The outline for my essay for my cinema class. Yes, I'm serious.
Realism in a Formalistic World: Monster’s Inc.
I. Intro
Monster’s Inc. (Pete Doctor, 2001)
Thesis: In the highly formalistic world of monsters, Doctor and his team manage to squeeze in just enough realism to connect with the adult audience through his use of sound, cinematography, editing, writing, and mis en scene.
II. Body 1
A. Give the definitions of both formalism and realism how they are to be understood for the purpose of this essay
B. Give an example of each to demonstrate.
III. Body 2 - Sound
A. Monster Noises (Formalism)
B. Factory Noises (Realism)
C. Discuss the impact of the score, the whimsical, jazzy nature of it, and how that lends itself to both the formal and realism of the film
IV. Body 3 - Cinematography and Editing
A. Formalism
1. Who and How the camera follows (and when)
2. Cutting and Slo-Mo
3. Montages
4. Other
B. Realism
1. Long Takes
2. Who and How the camera follows (and when)
3. Montage (?)
4. Other
V. Body 4 - Story and Dialogue
A. Corporate Culture
1. Formalism
a. Monsters
b. “We scare because we care”
2. Realism
a. Corporate Dishonesty (?) / Unscrupulous Business Practices
b. rest will be addressed in “mis en scene” section
B. Premise
1. Sully’s Character Change
2. Energy Crisis
3. Monsters and Banishment
C. Dialogue
1. Formalism
a. Well, a lot of the dialogue, really.
b. “Scary monster’s don’t have plaque!”
c. “...when I first laid eye on you.”
2. Realism
a. “Jury Duty”
b. Other stuff
VI. Body 5 - Mis en Scene 1
A. Lighting
1. Formalism
2. Realism
B. “Actors”
1. Celia and her snakes (formalism)
2. Mike Wazowski’s facial expressions (realism - ish)
VII. Body 6 - Mis en Scene 2
A. Sets (Formalism and Realism within both)
1. Boy’s Apartment
2. Monster’s Inc.
a. Scare Floor
b. Locker Room
c. Hallways
b. Randal’s Lair
3. Other
B. Costumes
1. Waternoose
2. Sully
3. Roz
C. Character Design
1. Formalism, no realism (Boo sort of included)
VIII. Conclusion
