1.
What
film or TV show is this from? Fargo (1996 film)
a.
Have you
ever watched this film? No
b.
Do you
have the actual script of the film—not a transcript? Yes
2.
After reading the entire script, in 3 sentences, what is the story of the entire film?
A husband and father, Jerry,
hires two goons, Carl and Grimsrud, to kidnap his wife and demand a large
ransom from her rich father. The operation involves them killing three unexpected
witnesses, and Police Chief Marge Gunderson becomes involved in tracing the
killers. By the time she catches up to them, Jerry’s wife and father-in-law are
dead, and so is Carl, at the hand of Grimsrud; and he and Jerry (who attempted
to run away) are arrested.
3.
After reading the entire script, what is the theme or message of this film?
Greed is an ugly thing, as it inspires insecure
people to go to any length for their own desires.
4.
In 3-5
sentences, what happened in the story immediately before your selected scene?
Marge Gunderson is a seasoned police chief who is expecting a baby
with her husband, Norm; and has been investigating the murders of three people.
After the story made the news, Marge received a call at night from an old high
school friend named Glen, who saw Marge on TV and wanted to catch up with her.
Marge was close to catching the guys responsible for the crimes at the garage
they work at, but they pretended not to know anything and got away with it.
5.
In 3-4
sentences, what is the story—the beginning, middle, and end—of this scene? In
other words, what happens as the scene starts, as it progresses, and as it
ends?
Marge enters a hotel bar where she meets Glen, her old high school
friend. They are excited to see each other and see Marge pregnant, then Glen
talks about his old married life and how his wife passed away. They toast to better
times, but Glen weeps over his now-loneliness and the fact that he always really
liked Marge, to which Marge consoles him, saying that it’s okay.
6.
What,
specifically, must the audience understand narratively/plot-wise in order to
engage in this scene? How will you communicate each piece of information?
They must know, first of all,
that Marge is pregnant and married, to show her familial success in her adult
years since she and Glen last met. For the actress playing Marge, I’ll have her
wear a wedding ring, as well as place a small pillow or fake baby belly under
her shirt to show this plot point. They also need to know that Glen is drinking
alcohol to help explain why he gradually becomes more emotionally unstable. I’ll
provide a glass of apple juice for the Glen actor which he will be drinking from
throughout the scene. An emotional point that is essential is that Glen likes
Marge more than as a friend, and she is trying to steer it back to the friend
zone. I’ll direct the Marge actress to look uncomfortable as he lays it on her thick,
but I’ll also block the camera angles to push in closer to their faces as their
conversation progresses, illustrating how personal the subject matter is
getting.
7.
What is
the narrative and thematic purpose of this scene within the larger story?
This is hard to answer since Joel and Ethan Coen are known for
including random subplots in their films that really have nothing to do with
the main plot, but it does have Marge branching out to other things in her life
besides talking with her husband and investigating a homicide case. This visit
with Glen was intended to be a bit of escape from her frantic side of life and allow
her to reminisce to her younger days. Instead, it becomes an emotional blow to
her to see an old friend fall apart.
8.
What emotion
do you want the audience to experience while watching this scene? Why? How,
specifically, do you intend to do this?
I want the emotion to start out as warm, friendly, and relaxed,
because that is exactly as Marge, our main character, feels. I’ll look for an
indoor location that has warm colors, and hopefully bright, warm lights. The
camera shots in the first half will also be wide, giving us comfortable space
between us and the characters. As the scene progresses, I want the emotion to
become awkward, then heartbreaking, because Marge sees Glen gradually become
distracted in thought and cry over the “loss” of his wife; putting her in a
very awkward situation in which it’s hard to know how to react. This section
will be covered with tight medium close-ups and regular close-ups on the
characters’ faces.
9.
What is
the first image of the scene? What is the final image of the scene? Why do you
think the director chose these specific images?
The first image is a wide of
the hotel bar (or restaurant) interior, and Marge enters through a door in the
middle of the frame. She looks around the place for Glen. This is to give us
the space we need to establish this unique location, and that Marge is coming
here probably for the first time, looking for someone familiar. The final image
is Marge walking around the table and placing a hand on Glen’s hunched up
shoulders as he weeps, and she tells him “it’s okay, Glen.” This is shot as a
medium, facing Marge’s front. I choose this image to convey true friendly support
when it’s needed, and a significant step to combating the awkwardness of the
conversation.
10.
Why is
this scene personal to you? What specific
personal experience(s) does it remind you of?
I feel connected with Glen. Ironically, I very recently went
through a loss of a young woman I liked as well. She didn’t die; it was a
break-up, but the result still left me with an empty feeling, like I was as
lonely as Glen. Carrying that forward to when Glen is talking to Marge about
his loss, and revealing that he really liked her a lot even after all this time
they’ve been separate, that makes me think of how much I would like to be with
the woman I know again, despite the fact that she (and Marge) have chosen someone
else.
11.
How
should the lighting feel in this scene? Why? You may include sample image(s). (Not from the actual film!)
The script describes the hotel bar as being low-lit, but I also
want it to be clearly warm, because compared to the horrific nature of the rest
of the film, this is meant to be a modest respite among friends. As Marge and
Glen sit down together, I want Marge’s face to be cleanly lit with white light
to show that she’s grounded and happy where her life is, but Glen’s face to be
more yellowish, to convey a sickly, slightly drunken aura about him.
12.
Which
two specific visual elements—line,
shape, space, tone, color, rhythm, movement—do you intend to use to
purposefully communicate the emotion of the scene? (You will be graded on your
execution of this plan)
·
Color:
I want Marge’s appearance to be cool, relaxed, optimistic, so her lighting and outfit
(blue police uniform, even though the script says it’s beige) will appear on
the cool side of the color spectrum. Glen, on the other hand, will appear as a
generally yellow color, to show uneasiness and need for attention.
·
Movement:
Marge will remain still and properly postured on account of both her pregnancy
and her usual straight-faced requirement as an officer. Glen will start slowly
swaying left, right, backwards and forwards partway through the scene to show
how tipsy, and unsettled, he’s getting. As their movements grow more different,
the emotion becomes more intentionally awkward.
13.
In a
bulleted list, describe three
potential obstacles you may face in creating a successful scene. Describe how can
you be prepared to overcome these? Be specific!
·
Finding
a location that matches this scenario may be difficult, as well as getting permission
to shoot at a time for it when there’s not a lot of people. It doesn’t need to specifically
be a bar, though, it can be a restaurant with circular booths.
·
Blocking
the characters’ actions during their long conversation may be challenging,
since no one wants to see people just sit and talks for three minutes. I’ll
have to figure out different mannerisms and activities that they can fill their
time with, such as slightly tipping their glasses, staring off at certain
objects, or pumping their hands in certain rhythms to accentuate their topics.
·
As
the emotion dives into tragic as Glen starts weeping, getting this emotion
right for the actor will require giving him some personal space, and keeping
the atmosphere of the set quiet for him. As is always important for actors in
emotional scenes, it’s best to leave them alone to prepare for it until they’re
ready.
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