Textual Analysis Of The Hunger Games
YLER HANDCOCK
Commercial Reading -
Love, fashion, brutality, death and special effects, these are just some of the most popular things when it comes to people choosing a movie to watch. But not usually all together at once, right?
Gary Ross, the director of “The Hunger Games” followed a clear path of audience satisfaction when creating this incredibly fulfilling film. Through overwhelming mise en scene, plot portrayal, and exciting special effects, “The Hunger Games” has become one of the most commercially satisfying films to this day. Each element of the film has been emphasized to please a diverse audience, showing them something they expect to see, but still managing a component of surprise. Attractive actors, blood, death and beautiful …show more content…
costumes are only just the beginning of a variety of things placed in the film to attract almost every person stereotyped in our society. Scene by scene, Gary Ross has considered who he needs to satisfy when designing how he will portray the events needed. With such a vast audience, some things were enhanced while others dulled down in order to keep everyone happy and to increase the commercial satisfaction worldwide. For example, Before Katniss and Peeta are introduced, wide tracking shots of the ‘Capitol Citizens’ presents an overwhelming and flamboyant variety of makeup and costumes. From green hair to pink dogs, the Capitol is enhanced as a materialistic city while showing contrast against the poor and rundown districts that the competitors come from. Quick cuts from the obviously wealthy citizens to the uncomfortable looking District 12 representatives really highlights how implausible and far-fetched these people are. As the camera focusses in on the fashion aspect of this scene, the female viewers are attracted to the unusual and expensive looking pieces of clothing the ostentatious characters are showing off. This already satisfies a large audience as statistics show that 61% of viewers were female, so from a commercial point of view the fashion aspect was well thought out. Because over half the viewers were above the age of 25, mature aspects such as a subtle love story and minor violence were more important for the adults who were attending, but because the rating was PG 13 a younger audience was still entitled to attend The Hunger Games as well as enjoy it, while the film still managed to successfully satisfy the younger viewers’ parents. The level of enjoyment then increased the word of mouth from people that had seen it, encouraging friends and family to watch it, which increased sales. Before the beauty of the incredible costumes had even left the frame, quick cutting shots interrupt the action as Katniss unleashes with violence towards the people supporting the death created by these games. Low angled shots emphasize the magnitude of the guards with guns as they come running to overpower Katniss’ embarrassing act in front of the Capitol citizens and the sponsors. Within just 15 seconds, many different audiences are satisfied by what they can see. With such variety in this scene, there really is something pleasing for everyone, while still staying socially acceptable for cultures all over the world. “The Hunger Games” is based on the book written by Suzanne Collins, and follows quite closely along the plot line.
Clearly, the director of The Hunger Games has enhanced certain aspects in order to satisfy a wider audience, but also dulled down the violence to keep younger spectators available. By portraying the film with limited violence and swearing, and encouraging clean fights, the movie was able to be rated PG 13 , the creators of the Hunger Games have increased sale of merchandise instantly as teenagers are the ones to waste their own or their parents money of things such as costumes, figurines and DVD’s. Without the younger audience, the amount of profit gained from merchandise would be incredibly lower than it was, causing less of a commercial …show more content…
success.
