PD4C - Portfolio Exercise - Seeing The Script: Premise

Armageddon premise:

After New York is damaged by hundreds of small meteorites, NASA formulate a plan to send a rocket up to a large asteroid heading to destroy Earth and blow it up from the center outwards, therefore sending the two halves and releasing the planet from being obliterated.

Armageddon point of view:

What belief or outlook does the story seek to express?

Audience point of view - The story is out to show that this planet is not invulnerable and although one unavoidable event from space (such as an Earth-bound asteroid) can destroy everything, there are forces out there (NASA etc., in this case) constantly on the look-out for such threats and plans are ready to be made to try to remove those dangers in extremely quick time. It also shows how mankind, no matter what background, religion, color etc., can work together and provide evidence that we can all work together and aim for the same thing when we really need to.

From whom or what does this thematic concern emerge?

Authorial or storyteller’s point of view - The thematic concern emerges from the discovery of an asteroid that is heading straight for Earth that is large enough to destroy everything living on it. Throughout the film, the narrator explains the events, from the realization of the threat at hand through to the climax of the film and finally, how it all ends.

What is the main character and what makes him or her important?

Authorial or storyteller’s point of view - There are seven central characters (five on the rocket, one daughter/love interest and one main NASA staff member), although one of those five on the rocket could be considered the main character. He can be thought to be the main character for a number of reasons:

1. After the asteroid is discovered, NASA sends out men to pick him up from an oil rig that he own/where he works to get his assistance.
2. Once agreeing to go with the NASA workers, he tells them he will only go if he takes some of the workers from the rig with him (that are his best friends and turn out to be some of the central characters throughout the film).
3. He is the character that keeps the other characters sane whilst in space.
4. He is the father of one of the central characters (who is brought along when the main character goes with the NASA workers and is dating on of the rig workers (who is also brought along when the main character goes with the NASA workers)).
5. The detonator to set the bomb off to destroy the asteroid is damaged and he stays behind when several of the central characters are on the rocket to head home to manually detonate the bom