To Kill a Mockingbird: Actors and Their Styles

(Identify three actors from your film and classify each according to the types of actors listed in your text . . .)

• Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch): I would classify Gregory Peck as a character actor.
• Mary Badham (Jean Louise/Scout Finch): I would classify Mary Badham as a personality actor.
• Robert Duvall (Boo Radley): I would classify Robert Duvall as a character actor.

(Explain your reasons for classifying the actors as you do . . .)

• Gregory Peck: I consider Gregory Peck a character actor due to his ability to adapt to different types of roles. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) explained that character actors are able to adapt to varying characters and scripts successfully (Sec. 5.5). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus plays an honest lawyer who defends truth even in the face of adversity, though he has taken on roles such as being a Russian guerrilla fighter in Days of Glory, and a reporter pretending to be Jewish in Gentleman’s Agreement (Biography, n.d., Sec. 3, para. 2-3). The varying roles in these films shows us that Gregory was able to capture audiences from multiple character personalities. Doing so in a successful manner classifies him as a character actor.

• Mary Badham: I classified Mary Badham as being a personality actor based on a fact that she was a young, developing girl playing a young, developing girl. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) explained that personality actors rely strongly on personality and in some ways can even be playing themselves (Sec. 5.5). Much of To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around the character scout and her innocent journey through childhood. She takes a perspective that any young girl might, and thus I feel the personality of Mary Badham would have helped her merge herself with this character. Mary was only again seen in four films the four years following the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, and was not again seen in film until 2005’s Our Very Own (IMDb, n.d., Filmography), so most of her acting experience was credited to her childhood in which she played a young girl.

• Robert Duvall: I also classified Robert Duvall as a character actor due to his ability to play varying roles successfully. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Robert Duvall plays Boo Radley – who is first perceived as being a crazy and scary man and is later realized to by a shy hero. In The Godfather, however, he plays Tom Hagen who is the adoptive son of the Corleone Mafia family (IMDb, n.d., Tom Hagen Biography). In this film, he is the counselor of this Mafia family, so he is still considered the voice of reason. This role is slightly a middle-ground. In another film, Kicking and Screaming – a comedy, Duvall plays Buck Weston – a competitive father and grandfather who competes with his son in coaching opposite soccer teams. You can get a good idea of his role being in much contrast to Boo Radley by viewing the film’s Trailer, seen here.

(Focus on one of the actors you’ve discussed. Based on other films the actor has been in, would this actor always be placed in the same category? If so, what does this say about the category or actor? If not, what can you infer about the flexibility of these categories?)

Because I categorized Gregory Peck and Robert Duvall as being the same types of actors, I will focus on both of them for this portion of my blog.

Based on both of their histories in film, it would be easy to say they would always be classified as character actors. As mentioned above, Gregory Peck has played roles in which the characters are loyal to their honesty, and characters that use means of deception to get by. Similarly, Robert Duvall successfully played roles in which he was a shy hero, a counselor to a Mafia family, and a comedic and competitive father and grandfather. Not only do these actors successfully act all personality types, but also reach across all genres.

Character acting is a category with high flexibility, whereas personality acting – perhaps seen with Mary Badham’s role as Scout, is much less flexible because it limits the actor/actress to roles that are in-line with their personalities.
References

Biography., (n.d.). Robert Duvall Biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/gregory-peck-9436049#related-video-gallery

Biography., (n.d.). Robert Duvall Biography. Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/robert-duvall-9282713

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved From https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG225.14.1/sections/sec5.5

IMDb., (n.d.). Mary Badham: Filmography. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000825/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

IMDb., (n.d.). Tom Hagen (Character) Biography. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000792/bio

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). Kicking & Screaming (2005) Trailer #1. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/zsi9-kicking-and-screaming-movie-trailer-1/

Sound in Films: To Kill a Mockingbird

(Describe each of the three basic categories of sound . . .)

