Weeks Five and Six Reflections!

Sorry for the late post. I was bogged down by tons of work, in school and out of it. Well, here are my 2 weeks’ worth of reflections consolidated into one post.

Week 5

We started class with a debate of sorts on Aristotle’s theory: if plot was indeed more important than character in a story. Personally, I think both are important. But I do agree to a certain extent that the character is more important than the plot. It is usually harder to hatch a strong plot that can compensate for a weak character, whereas a strong character may be able to substantiate a weak plot.

Ryan then shared with us the cause-and-effect chain should there be an absence of a character. We were also given guidelines on how to create a strong 3-dimensional character; paying attention to meticulous details on the character’s physiology, sociology and psychology, as well as his/her “interior” and “exterior” are crucial.

The lesson was heavy in content and it also bothers me how hard it is to actually conceptualise a 3-dimensional character. There are simply too many facets we need to take note of! We were also shown a small segment of a masterpiece of Martin Scorsese, Taxi Driver, and watched how he created a 3-dimensional character in less than 10 minutes of screentime. Oh my god! It makes me wonder if I will ever be capable of it.

We then watched a short film by Francois Truffaut, of Day For Night fame, the movie we watched in week 1 during Introduction to Film. Les Mistons, his short film made in 1957. The lesson ended after the screening as we did not have sufficient time to discuss it.

You can find my week 5 notes here.

Week 6

We started Week 6 with a discussion of Les Mistons, which we watched at the end of our previous week’s lesson. We had a discussion on the “virginal heart” as well as what we have inferred from the film.

Week 6’s lesson, in my opinion, was an emotional and highly-tensed one for most people. We were divided in to small groups of 3 to 4, and asked to share our Letters to the Past. At the same time, we were also asked to give constructive critique to our peers on how they can improve on their letters. Well, the comment I received from Kane on my letter was that it stated everything, rather than involve the reader emotionally. Well, that is true, and I had mixed feelings while writing. I guess I was holding something back. Well, I guess I have to hit the canvas again.

We also watched a short film, Intransit. I think that it is an artistic and abstract film as we have to infer quite a number of details. But I feel that this is also quite a fresh approach, as we are not spoonfed details and information. Instead, we feel compelled to discuss about it and share our views.

We also learned to write for an audience. We learned that the writer is a very powerful character as he is the one who connects multiple elements such as their vision, the material available as well as drama. Other than the aforementioned, we also learned that we should look inside ourselves for a story. We just need to find out how to connect to it.

Well, that’s all for this reflection. I will change the style I write my reflections soon! Stay tuned. Cheers!

You can find my week 6 notes here.

Week Four Reflections!

For Week 4’s tutorial class, the only thing we did was watching Elections, a circa 1999 film. Ryan asked us to evaluate whether the said film qualifies as a “Greek Tragedy”. The story tells the tale of and connections between an overachiever Tracy Flick and a teacher in her high school Jim McAllister. The former is played by Reese Witherspoon and the latter, Matthew Broderick.

I think the film does qualify as a “Greek Tragedy”. However, I think that it is partially marred by what I consider a slightly episodic character, Tammy. Tammy is Paul Metzler’s adopted sister and a delinquent of sorts. I feel that she is not really part of the cause-and-effect chain, therefore quite incoherent, though some may argue that she does contribute to it.

In the film, Tracy and Jim wound up to have very different lives in the end. Although Tracy did not manage to win the presidency of the student governing body she was running for, she continued to strive and at the end of the film, we saw that she was a successful career woman. Jim, on the other hand, became a blue-collar worker after he brought about his own downfall, from a morally upright and honest teacher to a despicable one. He conspired and meddled with the presidency elections so that Tracy, who was poised to win, lost by a single marginal vote. He had an affair with his best friend’s wife, who told on him, leading to his divorce.

As time goes on, he went from hero to zero. From a much-respected teacher who won awards for three years out of his twelve years in the high school, he became one whom nobody looked up to. He was also unlucky, as we saw him get stung by a bee above his right eye.

The events that happened showcased the cause-and-effect chain, how a hero in the film, in this case, Jim, suffered misfortunes, intentionally. I mean, how often does somebody get stung by a bee directly above his right eye? Another obvious factor that it was a “Greek Tragedy” was because according to Aristotle, “the protagonist should be prosperous and renowned” (in the beginning), so that the change in his life and fortunes can be from good to bad.

Well, that is all for this week. Stay tuned for next week’s reflections from class and other rants (if available)! Cheers!

Week Three Reflections!

Week 3’s lesson was a whole new different ball game. The lesson was carried out in a different manner. Instead of Ryan feeding us with most of the curricular information, we were supposed to present our research to the class in groups. The class was divided into groups and each group was supposed to research on a different aspect of Aristotle’s theory on “Greek Tragedy”.

But before we got down to presenting, we did some sharing and reflection on our homework for weeks one and two. Some of the openers tossed out into the open were funny while some others were sinister in nature… We were also supposed to write a story using one of the openers from our partners. A couple of stories were read out loud and we were asked to give constructive critiques.

I noticed some common mistakes amongst the stories, the most ubiquitous one being the use of past tense. Although I try my very best not to commit this fundamental mistake, I still did, in one of my 50-word stories assignment. Well, it seems that I have to work harder and more meticulously on my future assignments.

Ryan also shared what he thought of our homework. He brought up the point that one of the stories took far too long to develop, and this should not be the case. He also reiterated the point that we should always take note of the tense used in the story.

For our homework due week 4, we were asked to people watch! Cool! I always people watch when I chill out with my friends at Spinelli at The Heeren on Saturday and/or Sunday. I always observe people walking past or just the patrons of Spinelli. But I have never given much thought to what I can infer from their behaviour and mannerism. I did not think about what kind of people they are. Normally, it is very hard for us to get a table in the smoking area on weekends. Call it tough luck or just plain coincidence, strangely, only 2 to three tables were occupied when I arrived on Sunday. As a result, I only managed to work on 1 subject that day (he was the only 1 that I can gather enough information on).

Well, I am really looking forward to the next storytelling class (no, I’m not kissing your butt Ryan). I am really excited about what new assignment we are going to work on this week. There are limitless possibilities and I hope it is a fun and cool assignment!
You can find my Aristotle Notes here.