Discussion Question

Question: 1

As Bordwell and Thompson discuss, genres are loosely defined sets of conventions, rather than rigid codes. Of even more interest to us, possibly, is the practice of genre-mixing: taking elements from more than one genre, and incorporating them into a film, to add to its complexity, and to engage us in a more sophisticated way.

What genre conventions do find at work in The Matrix? Be specific, and provide examples.

Question 02:

The implicit meaning of Requiem for a Dream can be read as a meditiation on the isolation, pain, and loss that comes with addiction, and the damage it wreaks on human relationships. This film is highly stylized, especially in terms of editing: there is very little in terms of continuity editing, using instead montage sequences, split-screen shots, motion effects, repetition, superimposition, and so on, to create the meaning of this film.  Think for a moment what the film might have been like, if it had been edited in strict spatial and temporal continuity.  The stylized editing is what drives the intensity of this film (along with brilliant sound design).

Considering the graphic, rhythmic spatial, and temporal relations between shots, speed, and continutity editing, explain what effect one or more of these editing relations/effects helps to create the meaning of the film.  

Please also consider:  while we care about these characters, we do not "know" them, or have a clear sense of who they are as people.  Without that kind of information (which is usually critical to developing sympathy/empathy for a character), how does the editing contribute to our emotional involvement with the film?

Number of Pages: One each

APA format

Deadline: 12 hours