The Shack

The Shack is a film that I found very interesting. With such controversy in today's world over religion in public publications, films, etc. I was pleased to see a film that was willing to take risks in symbolizing historical religious figures, ideas, and miracles. Symbolism was also found all throughout the film. Jesus had scars on his wrist and walked on water, the garden symbolized life and regrowth, and the scene where Mac submerges himself in the waterfall (like a baptism) are just a few examples of the many religious symbols found in this movie.

As for the story, the theme became clear early on in the movie: "If God is good, why do bad things happen?" This question is answered by the character playing God early on in the story, claiming that He never left Mac's daughter during her tragedy, and that evil does exist even though God is always watching. The film does a fantastic job in emphasizing Mac's struggle to try and understand and accept this, and eventually highlights how hard it can be to forgive, but what a release it is when someone gives up their anger and submits to God's will, by granting forgiveness. Ultimately, God has set everything in motion, and the trust in Him and that everything happens for a reason is the only way to live in peace.


How significant was it in the film that God appears in different forms?

The Shack

"The Shack" is easily one of my favorite movies of the year and even of all time. I read the book over the summer and anxiously anticipated seeing the movie once it came out. My family saw it almost immediately, and I cried like a baby throughout the entirety of the film. What really got me emotional was the fantastic imagery, color, and serendipity. The colors popped, the water fall rushed so loudly it made your whole body shake, and the transformation of the shack from a dirty, depressing landmark to something so beautifully magical completely took over my sense of emotion.

This film, in a nutshell, shows the question of "If God is all good, why do bad things happen?". This is a queation I often juggle with, and it really helped my mental health to see the movie bring this question to life and answer it in such a powerful way. We watch as the father deals with the abduction and murder of his youngest daughter, and his journey to the very location she is killed. This is where is goes to meet "Papa", otherwise known as God, to hash out him emotions and frustration. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit then take him on a journey of healing and understanding of why bad things happen to good people. Overall, I found this film to be such an eyeopener to trusting in faith and understanding that everything happens for a reason. We as humans have trouble understanding why we must deal with heartbreak, but realize that God has our best judgement in mind, and only does things to help us in the future.

Exploring Film Techniques- Caitlin Murphy

There is so much behind-the-scene work that goes into film and art that the general public would not even begin to imagine whilst seeing a performance or film. Lighting, one of the most important techniques, can bring multiple emotions to a scene. Dark lighting can represent sadness, while colorful lighting can make the scene feel like a party. Panning from light to dark or vice versa can create mystery or an eeriness. Different angles that a scene is shot on make for abstract scenery. Panning from one location to another, sharp abrupt cuts, or slow and delicate montages all create a feeling without any acting or dialogue.

The first film watched in class was titled "Bunny". The bunny was very old, grumpy, and had trouble getting around his home. A camera pans to a hung photograph of the bunny's wife symbolizing the death of his wife and the loneliness he feels without her. As he bakes slowly in the kitchen, struggling with every move, a moth comes into the scene flying around Bunny in an annoying way, swarming back and fourth in and out of the shot, clearly upsetting the Bunny. As bunny becomes more and more frustrated with the moth, attempting to kill it but never succeeding, he finally captures the moth in the cake he was baking, and stuck it in the oven for the moth to die. After exerting so much energy, Bunny falls asleep at the kitchen table. He is then awakened by a bright light shining from the oven. The light leads bunny to the oven and overtakes him with complete awe. The bunny climbs into the oven which leads him to space, which then takes him to heaven. The symbolism this film shows with just lighting, panning, and animation with no dialogue is impeccable.

Next we watch a couple scenes from a "cult classic" titled "Herold and Mod" showing a rich, controlling mother who shows little love to her son. The son then fakes multiple suicide attempts to get his mother's attention. He reaches out for love in such an odd way because not only is he a desperate, rebellion teenage boy, but he has grown up not knowing true family loves and lack the skills to show it. The way the scene watched in class is beautifully done, with a mix of tight and wide frames, showing fantastic imagery through body language and face expression with little dialogue. Like "Bunny", "Herold and Mod" does not need dialogue to gain the attention of an audience.

"Northfork" was a film with ample symbolism that showed the pain of a of a dying city and the grief in the town. An example of imagery shown were the Rocky Mountains that were shown in the distance while transporting a coffin to be buried. The scene we watched was mostly imagery and music, but was so powerful, that it made it simple to follow along.

"Paris, Texas" was a very mysterious film with an opening scene in the dry dessert. A man who looks to be dehydrated, exhausted, and somewhat disillusion is walking slowly through the dusty mountains with no end in sight. There were many point of view shots shown in this film that make the audience feel what the man felt walking to no where. Another symbol shown later in the film is the act of communication but with no connection. The man ends up reconnecting with his son after and they communicate back and fourth, but with little to no real connection.

