Premium Essay

American Beauty - Kitchen Scene Analysis

In:

Submitted By juicyeyebrow
Words 454
Pages 2
The scene opens with a medium shot of Jane and Angela who hear noises from the kitchen and turn around. They are in the centre of the frame, so the viewer notices a clear contrast between Angela's feeling about Lester and Jane's feelings about her father. Angela's facial expression shows excitement, Jane feels rather disturbed by Lester. When Angela goes to the kitchen to say hello, she says he looks good and gives him a flirtatious look. Instead of a typical over-the-shoulder shot the camera is next to Lester, who is reaching into the fridge. That way the viewer can see both Angela's and Lester's faces. The next shot is a reverse-angel shot to show their faces and reactions to each other from a different perspective. This also causes the viewer to feel involved in the character's dialogue. When Angela reaches out to touch Lester's arm, the director creates tension by using an extreme-close-up on Angela's fingers. The scene where we see Angela reaching out to him is repeated three times and music starts playing to emphasize the tension between them. The repetition also shows that this is an important moment for Lester, as well as the extreme-close-up on his face we see after the repetition. There are several reversed-angel shots to show their faces when they look at each other, again to create tension. When Lester leans in for a kiss, the light is low so the viewer sees only only their shadows kissing and the camera spins around them. The director achieves an impression of climax and perfection by using this shot. After the kiss they slowly seperate and the director draws the viewer's attention to the rose petal Lester pulls out of his mouth. By now it is obvious that the kiss was only a dream, one of his fantasies. The same music is used throughtout the kissing scene and it has been used before, when lester had his first fantasy about Angela. It stops all of a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

An American Beauty Mise En Scene Analysis

...of mise-en-scene in one of the early scenes in the film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes. Mise-en-scene, a French term translated as "putting into the scene", refers to properties of a cinematic image that exists independently of camera position, camera movement, and editing. The story centres on Lester, played by Kevin Spacey, a father who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. Despite employing a traditional Hollywood plot structure that focuses on a problem and a protagonist’s quest in resolving the issue, the film is special. The problem in the film is special as it is Lester’s entire state of life – his unhappiness and dissatisfaction of the way things are in his life. The film’s theme centres on the definition of happiness, more specifically in the context of the American Dream. The characters of the American Beauty seem to have confused material well-being with happiness. The plot is pushed by the main protagonist, Lester, in trying to find meaning and happiness in his life that was before dictated by the American expectation. We will be looking at the second scene of the film, which begins when Lester enters Brad’s office to discuss his performance at work. Brad is the company efficiency expert who was recently hired. The scene will be discussed separately based on two different locations. The essay will examine the use of settings, costume and make up, staging, lighting and lastly the use of space and time for each location. Analysis of mise-en-scene components...

Words: 2301 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Food Phtotgraphy

...INTRODUCTION It is a well-known fact that one of the most effective ways to increase engagement on social media platforms is through the use of quality photographs. And what better way for a restaurant to show off its offerings than through the use of photography? EXCEPTIONAL FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY Both in print and online is an important aspect of a restaurant’s branding and marketing yet may restaurants overlook this.  Either they use stock photography that doesn’t represent their menu or they use poorly lit photos by an amateur. It’s important to remember that we eat with our eyes first.  Having appetizing, food photos is a sure-fire way to grab someone’s attention when they’re checking you out online and to draw your customer’s attention when they’re in your restaurant. But take heed, many restaurants have amazing food photography, but the final product is nothing like what it looks like.  This doesn’t mean that you have to plate exactly as the photo, but it does mean you’ve got to deliver on taste IMPORTANCE OF FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY IN MARKETING YOUR FOOD BUSINESS! Great pictures of food can make our mouths water and our stomachs ache for a particular product.  This simple fact yields results that would normally only happen via live sampling and literally can save you thousands of dollars introducing a new product to consumers via distribution of photographs on websites, packaging, coupons, ads, and flyers. THE AESTHETIC AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF FOOD...

Words: 3511 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Consumption and the Beat Generation

...[pic][pic] [pic]Copyright © 2005 West Chester University. All rights reserved. College Literature 32.2 (2005) 103-126 [pic] |  |[pic][pic][pic] |  | | |[pic] | | | |[pic] | | | |[pic] | | | |[pic] | | | |[pic] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Access provided by Northwestern University Library ...

