Tomorrow, When the war began film study Free Essays

string(80) " pulls up at Else’s there is a very strong sense that something is wrong\." The Opening The film begins with a close up shot of Elli speaking to the camera. It Is obvious that this footage was taken at the end of the story, as she has cuts on her face and she looks dirty. Elli says that they’re not going to hold back. We will write a custom essay sample on Tomorrow, When the war began film study or any similar topic only for you Order Now Recording it like that is so important to them; it’s a way of telling themselves that they still matter. The video diary is a great way to start the film as it explains the voice-over throughout the rest of the film as well as putting the audience In suspense. The footage Is of poor quality and on a smaller screen, so It Is a very obvious Jump In time when Elli takes the Tory back to the beginning. From what we see, It Is obvious that Elli has grown up on a farm. She is independent and very capable. Elli rides her motorbike to see her best mate, Carrie. On the way to Corrine’s house there is a sequence of shots. The first is a shot of a dirt road and a sign welcoming people to Wearied. This tells us that Elli lives out of town. Elli is smiling and waving at the people in town. We see a lawnmower; a garbage truck and a banner advertising the annual Australia Day show at the show grounds. We also see the Chinese Restaurant and the Dentists across the dad. There is a shot of people setting up at the show grounds, then an establishment shot of Corrine’s house. This sequence demonstrates the balance. Every aspect of the motorbike sequence is important as they all come into the story later Retelling the story The film opens with a close up shot of Elli, which was obviously taken post-war. She has a cut on her forehead and she looks tired and dirty. Elli talks about how the group feels by the end of the film, which puts the audience in suspense to know how it all happened. Elli says she’s going to tell the story from the beginning. This explains the voice-over throughout the film. Carrie and Elli are childhood friends. They want to go camping before school goes back. Carrie wants to go further up the river than they’ve ever been before, maybe all the way into Hell. Elli says she’ll ask her dad for the Landholder. After finally convincing her parents, Elli talks to Carrie about who they should invite. Kevin, Corrine’s boyfriend, is a definite and they decide to take Homer as well. Homer grew up on the farm next to Else’s, so he’s almost like a brother. Homer wants to invite Fl. When we first meet If she is in a beauty salon Ewing pampered. It’s Ironic that Homer and Fl end up liking each other, as they are from different worlds. Homer Is very rebellious and proud of his Creek heritage. The next character that is introduced is Lee. It was Else’s choice to invite him. She describes him as interesting. Lee works in the Chinese restaurant that his parents own. Lee made six, but Else’s dad said they had to have eight. Eventually they compromised on seven, as long as Robin was the seventh. Robin comes from a very strictly religious family. There Is a hilarious scene of Robin asking for her Father’s permission to go camping. They seem to be In his office. The room Is dimly 11th and the opposite side of the desk to her father. Elli and Carrie look like they are trying very hard not to laugh. The three girls are looking very well presented. This displays Robin’s character well. She is trustworthy and responsible, but cheeky. She is saying what she knows her Dad will agree to. The next shot is the seven teenagers driving in the Landholder. They all get out of the Landholder at the top of a hill. Kevin remarks that they can see Cobblers Bay and the Heron Bridge from where they are. That comment from Kevin sets the story up for later on. They leave the Landholder there and hike the rest of the way into Hell. When they get into Hell the first piece of composed music starts to play. Up until this point only pre-recorded music has been played. Hell is very isolated and peaceful. It’s a really beautiful and quiet location. The group spends time bonding, laughing around a campfire. Through a conversation between If and Elli we discover that If has self-confidence issues. The next day Homer is talking to Elli about F’. Homer is reluctant to ask her out because he thinks that a girl as pretty as that must get asked out all the time. On the second eight of camping under the stars, planes are seen flying over them. No one takes much notice of it. â€Å"Just a bunch of Army planes going somewhere. † -? Elli. The next morning the group discusses the planes. Robin said that her and Lee stayed awake counting them, that there were dozens and dozens, flying really low. Whilst in