Film Techniques against the Theme of “Change” Essay

How atomic number 18 we made aw ar of the film makers stance towards commute? Refer to collar specific episodes from the film. (excl. concl. stages)In Pleasantville, the film producer, Gary Ross, conveys his attitude towards change through the characters of David and Jennifer who atomic number 18 transported into the 1950s sitcom Pleasantville. He doesnt needfully demonstrate change to bear a overbearing result rather, he addresses that change is essential to the study of society and self and that it is important to belowstand and subscribe change. Ross contrasts the ignorance and mindlessness of the idempo cristalt lot of Pleasantville with the hunger for intimacy that the changed (or coloured) people possess, communicating to the lulu that change and experience go hand in hand.Ross as well portrays and somewhat satirises an unchanged societys people to be ruled by their own mindlessness, and in their epiph both, translates to the pictureer that change can come from within or from international unitarys self that is different for anyone. Dark overtones are employ to pair the Pleasantville to a society under fascist rule. However, in the end, change give always affect e re all in allyone and this naturalfound misgiving will benefactor to overcome the changes encountered in the future that may seek to detriment the society. The trine vistas which will be discussed in relation to the movie makers attitude towards change are the give view, the classroom stab, and the rain scene.The breakfast scene is the scene where Betty is piling fare on other nourishment and topping it off with maple syrup for Mary-Sues breakfast. The auditory modality is overwhelmed at the ridiculous amount of food that is macrocosmness placed on her plate, which is understandn by extreme close-up and cuts of the shots of every time another food item is slapped onto the plate, and is attach to by an upbeat music. The earshot agnizes that the perso n under the guise of Mary-Sue is Jennifer, stereotypical of an American teenage girl, so she is natur all in ally c at oncerned ab forth her weight and watches the food she eats. The scene is ironic because such a with child(p) breakfast is the exact type of meal she would be trying to avoid.The scene is connaturally hyperbolic as even in the 1950s, it would be consideredridiculous to eat such a variety of foods for just one morning meal. The jumpy non-diegetic music timed with the ready shots of food being placed on the plate, and the jump-cuts presentation the responses of a horrified Jennifer when seeing all this food, advert create blotal humour. The reason that all these techniques commit been used to create humour is to present a sitcom-style situation. In doing this, Gary Ross satirises the mindlessness of the unchanged people and this pop offs important as the storyline progresses.The breakfast scene is also a place which emblematicalally informs the sense of hea ring of the current muckle of Pleasantville. Betty is piling food which would normally be considered tasty by the auditory sense once in a while and individually pancakes, salami, bacon and eggs. This is what could be represented in the saying Too often of a goodish thing is neer good. The incongruous mix of foods is measuredly used by the filmmaker to make the audience tincture un alleviateable. It is symbolically stating that in that location are alike many good things in Pleasantville. There is also a sense that this is the situation day-to-day, meaning at that place is no change.This can be inferred from the ease and comfort with which Betty is placing the food on Mary-Sues plate. It is as if she has been doing this her satisfying life. The final food item is the syrup being slowly poured onto all the other foods, which is shown for a longish amount of time than the other foods and with the music sightly slower, closely as if poison. This symbolises the sickly sw eet idiosyncrasy which has consumed the people of Pleasantville. Ross is effectively trying to convey the crust of a sickly sweet society who has never seen anything other than the norm and has never experienced any change.This suggestion can be merelyed in the banter of the films black and white(p) technique. The black-and-white technique is not just important in the distinguishing of changed people from unchanged people. It was conventionally used in Noir films to represent the dark overtones of the society. It is used as a motif in Pleasantville for the majority of the beginning of Jennifer and Davids adventure (until things start to change, that is). This is especially significant with all the subtle implicationsand allusions to a Nazi-style dictatorship. For example, the burning of books is reminiscent of that in 1936 when the German government burnt all books which would equalize its rule, in fear that the society it governed would think of rebelling. unsound sour grass is the obvious ruler, as he is almost always seen with a low shot, making him sort big and powerful to the audience. chase afters situation is similar, burning books to stop changes occurring. Books are seen as plant life of art which are derived from the imagination of persuasion people. Bobs censorship practices extend to the prohibition of Mr Johnson from utilise colours to paint (that is, from using the full cessation of his imagination) in his Code of Conduct. In this way, he is much like the German government in the 30s. However, he wants to continue his rule without any violent face-off plainly pleasantness.There is irony however, as there is vandalism and disruption when the draw omit is broken into and sabotaged because of his encouragement, which is the exact opposite of pleasant. The fact that people submitted to this way of life (where everything is sickly sweet) without encounter before (before changes were introduced) shows that they were not ruled by Bob, notwithstanding really by the restrictions they placed on themselves. Bob is only used to embody the fears and restrictions and ignorance that the Pleasantville society possesses. The filmmaker is trying to convey through these situations and allusions that those who resist change are irrational and are ruled by their own ignorance.The classroom scene when the students are nurture about the geography of Pleasantville encapsulates the nature of the whole Pleasantville society. The students are used to learning the same thing everyday (since they already know the answers to the questions). The mise en scene of the students positions is incongruous. They are high school students but arrive at their backs substantial and behaving as if they are in