Movies relating to our planning stage: The New World

Summary: The New World (2005) is a historical period drama and was directed by Terrace Malick. Arriving with a British expedition in Virginia in 1607, Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell) is captured by Native Americans. His life is spared thanks to Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher), daughter of the tribe's chief. Smith and Pocahontas fall in love, to the mutual dismay of the Native Americans and the British. Smith is sent away, and his death is reported. An unhappy Pocahontas marries settler John Rolfe (Christian Bale). When Smith turns up alive, Pocahontas is torn between the two men.


1) Main movie titles:

The movie opens with a short introduction speech and a shot of the sea, followed by a snippet of a girl spinning with her arms in the air, seemingly part of the uncolonised nation. This is followed shortly after by a constantly panning animated image of an old map. The map begins it's sequence with colour, accompanied by an orchestral instrumental soundtrack. Everything has a seemingly happy tone until there is a shift to a more sinister tone, whereby the music turns to the minor and black and white images are shown to symbolise the devastation of the colonisers to the audience. The background fades to black then there's the title 'The New World' in white font, centred in the middle. This stands out to the audience and is stylistically, very clear cut and concise. As the black fill backing begins to fade out,  the map shot comes back again with music in the major, showing the audience what the movie is to be about. i.e. colonisers. Already, an enigma has been set up and the movie begins.

2) Shot types:
The very opening shot for this movie is a medium shot of riveting water, symbolising freedom and nature to the audience. After some time, pollution comes through, setting a slightly more ominous tone with the audience. A low angle medium shot of a little girl with her arms up to the sky, twirling, follows this, once again showing freedom. After a long panning shot of an animated map, there is a panning shot that is underwater. We can see an exotic fish swim by, which shows the audience the location as well, as once again symbolising nature. After this, there is a medium shot of someone swimming past the camera, then a low angle shot of people looking into the water. The final shot for the opening sequence is three ships, the colonisers coming to Virginia.

3) Music/sound:
Music and sound plays the biggest part in the opening scene of this movie. Before we even see anything on screen there are asynchronous ambient nature sounds, setting an 'earthy' tone for the audience. Followed by this is a short, yet powerful quote read in a child's voice. Orchestral soundtrack (Richard wagner's vorspiel) in the major key comes in and the title sequence starts, the music is very grandiose, showing the better side of the expedition made by the colonisers. However, this music soon shifts to the minor, foreshadowing tragic events to come. The minor modulation is accompanied by the sudden sound of crows which generally symbolise 'evil' and 'death'. As the main title sequence comes in, the music is in the major again, possibly mirroring the structure that the movie will take.

4) Codes and conventions:
Generally, this film follows the codes and conventions of a period drama. The setting is authentic and truthful, giving the audience a better sense of what the 1600's were like. As well as this, the free nature of the indigenous peoples has been captured very well, which also gives the audience some insight into their culture. However, because this film was made in 2005, using modern technology, it challenges the original take on a period genre, by using quirky camera shots and SFX effects. The director is clearly thinking outside the box. The overall theme of the film is forbidden love and such a complex plot line is a typical convention of a period drama.

5) Mise en scene:
The location for this movie is important, as it shows the two very different worlds of the uncolonised and the colonisers. Here, the 'earthy' uncolonised land has been presented. The set location was by the chikamohiny river, which gives the audience a feel for authenticity. The two very contrasting worlds including, grandiose costume and props of the colonisers in juxtaposition with the basic and simplistic lifestyle of the indigenous peoples work in conjunction to create a feel for the historical truth. Different lighting methods were used in the film. Mostly natural, but on one occasion, the set producers had to use four wicks per candle to brighten the interior shots.

6) Target audience and social groups:
This move was released by newline and doesn't contain any specifically strong or explicit themes, leaving it open for most audiences. However, the story is a history piece and so, generally older people will prefer this as a means of gaining knowledge, as younger people might find it quite boring. The movie might be aimed at the native Americans who want to know a little more about their history as well. Mainly, I believe the film was targeted at the 'historians' and the 'intellects' as they can derive knowledge from it.