Name: Dagne Milasiute

The two different narrations, Conor’s in the book and the Monster’s/ 3rd person
perspective in the movie, help the viewer/reader better understand the magnitude of
the story and also helps see both perspectives.

Colors:
o The black and white images in the book are scarier which reflect the
uncertainty which is found at the end of the book-there is no concrete
ending, it is completely up to the reader’s interpretation, and I feel as
though sometimes uncertainty is the scariest.
o The movie has many scenes where the colors are being washed away,
this could symbolize the memories of Conors’ memories being faded
away. The black and white which are left can also reflect the uncertainty
and fear which Conor is experiencing.

Images:
o The moving images help the viewer get a better understanding between
Conor and the other characters.
o The still images are very nonspecific-Conor’s face is never actually shown
in the book. This anonymity can make the reader feel almost as though
they are Conor in the book.
Gesture:
o The unspoken gestures help the viewer empathize with the emotions
which the characters are experiencing.

Sound
o The non-diegetic sounds help the viewer subconsciously begin to prepare
themselves for the different scenes. Whether the sounds are somber,
happy, or even scary they help us better understand what is/will
happen(ing.)
o The diegetic sounds draw the viewer in and help them to feel as though
they are experiencing what Conor is experiencing for they are hearing
what he is hearing. (i.e. the rustling of the Monster’s branches)

Opening and Closing:

o In the Movie:
▪ The peritext of the crumbling ground serves as a foreshadow for
what is to happen later in the movie.
▪ Conor’s mom makes direct eye contact with the monster before
passing away and then Conor finds old illustrations of the
monster, leading viewers to believe that it was in fact real.
o In the book:
 ▪ The peritext of the blue end pages and dark illustrations can
reflect the joy of his life before his mom had cancer contradicted
with the nightmare which Conor experienced at the beginning of
the book.
▪ Conor is at the hospital and we never get a concrete answer of
what happens to his mom. The reader is left wondering if the
monster was real or not.

Cinematic features – camera angles, Lighting, framing, etc.

o By using a high-low angle/POV the monster is shown as powerful
o The emotions of characters are emphasized by the use of closeups
o The detail shots help add to the unspoken parts of the story and help the
viewer find closer, such as when Conor finds his mother’s old sketchbook
with the illustrations of the monster.

Book To Movie Comparison Guide

Trailer Analysis:
 How does the trailer establish character-character relationships?
o Shows the closeness of Conor and his mother
 How did the ticking of the clock impact the mood/tone of the trailer?
o Represented time ruining out-gave viewer a sense of being on-edge
 Why are the words used in the trailer and not in the book important to the
understanding of the story?
o They are meant to draw in viewers in order to sell the movie, not to tell
the story
 Would you be able to understand the trailer if you had not read the book since it
is just little snippets of the movie?
o Yes because it does give a general sense of what is going on in the story
 Is there a narrator?
o Yes—the monster?
 How does the incorporation of EXTRA scenes with Conor’s mother (as seen as
home videos on the TV) enhance the movie (pathos)?
o Viewers are able to empathize with the relationship and therefore feel
for Conor as though they were losing their mother
 What is highlighted by the trailer? How do they “tease you” to watch the movie?
o The destruction
o The monster
o The different relationships that Conor had with his mother, dad and
grandmother

Did the producers try to duplicate and stay true to the story or did they use creative
license?
Both, they stayed true to the story while adding more to it to provide closure
and better understanding for the viewer.
What was the purpose of making this into a movie?
To add in the aspects which could not be seen in a book, such as facial
expressions & non-diegetic sounds and also to provide closure.

