Articles for category: Fictional Narrative

May 7, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Tension & Tone

In today’s class, we analyzed a scene from Taika Waititi’s 2019 film, Jojo Rabbit, where Stephen Merchant’s character, Captain Herman Klenzendorf, arrives to inspect Jojo’s home. The resulting scene showcases Waititi’s use of context and tone to build a subtle tension that builds rapidly with each character beat. In the events before the scene unfolds, Jojo has recently discovered that his mother, Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), is secretly harboring a young Jewish girl, Elsa Korr, in the family’s attic. Jojo is grappling with this discovery, torn between his ingrained Nazi beliefs and the reality of Elsa as a person. He’s been

May 2, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Trailers in Transition

In today’s class, we highlighted some of key differences in trailer design and intent, comparing methods from the 1980s with current methods. We first reviewed the trailer for Top Gun (1986), which showed a straightforward presentation of the film’s narrative, including a clear establishment of the characters (Maverick, Iceman, etc.), the setting (the elite fighter pilot school), and the central conflict (competition, achieving greatness). Music was featured throughout and was indicative of the soundtrack, but not the specific top-40 songs from the film. The editing was paced to build excitement but with a more gradual rhythm than today’s trailers. We then compared

April 29, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Direct by Design: The Coin Toss

Today’s class kicked off with an analysis of the coin toss scene in No Country for Old Men (2007 –directed by Ethan and Joel Coen). This specific scene stands out as a masterclass in tension building and character establishment through masterful filmmaking. The Coen brothers utilize a minimalist approach, letting the dialogue and the actors’ performances carry the weight of the scene. Javier Bardem’s portrayal of the chillingly unpredictable Anton Chigurh is immediately captivating, his calm demeanor juxtaposed with the inherent threat of his actions. The seemingly innocuous conversation initiated by the gas station attendant quickly devolves into a life-or-death gamble, highlighting

April 25, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

The Narrative Power of Costuming in Film

In today’s class, our Big Screen Video Inspiration opener focussed on costuming as the main event of a motion picture. For this, I selected the following clip from the fantastic 1994 Australian film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert  (Directed by Stephan Elliott / Costumes by Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner / Cinematography by Brian J. Breheny). This film introduced us to Guy Pearce and Hugo Weaving, while reintroducing the world to the great Terence Stamp. Backed by a meager $20,000 budget (Oz dollars), Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner won the Oscar for costume design at the 1995 Academy Awards.

April 23, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

How to Build a Movie Trailer

In today’s class, we outlined the core concepts behind effective film trailer construction. One of the best summaries available is from Derek Lieu, a professional movie trailer editor. Lieu essentially breaks down the film trailer into a four-act structure for effective story summaries, expanding on the traditional three-act narrative. This structure begins with a Cold Open, designed to immediately grab the viewer’s attention with an exciting, humorous, or dramatic scene requiring minimal initial context. Following this hook is the Introduction, where the film’s premise is established through exposition or intriguing questions. The trailer then moves into Escalation, introducing the central

April 22, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

The Perfect Combo: Performance + Cinematography

For today’s Big Screen Video Inspiration, we focused on how plot points can drive home larger thematic elements in storytelling. Combined with the power of symbolism, a simple scene can open up entirely new narrative directions. Such is the case in our example from the 2001 film, A. I. Artificial Intelligence  (2001 – Directed by Stephen Spielberg / Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński), based on a concept originally designed by the late Stanley Kubrick . Our class focussed on one scene from early in the film, where Monica (Frances O’Connor), triggers the imprinting protocol on David —an uncomfortably realistic mecha child—thus committing the

April 14, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

The Single Shot: Old Boy

Today we started class by introducing the concept of the single shot, and the complexity of pulling off compelling visual narratives without any camera breaks. The iconic single-shot fight scene in Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy has been celebrated and discussed since first viewed on the big screen in 2003. This scene from Oldboy is a brutal and visceral display of the raw determination and pent-up rage of the main character, Oh Dae-su, after years of imprisonment. Armed with only a hammer, he navigates a narrow corridor filled with multiple adversaries, each encounter a flurry of desperate swings, dodges, and grunts. The extended, unbroken camera shot intensifies the

April 9, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Scene Analysis: Moonlight

Today’s class kicked off with an analysis of the beautiful water scene in the 2016 film, Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins. I’ve included some analysis slides below for a summary of our analysis. The water scene in Moonlight, where Juan teaches young Chiron (“Little”) to swim, is a pivotal moment of cinematic and storytelling excellence. Director Barry Jenkins uses the ocean as a powerful symbol of transformation and acceptance. The cinematography, often placing the camera at water level, immerses the viewer in Chiron’s experience, highlighting his vulnerability and the burgeoning trust he places in Juan. The natural light and the fluid

April 7, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Women Behind the Camera

We kicked off today’s class with a fantastic clip from the 1991 film, Point Break, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. This piece sums up some of the insights on the scene and the challenges Bigelow overcame to deliver a seminal foot chase scene. Kathryn Bigelow established herself as a prominent director known for her intense action-thrillers, a genre traditionally dominated by men. Beginning her artistic journey as a painter before studying film, Bigelow’s work consistently explores themes of violence and power. Notably, she was the first woman to have won an Academy Award for directing (of three total female winners as

March 21, 2025

Jeremy Towsey-French

Silent Terror in Performance

Today’s class kicked off by viewing the opening cabin scene of Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds –a masterclass in tension, largely due to Tarantino’s deliberate pacing and Christoph Waltz’s mesmerizing performance as SS Colonel Hans Landa. Tarantino employs long takes and a slow, methodical approach, enabling the dialogue and the subtle shifts in power to take center stage. The camera focuses intently on the characters’ faces, capturing every flicker of emotion and creating a palpable sense of unease. This cinematic control, combined with the confined setting of the cabin, amplifies the claustrophobia and the feeling that any moment could erupt