12 Years a Slave Thoughts

The film version of 12 Years a Slave’s use and manipulation of lighting, nature, and emotionally powerful acting created a very pleasing and intriguing visual representation of the novel. The lighting and nature portrayed in the movie create a fascinating sense of irony. The natural light, scenes of trees, water and grand plantation homes seemed to be almost too beautiful to be the setting where such horrible and grisly events of slavery and abuse took place. I felt the acting in the movie was phenomenal and was able to put the viewer on edge, it seemed more like a current reality than an acted out representation. The actors/actresses were extremely powerful with their manipulation of emotions and feelings such as fear, pain, sadness, and anxiety.

12 years a slave

This movie was serious and moving, and showed people what african american people had to go through. I though that this movie was upsetting but it did show the hardships back then. At the end when he was reunited with his family that made the movie worth watching because it was very touching and made me feel happy. Although his family was all grown up he never gave up hope.

12 years a slave

12 years a slave uses certian images and sounds to add suspense to the plot of the story. An example would be the steamboat’s engine propelling as they were transporting slaves to the trade post. This scene provided an images locomotion and suspense. 12 Years a Slave was a very emotional. It allowed you to feel empethetic towards the slaves at the time beacause it put the audience in the position of the slaves. I really enjoyed this film because it pulled at my heart strings and was very compelling.

12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave is a stark depiction of the depravity of slavery in the American South. One motif commonly employed in the movie were prolonged shots of character’s faces, in which the viewer must read them by their expression for what seems like a long time. Another defining quality of the movie is the natural beauty of the setting, contrasted against the horrible things perpetrated by the people living there– shown especially by a shot of Solomon struggling in a noose contrasted against a colorful, sunlit shot of the plantation behind him.

Bridget -Fargo

I thought Fargo was a good movie and though the acting was hard to get through, it was good. I enjoyed hearing the accents and thought they were good coming from actors that just learned them. The way the movie was shot helped to bring out the seriousness in the film. I thought the camera angles chosen and the length of camera time to each player helped to show when it was supposed to be more dramatic then a previous scene. For the most part, Fargo was easy to follow, but i wish they explained to us Jerry’s initial problems more. I feel as if they just told us that he had problems and this is what he was doing about it. If they had showed us scenes where he was losing his money or making mistakes then I would have known not to like him as much as a character or feel bad for him. Overall, good movie, good story line and the actors portrayed their characters well.

fargo

all i have to say it was yeah. the film and the angle it was shot at makes it yeah. you betcha. yeah i really enjoyed it yeah. yeah. so yeah. lead_large

but all seriousness it was a well put together film and i enjoyed the story line.

Acting Questions

  1. Identify the four categories of film acting and their purposes within film.
  • Extras- the actors that are used to provide a sense of a crowd
  • Non-professional performers- actors chosen not for their acting ability but for their appearance, they look right for the part.
  • Trained professionals- able to play a variety of roles— most actors
  • Stars- famous performers who are easily recognizable. their presence is a drawing factor

2.  Contrast the differences between stage and screen acting, and identify why those difference make film “the director’s medium.”

In stage acting, the actor gets to create more while in screen acting the director gets to create. A stage actor has to have a flexible and loud voice. They have to portray emotion through their voice. And only have to be visible on stage, their appearance is not necessarily a deal breaker. Their bodies are in view at all times so they must be calculating with their movements. A film actor must look interesting. They must be able to express emotion with facial expressions.

The film actor is used by the director to illuminate their vision. The stage actor interprets the role and relies upon themself to portray their own vision of the character they are playing.

12 years a slave

12 Years A Slave is based on a true story of Soloman Northup, a free man who was sold into slavery in 1841, and presents a solid picture of his journey. An important part of this films aesthetic is their usage in using a single camera approach. This single camera approach allows the audience to better concentrate instead of finding the scene. In the scene of the hanging of Soloman it brought very important visuals in the film. The horrors of being a slave is driven home. The audience gets a sense of the the passage of time and length of shots. I could personally feel pain and discomfort from this near death scene. It’s surreal that people during that time in history were so used to this lifestyle going on around them.

12 Years A Slave

12 Years A Slave is a cinematic depiction of the hardship and injustices of the American slave system. The film is taken from a true story of a freeman who was kidnapped and forced into a long stint in the life of a slave. 12 Years differs from other movies of similar subject in its realism. For example, Django Unchained is similar in in content and themes but is much more stylized. The more true to life approach taken by the director of 12 Years evokes the audience’s sense of empathy as they are often horrified by the conditions endured by the protagonist and the hatefulness of free white men around him. The actors give extremely convincing portrayals that depict a wide of human emotional. The film is not completely realistic however and utilizes many stylistic elements, such as lingering shots sand the juxtaposition of sights and songs, often including slave chants.

12 years a slave

I think 12 years a slave is a great movie. The different camera angles and deep hidden meanings in the script left me awe struck. The strategically placed camera angles made the scenes seem more realistic. Watching the actors in the film, with their incredible acting, made me feel like a by stander in the 1800’s on a southern plantation. the different styles of acting truley came to life in this movie and is, I believe, un paralleled.