It is good to talk about the ending of the movie compared to the ending of the book because that is where most of the changes are. You seem to be doing a good job and are in the right direction. The music is a good approach to talk about and hopefully it is not so difficult for you. Donald Turner September 18, 2008, at 04:18 PM
I think your rough draft is already becoming developed. All of your ideas are very good and I think your paper will end up very detailed. I especially like how you want to focus mainly on the end of the trilogy. It is always a good idea to have more of a specific topic than general. It is so much easier to focus. Stick with the music idea!!! ;-) Keilah Bradley September 16, 2008, at 05:51 PM]]
Music is definitely a powerful tool that filmmakers employ to prey on an audience’s emotions. My favorite scene as far as music is concerned is atop Minas Tirith, right at the end; when Aragorn begins to sing in Elvish. The music (not even the words) is so pure, it helps to reinforce his words that “this is the beginning of a new age”. Another aspect of music you might want to go into detail about is the song “Into the West” sung by Annie Lennox. If you read the words, you’ll find that it is all about death — a theme that apparently Tolkien wanted to get across in Lord of the Rings. It’s very effective.Joseph Bella? September 14, 2008, at 04:43 PM
You definitely have a strong idea and start for the final paper. I am glad to see someone really trying to focus on the end as many, including myself have kind of skipped that part or are including it only briefly. Taking on the musical direction is bold and unique, as a certain level of direction is needed in creating a soundtrack that ties in Tolkien’s and Jackson’s interpretation of Middle Earth. Eligh Hanning?
I like your thoughts on the scouring of the shire and how the scene was shown briefly as a prediction instead of a reality. If you can expand on this idea, it would be great! Your ideas on the music of the movie are good, it would be great if you could touch on the songs that the characters sing as well and what these songs are saying relative to the places and situations people are in. To tie this in with the essay topic, you could talk about what challenges Jackson had in keeping true to Tolkien and his worldviews. Elizabeth Delano ? September 15, 2008, at 12:05 PM
Brittany, this is too short, even for a rough draft. Please develop your points a little more and be specific — you make a lot of rather vague statements. Please create a new link at the top of this page and post your revised rough draft there. Lydia Fish September 14, 2008, at 11:24 AM
I also love how you can tie the music into a specific challenge for the moviemakers. I agree that the ending is very important, but this isn’t necessarily limited to all the events after the destroying of the Ring. In the extras watched in class, we saw why that particular scene was challenging to write, along with the concept of Sauron.Emily Marvin? September 13, 2008, at 11:29 PM
As long as you don’t have the music and etc as the basis of your paper then all should be good. Don’t let the information you get about that outshine the rest of the more important factors. Good luck though. Jenelle Jones
I think that you should definitely research more on the music and costume aspects of the third film- I believe that this would be really interesting. I like how you note that Jackson needed a whole team of people to create this film- that each person mattered. I think that you should expand more on the Scouring of the Shire and some other points such as Arwen and Aragorn, or any other points that we discussed in class. Good job! Kelsey Till September 13, 2008, at 05:12 PM
I look forward to your final paper since this draft list the things that would be discussed in your paper but not the how it would be done. Musi approache is definitely worth investigating. Let us see what you do with that.Trudy Antwi September 16, 2008, at 11:13 PM
I plan mostly on focusing on the ending of the book and movie. I feel that the ending to any story is important, particularly for a trilogy of such awesome proportion. I will focus on what the two endings leave the viewer and reader feeling. There is a slight sadness invokes with the movies ending more so than the books. I also plan to include the infamous burning of the shire. This is one scene that many agree or disagree on. The brief hint at it in Lothlorian can easily be translated into a prediction of what WILL happen if the ring is not destroyed instead of what DID happen.
I will also focus on the challenges that Peter Jackson had trying to fit a 1000 page book into a movie viewers will be able and willy to watch. He had to be very selective with what scenes to include and what to leave out. There is also the challenge of formatting Tolkien’s writing style. In the book chapters constantly switch from one group of characters to another. This format is easier to follow in film form, however, the flow of the movie would be very rocky.
Still the complexity of the novel is challenging, not to mention the vivid detail provided by Tolkien. Jackson, being quite a fan, had the difficult task of creating these fantastical places that Tolkien dreamed up. He had to assemble a team who would be able to turn a precise detailed description into a plausible reality.
I would also like to include the challenge of the battle scenes. Tolkien describes thousands and thousands of orcs and men and various other beasts in such epic battle such at the one at Gondor. Many are essential to the story and the movie would not have been successful without them. Computer graphics and countless men, horses and costumes were needed and intensive planning a must. Also, size comparisons; man, orcs, trolls, hobbits, they are all different sizes and this was one of the difficult problems needing a solution.
Other points I would like to discuss is the music. The score is absolutely beautiful but challenging. It is amazing how is adds to the movie and how each place has its own distinct sound. I would like to discuss some of the main themes and explore how they music seems to reflect the place as described by Tolkien. I would also like to discuss the subject of costumes since it is a topic I have extreme interest and love for. The flowing clocks and the horribleness of the orcs was a huge challenge for costumers and concept artists. I would like to discuss the toughest challenges that they faced.
