WCC Film 100 the graduate screening notes powerpoint LUTHER

1. What is the setting (time & place) of THE
GRADUATE?
PLACE: Affluent Southern California – close
enough to BerkeleySanta Barbara to drive
TIME: The 1960’s – clothes, dress, cars,
attitudes
Mr. McCleery is concerned Ben is one of
those “outside agitators”
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

2. Based on your textbook reading give me one
example of a difference between the PLOT
of The Graduate and the STORY of The
Graduate.
In other words, what happens in the story
that we don’t see on the screen?
Elaine’s first proposal
Mrs. Robinson explaining everything to
her daughter and husband
Benjamin at school (as a student)
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

3. What is the plot of THE GRADUATE?
Taking the basic story of THE GRADUATE, how does the
director, Mike Nichols, tell the story?
How do we know Ben is a track star? How does that
impact the story later?
How do we know his family is upper-middle class?
How do we know Mrs. Robinson is unhappy and
discontented?
How do we know Ben is falling in love with Elaine?
How do we know how Elaine’s boyfriend feels about
her?
How do we know that Ben and Elaine’s future is
uncertain?
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

4. STORY VS. PLOT
STORY = FACTS
What happens
PLOT = STORYTELLING
How and why it happens
(ON SCREEN)
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

5. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
Who are the CHARACTERS of The Graduate? Who is the
PROTAGONIST and who is the ANTAGONIST?
Benjamin
Mrs. Robinson
Elaine
Ben’s Parents
Mr. Robinson
Carl
Landlord
Hotel Clerk
Partygoers
Stripper
Any unseen characters like Joey in OTW?

6. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
EXPOSITION = the setup of the story; conveys the
circumstances of the situation and the backgrounds of
the relevant characters, and it establishes the conflict;
starts at the beginning but can run all throughout a
film
EXPOSITION:
Ben comes home and feels lost – was a success at
college but now what?
Mrs. Robinson has an unhappy marriage and resents her
daughter
Exposition for other characters? Ben’s parents? Carl?
Elaine?

7. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
RISING ACTION = usually occupies the bulk of the
film; consists of a pattern of increasingly intense
action in which the protagonist encounters
obstacles, attempts to overcome them, and suffers
setbacks
RISING ACTION:
Has an affair with Mrs. Robinson, continues to feel
lost and unfulfilled, starts to fall for Elaine
Ben’s obstacles are what?
What are the setbacks he experiences?
How does the intensity of the action grow?

8. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
CLIMAX = the moment of greatest intensity
or tension; the conflict between the
protagonist and the antagonist comes to a
head and an outcome is DETERMINED
(typically when a cycle is broken)
CLIMAX:
The affair is revealed to Elaine
The cycle of deceit is broken and an outcome
of some kind is now set in motion

9. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
FALLING ACTION = follows the climax, the action
diminishesfalls in intensityflows from climax
FALLING ACTION:
Elaine leaves
Ben decides they should/will marry
Ben goes to Elaine at Berkeley
Elaine plans to marry someone else
Mrs. Robinson gloats over Ben
Ben rushes to the church to stop the wedding

10. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
CLASSICAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
DÉNOUEMENT= loosely translated to “untying the
knot”; order is restored and complications
generated by the conflict are resolved
DÉNOUEMENT:
Ben and Elaine flee the wedding and board a
bus bound for the future
Unlike some films, there is no sense that everything is
resolved, only the current conflict is
The bus carrying Ben and Elaine continues on into the
future without us – as viewers, that was our stop…

11. THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES
Consider the Diagetic & Non-Diagetic Music of The
Graduate and list examples of each
Music at the Drive-In Restaurant
59:40 (DIAGETIC)
Montage Music
36:18 (NON-DIAGETIC)
Car Trouble
01:36:09 (NON-DIAGETIC)
Wedding Music/Church Organ, etc.
01:37:50 (DIAGETIC)

12. THEME = the film’s central topic or subject, a main
idea that runs like a thread through the story and
ties together its various elements
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

13. THEME = the film’s central topic or subject, a main
idea that runs like a thread through the story and
ties together its various elements
Often a THEME is signaled by means of a visual
motifs; for instance in THE GRADUATE
Water
Hallways
Looking into camera
Animal Print/Imagery
AUDIO MOTIF as THEME:
“Sounds of Silence”/“Scarborough Fair”
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

14. MESSAGE = an opinion or point of view put
forward by a film; while a film’s THEME is general
and value-neutral, a film’s MESSAGE is like a
thesis statement in an essay; it’s what the film is
“trying to say” and/or a lesson its trying to impart
upon the audience
What is the “MESSAGE” of THE GRADUATE?
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

15. Choose one shot from from the
opening credits sequence of
THE GRADUATE and complete
the following (PLEASE NOTE
THE TIME CODE OF THE
SHOT YOU REFERENCE)
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

16. Ask yourself “WHAT IS THE
CAMERA
LITERALLY/PHYSICALLY
DOING IN THIS SHOT? AT
WHAT DISTANCE IS IT
PLACED? HOW IS IT ANGLED?
HOW IS IT MOVING (if it’s
moving at all?”
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

17. I @ 01:07 CAMERA DISTANCE = MEDIUM SHOT
II @ 01:07 CAMERA ANGLE = EYE-LEVEL SHOT
III @ 01:07 CAMERA MOVEMENT =
DOLLY/TRACKING SHOT MOVEMENT
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

18. I. Based on your textbook
reading, identify the CAMERA
DISTANCE used for the shot
you’ve chosen:
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

19. II.Based on your textbook
reading, identify the CAMERA
ANGLE used for the shot you’ve
chosen:
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES

20. III.Based on your textbook
reading, identify the CAMERA
MOVEMENT used for the shot
you’ve chosen:
THE GRADUATE: SCREENING NOTES