The Shawshank Redemption
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
Dictionary Definitions
Redemption (n) - The act of redeeming.
Redeeming (adj) - Serving to compensate for faults or deficiencies.
Redeem (vb) - 1. To recover possession of by payment of a price or service. 2. To convert (bonds or shares) into cash. 3. To pay off (a loan or debt). 4. To recover (something mortgaged or pawned). 5. To exchange (coupons) for goods. 6. To fulfil (a promise) 7. To reinstate someone's good opinion. 8. To make amends for. 9. To recover from captivity, esp. by a money payment.
Taken from,
The Collins Pocket Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers, England, 1989.
The Shawshank Redemption
Viewing Worksheet
Complete the following questions as you watch the film.
The Beginning Scene(s)
· What happens to Andy du Fresne and Red?
· What do we learn of Andy and Red's characters?
Introduction to Shawshank
· What do we learn of the nature of the prison? Give examples.
Degradation
· What does Andy endure in the first few years? Be accurate and specific.
The Rooftop Scene
· What do you learn about dignity, courage and hope from this scene?
The Library
· What does the library represent to Andy? Think about time, education, friends, music and hope.
Music
· Identify a scene where music is important. Explain how it is used and to what effect.
Minor Characters
· Using evidence from the film, explain the following peoples characteristics and say why they are important:
· Warden Norton
· Brooks
· Tommy
· Captain Hadley
· Can you think of any other secondary characters?
The Ending
· What happens at the end of the film? What message does it send to society?
The Shawshank Redemption
Plot Structure
The plot of a film usually follows a very clear dramatic structure. It will begin with the exposition, where the scene is set, situation established and characters introduced. The tension will then rise steadily as a series of small conflicts build to a climax. This is the point where the conflict within a character or between characters is most intense. After this event, the tension levels decrease as some sort of decision is reached, resulting in a resolution.
The entertainment value of a plot is determined by humour, action, tension and the unexpected.
Plot Activity
Students are to graph the dramatic structure of The Shawshank Redemption, where the vertical axis is tension level and the horizontal axis is plot development. They must provide clear examples from the film for each part of the graph.
The Shawshank Redemption
Themes
There are many controversial issues dealt with in this film. These range from sodomy to loyalty and friendship. The following is a list of some of the most important themes touched on in the movie.
· Courage
· Loyalty
· The power of the mind vs. the power of authority
· Institutionalisation
· Corruption
· Justice/injustice
· Freedom
Form a group of 3-5. Choose a theme from the list above. Elaborate on the theme by creating a series of dot points with specific references to scenes within the film. Where possible use quotations to support your theme. Poster paper will be provided.
The Shawshank Redemption
Power
The characters in the film can be divided in numerous ways:
a. Prisoners vs. Guards - Where the guards have the legal and perceived power
b. Andy vs. Norton - Andy has the 'real' power ie; his intellect and inner strength
c. The Sisters vs. Other Prisoners - The sisters have physical power (in numbers) but Andy has the power to fight them mentally
d. The Prisoners vs. the Outside World - The prisoners lose their power to fear of the unknown
e. Norton/Hadley vs. The Law - Ironic that these characters who are perceived 'upholders' of the law are more corrupt that some prisoners.
The Shawshank Redemption
Jigsaw Activity
Instructions
Divide the class into as many groups as there are in each group ie; 5 groups of 5. These are the expert groups and each group will have one question to discuss (see below). The groups are then broken again so that the new groups have one person from each of the old groups, this is called a 'home' group. Each person in this group must share their ideas on the one question that they discussed in their 'expert' group. This way everybody ends up covering/discussing all of the questions.
Questions for the Jigsaw Activity
1. Explain the meaning of institutionalised. How does it apply to Brooks?
2. What aspect(s) of prison life are emphasised throughout the movie? Give examples.
3. Why does the Pacific Ocean have such appeal to Andy?
4. How do all the prisoners accept one another’s crimes in the prison? How is this significant?
5. List some examples of corruption of the legal process and the corrections process in the movie.
6. In what respects is justice finally achieved in the movie? Comment.
The Shawshank Redemption
Film Terms and Definitions
Also see The Language of Film.
Shots
EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU): Emphasises a portion of the face, a small detail.
CLOSE-UP (CU): Close-up (often of a face). Draws attention to detail, especially facial reaction.
MEDIUM CLOSE-UP (MCU): Figure framed from the chest up.
MEDIUM SHOT (MS): Figure framed from the waist up.
LONG SHOT: Also known as 'establishing shot'. Indicates the environment and places the human figure in a setting.
Angles
LOW ANGLE SHOT: Camera positioned low, looking up. Emphasises the size of the object in frame.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT: Camera positioned high, looking down. Emphasises the vulnerability of the object or person in focus.
WIDE ANGLE SHOT: Special lens gives wide-angle view - gives context or setting of action.
SUBJECTIVE/POINT OF VIEW SHOT: A shot from the perspective of a character ie: seeing it through their eyes.
Movement
STATIC: The subject remains in relatively the same position.
ZOOM: A smooth change in focal length to make the objects in the frame appear to come closer or recede. The camera does not move.