The "Pink Floyd" Film was my favorite of the bunch, because of it's incredible imagery, colors, symbols, pans, and way of shooting. It was psychedelic in a way, making the viewer seem to be in another world. There is a mix of animation and real acting in the film, that makes the mind work extra hard, which I think is a great touch to any film. Strange things happen like cars turning into guitars, and then flowers symbolizing love turn into hateful imagery. This artistic film is a fascinating piece that will keep viewers' eyes peeled to the screen.

Lastly, the film "Casa de Vanca" was a Mexican film that shows men deserted on an island. One man begins to go crazy and attempts to run away to freedom, but the shaman brings him back using his powers and magic. There is a lot of imagery in the film including a lizard who turns to a man and vice versa. This film was quite confusing, but the colors film techniques used help make better sense of the plot.

The Shack write up

I really enjoyed this movie a lot more than I expected. Clearly, the religious connection was apparent involving the Trinity. My favorite part that jerked a few tears was when he was forgiving his father. He was given the opportunity to see life through the eyes of the Trinity and by doing so he saw the light in his father. Earlier in the film during the judgment scene, he was shown a video of his father being beaten as a boy who put reason why his father beat him. Mack became more sympathetic towards his father which allowed him to forgive his father more easily. I can relate to that, not because my parents beat me or anything, but I do have hostility towards them because I disagree with some aspects of their parenting. Their actions have had a lasting impact on me and it is easier for me to blame them than to accept them for who they are and forgive them. With that being said, it is even harder to forgive someone who has killed a person you love, so I admire Mack for taking steps towards forgiving the abductor who killed Missy.

One message that is emphasized in the film but often overlooked day-to-day is that God cannot protect all from evil and harm. God is blamed a lot for the things that go wrong. However, accidents and evil will prevail which God cannot prevent from happening.

In religious writings, the Holy Spirit is often represented as a dove and never as a physical human. This could have contributed to the controversies that arose from the film. Additionally, the Holy Spirit and God, at some parts of the film, were represented as a woman which is not supported in religious teachings. I know in Catholicism, females are not even allowed to be priests so I am sure controversies arose regarding a female as the Holy Spirit.

In regards to religious symbolism, the tree that grew on Missy’s grave represents the tree of life. Additionally, towards the end of the cave scene following judgment, Mack steps into the waterfall which represents baptism. He developed a new perception of Jesus Christ and pursues a relationship with God.

What other controversies arose in the film?

Exploring Film Technique - Monica Goodwin

While film creates mood through actors, settings, and the script, cinematography is the unsung hero of mood creation. Cinematography includes camera angles, types of shots (camera's proximity to a subject),  depth of field, use of color, and camera movement. In class we looked at films that varied in genre as well as execution (live action, claymation, animated, etc.) to see how these technical techniques affect the story that each one tells.

The first film we watched was the short film Bunny, a claymation/animated film about an old rabbit making a cake while a moth refuses to leave her alone. This film utilizes many camera angles, shots, and movements to fit the mood of the scene. During the calm and meticulous opening, there are defined shots and angles to reflect the bunny's strict routine. As the moth continually annoys and interrupts the bunny, the angles get wackier and the camera's speed and proximity gets faster and closer, which again reflects the mood of the scene. When the bunny is flying with the other moths the cool, striking blue differs greatly from the soft orange light of the kitchen. The use of contrasts and reflection throughout the whole film is a testament to how technical aspects can heighten and perfect mood or an action within the film.

This creation of mood is also used in Cabeza de Vaca. This film has a scene that uses parallel editing and tight camera angels to create a mood of urgency when the main character is fleeing captivity and being summoned back by a shaman. The rough camera movements and quick cutting during editing doesn't show the audience that the protagonist is running in a circle, so when the camera settles as he runs back to captivity the audience doesn't realize he is captured until it is too late.

Another film we watched in class was Harold and Maude and the scene is question used camera angles and proximity to create a comedic effect during a scene. The mother and sons faces were in a shot composed in a way that showed off their comedically different reactions to a singular situation.
Technical sequences reflected symbolism in the films The Wall and Northfork. In The Wall, one object would transform into another, symbolizing that those two different objects are the same thing symbolically. Northfork used mountains and cars to symbolize the permanence of death and the transience of life.

Finally, in the film Paris, Texas, the director uses a lot of long and extreme long shots to make the protagonist appear as though he is being swallowed by his environment. These shots also contain many modes of transportation to continue the theme of the protagonist's desire to escape his situation. Those modes of transportation also reflect how people hardly connect with one another with compassion, which is demonstrated further when the protagonist tried to understand a "crazy" man above a freeway. This desire to escape and the lack of communication between individuals culminates to the climax of the film where the protagonist finds his wife and tries to reconnect with her despite the literal and emotional barriers between them.

