The Parrish Academic Program
Note: I have named the JRFF academic program after Ms. Leila Parrish, my high school English teacher, who passed away just before JRFF III in 2003. Ms. Parrish had a tremendous impact on me, encouraging me to write better and more often. She helped all her students to think carefully and critically about the messages they receive from popular culture, including film. Since thinking critically about film is a major purpose of the Academic Program, I thought it was appoprriate to name the program after Ms. Parrish.
Here's how the process will work:
First, watch any of the movies at JRFF IV. Then answer one or more of the questions below. "Film 101" asks you to evaluate any film you see, and the ten "Challenge" questions ask you to think about one or more movies in detail. By answering either type of question, you earn credits toward a degree in film festivology from the Jordan Raddick Fictitious University.
By "answering" a question, I mean discussing the question with me or one of my festival co-hosts. Just give a quick verbal response. There are no right or wrong answers - as long as you put some thought into your responses, we'll give you the academic credit. Seriously - these questions are supposed to be fun, not work. I'll keep track of which questions you've answered, and will hand out official, suitable-for-framing JRFF Academic Degrees after the Festival.
On to the questions!
Film 101:
101) After watching any film at JRFF IV, evaluate it. What were its strengths and weaknesses? Be sure to discuss both narrative elements (plot, character, setting, etc.) and filmic elements (camera, lighting, editing, etc.).
Orlando Challenge Questions:
1) Sean Penn and Tim Robbins both won acting Oscars for Mystic River. Watch their performances carefully. Do you agree that they deserved to win awards? What can you learn about the craft of acting from their performance? If you were cast in their roles, how would you portray the characters? For extra credit, write out the dialogue from a short scene from the movie, then act the scene out (by yourself or with a partner) during the next Intermission.
2) Compare the festival's black-and-white movies (Gojira [Godzilla], Citizen Kane, Paths of Glory, Plan 9 from Outer Space) to the color movies. What features show up better in black and white? What features show up better in color? What factors should a director consider before deciding whether to film in black-and-white or color?
3) Why has Godzilla become such a popular movie monster?
4) Science question: Consider the light/dark world portrayed in White Dwarf. Do you think the creatures you see in the movie could really evolve on such a world, and do you think the technology you see could really work there? Why or why not?
5) Many film critics consider Citizen Kane to be one of the greatest movies of all time. Why do you think they think this? What do you think?
6) Susan Gray requested more "chick flicks" at the JRFF, so I am showing Sleepless in Seattle. But what exactly is a "chick flick"? What plot elements and camera/editing strategies are used frequently (some would say excessively) in "chick flicks"? Why do many women love these movies, and why do many men love to hate them? What does the disagreement over "chick flicks" say about the relationships between women and men?
7) Compare and contrast the style of animation in Shrek and Brother Bear to the style of animation seen in Spirited Away. Spirited Away is an example of Japanese animation (often called "anime"); the others are mainstream American animations. How do the two styles differ in both form and content? How are the styles influenced by the cultures that created them?
8) What is the
purpose of the comic relief moose in Brother Bear? How do they advance
the plot (or do they at all)? How do they affect the tone of the movie when
they're onscreen, and how does knowledge of their presence affect the tone when
they're offscreen? Can you think of other "comic relief" characters in
other movies (not just in animation)?
9) In honor of Michael Moore's Oscar speech: What
is the difference between fiction and nonfiction? How do you know when you are
watching one category or the other? How do you feel when watching one category
or the other? And where do fictionalized versions of real events (such as Citizen
Kane) fall in this continuum? Make specific comparisons between The Fog
of War and at least one fiction film shown at JRFF IV: Orlando.
10) Unbreakable was designed as a tribute to
comic books, a standard source for hugely financially successful movies (witness
the Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and X-Men series). But Unbreakable
was considered a box office failure, bringing in only $95 million in U.S.
revenue. Why did Unbreakable fail where so many existing comic book
movies had succeeded? Would Unbreakable have worked as a comic book rather than
a movie?
You can earn one of seven degrees for answering the Film 101 and Challenge
Questions. (You can substitute earned extra credit from Question 1 for any other
Question.) Here are the degrees:
Certificate: Film 101
Degree: Film 101 + Any Challenge question
Degree with Honors: Film 101 + Any 2 Challenge questions
Degree, Magna Cum Laude: Any 4 questions, including Film 101 and
Challenge
Masters' Degree: Any 6 questions, including Film 101 and Challenge
PhD: Any 8 questions, including Film 101 and Challenge
PhD, Summa Cum Laude with High Honors and Mad Props: Film 101 + All 10
Challenge questions
I'll track which degree you earn, and I'll send you your degree after the festival. Have fun!
Baltimore challenge questions coming soon!