Category: Writing

Posted on

External essay practice

Diegetic sound-

Establishing shot-

Lighting-

Analyze how language features were used to create an interesting or unusual setting

Setting is a pivotal aspect of every film, consistently providing a thought-provoking area of any visual text, bringing the audience to think more deeply about a scene and its deeper meaning, helping them gain a more complete understanding of themes the film is trying to convey. In the film “Fargo”, directed by the Coen brothers, many film techniques are used to enhance the ideas behind settings, in turn

Posted on

Who is your character and where is it happening?

What is your inciting inciting incident and how do you get there?

Where do you cross the threshold?

How does action rise?

When does your main character get knocked down?

Why does your character get back up?

It was another bleak, white morning in Fargo, North Dakota when he was getting ready to

Posted on

English 2.4-Jack Miller

When someone makes a decision, they base it in accordance with a small extent of different factors. A major component of the decision-making process for many people, especially the better ones, is morality. Morality is defined as “principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong” or essentially, ones’ judgment between what is bad or good. In the Coen Brothers’ 1996 film “Fargo”, the conception of morality and the consequences that face those who lack it is illustrated through the manipulation of various film techniques throughout. Examples of such cinematography can be identified in the film from examples such as the presentation of the character of Norm consistently being shown in a two-shot mid shot with his wife Margie, which illustrates those who have solid morals will be rewarded for such favorable qualities, or when a mid shot through blinds aimed at the lying Jerry foreshadows him being thrown in prison for his deceitful ways, conversely, through the absence of accents of the bounty hunters from the story, it can be observed that unlike the rest of the cast, who possess thick accents, these characters are particularly violent, and are punished accordingly.

The first film technique that illustrates the idea of morality and its consequences is the constant portrayal of Norm always by his wife’s side. It can be observed throughout the film that a special effort is made to consistently portray Norm, Margie’s husband, in a two-shot with her. This can be observed early in the visual text when Margie is leaving for work. Despite the fact that they are in different rooms, the couple is shown in a long shot two shot. This is not, it should be noted, an isolated occurrence in the film. In every scene that Norm is present, he can be seen next to Margie. A two shot is used to show equality between characters, to show the viewer that the characters in the shot have a sense of mutual respect- It can be consequently deducted from this, that Norm is a faithful, caring husband who loves Margie very much and will not leave her side. It is shown and implied by this that Norm is a man with good, strong morals, and for this, the film’s plotline rewards him. Unlike the majority of the main cast, who end up in prison, or dead, the film shows, through the use of a simple two-shot mid-shot, the importance of knowing the value family, not money, not power. The happy couple who knew that being loyal and trustworthy, unlike the villains of the plot, such as Jerry, who risked his wife’s wellbeing merely because of money, or Gaear, who killed a friend for a similar reason. As Margie said, “ And for what? For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. ” The directors show through this line from Margie that she and her husband have the same, family-before-money morals, something which directly, in the end, leads them to be the only characters who have a happy ending – they are rewarded for a true, steadfast grasp on the idea of morality.

The following facet to be analyzed from the visual text that is bestowed upon the audience by the film’s directors is the use of an eye-level mid shot through some blinds present in Jerry Lundegaard’s office and their representation of the prison bars Jerry is going to have to face because of his lack of a moral compass. As this scene is shot, Jerry is on the phone to the loan officer, lying about the cars that they have bought, and where one of them is. The film, in this section, is showing the audience that Jerry lying is trapping him more and more within his plan, and the more he diverts away from his morals simply in order to gain some money. He sacrifices what he believes in, the people he loves’ safety, for his own personal gain. He does not stop to question what he is doing, which shows an absence of all morality within. He cares not of others, but only about what he needs to do to obtain what material goods he desires. Using the blinds as a metaphor or for foreshadowing shows that in the Coen’s universe, those who stray from the path of righteousness receive punishment for their sins.