Hell, Kevin shows small signs of selfishness. He was eating chocolate without sharing, and when there was a snake in his sleeping bag he made a big deal about it even though Elli was the one the snake was going for. The snake was about to bite Elli when Lee killed it. If went into the river. This shows small signs of some important traits in the characters. If is a bit of an airhead, as she didn’t know snakes could swim. Elli is very selfless and doesn’t draw attention to herself. Lee is protective over those he cares about. In this scene Homer is the one who gets the snake out of the sleeping bag, which shows that he is brave. They leave the next morning. As soon as the Landholder pulls up at Else’s there is a very strong sense that something is wrong. You read "Tomorrow, When the war began film study" in category "Papers" The colors in the shot are very dull and there a subtle but dramatic music that builds. Else’s dog is dead and her parents are nowhere to be seen. The power is out and the phone lines have been cut. There is no cell reception or Internet connection. They all go to Homer’s house next, which they find to be empty also. When the others find Homer inside he’s trying to use some sort of radio communicator. â€Å"Real quiet out there. † -Homer. They traveled to Kevin house on motorbikes as they had decided to stay off the main roads. Seven’s family isn’t there but his dog, Flip, is. There is a fight between the boys because Lee said it was a bad idea to take the dog with them. They decide to take Flip with them to Corrine’s and make another decision depending on what they find there. They find nothing new at Corrine’s house. Robin says that you can see most of Wire from the hill out the back of her house, which might tell them something. They see lights at the show grounds, which they think is where everyone is, and at the hospital, which must be using emergency generators. The group decides to split up. Robin and Lee go to Lee’s house and Homer takes If to hers. Homer, Carrie and Elli go to the show grounds. The story follows where Elli goes. At the show grounds they see most of the town being held captive. Elli goes to get a closer look while Kevin and Carrie stay hiding in between parked cars. A man careful a sentry spotted her. The soldiers start shooting at the three of them. Kevin runs and leaves the girls. The next shot is of the two girls running down a street. Kevin Jumps out at them and says he thought they were ahead of him so he Just ran. The girls are pretty mad at Kevin for running out on them. The three of them run into someone’s backyard to hide from the soldiers. Carrie cuts her knee on a lawn mower as they’re running. The soldiers are walking along the street looking for them. Elli takes Seven’s shirt and dips it into the petrol tank, then sets that on fire to throw back at the lawn mower. The lawn mower blows up, killing three soldiers. When Elli, Carrie and Kevin get back to Robin’s house If and Homer are there, but Lee and Robin hadn’t returned yet. There is a scene the next day when Elli is sleeping on the couch next to Homer. When they wake up Homer and Elli talk about what’s happening. Homer ties his hair up. From that point Homer’s hair stays back, which is symbolic for when he gets serious about what’s happening. Homer and Elli have become the leaders of the group. Homer and Elli decide to go back into town to look for them. Seven’s selfishness shows again when he is against the idea of going into own. Carrie is very mad at Kevin. Elli, Homer, If, Carrie and Homer are sitting around the table at Corrine’s making a list of things they need to pack in the Landholder to take into Hell. Kevin starts trying to fix something that makes a lot of noise. Once he stops that, they all hear Flip barking and a faint helicopter noise. They forgot to have someone on watch. The helicopter flies around the house looking in with a spotlight. No one is spotted but it comes back and Homer shoots at it on impulse. The helicopter marks the house with flares. The group runs from the house, Elli and If eloping Carrie run because of her injured knee. Kevin runs back to save his dog, Flip. A missile in shot into the house and it explodes. The group had only Just made it into the shed in time. This makes them all realize how right Homer was. Hell was the only safe place for them. Elli and Homer ride into town to find Lee and Robin. As they’re riding into town they pass the Heron Bridge and see that the enemy are using it for access to Wearied from Cobblers Bay. When Elli and Homer reach Robin’s house they found her there alone and very scared. Lee had been shot. Robin leads Elli and Homer to Lee’s restaurant. There is a great shot when Elli is waiting for Homer and Robin and she sees a painting on the brick wall behind her. The