Words: 36700 - Pages: 147

Premium Essay

Nescafe Brand Management

...Brand Audit Objectives, Scope, and Approach Objectives: We seek to understand the health of Nescafé’s brand equity and basis of positioning in order to generate strategic recommendations based on this analysis. Scope: In order to meet our brand objectives we will seek to understand Nescafé’s brand equity, core brand values, and associations in the United States. We believe that analyzing parts of the global Nescafé brand is pivotal to being able to comprehend the brand’s influence in the United States. Approach: We will focus mostly on secondary research for our brand audit, but we will use primary sources whenever possible. Additionally, a marketing research project was undertaken by the group to assess the brand equity locally within the Washington Metropolitan area. Background about Brand The idea to create soluble coffee originated in 1930 when the Brazilian government approached the Nestlé brand with a proposition. (Nescafé  2011) The Brazilian Coffee Institute wanted to create a coffee that was soluble in hot water in order to increase the use of coffee and thus help increase Brazil’s exports. A Nestle executive named Max Morgenthaler set up a team, and it began experimenting different ways to meet that request while still maintaining the coffee flavors that everyone loved. After seven years of research in Switzerland, Nescafé was born.(Nescafé 2011) The name stems from a combination of Nestlé and café, the Italian word for coffee. It was introduced in Switzerland...

Words: 6566 - Pages: 27

Free Essay

Shiloh

...Cecil College Record: 1 Full Text Database: Academic Search Complete Title: The Wounded King: Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh" and Marginalized Male Subjectivity. Authors: Bentley, Greg Source: Southern Literary Journal. Fall2004, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p144-161. 18p. Document Type: Literary Criticism Subjects: CRITICISM MASON, Bobbie Ann, 1940- HUMAN sexuality in literature PSYCHOANALYTIC interpretation PSYCHOANALYSIS & literature SEMIOTICS CHARACTERS & characteristics Abstract: This article examines the central element in the writings of Bobbie Ann Mason. Use of psychoanalytic semiotics in understanding the characters in the writings of Mason; Significance of the absence of sexual difference to psychoanalytic semiotics; Representation of normative male identity in the novels of Mason. Full Text Word Count: 7599 ISSN: 0038-4291 Accession Number: 15418214 Persistent link to this record (Permalink): http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=15418214&site=ehost-live Cut and Paste: The Wounded King: Bobbie Ann Mason's "Shiloh" and Marginalized Male Subjectivity. Database: Humanities International Complete Several of Bobbie Ann Mason's works have been approached from the perspective of myth-ritual criticism--especially the Grail motif--with mixed results.(n1) Perhaps the most central element of the Grail motif is the king's wound, which is clearly sexual in nature, and critics who approach Mason's work from this perspective have pointed out...

Words: 7952 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

An Ecological Reading of Hundred Secret Senses

...动物化与自然回归 ——对《百种神秘感觉》的生态解读 Animalization and Return to Nature An Ecological Reading of The Hundred Secret Senses By QIN Yuanyuan A Thesis Submitted to the School of English and International Studies Beijing Foreign Studies University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Chinese American Literature Course Supervised by Professor Pan Zhiming June 2014 Animalization and Return to Nature A Ecological Reading of The Hundred Secret Senses I Introduction Amy Tan, born in 1952, is acclaimed for her lyrically written tales of sensibility and conflicts in Chinese-American mother-daughter relationship, in which generational and cultural divergence is highlighted. Themes of loss and reconciliation, hope and failure, friendship and familial conflict, added with mystic oriental flavor and healing power, have made Tan’s writing emblematic and well-received. Following the publication of The Joy Luck Club (1989), The Kitchen God's Wife (1991), Amy Tan’s third novel The Hundred Secret Senses (1995) again enjoys a high popularity and evokes strong responses from both readers and critics. Despite the fact that The Hundred Secret Senses still exhibits Tan’s trademarks of “a strong sense of place, a many-layered narrative, family secrets, generational conflict, Chinese lore and history”, unlike the previous two that are generally praised, this novel gets mixed opinions. Most reviewers receive the...

Words: 3928 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Americal Literature

...American Literature Journal Writing Tabish Jaleel Shaikh March 10(Saul Bellow- Seize the Day) Seize the Day was a comparatively easy read, and seemed like a very real life depiction of American life, from the eyes of the two generations, Tommy Wilhelm and his father, Dr. Adler. Comparing it to one of the first novels I read in this course, Death of a Salesman, I realize that Seize the Day also has the theme of the broken myth of the American dream embedded in the story. Also the title of the novel struck me at first, but I could not remember where I had read or come across this phrase before. Upon searching online, I remembered that it has its origin in one of the poems of a Latin Poet Horace, the word being “Carpe diem” in Latin. I remembered that I had read this back in high school, the stanza of the poem was:   While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the future. It’s interesting how just a small phrase can carry so much meaning. Saul Bellow has very effectively depicted the philosophy of carpe diem by narrating a real life scenario of war stricken America where maximizing the utility of time is the very important. Although the theme of alienation and isolation is prevalent throughout the book through Tommy’s life events, Saul could not make me feel sympathetic towards Tommy. Tommy’s inability to judge himself, and be self-aware of his strengths and weaknesses causes his downfall. He is always...