Exploring Film Technique - Evelyn Harper

Many people overlook the impact and significance of the camera shots. Personally, I never focus on the camera shots and I subconsciously pick up on the nonverbal communication cues. It was fascinating to focus on the shots and for Dr. Redick to pinpoint the importance of the underlining messages expressed through the camera shots and unspoken communication.

The animated film about the bunny was very dense with symbolism and meaning. The shining blue light was shown in the beginning which emphasized life and also at the end. The final blue light shown expressed that when we die it is like going into the light. The bunny was lonely and even though she was at home she was missing her loved causing her to be sad. Ironically, the annoying moth brought her to happiness. The moth represents an angel and a messenger leading the bunny through the light to heaven. The oven is also a significant symbol of transformation. Regarding the bunny's hatred towards the moth, the bunny is transformed into trusting the moth when following the moth through the oven and into the light. Another interesting concept is the size of the moth, which was enhanced in size and the sounds it was making. By enlarging the moth it put a focal point on the moth.

Another interesting segment were the Pink Floyd music videos. The videos incorporating war were strongly again fighting and bridging a gap between people. The overall message seemed to be how common it is for people to live individualistically. Personal items were used in the wall as a barrier and used to separate people from engaging with others. The excessive amount of cars someone owns puts him or her above another. Cars can display wealth, and often wealth is valued because it depicts success. Ultimately, the barrier between people is emphasized in people's belongings.

Exploring Film Technique Blog

     The first example of film technique we were shown was in the short film, Bunny.  This short film did a good job of showing the contrast between light and dark as a representation of life and death. Death is represented by light and the messenger of death is this moth that is attracted to the light and is bothering the bunny.  The most interesting part of this video is the fact that death is not perceived in it's dark, sad state but instead is shown as a means of the bunny being back with her deceased husband whom she has missed for years as seen in the fresh paint behind their wedding photo.  This video also symbolically utilized the oven to represent this means of transformation for the bunny to enter death.  The film utilized the crane camera angle with the bunny doing household chores so one could see how monotonous her work was and how dark and dreary her apartment and life were. Overall this film utilized symbolism as well as film elements to get across the point of death as something that isn't so bad.
     The second example we were shown were a couple scenes from the film, Harold and Maude. First scene we were shown is a very interesting scene where after Harold frightens the house guest it cuts to him nodding and grinning at the camera and as he looks to his mother she gives him a deathly glare which he then just looks down at the ground as if he had just been scolded. I think the most important film element of this scene is the non-diegetic music in the background that was happy and exciting and didn't stop when he looked disappointed.  The second scene we viewed was when Harold and Maude were together and they went to the flower patch.  This is important because it shows that from a distance all flowers look the same but when up close they are different, much like people are.  They then show a very similar motif by showing a military graveyard from a distance where all of the graves look scarily uniform but when up close all have different names and lives.
     The third example we watched was the film Norfork, which is a story of a dying town paired with a dying boy along with these bizarre angel figures.  The first scene we are shown was the coffin atop the car with the mountains in the background signifying the death of two things with them leaving the town and the coffin being atop the car.  The second scene is with the house splitting in half and the angel is their enticing the man to jump the gap.  This scene contains a really good contrast between light and dark in the dark home being split open with the light colored snow entering.
     The fourth example we saw was clips from the film, Paris Texas.  The overarching theme is the lack of connection among people and is shown in three main ways.  The first way they show this is in the concept of transportation; the very beginning is the main character walking around and it shows a point of view shot for the viewer to see how far he has traveled, they then have an overarching concept of travel to show that people stay moving as opposed to connecting. The first time that the main character really connects is ironically in the back of his truck talking to his son. The second broken connection is between the main character and his wife which then causes her to leave their family.  The third example is when the main character finds his wife in a brothel and the only way the can communicate their issues that they've faced in the marriage is by turning away so that they aren't facing the other.  This film interestingly used a series of single longer shots as a means of building suspense.
     The fifth example is from Pink Floyd's video album, The Wall. The Wall is a symbolic wall that represents separation between others which harms communication.  This video album was designed for symbolic imagery to be a form of protest with things like war when everything turns into crosses to signify death and the education system by showing all the kids becoming toys made in a factory which results in the kids destroying the factory.  The part that stuck out to me is the lawyer portion when he was literally a butthole.  One of the things that Pink Floyd is trying to show in these videos is not only that the government puts bricks in this metaphorical wall, but we also do as consumers.
     The final example we were shown was scenes from the film Cabeza de Vaca.  This is a story of a native american trying to escape an island that has been taken by spaniards.  The first symbol made in the film that we saw was the lizard tied to a post in the center of the circle who as it moves it gravitates more and more to the center. This is made to represent axus mundi meaning control of the world showing that we are represented by the lizard and the more we fight the closer we inevitably get to God.  The main character later resists owning slaves which shows the overall premise of the film is that there is no difference between a spaniard and a native american being that they come from the same creator and that it is offensive to faith to own slaves.