for this assignment you have to analyze the film (Romeo and Juliet) you wrote the first time. I upload the first paper for you to read and rewrite it following the instruction belowFIL 3854 Film Art
Instructions for Film Analysis Two
For this second paper, we will engage in process writing to strengthen your abilities. So, for analysis #2 you are to analyze the same film scene you used in your first paper. However, there should be significant differences between these two papers. They will be compared to evaluate your growth in the ability to analyze film. Use the feedback provided from the first analysis paper to augment this second paper. Show that you have applied the feedback from the first paper to ameliorate your writing!
Please review the analysis two rubric and be sure to satisfy all the requirements therein. For the “focus” and “evidence” areas of the rubric, I expect to see a thesis that identifies what the filmmakers are trying to achieve with the scene in question, and to what extent they are successful. Reinforce this thesis by analyzing the use of all the formal tools of cinema used in the scene — narrative, cinematography, montage, mise-en-scene, and sound as defined by the text. For organization, format, and style be sure to follow rubric guidelines. Again, refine your writing using the feedback provided in the first paper.
A few notes on creating a successful second analysis:
-Keep your synopsis to a minimum! Focus on the analysis.
-Although you are writing about the same film in both of these, DO NOT turn the same paper for Analysis #1 and #2! The two papers will be compared to evaluate your growth in the process of analysis. Some people “accidentally” submit analysis #1 when they mean to submit analysis #2. I cannot accept papers after the due date, so don’t make this mistake! While I expect some of the same language in both papers, turning in the exact same paper will result in a zero for the assignment.
-Use an academic voice rather than a colloquial voice. Many students approached the first paper as if it were a commercial review. Attempt to write the second paper as a scholar in an academic environment.
Film analysis: Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a 1996 film directed by Baz Luhrmann and adapting the original play by William Shakespeare. The movie encompasses quite a few changes from the original script due to the need to accommodate the contemporary audience. Starring Leonardo DiCarprio and Claire Danes as the main characters, the film replaces some traditional elements such as swords with guns and depicts the Montagues and the Capulets as two rival business empires contrary to the original text (Boose and Richard 23). The scene of interest herein is at the party hosted by the Capulets where Romeo meets Juliet. Given the competition between the two families, the young man has to sneak into the party and is spotted by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt who swears to kill him. However, the two lovers bump into each other while admiring the aquarium in an incredible scene that is preceded and graced by magnificent lighting, ballads, and emotions (31). It is a pivotal moment as it not only captures the central theme but also lays the foundation for all subsequent plot elements. The use of lighting, sound, costumes, and scene arrangement by the director in this particular scene is meant to cultivate the theme of romance that eventually runs through the film.
The sequence of events in the film before, during, and after the pivotal scene goes as follows. The Montagues and Capulets are two rivaling business empires who begin the film with a scuffle and the Verona beach that includes a shooting incident. Later, Romeo goes to the beach where he learns from a friend that the Capulets are holding a party his lover is going to attend. He therefore plots to gatecrash and gets tickets from his friend Mercutio. At the party, he meets Juliet, and they instantly fall in love. The two consequently get married, but they are both aware that they are from rival families. Fulgencio, Juliet’s father, decides that his daughter is going to get married to Paris, the Governor’s son, and this became a source of trouble. The plan is hatched when Juliet fakes her death and gets hidden in the vault, where Romeo has come and pick her up escaping with the lover. It would have all gone well except that Romeo is unaware of the fake death, and as he learnt that Juliet passed away, he takes poison just before she wakes up. On seeing Romeo dead, the young woman takes a gun and shoots herself.
The scene where Romeo meets Juliet at the party is woven to develop the theme of love and romance that eventually runs through the film. Since the beginning, there is little to show on the love or romance theme. There is no story or scene that elaborates on Romeo and Rosaline’s romance, despite the latter being identified as Romeo’s original lover. If anything, the film itself begins with a shootout and ugly scenes between the Montagues and the Capulets. What the play is known for, it is thus utterly surprising that the theme of love is not clear up to this given point- no noticeable trace of love. Thus, the meeting between Romeo and Juliet is set as the pivotal scene, where the theme of romance is widely constructed. This is evident from the sound -soothing ballads that are accompanied by romantic dancing with individuals coupling up. The ladies at the party are dressed in flashy attires, majorly in white, minimalist in nature and covering only the key areas.. The gentlemen, on the other hand, are clad in elegant suits and bowties, which are perfect for the romantic setting. Further, Halloween masks are used to compliment the party atmosphere with a large assortment of drinks and drugs available. It is apparent that from the costumes and the sound that there can be no other theme that follows apart from love and romance.
Furthermore, the lighting in the party and the mise en scene are also well crafted for a romantic theme. Thus, the shining spectrum of disco lights illuminates the faces of the dancers and the revelers, with varying wavelengths blending nicely with their attire. At the exact point where Romeo meets Juliet, there is plenty to relate to the theme of romance. The mise en scene pitting Romeo clad in a leather, prince-like attire, directly opposite Juliet in a bride-dress, and the aquarium between them is a perfect love setting. The directors ensure that Romeo and Juliet both admire the aquarium from opposite directions as they notice one another. The movement of the two characters appears to match that of the fish that is beautifully illuminated in the clear aquarium as well as the transitions in the song back at the party. Without further elaboration, one can clearly tell that the prevailing scene entails a prince and a princess who have just bumped into each other in an excellent location that promises to become the starting point of their long-lasting relationship. It is also essential that the sound is halted for a moment- perhaps to let the two listen to each other’s heartbeat and concentrate on the ensuing beauty. All these elements eventually work together to weave a romantic scene that finally carries through the entire film
In a nutshell, Romeo and Juliet is a romantic film adapting William Shakespeare’s play but also involving a number of twists that have been introduced for the sake of contemporary significance. More specifically, the director uses sound, lighting, costuming and scene arrangement to construct the theme of love in the scene at the party where Romeo meets Juliet. The theme subsequently runs through the film and pits the main characters in incredible romance against the rivalry of their respective families. At the party, the sound creates a romantic scene through the soothing ballads while the lighting includes an illuminating spectrum of disco lights that compliments the elegance of the costumes. The ladies wear sparkling dresses and Halloween masks while the gentlemen are all clad in fitting suits and bowties. The most important point of the evening – when Romeo meets Juliet at the aquarium – depicts the two dressed as a prince and a princess, the latter looking like a bride. The transparent aquarium that is their meeting place also adds to the general sophistication. Therefore, lighting, costume, sound and scene arrangement all serve for a particular purpose: to create the theme of love, which is central in the film and encompasses its bulk of subsequent plot items.
Word count: 1078
Work Cited
Boose, Lynda E., and Richard Burt, eds. Shakespeare, the movie: Popularizing the Plays on Film, TV and Video. New York: Routledge, 2005.