kindergarten. They seem very comfortable, though, but when Jennifer confronts the teacher with the question Whats outside of Pleasantville? they are shocked.A panning shot from the transfer of view of Jennifer shows the reaction of the c lass, and the serenity adds to the tension. After the teacher assures the students that there is nothing outside of Pleasantville, and that the roads begin wherethey end, a sigh of relief ripples uniformly throughout the class. This reaction illustrates how fearful the students are of change and questioning the norm, since it is occult and unfamiliar. The fact that the students have no appetite for experience is related to their inexperience of change. Thus, Ross is effectually demonstrating that change and knowledge go hand in hand.Later, in the Milk Bar, when everyone is questioning David about the fire, the same students show a thirst for knowledge. The way they keep pressing David to tell a mapping them about places outside Pleasantville is contrasted to the classroom scene. Again, the technique of silence is employed, but this time in a freer ambience with curiosity instead of fear and with non-diegetic music which depicts a cheeky mood. It depicts the way David is about to break the rules by allowing people to know information that he thinks they shouldnt because it will throw their whole universe out of whack. In this way, Ross illustrates to the audience that change is about education rather than the results produced (whether positive or veto).The classroom scene creates an interesting contrast to the classroom scene in the real world. At school, students are conscious their futures are crystal clear both sure and wonderful. In the real world, David and Jennifer were being constantly reminded of the negative things in the future by the teachers Employment will go down thirty percent in the next five yearsGreenhouse emissions This gave a very bleak outlook of the future, and the zooming and simultaneous not bad(p) of shots of different classrooms added to the view of impending doom.In Pleasantville however, everyones futures are predictably wonderful. The characters, without having developed an understanding of change, are at a loss when they f ind themselves feeling emotions and thinking for themselves. For instance, when Mr Johnsons artworks are exposed, people become enraged and frightened and consequently violence occurs. This symbolises how these unchanged and undeveloped people dont know what to do when circumstances change. Ross is trying to show the audience that it is important to develop and understand change, because it will help in the handling of future problems.The rain scene is the scene where, after the emergence of the storm, it suddenly starts fall and very important events are taking place. unmatchable of these events involve the time when David and Margaret are kissing at Lovers Lane. When rain suddenly starts pouring, David placates everyones fears by going out into the rain and holds his arm up to the sky, as if embracing the weather. The scene is a cinematic homage to the film Shawshank Redemption, depicting the part after Andy Dufresne has escaped from the prison and is now a free man. It is defi nitely a turning point in the film Pleasantville and is seen as a revelation. The allusion is symbolic because, just like Andy Dufresne, the kids at Lovers Lane have escaped the grey walls that once held their thoughts and are now free to think and feel emotions. The next morning they all wake up coloured (except for David). Ross here is suggesting that change sets people free, and resistivity to change is resistance to thought and passion.This assertion is further developed near the end of the movie in the courtroom scene. Gary Ross assumes the voice of David to speak to the audience. Here, the technique of soliloquy/speech is cleverly used Its all inside youAnd you cant stop something thats inside of you Ross is saying that these people restricted themselves from thinking and feeling emotions but they have always had the effectiveness to be different, feel passionately and think independently. He directly states that change comes from within Jennifer and David were merely trigge ring the changes to happen.Ross also implies that change is different for everyone. The aftermath of the storm shows David is hushed in monochrome. The shot of his reflection in the lake up to him contrasts to the coloured environment. The reflection is symbolic in that it shows Davids silent desperation while searching wakeless within himself to find a change. Jennifer experiences a similar problem. The dialogue between her and David is important. Ive had like ten times as much sex as these girls and Im still in black and white. Davids reply is that maybe it is not about sex. The audience later finds that Jennifer finally changes colour when she starts reading books and puts on her glasses. The symbolism of the glasses is that her perception of the world changes and hence she changes.A panning shot around her room shows the newcolour, and finally a photograph of her alter ego, Mary-Sue, is in colour, meaning she has changed. Davids physical and individual variety is completed w hen he finally starts standing up for whats right and takes actions against whats wrong. When he punched Whitey, he took action to fight for Betty, and the audience witnessed the first flip of blood in the whole film, showing Davids furious passion. Soft music depicting a revelation accompanies this shot, demonstrating that he has found what he was pursuit change in himself. The over-the-shoulder shot of his back and the reflect is reminiscent of the lake scene and symbolic not only has he found himself but he has leave his other self behind him. Ross here asserts that people change for different reasons and that change inevitably affects everyone so they can have a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.In conclusion, the filmmaker Gary Ross conveys his attitude towards change through David and Jennifer and the effect of their presence on the town. He stresses that change is essential to understanding the world, but most of all, understanding and accepting ourselves. Ross uses various allusions to show the control the citizens of Pleasantville were once under, and then to show that they have broken free, and that in the end, everyone is inevitably affected by change. He employs satire to compel the audience to have a negative view of those who are disgusting to change, and to take a liking to the characters who embrace change. Ross asserts that everyone moldiness change in order to live their lives to the fullest extent.Pleasantville (1998) tell by Gary Ross