The Power of One: Film Study

The First 10-15 Minutes

A typical film question will focus on those crucial first 10-15 minutes! Why? Because the director must catch and hold your attention in fifteen minutes or you won't watch the film.

Film Question: Explain how the filmmaker uses a range of film techniques to introduce such things as background, setting, character and themes in the first 10-15 minutes of a film you have studied. (NB. Film techniques include type of shots used, soundtrack, editing, etc.)

So how did Avildsen (the director of The Power of One)  manage to give you the background (especially historical background) plus introduce the setting plus introduce the characters plus the key ideas/themes?

To find out, you have to answer the questions below.

INSTRUCTIONS- PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

• This activity will help you to practice your close viewing skills in identifying film techniques/aspects, and explaining the effect of these techniques/aspects for the viewer. This will be great practice for your film essay :)
• We will re-watch the first 15 minutes of the film TWICE.

• The FIRST time we re-watch the beginning of the film you will be focussing on the AUDIO/SOUND TECHNIQUES ONLY and answer ONLY the AUDIO  questions. These questions are written in BLUE.
• The SECOND time we re-watch the beginning of the film you will focus on the VISUAL TECHNIQUES ONLY and ONLY answer the VISUAL questions. These questions are written in RED.
• So for the first rewatch answer the BLUE questions
• For the second rewatch answer the RED questions :)

The First 15 Minutes ২

1. Soundtrack: What sort of music? What impression does it give?

Sad music a desire to be sad

2. Visual. What is the first shot of?

The giraffe

3. Visual. What camera technique is then used to “focus” us on the area of interest?

Long shot

4. Visual. Written text scrolls onto the screen. What key information are we given here?

About the apartheid struggle and the story of africa

5. Visual. A dissolve is then used on the shot. What to? What effect?

The waterfall a gave an a

6. Visual. What landscape do we pan over?

The house

7. Audio. Soundtrack: Whose voice? What film technique?What key information is given here about character?. What effect?

PKs voice at the end and the start

8. Visual. Shots: There are a number of medium shots of PK being born and then with his Nanny, mother and Tonderai. What shots strongly shows the respect PK’s mother has with the nanny?

Before when PK left for school

9. Visuals: What medium shot shows racial harmony?

The bit where it said whites only no blacks when PK was drinking the water.

10. Audio. PK's voice-over: “For the first time in my life, I felt afraid.” Here the key theme of fear is introduced. Where else in the film must he face fear of some sort? (2 eggs)

At the end of the movie

11. Visual.Shot: 1.Close Up on face of PK as his mother hugs him goodbye. What emotion is shown by this Close Up 2.also, CU on Nanny a little later — what emotion?).

Courage Love

12. Visual. Symbolism: PK's mother gives him an ostrich shell bracelet. What does it symbolise for her? How is it used later in the film?

To rep love

13. Audio. To a school run by Afrikaners. What do we learn from the preacher's speech ? (soundtrack/screenplay).

Black people are only black because of their sins

14. Audio. PK's voiceover on his first lesson in history. What do we learn about the Afrikaners? Why does PK take the blame for this?

Because he is an englishmen

15. Visual. Shot: CU on Botha. How does he express his contempt for PK?

?

16. Visual (and Audio) Theme of racism: How is PK punished for being English?

By being pissed on Piss Kop

17. Visual. Both the bully: Over the shoulder shot, from the point of view of PK, low angle, emphasises what?

He is afraid