painting is of Captain Cook and His men settling in Australia, there are indigenous people standing in the background. This is a big statement as to what the English did to the aboriginals. When they get to Lee’s restaurant there was a man, Dry Clement, is working on Lee’s leg. Before he leaves Elli asks him if he knows about any others like them. He tells them that he’s heard about a few. Some even tried to blow up the Heron Bridge, but they all paid the price. Elli, Homer, Lee and Robin are discussing how to get Lee out of town. They end up deciding on a garbage truck, which was Else’s idea. She wanted to rock up in something so indestructible that it wouldn’t matter who saw them. Lee climbs into the bucket at the front of the truck and Robin sits in the cabin with Elli while Homer gets a get-away car. Soldiers start shooting at them. Elli yells to Robin to take the gun and shoot back but she refuses. There is a car chase sequence. In the end they get away and meet Homer. The next scene is of Carrie looking at the smoking rubble of what was her home. The colors in the shot car. Throughout the movie there are many times when the strong friendship between these two girls is showed. Everyone is in the Landholder asleep while Elli is driving. She is too tired to drive and almost hits a tree. She pulls into the next driveway and stops the car. As they’re all walking into the house they start talking about the boy who lives in that house, Chris, saying he’s a stoner. They hear a voice and Chris is standing on the porch watching them. Chris did look like a bit of a stoner. He had earphones in, and his hair looked unkempt. Elli left Chris on watch while the others Estes. Elli and Lee were sitting together talking. Lee kissed Elli and she kissed him back. Elli then left Lee to go check on Chris. When Elli gets to Chris she sees that he’s fallen asleep. This enrages Elli. She’s screaming at Chris that he risked all of their lives. Elli takes the gun and points it at Chris. Chris falls to the floor. Because of the camera angles, we get the sense that Elli is in power. The camera points up to Elli and points down to Chris, so the audience would get the feeling of who is the weaker one if they didn’t already know. Elli doesn’t shoot Chris. Chris goes with them back to Hell. When in Hell, there is a moment when Elli is alone on top of the hill. She is looking out at the Heron Bridge. She can see convoys rolling across it consistently. The next scene is of Elli, Lee and Homer watching the bridge at night and talking about why and how they are going to blow it up. â€Å"If they can’t resurvey their soldiers, then they can’t fight. † -? Elli. Homer already has a plan. Elli and If steal a petrol tanker, almost getting shot by soldiers. Dramatic music builds, but stops suddenly when If asks if she can smash the window. The music tarts building again when she smashes it and the soldiers hear it. Elli and If park the tanker close to the bridge. There are four Walker-Talkies between the groups, one between two. If turns the walker-talkie off, so they don’t receive the message that there were soldiers creeping up behind the truck. To get away, the girls have to drive the tanker into position, but no one else was ready yet. Homer and Lee hurry their distraction, which works quite well. Elli and If are all set until they realize that neither of them have a lighter. Elli and If are lying on the ground screaming and eating shot at by soldiers. Robin takes the gun Chris was holding and shoots the soldiers. Meanwhile, Kevin, Carrie, Homer and Lee are all getting shot at by the soldiers. Kevin gets up and runs from the group. Instead of leaving them, he brings back the other motorbike for them all to get away on. Homer and Lee take that bike and Kevin is about to drive away with Carrie when she stops him. She’s about to say she forgives him or something, when she gets shot. Chris runs to light the rope to blow up the tanker. The truck explodes and completely obliterates the bridge. Elli, If, Robin and Chris return to Else’s house to find Carrie lying on the couch bleeding. Kevin says he loves her takes her to hospital. The film then goes to Else’s video diaries talking about the search parties they’ve seen. The group is back in hell, with guns. They’re looking out to Cobbler’s Bay and where the Heron Bridge was. The last shot is of three motorbikes riding into the distance, each with two people on them. Characters and Conflicts Kevin Immediately after the motorbike sequence Carrie tells Elli about losing her virginity to Kevin. Kevin is obviously in a committed relationship. Whilst camping in Hell, Kevin shows some subtle signs of selfishness. The first example was when he was eating chocolate without sharing, even though the whole group wanted some. The second example was