WK4- Pirates of the Caribbean

Identify three actors from your film and classify each according to the types of actors listed in your text. Explain your reasons for classifying the actors as you do. Use specific references to the film and pay special attention to how these decisions impacted characterization. Also, consider the impact of any realistic or stylized portrayals within the film.

The three actors I have chosen play important roles in the movie ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’. The first actor is Orlando Bloom, who I believe is a wild card type of actor because of the vast array of characters he is able to portray. Blooms’ “inability to be classified in specific role sets” (Goodykoontz, 2011) gives him the ability to go in many directions when pursuing films to act. A good example of this in this film is when his character goes from a poor blacksmith to a well-respected pirate who actually gets the girl in the movie. The ability to go from one extreme to the other takes great skill and dedication.

 

The second actor from ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ is Johnny Depp, who I see as a character actor because of his strong connotation with the character Jack Sparrow. With such a strong personality with his character and after several Pirates movies, Depp has turned from character actor to almost a star, which is an amazing transformation because of the success of this movie series. An example of Depp as a character actor is his mannerisms throughout the film as he acts as Jack Sparrow. He has a sway and a lost feel to him that is so recognizable to his strong personality that people automatically think of Depp and Sparrow as one person all together.

 

The third actor from the film is Keira Knightley, who is almost exclusively known for her role in this movie series and honestly not much more than that. Because of how little I have actually seen her in other films, I think she is a personality actor because I am truly not sure the difference between her character and what her actually personality is. I would like to think that the strong female position she plays in her film series is an example of an actor “playing himself or herself” (Goodykoontz, 2011). When Knightley decides to break free of her proper actors role and becomes a strong independent woman in a world that never sees that, I assume that her personality is that way all the time and that she is just playing herself through the film.

Focus on one of the actors you’ve discussed. Based on other films the actor has been in, would this actor always be placed in the same category? If so, what does this say about the category or actor? If not, what can you infer about the flexibility of these categories? Provide evidence (references from other films, including film clips and stills) to support your argument.

The actor that I am focusing on his Orlando Bloom and his role in the movie ‘Troy’. During this film Bloom acts a weak prince who is brothers to a strong man, the exact opposite of what he played in ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ and shows his inability to defined by a specific role. One movie shows a strong and willful leader, the other movie shows a weak and helpless individual unable to protect himself and the ones that he loves. I would say this certainly shows that he is still in the same role in both movies and classifies as a true wild card.

 

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

 

 

WK 3 Blog – Jurassic Park Sound

http://movieclips.com/AwVQ-jurassic-park-movie-when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth/

http://movieclips.com/cda5-jurassic-park-movie-welcome-to-jurassic-park/

There are many types of sound in a film. Some are diegetic (sounds that are represented as coming from within the world of the film); others are non-diegetic (sounds that come from outside the world of the film). Using specific examples from your chosen film, construct a blog post in which you:

1. Describe each of the three basic categories of sound (dialogue, sound effects, and music).

Dialogue is when two characters are talking to each other in a scene, people probably forget this aspect because of how much it happens. Sound effects are capable of transitioning the way a viewer consumes the film, making it more intense or allowing for other emotional reactions to occur.  Music can draw out the raw emotion of a scene or a part of a movie because of the relevance and the feelings it gives the viewer during the initial consumption of the music itself.

1. Explain how the different categories of sound are being used in your chosen film.
2. Assess the impact of sound in establishing the theme.
   • How does the use of sound inform the mood of the scene, or the film overall?
   • Can you identify specific sounds in your film that allow you to infer a particular genre?

Since each category of sound may produce a range of effects, how might you characterize the effects in your film? For example, realistic and expected sound effects may have a different effect on a viewer than exaggerated or unexpected ones.