Opening:
 How does the movie begin? How does the opening of the movie compare to the
book?
o In both the movie and book, Conor awakes from his nightmare.
 What is used to introduce the characters and plot?
o Book:Everything is introduced from Conor’s perspective
o Movie: Dialogue and third-person observations are used to introduce the
scenes
 What sounds are used to introduce the film and characters?
o Non-diegetic music
o Sound effects which are both diegetic and non-diegetic
 Is there a narrator? How does this affect both stories?
o Book: Conor & 3rd person narrator-this provides both a personal
connection to Conor and also gives the reader a better understanding of
the overall story
o Movie: No narrator in the overall story but the monster narrates the 3
short tales
 How do the moving images influence our thinking of the story?
o They give us a better understanding of the relationships between
characters. By seeing their different emotions, we are able to recognize
emotions which we as people have experienced and therefore better
relate to the emotions which are being experienced by the character.
 Analyze the use of the monster’s red eyes.
o Red is often used to represent evil and also power. Since the monster is a
monster and monsters are often though of as bad, this helps the viewer
relate to their preconceived notions of what a monster is. However,
because red is also representative of power, we are left thinking that the
monster truly isn’t a force to-be reckoned with.
Sound:
o There is music, it helps the viewer prepare themselves for upcoming
scenes while also being forced to feel whatever they are feeling more
strongly for music elicits emotions in people.

Setting
 Compare and contrast the setting we imagined with the one presented to us in
the movie
 Analyze how different settings (school, hospital, home) contributes to the
building of themes throughout the movie
 How does the weather help to influence the mood?
o Time- how is the timing of the movie different than the book?
 o Place- how does place affect the story?

Characters:
 How are the characters developed?
o Book: Through Conor’s perceptions of them
o Movie: Through dialogue and viewers options of them.
 How do we get to know the characters? Narrator?, character? From other
characters?
o Book: Through Conor’s eyes
o Movie: Through dialogue
▪ Why is the mom not bald in the movie when she is teased for it in
the book?
▪ To shelter the hard truth. Having the mom bald in the
movie would be the same as explicitly using the word
“cancer” in the book.
 Are there any characters from the book left out in the movie? Any characters
added?
o Lily is left out in the movie
 How do the appearances of the actors influence your feelings towards the
character?
o The actor who plays the father is made to seem as approachable and
more “humanized” therefore making him more likable
 Do the accents of the actors change the way the story is told? (setting
implications and how it changes our perspective on their lifestyle)
o No because you could tell that the characters are British in the book due
to the use of “mum” rather than “mom”
 How is the setting brought to life?
o We can see the scenes in the movies which are very realistic

Plot
 How do added or deleted scenes in the movie change the way you view and
relate to the story?
o The added movie scenes help better establish the relationship between
the mother and Conor for the viewer
o The end scene helps provide the viewer with closure while also opening
up new questions
▪ Did the mom tell Conor about the monster?
▪ Was the monster real?
 How do the illustrations in the book help to influence our interpretation of the
story? What about the scenes in the movie?
o The illustrations are very non specific-anyone could be Conor since his
face is never shown
o In the movie, we are able to better empathize with Conor however not
everyone is a 9 year old boy so it is harder to relate to Conor
  Compare the ending of the movie to the end of the book. Are they the same?
Different?
o Different
 How does tension build through sound in the movie? Does it move the story
along with the help of music?
o When the scenes become more tense, the music becomes more dramatic
therefore it moves the story along

Editing & Camera Work:

 How does the editing add to the story? Many cuts and edits or long scenes with
fewer cuts?
o When the monster is present the scenes are longer this shows us how
time might be seen are “extended” while the monster is helping Conor
come to terms with what is happening to his mom.
 Camera positions? How do we see the scenes?
o Third person
o POV
o Closeups
 What is the influence of shooting at a high or low angle on our view of a
character’s morality?
o By shooting scenes with the monster from a low angle-the monster is
shown as powerful
o When Conor is shown from above, he is shown as weaker
o When Conor is filmed from lower (i.e. cafeteria scene) he is powerful
 How are individual scenes ended? Fades? Dissolves? Abrupt cuts? Ect
o When the monster disappears, the cuts are abrupt almost as though
Conor is “snapping back" into reality.

Resolution:
 How do the endings compare?
o Book: No concrete ending. It is up to the reader to decide what happened
to Conor’s mom and Conor
o Movie: We are left knowing that Conor’s mom passes away and that he
moved in with his grandmother however we are still left to decide
whether the monster was real or not on our own.
 How do all the modes work together to bring the story to a close?
o The movie picks up where the book left off in the hospital scene and
shows the viewer what happened next, giving us a sense of calm because
Conor’s grandma’s house was made more “Conor-friendly” thus leaving
us calmer because we know things are going to be okay. However, the
illustrations in the mom’s book leave us wondering what is real and what
is not-something which Conor is also probably left wondering.