Visual Text Analysis:
Sample Assignment and Essay
Analyze
a film about workers working. Choose a film that you can access on video and watch several times (either at
home or in the library; see me if you have any problems accessing the film or a
place to watch it). It is not sufficient to screen the film one time. You'll
need to watch the film for content once, then go back and take notes on key
scenes, pull out quotations you'll integrate into your paper, and look for the
subtle technical and aesthetic elements you missed the first time. Plan on a
minimum of three screenings.
By the time you start writing, you
should have a good sense of what it means to analyze. Watch your film carefully
and jot down ideas about what you think the film means. Is The Godfather a
parable about the promise of the American dream, or a study in sibling rivalry?
Does Clerks parody the "slacker generation" or accuse the
middle-class of demanding instant, 'convenience store' gratification? This is
your chance to interpret what social/cultural message a film conveys. A film
is, among other things, a cultural artifact. What is your film saying about the culture or to the culture?
Remember that analysis is not summary.
Don't simply retell the plot line of the film. Neither is analysis a personal
reflection. Move beyond your feelings about the content and quality of the
film; don't simply write about how much you liked or disliked it. Let me
reiterate: these films are all cultural artifacts. What do you think they are
saying about their cultures? What agenda does the director have? What
techniques (use "How to Analyze a Film" from the course packet) does
the director have? What techniques does the director use to get his or her
message across? Think about it, then watch the film a second time and take more
careful notes. How do dialogue, setting, character development, and cinematic
features like colors, shadows, and camera movement help the director convey the
film' s theme? You can also draw on Aristotle's elements of drama when you talk
about how the film works as a coherent whole. Pay careful attention to how the
director portrays the industry in question. Is it a positive or negative
portrayal? What seems to be the director's stance in relation to the work and
the workers on the screen? Boil your ideas about the film down into a single
thesis statement. Your essay should clearly state that thesis and work to
defend it.
No need to use outside sources,
just your own mind. This time around, imagine your audience is the readership
of Persona, the University of
Arizona's undergraduate literary journal. So your readers are other undergrads
at the University, especially students who have an interest in ideas about
literature and culture. Page through a copy of the journal in the bookstore
(buy it if you can) and speculate on the kinds of essays they generally
publish.
SAMPLE
ESSAY
|
Jeffrey Laguna’s prize winning essay
explores the socio-cultural message the film Apocalypse Now communicates. In his complex and engaging essay,
Jeffrey skillfully describes the effects of war on the main character and the
effects of the visual and aural images on the audience. As you read, note his
careful attention to the details in the film and his synthesis of those
details. Jeff moves beyond plain description; he exa-mines how and why the
text functions. |
Although
Apocalypse Now is an extremely formalistic film from Francis Ford
Coppola, he was quoted saying, “It’s not about Vietnam, it was Vietnam!” He
took quite a bit of time researching the war finding out what life was like
for one taking part in the war. It is possible that any man, American or Vietnamese,
may have been placed under the extreme psychological conditions of Captain
Willard. In fact, in the opening scene, Martin Sheen was genuinely intoxicated
and while on a rampage, Coppola video taped his madness and placed it in the
script. When Sheen collides with a mirror in the opening scene, it is his
real blood that is seen running free on his hands. Coppola successfully created
a confined reality and in doing so he has lead the viewer to believe that
every man in the military is forced to undergo the emotional troubles of Willard,
and thus, he presents an extreme anti-war ideology. Throughout the film, the
viewer constantly identifies with Willard and his emotional struggles, and
as a result, Coppola places the viewers in the script. Through this identification,
Coppola influences his viewers to oppose the military’s’ techniques and procedures
involving those who take part in it. Apocalypse Now suggests that extreme circumstances
of war calling for austere actions should never be placed upon any man; these
conditions transform a man filled with valor into a man filled with paranoia.
The movie begins with a famous
anthem from that era, “The End," by The Doors. It is quite ironic that
the movie actually starts with this song. Our first look at Captain Willard
is one of him lying on his bed. Coppola specifically provides the viewer with
an internal and external observation of Willard. The viewer is able to see
the mad and distressed world that Willard sees while maintaining his/her sanity,
resulting in an almost third person view of his character. He is holding several
letters very loosely in one hand. Both the song and the carelessness about
the letters suggest that his character has faded away psychologically, and
that he cannot be saved. In the military, men take great enjoyment in receiving
any type of letter. Whether it be from home, or even orders to report somewhere,
it gives a sense of belonging to the individual, which is desperately needed
when placed in a sea of men performing similar tasks. Willard simply lets
the papers slide out of his hand, showing that he has no ties with the world
he once treasured, leading him to become dependant on the war. In cutting
off the ties to his previous life, he drowns the lifeline of his other self,
forcing him to seek “air” somewhere else, plentifully provided by the military.
This point is also emphasized when he refers to his recent divorce. He describes
the situation by explaining that when he was fighting in the war, he was dreaming
and longing to visit home, and yet when he was visiting home, he longed to
go back and fight in the war. This lack of contentment suggests that he does
not care for what he once treasured and that he has forsaken and turned away
from his previous life.
