Dupuis 5 Things

5 Things I've Learned About Film

1) I have learned how to look deeper into the film to find the hidden content.
2) I have learned how to tear a film apart to expose the hidden meaning of scenes.
3) I have learned how Mise-En-Scene is used in every film in order to tell the story of its characters and of the storyline.
4) I have learned how movies can influence a society as a whole and how in can be used to influence children.
5) I have learned how movies can be specifically designed to hit target groups even though they are released to the broader audience as a whole.

5 Things I've Learned About Politics in America

1) I have learned that journalists used to follow a high moral code when reporting the news.
2) I have learned that some policies of our government are designed to be futile but designed to produce profit for other organizations.
3) I have learned that some laws are throw backs to an earlier era but have turned into such hot button topics and cash cows that the government , and citizenry, are unwilling to change them.
4) I have learned that our political view is far to narrow. This narrowness allows for interest groups to parse the nation into sections for maximum control and profit.
5) I have learned that our national policies produce a high toll on other countries either by design or by accident. The designed policies are then masked in patriotism to prevent the citizens of this country from fully understanding the policies effect.

How This Knowledge has Changed my Perception of Film

Before this class I only watched a film with my eyes and ears. The tools that have been given to me by this class has allowed me to delve deeper into the true meaning of films by looking at all aspects of a scene and of the film as a whole by also using my brain. Before this class I had never heard of Mise-en-scene or of its constant application to every film I have seen.
I have re-watched several films I had already watch and discovered added meaning to the film by analyzing it as I watched. I had not realized that the 14 aspects of Mise-en-scene influence every director and added subtext to every film. Every film I have watched since this taking this class have seemed far more real and intense that before. I had been missing so much of every story being told to almost invalidate my understanding of every movie I have watched.
When watching a DVD at home, I found that I would sometimes pause some scenes when I noticed the heavy use of Mise-en-scene. I would pick apart these scenes to understand the added meaning being placed in them. When I watched movies with my wife, I would point out the extra content of scenes to show her what the director was getting at.
I believe the general public should be exposed to the Mise analysis process since all the added effort a director puts into the film is being missed by 99% of the viewers. If everyone were exposed to Mise, most movies would be even more powerful to them. Viewers would see how a bright light close to a character could tell a story about his morals. That story of the characters morals might not be explicitly told by mouth, but only in the subtext of the film. I completely missed that reference to morals in the movie "Good" where the director placed an extremely bright light near Vigo. Since noticing this application, I look for these added things in films.
I thoroughly enjoyed this class since all the films we watched used Mise constantly to tell the story behind the story. This added tool has allowed me to immerse myself in every film I now watch. Films that have heavy moral implications or strong political implications now will make more sense be imbued with more power since I can now see the complete story.