Movie Review-the red ballon

Watch The Red Balloon 1956 ‧ Fantasy/Family ‧

movie, then address three of the following questions. You may also take the conversation in new directions. Be sure to apply concepts studied in this week's reading and respond to at least one other student's original post. Must: Addresses prompts in depth and detail. Points are insightful, objective, and supported by specific, relevant examples from the movie. The post clearly demonstrates careful viewing of the assigned movie. Correctly applies multiple concepts studied, clearly demonstrating careful reading of the assigned chapter(s). The post uses vocabulary and ideas from the reading, and it references specific pages (with in-text citation: the page number in parentheses). The reference does not repeat what another student has already posted. Any borrowed language is in quotation marks, though the post does not over-rely on quotations.

RULES WHEN WRITING ABOUT A MOVIE: • The title of a movie should be in italics: Juno -- not

"Juno." • Discuss events in the film itself in present tense, as if

they are still going on. ◦ correct: "Dorothy clicks her heels together" ◦ incorrect: "Dorothy clicked her heels together."

• Refer to characters by their names in the movie, e.g. "William Munny" rather than "Clint Eastwood" – unless you are discussing Eastwood’s acting.

• When writing about actors, refer to them by their last name, e.g. "Norris" rather than "Chuck."

• Provide specific examples from the movies to support your ideas. For example, if you claim that “Benjamin Braddock seems disconnected from members of his generation,” add the reasons you have drawn this conclusion: “Nobody his own age attends his graduation party; all the guests seem to be his parents’ friends. The film never shows him in contact with friends of his own. When Benjamin and Elaine go the hamburger stand, he appears annoyed by the music and behavior of the younger people in the next car, and he raises the roof of his convertible to escape them.”

• The terms "film" and "movie" are interchangeable. • Do not address the reader as “you.” For example, if

someone writes, “You see how Juno changes her mind” – well, maybe the reader didn’t see it! Rephrasing suggestions: ◦ “The film shows us Juno’s attitude when . . .” ◦ “Viewers may observe that . . ." ◦ “We might notice . . .” ◦ “Juno acts differently, starting when she . . .” or,

• Don’t start sentences with or over-used phrases like “I think” or “I feel” or “I believe” or "to me” or “ in my opinion.” Readers assume that your answers represent your thoughts, feelings, and inferences. Write in third person as much as possible.

• Do not refer to film-makers as "they," as in, "They use a lot of dark lighting" or "They want you to feel the protagonist's misery." People have specific jobs in

making a movie, e.g. director, screenwriter, cinematographer, or editor. To refer to the combined efforts of everyone involved, refer to the film as a whole, e.g. "The movie has a lot of dark lighting," or, "The film helps us experience the protagonist's misery through the dark lighting and by showing us events through her point of view."

QUESTIONS 1. Dialogue is rare, yet the human voice is used often in

unique ways in this film. What tones and moods are created by the human voice? Provide specific examples. Keep in mind that the audience will receive the full effect even without English subtitles.

2. What is the purpose of silence in the film? Specifically, think about the scene towards the end of the film.

3. Why types of music are used in the film? What mood do they help create?

4. How are environmental sounds used in the film? Notice that the director seldom combines environmental sounds with music or the human voice.

5. How does sound create a mood and advance the plot in the scene where the balloon goes in the little boy's classroom? How does sound help advance the plot in other scenes?

Film Vocabulary

Art director Production designer Framing Closed frame Open frame Moving frame On location Set Sound stage Cinematic language Shot Editing Cut Fade in/fade out Cutting on action Implicit meaning Explicit meaning Cultural Invisibility Form Theme Motif Point of view Content Form Formalism Cinematic language Mediation

Verisimilitude Realism Anti-realism Mise-en-scene Narrative Frame Shot Sequence Scene Instructional film Persuasive film Propaganda film Direct cinema Stream of consciousness Genre Stanislavsky system method acting typecasting casting screen test major role character role distancing effect or alienation effect improvisation

• Cinematography • Take • Set up • Film stock • Colorization • Widescreen • Lighting ratio

• Rule of thirds • Three-point system

◦ Key light ◦ Low-key lighting ◦ High-key lighting ◦ Fill light ◦ Back light

• Iris • Focal length • Zoom lens • Deep focus cinematography • Dept of field • Aspect ratio • Rack focus • Types of shots

◦ Establishing shot ◦ Extreme long shot ◦ Long shot ◦ Medium long shot ◦ Medium close-up ◦ Close-up ◦ Extreme close-up ◦ Two shot ◦ Three shot

• sound design • sound track • double-system recording • automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) • mixing • diagetic sound and nondiagetic sound

• on-screen sound and off-screen sound • synchronous and asynchronous sound • internal sound • narration • ambient sound • sound effect • Foley sound • overlapping sound