PAN: Camera swivels slowly, giving a sweeping view of a wide area.
HEAD ON: Subject moves towards the camera, this involves the audience.
TAIL AWAY: Subject walks away from camera, often a final shot.
TILT: Camera tilts up or down.
TRACKING SHOT: Camera moves along a track on a dolly, keeping pace with a moving object, which is being filmed.
PULL BACK TRACK: Camera moves back from an object first seen in close-up. It places the object in context and is sometimes used as a surprise technique.
CRANE SHOT: Camera is placed on a crane and can move in any direction.
FREEZE FRAME: All movement on screen stops - action is frozen.
Special Purpose Shots
CUT: Abrupt end to a shot. One shot is instantly replaced on screen by another. This is sometimes used to emphasise a change in mood or to point to a contrast.
CROSS-CUTTING: Cutting back and forth between two scenes to create the impression that they are happening at the same time. Again, this is often used to point to a contrast.
RE-ESTABLISHING SHOT: Usually a long shot, it shows the audience the whole scene once again slowly.
FADE: image slowly fades from the screen, usually to black.
DISSOLVE: As one image fades out, another fades in. The two images will be mixed together for a time.
Camera Adjustment
SHALLOW FOCUS: Focus is clear in only one plane, the rest of the image is blurred.
DEEP FOCUS: All areas from foreground to background are in focus.
Other Terms
FRAME: A single image; 24 projected frames per second create the illusion of movement
MIS EN SCENE: The composition, the placement of objects within the frame, the setting, the lighting, what is happening.
SHOT OR TAKE: The footage taken by one camera without interruption.
SCENE: A segment of film in which the narrative takes place in a single space and time.
SEQUENCE: A segment of film involving a complete stretch of action.
SOUND EFFECTS (SFX): Sound effects - noises other than the spoken voice.
VOICE OVER / VOICE OFF: A voice is heard but the person speaking is not on screen or does not appear to be talking. May be an unseen narrator or a character's thoughts.
GRAPHICS: Lettering or drawing by artists eg. for credits.
SOUND
Background Noise - This creates the atmosphere in a scene, for example the sound of intercoms, a lot of people talking and planes taking off will give the impression of an airport.
Background Music - This usually ties in with the action. It can be used to let the audience know what is about to happen or to affect their emotions. The music heard at the start of a film sets the tone for the whole film and is sometimes repeated at important times throughout. There are many different types of music used in films:
· Loud, rhythmic and fast - supports violent or rapid action
· Soft, melodic, use of harmony - romantic
· Sudden and discordant, use of brass and percussion - humorous
· Electronic, synthesised - sci-fi
· Rising melody, discordant - builds tension.
LIGHTING
Natural Light - The best shots are made with light to one side of the subject. This avoids heavy shadowing, little shadowing (which creates a flat appearance) and squinting. Shadowy outdoor areas create dark pictures.
Key/Modelling Light - Towards the subjects face at eye level. Gives the effect of natural shadows.
Fill Light - This is a lower powered light nearer to the camera. It softens the key light so that the shadows are not so dark.
Back Light - A light high up behind the subject creates a halo effect and gives depth to the scene. A stronger, lower backlight gives a silhouette effect.
The Shawshank Redemption
Introduction to Shawshank Prison
Crane shot shows us the prison from a bird’s eye view, sweeping views establish and emphasise the prison's size.
The music is slow, played by stings and has a deep drawn out bass, which adds to the feeling that this is a place of sadness.
The colours are bleak. Prisoner's uniforms are grey (as is the sky) and the lighting is dull.
We see the prison through Andy's eyes as he enters. Moves from a low angle of the entrance to an undershot, which gives the impression that he is entering a place of misery and will not emerge for a long time. Again the sheer size of the place is shown in an imposing way.
Inside the prison it is dark, lit only by natural light from the windows. This creates long shadows which give an eerie, cold feeling and we get the suspicion that all is not as it should be, shadows hide secrets.
The Shawshank Redemption
Scene Analysis
Camera Shots and Angles / Sound/ Music Effects / Lighting / Overall Effect on AudienceTo assist you in understanding how filmic techniques are used to create meaning we will be viewing a series of important scenes from the movie. Use the above chart to report your findings.
The Shawshank Redemption
The Literary Essay
A literary essay is one in which a piece or piece(s) of literature is analysed.
INTRODUCTION: A paragraph in which you state your point of view, outlining what it is you will be saying in the 'meat' of the essay.
The name and author of the piece of literature should always be written into the introduction.
In this introductory paragraph you also say which aspects of the literature you will be discussing, for example plot, style, themes etc.
BODY: This is made up of paragraphs. In each of these paragraphs you discuss one aspect. Remember to follow this pattern:
1. State your point in a topic sentence.
2. Support this with a reason.
3. Give an example from the text you are dealing with. It can be in your own words or it can be quotation.
CONCLUSION: This is the final paragraph in which you sum up your essay and re-state your original points.
Do not introduce any new ideas or opinions in the conclusion. It is a finishing point, a summary. The final sentence should assert your point of view firmly.