Hi!
In this scene, Mr. Griffiths has called Olive into his class for an individual discussion. She has internalized the reading assignment, and is reacting to her social drama by wearing a red letter 'A' on her newly promiscuous clothes. Mr. Griffiths noticed a change and wanted to speak to Olive about what was going on.
The camera angle in this shot is no longer authoritative. He is sitting at the same level that Olive is sitting. They are eye to eye, and the camera shoots them as equals. This is reflective of how he is approaching her as a concerned outsider, instead of as the authoritative teacher. The lighting is also a bit different. There is still natural light from the windows, but the blinds seem to be darkening the room in comparison to the classroom scene. In addition, there are some close-ups on parts of the conversation between the two, which emphasize the intimacy of this meeting. The camera angles and lighting, paired with the dialogue show that Mr. Griffiths likes Olive and is looking out for her best interest.
They have a very informal conversation. He tells her that he has noticed a change, and is worried she's taking the reading assignment too seriously. She jokingly refutes him by saying she deserves extra credit. He then makes a really funny statement about the generation of his students: " I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought... but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. 'Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof.' Who gives a rat's ass?" And then, he confides in her: "I apologize for sending you to the Principal's office. I didn't really want to. To be honest, and I'll deny this if you ever tell anyone, but I don't know what it is about Nina. I hate her and wanted to cheer with the rest of the class when you told her off."
Mr. Griffiths is very fond of Olive, knows she's a good students and is confident that the rumors circulating around school about her are false. In this scene he shows that he, and teachers in general, is human. Teachers aren't just about teaching, disciplining and instilling life-long lessons; instead, Mr. Griffiths shows that teachers have favorites, dislike students, genuinely care about students, and are there to help if needed.
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| This picture is a little squished, but it was the only one I could find of the conference. Mr. Griffiths has a similar expression on his face, but through dialogue we learn that it is one of concern for the change he noticed in Olive. |
Your description of the lighting in this scene is helpful; I like your comment that it creates a sense of intimacy, which seems very relevant to the scene.
ReplyDeleteYou are very sympathetic toward Mr. Griffiths (which may be justified! I haven't yet seen the movie.). But what do you think about his admission--to another student!--that he doesn't like Nina? You are right to note that teachers are human and do have favorites. But it certainly crosses a professional line to admit it, or act on it in any way!
Your point about the way the characters are filmed and seated makes sense: they are meant to be portrayed as equals having a conversation in this scene.