Elements of Design in the Green Mile Essay Example for Free

Elements of Design in the Green Mile Essay The Green Mile is an exceptional film that was created in the year 1999. This film was nominated for four academy awards: Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This movie teaches us how different the times were back in the 1900s compared to the way it is now. The movie is set in 1935 which was during the times of the Great Depression. It also illustrates death row and how execution is still a problem to where it is not just and fair. There are several well-known actors that cast in this film. Each actor plays a very unique role and elements of design have a role where it puts everything about this movie into perspective. The cinematographer that helped to create this film had a vital role in putting all of his screen shots together to generate the perfect lighting, images that are seen by the camera, and images that the audience sees upon completion of the film (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). The director, producer, screenwriter, and composer all played important roles in putting this film together to show its exceptional potential at being nominated for four academy awards. The elements of design in the Green Mile are a form of art which cannot be duplicated in a way that they have come together to create this finished product. There is a scene in this film called â€Å"Miracle Worker†. In this particular clip, illustrates how the actors are placed into the scene and positioned on the set. You will see how well their costumes and makeup are done which is part of what makes up the mise en scene. The mise en scene is all of the elements in a film that the audience sees such as the setting, make up and costumes, as well as the movement and placement of the actors. The director, Frank Darabont, is responsible for shooting many different versions on a scene (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). The director will then create the final film based upon the best of those elements. Some directors will allow improvisation which is when actors come up with their own lines that they feel will fit into a particular scene. The production designer, who is also sometimes called the art director, is responsible for maintaining the sets, props and the costumes so that they are in sync with the story and the character’s role (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). Production designers are head of the department on film crews and they are responsible for the art department. Basically, they may be asked to look at scripts to decide how much time the art department needs to spend on films. They also calculate the budgets to figure out how much money will be spent as well. Furthermore, they will provide their design sketches expressing detailing mood, lighting, composition and color to the art directors who oversees the production (Anonymous, 2012). In this scene, the â€Å"Miracle Worker†, the lighting is low because it is night time, but there are lights on inside of the house in the bedroom where the warden wife is lying in bed. The lighting is very dim which evokes a depressing and gloomy mood. It draws the audience into the scene to where they can feel the same pain and sorrow that the actors feel. John Coffey places his lips over the warden’s wife’s lips to retrieve the sickness of the cancer from her body. The chandelier begins to brighten and the sound of the music increases as the scene becomes more intense. There is a sign of bright lighting coming from the woman’s mouth illustrating the cancer leaving her body and going into Coffey’s body as his mouth brightens as well. That lighting is symbolic for the cancer that Coffey took away from her. Then he closes his mouth and the light goes away. However, there is still a bright light on the woman’s face for a couple of seconds as she lies there with her eyes closed, but now her face looks healthy and so young. The lighting in this scene affects the overall story of what the director is trying to tell the audience because it tells you without words what the characters in the film are feeling. It tells you that they are saddened when the light is dim and then in awe and disbelief as it brightens. The warden was in tears and was in disbelief from what he had just scene. So were the rest of the guards. Although, they were in disbelief, they also displayed a sign of relief in that the sickness has left the woman’s body. The film setting was the summer of 1935 when Hanks was a corrections officer in charge of death row inmates at Cold Mountain Penitentiary during the Great Depression days. This is during the time where unemployment was very high. It only got worse in time before it got better. Even taxes had increased which made it that much more difficult for people to survive. During this period of time racism still existed in this culture. John Coffey was beaten, convicted and sentenced for execution all because he was a black man suspected of raping and killing two little white girls with no valid proof. Costuming can tell us almost everything we need to know about a character. The costuming of the woman showed a great deal of sickness within her face. The makeup on her looked so believable that it almost looked like she was a rotting corpse. Then the costuming took a turn as she was healed from the sickness. She became beautiful and peaceful. Elements play a significant role in affecting the film’s plot. For example, Coffey was dirty and sweaty because it was hot. So this illustrated that he was not clean and did not have any clean clothes. He did not come from a place where he had nice attire. Now if he was clean and had on fresh clothes, the scene would not be as emotional. Nobody really expected Coffey and the way he looked to have such supernatural powers except for Hanks because he had already experienced it for himself. Hairstyle and makeup can help tell the story by showing how the character may feel at that point and time in a scene. It can also set the tone of the scene and the audience can feel exactly what the characters are feeling based on how they look. As the warden puts his hand over his mouth, and the screen zooms in on his face, you can see the stress and pain in his eyes when they start to tear up. The three guards are well dressed in uniform. They have ties and hats. They all look very sharp like they’re about to conduct a ceremony. They are well groomed with no facial hair just like military service members in uniform. The guard’s hairstyle and make up tell the audience that they care about their appearance and how they carry themselves as correction officers. They guards display a sense of caution because Coffey is a convicted criminal, but at the same time they display hope as Coffey talks to the warden’s wife and begin to use his supernatural power. In my personal opinion, I think that the mise en scene was very well put in this movie. The use of color which made the room dim definitely heightened the suspense of the film especially during the particular scene where the light goes from dim to bright and then dim again. The warden and the guards were in well placed positions while Coffey sat on the bed and performed his supernatural miracle to cure the warden’s wife from her sickness. The mise en scene was done very well by illustrating that the woman was sick and then healed by a miracle performed by a black man who was wrongfully convicted and sent to death row while he awaited death by electric chair. All of the elements flowed in a harmonious way because the music went well with the lighting when it was dark, and then became bright when Coffey used his super natural powers to heal the sickened woman. The audience is easily drawn into the film because of the cinematography that takes place in the movie. The actors, lighting, music and setting go hand in hand together. Therefore, it is not discordant at all. The design elements are definitely in sync with Frank Darabont’s vision. From the beginning of the scene, the elements in the film were symbolic to his vision. He wanted the audience to feel every bit of emotion that the characters were feeling. The intensity as Coffey spoke to the warden’s wife grew as he introduced himself to the time he ridded her from the illness. Not only did it make the warden cry and the guards emotional, but I’m sure that the audiences who watched this movie were just as emotional as everyone in the film. So Darabont did a great job by piecing everything together to get the right vision for the scene. The Green Mile had great chemistry as everyone played key roles in making this film. The film could not have been accomplished without the help of everyone coming together and doing their part, from the directors to the actors. The elements of the mise en scene were symbolic throughout the movie so that it really touched the audiences. It placed the viewers in the film as if they were part of the script. The director and the cinematography of the film gave it the extra edge that was needed aside from the actors. The elements worked so well together harmoniously that once the film was put together, it couldn’t be done again the way it was the first time around. References Anonymous (2012). Production Designer. http://www.media- match.com/usa/jobtypes/production-designer-jobs-402758.php Goodykoontz, B., Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu

Use of Symbols and Symbolism in Steinbecks Flight :: Steinbeck Flight Essays

Use of Symbolism in Steinbeck's Flight In his classic short story, "Flight," John Steinbeck uses many examples of symbolism to foreshadow the conclusion. Symbolism can be anything, a person, place or thing, used to portray something beyond itself. It is used to represent or foreshadow the ending of the story. Steinbeck uses colors, direction, and nature symbolism to help presage Pepà ©'s tragic death. Let us now more closely examine the ways that Steinbeck uses colors to foreshadow the ending of his short story. Perhaps the most repeatedly used symbol in "Flight," is the color black. In literature many authors use black to represent death. There are numerous examples in this short story. Some of these include the black handle on the long blade, Pepà ©'s black hair and the black jerky. Another example may be found when Pepà © puts on his fathers black coat, which represents death. When Pepà © puts on the coat he is literally covering himself with death. Another fine example is the trail in which Pepà © travels. Steinbeck describes the path as a well-worn black path. By traveling on this path he is in fact taking the road of death. Furthermore Pepà ©'s appearance also helps foreshadow the ending. Steinbeck describes him as having a black hat that covers his black thatched hair. Pepà © is also described as being dark, lean and tall. Another example is Pepà ©'s shack. The shack is described as weathered and very old. It casts a rather large shadow to the North east. The darkness of the shadow symbolizes death in the home. As we can readily see, the authors use of black symbolism in the story tells us that the main character, Pepà ©, is impending death. Another commonly used symbol in the story "Flight," is direction. Direction is used to represent positive or negative effects. North and East are generally "good" directions. Many people feel this came about when the early man saw the sun rise in the East. On the contrary, the directions South and West are generally "bad" directions. Basically this is because the sun sets in the West. Besides compass directions, height is also a very popular way of foreshadowing the conclusion of the story. The direction up, which is also the way to heaven is generally "good," while down, the direction of hell, is considered to be "bad." An example of this form of symbolism can be found when Pepà © is returning home.