• Dialogue: In the simplest sense, dialogue is the conversation that happens between characters in a film. In reality, dialogue is not as simple of a thing as it sounds. The dialogue has a big job: it is responsible for enhancing the storytelling and helping viewers connect with the characters on a deeper level. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) explained the three main purposes of dialogue are to help plot development, enhace characterization, and to help viewers learn the information they need to know for the film to be effective (Sec. 8.4). Dialogue is a very large part of a film and one could assume the quality of the dialogue affects the success of the entire film.

• Sound Effects: Whether exaggerated or realistic, sound effects are the noises attached to an action in a film. It can be something as simple as a metal-on-floor sound when someone drops a fork, to an exaggerated smack sound when a character gets slapped. Many times, sound effects are also used to change or enhance the viewers mood (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Sec. 8.4) – much like the techniques of editing and cinematography.

• Music: Music is a crucial element of film and makes one of the largest impacts on setting the mood to a scene. There are different types of music in a film, such as scores and soundtracks. Scores are music that plays in the background and is not actually being experienced in the action of the film itself . . . soundtracks, on the other hand, are songs either created or used by the film that are actual parts of the film the characters themselves are aware of (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Sec. 8.4).

(Explain how the different categories of sound are being used in your chosen film . . .) 

• The dialogue is very true to it’s southern location right down the the hospitality and kindness of the Finch family. You can tell that there was a lot of focus put into Scout’s dialogue, as her character is always speaking with an innocence and curiosity behind her words that benefit the storytelling by changing/improving the mood of other characters. A great example of Scout’s dialogue improving the storytelling in To Kill a Mockingbird can be seen in this clip when her Father is being raided by the community men and Scout finds a classmates father and begins lightly and innocently talking to him about his son – saving Atticus from the attack as the men decide they should be on their way (MOVIECLIPS, 2015, Min. 1:20 – 2:55).

• There were also a lot of sound effects used throughout this film, both realistic and exaggerated. In this film, I think the sound effects were only used to impact the mood in the scary scenes. All other forms of sound effects, in my opinion, were used to help draw us into the film, making us feel more like we were actually present. In the attack scene, however, which can be viewed in this clip, the use of sound effects increased the fear of the viewers. Wind sounds were added as Scout and Jem were walking through the forest which increased in intensity up until the attack (MOVIECLIPS, 2015, min 0 – 1:05). When Jem falls down on the ground, you hear a plop sound, and all fighting sounds are enhanced (MOVIECLIPS, 2015, min. 1:05 – 2:25). Each of these things increased the intensity of the attack for viewers by including sounds a camera might not catch but that you would hear if you were witnessing the attack in person.

• Music was used often throughout To Kill a Mockingbird and enhanced the mood intensity of viewers through the use of scores. In this clip, for example, when Mr. Ewell is approaching the car window where Jem is, a dark-feeling score is used that quickly increases in intensity as Mr. Ewell comes up to the car until Atticus gets there (MOVIECLIPS, 2015, min. 0:15 – 1:00). Using this score increased viewers sense of fear for Jem and made them feel a sense of urgency for Atticus to come back to the car.

(Assess the impact of sound in establishing the theme . . .)

There are many themes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, all revolving around the characters learning what and who is good and bad. The sound in this film effectively portrayed just that. Scout’s innocence and curiosity as she matured was shown in her dialogue. Dark and happy scores were used to enhance frightful scenes as we established what and who was good and bad. Dark, intense scores were used during scenes with anger and fighting, and happy, slow scores were used in brighter scenes as we discovered what was good (such as the score used when Scout meets Boo Radley for the first time) right along with the characters.

(How does the use of sound inform the mood of the scene, or the film overall? . .)

Using sound informs the mood of the scene by enhancing viewers emotions. As I have described above, dark scores and angry dialogue confirmed any feelings of fear and sadness, and happy dialogue coupled with brighter and happier scores confirmed the happiness.

(Can you identify specific sounds in your film that allow you to infer a particular genre? . . )

To Kill a Mockingbird is a dramatic film with small elements of horror and mystery. Both the drama and horror elements were enhanced by specific sounds.

