Billy Elliot Essay
Discuss how film techniques are used to show character development in a film you have studied this year
The film Billy Elliot by Stephen Daldry is about a person choosing the next pathway in his life by his own determination. This enables him to go beyond his original location and narrow view of the world. Billy Elliot is about new possibilities opening up, determination, and individual growth. To demonstrate character development, this text uses different types of techniques like contrast, symbolism and emotional language. Billy Elliot is a social drama as it deals with a variety of social issues such as poverty and class. It is about a young boy who has grown up in a poor community and a world of rules and traditions. During Billy’s boxing lesson, he discovers that he has talent in ballet dancing. Contrast is then used by the camera panning past many pairs of dainty ballet slippered feet before settling on Billy wearing his boxing boots. This shot reinforces the idea that Billy is different, and highlights his readiness to take risks and to stand out. In order for Billy to pursue his journey in dancing, he has to go against his fathers rules and deal with all the rage and frustration he is facing in his current world. Billy realises that dancing will open up his world. To show Billy’s determination to succeed, Daldry uses a variety of film techniques to emphasise his strength of character and the frustration he feels when people try to stop him making his transition. The use of doors is a reoccurring symbol representing new worlds or barriers between worlds and is used throughout the film. Billy’s initial glimpse of the ballet class through the door, and the way he enters the class hesitantly symbolises a new world opening up to Billy. Billy’s determination is one of the key elements involved in his eventual transition into a different world. Realising that his father would not allow him to pursue ballet, he attends lessons in secret and practices
The film Billy Elliot by Stephen Daldry is about a person choosing the next pathway in his life by his own determination. This enables him to go beyond his original location and narrow view of the world. Billy Elliot is about new possibilities opening up, determination, and individual growth. To demonstrate character development, this text uses different types of techniques like contrast, symbolism and emotional language. Billy Elliot is a social drama as it deals with a variety of social issues such as poverty and class. It is about a young boy who has grown up in a poor community and a world of rules and traditions. During Billy’s boxing lesson, he discovers that he has talent in ballet dancing. Contrast is then used by the camera panning past many pairs of dainty ballet slippered feet before settling on Billy wearing his boxing boots. This shot reinforces the idea that Billy is different, and highlights his readiness to take risks and to stand out. In order for Billy to pursue his journey in dancing, he has to go against his fathers rules and deal with all the rage and frustration he is facing in his current world. Billy realises that dancing will open up his world. To show Billy’s determination to succeed, Daldry uses a variety of film techniques to emphasise his strength of character and the frustration he feels when people try to stop him making his transition. The use of doors is a reoccurring symbol representing new worlds or barriers between worlds and is used throughout the film. Billy’s initial glimpse of the ballet class through the door, and the way he enters the class hesitantly symbolises a new world opening up to Billy. Billy’s determination is one of the key elements involved in his eventual transition into a different world. Realising that his father would not allow him to pursue ballet, he attends lessons in secret and practices