Wealth Rules Society In The Hunger Games, Directed By Gary Ross

In the film The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross, an overall theme is conveyed, that wealth rules society. Ross utilises carefully chosen content and effectively used production techniques to compare the Capitol with the Districts to demonstrate this theme throughout the film, particularly the establishing scenes, the hovercraft, and the reaping, whilst also highlighting similarities to real life.

The film opens with an interview, to create a contrast between the opulence of the Capitol and the poverty of the districts from the very beginning. The interview between Caesar Flickerman and Seneca Crane, the head game maker, features studio lighting and camera techniques typical of reality television. Dressed in expensive suits and immaculately styled hair, the extravagance of the Capitol is quickly evident, and a feeling of wealth and luxury is conveyed to viewers. This is juxtaposed with the poverty of District 12 when Ross abruptly cuts to the sound of Primrose Everdeen’s terrified scream and a shot of District
12, followed by a handheld shot of Katniss comforting her sister. A glimpse of the small and dilapidated house is shown. These establishing scenes utilise production techniques such as lighting and brightness, and startling sound, to contrast the divide between the Capitol and Districts from very early on. The audience is shown how the distribution of wealth has affected the lives of those on both sides of the divide, and how the wealth of the Capitol rules the society of Panem.

The Capitol’s wealth allows them to buy and construct technology to use to their advantage, such as hovercraft.
The film has many scenes of hovercraft, though the first sighting of the Capitol’s invention is when Katniss and Gale and hunting in the woods outside of the District 12 boundary. The low, menacing drone of the hovercraft is the first hint of danger, and causes Katniss and Gale to look to the sky in fear and see one of the Capitol’s large hovercrafts patrolling the area. Katniss and Gale are filmed from above, illustrating the hovercraft searching for them yet showing their insignificance. The rest of the scene is filmed from a handheld camera as they scramble to run and hide from the hovercraft, emphasising the rush and importance that Katniss and Gale get away and are not seen by the hovercraft. The Capitol’s wealth allows them to have such commodities to create fear and power over anyone else not bathing in their riches, controlling
Panem.

The scene of the Reaping is used to illustrate the differences of wealth and power of The Capitol and District 12, where Ross manipulates the costuming, camera angles, and focus. A shot of Effie Trinket arriving is shown, filmed from ground level; allowing only her pink high heels to be seen. The camera then tilts up and reveals the rest of her elaborate attire; a pink ruffled dress, highly styled hair, floral scarf, and umbrella. The outrageous costuming of people from the Capitol almost mocks the poverty of District 12, where the citizens make do with threadbare, ill-fitting clothes that are old and unwashed. The ruthlessness and control of the Capitol is displayed in a series of shots of the children of District 12 nervously filing into the assembly area. The scene alternates between being filmed from above, symbolising the control of the Capitol, and from the angle of the children, shot with a handheld camera to show the fear and unstableness that they feel. This is where two children each year are chosen to become nothing more than a pawn in the Capitols elaborate game of life or death. Ross has chosen to highlight the differences of wealth and power to evoke an emotional response from viewers, stimulating anger at the Capitol by inducing sympathy with the people of District 12. A peacekeeper is shown standing on a raised platform, emphasising the control and power resulting from the wealth of the Capitol.

The idea that wealth rules society is common in the world today, too. Plutocracy defines a system or society dominated and ruled by a small minority of the wealthiest, the name coming from the Greek translation of ‘wealth’ and ‘power’. Plutocracies have been seen throughout history, such as the Roman Empire. Although plutocracy is the core concept of a government, a modern example is the voting system of the City of London - the small area inside London mainly comprised of the financial district. Most voters are not residents, but representatives of businesses in the area, so the wealthy have more votes than the poor, who are unlikely to have as many businesses.

A number of production techniques are used in the Hunger Games to illustrate the concept that wealth rules society. Gary Ross uses camera angles, sound, costuming, and lighting to emphasise this, particularly in the establishing scenes of the Capitol and Districts, the scene of the hovercraft, and the reaping.