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Rhetoric of Space (November 18th, 2018)

This week we will be analyzing specific places or spaces in a movie that may have a deeper meaning; such as making arguments on society, culture, time period, tone or mood of the film, and maybe about modern time. An example of this could be the Capital in the Hunger Games which represents dictatorship. There is political and economic commandment over Panem, and its rules are enforced by an army, capital punishment, propaganda, fear of nuclear destruction, and of course the Hunger Games. For this week though, we will be using the movie Divergent as an example. Divergent is the first film of a four part series, and came out in March of 2014. At first glance Divergent may come off as your average action packed sci-fi film, but in reality it may be a lot deeper than that. Divergent can be related to the ideas of communism and capitalism. Five different factions known as Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent), Candor (the honest), and Dauntless (the brave) were created to prevent war and violence within the community. People are separated into these five divisions based on their aptitudes and values. If each individual person chooses their own faction and focuses on that faction only then everyone would be equal, thus no conflict will arise. This idea can be related to communism which states that resources are distributed equally among everyone; everyone is equal. Capitalism however promotes free enterprise, which states that individual people benefit based on their own action, and productivity. Abnegation (the selfless) is said to be the faction that is communist, and that is in charge of the community. Erudite (the intelligent) on the other hand is considered to be capitalist in the film. Erudite envies Abnegation and wishes that they were the factor who had the most control over the community. They wish to spread their influence and their inventions in order to eventually have more power. The idea of trying to create a perfect world is nothing new to history. It has been in the books for as long as everyone can remember. It has sparked many arguments and many wars and we have yet to come to a conclusion as to what could lead us there. The fact that communism and capitalism plays a major role in the film could be connected to logos and ethos. Each of which connect to society today. Ethos because the factor with the most trust or credibility is who’s in charge, which is Abnegation, but Erudite wishes it was them and soon tried to take over. Logos because capitalism and communism is nothing new in the world and it is logical, hence it being connected to the modern world today. Now, the factors can also be used to place people from our world into specific categories. For example, Abnegation (the selfless) as stated before run the government. Amity (the peaceful) are peacekeepers and diplomats. Dauntless (the brave) are the enforcers, such as soldier, police officers, firefighters and etc. Erudite (the intelligent) are surgeons, doctors, scientists, etc. Candor (the honest) could be judges, who rely solely on honesty for their job. Just like each faction has their own trait, they also have their own set of morals and values. One factor might think their morals are more important than another factions morals. Each faction may also dress/act a specific way and eat specific things. Each faction ultimately ends up turning against each other, this can be related to how in today's world people are divided due to their race, sex, religion, ethnicity and etc. This can connect with ethos because people being divided or judged based on their appearances and beliefs is nothing new in our world, it occurs on a daily basis and may be something that almost everyone has faced or has heard of in their life. It is a huge problem we face in our world, and it has yet to be fixed. Being put into a specific factor can also be a problem we face, for example not fitting into one category. In the film they are known as divergents and are seen as a threat, but in our world they’re not; they’re just people who are lost and confused on what they want to do. This we can also call teenagers who are soon to be college students. Many high schoolers have a hard time figuring out what they want to do with their lives, such as what college to attend or what major to pursue. This can cause many problems for them, maybe like how it caused problems for Tris and Four in the film.The mood of the film based on what we’ve discussed thus far is somewhat overpowering. It seems as though Erudite wants to dictate the community, which may be something we’ve seen before throughout history, but may ultimately fail because they’re not equipped enough to do so. Even if they think that they’re the superior factor because of their technologies or intelligence. There are many hints in the divergent series that can be connected or related to our modern world. Either it being socially or government wise. At first glance it may not seem as clear or as deep, but within further investigation one can find various hints to our history and problems that we might actually still face to this day. The same exact thing could actually go for other films as well.