In “The Hunger Games” novel, the 22 contestant’s deaths are explained in full detail leaving horrendous images in the readers mind. Although this would have been an interesting aspect of the film, Gary Ross removed anything too gruesome in order to allow the film to be advertised as PG-13. This move enhanced the commercial side of the film because instantly the viewer count was up. To achieve this rating, Gary Ross makes heavy use of handheld cameras and swish pans so it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening in the fight scenes. Using close up shots of other opponent’s faces as well as wide shots of the arena when the cannon is set off, helping tell the audience a competitor has died without having to physically show it happen. This means the audience can be aware of what’s happening, see the emotion of the other survivors but not have to deal with the details of how it ended. Although the violence was not as horrific as it could have been, the deaths were still interesting enough to not lose the murder pursuing side of the older audience. Such a simple aspect of the film was used to its absolute extent to pull in an unsuspecting audience including a huge variety of different people. The costuming element of The Hunger Games wasn’t used lightly, and a lot of thought was put into it, making it visually appealing for different audiences. Also, by using flamboyant costumes for the main characters, it made the film look expensive, meaning people trusted that it was going to be a good film if so much money had gone into it. This ended up increasing the ticket and DVD sales and expanding the commercial success even more. By using costuming in an original way, and having outfits that have never been seen before, it was more of an obvious aspect of the film than originally expected, and was successful in the way it interested all different people, and making them more curious about the film. Bringing costuming and special effects together, the outfits designed for Peeta and Katniss to wear as they are first introduced to the ‘Capitol’ surprised us all. Cinna, a first time stylist for “The Hunger Games” chose district 12 on purpose. His first outfit for the couple was a simple black unitard, and a black cape that was lit with realistic-looking fake flames. This created ‘the girl on fire’ nickname for Katniss, and united her and Peeta as a real team. Enhanced diegetic sounds of the flames and special effects created a surreal sight for the audience, leaving us with our mouth open wanting more. Again, the costuming is an appealing part of the film for any fashion lovers. But the aggressiveness of the designs, such as the flaming dress created an attractive sight for all the action lovers. Through the interview process, Katniss continued to have jaw dropping outfits that were popular because of the special effects used in post-production editing. Just by simply creating an outfit that stood away from anything girly, meant a wider audience was satisfied. This is something we see continuously through “The Hunger Games” and simple things are altered to make it suitable for all different personalities. Usually, from an audiences point of view, costuming is ignored in such an action packed and plot thick movie and is a lot less important than it would be for example in a drama, but with such detail and reason behind what the characters were wearing, it was hard for the audience to not love such an incredible element. If something so minor can affect the audience so hugely, it’s easy to understand how the film was such a raging success. Clearly, certain aspects of this film have been enhanced to create an attractive scene for all different audiences. Proving in the movie’s success, a wide variety of people were satisfied by the diversity of each element included.
“The Hungers Games” continues to wow the world as the sequels tease us, leaving us wanting to know what’s next. Obviously created with a commercial goal, “The Hunger Games” must have satisfied its creators incredibly by its undeniable success. Statistics from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/entertainment-us-boxoffice-idUSBRE82O0AS20120325 Merchandise proof: http://hungergamesmovie.org/category/buy-hunger-games/ http://www.cafepress.com/thehungergames
Feminist Reading -
Who would you expect to win a fight to the death in an extreme environmental situation? A 16 year old girl that has been practically starving for three years, or a tall, buff well fed 18 year old man that has had practise in many survival areas? The male, right? Wrong.
“The Hunger Games” pushed the heroine expectations to the next level when Katniss Everdeen was introduced, taking a different path to what most films such as ‘Twilight’ take and giving the film more meaning. Through camera techniques, shot types, relationships and simple plot portrayal, Katniss proves that a woman can always surprise you with her strength and knowledge. Although unexpected, Katniss utilized her stronger areas and managed to defeat the stereotypical expectations of her loosing. But why was she expected to lose in the first place? Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games, reminded the audience that women are not weak, and they should no longer be portrayed like that. Gary Ross and his cinematographer show us District Twelve and the Capitol from the heroine’s point of view. The reaping rushes by in a blur, with only short moments captured and faces caught in fragments that seem almost expressionless as they look so blankly into Katniss’ anxious eyes. These shots confronted the stereotypical focus women are meant to have. Using these point of view shots helps to create an atmosphere taut with tension and fear, but still beautifully captures Katniss’ strength and determination as she brushes off the overwhelming surroundings and possible sadness soon to overcome her. The point of view and low angled shots as Katniss was introduced to the other opponents worked to show her at all different levels of vulnerability, reinforcing the stereotype that women are meant to be weak. Confirming women are as strong as what they want to be, Katniss simply proved her strength as she overcame her fears in front of the world, and began to shine above the other highly skilled hopefuls. Having been a successful hunter who’s kept her mother and sister from starving since she was 11, Katniss was the perfect image of a girl that was willing to push the boundaries as to what females are meant to do. Chosen attributes for Katniss were highlighted through these low angled shots, and what are usually meant to be male traits became obvious right from the beginning. Rebelling against the usual heroine stereotype, Katniss was not slim and big chested and was far from being a heart throb for all the male viewers. Instead, Katniss was a role model for average girls and women. Why should a successful woman have to be attractive to men anyway? She can be just as successful while being herself. Gary Ross reassured women, through main character portrayal, that anyone can be the hero. You just have to fight for it. Katniss’ relationship shared with Gale challenged the conventional and obvious relationships