Outline for Film Brick (100 Points)

Outline for the Presentation (100 Points)

I.             Introduce your film and provide the premise of the film in three sentences or fewer.

Brick is based on a High School teenager which goes by the name of Brendan who is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in which whom starts to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend Emily. Brick was directed by a man who goes by the name of Rian Johnson which was released on the 7^th of April in 2005. Brick is a film in which it tells the genre of Neo-Noir. The film is very intelligent and quick paced. It uses dialogues from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Lastly, it shows a very hard boiled detective figure in which Brendan acts out.

II.            Characteristics and Conventions of the Film that Link it to Classic Film Noir

1.       The film uses dialogues from the 1940’s and 1950’s.

The way that this characteristic links to Classic Film Noir is by comparing it to today’s time. During the 1940’s and 50’s people would have a way of speaking and using their dialogues in films so that when people would watch these films they could try and figure out what the film was about. Now in today’s time period we don’t use those kinds of dialogues. The kind of dialogues that directors use now is direct English in which we can all understand to comprehend the point of the film. One example would be when the “The Brain” and Brendan are in the library, Brendan starts thinking of a plan to figure out who killed Emily and when he starts to plan it he start’s using this very quick paced dialogue from the 1940’s and 1950’s in which no viewer would be able to understand.

2.       Brendan plays the Detective Figure in Brick.

What makes this film Classic Noir is the standard plot of film Noir-the search for a missing women. In which Brendan the Detective and Ambiguous Protagonist is on the search for. In this film Brendan uses the right tools for going under cover from one person to another in his High School. Another fact would be that in this film Brendan would also use cues from a friend called the “Brain” and gather all the clues from him. Another connection that I would like to point out is the Femme Fatale which is Laura which is acted by Nora Zehetner. So basically what her role shows in the film is to manipulate Brendan. Some examples of her being the Femme Fatale would be when she tries to get his trust so they could become close friends and also so she can try and make him not discover the person who killed Emily.

III.          Elements of the Film that Deviate from Classic Film Noir and Link it to Neo Noir

1.       Brick was made in color on the 7^th of April in 2005

With this element it makes it a Neo-Noir because most films during the 1940’s and 50’s would be mostly shot in black and white and since this film was directed in 2005 it was the time where color was used and even before the year 2005 hit.

2.       Director Rian Johnson used High School teenagers in the film Brick.

The way that this element links to Neo-Noir is by showing the audience who watch this film that not all movies need to have adults in them to make the film entertaining Films now could have teenagers in them and even younger if allowed. Director Rian Johnson wanted to show all viewers that not only adults are bad influences but also that teenagers are learning bad things as days and years pass by, as you can see in the film Brick from the way they act their parts in the film they go through a wrong path by using drugs and having drug dealers. Another example would be on how all the High School students have a very hard core attitude towards each other in Brick. Last example would be the styles that demonstrate who each character is. For example Brain dresses really nice and appropriate to show that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to helping Brendan. Brendan dresses as if he’s himself meaning the Detective and the Ambiguous Protagonist. The “Pin” dresses all in black to show that he’s the man who is in charge of his group. Laura dresses very decent to show that she’s the Femme Fatale in which she tries to manipulate Brendan. Lastly is “Tug” who dresses as a gangster and is also referred to as a drug dealing thug whose intentions are to break up his own crew and the “Pins.”

Quotes from Outside Sources (These may be inserted anywhere in the outline)

Source One:

Context:  Provide a signal phrase that includes the title of the source and the author:	Quote from the Source: Be sure to include the page number	Significance: How does this quote relate to the topic of your essay?
According to James Crawford the author of Indie Wire states that…	“Laura the Femme Fatale of Brick is a mess of willfully assembled contradictions though coolly inscrutable.”	The way that this quote relates to the topic of my essay would be by demonstrating to the audience that Laura shows that she’s very confused when it comes to manipulating Brendan because she has many thoughts running through her mind but mainly she thinks about her manipulation towards Brendan in whether her plan is either going to work or fail.

Source Two:

Context: Provide a signal phrase that includes the title of the source and the author:	Quote from the Source: Be sure to include the page number	Significance: How does this quote relate to the topic of your essay?
Author Greg Thomson from the Wikinut article acknowledges that…	“Director Rian Johnson wanted to make a film Noir but with a different set of visual cues to the usual men in trench coats chewing on cigarettes.”	My second quote relates to the topic of my essay by telling the readers that Director Rian Johnson wanted to keep the same visuals and aspects that Classic Noir film had during the 1930s and 1940s rather than using teenagers from today’s time. If you compare it now from the year 2005 to 2011 you will see how many things have changed including the wardrobe language and attitudes towards each other when making new friends.