How Does Chris Mccandless Use Visual Techniques In Into The Wild

Analyse how visual and/ or sound and verbal techniques are used to develop the personality of an important character in a visual text you have studied
In the movie Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, many techniques have been used to show that Chris McCandless has a negative view towards people and society. It is the views of a character that define their personality. Some of the scenes when this is seen are when Chris graduates from college, and when he has his graduation lunch. However towards the end of the film this personality of Chris’s develops into a positive one. This development can be seen in the scenes when he reads a book titled ‘Family Happiness’, and when he writes in his diary after his attempt to cross the wide river.
When
Chris comes to the realisation of true happiness, while reading a book titled ‘Family Happiness’. The director uses a close up shot of the page Chris is reading, with the word ‘people’ becoming bold and larger on the screen. The director does this to show that ‘people’ are a significant part to finding happiness, also that Chris’s definition of happiness regarding people was completely wrong. This is followed by an extreme close up shot of the words from the book, with Chris's voice reading it. The words are “then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbour”. The director uses this to emphasise the fact that, in order to have happiness first comes people, then comes all your other things, such as nature and books. Nature and books was what Chris believed happiness was, but he was wrong. “No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild”. This quote shows that Chris implies that civilization is poisonous, and as any smart person would, he is running away from it, by going deep into nature which is the wild. This is followed by a mid-shot of Chris reading the book and looking around. The shot then slowly zooms into a close up shot. This shot shows Chris thinking, and realising, that he had no need to come to
Chris returns back to the magic bus after falling into the river. The director uses an extreme close up shot of Chris's eyes, with sad non-diegetic sound playing in the background. This is followed by another extreme close up shot of Chris writing the words “lonely, scared”. The combination of the two shots and the non-diegetic sound, show that Chris is sad about the fact he can’t return to society and us now feeling lonely and scared. This is the first time he is feeling and thinking this way towards his Alaska trip. He had wanted loneliness all this time, and he had it for quite a while also he never felt lonely or scared. However, after his change in views towards people and society, he finds them more desirable and so now he finds loneliness, scary. This change in view towards people has changed Chris's personality, it now causes Chris to have a whole new outlook at his lonely life that he once thought was