The Shawshank Redemption
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
Dictionary Definitions
Redemption (n) - The act of redeeming.
Redeeming (adj) - Serving to compensate for faults or
deficiencies.
Redeem (vb) - 1. To recover possession of by payment of a price
or service. 2. To convert (bonds or shares) into cash. 3. To pay off
(a loan or debt). 4. To recover (something mortgaged or pawned).
5. To exchange (coupons) for goods. 6. To fulfil (a promise) 7. To
reinstate someone's good opinion. 8. To make amends for. 9. To
recover from captivity, esp. by a money payment.
Taken from,
The Collins Pocket Dictionary, HarperCollins Publishers, England,
1989.
The Shawshank Redemption
Viewing Worksheet
Complete the following questions as you watch the film.
The Beginning Scene(s)
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What happens to Andy du Fresne and Red?
What do we learn of Andy and Red's characters?
Introduction to Shawshank

What do we learn of the nature of the prison? Give examples.
Degradation

What does Andy endure in the first few years? Be accurate
and specific.
The Rooftop Scene
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What do you learn about dignity, courage and hope from this
scene?
The Library
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What does the library represent to Andy? Think about time,
education, friends, music and hope.
Music

Identify a scene where music is important. Explain how it is
used and to what effect.
Minor Characters
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Using evidence from the film, explain the following peoples
characteristics and say why they are important:
 Warden Norton
 Brooks
 Tommy
 Captain Hadley
 Can you think of any other secondary characters?
The Ending

