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Film/Media: District 9’s War Of The Worlds: Human Mise En Scène VS Alien Visual Effects With Dr Geraint D’Arcy From University of East Anglia
March 19 @ 15:30 - 16:15
In this live and interactive Film/Media online event, Dr Geraint D’Arcy, Lecturer in Media Practice in the School of Art, Media and American Studies at UEA, will present District 9’s war of the worlds: human mise en scène vs alien visual effects.
This seminar aims to examine the micro-elements of mise en scène and cinematography and explore how their interaction and enhancements with visual effects can offer ideological readings of District 9.
District 9 is a science fiction set in an alternate version of contemporary Johannesburg where Aliens landed in 1982 and are being forcibly relocated to a new encampment after two decades of subsisting in an interspecies slum. The film operates primarily as a historical allegory, inspired by the relocation of Cape Town’s District Six by the apartheid government in 1966, but far from being merely a critique of South Africa’s past, District 9 is a universal indictment of xenophobia, racism and late capitalism and an exploration of contemporary film and media production. Just as the film’s protagonist Wikus van de Merwe finds himself a tormented hybrid of alien and human, the film blends visual effects and practical film making in its mise en scène. This becomes a hallmark of Blomkamp’s career and in District 9 it is introduced as a method of making which blurs the lines between fact and fiction.
Lecturer Profile: Dr Geraint D’Arcy
Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.
As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.
Suitable for: Year 12 & 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a more general interest in, mise en scène, special effects and/or District 9. In addition, students with a possible interest in a degree in Film Studies and related disciplines will gain an understanding of how films are explored and discussed at university. Student groups, and individual students and teachers are very welcome to join us.
Preparation/Pre-Reading: Students may wish to familiarise themselves with District 9.
The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.
Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: