Three characters from this great movie are as follows~
Tom Hanks, Sally Field and Gary Sinise.
I would say that Tom Hanks is a character actor/wild card. Why do I think this? I think that Mr. Hanks is difficult to classify as one certain type. He can play a wide variety of characte3rs equally well without being typecast. Mr. Hanks also easily adapts to the needs of each script and the director of the film. In this movie Forest Gump he plays a man with special needs and he does a very convincing job! In Philadelphia he plays a man with aids and it is a very serious part on a serious subject and he nailed it. Early in his career he was cast in American Pie and played the role of an engaged man throwing a bachelor party. The film was a huge hilarious success.
Sally Field ~ I would definitely put her in the same class as Tom Hanks. I would consider her a character actor. She played Forrest’s mother in Gump. Although it wasn’t a huge role people recognized her and appreciated her role in the film. She does a convincing job of playing an older woman who is gentle, loving and wise. She has also played in a variety of rolls. As a young actor she was in Smokey and the Bandit which is an action/comedy film. Mrs. Doubtfire was personally my favorite Sally Field’s film in which she plays the divorced wife to Robin Williams.
Gary Sinise~ I would put Mr. Sinise in the category of character actor with a touch of interpreter in there too. Gary definitely has the ability to play a variety of roles but he also puts a stamp on what he plays. In Forrest Gump he plays lieutenant Dan, a Vietnam vet who loses his legs. There have been many portrayals of soldiers in film but he definitely makes this character his own. His crude and often times mean disposition is very effective in the film. I say that Mr. Sinise is a character actor because he also played an astronaut in Apollo 13 and was very convincing. He is able to play many different roles and not become totally associated with one role.
I would like to focus on Tom Hanks because I think he is so very talented! Here are some clips on Mr. Hanks so that I can show his unique style of acting with the different characters he portrays:
Mr. Hanks in Forrest Gump:
Mr. Hanks in Apollo 13
Mr. Hanks in Castaway
As you can see Tom Hanks is a very talented actor and can convincingly play any part.
There are three basic categories of sound in a film~ dialogue, sound effects and music. Dialogue is defined as characters in the film talking to one another. Sound effects which are defined as imitative sounds produced artificially for theatric purposes, are considered to be non-diegetic because they are heard by the viewers of the film not the characters in the film. Finally music which is a vocal or instrumental sound combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony and emotion and which can be either diegetic or non-diegetic. The Lion King is a classic movie whose use of sound makes it extraordinary! The following clip shows dialogue that is used throughout the movie:
The movie is filled with dialogue between all of the characters. In this scene, between the dialogue, music is used in a non-diegetic way. We as viewers here the music and it is exciting and festive which makes us believe that something exciting is about to happen.
This next clip shows a clip with sound effects:
During this clip you hear the constant crackling of the fire and then you hear the fighting of the lions. Both of these sound effects are diegetic, they are heard by the characters and the viewers. During this scene you also hear music in the background this is suspenseful and a little dark. This music is non-diegetic because just the viewers here this.
The third clip is a good example of music that can be heard throughout the movie:
This musical clip is one of many in this movie. It is again an example of diegetic sound….it is heard by characters and the viewers. The music is both uplifting and fun which is a theme in the movie.
I think that all of these clips show the genre of the movie which would be children’s film. Besides the fact that it is an animated film, the story-line is simple and the plot is easy to follow. The film would not be the same if it didn’t have all of these aspects of sound. They make the movie fun, easy to watch and to listen to. A truly enjoyable experience
References:
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.
I decided to use the same movie that I used in my first posting~ The Lion King. I think lighting was definitely a factor in the movie and was very useful in setting up the mood for particular scenes. The following video shows a high-key lighting design. You will notice that the scene has very bright light over everything with few shadows and low contrast between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene.
The scene is very bright and cheerful , I think the lighting has a lot to do with that. Many of the scenes with Simba are bright. Simba is fun, loved and a hero type of character, so most of the scenes with him in them portray this through the bright and cheerful scenes.
There are also many scenes in the movie that are darker, more serious and sometimes are meant to be a little scary. The following video depicts how lighting can effect the mood of the scene and lets the audience know that it is a “serious” moment in the film.
This scene, as with most scenes with Scar in them, is darker and meant to depict this character as dark and evil. The lighting is a major part of this depiction. You understand by the dark sky and the dark shadows that surround Scar and his group.
This last video shows a little bit of both types of lighting. As I have mentioned before, the scene with Simba and his friends is brighter and more alive, when it goes to Scar and his followers it darkens up.
The sun seems to shine around the good guys and goes away around the bad guys~classic I think.