• Drama sound: In this clip when Mayella is testifying in court, her dialogue is very intense with high emotion. At min. 2:05, she begins shouting at everyone and crying (MOVIECLIPS, 2015) – so much so that you could feel her words and emotions just strike you. The use of this dialogue definitely enhanced the dramatic feel of the film.

• Horror sound: As described in a few places throughout this post, dark-feeling scores were used in fighting scenes as well as the attack scene and intensified the feelings of fear . . . all elements that would be found within the horror genre.

(How might you characterize the sound effects in your film? . . )

I would categorize the sound effects used in To Kill a Mockingbird as being realistic and expected, for the most part – including the dialogue – they were sounds you would expect to hear if you were in the situation in real life.

(Assess how the scene or sequence would play differently if you changed or removed a key category of sound . .)

The scene where Mayella is testifying in court and her emotions run high and she starts yelling and crying would have been very different had her dialogue been different. The intensity of her words and the way they were spoken helped grab viewers attention right at a moment they might otherwise start to lose focus as, at that point, we were solely looking at the same environment and hearing the same sounds for a long period of time.

All of the dramatic scenes – the attack scene and the scene where Scout meets Boo Radley for the first time – definitely would have been much less dramatic without the scores informing the audience of the scenes mood.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved From  https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG225.14.1/sections/sec6.4 

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). Atticus Cross-Examines Mayella. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/k4MZ-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-atticus-cross-examines-mayella/

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). Boo is a Hero. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/oDuWG-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-boo-is-a-hero/

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). Scout Meets Boo Radley. Retrieved from  http://movieclips.com/Cqod-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-scout-meets-boo-radley/ 

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). The Children Save Atticus. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/BNoYt-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-the-children-save-atticus/

MOVIECLIPS., (2015). There’s a Lot of Ugly Things in This World. Retrieved from http://movieclips.com/DfaiA-to-kill-a-mockingbird-movie-theres-a-lot-of-ugly-things-in-this-world/

To Kill a Mockingbird: Lighting

Even though To Kill a Mockingbird is a black and white film, there are many scenes in which the lighting enhanced the storytelling.

(Identify the type of lighting used in the film and assess the impact of the lighting used to establish the theme . . .)

The lighting used in To Kill a Mockingbird was a combination of low-key lighting in the dramatic and frightful scenes, and mid-key lighting in the remainder of the film. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014) describe low-key lighting as, ”dark overall by comparison. It is marked by extreme use of deep shadows, with very high contrast between the brightest parts of the scene and the darkest parts, which are obscured in shadows. Often there may be only a single source of light, coming from the back or the side of the main characters.” (Sec. 6.4). In addition, this type of lighting is often used in drama, horror, and mystery themed scenes. I will be focusing my post around this type of lighting, as these are the scenes that made the most aestheic impact on me and strongly enhanced the film. I will focus on two scenes in particular.

The first scene is when Scout, Jem, and Dill are sneaking up to the Radley house and can be seen in minutes 24 through 28 of the film.

The second scene is when Scout and Jem are attacked by Bob Ewell and saved by Boo Radley and can be seen below.

(What are the benefits of the style of lighting used? . . .)

Low-key lighting helps increase feelings of fear in audience members when it relates to frightening scenes, and helps increase dramatic feelings in scenes with a lot of drama. In both situations, this style of lighting grabs the attention of viewers and makes the scene unforgettable.

(How did this technique contribute to the theme? . . .)

To Kill a Mockingbird has many underlying themes, one of which includes not judging a person until you fully know them. This occured as we watched Scout, Jem, and Dill be fearful of Boo Radley (which was seen in the first scene when they snuck up to his house and were terrified), but later learned that he is a decent man (as can be seen in the second clip I provided where Boo Radley saves Scout from her attacker).

