Short Film Group Podcast

Eisenstein Group Presentations

Group 1 film theory from mcgoverc

Persepolis

                                           

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class, and in reading the text, we have discussed the significance of sounds and camera angles. The scenes in Persepolis uses distinct sounds to intensify the story. Similar to Juno, certain sounds are louder or more intense in some scenes in order to display the significance of the moment. Also, many scenes where Marjane is feeling intense emotion are accompanied by closed in camera angle. The scenes are more zoomed in and her eyes and face dominate the screen.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/movies/25pers.html?_r=0

This article discusses how Persepolis is “a simple story told by simple means.” However, this does not mean it wasn’t a powerful story. The article talks about how Marjane’s story is fierce and intense. She lives a life full of hardships that most people could never dream of surviving. The article also discusses the interesting technique that brought her story to life. The animation brought out the intensity in her story.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

This article goes on to discuss how Persepolis is “frequently somber, but also whimsical and daring....a perfects resistance [to those] who insist the world can only be seen in black and white.” The article reviews how the film tells the agonizing story of Marjane's unstable and heartbreaking upbringing. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

Persepolis is a powerful film that tells a moving story of a young woman whose life is more harrowing than most could ever imagine. Marjane suffers great loss, traumatizing experiences all at a very young age. Her world and her family literally falling apart around her. She witnesses repressive tyranny first hand and refuses to remain silent at this injustice. She is a strong outspoken woman in a society where that is a dangerous quality to have.

Journal 1--When Harry Met Sally

                                                    

1)       Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

One of the main methods of storytelling that this film used was physical spacing. The director used physical spacing between the characters throughout the movie to tell the love story. For example, in the beginning of the film, when Harry and Sally are in the car, there is a lot of distance between them. They are two strangers who couldn’t possibly be more different. Harry and Sally run into each other many years later at a bookstore. Sally stands back a bit, but as soon as Harry reveals he's getting a divorce, she steps closer, literally removing some of the distance between them. Now that they are finally friends, the audience begins to see them bond. They have an intimate late-night phone call, while watching Casablanca, and this shot reflects how close they've become, yet how they are still very much separated. Then, when both characters ultimately end up together for the first time, they instantly go from as close as they've ever been to back to a divided frame. This is exemplified during the phone call with Jesse and Marie. The scene literally and figuratively puts a divide between Harry and Sally. After much time apart, and very little shared screen time, Harry runs to catch Sally, symbolically closing that huge gap between them. In the film’s final scene, the two are now married and sitting next to each other, as close as possible. The director and film crew used phenomenal camera work to emphasize the story between the two.

2)       Find a related article and summarize the content.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/14/when-harry-met-sally-turns-25-director-rob-reiner-reveals-the-secrets-of-the-romcom-classic.html

This article discusses how the writer and director of the film arrived at the actors in the film (Meg Ryan as Sally and Billy Crystal as Harry). It also begins to delve into how certain infamous scenes came together. It maps out how When Harry Met Sally “is the quintessential modern-day romantic comedy; a film that has, for better or worse, reverberated in each and every rom-com since.”

3)       Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

This article gave interesting insight into the creation of When Harry Met Sally. It was fascinating to know that Rob Reiner used personal experience in the making of the movie. This article, and it turn the film as well, has displayed how behavior is motivated by values, norms and standards. When we take Harry and Sally’s relationship and compare it to how our culture has changed over the many years, we can take into count that relationships have changed in a more drastic way. 

4)       Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

The film When Harry Met Sally is a classic film that will be popular for generations to come. It includes two characters that almost anyone can relate to at some point in their life. By creating relatable characters, the films writer and director have given the audience a way to grow closer to the characters as the story went on, because they could relate to the story. With clever and symbolic camera angles, this story was overflowing with representative content that gave the film and its characters many layers to delve through. There are lots of films that describe the romantic relationship between man and woman. Of course, most romantic movies give us something to think about love and our romantic relationship. But I have never seen the movie that describes the romantic relationship as realistic as When Harry Met Sally. This movie offers a funny and poignant view of men, women, sex, love, and friendship. However, the best thing that this film does is to keep the focus on the relationship between two of the opposite sex, being witty and likable. In this movie, even though Harry and Sally are polar opposite, their relationship is gradually developing from a platonic relationship to a romantic relationship. It is clear that those are crucial to development of Harry and Sally's relationship