How would you direct An Inspector Calls to ensure that it is still relevant today?
How would you direct An Inspector Calls to ensure that it is still relevant today? J.B Priestly wrote An Inspector Calls in 1945, but he set it in the year of 1912, and throughout the play there are several prominent ideas. Over the years, the way in which Priestly has presented these thoughts, while still relevant, may not be as effective as they were several decades ago. As time has changed, so has the way in which society views them - even if the ideas are identical. So how would the play be directed in order to make it relevant to current times? The main theme must be identified at the outset to first be able to update the play so that is still relevant. Priestly has deliberately set his play in 1912 to emphasise on the differences and his themes between the society at that present time (1945), and in the past. The consequences of the events in those 33 years led to huge changes in society. For example, in 1912 the class and gender boundaries ensured that things wouldn't change, but the event of two world wars caused a large upheaval to society, breaking down the class boundaries, and for women to gain a more valued place in society. This means that the new setting must still be able to foreshadow future events that will take place, to keep the sense of dramatic irony. For example, Priestly writes Birling: The world's developing so fast that it'll make war
Chief Inspector Heat
He was strong in his integrity of a good detective, but he saw now that an impenetrably attentive reserve towards this incident would have served his reputation better. On the other hand, he admitted to himself that it was difficult to preserve one's reputation if rank outsiders were going to take a hand in the business. Outsiders are the bane of the police as of other professions. The tone of the Assistant Commissioner's remarks had been sour enough to set one's teeth on edge. And since breakfast Chief Inspector Heat had not managed to get anything to eat. Starting immediately to begin his investigation on the spot, he had swallowed a good deal of raw, unwholesome fog in the park. Then he had walked over to the hospital; and when the investigation in Greenwich was concluded at last he had lost his inclination for food. Not accustomed, as the doctors are, to examine closely the mangled remains of human beings, he had been shocked by the sight disclosed to his view when a waterproof sheet had been lifted off a table in a certain apartment of the hospital. Another waterproof sheet was spread over that table in the manner of a tablecloth with the corners turned up over a sort of mound--a heap of rags, scorched and bloodstained, half concealing what might have been an accumulation of raw material for a cannibal feast. It required considerable firmness of mind not to recoil
Direct Cinema.
Direct Cinema The term 'direct cinema' was coined by American director Albert Maysles, to describe the style of documentary that he and his contemporaries were making in the 1960s as a result of a lightweight, portable 16mm camera and high quality lightweight audio recorders becoming available. The introduction of these, together with film-stock which was sensitive enough to give a good quality close-up monochrome picture under most lighting conditions (Including hand-held lights) led to a revolution in Documentary filmmaking, allowing film crews to be much more flexible. Gone were the days of bulky, virtually immobile 35mm cameras; now manufacturers improved their 16mm stock and accepted it as a professional format. In 1959 a group comprising graduates from Drew Associates, a company formed by Robert Drew (an ex journalist) and Richard Leacock, joined forces. Their ethos was to record events as they happened, without interfering and in an attempt to transfer the style of photojournalism to their filmmaking. The group - comprising Pennebaker, Leacock and Maysles - was a key feature of American direct cinema throughout the 1960s and the 1970s. Together with Drew they made a total of nineteen pioneering films for television, beginning in 1960 with Primary. In this documentary, for the first time, the audience was able to follow a person (in this case presidential hopefuls
'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' by Dario Fo - A Plot Summary
'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' by Dario Fo A Plot Summary by Rosa Scheewe ACT ONE Scene 1 The play starts in an ordinary office. Inspector BERTOZZO explains to the audience that several weeks before an anarchist fell out of the window a few floors above while he was interrogated by the police about a bomb attack in a bank in Milan. His death caused public outrage although the police claimed it was 'suicide'. After that he starts to interrogate MANIAC. We find out about more characteristics of MANIAC. He was arrested 11 times but he has never been convicted, because he suffers from a 'histrionic mania'. In the following interrogation, that shows MANIAC's intelligence, he confuses BERTOZZO and the CONSTABLE, who sometimes interjects a comment, until he threatens to throw himself out of the window. Then he is told to leave by BERTOZZO. After he does BERTOZZO and CONSTABLE leave as well. MANIAC re-enters and as he finds himself alone he starts to throw files about little criminals out of the window. This shows that he is an anarchist himself and an activist. So he is going to do something about the death of the anarchist and he is hardly afraid of anything. When the phone rings he doesn't hesitate to answer it and finds Inspector PISSANI at the other end of the line. He talks to him, provokes him and makes BERTOZZO look like an idiot. After the phone call he starts to
