Big

The film Big, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, and Robert Loggia play the leading roles. To identify them as types of actors, Tom Hanks is a personality actor, Robert Loggia is a character actor, and Elizabeth Perkins is a character actor. Tom Hanks has played many roles and starred in many films in Hollywood; he is a very popular actor. Every movie he plays in seems to have a serious undertone to it. Big however, was a fun film in which he got to play around and act like a kid trapped in an adults body; however, it is short lived and becomes a serious actor as the film progresses. Elizabeth Perkins and Robert Loggia are character actors in this film as they have adapted their roles specifically for this film (American Film Institute, 2008).

As seen in the above video clip, Tom Hanks role in Big begins as a kid having fun in an adult body. Hank’s personality begins to show through as the character begins to play a more serious tone instead of carefree. Hanks, in the end, does not like the carefree adult life, and wishes he could change back to his former self. Elizabeth Perkins in the film identifies with Hanks as they are co-workers. She begins to have feelings for him and likes his childlike spirit.   Her role is playing the part of a woman in the film that likes a man and her personality is not associated with her role in this particular movie. Robert Loggia is also a character actor in this film. His role as a toy company owner and head of FAO Schwartz is a character that Loggia uses his talents in acting to create the persona of MacMillan.

Tom Hanks is a notable actor who has played in numerous starring roles. Most of Tom Hanks roles have a serious undertone involved, which seems to be his personality being incorporated with his role in a film. Starring in films such as Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Saving Private Ryan, and even playing the voice role in the animated film Toy Story, all of his roles in these films have a serious demeanor that is incorporated.

Image courtesy of bubblews.com (Forrest Gump)

 References

American Film Institute. (2008). AFI’s 10 top 10. Retrieved from http://www.afi.com/10top10/moviedetail.aspx?id=18&thumb=3

Image courtesy of bubblews.com

Internet Movie Database –IMDB (www.imdb.com)

YouTube. (2014) Big. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-ARQNTpLy8

Saving Private Ryan

There are three important elements of sound in films today: dialogue, sound effects, and music. Dialogue specifically refers to the conversations between characters. This was not always an element of films as in the era of silent films there was no dialogue. Sound effects refer to any sounds used in the move to create an enhanced identification on what the viewers are seeing (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). Music is a critical element in films as well. Music adds to the drama and helps create the overall mood of the scene; whether it is an opening scene, adding dramatics to the climax of a scene, or a closing scene music is crucial. 

 

In the film Saving Private Ryan all three elements are used numerous times. Dialogue is the most important in this film as the characters interact with each other during time of war. Although voiceovers may get a lot of criticism, voiceovers create more of an impact than a dialogue between two or more characters. This clip provides the perfect elements of a voiceover dialogue. The voiceover creates an uplifting and inspiring mood as the Captain gives a motivational speech to his soldier before he dies.  This clip also incorporates music. The speech provides the audience with a sense that the Captain was very confident he and his team would get Private Ryan back home. The music being played in the background of this speech is used to create a subtle, yet prideful and inspiring mood rather than sorrow and despair. The mission at hand was accomplished and the Captain was prepared whether he saw the mission through or not. The music aids in the emotional aspect scene.

This next clip from the troops storming Omaha Beach begins muffled and sounding distorted. This is due to an explosion that goes off just before this clip starts. The explosion causes the Captain Miller’s hearing to ring and be muffled, which is why the director chose to begin this scene with these elements of sound effects. While the sound is muffled, the audience can still discern the sound effects between the slight ringing and a flamethrower catching fire and exploding. The scene continues with clear sound effects just after a minute in. Immediately after the Captain’s hearing is clear, the audience hears loud explosions, gunshots, and splashing. In the background of the explosions the audience can hear soldiers talking, unable to make out all of the murmurs, this is known as walla. The explosions and gunshots are meant to “accelerate the action” and serve as an adrenaline rush (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The sounds in this scene create a bit of anxiety as the soldiers make their way out of the ocean to the beach, and a feeling of hopefulness. While this can be a difficult scene to watch emotionally, it also creates a mood of sadness watching the soldiers in the background. The color in this scene is desaturated, which also adds to the overall tone of gloominess.

 

Both of these scenes create the genre action. Action is shown throughout the entire movie and its subgenres are drama and war (imdb.com).  These sounds build the effects of the action and war that surrounds the entire movie. If the movie did not have the sound of explosions or gunshots, it would remove a major impact on the film itself. Removing the sounds of war, or the music that inspired the soldiers in the first clip would be detrimental. This film relies heavily on the sounds used to connect the audience with the message of the movie as well as with the characters. In turn, the audience not only connects with the movie, but also is inspires the audience by the soldiers actions and overall tone of the resolution of the film.

