The Thesis
The most important part of your detailed outline is your statement of your thesis. Now that you've got some ideas down in the brainstorming phase, open a text file or word processing file that will contain your detailed outline. At the top, write "Thesis statement:". After the colon you will write the only well-crafted full sentence that needs to appear in this detailed outline -- your thesis. The thesis statement of your paper should be a one-sentence statement of the argument that you will be making in the rest of the paper. It should state a clear, non-trivial position. It is this position that you will try to persuade your reader of as he/she reads the rest of your paper. It should not be more than one sentence long. Although it is only one sentence, it is probably the most important sentence of your whole paper, so take your time thinking about what you want to argue and crafting the sentence that explains it to the reader. Of course you will be able to revise your thesis as we go along in the paper-writing process, but having a strong thesis to work from can make everything else go more easily.
The Rest of the Outline
For the rest of the outline you may want to use the outline setting in Microsoft Word or just do an outline style yourself. The key thing is that you do not need to be writing full sentences at all and it is better to avoid spending any time on crafting sentences or worrying about if you have chosen exactly the right word.
Your outline should include at least the following sections:
Introduction -- Your introduction will be only one paragraph in your paper, most likely ending with your thesis statement that you've already written. Here you want to include a very small lead up to the thesis that allows the reader to understand both what you are arguing and why it is important. In your outline, all you want to do is include a few bullet points that indicate what you might say to contextualize your thesis for the reader and to show the reader the broader implications or importance of the topic.
Background -- In this section you should have bullets or sub-sections that explain the issue and the points of view of the stakeholders. It is where the empathic argument you have constructed in your podcast will be incorporated into your paper.
Arguments (1,2,3,... perhaps more) -- There should be at least 3 sections that are devoted to arguments that support your thesis. Each argument should be a reason why your thesis is correct. Each argument should be supported by clear, well-documented evidence or reasoning. If there are counter-arguments to an argument, these should be presented and rebutted. Remember that here we are just looking for a sketch, not all the argumentation. So state the argument in a few words and list the evidence, the counter arguments, etc. as briefly as possible too. You will also want to give some thought to the order in which you place your arguments sections. The flow of the paper will depend on this, and this is a good time to try moving around the order of things before you've spent time developing the transitions that you'll use in the actual text of the paper.
Conclusion -- Your conclusion should be a small part of your paper, not a place for introducing many new ideas. However, it is the place where you want to remind your reader or connect your reader to the larger significance of what you've proved in the paper. In your outline this may consist of just a few bullet points of what you'd like to emphasize for your reader as they finish reading.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOUTLINE (Katie Pastor, 5/6)
ReplyDeleteI. Introduction:
Description of Nick and Michael’s relationship with each other and those around them as the film progresses, primarily the differences between before, after and during their service time in Vietnam
Effects of war on the soldier’s psyche/personality, reference scientific/psychiatric studies
Thesis: 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 are noticeable in various scenes of The Deer Hunter as the plot progresses.
II.Background
The Deer Hunter is a film that explores the relationship of three close friends as they leave their small hometown in Pennsylvania (where they work as miners) to serve as soldiers in Vietnam in the 1970s. The movie follows the men before, during and after their experiences in Vietnam and demonstrates how the war affects their individual lives, as while as their relationship with each other (especially between two of the main characters, Nick and Michael).
Brief summary of The Deer Hunter
• Explores the impact war experience creates for soldiers and veterans
III. Argument: Behavior and Interaction Pre-Vietnam
Before their escapade in Vietnam, Nick and Michael’s personalities differ: Michael takes his expedition very seriously, whereas Nick, though intent, is still more laidback about the situation.
• Pre-Vietnam references:
--Pre-hunting trip: Michael very serious, into the idea of war, no messing around, whereas Nick is well-intentioned but more laidback
--Moment where friends are all together for last time, “I Love You, Baby”
--Reference awkward relationship with Linda? Michael’s wilder behavior, Nick’s more contained ideas
IV. Argument: Behavior and Interaction During Vietnam
During Vietnam behavior, beginnings of changes in personality
•During Vietnam references:
--Scene hanging from helicopter
--Tag teaming against Vietnamese torture session
--Nick’s journey discovering the roulette game
V. Argument: Behavior and Interaction Post-Vietnam
Description of total change and role reversal concerning views and opinions, how war affected Nick’s mind, the meaning both Nick and Michael see behind the concept of war
•Reference Krippner source here
•Post-Vietnam references:
--Michael’s search for Nick, roles reversed from beginning in a sense, with Michael less serious and Nick very focused on war aspects
--Michael’s desperate attempt to free Nick from Russian roulette
--Awkward relationship with Linda is no longer that awkward
VI. Conclusion
Include support from both specific film scenes and scientific studies on the psyche
Raeneisha Cole
ReplyDeleteGreat Ideas/Periods 5-6
My outline was due Monday May 2nd, but after you talked to us about them and gave new guidelines, i edited it. Here is the Updated Outline.
I: Introduction
- Give a summary or synopsis of Metropolis:
Metropolis is a Silent, German Expressionist film by Fritz Lang which was made in 1927. The film is set to portray a massive futuristic society, in which there is a clear distinction between the classes, which in this case, are essentially the workers and the planners or thinkers. While the thinkers live a lavish life above ground and in humane conditions, the workers live and work underground. The main character of Metropolis goes by the name of Freder, and he is the son of Jo Fredersen, the founder of Metropolis. With that being said, he is a thinker or planner. One day however he notices a woman whom he becomes obsessed with which results in him following her underground. Here, Freder see’s the astonishing conditions in which the workers thrive in. Freder then becomes trapped and delirious underground up until the end of the film when he reemerges to the streets above ground with Maria.
- Discuss main themes of Metropolis (degradation, alienation, and incompleteness) and how they are employed in the film in context to the use of lighting and camera angles
- State thesis and give reasons to back up assertions (lighting and camera angles that reinforce the themes in Metropolis)
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.
II: Body Paragraph 1
- Take a scene from the beginning of Metropolis, breaking it down part by part and mentioning the details which are persistent as well as those which stand out and also reinforce the theme of the film
- Demonstrate the importance of the scene to the overall film in context to what is currently occurring in the film and how it benefits the film at the end of the movie
III: Body Paragraph 2
- Take a scene from the middle of Metropolis, breaking it down part by part and mentioning the details which are persistent as well as those which stand out and also reinforce the theme of the film
- Demonstrate the importance of the scene to the overall film in context to what is currently occurring in the film and how it benefits the film at the end of the movie
IV: Body Paragraph 3
- Take a scene from the end of Metropolis, breaking it down part by part and mentioning the details which are persistent as well as those which stand out and also reinforce the theme of the film
- Demonstrate the importance of the scene to the overall film in context to what is currently occurring in the film and how it benefits the film at the end of the movie
V: Body Paragraph 4
- Analyze all 3 scenes chosen
- Demonstrate what is similar in all of the scenes, including the lighting and camera angles, which reinforce the main themes of the film
Raeneisha Cole
ReplyDeleteGreat Ideas/Periods 5-6
PART 2
VI: Body Paragraph 5
- Demonstrate the relevance in the film in relation to what was going on in Germany (and around the world) which could have influenced the film
- Relate the film to today’s society and look for instances which relate the themes of metropolis in today’s modern society; draw conclusions from what’s similar
- Focus on individuality and oppression in a productive society which depends on the functioning and success of the separated classes
VII: Body Paragraph 6
- Analyze the design and study (process) of the film and essentially why it appears as it does
- Mention all film techniques used, where they are used and how they contribute to that scene and relate to the others being compared
VIII: Conclusion
- Discuss the overall significance of Metropolis and what it has contributed to today’s film industry and society (as far as style, design, influence and technique)-German Expressionism
- Explain German Expressionism as well as the other themes of Metropolis and how they are employed/included in Metropolis through the use of the lighting and camera’s as well as other filming devices
- Briefly talk about how the film is speechless and what role this plays in Metropolis
- Reiterate thesis statement, with supportive evidence (brief should relate to what has already been said) explaining my assertions
*Possible scenes to be analyzed:
1. The scene at the beginning when the thinker (boss’s son) goes down to where the workers are and see’s what their actual lives are like. Especially when the shifts are changing or when all of the workers are blown up off of the dominant machine which appears to be a face.
