Debra Graniks

The World of Winter

Featurette: about Project Design & Subjectivity

FT250 Project. Xinyu Zheng
 Grand Jury Prize:
Dramatic Film & the
Best Screenplay
Director: Debra Granik / Release Date: June 11, 2010 (USA) Award at the 2010
Sundance Film
Festival
Best Film, Best
Actress (Lawrence)
and the Fipresci
Prize at the 2010
Berlin Film Festival
in Germany and at
the 2010 Stockholm
International Film
Festival
Best Feature and
Best Ensemble
Performance at the
2010 Gotham
Awards
 American independent film
director

Masterpiece
Snake Feed (1997)
Down to the Bone (2004)
Winters Bone (2010)

Awards:
Sundance Film Festival: Best Short in 1998 for Snake Feed; the Dramatic Directing Award in
2004 for Down to the Bone; the Grand Jury Prize for Drama in 2010 for Winter's Bone
Deauville American Film Festival: Prix du jury in 2010 for Winter's Bone
Athena Film Festival: the Director's Award for vision and talent in 2011

Debra Graniks films deal with issues of personal strength and will power, like
the character of Ree Dolly in Winters Bone.
 For avoiding from
eviction, a 17 years old
girl, Ree, is on her trip
to find her missing father who is
released on bail. On this trip, she
experienced different treatments from
her relatives and finally, saved her
family by her own

One day, the sheriff BASKIN tells Ree that if Jessup doesnt show for the trail,
they will lose their house and all other wealthy things because Jessup used
these for his bond.

For protecting their house which is the only shelter for her whole family,
Ree is on her way for finding Jessup.
 She contacts everyone
who might know where
her father is, but gets
nothing. Time is limited, so she decides
to meet more dangerous person who
will definitely hurt her because her out-
of-rule action.

Finally, when Ree feels hopeless

and has already tried everything she could do, Merab comes to Ree and brings
her to a river where Jessups body is.

With sadness and sorrow, Ree brings back a part of her fathers body and
then, she gives this body part to Sheriff Baskin for proofing her fathers death,
and also for protecting her house and family
 (( REE
She has a poor family since her
father, JESSUP, got caught in jail for
cooking the drug and is willing to do
anything for protecting her family.

She has two younger brothers, 8-

year-old HAROLD and 10-year-old
SONNY, and her mother, CONNIE got
a mental disease because of what
Family-lover & protector Insistent
Strong

Jessup had done.

Tough
HEROINE
16 years old
Role as a drug-dealers daughter Rees character is fully displayed
when she told her brother:
never ask for what ought
to be offered.

Character Design
 TEARDROP ))
Jessups brother, also, Rees
only uncle TEARDROP. At first,
he is unwilling to offer any help
and threatens Ree to stop finding
Jessup.

However, when Ree is in

danger, Teardrop comes to save
Ree from Thumps family and Saver & Helper Lonely Wolf Rees Uncle
negotiates with Thump. Fearless
Protect her Like a Father
Finally, He admits that Ree is
his family member, so that, he
helps Ree to find his father.

Character Design
 Location setting

The whole story happens in this rural Ozarks of

the central United States, and the director uses
plenty of shots to introduce the location and Rees
towns background.

The gouged landscape and the thick texture of

the Ozarks introduces a different side of the Unite
States which can draw audiences attention through
making them feel connected to the story.

This solid and obvious location setting relates

audience to the story and also makes the world of
novel look more realistic to its viewers. Also, it
becomes the basis serves for the plot fluent.

Setting and Sets Key Word:

Countryside Landscape
 Location setting

For illustrating the setting of Winters Bone,

Granik also sets plenty of empty shots or shows Ree
walking alone. This comparison displays an extreme
gap between huge landscape and a lonely girl. On
this side, this setting describes a hollow space and
also reveals a melancholic mood what Ree can feel.

+ Relating to Expressionism I
conveyed psychological state through mise-en-scene

Inside these shots, viewers can read Rees

loneliness, helplessness, and fear due to this
comparative setting of character and location.
However, the another reason for expressing characters mental world is the use
of specific lighting, which is also a part of mise-en-scene elements.

Setting and Sets Key Word:

Loneliness
When the Sheriff asks Teardrop and Ree to stop and get out of the car

Three Point Lighting

- Key Light Illustrating the characters

- Backlighting moods through use of lighting
- Fill Lighting

Relating to Expressionism II
Using Lighting to emphasize emotion and tension
Indoor: Three Point Lighting
Lighting
 Indoor: Three
Point Lighting

When the Sheriff asks Teardrop and Ree to stop and get out of the car
Illustrating the
In these shots, the set of lighting is:
characters moods
- use key light to focus on actors face, so that audiences can see his every
through use of lighting
subtle emotion change from his face clearly.
- use fill light and backlight as supplement to depict the background with
very emotional-related dark background.

- It helps audience relate or feel what the character is feeling

Lighting
 Indoor: Three
Point Lighting

When the Sheriff asks Teardrop and Ree to stop and get out of the car
Illustrating the
Left: when he was driving, he was told to stop by the sheriff. This may also be a
characters moods
danger for Ree who Teardrop wants to protect. So, he is hesitating what
through use of lighting
is appropriate while the key light focuses on his face, but the fill light in his
eyes is floating.
The audience can see his emotion is stable without any subtle change, but

from the highlight in his eyes, they can read his hesitate.