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Hidden Messages (November 4th, 2018)

This week we will be analyzing and looking for hidden messages in children's films. Most children might not notice these messages or life lessons straight away as they are usually quite subtle, but most adults or teenagers do notice them eventually. One of the movies we will be looking at is Disney's hit movie Inside Out, which came out in June of 2015. The film has won various awards such as Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and many more. The movie is about an 11 year old girl named Riley who moves from the Midwest to San Francisco. The film basically takes place within her brain, portraying how a young girl or how most people feel. Her five emotions try to guide her through a difficult transition. Her five emotions consist if sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and joy. They are each even given personified personalities. The main theme of the film is supposed to be that it's important to access one's emotions and how sometimes, they can be pretty confusing. Riley has a set of “core memories” that depict how her personality will be. Her core memories ultimately make her who she is, which could be the same for us as well. Since most of these said memories are from joy, that makes her personality quirky, energetic, and positive. During one scene, Riley, her mom, and her dad are all sitting at the kitchen eating take out Chinese food. Her mother asks her how school was, but Riley seems to be acting a bit off. We can then hear the dialogue “do you ever look at someone and wonder, what is going on in their head?” as it zooms into the mother's head, revealing her own set of five emotions. Her five emotions discuss with one another about needing to figure out what is wrong with Riley, and decide to signal her husband for help. We then also get shown the dads very own set of five emotions, who aren’t quite aware of the situation. His five emotions are confused and are trying to figure out what is going on. Riley and her father proceed to have an argument, while we also get shown what is going on within their heads and how they feel as the whole situation is occurring. This could give kids and adults a look into how people's emotions work and how they affect the things that they might do. The intended audience is clearly for children, hence the fact that it is labeled as a kids film, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t also be directed towards teens or even adults. The argument was pretty effective because a clear description/ visual representation on an individual's emotions, and how these said emotions make them who they are and depict what they do in certain situations is shown. Another movie we will be looking at this week is Big Hero 6, which came out in November of 2014. The movie is about a robotics prodigy named Hiro who lives in the city of San Fransokyo. After his parents death, and the death of his older brother Tadashi in a fire, he is left alone and grieving. Before his death, his older brother Tadashi built a robot whose sole purpose is to take care of people, and his name was Baymax. After Tadashi's death, Baymax asks Hiro where he is, and when he will return. Hiro tells him that he’s dead, but Maymax tells him that he is still here with them. Hiro is clearly very hurt by what occured. Baymax tries to comfort and tries to take care of Hido. He recommends that Hiro spends time with loved ones and friends to feel better, so that he won’t be alone. In a later scene, we can see Hiro is distressed and helpless. He is trying to take out Baymaxs healthcare chip, but Baymax won’t let him. You can see his fingers are slipping and aggressively grabbing onto the access port. Baymax asks him if terminating Professor Callaghan would better Hiros emotional state. Hiro seems hesitant and frustrated. He then proceeds to ask if that is what Tadashi would want. Hiro yells out that Tadashi is gone, and seems utterly broken. Baymax reassures him again that Tadashi is here, and proceeds to show a video of him building Baymax. The targeted audience is supposed to be children, but ultimately gravitate more towards those who have lost someone they loved or knew, and who are struggling with their passing away. Big Hero 6 is a film full of grief, bereavement, and acceptance. The acceptance that they are physically gone, and that you miss them but that they are still here with you. Bereavement is an intense period of mourning and grief after a loss of a loved one or anyone close to you. Big Hero 6 portrays the feeling of grief that some people have felt at some point on their lives. The argument was effective for this film as well, because it shows Hiro in his state of denial, mourning, and acceptance. It shows how Hiro is broken and hurt after his parents and Tadashi's passing away. It basically tells viewers that it is best to surround yourself with people who love you and care for you during a time like this, instead of isolating yourself from the outside world completely or trying to gain “revenge” on what might have taken what you love away from you, and that being isolated won’t make it any better. Messages or hidden themes within children's movies may not seem as obvious for them as it might be for us to spot. A lot of children's movies contain important messages within them, they may either be good or bad, but they ultimately mean something. We mostly see Disney and Pixar films include specific themes throughout various of their films, such as Toy Story 3 and growing up, to Up and following your dreams no matter how old you might be.