2. The scene when the thinker goes back up and tries to convince his father and talk about the working conditions.
3. When Freder first goes crazy working on the M machine, and starts behaving weird as he is having visions of being crucified on the factory clock.
*Arguments:
1. The persistent use of wide camera angles followed by direct close-up’s on an individual’s face to ensure that one’s emotions are seen through their facial expression.
2. Extremely dark lighting (Those above ground) and light lighting (those below ground) to represent class. This also gives tone to the movie, depending on what’s going on. For example, in most cases, when Fredersen or any of the thinkers are speaking (with the exception of freder), the lighting is always darker to reveal how he feels about the workers and his motives.
1) Thesis: The Shawshank Redemption suggests that freedom is not a physical state, but rather a mental state of being and feeling.
ReplyDelete2) Intro
3) Background: Andy Dufrense, a married man and a successful banker, gets convicted and found guilty for the murder of his wife and her lover. He gets sent to the Shawshank Prision, where he is mistreated by guards and inmates. Andy slowly gains respect from the whole prison, including the warden, and he becomes the financial and legal advisor for the whole staff of the detention center. During his time in Shawshank, Andy becomes closer to Red, an inmate that knows how to get things from the outside. With Red’s help for supplies, Andy is able to tunnel out of the prison one stormy night, with the warden’s bank account information. Andy makes his way to a beach in Mexico, and he eventually meets Red there after Red gets granted for parole.
4) Argument One
a)Freedom was of the mind, and hope helped Andy stay free even while in prison.
b)“Andy Dufresne, on the other hand, never let his freedom die. While locked in Shawshank, despite oppressive and often gruesome circumstances, Dufresne's spirit was unshakable. He constantly cultivated the seeds of freedom in the least free setting imaginable. When Dufresne escaped, unlike Hatlen, he embraced life in the free air and pursued his dreams.” (Morehouse 1.)
c)Both Andy and others were in prison, and they weren’t free. Brooks especially was imprisoned. “The difference between these two men had nothing to do with their physical circumstances; both were in prison. Yet Andy Dufresne, even while imprisoned, was still free. No bars or guards or hardships could take away his freedom. Hatlen had lost his freedom, and even in the absence of physical oppression, he was still a prisoner. An individual who wants to be free can be, no matter what the world brings. An individual who has let the spirit of freedom die will never be free, no matter what the world brings.” (Morehouse 1.)
5) Argument
a)While the men were in prison, the music that Andy played made them feel free.
b)Red narrates, “I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free.”
c)Consider counter arguments
d)Disprove or dismiss counter arguments
6) Argument
a)Even though they were still in prison, when they got beer they felt like free men, and they felt normal again.
b)Red says “We sat and drank with the sun on our shoulders and felt like free men. Hell, we could have been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the lords of all creation. As for Andy - he spent that break hunkered in the shade, a strange little smile on his face, watching us drink his beer.”
c)It didn’t last that long, so the feeling of freedom wasn’t genuine.
d)Disprove or dismiss counter arguments
7) State the argument
a)Inside out program allowed the men to work outside for cheap, and they all felt free when they were allowed to work.
b)They were incredibly happy to tar the roof of that building. Red says, “You could argue he'd done it to curry favor with the guards. Or, maybe make a few friends among us cons. Me, I think he did it just to feel normal again, if only for a short while.”
c)Consider counter arguments
d)Disprove or dismiss counter arguments
8) Conclusion
Emerson Curtis 1/2
Thesis: 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.
ReplyDeleteI. Intro
II. Background
a. Directed by John Ford who started out directing much smaller westerns (Roger Ebert review)
b. Tagline of “he had to find her… he had to find her…”
c. Made in 1956, John Wayne’s favorite role as Ethan Woods
d. Chronicles the story of two men’s search for the last surviving daughter of a family slaughtered by Comanche Indians (imbd: Indians in film actually speak Navajo, besides Scar all actual Native Americans)
III. Racism not overly emphasized in the film, it displays, perhaps not old western concepts, but demonstrates 1950 audience expectations. (Use: Miscegenation and PoV in The Searchers, Native American Reactions to The Searchers)
a. The Racism expressed in the movie falls into previous culture norms (i.e. the racism) but, by using real Indian actors and languages and allowing for the heroine to assimilate into the culture they sympathize with their plight. Ethan Woods displays blatant racism throughout the movie, at one point even killing dozens of buffalo so that the “damn Comanche don’t get none”.
b. Stated above because I got a little over excited.
c. Still inherantly racist, when they arrive to the Indian roundup camp all the white women have been “turned crazy” due to the
d. All are modern standards, at the time that was what the audiences were used to (Eckstein, Arthur M., book of analytical essays)
Kira Strzepa
Part II
ReplyDeleteIV. The women represent the homely values. (Use: What Would Martha Want, Race, Racism and the Fear of Miscegenation).
a. Because Ethan Edwards has no wife (tension between him and Martha’s husband, his brother) he is unable to enjoy the comforts of society. Ford saw family as “Key to the future of the nation” (WWMW)
b. Family often framed (logs, doorways, etc.) and Ethan is never really seen outside. Whenever the family goes inside Ethan is left outside (esp. ending) to roam the wilderness (furthermore, night before family killed, Martha and bro. shut bedroom door). “What is at stake in the (western) genre is female purity” (What Would Martha Want). Untold history between Ethan and Martha and tension between brothers hint at a past Ethan and Martha relationship.
c. Debbie’s capture and subsequent imprisonment in the Indian camp sees her transition from a little girl to a woman through matrimony to the chief who killed her family.
d. Regardless the movie must deal with the issues of women and their roles in society through the only surviving daughter, Debbie. Especially the social and sexual differences (again, WWMW).
V. The hero, Ethan Edwards, fits the clichés of the western genre, because of this he alienates himself from the home and therefore civilization. (Use: An American Dilemma, other Ford films)
a. Most literature focuses on Ethan Edwards already. As a renegade confederate soldier who never gave up to the union who holds a large amount of questionable “yankee dollars” (and he pays with this throughout the movie even though he’s a confederate soldier in a reconstruction Texas). A passionate racist his ever-searching quest for Debbie becomes less of a search for her and more of a search for revenge on the Comanche abductors.
b. His last pose he even cites a(n in)famous pose from the then-recently deceased iconic western hero Harry Carey (imbd: the left elbow hold).
c. In some cases you might be able to argue that not all western heroes are doomed to a life on the frontier.
d. However, this is an insignificant number of examples, most movies do deal with this classic hero.
VI. Conclusion
Kira Strzepa 1/2
Part I
ReplyDeleteThesis: 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.
