Visual Text Essay: The Truman Show
Visual Text Essay( Truman Show
9. Describe an important idea in the text. Explain how visual and/or verbal features showed you that this idea was important.
Freedom; a right all human beings cherish and strive for, banishing any ideas of captivity. It is powerful and even more so the ability to control it. “The Truman Show”, directed by Chrsitof expresses the control of freedom in a utopian society that contradicts the purpose of reality television. This is done through the setting, costume, dialogue and camera shots intertwined in the unique world of Truman Burbank.
“Ladies first”, a common cliché used to emphasizes the polite nature of gentlemen. Yet one can wonder whether it is purely the position and routine application of authority …show more content…
that ensures the power and control of females. In the opening scene of chapter nine “there’s no place like home”, a three shot of: Truman’s grandmother, Truman and Meryl portrays the genuine hierarchy in Truman’s life. Truman is confined and contained in between these two feminine figures; he is immobile and unable to break free. The setting itself is a cage; surrounding Truman in a world where his freedom is absent. Prevented and restricted from going anywhere, it almost seems like a cruel form of torture. “Because I never have”, he has never had the chance to explore the unknown to go anywhere beyond Seahaven. To some this is immoral and wrong, to others it is just “good” television.
Humorous yet serious, a phrase filled with irony and contradiction: Reality television.
Reality is defined as a resemblance of what is real, a presentation of the good and bad of life. However like most reality television shows the “Truman Show” is not reality at all and the entire show completely contradicts its “mission statement”. Christof has installed different ways of controlling Truman in order to keep him on Seahaven. “We’re just going to walk away from our financial obligations?” Christof uses Meryl and many other major characters in Truman’s life to influence and exercise power over him, preventing him from daydreaming about the unknown beyond Seahaven. The sea is Christof’s strongest hold over Truman. Filled with memories of loss and pain and afraid from experiencing anymore the sea is Truman’s final frontier. It was the place where his “dad died” and where his high school sweetheart was taken away from him. After a spontaneous burst of slight madness and insanity in an attempt to leave Seahaven, an overshot of Truman and Meryl in their car stationary at the bridge shows just how much control and manipulation that has stripped Truman of his freedom in order to make a television show. “It’s all true, it’s all real, nothing here is fake… it’s merely controlled”, unfortunately the control takes away the aspect of reality. Life is not controlled and there is no way that we can control it, which is possibly why reality is so …show more content…
beautiful.
The ironic sense of the “Truman Show” is widely broadcasted in its Utopian society.
Utopia is a place everyone wishes to be in, a place of bliss and relaxation where everything is perfect. An establishing shot of Seahaven’s centre expresses the “utopian” society which confines Truman. Clean streets, perfectly built buildings, beautiful sunshine and impossibly clean mown grass are few of the many “utopian” aspects in Seahaven. The costume of Meryl also prevents the audience with a stereotypical 1950’s housewife; fair skin, glossy hair, perfect body structure and a beautiful face; all features of every man’s dream girl. Yet in “There’s no place like home” even beauty and utopia cannot keep us from our hearts desires. The wedding day; a day every single person looks forward to, “the happiest day of our lives”. However through a medium close up shot of Truman as Meryl says this reveals Truman grunting and rolling his eyes. In the same scene as Meryl and Truman’s grandmother are trying to evoke happy memories of his past, the cross cutting from photos to Truman shows a lack of interest from Truman about what is being discussed. Hidden from Meryl and Truman’s grandmother but wide open for the audience to watch and digest. Truman is not currently happy and satisfied with life because he wants what he has never had. It is a part of human nature to always long for the things we do not have, but Truman has never had the chance to attempt to fulfil his desires as he has been a slave to
the world of reality television.
Reality is life; it is never in control, never following a set plan because that is what makes reality; reality. “What you are doing is wrong and sick!” Taking away the freedom of an individual is certainly not a resemblance of reality. You cannot control life no matter how hard you try. It is supposed to be lived out of control in a place where there are no bounds. Though this might be why so many people succeeded in life; because they weren’t held back.
