Richard Hancock Film Techniques

appreciation Hancock feels toward Ray and his family—this shot also allows the audience to see the All-Heart logo on the back of Ray’s recently-totaled vehicle, reminding the audience that being a good person and, in Hancock’s case, enforcing law and order, is a priority. When Hancock allows himself to be imprisoned, it is known to everyone that he could easily escape at any time due to his powers. After a basketball is thrown over the fence, Hancock flies out of the courtyard to return it. As soon as he leaves, the alarms are sounded and the camera pans to the wide expanse of the world beyond the prison confines. After one last look at the world around him, Hancock flies back to the courtyard to continue the remainder of his sentence. The …show more content…
At least in the case of Hancock, lighting maintains the ability to establish the plot almost exclusively on its own. At the beginning of the film, Hancock is clearly portrayed as a sort of miscreant. While acting this way, the lighting maintains a tint of orange resembling that of most post-apocalyptic films. This is making a statement about Hancock’s destructive behavior and the implications it has on both his own future and that of society in general. When Hancock decides to go to prison, the lighting becomes dark up until the moment he is released—this contributes to the idea that there exists darkness in light, and that things must get worse before they can improve. Although Hancock was making a decision that would ultimately help shape his pathway to becoming a better hero, it is his past decisions that led to this ultimate darkness. Although the lighting is generally normalized following his release, it does reacquire the orange hue once he discovers that Mary is his soul mate. The two engage in a violent battle on the streets and begin to create a storm above them, darkening the lighting even further—again, this is strictly foreshadowing Hancock’s future, making the point that if he stays with or even near her, the result could be disastrous. This darkness is never fully alleviated because the climax of the film follows shortly after this