I. Intro
II. Background:
David Lynch’s psychotic thriller starts with a husband, Fred Madison (played by Bill Pullman), convinced of his wife’s infidelity. The movie opens with Fred answering the ring of his house’s buzzer to a voice announcing that “Dick Laurent is dead.” He quickly looks out of the window, but finds nothing. The strange incident is quickly dismissed by the character and movie alike, though we are left with no explanation to its significance. We move instead to the awkward, rising tension between the couple caused by Madison’s obsession and quiet rage at his wife’s suspected affair. The tension is only highlighted by the discovery of an unmarked package waiting outside on their doorstep. The package contains video footage of their house that abruptly cuts off before the tape is finished. Renee Madison (played by Patricia Arquette) dismisses the tape as something sent by an unknown realtor.. As the days go by, however, another tape arrives, this time with footage of the interior of their house and the couple asleep in bed. Frightened by the discovery of this second tape, the police are called to investigate, and nothing is found. The Madisons are forced to live with the strange incident experience.
The next place we find ourselves is with Fred Madison at a party, watching his wife interact with the man he believes she is having an affair with. He leaves to go get a drink and runs into one of the many inexplicable fixtures in Lynch’s strange film. The Mystery Man smiles at Madison and tells him that he has not only met him in his house before, but that he is there right now, while he is speaking with him. Madison places a phone call to his home number and is deeply disturbed when the Mystery Man’s voice answers on the other end. He quickly leaves the party with his wife and drives them home. After a strange and ominous ending to his night, Fred finds himself sitting on the couch, alone, without knowing how he got there. A video tape is waiting for him, containing horrifying footage of Madison brutally killing his wife. Fred yells, and suddenly he is in a police station, being roughed up by detectives who have all the evidence to say that he is responsible for Renee’s murder. Madison is swiftly sentenced to death, and locked away in a cell.
Olivia Nanyes, 5/6
Part II
ReplyDeleteSometime during his first night of incarceration, Fred Madison’s head quite literally splits open. When the guard comes to check on him the next morning, he has been replaced by a young mechanic named Peter Dayton (played by Balthazar Getty). With no reason to hold him, Dayton is released and returns to his hometown where he works on cars and is unlikely friends with a gangster whom he calls Mr. Eddy. The man takes Peter for a drive his first day back to work, and shows unrestrained road rage toward a man tailgating him on a dangerous mountain road. Peter is horrified at the display, but says nothing to the man. The next time Peter sees Mr. Eddy, he is accompanied by his girl Alice, who is also played by Patria Arquette. Peter promptly falls in love with her, and they begin an affair of their own. Everything changes however, when Peter gets a call from the same Mystery Man with a threat to kill him. He and Alice kill and rob a man that she knows (who is the same man that Renee supposedly had an affair with) and run to a cottage in the desert. There, Alice disappears and Peter Dayton inexplicably transforms back into Fred Madison upon meeting the Mystery Man and his video camera. From there, Madison drives to the Lost Highway Hotel, where Mr. Eddy is staying with Renee. His wife leaves, and Madison kidnaps Mr. Eddy and drives out into the middle of the desert. He and the Mystery Man kill the gangster and leave his body. Fred then drives back to his own home, walks up the steps, and rings the buzzer. He leans close when someone inside picks up, and whispers, “Dick Laurent is dead.” The movie ends with Fred Madison driving frantically with a squad of police cars behind him, driving down a long, dusty highway.
Olivia Nanyes, 5/6
Part III
ReplyDeleteIII. Fantasy vs. Reality: As inexplicable as the plot of Lynch’s film appears to be, it can be broken down and interpreted when one considers the blinding rage and guilt that Fred Madison no doubt felt about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s murder. When viewed through this lens, we can see that Peter Dayton’s life is a fantasy used to escape the harsh reality of Renee’s death and Madison’s own eminent execution.
i. The reason that Lost Highway appears so confusing is because while Peter Dayton’s life is the fantasy of a desperate man, it is still connect to Madison’s reality through the expression of his desires.
1. “It was often claimed that Lynch throws us, the spectators, open in our face the underlying fantasies of the noir universe — yes, but he simultaneously also renders visible the INCONSISTENCY of this fantasmatic support (Zizek).”
2. Fantasy, though it is opposed to “reality,” nonetheless provides an underlying support for our sense of reality (McGowan).”
ii. Peter Dayton is Fred Madison’s fantasy expression of himself. He has all the attributes that Fred does not, and has the potential to have his wife in ways that Fred cannot.
1. “Pete's character is then understood as Fred's double; as the rebellious fantasy of a troubled man (Gay).”
iii. Alice is a stand in for Renee that is sprung from Madison’s inability to be with his wife.
1. “The dreamer resolves a contradiction by staging two exclusive situations one after the other; in the same way, in The Lost Highway, the woman (the dark Arquette) is destroyed/killed/punished, and the same woman (the blond Arquette) eludes the male grasp and triumphantly disappears…(Zizek)”
2. Renee’s story about meeting a man at Moke’s about a job is retold in more detail by Alice later in the movie (Lost Highway)
iv. Mr. Eddy is used as an expression of the rage that Madison felt toward his wife for her assumed infidelity.
1. Mr. Eddy acts violently toward Alice and is controlling
2. Gangster is also keeping Peter from Alice, here we can see Fred’s reality bleeding into Peter’s life.
v. Mr. Eddy is Dick Laurent in the same way that Alice is Renee.
1. Played by the same cast member (Lost Highway)
2. Renee/Alice’s story about the man she met at Moke’s is about Mr. Eddy/Dick Laurent
vi. The Mystery Man is both the conduit between Fred’s fantasy as Peter Dayton and his reality as well as an expression of his guilt and ultimate knowledge of his own faults.
1. MM knows Fred before Fred knows him at the party
2. MM recognizes that Peter is Fred and calls him on it, also reveals to him that Alice is Renee
3. MM displays all-seeing knowledge as expressed in the video tapes that he leaves for Fred and Renee
Olivia Nanyes, 5/6
Part IV
ReplyDeleteIV. Cars and Highways: Lynch connects Fred’s life and his fantasy through cars and/or a trip down a highway.
i. The first scene of a trip down a highway occurs directly before Renee’s surrealistic murder.
1. Renee and Fred going home before Fred’s strange mirror experience in the hallway and his wife’s death (Lost Highway)
ii. Peter Dayton, as a stand in for Fred, is a mechanic at a car shop.
1. Fred’s music plays on the radio in the shop, earns reaction from Peter (Lost Highway)
iii. Peter transforms back into Fred Madison while in the headlights of his car.
1. Lost Highway
iv. The Lost Highway Hotel is another major connection between Fred’s life and his Peter-fantasy. We even see Fred’s wife again at the Lost Highway Hotel along with Mr. Eddy.
v. Renee leaving Mr. Eddy’s hotel room (Lost Highway)
vi. Mr. Eddy, another connection between Fred’s life and Peter’s, is always seen with his car and is killed in the headlights of Fred’s vehicle.
1. Road rage scene, uses car as weapon (Lost Highway)
2. Always at car shop when he talks to Fred except for the scene on the phone w/Mystery Man (Lost Highway)
3. Killed in desert in front of car, brought to the desert in the trunk (Lost Highway)
vii. At the end of the film, Fred Madison beings another transformation as the police are chasing him down a desert highway.
1. Fred’s skull splitting open (Lost Highway)
viii. The detectives, the other major connection between Fred and Peter, observe Peter and Fred’s lives almost completely from their car
1. Detectives outside Fred’s house (Lost Highway)
2. Detectives outside of hotel where Peter meets Alice (Lost Highway)
3. Chase Madison back to his own house in their car down a highway at the end of the movie (Lost Highway)
ix. A highway connects the movie all the way back to the beginning when Fred goes to tell himself that Dick Laurent is dead
1. Fred’s voice is the one he hears at the beginning of the movie at his door (Lost Highway)
2. Fred enters his fantasy as Peter driving down a highway, and he leaves it as himself driving down a highway again (Lost Highway)
V. Conclusion
Olivia Nanyes, 5/6
Gabi Hadad, period 1/2, Outline (part 1)
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.
Introduction
-Broad statement
--Christopher Nolan’s Memento is a confusing film, and it is similar to Christopher Nolan’s Inception.
-Connections
-Thesis 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.
Background
-Leonard Shelby, suffering from anterograde amnesia (unable to make new memories), uses notes, Polaroid pictures, and tattoos to search for the man that he thinks killed his wife.
Argument 1
-Putting the movie in reverse chronological order adds confusion and suspense to the film so the viewers can empathize with Leonard.
Memento is like a puzzle
--“"Memento" is a persuasive piece of work—a seemingly straightforward murder mystery that ends up turning the genre inside out,” (Klein)
We don’t know what happened before each scene, we feel like Leonard
--“By presenting events in Memento backwards, Nolan allows us to get into the mindset of the main character. Like Leonard, we don't have a clear indication of what happened before the current segment of time. We know some things from the past, but not the recent past. Like him, we are presented with numerous cryptic clues, some of which may mean something other than what they initially appear to represent. And, although it might seem that an approach which reveals the story's conclusion in the first five minutes would lack tension, that's far from the case. Memento builds to a surprising yet completely logical finale, and there's plenty of suspense along the way to keep the viewer riveted,” (Berardinelli).
--“The movie turns you against yourself as your try to remember what happened in scenes before and link it to what is currently happening. You are Leonard Shelby and it puts you in his shoes. Memento is so smart and slick with its approach, you will have no choice but to hang on for dear life as he tries to find out the truth,” (Rogers).
Gabi Hadad, period 1/2, Outline (part 2)
ReplyDeleteArgument 2
-Using the colors red, blue, black, and white adds confusion and suspense to the movie.
--Red and blue add moods
---Red fire
---Blue clothes
--Black and white add back story
---Memento displays “each scene stepping back to put the previous one a bit better in context and providing a lot of shocks, jokes and horrors along the way. And in between each we see Leonard back in his hotel room, in black and white, talking on the phone and telling an oddly parallel story,” (Klein).
--The change between color and monochrome is also a switch between backwards and forwards
---“The main narrative is presented as a series of three-to-eight minute segments, each of which ends where the previous one began. A second thread, which starts at an unspecified time in the past and moves forward to intersect with the main storyline, is used to buffer the "reverse" segments as well as to provide background information,” (Berardinelli)
---“What is beautifully clever here is that black-and-white scene 22, the last sequence in the film, almost imperceptibly slips into color and, in an almost vertiginous intellectual loop, becomes (in real-world order) scene A, the first of the color scenes: This then serves as the link between the forward progression of black-and-white material and the backwardly presented color stuff,” (Klein).
Argument 3
-Only some of Nolan’s cinematographical and plot choices are paralleled in Inception, while the main aspects of the two films are very divergent.
--Both tragic love stories with similar themes and conflicts
---“Cobb and Leonard are both fighting the same demons. They are both driven, almost unknowingly, by grief, guilt and regret. So strong are these emotions that it alters their perceptions of reality,” (Hodge)
--Setting (and obviously characters) different
---In a dream vs. in real life just with a memory problem
--Both main characters have a portrayed image of another person which they put their problems onto
---Leonard’s Sammy Jankis
---Cobb’s Mal
Conclusion
-Restate Introduction (basically)
Spencer Neth
ReplyDelete5/6
Thesis Statement: 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.
Intro:
1. Close shots give a more in depth view into the characters personality
2. Contrast applies to light and colors, but it can also describe emotions
3. Coppola uses it normally when someone is killed (The Godfather)
Background: The Godfather is a film about Michael Corleone’s transition from an outstanding young man to the head of the Corleone crime family. The film focuses on the family and the relationships contained within the family. Family is not strictly blood relation in this case, but loyalty and brotherhood.
Arguments:
1. Contrast happens in close shots (The Godfather)
a. Definition of close shot (Gocsik)
2. Coppola uses Contrast to build tension (Jones, 72)
3. Viewers enjoy the contrast when an enemy of the family is killed (Lebo, 205)
Conclusion: Restate Thesis and paraphrase most convincing evidence
Outline
ReplyDeleteThesis Statement:
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.
-1987
-kubrick is award winning
Background:
-story of men in the vietnam war
-harrowing training experience
-story in 2 acts
-both acts end in death
Argument 1 -existence before essence
-cadets are told that they are nothing until they become marines
-in vietnam they have to prove themselves in combat to be legitimate marines
-desire not to be rear-echelon, ie rafterman
-quest to become "heartbreakers and lifetakers"
Argument 2 - freedom of man
-pyle is freed, the rest of the platoon suffers for him instead of him suffering
-in vietnam few rules, the men can do what they want
-determine their own path
-chopper gunner does as he pleases, no rules or laws
-the men dont always follow orders, ie animal mother
Argument 3- ambiguous morality
-pvt. joker often has to make tough moral decisions
-hitting pyle with soap
-shooting vietnamese girl
- in both cases the people he hurts had done him and those around him harm
-no "good" decision
-joker did not necessarily make a bad choice
Conclusion
Sander Trubowitz 5/6
ReplyDelete5) Shadows are used for contrast and to convey intent and deceit.
ReplyDeletea) The wife does look up at the sun when she gives in to Tajomaru, but it’s somewhat blocked by the trees.
b) “I had to figure out how to use the sun itself. This was a major concern because of the decision to use the light and shadows of the forest as the keynote of the whole film. I determined to solve this problem by actually filming the sun…at the time Rashomon was being made it was still one of the taboos of cinematography…” (Kurosawa, 185)
c) The forest seems full of light, and the shadows contrast beautifully. “…there are shots where the sharply-contrasted shadows of overhead leaves cast a web upon the characters, making them half-disappear into the ground beneath” (Ebert)
d) “Even during high noon the parts of the forest that the crew needed to shoot in were still too dark. Rather than use a regular foil reflector, which did not bounce enough light,Akira Kurosawa and cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa opted to use a full-length mirror "borrowed" from Daiei's costume department. The crew bounced light from the mirror through leaves and trees to soften it and make it look more like natural sunlight. Miyagawa later called it the most successful lighting effect he had ever done.” (IMDb)
e) “Smooth-grain film stock produces an image that is extremely smooth or slick. Such film also registers a wide range of subtle differences between light and dark, enabling the director to create fine tones, artistic shadows, and contrasts.” (Boggs, 86-89)
6) Conclusion:
a) “Film cameras are admirably literal, and faithfully record everything they are pointed at. Because they are usually pointed at real things, we usually think we can believe what we see. The message of "Rashomon" is that we should suspect even what we think we have seen.” (Ebert)
b) Part of Rashomon’s lasting impact lie in its themes of the subjectivity of memory and its revolutionary cinematography. The latter is used to bring out the first beautifully, all aspects of the film coming together as a unified whole, as in any great piece of cinema.
Callie Stribling
Period 1/2
Thesis: Kurosawa uses shadows and various 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.
ReplyDelete1) Introduction:
a) Rashomon is revolutionary for using an unreliable narrator technique and contradictory flashbacks whose validity is questionable.
b) The effect of deceit was reinforced by the cinematography of the film.
2) Background:
a) In Rashomon four witnesses to a rape/murder tell vastly different accounts of the crime.
b) This film brought international attention to Japanese cinema after it won a Gold Lion, the grand prize at the Venice International Film Festival as well as making a reputation for the famous director Akira Kurosawa.