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Product Placements (October 21st, 2018)

This weeks theme is advertising/product placements in tv shows or movies. For many movies or shows that usually contain a product placement, it may not be as obvious for viewers. Some try to do it in a way where it’s not obvious that they are trying to sell you something, but also try to convince you into liking the item. Others basically show the item in your face. It is said that many viewers get annoyed by this, but that it can also be effective at times. The main goal for these product placements are to make the item seem so great that the viewer can’t stop thinking about it even after the film or tv show is over. One of the movies that we will be looking at this week is the emoji movie. The emoji movie came out July 28th of last year. Since it’s releasing there has been a lot of controversy on the fact that it is a giant film full of advertising. For one scene, Gene, Jailbreak, and high-5 are on their way to the dropbox which is supposed to be a nice place for all emojis (also a product placement). To get there they have to play a game of just dance, which is obviously a product placement due to how much emphasis is put on it. They have to win the game without getting too many strikes in order to pass, and if they get 3 strikes they “die.” The creators of the movie basically shape the ending of the entire film around this particular game. Jailbreak goes on to state that she can’t dance and that she’s very stiff, but Gene reassures her that everyone can dance, and to just follow the moves of the dancer on screen. After jailbreak gets the hang of the game, the way the movie portrays Just Dance is by basically insinuating that it’s easy and fun to play. Since most of the audience watching the film may be small children, if they see that the game is supposed to be fun and exciting then they too are going to want to play it; thus just dance gaining many sells from the movie alone. Another scene shows Gene getting stuck into what seems to be a simulation of the Candy Crush game. Jailbreak goes on to say that maybe the game thinks he’s some “wacky shaped candy” and then proceeds to explain how the game works and that they have to try and play the the game to get Gene out without “blowing him up.” They continue to play the game, and realize they need to match Gene up with a special candy in order for him to get out. This whole scene is most definitely a product placement for the game. It not only describes and goes into detail on how the game is suppose to be played and all of its features, but it also goes out of its way to show that it is easy and fun. Some other apps shown throughout the film are WeChat which is said to be hugely known in China, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. In the show 90210, there is one scene in which Annie, a character in the show, reaches towards the back of the car and opens a small cooler clearly filled with a bunch of Dr.Pepper cans; she then proceeds to taunt the person next to her with it and takes a sip. The way they are placed shows the label clearly, and makes it obvious that it is a product placement. One of the earliest known product placements on the big screen is with E.T the movie. It’s said that the films producers reached out to M&M’s, but that they declined, hence Reese's Pieces getting featured in the film instead. Reese’s Pieces gained a lot of publicity after the release of the film. In the show “Rebels without a cause” James Dean uses what seems to be an Ace Comb, short after the sales for the Ace Comb company skyrocketed. Simply due to the fact that the comb was a part of the shows storyline. One example of product placement that is also quite hilarious is in Wayne's World. Wayne's World came out in 1992, and goes on to make fun of product placements in one scene while also simultaneously promoting a handful of brands. These brands consist of Reebok, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Doritos, and Nuprin. Gart is dressed completely in reebok while quoting "It's like, people only do things because they get paid, and that's just really sad" while also holding a can of Pepsi. Product placements aren’t just on television or in films, they can also be placed throughout a music video. One well know music video in which advertisement takes place is Lady Gaga's “Telephone.” Some of the products scattered throughout the 9 minute long video consists of Coca Cola, Miracle Whip, Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Hewlett Packard, and Plenty of Fish. Oreos have been feature various time throughout the hit tv show “Friends.” Another widely known tv show such as The Office has feature the company Staples throughout various episodes of their first few seasons. Besides being part of the shows story plot, they also use items from the store as props. From a stapler to a shredder machine, product placement for the company are scattered everywhere. Staples is said to be one of the biggest product placement deals to this day for The Office. There can be many reason on why movies and shows do product placements, or how these product placements can actually affect a brand. Lesser known brands who are in a movie such as the Marvel movies, can create business for them and get their name out there. By combining a huge production company with a small brand can have great benefits for the small brand. Some production companies can also make money off of brands by allowing them to feature in one of their films.