expected in a commercial film such as The Hunger Games. With everyone expecting Katniss to fall weak at the knees for the gorgeous hunter, she challenged her expected fate and chose to ignore the feelings that overcame her as she watched him from the stage at the reaping. Giving the film depth, and difference, and drawing in the audience with the possibility of a relationship, The Hunger Games once again defies all expectations. Showing determination and great prioritising, Katniss ignored Gale so she could focus on training for the Hunger Games. She proved that women don’t need a man to push them to succeed, everything she did was so she could come home to look after her family, not to see Gale. When Katniss was told to show ‘love’ towards her district 12 partner in order to get sponsors, she knew it would hurt Gale. Proving she wanted to win, she didn’t hesitate. If she had to hurt him in order to get back to her family one day, she was going to do it. Katniss proved that not all women will give up what’s important to them in order to make a man happy, Gale should have known Katniss would forget about him because she was a smart hunter, and always kept her eye on the prize no matter what. What’s disgusting is the fact a movie such as The Hunger Games had to be created in order for the world to realise women are more than household objects that clean and cook when asked to. The Hunger Games took us along an unknown and surprising road of strength, determination and perseverance. There was no ‘meet a boy, get married and have a baby to be happy’ message because in reality, the modern world doesn’t have that message either. The liberation from a cruel and domineering empire was at stake in The Hunger Games, and this was significantly greater than any love story. There was no love or adoration entwined with the death and brutality of what was happening, the only love that existed at the beginning of the film was lost instantly as the significance of what was going on became apparent.
Why should a film with a female main character be expected to involve love in the first place, women are equally as tough as men when it comes down to it. Gary Ross reminded the audience of the strength that women have, by portraying Katniss in the most admirable way. The Hunger Games is such a successful movie, because it showed a woman with a goal, willing to do anything to achieve it. But why has it taken so long for a movie to be released that isn’t offensive or stereotypical towards women? Throughout ‘The Hunger Games’ the audience is constantly reminded of its modern take on women, and the fact we are no longer what we use to be. Low angled shots emphasized the strength within Katniss, as point of view shots obtained her determination and hope of success. Choosing Peeta over Gale just to please the sponsors reassured her goals of returning to her mother and sister while the plot simply destroyed all expected love story hopes. The Hunger Games is successful because it is relatable, no matter how unbelievable the Capitol seemed, or how farfetched the games were, Katniss’ traits and qualities reassured the audience of reality.
On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 9:04 AM, Tyler Handcock <tylerhandcock1@gmail.com> wrote:
Commercial Reading -
Love, fashion, brutality, death and special effects, these are just some of the most popular things when it comes to people choosing a movie to watch. But not usually all together at once, right?
Gary Ross, the director of “The Hunger Games” followed a clear path of audience satisfaction when creating this incredibly fulfilling film.
Through overwhelming mise en scene, plot portrayal, and exciting special effects, “The Hunger Games” has become one of the most commercially satisfying films to this day. Each element of the film has been emphasized to please a diverse audience, showing them something they expect to see, but still managing a component of surprise. Attractive actors, blood, death and beautiful costumes are only just the beginning of a variety of things placed in the film to attract almost every person stereotyped in our
society. Scene by scene, Gary Ross has considered who he needs to satisfy when designing how he will portray the events needed. With such a vast audience, some things were enhanced while others dulled down in order to keep everyone happy and to increase the commercial satisfaction worldwide. For example, Before Katniss and Peeta are introduced, wide tracking shots of the ‘Capitol Citizens’ presents an overwhelming and flamboyant variety of makeup and costumes. From green hair to pink dogs, the Capitol is enhanced as a materialistic city while showing contrast against the poor and rundown districts that the competitors come from. Quick cuts from the obviously wealthy citizens to the uncomfortable looking District 12 representatives really highlights how implausible and far-fetched these people are. As the camera focusses in on the fashion aspect of this scene, the female viewers are attracted to the unusual and expensive looking pieces of clothing the ostentatious characters are showing off. This already satisfies a large audience as statistics show that 61% of viewers were female, so from a commercial point of view the fashion aspect was well thought out. Because over half the viewers were above the age of 25, mature aspects such as a subtle love story and minor violence were more important for the adults who were attending, but because the rating was PG 13 a younger audience was still entitled to attend The Hunger Games as well as enjoy it, while the film still managed to successfully satisfy the younger viewers’ parents. The level of enjoyment then increased the word of mouth from people that had seen it, encouraging friends and family to watch it, which increased sales. Before the beauty of the incredible costumes had even left the frame, quick cutting shots interrupt the action as Katniss unleashes with violence towards the people supporting the death created by these games. Low angled shots emphasize the magnitude of the guards with guns as they come running to overpower Katniss’ embarrassing act in front of the Capitol citizens and the sponsors. Within just 15 seconds, many different audiences are satisfied by what they can see. With such variety in this scene, there really is something pleasing for everyone, while still staying socially acceptable for cultures all over the world. “The Hunger Games” is based on the book written by Suzanne Collins, and follows quite closely along the plot line. Clearly, the director of The Hunger Games has enhanced certain aspects in order to satisfy a wider audience, but also dulled down the violence to keep younger spectators available. By portraying the film with limited violence and swearing, and encouraging clean fights, the movie was able to be rated PG 13 , the creators of the Hunger Games have increased sale of merchandise instantly as teenagers are the ones to waste their own or their parents money of things such as costumes, figurines and DVD’s. Without the younger audience, the amount of profit gained from merchandise would be incredibly lower than it was, causing less of a commercial success.
