Second Term Paper Outline

I. Introduction - Gravity (2013), Alfonso Cuaron, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

II. Thesis - Gravity is a movie that centers around the physics of deep space, but at its core, it is a movie, and a movie tells a story. Although the movie often breaks Newton's first law of motion (any object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by another force), it does so to further the action and continue the story.

III. Body

     1. Dr. Bryan Stone is hurled away into space. She tumbles and spins, but eventually slows down.

         A. In space, there is no air resistance, and no friction, so Dr. Stone should have                     continued spinning and tumbling until she encountered another force.

         B.  Despite how the physics was wrong, audience was not pulled out of the moment because Dr. Stone did not come to a complete stop, instead she slowed down spinning enough to be rescued  by Matt Kowalski. This was a choice to further the action in a believable although false way.

     2. Dr. Stone is tethered to a heavy object, and she catches a free flying Matt Kowalski, but his  momentum keeps pulling him away from Stone.

         A. There is a scene that accurately portrays what should have happened. Kowalski has Stone tethered to himself as he uses a thruster pack to propel    himself through space. Kowalski moves and changes  direction, which jerks Stone to and fro.

                     - Stone is continuing to move in one direction, but once Kowalski changes direction, she experiences an abrupt jerk because she must change direction as well.

         B. The decision was made to somehow have Kowalski's momentum carry him away from Stone despite the fact that her efforts should have pulled him towards her, in order to heighten suspense and tension.

      3. When Stone removes her helmet inside of the space station and she is floating in zero gravity, her hair stays flat on her head as if she were on earth.

           A. There is a scene that accurately portrays how her hair should have behaved. Stone begins to cry and when her tears leave her eyes, they float away, along with other miscellaneous objects that are not strapped down.

           B. This is a detail problem that could take viewers out of the moment.

                   

IV. Conclusion - Whenever the movie breaks Newton's First Law, it is for the sake of furthering the plot, or creating tension and suspense. At times Newton's First Law may be broken by an apparent lack of attention to detail, however, in consideration of how well done the rest of the movie is, this minor detail can be     overlooked. Overall, the movie accurately portrays a sense of claustrophobia and oppression in space, where if an object is in motion, it will continue forever and ever unless it comes into contact with another force.