mi4017dinethfernando

[mi4017dinethfernando]

2500 word Essay Final- Pan's Labyrinth by Dineth Fernando (MGA L4)

[mi4017dinethfernando]

I made changes to my essay and sent another draft to my tutor. He accessed my essay online through Google Docs and shared his feedback.

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Feedback received

• My effort is really good. A major uplift from the first draft.

•Themes and Genres should come to the first part of the essay. Not in the middle

•Use footnotes and References to make statements in your essay

•Be more Technical in your essay. Talk more about the VFX and the technical aspects of production. Talk about the use of CGI in creating sets, characters etc.

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Financial Information of Pan's Labyrinth-Source files

[mi4017dinethfernando]

My 2nd draft to the essay

[mi4017dinethfernando]

VFX used in Pan's Labyrinth

Some sets were crafted using CGI. The final throne room is an example.

There is a womb shot and this was carefully done only using CGI. Del Toro managed to use CGI in very effective ways only when required to tell the story.

Moreover the fairies and the giant toad were done fully using CGI. For the toad they built it practically but when shooting it was replaced by a CGI toad

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Cinematography, Lighting and Editing

[mi4017dinethfernando]

The casting- Sources

[mi4017dinethfernando]

The casting

Ofelia is played by Ivana Baquero. She was 11 years at the time. This movie was her first acting experience in a major film. She was able to capture Ofelia's complex mind perfectly.

Captain Vidal

The captain’s role played by Sergi López. He is quite famous in Spain for playing really complex multifaceted characters.

The Faun and the Paleman

The characters of the Faun and the Paleman are both done by the most talented Doug Jones. Dog Jones is quite famous for his roles behind various masks and costumes. He was an American actor and had to learn Spanish for his role of the Faun. He also had to wear layers and layers of costume and makeup for his roles in this film.

Ariadna Gill played the role of Carmen

Maribel Verdú played the role of Mercedes.

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Links to some of the YouTube videos that I watched to get information on Pan's Labyrinth

#Youtube

[mi4017dinethfernando]

My first Draft of the Essay

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Themes and Genres of Pan's Labyrinth; Source material

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Pan's Labyrinth source materials

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Pan's Labyrinth Cited sources

The New York Times articles

[mi4017dinethfernando]

My plan for the essay

Introduction(About 120 to 150 words)

Synopsis of the full movie (250 words)

Characters and relationships (180- 200 words)

Themes and Genre (400 words)

Synopsis of the first 10 minutes (200 words)

Mise-en scene (about 400 words)

Casting (about 180 words)

Cinematography ( 200 words)

Lighting (180 to 200 words)

Colour and editing( 150 to 170 words)

Music/SFX (150 Words)

Numbers/ financial data(100 words)

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Narrative Arc

Narrative arc is simply the path the story follows.

Platform

Point of no return

Escalation

Do or Die Challenge

More Revealed about the character

Victory or defeat

The new normal

Now let's apply this to Pan's Labyrinth

Platform

• How the story starts. It should appear normal. What it should be like.

Ofelia and her mother come to the countryside to live with Captain Vidal. Mother is pregnant and sick. Ofelia has to live in a very harsh environment with her new step father.

Point of no return

• Now the story has started. You can't go back to the platform. AHA! moment of the story

The stick bug turns into a fairy and leads Ofelia to the Labyrinth. There she meets the faun and she gets to know that she is the princess of an underground kingdom. This becomes the point of no return in this film.

Escalation

•Development of the story. Protagonist's story expands. Most of the time it starts getting worse. Risk is getting higher. Revealed more about the characters.

In Pan's Labyrinth, the story escalates when Ofelia starts doing the 3 tasks appointed to her. The story of Pedro and the rebels too start taking form. Vidal's inhumanity is escalated as well. Ofelia's journey expands.

Do or Die challenge

When the story escalates, characters are under pressure. They take decisions which develop the character

•Ofelia going in to the pale man's room risking her life.

•Pedro and the rebels still fighting for their freedom through ambush

•Dr. Ferreiro dying after secretly aiding the rebels

•Mercedes still helping the rebels secretly

More revealed about the character

•We get to know that the faun too has an aggressive side. This is revealed when Ofelia disobeys the faun by eating the grapes in pale man's room.

•We are revealed more about Ofelia's character as well.

Victory or Defeat

•Win or Lose

•The final encounter between Ofelia and Vidal. Here Ofelia sacrifices herself and becomes the princess of the underground realm. Vidal is killed by the rebels without any dignity. Vidal loses. But still, Ofelia's win is questionable. Because Mercedes weeps by holding onto Ofelia's body. Did she really enter the kingdom, or is that her imagination?

The new Normal

•Platform for the sequel and this is definitely different from the platform

•Vidal is killed. The rebels won the battle

•Ofelia is dead in the real world but she is now the princess of the underground realm. She is reunited with her royal parents.

[mi4017dinethfernando]

Production Elements and Vocabulary; Note taking

Mise-en scene

Everything that you see on screen

This may include;

• Set design • Props • Location • Backdrop • Hair • Wardrobe

When you write about Mise-en scene always write about what they mean and how they contribute to the themes of the film and the overall storyline.

Narrative Devices

Any production element that tells more about the story. Costume, character styling can be taken as examples. Narrative devices improve our understanding about the story.

For example- Saul Goodman's hair tells us about his character. He is broke. Can not afford a good hair cut. Neglected

Themes, Characters and Relationships

Theme is any idea, question or a feeling that tend to keep reappearing in a story.

Cinematography

• Camera Angles and Perspectives

• Camera movement

• What each camera movement means and how it contributes to the understanding of the audience

Lighting

Point lighting

Key Lighting- Main light normally used to light up faces

Backlight- Strongest point of lighting.

Set light- A light which is included in the scene. Becomes part of Mise-en scene

Prop light- A separate light to enhance a prop.

Eye lights- A light which is reflected through eyes

Fill light

Colour

In colour, an important term is 'Dynamic Range'. 14 Points of Dynamic range means you can make an image completely black or completely white.

Colour tone can be either warm or cool.

Music/Score/SFX

Rhythm

Intensity(can be low or high)

Melody/ Tune/ Theme

Instrumentation-

• Percussion • String • Wind • Synthesizers(electronic)

What is a refrain of a musical score- Most identifiable part of the score (It is the motif or the melody. In a song it might be the Chorus)