Literary elments analysis

            Introduction

            Movies like all literary works: fictional novels and narration stories are based on literary tenets or rather elements, which contribute to the conventional canons; of flow in the scenes emplotment, characterization and the contextual settings that entail low-budget or blockbuster movie productions. By critical analysis of a movie on the literary elements; how they are employed and realized ultimately enables us make valid assessment on the value and pragmatism of the ingenious mind of the director or producer in the whole production. Renowned directors or producers who have succeeded in producing good movies, the audiences aspire to watch now and again, have employed literary elements which include; the plot, characters, themes, cinematography, Mise-en-scene (performance of scenes before the camera), piecing of the shots together by editing and the sounds (sound effects, speech and sound tracks in harmony with image shots (Caine, 2004). It is therefore imperative to grasp all the literary elements that are encompassed in a film so that one can analyze and understand the entire movie.  

            Analyzing a movie

For us to understand the sense in meaning of a film, we need to look for those aesthetics literary elements where by the film is placed contexts larger than what is literary implied in the plot. Nowlan, (2002) states that a film therefore will make sense to us most if we view it in relation to culture. A culture exists in a society in which there are relations of the people in a place and furthermore there are also systems that have been designed to govern and facilitate the relations of the people in that society. In this aspect a society equals all the people and the social structures organize the people’s interactions with each other, which includes the school, government, family, church, the law, ownership and many other structures. Culture refers to the way of life of man rather than those aspects provided by nature, which give life purpose, meaning, and value in how we interact with other people in a society. That is why we have different cultures in the world that connote and reflect on the people’s lives at certain society. Using these connotations, we can talk of American culture, material culture, dominant culture, spiritual culture and other subcultures that influence to a great extent the lives of the people. Therefore, understanding a film, one need to place it in that contextual setting and be able to analyze the culture or social setting and grasp what the film is about and what ideals are being advocated for and those being despised (The Cinematic Art, 2007).

            Obviously, in a society people are able to pin-point the manifestations of the mainstream culture. In a film whereby people are depicted wearing tie-dye clothing, jeans and T-shirts, young people wearing earring and leather jackets, this represented not long ago the youth rebellious subculture but with the commodities being used in the mainstream culture. Significantly, the social setting in a film can say a lot about the culture of the people and ultimately help us analyze the film placing it in time period it points to. The movies scenes can tell a lot about culture where people are sharing social positions pointing to class, race, job, gender, religious conviction, sexuality, their political affiliation and many more. But on another level, cultures and subcultures as implied in movies may or may not represent the direct expression of the people’s lives as they live within these cultures. The setting in a film may be particular to a familiar place but may imply other place or regions in the world after rising from the ordinary meaning to figurative level. The film The Battle of Algiers though directed and produced by Europeans has been praised by not only Algerians but also other people in The Third World because it is not about the Algerian Revolution but also cinematically accurate and adequate representations that has so far been put in a film highlighting the plight of The Third World nations in their national liberation from imperial rule (Caine, 2004).

Furthermore, the contextual setting of the movie may not actually paint be the real picture to the situation that in the society. Documentaries in the 1960s highlighting the poverty of Appalachia in fact depicted poverty of the poor but they gave a blind eye to the richness of the local culture that stretched beyond and could be exploited to the benefit of the people in tourism. Altogether, the contextual setting is quite obvious in the way it responds and reflects to issues of great importance in the places the films were set. A film can be interpreted on the setting differently where the backdrop may be big city life.

It is therefore definite that setting can clarify, illuminate character, conflict, influence mood, or as a symbol in the film. It can indeed be an antagonist in a person pitted in nature conflict (Nowlan, 2002).

