nolan use the cinematography in Memento to add suspense and confusion to the film, and how does this compare to Christopher Nolan's Inception?)
ReplyDeleteThesis Statement: In Memento, Christopher Nolan has many formalistic cinematographical aspects, such as putting the movie in reverse chronological order, and using the colors red, blue, black, and white, to add confusion and suspense to the film, so that the viewers can somewhat empathize with Leonard. Only some of Nolan’s cinematographical and plot choices are paralleled in Inception, while the main aspects of Memento (such as the ones previously mentioned) and the main aspects of Inception are very divergent.
-Gabi R. Hadad, 1/2
(I'm not sure if I should remove the comparison between Memento and Inception, because I feel like I'm proving two points.)
Research question (As put): How do the directors of Fargo use the camera to [create] the black humor of the film?
ReplyDeleteActual Thesis Question Draft: In Fargo, the Coen Brothers use careful camera placement to create a humorous element, such as by mixing dialog with appropriatly ironic camera shots, or using cliche camera moves to overdramatize the film.
-- Lane Kolbly, 1/2
Question: How do the angles used in "the Godfather" affect the mood of the film?
ReplyDeleteThesis: Coppola uses close angles to illustrate contrast which constantly creates uneasiness as the feelings that we ,as viewers, establish about the film are thrown out of balance by this drastic contrast.
The rivalry between Borden and Angier, a clash that effectively dominates the film, is developed through the portrayal of the themes Obsession and Deceit. These primary themes and other supporting ones such as sacrifice and secrecy, ultimately diverge from the intricate structure of the main character's conflicting relationship. Overall this allows the audience to fully comprehend the movie's complex theme entanglement.
ReplyDelete-Noe Mina 1/2
Thesis:
ReplyDeleteThe Shawshank Redemption suggests that freedom is not a physical state, but rather a mental state of being and feeling.
Emerson Curtis, 1/2
Thesis: In Lost Highway, Lynch uses highways and cars as connections between Fred's fantasy life as Peter Dayton and the reality of his wife's death and his conviction. Mr. Eddy's violent road rage and the Mystery Man's accusations serve as a reminder of Madison's guilt and the anger that he felt towards his wife for her infidelity. These connections are presented without any explanation for the viewer, and thus the conflict between Fred's reality and his fantasy life as Peter is heightened.
ReplyDeleteOlivia Nanyes, 5/6
The caricatures in John Ford’s The Searchers portray America’s idealization of the “old west”. The title character in particular, Ethan Woods, plays the part of the classic western hero, a flaming racist unable to live in the comfort of a family due to his unexplained past. The viewer is presented this exaggerated vision of the old west as a satire on society, as many of the events in the movie mirror those that happened in real life.
ReplyDeleteKira Strzepa 1/2
In general, comedy is obviously used for humor but also to release the tension from the particular scene and to give the audience a break from the tension. In Benigni film, Life is Beautiful, he creatively uses comedy to preserve the innocence of his son which actually deepens the situation in the hollocuast a lot more serious and sad. So although he tries to make his son laugh, I feel comedy in this movie was implemented to deepen the situation.
ReplyDeleteNikita Prasad 5/6
In Homicidal, William Castle uses varied camera angles and bright lighting to draw the viewer's attention to important elements in order further the plot and create a suspenseful atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteDanielle D
Great Ideas 1/2
Akira Kurosawa's variation between telephoto and wide angle lenses help display the emotions running through the scenes of the movie "The Seven Samurai."
ReplyDeleteAmber Mangalindan 5/6
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ReplyDeleteI knew that the question was supposed to come AFTER the research. You said that so many times but then some of my peers convinced me otherwise. Anyhoo, my NEW thesis for my new research question.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between main character Eli and Oskar is sexual but not excessively so. Their relationship differs from Eli and Hankans because, while at one point the relationship between Hakan and Eli might have been similar to that of Eli and Oskar, her feelings toward Oskar seem genuinely friendly while she seems to be less friendly with Hakan.
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ReplyDelete