Rebecca - "Scene where rebbeca confronts Mrs Danvers"
Rebecca "Scene where rebbeca confronts Mrs Danvers" As I begin my essay I will firstly focus on how we get to a scene in the movie Rebecca. The movie begins with a young girl marrying a man called, Maximillian de Winter. They go to his house and the girl hears about the lifestyle of the house. She then persuades max to hold a party. Mrs Danvers the housekeeper encourages the girl to be dressed in an outfit of Max's ancestors. The girl presents herself to max and he is furious at her. She runs upstairs weeping and discovers Rebecca wore the dress at a previous ball. The scene opens with a medium shot of the girl and she is looking at the picture of Rebecca wearing the identical costume. She is in confusion to why Mrs Danvers hates her. The camera shot then changes to a long shot of Mrs Danvers walking into Rebecca's bedroom. Mrs Danvers doesn't look at the girl but from her body language she makes the girl want to follow her into the room. Mrs Danvers figure shows up a really well in this shot because she is in a dress and the walls outside the room are white. Hitchcock uses has a close up shot of the girl and this helps us see the girl's emotions clearly. The girl wants to confront Mrs Danvers to reveal why Danvers is teasing her. Eerie music makes it breathtaking. The girl then walks in the direction of Rebecca's bedroom and her hat falls off while travelling up the set
The Black Hole
The Black Hole A news flash came up on the television after the body of an elderly man was found with part of his body missing . It was not thought that the body had been there long before it was discovered . The police was appealing to the public for any information to come forward . The police officer who was assigned to the case was Joe Freeman . He had been with the force for a few years and had already successfully dealt with two other suspicious deaths in the past, so it was thought that he would be the best man to deal with this case to bring it to an early close . At first he thought that the old man had collapsed and died of hypothermia and that the cold had caused his hand and one of his feet to drop off . Parts of his face were also missing . As the forensic reports began to come back from the lab , it started to look very suspicious; large teeth marks where found to be the cause of his wounds . Officer Freeman decided to do a search around the site where the body was found . Several officers were assigned to the operation . "I'll have you four searching the river and you three come with me to do a finger tip search of where the body was found." "Yes sir." As the men searched along the river something very odd was found by one of the officers . He called over to D.I. Freeman "Sir , come here quick." "what is it?" "it's a big hole sir ." What was more
One of the scenarios we developed was a letter sent to an inspector by a criminal with some information for the officer. It started by us setting the mood for the scene by having the lights off
The life and times of the Costermongers Part 2 To do this project we had several stimuli to start with to get some ideas and get started. These stimuli were: Land owner's speech, The poster of murder in the red barn and finally Lady Audley's secret. I responded to these very positively. I saw it as a chance to express myself and put in several ideas into them. It was also exciting to think that just from getting a bit of info from different plays we would get to make our very own with a few similarities. With my group e discussed several possibilities for the play which were all very different. From lady audley's secret we got the idea of doing a bit of a romance play which had a twist at the end whether it was a murder or something else, we also got the idea of doing a comedy on money which was stolen from a bank in London and a policeman on an investigation. From the poster in the red barn we got the idea of doing a murder mystery where two lovers don't get on and one gets the other killed. Also we had a similar play where a husband murders the wife for cheating on him. For the Landowner's speech we had a play about a rich boy who ends up falling in love with a poor girl. The themes we wanted to show in our plays were money and power. One of the scenarios we developed was a letter sent to an inspector by a criminal with some information for the officer. It started by
In Naturalism, characters do not have free will; external and internal forces, environment, or heredity control their behaviour.
