1. In the movie Juno, the main character (Juno) makes an important decision in a scene where no words are even spoken. Think of another example from a film in which a key dramatic moment (a decision or a major event) is communicated to the audience without dialogue. What elements of cinematic language make this scene comprehendible? How?
- The example that I want to give here that has a quiet scene which no dialogue could explain the idea was happening without even pronouncing a word is from one of the good movies which called “Jurassic World” when Owen was hiding from the dinosaur and made a decision by covering himself with the car gas so the dinosaur won’t be able to smell him. It was one of the most scary, quiet and strong scenes in this movie.
- The element of the cinematic language that made this scene comprehendible was the performance of the actor Chriss Pratt and also the sound and the music when the director made them stop in the moment that Chriss was grabbing his breath waiting for the dinosaur to leave, it was amazing, really, really amazing.
- The link of the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjxcWhQYMKw
2. Think of a movie in which the identity of the narrator (not the camera, but rather a character) drastically affects the narration and the narrative itself. How does this narrator contribute to a distinct narration? How, in turn, does this narration lead to a specific narrative? How might the narration and narrative be different if the narrator was different? Identify one possible alternative narrator and discuss at least three ways in which the narration and narrative might change.
- The movie that I’d like to talk about is the “Titanic”. The identity of the narrator in the movie was the main character who was Rose.
- Before talking about the character I should say the director did an awesome work by choosing the two characters (The old and the young Rose) They both were perfect by convincing us that they were the same Rose character.
- Rose (Talking about the both actors), being a narrator and a main character at the same time contributed with making the narration distinct. The way she was telling her own story was more emotional. Her old lady voice that was telling us the story while we were watching her young character going through the whole event. She grabbed our attention with her voice, her great articulate, the way she used the accent, was greatly impressive. She made us believe that there was no difference between the two actors, the old and the young Rose, we believed that they both were the same Rose character.
- Now this narration led to a specific narrative when Rose explained the event in the right chronological order. She started telling her story from the moment she got into the ship. How her personal life was, her relationship with her mother, her fiancé. And after that, how she met Jack and how the events evolved. Later the mistake that happened and led the ship to drown, how Jack died. Everything Rose listed was organized.
- If the narrator was different, the narration and narrative become different because the “point of view” differs between the First-Person point of view, and the Second-Person point of view, and the Third-Person point of view.
- So for example, when the narrator is the actor himself and narrating their own experience in the movie story, then they use the First-Person point of view which is (I, we). “Titanic” movie is an example of that, when Rose was telling her story to her granddaughter.
- But if the narrator is not the actor himself then they use the Third-Person point of view which is (he, she, they). “Harry Potter” movie is an example of that. The narrator in it was describing everything.
- And very rarely, the narrator might use the Second-Person point of view in their narrative in purpose of talking with people who are watching the movie, and by this way they use (you). I actually don’t have an example on it, because it’s rare and not common.
3. In Spam-Ku, the performance of the actor, the time-lapse photography, and the glamorous shots of Spam combine to illustrate how form can make unappealing content seem more appealing.
- The movie that I decided to choose here is “A Quiet Place.” It’s a horror movie directed by John Krasinski, and starred by Emily Blunt with Lee Abbott.
- To be honest, I couldn’t find any other movie, because I don’t watch all movie types. So from the movies that I watched I decided to talk about this movie. Actually for me the movie had an attractive content, that’s why I decided to watch it. The directing was amazing, the acting of the actors by using their features only, without pronouncing a letter was highly professional, everything in the movie was nice, even the story was different, and I really didn’t want to mention it here as an unappealing content.
- But what actually made me feel that I can put this movie here is its idea, that was making no sense, which was talking about living without making sound at all, which is impossible in normal life. You can’t even sneeze or you’ll die! Let’s suppose that we accepted the idea of living without making sound, but what made me reprehend the idea, that the husband and the wife made a mistake by bringing a baby in that place.
- The wife needed to give birth to the baby without making any sound! And what makes it no sense at all to me, that without phones and without calls, she screamed at the same moment her husband fired the fireworks outside! In normal life, when you are standing beside your wife waiting for her to give birth, you can’t guess the actual moment your wife will scream in, so how about being outside planning to fire the fireworks at the same moment!
- For me, the movie plot was different but not logical at all. I liked the unfamiliar idea but I didn’t like the foolishness in the scripts. But otherwise everything in the movie was so efficient. The acting again was highly professional, it’s not easy to act a whole movie without making conversations. And the directing was highly amazing.
