Finding the Theme in a Film

Let’s Start With What We Know!

What does theme mean when it applies to literature?

THEME

SUBJECTTON

E

PLOT

Explain the differences among these literary terms

SubjectTonePlotTheme

THEME

SUBJECTTON

E

PLOT

Subject Who or What the story is about

Tone The mood or attitude the author creates in the story

Plot The sequence of events that happen in the story

Theme A “big idea” or opinion about life, human nature, or society that the writer wants to share with the reader

Usually not directly stated, but inferred or implied

What is NOT the theme? What IS the theme?

SubjectTonePlot

What is the author’s “big idea” about life, human nature, or society?

Does the title of the story give us a clue?

Is there a significant place in the story where the big idea is state?

How we Find Theme

What is a theme in Night?

a) Elie gets sent to a concentrations camp, goes through awful experiences with his father, gets moved to different camps, his father dies, and he is freed.

b) Sad, depressing, hopeless.c) People are capable of great evil and

inhumanity.d) Concentration camps during the Holocaust

What is a theme in AMSND?

a) Silly, Funny, Comicalb) Helena is in love with Demetrius, but he

doesn’t love her back.c) A story takes place in Athens, The Woods,

and The Play.d) Love can be transforming and magical or

blind and foolish.

How do we find theme in a film?

By looking at different Film Elements that support a theme:

Costume Music Setting Subtext Camera Frame Character Relationships Dialogue Plot

Costume

Can show status in societyCan show characterizationChange in costume can mean a change in a

relationship

Costumes

Music

Music can add to the theme by indicating tone

What are the lyrics of the song? What do they tell you about theme?

Is the music upbeat? Slow? How does that add to theme?

How does the music set the tone of the scene?

Music

So much more than this provincial life 5:00http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVovQfq7

U0wTale as old as time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qtTPTxvoPA

Start at 1:00 Wolf Scenehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btUlfkPAN-w- Beginning Instrumentalhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFXvB8ODUjA

Setting

Where the story takes placeHow does the setting affect the tone and the

theme?Describe the setting:

What’s the weather like? Are the characters inside or outside? What does it

look like? Are the colors in the scene bright or dark?

Setting

Subtext

What emotion are the characters showing the audience?

How are their emotions connected to theme?

Scene Frame

Everything the audience can see in the frame of the camera

Close up

Close up: When the director focuses in on smaller aspects of the setting; fills up the entire frame of the camera

Why would a director choose to zoom in on a character’s face? How does that help to show a theme?

Long Shot

When the camera zooms out; the audience can see everything in the scene in the camera shot

Why would a director choose to include more parts of the setting in the camera shot? How might this help us understand the theme?

Framing/Subtext

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms05La1pDIU&feature=related

Character Relationships

How do relationships between characters help us to understand the theme?

Dialogue

Conversations that happen between characters

How does dialogue help us to understand the theme?

Dialogue

Thank you, for saving my lifehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH_vcb2fQ

2cProloguehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__x8CYAV

MbkStart at 2:00 Beast lets her gohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JyoT6RC

Q8&feature=related

Plot

Name the parts of the plot diagram!

Plot

Name the parts of the plot diagram!

Exposition: Setting, Characters

Rising Action: Introduce Conflict

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

Themes in Beauty and the Beast?