when there was a snake in his sleeping bag. Kevin refused to go near it, and even when the snake was dead he made a fuss. When the group had returned from Hell and rode motorbikes to Seven’s house, Kevin was the only one not sharing a bike with someone. Later on that day, Kevin was with Elli and Carrie when the soldiers started going after them. Elli and Carrie fall behind and Kevin leaves them. The next day, when the group are discussing going into town to look for Robin and Lee, Kevin interrupts saying that it’s a huge risk and that he won’t go. Near the end of the film, Kevin, Carrie, Homer and Lee are getting shot at by the soldiers. Kevin gets up and runs, this makes the audience think he’s leaving them again. But he actually gets another motorbike so they can all leave. Kevin is waiting for Carrie to get on the back of his bike when she gets shot. Kevin drives Carrie to hospital, even though there is most certainly a very dark future for him in this war. By the end of the film Kevin has realized how much Carrie means to him. Homer Homer has a proud rebellious Greek side in him that makes him not care what anyone thought of him. Homer is a troublemaker, which is made obvious when his character is first introduced strutting out of the police station with pride. During the time he spent with the group before the war started, Homer becomes known as a joker. An example of this is when the snake is in Seven’s sleeping bag. During that one scene Homer shows that he is independent, capable and immature. The example of him being capable was the fact that Homer was the one trying to get the snake out of the sleeping bag. He shows his immaturity by dancing when Elli told him to shake it, meaning the bag. He shows that he is very independent when Lee kills that snake and Homer says he was about to do that, as if he thought Lee wasn’t needed. His rebellious thinking becomes useful when the group decide to blow up the bridge. Homer’s major turning point in the film is when he ties his hair up. From this point onwards, Homer is a very a serious and committed member of the group. Robin Robin comes from a very strict, religious family. However, she is quite cheeky in the way that she lies to her Dad about her reasons for wanting to go camping. Robin is very well presented in front of her father. At first, she seemed quite shy but whilst the group was spending time together in Hell she opened up a bit. When the group is talking about going into town to fight, Robin very firmly states that she would not kill anyone. At one point, her morals almost kill her, Elli and Lee when she refuses to shoot back at the soldiers chasing them in the scene with the garbage truck. Robin is very caring, this is shown when we find out that Robin carried Lee to safety after he was shot. When the group is trying to execute their plan to destroy the bridge and it al goes horribly wrong, Robin helps save the day. Elli and If are lying in the grass takes the gun from Chris and walks forward. There is a brilliant shot of her walking forward, and her leg pushes past a swing seat. This represents Robin moving away from the innocent child she’s always been. By the end of the film, Robin is still scared but she has grown. She is stronger and she is more willing. Key Scenes Prominent Setting This scene takes place during the second night that the group spends camping in Hell before the war started. The scene starts with a close up shot of Homer snoring, leaping around a campfire. The camera then moves to Elli, when we hear the sound of airplanes. Elli wakes and looks at Carrie who is lying across the fire from her. It takes Elli a moment to register what the sound is; she looks to the sky and sees the planes. Carrie wakes and asks about the smell, and questions when Elli says it’s Jet fuel. â€Å"Just a bunch of Army planes going somewhere. † -? Elli. Carrie then rolls over to be closer to Kevin, which leaves only Homer and Elli in the light of the fire. This shot is great because Elli and Homer become the leaders. The fact that Homer doesn’t wake up is a very subtle hint that he still needs to mature. The shot of Elli and Homer sleeping is an aerial shot to give the feeling that they are small and weak against the forces of the invading army. This scene only lasts for 50 seconds but it is a crucial part of the story. If this scene didn’t exist, it would seem to be such a sudden Jump from the balance when they return from Hell. I think the setting is important in this scene because it shows how well hidden and safe they are in Hell. This scene is another very short scene, but I think the camera work is great. In this cane Elli is asking Lee to come camping with her and her friends. Elli is quite awkward in conversation, which makes it apparent that she likes Lee. Lee seems to be very