Year released~1994. Produced by Don Hahn and Walt Disney Feature Animation. Director~ Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. Voices~ Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathon Taylor Thomas and Moira Kelly.
Story~The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as king, however, after Simba’s uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is tricked into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile in shame and despair. In the plains of Africa he meets a meerkat named Timone and a warthog named Pumba who help him along the way. Simba is also given some valuable perspective from his friend, Nala, and his shaman, Rafiki, before returning to challenge Scar to end his tyranny.
Plot~In the Pride Lands of Africa, a lion rules over the animals as king. The birth of Simba to King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi creates envy and resentment in Mufasa’s younger brother, Scar, who knows his nephew now replaces him as heir to the throne. After Simba has grown into a young cub, Mufasa gives him a tour of the Pride Lands, teaching him the responsibilities of being a king and the circle of life
Later that day, Scar tricks Simba and his best friend Nala into exploring a forbidden elephant graveyard, despite the protests of Mufasa’s hornbillmajordomo Zazu. At the graveyard, the spotted hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed attack the cubs before Mufasa, alerted by Zazu, rescues them and forgives Simba for his actions. That night, the hyenas, who are allied with Scar, plot with him to kill Mufasa and Simba. The next day Scar lures Simba to a gorge and tells him to wait there while he gets Mufasa. On Scar’s orders, the hyenas stampede a large herd of wildebeest into the gorge. Mufasa rescues Simba, but as Mufasa tries to climb up the gorge’s walls, Scar throws him back into the stampede, where he is trampled to death. After Simba finds Mufasa’s body, Scar convinces him he was responsible for his father’s death and advises Simba to flee the kingdom. As Simba leaves, Scar orders the hyenas to kill the cub, but Simba escapes. Scar announces to the other lions that both Mufasa and Simba were killed in the stampede and steps forward as the new king, allowing a pack of hyenas to live in the Pride Lands. The Pride Lands soon become desolate and baron. Because the hyenas were allowed to live there, the food chain was disturbed and things died off and the lions went hungry. The scenes were dark and dreary.
After running far away, Simba collapses from exhaustion in a desert. Timon and Pumbaa, a meerkat and a warthog, find him and nurse him back to health. Simba grows up with them in the jungle, living a carefree life with his friends under the motto “hakuna matata” (“no worries”). When he is a young adult, Simba rescues Timon and Pumbaa from a hungry lioness, who turns out to be Nala, his childhood friend. She and Simba reconcile and fall in love. Nala urges Simba to return home, telling him the Pride Lands have become a wasteland with not enough food and water. Feeling guilty over his father’s death, Simba refuses and storms off, leaving Nala disappointed and angry. As Simba enters the jungle, he encounters Mufasa’s mandrill friend and advisor, Rafiki. Rafiki tells Simba that Mufasa is “alive” and takes him to a pond. There Simba is visited by the ghost of Mufasa in the sky, who tells him he must take his rightful place as the king of the Pride Lands. Simba realizes he can no longer run from his past and goes home. Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa join him, and agree to help him fight.
At the Pride Lands, Simba confronts Scar, who taunts Simba over his “part” in Mufasa’s death but when Scar pushes Simba to the edge of Pride Rock, he admits he himself killed Mufasa. Enraged, Simba fights his way back up and forces Scar to reveal the truth to the other lions. Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki, Zazu, and the lionesses fend off the hyenas while Scar, attempting to escape, is cornered by Simba at the top of Pride Rock. Scar begs Simba for mercy, saying he is family and placing the blame on the hyenas. Simba says he does not believe Scar anymore but spares his life and commands him to forever leave the Pride Lands. Scar meekly walks past him, but then attacks his nephew. After a fierce battle, Simba throws his uncle off Pride Rock. Scar survives the fall, but is attacked and killed by the hyenas, who overheard his attempt to betray them.
With Scar and the hyenas gone, Simba climbs to the top of Pride Rock and takes over the kingdom as rain starts to fall once again. At the end of the film,with Pride Rock restored to its former glory, Simba looks down happily at his kingdom with Nala, Timon, and Pumbaa by his side; Rafiki presents Simba and Nala’s newborn cub to the inhabitants of the Pride Lands, and the “circle of life” continues.
This film is written chronologically. The film starts when Simba is a newborn cub and follows him through the stages of his life, in the order of real time. I believe that this film was written this way mainly because it is considered a children’s film although I feel it can be enjoyed by all ages. Because this film was written chronologically it was easy to follow. Personally I don’t see this film done any other way. I believe that when people sit down to relax and watch a movie they don’t want to have to keep track of to much. They want a flow to the story that is easy to follow and understand.
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