Media Essay on Freedom Writers

Media Essay on
THE FREEDOM WRITERS

The Freedom Writers is an emotional, fascinating film and stars one of the best actresses around in Hilary Swank. Hilary Swank begins teaching English in an broken inner city school in Los Angeles, and the school is predominantly full of gang affiliated, disgruntled, stubborn and emotional Black African-Americans. Subsequently, it results in “Ms. G” as the students call her, struggling to get the respect of the class. However through persistence and will, she earns this respect by doing various things, one of which was by bringing in a World War II survivor to really waken them up and open their minds on what really is struggle.

I had analysed a 2-3 minute of a certain scene of the film. I had chosen to analyse this part of the film as I believe it was the most emotional and contrasting scene of the film. One afternoon, when school had just finished the class seemed happy and motivated, and the lighting contemplated this as the lighting used was Daytime/High-Key Lighting, this lighting connotes happiness and presents the characters in a good way to the audience.

Before that particular scene cuts, one of the key things I picked up on was that the mise-en-scene was of an extreme long-shot of the school in the background, and there was a diegetic sound of positive dialogue amongst the students, and these students seemed ecstatic and joyful, this use of this diegetic sound lets audience familiarize and engage themselves with the setting. This is very important, as it shows these unfortunate students in a different light, which could change the audience’s perception of these students, as these teenagers are into gangs, drugs and many other crimes. However just before this scene cuts, there is a close-up on the face of the supporting actress and she was not as happy as the other students, as the facial expression could be interpreted as worried or uncertain of something.


Mise-en-Scene is a French term meaning “what is in the scene”, and refers to everything you see within the frame. There is an acronym called CLAMPS which refers to the elements of mise-en-scene and what you see in the frame, these are: Costume, Lighting, Actors, Make-up, Props and Setting.

Mise-en-Scene can set a certain atmosphere and mood of a certain scene, and can effect audience’s perceptions on things, e.g. a dark room with low-key lighting and a man may connote something mysterious and suspicious. However in Freedom Writers when school finishes the mise-en-scene is showcased in a good way to the audience. This positive mise-en-scene and scene slowly fades into the next scene which is a dark and isolated petrol station in the city. The slow fade used may connote something dramatic and unexpected taking place.

This is a major contrast from the previous scene, where all seemed well and there had been many cuts and zooms on the students faces. This may have been done to show their facial expressions and also lets the audience in on how they should be feeling at a certain point. In addition, the sound in this petrol station scene was diegetic to begin with, with the sound of cars driving by and the engine of a car pulling up at the petrol station. This could have been done to give the audience a feel for what the setting and the atmosphere is like.

In addition, when this car pulls up at the petrol station, the lighting used was low-key (dark) this can connote mystery and creates suspense for the audience as to what may happen next. Also, as this car pulls there is diegetic sound of Rap/Gangster music coming from the car, this can be called a parallel sound, due to the fact there are Black teenagers in the car, and is a sound we would be expecting to accompany this scene.

As this car stops, there is a medium shot on a specific door which has tinted windows, this brings suspense to the scene as it engages in the audience as to who is going to emerge from this suspicious car. There then is a slow fade into the inside of the petrol station, this may connote something dramatic and possibly violent occurring.

However, in this petrol station, there are many cuts and zooms onto customers faces, which gives us as the audience the impression that all seems well inside this petrol station. By contrast, there is then a slow-fade to one of the customers faces who is playing on the games machine. This particular customer seemed frustrated at losing the game, and the slow-fade used complements this well as possibly it could connote something bad occurring around this particular customer.

Also, the events that had been taking place outside the petrol station with the suspicious car, all help to build tension and anxiety for the audience, as to what exactly is going it happen next.

In addition, this tension and anxiety the audience are feeling are increased as there is another slow-fade to the suspicious car outside and there then is a close-up of the same car door. The close-up to the car-door increases their anxiety as to who is in this car, also what I had noticed was that there was a sound-bridge throughout this whole scene of this same diegetic Rap/Gangster music from this same suspicious car. The connotations of this are that something of a criminal action taking place at some point of this scene, also the slow-fades are effective in building up this assumption as they create tension and anxiety, this could also be called sutured as the audience are stitched to the narrative. By contrast, in the petrol station many of the customers seem happy and content; this can be called a character enigma as we the audience know something the characters may not.


So, as there is a medium shot on this particular door, this is done to show exactly who it is and what who is about to emerge from the car, which again adds to this tension. The car door then suddenly opens, there is close-up on the bottom of the door, this is done to shows the leg and foot of the person, and the audience then start to make assumptions on who it is, which again engages the audience due to this suspension. So, as there is a close-up a foot emerges as this character begins to get out of the car, the shoe is a trainer which can connote a male wearing these. However there then is a cut, and there then is a close-up on the side of the door, where a hand emerges and it a female hand with a feminine ring on. This again adds to the anxiety of the audience as there are many close-ups, resulting in the audience not getting a proper feel of what is going on.

Eventually, there is a long-shot and the lady that emerges is the same supporting actress from the previous scene. Which were cheerful students exiting school; however it is the same actress who ends that particular scene with her worried and unconfident look. This is called Continuity Editing, where shots are logically placed so that one event follows another, and helps the flow of the film and makes it easier for the audience to engage and follow the film. As the woman emerges, she is still worried and uncertain of something, and she then looks at the petrol station, and there is a shot/reverse shot of her looking at the boy who was frustrated with the video game.

This makes us as the audience identify with her and how we should be feeling at the present moment. Additionally, there is a close-up of the hand of the woman with a cloth, as she removes the cloth there is a very-slow fade and there then appears a gun. This slow-fade helps build tension, and puts questions into the audience’s heads as to why she is carrying a gun. As these events are taking place, there is still a parallel/diegetic sound of the Rap/Gangster music from the car; also this still was the sound-bridge throughout the whole scene. This complements the scene well as this
Rap/Gangster music, can connote violence and crime which is exactly what is about to take place. So as the woman unleashes the gun, there is an extreme close-up of the trigger of the gun as she clicks twice, the hand of the woman was clean and pure, and you do not normal associate woman and guns, which goes against conventions of a gangster type movie. After opening fire, there is a long-shot from outside the station and demonstrated the damage that had been done to the petrol station. The sound then changes to a slow, melo and classical sound which can connote something tragic and sudden; this then becomes the sound bridge for the remainder of that scene.

There is then a slow-fade and there was a close-up of the frustrated boy in the petrol station, the slow-fade used on this occasion can connote something sad and tragic. The new sound-bridge of this slow classical music, links well with the slow-fade as they both contribute to the tragic event that had taken place. The slow-fade to the boy was a close-up on his face and was laying there powerless with blood pouring from this face.

In Conclusion, Freedom Writers is an emotional and conflicting film which shows the everyday lives of these uneducated and stubborn students, there were many fades in the scene I had analysed this can connote mystery, anxiety and suspense for the audience as to what is going to happen next. Additionally, it engages the audience with the scene.