English Film Technique Practice - Freedom Writers

 Theme/Idea - the ideas the story centres around. / message we are trying to convey to the audience.

Tolerance - the quality of allowing other people to have their own attitude, beliefs or to behave in a particular way, even if you don't agree or approve. 

Overcoming Adversity - pushing past/getting through something difficult or dangerous.  

Overcoming Adversity

- They aren't in a headspace to learn because they don't feel space - bring guns to school, mock each other, no tolerance for each other. 

Example: Marcus "Lady, I'm lucky if I make it to 18, we in a war! We graduating every day we live because we ain't afraid to die protecting our own"

- The students don't respect or have a relationsuup with their teacher. They don't understand each other

Example:

They drew racist picture of Jamal

The students yell at the teachers, face different directions, tell her they don't give her respect

Deep Focus - everything in the image is sharp and clear

Close up shot and costume-hat-symbol of hiding, off shows feels safe, on-wants hide, not be seen

Shallow Focus - focuses us on part of an image and blurs the rest. It  tells the viewer their attention is needed

In the Holocaust scene, shallow focus is used to show the theme of tolerance. For instance, we see a picture of being passed around the room until it reaches Jamel. The picture is a stereotype of an African American with big lips and has Jamel's name on it. When he receives it, Jamel puts his hat back and shrinks into his chair. Shallow focus is used to  bring our attention to the picture and its effect on Jamel. This makes u understand that the picture was used to bully and embarrass Jamel. This director did this to help us empathise with the characters and gain an insight into what their lives are like. Coinciding with this is the use of costume-in this case Jamel's hat. When Jamel puts the hat on, it symbolises that he want to hide away and not be seen. This scene introduces the viewer the viewer to the theme of tolerance because we can see that currently the students do not respect each others cultures, beliefs or identities. This makes students like Jamel feel unsafe in class. 

Angle - high/low. This shows power/dominance 

Lighting - dim/bright. Shows emotions. Example - Jamel overwhelmed

Close-up/mid shots 0 teacher in mid shot. Students close-up. We feel the distance between the students and the teacher, gap in understanding

Close-up - this makes us feel closer to the students rather than the teacher.

Tolerance means the ability to put up with other beliefs, attitudes and culture, even when you don't agree/its different from your own.

Overcoming Adversity - pushing through something difficult or dangerous.

"I'm home"

Brainstorm - a student read his diary to the teacher and the class.

- his family has been evicted

- he feels at home in school in Ms Gruwells class.

- Overcoming adversity - he has come to school despite being evicted

Music - slow, soft, sad

Lighting/Color - bright, natural - creates an atmosphere of a warm, happy welcome space.

Camera/shot/movement/angles/focus - close up - when he says he's home - shows audience his emotion

Dolly shot - from close-up to mid back to close-up - shows viewer that student is surrounded, supported by his classroom family.

Shallow Focus - speaker is in sharp, those around are blurred to make him the focus, most important. 

Dialogue, tone of speech, body language

(when writing the brainstorm, just write what happened in the scene/ no need to be so detailed)

(natural means the natural light, artificial light means like its coming for a bulb)

(muted color)

"Miep Giess"

Brainstorm - Miep Giess has come to talk  to the class about hiding Anne Frank and her family.

- Marcus stands and tells that shes his hero.

- Miep Giess says that they are her heroes

Camera shot/angle/movement/focus - (what camera movement they use)

Pan shot - used to show all the students are there and they are all focused and listening - not distracted like previous scenes (when they all turned their desks in the first part of the movie)

Lighting - bright, cold, natural - back lighting is used - creates a halo effect making her seen angelic or god like. This works because the students see Miep like a god because she saved the franks.

Music - subtle quiet, builds in volume and intensity, used to heighten the viewers emotions.

In the 'I am home' scene shallow focus is used to show how this character overcame adversity.