Geog/Film

Topics for M 11/25

Here are topics for our discussion of Carol on Monday. Feel free to start the conversation here or to suggest additional topics.

• Framing & decor: the use of windows and mirrors in framing shots.
• Lighting.
• How the filmmakers use mise-en-scène to create a film that not only looks and feels like the period, but also looks and feels like a film from the period.
• Action and performance: how Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara use facial expression and body language to show emotion and change. We can also talk about how costume and make-up support these performances.

 

Topics for M 11/18

Here are topics for our discussion of Blindspotting 0n Monday. Feel free to start the conversation in comments and to suggest additional topics.

• Setting, particularly through contrasts.
• Use of props, costume and make-up for character development and also setting.
• Masculinity through action and performance.
• Color and lighting, especially in Collin's dreams/memories).

Topics for M 11/11

Here are some topics for our discussion of The Florida Project on M. Feel free to suggest additional topics or start the conversation here.

• The use of color.
• Setting: how does the film show us that this place is centered on tourists and what that means for the people who actually live there?
• How the film makes the mundane beautiful.
• The use of props, costume and make-up to develop character.
• The use of editing to fragment m-e-s.
• What's up with the helicopters?

Questions and topics for M 10/7

Here are possible topics for discussion about The Perez Family for M. Feel free to make additional suggestions or to start the conversation here:

• Showing marginalization through costume, and also character styling like with hair or make-up.
• Showing marginalization through setting.
• Action and performance as a way to show which characters have marginal identities and which do not.
• Visual symbolism, e.g., water and flowers.
• Uses of color.
• How the film shows what makes a “family.”

Fashion

The article by Ferriss and Young emphasizes the role of fashion and m-e-s in Marie Antoinette. What did you notice about the costumes and accessories in the film? How did these choices help to develop the characer of Marie Antoinette and establish a mood or feel for the film?