“In the small, deliberately crafted details of a scene, you will find the messages of the film writ large.” Mrs Mitchell

“It is the consistent presentation of an idea, again and again in slightly different ways throughout a text that creates a theme.” Mrs Mitchell

“Now that we know this – so what? Why does it matter? Whose ‘shoes’ do these messages make us ‘wear’? Whose ‘shoes’ do they not represent? What is outside of the box? How can these ideas be interpreted differently? If these new analyses are relevant, what implications or new understandings can they give us about this topic?” Mrs Mitchell

3.9  AS91480   Version 1 

Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence

 

TASK:

Choose 2 films that have a significant connection. E.g. Same director, or same genre, or same theme, or same production time period, or same event, etc. Choose 2 scenes- ONE from each film – that strongly demonstrate your connection. Do a close reading of each scene.

Eg: Aspect: How has Howard, as an auteur, used the techniques of mis en scene and camerawork to communicate the idea of an auspicious moment? A Beautiful Mind by Ron Howard (Princeton intro scene: mis en scene and camerawork) and Apollo 13 by Ron Howard (Working together to fix the emergency scene: mis en scene and camerawork).

Your task is to critically analyse the way aspects of film have been used to create effects. By comparing and contrasting the use of two specific techniques in a scene from the first movie and a in scene from the second movie, you will be able to find, not only important analysis, but also critical analysis distinctions.

Identify the significant aspect of the films you want to analyse (e.g. auteur signature + theme, or genre convention + theme, or theme, or external societal influences on directorial choices + theme). These will all have to do with PURPOSE, i.e. WHY did they do it that way? And this will always relate back to the ideas or main message (theme) of the film.

1. HOW has the director used the first technique to build an idea or message related to your aspect? What has the director tried to help us understand? WHY?

2. Techniques/aspects you might choose may include: mis en scene, camera work, lighting, costume, symbolism, music, sound, editing, special effects, etc

3. Identify the technique. Describe in detail HOW it is used in the scene. Explain (in detail) HOW this created an impact.

4. What impact was it designed to have on the audience? Why was this impact desired? Why this technique/impact and not another? How effective was it in this instance?

5. How does this relate to society? What personal experiences of the audience is the technique (and its impact) relying on? What audience expectation is it challenging? What audience belief is it complicit with? How might someone with an alternate world view respond to this same aspect of the scene? What do these distinctions tell us about WHY the scene was crafted this way?

6. WHY did the director use this technique? How did it help connect us to the main ideas of the film? How does this connection to purpose reveal societal influence or a directorial signature or a misrepresentation?

Critically analyse the second technique from the first scene. Describe HOW and explain WHY it was used in the same way as above. Also discuss how the techniques worked together for effect. 

 

Apply the same critical analysis to the one scene you have chosen from the second film.

Once this is done, compare and contrast the way the techniques were employed to meet the PURPOSE as it relates to your chosen aspect: Auteur signature, genre convention, theme or external societal influences on directorial choices. Highlight the critical analysis distinctions between WHY they did it that way and how it affected the audience reactions to the main messages of the film.

HOW has the director used these techniques to build an idea or message related to your aspect? What has the director tried to help us understand? WHY?