This guide has been written to help you study a feature film. It is specifically written for students in England and Wales, studying media for assessed work in English in Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum (GCSE). It may be of interest to students of film generally.

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Suggested title

How has Ridley Scott presented and adapted the true story behind White Squall for the cinema?

Starting your work

Give a brief outline/summary of the film - do not go into detail (less than a page will do).

• Explain that the film is "inspired by" a true story, with some changes - e.g. the real vessel sank in two minutes.
• Briefly write about Ridley Scott as director - he has two classics to his name: Blade Runner and Thelma and Louise. He is also the director of Black Rain and Gladiator.

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Social and media context of the film

Social context

What is the film about - what are its subjects and themes?

• Show how it depicts the Captain trying to help the crew work together.
• What view of the Natural World appears in the film?
• Explain the title - what is a White Squall?

Media context

• Explain how the true story has been adapted for film.
• Compare this film to other rites of passage films about young men (e.g. Dead Poets' Society).

Language

Comment on any interesting passages of dialogue - especially those which establish the characters of the Captain (Jeff Bridges), his wife (Caroline Goodall), the teacher (John Savage) and the boys, including Chuck (Scott Wolf) and Frank (Jeremy Sisto).

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Presentational devices

Comment on the following, as far as you are able:

• Structure (sequence) of narrative - do these make the story clear? Is the film too long?
• Music and sound FX -how do these affect our response to the film?
• Stunts and special effects (SFX) especially in the long section which shows the sinking of the Albatross.
• Acting - comment on the performances of Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf and Jeremy Sisto.
• Direction - comment on Ridley Scott's directing of the film: is it too slow-paced, do we have too many shots of the sea and wildlife, as in a travel or nature programme?

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Visual images

Comment on the following, as far as you are able:

• Cinematography (how shots are composed, use of colour and lighting and so on)
• look at the way the film presents (visually) people and wildlife, the seascape
• look at camera angles (especially looking up and down in the sinking episode)
• look at the visual qualities of the film: what are the abiding images?

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Significant achievement in cinema

Why is this (or is it not) a good film? To answer this, look in more detail at the following scenes:

• the set-up, where we learn of the purpose of the voyage
• the incident where Frank kills the dolphin (a bit like the killing of the albatross in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)
• the horrifying section where the Albatross sinks and many people drown
• the use of a court martial as the conclusion/climax to the film
• how well the story has been adapted - is this a film for viewers of both sexes?

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Ships on film

• How well does this film compare with other films about the sea and ships (such as Mutiny on the Bounty, The Poseidon Adventure, Titanic, Das Boot and The Perfect Storm)?

Making a judgement

• Finish your response with a personal evaluation - what you liked about the film, and why.

In writing about White Squall you may use reviews from magazines or Web sites. You are allowed to quote from these, but should show quotation with inverted commas. You may express agreement or disagreement with what you find in these reviews.

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GCSE criteria

Exam boards publish guidelines (descriptions, called criteria) for teachers, to help them award marks for speaking and listening, reading and writing. Oral coursework may be marked for speaking and listening, and for reading. Written coursework may be marked for reading and for writing.

Reading

For reading, your mark depends upon how well you do, but you must look at three things:

• The content of the films - what they are about, and their historic and media significance.
• Style, structure and appeal to audience.
• Language, presentational devices and visual images - how these create emotive and persuasive effects, and relate to other media.

Writing

For writing your mark depends upon how well you do in two respects:

• How you organize your ideas.
• How you choose a suitable (impersonal) style and control your writing.

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© Andrew Moore, 2000; Contact me

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