Lighting
 Indoor: Three
Point Lighting

When the Sheriff asks Teardrop and Ree to stop and get out of the car
Illustrating the
Right: In this shot, Teardrop watches back to the sheriff through his rearview
characters moods
mirror. The framing of this shot is meaningful that illustrating he doesnt
through use of lighting
want to get out of his car or even look back to the sheriff.
Also, from this shot, his emotion is much more serious than earlier, and the
key light focusing on his face allows audience can understand his emotion

while showing plenty of background as a supplementary setting.

Lighting
 Awards
Cinematographer
2011 Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Michael McDonough nominated Best Cinematography
Winters Bone
2011 Chlotrudis Awards
won Best Cinematography
Winters Bone
2011 Independent Spirit Awards
nominated Best Cinematography
Winters Bone

Known For

Winters Bone 2010 / Starred Up 2013

Albert Nobbs 2011 / Sunset Song 2015

Point of View & Shot - Framing
Winters Bone is a mystery first, so its
appropriate that McDonoughs camera is
often not entirely settled, gently shifting the
frame if not more overtly peering around the
corner or over a characters shoulder.
A SPIRITED Q & A WITH WINTERS BONE
CINEMATOGRAPHER MICHAEL MCDONOUGH

In this shot, Teardrop is showed in the

rearview mirror, and this might be in the
Sheriffs perspective. Audiences can feel how
cruel and dangerous Teardrop is in this
situation through his point of view that they
can only see Teardrops one eye and
indifference emotion.

Also, this composition of framing is fantastic which shows the viewers the offscreen space
to indicate the space is limited because they cannot see what happens inside the car. This use of
framing works as collaboration with the point of view perspective, and additionally, the low
saturation of color outside of the car and high contrast inside the mirror also work as
supplement to enable audiences can focus on Teardrops face.
 Side A
Base Color of Whole Film:
Dark and Shady
Contrast & Color bronze/green/ grey

According to the title of the film -- Winters Bone,

the dark and shady color really does reveal the
atmosphere of Winter.
On the other hand, the darker color tone always
reminds viewers with more negative actions and plots,
such as drug-cooking, violence, killing or gangster
family in Winters Bone.
In addition, working in concert with the lighting,
the darkness of color also depicts Rees fear,
helplessness and desperate feeling. It is the most
visible way to convey the negative mood and
characters emotion through a heavy shot with dark
color tone.
 Side B
Base Color of Whole Film:
Bright and Smooth
Contrast & Color green/yellow

Interestingly, whenever Ree is with her family

members or stays at where she wants to go such as
school or home, the tone of film changes to a much
brighter and comfortable yellow.
When Ree stays with her brother and sister, the
outdoor scenery looks warm and sweet.
This comparison between the two bases of color
tone reveals what Ree feels about her life and all the
other troubles around her. Also, it shows how her
world looks like in Rees subjective point of view.
 Meanwhile, even thought
there are series of comparisons
of different color tones showed
Contrast & Color in Winters Bone, the color tone
is still extremely unified in each
situation.
For instance, when Teardrop goes to a local bar
for asking some information, inside the bar, the color
is in a very unified bronze/ yellow tone with low
contrast. In addition, this tone is also applied to the
outside scene at the same time which should be in a
darker blue tone as usual.
This use of unified color tone helps the audience
to see these shots as a continued sequence but not two
things happens in different places.
About Gender: Feminist Film Theory
In the world of Winters Bone, the heroine, Ree, is the
only role which leads the story, even though his uncle,
Teardrop offers her some help in the later part of the film.

While male vision is often associated with ownership

and power, Rees toughness and strong make her look
unbeatable and in power. However, she will also be scared
of those dangerous people, worry about the future of her
family, or be sad about her fathers missing.

These two images of Ree are displayed as crossover

and also makes her personality more realistic but not a
heroine Leading the Film & Plot symbol of strong women role.
About Gender: Feminist Film Theory

How Ree teaches her sister and brother

to use the gun for hunting
Ree is beaten by Dolly family's women

Violence and Female Roles

About Gender: Feminist Film Theory
After Ree went to visit Little Arthur at
the second time and ignores his wifes
warning, she was beaten by his wife and
the other women from their family.
When Teardrop comes to save Ree,
Little Arthurs wife tells him that no man
touches this crazy girl, and she beat Ree
with the other women.
This plot connects female roles with
committing violence in a serious way. Also,
it reveals that in the world of Winters Bone,
women can be violent and cruel.
Ree is beaten by Dolly family's women

Violence and Female Roles

 Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White. The Film Experience: An Introduction. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. Print.
Ryzik, Melena (November 29, 2010). "'Winter's Bone' Dominates at Gothams". New
York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
Saito, Stephen. A Spirited Q & A with Winters Bone Cinematographer Michael
McDonough. IFC, 2 Feb. 2011, http://www.ifc.com/2011/02/michael-
mcdonough.
"Winners 2010 Stockholms filmfestival". stockholmfilmfestival.se. Stockholm
International Film Festival. Retrieved 2010-11-28.
Winters Bone. Directed by Debra Granik, performances by Jennifer Lawrence, John
Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, and Dale Dickey, Roadside
Attractions, 2010.Directed.
Zeitchik, Steven (January 31, 2010). "'Winter's Bone' wins grand jury prize for drama
at Sundance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 30, 2010.