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Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin in the Sun

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Translating Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin in the Sun

Filmmaking and cinematography are art forms completely open to interpretation in a myriad ways: frame composition, lighting, casting, camera angles, shot length, etc. The truly talented filmmaker employs every tool available to make a film communicate to the viewer on different levels, including social and emotional. When a filmmaker chooses to undertake an adaptation of a literary classic, the choices become somewhat more limited. In order to be true to the integrity of the piece of literature, the artistic team making the adaptation must be careful to communicate what is believed was intended by the writer. When the literature being adapted is …show more content…

Obvious even to the first-time and recreational reader or audience member, A Raisin in the Sun's familial relationships play an integral role to the plot and overall tone of the play. In order to translate to the screen the importance of the emotions shared in the family, the filmmaking team working on the movie had to develop a system of shots and compositions that would imply the relationships visually in order to support the already emotional dialogue of the play. A number of very important scenes occur in the play, which are emphasized in the film by using these technical cinematic methods.

The first good example of emotion translated through frame composition is that in which Mama reveals the purchase of the house in Clybourne Park, occurring in Act Two, Scene One of the play. This scene is pivotal in the course of the narrative. Walter Lee's dream of opening his own liquor store seems truly killed during this scene, yet the dream so important to Mama and Ruth is simultaneously being fulfilled. The range of emotions present during the scene is wide. Walter feels anger, resentment, and hopelessness, while Mama and Ruth feel joy, relief, and satisfaction. Coupled with the women's joy, however, is the fear of what Walter may say or do in his disappointment. Present also is the nervousness Mama experiences when revealing that their new home is located in a white

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