Finding Visual Techniques - Life is Beautiful

key words/focus:
camera angle (low, high, eye-level), vectors, lighting, composition

(4:20) How are camera angles used when Joshua says 'Thank you' (not in German)? Which angles are used to view each of the characters? What does each of these angle signify?


It's a high angle shot. looking down on Joshua. The waiter is a low shot. It establishes that joshua is being looked down upon, and the waiter is being looked up upon. 
(4:45) What shot distance and angle is used to show Guido's concern for Joshua when the German waiter leaves the room? Describe the composition)


Eye level shot at a medium distance. 
(4:46) How is shot of Guido contrasted to the shot of the German waiter walking away to tell someone what has just happened? Describe the composition and compare it to the previous shot of a concerned Guido.


As the German walks away it is at a medium to long shot, at a low level making him look more powerful, all the objects in the hall are symmetrical straight and orderly. Were as the shot of Guido shows him at an eye-level shot. 

(5:02-05) How is the shot of the German's contrasted to that of Guido teaching the children to say 'Thank You'?


Medium shot, with a high level when looking at Guido, were as there is a slightly low shot looking at the Germans. Guido is also bending down and looking at the children from there level, were the Germans are standing up tall. 

How do the characters in 'Life is Beautiful' represent an engaging and unique presentation of the Holocaust experience?

The story of Life is Beutiful is a story of a life that is ripped away from a man and a family is torn apart. Even though this is the basic story, it is presented an way that engages the audience into seeing it from a different perspective, almost in a humorous way. It taps into one of humanities darkest times, the holocaust. A time of death and barbarianism.

The story follows the life of a man named, Guido. He is a Jewish man living in Italia. He is a man who always sees the lighter side of life, and thrusts what he sees upon everybody he comes into contact with through humour. Guido is married to a woman named Dora, and is a father to a boy named, Joshua. Him and his family lived in Italia and ran a book store to earn there living, Dora was also a School teacher.

This story is set between early 1939 to late 1945. A time when the world was involved in a second mass war. The Germans had gone into debt trying to pay off the bill that world war one had left them with. In this time many banks were owned by jewish people, and the Germans blammed the Jews for their incredible debt. In this story Guido was a Jew, and as of this his sun Joshua was seen as a Jew as well. During this war, the Germans gathered up millions of Jewish people and sent them to concentrations camps, where they were forced to work and killed.

In this story of Life is Beatiful Guido and his son are taken by the German Nazis and taken to a concentration camp. Guidos' wife Dora is a catholic, but argues the Nazi officer to take her as well so she can be with her husband and son. Throughout there time there Guido never wants his son to know what a horrible place they are in, he doesn't want him to see a side of life so dark and cruel, so he tells him that it is all a game. Everything Guido does for his son during there time in the concentration camp he communicates with him so well that his son does exactly what he asks of him. In this story Guido life is eventually ripped away from him, leaving Joshua all by himself, until the war is over.

In conclusion the characters in Life is Beautiful share a connection to the audience in such a way that you almost feel there emotions and what they are going through. It engages you to think about the holocaust in such a way that you wouldn't normally think, that there is actually almost a level of "life" upon all the death and tragedy. This new perspective on this so one-sided topic is a revolutionary thing that I believe is what engages most of all with the audience and allows them to want to see what happens to this family that you can somewhat relate to and share there emotions and feelings.

Hereos and villians in Life is beutiful

1. Guido is pretending to know that he speaks German so that he can make his son feel like there is no harm and that this is a game they have to play. The German Officer is narrating the basic rules of the camp and Guido is narrating it in a that his son would find fun.
2. The villains in this scene would be seen as being the German soldiers, and the hero could be said to be Guido for protecting his sun from what is actually going on around them, so he doesn't get scared.
3. The Soldiers are very orderly, they are all wearing the same things and they are clean, whereas Guido is shabbily dressed, and not very clean clothes. The light from the door is separating them, Guido is looking at the Lead soldier, whereas the others are looking directly ahead. The soldiers are arranged is height order, and there are more on the right. 

Holocaust Unit: Key Questions and "Life is Beautiful"

1. A tragedy is an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, like a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe
2. The movie Life is Beautiful is a tragedy because it depicts a portion of a families life were they are put in a situation that causes them great suffering and distress.
3. Life is Beautiful could also been seen as a comedy because the director has made the story line in a humorous as well as tragic way.
4. A villain is a person guilty or capable of a crime. Hitler would be a perfect example of a villian as he is today seen by many to be the most evil man that ever lived also a fictional character called "magneto" in the X-men series could be seen as a villain as he tries to concur the world. A hero is a person who is admired for courage or noble qualities. Superman is a hero to many as he stood up and protected the world from all evils, and Martin luther king who stood up for his beiliefs and dreams for multi-cultural world despite who stood . A victim is a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action, Victims of natural disaster.
5. In the movie Life is Beautiful the Germans could be seen as the villains. The victims were the Jewish people of the time. The heroes were could be either the Americans who were seen in the end of the movie rescuing the jewish people from the camps they were in.
6. Guido plays one of the important roles, since its about him and his son Joshua who get taken to a concentration camp. The movie is based on there survival and Guido lying to his son to keep him safe and not to make him worry about if he is seen, he will be killed. Joshua and Dora, who are the son and wife of Guido, are the other main characters. The story is based on Joshua's story about how his father lied to him to make believe its just a game and in the end, died for keeping his son safe, and trying to find his wife and keep her safe.