Evaluating "The Truman Show"

"The Truman Show" (Peter Weir, 1998) is a satirical comedy drama about Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), an insurance salesman who's whole life has unknowingly been broadcasted to the entire world as every aspect of his life is carefully manipulated and controlled in order to not break the illusion that his life is real, while also making his life more interesting for the millions of viewers watching at home. In order to do this, 5000 hidden cameras are placed in an artificial town filled with actors.

The film cuts between different styles of filming, ranging from 'on the wall' style observational filming, first person though hidden miniature cameras hidden in the clothes of Truman and every actor, typical close ups, mid shots, long shots and angles used in sit coms and soap operas to help create the feeling of an actual show made from his life, and then there are the shots used for the audience and crew working behind the scenes of "The Truman Show". This works well because the way some scenes are shot bring us in, making us feel for Truman and creates an attachment to him, only to be taken back when it cuts to the director and crew switching through the different cameras to create the perfect scene in Truman's life, like when he was reunited with his "father" after 20 years.

The film uses stereotypical dramatic piano music throughout most of the film to create emphasis in certain parts of Truman's life, of course he cant hear the music as it is added by a pianist working backstage with the director for the audience, which makes the non diagetic sound diagetic, almost grounding the scene with some realism without taking away any drama or mood from the scene.

In conclusion, I believe that the camera angles, sound and editing style of the film works really well as it creates a fictional, idealistic life for Truman, while simultaneously showing us a more realistic, backstage look into the media industry and ethics as we learn that his entire existence has been essentially meaningless, which makes him plummet into an existential crisis when he learns the harsh truth. This can be seen when the director presents himself to Truman as a disembodied voice in the sky, like God, and states his omniscience as he tells Truman that he knows everything about him and has watched him his entire life, all while Truman stares through a doorway in a painting of the sky that is part of the stage of his existence. Truman eventually walks away from his false reality, thus turning his back on "God" and showing that he is truly alone in the world.

My role in my first assignment.

For my first assignment, my role was cinematographer. This meant that I would be responsible for booking equipment, scouting locations, creating storyboards and filming. Unfortunately, we were not able to book the equipment due to the fact that we had not done the seminar on how to properly use the camera equipment yet. We were then instructed to use a phone for the time being. I then completed a location recce, which consisted of a safety check, sound pollution check and to see which camera angles would suit the space I'm working with. After receiving the script, I then created a storyboard to display what angles and shot techniques would be used for each part of the plot. When it came to filming, we made due with what we had and despite missing scenes from the script and storyboard, we still managed to improvise.

Museum task

For this assignment I went to the Victoria & Albert museum to find inspiration. As soon as i walked into the front doors I got a retro feel from the neon lights in the gift shop and the cardboard cutout of the beetles, along with an intriguing glass chandelier, which was all a contrast to the artwork, sculptures and artifacts from the 1700's and earlier. Even within these exhibits we still see a contrast between modern and more traditional periods of these cultures, as shown by the katanas, samurai armour and traditional theatrical masks being displayed next to modern Japanese objects and merchandise, such as a hello kitty kitchen appliance set and a Lolita outfit. We even see a more religious and monarchical side to ancient Western cultures which is again contrasted by the post modern and retro decorations by the entrance. I am inspired by this because we can actually see how different cultures have changed and evolved with the world around it.

                  

 

  

    

Portrait- Work

observation task: Cafe

Starbucks, autumn

The walls are painted with dull green and orange tones with hints of brown, which really fits with the time of year. The cafe is dimly lit with warm, orange lights that gives the cafe a sense of security and homeliness.
Small square canvases are hung up on the wall. They all depict child like drawings and paintings, which adds further to the homely atmosphere. There are also artistic pictures coffee grinders and advertisements for sandwiches and coffee, which not so subtly reminds us that this is still a business.
A low humming sound from the heater blends in with the music playing through the speakers in the background.
At the far left corner a student sits, talking to her friend on the phone while studying. She occasionally sips her coffee while she jots down notes.
A businessman sits alone at a small table during his lunch break, scribbling away at a crossword puzzle. He seems so immersed in his puzzle that he has forgotten about his coffee, which sits at the opposite side of the small, round table.
A woman sits, typing away at her laptop. The man next to her reads his book while tuning everything out with his headphones.
In the other corner a group of older women chat to each other about their lives. One of the women plays on her phone while contributing to the conversation every now and again.