Filming The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Opening shots typically are the most important part of a film. They establish not only the look and feel of the entire film, but can also set up crucial themes and ideas. The Godfather had a shadowy medium close up of a man who says "I believe in America", Raiders of the Lost Arc has a silhouette of Indy making his way through a South American rain forest. Having not seen the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, I'm going to fathom a guess as how the director would choose to open his film based off the first few pages of the novel.

I would slightly change the order of action on the first page. Instead of having the first shot be the man waking up, I would choose to show the dream sequence. A long shot of the man and the boy walking into a dimly lit cave (maybe carrying a touch) hand in hand. As they enter the shot cuts to a medium tracking shot of them walking forward, before cutting to a shot of a dark lake in a room of grey stone. There is movement at the far end of the lake, as the creature raises his head and reveals the white eyes. Cut to an extreme close up on the mans eye as he opens it. The only light in the shot would be the white in his eyes. Cut to a medium shot of his upper body fumbling around to feel for the sleeping child, and he relaxes as he feels him. This shot holds for a few beats. Then cut to a med close up on the boy with the mans hand on him as he rises and falls with each breath. Cut to a long shot of the man slowly getting up from under the tarp as the lights rise from darkness to grey to slightly reveal the wooded area around him. As the lights come up, the man leaves the shot and then the shot cuts to a high angle extreme close up tracking shot of the mans home made shoes as he walks through the woods. As he walks the shot swings to be behind him as he reaches the cliff that he looks out over. As he reaches the edge the shot pulls out to reveal a vast wasteland with the road running through the middle of it.

The World of the Boy in Cormac McCarthy's The Road

The boy character in this novel was, for all intents and purposes, born into the litteral world I described earlier. While the timeline of his birth and the disaster are not explicetly mentioned, given the age of the boy it is safe to assume that he had not developed as a person in the world that we know. Therefore the father has taken it upon himself to create a less harsh world for his boy to grow up in. So the boy lives in a world where he is flooded with advice, stories and risks, and his world is in turn shaped by these experiences, especially the risks. The house that they visit about a quarter of the way through the novel in perticular drastically scared the boy. From there he is even more hesitatnt to enter locations, even though places like the bunker have proven that good things can lie behind closed doors. The boy is so consumed in the world that his father creates for him, that he is unwilling to venture beyond that world. This is most evident after the death of the father, where he is forced to abandon the world that his father created. When he meets the man who would take him in, he repeats phrases that his father had said to establish the world of the pair, like "Are you carrying the fire?" and "How do I know your one of the good guys?" There is, however, one part of the world of the boy that he himself creates, and that is the little boy. The little boy is a vision the boy sees as they pass through what is most likely Rock City Tennessee towards the beginning of the novel. Since their initial encounter, the boy asks the man on a fairly regular basis if they could go back for the little boy, or informs him that he wishes the little boy is with them. This important aspect of the world of the boy, in my opinion, is why he decides to leave the father at the end of the novel. Because while the father has created his whole world, the boy needs other children to create his own world and develop as a person.

The World of the Father in Cormac McCarthy's The Road

The man in the story is responsible not only for the boys life, but for raising him as well. Therefore he creates a world for his son, and by consequence the boy is his entire world. This is referenced specifically in the book, the man and the boy are "each the others world entire."It is, however, hard to argue that he creates a world for himself. Because he is creating the world for his son, he has to stay grounded in the literal world. There are countless moments in the novel where the man knows that they have to take a risk, but the boy is scared. The man has to be in the literal world in order to know when a risk is necessary. Also he has to be attentive to the world around him at all times in order to size up every situation. If he had been lost in an imaginary road when he felt the arrow whiz by his head, he might not have been able to react quickly enough to save his sons life, or have the concentration to locate and shoot the guy with the flare gun. But he does try very hard to create a world that is enjoyable for his son. For instance there are the stops at the waterfall, the coca-cola in the grocery store and the flute that he gives the boy. However, he can not afford to live in this world, as it could have been potentially devistating for them both.

The Literal World of Cormac McCarthy's The Road

The world constructed by Cormac McCarthy for his novel The Road is not to different from your typical post apocalyptic world from movies or science fiction. What is consistent throughout the entire novel is the general greyness of the entire world. He constantly uses words like "hazed" "smokey" "shadowy" to describe the landscape that the boy and the man travel through. Additionally the word ash is used more frequently than any other adjective throughout the novel, again implying a general greyscale feel the the whole world. The way that McCarthy creates the world is through a lot of adjectives. When there are descriptive passages in the novel, he tends to use a mix of run on and fragmented sentences, almost to make you think in terms of shots. He uses quick piercing sentences to show tension as the man and the boy approach a house: "They approached slowly up the drive. No tracks in the random patches of melting snow. A tall hedge of dead pivot. An ancient birdsnest lodged in the dark wicker of it." While in the more enjoyable and less tense scenes like the waterfall, the sentences are much longer: "It was a waterfall dropping off a high shelf of rock and falling eighty feet through a grey shroud of mist into the pool below." By doing this the reader gets a longer time to imagine the waterfall in the most vivid way possible, which relaxes the tone and gives the picture a more mellow feel. Overall his use of different sentences gives the reader different options for interpreting the scenery in their own minds. However, because of the consistency in the adjectives used by McCarthy, the world that the reader envisions is as grey as every other readers.

Part One of The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The first part covers the first 30 pages of the novel

A Parallel:
As this is the start of the novel, McCarthy is most likely trying to establish certain symbols and implicit ideas through his language and story telling. Obviously there is the ash and grey and dark that are constantly repeated throughout the first section. But, the one that stood out to me, as it was not mentioned as many times, was the strong connection between the man and the boy. There are two specific passages where the man thinks or the narrator explains his commitment to him: "They set out along the blacktop... each the others world entire" (6) and "The boy was all that stood between him and death" (29).

A Contrast:
The novel suggests a negative connotation for darkness or blackness at multiple points throughout the novel ("The blackness he woke to on those nights was sightless and impenetrable" (15), "The nameless dark come to enshround him" (9)) but there is one moment where that is challenged: "This was not a safe place. They could be seen from the road now it was day" (5). In that context, darkness is saftey, and safety is definatly something that they are trying to achieve.

Two Questions:
Was this disaster so bad that it ruined the land for farming, it seems unwise to not settle down.
This is out there but does it ever explicitly say that the boy is the mans son? Are they for sure blood related?

The Most Important Shot in It's a Bird

As I was reading this novel, I was looking for shots that really stood out to me, and I found a few. However, there was only one shot that was a direct cutaway from the linear look of the story. What I mean by that is that there are three formats (shown by the framing) that Seagle utilizes throughout the novel: present day, flashback, and Superman descriptions. But on page 119, Steven cuts from his flashback to a present day shot of him making amends with his father, and with Superman: "That's what Superman is all about. To remind us that we have hurdles... and as long as we keep jumping them.. were still in the race." This is a medium to long shot of an embrace between father and son. Its the first time that the father shows any non anger emotion. The fact that its a medium/ long shot gives the characters space in the frame, and implies room the grow in their relationship. This is the moment that things change for Steven. He realizes that even if he gets this disease, he will be happy with the life that he has lived. Additionally, this moment and "George's Dance" give Steven the confidence to write Superman, and even amaze kids with the super hero at the end of the novel.

It's a Bird by Steven T. Seagle Part 4 Analysis

Written Parallel or Contrast:
Throughout the novel, there have been secondary characters that interact with Steven that are also secondary characters in his life. His girlfriend or his editor are examples of primary characters, but guys like Rafa have less importance on his life. Seagle has an interesting way of writing dialog for these characters, and they commonly set up cutaways to Superman bios. Seagle writes their dialog in a very low brow fashion. Rafa always cuts away from actual conversation to argue about Superman vs. whoever, and on page 75, a bigger guy confronts Steven about Superman: "Da supa-heros, dey know right from wrong." This dialog is less sophisticated than any discussion Steven is used to having, and it connects a lack of sophistication with super heros, Superman in perticular.

Visual Parallel or Contrast:
On page 74, there are two shots (conveniently right on top of each other) of Steven and Marco having a connection on the topic of Huntingtons Disease. They connect on a level that Steven has not reacted to in this fashion throughout the novel, as his eyes are wide open for the first time. I think because this disease has consumed his life, that for him to know that someone else is feeling the same way as him not only relieves him, but astonishes him. That is why there is a look of shock on his face as they talk about their experience.

