Preview

Character Study: Scott Hastings - Film - Strictly Ballroom Written By Neleema Craig

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
709 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Character Study: Scott Hastings - Film - Strictly Ballroom Written By Neleema Craig
Title: Strictly Ballroom

Character: Scott Hastings

Director: Baz Lurhmann

The film strictly ballroom directed by Baz Lurmann is a drama/comedy about peoples attitudes towards dance and other cultures. A character that makes a dramatic change is Scott Hastings. He changes from being smug and self centred to being accepting of other cultures and that other people can be successful with the help of family and friends.

Scott is a very arrogant, self centred person before he properly meets Fran. His mother Shirley has a great influence on his behaviour. "Half of the trophies in this room were won by Scott." Shirley shows Scott that is alright to be rude to people and that the world only revolves around him. In Les Kendall 's dance studio, Scott is irritated by les and Shirley because they showed their disgust about Scott dancing his own steps and rebelling against Les and Shirley. This causes Scott 's partner Liz start dancing with the dancing champion Ken Railings, also Scott 's arch enemy. "I don 't want us to end up like that drunk Ken Railings. The director shows Scott 's reaction to this by using extreme close ups to show his facial expressions and mid shots to show his body language to the people around him. At the end of the scene Fran approaches Scott and asks to dance with him. This triggers the changes that Scott starts to make.

Scott changes due to Fran approaching him and asking o dance with him, "Look what you 're carrying on about? You 're going to wake up tomorrow and feel like a real idiot about it." Scott decides to give Fran a chance at dancing and realises that Fran can really dance. In the Fiesta scene Baz Lurmann uses the opportunity to reveal Scott. Rico confronts Scott about the kind of dancing Scott is doing with Fran and Scott lies to Rico and says that he has been practising the Pasa Doble, Scott then tries dancing the Pasa Doble, but soon learns that it is the wrong dance because the people at the Fiesta start to laugh at Scott for

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The movie opens with Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont arriving to the premiere of one of their many silent movies. In the movie, Don Lockwood is the most famous star in Hollywood, and Lina Lamont always convinces herself that they are real couple instead of just fake on-screen romantic pair. After the first talking film, the studio boss R.F. Simpson decides to convert the new Lockwood and Lamont movie into a talking movie called The Dancing Cavalier. However, the production is full of difficulties, such as Lina’s comically grating voice and the catastrophic test screening. In one scene that Don repeats “I love you” to Lina over and over again, which makes the audiences laugh. Cosmo Brown, who is Don’s best friend, has the idea to overdub Lina’s voice with Don’s girlfriend, Kathy’s. After Lina finds out she is furious and tries to destroy the romantic relationship between Don and Kathy. The new version of the movie receives a tremendous success. When the audience clamors Lina to sing live, Don, Cosmo and R.F improvise to get Lina to lip-synch while Kathy sings behind the curtain. However, when Lina starts to “sing”, they open the curtain. When Kathy tries to run away, Don stops her and introduces to the audiences that she is “the real star of the…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Barry Fife tells Scott that Doug ruined his own dancing career because of his crazy new steps. Scott believes Barry and agrees to dance with Liz at the Pan-Pacifics.…

    • 2423 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Certain texts raise certain perspectives about belonging, whether it be belonging to particular groups through conformity to rules, or belong to a place where you find inspiration to express your own sense of individuality. The film Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann portrays many different perspectives in regards to belonging. The opening scenes of Strictly Ballroom explore aspects of not belonging and non-acceptance. To belong to the world of ballroom dancing means sacrificing self-expression and individual identity. Scott Hastings represents the individual who repels against the group as it threatens to consume him. From this we understand that some people may have to sacrifice their own true identity to belong to a certain group. Although rebelling from that same group can lead to a heightened scene of true identity and result in belonging to your own group, in this case, individual dance steps.…

    • 1652 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Strictly Ballroom’ was filmed in Australia; “the film is felt by many critics to reflect on our identity as Australians and therefore our sense of belonging in this country”. The group of characters in this scene feel that they belong in a positive manner as they are in their own country and where they feel a sense of security.…