3) Kurosawa uses the camera to put focus on the characters and their states of mind.
a) “Fate has thrown the [woodcutter, priest and commoner] together, a fact emphasized by Kurosawa’s framing strategy which places them together in a series of long shots. As the narrative proceeds…Kurosawa splits them up with a series of one or two shots emphasizing their fragmentation.” (Desser, 68)
b) Even in shots showing more than one character the focus seems to be on just one of them, the character who’s speaking or doing something important is more in front, larger to the camera than the others.
c) “That most of the film is photographed from the point of view of a third rather than a first person is partly what baffled so many moviegoers. Kurosawa wisely chose to limit the number of subjective camera angles…this and [Kazuo] Miyagawa’s use of roaming dolly shots work marvelously to put the viewer into the character’s mind, rather than locating them geographically by subjective angles.” (Galbraith, 133)
d) “One of the best such sequences is the long series of moving camera shots that follow the woodcutter into the forest, before he finds the evidence of the crime. These shots, in Kurosawa’s words, lead the viewer “into a world where the human heart loses its way.” Only Kurosawa at his boldest would create such a kinesthetic sequence, in which movement itself––of the camera, the character, and the forest’s foliage––becomes the very point and subject of the scene.” (Prince)
4) The camera’s treatment of the sets and the various flashbacks is used to convey the lack of truth in Rashomon.
a) “Space in [the trial scenes] is compressed, consisting of merely a foreground and background…Those on the witness stand sit in the foreground facing the camera, looking directly into it.” (Desser, 68) This looking directly at the camera and thus directly at the audience is like looking somebody in the eye, it suggests that one is telling the truth.
b) A lot of shots close on characters, revealing relatively little about the setting. Exceptions being the treatment of the Rashomon gate and when the woodcutter is walking through the forest.
c) Each flashback is treated in the same matter cinematically, thus there’s nothing subtle in the camera angles or lighting that would give any hint as to which is the “truth.”
I promise I posted this when I was supposed to, but it seems to have disappeared.
ReplyDeleteThesis: Kurosawa uses shadows and various 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.
1) Introduction:
a) Rashomon is revolutionary for using an unreliable narrator technique and contradictory flashbacks whose validity is questionable.
b) The effect of deceit was reinforced by the cinematography of the film.
2) Background:
a) In Rashomon four witnesses to a rape/murder tell vastly different accounts of the crime.
b) This film brought international attention to Japanese cinema after it won a Gold Lion, the grand prize at the Venice International Film Festival as well as making a reputation for the famous director Akira Kurosawa.
3) Kurosawa uses the camera to put focus on the characters and their states of mind.
a) “Fate has thrown the [woodcutter, priest and commoner] together, a fact emphasized by Kurosawa’s framing strategy which places them together in a series of long shots. As the narrative proceeds…Kurosawa splits them up with a series of one or two shots emphasizing their fragmentation.” (Desser, 68)
b) Even in shots showing more than one character the focus seems to be on just one of them, the character who’s speaking or doing something important is more in front, larger to the camera than the others.
c) “That most of the film is photographed from the point of view of a third rather than a first person is partly what baffled so many moviegoers. Kurosawa wisely chose to limit the number of subjective camera angles…this and [Kazuo] Miyagawa’s use of roaming dolly shots work marvelously to put the viewer into the character’s mind, rather than locating them geographically by subjective angles.” (Galbraith, 133)
d) “One of the best such sequences is the long series of moving camera shots that follow the woodcutter into the forest, before he finds the evidence of the crime. These shots, in Kurosawa’s words, lead the viewer “into a world where the human heart loses its way.” Only Kurosawa at his boldest would create such a kinesthetic sequence, in which movement itself––of the camera, the character, and the forest’s foliage––becomes the very point and subject of the scene.” (Prince)
4) The camera’s treatment of the sets and the various flashbacks is used to convey the lack of truth in Rashomon.
ReplyDeletea) “Space in [the trial scenes] is compressed, consisting of merely a foreground and background…Those on the witness stand sit in the foreground facing the camera, looking directly into it.” (Desser, 68) This looking directly at the camera and thus directly at the audience is like looking somebody in the eye, it suggests that one is telling the truth.
b) A lot of shots close on characters, revealing relatively little about the setting. Exceptions being the treatment of the Rashomon gate and when the woodcutter is walking through the forest.
c) Each flashback is treated in the same matter cinematically, thus there’s nothing subtle in the camera angles or lighting that would give any hint as to which is the “truth.”
5) Shadows are used for contrast and to convey intent and deceit.
a) The wife does look up at the sun when she gives in to Tajomaru, but it’s somewhat blocked by the trees.
b) “I had to figure out how to use the sun itself. This was a major concern because of the decision to use the light and shadows of the forest as the keynote of the whole film. I determined to solve this problem by actually filming the sun…at the time Rashomon was being made it was still one of the taboos of cinematography…” (Kurosawa, 185)
c) The forest seems full of light, and the shadows contrast beautifully. “…there are shots where the sharply-contrasted shadows of overhead leaves cast a web upon the characters, making them half-disappear into the ground beneath” (Ebert)
d) “Even during high noon the parts of the forest that the crew needed to shoot in were still too dark. Rather than use a regular foil reflector, which did not bounce enough light,Akira Kurosawa and cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa opted to use a full-length mirror "borrowed" from Daiei's costume department. The crew bounced light from the mirror through leaves and trees to soften it and make it look more like natural sunlight. Miyagawa later called it the most successful lighting effect he had ever done.” (IMDb)
e) “Smooth-grain film stock produces an image that is extremely smooth or slick. Such film also registers a wide range of subtle differences between light and dark, enabling the director to create fine tones, artistic shadows, and contrasts.” (Boggs, 86-89)
6) Conclusion:
a) “Film cameras are admirably literal, and faithfully record everything they are pointed at. Because they are usually pointed at real things, we usually think we can believe what we see. The message of "Rashomon" is that we should suspect even what we think we have seen.” (Ebert)
b) Part of Rashomon’s lasting impact lie in its themes of the subjectivity of memory and its revolutionary cinematography. The latter is used to bring out the first beautifully, all aspects of the film coming together as a unified whole, as in any great piece of cinema.
Thesis statement: 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.
ReplyDeleteIntroduction: Broad statement. Talk about how mood can be created using camera angles and lighting.
Background: -To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town in Alabama, 1932. This film depicts the prejudice between blacks and whites at this time.
-Scout (now a grown woman) tells the story of the year she will never forget (when she was six years old.
-Atticus, Scout’s father, is well-known around town as a highly respected lawyer, but when he decides to take on the case of a black man, Tom Robinson, they turn on him.
-The black man is accused of raping Ms. Mayella Ewell.
-Even though Tom Robinson is obviously innocent he is convicted by the all-white jury.
-Scout also tells the story of Boo Riley.
-Boo was seen as a monster by Scout and the other kids in town but turned out to be completely the opposite.
-One Halloween night Scout and Jem, her brother, were walking back home when they were attacked and if it wasn’t for Boo they would have probably suffered serious injuries if not death.
-Argument I: Contrasting lighting and shadows are used to represent a certain mood (e.g. Boo Riley’s appearance).
Argument II: High and low camera angles help to establish a mood in a scene. Example: Atticus waiting outside of the town’s jail while the mob approaches.
Argument III: (still thinking of one)
Conclusion: Robert Mulligan uses many strategies to set a mood in his film, To Kill a Mockingbird. He uses high/low camera angles and lighting to make the viewer identify with the mood of the scene that they are watching.
Elizabeth Mendez pd.1/2
Sofia Dyer
ReplyDeleteI. Intro:
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 in Russian Ark.
II. Background:
Man wakes up, finds himself in a different time period in the Hermitage Museum. Travels through museum seeing 300 years of Russian history with the guide of the Marquis (name here). Both are invisible under certain circumstances.
