Writing Homework Help

Assignment #3: Answer one of the following questions in at least 500 words. Use stylistic evidence from the film(s) in your response, not just narrative or character evidence.

-How is food represented differently in Lost in Translation versus Daisies? Consider shot position, shot type, narrative context, its role in the narrative, and its relation to characters. Does food ever represent or symbolize anything? Does it act as a metaphor? Does it tell us something about the characters or the world in which they live?

-How does story function similarly and/or differently in Lost in Translation and Daisies? Is there a clear goal in either of them? Consider whether the films are trying to make some kind of statement that transcends a simplistic notion of “story.”

-Discuss settings and decor in both of these two films. Lost in Translation is set in a world foreign to its main characters, so examine how surroundings are shot, lit, and framed. In Daisies, the two main characters often dominate their environs with unusual power. Give examples (or counter-examples) of these, showing specifically how the films’ elements and techniques function.

Title: Lost in Translation (2003)
Directed by: Sofia Coppola

Cinematographer: Lance Acord

Run Time: 101 minutes

Title: Daisies (1966)
Directed by: Verá Chytilová

Cinematographer: Jaroslav Kucera