In “The Hunger Games” novel, the 22 contestant’s deaths are explained in full detail leaving horrendous images in the readers mind. Although this would have been an interesting aspect of the film, Gary Ross removed anything too gruesome in order to allow the film to be advertised as PG-13. This move enhanced the commercial side of the film because instantly the viewer count was up. To achieve this rating, Gary Ross makes heavy use of handheld cameras and swish pans so it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening in the fight scenes. Using close up shots of other opponent’s faces as well as wide shots of the arena when the cannon is set off, helping tell the audience a competitor has died without having to physically show it happen. This means the audience can be aware of what’s happening, see the emotion of the other survivors but not have to deal with the details of how it ended. Although the violence was not as horrific as it could have been, the deaths were still interesting enough to not lose the murder pursuing side of the older audience. Such a simple aspect of the film was used to its absolute extent to pull in an unsuspecting audience including a huge variety of different people. The costuming element of The Hunger Games wasn’t used lightly, and a lot of thought was put into it, making it visually appealing for different audiences. Also, by using flamboyant costumes for the main characters, it made the film look expensive, meaning people trusted that it was going to be a good film if so much money had gone into it. This ended up increasing the ticket and DVD sales and expanding the commercial success even more. By using costuming in an original way, and having outfits that have never been seen before, it was more of an obvious aspect of the film than originally expected, and was successful in the way it interested all different people, and making them more curious about the film. Bringing costuming and special effects together, the outfits designed for Peeta and Katniss to wear as they are first introduced to the ‘Capitol’ surprised us all. Cinna, a first time stylist for “The Hunger Games” chose district 12 on purpose. His first outfit for the couple was a simple black unitard, and a black cape that was lit with realistic-looking fake flames. This created ‘the girl on fire’ nickname for Katniss, and united her and Peeta as a real team. Enhanced diegetic sounds of the flames and special effects created a surreal sight for the audience, leaving us with our mouth open wanting more. Again, the costuming is an appealing part of the film for any fashion lovers. But the aggressiveness of the designs, such as the flaming dress created an attractive sight for all the action lovers. Through the interview process, Katniss continued to have jaw dropping outfits that were popular because of the special effects used in post-production editing. Just by simply creating an outfit that stood away from anything girly, meant a wider audience was satisfied. This is something we see continuously through “The Hunger Games” and simple things are altered to make it suitable for all different personalities. Usually, from an audiences point of view, costuming is ignored in such an action packed and plot thick movie and is a lot less important than it would be for example in a drama, but with such detail and reason behind what the characters were wearing, it was hard for the audience to not love such an incredible element. If something so minor can affect the audience so hugely, it’s easy to understand how the film was such a raging success. Clearly, certain aspects of this film have been enhanced to create an attractive scene for all different audiences. Proving in the movie’s success, a wide variety of people were satisfied by the diversity of each element included.
“The Hungers Games” continues to wow the world as the sequels tease us, leaving us wanting to know what’s next. Obviously created with a commercial goal, “The Hunger Games” must have satisfied its creators incredibly by its undeniable success. Statistics from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/entertainment-us-boxoffice-idUSBRE82O0AS20120325 Merchandise proof: http://hungergamesmovie.org/category/buy-hunger-games/ http://www.cafepress.com/thehungergames
Commercial Reading -
Love, fashion, brutality, death and special effects, these are just some of the most popular things when it comes to people choosing a movie to watch. But not usually all together at once, right?