III. Main Points
A. Invisibility motifs
1. Blindness-- Europe blind to Russia’s role in Europe
Opening line “I open my eyes and see nothing”
Narrator unseen
Blind Woman:
Other characters cannot see the protagonist (only servants low people can see Marquis)
Masked figures
Background people under close scrutiny
Persian scene:
• Apology from Persians (Asia recognize Russia)
• Respect from Asia/Middle East
• Soldiers see Marquis and tell him to leave
• “Sir what are you looking at?”—invisible guy
“What do I see? Nothing for the moment”-- Marquis
2. Symbols in paintings/artwork (religious symbols)
“The Virgin with Partriges: Van Dyke
Analysis by blind woman, many men stare at and look at details. No one sees each other
Joseph/Mary serenity. God sees/protects “No doubt unseen presence”
Partriges: frivolity
“Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee”
Russian diplomats stare at intently, sniff oil
Bible→ Simon was one of the only ones that saw and recognized Jesus
Peter and Paul- Art Grecon (hermiatemuseum)
• Shows difference between Russia and Europe
• Marquis bullies kid who looks at painting, but is Eastern Orthodox
• Peter and Paul opposite personalities, but both Christian (Peter gentle and meek, Paul devout passionate)
3. Spy:
Spies on Marquis showing Russia’s hostility towards foreigners. This further splits Europe and Russia.
At the end, spy cannot find Marquis
4. Counter Argument:
Blindness was to show Russia’s negative argument about Europe, not the other way around. Ex: the Spy
B. Differences within time constraint
1. Religion
Third Rome—Eastern Orthodox (Russia) Catholicism /Protestantism (West Europe)
2. Culture
Peter the Great tries to Europeanize Russia, constant strive to homogenize with Russia.
3. Social Organization
Russia went towards serfdom, Europe away from serfdom
4. Geopolitical System
Vast, sparsely populated areas: Russia. Tight urban centers: Western Europe
Western Europe: core, Russia: semi-periphery
5. CA: Similarities between two. Makes them equal
C. Movie shows progress from European dependence and disrespect
1. Comparison of beginning and end, respect
• Marquis “what lovely music, it must be European” End, “I’m staying here”. Last scene, Marquis barely seen until completely lost: shows nationalism, and cultural independence. “Farewell Russia”--Marquis
• “You might say I grew up here. But I’m not quite myself. It’s as if I were in someone else’s house.”
• “Your lady has gone away. Flown away like a bird – gone in a flash”
3. Counter Argument
Not gaining respect? Relationship between Europe and Russia the same after 19th century?
IV: Conclusion
Russian Ark
ReplyDeleteIntro
ReplyDelete- Briefly explain voyeurism and how it’s one of Hitchcock’s favorite genres and how it relates to the film.
Thesis:
-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.
Background:
- Rear Window is a film written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- released in 1954
- stars Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly
- wheelchair bound man L.B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart) spends his days watching his days watching his neighbors through the rear window of his apart, only to witness what he believes is a murder, through much controversy he finally catches his killer not before being dropped out a window
Argument 1: throughout the film at different key points Hitchcock uses shot that sweeps by all of the minor characters’ apartments to show how the murder has changed any of the people.
-1st sweep beginning of film everyone dealing with their own lives and the small problems they each may have
-one of the sweeps in the middle of the film, until you reach the middle of the courtyard where you see a lifeless pile of fur and it’s a woman’s dog that Thorwald killed and then she goes into a long tiring monologue
-last sweep everyone’s life is better except for Thorwald who’s in jail and Jefferies who now has two broken legs instead of one
Argument 2: Isolation leads to voyeuristic tendencies
-L.B. Jeffries breaks his leg while on the job as a photographer and is isolated in his apartment
-because of his high vantage point when he’s staring at people they don’t notice until Thorwald sees him because of a mistake made by Lisa, Jeffries’ “girlfriend”
-Voyeurism spreads once the outsider sees someone doing it they follow though at first they are resistant
Argument 3: “Meddlers” and “Peeping Toms” always get what was coming to them
-the little dog was killed because it was too close to finding part of Mrs. Thorwald most likely her head
-Jeffries was attacked after Thorwald found out that was his (Jeffries’) fault that the police were after him and in the end Jeffries is just going to be confined for an even longer period of time so he may get himself in even more trouble or he could have learned his lesson
Conclusion:
-restate thesis in a new way
-add in some statements pulling together the mind of Hitchcock in Rear Window
Ryan Rash 1/2
OUTLINE FOR PI (Part I)
ReplyDeleteTHESIS: Aronofsky uses the discursive elements of film especially focus, lighting, and tight framing of shots as well as the bold editing to create a tone of paranoia and tension in Pi.
Introduction
- Discursive elements of film used to evoke emotion from viewer (Bays, 2004).
-The mise en scène (discursive elements) establishes the tone for a film (Pramaggiore, Wallis 93)
- Aronofsky uses the discursive elements of film especially focus, lighting, and tight framing of shots as well as the bold editing to create a tone of paranoia and tension in Pi.
Background
-Pi made in 1998 was director Darren Aronofsky’s first film, premiering at the Sundance film festival (IMDB, 2011)
-Low budget, only cost $60,000 (IMDB)
-Aronofsky’s characters typically have an obsession that drives them toward self destruction (IMDB 2011).
-Not very well received by critics, but won best new director at Sundance Film Festival (IMDB 2011)
Brief Plot Summary
-The story is about a young, paranoid mathematician Maximillian (Max) Cohen, living in his tiny New York apartment with his huge home-made computer Euclid (Zelevinsky, 1998). Max is spends his days seeking patterns in the stock market and nature all revolving around the number π. After a run-in with a Hasidic Jew numerologist he shifts his focus to the patterns in the stock market and the Torah (Zelevinsky, 1998). Max also suffers from crippling migraines and hallucinations. As the story progresses Max’s life becomes increasingly out of control including his computer spitting out a 216 digit number and crashing. Max’s only friend Sol dies, and he gets beaten up by Lenny, the Hassidic Jew from the coffee shop, and a financial advisor whose company hired Max. After the climax of him being beaten up, the denouement of the film includes max trepanning himself and losing his brilliant mathematic abilities, but becoming happy.
-Max is suspicious of everybody (Ebert, 1998) His suspicion, since the story is told as max’s view as objective, the audience feels paranoid as well.
-Pi is a thriller (Ebert, 1998), constantly keeping the audience tense and paranoid.
Opening of Pi
-Elements set tone for the rest of movie
-Editing: Aronofksy uses his trade-mark of quick cross-cut editing (IMDB, 2011) to emphasize the tension felt by the audience. State of tension felt by audience is largely created through editing (Millar, Reisz 47). Back and forth cross cutting builds tension usually leading to a climax, but when used throughout the movie the viewer is never at ease.
-Framing: Most shots are very tightly framed especially shots of Max, or important objects. The audience has very little breathing room. Tight framing deprives the viewer of certain information making them feel tense and unsatisfied (Bull, Anstey, 87). The tight framing also causes the viewer to feel paranoid about what is around them, outside of the shots.
-Lighting: Stark lighting against black and white film keeps the viewer on edge and tense (Bull, Anstey 86). The lack of light throughout the movie represents what is unknown by Max and likewise the audience making them paranoid of what is around them, and the unknown that both are on the brink of.
Gabby McRoberts 5/6
OUTLINE FOR PI (Part II)
ReplyDeleteFraming of Pi creating tension
-Tight framing evokes more emotion from the audience (Bays, 2004).
-Every time Max unlocks his doors the camera has a tight frame on each lock being undone (Aronofsky, 5:19-5:23), the viewer feels paranoia, the locks have been given more importance, created by the tight framing
-Tight framing creates constriction (Pramaggiore, Wallis 85) and doesn’t allow the viewer any “breathing room”, they also can’t see anything around the main focus thereby creating more tension in every shot.
