Twilight Essay

You should all have viewed the Powerpoint I prepared on cinematic techniques used in Twilight. Here's a brief summary to help you when typing up your essays:

Car-Park Scene: Hardwicke uses a close-up reaction shot of Bella's face. What does this shot show? What does Bella's reaction to Edward tell us about him? I she surprised/shocked at Edward's speed and strength? Does this possibly hint that he may be hiding something?

Car scene: Hardwicke uses a sound effect in this scene when Bella reaches to turn off the car heating and accidently touches Edward's hand. Is this sound effect diagetic (created by something in the shot) or non-diegetic (added in editing for the audience's benefit)? What is the purpose in this sound effect? Does it tell us something about what Bella is feeling when she realise Edward's hands are ice-cold? Does this hint that Edward has a secret/is hiding something?

Computer scene: Flashbacks are used in this scene when Bella is researching "The Cold Ones". Whenever Bella sees a keyword such as 'speed' she remembers an event she has witnessed with Edward in which he exhibited this trait. The technique Hardwicke uses here is known as subjective flashbacks. What do these flashbacks reveal about Edward?

Meadow scene: Lighting. Prior to this scene the whole film is bathed in a blue light - like a blue filter has been placed over the camera lens - but in the meadow scene, once Edward has finally admitted his secret to Bella, this blue light is absent. What atmosphere does the blue light create in the film? Does it give the impression of something being hidden? Does the fact that the story is told from Bella's perspective show that something is being hidden from Bella?
The sudden lifting of this blue light in the meadow scene is symbolic of the veil being lifted from Bella's eyes - she finally knows Edward's secret and his true vampiric nature is no longer hidden.

Now you tell me how Hardwicke makes use of special effects in the scene immediately before the meadow scene to reveal that Edward is a vampire.

Twilight Essay

For your final piece of written work for your Standard Grade folio you will be writing a critical evaluation of the film 'Twilight' directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Your question will be:

"In the film 'Twilight' directed by Catherine Hardwicke, one of the main characters has a secret. Explain what this secret is and show how this secret is revealed throughout the film. You should refer to media techniques such as: key scene, camera shots, flashback, lighting, sound, etc."

Coming soon...