"A picture is worth a thousand words. You can see in an instant what is nearly impossible to convey grammatically."
As we watched The Great Gatsby in class, we not only payed attention to the story being told, but also to the film techniques being used. I was in charge of analyzing the movies setting. As I did this, I was able to put myself in a film crew's point of view, and I got to understand how everything, from the setting, all the way to the props, music, and actors, were carefully selected to intensify the movies emotions.
To begin with, through the choice in setting it was very evident to the audience that there was a socio economic difference between those living in West Egg, East Egg and the Valley of Ashes. The film crew made a point of showcasing huge houses with bright green lawns, fancy dinner tables, marble floors, and chandeliers to represent the wealth of the West and East Egg. Nonetheless, as mentioned in the book and movie, those living in West Egg were considered the "old rich" because they came from aristocratic families, and those living in East Egg were the "new rich" because they were "new" to their wealth. The difference between these two types of wealth was made by simple things such as the way the lawn was cut. At West Egg, the lawn was perfectly mowed and very short, which to me represented the "class" of an aristocratic family. The Valley of Ashes on the other hand, was a representation of the lower class, thus, the film crew made the setting look very run down by only using tones of black and grey and houses that were old and dirty. When Tom was inside the apartment he had down in New York, with Nick and and Myrtle Wilson, you could tell how the decoration of the apartment was much more gaudy in comparison to the elegance found in the West and East Egg homes.
To begin with, through the choice in setting it was very evident to the audience that there was a socio economic difference between those living in West Egg, East Egg and the Valley of Ashes. The film crew made a point of showcasing huge houses with bright green lawns, fancy dinner tables, marble floors, and chandeliers to represent the wealth of the West and East Egg. Nonetheless, as mentioned in the book and movie, those living in West Egg were considered the "old rich" because they came from aristocratic families, and those living in East Egg were the "new rich" because they were "new" to their wealth. The difference between these two types of wealth was made by simple things such as the way the lawn was cut. At West Egg, the lawn was perfectly mowed and very short, which to me represented the "class" of an aristocratic family. The Valley of Ashes on the other hand, was a representation of the lower class, thus, the film crew made the setting look very run down by only using tones of black and grey and houses that were old and dirty. When Tom was inside the apartment he had down in New York, with Nick and and Myrtle Wilson, you could tell how the decoration of the apartment was much more gaudy in comparison to the elegance found in the West and East Egg homes.
Can you IDENTIFY which is West Egg and which is The Valley of Ashes?
A second example of a great choice in setting was when Gatsby took Nick out for lunch with Meyer Wolfsheim. Since both Gatsby and Wolfsheim made their fortune through sketchy jobs, such as bootlegging alcohol, the place where they brought Nick was the perfect way to demonstrate the type of illegal work they were involved in. Instead of bringing him to a nice, fancy restaurant in the city, as you would expect someone of such wealth to do, Nick was brought to a very sketchy, run down, bar looking type restaurant.
A final example of how the setting was carefully selected, in this case to portray a specific emotion, was right after one of Gatsby's parties. The setting was a view of Gatsby's house which was left completely destroyed--with serpentines all over the place--after the last guest had left. This particular setting was used to intensify what Gatsby was feeling at the moment, because just how his house was left destroyed, he was left "mentally destroyed" because Daisy had not enjoyed the first party she had attended at his house.
Thus, although we are not completely focusing on a setting as we watch a movie, it is important to understand that the setting plays a huge role in portraying certain emotions throughout the movie, creating certain effects, and having an audience fully understand the movies plot line.
A final example of how the setting was carefully selected, in this case to portray a specific emotion, was right after one of Gatsby's parties. The setting was a view of Gatsby's house which was left completely destroyed--with serpentines all over the place--after the last guest had left. This particular setting was used to intensify what Gatsby was feeling at the moment, because just how his house was left destroyed, he was left "mentally destroyed" because Daisy had not enjoyed the first party she had attended at his house.
Thus, although we are not completely focusing on a setting as we watch a movie, it is important to understand that the setting plays a huge role in portraying certain emotions throughout the movie, creating certain effects, and having an audience fully understand the movies plot line.