What happens at the end of the film? What message does it
send to society?
The Shawshank Redemption
Plot Structure
The plot of a film usually follows a very clear dramatic structure. It
will begin with the exposition, where the scene is set, situation
established and characters introduced. The tension will then rise
steadily as a series of small conflicts build to a climax. This is the
point where the conflict within a character or between characters is
most intense. After this event, the tension levels decrease as some
sort of decision is reached, resulting in a resolution.
The entertainment value of a plot is determined by humour, action,
tension and the unexpected.
Plot Activity
Students are to graph the dramatic structure of The Shawshank
Redemption, where the vertical axis is tension level and the
horizontal axis is plot development. They must provide clear
examples from the film for each part of the graph.
The Shawshank Redemption
Themes
There are many controversial issues dealt with in this film. These
range from sodomy to loyalty and friendship. The following is a list
of some of the most important themes touched on in the movie.
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Courage
Loyalty
The power of the mind vs. the power of authority
Institutionalisation
Corruption
Justice/injustice
Freedom
Form a group of 3-5. Choose a theme from the list above.
Elaborate on the theme by creating a series of dot points with
specific references to scenes within the film. Where possible use
quotations to support your theme. Poster paper will be provided.
The Shawshank Redemption
Power
The characters in the film can be divided in numerous ways:
a. Prisoners vs. Guards - Where the guards have the legal and
perceived power
b. Andy vs. Norton - Andy has the 'real' power ie; his intellect
and inner strength
c. The Sisters vs. Other Prisoners - The sisters have physical
power (in numbers) but Andy has the power to fight them
mentally
d. The Prisoners vs. the Outside World - The prisoners lose their
power to fear of the unknown
e. Norton/Hadley vs. The Law - Ironic that these characters who
are perceived 'upholders' of the law are more corrupt that
some prisoners.
The Shawshank Redemption
Jigsaw Activity
Instructions
Divide the class into as many groups as there are in each group ie;
5 groups of 5. These are the expert groups and each group will
have one question to discuss (see below). The groups are then
broken again so that the new groups have one person from each of
the old groups, this is called a 'home' group. Each person in this
group must share their ideas on the one question that they
discussed in their 'expert' group. This way everybody ends up
covering/discussing all of the questions.
Questions for the Jigsaw Activity
1. Explain the meaning of institutionalised. How does it apply to
Brooks?
2. What aspect(s) of prison life are emphasised throughout the
movie? Give examples.
3. Why does the Pacific Ocean have such appeal to Andy?
4. How do all the prisoners accept one another’s crimes in the
prison? How is this significant?
5. List some examples of corruption of the legal process and the
corrections process in the movie.
6. In what respects is justice finally achieved in the movie?
Comment.
The Shawshank Redemption
Film Terms and Definitions
Also see The Language of Film.
Shots
EXTREME CLOSE-UP (ECU): Emphasises a portion of the face, a
small detail.
CLOSE-UP (CU): Close-up (often of a face). Draws attention to
detail, especially facial reaction.
MEDIUM CLOSE-UP (MCU): Figure framed from the chest up.
MEDIUM SHOT (MS): Figure framed from the waist up.
LONG SHOT: Also known as 'establishing shot'. Indicates the
environment and places the human figure in a setting.
Angles
LOW ANGLE SHOT: Camera positioned low, looking up. Emphasises
the size of the object in frame.
HIGH ANGLE SHOT: Camera positioned high, looking down.
Emphasises the vulnerability of the object or person in focus.
WIDE ANGLE SHOT: Special lens gives wide-angle view - gives
context or setting of action.
SUBJECTIVE/POINT OF VIEW SHOT: A shot from the perspective of
a character ie: seeing it through their eyes.
Movement
STATIC: The subject remains in relatively the same position.
ZOOM: A smooth change in focal length to make the objects in the
frame appear to come closer or recede. The camera does not move.
PAN: Camera swivels slowly, giving a sweeping view of a wide area.
HEAD ON: Subject moves towards the camera, this involves the
audience.
TAIL AWAY: Subject walks away from camera, often a final shot.
TILT: Camera tilts up or down.
TRACKING SHOT: Camera moves along a track on a dolly, keeping
pace with a moving object, which is being filmed.
PULL BACK TRACK: Camera moves back from an object first seen in
close-up. It places the object in context and is sometimes used as a
surprise technique.
CRANE SHOT: Camera is placed on a crane and can move in any
direction.
FREEZE FRAME: All movement on screen stops - action is frozen.
Special Purpose Shots
CUT: Abrupt end to a shot. One shot is instantly replaced on screen
by another. This is sometimes used to emphasise a change in mood
or to point to a contrast.
CROSS-CUTTING: Cutting back and forth between two scenes to
create the impression that they are happening at the same time.
Again, this is often used to point to a contrast.
RE-ESTABLISHING SHOT: Usually a long shot, it shows the
audience the whole scene once again slowly.
FADE: image slowly fades from the screen, usually to black.
DISSOLVE: As one image fades out, another fades in. The two
images will be mixed together for a time.
Camera Adjustment
SHALLOW FOCUS: Focus is clear in only one plane, the rest of the
image is blurred.
DEEP FOCUS: All areas from foreground to background are in focus.
Other Terms
FRAME: A single image; 24 projected frames per second create the
illusion of movement
MIS EN SCENE: The composition, the placement of objects within
the frame, the setting, the lighting, what is happening.
SHOT OR TAKE: The footage taken by one camera without
interruption.
SCENE: A segment of film in which the narrative takes place in a
single space and time.
SEQUENCE: A segment of film involving a complete stretch of
action.
SOUND EFFECTS (SFX): Sound effects - noises other than the
spoken voice.
VOICE OVER / VOICE OFF: A voice is heard but the person speaking
is not on screen or does not appear to be talking. May be an unseen
narrator or a character's thoughts.
GRAPHICS: Lettering or drawing by artists eg. for credits.
SOUND
Background Noise - This creates the atmosphere in a scene, for
example the sound of intercoms, a lot of people talking and planes
taking off will give the impression of an airport.
Background Music - This usually ties in with the action. It can be
used to let the audience know what is about to happen or to affect
their emotions. The music heard at the start of a film sets the tone
for the whole film and is sometimes repeated at important times
throughout. There are many different types of music used in films:
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Loud, rhythmic and fast - supports violent or rapid action
Soft, melodic, use of harmony - romantic
Sudden and discordant, use of brass and percussion humorous
Electronic, synthesised - sci-fi
Rising melody, discordant - builds tension.
LIGHTING
Natural Light - The best shots are made with light to one side of the
subject. This avoids heavy shadowing, little shadowing (which
creates a flat appearance) and squinting. Shadowy outdoor areas
create dark pictures.
Key/Modelling Light - Towards the subjects face at eye level. Gives
the effect of natural shadows.
Fill Light - This is a lower powered light nearer to the camera. It
softens the key light so that the shadows are not so dark.
Back Light - A light high up behind the subject creates a halo effect
and gives depth to the scene. A stronger, lower backlight gives a
silhouette effect.
The Shawshank Redemption
Introduction to Shawshank Prison
Crane shot shows us the prison from a bird’s eye view, sweeping
views establish and emphasise the prison's size.
The music is slow, played by stings and has a deep drawn out bass,
which adds to the feeling that this is a place of sadness.
The colours are bleak. Prisoner's uniforms are grey (as is the sky)
and the lighting is dull.
We see the prison through Andy's eyes as he enters. Moves from a
low angle of the entrance to an undershot, which gives the
impression that he is entering a place of misery and will not emerge
for a long time. Again the sheer size of the place is shown in an
imposing way.
Inside the prison it is dark, lit only by natural light from the
windows. This creates long shadows which give an eerie, cold
feeling and we get the suspicion that all is not as it should be,
shadows hide secrets.
The Shawshank Redemption
Scene Analysis
Camera Shots and
Angles
Sound/ Music
Effects
Lighting
Overall Effect on
Audience
To assist you in understanding how filmic techniques are used to
create meaning we will be viewing a series of important scenes from
the movie. Use the above chart to report your findings.
The Shawshank Redemption
The Literary Essay
A literary essay is one in which a piece or piece(s) of literature is
analysed.
INTRODUCTION: A paragraph in which you state your point of view,
outlining what it is you will be saying in the 'meat' of the essay.
The name and author of the piece of literature should always be
written into the introduction.
In this introductory paragraph you also say which aspects of the
literature you will be discussing, for example plot, style, themes etc.
BODY: This is made up of paragraphs. In each of these paragraphs
you discuss one aspect. Remember to follow this pattern:
1. State your point in a topic sentence.
2. Support this with a reason.
3. Give an example from the text you are dealing with. It can be
in your own words or it can be quotation.
CONCLUSION: This is the final paragraph in which you sum up your
essay and re-state your original points.
Do not introduce any new ideas or opinions in the conclusion. It is a
finishing point, a summary. The final sentence should assert your
point of view firmly.