Dead Poets’ Society Directed by Peter Weir

Viewfinder How does limiting your field of vision affect your feel for the room? Remember that a movie camera is limited to a certain field of vision, too. This makes the director of a movie extremely important to the art of film making.

Cont. The director makes the camera become your “eyes” in that he lets you see only what he wants you to see. Every shot is important because it helps to tell the story. A good director, like a good storyteller, uses his shots to develop and resolve conflicts. How can he do this?

Cont. Of course, he shows the audience characters interacting. Their dialogue gives us background information and sets up conflict. However, as we watch, this great storyteller Peter Weir (the director), uses camera angle, choice of scenery, setting, and lighting to add to your enjoyment and understanding of the movie.

Set the scene… Pretend you are all students at a preparatory boarding school in New England. Your school, the prestigious Welton Academy, accepts only the best- the brightest students whose parents can somehow afford a prep school which boasts that over 75% of its graduates go on to one of the Ivy League schools.

Setting the scene… Pretend, too, that the year is 1959. Do you know anything about the events of that particular year?

Events of 1959… “Leave It to Beaver” is one of the favorite television programs. The United States added Alaska and Hawaii as states. Civil Rights movement is growing. Most Americans feel that the US is at risk from Communist movement. Soviet premier Kruschev paid an unprecedented visit to the US.

Events of 1959… NASA names the first astronauts. Fidel Castro overthrows the Cuban dictator, Batista, and sets up a Communist government only a few miles from the coast of Florida. * All of these events might have had an impact on teachers, administrators, and even on students during 1959. Think about these things as you watch the movie.

Literary terms… Exposition-the introductory material, which creates the tone, gives the setting, introduces the characters, and supplies other facts necessary to understanding. Symbolism- the use of on object to represent, or stand for, another object.

Literary terms… Foreshadowing- the presentation of material in a work in such a way that later events are prepared for. Flat character-a character who is one-dimensional; sometimes called a stereotype. Round character-a character whose personality is sufficiently complex to be able to surprise the reader without losing credibility; a complex character.

Literary terms… Static character- a character who changes little if at all. Things happen to static characters without modifying their interior selves. Dynamic character-a character who develops or changes as a result of the actions of the plot.

Literary terms… Setting- the time and place in which the action of a story takes place. Plot- the sequence of events which occur during the story. Conflict- the struggle that grows out of the opposition of two different forces.

Keep in mind… This activity is not merely watching a movie. Remember that a film is another method of storytelling. Just like a good novel, a movie has many elements which determine how well we understand and enjoy it.

Look for… Find the elements of exposition, symbolism, foreshadowing, conflict, and characterization. You will need to know whether the characters are flat and round as well as static and dynamic.