How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character Essay Example

How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character? Essay American Beauty was directed by Sam Mendes in 1999. It was released on the 4th of February 2000 and won 5 Oscars. The film is about a man who is lonely and going through a mid-life crisis who ends up falling for a sixteen year old girl. The sequence I am analysing is exposition which establishes the character and theme of the film. The first image is of the onscreen titles. The colour of the titles is red which could connote danger or lust but, referring to the words American beauty it could suggest that its to do with love. The beginning scene opens with an extreme long shot of a birds eye view of suburbia. The colours are very desaturated and all we can see is trees that seem to cover the city. The camera then does a tilt and zooms in suggesting we are going to take a closer look at this world. This links to the theme and it also reflects in the notice at Lesters desk that says Look Closer. As it is zooming in it reminds me of the film Beetle Juice where they zoom in on his life in this fake model board. Its like the audience are spectators and are watching from a position of objective superiority as a persons life unfolds. We will write a custom essay sample on How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How does the exposition of American Beauty establish themes and character? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It then cuts to the Lester Burnham the protagonist of the film asleep on his bed in his bedroom. The camera angle is a birds eye view angle which makes it seem like we are looking down from heaven like a God character. There is a very bare mis-en-scene and everything seems to be in symmetrical order which could connote that his everything is his life is in order. As we look at him lying on his side of the bed, we realise that the other half is bare/empty suggesting that something is missing in his life e.g. his wife. The colours are ordinary which shows that there is no excitement. The next shot is of him turning over; the audience then meets the protagonist. The camera angle is a mid shot and we seem to notice that he looks tired and that he is wearing a t-shirt underneath his pyjamas which shows that he might be cold. It then cuts to his feet slipping into some slippers which make the audience think that everything is superficially perfect when in reality its not. With it being for mal it suggests balance and a very static life style. The shower scene starts to set up a theme, as when the camera points to him you cant really see him because the shower door is in the way and is all fussy and faint. It shows that he is seeing reality through a not so real thing and that he is trapped behind something. The water also connotes that he is pure. It then introduces Carolyn Burnham (his wife). The close up of the rose connotes youth, life and love but then the camera shows her cutting off the steam with the pliers which shows the audience how its life has ended, been cut off which could refers to the parents relationship. She then seems to be sedated as she looks at the rose, its like she doesnt recognise what it is, and its unfamiliar. The point of view shot from Lesters point of view seems to be done by a telephone lens which makes things look crisp and flat. The white fence in the garden refers to the perfect American life they seem to be living and the horizontal lines create peacefulness. It then cuts to Lester again but he is the main signifier in the shot which shows that he is important and the one vertical line of the window suggests his disturbed peaceful world. The camera then cuts to the next door neighbours who are gay. They sight of them together with dog makes the audience thing aww as they come across as cute but they are also grey and ordinary. As Carolyn and one of the neighbours are talking, you seem to notice Lester at the window watching them which is a mid shot. It looks symmetrical also like a triangle but as it focuses in on Lester in particular and you see that it looks like he is behind bars which is represented by the window frame it connotes prison bars. While they are talking you notice that the dominant colour is grey and there is coldness in the morning light. As the family walk out of the house it shows the social order of the family. The wife is wearing a grey suit and the car is grey which connotes how dull it is in their life and her posture is upright and her movements are stiff which shows that she is repressing emotions. The mis-en-scene is symmetrical which suggests that superficially its perfect and the way Carolyn talks to Lester shows that she is the sarcastic mother. She also seems to be highest as she is already at the car, then the daughter walks out and sits in the front seat next to her, they both are at a straight angle which shows they are equal. Then the last person to walk out is the father. His suit is dull and baggy, he is ill footing and he drops his briefcase and his papers go all over the pavement which shows he is disorganised. As he is on his knees picking the papers up, the camera switches to a low angle which shows he is powerless and makes the audience feel sorry for him. He falls asleep during the car ride wh en he is in the back seat which kind of shows that it is childlike. It could refer to him being a baby/kid. You cant tell he is there which connotes that he isnt considered important within the family which could show the audience that he might as well not exist. The reflection of the bare branches on the car window emphasises the emptiness in his life and as the camera pans to look at the sky it shows freedom, his escape which is ironic ask he tells you that in less than a year he will be dead and it makes the audience feel that there could be a way out for him. The next scene shows Lester sat at his desk at work. While he is looking at the computer it camera seems to make you see him behind bars like he is trapped. The colours are grey and lifeless which shows that there is no excitement at work or in his life. Next to his computer is a sticker which says Look Closer which could be telling him to look closer at his life.