-Tight framing deprives the viewer of certain information making them feel tense and unsatisfied (Bull, Anstey, 87)
-In Pi, even the wide shots have a paranoid feel to them (Freider, 2001). When the audience sees Max leave his house for the first time it is a panning wide shot (Aronofsky, 2:52- 3:08) The shot has a voyeuristic feel as the camera passes others in the foreground performing some form of martial arts out of focus, and focuses only on Max and follows him as he walks by.
Lighting of Pi creating tension
-Each frame is very slightly over-exposed to really bring out the highlights and darken the shadows (Frieder, 2001).
-From the music to lighting, Pi was shot to keep the viewer seeing Max as objective, only knowing what he knows (Kaufman, 1998).
- Dramatic lighting, such is used in horror films makes the audience feels tense and uneasy (Pramaggiore, Wallis 93)
-Varying the tone of colors draws the eye to the most contrasting part of the shot (Bull, Anstey, 86). Typically, when Max’s face is lit his eyes are still in shadow drawing the audiences eyes to his. Eyes force the audience to feel the most emotion (Bays, 2004), and Max’s eyes always look tense, or nervous never peaceful creating paranoia.
- Every shot either black or white, not grey (Kaufman, 1998)
-The harsh lighting adding more contrast to the stark black and white film creates an eerie and intense tone for the film (Berardenelli, 1998).
-In Max’s first complete on-screen migraine scene his door is shaking violently like someone is trying to come in, and when in finally bursts open only bright light is scene and then a fade to white (Aronofsky, 8:35- 9:33) creating paranoia in the viewer as they never see what is behind the door.
-Harsh lighting keeps the viewer on edge (Bull, Anstey, 86) with no gradation from pitch darkness to blinding light (Zelevinsky, 1998)
-Lighting is the most noticeable discurisive element in this film (Frieder, 2001).
Editing of Pi creating tension
The use of parallel cutting creates tension for the viewer (Bull, Anstey, 87)
Framing and editing are both used to make the audiene feel just like Max does, paranoid, tense, and claustrophobic (Frieder, 2001)
When film is edited to draw attention to the cuts, each new shot causes momentary shock in the viewer (Millar, Reisz 39) keeping the audience always tense.
When shots are juxtaposed abruptly nest to each other without transitions it creates a tone of chaos and paranoia (Bull, Anstey, 87)
Speeding up scenes draws attention to their meanings (Bull Anstey, 87). When Max wanders the streets (Aronofsky 3:09-3:33) the shots of the people are in high speed creating a feel of paranoia when contrasted with shots of Max’s face with his eyes darting around.
The quick back-and forth Point of View editing between Max’s anxious face and twitching hand, both in tight frames, creates tension for the viewer, as they anticipate something bad to happens next (Aronofsky, 7:11-7:19)(Bays, 2004).
Conclusion
Discursive elements in film are key to create tone.
Aronofsky's use of framing, lighting and editing truly build the tension and paranoia for the audience in Pi.
Gabby McRoberts 5/6
Danielle Devers
ReplyDeleteGreat Ideas ½
Odum
Outline-Homicidal
Intro
-Thesis: In Homicidal, William Castle uses varied camera angles and bright lighting to draw the viewer's attention to important elements. Together, these key elements help to further the plot and to create a suspenseful atmosphere.
Background
-director: William Castle
-year filmed: 1961
-cast: Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, and Joan Marshall (billed as Jean Arless to prevent spoiling the ending)
-first movie to feature a “fright break” (time when people were permitted to leave the theatre if they felt the movie was too terrifying and to gain a full refund)
-was made in response to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
Plot
-A justice -of- the- peace is murdered and a woman by the name of Miriam Webster suspects the killer is her brother’s fiancé. Webster is also informed by the police that she is being framed for the murder and that, if who she suspects is the killer, her motive is money because her fiancé is the heir to a large sum of it.
Start of the Movie
-what draws the viewer’s attention?
-how is the attention drawn?
-what is the significance of the thing drawing the attention?
-how do the primal events foreshadow later ones?
-how are camera angles specifically involved?
-why are the camera angles placed in the manner they are and how does this contribute to the suspense generated in the film?
-what is the lighting like at this point?
Middle of Movie
-what is the main focus being displayed?
-how does Castle introduce new characters and how do they change over time?
-how do the camera angles here differ than from the beginning of the film?
-how does the lighting differ here than from the beginning of the film?
-how does the lighting and camera angles continue the suspense and further the plot here?
End of Movie
-how is the lighting different here than in the earlier portions of the film?
-how are the camera angles different here than at the beginning?
-what creates the most suspense in this part of the film?
Conclusion
-restatement of thesis: In Homicidal, William Castle uses varied camera angles and bright lighting to draw the viewer's attention to important elements. Together, these key elements help to further the plot and to create a suspenseful atmosphere.
-other “concluding” statements
(The Shining)
ReplyDeleteThesis: Kubrick develops the Torrance's isolation through the setting and their interactions between the family members. Because of Jack's growing madness and the hotel's location, the horror element within the film grows as the plot progresses.
Background: explain the plot of the film, emphasizing the history of the caretakers at The Overlook Hotel, Jack’s meeting with Delbert Grady in the restroom, and the ending in which Jack becomes crazy and murderous.
Argument 1: The location of the hotel is isolated from humanity, leaving the Torrance family alone and completely cut off from the rest of the world. Talk about opening scene of Jack driving up the mountain away from society. Use pathos to make the reader understand the fear felt by the family once Jack starts to become mad. Also talk about Jack’s past alcoholism and abuse if Danny to put the scenario out there that he has the potential to be crazy. The maze is also a part of the hotel and the setting of the film, use the warning quote about the possibility of getting lost in it.
Argument 2: From the beginning of the film, Jack had a short temper with his family, often yelling or just responding curtly to innocent remarks and questions. Reference to past alcoholism again and his potential to be violent is made clear. Use quotes to demonstrate these conversations. Give particular emphasis to the encounter Jack has with his wife, Wendy Torrance, when Wendy interrupts his work and Jack snaps.
Argument 3: Kubrick advances the plot, as well as the horror element with Danny Torrance, Jack’s son. His gift, (his ability to “shine”), helps him see different elements the hotel offers, such as murder, past events, and the victims of the past caretaker, his twin girls. Jack also has episodes in which he sees past people, the most crucial one being his encounter with Delbert Grady in the restroom. Discuss discrepancy between Charles Grady, who was the caretaker described at the beginning, and the butler named Delbert Grady. Talk about the ramifications it has with the photo shown at the end of Jack being at the Overlook a long time ago. (“You're the caretaker, sir. You've always been the caretaker).
Argument 4: The horror element advances with some aid Kubrick receives by utilizing the “unexplainable”. The most important event is how Jack gets out of the storeroom that Wendy locks him in. The other events are the sightings of the ghosts by Jack that help him become mad, mainly Lloyd the Bartender giving him alcohol and Grady. Also discuss the motivation of the ghosts and the differences from the novel.
Conclusion: Sum up everything discussed in the argument paragraphs and offer any final statements on the topic. Also discuss any crucial differences between the film and book and why Kubrick chose to depict the novel the way he did.
Sam Kaspar
ReplyDeletePd. 5&6
“Rope” Outline
Thesis Statement: Hitchcock uses the sense of real time, natural dialogue, and the following of characters during the long takes in the film "Rope" to reinforce the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
Introduction:
Rope was shot in 8-10 minute takes, which was to most footage a film reel could hold at the time.
The set had to be moved around (they were on casters) and put back in the same exact place during some shots.
