Writing Assignment 3

Mitch Hansen

Writing Assignment 3

A movie that it is worthy of its acclaim is The Godfather.  The film uses many techniques to advance the story line and keep the viewer interested.  The Godfather worthy of its acclaim due to its unified plot, character development, and use of suspense building techniques.

The Godfather masterfully uses plot unification techniques.  For example, the phrase, "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse" is a recurring piece of dialogue in the film.  It is especially significant in showing the transformation from Vito to Michael as the Don.  Since the phrase is recurring, it gives the viewer a sense of stability, and makes the plot more continuous and unified.  Another plot unification technique that the film uses is a circular story line.  The film begins with Don Vito in his room with people asking him for favors and kissing his ring, and the story ends the same way except this time with Don Michael.  The circular pattern of the story works as an effective plot unification technique because it gives the audience a satisfying conclusion and wraps the story together wonderfully.

Another quality that makes The Godfather worthy of acclaim is its character development.  The film not only uses broad character traits but also subtle details to develop its characters.  For example, in the first scene, the film paints Don Vito as a man of great power.

In this scene, Don Vito is shown as taller than the other man present, and he seems to be constantly looking down on him as if he were imposing his power on him.  This helps the viewer see Don Vito as a powerful character from the start.  Another example of character development is when we first meet Michael.  He says to Kay, "That's my family, Kay, that's not me".  This quote develops Michael's character as being different than the rest of the family.  Since this dialogue is included, it establishes Michael as a bit of outsider from the beginning.

One thing I really appreciate about The Godfather is its timely use of suspense.  The film doesn't rely heavily on suspense, but when suspenseful scenes occur it is very well-done.   One scene that stands out is when Michael is guarding the hospital for his father.  When the enemy car rolls up, the viewer does not have any idea what could happen next.  This type of suspense provides for action and helps move the story along.  Another scene with great suspense-building is the baptism scene.  The music the director chose provides a dark, almost demonic atmosphere.  The music makes for a suspenseful background to the violence occurring around it.

The Godfather is considered to be one of the best movies ever made, and it's easy to see why.  With the film's plot unification, character development, and suspense, it is worthy of its acclaim.  The combination of techniques used in the film makes it an unforgettable viewing experience.  

Writing Assignment 2

Mitch Hansen

Suspense Blog

Filmmakers use a variety of techniques to build suspense in their films.  One such movie that uses many of these techniques is the Cohen Brothers' No Country for Old Men.  In this film, a hit man is tracking down a man who has stolen millions of dollars from a drug dealer.   No Country for Old Men uses techniques like dramatic irony and point-of-view shots to build suspense.


This first scene we will examine is one of the more memorable scenes from the film:

Earlier in the film, we learned that the antagonist hit man (the man with the long hair in the scene) chooses whether to kill people based on the flip of a coin.  However, the man working the register has no idea that this is the case.  We as the viewer know that this very coin flip but determine this man's fate, but the fact that the man has no idea what the purpose of the coin toss is makes the scene very suspenseful.  This use of dramatic irony makes the viewer uneasy about the fate of the cashier, and keeps the audience in suspense.

Take a look at this next scene:

In this scene, the director uses a few techniques to make it suspenseful.  I really like how the pace is unpredictable.  At first it shows our antagonist (named Anton) slowly walking towards the motel room.  The takes are long and slowly pan on Anton's face and his feet.  After he enters the room, however, the takes become quick and choppy as the bullets fly.  This change in tempo does a great job at building suspense, and it never lets the viewer get comfortable or get a "feel" for the scene.  Also, the directors use a point-of-view shot as Anton checks in the bathroom.  The camera slowly follows Anton's vision as he peeks around the corner of the bathroom.  This builds suspense because the viewer does not know what will happen next: we only see what Anton sees.

No Country for Old Men creates suspense unlike almost any other film.  This translated into a Academy Award win for Best Picture for the film.  As we follow the cat-and-mouse chase that is the basis of the film's plot.  One can't help but be on the edge of their seat the entire time due to the wonderfully executed suspense techniques the directors use.