The events (plot) in a movie starts from an equilibrium state but later opposing forces are identified; protagonistic and antagonistic forces. A problem is identified and the journey for fact-finding and solution quest commences. In the quest to restore or solve the problem, characterization is effectively achieved by ingenious mix of conflicts, drama as the plot builds up in terrifying and exponential climax of the two forces and back to equilibrium state after the protagonist triumphs over the evil plots. Human conditions are exemplified in bare truths as aspects of life are juxtaposed in varying and opposing circumstances of nature. In the man’s quest to offer solution to all problems that affect him, his prowess to triumph over oddities is put to test, and by extension the ugly side of him is also brought to the fore in tantalizing product of the director’s subscription (The Cinematic Art, 2007).

This captivating cinematic plot is what in a film keeps the audience glued to the screen from the beginning to the end. The focus is on the main character (hero) whose act is magnificently great, drawing the total attention of the audience in all her endeavors with outstanding and big stage presence while they despise the villain. Caine (2004) argues modern productions have the sole goal of maintaining the focus on the ideal aspects to the audience. It is doubtless that contemporary audiences are really bored by those characters who are naturally flat and do not move towards the ideal in the public eyes. The plot of character’s events is analyzed on how incredible and mutually plausible it is in the mundane world and censor how it succeeds to justify the dynamism and subtlety of life. The duality aspects of life are pitted against each other in characterization where; the good and bad, responsible and irresponsible, hard-working and lazy, gentle and harsh, ideal and cynical, intelligent and ignorant describe the characters.

            Interpreting Film Meaning

            Interpreting meaning in movies give us the point to analyze the communication or rather the expression as reflected implicitly or explicitly in the themes. The sense a film makes showcases the meaning intended or unintended or what it represents. Meaning in are film may be deduced from the reality which has been considered or the representation of actual situations and events from which deductive conclusions can be made. Movies play a significant role in bringing meaning in people’s lives. It is doubtless that we depend on representations of challenging situations to comprehend our world and consequently re-adapt accordingly to this world. Via representations in movies, people are able to assign meaning to social realities and so to help them comfortably adapt sensitively to ethics. Piecing one point to the next helps us in drawing conclusions between reality and representation. Whether the film is a comedy or an action, representation may bring adequate and accurate meaning to an incident that might take or have happened; giving insight to facts we cannot prove, for instance a case involving murder and evidence is missing. In a film, this happens following leads and the significance of it is that mystery surrounding the case brings the character trying to unmask the truth closer to real imagination of what might have happened (Nowlan, 2002). In this case meaning is truer in representation of the reality that all other ways trying to bring evidence not forthcoming.

In a construct of the fight against the odds, film may bring out realistically, exaggerated, and implausible world of fantasy. This also may be a pointer to what the masses for instance united to fight oppression they can triumph over the dominant group that oppresses them. This is pragmatically the meaning that united in one voice the masses have power and divided they wallow in the trenches of damnation.          The motive in the movie is obvious by analyzing the objective beyond the superficial level to absorb the why, to whom and where the action happens (The Cinematic Art, 2007). In movies where forces seem to take toll on humans, on superficial level may implicate challenges beyond the immediate solution and ways to mitigate havoc to lives.

My personal Perspective in evaluating movies

Film analysis literary elements are essential to understanding movies and making informed conclusions about the meaning of the movies. This helps me capture the conventions on which the movies are centered around and consequently make critical judgment. This informed background is significant to help the mind open up the channels of awareness and understanding of the movies at superficial level. Films communicate message in their unique way and unless one grasp the properties that make them effectively, realistically and powerfully communicate, then evaluating the meaning will prove a hard nut to crack. Therefore, developing the proper analytical habits endears one with an eye-for-details and thus understand movies. Viewing the movies a least twice is also a plus to re-capturing facts that might have been missed earlier. Altogether, art is appreciated if only one can subjectively, emotionally and intuitively respond to it (Nowlan, 2002).

Conclusion

Films have all along presented challenges in man’s lives in representation of reality eclipsed in literal meaning. To delve into the superficial meaning and grasp the director’s or producer’s perspective of meaning, critically analyzing the politics of film is a step towards enjoying this literary art and interpreting the meaning in subtexts of different contextual settings. It is therefore imperative to grasp all the literary elements that are encompassed in a film so that one can analyze and understand the entire movie.