Gary Ross, the director of “The Hunger Games” followed a clear path of audience satisfaction when creating this incredibly fulfilling film. Through overwhelming mise en scene, plot portrayal, and exciting special effects, “The Hunger Games” has become one of the most commercially satisfying films to this day. Each element of the film has been emphasized to please a diverse audience, showing them something they expect to see, but still managing a component of surprise. Attractive actors, blood, death and beautiful …show more content…
costumes are only just the beginning of a variety of things placed in the film to attract almost every person stereotyped in our society. Scene by scene, Gary Ross has considered who he needs to satisfy when designing how he will portray the events needed. With such a vast audience, some things were enhanced while others dulled down in order to keep everyone happy and to increase the commercial satisfaction worldwide. For example, Before Katniss and Peeta are introduced, wide tracking shots of the ‘Capitol Citizens’ presents an overwhelming and flamboyant variety of makeup and costumes. From green hair to pink dogs, the Capitol is enhanced as a materialistic city while showing contrast against the poor and rundown districts that the competitors come from. Quick cuts from the obviously wealthy citizens to the uncomfortable looking District 12 representatives really highlights how implausible and far-fetched these people are. As the camera focusses in on the fashion aspect of this scene, the female viewers are attracted to the unusual and expensive looking pieces of clothing the ostentatious characters are showing off. This already satisfies a large audience as statistics show that 61% of viewers were female, so from a commercial point of view the fashion aspect was well thought out. Because over half the viewers were above the age of 25, mature aspects such as a subtle love story and minor violence were more important for the adults who were attending, but because the rating was PG 13 a younger audience was still entitled to attend The Hunger Games as well as enjoy it, while the film still managed to successfully satisfy the younger viewers’ parents. The level of enjoyment then increased the word of mouth from people that had seen it, encouraging friends and family to watch it, which increased sales. Before the beauty of the incredible costumes had even left the frame, quick cutting shots interrupt the action as Katniss unleashes with violence towards the people supporting the death created by these games. Low angled shots emphasize the magnitude of the guards with guns as they come running to overpower Katniss’ embarrassing act in front of the Capitol citizens and the sponsors. Within just 15 seconds, many different audiences are satisfied by what they can see. With such variety in this scene, there really is something pleasing for everyone, while still staying socially acceptable for cultures all over the world. “The Hunger Games” is based on the book written by Suzanne Collins, and follows quite closely along the plot line.
Clearly, the director of The Hunger Games has enhanced certain aspects in order to satisfy a wider audience, but also dulled down the violence to keep younger spectators available. By portraying the film with limited violence and swearing, and encouraging clean fights, the movie was able to be rated PG 13 , the creators of the Hunger Games have increased sale of merchandise instantly as teenagers are the ones to waste their own or their parents money of things such as costumes, figurines and DVD’s. Without the younger audience, the amount of profit gained from merchandise would be incredibly lower than it was, causing less of a commercial …show more content…
success.
