Remember to:

1) Make a copy

2) Rename it

3) Put it into your English folder

The Power of One: Film Study

The First 10-15 Minutes

A typical film question will focus on those crucial first 10-15 minutes! Why? Because the director must catch and hold your attention in fifteen minutes or you won't watch the film.

Film Question: Explain how the filmmaker uses a range of film techniques to introduce such things as background, setting, character and themes in the first 10-15 minutes of a film you have studied. (NB. Film techniques include type of shots used, soundtrack, editing, etc.)

So how did Avildsen (the director of The Power of One)  manage to give you the background (especially historical background) plus introduce the setting plus introduce the characters plus the key ideas/themes?

To find out, you have to answer the questions below.

INSTRUCTIONS- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

• After watching the YouTube clip on the opening of films, answer the the questions below.
• If you missed re-watching the first 15 minutes, use your headphones and Chromebook, re-watch the first 15 minutes of ‘The Power of One. Click HERE
• After rewatching the first 15 minutes, answer the question below. The BLUE questions are for the audio or soundtrack and the RED questions are for the visuals aspects.  

The First 15 Minutes ২

1. Soundtrack: What sort of music? What impression does it give?

It seems to be native music. That this movie is gonna involve them

2. Visual. What is the first shot of?

Africa- aged map, brown maybe to symbolise drought.

3. Visual. What camera technique is then used to “focus” us on the area of interest?

Zoom in to an image of South Africa, specifically on two giraffes under some trees.

4. Visual. Written text scrolls onto the screen. What key information are we given here?

Historical background of story- history of peoples in South AFrica- Africana, British and Native Africans- seen as possession not people.

5. Visual. A dissolve is then used on the shot. What to? What effect?

To the two giraffes under the trees. Takes it from paper to real life.

6. Visual. What landscape do we pan over?

South African grounds of PKs family farm- dry & barron

7. Audio. Soundtrack: Whose voice? What film technique? What key information is given here about character?. What effect?

PK- a young child, a voice over. His dad has died killed by aw bull elephant, there is a drought and people are singing for rain to come. His family are English, named after his father,

8. Visual. Shots: There are a number of medium shots of PK being born and then with his Nanny, mother and Tonderai. What shots strongly shows the respect PK’s mother has with the nanny?

Reading to the nanny. Leans on the nanny when she finds the dead cattle.

9. Visuals: What medium shot shows racial harmony?

When the nanny is breastfeeding the other baby instead of her own first.

10. Audio. PK's voice-over: “For the first time in my life, I felt afraid.” Here the key theme of fear is introduced. Where else in the film must he face fear of some sort? (2 egs)

The bullies that he is about to face. The fact that he is english and the people at the school do not like the english. His mum passing away

11. Visual.Shot: 1.Close Up on face of PK as his mother hugs him goodbye. What emotion is shown by this Close Up 2.also, CU on Nanny a little later — what emotion?).

The Emotion being shown is sad. 2. Sad because she is gonna miss P.K

12. Visual. Symbolism: PK's mother gives him an ostrich shell bracelet. What does it symbolise for her? How is it used later in the film?

It symbolizes that it was one of the things that her husband had given her before he passed away.

13. Audio. To a school run by Afrikaners. What do we learn from the preacher's speech ? (soundtrack/screenplay).

That they do not like the english cause they believe they killed their people. They are racist.

14. Audio. PK's voiceover on his first lesson in history. What do we learn about the Afrikaners? Why does PK take the blame for this?

That the Afrikaners hate the english. PK takes the blame for this because he is partly english

15. Visual. Shot: CU on Botha. How does he express his contempt for PK

By giving him a dirty look and spitting on him.

16. Visual (and Audio) Theme of racism: How is PK punished for being English?

He is mistreated and bullied because he is partly english.

17. Visual. Botha the bully: Over the shoulder shot, from the point of view of PK, low angle, emphasises what?

Emphasises that PK is smaller and weaker than his bullies. Shows how powerless he is against them because of his size.