In addition to the previously scrutinized use of cinematography of the Coen brothers’ film, “Fargo” to present the interpretation of people’s morality and the consequences that correlate with each character’s sense of the importance of it. An interesting use of film techniques that the directors have implemented throughout the film is the presence of the use of dialogue in the form of accents that some characters possess, especially the difference between those who live in Brainerd, who have thick accents in comparison with the hitmen, who do not have them. To be understood what is meant through this seemingly pointless film technique and use of dialogue, the natures of the characters must be examined. When the viewer compares Margie Gunderson, someone who has an accent, with a character such as Gaear, the reason for this use of dialogue becomes blatantly apparent to the audience. Margie possesses an accent, and compared with Gaear, is a very different character altogether. Gaear is shown to be a violent, constantly cursing man, someone with no morality or remorse when it comes to these violent tendencies, a stark contrast with the kind, peaceful Margie, who is barely shown to display any anger or violent tendencies throughout the film, even when she shoots Gaear- It was what was demanded by her job to prevent the criminal from eluding capture. The point that accents relate directly to ones’ morality when it comes to violence can be observed throughout the film, and it can also be clearly observed. Whilst Jerry did get caught by the police, he was not shot, because unlike Gaear or Carl, he never displayed any kind of violent tendencies, never killed or even swore like the two hitmen. As a result of his morality in this sense, he did not have to suffer through anything such as a bullet wound throughout the duration of the story. Through the portrayal of this concept, the Coens have shown the audience that in this world it is far better to always look for the non-violent approach even when in trying times, one should never resort to injuring another human, as the consequences will be dire.

Morality is an idea of huge importance for humans. Whilst the world may be filled with those who are willing to forget about it in order for personal gain, there also, whilst rarer, those who will never divert from what they know is right in order to obtain anything. These people are the ones that keep the world running smoothly, and without them, the human race would inevitably collapse into a churning messy ocean of anarchy, filled with violent, deceitful and selfish creatures. The Coen brothers set out to show through their film “Fargo” that whilst the path of fewer morals can be, in the short term, profitable, it is those who keep on the righteous path that ultimately benefits and will reap the rewards of the hard work they put into life. To present such an idea to their viewers, the Coens use various film techniques, such as consistently presenting a character to be faithfully at his wife’s side, or using a mid shot through blinds aimed at someone in the process of lying to foreshadow that the blinds will become prison bars as a result of his lack of morality. Another technique explored and exploited by the directors in the visual text was dialogue, where characters with accents had more morals than those without, resulting in those without, who possessed far more violent personalities to face harsher punishments for their lack of respect for other peoples wellbeing, and although they knew that their actions were unjust, they committed them anyway.

Posted on

ANALYSE HOW CHARACTERS WERE USED TO EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF JUSTICE

In the text, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, the author uses justice as a main theme in the plot. In the text, an unknown person invites ten people who have committed unpunishable but still terrible crimes. One by one, each of the ten people are picked off in parallel with a poem that is hung on each of the guest’s rooms. It is revealed at the closing of the story that the guests were killed in order of guilt they felt for the committing of their crimes. Christie uses characters to present and explore the idea that people’s perception of reasonable justice are very subject to bias which can come from religious bias, like Emily Brent, who through her religious beliefs believed it was reasonable to throw a young, pregnant lady out just because of the fact she was pregnant before marriage, leading to the woman’s suicide, or Mr. Justice Wargrave, who believes all eventualities of a loss of life should be punished in the same way. He disregards any other factors of the killing, such as intent, or actual coldbloodedness of the killing, such as Vera Claythorne and Dr. Armstrong. Their crimes were very different, one being an accident, and the other was a cold-blooded killing of a young boy, and yet, they receive the same punishment. Another character Christie uses to present this idea is General MacArthur. General Mac Arthur is used to present the idea that as well as religious or workplace beliefs, emotion can also impair one’s view of justice- when he discovers his friend is having an affair with his wife, he sends his friend to die on the battlefield during the war.

