Aaaaaaa English is hard...

Apartheid- a system of legislation enforcing racial segregation- introduced mandatory curfews, separate facilities, and many other rules along the lines of separation of people based on their race. In the motion picture, The Power of One, adequately directed by John Avildsen, the reality of Apartheid and its impacts are artfully captured. The scene where Gideon Duma and PK are running around Alexandria truly captured the harsh lifestyle that the Black Africans had to live in. From the costumes that the characters wear to the way each and every prop is placed, the ‘going for a run’ scene sincerely captures an authentic reality of the grim neighbourhood.

In many films, the diegetic sound is used in order to present a sense of reality. Diegetic sound is purposely used in this sense to draw attention to what is going on within the scene. Despite the fact that non-diegetic sound is very prominent in this scene, it is the diegetic sound that truly enhances how accurate the scene is to the period of time it is attempting to portray. As PK and Gideon Duma jog around Alexandria, multiple diegetic sounds can be heard such as children playing. As they make their way towards the centre of Alexandria, they pass a large truck containing many black Africans. It is an Afrikaner truck, taking black Africans away from their homes. During these events, multiple commands from the Afrikaners can be heard. Their large, bulky boots kicking into the black Africans make loud thudding sounds. John Avidlsen skillfully crafted this scene to illustrate the ghastly life that the black Africans had. By having the commotion, the audience will be able to understand how the black Africans were treated by the Afrikaners. Hearing what left the lips of the Afrikaners, certainly made my sympathy for the Africans increase. There is no question that the black Africans were treated horribly by the Afrikaners, the diegetic sound in this scene confirms this statement further. In order to have the audience form sympathy for the characters in a film, the director needs to think very carefully about what they put in their scenes. By having the Afrikaners abuse the black Africans on screen the audience can see and hear the maltreatment. If you could not hear the mistreatment, the scene would not be as effective as it is with the diegetic sound. Diegetic sound. This simple film technique truly exposes the audience to how the black Africans lived. As a matter of fact, diegetic sound truly enhances the viewing experience as well as other techniques such as costumes

Diegetic sound. This simple film technique truly exposes the audience to how the black Africans lived. As a matter of fact, diegetic sound truly enhances the viewing experience as well as other techniques such as costumes. Costumes are one of the many tools that directors use to tell a story, they communicate ideas that simple dialogue cannot get across. The people of Alexandria all have tattered clothing that is filthy. Most of the female characters have the same shirt and skirt or dress and a scarf covering their hair. The women seen piling into the Domestic worker’s bus are all wearing the same uniform and sombre demeanour. The majority of males seen in this scene all wear tattered black or brown trousers and mostly blue shirts. Some of the men are wearing vests and blazers, but this is not many of them. Hats are another very common item of clothing among the black Africans. Many of them have battered clothing upon their bodies. The design of the costumes provides very strong support for the visual aspect of the story. Within an instant of gazing upon the costumes, you can tell what character the actor is portraying. John Avildsen did a superb job with ensuring that the costumes fit the characters. With putting the actors in ratted up costumes that looked like they haven’t been washed in years, the concept of living in Alexandria becomes more clear. The upkeeping of clothing would be very difficult living in Alexandria. So the idea of frayed and ripped costumes is pure artistry at its finest. Costumes are incredibly important because they display who the character is and where they come from. Without these costumes, it would be much harder to tell who the characters are. The audience can clearly see who the characters are due to the costumes. The clothing choices reflect the era and location very well. These costumes articulate the ideas of the film perfectly. Costume pieces can make or break a film. In regards to the film The Power of One, the costumes well and truly take the cake. The amazingly thought out designs and fabrics undoubtedly impacted how the audience viewed the scene. Without these essential elements, the scene wouldn’t be the same. The costume aspect of the film corresponds with the setting of the film extremely well.

Black Africans suffered immensely and the conditions that they lived in weren’t sufficient enough to fulfil the needs that the large group of people had. The ‘going for a run’ scene is an impeccable example of showcasing the setting. During the Apartheid movement, circumstances for the black Africans were rough, to say the least. In the scene, it is very obvious that the black Africans did not have it very easy based on how the scene was set. As the camera pans, following the boys with every step that they take, you can see that every spare spot of land is flooded by people. There is no space for any more. There is only one toilet for every 200 people. There are limited resources for the large demand of many people. This large number of people piled in one tiny, confined space really proved that life in Alexandria was truly horrible. With the one toilet and the large queue of people lining up to use one dirty toilet really stood out to me. It truly displayed how truly horrible the conditions were. John Avildsen set the scene in this manner because he wanted to draw attention to the fact that Alexandria was a very rough place to live in. The conditions were very devastating. The audience can truly see how horrible the conditions in Alexandria are simply based on how the scene is set. Avildsen really nailed this scene on the head in terms of displaying the true nature and lives of the people in Alexandria. When the audience see that the people of Alexandria have such harsh lives, they begin to grow even more sympathy for the poor people. Their lives are filled with such torment and pain and the audience can live and breathe that while being immersed in this scene. There are many alluring scenes in The Power of One. Avildsen had really perfected these scenes and made them the best that he could. This particular scene is dazzling. It changes peoples perspectives on their own lives. Many people don’t appreciate the amazing lives that they have and scenes such as this really open peoples eyes. All of the aspects previously mentioned all fit together because of the setting.

The Apartheid era was a very dark time in history. Established by the Afrikaner National Party in 1948, the legal system of legislation enforcing racial segregation known as Apartheid was destructive. The motion picture The Power of One artfully captured the perspective and lives of black Africans during the time of Apartheid. Using the film techniques Diegetic sound, Costumes and Setting, the director John Avidlsen captured the perspective of black Africans in an appealing way. These aspects of the short scene all have a motive and express the main ideas to the audience perfectly. In conclusion, the film The Power of One is truly remarkable and recounts an amazing story.

What am I proud of? 
I am actually very proud of this essay, it is the best piece of work that I have done in English so far. I put a lot of effort into this essay and I managed to get a very nice score. I went into a lot of detail and it made sense. I worked a lot at home on this as well, I managed to do all of this before it was due. I got an Achieved above the expected level for my score and I am very glad.

What can I do to improve my essays next time? 
Miss Johnson said that I should try to make more connections to the real, current world in my links. I completely agree with this because this would really amp my essay up more if I did that. My links were more connected to the past, whereas if I connected to the real world today, it would be more current and interesting.