The Loev of

The Truman Show Themes * verisimilitude, the semblance of reality in dramatic or nondramatic fiction. The concept implies that either the action represented must be acceptable or convincing according to the audience’s own experience or knowledge or, as in the presentation of science fiction or tales of the supernatural, the audience must be enticed into willingly suspending disbelief and accepting improbable actions as true within the framework of the narrative. * Speculative Fiction * Peter Weir directed this comedy-drama, a commentary on all-pervasive media manipulation. * The Truman Show is not just an entertainment, though entertaining it is. An amazing cinematic statement about the problems of appearance and reality that so dominate post-modern thinking in the American academy today, this movie can teach us much about the desperation of current American cultural life. * In many other ways, the movie speaks strongly to the problems that television brings to contemporary culture. And the central problem that Weir explores is that of appearance vs. reality. *

Techniques The film operates on two levels. First, it acknowledges the level of the movie maker and you, the viewer. There are scenes in The Truman Show in which you see either an audience watching “The Truman Show”—the television show within the movie—or the control room from which the television show is produced, or you see Truman himself or the other actors in traditional movie-viewing mode. At these times, you watch the movie as if Truman or the others were characters in a movie, which of course they are, and your understanding is not challenged in any distinctive way. The second level is visually more interesting. Frequently, you see what viewers of “The Truman Show” would be seeing through the 5,000 cameras set up around Sea Haven. These scenes are often set off in a clever way with camera shots containing blurred edges and strange angles so that you, the movie viewer, know when you are watching Truman in the same voyeuristic way that the audience in the movie is watching Truman. Without seeming overly obtrusive or clever, this visual perspective gives you the feeling of power, as if to tell you “You lucky viewer! Poor Truman is just a pawn in their game, but you can walk out into the night after this film is over and you are free.” This sets up Truman as simply a character in a TV show instead of a real person with independent dreams and miseries, and the implication is that all is right with the world—movies are movies, and real life is real life. Vignette Shot | Used to show when the camera's on the set of the show are being used. Conveys voyuerism and is telltale through a black shading around edge of screen. | Quote: "Cue the sun." | Shows that Christof has "divine" qualities by the fact that he can make the sun come up like god. Shows he is the master. | Lighting: Dark | Used in the Lunar Room (Christof's base of operations) to show the contrast between Seahaven and reality i.e. oppressiveness. | Lighting: Bright | Used in Seahaven to give a false sense of perfection and to show that things are supposed bright and happy. | BCU: Truman on bridge | Big Close Up of Truman's face on the bridge to emphasise his teary eyes which shows how the climax of the film has been reached where Truman has realised the truth i.e. Marlon lying to him. | Long Shot: Lunar Room screen (T and C) | Christof has his hand on the screen where Truman's sleeping face is to show his fatherly tenderness towards Truman. | High Angle: Truman's arse | This awkward high angle shot of Truman gardening shows that the cameras in Truman's set are intrusive. | Symbol: Fiji | This is the symbol of Truman's desire for exploration. Fiji is where Truman wants to escape to. (T - "You can't get any further away before you start coming back.") | Symbol: Stripes | This is the symbol for Truman's metaphorical prison. The symbol is used frequently e.g. blinds at the dock, stripes on clothing. It shows how Truman is trapped in Seahaven. No longer wearing stripes when he escapes. | Symbol: Water | This is the symbol for Truman's fear and triumph. Made to fear water by father drowning, he is kept on the island by this fear. He sails to freedom (Santa Maria), and walks on water. | Long Shot: Truman reaching end of set | This camera angle is used to show that Truman having his back to us symbolises his freedom from the intrusiveness of the cameras and the audience. | Theme: Courage | Courage is what Truman presents to us through his escape from Christof's lives. It relates to us because the media controls us through manipulation, and we must have courage like Truman to escape from its hold on our lives. | Quote: T - "And in case I don't see ya', good afternoon, good evening and goodnight!" | This line is used three times - the first to show how Truman is trapped in "utopia" and how comercial his life is. The second is when he says the beginning and the neighbour finishes it, proves his life is monotonous. The third is to show that Truman has broken free and is mocking Christof's domination. | Close up: Truman at beginning | This is wear Truman is talking to himself in the mirror and we see his desire for adventure and exploration, but instead we see his life as mediocre and boring as Meryl calls him away. | Santa Maria | This is what Truman's sailing boat is called - the name also of Christofer Colombus' ship that he used to discover America. Shows that Truman has finally got his desire to explore. | Quote: C - "That's our hero shot" | Said when Truman is in peril on the Santa Maria. Shows that Christof is less concerned with Truman's life but with the ratings instead. He has changed from being a caring father, to a TV director tyrant. | Lighting: Blue (bridge scene) | The blue lighting when Truman reunites with his father is to show the sadness Truman feels knowing that his life has been a lie and that his father isn't really real. To emphasise his tears. | Quote: "We can't let him die in front of a live audience!" "He was born in front of a live audience." | This is during the storm during Truman's last attempt to escape. It shows how the power has corrupted Christof and changed him into a tyrant. He cares more for keeping Truman controlled than letting him be free. | Name: Truman | Tru-man = this name is to symbolise how Truman is swamped with lies but he endeavours to always seek the truth about his life and the world. By the end, he succeeds and becomes a True Man. | Name: Christof | His name draws a connection with Christ, to show that Christof thinks himself god-like in his powers over the show and Truman's life. |