References

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

Image curtesy of imdb.com

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv-67DFlOsM

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqSg7WO4tT4

 

 

King Kong (2005)

Lighting is one of the key elements of mise en scene. Since the film King Kong (2005) is a fantasy, it is largely filmed in front of green screen and blue screen. This affects the lighting of the movie. The lighting must be thorough with any scenes that include a green or blue screen; therefore, the lighting used in this movie is filmed with high-key lighting. Goodykoontz & Jacobs define high-key lighting as, “…very bright light over everything, with few shadows and relatively low contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). To create this look with the lighting many bright lights hung over the set, above the area the green/blue screen and actors were recording.

 This lighting technique benefits the theme of the movie. It aids in representing the image that will be created on the green/blue screen. King Kong also uses a wide variety of computer-generated imagery, or CGI, which also plays an important role in the lighting of the film. Since CGI needs to be filmed in front of a green/blue screen, the film is dependent on the lighting being consistent and entirely lit. King Kong appears to be filmed in nature for the majority of the film, so this lighting technique is used carefully to create a natural light effect in the movie.

In this scene, Kong is on the Empire State building being shot at. The building is a scaled down recreated building used on the set and the background is a green screen or a blue screen. Thus, the lighting seems to be a natural sunrise, but it is actually a fully lit studio. If this particular scene was shot on the empire state building in “real time” with natural lighting this would be known as the golden hour. Goodykoontz & Jacobs write, “ the golden hour, also known as the magic hour (although it actually lasts only about 20 minutes), is the term used for the time of day just before the sunrise and the time just after the sunset, when colors appear more warm, almost glowing, and there are no shadows, since the sun is not in the sky” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). This demonstrates how this film could have played out this scene to capture the lighting. Instead, it was decided for the film to focus more on the green/blue screen and CGI techniques, which ultimately affects the lighting that is shown in the final cut of the film.

References

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

[Untitled photograph of King Kong: Behind the Scenes]. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from: http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9dnjzU32I1rdzko8o1_500.png

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoD85qZhkWY

 

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz was always a well-loved movie in my household growing up. The writers, Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson, worked with directors Victor Fleming and King Vidor to produce this movie, which was released in February of 1939. The main character is Judy Garland who plays Dorothy.

The movie begins in black and white and is set on an old farm in Kansas. In this scene a tornado forms and destroys the farm. Dorothy, who is hiding, gets hit on the head and knocked unconscious. The tornado picks up Dorothy’s farm house and places it in a new world- one filled with vibrant colors. When she awakes, she meets Glinda, the good with of the North, who gives her red ruby slippers of the witch her house fell on. Dorothy is told by Glinda to follow the yellow brick road to see Oz in Emerald City, but to be weary of the Wicked With of the West who will try to steal the red slippers. Along the way to the Emerald City she meets a talking lion in search of courage, a tinman searching for a heart, and a scarecrow who has no brain. As they continue their journey to Emerald City, the four run into conflicts created by the Wicked Witch of the West who is after the red ruby slippers. Ultimately, the four characters arrive in Emerald City to meet with Oz. Oz gives Dorothy a hot air balloon to return home. When she wakes up from her trip home, she is in her bed with her family at her side. The film is in black and white again and the audience believes all along Dorothy had been dreaming.

The film seems to be in chronological order, sequenced in order from start to finish. As the film comes to an end it is apparent that the film had actually been conveying Dorothy’s dream after she was knocked unconscious. The film does not appear to be non-linear order. Although Dorothy appears to be dreaming, her dream ends with her clicking her heels saying, “there’s no place like home”, which sends her home and then she wakes up. The aesthetic choice of only Dorothy’s dreaming revealing color has a significant meaning and impact on the audience. Showing color during her dream allows the story to build further and create a new dynamic of rich, vivid scenes, as well as intensify the drama.

The film presents foreshadowing in the beginning before and during the tornado. Before the tornado comes Dorothy has a small conflict with a neighbor, Miss Gulch. As the tornado takes Dorothy’s house she sees Miss Gulch outside her window and she begins to turn into the Wicked Witch of the East. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Dorothy is upset at Miss Gulch’s accusations and tells her Aunt she wishes she were in a place where there was no trouble. Dorothy then begins to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which gives the audience insight to Dorothy’s longing for a place where everything is perfect; a place where there is no trouble. When she wakes up, she is in an enchanted place far away.

I believe the film would have an overall different presentation style it would have affected the storyline in a negative way. If the film had all been in color or only in black and white, the dream would have less of an impact on the audience. The chronological order also works perfectly with this film. If the order had been non-linear the ending may have been revealed or parts of the journey to Emerald City would have been insignificant.

This clip shows Dorothy leaving her farm house and entering the new brightly, colored Land of Oz.

 

This clip is a song “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” which shows Dorothy beginning to follow the yellow brick road.

 

References

American Film Institute. (2008). AFI’s 10 top 10. Retrieved from http://www.afi.com/10top10/

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6D8PAGelN8

YouTube. (2014). Movieclips [Video Channel]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Rn6vAWMbA