What’s So Special About Practical Effects?

 

Whenever I come across special effects I’m not too enthralled by them because they’re not very special at all. I notice that they seem extremely fake, or so overdone that it just couldn’t even be perceived as real. I know that most special effects aren't to be taken literally, but I am the type of movie watcher that needs a sense of reality even in the most fiction based films. However, when I started to research the different types of “special effects” I found an interesting type of special effect call the practical effect. This scene below from the Matrix reloaded is a good example of this “special effect” all the things that occur here blend an aspect of reality with computer generation.
P.S - The cool guy surfing on cars was added into the clip after the action scene had already been filmed!

The Whale Rider & The Historical Framework

The controversial view of gender in The Whale Rider is an underlying theme throughout the film. In order to have a better understanding of this viewpoint, I want acknowledge one of the many key questions related to the historical framework described in the “Critical Theory as Critical Thinking: A Book of Classroom Practice in Literary Criticism” book. The question states, “How does the work relate to the social climate and worldview of its time (26)?” Or in this specific case, how might Niki Caro’s depiction of gender roles, relate to the characters beliefs regarding “a woman’s role” in Maori culture? The historical approach bases its analysis on the assumption that, “there is a relationship between a work of art and the time and place in which it was created (25).” So in this specific analysis is based upon the assumption that there is a relationship between Niki Caro’s depiction of gender roles, and the social norms of the Maori culture.

For example, in the beginning of the film Pai criticized the older women for smoking stating that they had to protect their childbearing abilities, apparently this thought alone supports the idea of gender roles within the Maori culture. According to Maori history “women could not fight in war, perform the war dance, or have full facial tattoos; they were, however, considered sacred because of their childbearing abilities and this assistance to the future tribe.” (https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu)

Another example of this would be when Pai sang for the opening of the school as opposed to joining in herself, it’s explained that, “women could not fight in war, perform the war dance, or have full facial tattoos; they were, however, considered sacred because of their childbearing abilities and this assistance to the future tribe. ” (https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu)

It seems that the male favored gender roles within Maori culture may either enrich or desert the women of the culture.

Transitioning with the Wipe

This type of transition is known as the wipe. This transition is the exact opposite of the ever popular dissolve transition because it draws attention to it's self. The camera glides or WIPES across the screen taking the audience from one scene to another. This specific transition from The Empire Strikes Back is called a diagonal swipe.