The dialogue that occurs between the man and the woman when they first see the dinosaurs introduces a feeling of disbelief and wonderment. This part of the film gives a small amount of dialogue, but what is said and how it is presented gives a very big feeling for the audience and creates a great atmosphere. The second clip that shows the T-Rex and the banner falling down while a very strong and adventurous song plays in the background gives the audience an idea of how music can really tie together a very big moment in that the dinosaurs have officially taken over.  The effects of the film can be viewed as larger than life, something that is done in order to create an atmosphere that buts the large dinosaurs in the forefront of the viewers mind and makes them the dominating presence that they are.

1. Assess how the scene or sequence would play differently if you changed or removed a key category of sound.

Without the large sounds that the dinosaurs made, the viewer could not have felt how truly large they were and in turn could not have understood how very dangerous they were to the main characters. Taking away that sound gives the audience less of an idea in the importance that these creatures play throughout a very strong movie. Also, the main characters would not have been afraid of the dinosaurs without the sounds that were being distributed throughout the film.

http://movieclips.com/AwVQ-jurassic-park-movie-when-dinosaurs-ruled-the-earth/ Retrieved from Movieclips

http://movieclips.com/cda5-jurassic-park-movie-welcome-to-jurassic-park/  Retrieved from Movieclips

Life of PI

 

The Life of PI’s genre is adventure fiction because of the incredible journey and unrealistic nature of the film. The lighting throughout this movie is mostly high key lighting because of the immense brightness that is consistently present. The impact that this kind of lighting has is huge, the very bright lighting only accentuates the vivid colors and incredible scenes throughout the movie. Because of this use of lighting, the movies genre is able to really present itself and the viewer is transported to a wonderfully adventurous fiction of the most exciting fashions.  I great example of lighting is at the 1:27 mark and that beautifully bright sky, it almost looked like the character was on another planet. That kind of use of lighting really contributes to the overall theme of the movie.

The lighting technique that was used really suited the films genre because it made it whimsical and fantasy like, something that allowed the viewer to feel like they were part of something incredible. If the director decided to use natural light instead of enhancing the parts that they did, the film would certainly feel less big, less amazing. Understanding how to use the light to make something grand and amazing, that is exactly what leads the film into the genre that it is in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7WBfntqUoA Retrieved from YouTube

 

WK 1 BLOG

1. Select a full-length film and identify the title, writer, director, major actors, and the year it was released.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Director:  Frank Darabont

Writers: Stephen King (short story “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”), Frank Darabont (screenplay)

Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman

Summarize the story and plot of your chosen movie.

The plot is about a man who was convicted of murdering his unfaithful wife and is sent to a prison called Shawshank. While there he maintains his innocence and he finally finds his freedom after years of being in prison.

 

The story is about Andy Dufran who did financials for work and one day after he came home he found his wife cheating on him with a local golf pro. The two were later found dead and Andy was convicted of murder and sent to Shawshank prison. While Andy was there he made friends with a character named Red and spend the next several years planning his big escape. After years of loyal work for the warden, Andy finally gained enough trust to get himself into positions to successfully get away. Once he successfully escaped he disappeared into Mexico and left clues for when Red would get out so they could reunite.

Discuss whether your film is presented chronologically or non-linearly. In your discussion, address the following: Was the film presented chronologically or non-linearly? How did this aesthetic choice contribute to the general effect on the audience?How are elements like character development or foreshadowing impacted by the choice of storytelling methods?

The film is presented in a non-linear fashion because there is several scenes where the story reverts back to previous things that occurred prior to the current picture. I think by doing this it gives the viewer of an idea of the character, a chance to make assumptions about the character. But when the movies goes to past scenes it brings light to the character and how the character developed to the current point.

 

If the film had followed a different presentation style, how would the general effect on the audience have been different?

 

I think there would not have been as much drama because the lack of initial knowledge left the viewer wanting more of the character. That desire drove in the development of Andy and I think people enjoyed the character because of it.

 

References

SeverusSnape10. (2010, August 10). The Shawshank Redemption- Escape Andy Dufrense (Video File). Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQSmfzfg2MY

David S Cho. (2006, October 3). The Shawshank Redemption- Interview with Red (Video File). Retrieved from

 

IMDB. (2014, June 13). The Shawshank Redemption Movie. Retrieved from:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/