'Shadow of a Gunman' - How would you perform the role of Tommy Owens to create the correct response from the audience?

Theatre Studies As Level Nicola Richardson 'Shadow of a Gunman' How would you perform the role of Tommy Owens to create the correct response from the audience? Tommy Owens is one of the comical characters within the play. His character is a young man aged around twenty five, yet I doubt that he looks it due to his scrawny build and lack of height. He's a rough looking fellow, unwashed, unshaven and although he enters the play in a suit, its not a particularly smart suit and typical dress of a young working class man in Ireland at that time. To coincide with his 'Gobshite' image, he'd have rat resemblances. Small beady eyes, pointy ears and nose which make him look even more boy like, and can be seen peering through the gap in the door of the room before he enters. Tommy is obviously a harmless character physically, and poses no threat, this will be obvious to the audience from their first glance at him. Throughout the time which he is in Seumas's room, he is constantly told to 'leave Mr Davoren alone,' by Minnie who is obviously disgruntled at the fact that Tommy burst in just as she was going to kiss a gunman. He is not respected by any of the people who know him, and this is shown by the way in which Minnie constantly tells him to keep quiet and how later Mrs Henderson does the same. His voice is also something that adds to the annoyance that he causes. The audience

  • Word count: 1118
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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James Bond as an action hero in the pre-credits sequence of GoldenEye.

James Bond as an action hero in the pre-credits sequence of GoldenEye. Box 1 An action hero is typically a male who in spite of greatly outnumbered or losing against terrific odds, manages to not only survive himself but save for example the world from an evil person or organisation whose only dream it is to take over the world. A typical action hero is a master of arms, this means that they are experts in handling firearms and other dangerous explosives. They are good looking and because of this, they are not only a hit with the women in the film but are also admired by many women who watch the film. An action film typically has very little dialogue. This is because there is a lot of action in the film and due to this, the action voices the plot in a way that the audience would find very easy to understand. This also opens the film to a wider market in that it could be played in countries that do not speak English because of the amount of English spoken. An action film generally has very hi-tech special effects ranging from dramatic explosions to car chases with a twist in that using special effects, weapons can be added to increase the tension in that particular scene. Gun fights, explosions, car chases and a wide range of hi-tech weapons to name but a few, add to the action plot by in the way that there is a sense of danger for the hero who may be in jeopardy.

  • Word count: 2130
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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Themes of love

Discuss the theme of love with specific focus on the nature of love as explored in the play Love generally means to have a strong affection or deep tender feelings for somebody. Love is something sudden and irresistible and is extremely difficult to get rid off. People seem to suffer from love, or at least claim to suffer. The play Twelfth Night is written by William Shakespeare in which he encompasses three ingredients that are love, infatuation and romance. These three elements constitute the main theme of the play that is love. Most characters in the play are involved in love in varying degrees. Throughout the play, many forms of love are portrayed. The first form of love explored is sentimental love of Duke Orsino. At the beginning of the play the Duke says, "If music be the food of love play on, give me excess of it that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die." It appears from this quote that Orsino is in love with the idea of being in love. His speech is full of melodramatic words which shows that he is over indulgent in love. Orsino compares love to the sea, "O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou, That notwithstanding thy capacity Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there" The comparison documents that the sea is capable of receiving into it all the waters of all the rivers. Love also receives into itself all sorts of

  • Word count: 1085
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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Analyse and discuss the forms and conventions used in the production of CD covers. Create your own, original CD cover employing these forms and conventions and evaluate your achievements.

Analyse and discuss the forms and conventions used in the production of CD covers. Create your own, original CD cover employing these forms and conventions and evaluate your achievements. CD covers are designed to attract their target audience. All CD institutions aim to achieve this by using specific images and fonts that suit their target audience. When designing a new CD cover, the genre and the target audience must be clear. Kylie Monogue's album, "fever", made by "Parlophone", shows Kylie standing prominent with her head bent back towards the sky with a microphone in her right hand. She is wearing a plain white sleeveless top and has a white scarf tied around her waist. There are no images in the background and it is just a simple pale grey wall. What you see in a media text is known as the denotations and what was just described are the denotations of this CD cover. The audience will recognise this as a pop album because they will probably be familiar with the singer, which is Kylie Monogue. However, if the audience are not familiar with the singer, they will still know the genre of the album as the cover does not consist of any forms and conventions that relate to any other music genres such as rock, country etc. Kylie is presented semi nude to attract young men to buying to actual CD and use them as their target audience. So Solid Crew's single, "21 seconds" made

  • Word count: 816
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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Drama Peformance Analysis

PERFORMANCE By Jack Cox The basic idea was to have 3 groups of 4 or 5 students and devise a performance on old age, adulthood and childhood. In my group was Robert Costart, Tarik and OJ Are group was given the performance title of childhood (lucky us). The first thing that we had to do was to decide what are three scenes were going to be about. We want to show the joys, fears and sadness of childhood. Are group came up with many ideas. One that I can remember was the idea of the boogieman, to show childhood fears. I felt this was a good idea because it is a childhood fear and we would be able to show it in a comical way. The three scenes that our group decided on was; - > School to show the sadness of childhood > Bedtime story to show the fears of childhood > And walking the street to show the joys of childhood First before we started to develop our ideas in to a script we had to do some research. I looked into the myth of the boogieman by asking a younger cousin. This helped us a great deal because none of the group was to sure about what it was that the boogieman actually does. OJ by asking a year 7 pupil found out what it was that children find sad about there first day at school. This was really helpful because we discovered that's its not the learning that the children dislike about school it is the teachers and meeting new people for the first time. The next

  • Word count: 945
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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On the Waterfront "Famous Speech".