“At one point in the movie, the camera dolly ran over and broke a cameraman's foot, but to keep filming, he was gagged and dragged off. Another time, a woman puts her glass down but misses the table. A stagehand had to rush up and catch it before the glass hit the ground. Both parts are used in the final cut.”
Background/Plot Summary:
“Rope” (1948) was Alfred Hitchcock’s first color film.
Two friends follow through with “the perfect crime” and strangle one of their friends who they deem “inferior.” They then hold a party in the room they have hidden his body in and invite his family, friends, and an old professor they all had in order to test its perfection.
Arguments:
1. The sense of real time reinforces the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
By keeping the plot of the movie flowing naturally with out any breaks.
2. The natural dialogue of the characters reinforces the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
Like the plot, the dialogue has a natural flow.
Shots don’t jump into a conversation nearly as much as other films do.
Requires that subjects are brought up naturally like they would in real life.
More challenging.
3. The way the camera follows the characters and keeps in in the shots reinforces the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
Most mystery/suspense films make it where you don’t always know what characters are up to what, which makes it suspenseful.
“Rope” let’s you know exactly what each character is doing, and in it’s own way that is suspenseful.
It let’s you know the story is not hiding anything and everything you need to know is right there in front of you.
Conclusion:
“Rope” uses long takes to reinforce the tension and suspense that is present throughout the movie.
The sense of real time, natural dialogue, and following the characters around let’s you know the plot is hiding anything from you.
I. Introduction
ReplyDelete-Discuss the predominant effects used in the movie and how the effect the plot. This will allow the reader to obtain a general idea of what sets the “Blair Witch Project” apart from the other horror movies.
- Discuss how the camera effects influenced the emotion of the viewer throughout the movie
-Discuss the effects on horror movies since “The Blair Witch Project”
+ Thesis: 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, which have all spread throughout the horror film industry and impacted it greatly.
II. Background
“The Blair Witch Project” follows three college students in their journey into the woods near Blair, Maryland to search for the mythical ‘Blair Witch.’ While on this journey the students allegedly encounter this Blair Witch and the myth becomes real.
Arguments
+ The shaky camera gives less of an industrial feel to the movie, less of a feeling of just standing there and watching while the chaos ensues and instead a feeling of being in the middle of the action, jumping from character to character and running alongside the other characters.
+ By switching between cameras the viewer still gets to see the actions of all of the characters, it adds the feeling of movement via the switch.
+ These effects have effect many horror/thriller films, as displayed by other movies such as Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, spreading throughout the industry due to its effect on the viewer.
III. Closing
-Restate the general effects used in the movie
-Restate the effects on the viewer
-Restate thesis (and direct support)
Caleb Gross
Period 1/2
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ReplyDeleteTHESIS: “Departures (Okuribito)” portrays a new cultural attitude towards death, wiping away the notion of death’s impurity and replacing it with reverence and beauty. Daigo’s journey in discovering the profound and comical aspects of death are detailed by intricate aesthetics, slapstick humor and a blend of classic and modern Japanese cinema.
ReplyDeleteIntroduction
Background
An unemployed cellist finds a new job in preparing the dead for funerals, learns the importance of his job, finding an unexpected passion within himself for the elegance and art of the departures of loved ones
Directed by Yojiro Takita, 2008
Masahiro Motoki as “Daigo Kobayashi”, Ryoko Hiroshue as “Mika Kobayashi”
Won Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
“Departures” embodies an aesthetic appeal so characteristic of traditional Japanese
Music
diegetic, when Daigo is playing cello
nondiegetic, other orchestral selections
score composed by Joe Hisaishi
Critics say that there are moments when the music is too drawn out, example: when Daigo is playing his cello in the countryside, patterns of nature shown
Counter: Contributes to the theme of the transition and acceptance of life
Conforms to Japanese aesthetic traditions and appeals to viewers, shows Daigo’s emotional and spiritual journey
Elements of the mise-en-scene during the rituals for the dead in the film.
Costume (of the dead)
Decor/surroundings
Evidence of Buddhism in the funeral rites, suggesting a religious aspect of the ritual
Acting
Strong emotion conveyed. Example: man gets on his knees to thank them, says he’d never seen his wife so beautiful before.
Critics say that aspects of the mise-en-scene are too far-fetched, or that the aesthetic appeal is overused example: first funeral scene, with girl-guy who committed suicide
Counter: carries a message of how Japanese culture must preserve the image of the dead, as a final goodbye. Intricate ceremonies are balanced with reality, as it notes that not everyone has enough money to buy a coffin for their loved one, or wealth for elaborate ceremonies. Yet the ceremony must be as beautiful, as elegant, each time.
Though the overlying message of “Departures” is conveyed in a somber tone, slight shades of slapstick comedy remind the audience of the commonality and reality of death, indicating death’s occurrence in all types of situations, in the midst of the widest array imaginable of human emotion and experience. encounter
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Critics say the humor is too spontaneous, doesn’t fit in well with previous shots, or immediately following ones
Counter: In the middle of a somber situation, Daigo can find humor and beauty in life.
Humor often portrayed not his working environment, but his own private journey and character development, friendship with the director Ikuei Sasaki (played by Tsutomu Yamazaki)
Departures contains elements of both Western cinema/modern Japanese cinema as well as cultural Japanese cinema, balancing tradition with a more modern appeal
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Conclusion
Michelle Zhang, Period 1/2
Thesis: In the movie, Swing Time, dance shows the love, connection, and attraction between the two main characters, lucky and penny, through a common interest, dance.
ReplyDeleteIntroduction: ( about thesis)
Background:(about movie.) This movie is a romantic musical. The main character lucky, played by _______, misses his wedding. The only way to make it up is to come up with $2500 in New York. When in New York, he meets Penny, played by _____,a dance instructor. Penny and Lucky eventually becomes swing dance partners and earns
Body 1: What is swing, what type of swing is shown in the movie swing time
Evidence 1: ” swing refers to a particular lifting rhythmic style that is based on a triplet subdivision of the beat.” (teichroew)
Evidence 2: “Swing is more physical demanding because of the speed and the change of directions in the pattern structure”(Flores, p.64)
Evidence 3: “Swing dancing is a social dance that is all about teamwork; you need good lead and follow skills, and the right amount of connection, resistance, and tension between two people.” (Selmon, p.12)
Evidence 4: “One of their most joyous and exuberant numbers is also a technical tour-de-force with the basic polka.”(Swing time)
Body 2: Penny’s and Lucky’s connection for one another
Evidence 1: “ Dancing with a partner brings other relationship possibilities into play.” (Minton, p.42)
Evidence 2: ”There seems to be a special glow to the Astaire-Rogers relationship in Swing Time. More than in any other of their films. the Astaire-Rogers partnership truly becomes, in Dorothy Fields’ felicitous construction, “the la belle, la perfectly swell, romance.” This is achieved, not only by the high choreographic and musical values, but also by the quality of the acting.”(Mueller)
Evidence 3: “They dance and act flawlessly together in three duets, expressing various emotional phases of their relationship - attraction and courtship, celebratory happiness of their love.” (Dirks)
Body 3: How the dance brought them closer
Evidence 2: “Focusing on the dynamic of how the couple emerges in the Astaire/ Rogers films reveals that those among their films that endure as the most moving, beautiful, and interesting are the works in which the plots adn the dances have the most organic relationship to each other and to the dynamic of the Astaire/ Rogers romance.” ( Nochimson, p. 136)
Body 4: What does swing symbolized in this movie.
Evidence 1: “ The Waltz is danced to slow beats and is an equally beautiful dance form. The Waltz dance is one of the slow and most attractive and rhythmic styles ever. When danced by the International Standard norms, this dance is performed more closely towards each other as compared to the American Style.” (Lad)
Conclusion:
Danni Biddle P. 5/6