The Crucible: Film Analysis

The Crucible is one of the film that is made from the play. There are some differences between them because some parts were cut off and some parts were made up to fulfilled the mood in the movie. In the book, the authors used a lot of devices to set mood and tone, and develop characterizations such as figurative languages, sensory imagery, and sentence style to create particular effects. In order to make the film even more intensive and interesting, the film makers need to use various techniques including lighting, framing, transitions, camera angle, and sound. The Crucible is similar to the other films in the term of techniques which have been used very well. In the opening scene in Act 1, there are many audio and visual aids used. When Abigail
and other girls gathered in the woods, mysterious music was playing and the girls were making devil laughs. In this case, the sound and music are used to set a suspenseful mood and tone. As the girls ran into the forest, the scene got darker and darker (low-key lighting). Later, when the girls came around the pot, they were whispering, and that catch the audience's attention. No music was playing in the important scene because the director wants audiences to focus on the character speeches. For example, in the scene when Abigail talks to John Proctor, and when she tells other girls to say nothing about the night in the forest. Beside the sound, various camera angles have been used. Back to the scene when the girls formed a circle around the pot, the cameraman used a crane shot in order to show the whole scene from higher view. Low-angle shot was used when Hale was looking at Betty who was laying on the bed. High-angle shot was used when Abigail looked down from the window in Betty’s room. Other camera angles that were used in normal scene are close-up and medium shot, which were used when the characters are talking or saying something. The last technique, which is very important for every movies, is transition from one scene to another. Most of the transition being used in the Crucible is cut, which ends the shot abruptly. Techniques in the film are used very often that the audiences are unlikely to notice them. This shows that the techniques are very important for all movies. If the director takes out these techniques, it will affect the film a lot. Normally, the techniques are used to give the audiences a clear insight into what the characters are feeling and their personality. Sometimes, it also gives hints about their thoughts and foreshadowing the story. From my point of view, techniques that have been used in the Crucible film are very well-set. They help to convey several thoughts, feelings, and moods to the audiences as well as the book does.