The Frames:
Seagle sets up three different sections of framing throughout the novel. There is the dark bold black framing that shows a present day setting, the thin faded outline shows a flashback. Those two formats are all very square and formulaic, but the cutawys depicting Superman in some way or another are purposefully different. The Superman cutaways have no formulia, and can include full width frames with dark bold boarders to tiny frames with no border. They show the different sides of the hero, and also give a relation to a point in Stevens life when he can relate to Superman.

It's a Bird by Steven T. Seagle Part 3 Analysis

Written parallel or Contrast:
Steven may not be the most consistant or relilable person in the world, but he has been adiment on his opinion of Superman. On page 32, Steven says "I know it's a challenge. But Jeremy doesnt know that I will win. I'll take Superman head on." He makes true on his promise. Later in the section, he talks to the current author of Superman, Joe Allen. This conversation turns hostile, "He's not showing us what we can be because we can't be from another planet, have x-ray vision, flight, or super-strength." He ends up punching the guy. He really sticks to his hatrid of Superman, and refuses to give up on his stance.

Visual Parallel or Contrast
Before the cutaway "Red, Yellow, Blue" there has been very little dramatic coloring of the novel. After Seagle establishes red as a masculine color, of life and fire. After that set of pages, red begins to appear at a much higher frequency. Now red is used on Steven to accent anger or frustration. It appears when he is having his fight with Joe Allen and talking about his familys past in his aunts house. This accent really stuck out to me, as it not only shows how he is feeling, but is also a part of Superman within him.

Images and Visual Details
An interesting plot detail arises during that same conversation with Joe Allen. Steven the author decides to have the weather conveniently change. As the conversation gets more cloudy, so does the sky (zing!). In this conversation, the shots are rarely straight on, and if they are then its an extreme close up. These shots really show an intensity in the conversation. He uses dutch angles and disfocused shots to show this anger and rage from the POV of the main character.

LA Confidential & Double Indemnity Shot Analysis

So I'm kindof cheating with this, but I have four shots to analyze.

These two shots compare the small town characters in the two films. Lynn and the Medford Man both look very simple and plain. Not low class but definatly not as formal as Keyes. This shows a side of Lynn that she shows only to Bud, because it is hard for a small town person, to make it in a big city like LA in this time period.

 But Lynn has two sides to her, the second is much more public and successful.

However, it is easier to make it in this world as a femme fatale. Notice how the eyes of both Lynn and Phyllis are brutally focused. This look shoots evil into the audience, and really gives a different look of Lynn. She looks like a completely different person when she is with Bud and when she is trying to get by.

It's a Bird by Steven T. Seagle Part 2 Analysis

Visual Parallels and Contrasts:

Seagle initially presents his feelings about doctors on page 7. He has a narration voice over saying that he never liked doctors, that they were plotting (in bold) against his family. The shot that is drawn with this narration shows 3 annonymous figures, with black eyes and scalpels. They are very intimidating and frightening, especially to a younger Steven. However, when Steven is back for his yearly check up on page 25, his doctor, Dr. Rosoff, is not drawn in such a manner. In fact, his friendly moustache and white coat red tie combo make him one of the most approachable and seemingly friendly characters so far.

Written Parallels and Contrasts:

The most used uncommon word I have noticed through the novel thus far is "genetic."Genetics have thus far been synominous with words like contagous, no cure, and other bad connotations. While he uses this word to describe Huntington's Disease, there are other obvious connotations. While he hasnt directly described anything, there seems to be some sort of tension between Steven and his parents, who he gets his genetics from. Could he regret his family or upbringing?

The Framing Thus Far:

The way the story has been framed over the first 30 pages of the novel has been far from consistent. That is not to say that there is no rhyme or reason for the framing though. The most interesting thing I noticed about the frames is the difference between the frames of current and young Steven. When he is having flashbacks to his childhood, the frames are the same, just not finished. I think this implies definite growth in the character, as his frames are now filled in

It's A Bird by Steven T. Seagle part 1 analysis

Visual Parallel and Contrasts:

One major parallel I noticed from the first section of this graphic novel is how the editor is drawn when talking to Steven. He always has all his weight on both arms and is leaned over a table or chair or something, even when the situation does not require such a stressed position. This consistent position, as well as how he is drawn (sketchy, faceless, the most distinguished part of his person is the black headset he wears) shows a static character.