In “The Hunger Games” novel, the 22 contestant’s deaths are explained in full detail leaving horrendous images in the readers mind. Although this would have been an interesting aspect of the film, Gary Ross removed anything too gruesome in order to allow the film to be advertised as PG-13. This move enhanced the commercial side of the film because instantly the viewer count was up. To achieve this rating, Gary Ross makes heavy use of handheld cameras and swish pans so it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening in the fight scenes. Using close up shots of other opponent’s faces as well as wide shots of the arena when the cannon is set off, helping tell the audience a competitor has died without having to physically show it happen. This means the audience can be aware of what’s happening, see the emotion of the other survivors but not have to deal with the details of how it ended. Although the violence was not as horrific as it could have been, the deaths were still interesting enough to not lose the murder pursuing side of the older audience. Such a simple aspect of the film was used to its absolute extent to pull in an unsuspecting audience including a huge variety of different people. The costuming element of The Hunger Games wasn’t used lightly, and a lot of thought was put into it, making it visually appealing for different audiences. Also, by using flamboyant costumes for the main characters, it made the film look expensive, meaning people trusted that it was going to be a good film if so much money had gone into it. This ended up increasing the ticket and DVD sales and expanding the commercial success even more. By using costuming in an original way, and having outfits that have never been seen before, it was more of an obvious aspect of the film than originally expected, and was successful in the way it interested all different people, and making them more curious about the film. Bringing costuming and special effects together, the outfits designed for Peeta and Katniss to wear as they are first introduced to the ‘Capitol’ surprised us all. Cinna, a first time stylist for “The Hunger Games” chose district 12 on purpose. His first outfit for the couple was a simple black unitard, and a black cape that was lit with realistic-looking fake flames. This created ‘the girl on fire’ nickname for Katniss, and united her and Peeta as a real team. Enhanced diegetic sounds of the flames and special effects created a surreal sight for the audience, leaving us with our mouth open wanting more. Again, the costuming is an appealing part of the film for any fashion lovers. But the aggressiveness of the designs, such as the flaming dress created an attractive sight for all the action lovers. Through the interview process, Katniss continued to have jaw dropping outfits that were popular because of the special effects used in post-production editing. Just by simply creating an outfit that stood away from anything girly, meant a wider audience was satisfied. This is something we see continuously through “The Hunger Games” and simple things are altered to make it suitable for all different personalities. Usually, from an audiences point of view, costuming is ignored in such an action packed and plot thick movie and is a lot less important than it would be for example in a drama, but with such detail and reason behind what the characters were wearing, it was hard for the audience to not love such an incredible element. If something so minor can affect the audience so hugely, it’s easy to understand how the film was such a raging success. Clearly, certain aspects of this film have been enhanced to create an attractive scene for all different audiences. Proving in the movie’s success, a wide variety of people were satisfied by the diversity of each element included.
“The Hungers Games” continues to wow the world as the sequels tease us, leaving us wanting to know what’s next. Obviously created with a commercial goal, “The Hunger Games” must have satisfied its creators incredibly by its undeniable success. Statistics from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/entertainment-us-boxoffice-idUSBRE82O0AS20120325 Merchandise proof: http://hungergamesmovie.org/category/buy-hunger-games/ http://www.cafepress.com/thehungergames
Feminist Reading -
Who would you expect to win a fight to the death in an extreme environmental situation? A 16 year old girl that has been practically starving for three years, or a tall, buff well fed 18 year old man that has had practise in many survival areas? The male, right? Wrong.
“The Hunger Games” pushed the heroine expectations to the next level when Katniss Everdeen was introduced, taking a different path to what most films such as ‘Twilight’ take and giving the film more meaning. Through camera techniques, shot types, relationships and simple plot portrayal, Katniss proves that a woman can always surprise you with her strength and knowledge. Although unexpected, Katniss utilized her stronger areas and managed to defeat the stereotypical expectations of her loosing. But why was she expected to lose in the first place? Gary Ross, the director of The Hunger Games, reminded the audience that women are not weak, and they should no longer be portrayed like that. Gary Ross and his cinematographer show us District Twelve and the Capitol from the heroine’s point of view. The reaping rushes by in a blur, with only short moments captured and faces caught in fragments that seem almost expressionless as they look so blankly into Katniss’ anxious eyes. These shots confronted the stereotypical focus women are meant to have. Using these point of view shots helps to create an atmosphere taut with tension and fear, but still beautifully captures Katniss’ strength and determination as she brushes off the overwhelming surroundings and possible sadness soon to overcome her. The point of view and low angled shots as Katniss was introduced to the other opponents worked to show her at all different levels of vulnerability, reinforcing the stereotype that women are meant to be weak. Confirming women are as strong as what they want to be, Katniss simply proved her strength as she overcame her fears in front of the world, and began to shine above the other highly skilled hopefuls. Having been a successful hunter who’s kept her mother and sister from starving since she was 11, Katniss was the perfect image of a girl that was willing to push the boundaries as to what females are meant to do. Chosen attributes for Katniss were highlighted through these low angled shots, and what are usually meant to be male traits became obvious right from the beginning. Rebelling against the usual heroine stereotype, Katniss was not slim and big chested and was far from being a heart throb for all the male viewers. Instead, Katniss was a role model for average girls and women. Why should a successful woman have to be attractive to men anyway? She can be just as successful while being herself. Gary Ross reassured women, through main character portrayal, that anyone can be the hero. You just have to fight for it. Katniss’ relationship shared with Gale challenged the conventional and obvious