Workshop 2: Linking theme to the impact on Angles, Movement and Shots

Brainstorm:

                                                    Other 

What is happening in this shot - Whybie standing on stairs outside house. Other mother ask him to 

                                                   smile from doorway, instead he frowns.

                                                   - Other Whybie making smaller- less of a target-head down,

                                                     Shoulders hunched looks week and vulnerable.

Angle/shot used - High angles - make Whybie look overpowered, week and vulnerable

                     

                             POV - Other Mothers makes her seem stronger, bigger, more dominant     

• Viewer - makes viewer feel sorry for / scared for Other Whybie.                                                                   foreshadowing - hinting at whats is to come.

• Director - Hinting that maybe the Other mother isn't wonderful.
• Other techniques - Spotlight or Whybie - likes he's on the spot/under focus                               -                                - dark around creates a creepy atmosphere

In the scene with the Other Mother and the Other Whybie we see high angle shots used to show the theme 'looks can be deceiving' We see this when the Other mother ask the Other Whybie to smile but he hunches over and frowns instead. This make the audience feel sorry for Other Whybie because he looks scared. The use of a high angle shot from the perspective of the Other Mother adds to this feeling as it makes the Other Whybie  look week and wearable. The director did this to foreshadow the change of the Other Mother from creepy to more creepy. Coinciding with this is the use of lighting. A spotlight is on the Other Whybie emphasizing that that he is under the focus of the Other Mother. This reminds us earlier in the film where a low angle shot was just ordinary. This links to the scene because it also shows a moment when the look of a character was deceiving 

Workshop 1: Unpacking Themes and Ideas.

Theme and Ideas - continuous idea/subject that links throughout the text.

Looks can be deceiving - don't judge a book by it's cover
                                       - don't judge by appearance
Example 1 : Character of Wybie - when we first meet him he seems sorry (mask,motorbike use of high angle to look bigger, loud music) but in reality he just a weird neighborhood.

Show theme because like other characters, our first impression based an appearance, tone, visual techniques aren't correct.

Important because helps audience understand with Caroline that just because something looks good doesn't mean it is she should choose the real world over the other world.

Example 2: Character of the other mother - she seems normal/friendly at the start but by the end becomes a soul devouring spider demon.

Show themes because other mother isn't what she appears to be at the start so we shouldn't judge by first impressions.

Important because Coraline realizes that having something that looks perfect isn't always a good thing.

Statement - In Coraline, the theme looks can be deceiving is used effectively to engage the audience.

Evidence - For instance, the character of the other mother shows us that looks can be deceiving because she start off as a kind mother figure but gradually changes into a soul devouring demon

Explanation audience - This makes us understand that we shouldn't judge a character based on first impression as they can often be wrong.

Explanation director - This is done to help Coraline decide between the real world and the other world. if the other mother was really perfect Coraline choose to go home.

Explanation another technique - Combined with this is the use of colour and lighting. the other mother first appears in a vibrantly bright room that makes us feel warm and safe. however by the end it has become dark and green which makes viewer feel scared and shows that her first look was deceiving.

Your link - This can be juxtaposed to the character of Wybie who we think at first is evil but actually kind, proving looks can be deceiving.