Task 4 - Film Analysis

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Pick a film of your choice. 
- 'Varmints'
Write a list and identify-
1. the archetypes in the characters
- Main protagonist is the focus of the story and is played by a good-hearted, well-meaning, anti-hero insofar as the fact that all odds seem stacked against him, and he has little or no power over his situation.
-Minor other characters include the love interest, which you find very little out about.
-Almost all other characters are part of the 'masses' i.e. uniform groups of characters who convey the image of conformity.
2. the character’s personality traits, life and motivation
- The main character's early motivation is to try and protect his environment from the encroaching masses. This is eventually eroded and almost completely lost but he manages to keep a small piece of its former beauty alive in the form of a small potted plant. This turns his motivation into the protection of said plant, as it obviously reminds him of earlier happier times. When the love interest is introduced a new motivation arrives along with it. Compassion to reach out to a fellow creature soon blossoms, until another plot twist as the world appears to be destroying itself, which ups the pace and introduces an element of danger.
3. how does the film keeps the audience engaged? What do you think the key factors are? 
- The underdog story, especially mixed with an environmental message is an appealing one to most people. The later parts of added danger and uncertainty keep the audience engaged, and the strong emotional attachment you form with the protagonist keep you wanting to know if he is going to prevail, survive or lose. People can relate to feeling at the mercy of the world around them.
4. what are the elements or patterns repeated throughout the film? At what points? And what do you think is the purpose or intention? 
-The use of colour for each section amplifies the emotions, and highlighting key parts of the film, ie the plant and the rare rainwater. This is used throughout the entire film, from the colourful happy beginning, to the muted depressing tones of the middle, and then  to the more uplifting glowing finale.
-No dialogue means a lot of the acting is done through body language and the movement of the eyes, which I feel helps with the immersion overall.
5. Throughout the form of the film, try to establish the plot and sub-plot. How does the revelation compare from the beginning to the end?
-There seem to be many changes to the plot of the film with a few sub plots happening throughout. It seems to be mostly about surviving in an unwelcome world, but then also not letting go of a piece of paradise lost. Adapting to this new world is a small sub-plot and I see it as the love-interest sequence, as this new face that the protagonist can relate to opens up new ideas to the viewer, of what his future many hold. It seems a little less bleak. All these small parts of the story bind together well throughout, but really work well in the culmination of them at the end of the tale.



About Richard Whillock

A beardy bloke who is pleased by the production of puppets and the set-up of stop-motion stuffs. A love for the scruffy, the textured and the original.

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