While he reclines on his bed, he
recalls certain characteristics of the war, such as the sounds. One significant
sound was the Hewey Helicopters, or “slicks." He fades in intervals of
his present reality and a past reality that he continues to dwell on. He is
looking up at a fan and associating the sound of the fan with the rotor wash
of the choppers. Twice in this scene alone, he fades in and out of reality,
which are clear signs of his emotional instability. This also can be perceived
toward the end of the scene when he begins to cry and grieve for where life
has taken him. At this point, he realizes that he has changed to become someone
that he truly will learn to despise.
It is also significant to note
that the only movement in the entire room at this time is that of the fan
above his head, or his “other reality.” This suggests that he is no more an
independent soul, but he is now part of the war. His movement is conveyed
through the fan, or his “other reality.” Other double entendres in this scene
which suggest that Willard is emotionally instable are the lighting and the
camera work. The room has little illumination, suggesting that although he
is the “hero” of the script, he is not all “hero” on the inside. He is one
of the few men who has been able to survive to his psychological breaking
point, but not without cost. He has suffered a great deal, and as a result,
he has forfeited who he once was. When Willard is seen on film, the camera
angle is an aerial shot that focuses primarily on his face. The viewer cannot
help but look down on him, and relate him to a character like that of a little
boy, small in stature. When a boy is growing up, he is still learning who
he really is, in other words, he is finding himself. On the other hand, when
a man is trying to find himself, it is clear that he has misplaced who he
was previously, and now he is searching for a character that suits his situation
more adequately. By focusing on his face, the viewer becomes bonded with the
individual. He/she will not associate the character with a mad man that brutally
kills people in war, but rather a personal face, implying that he is mortal
in body and mind, like everyone else. In other words, it does not take a mad
man to reach his psychological standpoint, it can happen to anyone. This personification
is also created by the fact that he narrates the opening scene, no longer
is he a mad man, but he is a struggling friend, and consequentially, the viewer
grieves for him, as Willard grieves himself. In doing this, the viewer almost
descends into madness with Willard. The viewer observes the actions of the
military through the eyes of Willard, and in doing so, the viewer relates
to the emotions of Willard, and inadvertently, become Willard. As the viewer
slowly identifies more and more with Willard, he/she slips further and further
into a contained madness along with Willard.
Other actions suggesting that Willard
is undergoing an emotional breakdown include his substance abuse. When first
observed, he is smoking a cigarette and drinking alcohol. These characteristics
automatically suggest that he is quite troubled. He is drinking and smoking
not out of pleasure, as many people do, but as a way to escape what he is
forced to endure every day on the battle field. At first glance, one would
think that he is alone, and indeed, he is the only character in the room,
but he is not alone. He is lying down on a bed next to a gun. Typically, when
someone goes to bed at night, they lie down next to the one that they love
or hold closest to their heart. This suggests that the pivotal item in his
life is the war and his daily confrontation with death. His gun has inadvertently
taken the place of his wife. The one being in his life that he once considered
sacred at heart has now been replaced by a weapon designed to destroy anything
that it is used on. In this light, it can be perceived that he has traded
a beautiful and productive relationship for a cold and destructive article
of devastation. He has exchanged the love in his life for the hate and melancholy
of a deliverer of death.
Willard’s first response to this
reality is one of insanity. The viewer observes that he applies camouflage
to his face and goes through training routines while in his hotel room. He
states that he is training because while he is getting softer, “Charlie get’s
stronger.” While performing these routines, he comes in a direct collision
with the mirror in the room, and upon contact, he shows no emotion what-so-ever
and proceeds with his practicing. This is quite symbolic because by preparing
himself for his next mission, he ruins his reflection, signifying that it
was the job itself that destroyed who he once was. One can also assume that
during his next mission, his insane self will be destroyed. The reflection
also symbolizes the way that the world sees his character. The world can only
see his outer shell, and in this observation, he appears to be a man that
is held together psychologically. He knows that on the inside, he is someone
totally different than the facade that he puts on. In opposition of this image
that he is forced to act out, he retaliates against it and strikes his reflection.
When asked about this injury by a superior officer, he states that it occurred
as a result of a “fishing accident.” This too is symbolic because he was once
an innocent fish, and while swimming
in the sea of life, he was caught by the military and reeled in only to
suffer a slow death.
Near the end of the scene, he is
contacted by the military and given orders to report at the local military
base. His first reaction is “What are the charges?” obviously suggesting that
he is so unstable that he cannot even control himself by following the orders
of the most important thing in his life, the military. It is important to
note that at this point, he is naked. It symbolizes that the military has
stripped all who he once was and even in this despair, he chooses to take
another mission. Suddenly, Willard just collapses on his bed and refuses to
even continue the day. One of the MP’s reacts by stating to his friend, “Cmon’
Dave, We’ve got a dead one.” Revealing that Willard is not the only man to
endure this trauma, and that the military has to deal with this on a consistent
basis.
Upon the conclusion of the first
scene, Willard states that this would be the last mission that he would ever
take. This is due to the recognition of the extreme deterioration of his character.
As the film progresses, Willard encounters many men who are going through
similar imbalances because of the harsh effects of war. Along with these frequent
encounters, he also faces a struggle to continue with his life and strive
for the finish line. Upon completion of the movie, he comprehends who the
military really is and what they have done to him. He would not have been
able to redeem his characterization if it had not been for this realization,
nicely summed up by Kurtz as, “You are an errand boy sent by grocery clerks
to collect the bill.”