On Becoming a Writer Essay

In â€Å"On Becoming a Writer,† the author, Russell Baker, expressed his interest in writing as a way of thinking about himself and forming an identity. â€Å"The only thing that truly interested me was writing, â€Å"he states. â€Å"It was the only thing for which I seemed to have the smallest talent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even though he used to dislike English classes in high school, in his third year, the chance of being a writer knocked on his door. When Mr. Fleagle, the English professor, with an out of date look and behavior, took over the class, he brought on an opportunity to Russell to realize his talent and stay with open eyes for the future. Mr. Fleagle introduced to the class an assignment, an informal essay. The choice of topics was â€Å"The Art of Eating Spaghetti. † â€Å"This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental images. †Russell says. â€Å"Suddenly I wanted to write about that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The author wanted to write this essay not for Mr. Fleagle, but for himself, for his own satisfaction, as a way to recapture and hold forever this dear memory. Even though he realized the possibility of getting a failing grade, he took the chance and submitted his assignment to Mr. Fleagle. â€Å"Two days passed before Mr. Fleagle returned the graded papers, and he returned everyone’s but mine. † The author’s suspense didn’t last long as Mr. Fleagle kept his essay last, and started reading it to the class. â€Å"My words! He was reading my words out loud to the entire class. † At that minute, Rusell Baker experienced his happiest moment of all school years, which gave him the confidence and opportunity to simply become a writer. â€Å"†¦Mr. Fleagle had opened a door for me. † â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† is an essay for the students, who are interested in writing but are afraid to face their desire, because of doubt or not taking writing as a real job. It is an essay for the teachers, showing them how much of an impact they have on a student’s future. It is vital for the teachers to remember that everything they do or say can influence their students at this stage of their life. â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† is also an essay for everybody interested in the subject and can decide to become a writer. The author is telling us his story as a friend. His purpose is to make us realize that things are possible and happen if we really believe in our qualities and ourselves. Dreams come true every day, and we, the dreamers, have to work hard for those dreams, to wake up and asleep with them and be very persistent to make them happen. As Paulo Coelho states in his book, â€Å"When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. † Therefore, essays as â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† and many other are meant to give their readers the confidence and the support they need to follow their dreams. In most of the time it, doesn’t happen immediately or short period of time; in most of the time it may take years before any dream becomes reality. Therefore, having someone like Mr. Fleagle in your life, give you hope and motivation to keep dreaming.

The Great Financial Crisis Causes And Consequences

BOOK REVIEW: Foster, J. B., Magdoff, F. (2009). The great financial crisis: Causes and consequences. New York: Monthly Review Press. Cesar Becerra POLS 3394 04/15/2016 â€Å"The Great Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences† By John Bellamy Foster and Fred Magdoff Monthly Review Press, 2009, 160 pages Introduction John Bellamy Foster is the editor of the Monthly Review, a professor of sociology at the University of Oregon and the author of many books, including The Theory of Naked Capitalism. Co-author Fred Magdoff taught at the University of Vermont in Burlington, is a director of the Monthly Review Foundation, and has written on political economy for a majority of his career. In â€Å"The Great Financial Crisis: Causes and Consequences†, Foster and Magdoff present a rigorous and undoubtedly necessary historical and broad-minded perspective of the capitalist system out of control. They argue that the present-day financial collapse is a logical consequence of the contradictions of monopoly finance capital - contradictions that are reflected in the like processes of financialization and stagnation that have dominated the development of the U. S. economy in the recent decades. These political scientists present convincing evidence that the financial crisis of ‘08, with analytical predictions of 2009 and the years that follow, is one of the great catastrophes of modern neoliberal capitalism. 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