Geog/Film

Questions and topics for M 10/14

Here are points of discussion about Children of Men for M. Feel free to make additional suggestions or to start the conversation here.

• Uses of color and light.
• Use of multiple aspects of mise-en-scène to build the world of the film.
• The significance of animals, and, the attraction of animals to Theo.
• How the film shows different kinds of marginalization, e.g., marginalization from how a character is identified by others versus characters who are marginalized by choice, such as from their politics.

Children of Men: initial reactions

Share your thoughts and responses here.

Children of Men: preview

If you looked at the informational links about Children of Men from the Screening schedule or on Moodle, what did you learn about the film? What are you expecting?

Perez Family On the Margins

What did you think of the film as an example of a movie that shows what it means for people and places to be marginalized? How did the film show you the margins? Are there particular characters or visual devices that were especially effective for you on this theme?

Questions about The Frame and The Shot

What questions do you have about The Shot and The Frame (go to week 2 reading)? Replies made by 8:00 am on M 10/7 will be used to structure class discussion that day.

Open thread

Post on other matters from the class here.

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.”

Short-term reactions to Vertigo (1958)

There will be an entry for general discussion of Vertigo next week, but here you can share any initial thoughts and reactions to the film.

Which frame?

Which frame did you choose from Eternal Sunshine for your analysis and why?

Happy ending?

In the Learning Assessments this week a number of students had questions about the ending of Eternal Sunshine, like: Is it a happy ending? Should it be happy ending? What do the final shots mean in terms of what we see Joel and Clementine doing and where they are doing it? What do the jump cuts (editing) mean?