In Naturalism, characters do not have free will; external and internal forces, environment, or heredity control their behaviour. Zola displays this lack of free will in his character, Therese. The passage particularizes this fact. The movement of the Raquin's to Paris was the central focus of the passage. Therese had a life full of suppression: sexual, monetary and intellectual. She felt as if she were dead. The emptiness in Therese's life reflects upon the vacuity in her family. Therese's emotions are generally suppressed, she cannot even cry when she moves to Paris. ("Her hands were numbed and her breast was bursting with sobs but she could not cry.") It is obvious that the narrator is a third person and is omniscient. The all-knowing character (of the narrator) and the ability to slip in and out of characters as no human being possibly could were prominent. The narrator reports the thoughts and feeling of Therese, for example," A sort of nausea seized her in the throat and she shuddered." The passage shows that the narrator is not neutral. He does not obliterate the thoughts and actions of the characters. The writer wants the reader to feel sympathy for Therese. The image of death that the writer uses to describe Therese's feeling clearly wants us to feel sympathy for Therese. The writer says,".. She felt as though she were going down into a newly dug grave." The style
How would you direct Act One Scene Two of A Midsummer's Nights Dream, to create comedy for the audience?
How would you direct Act One Scene Two of A Midsummer's Nights Dream, to create comedy for the audience? At the beginning of the scene Quince would enter to Snug, Flute, Snout and Starveling all seated round the upstage side of a large wooden table, which is situated on the apron of the stage, lively and drunkardly jostling with each other. I would choose to have Bottom standing in front of the table to represent his almost exaggerated feeling of superiority over the others and then seat himself at the centre of the table on the entrance of Quince. On the line beginning, "Ready. Name what part..." Bottom would stand and dramatically form a pose to suggest a, "lover" and then a, "tyrant" playing up to the other men who, apart from Quince, are absorbed by his act. On his recital of the two stanzas of poetry I would direct him to step forward and dramatically deliver the lines with serious conviction, which is looked on with awe by the men but seen humorously for its pretentiousness by the audience. On the line, "What is Thisby? A wand'ring knight?" Flu, whom I would cast as being large and particularly hairy, would stand on the bench gallantly with a foot on the table and his fists clenched to accentuate the humour in the fact he has to play the woman of the play. Meanwhile Bottom who has remained forward adopts a feminine pose for line 44. When instructed, "No ,no, you
Directing the Engagement Party of Sheila and Gerald
Literature coursework In this essay I am going to direct act 1 the engagement party of Sheila and Gerald At the beginning it's a engagement party of Sheila and Gerald. They are very posh people. I would send to every one and an engagement card to invite the people for the party and I would make big hall for the party night and I would put some balloon and staff on the walls. I would a big light at the middle of the ceiling and some small lights at the wall and I would make two lights on Sheila and Gerald. I would make a big cake and a lot of small candles on the top of the cake and I would make up the bride nicely and the dress I would make it white I would make a black suit for Gerald. I would order two gold rings of the engagement. I would make the hall big enough for the all people and I would make enough chair and tables for the all people. I would tell every men to wear a black suit and women to wear anything they wants would put champion and drinks and food in each table. I would make Sheila a bit nervous because she saw Gerald after a long time. I would make Gerald a bit young man about age of 25 and Sheila would be at age of 23 that's the best age for the engagement. And I would make the party until late night. Now I would tell Sheila and Gerald to bush the candles on which are on the top of cake and when the inspector calls every one get scared and the party