relationships expected in a commercial film such as The Hunger Games. With everyone expecting Katniss to fall weak at the knees for the gorgeous hunter, she challenged her expected fate and chose to ignore the feelings that overcame her as she watched him from the stage at the reaping. Giving the film depth, and difference, and drawing in the audience with the possibility of a relationship, The Hunger Games once again defies all expectations. Showing determination and great prioritising, Katniss ignored Gale so she could focus on training for the Hunger Games. She proved that women don’t need a man to push them to succeed, everything she did was so she could come home to look after her family, not to see Gale. When Katniss was told to show ‘love’ towards her district 12 partner in order to get sponsors, she knew it would hurt Gale. Proving she wanted to win, she didn’t hesitate. If she had to hurt him in order to get back to her family one day, she was going to do it. Katniss proved that not all women will give up what’s important to them in order to make a man happy, Gale should have known Katniss would forget about him because she was a smart hunter, and always kept her eye on the prize no matter what. What’s disgusting is the fact a movie such as The Hunger Games had to be created in order for the world to realise women are more than household objects that clean and cook when asked to. The Hunger Games took us along an unknown and surprising road of strength, determination and perseverance. There was no ‘meet a boy, get married and have a baby to be happy’ message because in reality, the modern world doesn’t have that message either. The liberation from a cruel and domineering empire was at stake in The Hunger Games, and this was significantly greater than any love story. There was no love or adoration entwined with the death and brutality of what was happening, the only love that existed at the beginning of the film was lost instantly as the significance of what was going on became apparent.
Why should a film with a female main character be expected to involve love in the first place, women are equally as tough as men when it comes down to it. Gary Ross reminded the audience of the strength that women have, by portraying Katniss in the most admirable way. The Hunger Games is such a successful movie, because it showed a woman with a goal, willing to do anything to achieve it. But why has it taken so long for a movie to be released that isn’t offensive or stereotypical towards women? Throughout ‘The Hunger Games’ the audience is constantly reminded of its modern take on women, and the fact we are no longer what we use to be. Low angled shots emphasized the strength within Katniss, as point of view shots obtained her determination and hope of success. Choosing Peeta over Gale just to please the sponsors reassured her goals of returning to her mother and sister while the plot simply destroyed all expected love story hopes. The Hunger Games is successful because it is relatable, no matter how unbelievable the Capitol seemed, or how farfetched the games were, Katniss’ traits and qualities reassured the audience of reality.
On Wed, Aug 27, 2014 at 9:04 AM, Tyler Handcock <tylerhandcock1@gmail.com> wrote:
Commercial Reading -
Love, fashion, brutality, death and special effects, these are just some of the most popular things when it comes to people choosing a movie to watch. But not usually all together at once, right?
Gary Ross, the director of “The Hunger Games” followed a clear path of audience satisfaction when creating this incredibly fulfilling film.
Through overwhelming mise en scene, plot portrayal, and exciting special effects, “The Hunger Games” has become one of the most commercially satisfying films to this day. Each element of the film has been emphasized to please a diverse audience, showing them something they expect to see, but still managing a component of surprise. Attractive actors, blood, death and beautiful costumes are only just the beginning of a variety of things placed in the film to attract almost every person stereotyped in our
society. Scene by scene, Gary Ross has considered who he needs to satisfy when designing how he will portray the events needed. With such a vast audience, some things were enhanced while others dulled down in order to keep everyone happy and to increase the commercial satisfaction worldwide. For example, Before Katniss and Peeta are introduced, wide tracking shots of the ‘Capitol Citizens’ presents an overwhelming and flamboyant variety of makeup and costumes. From green hair to pink dogs, the Capitol is enhanced as a materialistic city while showing contrast against the poor and rundown districts that the competitors come from. Quick cuts from the obviously wealthy citizens to the uncomfortable looking District 12 representatives really highlights how implausible and far-fetched these people are. As the camera focusses in on the fashion aspect of this scene, the female viewers are attracted to the unusual and expensive looking pieces of clothing the ostentatious characters are showing off. This already satisfies a large audience as statistics show that 61% of viewers were female, so from a commercial point of view the fashion aspect was well thought out. Because over half the viewers were above the age of 25, mature aspects such as a subtle love story and minor violence were more important for the adults who were attending, but because the rating was PG 13 a younger audience was still entitled to attend The Hunger Games as well as enjoy it, while the film still managed to successfully satisfy the younger viewers’ parents. The level of enjoyment then increased the word of mouth from people that had seen it, encouraging friends and family to watch it, which increased sales. Before the beauty of the incredible costumes had even left the frame, quick cutting shots interrupt the action as Katniss unleashes with violence towards the people supporting the death created by these games. Low angled shots emphasize the magnitude of the guards with guns as they come running to overpower Katniss’ embarrassing act in front of the Capitol citizens and the sponsors. Within just 15 seconds, many different audiences are satisfied by what they can see. With such variety in this scene, there really is something pleasing for everyone, while still staying socially acceptable for cultures all over the world. “The Hunger Games” is based on the book written by Suzanne Collins, and follows quite closely along the plot line. Clearly, the director of The Hunger Games has enhanced certain aspects in order to satisfy a wider audience, but also dulled down the violence to keep younger spectators available. By portraying the film with limited violence and swearing, and encouraging clean fights, the movie was able to be rated PG 13 , the creators of the Hunger Games have increased sale of merchandise instantly as teenagers are the ones to waste their own or their parents money of things such as costumes, figurines and DVD’s. Without the younger audience, the amount of profit gained from merchandise would be incredibly lower than it was, causing less of a commercial success.