My Vacation Essays

My Vacation Essays My Vacation Essay My Vacation Essay My Dream Vacation Arranging a trip is not always as simple as it sounds, especially when the trip is over 2,300 miles and has over six hours of total flight time. One needs to organize these types of trips well in advance to have an easy and enjoyable Journey. Started planning for my Californian dream vacation by researching my final destination, Los Angels. I researched its main tourists attractions like Disneyland, Universal Studios, City Walk and the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Downtown LA, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice Beach. I found schedules and locations for these tourists attractions and for where we could buy their tickets. I also checked for restaurants where we could eat and the routes we could take to get to these destinations after we rented our car at LAX. After all of my research was completed, I calculated the time we would spend in all of the places and locations we would be visiting. I also made a list of all of the addresses of these sites and I made another list with what we should take in our suitcases, for my husband and me to wear, to take in the plane with us and for the five days of our trip. I estimated the following expenses for the two of us, for the five days of the trip. Expense Cost Comments Plane tickets for two $1200 Greenville, Atlanta, L. A. Round trip Car rental $500 Weekly rental with car insurance Tickets to all attractions $400 Universal and Disneyland Hotels $1000 $250 daily Meals $50 a day per person Extra expenses like: souvenirs, gas, tolls, etc. Larger expenses: gas and souvenirs Total for 5 days $ 4,000 We are estimating we will be spending close to $4,000 on this trip. Most of this other big expenses will come from the car rental, the tickets to the attractions and room our meals. Luckily, we have been planning for this trip for a while now and we have been saving religiously so as not to go into any debt once we are done with the I am so excited about visiting Los Angels as this will be my first time in the trip. West Coast. Along with two days of travel, we are expecting to spend, the first day of the remaining three days, visiting Hollywood, Downtown LA, Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills. On the second day, we will visit Venice Beach and Santa Monica. Assuming we have any strength left, on the final day, we are planning on visiting the Disneyland ND Universal Studios. We will be doing most, if not all of our sightseeing during the day as it is the safer time to visit a large city like LA. We have heard that a few of its neighborhoods can be dangerous if you visit them after sunset. Now, with my trip organized well ahead of time, I can wait for the day we arrive in Los Angels and finally, enjoy my Californian dream vacation. http://Disneyland. Disney. Go. Com/. (n. D. ). Http://www. Altruist. Com/. (n. D. ). Http://www. universalstudioshollywood. Com/. (n. D. ).

Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Anthropology - Essay Example In relation to globalization, the article claims that English is every person’s second language in the world. According to the article, the sea played a part in making English a global language by enhancing the interaction of different cultures. In the article, the author expounds on how one restoration of speech from the dead could result to hearing a language to oneself. This assertion correlates with what we learned in chapter 3 about â€Å"articulatory phonetics†. Articulatory phonetics involves studying the production of speech sounds through vocal organs (40). In connection with this, the article explains how alteration of vocal organs through cruel death affected speech. In chapter 3 we also learned that successions of phones make a stretch of speech. It is in relation to this fact that the author of the article claimed that restoration of the dead people’s speech could assist in determining the language they used in communication. The author of the article clearly states his research topic, How English Became ‘Globish’ in writing the article. Apart from using simple language, the author provides detailed information on the origin and expansion of English in order to enable the reader to understand easily the article. Despite this, the article had some few weaknesses. For example, the use of articulatory phonetics in recognizing speech was not presented clearly in the article. Additionally, the article did not provide enough reasons as to why English is a global language. The information provided by the article will be very useful to a person researching on the origin of English language. It has presented the information about the origin of English language in a chronological manner. Although I knew that English is a global language, it is evident that article informed about its origin. The linking of globalization of English language with invasions makes one understand the importance of cultural integration as much as