The Shawshank Redemption - Essay Example

 Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a special guest on the show to commemorate the success of a world famous movie, Shawshank Redemption. Today the director Frank Darabont joins us. Welcome, Mr. Darabont. First of all, what motivated you to become a film producer? Weren’t there more than enough films that you wanted to see? Did you have a specific role model that inspired you? I was inspired to pursue my career in cinematography after accessing George Lucas’ film THX 1138 in my youth. My involvement in writing films was as a result of my interest in the film industry. I saw it well to do what I liked in my life and, as a result, spent much of my free time writing films. Many people associate some achievements in life with some role models. However, others wish to know how one becomes a writer, a director, or a producer. My answer to such questions is a little vague and a little frustrating because there is no one path to follow. Becoming a filmmaker is not like becoming a dentist that involves having a role model and going to dental school for some years and then going to that line of work. The movie business is based on a lot of intellectual things like instinct, talent, effort, persistence and believing in yourself. So the real answer for those who are listening to me is I was my own role model; I found my own path because I believed that what works for another person cannot work for me and vice versa. It is as a result of my ambition that I struggled for 9 years to become a writer before starting earning a living from it. The movie Shawshank Redemption is rated as an uplifting, profoundly satisfying drama with not only sensitive direction, but also fine performances. Can you please explain what might have led to your movie achieving such a profound rating? First, I will attribute the rating of Shawshank Redemption as one of the best movies to have been produced to the flow of the story. The story presented by this movie can be understood by almost every person who watches it. The choice of key characters is also another thing that enhanced the success of the movie. The main characters in the Shawshank Redemption were Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, who were among the renowned actors in that time. Incorporation of these two characters in a movie was by itself a success. Apart from storyline and choice of characters, cinematography also played a part in enhancing the success of the Shawshank Redemption in the movie industry. My working together with Roger Deakins, a renowned cinematographer, enhanced production of quality photographic images and effects. In relation to the cinematography that you have just touched on, throughout the movie you have used lighting. For example, the scenes throughout the beginning are set with dark lighting and low-key lighting which later changes gradually to high-key lighting. Please, can you explain your use of different lighting in this movie? The production of this movie was aimed at presenting diverse themes that take place in real life situation. Achievement of those themes required the incorporation of one thing in the movie that I thought “lighting” is the best. I believed through varying lighting in the movie I will manage to expound on some themes such as corruption, hope, and freedom. For instance, throughout the beginning of the scenes I used dark lighting to express how hopeless Andy was. In other words, the dark lighting in the prison cell signified a series of unfortunate happenings for Andy. Apart from hope, I used the dark lighting to show low mood. For instance, you can depict a low mood in the movie when Tommy was killed after being taken out by one of the wardens. In using the low-key lighting in some of the darker scenes in the movie, I also aimed at showing that the movie is all about a crime; a crime that was committed by Andy by killing his and her lover. The majority of the scenes in the movie are low-key to allow the theme, hopeless, of that gloomy prison, to remain steady throughout the film. In addition to this, I used the low-key lighting to emphasize the practice of corruption by the warden and prison guards. Creation of suspense in a movie is also one of the factors that determine its consumption. In tandem with this assertion, I believed the incorporation of low-key lighting in most parties of the movie will create suspense. Apart from low-key lighting, I also used high key-lighting in some of the scenes of the movie Shawshank Redemption to emphasize the themes “freedom” and “hope”. For instance, high-key lighting is used when Andy together with his friends are paving the roof of the prison to show how hopeful they were. The rewarding of beers to Handy and his friends is also done on a sunny day to emphasize on the essence of their freedom. Additionally, high-key lighting is used during the escape of Andy from the prison to portray his feelings. In watching the movie the Shawshank Redemption, I realized that you have used different types of shots such as wide shot, close up shot and extreme close up shot in the majority of the scenes. What was the main reason for varying your choice of shots in producing the Shawshank Redemption? My use of varying shots in producing this movie was in relation to what I wanted the viewer to see as much as Shawshank Prison was concerned. For instance, my choice of a wide shot, when Andy was entering to the Shawshank Prison for the first time, was aimed at capturing all the happenings within the courtyard. However, I mostly used two types of shots, close-up and extreme close-up, in order to emphasize the emotion aspect of the movie. It is only through catching the emotions in the characters’ faces that I could manage to meet the demands of the story in the movie. For instance, I used the close-up shot in the scene in which Andy was being threatened to be thrown off from the roof to show frustration as well as anger that was boiling on the faces of Andy and Hadley. I have watched the movie the Shawshank Redemption more than five times in order to determine the number of camera angles you used. However, I noticed that you have used only two camera angles; the eye level as well as the point of view angle. Why did you decide to use these two camera angles specifically in producing the movie? I used many different camera angles to portray what was happening in the prison as well as between the prisoners. For instance, I used an angle shot to catch the argument that was taking place between Andy and other prisoners. The tilting of the camera in this scene was aimed at showing that Andy was superior to others. In the court scene, I used the point of view angle to show how remorseful Andy was as the attorney was giving his closing statement. However, I used eye level angles in majority of the scenes in the movie to catch the emotion as well as give the feel of actual conversation between people in the court, because usually people communicate with the same eye level. Apart from the camera angles, I also used two camera movements, zoom, and dolly, in the majority of the scenes to expound on the thinking of the main characters. For instance, the deep focus on the scene in which the Pacific Ocean appeared was aimed at showing a dream aspect. The zooming of the image to a big picture on the other was aimed at showing how the dream came true. Mr. Darabont, first I would like to thank you for such a wonderful movie. Among all the movies I have watched I can confirm that the Shawshank Redemption is the best. However, there are some parts of the movie that I could like you to expound on what you meant in associating them in the production of this movie. For example, what was the main reason for you using voiceovers in the movie? First, thank you for your recommendation. The voiceovers are some of the paradoxical elements that I incorporated in the movie so that they can help in delivering the emotion of the narration to the audience. A good example of a voiceover is the one that occurs in a scene where Brooks’ letter is narrated to Andy. The background music consists of piano beat that adds not only sympathetic, but also a sorrowful tone to the narration. The same background music together with a thematic piano beat emphasizes the theme of hope. In relation to what you have just explained concerning the use of voiceovers, I will like to know why you decided to use a lot orchestrated pieces of music in the movie Shawshank Redemption. The use of orchestrated pieces of music throughout the film was aimed at enhancing the themes and moods of the movie. For “Stoic Theme” describes not only the entry of Andy into Shawshank, but also expounds on the prison itself. The rising and falling of the bass together with the cello strings of the string instrumentation establishes a sense of hope in addition to painting the real picture of the prison. In addition to this, the background music that plays when Andy escapes from prison emphasizes on themes of hope and freedom. Thus, the use of the orchestrated pieces of music was aimed at fueling the themes of the film. After viewing the movie Shawshank Redemption, I deduced that it is full of ironies. For instance, the involvement of many inmates in using the upgraded library, the breaking of Andy out of prison for 20 years instead of 600 years as it had been claimed by Red and many other ironies. What was your main reason for incorporating a lot of ironies in the movie? My extensive use of dramatic irony in the movie was to create a situation where a viewer knows much about the scenes and resolutions within the movie than the main characters. For example, when Andy takes his time digging on the wall the viewer learns of what a main character is entailed to do in order to gain redemption. Red, on the other hand, considers the act of digging not only useless, but also fruitless. Additionally, I used ironies in the movie to convey moods, as well as emotions more efficiently. Bibliography Darabont, F., et al. (2004). The Shawshank redemption. Burbank, CA, Warner Bros. Pictures. Read More