    • 1956 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lurhman does this by presenting a montage sequence of dancers. Dancing the same steps and wearing the same costumes. The film quickly takes a turn, and the audience is offered Scott Hastings, his character in a pivotal moment proves resistant to this form of belonging. Rather he results to his own flashy crowd pleasing steps, after being boxed-in. This scene acts as a metaphorical representation of Scott’s entrapment and confinement within The Dance Federation, and his willingness to break away from authority. However, embracing the challenge to belong to ones own individuality, acquires leveled criticism. In Scott’s case discouragement comes from the stylized and highly satirical values ruled by Barry Fife, the low-angled shot is coupled with smarmy expression which suggests he is an unlikeable character. The challenge continues when Barry Fife establishes through his unsympathetic dialogue “ you can dance any way you like, that doesn’t mean you will win” – On win the camera shot zoom into his mouth, illuminating with a red light suggesting his sinister sarcasms associating with the…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first reversal of this act would be when Fran confronts Scott in the studio and tells him she wants to dance his way and she will learn anyway possible. You would think that Scott would pick someone that is better at dancing and more beautiful. There are a lot more reversals in this act that would be worth noting. The first one would be when Scott goes and meets Frans family. It is here that he learns to dance to the beat from his heart and therefore find the dance that him and Fran will dance in the last act. Another reversal would be when Scott’s dad tells him about his past. It is here he learns that his mom replaced his dad with Les because she was scared of him doing his own moves, but they still lose even though Les was her partner. The end of Act II would be when you find out that Tina Sparkles partner is going to retire and she agrees to dance as Scott’s partner. He then runs after her making the transition to Act III.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His moves were seen as outrageous, “crowd pleasing” steps, of which the judges did not approve. Scott lost the competition, and at about 7 minutes into the film, Scott is seen locking eyes with Barry Fife. The camera zooms into his face, showing defiance and determination. Barry however, raises his chin, making it clear that he is in power, that he has the power to select the winner. When alone in Kendall’s dance studio, the Blue Danube Waltz, a traditional dance music, was played. This contrasts against Scott’s improvised steps and shows a barrier in which he is confined, to the traditional dance steps. When Scott stamps his foot, the music stops, suggesting that Scott has broken away from the barrier, a free man, in control of his own life and is able to dance as he…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    running naked as well as all the dancing, and he is afraid that this witchcraft furor is…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    <br><br>"Look, he's dancing," someone called.<br>"No, really?"<br>..." They really do have rhythm, don't they? Get hot, boy! Get hot!" it said with a laugh. (237)<br><br>This image is almost a perfect match with that of Clifton's dancing Sambo doll. The only thing missing is the huge grin and even that is taken care of with the line, "My teeth chattered" (237) giving us the picture of a grotesque and pained smile. He experiences a burst of anger which I can only assume means that he catches a glimpse of the strings that he is being pulled by and is helpless to do anything about it.<br><br>Our final encounter with a doll occurs again with Clifton's dancing Sambo. At the end of the narrative, while…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    CONC: In the texts, “Strictly Ballroom” and “Running Away,” (answer question) and can be verbal or non-verbal. “Strictly Ballroom” uses a variety of film and language…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Strictly Come Dancing is one of the main tetxs, which I have studied. This is a british television series, which is a flagship programme for the BBC and has used various techniques to capsulate the audiences.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He even exhibited his dance moves and synchronizes every step with his backup dancers against his competitor Anthony Mackie. His perfect rendition was just very timely for the one-hour holiday special.…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another example of a character dancing a rebellion is found in Charlene Thunder, one of the many women who have fallen in love with Harley, and the granddaughter of Mercury Thunder, a powerful and evil witch. Because she is so close to her grandmother many people see her as unapproachable and dangerous. Her position has led her to become a secluded and strange person in her community, the time that she should have been socializing, she was dancing. Charlene is so dedicated to…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Beat Street

    • 3944 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Kenny has dreams of performing in New York City's top nightclubs. No club is bigger than the Roxy, and on one visit he crosses paths with Tracy Carlson (Rae Dawn Chong), a collegiate music student and composer. A breakdance battle between the Breakers and Rock Steady ensues, and Tracy admires Lee's performance. She then invites him to audition for a television show focusing on dancing. Lee, Kenny, and their crew arrive during a dance rehearsal, and Lee gives his performance only to find out he won't be on television. Protecting his brother's interests, Kenny rips into Tracy for leading Lee on; Ramon steals a videotape of Lee's dance as the crew walk out.…

    • 3944 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Concept of Belonging

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In comparison to this Scott is already inside the ballroom dance world but desperately wants to get out of it.…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics