How choices in film and literature affect how we perceive the film or book

Today we discussed how cinematic choices that have narrative effects. We discussed a scene from a film, Inception, where we analyzed the films craft and how to see the film in a more specific way. We also put in a brief not about the chart that Mr. Rivers put up in the back of the room, which outlines the days in which someone is blogging for that week. We also said something about bringing in the summer reading books, and how we should have them finished. We discussed in our groups the things that can be distinguished in written text, and the list of elements associated with them. The written list was:

LIST OF ELEMENTS:

• Characters (Protagonists and Antagonists)
• Setting
• Plot (or Conflict)
• Dialogue
• Tone
• Title
• Mood

We discussed how Cause and Effect shapes our craft analysis for both film and writing

For a written text, the author’s written choices shape the narrative effect

For film, the collaborative cinematic choices shape the narrative effect

We discussed the cinematic choices present in the picture from the scene in Adaptation. We talked about how the characters portrayed by Nicolas Cage show choice, as well as the outfits, lighting, setting, body language, and other important features from the scene. On the board we used this chart

Cause	Effect
Different costumes but both similarly casual Different emotions/facial expressions Body Positioning (Posture) Props to build setting Camera Angle, Focus

The more specifically you can analyze craft, the more specifically you can analyze the text. We talked about Mise-En-Scene, which is French “To Place in the Scene”

They represent the “building blocks” of the individual image.

We listened to a professor talk about the mise-en-scene in a scene in Inception, which the link to is on classroom.

This can be used in a real world environment to analyze things based on criteria that determine choice. By observing different uses of choice, we can interpret things in different ways. This allows us to accurately interpret and express our views and ideas in order to better communicate with others. By being able to show and analyze choice, we can become better at communicating with and reading other people.