- And I’m sorry again for putting this movie here, but the giving birth scene, beside the highly performance of Emily Blunt in it, and beside the strong directing of director John Krasinski of it, for me was making no sense.
4. How would you define a Western? List and discuss the various elements that are characteristic of a Western. Next, think of a Western you have seen and discuss how it uses these elements in terms of story, conflict, characters, and setting. Finally come up a brief description of your own Western movie. Your idea must contain four elements: story, conflict, characters, and setting.
- I could define a Western film from its genre that revolves around stories primarily set in the late 19th century in the American old West. Most Westerns are set between the American Civil War (1856) and the early 1990s. The American Western film usually revolves around a stoic and emphasizes the importance of honor and sacrifice.
- “The Revenant” a Western/Adventure movie, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Starred by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
- The Story of the movie back to the 1820s. In exactly 1823, frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) sustained life-threatening injuries from a brutal bear attack while he was running from an Indian tribe. Then his friend (Tom Hardy) who was with him in his hunting team kills his young son (Forrest Goodluck) and leaves Glass for death. But Glass survives this ordeal and starts his long journey to revenge from his friend who betrayed him and left him dying alone.
- The Conflict in the movie is Human vs. Nature + Revenge from his friend.
- The Characters in the movie are Leonardo DiCaprio as (Hugh Glass), Tom Hardy as (John Fitzgerald), Paul Anderson as (Anderson), Will Poulter as (Jim Bridger) and Domhnall Gleeson as (Andrew Henry).
- The settings in the movie were in Montana and South Dakota.
- I have a story I have written in the year of 2017. It goes back to the 1800s, when there were two old tourism companies, one of them was owned by a man called “D” and the other company was owned by a man called “T”. Where D’s company is more stronger and more renowned, T decides to plan a murder to get rid of D. After the crime occurs, the eternal curse of revenge spreads out. The conflict in the story is Good vs. Evil + Revenge. The characters are “D” “T” “C”. The settings are not decided yet. To be continued.
5. Refer to the screening Checklist: Cinematography (p. 269) and “Peak ahead” to page 304 (Ch 7) in answering this extra credit question. Our textbook lists a few examples of long “takes” in motion pictures. The movies BIRTH and TOUCH OF EVIL are listed.
Can you think of movies you’ve seen and liked that have “long takes” in them? List the movie and the director. How does this long take set up or advance the plot in the movie? What makes it so memorable? Add a link if you can find this long take in YouTube or Vimeo or elsewhere and share it with me.
Now go to the eight points on the Cinematography Checklist. How do they apply to the movie/director you identified in the response to this essay question?
- The movie that I really liked the “long takes” in it was “Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire” which was directed by J.K Rowling.
- The long take sets up the plot by first showing the snake getting out of the skeletons, crawling slowly right left while the special harry potter’s soundtrack music is playing, then ends up showing the name of the movie “Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire”.
- What actually makes it so memorable to me, is that I was a huge fan of Harry Potter since I was nine years and still till now. I have so many wonderful memories with the movie chapters.
- The link: https://youtu.be/T9hwiTjHO5I
- For the eight points on the Cinematography Checklist:
- – The lightning was dim to make it more scary. The lens and the camera movement were working together with the soundtrack. As an overall look the opening scene was so exciting and I loved it.
- – The image that was covering information that is not reflected in characters’ action and dialogue is the skeletons and the snake.
- – The special effects were used in the movie especially in the magic stick scenes. And they were used pretty perfectly so could make us believe that this magic is real and not just screen effects.
- – There was a low-angle shot at the beginning. Later a high-angle shot when the opening scene ended and the movie started.
- – The composition contributes to the scene overall, when the snake appears crawling in the opening scene and later appears crawling in the room while whispering.
- – The colors in this scene were dim and ranging between black and gray with dark blue and some dark green.
- – The camera movements at the end of the scene were making us feel that we are in the same place where the old man was in. The camera was showing us what the man was seeing when he was walking beside the walls trying to understand what was going on inside the room, and what they were exactly talking about.
- – When the cinematography calls attention to itself it is an intentional thing, because without doing this, the movie would not get the audience’s attention. So the purpose is to get the audience’s attention.
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For film appreciation MJS 1310 exam two part one, please visit this link Film Appreciation