Film is different to theatre for many reasons, one of them being the fact that film is more realistic to the eye where as theatre is more descriptive and symbolic. As a result of this the film, “The Shawshank redemption” can make you more aware of how harshly prisoners were treated. Directors can use real places like prisons, and cells to really get the story across, where as with theatre there is just one stage and you are very limited as to what you can do to make it seem like the actors are actually there.
Now that I have watched and researched the film “The Shawshank redemption” I can relate the characters and issues to the play we are currently working on in class. The main thing that stands out to me is the physical barrier in both stories. The prison gates are what is stopping Andy and Red from freedom. They are unable to see there families and do the usual day to day life things, such as taking a walk wherever they like, staying out until as late as they want, eating and sleeping at there own accord.
This is similar to the family in our play because of the Berlin wall. Its stopping them from seeing their family, they live in fear of being shot in case they are caught suspicious around the wall. They don’t feel free because of this huge block in the middle of there country. They feel trapped and incapable of moving the barrier that is stopping them from freedom, much like Dufresne.
The prisoners in Shawshank love to be able to have a drink, it’s the one time they feel like free men. Much like the character of Franz in our play. He is an unhappy man and drinking is his way of coping with the reality of the Berlin wall. At the end of our play, the youngest boy Peter in attempt to cross the wall gets caught and shot. At the very same moment he had got freedom he got shot down, and it was all taken away. This resembles the prisoners that got paroled or freed from Shawshank. As soon as they got everything that they wanted, they couldn’t cope and ended up committing suicide.
In our 15 minute play we will use a variety of lighting techniques to help give the effect of day or night, or for example setting a cosy scene in the living room. We will use freeze-frames and black outs on one side of the room and on the other have the current scene lit up, going back and forth to show how both families are coping on opposite sides of the Berlin wall. In conclusion, what I hope to learn from this project is how to improvise and how to use techniques with lighting and stage props. In my last play I didn’t have as many lines because I played a smaller role. I hope that by the end of this piece I will have more confidence in being able to play more complex and important roles and will be able to work even better in a group.