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A Technical Look At Movies (October 6th, 2018)

This week's theme is technical looks of a movie; with aspects such as the special effects, the camera angles, and etc. For this I decided to analyze a horror film, specifically the Unfriended movie that came out in April of 2015, and is also said to come out with a sequel later this year. The movie Unfriended is essentially about a group of teenagers who are on an online group chat together, when a sudden stranger joins the chat. They all try to debunk who this stranger may be until they realize it could be Laura Barns, a classmate of theirs who killed herself exactly a year before. They are told not to leave or call the police, or else they will all die. They are forced to reveal their darkest secrets and are told to accomplish different tasks. The film has a very unique look that hasn’t been seen in the movie community before. The entire movie takes place within a computer screen. It is said that the film has actually shot in one long take, and the actors were all placed in separate rooms in one house, speaking to each other through the screens. During the WonderCon panel, the writer of the movie, Nelson Greaves, told the public that the movie was already being shot in long takes, each one being around ten minutes long, but that one of the actresses, Shelley Hennig, found it difficult to keep her energy up after breaks. It’s said that she recommended if they could shoot the whole movie in a single take, thus it being all shot in a single 80 minute long take. The whole film itself is said to have been shot in total of 16 days. In the beginning of the film we can see a group of teenage students talking to each other through video chat. The main protagonist is Blaire, and we can see what is occurring within her screens point of view. The film is told within her computer screen. The interesting and most captivating part is how authentic it looks to someone's actual computer screen. We can see a variety of tabs and programs open such as her search engine, spotify, her imessages, facebook, and what seems to be skype. We can see Blaire switch between these tabs and can also get a glimpse into what she is thinking while she messages other individuals. We can see as she types something, second guesses herself, and then goes on to delete it. This can relate to some viewers who are watching the film. The way the film  is shot overall is quite fascinating. A film in which it is being told from the perspective of a computer screen hasn’t been done before. The clips shown in the movie, such as the suicide of Laura Barns, are filmed in a way that it looks as if it were taken on a cellphone. This gives the movie a greater feel that it’s “not actually a film” and a greater sense of reality. As the movie goes on, Blaire clicks links and the web pages seem authentic. The way they are all together on a skype call also feels authentic, it gives it a sense where it feels as though we are in the call with them. The fact that Blaire is alternating between programs, and maneuvering through them gives it a genuine feeling. For the “death scenes”, the way the video gets staticky and starts to lag, portrays that their wifi may be cutting it out. Throughout the movie we can also  see the group of teens assume the killer may just be a hacker or a plain virus; thus downloading an antivirus software, hoping it’ll fix the problem, but ultimately doing nothing. The special effects throughout the death scenes are made quite realistic, the fact that the video cuts off and starts over in some parts of the scene make it more intense and interesting to watch. It being filmed within a screen makes a lot of sense, simply due to the fact that it is basically about an online spirit coming back for revenge. If the film were to be taken in a real life scenario, where there are different scenes in different location, the feeling one would get would not be the same. Near the end of the movie, everyone has already been a victim and died, and Blaire is the only one left. It is revealed that she is the main cause of Lauren's death, hence her being the one who recorded the video that caused her to kill herself in the first place. We can then see her laptop being closed by an unknown entity and being jump-scared. It seems that we have been “playing” or watching everything as Blaire. This gives it a greater sense that it being filmed within the point of view of a computer screen was a great move. He way a movie is filmed and portrayed can either make or break it. For most horror films, having it look as if it were recorded with a low quality device makes it seem scarier to the audience, and also makes it seem realistic. By also having jump-scares throughout the film it can create intensity. The way a scene can be angled may also give the viewer an idea on how the scene is supposed to make us feel or whether something could be of importance or not, for example by zooming in or placing emphasis on a specific thing. Such as zooming into a person face when what is being said or done is supposed to important. Some examples on how the way something is filmed can depict a scene are for example “long shots.” Long shots of scenery usually if not always tell us where the setting may take place. By filming a movie in a specific way, it can help the movie be even greater than it already is. Soundtracks may also go hand in hand with these aspects. Both can work together to make a film what it is.