The low-key lighting in both scenes increased the element of fear, contributing to the viewers curiosity of the then-mysterious man Boo Radley, and dismissing this curiosity in the same lighting style when he saves the children from the attack of Bob Ewell. Having Boo Radley save the children in the same lighting style used when they feared him helped dismiss the initial feelings of fear towards him from the scene where the children were sneaking up to his house.

To learn that you should not judge a person prior to honestly knowing them, you must experience the initial judgement and have it dismissed. If the viewers had not initially feared Boo Radley, the lesson here would not be as strong. Given that, I believe this lighting enhanced the theme by allowing the viewers to have the same perspective of the children throughout the film and learn right alongside them.

(How was the lighting technique suited to the genre of the film? For example, documentary films tend to rely on natural light as a way of creating an overall tone of authenticity . . .)

To Kill a Mockingbird is a realistic (to it’s time) drama film. Low-key lighting is often used in drama films because it increases dramatic feelings and encaptures the viewer, as it did in To Kill a Mockingbird.

(Compare how the scene would play if different choices had been made . . .)

If high-key lighting were used, which is a style of lighting that is very bright and low in shadows and contrast (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Sec. 6.4), our feelings of fear would be decreased. Especially in the scene where the children are sneaking up to the Radley house, it would be hard to feel afraid for them if high-key lighting were involved because at that point in the movie, we did not yet know who Boo Radley was or if he really was a man to be afraid of. Using low-key lighting here let the audience know that being afraid for the characters was what they wanted you to feel so you could form a stronger connection to the characters of Jem, Scout, and Dill and grow with them as you learned Boo Radley was actually a hero.

References

Foote, H., Pakula, A. J., Mulligan, R., Peck, G., Badham, M., Alford, P., Lee, H., (1998). To kill a mockingbird. Brentwood Productions, Inc.Universal City, CA: Universal.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved From https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG225.14.1/sections/sec6.4?search=transitions#w91810

MOVIECLIPS. [screen name]. (2011, May 27). To Kill a Mockingbird (9/10) Movie CLIP – Boo is a Hero (1962) HD. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FROgIia2cb8

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Official Trailer #1 – Gregory Peck Movie (1962) HD

[Select a full-length film and identify the title, writer, director, major actors, and the year it was released . . .]

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

Writer: Horton Foote

Director: Robert Mulligan

Major actors: Gregory Peck

Year released: 1962

[Summarize the story and plot of your chosen movie . . .]

Story:

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama in the 1930’s. It is a story about a widowed father, Atticus Finch, who is a well-respected lawyer but risks his career when he decides to represent a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of rape. This story is also about the growth of his two children, a son, Jem, and a daugher, ”Scout”. Much of To Kill a Mockingbird is seen through the eyes of the ever-curious Scout Finch and her perceptions of the life and people surrounding her, including her father standing up to the face of adversity and defending Tom Robinson from his rape charges, and her relationships with her brother, Jem, and neighbors, Boo Radley and Dill. One could suggest this is a story that highly revolves around morals, and one little girls journey into discovering right and wrong.

Plot: 

The plot begins with Atticus Finch leaving for work and saying goodbye to his son and daughter, Jem and Scout, as they play in the yard. Jem and Scout find another boy in the bushes, Charles (called Dill), and warn him of a neighbor man who keeps his son, Boo Radley, chained to a bed in the house down the street. Dill’s aunt comes over and also warns of the boy next door (Boo) insisting that he is mentally ill and explaining that Boo’s father would not allow him to be put in an asylum, so he keeps him locked up in the basement.This portion of the plot covers introductions and basic character development of the main characters.

The act then transitions into a scene in which Scout is reading to her father, Atticus. She asks her father if he thinks Boo Radley comes out at night and looks in her window, to which he insists she leave those ”poor people alone” (Foote et al., 1998, min. 14:20). The following day, when the children are playing outside again, Jem rolls his sister in the tire swing down to Boo Radley’s yard, where he then expresses fear as he runs over to get her away from there as quickly as possible.