The first character Christie explores the idea of the changeable perception of justice using the character Miss Emily Brent. Brent is an older lady who is very religious and set in her ways. She is proper and condescending towards those who don’t act in a similar manner such as Beatrice Taylor, a young woman who lived with and worked for her. When Beatrice, got pregnant, Brent fired her and kicked her out of her house. In despair, Beatrice committed suicide, killing herself and the unborn baby. Emily Brent is used to show how drastically religion can affect someone’s perception of what is right and just. When Mrs Claythorne asks Brent if she blamed herself for the young woman’s suicide, Brent “Drew herself up”, saying she believed she had nothing to do with it. This shows how much Brent’s religious beliefs had blinded her from any sight of what she had caused, her righteous, religious sense of justice essentially stopped her from having any conscience following the suicide. Christie, through the use of Brent, showed how much religion can have a part in someone’s sense of justice.

The following character in Agatha Christie’s murder mystery, “And Then There Were None” that she used to present the idea that one’s sense of justice can be significantly manipulated by their beliefs or background is Mr. Justice Wargrave. Justice Wargrave is revealed at the final stages of the text to be the murderer, the person who lured the people onto the island to be killed. Wargrave says in his confession letter that he chose each and everyone on the island because of a crime they had each committed but was untouchable by the law. Wargrave was a judge for most of his life, from which he had gained a reputation as a “hanging judge” he, through his career, had gained a perspective on justice that essentially revolves around the idea of retributive justice, or “an eye for an eye” each of the people he chose had done something that had ended in another person’s unjust death, and the way Wargrave saw it, they all deserved to pay with their lives for what they had done, regardless of intent, or how many people they had actually killed. Christie uses Wargrave in the story to show that even someone’s career can greatly affect their perception of justice.

Another character in “And then there were none” that the author uses to explore the idea of the changeable nature of someone’s perception of justice can be largely impacted by their surroundings is Vera Claythorne. Vera is used to show that although justice should be looked at impartially, emotions can often cloud a person’s vision of what is right. Vera was a nanny for a family, who had a young child. Whilst caring for the child, Vera met and fell in love with the boy’s uncle, and they wanted to be married, and even though her lover was from a wealthy family, all the money was to go to the young boy, however, Claythorne killed the young boy by essentially drowning him, meaning her lover would become the heir to the fortune, but, she was suspected by the man, and so they were never married. Using Claythorne, Christie shows how twisted and distorted someone’s idea of justice can become when they allow their perception of what is just to be controlled by emotions. In Vera’s case, she believed, out of essentially love, that the young boy should be killed because he was going to receive the money. Although he did nothing wrong, he was punished greatly for no good reason other than hate and a hysterical view of justice. Claythorne is also a great example of how, too often, money can also become an all too powerful factor in one’s judicial instincts.

In the written text, “And Then There Were None’, written by Agatha Christie, characters are used to present the idea that people’s views and perceptions of justice can be largely affected by many external factors, such as in the case of the character Emily Brent, religion, in the case of Vera Claythorne, emotion and money, and for Mr. Justice Wargrave, his workplace. The text shows its’ readers that people’s ideas of what is just and right can be affected greatly by a great many different factors and that remaining impartial to someone who has committed a crime can be incredibly challenging and often doesn’t happen, and the people on the wrong end of the poor judgment can pay dearly for something that sometimes isn’t actually that bad.

Posted on

1.8 Significant connections-Jack Miller

Illusion is a tool that can be used by those who believe that their real self isn’t good enough, and they realize that they cannot change that, or, it can be forced upon someone, hiding who they truly are and giving people who are too lazy to look past the surface, but quick to judge anyway the complete wrong impression. In the 1920’s in America, society was extremely judgmental and did not care so much about who you are, but where you came from. This reality leads many people who came from less fortunate backgrounds to essentially recreate themselves, change the image that the world saw before them. Throughout his writing, F.Scott. Fitzgerald has used this idea that people use illusion to create a better and entirely different image of themselves, and how this recreation, no matter how true it is stuck to, often comes to a violent or unfortunate end. This idea of a character using illusion to present a what they consider a more favorable version of themselves is often used as a somewhat central idea, often the main characters of the story having something about themselves they are going to lengths to hide from the judgmental, prying eyes of  the 1920’s society, examples of this being stories such as “The Great Gatsby”, “Winter Dreams”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, or “Diamond as Big as the Ritz”.

