Week 3: Film Technique

Film Assignment

I chose the film Norma Rae for this assignment. Sally Field won the Academy Award for best actress for her role in this 1979 film. I have used this film for the past six years for our Women in Literature unit in my English 12 course. As a new, first-year teacher, I was told to show this, and I was skeptical. However, I have grown to really like it and will now also show the film North Country so my students can compare the two films.

Before I go into the scene and the analysis of my scene, I must say that the English 10 curriculum at the high school where I teach includes a major unit on film. The students learn the vocabulary of film techniques. So, unless a student in my English 12 is a transfer student from another school, my students will have had a pretty good background with this terminology.

Norma Rae revolves around a textile factory with horrible working conditions in a small southern town. A single mother, Norma Rae, works there along with her mother and father. A New Yorker, Reuben, comes to town to try to organize a union for the factory workers; he convinces Norma Rae to help him with his efforts. The scene I chose begins right after the opening song and credits. In the DVD, it is the beginning of Chapter 2, which is titled “Deaf for a Little While”.

The entire scene is very dark; most of it takes place inside the factory. It begins with a medium shot, and we hear loud noises from the machines and we see Norma Rae at her work station. The camera then cuts to a long shot. We see big fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling, and rows and rows of workers at their machines. There seems to be steam near the top of the ceiling, which creates a hazy look and also shows us how hot it is inside the factory. Then there is a brief long shot outside the factory. We see the name of the factory, O.P. Henley Textile Mill, as well as the season and date, Summer 1978, which is written at the bottom of the screen. Then there is a cut to a medium shot inside the factory. We see people at work and then the camera moves in to focus on Norma Rae on break. She is sitting with a coworker and her mother. It is difficult to hear their conversation over the factory noises. Norma Rae speaks to her mother but her mother doesn’t respond. Norma Rae realizes she can’t hear her, so she grabs her mother and takes her to see a doctor. The doctor says it’s only temporary hearing loss and that her mother could look for another job. Norma Rae is furious and says, “What other job in this town?! This is the only job!”. These lines show the few options in this small town, and how desperately a union is needed.

In my classroom, I would like my students to focus on the development of Norma Rae’s character as well as the issue of unions. The scene I chose reveals the tough working conditions inside the factory (loud, little ventilation, hot, no windows, etc.) as well as Norma Rae’s spirit. I would have them note everything they notice about Norma Rae, as well as the other major people in her life. I would also have students note the lighting, sound and changes in shots. All of these things contribute to the environment and the fight that will take place over creating a union for the remainder of the film.

The scene that follows the factory scene is outside the home of Norma Rae’s parents. It is bright and sunny and we hear birds chirping. Norma Rae’s mother is outside gardening, while Norma Rae and her father are in the kitchen and her two children are watching television in the living room. I would have my students note the contrast in lighting and sound, and note any differences they see in the main characters as they are in different settings.

Norma Rae becomes a stronger and more self-confidant woman as the movie progresses and as she becomes a union leader with Reuben. Also, there are changes in sound and lighting through out the film as it moves forward. I would have my students note all these changes in a study guide divided by significant scenes, and while they work on that, try to figure out how all the film techniques help contribute to the overall theme and mood.



Commercial Assignment

I chose a Superbowl commercial from YouTube. The link can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/superbowl. I chose #35 Snapple Green Tea Big Game Ad.

Shot 1:

Eye Level Angle, Long Shot, Average Duration

There is a man wearing a t-shirt and shorts and carrying a backpack, walking up stairs on a mountain in Xi’an, China (the location is noted at the bottom of the screen). We hear Chinese instrumental music, which helps establish location, and the man’s heavy breathing, which shows us how he’s been on a long, difficult journey.

Shot 2:

High Angle, Medium Shot, Average Duration

We see the face of a white man with messy brown hair, he holds a bottle of Snapple, breathes heavily and looks up to the camera to speak. He tells the camera about ECGC, an ingredient in the Snapple Green Tea, and how he is on a journey to find out what that ingredient is; he then takes a drink. The Chinese instrumental music continues to play in the background. The high camera angle shows us how far he’s come up the mountain.

Shot 3:

Eye Level Camera Angle, Long Shot, Average Duration

The camera shows the man reaching some huts at the top of the mountain, to show us he has reached his destination. The Chinese instrumental music continues.

Shots 4-9:

Eye Level Camera Angle, Medium Shot (including some over the shoulder), Average Duration

The music stops, which allows us to focus on a conversation

. The white man is listening to an older, balding Chinese man tell him what ECGC is. The shots go back and forth focusing on both the Chinese man and the white man, to show what each man sees in the other during their conversation. The white man asks how he knows all that information, and the Chinese man says it is written on the label, then he shuts the door. The white man looks confused.

Shot 10:

This is a shot of the actual product, Snapple Green Tea.

There is a voice over by a female explaining more about the ECGC in Snapple Green Tea. We see two bottles, and then a close-up of the label that says ECGC; on the top of the label it says, “Natural Antioxidant” and on the bottom it says, “Boosts Metabolism”.

Shot 11:

Low Camera Angle, Long Shot, Average Duration

The white man is walking back down the mountain stairs, mocking the Chinese man, “…it’s on the back of the bottle”; the white man is irritated, but knows he made a stupid mistake by undertaking such a journey. The low camera angle shows how the man has a long walk back down.