9. Describe an important idea in the text. Explain how visual and/or verbal features showed you that this idea was important.
Freedom; a right all human beings cherish and strive for, banishing any ideas of captivity. It is powerful and even more so the ability to control it. “The Truman Show”, directed by Chrsitof expresses the control of freedom in a utopian society that contradicts the purpose of reality television. This is done through the setting, costume, dialogue and camera shots intertwined in the unique world of Truman Burbank.
“Ladies first”, a common cliché used to emphasizes the polite nature of gentlemen. Yet one can wonder whether it is purely the position and routine application of authority …show more content…
that ensures the power and control of females. In the opening scene of chapter nine “there’s no place like home”, a three shot of: Truman’s grandmother, Truman and Meryl portrays the genuine hierarchy in Truman’s life. Truman is confined and contained in between these two feminine figures; he is immobile and unable to break free. The setting itself is a cage; surrounding Truman in a world where his freedom is absent. Prevented and restricted from going anywhere, it almost seems like a cruel form of torture. “Because I never have”, he has never had the chance to explore the unknown to go anywhere beyond Seahaven. To some this is immoral and wrong, to others it is just “good” television.
Humorous yet serious, a phrase filled with irony and contradiction: Reality television.
Reality is defined as a resemblance of what is real, a presentation of the good and bad of life. However like most reality television shows the “Truman Show” is not reality at all and the entire show completely contradicts its “mission statement”. Christof has installed different ways of controlling Truman in order to keep him on Seahaven. “We’re just going to walk away from our financial obligations?” Christof uses Meryl and many other major characters in Truman’s life to influence and exercise power over him, preventing him from daydreaming about the unknown beyond Seahaven. The sea is Christof’s strongest hold over Truman. Filled with memories of loss and pain and afraid from experiencing anymore the sea is Truman’s final frontier. It was the place where his “dad died” and where his high school sweetheart was taken away from him. After a spontaneous burst of slight madness and insanity in an attempt to leave Seahaven, an overshot of Truman and Meryl in their car stationary at the bridge shows just how much control and manipulation that has stripped Truman of his freedom in order to make a television show. “It’s all true, it’s all real, nothing here is fake… it’s merely controlled”, unfortunately the control takes away the aspect of reality. Life is not controlled and there is no way that we can control it, which is possibly why reality is so …show more content…
beautiful.
The ironic sense of the “Truman Show” is widely broadcasted in its Utopian society.
Utopia is a place everyone wishes to be in, a place of bliss and relaxation where everything is perfect. An establishing shot of Seahaven’s centre expresses the “utopian” society which confines Truman. Clean streets, perfectly built buildings, beautiful sunshine and impossibly clean mown grass are few of the many “utopian” aspects in Seahaven. The costume of Meryl also prevents the audience with a stereotypical 1950’s housewife; fair skin, glossy hair, perfect body structure and a beautiful face; all features of every man’s dream girl. Yet in “There’s no place like home” even beauty and utopia cannot keep us from our hearts desires. The wedding day; a day every single person looks forward to, “the happiest day of our lives”. However through a medium close up shot of Truman as Meryl says this reveals Truman grunting and rolling his eyes. In the same scene as Meryl and Truman’s grandmother are trying to evoke happy memories of his past, the cross cutting from photos to Truman shows a lack of interest from Truman about what is being discussed. Hidden from Meryl and Truman’s grandmother but wide open for the audience to watch and digest. Truman is not currently happy and satisfied with life because he wants what he has never had. It is a part of human nature to always long for the things we do not have, but Truman has never had the chance to attempt to fulfil his desires as he has been a slave to
the world of reality television.
Reality is life; it is never in control, never following a set plan because that is what makes reality; reality. “What you are doing is wrong and sick!” Taking away the freedom of an individual is certainly not a resemblance of reality. You cannot control life no matter how hard you try. It is supposed to be lived out of control in a place where there are no bounds. Though this might be why so many people succeeded in life; because they weren’t held back.