Sign In
Not register? Register Now!
Essay Available:
Pages:
2 pages/≈550 words
Sources:
Check Instructions
Style:
APA
Subject:
Visual & Performing Arts
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 7.2
Topic:

Far from Heaven Film Analysis. Visual & Performing Arts Essay

Essay Instructions:

At the assigned day and time during finals week, your instructor will give you 50-60 minutes to write an analysis of a brief clip from the film Far From Heaven (2002, dir. by Todd Haynes). This film is set in 1957, in a racially- divided America. Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) lives in a well-to-do Connecticut suburb and is married to a TV advertising executive. Her marriage is falling apart. She develops a close friendship with Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert). Their interracial friendship with its romantic overtones spurs gossip among Cathy’s acquaintances and angers her husband. In this scene, Cathy meets Raymond at a diner and ends their relationship.
The clip will be shown in class during the last regular scheduled class before finals week. The clip will also be available for you to view on Blackboard during the week prior to the exam. You can view the clip as often as you like by going to the “Final Scene Analysis” link for your class on Blackboard.
You may formulate your ideas in advance of the exam, but you may not bring written notes with you.
The film clip will be shown several times at the beginning of the exam and then repeated throughout the exam.
Organize your analysis as follows:
Write no more than one or two sentences in which you state your thesis. Your thesis should very briefly identify the main ideas you think are being expressed in the scene (themes, emotions, character traits, relationships, etc.) and the film elements through which they are being expressed (i.e., cinematography, sound, etc.)
Write three body paragraphs, one for each different film element you will be discussing (i.e., cinematography, mise-en-scene, editing, sound, etc.). Each paragraph should focus on a single film element and should begin with a clear, simple topic sentence. Each paragraph should explain how that particular element of film language is used to create meaning, express ideas, and convey information to the audience. Keep your thesis in mind. What character traits, emotions, relationships, and/or themes are being expressed? Be sure to give specific examples from the clip and to explain how that particular example conveys meaning to the viewer. Also be sure to employ proper film terminology to describe the techniques onscreen (i.e., names for camera distances, movements, and angles, editing concepts, sound techniques, etc.).

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Far from Heaven Film Analysis
Your Name
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
June 17, 2020
In the 2002 film entitled Far from Heaven, it is clear that Haynes aimed to emphasize the 1950s era when the strong effects of racism and the fear of miscegenation that exists among the Whites. This can be seen from the different elements, such as the cinematography, sounds, and the plot of the film.
First, it could be seen that Haynes was able to portray a 1950s film by using cinematographic techniques that were commonly used during those times, even though the film was created in the early 2000s. One example of this was the scene where the main character, Cathy, was initially viewed from an eye-level position and was subsequently filmed walking around her house in a bird’s eye view. This camera perspective, where the character is ‘entrapped’ in space, is similar, does not only represent the 1950s but can also be seen as a way to show how people are ‘trapped’ within societal norms (i.e., racism) during those times. Another interesting cinematographic element that represented the 1950s era and the idea of racism was the use of deep saturation and hue used throughout the film. Similar to technical melodramas those times, it seems that the director explicitly used these to portray the era while also trying to present the ‘heaviness’ of the social conditions that previously existed.
Another essential film element that represents the 1950s era and the social circumstances during those times is the film’s audio. For...
Updated on
Get the Whole Paper!
Not exactly what you need?
Do you need a custom essay? Order right now:
Order

You Might Also Like Other Topics Related to art essays:

HIRE A WRITER FROM $11.95 / PAGE
ORDER WITH 15% DISCOUNT!
Order Now