Timed-Writing Three

Directions: If you were to create a filmed advertisement (a "trailer" )for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, which scene would you select? Why? Discuss ways in which you might film the scene.

If I want to create a filmed advertisement for a movie based on The Grass-Eaters, I will pick the scene of the living condition of the protagonist who makes love with his wife in a tube which he optimistically called ‘Home’.

The story was about the real life of Hindus. The protagonist was a lower-middle class civil with a stable job. However, he lives a miserable life we could never image. The name of the movie-The Grass-Eaters is not easy to understand. Actually it represents the lifestyle of a large group of people who live in property and the only way for them to survive is to eat grass as their food. Moreover, The Grass-Eaters represent for a specific hierarchy in India society. Referred to the mixture religion of India, I understand part of the clues why Ajit Babu lived such a life. The India government was unable to provide the welfare to the people nationwide. The burden of India population is set to hinder the pace of national growing. And that is why we see a vivid life of poverty in such a developing country, so much alike China.

I have the following reasons to pick the scene of the prortagonist and his wife who are making love in a 'tube'. First, the ambiguous atmosphere of making love is a sharp contrast with the ratty environment. In China, ‘Home’ is the basic requirement for the couple to form a family. You can not live a marital life without a fixed address. Second, the 'tube' is the best symbol for the audience to imagine what a miserable life the protagonist is living.  The trailer should arouse the audiences' interests. Being curious to dig out the reason, they want to find out how the couple could make love in such a rubbishy room. The third reason for choosing this scene is that it is the best evidence to show that Ajit Babu lives with an optimistic attitude regardless of the physical evidence. Who will think about making love with his wife if in a bad mood? To sum up, In order to find a reason for a couple to live in such condition and to know more about Indian's religion and culture, the audience will pay for the movie.

Why people will be intersted in the movie? The other reason is that trailer shows the mysterious charming of India. Hinduism brings the protagonist the gift of tolerance that allows for different stages of worship, different and personal expressions of devotion and even different value. Most people in India believe in the reincarnation, which they make every effort for the higher state after the transfer of the soul into another body after death. I also believe the optimistic character reflected by the protagonist doesn't really reveals the flabbiness, but his strong will to survive instead. So I choose the scene of making love in a tube as the advertisement for the film. The human nature speaks the loudest.

I will film the scene with the Indian music at the very beginning. The melody leads us to the outside of the tube. Then we see the couple's faces. We could imagine that they are making love – the most private secret thing in the world. We could only hear the sound and some gestures of the protagonist and his wife. Everything should be indirect and ambiguous. However, most of us are familiar with the environment. At last we see the decoration of the tube. It was ratty and untidy. That is the end of the advertisement with an invitation for the audience to see the film.

22.6.07 04:13