Learning Intention:

1.
Level 3 or above for behavior.
2.
To revise the effect of various shots, flashbacks in
the movie Stand by Me.

STAND BY ME
Genre: Coming of Age
Directed by Rob Reiner

How is the setting established?

How is the setting

established?
The film opens with a wide shot of a
car on a deserted country road.

 The camera shots progressively get

closer until they show a mid shot of
an adult man looking wistfully out of
his car window. His car dates the
movie in the mid 1980s, when the
film was made.

 The eventual close up shot on his

face establishes him as the
protagonist and narrator of the story.

How are flashbacks

used?

How are flashbacks used?

The film is edited to include
flashbacks to particular events and
ideas as the protagonist remembers
his story, allowing the audience to
recognise that we are going to
experience his story.

 The use of flashback continues as the

protagonist takes the audience to the
beginning of the journey.
We realise this is flashback because
the historical context has changed.

How do we know its the

50s?

 Features of the films style convey the historical

context.
The character is costumed in late 1950s clothing.
The vehicles on the street represent those that
were in fashion during this era.
There is a quaintness and quietness conveyed in
the streetscape. The use of a long shot gives a
sense of space and captures a vista of the main
street against the backdrop of open space. The
audience are transported into a country town.
The journey of self-discovery for Gordy has
begun.

What is a motif?
The journey to self-discovery is further
enhanced by the use of the railway motif.

It represents movement: a journey forward

This is what self-discovery is.

What kind of shot is this?

 In this long shot, the four boys are pictured

together, in one frame. This use of framing
tells us that they are friends, equal to one
another. They are facing the journey together.

In addition, the audience realises that this is a

journey taken by the protagonist with his
friends.

Copy and complete for a scene.

Aspec Exam Descri Effect
t
ple
be
What you
saw/heard and
when.

What does it
make the
audience think or
feel.
What does it tell
you about the
plot, character,
relationships and
or theme?

Need to:
Add theme activities and how aspects effects etc contribute to it.
Practice write ups effect of aspects
Reading logs.

How is self-discovery OR Coming

of Age represented in this film?

How is self-discovery OR Coming

of Age represented in this film?

The most dominant example of

self-discovery in the film,
Stand By Me, is that of the
protagonist, Gordy.