Holes Essay
English Essay on Holes
The film codes and conventions are greatly used in the movie Holes, directed by Andrew Davis, to construct characters and develop the atmosphere. The film is about a young boy, Stanley Yelnats, who is falsely accused of stealing a pair of shoes. As a punishment, he is sent to camp Greenlake, where he meats and discovers an ancient secret that leads him to great treasure. Throughout the movie technical, symbolic, audio and written codes are used to demonstrate the characters’ personalities as well as create a profound atmosphere in every scene. These filmic conventions help the audience to obtain a clearer understanding of the main characters and the movie itself.
The innocent and friendly nature of Stanley is effectively demonstrated through the film codes and conventions. He is a protagonist in the movie and undergoes the most change to his personality and behavior throughout the film. In the very first scene, Stanley’s voice over is used saying “All my life, I seem to appear at the wrong time in the wrong place”. This audio code has a great effect on the viewer’s opinion of Stanley, indicating that he is clumsy or unlucky. A little further into the movie, techniques such as costume and setting are well used. Stanley’s over-sized old clothes and the messy, un-tidy house of the Yelnats’ family gives an impression of a less fortunate family. These filmic codes are vital in the construction of Stanley’s personality.
The film codes and conventions successfully show Zero’s as a closed, shy and disrespected little boy. He too is one of the main characters in the movie and over time becomes great friends with Stanley. When Stanley is introduced to the other boys in camp, Mr. Fernandsci explains, “You know why everyone calls him Zero? Because he has nothing going on in his stupid, little head!”. The effect of this dialogue is immense. Zero is introduced as a dumb and helpless boy, yet we understand that he is plainly judged and bullied.
The film codes and conventions are greatly used in the movie Holes, directed by Andrew Davis, to construct characters and develop the atmosphere. The film is about a young boy, Stanley Yelnats, who is falsely accused of stealing a pair of shoes. As a punishment, he is sent to camp Greenlake, where he meats and discovers an ancient secret that leads him to great treasure. Throughout the movie technical, symbolic, audio and written codes are used to demonstrate the characters’ personalities as well as create a profound atmosphere in every scene. These filmic conventions help the audience to obtain a clearer understanding of the main characters and the movie itself.
The innocent and friendly nature of Stanley is effectively demonstrated through the film codes and conventions. He is a protagonist in the movie and undergoes the most change to his personality and behavior throughout the film. In the very first scene, Stanley’s voice over is used saying “All my life, I seem to appear at the wrong time in the wrong place”. This audio code has a great effect on the viewer’s opinion of Stanley, indicating that he is clumsy or unlucky. A little further into the movie, techniques such as costume and setting are well used. Stanley’s over-sized old clothes and the messy, un-tidy house of the Yelnats’ family gives an impression of a less fortunate family. These filmic codes are vital in the construction of Stanley’s personality.
The film codes and conventions successfully show Zero’s as a closed, shy and disrespected little boy. He too is one of the main characters in the movie and over time becomes great friends with Stanley. When Stanley is introduced to the other boys in camp, Mr. Fernandsci explains, “You know why everyone calls him Zero? Because he has nothing going on in his stupid, little head!”. The effect of this dialogue is immense. Zero is introduced as a dumb and helpless boy, yet we understand that he is plainly judged and bullied.