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Movie Soundtrack #1 (Sep 23rd, 2018)

This week I will be analyzing the soundtrack for the action movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, that came out December of last year. In the opening scene we can see a little boy picking up something he found on the beach, and it says “Jumanji” on it. The music playing in the background is very whimsical and mysterious. It sets the mood and technically says that whatever is in the case the boy picked might be mischievous, and can possibly cause trouble at some point in the movie. The music intensifies as it zooms into the case with the board game in it implying that this may be of importance. As the scene goes on the music only grows louder and more extreme as the boy opens up the case and it shows the movies title screen. There’s no denying at this point of the movie that the viewer may be convinced that there’s something mysterious about the game board due to all of the emphasis put on it by the music. In a different scene, a middle aged man walks out of his house onto the street corner as dark and gloomy music starts to play. This is insinuating that he is a very creepy and frightening man, and setting the tone/mood as somewhat somber. The same music played in the beginning, starts again as a group of teenage students who are in detention find a game console and plug it into an old television. Very intense music starts to play as the game console breaks and malfunctions, and as they get sucked and placed into the game. This puts the viewers over the edge and may make them feel anxious due to the intensity of the music and how it grows louder as the scene goes on. The drums and the instrumental can make a scene a lot more entertaining to watch. Once they arrive into the game, the music chosen can let the viewers know that the characters are confused and worried about what is occurring. They get chased around by a giant angry hippo as the music is high-tempo and shows that they are scared and concerned for their life. As the back story is being told, the music that is being played in the background could be described as “ambitious” and creates a feeling of adventurousness. While Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) is saying that they need to beat the game in order to go home, the music creates a sense of determination and sets the tone for motivation. While they are looking at the map to figure out where to go, a group of people start to chase them down, in the background we can hear what seems to be some sort of fast string instrumentals. By playing these instrumentals with the scene, it shows how extreme the scene needs to be as they run around and get chased. During a later part, we get shown the “bad guys”, quiet yet somber music starts to play putting emphasis on the fact that they are bad people, and will most likely cause trouble throughout the movie. The same sound plays while the group of teenagers get shown by a little boy where the final piece of the map is. This could go to show that there is something bad inside of the basket. The same string instrumental that were played earlier play again as they get chased again by the bad guys. We can see a pattern now, for similar scenes, similar music will play each time. While they take off on the helicopter and are being chased, the music that plays throughout it is very high-tempo and seems to be a lot of wind instrumental. When a scene is supposed to be scary or somber, dark and slow music will play. Throughout the whole movie the whole soundtrack is mostly instrumentals, but where they are placed and when they are placed fits perfectly with what is happening during different scenes. If different music were to play for fight scenes it wouldn’t give it the effect that it needs, for example placing low-tempo music instead of high-tempo. Overall, the music/soundtrack chosen for each scene sets the tone as intense throughout the whole film. It emits a feeling of anxiousness and keeps you on the edge of your seat trying to see or figure out what will happen next in a scene. The argument they are trying to make is that this movie is an action movie, thus having extreme upbeat music during fight scenes and important scenes can make the movie itself a lot more enjoyable to watch. By also not placing any music during a fight scene can also create a sense of intensity. The music that is placed throughout a film can say more about a film than we think. The soundtrack lets viewers know what the producers or directors want the audience to feel while they are watching their movie. If they want the audience to feel sad or remorse during a specific scene, then they will play low tempo and dark music, they definitely wouldn’t play high tempo pop music. For a fight scene or a chase scene, they usually play fast string instrumentals for it; in order to give it the feeling of adventures and adrenaline that it needs.. Music plays a huge role when it comes to creating a film, with the proper music it adds more value to it. The music in a movie is supposed to do a variety of things for the film. It sets the tone, the setting, and the atmosphere of either scenes or the whole entire film itself. Music can also put emphasis on certain elements in the film. For example how the music grew louder when speaking about the board game. Music can also let the audience know what may happen next in a scene. Without the proper soundtrack the movie may not be as enjoyable to watch, or the scenes that need to emit a certain emotion might not do that for the audience.

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Movie Trailer #2 (Sep 15th, 2018)

For this week I have decided to examine and analyze the movie trailer for the movie “Her” which came out in December 2013. The film was written and directed by Spike Jonze (who is also known for his films like “Where the wild things are” and “Jackass”), and has also won various awards such as the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, and many others. As we can see, the movie was a hit. Now let’s analyze the movie trailer itself. The film takes place slightly in the future in Los Angeles California and contains for the most part pathos. In the opening scene of the 1st trailer, we can see Theodore Twombly, a very sensitive and soulful man who writes touching and personal letters for others as a living. He is played by Joaquin Phoenix who has also starred in said movies such as “Gladiator”, “You were never really here”, and “Walk the line”; he is also said to star in a new upcoming film about the Joker. Theodore is seen answering a few questions like “are you social or antisocial?”  and “how would you describe your relationship with your mother?” The computer asks him these questions as it tries to initiate its new “advanced operating system”, which is said to develop into an intuitive and unique entity, basically becoming its own digital person. This “operating systems” name is Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson.) Theodore seems a bit confused at the beginning, but we can see Samantha and him soon become good friends, as she wakes him up in the morning and tells him to get up, and he states that “she’s too funny.” Samantha goes on to say how she wants to know about everything, and Theodore says he “loves the way she looks at the world.” Samantha goes through his emails and sees that he has recently gone through a break-up, she asks him how long it’ll be until he starts dating again. She also asks him how it was like to be married and Theodore then proceeds to say that “there was something that felt so good about sharing your life with some else.” We can see what looks to be flashbacks of memories with him and his wife, and what seems to be their child together. They look peaceful, and content with each other, this can also bring joy to viewers because of how happy they seem to be or remorse even because they’re no longer together. As the trailer goes on we can see that Theodore is quite content with life, and it seems to be because of Samantha. Samantha is usually placed in the pocket of his shirt and is held up with a safety pin so that she can see what he sees, so she can see his world. We see them together at the carnival, Theodore picks her up and spins her around, while he laughs and chuckles. He then goes on to narrate about how “it’s been a long time since he’s been with someone that he felt totally at ease with.” He seems to have fallen in love with Samantha, his operating system. They joke around and genuinely seem to like the other person and their company. Although Samantha isn’t exactly human, and she’s an operating system, it doesn’t phase Theodore, and he goes on to state that he’s never loved anyone the way he loves her, and she says she hasn’t either, that she loves him as well. For many, this might seem quite odd, but it is truly a work of art and a very heartfelt film, hence all of its awards. The genre seems to be a mix if a drama and a rom-com flick. One of the production companies is Warner Bros. which is a very well known motion pictures company. They have created films such as Justice League, Rampage, and the Conjuring. The other production company is Annapurna Pictures Media Company. They have created films like Spring Breakers and American Hustle. There really aren’t many action scenes in the trailer nor is there much use of rhetorical devices besides pathos. The trailer is capable of convincing/persuading people into watching the film. In one scene we can see Samantha and Theodore become “intimate”, and many people would be confused or curious as to how this is happening or how this all makes sense; they could have a lot of questions. Even if one is just curious about the relationship between Theodore and Samantha, they would most likely watch the movie. The trailer pulls one in and creates curiosity within the viewer.

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Movie Trailer #1 (Sep 7th, 2018)

This week I decided to review and analyze the movie trailer for the new upcoming movie “The Hate U Give” that is based on the novel by Angie Thomas about about race, gun violence, and activism which is said to come out later this year. In the trailer we can see pathos being used a good amount of times to gravitate the viewers attention. In one of the opening scenes, Khalil (Star’s childhood best friend) and Starr Carter (an African American high schooler) are seen driving at night together; Khalil openly lets Starr know that even though she has a significant other, that they’ve been together their whole lives and “still have time.” This can be a very bittersweet and tenderous moment for viewers to see, but what occurs later in this trailer can completely overrule that feeling. In the next scene, we hear Starr narrating about how she lives in a “poor” predominantly black neighbourhood, but attends a “rich” predominantly white prep school, and how she feels somewhat “torn” between the two. These statements can relate with any viewers that may feel the same way she does, or who may also be in the same position. After this, it goes back to the scene of Khalil and Starr driving, when suddenly they’re stopped by a police car. Short after, Khalil is told to step out of the vehicle, and he proceeds to reach for a hair brush. Starr tells him to go back to where the officer told him to stand, but he doesn’t listen, when he suddenly gets shot and killed by a white police officer. Khalil was harmless, unarmed, and ultimately vulnerable at the hands of the officer. We can then see Starr crying on the floor yelling out “What did you do?” This can cause anger, frustration, or maybe even sadness within some viewers. Due to what occurs in our world on a daily basis between the racial discrimination of african americans, and many other races, this scene alone is a huge message, and can strike a nerve in some individuals. After this event, we can clearly see people are furious and grieving with what just happened. Starr’s father says “the world is a complicated place”, but Starr believes otherwise, she claims it doesn’t seem that complicated at all. The scenes chosen and the way police brutality against african americans is portrayed in said scenes such as shoving a helpless man into a shops window, or handcuffing another who is being forced onto the sidewalk, showcases the discrimination and hardship some individuals face in our society today. There are many action scenes in the trailer as well. Some of these action scenes consist of rioting and protests where people set stores and cars on fire, and walk around with signs. We can see Starr holding up a megaphone and raising her fist in the air, showcasing power. Other scenes can consist of police officers sending out what looks to be “missiles” into the crowd of protesters and standing all together in a line. Since Starr witnessed the shooting of her childhood best friend it causes some trauma; she decides she needs to speak up for him. Not only for Khalil, but “for black people, poor people, and everyone who is at the bottom.” She feels as though it’s her job to speak up for others and to make a change. Starr is told that when she is ready to talk to do so, and to never let anyone tell her to be quiet. These few words can say so much. It showcases how people need to stand up for what they believe in, what they want to change, and what they disagree with in order to have them be heard, and to not back down from it. Determination could also be an emotion felt from the trailer simply due to the fact that based on the event that occurred, the people in Starr’s neighbourhood are standing up for themselves, rioting and protesting for their rights because they’re hurt and they have had enough. Throughout the trailer we can see/hear messages such as “violence, brutality, it’s the same story just a different name”, “find your voice” and “change the world” show up on the screen. These messages can encourage viewers to stand up, to speak up, and to “change the world.” At the very end of the trailer, we can see the letters “t”, “h”, “u” and “g” being displayed first and then the rest of the movies title is filled in. By the letters spelling out “thug” it can represent how people in today's society assume that all african americans or all minorities are bad and “ruthless.” They assume they’re all either junkies, drug dealers, gang members, and e.t.c. when in reality that’s not the case. In today's world, discrimination is made without even knowing the individual or group on a personal level. Many don’t take the time or go out of their way to get to know them before they go out and speak badly upon another or to look down on them. One of the main themes or messages that this trailer is trying to portray is that we are all the same and color/ethnicity should not define who we are as individuals. This trailer on its own is capable of creating an immense amount of emotion within the viewer, it pulls them in and persuades them into wanting to know what happens, and how everything may end. It also makes those who have been through something similar or can relate in a way to what is being show in the trailer, want to support the film. Even just the curious or those who enjoy watching political movies, would likely watch this film. The movie itself is a part of the Young Adult Fiction category, but is also a drama/thriller film. The way everything is laid out makes way for a big starting point in discussions and arguments about discrimination in America, activism, and the “Black Lives Matter” movement.