In “The Hunger Games” novel, the 22 contestant’s deaths are explained in full detail leaving horrendous images in the readers mind. Although this would have been an interesting aspect of the film, Gary Ross removed anything too gruesome in order to allow the film to be advertised as PG-13. This move enhanced the commercial side of the film because instantly the viewer count was up. To achieve this rating, Gary Ross makes heavy use of handheld cameras and swish pans so it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening in the fight scenes. Using close up shots of other opponent’s faces as well as wide shots of the arena when the cannon is set off, helping tell the audience a competitor has died without having to physically show it happen. This means the audience can be aware of what’s happening, see the emotion of the other survivors but not have to deal with the details of how it ended. Although the violence was not as horrific as it could have been, the deaths were still interesting enough to not lose the murder pursuing side of the older audience. Such a simple aspect of the film was used to its absolute extent to pull in an unsuspecting audience including a huge variety of different people. The costuming element of The Hunger Games wasn’t used lightly, and a lot of thought was put into it, making it visually appealing for different audiences. Also, by using flamboyant costumes for the main characters, it made the film look expensive, meaning people trusted that it was going to be a good film if so much money had gone into it. This ended up increasing the ticket and DVD sales and expanding the commercial success even more. By using costuming in an original way, and having outfits that have never been seen before, it was more of an obvious aspect of the film than originally expected, and was successful in the way it interested all different people, and making them more curious about the film. Bringing costuming and special effects together, the outfits designed for Peeta and Katniss to wear as they are first introduced to the ‘Capitol’ surprised us all. Cinna, a first time stylist for “The Hunger Games” chose district 12 on purpose. His first outfit for the couple was a simple black unitard, and a black cape that was lit with realistic-looking fake flames. This created ‘the girl on fire’ nickname for Katniss, and united her and Peeta as a real team. Enhanced diegetic sounds of the flames and special effects created a surreal sight for the audience, leaving us with our mouth open wanting more. Again, the costuming is an appealing part of the film for any fashion lovers. But the aggressiveness of the designs, such as the flaming dress created an attractive sight for all the action lovers. Through the interview process, Katniss continued to have jaw dropping outfits that were popular because of the special effects used in post-production editing. Just by simply creating an outfit that stood away from anything girly, meant a wider audience was satisfied. This is something we see continuously through “The Hunger Games” and simple things are altered to make it suitable for all different personalities. Usually, from an audiences point of view, costuming is ignored in such an action packed and plot thick movie and is a lot less important than it would be for example in a drama, but with such detail and reason behind what the characters were wearing, it was hard for the audience to not love such an incredible element. If something so minor can affect the audience so hugely, it’s easy to understand how the film was such a raging success. Clearly, certain aspects of this film have been enhanced to create an attractive scene for all different audiences. Proving in the movie’s success, a wide variety of people were satisfied by the diversity of each element included.
“The Hungers Games” continues to wow the world as the sequels tease us, leaving us wanting to know what’s next. Obviously created with a commercial goal, “The Hunger Games” must have satisfied its creators incredibly by its undeniable success. Statistics from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/entertainment-us-boxoffice-idUSBRE82O0AS20120325 Merchandise proof: http://hungergamesmovie.org/category/buy-hunger-games/ http://www.cafepress.com/thehungergames