Fourth Blogpost

The topic that I intend to talk about in my essay is about the background, effects and the appearance of characters in Melodramatic films. I am not yet sure whether I will speak about one specific film or various ones. A source that I found which goes well with my topic is Peter Brook's book "The Melodramatic Imagination". It talks about how characters in a melodramatic movie keep things hidden from everybody around them. This ties in with my topic because when a character is keeping something hidden it can be seen by non-verbally using facial expressions, appearance and background. An example would be if in a movie a character is pregnant and is keeping it a secret it can be portrayed by what they are wearing how they are acting like maybe they vomit quite often which clues in the audience that there may be a pregnancy news. These non verbal ways of communicating clues in the audience on the events which are to come. Brook's book talks about Melodrama and exactly how it is seen in movies and what makes a movie melodramatic. This information is a reliable and useful source because it focuses on Melodrama and the aspects of it. This book analyzes Melodrama and so therefore doesn't seem biased. I intend to use this source as a way to explain of nonverbal factors in movies can be used as a form of communication with the audience.

Possible Research Paper Topics

A topic I would like to talk about is the appearance of a character during Melodramatic situations. When a conflict arises how a character looks plays a huge role. In movies where a tragic event has happened we can see the facial expressions on the actor or actress Appearance of the characters set the mood of the situation. It plays a key role in shaping a melodramatic narrative. If there was a situation in a movie where someone died we wouldn't see the characters wearing bright colors such pink, orange or yellow but rather colors that are darker such as black or grey. The audience gets more of a feel for the characters and their situations because of how they are presented on the screen. I feel like I can find sufficient information on my topic. This topic is interesting tome because most people don't notice the effects that appearance can have on the audience of a film or television series. Also, appearance is the first thing you notice subconsciously while looking at a screen. How the character looks and what she or he is wearing is a factor in a melodramatic film. Another possible topic I would like to talk talk about is the background of a film. The settings also play a huge role in setting the stage. In a sad depressing scene the surroundings tend to be dark and in a small constricted area. When looking at such backgrounds a person can feel gloomy. This topic interest me because I want to personally learn about the backgrounds used in melodramatic films while researching the topic.