Transcript From Film to Analysis - Gordon State College

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Remember, this is only to serve as a guide
You should not COPY any of this material
When you complete your analysis, compare
your write up to this example
Ask yourself: “Did I tie multiple concepts
together? Did I provide examples? Did I use
terminology from the textbook?”
Make sure you are focusing on INTERPERSONL
COMMUNICATION; you can also mention
impersonal communication if you explain WHY
it is impersonal
› So, do not look for/use examples of mass comm.,
public comm., small group comm., etc. Remember,
you are always welcomed to ask questions
The film Crash serves as an effective
guidepost by illustrating how individuals
should not behave when communicating
with one another. Although there are
several examples, I will begin by focusing
on the relationship between Christine
Thayer and Officer Ryan.
 Note: Because you have seen this film as a
class and because this is a brief example, I
do not explain each scene. You would
need to briefly explain the scene to help
with your explanations.
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During the car crash scene, Christine
communicates both nonverbally and verbally
that she does not wish to be saved by Officer
Ryan. Her tears, screaming, and arm gestures
pushing him off help communicate this clearly.
She is communicating emotionally that she is
fearful and upset.
Having seen earlier parts of the movie and by
reading Officer Ryan’s facial expressions (e.g.
a look of surprise), viewers understand that
Christine’s response is influenced heavily by the
historical context (since I haven’t seen your film, you’d elaborate here to tell me
what the historical context was) of the situation and the
beginning relational history (and you’d elaborate here…)that
she has with Officer Ryan.
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While they do engage in impersonal communication
earlier in the film, the unpleasant experience they
shared served as beginning relational history and also
causes Christine to read Officer Ryan’s attempt to
help as an inappropriate, sexual advance.
Thus, at this point, the movie illustrates how using
communication to cause harm to others (the dark
side of communication) can impact future
encounters and the way in which messages are
decoded. the way she decodes his verbal and
nonverbal behaviors is impacted by their previous
encounter.
Perhaps if Officer Ryan had not sexually assaulted
Christine earlier in the film, she would not have read
his current attempts to help as another inappropriate
sexual advance.
The encounter between Christine and
Officer Ryan also illustrates examples of
emotions and the way in which they are
communicated verbally and nonverbally.
 Reflecting back to Christine’s reaction to
Officer Ryan as her “rescuer”, one can see
how she communicates her disdain for him
by communicating emotionally. Her crying
and yelling communicated her anger, as
well as her pain from their previous
encounter.
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In addition, we also see how communicating with others
can lead to a change in perceptions and self-concept.
For example, you can tell from Officer Ryan’s nonverbal
behavior (e.g. facial expressions) that Christine’s
emotional outburst caused him to feel shame. Here, we
have an example of emotional effect: Christine's rage led
to Officer Ryan’s shame, which impacted the way they
communicated with each other.
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Her emotional outburst explained her perception of the
officer. This resulting shame, in turn, caused him to reevaluate his own self-concept. Thus, the film illustrates how
our negative actions can impact future communication
encounters. In addition, it illustrates how communicating
our emotions can have large impacts on others.
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Additional examples of interpersonal
communication can be found within the
interactions between Officer Hansen
and Cameron….. (transition to next
group member)
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Section on Culture
› Discuss Farhad and shop owner
› Discuss Jean and maid
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Section on Perceptions
› Discuss Cameron and Anthony
› Discuss Christine and Cameron
› Discuss Cameron and Producer
Crash was a good example of interpersonal communication
because it showed us what not to do. We saw a lot of examples
of meta emotion, emotional communication, and emotional
effects. When Christine and Officer Ryan were communicating
with each other, I could tell it was impersonal. The cast also used
a lot of verbal communication and eye contact when talking to
each other.
 Why is this ineffective?
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› The student strings together multiple terms; but you must show that you
understand the terms and know how to apply each to real life
scenarios. For example—what was an example of meta emotion?
Emotional communication?
› “I could tell it was impersonal”….ok, how? Explain it.
› “Used a lot of verbal communication and eye contact”….go beyond
surface level analysis. Anyone could look at the movie and say “Yup,
they talked and looked at each other”; break it down using what
you’ve learned. What are some characteristics of their verbal
communication? How did you know what the eye contact
communicated based on the context? See how that takes it a step
further?
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Officer Ryan pretended as if he was using touch in
order to complete his job; but because of what was
going on I could tell he was using touch for
something else. Christine was crying a lot while she
was talking to her husband about the situation. For
example, when they were arguing she started to cry.
Why is this ineffective?
› You must tie your examples to the concept you learned:
 “he was using touch in order to complete his job”; ok, so
label it….task function of touch
 “but because of what was going on I could tell…”; label
it…you are discussing context, so tell me about the
context.
 “Christine was crying a whole lot…”; again, label it.
Paralanguage? Communicating emotionally?
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Provide examples
› Clips, pictures, etc. for presentation
› Descriptions for paper
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Factor in terms and concepts from the
chapter
› Go beyond naming the terms/concepts; apply
the terms/concepts
Focus on interpersonal (or impersonal)
communication
 Follow the correct format (see syllabus and
final project instructions)
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