jogray61

Hoosiers
Cast
Norman Dale – Gene Hackman
Dennis Hopper – Shooter Fletch
Barbara Hershey – Myra Fleener

The three different types of acting categories are Stylized, Realism and Method. Although each has its qualities, I think that there is a bit of crossover between them. The film that I chose to classify different actor types is Hoosiers. Hoosiers is the story of a man who comes to a small town to coach the basketball team with a past. Along the way he deals with the towns people, falls in love, and builds a team then wins a state title gaining redemption.

The actors I chose was Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey, three different roles with possible three types of acting categories. Gene Hackman as Coach Dale showed the realism aspect of acting making us feel that he was the coach and we the audience were listening to him in the huddle. http://movieclips.com/Mu8K-hoosiers-movie-jimmys-final-shot/ It looks like he may even use some method acting principals possibly drawing from some life experience but he made it look real. This as opposed to his role and acting in Get Shorty. http://movieclips.com/qwHh2-get-shorty-movie-look-at-me/ This to me was a more stylized acting form, he does not seem realistic or as it states in our text it is “bringing attention to that actor”(Goodykoontz, & Jacobs, 2014).

Dennis Hopper played the role of Shooter Fletch the town drunk and does an amazing job (nominated for a best supporting actor role). His performance made you believe he was a drunk with so many demons from describing missing the shot when he was in high school to not being able to coach the first time when his chance came. http://movieclips.com/Mt5h6-hoosiers-movie-coach-offers-shooter-a-job/ . In the clip he does a believable job and possible using method acting by remembering something in his past personal or professional to motivate him.
The final actress is Barbara Hershey Myra Fleener the coaches love interest and the woman who doesn’t want the star player to play. She too does a very good job mixing the two acting types of Method and Realism trying to be the person who has gone outside of the small town and doesn’t what a young man to end up there like her and Coach Dale. This uses both making it real and showing she could have pulled from experiences in her life that made that role for her. http://movieclips.com/KSAZ-hoosiers-movie-i-play-coach-stays/

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc

Jaws

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown

Based on Jaws by Peter Benchley

Music by John Williams

Edited by Verna Fields

Cinematography by Bill Bulter

Released June 20, 1975

Jaws is a modern day horror/thriller film, I say this because the roots are founded in the old
Frankenstein movie. You know the plot, the possible sighting of the great monster (shark) and there is only one person that believes this tale. So our hero says “let’s go out and find this monster”, right?

The film is based on Peter Benchley novel and Steven Spielberg directed this film. This is the story about a giant man eating great white shark that attacks a New England town. The police chief of the town goes out to hunt the shark with the help of a marine biologist and professional shark hunter.

The music in this movie moves the story along almost to the point if you hear a certain melody you feel like you are in the water enjoying yourself with friends. In movies this is called the score. “ The background mood music that accompanies the action on the screen, usually composed specifically for a film but sometimes partly or entirely compiled from existing music” (Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C., 2014). You can hear the music that makes you feel comfortable then, you hear that oh so famous dun…dunt. With that music you know of impending danger and as the pace of the background, music increases and the feeling is that the shark is getting closer and closer. Include the view from the shark point of view and the editing of scenes, the frantic splashing around and screaming of the intended victims. These sound effects splashing water can either make the scene dramatic with the shark being near or fun with laughter as the families are enjoying the beach. Also being out in the ocean is such a lonely feeling when there is nothing around except for endless water. Using this sound creates the feeling of isolation, just you and the shark.

The clip I chose was of Brady the chief feeling like both of his friends gone and he is all alone, secluded. All quite except from the ringing of the bell as the boat sinks. Eerily quiet, again no sound. Water hitting the boat, and without any noise, Shark! The music then tell the story, first the shark is coming the ever familiar dun..dunt, faster dun ..dunt. He climbs up to the crow’s nest the music changes briefly with an encouraging upbeat music, then…the shark approaches, and faster and faster the music grows louder and more frequent. He shoots, misses as the bullet whistles through the water. Music grows again… louder, faster. The boats engine cries out as it succumbs to the water with a hissing sound. Finally, our protagonist shoots and hits the tank in the sharks mouth. Explosion! And with that, music plays a melody that reminds of relief as the shark floats in the ocean.

http://movieclips.com/V75p-jaws-movie-brody-kills-the-beast/

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc

In watching “The Outlaw Josey Wales” I have to believe most of the scenes were filmed with natural light this makes the setting feel more authentic and true to the western genre. The natural light enhances the characters as they ride through scenes and interact with each other. This natural lighting usually comes from above- the sun or moon in outdoor scenes, ceiling lights in typical indoor scenes (Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. 2014). Many of the indoor scenes are also done by natural light, with the exception of any gunfight or intense scenes. Those intense scenes may use low-key lighting. Low key lighting is often used for these intense or dramatic scenes. This type of lighting will have one light source usually from the back of the main character (Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. 2014). It happened in two of the gunfights during the movie.
I also believe the use of different lighting brings the true west perspective to the audience. Using photography with changed lighting can make the characters standout, so they will be noticed. I believe this is instrumental as you want the main characters not to get overlooked by the beautiful back rounds. The photography and lighting of this movie was best described by Roger Ebert. He stated” Here, with the moody, gloomily beautiful, photography of Bruce Surtees, he creates a magnificent Western feeling” (Ebert, R. 1976).