Words: 9688 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Marketing

...Review of Marketing Research Review of Marketing Research VOLUME 1 Naresh K. Malhotra Editor M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England 4 AUTHOR Copyright © 2005 by M.E.Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, New York 10504. Library of Congress ISSN: 1548-6435 ISBN 0-7656-1304-2 (hardcover) Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. ~ MV (c) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CHAPTER TITLE 5 REVIEW OF MARKETING RESEARCH EDITOR: NARESH K. MALHOTRA, GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Editorial Board Rick P. Bagozzi, Rice University Ruth Bolton, Arizona State University George Day, University of Pennsylvania Morris B. Holbrook, Columbia University Michael Houston, University of Minnesota Shelby Hunt, Texas Tech University Dawn Iacobucci, Northwestern University Arun K. Jain, University at Buffalo, State University of New York Barbara Kahn, University of Pennsylvania Wagner Kamakura, Duke University Donald Lehmann, Columbia University Robert F. Lusch, University of Arizona Kent B. Monroe, University of Illinois, Urbana A. Parasuraman, University of Miami William Perreault, University of North Carolina Robert A. Peterson, University...

Words: 167068 - Pages: 669

Free Essay

Gender

...Narcissism and the American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman Narcissism och den amerikanska drömmen i Arthur Millers en handelsresandes död. Fredrik Artan Faculty of Arts and Education Subject: English Points:15.0 Supervisor: Magnus Ullén Examiner: Anna Swärdh 2014-06-18 Serial number Abstract This essay focuses on the theme of the American Dream in relation to narcissism in Miller’s Death of a salesman. The purpose is to demonstrate that a close reading of the main protagonist, Willy Loman, suggests that his notion of success in relation to the American Dream can be regarded as narcissistic. This essay will examine this by first observing how Willy´s notion of success is represented in the play, then look at how his understanding of it can be viewed from a narcissistic standpoint. The results I have found in my analysis show that there is a connection between Willy’s understanding of success and his narcissistic behavior. He displays traits such as grandiosity, arrogance, need of specialness and denial of emotions. His relationship with other characters reveals his lack of empathy, manipulation and exploitation of others as well as his need of superiority and fear of inferiority. The conclusion is that Willy and his notion of success could be considered as narcissistic. Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................1 The American Dream.......

Words: 6899 - Pages: 28

Free Essay

Contesting the Margins Mills

...Source: American Ethnologist, Vol. 24, No. 1 (Feb., 1997), pp. 37-61 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/646565 . Accessed: 18/04/2011 07:38 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=black. . Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Blackwell Publishing and American Anthropological Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Ethnologist...

Words: 17445 - Pages: 70

Free Essay

Art and Story Proceedings 2004

...Proceeding for the School of Visual Arts Eighteenth Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists: Art and Story CONTENTS SECTION ONE: Marcel’s Studio Visit with Elstir……………………………………………………….. David Carrier SECTION TWO: Film and Video Narrative Brief Narrative on Film-The Case of John Updike……………………………………. Thomas P. Adler With a Pen of Light …………………………………………………………………… Michael Fink Media and the Message: Does Media Shape or Serve the Story: Visual Storytelling and New Media ……………………………………………………. June Bisantz Evans Visual Literacy: The Language of Cultural Signifiers…………………………………. Tammy Knipp SECTION THREE: Narrative and Fine Art Beyond Illustration: Visual Narrative Strategies in Picasso’s Celestina Prints………… Susan J. Baker and William Novak Narrative, Allegory, and Commentary in Emil Nolde’s Legend: St. Mary of Egypt…… William B. Sieger A Narrative of Belonging: The Art of Beauford Delaney and Glenn Ligon…………… Catherine St. John Art and Narrative Under the Third Reich ……………………………………………… Ashley Labrie 28 15 1 22 25 27 36 43 51 Hopper Stories in an Imaginary Museum……………………………………………. Joseph Stanton SECTION FOUR: Photography and Narrative Black & White: Two Worlds/Two Distinct Stories……………………………………….. Elaine A. King Relinquishing His Own Story: Abandonment and Appropriation in the Edward Weston Narrative………………………………………………………………………….. David Peeler Narrative Stretegies in the Worlds of Jean Le Gac and Sophe Calle…………………….. Stefanie Rentsch...

Words: 117240 - Pages: 469

Premium Essay

Communication

...EFFECTS OF TELEVISION ON SOCIETY | | | EFFECTS OF TELEVISION ON SOCIETY Television broadcast has broad effects on the society all around the world. The strong verbal and non verbal combination and the facility to highlight different subject matters created one of the most important impressions in mass media. There are so many angles to see as to what extent TV has brought about changes in daily life of people and the nations as well. Here we will see some of the key changes affected by TV transmissions in general. Seeing is believing The authenticity of news and other informative material has never been more acceptable to people through other means of communication than the one available on TV. People already informed about an event still like to see the news along with footage on TV. For instance, the winning run scored by your favorite team in an exciting match is something people would like to see again and again although they know the outcome of the match. So is about visuals on accidents and unusual events like hanging of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussain etc. Changes in timings Most people have tuned their daily timings in accordance with their popular programs. Students tend to finish their homework before their favorite show. Housewives would make their cooking schedule as not to miss the soap tonight. Men would get ready for relaxing by watching programs of their interest. Much noticeable change is in bed-timings. Early to bed... dictum seems to have...

Words: 13057 - Pages: 53

Premium Essay

Freelance Business Consultant

...COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RETAIL SECTOR IN THE UK DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RETAIL SECTOR IN THE UK Report submitted to The Department of Trade and Industry (Tender CGS/1239) Professors Steve Burt and Leigh Sparks Institute for Retail Studies University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland, UK Phone: 44 (0)1786 467386 Fax: 44 (0)1786 465290 E-Mail: s.l.burt@stir.ac.uk ; Leigh.Sparks@stir.ac.uk Revised for Seminar - January 2003 DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY: COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RETAIL SECTOR IN THE UK Contents 0 Executive Summary I Background and Framework for Analysis II Competitive Analysis – the UK Retail Sector III Summary and Policy Recommendations IV Appendix – Analysis of Retail Sub-Sectors EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 0.1 Background and Framework for Analysis In early 2002 the Institute for Retail Studies at the University of Stirling was commissioned to carry out a ‘Competitive Analysis of the Retail Sector in the UK’ (tender CGS/1239) based on secondary sources and restricted to the UK rather than international comparisons. The project had three objectives: · to define and map the sector in terms of size and composition of the businesses which operate within it; · to analyse the competitiveness of the sector now through SWOT, PEST and Porter's 5 forces and any other appropriate means and summarise the key issues facing the sector as a whole, and also sub-sector specific issues;...

Words: 30153 - Pages: 121

Premium Essay

Analysis of the Story "I Spy'

...Jimmy’s personality both with the help of his thoughts, words and actions and the author’s description of the events, to show us his hard way of gaining a better life. | Though the story is told from the 3d person point of view, we can say that the events are shown through a bachelor’s perception. As well as in “ARR” the main form of presentation is narration with elements of dialogue and here the characters are described from the outside only. | Development (body): | The author uses the straight line narrative, which means that the sequencing of events in the narrative is chronological. And as the plot comprises a variety of events it makes the reading easier and doesn’t allow us to confuse with these events. The story opens with a scene in the prison and the exposition introduces us to a convict, Jimmy...

Words: 9343 - Pages: 38

Premium Essay

Product Placement

...Journal of Management and Marketing Research Product placement effectiveness: revisited and renewed Kaylene Williams California State University, Stanislaus Alfred Petrosky California State University, Stanislaus Edward Hernandez California State University, Stanislaus Robert Page, Jr. Southern Connecticut State University ABSTRACT Product placement is the purposeful incorporation of commercial content into noncommercial settings, that is, a product plug generated via the fusion of advertising and entertainment. While product placement is riskier than conventional advertising, it is becoming a common practice to place products and brands into mainstream media including films, broadcast and cable television programs, computer and video games, blogs, music videos/DVDs, magazines, books, comics, Broadway musicals and plays, radio, Internet, and mobile phones. To reach retreating audiences, advertisers use product placements increasingly in clever, effective ways that do not cost too much. The purpose of this paper is to examine product placement in terms of definition, use, purposes of product placement, specific media vehicles, variables that impact the effectiveness of product placement, the downside of using product placement, and the ethics of product placement. Keywords: Product placement, brand placement, branded entertainment, in-program sponsoring Product placement effectiveness, Page 1 Journal of Management and Marketing Research INTRODUCTION In its simplest form...

Words: 12521 - Pages: 51