Written Parallel and Contrasts:

There are a couple dialogue scenes in the first 13 pages, between a young Steven and his mother, and then Steven and the editor within DC comics. In both sections of dialogue, Steven has some significant anger thrown at him. His mother is projecting anger that she feels from his father's side of the family on him as his grandmother begins to pass away, and the editor is just generally angry with Steven about not taking Superman ("Pick it up pick it up pick it up" (11)), despite not understanding why Steven is unwilling to draw the iconic super hero. This could be a constant struggle in Stevens life, if he continues to have anger imposed on him, it could explain his mental inability to draw Superman.

The Images

There are some very interesting focus points in many of the frames so far. The focus points of the drawings themselves show some interesting points that Seagle wants to make. What's interesting to me is that through the first thirteen pages, children are drawn with the most detail and focus. Even more so than the main character himself. Young Steven and his brother are drawn with defined lines, and the child telling his mother to slow down has his own frame and has a very defined character with many different colors.

Self Taken Photo Analysis

I took some pictures of my dog to play with the rule of thirds and the effects of different framing of an object

This picture puts the focus on my dog's nose and leads to the computer screen. He is focused in the center of the line between the left and center third of the frame

In this photo, my dog's eye is pretty close to the intersection of the top right segment and the lazy frame

These two pictures are pretty similar, but by focusing my dog on different sides of the frame it gives a different perspective of the rug/hardwood under him.

This arial shot gives cool shadows, and places the focus on the intersection of the top right quad and the lazy frame

Minority Report Shot Analysis

This high angle long shot is one of the first to establish the the Precog characters in the film. Both the lighting of the set, as well as the actors positions give initial clues to the personalities and other important factors of the Precogs. The lighting gives an interesting contrast between the pool that the Precogs lay in vs. the rest of the temple. If you ignore the blue tint, there is a clear black and white difference between the pool and the rest of the room. This could symbolize the clarity of what the Precogs see as opposed to the darkness of the world without precrime. Additonally, it is important to note the difference between Agitha and the twins, as she has her arms directly at her side, while the twins have their arms in an identical U like formation. This foreshadows to the information John Anderton recieves from the "mother of precrime" about the minority reports, as these oracles who supposidly see identical visions of a murder, might not agree. Going off that point, the position of Agithia combined with the lighting of the set make her lit much better than either of the twins, which might imply that while her vision is the minority report, she might have the clearer head.

Movies I've Seen this summer

Heres a list of the movies I saw this summer at home and in the theater. I worked in a movie theater this summer so the list is going to be a bit long.

As for favorite, no question Indiana Jones is the winner. Raiders was one of the first action movies I saw, and despite being very scared of the ending of the film when I first saw it at 6 years old, I have seen it many times.

What makes me love Raiders so much has a lot to do with Indiana Jones himself. Harrison Ford does an excellent job of transforming himself into an action hero who doesnt have the super human traits of Mcclain in Die Hard or Ethan Hunt from the Mission Impossible movies. Indy is just a smart guy who happens to know how to use a whip. At multiple points in the movie he uses his brain instead of using superior accuracy with a sub-machine gun or a highly advanced intelligence agency. For instance, one of my favorite scenes of all time is when Indy is looking for Marian who has been kidnapped in Cairo. Indiana Jones is faced with a series of enemies, which he avoids and escapes, but then a crowd opens to a very impressive looking Arab swordsman, and Indy just gives his enemy a look and shoots him. Along with the character, the action sequences that Speilberg and Lucas envision and construct as well as the intriguing plot make this classic my favorite film of all time.

At the movies:

• The Avengers
• Dark Shadows
• The Dictator
• Men in Black III
• Snow White and the Huntsman
• That's My Boy
• Brave
• Ted
• The Amazing Spider Man
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Savages
• Batman Begins
• The Dark Knight
• The Dark Knight Rises
• Total Recall
• The Bourne Legacy
• The Campaign

At Home:

• Goodfellas
• The Departed
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc
• The Bourne Identity
• Mission Impossible
• Spider Man (with Tobey Maguire)
• Iron Man
• Minority Report