Dexter Green wants to play golf with those he once caddied for, and he wants to make himself what he considers “good enough” for the beautiful Judy Jones, a girl he fell in love with at the age of fourteen. Dexter leaves his small hometown in search of higher education. He gets rich and returns to Black Bear years later. Dexter has created an illusion of himself, a version that he considers as superior in every way, one that he believes will be viewed as more highly by society, one that will be respected more, not who he used to be, no, he keeps that hidden behind an obscuring layer of time, hidden away from everyone forever. Here Fitzgerald presents to the reader the fact that people will hide their pasts in an attempt to create a more convincing image of themselves, an image more favorable to the extremely judgmental and class-based society of the 1920’s in America. Throughout the story, “Dexter was unconsciously dictated to by his winter dreams.” showing that the illusion that he created, this dream that he had, drove him to what he did, to what he became, he dreamed of being better than everyone else, but he doesn’t realize that he can’t have Judy, because no matter who he was, there would still be ten other people who circulated around her.

Even the super-rich Jay Gatsby didn’t have everything. He had a huge mansion, threw extravagant parties with hundreds of guests, and all the pleasantries of being the richest of the rich, he still didn’t have one thing. This one thing he didn’t have was the one thing he couldn’t really buy with money, but it was the reason he worked so hard to get. He completely changed who he was for this thing. When Jay Gatsby met Daisy, he was a poor soldier, and she was a wealthy daughter of a politician, but he loved her and wanted more than anything to be with her, “So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent”, he created the elaborate illusion that he was someone else someone that at his young age he admired, who thought would be sure to be good enough for Daisy, just as Dexter Green for Judy Jones,  “…and to this conception he was faithful to the end.”. Across these books, the author has used the idea that people will go to great lengths to re-create themselves so they can have a chance with the “golden girl” even in the case of Gatsby if that means dying for it, though often the golden girl is careless and shallow, and not worth the transcendent efforts that characters such as Gatsby and Dexter have both put their lives into.

Living a backward life, the protagonist of “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, Benjamin Button has not created an illusion to hide his true self, but instead his outward appearance is physically different from what is inside, he is not the person that he physically appears to be, just as the super-rich Jay Gatsby is just a poor farm boy, instead of what any onlooker would simply deduct. Benjamin on the outside (apart from the middle of his life self) is always different from what he appears, not in manor and clothing such as Gatsby, but in physical age. He is always someone different to what everyone sees him as, he goes through life being treated differently to everyone else his whole life, just as Gatsby is respected and treated as more or less an elite class citizen instead of the poor farm boy he actually is, just as Benjamin is treated as he looks, not as his actual age, such as the time he was sitting underneath the table with daisy late at night, and her grandmother catches them, “You are not to be playing together! Play with people your  own age…!” Benjamin is told off for playing with Daisy as if it is creepy, even though they are about the same age, but just because Benjamin looks different, just because of the illusion that he cannot escape, an illusion of age, he is treated differently because of his appearance, just as Gatsby is treated differently because of his physical appearance. F. Scott. Fitzgerald uses these protagonists to illustrate to the audience that the 1920’s society was an extremely judgmental place, people quick to judge someone based on their outward appearance.

Brought up in  a huge, hidden, shimmering palace in the Montana rockies, Percy Washington attends St Midas school, a prestigious school on the East coast. There he meets John, and so he invites him to his house. At St Midas, no one really knows where Percy came from, but on the train to his house, he reveals who he really is to John. He tells John that his father is the richest man in the world, and that his house is built on a diamond mountain. All his life, Percy has had to live his life in secret, because if the existence of the diamond would crash their value world-wide, and his father would lose his fortune. The house is guarded by AA guns, and the Washington family is willing to kill and kidnap to keep it a secret. Like Benjamin, Percy has been essentially trapped inside an inescapable illusion, keeping to himself, not being able to live a normal life and have proper friends like a normal person, “he kept aloof from the other boys”, he, like Benjamin is being forced to live his life in a way that means having his proper childhood changed because of a situation that was entirely not up to him, he spends his life trapped behind an impenetrable barrier of an illusion that is used by his father to hide and protect his fortune from the world.

