Long Shot: The long shot shows the entire front half of the classroom, maybe to even look like you were amongst the students in the back. The classroom is basic with a blackboard and an old T.V. The setting is in the 1980s in a city called Middlesex. The long shots in this scene present the structure and "proper" morality that the faculty of Middlesex High School has.
Medium Shot: The medium shot that epitomizes the scene and its corniness is when the students have to read flash cards with specific scenarios of right and wrong doings. The students then have to draw an "X" on the "Spectrum of Emotion" graph drawn on the blackboard. The graph is linear and horizontal with only two represented emotions: Fear and Love. The are placed at opposite ends of the graph. The viewer can get a feel that the students are annoyed by this task, but they perform the assignment anyway with the least amount of enthusiasm as possible.
Close-up Shot: Donnie, the main character played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is asked by the teacher to place an "X" on whether he thinks Ling-Ling, the example from the flashcard, should give back the money from the misplaced wallet. The teacher asks him if she is expressing fear or love when she doesn't take the money and returns the wallet. Donnie's closeup portrays his anger and confusion with the teacher and her whole philosophy that human emotions can be summed up by two words. He believes the spectrum is much broader, which it obviously is, but this is the scene that emphasizes the manipulation of people and false beliefs to cope with life. The video which prompts the whole "Lifeline Discussion" is supposed to be life changing and motivational even though it is full of lies, hypocrites, and ignorance.
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