What to Look For s1

Stand By Me (1986) Note Taking

Take detailed notes while watching the film. These will be photocopied afterwards, so everyone will end up with a lot of notes. You will be designated a particular technique/device and get to choose a theme to explore; however you may take notes on all the other areas. The more notes you take, the better! PS – The ‘Why does it matter?’ column is most important.

What to look for… What you notice Why does it matter? - in terms of the film’s themes - in terms of the question that you’re trying to answer Colour  of objects  of light  of surroundings

Sound  Diegetic: Any sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: voices of characters or sounds made by objects in the story.  Non-diegetic Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action: . Narrator's commentary . Sound effects which is added for the dramatic effect . Mood music

Take note of the voiceover…

Composition  is it cluttered? spare?  position of objects in the frame? What’s included? What’s excluded?  grouping / separation of objects / people  what’s foregrounded and what’s backgrounded?

Use of particular objects / sets  objects - focus on their meaning / symbolism / ways the same object is used differently be different people or in different situations  sets – what has been included in their construction? What do they indicate about characters / location / political climate . etc? Use of the character’s ‘look’  age / dress / manner of speaking / vocabulary / personality / etc

Use of parallelism / juxtaposition  parrallelism - how do scenes reflect each other / continue with the same theme / continue or expand on the theme / etc  juxtaposition – how are things put next to each other to illustrate a difference?

Film Techniques  focus on the mood / effect / significance being created by their use.

Anything else you found significant?

Now, on to the themes: Theme: How it is expressed/portrayed throughout film: (Quotations + Images)  Death

 The Quest

 The Obstacle Course:  Spiritual or emotional obstacles  Physical obstacles

 Wearing Masks

 Any other themes?