happy to be hearing from Elli, so maybe he likes her too. For the most part of the conversation, Elli and Lee are facing away from each other, making it look awkward. The camera shots don’t have them facing each other until Lee says that he’d love to go camping with her. At this, Ell spins around talking excitedly. Elli seems to relax when Lee says yes too, this may be more obvious because of the camera work. The rule of thirds is used well in this scene. Both of the characters shoulders sit along the bottom horizontal line, and the face of the character is usually on one of the vertical lines. Excellent Camera Work The scene starts off with the group, apart from Lee and Robin, sitting at the table at Corrine’s house making a list of things to take with them to Hell. Kevin leaves the table to go try fixing the sink, which makes a lot of noise. When he does fix it and the noise takes charge of the situation. He yells for everyone to spread out and go to different rooms. The helicopter circles the house until it’s where Elli is standing. This shot of Elli is good because it follows the rule of thirds very well. The bottom horizontal line goes across the floor and the right vertical line is on the doormen where Elli is standing. The light stays on her for a while until the helicopter leaves. Everyone takes a breath of relief, and then it comes back. The group all drops to the ground except Homer, who impulsively shoots at the helicopter. The helicopter marks the house with flairs. Elli yells at everyone to run. They all make it to the shed with time to spare except Kevin, who goes back for Flip. Kevin has to Jump from the explosion but he doesn’t get hurt. Corrine’s house is completely destroyed. The ending Elli, F’, Robin and Chris walk into Else’s house. They’re talking and laughing excitedly about the bridge. They’re mood suddenly drops when they see Lee. He leads them to the living room where Carrie is lying on the couch across Seven’s lap. Kevin is holding her and stroking her hair. Elli rushes to her side. Carrie wants them to leave her. Homer agrees, he says it’s the only rational thing to do. Kevin interrupts saying he doesn’t care what’s rational. He loves Carrie and he’s staying with her. This displays well how much Kevin has changed. Sad music starts playing quietly Just before Kevin says that he loves Carrie. Elli says goodbye to Carrie through the window of the Landholder. Elli runs to Lee and cries, very loudly. Only the two couples are shown in focus now: Homer and If, and Elli and Lee. The music swells as Elli is crying, then dulls. Homer starts talking about what they’ve done, saying that they’ve hit them hard and that the soldiers will be looking for them. A different music starts playing. The music now is similar to what played when the group returned from Hell to Else’s empty house. It cuts to Else’s video diary. She is well composed, strong. Else’s voice continues over a helicopter shot going around the hills into Hell. Dramatic music is building. The six of them are getting guns from somewhere hidden in the bush. They Bridge was. The camera moves over each one of them. The appearance of some shows how much they’ve changed. Chris has his hair tucked into a beanie, and looks serious. If has dirty hair no makeup, she looks determined and ready. Before, If could have been compared to a frightened little Barbie Doll, but now she’s more like a soldier. Robin’s face is pale and dirty. She looks slightly frightened but she knows what she needs to do. The group walks forward in single file. Robin is the last to follow; She pauses before walking with them and takes a deep breath. This shows that Robin is still scared and religious, but she will stay with her friends and protect them when she can. The music has been building and is quite loud by this time. The last shot is of three motorbikes with two people on each, riding off into the distance. The music reaches it’s climax and is cut off to play the credit music. Alternate Ending The two endings are the same until Homer’s dialogue. His voice continues over the shot of the bikes riding along the road. There are individual shots of the couples on the bikes. It then cuts to Else’s video diary. However, in this video diary Elli is pouring her feelings out, hoping they’ll be safe. The ending they chose was best suited to the movie. The audience would be more eager to watch a sequel because it would more likely lead to more action. The real ending I think was better because it showed how losing Carrie had made them stronger and developed as a group. It really emphasizes the changes they have all made throughout the film. It would lead into the second film well because they are looking at Cobblers Bay, which they plan to attack. How to cite Tomorrow, When the war began film study, Essays