Later that evening, Atticus accepts a case to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Throughout the case, the family is badgered and bullied by the townspeople and their schoolmates. In one scene, Scout and Jem are greeting the townspeople as they travel down the road to the courthouse, but none greet them back, making Jem decide to go down to the courthouse and watch.

During the hearing, the Sheriff described the victims injuries. Atticus points out the fact that her father did not bring her to be examined by a doctor. Mr. Ewell, the suggested victims father, testifies that he saw Tom running away right after the rape. Atticus proves the Mr. Ewell is left-handed, consistant with his daughters injuries and suggesting he was actually the one that harmed her. When Atticus is questioning the victim, he points out that Tom’s left arm was injured in an accident years ago, so it isn’t consistent with her described injuries. Tom admitted that one night, while the children were out, she had kissed him and asked him to kiss her back. Tom insisted he left right away. When the sheriff questions why he had been so open to helping the girl out so often, to which he said he felt sorry for her. Though Atticus presents an incredible case, and bravely so, Tom Robinson is still found guilty.

Time went on, and it came around time for the Halloween dance. On their way home, Scout and Jem are attacked by an unidentifiable man (later identified as Mr. Ewell), and is saved by Boo Radley, teaching her what her father has been telling her all along, that she should never judge a person until she knows them inside out. The plot concludes as Scout and Atticus thank Boo Radley for his bravery in saving the children.

[Discuss whether your film is presented chronologically or non-linearly. In your discussion, address the following: How did this aesthetic choice contribute to the general effect on the audience? How are elements like character development or foreshadowing impacted by the choice of storytelling methods? . . .]

Chronology/Non-linearly:

This film is depicted in chronological order, with all events occurring in order. This chronology helped viewers watch the growth of the characters and grow along with them. It also helped viewers remain informed of the developments in the case against Tom Robinson.

Aesthetic contribution:

There were many noticeable lighting, editing, and cut effects used throughout this film to enhance is aesthetic contributions. Right from the start, I noticed many fade-in and fade-out transitions. Direct cuts were utilized in places that helped keep the audiences attention rather than focusing on the whole scene for the duration of the act. There were several distinguishable acts throughout the film. The low-key lighting used in both the scene where the children were snooping around the Radley house, and in the scene where Jem and Scout were being attacked, really helped instill that feeling of fear in the audience. Although the film was in black and white, these darker hues helped separate the more positive and neutral scene from the dark and scary scenes.

Impact of character development and foreshadowing: 

Foreshadowing and character development throughout this entire film. It is seen in Atticus Finch as he defends Boo Radley when his daughter asks about him before bed. This is foreshadowing of Boo’s good deed, and also character development as it shows the compassionate nature of Atticus. As for Scout, you frequently see her curiosity about people and feelings. In Jem, you learn of his caring and protective nature as he tries to defend Scout after he pushed her in the tire swing into the Radley yard and was fearful for her, and when he tried to look out for her while being attacked. Much of the foreshadowing revolved around Boo Radley, the man the children assumed was scary and bad, and later found out he is a good man that helped them rather than hurt them. This foreshadowing surround Boo Radley throughout this film, and the buildup to see his character, helped draw the audience in with growing curiosity to who this man was, and reminded us all as it reminded Scout, to never judge a person until you completely know them.

Mary Badham and Gregory Peck in “To Kill A Mockingbird” (1962).

Shared by, (Art, 2011).

References

Art., (2011, October 7). Mary Badham. Classic Cinema Images. Retrieved from http://classiccinemaimages.com/mary-badham/mary-badham/

Foote, H., Pakula, A. J., Mulligan, R., Peck, G., Badham, M., Alford, P., Lee, H., (1998). To kill a mockingbird. Brentwood Productions, Inc.Universal City, CA: Universal.

MOVIECLIPS Classic Trailers. [screen name]. (2011, December 12). To Kill a Mockingbird Official Trailer #1 – Gregory Peck Movie (1962) HD. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR7loA_oziY

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