This particular scene, is regarded universally as one of the most profound and masterful scenes in cinema history. No individual aspect can be given the credit for making it what it is; it is a combination of many elements that accentuate each other beautifully to create this stunning piece of cinematography. Upon first impression, it may appear to the audience as any normal, run of the mill scene. However if inspected and analyzed more closely, it's true beauty and power become evident. The scene has been dubbed, the "I could have been a contender speech" and from its title, we see that the dialogue which takes place cannot be a normal one, but one that is much more profound. It is indeed the conversation that takes place between the two brothers that brought it it's fame, but, as previously stated, the beauty and power of the dialogue would not have been as pronounced without the combination of the camerawork and setting all working together harmoniously to create this scene. The setting of the scene is anything but stunning. It takes place in the back seat of a typical cab of the times. Only a driver, Charlie, and Terry are present however the driver does not come into the picture until later on. No distractions or background elements are in use here, the back window is covered by a blind, and the only thing that is used to maintain the realism of being on the road is the

  • Word count: 1251
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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Review of a Travis gig at Newcastle Telewest Arena.

English Coursework Review:-Travis gig Venue:- Newcastle Telewest Arena. Those fortunate enough to have a ticket for the Newcastle Arena have been queuing outside the arena since late afternoon. It's a wintry evening on the banks of the Tyne, it's bitterly cold and the rain falls heavily, but those who have waited in the line that slithers from the entrance several hundred yards back, and continues around the side of the arena are laughing, smiling and cheering in anticipation. What is worrying, however, is the fact that they seem content to wait for the four Scots, Fran, Dougie, Andy and Neil, otherwise known as indie superstars Travis. But before Travis, came their support act, Doves. For the 'Die Hard' indie fans seeing Doves was a bonus on top of seeing Travis. Although currently obscure, Doves are an upcoming indie band with both ability, shown in their 'Lost Souls' album and potential in that they could be up their with the likes of Travis if they continue as they are. Doves gave an energetic performance spanning just over one hour, including hits, 'Catch the Sun' and ''. By the end of their performance it was noticeable that some sections of the audience were singing along with Doves, and most seemed intrigued by their style and performance. As Travis make their way on-stage to rapturous cheers from the crowd, frontman Fran approaches the microphone and

  • Word count: 1286
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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A Man for All Seasons - "Richard Rich is a character to be pitied rather than despised."

A Man for All Seasons "Richard Rich is a character to be pitied rather than despised." Richard Rich; Bolt's young and ambitious bachelor of England, self-centred and ambitious, yet not sinister or evil. Despise is too strong a word to use for Rich, because as an audience, although we dislike Rich and would not like to be involved with him as a person, we can see his situation from afar and sympathise with him. We pity the character that is trapped in his own desire for promotion opposed to his care for other characters, namely Sir Thomas More. Rich is described by Bolt as the character "longing to be rescued from himself", which immediately suggests to us that his unpleasant and self-absorbed nature is viewed as a weakness even to himself, making us pity his lack of ability to change himself rather than hate the character he is. Bolt first introduces Richard Rich to us right at the beginning of the play, showing he is a significant character. Rich's opening line - "but every man has his price" is relevant to his character and immediately makes the audience aware of his materialistic priorities. Bolt wants us to be aware of Rich's beliefs that everyone is corruptible - "there's always something," and so influence us to believe Rich too is corruptible. Our first impressions of Rich are that he is an ominous character, and this is reinforced by his willingness to threaten -

  • Word count: 1421
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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Evaluate Brian Clark's play "Whose Life Is It Anyway?"

The aim of this assignment is to evaluate Brian Clark's play "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" and to form an opinion on how the author keeps attention of the audience throughout the play. For this purpose, the research has been carried out through detailed analysis of the play, as well as through the study and evaluation of materials presented in books and websites, so as to determine the devices and structures used by the playwright to engage and sustain the interest of the audience. "Whose Life is it Anyway" by Brian Clark, is a play about Ken Harrison, a professional sculptor and teacher, whose spinal cord has been damaged by a car accident. Ken is paralysed by the neck down and is being kept alive only by the miracles of medical technology. However, Ken does not want to be kept alive and this provides the core of the play which is centred around the changed life of Ken Harrison, his determination to decide his own fate, and the determination of those who care for him to keep him alive. The play takes up six months after the accident, as Ken is starting to realise the full extent of his injuries. The problem is that he has not been told exactly what his life will be like. He has to ask the doctors, who scarcely tell him, that he will need to be in the care of a hospital for the rest of his life. Ken is determined to exercise a choice over his own life or death, but his decision

  • Word count: 3795
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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How does Peter Medak gain the viewers sympathy for Derek Bentley in the film "Let him have it"

How does Peter Medak gain the viewers sympathy for Derek Bentley in the film "Let him have it" This is a story that follows the life of an epileptic boy called Derek Bentley. The story shows how quickly a normal boy's life can turn upside down. Derek arrives home from an approved school and doesn't step out of his doorstep for a whole year. Derek is later led by Christopher Craig and his make-believe gangsters to go around and cause trouble. This later results in crime and Bentley is given the death penalty in court for 'apparently' being party to a murder but it was a huge injustice. After the trial Peter Medak, the producer tries to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Derek and his life in prison and his family waiting for his execution. Derek's sister Iris still battles on for justice and recently Bentley was pardoned. As the film is based on a true story, Medak might have been affected by the injustice and one day maybe thought to make this film in Derek's name. Derek's childhood is the most sympathetic part of the film, this is because it shows how he struggled with the trauma of having epilepsy throughout his life. In 1941 Derek's home is bombed and he is buried in the rubble from the the explosion he begins to throw a fit. Derek is not a leader he is led by others. Medak shows his lack of leadership skills in the part where Derek follows his friends to

  • Word count: 1304
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Drama
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