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc
Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1976). “The Outlaw Josey Wales”. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 29, 2010.

1. Select a full length film and identify the title, writer, director, major actors and release date. 

Title:

The Shawshank Redemption

Writer:

Stephen King & Frank Darabont

Director:

Frank Darabont

Major Actors:

Tim Robbins – Andy Dufresne

Morgan Freeman – Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding

Bob Gunton – Warden Norton

Release Date:

1994

2. Summarize the story and plot of your chosen movie 

Story

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) is a story of two men that meet at Shawshank Prison in 1947. One of them is a convicted murderer and one convicted but maintains he is innocent.  During their seventeen years together Andy (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman) become best friends.  They endure all the ups and downs that prison entails from solitary confinement and physical abuse. Throughout the film they encounter a number of friends and enemies who help to build both their characters, some of these friends/enemies lives end in death and others end in freedom.

Plot

Banker Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover and sentenced to consecutive life sentences at Shawshank State Penitentiary. Andy befriends prison, Ellis “Red” Redding, an inmate serving a life sentence for committing murder as a teen. Andy and Red become close friends as Red provides Andy with many things including pictures of starlets and a rock hammer for carving stones.

Warden Samuel Norton meets Andy after he finds out that Andy has a skill that the warden can use, he knows much about taxes and it’s regulations. Warden Norton moves him (Andy) to the prison library and as an intellect he thrives with one minor bump. He plays an opera song over the loud speakers and locks the door the library, and the prisoners love it.  Andy’s also begins helping a guard with his financial management which leads to helping most of the prison employees. Throughout the years, the Warden begins using Andy to handle finances for himself and other wardens, some of these dealings were the laundering of money of kickbacks from shady financial deals and using prisoners for public works.

Tommy was a prisoner who begins associating himself with Red and Andy’s group. Andy helped him study and pass his G.E.D. and gave him confidence. Later during their time together Tom flashes back to a conversation Tommy had with an inmate from his former prison that states that he killed “an accountant’s wife and her boyfriend”. Andy takes this information to Warden Norton hoping to get a new trial. Instead, the warden kills Tommy and sends Andy to solitary for two months.

Andy returns from solitary confinement and tells Red the famous line of get “busy living or get busy dying. This phrase is closely related to the presence or absence of hope, and serves as a reminder that if you do not keep moving in prison, you risk becoming institutionalized,’’(Alber, 2011). Red and Andy’s friends talk and they all feel like Andy is going to do drastic. He asks for a rope from one of his friends and now they know that something is not right. That night a storm comes and Red states it “was the longest night of his life”.

In the morning the guards find Andy’s cell empty. A furious warden throws a rock at one of the posters hanging on the wall, and the rock tears through the poster realizing a tunnel that Andy dug with his rock hammer. In a flashback it shows Andy escaping through the tunnel, and crawling thru the prison’s sewage pipe to reach freedom. Andy using Norton’s suit and shoes cashes a check while turning in the warden who ultimately kills himself.

In the end we find Red getting paroled from prison, not confident making it in the regular world and decides to get busy living by finding Andy in Mexico

3. Discuss whether your film is presented chronologically or non-linearly

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

The movie was presented chronologically, as it followed the main characters throughout the time that they served in jail. Although the majority of the film was presented chronologically, there were a few flashbacks throughout the film, these were done to explain how the characters ended up in a unique situations.  The flashbacks in the film are instrumental, and peak the audience interest. For example, explaining how Andy ended up in prison, or his friend telling him about the prisoner confessing to killing Andy and his wife.  But the most telling was the flashback of Red explaining how Andy escaped.  This aesthetic choice is unique to this film, not because it is the only film that has ever done it, but rather it is a film that uses them well to tie up loose ends and bridge connections. The chronological order really allows the viewer to follow the character development throughout the film, especially in Andy’s case. It is very important to understand the main character and how he changes the longer that he stays in prison. As we as an audience watch characters evolve, we begin to bond with them, relate to them and become more invested in the film itself. Character development is important but foreshadowing is also very important for this film. Seeing the end followed by the how, builds audience suspense and allows the viewer to look forward to every part of the film.

Resources

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmzuHjWmXOc

ALBER, JAN. Journal of Popular Culture. Apr2011, Vol. 44 Issue 2, p217-232. 16phttp://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=38735390-1d25-4f41-9265-c6ae3226f04d%40sessionmgr4002&vid=8&hid=4113