In F.Scott.Fitzgerald’s writing, he uses the idea of his main characters’ lives being changed dramatically by illusions, that they have either created for themselves, or have had forced upon them. Either way, society has treated them differently because of their outward appearance, and these illusions, these lies they have been portraying across to society for most of their lives often end in explosive failure, they often end badly for the character, and yet, for these people, they present an impossible challenge, because without these illusions, these lies, they cannot be happy, or for those who have no choice but to live a life behind a wall of deceit find it hard to be happy. Across his writing, F.Scott.Fitzgerald presents illusion as a concept that can change people’s lives, but will ultimately collapse in on itself, and the person it involves.

Posted on

Definitions of some film stuff

Mise en Scene- The arrangement of all elements of a scene e.g props, scenery etc. The visual arrangement of everything in the frame

Lighting- The way a shot or scene is lit- usually used to communicate an idea to the audience 

Symbolism- When an object or entity in a film is used to represent an idea

Camera shots- Different camera shots are used to communicate different ideas or moods about the subject matter from different perspectives

Sound-Everything the viewer hears in a movie- dialogue, music sound effects. Diagenic- not added Non-Diagenic-added in

Dialogue- A conversation between two or more characters. If there’s only one person its a monologue. An essential part of most movies

Voice over/narration-Voice overs can be used to give the viewer an idea of whats going on in a scene that would otherwise not make sense, can also be used to let the viewer know what the narrator is thinking

Music-Music can be used to add a dramatic effect or music can also be used to set the mood

Montage- Can be used to cover the progression of something that happens gradually over a shorter amount of time, to keep the pace from slowing down

Flashbacks-Flashbacks are used to show the characters past, which can help the viewer understand why they are like they are at the present point for example why there is conflicts between certain characters.

Posted on

The winter dreams/gatsby similartities

Gatsby The winter dreams
Gatsby started from nothing, and learnt how to be rich and he became rich. Gatsby started out extremely poor, so he left at age 17 to make something of himself. He sailed around with a guy and then joined the army and fell in love with daisy. He went to war and after that he met another guy who taught him how to be rich, and so he became extremely rich with drug stores and then he moved to New York. Dexter came from nothing and made himself wealthy. Dexter started out as a caddy at a golf club earning 30 dollars a month. He then goes and becomes rich, with a laundry company, he then comes back and falls in love with judy. But she keeps leading like 10 guys on so
Gatsby fell in love with a popular girl that he couldn’t really have. Dexter fell in love with a popular girl that he couldn’t be with because of the kind of person she is- never wanting to settle down.
Symbolismf
Posted on

Valley of ashes practice essay

In the book, “The Great Gatsby”, written by F.Scott Fitzgerald, the Valley of the Ashes helps the reader better understand the idea of the failure of the American dream through the valley of the ashes. The valley of ashes is the area of New York where the city’s ashes is dumped. A glum place, described by Nick as “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. When Nick describes the area to have “ridges and hills”, it paints a picture that the there is a lot of ashes, a lot of people being let down by the dream, and the amount is forever growing, as shown by “fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat”, and the line “with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” shows that people are run down, tired, and fairly hopeless, only being pushed on by this faint hope, a hope, perhaps, only based on a distant dream obscured and distorted by the constant “impenetrable cloud” that they themselves create, maybe because the dream is the only thing they have that keeps them going. The American is that everybody should have equal opportunity, as long as they work hard for it. However, the valley of Ashes shows that this is not happening, that this is not true. This is shown by the fact that the people living there are working hard everyday, and they are still there, the dream failing more and more people day by day, and then there are people like Tom and Daisy, who have never worked a day in their lives and are extremely wealthy.