Lit & Media Studies

       For this assignment, I was able to watch three films directed by Wes Anderson, and analyze his author's voice as it appears in his films. After watching Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, I found that there is definitely a strong author's voice in his work. This voice that forms his stories visually is, in my opinion, formed in his production design, camera angles, and character development as some main ways.        The PD was the first thing that stuck out to me in all three films because this is what my eye always goes to first, but also because of its consistency and use of color. Anderson always uses symmetrical balance in his sets and places his characters in them accordingly so much so that it sticks out to the audience. For me this is unusual because I usually have to focus a bit away from the story to see the production design, and that to me means it's done well. However, in Anderson's films he purposel...

Although I have seen all the Star Wars films, I chose to read this script mostly because I love the films, but also because I knew it would present a challenge to develop sets that are different from the ones in the film but still keep with the theme of Star Wars. It was amazing to be able to read one of the original scripts, their side notes, and see how it all came together in production. It was a challenge, but a wonderful challenge at that. I chose to write how I would change it from the view of the set designer because this is what I want to be in the future so I thought it only suiting.  So if I were approaching the script of Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back as the set designer of the film, I would focus on the atmosphere of the set and how it the overall set can compliment the characters in each set. As I read the original script of the film, in the beginning it was clear that they were located in an arctic region, so I would have the rebel base set on a planet where...

        To create a scene from Ready Player One that fits the medium of virtual reality, I would adapt the scene from page 22 of the novel where he is describing the place he lives. To start this scene I would have the first frame be the corner of a crammed laundry room with a makeshift bed and his small window and a washer machine underneath it showing in the frame. The sun would slowly come up and the light would start filling his room, with a blue tint and a foggy atmosphere in his room. The camera focuses on Wane as he starts dressing quickly, then goes to his hands as he puts on his gloves, and slides open the window, where we also see the frost on the sill and on the glass. The camera moves in front of him as he looks out into his area and we see his red cheeks, showing how cold it is. The frame moves out to show the rest of his neighborhood and shows that his aunt’s trailer was the top one in a stack of trailers. Then the continues to zoom out to reveal the r...

         In reading the book,  Marriage of a Thousand Lies, it was interesting to hear a different point of view and hear an experience of a person from a different background. Even though I don't get to read novels as often as I would like, I'm usually not drawn to these kinds of books but I think it's good to read about point of views that we're not always aware of or exposed to. Especially because a challenge is a challenge, and the character faced many that are difficult to understand but we can relate to in some way as we've all been through difficult times in our lives. One thing I was interested in was the fact that she is Sri Lankan. I can relate to her background in that way as my parents are immigrants from Romania. So much here is different from other countries and those challenges are very relatable as well.        In the discussion in class it was interesting to see how her background influenced her main character. To hear ...

         In the short novel Cosmopolis, the author does address issues of privilege through the characters and the events that take place. Through the main character we see the main picture of privilege because from the beginning he is clearly a wealthy, high-class man. When he briefly mentions his process of getting to the point of owning a large business and becoming wealthy, we find out that he started from a lower status and worked his way up. However, the fact that he wasn't born wealthy doesn't seem to change anything he does, as far as charity and helping those who are in a "lower" position, as he once was. In my opinion, this is one way that the author reveals the issue of privilege. The main character appears greedy and always in pursuit of more, whether it's money, women, or expensive works of art. The many women that he has sex with, all who are not his wife, show that he believes he has a lot of power in his hands, and this stems from the fact that ...

            If I were to design a Wonder Woman theme park, I would focus on how she came to earth, and her story known from the comics. I would focus on her role in the Justice League, but I would also include her experiences with the other superheroes from the comics. The rides would be based on different moments in her story. For example, one ride could be a 3D experience of her “arrival” on her invisible plane, and her first encounters with earth and the people here. Another ride could be her fight with Super Man, but told from her point of view. Strips of the comics would be placed around the theme park along with clips from the film included throughout the park so that her modern character could be shown as well.  To help visitors understand where she comes from, I would have a ‘museum’ style attraction where visitors could learn about the author and his life, and how everything he experienced influenced the story of Wonder Woman. Except for that...

             Reading True Grit , and watching the films, I was surprised to see the perspective of the novel, and the style of writing. It was very abrupt and to the point and it was almost like a culture shock going from Pride and Prejuidice to a western novel, but I really enjoyed it. The novel  and it's accompanying films both reflect and comment on American mythology. The plot of the novel, and the films, takes on what is assumed to be a typical Western novel plot. There is a character that is killed, one that seeks revenge, and others who go on this journey of vengeance with them. All the stereotypical Western details are in the novel as well, including the small towns and the rivals between towns and states, and the typical cowboys. In these ways, True Grit reflects on how we see the Western world. However, it also comments on this view through the main character, Mattie. I was surprised to see that she was the one telling the story, and wh...