Transcript Drama and Story

Drama
This chapter compares theatre and movies, focusing
on the differences in the two media.
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Audiences of film need not be as active as
audiences in theatre because camera angles
and movement, close-ups and long shots,
and editing assist film viewers.
The actors on film do not interact with
audiences, as theatre performers may.
The elements guide the viewer and help the viewer interpret
the information presented.
While the shot above acts as an
establishing shot, it is a cluttered image.
Lucas uses increasing close-ups to draw
viewers’ attentions to the important
information.
The Auteur Theory
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In the mid-1950s, the auteur (French for
author) theory became popular.
It stressed the dominance of the director in
film art
It holds that whoever is responsible for the
mise en scène—the medium of the story—
is the true “author” of the story.
The Role of Director
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The talent of the director is still what can
“make or break” a film.
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Well known directors can request “final
cut” privileges, which allows them
complete aesthetic control of the final
product that is the film. Without that,
producers can make editing decisions.
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The truest examples of Auteur theory are
writers who secure the rights to direct their
own work
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George Lucas
John Patrick Shanley
Andrew Niccol
M. Night Shyamalan
Mise en scène in Star Wars
In these shots the angles of the shot help create a fantasy
world for us as well as helping us almost subconsciously
interpret the information within the frames. In addition to seeing
the “reality” of the characters’ existences, we see that like Luke,
the Tatooine world seems small and confining and that from
Leia’s perspective Darth Vader is extremely menacing.
Film directors have
more freedom in
selection of settings
and décor. It would be
hard to reproduce the
desert expanse that
makes the C-3PO shots
so humorous and
memorable.
Directors can use special effects and miniatures
to create moods and mimic realities.
It is hard to imagine a theatre production
that could exploit effects to this degree.
Set Analysis
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Exterior or Interior
Style
Studio or location
Period
Social Class
Size
Decoration
Symbolic Function
Directors often determine the costuming of
characters
The costuming in Star Wars has symbolic
implications as well as having been
original enough to become well known
and easily recognized, stereotyped, and
mocked.
Costume Analysis
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Time Period
Social Class
Sex/Gender
Age
Silhouette
Fabric
Accessories
Color
Body Exposure
Function
Body Attitude
Image